R squared values for GBS Graphs & comment on Starlings.

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Hi Paul,

 

Well done.

 

The inclusion of curves, rather than lines, adds a new, probably good dimension, that is worthy of contemplation. Even if those curves can change at any time. Your point about the Starling as below is also correct. I can add something in that I would prefer to explain it rather than just omit the extreme result (even though it was so long ago it hardly matters now.)  The high number was substantially due to one Site (Ross Bennett's at Arawang) where there was a huge flock of Starlings around the horse agistment yard beside his house for most of the year, until the Pyracantha bushes were cut down. This is already fully explained in the GBS Report. Indeed I used almost the same exclusion as you did, for getting around that one aspect of that particular outlier result.

 

Long term COG members may recall that in the mid 1980s the NCDC (or whatever bureaucracy it was at the time) was so concerned about the huge flocks of Starlings that it contracted COG to do a study of the movements of Starling flocks around Canberra. This was subcontracted out to Isabel Crawford who finished it and put out a report on the survey. David Purchase had an input by reviewing Isabel's work. I have copies of both but I suppose COG should have the originals if anyone is interested. 

 

Philip