|
Home::Humor
Asylum Seekers: Now With Wings
Author : Pem Charnley
It seems inconceivable that a bird table could lead to thoughts about asylum seeking, but this seems to be the case.
It all started innocently enough, of course. With winter now upon us, I thought it would be a nice idea to buy a bird table, to bring back memories of a childhood where my parents stuck some bacon rind up on a branch, bought me the Observers Book of Birds and left me to it.
Whichever hobby they decided on for me, there was always an Observers book involved and a hope that I would then get on with it.
Anyway, to the local shop for a bird table. Mightily expensive they turned out to be, so rather than a mahogany table, replete with eaves and a foot spa, we returned home with a round mesh with a stick in it and a packet of peanuts. I had attempted to go to the counter with bird seed, rather than peanuts. I was calmly informed that the seed was smaller than the mesh and would merely have left a trail.
Not a problem. Peanuts it was then and by day three, the birds arrived. Well, the Tit family anyway and thats more than good enough for me. It really is a delight, and the children are as excited as Id hoped they would be.
Hang on, one second (No dear, thats not a Peregrine, thats still a Great Tit!)
So, as I say, we have, if nothing else, been inundated with the Tit family. We needed to identify the different breeds within this family, so a little bit of research has revealed that so far, we have had a Great Tit, a Blue Tit, a Coal Tit and also a Marsh Tit. No Crested Tit, though. These have grey-brown upper parts, whitish under parts and a black and white head with, funnily enough, a crest on it. These, you see, are only found in the Caledonian forests of Scotland and I live in the middle of Devon.
I know all this because I found a page on the Internet that allowed me learn this. The site is incredibly useful and you are even able to click on a link that allows you to hear their calls. Angling the computer speakers by the open window, clicking on one of the calls brings a whole new element to the proceedings. To see a Blue Tit hear a Curlew call over is to see a very confused garden bird indeed.
Now then, we have a Robin that has been getting friendly and I decided to look up the details on this most common of British birds and really, was quite staggered by the description given.
Apparently, the Robin is joined in the colder months by, and I quote, immigrants from the continent. So far, so good, nothing wrong with that. But it was the words that followed that had me wondering, for perhaps the first time in my life, about whether racism exists within ornithology.
These immigrants are paler than ours, [and] have a duller red breast. Now then, things are getting a bit personal, but not overly so.
What took my breath away was the fact that I am unlikely to see one of these Europeans because you see, theyre not friendly; they skulk in woodlands. Skulk?? Ive never known a bird to skulk, personally.
Lordy, at any juncture, I expected berries and berets to become a deliberate typo. Im not sure if the person who wrote this description is a Daily Mail reader, but a relaxing read about Britains national bird left me feeling uncomfortable, a little hot under the collar.
They state in the final paragraph that Robins are territorial all the year round.
It would appear theyre not the only ones
Copyright Holmes Charnley mmiv. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Freelance Journalist based in Devon-UK. For more examples of my work, please visit http://www.articles.me.uk. The two most recent pieces have been published in The Guardian (UK broadsheet.) Pieces also accepted by Jack magazine. Spam emails More free articles Related articles
|
More related feeds |
Saturday, 6th July 2008
Any failed asylum seeker returning to Zimbabwe will be singled out for 'special treatment' by Mugabe welcoming committee - the Central Intelligence Organisation - at the airport. The people will not even be given a chance to get through ...Asylum Seekers: Now With Wings
It seems inconceivable that a bird table could lead to thoughts about asylum seeking, but this seems to be the case.It all started innocently. Lancaster Unity - The facts
Last week a law passed through the Israeli Knesset called the Prevention of Infiltration act which criminalises asylum seekers and puts them in prison for four years and gives a 7 year sentence to asylum seekers from various Arab ... letters from the inside
Appeal for remaining asylum seekers Dear refugee supporters, As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Tampa, and prepare to mobilise this Saturday, let’s spare a thought for the remaining 32 victims of “The Pacific Solution”. ... 124 gun salute
Lee Brassington, who holds a British passport and served in the Army Air Corps, is living on the floor of his mother’s home in Pelsall with his wife and three teenage children, but says he must take the same test as asylum seekers in ... Postmodernity and September 11 2001 - Life imitating art? Art pre ...
A large cast of baddies-as-backdrops also exist in Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea, waiting in the wings, as it were, in case the action began to slow. In other far-flung regions of the world there were also other supposed ‘goodies’ ... Human Rights Violations in Israel and Palestine
But they must consider human rights, issues of family, and not exclude refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons or those coming under duress. Israel fails on all counts and makes things worse. It has no immigration policy for ... RAVI PANDYA's rumblings
For every person who wants peace (and is willing to sacrifice everything for it) there is that person (like Hitler) waiting in the wings. The WWII Generation (the Greatest Generation) knew that fact. Unfortunately, that has not been ... Roots and Wings
artsdepot presents an exhibition celebrating the work of its participatory arts programme for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and newly arrived communities. hands Working with professional female photographer, Poppy Szaybo, ... ARISTOTLE’S TEETH
In the early tenth century, led by Mathuedoi, a large contingent of Bretons fled to England from the Danes then ravaging Brittany – tenth century asylum seekers. The exact date of the flight and settlement being unknown, it is unclear ...
|
|
|
