Just a friendly note about nesting birds

Rohirrim

I think we are all excited about spring and the possibility of photographing birds nesting. Please remember that getting close to some nesting birds can be detrimental to the birds nesting process. This is especially true for Raptors. Many Raptors will abandon a nest if they feel threatened.

There are many areas that birds can be viewed/photographed while nesting as well. So common sense and a good knowledge of your subject is needed before attempting to take photos or even just observing nesting birds. If there is any doubt that you may disturb a nesting bird then it may be best to pass on any photos.

Regards,

David_S85

Good advice! I have heard the same of cardinals, which prefer to nest low, in bushes. Way too easy to disturb them by sticking a great big lens right up to their beaks. But don't!

Thusie

Steve,

Wonderful and very timely adviceclap

PossumCorner

Rohirrim wrote:

... then it may be best to pass on any photos. ...

Good thinking. It would put the thread in line with The Bird Forum which does not allow images of nests or eggs to be posted.

ginger_55

When I took the photo of the Egret egg, I didn't even know it was an egret egg, I thought it was a bit of trash in the nest. It is a rookery provided by Magnolia Gardens for the birds to roost as they wish. They are in a swamp, far away, as I have whined about before.

I know you were "speaking" more of the little birds, or birds that are closer than most wading birds.

But why won't that site, which I will go to, but that is pretty broad saying "NO EGGS".

Annoyed w no coffee yet,

ginger

Thusie

ginger_55 wrote:

But why won't that site, which I will go to, but that is pretty broad saying "NO EGGS".

Annoyed w no coffee yet,

ginger

Ginger just a guess, but I bet that is to keep idiots from really disturbing nests to get shots of eggs. Make it blanket across the board keeps it simple.

get some coffee:):

jwear

Rohirrim wrote:

I think we are all excited about spring and the possibility of photographing birds nesting. Please remember that getting close to some nesting birds can be detrimental to the birds nesting process. This is especially true for Raptors. Many Raptors will abandon a nest if they feel threatened.

There are many areas that birds can be viewed/photographed while nesting as well. So common sense and a good knowledge of your subject is needed before attempting to take photos or even just observing nesting birds. If there is any doubt that you may disturb a nesting bird then it may be best to pass on any photos.

Regards,

this is not just good advice but we should follow this same idea year round . good thread steve

PossumCorner

ginger_55 wrote:

....that site, which I will go to, but that is pretty broad saying "NO EGGS" ....ginger

Hi Ginger, I think Thusie is probably right. I only found birdforum.net recently - that notice is on the Gallery rather than the forums section. I guessed it was because birdforum seems to be part of the 'birding world' first, rather than the photography world. So maybe they feel a need to stress their conservation slant to make people more aware of any impact, as you say, on some of the smaller birds that can be frightened into deserting a nest.

For sure commonsense (as Rohirrim first said) has to play a part here, but birdforum has another interesting (to me) rule for its galleries. No images taken of caged birds, and no zoo-shots. That I like, because zoo shots generally make me feel uncomfortable: I always see the misery and despair in the shots instead of feeling "what a lovely tiger/gorilla" as the photographer probably intended. They probably have their place, and their use in a research sense, I just don't feel right about them as "Nature and Wildlife" as they are more of a "Un-natural and Captive Life" subject.

I kow your egrets are not easy to get to for you, but it would be good to see a follow-up shot or two of a hatched chick's progress.

ginger_55

Hi, last year I followed them until November, I have lots of hatched shots. The only nest that was close enough for any one to disturb was subtly moved by the naturalists before the eggs hatched.

It was interesting watching the birds even after they could fly, but they sure didn't make good decisions as to landings, etc. Some funny stuff in the fall.

Harry, lots of us have hatched shots.

That place, that bird forum, I have not posted back here because it seemed like work. In one place it says no egg or nest shots. But in the list of rules it says that some egg/nest shots are OK, that it is up to the moderators. It mentions birds that nest far enough to be comfortable with the photographers and it specifically mentions Ospreys. (Now would I just post on there and wait for the mods to make a decision, so stupid, IMO, two different wordings, very diff rules, same site.)

I have a place with a nesting Osprey. It is by the side of the road. That bird hates me, I do not get good shots, but I do have shots. It is the adults who hate me. And I am sure that my presence/car do upset those birds.

But the egrets don't care, truly don't. They are in the middle of a swamp. If by accident one lands in a tree close to me, they fly away. I don't have as close an access as say the florida people do. And the birds do have control. People walk by them all the time, they just do their thing, photography or not. One tree is particularly easy for afternoon light and a 400mm lens. In fact, one of my best shots is a reflection of the whole thing with a 70-200 mm lens. But I do have follow up shots. I made a point on that.







