Birding Bond

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• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  September 2018 Posts: 8,244

  Thank you for the amazing pictures @Agent99 ! You were at the shuttleworth collection! Evenbetter, except for the Miles I didn't know about any of the other ones. Never too old to learn.
  
  
• Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl

  September 2018 Posts: 3,176

  RichardTheBruce wrote: »

  And I want to add "Little Nellie" was named for Nellie Wallace, singer-songwriter, dancer and comedienne.
  
  So named for a bird, you could say.

  
  Ha! So you could!
  
  Glad you liked the pictures, @CommanderRoss! It's a fantastic collection. I was there for a talk on 'The Secret War and the Lysander', which was obviously relevant to my interests. Now I need to read Hugh Verity's We Landed by Moonlight.
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  September 2018 Posts: 8,244

  Ah, now I have another book to read..... as if I didn't have enough... ;-) Very cool reason to be there, indeed would love to visit, It's quite a unique collection. Love it!
• Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl

  October 2018 Posts: 3,176

  CommanderRoss wrote: »

  Ah, now I have another book to read..... as if I didn't have enough... ;-)

  
  Ah yes, I am familiar with that problem!
  
  I hope you come over to the UK some time so we can do an air museum or two together!
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  October 2018 Posts: 8,244

  Agent_99 wrote: »

  CommanderRoss wrote: »

  Ah, now I have another book to read..... as if I didn't have enough... ;-)

  
  Ah yes, I am familiar with that problem!
  
  I hope you come over to the UK some time so we can do an air museum or two together!

  
  That'd be a lot of fun! For now I'm afraid I first have to get my infant son addicted to aviation ;-)
• Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl

  October 2018 Posts: 3,176

  Worked for my dad ;)
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2018 Posts: 13,767

  [Note: Macaws already represented on Page 1.]
  
  
  

  Parrot / ˈpe·rət / noun
  1. a perching bird with a down-turned bill found mostly in the tropics, plus some temperate climes
  verb
  1. to repeat over and over, especially in mimicry
  
  French (perrot, as related to given name Pierre form of Peter; also perroquet as related to parakeet).
  
  Parrot (Psittaciformes): an upright, perching bird with a curved bill, strong legs and feet. A strong curved bill is used to break open nuts and fruit. Some species may eat small animals or carrion. May appear as brightly colored, some species less so. Smart, some having the ability to mimic human speech or other sounds from their environment. Trapping and selling of parrots simultaneously diminished some species in the wild, plus established flocks non-native flocks of released or escaped birds in other parts of the world. The oldest parrot fossils are found in Europe.
  
  Species (315 estimated):
  Alexandrine Parakeet aka Indian Ringneck Parrot, Amazonian Parrotlet, Andean Parakeet, Antipodes Parakeet, Austral Conure or Parakeet, Australian King Parrot, Australian Ringneck, Azure Rumped Parrotaka aka Mueller’s Parrot,

