BIRDS

if I wake earlier than the heroic 16:00 I have set my alarm-clock to I will rank all the birds whose jpgs still adorn this thread

― pro EVOO sucker (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 24 November 2010 09:03 (2 years ago) Permalink

flamingoes are among the most boring of birds imho

― pro EVOO sucker (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 24 November 2010 08:59 (10 hours ago)

ha

i agree

― calpolaris (nakhchivan), Wednesday, 24 November 2010 19:25 (2 years ago) Permalink

great fucking birds (an incomplete list)

gulls (larger ones)
corvids
wagtails
swifts (and martins, more so than swallows)
robins when singing
ALL WADERS EVER esp sandpipers
small falcons
shrikes
buntings (much more so than finches)
the chiffchaff
the zitting cisticola aka fantailed warbler
treecreepers although I've never seen one ;_;
migratory thrushes
PIPITS

pipits might be stealth winners actually

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 11:47 (2 years ago) Permalink

stormy petrels also altho they are almost too elusive and unlikely

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 11:48 (2 years ago) Permalink

SHIT BIRDS (British; incomplete)

geese
ducks EXCEPT mergansers and wigeons
mute swans
small gulls
owls when portrayed as cute
large raptors when portrayed as superior (ospreys have their moments for instance but r overly fetishised)
coots when there are too many of them and they are not being violent (violent coots r GREAT)
starlings (do not need to explain this)

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 11:54 (2 years ago) Permalink

So much wrongness, more later.

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 11:58 (2 years ago) Permalink

BIRDS THAT CAN BE GREAT DEPENDING ON MOOD

pigeons (esp wood)
woodpeckers
tits (esp crested)
the dunnock
the heron (esp in unexpected surrounds)
the moorhen
the kingfisher when not gratuitous
gamebirds when not in season
grebes when you haven't seen one for a while
gannets the first time you see them; see also auks - the black guillemot is a delightful species actually
fulmars when you haven't had an overload of shearwater stiffwingness
wrens when they're not being miserable skulkers

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 11:59 (2 years ago) Permalink

ok geese needs more of a breakdown. brent geese are cool.

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:00 (2 years ago) Permalink

Can't believe yr trying to troll me on ducks tbh.

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:02 (2 years ago) Permalink

wtf wrens are awesome whatever their mood

― calumerio, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:03 (2 years ago) Permalink

^

― rouxymuzak (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:04 (2 years ago) Permalink

wrens are awesome when flitting around in full view and singing; not when they're dashing around the undergrowth and you can't see them

ducks are a bit played ime - the wilder, faster-flying ones are mad cool tho - <3 goosanders

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:05 (2 years ago) Permalink

oh shit, EIDERS ok eiders are also cool but they're seagoing ducks - much preferable on the whole

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:05 (2 years ago) Permalink

Smew, garganey, eider, long-tailed duck - all classics of the genre imo.

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:08 (2 years ago) Permalink

^^^all otm; feel ashamed now BUT I must stress those are ALL seagoing migratory sorts as per my amendation - actually thought of long-tailed ducks, add harlequins and goldeneyes too

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:10 (2 years ago) Permalink

Smew are actually fucking spectacular. Sorry, Smew. I was attacking your staid and pond-bound brethren.

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:11 (2 years ago) Permalink

Rolling my damn eiders here.

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:12 (2 years ago) Permalink

SHIT BIRDS

geese

you ever seen Fly Away Home, motherfucker?

― lonely is as lonely does, lonely is an eeyore (unregistered), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:12 (2 years ago) Permalink

haha I've caused a controversy :/

am just flinging ideas around tbh - will have made my peace with all the shit birds before and will do so again

red kites over oxfordshire = great btw

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:15 (2 years ago) Permalink

forgot you were A Bird Man aco, always found that charming abt u

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:17 (2 years ago) Permalink

SHIT BIRDS

geese

you ever read The Once and Future King, motherfucker?

― e.g. delegates at a set age (ledge), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

as for non-migratory thrushes, the order of greatness is

mistle
(big gap)
ring ouzel
blackbird
song thrush
nightingale

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

ok whatever, take up thy goose and shit everywhere

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:20 (2 years ago) Permalink

geese are at their best when u r feeding them and u hit them on the back with a large piece of bread and it makes the most satisfying noise

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:21 (2 years ago) Permalink

lol

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:22 (2 years ago) Permalink

when i was a kid i was feeding ducks and a swan attacked me, v scary

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:22 (2 years ago) Permalink

SOmehow I read that as "Shit...birds..." like how a vulgar person like me says "shit" in reflex to the profound. All those birds are awesome, imo, I even like how starlings have fucked up America so much. "Like" meaning I appreciate all invasive species in an abstract way. ALso I think you need to see the owl movie in 3D. The climax is an owl flying around with a fire bucket while Dead Can Dance plays.

