[mou] Re: [mnbird] About stress on the Great Grey and other owls

[Chris Fagyal]

I think the last sentence below in Laura's post is right on.  I'm a
little (well more than a little) perturbed at these (this is the second
time this same topic has been initiated by the same person) posts.  I've
yet to flush any Great Grey Owls in any of my trips up north.  If we
should "stop going to see the owls again and again", maybe we should
stop pishing for Boreal Chickadees as well.  We should probably also
stop pishing for warblers in the summer, or other passerines during
their migration.  We should stop viewing shorebirds in the spring, and
hawks in the fall.  We certainly don't want to stress anyone or anything
out do we?  Hell lets just stop birding.

All it takes is a little knowledge, a little common sense, some
respect, and a little intelligence to be able to go birding and have
little to no impact on the birds.  Turning off ones engine when near an
Owl is a good example.  I was with a Great Grey in Sax-Zim on Friday
afternoon for 30+ minutes.  I left my engine off the whole time (froze
my rear end too), and the owl went around to three different perches in
the same corner where I was, and hunted, and never even paid me any
heed.  He never flew from any perch because of me, and he never stopped
hunting, nor did he ever fly away.  A couple pulled up a few mins later
that I didn't recognize, and left their engine running.  After a few
moments of the Owl staring directly at them, I told them to "turn the
engine off".  The lady got irritated at me and they just left.  I guess
they didn't realize how Great Greys hunt.  After i'd spent time with
this lovely Owl, I left it on the same branch on the same tree that I
found it on, still hunting.  I guess I stressed it out....just as much
as a deer walking by would have, as thats about as much noise as I made
the entire time I was there.

You want mention of the people who go look at owls again and again, ok
here is a mention of one of those people.  I've been up there the
following dates and times:
Thanksgiving from 7:45am to 4:20pm
12/11 from 7:45am to 3:30pm
1/7 from 2:20pm to 4:50pm
1/8 in Sax-Zim from 1:30pm - 5:00pm

I suppose I should also mention that i'll be guiding a friend from
Texas up in that area on 1/30, so that will make 5 trips in 2 months...

As for Pastor Al's questions:

> Pastor all states: "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)?"

I think the pendulum has swung way too far in one direction (and i'm
not talking about thinking of the human factor, but rather thinking only
of the bird first, and irrationally [ie: I won't stress it out if *I* go
see it, but anyone else seeing it will cause it undue stress!]).  I
think in every state i've been in there is a group of people who feel
that they are the only ones who should be allowed to see certain birds. 
The logic just falls apart eventually.  If one decides "Species X won't
be posted to the listserver", then what about species X+1 or X+2?  If
one bird shouldn't be posted because of "increased stress", what about
all other birds?  I submit to you, that posting a Summer Tanager, or
Painted Bunting or Rock Wren, or Prairie Warbler, or whatever else in
the spring/summer/fall, which people then flock to the spot, play tapes,
pish, etc to find that rare bird creates similiar disturbance to posting
an Owl location in the winter.  I also submit that if your logic
dictates that posting a location causes undue distress/disturbance, and
this logic applies to multiple species of birds, then all locations of
all birds should not be posted, by mathematical induction, and thus why
do we have a list server at all?  

I believe you could also make the exact same argument with respect to
stress on birds about those that band birds as you can about those that
view birds.  One can't honestly believe that capturing an Owl or any
other bird in a net, taking it out of the net while it is struggling to
get away, putting a band on its leg, and doing whatever other bizarre
things people do (painting its head, tagging its wing, whatever
disfiguration you feel suits you best) doesn't cause a lot of stress on
the individual bird.  So should we also stop banding all birds (i'd say
yes, but i'm quite against banding), however there is some sound
rationale and logic behind *some* (I emphasize some..as I think some
banders do it for ego, not for scientific gain) banding.  Some of it is
quite helpful.  Some of it is just all about ego.

I, for one, will continue my birdwatching with the same respect, and
the same admiration that i've always had.

Cheers,


Chris Fagyal
Senior Software Engineer
United Defense, L.P. ASD
Fridley, MN 
(763) 572-5320
chris.fagyal@udlp.com

>>> Laura Erickson <bluejay@lauraerickson.com> 01/10/2005 21:39:41 PM
>>>
[snip]

When I posted about how many owls I saw today, should I have added that

this was the first time I've been to the bog in 2005, that I didn't
stop or 
even slow down for hardly any of the owls I saw, and that I didn't
flush a 
single one?  This could make posts pretty unwieldy and defensive, and
make 
us feel like we need to justify every element of our birding behavior
from 
the moment we step out the door.  Let's have a little faith in our
fellow 
birders, and focus on minimizing our own impacts rather than
questioning 
one another's right to be out there at all.  

[snip]

Laura Erickson
Duluth, MN


Producer, "For the Birds" radio program
<http://www.lauraerickson.com/>

There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of 
birds.  There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains
of 
nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the
winter.

                                 --Rachel Carson


_______________________________________________
mou-net mailing list
mou-net@cbs.umn.edu 
http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net