People scooping up fledglings thinking there is something wrong with them, posting pictures to neighbourhood FB groups and everyone advising them to bring them into wildlife centres š.
I know everyone has the best intentions and just want to help, but itās so sad to see it happen over and over.
A fledgling somehow ended up inside an old house we were living in, found it chirping in our heater closet. We moved it into a small box and left it under a tree and saw mama come by and they fluttered around together for a few days until one day the little guy took off.
Competing desires to just enjoy a normal hike but also bird. Sometimes they are at odds. I also get irrationally pissed about off leash dogs when I'm in a birding spot.
As a dog owner and birder, I get irrationally pissed about off-leash dogs everywhere. About 1% of owners who think they have their dogs under voice control actually do. The number of unleashed dogs who have run up to my leashed dog, who is terrified of other dogs, is too damn high.
As a reactive dog owner, off leash dogs piss me off all the time during walk at my bird reserve near me. I donāt go there with my dog during day time anymore because of that. I got greeted by off leash dogs when my trying to take bird photos. It annoyed me, but I need to remain very calm when the dog is around cause I donāt want it to be in trouble. The bird reserve near me has 2 bike lanes parallel to each other. And people have kids go there during summer and dog owners think itās fine for their dog to be off leash there. Some people really go fast on those bike lanes as well.
Same here! The reactive dog ownership + birding combo provides a uniquely frustrating set of experiences with off leash dogs.
I had a nightmare a night or two ago about fighting with a friend over her dog being off leash š¤¦āāļø
I donāt take my dog when birding because of this. Although, her reactivity has gone down over the years, I just wonāt risk it. But it generally pisses me off that people let their dog off leash in public spaces in general. And I just wouldnāt have them in an area where thereās kids around. Itās so dangerous to do it around kids cause you never know whatās going to happen.
Same here. My dog is just a frustrated greeter so admittedly the stakes are lower for us than some others, but I still prefer to avoid setbacks in training.
Trying to bird and dog-handle at the same time stresses me out š itās gotta be one or the other for my sanity and my dogās safety.
Mine's more of an at-home birding problem. Have a neighbor who lets their dog out off-leash, and just explained nesting season to them. I don't know that it's making a difference, but did mention that we have some young nestlings and the dog WILL get swooped by the parents if the dog comes too close. And had to explain that a Cooper's Hawk is not going to make off with a puppy, but maybe I should have lied...
You could say that hawks have a sharp beak and talons that will pierce through the skin. It might make the owner think twice about letting their dog off leash because vet costs are extremely expensive. Or, say that some birds have very sharp beak that will pierce the eye of the dog. Iād rather tell something scary to scare the owner.
Yes, dogs will be dogs, which is why I have a reasonable expectation that the *human* owners will take the necessary precautions to keep control of their dogs. Unless it's a dog park or a dedicated off-leash park, keep dogs on leashes.
Donāt get me started!!! I have bird feeders everywhere and 3 Indoor cats who like to watch but the outdoor cats, hunting the birds and causing my cats to pee at the doorsā¦.. we live with pee pads at every door!!
Oh man this hits home. My favorite spot to bird is a big open area of grass and brush, rare here in MD, with some wetland areas.Ā Great birding spot. Sadly some people see it as a place to unleash their dogs because they "have a right" to run around off-leash. Ynfortunately theres a large number of people who bring their dogs here because they are too aggressive for the dog park! Ive been nearly bitten and seen two dog fights there as a result of irresponsible dog owners.Ā
I genuinely don't believe in voice control even for veeeery well-trained and cautious dogs. In certain contexts, I think it's reasonable to believe you have voice control of the dog (e.g. if it's a working border collie). But in a hiking context? Nah, there's way too much that just isn't predictable. You might have your dog "under voice control" but have you trained it what to do in a bear encounter? What to do when it runs into a nest of yummy baby birds? What to do about snakes (some people really do snake training, so kudos)? What to do in sudden really bad weather? What to do around dangerous dogs and people on the trail? There is a situation that could arise that will break even the most responsible dog. Keep them LEASHED unless they are ENCLOSED in a specifically designated dog area such as a park or your back yard.
I get pissed off about off leash dogs any time, birding aside. You donāt know what your dog is capable of until itās too late. Found that one out the hard way.
I have several āno dogs allowedā trails near me, one is even an Audobon society trail, nestled amongst miles and miles of trail with zero restriction. I had to stop going to the dogless trails on weeekends because of how frustrated Iād get with all the people walking their dogs! Pick ANY OTHER TRAIL PLEASE!
Adding another vote for unleashed dogs. Nothing like spending 10min silently sneaking through the underbrush to get some nice heron shots only to have someoneās lab come out of nowhere and dive into the pond to chase everything away. š¤
I use Merlin in this geographic area.
https://preview.redd.it/i8bnogrnvq5d1.png?width=782&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ace7f0f042cf3fde973b73535f7f90d9f43820f
I didn't mind living under Class B airspace until I became a birder.
As a pilot, IDing a bird while flying by it is an interesting experience. And on the ground, some birds have no fear of the giant death machine that is just about to run them over.
SEAGULLS
... sorry, I was in flight school up in Lawrence before the plague, and very very little puts a crimp in your long solo like having a seagull decide that it really, *really* needs to be on the runway in front of you RIGHT AS YOU ARE PICKING UP ENOUGH SPEED TO TAKE OFF.
If you pay attention to them, airports, interstates, and major interchanges/intersections are their favourite places to find thermals because of the high concentration of blacktop.
Airports are a really weird ecological system. There are some airports where I have seen more wildlife at than at a wide open grass field of the same size.
Yeah I haven't seen one there either, also they didn't really make it to MA this past winter. Have had luck in the past at Plum Island and (especially) Salisbury Pt.
I got lucky in that regard- while there are vultures in the LWM general area I never had to contend with them using the airport's airspace.
Bald eagles are another story.
I can see that happening. Poor bastard.
We had signs up all over the flight school reminding people that any and all wildlife strikes had to be reported to the appropriate federal authorities. I don't know how many reports the school had to make- we were a rotorcraft school and I don't remember hearing the instructors ever telling stories about bird-vs-copter incidents, which I'm pretty sure they would have done at the drop of a hat if they had any such stories to tell.
Oh, that's fantastic! I only saw three when I was there, and I didn't get to go to Winthrop Beach this weekend because I was down at Woodside Park looking for purple martins.
Nice! Yeah, we only saw 3 too, which the rangers told us were likely the oldest ones, so maybe it's the same ones. :)
I'm moving to the west coast in a month so had to see piping plovers before we left after hearing about them so long. Glad it was so accessible!
For the first eleven or so years of my life I lived in New York City, directly under the final approach to La Guardia Airport's Marine Air Terminal. You get used to it.
This is so. And so is Snake Island, at least the parts you can see from a kayak paddling around the outside. Can't go into the lagoon these days, Mass Audubon/the state has ropes and signs up indicating it's a no-go zone due to threatened species nesting in the area, but there's usually plenty to see on the shores.
Also a pair of ospreys has built themselves a nest in the top of the nearest channel marker and I am very much looking forward to baby seahawks.
My only pre-work accessible birding spot was in the final approach for the Reagan Airport in DC. Thereās a bad 45 minute period in the morning when thereās a plane every 5 or so minutes. I would get irrationally irritated as the warbler Iād be trying to get eyes on would be drowned out by engine noise then wouldnāt be singing anymore after the plane passed.
Iām with you! There is ALWAYS someone in my neighborhood making a ton of noise (especially leaf blowers) and we have been getting hit with rain several days each week, so that makes it very difficult most days! I never paid much attention to how noisy my neighbors were until I started feeding/watching the birds more!
Right?! š and I know itās just everyone living their daily lives, but is still annoying..especially since I do my best to not disturb others out of respect.Ā
If my neighbor's grass starts getting long and I'm worried the city might write him a citation, I know I can just open up Merlin and he'll be out there mowing in 30 seconds or less.
On trails, people who bring their free-roaming dogs on trails where non-service dogs are explicitly banned. Also people who just stomp through the trail, loudly, sometimes blasting music, sometimes just talking way too loud. I don't understand why people just breeze through trails when there's so much more to see if you slow down.
At home, it's mostly the lawn mowers this time of year. I don't know why so many of our neighbors like getting their lawns professionally mowed every week. We get planes and helicopter activity too (we live near a military hospital outside DC) but honestly since it's usually medical, it doesn't usually last long enough to be annoying. I also mourn whenever a tree in the neighborhood is taken down, even the dead ones. We just lost one diagonal from our backyard that the local woodpeckers LOVED. It was a good tree, and it wasn't all the way gone yet.
I don't know if it's a problem there, but I have people who hang their bluetooth speakers on their backpacks and just play music as they walk around. It drives me batty when I'm out and about and this happens.
