) ) i ' I (?L fGrC3 BlllPS Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 26, No. 1 February 1998 Pages 1-32 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Vice-President: JAN WOOLFENDEN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Secretary: Eric D. STOLEN, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899. Treasurer: VAUGHN MORRISON, 3234-A 40th Way S., St. Petersburg, Florida 33711. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1997 Gail Parsons, 14346 Wadsworth Dr., Odessa, Florida 33556. Dave Maehr, Wilkinson and Associates, Inc., 3506 Exchange Avenue, Naples, Florida 33942. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1998 Bobbie Kittleson, 5334 Woodhaven Lane, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Camille Sewell, 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1999 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 2458 Econ Cir. Apt. 132, Orlando, Florida 32817-2653. Honorary M[emberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden, 1994. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., P.O. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 1 February 1998 Pages 1-32 Florida Field Nat. 26(1): 1-6, 1998. THE STATUS OF NELSON’S AND SALTMARSH SHARP- TAILED SPARROWS ON WACCASASSA BAY, LEVY COUNTY, FLORIDA William Post Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street Charleston, South Carolina 29403 Abstract.— Little is known about the wintering ranges of the two species of sharp- tailed sparrows {Ammodramus caudacutus and A. nelsoni). During two years, I studied sharp-tailed sparrows overwintering in a salt marsh near the Gulf of Mexico in Levy County, Florida; among the 162 individuals examined in the hand, I determined that most (96%) were Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow (A. nelsoni). Within this species, the ma- jority (97%) were the subspecies breeding in north-central North America (A. n. nelsoni)] the remaining 3% were intermediate between A. n. nelsoni and the two more eastern subspecies, A. n. alterus, which breeds in the area of Hudson Bay and James Bay, and A. n. subvirgatus, which breeds in coastal areas of the Maritime Provinces, Quebec, and Maine. Only 4% of the individuals examined were the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (A. caudacutus), which nests on the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Virginia. These data from one area of Florida, compared with similarly gathered data from South Carolina, tentatively suggest that the main wintering ground of the Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow is on the Gulf of Mexico In contrast, the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow is relatively uncommon on the Gulf of Mexico in winter. Based on the research of Greenlaw (1993), the sharp-tailed sparrow {Ammodramus caudacutus [American Ornithologists' Union 1983]) has been split into two species, the Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow {Ammo- dramus nelsoni), and the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (A. caudacu- tus; American Ornithologists’ Union 1995). The former species breeds in three separate regions: 1) from southern Mackenzie Province to northern South Dakota, eastward to northwestern Wisconsin; 2) the south shores of Hudson and James bays; 3) in coastal areas of Quebec and the Maritime provinces, south to Maine. The latter species breeds along the Atlantic coast from central Maine to southern Virginia. Thus, nelsoni has a more northerly and westerly breeding distribution, while caudacutus tends to breed farther east and south. As yet, little is 1 2 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST known about the comparative winter distribution of the two groups. As members of the sharp-tailed sparrow complex are difficult to separate in the field, it will be necessary to rely on collections or on systematic banding studies before winter distributions can be fully characterized. This study, conducted during two winters on the Gulf coast of Florida, provides information on winter population composition in one region and in one habitat type. Although populations of both species show cli- nal variation, and many individuals cannot be assigned unequivocally to one race or another, the subspecies categories are useful in identify- ing the probable geographic origin of most individuals. Study Area and Methods The study site was located in a salt marsh at Gulf Hammock, on the landward edge of Waccasassa Bay, Levy County, Florida. The shoreline is gradual, but dotted with oyster bars and small islands, and cut by numerous creeks. The study site is flat, except for creeks up to 2 m deep. Tides average 0.8 m. The average salinity is 19.03 0/00. Vegetation covers 94% of the study area, and tidal creeks cover 6%. Vascular plants, in order of im- portance (percent of relative cover), were Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterni flora), 38%; Black Needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), 26%; Seashore Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), 23%; Glasswort (Salicornia virginica), 8%; Saltwort (Batis maritima), 3%. The site is de- scribed in further detail in Post (1981a, b). Post et al. (1983), and Woods et al. (1982). The 30-ha study area was gridded with markers placed at 25-m intervals. Birds were captured in mist-nets placed near grid intersections. I attempted to place nets to capture the most birds in each area. The same net sites were used between years. Upon capture, each bird was banded, measured, weighed, and the netting location was recorded. If sufficient light was available, the bird was identified to subspecies with the aid of a dichotomous key devised by Parkes (1952; see Appendix). Some individuals were photographed for comparison with museum specimens. Birds were released within 100 m of the point of capture. Mist-net casualties were salvaged and compared directly with study skins. The study was conducted during the period 30 January 1979 to 30 October 1980. Results I marked 183 sharp-tailed sparrows. Sharp-tailed sparrows were about as common as Seaside Sparrows {Ammodramus maritimus). During the same period, using the same methods, I marked 142 Sea- side Sparrows. The latter species is a permanent resident on the study area; sharp-tailed sparrows occur in the study area 3 October through 17 May. I determined the species and subspecies for 162 sharp-tailed spar- rows. The Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow was by far the most common species (96% of the birds examined) The Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Spar- row comprised only 4% of the population. Among the 155 Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows, 150 (97%) could be assigned unequivocally to A. n. nelsoni, 4 (3%) were intermediate be- tween A. n. nelsoni and A. n. subvirgatus and 1 (0.6%) was intermedi- ate between A. n. alterus and A, n. nelsoni. Post • Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows 3 The seven Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows were not assigned to subspecies. The minimum average return rate for the two-year period was 15%. During the winter sampling period of 1979 (30 January to 23 Feb- ruary), I marked 20 individuals. In the second winter sampling period (21 November 1979 to 24 February 1980), three birds from the first marked group were recaptured, giving a return rate of 15% (3/20). In the second period, I marked 43 additional birds. In the third period (16 October 1980 to 21 October 1980), I recaptured six individuals, giving a return rate of 15% (6/43). No birds marked in the first period were re- captured in the third. The relatively low return rate may be related to low annual survival of first-year birds. Only 6% of the individuals that I examined in the autumn {n = 34) were after hatch-year birds. The average distance between the original capture positions and the points of recapture after the birds returned from the breeding grounds was 99 m (SD = 50 m; range 0-158 m; n = 9; A n. nelsoni). Both species of sharp-tailed sparrows associated in loose flocks, of- ten joining Seaside Sparrows as they foraged out of view on the ground under Distichlis, Salicornia, or S. alterni flora, as well as in the open, along the edges of mud banks and shallow, open pools (foraging sites described in Post et al. 1984). Members of the three species formed loose aggregations, and followed each other between feeding and roost- ing sites (Post and Greenlaw 1993). In these contexts, the cee lisp, which apparently acts as a social contact call (Post and Greenlaw 1975, Greenlaw and Rising 1994), was frequently uttered. Mixed-species groups mobbed predators, often sitting in exposed positions on the tops of vegetation while vocalizing {Tic twitter; Greenlaw and Rising 1994). Soon after their arrival in early October, I heard A nelsoni singing. Singing was heard intermittently through the winter, especially on warm days. Seaside Sparrows, which remained on their territories dur- ing the winter, began chasing sharp-tails in February. Mean wing length (chord from wrist to tip of longest primary) was 52.7 mm (SD = 1.8; range 48.5-56.5 mm; n = 55A. n. nelsoni). The average mass of 25 A n. nelsoni was 13.1 g (SD = 1.0; range 11.7-16.1 g;n = 25). The sample size was too small to test for seasonal variation in mass. Few individuals showed signs of fat accumulation in the winter. Most birds (72% of 71) had no furcular fat (Helms fat class 0) or had a slight amount (fat class 1; 38%). The only pronounced signs of fat gain occurred in late February through early March, when six individuals (8.5%) had moderate fat (fat class 2). The only very fat bird (fat class 3) was captured on 17 May. I detected no molting individuals of A. n. nelsoni after its arrival in early October. Spring (prealternate) molt was first detected 27 March. By 15 April, most individuals examined (11 of 12) were undergoing molt of body and flight feathers. Flight feather molt involved replace- 4 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST merit of all remiges and rectrices. The first completed molt was re- corded on 5 April; six birds examined on 17 May had completed their molt. Discussion The main finding of this study is that more than 95% of sharp- tailed sparrows that wintered at a study site on the Gulf of Mexico were Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows. The Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow comprised only about 4% of the sample. The generality of this finding needs to be tested by sampling at other coastal localities, espe- cially on the northern Gulf Coast of Florida. In contrast to the findings of this study, the composition of a popu- lation of sharp-tailed sparrows wintering in a salt marsh in South Carolina, also studied by mist-netting (October through December 1984, 1993, 1997), was 57% A. caudacutus and 43% A. nelsoni (n = 72; unpubl. data). The nominate race A. n. nelsoni comprised only 17% of the South Carolina population, in contrast to its 93% representation at the Florida site. The two other races of nelsoni were relatively more abundant at the Atlantic coast site than at the Gulf Coast site. The “Ac- adian” sharp-tailed sparrow (A. n. suhvirgatus) made up 11% of the population, in contrast to its 3% representation on the Gulf coast (four birds, all intermediates with A. n. nelsoni). Finally, the “James Bay” sharp-tailed sparrow (A. n. alterus) comprised 15% of the South Caro- lina population, while only 1% of the Florida birds were assigned to this race (one bird, also an intermediate). Thus, preliminary compari- sons between the two areas indicate that there are distinct differences in the winter distribution of A. n. nelsoni and the other populations of sharp-tailed sparrows. Awaiting information from studies conducted in other parts of the species’ winter ranges, I tentatively suggest the following: A. n. nelsoni, as might be expected from its more western breeding range, winters chiefiy on the Gulf coast. The more eastern breeding populations of this species {alterus and suhvirgatus) winter mainly on the Atlantic coast. The Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow winters along the Atlantic coast, principally south of its breeding range (Greenlaw and Rising 1994). Like the Atlantic coast populations of the Seaside Sparrow (Post and Greenlaw 1994), this species may rarely cross the Florida peninsula to winter on the Gulf of Mexico (see, in contrast, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Until the recent division of the sharp-tailed sparrow into two spe- cies, field workers had been faced with the difficult problem of distin- guishing between five races, some of which were not objectively separable on the basis of plumage (Bull 1964, Chamberlain 1975). Un- Post • Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows 5 der the two-species concept, field identification may not be nearly as troublesome, as it has been reduced to the task of separating southern birds (bright, well marked pattern, sharply defined and relatively pro- fuse dark ventral streaking, and large bill) from the group of northern ones (blurred, ill-defined, grayish ventral streaking and weak dorsal streaking, or greatly reduced breast streaking combined with a small bill and a sharply marked back and face (Greenlaw, pers. comm.; see descriptions in Greenlaw and Rising 1994 and illustrations of “typical” individuals in Rising 1994). Further banding studies and museum work are recommended to delineate the ranges of the various races within the two species. Acknowledgments The research was supported by the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, Tall Timbers Research Station and the Florida Audubon Society. I am especially grateful for the encouragement and advice of Jon Greenlaw, Bill Hardy, Fran James, Herb Kale, Bruce Means, Steve Nesbitt, and Lovett Williams. The following individuals were instru- mental in the success of the field work: Fred Antonio, Barbara Brownsmith, Greg Gutche, Bill Ihle, Kathy Post, Charles Woods and Lois Wood. The manuscript benefitted from the comments of J. S. Greenlaw and F. C. James. Literature Cited American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American birds, 6th ed. Am. Ornithol. Union, Lancaster. American Ornithologists’ Union. 