A new local celebrity has some residents in the community in a flap over the crowds of admirers it has attracted.
A rarity in bird-watching circles of southern Ontario has photographers flocking to Innisfil to capture photos of a rare northern hawk owl.
Perched atop a tree at an undisclosed location, wide-eyed and on the lookout for mice and voles, this large and mostly daytime-hunting owl is a treat for bird lovers.
Last Friday, as many as 25 people were milling about on the side of the road watching closely as the owl preened itself in a tree at the edge of a farm field, occasionally spinning its head around, on alert when a crow cawed or flew nearby.
During visits on three different days, the reporter did not witness any behaviour that would cause the bird any undue stress. People stood silent, with the occasional sound of camera shutters clicking.
For some in the community, the daily gatherings have ruffled a few feathers, while the owl sat in a tree high over a home on Thursday, seemingly indifferent to it all.
“You do not need to be there for hours or days on end," a nearby resident Jennifer Howard wrote in an email.
“You do not need to be standing so close to it. Take a few shots from a distance and move on. These lenses do not warrant being that close,” she said.
“This is not OK. They are right by homes, people live there. Enough is enough. Leave the owl alone and go home,” Howard added.
Howard believes they are not being ethical or safe.
“Police have been there daily to move them on due to traffic hazards. They come back. By law and even Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers,” she claims.
Howard claims the photographers are there “sun-up to sundown."
She said people are getting honked and yelled at, causing traffic issues.
South Simcoe police say they have received calls regarding the matter.
“While people are welcome to use public roads, safety remains our top priority,” police spokesperson Samah Othman said.
“It is important for the public to respect and maintain road safety while also being considerate of the homeowners in the area,” police added.
Othman confirmed police had visited the area after complaints were lodged.
Police also reminded people to respect private landowners by not trespassing onto their property.
The Ministry of Natural Resources has not responded to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, one of the people at the home where the bird is perched over hasn’t had any issues with the groups of visitors who gather outside the house on the edge of the road.
“They’ve been extremely polite,” Carolyn Crichton said.
“They are keeping their distance. My only concern, because they are here so often from sun-up to sundown for the past two weeks, have they interrupted the bird’s feeding schedule? That’s my biggest concern,” she said.
Crichton said she noticed a woman stop after noticing the owl two weeks ago, kicking off the current barrage of photographers and gawkers.
The busiest she has seen it was when there were 19 cars parked on the shoulder of the road and 27 people standing about.
“I’m waiting for the buses to show up,” Crichton said, laughing.
She’s heard people in cars yelling at the photographers as they drive by, telling them to leave the bird alone.
“It doesn’t seem stressed, it’s preening and taking care of things and having little snoozes,” Crichton said, adding she has not witnessed any bad behaviour.
She agrees with the pedestrian danger, however.
“Some people won’t slow down here. It’s a very busy road.”
But The Owl Foundation, a non-profit organization based near St. Catharines and dedicated to providing care for injured and orphaned owls in Ontario, isn’t happy with what is going on. It voiced its concern on social media.
“Winter is already a tough time for owls,” the group posted on its Facebook page. “They rely on conserving energy to survive, and repeated human interference can have serious consequences.
“If you truly care about these birds, the best thing you can do is admire from a distance and respect their space. Please, let’s do better. Ethical wildlife viewing means putting the animal’s well-being first. Give this owl, and all wild owls, the respect they deserve."
Locally, the Simcoe County Birding group announced over social media Thursday they would no longer allow images of the owl to be posted on their private, 1,200-member Facebook group.
“For the last few years, Simcoe County Birding has kept the posting of owl pictures as long as locations were not disclosed,” wrote administrator Mak Soden.
“Going forward, photos of sensitive species, including great grey owl, northern hawk owl and Boreal owl will be taken down by admins and moderators of this group. The decision was made due to the recent owl irruption, our proximity to large population centres, and the possibility of locations being (unknowingly) kept in the meta of photos posted to social media,” he wrote.
“I thank everyone for their understanding and hope that you are all enjoying the birds of Simcoe County.”