Sal, Dean and I are at the bar. Sal says, “Life’s an itch.” Dean says, “Then you die.” A new twist on an old banality, thanks to several beers.
I jump in, just to be friendly. “Sometimes, life’s a twitch.”
These smart guys know what “twitch” means when a two-fisted bird watcher says it. But this odd British word gets what it deserves. No response.
“Itch” caught my ear because I’m getting an itch to travel. But I’m not going to twitch.
When I arrive someplace different, I notice local birds. This makes travel better. You don’t even need wilderness. At Denver’s airport I see Black-billed Magpies. This means, okay, I’m in the Rockies.
Near Disney World, we see Boat-tailed Grackles and Cattle Egrets right away. Don’t have those back home. Must be Florida. Cool.
In Ireland, you’ve got gray-and-black Hooded Crows that we don’t have here. In Bermuda the Great Kiskadee’s common. Around the hotel in Maui, trees are loud with introduced Mynas, and you see gray-and-white Red-Crested Cardinals.
The itch to travel is partly an itch to live in a different bird book, somebody else’s field guide.
That’s the itch. What’s the twitch? It’s something way different. It’s for the heavy hitting, two-fisted birdwatchers who make this interest into a Nascar-style sport.
Twitching is traveling someplace to see a bird you heard about. Twitchers get news from the bird underground. Like: there’s an Anhinga in Terre Haute. The twitcher will drop everything and head there to get a rare Indiana Anhinga for his list.
A pinkish Ross’s Gull in Boston draws twitchers from all over. This is an Arctic bird, and when spotted here, it’s a coup for a lister who’s a twitcher.
There you go: musings over the words “itch” and “twitch.” A little bar-fueled reverie. Although you wouldn’t say reverie in the bar. Even the comment about life being a twitch brought profound silence.
But who cares. I’ve got an itch to get out of town. Maybe in the Southwest I’ll see a Trogan or Phainopepla, but I wouldn’t go there just to see them.
That would be twitchy, which ain’t me. If it’s you, I tip my glass in your direction.
@Judith, here is a neat little primer on the various classifications of birders, including twitchers:
http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=11347.0
Birders that twitch are sort of like people that go in for scavenger hunts…except hard core. Oh, and the thing you’re hunting can fly and is usually actively trying to not be seen and get away from you.
Thank you, Erik. Duly noted.
Judith, I have heard the term “twitcher” used to describe someone who is just looking to tick off another species on their life list.
Hello! I am new to birding…please explain what Twitch means to a Two-Fisted Birder. Totally understand Itch in regard to traveling. Anyone been birding in Southern Spain? Loved “Best in Show” and agree a birdwatching equivalent could be hilarious.
My brother and I, both avid birders, were thinking that we need to write a movie script, a send up of birding in the US or UK, sort of a birdwatching equivalent for what “Best in Show” did for dog breeders. And call it “Twitchers”.
I just read Itch and Twitch. Now there’s a new word to add to my vocab…You sure know your birds and apparently can ID them at a glance, no matter where in the world…
One of my Halloween books (which I wrote) is entitled, “Miss Twitchy Witchy”, happily for her, apart from being a little witch who must find a replacement witch each year…she’s not itchy, just occasionally aggravated. Traveling, to me, can be an aggravation, so I’ve entertained myself by taking numerous photos of birds eating leftovers at fancy-schmancy restaurants all over the world. Got quite the collection now. I always wonder, do you see a better class of bird at the more expensive hotels and eateries? Thoughts, anyone?