re: Barolo Shearwater
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Andy Paterson
Jan 20, 2012, 2:45:36 PM1/20/12
to seabir...@googlegroups.com
Hi:
First, I must state that I haver not yet received my copy of Steve Howell's book as getting across the pond to Spain before the first week is impossible even for Amazon. However, from Spain, I have followed the topic of the Little Shearwater (sic) with some interest as I presume that the Lee referred to is Dave Lee. Way back in the mid 1980s Dave Lee got in touch with me with info. and queries on the probable Little Shearwater (as they were then known) that he had seen. I knew the species way back then from visits to the Canaries and at least one record from within the Mediterranean and I know of other good ones from the Strait of Gibraltar, accepted by the Spanish rarities committee of which I was a cofunder and member for several years. Details of these records to 1997 can be found in Status of seabirds in Spain and Portugal (Paterson, Lynx Edicions). I have not kept the correspondence I had at that time with Dave Lee but my recollection is that his description(s) looked pretty good to me at that time.
Now, I recognise that things have progressed a lot since then and that photographic evidence has just about become a total necessity for a rarity acceptance, whilst the art of a written description is becoming lost and well on the way to extinction. Part of the argument has been that written descriptions can be fudged, but so can photos with the aid of Photoshop and I understand that there has already been a case of that in the UK (please note that I am playing devil's advocate here). I believe that most of us with experience know when we are looking at something different, be it a seabird or a passerine, and we also have the experience to know what to look for and I also have good reason to believe that in a reasonable number of cases written descriptions are arbitrarialy adjudicated on by committee members who are sufficiently familiar with the species themselves.
I know Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus l'herminieri from the five years I lived in the Bahamas and renewed acquaintance with them last May on 10 pelagic trips with Brian Patteson (great time, many thanks, Brian). I can't see Little/Barolo Shearwater P. baroli being confused with Audubon's with halfway decent views. It is much more like 'our' Yelkouan Shearwater P. yelkouan or pale Balearic P. mauretanicus.
Incidentally, here in the Iberian Seabird Group (GIAM) we generally acknowledge that the former N. Atlantic Little P. assimilis is perfectly acceptable as split into two species, Barolo P. baroli (Macronesian islands) and Boyd's P. boydi (Cape Verde). The photographs shown of the bird off Mass. are of a bog-standard P. baroli (which was then known as Macronesian Shearwater). By the by, there was a discussion last year as to the correct name, Barolo's or Barolo, and cogent reasons which seemed reasonable to me (and which I can't remember, something to do with a person and an area) were given for it being Barolo and not Barolo's.
Finally, and without a copy of the book to refer to, it does seem to be rather hairsplitting by Steve Howell to say that Little should not be on the US list when it was considered as a species with two subspecies, and now it is two species as a result of DNA studies, plus the extra evidence which has been aired here to give force to it being considered as a prime candidate.
Can anyone tell me (privately if they so desire) what he says about the two races of Cory's Shearwater, diomedea and borealis, because I don't buy this Scopoli's Shearwater idea.
No doubt I have stirred up some plankton here, so good seabirding to all,
Andy Paterson
Torremolinos, España
http://birding-the-costa.blogspot.com NEW
http://guiri-pajarero-suelto.blogspot.com NUEVO : 16/01 - Guadalhorce manejos
First, I must state that I haver not yet received my copy of Steve Howell's book as getting across the pond to Spain before the first week is impossible even for Amazon. However, from Spain, I have followed the topic of the Little Shearwater (sic) with some interest as I presume that the Lee referred to is Dave Lee. Way back in the mid 1980s Dave Lee got in touch with me with info. and queries on the probable Little Shearwater (as they were then known) that he had seen. I knew the species way back then from visits to the Canaries and at least one record from within the Mediterranean and I know of other good ones from the Strait of Gibraltar, accepted by the Spanish rarities committee of which I was a cofunder and member for several years. Details of these records to 1997 can be found in Status of seabirds in Spain and Portugal (Paterson, Lynx Edicions). I have not kept the correspondence I had at that time with Dave Lee but my recollection is that his description(s) looked pretty good to me at that time.
Now, I recognise that things have progressed a lot since then and that photographic evidence has just about become a total necessity for a rarity acceptance, whilst the art of a written description is becoming lost and well on the way to extinction. Part of the argument has been that written descriptions can be fudged, but so can photos with the aid of Photoshop and I understand that there has already been a case of that in the UK (please note that I am playing devil's advocate here). I believe that most of us with experience know when we are looking at something different, be it a seabird or a passerine, and we also have the experience to know what to look for and I also have good reason to believe that in a reasonable number of cases written descriptions are arbitrarialy adjudicated on by committee members who are sufficiently familiar with the species themselves.
I know Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus l'herminieri from the five years I lived in the Bahamas and renewed acquaintance with them last May on 10 pelagic trips with Brian Patteson (great time, many thanks, Brian). I can't see Little/Barolo Shearwater P. baroli being confused with Audubon's with halfway decent views. It is much more like 'our' Yelkouan Shearwater P. yelkouan or pale Balearic P. mauretanicus.
Incidentally, here in the Iberian Seabird Group (GIAM) we generally acknowledge that the former N. Atlantic Little P. assimilis is perfectly acceptable as split into two species, Barolo P. baroli (Macronesian islands) and Boyd's P. boydi (Cape Verde). The photographs shown of the bird off Mass. are of a bog-standard P. baroli (which was then known as Macronesian Shearwater). By the by, there was a discussion last year as to the correct name, Barolo's or Barolo, and cogent reasons which seemed reasonable to me (and which I can't remember, something to do with a person and an area) were given for it being Barolo and not Barolo's.
Finally, and without a copy of the book to refer to, it does seem to be rather hairsplitting by Steve Howell to say that Little should not be on the US list when it was considered as a species with two subspecies, and now it is two species as a result of DNA studies, plus the extra evidence which has been aired here to give force to it being considered as a prime candidate.
Can anyone tell me (privately if they so desire) what he says about the two races of Cory's Shearwater, diomedea and borealis, because I don't buy this Scopoli's Shearwater idea.
No doubt I have stirred up some plankton here, so good seabirding to all,
Andy Paterson
Torremolinos, España
http://birding-the-costa.blogspot.com NEW
http://guiri-pajarero-suelto.blogspot.com NUEVO : 16/01 - Guadalhorce manejos
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