How close is too close?

[Bryan Hix]

Just thought I would post this question to the community. How close is too close for bird photography to be considered harassment of the bird? Does it depend on the type of bird? Does it depend on if the bird is feeding, nesting, breeding? We as a community try to be responsible, but at what point does our passion for photography and capturing the moment cross the line? I don't know the answer and would love to hear the opinions of others on this topic. Thanks!
-Bryan

 

[denise ippolito]

To me every animal has a comfort zone-we all know when that comfort zone is being challenged-Back-off-PERIOD. Those are my feelings, sorry I don't mean to sound loud-but it all comes down to common sense and if you don't have it then you have no business photographing birds or wildlife. (I in no way am implying that you don't have common sense-I use "you" as a general reference)

 

[Jason G. Harrison]

I think its a fine line that varies for each subject. I have found that getting very close is possible when using a blind and being set up before the subject presents itself. When approaching a subject, one just has to watch and know the reactions of the given subject. Soon as you see any signs of causing some stress, your too close. Problem is, at that point, you already stressed them and backing off may not fix the situation. There are so many variables I don't think one can say "X" is the distance for, etc...

 

[William Malacarne]

A lot will depend on where you are at....some places the birds and animals are very used to being around people.

Bill

 

[Rocky Sharwell]

To me every animal has a comfort zone-we all know when that comfort zone is being challenged-Back-off-PERIOD. Those are my feelings, sorry I don't mean to sound loud-but it all comes down to common sense and if you don't have it then you have no business photographing birds or wildlife. (I in no way am implying that you don't have common sense-I use "you" as a general reference)

I think the failing of some photographers and birders is that they do not recognize they are invading a comfort zone.

 

[Rocky Sharwell]

Just thought I would post this question to the community. How close is too close for bird photography to be considered harassment of the bird? Does it depend on the type of bird? Does it depend on if the bird is feeding, nesting, breeding? We as a community try to be responsible, but at what point does our passion for photography and capturing the moment cross the line? I don't know the answer and would love to hear the opinions of others on this topic. Thanks!
-Bryan

Bryan.....I think it varies depending on the situation. I know that I am really careful here in FL when birds are on eggs in the spring--it is way too hot for a bird to be off the eggs for long based upon what i know.

My typical problem in FL--especially at Ft. DeSoto is that the birds come too close when I am on my belly in the goo. Plovers have come right up to the the hood of the 600

 

[Rich Steel]

Inside the minimum focusing distance for a lens is definately too close .

Seriously though my thoughts are whenever a photographers presence causes an animal or bird to change its behaviour to fight or flight. Only experince will tell you how confortable particular species are with your presence although it does seem to change a lot with individuals and location. For example animals and birds in public parks are often very approachable. One thing I have noticed is that birds that have been ringed (banded) are often much more approachable which I can only assume is because of their previous human contact.

Cheers

Rich

 

[WIlliam Maroldo]

When you get too close they fly away

My goodness. Certainly nesting birds need to be protected, but very often I approached feeding birds, they notice me and fly away. I carefully watch behavior as I approach, and if it looks like they notice me, I back off. However, on countless occasions I get noticed, and of course this is not my plan, but they fly off anyway. My attitude is when you have violated their comfort zone, they fly off, and I can't imagine this unduly stresses the birds. If I have taken pictures, and I'm finished, I slowly back away. Now if the rule was to not violating comfort zones, which sounds like political correctness to animals, I immediately need to get rid of my camera equipment. Sorry, I don't plan on it.
You want to talk about stress? I would put audio recording to attract birds at the top. See what happens when you attract two males of a species, responding to a call, together, and see the fight that ensues. Now we are talking life/death struggles and real stress! regards~Bill

 

[Connie Mier]

My attitude is when you have violated their comfort zone, they fly off, and I can't imagine this unduly stresses the birds.

I don't think this quite fits the nesting bird situation where the parent will not fly off and of course, the young one's that cannot fly, do not fly off either. Case in point, the notorious plume hunters of a century ago learned quickly that they could approach a rookery and shoot the adults at will without worrying about them flying off after one loud shot.

 

[Arthur Morris]

Let's not forget that when you open the door of your house or your vehicle or when you take a walk in your backyard or the woods that you will be causing birds to fly on many, many occasions..... Then let's add in habitat destruction and development by the human race, folks walking on the beach, folks walking their dogs on the beach or in the woods, 8 quadrillion feral cats killing millions and millions of birds each year, the disturbance of nesting colonies and populations of birds by researchers, and about 1,000 other factors and I would guess that disturbance by bird photographers who probably comprise at tiny, tiny fraction of 1% of the world's population and we are not talking about a major problem.

Folks need to take care of how they act in the field of course as a matter of personal ethics but there simply cannot be any hard and fast rules or any set distances.

 

[Arthur Morris]

Let's try this one on for size: am I too close to this fledgling Green Heron? (Image by Fabiola Forns)

ps: I am holding the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS lens.

