Are You a Birdwatcher or a Birder?

Joe Meche is vice president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and is in his 10th year as editor of the chapter newsletter. Joe is also a member of the board of directors of the Washington Brant Foundation. He has been photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years and has been watching birds for more than 50 years.

There is an incomprehensible body of work that discusses every aspect of birdlife, bird behavior and a variety of other subjects relating to birds. One thing that relates indirectly to birds is often overlooked, however. To complete the picture, you need the birdwatchers or, as they’ve come to be known recently, the birders. Other species might watch birds for any number of reasons, but with Homo sapiens, the reasons for watching—and the watchers themselves—can be as varied as their feathered quarry.

We know that indigenous peoples watched birds long before the first European ships reached the North American continent. Early explorers and settlers marveled at the diversity of the bird life they found in the new world. With the arrival of the scientist-birdwatchers and artists, there were numerous species to categorize and study, as well as illustrate. Today’s ornithologists, both professionals and dedicated amateurs, continue to add to the vast bank of knowledge that exists about every aspect of birdlife.

For the time being at least, let’s look beyond the scientists and artists and those who watch and study birds and concentrate on those whose pursuits are geared to watching birds for recreation. Keep in mind, however, that these days some folks who watch birds prefer to be known as birders. The gentle pastime of birdwatching has gone through a transformation of sorts and is now referred to more often as birding.

Observers of this etymological shift have opined that a more active and more competitive generation of birdwatchers consciously decided to forego the stereotypical image of a birdwatcher, with the floppy hat, sneakers and other less-than-exciting accoutrements, for a more action-oriented look. Birdwatchers stepped into a phone booth and exited as birders.

And then there’s the whole idea that a noun has become a verb, as in to bird. In Peter Cashwell’s offbeat and often humorous book, “The Verb ‘To Bird,’” this interesting turn of a word is chronicled by an English teacher who also happens to be an avid birdwatcher, or birder. Cashwell is quick to point out that a number of other words have suffered a similar fate as we race to keep up with modern technology and the rapid pace of today’s world.

This particular evolution of a noun into a verb has become so widespread that some magazines have adopted appropriate titles such as Birders’ World and Birding. Of course, there are diehards in every field, such as Birdwatchers Digest and even one that focuses on the quarry and not the pursuer; i.e., Wildbird. But, let’s not get too caught up in the etymology of birder and create more of a fuss than it’s worth. After all, it’s just a word.

Now that we’ve established birder as a way to identify ourselves, and birding is what we do, what’s next? Do we join a club of like minded individuals or just look at birds on our own? With the ever increasing popularity of watching birds as a pastime, the choice is completely up to you. Some prefer a low-key approach while others dive in headfirst.

If you’re new to the game, a cautious approach is perhaps the best way to go, given the addictive nature of this pursuit. Armed with the best binoculars you can afford and one or more of the popular field guides, you take it upon yourself to learn about birds and see why the popularity of birding is outpacing every other outdoor pursuit nationwide. Keep in mind that you’re entering a strange new world, made up of interesting creatures—some of which might even have wings.

There are far too many types of birders to profile in a limited space but keep in mind that the old stereotypes have fallen by the wayside, for the most part. They’ve been replaced by a sleeker, better equipped version that usually comes weighted-down with a vast arsenal of necessary field items, such as radios or cell phones, and tapes that play the songs or calls of any bird they might wish to lure into sight. And don’t forget the binocs and scopes with tripods. And cameras with long lenses and another tripod.

Of all the variations on this theme, preeminent among birder types are the listers.They work hard on their life lists. A necessity for personal recordkeeping, the life list is a birder’s way to keep up with every species they see from the cradle to the grave. It is rumored that real birders are measured by their life lists and some publications go so far as to offer annual reports that look more like a scoreboard than anything else.

When the true tedium of keeping a single life list takes effect, listing can be expanded to include a separate tally of the birds you’ve seen in your own backyard, city, county, state, continent, etc. Many people seem to place an inordinate amount of importance in the number of birds on one’s life list. Keep in mind that listing goes far beyond recording the number of species an individual has seen in their lifetime.

I mean, who would jump in their car, especially with today’s gas prices, and drive considerable distances to see a bird that has taken a wrong turn and ended up in a neighborhood in Tacoma, as opposed to its normal habitat in Siberia? The opportunity to add a rare bird to that life list is too much to pass up and still face your contemporaries. To borrow an adage from the avian world, large life lists are something to crow about.

The competitive side of birding also manifests itself in the free-form pursuit of birds on what has come to be known as a Big Day. A Big Day consists of gathering together teams to count species for a 24-hour period, with teams funded by major sponsors and cash prizes being the norm. Our local Birdathon is similar only in that we do the 24-hour stint, but our efforts pale by comparison when it comes to the intensity of the pursuit. We simply operate as a fundraising effort, and try to have a good time in the process.

Field trips are perhaps one of the better ways to see and learn birds while interacting with others who might be in the same learning boat. Field trips also provide one of the best platforms for multiple misidentifications. Again, the competitive side of the human animal comes out in the best of us as we try to get the first ID on a distant blip on the horizon. It is the nature of the beasts that we are.

Birding is a pastime that can also be pursued alone, and many of us prefer to go that route or with one other person who walks and thinks the way we do. If you go it alone for more nature appreciation and the solace of quiet places, chances are you might find more and even better birds. My own feeling about the ivory-billed woodpecker has always been that they have a noted distaste for large, noisy groups of humans.

So, whether you consider yourself a birdwatcher or a birder, keep in mind that more than with any other recreational pastime, the honesty of the individual birder is always a key component. If you happen to see a resplendent quetzal in Cornwall Park, for instance, we trust your identification skills but do try to get a good photo if you can. A couple of witnesses would be helpful, too.

Happy birding trails! §