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That is extremely interesting, Peter. Did anybody ever try 'reprogramming' the birds in one area by playing recordings of another area's songs? joanna ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Cudmore" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 7:42 PM Subject: Re: help--translation query > Just happen to have the following quote from Richard Dawkins' _Selfish > Gene_ > to hand: > > Cultural transmission is not unique to man. The best non-human example > that > I know has recently been described by P. F. Jenkins in the song of a bird > called the saddleback which lives on islands off New Zealand. On the > island > where he worked there was a total repertoire of about nine distinct songs. > Any given male sang only one or a few of these songs. The males could be > classified into dialect groups. For example, one group of eight males with > neighbouring territories sang a particular song called the CC song. Other > dialect groups sang different songs. Sometimes the members of a dialect > group shared more than one distinct song. By comparing the songs of > fathers > and sons, Jenkins showed that song patterns were not inherited > genetically. > Each young male was likely to adopt songs from his territorial neighbours > by > imitation, in an analogous way to human language. During most of the time > Jenkins was there, there was a fixed number of songs on the island, a kind > of 'song pool' from which each young male drew his repertoire. But > occasionally Jenkins was privileged to witness the 'invention' of a new > song, which occurred by a mistake in the imitation of an old one. He > writes: > 'New song forms have been shown to arise variously by change of pitch of a > note, repetition of a note, the elision of notes and the combination of > parts of other existing songs . The appearance of the new form was an > abrupt > event and the product was quite stable over a number of years. Further, in > a > number of cases the variant was transmitted accurately in its new form to > younger recruits so that a recognizably coherent group of like singers > developed.' Jenkins refers to the origins of new songs as 'cultural > mutations'. (203-4) > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to >> poetry and poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On >> Behalf Of Roger Day >> Sent: 11 March 2006 11:15 >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: help--translation query >> >> I did a quick google, and there are various assertions out >> there that blackbirds *do have regional song-accents. >> Somebody must have studied it somewhere... >> >> I live next to a shopping/distribution center, and I'm always >> surprised to hear the blackbirds. At night, the bright lights >> confuse them and I can hear their song at midnight. I >> sometimes worry as they swoop across the road in front of >> cars - I think it's a feint to divert strangers from their >> nests. My best sighting of a blackbird was in York cathedral. >> We didn't go in but we wandered the ruins. In a walled grassy >> enclosure with an ancient tree providing shade, a single >> blackbird hopped, and cocked its eye at the intruders to its domain. >> It seemed medeival somehow. >> >> I used to think Starlings were a nuisance. I now have a room >> on the corner of a house and, in the morning, I can hear them >> chittering to each other, and scrabbling in the eves. It >> seems reassuring. >> >> Roger >> >> On 3/10/06, Joanna Boulter <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> > To my mind, there's no bird to beat the English blackbird, for song >> > and handsome looks; Shakespeare's "ousel-cock so black of >> hue / With >> > orange tawny bill". But it's a strange thing -- I've lived >> in various >> > parts of this country, from the south-west to the >> north-east where we >> > are now, and I'll swear those blackbirds make regional >> variations in their song. >> > >> > By the way, there's a flock of feral macaws up in the dales >> about 30 >> > miles from here. I saw them once, and it seemed a huge and magical >> > privilege, like being visited by strangers from another planet. >> > >> > joanna >> > >> > ----- Original Message ----- >> > From: "Jill Jones" <[log in to unmask]> >> > To: <[log in to unmask]> >> > Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 10:56 PM >> > Subject: Re: help--translation query >> > >> > >> > > Hi Mark, >> > > >> > > Yes, I guess they are noisy. Never thought of it but now >> I recall, >> > > European cities seem so much quieter on the bird front. >> > > >> > > Last night I came home as a whole pile (flock?) of parrots - most >> > > likely lorrikeets - were squawking in the tree across the >> road, just on dusk. >> > > >> > > In our garden, we had magpies nesting in the jacaranda one year, >> > > until they found out that it lost its leaves and therefore their >> > > cover, so they went back to the more traditional and >> evergreen gum >> > > tree two doors up. But they visit us all the time (and >> shit on our >> > > paving). We also get nearly everyday or seasonally, said parrots >> > > (lorrikeets and rosellas), currawongs, new holland honeyeaters, >> > > welcome swallows, silvereyes (such lovely little birds), the >> > > australian ravens we call crows. Even a sacred kingfisher once. >> > > Also, unfortunately, all the pesky exotics such as >> sparrows, starlings, pigeons and noisy mynahs. >> > > >> > > Some of the above, and others, are mentioned on this >> site, including >> > > some of their noisy calls: http://www.anbg.gov.au/birds/birds.html >> > > >> > > So, can get real noisy. >> > > >> > > Is it 'ruffle' their feathers? >> > > >> > > And 'having a lend'? To have someone on, take the piss. >> > > >> > > Cheers, >> > > Jill >> > > >> > > On Saturday, March 11, 2006, at 01:37 AM, Jill Jones 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 >> > >> blog1: Ruby Street http://rubystreet.blogspot.com/ >> > >> blog2: Latitudes http://itudes.blogspot.com/ >> > >> >> > >> >> > > _______________________________________________________ >> > > 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 >> > > blog1: Ruby Street http://rubystreet.blogspot.com/ >> > > blog2: Latitudes http://itudes.blogspot.com/ >> > >> >> >> -- >> http://www.badstep.net/ >> http://www.cb1poetry.org.uk/ >>