Humans and their disrespect for Nature

[ravynne40]

I went to the place I saw the LEO this morning, I must say I was disturbed.
The place was crawling with people (that's fine) BUT, I noticed someone had placed a marker near the trees
and there was a man rustling in the trees, I'm surprised he didn't shake the tree

I don't understand this behavior, we want to see the birds, we want them to stay, why are we frightening them?
I am heartbroken because this LEO may never come back there because its area was disturbed!
I am disappointed in humans and their vulture like activities I.E. placing a marker...are people really that stupid they need a marker??
NOW I know why people do not divulge their information on owls/and other rare birds. AND i don't blame them!

I spoke to this gentleman under the tree, he basically left the area to go look elsewhere.

Just a note when I do post pictures now of hawks and owls ..I"M NOT TELLING WHERE, these actions i have seen today have angered me to the point of tears.

sadly disappointed in human behavior and our disrespect for nature

Irene

[ravynne40]

By the way i am not accusing anyone on this list, i apologize if it seemed that way

Irene

[MEGHAN]

Well said Irene.
A very disturding and unfortunate situation.
This is the #1 reason most people do not pass on sighting info.
The joy of you actually finding the LEO has been destroyed by the action of others.
People have now basically put up a neon sign that stats ""Owl here"" in flashing letters.
Harassing Owls or any other bird for that matter cannot be tolerated.
Good for you for removing the marker.
Another problem is that these Owls "hide" during the day, this is to sleep and avoid predators.
Having a bunch of people standing around at one time making noise and trying to get a good shot will likely give away their roosting spot.
An example of this is on Amherst Island.
People are flushing the LEO there in the hopes of getting them to land on an unobstructed perch so they can have a clear shot.Because anyone who has found one of these birds knows how well they conceal themselves. Frustratingly well I'd say.
All this activity will bring them to the attention of the resident Barred Owl who is one of their big predators. And a sleepy Barred Owl still always has one eye open. Always watching. It now know where the LEO's are hiding and will take full advantage of peoples help to locate them. When I was out in Owl Woods a few weeks back, we counted nine LEO. There numbers have since declined and are continuing to do so. All reports lead to Barred Owl predation.
Same goes for the little guys NSW's and the Boreal. Predators are drawn to any activity and will always keep watch in their territory. They must think it's a great help to them if we can find there lunch for them.
Nature is nature and predator and prey preform a delicate dance each and every minute of the day. None of us should go out of our way to upset this balance.
When I say "none of us" I just mean humans in general.
I would have to say the people on this forum ALL seem to only have the best interest of nature and birds at heart.
I sure everyone can recall an incident such as Irene's over your many years of experience.
Hence the reason we are all a bit secretive in revealing locations.
Unfortunate but we all know why it is done.
This is just my 2 cents on your experience Irene.
Meghan

[norman]

When I was shooting with a pretty sophisticated camera, I'd quite often be disappointed with the results -- remember when you had to "bracket" anything that looked good? Throw in a motor-winder, and you were looking at large expenditures of $$$ for, essentially, a fond memory.

I guess it's not my cuppa to stand still for that long ... the photos I do have are darn good, but mean little to anyone not at the scene. Non-commercial photography was proving to hold diminishing returns.

I didn't ever poke a boreal owl in the chest with a pool cue for a reaction glare, nor did I ever, wildly gesticulating, chase a kestrel around a barn trying to retrieve my clothing. There's a story you don't need to read.

I'd hopefully assumed that there were lines one didn't cross -- the "set-up," to me, was making the best of the scene. Is it the ease of digital "photography," combined with the market for "action shots" that caused this?

No. It's always been that way; digital simply means 'take as many frames as you can, and we'll find it."

I met a young guy in Costa Rica (Cerro de la Muerte ... higher elevations) who wanted us to return the morning after we drove to Mt. Chirippo because his stunning Resplendant Quetzal image chopped about 2cm from one of its rectrices -- he posts all his stuff on a site browsed by Audubon, ABA, and particularly magazines, like the one at your doctor's office with the non-smoking goodie two-shoes medical freaks romping along the manicured beaches of Florida's east coast. His stuff (I gave him the names of the critters when I could) is up there on his page; take it or leave it ...

If you have to bother the bird, you're bothering me, and I have a Charles Bronson-approved sockful of quarters.