One of my favorite activities as a bird columnist is stirring up trouble. Today, I plan to tackle a subject that I have long avoided. However, I’ve just completed another long summer of leading walks and tours, and this subject is fresh in my mind.
Using audio devices to attract birds into view is a good thing to do. It’s also a terrible thing to do. There is now such a proliferation of devices and smartphone apps that the birding world needs to have a wider discussion about appropriate use.
For the uninitiated, most birds are highly territorial in breeding season. When they hear another bird singing inside their perceived territories, they are likely to seek out and confront the intruder. A device playing their songs will bring them out to investigate. Some birds also react to the scolding calls of other birds, and this can work well in nonbreeding season. The problem is that disturbances of this kind can lure birds into real trouble, especially if it draws them off nests or away from fledglings.
On the other hand, the Maine woods are full of ground nesters, such as hermit thrushes, dark-eyed juncos, Nashville warblers, ovenbirds and white-throated sparrows. The possibility of stepping on a nest grows exponentially when a dozen people step off the trail in an attempt to sight a concealed bird. Better to bring one bird into view through trickery then to send 12 pairs of feet in after it.
In a perfect world, humans would avoid any action that disturbs wildlife. But in many cases, wildlife depends on our enthusiasm to ensure its continued existence. The increased popularity of birding has bolstered the general public’s desire to protect birds and support conservation. Visible birds generate more enthusiasm than invisible ones.
The American Birding Association recognizes this dilemma in its official Code of Birding Ethics. The code does not denounce the use of sound recordings, but it does advise good conduct. Among its caveats, it admonishes birders: “To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound recording or filming.” Furthermore, it advises birders to: “Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds, and never use such methods in heavily birded areas, or for attracting any species that is Threatened, Endangered, or of Special Concern, or is rare in your local area.”
I seldom use audio when I am by myself. But when leading inexperienced birders, I will purse my lips and make ridiculous squeaking noises to get a bird’s attention, and I will make judicious use of audio when I judge that there is a danger to nesters. When doing so, I pay very close attention to bird behavior to determine if I am causing undue stress. From this, I have developed my own personal code of conduct, some of which is obvious, some not.
Don’t use audio where prohibited. This includes national parks and Baxter State Park. Don’t use audio in popular places, especially if there is a danger that other people are also doing the same thing, creating a cumulative impact on individual birds. Don’t keep returning to the same birds.
Let the bird win. Stop long before the bird becomes intimidated or frustrated. Watch behavior. If birds are being drawn into conflict with each other, stop. If females are coming off nests in breeding season, stop. Understand the differences in species. Scolding is such a common occurrence among chickadees and nuthatches that a little bit of audio is unlikely to cause much stress. Rails squabble among themselves routinely, and one more squabble matters little. But other species are much more reluctant to engage, and the persistent use of audio can be truly disruptive. I watch to see if birds continue feeding while sidling over to investigate me. If so, they’re probably not too troubled. But if they come in all ruffled and wiping their bills, stop.
I don’t use owl calls to incite mobbing behavior, though I know that many professional guides do. I don’t condemn such use. It’s just a matter of my own personal code. I want to make the birds curious, not fearful.
So, here’s where the fun begins. I invite readers to jump on the BDN website and scold me for using audio, or to post their own personal codes and observations. As I said, the birding world needs a wider discussion. Let it begin here.
Bob Duchesne serves as a Maine Audubon trustee and vice president of its Penobscot Valley Chapter. Bob developed the Maine Birding Trail, with information at mainebirdingtrail.com. Bob can be reached at duchesne@midmaine.com.