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:22 (2 years ago) Permalink

i still got a lot of love for the geese

― e.g. delegates at a set age (ledge), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:23 (2 years ago) Permalink

after that owl movie came out i spent a few weeks just saying the phrase 'owls of ga'hoole.' at choice moments, something about it just cracks me up

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:23 (2 years ago) Permalink

I am p sure I ruined the movie for all the kids there by repressed-laughing like crazy through the whole thing.

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:24 (2 years ago) Permalink

Makes me feel like an ass but OTOH the owl kept making this face

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:25 (2 years ago) Permalink

While he made that face, he would say something like "That can't be," or "That's not right" or "We must get to the Guardians" in a fake Aussie voice.

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:27 (2 years ago) Permalink

abbott there are always exceptions!

residential swans are disgusting; the best ones are the migratory ones
some geese are dandy (the smaller ones and the Egyptian ones)
shelducks are mutant duck-geese and are v cool
owl movie will be watched with my kids in 13 years' time. owls are great but only when in their wild, elusive element - subtle birds, hunters. also, Kiwi accent not Aussie iirc

ok there IS one awesome small gull, the JUVENILE kittiwake

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:27 (2 years ago) Permalink

Actually made a giant detour w/ the family on Sunday explicitly to look for owls over the meadows, but we drew a blank and now they hate me 8>

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:28 (2 years ago) Permalink

The asshole of the bird world is the cassowary.

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:29 (2 years ago) Permalink

its great imagining the owls forging all those helmets and shit... a sword that has OWL OF GA'HOOLE engraved in it... u have to imagine 'gahoole' being said gahoooooooole like 'cooooookie crisp' btw'

traumaowl.jpg

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:29 (2 years ago) Permalink

hahahahaha

I think I must have had a traumatic duck/geese (or "geeck" as I just typed initially)feeding experience too because now it kind of scares me to death. Did it with my parents a last year and as soon as one of the ducks became a little too grabby and aggressive I spooked and ran clear across the street. I love birds in theory but irl they make me nervous.

― ENBB, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:29 (2 years ago) Permalink

hahaha traumaowl.jpg otm

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:30 (2 years ago) Permalink

sad that this bird will turn into a boring small gull in its adulthood :(

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:30 (2 years ago) Permalink

i hear owls all the time but can never find them with my eyes, except for one night when i pulled into the driveway and there was a huge fuckin owl perched on the mailbox

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:30 (2 years ago) Permalink

egyptian goose = fake goose

how about a good ol' bar headed

― e.g. delegates at a set age (ledge), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:31 (2 years ago) Permalink

The asshole of the bird world is the cassowary.

― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:29 (48 seconds ago)

yes but they're much more interesting than anything larger

barnacle goose >> bar-headed if we're getting into specifics

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:31 (2 years ago) Permalink

Actually made a giant detour w/ the family on Sunday explicitly to look for owls over the meadows, but we drew a blank and now they hate me 8>

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:28 (3 minutes ago)

harriers (as 'small falcons') are the best predatory birds for scouting over meadows, but if you see a long-eared I guess it is mad rewarding

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:32 (2 years ago) Permalink

i hear owls all the time but can never find them with my eyes, except for one night when i pulled into the driveway and there was a huge fuckin owl perched on the mailbox

― Princess TamTam, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:30 (2 minutes ago)

you see, this is AWESOME and how owls shd happen

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:33 (2 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, that sounds great.

Owls that we get hunting over the wet meadows here in the winter are barn owls and short-eared owls - shorties are a top bird and they don't really give a shit about you standing there watching them either.

― Krampus Interruptus (NickB), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:42 (2 years ago) Permalink

I haven't seen any of those! I need to, I think.

Cormorants = very much a solid, unspectacular bird. Black redstarts = superb, belong on Great list

anyway yeah concentrate on the positives guys

― rmad and dangerous (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:48 (2 years ago) Permalink

parakeets yall

was thinking today what the cultural equiv of them was

sum 41, apparently

― nax arrrrrgh (nakhchivan), Saturday, 18 December 2010 01:11 (2 years ago) Permalink

MIA

― titular character (acoleuthic), Saturday, 18 December 2010 01:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

imported from SE Asia, gaudy, noisy, all over fucking London these days, rly irritating, kinda played

― titular character (acoleuthic), Saturday, 18 December 2010 01:20 (2 years ago) Permalink

thought they were african or s/thing

wasn't including provenance in my calculation

thing about 'keets tho is they're huge, like as big as a crow but different shape and usually too high in trees to gauge their size

― nax arrrrrgh (nakhchivan), Saturday, 18 December 2010 01:23 (2 years ago) Permalink