What are the errors in the Morcombe field guide, please?
I don't have time to make an thorough list, and indeed I haven't had a good look
through the book yet. However, 2 that jumped out and hit me in the face were the
distribution map for Tawny Grassbird that shows it occurring across much of
Victoria when that species has never been recorded in Vic. Likewise the
distribution map for the Magpie shows the Black-backed race as not occurring in
Vic when in fact it occupies all the country north of the Great Dividing Range
and is spreading southwards. The drawings of seabirds and waders are not much
more than adequate. Noboby has yet correctly illustrated the usual colour of the
bare facial patch of the Regent Honeyeater - a dirty cream, without a trace of
pink.
When Pizzey and Knight came out members of this chat group played a valuable
role by constructively pointing out errors so that later reprints could be
corrected. Perhaps we should do the same for Morcombe.
Irene Denton wrote of the need for new books to add to the pool of information
already available. I couldn't agree more - my house stumps are groaning under
the weight of natural history books and my wallet is constantly lightweight.
However, as I have said previously, I have found that Morcombe does add value,
particularly the 'in flight' studies of groups such as quail and button quail,
cuckoos and treecreepers. The detailed written descriptions of distinguishing
features are also a bonus in my view.
Peter
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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