Giving up birding (1 Viewer)

[James]

I have recently been harbouring thoughts of giving up birding in the UK. I get a thrill out of new birds which means only once or twice a year now. I still love the holiday birding (India here we come - 4 weeks and counting!) but going out to see the same birds all the time is not doing it for me.

It feels like telling your parents that you don't believe in god anymore confessing this.

Anyone else had these heretical thoughts? Is there a cure?

James

 

[Farnboro John]

The great thing about birdwatching as a hobby is that you can do it as much or as little as you like.

Go ahead and try not doing it in the UK. Perhaps time off is the cure for what ails you? Bet you can't really give it up though - you'll still try to ID that badly seen raptor when you are driving, etc. If you bird with a crew you'll miss the social side. Birding finds its own level, like water.

The main thing is to enjoy it, so there is no point doing what you're not enjoying. Still less point feeling any guilt about it.

Come back in six months and we'll see how you are getting on.

John

 

[TheSeagull]

I have recently been harbouring thoughts of giving up birding in the UK. I get a thrill out of new birds which means only once or twice a year now. I still love the holiday birding (India here we come - 4 weeks and counting!) but going out to see the same birds all the time is not doing it for me.

It feels like telling your parents that you don't believe in god anymore confessing this.

Anyone else had these heretical thoughts? Is there a cure?

James

Photography was the cure for my garden bird boredom, only House Sparrows used to come which was boring me but when I got my camera I got excited at their arrival as I had the chance to get a good shot.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Have you thought of working a local patch? Once you get to know the regular birds of the area, finding good patch birds becomes quite exciting, regardless of how rare they are nationally.

 

[deansmith]

i agree local patch birding rules ! but each to there own having time off birding in the uk might make those trips to other places even more exciting, you'l find your own level at where you wanna be maybe after a few months out of it you'l be itching to get back out in the field

 

[Merlin]

good advice John.

I sometimes think of giving it up and then I look out of the window, see a bird any bird and the love affair starts all over again.


regards
Merlin

 

[David Smith]

I am in the fortunate position of taking the hobby up late in life-therefor there are so many 'new birds' for me.........BUT
Have you thought of combining 2 hobbies e.g. photography or walking ?
i.e. make the walk the main target and take bins along
or
purchase a decent camera (point & shoot or DSLR) stick in your rucksack/pocket and enjoy the walk-taking photos of scenes or birds as you want (keep bins around your neck)

Might be teaching Granny to suck eggs but on your own door step there are some decent walks......you can park up at HG flash and walk around the lake then continue the walk all the way to Croft (or walk from Hermitage Green).

 

[johnraven]

I've never really understood the patch working thing. Doesn't it just mean that you reduce the range of species even further, and you also stop visiting new and interesting sites? Rather you keep walking around exactly the same piece of ground, over and over again, seeing the same old birds?

 

[Mark Lew1s]

I've never really understood the patch working thing. Doesn't it just mean that you reduce the range of species even further, and you also stop visiting new and interesting sites? Rather you keep walking around exactly the same piece of ground, over and over again, seeing the same old birds?

Well you dont have to be exclusive to the patch!

Also, while the range of species is restricted, its not quite as simple as seing the same old birds over and over again. You get to see in depth how the birds and other wildlife change through the seasons, and otherwise common birds are afforded greater significance if they are less frequent on your patch. Over time you build up a real understanding of the area you watch.

 

[luke]

I can certainly recomend patch watching. I used to have a local patch when i lived in wales. It was a medium sized reservoir with 60% concrete banks and the rest was rush. It backed onto moorland which turned up the odd suprise in the form of Marsh and hen Harrier (Hen harrier being pretty regular)

However it really did turn up some great bird eventually. It got me a county first, a pom skua. After that i couldn't resist going most days even if it was just for an hour. It enhanced my birding no end! Try it!

 

[matt green]

I have recently been harbouring thoughts of giving up birding in the UK. I get a thrill out of new birds which means only once or twice a year now. I still love the holiday birding (India here we come - 4 weeks and counting!) but going out to see the same birds all the time is not doing it for me.

It feels like telling your parents that you don't believe in god anymore confessing this.

Anyone else had these heretical thoughts? Is there a cure?

James

If hand on heart your interest in birding (in the UK at least) has wained to the extent of you getting bored with common birds and the same old places then yes, maybe hang the bins up (just don't part with them...yet!!) for a while and discover new or related interests etc.

I've never been a very ambitious birder so have never had issues with getting dispondent, I've got a few local patches on the go at once and just happy to get out of the house look at anything really....the only gripes I've had with my birding is not being able to visit all the birding hotspots I'd like to, not being a driver I'm completely reliant on walking, cycling and the dreaded public transport!!! Birding has brought along other interests aswell which include cycling and photography...actually come to think of it my last trip to north Norfolk I spent most of the day walking around the back villages taking pictures of Cley village and the church!!!

Best advice I can give is take each day as it comes...and do and not do as you please!!

Matt

 

[username]

James....so only seeing a 'new bird' does it for you..?! Whatever whatever...no rules of course!
Personally, i never get bored of observing even the common stuff...[which is just as well when i'm out 'patching']...there's nearly always a new experience to be had...whether it be a birds behaviour...different lighting...subtle plumage variations...etc.
Do i have days where i think..'well, that was a complete waste of time'?...yep! But when a new day dawns i am itching to get out in the field again...tis in the blood....!

