u/jmbirdwatcher

(Disclaimer: I am not calling out anywhere in particular. I'm interested in hearing about people's thoughts and experiences with the topic)

If you are active anywhere in birding circles on Facebook or Instagram, you will inevitably have encountered pictures from commercial photography hides.

What interests me is that many of these hides focus on Schedule 1 species, and many of them are actively baiting them. Most obvious are the slew of Kingfisher hides with fish placed as bait, but many are dedicated to Golden Eagles/WTEs, Barn Owls, etc. Many specifically focus on the young coming out for photo opportunities in breeding season.

I also find the flash/LED setups to be slightly strange at some - I've seen the RSPB socials share images of Tawnys taken with flash at nighttime. I'm aware that the impact is probably not overly harmful on the bird but it still raised an eyebrow for me.

Schedule 1 offences vis-a-vis photography are almost never pursued, but it seems odd to me that some of these setups may be illegal on the face of it. Has anyone been aware of a hide being shut down or the RSPB/Police/Natural England or NatureScot getting involved etc?