fieldcraft!

[phyllosc]

When I was a young birder books and established birders used to instill the need for good fieldcraft. Some of the threads here have already touched upon this sort of think but I think the best approach is to imagine you are hunting birds. You will need to get close in order to get a good 'shot'.

Tips for this would include moving calmly and slowly. Try to move like a grazing cow or sheep - ie, don't appear to be intent on getting closer.

Wear drab coloured clothes to help your human-shaped profile blend in to its surrowdings.

Learn from the birds and how they behave, ie, try to work out were they will be.

Fieldcraft is something you will gain from experience and keep learning the more you bird.

Dave Carr
Essex, UK

[John Marshall]

Hi Dave.

I agree with you , Fieldcraft is essential. As a birder/wildfowler
of over sixty years experience I think I know a little about both
subjects having wildfowled over many marshes and estuaries
throughout the UK. I migfht add it was not the shooting of say
a morning flighting Pinkfoof, but the sight and spectacle of these
truly magnificent birds at very close proximity due to prior knowledge of habits, habitat and indeed fieldcraft. Many today birders need to study fieldcraft a little more.

Regards John

[Michael Frankis]

Agreed 100%!!

Another one is to learn how to walk softly and quietly, even on crunchy dry leaves or gravel - I know someone who everywhere he goes, clomps louldy on the ground. He never seems to see many birds. Surprise, surprise!

Michael

[John Marshall]

Michael

You have got in a nutshell!!John

[jeff]

Ah! Glasshopper. Now where did I leave David Caradine's number ;-)

[Ashley beolens]

I have to say, I am not so sure field craft like this is always needed, if I am looking for a bird hidden in the bottom of a bush then I will creep up to it, but other than that, most birds are used to people being around, and will spook more easily if something is happening that is different. What you have to ask yourselves is how close do you need to get? why risk disturbing a bird by getting close when with good optis you can view from a distance and not irratate the wildlife?

I do agree on learing bird behaviour though, it is esential to know where a bird will be and when, what it feeds on and where it roosts, otherwise you will never get to see them.

And Kevin I especially dis-agree with your comments on walking on the grass, over the established footpath, this is what leads to land being eroded and damages sometimes endangered plantlife. which is more important your stealth or the environment?

[birdman]

Ashley makes a good point, and whilst I wouldn't disagree in principle with anything said previously, I agree that it is all too easy to spook birds by "sneaking up" on them.

I guess it's all a matter of skillful tracking though, and knowing how close it is possible to get without geting too close.

This is clearly a skill I have yet to develop, but on occasion I talk to birds that I am approaching (when I know I've been spotted), as it is sometimes useful to come across them in their "I've seen you and I'm letting you know I've seen you" guise. Quite often they will make themselves obvious.

[Rob Smallwood]

Fieldcraft IS a forgotten art, at least, forgotten by many.

On your next visit to a reserve or site, count the number of birders with £500+ binoculars wearing bright red fleeces, or "twitchers" who, having seen their quarry stand around on the top of a bank, breaking the skyline, sun behind them, chatting about their greatest "twitch" or "dip"!

Then there are the mobile 'phones, beeping pagers and people who can make more noise ercting a tripod than Concorde on take-off.

Sorry to rant on but you have touched a nerve!!

[StevieEvans]

Are there any Birders, who wear Camouflage Gear..........

[phyllosc]

Camouflage Gear is too militaristic for my tastes.

Dave

[StevieEvans]

"Birder?" OR "Birdwatcher?",

I think this kiinda sums up, what i see happening in Birdwatching circles.

I recall a very loud & self-assured guy, lecture us on what he'd seen and where he'd been etc etc
He stood proudly in his ever so bright Red berghouse jacket, with his expensive Red-dotted bins & Red-dotted 'scope.

" I'm on 300 & something or other species this week, blah, blah, blah......"

The (Oneway) conversation dried up, and it was time for HiM to unleash his personal MasterClass before our very eyes....!......

Bins quickly lowered by he, and Scope locked on to Target!....

"Whats that Red legged wader, standing on that pipe.....?" says the almighty one

We were so incredulous that we had to just walk away.............

