Respect For The Birds We Photograph

[qhorses]

Great info here. Thanks for posting.

[nitefrogger]

Very worthwhile reminders. These principles actually apply to ALL wildlife.

[StarDog]

Shirley, Thanks for the post. I know in the heat of the hunt guidelines may not be on top. We wildlife folk see much more disturbance from the general public that may seem way over what we might do but even small disruptions in the life of critters can cause great harm. - Bob

[sam walker]

A good post Booswalia et al. i have a bald eagle nest that I regularly monitor. An unusual location that is behind the parking lot of a bar above a volleyball court. I was shocked to see that they would pick such a busy human site. I did take it slow when I first found it not wanting to be the one who caused an abandonment. This particular pair is very calm although wary of humans below and always watching. I did send photos from last year's visit to another birding site in the UK and was strongly critisized for posting a nest that I was likely disturbing. Happy to see that similar pics posted here have not been struck out. Every case is different and any nesting bird should be approached with care. My most terrifying instance came with a redwing blackbird. Not a imposing bird like a raptor. I walked too close to a nest.The cock, unhappy at my nearness flew down and got in my face beating his wings and yelling. Very effective in getting me to change my course quickly.Take it slow with all of them.We are all 20+ times their size. You'd freak too if your spouse were in the yard with your child and an elephant came lumbering in.
Sam

[Accentor]

As eccles says, these guidlines are (or should be) applicable everywhere. In N America, the UK and other parts of N Europe we do have a natural sympathy for the protection and preservation of wildlife and habitat. Sadly, in S Europe this is not the case and most people in Mediteranean countries would laugh their socks off if you presented them with guidelines as to how not to disturb wild birds and animals. Their only concern is whether or not these things are edible and, if they are, how can they capture and kill them.

Having said that, there is in the UK a certain amount of friction and conflict between birders/birdwatchers and hard-core photographers; a certain faction of the latter seem willing to go to any lengths to "get the shot" and the wellfare of the birds is often a low priority.

[calicokat]

Great post and great info

[mike85]

WOW Great information.

[aarathi]

This was the good information about birds. This was very helpful and useful to study about birds. This makes love towards birds.

[medic583]

Booswalia, thanks for the great note and reminder of the impact we can have on wildlife. Even though I am lucky enough to have many species of wildlife visit my home each and every day... I have to remember it me who is residing in their habitat... and that my actions do affect their life as well.

Thank you soo much for the reminder to this rookie

[The_Caper]

A very good post Shirley and so very important. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this info.

I also agree with nitefrogger that this info can or should be applied to all wildlife.

Cheers.

Paul.

[dazzlebea]

Great post and only too relevant due to the fact that more and more people own DSLRs with long lenses. It seems like it is very easy to focus on getting the shot and forgetting about the important issue: the welfare of the subject.

Approximately 1 year ago I took 2 friends of mine down to San Diego County where a pair of Bald Eagles was nesting. When we arrived we were disappointed that there were fences and signs keeping us at quite a distance. One of my friends decided to ignore the fence and sings and got better shots than my other friend and I did. Ah well... so what?!?

[RPCrowe]

Moose Anderson, the great wildlife photographer says (and I totally agree):

"There is no image worth harming the subject to obtain"

IMO, disturbing nesting birds is a harmful action as is to intrude on an animal's (bird, reptile or mamal) feeding/mating area...

[ladytiger]

Thanks for the information.And so very true

[csquared63]

This is a very good post.

I'd like to add a link to a wikihow article for getting into birdwatching. I found one thing particularly interesting. They warn that it is not prudent to make "pish" sounds during migration periods. They claim that it further stresses already stressed birds and may contribute to their death. I've been birdwatching for over 30 years and this is the first time I ever heard this, but it seems to makes sense.

http://www.wikihow.com/Bird-Watch

[STP 40D]

I prefer to shoot from far away. I think it gives the best opportunity to shoot an animal in its' natural habitat, unfettered by any concern caused by people getting to close.

As an aside, I find it rather interesting that photographers will go out of their way to not upset wildlife when they shoot pictures, but will often dismiss the concerns of people when shooting pictures. Not passing a verdict, just making an observation...