Sometimes we go for a walk along the river and I usually go all gooey over the cute ducks swimming - I just love the male ducks with little curly feathers on their butts. Anyway, initially I was fairly patient in explaining that "that is a male duck and the one over there is a female.." etc etc. But after a while it started to piss me off. How is is possible that an intelligent, well educated man who claims to be from a small town by the sea, is so completely ignorant when it comes to recognise birds? And we're not even talking about tiny birds that look very similar -I'd have trouble doing so - we're talking ducks, geese and swans!
One time he pointed at a bird and asked "is that a duck?". It was so obvious that it was so I said, jokingly; "No, that is a short-necked swan!" He then goes "oh, right!" and walks on leaving me gobsmacked...
I shouldn't blame him however as his parents cannot see the difference between geese and swans. Boyfriend and I were walking along the harbour in his hometown and there was a swan in the water and I commented on how they mate for life, bla bla bla. After a turn we encountered some geese walking along and he said; "I thought you said swans were territorial but there are 4big ones walking along together just fine.." He then refused to believe that they were geese so we asked his mom when she came to pick us up but she also claimed them to be swans which made it 2 to 1 in their favour... 'Brilliant'! I just gave up.
During the time I was in Sweden Boyfriend's parents came down to see him and they got on to the subject of geese and swans. Boyfriend's dad also thought the geese outside our flat were swans. Boyfriend then realised that they ought to look it up as he knew I'd be livid if they couldn't spot the difference so they went on to Google Images:
Lo and behold - Ems, the blonde Swede was right! But I do think that they still believe that geese are swans if they see them...
Am I horrible for thinking it is obvious which is which?
3 comments:
No, not horrible. I too think it should be obvious. But then again, I remember the time when our friend in Gothemburg exclaimed "Oh look, a crane!" when it in fact was a Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (Skäggdopping in Swedish). Since those two birds are significantly different in size I just can't forget that moment. Girl, I love you for saying it though!!!
Happy namesday Emma!
No, not at all! I am a bird (and nature) fan and I find it really difficult to believe how many British people casn't recognise the bird-song of their own native species, or tell the difference between a sparrow and a dunnock, or a blackbird and a thrush... I guess if it doesn't interest them they just don't care... but I can't imagine going for a walk in the woods and not knowing that 'that's a chaffinch, there's a wren, oh and there's the blackcap!'. But then someone who could name wild flowers could say the same about me... or trees, I'm not good with knowing what trees are either hahaha- so I guess it just depends what you like to learn about and distinguish!
I do get a bit bothered by such things though sometimes so you're not alone!
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