BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

Forest and Bird, Issue 58, 1 November 1940, Page 12

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

By Roger T. Peterson in “Bird Lore.”

SOME psychologists would insist that our pursuit of birds is a remote survival from primitive times, when every man had to hunt to keep alive. This would seem to be most true of bird-listing, where the sport lies in bagging birds with a glass, especially new or rare species. For that matter any earnest occupation could be regarded as a civilized substitution for hunting. Although few men now need to hunt for food, the urge is there in modified form. Millions still shoot for sport; others, with a distaste for the taking of life, subconsciously enjoy the thrills of the chase by shooting their quarry with a camera. This takes greater skill than handling firearms but there are not so many prohibitions and limitations. There are no open or closed seasons; no protected species; no bag limits. The same bird can be “shot” again and again, yet live to give pleasure to others beside the photographer. . . . No photographic activity that endangers the lives of birds, their eggs or young is worth risking. ... In photographing a nest, do not disturb it too much. Tie back obstructing foliage temporarily, but do -not break it off or remove it. In photographing nests on the ground, be especially careful not to cause too much disturbance, as a well-defined trail attracts the attention of cats and other ground predators. . . . Under normal conditions between 50 and 65 per cent, of the nests of small birds are destined to failure through natural causes. Bird photography should not impose an additional strain on the natural mortality. . . . Without a sense of responsibility or a code of ideals when we photograph birds, we are not fulfilling our obligations as good conservationists.