Thank you all for all the great comments! It seems clear there's an
opportunity for the birding (and photography) community to develop a code
of ethics that's more widely known. I'd like Nigel's heart rate research to
be better known and I hope that we can all follow Cindy's example of
speaking up in a kind way.

Phil Mitchell
Seattle WA



>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: seasprocket <seasprocket at gmail.com>
> To: Tweeters <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Sent: Sun, Dec 11, 2011 8:47 pm
> Subject: [Tweeters] How Close Is Too Close? (Snowy Owl)
>
> We were down at Damon Point today enjoying seven (!) gorgeous Snowy
> Owls. Aware that the birds may be quite stressed already, and have
> certainly been the objects of a lot of attention, we did not attempt to
> approach closely and just enjoyed nice looks from a distance.
>
> Others, however, chose to approach more closely. Sometimes the birds
> seemed not to care, other times they seemed "on alert," and one bird may
> have actually been flushed.
>
> It peeved me a little bit, but it got me to thinking that I really don't
> know what the "appropriate" distance is in this situation. In more isolated
> circumstances, I would have gradually approached, watching for any signs of
> agitation (and backing off). I didn't want to do that in this case. Others
> chose differently.
>
> Are there any guidelines for this situation?
>
> Phil Mitchell
> Seattle, WA
> --
> Learn Bird Songs for the Planet: http://www.larkwire.com
> Bikewise: http://www.bikewise.org
>
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