Friends, it's happening again. We have a Snowy Owl in the Washington, DC area.

Feb 2022, Washington DC

Based on Snowy Owl sightings also reported in more southerly parts of the US, it could be an "iruption" year. An iruption is movement of a species into areas outside their normal range, usually in winter.

Understandably, Snowy Owls create buzz, draw interest, and lots of human onlookers -- me included. While we're busy being thrilled and amazed with witnessing such a stunning bird, we can also be equally thrilled and amazed with being ethical human onlookers.

There's already been one documented instance this week of an unethical photographer taking a kayak out to the location of a Snowy Owl that couldn't be seen well from land. As a result the Snowy was flushed, or moved/pushed from its location.

Why does flushing matter? Birds like Snowy Owls are already dealing with food scarcity. Flushing leads them to use calories and energy that might be limited; they can miss a meal by being flushed from a hunting area; they become exposed to other wild predators and competitors; and in the current DC location - -they become exposed to airplanes and lots of fast moving vehicles.

No photo or bird list outweighs the welfare of wildlife, particularly those that seem content making meals out of rats.

The photo in my post was taken in February 2022, when this Snowy Owl was hunting around Union Station in Washington, DC for several weeks. This Owl was widely photographed and observed. I can also say from experience that it didn't seem bothered or hindered by all the people, and city buzz and noise that was all around. That can happen. However, that's not a license to forget that the welfare of wildlife comes first.

Sources for further reading on ethical birding and wildlife photography include the American Birding Association and the National Audubon Society, among others.