..............the bird in question was a female Mallard, only about 70m away!........ 3:-)

[Malvolio]

"Are there any Birders, who wear Camouflage Gear..........?" asks steviewol

I've not seen any but that could mean one of two things;-)

Anyway, given the vast improvements in optics maybe fieldcraft as practised by a previous generation isn't so critical anymore - I guess it isn't quite so vital anymore to crawl on your belly in a zig zag pattern to get views of that interesting wader halfway across Morecambe Bay...

That's said, some people do seem to have had a commonsense by-pass.

MV

[StevieEvans]

Mmm
Cunning answer MV, some birds are almost invisible too.......

Fieldcraft, is that a hovercraft that farmers use ?

Anyway, heres a chance for all you birders to 'Really Get With it Man'
Combat gear is 'real cool on da streets' at the moment, why not join in & give yourself & Birdwatching an image update.......:cool:

Stevie Evans

[phyllosc]

I don't bird/birdwatch to influence others. Niether birding/birdwatching or I need an image update.

Dave

[StevieEvans]

Come on Dave, laugh !

I know YOU MUST have a sense of humour if you go around the countryside pretending to be a cow or a sheep.....!!!!!



You'd go down a treat in some of the forgotten little backwater villages up here....!!

3:-)

I am a robot, exterminate!, exterminate!

Stevie
3:-)

[Michael Frankis]

Moooooo?

[StevieEvans]

Baaaaaaa

[Lewis]

I birdwatch and smoke cigarettes simultaneously. How's that for an image. I think my wife and myself are the only smoking birdwatchers in Norther California.

[Malvolio]

Er...I think that's your cue Michael

MV

[phyllosc]

Perhaps I should have said don't ever pretend to be a sheep when birding in Wales.

...well I've lit the blue touch paper now! Is that good enough for you Stevie

Dave

[k.k.stevenson1]

You go out in what feel comfortable in .You go to watch the birds not to frighten them to death .Some birds have more brains than the people that watch them.o:D Ken.

[StevieEvans]

Camo. gear.....?

Anyone..?

Real tree gear etc etc ....

Simon King......

[Malvolio]

Sometimes fieldcraft can go too far - I've heard Simon King talk in a whisper when commenting on recorded footage of foxes!

MV

[StevieEvans]

Bet you cant beat this one.
An ex-associate of mine rolled himself up in a length of carpet in order to try to get close to some seals..........

[Doug Lloyd]

I most often wear Camo when birding and think it makes a great deal of difference. But then again in Alaska a person wearing Camo dosent get a second look. I seldom bird with anyone other than my wife except on a couple occasions each year when we go with our local club. I call it the rainbow coalition. Do they see birds and have a good time yes. Would they see more birds if they wore a bit more muted clothing. Yes.
As the world speeds its way into the future many crafts are being lost and Fieldcraft is one. How to walk and move towards a wild creature is being lost to ok they they are and jump back in the vehicle and speed off to the next location. As I see it part of fieldcraft is watching behavior not just a tick on a list. Just yesterday I spent 7 hours with just 2 Wilsons Warblers. Did I get close? I sure did infact close enough that both landed on me at different times and picked mosquitoes off my jacket. It took over an hour to move in to position after I spotted them. What did I learn from these 2 yesterday. The male is the primary provider to the young. The female guards the nest. The male removes the fecal matter on each trip. The male averaged 28 trips per hour. The prefered food was craneflys. The babies make no noise in the nest. The female is not a great deal bigger than a hummingbird but will attack a Magpie that gets within 50 yards of the nest.
Did I stress these beautys? I don't think so. Now imagine that I trod right up on them in some of todays brighter colors. Plopped myself down and move continiously. Had to have my bottled water and a snack from crinkley paper. You get my point. My kind of birding doesn't appeal to everyone I know but I ask why did you start birding in the first place. I think for most it was supposed to be a restful experience. BTY I also have a camo drape for my camera. I havent resorted to face paint yet but there is a Sora Rail here this year that may drive me to it. I know I have crawled 10 miles trying to get close enough for a shot.
You be the judge was my time well spent or not?

[phyllosc]

Stevie

Now that could be dangerous. You could be mistaken for a willing female by a randy bull seal!

Doug

An excellent account of the use of good fieldcraft - great photo!

