Does anyone like me think twitching gives birdwatchers a bad reputation (1 Viewer)

[stevo]

Like every hobby there are always one or two that give everyone else a bad name.Every hobby has it's lunatics,on the whole as someone who has twitched i've only once or twice seen bad bad behaviour.I can recount a bright yellowcoated twitcher entering an out of bounds field in order to see a great spotted cuckoo,& repeating the same behaviour(minus raincoat)to see monties harrier.

Cheers.

Steve.

 

[Mike C]

Having been to Chesterfield on Monday and today, I can tell you that the events I witnessed will have done nothing but enhance the good reputation of the British bird watcher / birder / twitcher.

Good natured banter between ourselves and informative chats with "Joe Public" were the order of the day.
No pavements or car parks were blocked despite approximately 50 being present both occasions I was there and the church cafe did a roaring trade (well it did just after midday today).

Reputations enhanced all round

 

[pwhite65]

Concerning twitchers and their reputation?

:flyaway:I came across this thread and confess that I am upset far more by anti-twitcher comments made by bigots than I have ever been by their supposed misdemeanours. Temmie, I'm with you and can see where you are coming from.
Ian, if you cannot keep your huffing and puffing to reading the Daily Mail, at least learn some spelling and grammer so that your complaints make sense. Honestly, I wonder if you can enjoy yourself without demonising half of the people who happen to share your enjoyment of birds.

Putting others down doesn't automatically raise you to a higher moral position, except maybe in your own eyes!

 

[pratincol]

.............'keep your huffing and puffing to reading the Daily Mail'
Daily Mail references are insult of choice on internet forums these days.
I often read the Daily Mail online-it is very entertaining and informative.
As for criticising the spelling and grammar, well that is getting desperate.This ploy is often used on a travel forum I sometimes read.Some smart Alec,makes a snide reference about the forum poster-referring to their poor standard of spelling and grammar.
What has that got to do with the discussion?
It is not as if internet forums are models of perfect English.
'Putting others down doesn't automatically raise you to a higher moral position, except maybe in your own eyes!' says the forum poster- thus putting Ian down - and he has insulted the millions of people who read the Daily Mail.
You might as well paste and copy pwhite's posting and use it as a template for insulting people on internet forums.

 

[IAN JAMES THOMPSON]

:flyaway:I came across this thread and confess that I am upset far more by anti-twitcher comments made by bigots than I have ever been by their supposed misdemeanours. Temmie, I'm with you and can see where you are coming from.
Ian, if you cannot keep your huffing and puffing to reading the Daily Mail, at least learn some spelling and grammer so that your complaints make sense. Honestly, I wonder if you can enjoy yourself without demonising half of the people who happen to share your enjoyment of birds.

Putting others down doesn't automatically raise you to a higher moral position, except maybe in your own eyes!

In fact I don't read the Daily Mail, but I don't mind if anyone does.
Ian.

 

[Egret]

Daily Mail

.............'keep your huffing and puffing to reading the Daily Mail'
Daily Mail references are insult of choice on internet forums these days.
I often read the Daily Mail online-it is very entertaining and informative.
As for criticising the spelling and grammar, well that is getting desperate.
It is not as if internet forums are models of perfect English.

I am reminded of a joke:

Man walks into his house and says to his wife, "That parks getting worse; today, I stepped on a big lump of Daily Mail; fortunately there was some dog crap handy to wipe it off with."

 

[pratincol]

I am reminded of a joke:

Man walks into his house and says to his wife, "That parks getting worse; today, I stepped on a big lump of Daily Mail; fortunately there was some dog crap handy to wipe it off with."

Laugh? I almost broke my ribs.
What paper do you read then, Mr Superior?

 

[Egret]

Laugh? I almost broke my ribs.
What paper do you read then, Mr Superior?

I gave up reading the papers many years ago. They just got too miserable and too full of lies for my taste. While I do think that the Mail is amongst the worst (the vaccination nonsense cost children's lives), I think most of them are more inaccurate and biased than is reasonable. Does that make me "Superior"? I think that cynical and pessimistic would fit better.

 

[MTem]

Does anyone like me think that Ian as had his answer loud and clear from this thread, and that this thread now risks giving birdwatchers a bad reputation...?

 

[pratincol]

Does anyone like me think that Ian as had his answer loud and clear from this thread, and that this thread now risks giving birdwatchers a bad reputation...?

They just reflect humanity.
In all my years birdwatching I have met the grumpy 'is it still showing' brigade who have never learnt words such as 'good morning','please' or 'thankyou'.
I have come across Mr 'One-upmanship' on many occasions.No matter what birds you have seen or where you have been, they will always trump you.
Many a time I have bumped into a local 'Mr.Know-all' who strangely, doesn't appear to know anything- especially useful information about local birds or locations.There are a few of these around.
Sadly a later entrant to this motley crew is the 'David Bailey' brigade- wanting to get as close to a bird as possible to capture a precious photo.Never mind trampling over precious habitats or disturbing breeding or passage birds.
The common thread?-selfish behaviour.
On the other hand, I have met many decent, kind people on my bird watching escapades.
All human life is there.

