9.15.2009

Tweet Week - Bird Calls

I've long suspected that my parents don't know everything. One area that I suspect they're close to clueless is in what to call the varieties of birds that live here in the desert. I think they have the big ones down - Doves, Pigeons, Sparrows, Mocking Birds, Hummingbirds and Crows. I'll even give them credit for recognizing Road Runners, although I've never seen one in person.

Here is where things start to break down. Any small bird, that is not a Sparrow or a Hummingbird, is called a Finch. Still I trusted them.

When they called the less than attractive medium-sized brown bird a Nevada Brown Bird - I began to doubt them.

I still believe Dad saw a "Monster Pigeon" (big as a small dog) even when Mom says it with a snicker. I will also go with his claims that he sees a Falcon sometimes.

When we saw a lovely sparrow-sized bird that had a yellow face which turned orange and eventually red on his chest, I had my doubts that it's real name was a Tequila Sunrise, but I let it go. I had no real proof.

Then the other day we saw a little Finch-sized tasty, er pretty, looking little bird. He was a bright chartreuse with a black face and black wings. When Daddy called him a Wilson, named after his resemblance to a tennis ball - well, I knew they were clueless for sure.

29 comments:

  1. Heeheehee...named after a tennis ball...heehee - That's funny.

    Our Mommy sees road runners all the time on the back roads between our house and that thing called the "freeway"! She says "bunnies and squirrels and road runners, oh my!" MOL

    Purrs and tweets and hugs,
    The Kitty Krew

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  2. Mom's laptop died this weekend, and she is back online now! Yippee

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  3. A Wilson by any other name would still look as tasty- I mean, pretty...

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  4. We see these posts around, so we decided we'll do one before we forget and the week is over. So we'll post it sometime tomorrow.

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  5. I think your mom and dad are pulling your paw!

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  6. My mom and dad keep binoculars and a bird book by the window to help us figure out who is visiting. They went to a local bird event tonight...did they take me along? NO! They took Grete! She could care less about the sweet tender birdies. I don't know if I can bring myself to blog about it....

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  7. Fin... our huMom used to see a peregrine falcon hanging out where she works, so there really are falcons around sometimes!! That was a few years ago, though...

    As for the Wilson, ya we think they are pullin' your paw! hee hee

    WOOOOO woo rar rar rar,
    Kayla and Maebe

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  8. Hahaha! We would love to meet the Tequila Sunrise!:)

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  9. Oh, Fin, how sad for you. How do they ever expect you to earn your Cat Scout Audubon Badge if they don't give you the correct names?

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  10. Fin dear, it does not matter what you call any bird. As long as they are a)tasty, b)happy to fly about outside to entertain you and c) are not GIANT OWLS who might carry you off to be eaten, is all that matters.

    Our Mum thinks your Dad's naming system is excellent.

    Wuudles

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  11. These names made us snicker too. You've got quite the variety of birds to dine on, eh to watch on, Finny!

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  12. Oh HILARIOUS! We have 'Wilsons' here too. Love the bird names!

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  13. Maybe the PM can help your folks. She is a tad bit anal about bird indentification. We have binoculars and four bird books. She takes their photos just incase they fly away quickly and she needs to know EXACTLY where that white dot on their rear is.

    She says we scare the birds away with our drooling mugs pressed to the glass, I believe they can spot a crazy person a mile away.

    Purrs Goldie

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  14. Hey Fin, I know it's Tweet Week, but how many of those tweeters actually twitter?

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  15. Wow, sounds like you have a lot of tasty, um pretty birdies visiting you!

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  16. We would like to see all the birdies. ~S,S,C & F

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  17. We think your dad is a real funny guy...our dad got our mom a bird book so she could identify the birdies that come into our yard...she still can't figure them out 'cept for the obvious ones...

    We got a Tweet post up today!

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  18. I don't think they know what they are talking about! You're right.
    Cindy

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  19. Wilson, eh? Are they fans of Tom Hanks' movie "The Castaway"--isn't that volley ball's name: Wilson? Hmm. Pull your paw for sure!

    Noir

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  20. You're probably right to doubt them with the Wilson bird. Sounds funny but wrong! haha

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  21. Sounds like you have some very tasty, I mean pretty and interesting birds around your home! We hope to get a bird post up this week for tweet week!

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  22. Oh, Fin, don't be too hard on them! They are only hoomin, after all.

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  23. One of my favorite quotes about birds (from Get Fuzzy) is "Yeah, well, they were also made delicious, so I wouldn't be lookin' to them for answers."

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  24. Lol...well, imagination is a good thing ;)

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  25. Fin, I understand about your parents, because I don't know most of the bird names here either - although we don't have a lot of variety. Oh sure, the cardinal and the blue jay are easy, ducks and geese - no problem. But after that, well, pretty much forget about it.

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  26. they are all "little brown jobbies" to me.

    :)

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  27. My Mommeh gets mixed up between the ibis and the herons and the storks. And all plain brown birds are "grackles" to her. Hahaha!

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  28. Haha, a Wilson. That's funny. We see lots of different fev-vers here including the bigger ones,falcons and Sparrow Hawks and Buzzards.We have told the Beans to bring us back a road runner when they go to the desert next month.
    pee-ess
    That pigeon is back on our latest post again.

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  29. We have lots of finches and towhees! They are noisy! Tequila Sunrise!! What a name! We want to see one of those!

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