Greetings,

As it plays out year after year, coast to coast, rare birds or birds of special interest such as owls and hawks are sought after and photographed by a slew of professional and amateur photographers and birders alike. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not without controversy. Just recently, here locally in the Hudson Valley of New York, a Snowy Owl was discovered in Greene County within a fairly public grassland complex. The owl was originally unreported by the original finder due to his fears and concerns of the bird being pressured and harassed by humans. However, another spotter of the owl shortly thereafter reported the owl to a local listserve (after much consideration), and it was subsequently observed without incident by several birders, including myself, from all over the region. This however changed today.

The second birder who was the first to report the owl publicly (and publicly asked that the owl and the habitat around it to be respected), reported the observation of a photographer coming out of the grassland complex where the owl has been lingering. This incident was then posted to the same listserve I believe as a way to make others aware that this had eventually happened, and as a way to urge others not to follow in both the proverbial and literal footsteps of the photographer. This public posting of the “invasion” of the photographer into the grasslands which hosts several species of hawks and owls (Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Snowy Owl) has already generated much debate including the original discoverer of the owl to declare this is the exact reason why he did not post the location in the first place. Also to post on the discovery of the photographer was the very photographer who was observed walking out of the grassland complex with camera in hand. His rebuttal was that he did nothing unethical and that he respected the owl at all times. He also stated that it is “odd” that we give special treatment to any one species over another, and would we worry the same if a common species were to fly due to our presence.

As most birders are aware, this type of incident is not too uncommon. For those of us in upstate New York, the Northern Hawk Owl that was discovered in the town of Root in 2003 was no exception. Here the owl was observed (and photographed) by perhaps hundreds of birders along a public road, and it was done without any questions or concerns of ethics time and time again. However, before long the owl was soon being followed onto private land by photographers who not only pushed the boundaries of getting “too close” and trespassing, but also went to the lengths of baiting the owl to get better photographs. I was fortunate enough to observe this bird without those types of things going on around me, and as a result it is one of my fondest sightings to date. This is obviously on the extreme range of bad ethics to most, but what about those gray areas that are a little harder to define?

First off, what makes any bird reportable or un-reportable? Should we withhold information to the general public or birding communities on the presence of rare or highly sought after birds due to the fear that one apple out of the bunch will spoil the experience and perhaps actually endanger the bird itself? What if the presence of the bird or animal or plant for that matter would garner public attention that could be used for conservation efforts? Secondly, is a Snowy Owl any different than the Red-tailed Hawk that is hunting the same field? Should we treat them the same or differently? There is a high chance that most birders wouldn’t think twice about observing a photographer snapping away within a few feet of a Red-tailed Hawk or for that matter a Canada Goose or American Goldfinch. Should a rare bird be any different? And what about disturbing the bird, or causing it to flush? How does this affect what the bird is actually doing, and does it matter to its overall health? These are my questions to you!

Aside from the extreme ends of right and wrong, there is a lot of gray area here concerning what is ethical, what is (un)necessary, and what just should not be attempted by anyone. There is perhaps no one right answer for all situations. However, we here at Chat Happens would love to hear your thoughts on this, and would like to see what commonalities are present for various situations. Whether you are a birder, a photographer, or just someone who cares about animals, please write to us and give us some feedback. Feel free to include any experiences that you have witnessed first hand. Obviously we want this to be an educated discussion that we can all learn from, so please respect any and all posts by our users. Any post that is deemed a flame towards someone or their viewpoints will be removed. I will of course eventually give my two cents on this topic, but want to hear from you first.

It should also be noted that this post is not being done to publicly decry any of the individuals involved in the aforementioned incident regarding the Snowy Owl or the Northern Hawk Owl in Root. It is for this reason that all names are being witheld.

Best,
Chad