Subject: Re: To twitch or not to twitch - that is the question!
Date: May 22 07:54:14 1998
From: "Rick Romea" - rromea at stioptronics.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Foote <footet at elwha.evergreen.edu>

> but, we really haven't had cogent and succinct arguments
> presented about why people go to great expense to find
> particular birds that are accidentals..case in point
> is those birders who hied off to Seattle to get on an
> airplane to fly to Boise to rent a car to drive to see
> the Siberian Accentor on somebody's feeder..

As one of the folks who did the demented Idaho trip, I felt compelled to add
my 2 cents. That was a crazy impulsive thing to do, which resulted more
from my state of mind at the time than from any 'listing' motivation. No
way would I try to defend it, but I wouldn't apologize either. It was an
exciting and fun alternative to a day sitting behind a desk at work (yes I
know, I need to get a life).

I'm not a professional ornithologist. Birding is a 'hobby' for me. I guess
what I'm saying is that most twitchers I have known who would go to 'great
expense' to chase birds are non-ornithologist professionals who covet their
free time more than the money. There is no way I would approach my
professional work like I do birding, and if I did, I think I could be
correctly criticized.

Is it possible that much of the criticism of twitching comes from
naturalists and biologists who are applying a professional standard to
people's free time activity?

Besides, I got to watch the Siberian Accenter, and took careful notes (even
a pathetic sketch)...it looked very different from the drawing in the
National Geographic Field Guide, and if I ever come across one on my own, I
may recognize it. Will you? :-)


Rick Romea
Seattle, WA
rromea at stioptronics.com
206-523-5831 (Home)
425-827-0460 X 316 (Work)