Thanks Phil!


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Davis" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 3:15 AM
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Scaup


> Hi Ben:
>
> I have never heard of this ... and I subscribe to all of the UK birding 
> magazines and follow the Western Palearctic taxonomic news fairly closely. 
> I just double checked and both scaup remain firmly embossed on the The 
> British List ...
>
>         http://www.bou.org.uk/recbrlst.html
>
> Of course, both scaup are on the AOU checklist, our official source for 
> North American taxonomy ...
>
>         http://www.aou.org/checklist/index.php3
>
> Hope this helps ...
>
> Phil
>
>
> At 20:13 11/14/2004 -0500, Ben Poscover wrote:
>
>>Perhaps you can help me. I just returned from a five day birding trip with 
>>the Brooks Bird Club of W.Va. We birded DelMarVa. Last evening we were 
>>getting a final tally of birds when the leader came to Greater/Lesser 
>>Scaup. I mentioned Lesser Scaup and a man with a loud, authoritarian voice 
>>said in a rather belligerent manner that there were no more Lesser Scaup 
>>but they were now known only as Greater Scaup. What ever characteristic 
>>one used in the past as an identifying factor (head shape, wing 
>>discoloration, side color, it mattered not) none of these were definitive 
>>and thus it was decided that there would be only Greater Scaup. He said, 
>>"They are doing this in Britain." I had never heard of this nor had anyone 
>>at my table. Can you shed any light on this for me please?
>
> ==================================
> Phil Davis      Davidsonville, Maryland     USA
>                 mailto:[log in to unmask]
> ==================================