Bald Eagle Harassment?

One of my friends took me up to the Mongaup River and Lackawaxen River areas today (PA/NY) to see the wintering Eagles. Not far from the Eagle Institute in Lackawaxen, a group of photographers had pulled over to shoot an adult bird perched over the river. One guy decided it'd be a good idea to bang his tripod on the guard rail to scare the Eagle and coerce it to fly. I gave him a nice staredown and told him to stop.

It's no wonder the locals have no respect for photographers. Anyone else think this is harassment of the birds?

At Conowingo there was a guy fishing when a Bald Eagle landed nearby with a fish that he just caught. That guy scared the bird away and took the fish.

A couple of years ago I photographed geese in Massachusetts on a very cold morning because there were two Snow Geese in the flock. The geese tried to save energy and most of them rested. Another guy with a 17-40mm lens showed up and tried to scare the birds so they all would take off at once.

In other words, there are some people who are oblivious and care more about images than birds. Definitely not my kind of person.

I think it is the right thing to do to let these people know that they crossed the line.

This seems like a common occurrence. I have seen other photographers throw rocks into a pond to get birds to take off and smack sticks against trees to get something to look at them. It's unfortunate that some people decide to do this, but there are always going to be some that do

I dont know why people behave like this. We have one lake near Aurangabad and quite no of photographers used to throw something so that flamingos will fly. Farmers around lake feels that Flamingos are their winter guest and we should respect them. Later on they decided not to permit any photogarphers to enter through their farms. Some guys tried to sneak in and got big time sticks from farmers. Fortunately one farmer knows me and thats why I can get in.

Becasue of some guys , all bird photographers are loosing respect

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Originally Posted by Dave Blinder

One guy decided it'd be a good idea to bang his tripod on the guard rail to scare the Eagle and coerce it to fly. I gave him a nice staredown and told him to stop. It's no wonder the locals have no respect for photographers. Anyone else think this is harassment of the birds?

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Totally unacceptable in my opinion, some people also think it ok to use audio to deliberately get a wild bird to react :-(

Tell

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Originally Posted by Harshad Barve

Some guys tried to sneak in and got big time sticks from farmers.

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Harshad its to bad we couldnt get away with that here because there are tons of people that could use a good stick :)

Dave, I've been there several times and it's a great place to view and photograph Eagles. You should report that behavior to the Eagle institute.There are many volunteers in that area that spend alot of time educating the public. Below is a link to the Institute if anyone sees that type of behavior again in that area.
http://www.eagleinstitute.org/

I make it a point to confront behavior like that, whether they are photographers or not. But fortunately I'm a fairly big guy so I can get away with it. I'm not rude about it but approach them and express my concern politly. Most see the point and hadn't thought about how hard it is for some of these animals to eek out an existance. Hopefully the education will be passed on.

Our mere presence disturbs birds. Our existance is harrassment to birds. We destroy their habbitat and drive them away from the places where they live. When you venture out into the field seeking birds, harrassing them in some way is unavoidable. By choosing to be bird photographers we are harrassing wildlife on purpose instead of by just existing and going about our daily lives. It seems rather hypocritical to make a big deal about others disturbing birds without harming them when we choose to do similar on a daily basis. I love birds as much as anybody, but if we are going to champion a cause shouldn't we devote our efforts where they will do the most good?

While I agree with Jim that we ourselves disturb the birds (no disrespect intended Jim), there is a big difference between photographing with the appropriate equipment (ie: long lens rather than 50mm) while waiting patiently for oppurtunities and what some individuals do to create oppurtunities (ie: throw rocks, bang sticks, etc.). For the most part a cautious approach and respectful distance does not cause the intended subject any stress. And in some cases I've had birds land close by fully aware that I'm there, non-threatening behaviour on my part was the key (basically keep my distance and wait patiently).

Throwing rocks at birds so they take flight is just plain wrong.

Grant,

My point wasn't about right and wrong, It's about where to focus efforts against wrong doers. If we complain to authorities about a guy banging a stick against a tree to scare away a bird, what is that going to accomplish? I think it would do more harm than good. We should remember that people are accountable to the law not to other people's opinions. If you run around telling people who are not violating any laws what to do, I think it is more likley to cause problems than solve them. Save your efforts for the ones that violate the law in a harmful way. How would you feel if someone in a public area told you to leave because your presence was disturbing the birds? What if you disagreed with them?

For myself it's a pretty cut and dry case, patiently and quietly photographing Eagles or looking at them through binoculars is quiet different than what occurred, intentionally banging a tripod leg repeatedly against a guardrail.

What did my reprimanding the person accomplish? Probably nothing, I'm sure the guy continued the ruckus after I had moved on. I understand Jim's point, and sure there may be a fine line between observing and disturbing. I like to preach respect for all animals, and next time I'll probably just stiffarm the person over the guardrail :)

Hi Jim,

Sorry missed your intention. I see what you mean, there definitely is no point complaining to the powers that be about some guy banging a stick. Nothing they could do even if they cared. As for my part I'll still make it a point to "discourage" bad behaviour even it is not technically illegal. As I mentioned before some people just don't think about what they are doing so it is actually helpful on occasion to pass on a little education. Others like you said could care less, but at least I tried.

