What's the story, Tammy Norie?

[CornishExile]

How good are you at your Shetland birdnames?

1. Tammy Norie
2. Scooty Alin
3. Snaa ful
4. Calloo
5. Banks Sparrow
6. Steynshekker
7. Tystie
8. Wylkie
9. Rippack Maa
10. Sandy Lu
11. Immer Goose
12. Solan
13. Rain Goose
14. Tirrick
15. Hill Sparrow
16. Lavereck
17. Swaabie
18. Horsegowk
19. Haigrie
20. Erne
21. Muckle Scarf
22. Leerie
23. Alamootie
24. Corbie
25. Whaap

[Edward]

On the basis of my knowledge of Icelandic (not to mention my vast intellect) I'll venture the following

6. Wheatear
7. Black Guillemot
11. Great Northern Diver
12. Gannet
13. Red-throated Diver
18. Common Snipe
19. Grey Heron
20. Eagle (White-tailed?)
24. Raven

E

[Edward]

Still using Icelandic bird names as a guide

10. Ringed Plover
21. Cormorant

E

[Steve G]

1. =Puffin
4. =long-tailed Duck(?)
24. =Hoodie Crow
25.=Curlew
Agree with Edward on 6,7,10,11,12,13,21
will need to think about the rest, if 18 isn't Common Snipe -then is it Cuckoo?

[Steve G]

9=Kittiwake
17=GBB.Gull

[Steve G]

23 (Alamootie) is a Petrel (?Storm)

[AndyC]

Some more - bit of guesswork:-

9. Arctic Tern
15. Meadow Pipit
16. Skylark
17. Great Black backed Gull
20. White tailed Eagle

AndyC

[Steve G]

Hill Sparrow- ?Twite -I'm guessing now.
Many of these names are auld Scots names though auld Scots does contain a lot of Norse-derived words.

[Edward]

1. =Puffin
4. =long-tailed Duck(?)
24. =Hoodie Crow
25.=Curlew
Agree with Edward on 6,7,10,11,12,13,21
will need to think about the rest, if 18 isn't Common Snipe -then is it Cuckoo?

Hi Steve,

I'm basing no. 18 on the fact that the Icelandic word for Common Snipe is hrossagaukur which literally means "horse cuckoo" .

Immer goose is based on the Icelandic word for Great Northern Diver which is himbrimi (which is of obscure origin) and is the source of immer in the scientific name Gavia immer. I think the Faroese refer to GNDs as Havgás - sea goose.

Rain Goose I'm guessing at Red-throated Diver because farmers in an area where my friend grew up said that if you could hear them calling then it would rain soon. This meant the wind was coming from a certain direction (bringing the wailing of the divers down from the moors) and wind from that direction meant rain in the valley. Not daft these farmers.

E

[CornishExile]

Edward - 6,7,10,11,12,13,18,19,20,21,24 - all correct - showoff!

Steve G - all correct except for the Corbie - a Hooded Crow is disappointingly just a Hoodie Craa!

Andy - all correct apart from 9, Rippack Maa, which is as Steve suggested a Kittiwake. Arctic Tern is on the list though...

Still some to guess... and I've not even suggested some of the really obscure ones yet!

[Edward]

3. Snaa ful - I'm guessing that ful is a relative of the Nordic fugl which means bird, snaa could be snow, snow bird hmmm. Snow Bunting?

22. Leerie - Manx Shearwater? lira/lire in Swedish and Norwegian

E

[CornishExile]

Both correct, Edward. You truly are a cunning linguist!

[Edward]

Tirrick - Arctic Tern (answer stolen from your posting on Puffins on St Kilda). Suppose it's onomatapoeic, the Icelandic name for Arctic Tern is anyway, kría,
i.e. kríííííí-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

E

[Xenospiza]

One I really couldn't find by cheating (aka using Google): Banks Sparrow... Rock Pipit?

[CornishExile]

Very good, Xenospiza, you're right!

Which leaves a few more if anyone's interested...