Eager as you may be to see our feathered friends, always put their welfare first. Here are some bird-friendly common sense that will make you a fun birding buddy and ensure you have a responsibly good time. A few golden rules:


Good behaviour towards birds

  1. Keep your voice down. Birds can hear you long before you can spot them.

  2. Keep a reasonable distance. Your binoculars will give you a good look even from a distance.

  3. When you see a bird, point discreetly, keep hand extensions close to the body. Use verbal directions instead to help others locate the bird, e.g., you could use the clock system - imagine a clock face on the tree the bird is in and say at which time the bird is perched.

  4. Be sensitive to nesting/feeding birds. Do not go near nests, chicks or eggs.

  5. Learn your bird calls at home. Resist the temptation to use playback from recordings to call birds out. Birds are territorial, they get stressed thinking a challenger has encroached on their territory when calls are used.

  6. Be courteous. Migrants have just made a long flight, repeatedly flushing birds can mean they use up vital energy that they need to feed.

  7. Be an expert in recognising stressed behaviour in birds. Move away immediately if they are stressed by your presence (see Signs of a stressed bird). Stressed birds may not breed and are known to abandon starving chicks.

  8. Share information wisely - you do not want to jeopardize the bird's safety. Keep to a small group of 5 or 6 birders and at a distance from nesting birds, especially rare and endangered birds. Your presence can expose them to poachers. Share sightings only with those you trust.


Good behaviour towards fellow birders

  1. Walk behind observers, don't block their view.

  2. When a fellow birder spots a bird and alerts you, approach the bird slowly. Walk in a zig zag to minimise the appearance of threat.

  3. Share your observations and sighting with others.


Good behaviour as a bird photographer

  1. Reputable bird photographers worldwide do not climb over one another for photographs of nesting birds. Leave the birds alone, let them bring up their family in peace.

  2. Move away if you see signs of stress (see Signs of a stressed bird).

  3. Don't use flash photography, especially for close-ups. Learn instead to maximise the capabilities of your equipment to utilise natural light.

  4. Night photography: Light should be shone indirectly/partially on the bird's lower body and never on the face as you might blind the bird.


Good behaviour towards habitats and the law

  1. Take back what you bring in - wrappers and all - and ONLY what you brought in.

  2. Observe wildlife laws.

  3. Respect the rights of landowners.

  4. Don't be a peeping Tom! Use your binoculars to watch nature, not people.