Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Rare Spotted Pin Bird / Raro Pájaro Alfiler Moteado

La versión español está después de la foto.

THE FUN BIRD cards I found for the Kid Brother (yesterday's post) reminded me of something. While living in Guilford, Connecticut, San Geraldo and I got into birding (birdwatching). It began as feeding the multitudes of birds in our own backyard and evolved into early morning hikes in the countryside and along the beaches, as well as late-night "owl prowls." When the Kid Brother and My Mother the Dowager Duchess would visit, we'd take them with us. The Kid Brother loved it and had a gift for spotting birds hidden from view. San Geraldo bought him his own Audubon Guide and he painstakingly noted what he saw on his own life list.

The Dowager Duchess enjoyed the walks.

On one of our visits to Brooklyn, we picked up the Kid Brother at his apartment. As he jumped into the car, he exclaimed, "I got a new bird for you guys!"

"Really?" I responded. "What did you see?"

"It was right up there on my balcony. I think it was a spotted pin bird!"

"A spotted pin bird? I've never heard of that. Did you find it in your bird book?"

"No. Right on my balcony!" he said.

Pause... "Oh, but how do you know what it was? Did you find the picture in your book?"

"No, but I knew what it was."

"But, I've never heard of that one. How did you know it was a spotted pin bird."

"I knew. I knew."

Jeez! "That's amazing. How did you figure it out?"

And he finally explained with complete clarity:

"'Cause it was spotted and it looked like a pin!"

Next came lessons in the naming of birds (and how San Geraldo and I didn't make them up on our own).

SG, THE KID BROTHER, AND THE DOWAGER DUCHESS, HAMMONASSET BEACH, MADISON, CONNECTICUT. 1991.
SG, EL HERMANITO, Y LA DUQUESA VIUDA, PLAYA DE HAMMONASSET EN MADISON, CONNECTICUT. 1991.

LAS TARJETAS DE pájaros que encontré para El Hermanito (entrada de ayer) me recordaron algo. Mientras vivían en Guilford, Connecticut, San Geraldo y yo comenzamos a observar aves. Comenzó como alimentar a las multitudes de aves en nuestro propio patio trasero y se convirtió en caminatas temprano por la mañana en el campo y en las playas, así como en "merodeadores por los búhos" a altas horas de la noche. Cuando visitaran El Hermanito y La Duquesa Viuda, nos los llevaríamos. The Kid Brother lo adoraba y tenía un gran talento para descubrir pájaros ocultos a la vista. San Geraldo le compró su propia Guía de Aves de América del Norte de Audubon y El Hermanito notó cuidadosamente lo que vio en su propia lista de vida.

La Duquesa viuda disfrutó de los paseos.

En una de nuestras visitas a Brooklyn, recogimos El Hermanito en su apartamento. Cuando saltó al coche, exclamó: "¡Tengo un nuevo pájaro para vosotros!"

"¿De Verdad?" yo respondí. "¿Qué viste?"

"Estaba allí arriba en mi balcón. ¡Creo que era un Pájaro Alfiler Moteado!"

"¿Un Pájaro Alfiler Moteado? Nunca he oído de eso. ¿Lo encontraste en tu guia de aves?"

"¡No, justo en mi balcón!" él dijo.

Una pausa...
"Ah, pero ¿cómo sabes lo que era? ¿Encontraste la imagen en tu libro?"

"No, pero sabía lo que era".

"Pero, nunca he oído de eso. ¿Cómo sabías que era un Pájaro Alfiler Moteado".

"Lo sabía. Lo sabía".

¡Jesus! "¡Increible! ¿Cómo lo descubriste?"

Y finalmente él explicó con total claridad:

"¡Porque estaba moteado y parecía un alfiler!"

Luego vinieron las lecciones sobre los nombres de los pájaros (y que San Geraldo y yo no los inventamos).

30 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Spo:
      And that's usually the problem with our conversations. He DOES make sense.

      Delete
  2. Ever the straight man in the joke :) Your brother is so funny.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheapchick:
      Especially when he doesn't mean to be.

      Delete
  3. It seems that the Kid Brother makes his own rules and then he follows them - you better follow them too! Great story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wilma:
      He did quickly understand about the bird names and never again saw a spotted pin bird. Maybe I shouldn't have told him.

      Delete
  4. Hmmm, bowling pin, straight pin, safety pin? I'm intrigued. I also like your brother!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deedles:
      I always assumed it was straight pin. Too late now to ask for clarification (although you can see how that would have gone anyway).

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. anne marie:
      He can be very entertaining and I like him, too, a lot!

      Delete
  6. I love it! At the lake up the road, which is huge as a bird watching group in the summers. I've thought of checking it out this year, since as your aware I love birds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mistress maddie:
      I think you would get hooked. Feeding the birds was what did it for us. You live in a great area for it. We keep planning to start up again here.

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. John:
      As my mother explained when I told her we had seen Downton Abbey and we were reminded of her. She wasn't offended but immediately corrected me saying she was supposed to be the Dowager Countess. And there you have her.

      Delete
  8. I am much, MUCH too lazy to take up birdwatching. All that walking about and peering through binoculars!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debra:
      The walks were the best part. I hate just standing around and peering.

      Delete
  9. I love to watch the birds that come to my ponds.
    Your brother is so darling.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Parsnip:
      He can regularly get on my last nerve, but we also have such a good time together.

      Delete
  10. Ahhhh haaaaa haaaaaaa! That's a great one!
    Fun to see the photo with The Dowager Duchess all bundled up for birding. I used to really enjoy birding, but after I figured out the names of all of the kind that would come to our feeder in the city, there wasn't much left to do--we always got the same birds --ha! My favorite find was an Indigo Bunting once -- not at home, but out at a lodge in the countryside along the Illinois River. Very beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judy:
      We once jumped in the car to see an indigo bunting in someone's backyard about 20 minutes from us. So beautiful. We moved so often that there were always new birds for us to see. We have to start up here. I mean flamingos fly free!

      Delete
  11. I've never spotted a pin bird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walt the Fouth:
      Oh, The Kid Brother would have such a good time communicating with you. You can be Abbott.

      Delete
    2. I know the ornithological answer to "Who's on first?"

      Delete
    3. Walt the Fourth:
      I actually had to think a moment. Chuck will LOVE that. (He'll get it quicker than I did... but he'll say "That's not how it goes, wise guy.")

      Delete
  12. Replies
    1. Rozzie:
      So do we. He's made me cry many times but the laughter makes it all worthwhile.

      Delete
  13. Never underestimate our innate ability

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Travel:
      ... to turn any conversation into a comedy routine.

      Delete
  14. His definition makes perfect sense to me, though I might have called it Feathery Thing With Beak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob:
      He is so obviously better at bird identification than you are!

      Delete

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