Frick and Frack.
1/2000, f/11, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
In May three years ago I found this clingy pair of Cedar Waxwings who posed like this long enough for me to get several photos I like. It may be the only time I’ve ever photographed two songbirds of the same species snuggled so close together in such similar poses.
At my focal lengths getting two birds sharp when one is in front of the other is always problematic so for this shot I changed my aperture to f/11 to increase my depth of field a little. But even that wasn’t quite enough so the rear bird is slightly soft. In situations like this it’s usually preferred that the bird in front is the sharpest of the two and I managed to accomplish that so I don’t think the slight softness of the rear bird is a big deal.
As for Frick and Frack.
“Frick and Frack” has become an English slang term used to refer to two people so closely associated as to be indistinguishable. During the early part of my teaching career one of my colleagues at South High School, Larry Bessey, became one of my best friends. Larry was a superb English teacher and he had more teaching experience than I did so I occasionally observed him in his classroom during my prep period to pick up some classroom management tips.
One of his techniques was to semi-playfully refer to any two students who were always hanging out together as Frick and Frack, especially when they were acting up a little in tandem and needed some tamping down. He did it teasingly and the students involved often enjoyed the attention but it was effective as a management tool so it usually got the desired results. So in similar situations, even when birds are involved, I very often think of Frick and Frack. And of my old friend Larry Bessey.
I hated to end my post without any potential learning opportunities for at least some of my readers so Frick and Frack became my trivia of the day. Nearly worthless trivia perhaps but it still may be interesting if the phrase is new to you.
Ron
Frick and Frack are so beautiful and almost “fairy-tale” like. They are so admired, in my book. Thanks for sharing.
These two strong gorgeous/handsome birds look more like superheroes with their masks! Love your Frick & Frack story. Great teachers are Gods gift to our future.
“more like superheroes with their masks”
I like your observation, Kathleen. Thanks.
It took you three years to share this photo? It’s a beauty.
I’m guessing the male is in front (BotW: more extensive, and darker, black chin-patch).
In spite of your “beginner’s luck” at pottery, I’m glad you went with photography😀
Never made the connection between Frick and Frack and Click and Clack. I loved listening to the Tappet Brothers, even though I didn’t give a whit about cars.
Lyle, Click and Clack were a hoot. I didn’t listen to them often but when I did I always enjoyed it. And usually learned something.
HOORAY for good teachers – whatever their field (and as an aside I believe that a good teacher is themself always learning…). They really do have an amazing influence on us. I strongly suspect that all of your readers can remember a good teacher – and a bad one if it comes to that. One of my bad ones was a science teacher who delighted in messing with our minds by invading our personal space. And did so all year round, even after that particular ‘lesson’ had been thoroughly taken on board.
And of course I love the perfectly coiffed waxwings…
EC, I can’t help taking it a little personally whenever I hear about a bad teacher, especially when it’s a science teacher.
If I remember correctly Laura Culley has mentioned more than once that she had a perfectly awful biology teacher. Makes me angry just to think about it.
If you’re a bad teacher you should be smart enough to know it and leave the profession rather than spend your entire career at the expense of your students, rather than to their benefit.
Agreed. She really was a woeful teacher – and a suspect not much of a person either. She really did seem to delight in making people uncomfortable. In a range of ways.
There are people like that but they sure as hell shouldn’t be teachers!
Agreed. Or parents.
I don’t know, I think these two Waxwings are too gorgeous to be Frick and Frack, which I’ve always thought of as just mirror images of some ordinary thing (did not know about the comedic ice skaters) — and these birds are not ordinary! Waxies always look so perfectly coiffed and manicured, and I love this “at attention” pose.
Thanks, Chris. I agree, waxwings always seem recently duded up in preparation for a big night out.
Thank you for sharing this shot of two gorgeous waxwings — love those red wingtips and yellow tailtips (which autocorrect wants to turn into tailpipes 😹).
Thank you for the etymology lesson. And, most important, thank you for sharing the story of your mentor and friend! I’m glad I wasn’t the only teacher who used her planning periods to observe excellent teachers in action. I ran into one of my mentors-turned-friends at the ATM a couple of weeks ago.
Thank you, Marty.
I’m still good friends with one of the teachers whose class I observed often in later years – Sue Southam, another English teacher. She was also a very good teacher. Between Larry’s and Sue’s classes I learned a lot of English Literature, more than I did in college, which became surprisingly helpful in my own teaching. And even in my blogging many years later. Making my presentations more interdisciplinary made them more interesting.
I hear ya — I observed teachers in pretty much every discipline, including Music (OK, I helped out with the orchestra and taught sectionals in my room occasionally too), Home Ec and PE. Good teaching is good teaching. 🙂
“Good teaching is good teaching”
That’s exactly right, Marty. Over the years I probably spent more time observing Gordon Moore’s art classes than anyone else’s. He also taught Pottery and the first challenge of ever Pottery student was to throw their initial 7″ cylinder on the wheel. It was a single semester class and by the end of the semester some of his students had never been able to throw their first cylinder without having it collapse before it reached 7″. Apparently it’s a difficult skill to get the hang of.
So some of his students were actually a little pissed off at me when they challenged me to throw a cylinder of my own and I succeeded the very first time – right in front of them. Of course I rubbed their noses in it, just a little… 🙂
True story, and no I’d never done it before. But I’d watched Gordon demonstrate the process many times (but the students had too).
And by the way, I have some of Gordon’s art, including pottery, in my home.
That’s really cool! I have a painting done by my 7th grade art teacher proudly displayed on my wall. He gave it to me on my last day in his class for being an enthusiastic and well-behaved (classroom management wasn’t his strong suit) student and not giving up (even though I was — and still am — woefully inept at transferring what’s in my head onto paper/canvas [the part in parens is my analysis, not his 😉 ]).
Excellent photo.I have taken lots of Waxwing photos, but never one with two posed like this.
Frick and Frack were an ice skating duo who came from Switzerland in 1937 to join up with the original Ice Follies.
I remember my grandmother referring to me and a friend as Frick and Frack when I was a kid.
Thanks, Everett. Yes, the Frick and Frack etymology is fleshed out in the link I’ve provided in my post.
Frick and Frack is an old-timey term but then I’m an old-timey guy… 🙂
I remember Frick and Frack from Mr. Bessey! Both of you were two of my most favorites!!!
Thanks so much for that comment and your memory, Juliannah. I wish Larry could see it.
Anyone who had Mr. Bessey as a teacher would certainly remember it. As a teacher he was about as memorable as they come.
I can definitely believe that Ron was one of your faves! I often wish I could have either been his student or his colleague — or both! 💜
❤
Over the years I had several students who later became my colleagues. Eventual Biology and Wood Shop teacher Robert Stevens was one. I’ll bet you had some too, Marty.
Love the shot!
Good. Thanks, Burrdoo.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Elmer.
The Waxwings look as if they are “standing on review”, so upright and
identical in their posture as they are–beautiful birds, and they look
young and as yet untouched by struggle of life in the wild–as the kids
today say, “perfect!”
Thanks very much, Kris.
😄 Excellent use for Frick & Frack as a classroom tool for getting attention without having to get nasty about it. 😉 Haven’t heard that one in awhile. I’ve never seen any waxwings cuddled up like that – beautiful shot. 🙂
Thanks, Judy. That’s part of the reason ‘Frick and Frack’ was effective in the classroom – it wasn’t “nasty”.
But believe me, when the situation required a sterner response, Larry had the tools for that too. His acid tongue and quick wit, when they were needed, could be withering.
Good teachers DO have a wide repertoire of tools to “handle” things…… 🙂