| For any bird watcher nothing seems to satisfy most than the prospect of seeing a new rare species. Often the excitement is so great that it results in an uncontrollable spasm of excitement – which is generally described as twitching. Most bird watchers like to tick, that is to add to their list any new bird they might have seen. This is pretty much a record of sorts that’s also a matter of personal pride for a bird watcher.
Twitching has become such a common occurrence amongst experienced bird watchers that it has developed its own vocabulary, each term describing a different situation. Some bird watchers are best described as ‘hard core’ twitchers quite simply because they are only interested in seeing new birds every time. Then there are other words related to twitching such as ‘gripping’ which means a bird has been spotted. ‘Dipping out’ means losing out on an opportunity to see a bird due to certain circumstances.
Twitching is more of an aggressive sport because such bird watchers generally want to seek out new birds. However, when it isn’t so driven it gives way to more leisurely forms of bird watching. Many people employ various techniques in order to find the birds they’re looking for. Some people use tape-recorded calls of bird cries. This tends to attract new birds. The term twitching is essentially of British origin although Americans also use it albeit under a different name – ‘chasing’. However the British term seems to have stuck in the minds of young birders. |
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