Birders vs. Photographers

Harryb

I saw this posted on another forum and found it interesting. Its from an e-mail circulating on birders' lists.

"Good morning FlaBirders,

While working in Brevard County for the last couple of days, I had the
opportunity yesterday morning to make my first time visit to the Viera
Wetlands and enjoy viewing the infamous Masked Duck.

Arriving around 7:15 in the morning, the weather was cool and clear with the morning sun rising to my back. Locating this beautiful little stifftail was
not a problem since there were 5 photographers already crowding the scene.

This little duck was still within the protection of a small cove
encompassed by emergent vegetation about 80 feet from the top of the dike road. Setting up my scope on the edge of the road, I enjoyed watching this unusual visitor preen and prepare to feed. As she moved out into more open water closer to the toe of the dike, she began her feeding dives. With full views of this little duck in my scope, I was able to watch her realign her mantle and scapular feathers and reduce her body size by exhaling just before each dive. The details of her feathering were absolutely beautiful. Following her bubble trail, she would pop back up like the proverbial cork almost in the same location as she dove, glance at the accumulation of photographers on the shoreline, then dive again.

Her dark eyes were bright and very intent on keeping watch on these
photographers. An uneasiness was obvious in her appearance and actions.
Once she moved into the open water to feed, several of the photographers moved along the shoreline to attempt "in you face" shots of this little
girl. She did not care for their actions and after a brief open water
appearance, moved back into the cove to feed in the dense underwater
vegetation. Each time she emerged after a dive, she was partly covered with vegetation, shaking it off while preparing for another dive. It appeared that the open water was her preferred feeding area but she was not
comfortable there with the proximity of the photographers.

I suggested to the photographers that if they would move away from the
water's edge and up to the roadway, she would probably venture back to the open water where the sun was just starting to provide excellent lighting. The response from one determined photo buff was that he was at this spot yesterday with many birders and this little duck fed out in the open at that time. For some reason, he was not able to understand that he and several others were obviously intimidating this beautiful little duck during this morning. And shortly after his response, she decided to move further back into the protected cove behind a stand of emergent vegetation to preen.

This ended up being an interesting study between these determined
photographers and wildlife, something I would rather not have observed. But having the opportunity to observe this attractive duck was reward in itself. "

Gale

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
You know how I feel about the birders.
At least photogs don't try to run you over or run into your car.

Phyxius

Why can't we all just get along?

Just a hunch, but I don't think I'd like that guy very much. (The birder)

Brooks P

Obviously there was a difference of opinion on how tolerant the duck was to human presence. My experience with the Hummingbirds that frequent my yard, is that their tolerance varies from one day to the next, or even from one part of the day to another part of the day. Sometimes they fly off the trees and power lines if I’m in the yard, other times they will let me approach within inches. May have something to due with how hungry they are too, I have had Hummers come and land on the feeder when I am carrying it across the yard to hang it up after refilling it.

Reading the article I think the author has some personal prejudices, I think he/she is also “assigning”, assigning human traits, emotions and thought processes to an animal. Not having actually been there makes it difficult to judge whether or not the photographers were actually bothering the bird, or if the bird was just doing what it wanted to do without much thought to the people present. It sounds like this spot may have a lot of human visitors and the ducks may well be accustomed to their presence. We are only getting one side of the story, but rather than upset this person, I probably would have pulled back some, unless I was really intent on filming the ducks while they were in the cove, and I didn’t think I would get another opportunity under the current conditions.

dragon300zx

The birder must not have seen the gator swimmin round. Then he woulda known what spooked the bird.

raptorcaptor

On the other hand I have seen photographers behave with little, or no respect for their subject matter, or the protected areas where they shoot.
For example throwing stones at a bird so you can get a flight shot. This kind of stuff doesn't endear us to anyone!

jwear

raptorcaptor wrote:

On the other hand I have seen photographers behave with little, or no respect for their subject matter, or the protected areas where they shoot.
For example throwing stones at a bird so you can get a flight shot. This kind of stuff doesn't endear us to anyone!

I will second this one or sit and smoke while they shoot that's why I carry two things to shot

Harryb

Last week I went down to the wetlands on a weekday morn at sunrise. Usually at that time and during the week I'm just about the only person there. On that day there were 9 carloads of birders running around. That masked duck is rare and the alert went out on the birder's hotline. We have had birders from out of state running in to catch a view of that damed duck.

Photographers and birders have different agendas. Shooters want to get into shooting range for a capture and birders are usually quite satisfied with along view through their spotting scopes and binoculars. Usually the majority of both groups are nice and usually considerate. A minority of birders unfortunately at times can be self righteous prigs. Also they tend to be less considerate when they get in their obsessive mode.

Last week I was behind a birder who was traveling very, very slowly. As he drove he was looking through his binoculars. At one point he must have seen something of interest because he stopped, again never taking his eyes away from his binoculars. Then he started to back up w/o taking his eyes away from his binoculars. :yikes. He never thought that there might be someone else in his private little world. If I hadn't honked him he would have plowed right into my car.

On Monday I went over to where that bloody duck hangs out and there were 4 cars there. Three were on the side of the road and one van was in the middle of the road blocking traffic. There were 4 photographers and one birder viewing the duck. When they left the van turned out to belong to the birder.

I had to laugh at the birder's complaint here because I have viewed that bloody duck on a few occasions and the behavior she described appears to me to be its normal behavior. It likes to stay close to cover even when no one is close to the waterline. Also I have noticed that the horde of birders who have descended on the wetlands while very considerate of that bloody duck are rather oblivious to the impact of their descent on the other birds in the wetlands.

Again most birders are great folks and there are also loutish photographers too but this person's whine is just unfounded and a product more of her prejudices than reality.

jwear

Harry that damm duck is a big trouble maker --have it mounted you know Harry that us wildlife shooters are at the bottom of the barrel looking up .Folks that are always right can do as they please the rules are only for the rest of us just ask a someone with $$$$ ,lawyer ,politician or a birder

jwear

raptorcaptor wrote:

Barrel of a five thousand dollar lens!

my barrel is gone :cry

Harryb

Thought some visaul aids might help -

here's a lousy picture of that lousy duck


Here's a shot of some of her fans. Notice the car in the middle of the road (frame left). Yep it belonged to a birder

raptorcaptor

Probably hasn't learned to drive into a ditch yet!

saurora

raptorcaptor wrote:

Probably hasn't learned to drive into a ditch yet!

:lol

BigAl

raptorcaptor wrote:

On the other hand I have seen photographers behave with little, or no respect for their subject matter, or the protected areas where they shoot.
For example throwing stones at a bird so you can get a flight shot. This kind of stuff doesn't endear us to anyone!

The worst I've had in this vein is a "photog" cutting a branch on which a nest was built and then moving it to a spot in better light. Needless to say, the chicks were gone the next day.

On the other hand tickers (can't call them birders as all they are looking for is a tick on a list), will, literally, thrash a place to pieces if the word gets around that there's a special in the vicinity.

Tolerance is not a word recognised too easily by either group...

(been active in both birding and photog circles, so am allowed to comment - have ticked [without thrashing] more than 900 African birds )