tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post6730824737008572287..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: more birds and birdy thingslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44797492255975743312021-04-13T00:22:58.908+01:002021-04-13T00:22:58.908+01:00Mew Gull is a particular species of gull. In the U...Mew Gull is a particular species of gull. In the U.S. it's found along the Pacific coastline and in Alaska, and looks similar to several other gull species. Some of the birds mentioned are found only in certain parts of the U.S., or live most of the time at sea (murres, guillemots, jaegers and skuas), and so are less likely to be encountered or noticed by non-birders.K. Prendergasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08597444449657953906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-40920749791668318442020-12-30T16:55:32.819+00:002020-12-30T16:55:32.819+00:00Also, the graduates of US military academies (West...Also, the graduates of US military academies (West Point, Annapolis, AF Academy) all get class rings upon graduation and are called "ring knockers" derisively for their starchy attitudes (by enlisted members) or cliquishness (by other officers). I was told it comes from them knocking their rings on the bar in expectation of instant service from the barkeep.<br />Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102051869402318820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71629649065610194432020-08-20T02:15:47.376+01:002020-08-20T02:15:47.376+01:00I grew up (in California) calling them buzzards, b...I grew up (in California) calling them buzzards, but they are actually small condors, related to the California and Andean condors. They do mainly eat carrion.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376545097377854998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-82824857190512982732020-08-06T22:26:56.814+01:002020-08-06T22:26:56.814+01:00Here in Virginia, USA, we have lots of turkey vult...Here in Virginia, USA, we have lots of turkey vultures, but I don't think they are really birds of prey. I understand that they normally feed on carrion and rarely eat live creatures.Steve Dunhamhttp://www.stevedunham.50megs.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-28843486692655647752020-06-19T22:04:31.518+01:002020-06-19T22:04:31.518+01:00So, I was watching the British sitcom The Other On...So, I was watching the British sitcom The Other One just now and someone started talking about wedding bands and my ears pricked up. Then they went on to say, "I want one that does Adele covers,"Paul Dormerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611343972547300193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78652322100038216822020-06-13T09:21:30.765+01:002020-06-13T09:21:30.765+01:00UK secondary schools, at least in my days in the s...UK secondary schools, at least in my days in the sixties, have no graduation ceremony. School year ended mid-July, but after finishing our final exams in June, we all buggered off to get summer jobs. All very low key.<br /><br />In the autumn there was something called speech day and we were invited back to that to get prizes - book tokens, I recall.Paul Dormerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611343972547300193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50167219775576772522020-06-13T03:42:32.973+01:002020-06-13T03:42:32.973+01:00Graduating seniors in high school can buy a commem...Graduating seniors in high school can buy a commemorative ring representing the school. It usually has a stone (I chose my birthstone) and on the sides the initials of the school and year of graduation. IME people don't tend to wear them much after college. I still have mine, but God only knows where it is in this houseful of stuff. https://images.app.goo.gl/SWFAQ1qtn6a7Kigk8 Not mine but a typical example.CRex girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14306403625459604707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69720460416204371992020-06-12T09:01:26.923+01:002020-06-12T09:01:26.923+01:00When I was a kid in the late fifties/early sixties...When I was a kid in the late fifties/early sixties in the UK, we'd probably finished unwrapping presents before breakfast. No way we were going to sit and have breakfast with all those unwrapped presents around. (It was traditional in our house for the the presents to be left at the foot or our beds in a pillow case used as a sack.)<br /><br />Nowadays, Christmas is usually at my sister's house and there are only five of us, the youngest now in his forties. My sister and her partner are keen walkers so it's unwrap presents in the morning, go for an hour's walk, then dinner starts usually around three and seems to last about four hours.Paul Dormerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611343972547300193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-66948826818197529622020-06-12T05:49:33.333+01:002020-06-12T05:49:33.333+01:00What on Earth is a "school class ring" ?...What on Earth is a "school class ring" ?!Grhmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81994656251470166642020-06-12T00:55:36.647+01:002020-06-12T00:55:36.647+01:00This website says that US consumption of turkey on...This website says that US consumption of turkey on Christmas is slightly less than half that on Thanksgiving (https://web.extension.illinois.edu/turkey/turkey_facts.cfm).