Talk:Shetland Words:S

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

Question:

Shetland Dictionary says Scarf = Cormorant

Scarf in Category:Shetland Birds shows a pic, where I would say, there are cormorants and shags on it (I am not a professional birdwatcher ;-) )

From the Orkney background (I know that's not Shetland ;-) ) Scarf is more or less (if not exclusively) used for shags only.

Any ideas how to deal with the prob.??? Islandhopper 22:17, 29 September 2006 (BST)

I did wonder if there were more than one species in that photo, but as a non bird person I thought they all looked the same, come to think of it I can't remember if there is a Shetland word for the 'Shag'... (I will not even mention what my wife just said when I asked her...). To avoid confusion, the photo was taken at the "Taing" just east of the Pool of Virkie, while I was trying to catch a few 'piltocks'. ...So sorry Wolfgang it 'was' a Shetland scene. Next time you are here I will take you out in my boat for a bit of fishing and a look at the local wildlife, and a really close look from a small boat at the "Roust"(Tide Rip), near Sumburgh Head. Robbie 22:59, 29 September 2006 (BST)

Just to add further confusion to this matter,, I called my parents to ask whether a scarf was a cormorant or a shag.

Cormorant = Scarf, also Loren I would be delighted to clarify??? (mum said that, she is from Whalsay so anything is possible). Neither could come up with a different word for Shag. I am beginning to think that because the birds look very much alike they were grouped under one name. e.g. Scarf = Cormorant or Shag ??? All recorded data I have indicates that a scarf is a cormorant but I would be delighted to clarify this matter, and find out what a shag is... ;)

Robbie 23:42, 29 September 2006 (BST)

A Shag is a 'Green Cormorant'--'Cormorant':any acuatic bird of the family 'Phalacrocoracidae'!I guess that the other Cormorant has a name added too. so a Scarf is a Cormorant !In Norwegian all Cormorants are 'Skarv', but we have 'Toppskarv' and 'Storskav'.confused??? :)

Oddrun 00:12, 30 September 2006

Well, DOST has it with a referrence to Bobby Tulloch as follows:

SCARF, n. 1. Comb. Add to defin.: Also muckle scarf. Add quot.:

   *Sh. 1992 Bobby Tulloch A Guide to Shetland’s Breeding Birds 26: 
   CORMORANT 

(Phalacrocorax carbo)

shet: Muckle Scarf, Lorin, Hiplin (adult), Brongi (immature)

Thus scarf = cormorant (pop.) / Great cormorant (ornoth.) = (Phalacrocorax carbo)

not shag = Green Cormorant (pop.) / Common shag (ornoth.) = (P. aristotelis)

(note: going into the details there are some indications that it was just the other way round until the end of the 18th century. Low f.e. calls the bird scarf (or scarth) but he describes a shag - funny) Islandhopper 10:40, 30 September 2006 (BST)