Since my wife and I bought a new house just outside the city limits, we've both been pretty excited about being able to watch birds. I know it might seem pretty stupid to some of you, but I know I don't care! By no means, are we any kind of serious birders, we just like to watch them in the feeders outside the windows.

But there are certainly folks who take it very seriously. Like any hobby, they plan trips around it, and seek out others who share their passion for the little birdies. And naturally, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, provide them with a place to find these people.

But recently, it's also led to shady people carefully monitoring the whereabouts of these birds for sad reasons..... They're going to locations of some of these birds that are revealed online, and then going and hunting down these pretty little critters. But it's not always hunters.

Sometimes folks hear about rare birds, and just simply want to look at them. But the constant barrage of onlookers spook the birds and push them further and further out of their natural territory, according to an article in the Portland Press Herald. this sort of thing has been driving the idea that maybe people shouldn't post the location of the birds they see.

Other social media groups have a similar policy. For instance, I follow a group on Facebook that shares photos of abandoned houses. One of the rules of the group is that you don't publish the actual location/address of the property. That way, folks with a bit less scruples won't go to one these spots and loot the premises.

So maybe a similar attitude could be adopted to protect the little tweeties? It might just help keep these lovely creatures coming out to where we can see them, instead of choosing to hide further away from people.

 

 

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