To post or not to post, why is this a question?
The debate centers on disturbance of bird nests and roosts. If I alert the
birding community to the roost location of a bird that is difficult to find
(owls in particular), I risk stressing the bird. Email lists such as ours
are powerful tools, and can mobilize hundreds of birders to a location.
Recently we had a post of a phalarope in a N. VA park at 4 PM and before
dark there were birders "on the ground" searching the park. That is not a
bad thing; we want good information on birding and so subscribe to VA-Bird.
We also want to protect birds from disturbance.
Maybe not everyone reading birding listserves shares the majority views on
birding ethics. Just one nest robber (or the possibility of one) lurking on
a listserve modifies the behavior of all posters. So, all nest robbers
unsubscribe VA-Bird now. Thankfully, most cowbirds cannot figure out how to
subscribe.
I do not want to stifle bird sightings. Let's agree to limit precise
directions to nests and roosts. A post on "a pair of Barred Owls near the
visitors center at Huntley Meadows" is terrific, and gives us a challenge
to try to find them on our visit.
Thanks for reading, good birding and have a great summer.
Paul Mocko
McLean, VA
From: "DOLORES KEELER" <dol_kee@xxxxxxx>
Hello Va birders,
Can anyone tell me where I can go to try to see a Screech Owl?
