Photographing shorebirds

[worth]

Yesterday I went to Sobey's Pond around 8:30 am to look at shorebirds that had been reported there. This is a small pond in Whitby where birds can be easily seen at relatively close range. I was disgusted to find 3 men wading around in the pond so they could flush the shorebirds giving them flight shots with their huge telephoto lens. Shorebirds during migration are at these location to put on fat reserve so they can continue there flight south and do not need the added stress of pathetic individuals like these 3 photographers. Besides stressing the birds this behavior is so arrogant in that all these photographer are only thinks of themselves and not others who want to visit this location to see shorebirds. It's guys like these 3 idiots that give all photographers a bad name and makes me cringe every time I see these camo clad papparazis.

[Paul O'Toole]

You nailed it, I remember 2 winters ago in Presqu'ile park a group of approx 20 shooters from a different province and some from ontario baiting a red tailed hawk right in the park even with the park having signs up not to feed raptors and owls.

[egret]

Disgusting!  Bet you felt like doing a bit more than being angry!

Some people spoil things or try to!


Egret

[paul_reeves]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents to this discussion.

In my outings I have run into many of these paparazzi myself and have been really unhappy with their behaviour. There is nothing worse for me then trying to stealthily approach a bird, or sit quietly waiting for a bird to come to me, just to have someone else stomp up behind me scaring my subject away. However, last May in the wet woods I ran into many birders, mainly on weekends, who were much worse than any bad photographers I have run into. These people were crashing through brush and yelling to each other and I couldn't understand how they planned on seeing anything when they were making so much noise.

In the two years I have been concentrating on Bird Photography I have met many amazing birders who have taken the time to educate me and I would never put them in the same category of birders as those weekend warriors who showed no respect for the birds they were chasing. Likewise I hope that people don't lump all photographers into the same group either.

Paul