I would like to thank Mark Alt & Jim Williams for sharing "considering the owls first", and Peder Svingen for originally penning the suggestions. Many excellent thoughts there.
However, I would like to further explore (through questions) one thought expressed about not posting Boreal Owls due to potential stress, possibly leading to further owl fatalities. I believe I understand the rationale, but wonder if it can be validated. Does posting a rare bird generally or inevitably lead to increased stress on the bird being observed, or is this specific to certain owls (since information on Barn & Long-eared is also withheld on some lists)? Does this stress indeed heighten the mortality rate? Do we withhold posting because of the 1-2% that may act poorly? In a related thought, should we always think of the bird first - or is there a human factor that also needs to be considered (ie, has the pendulum swung too far the other direction)? Perhaps all these questions need to be answered "yes", but I would love to see further (courteous!) dialogue on the issue. Great birding to all! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties
