^^^ Please, please, please tell me you weren't one of the idiots who went off the dyke out onto the marsh and got too close to the birds so much that they got stressed and had to fly away. I also noticed that because the day was so warm, the owls were panting to cool off and didn't fly away as readily as they usually do - they were exhausted. They need to conserve their energy, not expend it flying away from humans. Most of the shooters respected the owl's space, but I saw a few who were just unbelievably stupid - they are the ones that ruin it for the rest of us.
There were a couple of Canadian Wildlife Services officers taking photos of the photographers as well as another in the parking lot taking photos of the cars (and drivers) coming in. Those fauxtographers who didn't respect the wildlife are going to get a surprise in their mailbox soon.
I also took photos and video of the morons who didn't give the owls their space, and am sending in the images and videos.