Dave

[Colin]

On some of the wide open areas of the Severn Estuary there is nothing to hide behind such as a bush or hedgerow or tree but in order to avoid the silhouette on the horizon no no it is sometime possible to "mingle" within a herd of cows. This seems to do the trick but be warned, keep an eye on the scope on its tripod because if you get distracted when looking through your binnies, the cows will try to eat the scope stay-on case, knocking over the tripod in the process and trampling the scope. When you next look thru it at, say, a single Black-headed Gull, you will see at least 1000 gulls such is the fragmented glass inside (unless the glass spills out when you pick it up like a burst open giant pack of Smarties)!!

I've seen the results like this when someones tripod was blown over in a gale onto a tarmac road surface and it made a grown man cry. :-C and then:gn:


I have to agree with what Doug says about the loss of skills and the observation of behaviour. As for the excellent picture, what a fantastic bird!!

[Tannin]

Steveiwol, no I can't beat that one! Nor, I imagine, could most of us. To the best of my knowledge, I have never dressed up in a roll of carpet.

I really admire Doug Lloyd's approach, but that's a little more dedicated than I get about things. Yes, I wear drab clothing and I try to walk quietly, be inconspicuous, approach the bird on an angle, use whatever cover is there. But my favourite method is the reverse.

I like to walk quiety to some likely looking spot, and then find somewhere nice and comfortable to sit down. I just enjoy the scenerey for a while, maybe fill my pipe and puff away quiety.

There are always a few of the bolder and more common birds about to fill in the time. And, if you just sit somewhere without moving much, the birds will come to you.

Probably not the most effective method, but certainly an effective method, and a very pleasant way to spend the day.

[Michael Frankis]

I'd disagree - the smoke will scare birds off - they have no way of knowing it isn't a forest fre on the way.

And it'll also make breathing very unpleasant for any other birders within 200 yards!

Michael

[StevieEvans]

Doug
Thats an excellent encounter
I regularly use camo. gear. Anyone who hasn't and who is perhaps voicing a negative reply, or is not so sure, wants to give it a try.......
I'm sure they'lll be very pleasantly surprised, if not amazed.
I've had birds land on me too, an almost magical experience, all small stuff, i 'm waiting for an owl to 'touchdown' .
I can imagine that its quite remote where you are, but even here (N.East England) theres places you can go and hardly see another person all day.
Let us or me personally know what else you come across, hopefully it won't be bears!
Stevie

[Tannin]

Birds land on me? Well, I've had birds do something else on me. ....

And before anyone asks, no, I wasn't smoking at the time. ;) By the way, the civilised smoker always sits downwind of the rest of the party. Given that I rarely go birding with more than one other person, this isn't too difficult. If there is no downwind (such as when you are in a large party) then I wait for a while, or else take a walk. This in itself is a good thing, as getting a bit of distance between yourself and the party you are with tends to put a lot less distance between you and the birds. The number of times I've wandered off to have a quiet smoke (or for the other purpose) and then spotted something special ....

Of course, then there is the number of times I've wandered off and spotted something special, stopped to watch it, forgotten about the time, finally remembered where I was and suddenly discovered that the party is now a mile away in some unknown direction ..... This is when you are suddenly grateful that the loud-voiced couple in the dayglow colours turned up. ;)

[phyllosc]

Commenting on the above:

1.) Ventile is great stuff. I have one of those jackets Kevin aludes too and it is warm, wind proof, and water proof. As its made of cotton you don't 'russle' like you do when wearing gortex etc.

2.) I went through a rather pretentious phase in my late teens when smoked a pipe when out birding. That was many, many years ago but I cannot bring myself to complain about others doing the same as I find the smell quite pleasant. I always favoured rough shag, myself.

3.) Nice shot, Silver...

4.) So far birds have only ever sh*t on me!

Dave

[Doug Lloyd]

Love your shot Chris and good to see you.
I love getting very close to wild creatures. I have a zillion Pine Siskins using the feeders right now and some are quite fearless. From a few days ago.
Doug

[stevo]

I`ve found the same just by sitting down in one place the birds will eventually come out & get on with their daily routine.This year I have had Redstarts land a few feet away from me,often birds have a favourite perch that they will use,sometimes to watch for prey or to preen.

Regards Stevo.

[pauco]

beware men in sheeps clothing, when birding in wales.
bert

[helenol]

Reading these posts reminded me of last week when the in-laws came to visit.