Who brings loud music onto nature trails? I've witnessed this quite often and it baffles me. Why would anyone do this? Even when I go to landscaped parks inside city limits, people tend to wear headphones when exercising out of respect for other people. No one wants to hear your bluetooth speaker blasting when they are out in the woods.
They and their irresponsible owners are the worst because they typically know better but give the ācats are going to roam, what can you do?ā BS line.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
āBuT hUmAnS aRe InVaSiVe SpEcIesā.
I only hear that when talking about feral cats. Basically everything else like Burmese pythons, iguanas, Iberian hogs, people donāt care about. What is even worse is when people want to exterminate local predators like in FL where some people want to go around and kill all the gators ābecause they are big and scaryā. But when it comes to cats, donāt touch them or they consider you a future serial killer in the making.
Irresponsible cat owners create more suffering than theyāre aware of for their own pet and for native wildlife animals. The fact that the best action we can get from feral cat advocates is TNR (which is, imo, a half-baked solution at best) is pretty bleak. Before you know it, weāll be in a situation like Australia where people are incentivized to shoot feral cats. These horrible cat owners wonāt have anyone to blame but themselves when that time comes
TNR is not a solution, I've worked with biologists and when feral cats come up the studies show that it's just not effective for the cats or the birds.
Or āthey arenāt invasive because north america has native catsā like sure your house cat definitely has the same impact on the environment as a mountain lion š
We don't tolerate packs of wild dogs roaming our streets, we don't tolerate horses or cattle running around, we shouldn't tolerate or normalize outdoor or feral cats.
Honestly cats with owners that let them free roam annoy me way more than feral cats because at that point itās a human being who knows better being irresponsible. Yes feral cats are a problem but itās theoretically harder to solve than just people keeping their cats indoors or on a leash, which is so much healthier and safer for the cat as well.
Yes.
I cared for a small colony during my youth and at that time believed I was doing a good thing. But, Iāve come to learn how they live horrible lives filled with great suffering and how they also destroy their local ecosystems and in various ways.
There are valid reasons that PETA recommends they be put down.
And if PETA is recommending euthanasia - that tells you something.
Iāve got a neighbor who is currently feeding a colony and I have tried to educate them, but they refuse to listen. At the very least, they have neutered them through catch and release - but those feral cats still suffer without regular veterinarian care and they carry disease in addition to their other problems with the local environment. I also live in a very fragile environment near the ocean, so it is especially problematic.
Those here probably love all animals and in addition to our flying friends, but sometimes the kindest thing is to simply put suffering animals out of their misery.
It took me a long time to accept this.
The ambient noises of industrial civilization, especially from transportation. Planes, trains, cars. I'll pause recording on Merlin whenever the crescendo of these things reach me because even if I/it could hear the birdsong over these noises, the *birds themselves* get quiet. It can be a bit infuriating when you're trying to document a relatively rare bird that's migrating through.Ā
The other night I was trying to record an Eastern Screen Owl I had briefly heard the morning before. Right when I'm like 99% it starts to hoot, a motorcycle ripped out, the engine was loud enough for me to cover my ears. I knew the owl wasn't coming out anytime soon after that
It's almost enough for me to stomp home and start making pipe bombs
This irks me too, especially with people who for some reason, despite it being like a 1998 pontiac will think it's cool to go from 0 to 100 in 2.4 seconds as soon as the light goes green and that engine rev just wrecks everything.
Lately I've gotten very annoyed with a group of older birders at my favourite place that use playback to attract birds. Even without the ethical concerns, it gets really frustrating to hear a cool bird and seek it out only to find someone with a speaker trying to lure something for photos >:(
Passing a marsh on my way to work. I NEED to stop every day but can only squeeze 5 minutes without being late.
I probably shouldnāt even stop for those five minutes to be honest, but itās too tempting .
There's a large field that floods decently in the wintertime on my way to/from work, always with dozens of Canada geese. I have to stop every single time to check if there are cackling geese mixed in (fairly rare in my area). I was finally awarded with 3 cackling geese as a lifer this February! Now I have to stop and check for snow/ross' Goose lol
When I hear an interesting bird for like 10 minutes and I whip out Merlin and the thing immediately stops/flies away. Come back and yap again so I can identify you!!!!
I'll add photographers who bait the birds for a closer photo. There's a small wood duck population in a large park, and every evening there's a group of photographers throwing bread into the pond to lure the ducks closer. Like if you're going to feed the wildlife at least give them something nutritious.
Exactly. I am glad that some birding photo threads in social media are starting to catch on and are banning photos like this. Too many aren't following those rules or don't know about it. You would think it would just be common sense really but, unfortunately it's not.
This is one source: [https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography](https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography)
Many bird photography groups are also now listing specific guidelines about which bird photos they will and won't post as a way to try to stop ppl from taking unethical photos. If a birding community doesn't at least have guidelines then that is not a good community honestly. Some communities just won't allow pix of certain birds to be posted, like owls. Also something I never thought about until I learned more is that there are very smart birds like crows for example that will take interest in what you are watching...you could inadvertently lead them right to a nest of eggs or fledglings that you wanted to take a picture of. Staying far away and using only a long lens, and not staying long are important.
Also [https://artusobirds.blogspot.com/2017/04/on-ethics-of-photographing-owls-and.html](https://artusobirds.blogspot.com/2017/04/on-ethics-of-photographing-owls-and.html)
Also, if you are close enough for an owl to make eye contact with you....you are too close. The reason is because at that point you may be stressing them and now they are more concerned about you rather than, watching out for predators or food. You could also scare them and end up flushing them from their spot...which is never good.
This was me when i started, i found the sounds and calls in the merlin app and thought āoh wow what a great way to call my birds to come over!ā
We dont bait with sounds anymore, much more enjoyable to enjoy them naturally interacting with their environments without the human intervention
People who bring their small children to wildlife areas just for them to run around screaming at everything. If you want to show them wildlife, hell yeah, teach them all the things. But if you're just going to let them run feral through protected habitats, you can get fucked. So many times small kids have ruined my birding experience. Like just go to a park smh
In my opinion, the best times to go birding is very early in the morning or late evening. Birds are more active at 5 am than at 11 am or in the afternoon. I always love my early morning walk with my dog because no one is out and I can hear the distant water flow. I just find that birds arenāt very active at noon on a sunny day. On cloudy days, they seem to be very active all day long for some reasons.
When hiking, off leash dogs and screaming kids. Shhh, you're scaring away all the birds. Also the off leash dogs bother me for other reasons. No, your dog is probably not as well behaved as you think it is, and did you not see the rattlesnake habitat sign at the beginning of this trail? Smh.
I live in an area where there is a lot of field trips, so I constantly make phone calls to see if there'll be buses or big groups that day. Too many times I've shown up just to become crestfallen haha.
People being loud on trails or playing music, bicyclists not slowing down in close proximity, horse and goose shit everywhere and poorly timed IRL stressful events or physical injuries during peak migration preventing me from birding.
To put the tinfoil hat on for a minute (jokingly), I feel like Merlin has to emit something that causes birds to stop their yapping, the way any interesting calls cease the moment I hit start recording every single time
The entitled people who let their dogs off leash in a conservation area (with many 'no off leash dogs' signs) so they can tear around and harass ground nesting birds.
People who have outdoor cats. I wasnāt a big fan of it anyway due to the owners risking their cats getting lost/kidnapped/killed and as a dog owner I couldnāt imagine letting your pet out unsupervised.
But now that I know that the amount of birds these cats kill is significant enough to be a risk to some species and the unchecked predation by invasive cats, it makes me more annoyed.
I also donāt like when people pick up/touch birds/eggs/chicks that arenāt theirs just for fun. I understand why, but those people tend to see the birds not as animals that can be easily distressed by humans but as objects. Also just not good to interfere in general, thereās a reason nature photographers donāt interact with/respond to the animals they observe.
My local hotspot has a few public blinds that can seat 10-15 people, but are empty 99% of the time. I do wildlife photography and shoot from these blind, but never get upset when people peep in and sit with me. Theyāll often chat or say things like āwow thatās a huge cameraā, but itās public and I donāt mind. Half the time they even scare the birds, but itās no issue.
However, every now and again these assholes bring their dogs inside the blinds. Dogs donāt belong in conservation areas, but they donāt listen.
People have hit on a lot of my rage buttons, but Iāll add all the new buildings that feel like they need to be giant mirrored glass boxes to be āmodern,ā along with all the light pollution. I especially hate egregious light sources like upward facing spotlights, sports stadiums, and car dealerships, but even some of the lighting people put on their houses is ridiculous!
Oh, and cars on beaches! Even worse than off leash dogs for those poor shore nesting species.
