[mou] Fie on Photographers

[Tom Auer]

Up in Sax-Zim today, I saw a photographer almost cost a Great Gray Owl
it's life. I could be wrong, but I'm darn certain that I'm not.

We were on Arkola Rd, heading out of the bog, when we saw a white car
pulled precariously over on the road. Arkola, which doesn't have much
shoulder, sees a good bit of traffic as well. When we came in line
with the car, we saw that this photographer must have put a mouse on
the shoulder for a GGOW, because the bird took off as we passed and
was clutching a clump full of grass (I thought I saw a mouse tail).
Luckily for the bird, because we were birders,we slowed way down and
swerved out of the way, but if it had been a fast moving local, this
bird would have been dead. Seconds later the plow zoomed by and would
have gotten the bird if we hadn't driven by first?

This is the first time that I've seen this atrocity, but how can these
photographers do this on these roads? Haven't they been warned? They
have no ethics and they have no respect for the birds and I have only
spite for them. I'm tired of seeing them out on HWY7, with their
monstrous lenses and total disrespect for other birders and the birds.
There's been a lot of bad behavior by photographers this year. What a
bunch of selfish bastards.

Tom Auer
Duluth, MN