I’m disheartened that we are all being blamed when there is no fact based
evidence available. There are many conservation minded birders in Kentucky
who would never harm wildlife in any way and would work to promote habitat
preservation as well.
Jackie B. Elmore
Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
________________________________
From: birdky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <birdky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of
James Wheat <james.a.wheat@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 8:00:47 PM
To: BIRDKY <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [birdky] Re: Burrowing Owl follow-up ....
The present pin is about 100 feet from the middle of the road at the culvert,
assuming the measuring tool on The Google is accurate. That should be far
enough, but as BPB mentioned before, observers must be sensitive to the bird's
behavior. Of course, people also need to check their own enthusiasm for seeing
the bird well, especially if traveling a distance to see the bird.
I was there Monday morning and it was raining. The bird was out of sight for
the first 30min, likely due to the intensity of the rain, but then appeared,
sometimes in the crevice and sometimes on top. It behaved in a wholly
unperturbed way, except for a brief flinch as a loud/fast truck passed by. Had
the bird exhibited any nervous behavior, I would certainly have backed off. But
it did not. It scanned left and right calmly as does this species typically.
The photos posted to my checklist are cropped heavily.
I must say that the idea that multiple checklists from the same person equates
to disrespecting the bird assumes facts not in evidence. Why not assume that
the checklists represent people who are giving the bird wide berth, while
bringing with them new birders who will develop a love for birds that may turn
into votes? [Rhet.] I am as troubled as anyone when I see or read about zealot
wannabe Tom Mangelsens disregarding the bird's well-being and behaving rudely
to other observers, and hope that we keep each other in check with a firm and
friendly admonishment if we forget ourselves in the presence of a rarity.
--
James A. Wheat
Louisville KY
