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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Young Birder (2 Viewers)

wrexile1 said:
:clap: yup, its been absolutely bloody dire most of the time. Mind you, the majority of the British Isles has been.
How many firsts have we had this year? Is it just Olive-tree Warbler?
 
wrexile1 said:
:clap: yup, its been absolutely bloody dire most of the time. Mind you, the majority of the British Isles has been.

The joys twitching. Most of your posts have been moody and despondent since about mid summer. Birding can be exciting without the need for a never ending quest for lifers or year ticks.
 
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Agreed.

Firecrest, I think its astonishing that you have a life list of 284 at the age of 13. Your IDing ability must be amazing. Is your family interested in birding as well, or any older friends? If not, I'm impressed.

J Moss
 
Steven Astley said:
The joys twitching. Most of your posts have been moody and despondent since about mid summer. Birding can be exciting without the need for a never ending quest for lifers or year ticks.

Lol.

I'm not just a twitcher Steven. I get out on my inland patch whenever possible and have amassed close to 180 species or so on it. I know very well that birding is not simply a ticking quest. It irritates me when people say that, especially when they do not realise I am actually also a ringer, WeBS counter, avid local patcher etc etc.

It has been a very poor autumn on the patch for species such as Northern Wheatear and other common migrants, and this has been the state across the UK - no falls of common migrants, no great seawatching, no great raptor passage, waders were a little disappointing, not many rarities and so on. If you think my comment was purely twitch and tick-based, think again mate.

Maybe you should complain like that to people who are twitchers and twitchers only (and there are plenty out there!). Then your comments would be fair.
 
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J Moss said:
Agreed.

Firecrest, I think its astonishing that you have a life list of 284 at the age of 13. Your IDing ability must be amazing.
I've never met Firecrest, so his ID ability may very well be amazing (it's certainly apparent that he's very very keen).... but there really is virtually no correlation between a decent life list and ID ability.

Give someone a pager, a decent amount of free time and money, and they could rack up 320 species in a year, without knowing anything much about what they'd been looking at...
 
dbradnum said:
I've never met Firecrest, so his ID ability may very well be amazing (it's certainly apparent that he's very very keen).... but there really is virtually no correlation between a decent life list and ID ability.

Give someone a pager, a decent amount of free time and money, and they could rack up 320 species in a year, without knowing anything much about what they'd been looking at...

I agree, but how do you get "a decent amount of free time and money" at 13! I guess, with a Uk list of 179, Firecrest must be a pretty hardcore twitcher. I've twitched once in my life (Yellow Browed Warbler, Lapland Bunting and Red Backed Shrike at Cley on the same day this summer) and didnt see any of the three birds! The bunting was amongst a flock of linnets and was near impossible to single out in the glaring sunlight, and the other two had just dissapeared when I arrived. Hit and miss, I suppose. I have seen a Rosefinch in Stifkey that was being twitched, but only had any idea what it was because I was told.

What I'm getting at is, IDing non-native, unusual birds (esp LBJs, Warblers, etc), ought to take a lot of experience and practice. I would never 'tick' a bird unless I was absolutely sure.

Firecrest, I'm not dissing you. If anything, I'm very impressed. Whats your secret? (any other young birders with crasy long lists, feel free to comment)

J Moss
 
Well, my life list is 172, and I live in Norfolk, so I think thats pretty good going. Anyway, I meant that it's a good list for a 13 year old.
 
J Moss said:
Well, my life list is 172, and I live in Norfolk, so I think thats pretty good going. Anyway, I meant that it's a good list for a 13 year old.

Fair enough, I did not realise you meant his list was sizeable because he was so young. Apologies.

However, I have recorded 173 species on my local patch - an area only a couple of miles wide at most, and have done this in four or so years, therefore proving you do not have to be a twitcher to see 170+ spp.....
 
Hmm, I guess that 170+ isnt that much really. I just went through Collins, counting the birds that it wouldnt be unreasonable to see in Norfolk without much effort, and excluding major rarities, and I figure that 184 wouldnt be difficult, if you know where to go, which I think I do. I only really started birding this Summer (which is crazy, considering I've lived in Norfolk all my life) and a Car really helps, letting me get to places like Cley and Titchwell easily (about 15 miles each way from my house) I'm really looking forward to getting back and seeing some birds that I've missed.

J Moss
 
J Moss said:
I agree, but how do you get "a decent amount of free time and money" at 13!
OK, substitute in "parents with free time and money", and the same applies.

J Moss said:
What I'm getting at is, IDing non-native, unusual birds (esp LBJs, Warblers, etc), ought to take a lot of experience and practice.
Indeed... but twitching rare birds doesn't require experience and practice, and so accumulating a big life or year list doesn't either. I'm not having a go, or trying to put anyone down, just want to question one or two illusions.

As for accumulating a list in Norfolk... you can see 150+ in a day in May, and my first year list (sounds like some sort of Fisher Price toy!) aged about 11 was over 200 species without any great effort.
 
Boy, have I been busy? :/

I have been doing so much resurch on Animals, (Mostly mamals and fish.) But I'm back...
 
hiiiii im sarah, live in the uk! i love birds, im 13 and hav a life list of 201 in the uk, best bird defenitely the yellow-legged gull... strange i no but i love gulls, theyr awesome!

anyone out there my age? hi if there is! look forward to a reply!!
 
Hi Sarah, welcome to Birdforum! There are plenty of people your/our age using the sight, just read the whole of this thread.
I'm 12, btw, 13 on 16th November.
Jyothi (Say that Joe-t)
 
Welcome to bird forums!^^

I'm 15, and don't have a life list, I just love watching birds. I think Gulls are cool, lol.

Senceraly,
Brandon.
 
I feel worse than you :p
I love watching birds, no "numbering" new sorts ;]

I haven't got this happiness - my familly not like birds (no special) :(
I interesed birds short time, but I can't live without birds now |;|
 
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