@Richard Prior I should have a glass or two and check it out for myself 
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Peregrines called "hawks" in a book (1 Viewer)
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Schneppe
Well-known member
Hi!
You think his writing is imperfect? Are you referring to his skill? I guess at the end of the day it´s a matter of taste. What I do know is that I´ve never read a book like that. It left a deep impression on me in any case.
"A green woodpecker called and flew high above the open fields. A jay flew from tree to tree, crossing warily between the two woods; the first I had seen away from cover since October. Long-tailed tits flitted down from the hedges to collect feathers for their nests from kills the peregrine had made. These birds knew, as I knew, that the last peregrine had left the valley. They possessed the freedom I had lost."
The last sentence in this April 3 entry seems out of place, doesn't it? That is the last line of that day.
The freedom of birds - do you think Baker talks about their new freedom in the absense of the hunter? Or just the abstact freedom of flight?
"The freedom I had lost" - what exactly does he mean, really? This sounds so romantic and imprecise, whereas normally, even though his phrasing may be vague, the feeling beyond it is clear and strong.
I certainly may be misunderstanding something!
The last sentence in this April 3 entry seems out of place, doesn't it? That is the last line of that day.
The freedom of birds - do you think Baker talks about their new freedom in the absense of the hunter? Or just the abstact freedom of flight?
"The freedom I had lost" - what exactly does he mean, really? This sounds so romantic and imprecise, whereas normally, even though his phrasing may be vague, the feeling beyond it is clear and strong.
I certainly may be misunderstanding something!
Schneppe
Well-known member
Hi!
I think he´s referring to a metaphysical non-human freedom; a freedom that only creatures are able to possses, that lack the ability of human thought (and therefore also lack the capability of having a concept of freedom or anything at all). But that´s just my vague interpretation. I never thought of your interpretations, they´re quite obvious! Never thought about those...
Fabian
I think he´s referring to a metaphysical non-human freedom; a freedom that only creatures are able to possses, that lack the ability of human thought (and therefore also lack the capability of having a concept of freedom or anything at all). But that´s just my vague interpretation. I never thought of your interpretations, they´re quite obvious! Never thought about those...
Fabian
@Schneppe I have asked about this particular sentence because it is a strong statement very close to the ending of the book. To me this line is striking because:
A. It is unprepared. The entry of that day is a long one and there's nothing about the human or animal freedom in it.
B. To me, Baker is a poet of the concrete. Even when he mentions Christian concepts of liberation (my pagan spirit will delve in the cold soil and thus purify), he is in no way a romantic. Perhaps, it was because he understoof pain very well and was writing in the face of very obvious illness.
A. It is unprepared. The entry of that day is a long one and there's nothing about the human or animal freedom in it.
B. To me, Baker is a poet of the concrete. Even when he mentions Christian concepts of liberation (my pagan spirit will delve in the cold soil and thus purify), he is in no way a romantic. Perhaps, it was because he understoof pain very well and was writing in the face of very obvious illness.
dantheman
Bah humbug
Well, if he's got an illness hanging over him, he could well be directly comparing himself to the birds who are free. Their Peregrine is his illness.
(Strictly speaking, the birds wouldn't know the Peregrine had left the valley for the season. Their behaviour wouldn't change - they'd always be on edge and wary of predators)
(Strictly speaking, the birds wouldn't know the Peregrine had left the valley for the season. Their behaviour wouldn't change - they'd always be on edge and wary of predators)
pianoman
duck and diver, bobolink and weaver
I think he means that the absence of the peregrine meant freedom for the birds to fly in the open and go about their business without constantly hiding from the falcon. But by contrast, the author had lost something rather than gained something by the falcon's absence
1. "He never slows down before landing; a foot from his intended perch he simply spreads his wings to stall, stops, and drops lightly down. "
2. "Suddenly he jerked in the air as though shot, stalled, wrenched himself violently away from me. "
3. "He flew east when I approached, circled, then drifted down towards me in a series of steep glides and stalls. I stood near the dead tree and watched his descent. "
4. "A pair of shoveler landed in the fleet, hitting the water with a whooshing splash after stalling for a long time. "
I am finalizing the translated text of The Peregrine. Could someone please give me a hand with the use of the word "stall"? Two meaning are seemingly used. (A) To stop, pause, hover in the air. (B) The other one is from aeronautics: "Loss of lift due to an airfoil's critical angle of attack being exceeded, normally occurring due to low airspeed. "
It seems that A suits 1 and 2, while B suits 3 and 4. What do you think?