  Bald Parrot, Barred Parakeet, Black Lory, Black-backed Parrotlet, Black-billed Amazon, Black-capped Conure/Parakeetaka Rock, Black-capped Lory Chalcopsitta atra, Black-cheeked Lovebird, Black-collared Lovebird, Black-eared Parrotaka Black-wingged Parrot, Black-eared Parrotlet, Black-fronted Parakeet(extinct), Black-headed Parrot, Black-lored Parrot, Black-winged Lory, Black-winged Lovebird, Blaze-winged Conure/Parakeet, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Blue Lorikeet, Blue-and-yellow Macaw or Blue and Gold Macaw, Blue-backed Parrot, Blue-banded Grass Parakeet, Blue-bellied Parrot, Blue-cheeked Amazon, Blue-collared Parrot, Blue-crested Lory, Blue-crowned Green Parrot, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Blue-crowned Lorikeet/Lory, Blue-crowned Parakeet/Conureaka Sharp-billed Conure, Blue-crowned Parrot, Blue-crowned Racket-tail/Racquet-tail, Blue-eared Lory, Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Blue-fronted Amazon, Blue-fronted Lorikeet, Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Blue-headed Macaw, Blue-headed Parrot, Blue-headed Racket-tail/Racquet-tail, Blue-naped Parrot, Blue-necked Lory, Blue-rumped Parrot, Blue-streaked Lory, Blue-throated Macaw, Blue-throated Parakeet, Blue-winged Macaw, Blue-winged parakeet, Blue-winged Parrot, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Blue-winged Racket-tailaka Sulu Racquet-tail, Bluebonnet, Bourke’s Parrot/Parakeet, Brehm’s Tiger Parrot, Bronze-winged Parrot/Parakeetaka Bronze-winged Conure, Brown Lory, Brown-backed Parrotlet, Brown-eared Conure/Parakeet, Brown-hooded Parrot, Brown-necked Parrot, Brown-throated Parakeet, Budgerigar aka Australia American or English Parakeet/Budgie, Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, Burrowing Parrot, Buru Racquet-tail, Caatinga Parakeet, Caica Parrot, Caica Parrot, Canary-winged Parakeet, Cape Parrot, Cardinal Lory, Ceram Lory, Ceylon Hanging Parrot, Chatham Parakeet, Chattering Lory, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Cliff Parakeet, Cobalt-winged Parakeet, Cockatiel, Collared Lory, Congo African Grey, Cream-streaked Lory, Crimson Rosella, Crimson Shining Parrot, Crimson-bellied Parakeet, Crimson-fronted Parakeet, Cuban Amazon, Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Red Macaw, Derbyan Parakeet aka Lord Derby’s Parakeet, Diademed Amazon, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Duchess Lorikeet, Ducorp’s Cockatoo aka Soloman Island Cockatoo, Dufresne’s Amazon, Dusky Lory, Dusky ParrotPionus fuscus, Dusky-billed Parrotlet, Dusky-headed Parakeet, Duyvenbodie’s Lory, Eastern Ground Parrot, Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius, Echo ParakeetPsittacula eques, Eclectus Parrotaka Solomon Island Eclectus, Edwards’ Fig Parrot aka Scarlet Cheek Fig Parrot, El Oro Parakeet, Elegant Parrot, Emerald Parakeet, Fairy Lorikeet, Festive Amazon, Fiery-shouldered Parakeet, Finsch’s Pygmy Parrot, Fischer’s Lovebird, Flame-winged Parakeet, Galah, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Geelvink Pygmy Parrot, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Golden Parakeet, Golden-capped Conure, Golden-capped parakeet, Golden-collared Macaw, Golden-crowned Conure, Golden-mantled Racquet-tail, Golden-plumed Conure, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Golden-tailed Parrotlet, Golden-winged Parakeet, Goldie’s Lorikeet, Gran Sabana Conure, Great Green Macaw, Great-billed Parrot, Greater Streaked Lory, Greater Vasa Parrot, Green Conure, Green Parakeet, Green Racket-tail/Racquet-tail, Green Rosella, Green-cheeked Conure, Green-cheeked Parakeet, Green-fronted Hanging Parrot, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Green-winged Macaw, Grey-cheeked Parakeet, Grey-headed Lovebird, Grey-headed Parakeet, Grey-hooded Parakeet, Guaiabero, Half-masked Lory, Half-moon Conure, Hengehenga, Hispaniolan Amazon, Hispaniolan Conure, Hispaniolan Parakeet, Hoffmann’s Conure, Hooded Parrot, Horned Parakeet, Hyacinth Macaw, Imperial Amazon, Indigo Lory, Indigo-winged Parrot, Iris Lorikeet, Jamaican Conure, Jandaya Parakeet, Jaraquiel Conure, Jardine’s Parrot, Jenday Conure, Jonquil parrot, Josephine’s Lorikeet, Kākāaka New Zealand Kākā, Kakapoaka Owl Parrot Strigops, Kākārikiaka Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Kawall’s Amazon, Kea Parrot, Krieg’s Conure/Parakeet, Large Fig Parrot, Layard’s Parakeet, Layard’s Parakeet, Lear’s Macaw, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Lilac-collared Geoffroy’s Parrot, Lilac-collared Song Parrot, Lilac-crowned Amazon, Lilac-crowned Amazon, Lilac-tailed Parrotlet, Lilian’s Lovebird, Little Corella, Little Lorikeet, Long-billed Black Cockatoo, Long-billed Corella, Long-tailed Parakeet, Lord Derby’s parakeet, Louisiana Conure, Luzon Parrot, Luzon Racquet-tail, Macquarie Parakeet, Madarasz’s Tiger Parrot, Magdalena Conure, Major Mitchell’s Cockatooaka Leadbeater’s Cockatoo, Malabar Parakeet, Malherbe’s Parakeet, Malherbe’s Parakeet, Mallee Ringneck, Maroon Shining Parrot, Maroon-bellied Conure, Maroon-bellied Conure/Parakeet, Maroon-fronted Parrot, Maroon-tailed Conure, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Masked Shining parrot, Mauritius Grey Parrot, Mauritius Parakeet, Mealy Amazon, Mealy Amazon, Meek’s Lorikeet, Mexican Parrotlet, Meyer’s Parrot, Military Macaw, Mindanao Lorikeet, Mindanao Racquet-tail, Mitred Conure, Mitred Parakeet, Modest Tiger Parrot, Moluccan Hanging Parrot, Moluccan King Parrotaka King Parrot, Monk Parakeetaka Quaker Parrot, Montane Racket-tail, Mountain Parakeet, Mueller’s Parrot, Mulga Parrot, Musk Lorikeet, Nanday Conure, Nanday