Greetings:
I hope this comes across as I intend, provides a new sperspective, entices
at least someone to think differrently, and/or makes at leasr SOME sense.
If this fails in any or all of these regards, you can surely blame Sean
McCandless... (kidding, of course... -no I'm not).
First things first (what a ridiculous idiom):
Yesterday (5 February), at work �which for me is the secure area of the
Edgewood portion of Aberdeen Proving Ground, I had a small group of Rusty
Blackbirds feeding along the side of the road just south of Watson's Creek.
It was accompanied by a large group of Robins, mixed sparrows (WTSP and
SOSP), Cardinals, four or five Flickers, and at least three Hermit Thrushes.
Throughout the morning, I continued to come across variously sized robin
flocks. Almost always these Robin flocks included a Hermit Thrush or two,
with one group possesses four of these wide-eyed birds. Just guessing, I
probably had 10-15 Hermit Thrushes throughout the day. Is this relatively
high number a result of a little snow in the woods, or is this a sign of a
late push south �perhaps an early push north�(?)
In addition to the Hermit Thrushes, one group of Robins that I came across
foraging in the leaf litter along the road edges contained a conspicuous
yet beautiful individual bird that I did not immediately ID as a Robin
(thought it may be a blackbird as it quickly flushed). Once it landed, I
was able to observe that this bird's prominence was due to its jet-black
hood and nape. The deep negative-space defining black of this individual
continued halfway down its back eventually fading into the more usual
charcoal-black hue of his flock-mates.
Was this a true black-backed Robin or �Yankee-Robin� (Turdus migratorius
nigidius) or just a darker variant run-of-the-mill rockin� red-breast? I�ve
seen plenty of dark black-hooded robins, but this is probably the most
conspicuously and extensively dark black-headed and black-backed robin that
I can remember seeing. �well, at least that�s my story anyway (and I�m
sticking to it �unless someone convinces me otherwise)!
Yesterday, also while at work, I came across five of the 100s (1000s?) of
Turkeys that strut around the proving ground (same general area as the
previously mentioned Rusty Blackbirds but a little further south). Of
these birds, four were adult Toms complete with internal-organ-looking
wattles, round plump postures, drawn out heavy tails, and very long coarse
hairy beards.
Napoleon Dynamite might have added that they had talons -you know, like
chickens... The lone female in the group seemed quite content with her
assortment of bodyguards� -Meleagris upland celebrity diva fowl sp.? -But
was she lip-synching???
Anyway, this brings me to my anecdote regarding the disturbance of animal
habitat�
In retrospect, I realize that something I did while viewing these Turkeys
was probably not the most sensible thing I could have done regarding the
Turkey�s stress level. After viewing these birds for half a minute or so,
I let out a poor but apparently affective quick single imitation of the
hen's "kerrcck�kerrcck�kerrcck" call. This caused three of the Toms to
separate from the group which was about 50 feet away. Two of the Toms were
quite pissed-off at my vocalization and came right up to my vehicle's open
window. Luckily, I was in an SUV. Had I been in a lower-to-the-ground car,
I am certain they would have tried to jump in and rearrange my ride's
interior...
These two large brave Toms stayed next to my vehicle for a full two or
three minutes while I sat there at half an arm�s reach away quietly
watching them -amazed at how close they were, and of course wishing I had
my camera as they continued to posture, fan their fantastically hued tails,
flick their blood-red snoods around and "gobble" at me. I�ve seen turkeys
do this before, but there was something in the largest Tom�s presence that
just seemed elevated �like he was trying to read my eyes. Was I on his
level or he on mine?
As I began to inch away, they matched my pace yard for yard until I got up
to about 5 MPH. After I was 75 to 100 feet away from them, I stopped again,
opened my door, and got out to better view them: they were back-li before.
As soon as I shut the car door and took a half step away from the truck,
the "Alpha-male" (lol) charged me and my vehicle. To say was I intimidated
would be an understatement, especially when I failed to successfully grab
the door's latch and make an quick affective leap back into the relative
safety of my trusty fire department SUV... -I have this reoccurring lucid
dream of being chased and not being able to run away: for a moment, I was
living that dream/nightmare. -lol...
I was very surprised by the brazenness of these birds. For one, this
species is heavily hunted on the proving ground and I would think that they
would be aware of our species. Additionally, I thought it to be quite a bit
early for such an impressive show of what I imagine was a
hormonal/territorial display.
As I mentioned, this all happened yesterday, before the fallout regarding
the Long-eared Owl appeared on my radar. Had I read the discussion and
dialogue about the owl's roost destruction, I would have likely not been so
quick to give my little imitation call: which in honesty was done
more-or-less as a self-entertaining joke... I never thought my action
would have provoked such an intimidating response. I believe my imitation
caused this very wild bird (not tame at all) to be unnecessarily distressed
on his/their potential/probably breeding grounds as well.
