A very self-righteous mean spirited ramble....you have no right to accuse people the way you are simply because you may not be a lister!

Larry D Marsh

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 18, 2016, at 10:08 PM, Mickey Pilatti <mickeypilatticb at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> First it?s a tragic loss that the Hawk Owl was killed. If the landowner did it, hopefully he will be prosecuted. Good comments from JoAnn Andrews, Roger Moyer, Jason Hernandez, Bob Pearson, Barbara Deihl etc
> Reality is there is a possibility that the birding community could have ?contributed? to irritation by the land owner and that led to the bird being killed. This isn?t the first time that rare birds in the owl and raptor categories have been affected by birders. There was the Caracara and the landowner there and that bird disappearing (but hopefully safely). There was the Long-eared Owl found dead after being overwhelmed by birders (perhaps stress contributed to that death, who knows, but maybe it would have survived with less impacts). There was a Burrowing Owl surrounded by birders in Everett I believe. There were all the incidents of birders and photographers getting to close to the Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay and I think Ocean Shores too.
> Why ? often to get a bird on their damn list. Why ? often to get some closer or different angle picture. Yeah a person has a right to view and photograph a bird on a public road (I saw the American flag waving from those comments).
> Tweeters is good to share reports of birds, but is it the best for all birds and all cases? Cases that come to mind are when there are issues with landowners and the safety of the bird and birders could be jeopardized and when birds are on private land and the landowner doesn?t want the public to access that land. As we all know, Owls are disappearing and are a sensitive species ? maybe Owls shouldn?t be ?advertised? based on numerous incidents that have adversely affected them. The same is true with some rare raptors and of course with other birds active in nesting.
> For some reason, there is this need to get birds on these meaningless lists, like the lists have some super value. No one cares about your list, probably not even those people important in your life. When you?re gone, all your list will be is paper to recycle. It?s good to enjoy birds and birding but no one really cares if it?s the Xth bird on your list. My point is there are some birders that will do anything to get a new bird on their list. Maybe some sensitive birds shouldn?t have their exact location spelled out. If it has to be on a list, maybe it should just be listed for the entire county.
> Then there is the thing that for some reason birders have to announce it to the world that they have seen this rare sensitive bird. Maybe some bird reports of sensitive birds should just be kept quiet. But some birders seem to have to report no matter what whether it is for self-glory or to return the favor to a fellow bird buddy. For me some of the most rewarding birds I have seen are the ones I find myself. Anyone can chase birds and it doesn?t take a lot of skills to see a bird already found (yeah sometimes you have to refind them)
> On comment about how long birders hung around. I don?t believe the poster meant specifically an individual birder, but perhaps the accumulative time of multiple birders perhaps impacting the bird or irritating the landowner. If the first birder would have just kept the bird to himself, maybe it would have survived.
> As far as the comments on blame and shame, maybe there is some. We don?t really know for sure, but Im willing to bet the birding community has created at least some negative impacts on some birds in some cases just so that someone can get it on their damn list or a photo. Even if you have a high number of birds seen on a list, there are many birders way better than you. Even though you have a good photo, there are thousands of photos already of most species. What matters is what a person does for the current survival and future survival of our birds. They are the true birders ? others are just listers and photographers. If all we have are lists and photos and our grandkids get to see primarily house sparrows, starlings and Eurasian collared Doves.
> If a landowner is irrational or a threat to bird or doesn?t want you there ? maybe its better to stop going there, stop reporting it and change the location in reports
> Was there trespass? Did people still take pictures? Did someone say something to the landowner that irritated him? Who knows, perhaps, possibly, maybe/maybe not, but some birders aren?t always the supreme nice beings that some posts seem to think they are
> On the comment about that we are civilized, well yes and no, if we were so civilized the birds wouldn?t be disappearing and planet environment being destroyed
> On the comment about that there shouldn?t be comments on the Malheur. Wildlife refuges are some of the gems of remaining bird habitat, without them things like tweeters will eventually disappear as well as our birds
> My point and my opinion is birds first, lists and photos are secondary and maybe the reporting of some rare sensitive species need to be reduced, maybe its better to just try to find a rare bird yourself. But I doubt this will happen, too many are on a self power trip of birding and Im betting there will be another future report in tweeters about some other demise of another sensitive specie. Just my opinion and Im guessing many disagree
> Mickey Pilatti
> Olympia WA
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