Ethics

The Birding Community E-Bulletin reports that birders seeking to view a reported Lesser Sand-Plover seen in Northern Arizona in early October respected a request to stay away from the area while a Navajo funeral took place on the site.

In response to the misbehavior surrounding owl observation over the last several winters, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology has developed a 10-minute educational video that discusses the man-made hazards that northern owls face during irruption years as well as considerations that should be taken when viewing these amazing animals.

The Mindful Birding Project presents a new compilation of ethical birding guidelines on its website as a resource for birdwatchers as well as for organizations that will be drafting new guidelines or updating their existing ethical birding guidelines.

Memorial Day is here and many are flocking to the coast for a day at the beach. Audubon North Carolina reminds beachgoers to share the beach with nesting and migrating birds during the holiday weekend.

Among other species, American oystercatchers, Wilson's plovers, black skimmers, royal terns and gull-billed terns nest along beaches. In nesting areas, human disturbance is a significant threat for these birds, which already face risks from native predators and high spring tides.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is asking beachgoers to help protect piping plovers by staying away from their nests, as the shorebirds are setting up nesting territories on white sand beaches in southern Maine.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is reminding coastal birders and other springtime beachgoers to avoid posted sites, walk below the high-tide line, watch beach birds only from a distance and back away from any nesting birds they accidentally disturb.