Another CG Ettique Question

[FL-JOE]

We have met several nice couples in our current summer CG.  Two of the couples are located several sites away.  There is a local older seasonal camping couple that has a site in between them.  The older couple has put out a 2'x4' piece of plywood and loaded it with bird seed.  In addition they recently put up a regular bird feeder and a humming bird feeder.  There are a lot of trees in this CG and sparrows and black birds are now thick in the sites surrounding the sites around the free food.  One couple has to park their toad about 50 yards away in an overflow lot and the other couple just puts up with the birds covering their toad with crap each day.  

We keep a plastic owl with a swivel head tied to the top of our ladder when stationary and around big trees.  It does a good job of keeping the bird crap off.  

One couple has mentioned to the bird feeding couple how much bird doo-doo is getting on their toad and motor coach but they didn't seem to care.  They purchased a plastic owl and the bird feeding couple seemed to get upset and put out more bird feed than ever!  Apparently the bird feeding couple is also putting out food for racoons now.

Do these neighbors just sit back and put up with the mess on their RVs and toads?  The CG manager isn't very approachable but do they start complaining anyway?  I feel bad for them because the sites around the bird feeders is really getting nasty looking.

[Bill Joyce]

We have been to many campgrounds that suddenly added "no feeding the wildlife, including birds" to their rules that were not there in earlier visits.  Interestingly most of these rules have made exceptions for hummingbird feeders, since they don't cause a mess. 

[2gypsies]

Agree.... bird feeders, other than hummingbird feeders, should not be allowed in campgrounds.  Regardless of the mess they drew in mice, rats, snakes and eventually bigger critters.  The management of this RV park should be alerted to these facts.  Also... perhaps switching to another site or moving out of the park altogether.

[Pat & Pete]

There was a lady in one of our recent camps that put out bird feed every morning . Not too long after she made a deposit , coyotes would 'happen by' and take the seed off the feed platform . The platform was maybe 20 feet from their trailer . 

[bigjim]

here goes,  I am an animal lover but I really think there is a element of animal lovers that are extreme and not at all realistic.  Recent case in point is a man is southeast NM about a week or so ago that had been feeding bears.  One bear finally injured him and now some poor bears will end up paying the price with their life and all the while he was putting other people at risk.  A few years ago a nurse saw a cub and didn't see the mom so she threw an old jacket over it and put it in the floor board and the first stop was at the ranger station at 6:15 am. As a volunteer I could not make her take it back or drop it at a nearby veteranarian until game and fish could get here. I had no means to take it. She ended up taking it to the hopital she worked at in Albuquerque before  calling game and fish. End result it ended up in a sanctuary where if it lived they raised it for about a year and  half then took it out somewhere in the wilderness and turned it loose in some other more experienced bears territory.  Man, do I get frustrated with a certain element of animal lovers and they sincerely believe they are in the right and everyone else is wrong.

 

[Mr. Camper]

There is a difference in putting out a piece of plywood or a ground feeder and putting up a crook with a feeder or two on it.  The "old" couple is wrong for putting the plywood out and "pouring" seed on it.  However, if a small feeder, hummingbird, and woodpecker (suet or no-melt dough) are also on the crook there shouldn't be a problem with mess.  We are occupying a seasonal site and have that type of a setup on our site and there is no mess.  I usually find that these "birders" are inexperienced and have little knowledge or appreciation for how to attract birds.  Unless we are home, we would never put out black oil sunflower at a campsite.  That's a messy proposition.  You may like your beer and cigarettes.  We like to sit outside and enjoy the sounds of nature.  It's much more relaxing enjoying the breeze and seeing a pileated woodpecker stop by for a meal and then take off, than hearing the loud comments of the drunk at the next site or a few sites away or smell the cigarette smoke from a few sites away.  If by mess you are referring to bird poop they will poop anywhere when they fly over and there is no way you can prevent that.

They also should have asked the campground owner/manager for permission to place the feeder.  We have done it twice.  Both time at seasonal locations.  On our normal traveling, we never bring something like that with us.  

[Twotoes]

I volunteer at many National and State Parks and it is a mystery what people do to the local wildlife, like the incident in Yellowstone where a visitor put a bison calf in their car. I am in a National Recreation Area now and just recently we had a bear encounter with a camper who put out a hummingbird feeder that attracted the bear. A feed bear is a dead bear. The birds can live without you feeding them,. If you want to put out a feeder do it at home, not in  campground. You are only endangering the wildlife and yourself, and the other campers.

[motojavaphil]

We had the same problem with a neighbor feeding doves and pidgeons at our stick and brick.  They were nesting and crapping all over our property.  I finally paid him a visit to explain.  He had no idea and stopped feeding them.  

[sandsys]

19 minutes ago, motojavaphil said:

We had the same problem with a neighbor feeding doves and pidgeons at our stick and brick.  They were nesting and crapping all over our property.  I finally paid him a visit to explain.  He had no idea and stopped feeding them.  

We had to put an owl under our deck because the person feeding the birds was the president of the Homeowners Association.

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

Interesting thread here and also the reactions of those responding. It reminds me of the complaints from time to time about smokey campfires. Some people pay attention to how their actions affect those around them and others do not. And some of those who know the effect on those around them care, while others don't. I suspect that the easy answer is to move.

[Mr. Camper]

1 hour ago, Kirk Wood said:

Interesting thread here and also the reactions of those responding. It reminds me of the complaints from time to time about smokey campfires. Some people pay attention to how their actions affect those around them and others do not. And some of those who know the effect on those around them care, while others don't. I suspect that the easy answer is to move.

