Line of sight
Searching for ETI on the ecliptic has been proposed:
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=1911
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=6652
So it is not hard to assume that ETI may be doing the same as well.
As for who might live around a red dwarf star, how about an already advanced
species which came from elsewhere that has no problem dealing with the conditions
in such a system:
http://eg.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oaeg-view-article&egart_uid=47646874c1b82
