Date: 10/14/26 9:03 am From: Shantanu Phukan <phukan...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
I agree that the Sheriff's non-response is not enough. It is situations like this that escalate into tragedies if gun owners get the message that they can be threatening and not face any consequences.
I think that rather than a phone call to the sheriff, it might be a good idea to send a letter so that he is aware that there is a firm record of people bringing this situation to his notice. A grievance on paper is harder to ignore.
Shantanu Phukan
-----Original Message-----
From: Cliff Bixler <clifford.bixler50...>
Sent: Oct 14, 2026 6:49 AM
To: Kellie Morgantini <chalonelaw...>
Cc: MBBirds <mbbirds...>
Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Loma Prieta neighbor threatened birders with rifle
I totally agree. Even a 22 LR will travel over a mile. A larger rifle would be deadly from a lesser distance. The act of pointing a rifle at someone else in a menacing fashion is a crime. Either brandishing a firearm or threatening with a deadly weapon.
At the very least continued reporting of this kind of threatening behavior will build an incident pattern and serves as evidence should the Sherrif decide to risk actually making contact and enforcing the law.
Cliff Bixler
On Tue, Oct 13, 2026, 10:22 PM Kellie Morgantini <chalonelaw...> (mailto:<chalonelaw...>)> wrote:
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...> (mailto:<chalonelaw...>)
To: Lola Ross <lolabones...> (mailto:<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...> (mailto:<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...> (mailto:<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...> (mailto:<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...> (mailto:<mbbirds...>) <mbbirds...> (mailto:<mbbirds...>)> on behalf of Lola Ross <lolabones...> (mailto:<lolabones...>)> Sent: Monday, October 12, 2026 2:39 PM
To: MBBirds <mbbirds...> (mailto:<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:
