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).
Wendy S 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
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
I did say "some people" and "such people" as you can see. I don't disagree with what you say about many knowledgeable twitchers being around.
Seriously thinking about trying harder!
aiki 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
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)
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
Someones going to have to now .. iPhone apps changed the nature of tape luring.
App luring .. doesn't have the same ring about it?
Patricia M said: I did say "some people" and "such people" as you can see. I don't disagree with what you say about many knowledgeable twitchers being around.
Point taken Andy,I sometimes admire those making noises to attract birds,whenever I try it I try to make sure nobody is around,my friends think I'm daft enough without me strengthening their thoughts.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Hi-
According to this thread Phishing seems to now mean ( in a birding contect) what we used to call tape luring . It is actually illegal in many US state parks as it disturbs rare breeders.
Pishing still means making squeaking noises to entice/ pull in inquisitive birds and seems to have no effect on breeding as it is not pretending to be an intruding male in a territory.
Top pishers follow the pishers code- outlined in Pete Dunne's excellent book on the subject / arcane art. This includes Asking nearby birders if they mind , not over-using it and doing it using proper fieldcraft techniques- the book is well up to PD's usual standard .
Good pishing works !
S
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