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January 2012

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From:
Noah Comet <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Noah Comet <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:14:43 -0500
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Just a humble request from someone who has no right to tell anyone else
what to do but who does (like all of us) care about wildlife.

Please, if you do find this (or any other) owl, maintain a respectful
distance!

I'm an occasional volunteer at N.Chagrin and I've heard quite a bit about
others' sightings of this particular Barred---and seen it myself a few
times (in and near the areas previously mentioned---it doesn't seem to
stray far for its daytime roosts).  For whatever reason, it tends to roost
low in open areas rather than high up in dense pines (not that that makes
it so much easier to find).  And it doesn't flush as easily as other
Barreds do.  From what I've heard, this owl's tolerance for people is
emboldening some (especially those with cameras---and especially those with
cell phone cameras lacking zoom) to approach *way *too closely, passing the
owl's tolerance-limit.  Once it flushes, it's likely to burn a lot of
unnecessary energy trying to find a new, secluded roosting spot---and it's
not simply a matter of picking a new tree: crows and other small birds are
very likely to see it while it searches and are going to mob it everywhere
it attempts to rest.  Next thing you know the poor owl's wasting way too
much time and calories looking for a place to sleep.  Eventually it's going
to give up on this spot altogether; you'll have needlessly stressed the owl
and deprived other birders of the chance to see it in a reliable location.

If you're fortunate enough to find this owl, please don't overestimate its
tolerance of you---my sense of it is that anything under 30 feet is
pressing your luck.  And once it senses that you're focused on it, it's
going to become very alert to your presence---just firing a flash may send
it off.  If you stumble upon it at close range, please just back off before
you start photographing.

If this is a life bird for you, or if you just have a hankering to see a
Barred, there are other spots where they're even more reliable and can be
observed very easily from a respectful distance with no risk of flushing
them.  (I'll be happy to provide details off-list.)

Respectfully,
Noah

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