<br /><br />I wonder if Christmas Dinner is less of a thing overall in the US than in Britain. Our main gluttonous holiday is Thanksgiving, and, since American are more likely to be religious, I wonder if more of us are in church for Christmas. A big dinner is secondary and perhaps tertiary for most American families after unwrapping presents (which can take hours and hours for families with children) and possibly church. Thanksgiving is an entire day off of work with nothing to do but cook and eat; Christmas has to fit dinner in between presents and church.Joel T. Luberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01425059756986844099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15584142657282327362020-06-12T00:13:01.793+01:002020-06-12T00:13:01.793+01:00The story I've always heard (in the US) is tha...The story I've always heard (in the US) is that a band is a particular kind of ring, one that has rotational symmetry. You can spin it on your finger and since it's the same all the way around, it's never "upside down" on your hand. A typical engagement ring or a school class ring or a signet ring, on the other hand, all have a section that's more ornamental that's intended to be the part showing on top of your hand, and therefore can't be spun on your hand w/o hiding the interesting part. This means that it's possible to have a wedding ring that's not a wedding band, which is particularly common for women's wedding rings which may "nest" with their engagement ring.<br /><br />I concur with Max, though, that "wedding ring" is more common in general AmE than "wedding band."Joel T. Luberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01425059756986844099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-82793703182996034732020-06-11T23:52:27.347+01:002020-06-11T23:52:27.347+01:00With all due respect to Jim Martin, I haven't ...With all due respect to Jim Martin, I haven't heard of any of the bird names listed as his contributions, so perhaps these names could more accurately be characterized as birder specialist argot than general American dialect. (Compared to the previous post, in which nearly all of the birds mentioned are well known to nonenthusiasts of birds.) I'm only even familiar with one of the birds at all, the seagull (which is nearly always called seagull not just gull and never "mew gull" anywhere I've lived in the US).<br /><br />If loon the bird and loon the person aren't related etymologically, where did "crazy as a loon" come from. I've always presumed it predated the John Prine song of the same title and that he was referring to a known phrase, but maybe he coined it? Or maybe nobody connected the birds to the phrase before he did?Joel T. Luberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01425059756986844099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11293332137741452302020-06-10T23:40:35.223+01:002020-06-10T23:40:35.223+01:00I agree with Chris Jackson. It's a serious err...I agree with Chris Jackson. It's a serious error to describe an ordinary birdwatcher as a twitcher. It's likely to be taken as an insult. Twitchers are a particular category of birdwatchers who go chasing off all over the country to twitch (sic) rare birds. If they get there and don't see the bird, they've 'dipped'.<br /><br />Although 'birder' is beginning to be heard, it's OK, and has been more usual to refer to an ordinary but fairly serious birdwatcher as an ornithologist here without that sounding pretentious. One can, just about, talk about 'birding' but that's a sort of freestanding gerund backfired from birder. As yet, in BrEnglish, I'd say that 'bird' as a verb doesn't really exist.<br /><br />I think, if I heard someone described as a 'tick-hunter' I'd assume they either studied or collected ticks. As hobbies go, that would be fairly unusual.<br />Drunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-75690345022708237232020-06-10T17:23:58.481+01:002020-06-10T17:23:58.481+01:00After my last post, we were stopped on the road by...After my last post, we were stopped on the road by flock of wild turkeys. They look somewhat different than the farm bred turkeys.V Yonkershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11910904367068063554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20373153388730332022020-06-10T04:43:14.652+01:002020-06-10T04:43:14.652+01:00I may have made up my own etymology, but I always ...I may have made up my own etymology, but I always thought they were called loons because they're active at night, when the moon is up.David Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02541913115867224397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42879833923307613852020-06-10T01:43:52.482+01:002020-06-10T01:43:52.482+01:00I think most Americans are turkeyed out by the tim...I think most Americans are turkeyed out by the time they finally finish all the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Growing up, we always had a Christmas ham.