Tony, I mis-read your note today.

[Joe Roller]

On re-reading, I guess you were being facetious about the GYRF

being unnecessarily sequestered overnight.

Who were the lucky few who knew to be there at dawn, I wonder?

Thanks, Joe

[Allison Hilf]

Thank you Joe.   A pet peeve of mine is when people choose to share birding locations with a select few in the birding community and not the public (but for owls).

Sadly, at times I think the Colorado birding community used to be a “community” and has turned more into a group of Birders competing to have the largest list.

I urge everyone to take the 2 MINUTES it takes to note an interesting bird, the county, and the location in a CObirds post as soon as possible after seeing it.

I thank all of those who do.   

Allison Hilf

Aurora, CO

Sent from my iPhone

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[Christian Hagenlocher]

CoBirds Community,

As a new member to the group, I was surprised to see this thread take a turn like this on my first day of following CoBirds. It’s one reason I’ve unsubscribed from state-level Listserves in the past, and I guess this forum isn’t free from criticism and sarcasm. That’s too bad. 

As others have previously noted, Gyrfalcons are listed as sensitive in eBird due to their rarity and high value in the falconry trade. What most birders don’t know is that it is illegal to trap Gyrfalcons in Colorado. I am a falconer, and like the birding community, the falconry community has those who abide by the laws, and others who feel the rules don’t apply to them. I’ve seen birders trespass and blatantly ignore private property, and I’ve seen falconers follow birders’ reports to wild raptors and trap them.

In other Western states I’ve heard of falconers trapping gyrfalcons right in front of birders. That hasn’t gone well, despite it being legal. It’s not good form in my opinion. 

I believe Andy took the proper precautions in confirming the ID and getting the word out as fast as he could. In a world where we are connected instantly, some birds can be reported from the field and others can’t. With a rare bird turning up at a controlled location like a landfill, there’s more factors to be considered. I know Andy to be a careful and conscientious birder, and I’m sure he had a sound thought process with both birders and birds in mind. I’ve been in the same position and it’s difficult to make. I am grateful he reported it at all. 

Gyrfalcons have been found in Colorado and not reported by the falconers who found them (to keep birders from finding out and swarming the wintering location) Birders have found and suppressed sightings because of falconers. It goes both ways, and in this case the sighting was shared with the birding community. 

It’s not the first and won’t be the last Gyrfalcon in the state. 

In kindness,

Christian Hagenlocher

Buena Vista, CO 

Sent from my iPhone

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