Hello All,



I was a bit startled to awake this morning to such a mix of responses re: my
inquiry about laser pens.



Please be assured I will not blind or otherwise injure or startle our dear
avian friends. As several of you pointed out, the use of this tool has
become more and more common. And it can be utilized judiciously and safely,
i.e. never shined directly on the bird that's being pointed out. I know that
when birding in heavy, dense cover (i.e. jungle) this has helped immensely
in locating birds I'd otherwise miss. Last year I was in the Manu region of
Peru and our guide did not use this and I wondered why not. She had no
problem using smart phone playback though.



Anyway, thanks for all the input. I'm off in minutes for birds of the
Skagit, the Methow and points east.



Cheers,

Joe Mackie

Bellingham