All in all, folks, I obviously was not saying all wildlife photographers are
unethical any more than I'd say all birders are. I "outed" Rob Royse because
sending such a comment is totally unnecessary. There are better ways to
handle the situation. It's over .   Onward we go!

                                                                Manon

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Casey
Tucker
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2014 4:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] Ethics or Understanding

Hi All,
I've been following the discussion of ethics in birders and photographers
with some interest, and was hesitant to weigh-in on the subject, but felt
that I could, hopefully, add some perspective.
I use to think that the issue was a lack of ethics, but after careful
consideration I don't think anyone intentionally acts unethically (there are
always exceptions, but I hope they are few and far between).
I think the issue is a lack of knowledge and understanding.  There are more
photographers than ever now as digital cameras have become prolific in our
daily lives in everything from our phones, tablets, laptops, and more
affordable digital SLR cameras and big lenses, and digi-scoping.  The camera
has become a standard piece of birding equipment right alongside the field
guide and the pair of binoculars.
Couple this proliferation of cameras with a major influx of new nature
watchers who are coming to birding, mothing, dragonflying (sp?), etc.
through more non-traditional routes like social media (Facebook, Twitter,
Blogs, etc.).
Many of us learned our birding skills and behaviors from mentors that were
willing to take us out and teach us what to look for and how to behave
around birds and other wildlife.  Whether it was going out and birding with
a local Audubon Chapter field trip leader, or a more one-on-one mentor, or a
more formalized ornithology class; knowledge and skill was passed down
through first-hand field experience.  Many of the new nature watchers, who
are coming to the field via the technology outlets, are lacking this
mentor-ship and guidance.  As a result they don't know how to behave around
birds, and they're anxious to get photos of the birds they're seeing without
consideration of how they're impacting those birds, or affecting other
observers around them.
Unfortunately, charismatic species that receive a lot of media attention,
like Snowy Owls, are going to be subject to receive more attention from
these new observers/photographers than other species.
My recommendation is that if you have the opportunity, take a new observer
under your wing and mentor them.  If you see someone doing something
questionable, give them the benefit of the doubt, don't jump on them, and
try to explain the situation to them.  Also try to point them to a local
Audubon chapter or birding club where they can get some further mentoring.
I know, first-hand, that this doesn't always work and it can be infuriating
when you see a repeat offender, but I think if we can spend more time
promoting positive behaviors than blaming we'll go a lot further at
resolving this issue.  Likewise, it would be good if managers and
participants on social media birding groups would help promote positive
behaviors when you post a bird observation to one of those groups.
I do apologize that this does not include a bird observation, but I think
it's necessary to include this kind of extra information for newcomers to
Ohio's birding community.  Hopefully, more dialogue like this will help
improve bird-human encounters in the future.
Thanks,
Casey Tuckerhttp://tuckercasey.wix.com/aacri-birds

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______________________________________________________________________

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Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
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