Boreal chickadee , Bard Owl , Screech Owl , wild turkeys @ C

[Craig McL]

Sorry for the late report but Yesterday, Nov 21 2012,  I watched the Boreal Chickadee for an hour and a half from 1pm to 2:30 pm as it flew in and out from the trees to the
south of the south path at Cranberry March , another Boreal Chickadee has bin seen in a privet backyard in downtown Whitby also .

the sad thing was the Bard Owl that some bad photo hogs had bated down to the path and wear braking tree limbs and trampling every thing
in their way to get the big shot ..... they wear so immersed with this bird that no one saw the Screech Owl not 75 feet away

when I went to leave, the 27 wild turkeys wear feeding on the east side of the north farmers'  field

best of best

Craig McLauchlan

Cranberry March is found on Halls road south from Victoria st in Whitby . the next best thing east of Toronto

[Fran]

Kind of rude to call people hogs, my mom taught name calling was rude.

[beresford]

Have you seen the way some of the people behave around that poor owl?

The name more than fits.

The owls comfort shoud NEVER be sacrificed for a photo op.

[MEGHAN]

Kind of rude to call people hogs, my mom taught name calling was rude.

Hopefully she also taught you to be respectful to nature.

Have you seen the way some of the people behave around that poor owl?

The name more than fits.

The owls comfort shoud NEVER be sacrificed for a photo op.

Well said!!  What is happening down at Cranberry Marsh is the problem here not that some poor photographer was called a photo hog.
Way to have your priorities straight   :roll:

[Fran]

I've actually been down to take photos of the owl and saw someone chasing it down, but i would never post it on the internet, the woman was reprimanded by others in the group.  As a wildlife photographer i put up alot with peoples ignorance to "safe distances" from the animals.  Whining on a public board accomplishes?  I believe if you want to vent, do so but somewhere else, is this sight for venting or birding?

[cloaca]

Both.

Who are you?

[Fran]

I've been on a lot of birding sights and never have i seen such name calling, errors happen we are all humans, and yes the animal is always #1, but to bitch and complain?? really venting should be done elsewhere, if you wish to contact me  in private let me know

[amack1163]

I normally don't partake in these but this just drew me in. First I have to say that the statement made was far less than name calling. I mean really Fran? Photo hog? That's what's gotten you up-in-arms? Having said that if this is what you'd call whining I'd hate to hear what you'd think of what you're writting here. Sound much more like whining to me. As a matter of fact it now sounds like you're getting confrontational (your last post). I think the statement was appropriate in tone and rightsious to try and propagate goodwill towards wildlife as we go on doing what we do wich is something we should all be doing.

[KPaw]

...'photo-hogs' has you this upset, Fran?   Seriously, no harm / danger / intimidation tactics should ever been employed by anyone for the sake of a photo so your concern is ill-placed and you definitely now have taken up enough of our time.  Bye bye now...

[Fire0725]

Hi All,
I'm very very new to birding, but not so new to photography - I've just recently discovered the Hall's Road location, and was in total awe of all the wildlife viewing opportunities I experienced (deer, owl, various birds, wild turkey...!!). It is truly an incredible place!!

I was hoping though that some of you more experienced birders could provide me with some basic help, so that I don't one day end up doing something to offend you when I'm out and about!

Specifically, I'm wondering what the best practice would be in order to shoot the Barred Owl there (if he still happens to be there the next time I make it out)? What is considered a reasonable distance to be from him so that I'm not up in his face? If I just stay on the pathway or the roadway and shoot from there, is that ok? I have a flash as well, but would assume I should not use it because it would disturb Mr. Owl, and upset his comfort right? While I'm at it, does anyone know if he is still hanging around there or has he moved on? Do Barred Owls usually move about from location to location?

In this area, have you guys seen snowy owls? I'd love to see one of those in the wild!!

Is there anything else you guys want me to know as a photographer / very new birder that you think would be important or helpful? Thanks in advance!

Fire

[thouc]

As the owl would be used to people being on the path/road, it would be fine as long as you stay there, as the owl can choose a comfortable distance itself.

Flash should not be used (see this excellent guideline for photographing owls)

I haven't seen any reports of Snowy Owls yet this season in Southern Ontario.

/Thomas

[Fire0725]

Thank you!
I really, really appreciated the reply as well as the link! Its all common sense (it seems), but I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can not to bother the owl, and not to annoy fellow birders at the same time. I sure hope to see Mr. Owl when I'm out there again (hopefully tomorrow!).

One more question - someone upthread mentioned that there was a screen owl about 75 feet away from where the Barred was -- I'll be googling shortly, but does that type of Owl live WAY up high? Or just at about the same height as the Barred?

[thouc]

You could probably find a Screech Owl at any height, but they are usually very good at hiding (in cavities, blending in with the tree).

[Fire0725]

I think I might have *heard* the screech this morning when I was out, but I am not 100% sure. If I did, he was very close to me, but I couldn't see him!! If it wasn't him, then it was definitely another kind of owl -- you can bet I'' be listening to owl sounds on the internet today to try and determine what I heard! I know it wasn't the Barred, because he was off in the field hunting a fair distance away from me! Thanks for all your help folks - I sure do appreciate it!

[Fireweed]

Ha, yes I know the Screech Owl is around Halls Rd... he might become my nemesis bird for this year!

Fire0725: Yes, just use common sense when viewing wildlife, here is a simple photo of the Barred Owl on the path at Halls Rd. - http://jameshelmer.blogspot.ca/search/l ... rred%20Owl - easy to take and I basically walked along the path, stopped and shot a few frames.

Happy birding all!

Awesome photo!!