“Are you a birder if you don’t carry binoculars?” asks Charlie. It’s an interesting post, and he presents arguments both pro and con, so go take a read.
I’d argue that being a birder has a lot to do with interest and attitude, and not a thing to do with what equipment you carry. Two examples follow.
A few years ago when I started birding, I was very excited when I signed up for my first overnight, out-of-town trip. We carpooled to be ecological, and I was riding with the trip leader when we went by a schoolyard with a large flock of geese in it. I asked what they were, and was scathingly told that they were Canada Geese. How embarrassing, to not recognize such a common bird! No wonder he was annoyed with me. I timidly remarked that they looked different than others I’d seen, and was rewarded with a dirty look. You know where this is going, right? We met up with the other cars, and everyone was excited about the flock of brant they’d passed on the way to our meet-up. At that point, the leader of our trip and respected local birder said to me, in a loud voice, “We went right by there. Why didn’t you say something?” He had very nice binoculars, I might add, which he used as he repeatedly ignored “no trespassing” signs throughout the trip.
A more recent example is a local day trip to a park which contains a disc golf course. We met near the parking lot and as we walked around birding, the trip leader (again, a highly respected local birder, Audubon member, and owner of nice binoculars) repeatedly made remarks about the disc golfers. For example, “Oh, good, look who’s here with his hangover.” She spoke loudly and repeatedly about how disc golf should be banned and how all the players were stupid jerks. Worse, the reaction of the birding group was to think this was cute – more than one person told me how funny she was.
Are these examples of bad behavior, by which all birders should not be judged? Absolutely. They are individual aberrations, and I’d argue the same for obnoxious, annoying photographers. I still consider myself a birder, but if it’s binoculars that make the birder, I’ll start leaving mine at home.
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Bev – I’ll look forward to reading your post. I think we all agree that rude and abusive people aren’t birders we want to associate with, and give us all a bad name.
Cindy – I have those same experiences, where you bond with another person, however briefly, over shared enjoyment of nature and bird watching.
Interesting post Wren. My most memorable encounters with other bird watchers have been those unexpected moments when we bump into others who are out on their own enjoying birds with no other agendas or quotas to meet. We share a bit of what we’ve seen or heard then go on our separate ways.
Birds have no ego- thankfully
I have commented, and deleted the comments, several times because I find I am standing on a soap box and flailing my arms. Ohh, see, I’ve done it again. I find that I could go on and on. Excellent post. Thought provoking. I’ll think I too will blog about what you and Charlie have started.
Beau, you’re absolutely correct that it’s not just birders. I feel sorry for folks who can only feel good about themselves when they put someone else down.
Seabrooke – “I suspect birding in particular appeals to kids or people with impaired social skills or personal life, often with low self-esteem” ouch! Isn’t that what people say about blogging, too?
Mary – I also have had good experience with birding trips, and like Seabrooke, have met my share of nice, kind, helpful birders on trips and in the field. I think I’m going to remain a perpetual beginner, because everyone’s nicer in the litte leagues.
Wren,
This is interesting. I’ve been on one “beginning birder” walk and found it to be a pleasure. However, none of us had decent binoculars and I was the only one who carried a camera.
I would like to join a group one day and experience snooty people, take notes, and see what they have in their bags. Equipment does not make a birder. I prefer my camera over my binoculars but I’ve seen some serious photographers out there with tripods and lenses longer than my arm. Now, that’s intimidating! Not once would I pipe up with an ID for fear I’d be wrong – Oh, No!
I’ve never participated in organized birding trips like that, for a variety of reasons, a large one being a personal preference for solitude. However, I’ve heard some stories, not unlike what you describe. I think this applies to just about any pasttime, but I suspect birding in particular appeals to kids or people with impaired social skills or personal life, often with low self-esteem, because it’s something that they need no formal training in, and can do by themselves, but that they can become the best at. They develop their skills to boost their self-esteem, and then further it by boasting and putting others down. You often find the top-notch birders to be a little arrogant and rude, and often cocky, but it’s rare to find less knowledgable birders to be so. Fortunately, there are more friendly, helpful skilled birders than there are rude.
