Most dictionaries trace coot to Dutch and no earlier than the late middle ages.
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It’s surprising (well, not really) now much of English seems to come from Dutch/Flemish, as opposed to from the original Germanic brought by the “Anglo Saxons”, and later influenced by the Scandinavians. In fact I think there are those who say it was actually the primary influence on English (before the Norman invasion), but I think that’s a controversial/minority view.
Panellus stipticus.
Seeing quite a few of these now, can look like several other small bracket fungi until you turn one over, having gills (not pores) narrows down the options, and the broad offset stem is the give away.
Cheers J.P.
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As far as I know (which isn’t very far), it seems that the idea that Old Frisian was the language closest to Old English seems the most widely accepted view.
If Frisian (or rather old Frisian) is closer to Dutch than German, it seems your view is far from a minority one!
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Titw’r helyg - Willow tit.
They are getting used to me being near, now the wait for other species to do the same.
Cheers J.P.
What was outside in my garden today was a handsome cock pheasant but I didn’t have time to get my camera or - more to the point either of my pair of Purdeys or we would have eaten well in a few weeks time 
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Just leave a few peanuts out on a regular basis and i’m sure he will visit again,
photo first
Cheers J.P.
Thank all of you who are linguists! Clearly there are huge complications when trying to trace evolution of language!!
I adore scribblelark although I’m not sure I ever thought it suitable for a yellowhammer!! I really do wonder about the derivation of that one!! Also, I wonder what our scribblelark says in Welsh!! In Sais, it is heard as ‘a little bit of bread and no cheeeese’ and one can hear the young birds learning… 'a little bit… a little bit … a little bit of bread… etc. How is this heard in Welsh, I wonder? Maybe someone could ask Iolo Williams??
Oh, ramblingjohn, here in Argyll, last year, for the first year ever, we regularly had red squirrels in our garden every day. This year, none at all. Would that be weather related? from Jackie
In Llyfr Natur, by Iolo Williams, the name for Yellowhammer is given as “Bras Melyn”.
Disappointingly, in the description it says "Yn y Gwanwyn, bydd y ceiliog yn canu “a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheeeese” o bostyn neu frigyn amlwg.
As rambling John says, though, I can’t help thinking that, as with names, the uniform way of identifying calls like this came with published books on birds, which haven’t really entered the Welsh language in the way they have the English.
Welsh speakers listening to a bird singing in Welsh probably each hear something different, as was, I would have thought, the case in English before such standardisation.
I’ve always been fascinated by onomatopoeic animal sounds in different languages.
The fact that cockerels say “cock-a-doodle-do” in English but “coquericot” in French is a good example. I’d love to hear from other SSi-ers what cockerels say in their native tongues (including Welsh wrth gwrs).
Oh how i remember walking north and seeing red squirrels on the pennine way and in Scotland,
what joy that was, i’m not sure weather is as big an impact on their survival as lack of food
(people tend to feed them now) and habitat loss. Good luck with their return to your garden next year.
cheers J.P.
Thanks for the comments folks, it’s all interesting, today i’m afraid i failed to image anything for which i have a welsh name (the search continues).
These caught my eye (one either side of finger) growing out of old branch of silver birch
(Bedwen arian) lying on the ground. Of course they look similar to several bracket fungi but turning them over.
reveals a definite stem and a rather pretty surface of pores. (note the stem has emerged out of the side of the wood and so has turned 90 degrees so the cap is horizontal and the pores/tubes are vertical for spore drop) (natures spirit level is an interesting subject).
Polyporus brumalis is what i think this species is based on slight ring colour variation on the cap, and time of year, (have not checked spore size under microscope) there a couple of similar species fruiting earlier in the year.
A normal day, didn’t find what i was looking for but found something (that’s nature).
Cheers J.P.
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John’s a real fungi to be with! (I’ll get my coat…)
Stu
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I don’t presume my red squirrel friends have all died, just that maybe they don’t need our peanuts and bird seed this year!! It started with one whom I uninventively called Wiwer, then Fluffy, Scruffy… about six in all!! Wiwer had a damaged tail, which made him/her easy to identify!! The thing is, I have lived here now for 10 years and Janet has lived here since she was at school and last year was the first time any squirrel visited, so SOMETHING was different!!
Jackie
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Read that as fun-gee and didn’t get the joke. 
Hwyaden gopog
Hwyaden gopog - tufted duck.
gwrywaidd - male
benywaidd - female
cefndir - background
yn agosach - closer (pellter - distant).
Not as close as i would like, but we are getting some trust.
Cheers J.P.
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Helvella lacunosa - Coesyn rhychog du.
Peculiar shape this family,
a shot of the stem in focus shows the contortions continue.
And yes this is the normal form, the family include a pure white one that looks
much like the above.
Cheers J.P.
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Gwiwer lwyd - Grey squirrel.
This individual is getting brave (or just knows he could out run me)!
Not clear in the photo is he is eating a fungus from the side of the trunk.
Panellus serotinus - no welsh name i know of, some times called the olive oysterling.
Cheers J.P.
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I trust you’ll be using that wonderful squirrel pic in all your Christmas cards, J.P. 