 

[Bryan Hix]

Denise, no worries I understood what you meant. This is an interesting topic because I have read several threads on various sites that address concerns about photographers "harassing" wildlife and to be honest I was concerned that maybe I have pushed it too far and not even realized it. For example, I can clearly tell when waterfowl are nervous just by watching their body language and learning when to stop from experience. On the other hand, I don't think Chickadees have the ability to be stressed out. Joking of course, but they don't seem to mind humans one bit in the normal course of their day.

The photo that Artie posted seems perfectly fine to me, so I would be curious to hear the rationale of someone who thinks that is inappropriate and unethical. I think chasing birds around on a boat to force them to fly is a pretty obvious violation of ethics, but what about quietly approaching them with a trolling motor to a point where they still continue to behave normally? Is it harrassment when I pull my car off the road to try and capture a hawk perched 100+ yards away and it suddenly launches from it's perch when I stick my lens out the window?

It was mentioned about using electronic calls to attract certain species. Is that wrong all the time? I know of and admire a great bird photographer that uses calls occasionally. Those calls have given this photographer the ability to capture some incredible photos. I have given serious thought to using them as well until again, I read several thread of people criticizing that practice. I suppose I will just use what I think are common sense, respectable, ethical tactics to position myself for the best photo I can make. If someone has a problem with anything I do in the field, I will be happy to have a friendly debate about the offense.

 

[denise ippolito]

Bryan, You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. If you feel you are too close-you probably are. Sometimes I get into my position and allow the birds to come near me. I find they often do as long as I don't make any sudden moves. I don't use calls, mostly because I feel I am misleading the birds. But that is just my personal feeling and does not mean that I disapprove of anyone else using them.

 

[Jeff Donald]

I agree with Artie, with the addition that the treatment given highly endangered species, such as Kirtlands Warbler, Whooping Cranes etc. be given special consideration. One always has to ask themselves is the picture worth the risk? Is the photograph of a European Starling, or an endangered species? But even researchers have very limited access to Kirtland's Warbler and other highly endangered species.

If you have doubts about your ethics as a birder/bird photographer, a good starting place is the ABA Code of Ethics. Once you have spent weeks/months/years in the field you will develop a sense of when your actions are threatening and when they aren't.

I've used electronic calls in the field for several decades and learned their use from someone with many decades of field use before me. I'm confident in my use of recordings and their use around many species. I carefully study the birds behavior, and at the first sign of any serious, threatening issues I discontinue the use of recordings with that species, in that area/territory.

 

[Alfred Forns]

... btw shortly after this image was made one of the local residents on this morning walk tried scaring the bird into flying so photographers would be out of the way. He lunged at the bird and some from our group restrained him.... then he just walked away !!!! ... bird stood his ground and did not even move!!!

 

[Harshad Barve]

I think we have to draw line for ourselves , If we love subject we wont harm them for sure
As far as I am concerned , I use hides for tiny birds ,
for bigger birds I visit location before sunrise in dark and wait for them to come close.
Most of the time I have observed that I got better shots ( of course by my own standards) by sitting at one place than chasing them

just my 2 cents

 

[Dave Blinder]

My approach is often "get in and out of there" really quickly when I'm affecting a bird's comfort and possibly altering its behavior. We had a group of Long-Eared Owls that became famous last winter. You would get lines of cars for people hoping to see them... all day everyday. I found this to be very unfair to the birds, as L.E.O.'s generally don't flush.

Personally, I have plenty of shots of Warblers and other songbirds at minimum focusing distance due to my own pure luck or good approaching technique. None of these were close to nesting areas or for prolonged periods of time. Birds are accustomed to small distractions and I hope to never effect a bird's longevity. I do however, unfortunately, encounter photographers with varying levels of concern about animals' comfort zones. It's also important to realize that animals weren't created merely for our entertainment. They are life forms that should be respected.

 

[Arthur Morris]

Bryan, See Dan Cadieux's audio thread in the ER for lots of excellent free info.

 

[Daniel Cadieux]

It's pretty much a case by case judgement. Every individual, even from a same species, can and will react differently to comfort zones. In time you will learn to recognize the signs, and decide if you are too close. Birds that willingly come "too close", such as shorebirds walking by while you are lying on the beach or chickadees/nuthatches feeding in your hand are of course in no stress if you just let them be. I can tell you are already in the right direction Bryan, as your judgement and concerns seem good and legit. Just being outside we are violating lots of birds' and other animals' comfort zone wether we like it or not...just take a regular walk in your neighbourhood and see how many sparrows/robins/crows/gulls/squirrels flush away ;-)

You want to talk about stress? I would put audio recording to attract birds at the top. See what happens when you attract two males of a species, responding to a call, together, and see the fight that ensues.

As for William's audio comment quoted above: Just being curious here - is this something that you see happening regularly with the use of audio? I use recordings often enough in season, and I have never had two males of the same species come in, let alone fight because of that.

 

[Greg Schneider]

That probably depends on how densely the species nest, and how ideal the habitat is. I've even seen a redstart and chestnut-sided warb square off because they couldn't tell the difference between their calls.