Draft new Australian Check list

["Bob Forsyth" <>]

g'day all,

 

When checking out the Birding-NZ newsgroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/birding-nz/

and reading the discussion on Norfolk Island and Macquarie Island being included in a NZ checklist,

I saw a reference to a new draft Check List on the BA Web Page

 

Did I miss the announcement of this via our own Birding-Aus mailing List ?

 

The 14/2/2003 list can be downloaded from

http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/checklist/ba_birdlist_feb03.pdf

 

1 Is this list already fait accompli ?

   I could not locate any requests for comment.

 

2 Who is responsible for the Common Names for the new splits ?

  I have commented before on giving the name "Kalkadoon" to  the Ballarae race of Dusky Grasswren without reference to the finders of the bird.

 

I would also suggest that separate lists should be published for the external Island territories such as

- Cocos-Keeling, Lord Howe, Norfolk, Norfolk, Macquarie, Heard, Christmas and perhaps the Torres Strait Islands.

 

After all, these are political locations. Does the UK include the Falkland Islands etc in their checklist ?

 

Regards
Bob Forsyth, Mount Isa, NW Qld.