Friday, June 24, 2016

Bird Brain, OR, A Tale of Three Cell Phones

I imagine that there must be accepted methodology to serious birdwatching. Or at least a code of conduct. I am not a serious birder in the strictest sense — i.e. I do not own a Tilley hat, nor do I have a "woop-woop" siren on the top of my Subaru for those occasions when one dashes out on "bird alerts." However, I do keep a life-list of avian sightings in the back of my "Roger Tory Peterson Field Guide to North American Birds" and I like to think that I know the basic fieldcraft involved in observing our feathered friends.

Regardless, who among us wouldn't get all a-twitter at the site of everyone's favorite raptor, the Bald Eagle? On our recent vacation in Beautiful British Columbia, the Mr. and I were taking a walk along a shoreline path when we spotted a stoic BE perched in nonchalant fashion on a pylon at ocean's edge. Eagles are plentiful in this region but that fact does not diminish my excitement at seeing one up close and personal. BEs are very entertaining to watch and one hopes that they will treat the onlooker to a salmon fishing demonstration. I whisked out my iPhone to get the "money shot." Had I been in possession of a real camera with a mega telephoto lens I might have snapped the photo-journalist-worthy BE photo of a lifetime, but BE showed up on my hand-held device's camera frame as a mere, tiny speck —almost invisible. Here's where I, an experienced bird watcher, flew into action.

Between me and the bird, lay a stretch of sand and weeds, a concrete pad beyond, and finally a weir of rocks. I assessed that the appropriate tactic was to creep, with the stealth of a cat after a canary, ever closer, taking a photo every foot or so as I neared the BE's perch. I glanced to my left to see a man dismount from a bicycle. He too whisked out a mobile phone and in tandem, we crept and clicked, crept and clicked. We entered into an unspoken bond of bird observance; a quiet camaraderie; birds of a feather, as it were; a tacit understanding between us that we did not want to startle our quarry.

Ever closer, Bike Rider and I halted at each step. The BE turned to fix its steely gaze upon us. It screeched and we paused to respect its warning. This slow march became a meditation. Eyes glued on the bird. Appreciating. Admiring. Communing with Nature.

Once I reached the concrete pad, I dared go no further. The rocks were shiny; rinsed by sea spray; no doubt a hazard to life and limb. It was clear that my photos would never do justice to this idyll and I ceased taking them. Bike Rider, the Mr. and I stood on the shore, motionless in reverence before this majestic creature.

Then entered a third Picture Taker. She was a young thing. She held her iPhone up at shoulder level as she strode toward us. Her steps were brisk and determined. She slogged across the sandy path, trampled through the weeds, and clambered to the very edge of the concrete. Too fast! Too abrupt! The BE lifted into the air and flapped its titanic wings over the water. Picture Taker ruined the moment. She turned and walked on, never breaking her pace, eyes glued to her device. Probably on her Twitter feed.

Maybe she did us a favor, otherwise we might have stood there all afternoon and missed the Early Bird special at the local pub. Regardless, Bike Rider and I exchanged an eye roll, as if to say, "Tsk!" and we parted company. 

Later, my feathers were still a little ruffled by the incident, so I googled, "Bird Watchers' Code of Conduct." And of course, I found what I was looking for at "The British Trust for Ornithology" web site. This unimpeachable source offers a list of some common courtesies for maintaining peace among birders. One cardinal rule is this, "Don’t get too close when taking your photograph – you’ll incur the wrath of everyone else watching if you scare the bird away."

Hmm. Yes. Clearly our young Picture Taker had not consulted her BTO guide that day. She'd missed the whole point of the exercise. Which proves the age-old saying, "You can't soar with the eagles if you're walking around tweeting."  













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