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
