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> If so, they must have some means of calling for h --_000_BN8PR15MB29964751833EBB1FABCA74CAF6B60BN8PR15MB2996namp_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Your point is well-taken John, thank you. I understood the ABA as lumping = playback and mob calls together as =93recordings and other audio methods.= =94 Given that using audio in the field is stressful for birds, why doesn= =92t the ABA Code of Ethics state that audio is only acceptable for bird st= udies and not for hobby birding? I would love to have a members meeting on this topic, a panel discussion on= the pros and cons of using audio (with regard to the birds needs and not o= ur own). And while I am dreaming, an outline of what the =91limits=92 are:= when it is okay and when it is not okay, assuming it is okay at times. I will admit (gulp!) that I have used audio and have been a bystander to it= s use. A clear ethical code and explicit agreements about its use in Nova = Scotia may help change practices here. From: "naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> on be= half of John Kearney <j.f.kearney@gmail.com> Reply-To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 1:07 PM To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour Please note Diane that I directed my remarks about unethical birding to the= play-back of mobbing calls, which does not avoid but instead aims to stres= s birds. I do agree with you that many dimensions of birding and ornitholog= y disturb birds. We need to reassess our actions continually. How much of o= ur intervention in the life of birds stems from meeting their needs or our = needs? Science-based evidence is a useful tool, but it is not enough. We al= so need to decide what kind of relationship we want to have with them. If i= t is one of respect, and understanding our lives as intertwined with theirs= , then many of our practices may have to be called into question. John From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca On Behalf Of Diane LeBlanc Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 11:50 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour With regard to playback and mob calls, the ABA Code of Ethics limits but do= es not ban the use of audio: Here is an excerpt from their Code of Ethics: =93Avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger. Be particularly cautio= us around active nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display sites, and fee= ding sites. Limit the use of recordings and other audio methods of attracti= ng birds, particularly in heavily birded areas, for species that are rare i= n the area, and for species that are threatened or endangered. Always exerc= ise caution and restraint when photographing, recording, or otherwise appro= aching birds.=94 Audubon is more lenient: Here is an excerpt from their website: =93Playback is one of the most powerful tools in a birder=92s struggle to s= ee birds in the wild. It will arouse the curiosity of any species at any ti= me of year, but it works best on territorial species during nesting season.= Birds that might otherwise be too shy to come into the open can be attract= ed by the sound of a potential rival. Whether this trickery has any signifi= cant impact on the birds is not so clear. Fundamentally, birding disturbs birds. Everything we do has an impact on th= em. But in some situations playback can be less disruptive than other metho= ds of attracting birds, at times even less disruptive than sitting quietly = and waiting for a bird to show. Proponents argue that playback reduces the = need to physically enter and disturb a bird=92s habitat and, unlike pishing= , targets a single species.=94 So, it is no wonder that birders may feel that it=92s okay to use mob calls= and bird recording to attract birds. I suggest that changing this birder behaviour requires scientific evidence = followed by strong peer pressure. I=92d be very interested to see studies,= and, in particular, meta-analyses on this topic. The NSBS is strongly comm= itted to putting birds first but we need to be in a defensible position bef= ore making recommendations. Just my thoughts! Diane From: "naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>"= <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>> on b= ehalf of Shouty McShoutsalot <desolatechair@gmail.com<mailto:desolatechair@= gmail.com>> Reply-To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>" <nature= ns@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>> Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 11:04 AM To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour Education is incremental. However there birders who should know better who= still employ pishing. On Wed., May 20, 2020, 08:08 John Kearney, <j.f.kearney@gmail.com<mailto:j.= f.kearney@gmail.com>> wrote: That is unfortunate, and those who are doing so are not following the ethic= al guidelines of Birds Canada and the American Birding Association. In some= cases, judicious use of playback is considered permissible for conservatio= n research. However, as noted in an earlier discussion in this forum, this = is increasingly unnecessary with the availability of autonomous recording u= nits. From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> O= n Behalf Of Shouty McShoutsalot Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 07:21 To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour Re mobbing calls regrettably it is still a common practice among birders. = With cell phones and birding apps its easy to produce and playback them at = will. On Tue., May 19, 2020, 21:38 John Kearney, <j.f.kearney@gmail.com<mailto:j.= f.kearney@gmail.com>> wrote: Hi Burkhard, Many bird species have mobbing calls. You may have seen the Black-capped Ch= ickadee doing this many times. Perhaps you thought it was curious about you= but more likely, it was letting other birds know of your presence. One of = the fascinating things about mobbing calls is that some species understand = the unique mobbing calls of another species as a mobbing call and will join= in multi-species harassment of a predator. Mobbing works, it is believed, = not so much because the predator is frightened, but because it has been out= ed. It has lost the advantage of a surprise attack. In the past, birders wo= uld play recordings of mobbing calls to at