Very Disturbing... :)

Have you ever been shooting a bird and someone start talking to you, as if you were waiting at a bus stop and was trying to kill time?
If you have, what is your odd/strangest/funniest story of how that went about?

One day I was in a field at the back-end of a park, I was shooting 2 Yellow-Crowned Night Herons that were feeding on crawdads in this field. I'm inching up to them, so not to disturb them, they're about 40 feet from me, when I hear... "There you are!", I turn around and there's a very large lady about 75 feet from me on my back left side, I assumed she was talking to me, but it turns out she was actually yelling at the birds, and in a very 'I just smoked a pack of Camels' voice. She started telling me that those were "my birds", that they nested in 'her backyard', and on and on, talking really loud, like we were old friends. I seriously doubt they were, 'hers', they may have been, but for her to not just interrupt me, but actually scare the birds off, (yeah, she did that right off) my first instinct was to say, "Ma'am, I'm trying to be really quite, if you don't mind... etc." you know how that would go... I know that type, she wouldn't have learned a thing, so I blew it off. I ended up finding the birds again the next day, so I 'may have' gotten the shots I wanted, I'll never know, thanks to that ol' loud-mouth broad. heheh
These types of people really get me, even if they don't scare off your target, they have no idea of what we do, or how to be quite, or go around us, or common sense, etc. I want to say stronger stuff, but to me, it's not worth it, people like that are that way, and I seriously doubt I'll be the one that changes them, although, maybe the next time I'll 'high-five' them across their face! heheh

If you have an instance where something like this has happened to you, let us know, I know that I have read many stories about this on this forum, and although it's not funny at the time, it does go down as that with time.

I just know that this happens to me all of the time, so it has to happen to others a lot too.

Randy

I have several but one really sticks out for me. Some behind the scenes first....there is a group of photographers that are always present at the Eagles nest. We all share locations of certain birds we come across or photographed.

Several years ago I shared a location where juvenile ospreys were congregating in a dead Pine tree. There are two ways to get to this place...a path that opens up right near the tree the Osprey perch in and some woods where you can sneak up on them and set up without disturbing them.

The next morning after I told several people about this place and how I enter it I got there before the sun came up and set up...patiently waiting for the Osprey to show up and they did...about 6 of them.

Just as the sun was shining on the tree and the Osprey another photographer comes walking down the path and once they get out into the open (the Osprey can see them at this point) they yell over to me "WHAT ARE YOU PHOTOGRAPHING DUANE!!!" At this point all the Osprey took off and I turned to them and yelled "NOTHING NOW!!!!"

We laugh about it now when the topic of scaring something off that someone else is photographing comes up...we've all done it to someone at some point in time.....by accident of course.

A lot of the time people just don't think, I know that, there's enough proof of it too. heheh Like you said, I've done stupid things like that by accident too.
I have not seen even 1 Osprey up close, much less 6!

Good story Duane, if you have more, let's here it.

Randy

What got me to thinking was yesterday I was at a park and a guy that 'normally' comes over to talk to me, did his 'visit'. He is not a bad guy, but he comes over and tells me what I should shoot, I am at a park, and he is wanting me to go over on a freeway where he saw a hawk. I told him that I see hawks all over, they are common, but he is one of those people that doesn't 'really' hear you, so he keeps on telling me about it. Yesterday he was telling me about an owl in the trees that he saw, it is sure possible, and I don't really doubt him, and I thanked him for the information. (I had already been told by two others that there was one there, I just haven't had any luck in seeing it) The bad thing is, I guess he assumes I need a helper, because he takes it upon himself to tell me what I need to go see, like, he told me I needed to go to Ireland... heheh I said, I would like to, but at this late stage of life, I doubt I'll make it. He still kept telling me I need to go, so I let him finish, then I politely told him I needed to continue looking for ducks/birds, etc. I said, "Thanks!", and walked off.
I like to talk as much as the next person, but it's people that only talk about what they want, never asking you about stuff, only their conversation is what they want to hear, I guess.

