Using Audio for Photographing Birds: The Basics.

To all, I think that the discussion here has been a good thing. No apologies needed. And even better it has been kept completely civil which is pretty cool in and of itself...

Arthur Morris said:

Tell, Have you ever considered that the judicious playing of a bird's song might sharpen the bird's territorial defenses?

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Hi Art, you could argue that but you could also argue the opposite but I think both ways it misses the point because I honestly believe we are stopping the bird from doing what it should be doing, protecting territory from real intruders, feeding young, looking for a mate, in a possible negative way just for our own purposes. Anyway, some people may be pleased to know that I am on my Hols, sorry vacation tomorrow so will not have to put up with any more posts from me regarding this -

Tell

Have a great trip. It will be a welcome respite But I respect you for relentlessly bucking the tide.

ps: And if it could possibly be true, then it would actually be helping that bird....

It's funny how a thread on a forum will stick in a persons mind

On the topic of calling... generally speaking... Ducks and Geese are called in by hunters every year. Then they are shot... or at least shot at. Yet the calls still work. Even after a hundred or more years the calls still work. Granted, the caller has to develop his/her skill to the point where they can fool the bird into coming into a spread... and they are in fact also using decoys to aid in their endeavor to attract the birds into the trap (very elaborate decoys in some cases)... but the practice of calling still works. Duck and Goose numbers remain strong (no "real" data to back that up btw) in spite of the hunting pressure. They haven't appreciably modified their migratory habits as a direct result of calling. I can't say that for certain about shooting but I tend to think that animals are not so educated that they make decisions about what they do based on logic. It's instinctual, not logical, behavior. I am fairly certain that they don't have long discussions about where they are going for winter survival when they are at their breeding / nesting grounds (they might... ya never know about these things. We live in an amazing place).

In my mind, the harm that comes from calling is the getting shot part, not the calling part. I think there's a lot of supposition (to be fair that includes my own) about the negativity of calling for non-lethal purposes. JMHO

And at Bosque, they are considering restricting all visitors to their vehicles to reduce "haraassment" of the ducks and geese. And, hunting is allowed on the refuge. Man, you gotta love that.

The ducks and geese could care less about the big one-eyed thing staring and clicking at them?!? If they cared we wouldn't be getting full frame shots of them going about their daily tasks (eating, sleeping, pooping, honking). Besides... how are the going to pay us back with little "bombs" when they fly over if we are in vehicles? Bosque would not be the same if they did that.

Tell Dickinson said:

Hi Daniel, there is a great difference IMHO With feeders etc the bird is free to come and go whenever it likes, no pressure whatsoever, but with audio its 'instincts' are to investigate the bogus source which means the birds behavior has been needlessly altered, whether this was to defend its territory or just stopping it looking for food perhaps to feed its youngsters etc I believe that in these circumstances the bird always loses out to some extent and never gains any benefit Tell

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Tell,

#1: Any thoughts on how to get birds of the same species on adjacent territories to stop singing and thus bothering their neighbors?

#2: More seriously, how do you know that playing a tape judiciously is not helping to sharpen an individual bird's territorial defenses?

Excellent article, Daniel. I am going to try this out on some common species in my city.

Since this hasn't been brought up - unless I missed it in this long thread - the ABA ethics guidelines, as per my understanding, state that using of recordings is OK, with some caveats, of course.

"1(b) To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound recording, or filming.
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;"

Recommended reading: http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html

For threatened and endangered species, using recordings may even be a violation of the Endangered Species Act, punishable by law.
http://www.cfo-link.org/downloads/laws_of_birding_Jan_2009_beatty.pdf

This is a very interesting thread to me. I just ordered, from a link elsewhere within this site, an iTouch with bird calls - more so I can learn to recognize additional birds in the field by their calls than to "bait" them.

But, it certainly occurred to me that I could probably do better in my photo opps if I was able to play audio that attracted certain birds.

7 questions about attracting birds with recorded songs

1. What is the source of your bird songs?
I've just switched to using the app called BirdTunes on my iPhone. I used to use iBird but BirdTunes has more songs for each species.

