Birding Bond

RichardTheBruce

Beautiful, @Agent_99. Very nice photo.

I hope to have the chance someday. Next week I'll settle for Boston.

RichardTheBruce

Dr. No, Ian Fleming, 1958,
Chapter XIV - Come Into My Parlour
The electric clock in the cool dark room in the heart of the mountain showed four-thirty.
Outside the mountain, Crab Key had sweltered and stunk its way through another day. At the eastern end of the island, the mass of birds, Louisiana herons, pelicans, avocets, sandpipers, egrets, flamingoes and the few roseate spoonbills, went on with building, their nests or fished in the shallow waters of the lake. Most of the birds had been disturbed so often that year that they had given up any idea of building. In the past few months they had been raided at regular intervals by the monster that came at night and burned down their roosting places and the beginnings of their nests. This year many would not breed. There would be vague movements to migrate and many would die of the nervous hysteria that seizes bird colonies when they no longer have peace and privacy.

The Man With the Golden Gun, Ian Fleming, 1965.
Chapter 7 - Un-Real Estate
He walked farther back on the property. He wanted to locate his car. He found it on a deserted lot behind the west wing. The sun would get at it where it was, so he drove it forward and into the shade of a giant ficus tree. He checked the petrol and pocketed the ignition key. There were not too many small precautions he could take.
On the parking lot the smell of the swamps was very strong. While it was still comparatively cool, he decided to walk farther. He soon came to the end of the young shrubs and guinea grass the landscaper had laid on. Behind these was desolation--a great area of sluggish streams and swampland from which the hotel land had been recovered. Egrets, shrikes, and Louisiana herons rose and settled lazily, and there were strange insect noises and the call of frogs and gekkos. On what would probably be the border of the property, a biggish stream meandered towards the sea, its muddy banks pitted with the holes of land crabs and water rats. As Bond approached, there was a heavy splash and a man-sized alligator left the bank and showed its snout before submerging. Bond smiled to himself. No doubt, if the hotel got off the ground, all this area would be turned into an asset. There would be native boatmen, suitably attired as Arawak Indians, a landing stage, and comfortable boats with fringed shades from which the guests could view the "tropical jungle" for an extra ten dollars on the bill.

Louisiana Heron, James Audubon print

RichardTheBruce

Skyfall, 2012.
Four Seasons Hotel in Heron Tower, Canary Wharf, London, doubled for Shanghai.
Heron Tower at 110 Bishopsgate is 230 metres tall, owned by Heron International,
is considered the center to Heron Plaza.

Agent_99

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »

@Agent_99, cool storks, but where are the infants at?

Already dropped down the chimneys, presumably! :D

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

Agent_99 wrote: »

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »

@Agent_99, cool storks, but where are the infants at?

Already dropped down the chimneys, presumably! :D

Oh, that's good to hear. I was worried.

Agent_99

If that many storks are dropping babies off at church, someone needs to have stern words with the priest.

CommanderRoss

Interesting stuff!

Dr. No, Ian Fleming, 1958
Chapter XIII – Mink-Lined Prison
While Bond took in the scene, the woman at the door twittered conventional phrases of welcome as if they had been caught in a storm and had arrived late at a party.
"You poor dears. We simply didn't know when to expect you. We kept on being told you were on your way.
First it was teatime yesterday, then dinner, and it was only half an hour ago we heard you would only be here in time for breakfast. You must be famished. Come along now and help Sister Rose fill in your forms and then I'll pack you both straight off to bed. You must be tired out."

Fleming was way ahead of his time! Anyway, which birds do twitter?

And did you do the Avocets as well? I know you did all the other birds mentioned in Dr. No.......

Did I phrase that right?

RichardTheBruce

Thanks for calling it out. I noticed that, too, @CommanderRoss, and had the exact same thought: ahead of his time. It's easy to relish the modern reader discovering this term reading Fleming. Or hopefully reflecting on it.

To be clear to the audience: I do birding, as in birdwatching. Literally. And my wife if you consider her a bird and use the passionate sense of "do". But I will push back to protect her honor and hold a speaker to account if they propose such a thing. Just to be clear. In the spirit of self-protection, of course.

In explanation, I didn't do ALL the birds from Dr. No, just pretty much what's been mentioned. Plus Boobies, of course. Can get to the rest over time, and welcome suggestions from completists. Will table Avocet on page 1 to return to. It should prove much easier (= shorter) than the one I'm piecing together at the moment: Falcon. (I'm thinking Ford Avocet coupé, Avocet fighter jet, Avocet intercontinental ballistic missile, or Avocet cigarettes aren't waiting in the wings for representation. But who knows.)

Here's one collection of described bird sounds. Amazing how many could apply to old ladies in a state of excitement, pardon my sexism here. But I was led into it.

Macmillan Dictionary says:
macmillandictionary.com/us/thesaurus-category/american/bird-sounds
birdsong - the musical sounds that birds make
chatter - short high noises that some birds, animals, or machines make
chirp - a short, high-pitched sound made by a bird or insect
cluck - a short low sound that a chicken makes
cock-a-doodle-doo - the loud sound that a cock (=male chicken) makes
cry - the noise that an animal or bird makes
cuckoo - the sound made by a cuckoo
hoot - the deep sound that an owl makes
quack - the sound that a duck makes
shriek - a loud high sound made by a bird or animal, or by a machine
song - the musical sound that a bird makes
trill - a sound similar to a musical trill, made for example by a bird or a piece of electronic equipment
tu-whit tu-whoo - British, the sound that an owl makes
tweet - the short high sound that a small bird makes
twitter - a high singing sound made by a bird
whistle - the high sound that some birds make

Noted twitterers include forest birds a.k.a songbirds like Robins, Cardinals (my current state bird), Sparrows, Bluebirds (my home state bird), Tits, Buntings, and many many more. Very accepted social behavior for birds. Definitely predates smartphones.

CommanderRoss

Now that's a hoot!

I couldn't find the Avocet fighter jet, but I did find the Avro Avocet. And of course the ford-powered Avocet sportscar. And an avocet image on player's cigarettes. And there's at least a link to player's cigarettes in Bond, as it is I.I.R.C. Tiffany Case who makes up the story about the sailor in it's logo.

Good luck with the Falcon. That'll take pages for sure!

RichardTheBruce

Falcon - fal·kən or ˈfôl·kən/ - noun
1. a bird of prey active in daytime, famous for speed and visual acuity and diving
Related: Falconry, the use of birds of prey for hunting (formerly: hawking)

Middle English (faucon). Old French (fauco). Latin (falco, from falx or sickle, as related to the talons). Also: male falcons are known as a tercel (English)/tiercel (American), as associated with the Latin tertius and the expectation the third of three eggs is male.

Falcon (Falco): daytime hunters known for their keen vision and speed (more than 200 mph/320 kmh) and for diving at their prey. Found worldwide excepting Antarctica, once part of their range. From the largest Gyrfalcon there are variations to other Falcons, Hobbies, and the smaller Kestrals known to hover as a hunting tactic. Sexual dimorphism means female larger than male. Clearly the most recognized is the Peregrine falcon, which sets the existing speed record among animals and increasingly adapt to urban environments. Unlike other raptors using claws, falcons have a tooth-like extension of the beak used to kill prey.

Includes: Malagasy kestrel (Falco newtoni), Seychelles kestrel (Falco araeus), Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus), Spotted kestrel (Falco moluccensis), Nankeen kestrel or Australian kestrel (Falco cenchroides), Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Rock kestrel (Falco rupicolus), Greater kestrel (Falco rupicoloides), Fox kestrel (Falco alopex), Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), Grey kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus), Dickinson's kestrel (Falco dickinsoni), Banded kestrel (Falco zoniventris), Red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera), African red-necked falcon (Falco (chicquera) ruficollis), Red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus), Amur falcon (Falco amurensis), Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae), Sooty falcon (Falco concolor), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), Aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis), Merlin or "pigeon hawk" (Falco columbarius), Eurasian merlin (Falco (columbarius) aesalon ), Bat falcon (Falco rufigulari), Orange-breasted falcon (Falco deiroleucus), Eurasian hobby (Falco Subbuteo), African hobby (Falco cuvierii), Oriental hobby (Falco severus ), Australian hobby or little falcon (Falco longipennis), New Zealand falcon or kārearea (Falco novaeseelandiae), Brown falcon (Falco berigora), Grey falcon (Falco hypoleucos ), Black falcon (Falco subnige), Lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus), Laggar falcon (Falco jugger ), Saker falcon (Falco cherrug), Altai falcon(Falco cherrug altaicus), Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), Peale's falcon (Falco peregrinus pealei), Pallid falcon (Falco peregrinus cassini var. kreyenborgi), Barbary falcon (Falco (peregrinus) pelegrinoides), Taita falcon (Falco fasciinucha),

Common kestrel

American kestrel


Merlin or "pigeon hawk"

