Hi all,
Jeff - On a recent trip to WA we saw two pacific gulls - one at Cape Leeuwin
and one at the port in Fremantle. So as a result I must say I assumed they were
common in that area - perhaps we were just lucky. We even managed a good close
up shot of the gull in Fremantle, whatever you'd like to call it, if you'd like
a copy.
Tim - I also pondered the naming of this massive creature - each one we saw in
WA was flying over a different ocean, neither of which was the Pacific! I
wasn't aware of the history tucked away inside the name so thanks for bringing
that to light here. I hope no-one decides to rename it - renaming birds is a
very annoying habit for a half-serious birder like me, but I guess it keeps
Taxonomists in business. I'm surprised no-one suggested Latham's Gull (to my
knowledge) - but then that would tell us even less about the bird, wouldn't it
- at least Pacific Gull gives you an idea of one of its haunts. Why are birds
named after people? Apart from the obvious wish to make an acknowledgement, it
makes little sense otherwise. Taking the aboriginal name would be a good idea -
but which one?
Arwen
......................................... Arwen Blackwood Ximenes
Lawson, Blue Mountains,
_________________________________________________________________
Win a Nokia E51 with mobile Hotmail SMS alerts
http://www.livelife.ninemsn.com.au/compIntro.aspx?compId=4589==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
=============================
|