1995. Fortieth supplement to the American Orni- thologists’ Union Check-list of North American birds. Auk 112:819-830. Bull, J. 1964. Birds of the New York area. Harper and Row, New York. Chamberlain, E. B. 1975. Comments on field identification of Sharp-tailed Sparrows. Chat 39:59-60. Greenlaw, J. S. 1993. Behavioral and morphological diversification in Sharp-tailed Sparrows {Ammodramus caudacutus) of the Atlantic Coast. Auk 110:286-303. Greenlaw, J. S., and J. D. Rising. 1994. Sharp-tailed Sparrow {Ammodramus caudacu- tus). in (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The birds of North America, No. 112 Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Parkes, K. C. 1952. The birds of New York State and their taxonomy. Unpubl. Ph.D. dis- sertation, Cornell University, Ithaca. Post, W. 1981a. Breeding bird census no. 200. salt marsh. Am. Birds 35:99,104. Post, W. 1981b. The influence of rice rats Oryzomys palustris on the habitat use of the Seaside Sparrow Ammospi^a maritima. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 9:35-40. Post, W., and J. S. Greenlaw. 1975. Seaside Sparrow displays: their function in social organization and habitat. Auk 92:461-492. Post, W., J. S. Greenlaw, T. L. Merriam, and L. A. Wood. 1983. Comparative ecology of northern and southern populations of the Seaside Sparrow. Pages 123-136 In The Seaside Sparrow, its biology and management. (T. L. Quay, J. B. Funderburg, Jr., D. S. Lee, E. F. Potter, and C. S. Robbins, Eds.) Occas. Pap. North Carolina Biol. Surv. 1983- 5, Raleigh. 6 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Post, W., and J. S. Greenlaw. 1994. Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus). in The birds of North America, No. 127 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Academy of Natural Sciences; Philadelphia; and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Rising, J. D. 1994. A guide to the identification and natural history of the sparrows of the United States and Canada. Academic Press, San Diego. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press Flor- ida, Gainesville. Woods, C. A., W. Post, and C. W. Kilpatrick. 1982. Microtus pennsylvanicus (Roden- tia: Muridae) in Florida; a Pleistocene relict in a coastal saltmarsh. Bull. Florida State Mus., Biol. Sci. 28:25-52. APPENDIX. Key to the subspecies of sharp-tailed sparrows (after Parkes 1952). A. Flank feathers with well defined black shaft-streaks. B. Smaller (flattened wing 51-58 mm; bill [anterior nares to tip] 8.0-9. 1 mm); sharp contrast between whitish edges and blackish centers of dorsal feathers A. n. nelsoni BB. Larger (wing 53-65 mm; bill 8.9-10.1); less contrast between buffy or gray- ish edges and blackish or brown centers of dorsal feathers. C. Darker; black areas of dorsum more predominant; central gray crown stripe reduced in width, sometimes completely obscured by blackish lat- eral stripes ....................................... A. caudacutus diversus CC. Lighter; black areas of dorsum less predominant; ventral streaking less extensive; central gray crown stripe well marked A. c. caudacutus AA. Flank feathers with blurred gray shaft-streaks. B. Predominant dorsal color tone rufescent; face (except gray auriculars) rich buff; central crown stripe bluish gray; edgings of tertials buff .......... A. n. alterus BB. Predominant dorsal color tone olivaceous; face (except gray auriculars) pale buff; central crown stripe olive gray; edgings of tertials grayish-white A. n. subvirgatus Florida Field Nat. 26(1):7-17, 1998. FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS BASED ON NESTING RECORDS Dustin W. Perkins\ Peter D. Vickery^^ Tylan F. Dean\ AND Mark D. Scheuerell^ ^Department of Forestry and Wildlife Conservation University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 ^Center For Biological Conservation, Massachusetts Audubon Society South Great Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 ^Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Box 351800 Seattle, WA 98195-1800 Abstract. — Estimated reproductive success of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Am- modramus savannarum floridanus) obtained by monitoring nests is unknown. This pa- per represents the first study of reproductive success based on nesting records for this endangered subspecies. We located 13 nests during the 1996 breeding season and found an active nest up to eight weeks later than any previously recorded egg date. Using the Ma3rfield method, nest success was calculated to be 0.11 at Avon Park Air Force Range in Highlands and Polk counties, and 0.33 for Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Os- ceola County. Annual productivity per pair was estimated to be between 1.4 and 1.7 fledglings at Avon Park Air Force Range, and between 4.3 and 5.4 fledglings at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. No nests were found at the National Audubon Soci- ety’s Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary in Okeechobee County. We esti- mated that two of the three populations we studied did not produce enough young to maintain current population levels. Predation was the major cause of nest failure during 1996. Our results give reason to be seriously concerned about the long-term viability of this endangered subspecies. In recent years, interest in grassland bird conservation has in- creased as populations have declined. Peterjohn and Sauer (1993) esti- mated that grassland birds have experienced greater population declines than any other ecological group of birds in the United States. Grasshopper Sparrow {Ammodramus savannarum) populations have severely declined in recent decades (Robbins et al. 1986). The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (A. s. floridanus), is an endemic, sedentary sub- species that inhabits the native dry prairie of central Florida. It is listed as endangered by the State of Florida (Kale 1978), and by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Register 1986). By 1995, 88% of the prairie habitat in central Florida had been converted to other uses, primarily improved pasture and citrus plantations (Shriver 1996). At present, there are only four sites where Florida Grasshopper Sparrows are known to breed. The state of Florida re- cently acquired the Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve in Osceola and Okeechobee counties; Florida Grasshopper Sparrows are known to 7 8 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST breed at this site, but reproductive rates and population numbers are unknown. Because the breeding distribution of this endangered taxon appears to be small and fragmented, it is critical to determine whether rates of reproductive success are sufficient to maintain present popula- tion levels at sites where it occurs, or conversely, whether any of these sites are acting as population sinks (Pulliam 1988). Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests are very difficult to find. The domed ground nest is well concealed, usually in dense grass and shrubs. For example, a three-year study on Florida Grasshopper Spar- row breeding ecology and habitat selection failed to locate a single nest (W. G. Shriver, pers. comm.). Not surprisingly, there is very little infor- mation on the reproductive success of Grasshopper Sparrows based on nest observations, and there is essentially no information on the en- dangered Florida subspecies (Vickery 1996). Few estimates of repro- ductive success based on nesting records for any subspecies of Grasshopper Sparrows have been reported in the literature. Kershner and Bollinger (1996) estimated reproductive success to be 41% for the eastern subspecies (A. s. pratensis) in Illinois; Patterson and Best (1996) estimated a 30% success rate for A. s. pratensis in Iowa; Johnson and Temple (1990) estimated nest-day survival ranged from 0.750 to 0.947 (nest success rate was calculated to be 0.2% to 31.9% based on 21-day nesting cycle) for A. s. perpallidus in Minnesota; and Wray et al. (1982) estimated reproductive success to be 47%, 8%, and 7% for 1978, 1979, and 1980 respectively, for A, s. pratensis in West Virginia. Other estimates of reproductive success (Vickery et al. 1992a) have used an index based on behavioral observations. Using this index. Delisle and Savidge (1996) estimated a reproductive success rate of 52% for the eastern subspecies in southeastern Nebraska; Collier (1994) estimated 65% and 92% success rates for the western subspecies (A. s. perpalli- dus) in California in 1992 and 1993, and Vickery et al. (1992a) esti- mated 40 to 50% success rate for the eastern subspecies in southwestern Maine. This study reports the first reproductive success rates for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows based on nests found in 1996. Although our sample size was smaller than the minimum of 20 sug- gested by Hensler and Nichols (1981) to achieve a minimum precision in the estimator, this paper provides valuable new information given the lack of published data on the reproductive success of Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows and the great difficulty in finding nests. We recognize that this study is based on only one year of data and may not refiect broader multi-year patterns. However, preliminary analysis of an index of reproductive success based on behavioral obser- vations (Vickery et al. 1992a) has shown that 1996 indices (Vickery and Perkins 1997) are similar to indices recorded by Shriver (1996) from 1993 to 1995. Therefore, we think that these data may reflect Perkins et al. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Reproductive Success 9 broader multi-year patterns of Florida Grasshopper Sparrow produc- tivity. Study Sites and Methods Two study sites were used for this study: Avon Park Air Force Range in Highlands and Polk Counties (27°37’N 81°19’W), and Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Osceola County (27°47’N 81°06W). These sites will be referred to as “Avon Park” and “Three Lakes,” respectively. A third potential site for this study, Ordway-Whittell Kiss- immee Prairie Sanctuary in Okeechobee County (27°34’N 80°58’W), hereafter referred to as “Kissimmee Prairie,” was artificially flooded during much of the 1996 breeding season. No nests were found at Kissimmee Prairie, we estimated that this site had extremely low reproductive rates based on reproductive indices from an associated study, and we saw only three fledglings at this site during the entire 1996 breeding season (Vickery and Perkins 1997). The three sites are less than 30 km from each other. Native dry prairie is characterized as flat, unforested, fire-dependent grasslands with scattered shrubs. Dominant graminoids include wiregrass (Aristida heyrichiana), tooth- ache grass {Ctenium aromaticum), bluestem {Andropogon spp.), and beak rush {Rhyn- chospora spp.)\ dominant shrubs include saw palmetto' {Serenoa repens), dwarf oak (Quercus minima), fetterbush {Lyonia lucida), and gallberry {Ilex glabra); dominant forbs include bachelor’s button {Poly gala spp.), yellow-eyed grass {Xyris spp.), hat pin {Eriocaulon decangulare), meadow beauty {Rhexia spp.), and a variety of milkweeds, or- chids, and asters (Shriver 1996). Nests were found during the 1996 breeding season, between 4 April and 28 August. