Following a debate about whether it's better to see a species in the wild or in captivity in the chatroom, I thought I'd post a couple of pictures to highlight my opinion:
Here is my best view of a wild Marsh harrier at Martin Mere in November 2012. It was the first time seeing this species, and I've not seen one since. I can't help but think I'd have appreciated seeing it more if I actually 'saw' it up close. To me, my image of a marsh harrier is another bird of prey that's a dot way off in the distance. I also saw peregrines and a few passerines, but every second of being in the hides I was itching to get back to the captive waterfowl.
To me, it was so much more enjoyable to see the mandarin duck I've posted a picture of than it was to see the marsh harrier. It was up close, I could appreciate the bird up close and actually see what it looked like. I know some people don't get it, and it's all down to personal opinion, but to me at least it was a better experience seeing the mandarin duck than it was seeing the harrier.
What do you prefer, seeing animals in the wild or being able to see them up close where you can really appreciate them? Of course a mixture is nice, but not really commonplace - to me, fleeting or distant glances don't come close to seeing diversity up close.
