"Atmospheric pressure does the work."
However, a serious answer may be that "Amateur Ornithologist" just doesn't roll of the tongue like "Birder" or "Bird Watcher" does. On top of that, if you surveyed a group of people, most would know what an astronomer is, but may not know what an ornithologist is, whereas to brand yourself a "bird watcher" overcomes this problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Star
Perversely though, bird watchers (and I'm one of them too) don't refer to themselves as "amateur ornithologists"
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You've probably stated the real answer right there. Since those who pursue amateur ornithology prefer to call themselves "Bird Watchers" the expression remains in use. However, I note that "Amateur Ornithologist" is often used to describe this group especially when grouping them with "Professional Ornithologists." IE. "A group of professional and amateur Ornithologists surveyed a field" is more likely to be written instead of "A group of professional ornithologists and bird watchers surveyed a field."
At the end of the day it's probably easier to blame Edmund Selous. If only he'd called his 1901 book "Ornithology" instead of "Bird Watching"
