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Help with audio

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Subject: Help with audio
From: "Forrest Rowland" <>
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:32:04 +0000
Hi,
Forrest Rowland speaking, from the United States. I am searching high and low for audio (bird vocalizations) for Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Soloman Islands...or anywhere in Wallacea, for that matter. Any suggestions? I've got a little from when I was there in the past, but I'm planning some trips to the area in the upcoming years. I've birded extensively in Mexico, Central America, and South America, and have calls for a little over 2000 species in these areas, if anyone's up for some trading! I love bird vocalizations, and have made studies of them (Thamnophilidae) in the past. Anything and everything would be greatly appreciated, and thanks so much for your time.

On another matter, I'm not sure if this is where to post my two cent evaluation of your American Golden-Plover mystery pics? Well, let me go ahead....by the way, would this be a first for Australia? I've seen all three species in my day, Pac and Am in the States, Pac and Eur in the Middle East and Europe, and have seen Pac in Australia. I'm no expert, but I'll give it a go:

I don't know the author's (Graham Buchan) experience, and very well be out of my league here, but I'll just say that all the structural commentary is both observant and accurate, with my own experience, which I would reckon is more limited. So, I won't even comment on the structure, as not to be redundant.

In flight, the PGP has a definitively paler wing in the photos, and the wings seem to be at a similar angle to the sun, which is confusing, as the underwing should be nearly identical. This may mean that the birds are in slightly different plumage phases, or different age or sex, assuming the subject is, in fact, an AGP. The birds both appear to be females, the subject could be a breeding female, as well could be the PGP, though the PGP seems to have nearly lost all of its color, and almost achieved non-breeding plumage. From the distance given, the subject bird, to me, appears very slightly larger in general. Any info on that from the observer/photographer? Is the bird slightly closer to the camera...if only a little bit? Perhaps it is a larger bird, which would most definitely point to AGP, but the entire wing anatomy seems exaggerated in the Subject Plover.

Nice photo number 6 for primary projection! Would be a long projection, if this bird ends up being a PGP.

In photos 8 and 9, I would say that the Subject does appear to be an AGP, from posture, primary position and length, and even so with mantle plumage, as it is very dark for PGP, but right for AGP. I imagine Mr. Buchan avoided much commentary on plumage because it isn't especially conclusive in this case. I'm not even sure anyone could say this bird wasn't a male going to non-breeding plumage, or a breeding female, AGP, but again, I'm no expert in Golden Plovers. Photos 8 and 9, to me, are the most compelling, though. Has any general concensus been made as to the age and sex of the bird? Tough job that one.....

Culmen of the subject bird is thicker than that of the PGP, and a slightly different shape, straighter, it seems. Angle the lower mandible enters the head seems a little different, too, but that may be because the PGP appears to be stretching its neck slightly. Tough one. One thing I must say about the plumage of the head is that it seems to lack the normal amount of white rounding down from the supercilium, through the post-auricular area and nape, to be an AGP. This can be variable, though, of course. But, as a general trend, the white is more extensive through the nape, neck and shoulder, though photo #7 does make it appear as though the bird has more white in shoulder area than does the Pacific shown as comparison.

WOW! tough birds. I'm very curious as to what the outcome of this is. I'll be checking the website to see if the bird ever reaches unanimous status as being one or the other. My vote? American Golden Plover by a finite measure, but it looks nearly identical to a couple fo the birds I saw here just last month. Good luck and I applaud your courage in tackling this bird!

Cheers,
Forrest Rowland

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