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Guide

Ethical Birding & Photography

Put the bird first: distance, restraint, habitat care, and honest field practice.

Ethical Birding & Photography
Photograph from the Long Island Birds collection.

Use binoculars or a long lens instead of moving closer. Never handle or move a bird for a photograph. Stay out of closed areas, avoid trampling vegetation, keep recordings to a minimum, and leave nests undisclosed when attention could put them at risk.

If a bird changes its behavior because of you—calling repeatedly, freezing, alarm-posturing, or leaving—back away.