:h?:
Well, I digested the thread on the Parus major superspecies and then ploughed (or is that 'plowed') my way through (or is that 'thru'....aagghh, stop it) the discussions on Anglo-U.S names (and as someone who's done three trips to eastern North America, I'm still only just recovering from the fact that 'Least Tern' and 'Little Tern' are treated as separate species; and as for Great Blue Heron and Grey Heron....well.....), I then picked up on the news item regarding changes to the British (BOU) list. As a nipper, I eagerly 'ticked off' the Little Owl that my dad took me to see, but as a 'sophisticated' fifty-something, I have to admit I wouldn't 'cross the road' for an Egyptian Goose or ringed necked parakeet in this country (so why the excitement of Monk Parakeet in Barcelona?...must've been the sun)......but I see that the Egyptian Goose is afforded the same (partial) status of C1 as the Little Owl. Well, bizarrely, I didn't have to cross a road today as two E.Gs flew over it on my way to work. Now, I'm not an avid ticker/lister (after 40 odd years birding/birdwatching, I expect my list, if I had one, would be in the low hundreds) ...I just like birdwatching. However, if the BOU are going to the trouble of composing lists and designations, the least I can do is pay due attention to it.....so please, did I see two C1 birds today or two E* birds, 'cos the BOU has accorded the Egyptian Goose both? Or do we do a quick scamper around some of the local wildfowl collections, just in case? Oh well.
Confused? You bet I am, now....
Actually, I'm not sure whether I should have posted this in the taxonomy forum, the 'my list' forum or just the 'Say Hello' one...
Goodbye!
Well, I digested the thread on the Parus major superspecies and then ploughed (or is that 'plowed') my way through (or is that 'thru'....aagghh, stop it) the discussions on Anglo-U.S names (and as someone who's done three trips to eastern North America, I'm still only just recovering from the fact that 'Least Tern' and 'Little Tern' are treated as separate species; and as for Great Blue Heron and Grey Heron....well.....), I then picked up on the news item regarding changes to the British (BOU) list. As a nipper, I eagerly 'ticked off' the Little Owl that my dad took me to see, but as a 'sophisticated' fifty-something, I have to admit I wouldn't 'cross the road' for an Egyptian Goose or ringed necked parakeet in this country (so why the excitement of Monk Parakeet in Barcelona?...must've been the sun)......but I see that the Egyptian Goose is afforded the same (partial) status of C1 as the Little Owl. Well, bizarrely, I didn't have to cross a road today as two E.Gs flew over it on my way to work. Now, I'm not an avid ticker/lister (after 40 odd years birding/birdwatching, I expect my list, if I had one, would be in the low hundreds) ...I just like birdwatching. However, if the BOU are going to the trouble of composing lists and designations, the least I can do is pay due attention to it.....so please, did I see two C1 birds today or two E* birds, 'cos the BOU has accorded the Egyptian Goose both? Or do we do a quick scamper around some of the local wildfowl collections, just in case? Oh well.
Confused? You bet I am, now....
Actually, I'm not sure whether I should have posted this in the taxonomy forum, the 'my list' forum or just the 'Say Hello' one...
Goodbye!