James Thomas
Well-known member
On ITV now, birdwatchers featured heavily. Blue crested Hoopoe has landed in Midsummer causing a bit of a stir. Hilarious.
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Midsummer Murders (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter James Thomas
- Start date
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Not the first time Midsomer has got bird related stuff miles wrong, there was an episode involving falconry etc at the end of which the surviving guest star released their Harris' Hawk - which the police should surely have known would be a criminal offence.
I saw the blurb for this one and deployed the bargepole. Glad I did.
John
I saw the blurb for this one and deployed the bargepole. Glad I did.
John
:-O Nil points to the researchers!!
A 'First for Britain', a 'Mega', a native of Uganda with the same Latin name as the "ordinary" [scarce but not mega!] Hoopoe, twitched by a group of "gentlemen" with the sort of binoculars I was once shown by an ex-Coastguard (we watched the stars over Scilly through them, only they were so heavy it was akin to watching a sky-full of moving blips on a heart monitor screen!:eek!:
Oh, and the background recording he identified as being of a Meadowlark???
Er... isn't it an offence to shoot A N Other species instead of a Rook?
See, I was paying attention, even though I got told off for yelling at the telly!!!:t:
A 'First for Britain', a 'Mega', a native of Uganda with the same Latin name as the "ordinary" [scarce but not mega!] Hoopoe, twitched by a group of "gentlemen" with the sort of binoculars I was once shown by an ex-Coastguard (we watched the stars over Scilly through them, only they were so heavy it was akin to watching a sky-full of moving blips on a heart monitor screen!:eek!:
Oh, and the background recording he identified as being of a Meadowlark???
Er... isn't it an offence to shoot A N Other species instead of a Rook?
See, I was paying attention, even though I got told off for yelling at the telly!!!:t:
a.dancy
Registered User
On release it miraculously morphed into a Red Kite.:-O
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
:-O Ooooh can't wait to watch this tonight (I recorded it last night) :king:
Hubby Neil is always telling me off for pointing out singing warblers in the middle of winter or collared doves singing in a 19th century drama :-O Oh amnd don't forget the BBC favourite - mating foxes in high summer whenever they need a 'spooky' night-time sound :smoke:
Hubby Neil is always telling me off for pointing out singing warblers in the middle of winter or collared doves singing in a 19th century drama :-O Oh amnd don't forget the BBC favourite - mating foxes in high summer whenever they need a 'spooky' night-time sound :smoke:
From the start it was obvious they were taking some liberties. At the beginning the greenfinch that was caught in the mist net was taken off it and immediately released... What's the point of catching it then if he's not ringing it and taking measurements?
And the optics were a joke!
Think it was a general piss take of birders really - the scene when they were shouting out lots of bird names, all of them all made up.
Took me most of the programme though to realise that the taxidermist chap was Constable Goodie from the Thin Blue Line and the bloke from Gimme Gimme Gimme. Oddly Gimme Gimme Gimme was on GOLD immediately after Midsomer Murder finished - he's definitely piled on the pounds since the 90s, but then who hasn't...! :-O
And the optics were a joke!
Think it was a general piss take of birders really - the scene when they were shouting out lots of bird names, all of them all made up.
Took me most of the programme though to realise that the taxidermist chap was Constable Goodie from the Thin Blue Line and the bloke from Gimme Gimme Gimme. Oddly Gimme Gimme Gimme was on GOLD immediately after Midsomer Murder finished - he's definitely piled on the pounds since the 90s, but then who hasn't...! :-O
It was hilarious; apart from the netted Greenfinch and the fictitious 'Blue-crowned Hoopoe' every bird mentioned was North American... Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Meadowlark and Sage Sparrow... forget the Scillies and Fair Isle clearly Midsomer is the place to go birding!
Seriously though it is shocking the writers couldn't do five minutes research to find what birds would be seen in typical British countryside.
-Matthew Roberts
Seriously though it is shocking the writers couldn't do five minutes research to find what birds would be seen in typical British countryside.
-Matthew Roberts
MJB
Well-known member
Mind you, Matthew, only you, stoggler and Farnboro John got the correct ID of 'Midsomer' and not 'Midsummer', so at least you two have done your research.:-O
MJB
Stuart Darbyshire
45th generation Northern
from the first bird "spotter" coming on it was ridiculous (but admittedly funny) - close up of his sandals followed by wax jacket and a pair of optics that weighed more than he did. He looked like a particulary stupid village idiot and he'd definitely not been to Spec Savers.
Non-birding wife thought that it was hilarious!!!!
Non-birding wife thought that it was hilarious!!!!
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Gill Osborne
Well-known member
So THAT'S where I'm going wrong :smoke: I shall invest my wages today in a pair of hippy sandals and a pair of 20x50 bins :-O
Stuart Darbyshire
45th generation Northern
You'd be better just strapping two scopes together and hanging those round your neck Gill
Phil Bishop
Well-known member
I did wonder if the writers were having a bit of a laugh, and had actually done some research-anyone notice the rather prominent Wham song early on?
RoyW
Well-known member
I didn't see the program (and have no intention of doing so!), but I would think that the writers have done exactly what you suggested: 5 minutes research! If they'd taken a bit more time with the research they may have been a little bit more believable - though I doubt that they wanted to.
"Blue-crested Hoopoe" isn't a fictional invention of the writers (the 'inventing' seems to have been done by the Marguis Gerini in the 18th century), and as it was described as a variety of the Common Hoopoe the scientific name would be the same. The described post mating behaviour described sounds like a misunderstood, and/or otherwise altered, version of some aspects of Dunnock breeding behaviour - and isn't something that I would think would be completely invented by a writer of a TV series.
As for the American species mentioned - these are the sort of bird names that feature regularly in magazines etc aimed at UK birders...
Maybe 15 minutes of research would have helped?:-O
I wonder how many of these names were actually made up - and how many were found in old publications? Anyone know what names were shouted out?
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Farnboro John
Well-known member
