Martin, Paul, Malcolm & Philip,
Thankyou for your ideas. Some English names for flora and fauna have a charm and special place in our imagination: foxglove, larkspur, maidenhair, forget-me-not, nightingale, skylark, magpie and barn owl etc. I accept the anomaly that names were given to birds in Australia that had something in common with those the observers were familiar with in the UK. I have no problem with Willy Wagtail and Yellow, Grey & White Wagtails, or the robins or wrens. Give me Bush and Stone Curlew any day over Thick Knees. I think I saw a Painted Snipe many years ago and if I saw it again I’d probably still think of it as a “snipe” so I’ll just settle for things to stay as they are.
Bill