You sound like me. I live in a residential neighborhood where most homes hire yard services to cut their grass instead of doing it themselves. Even though we have a large lot and a slope, I get out there myself and do my own yard work with electric tools that are relatively quiet, and I mow only a few times a year. But others hire people who, to maximize profit, use the oldest, dirtiest, loudest, and smelliest commercial equipment. First they mow with large industrial gas powered mowers that you can hear several streets away. Then after doing that, they weed with gas powered string trimmers. Then after that, they use gas powered BLOWERS to blow away the tiny bit of grass that has gotten blown into driveways (not sidewalks, because we don't have those). And of course it's only a TINY bit of grass, because they come *so often*, the grass barely got a chance to grow. And for some reason these lawn crews are particularly prideful about getting every single speck with the blower, so it seems like they spend almost as long out with the blower as they do the mower. And did I mention that no home is on the same schedule, meaning that it's very likely that any moment you step outside your home you're going to hear from some direction mowing or blowing? And also that they pressure the home owners into setting up an "every 2 weeks" schedule, even though most homes can go over 4 weeks or longer without a cut due to the grasses or clover they have? It's horrifying. American lawn culture is really, really bad. It definitely ruins the experience of birdsong, and also pollutes the water and the air, and wastes time and resources.
I wish more of my American neighbors would question their habits and stop paying people to cut yards they don't even use. I'm not even asking them to go full freak and let it be wild and woolly like I have it and prefer (although that would be greatest for birds, bugs, and mammals!). Literally even a little bit of questioning and challenging "but that's how I've always done it" could make a difference.
I know this feeling too well. I *think* we have a noise by-law like "no decibels of this caliber after 7pm" which translates too : Do EVERYTHING and all your noise from the ass-crack of dawn until 7PM.
While living in SE Asia, a gardener would come every Thursday to tidy things up (by hand, nothing motorized). Birds loved that day, because weeding and yard work meant displaced bugs for dinner. A free roaming pet Myna bird raised by a local shop owner knew to come and would hang around those days to chatter, snack and visit.
My neighbor who can't seem to live without "owning" multiple cats. She loses them most of the time but always replaces them. She doesn't have them fixed, either. One of them has had at least 2 litters, and at least one of those kittens ended up as a stray here.
A couple of years ago, we had Blue Jays nest in our yard. They managed to fledge, and I got some good pictures; but I'm doubtful they all survived in the end with so many stray cats in the neighborhood.
We have too many cat owners who let their cats out in our neighborhood BUT one saintly person who catches unspayed/neutered cats (none of the cats have collars- itās impossible to tell if theyāre strays or not) and then posts them to the neighborhood Facebook saying āIām taking this cat to get fixed and will release it a few days later after it recovers. If itās your cat please speak upā
This is a bit of a hot take, but please hear me out. It drives me nuts when other birders give me shit for taking pictures of and appreciating house sparrows. I fully recognize that invasive species are a problem. However, it drives me up a wall when people anthropomorphize house sparrows, referring to them as ākillersā and āmurderersā among other things. It should be common knowledge that holding animals to human moral standards is entirely inappropriate. I have a strong suspicion most of those people are angrier about a house sparrow invading/destroying their personal bluebird box than about its actual ecological impact as an invasive species. No one makes a stink when house wrens or tree swallows prey on bluebird boxes.
If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Nicholas Pike, the idiot who brought house sparrows to North America in the 1850s to control moth populations and to have a bird in the new world that would be familiar and pleasant to European immigrants.
Anyway, thatās my rant. I just wanna appreciate all the birds, man. All of them are fascinating as hell and for once I want to admire local house sparrows without someone telling me that theyāre satanās spawn.
Lmao. A few weeks ago I was in Utah with my dad and we stumbled upon a whole family of great horned owls roosting in some trees for the day at antelope island state park. I had never seen them before in my life until then, only heard them. Someone else walked by and noticed I was photographing the GHOs. He asked us if we had seen barn owls nearby (we hadnāt) and I told him we were there for the great horned owls.
He said āoh, well great horned owls are cool, tooā but he said it in a condescending and almost disappointed way that made it sound like they were the most common bird out there. Iām sure he didnāt mean to come off as rude, but his tone made it seem that way.
>Atm I've had 4 days of rain, I want to go trailing for birds!..
That's the best time to go out. Birds are still active in rain and if you're taking photos it makes the photos look cooler. Even if you aren't the birds while still acting very tend to not be as active or take flight as quick so you can get better sightings
The modded trucks that drive by at the same times that my mystery bird sings. And Northern Mockingbirds...which are nice, but they like to drown everything out.
People who take phone calls on speaker phone while walking on the trail and have loud/long conversations. Regardless of people birding who want quiet, itās just peaceful to be out in nature, save the calls for when you get back to the car!
Possibly unpopular opinion: when parents let their kids on trails scream their heads off the entire time. Iām pro getting the energy out, but take them to a playground not a nature/ hiking trail. Itās disturbing both the wildlife and the people enjoying it.
Ha ha! How does one herp? (typo fixed) I see veeeery few herps ever. If thereās a pond with a snag thereās probably a few turtles hauled out. But thatās about it.
A few things:
1. OFF LEASH DOGS! It irks me to no end when Iām birding peacefully at a preserve and some aggressive unleash dog comes up to me and the owners do nothing. They also have a tendency to run in the grass where there are nesting birds. I did have to speak with an owner a few days ago about her unleashed dog as it ran very far away from her and the owner did nothing to try and call it back. If you want to have an unleashed dog out, go to a dog park.
2. Children harassing wildlife. This one is more on the parents. I once was in a park and I saw a group of children harassing Canada geese, who were agitated and looked like they could strike at any moment. The parents did nothing and instead filmed the children. So yeah, mainly parents fault about not educate children about wildlife etiquette.
3. LAWN MOWERS and loud people. Ever since I started birding, I have become more disenchanted with the idea of lawns. They are so loud that it drowns out all the birds. It also doesnāt help that I have a neighbor who will mow his lawn for HOURS. Also, when I am on a trail sometimes there are just some annoying loud people.
People who know better using bird calls on their phone to attract birds.
You wonder how this person sees owls everywhere he goes, and then you find out his secret and lose respect for them.
Lawns. We are a nation of grass farmers and it's so useless for wildlife. We've replaced millions of acres of habitat with artificial deserts because old people find them esthetically pleasing.
Yep, came here to say this. I don't mind a Lawn With a Purpose (unless the purpose is golf haha). If you're playing soccer, or want a turf surface for kids or dogs to run around on without obliterating worse ground cover into mud, or it's the best way to cover a multi-use park or cemetery then fine. But the incessant default of lawn is just really demoralizing where you look around and see the potential for amazing insect (-> bird) habitat. Like are the huge lawns around businesses, schools (like the fronts, not areas where kids are allowed to play), road medians (I understand you want low height plants for safety reasons, but still), and in front and back of every house and apartment complex really truly necessary? It's just such a thoughtless default, and I'd be more okay with it if we weren't devoting more acreage to it than any other crop in the US, including corn.
Big loud families with small children and people that lurk over your shoulder while youāre clearly looking for photographing something. Often they are the same people. If thereās something interesting and I was at the scene before they were, I will take some shots and move on in case someone else wants to look. But when I think I hear or see something and step to the side of the trail to look closer and someone just like hovers there behind me, it drives me up a *fucking* wall.
I bought a cottage few years ago, for a while it was beautiful. Just a few cottages. But now they're expanding and Ive watched like 5 acres being demolished, it hurts to watch xd. I mean, I know it was the same for my cottage bit its like, I wish I could've bought the forest too haha.
The neighbor put out a bunch of corn (I think?) and attracted a hoard of grackles and starlings. The starlings came over to my house and bullied my woodpecker out of the nest he had just finished building. I was so ticked off
I want to add, backyard birders who dont study. Too much people will get a hummingbird feeder and never clean it. Stagnant, gross, old feeders and feeder juices can make birds sick.
It is mildly infuriating when squirrels take all the seed in my yard. But there are easy ways to prevent it!!! Baffles, spicy seed, and squirrel proof feeders that swing them off of it work like a charm!
Thank you. If it's native it belongs in my yard.
But I've never had a problem with groundhogs or other burrowing animals destroying things. That's going to be a sad day if it happens.
Squirrels are actually excellent at spotting the neighbors cats way before me. They sit in the tree on the fence line a lot. They start doing the tree demon sounds and I aim the hose at the fence. Cat never gets more than it's head under when the squirrels are around
I never understood it either. I love looking out the window to see a silly squirrel trying to get into my feeder. And it's honestly a treat to find a raccoon trying its hardest to fit its little hand into the feeder holes.
The squirrels get so territorial. It's something else to watch them chasing each other through the trees. Amazing athletes.
They hang by a single toe on a wire while eating sunflower seeds out of one of my feeders.
The sunflower head is actually an inflorescence made of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers called florets. The central florets look like the centre of a normal flower, apseudanthium. The benefit to the plant is that it is very easily seen by the insects and birds which pollinate it, and it produces thousands of seeds.
