Most birders are generous, enthusiastic people eager to share birds with others, but every birder is occasionally guilty of less than stellar behavior. Understanding what behaviors are considered rude makes it easier to avoid these faux pas and stay polite.

10 Worst Ways to Be a Birder

There are different ways birds can be less than polite, and the most common rude behaviors – and how to stay polite – include…

1. Blocking Views: Birds don't always perch in an open area where many birders can get great views, and rude birders block others' views. This could involve stepping in front of other birders, moving across a scope's field of view or moving nearby branches or other obstacles to block someone else's view in order to clear your own.
   
   Be Polite: If views are limited, take a quick look and then move aside so others can see the bird. Do not take another look until everyone in the group has gotten a first view.
    
2. Excessive Pishing: Pishing can be a useful to attract birds to get clear views, but pishing excessively causes stress to the bird and covers other sounds that may have been useful to find and identify additional birds. This can prevent others from seeing more birds or birding by ear.
   
   Be Polite: If birding in a group, ask before pishing to be sure everyone is okay with the noise. Then, only pish long enough to attract the desired bird, but if the bird does not appear after a few pishes, cease the extra noise.
    

1. Noisy Behavior: Birds can be frightened by unexpected noises, including talking, cell phones, children playing, a barking dog or even scuffling through leaf litter with heavy shoes. Birders who make those noises are irritating others and diminishing everyone's birding opportunities.
   
   Be Polite: Minimize noise while birding, including silencing cell phones, leaving pets at home, walking carefully and teaching children how to go birding politely. When you do make noise inadvertently, apologize and stop the noise as quickly as possible.
    
2. Dismissing Common Birds: Birders always want to see new birds, particularly if they are twitching for lifers or searching for vagrants. When a novice birder points out a bird they have never seen before but an experienced birder gruffly dismisses what turns out to be a common backyard bird, that rude behavior can discourage a new birder and take away the joy of birding from others.
   
   Be Polite: Help new birders properly identify every bird they see, and thank them for pointing out their sightings. There's no need to offer lengthy lessons about common birds, but there's also no need to be rudely brusque.
    
3. Hoarding Equipment: Every birder has had a time when they forget their field guide or asked to borrow another birder's spotting scope. Usurping a scope offered for everyone to use or repeatedly using another birder's field guide prevents everyone from having the same satisfying birding experience.
   
   Be Polite: If you must use someone else's equipment, keep that use brief and thank them for sharing. If you are asked to share, be generous and remember what it's like to not have your own gear available.
    
4. Wandering Away: When birders are in a group, it is important to keep the group together, and a birder who wanders away can hold up everyone else's progress and may even cut a field trip short because of wasted time.
   
   Be Polite: If you need a longer view of one bird, give up your view of the next bird in order to keep up the pace and stay with the group. Keep your walking pace up in order to stay with everyone and not cause delays.
    
5. Carpool Conflicts: Carpooling is a great way to be a green birder, but passengers are not always polite. Leaving crumbs or other debris in the car makes work for the driver to clean up, and every trip requires gas and puts wear and tear on a vehicle. When passengers take advantage of the driver, they are being rude and discouraging future carpooling.
   
   Be Polite: Offer a few dollars to compensate the driver for their time and expense, or offer to pay for coffee or food to sustain the birding trip. Furthermore, offer to share the better seats or space in the vehicle with others who are carpooling.
    
6. Littering: Litter can be hazardous to birds, and even dropping a small piece of litter is rude to other birders, even if the litter may be biodegradable – a citrus peel or apple core may eventually decay, but it could also introduce non-native seeds or chemicals to the environment which may be dangerous to birds.
   
   Be Polite: Dispose of trash properly, and even better, pick up dangerous litter whenever birding to leave the area better than you found it. If you have a trash bag available, offer it for everyone to use.
    
7. Photos Before Birds: It can be exciting to photograph birds and have that memento of great sightings, but taking photos unethically can threaten birds, cause stress and ruin birding opportunities for others. Birders who put the "perfect shot" above the welfare of the birds are being extremely rude.
   
   Be Polite: Follow proper bird photography ethics to keep birds safe, and do not interfere with others' birding opportunities just to get one more photo.
    
8. Bragging: While birders love to share their accomplishments, life list totals and unique birding stories, tall tales can be seen as excessive bragging, particularly if there is no way to substantiate the story. Even a truthful birder may be less believed if all their birding exploits are marked with hyperbole.
   
   Be Polite: Share your stories, but listen to others' stories as well. Provide proof of remarkable birding adventures, but always follow rare bird ethics to protect birds in extreme sightings.

The Worst Offense

The rudest birding behavior of all is one birders may not even be aware of doing – discouraging new birders or putting off others by being too pushy about how much fun birding can be. While every birder wants to share their passion and it is great to help new birders, it is also important to realize that not everyone may enjoy birds the same way, have the same standards for birding identification or be equally interested in birding travel. There are roughly 10,000 bird species in the world, and there are just as many – or more – ways to enjoy those birds, and it is important to always politely respect the enjoyment of other birders.

Photo – House Sparrow © Jacob Spinks