There's good food for thought in this thread which we should keep with us on the trail. And when we're in people's neighborhoods. To me, whether it becomes disruptive to the bird and/or property owners is often determined before anyone arrives. Since we know that the birding community is ever-larger, more connected with intel traveling fast and far, more discretion re: what we put out there these days might be necessary.
My comments aren't so much about this specific owl or this location, rather that we can often determine ahead of time what type of scenario would develop and choose when to lay low. I appreciate when someone provides info about an uncommon bird and I like to share interesting sightings too. What owls and other species not to list, breeding situations, proximity to neighbors or viewing area, etc. is always situational and often above my pay-grade but my takeaway is when we decide it's best not to post something, none of the issues we're discussing will occur. Dan Stringer Larkspur, CO On Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 11:42:37 AM UTC-7 Dave Leatherman wrote: > It has come to my attention that photographers, some of whom may be > birders, are causing a problem west of Lyons in their lust for a > pygmy-owl. At the risk of pissing some of you off, and causing even more > people to seek this bird by publicizing it, I ask for restraint. The > person who called me is not a birder but a guy I used to work with who > knows I am into birds. He owns property bordering Route 7 w of town where > he says 16 cars full of loud-talking people pointing big cameras, rutting > the right-of-way that he maintains are back again today, the way they have > been in numbers for days (weeks?). He is upset and I don't blame him. He > says that whoever these people are, they don't really care about the bird, > that they act very entitled, that this is all just about getting the photo > and social. In short these sorts of situations give birders a black eye > and they are becoming more commonplace. If anyone reading this knows about > the situation first hand, has been there, has a comment or rebuttal I can > pass on to my friend, I am all ears. My friend hasn't called the sheriff > yet but is about to and it makes me sad to think "we" might have caused a > reasonable person with deep sentiments for conservation and the natural > world to be so upset. > > Dave Leatherman > Fort Collins > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/9739626f-5419-42c0-bd8d-7aaa8f762617n%40googlegroups.com.