My feeders etc are positioned on the branches of lilac trees, where there is also a 6' trellis dividing the garden in half. Just behind this trellis is where I stand silently and alone for ages just watching the goldfinches etc come down to feed, all within 3-5 feet away from me.

Father-in-law wanted to catch a glimpse of all the birds feeding so I took him up the garden to the usual place.

After about half an hour of talking rather loudly non-stop, he commented there weren't many birds around. Quite!

Regards
Helen

[Lewis]

Wouldn't bring myself to wear military-style camo clothes even if it did allow me to get closer to active birdspots. But, as stated, this comes down to personal preference.

Don't want or need to intrude myself into the habitats of birds so much that they land on me or eat my peanut butter off their tree. This, I submit, is wrong.

There is an old R T Peterson book, Dozen Birding Hotspots, wherein almost every other picture shows the author or co-author holding wild birds up to be photographed. It is apalling! If one is banding birds for the purpose of population studies, one can argue there is a greater good being served by such unnatural intrusion (and even this is certainly debate-able). But handling a bird or feeding a bird for the purposes of personal photography or to make me (falsely) feel an intimate involvement with animals I purportely appreciate is counter-intuitive.

I find that the amount of time and patience and the quality of my mood dictates and the degree of my attentiveness, combined with pure, beyond-my-control chance, varies greatly from day to day to day. Does this hold true for many birdwatchers? Once in Oregon I happened by a tree at near dusk just as a group of nuthatches lit upon it and began to forage and call to one and other. I stood for perhaps two hours, nearly motionless, feeling gloriously unnoticed as they went about their lives. Sometimes everything lines up to allow such experiences, sometimes not.

[StevieEvans]

Everyone here, may not find camouflage clothing to their preference.

Yet some others, prefer only to conceal their punctuation while masquerading under the veil of the E-mail.

These desert wars are great,................ loads of spare sand coloured hats, smocks & trousers...... great for stalking through the dunes.....

S 3:-)

[Lewis]

I commented on holding birds in one's hand solely for the purpose of photography, and on feeding birds (in the stated case, foods that they do not normally eat) again for the purpose of photography only. Are you suggesting putting peanut butter on trees and holding birds in one's hand is NOT judgemental? That imposes/enforces a perspective much more than my words here.

Are you saying the pictures of the bird in hand and bird eating peanut butter were solely results/by-products of conservation efforts? Well then, no one indicated this when exclaiming over the 'amazing' photos.

[ArchAngel]

Doug without a doubt your time was well spent. Thats good fieldcraft, nice picture and a good deal of infomation gathered.

regards
Julian

[samuel walker]

I learned from a wildlife photo pro that birds busy eating can be more approachable.We were both observing warblers in the spring.The always moving warblers were easier to get up on when occupied with bug snatching.Learning the range of each species helps too.A belted kingfisher is highly intolerant of humans inside of 30 feet.I have walked up as close as 7 feet to a green heron.The range principle can vary by individual bird.My 7 foot green heron has siblings in the same marsh that flee at a 12 foot encounter.
Sam

[AcidEric]

I too usually go to one of my usual haunts find a comfy spot, sit down and wait.
This is much the same as my dad used to do, I can remember him going out before sun up and spending the day under a camo sheet with his camera and getting some fantastic shots by picking the right place to stay.Picking the right spot comes down to knoledge about the bird your after or a good spot for everything local like a watering hole/puddle.
He is slowly converting his film and slide archive to digital. I've encoreged him to join and post some of his images here hopefully b4 he retires in a couple of years.

[Benjismum]

Camo. gear.....?

Anyone..?

Real tree gear etc etc ....

Simon King......

Simon King ? yes please! In camo gear; real tree gear or anything else! ;)

[Mike Pearson]

I think my signature borrowed from the late Gerald Durrell says it quite
succinctly.

"Your first observations of birds and their behaviour can be
done by simply learning to drift gently through a wood:
a naturalist in a hurry never learns anything of value."

Gerald Durrell



Mike

[Tero]

Good tip: don't take 10 boy scouts on your hike. I tried.;)

[madmantra]

I'll bet camo helps, but most people bird in places where birds are growing used to people being around. So if you not tramping the Alaskan trundra you look a bit odd walking through city park with a set of camies.

