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Archive for January, 2007

A nest egg

4 Comments »17th January, 2007; Category: General
On my writing blog I have been writing about idioms. In particular I have featured several idioms that relate to birds.

Today’s idiom: A nest egg

Origins:

It is thought that this expression comes from the days before large batteries of laying hens were kept in cages in sheds. The farmer would place a porcelain or plastic artificial egg in each nest to encourage the hens to lay more eggs. I remember doing this on the farm where I grew up. I have no evidence that it actually worked in producing more eggs. To my way of thinking today, the hen will only lay an egg when she is well and truly ready. One cannot force the issue.

Meanings:

This expression has entered our language from that farming practice. Having “a nest egg” is to set aside some money as an investment for the future. Having such a sum is supposed to be an inducement to add to it, thus making the amount grow. Just like the false nest egg was meant to be an inducement for the hen to lay more, so too a nest egg of money was to encourage one to save more.

In today’s world of share portfolios, cash management funds, financial planners and the like this term is hardly ever used any more and seems quite quaint. One might only ever hear the elderly use this term, especially those who may have grown up during the Depression years of the 1930s.

Example:

“To save ten dollars a week from your pay would be a wise method of ensuring you have a little nest egg for the future,” advised Grandpa.

Bird Word: Endemic

2 Comments »16th January, 2007; Category: Bird Word, Glossary
  • Endemic: a species of bird that is confined to a particular region. The Chestnut-breasted Whiteface is endemic to my home state, South Australia. It is not found anywhere else. It is also our only endemic species.

There are many species endemic to Australia, that is, they are found no-where else in the world. Some of these include:

  • Emus
  • several species of Babblers
  • some species of Fairy-Wrens
  • the Plains Wanderer

Some species are endemic to certain regions, or particular habitats. For example, the Black Eared Miner is largely confined to the mallee habitat. Some states have more endemic species than others. South Australia has only one, while Tasmania has about a dozen endemic species. One of these is the Forty Spotted Pardalote. I’ve never seen that species, but it is similar to the Spotted Pardalote we have resident in our garden, and is shown in the photo below.

Spotted Pardalote with nesting material in beak

Spotted Pardalote with nesting material in beak

To feather one’s nest

No Comments »15th January, 2007; Category: Bird Behaviour, Birds, General, Nests

On my writing blog I have been writing about idioms. One recently posted article looked at an idiom with a birding theme.
This Week’s Idiom

To feather one’s nest

or

To feather one’s own nest

Origin

This idiom obviously comes from the practice of many birds to gather feathers to add to their nest in order to make it more comfortable for themselves while incubating the eggs and then warmer for the chicks once hatched. It has been suggested that some birds actually pluck their own feathers to add to the nest. I’ve never witnessed this in thirty years of birding but it could well be the case. More likely is the gathering of feathers left lying around after a bird dies, or is killed, or from the empty nests of other birds.

Meanings

The applied use of this idiom in common speech and in writing implies that the person being spoken of is gathering financial gain for himself at the expense of others, usually in a dishonest way. So to say that “Peter was feathering his own nest at the company’s expense” is to say that he was perhaps embezzling company funds.

It could also be applied to the misplaced motivation for an action. For example, “Susan only wanted to become a member of parliament to feather her own nest.”

An Amazing Tale of Two Cockies

No Comments »14th January, 2007; Category: Bird Behaviour, Parrots and Lorikeets

Someone on the Birding-Aus forum sent a link to an amazing story about two Sulphur Crested Cockatoos in Queensland, Australia. This is a truly heart warming, romantic story with a miracle ending. The site has many photos so it may be a little slow loading, but it is well worth the wait.

Link:

Related articles:

Whooping Cranes

No Comments »13th January, 2007; Category: Bird Behaviour, Birds on Television, Reviews

Yes – this blog is supposed to be about Australian birds, I know.

This evening, however, our local ABC Television station showed a programme called “Flying Home” about Whooping Cranes. Scientists are trying to save this endangered species by showing them a new migration route from Wisconsin to Florida. They use various techniques to help the birds act as normally as possible. By training them to follow several ultra light planes to a wintering area in Florida they hope to eventually establish a range of Whooping Crane colonies in separate parts of the country, thus enhancing the survival chances of this species.

It was an interesting documentary with some good photography; what else would one expect from the BBC Natural History Unit? The programme also makes a case against the annual shooting of thousands of Sandhill Cranes, which are not endangered.

The narration, however, was rather appalling. Whoever wrote it deserves a few basic lessons, like being forced to view several hundred hours of David Attenborough’s work.

It is natural to make comparisons with the beautiful semi-fictional movie length “Fly Away Home” which features Canada Geese. While the techniques and photography in both are quite brilliant, that’s where the similarities end. The movie has a tension that makes it compelling viewing. This documentary was, at times, dull enough to induce yawns.

Related article:

UPDATE: these cranes have been in the news again – for the wrong reasons. Recent storms have killed some of the cranes. Read about it here.

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