Birder vs. Bird Watcher: Which One Are You?

[@torinkyifh5085]

Birdwatcher: admiring the Snowy Owl sightings Birder: asking the local airport if we can look for Snowies from the terminal and being embarrassed after being rejected lmao

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Nailed it. Except never be embarrassed because you did what needed to be done lol

[@madhavilanka7787]

Literally me in my school campus

[@kishascape]

Going outside the terminal is one thing but no one can stop you looking out the public windows.

[@torinkyifh5085]

@@kishascape facts, and we did, but this guy was helllla far away. We'd need a drive around the lot with security (as some people do) to get a better look. We spotted him from the freeway which was super hazardous in the winter last year :(

[@Hummingbirder1]

I'm a birder... imo we also have the higher echelon: the ornithologist. For me they are the ones that makes a living studying birds, I mean deep study. Writing books, doing lectures, probably also those working in the field banding birds, putting transmitters on them a s o. You know, deeper studies, not only being experts ID'ing them.

[@Marleydia]

I’m 2 years new to Birding and Bird photography. I’d call myself a birder who is striving to take good habitat pictures. 99.9% of the birding community has been very gracious and welcoming. There is that small group that doesn’t like bird photographers for some reason. But I think we are all out there for the same reason! Love of nature! As long as everyone is respectful of the birds and not causing stress or harm to view or photography them, it’s all good!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I know in the WI birding community a few select individuals have given bird photographers a bad name by harassing birds specifically to get shots of them in flight or in specific poses. I can’t speak for every place but they could be where someone of the negative views are coming from. Of course that’s a minority of people behaving badly but it still may shape peoples opinions

[@litalewis8425]

😊 I'm a bird watcher. You and others are my birder guide to my backyard fun out my kitchen window. I'M NOT going in the snowy, freezing weather to track anything down! 🥰 Thanks to you guys and Leslie the bird nerd and others for doing that for us! I love how you all work together and share your information, videos and photography. The world needs more people with "birder character" 💛💛💛

[@kennethmcdonald2987]

Oh there is a huge difference .I will go and see an unusual bird at one of my wife's many feeders out of curiosity when she mentions it .She on the other hand is the birder in the family .She is the one putting up numerous types of birdhouses ,monitoring her Bluebird trails and Purple Martin colonies ,planting wildlife beneficial shrubs and trees in her wildlife habitats and going down in the woods and swamps for hours on end to look for more birds to add to her list .I am a bird watcher she is a birder .See the difference in the two ? I can barely tell the difference in sparrow species at her feeders .She on the other hand can easily tell individual ones who are regular visitors by sight not just species .To my eyes they all look the same but to her they all have different personalities .The birds themselves know the difference between us humans .If I go outside they all fly off immediately but she has a lot of them who land on her and eat out of her hand .She is a state licensed wildlife rescuer /rehabilitator and works with many species of birds from hummingbirds up to Bald Eagles .I am not going near the beaks and claws of the raptors .The same goes for her pet parrots .Once is enough for me when it comes to them . Her normally sweet Cockatoo decided I was a chew toy and had him some real fun at my expense .He adores his human mama and would never attempt that with her for one second out of a deep bond of over 25 years and respect for his handler and trainer .Even the birds easily know the difference in the two types of bird people .

[@barbaracole709]

Your wife sounds like a great birder!

[@77TOWERS]

Sorry to bring this up, but there's also the nature lover, we mix with bird watchers and birders just fine 👍😁

[@ehipapi]

yessiirrr i was thinking just that

[@BroshearFamily]

I am definitely a birder, if I see an unusually sized hawk or a call or chirp I've never heard, i'm out there with my binoculars.

[@JuliaMinoda]

Definitely a birder here. I'm not always super active, because I'm not a very outdoors-y person, but when I do, I can tell people which birds are from the same family or genus, where to find them, and I also go hunting for birds as much as I can. Unfortunately, I'm often too anxious to really go out there for wild birds, because I feel like I'm not "a real birder", but it's ok, I'm slowly working my way through it.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Don’t ever worry about not being a “real birder.” It’s all just about getting out and having fun! Everyone starts out as a beginner. I know we certainly did!

