Hi Peter,
Thanks for the info. Peter says “I’m not sure what sort of data you had in mind McComus”. I know something of your work background and publication contribution to ornithology too. Maybe Peter has forgotten or it creates some context to say that McComas Taylor was for several years the main compiler of the COG Annual Bird Reports, the founder co-ordinator of COG’s Garden Bird Survey who significantly set up the project into the success it has since become – later built on by me and the driving source behind and the author of COG’s Atlas project (and book).
It is just my suggestion and maybe perception that McComas might be thinking, in terms of data, of something comparable to the published work on COG’s survey of the style of:
Taylor, M. & Canberra Ornithologists Group 1992, Birds of the ACT: an Atlas. Canberra Ornithologists Group and National Capital Planning Authority, Canberra. and Veerman, P.A. 2003, 2006, Canberra Birds: A Report on the first 21 years of the Garden Bird Survey (in which Taylor gets many mentions for his contribution to the GBS).
I know that Melbourne does not have similar intensity of data but the trends you describe are still quite instructive.
Philip Veerman 24 Castley Circuit Kambah ACT 2902
02 – 62314041
