Common names of birds are very interesting as they change from time to time and from place to place. For instance, the corncrake was once called the land rail as it went off the rails, shouting all over the land. Nowadays, corncrake is probably not a good name as it is seldom found in cornfields. It mostly lives in the callows (wet grassland) of the Shannon flood plains. Maybe, its name should be changed to callowscrake. Just as characteristics of birds change with evolution, their names could change also to reflect their new life style. When I walk across the Chord Road in Drogheda I see lots of pied wagtails on the street. Street wagtails would be a good name for them.

Humphrey O Sullivan , who lived in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, kept a diary for the years 1827-1835. He called it Cin Lae Amhlaoibh, the diary of Humphrey. He was very fond of walking and he recorded the birds which he observed on his countryside strolls. This is a list of the birds -:

In this list, éinín-cois-bó, literally, little bird beside the cow, is a fascinating name. It must be a bird who hangs around cows for mucky maggots or a feast of flies annoying the heads of the poor old tail-swatting cows. I think that this is the mudlark. You may say that you heard of a skylark and a woodlark but the only mudlark you know is a horse that likes soft conditions. Too true, but it crosses my mind that the rock pipit was once called a mudlark. This is a picture of a rock pipit.

Another great name is Seán an chaipín., literally, jack the cap. Jack is often the name given to a small bird like a jackdaw or a jacksnipe. Now we know that jack the cap is a small bird who wears a cap. It must be the blackcap. His black cap in the picture is very distinctive and you can see that his missus prefers a rusty brown cap. He is a real modern day dad as he helps out with the nest building and incubation. Some Irish bird names take a little figuring out, like mystery stories.

Another unusual name in the diary is Siobháinín glas. With a stretch of the imagination we could interpret Siobháinín as Bessy. Bessy is very English. We seem to be on the right track as Yorkshire country folk call a pied wagtail, a Bessy ducker. So, Siobháinín (Bessy) is an affectionate name for a wagtail. There is still the puzzle of ?glas' in the full name Siobháinín glas. Glas more commonly translates as green but it can also mean grey e.g. feadóg ghlas, literally, grey whistle, is a perceptive description of the grey plover. Putting two and two together, Siobháinín glas (Bessy grey) is a grey wagtail. In Ireland, the grey wagtail is also known as the water wagtail. A very beautiful bird as you can see from her picture. The next time you see a water wagtail, say to yourself "Siobháinín, Dia is Muire dhuit". During the Summer, I spotted Siobháinín a number of times on the lily leaves in Beaulieu Wood. I also saw her along the stream that feeds the pond. Write to us if you think you can solve the mystery of the little bird beside the cow or if you know an alternative name for a bird or the origins of a bird name or a better name for a bird.