Parakeet, New Caledonian Lorikeet, Newton’s Parakeet, Niam-niam Parrot, Nicobar Parakeet, Nicobar parakeet, Night Parrot, Norfolk Parakeet, Northern Rosella, Olive-headed Lorikeet, Olive-shouldered Parrot, Olive-throated Conure, Olive-throated Parakeet, Orange-bellied Parrot, Orange-billed Lorikeet, Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Orange-fronted Conure, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Orange-winged Amazon, Ornate Lorikeet, Ouvea Parakeetaka Malherbe’s Parakeet, Pacific Black-tailed Conure, Pacific Parakeet, Pacific Parrotlet, Painted Conure, Painted Parakeet, Painted Tiger Parrot, Pale-headed Rosella, Palm Cockatoo, Palm Lorikeet, Pantchenko’s Conure, Papuan Hanging Parrot, Papuan King Parrot, Papuan Lorikeet, Paradise Parrot, Patagonian Conure, Peach-faced Lovebird, Peach-fronted Conure, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Pearly Conure, Pearly Parakeet, Peruvian Black-winged Parrot, Pesquet’s Parrot, Peter’s Conure, Petz Conure, Philippine Green Parrot, Philippine Hanging Parrot, Pileated Parrot, Plain Parakeet, Plum-faced Lorikeet, Plum-headed Parakeet, Pohnpei Lorikeet, Port Lincoln Parrot, Potoo Nyctibius, Prince Lucien’s Conure, Princess Parrot, Puerto Rican Amazon, Purple-bellied Lory, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Purple-naped Lory, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Lorikeet, Pyrilia, Quaker Parrot, Queen of Bavaria Conure, Rainbow Lorikeet, Raja Lory Black Lory, Red Lory, Red Shining Parrot, Red-and-blue Lory, Red-and-green Macaw, Red-bellied Macaw, Red-bellied Parrot, Red-breasted Parakeet, Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, Red-browed Amazon, Red-capped Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Red-chinned Lorikeet, Red-crowned Amazon, Red-crowned Parakeet aka Red-front Parakeet, Red-eared Conure, Red-eared Parakeet, Red-faced Parrot, Red-fan Parrot, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Red-fronted Conure, Red-fronted Lorikeet, Red-fronted Lory, Red-fronted Macaw, Red-fronted Parrot, Red-fronted Parrotlet, Red-headed Lovebird, Red-lored Amazon, Red-masked Conure, Red-masked Parakeet, Red-necked Amazon, Red-quilled Lory, Red-rumped Conure, Red-rumped Parrot, Red-shouldered Macaw, Red-speckled Conure, Red-spectacled Amazon, Red-tailed Amazon, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Red-tailed Parrot, Red-throated Conure, Red-throated Lorikeet, Red-throated Parakeet, Red-vented Cockatoo, Red-winged Parrot, Reddish-bellied Conure/Parakeet, Regent Parrot, Reischek’s Parakeet, Rennell Parrot, Rimatara Lorikeet, Rock Conure, Rock Parrot, Rodrigues Parrot, Rose-crowned Conure, Rose-faced Parrot, Rose-faced Parrot, Rose-headed Conure, Rose-headed Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Rufous-fronted Parakeet, Rüppell’s Parrot, Rusty-faced Parrot, Saffron-headed Parrot, Saint Croix Macaw, Saint Lucia Amazon, Saint Vincent Amazon, Salmon-crested Cockatoo aka Molucan Cockatoo, Salvadori’s Fig Parrot, Samoan Lory, Sandia Conure, Sandia Conure, Sangihe Hanging Parrot, Santa Cruz Conure, Santa Marta Conure, Santa Marta Parakeet, Santarem Conure, Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet, Scaly-breasted Conure/Parakeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Scaly-naped Amazon, Scarlet MacawAra macao, Scarlet-chested Parrot, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, Segavao, Senegal Parrot, Seram Lory, Sharp-tailed Conure, Short-billed Black Cockatoo, Short-tailed Parrot, Simeulue parrot, Simple Parrot, Singing Parrot, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Slender-billed Conure, Slender-billed Parakeet, Society Parakeet, Socorro Conure, Socorro Parakeet, Solomon Lory, Song Parrot, Sordid Conure, Souance’s Conure, Speckle-faced Parrot, Spectacled Parrotlet, Spix’s Macaw, Spot-winged Parrotlet, St. Lucia Amazon, St. Thomas Conure, St. Vincent Amazon, Stephen’s Lorikeet, Striated Lorikeet, Sula Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, Sulu Racquet-tail, Sun Conure, Sun Conure, Superb Parrot, Swift Parrot, Swift Parrot, Tahitian Lory or Tahiti Lorikeet, Tanimbar Cockatoo, Tepui Parrotlet, Thick-billed Parrot, Timneh African Grey Parrot, Tres Marías Amazon, Tucuman Parrot, Tui Parakeet, Turquoise Parrot, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Ultramarine Lorikeet, Varied Lorikeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Vinaceous Amazon, Vinaceous-breasted Amazon, Violet-necked Lory, Vulturine Parrot, Wagler’s Conure, Wallace’s Hanging Parrot, Weddell’s Conure, Western Corella, Western Ground Parrot, Western rosella, White Cockatoo, White-bellied Parrot, White-breasted Parakeet, White-capped parrot, White-crowned parrot, White-eared Conure, White-eared Parakeet, White-eyed Conure, White-eyed Parakeet, White-fronted Amazon, White-naped Lory, White-necked Conure, White-necked Parakeet, Wied’s Parrotlet, Yellow Rosella, Yellow-and-green Lorikeet, Yellow-bibbed Lory, Yellow-billed Amazon, Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Yellow-breasted Pygmy Parrot, Yellow-breasted Racket-tail, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Yellow-collared Lovebird, Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Yellow-eared Conure, Yellow-eared Parrot, Yellow-faced Parrot, Yellow-faced Parrotlet, Yellow-fronted Parakeet, Yellow-fronted Parrot, Yellow-headed Amazon, Yellow-lored Amazon, Yellow-naped Amazon, Yellow-shouldered Amazon, Yellow-sided Conure, Yellow-streaked Lory, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Yellow-throated Hanging Parrot, Yellowish-breasted Racquet-tail, Yucatán Amazon.

  
  
  Blue and Gold Macaw or Blue and Yellow Macaw [also featured on Page 1]
  
  Cockatiel
  
  Goldie’s Lorikeet
  
  Jamaican Conure
  
  Modest Tiger Parrot
  
  Spectacled Parrotlet
  
  White Cockatoo or Umbrella Cockatoo
  

  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2018 Posts: 13,767

  

  Bird of the West Indies, James Bond, 1936. (1961)
  
  PARROTS, PARAKEETS & MACAWS: Psitaccide
  
  PARROTS AND PARAKEETS are widely distributed, particularly in tropical
  countries. However, only two genera are at present native to the West
  Indies, one comprising parrots of the genus Amazona, the other parakeets
  of the genus Aratinga. Formerly there were macaws in this region and
  additional species of parrots. Of these, specimens are extant of only the
  Cuban Macaw (Ara tricolor), which apparently became extinct during
  the late 19th Century.
  
  Members of this family feed chiefly on fruit, and on some of the commoner
  species cause considerable damage to plantations of banana, guava, etc.
  They are usually found in pairs or flocks, particularly early in the morning
  or late in the afternoon. In flight the shallow, rapid wing-beats are characteristic.
  
  Voice: Parrots squawk (wassk-waak), parakeets screech (creek-creek), parrotlets chatter softly.
  Nidification: In cavities of trees or palms. the Olive-throated and Caribbean Parakeets and the Guiana Parrotlet often excavate holes for this purpose in termite nests. Eggs of parrots (2-4), parakeets (2-6) and parrotlets (2) are white.

  CUBAN PARROT Amazona leucocephala
  
  Local names: Parrot; Cotorra; Loro; Cotica; Perico.
  Description: 11-13" . Mostly green, with red throat, foreneck and cheeks;
  anterior part of white head; primaries largely blue; abdomen more or
  less maroon.
  Habitat: Found in remote woodlands in Cuba, both in mountains
  and in low country; elsewhere in dense scrubby woods near sea
  level.
  Range: Bahama Islands (now confined to Abaco, Acklin [no recent
  report] and Great Inagua), Cuba, Isle of Pines and the Cayman Islands.

  
  
  
  

  Thrilling Cities, Ian Fleming, 1963.
  Chapter 4 - Honolulu
  
  ...

  Wake Island, which is an important aircraft staging-point, is notable
  for having absolutely no air-conditioning. I had always assumed that
  the first civilizing benefits Americans brought to newly acquired
  overseas territories were Coca-Cola, corned beef hash, and canned air,
  in that order. It was about ninety-five degrees in the mosquito-netted
  Quonsett huts that are the only buildings on Wake, and we spent an
  exhausting day nodding enthusiastically as successive ground and crew
  personnel came up and assured us how lucky we had been, Bud.

  Wake is one of the homes of the Pacific albatross, now so much disturbed, I
  believe, by the aircraft that they are in danger of extermination, but
  it was too hot to go and visit their haunts in the mangroves at the
  other end of the island. Instead, I slept gratefully in the spare crew
  quarters and gossiped with a man with a spotted dog who was in charge
  of quarantined animals--mostly monkeys and parrots en route for the
  States after being collected in the East by tourists. He told me that,
  though he liked life on Wake, there was nothing to do there but
  skin-dive and teach parrots in transit dirty words to shock their
  American owners.
  

  At eight o'clock that night, the relief aircraft from Tokyo arrived
  with a director of Japan Air Lines who was extremely nice and polite
  and thanked us all 'for our co-operation', though how we were to have
  done anything but sit tight and co-operate was not made clear. More
  unguents and scented fans, fresh Happi Coats and then we were out of
  the second Friday the 13th and drowsily bound for Honolulu.

  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2018 Posts: 13,767

  

  For Your Eyes Only, Ian Fleming, 1960.
  "The Hildebrand Rarity"
  
  ...
  Mr Krest slowly shook his head. He said sorrowfully: "Feller, you sure were born yesterday. Money, that's all it takes. You want a panda? You buy it from some goddam zoo that can't afford central heating for its reptile house or wants to build a new block for its tigers or something. The sea-shell? You find a man that's got one and you offer him so much goddam money that even if he cries for a week he sells it to you. Sometimes you have a little trouble with Governments. Some goddam animal is protected or something. All right. Give you an example. I arrive at your island yesterday. I want a black parrot from Praslin Island.

  I want a giant tortoise from Aldabra. I want the complete range of your local cowries and I want this fish we're after. The first two are protected by law. Last evening I pay a call on your Governor after making certain inquiries in the town. Excellency, I says, I understand you want to build a public swimming-pool to teach the local kids to swim. Okay. The Krest Foundation will put up money. How much? Five thousand, ten thousand? Okay, so it's ten thousand. Here's my cheque. And I write it out there and then. Just one little thing, Excellency, I says, holding on to the cheque. It happens I want a specimen of this black parrot you have here and one of these Aldabra tortoises. I understand they're protected by law. Mind if I take one of each back to America for the Smithsonian? Well, there s a bit of a palaver, but seeing it's the Smithsonian and seeing I've still got hold of the cheque, in the end we shake hands on the deal and everyone's happy. Right? Well, on the way back I stop in the town to arrange with your nice Mr Abendana, the merchant feller, to have the parrot and tortoise collected and held for me, and I get talking about the cowries. Well, it so happens that this Mr Abendana has been collecting the dam' things since he was a child. He shows them to me. Beautifully kept — each one in its bit of cotton wool. Fine condition and several of those Isabella and Mappa ones I was asked particularly to watch out for. Sorry, he couldn't think of selling. They meant so much to him and so on. Crap! I just look at Mr Abendana and I say, how much? No no. He couldn't think of it. Crap again! I take out my chequebook and write a cheque for five thousand dollars and push it under his nose. He looks at it. Five thousand dollars! He can't stand it. He folds the cheque and puts it in his pocket and then the dam' sissy breaks down and weeps! Would you believe it?" Mr Krest opened his palms in disbelief. "Over a few goddam sea-shells. So I just tell him to take it easy, and I pick up the trays of sea-shells and get the hell out of there before the crazy so-and-so shoots himself from remorse."

  

  That evening, with the Wavekrest heading for home down the path of a huge yellow moon, Mr Krest gave orders for what he called a 'wingding'. "Gotta celebrate, Liz. This is terrific, a terrific day. Cleaned up the last target and we can get the hell out of these goddam Seychelles and get on back to civilization. What say we make it to Mombasa when we've taken on board the tortoise and that goddam parrot? Fly to Nairobi and pick up a big plane for Rome, Venice, Paris — anywheres you care for. What say, treasure?" He squeezed her chin and cheeks in his big hand and made the pale lips pout. He kissed them drily. Bond watched the girl's eyes. They had shut tight. Mr Krest let go. The girl massaged her face. It was still white with his finger-marks.

