Re: [Maine-birds] Great Gray Owl

Amen, Bruce.

"When is one more, too many". 

On Sat, Feb 25, 2017 at 5:17 PM, Bruce Bartrug <bbartrug@gmail.com> wrote:

I went to the Searmont area on Friday, because I knew there would be 6,000 people there on Saturday.  While I was there everyone was staying about 100 meters from the bird, including photographers.  There's no reason to be so intrusive.   

I've been hesitant about reporting rare bird sightings for several decades for this very reason.  These two incidents this winter with great gray owls have convinced me to stop doing so for good. I've seen people climb fences and walk around someone's private back yard to see if they can find a bird reported there earlier.  When in southern Texas once I was accosted by a local resident opposite a field often frequented by flocks of cranes.  He said in no uncertain terms that he didn't want birdwatchers here, because every time he mowed the grass next to the crane field fence he found discarded trash and bottles and cans.  Not every birder is respectful of the birds they are hunting for, nor the property on which said bird was located. 

Most birders are decent folk and respect their "prey."  But if you wish to continue getting messages about the location of rare or unusual birds, I'd suggest calling out those who violate basic birding -- and trespassing -- principles.  They are ruining the activity of watching
birds. 

--

Bruce Bartrug
Nobleboro, Maine, USA
bbartrug@gmail.com
www.brucebartrug.com

•The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.  - Albert Einstein

•In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. -Martin Luther King

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