How much birding do you do? (2 Viewers)

[Larry Lade]

I am retired after 34 years with the Quaker Oats Company. I have been actively birding four, five or six days a week since I retired three years ago. I usually do not bird on Sundays as we attend church and then I usually watch some sporting event on the television. When I do go out birding it is usually for four to five hours in the morning. Sometimes I will bird in the afternoon. Generally, I have found the birding to be much more productive in the morning than in the afternoon, so that is when I do most of my birding.

In hours spent birding, it would be anywhere from 16 hours to 30 hours a week. Sometimes it is "almost like a job", but I enjoy every minute of it!

Am I "some sort of a nut or what"?

We have taken trips around the states with the primary purpose of looking for birds. But, my wife is not quite as avid as I, so we do take "breaks" from birding to do other things.

Larry

 

[pduxon]

On a normal working week probably 5 hours but that doesn't include walking to Tesco's for a paper on Saturday and Sunday mornings (I have a list!!).

When I'm on holiday I'll try and do some (well usually alot). Trips to the New forest, Suffolk and Norfolk this year were virtually all bird related.

Days off usually inolve me off with the bins somewhere or other.

 

[Dave B Smith]

Normal weeks I just get in 4 to 6 hours. More in winter and less in summer. We do however try to make 3 to 4 "Birding" trips every year which we really enjoy.

I enjoy the trips more as we tend to find more new birds and I have to admit I find the search for the new a little more exciting that watching the old.

 

[cjay]

About the same as Pete. But weekends & days off eight to ten hours around my local patch. I rarley go anywhere else nowadays.

CJ

 

[pauco]

Hi Birdman.
Most saturdays are my birding days, from first light
till its to dark! in summer I try to get a few hours
in the evening, er indoors permiting, so i dont think thats to bad.

 

[cuddy]

Hi Birdman, as a patchwatcher who occasionally wanders further afield from November to Febuary i only get out at weekends and holidays and i average about 4 hours per week (weekends) but from March to October i will put in on average 10 hours rising to about 16/18 hours per week this depends on work which seriously interfears with my lesiure time.

 

[Denis J]

My wife and I are out almost every saturday and I walk my local patch every sunday morning our life list has almost reached 250 now and after 3 years our year list is usualy about 185 but this year I had an operation mid March and the doc told me to get out and walk as much as possible I had 6 weeks off work and was out every day bar 2 the result ..this years list 207 and about 20 life ticks so far this year still 4 weeks to go so you have to be optomistic!

 

[birdtree]

I try to go as often as possible.But usually get at least 1 day during the week approx 3hours a time and sneak a 4 - 6 hours on a sunday twice a month after I've dropped my eldest son off to work.
I have the habit of watching roadsides and the sky for possible good spots mostly looking for raptors.Mostly see Kestrels and Buzzards with the occasional Red Kite.

 

[nirofo]

I'm birding all the time, when I'm at work watching Buzzards, Common Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Jackdaws, Hoodie Crows, Rock Pipits, whatever. When I'm driving to and from work I see Grey lags, Whoopers, Hen Harriers etc. I never tire of bird watching wherever I am, while ever there's daylight I'm watching birds somewhere..

nirofo.

 

[christineredgate]

Hi Birdman ,very interesting is this question.Could it be that the males of the Forum have more birding time ,than us, poor, overworked hard done to females.No comments please either Peter,or Alan!!.
In the summer,I try to average at least 3-4 whole days per week,ie 6 hrs per day.If I had not to cook,clean,iron and shop etc, etc ,I would go out for at least 3 hrs per day.But then I am retired,ie from a 7 day job,so therefore have the time.But would love to spend more time out of doors.
There may be others such as myself who find that birdwatching is an ideal occupation for the less mobile among,st us,and if given the choice i would honestly be outside every day,but to answer your question ,Birdman,I would say,an average of 21 hrs in the summer,but perhaps 10 hrs in the winter.
Christine.

 

[Gill Osborne]

How many hours birding? NOT ENOUGH!!!!! Sadly, I'm a wage-slave and have to work full-time for the moment. In an average WINTER week I can only get out on my day off on Tuesday...and even that is usually restricted to about 11.30am - dusk! Reason being that I'm having driving lessons and Tuesday is my only day off...no driving lessons on Sundays!
During the summer months it's a lot better...much more birding done on the Tuesday and as our shop shuts at 2pm on Wednesday I can fit in a couple of hours or so at St Mary's or Holywell Pond!!! And hubby doesn't mind me having the odd evening up at St Mary's as it's light until quite late & there are loads of folks around! Sometimes he even comes along himself!!! Still can't get him as addicted as myself though!
Have not yet managed a 'proper' wildlife holiday as have to allow for himself not wanting to be dragged around reserves all,and every,day!!! I'm working on it though!!! One year, once I can drive, I plan to send him over to the Isle of Man for the TT and whilst he's away I'll get myself off to some reserves!!!
SOMETIMES, but not often enough, I'll get the chance to get out on a Sunday...depends whether his lordship wants to go elsewhere!!!