[@pauraque]

Here is my ranking (it descends in a logarithmic scale of insanity btw) 1. Your grandmother 2. Person who says "have you seen the eagle/owl/hawk around?" 3. Pet parrot 4. "Wildlife" photographer 5. Bird watcher 6. David Attenborough 7. Birder 8. Twitcher 9. NFC people 10. Larophiles

[@JoJoDoxieMom]

🤣

[@ArianaSarahaFlightBehavior]

Ha ha ha ~ that’s hilarious! I had to look up 8-10, and they totally make sense 😂 (That said, I was just thinking when the nights are a little warmer I should sit out in a lawn chair and listen for flight calls, but I’m barely a bonafide “birder” according to some accounts. That said, it’s my preferable term, because it allows for the practice of listening for birds as well as seeing them)

[@markheatherington8367]

Never gave it much thought, but I mostly refer to it as twitching or bird nerding. Having been doing wildlife photography (primarily birds) full time since 2016 currently I refer to it as going broke :))

[@richardnaber4182]

Birder is one who consumes gasoline to see birds

[@AllAmericanPlaneSpotter-iw4wm]

Birder is one who drops out of what they are doing because something was reported.

[@RoyceMarcus]

Definitely think there needs to be careful talk around this. Sure you could try to draw a line somewhere, but think that largely misses the point as people on either side can enjoy. And it can create some hierarchy, bird-elitism, or "high church" attitudes which i don't think is healthy or inclusive. However "Birds and Us" by Tim Birkhead goes into some of these layers a bit deeper.

[@lanalorenzen]

The difference, too, is what kind of equipment and amount of travel one can afford. I’ve watched the movie, The Big Year, three times. I also have the book. How many people can afford to take a year off and spend that much money? I wish I could.

[@randyadventure]

Both! I can't imagine not observing the birds as well as adding them to a list. On Saturday, I saw a Slaty-backed Gull for the first time -- LIFER! 🤣 -- and stood in awe, wanting to watch it for as long as possible. It was pretty exciting to see, and it was a first record for the state in which I live. I would imagine most of us are both birder and bird watcher. Keep up the great videos!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I’m guessing you live in Oklahoma? :) congrats!

[@randyadventure]

@@BadgerlandBirding Yep! 🤣 And thanks! If you guys are ever in the Oklahoma/North Texas area, look me up! I know a lot of great birding locations. 🤣👍

[@BackYardEaters-wl4lr]

I'm actively trying to get more birds to visit they backyard. It's nice to have new visitors.

[@danae-rain3019]

Bird is life.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Here’s someone who gets it!

[@garymeredith2441]

There is a huge difference between a Bird watcher which is the casual person who watches the birds in their yard when they feed them , then you have what's called Birders this is the whole next step in the Birding community these are people who spend lots of money on photography gear they spend lots of money traveling to see the birds and then they study the birds day and night , and if you want to know what group is the best Birders by far it is the British they have the most passion for Birding they study the birds day and night before they get on the plane and they cross over and go to the United States they are the best ones at it PERIOD .

[@ArianaSarahaFlightBehavior]

My understanding is that ‘birding’ is more inclusive - it allows for people with vision impairment, or who don’t (yet) have binoculars but still enjoy identifying birds by their songs, etc. So even if those fancy hifalutin snooty people (I’m thinking of Stu 😂) who fly all over creation to see the next rare bird want to co-opt the term, I’m sticking with it because of its potential inclusivity. (Footnote: I love how the English language is always evolving…)

[@travisbicklejr]

Huge difference: Bird-watcher usually just means visually noticing the birds. A birder not only is seeing the bird, but also actively listening to the songs, calls, etc. the bird is making.

[@KevinZ.000]

Definitely a birdwatcher here, I like feeding them in my yard and identifying them on hikes or vacations. But, I don't chase them and I fall in and out of keeping my lifer list.

[@Sylvelourie]

It's kind of hard to say which one I am. I'm fascinated with birds and try to learn as much as I can about them (and I'm that bird nerd who's always got random bird facts to share, whether you want them or not), but when it comes to the local birds I'm more of a bird watcher. I love seeing the birds and pay attention to them but I don't go out of my way to look for certain kinds per se. I do, however, go out of my way to see and learn about different bird species at zoos and bird sanctuaries. I have made plans to visit zoos, aquariums, bird shows and other destinations specifically to see birds... including frequent trips to the local store just to visit the owner's birds and the babies. I guess I'm just not much of the outdoorsy birding type. :)

[@3coins.]

I live in Louisiana and I am a watcher and I feed the birds. I see all kinds and now that spring has come I’ll see different kinds.

