Breeding season gets off to an early start in Florida—and where there are adult birds in showy breeding plumage and adorable chicks clamoring to be fed, wildlife photographers are sure to follow. While many of us enjoy glimpses into the secret lives of birds, we don’t often think about the ecological risks involved in taking wildlife photos.

Each year, Audubon biologists and wardens spend countless hours educating photographers who have approached nesting birds on our sanctuaries too closely—disrupting their natural behaviors and threatening the birds’ health and the safety of their chicks. Many photographers just don’t realize what the impacts can be…and unfortunately a small, harmful minority care more about killer photographs than the birds.

Click here to watch Audubon Florida’s new web video for tips on ethical wildlife photography. 

When you are done, please consider sharing this important video with your friends, family, and colleagues - see the social media links above. If you are a wildlife photographer, make sure you are educated on the issues, so the birds will be there to photograph for years to come. And if you are an admirer of wildlife photography, learn about the issues so you can choose wisely which photographs to praise and which photographers to patronize.

Thank you. Here’s to a terrific 2014 nesting season!