What is it i need please

[animartco]

Originally Posted by RoyW

There are all sorts of good reasons for carrying a device that plays songs and calls around. I often carry one when I'm leading walks because describing bird songs/calls is very difficult, and it is often difficult for an inexperienced person to pick out one song over other birds that may be singing at the same time if they don't know what they each sound like. If I am able to play a recording it makes it obvious what people should be listening for.

Also, if you are on your own, and hear a bird singing which you can't identify for certain but think might be (for example) a Reed Warbler, if you are able to play a recording there and then, it is far more likely that you will confirm the ID. If you wait until you get home you may end up thinking "it sounds quite like that, as far as I can remember, but the Sedge Warbler sounds similar as well".





There is basically no difference at all, except that established neighbours are already aware of the presence of the other. As for "becoming friends"... (face-palm smiley needed).





If an intruder sings within a birds established territory (which happens frequently), and then isn't seen or heard again, as far as the owner of the territory is concerned he has seen the intruder off.
Your insistence on anthropomorphizing behaviour does nothing to help your assertions, but since you insist on using them: If you hear kids messing about in your front garden and shout at them to leave without seeing them, what do you think when you open the door and find that they have gone?

But I Do go and look don't I? And instead of the expected kids I see a suspicious looking man in a van, and I rush back in quick and and sit biting my nails wondering whether to ring the police.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by animartco

Roy you do not understand the psychology of HABITUATION. A person or group venturing into a habitat ONCE is likely to do far more damage than hundreds of people walking along a popular footpath. Wildlife do, quite quickly grow habituated to disturbance if it is regular and predictable. This is why you can get so close to wildlife in much used hides. But if you put a hide in a place where no one ever goes you will have to wait for days or even weeks for the wildlife to become tame enough to approach. In the meantime any bird in a nest close to the hide would have abandoned the nest while you were putting it up. Perhaps not the species you were targetting, because you would have put the hide at a safe distance, but lots of little birds in the bushes immediately around the hide. I find that many men have this blinkered attitude. They go for ONE species and are careful with that but forget the rest.

Well I'm not a man (last time I looked) and I don't wear blinkers (last time I looked either!) and if anyone is wrong and tying themselves in a knot trying to get out of the corner you've backed yourself into - it is you animartco

Most photographers don't do nest photography anymore - in fact a lot of younger newer to photography folk have never done nest photography and when asked don't actually want to. I explained sev posts earlier that putting a hide up near a nest isn't necessary. Knowing where the nests are in an area is useful as it allows you to walk up and intersect the bird on its usual way into feed the nest - many have favourite perching posts on their way in - not near the nest where they can be intercepted by waiting a few mins. This causes no more upset or disturbance than walkers passing, cows and sheep grazing - these are all occurances that birds experience as part of their daily life. They are not living out in pristine countryside with no disturbance until a dreaded photographer appears.

Your argument is seriously flawed - on the one hand you're saying one visit does harm while birds are accustomed to habitual use - on that scale how many birds were disturbed/frightened away between the first visit and habituation?

As for much used hides getting us close to birds - I do wish that one was true - just think how many photos of bittern, pine martin, capercaillie, eagles etc I could have if it were true A small pop-up hide or camouflage netting and scrim, bag hides etc thrown over while you crouch down are far more effective esp if there are two of you and one person walk away.

I wouldn't normally bother answering a thread like this - the only reason I'm doing it is that visitors and viewers on this site esp new people shouldn't be getting the wrong information about wildlife, its habits and particularly being given the seriously wrong impression that wildlife photographers are

mainly men,
are folk who don't care or have no empathy for what they photograph,
that don't take care around the environment they are in,
that we are people who have no field craft,
or that we just plain don't know what we are doing - when some of us have spent a lifetime eating, sleeping and breathing wildlife watching ....

I don't mind you having your own views on things animartco but when your views are so off track of what is really happening and you don';t allow others to explain why you have the wrong idea, then I have to say something .......

Pauline

[glsammy]

I'm going to close this thread. Nothing that is said further is going to change the mind of anyone.
Everyone has had their chance to speak on this subject, further replies can only lead into further ridicule.
I may well remove the thread. As Pauline said there's a lot of very misleading comments mixed in amongst some good advice.
For now I'm closing it.