https://apnews.com/article/bird-renamin ... 4a2d1f55e8

Looks like some birds are getting new names. That’s fine by me. Having a person’s name assigned to a species has always bugged me a bit. Between appearances and environmental descriptors, there are plenty of other things to identify a bird besides Harris or Cooper or whatever.

Dave N. wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2023 7:56 am https://apnews.com/article/bird-renamin ... 4a2d1f55e8

Looks like some birds are getting new names. That’s fine by me. Having a person’s name assigned to a species has always bugged me a bit. Between appearances and environmental descriptors, there are plenty of other things to identify a bird besides Harris or Cooper or whatever.

I read a similar article a few days ago on a different website that allows people to comment on the article.

It's hilarious how annoyed some people are about this.

It doesn't bother me because it means that there will be more peckers and boobies.

Cruel/Not Cruel: Putting highly concentrated pepper oil in bird feed and getting a kick out of the squirrel’s reaction.

Birds don’t have the receptors in their little brains to taste hot stuff. Squirrels do.

Dave N. wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 11:49 am Cruel/Not Cruel: Putting highly concentrated pepper oil in bird feed and getting a kick out of the squirrel’s reaction.

Birds don’t have the receptors in their little brains to taste hot stuff. Squirrels do.

I'd say it depends on how much pepper oil you put in there and how strong it is. Don't want to hurt the cute bushy-tailed bastards, but also don't want them to eat all of the bird seed. Would love to see their reactions to this.

Been on a Royal Caribbean cruise for most of the past week (may post more about this later) and am giddy about how many Magnificent Frigatebirds I’ve seen, along with local and transplanted parrots (when onshore).

Am ready to not see another human for like several weeks.

I’m staying with friends in Piemonte, Italy right now and our little valley is just lousy with bird friends. It’s a wonderful cacophony! I have the Merlin app and I have just been letting it rip for a few minutes every once in a while while I hang/read/work outside. It’s more like bird-cheating than birdwatching TBH. I have picked up over 40 different bird calls, and they don’t even have a feeder. In order of appearance we have:
-Eurasian Blackbird
-Common Wood Pigeon
-Common Chiffchaff
-Eurasian Blackcap
-European Robin
-Great Tit(s)
-Carrion Crow
-Black Redstart
-European Greenfinch
-Mistle Thrush
-Cirl Bunting
-European Blue Tit
-European Serin
-Wood Lark
-Gray Wagtail
-Eurasian Siskin
-Eurasian Bullfinch
-Hooded Crow
-Common Buzzard
-Common Redshank
-Eurasian Golden Oriole
-Little Bittern
-Alpine Swift
-Song Thrush
-Common Chaffinch
-Long-Tailed Tit
-Eurasian Collared dove
-Common Cuckoo
-Eurasian Green Woodpecker
-Eurasian Jay
-Common Swift
-European Goldfinch
-Great Spotted Woodpecker
-Ring Necked Pheasant
-White Wagtail
-Eurasian Tree Sparrow
-Coal Tit
-Crested Tit
-Short-toed Treecreeper
-Eurasian Nuthatch
-Tawny Owl
-Common Raven
-Common Redstart
-Sardinian Warbler
-Eurasian Wren

I'm an elementary school teacher, and it's standardized test season. This means pacing a silent classroom every day for two hours while kids are typing away. Luckily my classroom is on the third story with massive windows.

I've been observing a medium sized pair of birds nesting in a still leafless elm. They have to be at least 40 ft off the ground and the grace with which they dive out of the nest made me think perhaps falcon or smaller hawk. But then when I catch one on the return trip I think it could be a more ordinary non-raptor.

They're kind of khaki beige, light gray and the only defining characteristic I manage to catch in their brief viewings is a clearly defined white feathering on their back side in sharp contrast to a darker tail. It's like two white stripes with a tail in the middle. I'd need my camera to get the kind of look at their wing profile that could i.d. a raptor, which might not look very professional for an assessment proctor to be busy with.

Man, people really knew how to give birds properly awesome names.

I wonder how many metal bands out there are called Carrion Crow. With a dungeon synth side project called Treecreeper.

There should be a thread where you present a list of 3-5 ridiculous bird names and one has to determine which are real and which are fake.

Birds are cool!

ErikG wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 10:49 am Man, people really knew how to give birds properly awesome names.

I wonder how many metal bands out there are called Carrion Crow. With a dungeon synth side project called Treecreeper.

There should be a thread where you present a list of 3-5 ridiculous bird names and one has to determine which are real and which are fake.

Birds are cool!

Fake bird name generator. I got a "Turquoise House Eagle". Most are less cool than real bird names, though:

https://perchance.org/fake-bird-names

Could also do this with GBV song titles.

jfv wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 10:57 am

ErikG wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 10:49 am Man, people really knew how to give birds properly awesome names.

I wonder how many metal bands out there are called Carrion Crow. With a dungeon synth side project called Treecreeper.

There should be a thread where you present a list of 3-5 ridiculous bird names and one has to determine which are real and which are fake.

Birds are cool!

Fake bird name generator. I got a "Turquoise House Eagle". Most are less cool than real bird names, though:

https://perchance.org/fake-bird-names

Could also do this with GBV song titles.

Kerbled!

https://www.premierrockforum.com/viewto ... 35#p813235