Are you a twitcher?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (385445)
Rockingham, Australia
June 8, 2026 12:41am CST
Twitchers are those who like watching birds. West Australian twitchers, and others, are all a-flutter because a black-headed gull has taken up residence in Geraldton with a number of silver seagulls.
The black-headed gulls are common in Europe and Asia and some migrate to southern Asia to breed. It’s rarely seen in Australia and this is only the second one to be seen in our state. They think it might have been blown off course in a storm.
It’s a bit of a drawcard at the moment and has learnt to steal hot chips from beach-goers and generally fit in with the local scene.
The image is from Wikimedia and was taken by Alexis Lours.
24 people like this
24 responses
@teamfreak16 (45116)
• Denver, Colorado
8 Jun
Wow, that's a pretty bird! Striking.
4 people like this
@teamfreak16 (45116)
• Denver, Colorado
8 Jun
@JudyEv - It's a bird they can check off their lists without having to travel to another country. I read a book called To See Every Bird on Earth by Dan Koeppel. It's about his dad, but also about bird watching in general. Those people are serious!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (385445)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Jun
@teamfreak16 Our friend went to Sri Lanka to 'twitch'. She knew how many species she'd seen so she possibly had a list of birds too.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (191970)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Jun
I am a definite twitcher. Gulls are seen as pests in some areas here in the US. I enjoy seeing Canadian geese in great packs going over the apartment in the fall. We have ducks and geese in our local parks. No real sitings of rare birds around here. I used to see many different ones when I rode my mountain bike on the green belt here. That's been awhile back now.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (191970)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Jun
@JudyEv .......we enjoy it when a hummingbird visits.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (176528)
• United States
8 Jun
I like looking at the different birds that appear in our yard but I don't go out of my way to watch or identify them.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (176528)
• United States
9 Jun
@JudyEv Growing up on the farm, mom would always tell us the names of different birds when she saw them in the yard or the fields. I can identify common birds but if something unusual flies in, I have no idea what they are.
When the Great Blue Heron flew in and ate all the fishies my first wife and I stocked in our garden pond, she's the one who knew what it was called.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (385445)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Jun
@DaddyEvil That would have been pretty awful - to have the heron eat your fish. 
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (99587)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Jun
Oh, yes always enjoyed the parks in Latvia full of ducks, That is a wonderful looking bird,
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (99587)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
9 Jun
@JudyEv they certainly did and that gull is usually not so far inland,
1 person likes this
@noni1959 (13111)
• United States
10 Jun
@JudyEv I was standing at the window today watching a spotted towhee eat from the feeder, and my son asked what I was doing. I told him I was being a twitcher. The look on his face with raised eyebrows was priceless. I had to try it out. Yes, I was bored. 
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (40193)
• Toccoa, Georgia
9 Jun
Yes, I like watching birds. They are fasinating.
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18615)
• Torrington, Connecticut
9 Jun
That is actually really fascinating! I can understand why the twitchers are excited if it is such a rare sighting there. Imagine being a birdwatcher and suddenly hearing, “There’s only the second one ever seen in the state hanging out in Geraldton!” I’d probably be curious too.
1 person likes this
@Traceyjayne (12721)
• United Kingdom
8 Jun
I am not a twitcher as such …..but I do love watching birds the garden ……im not a hiding in the bushes with binoculars sort of person. lol x
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (385445)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Jun
So I guess that means you're not a reat twitcher! One of the Goodies is twitcher. Bill Oddie. Do you remember them? Maybe you're too young.
@JudyEv (385445)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Jun
@Traceyjayne I didn't know about his early life. I might go looking.
1 person likes this
@Traceyjayne (12721)
• United Kingdom
9 Jun
@JudyEv no , I wouldn’t say I was a twitcher .
I certainly do remember The Goodies and Bill Oddie actually came from Birmingham. Only a few miles away from where I live. He had a very sad upbringing ….
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (40971)
•
9 Jun
We get Black Headed Gulls here.
They like Fish and Chips
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (40971)
•
9 Jun
@JudyEv
They all like Fish and Chips
And they all seem to like McDonalds
We had one visit the garden for a decade and he ate anything
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (4869)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
9 Jun
it looks good, i like the photo. i must say i don't like birdwatching. maybe by time. i mean, i like seeing birds in the sky and the other night, had some strange dream about birds
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (4869)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
13 Jun
@JudyEv we do and those good ones, not only pigeons and crows.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (170345)
• United States
9 Jun
I am not officially a "twitcher" because I do not actively go searching for birds to watch. If they come around I do watch them. This is a beautiful bird.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (385445)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Jun
I have a friend who went to Sri Lanka specificallly to watch the birds there. I think she takes photos of them too. She is a serious twitcher!
@wolfgirl569 (138407)
• Marion, Ohio
8 Jun
I was thinking a whole different thing. I was thinking about very nervous type people who are never still
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4776)
•
9 Jun
lol, I thought you were asking if I have a neurological disorder!
1 person likes this
