On the subject of owls, I heard a GREAT HORNED OWL at about 3 am this
morning. I have never seen one though. What do you have to do to see them?
I do not think I could follow his hoo huuu at 3 am.
Nancy
Renton, WA.
----- Original Message -----
From: <buteoreg at comcast.net>
To: <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: owl sightings


> Hi tweets,
>
> I would like to respectfully disagree with Jason Paulios' thoughts on owl
sightings - in part at least. I *would* agree that it is wise to not
publicize the locations of rare or threatened species. Even more common
species that use a roost that is easily disturbed are perhaps best
unpublicized. I agree with him on that.
>
> But in regards to using a birdfinding guide to "make sure that just a few
specific sites aren't swamped by owl seekers." I'd say that just the
opposite is likely to occur. When only owl roosts that are well known
through publication are visited by birders, the pressure on those roosts is
likely to be quite heavy.
>
> I'm not necessarily saying that it was a bad idea to include specific owl
roosts in the guide, but that it helps lessen the pressure on a few "known"
roosts when additional info on alternative roosts is posted or published
elsewhere. People want to go looking where they know others have had success
and the more known spots there are, the more the birding pressure is
diluted.
>
> Again, there are always exceptions to the rules. When in doubt about the
pressure a given owl will get, especially rare species, it's good not to
post it, but for common species at roosts where they are high enough up to
not feel threatened, then I think there is some advantage to both bird and
birder in posting its location.
>
> good owling -
>
> Jim Flynn (that's whoo)
> buteoreg at comcast.net
> Seattle, WA
> --
> buteoreg at comcast.net
> Seattle, WA