Bird celebrities.

[James Armstrong]

Just been talking about Sammy the Stilt (Black-winged) of Titchwell RSBP reserve fame with Michael. Anybody got any details of other wild birds similarly well known as individuals in their parts of the world?
It could just be a bird you've named. I expect lots of people have garden visitors they recognise.
e.g. We go dog walking in the local park and my partner, Geraldine feeds the birds and squirrels up there. When she started doing it about a year ago. She noticed a collared dove (now known by us as Derek) who prefered the squirrel's peanuts to the birdseed. He had an injury to his breast so was quite distinctive. He's healed up now but still comes down for his peanuts. He's quite tame and will come right up to us.
He seems to recognise Geraldine!

(o)<

[gordon hamlett]

Back in the 80s, a long staying Glaucous Gull was called George. He eventually disappeared but wasreplaced by another nicknamed, inevitably, Boy George

The long-staying King eider on the Ythan Estuary was known as Elvis (the King).

The Black-browed Albatross that kept returning to the gannetry on Hermaness was known, with a certain lack of originality, as Albert Ross

Gordon

[Michael Frankis]

'Elsie' ('LC') the Lesser Crested Tern on the Farnes (Northumberland) 1984-1997

'Larry' the Laughing Gull in Newcastle & area (Northumberland & Durham), 1984-1987

'Monopod', a one-legged Mediterranean Gull at Shibdon Pond (Durham) mid-1980's

Michael

[cjay]

"Stumpy" The Sabine's Gull at Lowestoft.

[John Marshall]

We had a Blackbird female which my wife and I named "Lady" which came all the time to our door to eat out of our hands. We do not see it now
, we think it became a cat victim!.

[Andrew]

Some of us on BF call the Glossy Ibis, Izzy.

[Swift]

"Biffer" was one very aggressive Glaucous Gull that wintered on the coast for 6 years.

[Billy Boy]

We had a Mr and Mrs Mallard that was frequenting the garden for the bread which we called Henry and Henrietta, sad I know but who cares.

Billy Boy

[Harry Hussey]

Hi all,
Seems to be a British thing to give names to long-staying rarities?Know that the likes of the Pied-billed Grebe at Rostellan 1997-99(?)etc never got names.
Harry H

[samuel walker]

Hi all,
Seems to be a British thing to give names to long-staying rarities?Know that the likes of the Pied-billed Grebe at Rostellan 1997-99(?)etc never got names.
Harry H An invention in my garden that is myalter ego. as you can see it's really an English Sparrow. I was too lazy to illitrerate with sparrow.
Good sightings,
Sam

[Charles Harper]

Definitely a Brit thing-- some sort of compensation for affection deprivation in childhood? Twitched lots of NA birds, never heard them called anything cute. Sometimes, the likes of "Where's that Damned Bunting?", etc.

At the moment (hell! for the last year!!) we have had a lone Harbour Seal in Tokyo Bay that has been dubbed "Tama-chan" (from Tama River, site of its first appearance, and "-chan" an affectionate diminutive suffix) by the media and its many mindless admirers. All this anthropomorphization makes me wanna smile at the carpet.

Bah, humbug!

[deboo]

Charles,
'A brit thing'??
What about Skippy,Salty,Old Yeller and Licky Louse the Japanese Disney character.
I'm sure people throughout the world give their pets names........it would be kind of funny if in the local park
everyone was shouting..."here dog"!!!
Dave.

[Charles Harper]

I thought we were talking about the Noble Beast (or Bird), au naturel, not those smarmy, lickspittle varmints that are raised and bred to hang around people to entertain them and give them an object of affection in an otherwise loveless existence...

[CJW]

Dear me Charlie-boy, bit too much of the Christmas spirit? ;)

[Charles Harper]

Huh? You turn ugly when you're drunk, CJ? It's the isolation; you gotta get off that little blot in the Irish Sea and back to civilization...

[CJW]

I'm ugly before I get drunk, Charles!
My postings still make sense though!

[deboo]

Charles,
When you say 'au naturel' do you mean animals with no clothes on...shocking...well I never saw 'free Willy' in Speedo's....but then again I should'nt have been looking!
Now where did I put my lapdog.......ah yes...on my lap.
Dave.

[christineredgate]

Very cynical outlook Charles!!!.Be careful what you say re "the little blot".That "little blot",is home to one the top motor racing venues in the world(bikes,and it is the top) and also home to some very exclusive tax exilesand the like.Do not think that includes CJ though.
Anyway we have a Blackbird called Charlie,but I may consider a rename now.!!!
Christine.

