As a long-time resident and birder of New York state (more than 30 years) I agree with Cindy.
We must not fall into any extremist position. It would be beyond a shame to go back to the old "word of mouth" system, when only a self-appointed elite knew about rarities. Respond appropriately to situations as they arise. No knee-jerk reactions. That is the middle path. Bob Lewis Sleepy Hollow NY --- On Mon, 2/6/12, Cindy <[email protected]> wrote: From: Cindy <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Knee jerk reaction to 2 guys that just didn't get it To: "NYS Birds" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, February 6, 2012, 9:14 AM .... I disagree, however, that owls should not be mentioned on these birding listservs. I would think that's just the beginning of a slippery slope....first owls are kept secret, then perhaps a first-of-state nesting, or other rare bird.... who's to say an inconsiderate photographer, or birder (yes, those exist as well, I had the experience of one in my own back yard!), will get close enough to ANY noteworthy bird to shoo it off and ruin the experience for everyone else (not to mention stressing the bird!)? Keeping sightings limited to "word of mouth" severely restricts who sees what, turning birding (or the viewing of certain species) into a private club of sorts - with only the elite "inner circle" allowed to participate. I for one don't go birding regularly in winter, preferring to just go out for rarities, and am not in anyone's cell phone contact list. I usually don't like birding in a crowd. I know a few "key" people but nobody really well. Word of mouth wouldn't work for me and wouldn't work for many other respectable, but more casual birders who might come from out of the area just to see an owl, or any other noteworthy bird. There's no way to completely eliminate the problem. There will be clueless joggers, dogs and their owners, and kids flushing the birds in addition to the photographers and selfish birders who show up. You can't put a fence around these birds. I believe that by posting photos or names (or even license plates) of the perpetrators, they will eventually learn that it's not worth their while to do what they're doing. Or they won't care and the occasional bird may suffer an uncomfortable moment or two. I still think that's better than a whole lot of decent, good folks losing out on something really special. have a great day!Cindy Wodinsky -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- ... -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