This is at a different place. Closer, but I don't like it as well. But the birds are certainly not bothered. The only way you can see them is to climb one of those things way above the tree tops, have a very long lens (this was a 300 w extender (s)).

The people who live in that housing place are antsy about strangers come into what is a public area and taking photos. And there is no where to park. Then you can't see anything except from that perch.

Where I like to go is old rice fields, with those dike things to walk on. So I can walk around and the birds are spread out. It is a "total" outdoor experience. Some birds closer, some far away.

ginger

below is another one from the area I like, the birds are a bit older than the top photo, I went every week, often more than once a week. I have an annual pass, it is a huge old plantation area.......many photo ops, but I prefer this swamp/rookery area.

gtc

nesting/eggs
re nesting birds-long telephoto shots can be ok but the main point i am in agreement with- close up shots requiring close approaches to nests are a no-no.

your egret nest shots should be ok-ground nesters with long point beaks

are a little less nervous.


old time birders used to set up camera and flash right near the nest from a hide or via remote control or trip beams so that the flash fired avery time the bird visited the nest.

it is seriously frowned upon due to the disturbance it causes-eg nest abandonment and stress-plus shots of anxious birds just dont look very good

raptors definition of close and ours differ markedly-so keep yourself hidden (eg invest in a hide) and shoot from a distance

robert mccane

great shot's:):

Harryb

This is an area where you have to use your common sense. The egg shots I have gotten have been at rookeries. The egrets nest in these rookeries because the trees are in water that is occupied by gators. The gators keep predators (i.e racoons) away from the nests. In this setting the egrets are not affected by the presence of humans.

There are other birds in other setting who will be affected by homans coming to close to their nest. The Viera Wetlands will close certain sections of the wetlands when they discover nesting birds so that humans don't scare them away from their nest.

Birdforum

Can I just clarify the birdforum rules.

No Egg shots: Yes, primarily because of potential disturbance when taking the photo BUT ALSO in Europe there is a pastime, now illegal in the U.K., of egg collecting. Photos of eggs may be of use to these people as books on the subject of wild bird eggs have been withdrawn from circulation in the U.K.

Egg collectors have brought many rare species close to extinction in the U.K. They are highly motivated individuals sometimes using rock climbing & abseiling techniques to raid nests. This is why certain species in the U.K. have a 24hr guard on them.

Nest Photos. We do allow photos that are obviously taken from extreme distances using super telephoto lenses or digiscoping methods. We also allow photos taken from official public viewing areas, eg. those set up for Ospreys in the U.K. We also allow stills from nestbox videocameras.

If you upload a photo and birdforum staff deem it to be taken from too close a range, then it will be deleted... but get over it and move on, it's no big deal, upload something else instead.

The birds (and all wild anaimals) come first at birdforum, not photo opportunities. For the sake of something as trivial as a photo, why take the chance of disturbing breeding birds?

Regards,
Birdforum

Osprey Whisperer

:

ginger_55

Good Gosh, Mike! Did you climb into the nest with them?????:photo (Smile) I guess I should take this more seriously!

My osprey hate me, but they are next to a highway!

My egrets are in a swamp full of alligators, and how can someone know, for sure, with some of my photos how long my lens is.

I only know of one small bird nest. Never knew about it til this spring when this little tree where I park my car, the tree's branches were bare, and I was sitting in my car when a bird checked it out. I did not get a "shot" off. But I was sitting in my car: have to park somewhere in front of these townhouses. If I don't, someone else will. And it doesn't flood in that spot when it rains.

Haven't seen a bird near it since.

g

Harryb

Birdforum wrote:

Can I just clarify the birdforum rules.

No Egg shots: Yes, primarily because of potential disturbance when taking the photo BUT ALSO in Europe there is a pastime, now illegal in the U.K., of egg collecting. Photos of eggs may be of use to these people as books on the subject of wild bird eggs have been withdrawn from circulation in the U.K.

Egg collectors have brought many rare species close to extinction in the U.K. They are highly motivated individuals sometimes using rock climbing & abseiling techniques to raid nests. This is why certain species in the U.K. have a 24hr guard on them.

Nest Photos. We do allow photos that are obviously taken from extreme distances using super telephoto lenses or digiscoping methods. We also allow photos taken from official public viewing areas, eg. those set up for Ospreys in the U.K. We also allow stills from nestbox videocameras.

If you upload a photo and birdforum staff deem it to be taken from too close a range, then it will be deleted... but get over, it's no big deal, upload something else instead.

The birds (and all wild anaimals) come first at birdforum, not photo opportunities. For the sake of something as trivial as a photo, why take the chance of disturbing breeding birds?

Regards,
Birdforum

Thanks for the info. Your rules appear to be common sense to me. If our wildlife isn't protected then we all lose.

Thanks for your good work.

Harryb

I felt this thread over at Naturescapes was informative

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=66750