[PaulGFriedel]

Enjoyed your photo. I'm thinking of getting an L series lens and could use advice on the equipment you use. Curerently I am using an EOS 2000 with the standard 28-80mm. I would also love to learn or read more about fieldcraft. I grew up walking in the woods but never stalked animals. Any links would be appreciated. Thanks. Paul Friedel

[John Cantelo]

Fieldcraft? Come young Dave, you know damn well that whenever we used to go birding together in Kent the nearest we got to fieldcraft was guffawing less loudly and chattering not quite so much! John

[Bluetail]

Fieldcraft? Come young Dave, you know damn well that whenever we used to go birding together in Kent the nearest we got to fieldcraft was guffawing less loudly and chattering not quite so much! JohnI wonder how long it will take him to see your post, John. He's not been online since February!

[John Cantelo]

I wonder how long it will take him to see your post, John. He's not been online since February!
No problem, I'll phone the old whatnot & tell him! Dave is always good company when birding and I still s****** at his description of some rarity we shared as being 'as rare as rocking horse shit'!

John

[John Cantelo]

No problem, I'll phone the old whatnot & tell him! Dave is always good company when birding and I still s****** at his description of some rarity we shared as being 'as rare as rocking horse shit'! John
Blimey! What a PC website I tried to write 's******' (= low chuckle) and it automatically introduced a line of * to obfuscate what I'd written! I wonder if it'll do it again! John

[Bill Atwood]

Hmmmm, dont know that camo is necessary, but in forests dark clothing, slow movement and silence helps a great deal.

Actually, around here camo helps you fit in with the humans more than the wildlife.

[John o'Sullivan]

I find just about the most useful thing to do is find a good looking spot and then stand or sit quietly, even if you are in the open. Birds get more and more relaxed and come closer and closer. Usually the tamer species robins/ dunnocks first, then others as long as the robins etc aren't disturbed. It seems to give the shyer species confidence. I've had great results with this in Turkey and have found two hotspots which seem to be particularly attractive to migrants. One of them is a small copse and standing in the middle of this I've seen birds down to a few feet, warblers, shrikes, orioles, hoopoes, wheaters etc. walking through the copse I have trouble finding more than a couple of birds but standing still birds just seem to appear.

[Tannin]

I work on the motto that the birds are smarter than I am. They always know I am there before I know they are there, let alone before I can spot, position scope, whip the camera off, focus, replace camera, frame and shoot.

They always know you are there. The trick is getting them not to mind that you are there. Just being in the one place for a decent amount of time without moving much helps a lot.

This is particularly noticable with waterbirds and waders, as they are often found in places where there simply isnt any cover at all. All you can do is make your way to a spot you like and then stand there waiting. Many species will gradually return to forage around you. On the other hand, some won't. In particular, some species seem to be influenced by other species around them. For example, last summer I drove quite some distance to see the rare Freckled Duck. They were at a sewage pond, no cover at all: just a big square pond cleared around for 30 or 40 metres in all directions. Lacking options, I just walked slowly down close to the water's edge and waited.

It was 47 degrees that day: seriously hot, but I stood, more or less without moving, for a half hour or so, waiting. (I'd have waited considerably longer in sensible weather, but hat or no hat, standing in the sun when it's 47 degrees in the shade (yes, that's the official BOM figure) is hard work. Little by little the stilts and avocets and dotterels came back, the Pacific Black Ducks drifted closer. But the Freckled Ducks stayed obstinately at the other side of the pond. I'm virtually certain that the only reason they did this was because they were taking their cue from the Pink-eared Ducks.

Bloody Pink-eared Ducks! They do that to me all the time: everyone is cool: I'm only a human and I'm just part of the landscape. Life goes on. There are birds everywhere. But then the Pink-eared Ducks spook, and every other species witin earshot takes off too. Wham-Bam! Empty pond.

Maybe I should dress up as a Pink-eared Duck.

I have a friend who says that the key spook-factor is the human outline; that if you can break up the head-and-shoulder outline, you can get much closer to all sorts of creatures. Assuming he is right, what can you do to break up your outline? And how silly does it make you look? No matter: if it gets me closer to the birds, I don't care.

