Would you have said something: feral kids at RSPB sanctuary

[TheWildZebra]

Realise I may get slated for this, but wanted to know what general etiquette was around this sort of thing

last night went to the local RSPB sanctuary in hope of watching the starlings come in to roost and do their murmurations. It is a beautiful , peaceful and awe inspiring thing to see. It happens at sunset.

it’s a 20 minute walk to the viewing platform from the car park between flooded fields and muddy paths. Lots of bird viewing (and listening) opportunities along the way.

from about 10 mins in, I could hear screaming kids about half a km ahead of me. Like proper high pitch playground style. To my horror as I caught up with them, I saw it was 6 kids and 3 parents also on their way (very slowly) to the viewing platform so knew we’d be in for a noisy night. Kids about 7-8 yo.

Anyway, long story short is that the kids were making so much noise on the way there, at the viewing platform and on the way back. peace disturbed for other birders, not least scaring the wildlife we’d come to see (and hear!!)

the parents made no effort to keep the kids within reasonable noise levels. I don’t care if they talk. I care if they scream as if they’re watching fireworks. It seemed so bloody inconsiderate that they’d just let them ruin everyone else’s experience? Kids need to experience nature if we want them to look after if as the next generation. But they also need some boundaries - eg. Alex the owls will fly away if you scream at the top of your voice .

in the future, I know not to go on a weekend, and I’ll take a half day so I can go during the week.

but aibu to think it was just mega inconsiderate and would you have said something (I did not, just stewed and left feeling irritated and not peaceful!)

I think being noisy running through the woods at dusk, around 4pm is pretty reasonable for children - goodness knows the RSPB is pushing hard for families to visit their reserves and have set up playgrounds and pond dipping stations etc.

They should be silent in a hide, obviously, and there are usually signs to that effect. But noisy children aren't going to have the slightest effect on a murmuration. There are murmurations on Brighton Pier, and that's not exactly silent.

I prefer quieter children myself, but I do think outside in the country is one of the few places making a bit of noise for half an hour isn't that bad really.

edited for cut and paste error

Signages and instructions?? Oh come on there’s a massive difference between just regular laughing and chatting vs screeching and screaming! Op obviously wasn’t expecting absolute silence. Some parents just don’t know how or won’t control their children! (not referring to ND children)

Are said cats being taken to a designated bird sanctuary?

YANBU.

My dad is a keen birdwatcher. He always told me and my brother to be very quiet in the hides at Martin Mere (in the north west) so as not to disturb the birds and peoples experience. We never sat there until we were old enough to understand this.
I have passed this on to DD. I would remove her from the situation if she was being noisy or feral and I’d expect the same of others.
No wonder you were annoyed!

However plenty of people just won’t give a sh*t.

Please don’t give anyone any ideas…

How do you know the kids are feral & aren't on the spectrum or have other issues?

You ok hun.

OP, I have noisy kids - if you’re open to it, write the place and ask for signage so that it is accessible to families and they can learn proper behaviour. We aren’t bird watchers so I wouldn’t know when to start being quiet unless I saw the birds with people watching and then my kids would have already scared them off. I do try to follow rules and be conscious. Even at a regular hike if there’s a couple cuddling at a lookout we act very quiet like little mice - but a new place we might make the mistake and then other families might follow our example.

What a wonderful Christmas present for my Mr Mog!

He will love this, as a Bird Sanctuary is a perfect place for feral children and cats.

Who could think otherwise! Can't wait to see his face on Christmas Morning!

After all, he has a right to be a bird killer, just as much as children have a right to be feral and thank goodness the RSPB , in their greed for money, will overlook all bad behaviours in order to get it!

Who cares if adults who actually want to appreciate the birds find their rights come last.

Yes, I would have said to be quiet as it's a sanctuary, not a playground. It belongs to the birds, not screaming kids. I fuckin despair, I really do.

I think this is somewhere where they do need signs, it then makes it much easier for people to point out the signs to the parents of screaming children.

What are you implying?

Are you saying that this would give them the right to over ride what others could reasonably expect in what is supposed to be a peaceful environment?

If so, why?

Do you think parents should take some responsibility by taking them somewhere where they can make as much noise as they want or do you think they should be able to make as much noise as they want anywhere without any complaint being made?

OP, sad to say but you can’t educate spam.

It sounds like Otmoor, and if it is, there is no chance the kids were there for a country walk and no one realised it was a place to watch birds (peacefully)

I think I would have spoken to the RSPB. I understand their desire to have new customers. The beauty of many such sites is the peace and quiet. I wonder if they have assumed that all new members or visitors automatically know that.
The RSPB need to think how they manage such times/sites and what information they give out. Not only for other customers but actually for the birds. Whose world it is, at such places.
I find it strange that parents interested in the RSPB wildlife would let their children scream like that. If they cannot not scream, I am surprised they took them. If bird lovers.
Understanding the general rules and ways to behave in such places do need explaining. The RSPB clearly need to do it better. And not make assumptions.

I think we've officially reached peak MN 😂😭

It's sad that some people expect signs to tell them to keep their kids from being feral.

It's so lazy and rude to let your kids scream and be a nuisance like that, no way would you be that ignorant to pretend it's all right? It's just lazy parenting.

It's ruining it for everybody, adults AND children. Many kids don't specially enjoy screaming next to them either, they are not immune.

Seriously, you would not think in advance that a bird sanctuary/nature reserve might require a modicum of noise control? You don't need to be bird watchers to realise this, why does basic common sense need to be spoon fed?

No YANBU....
It's a sanctuary, a place of peace not somewhere that anyone should be acting or allowing others to act feral.

There's no such thing as noisy kids, just lazy parents.

Teach your kids not to scream and be unreasonably noisy, it's not that hard. They manage not to scream at school don't they?

I don't know, just when you think you have seen peak MN another poster in full climbing gear wanders along and starts limbering up for another crack at Mount Absurd.

I have children and also hate screaming, one of my children is Autistic and noise sensitive.
We do loads of nature walks with ours, and have done since they were born. They’ve never been allowed to race around screaming in wildlife places, there’s a time and a place for letting off steam, I wouldn’t say a walk at dusk to see murmurations on a nature reserve is the right place for screaming children. Children need to be taught how to behave in different surroundings, I’d expect to hear kids shrieking in a playground, soft play, water slides, mountain biking in the woods etc but not where you’ve described and I would have been just as annoyed, and to be fair my nature loving children probably would have been as well.

Yes but as per my previous posts, it’s a distinctly family unfriendly place. There is no infrastructure except a car park and a bird hide.

My son has verbal apraxia so genuinely cannot control the loudness/tone of his voice and he has ASD. I still remind him to use his quiet voice and be understanding of others. If I don't remind him how will he ever learn? Doing so has improved his awareness so much and it's far less how that I have to remind him. Makes me laugh though he is such a loud kid but covers his ears if anyone else is loud😂

Only if they can keep the noise down.