GILL XXXX

 

[Ashley beolens]

I suppose the answer is dependant on who you ask, in my oppinion not enough in my wifes too much! Its probably on average about 10 hours a week, but that does include holidays that are birding so a weeks full day birding and the odd 24 hour bird race, but I'd imagine if you took those out around 5 hours a week not nearly enough.

 

[cuddy]

Hi Gill been there its hard to be a birder when half of the team is not on board but thats life.

Hope you manage to find a balance and good birding in 2004.

 

[christineredgate]

Gill,you and I will have to put our heads together!!.I'm packing Barry off to the Dutch GP at Assen this year,so I will have a whole few days to myself,no cooking etc,and I can spend all my time birding not dashing home to prepare silly meals etc.So perhaps we can persuade them to go to the I O M TT together,provided of course that "yours " has a bike,not street cred to go by car,unless it is 2.4 and a dog!!.
Keep at it Gill,
Christine.

 

[Gill Osborne]

Thanks for the support Christine and Cuddy!
Neil is quite badly laden down with flu at the moment so hopefully I may get a couple of hours in at St Mary's tomorrow...and I'm working on Tuesday, but only for four hours or so...usually take bins to work with me so I can jump on the Metro straight to Coast when I finish!
Neil doesn't hate birding...he's mad about Moorhens!!! He just can't happily spend hours sitting in a hide like I do!
We had a holiday in the Lakes in 2002 at High Borrans Farm in a caravan and every evening I would leave him to his book and walk along the track to the small reservoir they had. I'd set up my tripod and scope and lazily scan the water...wasn't MUCH about...a few Mallard, Moorhen, Little Grebe,couple of Coot and, as the sun was going down, a party of 16 Canada Geese would noisily fly in. On the fourth day I noticed a weird looking duck and got the scope onto it and did a few sketches...looking in the field guide back in the caravan showed it to be a female Mandarin...my first! WHOOPEE!!!
And a Kingfisher showed the next day for a few hours! LOVERLY!!!
Plus, the day before we had to leave, I found out that there was a badger sett nearby and so found a sheltered spot that evening and waited! After about half an hour I saw my first wild badger....was SO exciting I was almost squeeking with excitement!!!
Neil DID join me a couple of times and found it really relaxing but, as he often tells me, he's not that bothered about knowing the names of what he's looking at!!! Strange man...I need to know or it drives me demented!!!
He doesn't mind me going off gallivanting as long as I don't go anywhere stupid....and I've sussed out the idea of doing my housework on Monday nights so I have Tuesday's free!!!

GILL

 

[Gill Osborne]

Christine,
Neil keeps talking about doing his Motorbike Test as he wants to go over to the TT on a bike...some of his bosses ride and he's ALWAYS getting invites to places.....sometimes abroad as well!!! He used to ride a bike when he was younger but I don't think it was on the roads so although he's been driving cars for nearly 19 years he doesn't actually have his motorbike licence yet! I was actually going to save up this autumn and give him the money, about £300 I think it was, as a Christmas pressie so he had no excuse!

GILL XXX

 

[CJW]

Neil keeps talking about doing his Motorbike Test as he wants to go over to the TT on a bike...
GILL XXX

And just wait until he comes back with tales of all the birds that you haven't seen and I've shown him ....

 

[Gill Osborne]

Aah now you wouldn't do that to me, would you??? That would be just TOO cruel!!! Having said that...Neil doesn't know one bird from another, bless him!!!
He DID once ring me up just as I was about to go to work...probably about early May 2001...and described this strange bird that he'd seen as he drove to the Brunswick site of his company...next to Big Waters NR. Well, from the description it sounded EXACTLY like a Red Kite!!! And one of the guys he works with who was following behind in a van, and does do a little bit of birding, said that it WAS a Red Kite!!! Grrrrr! Can't believe I was gripped off by my own (non-birder) husband!!! I tried to convince him that it was a Kestrel but no, he was adamant that it was a Kite!!! NOT FAIR!!! I'm still waiting for my first!

GILL XXX

 

[CJW]

Having said that...Neil doesn't know one bird from another, bless him!!!


GILL XXX

All the better Gill, I could tell him anything!!!

 

[Gill Osborne]

I'm going off you very rapidly!!! LOL

GILL XXXX