[mou] to Sandy and Terry

[gordon andersson]

Sandy, 

You are not the person(s) who scared the owl at 11:00a.m. You were there
hours later.  Your inadvertent flushing of an owl was not what Terry was
writing about.  He acknowledged that.  You, like me, probably know little or
nothing about the backgrounds of most of the posters to this site.  Don’t
feel bad about scaring that bird.  They are adapted to be unnoticeable.

 

Terry, 

As you know, someone else (not Sandy) or the group may have finally caused
the bird to leave that morning.  I am guessing that 20+ people at close
range, with more on the way, caused the departure and that your assumption
was reasonable.  Few people know the experience or education re natural
history or birds or bird observation of others on this list.  

 

Everybody, 

Re. this instance and many others---Birds do move even when they are not
frightened by people. This was probably not such a case.  But the idea that
a bird that is being watched or photographed only leaves because it is being
watched or photographed is not correct.  I have been watching and
photographing birds for 20 years and I know that their behavior can be
totally (and often is) independent of the presence of an observer.  I am not
saying people don’t get too close to wildlife w/o regard to disturbing their
lives.  It probably happens a lot and can have consequences if it is
persistent and prevents the bird from feeding (for instance.)  But as Roger
Tory Peterson said when asked about the presence of a flamingo in Boston
Harbor
”Birds have wings and they do things.”

 

P.S. Usually when arguments happen here, it is due to a lack of additional
information or context.  or a failure to be very specific about what is
being asserted.   Maybe I am too rational but people have reasons for saying
what they say.  Sometimes arguments and allegations could be prevented by
better explanation one-to-one.  (On the other hand, let’s have more group
discussion of subjects.) 

This park is another one I don’t know about.  Needless to say I wasn’t
there.  But I have learned of some new locations to look for birds from the
email exchanges and phone calls due to this listserve--- and of course read
about many birds I will never see.  

 

HAPPY birding  (for those who have the time or make the time)

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