2. Do you have any experience with wireless speakers?
I've just started using wireless (bluetooth) speakers. Much faster setup and no tangles. I'm using the speaker by Jawbone called Jambox. It is expensive and small but it is elegant and it plays loud.

3. What is the optimal placement for the speaker in relation to the desired perch?
What height? What direction should it be pointing? Up at the sky?

4. Is it important that the speaker be camouflaged?

5. Do you know of a list, blog or website that gives specific notes on how different species respond?
Warblers and sparrows may respond well in general, but what about specific warblers? Is one species always a dud and one almost sure to succeed?
I realize that results will probably vary, but if a Bay-breasted Warbler never responds it would be good to know.

6. Does it help to vary the song if you have the choice? Does it help to pause the song from time to time?

7. I plan to use this mostly with the smaller birds (passerines or songbirds). Are there any other species that are especially responsive?

Thanks for any help!

Thanks Dan for your thoughts.
As I've been working with calling in birds I've got a few more questions:
1. How much does time of day impact responsiveness to recorded songs? I know that in general birds are much more visible and vocal in the early morning. Are they also more likely to respond to recorded songs then?

2. Are birds generally less responsive when they first arrive on site; before they have had time to stake a claim for their territory and started breeding? I ask this because I have been surprised the last few days that the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s have not been coming in to the calls like I would expect.

3. How do you know how close you can get? In other words, how do you know what the comfort zone is of the bird you are shooting? I find that many of the birds I am trying to call in will clearly respond, but they won’t come all the way in. They flit back-and-forth off to the sides and at a distance.

I wonder if it would help it I pulled back? I am often 20 – 25 feet from where I want the bird to be. Since these are very small birds to get them to fill a reasonable amount of the frame you have to either be very close or you have to have a lot of magnification. I’m using a 600mm lens with a 1.4x Teleconverter on a camera body with a 1.3 crop factor.

By the way, as I’m getting shots I'm posting them on online at www.pgtnaturegarden.org

Henry- Daniel mentions this in question 6 above, but I will emphasise. It is extremely important to be careful and conservative about using songs to attract birds. If you think about it, you are making a major intervention in a songbird's territory by suddenly playing the song of another of its own species inside its territory. I would not be thinking about setting up some elaborate speaker system, which takes time to setup and move. Instead I would use a small, portable hand-held system that you can switch on and off easily, and of course they take no time to set up. Think about playing a song only once or twice, rather than repeatedly, and see what happens. In my experience the best reaction you get is with the first play or two. Take long pauses between playings, and decide beforehand that you are going to leave the territory after a reasonable period of time (say 10 minutes). Stop immediately if you see signs of stress in the bird such as tail-flicking, sudden preening, drooped wings etc and more to another territory.

I use a small, hand-held, integrated amp and speaker system called, rather horribly, the iMainGo2. it works with iPods and iPhones. I use BirdJam and the Stokes CDs.

John, I am unaware of any studies that prove that playing a tape can be harmful though I do agree that over-doing it is not advisable. Birds engage in territorial disputes all day long yet I am not aware of any biologists who advise shooting a male from an adjacent territory in order to minimize disturbance.

How can we possibly know that playing a tape does not sharpen a bird's ability to defend its territory?

1. The best write-up on the subject on the web IMO is here

2. The Precautionary Principle: one of many definitions available on the web is:

"Precaution – the “precautionary principle” or “precautionary approach” – is a response to uncertainty, in the face of risks to health or the environment. In general, it involves acting to avoid serious or irreversible potential harm, despite lack of scientific certainty as to the likelihood, magnitude, or causation of that harm".

3. We love our subjects more than photography.

Thanks Dan for your thoughts.

You're welcome

As I've been working with calling in birds I've got a few more questions:
1. How much does time of day impact responsiveness to recorded songs? I know that in general birds are much more visible and vocal in the early morning. Are they also more likely to respond to recorded songs then?

Not much that I've experienced. The only reason I don't do it mid-day (on a clear sunny day) is because of the harsh light which doesn't do photos justice most of the time. I've had success at different times of day.

2. Are birds generally less responsive when they first arrive on site; before they have had time to stake a claim for their territory and started breeding? I ask this because I have been surprised the last few days that the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s have not been coming in to the calls like I would expect.

