UPDATE: December 2019 North Hawk-Owl
I'd like to start by thanking everyone in Schomberg over the concern that's been displayed over Logito, our visiting, (and brilliantly named, thanks Mario!) Northern Hawk-owl.
That type of genuine concern is one of the reasons that Schomberg is such a fantastic place to live!
While most birders are respectful of both the birds they watch and the environment in which they live, not all of them are so gracious. As we've seen over the past couple of weeks, some of them appear more interested in satisfying their own concerns - getting that perfect photograph, putting a check next to the name of this rare bird on their "life list", or just getting ever closer to the bird. Too many of these sorts of people have been chasing the bird from tree to tree or trampling through the Marsh itself to get that little bit closer. They've parked in unsafe locations (across driveways and in front of fire hydrants), set up tripods in the middle of the streets, and a few have occasionally trespassed on private property. These people have been in the minority, but they are highly visible.
We at the Dufferin Marsh share your concerns.
We've spent over 20 years working to protect the Marsh and the creatures that live in it. Although the Marsh is small, and is under constant challenges (such as salt run-off damage and light pollution) it remains a very special place in the heart of Schomberg. There are not many towns or villages the size of Schomberg that have a wild'ish area within them. For people it's a place of quiet reflection, gentle recreation (including events such as our Community Skate in February), education (we hold hands-on workshops on moths, butterflies, birds and frogs throughout the year), and outreach (we hold a bird feeder building workshop in September).
For the animals - it's home. It may be their 'forever home', or it may be a transient refuge during migration or times of stress in their normal home range. In either case it's incumbent on us to respect the animals and this place in which they live.
And as I said before, while the vast majority of birdwatchers share this respect, there are some that do not. And those unrespectful people have been causing the problems we've all seen.
We've been working with the Township on this for some time, and they've been very supportive. As you've seen, no parking signs have gone up in the area. We're also going to be putting up explanatory signs, reminding people of their responsibilities in keeping the owl safe. It's great to have visitors in town, and we hope they respect the Marsh the village and the bird that brought them here.
There has been some talk about relocating the owl, but there are risks associated with that. The owl has actually being here for some time and has acclimatized to the area. It's continuing to eat so it's discovered food sources that it can use, and moving it at this point would be challenging. However, that's something that is being looked at by experts and a decision will be taken shortly.
As I said, it's been wonderful to see the concern over the past week or so. We'll keep you up-to-date here and on Facebook. You can follow us on Facebook (Dufferin Marsh), and continue to check our website.
That type of genuine concern is one of the reasons that Schomberg is such a fantastic place to live!
While most birders are respectful of both the birds they watch and the environment in which they live, not all of them are so gracious. As we've seen over the past couple of weeks, some of them appear more interested in satisfying their own concerns - getting that perfect photograph, putting a check next to the name of this rare bird on their "life list", or just getting ever closer to the bird. Too many of these sorts of people have been chasing the bird from tree to tree or trampling through the Marsh itself to get that little bit closer. They've parked in unsafe locations (across driveways and in front of fire hydrants), set up tripods in the middle of the streets, and a few have occasionally trespassed on private property. These people have been in the minority, but they are highly visible.
We at the Dufferin Marsh share your concerns.
We've spent over 20 years working to protect the Marsh and the creatures that live in it. Although the Marsh is small, and is under constant challenges (such as salt run-off damage and light pollution) it remains a very special place in the heart of Schomberg. There are not many towns or villages the size of Schomberg that have a wild'ish area within them. For people it's a place of quiet reflection, gentle recreation (including events such as our Community Skate in February), education (we hold hands-on workshops on moths, butterflies, birds and frogs throughout the year), and outreach (we hold a bird feeder building workshop in September).
For the animals - it's home. It may be their 'forever home', or it may be a transient refuge during migration or times of stress in their normal home range. In either case it's incumbent on us to respect the animals and this place in which they live.
And as I said before, while the vast majority of birdwatchers share this respect, there are some that do not. And those unrespectful people have been causing the problems we've all seen.
We've been working with the Township on this for some time, and they've been very supportive. As you've seen, no parking signs have gone up in the area. We're also going to be putting up explanatory signs, reminding people of their responsibilities in keeping the owl safe. It's great to have visitors in town, and we hope they respect the Marsh the village and the bird that brought them here.
There has been some talk about relocating the owl, but there are risks associated with that. The owl has actually being here for some time and has acclimatized to the area. It's continuing to eat so it's discovered food sources that it can use, and moving it at this point would be challenging. However, that's something that is being looked at by experts and a decision will be taken shortly.
As I said, it's been wonderful to see the concern over the past week or so. We'll keep you up-to-date here and on Facebook. You can follow us on Facebook (Dufferin Marsh), and continue to check our website.