[Docmartin]

British Birds May 2012

The May issue of British Birds is now out and its contents include...

What the eye doesn’t see: the prevalence of fraud in ornithology
Andrew Harrop, Martin Collinson and Tim Melling broach one of the thorniest topics in birding. They suggest that there is a tendency to see examples of fraud in ornithology as rare aberrations. Their paper outlines some known and suspected historical examples of fraud, and argues that fraud of one kind or another has occurred more or less consistently, if uncommonly, in ornithology. Although most of the examples discussed are from Britain, it is likely that similar examples could be found in the archives of many nations. It is also likely that small-scale fraud continues today and is something that the ornithological community should be aware of. In particular, this has implications for the level of proof required by those assessing records of rarities.

An unprecedented influx of Iceland Gulls in the northeastern Atlantic in January/February 2012
An extraordinary influx of Iceland Gulls into northern Britain occurred during January and February 2012. That influx is described here, with particular attention to the numbers involved, the age composition of the birds and the occurrence of Kumlien’s Gulls. The scale of the influx into Britain & Ireland was dwarfed by that which occurred in the Faroe Islands, and a comparable account for that archipelago is included.

Habitat of territorial Firecrests in north Norfolk
Author Chris Mason describes the habitat occupied by territorial Firecrests in north Norfolk. A total of 63 territories were discovered in three breeding seasons between 2008 and 2011. The species of trees and shrubs found in each territory were recorded and territories assigned to one of eight habitat groups, ranging from predominantly deciduous to primarily coniferous, though all contained at least some evergreen cover. Exotic conifers were included in all of the territories occupied in more than one year. The conservation implications are discussed.

The increasing Firecrest population in the New Forest, Hampshire
The first confirmed breeding record of Firecrests in the UK was in the New Forest, Hampshire, in 1962. The New Forest has remained a stronghold for this species in the UK and, since 2000, numbers appear to have increased significantly. Here, we report on intensive survey work during 2009–11 and confirm that, with up to 270 recorded territories, the New Forest currently accounts for a third or more of all recorded Firecrest territories in the UK.

Letters
Bittern and Bittern conservation in the UK; and more on the potential problems of a decline in the hearing abilities of bird surveyors as they get older!

Notes
Topics this month include: Coloboma in an adult Eurasian Sparrowhawk; Peregrine Falcons breeding on saltmarsh in southern England; Greenshank seeking shelter during Peregrine attack; Common Swift nests; Play behaviour in Common Swifts

Book reviews, News & comment and Recent reports complete the issue.

For more details, and to see a recent issue of the magazine, visit our website at www.britishbirds.co.uk

[lewis20126]

Originally Posted by Docmartin

British Birds May 2012

The May issue of British Birds is now out and its contents include...

What the eye doesn’t see: the prevalence of fraud in ornithology
Andrew Harrop, Martin Collinson and Tim Melling broach one of the thorniest topics in birding. They suggest that there is a tendency to see examples of fraud in ornithology as rare aberrations. Their paper outlines some known and suspected historical examples of fraud, and argues that fraud of one kind or another has occurred more or less consistently, if uncommonly, in ornithology. Although most of the examples discussed are from Britain, it is likely that similar examples could be found in the archives of many nations

[my bold] Sounds interesting! There are surely several old records from Cork worthy of scrutiny. And what ever happened to that White-rumped Swift, photographed in Dublin?

cheers, alan

[MJB]

[quote=Docmartin;2428788]British Birds May 2012 The May issue of British Birds is now out and its contents include...
What the eye doesn’t see: the prevalence of fraud in ornithology
Andrew Harrop, Martin Collinson and Tim Melling broach one of the thorniest topics in birding. They suggest that there is a tendency to see examples of fraud in ornithology as rare aberrations. Their paper outlines some known and suspected historical examples of fraud, and argues that fraud of one kind or another has occurred more or less consistently, if uncommonly, in ornithology. Although most of the examples discussed are from Britain, it is likely that similar examples could be found in the archives of many nations. It is also likely that small-scale fraud continues today and is something that the ornithological community should be aware of. In particular, this has implications for the level of proof required by those assessing records of rarities.

Have the intrepid three examined Noah's records from the Ark? Conspiracy theories abound as to the true identity of the birds mentioned!MJB

[McMadd]

May? Still waiting for April to arrive out here :0(

[John Cantelo]

The paper on fraud, of which Martin is a co-author, is superb. The amount research required to write such a scholarly paper must have been immense and what we see in 'BB' must represent merely the tip of a very large iceberg - the range and nature of the references quoted are clear evidence of this. The level of scientific, historical and sociological awareness the authors (the others being Anrew Harrop & Tim Melling) show is remarkable. It even reads well too! I'm aware that, as an historian and a scientific ignoramus, I am biased, but to me this is one of the most interesting articles (and it has stiff competition) I've read in 'BB' for a good number of years - worth a year's subscription alone. Warmest congratulations and thanks to Martin and his two collaborators,

[Docmartin]

Originally Posted by John Cantelo

The paper on fraud, of which Martin is a co-author, is superb. The amount research required to write such a scholarly paper must have been immense and what we see in 'BB' must represent merely the tip of a very large iceberg - the range and nature of the references quoted are clear evidence of this. The level of scientific, historical and sociological awareness the authors (the others being Anrew Harrop & Tim Melling) show is remarkable. It even reads well too! I'm aware that, as an historian and a scientific ignoramus, I am biased, but to me this is one of the most interesting articles (and it has stiff competition) I've read in 'BB' for a good number of years - worth a year's subscription alone. Warmest congratulations and thanks to Martin and his two collaborators,

Thanks John! I've quoted it in full so I can read it twice.

I didn't know if anyone would be interested, but we've had tons of feedback that's making me think it was all worthwhile.

[Richard Klim]

Originally Posted by Docmartin

What the eye doesn’t see: the prevalence of fraud in ornithology
Andrew Harrop, Martin Collinson and Tim Melling broach one of the thorniest topics in birding. They suggest that there is a tendency to see examples of fraud in ornithology as rare aberrations. Their paper outlines some known and suspected historical examples of fraud, and argues that fraud of one kind or another has occurred more or less consistently, if uncommonly, in ornithology. Although most of the examples discussed are from Britain, it is likely that similar examples could be found in the archives of many nations. It is also likely that small-scale fraud continues today and is something that the ornithological community should be aware of. In particular, this has implications for the level of proof required by those assessing records of rarities.

Some interesting letters in response to Harrop et al: Ornithological fraud.