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t, birders would play recordings of mobbing calls to attract a wide var --_000_BN8PR15MB29968746ACFF03F7CDBA9581F6B60BN8PR15MB2996namp_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 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 --_000_BN8PR15MB29968746ACFF03F7CDBA9581F6B60BN8PR15MB2996namp_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w=3D"urn:sc= hemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/of= fice/2004/12/omml" xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3DWindows-1= 252"> <meta name=3D"Generator" content=3D"Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"> <style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:"PT Sans"; panose-1:2 11 5 3 2 2 3 2 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} span.EmailStyle18 {mso-style-type:personal-reply; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; color:windowtext;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-st