"Keen, but not experienced enough yet", that's why I try to always carry a
camera myself. But carrying it isn't the end of the story, you have to know
how to use it too. It's very easy to let the autofocus and autoexposure get it
badly wrong, and a few notes can be worth more than a photo.
I'd also like to point out that there are $500 cameras out there that can take
photos good enough for id.
Peter Shute
________________________________________
From: On
Behalf Of Jill Dening
Sent: Thursday, 4 December 2008 6:51 PM
To: birding-aus
Cc: Ivan & Joyce Fien; Barb Dickson
Subject: The power of digital photography for birds
Hi Everyone,
Yesterday I was leading three tinnies on a shorebird roost run up the
Pumicestone Passage (SEQld, separates Bribie Is from the mainland). This is a
regular run involving the Caloundra and Caboolture local government
authorities. They provide boats and drivers and council people keen to learn,
and with another shorebird specialist, I guide them through the labyrinth of
mangrove-lined channels, covering about 10 or so roosts, where we conduct
counts for the Qld Wader Study Group. There are so many places to go that we
have to go in different directions here and there to cover all the roosts on
the same tide. The purpose of taking non-environmental officers along is to
show them the possible unconsidered effects of the planning or development
decisions which they may make at their desks.
But yesterday my faithful shorebird offsider had a clash of commitments at the
last moment, and I was reduced to sending to a couple of roosts two council
people who were unable to identify all the species, especially the small
species. Keen, but not experienced enough yet.
Suddenly I thought if they could photograph any birds they were unsure of, I
could ID them later, as long as they got the numbers. And it worked! It meant I
had to have faith that they wouldn't trip with a couple of thousand dollars
worth of my photographic equipment, but they are careful people. The terrain is
wetland at high tide.
So it makes me realise that people doing shorebird surveys don't really have to
be conversant with all the species as long as they have a decent camera. Last
night I was able to establish that they had Greenshank in the flock of 200
Eastern Curlew which they found. And that the "Red-necked Stint" was in fact a
female Red-capped Plover.
I was really stoked, and I mention it in case any of you finds yourself in the
same situation sometime.
Cheers,
Jill
--
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
26° 51' 41"S 152° 56' 00"E
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