Jonathmartinez

Seen last week in Dong Ting Lake in Hunan, a photographer using his car's horn to frighten the geese to catch pics of large flock of flying bird!!!
Good solution and allready applied by many website is to prohibit pics of bird at nest, and not publish them.

Rgds

A photographer

Jonathmartinez

In winter, every birds fight for food and energy, to pass throught the cold winter and to find the power to flight over the fiew thausend kilometers back to their breeding range! A tit in Europe after a really cold night loose at least near all his fat reserve.... What to said as a flock of 5000 geese fly away just because a egoist guy use his car's horn to catch flock on flight without thinking about the consequence this act could have if 20 people everyday were doing same things...even one time is allready bad for the birds...
I do not said that i never scared bird by attempting approach them, In Dong Ting lake the bird are so shy that they often fly away just by seing people approching 1 km faraway! But i really always feel guilty when i do scared large flock of birds just by attempting to approach them just to catch a acceptable distance to identify them!!! In this kind of place like Dong Ting lake, human's disturbance is allready a hugge problem because of the human's activities on the lake, with the birds continually scared all the day, by fishermann, people working on cuting the reedbeds, taking care of the buffalo, wandering dogs... I do believe that birds there do not need any additional disturbance. I saw there thausend of greater white-fronted geese in winter for 3 years ago ,this time i maybe count only one hundreed on the best day!
Last week always in Dong Ting lake, a group of birdwatchers from Mainland stay one night sleeping on the dam in tents, with great party on the evening using fireworks !!!! unbelievable!
I do not blame them, since they maybe don't have any idea about the consequence of their act, but i really hope that they can learn about more experienced birdwatchers and changing their comportment in the future...If we do not show the exemple who will do it?
The same week i saw a guy hunting birds from his car on the dam of Dong Ting Lake with a rifle! The situation is really so critical in China to not add any additional mess...

Rgds

Jonathan

Jonathmartinez

I just want to denounce people who intentionnaly scared birds to catch pics of large flock of birds flying. Even my english not so good, i guess was easy to understand.
I suppose that people who want to understand, will!

I purpose you if you have any doubt on the consequence of your act during your last excursion, that you opt for crawl for your next time:-) Joke, only joke!

Rgds

Jonathan

Jonathmartinez

Just a link to show you how humans and birds may leave peacefully! Just have to be known that this island have the greatest world's population of Masked booby!

http://reefbuilders.com/2010/02/ ... threaten-ecosystem/

The captain of this boat, for sure may think that it's not a big problem for the birds that his boat leave in the middle of this atoll!

Just take a look of any endangered birds species list that also have lived peacefully with humans!

Just common sense, please!
Such reserve as you go is usefull for people who want to see birds, but such quiet area as Deep bay for example is vital for birds who need peace and quiet to feed. I cant'imagine what should be the Deep bay with so many human's activities, and how many birds would be there (or if you want to know, just go on  Deep Bay Shenzhen's side a Sunday morning...)

Rgds
Jonathan

Jonathmartinez

Dear Eric,

Glad to see that we're back to the original subject of this post : educate people. I know, not exactly the same as you mention on your mail, but finally it's quite the same.
No doubt that we are both nature lovers, and no doubt that most of photographers are too, but it does'nt mean we can do everything. This was the original message.
I know that sensitize people on environemment care is one of the key to change the situation, and lot of work still have to be done. Ofcourse i prefer see photographer scared some birds just to do some pics, than a guy poaching Golden pheasant in Hunan's montane, but i will be less lenient with the first one since he know he is doing something bad compare with the other one who have no idea that he just accelerate the reduction of an endemic bird just to win 40 yuan! What i just want to underline, is that we, all nature's photographers and nature's lovers, just have to be responsable on what we are doing...
I do thanks my father to have accompagnied me caught fishes when i was young, and i will do it with my son too....Maybe just to learn him how we have to respect the nature!

Rgds

Jonathan

PS : i join a pic to show what nature give to patient photographer, and that perched birds  are so nice than on flight!