I?m not really understanding why there seems to be a consensus of people to accommodate an angry property owner who has already committed several illegal acts, from my reading of accounts, and has threatened to commit at least one felony.

If I was threatened, verbally or otherwise, especially with the mention of a gun, or had my scope grabbed , or heard someone threaten to shoot a protected bird, my cameras would be rolling in that person?s direction (it?s perfectly legal to film homes?Google does it all the time, and it?s perfectly legal to take pictures of people who are threatening you), and the next vehicle down the road would be the State Police. So I?m glad someone is reporting this tomorrow to WDFW and the Ranger district, though I?d go a lot further...

I have a fair amount of experience dealing with crazy threatening neighbors, and accommodating or mediating with them usually does not change them. In fact, it empowers them and when you back down, they can become emboldened. Supposedly we don?t negotiate with terrorists... If the neighborhood is already familiar with the problem, I imagine the authorities are too. I wish a caracara would descend on some of my neighbor?s properties, so that the ensuing outfall would get them the legal and mental help they may need, initiated from outside individuals that can?t allow that person to blame and take it out on his neighbors later. Just a thought.

Sure someone moves to the country for privacy, or to escape society, or do who knows what. As long as it?s legal, fine, But we do have laws. And I bet I pay more in taxes to fund the road in front of that person?s house than he does. So I am entitled to be on it, and view from it; it?s public land. There hasn?t been much discussion of the fact that it appears that people have trespassed onto BNSF land to view the bird...

Though I would be intrigued as anyone to learn where this bird goes, doesn?t the very act of trapping it, affixing a transmitter, and relocating it cause stress to a very unusual individual that may already have a plan of action to return to where it came from? This is a very intelligent bird that lives for a long time, not a bushtit.

Maybe birders should offer to give the guy $5 each to view the bird? I give $10 for bird seed when I visit someone?s home that has a rare yard bird in the winter...if it eats one of his chickens and he can prove it, I?ll send him a check for whatever he thinks the going rate is.

I?m sure a lot of you will disapprove of what I consider to be a reality check, but this has had me fuming all day.


Mark Tomboulian

Tomboulian At Comcast dot net