Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
I take exception to the expression "Blundering About" ! That I do not do and I know most if not all of the regular British Species ! My problem is with some vagrants. I do know that photos can be misleading but there is no substitute for taking a photo then identifying the bird later if you are not sure. Personally I have no idea how people can go birdwatching without a camera, only that way do you have a record of what you have seen !
I have a sense of pre-digital camera birders not liking birders with cameras but I hope that I am wrong. Sorry but your comments really annoyed me !
Well, a notebook is usually sufficient to keep a record of what you have seen. I suspect most birders use a camera for ID to some degree these days. Some will only use it for particularly rare or tricky species (as they'll be confident that they've identified everything else correctly) and those with less experience or confidence will use them more. Nothing wrong with that.
Old Skool Birders certainly don't have a problem with those who use a camera - I think what people take issue with is people using a camera as a binocular substitute, and then asking for an ID. To the old school, that just isn't birding. The real opportunities to learn come from watching and studying birds, how they move, how they sound etc, as well as how they look. This process involves some IDs getting away, but develops a more knowledgeable and better field birder.
All of the genuine experts on this forum learned their craft through a pair of binoculars or a scope, and still use these as their primary birding tools.