> Dearest Tweets,
>
> After 24 hours of absorbing the flood of information and opinion on this
> list regarding the current SNOW irruption, I'm inspired to once again
> chime in.(Make that a soft gong.) I note I'm inclined to accept a modicum
> of credit for the unparelled, thoughtful, even inspired input coming from
> the most esteemed quarters. Though I confess my post of yesterday
> regarding the circus I witnessed on Sunday at Boundary Bay may have been
> mildly intemperate, I stand by the gist of my comments.
>
> Much thanks especially to Mr. Paulson for his willingness to challenge my
> assertion that "these birds are on the edge of starvation" with such
> thorough elucidation. In my defense, I was merely repeating opinion shared
> with me by other experts (who shall remain unnamed). One of the primary
> reasons I've been perusing this list for 15-20 years is that if I pay
> attention, I'm always capable of learning more. Here we have another case
> in point. So I'm grateful.
>
> I'm also thankful that such a rich and informative, and largely congenial,
> dialogue has continued. Ms. Diehl's insightful and extraordinarily
> diplomatic post warmed my heart. Thank you, Barbara.
>
> Finally, to return to the "scene of the crime(s)", the Boundary Bay
> foreshore circus, let me offer more information. First of all, it was not
> and is not my intention to paint all photographers with a wide brush of
> condemnation. As a matter of fact, some of my best friends are
> photographers. Most of them were staying on the dyke trail and reporting
> that they were able to take photographs that were quite satisfying. Others
> on the foreshore stayed put and occassionally, carefully, adjusted their
> positions as circumstances changed. A number of them shared their chagrin
> with me regarding the behavior of approximately 10 photographers who were
> clearly pursuing the birds to the point of persistent disturbance. There's
> something about that scene that displayed the best and worst of what our
> species is capable of. My hope is that this dialogue can help engender
> more thoughtful relationships with the world and each other.
>
> Thanks for listening.
> Cheers,
> Joe Mackie
> Bellingham
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dennis Paulson" <dennispaulson at comcast.net>
> To: "TWEETERS tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 2:14 PM
> Subject: [Tweeters] thoughts about Snowy Owls and their aficionados
>
>
> Tweets,
>
> After reading today's digest, I decided to enter the discussion. I am a
> long-time birder and photographer, but one of my primary objectives is to
> know as much as I can about birds so I can appreciate them better and
> teach about them.
>
> I am not sympathetic to the idea of pursuing an animal to the point of
> stressing it just to get photos (or better looks), but I would hope that
> there would be light as well as heat in these discussions. When I read
> statements such as "these birds are on the edge of starvation," I am
> afraid that too many people will go away believing such a statement.
>
> In fact, when these owls come down to our latitude, most of them flourish.
> There is enough to eat, otherwise they wouldn't be hanging around the same
> place, day after day, week after week. They come down here not out of
> desperation but because this is a good place for them to be in this
> particular winter. I suspect they are doing quite well.
>
> The owls are still at Boundary Bay and Damon Point even after several
> weeks of being photographed to a fare-thee-well and - from what I read -
> often flushed. Does that seem likely if they are being stressed so much?
> My simple logic tells me that if these owls were being stressed as much as
> some have written, to the point of not being able to maintain their energy
> balance, their numbers would be declining rapidly rather than remaining
> stable. Has anyone noticed moribund owls? Why haven't they left? Snowy
> Owls are strong fliers, and there are areas all around Grays Harbor and
> Boundary Bay where they wouldn't be disturbed by people.
>
> It would be interesting to have counts from these areas through at least
> midwinter, say February, to see if their numbers decline (or not) from
> this barrage of observers and photographers. After that, some of them may
> be heading north. And even if they did decline, there are sources of
> mortality other than starvation. At least the ones at these two localities
> won't be struck by cars, one such source when the birds are along roads.
> Birders disturb Snowy Owls; drivers kill them.
>
> I think it is very unlikely that they are near starvation. Lacking
> lemmings, they can go out hunting at dusk and find a duck or grebe or
> shorebird that will keep them fed until they are ready to hunt for another
> one. They are thought to need about a pound of lemmings per day to survive
> in the winter, about the size of a Bufflehead or Horned Grebe (or 7.5
> Dunlins).
>
> Some banded Snowy Owls have been known to return to the same site in
> subsequent winters. These were birds that were trapped and banded, surely
> a greater source of stress than being flushed. They chose to return to the
> same spot.
>
> Again, I'm not trying to argue that people should purposely disturb Snowy
> Owls or any other bird, but I would prefer a realistic view of what
> constitutes a disturbance and what real effect it has on an animal.
> Blanket condemnations of photographers and other birders have become
> routine on tweeters, and it makes me sad to see so many people using a
> birding listserv as a forum in which to criticize their fellow birders.
> -----
> Dennis Paulson
> 1724 NE 98 St.
> Seattle, WA 98115
> 206-528-1382
> dennispaulson at comcast.net
>
>
>
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