[mou] Owl stress question

[Pastor Al]

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