Birders, I woke up this morning and read about this elaborate owl prank. I find it rather upsetting. Many folks on the list know these pranks when we see them. I'm sure there are others, however, who don't know. I don't think it's fair to play such elaborate tricks on our friends in the birding community. If the April Fools joke was something goofy it might actually be funny, but this was just too much detail...too "believable." I normally don't publically post my feelings on this list, but I am rather disheartened by this prank. I feel for anyone who may have gotten excited at the chance of seeing this bird. It is my opinion that the birding community should be self supportive and self nurturing. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to joke around, but I also believe that there is an appropriate limit to jokes. Playing an elaborate prank such as this on thousands of people that you don't know crosses the line...in my opinion. Scott Albaugh Knox County p.s. I just learned that this prank ended up on the PA listserve as well. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]