In the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay(松鸦) burying acorn(橡果)s for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian. Thirty-nine years on(三十九年过去), some of those jay-planted acorns will be mature(成熟的) oaks now, and Cocker is completing his 1,000th diary for the world’s oldest column in an English-language newspaper.
1987年秋天，马克·科克坐在诺里奇附近的一片田野里，看着一只松鸦为即将到来的漫长冬天埋藏橡果。他在为《卫报》撰写的第一篇乡村日记中描述了这个场景。三十九年过去，那些松鸦种下的橡果有些如今已长成参天橡树，而科克正在完成他为英语报纸世界最古老专栏撰写的第1000篇日记。
In his next diary, he will reflect on(回顾，反思) the changing birdlife around Flint Clough, in the Peak District, where he first marvel(惊叹)led at rare birds aged 12 after devour(如饥似渴地读)ing bird books in his bedroom. As a boy, he would find cuckoo, golden plover, ring ouzel and twite, a once-common bird which is now virtually extinct in England.(少年时，他能找到杜鹃、金鸻、环颈鸫和朱顶雀——一种曾经常见、如今在英格兰几乎灭绝的鸟。)
在下一篇日记中，他将回顾峰区弗林特克拉夫附近鸟类生活的变迁。12岁时，他在卧室里如饥似渴地读鸟类书籍，第一次在那里惊叹于珍稀鸟类。少年时，他能找到杜鹃、金鸻、环颈鸫和 Twite（一种曾经常见的鸟，如今在英格兰几乎灭绝）。
On his latest visit a few weeks ago, he saw raptors he would have only dreamed of as a boy, “a whole slew of buzzards, two peregrines, two marsh harriers – the first I’ve ever seen in Derbyshire – and several red kites”.(几周前他最近一次到访时，看到了少年时做梦都不敢想的猛禽，“一大群鵟、两只游隼、两只白头鹞——我在德比郡第一次见到——还有几只红鸢”。)
几周前他最近一次到访时，看到了少年时做梦都不敢想的猛禽，“一大群鵟、两只游隼、两只白头鹞——我在德比郡第一次见到——还有几只红鸢”。