[phyllosc]

John Cantelo suggesting I talk too much in the field. There's pot calling kettle

Dave

[ned]

I have heard it said that whispering is more likely to disturb birds than talking at normal levels (especially in hides). Equally, trying to "sneak up" on wild animals often has a more alarming effect than ambling up in an apparently distinterested way. Some of my best sightings of wild animals, including birds, has been on horseback out in the open! I reckon birds are less concerned by what you are, and more concerned about your perceived intentions! There is also the question of "safe distance": as long as your proximity is not within the bird's circle of safety, you could probably dress up as a clown and perform the dance of the seven veils without putting your feathered friend to flight! What say you?

Ned

Ned

[Nutcracker]

Hi Ned,

Welcome to Birdforum!

A lot of good points there, I've noticed it is often easier to get closer to a bird by walking zig-zag or in a spiral toward it, rather than straight towards it.

[stevo]

There`s a lot to be said for just sitting still in one place & letting the wildlife become acustomed to you.

Cheers Steve.

[rebelxt]

Camo. gear.....?

Anyone..?

Real tree gear etc etc ....

Simon King......


Mitcon and I are wearing camo gear, I've got the idea from him and I think it helps as long as you don't move too much. The army pants and jacket are very light and durable, a hat is a must under our harsh conditions.

We have covered our lenses with wetsuit material in camouflage pattern which also protects the lens from scrapes. Especially my 500mm F:4 is very conspicous as it is white originally.

[Ken Hall]

I reckon birds are less concerned by what you are, and more concerned about your perceived intentions
Ned[/QUOTE]

I was alone in a hide in SW Scotland, and had just spotted a Snow Goose in a flock of several thousand Pinkfeet, when I heard footsteps coming along the boardwalk. I looked out the window and saw an old bloke point out the geese to his companions using his walking stick. I looked back at the geese and they were all in the air, including the snowie. Great sight but it meant no photo.
Ken :-C

[django]

Think one of the mistakes a lot of new Birders make is they look but dont see , if there is a movement they will zero in on it and with luck spot the bird, what I do is to take a area and study it through my bins sort of quarter it into sections, without doubt my spotting rate has gone up. I know this is real basic but the amount of Birders you see swinging around at the slightest movement makes me wonder,think the main thing is to think about Fieldcraft from the Birds point of view put yourself in the birds place.

[chrisgarner]

Camo. gear.....?

Anyone..?

Real tree gear etc etc ....

Simon King......Yeah loadsa cammo gear, and not just for birding. No big names though just authentic ex army stuff ina Ragamuffin stylee!

Fieldcraft is a much neglected art.

When I were a lad after being beaten oop by Fatha and emptying tin bath wi coal scuttle it were out t'local fields to watch t'Kessies an Barn Owls wi nowt but me naked eyes. In fact I were proper naked cos we couldn't afford clothes never mind bins!

I developed stealth, sensitivity and a proclivity for the nuance of both bird song and contact calls. This was a gift that kept me intimate with the avian world throughout my years in the birding wilderness when for all intents and purposes I was on a birding sabbatical.

Learn to creep like a predator, get down and dirty with the must and the undergrowth, jump out and frighten other birders it's a right laugh!

If a birds worth seeing then make the extra effort innit.

Chris

[django]

Yeah loadsa cammo gear, and not just for birding. No big names though just authentic ex army stuff ina Ragamuffin stylee!

Fieldcraft is a much neglected art.

When I were a lad after being beaten oop by Fatha and emptying tin bath wi coal scuttle it were out t'local fields to watch t'Kessies an Barn Owls wi nowt but me naked eyes. In fact I were proper naked cos we couldn't afford clothes never mind bins!

I developed stealth, sensitivity and a proclivity for the nuance of both bird song and contact calls. This was a gift that kept me intimate with the avian world throughout my years in the birding wilderness when for all intents and purposes I was on a birding sabbatical.

Learn to creep like a predator, get down and dirty with the must and the undergrowth, jump out and frighten other birders it's a right laugh!

If a birds worth seeing then make the extra effort innit.

Chris Yes good old days you could go to the pictures,have fish and chips,a ten mile bus ride home,a bag of toffee, buy the Beano comic,buy a Hovis loaf and push your bike up the hill, and still have change from 2 pence.

[chrisgarner]

Yes good old days you could go to the pictures,have fish and chips,a ten mile bus ride home,a bag of toffee, buy the Beano comic,buy a Hovis loaf and push your bike up the hill, and still have change from 2 pence.Ey oop django

Tuppence..Tuppence!!!

