For my two cents: I have done some really extensive audio playback as part of my golden-wing nest surveys and studies of nesting success, which involved luring birds into nets for color-banding and for blood samples to determine hybridization. I never felt that my playbacks reduced nesting success or caused mortality by predators, although that could rarely happen. I do know that in 20 years there were 3-4 instances when I caused nest failure by visiting nests, but not due to playbacks themselves. I always justified the extremely regretful nest failures and any small stress to the birds due to playback because of the gain in knowledge about the conservation and ecology of the species.
I certainly agree that multiple playbacks by many visitors should be prohibited, but I don't think a few, say ~4 or 5 in a day or 10 over a week, does any harm. That would be qualified by the weather condition and somewhat by the stage of courtship and nest building. In terrible weather, turn the audible off, and also if it is apparent that the pair is just forming a pair bond. Cheers, John Confer On 4/9/2012 2:13 PM, geoklop...@gmail.com wrote: > Hi Nari, > > As John said, it used to be strictly limited to scientific research, but > I think over the last 50 years we've shifted from black-and-white to > grayscale on this question. The advent of "Citizen Science" has played a > role, by creating research projects that depend on the participation of > birders, hence offering them an inside view of the scientific justifications > for various kinds and degrees of disturbance. For example, pishing, imitation > and playback are all accepted field techniques in various projects that aim > to survey breeding birds. > > I expect that birding ethics (and citizen science) will continue to evolve, > and eventually we may see them in something like true color! > > Geo > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
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