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Your Birding Style (1 Viewer)

Birding Preferences

  • Bird alone

    Votes: 208 61.9%
  • Bird with a friend

    Votes: 116 34.5%
  • Bird with a group

    Votes: 9 2.7%
  • Bird with an expert/guide

    Votes: 3 0.9%

  • Total voters
    336

Larry Lade

Moderator
When you go out birding, which do you prefer:

1. Bird by yourself
2. Bird with another person
3. Bird with a group
4. Bird with an expert/guide
 
I answered alone, although it's followed closely by birding with a friend/small group- I bird alone the majority of the time, but wouldn't want to ALL the time.
 
Most of the time I prefer to bird alone. I think I find more if I'm not chatting and waffling with people, but it depends on the situation. Seawatching I prefer to be in a small group, and same goes for birding certain headlands such as Mizen head. Being in a small group (my family and friends) enables us to cover more ground quickly.

Owen
 
I think I ought to put 'birding alone', as that's what I do 75% of the time or more. Actually like to bird with another person, but 'dividing and conquering' rather than than both birding the same exact same spots as you go - still gives a good chance of picking your own things up.

Also agree with Owen cf. Seawatching. And most foreign trips/explorations outside of core area tend to be with small groups, which is probably the best way.

Never birded with an 'expert'/guide (sorry guys ;) )
 
I prefer to go birdwatching with my wife, but I also enjoy being part of a group as I learn so much from others, and I would love to have an expert/guide just to myself.

Oh, and I also like birwatching alone.

Hmmm. This isn't easy to answer. :h?:
 
I think I probably do 95% of my dedicated birdwatching time alone, possibly because I don't really have any friends who do it themselves. The remaining 5% is when my girlfriend gets dragged along with me for whatever reason, though she appreicates it more when they are slightly more "casual friendly" birds like when we went looking for puffins in Cornwall or I took her to see my local pair of little owls.
 
I prefer to go with a friend or a couple of friends, but in practice it's alone, since most of my birding compatriots are scattered across the country at the moment
 
I mostly go birding with my mom, rarely alone. Often meet other people we know when out as well, and I like having other people around to learn from. Sometimes me and mom calls some friends and we go out in a small group, it's all very nice.
Been on a few field trips with the local ornithological society as well (and led my first one this autumn!), they're great as I get to learn a lot from the people who's been birding longer than me.

I go out alone sometimes, but I've found that I enjoy a nice bird more if I can enjoy it together with someone... when I find something nice when out alone I often look around for someone to share the experience with. There's been a few joggers and dog-walkers been accosted by me trying to tell them about how amazing some little bird is... ;)
 
Would love to bird with my wife, but for the fact she will either shoo them away or shoot them. Better safe than sorry eh! None of my friends have this itch to go out in the cold to see birds. So it's birding alone for now. Waiting to take the new generation along soon.
 
I went for birding alone mainly because... I don't have any birding companions! That might be because you won't find many 13 year olds passionate about birding in Oxford!
 
I do prefer to go by myself most of the time although I like going out wildlife watching with my brother or some of my friends. Best in small groups of two or three though I think. I find that you can often get closer views on your own as a group can be more intimidating for the wildlife, plus there's nothing like being out in the countryside by yourself, I find it can be incredibly relaxing and de-stressing in a way that you don't get if you're with other people.
 
98% of my birding is done on my own with hubby Neil only occasionally coming with me - not through lack of interest but just because his work shifts are different to mine so we never get a day off together now except when we are on holiday :smoke: Having to work weekends also stops me getting out birding with local bird & wildlife groups :C

Perhaps I should just quit working as it seriously infringes on life! ;)
 
It really does! I hated being out of work and not having any income but it was a real boon for my local wildlife watching!
 
Only birded once with someone else,while walking a highway,
on Vancouver Island ,a passerby
noticed my binoculars ,stopped,we started chatting and he and his friend
took me to try and find all the birds I was looking for near Victoria.Awesome.
 
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