  
  
  
  

  Goldfinger, Ian Fleming, 1959.
  Chapter Eighteen - Crime de la Crime
  

  ...
  Goldfinger smiled thinly. 'If I may correct you without weakening your case, Mr Ring, the following is the order of battle of the military units presently quartered at Fort Knox. Of the Third Armoured Division, there is only the Spearhead, but there are also the 6th Armoured Cavalry Regiment, the 15th Armour Group, the 160th Engineer Group and approximately half a division from all units of the United States Army currently going through the Armoured Replacement Training Centre and Military Human Research Unit No 1. There is also a considerable body of men associated with Continental Armoured Command Board No 2, the Army Maintenance Board and various activities connected with the Armoured Centre. In addition there is a police force consisting of twenty officers and some four hundred enlisted men. In short, out of a total population of some sixty thousand, approximately twenty thousand are combat troops of one sort or another.'

  
  'And who's going to say boo to them?' jeered Mr Jack Strap through his cigar. Without waiting for an answer he disgustedly tore the tattered stump out of his mouth and mashed it to fragments in the ash-tray.
  
  Next to him Miss Pussy Galore sucked her teeth sharply with the incisiveness of a parrot spitting. She said, 'Go buy yourself some better smokes, Jacko. That thing smells like burning wrestlers' trunks.'
  

  'Shove it, Puss,' said Mr Strap inelegantly.
  
  Miss Galore was determined to have the last word. She said sweetly, 'Know what, Jacko? I could go for a he-man like you. Matter of fact I wrote a song about you the other day. Care to hear its title? It's called "If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it all over you".'

  
  
  
  

  From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming, 1957.
  Chapter Seven - The Wizard of Ice
  
  ...

  The two faces of the double clock in the shiny, domed case looked out across the chess-board like the eyes of some huge sea monster that had peered over the edge of the table to watch the game.
  
  The two faces of the chess clock showed different times. Kronsteen's showed twenty minutes to one. The long red pendulum that ticked off the seconds was moving in its staccato sweep across the bottom half of his clock's face, while the enemy clock was silent and its pendulum motionless down the face. But Makharov's clock said five minutes to one. He had wasted time in the middle of the game and he now had only five minutes to go. He was in bad `time-trouble' and unless Kronsteen made some lunatic mistake, which was unthinkable, he was beaten.

  
  Kronsteen sat motionless and erect, as malevolently inscrutable as a parrot. His elbows were on the table and his big head rested on clenched fists that pressed into his cheeks, squashing the pursed lips into a pout of hauteur and disdain. Under the wide, bulging brow the rather slanting black eyes looked down with deadly calm on his winning board. But, behind the mask, the blood was throbbing in the dynamo of his brain, and a thick worm-like vein in his right temple pulsed at a beat of over ninety. He had sweated away a pound of weight in the last two hours and ten minutes, and the spectre of a false move still had one hand at his throat. But to Makharov, and to the spectators, he was still `The Wizard of Ice' whose game had been compared to a man eating fish. First he stripped off the skin, then he picked out the bones, then he ate the fish. Kronsteen had been Champion of Moscow two years running, was now in the final for the third time and, if he won this game, would be a contender for Grand Mastership.

  

  
  
  
  

  Casino Royale, Val Guest, Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish, Richard Talmadge, 1967.
  
  "We are even training animals as espionage agents.
  We have in the Kremlin a Russian-speaking parrot
  in constant radio communication with the Pentagon."

  
  
  
  
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  October 2018 Posts: 8,244

  You keep on amazing me with all those birds in those books!
  
  So, the CSA Parrot can show it's feathers too:
  
  
  
  And the famous (ehem) Marc Parrot, aso f yet only a prototype is flying:
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2018 edited October 2018 Posts: 13,767

  I'm missing (if that's the right word) James Bond Jr's Captain Walker D. Plank.
  
  Stereotypical pirate with hook, eye patch, peg leg and parrot--with eye patch, peg leg--working for S.C.U.M. (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem).
  
  

  James Bond Jr., Murakami-Wolf-Swenson and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, 1991-1992.
  
  Captain Walker D. Plank appears with parrot in episodes:
  Plunder Down Under
  Nothing to Play With
  Never Give a Villain a Fair Shake
  No Such Loch
  Ship of Terror
  Queen's Ransom
  S.C.U.M. on the Water
  Ol' Man River
  Danger Train
  Thor's Thunder
  Wave Goodbye to the U.S.A.
  Homeward Bound
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  October 2018 Posts: 8,244

  Adding young Bond is pushing it @RichardTheBruce , even with the far fetched links we've established before...
• Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl

  October 2018 Posts: 3,176

  Off topic, but in my part of the world we have a population of naturalised parakeets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_parakeets_in_Great_Britain
  
  I rather like them - tropical birds in London make me feel as if I'm living in a J.G. Ballard novel.
• j_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'

  October 2018 Posts: 9,019

  Just as off-topic, but there is also a population of a few thousand rose-ringed parakeets in Cologne and other places mostly along the Rhine river, and people are starting to, uhm, "love" them as much as feral pigeons, it seems.
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  October 2018 Posts: 8,244

  I think they're taking over Europe, my city also has a few flocks of them. They're cute for sure, but smetimes make a hell of a lot of noise.
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2018 Posts: 13,767

  
  Yes the Rose-ringed parakeets are quick to take hold and establish themselves, they thrive at the edge of cities. I've witnessed them in places like Aqaba Jordan, and most recently the Embarcadero area in San Francisco.
  
  Most noticeable noisily gathering in treetops right before sunset. Groups of parrots and parakeets are properly known as a pandemonium for a reason.
  
  

  

  
  
  

  CommanderRoss wrote: »

  Adding young Bond is pushing it @RichardTheBruce , even with the far fetched links we've established before...

