Responsiveness to Recorded Bird Song Playback - Reference?

[Henry Domke]

Many bird photographers use food, water and sound to get birds closer to our cameras. Does anyone know of a website or other reference that discusses the responsiveness of each bird species to recorded song playback?

I've been reading Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion. With each bird he mentions it's responsiveness to pishing. It seems to me that pishing is similar to song playback, but probably less effective. I wonder if there is a relationship between a birds responsiveness to pishing and a birds response to recorded song?

I know that responsiveness to bird song playback varies by season, but that seems to be different for different species. I'm hoping someone has taken notes on this and will share their experience.

[Sandy Witvoet]

I am more than likely in the minority.... but I don't believe in pishing nor song-playing to lure birds into range .... if you are not ready or able to breed or provide a "mate", then we shouldn't do it. Feeding and providing water just to subsidize the "necessities" for survival, IMHO, allows the birds more, rather than fewer ops to "make it"... and that route also offers some good photo ops.

[Henry Domke]

I don't believe in pishing nor song-playing to lure birds into range

I know that many birders and bird photographers are concerned about the harm that can be caused by using sound. I can see that in heavily traveled areas there could be a problem. If several people per day were interrupting the bird with calls then it might cause harm; perhaps even reproductive failure.

I own the land (almost a square mile) where I do the majority of my bird watching and bird photography. If I use sound with a given bird it will probably happen for a couple minutes once or perhaps twice during the entire breeding season. I can't see harm from that. But I can see benefit. Without sound I'm sure I never would have had a clear shot at this Worm-eating Warbler.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Not sure there is such a reference guide out there for audio, and it would be a huge task as not every individual from the same time of year and species reacts the same way. A couple of years ago I was all but done trying for pewees with audio and then tried another time, with no results expected, when I heard one atop the trees...well wouldn't you know it it landed right on the perch within 10 seconds. I've unsuccessfully tried this species many times since, including the same spot at the same time of year...nothing except nervous birds fluttering from tree top to tree top...an obvious sign to stop the audio. BTW, I've found that concealing yourself in a blind works much better...

From my experience most species and individuals within a species will react in some way to audio, but most of the time not in a way to be attracted to a perch of choice. The sparrow family reacts best to audio (but of course, not all the time!), as do the wrens, vireos, and warblers. Some water birds are attracted readily to audio (think grebes, scaups, bufflehead...mostly the diving ducks). Rails respond well too.

BTW, "responds well" is relative...it is hit and miss...mostly miss...I'd say I have a 20-25% success rate in getting a bird on the perch of choice with songbirds using audio. If within a couple of minutes a bird has not come down to your perch chances are it will not and it is best to move on to another spot or bird.

[David Stephens]

Here's an article that refers to species that respond well to pishing:

http://birding.about.com/od/birdingbasics/a/Pishing.htm

[Daniel Cadieux]

The thing with pishing is that it is not useful to lure birds onto a desired perch...only to get a glimpse of the bird in question, and that only sometimes. What pishing is useful for though, is to get a proper head angle once the subject is in the right spot. Works well with shorebirds too...

[BobbyPerkins]

I agree with Daniel phishing is useful for getting a proper head angle (once the subject is in the right spot), works well to get thier attention usually with out spooking them.

Alan Murphy's second book has a complete chapter on using audio to lure birds onto a desired perch, it also has alot to do with the location (or placement) of the speaker.

I also agree in public parks & places it's a more disruptive but for private land it could be effective (as Daniel suggested at a lower percentage rate). Using audio along with feeder set-ups and bird baths with water drips is fun stuff. If you don't already have Alan Murphy's ebooks I highly recommend them, the first book is actually my favorite.

[Arthur Morris]

Though I rarely, and I mean rarely, use audio, I have no problem at all with the judicious use of a bird's recorded song to bring it into photographic range. Some argue that it helps sharpen a bird's territorial defenses.... You can check out Alan's great guides here; he uses tapes extensively.