Birding ethics

There are plenty of posts on the web on the subject of birding ethics.  Most are some variation on the American Birding Association (ABA) PRINCIPLES OF BIRDING ETHICS.

Rather than replicate the ABA guidelines here, we'll just start with a nutshell version - albeit with a few comments added:

1. Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.

• Support the protection of important bird habitat.  (But in my humble opinion, it's ALL important in over-crowded places like Southern California.) 
• Avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger.  (Easier said than done!  This will likely be an often-recurring theme as we go along here.)

2. Respect the law, and the rights of others.

• Do not enter private property without the owner's explicit permission.
• Use public property in accordance with posted rules and regulations. 
• Practice common courtesy in contacts with all other people. (And notwithstanding the comments of a certain SoCal bird-jerks that we will re-visit in a later post, this should include limiting the scanning of people and their private property - and especially their homes - with binoculars, scopes, cameras, and sound recording devices.)

3. Ensure that feeders, nest structures, and other artificial bird environments are safe.

• If you're going to attract wild birds, find out first everything you need to know about protecting them from artificially induced predation, disease, or other physical dangers.

4. Group birding, whether organized or impromptu, requires special care.

• Probably the most common problem, and also the least understood and most overlooked ethical issue.
• For-fee tour operations (whether commercial or non-profit do-gooder types) bear a special responsibility to place the welfare of birds, and the benefits of public knowledge, ahead of economic gain.