Lady Amherst's Pheasant

I can understand the ambiguity - BBRC themselves said that they had no idea about the provenance of the Radipole Hoody - if I recall despite placing it in Cat E they actually added "make your own mind up".

In terms of the Radipole Hooded Merganser's origin does it not seem odd that a bird that would have had to have had a strong enough migratory urge to set it on a journey over the Atlantic has subsequently shown no significant movements at all? Can you think of any comparable example of presumed wild Nearctic wildfowl in Britain behaving in this way? The only examples that come to mind are Black Duck that have hybridized with local Mallard. American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup all show seasonal movements; lots of returning winterers but any resident birds at all?

I do partly agree with this, but if it was the case that it was from a captive generation of Hoody that had lost its migratory instinct, then what was it doing exhausted and in a storm drain near Chesil Beach - surely it had just arrived from somewhere other than a water fowl park. But who knows?

There are many year round Tufties at Radipole as well. Again, I have no answer but thi scan happen in birds. Such as with the Titchwell BW Stilt.

A short trip from a nearby wildfowl collections by a bird unused to the outdoors seems more likely than a midsummer trans-Atlantic crossing. In this regard it might be worth considering how difficult it might have found changing from 12 months of the kind of diet mentioned here;

www.freewebs.com/waterfowlgarden/hoodedmerganser.htm

"They should be fed a sea duck diet with high protein pellets a must, they will also take live foods such as meal worms and crickets with relish."

to a natural diet of fish, crayfish, frogs, mud crabs, clams, aquatic insects, and insect larvae?

Time of arrival; not strongly indicative of wild origin. Circumstances of discovery; debatable. Subsequent behavior; not strongly indicative of wild origin. Of course no one will ever know with absolute certainty, but on available evidence, and for such a nationally rare (as a presumed wild) bird, that is common in captivity (cheaper then Goldeneye, about half the price of Smew) then it doesn't seem to have much going for it.

Changing tact slightly, what actually happens when the last Lady A dies?

Will it always remain part of the British List as an extinct species on C6, or does it get removed from the British list (such as here on BUBO).

A lot of people will lose a tick if the latter is the case.

May seem a silly question, but when I ask people many are unsure. Some say it will always remain even after extinction.

Hi Nick.

Given that C6 caters for birds that category C species that are no longer self-sustaining or considered extinct then Lady Amherst's Pheasant will remain in C6 (and therefore on the British list) once the last one dies out (as will Golden Pheasant and Ruddy Duck).

The only scenario where it would be removed would be if the BOURC were to review the complete history of the species in Britain and deem that it was never self-sustaining. I have never heard any official suggestion that this has been or would be considered. The wording of C6 suggests that it is possible for a species to be classed as self-sustaining at one point and then decline (e.g. as a results of external factors like development), rather than having to be self-sustaining indefinitely.

Regards,
James

Thanks for that James, i thought that too, but Great Auk (being the obvious example) is'nt on the list.

Great Auk is on Category B of the British list, which is the category for species recorded between 1800 and 1949 but not since then. Category A is only for species that have been seen from 1st Jan 1950. Category B is part of the British list, but that is only of interest really if you have been birding/twitching for more than 65 years!

I know, but it is conceivable that someone has seen one, but can't add it on BUBO as (unless I'm mistaken) its not on the list. I thought the British list included Cat A, B and C.

Not trying to be pedantic here James, I appreciate your response. Just trying to understand why Lady A will still be on the list once the last bird dies.

More surreal than pedantic; if anyone saw the 1840 Great Auk please raise your hand.

:laugh:

Ok I had'nt realised it was that long ago.

But the point remains, if that extinct species is not on the British list, why would Lady Amhersts Pheasant remain when it dies out?

The point doesn't remain. Great Auk is on Category B of the BOU British List. You can tick a Category B no problem if you are old enough to have seen it in Britain 50+ years ago, but why would you put a species up on a listers site like Bubo that no one could conceivably have seen?

Cat B is for species that otherwise would be on Cat A (i.e. wild birds). No time limit is mentioned for Cat 6. If BOU want to mess around with the categories further (say to subdivide B to include once self-sustaining feral birds) they could, and you are best to ask BOU directly about it, but I can't see it being a particularly pressing issue for them. If you took Lady A from the start of its C6 status that's 2055, from the last bird of the formerly feral population that's going to be 2064 or shortly there after.

Cheers Jim. If the only reason Great Auk is omitted on BUBO is simply because no one can have seen it, then that is understandable.

I just wondered whether birds that had died out were not retained on the list, hope that makes sense.

Actually a correction to the last sentence of my last post. James is correct; BOU have stuck with a cutoff date (31 December 1949 www.bou.org.uk/british-list/species-categories/ ) for Cat B, rather then the rolling 50 year one I implied (and I'm not entirely sure where I got that from). So in that regard any change in Lady A status would also have to involve a change in the Cat B cutoff date. Otherwise it could potentially stay on C6 for ever.

I see that according to Lee Evans year list 2015, he reports 5 males still in existence from 12 March this year, 3 at a his former feeding station, and 2 more males he believes to be forced from the land of the nearby Centre Parcs.

I thought we were down to 1 or 2 birds.

Does anyone believe that females are infact still alive and breeding is still occurring?

Interesting. And not secret either.

Thoughts?

Thought; it's Lee's report so contact him?

I personally have no problem with Lee but as I am not close to him I don't think I would get any reply. I'm sure others will query this anyway and his thoughts will emerge.

I'm not sure anyone else will be able to (or wish to) expand any further then he already has done.