“NEWBURYPORT — Recent harmful acts from human visitors, like trespassing and hitting an owl with a car, have prompted Parker River National Wildlife Refuge officials to close the center an hour earlier.“

“Refuge project leader Matthew Hillman said Friday he and his staff have seen some ”disturbing behavior from the public over the past month or so,” and the refuge announced on its Facebook page the same day that it will be closing at 4 p.m., or an hour before sunset (instead of at sunset), until further notice.“

“Much of this concerns the watchable wildlife on the refuge. Specifically, a pair of barred owls and also coyotes. They’re very visible and active during the daylight hours, which makes for great photography opportunities. But we have a couple of problems associated with that,” he said.”

“Friends of the Parker River Wildlife Refuge board President Dan Graovac said he supports limiting the park’s hours.”

“They need to take some measures to protect the wildlife there. The two barred owls have decided that roadside hunting is the best way to get meals. These are young owls, and that makes them very accessible to photographers. But some people stay for hours on end and track every move the bird makes. Then they go into protected areas,” he said.“

“Hillman said he and his staff must protect all of the refuge’s native inhabitants, adding that a car struck one of the barred owls recently.”

“We see direct, negative benefits from vehicles on our roadways. One of these owls was hit by a vehicle and lost several wing feathers. Fortunately, it could fly away and is still here, hunting on the refuge. But that could have gone much worse. If that car was going 25 or 30 miles an hour, it could have been a very different outcome,” he said.“

“The refuge’s pair of barred owls are year-round residents, according to Hillman, who said they have been using the area for their winter foraging grounds.“

“This is an important place for them to feed and roost. Typically, they roost and rest during the day, so they need an undisturbed period. Then, they will hunt in the twilight and nocturnally,” he said.”

“But the owls have recently been spotted hunting opportunistically throughout the daylight hours.“

“We’re concerned about public safety, but we are also a national wildlife refuge, so we have an obligation to put wildlife first,” Hillman said. “That hour before sunset and in the evening is one of the most critical times for these owls to forage and hunt. So, by limiting the number of people that will crowd around this animal in that most critical, one hour within sunset, we’re giving the bird space to behave as it normally would in nature.”

“Hillman acknowledged that nature photography is a big draw to the refuge, but he said public safety had become another concern for staff.“

“We have people using their large telephoto lenses and their binoculars, and we’re finding that people are standing in the middle of the roadway. They’re blocking the traffic lane, trying to get their perfect photos of these animals. We’re trying to promote responsible photography, and that behavior is not something we can tolerate,” he said.“

“Most wildlife watchers and photographers follow the regulations, according to Hillman, who added that only a small number of visitors are breaking the law.“

“People out here are trespassing in closed areas and blocking the travel lane. It’s those behaviors that we have to see curtailed, and if we see positive effects based on this change, I don’t foresee this change having to be in effect for very long at all,” he said.“

Graovac, an amateur wildlife photographer and outdoorsman, said an owl that looks stressed around a human might not necessarily be all that relaxed.“

“I love wildlife photography as much as the next person, but I’m not going to sacrifice the animals’ well-being to get a good shot. We encourage the people who are visiting to think about the owls themselves. They don’t need to spend all day hunting a bird,” he said.“

“By limiting visiting hours to 4 p.m., the refuge can cut down on problems during the twilight hours, according to Hillman, who added no end date had been set for the new restrictions.

“It depends on the level of enforcement we can entail and how people respond to these restrictions. We hope we don’t have to put further restrictions up. We hope that this will be something of a warning to the folks who are acting in this way,” he said.“

“The refuge will ramp up its staffing in the spring and summer and will be better able to handle larger crowds, according to Hillman, who said it’s much more difficult to have his current, limited staff dealing with larger crowds.“

“I’d love to saturate our roadways with our officers and park rangers, but we’re just at a low staffing period because of the seasonal nature of our hiring,” he said.“

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145.

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