OK, I know someone will have a go about me for mentioning this because it's my own book, ..... take a look at the books section of my website
http://www.birdinginspain.com
This message is for informative purposes only....
You are sure treading in dangerous waters with your message. But I am glad you did. You have some interesting things on your website. I have not yet had time to study them all.
At this point I'd just like to comment on the "lammergeier" you so prominently display. I mean the name, not the bird. I wish this name would no longer be used in your language as well. Sure, in English it sounds pretty unsuspicious. However, it is nothing more than the direct use of the German name that brought the species close to extinction. As you mention in your sample chapter, the bird had been shot wherever it was encountered in the wrong belief that it actually was a predator going for the lambs (in German Lämmer). Well you say, maybe rightfully, that it was only the stupid people who thought so. But then, stupidity has not been eradicated. There is still - and there will always be - a lot of stupidity in this world that creates havoc or leads to deaths, be that for animals or for people. So, names that misleadingly link a damaging reputation to a species should be avoided. And there are enough occasions where the name is spotted by an uninformed (in this case German speaking) person, such as when it appears on the cover of a book that is displayed in a window of a book store. I am sure, the Bearded Vulture is never called a Lambvulture or Lambs Vulture these days in English. But that is exactly what "lämmergeier" or for that matter "lammergeier" means in German. In this particular case there are
1: a lot of efforts in re-introducing this species that are jeopardised by the use of the name, and
2: With the name Bearded Vulture there is an established second and rightfully descriptive name, that already exists as an alternative. Thus, this name should be promoted wherever the species is mentioned.
We have another name in German where these efforts are still not over: the Grey Heron is still often called Fischreiher in German. Meaning the fish (eating) heron. In this case, it is at least true that it does eat fish, but it eats a lot of other animals, not least of them mice. But because of the fish in its diet it is often killed, and the emphasis of that part of the diet does not help the species. So the name Graureiher, just like the English Grey Heron is being promoted. But those efforts have it hard to be successful. One still hears (and reads) Fischreiher all too often. Particularly by non birders.
Getting back to the "lammergeier": I am sure you have German speaking participants in some of your birding tours. Some of them may not be true birders, just family members of a birder. And while they certainly catch that name lammergeier and immediately make the (wrong) connection, they may not get a possible explanation you might add in English.
