Article in the Daily Mail today, on the problems they are facing up at Attenborough Reserve with people phshing birds with iPhone apps.
If you don't know what phshing is, it's when you play a call to lure out the species, as it will try to defend it's territory. It is a practice that is generally frowned upon, especially this time of year, when the birds should be concentrating on rearing their young, not responding to fake calls.
Now I must confess, when I was still wet between the years, I did use my iPhone to call birds, but only on a few occasions. I know understand and agree with the reasons not to do it, so I only use the phone when I am away from the place where the birds are calling to use the app to id which warbler I could be hearing. I never use it to get a better photo.
BUT...
Last weekend the app came in very useful when a Blue Tit flew in through the lab windows, and got trapped here with me. Now as happy I was for the company, he couldn't stay as he kept flying into things.
So after 5 minutes of chasing the poor scared bird away from things that could hurt him, and trying to coax him back out the window, I hit a brain wave! I put the blue tit call on the phone, put the phone on the window. In less than a few minutes, it flew down from the bookshelf to investigate, and then straight out the window!
So a happy use of phshing for once! ;o)
Ant
"IT IS SAID THAT LIFE FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES BEFORE YOU DIE. THAT IS TRUE, IT'S CALLED LIVING."Death - Terry Pratchett (The Last Continent).
Good work, Ant, glad you were able to lure the Blue Tit back outside.
I've never heard the term 'phshing' before. 'Pishing', yes, for making squeaky or hissy noises to attract birds, and 'tape-luring' if an actual recording is used (though these days it's not going to be a tape!)
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Great use of Phshing Ant!
I find just making strange little noises works well with birds, they come down to see what the strange noise is lol
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
Hi Ant
I read the article myself earlier and didn't realise what a problem it could cause or even that anyone was doing it
Its a good job you had the app and was able to send the blue tit happily on his way home :-)
Regards Kimbo
Feeling More Positive :-)
For myself I am not happy with over use of tape luring,on one of our local reserves a couple of "photographers were misusing it so after a lot of complaints it was barred altogether,this may have spoilt tings for those who used the system properly
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
There was an excellent article in Birdwatching Magazine a few months back on the birding tours over use of it.
The correct term of course is Pishing .. apologies. Phshing is of course the trick of getting your details on fake websites! ;o)
The problem illustrates well the obsessiveness of some people following the "birdwatching" hobby. Such people think primarily of getting ticks in their note book and almost nothing about the birds themselves.
They're not birdwatching so much as box-ticking.
For all the thought they put into what they're doing, they might as well be trainspotting or collecting cereal packet tops.
Rant over - anyone disagree with me??
:-)
Andy
Seriously thinking about trying harder!
Every hobby has a obsessive alas ...
I have now found it spelt Phishing too! *sighs*
Patricia M said: The problem illustrates well the obsessiveness of some people following the "birdwatching" hobby. Such people think primarily of getting ticks in their note book and almost nothing about the birds themselves. They're not birdwatching so much as box-ticking. For all the thought they put into what they're doing, they might as well be trainspotting or collecting cereal packet tops. Rant over - anyone disagree with me?? :-) Andy
Bit of a generalisation there Jackdaw,many of the "twitchers" I met have been knowledgeable birders and keen local patch workers
Your probably right Andy .. I think peoples misconceptions were fed by the BBC3 program ..
Any collecting hobby has obsessives, as I said .. ;o)
Unknown said: There was an excellent article in Birdwatching Magazine a few months back on the birding tours over use of it. The correct term of course is Pishing .. apologies. Phshing is of course the trick of getting your details on fake websites! ;o) Ant
Pishing is going 'pssh, pssh' or 'squeak squeak', though, not playing recordings - that's tape-luring. Unless someone's changed the terminology and not told me :o