Twitchers

[stigofthedump]

Hi all.
Just having read two threads on Wab re rare birds and a quick google search on ‘twitchers’ could I ask a question?
Once a rare bird sighting has been made and people start to gather to view the bird is there a set protocol that people are expected to follow for the birds well being? Are there ‘marshals’ for the want of a better word, whom police the crowds on behalf of the bird?
Not a bird watcher myself so have no experience on such matters but would have thought that it could be quite distressing for the bird.

Vince.

[david156]

Hi.

Most of the people who go to see a rare bird use common sense and approached the bird and the situation as they would do for any bird. You do get a few 'over enthusiastic' people who try to get too close for one reason or another. During the summer I was watching a rare bird near salthouse in norfolk and a pro photographer was keen to get that close up shot much to the annoysance of everyone else. he did get the shot but it wasn't that great and people standing further back took better pictures covering the whole bird not just the face!
You also get one or two mindless idiots who just go for the tick and don't care how they get it!!!

Cheers David

[boogle]

i agree with the above posting, i think most birders will stay a safe distance away without disturbing the bird.The majority of birders are quite sensible and respect the rights of way and peaples property etc. Yes you do get over enthusiastic birders now and again but in the main most of us behave. Scopes and binoculars are designed for viewing from a distance.
The few twitches i have been on have been very informative and very educational, with birders swapping information on the birds origins and how it arrived upon our shores, with advice on other species and what else can be seen and where.
i have never seen anyone overstep the mark of respect on any twitch...we are after all birdwatching, not the paparzzi after a shot of Gordon Brown in his wifes lingerie !
Policing a twitch may be the next move of the elf 'n' saftey brigade though, maybe they will cage us all and give us hard hats and elbow pads just in case someone nudges against someone else.
Boogle

[stigofthedump]

It gladdens me to hear of such responsible attitudes. I suppose it makes sense that there being many people attending with a love of the subject they would in essence police themselves.

Thank you both for you input.


Vince

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by stigofthedump

Once a rare bird sighting has been made and people start to gather to view the bird is there a set protocol that people are expected to follow for the birds well being?
Vince.

Hi Vince

There is a standard Birdwatching Code of Practice. All main ornithological organisations/experienced birdwatchers recognise it as such. http://www.bto.org/notices/birdwatch...e/partners.htm

However, it's not always followed especially at twitches.

I've been out many a time in migrant fall areas where exhausted birds are regularly flushed from limited cover after traveling sometimes thousands of miles. Generally, behaviour at 'organised' twitches of single rare birds is in accordance with the Code of Practice, but you always get a few (photographers included) who breach that Code. Now the larger twitches are self policed by Marshals and, usually the finders organise viewing arrangements etc in a way as not to cause disturbance.

Code of Practice here:
http://www.bto.org/notices/birdwatchers_code/intro.htm
http://www.bto.org/notices/birdwatch...rare_birds.htm

[stigofthedump]

Many thanks for your very informative answer Picidae. The rare birds code of practice link especially lifted my spirits. I tip my hat to the responsible birdwatchers/twitchers who take this to heart.

As for those who's over riding priority is the 'must have photo' or tick. There are always going to be self centred people, unfortunately.

Self policing-I am all in favour of this

Many thanks again to all.

Vince

[Morph]

Not all Twitchers are quite as responsible as is being made out here, this is a post I placed in Birding UK :-

