Twitchers And Twitches (1 Viewer)

Peter, Who's 'He' you're referring to?

Everyone,
I never tick off a bird unless I have some concrete evidence that it is what it is meant to be. I need something tangible to prove it such as features for me as I am deaf I can't rely on bird calls unless soomeone else is with me. I can not bring myself to cheat myself claiming a bird even if a thousand people around me said so, I need to understand the reason for identifying it. After all isn't that a good basis for learning?

“I don’t need brown shearwater” said the first man smugly. “Nor me” said the second man,”I saw one on a pelagic off Australia 2 years ago”…..and so the conversation went on………….and on……….and on.

I thought of my limited experience of bird-watching……….I have never seen a brown shearwater…..but oddly, I still don’t feel I “need” one.

I remember my first meeting with a “twitcher”. He walked into a hide a couple of years ago, whilst I was the only occupant. I was watching a water rail, and was delighting in watching this shy, secretive bird at such close quarters. He asked me if there was anything about, so I pointed out the rail, and mentioned the few curlew sandpipers and spotted redshank which were nearby. He grunted, quickly scanned the waders and left.

He obviously didn’t “need” a water rail, or any of the other species around at that time, so after about 2 minutes…he was gone. In that time, he had received a pager message and was probably off in search of a “tick”.

I poured myself a coffee from my flask, and continued watching the rail as it worked its way along the water’s edge, about 10 metres away from me. I had been in the hide for 2 hours, and would probably be there for another hour or so.

On that day, I did not “need” a water rail…….more than I “need” the blue tits on the feeders in my garden….yet their antics intrigue me, fascinate me, and I can watch them for hours.

Some of my friends call me a “twitcher”. I dress in green and brown clothes, have walking boots, a rucksack, a ‘scope, binoculars and even a woolly hat in winter!I get up at ridiculous hours to catch the dawn, and I travel once a year for a few days in Norfolk or Suffolk, but I am not a twitcher. I receive daily e-mails, giving details of rarities – surely heading towards twitcherdom? I must admit here officially, that I have responded twice to these messages by jumping into my car and heading off…..one was a spoonbill 2 miles from my home, the other a woodchat shrike, a full 3 miles away!..must remember to keep the car topped up with petrol! One e-mail told me of a lesser yellowlegs about 20 miles away…..i went shopping instead. (I “needed” bread, eggs, milk, baked beans etc. more than I needed a yellowlegs). The obliging bird waited around all winter for me to visit…… I did a lot of shopping that winter. 20 miles?….no way!

I heard of two Scandinavian twitchers who chartered a helicopter to fly to Scotland to see some egret or other, then flew to Wales to see an American redhead duck…..they wont be “needing” them again. I find this type of behaviour odd, and wonder what the attraction is.


So when people say that I am “sad” that I delight in bird-watching, I in turn am eternally grateful that I am not a “twitcher”. Twitching is the extreme version of train-spotting. There is no heart and no soul. No appreciation of beauty, colour, grace, elegance or speed. No marveling at quirky behaviour or the joy of emergence of a new life from a nest. If it isn’t a “tick”, it’s not worth seeing.


I have less than 200 species on my “life list”….I know of someone with over 2,000…..If I could afford it, would I go on 3 birding holidays a year all over the world, with birds being put on a plate for me just so I can add them to my list, then back in the bus and off to the next spot? No, because there is no heart and no soul.

I have often told my friends “If I become a twitcher, you have permission to shoot me”. One day I may regret that. What if I become bored with the stunning beauty of a kingfisher, the power and speed of a peregrine, the clown-like antics of a coal tit or the fortune of having a nuthatch at my nut-feeder every day. These are the things I “need”. I may have never seen a brown shearwater…..but I don’t think I need to.

WelshFalcon

Excellent contribution. What you say about heart and soul applies to many things in life. Without them, what is the point?

WelshFalcon

Brilliantly put.

the above was a letter i wrote to one of the birding magazines, but the editor must have been a twitcher , because it never got published. Maybe the title "Twitchers **** me off" might have spoilt it for me!

Well said WelshFalcon.

I twitched once or twice, but I wouldn't drive miles. On one occasion, we were having a trip to the coast anyway (honest) and there happened to be a Ross's Gull around Scarborough. We thought we may as well have a look since we were there. We parked near the castle and walked along the sea wall. There was no one about so we didn't really know where to start. As we walked along the bird just floated in right by our heads and landed on the rocks below the sea wall.

We set up our scopes and watched the gull preening. After a couple of minutes, a car screeched to a halt behind us and a voice shouted "What ya got mate?". My husband stated it was the Ross's Gull and the car wheeled into a parking bay and four burly men dashed across the road, talking into mobiles as they did so. Within about 15 minutes there were 50+ people there.

The bird left, we left, and went to the other side of the bay, where the gull promptly joined us again. A woman saw us looking at something and then talked into her mobile phone. Again, within minutes, hoards of people arrived. We left.

Diane.

The one thing that becomes clear reading these posts is that we all have a different perception of what a twitcher is. Yes I am a twitcher, I have driven to scotland and back in a day, then to Cornwall and back for various rare birds. I am also a bird photographer and will do the same thing to photograph common species, Derbyshire and back for Dippers as an example, I am a birder because I want to learn as much as possible re the lifes of and ID characteristics of all the birds I see.
I don't 'need' any birds, I want to see them, time and time again however common or rare. I have always said that the day I tire of photographing Robins is the day I breathe my last breath.
Most of all I just love birds!

