Birding Bob — Local services in New York

My response to "Bob": Hahaha - good one! Had you shown up to your own bird walk this morning, you would have noticed that someone (me) did not make it the end of the walk. So yes, I have been on your tour, but sure, let's ignore the numerous negative eviews from people not on your tour for my personal take from it this morning..my assessment was in alignment with the other negative reviews: harsh playback, general disorganization on the walk - not reminding "newbies" (your "favourites", according to your website) of extremely basic rules and best practices for the walk, such as avoiding to disturb the birds, first and foremost, and others in the park. And $10..really? Sorry NYC, this is robbery - I am sorry to inform you that elsewhere in NY, the US, globally, there are readily available bird walks that are free and communal, and this wasn't either. Easy pass. As much as I completely approve of exploring the local avifauna in your park, and doing so with a local expert, save your money everyone! And know that if you hear LOUD bird calls, it's probably from Bob + crew. Even members of the bird walk were getting...

We're from the Boston area but birding Central Park in May has been on my bucket list for some time. My wife and I joined Bob and guests on 05/23/22. We're pretty traditional birders so I was a little skeptical of Bob's methods, but decided to keep an open mind and I'm glad I did. Yes, his loud recordings can be a little annoying at times and they do seem to bring the birds in, but I didn't see any birds exhibit anything other than mild curiosity. I doubt a few minutes of bird calls did any lasting harm. The crowd was fairly large - maybe 24 people - but everyone was friendly and interesting. In addition to birding, Bob offers a wide range of natural, historical and cultural information and his genuine enthusiasm is a blast. I rate this a quintessential New York experience that - for 10 bucks - can't be beat. Oh, and a couple of life birds was icing...

Bob uses playback to bring in the birds. This is clearly against the ABA Birding Code of Ethics. Central Park is a heavily birded area, with migratory birds pausing to rest on their route—using playback provokes a reaction in the birds, causing them to expend energy unnecessarily, come out into the open and expose themselves to predators, etc. For shame. (You can internet-search for the birding ethics)

He had an extremely large group on Thurs, as well. That made it much too difficult to hear his comments and to get on the bird. Side conversations of the group were very distracting.

You’d do much better seeking out other, more responsible birding guides. If you’re a birder, you know where to look for birding opportunities which do follow...