Pish-Free Birding

By BJ McKeown and Dee Fairbanks Simpson

On March 23, we tried something different for the Space Coast Audubon's Bird-a-thon. We (Betty McKeown, Dee Fairbanks Simpson and Leslie Pernas-Giz) comprised a team called "Pish-Free." We set out on a mission to be competitive, but not at the expense of the birds peace; we vowed not to aggravate, annoy, scare or molest any birds by our activities.

We know the debate between those on each side of the issue has been on-going. On one side, you have the birders who use tapes or Pishing (a sound similar to a screech owl that brings birds closer) in an effort to get better looks at more birds; on the other side, you have those like us who feel that it is cruel to make noises that disturb the birds for our personal entertainment.

Call us crazy if you wish, but today we were able to see 71 species of birds in just 6 hours, without unnecessary noise, compared to maybe 1/3 more for the winning team which used pishing/tapes. And, to be honest, had our team practiced our birding by ear, we most likely would have been real contenders, as that is really where lost numbers (not being able to count the dawn chorus is always a detriment to competitive birding.)

Betty used to lead bird tours and did use tapes so clients could see life birds such as brown-headed nuthatch or the threatened red-cockaded woodpecker. She lived in Seattle and admits to Pishing whenever birding in Discovery Park. Dee too has been on many tours with pishers, and has taken advantage of it to add birds to her life list. So as a reformed smoker is sometimes harder on smokers, complaining of the smell and disgusting smoke, perhaps as reformed Pishers, we come down too hard on fellow birders. If so, we apologize.

But hey, think about the numbers of birds in trouble with many in Florida on the Threatened, if not Endangered list. The fact of the matter is that every time a bird is disturbed and has to either leave its young or its feeding, we are causing it stress. As non pishers, we are often told that the pishing and tapes do not harm the birds at all, but consider this: Do you have caller ID or are you on the telemarketing "Do Not Call" list? If so, why did you chose to sign up for it? It's not like getting phone calls harms you in any way; yes, phone calls from tele-marketers might interrupt your dinner or your shower or taking care of your kids, but hey, it's just 5-6 phone calls a day, and you can always go back to what you were doing... Get the point?

Maybe after all of our collective years of birding we are not challenged to list big numbers when we go out birding. It's enough for us to be out there with the birds and see what we see. We had a lot of fun and were satisfied with raising lots of money for Space Coast Audubon. We challenge you to go out birding one day and leave the tape player at home and be silent. It can still be very enjoyable, though you may not get the large numbers you can with the tape and Pishing. Regardless, we are sure that the other participants in the Bird-a-thon had equal enjoyment today no matter how anyone birded. There are no people like Birders and they are our favorite people and a joy to be with. Thanks to Tom for getting us out there birding!