ALL ABOUT OWL BAITING by Michael Furtman An Educational Article On The Practice Of Baiting Owls |
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What Is Owl Baiting? Owl baiting is a technique practiced by some photographers to get owls to perform for the camera. Using live mice, or sometimes a toy mouse manipulated with a fishing rod, photographers lure the bird to attack in order to produce dramatic, but fake, photos. It is considered unethical by many fellow photographers, and is of great concern to birders and natural resource managers. It is sometimes euphemistically called "feeding" by baiters to make it sound less harmful.
Why Does Baiting Work? Owls, particularly "northern"
owls such as the Great Gray, Snowy, Northern
Hawk Owl, and Boreal, frequently hunt during the
daytime, which makes photography possible. They
sometimes move south from their home range,
which brings them into contact with humans for
the first time in their lives. When large
numbers move south, ornithologists call these
events "irruptions." Baiters troll the
interent, searching birding reports for
locations of these owls. Unable or unwilling to
do the work themselves of locating owls, the
depend upon the naive to post these locations,
even befriending them on social media. Once a
location is known, they load up their mice and
fellow baiters, and descend upon these hapless
owls. For this reason, many legitimate wildlife
photographers, as well as concerned birders and
birding guides, no longer post locations. The best way to gain a sense their vulnerability is to watch the video below of two Wisconsin baiters teasing a Great Gray Owl. Is It Harmful To The Owl? The risks to the owl takes several forms. One concern is that pet shop mice frequently carry the salmonella bacteria, and have actually been the focus of alerts and recalls by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control. No studies have been done on the impact of this disease on owls, but it is known that salmonella causes severe diarrhea in infected animals, and weakens their resistance to other diseases. There is no good reason to subject these owls to possible illness and death simply for the sake of a photograph. Some photographers have begun raising "wild" mice for their own use or to sell to other photographers, claiming these mice from wild stock are "better for the owl." But a small percentage (about 1-2%) of wild mice carry this bacteria as well. When raised in confinement, the bacteria can be passed quickly through feces to the other mice, meaning that most or all of the "wild" mice raised by photographers could also be infected with salmonella. In the wild, the odds are low of an owl eating a infected wild mouse. When fed by photographers, the probability of infection increases.
To see how habituated these
owls become after being repeatedly baited,
please view this video:
Finally, some photographers have little concern about the physical risks to the owl. They have been known to tease the owl with lures for hours in order to photograph from various angles or move it to different perching sites, some of which the photographers artificially place in order to enhance their photo. Previously, most baited owl shots showed the bird flying straight toward the camera, often with talons down, ready to pounce. Since the public has begun to question the legitimacy of such images, some baiters have switched to jerking the mouse to the side at the last moment, or having someone step forward and wave their arms, causing the bird to flare sideways. This is the "new" fake photo proferred by these charlatans. In doing so, they cause the owl to expend needless energy and increases stress. Winter is already a stressful time of year for all northern animals, and additional stress is cause for concern. They will even place mice on hard surfaces such as the roof of a vehicle, on a tripod, or even on the camera itself. If the owl strikes these hard surfaces, it could injure a foot or break talons, either of which could cause difficulties when hunting, decreasing its odds of survival. One amateur photographer from Minnesota actually posted a YouTube video of a Snowy Owl hitting his video camera on which he had placed a mouse, sending the camera tumbling, showing the complete disregard for the subject. Although he has since removed the video, many have seen it and can corroborate the authenticity of this claim.
