Yes, I think Australia is possibly lucky in having relatively few real skulkers.
This is not the case in, for example, South America where the various
rainforest skulkers, especially tapaculos are extremely hard to see without
tapes and even then are certainly not guaranteed.
We rarely use tapes ourselves (actually we did try once in Australia for
Southern Emu Wren bit it didn't work!) but if you go on any kind of birding
trip with a guide he/she will undoubtedly use them - after all, he needs to be
seen to be trying as hard as possible to "get" the bird for the group and the
time pressure is often severe.
This was particularly true in Madagascar where in one location we simply walked
from one known territory to another and the guides either played a tape, or
more usually whistled the bird in. And they obediently appeared. The guides do
this virtually every day, sometimes several times a day, during the breeding
season. This was very unsatisfactory birdwatching for us - we could probably
have seen most of the birds without calling then if we had been there longer -
but of course we did not have enough time and the guides want their tips.
It would be very interesting to know whether these birds - and these are
endangered rare birds - breed successfully. It may be that even if they do not,
the sacrifice is worth it, as, while the local guides are earning good money,
the remaining forest is less likely to be chopped down. Habitat destruction is
far more dangerous than a few over-enthusiastic guides.
In the USA using tapes is prohibited in a lot of parks and reserves - I am not
sure what the exact reasons for this are. May be just that any disturbance
should be avoided. However, it seems like a pretty good idea to me - there is
nothing worse then bird-watching quietly by yourself when a group comes
crashing along the trail and immediately starts up the tape recorder (or IPOD
nowadays). And the ridiculous situations which can arise when various groups
are all trying to call owls can be farcical.
Rosemary Royle
Wales, UK
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