It's not a fascinating story, but it's another of the people that seem to think I need them to be at my side.
Really, I am a friendly guy, but when I shoot, I need to pay attention to what I am doing. I can't count the times I have been distracted by someone that is talking, and I miss a shot. I miss plenty on my own, I don't need that kind of help!

Randy

About a year ago I was at my local wetlands and I saw a coopers hawk land about 100ft up the path. So I slowly approached it and noticed. It was eating a squirrel.
I was excited amd took a good 10 minutes to approach within 25 feet of it.
Im down on the ground shooting it and these 2 oldr ladies come walking up so I got their attention. I showed them the hawk and told them it was ok with me since I moved around it slowly. They said they didnt care and didnt have time for that and walked right toward it and scared it off.
No more shots for me.
They made me a bit upset but I kept my mouth shut.

Most of the time I get distracted by either a Tree Frog, a Hummingbird or a Hawk.....over the years I've learned to "tune" people out for the most part but on occasion I fall into that trap and get distracted by what others are talking about.

jhayesvw wrote in post #15503277
Im down on the ground shooting it and these 2 oldr ladies come walking up so I got their attention. I showed them the hawk and told them it was ok with me since I moved around it slowly. They said they didnt care and didnt have time for that and walked right toward it and scared it off.
No more shots for me.
They made me a bit upset but I kept my mouth shut.

You should have blatantly taken a bunch of photos of their butts as they walked away.

Just a month ago I was up in Oklahoma at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, it was really lonely up there since it was so cold. I was camping out for 5 days, and most of the time I was alone in this giant place. One morning though, after I didn't see any more elk to photograph, I went looking for woodland birds, and song birds, really, anything... heh I drove down this road and it dead-ends, it's a hiking and picnicking area with a nice lake. I knew that a lot of hikers go there, but since it was in the 30's degrees-wise, and it was early, I didn't expect to see anyone. Anyway, I saw 5 Spotted Towhees in some roadside bushes, and some were coming down at the side of the road and were eating amongst the leaves, I slowly got out of my truck and started sneaking up on them. I was only about 50 feet away, but I took my time, and it took me about 5 minutes to almost be about where I needed to be, still no shots that I would call a keeper.
That's when out of nowhere a Cadillac Escalade drives up pretty fast about 50 feet or so away from me, I was in the middle of the road blocking them, but they could plainly see that I was sneaking up on something. They sat there for about maybe 10 seconds, and I assumed that they were hikers, and probably being a nature lover, that they'd understand what I was doing and let me finish... I was wrong, they decided to drive through where I was, making me move, then got out, whistling a tune, and slamming doors, (two old guys about 70) then one says to me, "Are you shooting eagles?" (He was joking, or being a smart-aleck, I don't know) I paused for about 5 seconds, then said, "Nope!", it a not-so-happy voice. He then said more stuff that I can't remember, He then started humming like they were the only ones there, it really riled me, but, again, I didn't say anything, they have just as much right to be there as I do, I knew that.
My problem was that these guys, or, that one guy at least, could've shown me some courtesy for at least 1 minute, but chose to not do that, it's not like they were on a time table and had to be at a trail at a certain time. Had I been in a REAL roadway, then I wouldn't expect that at all, but this was way back off the main roads, and them being nature lovers, (I assumed) that they would 'see' what was going on.
That kind'a spoiled my day, I left that area, and didn't find anything remotely as cool as the Towhees, I have never seen 5 at one time, OUT IN THE OPEN TOO! I've actually only seen 3 in my life. heheh

It's kind of a funny thing to me now, but the audacity of some people gets me.
Before anyone says I was 'in the road', I know I was not in the right, but there should be exceptions, if I was skateboarding, or riding a bike, or just standing there, then I would be on their side. I know that if I had driven up on someone that appeared to be doing what I was, I would've either sat there, or slowly backed up and left or parked in the parking area before they got to me.

