Date: 10/12/26 9:31 pm From: Cliff Bixler <clifford.bixler50...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
It would be good to know his address so I don't stop in front of his house.
On Mon, Oct 12, 2026, 9:28 PM Lola Ross <lolabones...> wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Just wanted to update you. One of the birders who was threatened spoke
> with a deputy and explained everything that happened. The Santa Cruz
> Sheriffs Department determined that this incident doesn’t warrant any
> further action on their part. They told the birder that a person living in
> that locale is allowed to shoot a gun on their own property. And based on
> the conversation with the birders, the Sheriffs Department determined that
> the birders were far enough away when the man pointed the gun at them that
> he wasn’t an actual threat to them.
>
> That being said, please do use caution and common sense when birding Loma
> Prieta or anywhere else, especially when it’s in a residential community.
>
> Sincerely,
> Lola
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2026 at 8:04 PM David Apgar <d_apgar...> wrote:
>
>> Maybe Audubon had the right idea about bird identification, after all.
>>
>> David
>>
>> On Oct 12, 2026 4:55 PM, Kent Johnson <kentjohnson...> wrote:
>>
>> This is not the first time this has happened. I had an unpleasant
>> encounter with a man at that same location several years ago. No gun was
>> involved, but the man did claim that he owned the road and could prohibit
>> anyone from using it, which is clearly untrue. At least one other birder
>> had a similar experience in the area. If he is becoming more aggressive it
>> certainly needs the attention of law enforcement. His home is on the Santa
>> Cruz side of the road, so the incident should be reported to the Santa Cruz
>> County Sheriff.
>> Kent Johnson
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* <mbbirds...> <mbbirds...> on behalf of
>> Lola Ross <lolabones...>
>> *Sent:* Monday, October 12, 2026 2:39 PM
>> *To:* MBBirds <mbbirds...>
>> *Subject:* [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
>>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> This morning I went up to Loma Prieta and ran into several birders up
>> there when I was at the Wiliamson’s Sapsucker stakeout pine (never saw it,
>> but I did get nice photos of a RBS).
>> Three birders from Santa Clara Co said a Loma Prieta resident threatened
>> them with a rifle, fired two shots in the air, motioned them violently to
>> go away, flipped them off, and pointed his rifle at them (not necessarily
>> in that order). The birders were on the public county road. One of the
>> three birders shared the location where it occurred (see link below). She
>> took photos of the man and the location and was planning to file a report
>> with the SC County Sheriff’s Office, but at Kim’s suggestion, I’m posting
>> the info here so you can all be aware.
>>
>> Brian Spence also returned from that direction a little later on, and had
>> not encountered anything untoward, but I chose not to walk up that way
>> anyway. Two drivers also sped past us at various times, purposefully
>> revving through the softer dirt to try to coat us with dust (once by the
>> sapsucker tree and once at the parking area). Most drivers were courteous,
>> but not those two.
>>
>> Stay safe out there. Here’s the location that was shared with me of the
>> guy with the rifle:
>>
>> https://maps.app.goo.gl/diiWnzvfDEUGjFfR7?g_st=ig >>
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