OHIO-BIRDS Archives

September 2015

OHIO-BIRDS@LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU

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From:
Nic Shayko <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Nic Shayko <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 28 Sep 2015 12:37:46 -0400
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The attacking of fellow birders in the community is getting old. Shaming people who don't bird for the same reasons that you do. No one has the right to see a rare or even a common bird. Most people on the listserv seem to get very upset when someone or something prevents them from seeing a bird they want to see. Trust me, I get it, driving multiple hours to not see a bird because someone else possibly scared it away sucks. Still, I want to call out some hypocrisy here. There are levels that everyone goes to see birds, and birders seem not to mind. Why is standing 100 feet away from a bird ok but trying to see the bird in a kayak 20 feet away wrong? Both could possibly stress the bird and flush it. Clearly one is more likely, but as birders we are all drawing the line somewhere.

Now I don't have a scope, no way I could afford one. My favorite type of birds are shorebirds. I most of all like seeing birds up close. Frankly, I rather see a semi-palm plover from point blank range than a Ruff from 200 feet away. So when I seek out shorebirds, I try to get as close as possible without disturbing the bird or the habitat. How do I know I am too close? When the bird seems stressed or is flushed away. It is an inexact science. Am I am terrible person because I learning something new about a shorebird when I see it? I don't think so. Seeing the birds close makes me appreciate them more than checking off a list.

I love list, but it is not why I bird. Others love list which is why they drive 3 hours to see a Ruff in Ohio, which is only a rare bird in the US. I in fact when on a ruff hunt this spring and failed miserably. Some people like getting great pictures, and some just like having an excuse to be outside. There are plenty of great reasons to bird. Different reasons are going to lead to different priories.

Of course we should all be mindful of the birds and of other people. Be a prudent birder. But if you are that upset that you didn't see a bird, your concern isn't for the health of a bird, your concern is you not seeing it. Birders are not the ones making birding harder, it is the destruction of the habitat by those who don't appreciate them like we do.

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