Florida man confronts neighbor accused of shooting protected bird, video shows
The exchange took place in Madeira Beach after the neighbor, identified as a 42-year-old male, allegedly shot a heron, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
FWC said the man accused of shooting the birds later admitted to doing so.
'No longer a spring break town': Florida beach town tells 'idiots' to 'go somewhere else'
Footage of the confrontation, taken by the accuser, begins as he approaches his neighbor. A lifeless great blue heron appears to be floating in the neighbor's pool.
The man then accuses his neighbor of shooting the protected bird, saying such activity is 'highly illegal.' He also claims that he overheard the neighbor discussing plans to rid his property of the birds.
'No, I said I was going to try to get 'em away,' the 42-year-old says at one point.
'You moved into the birds' house. You cannot kill the animals that live here,' the man filming the video shoots back.
The 42-year-old is also heard claiming he 'did not mean to kill the damn thing' but rather scare it away.
FWC officers responded to the home on April 12 in response to a complaint, and found a dead heron and a dead mallard duck in the homeowner's yard. The agency said the man told them he shot the birds with a pellet gun to keep them away from his pool.
The man accused of shooting the birds was cited for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and was issued a notice to appear in court.
Speaking with Nexstar's WFLA, Charlotte Arndt, an education coordinator at Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, said no one should be shooting at a protected bird.
'My best advice is if you don't want to have great blue herons on your property, don't move to a place where great blue herons live,' Arndt said. 'Removing any one bird from the area especially during mating season can have a devastating effect on the babies. Of course both parents contribute to the nest but taking one of those parents away takes a lot of the resources away which makes it less likely that all the eggs that hatch are going to become fledged adults.'
Battle of the birds: Florida considers changing state bird
The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is about 10 minutes from where the incident happened. The vice president of the Clearwater Audubon Society, Kim Begay, said the 42-year-old could've reached out to the sanctuary, the FWC or even the Audubon Society for help.
'It's not that hard to deter them,' said Begay. 'You can install motion activated sprinklers. You can actually just bang a pot really loud when you see the bird in your backyard.'
Begay said the neighbor may now be facing misdemeanor charges as a result of this incident.
'If you have a problem like this, reach out. Please don't just start shooting. It's not the way to go,' said Begay.
The Audubon Society, however, also recommends getting law enforcement involved before confronting a neighbor on a problem.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
FIFO worker handed $30,000 payout after 'humiliating' accusation at mine
A FIFO miner has won a huge compensation payout after she was unfairly sacked for a major mine debacle. Jamie-Lee Corless-Crane was dismissed from her role as a pit technician in early January by Aurenne Management Services in Western Australia. She was deployed at the Mt Ida mine site near Menzies, and was accused of letting nearly 60 ounces of gold go to a dump instead of a processing plant. But the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has ruled in Corless-Crane's favour after finding there were people far more senior who should have been responsible for the mistake. "I am satisfied that a remedy of compensation of 16 weeks is appropriate. I note that this amount does not include a component for shock, humiliation or distress," Melanie Binet, deputy president of the Fair Work Commission, wrote in her assessment. RELATED FIFO worker earning $250,000 reveals how Aussies can get into mining industry Tradie loses $449,000 in an instant after missing key detail The top 10 highest salaries in Australia paying up to $700,000The FIFO worker was earning $100,000 per year in her role before she was sacked, meaning her compensation payout could be as high as $30,769. On January 7, Corless-Crane flew up to the mine site and commenced the first of her night shifts. During a pre-shift meeting, staff were shown the relevant mining sites and excavators that were in operation during the day and night. However, the FWC was told Corless-Crane was given an "obsolete" map, which she relied on during her shift. "An excavator operator contacted Ms Corless-Crane to inform her he was nearing what he believed to be a Block containing ore (the Wrongly Marked Location)," the FWC noted. "She says that her efforts to accurately identify the location were further hampered by the poor light and the fact that it was the early hours of the morning of her first shift on site." Even though the markings on the ground didn't match the map she was given, the FIFO worker asked the excavator operator for their opinion, and they agreed it was the correct spot. To make matters worse, the GPS system on the excavator wasn't working that night. Because excavation work had been done on the wrong location, an estimated 54 ounces of gold, worth roughly $200,000, was taken to waste piles rather than being taken to the plant for processing. That total of lost ore was also mined during the day before Corless-Crane's shift started. FIFO worker told she was responsible for $200,000 issue An investigation was conducted into the incident, and it wasn't until a week later that the worker received a message from her employer about their findings. "You did not take due diligence to ensure you had the right paperwork," she was told. "Instead of escalating, you assumed there was a mistake on the PSI board and proceeded. "On the same shift, you did not properly execute the duties of your role and failed to take control of the mining activity, in not recognising that the level the excavator operator was working did not match your flitch plans, and further, he had commenced digging before you had clear communication with him." Corless-Crane responded to the allegations and blamed the issue on the paperwork she received from the day shift crew, which "contained inaccuracies" that she wasn't aware of. "I rely on the paperwork provided by my crew. When I arrived at Cascade to inspect the ore, I found only a