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Originally Posted by JeffH  Hi Akos and welcome to WAB |
Thank you.
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Originally Posted by JeffH The "fish bait trick" you refer to was described by wildlife photographer David Boag in his book 'The Kingfisher' published in 1982, a similar technique having been previously described in Rosemary and Ron Eastman's book of the same title published some 13 years earlier, though in both cases they actually used containers rather larger than "a bucket".
However and with all due respect to David Boag, the Eastmans and to you, it is a technique which in this enlightened age many consider simply too dangerous to employ. The dangers of encouraging a Kingfisher to dive into any container (and particularly one as small as a bucket) must be obvious - should the bird clip and damage or even break a wing on entry or exit this could seriously impair its ability to fly and hunt or, worse still, could result in drowning 
As we are now in the midst of the breeding season this could prove disastrous for an entire brood and, in my opinion, the practice simply cannot be condoned. |
I remember the author of the book now. I am sure it was Laurie Campbell. And you make a good point about bucket size. I just want to add and should have worded more appropriately that a LARGE container it should be so that harm is avoided altogether, there are many large laundry tubs that can be used.
Did you see the David Attenborough documentary on the
Life of birds where the large KF dives in to get a fish and you can see from below? And that was a LARGE species of kingfisher not the pooncy little ones your way and where we are. Obviously they employed a similar technique otherwise they would never have gotten the footage. Common sense is essential.
How many times have I seen a small KF dive into 40-50cm of water to catch a fish over a pebbly bottom in my neck of the woods? Many dozens if not over 100 times. They always make it in and out. Or maybe the Aussie ones are more street smart?
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Originally Posted by JeffH As you imply in the final paragraph of your 2nd post, in wildlife photography the wellbeing of the subject must always come first and no photo is worth endangering the subject. |
Yes, I agree and maintain my own ethics to do just that.
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Originally Posted by JeffH As for your perch in a bucket tip, personally I wouldn't want to have to cart around too many 5 litre buckets full of concrete and, if I may say so, it sounds a little over-engineered (or are you a bucket salesman perhaps?)  |
Are you being funny? Or just built like Mr Puniverse? Perhaps the latter. My idea works for me and I personally have no problems carting one small concrete filled bucket to a site then placing it then carry the perch(es) in. That's why the world is a great? place for no two people will ever agree.
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Originally Posted by JeffH What's wrong with simply sharpening the end of your perches and sticking them in the ground? Or, if the ground is too hard, I use a very short length of metal tubing (typically copper plumbing pipe) with one end flattened, which I drive into the ground at a suitable angle and into which I then insert the easily removable perch. It works for me |
Works for you that is great.
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Originally Posted by JeffH Finally, I would certainly reiterate what TBR and Steve S have said about the legalities of trying to get photographs of Kingfishers here in the UK |
By all means I do not wish to encourage anyone to break any rules. I guess the world is full of people that don't care about any rules or codes of conduct. Hopefully the photographic world has not many of those.