This is more of a rant than I meant, now I am going to pour some whiskey in my coffee...

Randy

Duane N wrote in post #15503882
Most of the time I get distracted by either a Tree Frog, a Hummingbird or a Hawk.....over the years I've learned to "tune" people out for the most part but on occasion I fall into that trap and get distracted by what others are talking about.

I know what you mean, but a lot of the time I have to use parks as a place to shoot, I am nowhere near real woods to be 'out in it', so to speak.
(I also have ADHD, that makes it hard to concentrate anyway, I am easily distracted)

Randy

jhayesvw wrote in post #15503277
About a year ago I was at my local wetlands and I saw a coopers hawk land about 100ft up the path. So I slowly approached it and noticed. It was eating a squirrel.
I was excited amd took a good 10 minutes to approach within 25 feet of it.
Im down on the ground shooting it and these 2 oldr ladies come walking up so I got their attention. I showed them the hawk and told them it was ok with me since I moved around it slowly. They said they didnt care and didnt have time for that and walked right toward it and scared it off.
No more shots for me.
They made me a bit upset but I kept my mouth shut.

I guess these ladies were retired Roller Derby... heheheh
Weird that they'd actually say stuff like that though.

Randy

jhayesvw wrote in post #15503277
About a year ago I was at my local wetlands and I saw a coopers hawk land about 100ft up the path. So I slowly approached it and noticed. It was eating a squirrel.
I was excited amd took a good 10 minutes to approach within 25 feet of it.
Im down on the ground shooting it and these 2 oldr ladies come walking up so I got their attention. I showed them the hawk and told them it was ok with me since I moved around it slowly. They said they didnt care and didnt have time for that and walked right toward it and scared it off.
No more shots for me.
They made me a bit upset but I kept my mouth shut.

If you put two or more old ladies together, they can be amongst the most rude and inconsiderate creatures on the planet. I had a similar instance with a Red Tail a group of old ladies on bikes. Red Tail was eating a skunk, one of the ladies walked right up, two feet away from it. Luckily the Red Tail's hunger was more important than it's flight response (Skunk was also too heavy for it to fly off with) and it actually postured up in sort of a threat display. She was probably two seconds from being clawed and bitten.

Here's the pose:

You can sure tell from his look that he didn't like those old ladies... heheheh

I swear that I have heard that story before, maybe you told that before, either that, or it's widespread evil old ladies!

Very nice shot too!

Randy

Thanks
He definitely didn't want them around!

That hawk stayed there the entire day though. We did about 3 hours worth of loops around the refuge and the Hawk stayed there the entire day eating this skunk right off the side of the road.

A couple of months ago I was out at a lake near where I live looking for birds to photograph when I saw some small birds at the top of a Pine tree about 50 - 60 yds away I'd guess. So I get set up to photograph them (400mm lens + 1.4x TC = 560mm). As I'm setting up, an elderly couple whom I'd been vauguely aware of walking towards me along the path, stop next to me and I get the inevitable, 'What are you taking pictures of?' Now I don't mind being asked that so I pointed in the direction and explained 'Birds, Crossbills, feeding on the Pine cones in that tree over there'. Now bearing in mind that even at 560mm I was expecting to heavily crop the shot, the fella takes out his moble phone camera, screws up his eyes, points it at the tree and in all seriousness tells his wife, 'Don't know if I'll be able to get them from here...' I was still laughing at that as I drove home.

Heheheh, yeah, that would be pretty funny to see and hear...
Soon though, with the rate the phones are headed, that may not be so strange.
I'm surprised they didn't ask you all kinds of questions about your 'big' camera. (Not lens, but BIG camera, that is what I get asked all of the time with my 400mm lens, people can't differentiate between the two)
I told a lady that stopped and asked me, "Is that a camera?", the other day that it was the Hubble... heheh (She didn't really get it though, I was trying to be funny, not smart-alecky)

Randy