low-grade block that had already been exposed, with the block number marked on the ground matching the number on my map," she said. She added that being on night shift meant there was no supervisor around to ask, and that this responsibility shouldn't rest on her as the "least experienced member of my department". Corless-Crane was eventually sacked on January 22. FIFO worker takes sacking to Fair Work Commission She launched an unfair dismissal case and claimed to the FWC that she had struggled to find employment in similar positions since. As a single mother, she had found it difficult to find time to complete all the required medical tests and training. She submitted that if she didn't find a job by June, she was at risk of losing her home. While she previously worked as a hairdresser and DJ, she said the income from those jobs wouldn't be enough to cover her expenses. The FWC found the FIFO worker's day shift colleagues included "more senior, more qualified and more experienced employees" who "failed to notice that the handover documentation they received and relied on in the course of their shift, then handed over to Coreless-Crane, did not contain a map for the area to be mined". The Commission concluded that Corless-Crane "was not responsible" for the loss of the gold and the original error was started by "people far more qualified" than her. "The opportunity to identify the error earlier was missed by the excavator operators and Geology Team members operating during daylight hours with far better visibility and more experience than Ms Corless-Crane," it said. "Ms Corless-Crane was the last line of defence in a chain of successive failures of systems and employees. Each of those failures contributed to the loss of the ore." The FWC also noted none of the more senior colleagues were dismissed over the issue. Several weren't even subjected to disciplinary action, coaching or investigation, and one who was "ultimately responsible for the loss of all the ore" was only given a written in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
The Hill
3 days ago
- The Hill
Fired Jan. 6 prosecutor plans to sue Trump administration
A fired federal prosecutor said Wednesday he is planning to sue the Trump administration over his alleged wrongful termination. Mike Gordon, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said he was removed without warning or cause after prosecuting dozens of Jan. 6 rioters. President Trump pardoned many people convicted of crimes related to Jan. 6 after taking office. He has also sought to overhaul the Department of Justice, arguing it was politicized under Democratic administrations. But critics say his administration's actions have politicized DOJ, and Gordon said his dismissal was unjust. 'I pursued cases against January 6 rioters, because what they did, not because who they supported,' Gordon told WFLA, a Nexstar affiliate. 'Because they assaulted police officers, not because who they voted for,' he added. Gordon lost his Tampa based job with the Middle District of Florida after receiving a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi citing the power of the president outlined in Article II of the Constitution. 'The law requires that the government cannot fire a federal prosecutor without first giving warning and then giving a justification, a reason, merit-based reason for firing,' Gordon said in an interview with WFLA. 'They didn't do any of that with me,' he added. Lowell & Associates has agreed to represent Gordon as a plaintiff in the lawsuit and said additional former DOJ employees will join a legal battle set to be filed later this week. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the matter. 'When that independence is compromised, justice itself is at risk. This case isn't about one prosecutor's career, but the integrity of our legal system,' Abbe David Lowell of Lowell & Associates told WFLA. 'Mike Gordon was a distinguished prosecutor whose public service included convicting violent gang members, Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol and fraudsters who preyed on people with disabilities. He followed the law, not politics, and was fired for it.'
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Masked teens kick down front doors to fire realistic fake guns in alarming internet challenge: ‘Not a joke'
Terrifying video shows masked teens kicking in doors to fire terrifying-looking fake guns — part of a sick social media challenge police fear 'could end in tragedy.' Chilling security camera footage shows five teens creeping around Riverview in Florida just after 10:30 p.m. Friday, taking part in the 'door kick challenge,' according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 'Two of the juveniles approached a residence, and one of the juveniles, wearing a ski mask, kicked the front door and fired an airsoft gun before fleeing,' the sheriff's office said. 3 A teenager approached the door in a ski mask, kicked it in and fired the toy gun. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Such a prank 'could end in tragedy,' the department said — a warning echoed by local residents. 'This is Florida,' a local who only gave the first name Amy told WFLA. 'We're allowed to carry, we're allowed to protect ourselves, our homes, our property, our children, our pets. 3 The five teens were walking around a neighborhood in Riverside, Florida. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 'It's not a joke,' she continued. 'It may be lighthearted and funny to look back on your TikTok videos, sending it to your buddies on Worldstar, whatever. 'Unfortunately, it's going to end up really bad for someone one day,' she said. 3 Police said the teens were partaking in the one of the latest internet challenges. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Locals called the clout-chasing exploits a 'terrifying situation' — and some were wary to even open their doors to reporters, according to WFLA. Amy said she returned to her home Friday night and found a group of juveniles hanging outside 'I got out [and] asked them if there was anything I could assist them with,' she said. 'They told me to mind my own business.' The situation escalated when the youths 'started to get more derogatory with me,' Amy said — forcing her to call the cops. She said she wants teenagers to understand the prank could quickly turn into a potentially 'life or death' situation. 'Your mom's not going to want to cry at your eulogy about it, so think next time,' she added.
