American widgeon pair - the advantage of viewing ducks from a dike.

If you are fond of birds then you know they generally keep their distance. One of the best ways to scare off a bird is to simultaneously look at it and approach it. The combination tells the bird that your interest in it may be much more than arbitrary. There could well be a nefarious purpose behind your actions. If you want further proof, just watch a few episodes of the Road Runner with his nemesis, Wile E. Coyote.

The scene is something out of a classic western with gigantic columns of red sandstone intertwined with a winding road. A villainous coyote keenly views his prey and approaches it with some mysterious apparatus. As the antagonist gets closer, our hero sees a pair of red-rimmed eyes approaching. A natural and rising sense of dread fills the roadrunner; proximity necessitates reaction. It's move or become a meal. With a rumbling tummy and a drooping snout, the coyote watches as another lunch gets away.

It is not too different when you approach a bird with a camera. A little role-playing here will help cement the image. You are the coyote, and the machine of unknown terror that you carry is a camera, walking stick, or umbrella. You see a bird and are amazed by its colours; you marvel at its behaviour. You desperately want a decent photo or an opportunity to see it better.

What does the bird see? You guessed it, a coyote with a contraption bent on conquest. None of this is true, of course, but tell that to the bird. Instinctively it flies away. It is not aware of your benovolent feelings and the deep joy you get from this interaction. Its lone goal is to flee and survive yet another attempt on its existence.

This is one of the reasons I like viewing ducks from a dike. People walk on dikes and birds become accustomed to their presence. Since the dike follows the contour of the contained waterbody, the birds are more likely to follow a course parallel to it rather than perpendicular. This means the bird is less likely to notice you looking at it. Birds are more familiar with searching for danger below them while you are above them.

The foot of the dike forms the boundary between land and water. You are actually fairly close to the birds; a decent lens or pair of binoculars and you should get a pretty good image. The birds tend to maintain a modest comfort level; they may swim away but usually don't take to the wing. I get some good shots doing this. It also is a grand way to learn to identify birds.

There is nothing like experience with the real thing to build confidence in identification. Books and screens certainly help, but seeing it in person is both valuable and enthralling. I used to spend hours walking these trails with a bird book in hand identifying and appreciating all that lay before me. And the best part is, they don't see me as some crazed fur-bearing creature carrying a contraption of doom.

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen