What is going on here?

“He laments sir…his wife goes this morning a birding…”

William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

The first recorded use of the term bird watching was in 1891. The term birder is older, appearing in Shakespeare’s writing in 1602, although that refers to bird hunting. Birding related activities are said to inject over $32 billion into the US economy alone. COVID isolation has dramatically increased interest in this pastime, so perhaps a few things should be clarified.

Birding – a hobby in which individuals enjoy the study of birds

Birder – a person who pursues the hobby of birding

Bird watching – a person who studies birds by watching, often cameras are employed

Twitcher – the pursuit of a previously located rare bird, based on the nervous behaviour of famous British bird watcher, Howard Medhurst.

Dipped out – a twitcher who fails to see a rare bird, when others around them do

Lifer – a bird species is encountered for a the first time

#twitchingoverdippingoutonalifer #letsmakelemonade