Twitching (1 Viewer)

I think I'm right in presuming that most EX-BEEB members are like me. bird watchers that take a few photos when they are birding. As I've not had the camera for a few weeks I've been doing a spot of twitching. Here is a list of the birds and results to date.

Great Grey Shrike at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire = spent two days there looking and came up blank. 120 miles.

Great Grey Shrike at Swallow Moss, Staffordshire = spent another two days looking for that one, again came up with nothing. 60 miles.

Whooper Swan at West port Lake Staffordshire = surprise surprise it wasn't there. 15 miles.

Ring Ouzel at Black Bank, Staffordshire = nowhere to be seen. 20 miles.

Perigrine at Croxden Quarry, Staffordshire = guess what, gone. 12 miles.

Bittern at Potteric Carr, Yorkshire = again no sign of it. 160miles.

As you can see I make a lousy twitcher. Which brings me to the point of this post. How many of you out there do a bit of twitching and how successful are you.

I didn't twitch the Jay, they are in the garden. I have just seen a Nuthatch burying a peanut in one of my flower pots. Is that a common pratice.

Hi Jim

Sorry mate but your twitching report
made me laugh! o
I think the technical term for that
is dipping!

I'm not a twitcher, though all my non-
birding friends think I am, but will travel
60 miles to see Bitterns, for instance, because
there aren't any (that I know of!) nearer

Great pic btw, good to see your lens
is working well, I hope it wasn't too costly

Cheers
Tony

Jim,
My twitching on Cannock, has had about the same results as you had. Nightjars, I have seen them there, but have also had fruitless trips. spent one evening listening to, and calling back to a Little Owl, ( it passed the time) Crossbills on Cannock no chance, Dartford Warbler zilch, Great Grey Shrike nowt.
Eagle Owls in Bowland, no chance.
Other than those occasions, the few times I go twitching have been very rewarding.
I once went looking for the Rose Coloured Starling, somewhere near Rugely,
got that one, some kind person had put a sign on the gate, Rose Coloured Starling here. Well you can't beat local knowledge can you.
Happy Twitching
George

Hiya Jim,sorry to hear of your twitching failures!!:-O
We've twitched the odd few that have been local and funnily enough been very lucky.....one (a White Stork) even settled on our local cricket pitch for a week or so!
We also saw an Alpine Swift on the Wirral along with Richards Pipit and a superb Woodchat Shrike at Llandudno (unfortunately that day I forgot the camera so the pic is mobile fone-scoped.....see below! lol)
We also twitched and saw the Black Winged Stilts at Martin Mere!
Then only dip we had was the Green Heron on Anglesey.....so quite lucky really!
The best ever twitch was the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in our garden though!!!:eek!:

Hi Jim
I runabout the mainland here a bit with mixed results and i dont have a great strike rate.
Yesterday i was blown out for work at lunch time so i went out west to look over the sea. If i had checked the computer i could have had a grey phalorope. I went in the other direction and got a manx shearwater,a lifer for me!.
Just sitting here and starting to tot up the costs of birding around the patch is a bit scary!. Fill the bike on fri morning and again sat night. pluss a day in the week and the spinning about on wee spying jaunts. Thats before twitching other pepoles birds. Twenty five miles this morning to miss a phal...doh Probably a good job its started raining. On the computer front there is a new yahoo group started up called orkbird. On this is an up to date list of sightings over the islands and all ready its producing the goods. Im afraid i cant see me kicking the habbit any time soon.
I think lot of sucsess is down to good fresh info and going for it that instant. I know its frustrating and expensive but its worth it when you get a nice one,if you can get a photo or two then it dont get much better!
Good hunting
Daf

Hi Jim,
Aww, never mind, I bet you saw a lot of nice Birds on your travels.
I know what you mean though, my most frustrating "twitch" was practically on my doorstep, last year I was reading daily sightings of a Firecrest in a residential area approx 3 miles away, one of the sightings went as far as giving the house number and said the bird could be seen the in the garden!

Could I find it? Nope!
I remember thinking "hats off to twitchers"

The funniest thing that springs to mind is a chap I met last year who told me he had retired from "twitching" because of the disappointment and cost involved. I met him again last month, both occasions were "twitches" ummmm... retirement aye?

If you ever come to Wales Jim, give Luke a call, when it comes to getting your Bird, he's the man! (dont forget to invite me of course)

JimMorris said:

As you can see I make a lousy twitcher. Which brings me to the point of this post. How many of you out there do a bit of twitching and how successful are you.

Click to expand...

Being possibly one of the most ''unambitious'' birders on this whole site I really don't any twitching, when I have I've been tagging along with a friend for the day who likes to take year lists (year what?)

Recent successes include a sizable flock of Lapland Buntings and two Richards Pipits on the Norfolk coast, we did dip on the Lesser Yellow Legs at Minsmere the other week so can't have it all!!

