Morning Tweeters, I forward this post from the news group rec.birds with
slight hesitation. Don B. has likely seen this already so this is to
give any other punsters a shot. Good luck!

Paul Moorehead
n9135066 at henson.cc.wwu.edu
Guemes Island, Washington 98821

The TORONTO STAR newspaper runs a nature column on Sundays, written by
Barry Kent McKay, called *Nature Trail*. I really enjoy his reports
on bird watching in the Greater Toronto Area. On January 14, 1996,
his topic was "Enter my contest to rescue the ornithological pun."

MacKay shared some groaners about a razorbill nesting WAY UP NORTH
on Baffin Island, who was so depressed she let out a long moan ...
the first *Northern Auk Howl* of the region, and the chap taking
food preparation courses at West Point, who remarked, after being
questioned on his cooking knowledge by the baking instructor for
a solid 40 minutes, that he felt like a *Pie-Grilled Plebe*. Then
there was the contented cat whose mistress sang to him as he sat
in her lap, resulting in the little cat making *Lap And Song Purrs*.
And the devoutly religious woman who erected a tall cross in her
front yard, surrounded by alabster stones. When her husband,
William, asked what the heck she was doing, she explained, "Why,
it's a *White-Ringed Cross, Bill*."

Mr. McKay is hosting a contest for the best (or worst) pun on the
name of any wild, native species of flora or fauna (presumably
North American species only?). The winner will be awarded a poster
of winter garden birds from the Canadian Society for Endangered
Birds. If interested, the address is: Barry Kent MacKay,
Sunday Star, One Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1E6.

It struck me at the time that the rare species of pun known as an
ornithological pun is truly an endangered :) species. Few would
understand, let alone laugh, at such puns, except that select circle
with noses buried in field guides, and who know that the CBC has
NOTHING to do with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (I now
know a CBC is something birders do at Christmas time). In other
words, REC.BIRDS readers might be the most sympatico type of
people for preserving these endangered puns!

Does anyone else know any bird-related puns, or enjoy this sort
of silliness besides me?

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Pandora Waldron pandowal at inet.cml.com
North York, Ontario
CANADA
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... "Scotty, beam me up another Blue Wave message."
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