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests were located opportunistically as we conducted spot- mapping surveys and completed vegetation measurements for an associated study. Nests were usually found after flushing birds from the nest or after watching them land in a lo- cation with food. After nests were located, they were marked with flags 3 m from the nest, and were checked every one to six days (x = 2.9). Mean clutch size was calculated. We used Mayfield’s (1961, 1975) method to determine nest survival rates and Johnson’s (1979) formula to calculate standard deviations. The traditional estimate of re- productive success divides the number of successful nests by the number of observed nests and usually overestimates actual nest survival (Mayfield 1961, 1975). The May- field method adjusts for this bias, and was the best method for our study because periods between visits to the nest were short and the sample size was small (Johnson 1979), and the causes of mortality were relatively constant, not catastrophic (Klett and Johnson 1982, Johnson and Shaffer 1990). The Mayfield method is the only method to make stud- ies comparable when there is more than one cause of nest loss (Beintema 1992). Nest losses involved only whole-brood losses. To calculate when a nest was lost, losses were as- sumed to have occurred at the midpoint between two visits. Nests were considered suc- cessful if young were expected to leave the nest between nest visits, and if, on a later visit, the nest was found empty with no evidence of disturbance. Best and Stauffer (1980) noted that snake and avian depredation may occur in the final days of the nestling period and go unnoticed, which could potentially result in an overestimate of nesting success; we had only one nest where this might have occurred. We used Austin’s (1977) method of determining the number of nesting attempts per year. With this method, populations with greater nest success rates have fewer total nest attempts than populations with lower success rates. This is because a successful nest at- tempt requires more days (occupies a larger percentage of the length of the breeding sea- son) than an unsuccessful attempt. We combined Austin’s method with Pinkowski’s (1979) estimator of annual productivity to determine whether Florida Grasshopper Sparrow breeding success was sufficient to maintain current population levels at each 10 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST study site. All breeding-success and productivity calculations assume that there is an equal likelihood of locating each nest. The duration of the incubation period for this subspecies is reported as 11 to 13 days (Nicholson 1936, Smith 1968, Vickery 1996), the nestling stage is reported as approxi- mately nine days (Smith 1968, Vickery 1996), and egg laying usually averages four days. Behavioral observations of known territories indicate that the length of time between the fledging of a successful nest and laying of the first egg in the next clutch is 10 to 17 days, and that 3 to 4 days are thought to elapse between the failure of a nest and produc- tion of the first egg in the subsequent attempt (Vickery unpubl. data). We used 13.5 days and 3.5 days for the above two periods to estimate the number of nesting attempts. A nest was judged successful if at least one nestling survived to leave the nest. We tried to determine the cause of failed nests. Failed nests that were left empty but intact were thought to be the result of snake or avian predators, and failed nests that were obviously disturbed or contained eggshell fragments were thought to be the result of mammalian predators (Rearden 1951, Best 1978). At each visit we also noted the pres- ence or absence of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) at the nest. Results We found 13 nests during the 1996 breeding season (Appendix 1). Eight nests were found at Avon Park, and five at Three Lakes. Active nests were found as early as 3 May and as late as 19 August. Mean clutch size was 3.3 (SD = 0.5; n = 7) at Avon Park, and 3.0 (SD = 0.0; n = 2) at Three Lakes (Table 1). These clutch sizes were similar to the clutch size of 3.7 ± 0.5 previously reported for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (McNair 1986), but were lower than clutch sizes reported for the eastern subspecies in West Virginia 4.1 ± 0.8 to 4.5 ± 0.6 (Wray et al. 1982), and 4.4 in Michigan (Walkinshaw 1940). Daily survival rate for nests was 0.90 at Avon Park and 0.95 at Three Lakes. With a nesting cycle length of 21 days (12 days incubation and 9 days of nestling stage), we calculated the nest success rate over the entire nesting cycle to be 0.11 at Avon Park and 0.33 at Three Lakes (Table 1). Table 1. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nesting estimations derived from eight nests at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida and five nests from Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Florida, during the 1996 breeding season. Estimation Avon Park Air Force Range Mean (± ISD) Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area Mean (± ISD) Daily Nest Survival 0.90 (0.87-0.94) 0.95 (0.91-0.98) Total Nest Survival 0.11 (0.05-0.26) 0.33 (0.15-0.71) Fledglings/Successful Nest 3.00 (3.00-3.00) 3.33 (2.18-4.48) Potential Nest Attempts/Season 5.73 3.94 Productivity/Pair 1.98 4.28 Productivity (4 attempts) 1.38 4.34 Productivity (5 attempts) 1.72 5.43 Perkins et al. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Reproductive Success 11 We found an active nest with eggs on 19 August 1996. This repre- sents the latest egg record for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows by more than eight weeks (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). If one assumes the clutch from this nest hatched on the day of discovery the nestlings would not fledge until at least 28 August. Given that the earliest re- ported egg date for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows is 21 March (Mc- Nair 1986), Florida Grasshopper Sparrows have a breeding season that can potentially extend for 160 days. Assuming a 160-day breeding season, we estimated the potential number of nest attempts per season at Avon Park to be 5.7, because nest success was so poor. (We calculated this by using 13.5 days between fledging of a successful nest and the first egg of the next attempt and 3.5 days between the failure of a nest and the first egg of the next attempt.) At Three Lakes nest success was better; consequently, the estimated number of total nest attempts was lower (3.9). The number of young fledged per successful nest was 3.0 at Avon Park and 3.3 at Three Lakes. Thus, we estimated annual produc- tivity per pair to be 2.0 at Avon Park and 4.3 at Three Lakes (Table 1). We think that the actual number of total nest attempts per season falls somewhere between the estimates for Avon Park and Three Lakes. We used an estimate of five nest attempts to estimate annual productiv- ity to be 1.7 fledglings at Avon Park and 5.4 fledglings at Three Lakes. Using a conservative estimate of four total nest attempts, we estimated an annual productivity of 1,4 fledglings at Avon Park, and 4.3 fledglings at Three Lakes (Table 1). Thus, the actual annual productivity per pair was probably somewhere between the two figures given for each site. Delany et al. (1993) calculated a 59.8% adult annual survival rate, and we projected a 14.8% to the first breeding season for Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows (fledgling survival = 25% of adult survivorship; see Ricklefs 1977). Using these estimates, a pair would need to produce 5.5 fledglings annually to maintain a stable population. To produce 5.5 fledglings, assuming 0.11 and 0.33 for nest survival rates and 3.0 and 3.3 fledglings per successful nest at Avon Park and Three Lakes, respectively, it would be necessary for each pair to at- tempt nesting 16 times at Avon Park, and 5 times at Three Lakes [5.5 fledglings/(fledglings per successful nest)(nest success rate)]. This is in- conceivable at Avon Park, but may be possible at Three Lakes. Thus, we conclude that Florida Grasshopper Sparrow populations, even under the most optimistic estimations, were not replacing them- selves at Avon Park or Kissimmee Prairie during the 1996 breeding season. Reproduction at Three Lakes was probably sufficient to sustain current population levels, but probably provided few, if any, surplus in- dividuals. In addition, preliminary work by Vickery and Perkins (1997) suggests that adult annual survival rates may be lower than the previ- ous 59.8% estimate (Delany et al. 1993). 12 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Of the failed nests {n = 9) that we monitored in 1996, predation was the major cause of nest failure (88%), and one nest was abandoned. Of the eight depredated nests, two (25%) were probably destroyed by mammals and six (75%) by snake or avian predators. In Michigan, Walkinshaw (1940) observed small red ants attacking young birds in a nest and entering pipped eggs, and the adult female ate all ants in and around the nest. Introduced fire ants have been re- ported to have a negative impact on Northern Bobwhite (Colinus vir- ginianus) populations in Texas (Allen et al. 1995), and Travis (1938) reported 6.5% loss of pipping Northern Bobwhite chicks to fire ants (Solenopsis geminata) in northern Florida. However, in 55 visits to 13 nests, we found no evidence of fire ant predation during the 1996 breeding season. Discussion Our data suggest that two of our three sites acted as sink popula- tions during the 1996 breeding season. This could be critical for an en- dangered taxon that is short lived, apparently sedentary, and is known to be breeding at only four locations. Small populations may breed at some unprotected sites, but these sites may have limited value to the viability of the taxon. The sizable population found at Avon Park during the 1996 breed- ing season (>70 pairs) may be the result of the reproductive surplus of some other source population in 1995. If this is the case, a substantial majority of the known Florida Grasshopper Sparrow population oc- curred in sink habitat. Thus, the destruction of a relatively small area of high quality habitat (the source habitat) could lead to population ex- tinction at several sites (Pulliam 1988). If Avon Park and Kissimmee Prairie continue to act as sink populations, Florida Grasshopper Spar- rows could only continue to persist at these two sites if Three Lakes, or some other site, acted as a source, and the surplus individuals dis- persed to Avon Park and Kissimmee Prairie. However, to date, dis- persal between sites has not been documented. Our estimate of a 160-day breeding season extends the reported breeding season for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows beyond late July (McNair 1986) to late August. We monitored five nests that were at least four weeks later than the previous latest egg record (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Interestingly, four of these nests were located in areas that were not burned during the summer of 1996 (see Shriver et al. 1996). It appears that the extension of the breeding season applies not only to summer burned areas, but at least occasionally to areas that have not been burned in the summer. Grasshopper Sparrows can produce > two broods per year in Maine (Vickery et al. 1992a), and D. J. Nicholson {in Smith 1968) reported Perkins et al. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Reproductive Success 13 that Florida Grasshopper Sparrov^s had three nest attempts. Our study suggests that multiple nest attempts, probably 4 to 5 times an- nually, are essential for this taxon to survive. Predation is considered to be the most common cause of nest fail- ure for many songbirds (Martin 1992), and W. H. Nicholson (1936 in Smith 1968) notes high nest depredation rates of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows, “I have found 25 to 30 nests under construction; upon re- turning later I found practically all of them destroyed.” Wray et al. (1982) found that snakes {Coluber constrictor constrictor) and Ameri- can Crows (Corvus hrachyrhynchos) were the major predators (78%) of grassland bird nests in West Virginia. Feral hogs (Sus scrofa), spotted skunks {Mephitis mephitis), striped skunks {Spilogale putorius), and Loggerhead Shrikes {Lanius ludovicianus) have all been documented to be a threat to Florida Grasshopper Sparrows or their nests (Smith 1968, T. F. Dean unpubl. data). An additional 11 bird species, 8 mam- malian species, and 12 snake species are present in the dry prairie of Florida and could potentially be predators of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows and their nests. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests are extremely well concealed, and are hard to detect by human investigators (pers. obs). Yet conceal- ment only affects predators that depend on sight, and does not influ- ence vulnerability of nests to snake predation (Best 1978). Also, nest concealment may not be a factor when predators locate nests inciden- tally when searching for other prey types (Vickery et al. 1992b); Wray et al. (1982) found that well concealed Grasshopper Sparrow nests suf- fered higher predation rates than more open nests of the Vesper Spar- row {Pooecetes gramineus). We think the rates of nest predation we observed were not artifi- cially inflated by our activities at the nests. Because our study sites had extensive human activity throughout the breeding season, human scent was scattered over the entire study area, and scent trails would be of little use to mammalian predators. Nest flags would not likely have provided clues to visual predators such as American Crows be- cause the same flags were used to mark 50-m grids across almost the entire study area. In 1996, we estimated that only 11% of nests at Avon Park and 33% of nests at Three Lakes were successful; there was essentially' no repro- ductive success at Kissimmee Prairie. In 1993, Florida Grasshopper Sparrow reproductive success was estimated to be less than 25% (Vick- ery 1996). Given this generally low annual productivity, it seems un- likely that populations at Avon Park and Kissimmee Prairie were sustaining themselves in 1996. Only one of our study sites, Three Lakes, appears to have sufficient rates of recruitment to maintain pop- ulations through local recruitment. The above estimates, combined 14 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST with the short lifespan of this species, give reason to be seriously con- cerned about the long-term viability of this endangered subspecies. Acknowledgments The authors thank the Department of Defense and Environmental Flight (Avon Park Air Force Range) for financial and logistical support. The Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit assisted in administrative and logistical support. We greatly appreciate permission for access and logistic support at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area from the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, and at Or- dway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary from the National Audubon Society. B. Pranty aided in field work and reviewed earlier drafts of this paper. P. Gray, C. Griffin, J. Pederson, M. Sallier, W G. Shriver, and P. Walsh were especially helpful. C. Collins aided in field work, and J. Herkert gave advice in nest analyses. Literature Cited Austin, G. T. 1977. Production and survival of the Verdin. Wilson Bull. 89:572-582. Allen, C. R., R. S. Lutz, and S. Demarais. 