2. "Suddenly he jerked in the air as though shot, stalled, wrenched himself violently away from me. "
3. "He flew east when I approached, circled, then drifted down towards me in a series of steep glides and stalls. I stood near the dead tree and watched his descent. "
4. "A pair of shoveler landed in the fleet, hitting the water with a whooshing splash after stalling for a long time. "
I am finalizing the translated text of The Peregrine. Could someone please give me a hand with the use of the word "stall"? Two meaning are seemingly used. (A) To stop, pause, hover in the air. (B) The other one is from aeronautics: "Loss of lift due to an airfoil's critical angle of attack being exceeded, normally occurring due to low airspeed. "
It seems that A suits 1 and 2, while B suits 3 and 4. What do you think?
nartreb
Speak softly and carry a long lens
The primary meaning is the aerodynamic one. You can see in quote #1 that the bird "stalls, stops" -- first one, then the other.
The term "stall" can also mean "delay" or "impede" as in "construction was stalled due to lack of concrete", or "come to a stop" as in a motor or piece of machinery: "the elevator was stalled on the 12th floor", "the car stalled in the middle of the highway."
Historically, "stall" meant a stationary place (like a cell for keeping a horse within a stable), then gained the meaning of "becoming mired or stuck" in the 15th C, and its aerodynamic meaning in the 1920s, finally being applied to other engines (like cars) in the 1950s.
But for our text, the aerodynamic idea is always top of mind, with any other meanings being secondary.
When an aircraft (or bird) stalls, the wings cease to offer effective lift. This is usually done by pitching the nose up, so that the wings act as an airbrake. The result is a sudden loss of forward motion. The tilting action usually results in a slight rise, but this will be followed by the bird falling downward. You see that in any slow-motion video of a bird coming to a perch. Note the high, spread wings, and also the spread tail.
Quote #1 describes this: the falcon flies toward the perch, and at the last moment induces an aerodynamic stall, which causes forward progress to stop, and a moment later the bird falls to the perch.
#2 is an unusual maneuver, the bird is using a stall to allow a more sudden change of direction. This is somewhat similar to a "barrel roll" or "Immelman" maneuver used by combat aircraft. Actually, it's closer to "Pugachev's Cobra" followed by a diving turn, or a Herbst Maneuver.
#3 the bird is losing altitude quickly, braking hard. I am not sure it would be in a true stall, at least not for long, but clearly the bird was alternating between normal flight and braking.
#4. "stalling for a long time" is an interesting one, as a true stall is not aerodynamically stable. But large waterfownl will bleed off speed and altitude in a near-stall over significant time and distance. Unlike most perching birds, which time their stall to become motionless right at the perch, waterfowl usually retain significant forward momentum until they hit the water. They use their feet to slow down over some distance before they settle into the water.
(Most waterfall can land on solid ground too, in which case they will air-brake much harder.)
The term "stall" can also mean "delay" or "impede" as in "construction was stalled due to lack of concrete", or "come to a stop" as in a motor or piece of machinery: "the elevator was stalled on the 12th floor", "the car stalled in the middle of the highway."
Historically, "stall" meant a stationary place (like a cell for keeping a horse within a stable), then gained the meaning of "becoming mired or stuck" in the 15th C, and its aerodynamic meaning in the 1920s, finally being applied to other engines (like cars) in the 1950s.
But for our text, the aerodynamic idea is always top of mind, with any other meanings being secondary.
When an aircraft (or bird) stalls, the wings cease to offer effective lift. This is usually done by pitching the nose up, so that the wings act as an airbrake. The result is a sudden loss of forward motion. The tilting action usually results in a slight rise, but this will be followed by the bird falling downward. You see that in any slow-motion video of a bird coming to a perch. Note the high, spread wings, and also the spread tail.
