[texbirds] Re: Reporting locations of rare sightings
- From: Jim Sinclair <jim.sinclair@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 06:39:42 -0500
My goodness! What a strong reaction I received privately. Fortunately,
most were quite positive. But there are certainly some hateful folks on
this listserv.
On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 8:48 AM, Jim Sinclair <jim.sinclair@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> I am not speaking for Mark (I have never even met him), and I have no back
> channel information regarding this particular issue of the Elegant Tern
> location.
>
> I fail to understand why some people seem to think that another birder has
> an obligation to publicly reveal the location of any particular sighting.
>
> There are a number of reasons why a location would not be revealed, and
> there is no obligation to even give a reason. The following list is by no
> means complete, but may help some folks better understand.
>
> The location is on private property, and the owner does not wish to have
> the location revealed, even if the bird can be seen from publicly
> accessible areas. The owner may wish to not be bombarded with phone calls
> and emails wanting to know if the bird is still there.
>
> The location is on public property, but in a vulnerable area where too
> much 'traffic' would probably drive it away. This is a biggie. There are
> numerous stories about how too much pressure on a localized area has driven
> the target bird away.
>
> Photographers, in particular, are often the biggest offenders in this
> category. Although most photographers are courteous, there are a few that
> simply MUST get a totally unobscured view from a close enough distance to
> photograph the lice on the bill - even when it means cutting away newly
> planted vegetation at Paradise Pond (crossing behind the yellow tape to do
> so), or running in front of everyone else to photograph the Purple
> Sandpiper, chasing it away, to never be seen again.
>
> I would also offer that it pay to be friendly and courteous with
> everyone. I have been privileged on occasion to be invited to come observe
> a bird on private property when that sighting was not otherwise reported
> until well after the fact. And I am not typically a rarity chaser.
>
> Conversely, through the years I have had the pleasure of guiding several
> hard core listers to pursue their particular target species, either for
> lifers or big year efforts. All but one of those experiences were quite
> positive and enjoyable.
>
> Bottom line: The discourteous actions of a very few do, indeed, influence
> whether sighting locations are reported.
>
> --
> Jim Sinclair (TX-ESA)
> TOS Life Member
> Kingsville, TX
>
> "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of
> thinking we were at when we created them." - Albert Einstein
>
--
Jim Sinclair (TX-ESA)
TOS Life Member
Kingsville, TX
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of
thinking we were at when we created them." - Albert Einstein
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