[texbirds] Re: use of iphone in field
- From: Clay Taylor <Clay.Taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "txbrush5@xxxxxxxxx" <txbrush5@xxxxxxxxx>, "glqman@xxxxxxxxx" <glqman@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2014 18:39:37 -0500
All -
So is this the Elephant in the Room - you have arrived at a place where another
birder has already played a recording, thus agitating the Target Bird, and now
you are mad because you MISSED it? Come on - be honest!
My initial response - if you are going to argue for "no recordings", then you
had better advocate "no pisshing", too!
As others have said, I definitely think that there are different situations
that need to be looked at before making a play / no play judgement:
Breeding season / birds on territory - I usually do not play recordings or
predator calls. Males should be singing on territory so you already know it is
there, and females should be tending to eggs / babies, so disturbance there
could lead to nest failures. Back in New England, walking up to view a nest
was a sure Death Sentence, as Raccoons would follow your body scent to the nest
- snacktime!
Migration - alarm calls are a way for mixed species to broadcast imminent
danger. Getting their attention that way is a guarantee that they will be
agitated, so you only get brief looks - barely OK for counting species or
individuals. I have no problem with invoking owl calls, etc., to get them to
sit up and be seen, if only briefly. If you want quality looks, sit quietly
and watch. Lose the khaki "birder's uniform" and wear camouflage clothing,
too.
Wintering birds - a mix of behavior defending winter territories / predator
alarm. Playing the same species call might bring out a winter-territory
defender, or that might drive it out of the area. No Data available to make
a sure statement. I do use recordings and pisshing, especially for CBCs, if
for no other reason that previous CBC data were gathered using them (yeah,
circular logic, but what the heck) and we want to be consistent, right? ;-)
At a Birding Hotspot (any time of year) - have a bit of class and refrain from
playing recordings / pisshing, as the next birders to arrive will be screwed.
Remember, you group could BE the "next birders"!
Clay Taylor
TOS Life Member
Calallen (Corpus Christi), TX
Clay.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:Clay.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
-----Original Message-----
From: texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Tim Brush
Sent: Friday, January 03, 2014 2:30 PM
To: glqman@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: Texbirds
Subject: [texbirds] Re: use of iphone in field
In my opinion, I think use of tapes, etc., on CBCs is generally quite
justified, except in rare cases where there would be a sensitive situation.
I do not use them myself, but rely on hearing or seeing activity in an area. A
secondary objective (often primary) is seeing birds engaged in normal behavior,
so being as unobtrusive as possible is desirable. I do occasionally pish or
imitate a screech-owl or pygmy-owl, if I really am having trouble seeing and
counting the birds. having said all that, I know that for some folks, playing
owl recording is standard operating procedure on CBCs, and that seems fine. In
many cases of Texas, the CBC may be the only time many private or other
controlled-access areas get surveyed.
For general use, I do think it's worthwhile having a discussion, even though I
am not aware of any significant problems with overuse of tapes, ipods, etc.
There is new technology and always new birders becoming active, so some
education and discussion is highly worthwhile.
Best regards,
Tim Brush
Edinburg, TX
On Fri, Jan 3, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Robert White
<glqman@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:glqman@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
> Before asking permission to use playback at a national wildlife refuge
> during a recent CBC, I checked the FAQs for compilers on Audubon's website.
> Here's what they have to say:
> "Recently there has been a recurring question about the use of tapes,
> iPods, "pishing", and other attractant noises on Christmas Bird Counts.
> Such methods and devices are strictly forbidden on the Breeding Bird
> Survey, Breeding Bird Atlas, and other surveys of birds in the
> breeding season. However, because the CBC is monitoring birds in the
> non-breeding season (and most species are not singing, at least in
> North America) the use of tapes and attractant noises has always been allowed
> on the CBC.
> With the advent and proliferation of iPods and other hand-held devices
> that can readily play bird vocalizations and elicit responses from
> otherwise hidden birds, this use is reported to be on the rise.
> The prohibition of the use of attractant noises on CBCs would be a
> relatively major programmatic decision that could quickly change the
> data collected by observers on many counts, and thus we need to
> continue their use at least for now. However, the use of such devices
> should be very judicious, and never done in a fashion that could
> affect the behavior of target species in any significant way. If you
> use iPods or tapes on your CBC, please keep this in mind!"
> I was granted permission to use calls that day, but really only used
> it to try to locate an out-of-range count week phoebe. I was
> unsuccessful, I might add.
>
> I also used a screech-owl tape (yes, a real cassette) before dawn
> along the road outside the refuge to try for a screech-owl. No luck
> there, either.
>
> -Bob White
> Spring, TX
>
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