I probably have way tooooo much time on my hands at present, but just for fun and out of curiosity, I wonder how many pet names and nicknames for many different birds and animal species are out there?
I’ll start with perhaps the most common used on here;
Lollipops for Long Tailed Tits
To distinguish between wood peckers and wood pigeons, Mrs PR and myself use the following:
Some may be just between you and your family or close friends, some may be used at your local reserves, so he thread is open to all.
Mike
Flickr Peak Rambler
_________________________________________________________________________
Regards, Hazel
"Each kindness shown to birds or men is sure to flutter back again"
Best wishes
Hazel in the Gironde estuary, France
Hi Mrs S and I have bird code names- some unexplainable- going back years ( some of mine are from teenage years.) Great Crested Grebe - Greasy Grebe Fulmar - ALBATROSS!! ( if in England) Cormorant - PTERODACTYL! ( works well in the US) *** Grey Heron - Frank! ( onomatopaeic) Spoonbill - Spoonies Brent Goose - Ken Bruce Pochard - Pilchards Smurf Scoter Goshawk - Gshhwak Buzzard - Bizzarred Moorhen - MereHoon Avocet - Avoket ( hard C sound- fun at Titchwell- people try to correct us - :) Magnus Magnusson ( pres. of RSPB pronounced it that way on mastermind ) Stone Curlew - Wailing heath Chicken Knot- Tonks - saves confusion if you have to say no they're not knots Black Tailed Godwit- Blackwit or Tack balled wingdit Bar tailed Godwit- Barwit or Tar balled wingdit Guillemot- Guillemot ( said with French accent) ditto Puffin on occasion Woodpig - Doc Stoves Little WOL Mipit Wixwang Dunnock- Mildred. After the Hollywood actress Wheatear- sometimes use the Anglo- Saxon version if at Minsmere:) Mistle Thrush- ICBM Long Tailed Tit- Lotties- Ringer code slang Jay - Yaj Jackdaw- Zackdorn - Star Trek reference Carrion Crow - Crom House Sparrow- Dustbin warbler / Spadger / Slum Weaver ( NOT BB reference ) Cirl Bunting- Cyril *** if in USA we refer to Cardinals as Richelieus and Claudias depending on sex- baffles the yankee birders
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
In reply to seymouraves:
seymouraves said:Wheatear- sometimes use the Anglo- Saxon version if at Minsmere:)
What is the Anglo-Saxon version, please?
In reply to Clare:
Clare Bailey said:What is the Anglo-Saxon version, please?
LOL Clare
__________
Nige Flickr
Clare Bailey said:Our daughter (when she was much younger) would call all wood pigeons Shirleys. I still have no idea why!
Woodpigeon has always been called a Cushie for as far as I can remember. :-)
The Cu is pronounced as in cup.
My bird photos HERE
After a wee bit of editing, I've finally managed to compile a list of the names already shared. Please feel free to add or correct if I've made any errors