[@GH-oi2jf]

The New Shorter Oxford defines "birder" first as a "fowler," and "fowler" as a person who hunts birds for sport. This is closer to what I understand the distinction to be. A birder makes some effort to see new species of birds, and keeps a list. A bird-watcher is a more casual observer of birds, who takes an interest in birds to the extent of identifying them and perhaps keeping a list of birds seen around the locality, but is not devoted to seeking out new birds. I was a birder years ago when I would make an effort to go to new places equipped to identify birds. Now I just call myself a bird-watcher. I am aware of birds I come across and may try to identify them if they are not known to me, but I don't often have my binoculars with me.

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always, I am definitely a birder and a bird photographer, I love to learn about habits, migration and everything about birds including taking artistic pictures of my bird subjects 🐦❤️🤗

[@Stukin_The_Pines]

I was a BIRDER (capital letters) for many years. Now I have become a birder (small letters). This decrease in current status is due to many years of being alive, along with several minor infirmities accumulated along the way. And if the time arrives when I become a bird watcher - well, nothing wrong with that either.

[@skulmoski1]

I'm a bird watcher with Vortex Razor UH binoculars. I go to an area where I will likely encounter birds, sit and read. If I see or hear a bird, I will glass for them. I don't keep a field journal nor record what I saw in an app. Indeed, I'm a cat person. LOL. Thanks for the video.

[@jackiejones9831]

Yall are the heroes to my bird watching/birding 'habits'🐦🦆🦅🕊 Thank you for all of the educational and entertaining videos that help me with my bird habits😊

[@Mrbeat-88]

So... Bird-Watcher = Casual and Birder = Gamer. Got it.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

🔥

[@seadweller386]

I hit up major bird sites when I’m on vacation, such as Hawk Ridge (Duluth, MN), Parker River NWR (Newbury, MA), Hagerman NWR (Sherman, TX), stuff like that. But I have never planned a far away trip solely for birds. Guess I’m a birder, but I just use the term birdwatcher. Sounds cooler. One of the best birds I ever saw was in TX, a painted bunting. Raptors are still my fav, though. Saw a red-tailed hawk chase away a pesky golden eagle once, right outside of Las Vegas❗️

[@biggusfootus]

Pretty accurate, I think. I definitely fall under the ‘birder’ category (or ‘mentally ill’ as much of my family views it lol) “It’s called birding, Rick.”

[@K.R.B.]

"Plane spotting" and "bird watching" have always struck me as inaccurate terms that should be switched around. People will go to a place near an airport runway to 'watch' planes. They largely know when and where planes will be seen because of schedules and flight radar websites. And people will go to locations hoping to 'spot' birds, without necessarily knowing ahead of time what they might see.

[@SAAER590]

I really like your channel but I just want to give the constructive feedback that the script here was not engaging or interesting. If you watch it again you'll see that it was almost all just reasking the question from the title in different ways. You spent just a few seconds at the very end with an extremely brief answer to the question the video posed. Just sharing because I love the work your doing and want to see the audience grow!

[@SAAER590]

I think it would way more interesting to hear your opinion about this stuff than walk us through the dictionary definition. From watching your videos you clearly have the credibility to share this opinions. What are some of things you notice when someone starts being birder? How do you condition yourself to be more methodical about the hobby? Is the distinction meaningless gatekeeping?

[@WarblerRidge]

Maybe birders are people who engage in the sport of birding. It seems like rules and standards for the lists and big years and such have created sort of a gamified way of enjoying birds.

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

But what about bird photographer ???

[@PixelAquarium]

Personally I think two terms are interchangeable and that anyone who takes an interest in viewing birds in their natural habitat is worthy of being called a birder of birdwatcher.

[@craigcraig6638]

Golden yellow snake The cobra I spotted near hegdwar bridge had trident mark on its neck and face area yesterday

[@craigcraig6638]

Both In my childhood 1988 I saw a Indian sparrow doin a complete nadia 360 degree on a loose poorly hanged electric cable for fun and show off to the mates sitting on the wire🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

[@donjohnsmusic3116]

Not sure where I land, but I can say without a doubt I love watching birds! I’ve sat for years trying to get the best footage of them. Just this last Christmas I think I got the best footage ever! Check out my trip to Hunting Island South Carolina.

[@raminagrobis6112]

I guess I'm a bird watcher who used to be a birder when he had less arthritis 😂.

[@melissas4874]

I think "Birder" is a relatively newer word. I'm older and most people I know who would have considered themselves birdwatchers were much more serious and there was no term for people who just happen to see a bird and admire it other than maybe "nature lover". I don't see myself as either I guess even though I do try to attract specific birds to my yard, I've literally pulled over my car on some roads when I saw a new (to me) species, and when I decide to go somewhere specifically to look at birds, that is what I do. To me it feels like gatekeeping and can drive others away from these hobbies. I'm kind of ambivalent on what people call themselves as it doesn't detract or stop me from doing what I enjoy. I also assume an average birdwatcher may know more than me?

