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1999 News and Decisionsfrom the Records Committee (BOURC)20 December 1999Taxonomic developments The first meeting of the enlarged Taxonomic Sub-committee (TSC) of the British ornithologists Union (BOURC) was held at Swanwick in Derbyshire on 4 December, during the winter meeting of the Records Committee. All six members of the TSC met for the first time - Dr Martin Collinson (Scotland), Dr Andreas Helbig (Germany), Dr Alan Knox (Scotland), Professor David Parkin (England), Dr Tony Prater (Wales) and Mr George Sangster (The Netherlands) - under the chairmanship of Tony Marr, the BOURC Chairman. The meeting followed the Association of European Rarities Committees (AERC) meeting held in the Czech Republic in September, and pursued the AERC aim of seeking international agreement on taxonomic issues. Many European rarities committees are turning to AERC for advice to assist them in the preparation and maintenance of their national lists, in the light of accelerating progress in avian taxonomy. The TSC tackled the questions of species concepts, the working definitions they will use to determine species boundaries, and, following on from the AERC meeting, the list of species for priority action in Britain. A fuller statement on the TSCs conclusions on species concepts and species definitions will be issued in due course, but it was regarded as important to publicise immediately the shortlist of species for prioritised consideration affecting the British List, which is as follows:-
A first report is in preparation on the species currently under analysis, whose resolution may affect the British List, and is expected to be published in Spring 2000. The BOURCs TSC is following the AERC view that stability should be maintained unless there are good scientific reasons for change, and that the evidence has been published, preferably in a refereed journal. Inevitably, the inadequacy of some of the present information means that some issues will take longer than others to resolve; where possible, these situations will be described. The minutes of the September 1999 AERC meeting, with the full list of species being considered for priority action across Europe, can be found on the AERC website, which is at http://aerc.mypage.org Further information from: 1 August 1999BOU Records Committee completes its There was a good response to the recent invitation for applicants to join the Taxonomic Sub-committee (TSC) of the BOU Records Committee (BOURC). Two new members have been appointed to bring the TSC up to its increased strength of six members, chaired by Tony Marr, the Records Committee Chairman. The new members are Dr Martin Collinson (Scotland) and George Sangster (The Netherlands). Martin Collinson is a genetics researcher in the Department of Anatomy at the Medical School of Edinburgh University. He is a keen birdwatcher and amateur ornithologist, well-travelled in the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. He has been a member of the British Birds Editorial Board since June 1998 and recently wrote the lead article ‘Subspecies - more than meets the eye?’ He will be known to many as a regular and responsible contributor to UKBirdNet (Internet discussion group) debates and discussions. George Sangster is well-known as an active member of the Dutch Committee for Avian Systematics (CSNA) who has prepared most of the taxonomic summaries and proposals which have been published in Dutch Birding since early 1996. In that connection, he has documented all relevant literature on species concepts, classifications, taxonomy and population genetics of Western Palearctic birds which will be very helpful to the TSC in its discussions. A keen proponent of the Phylogenetic Species Concept (PSC), his contributions to the Taxonomic Sub-committee will undoubtedly lead to lively and constructive debate and help to build bridges between the PSC and the BSC (Biological Species Concept). The full membership of the TSC is now Dr Martin Collinson, Dr Andreas Helbig, Dr Alan Knox, Professor David Parkin, Dr Tony Prater and George Sangster. Andreas Helbig joined the TSC in January and is well-known as a member of the German Rarities Committee for 12 years. He is Editor of the journal Vogelwelt and serves on the Editorial Boards of Limicola and Journal fur Ornithologie. He is a research scientist at the University of Greifswald and Director of Vogelwarte Hiddensee, an ornithological institute on the island of Hiddensee in the Baltic Sea. His research interests are in bird migration, orientation and, more recently, molecular phylogeny and population genetics of birds. He has a particular interest in ornithological systematics, species concepts and those complexes of bird species that are at the transition between subspecies and species, such as large gulls, chiffchaffs and some other warblers. He has published many papers on these topics Tony Marr will chair the Sub-committee until December, when he will hand over the chairmanship to Tony Prater while continuing as Chairman of the Records Committee. The BOURC's TSC now includes all the members of the Taxonomic Sub-committee of the Association of European Rarities Committees (AERC), who are Andreas Helbig, Alan Knox, David Parkin and George Sangster. This should help to consolidate and accelerate the work being carried out by AERC in (inter alia) producing an agreed European List of species. The BOURC now has a strong taxonomic team on board, well equipped and well placed to try to meet the expectations of both the scientific and birding communities. We will do our best to do so. An Action Plan is being prepared which will be finalised and published soon after the biennial meeting of the AERC in September. This will include an agreed species definition; a list of the species on which the new Sub-committee is working; and when results can be expected. Tony Marr, Chairman, BOURC Tel 01 263 741 313 Email bourc.chair@bou.org.uk 16 July 1999New member for BOU Records Committee Earlier this year, for the first time the BOU invited applications from the birding community to join it’s Records Committee. Although the response was quite small, there was one particularly strong applicant and as a result the BOU Council have approved the appointment of Eric Meek to succeed Richard Porter, who has retired from the Records Committee at the end of his term of office. Eric has worked for the RSPB as their Orkney Officer since 1981, where he has been involved in studies on breeding birds and migration. A co-author of the Orkney Bird Report, and a member of the local records committee, he has just completed five years on the Scottish Birds Records Committee. He has been a member of the BTO Ringing and Migration Committee, and is widely travelled abroad. Eric was born in Northumberland where he was involved in many aspects of county ornithology, including breeding and migration work which resulted in a number of papers published locally and nationally; in co-authoring the standard county avifauna and co-editing the county bird report; and in serving as a member of the local records committee. His wide experience at home and abroad will be invaluable to the Committee. At its last meeting, members of the Committee thanked Richard Porter for his work with them. His great experience, down-to-earth commonsense, and willingness to challenge the status quo were appreciated by his colleagues over the seven years of his membership. Tony Marr, Chairman, BOURC Tel 01 263 741 313 Email bourc.chair@bou.org.uk New Secretary for BOU Records Committee The BOU is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Tim Melling as Secretary to its Records Committee to succeed Ian Dawson, who has retired after eleven years on the Committee, the last three as its Secretary. Tim Melling gained his PhD with a study on the ecology and population genetics of the Large Heath butterfly. He has worked for the RSPB for the past 11 years and is currently employed as a Conservation Officer in their North West England office. He modestly says his only other claim to fame is coming overall second in the first series of Radio 4's Wildbrain. In announcing the appointment, BOURC Chairman Tony Marr commented, "Tim brings with him to the job a reputation as a skilled and experienced field observer, and is a thorough and meticulous notetaker. These attributes will serve him well in a task which demands great attention to detail and a wide knowledge of the ornithological literature. Tim’s enthusiasm and energy will be invaluable to the BOURC as its workload and public profile continue to grow. We are very fortunate to have found such a worthy successor to Ian Dawson, who has served the Committee so well for eleven years." At the Committee’s recent meeting, the Chairman presented Ian Dawson with a book in recognition of his long service to them. Tony Marr, Chairman, BOURC Tel 01 263 741 313 Email bourc.chair@bou.org.uk |
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