Origin of Twitchers

[nightshade]

Could the term Twitchers be a corruption of TICKERS ?

[Walwyn]

It is said that it goes back to the 1950s when two guys travelled around the country on a motorcycle and sidecar. When they reached their destination one of them used to be shivering and hence the name 'twitching'.

BirdForum - View Single Post - birding v's twitching

[Tursiops2]

I've always understood "twitcher" to be a conflation of the phrases "tick-hunter" and "bird-watcher".
T

[yellowhammer]

According to Bill Oddie in his Introduction to birdwatching the term

'...was coined many many years ago among a then small group of rarity chasers, some of whom would get so over excited at the prospect of seeing a new bird, or so frantically nervous that they might miss it, that they would literally shake, palpitate or "twitch" with the emotion of the whole thing.'

Bill Oddie's Introduction to Birdwatching, 2002, New Holland Publishers, pp. 8-9.

[canonman]

Hi Nightshade
Have to agree with Ian, I understood the word was used to describe people running around the country chasing rare birds
Mick

[Adam Cheeseman]

Originally Posted by Walwyn

It is said that it goes back to the 1950s when two guys travelled around the country on a motorcycle and sidecar. When they reached their destination one of them used to be shivering and hence the name 'twitching'.

BirdForum - View Single Post - birding v's twitching

I believe the two gents in question were the late, great Richard Richardson and his young protege Ron Johns. I thought the shaking was through anticipation rather than the cold.

This is the most oft quoted tale by most birders that I know of when asked about the origin of 'twitchers'.

I am not a twitcher but I do go twitching now and again.

Cheers,

Adam

[almostnormal]

Originally Posted by yellowhammer

According to Bill Oddie in his Introduction to birdwatching the term

'...was coined many many years ago among a then small group of rarity chasers, some of whom would get so over excited at the prospect of seeing a new bird, or so frantically nervous that they might miss it, that they would literally shake, palpitate or "twitch" with the emotion of the whole thing.'

Bill Oddie's Introduction to Birdwatching, 2002, New Holland Publishers, pp. 8-9.

i don't ordinarily go twitching. i'm too lazy to go haring around the country at high speed looking for a bird that's invariably already flown off/been snaffled/died by the time you get there. however, a few years back a great knott landed in my patch and there was a helter skelter ride through back roads to get to the stretch of mud it was on. now i wasn't driving - a died-in-the-wool twitcher of great experience was - and i'll tell you this: i agree with bill oddie. i have never, in all my life, seen anyone get that excited about a bird. they were literally leaping about with the sheer excitement of it. mind you i was sat on a boat mooring breathing deeply and trying not to think about the near death experiences on the way to the bird so its possibly i was twitching too!