I do agree with Bud that we should use the correct names for birds. Looking
for field marks in a field guide, will make you look at a bird's name
anyway. My least favorite misspellings are "Stellar's (heavenly?) Jay" and
"American Kestral" - no such word in Webster's. Now I can understand a
beginning birders use of names that are not correct by current AOU
nomenclature, but an advanced birder can do better!
Another issue is the splitting and/or re-naming of a species. I still hear
of a lot of Winter Wren sightings in the* Pacific* Northwest. Of course
having enjoyed Oldsquaws on their breeding grounds on Alaskan Tundra many
years ago, makes me dislike the Old World term "Long-tailed Duck". I have a
feeling, that Bud would not like me to report a "Duck Hawk" sighting
instead of a Peregrine (Falcon) ! I must admit that name changed sometime
before I got into birding. Of course I am still dating myself!
Having said this, I do feel that all birders have one common bond; the love
of Nature and its creatures - especially our feathered friends! Time to get
of my soap box!

Oh, by the way, this is what Wikipedia has to say about the German
naturalist with the same birthday as me:

*Georg Wilhelm Steller* (10 March 1709 ? 14 November 1746) was a
German<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany>
botanist <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanist>,
zoologist<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoologist>,
physician <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician> and
explorer<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_explorers>,
who worked in Russia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia> and present-day
Alaska <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska>.

Good birding!

Hans Feddern

On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 9:46 PM, Jim Flynn <merlinmania at comcast.net> wrote:

> Bird names do change (although I would argue its not all that often), but
> the Merlin's name has not changed since at least the 70's or so when it was
> often known as the Pigeon Hawk. I think that is enough time for us to have
> adapted to that change.
>
>
>
> On the same note I have heard people say "Redhead (or Red-headed) Duck",
> instead of just Redhead. As Bud observed with the use of "Merlin Falcon", it
> is often a beginner, or non-birder who says it. If I've just met someone
> while birding and hear them say such things I don't usually them - you never
> know how easily embarassed someone you have just met is. BUT - I think in a
> forum such as Tweeters where we come to learn about birds, such a correction
> is appropriate. I think Bud went out of his way to be kind about it, so
> let's just take it as a learning moment as I think it was intended.
>
>
>
> P.S. I've also heard "Sora Rail" and any other number of redundancy names.
> Anyone else hear others?
>
>
>
> Jim Flynn
> Seattle, WA
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>
>


--
*Hans Feddern*
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
thefedderns at gmail.com
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