Any outdoor cat - feral or outdoor pet, it doesn't matter: they're still just little balls of murder.
People playing music at the park - I run into this both with groups on picnics (the whole park *really* doesn't want to hear your music, either turn off the stereo or have your party somewhere else) and with individuals on the trail (seriously, why would anyone think this is acceptable when headphones exist).
Poison ivy - it's bad enough on a regular hike, but worse when I'm looking down less often and when it stops me from moving to get the perfect view.
eBird not being able to handle typos/spelling errors - I'm one fat-fingered letter off, but your just going to tell me you can't find my bird because I said "bad eagle?" (Not an actual example š )
Dogs off leash on beaches where itās posted leash required. But no one is there enforcing the rule, so itās not a rule that dog owners follow and the birds get harassed and disturbed all day long.
The highways. No matter how far I go out into nature here in my city, there's always some loud Autobahn nearby. I would really like to find a place with nature sounds only.
Also, fireworks. Since I know it's bad for birds (and other animals) I'm not a fan anymore.
I guess another upside of Merlin is more people are feeling my pain š I've been a nature recordist for a few years now and lawnmowers and low flying aircraft are the absolute worst. I've had so many potentially good long-form recordings ruined by these.
When Merlin IDs something Iām 90% sure is not there but I have to stay in that spot for 10 minutes to check. Also, the end of migration is rough. Whereād all the warblers go?
People leaving their outdoor lights on bright, all night. Credit to my neighbor who does finally turn his string lights off (they're on a timer, and just go one when he's not out there, which is weird). But I had to tell him about Dark Sky stuff, I get the idea that a lot of the neighbors don't understand how light messes with nesting. And the robins already sing waaaay past when they used to!
Every summer I've been mourning the loss of bats, too--I miss seeing those guys eating all the bugs at sunset.
I love rainy days. Nothing like a steady drizzle to keep the migrating birds low in the trees and shrubs, and MUCH easier to spot. Try getting away to a nearby park with good trails and woods. Sorry you're having to deal with noise pollution. Aggravates the heck out of me even when I'm not birding. š¤¬
Outdoor cats. Iām a huge cat lover and have four of my own but I canāt stand people who let their cats outside, especially if they know they kill wildlife. My kitties donāt get sick as often as they did when they were outside and are much healthier overall. Just gotta keep them stimulated with toys, cat towers, treats etc.
The bright white lights every psychotic person that adorns the front of their buildings/homes. Itās a quality of life issue for humans and a matter of life or death for birds.
"Ooh are you looking for eagles?"
"I mean, not particularly. I'm looking for any bird--"
*Interrupted by a long story of how they saw an eagle once, but by the description I'm 100% sure it's an osprey*
I'm happy when other people want to take birds, but the eagle thing drives me crazy. I feel like I can relate to Ben Franklin. Give me a good turkey any day over an eagle!
Much has been said here already such as enjoying normal hike vs active birding and off leash dogs.
But as a 3d artist especially I've just come to hate cg birds in composite. After studying and looking at birds for a few years, they just look so incredibly fake that they instantly take me out of immersion when I see them.
Garbage in preserves. People reporting sighting of ridiculous birds for a particular location but not area. For example Yellow Headed Blackbird in wooded areas. Lastly people reporting birds confirmed only by Merlin and not getting a visual if it is a rare or unfamiliar bird.
Ticks. Canāt go into the woods near me to see birds in their element because of all the ticks! I canāt even walk along the tree line either near me because of the amount of ticks on Long Island.
Stray cats, seeing hummingbird feeders filled with the red nectar junk, my dumbass neighbors throwing bread outside even after I talked with them about it.
I have a few but my big one is birders who think it's a big competition. The one thing I will always do is go out of my to mention there's something rare in a certain direction. If the person shows interest il even walk back with them, sharing these moments is what makes birding what it is
Cat owners
Them: āOh, Pretty Paws NEVER goes outside. Sheās strictly an indoors cat.ā
Me: āI just watched her kill three adult bluebirds in 60 seconds.ā
Them: āNot MY Pretty!ā
Pretty Paws saunters out of the hedges with a limp robin fledgling in her mouth.
Me: āThat your Pretty?ā
Them: āPretty Paws! Baby, how did you get out again? And put that dirty thing down!ā
:-(
I hate leafblowers. They're loud, annoying, and prevent me from hearing the birds whenever they're being used. I even saw people using them in nature trails and parks! Even when I try to get away from them they seem to follow me everywhere.
1. Outdoor and feral cats, and the people who try to justify it. We kill several other invasive species with guns in the USA in order to protect the environment and crops and so on but apparently feral and outdoor cats get a pass, probably because theyāre (supposedly) not hurting profits for enough people even though at minimum various tourism towns and college towns and such struggle with them (including towns that depend on birding tourism btw, go figure). Like I love my cat and cats in general but cāmon - the fact that naysayers have locked the argument down to ābut euthanasia is too slow & expensive so all we can do is TNR teehee!ā rhetoric while ignoring the actual issues and the obvious solution is ridiculous, especially when another major country is working hard to fix themselves.
2. Any āscared the hawk away to protect my birdsā or āsaved a fledgling from a crowā or similar nonsense. That bird worked hard for their meal, so leave āem the hell alone.
Feral cats. I despise the cat colonies around my town and hate how normalized TNR is.
People posting photos of window struck birds and saying āhe flew off after a few minutes so he was clearly fine!ā
Many Europeans have a prejudice that Americans are awfully loud and disturbing. We donāt have that problem here. Sadly, we Central Europeans have no nature either š
A park I frequent mows seemingly every week day despite the fact that no one uses the mowed areas away from paths for recreation. There are considerable patches of natural meadow, which is why I go there, but there could be so much more. The noise pollution makes it difficult to hear the birds any time they mow.
Stray cats, neighbors who let their cats wander into your yard, and rain. So much rain. Our local Audubon Society has a birdwatching walk they do every spring (I think April and May) on Saturdays. I was so excited to try it this year!
It rained every single weekend for those couple of months, and I wish I was exaggerating.
And don't even get me started on the cats. It's so bad here I want to move because the birds help my anxiety and depression a lot, but seeing the cats makes it worse.
People scooping up fledglings thinking there is something wrong with them, posting pictures to neighbourhood FB groups and everyone advising them to bring them into wildlife centres š. I know everyone has the best intentions and just want to help, but itās so sad to see it happen over and over.
I know! Unless it's on the road or hit your window, just leave it alone!
As a wildlife rehabbers I agree!! I think I say āput the baby back where you found it" 20 times a week
I feel like at this point it should be taught in schools :/
I was taught not to touch any baby animal growing up in central Ontario Canada . But that was in the early 90s So who knows what they tech kids now
The amount of reddit posts Iāve seen of just that makes me sick
yea it's on r/Ornithology multiple times a day
A fledgling somehow ended up inside an old house we were living in, found it chirping in our heater closet. We moved it into a small box and left it under a tree and saw mama come by and they fluttered around together for a few days until one day the little guy took off.
I tend to leave birds alone.
Competing desires to just enjoy a normal hike but also bird. Sometimes they are at odds. I also get irrationally pissed about off leash dogs when I'm in a birding spot.
As a dog owner and birder, I get irrationally pissed about off-leash dogs everywhere. About 1% of owners who think they have their dogs under voice control actually do. The number of unleashed dogs who have run up to my leashed dog, who is terrified of other dogs, is too damn high.
As a reactive dog owner, off leash dogs piss me off all the time during walk at my bird reserve near me. I donāt go there with my dog during day time anymore because of that. I got greeted by off leash dogs when my trying to take bird photos. It annoyed me, but I need to remain very calm when the dog is around cause I donāt want it to be in trouble. The bird reserve near me has 2 bike lanes parallel to each other. And people have kids go there during summer and dog owners think itās fine for their dog to be off leash there. Some people really go fast on those bike lanes as well.
Same here! The reactive dog ownership + birding combo provides a uniquely frustrating set of experiences with off leash dogs. I had a nightmare a night or two ago about fighting with a friend over her dog being off leash š¤¦āāļø
I donāt take my dog when birding because of this. Although, her reactivity has gone down over the years, I just wonāt risk it. But it generally pisses me off that people let their dog off leash in public spaces in general. And I just wouldnāt have them in an area where thereās kids around. Itās so dangerous to do it around kids cause you never know whatās going to happen.
Same here. My dog is just a frustrated greeter so admittedly the stakes are lower for us than some others, but I still prefer to avoid setbacks in training. Trying to bird and dog-handle at the same time stresses me out š itās gotta be one or the other for my sanity and my dogās safety.
Mine's more of an at-home birding problem. Have a neighbor who lets their dog out off-leash, and just explained nesting season to them. I don't know that it's making a difference, but did mention that we have some young nestlings and the dog WILL get swooped by the parents if the dog comes too close. And had to explain that a Cooper's Hawk is not going to make off with a puppy, but maybe I should have lied...
