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Re: Snowy Owl Disturbance- in PA by MD birder

From:

Sarah Anderson

Reply-To:

Sarah Anderson

Date:

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 20:33:32 -0500

 Last year in Illinois the photographers were throwing mice out into the field where the Snowy Owl was hanging out.  Then they would take photos of it "hunting" and pass them off as though they had captured their very own National Geographic moment.  

As a birder AND a bird photographer this selfish behavior makes me sick.  There is no thought given to the bird, other than to make it "perform", there is no thought given to the environment (re: the introduction of potentially non-native and/or diseased rodents), absolutely no consideration for birders and cheapens every single photograph of hunting raptors, because one can no longer be sure that the photographer took the time and effort to be in the right place at the right time to capture a wild animal doing its thing.  And then of course there is the potential for someone like me, who takes the ethics of bird photography seriously to be viewed with skepticism or worse by birders who have had a bad experience with other photographers.  There are plenty of bird photographers who are ethical - believe it or not, there is an official code of ethics for wildlife photographers!!  ... but the only way you can tell which ones are and which ones aren't is by behavior.

I'm glad that the person in PA "enlightened" that photographer about the consequences of his behavior, I hope it sank in.  People like him are ruining it for everyone else.

 
<end of rant>

Sarah B. Anderson
Cabin John, MD
www.sarahanderson.net

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Leo Weigant <>
To: MDOSPREY <>
Sent: Thu, Feb 2, 2012 6:38 pm
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Snowy Owl Disturbance- in PA by MD birder


	This excerpt is from the Michigan RBA, today: 										(Lenawee Co.  
is  SW of Ann Arbor & NW of Toledo)

Subject: Re: Lenawee Co. / Snowy Owl - NOT found
From: John Lowry <john AT kingbird.org>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 18:07:21 -0500
A local told me that a photographer or birder with a camera walked  
out                    into the field and got close enough to flush  
the bird. I don't think it's been 		seen since.
	The French have a saying:															 "The more things change,  
the more they stay the same."
	Leo Weigant



On Feb 2, 2012, at 5:21 PM, Andy Wilson wrote:

> I'm forwarding this from the PA Birding List - with permission of  
> Nathan
> Thomas. Another depressing report of a birder/photographer behaving  
> badly.
>
> Nathan's original post:
>
> I just wanted to update and make a comment on the Snowy Owl that  
> used to be
> along Mud Level Road.  I stopped out to show my wife and son the  
> bird this
> morning and we got a great look.  Unfortunately while we were out  
> there a
> "birder" from Maryland, who wanted to get a better picture of the  
> bird using
> his inadequate lens, got permission to walk into the field where  
> the bird
> was sitting.  He continued to approach until it finally flew.  It  
> passed
> directly overhead and continued to fly out of sight to the  
> northwest over
> Britton Road.  I waited for the "birder" and explained to him what his
> actions overall may mean to birders who would have continued to  
> appreciate
> the bird.  I also briefly explained the ABA code of ethics.
> <http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html> I consider myself a birder  
> and so do
> all of you, but I don't think any of us wish to consider ourselves  
> in the
> same category as this guy.  Lets hope the bird comes back.
> Nathan Thomas
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Shippensburg, PA
> Cumberland County
>
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