Birder/photographer skill vs. instant gratification

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I just read a post on the Florida birding listserve that I thought encapsulated the issue of frequent use of bird rcordings quite well. The issue pertained to a impatient photographer who wanted to get a photo of a rare bird, in this case a Masked Duck, though I think the issue is equally applicable to birders:

"A photographer who had been trying to get some shots of the bird was obviously frustrated by this as he came up to me and asked "I WONDER IF IT WOULD RESPOND TO A TAPE?". I was furious and my response to him probably reflected that. There seems to be an element in the birding community these days which has lost all concept of what it means to wait PATIENTLY AND QUIETLY for a bird to show. In their rush for instant gratification it has become all too convenient to reach for an I-Pod and force it into view so that it can be added to the county list, year list, life list or whatever. Over the past few months we have seen examples of that broadcast on BirdBrains. Some birds you may need to use a tape for but these represent a small minority of the bird species out there. Woodpeckers, Hermit Thrushes and Least Bitterns definitely do not belong to that category and Masked Ducks certainly don't. This may sound old school (and yes I have been birding for 40 years) but if you need to use a tape to see a Least Bittern or a Hermit Thrush then I think you need to take up another hobby.

I am therefore pleading with everyone out there to develop some patience and field craft and resist the urge to automatically reach for the I-pod when a bird refuses to show." Read the full post

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