
Image: Edwyn Anderton, Flickr
This is an exciting project to discover what birds mean to people at a personal level and to research our own Suffolk names for birds.
The results will be shared through the Ethno-Ornithology World Atlas (ewatlas.net). After reading about the World Atlas and Dr Andy Gosler’s studies on people and birds, I was inspired to launch a study in Suffolk.
As an example, my own bird story is being part of a group in the Philippines which discovered a species of bird unknown to science (the Calayan Rail – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calayan_rail). But my favourite bird is the Kingfisher. Even today, several decades later, that telltale bright blue flash instantly links me to family, sparking fond childhood memories. Examples of Suffolk bird names include mollyhawk for Northern Gannet, harnsey for Grey Heron and Seven-coloured finch for Goldfinch.
Everyone is invited to take part, whether you live in Suffolk or not, so names from other counties are welcome too! The survey is extremely short and simple, comprising only four questions, focused on your favourite bird, your personal stories about birds and any Suffolk names known to you or your family/friends.
Please click on the link to fill in the form – tinyurl.com/sns-bird-survey. Alternatively, I would be happy to send the form in hard copy or by email to anyone who doesn’t want to engage with online technology!
Please get in touch – genevieve.broad@outlook.com
Thank you for taking part!
Gen Broad
