BirdSpeak: Bird Pants

Example: "Is that a Cooper's hawk?"
"Yes!  Nice bird pantaloons on that one."

BirdSpeak: Finch Flinch

Finch Flinch (n.)


Full-body avoidance of a hedge bird that flanks your car while driving, even though the bird cannot possibly come in contact with you.




Example: "Why are you driving in the other lane?"
"Sorry, just a finch flinch."

BirdSpeak: Bird Dropping

Bird Dropping (v.): Casually naming an exotic or rare bird one has on their life list in the company of other birders.  Extra dropping points if country of sighting is named.


Example: "We have seen a Baikal teal before, remember honey?  On our trip to Korea."
(Typical birder internal response: "Who the f*ck cares.")

Birding Style: Mum's the Word

This week's birding style is brought to you by my mom, with what she calls the "raid your mum's closet look."

Binocs are in my pocket.  With my cold hands.

Achieving the look is simple.  Go birding with your mom next to the Charles.  Don't wear enough warm clothing.  Voila!  Instant black scarf and camel overcoat to complete your look.  The scarf was in her tote bag.  I think the coat was in there too.

ID a Bird on it: Bird Pillow

It's time to... ID a bird on it!  Check out all the birds on this pillow.  There are nine.  Let's see if we can ID them all.

Ok, top left, a little vague, we'll go with warbler.  Top right, also vague, shaped like a starling.  Top middle, Mississippi Kite, no?

The middle is the best.  On the left we have a combo turkey-pigeon-snowman.  She might be going for a fantail pigeon here.  Not something we really have in the wild.  The middle is either a Cooper's hawk or a sharp shinned hawk.  I can never tell the difference, so I won't worry about it if you don't.  Bonus, tenth bird on the pillow, appears to be the fantail pigeon from the previous panel.  A sense of humor is always encouraged on all pillows.  Hilarious.  To the right to finish off the row, a black-necked stilt.

On the bottom row there is an Atlantic Puffin...

Bird's the Word: Mockingbird

Is it a car alarm? Is it a cell phone? Is it keeping you from falling back to sleep with its repetitive whistles and squeaks? Then you have a mockingbird, my friend, the best mimic in Massachusetts. Northern mockingbirds, with characteristic yellow eyes, flashes of white in their wings, and quirky shoulder-shrugging dances in the grass, are definitely most recognized for their songs. You’ve heard them around, though maybe haven’t stopped to listen too carefully. That seagull you heard on a telephone wire? Mockingbird. The alarm clock on the eaves of a house? Mockingbird.

The light saber in the bushes? Mockingbird. I heard that last one once in Brookline. True story.

While most birds have a few songs and calls they use all the time, the mockingbird collects its repertoire from the sounds it hears in its environment. This means if it lives in an urban environment, it’s likely to have learned songs from urban birds, like starlings and house sparrows, as well as from urban noises, like car alarms and crosswalk signals. Its song will bounce from bird song to city sound and back to bird song quickly and effortlessly. And they don’t seem to tire, they will continue singing long after you have gone on your way.







Finding mockingbirds is easy, just keep your ears open around the city. Listen for a while and see what you recognize, and see if you can spot it on its perch. From now on, the next time you hear a cardinal beat boxing with a car horn, you’ll know it’s a mockingbird.





Loves: Telephone poles, rooftops, open lawns
Sounds: Like a robot menagerie
Looks: Plain gray, with a twinkle in its eye
Find: Anywhere in Boston


httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0URYw27qd0


PHOTOS CREDIT TO: SCOTT ADAMS, TRISHA SHEARS AND KEN SLADE.