I agree! Hoping it’s an opportunity for us to have some thoughtful fun and engagement with birdwatching.
On Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 6:56 PM Vaughn Cottman <[email protected]> wrote: > I totally agree with you, Cathy! > > On Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 6:49:56 PM UTC-7 Cathy Sheeter wrote: > >> I think the visceral reaction of many really has nothing to do with >> names, but with simple concept of a large change from what they know. Many >> birds have been named, renamed and changed over the last 100 years, but >> people only remember and feel attached to the one they learned when they >> started birding, or the one they know now. Yes, there will be a big >> adjustment and for some it may seem overwhelming to think about remembering >> 150 new names…but I actually think some, if not most, of the new names will >> be big improvements as far as being more about the bird than some >> historical figure that many don’t know anything about. >> >> New birders will learn the new names and have no specific attachment to >> Harris’s Hawk compared to Bay-winged Hawk. Harris’s tells us nothing of the >> bird. Bay-winged is informative. >> >> I don’t personally think renaming will specifically change who is >> attracted to birding or if someone stays at it, but I do think descriptive >> names are actually more beneficial for new birders for learning. Thicket >> Vireo certainly helps one understand habitat of the species much more than >> Bell’s Vireo ever has. I look forward to saying the more descriptive names >> of Yucca Oriole, Sedge Sparrow, Ice Bunting, and Desert Quail (of course >> these examples are not formally accepted names, but ideas I have seen being >> tossed around on various groups). >> >> I don’t think there is anything specifically beneficial to anyone by >> having bird’s (or any animal) named after people. I admit I have rarely >> taken time to researched the names behind the birds they are named after, >> but am much more interested in their ecology, habitat and behavior, which >> can be incorporated in these new names. In some cases the new names might >> help with conservation efforts by showing a species dependence on an >> endangered or declining habitats. >> >> I think and hope that in a handful of years most will look back on the >> changes favorably after they get used to the new names and have adjusted to >> them. >> >> >> Cathy Sheeter >> www.cathysheeter.com >> Aurora, CO >> > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include > bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/d95f6187-3cc0-436c-97cc-dad06c37af9fn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/d95f6187-3cc0-436c-97cc-dad06c37af9fn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAKNJKZaLgRrH_0DA__Nku9cOzMh4nG9Z3FNw5x-EM4f_Xh%3D%2B4w%40mail.gmail.com.
