Re: [nysbirds-l] ethics, photographers, knee-jerks, op-eds

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:51:59 -0800

Well said Fred and Peter. 
-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Baumgarten
Sent: Feb 6, 2012 12:38 PM
To: NYSBirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] ethics, photographers, knee-jerks, op-eds

I like Peter's posting and would like to add a few thoughts.  Maybe I'm missing something, but the question that doesn't seem to be fully addressed is: What do we do about it?
 
Keeping sightings off the listserves is one solution, but one that a lot of people, myself included, have difficulty with.  As others have pointed out, it fosters an attitude of elitism and exclusivity that many have tried to overcome in the birding community.
 
Moreover, I'm not convinced it would make that big a difference.  There is an implication here that those who get sightings off a listserve are somehow inherently less respectful birders.  I'm not buying that.  Just because I read about an owl online rather than go trekking to Jones Beach, say, to look for one myself isn't going to change the way I go about looking at the bird.  (That is to say, hopefully with respect.)
 
You could argue that posting increases the numbers, and thereby increases the chances of malfeasance.  Maybe.  But I'm not convinced other channels wouldn't have the same effect.  If a Snowy Owl showed up at Breezy Point, word would travel, listserve or not.  And to the person who suggested posting the general area, not the specific dune, that just seems pointless to me.  Having to search far and wide makes one more respectful than zeroing in on the spot?
 
There's also an ancillary benefit to the postings, in my opinion.  I like to know!  99% of the time I don't get out to look for the bird myself, but it excites me to know what's going on in the world of birding and rarities.
 
I'm intrigued by the photographer/birder who says he gets within 15 feet (or yards, I can't remember which) of the owl, and that's enough to keep the bird from flushing.  How does he decide what the "correct" distance is?  Is he still walking through fragile dunes to get to his mythical line?  While I have no bias against photographers vs. birders, might we admit that to get a good shot, a professional or amateur photographer has to approach a bird considerably closer than a birder to get a "satisfactory" shot/look?  So we are back to the question of what do we do?  The problem is not going to go away on its own.
 
Another source of confusion: What are we trying to protect?  The habitat, the bird, or every birder's right at having a fair chance of seeing the bird?  Or all three?  The conditions for each may be very different.  If the dunes at Breezy Point are closed off to protect the habitat, then the solution is to enforce those boundaries absolutely, and maybe we need to find out how we can enhance enforcement.
 
I suggest, as have others, that ultimately the answer lies in educating ourselves and others in proper birding ethics and etiquette.  We need to think creatively and without blaming about how to do this.  Maybe birders out to see a Snowy Owl can bring a sign with them that explains the proper viewing distance and behavior.  Maybe we need to somehow designate "captains" to regulate viewing, and at least provide powerful viewing equipment for visitors to share.  Maybe we need to have designated times when photographers can go closer for shots. 
 
I don't know.  But we need to keep working for solutions, together, constructively.
 
--Fred--
 
Fred Baumgarten
Sharon, CT/Westchester, NY
And Points In-between

 
On Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 12:17 PM, Peter Priolo <priolope...@hotmail.com> wrote:
List Members:

I am a recent subscriber of this list-serve.  Having read some but not all of the comments and opinions on the encroachment of birds for whatever the motive, I have decided to share some points. From my relative outside perspective, I see this issue to be one of great controversy and I feel a sort of unrest among a community of people who may actually all be on the same side.  I want to try to make a point that the state of the birds and our shared environment will be better stewarded to if we are to unite in our efforts. I mean to say we are attacking ourselves, pointing the finger in the mirror.

Motivated by a recent statement made by the president of the ABA, I think that those of us who are personally capable of doing so, should educate others while birding in the field.  The intention of the comment was to turn non-birders on to birding, but this can apply to those who are already introduced to birds but maybe not aware of their ethical birding offenses.  Some offenders may be well aware of their offenses I understand.  But I think the state of the birds will be more sustainable in the long run if we spread the special yearning, love, investment, wonder, research, and compassion for these taxon to more and more people in the world.  It will hurt birds if birders assault each other.  Birders are a minority to begin with, we need to grow our efforts.  Some photographers may be more owl-like than owls themselves, but in most Snowy Owl photos I have seen, the owl had been looking directly at the lens implying the photographer is conspicuous to some level, but; it is the look of those bright eskimo eyes looking back at me on the post card or request for donation that encourage me to take positive action. For example, I posted a sighting this past weekend and someone traveling from NYC to Long Island saw the post, viewed the species, and sent me a thank you email. The viewpoint to see the birds was one of appropriateness and I believe no threat to the birds occurred. As a result, the passion for birds was spread among us. 

Many birders, whether hobbyist, ornithologist, photographers, conservation/preservation, PhD or 13 years old,  etc.- we all have some interest in birding that can lead to the further preservation, protection, discovery, knowledge, fund raising, support, emotional/recreational/spiritual related advancement of our worlds birds and their environment.  
 
Among other things, I am a naturalist, a birder, a photographer, a living spiritual being affected by many issues related to our avian communities and their and our environment.  I don't want to be criticized or confronted by a polarized crowd of peers demanding me to chose a side for having both a camera and a spotting scope in the field.  We are on the same side. Yes I have flushed birds in pursuit of a fleeting opportunity that I had maybe been caught up in for various reasons whether adrenaline, obsession, emotion, curiosity, data collection, accidental etc.  And I have felt the human side of remorse and regret as a result of maybe flushing an apex predator. What effect (energy conservation or intake from feeding for example) does flushing a relatively few birds, when compared to the regional population of that species, have on that species population in the long run? I'm not sure. It obviously affects birders. 

Peter Priolo
Center Moriches      



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