You were lucky. We used to dream of 'avin tuppence! When me Ma sold me kidney to the local tatter for a penny we had to live off that for a month. When I say "we" I mean it kept me Fatha in meths n baccy and he gave me other kidney t'whippet!

You Southerners dont know yer born...

Chris

[django]

Were you last in line for the tin bath in front of the fire and had to wait outside pit gates for Dad so he did not get the chance to get to the pub with his wages,and was Mums claim to fame a real clean front step,dont times change.

[erniehatt]

That has certainly opened my eyes thank you. Ernie

[barry potter]

I most often wear Camo when birding and think it makes a great deal of difference. But then again in Alaska a person wearing Camo dosent get a second look. I seldom bird with anyone other than my wife except on a couple occasions each year when we go with our local club. I call it the rainbow coalition. Do they see birds and have a good time yes. Would they see more birds if they wore a bit more muted clothing. Yes.
As the world speeds its way into the future many crafts are being lost and Fieldcraft is one. How to walk and move towards a wild creature is being lost to ok they they are and jump back in the vehicle and speed off to the next location. As I see it part of fieldcraft is watching behavior not just a tick on a list. Just yesterday I spent 7 hours with just 2 Wilsons Warblers. Did I get close? I sure did infact close enough that both landed on me at different times and picked mosquitoes off my jacket. It took over an hour to move in to position after I spotted them. What did I learn from these 2 yesterday. The male is the primary provider to the young. The female guards the nest. The male removes the fecal matter on each trip. The male averaged 28 trips per hour. The prefered food was craneflys. The babies make no noise in the nest. The female is not a great deal bigger than a hummingbird but will attack a Magpie that gets within 50 yards of the nest.
Did I stress these beautys? I don't think so. Now imagine that I trod right up on them in some of todays brighter colors. Plopped myself down and move continiously. Had to have my bottled water and a snack from crinkley paper. You get my point. My kind of birding doesn't appeal to everyone I know but I ask why did you start birding in the first place. I think for most it was supposed to be a restful experience. BTY I also have a camo drape for my camera. I havent resorted to face paint yet but there is a Sora Rail here this year that may drive me to it. I know I have crawled 10 miles trying to get close enough for a shot.
You be the judge was my time well spent or not?

nicely done bud and great observations i wait to hear more
regards barry

[barry potter]

Ey oop django

Tuppence..Tuppence!!!

You were lucky. We used to dream of 'avin tuppence! When me Ma sold me kidney to the local tatter for a penny we had to live off that for a month. When I say "we" I mean it kept me Fatha in meths n baccy and he gave me other kidney t'whippet!

You Southerners dont know yer born...

Chris

when i was a kid we were so poor my mam would clothe us from the army surplus store , for 2 years i went to school dressed as a japanese general

[lachlustre]

Well, I'm not much of a birdwatcher, so you probably shouldn't take any advice from me, but since I've just finished my lectures for the year I'll keep on going...
What I've noticed a few times is people standing around an unusually approachable bird... without apparently considering that the bird is actually mobbing them because they're close to its nest. Ok, so this is considered ok on seabird colonies to some extent, but for many species that hide their nests, this behaviour may attract nest-predators.
The point: fieldcraft, to me, is largely a matter of considering and interpreting animals' behaviour. You should use this to maximize your enjoyment of nature, but more importantly to minimize your impact on it. So you see a songbird you can't identify disappearing into the same bush several times in a row one fine day in May. Good fieldcraft would be NOT to sneak up on it.

[johnruss]

Here we go with different approachs to the same end . To see birds and other critters. I wear my camo if I feel like it and most excursions into the woods I feel like it.I have some white for winter and different color for the season. I have expounded on this subject before and the times when animals and birds came so close I could have reached out and grabbed them make the experience worth the extra effort. i am retired military and yes I do hunt, but not for birds as our VP does. I like being in the woods alone and if I see someone passing all I have to do is sit very still and off they go, none the wiser.Each to his or her own taste.

[GarnockFocus]

Camo. gear.....?

Anyone..?

Real tree gear etc etc ....

Simon King......

Realtree jackets, Hardwoods Green for summer, Advantage Timber for winter.
British army DPM camo trousers work well too :)