Homeowner charges 5 bucks to see rare Oriental Turtle dove (UK)

[Donna]

Hundreds of birdwatchers queued outside a suburban house today to catch a glimpse of a rare bird in the back garden – after paying a £5 fee imposed by the canny homeowner.

http://swns.com/birdwatchers-swarm-round-suburban-house-to-see-rare-turtle-dove-151555.html Donating funds to charity

[valhalla]

 Good for the homeowner!  Of course, should someone get hurt, there is the issue of liability...

[birdmusic]

Hmmm..."twitcher"  Did we know this word before?  From Wikipedia:

The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or checked off, on a list. The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used to describe the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher. Prior terms for those who chased rarities were pot-hunter, tally-hunter, or tick-hunter. The main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one's lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest species list. The act of the pursuit itself is referred to as a twitch or a chase. A rare bird that stays put long enough for people to see it is twitchable or chaseable.

Twitching is highly developed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden. The size of these countries makes it possible to travel throughout them quickly and with relative ease. The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn large crowds; for example, a group of approximately 5,000 people traveled to Kent, England, to view a Golden-winged Warbler. Twitchers have developed their own vocabulary. For example, a twitcher who fails to see a rare bird has dipped out; if other twitchers do see the bird, he may feel gripped off. Suppression is the act of concealing news of a rare bird from other twitchers.

[Dumpsterkitty]

Hmmm..."twitcher"  Did we know this word before?  From Wikipedia:

I had discovered it in a T-shirt search once upon a time...

   
            

found at http://www.magnificentfrigatebird.com/

[MAK]

I like the patch on its neck!