Matt

Doesn't matter if you don't see what you're after, Jim, we get the moral victory for being proper, hard-working birdwatchers and not some dirty tick-chaser. I say that mostly out of jealousy though...

I usually manage a couple of twitches a year and only ever for something local, and actually worth seeing for the bird itself (not just because its rare). I remember my first one was a dotterel when I was about 8 or 9. I promised then, that as soon as I got a car I'd do everything I can to get to the rare birds, but do I? nah. Only if it's worth it, and normally then I miss it.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that as soon as I catch wind of anything on my patch that isn't on my patch list I race down there that very instant, but that doesn't count does it? It rarely works anyway, I'm still on 99 despite all my efforts.

Twitching is popular in the US as well 3 and I take part in it if there is a rare bird nearby. Though I wish I had a car so that I could have gone to the beach when I was younger, cuz of all the rare shorebirds that showed up and havent since then :-(

But for the most part I rarely ever find the bird I am going for, seen 4 of the 15 I have chased after... if not chased and missed even more.

though on a positive note, I did get my nemesis bird by twitching, found an Emperor Goose at the beach ^.^

Hi Jim

Sorry to hear of your 'less' successful days

I have often thought of the meaning of the word 'twitching' or 'twitcher' in a one way context.

To me 'twitching' means endless moving around the country to get to see what you want.

Lots of risks, and if the bird remains in one place, so much the better for you.

I think it is a lot of being on the ball and endless searching here, and there ................ and most of all luck. o

Regards
Kathy

Hi Jim.
I know one shouldn't laugh at other people's downfall, but I just had to have a smile at your efforts. It wasn't a big one, honest.
I am prepared to go on a twitch as long as it's not too far away. I've dipped on a few occasions, but I have managed a Red-backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike and Dotterels when twitching, but I've usually hidden the fact behind the lie that I was going to the area anyway. LOL!!

All the best.
Baz.

I suppose I have twitched once or twice but only within cycling distance. I find the idea of driving to see one bird a bit unethical. By that I mean creating car exhaust fumes and using up resources for something so unimportant. I have driven to reserves and other places for the experience of seeing more than just one tickable bird and having a day out. It's good to see lifers but nothing is worth "breaking your neck" rushing around for.

pie said:

Hi Jim,

If you ever come to Wales Jim, give Luke a call, when it comes to getting your Bird, he's the man! (dont forget to invite me of course)

Click to expand...

Cheers Pie! B

Hi Jim,
Being quite new to the hobby of Birdwatching, about the only twitching I've done, is when an insect crawls down me top! :eek!: that makes me ' twitch' a bit I can tell you!! :-O
Seriously though, I can't see me ever becoming a Twitcher, I just love birds and Nature, and being able to get out and see both, whatever I'm lucky enough to see pleases me, of course when I see something new I'm chuffed to bits!

P.S. Meant to say Jim, that's a fantastic photo of the Jay, I've been trying to get a good photo of a Jay since I saw my first one, gorgeous birds.

Twitching & Polution

Chris-Leeds said:

I suppose I have twitched once or twice but only within cycling distance. I find the idea of driving to see one bird a bit unethical. By that I mean creating car exhaust fumes and using up resources for something so unimportant. I have driven to reserves and other places for the experience of seeing more than just one tickable bird and having a day out. It's good to see lifers but nothing is worth "breaking your neck" rushing around for.

Click to expand...

Hi Chris,
Sorry but I have to answer your comments.

1 = I have TWITCHED 9 times in 3 years of birding, 8 of them being over the last couple of weeks covering a total of 540 miles. (not excessive I would have thought).
2 = I don't go to see just one bird, there are other birds and cracking scenery to see.
3 = If it is so unimportant why do so many people do it.
4 = As for "breaking your neck" rushing around. I've never rushed in my life, more so since I own a SKODA. I left the south-east for Staffordshire because of the laid back way of life up here.
5 = Also I would find it a little to much at my age (67) to ride a bike across the peak district.
6 = As I am retired I don't use a car for work nor does the wife and when I was working' I was a publican and I walked to work (down the stairs).

So I think I may be excused for polluting the planet occasionally.

Oh I nearly forgot, I did take the kids to Majorca in 1985 and went to Jamaica in 1999. Which reminds me, I must cancel my birding trip to Florida in Jan.

HAPPY BIRDING
Jim.

Hi Jim, I was not having a go at anyone about twitching. Just giving my opinion of what I think. There are certainly people who travel constantly searching for a tick and I can't see the point in that but that is up to them. There are those who do not respect other people's property but they are a small minority. I don't expect everyone to be on a bike and doing their bit for the planet just because it's something I do. Personally I can't stand driving because I used to do lots of it in my old jobs and now I'd rather get around under my own steam to keep fit.
Each to their own.
Chris.

