Birders' Nest

[owlice]

They were a present for you, to beautify your yard. Look out for them in the mail.

Why, thank you! Thank you kindly!! They will look great in the yard, but really, you shouldn't have risked so much for them! I will enjoy them, but, dear sir, please mind what your body tells you, and behave yourself! (Difficult though that will be for you... ).

I'm surprised the post would take them!

[owlice]

Ho ho!!
Small
Smaller
Teeny tiny
Almost gone!

Big
Bigger
Even bigger
Huge!

omg, I found Wonderland!!

[Elgarian Redux]

Why, thank you! Thank you kindly!! They will look great in the yard, but really, you shouldn't have risked so much for them! I will enjoy them, but, dear sir, please mind what your body tells you, and behave yourself! (Difficult though that will be for you... ).

I'm surprised the post would take them!

So was I. I tried to post three, but they weighed them and said that parcels of over two stones were not allowed.

For pity's sake, how do I get some thread duty into this?

Aha! They are coming to you by carrier pigeon!!!

[owlice]

Begging your pardon! I will refrain from additional cordials and cakes.

I owe thread tax, and will pay it forthwith.

[owlice]

So was I. I tried to post three, but they weighed them and said that parcels of over two stones were not allowed.

hahahahahahaha!!! Literally lol here, and so glad there is no one near to hear me!!

For pity's sake, how do I get some thread duty into this?

Aha! They are coming to you by carrier pigeon!!!

I hope by Carrier Pigeons, multitudes of them!!
Lest they be turned into ghost birds!
ETA: Alas, they are already ghost birds.

[owlice]

Paying for my sins...

... the little ones:

Volcano Hummingbird (Costa Rica)

... and the big ones:

Common (Maasai) Ostrich (Kenya)

[owlice]

"Men still live who, in their youth, remember pigeons; trees still live who, in their
youth, were shaken by a living wind. But a few decades hence only the oldest
oaks will remember, and at long last only the hills will know."

—Aldo Leopold, "On a Monument to the Pigeon," 1947

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/why-passenger-pigeon-went-extinct

[Elgarian Redux]

omg, I found Wonderland!!

I knew I shouldn't have left that bottle and those mushrooms in there.

[Elgarian Redux]

dear sir, please mind what your body tells you, and behave yourself! (Difficult though that will be for you... ).

Believe me, I need no urging. It's a while since I did any waterfall-scrambling, and it came as a shock to discover that it wasn't the sort of thing I should do any more of.

[Elgarian Redux]

Paying for my sins...

... the little ones:

Volcano Hummingbird (Costa Rica)

What a charmer.

... and the big ones:

Common (Maasai) Ostrich (Kenya)

Staggering. No matter how we might try, we could never invent such a creature, and make it seem plausible.

[Elgarian Redux]

"Men still live who, in their youth, remember pigeons; trees still live who, in their
youth, were shaken by a living wind. But a few decades hence only the oldest
oaks will remember, and at long last only the hills will know."

—Aldo Leopold, "On a Monument to the Pigeon," 1947

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/why-passenger-pigeon-went-extinct

I didn't know any of this. I mean any of it. I didn't even know the 'passenger pigeon' was a separate thing, and maybe I understand a little more now why you have a higher regard for pigeons in general than I've had.

[owlice]

Believe me, I need no urging.

Good!

Staggering. No matter how we might try, we could never invent such a creature, and make it seem plausible.

True, true!!

I didn't know any of this. I mean any of it. I didn't even know the 'passenger pigeon' was a separate thing, and maybe I understand a little more now why you have a higher regard for pigeons in general than I've had.

Pigeons, doves, doves, pigeons... all the same family. Taste like chicke... er, never mind!

I do like them; they are often very pretty, even the commonest of feral pigeons. So are chickens, for that matter. Like Mallards, we see these creatures so often, we don't really see them, yet if we'd never seen them before, we would surely marvel at them as we do other birds.

Remember this fellow? He'd like a word with you, by the way.

That's a pretty bird!

But so are these, IMHO:

Pale-vented Pigeon


Dusky Turtle-Dove


Chicken, which isn't a pigeon or dove, of course, and who looks at chickens?! But wow, just look at him; how could one not?! What colors! What feathers! What headgear!
And how amusingly intimidating, when he and his harem come out of the woods to completely surround the car because they are certain, certain, that those in the car have food with them! (And they aren't wrong; it was a lunch stop, after all...)

[Elgarian Redux]

Remember this fellow? He'd like a word with you, by the way.

I do, but I can't remember whether I should address him as 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty.

But so are these, IMHO:

Pale-vented Pigeon

Yes indeed. One point to you.

Dusky Turtle-Dove

Another point to you.

Score: 2-0. You win the GMG Pigeon-Fancier's Cup.
[Sound of wild applause.    Coo Coo. And Cuc Cooo Coo. (There's a collared dove somewhere in the audience.)]

Chicken, which isn't a pigeon or dove, of course, and who looks at chickens?! But wow, just look at him; how could one not?! What colors! What feathers! What headgear!
And how amusingly intimidating, when he and his harem come out of the woods to completely surround the car because they are certain, certain, that those in the car have food with them! (And they aren't wrong; it was a lunch stop, after all...)