But These Owls Are Starving -- Baiting Them Actually Does Good! No. No it doesn't. In addition to the risks outlined above, the myth that these owls are starving and need human intervention has been disproven. Several recently published papers by owl researchers who capture, examine, and apply leg bands, or through examination of owls that have died from vehicle collisions, have shown that virtually all at or near their normal winter weight (which is typically below their weight during less stressful seasons). Some who move south find the hunting so profitable that they are actually technically obese. Here are a few references
regarding the "starving owl" myth from these
reputable sources: http://www.audubon.org/news/why-you-shouldnt-feed-or-bait-owls There are other studies as
well, but one in particular is appropriate for
the Great Gray Owl. During the winter of 2004-5,
large numbers of this species moved south,
making it the largest "irruption" in recorded
history. A large number of these owls were
captured and banded by researchers, and still
many more were found dead, recovered, and
examined. The Ontario Field Ornithologists
published a complete report on the findings in
their excellent publication "Ontario Birds." The
full report The
Ontario Great Gray Owl Irruption of 2004-2005:
Mortality, Sex, Molt and Age by authors Mark
K. Peck and Glenn B. Murphy can be
downloaded at:
https://sora.unm.edu/node/137021 It is important to remember
that winter is a stressful time for many species
of wildlife, and that in every species, some
fail to survive winter's rigors. This is true
for ruffed grouse, snowshoe
hares, wolves, deer or any other species that
does not migrate out of the cold regions. It is
also true that this has been occurring for as
long as these species have been around. It is
simply called natural selection, and while no
one likes to see any animal starve, it is the
way through which nature perfects the species by
eliminating the unfit.
Baiting Owls Is No Different Than Feeding Birds In Your Back Yard This common refrain from baiters is far from true. The birds that visit your backyard feeders do not associate YOU as the source of food, but instead associate the LOCATION as a good place to feed. When you go outside to fill the feeders, the birds flee -- they have retained their sense of self-preservation. But when an owl is presented with a mouse, it quickly associates people as the source of food, and rather than flee, it approaches, often to within inches of the baiter. It has lost its sense of self-preservation, helpless to the whims of the baiter.
Baiting Impacts People, Too When an owl is fed by
photographers, it ceases to hunt naturally.
Anyone who has eaten a large meal can appreciate
the fact that the last thing you are going to do
is have another dinner. Satiated owls will sit
for hours, and if the baiters give it more than
it can eat, it will stash the mice for later
consumption. This means that any birder or
photographer that comes along later that day, or
even days later, will encounter a bird that
remains inactive because it has no need to hunt.
While still fun to see or photograph, when not
fed, these owls can and do hunt by day, often
giving the patient birder or photographer the
thrill of a lifetime -- watching a wild predator
hunt and capture its prey. Baiters deny all
others this incredible experience, an experience
that for some who have travelled great
distances, would be a once in a lifetime event.
In addition, because the practice of baiting has become
widespread, it is detested by many
photographers and birders. Encountering baiters
has become far more common, and watching them
manipulate an owl has ruined many an otherwise
pleasant outing for those who are disturbed by
this behavior. Finally, baiters think nothing of
monopolizing an owl for hours, surrounding it in
groups. During that period, no one else
can photograph or enjoy the experience.
Owl photography workshops have
proliferated, especially in Canada. In order to
insure that the owls are available when the
workshop takes place, the workshop organizers
hire people to begin baiting the owls weeks in
advance. By time the workshop occurs, the owls
are completely habituated to humans. Most of
these workshops take place away from prying
eyes, and by using bait, the birds are lured to
private lands where only the workshop
participants have access. Not only are these
operators habituating these birds to an
incredible degree, they are denying the public
the opportunity to view or photograph the owls.
If you would like to read a well written piece on how encountering baiters impacts those who do not bait, follow this link: The Agony and The Ecstasy of Owl Photography: Owl Baiting.
Baiting Presents An Inaccurate Depiction Of Owl Behavior The fact is that the photographs taken over bait do not represent the way these owls hunt. First, their prey rarely appears above the snow, but instead tunnel beneath it. This is the very reason owls have their exceptional hearing. They generally hunt from a low perch and listen for prey beneath the snow. They then fly over the location, and use their dish shaped face to direct sound to their ears. At the last second they plunge onto their prey. Some, like the Great Gray and Boreal Owl, actually fall "face first" and only pivot at the last second to punch through the snow with their legs. Snowy and Hawk Owls do tend to "scoop" prey from just beneath the surface of the snow in a fashion somewhat similar to the fake photos of owls grabbing exposed mice. But in all cases, the photos taken over bait are a false depiction of actual hunting techniques. Consequently, they give false information. These photographers are essentially telling a lie, and are conning the public who view them. Everyone would consider an author a liar who passed a work of fiction off as fact. These photos are no different.
