VA Birders,
I participated in the VSO trip to VA Beach on the first weekend of December
2005 which included a trip to the CBBT. We birded the CCBT islands for two
hours and I found the experience to be perfectly satisfactory. We got great
looks at a variety of birds including Harlequin Ducks, Long-tailed Ducks and a
Merlin. The officer who accompanied our group was quite friendly and was
even patient with some of the birders who got turned around and ended up on
the
wrong side of one of the islands. An important point, I think, is that
there are security gates on the islands that need to opened by someone (i.e.
an
officer) to allow access for birders. I don't think they are likely to give
birders keys to the island gates at the HQ building, nor are they likely to
take the gates down. An officer needs to be there to let birders in. Overall,
while I would like it to be like the old days, I find the new arrangement to
be something we can live with.
Larry Meade
Vienna, VA
