[mou] Spooked LEOW

[Richard Wood]

Didn't we think that this might possibly happen?  When I was still in Maryland, there were a pair of Long-eared Owls located not far from where I lived, and many of us went to see it.  After a while, several other birders expressed the concern that the great numbers of us birders were disturbing the owls and so that we should cease and desist looking for them.

Perhaps that is the situation here, that too many people were looking for the bird and so it got stressed and left?  Maybe the best thing is to not look for it anymore, and for once to be concerned about the bird instead of blaming someone that spooked it?

Every year I hear of owls being seen and how people shouldn't post the locations of where they are because when they do that it becomes a circus, then we get someone lauding the other birders to calm down and behave and don't ruin it for everyone else.  I remember a Snowy Owl sigting in upstake New York that turned into a circus while I was there.  There were birders traipsing on private property, cars parking where they shouldn't, and everyone just carrying on like fools.  An experienced birder stepped up and asked everyone to calm down and don't ruin it.  Well, maybe there comes a point where owls shouldn't be chased?

I understand wanting to see it, but then we also have to think of the stressed-out animals.

Richard 

Richard L. Wood, Ph. D.
Hastings, MN
rwoodphd at yahoo.com

----- Original Message ----
From: Terence Brashear <birdnird at yahoo.com>
To: mou-net at moumn.org
Cc: mnbird at lists.mnbird.net
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 8:42:19 PM
Subject: [mou] Spooked LEOW


It appears someone got too close to the Long-eared Owl at the MAC park in Crystal this morning. I heard that people looking for it around 11AM could not find it.  I was with 3 other people that found it in a different location around 9AM and we were kind enough to let people know the location - it was not easy to find.  I left at 10AM and it was still sitting calmly in the area we found it.

Whomever spooked this bird, and you know who you are,  you should be ashamed of yourselves.

I only hope it returns and can be seen by more people.

Please use common sense when you approach birds.

Regards,
 
Terry Brashear
Hennepin County, MN
http://www.naturepixels.com
birdnird AT
 yahoo.com
Moderator MOU-NET


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