[wisb] Re: Question: Grant County Snowy Owl
- From: "Peter A. Fissel" <pfissel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: steele27@xxxxxxxx, Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:19:34 -0600
Sally -
The reporting of exact locations of most species of owls on public
listservs is a highly controversial topic. There was a major dustup on
this listserv during the last big Snowy Owl irruption a couple of
winters ago, due to the circus-like atmosphere surrounding a couple of
Snowies that were in very accessible locations in southeast Wisconsin.
It got pretty nasty (as is has on other listservs, most recently the
Minnesota list.) There are some subscribers who are adamant about not
posting exact locations, while others don't see the harm.
Personally, I err on the side of caution and try to discourage reporting
exact locations. While I understand the frustration of those who would
really like to see these magnificent birds, we do have an obligation to
avoid stressing them any more than they already are. While they may
LOOK healthy and SEEM not to be disturbed by our presence, it has been
amply shown by several research projects that this is not the case.
Many of these owls are near starvation (witness the one in Ozaukee Co.
that was found dead the other day.) Any unnecessary stress may be the
final straw that pushes them over the edge.
While I'm not going to kick anyone off the list for reporting locations,
I would prefer that they not do so. I don't have a problem with folks
mentioning the general area where they saw one, since the birds do often
move around anyway. While it may be frustrating to not know exactly
where to look, there are seldom any guarantees in birding anyway.
Peter Fissel
Wisbirdn Admin/Monitor
Madison WI
Peter Steele wrote:
> Jesse:
> Because my husband and I spent hours on Sunday looking for the Grant County
> snowy owl, I am very disappointed to find that some people know where
> it is, but are not reporting it on wisbird net. Is there a reason to keep
> people from seeing this owl?
> Sally Steele
> Crawford County
> Prairie du Chien
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jesse Ellis
> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 10:32 AM
> To: sgswiggum@xxxxxxx ; wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [wisb] Re: Question: Grant County Snowy Owl
>
> Quentin Yeorger photographed the same individual yesterday, as posted on
> facebook, and also was the original finder of the scoters on Devil's Lake
> mentioned by Tom Prestby.
> Jesse Ellis
> Madison, WI
>
> On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 10:20 AM, Sharon Swiggum <sgswiggum@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Last week, there was a sighting of a snowy owl in Grant County. The
>> posting stated that it was located near Fennimore on Hwy 18 near Orr Road.
>> Does anyone have an update or know if the owl has been seen recently?
>> Thanks sincerely!
>> Sharon Swiggum
>>
>> Richland Center in Richland County, WI
>>
>> The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
>> Psalm 104:12
>>
>>
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>
>
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