blp shabash 430x45
Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

Welcome, Guest
Username: Password: Remember me
When posting a new topic, please ensure that you select the correct category for your post in the top drop-down box of the edit window. The default entry is the first category shown on the All Categories page; this is unlikely to be the category that you want. The Category drop-down box will be present if you click the New Topic tab in the Forum menu; if you are viewing a particular category of the Forum and you use the New Topic button in the Category Header section, the drop-down box will not be present, and your new post topic will automatically appear in the category that you are viewing.
How and where to take great bird pictures.
  • Page:
  • 1

TOPIC:

Feeding birds for photography 5 years 7 months ago #1839

  • Wilson Lennard
  • Wilson Lennard's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • New Member
  • New Member
  • Posts: 9
  • Thank you received: 10
Hello. I am rather shy when it comes to forum activity but have a question with regards to bird photography ethics. I am wondering if there has ever been any regard for the use of food to attract birds for photography? Is there any scientific research that has looked at the effects of feeding birds to attract them for photography? Has the BirdLife Photography group considered this in terms of being included, or not, within the code of ethics for photographing birds? I know there is a difference of opinion between continents with the general feeding of birds; Europeans seem to do it regularly via having garden feeders but the practice doesn't seem that accepted in Australia. I have little knowledge of the subject and was just wondering if there are any views or information within the BL Photography group? Thanks.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Feeding birds for photography 5 years 7 months ago #1842

  • Glenn Pure
  • Glenn Pure's Avatar
  • Offline
  • Moderator
  • Moderator
  • Posts: 249
  • Thank you received: 199
Hi Wilson, this issue has been raised on the forum a few times before. I'm not sure if it was looked at in detail when the BLP ethics policy was formulated. I wasn't involved in the committee then.

There has been some academic study of this issue but I suspect it's been quite patchy. There have been reports in The Conversation in recent years on this topic, for example (that is the online 'newspaper' for Australian university researchers to take their work to the wider public). It seems the answer to this is that "it depends...". There's no simple answer. In general, my memory is that feeding birds in urban areas is generally not seen as an issue. Feeding birds in the wilds of Australia is probably more complicated and I'm not sure much has been done there. I suspect the biggest risk is modifying behaviour of birds in the wild (not urban) in unnatural and potential harmful ways. That's probably going to happen more if the food provided is inappropriate, the patterns of feeding lead to dependence that, when cut off, causes harm to populations and issues like that. Having said all of that, the human race has done catastrophic damage to a lot of natural habitat for birds and that has had a massive impact on at least some species. So feeding might actually counter that in some cases and give birds a 'leg up'. I guess the analogy is birds in urban environments where the place they live and their food sources are already heavily modified and the birds probably behaving and feeding in a way they wouldn't in the wild anyway - so if extra feeding can improve their survival, why not? My advice would be to do what makes sense to you are that you are comfortable with.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Wilson Lennard, Bruce Terrill

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Feeding birds for photography 5 years 7 months ago #1847

  • Bruce Terrill
  • Bruce Terrill's Avatar
  • Offline
  • Elite Member
  • Elite Member
  • Posts: 266
  • Thank you received: 47
Wilson/Glenn,

From reading a lot of 'Pommy' books/articles and watching YouTube, they all seem to come up with the same ending, if you are going to start feeding, DO NOT, under any circumstances, stop the feeding abruptly and the food offered should match, as closely as possible, the natural food available in the area.
It seems that most of the British bird photographs are of birds sitting on sticks/branches that have a bird feeder very close by and the photographer hidden nearby.
I have no issue either way and each to his/her own.
HTH.

Bruce
The following user(s) said Thank You: Wilson Lennard

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Last edit: by Bruce Terrill.

