Labor day weekend birding

[<cllslp at msn dot com>]

A little bit late posting sightings from last weekend, but just wanted to 
share the birds that I saw over the labor day weekend up Blacksmith Fork 
canyon in Cache Valley.

2 Juvenile Golden Eagles
Belted Kingfisher
Gray Catbird
Red-naped Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Black-capped Chickadee
American Dipper
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Clarks Nutcracker
Townsends Solitaire

and one Badger!!!

The Badger was snooping around along the side of a trail that we have near 
our campground property. It was a family reunion and some people were 
getting a bit frightened of it. It came down the side of the hill into our 
woodpile and I told everyone that after they got a look at it, to just back 
off and it would be on its way.
Then my redneck brother-in-law pulled out a .22 pistol that he brought up 
and shot twice in the area of the Badger!!
I had to get up in his face, and make it a point that I was not going to let 
him kill the Badger. Some pushing and shoving and cursing ensued until I had 
upset him, myself and the little kids enough that I backed off.
He didn't hit the Badger, he put away the gun and moved away. As soon as he 
moved, the Badger took off up the side of the mountain.
Not too much to do with birding, but I am still fuming about it and had to 
share it with a large audience.
Some people were just not meant to own a gun. These are the type of people 
that want to shoot and kill everything that moves and they think that they 
have a god-given right to do so.
I respect an individuals right to legally hunt and own firearms, only if 
that person can respect the wild life that he takes and the environment 
around it.
Legally you can shoot a badger or a striped-skunk if they pose a threat or 
nuisance to people, but why do some people resort to this as their first and 
only alternative??
The answer?
NO RESPECT FOR WILD THINGS and WILD LIFE

Sorry for the rambling message.
Get up to Blacksmith Fork canyon and check out the Golden Eagles. Just leave 
your guns (and redneck brother-in-laws) home!!!

Stephen Peterson
Logan, UT


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