So Why Then Do People Bait? The two main motivations are praise and money. Many baiters are amateur photographers that want to have a dramatic photo to post to social media so that they can revel in the "wow" comments. None admit that the photo was taken over bait. Some photographers hope to sell these images to magazines, although a growing number of publications are beginning to question the photographer if the photo was taken with the use of bait. There is also a growing number of "pro" photographers who offer owl workshops. These workshops use owls that have been conditioned in advance by paid baiters, often landowners, prior to the arrival of the "workshop" participants. This is a cash cow for the workshop leaders, who charge anywhere from $1500 to $3500 per person per workshop. There are anywhere from 5 to 10 participants per workshop, and some offer a half dozen of these outings per winter. It is nothing more than commercialization of public wildlife at the expense of the owl's well being. It also causes baiting to proliferate, since the workshop participants often go home and teach their friends this method. \ David Hemmings and Chris Dodds are two of the better known owl workshop leaders. Click on their names to go to their websites to view their prices and offerings. As is the case with many unethical practices, a lust for money or fame are key motivations.
Since calling these professional baiters out (they can hardly be called professional wildlife photographers) some have reacted with threats. Here's the exchange from David Hemmings, threatening to sue me:
What Can Be Done About It? Currently owl baiting is legal in most locations. If it occurs in a protected place, like a national park or wildlife refuge, wildlife harassment laws might be applied. But most baiting occurs where there is little legal protection for the owls. A few municipalities in Canada, where baiting has become an epidemic, have passed local ordinances prohibiting the practice, but there are no widespread protections. Even the Migratory Bird Treaty Act does not offer a tool to end owl baiting. In 2014, Minnesota attempted to legislate a ban, and the measure reached the House floor. Baiters, unfortunately, reached two key politicians, and it was stripped from the MN Department of Natural Resources legislation at the last moment. Efforts to pass the ban the following year were killed in committee. Many photographers, birders,
and other nature lovers are taking it upon
themselves to educate the public on baiting, and
to recognize photographs that are shot over
bait, in an effort to remove the "wow" reward
for those who post these photos to social media.
Other efforts include informing the public what
these owl workshops really do. Virtually all of
these workshops depend upon baiting, yet the
term "bait" appears nowhere in the advertising
literature.
What Can You Do? If you find this practice
unethical, if you don't like being lied to by a
photograph, if you are concerned about the
health of these owls, there are a few things you
can do. When viewing images online, watch for
details that might indicate the owl was baited.
As described above, owls rarely take prey from
the surface of the snow. They also rarely fly
directly at the camera. If the image is "too
perfect" -- if the lighting is perfect, the owl
is approaching the camera, if it is "talons
down" on the surface of the snow, if it is
flaring to one side with wings wide, chances are
good that it was shot over bait. If the mouse is
visible, pay attention to its size and color.
Wild mice in North America are small and brown,
with white underbellies. Voles are similar, but
larger (almost as large as hamster). Wild mice
are never white, black, pied, or calico. They do
not have long tails.
Additional Resources Owl Feeding Controversy Ruffles Feathers -- Minnesota Public Radio If the owl photo is fake, the viewer is being conned - Jim Williams, "Wingnut" birding column, Minneapolis Star Tribune Outdoors photographer blasts practice of luring owls with bait -- Dennis Anderson, Minneapolis Star Tribune Baiting Owls - The Birding Project, Christian Hagenlocher Why You Shouldn't Feed or Bait Owls - National Audubon Society Owl Baiting For Fun and Profit -- Bird Protection Quebec Shortcuts That Shortchange Wildlife Photography -- Outdoor Photographer magazine Bird Baiting -- CBC Radio Great Gray Owls in Ottawa: Baiting and Abetting The purists vs. the baiters: Fowl play in Ottawa's birding country -- Ottawa Sun newspaper Of Mice and Owls - Keith Crowley, Lodgetrail Media The Agony and The Ecstasy of Owl Photography: Owl Baiting. Shouting matches, crude language invade world of bucolic harmony: Ottawa’s birding community - National Post No Baiters Allowed -- Raymond Barlow Owl Baiting radio broadcast, CBC radio, March 1, 2017
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017, ESPN Twin Cities; baiting conversation with Dennis
Anderson on The Great Outdoors
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