Grant

I respectfully suggest that you very nicely ask the person to stop disturbing the birds. Perhaps you could gently let them know that it is disturbing you. I think that is the method most likely to produce positive results. I think telling them what to do will only make them angry. I think that complaining to the authorities will only result in wasted time (yours and theirs) and may lead to additional restrictions that impact us all. I also think that encouraging people to tell others what to do or complain to the authorities is counter productive unless the offender is clearly violating the law. Most people will evaluate what they are doing and act responsibly if asked nicely. :)

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Originally Posted by Jim Neiger

I respectfully suggest that you very nicely ask the person to stop disturbing the birds. Perhaps you could gently let them know that it is disturbing you. I think that is the method most likely to produce positive results. I think telling them what to do will only make them angry.

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Point taken, well put Jim. On the other hand, completely ignoring a very poor behavior can be viewed as condoning or even encouraging. Can't imagine what a ranger would have thought to have 5 photographers lined up in a row while one guy intentionally tried to disturb the eagle.

To borrow a vegetarian saying "be a voice for the voiceless" (animals)

You hit the nail on the head Jim, be polite and respectful. Gets you a lot further than been confrontational, and less likely to escalate the situation.

When the ranger comes you can say that you aren't with him/her and that you politely asked them not to do that. :)

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Originally Posted by Jim Neiger

Our mere presence disturbs birds. Our existance is harrassment to birds. We destroy their habbitat and drive them away from the places where they live. When you venture out into the field seeking birds, harrassing them in some way is unavoidable. By choosing to be bird photographers we are harrassing wildlife on purpose instead of by just existing and going about our daily lives. It seems rather hypocritical to make a big deal about others disturbing birds without harming them when we choose to do similar on a daily basis. I love birds as much as anybody, but if we are going to champion a cause shouldn't we devote our efforts where they will do the most good?

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Jim - I agree with you. The ironic part of all this is that any time we hike into a site to view eagles, etc., we are disturbing some other birds and/or wildlife along the way. It just happens to be the birds or wildlife we are not particularly interested in at that point in time -- they just happen to be between us and our subject for the day. Anything we do disturbs them in some way, as you suggest. I think it's the persistent repetitive disturbances that will do some level of harm. At the same time, wildlife is a lot tougher and more resilient than most people give them credit for. Just my 2 cents. :)

As Denise said, education is important. But the sad part is that some people will always have room temperature IQ hence educating them would be far harder than teaching an elephant to play piano. BTW I meant IQ in Celsius not Fahrenheit. :)

Dave -
I go up there quite freqently (was there last weekend in fact), and I agree with Denise.... The Eagle Institute is right there in Lackawaxen, and they have an excellent relationship with the Game Commission, the DNR and the local authorities. I believe it is still against the law to harass eagles in Pennsylvania...

I have found every animal to be different probably based upon past experience. No one should knowingly disturb wildlife in the name of a better photo. The pictures we get should not be that of animals on high alert. Waiting and watching give you those shots that are natural with the wildlife in its normal state. My own example was a red bellied woodpecker that flew off every time I went outside. Over time he realized I was not a threat and went about his business. Well a short time later the woodpecker associated me with the feeders and would follow me around squawking when the feeders were empty.

Actually it is against Federal law to harm (technically called a 'take')--"molest or disturb"- either Bald or Golden Eagles:

"Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act

The bald eagle will continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act even though it has been delisted under the Endangered Species Act. This law, originally passed in 1940, provides for the protection of the bald eagle and the golden eagle (as amended in 1962) by prohibiting the take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by permit http://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/images/intree.jpg (16 U.S.C. 668(a); 50 CFR 22). "Take" includes pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, molest or disturb (16 U.S.C. 668c; 50 CFR 22.3). The 1972 amendments increased civil penalties for violating provisions of the Act to a maximum fine of $5,000 or one year imprisonment with $10,000 or not more than two years in prison for a second conviction. Felony convictions carry a maximum fine of $250,000 or two years of imprisonment. The fine doubles for an organization. Rewards are provided for information leading to arrest and conviction for violation of the Act."


...." The take of all migratory birds, including bald eagles, is governed by the Migratory Birds Treaty Act’s regulations. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the taking, killing, possession, transportation, and importation of migratory birds, their eggs, parts, and nests except as authorized under a valid permit (50 CFR 21.11). Additionally, the MBTA authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Interior to determine if, and by what means, the take of migratory birds should be allowed and to adopt suitable regulations permitting and governing take (for example, hunting seasons for ducks and geese).

Penalties under the MBTA include a maximum of two years imprisonment and $250,000 fine for a felony conviction and six months imprisonment or $5,000 fine for a misdemenor conviction. Fines double if the violator is an organization rather than an individual.

The MBTA and its implementing regulations provide authority for the conservation of bald eagles and protect against take if the Endangered Species Act protections are removed."
(the photo attached whichever way I tried to copy the text)

There are always some who will minimize patently wildlife-disturbing behavior for whatever reasons and I see no productive purpose in arguing with them. And there are some who insist that everyone should mind their own business (like the people who watch someone getting raped or beaten up but don't get involved). Saying something nicely may work sometimes but other times you just get a cold stare or outright statement to mind your own business. Though civility ought to govern interactions whenever feasible, if nice statements don't get it then there are other options. Some of the most appealing options (like hitting the idiot who was using a stick to flush the eagle upside the head with his own stick) have potentially negative consequences. If I see such behavior I will try to photograph it or better yet videotape it. If it involved disturbing a nesting eagle, I would contact U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. I think another possibility is to post the photos or video so others can see the moron's actions.