1995. Red imported fire ant impacts on Northern Bobwhite populations. Ecol. Applications. 5:632-638. Beintema, a. j. 1992. Mayfield, a must: exercises in calculation of nesting success. Li- mosa 65(4):155-162. Best, L. B. 1978. Field Sparrow reproductive success and nesting ecology. Auk 95:9-22. Best, L. B., and D. F. Stauffer 1980. Factors affecting nesting success in riparian bird communities. Condor 82:149-158. Collier, C. L. 1994. Habitat selection and reproductive success of the Grasshopper Sparrow at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. M.S. Thesis, San Diego State Univ., San Diego. Delany, M. F., C. T. Moore, and D. R. Progulske, Jr 1993. Survival and longevity of adult male Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Proc. Annual Conf , Southeast Assoc. Fish Wildl. Agencies 47:366-369. Delisle, J. M., and J. A. Savidge. 1996. Reproductive success of Grasshopper Sparrows in relation to edge. Prairie Nat. 28(3):107-113. Federal Register 1986. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants determination of endangered status of Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Federal Register 51(147):27492-27495. Hensler, G. L., and j. D. Nichols. 1981. The Mayfield method of estimating nesting success: a model, estimators, and simulation results. Willson Bull. 93:42-53. Johnson, D. H. 1979. Estimating nest success: the Mayfield method and an alternative. Auk 96:651-661. Johnson, D. H., and T. L. Shaffer 1990. Estimating nest success: when Mayfield wins. Auk 107:595-600. Johnson, R. G., and S. A. Temple. 1990. Nest predation and brood parasitism of tallgrass prairie birds. J. Wildl. Manage. 54:106-111. Kale, H. W. II. 1978. Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 2. Birds. University of Florida Presses, Gainesville. Kershner, E. L., and E. K. Bollinger 1996. Reproductive success of grassland birds at east-central Illinois airports. Am, Mid. Nat. 136:358-366. Klett, a. T., and D. H. Johnson. 1982. Variability in nest survival rates and implica- tions to nesting studies. Auk 99:77-87. Mayfield, H. 1961. Nesting success calculated from exposure. Wilson Bull. 73:255-261. Mayfield, H. 1975. Suggestions for calculating nest success. Wilson Bull. 87:456-466. Perkins et al. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Reproductive Success 15 Martin, T. E. 1992. Breeding productivity considerations: what are the appropriate hab- itat features for management? Pages 455-473 in Ecology and Conservation of neotro- pical migrant landbirds (J. M. Hagan III and D. W. Johnson, eds.). Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D.C. McNair, D. B. 1986. Clutch information for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow from oo- logical collections. Florida Field Nat. 14:48-49. Nicholson, W. H. 1936. Notes on the habits of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, Auk 53:318-319. Patterson, M. P., and L. B. Best. 1996. Bird abundance and nesting success in Iowa CRP fields: the importance of vegetation and composition. Am. Midi. Nat. 135:153- 167. Peterjohn, B. G., and j. R. Sauer 1993. North American breeding bird survey annual summary 1990-1991. Bird Populations 1:1-15. PiNKOWSKI, B. C. 1979. Annual productivity and its measurement in a multi-brooded passerine, the Eastern Bluebird. Auk 96:562-572. Pulliam, R. H. 1988. Sources, sinks, and population regulation. Am. Nat. 132:652-661. Rearden, j. D. 1951. Identification of waterfowl nest predators. J. Wildl. Manage. 15:386-395. Ricklefs, R. E. 1977. Fecundity, mortality, and avian demography. Pages 366-447 in Breeding biology of birds (D. S. Farner, Ed.). Natl. Acad. Sci., Washington, D.C. Robbins, C. S., D. Bystrak, and P. H. Geissler 1986. The breeding bird survey: its first fifteen years, 1965-1979. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Resour. Publ. 157. Shriver, W. G. 1996. Habitat selection of Florida Grasshopper {Ammodramus savan- narum floridanus) and Bachman’s Sparrows (Aimophila aestivalis). M. S. Thesis, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst. Shriver, W. G., P. D. Vickery, and S. A. Hedges. 1996. Effects of summer burns on Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Florida Field Nat. 24:68-73. Smith, R. L. 1968. Grasshopper Sparrow. Pp. 725-745 in Life histories of North American cardinals, grosbeaks, buntings, towhees, finches, sparrows and allies (A.C. Bent, Ed.). Pt. 2. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 237. Washington D.C. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. Grasshopper Sparrow. Pages 638-641 in The Birdlife of Florida. University Presses of Florida. Gainesville. Travis, B. V. 1938. The fire ant (Solenopsis spp.) as a pest of quail. J. of Economic Ento- mology 31:649-652. Vickery, P. D. 1996. Grasshopper Sparrow {Ammodramus savannarum). In The Birds of North America, No. 239 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). Acad. Natural Sci., Philadelphia, PA, and Amer. Ornith. Union, Washington D.C. Vickery, P. D., M. L. Hunter, Jr., and J. V. Wells. 1992a. Use of a new reproductive index to evaluate relationship between habitat quality and breeding success. Auk 109:697-705. Vickery, P. D., M. L. Hunter, Jr., and J. V. Wells. 1992b. Evidence of incidental nest predation and its effects on nests of threatened grassland birds. Oikos 63:281-288. Vickery, P. D., and D. W. Perkins. 1997. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow: Minimum pop- ulation estimate at Avon Park Air Force Range and effects of herbivory and summer fires on breeding ecology. Final report submitted to Environmental Flight, Avon Park Air Force Range, Avon Park. Walkinshaw, L. H. 1940. Some Michigan notes on the Grasshopper Sparrow. Jack-Pine Warbler 18:50-59. Wray, T., II, K. A. Strait, and R. C. Whitmore. 1982. Reproductive success of grassland sparrows on a reclaimed surface mine in West Virginia. Auk 99:157-164. 16 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Appendix 1. Nest records for 13 Florida Grasshopper Sparrow {Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) nests during the 1996 breeding season. Nest # Site^ Date Eggs Young Age'’ Presumed Outcome 1 AP 3 May 3 0 5 May 3 0 8 May 3 0 13 May 0 0 Avian/Snake Depredation" 2 AP f. 7 June 4 0 10 June 4 0 13 June 4 0 16 June 4 0 19 June 0 3 2 22 June 0 3 5 25 June 0 3 8 28 June 0 0 Successful 3 TL 20 June 3 0 24 June 3 0 27 June 2 0 Abandoned'' 4 TL 20 June 3 0 24 June 3 0 27 June 0 0 Mammalian Depredation® 5 AP 1 July 1 0 4 July 4 0 5 July 4 0 8 July 0 0 Mammalian Depredation 6 TL 2 July 2 2 1 5 July 0 4 4 8 July 0 4 7 11 July 0 0 Successful 7 AP 4 July 2 0 7 July 3 0 10 July 3 0 12 July 3 0 15 July 1 2 2 17 July 0 0 4 Avian/Snake Depredation 8 TL 5 Jul 1 2 1 8 Jul 1 2 4 11 Jul 1 2 7 15 Jul 1 0 Successful 9 AP 17 Jul 1 0 20 Jul 3 0 23 Jul 3 0 25 Jul 3 0 28 Jul 3 0 30 Jul 0 0 Avian/Snake Depredation "“Age = Estimated age of nestling (days). ‘’AP = Avon Park Air Force Range, TL = Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. Avian or snake depredation presumed. '‘Nest abandoned, 1 egg was missing, 2 eggs fertile, but broken. ^Mammalian depredation presumed. Perkins et al. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Reproductive Success 17 Appendix 1. (Continued) Nest records for 13 Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) nests during the 1996 breeding season. Nest # Site^ Date Eggs Young Age'' Presumed Outcome 10 AP 18 Jul 0 3 3 20 Jul 0 0 Avian/Snake Depredation 11 TL 23 July 0 4 3 29 July 0 4 9 5 Aug 0 0 Successful 12 AP 5 Aug 2 0 8 Aug 3 0 11 Aug 3 0 14 Aug 3 0 16 Aug 3 0 19 Aug 0 0 Avian/Snake Depredation 13 AP 19 Aug 3 0 21 Aug 3 0 22 Aug 0 0 Avian/Snake Depredation ^Age ~ Estimated age of nestling (days). ‘’AP = Avon Park Air Force Range, TL = Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. Avian or snake depredation presumed. ^Nest abandoned, 1 egg was missing, 2 eggs fertile, but broken. ‘^Mammalian depredation presumed. The Florida Ornithological Society is Proud to Announce Special Publication No. 6 FLORIDA BIRD SPECIES: AN ANNOTATED LIST BY William B. Robertson, Jr. Glen E. Woolfenden The first complete and authoritative review of Florida’s avifauna since Arthur Howell’s 1932 Florida Bird Life. Treats over 660 species reported in the state. More than 140 species of non-native exotics. Essential for every- one interested in the modern status of Florida’s native and introduced birds. SOFT COVER HARD COVER FOS Members $14.95 $19.95 Non-Members $17.95 $22.95 All orders add $2.00 shipping and handling per book. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to Florida Ornithological Society. Mail to: F.O.S. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION P.O. BOX 2057 LAKE PLACID, FL 33862 18 NOTES Florida Field Nat. 26(1); 18-20, 1998. THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OY ANCYLOSTOMA PLURIDENTATUM AND OTHER HOOKWORMS IN BOBCATS {FEUS RUFUS) FROM FLORIDA Tania A. Games and Donald J. Forrester Department of Pathohiology, College of Veterinary Medicine University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 The finding of the exotic hookworm An-cj^/ostoma pluridentatum in Florida felids (For- rester et ai. 1985) was intriguing because it had only been reported previously from wild felids and domestic cats in Central and South America (Schwartz 1927, Thatcher 1971, Seesee et al. 1981, Moriena 1983). O’Brien et al. (1990) presented evidence of an intro- duction of pumas {Felis concolor) from Central and South America into southern Florida between 1956 and 1966, and it is believed that A. pluridentatum was introduced inad- vertently into the state with the release of these cats (McLaughlin et al. 1993). Because the bobcat {Felis rufus) is distributed throughout Florida, it may serve as a reservoir of hookworms for domestic as well as wild carnivores, including the endangered Florida panther {Felis concolor coryi). This may be of importance since A. pluridentatum is pathogenic to domestic kittens (Forrester 1992) and Florida panther kittens (Dunbar et al. 1994). Its effect on bobcat kittens is unknown. From 1974 to 1991, 85 bobcats were examined at necropsy for hookworms and A. pluridentatum was found in 25 of 44 (57%) bobcats from southern Florida (Highlands, Lee, Hendry, Collier, and Dade counties); this hookworm was not found in 41 bobcats examined from northern Florida (McLaughlin et al. 1993). The purpose of the present study was to reexamine the prevalence of A. pluriden- tatum in bobcats from northern Florida. If this parasite was introduced into southern Florida, then, barring the influence of variables such as climate, geography, or host den- sity and susceptibility, northward spread of the parasite through contiguous populations of bobcats would be expected. The southern boundaries of Hillsborough, Polk, Osceola, and Indian River counties separated northern and southern Florida (Fig. 1). From 1986 to 1996, bobcats from nine counties in Florida were collected either as road-kills or by hunting. Carcasses were frozen until examination. Recovery, fixation, and preservation of helminths was done as described by Kinsella and Forrester (1972). Hookworms were mounted and cleared in lactophenol for identification and counting. Confirmation of species was impossible in some cases because of the damaged nature of the specimens (i.e., no head, no tail, or both), or because of the presence of debris inside the buccal cavity (one specimen). Twenty-nine bobcats were used in this study; eight from southern Florida (Collier, Martin, and Sarasota counties) and 21 from northern Florida (Alachua, Brevard, Lafay- ette, Levy, Osceola, and Wakulla counties). At least one of four species of Ancylostoma was found in 16 of 29 (55%) bobcats. Mixed infections with more than one species oc- curred in 7 of 29 (24%) bobcats; three had two species and four had three species of hook- worms. The prevalence and intensity for each species of hookworm are listed in Table 1. In 12 bobcats, identification of all hookworms could not be done for the reasons men- tioned above. One bobcat had two specimens of Monodontus floridanus. This hookworm is not normally found in bobcats, but has been reported in Florida from cotton rats {Sig- modon hispidus; McIntosh 1935) and round-tailed muskrats {Neofiber alleni; Forrester et al. 1987). Therefore, since small rodent parts were found in the stomach of this bobcat, it was concluded that this hookworm was a parasite of the rodent, not the bobcat. The Notes 19 Fig'ure 1, Distribution of Ancylostoma pluridentmtum in bobcats from Florida. Closed circles represent counties in which the parasite was found; open circles represent counties in which bobcats were examined, but this hookworm was not found. Numbers refer to the county j (1) Wakulla (re = 1); (2) Lafayette (re = 1); (3) Alachua (re = 4); (4) Levy (re = 4); (5) Osceola (re ~ 7); (6) Brevard (re - 4); (7) Sa- rasota (re = 1); (8) Martin (re = 1); (9) Collier (re - 6). other species of hookworms have been reported previously from bobcats in Florida (McLaughlin et al. 1993). A. pluridentatum was found in eight bobcats: four from Collier County, three from Os- ceola County, and one from Alachua County. The prevalence of this parasite in northern versus southern Florida was 19% and 50%, respectively, with a mean intensity of five (range, 1-14) in the north and 36 (range, 1-131) in the south. The higher prevalence and intensity of this hookworm in southern Florida was expected if A. pluridentatum was first established in the south and has been spreading northward. However, these conclu- sions are based on a small sample size and until more data are collected, comparison of prevalence and intensity of this parasite by region cannot be understood completely. Our records extend the known range of A. pluridentatum to north-central Florida and lead us to believe that the hookworm is moving northward. We thank Grace S. McLaughlin for her advice and help in identifying the parasites. We also thank James R. Brady, Roy and Roudy McBride, and Mark W. Cunningham for providing the carcasses. This research was supported in part by contracts from the Flor- ida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and is a contribution of Federal Aid to Wild- 20 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Hookworms of 29 bobcats from Florida, 1986-1996. Species of hookworm Prevalence n {%) Intensity Mean Range Distribution Ancylostoma pluridentatum 8 28 20 1-135 3,5,9 Ancylostoma braziliense 4 14 2 1-6 2, 3,4 Ancylostoma caninum 9 31 10 1-65 2, 3,4, 5,9 Ancylostoma tuhaeforme 6 21 5 1-12 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 Monodontus floridanus 1 3 2 — 6 Ancylostoma spp.