'Ticks' (1 Viewer)

A

Alan13

Registered User

• Mar 19, 2004

• #1

Many thanks to those that took the time to explain things to a complete beginner in my post below.
This next question may sound as though I have completely flipped, but here goes.

These 'Ticks' people talk about getting, or putting. Where actually do they put them ?
Are there special books with lists of birds, with a little tick box at the side,
other than the normal identification books ?

Hope this is not too basic for you all, :^)

Alan

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Mar 19, 2004

• #2

There's no set way. Some people put the tick in their field guide. The old Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom field guide has a species list with room to put a tick against the names. So do one or two others I think. Some people simply tick the name in the index. Others keep a list as a Word document or Excel spreasheet. Personally I have an Access database for my bird records and enter my ticks on that.

Jason

 

Laurence H

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2004

• #3

I use a British Ornithologists Union Checklist that comes free with certain magazines. Nice little convenient boxes to tick.

Your question set me re-thinking on this though. Ticking birds when you see them (and travelling vast distances to do so) is akin to ticking off trains when spotted (not an original observation I know!). But why are both these pastimes predominantly (98%?) male??

What is it about us??

Should this be another thread?

Laurence

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Mar 19, 2004

• #4

Hi Laurence. I have a theory... (OK, anyone still here?) It certainly seems to be a common and predominantly male trait to collect things. It manifests itself in all sorts of ways: train numbers, stamps, bird sightings - even (for some) women! Could it perhaps be a sublimation of our sexual urge to spread our seed as widely as possible? (I'm being serious here BTW!)

Jason

 

Laurence H

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2004

• #5

Racking my brains on this one! Is it something to do with gaining control and some sort of order to things in a life without control?? Picturing the train spotters you see at the station and trying not to make judgements! Not been on too many twitches so couldn't possibly comment on that!

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2004

• #6

Bluetail said:

Hi Laurence. I have a theory... Could it perhaps be a sublimation of our sexual urge to spread our seed as widely as possible? (I'm being serious here BTW!)

Jason

Click to expand...

I'm intrigued .... but admit to having trouble making the connection there .... :h?:

 

SimonC

Still listing - I'll capsize one day

• Mar 19, 2004

• #7

Alan13 said:

Many thanks to those that took the time to explain things to a complete beginner in my post below.
This next question may sound as though I have completely flipped, but here goes.

These 'Ticks' people talk about getting, or putting. Where actually do they put them ?
Are there special books with lists of birds, with a little tick box at the side,
other than the normal identification books ?

Hope this is not too basic for you all, :^)

Alan

Click to expand...

Hello Alan,

To get back to your original question, There are several "Tick list" books available.
The RSPB sell books with 10 lists in for use as day lists, trip lists, year lists life lists, whatever you want really!
there are others available too but it's late and I can't think who publishes them
I use these books for loads of different things (but mainly "trip/day lists") so much in fact that I now make my own! (yep - that sad!)
if you want the M$ word (2000) file to print your own, send me a PM and I'll sort something out!

Cheers

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Mar 19, 2004

• #8

Hi Carlos. My thinking is this. In many women's eyes the stereotypical man can't look at a women without thinking about sex. There is a grain of truth in it. It is natural male behaviour to "collect" women. It enables the male to spread his genes as widely as possible to ensure their survival - a well known phenomenon in nature. However, this is generally not regarded as any way to behave in our civilised society, so I was just postulating that this collecting instinct has been channelled into other things. I've no doubt I'm wrong and probably deserve a lot of flak!

Jason

P.S. I ought to point out that I am in no way implying that I regard women in the above manner!!

 

Last edited: Mar 19, 2004

Ruby

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2004

• #9

Bluetail said:

Could it perhaps be a sublimation of our sexual urge to spread our seed as widely as possible? (I'm being serious here BTW!)

Jason

Click to expand...

OOoo-err Jason.... I'll never be able to write 'Bough Beech - 23rd February 2004' in my bird book ever again without thinking back to this moment.... :clap:

 

gthang

Ford Focus Fanatic: mmmmmm... 3.1415926535.....

• Mar 19, 2004

• #10

what about women who collect shoes, and lipsticks and all that junk?

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2004

• #11

Well that's certainly an ... errmm .... 'interesting' conjecture ... lol ...

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2004

• #12

Tearing myself away one moment from the tangent this thread has taken & getting back to the original track ... hi Alan ... a couple of sheets of A4 graph paper will set you up for years.

Write the list sp. down the left hand side & the individual years across the top ... hey presto

 

C

cuddy

Brian Robson

• Mar 20, 2004

• #13

It is an I SPY thing Alan, and it is a personal thing.
At the end of the day all it means is you have seen a bird and recorded the fact, how is up to you.

Could be via a database, or a pre written list, or only in your own head, thing is its a personal choice and all options are equally valid.

Cuddy

 

rogerk

That's a, I say that's a chicken, boy!

• Mar 20, 2004

• #14

SimonC said:

Hello Alan,

To get back to your original question, There are several "Tick list" books available.
The RSPB sell books with 10 lists in for use as day lists, trip lists, year lists life lists, whatever you want really!
there are others available too but it's late and I can't think who publishes them
I use these books for loads of different things (but mainly "trip/day lists") so much in fact that I now make my own! (yep - that sad!)
if you want the M$ word (2000) file to print your own, send me a PM and I'll sort something out!

Cheers

Click to expand...

Some folks have a day list, some a county list, whatever, I keep mental records of the first time I saw a pair of something, or the first time I saw a male in breeding plumage, or my first Willow Warbler of the year.
There is no list that can prepare you for your first experience of any bird.
Take simonc's advice, find a list that suits you or use the one that he's produced, (I do), other than that, always make a note.
Good birding.
Roger

 

Last edited: Mar 20, 2004

deboo

.............

• Mar 20, 2004

• #15

Alan,

Others on here will vouch for this!....my memory is appalling.......so I use checklists for virtually
everything I do!
I use the RSPB '10 list' books for birding...they are only 99p each and I get through quite a few. It is interesting going back through older 1's to see where and when I saw certain species...
As regards the above 'sexual collecting' theory....
....I'm keeping Mum!

Dave.

 

Adey Baker

Member

• Mar 20, 2004

• #16

Almost all hobbies/pastimes/wastes of time/etc., seem to be about collecting, sooner or later.

To put a bit of order into it and to compare with other collectors you've just got to make out a list.

The trouble is that as soon as you've got the list of the birds/train numbers/stamps/coins/golf courses/etc. that you have collected you're immediately confronted with another list: those that you haven't collected!

This is what drives many people on, of course, but it's also the cause of all those less desirable human traits - envy, covetousness, greed, etc., etc., and they no doubt apply equally to all those other collectors, not just bird-listers!

 

Tannin

Common; sedentary.

• Mar 20, 2004

• #17

Alan13 said:

These 'Ticks' people talk about getting, or putting. Where actually do they put them ?

Click to expand...

Why, on their egos, usually.

(Tannin runs and hides.)

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Mar 20, 2004

• #18

gthang said:

what about women who collect shoes, and lipsticks and all that junk?

Click to expand...

I think that's different. They don't actually set out with the specific aim of collecting them. I would have thought the driver there is the improvement/optimisation of their personal image rather than the desire to own as many as possible.

(Why do I get this feeling I'll soon be joining Pete in the cauldron?)

Jason