Bird Watcher vs Birder (1 Viewer)

[emc]

Are bird watchers ever called birders? I came across an online definition which referred to birders as those who catch or hunt birds. I always thought that "birder" is just another name for "bird watcher"

 

[jmepler]

I would say that a birder is a more serious form of a birdwatcher.

If you see birds while traveling, you're a birdwatcher. If you travel to see birds, you're a birder.

I don't associate the term with hunting.

 

[moose1991]

Is this where you saw that definition ?

Definition of BIRDER

a person who observes or identifies wild birds in their habitats; a catcher or hunter of birds especially for market… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

1
: a person who observes or identifies wild birds in their habitats
2
: a catcher or hunter of birds especially for market

 

[emc]

I think that's where I saw it, not sure, it came up high when I searched "birder", I was taken aback when I saw that the word "birder" was associated with "a catcher or hunter of birds"

 

[Ted Y.]

"a catcher or hunter of birds"

Part of the reality. The dictionary is neutral.

 

[davercox]

A fairly common quote from Shakespeare (The Merry Wives of Windsor):

She laments sir... her husband goes this morning a-birding.

That was surely the 2nd of Webster's meanings.

 

[emc]

So do you folks refer to yourself as birders or bird watchers, use the term "bird watching" or "birding"? And by the way should that be one word "birdwatcher" or 2? I know these are frivolous questions, I'm thinking of making a blog or website and I'm wondering what would work best for SEO

 

[MiddleRiver]

So do you folks refer to yourself as birders or bird watchers, use the term "bird watching" or "birding"? And by the way should that be one word "birdwatcher" or 2? I know these are frivolous questions, I'm thinking of making a blog or website and I'm wondering what would work best for SEO

It reminds me of spelunking: spelunkers call ourselves 'cavers' and a sure sign of a noob is someone who asks 'are you into spelunking'?
Birders refer to themselves as birders.

That said, I've always preferred to be understood as someone who values watching birds over ticking off a list (tho I do keep a life list and will admit to enjoying seeing it grow and keeping 'score'). So in that respect I sometimes say I'm a bird watcher to make that distinction.

 

[YuShan]

"Bird watcher" sounds a bit passive and limited compared to "Birder". We don't just watch

 

[Pinewood]

Hello EMC,

I definitely prefer "bird watcher" and bird watching.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood

 

[Mike Crawley]

So do you folks refer to yourself as birders or bird watchers, use the term "bird watching" or "birding"? And by the way should that be one word "birdwatcher" or 2? I know these are frivolous questions, I'm thinking of making a blog or website and I'm wondering what would work best for SEO

.
I’m a birder who goes birding, those are the definitions I choose

Birdwatching/birdwatcher are terms that can be used by anyone who wants to use them - call yourself what ever suits you.

SEO ?
presumably not Short-eared Owl…..

 

[jmepler]

I prefer birder/birding as well.

I would assume that SEO is search engine optimization. Getting your website to show up in a search engine to generate more traffic to it.

 

[Mike Crawley]

thanks, jmepler

 

[Trinovid]

So do you folks refer to yourself as birders or bird watchers, use the term "bird watching" or "birding"?

To be honest, I'm an opportunist and will look at anything that appears interesting. Some of my best viewing this spring was watching small snow and dirt avalanches coming down the mountainsides. Most of the birds I really enjoy looking at are eagles and ravens, but I will watch little birds who have names I don't know, though the black cap chickadees are also special to me. I believe I'm neither a birder or birdwatcher either, though I will never look away if they seem interesting enough.

 

[emc]

I put up a bird feeder to watch the birds but it was more fun watching the squirrels trying to get to it. So I guess that makes me a "squirrel watcher", ha, ha

 

[Scott98]

I put up a bird feeder to watch the birds but it was more fun watching the squirrels trying to get to it. So I guess that makes me a "squirrel watcher", ha, ha

that's pretty funny - a friend gave me an extra suet feeder and a couple blocks of suet. I hung it on a branch and watched. I decided to call it what it is - a chipmunk feeder. That's all I ever saw! In fact a whole band of chippies moved out of the forest into my garden beds to be closer. It was all good fun until they helped themselves to the roots of my perennial flowers over the winter and wiped everything out.

That said, I've always preferred to be understood as someone who values watching birds over ticking off a list (tho I do keep a life list and will admit to enjoying seeing it grow and keeping 'score'). So in that respect I sometimes say I'm a bird watcher to make that distinction.

Very interesting - this is exactly what I've always thought to myself as well. I always thought of "birding" as the sport/hobby of id'ing birds, building annual and lifetime lists, etc. I haven't started any lists yet, but I do a ton of nature and bird viewing. So I usually explain to people that I'm "not a serious birder, more of a bird-watcher". Or, the shorter version is just to tell people I'm a neophyte - I still need to ask serious birders which warbler it is, or I need a field guide.

I've also noticed I'm happy to spend a half-hour watching the same bald eagles, one species, with no urge to find more varieties. The eagles are spectacular! If some ducks swim by, that's cool, I'll watch them too. I don't need to drive somewhere else to notch some shorebirds or whatever, I'll go watch the eagles 5 times in a row.

 

[Trinovid]

I'm happy to spend a half-hour watching the same bald eagles, one species, with no urge to find more varieties. The eagles are spectacular!

Me too, eagles and ravens for the win!

 

[emc]

that's pretty funny - a friend gave me an extra suet feeder and a couple blocks of suet. I hung it on a branch and watched. I decided to call it what it is - a chipmunk feeder. That's all I ever saw! In fact a whole band of chippies moved out of the forest into my garden beds to be closer. It was all good fun until they helped themselves to the roots of my perennial flowers over the winter and wiped everything out.

Wow, I wish I could get chipmunks to raid the feeder. I occasionally see one scamper across the patio. I left a few sunflower seeds on the patio to see if it would attract the little fella, but nothing.

 

[Yealm]

I first came across the term ‘birding’ in Bill Oddie’s book (I think from late 80s?) also defining ‘twitching’ etc

Still think of it as a bit ‘nouveau’!

 

[Scott98]

Me too, eagles and ravens for the win!

Both are such mysterious, spiritually powerful creatures to me. Ravens seem to have some kind of weird communication thing going on with my german shepherds. Eagles will sometimes seem to fly near or land in a tree near one of them. Can only guess what kind of sensory powers or instinctual intuition they share - to which we are oblivious.

I wonder if they're interested in wolf-looking animals because of evolving to share carcasses & kills and such over the eons. Ravens and eagles both seem to exist in the "social animal" category along with humans and wolves. I read somewhere that wolves and humans are the only daytime social hunting animals and that's the reason we started working together and formed the domestic partnership.

If you watch eagles and ravens they clearly both have social relationships and complex vocalizations and interactions w/ each other. Same thing w/ bobolinks, they approach the dogs all the time and seem to be exhibiting complex social behaviors. I've got a theory that they want to lead the dogs around the hayfields in play, so that the dog scent confuses the predators that come out at night to seek their nests. A couple of times they have appeared to lead one of shepherds into the field and seconds later I see a non-bobolink bird lift off, almost as if they're using the dogs to scare off their enemies (parasitic egg-layers). Of course I've got a healthy imagination