Hi everybody -
I heartily sympathise with the sentiments expressed by Dave Torr. If you
compile bird lists (as probably almost of us do) as a private vice then
consider whether it is purely for self-indulgence, in which case it really
does not matter what biases, prejudices and conventions you abide by - it is
all pretty harmless). If, however, you actually want to do something useful
with your data (such as sending it in to the Birds Australia Atlas
database), then please do not degrade it by arbitrarily subtracting data
that does not please you aesthetically. I know, from having spoken with
with numerous atlassers, for example, that some would not include records of
Rock Dove (feral pigeon) or anything else that just might be an escaped
individual. Maybe they had records of, say, Rose-ringed Parakeet
(Psittacula krameri), which they dismissed as escaped birds and did not
consider the possibility of a new feral population. If you see a Cockatiel
in inner suburban Melbourne, record it (unless it is actually inside a cage
or kissing someone). Do not assume; just record. Let the people who
analyse the data later, and who have access to far more information than you
do, make the judgement. Or do the analysis yourself when you have access to
all similar records. Maybe you will surprise yourself by discovering a new
feral population, or a drought movement pattern, or...
Cheers,
Hugo
|
