Most of the large birding hotspots are drive-through preserves. After all, birds are best observed at close range from a blind and vehicles serve that purpose.
As a result, we birders often pass one another on the graveled roadways that wind through the refuge and it has become a common courtesy to wave to one another; that wave involves raising one's fingers (or perhaps one finger) from the steering wheel. More than a greeting, the birder's wave is an acknowledgement that we share both the joy of birding and a commitment to conservation; those drivers that zip by without such an interaction are presumed to be present for the scenery, for other obligations or for a shortcut through the preserve.
Of course, novice birders may not be familiar with this protocol and we must be patient until more experience evokes a proper response. Indeed, it is part and parcel of learning the craft!
As a result, we birders often pass one another on the graveled roadways that wind through the refuge and it has become a common courtesy to wave to one another; that wave involves raising one's fingers (or perhaps one finger) from the steering wheel. More than a greeting, the birder's wave is an acknowledgement that we share both the joy of birding and a commitment to conservation; those drivers that zip by without such an interaction are presumed to be present for the scenery, for other obligations or for a shortcut through the preserve.
Of course, novice birders may not be familiar with this protocol and we must be patient until more experience evokes a proper response. Indeed, it is part and parcel of learning the craft!
