I received emails today from two Denver Field Ornithologists board members about a conversation they had with a local birder when they were looking for the Snowy Owl east of Barr Lake. The gist of the conversation was that one or more landowners in the area continue to have problems with birders trespassing including driving on planted fields and private roads. I don't know if any of the offenders are Cobirds subscribers, but I urge all who read this post be respectful of private property and the privacy of local residents wherever we bird. A few incidents can create bad feelings toward the entire birding community, and many of us in that community depend on the good will of ranchers, farmers, and other land owners. Those of us who work on the breeding bird atlas, frequently depend on the goodwill of landowners to cover an atlas block. Organizations like Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory work hard to build relationships with farmers and ranchers to gain their support for bird conservation. And a number of times rarities hanging out on private property have been able to add a bird to their county, state, or life lists because the property owner has graciously offered access.
The Snowy Owl is a magnificent bird worth the effort for more than one look. But no addition to a list or photo collection is worth endangering the bird or damaging the reputation of our birding community. -- Chuck Hundertmark, President Denver Field Ornithologists 2546 Lake Meadow Drive Lafayette, CO 80026 303-604-0531 Cell: 720-771-8659 chundertma...@gmail.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
