Owl watching and color morphs Answers to readers' questions
about the ethics of watching owls and red and gray screech-owls
Published: October 22, 2010 I’m concerned about an owl that’s
attracting birders and photographers to a nearby park. How can
you tell if all the attention is stressing the owl? Where’s the
line between responsible and irresponsible birding? — Sam
Simmons, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania| One of the tenets of the
American Birding Association’s Code of Birding Ethics is: “To
avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise
restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound
recording, or filming.” I doubt anybody would argue with this
principle, but as you indicate, determining what is stressful to
a bird is not always easy, nor does everybody agree on how to
define “restraint and Owls are often at the center of this
dilemma because even common species are not encountered in
viewable situations frequently, and birdwatchers are anxious to
see them. I have observed people pruning