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 > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/ > . > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]