I would hope that the people observing the activities of luring owls would take photos of the activities (and license plates) and provide that information to the proper authorities (Fish & Wildlife / DNR / Sherrif). The authorities can then contact the individuals to warn them about harassing the birds - or take other action as necessary. It might be helpful if someone would suggest who to contact should the need arise.
I would rather see the people performing these activities be stopped rather than have people not report owls. I certainly support the suggestion presented by Paul Roisen from Iowa that birds be reported but locations provided only to people who will not interfere with the birds. If there aren't any owls reported there will be significantly less people out looking (and that will definitely reduce additional sighting reports - a downward spiral). Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://www.Birding-Minnesota.com -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Anthony Hertzel Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 12:08 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [mou-net] Owls A few birders have sent me e-mails complaining about people using lures to attract owls. The described lures were pieces of cloth or fur (in one case, a sock) attached to a fishing line. In each case, one of the state listservices (usually MOU-Net) was apparently monitored to initially find these owls. I find this unethical, so for now, I will no longer include any owls on the statewide RBA. Please note that I am not asking anyone to refrain from posting their own owl sightings, though I do hope all birders would at least consider it. This is not a decision I make lightly. If you disagree, I am perfectly willing to have a constructive dialog about it. Anthony Hertzel RBA Compiler Minnesota Ornithologists' Union ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
