bird photographer behaving badly

Dear all,

Dr Stephen Debus has received a letter from a concerned Kempsey birdwatcher. This is a summary of his letter.

On Boyters Lane, Jerseyville (near Kempsey), there is a Council-owned large wetland inside the fence that has valuable fringe habitat on the road verge (which shelters cover-dependent birds that use the wetland and low vegetation etc.). A would-be bird photographer was found flattening an area of 20 sq. metres on the verge so he could photograph birds in the wetland. When challenged, he basically said that humans have priority, and subsequently cleared 2 more such areas. Council won’t take action, although their EIS obliges them to protect the verge as well as the wetland. The concerned member described the offender (who volunteered that he was from Armidale) as stocky, with an accent, and drove a 4WD. If this information rings a bell with anyone, the Kempsey member asks that we try to impress on the person, or any relevant photography group in Armidale (if one exists), the need for ethical practices in birding and bird photography.

Regards,

Shirley Cook

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