Quote #1 describes this: the falcon flies toward the perch, and at the last moment induces an aerodynamic stall, which causes forward progress to stop, and a moment later the bird falls to the perch.
#2 is an unusual maneuver, the bird is using a stall to allow a more sudden change of direction. This is somewhat similar to a "barrel roll" or "Immelman" maneuver used by combat aircraft. Actually, it's closer to "Pugachev's Cobra" followed by a diving turn, or a Herbst Maneuver.
#3 the bird is losing altitude quickly, braking hard. I am not sure it would be in a true stall, at least not for long, but clearly the bird was alternating between normal flight and braking.
#4. "stalling for a long time" is an interesting one, as a true stall is not aerodynamically stable. But large waterfownl will bleed off speed and altitude in a near-stall over significant time and distance. Unlike most perching birds, which time their stall to become motionless right at the perch, waterfowl usually retain significant forward momentum until they hit the water. They use their feet to slow down over some distance before they settle into the water.
(Most waterfall can land on solid ground too, in which case they will air-brake much harder.)
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Thank you, @nartreb !
"Bullfinches puffed out black and white and scarlet, flashed, and vanished into husky calling."
In this early April record, do you think "puffed out" refers to how they flew around like puffs of smoke, or how each bird was similar to a little cute inflating and deflating puff of smoke - black, white and scarlet?
"Bullfinches puffed out black and white and scarlet, flashed, and vanished into husky calling."
In this early April record, do you think "puffed out" refers to how they flew around like puffs of smoke, or how each bird was similar to a little cute inflating and deflating puff of smoke - black, white and scarlet?
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
I would imagine it refers to the feathers being 'puffed out' to keep the bird warm on a chilly spring morning plus possibly also the stocky build of Bullfinches.
It makes sense! Throughout the book Baker uses this expression in macro and micro sense, so to speak: to describe both rising groups of birds ("Hundreds of rooks and gulls puffed out of the skyline"; "A warning puff of sparrows was followed by the peregrine") and individual birds ("like the glowing puffed-out fieldfares"). It must be the latter sense in this record, like you said.
As for the time --
We know that it was before 3 pm. Feel like early morning to me, an hour or so after sunrise. Here are exceprts from the first three paragraphs of that day:
"Wild cherry lined the green lane to the creek with the green and white of leaf and blossom. Bullfinches puffed out black and white and scarlet, flashed, and vanished into husky calling. Colour faded to the brim of water, and the land ended.
"The sky was grey, but brightness floated in upon the tide. Larks sang. It was the best of the day. Dusk was already moving through the distant trees and hedges. The creeks and bays were quiet and undisturbed. The songs and calls of birds blended with the sway and ripple of the tide [...]
" At three o’clock I suddenly felt sure that, if I went at once to the coast, eight miles away, I should find the peregrine there [...]"
As for the time --
We know that it was before 3 pm. Feel like early morning to me, an hour or so after sunrise. Here are exceprts from the first three paragraphs of that day:
"Wild cherry lined the green lane to the creek with the green and white of leaf and blossom. Bullfinches puffed out black and white and scarlet, flashed, and vanished into husky calling. Colour faded to the brim of water, and the land ended.
"The sky was grey, but brightness floated in upon the tide. Larks sang. It was the best of the day. Dusk was already moving through the distant trees and hedges. The creeks and bays were quiet and undisturbed. The songs and calls of birds blended with the sway and ripple of the tide [...]
" At three o’clock I suddenly felt sure that, if I went at once to the coast, eight miles away, I should find the peregrine there [...]"
nartreb
Speak softly and carry a long lens
Well that makes no sense... dusk before three o'clock?
Yesterday thought that "flashed and vanished" meant that the bulfinches were briefly caught in the last rays of the sun, but that can't be right. I now think it's a case of his (unusual) other use of "puffed out" - they flew briefly into the air for some reason, becoming visible, before returning to perches/ground where they could be heard but not seen.
Yesterday thought that "flashed and vanished" meant that the bulfinches were briefly caught in the last rays of the sun, but that can't be right. I now think it's a case of his (unusual) other use of "puffed out" - they flew briefly into the air for some reason, becoming visible, before returning to perches/ground where they could be heard but not seen.
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