Television Ticks? (1 Viewer)

tracker · Jan 19, 2004

Hi,

This curiosity, was re-kindled by a question i read in another thread. It was from yellow_belly, regarding why dont birders (in most cases, i believe) count both sexes of a bird before adding it as a tick.

This reminded me of a program, some years ago, where a 'twitcher' seemed to hint to the fact that he had friends or knew of someone, who would actually count as ticks, birds seen on television.
Interesting thought? Would you be inclined to do it? Dont think i would. Where would it end? Counting birds seen in BF's gallery maybe?............. :eek!:

Any thoughts?

tracker

robinm · Jan 19, 2004

At the end of the day it's your list so you can do what you like with it, but, personally, I would feel counting TV birds, zoo birds etc. is not on.

I do "observe" birds in non-bird programmes. My favourite is looking out for all those 1930's UK dramas with collared doves in the gardens.

streatham · Jan 19, 2004

i've never heard about counting birds on tv - although someone i knew was going through all of his old holiday photos (which he took while taking a break from birding) trying to id birds from them - his justification was that he must have seen them!

tracker · Jan 19, 2004

streatham said:
i've never heard about counting birds on tv - although someone i knew was going through all of his old holiday photos (which he took while taking a break from birding) trying to id birds from them - his justification was that he must have seen them!

I like his/her style, streatham.......

I do think, it can be interesting, in line with robins thought, to keep eyes peeled for birds on various programs. I like to see how a rarity over here, can be such a common bird in other places. Adds to the mystery and excitement of birding.

tracker

Steve Lister · Jan 19, 2004

Somebody once sent in a record of a Black Redstart singing in Leicester which he had heard on the radio while a Leicester Tigers player was being interviewed outside their ground. And I once heard my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year
while watching some live golf on TV - didn't count it though.

Steve

tracker · Jan 19, 2004

Steve Lister said:
Somebody once sent in a record of a Black Redstart singing in Leicester which he had heard on the radio while a Leicester Tigers player was being interviewed outside their ground. And I once heard my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year
while watching some live golf on TV - didn't count it though.

Steve

Both pretty ingenius accounts, thanks Steve...... :t:

tracker

robinm · Jan 19, 2004

Steve Lister said:
And I once heard my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year
while watching some live golf on TV - didn't count it though.

Steve

How do you know it wasn't a fake.

In the US CBS used to add bird song to golf broadcasts until they were caught out by a birder who spotted that the song was coming from a bird that didn't live in the region of the tournament.

Darrell Clegg · Jan 19, 2004

robinm said:
How do you know it wasn't a fake. In the US CBS used to add bird song to golf broadcasts until they were caught out by a birder who spotted that the song was coming from a bird that didn't live in the region of the tournament.

If they were going to do that in Britain Robin surely they would've chosen a more exciting song than Lesser Whitethroat!!!!

Darrell

robinm · Jan 19, 2004

Darrell Clegg said:
If they were going to do that in Britain Robin surely they would've chosen a more exciting song than Lesser Whitethroat!!!!

Darrell

You're undoubtedly right, but it was a good wind-up.

Gill Osborne · Jan 20, 2004

So I'm not the only one Robin!!!!! It drives my husband NUTS!!!! The most recent being the film 'Enigma'...in one scene you can clearly hear a Collared dove cooing away in the background...even though the film is set during the war years 1939-1945!!!
And someone once mentioned the tv programme 'Ballykissangel' which is set in Ireland...they often used to have Tawny Owls hooting in the background during night scenes!!! No Tawny's in Ireland...or so I was told!!!

GILL

Darrell Clegg · Jan 20, 2004

Gill Osborne said:
And someone once mentioned the tv programme 'Ballykissangel' which is set in Ireland...they often used to have Tawny Owls hooting in the background during night scenes!!! No Tawny's in Ireland...or so I was told!!!

GILL

That was probably me Gill. I remember it well because the episode was all about saving a wood from some developers. There they were trying to think of some way to stop a road being built and these Tawny's were hooting away in the background. One of the characters even mentioned that the owls would disappear if the road was built.
I remember thinking "You've got Tawny Owl you silly !##@£" that'll keep your wood intact"

BBC eh! - then there was the Christmas Willow Warbler on the Archers!!!

