B.Max Gotz
Box 291
Whistler, BC
V0N 1B0

vx (604) 932-7247
fx (604) 938-2925

email- bmgotz at direct.ca

Hi Bob,
There is no conventional translation for *birder*
into French or German either, that I know of. Both languages
refer to anyone interested in birds as an ornithologist,
regardless if they are professional or amateur.
Some French nouns can be turned into verbs
by adding *er* but it is not common. With *ouiseaux*, it just
doesn't work. I'm not sure why, probably just because
it's French.
Germans get a chuckle out of the direct translation:
*birding* in German is a polite, common euphemism for the
horizontal mambo (vogeln). Therefore, calling yourself a
birder (ein vogler) in Germany is likely to get you alot
of laughs, if not a date!
Cheers, Max