[deboo]

Christine,
Well said, but don't get upset. I'm sure Charles is up for the Craic!
Dave.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

We had names for all 4 adult bluetits in our two boxes this year. Only one of them could be identified away from the nest - she was called Fluffy, because her feathers were in considerable disarray. Her mate was Flash, because compared with her, he was very smart. The other two were Fantail and Fred - Fantail was the female and when she started inspecting the box, and then when she was building the nest she had a habit of appearing to rest back on her tail, causing it to fan out - there was no particular reason for Fred's name.

We could tell the difference between Fantail and Fred when they were in the box, because of slightly different head markings - and then when they were feeding the chicks, Fred always fed the chicks on the left side of the box, and Fantail was always on the right.

[pduxon]

There's a Ruddy Duck at Rye Meads that has been named Jim.

[Stephen Dunstan]

There was a drake Velvet Scoter resident at Walney for (from memory) about three years who became known at Victor. In Tim Dean's book about Walney it describes how his residence encouraged other Velvets to stop off and join him.

Stephen.

[christineredgate]

We had names for all 4 adult bluetits in our two boxes this year. Only one of them could be identified away from the nest - she was called Fluffy, because her feathers were in considerable disarray. Her mate was Flash, because compared with her, he was very smart. The other two were Fantail and Fred - Fantail was the female and when she started inspecting the box, and then when she was building the nest she had a habit of appearing to rest back on her tail, causing it to fan out - there was no particular reason for Fred's name.

We could tell the difference between Fantail and Fred when they were in the box, because of slightly different head markings - and then when they were feeding the chicks, Fred always fed the chicks on the left side of the box, and Fantail was always on the right.Elizabeth,interesting the way you have named all the bluetits with the same letter eg F.What will you do next year,move on to G or carry on with F.All my cats had names beginning with the same letter,and ditto all the dogs,with one exception.I like to call the visiting birds names which begin with their species name,but sometimes one name seems to come to mind which suits the bird.Because the blackird is a cheekie chappie,that is how he came to be called Charlie,and I swears he answers to it.
Christine.

[cjay]

"Stumpy" the Sabines Gull at Lowestoft this Summer due to the tatty primaries.

Also we have 21N an adult Med Gull in Lowestoft
CJ

[very boring banned member]

Martha died in Cincinnati September 1. 1914. She was the last Ectopistes migratorius.

[DJ Sideboard]

'Igor' a large Iceland Gull that erratically appeared in Plymouth during the later '80s and '90s.

[deboo]

How about Crispy the Duck, Ken Tucky the Chicken and Batman the Robin.....all in view in my back garden just now!
Dave.

[very boring banned member]

Ken Tucky the Chicken
Ken Touken was a goalkeeper in one V.I.P. episode (not the Pamela Anderson show, but Dennis Pennis :bounce: )

[Jane Turner]

Methusela... the New Brighton Iceland Gull of the 50s,60,70 & 80's takes some beating as a celebrity. He was on TV on numerous occasions and was seen by Millington and drawn in Twitchers Diary. Always used to give me the run around though, till I found the right brand of bread.

[Jamspangle]

Some of us on BF call the Glossy Ibis, Izzy.

We also had a resident glossy ibis. The Catalan name for them is 'morito' which is also the (rather rude) name used for arabic people, so the ibis got stuck with the name Osama...

[morgsarah]

My parents have a male Costas Hummingbird at their house in Palm Springs
called "Whitey" since he is much whiter than any of the others, he's been around for 5 years now!

[dacol]

Just been talking about Sammy the Stilt (Black-winged) of Titchwell RSBP reserve fame with Michael. Anybody got any details of other wild birds similarly well known as individuals in their parts of the world? (o)<

There is "Shrimpy", a Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) which has been at the dock of the Sandgates Inn in St. Mary's Co., Maryland, USA (close to Washington). Last Saturday (Feb. 14, 2004) was the 5th anniversary of its identification. This bird has been included in the MD list by the MD records committee.

This gull is a super rarity here since its normal range is in the Southern hemisphere. Shrimpy apparently belongs to the subspecies that inhabits the southern Brazilian coast. It got its name because the restaurant employees would feed it shrimp and other seafood kitchen remains, perhaps in gratitude for the birtd being responsible to attracting thousands of birders to this site [about 3000 signed a visitor's log book], many of which ended up eating at the restaurant.

In the Spring, during gull breeding season, Shrimpy disappears for a couple of months, nobody knows where s/he goes but we hope it is having a good time. In many ways Shrimpy's history is similar to that of many immigrants from Latin America: it came to the US shores in obscure circumstances, works in a restaurant and seems well-integrated in its local community!

Dalcio

[Gemfyre]

I just recently saw an article on the news about "Curl" the Stone Curlew who frequents the bar at some golf course over east in Australia. He often goes right inside and they think he thinks he's a human himself rather than a bird.

When I was little we briefly had a regular magpie come to visit. We called him Crumb because that's what we fed him.