Darrell

Edward woodwood · Jan 20, 2004

I think the guy referred to in the first post is Pete Fraser who I think counted birds on tv. (think he does stats for BBRC) I'm pretty sure it was on the twitchers documentary I worked on in mid 90s

Dave B Smith · Jan 20, 2004

I'm sorry, I can't start trying to ID birds on TV. My wife has threatened to divorce me if I buy any more Field Guides (at least before we've seen every bird in the guides we currently have)!

Nightranger · Jan 20, 2004

Interestingly, I came up with a bird race game for the Internet when I was an IT tech at University of Salford. You could devise your own rules but I put common names into a search engine such as Google and hit the pages that were listed. The rule was that there had to be a photgraph not a line drawing or text only on the page. You could potentially have a time limit if you wanted to compete but I just used it to pass time (I had to be by my telephone extension at all times in case there was a PC emergency somewhere in the department). Some sites are known to have photographs whereas others have line drawings and paintings and there could be a rule to only visit these sites once during the search. You are only allowed three web hits per bird and you cannot count any other species that may incidentally appear on the same page. Similarly, you must go into a website through a search engine and not conduct a search when you are in (that would be too easy). This is not strictly analogous to a true bird race but it could be too easy otherwise and there is a possibility of developing other rules. Potentially, an agreed list could be produced beforehand and this would work well if the list was derived from American birds for instance.

Brian Stone · Jan 20, 2004

There was an episode of Time Team, from Somerset or possibly Wiltshire I think, which throughout the whole show had Bee-eaters calling their heads off. Never saw one though. Has that been mentioned here before?

Charlie M · Jan 20, 2004

The documentary with the "TV twitcher" was shown on BBC2 in 1992, and was called "Bird Nuts"! I only remember because I was one of the other "nuts" featured on the programme, and I occasionally drag a video copy out to remind myself what I looked like when I only had one chin...

tracker · Jan 20, 2004

Charlie M said:
The documentary with the "TV twitcher" was shown on BBC2 in 1992, and was called "Bird Nuts"! I only remember because I was one of the other "nuts" featured on the programme, and I occasionally drag a video copy out to remind myself what I looked like when I only had one chin...

Was that the show where the guys were struggling to get a flight to or from, not sure now the Scillys or something? It was about a twitcher and the anxieties he went through. Some years ago now. But i always remember his comment about a person he knew doing ticks from tv.

Must admit though, i do enjoy 'listening out' for various bird calls on tv programs. Its a bit like watching for continuity errors, hearing a bird where it shouldnt be...:flyaway:.......Maybe i just need to get a life?....lol

Great feedback on this thought,

thnx all......... :t:

tracker

Gill Osborne · Jan 20, 2004

I can remember watching 'Bird Nuts' and the guy ticking birds off the tv....he was watching cricket if I remember corrctly whilst talking to the camera!!!
Thanks Darrell for puttin my mind at rest...wasn't sure if I'd been told about it by someone on here or at the bird club or when out birding....I talk to everyone, you see!!! LOL :-O

GILL XXX

Gill Osborne · Jan 20, 2004

Another one of the Beeb's 'mistakes' has just come to mind.....the recent Monarch Of The Glen Christmas Special. It was supposed to be just before Christmas yet, to me, it sounded like there was a full-blown Dawn Chorus of bird song going on outside!!! Is it me or would the birds...Chaffinch,Great Tit,Robin etc...be so loud at that time of year in the Highlands?
The trees DID look quite bare though so at least it wasn't filmed in high summer!!!

GILL

Steve Jones · Jan 20, 2004

My fav 'bird accidentally on tv' was during the 'hurricane of London' (a la michael fish in the 80's?) when the 'on the scene' reporter at Brighton had a storm petrel hanging in the wind just over his left shoulder!!!...funny, he seemed more interested in the storm damage.
Steve.

Television Ticks? (1 Viewer)

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