What irrates you when birding! (1 Viewer)

[Allen S. Moore]

STRINGERS!!!

i am currently very annoyed with people who are unable to tell Sabine's Gull from Kittiwake.

I believe there should now be an open debate about whether they should be named and shamed!

On tuesday i was having a very enjoyable day at Cley, when my cursed pager - evil inventions - went off to inform of a juv Sabine's off West Runton, i knew for sure it wouldn't be a juv, as currently black headed gulls have only just fledged, so a fledgling sabs would hardly be able to fly from the arctic to west runton, but West Runton is very near my patch and chance of it being a 1st sum plus fact that they occasionally turn up in the summer was enough to have me cycling the nackering hilly 8 miles to the site. At the exact spot it was reported a 1st sum Kittwake was feeding close inshore - nothing special about it - just a standard kittiwake.

So a complete waste of my time, i'm still gob-smacked someone could make an error like this, but to make matters far worse, the place i was next going to before the pager went off was Dauke's hide - at exactly the same time as the Lesser Yellowlegs was being found - finding stuffs what i most enjoy, but never seem to have much luck, and this curse has struck again!

I admit i'm learning the lesson the hard way, but i'm hardly the kind of birder who relies on my pager, for instance i didn't go and see the trumpeter this spring even though i work close by - as i say i like finding things.

I'm extremely tempted to name and shame now as all the reports this person has made have been extremely dubious and yet again he has been rumbled, however it begs the question should an individuals name be put on the pager when they are reporting news, would this put off some people or would reports hold more integrity. Would other birders be able to forgive the occasional mistake or overzealous identification from an otherwise reliable observer - should birders be given a reliability score - or is that too Big Brother - this attitude being a sad indication of how birding is more about the reliability of the birder rather than the birds themselves. - i'm now thinking of ditching the pager for good.

I've learnt my lesson, but it was an unfortunate chain of events - (a regular occurence for me), but had i known the name of the finder of the 'Sabine's' i'd now be writing about how i'd co-found a Lesser Yellowlegs - hopefully this could be a lesson for us all!

Ignore or, yes indeed, get rid of your pager. As you write, it is much more satisfying finding your own birds.
Allen

 

[Pete Mella]

Not so much as a birder than a walker, but people who pick up their dog's mess in plastic bags, and then drop the pastic bag on the floor. As disgusting as dog mess is, at least when dumped on a path sans bag it can wash away/biodegrade. Who do they think's going to pick up their doggy tod wrapped in plastic? The bloody sh*te fairy?

And off road bikers very, very much seconded.

 

[Allen S. Moore]

Lists

General snobbery regarding birding ability in relation to lists - i.e low lists = crap birder. Admittedly sometimes true, but equally likely to be untrue.

Do people really ask you the size of your list?

 

[symphony]

Not so much as a birder than a walker, but people who pick up their dog's mess in plastic bags, and then drop the pastic bag on the floor. As disgusting as dog mess is, at least when dumped on a path sans bag it can wash away/biodegrade. Who do they think's going to pick up their doggy tod wrapped in plastic? The bloody sh*te fairy?

And off road bikers very, very much seconded.

Likewise seconded on the dog crap (can I say that on here?!). There's an area near home I hardly visit now as someone sees fit to throw it into a tree and leave it hanging and putrifying in the plastic bags!

 

[sideshow bob]

Do people really ask you the size of your list?

In general no, I'm not accosted my random people demanding to know how big my list is!

But birders often discuss lists, be it their own or others. And there is often a certain amount of snobbery attached to list size.

 

[sideshow bob]

Not so much as a birder than a walker, but people who pick up their dog's mess in plastic bags, and then drop the pastic bag on the floor. As disgusting as dog mess is, at least when dumped on a path sans bag it can wash away/biodegrade. Who do they think's going to pick up their doggy tod wrapped in plastic? The bloody sh*te fairy?
QUOTE]

:t: :t:

Heartily agree. Shite fairy - quality!

 

[symphony]

Do people really ask you the size of your list?

I have been asked this on an RSPB outing. Attempted one-upmanship methinks.

 

[Allen S. Moore]

Likewise seconded on the dog crap (can I say that on here?!). There's an area near home I hardly visit now as someone sees fit to throw it into a tree and leave it hanging and putrifying in the plastic bags!

This sort of thing astonishes me as to how thick some people are, yet the same people will be the ones that believe that they are above everything else on the planet.

 

[symphony]

People who make no (or feeble token attempts) to control their disobedient dog which then jumps up covering you in mud.