I'm off to Norfolk for 3 days at the end of the week. If the pallid harrier is still around.....I'll be waiting for it as it comes in to roost around dusk.

I'm actually on a "3-day twitch" as I should add about 20 species to my life total. Maybe I am a twitcher after all.

I agree with Nigel when he says that "we all have different perceptions of what a twitcher is". Perhaps the word 'twitcher' is too all encompassing. Maybe there should be at least two terms, thus.

One is for a person who travels a long way to see a rare bird and does his/her homework beforehand. They would be able to id the bird if noone else was around (unlikely) or if they saw the bird first while waiting for the bird to show. They then spend time enjoying the bird, learning from the field experience (as opposed to reading a book), note what the bird is doing, the habitat its in, its mannerisms, in short taking a whole view of the bird and its situation and maybe even photographing it.

The second is where the person also travels a long way to see a rare bird but they rely on someone else to find the bird at the twitch because they haven't done their homework and do not know what to look for. This has been the case with warblers. They then, 'see' the bird or in some cases think they have seen it and are gone.

What is required are two terms to categorise the above two descriptions. I leave that to someone else.


Colin

fatbirder said:

[otherwise it will be completely obvious to all who I am slandering)

bo [/B]

Click to expand...

This 'ain't slander it's libel. 3

Osprey

If we leave the first one as a genuine twitcher, I do have a suggestion for the second, and it's something I've actually been called (narrows it down not one whit). However, I don't think it a good idea to reveal it to everyone, so if you want the answer, send me an e-mail or a PM.

Tony

WelshFalcon, you took the words right outta my mouth! That was excellent!

Never has a truer word been printted on this forum.

To paraphrase GBS: Those who can enjoy Life, do; those who can't, make lists!

I have only seen one other North American (Gaye) respond in this thread, so thought I would wonder out loud to all of you. I am glad that Nigel and Colin spoke of having different meanings to different people of what a twitcher is. I was getting confused there for a while. However, I am still not completely clear. So you tell me if I am on the right track. It sounds like while twitchers obviously are birdwatchers, and some know a fair amount, that one of the drives is to just check off (i.e., as it is called there "tick") that they have seen the bird. And that it is not always important that they really have seen the bird well enough to identify positively on their own. If that is correct, we certainly have those here, and they do drive/fly long distances to see a bird. However, we call them "Listers" (i.e., just being anxious to check off the next one, not really enjoying the moment). It sounds to me like they are a bit obsessive. Am I on the right track to understanding?

I would say so, Brian - that degree of obsession over here is sometimes referred to as 'Manic Twitching'. As you've probably realised, most of those who have responded do some twitching, but I feel that any 'manics' on this forum would even now be driving like mad to Oban for a Forster's Tern, rather than joining in a debate.

It takes all sorts to make a world - thank heaven I'm only a neutral observer.

Tony

Tony,
How do you know that I am not driving to Oban right now, steering with one hand and typing on my laptop, attached to my mobile phone, with the other hand, while swerving wildly from one side of the road to the other?? Oh, and checking my pager at the same time.


Ed

The bird turned up on Friday anyone who 'needs' it will have already got it3

Glad I managed to keep the debate going...and thank you to those who appreciate my writing.......unlike the magazine editor!!!!

Has anyone seen the thread on Lee Evans and he article on him in the Times?

I met him once, and anyone who opens up with "I'm Lee Evans,you must have heard of me" suffers badly from delusions of adequacy.

I'll have to change my mode of introduction then! I always open with: "I'm Peter Hayes, from Bird Forum dot net!

I have come into this thread a bit late. Fascinating reading it has been too. Ashley, Nigel, Welsh Falcon and Colin, to name only 4, have all made brilliant contributions to a subject that always sparks controversial comments, namely twitching.

I have made comments before regarding the rights and wrongs of birdwatching and I will say again that as long as no birds are harmed or put in jeopardy, as long as you are not trespassing or causing damage and as long as you are thoughtful / mindfull of other people and their rights. As long as you don't harm any animal life or jeopardise them in any way or damage their habitats you should feel free to follow your birdwatching in any way that suits you, not the next birder, you and only you.

I am a twitcher as many of you well know. I am not a manic twitcher like some people are but I do drive many miles, as you can see from my many trip reports, to see a bird or birds.

I have also openly admitted, in the forums, that when I have reached a site, where there is a bird that I have come to see, that i doubt if I would have recognised that bird in the first place. I also admit to not being able to retain those characteristics in my head long term. I haven't got the great memory that a lot of you appear to have. Things don't register in my mind as good as they obviously do in other birdwatchers. Does that mean that I should stop going birdwatching because I don't fulfill the criteria laid down by some birders.

I do retain the capacity to find good birds of my own and I have an impressive list of birds I have found abroad (without the aid of a pager may I add).

Apart from chasing all around the countryside I also enjoy the more common birds but more to the point I like seeing the countryside and thoroughly enjoy driving as well. I suppose my style of birdwatching also encompasses elements of all three, birdwatching, seeing the countryside and driving.

There are many sides to many people. I enjoy the way I go birdwatching and I would never slag off any birder that enjoys the way he does his birding, unless it covers the wrongs I mentioned earlier.

I'm all for open debate on issues that affect our bird / animal life but why do we feel it necessary to dredge up the rights and wrongs of how to go birding. It is a topic that will never go away and, to my way of thinking, only helps to distance one type of birder from another.

We are all in this to enjoy a passion. A passion for birds. Can we leave it at that and not try to dissect that passion?

jj I set this thread for exactly that,debate and discussion ,I dont see it as a division.