A Thread For Bad Birders (1 Viewer)

OK, even at my peak as a birder (about 20 or so years ago) I was never the best of birders - often misidentifying species; failing to notice reasonably common birds, even if under my nose; and 'claiming' (never publicly I stress) any number of rarities. In the intervening years, when birds weren't as important to me, I've become even worse:'D! Now I'm back to something like serious birding I'm finally accepting that I am quite simply a bad birder. Bad in the sense of inefficient, that is, not bad as in the sense harmful to the birds or their environment. I am in awe of those of you who can call a spotted redshank in amongst thousands of common redshanks. You are up on me there - I probably wouldn't even recognise the redshanks (exaggeration, but you get the idea?)!! Please give me some credit, I would at least recognize them as waders.

So, is anybody else prepared to admit that they are a bad birder & give their embarrassing experiences?

I think all of us are bad birders to a greater or lesser extent but as with other similar threads on BF, you will find few people who will admit it. I have met a lot of very good birders over the decades but I have never met one who was an all-round expert and this is what we should expect - everyone has their weaknesses. Gulls leave me baffled but that does not stop me trying to polish my skills and some of the small waders I am sure I will never learn. One tip I have found though is if you are going on a twitch, is to really cram your knowledge of what you are looking for, this can save time if someone wrongly calls an 'odd-looking' bird in their anxiety to see the target species. This does not work as well if you are going out searching a strange area but it does work on your local patch because you ought to know what is likely to be there at any given time. Even something as simple as finding a bird in an area of your patch that does not produce birds can be a clue that it is something unusual. This is another way of saying that we are all bad birders but we have all learned little tricks to counteract the gaps in our knowledge.

After reading Simon Barnes I am much more content with being a very bad bird watcher, though I can tell the difference between a Comon Buzzard and a Crow having a dogfight in the sky. I delight in the sight of a Robin, something we don't see all that often around here, and I take great pleasure in seeing our resident Hawfinch or our Great Tit with a crippled foot at our bird tray nearly every day. Not to mention the thrill of seeing one of our "local" Kingfishers that we often drive 20 kilometers to the old Danube to catch a glimpse of, or not, depending on the day. Without expectations it is easier to avoid frustration. Ignorance is bliss, but bliss is still bliss.

DanC.Licks said:

After reading Simon Barnes I am much more content with being a very bad bird watcher, though I can tell the difference between a Comon Buzzard and a Crow having a dogfight in the sky. I delight in the sight of a Robin, something we don't see all that often around here, and I take great pleasure in seeing our resident Hawfinch or our Great Tit with a crippled foot at our bird tray nearly every day. Not to mention the thrill of seeing one of our "local" Kingfishers that we often drive 20 kilometers to the old Danube to catch a glimpse of, or not, depending on the day. Without expectations it is easier to avoid frustration. Ignorance is bliss, but bliss is still bliss.

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:t: Couldn't agree more, I feel much the same after reading Barnes, though I think he's a better birdwatcher than he claims to be! Given the choice I'd rather be a bad birdwatcher easily pleased by what's around me than someone highly skilled but who can only get a buzz from rarities (though I should be clear that I'm not saying that's what I think good birdwatchers feel!).

I misidentify with the 'best' and sometimes jump to conclusions, though as time goes on I have become a lot more circumspect in my identifications! I think it's about knowing your limitations and not becoming frustrated about them; that you never are going to know everything, see everything and identify everything... we can't all be R.A. Richardson! Personally I'm happy if I can gain a little knowledge, learn to identify some birds (and other wildlife), maybe pick up a bit of birdsong and see a few interesting things along the way. I won't see everything when I go out and won't be able to identify all that I see, but then identification isn't everything, it's about appreciation too.

"but then identification isn't everything, it's about appreciation too"

Exactly! I get a kick out of "watching" our known regulars just as I do watching our cat try to distroy my slippers with her hind claws.

The embarrassing part for me is that I often need to identify birds on the computer afterwards. Sometimes, after my wife identified it in the field and I got crystal clear photos, I still name them wrongly.
Mistaking White-rumped Munia as Scaly-breasted (photos show a white rump).
Mistaking Blue-winged Leafbird as Lesser-Green (photos show blue wings)
Mistaking Greater Coucal as Lesser (not sure how I did that).
But my big blind spot seems to be the Verditer Flycatcher. It's pretty common and instantantly identifiable, but every time I see my photos of it I have to check in the book.

Plus I can never see half the birds my wife sees, even when she's patiently trying to point them out.
So, I enjoy the walks and count bird spotting as a bonus!

Nothing embarrassing about that mate,I take great pleasure in being a crap birder.Ithink it would be boring if I knew everything

Apart from taking aesthete pleasure in seeing ''regular'' birds, it is the thrill of the unexpected! ie..my less than annual flyover sighting of a local species. Yesterday I had two (almost noisey..Mute!) Swans..with loudly billowing wings flying low over the house. Yet...if I visit the local lake circa a mile away where they are often found, I generally don't give them a second glance. For me...it is the optimism of ''the unexpected'' that gives each day ''a new dawn''.

I consider myself a "C-" birder. In the American school grading system that is the minimum passing grade. It means you know about 70% of the material. In my case I can identify about 70% of the birds I see. If that isn't bad enough, a bird I can identify one year will sometimes give me trouble the next. Is hopeless birder a worse catagory than a bad birder? In any case, I still enjoy birding and I go out every chance I get. Most other birders I run into are very tolerant, patient and willing to help.