Bird Distrubance

[Gord]

I was reading disturbing news that the large number of snowy owls in Boundary Bay this year are experiencing undue pressure. While one might think that off leash dogs, dirt bikes and etc would be the cause, it seems that bird watchers and bird photographers are the worst culprits!!

Bird watchers are walking into the wildlife management area to get a closer look and usually end up flushing the birds. The photographers are the worst by far. One photographer was watched as he spent over an hour trying to get close to the owls. The owls spent the whole time avoiding this person and could not spend any time hunting for food. This could develop into a crucial problem should we get a cold snap where food is harder to find and energy wasted avoiding these selfish individuals in pursuit of a picture could result in the owls death.

Unfortunetely, bird photographers are a real problem everywhere. Ive seen nests exposed with pruning shears to allow for better pictures. Once the pictures are taken, the exposed nest is usually raided by crows or jays, provided that the baby birds are not half starved because the parents could not feed the young properly. I have many more, but I wont go on and on.

It's really sad that people can cause stress and death towards the subjects they take pictures of. How can they look at the picture afterwards without feeling guilty? I guess pride in either working for an ethical picture or contenting oneself with a picture taken from a further distance (or just walking away from a opportunity if it means stress to the subject) is not observed by too many.

I guess educating people is a good start with this problem. Im sure many just dont realize or are unwilling to think too much about it.

[kastern]

We were actually at Boundary Bay on Sunday in an effort to see and photograph Snowy Owls and what you are reporting in this is absolutely true. There were a number of Snowy Owls in the golf course at the end of 72nd, one of the regulars to the dyke told us that they go there to escape the photographers. It was easy to tell where there was an owl in the Wildlife Management area as there would be a cluster of photographers and others in the area. For the most part, most were respectful and stayed on the dyke but there were a couple, the ones with the most expensive camera equipment and the monster zoom lens that had to keep working their way closer and closer to the birds and then the birds would fly to get away from them and the whole thing would start over again. The annoying thing is that those people, with the equipment they had, had no need to get close to the bird in the first place.

As far as dogs running off leash, again, in most cases most dog owners kept their dogs on a leash until they were past the area where the owls were, but not all. We left our own dogs in the truck although we had walked them, on leash, further down the dyke where we were trolling for Bald Eagles with them. (Now I know where all the Bald Eagles have gone!).

As for photos, I came away with what I consider some good photos, though fairly distant, at least compared to what we saw through the scope, and the resolve to get another digital camera that I can use with the scope ASAP.

Personally I think the only way we will put a stop to the ignorant abuse by birders and photographers is to have staff in these areas policing the situation, and that costs money that nobody seems to have.

[Dave]

I will add my two bits as well

I have been to Boundary Bay several times this winter and have photographed the Snowy Owls. I have a regular camera, nothing too fancy, but it does have 12x zoom. Every time that I have been there the owls have been in the same location just east of the end of 72nd street.

I don't understand why the fancy zoom cameras need to get any closer. I was very pleased with the pictures that I got from the dyke. Does photo quality play a role? Are these guys getting paid for the perfect shot?



Here is another story. A few months ago I went looking for the Bar-tailed Godwits as I was in the area. I met up with a birder on Boundary Bay dyke at low tide. The birds were way out there, but the two of us found a group of 4 godwits through our scopes. We were trying to pull out the field marks for a Bar-tailed when the birds flew out our scope view and were replaced by a man slopping through the muck carrying his scope WAY out at the water line!

Dave

[Gord]

Kathy, Ive heard similar reports that the poor owls are fleeing to the golf course to escape the pressure!!

Dave, that picture with 12X is similar to 400mm zoom or there abouts. Most 'photographers' in it seriously have that size or even bigger lens! Your image turned out great with the digital zoom!! Optical 12x zoom would be even better! What more do they need? Maybe they didnt have the patience to wait for a shot from the dyke and have to run off after the birds.

I, myself, think that shots of a subject with its surroundings in the picture like Kathy and Dave did is just as nice as really close ups.

Ive also seen birders crashing around off trail and causing disturbance like at Boundary Bay by going too close.

Maybe the important part of enjoying nature is to also respect it always isnt understood or appreciated by some people.