Animal behaviour limits in wildlife photography

[Box Brownie]

Taking as a given......that we should all be conscious to avoid stressing & affecting natural behaviour , though if the creature is aware of us their 'natural' activity might be influenced.

All photographs are worthy of capturing and we must not anthropomorphise the creatures.

On a side note ~ for a couple of years before retirement I worked for the RSPB as fundraiser. I had good few chats with prospective & current members who spoke of how the Sparrowhawk was killing their garden songbirds.

I explained that a healthy bird population will attract the raptor(s), in other words it is the nature of "nature".......so please don't get too upset by what you see. Almost all understood after our chats, even if they said predation was not nice to see.

The one thing I ensured they understood was to not disturb the Sparrowhawk, it might abandon its prey......leaving you with the mess to clear up!

 

[markymark]

I risk ridicule here, but so what? I am unabashedly an overgrown kid watching Disney cartoons when it comes to wildlife. In my little imaginary world, the animals and birds are all happy and they get along and love one another, like in "Snow White" or "Cinderella." I am not stupid and I understand the realities of the "circle of life," i.e., I know and accept that predation, sickness, suffering, and death are all part of the Great Pageant, but I don't particularly want to see these things, let alone photograph them. I love watching little videos (as on social media) showing people rescuing animals or otherwise exhibiting kindness. I don't even like to watch predation sequences on "Nature" type television presentations. I have been on group trips where everyone else was clicking away at the sight of a heron trying to swallow a snake or a falcon snatching and then plucking a pigeon, and I just turn away and look for something else to photograph.

I agree with whoever said that predation can sometimes capture so much emotion in that moment, they can make incredible story telling images.
Everything has to eat, albeit sometimes not very nice to see, but take that Sparrowhawk predating on the smaller garden birds for instance, all you see is a big ferocious predator attacking & killing a smaller bird, but what you don’t get to see is it flying back to it’s nest to feed it’s own small chicks which are also very cute.
I recently posted an image on this forum of this very act called ‘Life & Death’ where I managed to capture a Sparrowhawk capturing a juvenile Starling. The whole thing was over in a matter of minutes & wasn’t pleasant to watch, but I managed to capture one of my best images from it.

 

[Box Brownie]

I agree with whoever said that predation can sometimes capture so much emotion in that moment, they can make incredible story telling images.
Everything has to eat, albeit sometimes not very nice to see, but take that Sparrowhawk predating on the smaller garden birds for instance, all you see is a big ferocious predator attacking & killing a smaller bird, but what you don’t get to see is it flying back to it’s nest to feed it’s own small chicks which are also very cute.
I recently posted an image on this forum of this very act called ‘Life & Death’ where I managed to capture a Sparrowhawk capturing a juvenile Starling. The whole thing was over in a matter of minutes & wasn’t pleasant to watch, but I managed to capture one of my best images from it.

We occasionally see the Sprawk and it does not just take song birds.

It once took a Collared Dove within 10 feet of our kitchen door. Its prey was dispatched very quickly and it proceeded to pluck and butcher it........flying off after about 10 minutes leaving just feathers behind.

 

[Highbow]

As with others, if it's a natural action of whatever I might be shooting photos at the time , it's just capturing what many others never get a chance to see. Interaction of different species and predators are fair game all the way. If I think it's not something for the public I might be limited to the use.