If I use an artificial call to lure a bird out so I can see it or photograph
it, what harm does it do the bird? This is an unanwerable question. The
assumption is: If only I do this a little its not a problem. And maybe if
only one person every day, just did this once, maybe the impact is minimal.
But what if you are not the only person that day? In heavy travelled areas
there can be hundreds of birders in a day. Is it the 4th time, the 9th time,
the 27th time the bird has been called out? You can't know that. And if you
have the right to do this, so does the next person. Maybe your ethics are
such you only play the song a couple times then stop. But the next person
plays it constantly. I would be surprised if there is any substantial data
on the affect of bird luring. So, like many activities, we just don't know
the impact of this on the birds and probably never will. We know for sure
that NOT luring birds out with artificial calls does not hurt them. Given
how much of the natural world humankind is destroying, seems a no brainer to
me to leave the birding to chance. If you see it, you see it, and if the
bird does not reveal itself to you on that trip, let it live its life
undisturbed.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Snohomish