  Oh, that would not do to limit the field, @CommanderRoss. It's best to canvas an area completely, you never know what you might find.
  
  And parrots with peg legs and eyepatches generally cannot go without mention.
  
  
  
  
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  October 2018 Posts: 8,244

  hmmm, I have to concede about the last part, but Young Bond is such an abhorrend idea I do have trouble accepting that one. Oh well ,it's your thread.... ;-)
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2018 edited October 2018 Posts: 13,767

  Including it as Bond history generated some nice comments.
  And who knows where those slivers of inspiration went.
  

  

  
  

  Those who do not remember OO7's past are doomed to repeat it.
  --Anonymous
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  October 2018 Posts: 8,244

  How did you know you can buy me with pistacho's?
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2018 Posts: 13,767

  

  Jay / ˈjā / noun
  1. an Old World passerine bird known for noisy behavior
  2. a New World passerine bird known for noisy behavior
  3. a disrespectful chatterbox
  4. a greenhorn
  5. a moderate blue color
  6. the tenth letter of the English alphabet
  
  Old French (jay). Latin (gaius, gaia, gaius).
  
  Jay (Corvidae): medium-sized passerine bird, crow family. Noisy and disruptive birds, usually calling from a perch. The names jay and magpie became mixed over time, sometimes misapplied. May store nuts and seeds as winter stocks. In some species, one cycle of offspring raise the next.
  

  Old World Jays: Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), Lanceolated jay (Garrulus lanceolatus), Lidth's jay (Garrulus lidthi), Henderson's Ground Jay (Podoces hendersoni), Biddulph's ground jay (Podoces biddulphi), Pleske's ground jay (Podoces pleskei), Grey ground jay (Podoces panderi), Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer).
  Grey Jays: Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus), Sichuan jay (Perisoreus internigrans), Gray jay or Canada jay or Whiskeyjack (Perisoreus canadensis).
  American Jays: Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), Island scrub jay (Aphelocoma insularis), California scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica), Woodhouse's scrub jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii), Transvolcanic jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina), Mexican jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi), Unicolored jay (Aphelocoma unicolor), Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Black-throated magpie-jay (Calocitta colliei), White-throated magpie-jay (Calocitta formosa), Tufted jay (Cyanocorax dickeyi), Black-chested jay (Cyanocorax affinis), Green jay (Cyanocorax ynca), Brown jay (Cyanocorax morio), Bushy-crested jay (Cyanocorax melanocyaneus), San Blas jay (Cyanocorax sanblasianus), Yucatan jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus), Purplish-backed jay (Cyanocorax beecheii), Purplish jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas), Azure jay (Cyanocorax caeruleus), Violaceous jay (Cyanocorax violaceus), Curl-crested jay (Cyanocorax cristatellus), Azure-naped jay (Cyanocorax heilprini), Cayenne jay (Cyanocorax cayanus), Plush-crested jay (Cyanocorax chrysops), White-naped jay (Cyanocorax cyanopogon), White-tailed jay (Cyanocorax mystacalis), Black-collared jay (Cyanolyca armillata), Turquoise jay (Cyanolyca turcosa), White-collared jay (Cyanolyca viridicyana), Azure-hooded jay (Cyanolyca cucullata), Beautiful jay (Cyanolyca pulchra), Black-throated jay (Cyanolyca pumilo), Dwarf jay (Cyanolyca nana), Silvery-throated jay (Cyanolyca argentigula), White-throated jay (Cyanolyca mirabilis).

  Eurasian Jay
  
  Henderson's Ground Jay (Mongolian Ground Jay)
  
  Woodhouse's Scrub Jay
  
  Steller's Jay
  
  
  Beautiful Jay
  
  Dwarf Jay
  
  
  More Jays
  https://www.audubon.org/news/seven-nifty-jays-arent-blue-jays

  
  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2018 Posts: 13,767

  

  Moonraker, Ian Fleming, 1955.
  Chapter XV - Rough Justice
  ...

  Krebs had his back to him. He was kneeling forward in the middle of the floor with his elbows on the ground. His hands were at the wheels of the combination lock of Bond's leather case. His whole attention was focused on the click of the tumblers in the lock.
  
  The target was tempting and Bond didn't hesitate. His teeth showed in a hard smile, he took two quick paces into the room and his foot lashed out.
  
  All his force was behind the point of his shoe and his balance and timing were perfect.

  The scream of a jay was driven out of Krebs as, like the caricature of a leaping frog, he hurtled over Bond's case, across a yard or so of carpet, and into the front of the mahogany dressing-table. His head hit the middle of it so hard that the heavy piece of furniture rocked on its base. The scream was abruptly cut off and he crashed in an inert spreadeagle on the floor and lay still.

  
  
  
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  November 2018 Posts: 8,244

  Stunningly beautiful bird, with as far as i know no aviation-namesake. In Dutch 'Vlaamse Gaai'. (flemmish Jay).
• Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl

  November 2018 Posts: 3,176

  I love jays - that little flash of blue from the wing when they take off. Quite a few round my way, even though it's urban.
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2018 Posts: 13,767

  Blue Jays are common in the States plus parts of Canada and are frequently used in advertising, includes transportation. Still, pretty spare mentions in aviation.
  
  So I found this (notional) example.
  

  Bluejay Cargo Plane, M2 Bomber, and M3 Gunship.
  

  BE Bluejay Gunship and Bomber
  https://www.deviantart.com/lord-malachi/art/BE-Bluejay-Gunship-and-Bomber-278475458
  by Lord-Malachi
  The Bluejay was originally designed as a large capacity cargo and troop hauler for the war, able to carry several armored vehicals at once or around 100 troops.
  
  It's quad engine design gave it a max speed of close to 300mph unloaded, 200ish at max capacity.
  