Well, since you brought it up...  A campfire is part of camping.  Burning wet wood and causing unnecessary smoke to pollute the air is an issue.

[FL-JOE]

Wow!  I suspected the bird seed on the ground could attract other critters but after looking up some information online I didn't know how dangerous it could be.  Attracting mice, which pulls in snakes, and could encourage coyotes to start sneaking in.  Looks like racoons around those sites will be the least of their worries if this continues.

[HaulingKermit]

One major reason for not feeding wildlife is that in the winter, when the campers are not there, the animals don’t know how to look for food. 

At Mt Rainier in the Paradise parking lot, there are always foxes begging for food. In winter, they often get hit by cars on the road. 

Keep wildlife wild, don’t feed them!

[Pat & Pete]

14 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

Wow!  I suspected the bird seed on the ground could attract other critters but after looking up some information online I didn't know how dangerous it could be.  Attracting mice, which pulls in snakes, and could encourage coyotes to start sneaking in.  Looks like racoons around those sites will be the least of their worries if this continues.

The coyotes at the camp I mentioned earlier had no qualms about eating the 'bird' feed . And , like I said , they were about 20 feet from the campers . 

 

4 minutes ago, HaulingKermit said:

One major reason for not feeding wildlife is that in the winter, when the campers are not there, the animals don’t know how to look for food. 

At Mt Rainier in the Paradise parking lot, there are always foxes begging for food. In winter, they often get hit by cars on the road. 

Keep wildlife wild, don’t feed them!

Agreed . They are not pets .

[justRich]

I put out a big seed block near the camper and went away.  Came back that night and a dozen javelinas, including babies, were eating away at the seed block.  I had a scary time getting past the herd and  inside through the camper door.  I won't do that again.

Palo Verde and Mesquite trees are in the legume family and produce beans.  Pack rats, ground squirrels, rabbits (and possibly others) eat the beans.  Those small mammals are, of course, a food source for snakes, coyotes and birds of prey.

 

 

[Mr. Camper]

2 hours ago, Pat & Pete said:

The coyotes at the camp I mentioned earlier had no qualms about eating the 'bird' feed . And , like I said , they were about 20 feet from the campers . 

 

Agreed . They are not pets .

No, they aren't pets but responsible birders know that with human encroachment into the wildlife in question territory animals are having to range further and further to find food for survival.  Putting food for birds on the ground, either on a piece of wood or in a ground feeder is irresponsible.  Using an appropriate feeder doesn't take the place of birds searching for food, it augments the natural food supply.  You keep building homes and campgrounds on their toilet area and they'll keep pooping on your RV and vehicles.

[Twotoes]

 Using an appropriate feeder doesn't take the place of birds searching for food, it augments the natural food supply.

And attracts the bears!!! Do not put a feeder in your campsite. Do it at home.

[Pat & Pete]

2 hours ago, Twotoes said:

 Using an appropriate feeder doesn't take the place of birds searching for food, it augments the natural food supply.

And attracts the bears!!! Do not put a feeder in your campsite. Do it at home.

Exactly . 

And , Guess what . I don't have a problem with critters or birds , because I don't feed the wildlife . 

We had co-hosts that had feeders out . Their rig was about 50 yards from ours . They had cover parts of their vehicle to keep the crap to a minimum . And , they also had to have their vehicle towed and repaired because the critters thought the wiring tasted great . That happened twice before it sunk in . After they did away with most of the feeders , ( they kept a couple of small humming bird feeders ) , amazingly , there were no more problems . 

[2gypsies]

Even hummingbird feeders in bear country draws the bear in.  They love those feeders.  We saw in Alaska folks had them on their deck and grizzlies came right up and tore them down.

[bigjim]

5 hours ago, Twotoes said:

Do it at home.

Even that depends on where you live. The da that was feeding the bears was doing it at home as was the lady near leadville that was killed by one of the bears she was feeding  some years back.  I freaking love bears but I am not going to entice them or most other animals.

[ALLOY]

We had a neighbor that used sunflower seeds in a bird feeder to attract Blue Jays. 

On a couple of occasions the neighbor asked if we had seen any rats.  "Rats are everywhere" I said.  Sometime later another neighbor was told that our backyard was infested with rats.

After giving the neighbor a 15 minute video recording of their bird feeder at night the feeding stopped and we never heard about rats again. 

 

 
 

 

 

[Barbaraok]

15 hours ago, Mr. Camper said:

Well, since you brought it up...  A campfire is part of camping.  Burning wet wood and causing unnecessary smoke to pollute the air is an issue.

Except we aren't camping, we're RVing.  And more and more we seem to go all summer with burn bans in effect all up and down the west coast.  The only thing allowed are propane burners/propane grills, even charcoal grills are not allowed.

 

[Mr. Camper]

3 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Except we aren't camping, we're RVing.  And more and more we seem to go all summer with burn bans in effect all up and down the west coast.  The only thing allowed are propane burners/propane grills, even charcoal grills are not allowed.

 

Semantics

[Barbaraok]

9 hours ago, Mr. Camper said:

Semantics

Difference is there, but loads of people don’t understand what it is. 

[Mr. Camper]

2 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Difference is there, but loads of people don’t understand what it is. 

So should places with "Campground" in their name not allow RV's, only tents?  Do you sit with family and friends around an RV fire or a Campfire?  Do you think that the original campers who slept under the stars felt the same way when friends showed up with tents? Should all campground/RV parks keep pop-ups, travel trailers, and 5er's separate from  Class A's, B's and C's?  What about the people who go camping and stay in a cabin and/or a cottage?  Are they not camping or do you consider that cabining or cottaging?