Birding and personal safety September 23, 2012
Posted by Ilana DeBare in Birding
Photo by Ilana DeBareBy Ilana DeBare
About two weeks ago, there was a terrible incident in New York’s Central Park where a 73-year-old woman was raped while birding. I won’t go into the details except to say that the rapist was caught, and turned out to be a 42-year-old drifter with a history of felonies who had threatened other park goers too.
So the risk wasn’t specific to birding. The victim could have been anyone in the park. Still, the attack raised questions for me about personal safety and birding, particularly as a woman.
As an advanced-beginner birder, I typically go out with other people for help identifying the birds. I was curious about how other more experienced birders – especially women – feel about birding alone, and whether they worry about personal safety. So I emailed a few of Golden Gate Audubon’s most proficient women birders, and posted the question on our Facebook page.
I quickly realized there are a variety of issues around birding safety, beyond the rape-on-a-secluded-trail that had been on my mind:
- Natural hazards – poison oak, mountain lions, rattlesnakes etc.
- Optics issues – carrying $2000 worth of cameras, scopes etc. can make birders a robbery target.
- Getting to birding sites, particularly if you need to take public transit through high-crime areas.
I received a variety of responses. Some women feel that birding is no riskier than daily life in a big city. Marissa Ortega-Welch, who helps run our Eco-Education program, wrote:
I am conscious of being a young woman and generally live my life trying to always be vigilant and aware of my surroundings and present an air of confidence…. I don’t give any more thought to my personal safety while birding than I do during any other activity in my life. I do bird and hike alone, and while occasionally my irrational fears will get the better of me and make me feel nervous, I remind myself that statistically I am actually much safer in the middle of the woods than in the city and certainly safer than being in a car.
But a couple of Facebook respondents said that safety concerns do affect their birding — in frustrating ways. One wrote:
As a woman, i am often concerned about my personal safety. If alone, I try to stay on traveled trails. Unfortunately, I never feel totally relaxed. And to be perfectly honest, it p—es me off!
And another added:
I agree…with being p-ed off! I often feel unsafe, especially when I’m engrossed in some interesting species. It’s a vulnerable position to be in, with your attention and eyes elsewhere entirely. I often take my dog with me, but when I can’t do that, I admit I can’t focus entirely on the birds. It’s enraging!
Why do such worries matter? Why can’t women – or anyone concerned about safety – simply stick to birding with friends? Frances Dupont, one of the leaders of our Burrowing Owl docent program in Berkeley, sent me an articulate summary of the value of occasionally birding alone:
I feel it is very important to be able to bird alone. I learn a lot from other birders, but also from patiently looking and listening by myself. If I know the area I am very comfortable birding alone, but I am jealous of male birders who dont stop to think about whether the area is safe, is it getting dark, etc. I also think women can be under some degree of pressure to be sociable and not solitary. But it is the solitary hours in the woods that really pay off.
What do you think?
Has personal safety been a concern to you while birding? Has it affected how and where you bird? Are there steps you take to feel secure? Or do you think these concerns are overblown, and birders should be more worried about being hit by a car on Market Street?
Please share your thoughts and experiences as a comment! If we get enough interesting responses, I’ll write a follow-up blog post. If you read Golden Gate Birder by email, you can leave a comment by going to the blog site at http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/blog-posts/birding-and-personal-safety/ . Scroll down to find the comment box at the bottom of the page.
Tags: birding, birding safety, women birders, women's safety.
Most of my “birding” is in my back yard here in the Presidio, but I have often hiked alone, which I prefer, with no distraction from my experiences of the world I’m passing through. I have a friend, also an ‘older’ woman, who always hikes alone. She carries a stick and a bear-size cannister of pepper spray. I don’t think she has ever had to use the pepper spray.
I also camp alone. Once, in an isolated roadside pullout, I had a very scary dream. I promptly got up, packed up the tent, etc. and left. It was around 3 AM. Another time, at a campground, a bunch of men were drinking quite a bit, in a rough kind of way, and when my car wouldn’t start they were extremely helpful getting me going so I could drive down for repairs.
For women who wish to build a few defense skills, I recommend Bay Area Model Mugging: Impact Bay Area
http://www.impactbayarea.org/
I really appreciated this article. It’s something we always think about when we are birding alone. Because I am in my eighties, I’m less concerned with being attached than by falling and not being able to summon help. Cell phones often don’t have reception in my local regional parks. Though I most often bird with a companion, I do love the solitary walks. I find the two local botanical gardens to be both very safe and very “birdy.” In Tilden I recommend the native plant botanical garden along Wildcat Creek and in Strawberry Canyon, the UC Botanical Garden.
And best of all, my own bench under my live oak tree.
I take the train and ride my bike nearly everywhere. It bums me out, because a woman was recently mugged on the trail neear the Downtown Palo Alto Caltrain station. I tend to bird alone mostly because my friends are not into it as I am. The best birding is often done when it’s a little dark out, which compounds the problem. Sadly, I don’t feel enough is done in our public parks to protect us from harm. I don’t like the idea of a huge police presence either, but somewhere between that and being left completely vulnerable is a better birding experience for women who go out alone. . . not sure what that is though.
I bird alone often, and am always conscious of the danger, and am sometimes, quite frankly, scared. I experienced this first in the Ramble in Central Park. Here in Tilden or Claremont Canyon or at Pt. Reyes I check the cars in the trailhead parking lot, and notice and say hello to everyone I pass on the trail; it’s subconscious, but the concern is always there. I hate feeling so vulnerable, but it’s a fact of life that we have to live with. I do look forward to a time when cell phones will have universal coverage . . .
I’m a male birder who often birds alone. When I encounter a lone female birder, I acknowledge her and try to give her extra space. This pertains to just walking in my neighborhood as well. I am aware that she may see me as a threat and usually keep my distance. I always worry about my wife when she is out and about by herself.
Thanks Jeffrey! That’s terrific and sensitive.