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In my profile back on our homepage you will find this "blurb" written when I created these blogs:
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This is an "unofficial website" created by me and not by the club. I try to post information which will further people's appreciation of nature, particularly birds, in the Muskegon area. I avoid posting information which might harm birds, habitat or people. I usually avoid the political and emphasize the fun. Final decisions regarding what appears or does not appear on this page are mine.
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I'm mentioning this because of two unrelated communications from yesterday.
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1. The third email in the post below (Bruce Delamarter's comments with his night-heron photo) included a reference apparently aimed at someone's poor behavior last winter while the Snowy Owls were at the Wastewater. I was unaware of the reference when I posted his email and have since deleted both his words and the comments of an anonymous reader who gave a different perspective on the poor behavior last winter. My blurb above explains my view.
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2. Mike Boston sent this interesting message: "Friday morning at the Wastewater I saw a Tree Swallow attacking a Cliff Swallow. Both birds were on the ground and the Tree Swallow appeared to be trying to kill the Cliff Swallow. When I got real close, the Tree Swallow broke off the attack and flew away and so did the Cliff Swallow. I have pictures but didn't post any because they aren't "fun" pictures. Have you ever seen this before?"
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In regard to such swallow behavior, no I have not, but I would love to have comments posted here from birders who have, or who have opinions about that behavior. In regard to the pictures, I've emailed Mike that I'd like to see them to make the decision whether to post or not. A few months ago I posted photos of a gull that had been injured by a raptor at the Wastewater. Three readers objected to those pictures because they were not pleasant to look at (i.e., "not fun"). Their point was well-taken. In that case, I chose to keep the photos posted but assured those folks that I indeed had thought about it before doing so and would not post anything on these sites merely for sensationalism. My blurb above explains my view.
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- Ric Pedler
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5 comments:
Ric,
I, personally, would like to see Mike's shots. I,m interested in both identification of Birds, and their behavior, be it sometimes NOT pleasant -- as you can testify by my many calls to yourself about behaviors of many species. Couldn't we just, when needed, email you the shots, you could post a link to them, and give a "graffic pictures" warning? Nature, in MANY ways is brutal, but that's the reality of it -- if some choose to "not look at it" that's fine, but it shouldn't dictate over the many that have an interest in ALL aspects of nature. As you said earlier, you try to "stay out of the political side" -- so lets NOT cave to "political correctness" here.
This message approved by Mike VanderStelt. ;)
Well put
Mike, that's what I've attempted to do by posting the shots on our homepage which receives far less traffic than this one.
Earlier this spring while at Upper Macatawa Natural Area I watched a tree swallow try to take over a bluebird box occupied by a bluebird couple. At first the swallow would get close and the bluebirds would shoo it off. Eventually the swallow got braver and tried to enter the nest box hole. The male bluebird swooped in and took the swallow to the ground, then slamming repeatedly into the ground. The agressiveness of it shocked me at first as I had never witnessed it before. Anthropologically speaking, I have no doubt the swallow "got the message".
Sorry, my bad,should be "anthropomorphically" speaking.
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