birdwatching language (1 Viewer)

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Dec 12, 2003

• #41

I've also heard "Arctic Roll" for Arctic Redpoll.

Jason

 

A

Arwen

Member

• Dec 14, 2003

• #42

I've heard the term 'jizz' used a few times now, and even referenced once on this thread (but left perplexedly unexplained). I daren't try and google for it, knowing how such a word would be interpreted by search engines.

Also, I would be interested to know how the Brits define 'patch'. Is it just your local area (county), is it a particular spot you frequent, is it a splotch of land immediately next to your home.. ?

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Dec 14, 2003

• #43

Hi Arwen
Jizz. I think I've got this right... (o)< The origins of the word jizz are a bit obscure, but it's generally reckoned to be a corruption of the acronym "GISS", used by the RAF in World War 2 to mean "general impression of shape and size" - which is precisely how birders use it.

Patch is short for "local patch" and just means a site that you visit as regularly as you can. A local patch is thus basically a birder's own territory and he feels just as possessive about it as any avian songster when he sees an interloper - except that, as a rule of thumb, he doesn't go to the extent of duffing him up.

Jason

 

david kelly

Drive-by Birder

• Dec 14, 2003

• #44

Michael,

I've a few to add to that list

Barnie - either a Barnacle Goose or a Barn Owl
Blackie - A Blackbird
Coal and Candle Light - Long-tailed Duck (not widespread even in Sco but i like it)
Cushat or Cushie Doo - A woodpigeon (Sco)
Doo - A domestic or feral pigeon (Sco)
Dunnock - Hedge Accentor (UK)
Goldie or Gowdie (Sco) - A Goldfinch
Gos - A Goshawk
Perg - Peregrine Falcon
Pinkie - Pink-footed Goose
Spughawk - Sparrowhawk
Stuckie - A Starling

David

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Dec 14, 2003

• #45

david kelly said:

Coal and Candle Light - Long-tailed Duck (not widespread even in Sco but i like it)

Click to expand...

I've never understood why Spycatcher didn't catch on for Spot Fly.

Jason

 

E

egret3

Well-known member

• May 14, 2005

• #46

Hi everyone: I am new here
from Canada.. ... yes.. with a sense of humour
as I see you all have here..

then.. please how about a Lifer?

Egret

 

Last edited: May 14, 2005

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• May 14, 2005

• #47

Hi Egret.

A "lifer" is the term used when you see a new species for the first time in your life.

 

E

egret3

Well-known member

• May 14, 2005

• #48

Thank you...
can't wait.. there will be several of those

Egret

 

g8ina

He's pining for the Fjords !

• May 14, 2006

• #49

Thanks again for this entire thread. As a blatant beginner it has been most elucidating ! I needed to know what "dipper" and "gripped" were, now I know

 

London Birder

Well-known member

• May 14, 2006

• #50

Robin stroker ..

one who's idea of a good day in the field comprises standing around the interior of an RSPB visitor centre wearing binoculars and awaiting the arrival of friends from the local nature group before collectively watching a Great Tit (or Robin) live action webcam feed and deciding on whether purchasing the 'the Puffin oven gloves' or the 'owls of the British Isles tea-tray' should conclude proceedings till next spring ..

a horrid term ...

 

JohnnyH

Aldershot till I die!

• May 14, 2006

• #51

London Birder said:

Robin stroker ..

one who's idea of a good day in the field comprises standing around the interior of an RSPB visitor centre wearing binoculars and awaiting the arrival of friends from the local nature group before collectively watching a Great Tit (or Robin) live action webcam feed and deciding on whether purchasing the 'the Puffin oven gloves' or the 'owls of the British Isles tea-tray' should conclude proceedings till next spring ..

a horrid term ...

Click to expand...

Horrid perhaps LB, but f***in funny all the same!!

:clap:

 

scary-canary

Canaries forever... and i'm not always scary, some

• May 14, 2006

• #52

Bluetail said:

I've never understood why Spycatcher didn't catch on for Spot Fly.

Jason

Click to expand...

mipit=meadow pipit
tripit=tree pipit
ollybipit=...work it out!

 

5

54rogan43

Well-known member

• May 14, 2006

• #53

'Twitcher' one who walks up to the quite normal dude, asks,
seen the Pec Sand, or Curly Sand? gets a blank look, then walks
of in disgust, 'Hardened Twitcher' one who walks up to dude, says nothing
looks through bins, mutters Pec and Curly had them!! Walks off.

 

J

John Dixon

Well-known member

• May 19, 2006

• #54

More shorthand names for birds:

Spaccie or plastic spastic (sorry, not very PC!) - Feral Pigeon
Whopper - Whooper Swan
alba wags - usually used on Scilly - sum total of Pied and White Wagtails
Surf Scrot - Surf Scoter

 

Helsinki Birder

Stealth Birder

• Jun 28, 2006

• #55

Michael Frankis said:

Another unkind one - 'tart's tick'

Used of rare birds, that most ('all') birders 'should' have seen, because there was an individual which stayed a long time somewhere and was very easy to see.

Sorry ladies . . . but it is one you'll hear used

Click to expand...

Ive also heard it used simply in the derogatory manner of "you Tart"...i.e. Simply for not having seen something which I should have seen long ago...e.g. Tree pipit, Common RoseFinch, Lapland bunting.....jaysus I hate to keep going...its depressing!

Pariah

 

Helsinki Birder

Stealth Birder

• Jun 28, 2006

• #56

Ruby said:

I could add a couple of definitions to Michael's list.

PIPIT - Completely unidentifiable bird.
GULL - See Pipit.

Click to expand...

GULL - Winged Rat...See also Feral Pigeon.

Pariah

 

M

Marcus Conway - ebirder

Well-known member

• Jun 28, 2006

• #57

bill oddie = bearded tit

 

Evanji Axu

Spiteful Cynic

• Jul 24, 2006

• #58

What's LBJ mean?

 

robinm

Registered User

• Jul 24, 2006

• #59

Evanji Axu said:

What's LBJ mean?

Click to expand...

Little Brown Job. Mainly used to describe warblers and similar that you can't see properly because they're half-hidden in a bush.

 

Evanji Axu

Spiteful Cynic

• Jul 24, 2006

• #60

Oh. Too familiar. Blasted sparrows.