I would agree that birding is a matter of interest rather than equipment. I tend to bird just as often without binoculars these days as I do with, largely relying on sounds and behaviour for identification, or pishing stuff in if I want a closer look. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy watching a Brown Creeper foraging on the trunk of a tree even though you aren’t looking at it through a pair of lenses.
What a great post- and it’s not just birders of course. Birds have been a passion since my youth in so many ways- I remember not having binoculars at all for many years… we watched and listened. I was so much better at calls then! Now I find myself birding alone usually, joining other pursuits and while working outdoors. Saw two Golden Crowned Kinglets today!
Runaround – In the first case, I was too “green” and in the second I was brand new in the area, so in neither case did I have the nerve to directly confront the trip leader. I never went on a second trip with either one of them, and won’t ever do so. And I’m happy to say that those two were exceptions – in general, I find birders to be low key, helpful, and likely to go out of their way to be gentle in their knowledge-sharing.
Mike – I associate the bad behavior in question with those two individuals, but your point is valid nonetheless. I was fortunate to encounter many, many other birders who consistently exemplified patience, tolerance, and courtesy and encouraged my interest and participation.
Liza Lee – I’ve been on a lot of very enjoyable field trips, and I’ve learned a lot from them. I will say that when I was first starting out, it was more comfortable to join a group that was intended for beginners and may be why I avoided other incidents like these two. I also have occasionally hired a guide to go birding with me when I’ve been somewhere out of town, and have accepted offers from kindly-disposed birders to go out with them one-on-one which is probably the best way to learn.
Deborah – I first heard of Disc Golf when I was in a sporting goods store and saw the discs for sale. I’m sure the sales staff were amused at my blank look when they explained what the discs were for and how the game was played. I like your idea for appropriate punishment, and it’s certainly not hard to find pigeons to perch above the turkeys.
I don’t particularly enjoy going out by myself, though I do sometimes. But I agree, I find a group of 2-3 much more fun and I learn more than when I go with organized field trips.
This is a really terrific post for several reasons. I’d not heard of ‘dics golf’ before; had to Google it. I wonder how prevalent it is? Do we have to start saying ‘ball golf’ yet whenever we mean plain old regular golf? Good to know, anyway. And birders with bad manners, whether they bad mouth other outdoor enthusiasts (golfers or whatever) or ignore No Trespassing signs should all be rounded up and forced to stand beneath a flock of nervous pidgeons! As for the whole “Who’s a real birder” issue, I place my vote for interest, with or without equipment! When I first started birding I had some good advice from an expert. He said, Go out on your own for a while at first. Don’t go birding with people who know more than you. They are often ‘gunslingers’ and will quickly call out the names of birds as they see them, and you never get to develop your ID skills on your own. I still prefer birdwatching with just a friend or two, but sometimes larger tours are more practical, especially if you travel somewhere for a specific birding event.
What a great addition to a conversation. I haven’t been on any organized birding trips — local or out of the area. One of the reasons I haven’t gone out with experienced birders is just the sort of experiences you talk about. So many people feel the need to make themselves more important by putting other people down. -llm.
Nice points, Wren. I think this could instigate an entire new conversation on tolerance among birders, a trait that some enthusiasts possess in abundance and others are sorely lacking!
When I come across an idiot like you’ve described it makes me glad I’m not timid. I’ll let the clown have a piece of my mind. It does make me wonder if the leader is really “highly respected” or just tolerated by the local birding community. I’ve met a few of these types over 20 years of birding and while they are really good at field ID, have a vast knowledge of birds, and they are vocal at club meetings or on online message boards, they aren’t truly respected.
I find it helpful to carry a copy of the ABA Code of Birding Ethics in my field bag. When you are stuck with a really bad leader, it helps to point out boorish behavior, especially if there are newbies on the trip who shouldn’t learn from a bad example.
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