  The twin boom design was chosen for added stability while keeping a low horizontal profile, thus making it harder to hit from the side.
  
  Very quickly the design was adapted to be a heavy bomber, so bomb bays were added to the floor of the cargo bay, and a pair of 20mm autocannon turrets were added to the roof for defense.
  
  Then the same crazy private that began the Wren's ascension into gunships saw the Bluejay and asked the same question, "Why aren't there big guns on that?"
  
  So the Bluejay M3 Gunship was created, keeping the defense turrets of the M2 Bomber, and adding a 40mm howitzer in the nose, a 30mm bofors cannon, 2 20mm MGs, and a 100mm light tank cannon on the Left side of the plane.

  
  More real, there was the Blue Jay missile (later Firestreak), shown here with a De Havilland Sea Venom FAW 21. (Vincenzo Auletta, artist.)
  
  
  Plus you never know what might show up as nose art.
  
  https://www.dvidshub.net/news/107980/graduated-seward-high-school-student-unveils-graphic-design-nose-art-kc-135
  
  
• j_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'

  November 2018 Posts: 9,019

  There also seems to be no aircraft or ship named Eichelhäher ("acorn jay"), the German name of the Eurasian jay.
• CommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea

  November 2018 Posts: 8,244

  somehow i see that as a filure on aviation's side.
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2018 edited December 2018 Posts: 13,767

  A few more Jays.
  
  

  The James Bond Films: A Behind the Scenes History, Steven Jay Ruben, 1981 (1984).
  The Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia, Steven Jay Rubin, 1990 (thru 2003).
  
  Steven Jay Rubin - published expert on James Bond.
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  Diamonds Are Forever, Guy Hamilton, 1971.
  
  Jay Sarno - Sideshow Barker.
  
  

  

  
  
  

  The Man With the Golden Gun, Guy Hamilton, 1974.
  
  Jay Sidow - Maybelle Pepper.
  
  

  

  
  

  Octopussy, John Glen, 1983.
  
  Vijay Amritraj - Vijay.
  
  

  

  
  

  Tomorrow Never Dies, Roger Spottiswoode, 1997.
  
  Ricky Jay - Henry Gupta.
  
  

  
  

  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  December 2018 edited March 2019 Posts: 13,767

  

  Starling / stär′·lĭng / noun
  1. small to medium size bird with dark and sometimes iridescent coloring
  2. pilings protecting the base of a bridge
  
  Starling (Sturnidae): native to Europe, Asia, Africa, northern Australia some Pacific islands. Invasive species to North America, Hawaii, New Zealand. Larger Asian species called Myna. Common starling and Common myna are most common.
  
  Omnivores, dining on insects, fruit, grubs. May mimic sounds from their environment. Not so dimorphic--most males and females have a similar appearance. Very social. A group is known as a murmation. Starlings may gather in thousands.

  
  
  
  
  

  
  Species:
  Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis), Metallic starling (Aplonis metallica), Yellow-eyed starling (Aplonis mystacea), Singing starling (Aplonis cantoroides), Tanimbar starling (Aplonis crassa), Atoll starling (Aplonis feadensis), Rennell starling (Aplonis insularis), Long-tailed starling (Aplonis magna), White-eyed starling (Aplonis brunneicapillus), Brown-winged starling (Aplonis grandis), Makira starling (Aplonis dichroa), Rusty-winged starling (Aplonis zelandica), Striated starling (Aplonis striata), Mountain starling (Aplonis santovestris), Asian glossy starling (Aplonis panayensis), Moluccan starling (Aplonis mysolensis), Short-tailed starling (Aplonis minor), Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca),

  Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis), Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca), Rarotonga starling (Aplonis cinerascens), Coleto (Sarcops calvus), Stripe-headed rhabdornis or Stripe-headed rhabdornis or Stripe-sided rhabdornis (Rhabdornis mystacalis), Grand rhabdornis or Long-billed rhabdornis or Grand rhabdornis (Rhabdornis grandis), Stripe-breasted rhabdornis or plain-headed creeper or stripe-breasted rhabdornis (Rhabdornis inornatus), Fiery-browed starling or Fiery-browed myna (Enodes erythrophris), Grosbeak starling Grosbeak myna or Finch-billed myna or Scissor-billed starling (Scissirostrum dubium), Golden-crested myna (Ampeliceps coronatus), Sri Lanka hill myna (Gracula ptilogenys), Common hill myna (Gracula religiosa), Southern hill myna (Gracula indica), Nias hill myna (Gracula robusta), Enggano hill myna (Gracula enganensis), Bali myna or Rothschild's mynah or Bali starling or Bali mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi), Great myna (Acridotheres grandis), Crested myna (Acridotheres cristatellus), Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus), Pale-bellied myna (Acridotheres cinereus), Jungle myna (Acridotheres fuscus), Collared myna (Acridotheres albocinctus), Bank myna (Acridotheres ginginianus), Common myna (Acridotheres tristis), Black-winged starling (Acridotheres melanopterus), Vinous-breasted starling (Acridotheres burmannicus), Red-billed starling (Sturnus sericeus), White-cheeked starling (Sturnus cineraceus), Red-billed starling (Spodiopsar sericeus), White-cheeked starling (Spodiopsar cineraceus), Purple-headed starling (Hylopsar purpureiceps), Copper-tailed starling (Hylopsar cupreocauda), Daurian starling (Agropsar sturninus), Chestnut-cheeked starling (Agropsar philippensis), White-shouldered starling (Sturnia sinensis), Chestnut-tailed starling (Sturnia malabarica), White-headed starling (Sturnia erythropygia), Malabar starling (Sturnia blythii), Brahminy starling (Sturnia pagodarum), Common starling or European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor), Rosy starling (Pastor roseus), Black-collared starling (Gracupica nigricollis), Pied myna (Gracupica contra), White-faced starling (Sturnornis albofrontatus), Wattled starling (Creatophora cinerea), Black-bellied starling (Notopholia corusca), Cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens), Greater blue-eared starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), Lesser blue-eared starling (Lamprotornis chloropterus), Miombo blue-eared starling (Lamprotornis elisabeth), Bronze-tailed starling (Lamprotornis chalcurus), Splendid starling (Lamprotornis splendidus), Principe starling (Lamprotornis ornatus), Emerald starling (Lamprotornis iris), Purple starling (Lamprotornis purpureus), Rüppell's starling (Lamprotornis purpuroptera), Long-tailed glossy starling (Lamprotornis caudatus), Golden-breasted starling (Lamprotornis regius), Meves's starling (Lamprotornis mevesii), Burchell's starling (Lamprotornis australis), Sharp-tailed starling (Lamprotornis acuticaudus), Superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus), Hildebrandt's starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti), Shelley's starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), Chestnut-bellied starling (Lamprotornis pulcher), Ashy starling (Lamprotornis unicolor), White-crowned starling (Lamprotornis albicapillus), Fischer's starling (Lamprotornis fischeri), Pied starling (Lamprotornis bicolor), Violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), Kenrick's starling (Poeoptera kenricki), Narrow-tailed starling (Poeoptera lugubris), Stuhlmann's starling (Poeoptera stuhlmanni), Abbott's starling (Poeoptera femoralis), Sharpe's starling (Poeoptera sharpii), Spot-winged starling (Saroglossa spilopterus), Madagascar starling (Hartlaubius auratus), Red-winged starling (Onychognathus morio), Slender-billed starling (Onychognathus tenuirostris), Chestnut-winged starling (Onychognathus fulgidus), Waller's starling (Onychognathus walleri), Somali starling (Onychognathus blythii), Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater), Tristram's starling (Onychognathus tristramii), Pale-winged starling (Onychognathus nabouroup), Bristle-crowned starling (Onychognathus salvadorii), White-billed starling (Onychognathus albirostris), Neumann's starling (Onychognathus neumanni), White-collared starling (Grafisia torquata), Magpie starling (Speculipastor bicolor), Babbling starling (Neocichla gutturalis).

  
  Common starling or European starling
  
  Common myna
  
  Fischer's starling
  
  Hildebrandt's starling
  
  Madagascar starling
  
  Metallic starling (Aplonis metallica )
  

  

  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  December 2018 Posts: 13,767

  

  Birds of the West Indies, James Bond, 1964. (1936)
  

  STARLINGS: Sturnidae
  
  A FAMILAR Old World Family. Two species have been introduced into
  North America. One of these, the Common Starling, is now widespread
  on that continent, and has become well established in Jamaica since its
  introduction (1903-4) near Annotto Bay.
  

  COMMON STARLING Sturnus vulgaris
  Description: 8.5". Adult black with green and purple gloss, and with
  more or less profuse pale spotting; appears black at a distance, has
  a pointed bill, pointed wings and short tail; bill yellow in breeding
  season. Young are greyish brown. Gregarious, and largely terrestrial
  in habits.
  Voice: Song a rambling series of chirruping, gurgling and clicking
  notes, interspersed with occasional whistles. Often mimics other
  birds.
  Nidification: Nests in cavities in trees or buildings. Eggs very pale
  blue.
  Range: Eurasia. Introduced in Jamaica; also reported from Grand
  Bahama, New Providence and Eleuthera, and from Gibaram Cuba

  .

  
  

  Live and Let Die, Ian Fleming, 1954.
  

  Chapter XIII - Death of a Pelican
  ...
  But Leiter had got hold of an old Cord, one of the few American cars with a personality, and it cheered Bond to climb into the low-hung saloon, to hear the solid bite of the gears and the masculine tone of the wide exhaust. Fifteen years old, he reflected, yet still one of the most modern-looking cars in the world.

  1936-37 Cord 810/812
  

  
  They swung on to the causeway and across the wide expanse of unrippled water that separates the twenty miles of narrow island from the broad peninsula sprawling with St. Petersburg and its suburbs.
  
  Already as they idled up Central Avenue on their way across the town to the Yacht Basin and the main harbour and the big hotels, Bond caught a whiff of the atmosphere that makes the town the 'Old Folks Home' of America. Everyone on the sidewalks had white hair, white or blue, and the famous Sidewalk Davenports that Solitaire had described were thick with oldsters sitting in rows like the starlings in Trafalgar Square.

  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  December 2018 Posts: 13,767

  

  Everything or Nothing, Jason VandenBerghe, Bruce Feirstein, Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, 2004.

  Mya Starling
  https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Mya_Starling
  Character information
  Born - August 29, 1973 - Louisiana, United States
  Hair color - Brown, shoulder-length; Eye color - Blue-grey
  Nationality - USA American; Occupation - Intelligence operative
  Affiliation - National Security Agency; Status - Active
  Behind the scenes Role - Bond Girl, Ally; Portrayed by - Mýa Harrison
  ...
  Mya Starling is a fictional American intelligence operative in the employ of the NSA. The character appears in Electronic Arts' 2004 James Bond video game Everything or Nothing and was portrayed by American musician and actress Mýa Harrison.

  

  

  James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_007:_Everything_or_Nothing
  
  https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/interview_mya_harrison.php3?t=eon&s=eon&id=0393

  Game Part 7 (Saving Mya)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zfCWe0uzc

  James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, Ron Fair, Randy Bugnitz, Mýa, 2004.
  "Everything or Nothing", sung by Mýa (Mýa Harrison).