Flag for Taxon: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
| Flagger | Content Author | Content | Reason | Flag Created | Resolved by | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bouteloua | Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) |
should not be obscured in Canada |
Apr. 2, 2019 14:30:05 +0000 | bouteloua |
CDCs decision was to change to open |
Comments
Redirecting some recent forum comments here:
@brennafarrell -
"I just noticed that I can see all the locations of bald eagles in Florida even though their status hasn’t been changed (vulnerable). Is this intentional or a mistake?"
@thebeachcomber -
"I think this may be a problem for the entire species. I can see locations for them in other USA states too."
Interesting. So obscuration operates at a national basis, and not a state one? Some of the states I checked list them as critically endangered.
@bouteloua Looks like there is now no Canada-wide obscuration, but if that involved removing a global NatureServe status, it may have (intentionally or not) removed obscuration in the US also.
Reviewing the status tab, it looks like most US states are not worried about obscuration for this species despite relative rarity within their states. The current IUCN global status is "Least Concern," with no obscuration. Ironically, one of the few subnational jurisdictions where it still is obscured is New Brunswick, where it is listed as "apparently secure (S4)."
@thebeachcomber Obscuration can operate at any geographic level including globally. If one chooses a small enough geographic area, every species will be "rare" within that area, but that does not necessarily mean it needs to be automatically obscured there or in other similarly small places. The overall global status of the species needs to be considered too, as do the potential downsides for conservation when locations are obscured (or unobscured). The foregoing being my personal opinion only.
Are Bald Eagles sensitive to too much activity near them or at risk of poaching anywhere? I know they're extremely popular photography subjects and other birds of prey are killed as pests or poached for falconry in some areas (although I believe both are rare in North America), but I'm not aware of anything like that for Bald Eagles.
All I know is that NatureServe offices frequently protect exact locations of nesting sites for raptors in general, but usually not for observations of foraging, flight, etc.
Please open a separate flag for discussing geoprivacy in places other than Canada, since there's a separate policy just for that country.
See https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/curator+guide#geoprivacy
Contacted NS on April 2, 2019.