<br /><br />Now I live in Japan, where KFC Japan's marketing has been so successful, it is now a secular tradition to have fried chicken on Christmas. To the point where you actually can't go to a KFC store on Dec. 24 or 25 because they are only filling pre-orders on those days.Joshhttp://circle-jar.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1927846707000735442020-06-08T23:58:39.609+01:002020-06-08T23:58:39.609+01:00Some US families traditionally have roast turkey f...Some US families traditionally have roast turkey for Christmas dinner, but it's not like at Thanksgiving where most meat-eaters have one. At Christmas it's just as commmon to serve Prime rib, ham, or something else.Cathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11453085905992826438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44128648252374157042020-06-08T22:14:46.984+01:002020-06-08T22:14:46.984+01:00Buteo reminds me of the game Subbuteo and somethin...Buteo reminds me of the game Subbuteo and something that Dave Gorman mentioned on his TV programme a while back.<br /><br />When Peter Adolph invented the football game back in the forties, he wanted to call it "Hobby" but found he couldn't trademark that name. He seems to have been a bit of an expert on birds, so he called the game Subbuteo from the Latin name Falco subbuteo, a bird commonly known as the Eurasian hobby.Paul Dormerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611343972547300193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33820596312980084362020-06-08T21:39:10.440+01:002020-06-08T21:39:10.440+01:00Here, they are two different birds. The kestrel i...Here, they are two different birds. The kestrel is Falco tinnunculus and the sparrowhawk is Accipiter nisus. Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-2644549932509920232020-06-08T21:08:20.452+01:002020-06-08T21:08:20.452+01:00American Kestrels used to be called Sparrowhawks d...American Kestrels used to be called Sparrowhawks decades ago in the US...and perhaps still are in some areas. What I find curious is that few Americans know what a Kestrel is. Even in the rural area where I live, where many of us enjoy the wildlife, nobody seems to notice this small but rather conspicuous (Amer)robin-sized falcon atop nearly every other power pole or along fence lines. People who are not birders seem completely unfamiliar with this bird name. They prob could guess what the old term of sparrowhawk would refer to, but would not say we have them in our area. <br />Janishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13308728621651836815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55188553563460672642020-06-08T19:55:36.257+01:002020-06-08T19:55:36.257+01:00And, of course, there are those cases where a bird...And, of course, there are those cases where a bird has two different names in BrE - green woodpecker/yaffle; hedge-sparrow/dunnock... I think a buzzard here (UK) is very definitely one species of buteo; the one called buteo buteo. Are there others? They are becoming more and more common. Also, what about other birds of prey - kestrels, sparrowhawks, etc. Do they have US equivalents, and if so, what are they called?Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48928327902073016022020-06-08T16:35:59.752+01:002020-06-08T16:35:59.752+01:00Oh.
Is roast turkey not a Christmas tradition in t...Oh.<br />Is roast turkey not a Christmas tradition in the US, too?<br />Maybe the expression "turkeys voting for Christmas" needs translating as "turkeys voting for Thanksgiving"...Grhmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15401140288979041502020-06-08T16:10:44.992+01:002020-06-08T16:10:44.992+01:00The turkey comes from the Americas, but has long b...The turkey comes from the Americas, but has long been domestically kept in Europe. Turkey is what most Brits eat at Christmas (though it can be hard to get at other points of the year). You won't see wild ones unless they escaped the farm. <br /><br />More info here: https://www.gwct.org.uk/wildlife/species-of-the-month/2017/turkey/lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-6206051868259318222020-06-08T15:55:45.487+01:002020-06-08T15:55:45.487+01:00Yes, loads.
Especially in the North of England.
ht...Yes, loads.<br />Especially in the North of England.<br /><a href="https://cartoons.gxnx.uk/cartoon4-turkey.png" rel="nofollow">https://cartoons.gxnx.uk/cartoon4-turkey.png</a>Grhmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-58714389535002203472020-06-08T14:36:32.627+01:002020-06-08T14:36:32.627+01:00In the UK we have herring gulls (light grey back, ...In the UK we have herring gulls (light grey back, pink legs) and the very similar lesser black-backed gull (black/dark grey back, yellow legs). They are genetically virtually identical, although they do not interbreed, and form a Ring Species. As you travel eastwards from the UK, you lose the lesser black-backed, which are at rge eaten limit of their range here. However, continuing around the world eastwards, the backs of the herring gulls become progressively darker and their legs less pink and more yellow until, when you reach the Atlantic again, they are obviously lesser black-backed. Isn't evolution marvellous?John Miller, Haverfordwestnoreply@blogger.com