Gyrfalcon


Peregrine falcon



Pallid falcon

Barbary falcon

Miscellaneous

RichardTheBruce

Casino Royale, Ian Fleming, 1953.
Chapter 7 – Rouge et Noir
'I may be able to help,' said Leiter. 'I was a regular in our Marine Corps before I joined this racket, if that means anything to you.' He looked at Bond with a hint of self-deprecation.
'It does,' said Bond.
It turned out that Leiter was from Texas. While he talked on about his job with the Joint Intelligence Staff of NATO and the difficulty of maintaining security in an organization where so many nationalities were represented, Bond reflected that good Americans were fine people and that most of them seemed to come from Texas.
Felix Leiter was about thirty five. He was tall with a thin bony frame and his lightweight, tan coloured suit hung loosely from his shoulders like the clothes of Frank Sinatra. His movements and speech were slow, but one had the feeling that there was plenty of speed and strength in him and that he would be a tough and cruel fighter. As he sat hunched over the table, he seemed to have some of the jack knife quality of a falcon. There was this impression also in his face, in the sharpness of his chin and cheekbones and the wide wry mouth. His grey eyes had a feline slant which was increased by his habit of screwing them up against the smoke of the Chesterfields which he tapped out of the pack in a chain. The permanent wrinkles which this habit had etched at the corners gave the impression that he smiled more with his eyes than with his mouth. A mop of straw coloured hair lent his face a boyish look which closer examination contradicted. Although he seemed to talk quite openly about his duties in Paris, Bond soon noticed that he never spoke of his American colleagues in Europe or in Washington and he guessed that Leiter held the interests of his own organization far above the mutual concerns of the North Atlantic Allies. Bond sympathized with him.

RichardTheBruce

Goldfinger, Guy Hamilton, 1964.

1960 Ford Falcon Sedan
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_539650-Ford-Falcon-1960.html


1964 Ford Falcon Ranchero Pick-up
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_18897-Ford-Falcon-Ranchero-1964.html



1963 Ford Falcon Squire Wagon
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_488175-Ford-Falcon-Squire-1963.html

Diamonds Are Forever, Guy Hamilton, 1971.

1960 Ford Falcon Sedan
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_726969-Ford-Falcon-1960.html

1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero Pick-up
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_322885-Ford-Falcon-Ranchero-1960.html

Live and Let Die, Guy Hamilton, 1973.

1968 Ford Falcon Wagon Wagon
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_361876-Ford-Falcon-Wagon-1968.html

Diamonds Are Forever, Guy Hamilton, 1971.
Alan Falco ...driver (uncredited)

Nick Falco ...driver (uncredited)

RichardTheBruce

The World Is Not Enough, Michael Apted, 1999.

Gold sculpture of a Falcon on Zukovsky's desk., as reported on the excellent thread
Bond Film Statistics Page 6 - THE ANIMALS OF BOND Part I initiated by @Birdleson.
http://007bond.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/3/5/7635156/7469413_orig.jpg

Die Another Day, Lee Tamahori, 2002. (Damian Falco)
F: How can he escape from a British warship, right in the middle of Hong Kong harbor, right under your nose?
M: Interesting station, Moneypenny? All I got was a storm warning.
F: You were supposed to throw away the key, not leave the door wide open.
M: Are you implying I had a hand in his escape, Mr. Falco?
F: Well, Bond got away real fast, didn't he?
M: It is what he's trained to do.
F: Your boy's been very busy in his training. He showed up in Cuba and torches a clinic.
Listen, you put your house in order or we're gonna do it for you.

More to follow. Obviously.

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

That falcon statue is...

RichardTheBruce

I have it resting on top of my bookcase. The only one in the world, surely.
And for the audience, what's referenced here is Detective Sam Spade's tough case. (Corrected by @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7)
The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett, 1929.
Just as much: The Maltese Falcon, John Huston, 1941.


And I gotta get to that restaurant. I had a business trip to San Francisco cancelled in 2014.
Just a matter of time to get my chance, hopefully.

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

Birdleson wrote: »

I've seen the actual prop. It's at a restaurant in San Francisco. Actually, the original may have been lost or stolen and what I saw was a copy. The restaurant is actually mentioned in Dashiell Hammett's original story.

I like that reality matches the fictional plot of the film there.

RichardTheBruce wrote: »

I have it resting on top of my bookcase. The only one in the world, surely.
And for the audience, what's referenced here is Detective Philip Marlowe's tough case.
The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett, 1929.
Just as much: The Maltese Falcon, John Huston, 1941.