Even worse-dog jumps up and scratches my Trinovids. It happened a couple of weeks ago-another good reason to use a rainguard (or preferably a ******* dog lead!!)

 

[symphony]

This sort of thing astonishes me as to how thick some people are, yet the same people will be the ones that believe that they are above everything else on the planet.

Dog owners who get defensive or even aggressive when you ask politely "Please could you request fluffy Fido be good and remove his teeth from my leg? (if you/he don't mind that is, I'm terribly sorry to be a nuisance)"
Oh, he's a Free Spirit? Well I like to feel that way when I'm out enjoying nature. (Is he Free when locked up eight hours a day?)

 

[Pete Mella]

This sort of thing astonishes me as to how thick some people are, yet the same people will be the ones that believe that they are above everything else on the planet.

I just don't see the point. Why bother picking up the dog mess in the first place if you're going to drop it again? It's as if they know they should be using doggy bags, but aren't bright enough to work out what to do next.

Dog nappies. It's the only way forward.

 

[Pariah]

Even worse-dog jumps up and scratches my Trinovids.

Can completly agree. Bought a brand new car last year. Took it out birding the first weekend, driving down on carnsore point. Woman wit a pack of mutts off leads, one runs straight at the car barking and slobbering and jumping up at my window.
The sound of uncut dog nails scratching up and down my door....drowned out by profanities measurable on the richter scale!

Owen

 

[Robin Edwards]

Sorry folks, I feel a grumpy old man moment coming on...........

I like dogs but dislike their owners who walk them off their leads, have no control over them and continually shout to address this inability. I dislike it even more when they are in places where nature needs protection. Holkam Gap in winter or Wells Woods spring immediately to mind.

As for those who pick up their dog's mess, bag it and fling the bag into the bushes as often happens around here, clearly need some help. I only wish I could catch someone in the act so that I could help them personally !!

Grump grump

Robin

 

[BobTag]

In general no, I'm not accosted my random people demanding to know how big my list is!

That's 'cos it's so small

But birders often discuss lists, be it their own or others. And there is often a certain amount of snobbery attached to list size.

Doh!

 

[symphony]

As for those who pick up their dog's mess, bag it and fling the bag into the bushes as often happens around here, clearly need some help. I only wish I could catch someone in the act so that I could help them personally !!



Robin

Aversion therapy, a very convenient form of 'therapy' with the necessary materials readily to hand!

 

[symphony]

'Superior' birders or local experts who smile condescendingly when you report a scarce bird.

Or not even scarce. RSPB trip doing the end of day group list: ".. and 3 Goosanders in off the sea". "Obviously RB Mergasers then". "No, Goosanders". "If they came in off the sea they're MERGANSERS, GOT IT?!
Sigh.

 

[ColinD]

This sort of thing astonishes me as to how thick some people are, yet the same people will be the ones that believe that they are above everything else on the planet.

Never mind dogs, you may be appalled to learn that anglers at my local patch do exactly the same with their own "waste". T*ssers :C

 

[ColinD]

Surely the old names were the pretentious ones?

Nope, most of the old names were so called because they meant something real to the people who named them.

You know, just because we only get one species of Wren in Europe/UK we think it's OK to use the family name without a species part...

OK, I agree, Winter Wren is a rubbish name, but when we get it right it's a good step forward; think Northern Wheatear for example, which is a great name and now in very common & widespread usage.

Agreed. I don't object to standardising bird names (though I probably won't use the new names in everyday use), but it does irratate me when the name gets changed to something even less logical. Winter Wren is just plain wrong......

 

[ColonelBlimp]

People who think my scope is a camera and wait patiently by the side of it for me to take my "photo".

Drunken idiots who inexplicably appear at a nearby quite rural reservoir who think that someone watching birds has no life despite themselves pointing and laughing whilst lolling about wearing ripped piss-stained shirts and carrying bags of empty tins.

The all-year-round Christmas trees in my local patch, with baubles of dog crap dangling daintily in non-biodegradable plastic bags.

But for that and more, I couldn't care less when it is balanced against even the sheer excitement of self-finding a Little Ringed Plover on my local patch!

But for...

Even worse-dog jumps up and scratches my Trinovids. It happened a couple of weeks ago-another good reason to use a rainguard (or preferably a ******* dog lead!!)

let's just say my tripod would have been placed somewhere interesting...

 

[BobTag]

Anyone who believes that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers are still live and well roaming the US, and insists on believing the ridiculous conspiracy stories…

What a waste of money and reputation. Tragic.