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KSBIRD-L for Saturday, July 20, 2002
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Subject: Clinton Lake birds
From: Kylee Sharp <kyleemsharp(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 11:12am
My husband, Scott, and I drove out to the Wakarusa arm of Clinton Lake
today, west of Lawrence, to see what might be there. Didn't get out there
until about 9:20, but there were quite a few shorebirds in the area. We
estimated roughly 60 shorebirds, the majority of which were Killdeer, but I
did scope out at least 4 Greater Yellowlegs, a couple of Pectoral
sandpipers, and a few (~10) smaller peeps. I could not tell for sure if
they were semipalmated sandpipers or least sandpipers, but those are what I
usually see out there. My tripod for my scope broke (plastic hinges), so I
couldn't scope it very thoroughly, but there were more birds there than I
expected to see. We also counted 21 Great Blue Herons and 19 Great Egrets.
Kylee Sharp
Lawrence, Kansas
"In the end, we will conserve only what we love,
we will love only what we understand,
we will understand only what we are taught."
Baba Dioum, Conservationist
_________________________________________________________________
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Subject: Origin of name Jenny Wren
From: Patty Marlett <pmarlett(AT)MAC.COM>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 11:16am
I got this question through the Wichita Audubon website. Can anyone help
him? --Patty Marlett
Why do we call House Wrens "Jenny Wrens"? I've been researching this and
can't find any answers. I have wren houses occupied every year and enjoy
watching and listening to them.
Barry Avery <bavery(AT)ksdot.org>
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Subject: Re: Origin of name Jenny Wren
From: Thomas & Sara Shane <shane(AT)PLD.COM>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 2:50pm
Patty,
I checked over a dozen books and the only information I could find was
in
the following:
Wetmore, Alexander. 1937. The Wrens. Pp 145-153 in The Book of Birds, Vol.
II (G. Grosvenor and A. Wetmore, eds.). National Geographic Society,
Washington. D. C.
"JENNY WREN" IN THE ROLE OF A GOSSIP
**The wren of popular fancy and fable is the species of western Europe,
which is closely allied to the winter wren of North America. Early settlers
in our country, familiar with the common birds in their Old World home,
recognized the relationship of this bird to the bird we know as the house
wren and bestowed on it the familiar name of their former residence. The
"jenny wren" thus was transplanted to America in name if not in fact, and
the appellation has persisted, the bird being widely known.**
You are on your own with the European origin.
TS
-----Original Message-----
From: Birds & Their Habitats in Kansas [mailto:KSBIRD-L(AT)ksu.edu]On
Behalf Of Patty Marlett
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 11:16 AM
To: KSBIRD-L(AT)LISTSERV.KSU.EDU
Subject: Origin of name Jenny Wren
I got this question through the Wichita Audubon website. Can anyone help
him? --Patty Marlett
Why do we call House Wrens "Jenny Wrens"? I've been researching this and
can't find any answers. I have wren houses occupied every year and enjoy
watching and listening to them.
Barry Avery <bavery(AT)ksdot.org>
For KSBIRD-L archives or to change your subscription options, go to
http://listserv.ksu.edu/archives/ksbird-l.html
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Subject: Re: Origin of name Jenny Wren
From: Gregg & Joanna Friesen <gjrk(AT)SOUTHWIND.NET>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 4:13pm
Patty,
This web site speaks to the issue but, like Tom's reference, is still a
bit incomplete.
http://www.takeourword.com/TOW157/page2.html
a short quote follows:
"When the word jack is attached to the name of an animal it either means
"male" (as in jack-hare) or indicates a small size. The jackdaw (Corvus
monedula) is certainly one of the smallest members of the crow family but,
in this case, jack is one of many personal names which were given to several
birds in the Middle Ages. Other birds which acquired personal names were
the jay (from the Latin name Gaius), the martin, the robin and the
jenny-wren. Also, to British children, any small bird is called a
dicky-bird."
Nice web site if one wants to pursue a few words and their meaning.
Gregg
Gregg Friesen
gjrk(AT)southwind.net
Newton, KS
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Subject: Re: Black capped vireos attracted to new nesting sites....
From: Kevin Groeneweg <kgroeneweg(AT)COX.NET>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 4:46pm
For those who wish to know more about this subject, Wichita Audubon is
having Gil Eckrich, who is the outreach coordinator for the Natural
Resources Management Branch at Fort Hood, speak at our program meeting on
November 19, 2002. Gil's program, entitled "Success in Local Recovery of an
Endangered Songbird, the Black-capped Vireo", will include discussion of the
method of "conspecific attraction" mentioned below, which he feels will be
of special interest to Kansas birders. The program is at the Great Plains
Nature Center, 29th and Woodlawn in Wichita, at 7:30 pm that evening.
Kevin Groeneweg
Wichita Audubon
-----Original Message-----
From: Birds & Their Habitats in Kansas [mailto:KSBIRD-L(AT)ksu.edu]On
Behalf Of Brad Williamson
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2002 10:06 AM
To: KSBIRD-L(AT)LISTSERV.KSU.EDU
Subject: Black capped vireos attracted to new nesting sites....
Science Online reports on a paper presented this week at the Society for
Conservation Biology that may be of interest..
