bird watcher

People birdwatching in Orchid, Florida.

Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars. Most birders and birdwatchers pursue this activity for recreational or social reasons unlike ornithologists who are engaged in the formal scientific study of birds.

Birding versus birdwatching

Birders in both Britain and the U.S. often differentiate themselves from birdwatchers. At the most basic level the distinction between 'birders' and 'birdwatching' is one of dedication or intensity. Generally, self-described birders are more focused on bird finding and study than general observation, and therefore tend to be more versed in minutiae such as moult, distribution, migration timing, and habitat usage. Dedicated birders tend to invest more in optical equipment such as spotting scopes, and may travel widely, whereas bird watchers tend to have a more limited outlook, perhaps to their local reserves, own gardens and/or as a holiday pastime, and investing less in optical equipment.^[1][2]

The History of Birding

Birding has emerged in recent decades as a popular hobby in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of persons consider themselves to be serious birders, and several million regard themselves as casual birders. Birding is even more popular in Britain than it is in the United States. Roger Tory Peterson played a central role in the emergence and defining of modern birding, both in the United States and Britain.

Birding in the United States was focused in the early and mid-20th century in the eastern seaboard region, with persons such as Roger Tory Peterson and Ludlow Griscom being especially influential in the early days. In the mid- to late 20th Century, many of the pioneering developments in American birding came out of California, where Guy McCaskie was particularly influential.

A history of birding in the United States is provided in a 2007 book by Scott Weidensaul (Of a Feather: A Brief History of Birding, Harcourt, Orlando).

Overview

Birders at J "Ding" Darling reserve, Sanibel, Florida.

The most active times of the year for birding in temperate zones are during the spring or fall migrations when the greatest variety of birds may be seen. On these occasions, large numbers of birds travel north or south to wintering or nesting locations.

Early morning is typically the best time of the day for birding since many birds are searching for food which makes them easier to find and observe.

Birders who are keen rarity-seekers will travel long distances to locate new and rare species, intending to add these to their list of personally observed birds. These lists often take the form of a life list, national list, state list, county list, or year list.

Seawatching is a type of birdwatching where observers based at a coastal watch point, such as a headland, watch birds flying over the sea. This is one form of pelagic birding, by which pelagic bird species are viewed. Another way birders view pelagic species is from seagoing vessels.

Many birders take part in censuses of bird populations and migratory patterns which are sometimes specific to individual species. These birders may also count all birds in a given area, as in the Christmas Bird Count. This citizen science can assist in identifying environmental threats to the well-being of birds or, conversely, in assessing outcomes of environmental management initiatives intended to ensure the survival of at-risk species or encourage the breeding of species for aesthetic or ecological reasons. This more scientific side of the hobby is an aspect of ornithology, coordinated in the UK by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Increasing seasonal bird populations can be a good indication of biodiversity or the quality of different habitats. Some species are persecuted as vermin, often illegally, as with the case of the Hen Harrier in Britain.

Twitching

Birders watching Britain's fifth-ever White-tailed Lapwing at Caerlaverock, Scotland, 6 June 2007.

"Twitching" is a British term used to mean "the observation of a previously located rare bird". In North America, it is more often called "chasing" though the British usage is starting to gain favor, especially among younger birders.

The end goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one's lists. Some birders engage in competition with one another to accumulate the most prolific species list. The act of the pursuit itself is referred to as a "twitch" or a "chase". A rare bird that stays put long enough for people to see it is called "twitchable" or "chaseable".^[2]

Twitching is highly developed among birders in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Ireland. The smaller regional size of these countries make it possible to quickly travel inside their borders with relative ease. The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn large crowds, such as a group of approximately 5,000 people who came to view a Golden-winged Warbler in Kent. Twitching is also highly popular in Finland and Sweden.

In the United Kingdom there exists a particular twitchers' vocabulary which is surprisingly well-developed and potentially confusing to the uninitiated. In the UK for example, "dipping" is the act of missing a rare bird you attempted to see, "gripped off" is how you feel when other twitchers see a particular bird but you did not, "suppression" is the act of concealing news or location of a rare bird from other twitchers, and a "dude" is someone who is uneducated or ill-informed about rare birds.^[2] Similar vocabularies have developed in other countries where twitching is popular.

Weather is important as the right wind conditions may lead to drift migration from the east, or American birds being caught in the tail end of hurricanes from the west.^[3]

Some competitive birding competitions include the following: Big Day: Teams have 24 hours to identify as many species as possible. Big Year: Like a big day, but contestants are individuals, and need to be prepared to invest a great deal of time and money. Big Sit: Birders must see birds from a 15-foot (4.5 m) diameter circle. Once birds are spotted, birders can leave the circle to confirm the identity, but new birds seen may not be counted.

Organizations

Prominent national organizations concerned with birding include the British Trust for Ornithology and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the United Kingdom and the National Audubon Society and American Birding Association in the United States. Many state-wide or local Audubon organizations are also quite active in the United States. BirdLife International is an important global alliance of bird conservation organizations.

Etiquette

As the numbers of birdwatchers increases, there is growing concern about the impact of birdwatching on the birds and their habitat. Birdwatching etiquette is evolving in response to this concern.^[4] Some examples of birdwatching etiquette include promoting the welfare of birds and their environment; avoiding stressing the birds by limiting use of photography and playback devices; keeping back from nests and nesting colonies; and respecting private property. ^[5]

Equipment

Birders using a tower hide to gain views over foreground vegetation. Bay of Liminka, south of Oulu, Finland.

Equipment commonly used for birding includes binoculars, spotting scope with tripod, a notepad, and one or more field guides. Hides or observation towers are often used to conceal the observers from birds, and/or to improve viewing conditions.Over the years optics manufacturers have learned that birding binoculars sell, and virtually all have specific binoculars for just that. Some have even geared their whole brand to birders

Photography

Photography has always been a part of birding, but in the past the cost of good cameras and long lenses made this a minority, often semi-professional, interest. The advent of affordable digital cameras, which can be used in conjunction with binoculars or a telescope (a technique known as digiscoping), have made this a much more widespread aspect of the hobby.

Socio-psychology

See also: Biophilia hypothesis

Ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen considers birdwatching to be an expression of the male hunting instinct.

Famous birders and ornithologists

See also: List of notable birdwatchers

• Salim Ali
• John James Audubon
• Pete Dunne
• Tom Gullick, current life-list leader
• Induchoodan
• Kenn Kaufman
• Bill Oddie
• Ted Parker
• Roger Tory Peterson
• David Allen Sibley
• Phoebe Snetsinger, life-list leader at the time of her death

See also

• List of birding journals and magazines
• List of country and regional avifaunas
• Notable birding-related books of the 20th Century
• Birdfeeding

References

External links

General

• BirdLife International is an alliance of bird conservation organizations
• Mybirdlists.com is a birdwatching site which allows you to store your bird lists online.
• wikiHow: How to Photograph a Bird, explains a way to photograph birds
• wikiHow: How to Bird Watch, explains how to birdwatch

Newsgroups

• alt.birdwatching
• uk.rec.birdwatching

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