Australia must hold the record for noisy birds.
I'm more a bird noticer than a bird watcher. Grackles (
Quiscalus quiscula--isn't google grand?) gather in hundreds and sound
like their name. They also shit a lot on unaware walkers. Rather like
starlings for annoyance value. Black with dark purple heads. A good
photo at http://spurr.pls.uni.edu/birds/photos/common_grackle_a.jpg,
and lo! it's puffed up. Otherwise sleek as a crow.
As to birds and poets, this from my childhood, in the mock-hillbilly genre:
"Oh a bird laid some turd on the mountain I hear."
"That was no bird that was no turd that was me-e."
What's "having a lend"?
Mark
At 09:37 AM 3/10/2006, you wrote:
>Hi Mark,
>
>First of all, what's a grackle? I assume you're not having a lend.
>
>But I would be interested in the correct name for the term as well.
>There does seem to be a thing about poets and birds.
>
>I'm a lazy bird watcher myself and rarely know the correct word for
>ornithological things. But I notice them all the same. Tonight,
>there was a real racket across the street as I was coming home, ooh,
>about 7ish. Most likely parrots of some kind. I couldn't see them
>but they were, obviously, apparent.
>
>Cheers,
>Jill
>
>
>On Saturday, March 11, 2006, at 01:06 AM, Mark Weiss wrote:
>
>>OK, I need some feedback from birdwatchers. In the winter birds
>>puff out their feathers fro warmth. Is there/are there a term/terms
>>for this? From the scientific to the colloquial.
>>
>>I realize this question is likely to inspire some general levity,
>>not to say tom-foolery (origin?), which I'd appreciate as much as
>>the next guy/gal, but I really could use the help on this one.
>>
>>A tribeof grackles has taken up residence in the park outside my
>>window--maybe 25 males. Quiet so far--probably waiting for a
>>critical mass to build up. Oh lucky me.
>>
>>Mark
>
>_______________________________________________________
>Jill Jones
>
>Latest books:
>Broken/Open. Available from Salt Publishing
>http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smp/1844710416.htm
>
>Where the Sea Burns. Wagtail Series. Picaro Press
>PO Box 853, Warners Bay, NSW, 2282. [log in to unmask]
>
>Struggle and radiance: ten commentaries (Wild Honey Press)
>http://www.wildhoneypress.com
>
>web site: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~jpjones
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>blog2: Latitudes http://itudes.blogspot.com/
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