Wildlife October 2010

[Armin]

starlings vs blackbirds - thanks for the lesson.
I love this forum!

[Lori S.]

In Jamaica a robin is a tiny green bird with a red breast. In the US it is a thrush, or should that be 'blackbird'? Or are our blackbirds really thrushes?

Yes, it's the same old "common names" problem as with plants!

Or are our blackbirds really thrushes? I do have a problem with the wrong species turning up in the wrong country such as the American robin in Mary Poppins.

And what about movie soundtracks where bird calls are added in, presumably for "atmosphere"?  I'm always amazed to contemplate how those nonmigratory rock and willow ptarmigans made it down to the jungles of Central America... not to mention the kookaburras...  Recently heard SW US canyon wrens in the deserts around Jerusalem as well.  Quite astonishing.  

[mark smyth]

and loons/great northern divers in scary movies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loon

[Anthony Darby]

Loons get all over the place. Quines too!

[mark smyth]

 

[Anthony Darby]

Men and women in Aberdonian, Mark.

And what about movie soundtracks where bird calls are added in, presumably for "atmosphere"?  I'm always amazed to contemplate how those nonmigratory rock and willow ptarmigans made it down to the jungles of Central America... not to mention the kookaburras...  Recently heard SW US canyon wrens in the deserts around Jerusalem as well.  Quite astonishing.  

They had to stop the canned bird song on the US open golf because ornithologists were complaining about it for that very reason Lori! I must admit I did like seeing shots of sea otters in the last US tournament televised here. They were real!

[Maggi Young]

Lads and Lassies, Boys and Girls, in the Doric tongue of Scotland, Mark .


 This from a Scotsman newspaper article: "Quine, or quene, is used nowadays as a word for girl or young woman. The earliest written record of the word is from 1617, according to the Dictionary of the Scottish Tongue (DOST), when it was used to describe a servant girl. Whilst loon is now used to mean boy, it dates back to at least the 1450s in DOST, where it was recorded as "loun" meaning "a worthless person".The quines and loons of old Aberdeen are mainly a friendly bunch and have given us no end of salutations which are in common use. "Fit like" means "how are you?" But it is important to remember not to be effusive in your reply as it pays to be understated. The correct answer to "fit like?" is "nae bad" or "not bad".  "

[mark smyth]

Thanks. How does a non Scot say quine and quene?

I hate canned and dubbed bird sounds. Only this week a flock of flying eider ducks on TV had the wing sound of swans dubbed in.

[Maggi Young]

quine as in whine, with a 'K' sound in front  
Almost like kwine  

[Gunilla]

The Swedish word for woman is kvinna  .

[mark smyth]

Did anyone see Autumn Watch this week? They touched on the waxwing invasion and had a waxwing wing in the studio. The wax tips are simply red quill tips. You live and learn.

... and that lovely whooper swan in the studio - I want one!

[Anthony Darby]

quine as in whine, with a 'K' sound in front  
Almost like kwine  

i.e. just like it's supposed to given the spelling quine. We won't get into the practice of adding 'ie' to the ends of these words as that got a certain member of the Beechgrove Garden team into trouble a few years ago.

[Lori S.]

I just saw a very mangy coyote running down the street, that probably came up from the river.  I've only seen one other up here in the neighborhood, despite only being a few blocks away from the river bottom.  It's very likely to get hit by a car on the busy road it was heading for... but then again, it would probably have a hard time making it through the winter with such a poor coat.   

[alpinelover]

This tufarock exposed on the terrace is pretty much a rock garden on his own to be there already are over 15 different species. But the blackbirds have discovered the stone and find their pleasure in newly planted seedlings to pick out. Recently there was a young specimen of a Draba mollissima from his 'cave' binned. Now I have a sentry placed in the form of this Rody. The huge eyes are apparently enough to blackbirds at bay.

[Anthony Darby]

I checked the forester's shed on my afternoon walk today. Three peacocks and one small tortoiseshell hibernating. They stand a better chance than the one flying around Dunblane Cathedral  this morning.