Wood Stork (Broomfield County)

[Tyler Stuart]

COBirders,

My schedule over the past several weeks kept me from being able to make the trip to Broomfield to see the continuing Wood Stork. Fortunately, the bird stuck around long enough for me to visit and enjoy it yesterday morning. I am appreciative, for the bird's sake and mine, that birders have behaved well enough around the Wood Stork that it has felt safe to stay.

However, I was appalled to see a person IN THE POND yesterday morning with photography equipment, not 20 feet from the bird! I suppose had the bird truly felt threatened, it would have flown off, but regardless, it is completely inappropriate and disrespectful to the bird to be in the water and so close for the sake of photos or videos. I hope this is not someone in the COBirds community, but please consider this as a reminder to put a rare bird's well-being before your own.

I apologize for using the COBirds platform to bring this up, but after watching it play out, I couldn't not say something.

Tyler Stuart

Colorado Springs

[Mel Goff]

Sad to see, but certainly not unprecedented.

 

In our experience, there are about five types of people we come across on the birding trails. First are the hikers and runners, oblivious to the avian wonders around them. Number two would be the bird watchers and birders of all levels, out to enjoy, view and even list the birds they see and identify. Next we have birders who take pictures with all variety of photo equipment from point-and-shoots to cellphones to more expensive DSLR cameras. Number four would be photographers who know and abide by the ABA Code of Ethics and have great respect for nature in general and birds specifically.

 

Now number five - clowns like the one Tyler saw who only live for "the shot". One beautiful morning in Madera Canyon, AZ, we were with a fairly large and well behaved group of folks watching an Elegant Trogon from a nearby pathway. Along comes what must have been the president of group five. He actually crawled up in the tree, ignoring calls from the crowd. His reason? You guessed it. He had to get "the shot".

 

I hope someone knows this person and can at least try to educate him in the ethics of the situation.

 

Good birding, everyone.

Mel Goff

Colorado Springs, El Paso County

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cob...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds
* All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate.
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAGhGWmUZ4Wzeb-NPFUQ0L-01Fo%2BoVa5PyibFWKcX2%2B4YHhxdjw%40mail.gmail.com.

[linda hodges]

Tyler, thank you for sharing your experience.

Birders, we must find a way to educate and ensure that this type of behavior doesn't continue anywhere.

If anyone recognizes this individual, please let him know that his actions were grossly inappropriate. As Joe Roller would say, make this a teaching opportunity.

Linda Hodges

--

[Diane Roberts]

Thank you Tyler for bringing awareness to the birding community & “at all costs” photography. I shared your photos to the DFO FB page & reported to the Admin his multiple “great” photos. Shocking someone needs a photo that bad & to hope  for “Followers” on his photography page. 

Diane Roberts

Douglas County

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 5, 2025, at 11:35 AM, linda hodges <hiker...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABW16T%3DOde8P0jnRMpHuQGdAaP%2B3-y%3DwvQLuAYne1pqQ_cwpaQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ira Sanders]

I gotta disagree with Loch regarding ridiculing photographers like this one. 1st, if possible, he should be arrested for trespassing; 2. He deserves all the ridicule and derision that can be heaped upon him. Screw his shot. This is 1 person for whom a "teachable moment" will do no good and other measures need to be taken. The harsher the better. 

Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/937B1987-0C42-41D1-AE30-B78645416CE3%40gmail.com.

--

Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

"My mind is a raging torrent flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."

[David Suddjian]

Ira, you are way over the line. CoBirds is not a place for ridicule and derision. Thread closed. Anyone replying further on this will be placed on moderated status. 

David Suddjian

List moderator.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABF3siGCGeWbwHs5LkSQ9u909vyzH0KxBxgVn_mmC8_s9%3Dj1Dw%40mail.gmail.com.