BRADEN’S FIELD GUIDE TO UNCLASSIFIED NESTERS
Ap•ple•shine: 1. Hawkeye or Honeysap’s wax coating to provide apple-of-the-bird’s eye appeal for
retail, most often picked in adjective form with stem intact; 2. whiskey of fermented fruit from a hillbilly
still [see also: Braeburnish, Fujiness, Winesapity]
Bird•blown: departure so sudden the actual actor of the action is missed, only the results of leaving are
left. Example—tree bough quakes then wings taking the shape of wind (Batblown in certain regions of
North and South America)
Bird•start: 1. to slap, as in a mallardwing on pondscum; 2. a sudden noise, usually the result of instinct
and desperation, monosyllabic. Example—in springtime, sparrow hawks mounting and squawking in
designated wetlands. Commonly misheard as “bird’s heart,” quadrupled jewel or tiny toy wound tight
inside a doll of feathers. [see also: Wordsmart, Curdlefart, Turdtart (colloq)]
Cas•so•war•i•ty: 1. resembling a queen bird more than kiwi and ostrich, emu and rhea, of the flightless
variety unless eucalyptus is available in large quantities; 2. any tall drink of water with a pronounced
cranial crest and lonely mating gargle
Flash•foil: 1. firecrown or twinkly ascot of various hummingbirds; 2. flanks of trout reflecting light; 3.
angler’s term for any glitzy tad intended to catch the fish’s eye; 4. strategy to spook a flock from an
orchard (regional) [ant. see Splashfoil]
Jay•walk: to stellar or to blue in a lowly manner [ant. see Thrushing, to be or appear juncoed]
Lust•peck•er: derogatory label for a cardinal or house finch when it mistakes red apples or cherries for
its mate
Ma•dro•na•drone: dull malisma composed by a semitruck downshifting uphill, often echoed by male
mockingbirds [see also: Dieseling]
Ma•nure•a•llure: the unsown (volunteer) rooting and sprouting of nuts or seeds in a fertile spot, mostly
the compost pile through which the shitepoke bird pokes around
Quill•weave: 1. ruffled appearance of a migratory bird after its long journey; 2. nesting pattern of certain
European shorebirds; 3. a story the feather tells the wind (current usage)
Rose•hip•trip: 1. wild berries of the New West, which when emulsified, evoke psychedelic effects; 2. the
sowing of any wild fruit across vast distance via birdshat
Stove•pip•er•y: the tendency for downy, hairy, ladder-backed, Lewis’ or three-toed woodpeckers to
make lovecry in a treeless region
Allen Braden is the author of A Wreath of Down and Drops of Blood as well as Elegy in the Passive Voice. A recipient of fellowships from the NEA in creative writing and the NEH in education, he lives near the historic site of Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, Washington.