‘' 12 41 4 1-21 2, 3,4, 5,9 ^Numbers refer to counties in Fig. 1. ‘'Includes all damaged specimens and one with debris in its buccal cavity. life Restoration, Florida . Pittman-Robertson Project W-41. This is Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. R-05808. Literature Cited Dunbar, M. R., G. S. McLaughlin, D. M. Murphy, and M. W. Cunningham. 1994. Pathogenicity of the hookworm, Ancylostoma pluridentatum, in a Florida panther {Felis concolor coryi) kitten. J. Wildl. Dis. 30:548-551. Forrester, D. J. 1992. Parasites and diseases of wild mammals in Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Forrester, D. J., J. A. Conti, and R. C. Belden. 1985. Parasites of the Florida panther {Felis concolor coryi). Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 52:95-97. Forrester, D. J., D. B. Pence, A. O. Bush, D. M. Lee, and N. R. Holler 1987. Ecolog- ical analysis of the helminths of round-tailed muskrats {Neofiber alleni True) in southern Florida. Can. J. Zool. 65:2976-2979. Kinsella, j. M., and D. j. Forrester 1972. Helminths of the Florida duck, Awas platy- rhynchos fulvigula. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 39:173-176. McIntosh, A. 1935. A new hookworm, Monodontus floridanus n. sp., from a cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus. Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc. 54:28-32. McLaughlin, G. S., M. Obstbaum, D. J. Forrester, M. E. Roelke, and J. R. Brady. 1993. Hookworms of bobcats {Felis rufus) from Florida. J. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 60:10-13. Moriena, R. a. 1983. A report from Argentina of Ancylostoma pluridentatum in Felis concolor. Revista de Medicina Veterinaria. 64:184-188. O’Brien, S. J., M. E. Roelke, N. Yuhki, K. W. Richards, W. E. Johnson, W. L. Frank- lin, A. E. Anderson, O. L. Bass, Jr., R. C. Belden, and J. S. Martenson. 1990. Ge- netic introgression within the Florida panther {Felis concolor coryi). Nat. Geograph. Res. 6:485-494. J' Schwartz, B. 1927. Description of Ancylostoma pluridentatum, hookworm of carnivores, and a review of the genus. Ancylostoma. Proc. US. Nat. Mus. 72:1-9. Seesee, F. M., D. E. Worley, and R. L. Martin. 1981. A survey of nematode parasites from carnivores of the Chaco Boreal, Paraguay. Pages 846-858. In Worldwide Fur- bearer Conference Proceedings, 3-11 August 1980. Thatcher, V. E. 1971. Some hookworms of the genus Ancylostoma from Colombia and Panama. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 38:109-116. Notes 21 Florida Field Nat. 26(l):21-23, 1998. SPRAGUE’S PIPIT OVERWINTERS AT APALACHICOLA, FRANKLIN COUNTY, AND AN ASSESSMENT OF ITS WINTER STATUS IN FLORIDA AND NEARBY STATES Douglas B. McNair Tall Timbers Research Station Route 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii) has been observed about 40 times in Florida, most frequently in November, and most frequently along the Florida Panhandle coast (Robert- son and Woolfenden 1992; Stevenson and Anderson 1994; H. M. Stevenson, unpubl., TTRS archives). The most frequently reported locality is the St. George Causeway, Franklin County, in the eastern Florida Panhandle as well as inland at Lake Jackson in Leon County (Stevenson and Anderson 1994; see also Stevenson and Ogden 1965). How- ever, the precise winter (October-April) status of Sprague’s Pipit in northwest Florida is unknown. Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) state the species is a “Rare, probably regu- lar winter visitor . . .,” i.e., one to five in a day, not more than five per season, and proba- bly reported every winter, while Stevenson and Anderson (1994) state the Sprague’s Pipit is a “. . . very rare and irregular winter resident . . i.e., not more than one per day and one per season and less than once per year, but at least once in five years. This paper documents observations of Sprague’s Pipit at the Apalachicola Airfield (AAF), Franklin County, Florida, during each of the past four winters (1994-98), and as- sesses the winter status of Sprague’s Pipit in Florida and nearby states, focusing on an- thropogenic and natural habitats occupied by this species. The discussion includes information on sex ratios obtained from specimen data. The AAF, formerly an Army Air Corps Airfield, was constructed in 1941 and used as a training base. The AAF is now used only for civilian purposes. Currently, about half the approximately 80-ha airfield is runway and half is dry grassland. Management for the sparse, short (8 to 13 cm) grassland is minimal: the grass is not fertilized and is only mowed between early April and late October. The grassland consisted of a mixture of grasses, forbs, and scattered prostrate cacti {Opuntia spp.); an appreciable amount of bare ground is exposed. I observed three Sprague’s Pipits on the AAF grassland in each of the first, third, and fourth winters, and two birds in the second winter (1995-1996). Hundreds of individuals (B. Riuc, pers. comm.) observed the Sprague’s Pipit at the AAF during the last two win- ters (1996-1998). Extreme dates of observations are 13 November and 14 March, al- though greater coverage would probably yield observations beyond these dates. I also sighted two Sprague’s Pipits at an outlying airfield (OLF Silverhill) of the Pensacola Na- val Air Station (NAS), Baldwin County, Alabama, on 30 January 1997. The birds usually concentrate their activities in the central portion of the AAF. Spra- gue’s Pipits call frequently when flushed and it is usually easy to locate at least one bird. Bird species richness and abundance on the AAF grassland during winter (November through mid-March) is low. Excluding swallows and other species flying over, I have ob- served only 14 bird species here during the winters of the past four years. Both mean and median numbers of species detected per trip (trip duration: 1-2.5 h; n = 10) is six (range: 4-10). The mean number of total individuals per trip is 49 (median: 43; range: 23-102). The most numerous species was usually the Eastern Meadowlark {Sturnella magna); the most frequently detected species (every trip) was the Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). Only one other Emberizid, the Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), was detected during these winter trips. 22 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST In Florida and nearby states, Sprague’s Pipits mostly have been detected in anthro- pogenic habitat such as dry, short grassland at airfields and farmland (Denton 1953, Im- hof 1976, Haney et al. 1986, Post and Gauthreaux 1989, Robinson 1990, McNair and Post 1993, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). In Florida, the most frequently cited location is the St. George Causeway, Franklin County, but even at this location overwintering was con- firmed during no more than three or four winters (Stevenson and Anderson 1994; H. M. Stevenson, unpubl. data. Tall Timbers Research Station archives). Few published re- ports exist documenting observations of Sprague’s Pipits in this or other localities in northwest Florida after early winter. The habitat, depauperate avian assemblage, and relative abundance of species at the AAF are generally similar to these features at military airfields I examined the winter of 1997-1998 in northwest Florida and in adjacent Baldwin County, Alabama (also Au- gusta, Georgia, at Daniel Field Airport, where the Sprague’s Pipit was verified in the 1950s; see Denton 1953). The Sprague’s Pipit is unlikely to be overlooked or confused with other species at airfields in the southeastern United States should an observer fo- cus on this type of habitat. In the 1950s, Sprague’s Pipit temporarily overwintered at inland anthropogenic sites in three other southeastern states: Daniel Field Airport in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, from 1952 to 1957 (three winters; Denton 1953; Burleigh 1958; Haney et al. 1986; Audubon Field Notes 10:243, 1956; Audubon Field Notes 12:270, 1958; in an old field at the Savannah River Plant, Aiken County, South Carolina, 1956 to 1958 (two con- secutive winters; Norris 1957, 1963); and in farmland adjacent to a prison in Shelby County, Tennessee, from 1953 to 1959 (five winters; Robinson 1990). Otherwise, the spe- cies is very rare and irregular in these states, with most observations in the coastal plain (Haney et al. 1986, Post and Gauthreaux 1989, Robinson 1990, McNair and Post 1993). Sprague’s Pipit also has temporarily overwintered in natural habitat (beach dunes) during one winter each at Cumberland Island, Georgia (1902-1903; see Denton 1953), and at St. George Island, Franklin County, Florida (1952-1953; Stevenson and Anderson 1994; H. M. Stevenson, unpubl. data. Tall Timbers Research Station archives). However, overwintering on beach dunes in northwest Florida has not been proven since 1952-1953; not a single bird has been reported in extreme northwest Florida since the 1950s, despite special search for this species since the mid-1970s in suitable habitat (Weston 1965; R. A. Duncan, in litt.). In Baldwin County, Alabama, two Sprague’s Pipits were present in beach dunes in January 1981 (G. Jackson, in litt.). A limited number of separate occurrences of Sprague’s Pipit from January through March in various years (Hallman 1958; Imhof 1976; Haney et al. 1986; Stevenson and Anderson 1994; H. M. Stevenson, unpubl. data, Tall Timbers Research Station archives; G. D. Jackson, in litt.), may indicate temporary overwintering, in either anthropogenic or natural habitats in Florida and nearby states, occurs more frequently than confirmed cases documented or cited herein. Imhof (1976) intriguingly reports eight birds in north- ern Alabama from 18-26 February 1956. Sprague’s Pipits very rarely have temporarily overwintered in northwest Florida and nearby states. At least one incursion occurred simultaneously (winter 1952-1953) at in- land (Shelby County, Tennessee; Augusta, Georgia) and coastal (St. George Island, Flor- ida) localities in both natural and anthropogenic habitats. The longest documented incursions (successive winters) lasted four years in anthropogenic habitat at inland (Shelby County, Tennessee) and coastal (Apalachicola) localities. Consequently, it has not been established beyond doubt that Sprague’s Pipits regularly overwinters at the Apalachicola Airfield, at what is probably the current southeast extremity of their winter range, unless further surveys establish this in the future. Temporary overwintering in northwest Florida at anthropogenic habitats may be a response to availability of suitable habitat at current or former military airfields. In contrast, temporary overwintering in natural habitats, i.e., beach dunes, has not been established beyond doubt for over 40 Notes 23 years, though this may have occurred in Baldwin County, Alabama, in winter 1980-81. The number of unconfirmed cases of overwintering Sprague’s Pipits in either anthropo- genic or natural habitats in Florida and nearby states is probably rather limited though the species has undoubtedly been overlooked, even at airfields. The sex ratio of specimens of Sprague’s Pipits is highly biased toward females (18/19, 95%) (Florida: 5 females, excluding one specimen of suspect provenance, H. M. Steven- son, unpubl. data. Tall Timbers Research Station archives; the sexed specimens are de- posited at Tall Timbers Research Station, Carnegie Museum, and the Museum of Rhodesia; Georgia: 11 females, see Denton 1953; South Carolina: 2 females, 1 male, see Denton 1953, Norris 1957). Data on differential distribution of the sexes (almost all birds are females) are consis- tent with occurrence data that suggests the Sprague’s Pipit occurs very rarely and irreg- ularly (“not more than one per day and one per season and less than once per year, but at least once in five years”), with occasional incursions, at the limit of its winter range in Florida and nearby states. Regular overwintering (“reported every winter”) of the Spra- gue’s Pipit has not been documented to occur in the southeastern states. The available data indicate regular overwintering, should this ever occur, is probably most likely at an- thropogenic habitats (e.g., airfields) in northwest Florida and adjacent Baldwin County, Alabama. I thank B. Ruic, F.B.O. operator, for information on habitat management at the AAF and for permission to search for birds there. G. D. Jackson provided unpublished data. Juanita Whiddon, archivist, TTRS, provided access to unpublished data of H. M. Steven- son. I also thank L. Duncan, R. A. Duncan, G. D. Jackson, G. E. Woolfenden, and an anon- ymous individual for their reviews of this manuscript. Literature Cited Burleigh, T. D. 1958. Georgia birds. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Denton, J. F. 1953. Notes on Sprague’s Pipit wintering in Georgia. Oriole 18:41-44. Hallman, R. C. 1958. Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii). Florida Naturalist 31:27, Haney, J. C., P. Brisse, D. R. Jacobson, M. W. Oberle, and J. M. Paget. 1986. Anno- tated checklist of Georgia birds. Occasional Publication No. 10, Georgia Ornithologi- cal Society. IMHOF, T. A. 1976. Alabama birds. Second edition. University of Alabama Press. McNair, D. B., and W. Post. 1993. Supplement to status and distribution of SC birds. Charleston Museum Ornithological Contribution No. 8. Norris, R. A. 1957. Sprague’s Pipit in Aiken County, South Carolina. Chat 21:25-26. Norris, R. A. 1963. Birds of the AEC Savannah River Plant area. Contribution from the Charleston Museum. 14. Post, W., and S. A. Gauthreaux, Jr 1989. Status and distribution of South Carolina birds. Contribution from the Charleston Museum. 18. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 6. Robinson, J. C. 1990. An annotated checklist of the birds of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Stevenson, H. M., and J. Ogden. 1965. Sprague’s Pipit and Chestnut-collared Long- spur: field identification and convergent evolution. Florida Naturalist 38:124, 130. Weston, F. M. 1965. A survey of the bird life of northwestern Florida. Bulletin Tall Tim- bers Research Station 5:1-147. 24 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Nat. 26{l):24-25, 1998. COMMON MOORHENS IN DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, RAISE FIVE BROODS IN ONE YEAR Brett K. Bannor^ Miami Metrozoo 12400 Southwest 152 Street, Miami, Florida 33177 The Common Moorhen {Gallinula chloropus) is a year-round resident throughout Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). The reproductive biology of this species in Flor- ida has been poorly studied, however, and most published literature on moorhen breed- ing ecology presents investigations conducted in other parts of the United States and in the Old World. Karhu (1973) suggested that because of high chick mortality, moorhens must produce at least two broods per year to maintain a stable population. In the northern United States, moorhens are known to raise two broods annually in Michigan (Greij 1994) and in Pennsylvania (Miller 1946). In Florida, moorhens are reported to raise three broods annually (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). There are no previous reports of moorhens raising more than three broods annually in North America. In this paper, I report on a case of five broods raised between March and September 1996 by fly-in moorhens at Mi- ami Metrozoo (Metrozoo) in south suburban Dade County, Florida. On 26 March 1996, 1 discovered a moorhen nest containing one newly hatched chick and one pipped egg in an ornamental bed of firecracker (Russelia equisetiformis) along the northwest shore of Metrozoo’s waterfowl-flamingo lake. The lake is an 0.4-ha, water- filled, poured concrete basin for the display of flamingos and exotic waterfowl. Two days after discovering the nest, I observed three chicks swimming near the nest site. Moorhen females typically lay one egg daily, producing seven to nine eggs with an incubation pe- riod of 20 to 22 days (Wood 1974, Greij 1994). Accordingly, this nesting must have begun the last week of February 1996. All three chicks were alive and well on 18 April 1996, when I discovered a new nest containing eight eggs just 2 m south of the first nest. Although several breeding pairs of moorhens inhabit the lake and individuals are not marked, location of the nest and con- specific observance of territorial boundaries indicated that this was a fenesting by the same pair whose first nest I had discovered on 26 March. On 4 May 1996, the first of five chicks hatched in the second nest. Chicks from the first brood remained in the area and assisted the parents in feeding the new hatchlings, further confirming that both nests were produced by one pair. The pair successfully nested again three more times between late May and mid Au- gust of 1996. The third nest, 5 m south of the second, contained nine eggs; the first of five chicks hatched on 14 June 1996. I did not examine the fourth and fifth nests, but I con- cluded that both of these were within 15 m of the first nest based on observations of the adult moorhens entering and exiting the vegetation. Four chicks hatched from the fourth clutch by 28 July 1996; three hatched from the fifth clutch by 15 September 1996. Like the first nest, all subsequent nests were in a dense bed of firecracker. After the initial clutch, all nestings took place with chicks from the most recent brood still in the territory, indicating that this was not a case of rapid renesting prompted by quick mor- tality of an entire brood of very young chicks. ’Current address: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, RO. Box 10,000, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830. Notes 25 Based on recorded and inferred laying and hatching dates, the interval between hatching of the first chick of a brood and the laying of the first egg of a successive clutch averaged 20 days (range: 15-27). Among multiple-brood moorhen pairs in England, Hux- ley and Wood (1976) considered 25 to 30 days between the hatching of one brood and lay- ing of the subsequent clutch to be typical; in South Africa, Siegfried and Frost (1975) found the same interval averaged only 14 days. It is possible that these adults were able to nest successfully five times in rapid suc- cession because they received assistance in feeding the chicks by juveniles from the pre- vious brood or broods. However, none of the other moorhen pairs I monitored at the waterfowl-flamingo lake from 1994 to 1996 raised more than four broods; many of these pairs also had juvenile helpers. Whether or not assistance by juveniles enhances repro- ductive success in moorhens is uncertain. Based on his observations, Gibbons (1987) con- cluded that pairs with helpers reared more chicks per nesting attempt than those without helpers. By contrast, Leonard et al. (1989) conducted a removal experiment that showed no significant difference in reproductive success between pairs whose juvenile helpers were removed and control pairs. Commenting on persistent successful renesting by Common Moorhens in South Af- rica, Siegfried and Frost (1975:102) declared “. . . it may be assumed that the species has the propensity for reproducing whenever and for as long as conditions are favorable.” The conditions at the Metrozoo lake appeared favorable for moorhen reproductive success. A constant water level was maintained and supplemental food intended for the zoo’s cap- tive birds was available daily. Furthermore, the lake is located in a warm climate and does not freeze over. Freed from extremes of drought or frost and having constant access to a reliable food source, this pair of Common Moorhens was able to produce five broods in just six months. I thank Susan Kong, Steve Conners, and R. Todd Engstrom for helpful comments on this manuscript. Literature Cited Gibbons, D. W. 1987. Juvenile helping in the moorhen, Gallinula chloropus. Anim. Be- hav. 35:170-181. Greij, E. D. 1994. Common Moorhen. Pages 144-157 in Migratory shore and upland game bird management in North America (T. C. Tacha and C. E. Braun, Eds.). Inter- national Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Washington, D.C. Huxley, C. R., and N. A. Wood. 1976. Aspects of the breeding of the Moorhen in Britain. Bird Study 23:1-10. Karhu, S. 1973. On the development stages of chicks and adult Moorhens Gallinula chloropus at the end of a breeding season. Ornis Fennica 50:1-17. Leonard, M, L., A. G Horn, and S. F. Eden. 1989. Does juvenile helping enhance breeder reproductive success? Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 25:357-361. Miller, R. F. 1946. The Florida Gallinule: breeding birds of the Philadelphia region. Cassinia 36:1-16. Siegfried, W. R., and P. G. H. Frost. 1975. Continuous breeding and associated behav- ior in the Moorhen Gallinula chloropus. Ibis 117:102-109. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. 4 Wood, N. A. 1974. The breeding behavior and biology of the Moorhen. Br. Birds 67:104- ‘ 115,137-158. 26 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Nat. 26(l):26-32, 1998. Summer Report: June-July 1997. — The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). These reports have not been re- viewed formally thus they should be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall (August-November). Submit reports to re- gional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be e-mailed to the state compiler at billpranty@hot- mail.com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds for which they require documentation, in FFN 24(4): 132-133, 1996. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: ABS = Archbold Biological Station {Highlands), APAFR == Avon Park Air Force Range, CP - county park, ENP = Everglades NP, FBR = Florida Birding Report {fide Dotty and Hank Hull), NWR = national wildlife refuge, PPM = Polk phosphate mines, R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 = Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SP = state park, SRA - state recreation area, SRSTF = Springhill Road STF {Leon), STF = sewage treatment facility, TTRS = Tall Timbers Research Station, WMA = wildlife management area, WSSP = Wekiwa Springs SP {Orange), and N, S, E, W, etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. We thank Rich Paul and Ann Schnapf, the summer editors of Field Notes for sharing information with us. Especially useful are data from state biologists. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the editing of the manuscript. Summary of the Summer Season The weather this season was rather typical, but only one tropical storm occurred, Hurricane Danny in mid-July, which beached a few pelagic birds along beaches of the western Panhandle. Rich Paul reports that June was “very dry” in Tampa, but Rex Rowan reported a wet month at Gainesville. In July, Rowan reported flooded conditions that precluded shorebird use of many areas. Excessive rainfall at Avon Park Air Force Range in early July flooded a Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nest and drowned at least one of the nestlings, a previously unreported but potentially frequent cause of nesting failure. Field Observations 27 Rarities reported this summer were limited to coastal species, with 5 Black-capped Petrels, 19 Band-rumped Storm-Petrels, and 1 Arctic Tern off the Atlantic coast, and a Manx Shearwater and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel at Pensacola. Also reported were 2 Pacific Loons that summered at Pensacola Bay and a Lesser Black-backed Gull at New Smyrna Beach that appears to be the first summer report in Florida. Species Accounts Common Loon: 1 in winter plumage at Honeymoon Island SRA {Pinellas) 8 Jun (A. and R. Smith). Pacific Loon: 2 in winter plumage summered at Pensacola Bay {Escambia and Santa Rosa) to 18 Jul at least (J. French, A. and D. Forster, B. and L. Duncan). Horned Grebe: 1 in breeding plumage at Air Products Sanctuary, Pace {Santa Rosa) 1 Jun (B. Milmore, slides to TTRS). Pelagic species: the table below shows the results of 6 pelagic trips. Three of these were off Marathon {Monroe) by P. Hess: 29 Jun: 7-27 km SE of Marathon, winds SE 18-27 km/h; 1 Jul: 27-46 km SE of Marathon, winds variable 0-9 km/h; and 4 Jul: 33-40 km SE of Marathon and 33-51 km SSW of Marathon, winds W 9-18 km/h. The other 3 were by M. Heindel on a vessel traveling from Charleston, S.C. to Fort Lauderdale 17- 20 Jul (only the last 3 days were in Florida). Specific locations of birds need to be de- termined, but the general schedule of the trip was as follows: 18 Jul: from the Georgia state line S to about Daytona Beach (Volusia), 129-157 km offshore; 19 Jul: Daytona Beach S to about Fort Pierce {St. Lucie), 59-105 km offshore; and 20 Jul: Fort Pierce to Fort Lauderdale {Broward) 27-37 km offshore. Species Black-capped Petrel Cory’s Shearwater Greater Shearwater Sooty Shearwater small shearwater spp. Audubon’s Shearwater storm-petrel spp. Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Leach’s Storm-Petrel *Band-rumped Storm-Petrel White-tailed Tropicbird booby spp. Masked Booby Brown Booby Brown Pelican Pomarine Jaeger Royal Tern Arctic Tern Least Tern Bridled Tern Sooty Tern Brown Noddy 29 Jun 1 Jul 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 41 130 0 9 4 Jul 0 1 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 13 130 0 18 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul 5 0 0 55 52 1 7 2 0 0 0 0 10 0 2 5 3 12 1 0 15 7 61 1 1? 