It is disheartening to see wetland habitat being trampled in the
selfish interest of listing. If the observers were doing something more
important and thoughtful, they surely would not have done so in a public
way. In this case the harm to these Nelson's sparrows is probably not a
big deal--they simply abandoned this little marsh and continued their
migration--but the site is degraded for other plants and animals. And a
very public bad example is set.
        There are lots of followers out there. Nothing wrong with that, but too
few learn what habitats certain species prefer, then locate some and
explore them with care. Too many invent excuses why the check-mark or
the photo matters more than the birds themselves. We hear a lot on this
forum about what species people saw, but a lot less about what else they
learned, if anything.
        Well, most folks know these things already, even if some find it too
easy to ignore them in the pursuit of the check-mark. My question for
readers is this: have you ever withheld news--in whole or in part--of an
interesting find because you feared the bird or its habitat would be
disturbed by other observers? If you haven't, might you do so in certain
circumstances?
        I certainly have. I wouldn't bother if, say, a rare gull had showed up
in a flock on a beach. Some selfish observer wanting a closer look might
spook the birds, but damage to the habitat or the birds would seem to be
a remote possibility. Of course it might deprive others of a look at the
bird, too; we all have our opinions about how hurtful that might be, but
it is at least selfish and impolite. A roosting owl can be another
matter entirely, however, as is the chance that nesting rails might be
disturbed by relentless interruptions, or scarce habitat degraded. It
was not all that long ago that Ohio birders actually kept some sightings
less than public for fear birds would be shot by scientists, and I guess
this is still the case in other states. But as for fellow birders, do we
instinctively trust them to behave responsibly? In what cases might we
deprive them of information about locations of interesting species in
the interest of the birds themselves?
Only a bit crabbily,
Bill Whan
Columbus

Sean Williams wrote:
> Birders,
>
> Since last Wednesday, Sep. 22nd, I have heard no positive reports of the
> Nelson's Sparrows, or even of any Ammodramus species.>
> However, every day many birders (3+) have been present. What bothers me is
> that every day I see one or more birders freely walking around in the marsh.
> This is not how I originally found the birds, so you may not be improving
> your chances. Admittedly, before I found the birds and before there were
> other birders, I braved the cold wetness once every two weeks. I'd like to
> caution birders that if multiple people tromp the marsh every day, there may
> be no Nelson's Sparrow habitat left!! We're talking about a very small
> marsh, possibly only an acre. There are now obvious walkways through the
> cattails and wet grasses. Please be respectful of the birds on their great
> migration to wintering grounds. I hope I'm not sounding too crabby! :P>
> Thank you!
> Sean

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