Bedazzling. No question. He is totally, totally over the top. The Little Richard of the medium-sized bird family. I bet he does a great rendition of 'Long Tall Sally' (every day at about 5am, I should think), with 'Tutti Frutti' on Sundays. A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-lop-bam-boom!

[owlice]

I do, but I can't remember whether I should address him as 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty.

IIRC (and I might not...), he prefers Lord High Poobah, with emphasis on the "Poo."

[Sound of wild applause.    Coo Coo. And Cuc Cooo Coo. (There's a collared dove somewhere in the audience.)]

Collared Dove for the win!!! Woo-hoo!!!

The Little Richard of the medium-sized bird family. I bet he does a great rendition of 'Long Tall Sally' (every day at about 5am, I should think), with 'Tutti Frutti' on Sundays. A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-lop-bam-boom!

Little Richard of the medium-sized bird family

hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Oh, that's great!! hahahahahahaha!!!!

We spoke of bird slang some pages back; here's a site with some of it, some of which I've never heard, but then, all I do is take pictures of birds: https://birding-world.com/glossary-birdwatching-slang/

[Elgarian Redux]

IIRC (and I might not...), he prefers Lord High Poobah, with emphasis on the "Poo."
Collared Dove for the win!!! Woo-hoo!!!

You mean, 'Woo-hoooo-hoo.'

Little Richard of the medium-sized bird family

hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Oh, that's great!! hahahahahahaha!!!!

All of which makes one wonder: who is the Jerry Lee Lewis of the bird family? I can imagine some of those incandescent birds of yours singing 'Great Balls of Fire'.

We spoke of bird slang some pages back; here's a site with some of it, some of which I've never heard, but then, all I do is take pictures of birds: https://birding-world.com/glossary-birdwatching-slang/

There's a lot of these that I haven't heard. I'm familiar with 'LBJ' (having seen so many). I'm familiar with 'jizz' because if you've ever once seen a dunnock, you know (in your deepest bones) all there is to know about 'jizz'. Reading the definitions, I conclude that I qualify as a 'Dude', but I'm not sure about that at all. I don't see 'Comic Tern' in there, which omission shocks me a bit. And truly, when all is said and accounted for, there's nothing in that list as linguistically inspiring as birb, borb, and floof.

So overall, I prefer to stick with you as my chief source of birdwatching slang, Owlice.

[Elgarian Redux]

I think this goldfinch is our friend from the other day, in the midst of plumage change, but since the robin clearly wanted to make it a double act, I thought: why not catch the two of 'em? Abbot & Costello? Laurel & Hardy? Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis? Lennon & McCartney? Rogers & Hammerstein? Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire? Batman & Robin?

Yes! Batman & Robin.

With apologies for the intrusion of so many ugly bird-feeders.

[Elgarian Redux]

The goldfinches are taking over the place. They poured into the garden this morning, a mix of old 'uns and young 'uns. And look at that dunnock - calmly presiding over the mayhem, looking far more stately than I've ever seen.

And the old 'uns are still feeding the young 'uns, it seems (see second photo - apologies for the blurriness; I thought it was worth preserving for the action shot).

[Iota]

Bedazzling. No question. He is totally, totally over the top. The Little Richard of the medium-sized bird family. I bet he does a great rendition of 'Long Tall Sally' (every day at about 5am, I should think), with 'Tutti Frutti' on Sundays. A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-lop-bam-boom!

. 

Once again alas, too much to comment on since I was last here, so I'll just have to settle for my role as occasional fanboy, but this thread as ever overflows with memorable and extraordinary images, and charming exchanges! Bravo, @owlice and @Elgarian Redux!

[owlice]

You mean, 'Woo-hoooo-hoo.'

hahahahaha, and I'm sorry I hadn't thought of it!

So overall, I prefer to stick with you as my chief source of birdwatching slang, Owlice.

You know I'm just going to be making stuff up now, right? 

Yes! Batman & Robin.

With apologies for the intrusion of so many ugly bird-feeders.

There could be no other name for that duo! Splendid photo, btw!

And the feeders aren't ugly! They bring the birds closer to you, which is lovely, so they, then, are also lovely. Transitive property at work.

The goldfinches are taking over the place. They poured into the garden this morning, a mix of old 'uns and young 'uns. And look at that dunnock - calmly presiding over the mayhem, looking far more stately than I've ever seen.

And the old 'uns are still feeding the young 'uns, it seems (see second photo - apologies for the blurriness; I thought it was worth preserving for the action shot).

So cute!! Lovely to see all the birds, and yes, the action shot is worth preserving!

That Dunnock... what a pretty little bird!
I have no Dunnocks.
~~~ sigh ~~~

[owlice]

@Iota, thank you! That's very kind of you to say!

I have a little hummingbird you might like. Actually, it might be considered kind of a big hummingbird as hummingbirds go, but still, it's not, ya know, a Kori Bustard or Little Richard chicken...


Talamanca Hummingbird (Costa Rica)