Just a thought

[Joe]

In writing something in reply to the Hawk Owl thread, a few things came to me.  I'm just putting this out there, because we often talk of reasonable birding behaviour and respecting the animal etc.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for that, but it is only our interpretations of reasonable that differ.  
*60ft., 200ft. or leave the owls alone all together?  Which is most reasonable?  
*Is it reasonable to park on a snow covered country road half in the lane and pull out the bins?  Wouldn't that be a consideration in terms of traffic and human safety?  
*We also get reports of Hawks etc on highways?!?  It's not all passengers making these observations.  What are you watching?
*I often find it unreasonable or at the very least uncomfortable to be using my binoculars so close to homes and condos at any number of birding locations in the GTA.  

Some might suggest I'm splitting hairs, but really it's just an interpretation of reasonable behaviour or more specifically birding ethics.  

That's why, I think, condemning people is not the way to go, and trying to understand and educate is better for all birders and non-birders.  

Now let's hold hands and sing kum-by-a!

[P1Guy]

At least your on the right track Joe.

Others should follow your lead. Congrats

[JTF]

In writing something in reply to the Hawk Owl thread, a few things came to me.  I'm just putting this out there, because we often talk of reasonable birding behaviour and respecting the animal etc.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for that, but it is only our interpretations of reasonable that differ.  
*60ft., 200ft. or leave the owls alone all together?  Which is most reasonable?  

Both are reasonable as long as your use common sense & follow proper ethics.

*Is it reasonable to park on a snow covered country road half in the lane and pull out the bins?  Wouldn't that be a consideration in terms of traffic and human safety?  

This is also fine it beats getting stuck in the snow.
 
*We also get reports of Hawks etc on highways?!?  It's not all passengers making these observations.  What are you watching?

I watch the traffic.

*I often find it unreasonable or at the very least uncomfortable to be using my binoculars so close to homes and condos at any number of birding locations in the GTA.  

Makes sense.

Some might suggest I'm splitting hairs, but really it's just an interpretation of reasonable behaviour or more specifically birding ethics.  

That's why, I think, condemning people is not the way to go, and trying to understand and educate is better for all birders and non-birders.  

Now let's hold hands and sing kum-by-a!

[Craig McL]

Ya this is all fine and dandy but the Orillia Hawk Owl is still deed !!!  

 to bad for it and all the other birders that wanted to see it last wekend ( I was one of them )

 I think ill stay out of the group hug !

Craig

[Axeman]

Umm....did I read that right? The Orillia Hawk Owl is dead? At the risk of asking about something that's already been discussed, what happened?

[Craig McL]

Its hard to say what hapand but hear is Bob's post from Ontbirds !!

if you dont know Bob Bowles he is the MAN around Orillia and one great natrlist ..

Craig  


Ontario Birders:
It is with great sadness that I send this post tonight after hearing reports
from two different sources. A male�Northern Hawk Owl first appeared in a field
along the Monck Road, a very busy road east of Orillia, in mid-November and was
first reported�to OntBirds on December 10th. I posted it again since�he seemed
to be doing well in the field with hunting and finding prey, mostly meadow
voles. Then more and more people came after more postings from others and he
was photographed many times by many people. Before I posted it we had checked
with the landowner, a farmer,�and he had no concerns about people�visiting his
land but the hawl owl could been seen well from the road without going on
private property. My concern was for the owl after this but he seemed to handle
the people standing in the field well and ignoring them while hunting. I was
out yesterday afternoon after buidling winter bird�feeders for Kids�For Turtles
Environmental Education at

 Home Depot in the morning and could�not find the owl all afternoon. Today, I
visited the area again and talked to the landowner but could not find the�hawk
owl. We had someone�who�could see the hawk owl from her kitchen
window�watching�and noting the many people that were coming to see
the�bird.��She told me that many people were there Friday morning and in the
field baiting the hawk owl with mice to get it to come down perhaps for better
photos. She told me that the bird was hunting in her yard late Friday afternoon
but that she had not seen the bird since that time. There was a post on
Ontbirds on Friday from a local person who visited the area on Friday but had
not checked with the landowner. She ordered two people off the land then called
the police on the third person who refused to leave. I started to become
concern when I could not find the hawk owl Saturday afternoon or all day
Sunday. I usally found�him within minutes by scanning the

 perches from my car while driving slowly down the road.
I have received unconfirmed reports that people visiting the site Saturday
morning had photos of the hawk owl dead on the side of the road after being hit
by a car with a mouse still clutched in its talons.�My guess, which is
unconfirmed, is that after being ordered off the property on Friday people
baited for the owl with mice from the side of Monck Road instead of in the
field�where they were baiting on Friday. I know that banders and photographers
bait for owls with mice which has always concerned me but if the owls were
given the mice and the baiting was in a safe area for the owls then some argued
that it did not hurt the owls. I can not prove that people were baiting from
the road Saturday morning but I have reports they were from the field on Friday
and the hawk owl was reported to have a mouse in its talons on Saturday
morning. It appears that something has brought him close to the road. He had
been hunting on both sides of the road since he

 first appeared and had not been hit in almost two months and never hunted near
the road since most of the voles were in the field eating the second cut under
the snow which the farmer did not remove last fall from these fields. If anyone
can provide more information please email me. I have been trying to decide if I
should post about the five Great Gray Owls we have had in our area for the last
few weeks but I don't think I will be doing this now.

Bob Bowles
Orillia, Ontario
�
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