What happened to manners and fieldcraft

[Merlin]

On Sunday 27th Sept the wife and I were at Cley Marshes just in the middle of a Spotted Crake flap. 2 coach loads of birders had arrived that morning I can’t say where they were both from but I know one was from Essex (I’ll come back to these later). We were in the Dawkes’s hide overlooking Carters Scrape, the area it was last seen. As the coach loads started to arrive the hide stared to fill up, it was at this point that one of these GENTLEMEN actually pushed my wife aside and stood directly in front of her. Now, I do have a short fuse and was just about to stuff his scope down his throat but the wife bundled me out of the hide and away to calm down. On Monday we called at Holme Dunes on the way home and met an elderly lady and her daughter who unprompted told us they were party to exactly the same kind treatment, on the same day, in the same hide. This is the sort of thing that gives twitchers a bad name and I hope the persons responsible read this and are totally ashamed of themselves.
The next thing to get me mad was on the dunes near Arnolds Marsh, we had spotted a flock of Snow Finch feeding just under the overhang at the top of the dunes. We settled down into the dunes with a nice gentleman from the Essex party a comfortable distance with good views by binos as the flock moved along toward us. Another of the Essex party came along the top of the dunes and asked where they were which we told him. He then only goes down the reverse slope along and came back up and popped his head over the top of the dune exactly where they were, and of course they were off. This numpty doesn’t know the meaning of the words field craft; he may as well hang his optics in the shed now and forget it. Those birds were quite happy and moving in our direction, who knows what close up views we may have got, he only had to join us where we were to get a good view. Makes my blood boil !!!

[Roy Neher Wildlife]

I have run into far worse villains than that and, yes, one does want to smack them about the head. But, people like that are on a road that will lead to their own downfall. I have learned to just watch them as one would a horror movie and stay out of it. I really don't even have to see the ending of that movie, we all know how it ends.

A similar but, not sinister, experience I had was when I invited a lifelong birder out one day. My home is in the middle of a forest and there are beautiful birds out every window, on all four sides. This is some of the best, most comfortable bird viewing there is. I live, basically, in a blind.

This man was just so used to having to follow birds that he was unaccustomed to having them land within 10 feet, in full view, and he just had to go outside to view them. The birds, of course, all flew off. I guess he was very keen at observing birds from the rear, in flight.

[Twitcheruth]

We've also experienced similar bad behaviour too Merlin........I much prefer to do my birding mid-week if hubby is on holiday as w/ends in some hides at some reserves are horrendous especially if a rareity is present!
As you say it gives birders a bad name and is just unecessarilly rude and bad behaviour!

[Raptor]

I have also experienced such behavior such as 'hogging the best view' and never moving to allow other to see something and just general self-centeredness.

[clydebirder]

Originally Posted by Merlin

On Sunday 27th Sept the wife and I were at Cley Marshes just in the middle of a Spotted Crake flap. 2 coach loads of birders had arrived that morning I can’t say where they were both from but I know one was from Essex (I’ll come back to these later). We were in the Dawkes’s hide overlooking Carters Scrape, the area it was last seen. As the coach loads started to arrive the hide stared to fill up, it was at this point that one of these GENTLEMEN actually pushed my wife aside and stood directly in front of her. Now, I do have a short fuse and was just about to stuff his scope down his throat but the wife bundled me out of the hide and away to calm down. On Monday we called at Holme Dunes on the way home and met an elderly lady and her daughter who unprompted told us they were party to exactly the same kind treatment, on the same day, in the same hide. This is the sort of thing that gives twitchers a bad name and I hope the persons responsible read this and are totally ashamed of themselves.
The next thing to get me mad was on the dunes near Arnolds Marsh, we had spotted a flock of Snow Finch feeding just under the overhang at the top of the dunes. We settled down into the dunes with a nice gentleman from the Essex party a comfortable distance with good views by binos as the flock moved along toward us. Another of the Essex party came along the top of the dunes and asked where they were which we told him. He then only goes down the reverse slope along and came back up and popped his head over the top of the dune exactly where they were, and of course they were off. This numpty doesn’t know the meaning of the words field craft; he may as well hang his optics in the shed now and forget it. Those birds were quite happy and moving in our direction, who knows what close up views we may have got, he only had to join us where we were to get a good view. Makes my blood boil !!!

