birding-aus

Do you think birds know when you are watching?

To: "John Leonard" <>, "Birding-aus" <>
Subject: Do you think birds know when you are watching?
From: "Peter Shute" <>
Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 09:21:39 +1000
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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