Date: 10/13/26 10:22 pm From: Kellie Morgantini <chalonelaw...> Subject: Fwd: [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
Sorry - I thought I sent this to the list....
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:21:58 -0700
From: Kellie Morgantini <chalonelaw...>
To: Lola Ross <lolabones...>
That deputy's response is not enough.
If the reporter is willing, a call to the elected Sheriff is warranted.
There have been too many instances in the past where such a situation
was allowed to escalate, then ended in tragedy (here in Monterey
County). Anyone who believes they are protecting "their" road will not
become more realistic if their actions result in what they want -
driving individuals away from public property.
Thanks,
🌀🌀🌀
Kellie D. Morgantini
831.674.5863
<tula...>
On 10/12/26 21:28, Lola Ross 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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