 

[Nutcracker]

I gave up reading the papers many years ago. They just got too miserable and too full of lies for my taste. While I do think that the Mail is amongst the worst (the vaccination nonsense cost children's lives), I think most of them are more inaccurate and biased than is reasonable. Does that make me "Superior"? I think that cynical and pessimistic would fit better.

Agree, though there are still one or two decent people around in the papers, notably George Monbiot in the Guardian.

 

[pratincol]

Agree, though there are still one or two decent people around in the papers, notably George Monbiot in the Guardian.

He is not afraid to put his head above the parapet, that is for sure!
He faced the wrath of Cumbrian farmers when he dared suggest overgrazing by sheep was bad for wildlife.He met over a hundred of them and got shouted down.
Undeterred he was back in the Lakes again,last week,reporting on the dearth of wild life on the fells.
On the other hand,there is much being done locally in terms of re wilding-something you wouldn't be aware of unless you speak to local farmers or keep an eye on the local press.
Over the past few years I have seen some really positive changes,for the better,in the nearby fells and valleys.
So even George does not always present the full picture.

 

[stuartvine]

I am reminded of a joke:

Man walks into his house and says to his wife, "That parks getting worse; today, I stepped on a big lump of Daily Mail; fortunately there was some dog crap handy to wipe it off with."

Apologies in advance, but I'm going to "borrow" that joke o

 

[Andy Adcock]

Does anyone like me think that Ian as had his answer loud and clear from this thread, and that this thread now risks giving birdwatchers a bad reputation...?

I agree, personally think it got tired and repetitive ages ago.

There will always be the 'holier than thou' brigade in all walks of life.

You don't have to mingle with twitchers if you don't want to and their reputation, deserved or not, should not bother you if you're not one of them.

Well behaved twitchers, the majority, have more cause to be aggrieved with the taint to their reputation than those who do not twitch so I see no point or value in the OP at all.

Andy

 

[NearlyNoviceBirder]

Sadly a later entrant to this motley crew is the 'David Bailey' brigade- wanting to get as close to a bird as possible to capture a precious photo.Never mind trampling over precious habitats or disturbing reeding or passage birds..

Seems a bit harsh on Mr Bailey
http://www.davidbaileyphotographywales.co.uk/section455318.html
"wildlife consultant, photographer and cameraman, he has also appeared on Springwatch and is a Patron to the UK Otter Trust.
Winner of the 2011 Welsh Wildlife Photographic Award, Finalist of the 2014 European Wildlife Awards besides receiving many other credits for his work"

 

[pratincol]

Seems a bit harsh on Mr Bailey
http://www.davidbaileyphotographywales.co.uk/section455318.html
"wildlife consultant, photographer and cameraman, he has also appeared on Springwatch and is a Patron to the UK Otter Trust.
Winner of the 2011 Welsh Wildlife Photographic Award, Finalist of the 2014 European Wildlife Awards besides receiving many other credits for his work"

Not THAT David Bailey!-oh never mind!

 

[stuartvine]

Not THAT David Bailey!-oh never mind!

:t: :t: :t:

 

[Himalaya]

I think it is unfair to say twitching gives birders a bad name. Twitchers are a rare breed and I do not know how they manage to get to the other side if country with all the obstacles people face on a day to basis. I admire and dislike twitching both at the same time. I admire it because I want to see as many birds as possible myself. I dislike it because all it appears to at times is another on the list and all that money wasted. I will go to local twitches ie within 20 miles and if that bird stays. It is rather an extreme form of birding but they don't cause people harm.

 

[pete seaman]

Many non-birders are confused by people who simply enjoy birding (myself) to other people who dedicate a lot of their time to finding bird species to add to their tick list in a serious manner (twitchers)

If I am asked what my hobbies are I say 'birding' (and other interests of course).... and the first response I get is 'so you are a Twitcher'. :eek!:

As for the title of this thread - I would say live and let live and 'birding' people mingle no matter how serious they are about birding. I see the experience of birds there to be shared, and enjoyed no matter what level you are on.

So folks, enjoy yourself and your hobby is the best motto I can give here. :-O

I have a bog standard answer to being a twitcher Kathy,that is to say that I have been called a lot worse things in my time,I admit to doing a bit of twiching in my (mispent) past but really do not see the difference between someone going miles to see a lost bird or me going up the road to our local reseve to see the birds cousin.

 

[Gomphus]

Was thinking about this thread last night and actually realised I have seen more trespassing etc by so called birdwatchers than I ever have by twitchers, we have had to challange a good number of birdwatchers who have climbed over gates and into areas clearly marked Private Conservation areas at my local patch or who seem to think its fine to wander round flushing birds. And as for some of the answers you get back after asking people nicely to respect the signs..... Its totally wrong, and misleading to portray twitchers bad, birdwatchers good!