[NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour

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From: Diane LeBlanc <dianeleblanc616@gmail.com>
To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Thread-Topic: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour
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Date: Wed, 20 May 2020 14:50:25 +0000
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t, birders would play recordings of mobbing calls to attract a wide var
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With regard to playback and mob calls, the ABA Code of Ethics limits but do=
es not ban the use of audio: Here is an excerpt from their Code of Ethics:

=93Avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger. Be particularly cautio=
us around active nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display sites, and fee=
ding sites. Limit the use of recordings and other audio methods of attracti=
ng birds, particularly in heavily birded areas, for species that are rare i=
n the area, and for species that are threatened or endangered. Always exerc=
ise caution and restraint when photographing, recording, or otherwise appro=
aching birds.=94

Audubon is more lenient: Here is an excerpt from their website:

=93Playback is one of the most powerful tools in a birder=92s struggle to s=
ee birds in the wild. It will arouse the curiosity of any species at any ti=
me of year, but it works best on territorial species during nesting season.=
 Birds that might otherwise be too shy to come into the open can be attract=
ed by the sound of a potential rival. Whether this trickery has any signifi=
cant impact on the birds is not so clear.

Fundamentally, birding disturbs birds. Everything we do has an impact on th=
em. But in some situations playback can be less disruptive than other metho=
ds of attracting birds, at times even less disruptive than sitting quietly =
and waiting for a bird to show. Proponents argue that playback reduces the =
need to physically enter and disturb a bird=92s habitat and, unlike pishing=
, targets a single species.=94

So, it is no wonder that birders may feel that it=92s okay to use mob calls=
 and bird recording to attract birds.

I suggest that changing this birder behaviour requires scientific evidence =
followed by strong peer pressure.  I=92d be very interested to see studies,=
 and, in particular, meta-analyses on this topic. The NSBS is strongly comm=
itted to putting birds first but we need to be in a defensible position bef=
ore making recommendations.

Just my thoughts!

Diane


From: "naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> on be=
half of Shouty McShoutsalot <desolatechair@gmail.com>
Reply-To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 11:04 AM
To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour

Education is incremental.  However there birders who should know better who=
 still employ pishing.

On Wed., May 20, 2020, 08:08 John Kearney, <j.f.kearney@gmail.com<mailto:j.=
f.kearney@gmail.com>> wrote:
That is unfortunate, and those who are doing so are not following the ethic=
al guidelines of Birds Canada and the American Birding Association. In some=
 cases, judicious use of playback is considered permissible for conservatio=
n research. However, as noted in an earlier discussion in this forum, this =
is increasingly unnecessary with the availability of autonomous recording u=
nits.

From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> O=
n Behalf Of Shouty McShoutsalot
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 07:21
To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>>
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour

Re mobbing calls regrettably it is still a common practice among birders.  =
With cell phones and birding apps its easy to produce and playback them at =
will.

On Tue., May 19, 2020, 21:38 John Kearney, <j.f.kearney@gmail.com<mailto:j.=
f.kearney@gmail.com>> wrote:
Hi Burkhard,
Many bird species have mobbing calls. You may have seen the Black-capped Ch=
ickadee doing this many times. Perhaps you thought it was curious about you=
 but more likely, it was letting other birds know of your presence. One of =
the fascinating things about mobbing calls is that some species understand =
the unique mobbing calls of another species as a mobbing call and will join=
 in multi-species harassment of a predator. Mobbing works, it is believed, =
not so much because the predator is frightened, but because it has been out=
ed. It has lost the advantage of a surprise attack. In the past, birders wo=
uld play recordings of mobbing calls to attract a wide variety of species, =
and with the hopes flushing out a rare bird. Birders have abandoned this pr=
actice since it causes unnecessary stress to the birds and distracts them f=
rom more important tasks such as feeding young or building up fat reserves =
for their migration.
John

-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> O=
n Behalf Of Burkhard Plache
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 18:59
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Subject: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour

Hello fellow naturalists:

We have a pair of starlings is raising its brood in a former hairy woodpeck=
er cavity in our front yard. Today, there were some 10-12 starlings scatter=
ed in the nearby branches. A few minutes later, a big ruckus broke out, wit=
h a squirrel departing the tree at high speed pursued by some 5-6 of the st=
arlings.

My question is: Are starlings known to band together in times of trouble?
If so, they must have some means of calling for help in case of a threat.

Curious,
Burkhard

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