On Sunday 27th Sept the wife and I were at Cley Marshes just in the middle of a Spotted Crake flap. 2 coach loads of birders had arrived that morning I can’t say where they were both from but I know one was from Essex (I’ll come back to these later). We were in the Dawkes’s hide overlooking Carters Scrape, the area it was last seen. As the coach loads started to arrive the hide stared to fill up, it was at this point that one of these GENTLEMEN actually pushed my wife aside and stood directly in front of her. Now, I do have a short fuse and was just about to stuff his scope down his throat but the wife bundled me out of the hide and away to calm down. On Monday we called at Holme Dunes on the way home and met an elderly lady and her daughter who unprompted told us they were party to exactly the same kind treatment, on the same day, in the same hide. This is the sort of thing that gives twitchers a bad name and I hope the persons responsible read this and are totally ashamed of themselves.
The next thing to get me mad was on the dunes near Arnolds Marsh, we had spotted a flock of Snow Bunting feeding just under the overhang at the top of the dunes. We settled down into the dunes with a nice gentleman from the Essex party a comfortable distance with good views by binos as the flock moved along toward us. Another of the Essex party came along the top of the dunes and asked where they were which we told him. He then only goes down the reverse slope along and came back up and popped his head over the top of the dune exactly where they were, and of course they were off. This numpty doesn’t know the meaning of the words field craft; he may as well hang his optics in the shed now and forget it. Those birds were quite happy and moving in our direction, who knows what close up views we may have got, he only had to join us where we were to get a good view. Makes my blood boil !!!

To see the full thread click here.

[epops]

Another of the Essex party came along the top of the dunes and asked where they were which we told him. He then only goes down the reverse slope along and came back up and popped his head over the top of the dune exactly where they were, and of course they were off. This numpty doesn’t know the meaning of the words field craft; he may as well hang his optics in the shed now and forget it. Those birds were quite happy and moving in our direction, who knows what close up views we may have got, he only had to join us where we were to get a good view. Makes my blood boil !!!
another reason i gave up twitching to many of these type about nowadays

[Cellarman]

In my experience, many twitchers have little regard for any "rules", any other birders, or for the bird itself.

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Morph

Not all Twitchers are quite as responsible as is being made out here, this is a post I placed in Birding UK :-

On Sunday 27th Sept the wife and I were at Cley Marshes just in the middle of a Spotted Crake flap. 2 coach loads of birders had arrived that morning I can’t say where they were both from but I know one was from Essex (I’ll come back to these later). We were in the Dawkes’s hide overlooking Carters Scrape, the area it was last seen. As the coach loads started to arrive the hide stared to fill up, it was at this point that one of these GENTLEMEN actually pushed my wife aside and stood directly in front of her. Now, I do have a short fuse and was just about to stuff his scope down his throat but the wife bundled me out of the hide and away to calm down. On Monday we called at Holme Dunes on the way home and met an elderly lady and her daughter who unprompted told us they were party to exactly the same kind treatment, on the same day, in the same hide. This is the sort of thing that gives twitchers a bad name and I hope the persons responsible read this and are totally ashamed of themselves.
The next thing to get me mad was on the dunes near Arnolds Marsh, we had spotted a flock of Snow Bunting feeding just under the overhang at the top of the dunes. We settled down into the dunes with a nice gentleman from the Essex party a comfortable distance with good views by binos as the flock moved along toward us. Another of the Essex party came along the top of the dunes and asked where they were which we told him. He then only goes down the reverse slope along and came back up and popped his head over the top of the dune exactly where they were, and of course they were off. This numpty doesn’t know the meaning of the words field craft; he may as well hang his optics in the shed now and forget it. Those birds were quite happy and moving in our direction, who knows what close up views we may have got, he only had to join us where we were to get a good view. Makes my blood boil !!!

To see the full thread click here.

With respect, I doubt very much the people you describe were twitchers - few twitchers would bother with snow bunts or even spotted crake, fewer still arrive in coaches! Inexperienced, or just plain ignorant birders are just as likely to disturb birds as twitchers - if not more so. I rarely twitch birds myself, then only local ones, so I've no axe to grind either way, but I see as much bad behaviour from 'birders' as I do twitchers or photographers . . . well, maybe not photographers, who can be obnoxious at times! There are good and bad in all walks of life, I tend to find the vast majority are good but the bad get all the publicity.

The coaches sound like it might have been a bird or RSPB club outing to me?

Cheers
Jonathan