Blogging!
Just in case anyone is baffled by the use of the term "blogging" in the birding context:
A term predating the internet (blogging = to keep an internet diary) by several decades, but not in my dictionary. "TO BLOG" is a verb meaning to wander from place to place with little real purpose, the avian equivalent, I suppose, of wandering, meandering,loitering, strolling, window-shopping, etc. as distinct from actively seeking to go from A to B on migration or as a long-distance feeding or roosting movement. Perhaps it originated in 1960s seawatching, when Manx Shearwaters might be passing at 3000 per hour and Gannets at 300 per hour, but there were also a few dozen Herring Gulls (the local breeders) blogging around the cliffs. I've used it all my birdwatching life especially to seperate the "vis" (moving birds) from the non movers, without really thinking about it. It seems to be accepted and used nationally in this contex as described above.
Dave
A term predating the internet (blogging = to keep an internet diary) by several decades, but not in my dictionary. "TO BLOG" is a verb meaning to wander from place to place with little real purpose, the avian equivalent, I suppose, of wandering, meandering,loitering, strolling, window-shopping, etc. as distinct from actively seeking to go from A to B on migration or as a long-distance feeding or roosting movement. Perhaps it originated in 1960s seawatching, when Manx Shearwaters might be passing at 3000 per hour and Gannets at 300 per hour, but there were also a few dozen Herring Gulls (the local breeders) blogging around the cliffs. I've used it all my birdwatching life especially to seperate the "vis" (moving birds) from the non movers, without really thinking about it. It seems to be accepted and used nationally in this contex as described above.
Dave
posted by Dave Barker at
8/26/2008 07:50:00 pm
2 Comments:
I only came across this use of the word a few years back, when one of our local birders had spent several months at Spurn, and brought the term back with him. So, perhaps of northern origin?
PS. Only just discovered your blog. Excellent stuff! We are a long way from you (down on the SE Devon coast) but vis mig has become a vital part of our autumn birding, so I shall put a link to your blog on mine, and will try to publish at least some of our counts. The Woodpig movement last year was just amazing!
Cheers.
Cheers Gavin and thanks for the compliment. Your blog is new to me as well.... impressive! and I too will add a link. Would be good if you could publish your vis counts. I have visited that part of the coast many years ago so the place names and locations are familliar. Did you know there was a vismig Yahoo newsgroup if you are interested? It started off by covering northern England, especially the Pennines but there are members now from many parts of the Country.
Dave
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