Feeding birds for photography 5 years 7 months ago #1848

  • Andrew Browne
  • Andrew Browne's Avatar
  • Offline
  • Senior Member
  • Senior Member
  • Posts: 60
  • Thank you received: 26
Thanks for raising this subject Wilson.
I have asked the same question previously on this forum, but it only received a few individual's comments. To get a proper answer it was suggested to me that I'd have to write to the BLP Committee directly. They apparently do not seem as a whole to take any notice or reply to this forum. Remiss of me but I still haven't put pen to paper to address them on this subject.
As far as I can see the BLP Committee endorse the feeding of birds for photography purposes, as highlighted in the past by publishing images in the BLP Photo Gallery of birds with mealworms, and also images of live-baiting for bird photography purposes shown in slides presented at the Geelong DPITB.
I personally think it is an ethics issue that should be addressed.
Whilst on the subject of ethics issues, I'm still waiting to see a promised paper published that shows scientific support for the stand on call playback that was promised at the Geelong conference.
I support the ban on call playback and the publishing on the BLP website of nesting birds.
Cheers Andrew Browne
Cheers AB
The following user(s) said Thank You: Ian Wilson, Wilson Lennard, Bruce Terrill

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Feeding birds for photography 5 years 7 months ago #1855

  • Simon Pelling
  • Simon Pelling's Avatar
  • Offline
  • Elite Member
  • Elite Member
  • Posts: 236
  • Thank you received: 259
I am not aware that the BLP Committee has adopted a policy on this but I am even newer to the Committee than Glenn. And I certainly don't claim to be an expert on the impacts of bird feeding, nor the ethical issues.

Are there perhaps two different but related questions here: the impact of feeding birds generally; and the use of food to attract birds for photographers?

The first is a big question which covers a lot of things. Feeding is probably more widespread in Australia than might at first seem to be the case. Certainly overseas in places like the US and UK feeding seems to be extensive and certainly tolerated and perhaps even actively encouraged by some bird conservation organisations. People feed birds for all sorts of reasons, but I expect at least some of it is for similar reasons to why we have pets - because many people like interacting at a personal level with animals and seeking the companionship and 'approval' of animals. That in itself raises a bunch of ethical issues. I don't know about other places in Australia but here in Canberra the birds that are attracted to feeders tend to be those which are well established in urban areas, very tolerant of humans, dominant and aggressive, and obtain their food from a variety of natural and human sources. These birds are highly adept at scavenging for any and all sources as any outside cafe in green spaces can attest. I am not sure if this makes it OK to feed them, although I expect that small amounts of additional food such as bird seed make relatively little difference to the well being of these birds. However,this is a debate which will continue particularly as urbanisation continues.

The second is more about to what extent is it appropriate (or, perhaps, ethical) for photographers to use artificial means to alter the behaviour of birds for the purpose of improving the photographic outcomes? When you turn the question around like this it takes on a different tone. Of course, one can argue that if someone feeds birds, there is clearly no additional harm in taking incidental pictures of them. However, there may be an argument that the photographer should not disturb birds specifically for photography be it with food, or with the playing of sounds, or similar. BLP's policies say members must not use sounds to attract birds on the basis that to do so has the potential to impact negatively on birds, and a precautionary approach should be taken until proven otherwise. One could also argue that a precautionary approach should also apply for use of other artificial arrangements to disturb bird behaviour in ways which are favourable to the photographer, purely to improve the photographic outcomes.

Does the question change if you replace 'food' with 'water'? I am not sure.

While I don't have a particularly well thought through position on this myself, I tend towards a view that one should try and go to where the birds are, rather than enticing them artificially, and try and capture them behaving as if you weren't there (as much as possible - clearly your presence will always have some impact). This does not mean the birds are free generally of human interference, of course - living in an urban area means that some human interference is always present, even if in a very generalised way. I'd be the first to say its a very grey area, the more so the deeper one digs.

Cheers
Simon
The following user(s) said Thank You: Wilson Lennard

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Feeding birds for photography 5 years 7 months ago #1857

  • Andrew Browne
  • Andrew Browne's Avatar
  • Offline
  • Senior Member
  • Senior Member
  • Posts: 60
  • Thank you received: 26
Thanks Simon for taking the time to reply on this subject.
The second issue ("The second is more about to what extent is it appropriate (or, perhaps, ethical) for photographers to use artificial means to alter the behaviour of birds for the purpose of improving the photographic outcomes?") is the subject that interests me.
Yes with feeding you could include water and also the berley used to attract pelagic birds.
A big subject.
Cheers AB
Cheers AB
The following user(s) said Thank You: Wilson Lennard

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Page:
  • 1

CONTACT US

The easiest way to contact us is by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Our People page, in the About Us section, contains email links to each of the committee members.