Finally, something helpful for us novice bird watchers and 
photographers!!  THANK YOU!!!
Cindy Carsey


On 12/2/2014 12:16 PM, G M ARCHAMBAULT wrote:
> How To Stalk a Bird 101.
>
> It occurs to me that I've seen little by way of suggestion on how best to approach a bird, and there are some "right" ways that generally work better and more often than not.
>
> A lot of city-folk birders might not have grown up around wildlife, and therefor not know how to approach a bird.
>
> Generally, one doesn't march right up to a bird.  Generally, this will cause a bird to fly or swim away from the direct approach.
> I watched an earnest photographer start to walk right up on a wagtail once, and I bit my tongue not to be accusatory or critical, but worded my suggestion something like the following: "Try not looking directly at the bird or walking directly toward it.  Rather, try zig-zagging your way gradually toward the bird, with each zigzag in your path, walk past the bird, but getting slightly closer with each pass.  Squint when looking directly at the bird to make your eyes less obvious -- a pair of eyes staring at you would make me want to stop what I'm doing and get away."  I thereupon watched her methodically zigzag  toward the bird, eventually getting quite close to it and achieving her coveted photos without flushing the bird.  It just took a few minutes, and the wagtail "tuned her out."  Consider wearing a cap with a visor to help obscure your eyes:  tilting you head down can help hide your eyes when the bird looks up or toward you.
>
> "Bird like a Trogon."  You may have seen how a trogon sits still for minutes, just turning its head slowly, watching for a moving insect.  Keeping your movements and gestures to a minimum helps you blend in to the habitat and birds often eventually "tune you out," seeing you as non-threatening.  No need to wave your arms around while pointing.  Slow, methodical movements are generally better.  Running toward a bird is generally counter-productive (I've seen a mass of birders run toward an endangered species coming in for a landing once.  The bird aborted the landing and was never seen again.)
>
> Needless to say, reduce your profile.  Big people tend to scare birds more than small people.  Dark-skinned people can have an advantage over light-skinned people (e.g., within a dark forest).  Bear in mind that, if you wear eyeglasses or wield a big lens without a hood on it, the glass can catch the light and scare the bird, if it's skittish.    Exposed faces of wristwatches can do the same thing.  A giant sombrero would keep the sun off you, but your profile would scare the bejesus out of a small, skittish bird.  Wide-brimmed hats make your profile larger than a baseball cap.  Be aware of the shadow you cast:  shadows make you look all the larger.  All you need to have happen is let your shadow fall across a roosting nightjar and watch the bird fly off to realize you've goofed.   Consider sitting on the ground, if safe, or using a small folding stool.  I've had shorebirds cluster around me from doing so, when they would never tolerate me standing at
>   full height.
>
> Usually it's better to wear muted colors, not bright white clothing (unless you're in snow).  Everyone knows that.
>
> Birders, especially in groups, can sometimes talk a lot.  Once a birder has seen the bird well, we can become careless and start talking as if the bird is no longer there or as if there aren't other birders still soaking up the view.  I've heard birders describing out loud such things as, "Oh, look, it's turning its head.  Oh, look:  it's scratching," etc.  If we're looking, we can see that, so running commentary might not be necessary.  We've all heard the "Wow, it's so beautiful" comment countless times.  Nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but if someone's recording the bird's song, maybe not a good idea.  Hard to restrain ourselves, but I always say, I wouldn't walk into your church and start talking in a normal voice.  I'd whisper and be reverential.  Same thing when we are out in nature, which is sort of a church for a lot of us.
>
> Be aware of noise you or your equipment make:  camera shutter noise can diminish the experience for non-photographers.  Flash can not only scare a bird away, but diminish the experience for non-photographers trying to see a species for the first time.  I'm not saying flash or cameras are bad, just that we should be aware of others and be judicious.
>
> Maybe there are some other positive suggestions folks can offer about seeing a bird well.  I learned the above from trial and error.  Or, ideas about helping others out -- e.g., practice giving directions to a bird, to keep yourself "in shape"  Giving accurate, quick directions is a godsend to people whose reaction times are slower or whose eyesight is no longer 20/20.
>
> -Ken Archambault, Birmingham, Alabama
>
>
> On Tuesday, December 2, 2014 10:13 AM, "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
>
> Very well articulated, Casey, and I very much agree. It's easy to get
> frustrated when you've been patiently watching from a distance trying to
> get a good view and some doofus just walks up and scares the bird away. But
> put your feelings aside and take the opportunity to approach the person in
> a kind and helpful manner... "Hey, I don't want you to get in trouble...
> but what you did constitutes harassing a migratory bird, which is
> illegal.... (introduce yourself) Let me show you a better way... etc." You
> are much more likely to make a positive impact and change that person's
> behavior for the better. And if they are the unethical type, they'll get
> the message that they can't get away with it scot free. (makes two fingers
> to eyes "we're watching you" sign)  :-)
>
> Karen Gray
> Summit County
>
> On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 5:06 PM, Manon Van Schoyck <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> 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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> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
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