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Top-level
 During nesting season, birds don't have the option of freely approaching and freely departing. If you approach a nest, you are moving into their space and creating intense stress. I'm discouraged by how many #birders—who should know better—ignore this. We, of all people, have to do better. 9 comments
 @ct_bergstrom Great photos and thank you for the thought! What distance you consider save? I get it that better with electronic shutter. @marcelcosta I wish I could give you a general answer but it varies so much across species and, critically, situations. Distances that would be no problem for most of the year can be intensely stressful during nesting season. It's all about knowing the species you are photographing and assessing the behavior. Here, I was laying on the ground and concealed in the grass with only the lens protruding. Mother was unconcerned with my presence and feeding normally until the other birders arrived. @ct_bergstrom Thanks! Usually real answers are not simple 😁. Guess I'll have to observe that its behavior doesn't change. @ct_bergstrom 👏 👏 👏 @ct_bergstrom Thank you for sharing your specific take on your work and the importance of letting nature meet #birders where we are, rather than disrupt. In the spirit of your work, here’s a humble phone snap of a lesser goldfinch that left our porch feeders at dusk, flew 20 feet over to the window where I was sitting, hovered at it, landed, then tried to perch on the glass and peck the glass until I came over. We had a few moments together before he was satisfied and called it a night. |
Gregory's Server
Below, a fledgling Anna's hummingbird that left the nest only hours before. My shots were taken with an 800mm lens from a distant concealed location.
But then other birders arrived, standing 2 meters away from the bird, using loud mechanical shutters. The mother panicked and stopped feeding.
I protested. One argued "they eat from my hand in my yard!" and stepped back to 3 meters. Useless.
#Photographers, respect your subjects. Learn their behavior. Your shots are not worth a bird's life.