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playing tapes/pishing/doing science



Chris Hill's posting, including Rick Taylor's message, is fascinating to 
me.  In my years as (first) a biologist and (later) a school teacher, I 
have watched with much bemusement and occasional horror as policy decisions 
have been made based on anecdotal or limited evidence.  The use of tapes to 
attract birds for viewing is one such case.

We as birders sometimes use tapes (or pish or mimic Screech-Owls) and then 
watch the birds who are attracted by the sounds.  What we "see" is often 
mediated by what we "think we see."  For example, a Chickadee responding to 
pishing may look cute and friendly with its burbling chick-a-dee-dee, while 
a Titmouse may seem agitated and upset with its raspy, harsh, high-pitched 
"scolding" sounds.  I suspect that since these species are closely related, 
they are both responding the same way, but I don't really know what that 
"way" is.  My "guess" is that the pishing sounds like a bird in distress 
and that the Chicks and Tits are checking to see if "mobbing" a predator is 
in order.  But I don't really know and have never seen any definitive 
scientific studies.

I appreciate Taylor's warning to the prospective student not to do a study 
based on anecdotal evidence.  One or several or even lots of observations 
by untrained observers can be notoriously misleading.  Such reports need to 
be taken with a grain (or kilogram) of salt, but may well be the stimulus 
for serious, thoughtful, objective scientific study.

But to be fair, it should also be noted that Taylor himself signed his 
message with the address of "Borderland Tours."  I'm glad he did, though 
this raised a little question mark for me.  I have not read his original 
study and thus cannot evaluate it on its merits, though I would tend to 
accept it if it were published in a peer-reviewed journal.  Skeptic that I 
am, I often wonder about the objectivity of scientific studies.  Might a 
tour leader, who earns a living showing people birds, interpret data in a 
way that makes using tapes look harmless?

I do NOT mean to cast aspersions on Taylor or his study.  In fact, I 
suspect he is correct and that tape-playing in MODERATION has no serious 
impact on breeding species in general, though it might be deleterious to 
certain species in particular.  I tend to err on the side of caution, using 
tapes only occasionally and then only for short periods of time.  My hope 
is that my "tape bird" will "lose" in the confrontation with the wild bird 
and will quickly disappear back into its box.  That is, if I understand 
what "losing" means, which I probably don't!

Cave Creek Canyon in southeastern Arizona (the area mentioned by Taylor) is 
an extremely heavily birded area.  One birder's moderation may add up to an 
onslaught by a parade of birders passing by at 10 minute intervals all day 
long every day.

Caution, respect, thoughtfulness.  Let's feed our passion for birds but not 
let it consume us or the birds we love.

(Sheesh!  Who invited Budnitz to the party?)

***********************************************************
Norman Budnitz, nbudnitz@duke.edu
919-684-3592 (day), 919-383-0553 (eve), 919-660-7293 (fax)

(work) Biology Dept, Duke Univ, Box 90338, Durham NC 27708
(home) 4115 Garrett Drive, Durham NC 27705

PROGRESS: the victory of laughter over dogma.
(Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas)