Brutal. A talon to the face would have made me smile. Unfortunately, I'm sure they just picked everything up and moved to the new location to bother the owl again.
Feb 08, 2012 at 04:11 PM
Thomas Sanders Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
There are douche bags like this everywhere photographers and non photographers.
The problem is no one says anything, all those people standing around and nobody said a word.
Then they wonder why an area gets restricted or limited to where you can shoot from.
I've seen people out 30 yards into the pickleweed knee deep in muck trying to get a shot, signs
posted everywhere but it just doesn't apply to them... this stuff really pisses me off.
It's a fact of life that there are many people who'd stop at nothing, or very little, in the pursuit of their own selfish objectives.
I have also seen a paradox type behaviour where the photographers with the longest lenses try to get the closest to the bird.
I also have an acquaintance who constantly makes approach to birds until they are flushed, so that he can impress his buddies on an Ontario bird forum with some real proximity shots. A few have tried to suggest to him some restraint and consideration for other photographers there, if not for the bird's sake, but that was like talking to a brick wall.
I've seen it happen with birds as well as well as other animals. In this video it appears the other two photographers were with him hoping for a flush. Sadly that's precisely why I find it better to shoot alone, especially if your partners have little patience or respect for the animal/bird they are trying to capture digitally.
Should this type be with me they get enough of an earful they never return, at least with me. Common sense is in short supply these days.
I'm not sure what I would say, were I there. The thoughts in my head didn't equal the social tact I know I need to display. At least his goofy ass is forever on display now.
I'd rather spend a whole day in the field and go home empty handed than disturb a bird (or any other animal) for a photograph. I love wildlife photography, but my love for wildlife is greater than my love of taking pictures.....
I visit a local reserve where dogs are supposed to be controlled and signs are posted saying its a federal law to do so, however, most of the dog owners allow them to run wild and chase the wildlife freely. I say something every time I see it happen, but it does not help. The owners ignore me or worse. If the law was enforced and heavy fines given out then maybe that would help.
Everytime I sneak up on a bluejay.cardinal.osprey,hummingbird,Egret,dear,fox,parrot,eagle,kingfisher......and blow them out i am a dolt.Everytime I set up a blind and blow out the birds for 20 minutes untill they return ...I am a dolt. Doug
Reminds me of the people that set up flashes to photograph hummingbirds in the cloud forest. Too much flash photography drives some species away so that the rest of us cannot see them. A few lodges that I visit even have signs out that say "No Flash", but people still do it.
tfoltz wrote:
There are douche bags like this everywhere photographers and non photographers.
The problem is no one says anything, all those people standing around and nobody said a word.
Then they wonder why an area gets restricted or limited to where you can shoot from.
I've seen people out 30 yards into the pickleweed knee deep in muck trying to get a shot, signs
posted everywhere but it just doesn't apply to them... this stuff really pisses me off. http://www.pic4ever.com/images/fingersmiley.gif
I don't hesitate to say what's on my mind when I see this. I have been kicked out of a photo club because I voice my dislike for this kind of behavior. I don't understand it. I would much rather sit and wait for the opportunity to have a bird come closer to me. Patience is a virtue.
In Ontario, the law says we can flush a bird once, as we all do., then, if you want to try it again.. ok., but that's it.. after that, pursuing a bird is considered hunting, and a MNR guy will charge you.
Like anything, it is about respect. Sadly, some people are too selfish to understand that simple concept. We have a workshop for the good people of Ontario, who wish a photograph of a snowy owl., and with this beauty, you can pet her.
Wildlife.. nope., photography, and respect., yes... as this bird would die in the wild., so why not save it.
There will always be issues in this game, we can't keep everyone happy, but please do your best to treat wildlife and nature with as much respect possible., and help others understand, without getting upset.
galenapass wrote:
Reminds me of the people that set up flashes to photograph hummingbirds in the cloud forest. Too much flash photography drives some species away so that the rest of us cannot see them. A few lodges that I visit even have signs out that say "No Flash", but people still do it.
Lets clarify this a little please, as you have spouted a pretty broad statement without much information, and that leads me to believe you don't really know what you are talking about.
Taking down all of the feeders and concentrating hundreds of hummingbirds on 1 feeder, and doing that for multiple days in a row, and then ignoring requests for the lodge owners and leaving feeders laying around...maybe that might be the cause...i.e. One or two very ignorant and completely boorish people (I know precisely who I am talking about...I have name(s) from several lodge owners in Ecuador, and you'd likely recognize them, though i don't recall any of the people I have in mind ever posting images here).
However, flash photography does nothing to impact the birds...optical studies have shown how birds react (or mostly don't react) to flash photography. A few species can be jumpy, and you probably don't want to use high powered flashes at night on a nocturnal owl, but I've found hummingbirds to generally ignore it. When one is responsible, it does nothing to change the behavior whatsoever. The lodge I shot at 2 years ago had some significantly bad experiences with one specific photographer, and was on the verge of banning photographers due to that individuals and their groups behavior. I spent a week there and they saw first hand the radical difference between responsible and ignorant, and they'd had other similar good experiences with other photographers (some whose names you'd recognize). By the way the evening before I left, there were more hummingbirds present at dusk than the day I got there, after 5 afternoon/evenings of flash photography at the same set of feeders.... Would you conclude then that flash photography increased the density in that case? Seriously, please try not to be so ignorant.
Doug
Doug