Ethical Birding Photography Tips

It is the responsibility of LAS and its members as a conservation organization to protect bird populations. Our community must support and promote ethical birding and bird photography, as well as educate others about the risks of not doing so. 

When birding and photographing birds, we urge our members and followers of our social media pages to review and comply with the American Birding Association’s Code of Birding Ethics and as well as Audubon’s ethical bird photography and videography guide.

There are ethical ways to observe and photograph birds, including sensitive species. Sensitive species, according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, are those where “demonstrable harm could occur from public display of site-level records, including (but not limited to): 1) targeted capture for the cage bird trade; 2) targeted hunting; 3) targeted disturbance of nests, roosts, or individual birds from birdwatchers or photographers.” 
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We include some quick tips below, as well as links to helpful resources from Audubon, Cornell Lab, and other organizations. If you have any questions on ethical birding or ethical bird photography, please contact us! 

Be respectful of the bird

  • Be respectful of birds’ habitat. Avoid trampling sensitive vegetation or disturbing other wildlife. Maintain a respectful distance from nests.
  • Use a telephoto lens and maintain enough distance to allow your subject to behave naturally. 

No flushing

  • Never flush birds or advance on them with the intention of making them fly or move locations.
  • If your approach causes a bird to flush (fly or run) or change its behavior, you’re too close. Look for changes in posture or behavior indicating stress. If you see these, back away. 

Don't use flash or play bird calls

  • Use flash sparingly (if at all) as a supplement to natural light. Never use flash on nocturnal birds (e.g., owls, nightjars) at night, as it can temporarily blind them.
  • Never use bait or audio playback of bird calls to lure birds into view.

MORE RESOURCES

Louisville Audubon Society’s Social Media Policy

As a local chapter of the National Audubon Society, the Louisville Audubon Society officially supports the Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography. We urge our members to do likewise. 

We reserve the right to remove or censor any media (photos, video, audio, etc.) or posts we judge to be in violation of these policies. If you are unsure whether your post is appropriate, please contact us at [email protected] before posting. 

This policy applies to posts, comments, and media posted by members and followers of our Facebook page and Instagram account.

Repeated violations will result in the offender being blocked from interacting with or viewing LAS content.