On a recent visit to a RSPB Reserve my wife and I had some interesting etiquette experiences in one of the hides. We arrived mid-morning and many of the seats were taken, but not occupied. Most of the bench seats can take 2 or 3 adults to look through a specific viewpoint. Interestingly, on this occasion, some individuals had spread themselves out over a single bench, leaving a coat and other equipment to ensure that no-one distubed their claimed place. To make matters worse they had then decamped to a bench on the other side of the hide - usually with their scope/binoculars and camera.
Maybe it is just me, but I would consider this to be very bad manners, as such people are denying access to others. To make matters worse, when I decided that it was rather unfair that one person should occupy the whole of a bench and stop others using it, I asked politely whether that person would mind if I sat down. My remark was completely ignored and the person involved physically tried to spread herself to stop me sitting down, though she was standing behind the bench stopping others accessing it. When I sat on the end of the bench (she still had more than two thirds of it from behind) I was treated to some unpleasant loud remarks by the person involved. Again this response was, in my opinion, not necessary for to act in this way, ie trying to occupy seats on both sides of the hide and becoming unpleasant at the idea of sharing, is the height of bad manners. It is saying, in fact, that that particular person is more important than anyone else in the hide as well as being a failure to recognise that we all have the same rights and responsibilities. It is worth pointing out that the person who was so rude to me and others in that particular hide gained no support, and, with their partner, soon left, to the relief of all present.
One would expect that, even in hides, good manners might prevail, but, as a warning, it is clear that, as in life, this will not always be the case.
In our experience this is a very isolated case, as we have found most people who use hides are the complete opposite, extremely helpful and willing to share seating and information with everyone around. The fact is that we are all enthusiasts and are there for the same thing, so it is better to do as much as we can to help each other. That way the level of continuing enjoyment from our shared pastime increases with each visit.