Hi Merlin, I take it by Snow Finch you mean Snow Bunting? I totally agree that this kind of arrogant behaviour is appalling and there is no need for it. I love to photograph and watch birds at close range but would never dream of pushing my way in front of people or trying to get too close to the birds, it’s much better to position yourself where the birds will come to you. I’m more likely to move out the way and point out birds to people.
I find it most common with twitcher type birders (especially if they have cameras), they are totally arrogant and only after a”tick” on their list, I hate birds being reduced to that. I’ve seen people coming up looking at a rare bird, tick it off then leave without studying the bird; they wouldn’t recognise one again if it landed 10 feet in front of them.
It is best if you just bite your tongue and say nothing but I’ve been in situations where I just couldn’t hold my tongue and got in to heated arguments that lead nowhere. I always remember one time while sitting quietly watching a Lesser Yellowlegs in Cleveland when a photographer blatantly walked past me to get closer and of course flushed the bird (I had been sitting watching it for about 15 mins) I gave him a piece of my mind but he just shrugged it off and went over to where the bird landed and flushed it several more times, I had to leave before I seriously considered putting his camera where the sun don’t shine

That’s me got that off my chest now

Cheers, John

[Roy Neher Wildlife]

I am totally amazed. I have never been bird watching with a group of people except these small tours that I do. It is hard to imagine that there are that many rude birders. I thought you Brits were civilized. lol Rednecks here don't bird watch. They do about everything else, though. One of the reasons I bought my own part of a forest.


I have had fisherman do that and I did throw one fisherman's rod and reel way out into the lake after a confrontation like that. He couldn't believe that someone would be rude back. I don't think that some of those guys had fathers. I know that mine broke me of that kind of behavior early on.

[clydebirder]

Originally Posted by Roy Neher Wildlife

I am totally amazed. I have never been bird watching with a group of people except these small tours that I do. It is hard to imagine that there are that many rude birders. I thought you Brits were civilized. lol Rednecks here don't bird watch. They do about everything else, though. One of the reasons I bought my own part of a forest.


I have had fisherman do that and I did throw one fisherman's rod and reel way out into the lake after a confrontation like that. He couldn't believe that someone would be rude back. I don't think that some of those guys had fathers. I know that mine broke me of that kind of behavior early on.

Hi Roy

Thankfully they are a minority but when you cross paths with them it sticks in your mind, there are many more friendly birders over here than arogant ones thankfully. It's probably why I avoid twitching like the plague, I would see them more often and it would put me off birding.
Many years ago I sat quietly for 5 mins and got wonderful views of a Thrush nightingale as it fed on the edge of the vegetation at Fishtown of Usan in Aberdeenshire, then twitchers turned up and the bird promptly dissapeared, did they sit quietly and wait, not a chance they trampled the vegetation down to try and find the bird which much to my amusement they failed but what a mess they made of that patch of scrub, they only care about a tick for their list and not a single thought about the birds welfare or the scrub

It realy is appauling behaviour but it is a minority

cheers, John

[Twitcheruth]

Originally Posted by clydebirder

It realy is appauling behaviour but it is a minority

Yes thanksfully it is,I've only come across it when a rare bird is present and as you say John the "twitchers" appear in a noisy group,photograpgh and tick it and then leave usually disturbing both inhabitants of the previously peaceful hide and the bird itself!!!

It put me off visiting some reserves at weekends for a while but last time we popped into the same place we had a different experience alltogether and sat chatting to a nice lady and her husband for a long time while we watched a distant Spotted Redshank.

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by clydebirder

Hi Merlin, I take it by Snow Finch you mean Snow Bunting?
Cheers, John

Yes sorry I've edited it, still a bit angry not thinking straight.
On the way back from Salthouse all the prats had loaded back on thier buses and the Snow Fi....oops Buntings had settled down managed to crack off a few shots.

[clydebirder]

Originally Posted by Merlin

Yes sorry I've edited it, still a bit angry not thinking straight.
On the way back from Salthouse all the prats had loaded back on thier buses and the Snow Fi....oops Buntings had settled down managed to crack off o few shots.

Nice shot, they're cracking birds.

You don't have to apologise, I had a feeling that's what happened but thought I would just check I can fully understand you being angry, I would have been the same. They really do take the edge off a good day out with their antics but at least you got a few shots once they'd gone


cheers, John