Northern Hawk-Owl shot

If someone shot an owl, that's tragic.

It's also a tragedy that indignant birders insisting on their rights to see and photograph a bird seem to have helped push someone to such drastic action. I've lost access to several birding spots due to trespassing by 4 prominent local Yakima County listers. While I find that annoying, I feel even worse for the property owners who feel wronged by righteous bird listers. I think the property owners truly feel violated, and the birds get the short end of the stick. Lists and photographs be damned.

BirdLog app

BirdLog app for Android allows making checklists of birds seen, and allows those checklists to be submitted to eBird. I've continued to use the BirdLog app to make my checklists, even though I don't submit them to eBird for Yakima County -- due to 4 of our "top" county eBirders' continually atrocious ethics. Corresponding with George, the developer of the BirdLog app, he won't tell me what file I need to copy in order to backup my BirdLog data. WTF? Yes, I purchased this app, for my current phone, my wife's phone, and for our iPod.

Trying to Hide Shame

Denny Grandstander is blocking my posts to BirdYak -- due to my comments there about local bird listers trespassing. He's understandably concerned. Most of his concern about my posts probably comes from the fact that trespass sightings (on Yakama Nation closed lands and on the private property on the Yakima shore of Priest Rapids Lake) violate the ABA Code of Birding Ethics. If that gets out, any birds he identified while trespassing might get disqualified from his ABA and Washington Birder lists. I don't think he'd like that.

Bottom listers at the "top" in 2014 -- Same old same old

While there's no harm in listing, with four of Yakima County eBird high listers continuing to trespass to get birds on their lists, I think our fair county might rank last in ethics. From teenaged to middle-aged to old-aged listers, their claims of ignorance are lies. They know better. They're unethical -- cheaters in their listing race. Since they lie about trespassing, do they lie about their observations? Bird data and birders' access suffers due to their shameful behavior.

Have some good manners. Tell the truth, the whole truth. Stop Trespassing. Stop encouraging others to trespass.

SSV

I've got lots of photos here that, artistically or technically, aren't high quality. I put many up that I think are just neato or pretty or funny, so folks can see what birds look like outside of a field guide, from my point of view. Other photos are simply proof of me seeing a bird. I put them here so others who want to see the bird know it really exists, hoping it will encourage them to go see it. I also post them to put my sightings up for review and to prove to those who doubt my sightings that I'm not just one of the county's stringers.

Cedar Waxwing p5 2014-02-14 Yakima Arboretum ©Kevin S. Lucas

Cedar Waxwing p5 2014-02-14 Yakima Arboretum ©Kevin S. Lucas

Mew Gull at Costco pond 2014-01-23 ©Kevin S. Lucas

Mew Gull at Costco pond 2014-01-23  ©Kevin S. Lucas

Parasitic Jaeger showing tail feathers ©Kevin S. Lucas

Parasitic Jaeger showing tail feathers ©Kevin S. Lucas

Parasitic Jaeger at Rimrock Lake, Sept. 28, 2013 ©Kevin S. Lucas

Parasitic Jaeger at Rimrock Lake, Sept. 28, 2013 ©Kevin S. Lucas

Mary & I found this Parasitic Jaeger at Rimrock Lake Saturday morning, September 28, 2013.

Tricolored Blackbird,Toppenish Creek 5/10/13 ©Kevin S. Lucas. Click "View Image Details" for reports of similar-looking birds...

Tricolored Blackbird,Toppenish Creek 5/10/13 ©Kevin S. Lucas. Click "View Image Details" for reports of similar-looking birds...

I found this Tricolored Blackbird perched on the phone line along Lateral C Road just north of the Toppenish Creek bridge. It flew to a cottonwood tree, then into this willow -- across the road to the east. I didn't see it after that.

I'd never seen this species before. I'm glad it was perched alone in the sun on a line, where I was able to notice it & see it well.
I'd grabbed my camera and taken a few photos as a small green pickup truck drove past me very fast, throwing gravel & dust. That's when the bird flew across the road out of view -- possibly coincidentally.

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