Hi,
Without getting into the moral argument about luring buzzards to enable you to take good photos, I don't believe you need to. I'm completely new to bird photography, and managed to get reasonably good pictures of buzzards in flight with only a 70-300 Nikon lens and cropping.
Depending on whether or not there are any hills where you live, buzzards use hills and cliff faces to get an updraft so if you wait near the top you can often catch them quite close. For example on the Isle of Mull there are several spots where you can get an eye level, close view of buzzards using the wind off the cliffs. Also, when watching buzzards in Devon and Cornwall, I've often found it easy to see them on the ground. There are spots near my parent's house in Cornwall where you can see several at a time in a field from behind a hedge without disturbing them. At a local golf course several buzzards sit on the fairways and only move on when golfers get really close, often just moving further down the fairway.
As I mentioned before, I'm a complete photography newbie, but based on observations of buzzards over the years I think you should be able to get great shots without the need to lure them artificially.
Best wishes
Simon (Cleveland)
I would agree 100% with your post..i have some fantastic shots of GE and SE without have to "lure" them down. its no secret that you can get fantastic photies of SE at grasspoint on the isle of Mull if you are prepard to get there before the birds do in a decent hide.
Whats very amusing about this thread is that lots of SE are not really that bothered about photography folk wanting a photograph...unless you are near the nesting site where this would be clearly disturbing the birds.
just like the nutter who sat for an hour under the nest the other year on the isle of Mull even though he had his photos...this was totally stupidity at its worst and caused the birds to desert.
had he took his photo and only spent a minute or so at the nest site he might have got away with it, and birds would probably not have deserted. Even though his actions were still illegall had the birds raised there young this guy would have probably got away with a good ticking off or even less.
In my experience for some reason SE will put up with a lot more people around them ( whether right or wrong ) than GE will.
This thread will go on and on but when you get birders who think differently no one will ever agree what is right and what is wrong. Personally I have never needed to lure any bird down for a photo but i was still obliged to help someone who felt the need they might have to use this method for a better photo. Jlees after reading all these replies might change his tactics for a photo of a buzzard who knows...i just hope he gets his shot of his Common Buzzard.
My argument was to people, that if it is good for some to use this method then it is good for others to try and use this method...especially for a on off shot. I certainly do not think that by actually discussing how we could help him would be detrimental to the birds.
Like I have said a million times there is a lot of over reaction on here to certain people and their methods...and i will repeat who would have had the balls to slag the one and only Mike Tomkies off for using the same methods...but not just for a Common buzzard but for a protected schedule 1species.
Tomkies is a one in a million who done a lot of things without permission...it took him a long time to get the particular licences he needed from SNH for what he wanted to do. Before this from his cottage ( or Gasken ) he done everything off his own back...so truly speaking if it is good enough for him and his methods then surely it can be good enough for others " only to a certain extent though "
I am not trying to say because he done things of his own back that everyone should but lets face it how many people out there want to go to great lenghts for a shot of a BOP...I dont think thousands of wannabe photographers will be clambering into their cars and heading of to the highlands to photograph BOP after reading my post.
I know people whether you want to call them protectionists or not ??.. with all the licences and what have you...who take people a long with them WITHOUT the necessary credentials.....so we could argue that the people with the right licences / permission / photographers or not are fine... but the others who dont have the necessary credentials could be tecknically breaking the law....but this can often be overlooked.
The law as i have said before is an ass when it comes to this subject , what really P****** me of is when the law has proven that certain people have poisoned BOP and been fined a couple of thousand quid and been allowed to keep their jobs....yet someone with the birds at heart with all the right equipment can be fined the same... for a lot less harm caused to the birds wellbeing for the sake of a photo..
Carbafuron is now a banned pesticide but they are still finding it all over over Scotland and the Borders belonging to landowners especially the certain landowners who make thousands from their yearly Grouse shoots......who poses the greatest threat to any BOP the landowner with all this banned poison in his barn.... or the lone amateur photographer with his hide camera and whatever else he needs for a half decent photo of a common Buzzard.. ?????
My advice to anyone wanting to photograph BOP is like a lot of things RED TAPE.. go through the proper channels you will end up getting no where.......try your own ideas...say nothing to no one and best of all goodluck....just dont try it next to where the birds are breeding and you should be fine !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regards
The Shark...........
