No, it’s not an insult–a “twitch” is a British term for travelling (often a long distance) specifically to see a rare bird. Twitchers even have their own vocabulary, as I just learned, of which some words are becoming increasingly common in the US.
Anyway, 10,000 Birds posted a review of a new book, The Biggest Twich, about a couple’s goal to record more species around the world in one year than anyone else. The book sounds really great, but I loved this quote about Wallcreepers, a large, nuthatch-like bird found at high elevations in southern Europe and Asia:
Wallcreeper in northern France By Jean-Jacques Boujut at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25622178@N08/4258230315/ (Creative Commons 2.0)
“grey, until it opened its wings to reveal a slash of magenta – like the silk lining of a vampire’s cape”
Wallcreeper is one of my most-desired species to see someday!
This book might make a great present for any birder you know (hint?) … but it certainly won’t make me drop everything and chase birds all over the world for a year.
