On Sunday morning, a Black Oystercatcher came flying into San Diego Bay and briefly landed at the Shelter Island boat launch area before returning south past North Island toward the mouth of the bay. This put the bird a solid two miles farther into San Diego Bay than the usual inside location of Ballast Point.
Also early on Sunday morning, the female Hepatic Tanager continues at the north end of Bill Cleator Park, in the line of eucalyptus behind the YMCA. This is one of three Hepatics still present this month in the county, with the others being in La Jolla and the well-known bird in Wing Street Canyon.
For much of the winter, there have been one or two rare warblers present in the Serra Mesa neighborhood of San Diego which I have periodically reported and clearly noted as being on undisclosed PRIVATE property. Such sites which are sensitive in some way include schools, private neighborhoods not accustomed to birders, kiddy playgrounds, some high-tech corporate parking lots, golf courses, etc. Just imagine a bunch of binocular- and camera-wielding birders walking around some of these sites. In some such cases, a small number of folks are likely OK to visit as long as they follow some common-sense protocols of behavior. I and others regularly strive to make such sites available via private correspondence, where the “rules of engagement” can be explained, IF numbers are kept manageable and IF people can behave. One expectation is that people told of the location will then not turn around and, without “permission,” publicize it to “just” a bunch of their own personal friends or to the world in eBird reports with exact locations of lat-long coordinates down to six decimal points. Thank goodness the couple warblers in question here were very rare species which also occurred elsewhere on public property this winter as well and were well seen by hordes. Very lucky for that, otherwise the demand would have been through the roof. Anyway, this didn’t stop several folks from posting eBird reports with exact locations and no mention of site sensitivity.
It is experiences such as these, and happening more and more with the ever-increasing number of observers and photographers, that will result in more and more rare birds being suppressed. Not a desirable outcome, but unfortunately necessary. It doesn’t take much for things to quickly get out of hand and for everyone to be tossed out of such sites forever. And it doesn’t take very many folks to misbehave and we all suffer the consequences. In 98% of these situations, people don’t misbehave out of spite, although a few just don’t care. Most of them just aren’t carefully thinking about the ramifications of what they are doing.
–Paul Lehman, San Diego