How did I miss this annual avian census, complete with royal livery? It dates from the 1100s! By the way, check out the chaps who make it happen, the Queen's Swan Marker and the Swan Uppers of the Vintners' and Dyers' Livery Companies. Call me crazy, but that sounds like the name of a band. An Elizabethan punk rock band that plays at Renaissance festivals.
UPDATE: Oh! Here's a tidbit especially for my friend Lady Bird, herself an ornithologist. The Swan Upping crew even has a resident nerd -- Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, an ornithologist who specializes in swans (natch). His role is helping to check Her Majesty's swans and cygnets for disease. He gets the very cool title of "the Queen's Swan Warden." Just imagine how that looks on a CV!
No comments:
Post a Comment