I guess we need to bring up this subject every now and then just to get
everyone stirred up and feeling alive. One of the problems is here is
that the aims of many mambers of this group are different. There is
very little need to use playback for North American species as we have
excellent sound catalogues available to us here and identification
should not be difficult for anyone willing to go to the trouble. It is
true that many tour leaders doing trips in NA use it so that their
clients may get a look at species that they may not normally see. Many
of these folks are older and would not have a chance to view these
things on their own. I personally know many of these leaders and they
are experts in the use of sound for playback, but there will always be a
few that make a mess and leave a bad taste in our mouths.
Occasionally you may get an aberrant or alternate call to something
here, and it is certainly of more value to know what you have. Anyone
doing soundscapes will not have the same need as as a survey birder to
know what sound he has captured. Overseas, things are different. We do
not have good sound catalogues of most tropical countries, and this
includes Peru and Ecuador where certain individuals have published
extensive works. One of the reasons is that bird song is more highly
evolved in the tropics (as is avian diversity in general), and many
birds have 4,5 or more calls in their repertoire. It is difficult to
research many. I know Paul Cooppmans and I have swapped recordings on
occasion just so we could put more ears to a sound. Birds, such as
Northern and Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird, only came to notice
through their differing calls.
However, the main point I wish to make about ethics is that one needs to
look at the big picture. One of the most common pieces of advice given
on this list for improved recording quality is to get as close to the
bird as possible. Normally, when a bird is singing, it is for
territorial reasons. How many recordists here knew where a bird's nest
was when they were recording? Precious few, based on my knowledge of how
difficult it is to find nests and what the aims of many of our group
members would be. Birds abandon nests simply because of human proximity,
a fact well documented as opposed to our knowledge of problems
associated with playback. Certainly playback can be done irresponsibly,
but that is why many of us have taken the time to publish guidelines so
that it can be done with a certain level of responsibility. All of us
who interact with birds have an impact. All of us who might own stocks
of companies that increase deforestation have an impact. Everyone who
buys products that promote deforestation have an impact. Ethics are
nice, but they need to be viewed in a broad perspective and promoted
with a sense of realism that is useful to recipients of such knowledge.
No one is right or wrong here. This is why this discussion is useful.
Everyone's input helps develop the concepts necessary to reponsible
birding, responsible recording, and, most importantly, responsible field
ethics for all of us.
Scott Connop
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