Date: 10/13/26 9:16 am From: Ryan Phillips via groups.io <norcalbirding...> Subject: [southbaybirds] [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
Important info for SBB also going up to Loma Prieta.
Be cautious and careful. It is another world up there and reason some of
those folks are way up there.
Ryan
*Ryan Phillips* ǀ Owner and Guide
Personal and Group Birding Excursions in Northern California and Beyond
"Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes
and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?"
- Sir David Attenborough
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Cliff Bixler <clifford.bixler50...>
Date: Mon, Oct 12, 2026, 9:31 PM
Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
To: Lola Ross <lolabones...>
Cc: David Apgar <d_apgar...>, Kent Johnson <kentjohnson...>,
MBBirds <mbbirds...>
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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