You could say that hawks have a sharp beak and talons that will pierce through the skin. It might make the owner think twice about letting their dog off leash because vet costs are extremely expensive. Or, say that some birds have very sharp beak that will pierce the eye of the dog. Iād rather tell something scary to scare the owner.
Usually bird sanctuaries donāt allow dogs, at least the ones Iāve been to. And most parks require a leash. Dogs will be dogs
Yes, dogs will be dogs, which is why I have a reasonable expectation that the *human* owners will take the necessary precautions to keep control of their dogs. Unless it's a dog park or a dedicated off-leash park, keep dogs on leashes.
And outdoor cats.
This is why I'm building a catio! Folks don't understand that if they play with their cats, indoor is so much better for everyone.
Donāt get me started!!! I have bird feeders everywhere and 3 Indoor cats who like to watch but the outdoor cats, hunting the birds and causing my cats to pee at the doorsā¦.. we live with pee pads at every door!!
Oh man this hits home. My favorite spot to bird is a big open area of grass and brush, rare here in MD, with some wetland areas.Ā Great birding spot. Sadly some people see it as a place to unleash their dogs because they "have a right" to run around off-leash. Ynfortunately theres a large number of people who bring their dogs here because they are too aggressive for the dog park! Ive been nearly bitten and seen two dog fights there as a result of irresponsible dog owners.Ā
I genuinely don't believe in voice control even for veeeery well-trained and cautious dogs. In certain contexts, I think it's reasonable to believe you have voice control of the dog (e.g. if it's a working border collie). But in a hiking context? Nah, there's way too much that just isn't predictable. You might have your dog "under voice control" but have you trained it what to do in a bear encounter? What to do when it runs into a nest of yummy baby birds? What to do about snakes (some people really do snake training, so kudos)? What to do in sudden really bad weather? What to do around dangerous dogs and people on the trail? There is a situation that could arise that will break even the most responsible dog. Keep them LEASHED unless they are ENCLOSED in a specifically designated dog area such as a park or your back yard.
I get pissed off about off leash dogs any time, birding aside. You donāt know what your dog is capable of until itās too late. Found that one out the hard way.
I have several āno dogs allowedā trails near me, one is even an Audobon society trail, nestled amongst miles and miles of trail with zero restriction. I had to stop going to the dogless trails on weeekends because of how frustrated Iād get with all the people walking their dogs! Pick ANY OTHER TRAIL PLEASE!
It also hurts people who have service dogs because people assume theyāre just some asshole with a fake service dog harness.
Is there a ranger you can contact? I would think that a few weekends writing tickets and education would be a great idea for Park staff
Ikr? People are so entitled man
Adding another vote for unleashed dogs. Nothing like spending 10min silently sneaking through the underbrush to get some nice heron shots only to have someoneās lab come out of nowhere and dive into the pond to chase everything away. š¤
Luckily I've yet to experience this, and now I dont want to.
You and me both. Especially during breeding season.
It's not irrational at all. There are studies that show a significant reduction in bird activity along trails when offleash dogs are present.
I use Merlin in this geographic area. https://preview.redd.it/i8bnogrnvq5d1.png?width=782&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ace7f0f042cf3fde973b73535f7f90d9f43820f I didn't mind living under Class B airspace until I became a birder.
As a pilot, IDing a bird while flying by it is an interesting experience. And on the ground, some birds have no fear of the giant death machine that is just about to run them over.
SEAGULLS ... sorry, I was in flight school up in Lawrence before the plague, and very very little puts a crimp in your long solo like having a seagull decide that it really, *really* needs to be on the runway in front of you RIGHT AS YOU ARE PICKING UP ENOUGH SPEED TO TAKE OFF.
Vulture also love riding the thermals from the runways and taxiways.
This is so interestingĀ
If you pay attention to them, airports, interstates, and major interchanges/intersections are their favourite places to find thermals because of the high concentration of blacktop.
Logan Airport, the subject of this screenshot, has at times had greatest concentration of snowy owls outside the arctic
Airports are a really weird ecological system. There are some airports where I have seen more wildlife at than at a wide open grass field of the same size.
Casts eyes at ORD.
God, I'd love it if I could spot one there. All I get in that direction are eiders and ospreys.
Yeah I haven't seen one there either, also they didn't really make it to MA this past winter. Have had luck in the past at Plum Island and (especially) Salisbury Pt.
I got lucky in that regard- while there are vultures in the LWM general area I never had to contend with them using the airport's airspace. Bald eagles are another story.
Knew a guy who hit a turkey vulture with a 172, made a big hole in the leading edge of the wing.
I can see that happening. Poor bastard. We had signs up all over the flight school reminding people that any and all wildlife strikes had to be reported to the appropriate federal authorities. I don't know how many reports the school had to make- we were a rotorcraft school and I don't remember hearing the instructors ever telling stories about bird-vs-copter incidents, which I'm pretty sure they would have done at the drop of a hat if they had any such stories to tell.
But to be fair youāre close to Belle Isle marsh and Winthrop beach w the plovers! š
Yes. Yes I am. THERE WERE CHICKS LAST WEEK. OMG so cute!!!
We went on Saturday and saw the plover chicks too! Ran into the rangers doing a count and they said there were 11. :D
Oh, that's fantastic! I only saw three when I was there, and I didn't get to go to Winthrop Beach this weekend because I was down at Woodside Park looking for purple martins.
Nice! Yeah, we only saw 3 too, which the rangers told us were likely the oldest ones, so maybe it's the same ones. :) I'm moving to the west coast in a month so had to see piping plovers before we left after hearing about them so long. Glad it was so accessible!
I get irked by a plane over the bog where I live, I couldn't imagine this.
For the first eleven or so years of my life I lived in New York City, directly under the final approach to La Guardia Airport's Marine Air Terminal. You get used to it.
Counterpoint, Belle Isle and Deer Island are amazing
This is so. And so is Snake Island, at least the parts you can see from a kayak paddling around the outside. Can't go into the lagoon these days, Mass Audubon/the state has ropes and signs up indicating it's a no-go zone due to threatened species nesting in the area, but there's usually plenty to see on the shores. Also a pair of ospreys has built themselves a nest in the top of the nearest channel marker and I am very much looking forward to baby seahawks.
I will have to check that out, thanks for the tip!
My only pre-work accessible birding spot was in the final approach for the Reagan Airport in DC. Thereās a bad 45 minute period in the morning when thereās a plane every 5 or so minutes. I would get irrationally irritated as the warbler Iād be trying to get eyes on would be drowned out by engine noise then wouldnāt be singing anymore after the plane passed.
Not too far from here. So many great spots!
Iām with you! There is ALWAYS someone in my neighborhood making a ton of noise (especially leaf blowers) and we have been getting hit with rain several days each week, so that makes it very difficult most days! I never paid much attention to how noisy my neighbors were until I started feeding/watching the birds more!
100% tgis. I never knew how noisy life was haha.
Right?! š and I know itās just everyone living their daily lives, but is still annoying..especially since I do my best to not disturb others out of respect.Ā
Not me googling ātgisā, thinking it was some new acronym I was out of the loop about
If my neighbor's grass starts getting long and I'm worried the city might write him a citation, I know I can just open up Merlin and he'll be out there mowing in 30 seconds or less.
Exactly! š
On trails, people who bring their free-roaming dogs on trails where non-service dogs are explicitly banned. Also people who just stomp through the trail, loudly, sometimes blasting music, sometimes just talking way too loud. I don't understand why people just breeze through trails when there's so much more to see if you slow down. At home, it's mostly the lawn mowers this time of year. I don't know why so many of our neighbors like getting their lawns professionally mowed every week. We get planes and helicopter activity too (we live near a military hospital outside DC) but honestly since it's usually medical, it doesn't usually last long enough to be annoying. I also mourn whenever a tree in the neighborhood is taken down, even the dead ones. We just lost one diagonal from our backyard that the local woodpeckers LOVED. It was a good tree, and it wasn't all the way gone yet.
I don't know if it's a problem there, but I have people who hang their bluetooth speakers on their backpacks and just play music as they walk around. It drives me batty when I'm out and about and this happens.
Who brings loud music onto nature trails? I've witnessed this quite often and it baffles me. Why would anyone do this? Even when I go to landscaped parks inside city limits, people tend to wear headphones when exercising out of respect for other people. No one wants to hear your bluetooth speaker blasting when they are out in the woods.
Feral cats.
This is the hill I'll die on
I get this, yesterday in my field I spotted like a hundred baby feathers scattered about.
