2022 Splits and Lumps with Nick Block
June 16, 2022
In early summer eager birders turn to bird taxonomy, and we at the podcast turn once again to our friend Nick Block, professor of Biology at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts to read the tea leaves for American Ornithological Society’s North America Classification Committee and explain the latest in bird taxonomy. He joins Nate Swick to talk about new meadowlarks, Mew Gulls, and the House Wren MEGASPLIT.
Also, some thoughts from Nate about using Merlin on Breeding Bird Surveys.
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The American Birding Podcast brings together staff and friends of the American Birding Association as we talk about birds, birding, travel and conservation in North America and beyond.
Join host Nate Swick every other Thursday for news and happenings, recent rarities, guests from around the birding world, and features of interest to every birder.
Just a note: Mew Gull vs Short-billed Gull split last year: Our North American birds were called Short-billed Gulls from the first AOU Checklist in 1886 until AOU lumped them with Mew Gulls in 1931.
Nate- The BBS is a one observer spot count. Multiple observers are prohibited. Merlin is the equivalent of the second observer. The BBS acknowledges that the official observer will miss birds, but one observer is the protocol. So, no Merlin on the BBS survey.