 

[Apodemus]

If you've stopped enjoying it - of course stop. Why bother doing something that you don't like when there thousands of other things in life to do? I suspect though that you'll come back to it at some level, it's certainly not one of those "all or nothing" hobbies.

Mike

 

[Matt Prince]

Johns advice sounds pretty good to me. Don't sweat it, no point in doing something you are not enjoying (hmmm thinking about three birdless hours I spent looking for a certain species last week), relax and find your level.

Maybe think about getting some pocket bins though, rather than going naked without any. Just in case...

 

[Xenospiza]

Come on, birding in the UK, especially when you're in some inland location without a huge reservoir with some muddy edges, can be ridiculously boring! Hours and days and weeks of nothing happening... why do you think people start watching other types of wildlife? And then when you decide not to go to the local patch one day, you get gripped off... I still go birding though (with quite a bit of plant watching in summer), because I think sitting at home is even worse! And of course, complaining to other birders helps to ease the pain.
There are plenty of people who do very little birding "at home" and save it all for their holidays. If birding does not improve your day, don't do it...

 

[John Cantelo]

I sympathise with the question! For me regular visits to SW Spain have made me realise just how few birds we have in the UK - it's not just a matter of the exotic, but also the sheer numbers and density of birds to be found in Andalucia. Hence, although I'd never 'give up birding' I know I'm much less inclined to do so in the UK on those dull dank days (such as today) outside the migration period.

However, I still get a huge buzz out of taking people (esp. beginners) on birding walks here and would suggest trying some voluntary work - it'd be a shame to waste your hard earned expertise. Similarly, although never a big 'local patch' man, I've derived a lot of pleasure out of doing several atlas squares for the forthcoming BTO Atlas. Try it - it's fascinating (if frustraing) experience!

 

[Matt Prince]

Of course if you are after the new, you could shift your sights a little, try mammals, reptiles, butterflys, odonata, orchids etc. etc. All the joy of new species, right under your nose...

Which reminds me, I didn't get much snorkeling done in blighty this year!

 

[Jim M.]

It feels like telling your parents that you don't believe in god anymore confessing this.

Hmmm... That wasn't a very traumatic experience for me, since neither me nor my parents believed in a big fella in the sky.

I have recently been harbouring thoughts of giving up birding in the UK. I get a thrill out of new birds which means only once or twice a year now. I still love the holiday birding (India here we come - 4 weeks and counting!) but going out to see the same birds all the time is not doing it for me.

. . . .

Anyone else had these heretical thoughts? Is there a cure?

James

Whether there's a cure depends on the individual and what you are already doing.

If listing is your thing, keep more kinds of lists than just a life list (so more birds can be "new" for you): year lists, county lists, county year lists. In my state many are big on trying to see a bird in each of the 20 or so counties in the state, and seeing who can get the most county ticks for the entire state, both on an annual and life basis. This gets people to explore lots of areas they otherwise would never visit, also learn a lot about bird distribution, and makes it rewarding whenever you find a bird in an unusual place, e.g. a pelagic bird inland.

If your also interested in science, get involved in censusing breeding or wintering birds. Also learn more about bird behavior, e.g. the variety of bird calls and when and why birds make them. See if you can learn the calls and make observations about when they are made and under what circumstances. The possibilities are really endless--but of course these things are not going to interest everyone, and you may already have been involved in them.

My two cents,
Jim

 

[ColinD]

The cure is good weather in spring with lots of migrants about. I'm probably no more than 5 miles from Hermitage Green at the moment, and the weather today is enough to make you give up everything.

But I don't know why you need to be so dramatic as to give up birding. You make it sound like a job. I have spells when I do it more, and others when I do it less. Just concentrate on other things for a while. As somebody else said, it's not just about birding when I step out of the door, it's about going for a walk in the countryside, perhaps going for a cycle ride, seeing new places, taking photographs, experiencing the culture of a place. I couldn't give up birding because for me I very rarely go exclusively birding. Birds are just part of the tapestry.

Local patch birding can be good, because some birds which you consider common now, will suddenly become rarities at your patch. For the first couple of years you'll be going out full of anticipation, because you'll be regularly adding new birds to your patch list. Highly recommended.

Personally I don't see how anybody can "give up" birding, because it's so ingrained in me that I'm always birding, whether I'm in the field, at the office, shopping, at the match or in the pub. I even occasionally hear geese fly over when I'm in bed at night, and even then I'm identifying them from their calls. I'd have to completely change the person I am to stop birding. I don't think I could do it for a day.

So I'd say, don't announce that you're giving up, just look for new interests, take up a few new hobbies, and every now and then go back to birding, and see how it goes.

 

[Mysticete]

I would also recommend keeping year lists and such. Also expanding it to cover groups besides birds. Targeting Herps and Mammals can even be more satisfying an experience than looking for birds, since a greater element of luck and field savvy seems to be required. To be honest I can understand your feeling; for much of the year here I seldom get out, since bird diversity is so low and close spots to town tend to be marginal for birds and too disturbed to be enjoyable.