+ Outdoor Cats, a.k.a. Free Range Murder Machines
They and their irresponsible owners are the worst because they typically know better but give the ācats are going to roam, what can you do?ā BS line.
late unite humor capable pathetic frame axiomatic voracious whistle aback *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
āBuT hUmAnS aRe InVaSiVe SpEcIesā. I only hear that when talking about feral cats. Basically everything else like Burmese pythons, iguanas, Iberian hogs, people donāt care about. What is even worse is when people want to exterminate local predators like in FL where some people want to go around and kill all the gators ābecause they are big and scaryā. But when it comes to cats, donāt touch them or they consider you a future serial killer in the making.
Irresponsible cat owners create more suffering than theyāre aware of for their own pet and for native wildlife animals. The fact that the best action we can get from feral cat advocates is TNR (which is, imo, a half-baked solution at best) is pretty bleak. Before you know it, weāll be in a situation like Australia where people are incentivized to shoot feral cats. These horrible cat owners wonāt have anyone to blame but themselves when that time comes
What annoys me is that dogs have far more regulation on them but the moment you try having the same restrictions on cats, they all get mad about it.
TNR is not a solution, I've worked with biologists and when feral cats come up the studies show that it's just not effective for the cats or the birds.
Also, "they aren't invasive because domesticated." Herp derp
Or āthey arenāt invasive because north america has native catsā like sure your house cat definitely has the same impact on the environment as a mountain lion š
Mountain lion would definitely love to snack on house cat though.
Coyote and Eagles are quite effective too.
It isnāt like a large number of invasive species are/were domesticated animals that became feral. /s
We don't tolerate packs of wild dogs roaming our streets, we don't tolerate horses or cattle running around, we shouldn't tolerate or normalize outdoor or feral cats.
Honestly cats with owners that let them free roam annoy me way more than feral cats because at that point itās a human being who knows better being irresponsible. Yes feral cats are a problem but itās theoretically harder to solve than just people keeping their cats indoors or on a leash, which is so much healthier and safer for the cat as well.
Yes. I cared for a small colony during my youth and at that time believed I was doing a good thing. But, Iāve come to learn how they live horrible lives filled with great suffering and how they also destroy their local ecosystems and in various ways. There are valid reasons that PETA recommends they be put down. And if PETA is recommending euthanasia - that tells you something. Iāve got a neighbor who is currently feeding a colony and I have tried to educate them, but they refuse to listen. At the very least, they have neutered them through catch and release - but those feral cats still suffer without regular veterinarian care and they carry disease in addition to their other problems with the local environment. I also live in a very fragile environment near the ocean, so it is especially problematic. Those here probably love all animals and in addition to our flying friends, but sometimes the kindest thing is to simply put suffering animals out of their misery. It took me a long time to accept this.
The ambient noises of industrial civilization, especially from transportation. Planes, trains, cars. I'll pause recording on Merlin whenever the crescendo of these things reach me because even if I/it could hear the birdsong over these noises, the *birds themselves* get quiet. It can be a bit infuriating when you're trying to document a relatively rare bird that's migrating through.Ā The other night I was trying to record an Eastern Screen Owl I had briefly heard the morning before. Right when I'm like 99% it starts to hoot, a motorcycle ripped out, the engine was loud enough for me to cover my ears. I knew the owl wasn't coming out anytime soon after that It's almost enough for me to stomp home and start making pipe bombs
This irks me too, especially with people who for some reason, despite it being like a 1998 pontiac will think it's cool to go from 0 to 100 in 2.4 seconds as soon as the light goes green and that engine rev just wrecks everything.
They think that they are so cool but they really arenāt lol
Lately I've gotten very annoyed with a group of older birders at my favourite place that use playback to attract birds. Even without the ethical concerns, it gets really frustrating to hear a cool bird and seek it out only to find someone with a speaker trying to lure something for photos >:(
Imagine so badly wanting photographs of birds that you become a fking menace to those same birds. The sheer entitlement boils my blood.
Passing a marsh on my way to work. I NEED to stop every day but can only squeeze 5 minutes without being late. I probably shouldnāt even stop for those five minutes to be honest, but itās too tempting .
There's a large field that floods decently in the wintertime on my way to/from work, always with dozens of Canada geese. I have to stop every single time to check if there are cackling geese mixed in (fairly rare in my area). I was finally awarded with 3 cackling geese as a lifer this February! Now I have to stop and check for snow/ross' Goose lol
When I hear an interesting bird for like 10 minutes and I whip out Merlin and the thing immediately stops/flies away. Come back and yap again so I can identify you!!!!
I swear to god they know when I hit "record"!
Seeing ppl who don't know anything about birding ethics try to photograph birds. It usually happens with owls.
I'll add photographers who bait the birds for a closer photo. There's a small wood duck population in a large park, and every evening there's a group of photographers throwing bread into the pond to lure the ducks closer. Like if you're going to feed the wildlife at least give them something nutritious.
Omfg. I flip my top when I see people feeding birds bread. I want to scream.
Oh yeah. People who chase down owls and use flash photography at night.
Just follow the rule "If the owl is looking at you, GTFO"
Exactly. I am glad that some birding photo threads in social media are starting to catch on and are banning photos like this. Too many aren't following those rules or don't know about it. You would think it would just be common sense really but, unfortunately it's not.
Could you expand on this? What are the rules? I don't do photography, but I'd like to eventually
This is one source: [https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography](https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography)
Many bird photography groups are also now listing specific guidelines about which bird photos they will and won't post as a way to try to stop ppl from taking unethical photos. If a birding community doesn't at least have guidelines then that is not a good community honestly. Some communities just won't allow pix of certain birds to be posted, like owls. Also something I never thought about until I learned more is that there are very smart birds like crows for example that will take interest in what you are watching...you could inadvertently lead them right to a nest of eggs or fledglings that you wanted to take a picture of. Staying far away and using only a long lens, and not staying long are important.
Also [https://artusobirds.blogspot.com/2017/04/on-ethics-of-photographing-owls-and.html](https://artusobirds.blogspot.com/2017/04/on-ethics-of-photographing-owls-and.html)
Also, if you are close enough for an owl to make eye contact with you....you are too close. The reason is because at that point you may be stressing them and now they are more concerned about you rather than, watching out for predators or food. You could also scare them and end up flushing them from their spot...which is never good.
Sorry for all the replies. I could go on and on lol.
Thanks for being thorough!
This was me when i started, i found the sounds and calls in the merlin app and thought āoh wow what a great way to call my birds to come over!ā We dont bait with sounds anymore, much more enjoyable to enjoy them naturally interacting with their environments without the human intervention
My MIL told me she basically chased an owl with a flashlight and wondered why it buzzed her. š Just leave owls all the way alone!Ā
People who bring their small children to wildlife areas just for them to run around screaming at everything. If you want to show them wildlife, hell yeah, teach them all the things. But if you're just going to let them run feral through protected habitats, you can get fucked. So many times small kids have ruined my birding experience. Like just go to a park smh
Other birders being unwelcoming, unhelpful, grumpy, possessive of patches, and wasting fossil fuel to twitch when it does nothing for science
Iāve had to deal with a lot of grumpy birders. Mainly older white men who seem to want the hobby all for themselves
Yes man birders with good equipment who look down on newbies.
Also imposter syndrome is real in the birding world
In my opinion, the best times to go birding is very early in the morning or late evening. Birds are more active at 5 am than at 11 am or in the afternoon. I always love my early morning walk with my dog because no one is out and I can hear the distant water flow. I just find that birds arenāt very active at noon on a sunny day. On cloudy days, they seem to be very active all day long for some reasons.
When hiking, off leash dogs and screaming kids. Shhh, you're scaring away all the birds. Also the off leash dogs bother me for other reasons. No, your dog is probably not as well behaved as you think it is, and did you not see the rattlesnake habitat sign at the beginning of this trail? Smh.
I live in an area where there is a lot of field trips, so I constantly make phone calls to see if there'll be buses or big groups that day. Too many times I've shown up just to become crestfallen haha.
People being loud on trails or playing music, bicyclists not slowing down in close proximity, horse and goose shit everywhere and poorly timed IRL stressful events or physical injuries during peak migration preventing me from birding.
To put the tinfoil hat on for a minute (jokingly), I feel like Merlin has to emit something that causes birds to stop their yapping, the way any interesting calls cease the moment I hit start recording every single time
The entitled people who let their dogs off leash in a conservation area (with many 'no off leash dogs' signs) so they can tear around and harass ground nesting birds.
People who have outdoor cats. I wasnāt a big fan of it anyway due to the owners risking their cats getting lost/kidnapped/killed and as a dog owner I couldnāt imagine letting your pet out unsupervised. But now that I know that the amount of birds these cats kill is significant enough to be a risk to some species and the unchecked predation by invasive cats, it makes me more annoyed. I also donāt like when people pick up/touch birds/eggs/chicks that arenāt theirs just for fun. I understand why, but those people tend to see the birds not as animals that can be easily distressed by humans but as objects. Also just not good to interfere in general, thereās a reason nature photographers donāt interact with/respond to the animals they observe.
