Leslie Spit - Longspur, Northern Shrike, Horned Lark, etc.

[Andrew McKinley]

Today Hugh Currie, Alistair McGiven, and myself birded the spit from the entrance to Pipit Point, to the Lighthouse and back. Along the eastern side on the road to Pipit Point we spotted a Lapland Longspur and at Pipit pointed saw red necked grebe, Northern Shrike, and a flock of 30+ Horned Larks. On the way to the lighthouse we also spotted a northern harrier and the usual array of ducks.

Others reported seeing the King Eider and Purple Sandpiper at Pipit Point, but after and extensive search we did not find them.

[Lee]

We took pretty much the same route yesterday and also saw a Great Horned Owl and a Snowy Owl.  A tiring but very rewarding day!

[Andrew McKinley]

Yes we saw the owls as well, but following what I understood to be the convention on this board, we didn't post them to save them from harassment.

[Andrew McKinley]

Yes we saw the owls as well, but following what I understood to be the convention on this board, we didn't post them to save them from harassment.

[Lee]

I don't see it as a problem, everyone knows they're at the spit.  The release of the Snowy was even on TV.

[Ann Brokelman]

I agree with Lee -  it has been  on TV.  All anyone has to do is read past reports and they know what is at the spit.  I didn't realize that the board had a convention - perhaps all the results of it should be posted for all to see.  After all we are all members!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are all birders!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kin Lau]

Yes we saw the owls as well, but following what I understood to be the convention on this board, we didn't post them to save them from harassment.

It's up to you personally, but it is _NOT_ the convention on this board.

[Vizjerei]

I was wondering what is the purpose of this forum if that is the convention on this board :oops:

[Brian Bailey]

I don't think there is a convention prohibiting the posting of owl reports, but there is a very basic question that we should all consider before making a post about any bird:  "Will this report put the health and safety of the bird at risk?"  The answer in the vast majority of cases is, "No", but it should always be considered.

Owls are a group of special concern because they are often very approachable and don't demonstrate their stress in a way that most of us can recognize.  While a songbird will simply fly away if you get too close, some owls don't.  Also, the owls found in winter in Toronto are often in poor health, usually due to lack of food.  Expending extra energy to evade curious humans is the last thing they need.

So, should you report owls?  I think it's a judgment call.  A lot depends on the bird's location: vulnerability, accessibility, the availability of food and cover, and also how specific you are about the location.

BB

[Andrew McKinley]

I think that most people have chosen not to post owl locations due to harassment incidents in the past.
I think it is more posting a specific location that people are worried about, rather than giving a general area, but I am not personally fired up about this issue and didn't want to cause a big debate. Everyone exercises their own judgement and that is fine with me

[GBLangley]

greetings to you all from the UK

I hope you don't mind me interjecting into your debate about owls and indeed any other vulnerable birds and their reporting or otherwise but I was caught up in this issue last weekend at Leslie.

Owls are very difficult for me. i travel the world as part of my job but they are the one group of birds I rarely see. Consequently they are a family very under-represented on any of my life and national lists. I rely on friendly folk in the cities to help me out but i realise that is unreasonable at times. People don't know me so why should they trust me to behave or keep quiet about locations. After all, in the end all I want is to see the bird. You don't know if I'm willing to flush it in order to get a sighting. We have a similar issue in the UK with rare breeding bird locations because we still have idiots here who collect bird eggs!

New York's bird line doesn't report owls and neither do several others. The moderator screens these reports out.

Last weekend I was lucky to be on Leslie Spit and saw some great birds including the shrike, harrier and purple sandpipers. I searched for Snowy Owl without success although I saw one at Pearson Airport the day before. I was lucky that three locals showed me other owls but their attitudes highlight your problem.

One had found a long-eared owl roosting and showing well. he took me via a circuitous route to a low bush where we watched it for a minute before retreating carefully. He asked me not to mention it to anyone as he feared it might flush especially if photographer found it. i complied.

The second and third birders took me to see a great horned owl, probably one well known to others. I could see it perfectly well from 50 yards but they continued to within ten yards of the bird almost sticking their long lenses into the bush.

I met several groups of photographers on the spit searching specifically for owls. I gave no information to them, a fact that was against the grain as we all like to share but I felt that to do so might endanger the birds.

I'm sorry to tar everyone with the same brush but its unavoidable. As i see it report birs if their exact locale xcan be protected eg "Leslie Spit" is so big reporting it wouldn't help find it but clearly, "in the only larch on 6th Ave" would be too specific.

Clearly the only rules that makes sense are

1) protect the bird
2) show owls to me!


Best regards. Hope to be in Toronto again soon

Graham

[Lee]

Graham, we all have the same fear that photographers and people in general will get too close to the owls.  A group of us has been looking for owls over the past few weeks in various places around the GTA and beyond, and we've found them but we stay far away and use binoculars or zoom lenses.  We saw the Snowy and Great Horned owls at the spit but we didn't get close to either, just watched both from a distance.

We love this hobby because of the birds but we have to remind ourselves all the time to stay back.  Sometimes we need someone to do that for us.

[Anonymous]

I could not put it one iota better than Brian Bailey has in his post. Well said Brian.

  Perhaps it is time that the Toronto Region Conservation Authority started doing their job and step in to help protect these birds ( The Owls ) and monitor the Photographers AND Birders a little more closely. Actually something that they do not do at all. Maybe it is time that they hired someone to do more than just watch the gate. The gate keeper ( so to speak ) is important but maybe ? another person to watch the watchers is needed. There used to be such a person in the past.

  If this was done then possible the 11 Owls of 4 species we found on Nov. 16th could and would be posted for others to enjoy

[Bluffs Birder]

Why 3 weeks ago was it perfectly OK to report (far more than once!) the Northern Hawk Owl that was down at the Spit?  That to me was an absolute circus, somebody should've been selling tickets to that.  I'm surprised there wasn't signs posted with arrows on them.  At times while I was there, there were 20 or so people with massive camera lens' and good strong binoculars no more than 30 feet away from the bird (myself included)...but that was OK in everyones opinion?  The owl was only there for a day and a half and it might have stayed longer if we weren't so intrusive.  I know this was a rare migrating bird and probably wasn't going to stay around long anyway but, don't you think all of us being there throughout the day and making all that noise by talking to each other, cameras clicking away, and car doors slamming, was probably a huge distraction and stress for the bird?  Is there something I'm missing here with this thread?

[Anonymous]

This topic has already been discussed ad nauseum here - http://outdoorontario.net/birds/phpBB/v ... php?t=2230.

Attila