I think I've coined a new birding word (1 Viewer)

[MarkA]

This happened to me a few weeks ago. I went out to try and find one of the Yellow-browed Warblers that were turning up on the East Coast, I need one both for my Life list and for my River list. In fact, I took two days off work specially to find one. The first day I went along the south side of the river (Orwell) but had no luck. The second day I made one of my occasional trips to the north side to visit Trimley Marsh, Trimley Lagoon and Loompit Lake. Everywhere was very quiet. On the return leg I was walking between the lagoon and the lake, where the path passes through a shelterbelt of trees and scrub, when I heard a “hweet” from the trees just ahead of me. I stopped (as you do) and waited for the bird to show (as they do, sometimes).

It called a couple more times, but just then a cyclist a came up the path from behind me. I stepped aside to let him past (very narrow track just there), and as he passed he said “thankyou”. As soon as he said that, a little bird shot across the path into the scrub behind me. By the time said cyclist had passed and I was free to move, the little beggar had disappeared, and never showed again. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Chiffchaff.

Something similar happened to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, I believe. Inspired by an opium dream, he sat in his Somerset cottage and wrote ‘Xanadu’, but before he could finish it he was interrupted by “a person from Porlock” who sat and chatted for some hours. By the time his visitor left, Coleridge had forgotten the dream, and one of the most beautiful poems in the English language was never completed.

Thus: “Porlock”, n. A member of the public who unwittingly flushes or disturbs a rare bird before you can ID it. Also, “to Porlock”, vb. To commit said act on an innocent birdwatcher.

Have you ever been Porlocked?

M

 

[Brenty]

This happened to me a few weeks ago. I went out to try and find one of the Yellow-browed Warblers that were turning up on the East Coast, I need one both for my Life list and for my River list. In fact, I took two days off work specially to find one. The first day I went along the south side of the river (Orwell) but had no luck. The second day I made one of my occasional trips to the north side to visit Trimley Marsh, Trimley Lagoon and Loompit Lake. Everywhere was very quiet. On the return leg I was walking between the lagoon and the lake, where the path passes through a shelterbelt of trees and scrub, when I heard a “hweet” from the trees just ahead of me. I stopped (as you do) and waited for the bird to show (as they do, sometimes).

It called a couple more times, but just then a cyclist a came up the path from behind me. I stepped aside to let him past (very narrow track just there), and as he passed he said “thankyou”. As soon as he said that, a little bird shot across the path into the scrub behind me. By the time said cyclist had passed and I was free to move, the little beggar had disappeared, and never showed again. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Chiffchaff.

Something similar happened to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, I believe. Inspired by an opium dream, he sat in his Somerset cottage and wrote ‘Xanadu’, but before he could finish it he was interrupted by “a person from Porlock” who sat and chatted for some hours. By the time his visitor left, Coleridge had forgotten the dream, and one of the most beautiful poems in the English language was never completed.

Thus: “Porlock”, n. A member of the public who unwittingly flushes or disturbs a rare bird before you can ID it. Also, “to Porlock”, vb. To commit said act on an innocent birdwatcher.

Have you ever been Porlocked?

M

Something similar happened when I was watching a Short Eared Owl which had just landed on a fence post no more than 20 yards away. I had a wonderful view of the bird for about 15 secs before some bloke in a bright red anorak came around the corner and frightened the bird away.

 

[Cuckoo-shrike]

I've been porlocked by a helicopter a couple of times. Bloody Culdrose.........

 

[mountain man]

Hi Mark, would be okay to use it like this?

Dear British Birds,

The other day whilst bird-spotting, I chanced upon a small bird that may have been a Siberian Blue Robin. I had a number of tantalisingly brief glimpses but not enough to secure a 100% certain ID. Suddenly a car came past and a youth from inside the vehicle shouted at me, "F*** off you sad bird-nerd w***er," and caused the bird to fly off never to be seen again. It felt like a right kick in the porlocks.

Yours sincerely,

Roger Tory Peterson

 

[jurek]

I just found another new word.

On the other thread, they say that ivory-billed woodpecker is called 'Lord God Bird' because of exclamations of people who first saw it. After some study, name changed to most common exclamation of people who first saw this bird. Official name is ShootBuggerBeforeGetsAway Bird.

 

[Strandman]

I just found another new word.

On the other thread, they say that ivory-billed woodpecker is called 'Lord God Bird' because of exclamations of people who first saw it. After some study, name changed to most common exclamation of people who first saw this bird. Official name is ShootBuggerBeforeGetsAway Bird.

There's another name that works like that- "indri" (the big black and white lemur). Supposedly so-called as that is the Malagasy expression for "get a load of that, boys" as shouted by guides to the early explorers when one was sighted.

 

[London Birder]

have 'porlocked' meself on the odd occasion, I seem to have a tendency to scare off Ring-billed Gulls at 100metres

 

[Terry O'Nolley]

There's another name that works like that- "indri" (the big black and white lemur). Supposedly so-called as that is the Malagasy expression for "get a load of that, boys" as shouted by guides to the early explorers when one was sighted.

I've heard that the name for kangaroos came when an early Australian colonist asked an aborigine what that odd looking animal with the long tail and pouch was called and the native replied "Kan ga roo" - literally "I don't know".

I remember hearing that somewhere in my youth and it has stuck with me. Maybe just an urban legend....

 

[jurek]

I've read somewhere that Indri and Aye-Aye (name of another lemur) mean "Look!" in two Malagasy dialects.

 

[chrisgarner]

I used to live down Porlock Drive on Hulls infamous Bransholme Housing Estate.

I guess thats me jinxed for life!

Cheers, Chris.