Re: [cobirds] Flammulated Owls

Here is a response to your excellent question, to get the ball rolling.

As far as I can tell, the 2019 FLOW reports have not been from a single, certain nesting location,

but have been on roads going SE of Bailey toward Cheesman Lake, a large, vague area. So this seems

different for instance from a Spotted Owl Stake Out nesting site, which would attract many birders to a certain,

exact site, leading to probable harassment.

There is a lot of good Flammulated Owl habitat in those general areas of Jefferson County, so maybe eBird reports are not so bad.

Some very ethical, experienced birders have been among the birders posting this year.

Next, it seems better to me if field trips are made after the breeding season, instead of during it, perhaps minimizing harassment.

Colorado Bird Atlas II notes nesting dates of: May 25 (first occupied nest) to July 23 (last nest with young).

So mid to late August and early September checklists seem less problematic than ones in June and July.

I hope that Flame Owl experts like Professor Brian Linkhart, Brandon Percival and Scott Rashid, etc, will opine on this.

And the ABA code of ethics pertain here, with obvious guidelines like:

 not playing owl tapes til your batteries run low, 

trying to get in and out of a small owl's neighborhood without dawdling, gawking, shining lights like Las Vegas or trying for the 80th flash photo til "the crank of dawn".

My 3 cents.

Joe Roller, Denver

PS In an effort to minimize owl harassment it has been the policy of the Colorado Rare Bird Alert NOT to publicize owl locations.

Most of the reports are during breeding season or at winter roosts, neither to be disturbed.

On Mon, Sep 2, 2019 at 8:34 PM Joe Roller <jroller9@gmail.com> wrote:

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Chuck Aid <caid@ecentral.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 2, 2019 at 7:45 PM
Subject: [cobirds] Flammulated Owls
To: COBirds <cobirds@googlegroups.com>

The increase in recent Flam Owl sightings reinforces my feelings that it would be best not to report some sightings on eBird.  Does this look like harassment to anyone else?  I would appreciate the perspective of others.

Thanks!

Chuck Aid
Evergreen, CO

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