And I gotta get to that restaurant. I had a business trip to San Francisco cancelled in 2014.
Just a matter of time to get my chance, hopefully.

@RichardTheBruce, that'd be Sam Spade, not Marlowe. ;)

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

We also must note, a big influence on Fleming when he started his novels. You can see all the pulpy, detective influences and he injects that genre in well.

RichardTheBruce

Absolutely, moving fast, I'll correct my post. I actually loaned a bunch of noir movies to my brother and just got them back. I guess I need a refresher. Not least THE LONG GOODBYE mentioned on another trail.

Agent_99

While we're sleuthing, here's Roman detective Marcus Didius Falco. (Lindsey Davis named him after falx, the sickle, to follow the tradition of detectives called after implements, e.g. Spade, Hammer.)

CommanderRoss

Apparently, this bird and detective work go hand in hand..
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falco_(televisieserie)

'(can't post the link to the original French page as it has symbols this forum's software don't recognise)

RichardTheBruce

Yes, a good time to focus on The Falcon as 40s-era detective. An unexpectedly twisting and turning tale.

Stand by.

Thunderfinger

Another detective, Ric Hochet, is called Allan Falk in Norway.

Agent_99

Is it also a pun in Norwegian, @Thunderfinger?

Thunderfinger

No, falk=falcon. No pun, I guess the name just didn t resonate. I believe it is the same in Denmark.

There are several examples of French/Belgian comic strip heroes with altered names in Scandinavia.

RichardTheBruce

Introduced in Michael Arlen's short story "Gay Falcon", his character The Falcon was taken on by RKO Studios as a deliberate replacement for...The Saint. To the point that actor George Sanders (star of a series of Saint films) was hired on as The Falcon (for a series of Falcon films). Lacking much of any existing material, the films created their own stories (or bought them, see below) and made him more of a suave British character. Like The Saint. Maybe you can see the similarities between the 1940 and 1942 films.



Leslie Charteris himself took legal action against RKO based on extreme similarities for Saint and Falcon. And lashed out in print with The Saint Steps In (1943), calling out The Falcon as a cheap substitute for Templar. Fair enough.




Sanders starred in three, then his character's brother played by Tom Conway took over and became The Falcon. And other actors stepped in before the series ended with a total of 16 films. So The Falcon exists across different characters and actors--without any explanation for "The Falcon" as a name.

Of note are the first three films The Gay Falcon (1941), A Date With the Falcon (1942), and The Falcon Takes Over (1942). Interestingly and confusingly that third one is based on...Raymond Chandler's tale Farewell, My Lovely. As with the first Chandler story filmed (Time to Kill, 1942), the Philip Marlowe character is included out of the second Chandler story filmed. So familiar territory with Moose, Goldie, and Velma. But Philip Marlowe was dropped as inconsequential, and the filmmakers also didn't hesitate to capitalize on the name association with...the success of The Maltese Falcon (1941).


I'm more familiar with the Old Time Radio dramas dating from 1943 to 1954 (70 episodes, check the link below).
https://oldradioprograms.us/Falcon.htm

And there was a TV show 1954-1955 (39 episodes) starring Charles McGraw. Now on YouTube.

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

Thunderfinger wrote: »

No, falk=falcon. No pun, I guess the name just didn t resonate. I believe it is the same in Denmark.

There are several examples of French/Belgian comic strip heroes with altered names in Scandinavia.

I do like how, when said speedily, the name sounds like ricochet.

Thunderfinger

That was of course intentional.

Another iconic falcon:

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

Thunderfinger wrote: »

That was of course intentional.

Another iconic falcon:

I love the Starship Enterprise!

RichardTheBruce

Going with icons, I have more Ford Motors history on the Falcon.

The Ford Motor Company is a US-based car manufacturer that for many years also produced cars in other countries around the world, sometimes tailored to the international market. For the Ford Falcon that means in North America (1960-1970), Argentina (1962-1991), and Australia (1960-2016).


Specific to Australia, the Ford Falcon is popular with motorists, plus is commonly used as a taxi or police car.
1973 Ford Falcon GT Sedan XB



Then there's the even sportier 1973 Ford Falcon Coupé XB GT V8.

Now clearly the Coupé shares lines and inspiration with the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 model
used in Diamonds Are Forever.


Which leads to one of the most iconic cars in film history. The Black on Black.

RichardTheBruce

That's The Falcon Takes Over (1942), noted above, using Raymond Chandler's book Farewell, My Lovely.
But he really didn't take over, they're exaggerating. He's also no Saint.