Again, I've had success at different times of the year too. It is quite normal for birds to not come in as expected...the success rate is more miss than hit by using calls (I'd say at least 75% miss). Locally I find the Yellow Warblers and Swamp Sparrows to be more responsive when they first arrive on site but this is far from scientific. Perhaps you just have a non-responsive individual gnatcatcher...perhaps it will respond at another time.

3. How do you know how close you can get? In other words, how do you know what the comfort zone is of the bird you are shooting? I find that many of the birds I am trying to call in will clearly respond, but they won’t come all the way in. They flit back-and-forth off to the sides and at a distance.

I wonder if it would help it I pulled back? I am often 20 – 25 feet from where I want the bird to be. Since these are very small birds to get them to fill a reasonable amount of the frame you have to either be very close or you have to have a lot of magnification. I’m using a 600mm lens with a 1.4x Teleconverter on a camera body with a 1.3 crop factor.

Do you conceal yourself in a blind? I've had individuals flick back and forth in trees when I'm just standing there come right down to the source of audio when I'm concealed in a blind. Common Yellowthroat comes to mind. I've not had success with this species when out in the open, but when concealed had lots of luck. Blackburnian Warbler is another example in my experience. With only 400mms to work with, I am set-up in at around 10-12 feet, sometimess LESS.

One thing to note is that a bird flitting back and forth, but not coming closer after a few minutes, will likely not come down any closer. It is time to quit on that individual, or try again later.

By the way, as I’m getting shots I'm posting them on online at www.pgtnaturegarden.org

If those images are obtained via call-back, then I'd say you are doing well:S3:.

Arthur Morris said:

J Birds engage in territorial disputes all day long yet I am not aware of any biologists who advise shooting a male from an adjacent territory in order to minimize disturbance.

How can we possibly know that playing a tape does not sharpen a bird's ability to defend its territory?

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Point one is true. By singing a territory is defined and defended. Important business, as only a territory of sufficient size will allow survival of the owner and his offspring. That's also why no biologist would advise to shoot a male from an adjacent territory, as the claims are already stacked out and a working system is in place.

Point two can be answered by looking at it this way: By playing a tape recording we add another competitor into the picture. One that can not be beat, since it sings louder (thanks to amp and speakers) and more enduring (as long as the battery lasts) than the real thing. There is a fine line and if we overdo it the overpowered bird will eventually do what this whole mechanisms of territoriality is all about, it will give way to the superbird with "proven" superiour biological fitness. Problem is that superbirdy will not breed and maintain the species.

Tape recordings can be put to good use (bird counts, surveys, birdphotography) and do no harm if used knowledgable and wisely. Used without some knowledge about bird behaviour and biology a lot of harm can be done (during bird counts, surveys, birdphotography). Birds may leave territory, abandon nests and nestlings, neglect care for their offspring and themselves.

So if one needs to ask what songs to play, when to play them, and where, they shouldn't be doing it as there is obviously a lack of the know how to make it a save business (people doing bird counts and surveys mostly have this kind of knowledge, and so do a lot of birdphotographers).
However, for me there is a critical difference between a photographer taking pictures of birds, and a birdphotographer.

Ulli

Ulli,
All points well taken. I have always espoused that tapes be played in moderation and that folks learn what and what not to do when using tapes for photography. That is why I asked Dan to write the tutorial in the ER. He did and it is excellent.

I have been photographing birds for about 28 years and have used a tape perhaps a dozen times. There are others including several folks here who would no sooner think of heading out into the field without their tape player and speakers as they would heading out without the camera and lens.

Daniel Cadieux said:

...
3. How do you know how close you can get? In other words, how do you know what the comfort zone is of the bird you are shooting? ... I am often 20 – 25 feet from where I want the bird to be

Do you conceal yourself in a blind?

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I do carry a Kwik Camo Photography Blind as I am walking around. Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. I honestly can't say I see a big difference. Maybe I'm using it incorrectly. Any tips?

Occasionally I use a real blind (one that is more like a tent) but I don't like being inside of it and having my vision limited.

Thanks,
Henry
www.pgtnaturegarden.org