Thread: Heaven: Lark of Translation Board: Limbo / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Janine (# 3337) on :
 
You've heard of the Bluebird of Happiness? How about the Mockingbird of Sarcasm? There are likely many Shipmates who leave some crumbs on the windowsill for that bird.

I propose that we listen to the Lark of Interpretation, now that Northern Hemi Spring is on its way.

Even with the abnormally cold end-of-winter here Below the Bible Belt, the birds have been rioting in the trees. It sounds so happy and pretty... but I know it's not, not completely, anyway.

What it is, is advertising. Birds are letting it be known they've staked out a bit of territory, or that they're available for breeding purposes.

What do you think they're actually saying?

[ 29. December 2014, 22:36: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
"Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine...."
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
We are an innerish-city suburb, but long-established so there is a substantial area of contiguous gardens which have been a pretty constant habitat for the last 90 years. I noticed some paired jackdaws inspecting the kindling I'd piled up for nestable twigs. The most vocal wildlife tends to be the vixens yowling 'Come and Get It!' of a night.
 

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Posted by QLib (# 43) on :
 
Just because a bird's singing is territorial, doesn't mean it has to be singing of the "You're going home in a Chelsea ambulance"* variety. They could just be having a loudness competitionm singing the same song

quote:

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Immortal, invisible God only wise,
In Light inaccessible, hid from our eyes.

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*or, as one spectacularly brilliant April Fool on Radio 4 once had it: Vous retournerez chez vous dans un ambulance de Chelsea
 

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Posted by Dal Segno (# 14673) on :
 
We had eighteen magpies in a tree down the road making an awful racket* yesterday. I have never seen that many magpies together before and I had thought they were aggressively territorial. My friends at the RSPB tell me that I'm wrong: "Non-breeding birds will gather together in flocks", they say.

I suspect they were discussing how to divvy up the local neighbourhood, and which of them should fly further afield to terrorise the smaller birds.

-DS


(*) they just cannot thread the strings through the little holes, poor dears.
 

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Posted by QLib (# 43) on :
 
That reminds me - We had one spectacularly confrontational summer a few years back, when our beloved dog, going blind, evidently thought that the magpies were the latest offspring of his deadly enemy the black and white tomcat from next door. The magpies, on the other hand, thought the dinner we put out in a red bowl (quite clearly marked 'DOG') was for them.

So maybe you can teach them to talk, but, evidently, not to read.
 

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Posted by fletcher christian (# 13919) on :
 
Was it Messiaen who made the discovery that certain bird songs (particularly the blackbird I think) had eerily close similarities to human laughter?

I quite like that idea - the thought that they are so happy to see another day that they burst into laughter.

If you listen to this all the way through to the end, it contains a rather clever example. Helps that it's all about birds and makes me think of summer.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Strange (# 11001) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
"Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine...."

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jonathan Strange:

quote:

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Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
"Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine...."

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Yes! I think there's an Eddie Izzard sketch where he has the birds shouting "F*ck off! F*ck off! My tree!" and "Hey you, blackbird! Get the f*ck off my branch!" or words to that effect.

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Eddie Izzard was the first thing I thought of too except in the bit I remember he was referring to the song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square", suggesting that said nightingale was actually singing "F*** off out of Berkley Square! It's my square. I'm a nightingale".
 

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Posted by Aravis (# 13824) on :
 
There's a Larson cartoon called "How to work out what your dog is really saying" which has a scene with a lot of dogs barking at different things. Translation: "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!"
 

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Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :
 
There's a rather large tree with a high trunk (branches are all around the level of the attic on a 2-story building) along my walk home from a nearby train station, that I refer to as the "party tree." Every time I pass under it in summer, I hear a cacophony of bird chirping. I've entertained the thought - especially since I've never seen any birds, but the branches are rather dense - that the people whose house the tree is right next to have put in some kind of motion-activated thing that makes bird noises precisely to keep birds away. My neighborhood is very near a lake with a bird sanctuary, mostly shorebirds, though, but the whole area is usually quite covered in lovely white splatterings and I can see why someone might want to keep that away from their house!
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
They're competing for "American Bird Idol"!
 

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Posted by Janine (# 3337) on :
 
<<... to the tune of the Ken-L-Ration commercials...>>


COCK
My worm's bigger than your worm!
My nest? Better than yours!
My wings flutter and hens are dazzled!
My hen's smarter than yours!

HEN
My eye dazzles all the cocks!
No breast warmer than mine!
My eggs shine and my chicks are lovely!
And stay away from my cock!

