I would like to suggest an additional option for Q2:
Share with other members of HKBWS, either on request, via the HKBWS office or the web site
This, to me, is an intermediate step between making information public (ie to non-members) and keeping it only between a few friends so that others who are less 'well-connected' may miss out.
I can see that there may be different ways of letting people know about different sightings. The location of a nesting rarity is more sensitive than a bird that is rare in HK but may be more common elsewhere (such as a great crested grebe).
The recent incident that sparked this discussion seems to me to be not just about disturbing the bird (which is obviously undesirable) but about the fact that some people were disappointed that they didn't get to see the bird. When there are lots of birders and photographers going to see one bird, maybe it will get scared away before some people get to see it. It's not nice if someone does it deliberately, but I doubt that any code of practice will stop rudeness.
Cheers, Koren
