Hi Artie, thanks for writing back.

YAW

Audubon is not banding there and hasn’t for several years. I can’t speak for them, so I don’t know why you were turned down to visit and photograph the colony.

They did not want us to see the disturbance that they cause.

I do know when I would band and monitor nests, we turned down several people to come along simply because the goal is to get out as soon as possible after collecting data, minimizing any disturbance. Doing that work is complicated and difficult on its own without extra bodies.

See above. Also, I failed to take you to task for something that you wrote in your first comment: “They do their counts from the water.” You can I both know that that is patently ridiculous as both the spoonbills and the ibises nest in the dense centers of the mangroves. In 25 trips to Alafia I have maybe seen two spoonbill nests. So they are not counting 10,000 ibis nests or several hundred spoonbill nests from the water.

I’m not sure what double standard you meant, but going with a wildlife biologist in certain circumstances for wildlife is absolutely essential, especially with nesting birds.

Maybe this story will help you understand. A guy sitting behind me saw bird pictures on my laptop. He shared some images from South Georgia with me. We were headed somewhere way down south. I looked at the images for ten seconds and said to him, “So you are a researcher.” He said “Yeah.” How did I know: he had fish shots of nests with threatened albatross species. With the chicks large in the frame.” So by a double standard, I mean that it it OK for A to do it but not for B to do it. After 33 years I have learned a bit about wildlife. A different way of asking the same question: who’s policing the police?

They can read the cues of the birds without the subjectivity of looking through a lens and the need for an image or paying client.

So can you and so can I. I would never put the birds welfare in jeopardy for any reason. And I never “need” an image. I make photographs to make me happy and put a smile on folks faces. And of course as you do, to help folks see the need for protecting what we have.

The difference between one person going on a permit and any number as frequent and often as desired is fairly evident I think. It’s just harder to manage more bodies.

I fully understand that but it has nothing to do with the question at hand, unnecessarily large buffers.

I can’t comment on Audubon’s policies or interactions with your friend, I don’t work for them and I don’t know what happened. I’m a wildlife photographer who thinks that there are certain areas that should have more protection, giving nature a little more space from us.

And I am a wildlife photographer who has seen great places destroyed by anti-photographer management polices as well as by incompetent, uncaring, unimaginative management practices. And as I said previously, 100 feet this year is 200 feet next year and so on. And I am all for protecting the birds. But I get tired of Ann Paul telling me that I am too close when all the birds are sound asleep.

Hi Again Mac, My understanding was that they were banding there at least once a year. Twice when they were definitely banding James Shadle and I volunteered to accompany the banding party, photograph the event, and donate the images. Both times we were turned down. Please tell me why you think that happened?

Your phrase “unless accompanied by a state biologist puts a smile on my face; aren’t double standards wonderful.

Here is another question I would love for you to answer: given the fact that Ann Paul has screamed at folks doing nothing wrong; given the fact that Ann Paul has said to me on more than one occasion, “You are not doing anything wrong but I want you to move;” and given the fact that Ann Paul constantly uses the phrase “catastrophic declines in wading bird populations” while her own data shows that not to be the case at all; and given the fact that she blames those declines on “unscrupulous tour leaders in Tampa Bay… with clients in tow, some paying $450 per day to be escorted to prime sites, these tour operators are becoming serial disturbers,” would think that perhaps there is a personal agenda/vendetta in place?

I certainly do. What the heck does how much a tour leader is earning have to do with anything. If folks are doing something wrong, they should be cited.

You ask, “What’s another 50 feet?” The next 100 feet. And the complete and closing of more great places for nature photography.

respectfully, artie