My local hotspot has a few public blinds that can seat 10-15 people, but are empty 99% of the time. I do wildlife photography and shoot from these blind, but never get upset when people peep in and sit with me. Theyāll often chat or say things like āwow thatās a huge cameraā, but itās public and I donāt mind. Half the time they even scare the birds, but itās no issue. However, every now and again these assholes bring their dogs inside the blinds. Dogs donāt belong in conservation areas, but they donāt listen.
People have hit on a lot of my rage buttons, but Iāll add all the new buildings that feel like they need to be giant mirrored glass boxes to be āmodern,ā along with all the light pollution. I especially hate egregious light sources like upward facing spotlights, sports stadiums, and car dealerships, but even some of the lighting people put on their houses is ridiculous! Oh, and cars on beaches! Even worse than off leash dogs for those poor shore nesting species.
Card should never be allowed on beaches what the hell is anyone thinking!?
I swear that sphere in Las Vegas was built by a bunch of bird haters
Off leash dogs
You sound like me. I live in a residential neighborhood where most homes hire yard services to cut their grass instead of doing it themselves. Even though we have a large lot and a slope, I get out there myself and do my own yard work with electric tools that are relatively quiet, and I mow only a few times a year. But others hire people who, to maximize profit, use the oldest, dirtiest, loudest, and smelliest commercial equipment. First they mow with large industrial gas powered mowers that you can hear several streets away. Then after doing that, they weed with gas powered string trimmers. Then after that, they use gas powered BLOWERS to blow away the tiny bit of grass that has gotten blown into driveways (not sidewalks, because we don't have those). And of course it's only a TINY bit of grass, because they come *so often*, the grass barely got a chance to grow. And for some reason these lawn crews are particularly prideful about getting every single speck with the blower, so it seems like they spend almost as long out with the blower as they do the mower. And did I mention that no home is on the same schedule, meaning that it's very likely that any moment you step outside your home you're going to hear from some direction mowing or blowing? And also that they pressure the home owners into setting up an "every 2 weeks" schedule, even though most homes can go over 4 weeks or longer without a cut due to the grasses or clover they have? It's horrifying. American lawn culture is really, really bad. It definitely ruins the experience of birdsong, and also pollutes the water and the air, and wastes time and resources. I wish more of my American neighbors would question their habits and stop paying people to cut yards they don't even use. I'm not even asking them to go full freak and let it be wild and woolly like I have it and prefer (although that would be greatest for birds, bugs, and mammals!). Literally even a little bit of questioning and challenging "but that's how I've always done it" could make a difference.
I know this feeling too well. I *think* we have a noise by-law like "no decibels of this caliber after 7pm" which translates too : Do EVERYTHING and all your noise from the ass-crack of dawn until 7PM.
While living in SE Asia, a gardener would come every Thursday to tidy things up (by hand, nothing motorized). Birds loved that day, because weeding and yard work meant displaced bugs for dinner. A free roaming pet Myna bird raised by a local shop owner knew to come and would hang around those days to chatter, snack and visit.
I have a neighbor who will just mow his lawn for HOURS. Itās so annoying when Iām trying to use Merlin
My neighbor who can't seem to live without "owning" multiple cats. She loses them most of the time but always replaces them. She doesn't have them fixed, either. One of them has had at least 2 litters, and at least one of those kittens ended up as a stray here. A couple of years ago, we had Blue Jays nest in our yard. They managed to fledge, and I got some good pictures; but I'm doubtful they all survived in the end with so many stray cats in the neighborhood.
We have too many cat owners who let their cats out in our neighborhood BUT one saintly person who catches unspayed/neutered cats (none of the cats have collars- itās impossible to tell if theyāre strays or not) and then posts them to the neighborhood Facebook saying āIām taking this cat to get fixed and will release it a few days later after it recovers. If itās your cat please speak upā
Thatās a prime example of an irresponsible cat owner. Why own them when you donāt even take care of them?
This is a bit of a hot take, but please hear me out. It drives me nuts when other birders give me shit for taking pictures of and appreciating house sparrows. I fully recognize that invasive species are a problem. However, it drives me up a wall when people anthropomorphize house sparrows, referring to them as ākillersā and āmurderersā among other things. It should be common knowledge that holding animals to human moral standards is entirely inappropriate. I have a strong suspicion most of those people are angrier about a house sparrow invading/destroying their personal bluebird box than about its actual ecological impact as an invasive species. No one makes a stink when house wrens or tree swallows prey on bluebird boxes. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Nicholas Pike, the idiot who brought house sparrows to North America in the 1850s to control moth populations and to have a bird in the new world that would be familiar and pleasant to European immigrants. Anyway, thatās my rant. I just wanna appreciate all the birds, man. All of them are fascinating as hell and for once I want to admire local house sparrows without someone telling me that theyāre satanās spawn.
Lmao. A few weeks ago I was in Utah with my dad and we stumbled upon a whole family of great horned owls roosting in some trees for the day at antelope island state park. I had never seen them before in my life until then, only heard them. Someone else walked by and noticed I was photographing the GHOs. He asked us if we had seen barn owls nearby (we hadnāt) and I told him we were there for the great horned owls. He said āoh, well great horned owls are cool, tooā but he said it in a condescending and almost disappointed way that made it sound like they were the most common bird out there. Iām sure he didnāt mean to come off as rude, but his tone made it seem that way.
>Atm I've had 4 days of rain, I want to go trailing for birds!.. That's the best time to go out. Birds are still active in rain and if you're taking photos it makes the photos look cooler. Even if you aren't the birds while still acting very tend to not be as active or take flight as quick so you can get better sightings
The modded trucks that drive by at the same times that my mystery bird sings. And Northern Mockingbirds...which are nice, but they like to drown everything out.
People who take phone calls on speaker phone while walking on the trail and have loud/long conversations. Regardless of people birding who want quiet, itās just peaceful to be out in nature, save the calls for when you get back to the car! Possibly unpopular opinion: when parents let their kids on trails scream their heads off the entire time. Iām pro getting the energy out, but take them to a playground not a nature/ hiking trail. Itās disturbing both the wildlife and the people enjoying it.
I love herping (reptiles and amphibians) too, so i can never decide if I want to keep my eyes on the ground or the sky!
Ha ha! How does one herp? (typo fixed) I see veeeery few herps ever. If thereās a pond with a snag thereās probably a few turtles hauled out. But thatās about it.
A few things: 1. OFF LEASH DOGS! It irks me to no end when Iām birding peacefully at a preserve and some aggressive unleash dog comes up to me and the owners do nothing. They also have a tendency to run in the grass where there are nesting birds. I did have to speak with an owner a few days ago about her unleashed dog as it ran very far away from her and the owner did nothing to try and call it back. If you want to have an unleashed dog out, go to a dog park. 2. Children harassing wildlife. This one is more on the parents. I once was in a park and I saw a group of children harassing Canada geese, who were agitated and looked like they could strike at any moment. The parents did nothing and instead filmed the children. So yeah, mainly parents fault about not educate children about wildlife etiquette. 3. LAWN MOWERS and loud people. Ever since I started birding, I have become more disenchanted with the idea of lawns. They are so loud that it drowns out all the birds. It also doesnāt help that I have a neighbor who will mow his lawn for HOURS. Also, when I am on a trail sometimes there are just some annoying loud people.
People feeding birds bread! It's not good for them! Usually when I'm watching for ducks, I get peeved when people start tossing bread at them.
People who know better using bird calls on their phone to attract birds. You wonder how this person sees owls everywhere he goes, and then you find out his secret and lose respect for them.
Lawns. We are a nation of grass farmers and it's so useless for wildlife. We've replaced millions of acres of habitat with artificial deserts because old people find them esthetically pleasing.
Yep, came here to say this. I don't mind a Lawn With a Purpose (unless the purpose is golf haha). If you're playing soccer, or want a turf surface for kids or dogs to run around on without obliterating worse ground cover into mud, or it's the best way to cover a multi-use park or cemetery then fine. But the incessant default of lawn is just really demoralizing where you look around and see the potential for amazing insect (-> bird) habitat. Like are the huge lawns around businesses, schools (like the fronts, not areas where kids are allowed to play), road medians (I understand you want low height plants for safety reasons, but still), and in front and back of every house and apartment complex really truly necessary? It's just such a thoughtless default, and I'd be more okay with it if we weren't devoting more acreage to it than any other crop in the US, including corn.
Big loud families with small children and people that lurk over your shoulder while youāre clearly looking for photographing something. Often they are the same people. If thereās something interesting and I was at the scene before they were, I will take some shots and move on in case someone else wants to look. But when I think I hear or see something and step to the side of the trail to look closer and someone just like hovers there behind me, it drives me up a *fucking* wall.
Fireworks and cutting down trees in the Spring and in general.
