Bird Word of the Week

[David Schwartz]

I missed last week but I’m early this week.  In case you missed my introduction on Feb. 12th, this is my self-instituted weekly feature for T4B in which I post one (or more) definitions from The Birding Dictionary by Rosemary Mosco, which defines itself as "A tongue-in-cheek guide for people who find themselves obsessed, against all logic and reason, with birds."

Here is the Bird Word of the Week, a “B” word since this is the second installment and last time I did an “A.”

Bird noun: A type of animal that is by all scientific and objective measures, the best one. verb: The worthy act of beholding a bird and giving it the time and attention it deserves.

And because I can’t resist, I here are two related “Bs”:

Bird Festival noun: A gathering much like a rock festival, but for birding. Instead of concerts, there are field walks, talks, and photography workshops. Instead of rock stars, there are mild-mannered birding celebrities who’ll calmly teach you about sandpiper molts. Instead of poorly behaved rich kids trashing everything, there are gulls.

Birder noun A person who engages in the hobby of spotting, listening to, and/or otherwise perceiving birds. If you love observing birds, you’re a birder. If you’re new to the hobby, you’re a birder. If you love birds but have never heard any of the slang or scientific jargon in this book before, you’re a birder. If you’re the type of person who judges other birders for not knowing enough about birds, you’re still a birder, but you’re also an ass. If you’re a peregrine falcon and love observing birds, you’re just hungry.

David