Mary, et al:

My contention is that birding is more or less a sport in which
binoculars replace bullets.
It's fun, it can be competitive in a fun, light-hearted way or
ruthless as The Big Year portrayed, or immaturely selfish as when
listers won't share their findings.
Birding is at its best when sightings (species and numbers) are
reported to sources (E-bird, Cleveland Bird Calendar, Ohio Cardinal,
Ohio Ornithological Society, winter bird surveys, etc.) which results
in documentation which aids science which is in turn essential to bird
and wildlife conservation.  Having become one of America's most
popular pastimes, it has been effectively used to document species
decline, range expansions, migration corridors, etc.

Birdwatching, although recognized as the predecessor to the relatively
modern phenomenon of birding, is watching birds at a greater length
than needed to identify and count.
The Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas is a prime example of a birdwatching
opportunity as it requires a greater degree of observation - namely
behavior - in order to determine the breeding status of a particular
bird. Observation of behavior, be it breeding, wintering, migratory
foraging, etc., reveal insights into the ecology of birds which
provides a greater depth of knowledge which is again, a contribution
to science and subsequently conservation on a different, if not higher
level.

Having said that, I am a proponent of birdwatching -- wildlife
watching in general - as the next level to aspire to, perhaps after
the listing desire becomes fulfilled locally.  Graduating beyond the
superficiality of birding (again, none-the-less valuable if sightings
are reported to data repositories) to birdwatching not only provides
greater knowledge of individual species, but offers another level or
dimension of reward and satisfaction as the observer becomes more
acquainted with
individual species.  Greater appreciation stands to foster active
advocation for conservation that, birders and birdwatchers alike, will
find as another threshold to cross.

Dan Best, Senior Naturalist - Geauga Park District


On Nov 5, 2011, at 9:45 AM, Mary wrote:

> People tend to dislike labeling and labels and yet the do seem to
> have some
> meaning and people do use them.
> When watching The Big Year I was struck by the scene where Steve
> Martin's
> character says
> dismissively to someone "I'm not a bird watcher, I'm a birder" or
> something
> to that effect.  Maybe
> he mentioned something about people who watch birds in their back
> yard, I
> don't remember exactly.
>
> I have noticed on some bulletin boards and on various bird lists,
> that if I
> post  with pretty specific questions that
> don't relate to species, and quite clearly state somewhere within
> the post
> that I'm not a lister and don't have
> particular target birds, inevitably I get replies as if I am a
> lister 'this
> area is good for x, that area good for y:
> and the requests for other specific info go unaswered. Its as if the
> fact
> that someone who is asking the questions a
> serious enthusiast would ask couldn't possibly not be a lister as
> well.
>
> So after seeing the movie I started to wonder, am I a birder?  I
> know I'm
> not a particularly serious one but I have considered myself
> part of the community for quite awhile.  But perhaps I'm  a bird
> watcher?
>
> Assuming there is no negative connotation to either definition -
> what is the
> difference?
> Listing?  Venturing beyond the backyard?  Membership in Audubon or
> bird
> clubs?
> Not a particularly important question and perhaps a bit devisive
> (not my
> intent) but something I've been pondering.
>
> Mary, Fairborn
>
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