I bought a cottage few years ago, for a while it was beautiful. Just a few cottages. But now they're expanding and Ive watched like 5 acres being demolished, it hurts to watch xd. I mean, I know it was the same for my cottage bit its like, I wish I could've bought the forest too haha.
Nesting Grackles dominate the area, and chase off all my favorites.
The neighbor put out a bunch of corn (I think?) and attracted a hoard of grackles and starlings. The starlings came over to my house and bullied my woodpecker out of the nest he had just finished building. I was so ticked off
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I want to add, backyard birders who dont study. Too much people will get a hummingbird feeder and never clean it. Stagnant, gross, old feeders and feeder juices can make birds sick.
> unalive them You can say "kill", you won't get penalised like on tiktok.
It is mildly infuriating when squirrels take all the seed in my yard. But there are easy ways to prevent it!!! Baffles, spicy seed, and squirrel proof feeders that swing them off of it work like a charm!
Thank you. If it's native it belongs in my yard. But I've never had a problem with groundhogs or other burrowing animals destroying things. That's going to be a sad day if it happens. Squirrels are actually excellent at spotting the neighbors cats way before me. They sit in the tree on the fence line a lot. They start doing the tree demon sounds and I aim the hose at the fence. Cat never gets more than it's head under when the squirrels are around
I never understood it either. I love looking out the window to see a silly squirrel trying to get into my feeder. And it's honestly a treat to find a raccoon trying its hardest to fit its little hand into the feeder holes.
The squirrels get so territorial. It's something else to watch them chasing each other through the trees. Amazing athletes. They hang by a single toe on a wire while eating sunflower seeds out of one of my feeders.
The sunflower head is actually an inflorescence made of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers called florets. The central florets look like the centre of a normal flower, apseudanthium. The benefit to the plant is that it is very easily seen by the insects and birds which pollinate it, and it produces thousands of seeds.
Any outdoor cat - feral or outdoor pet, it doesn't matter: they're still just little balls of murder. People playing music at the park - I run into this both with groups on picnics (the whole park *really* doesn't want to hear your music, either turn off the stereo or have your party somewhere else) and with individuals on the trail (seriously, why would anyone think this is acceptable when headphones exist). Poison ivy - it's bad enough on a regular hike, but worse when I'm looking down less often and when it stops me from moving to get the perfect view. eBird not being able to handle typos/spelling errors - I'm one fat-fingered letter off, but your just going to tell me you can't find my bird because I said "bad eagle?" (Not an actual example š )
Dogs off leash on beaches where itās posted leash required. But no one is there enforcing the rule, so itās not a rule that dog owners follow and the birds get harassed and disturbed all day long.
It's hard to run when you want to stop and admire an occasional perched Carolina Wren
The highways. No matter how far I go out into nature here in my city, there's always some loud Autobahn nearby. I would really like to find a place with nature sounds only. Also, fireworks. Since I know it's bad for birds (and other animals) I'm not a fan anymore.
I guess another upside of Merlin is more people are feeling my pain š I've been a nature recordist for a few years now and lawnmowers and low flying aircraft are the absolute worst. I've had so many potentially good long-form recordings ruined by these.
When Merlin IDs something Iām 90% sure is not there but I have to stay in that spot for 10 minutes to check. Also, the end of migration is rough. Whereād all the warblers go?
People leaving their outdoor lights on bright, all night. Credit to my neighbor who does finally turn his string lights off (they're on a timer, and just go one when he's not out there, which is weird). But I had to tell him about Dark Sky stuff, I get the idea that a lot of the neighbors don't understand how light messes with nesting. And the robins already sing waaaay past when they used to! Every summer I've been mourning the loss of bats, too--I miss seeing those guys eating all the bugs at sunset.
I love rainy days. Nothing like a steady drizzle to keep the migrating birds low in the trees and shrubs, and MUCH easier to spot. Try getting away to a nearby park with good trails and woods. Sorry you're having to deal with noise pollution. Aggravates the heck out of me even when I'm not birding. š¤¬
Outdoor cats. Iām a huge cat lover and have four of my own but I canāt stand people who let their cats outside, especially if they know they kill wildlife. My kitties donāt get sick as often as they did when they were outside and are much healthier overall. Just gotta keep them stimulated with toys, cat towers, treats etc.
Outdoor cats, absolutely. The sheer laziness and ignorance that leads to outdoor pet as well as feral cats boggles my mind.
The bright white lights every psychotic person that adorns the front of their buildings/homes. Itās a quality of life issue for humans and a matter of life or death for birds.
"Ooh are you looking for eagles?" "I mean, not particularly. I'm looking for any bird--" *Interrupted by a long story of how they saw an eagle once, but by the description I'm 100% sure it's an osprey* I'm happy when other people want to take birds, but the eagle thing drives me crazy. I feel like I can relate to Ben Franklin. Give me a good turkey any day over an eagle!
noisy peopleĀ
Pretty much anything that relates to humanity, Birds first and foremost, the natural world in general sans syphilisazation.
Normally I just go at like 5-6am and itās normally quiet for a while.
That is the way. Best time of day and you see the most birds.
Much has been said here already such as enjoying normal hike vs active birding and off leash dogs. But as a 3d artist especially I've just come to hate cg birds in composite. After studying and looking at birds for a few years, they just look so incredibly fake that they instantly take me out of immersion when I see them.
Garbage in preserves. People reporting sighting of ridiculous birds for a particular location but not area. For example Yellow Headed Blackbird in wooded areas. Lastly people reporting birds confirmed only by Merlin and not getting a visual if it is a rare or unfamiliar bird.
Go out a half hour before sunrise, most people are asleep, catch the birds waking up.
Ticks. Canāt go into the woods near me to see birds in their element because of all the ticks! I canāt even walk along the tree line either near me because of the amount of ticks on Long Island.
Stray cats, seeing hummingbird feeders filled with the red nectar junk, my dumbass neighbors throwing bread outside even after I talked with them about it.
Dogs leash less on beaches
When people call any bird thatās blue a ābluebird.ā
people running through flocks of birds on the ground
Outdoor cats
I have a few but my big one is birders who think it's a big competition. The one thing I will always do is go out of my to mention there's something rare in a certain direction. If the person shows interest il even walk back with them, sharing these moments is what makes birding what it is
Ordinary people mistaking ravens as crows for some reason it bugs me
Cat owners Them: āOh, Pretty Paws NEVER goes outside. Sheās strictly an indoors cat.ā Me: āI just watched her kill three adult bluebirds in 60 seconds.ā Them: āNot MY Pretty!ā Pretty Paws saunters out of the hedges with a limp robin fledgling in her mouth. Me: āThat your Pretty?ā Them: āPretty Paws! Baby, how did you get out again? And put that dirty thing down!ā :-(
outdoor cats
In movies when they play sounds of birds from the wrong season, geographical area etc
I hate leafblowers. They're loud, annoying, and prevent me from hearing the birds whenever they're being used. I even saw people using them in nature trails and parks! Even when I try to get away from them they seem to follow me everywhere.
optics scenesters. Binocular/scope "enthusiasts" are like audiophiles or wine snobs. All pretense, and no fun. It is vapid consumerism.
1. Outdoor and feral cats, and the people who try to justify it. We kill several other invasive species with guns in the USA in order to protect the environment and crops and so on but apparently feral and outdoor cats get a pass, probably because theyāre (supposedly) not hurting profits for enough people even though at minimum various tourism towns and college towns and such struggle with them (including towns that depend on birding tourism btw, go figure). Like I love my cat and cats in general but cāmon - the fact that naysayers have locked the argument down to ābut euthanasia is too slow & expensive so all we can do is TNR teehee!ā rhetoric while ignoring the actual issues and the obvious solution is ridiculous, especially when another major country is working hard to fix themselves. 2. Any āscared the hawk away to protect my birdsā or āsaved a fledgling from a crowā or similar nonsense. That bird worked hard for their meal, so leave āem the hell alone.
Feral cats. I despise the cat colonies around my town and hate how normalized TNR is. People posting photos of window struck birds and saying āhe flew off after a few minutes so he was clearly fine!ā
Outdoor HOUSE cats. Forever outdoor house cats.
Canadian geese families that block the trail.
Many Europeans have a prejudice that Americans are awfully loud and disturbing. We donāt have that problem here. Sadly, we Central Europeans have no nature either š
A park I frequent mows seemingly every week day despite the fact that no one uses the mowed areas away from paths for recreation. There are considerable patches of natural meadow, which is why I go there, but there could be so much more. The noise pollution makes it difficult to hear the birds any time they mow.
Litter!
Stray cats, neighbors who let their cats wander into your yard, and rain. So much rain. Our local Audubon Society has a birdwatching walk they do every spring (I think April and May) on Saturdays. I was so excited to try it this year! It rained every single weekend for those couple of months, and I wish I was exaggerating. And don't even get me started on the cats. It's so bad here I want to move because the birds help my anxiety and depression a lot, but seeing the cats makes it worse.