Native Bird Care

Kill weeds, not juniper and sage.

Restoring Central Oregon Habitat Means Protecting Native Plants Central Oregon is home to a remarkable forest and shrubland ecosystem shaped in part by western juniper, Juniperus occidentalis . These native trees are more than scenery. They are habitat...

If you are peering down into a nest with your camera mere inches or even a couple of feet away from babies, YOU ARE WAY TOO CLOSE TO THE NEST! Your presence is both directly and indirectly harmful to babies. First, you are showing every predator, from mice to jays to raccoons, where the babies are. Factoid: Predators watch humans for clues as to where they might find the lunch buffet. You also risk the parents abandoning the babies due to increased predator activity, which, in their view, threatens their own lives. This effect is even more pronounced if you make repeated visits. Birds consider humans predators, btw, not some benevolent, benign being. Our sight, our smell, our sounds - all are threats. Finally, babies and adults will push to leave a nest that has been discovered and visited SOONER than would occur naturally, resulting in early nest departure, which is a direct risk to babies' survival. The safety of our birds should take precedence over picture-taking. And, IDing these birds does NOTHING to help birds or their babies. In fact, one could easily argue that the increased popularity of bird watching and photography has increased the threats to birds. (photo by T Nieves on Baby Bird identification FB page).