[wisb] Re: "Birding" vs. "bird watching"
- From: "Sharon Kennedy" <sharonkennedy@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <chagner@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, <kkraco@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 14:04:23 -0600
Hi to all,
Rather than add my thoughts which would be of little value to anyone, let me
quote Roger Tory Peterson:
Are you a bird watcher, an ornithologist, an ornithophile, a bird lover,
bird fancier, bird bander, birder, bird spotter, lister, ticker, twitcher -
or what? As for myself, I am primarily a bird artist and a bird
photographer, a visual person obsessed by birds. I watch them, and they
undoubtedly watch me; their eyes are better than mine.
I favor the term bird watcher [RTP italicized "bird watcher"] for
general use because it is inclusive. It describes almost everyone who looks
at birds or studies them - at nearly every level, from the watcher at the
window who simply feeds birds all the way to elitists like the fellows of
the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and even Nobel laureates such as
Konrad Lorenz and Nikko Tinbergen, who have won distinction for their
behavioral work on birds.
Quoted from All Things Reconsidered: My Birding Adventures by Roger Tory
Peterson, edited by Bill Thompson III, page 10, and reprinted from RTP's
column in Bird Watcher's Digest, March/April 1984
If "bird watcher" was good enough for RTP, then I know it's good enough for
me! I kind of like it.
Good bird watching to all!
Sharon Kennedy
Racine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chuck Hagner" <chagner@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <kkraco@xxxxxxxxxxx>; <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 11:19 AM
Subject: [wisb] Re: "Birding" vs. "bird watching"
> Hi everyone--
> Karen has put into words a chief reason why we're changing our name from
> Birder's World to BirdWatching. If you publish a magazine and people don't
> understand your name, you have a problem.
>
> Of course, everyone reading this listserv, including me, will prefer the
> terms "birding" and "birder." Our challenge, as publishers and more
> importantly, as bird conservationists, is to recognize that in the wide,
> populous spaces outside of our small circle, the terms say essentially one
> thing: Not for me.
>
> Say the word "birdwatching," however, and not only do all people
> understand immediately - no clarification required - but most people will
> go on to tell you how much they love birds and want to learn more about
> them.
>
> Seems to me there's a lesson here for all of us, whether we're trying to
> attract readers, grow an association's membership, or rally political
> support for conservation.
>
> And please, don't assume that we're changing the editorial focus of the
> magazine along with the name. Because we're not.
>
> Kenn, Pete, David, and our other contributing editors are all still on
> board. And happily. We're still publishing profiles of great hotspots.
> We're still publishing feature stories that fascinate. (You should see the
> story about the Red Knot coming in April.) We're still publishing
> important bird news. We're still publishing great photos. And we've added
> a regular column by the American Bird Conservancy.
>
> All birdwatchers welcome.
>
> --Chuck
>
> Chuck Hagner
> Editor, BirdWatching Magazine
> Waukesha, WI
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Karen Kraco <kkraco@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: <kkraco@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 07:42:45 -0600
> To: <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [wisb] Re: "Birding" vs. "bird watching"
>
> I, too, prefer the sound and connotations of birding, but with non-birding
> folks often use the term birdwatching, because often I wind up needing to
> clarify when I use birding.
>
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