yellow chats

CHAT YELLOW BREASTED

birdfotos.com

Map and range not to any scale.

To learn more click here;
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Yellow-breasted_Chat.html

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June 04/06

A return to Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum to visit the nest site of the Chat to see if it had been banded.

No eggs in nest.
No Chat coming to the nest.
Nest beginning to deteriorate do to non use.

It was just as I thought, I believe that the multitude of photographers with their super high powered tele flash units, and the non regards for the nesting bird or how it stressed the bird, have driven it to desert its nest site.

These types of photographers don't care about the birds nor have the sense to even know what they are doing, they only care about getting the photo and to hell with the bird. Over the past 20 years I have noticed this to a true fact with almost all of out of state bird photographers especially the ones working for or selling their photos to the bird magazine publications. These are the worst types of photographers with a total disrespect for every thing from private property to the welfare of the wild life they are photographing. They are generally RUDE, LOUD, AGGRESSIVE, & down right nasty people. The publications could stop this by not buying their photos, plus they know who the perpetrators are but that all mighty dollar comes first with them.

The one important thing they (THE PHOTOGRAPHERS) do not have is; is an Arizona "Wild Life" photography permit issued by Arizona Game and Fish. In Arizona it's illegal to photograph any wild life during its reproductive period without this type of a permit. I believe the reason they don't have one is, they can't prove they are capable photographing the wild life without stressing it, and you must prove that you can do so before you can obtain the permit. Also being from out of state they more than likely figure they can come here and do what ever they want and be gone before anyone tries to stop them.

One week ago there were 4 photographers trying to get photographs of this Chat's nest with the bird in it. In talking to them I found they all were from out of state. They all were using a very high powered flash consecrator which increases the flash out put by 300%. In viewing their attempts to do so I noticed that the bird would would jump straight up and off the nest every time they fired their flash units, plus they were in continuous shutter mode which means they were taking over 4 photos per second.

I have made the park administrators a ware of this needed permit for photographers photographing nesting birds, let's hope they do something with this added knowledge.

Why don't I say something to these photographers?? Well, number 1, I don't have the authority to do so. I am just a photographer and carry my permit with me at all times & will show it if ask to do so. I use to ask but got tired of the verbal abuse I had to take because of my non authority to ask.

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You nasty bird photographers had better stop harassing me while I am trying to hatch my eggs.

They got to within 2 feet and closer to this nest to get their photos.

Of course the bird did finally desert this nest and the eggs disappeared a day later.

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Sorry about the soft focus but there were to many small branches
in the way and this bird was play hide-&-seek with my camera.

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It sure is hot out today.

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The bird no doubt new I was there.
But even before I started taking photos it would get off the nest about every
10 to 15 minutes for approx. 4 to 5 minutes.

The camera was operated via R/C equipment and we watched from a distance.

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I just love photographing this newly found Chat area at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

For some reason there seems be an abundance of Chats in the Arboretum this year.

I'll put more images on another page.

There are still more images below

Photos below taken at an earlier dats.