ETHICS
A few thoughts on birding, and bird photography ethics. Over the last year or so there has been a increase in the on-line discussions relating to ethics or in a lot of cases, the abuse of the standards that we birders and photographers have a duty to uphold (so-to-speak). The areas of concern most commonly discussed are in general - baiting (predominantly owl baiting), call playing to attract birds and trespass. I have been a birder and an avid bird/nature photographer now for several years, but if you were to ask me to choose one I would have to say I'm a birder first, and as such, bird welfare is of prime importance to me.
I will comment on each of those areas as I see them and mention my own personal standpoint on each of the issues. Some of you may agree and some will likely disagree but keep in mind it's just an opinion, my opinion. The comments may seem a tad frivolous on some points, but I believe them to realistic.
Baiting: Have I ever baited an owl .. No, never and never will. I believe it is (borderline) breaking the "rules". Yes I have been there when owl baiting has taken place. Did I voice an opinion to the person who was actively baiting, in the case I'm thinking of, a Snowy Owl. No I didn't. Why not? ... well as I mentioned earlier I believe it to be (marginally) unethical. Owls feed on rodents in the wild - they don't care if they are field mice or a pet store white mouse, and will it prevent the owl from fending for itself once the baiter has gone - of course not. Owls are dynamic hunters and will resume their normal hunting instincts immediately. Percentage wise baited owls are likely in the 0.1% at best. I read recently about the results of an enquiry to the Ministry regarding this issue. The Ministry's point of view on this, is that it is not illegal to bait owls, but it is illegal to introduce non-native species to the wild ie white mice from a pet store. Let's say I was a baiter (I'm not - keep that in mind) - I would simply trap field mice, then use these poor creatures instead, and so I would get around that particular legal issue pretty easily. A common argument is - if it is OK to hang bird feeders, lay out seed for Finches etc, feed Hummingbirds using sugar water, then what is so different about owl baiting - can't the hummingbirds & finches find their own food - will they forget about their traditional food source, and again - of course not! I also think it is important to note that - do you think that the National Geographic, and similar organizations, Photographers just sit and wait for that particular bird to miraculously fly straight at the camera for that killer shot ... I won't even answer my own question here!
Using pre-recorded calls to attract birds: Another delicate issue that has been debated to death out there between birders & bird photographers. The OFO has publicized a code of ethics and their take on this issue is ... Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds. They should be used sparingly and avoided in heavily birded areas. This appears to me to be a very common sense approach to this issue & practice. I quite often use bird calls during certain times of the year, primarily to get the birds attention or to attract him/her to a good photography vantage point. My own technique is to play a very short burst of song (no more than 7 or 8 seconds) and then switch of for several minutes. I've found that this technique is quite successful as it often appears that the target bird comes looking for the source in the periods of silence, having his/her initial interest piqued by the initial short call. Songbirds are constantly being bombarded with rival calls, as they vie for territory in any particular area, so hearing other calls is normal to them. What I do object to is bird photographers loop playing calls through a high output speaker for a significant amount of time. This overkill technique is unacceptable and can prevent or distract the bird from feeding or food foraging. Using discretion is the name of the game - keep the calls to a minimum and never linger too long in any one area, especially if you have used calls during that time.
Trespass: Private property is just that private, and we must as ethical naturalists, birders & photographers respect the privacy of others, at all times. My own approach to this is to, 100% of the time, never cross the line where private property is posted, or even when not posted never to climb a fence or gate to enter that area. To be honest there are significant areas designated as public - Conservation Areas, parks, Crown Lands, Provincial Parks, City property, etc so I have never felt the need to trespass on private property. Even on Public property it is mandatory that we stick to the trails, never damage the property by breaking down branches and the like, and generally never abuse the right to use these areas.
A few thoughts on birding, and bird photography ethics. Over the last year or so there has been a increase in the on-line discussions relating to ethics or in a lot of cases, the abuse of the standards that we birders and photographers have a duty to uphold (so-to-speak). The areas of concern most commonly discussed are in general - baiting (predominantly owl baiting), call playing to attract birds and trespass. I have been a birder and an avid bird/nature photographer now for several years, but if you were to ask me to choose one I would have to say I'm a birder first, and as such, bird welfare is of prime importance to me.
I will comment on each of those areas as I see them and mention my own personal standpoint on each of the issues. Some of you may agree and some will likely disagree but keep in mind it's just an opinion, my opinion. The comments may seem a tad frivolous on some points, but I believe them to realistic.
Baiting: Have I ever baited an owl .. No, never and never will. I believe it is (borderline) breaking the "rules". Yes I have been there when owl baiting has taken place. Did I voice an opinion to the person who was actively baiting, in the case I'm thinking of, a Snowy Owl. No I didn't. Why not? ... well as I mentioned earlier I believe it to be (marginally) unethical. Owls feed on rodents in the wild - they don't care if they are field mice or a pet store white mouse, and will it prevent the owl from fending for itself once the baiter has gone - of course not. Owls are dynamic hunters and will resume their normal hunting instincts immediately. Percentage wise baited owls are likely in the 0.1% at best. I read recently about the results of an enquiry to the Ministry regarding this issue. The Ministry's point of view on this, is that it is not illegal to bait owls, but it is illegal to introduce non-native species to the wild ie white mice from a pet store. Let's say I was a baiter (I'm not - keep that in mind) - I would simply trap field mice, then use these poor creatures instead, and so I would get around that particular legal issue pretty easily. A common argument is - if it is OK to hang bird feeders, lay out seed for Finches etc, feed Hummingbirds using sugar water, then what is so different about owl baiting - can't the hummingbirds & finches find their own food - will they forget about their traditional food source, and again - of course not! I also think it is important to note that - do you think that the National Geographic, and similar organizations, Photographers just sit and wait for that particular bird to miraculously fly straight at the camera for that killer shot ... I won't even answer my own question here!
Using pre-recorded calls to attract birds: Another delicate issue that has been debated to death out there between birders & bird photographers. The OFO has publicized a code of ethics and their take on this issue is ... Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds. They should be used sparingly and avoided in heavily birded areas. This appears to me to be a very common sense approach to this issue & practice. I quite often use bird calls during certain times of the year, primarily to get the birds attention or to attract him/her to a good photography vantage point. My own technique is to play a very short burst of song (no more than 7 or 8 seconds) and then switch of for several minutes. I've found that this technique is quite successful as it often appears that the target bird comes looking for the source in the periods of silence, having his/her initial interest piqued by the initial short call. Songbirds are constantly being bombarded with rival calls, as they vie for territory in any particular area, so hearing other calls is normal to them. What I do object to is bird photographers loop playing calls through a high output speaker for a significant amount of time. This overkill technique is unacceptable and can prevent or distract the bird from feeding or food foraging. Using discretion is the name of the game - keep the calls to a minimum and never linger too long in any one area, especially if you have used calls during that time.
Trespass: Private property is just that private, and we must as ethical naturalists, birders & photographers respect the privacy of others, at all times. My own approach to this is to, 100% of the time, never cross the line where private property is posted, or even when not posted never to climb a fence or gate to enter that area. To be honest there are significant areas designated as public - Conservation Areas, parks, Crown Lands, Provincial Parks, City property, etc so I have never felt the need to trespass on private property. Even on Public property it is mandatory that we stick to the trails, never damage the property by breaking down branches and the like, and generally never abuse the right to use these areas.