cgeoff

The Records Committee is aware that there is a certain amount of dissatisfaction at present due to the slow pace with which it has carried out work recently. On behalf of RC members I would like to apologise for this. We are, however, in the process of remedying the situation in a variety of ways, and in a few months’ time we are sure the perception will be different. Our strategy is as follows.

1. Assessment of 'first' records
There are a number of outstanding first records of species and subspecies that require assessment. These will be our priority in the immediate future. We are at present gathering formal submissions of these records in order that they can be circulated around the Committee. If you are aware that you were involved in the finding or photographing of a first record, and have not already been approached for a submission, please submit a record using the Unusual Record Form available on the website.

It should be noted that under our current system we can only assess and add species to the HK List if there has been a formal submission, and for many of the firsts, this has not happened. We realise that many photographs of rare species are being posted on the HKBWS website, and we are working on how this activity can be utilised for the submission of records in ways that do not add a significant extra workload. Record submission is not solely the provision of a photograph, however. It also requires details of date, location, habitat, behaviour and the distance from the bird. It also requires an observer name (as opposed to a nickname or partial name) of somebody who can verify the record. Thus, we need these details as well as the identity of the bird.

2. Assessment of other records
We are also preparing to assess another round of records of rarities, and would be grateful if those of you who have not yet submitted your rarity records for the years 2004 and 2005 would do so as soon as possible. In addition, records of non-rarities for 2004 and 2005 are also requested, if you have not submitted them already.

3. Hong Kong Bird Report
Preparation of the HKBR 2001-02 is in its final stages, and we anticipate publication early in 2007. Editing and preparation of the HKBR is a very time-consuming process, and we have struggled to find suitable people willing to take on this onerous task. In addition, while the HKBR itself is not the direct responsibility of the RC, publication of the HKBR determines the speed with which rarity records are submitted and assessed, as records for a given year are only processed ahead of the relevant year’s HKBR publication. This is part of the reason for our delay in record assessment. To combat this, we aim to speed up preparation of the HKBR such that the HKBR 2003-04 is published before the end of 2007.  In addition, we will process records regardless of the HKBR publication timetable, and will post its decisions on the website.

4. RC Webpage
We are working on establishing a webpage for the RC. This will be used to keep the membership abreast of the work we are carrying out and the decisions we have made. We hope that this will be up and running early in 2007. We will use the Forum to draw attention to changes to the webpage and summarise decisions we have made, with the details provided on the RC webpage itself.

We welcome comments or suggestions on our work. You can relay these either directly to me via private message or email, or you can post them on the Forum.

Geoff Carey
Records Committee Chairman