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To foul one’s own nest

No Comments »19th January, 2007; Category: General, Nests
On my writing blog I have been writing about idioms. Some of these relate to birds. Here is another of these interesting expressions.

“To foul one’s own nest.”

Origins:

This expression probably comes from the fact that many birds are careful not to foul their own nests. The droppings of the young are picked up from the nest by the adult birds and dropped on to the ground below the nest. There has been a proverb in existence for over a thousand years which says, “It is a foul bird that defiles its own nest.”

Meaning:

This idiom means simply to harm one’s own interests.

Example:

“By not picking up things after their teenage son, they allowed him to foul his own nest.”

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.

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.”

Bird Word: Colonial

No Comments »13th January, 2007; Category: Bird Word, General, Glossary
  • Colonial: species of birds that roost or nest in communal groups, or colonies, are said to live in colonial groups.

Some species roost alone, some roost in small groups and yet others roost in large groups, or colonies. The same is true of nesting; many nest alone, some nest in groups while others nest in large colonies, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands.

Those that roost or nest in colonies include the penguins, cormorants, many species of ibis, pelicans, stilts, avocets, terns and gulls. Some of these species feed alone but colonial nesting and roosting species often feed in large groups as well. For example, it is quite common in parts of Australia to see hundreds of Straw-Necked Ibis and White Ibis feeding together in the same paddock or dairy flat. Likewise, thousands of stilts and other wading birds are often seen in shallow water on estuaries or tidal flats.
Photo: The Black-Winged Stilt is just one of many species of bird that roosts, nests and feeds in large colonial groups.

For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.

Black-Winged Stilt

Black-Winged Stilt

How to be a lazy birder part 12

8 Comments »12th January, 2007; Category: General, The lazy birder

This is part 12 in the series of articles for The Lazy Birder.

How to use films for birding.

  • Select your favourite film.
  • Place the DVD or video in the appropriate player.
  • Switch on the television.
  • Sit in your most comfortable chair.
  • Watch the film, not for the story, but rather watching out for any birds or bird calls while you watch.
  • Make a list of the birds you see. Add this to your list of all the birds you have seen on films. (You haven’t got such a list?? Then start one!)
  • Warning: if the film is set in a foreign country you may need to borrow a field guide of birds of that country.

To read 20 more hints on how to be a birder click on the link below:

To read the other articles in this series click on this link:

  • The Lazy Birder – 12 fun articles written very much with tongue in cheek.
Diamond Firetail Finch

Diamond Firetail Finch

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