I have watched with interest over the years the direction some people on the beeb, now ex beeb forum, have taken with regard there interest in bird watching and nature. In the main the people I know well seem to have a very wide interest in not only birds but nature in general so I would count few as twichers, myself included. That goes for those birders I know personally too. Mind you that depends on how you want to define it as everyone I speak to who is not a bird watcher seems to look upon me as a twitcher anyway!

On the whole I get as much excitement from watching birds locally (I mean within walking distance of my home) as I do from any other pursuit and like Chris I don't drive so that is perhaps just as well. I have also found that over time my interests have widened to other aspects of nature and wildlife so perhaps my trips now are seen by me as more general nature trips than simply watching birds, although birds will always be my first love I reckon.

The idea of chasing off across the country on the chance of seeing a rare bird actually bores me to death as does any idea of standing in crowds of birders with telscopes which is your sterotypical twich me thinks. IMO there is far more to bird watching than that, but I do accept that some people are excited by the idea and good luck to them if that is what turns them on. I would have to agree with Chris in that it seems, in the wider context, unimportan and simply because numbers do it doesn't make it any more important in my eyes, as the number who do, are far out numbered, IMO, by the bird watchers who don't.

Now I do have some confessions to make. Firstly I do occasionally do a local twitch and in recent times have added Isabelline Shrike, European Roller and Spoonbill to my Northumbrian list and also lesser mortals like Snow Bunting and Shore Lark too. I dipped on Lapland Bunting. Secondly I have birded several times abroad, so far on 4 continents, Europe, North America, South America and Southern Africa. My ambition is to add Australasia, Asia and Antarctica to that list. Some might want to call that twitching I suppose. I don't, because of course there is far more to it than that and personally I feel it is much better to see wildlife where it belongs and to have the excitement of travel and the experience that brings. In some respects I know I am lucky to have had the chance to do that, but I have given other things up to do it so I don't feel at all guilty.

I like to add new birds to my lists as much as any birder and I have yet to meet any one interested in bird watching who does not. I don't claim a massive ornithological knowledge, but I have met birders with wopping big lists, cameras and scopes who know far less. I have a big scope, but no camera (well not one that could be seriously used for taking good quality bird photographs) btw, as I think other ex beebers realise by now that, that is not part of my birding interests.

Yes I defiantely consider myself a birdwatcher and nature lover and not a twitcher and I am happiest with like minded people.

Take care

My luck with twitching is fairly good, i am a very cautious twitcher though, but today had one of my most frutrating twitches. Went down to devon with a few local birders as there are a few goodies about there. first we managed a flight veiw of a long billed dowitcher and then we went to dawlish warren to look for a surf scoter. We spent ages and walked the whole bay to check a flock of scoter to find only common. After another hour or so we still hadnt seen it even though a chap next to us claimed he saw it in flight. There were loads of scoter out on the sea but were all little dots and impossible to pick out the surf, even though it was there somewhere! To say the least, we were all a little dissapointed!

twitching

I like the attitudes of Judo and me" marrer" Brian on this subject When I refer to myself as a birdwatcher people answer"oh a twitcher eh?"and I quickly correct them.Twitching on a tip off is like going thro' a swing door on someone elses push. If it wasn't for the tip ,they would probably not recognise the quarry anyway .
I'm really a naturalist.An expert gardener but I don't know as much about wild flowers although, probably more than average.I prefer to be alone on my adopted patches ,preferably from dawn to say 10.30 am.and see what happens.This way I've seen deer, hares, weasels, ermine even, voles, moles, shrews and much more.I've always stayed within a 30 mile radius. No wonder I'm alone .Who would come with me at dawn?
Whatever I see is captured in my memory and I don't need witnesses.

maurice. As I see it

I'm not sure what I really feel about twitching. I do find it hard to understand people going right across the country, or further, to see just the one bird then coming straight back and I can't honestly see myself doing that. For some I think the social side of it is half the appeal though. From what I've read, travelling there with mates, chatting to people when there and discussing the trip when back is a large part of the fun of birding for them.
I have never 'twitched' outside my county or more than twenty miles or so. I have twitched a Woodchat Shrike that was just 10 miles away and Dotterels too. I have to admit I had never heard of either, but was told they were major rarities locally (first in 15 years or something) and that I really ought to see them, so I did!
The Shrike experience was nice in that I chatted to locals I knew and met friendly people from as far away as Middlesborough and Cannock but I also felt a bit strange being there, like it wasn't really me!
I dipped on the Dotterels but the three days (!!!!) looking were the most exciting I'd had! Spending time in the area I saw Red Kites, Merlins, Hen Harrier (all rare here) and fantastic close views of Hobbys, plus others. That is the kind of birding I really enjoy. Going somewhere, not knowing what I might see, and sometimes seeing something amazing that makes me smile all the way home!!