When does feeding birds go too far? (1 Viewer)

Yesterday I was up at Yanachocha west of Quito Ecuador in search of the Black-breasted Puffleg. While I was back at the hummingbird feeders the ranger took me and my 2 companions a short distance to an area where they have set up a cleared location to call in the relatively shy Rufous Antpitta to feed on some morsels of worm. As a birder and photographer I appreciate being able to get a closer look at a normally elusive species and I found no problem with this. I have been to Paz de las Aves many times where Angel Paz first introduced this practice with Giant, Yellow-breasted and Mustached Antpittas, and more recently the Oscillated Tapaculo.

Later, in another area, we did encounter the ultra rare Black-breasted Puffleg, which was my first time seeing it in many years of searching. However, while there, something happened that started me thinking about the previous experience with the Rufous Antpitta. As I was observing this seldom seen hummer a flash of movement caught my attention. Two Rufous Antpittas were coming down the path in our direction with little concern for our presence. One of them approached within 2 meters. They were obviously looking for a handout.

I have a hummingbird feeder outside my front window that regularly attracts Sparkling Violetear and Black-tailed Trainbearers. But regardless of whether there is nectar in the device or not, these hummers continue to forage in other areas and they keep their distance from humans. At Paz de las Aves a visitor is not permitted to travel the trails outside the company of Angel or his brother and the birds will only answer to their calls. But there, at Yanacocha, some normally timid species have lost that fear of man in lieu of a free handout. Now, as I reflect on breaking down those barriers of caution between man and animal, I wonder if this is a good practice or if it can be taken too far. We teach a child to feel comfortable with family but fear strangers. This is for their protection. Are we harming these birds by allowing them to trust us?

I don't know about harming the birds, but personally I don't think it a good idea for birds (or any wild creature) to become too reliant on humans.

Yes, I share your concerns Steve. I'd be very worried about seeing a wild bird behaving in that way.

It's more like being in a zoo!

So given the desire for birders/tourists who travel miles and spend big bucks to come to a foreign land to see birds, and....given that in many cases they will not see birds unless feeders are around... are many reserves there for the tourists or for the birds?

IE...many times in the tropics you will find bananas nailed to platforms to attract tanagers or hummer feeders etc etc etc.. This is just not Ecuador but all bird reserves and hot spots around the world. So, is that a good idea? Are we doing this strictly for the birder to check off a bird on their list?

Perhaps Tour guides and operators have overstepped the grounds of nature/ man....by encouraging the above all for the sake of the almighty dollar and keeping the birders happy by allowing them to check birds off their list?

Now to extend that...are not "HIDES" also overstepping into nature?

Without the birders and their dollars/soles/pesos/etc. the spot where you are watching the feeding action would likely be a banana/yuca/papaya/etc/ plantation and there would not be any Rufous Antpittas for miles.

Andy

If I go out to a feeder, the birds will fly off and not return until I leave. They have a fear of man and that is how they survive. If you do not place food at a feeder, whether a fruit feeder or hummingbird feeder, the birds will forage for what they need and not starve just because that food is no longer available. Although I have been to "hides" where the birds will come fairly close, none of birds ever followed me down a path in search of a handout. Most birds are similar to man in that they will not pass up an opportunity for a free lunch, but if that lunch is in a lion's mouth I might think twice before taking it. I have a sense of survival.

My concern was more for a normally shy bird following me in hopes of finding that free lunch. It had lost its fear of man. That is a danger. The birds at the feeders have not lost that fear. Although some people have been able to coax species to eat out of their hand, most will not let you get that close. They will keep their distance and take flight as soon as you enter their "personal space".This is their built-in instinct. Take that instinct away and they will become extinct.

So where do we draw the line? The reserves want to provide the visitor with a good experience so they will come back and possibly donate to their cause. But if they become part of the problem are they really serving their purpose?

I like to fish and fly fishing is a wonderful way to get out and enjoy nature. Here in Ecuador they have what they call "sport fishing". They take a small pond with a couple thousand trout that they haven't fed in a while and they hand you a cane pole. Where is the sport? I get much more enjoyment out of catching a small rainbow on some mountain stream than reeling in a fish that has literally been placed on the hook.

Yes, we want to add to our lifer list but is having a bird follow you around because it is looking for a handout the way to increase that count? Most of the birds will be there whether we feed them or not. We may have to work a little harder to find them and spend more time in the field, but isn't that part of the enjoyment of birding?

Angel Paz has become quite famous for his feeding of the antpittas, and you, like thousands of others, have gone to Paz de las Aves as a result. Most of the Ecuadorian rural people are far from wealthy and any added income often goes a long ways. Angel has done pretty well over the years as a result, and now there are many places that have these feeding stations, including one in Colombia where the antpittas take worms out of the feeders' hands.

While it is more controlled, the birds at Angel's have also lost their fear of people. Those birds are coming for a handout. I'm guessing that you can get a lot closer to your hummingbirds at your feeder than you could to one in the wild. I have sat quietly at many feeders in Ecuador and had hummers literally inches from me. Just about every lodge that caters to birds has feeders, and I think just about anyone who has birded in Ecuador has had a similar experience (Guango, San Isidro, Las Gralarias, Milpe, Mindo, etc).

Humans have irreversibly altered nature, and I think that creating more stewards of the environment is the only way to at least maintain what we have left. I think Kratter is right. The millions of dollars birders bring to Ecuador go a long ways towards preserving what little wilderness is left.

On a similar note, the trout ponds of which you speak may be the very things that allow you to enjoy your stream fishing. By having access to the ponds, pressure is taken off of the streams. Trout is a very popular dish in Ecuador, and just think if it all had to come out of your mountain streams. If the demand was not met by these ponds, rest assured the streams would be fished out. Besides, rainbows aren't native to Ecuador anyway!

Ecuadorrebel said:

When does feeding birds go too far?

Click to expand...

Even due to my work I benefit from hummer feeders and antpitta feeding stations, REGULAR feeding of WILD birds is already indeed going too far...

I appreciate the feedback ptickner and Colombia Birding. What prompted my question was that I found myself observing the Black-breasted Puffleg, a species that may not exist in another 20 or 30 years due to human encroachment, while another bird is following me around like a puppy. It causes me to rethink some of my previous notions about what is good for the birder vs what is good for the bird.

The Agrarian Reforms of the 60s were meant to alleviate hunger but they brought about the deforestation of over 90% of the Inter-Andean Valley and the Pacific coast. The introduction of Rainbow Trout to the Ecuadorian streams was an effort to provide another good food source for the locals but the endemic catfish can no longer be found. Eucalyptus has taken over the highlands leaving little of the original habitat to support the previous animal population. All good intentions with unfortunate results.

So in our efforts to preserve our natural resources, when we introduce unnatural instincts into the birds are we helping them to survive or quickening their demise? One thing that I respect about Angel Paz is his love for the birds that are in his charge. He protects them like they are his children. Unfortunately I can not say that about every reserve that I visit. I worry about being part of the problem rather than the solution. Yes, I take people to Paz de las Aves because it is the best place to observe some otherwise difficult species to encounter. I spend hours at feeders in hopes of taking better photographs of unusual species. I write about rare sightings that may result in an over abundance of visitor scaring the quarry off. This is an internal conflict that I need to deal with and may never resolve.