Birders The Ontario Field Ornithologists, sponsors of Ontbirds, have a Code of Ethics with respect to field birding and reporting http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/aboutus.ethics The first and key point of the Code of Ethics is the welfare of birds come first. That principle must guide any and all reporting to Ontbirds.  If a report of a sighting might interfere or threaten the safety and welfare of birds then that report should not be submitted to Ontbirds.  In the case of Owls reported to Ontbirds all posts with the owl in the subject heading are held for review before release to the list.  Both posts yesterday were reviewed. In the case of the first post I relied on the account itself,  my personal experience and use of satellite imagery on Google maps to make a call that a report to Ontbirds would not harm the bird. A bird that was obviously known to private networks that I lack access to.  A mix of birders and photographers is far more preferable to exclusive access by semi-professional photographers. In the case of the other post about the consequences of reporting locations of owls,  I accept and agree with everything the writer said about the potential danger that reporting owls may present. However I don't believe that a blanket prohibition of sensitive species is the answer. As coordinator for Ontbirds I recognize that reporting of sensitive species especially during periodic irruptions of northern owls is a concern to many.  Ebird and implicitly its Canadian partner (Bird Studies Canada) has a policy of not disclosing checklists or records of designated sensitive species https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000803210-sensitive-species-in-ebird As Ontbirds coordinator I plan to continue to trap and review owl reports and will only release reports to Ontbirds that meet safety and welfare concerns based on our Code of Ethics. Mark Cranford Ontbirds Coordinator Toronto, ON