Ladies and gentlemen of the jury:
Baiting is always a touchy subject. Suggesting that a non-baiter (that sounds dirty!) used bait is seen as an insult.
i can see why someone suggested it in regards to some of these pictures, but having shot with Meghan a # of times, I can assure you that the only bait used would be her venomous tongue.
Unless it is very obvious, please refrain from asking if someone is baiting. if you think a photographer is baiting, the best thing to do? don't look at their pictures. they'll stop posting them on here.
so please, no more discussion on it. thanks
I actually didn't know it was such a touchy subject. I am still learning a lot of things. Are pictures at bird feeders equally looked down upon?
Not quite sure I fully understand. The way I see it, animals are naturally shy and withdrawn. It's what's made them survive for millions of years. So they are inherently difficult to photograph, unless you get super lucky or you go to the animal's source of food. Now if that source is deliberately planted or not can be a source of controversy. I still don't fully see the difference of baiting a raptor vs baiting song-birds.
Can the raptor be injured by a car? Ok I get that, so do it on an open field far away from traffic. I see hawks on the 404 almost every morning, flying above it or sitting on speed-limit signs. These guys seem to manage highway traffic quite well. Quite different from forest-dwelling owls yes, but my point is that animals learn and adapt. Just like song-birds have adapted to the human environment and negotiate it successfully to get to the planted feeders.
Instead of not talking about, let's talk about it. Let's put it out in the open. Perhaps we need a good discussion, not only for ourselves but also (and especially) for the animals that we all cherish and want to see do well in an ever-changing and challenging habitat that they increasingly have to share with humans.
Let's talk pros and cons of baiting. As for my stance, I don't see it as a good vs evil type thing, I see it as an option...a challenge if you will. Not baiting brings about it more of a challenge...and as such is probably more rewarding. When I shot a bunch of pictures of song-birds on Sunday at the Humber Arboretum feeder, yes I did feel a bit like I was cheating. But after walking endless miles and hours through various parks and trails and barely seeing any birds, it was a welcome reward (albeit unrelated) for my efforts. In fact, although the task was easy for me, I was happy to see the birds being in good spirits and enjoying tasty seeds. Similar to the ducks near the bays...it's cold and they're happy to get some calories to keep their inner furnace running and body temperatures high.
Can a raptor not be equally be a benefactor of human intervention when it comes to nutrition and calories? Do they not also deserve it? Or is our photographing honour more important than a bird's hunger? Maybe that's why their numbers are dwindling while song-birds and ducks numbers are virtually exploding.
Some questions to ponder perhaps.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Today is a good day to bird!
