Intro-
Eleven Pipers Piping. Visually I see, either the tall black bearskin British footguards flaunting flutes; or Scottish Bagpipers.
Basic-
Eleven: Being one hour before 12:00, the eleventh hour means the last possible moment to take care of something, and often implies a situation of urgent danger or emergency. 11 is a prime number, and a super-prime. 11 forms a twin prime with 13,[6] and sexy pair with 5 and 17. Wikipedia.
Piper. Piper. Named after types of birds, "to chirp, warble, whistle, sing." Meaning "convey through pipes"
Old English pipian "to play on a pipe" or similar instrument, from Latin pipare "to peep, chirp,"
Piping: To pipe up (early 15c.) originally meant "to begin to play" (on a musical instrument); sense of "to speak out" is from 1856. Pipe down "be quiet" is from 1900, probably a reversal of this, but earlier (and concurrently) in nautical jargon it was a bo'sun's whistle signal to dismiss the men from duty (1833); pipe in the nautical sense of "to call by the pipe or whistle" is by 1706.
Proficient-
“When birders hear the term “piper” they automatically think of sandpiper. There are more than 25 species of birds in the world with “sandpiper” in their names, and even more birds of the Scolopacidae bird family are classified as sandpipers, even without the term as an immediate part of their identity – including yellowlegs, curlews, dowitchers, phalaropes, and godwits. Seeing 11 species of sandpipers in any day would be a true gift, and given the widespread ranges of these species, a remarkable feat for any holiday gift-giving. It wouldn’t be an impossible day of birding, however, particularly during migration periods or in winter when these birds intermingle more on their non-breeding ranges.”
Having pipers as such a high gift in the carol’s numerical count is very appropriate, as these are highly social birds that congregate in tremendous flocks throughout the year. They may even work together while foraging, darting back and forth into shallow waters or wave edges as they chase after worms, insects, and other prey. Many sandpipers will joined mixed flocks at times, making it even more possible to spot more than one type of sandpiper at once – though perhaps not 11 separate species in the same flock.”
Advanced-
“Ultimately, the gift of pipers piping is a gift of music. This season is fill with so many carols, ballads, orchestral pieces, and other amazing sounds, it’s hard not to think of the holidays when you hear certain chords or lyrics. Yet that also means that this musical gift could be a gift of any accomplished songbird, particularly one known for singing throughout the year, such as a number of thrushes, cardinals, chickadees, tits, lyrebirds, and other feathered musicians. These birds are more likely to stay in their same range year-round, and thus not only are more apt to be spotted during the holiday season, but will be using song to help claim their territory right when festive music is at its height. And that’s music to a birder’s ears!” Be Your Own Birder
Lesson-
Eleven is a sexy, natural, prime- piping pipers playing bird songs. Sing.
Song #11. A Song For You, by, Leon Russell.
