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  1. “As Iā€™m sure most people are aware our clothes supposedly define us (though I do feel that what birders tend to wear make us the happy exception to this rather sad rule)…”

    Interesting point, Charlie, but as an outsider I have been fascinated with the British Birder’s obsession with trying to look like a tramp as the first line of defense to not be considered a “dude” by birders who do not know you.

    • Hi Dale – Those of you fortunate enough to bird in countries that aren’t typically wet, muddy, and windy may feel comfortable wearing your best clothes (eg when out for a stroll around the highveld or perhaps a Bavarian meadow full of wild flowers), but here ‘looking like a tramp’ just means we’ve given up the unequal struggle with the weather and the conditions and it has nothing to do with our status as dudes or not… šŸ™‚

  2. Hi Charlie. Very interesting post! I did not give my opinion on the new look as you point out – because it was a ‘news post’, a small up to the minute birdingblog post to tell of the newly unveiled logo posted a few hours after it’s release. A newsreader rarely puts in their personal opinion, I can save that for my weekly blog postings. However I did see my small enthusiastic post and link as a promotional tool and advert for the BTO. I’ve been a keen member of BTO for 15 years and qualified ringer through the BTO for a decade. I did like the old gannet BTO logo actually, but understand a company needs to move with the times and refresh and appeal to a ‘wider audience’ for which is it clearly keen to tap into. I think the new logo is appealing and wish the BTO all the success they were hoping for in their new branding, I feel it does not affect me personally but then I am not one of the ones being aimed at to be affected by it, i’m already in with both feet and happily there. Their ‘looking out for birds’ takes the edge off the company just being scientific data gathering and perhaps aims the ‘punchy words’ more at the generally interested birdwatcher who can add valuable data on the UK’s birds without being a scientist and without leaving their back garden by entering their own garden bird sightings in the annual ‘garden birdwatch’ weekends for example, all highly valued data and fun for anyone to join in and be a part of.

    • Hi Rebecca. Thanks for the comment. One quick thing, I get the feeling you perhaps thought I was implying something when I wrote that you didn’t give your opinion on the new look? That was genuinely not the case: it was meant simply as a statement of fact for anyone who hadn’t read your post and might be wondering what you thought, and absolutely nothing more! As you say, you wrote a ‘news post’ (which I could have made clearer and will do so now via the edit option) and not a comment piece. My apologies if you felt I meant otherwise.

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