In the digital age, the struggle to save Scotland’s Capercaillie has become a balancing act between raising awareness and protecting these critically endangered birds from the harmful impact of human intrusion
Why Is the Capercaillie a Dream for Birders and a Nightmare for Conservationists?
Native to Scotland, the Capercaillie is an extensive woodland grouse with long, enthralled birders with its stunning plumage, great weight, and spectacular mating antics. Many nature lovers consider finding one in the wild a dream come true. Their existence is precarious, with just about 530 capercaillies remaining, primarily within Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park.
Conservationists now have the difficult task of showing the birds’ suffering without motivating others to find them. As human activity brings these amazing birds closer to extinction, this conflict has grown increasingly urgent recently.
What Is the Dangerous Allure of the Lek?
The Capercaillie depends critically on the breeding season, which runs from March to August. Males congregate in “leks,” or designated breeding locations, demonstrating complex behaviors to entice females. Laws prohibiting disturbance of the birds during this season notwithstanding, some birdwatchers and photographers cannot resist the chance to see such a rare display.
The Cairngorms Capercaillie Project’s project manager reports that 17 people alone were observed close to lek locations during the mating season in 2022. One occurrence that year saw a birdwatcher captured on video upsetting six capercaillies, who left the area in flight.
“We know that even fleeting disturbance can make the difference between birds breeding or not,” the project manager notes. “There’s a great likelihood they didn’t return to the area to breed that morning and might not have returned for days.” Given the small number remaining in the wild, human interference might be disastrous for the species. She cautions, “This could push the capercaillie to extinction.”
How Is Social Media Contributing to the Capercaillie's Decline?
The Capercaillie’s fight for survival is part of a more general problem endangering species worldwide. Conservationists are learning that increasing awareness often comes at a significant cost in a time when social media can instantaneously broadcast the whereabouts of endangered species.
Recent research in Science of the Total Environment shows how photosynthesis and internet postings are causing the loss of biodiversity. Targeting endangered species’ sites, social media unintentionally motivates people to visit these delicate environments, sometimes resulting in unethical actions.
The article’s lead author, a senior lecturer in animal ecology at Edith Cowan University in Australia, feels that social media has dramatically increased the strain on natural environments. “There’s probably never been a time in human history where you could share knowledge so quickly with so many people, and with that comes great pressure,” he notes.
What Is the Global Impact of Wildlife Disturbance?
It is not just the Capercaillie that is difficult; other species also suffer. Because of ongoing disturbance by wildlife photographers, China’s highly endangered blue-crowned laughingthrush has altered its nesting behavior. Thousands of photographers flocked to Shetland in 2022 in search of the rare lanceolated warbler, maybe driving the species entirely off the island. A photographer in Wales was fined over £1,600 for disrupting a European honey buzzard’s nest in August.
Norfolk-based natural history writer believes that social media has aggravated already existing issues. “More people than ever have their hobby in wildlife photography instead of wildlife viewing,” he says. “I suspect they have not been brought up with the same attention to ethics and fieldcraft.”
For the native orchids of Western Australia, internet interest has grown troublesome. “You can track it online; more and more images of the same plant are uploaded, usually drawing hundreds of visitors to one location,” he says. Because of poaching, one scarce species—the eastern Queen of Sheba orchid—which takes up to 10 years to bloom—had to be under 24-hour protection.
The researcher notes that they have had to install cameras, fence off the orchid, and have guards. “It’s an extreme measure, but it’s become necessary.”
Can We Balance Discretion with the Digital Age?
Though the evidence of damage is mounting, efforts to slow down the passion for documenting and distributing rare species online are often greeted with hostility. While some wildlife lovers contend that one person cannot cause much damage, many others feel they have the right to access and record these animals. The researcher dismisses this idea quickly: “You could single-handedly push something to extinction when it’s rare.”
Although habitat loss and invading species are the biggest dangers to biodiversity, social media magnifies the problem by generating demand to view rare species before it is too late. “People want to see the rarer something is, ultimately,” he explains. Those working to save animals like the Capercaillie must deal with this problem.
Is Wildlife Photography Changing the Conservation Narrative?
The position of the Capercaillie has changed with the increasing trend of nature photography. While most birdwatchers are happy to view and “tick a list,” photographers hunt the ideal image, usually at the price of the bird’s welfare.
The project manager notes that hundreds of likes are obtained when individuals snap pictures of Capercaillie and share them online. “By the time we ask them to take the pictures down, it’s already given them so much kudos that they don’t want to do so.”
A natural history writer concurs that achieving equilibrium is challenging. “Social media is fantastic for drawing people’s attention, but there needs to be discretion,” he argues. Understanding that human disturbance compromises the species’ breeding success, the writer chose to omit the Capercaillie from the most recent version of his book, 52 Wild Weekends, to limit the impact on wildlife.
“We all yearn to visit Capercaillie in the wild and observe their unique shows. Birders should keep away, he insists, nevertheless.
Can the "Lek It Be" Campaign Save the Capercaillie?
Conservationists in Scotland are striving to save the Capercaillie despite obstacles. Launched a social media campaign called “Lek It Be,” the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project urged people to refrain from looking for the birds and sharing pictures of them online. The effort has already shown some effectiveness; sightings of tour groups, photographers, and birdwatchers around lek locations have dropped by 55%.
Although the birding community has mainly supported the effort, the project manager observes that photographers have been less helpful. She says, “Birders will discuss it and tick a list; photographers need that output; the shot is what they’re there for.”
Last year, the organization took a daring action to deter intrusions: it showed a video of two guys caught looking for Capercaillie close to a lek. Although the effort intends to help establish a new social norm, public humiliation of them was not intended. “We simply search for capercaillie no more,” she adds. We let them rest in peace.
What Does the Future Hold for the Capercaillie?
The conflict between public interest and conservation initiatives becomes even more stark as the capercaillie population keeps dropping. Thanks to social media, sharing rare animal encounters is more straightforward than ever, but as this narrative reveals, the effects may be catastrophic.
Careful balance is the key for one of Scotland’s most famous threatened animals, the Capercaillie. There is hope that people can learn to value these species from a decent distance. However, conservationists advise to “let the capercaillie be.”
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