This discussion is interesting. It also brings
questions to my mind, which I will ask here.
So far, the small sample of birders who have responded
are generally against the use of tape recorded calls
to lure birds closer. But what about owls on
Christmas Bird Counts? This is a common way to try to
find them on CBCs. Are birders against this practice
or is it OK because it's not in the breeding season
and it's only once a year?
Also, what about pishing? Is it considered to be less
stressful for songbirds? It seems that many birders
pish quite a bit. I probably do it at least once on
most outings where songbirds are to be found. I don't
do it during the breeding season, though, as the
thinking goes that birds are super busy w/ raising
young and shouldn't deal with the extra stress that a
presumed predator would cause.
For the record, I rarely use recordings to call in
birds. The only time that I use them is for owls and,
I think I've tried for rails that way.
Scott Baron
Fairfax, Va.
--- Scott Priebe <falco57@xxxxxxx> wrote:
I share Paula's concerns with the use of recordings.http://www.pbase.com/paulasullivan/image/88918133<http://www.pbase.com/paulasullivan/image/88918133>
It is unclear to me how much this disturbs the
birds, but like global warming, why take chances.
With habitat loss, etc. they're under enough stress
as it is.
Scott Priebe
Springfield, VA
----- Original Message -----
From: Paula
Sullivan<mailto:paula.sullivan2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: VA-BIRD<mailto:va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ; Jay
K<mailto:azure.jay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 8:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Va-bird] Brown thrasher
Va-Birders,
It should be remembered that tape-playing to call
in birds is a highly controversial practice,
forbidden in many wildlife refuges and in the World
Series of Birding. The ABA�s Code of Ethics
requires birders to �limit the use of recordings and
other methods of attracting birds.� The widespread
use of ipods with portable speakers is a threat to
birds and to the traditional style of passive
birding. Disturbing birds with amplified recordings
is stressful to them and highly annoying to birders
in the vicinity. Although there may be the need for
tape-playing in legitimate scientific studies, it
has no place in recreationial birding and should not
be enouraged on this list.
I had no trouble seeing a Brown Thrasher on Nov.
13 out in the open in a grassy area without the use
of any electronics except my camera.
<KurtCapt87@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:KurtCapt87@xxxxxxxxxxx>>
Paula Sullivan
Alexandria
On Dec 1, 2007, at 7:31 PM, Jay K wrote:
All,
My experience has been that Thrashers get very
quiet and perhaps even more secretive during the
winter and that the best way to find them is
tape-playing at appropriate habitat. They will
typically either respond vocally or pop up for a
second, or both. I think there may be more of them
around in winter months than perhaps people think.
Jay Keller
-----Original Message-----
From: Kurt Gaskill
Sent: Dec 1, 2007 6:31 PM[mailto:va-bird-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:va-bird-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]
To: 'BMcGovern'
<bmcgovern@xxxxxxx<mailto:bmcgovern@xxxxxxx>>,
LarryNTA@xxxxxxx<mailto:LarryNTA@xxxxxxx>,
va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [Va-bird] Brown thrasher
Bill and all,
I would amend that December statement to
January - there are sufficient
Brown Thrasher Northern VA CBC reports every
year to justify the species as
present until at least the beginning of
January, with a higher probability
of occurrence in the eastern portion of the
region.
Kurt Gaskill
-----Original Message-----
From: va-bird-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Behalf Of BMcGovern<http://hometown.aol.com/kurtcapt87/home.htm<http://hometown.aol.com/kurtcapt87/home.htm>>
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 3:38 PM
To: LarryNTA@xxxxxxx<mailto:LarryNTA@xxxxxxx>;
va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Va-bird] Brown thrasher
My old copy of Peterson shows the Thrasher
winter range south of a line
from Northern Neck, through Richmond, down to
about Danville; and your
Fredericksburg location is just north of that
line, so seeing a Thrasher
there on Dec 1st is worth noting. However,
Peterson also says a few
Thrashers will winter as far north as the
Great Lakes.
I think that in most years VA-Bird has no
(or almost no) Northern
Virginia Thrasher reports from December
through February--and that fits Kurt
Gaskill's charts for Northern Virginia:
http://hometown.aol.com/kurtcapt87/home.htm<http://hometown.aol.com/kurtcapt87/home.htm>
<http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001<http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001>>
Bill
----- Original Message ----
From:
LarryNTA@xxxxxxx<mailto:LarryNTA@xxxxxxx>
To:
va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 12:21 PM
Subject: [Va-bird] Brown thrasher
Today at noon a brown thrasher was sitting on
the railing of my deck. I
don't recall seeing this species here this
late. Do a few winter in this
area?
Larry Kline
Fredericksburg, VA
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