--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, what is that bird?' 'It is a…" description: "\"“Oh, what is that bird?' 'It is a wheatear. We have seen between two and three hundred since we set out, and I have told you their name twice, nay, thr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/patrick-o-brian-2283_bird_oh-what-is-that-bird-it-is-a-wheatear-we_1782722.png" --- # Oh, what is that bird?' 'It is a wheatear. We have seen… ![“Oh, what is that bird?' 'It is a wheatear. We have seen between two and three hundred since we set out, and I have told you their name twice, nay, three times.” quote by Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/patrick-o-brian-2283_bird_oh-what-is-that-bird-it-is-a-wheatear-we_1782722.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/patrick-o-brian-2283_bird_oh-what-is-that-bird-it-is-a-wheatear-we_1782722.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/patrick-o-brian-2283_bird_oh-what-is-that-bird-it-is-a-wheatear-we_1782722.png) > ““Oh, what is that bird?' 'It is a wheatear. We have seen between two and three hundred since we set out, and I have told you their name twice, nay, three times.”” [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator obsessively catalogues birds, highlighting human tendency to over‑detail trivial observations. **In simple terms:** Obsessive focus on minor details. Key Takeaway Practice restraint in observation. Themes observation language humor Mood wry observational Type literary humorous When to use this quote - birdwatching - field research - creative writing - teaching language Key Concepts cataloguing repetition detail overload Questions to Reflect On - Why do we repeat details? - When does detail become distraction? A Different Perspective Too much detail can obscure the main narrative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The Wheatear PAUL BATCHELOR \| 93 words Up for good at five, watching the small rain settle light as pollen on rosehip & nettle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wheatear-paul-batchelor-93-words-up-for-good-at-five-watching-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I told you once I told you twice, the next time I won't be so nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmine-sullivan/i-told-you-once-i-told-you-twice-the-next-time-i-won-t-be-so-nice/) [Jazmine Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmine-sullivan/) > [No love-story has ever been told twice. 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