[@Beryllahawk]

Definitely just a "casual" here, haha - bird watching, or maybe I should say, bird listening! But I do enjoy listening to y'all discuss birds and search for them. I'm a bit amused that this hobby has the same "difference" that gamers do. Folks just love having their little tribes I guess :D

[@stefangoldensteinwildlife9929]

I am birder. But I am interested in other animals too. Greets Stefan

[@MHarenArt]

I like to watch the birds in my back yard, and those I see when I'm out and about. I am not a "birder" who seeks out birds. So, what do we call someone like me, who does most of their bird watching on You Tube? LOL!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

A bird video watcher lol An avian enthusiast :p

[@LouisaLee63]

What do you call someone who watches birds in the hope of getting photos of them in their environment? 😊

[@rkulla]

That movie isn't the first evidence of a distinction being made; it may be the first mainstream movie, but there have been many books and countless articles for years before that movie that described the distinction.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Sources?

[@leslab007007]

I am an "inside bird feeder watcher BIRDER", while watching this video!! 🤣😁

[@Melanittanigra]

im a twitcher personally

[@knallpistol]

Bird watching kind of just creeps up on you as you get older. Can't help it either.

[@craigcraig6638]

I have seen mangoose literary standing and laughing exactly like a human being to tease me it happened while I was sitting near a well of dighi hills smokin pots area the reason for his unforgettable sarcastic voice laugh was after seeing the mangoose I found out to my surprise that there was a 3inch thick snake livin in a hole 4 feets away from the spot I was smoking pot for his

[@geronimomiles312]

Birders hunt , watchers stare. But theres obviously overlap.

[@nataliepuma4668]

Cavers rescue spelunkers. Cavers tend to be better prepared and are less likely to cause harm to themselves or the cave. I think most cavers cringe when called spelunkers, even if only inwardly. I've also been working on being a birder, but had to laugh when I turned from taking photos of birds in the mud flats at the water's, only to find I was also being watched by a bird, and pretty closely. It then let me get some nice shots of it! 😂

[@thorsvenson3530]

So birder = hardcore birdwatcher? 20 years ago we used to use the derogatory term 'dude' to denote someone who had all the best gear, but couldn't identify anything. Do people still use that?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I have never heard that term before but it could be a regional thing 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@darylbernard2616]

No, that term is dead in the birding community.

[@darksouth2607]

How about Obsessed! Getting yelled at by your wife because you drive off the road while birding. Setting up your whole backyard just so you can sit for hours on the weekend looking for something you haven't seen yet. I'm still trying to figure out how the two sets of painted buntings find my backyard every November.

[@thatsmyjam6065]

I'm a birder!!

[@ABirdersParadise]

I'd say I'm a birder who wants to be a twitcher.

[@n.c.108]

Im none of the above, I'm not in a catagory.

[@bamsemh1]

The photographer

[@aps5041]

I'm just a bird watcher, won't travel just to see them.

[@carltonbirds]

Who cares, just enjoy your hobby, no pun intended.

[@StellarLimpkin]

Doubt theres a clear difference, more of a gradient yk. Everybodys a little bit of both.

[@josevera8847]

Like always the B. S., Find the way.

[@snowyowl5556]

Definitely different meanings imo 😂

[@murrayberger4344]

I carve birds out of wood.

[@evo2542]

Pfft birds can 'bird' and therefore described as 'birding'. Like how humans can be described as 'humaning'

[@Slow_Horse]

There’s got to be an element of elitism when you seek to define groups within a hobby (pun intended). I’m neither a birder nor a bird watcher, I’m just someone who feeds birds in my garden and goes to a variety of wildlife venues to look at them with binoculars and scope and attempt to get photos. I’m not interested in yearly lists just my lifetime one.

[@CherryHoover-h2j]

There is a huge difference between a Bird watcher which is the casual person who watches the birds in their yard when they feed them , then you have what's called Birders this is the whole next step in the Birding community these are people who spend lots of money on photography gear they spend lots of money traveling to see the birds and then they study the birds day and night , and if you want to know what group is the best Birders by far it is the British they have the most passion for Birding they study the birds day and night before they get on the plane and they cross over and go to the United States they are the best ones at it PERIOD .