Several thoughts if I may after 40 years of photographing and widely published bird images:
1. in my vicinity there are upwards of 400 different species possible, add differentiation of males/females/various plumages, feeding, singing, flying. and within a variety of habitats, and you have an inexhaustible source of images.
2. The % of all such species that can be baited is relatively low.
3. Baiting in many if not most public lands is illegal, certainly in my area in US. Baiting to manipulate behavior is clearly unethical (ie 2 unscrupulous photogs who waded illegally, and illegally baited birds with corn, back and forth, to cause the species to fly to and fro, all along cursing the birds for not acting according to their expectations - horrible individuals who should have been fined - but they had to obtain results at any cost to rationalize their investment in $25k of new Sony gear (A1, 400 2.8, 200-600! Etc). Beyond the pale.
4. Feeding birds with seed/suet is encouraged by environmental groups from one’s back yard, and feeding stations are established on public lands ironically where baiting is not allowed. There are indeed circumstances, particularly with the recent radical drop in insect numbers and diversity, that humans may actually contribute to the survival of some species by feeding. I had an unusual event last spring where during a severe spring cold snap with much rain, my sunflower feeder had 6 migrating Rose Breasted Grosbeaks (5 males in breeding plumage) all at the same time. The adverse weather lasted 4 days and my sense was that without my feeder the birds had a lower chance of survival given the conditions (no insects).
5. Drawing birds towards one has been a pesky business for many years and includes birders using tapes, or mimicking the call of owls or birds in distress. Seems unethical to me, but I invariably find birders (mostly) employing these techniques to get a better view. Having said this, when birds were more abundant these techniques were less frowned upon - since the commencement of the next great extinction (human causation) many have recognized the stress such techniques are causing to birds and have ceased such activity. I am one of those.
6. I have fortuitously a rather vast collection of wild grape vines adorning my trees adjacent to my deck. In Sept, the grapes have ripened and in the last several years I have been able to photograph a couple dozen species feeding on them without a blind but in some cases from my deck door. Full frame images with D800/D850. Just great. By my passive allowance of these grapes in my yard (however, being badly impacted by infestation of Lantern Bugs) am I baiting these birds?
7. In the 70s, some photographers created floating blinds that they used to obtain images of water associated species. Is this unethical if the birds are comfortable with the setup?
8. Last but not least, over the years I have become very familiar with species songs, calls, habitats and habits, and I have found that often enough birds are focused on feeding etc and if one is patient, quiet, and with little to no motion, and well situated, gear preset for optimum results, perhaps with appropriate clothes and head gear, birds will go about their business without alarm to one’s presence. I have many experiences of birds coming too close (closer than minimum focus) because they were so comfortable with my presence. Indeed some of my best work is where I acted like a fixture in the landscape (frequently in a prone position: sitting, belly flopping, kneeling, standing erect avoiding quick motion or noise). The results have been astonishing but very hard on the body, particularly as I have aged. The challenge is that we all want the best results with the least amount of time/effort expended. My own experience says that there is a direct correlation between best images and time spent.
Fyi, some well published US bird photogs have used feeders in combination with a variety of indigenous fruit trees and bushes to create spectacular images of birds in flowering plants, and feeding on berries. Perhaps my best thought is to ask the questions: are you enhancing the birds chance of survival, alternatively, are you stressing the birds which may contribute to their demise. Make a considered decision based upon the answer.