The paper reports the results of work done in Texas to attract Black
capped vireos to new nesting habitat. Essentially they played recorded
territorial calls in the new habitat during spring migration. From the
Science online site:
"..Michael Ward and Scott Schlossberg, both ecologists at the University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, suspected that young vireos might be
attracted to the songs of their elders, in order to learn how to choose
a nesting area. They tested their theory by playing recorded calls at
suitable nesting sites near Fort Hood, north of Austin, Texas. The
faux-chirping took place in spring as the birds were returning from
overwintering in Mexico.
In the first year of the study the pair attracted 73 vireos to settle at
five experimental sites, Ward said here 17 July at the annual meeting of
the Society for Conservation Biology. No vireos settled at two silent
sites. Moreover, birds who were looking for a nesting site for the first
time were particularly attracted by the recordings. And they liked what
they found: This year, Ward said, almost all birds from one test site
returned, even though the call boxes had been removed. Previously, the
U.S. Army had unsuccessfully tried for 12 years to establish
black-capped vireos on the base... --ADAM BOSTANCI "
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Subject: Re: Origin of name Jenny Wren
From: Scott & Diane Seltman <sselt(AT)GBTA.NET>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 5:33pm
Patty:
I have seen the origin of "Jenny Wren" discussed several times in the past
but without much light being shed on it. I don't know the origin myself,
but here's my off-the-wall take on the matter.
The word "wren" is very old and existed in OE as "wrenna" or "wrenne"
["double U's" weren't necessarily written the same as now] but the word
"jenny" is of French origin and usually denotes femininity as in "jenny"
mule.
The proper name "Jenny" appears very infrequently in early English
literature. Shakespeare apparently only mentioned the name once:
=========================
Vengeance of Jenny's case! fie on her! never name her, child, if she be a
whore. - - - The Merry Wives of Windsor [1597-1601]
=========================
Samuel Johnson mentioned "Jenny" in one of his obscure works. [One could
argue that ALL of Johnson's works were obscure!] Thomas Carlyle's wife
Jenny was mentioned in a poem by Leigh Hunt. But as near as I can tell,
none of these guys linked "Jenny" with the word "wren".
Of course, not every phrase that occurs in English actually originated
there. The note below citing a French poem from 1847 is certainly
intriguing.
*******************************
E. Cobham Brewer 1810-1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Jenny l'Ouvrière.
A generic name for a hard-working, poor, but contented needlewoman. The name
was devised by Emile Barateau, and rendered popular by his song so called.
"Entendez-vous un oiseau familier?
C'est le chanteur de Jenny l'Ouvriere.
Au cour content, content de peu
Elle pourrait être riche, et préfère
Ce qui vient de Dieu."
(1847.)
********************************
Whether this fellow really invented the term "Jenny Wren" is doubtful, but
it's definitely an early reference. I'll let other KSBIRDers translate the
lyric; it's not very complicated, but every time I've attempted to translate
French in the past I've been accused of being " le gran idiot".
Perhaps the first reference to "Jenny Wren" in British literature is from
Dickens, who sort of had an OCD about creating bizarre names for his
characters. He included the name "Jenny Wren" in the novel "Our Mutual
Friend" published [I'm too lazy to look up the date.] not long before his
death in 1870:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
'This is what your loving Jenny Wren calls the best time in the day
and night,' said the person of the house. Her real name was Fanny
Cleaver; but she had long ago chosen to bestow upon herself the
appellation of Miss Jenny Wren." Chapter 19, "Our Mutual Friend", Charles
Dickens.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now whether Dickens' use of the name "Jenny Wren" resulted in the term
entering the popular culture and whether it was then applied to the bird, I
don't know. Other characters in Dickens' novels were certainly adopted into
the vernacular rather quickly. Whichever way you take it, I find it
intriguing that "Jenny Wren" is apparently absent in literature prior to
Dickens and quite common afterwards.
"Jenny Wren", the bird, later became famous as the wife of "Cock Robin" in
Victorian-era children's literature, an entire genre seemingly devoted to
brainwashing. Talk about mixed messages!! Sure, practicing honesty and
fidelity is a good idea, but what about marrying outside one's species??
That's my report. I'll let someone else tackle related issues like Jenny
Lind, Jenny MacCarthur, Jennicam and 867-5309!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The male Calliope Hummingbird seen by Don Kazmaier in Larned on 19 July was
not seen again. Two unidentified empidonax flycatchers are in our yard at
present. I've used up my posting privileges for the month!
Scott Seltman
RR 1 Box 36
Nekoma, KS 67559
sselt(AT)gbta.net
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Subject: jenny wren
From: Linda and Don Mallonee <donlin(AT)COX.NET>
Date: 20 Jul 2002 9:28pm
When I was a child there were references to the lovely singing voice of =
Jenny Lind. She was very popular with those who heard her and even those =
who did not, I believe. It is easy to make an association to the House =
Wren's singing. I don't know when she lived, but I think it was late =
19th and early 20th centuries.=20
Linda Mallonee=20
Here at the pond the season is beginning to change. The BH Cowbirds are =
gathering their young! and we have had a juvenile Black Crowned Night =
Heron. Tonight, my husband spotted 2 brilliant Goldfinchs. A first for =
our yard. The Least Terns are still fishing here. =20
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