Don't get me wrong..I LOVE my job..but this past week was a test of my patience and I think I failed.
This week we participated in "assessments" where we go to different sites to look for our endangered species (The Least Bell's Vireo). We look for them across our watershed in places that we don't normally work during the rest of the season. We want to get an accurate count of ALL the birds within our watershed so we look in appropriate habitat outside our normal study sites.
My week started by doing an assessment up in the Cajon Pass. There is some very pretty habitat but we have yet to ever find a vireo there. We hope that they will one day discover this place. My coworker and I have been surveying this site for the last 4 years or so. I did one year detect a Willow Flycatcher and a California Gnatcatcher (both declining species) so the site has not been a total loss. However, we started to hear rumors that this area was not such a safe place to be in. My coworker and I survey at the same time, but we walk away from each other in different directions, so we contact each other by phone to make sure that the other of us is safe.
Apparently the safety issue comes from this area being a known pick-up spot for gay men...so being women, we are slightly safer than being a single man walking around out there. This area is also known for goldpanners, and trainspotters. I understand the prospect of finding gold to be appealing...but for the life of me cannot understand the fascination and excitment that goes with photographing and watching trains! Apparently these guys try and see as many different trains as possible and ID them by their numbers. They photograph them to prove that they saw that train. Bizarre! I guess birdwatching might sound similar to them..trying to see as many species as possible, and trying to obtain some proof of what you saw .
I have had a few odd encounters out there...mostly spotting men on the side of the road peeing. Seems they just pull over anywhere and everywhere and put on a show for whoever might be watching! Imagine if women did that!
I once had a guy almost climb into my car through my open window which I was trying to listen to birds through. He asked what I was doing and seemed a little disappointed to find I was there on official business doing my job. He kept leaning in my window and at one point offered to accompany me down in the canyon to look for birds! At this point I was tempted to roll up my window and choke him with it. I declined his offer and got out of there.
Another time a guy seeing my business magnets on my car (and assuming I was some sort of official) approached my window and asked me if he was safe being in this area. The guy looked like HE was the one people should be scared of...lots of tattoos and scars and just something a little creepy about him. I told him that this was a known pick up spot for guys and he went on to tell me that it was too bad he could not carry his gun anymore ever since he got out of prison! He thanked me and told me that he was not going to hang out there anymore. Cajon was just the start of my week, and it got progressively worse.
To be continued....stay tuned for my next post.
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