It’s understandable to get overwhelmed when you spot a hard-to-find animal, but as always there’s a right and wrong way to react.

Take the Snowy Owl sighting in Orange County, CA.

Bird enthusiasts, news vans and ornithologists have flocked to the neighborhood in the weeks since, with crowds of up to 60 people quietly lining up to view the bird on the roof between 6am and 4pm.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see,” Vic Leipzig, a birding instructor at Saddleback College, told the Orange County Register last month. “That there were so many people standing there watching this thing was very thrilling to me. And not just people, as I expected, who had traveled long distances, but folks from the neighborhood as well.”

Hurd has seen the owl twice. On her most recent visit, it was so quiet “you could hear a pin drop”, she said, a sign people were being respectful of the bird as visitors are advised to use quiet voices, keep 100ft of distance and avoid flash photography so as to not disturb the owl.

I also found this good article detailing the opposite, people being disrespectful and interfering with both the animal directly, and by harassing animal rescue people.

Earlier this year, the Audubon Society similarly blamed the death of an American oystercatcher chick at the nonprofit’s Milford Point preserve on four wildlife photographers who attempted to capture images of the nest at close range. Two chicks in the nest were too young to fly, the Audubon Society said, and the parents appeared wary of leaving the nest unattended to find food.

Even after a ranger asked the photographers to back up, they stayed in place for nearly four hours, according to a post on the nonprofit’s website. After they left, one of the oystercatcher chicks was found starved to death.

Now apps like eBird used to find particular species limit sharing of particular animals.

The good news is that many conservation and animal resource sites still encourage us to go see these animals, as on a whole, it is still a benefit.

Still, Comins from the Audubon Society said he viewed the increased popularity of bird-watching as a positive and hoped it would steer more support to conservation efforts.

“We don’t want to love nature to death, and there are plenty of ways that even experienced naturalists can inadvertently cause some harm to the environment,” Comins said. “But I feel that the more people that are aware of and engaged with and in awe of the wonders of nature, that is only going to be beneficial to nature itself.”

Comins also pointed to individual actions, such as following a birding code of ethics or waiting until after migrations season to post sightings of rare birds, that he said could help ameliorate potential harm to wildlife.

American Birding Association Code of Ethics, click for PDF

1. Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.

1(a) Support the protection of important bird habitat.

1(b) To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound recording, or filming. Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds, and never use such methods in heavily birded areas or for attracting any species that is Threatened, Endangered, or of Special Concern, or is rare in your local area.

Keep well back from nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display areas, and important feeding sites. In such sensitive areas, if there is a need for extended observation, photography, filming, or recording, try to use a blind or hide, and take advantage of natural cover.

Use artificial light sparingly for filming or photography, especially for close-ups.

1© Before advertising the presence of a rare bird, evaluate the potential for disturbance to the bird, its surroundings, and other people in the area, and proceed only if access can be controlled, disturbance can be minimized, and permission has been obtained from private landowners. The sites of rare nesting birds should be divulged only to the proper conservation authorities.

1(d) Stay on roads, trails, and paths where they exist; otherwise keep habitat disturbance to a minimum.

2. Respect the law and the rights of others.

2(a) Do not enter private property without the owner’s explicit permission.

2(b) Follow all laws, rules, and regulations governing use of roads and public areas, both at home and abroad.

2© Practice common courtesy in contacts with other people. Your exemplary behavior will generate goodwill with birders and non-birders alike.

3. Ensure that feeders, nest structures, and other artificial bird environments are safe.

3(a) Keep dispensers, water, and food clean and free of decay or disease. It is important to feed birds continually during harsh weather.

3(b) Maintain and clean nest structures regularly.

3© If you are attracting birds to an area, ensure the birds are not exposed to predation from cats and other domestic animals, or dangers posed by artificial hazards.

4. Group birding, whether organized or impromptu, requires special care. Each individual in the group, in addition to the obligations spelled out in Items #1 and #2, has responsibilities as a Group Member.

4(a) Respect the interests, rights, and skills of fellow birders, as well as those of people participating in other legitimate outdoor activities. Freely share your knowledge and experience, except where code 1© applies. Be especially helpful to beginning birders.

4(b) If you witness unethical birding behavior, assess the situation and intervene if you think it prudent. When interceding, inform the person(s) of the inappropriate action and attempt, within reason, to have it stopped. If the behavior continues, document it and notify appropriate individuals or organizations.

Group Leader Responsibilities [amateur and professional trips and tours]

4© Be an exemplary ethical role model for the group. Teach through word and example.

4(d) Keep groups to a size that limits impact on the environment and does not interfere with others using the same area.

4(e) Ensure everyone in the group knows of and practices this code.

4(f) Learn and inform the group of any special circumstances applicable to the areas being visited (e.g. no sound devices allowed).

4(g) Acknowledge that professional tour companies bear a special responsibility to place the welfare of birds and the benefits of public knowledge ahead of the company’s commercial interests. Ideally, leaders should keep track of tour sightings, document unusual occurrences, and submit records to appropriate organizations.

Please follow this code. Distribute it and teach it to others.