I know that stressing out a Turkey, albeit inadvertently, in an area where
Turkeys number well into the in the high hundreds isn�t the same as cutting
branches from a Long-eared Owl roost site and I realize that Meleagris
deliciouso (lol) isn�t really considered a �sensitive� taxon -per say, but
to me, our effect on wildlife/ecology shouldn�t be quantified or qualified
as a measure of a species� sensitivity. Understand that I am a huge
proponent for hyper-awareness when dealing rare, endangered, threatened, or
easily distressed species but I feel that in regards to conservation, more
thought and consideration should be given to every action we make while n
the field, specifically it is intentionally aimed towards maximizing one's
observation of wildlife.
Having read the email chain concerning the repulsive act at the Long-eared
Owl roost, one important lesson that I was reminded of once I had a chance
to process my Turkey terror encounter is that our impact on bird behavior,
bird stress, and the well being of wildlife in general is far more reaching
than most of us realize. Overly 'pishing' for birds is probably not good
for the well being of a bird�s psychological state (does that sound crazy).
In the future, I know I will surely be double (and triple) thinking about
whether or not I really need to spend five minutes getting that Cuckoo down
to eye level, or imitating a screech owl in order to pull those hidden
warblers out of the tree tops, playing a tape to draw that distant calling
screech owl closer in hopes of seeing it's big yellow eyes staring back at
me.
According to what I have learned about society and culture from folks who
have devoted their lives to such wonderings, one of the most unfortunate
qualities of the human condition is an unnecessary desire to acquire
�things� without first thinking of or not being concerned about the affects
of our actions�
We are birders, lovers of nature -isn't that the original reason that we
got into this activity. Is ticking every species or as many species of
bird -rare, uncommon, or plentiful in an area so important that we should
risk disturbing them: even if it's just for a moment. There are a lot of
birders around. That adds up to a lot of disturbing "moments" for our
little feathered buddies... Why isn�t it enough to just be content that
you�ve seen a species sensitive once or maybe two or three times? What
good is it serving for one to say that they have seen a Cardinal in every
county, an Upland Sandpiper in fifteen counties, and a Long-eared Owl in
six counties? Surely the perfect photograph of a Long-eared Owl exists.
Why not just admire that photograph? While I get it on some level, I don�t
fully relate to the importance of a hobbyist needing to take an equally
�perfect� Long-eared Owl photograph when one already exists for them to
admire?
Also, please don�t misunderstand what I am trying to convey, I TOTALLY get
the thrill of the conquest to see birds -the friendly �chases� and a chance
to one-up a chum or mate; after all, I keep lists: a life list and a yard
list; and now thanks to eBird, I am now inadvertently keeping hemisphere,
ABA, country, state, county, bathroom, underwater, and dead bird lists (I
think).
I even spend full days -like during the seasonal counts, the rarity
round-ups, or on big-days, trying to see as many species as possible. Its
fun, exciting, keeps me going: I get it!!! And, I am not passing judgment
on passionate �listers,� without them what would Steve Martin, Jack Black,
and Owen Wilson do? -oh wait� ;-)
�It�s just that to me, or perhaps �for me,� as soon as I become
consistently worried about getting access to that reclusive guy�s Rufous
Hummingbird, ensuring that I�m on the right group�s secret RBA notification
list, getting a better-than-the-next-guy�s photograph of that hidden Winter
Wren�s nestlings, or making it to X number of species for the
day/week/month/year/eon/epoch, then it will be time for me to rethink my
priorities.
Not to sound too much like the Deadhead that I am: I bird to commune with
nature, to return to the wild, to educate myself about the earth and her
miracles, and most importantly to hopefully develop, nurture, and maintain
a grounded centered egoless sense of existence and place among everyone and
everything that surrounds me.
Now, I'm not advocating that we shouldn't bird or even chase rarities; but,
I do think that a little less selfish behavior and a little more self
awareness of our personal impact, as well as our collective impact on
wildlife and wildlife habitat, would not only be prudent but also serve as
an important step towards ensuring that the consequence of our natural
exploration is as constructive and positive as possible.
Rock on!
-If I wasn�t entirely clear (and I am sure that I wasn�t), feel free to
call me. I�d happily discuss this more �in person.� - Zen and the art of
birdwatching with cstar� lovely. Reply off line and I'll send you my
number.
Also, if I came off in any way obtuse or otherwise insulting it is probably
Sean McCandless� fault -I mentioned this before. To borrow from the great
orator Peter Griffin, that guy (Sean McCandless) really �grinds my
gears.� Seriously
though, I meant NO one any disrespect nor was I passing judgment on
anyone�s choice of birding methodology. If it makes you happy, it
definately makes me happy as long as your not disrespecting, distressing,
or otherwise causing harm to anyone (or anything)!
So, who can point me towards a Piping Plover nest? ;-)
Good (and conscientious) birding, my friends!
peace, namaste~
Chris Starling
North East, MD
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