There are various schools of thought about these tactics, especially playing
bird songs, but no clear rule of thumb. In many federal and some state parks,
particularly those with some devotion to conservation, use of tapes (or CDs,
etc.) is forbidden.
The American Birding Association Rules of Ethics call for limiting the use ot
tapes or other means of attracting birds, and not to use them in heavily
trafficed areas or where the bird is rare in the area or falls within one of
the protected categories (endangered, threatened, etc.).
In general, I think most people are of the view that a limited use of pishing
-- or other calls, such as hooting to attract an owl at night -- to attract shy
birds in a setting where the bird will not be repeatedly bothered -- and where
you are not interfering with nesting of or brooding course -- is not likely to
be very stressful to the bird and hence is acceptable. Views are more mixed on
tapes, with some people finding it both unwarranted an unnecessary and others
thinking it perfectly acceptable if used cautiously. Of course you will find
people who use them with less care as well, but I would think them outside the
mainstream.
Finally, I am not sure that the use of attractants is always done just to get a
tick. Sometimes of course it is done by group leaders so a bunch of people can
get a tick, but beyond that, it is not always just a tick at stake, but
people's interest in seeing a bird that may be being secretive, even if they
may not need it for a list.
In sum, there is no clear cut answer, just a lot of views.
Eric Jeffrey
Falls Church, VA
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