The life list

[Gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by RoyW

This makes it sound like you would scowl at any twitchers you happy to come across as if they were the lowest form of birdwatcher, and well beneath you.
It may of course be the case that they are lesser birders than you - but if you obviously treat them as such they aren't going to treat you in a friendly way!

Sorry, I should have used an , as I was being ironic . There are many types of birdwatcher, and I've probably been all of them at some point or other, as is true of a lot of people. You can be a birder who twitches, a twitcher who birds, even a dude who does the occasional twitch. If somebody told any of us that there was, say, an American Robin 2 streets away, we would probably all be there in a flash (even if we wouldn't admit to it). There's a bit of twitcher in all of us.

[Meta menardi]

Well this has been very interesting and informative. My comment elsewhere about walking 5 miles to see a barn owl rather than walking 100 yds to see a rarity needs qualifying, it should say "rather than walking 100 yards to see a rarity that I don't know enough about to understand. I can see that if I developed my expertise to the level that would let me see the back story and significance of the rarity, I would want to make a note of it.

I do remember the thrill of finding Hyptiotes paradoxus on Box hill some years ago, because I could see the strange web. Gatekeeper, I see (some of ) the light.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

Sorry, I should have used an , as I was being ironic . There are many types of birdwatcher, and I've probably been all of them at some point or other, as is true of a lot of people.

I didn't think that you were entirely serious (hence the multiple emoticons in my reply!).
It's true that many names will apply to most birdwatchers at some point - and everyone can be given a name (even Sunnydale).

[accipter]

how about well adjusted [that's sunnydale]

[sunnydale]

Originally Posted by accipter

how about well adjusted [that's sunnydale]

I quite like that, thank you!

Tracey

[Adam Cheeseman]

It doesn't matter what you call yourself so long as you enjoy watching the birds.

Twitchers is a term used both within the hobby and outside by the general public and the media more as a derogatory or micky-taking term than as a serious classification of what sort of birdwatcher you are. Twitching is the act of going to a particular place to see any particular bird (the rarer the better) based on prior knowledge. So anyone can in effect be a twitcher.

The current vogue is for the majority of people to be called (or call themselves) birders as a coverall term. Practically everyone keeps one or more lists whether they intend it or not.

Any information kept is of use to regional / county / local recorders and the more detailed it is the better. I have been asked for detailed information about a record of a Goshawk I saw in London a couple of weeks ago.

There are those in every hobby who behave badly and think they are above everyone else and in this case they aren't necessarily the 'twitchers' referred to in this and other posts.

Just get out there, don't worry about what to call yourself, enjoy and respect the birds while we still have them. Many of them are disappearing far too quickly.


Cheers,

Adam

[Deb London]

Originally Posted by sunnydale

The only list I have re birds is in my head. I know what birds I have seen and what I haven't....and I also know what birds I would be thrilled to see that I haven't yet seen! I don't feel a need to write all this down or to tick things off....so you could say that I'm not that serious about it and therefore don't really fit into any 'category'.

I go out walking regularly and just enjoy seeing the different birds as I go along. If I see something new, I'm really happy about it - like when I saw my first Ring Ouzel on Stanage Edge earlier this year - but I wont go out of my way to track something down that I haven't seen before.

Very occasionally, I'll visit a reserve or a specific area with the soul intention of walking around it/sitting in hides and doing nothing but 'bird watching'.
I enjoy it when I do it....but it's not something I could do on a regular basis.

When I'm out in the countryside, everything I see makes my walks more enjoyable. Birds, flowers, insects, fungi, mammals etc etc.

Nothing takes priority over anything else for me......I just love nature/wildlife in it's entirety.

Tracey

This is how I used to record things, in my head. Then I joined a "listing" site as my head was getting muddled, LOL. I have recorded every species since 21st September, 2011. I haven't visited any large water bodies or "exciting" places yet, so the list is still around 38.

I used to think that recording without purpose was "a" word (not sure if you are allowed this word and can't find a synonym). But I tried it because I was curious. Actually, it's given my birdwatching a kick up the behind. Last night I did something I haven't been bothered to do in ages. I went owl hunting, which requires a trip out, because of where I live. It was absolutely wonderful. I used to think that if I listed things I would just look for new stuff. But if I do one every year, then I can be a "big kid" seeing every species again at least once in that year, like it was my first time. Pure indulgence, but great fun. Although it can't last, next year things will tail off by the summer, and I will have to find my kicks doing something more productive instead.

[KentYeti]

My List is going to only be of birds I have got a decent photo of. And they will go on a web site I am developing currently.

My bird photography started in February this year and only last week did I catch up with editing all the photos down to ones I want to keep. Probably deleted some photos of birds I now no longer have a photo of. But that doesn't bother me, I don't want rubbish photos even if it is the only one of a particular bird.

No idea how many at present. Or if I have yet got a decent photo of all that visit my garden!

And I will include any birds I get a good photo of, regardless of where I see them. Garden, Wild, Conservation Centres etc. i.e if it gets between my camera and the horizon and it's an ok photo, it counts.

One benefit of my system is that there will never be any doubt as to what I have actually seen! LOL!

[Adam Cheeseman]

Originally Posted by Deb London

I used to think that if I listed things I would just look for new stuff. But if I do one every year, then I can be a "big kid" seeing every species again at least once in that year, like it was my first time.

Every New Year's Eve I can't wait to see what the first bird of the new year will be. Wow it's a starling!

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

Every New Year's Eve I can't wait to see what the first bird of the new year will be. Wow it's a starling!

Haha that's too true, no matter how many pigeons and things you see throughout the weeks before a Starling always appears first

Hoping for something a bit more exciting this year (or next!)