Now, as you might have gathered, I’m pretty new to this birding malarkey. I’ve just been watching the BTO video clips on how to differentiate between chaff warblers and willow chiffs – still some teething troubles there I think.
But what is really getting my nether-garments in a wad is some of the unfathomable local names for birds. Last year, while in the Shetlands, we learned the lovely moniker for the Great Skua from a fellow, visiting birder. We wondered why he was running along the cliff-path with his binoculars held over his head and shouting ‘Bonxie !! . . .’ We also learned that the name is often accompanied by the phrases ‘look out!!’ and ‘attack’.
I was totally flummoxed today, however, to see on the Portland Obs sightings that they were seeing “Gropper TFs”.
One of you must me able to tell me, under what name this exotic birdie will appear in my little RSPB guide book.
And while you all cogitate on this, are there any other local names I should learn? After all, I don’t want to turn up at the new centre and be the ONLY one who doesn’t know what everyone’s looking at when somebody shouts out ‘there’s a droopy-winged-marsh-shuffler.’
Great stuff Possum - a can of worms indeed!
I think that many of the abbreviations stem from BTO ringers code and have entered into the common parlance. Certainly Lottie (long-tailed tit) and reebu (reed bunting) are examples of this that i picked up from Nick T and I am now guilty of using liberally. I do though see them as terms of endearment. I am sure that most birders use abbs. in this fashion rather than to alienate the uninitiated and, likewise, I am sure we all succumb from time to time - tufty as a tufted duck being a prime example.
All that said birding is an already vast hobby to adopt given the great variety of birds and habitats, (without factoring in song, moult, sex and age plumage variations etc) that curious and not always logical abbreviations are hardly helpful but the horse has bolted they are a simple fact of birding life.
As Pudweena says the vast majority of Dorset birders are fine folk and would be only too happy to explain if asked what an abbreviation or colloquialism referred too and if they weren't then that is their problem and not ours!
I am reliably informed that these abbreviations are also common in the even vaster world of botany. Snakes Fritz for snakeshead fritillary Naomi tells me. And add to that the often numerous differing common names for so many of our wildflowers... stick to birds I reckon!
Agree with all the sentiments about the friendliness of birders. Since starting we’ve been surprised and delighted at how ready strangers are to help out with our never-ending questions.
But back to names: did you know that most of the bird sightings on here lately are WoMos?
Well, come on then . . .
pudweena said:No, don't go Teejay, and you are so helpful on the main forum too, the more the merrier, and I, too, joined so I could mainly comment on the blogs and the photos as I do visit occasionally. By the way, we are not down in deepest darkest Dorset, it is extremely sunny more often than not and an absolutely beautiful place to be and I don't feel neglected:-)
LOL Pudweena, I was only jesting. Dorset is a great county and I like it very much. I used to have relatives who lived in Wareham but since they've moved I don't have a base to visit. It's a bit of a long trek for me but I would love to visit Arne again. I've walked a bit of the coastal footpath in the Ringstead Bay/ Lulworth area but I'm not sure the knees would stand up to it anymore.
I'll stick around and poke my nose in occasionally.
A Gropper from a couple of years ago in deepest darkest Berkshire plus soundtrack. Sounds just like a cicada.
@PD Not sure if WoMos is a bird abbreviation. Not one I've ever heard.
How about "Word of Mouth online".
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Sorry Galats, Teejay has taken the prize - WoMo: Word of Mouth On Line. So next time you read that Fred has seen Mr Ibis in his back-garden, the info has been passed by WoMo. And let's have a lot more WoMo I say.
It's not often I am right , but I am wrong again LOL
I know you were jesting Teejay, so was I:-) Brilliant of the Grasshopper Warbler, thanks for posting that. You people are so clever, I only just about manage to post a photo, not very Warbler-like sound is it - note the Chiff Chaff had to get in at the end!
I still get a red face when people talk about Grasshopper Warblers (sorry should that be Groppers?). A year ago, on the lovely Brittany coast one balmy evening we were strolling along watching a dozen or so Dartford Warblers on the gorse, when, suddenly there it was – a definite gropper sound. We spent the next hour creeping around the undergrowth, but no luck with a sighting, just the ‘song’.
Next night we were out again and sure enough, same sounds – and listen – there’s another. And another. It was about then that, with a slow and embarrassing realization, we agreed that - just maybe – it was in fact grasshoppers we were listening to. Lots of grasshoppers, hundreds of grasshoppers. At least the DFWs were still there.