canberrabirds

Silvereyes - locals and migrants

To: "Canberrabirds" <>
Subject: Silvereyes - locals and migrants
From: "John Layton" <>
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:02:47 +1000

The buds on my flowering plum trees are beginning to burst into blossom. And, right on cue, Silvereyes are combing through the branches, gleaning a little nectar here, a tiny insect there. The majority have yellow-plumaged chins which seems to indicate they’re local yokels. But every day or so lately, I notice a silvereye or two sporting a grey chin. This appears to indicate that the grey-chins have traveled from southern Victoria and Tasmania, and I guess they’re currently enroute back to their southern breeding grounds. According to our books, some ventured as far north as central Queensland.

During late April, I began to look for Striated Pardalotes bearing a yellow ‘wing-spot’ which indicates they’re of the Tasmanian race, and I checked off a couple at ANBG. The local striated pardners have a red ‘wing-spot’. I guess if this an incorrect assumption I’ll soon hear about it.

So, I began to delve into the different races of species, and a whole new widow on birding opened up before me. Accordingly, I’ve found The Directory of Australian Birds – Passerines by Schodde and Mason to be a source of information and inspiration. Although I’ve owned it for a good while, I never referred to it much until twelve months ago when the southern silvereyes tweaked my interest in different races.

A couple of points re Schodde & Mason though: I often notice the specific parts of the scientific names they use differ from those in the field guides, and even from those used in Christidis & Boles. Why is this so? It often has Layton scratching his layperson’s head. And what happened to the subsequent volume(s) of The Directory of Australian Birds? Did the wheels – wings – fall off ?

Finally – and who said, "Thank goodness!" ? – I've heard there's a new edition of Christidis & Boles in the offing. True?

John Layton.

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