[ 12. March 2010, 10:05: Message edited by: Janine ]
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Many years ago when I was at college a pair of ducks took up residence in the grounds. They swiftly became very popular (and very tame).

One day we found the female duck alone on the quad looking glum and miserable without any sign of her mate. As we were speculating what had happened to him he suddenly flew in, and if you think birds can't talk the tone in their voices was quite unmistakable:

Her: Where the HELL have you been??

Him: Hello sweetie, I'm back!

Her: You left me alone here by myself with nothing but a bunch of students for company for half the afternoon and you just breeze back in and expect me to be PLEASED? Have you been seeing some other bird?

Him: No, of course not. Anyway, I'm back now. Look over there, one of the students has got a lovely bit of bread.

Her: I DON'T CARE and I'm never speaking to you again. Ever. (Turns her back on him and settles down pointedly on the grass.)

Him: Don't be like that. (Eyeing up the bread.) Looks quite tasty.

Her (slightly less angrily): That's you all over, all you ever think about is food.

Him: I thought you weren't speaking to me?

Her: I'm not.

Luckily, "never" is a relatively short while in a duck's world, and it had all blown over by the evening.
 

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Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :
 
Our most amazing migratory birds, the Bar-tailed Godwits, have headed off to Alaska for the northern summer. Autumn is beginning her first licks and flicks. So here the birds are muttering "nights are getting colder, bro", while the cicadas are singing a sad song that goes something "shag me before I die"

But we won't be as cold as you were - well most of you. Thank God at least for that!
 

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Posted by Jahlove (# 10290) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Zappa:
Our most amazing migratory birds, the Bar-tailed Godwits, have headed off to Alaska for the northern summer. Autumn is beginning her first licks and flicks. So here the birds are muttering "nights are getting colder, bro", while the cicadas are singing a sad song that goes something "shag me before I die"

But we won't be as cold as you were - well most of you. Thank God at least for that!

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Here, the Bar-fly Fuckwits have the corner on the cicada market.

Oh - this is an ornithologists' page, right?
 

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Posted by QLib (# 43) on :
 
Another duck story - witnessed on a Devon river more than 20 years ago.

To set the scene: Duck is trapped by Sir Roger de Drake at a point where the river's edge curves slightly onto a shallow beach where humans are standing, blocking a land-based escape. Sir Roger de Drake is swimming back and forth in a semi-circle around her, twirling his metaphorical mustache.

de Drake : Ha ha! my proud beauty! I have you in my clutches at last!

Duck: No, oh no! I will never consent! Oh hey-ulp! hey-ulp!

de Drake: It's not your consent I'm interested in! You cannot escape me now!

Duck: No,oh no! O husband! Husband -where are you?

Duck-husband (approaching at speed from up river): Unhand my wife, de Drake, you scoundrel! Unhand her I say or I'll make you regret ...

de Drake; er. .. yes.. well, Goodness me, is that the time? I must away - but I'll be back, ha ha, (beats hasty retreat)

Duck: Oh my dearest!

Duck-husband: Darling! Are you...? did he...?

Duck: No, no, my dear - I am still your own entirely (They swim away together).

I've since read that 'rape', though generally rare in the animal kingdom, is not unknown amongst ducks.
 

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Posted by Janine (# 3337) on :
 
I can believe that, considering some of the ducks I've known.
 

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Posted by Janine (# 3337) on :
 
I've heard mockingbirds and blue jays screaming "That cat! The cat's coming! I'll peck his head, you hide!" as they divebomb poor kitty.
 

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Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :
 
My house seems to be located on land owned by a Bluejay. When ever I come outside he clearly says. " Go away, Go away. Go away now. What is the matter with you Go away, this is my yard, all mine, not yours, don't you dare touch a thing, you are not thinking of pulling that weed, or raking those leaves are you? GO AWAY NOW."
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
Our robin's not back yet, but we're expecting him any day now. You know, the one who hops behind us in the garden commanding,

"Pull a worm. Pull a worm. Pull a worm, now.
Get your lazy butt in gear and pull a worm for me."
 

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Posted by QLib (# 43) on :
 
Heard today

quote:

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I'm singing in the rain
And you're getting wet
On that stupid old bike
How daft can you get?

You guys rush around
Like the stuff that you do
Is really important
But I'm laughing at you.

I'll sit on this bough
And pipe my refrain
Cos I'm singin', just singin'
In the rain

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Posted by Athrawes (# 9594) on :
 
My parrots all sing a version of, "The sun is up, it's a lovely day, where's my BREAKFAST??' every morning around dawn.
 

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