Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye, or usually through a visual enhancement device, most commonly binoculars. Most birders or birdwatchers pursue this activity for recreational or social reasons, unlike ornithologists, who are engaged in the formal scientific study of birds. Ornithologists can, however, study birds using the same methods as birders.^{[citation needed]}

Birding versus birdwatching

In both Britain and the U.S., birders often differentiate themselves from birdwatchers. At the most basic level, the, possibly elitist, distinction is one of dedication or intensity. Generally, self-described birders are more versed in minutiae such as moult, distribution, migration timing, and habitat usage. Whereas dedicated birders may travel widely, bird watchers have a more limited scope, perhaps to their own gardens.^[1][2] Birders may also try to look for as many species as possible, while birdwatchers may try to just observe one bird without worrying about finding more.

Overview

The most active times of the year for birding in the temperate zones are during spring and fall migration when the greatest variety of birds may be seen. These birds are travelling 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. Success in locating the more interesting species typically requires detailed knowledge of their appearance, sounds, behavior, and most likely habitat, in addition to stealth and patience.^{[citation needed]}

Birding can be one of the quieter and more relaxing outdoor activities. However, birders who are keen rarity-seekers will travel long distances to see a new species to add to the list of birds they have personally observed (like 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.

Many birders take part in censuses of bird populations and their migratory patterns which are sometimes specific to individual species, and sometimes count all the 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 the 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 indicator of biodiversity or the quality of different habitats. Some species may be persecuted as vermin, often illegally like the Hen Harrier in Britain, under the usually false perception that predatory species increase in number at the expense of other species of birds, insects, or smaller mammals. In most cases, the reverse applies: the population of predatory species is controlled by the abundance of the prey species. Bird counts in defined geographic areas can therefore be useful from a scientific perspective.^{[citation needed]}

Twitching

"Twitching" is a British term used to mean "the pursuit of a previously located rare bird". In North America it is more often called "chasing", though the British usage is starting to catch on in North America, especially among younger birders. The British term is said to come from the frenzy that descends on some when they receive news of a rare bird. The term may derive from one of its first proponents, who used to arrive on his motorbike in freezing weather in the early 1960s, still "twitching" from the cold. 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 biggest species lists. 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".^{[citation needed]}

Twitching is probably most highly developed in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Ireland because their small sizes make it possible to travel within their borders quickly with relative ease. The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn crowds of up to 5,000 people at any one time (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 for the uninitiated. In the UK for example, "dipping" is the act of missing the rare bird you tried to see, "gripped off" is how you feel if other twitchers see the bird but you didn't, "suppression" is the act of concealing news of a rare bird from twitchers, and a "dude" is someone who doesn't know much about rare birds. Similar vocabularies have developed in all countries where twitching is popular. Twitchers often have mobile phones and, especially in Europe, pagers to keep constantly informed of rare bird sightings and weather. Weather is important, since the right winds can lead to drift migration from the east or "Yankees" caught up in the tail end of hurricanes from the west.^{[citation needed]}

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.

Competitions

A North American one-day birding competition is called a "Big Day"; in Britain it is called a "Bird Race". Teams trying to win such competitions usually have 24 hours in a designated geographical area to do so. They commonly drive hundreds of kilometers. Some record-chasers have employed private jets and helicopters in the enterprise.^{[citation needed]}

The most popular birding competitions in the United States are the one-day World Series of Birding which is held in New Jersey in May and the five-day Great Texas Birding Classic held in April.^{[citation needed]}

Equipment

Equipment commonly used for birding includes binoculars and a telescope or spotting scope with tripod, a notepad, and one or more field guides.

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

It has been suggested that birdwatching is a form of expression of the innate need for human connection to the environment. (See also Biophilia hypothesis) Ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen considered birdwatching an expression of the male hunting instinct. Indeed, most birders (especially those below middle-age) are male; however, one of the top world listers was a woman, Phoebe Snetsinger. The idea of birding as a completely male-oriented activity is not accurate, though twitching in the UK is heavily male dominated.^{[citation needed]}

Another intriguing connection has been that of the interest in birds by spies. There have been several cases of spies who were serious ornithologists such as Sidney Dillon Ripley, St. John Philby and Richard Meinertzhagen.^{[citation needed]}

Famous birders or ornithologists

• Kenn Kaufman
• Ted Parker
• Roger Tory Peterson
• Phoebe Snetsinger
• David Allen Sibley
• John James Audubon
• Salim Ali
• Induchoodan
• Bill Oddie

See also

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

Notes

1. ^ Dunne, Pete (2003). Pete Dunne on Bird Watching. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-90686-5. 
2. ^ Oddie, Bill (1980). Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book. Frome & London: Butler & Tanner Ltd.. ISBN 0-413-47820-3. 

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