birding-aus

Do you think birds know when you are watching?

To: "Denise Goodfellow" <>
Subject: Do you think birds know when you are watching?
From: "Evan Beaver" <>
Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 11:32:41 +1000
A mate of mine who lives on property near Sydney used to swear that
the common Mynahs had him figured out. If he raised his .22 they would
fly. But if it was a stick they would stay. He then tried an unloaded
.22 and they stayed. Not sure I believe him, but I don't think he
should have told me he was out smarted by some small brown birds.

EB

On 5/7/08, Denise Goodfellow <> wrote:
> I behaved similarly when shooting buffalo years ago.  I'd walk  indirectly
> towards them and not look  them in the eye.
> Denise L Goodfellow
>
>
> on 7/5/08 8:51 AM, Peter Shute at  wrote:
>
> > What do you mean by "walking obliquely towards them"?  Do you mean that
> > your body is partly turned away from them too?  If that really helps
> > then perhaps they're sensitive to whether a predator is in a position to
> > launch themselves at them, irrespective of whether it's looking at them.
> > I guess it would make sense.
> >
> > But if all these things are true then you'd think predators would have
> > evolved the instinct to do all these tricks too.  Maybe they do.
> >
> > Peter Shute
> >
> >  wrote on Wednesday, 7 May 2008 7:38
> > AM:
> >
> >> This article descibes how birds focus on the eyes of a human,
> >> a human equally close to them, but looking away, is not
> >> perceived as so much of the threat as one looking direectly at them.
> >>
> >> I think this is soemthing that most birdwatchers will have
> >> learnt by experience. I have had this reinforced in my
> >> expereince of bird photography, where often you can get
> >> closer to birds by walking obliquely towards them with your
> >> head turned away, and then just turning back at the last
> >> minute to lift the camera and snap!
> >>
> >> John Leonard
> >>
> >> On 06/05/2008, Carl Clifford <> wrote:
> >>> Dear All,
> >>>
> >>> When you are out in the field and watching a bird, do you somertimes
> >>> feel that they know you are watching? Well have a look at
> >>> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430075912.htm
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-- 
Evan Beaver
Lapstone, Blue Mountains, NSW
lat=-33.77, lon=150.64
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