BIRDWATCHERS have been criticised after footage emerged on social media of a large group "flushing out" a bird on Shetland.
The since deleted video showed a group of at least 40 birdwatchers gathered in a road, pointing cameras towards the spot where two people were attempting to flush a Lanceolated Warbler out into the open.
At this time of year groups of dedicated birdwatchers make their way to Shetland in the hopes of catching sight of migrant birds which are rarely spotted elsewhere in the UK.
The birds are blown onto the island by south-easterly winds during their migration, forcing them to land on Shetland for rest and food.
Lanceolated Warblers, for example, are native to Asia and are rarely spotted in Europe.
Unsurprisingly, this tweet was deleted but it showed a video of a group of birders surrounding a Lanceolated Warbler - some walking into the grass where it was hiding, clapping and making noise to flush it in front of the watching crowd. It was proper grim. pic.twitter.com/aaqXV2H3N6
— Jack Baddams (@JackBaddams) October 5, 2022
However, the video has drawn ire from fellow nature-lovers on social media who feared that the birdwatchers’ behaviour threatened the wellbeing of the bird.
Nature writer Hannah Bourne-Taylor said the behaviour risked giving birdwatchers a bad reputation.
Speaking to The National she said: “Bird watchers deserve a bad reputation if this is what birdwatchers do.
“Now, more than ever, it is vital that we are all allies to the wild. Birdwatching should be a precious hobby, a gateway into supporting the nature on our doorstep, not to gang up on it.”
Members of the group of birdwatchers present during the video said a farmer had requested they stop obstructing the road and that moving the bird onto a separate field would limit the stress to his livestock.
However, others pointed out that these problems were caused by the birdwatchers themselves and not the bird.
An RSPB Scotland spokesperson said: “The welfare of wildlife should always come first when watching or photographing it.
“Seeing nature in the wild is a privilege that we should never take for granted. It is what makes a fleeting glimpse of a bird or mammal or insect exciting, valuable and precious.
“Such experiences should be accepted on the terms of the species, not people, with the impacts on the community around it also considered.”
It comes after birdwatchers raised thousands of pounds for charity after descending on a small town in Oxfordshire to catch a glimpse of a Common Nighthawk.
After the word was sent out about the sighting any birdwatcher looking to see the bird was encouraged to make a donation to charity, with £4000 pounds eventually raised for an animal rescue centre and the spinal injury unit at the local hospital.
