Wrong owl

[Mandrake Sumners]

Went out in search of the screech owl at Muddy Branch Greenway Trail today. No luck but got a great look at a Great Horned Owl in one of the tall pines. If anyone here has a tip on finding the screech owl roost let me know.

[JAMES SPEICHER]

Of course, we have agreed NOT to disclose owl roosts as participants in this forum.  So hopefully, no one will let you know.

Find your own roosts - fine - and then keep them to yourself.

Jim S

On Thu, Feb 11, 2021 at 11:01 PM Mandrake Sumners <milli...@gmail.com> wrote:

Went out in search of the screech owl at Muddy Branch Greenway Trail today. No luck but got a great look at a Great Horned Owl in one of the tall pines. If anyone here has a tip on finding the screech owl roost let me know.

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[Mandrake Sumners]

Thanks!

Virus-free. www.avg.com

[Jay Sulzmann]

I rarely post here, but I think that especially newer or beginning birders might find this response really discouraging. I understand and agree with the underlying point that we should avoid publicly posting specific details, including on this listserv. It seems to me like we'd be going a step too far by saying that individual birders should not privately help others see owls (or other birds) from an appropriate distance and in an ethical manner. I think owls in particular -- and again, fully acknowledging the care that should be taken to avoid disturbance -- can be a "spark bird" for a lot of non-birders to become more interested in birding and conservation. 

(Full disclosure, I birded this trail a few weeks ago and saw exactly zero owls!)

Best,

Jay

[Mandrake Sumners]

No I think it's a good rule and I knew I was pushing etiquette by asking.  Reading between the lines of some of the ebird comments it looks like SOMEONE has been sharing the location so I thought I'd have a go at it thinking "there's no harm in asking" but I think ultimately it's probably a good standard for certain sensitive species.  I'll head back out over the weekend and look again.

[Noah Comet]

For what it's worth, I agree with Jay (but I agree with the spirit of James's post too).  I've probably mentioned it before on this list, but a few years back I did a piece in the New York Times on exactly this subject---and got many hundreds of emails from people all over the country (and abroad too) voicing both support and disagreement, nearly all of it cordial.  This topic might be the proverbial "third rail" of birding. :)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/opinion/sunday/owl-watching.html

I've seen owls beyond counting, and I'd say 90% are birds I only found because fellow birders helped me to, either in advance over email or by chance encounter in the field.  I'd be willing to bet that's how most folks on this list have found owls too.  The list itself should probably take a cautious approach, but I don't see any harm in people privately sharing information with other birders they deem to be respectful and trustworthy. --Withholding information, of course, about particularly vulnerable species or individual birds in vulnerable situations.  A little common sense and respect for wildlife go a long way; so does fostering community.

2 cents,

Noah

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[Tim Houghton]

I more than agree re "a step too far."

 

Tim Houghton

(Glen Arm, MD)

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[Steve Long]

I have to agree that posting the locations of sensitive species on an open forum is a bad idea.  Some rarities create such a stampede of birders of all ilks to the posted location that it can hurt the reputation of birders in general as well as the individual member of the species whose position was broadcast openly.

On the other hand, ASKING here gives people who do know the OPPORTUNITY to make INDIVIDUAL decisions about who they will share the information with OFF-LIST, because we can see the e-mail address of the individual who posted the question and make a direct response, off list.  Perhaps even extracting a promise to not pass the info further before revealing it to someone who is known to be trustworthy.

So, I would not stigmatize ASKING on the list, but suggest that anybody who does ask also reminds potential responders to respond only to them off-list, if they choose to respond at all.  That would keep the etiquette visible and in-play, so that we don't generate this same e-mail discussion every time somebody asks.

Steve Long, Oxford

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