Twitching

Kosmiche

Kosmiche

Kosmiche

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Joined
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North Wales
Or bird watching.

I was wondering what you guys think of the word twitching used for bird watching, I think its a poor term.

Its like, you have this hobby thats about as nerdy as they come, and when people ask you what your past time is, you either have to say bird watching (look like a nerd) or twitching.

Not everyone knows what twitching is, ok most of us do but people like my mum for example wouldn't have a clue.

So here's a scenario, pat and suzanne on their first date:

Suzanne : So yeah my year's been a success. So, what do you do in your spare time?
Pat : I'm a twitcher.
Suzanne : Sorry you do what?
Pat : I twitch.
Suzanne : Do you take medication for that?
Pat : No it means I like to watch-
Suzanne : Right thats it! I'm leaving.

If you say you're a twitcher it sounds like you have a physical ailment.

Just wondering what do you guys think?

PS I am not a birdwatcher.
 
Isn't that that new-fangled internet malarkey where you can update people who you've never met with your current status 8423 times a minute?
 
Im an avid twitcher, just this morning I was watching a pair of Blue Ti.ts for what must have been hours. Then the family came to identify the body and I got a written warning for inappropriate behaviour...
 
Yeah because the outcome would be much better if you said you overclock computers or were a hardware enthusiast.
 
Bennie-Mac said:
Im an avid twitcher, just this morning I was watching a pair of Blue Ti.ts for what must have been hours. Then the family came to identify the body and I got a written warning for inappropriate behaviour...
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Legendary status unlocked.

Adam said:
Yeah because the outcome would be much better if you said you overclock computers or were a hardware enthusiast.
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This.
 
Have to say I've never heard the term. It does sound a bit silly and isn't really self explanatory. I'd just say bird watching. OR if I was that embarrassed about my hobby and felt so uncomfortable about telling people, I'd probably stop bird watching, tbh.
 
I don't understand how the word twitching is relevant to bird watching.

Yes there may be a few quick movements when you see a bird pop out of a bush but the same could be said about anything where you watch things that aren't immediately apparent. Stamp collectors spend a lot of time sticking things to other things, that doesn't mean should call them stickies.

On second though, please everyone from now on call stamp collectors stickies. Also just continue calling bird watcher sad *******s.
 
source
Twitching is a British term used to mean "the pursuit of a previously-located rare bird."
The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or checked off, on a list. The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used to describe the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher. Prior terms for those who chased rarities were pot-hunter, tally-hunter, or tick-hunter. The main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one's lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest 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 twitchable or chaseable.[
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a twitcher is not a bird watcher ;)
 
Eames said:
Or bird watching.

I was wondering what you guys think of the word twitching used for bird watching, I think its a poor term.

Its like, you have this hobby thats about as nerdy as they come, and when people ask you what your past time is, you either have to say bird watching (look like a nerd) or twitching.

Not everyone knows what twitching is, ok most of us do but people like my mum for example wouldn't have a clue.

So here's a scenario, pat and suzanne on their first date:

Suzanne : So yeah my year's been a success. So, what do you do in your spare time?
Pat : I'm a twitcher.
Suzanne : Sorry you do what?
Pat : I twitch.
Suzanne : Do you take medication for that?
Pat : No it means I like to watch-
Suzanne : Right thats it! I'm leaving.

If you say you're a twitcher it sounds like you have a physical ailment.

Just wondering what do you guys think?

PS I am not a birdwatcher.
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Twitching and bird watching aren't the same thing.

Twitching refers to people who travel all over the country try to spot specific rare birds, whilst bird watchers go anywhere and just watch whatever's about.

Birding, birdwatching, and twitching

The term birdwatching was first used in 1901; bird was introduced as a verb in 1918.[3] The term birding was also used for the practice of fowling or hunting with firearms as in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602): "She laments sir... her husband goes this morning a-birding."[4] The terms birding and birdwatching are today used by some interchangeably, although many participants prefer birding, both because it does not exclude the auditory aspects of enjoying birds, and because it does not have some associated negative connotations.
In North America, many birders differentiate themselves from birdwatchers, and the term birder is unknown to most lay people. At the most basic level, the distinction is one of dedication or intensity. Generally, self-described birders are more versed in minutiae like identification (aural and visual), molt, distribution, migration timing, and habitat usage. Whereas these dedicated birders may often travel specifically in search of birds, birdwatchers have been described by some enthusiasts as having a more limited scope, perhaps not venturing far from their own yards or local parks to view birds.[1]
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 there, especially among younger birders. The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or checked off, on a list. The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used to describe the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher. Prior terms for those who chased rarities were pot-hunter, tally-hunter, or tick-hunter. The main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one's lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest 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 twitchable or chaseable.[2][5]
Twitching is highly developed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden. The size of these countries makes it possible to travel throughout them quickly and with relative ease. The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn large crowds; for example, a group of approximately 2,500 people travelled to Kent, England, to view a Golden-winged Warbler.[6] Twitchers have developed their own vocabulary. For example, a twitcher who fails to see a rare bird has dipped out; if other twitchers do see the bird, he may feel gripped off. Suppression is the act of concealing news of a rare bird from other twitchers.[2]
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I would rather be called a birdwatcher than a twitcher. The latter makes you sound like some kind of posh pervert.
 
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