0 18 1 0 10 1 0 2 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 2 0 0 0 10 0 0 2 0 14 11 0 0 4 0 0 0 Totals 44 154 159 121 89 83 28 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Sooty Shearwater: 1 flying along the beach at Vero Beach {Indian River) 2 Jun (B. Wagner); 1 harassed by Laughing Gulls at Shell Key {Pinellas) 19 Jun (R Blair). *Manx Shearwater: 1 exhausted bird captured at Pensacola 19 Jul and released later (D. Sherill, L. Case, B. and L. Duncan, details to FOSRC). Leach’s Storm-Petrel: 1 captured and released at Pensacola {Escambia) 19 Jun (E. Case, A. and D. Forster). *Band-RUMPED Storm-Petrel: 1 exhausted bird at Pensacola ca. 19 Jul was associated with Hurricane Danny (E. Case). American White Pelican: 8 in Sumter 15 Jun (T. Engstrom); 12 at Lake Jessup Conser- vation Area {Seminole) 21 Jun {fide L. Malo); 150 in Choctawhatchee Bay {Okaloosa) 1 Jul (D. Ware); 260 at PPM 5 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 3 summered at Myakka River SP {Sarasota) (A. and R. Smith, P. Blair et ah); 35 summered at Cedar Key {Levy) (D. Henderson); 25 summered at Emeralda Marsh {Lake) (J. Bryan). Brown Pelican: 1 at PPM 26 Jul (R Timmer, C. Geanangel). Magnificent Frigatebird: 1 S of Guana River SP {St. Johns) 9 Jun (Diane Reed); 20 at Santa Rosa Island {Escambia) 21 Jul were probably associated with Hurricane Danny (G. Sprandel); 900 at the Marco Island {Collier) roost in Jul (T. Below). Great Blue Heron: 1 “Wurdemann’s Heron” at Isla del Sol {Pinellas) 16 Jul (R. Paul, A. Schnapf). Reddish Egret: 2 at Yent Bayou {Franklin) 6 Jul (G. Sprandel); 1 immature at St. Marks NWR {Wakulla) 20 Jul (G. Menk, H. Hooper). White Ibis: 6800 nesting pairs at Tampa Bay {Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pinellas) was a 28% decrease from 1996 (R. Paul. A. Schnapf); 516 nesting pairs at Merritt Island NWR {Brevard) was a 70% decrease since 1995 (B. Smith); 3600 nesting pairs in the Everglades {Broward and Dade) was a 70% increase since 1996 (P. Frederick, J. Ogden et al.). Glossy Ibis: 1 at Cedar Key 17 Jun was D. Henderson’s first sighting there in 13 years; 1 at Air Products Sanctuary 24-26 Jun (B. Milmore, slide to TTRS); 265 nesting pairs at Alafia Bank was a 50% decrease from 1996 (R. Paul, A. Schnapf). Roseate Spoonbill: 140 nesting pairs estimated at 3 Tampa Bay sites (R. Paul, A. Schnapf). Wood Stork: approx. 175 nesting pairs in the Everglades {Dade and Monroe), and 220 pairs at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary {Collier), but all nests failed (D. Gawlik, S. Ludwig). Fulvous Whistling-DucK: 250+, including young, at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 1 at PPM 5 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 5 at My- akka River SP {Sarasota) 18 Jun {fide FBR) and 5 Jul (B. Carlton, J. Kitik). Blue-winged Teal: 2 at Myakka River SP 8 Jun were not seen later (A. and R. Smith); 1 pair at SRSTF 13 Jun (J. Cavanagh); 7 at PPM 5 Jul, and 2 there 26 Jul (both P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Northern Shoveler: 2 at Hamilton phosphate mines 6 Jun (R. Clark); 1 at PPM 5 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Gadwall: 2 at PPM 8 Jun (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Redhead: 1 at Hernando Beach {Hernando) was seen last 23 Jun (C. Black); 3 at Hills- borough Bay {Hillsborough) 26 Jul (R. Paul). Greater Scaup: 4 off Derrick Key {Levy) 26 Jun (J. Ripple). Lesser Scaup: 1 at Hernando Beach was seen last 23 Jun (C. Black). White-winged Scoter: 1 off Derrick Key 26-28 Jun (J. Ripple). Ruddy Duck: 2 immatures or females at PPM throughout Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Bald Eagle: 1216 young were produced from 874 active territories statewide this breed- ing season, with 109 territories in Polk and 100 in Osceola {fide S. Nesbitt). Field Observations 29 Swallow-tailed Kite: 27 just E ofWadssa {Jefferson) 21 Jul (N. Warner); 2 adults over Jacksonville through the season (N. Warner). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 dark morph in Key West {Monroe) 24 Jun (J. Ondrejko); 2 at WSSP 6 and 17 Jun (S. Belson). Cooper’s Hawk: 1 nest in Winter Haven {Polk) fledged 1 young in Jun (B. and L. Cooper); 1 at Palmetto {Manatee) 29 Jun ( J. and L. Hopkins, P. Blair); 1 at Brandon {Hillsbor- ough) 29 Jun (R. Paul); 1 adult caught a Mourning Dove near Sawgrass Lake CP, St. Petersburg {Pinellas) 24 Jul (R. Smith). Purple Gallinule: 1 at Dry Tortugas National Park {Monroe) 1 Jul (L. Santisteban, S. Cline). American Coot: 8 at Myakka River SP 8 Jun (A. and R. Smith); 18 at Lake Jackson {Leon) 24 Jun, and 10 there 23 Jul with no evidence of breeding (both G. Menk); 4 summered in a brackish- water canal at Hernando Beach with no evidence of breeding (C. Black). Sandhill Crane: 1 small (third-grown) chick at APAFR {Highlands) 25 Jun, and 1 half- grown chick at APAFR {Polk) 18 Jul were late breeding reports, possibly related to the rainy weather (both B. Pranty); 40-50 roosting in a retention pond in E Polk through the season (B. and L. Cooper). Whooping Crane: 4 near Center Hill {Sumter) 3 Jun (C. Black); 28 more birds were re- leased in Lake and Osceola, but 16 of these were killed, mostly by bobcat depredation. Black-bellied Plover: 20 at Alafia Bank 29 Jun (R. Paul). Snowy Plover: 4 pairs at Three Rooker Bar 16 Jun (A. Schnapf, B. Lamoureux); 1 nest with 2 eggs at Fort DeSoto CP {Pinellas) 15 Jun was empty 17 Jun (J. King). Wilson’s Plover: 36 pairs at Three Rooker Bar 16 Jun (A. Schnapf, B. Lamoureux); 4 pairs at Shell Key 1 Jul (P. Blair, N. Douglass). Semipalmated Plover: 3 at PPM 26 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Piping Plover: single fall migrants at Bald Point {Franklin) 6 Jul and Tyndall Air Force Base {Bay) 9 Jul (both G. Sprandel). American Oystercatcher: 121 nests in the Tampa Bay area {Hillsborough and Pinel- las), but many nests were destroyed by storms in Apr (R. Paul, A. SchnapD. Black-necked Stilt: 48 nesting pairs at Riverview {Hillsborough) 9 May (R. Paul, A. SchnapD; 1 presumed migrant at Piney Z Lake {Leon) 18 Jun (D. Hormuth). American Avocet: 35 at PPM 5 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Greater YellowlegS: 1 at St. Petersburg 8 Jun (A. and R. Smith); 2 at SRSTF 13 Jun (J. Cavanagh, D. Harder); 2 near Lorida {Highlands) 18 Jun (B. Pranty, T. Dean, D. Perkins); 1 at Fort DeSoto CP 22 Jun (R. Smith). Lesser Yellowlegs: 1 at SRSTF 11 Jul (G. Menk). Solitary Sandpiper: 8 at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). WiLLET: 34 pairs at Three Rooker Bar {Pinellas) this season (A. Schnapf, B. Lamoureux). Spotted Sandpiper: 1 at SRSTF 4 Jun (G. Menk); 1 at Hickory Mound Impoundment {Taylor) 5 Jun (W. Baker); 1 at St. Marks NWR 5 Jun (J. Cox); 1 at Okaloosa landfill 6 Jun (D. Ware); 1 at Count Philippe CP {Pinellas) 6 Jul (A. and R. Smith); 1 at Newn- ans Lake 17 Jul (M. Manetz); 2 at St. Marks NWR 20 Jul (G. Menk, H. Hooper). Whimbrel: 3 at Derrick Key 26 Jun (J. Ripple); 1 at Pensacola 19 Jul (C. and D. Tim- mons); 4 at Alligator Point {Franklin) and 3 at St. Marks NWR 28 Jul (both J. Dozier). Long-billed Curlew: 1 at Lanark Reef {Franklin) 25 Jun (G. Sprandel); 1 at Derrick Key 27 Jun (D. Henderson); 1 at Alafia Bank 29 Jun (R. Paul). Marbled Godwit: 3 at Bald Point 14 Jun (G. Sprandel); 1 at Alafia Bank {Hillsborough) 19 Jun (R. Paul); 3 at Derrick Key 26 Jun (J. Ripple); 50 at Shell Key 6 Jul (P. Blair). Least Sandpiper: 1 at Hague Dairy {Alachua) 20 Jul (M. Manetz, R. Rowan); 100+ at SRSTF 21 Jul (G. Menk). White-RUMPED Sandpiper: 6 at SRSTF 4 Jun (G. Menk); 29 in N Duval 6 Jun (R. Clark). 30 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Pectoral Sandpiper: 4 at Okaloosa landfill 6 Jun (D. Ware). Dunlin: 1 in breeding plumage at Cape San Bias (Gulf) 19 Jul (C. Hokanson). Stilt Sandpiper: 1 at PPM 5 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 6 at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). Short-billed Dowitcher: 12 at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 12 Jun (E. Case); 2 in breed- ing plumage at St. Marks NWR 5 Jul (J. Dozier). Long-billed Dowitcher: 15 (calling) at Jacksonville 6 Jun (R. Clark). Wilson’s PhalaropE: 1 at St. Petersburg 8 Jun (A. and R. Smith). Laughing Gull; 2000 nesting pairs at Shell Key (P. Blair, N. Douglass); 14,500 nesting pairs elsewhere in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pinellas) (R. Paul, A. SchnapO; 77 birds at Newnans Lake (Alachua) 2 Jun (D. Cimbaro, S. Byrd). Herring Gull: 5 (adults and immatures) at Shell Key 1 Jul (P. Blair). Great Black-backed Gull: 5 (1 adult) at Melbourne (Brevard) 25 Jun (fide FBR). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 at Smyrna Dunes CP (Volusia) 23 Jun (L. Malo). Gull-billed Tern: 2 nesting pairs at Riverview 9 May-8 Jul fledged 4 young (R. Paul, A. SchnapD; 6 pairs at Apalachicola Bay (Franklin) (J. Gore); 1 adult over the Sears building at Panama City (Bay) 9 Jul “but no nests” (G. Sprandel); 40 birds at Hugue- not Park (K. Lamont). Caspian Tern: 67 nesting pairs at Island 3D (Hillsborough) 20 May (R. Paul, A. SchnapD, and 39 nesting pairs at Apalachicola Bay (J. Gore). Royal Tern: 3160 nesting pairs at Passage Key NWR (Manatee) 19 May (R. Paul, A. Schnapf et al.), 90 nesting pairs at Island 3D 20 May (R. Paul, A. Schnapf), 305 nest- ing pairs at Apalachicola Bay (J. Gore), and 600-800 nesting pairs at Crane Island (Brevard) (S. Nesbitt); 2 birds at PPM 26 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Sandwich Tern: 402 nesting pairs at Passage Key 19 May (R. Paul, A. Schnapf et al.).; 126 nesting pairs at Island 3D 20 May (R. Paul, A. SchnapD; 18 nesting pairs at Apalachicola Bay, the first nesting there in about 30 yeas (J. Gore). Forster’s Tern: 1 in breeding plumage at SRSTF 13 Jul (D. Harder); 2 at Newnans Lake 19 Jul (R. Rowan). Least Tern: 50-70 successful nests at Fort Matanzas Nat. Mon. (St. Johns), but no suc- cessful nests at Guana River SP and Anastasia Island SRA (St. Johns) this season (fide P. Powell); 276 nesting pairs in the Tampa Bay area (excluding some rooftop col- onies) (R. Paul, A. Schnapf); 386 nesting pairs at Marco Island (T. Below) produced ca. 0.5 young per nest; 300 birds at Sm5rrna Dunes CP (Volusia) 23 Jun (L. Malo); ca. 600 at Shell Key 1 Jul included 80 nesting pairs and 450 birds “just hanging out” (R Blair, N. Douglass); 252 at PPM 26 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Bridled Tern: 1 at Gulf Breeze (Santa Rosa) 19-20 Jul (B., L., and W. Duncan). Sooty Tern: 1 adult at Huguenot Park (Duval) 5 and 13 Jul (N. Warner). Black Tern: 5 at Merritt Island NWR 1 Jun (L. Malo); 1 at N Jacksonville 6 Jun (R. Clark); 200 at Santa Rosa Island 10 Jul (G. Sprandel); 7-10 at Melbourne Beach (Brevard) 10 Jul (fide FBR). Black Skimmer: 1331 nesting pairs at 7 colonies in Tampa Bay: 375 pairs at Three Rooker Bar (Pinellas) (A. Schnapf, B. Lamoureux), 194 pairs at Shell Key 1 Jul (P. Blair, N. Douglass), 220 pairs at Island 3D, 200 pairs at Sand Key (Pinellas), 150 pairs at Passage Key NWR, and 57 pairs at Alafia Bank (all R. Paul, A. SchnapD; 213 nesting pairs at Marco Island produced ca. 1 young per nest (T. Below). White-winged Dove: 1 at Pensacola 27 Jul (B. and P. Tetlow). Budgerigar: 1 at Winter Haven (Polk) 22 Jun (T. Palmer). COCKATIEL: 1 on University Parkway (Manatee and Sarasota) 18 Jul (K. Tracey, photo to FOC). Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 1 migrant at St. Marks NWR 5 Jul (J. Dozier). Chimney Swift: 41 over Auburndale (Polk) 29 Jul (P. Fellers). Field Observations 31 Belted Kingfisher: 1 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve {Alachua) 19 Jun (M. Manetz, G. McDermott); 2 at WSSP 12 Jul {fide P. Small). Red-headed Woodpecker: 52 nests at WSSP were monitored this season (S. Belson); 50 birds there 12 Jul (bird survey fide P. Small). Yellow-bellied SapsuckeR: 1 at Cedar Key to 19 Jun, when it flew into a window {fide D. Henderson). Eastern Kingbird: 30 at PPM 21 Jun (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Gray Kingbird: birds nested in urban and suburban areas in the Greater Pensacola area {Escambia and Santa Rosa) this year, possibly the result of “substantial vegeta- tion loss” on Santa Rosa Island due to 2 hurricanes in 1995 {fide B. Duncan). Tree Swallow: 1 at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 2 at Pass-A-Grille {Pinellas) 21 Jun-1 Jul may have bred locally (A. Schnapf, J. King, P. Blair); 5 at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). Bank Swallow: 1 at Jacksonville 6 Jun (R. Clark); 10 at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). Barn Swallow: 4 active nests under SR-70 over the C-41 Canal {Highlands) 8 Jun (A. and R. Smith); 1 migrant at APAFR {Highlands) 21 Jul (B. Pranty); 10 at PPM 26 Jul (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 11 at Zellwood farms 26 Jul (G. Bretz, T. Robinson). Florida Scrub-Jay: surveys of the Cedar Key {Levy) scrub found only 11-16 jays in 3-4 groups this season (T. Webber). Gray Catbird: 1 juvenile at Keystone Heights {Clay) 27 Jul (J. Williams). Cedar Waxwing: 70-80 at Gainesville {Alachua) 4 Jun (T. Taylor); 20 at Molino {Escam- bia) 12 Jun (G. Fleming). Red-eyed VireO: 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Park {Pinellas) 25 Jul (P. Blair); 18 at Saddle Creek CP {Polk) 27 Jul (P. Fellers). Black-whiskered VireO: 2 males singing at Honeymoon Island SRA 8 Jun (A. and R. Smith). Northern Parula: 71 at Saddle Creek CP 31 Jul (C. Geanangel). Yellow Warbler: 1 at St. Marks NWR 26 Jul (J. Dozier). Prairie Warbler: No birds at Fort DeSoto CP this season (R. Smith et ah); 1-2 migrants at St. Marks NWR 5 Jul (J. Dozier); 1 at Newnans Lake 16 Jul (R. Rowan). Yellow-throated Warbler: 2 migrants at WSSP 12 Jul (L. Malo). Black-and-white Warbler: 2 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary {Collier) 12 Jul (D. Weeks); 1 at WSSP 12 Jul {fide P. Small); 1 in E Polk 18 Jul (R Fellers); 2 at Newnans Lake 19 Jul (R. Rowan, T. Taylor); 1 at Saddle Creek CP 21 Jul (P. Fellers); 1 at John Pennekamp SP {Monroe) 26 Jul (D. Leonard); 1 male at Suwannee River SP {Suwan- nee) 30 Jul (A. and R. Smith); 1 female at Boyd Hill Nature Park, St. Petersburg 31 Jul (R. Smith). American Redstart: 1 at Waldo {Alachua) 4 Jun (J. Winn); 1 singing near Newnans Lake 6 Jun (I. Fromberg, C. Reno); 1 at WSSP 12 Jul {fide P. Small); 1 at Newnans Lake 30 Jul (B. Muschlitz). Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at Seminole State Forest {Lake) 5 Jul (L. Cooper); 1 at WSSP 12 Jul (L. Malo); 1 at Newnans Lake 15 Jul (D. Beatty); 1 at Tallahassee 23 Jul (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 25 Jul (L. Backus). Yellow-breasted Chat: 4 singing males at Paynes Prairie State Preserve through Jun, but breeding has never been confirmed in Alachua (R. Rowan). Florida Grasshopper Sparrow: 41 nests found at APAFR {Highlands and Polk), Three Lakes WMA {Osceola), and Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve {Okeechobee) 21 Apr-4 Aug (M. Scheuerell, D. Perkins, B. Pranty et ah); a nest with 3 nestlings and 1 egg found at APAFR {Highlands) 3 Jul (M. Scheuerell) was flooded 6 Jul following two days of steady rain; only 2 nestlings remained, and 1 was recently dead (B. Pranty, specimen to Univ. of Florida); 2 juveniles at APAFR {Highlands) color-banded as nest- 32 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST lings moved 600 and 1700 m from their natal areas; juvenile movements are poorly known (B. Pranty). White-throated Sparrow: 1 singing (not seen) at River Ranch Acres {Polk) 19 Jun (A. Mains). Shiny Cowbird: 2 at Jacksonville 6 Jun (R. Clark); 1 at Cedar Key until 3 Jul (D. Hend- erson); birds observed through the season at Key West, with 17 males and 3 females on 1 Jun (J. Ondrejko). Brown-headed Cowbird: 2120 at PPM 26 Jul (R Timmer, C. Geanangel). House Finch: 2 active nests in downtown Ocala {Marion) in Jun (M. Paczolt, J. Sharpe). American Goldfinch: 1 remained at Gainesville to 12 Jun (B. Muschlitz); 1 at Alligator Point 17 Jun (J. Dozier). CONTRIBUTORS: Leslie Backus, Wilson Baker, David Beatty, Ted Below, Shane Belson, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Greg Bretz, Sara Byrd, Bob Carlton, Ed Case, Lois Case, Jim Ca- vanagh, Dan Cimbaro, Roger Clark, Shannon Cline, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Tylan Dean, Nancy Douglass, Jack Dozier, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Will Duncan, Todd Eng- strom, Paul Fellers, Gene Fleming, Ann Forster, Dan Forster, Peter Frederick, Jere French, Ike Fromberg, Dale Gawlik, Chuck Geanangel, Jeff Gore, David Harder, Matt Heindel, Dale Henderson, Eric Hess, Paul Hess, Carol Hokanson, Harry Hooper, Judi Hopkins, Larry Hopkins, David Hormuth, Mary Keim, Joyce King, J. Kitik, Karen Lam- ent, Bill Lamoureux, Dave Leonard, Shannon Ludwig, Allison Mains, Lome Malo, Mike Manetz, Greg McDermott, Gail Menk, Bill Milmore, Barbara Muschlitz, Steve Nesbitt, John Ogden, Joe Ondrejko, Mike Paczolt, Tom Palmer, Rich Paul, Peggy Powell, Dusty Perkins, Bill Pranty, Diane Reed, Cathy Reno, Jeff Ripple, Ted Robinson, Rex Rowan, Lenny Santisteban, Mark Scheuerell, Ann Schnapf, Frances Sellers, John Sharpe, Diane Sherrill, Parks Small, Randy Snyder, Austin Smith, Becky Smith, Ron Smith, Gary Sprandel, Terry Taylor, Betsy Tetlow, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Carney Timmons, Dana Timmons, Ken Tracey, Billi Wagner, Noel Warner, Don Ware, Tom Webber, Dave Weeks, Joyce Williams, and John Winn. Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billpranty@hotmail.com). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven, Florida 33884; lcooper298@aol.com), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15th Terrace, Gaines- ville, Florida 32609), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Flor- ida 33703). Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Associate Editor (for reviews): Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Associate Editor (for technical papers): Robert L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792. Associate Editor: Trina M. Cassels, 5827 Louvinia Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Editor of Special Publications: Glen E. WOOLFENDEN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee: WALTER K. Taylor (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: STEPHEN A. NESBITT, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Wildlife Research Laboratory, 4005 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida 32601. Field Observations Committee: Bill Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: H. JAMES SiGSBEE (Chair), 10090 SW 144th St., Miami, Florida 33176. Nominating Committee: WAYNE HOFFMAN (Chair), National Audubon Society, 115 Indian Mound Trail, Tavernier, Florida 33070. Records Committee: Bruce H. Anderson (Secretary), 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899. Conservation Committee: Eric D. STOLEN, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 18, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 1 February 1998 Pages 1-32 CONTENTS ARTICLES The Status of Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows on Waccasassa Bay, Levy County, Florida William Post 1-6 Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Reproductive Success Based on Nesting Records Dustin W. Perkins, Peter D. Vickery, Tylan F Dean, and Mark D. Scheurell 7-17 NOTES The Georgraphic Distribution Ancylostoma pluridentatum and Other Hookworms in Bobcats (Felis rufus) in Florida Tania A. Carnes and Donald J. Forrester 18-20 Sprague’s Pipit Overwinters at Apalachicola, Franklin County, and an Assessment of its Winter Status Douglas B. McNair 21-23 Common Moorhens in Dade County, Florida, Raise Five Broods in One Year Brett K. Bannor 24-25 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Summer Report: June-July 1997 Bill Pranty 26-32 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIE?Y VOL. 26, No. 2 May 1998 Pages 33-76 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Vice-President: JAN WOOLFENDEN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Secretary: Eric D. Stolen, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899. Treasurer: SEAN RoWE, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Flor- ida 33862. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1998 Bobbie Kittleson, 5334 Woodhaven Lane, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Camille Sewell, 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1999 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 2458 Econ Cir. Apt. 132, Orlando, Florida 32817-2653. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2000 Gian Basili, Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Lillian Saul, 5106 Vinson Drive, Tampa, Florida 33610. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden, 1994. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., P.O. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 26, No. 2 May 1998 Pages 33-76 Florida Field Nat. 26(2):33-39, 1998. NESTING HABITAT OF FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS AT AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGE Michael F. Delany and Stephen B. Linda Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601 Abstract.— We examined nest sites {n = 20) of the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida, from 20 May 1993 to 31 July 1996. Vegetation composition did not differ significantly (P = 0.47) between nest and non-nest sites. Vegetation density was significantly greater (P = 0.02) at nests (<1 cm) and lower (P < 0.072) at 1 m and 2 m from nests than at non-nest sites. The availability of clumps of dense shielding vegetation within low-density patches may be an important factor in nest site selection. Nest placement in clumps of dense veg- etation may be an anti-predation strategy and ameliorate the microclimate at nests. Ar- eas of low vegetation density near nests may facilitate adult access and provide an area for distraction displays. Range management via prescribed fire and cattle grazing may expand nesting habitat for some populations. Grasshopper Sparrows {Ammodramus savannarum) are locally distributed in grasslands throughout most of the continental United States, from Mexico to Ecuador, and in the West Indies. Breeding bird surveys evince a decline in some populations caused by habitat degra- dation (Vickery 1996). The Florida subspecies (A. s. floridanus) was listed as endangered in 1986 (Fed. Reg. 1986). Intensive management of grassland for cattle grazing and conver- sion of grassland to farmland are the greatest threats to A. s. florida- nus. Structural characteristics of occupied and abandoned territories indicate the sparrow cannot adapt to habitat perturbations that re- move potential nest sites (Delany and Linda 1994). Delany and Linda (1998) described Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests, however, little information is available on Grasshopper Sparrow nest-site microhabi- tat (Vickery 1996). We examined habitat structure at Florida Grass- hopper Sparrow nest sites and compared habitat variables with those at randomly chosen non-nest sites within the breeding territory. 33 34 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Study Akea and Methods Our study was conducted from 20 May 1993 to 31 July 1996 on the U.S. Air Force Avon Park Range in Highlands County, Florida. The 700-ha pyrogenic plant association of grass, forbs, saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), and shrubs was described by Delany et al. (1985). Cattle grazed the study area at one animal (cow and calD per 8.7 to 28.3 ha. Cat- tle used pastures for <21-day periods followed by longer periods of exclusion. Pastures were burned with head fires (burned with the wind) between December and mid-March on a two- to three-year rotation. The study area was systematically searched by walking transects at 50-m intervals. Observations of female Grasshopper Sparrows flushed from nests and delivering food to nestlings were used to locate nests. After each nesting attempt, we measured features of the vegetation composition and structure along transects oriented to the four cardinal di- rections from each nest. Point subsample and transect measurements at 1-cm, 1-m, and 2- m distances (12 per nest) included: (1) vertical density— the number of vegetation contacts with a 7-mm metal rod placed vertically into the vegetation; (2) height— the height of the highest contact with the rod; and (3) percentage cover— the cover by each of the vegetation components (grasses, forbs, shrubs, litter, and bare ground) as determined by counting the number of cm of each component along aim subsection of transect adjacent to point sam- ples. Nest shielding vegetation and time post-burn was recorded for all sample locations. The same habitat variables were measured for locations in non-nesting areas within the breeding territory to compare nest sites to available habitat. The center of the terri- tory was determined according to Wiens (1969) and was the starting point for two ran- domly oriented 25-m transects. Point subsamples (10/territory) were located at 5-m intervals along transects (Whitmore 1981). A multiple analysis of variance (MAN OVA) was performed to test the effects of dis- tance from the nest on vegetation composition. A value of 0% for a vegetation component in the dataset was changed to 1%, and a generalized logit transformation was used for the vegetation component proportions (Aitchison 1986). Thus, in the MANOVA, the re- sponse vector for a given observation was: f log ■ V percent shrubs percent grass percent forbs percent grass f log - V percent litter percent grass log percent bare ground percent grass A split-plot model was used, in which the main-plot factor was months post-burn (MON- POSTB), the main-plot error term was nest identification number within months post- burn NESTNUM(MONPOSTB), the sub-plot factor was distance from nest (DIS- TANCE), and the sub-plot error term was DISTANCE x NESTNUM(MONPOSTB). If the fixed effect interaction was clearly not significant (P > 0.20), then that term was de- leted from the model and the reduced model was fitted. Delany & Linda • Nesting Habitat of Grasshopper Sparrows 35 Tests of the effects of distance from the nest on vegetation density (CONTACTS) and maximum height of vegetation contact (HTMAX) also were performed using the Box-Cox variance-stabilizing transformation for each of the variables. A univariate analysis was performed for each of these variables, in which the split-plot model was fitted using esti- mated generalized least-squares (EGLS) as implemented in PROC MIXED in the SAS System (SAS Institute, Inc. 1996). Approximate denominator degrees of freedom for the F tests were determined using the Satterthwaite approach (SAS Institute, Inc. 1996). Corrected treatment means in the original scale were obtained by back-transformation, and their standard errors were obtained by the delta method. Vegetation characteristics at nest sites were compared with those at non-nest sites. Methods were similar to those described above, with the following modifications: a split- plot model was used in which the main-plot factor was months post-burn (MONPOSTB), the main-plot error term was NESTNUM(MONPOSTB), the sub-plot factor was type of area (TYPE), and the sub-plot error term was TYPE x NESTNUM(MONPOSTB). For the MAN OVA of the vegetation components and for the univariate EGLS analysis of HT- MAX, TYPE had two possible values: nest or non-nest. Since the EGLS analysis indi- cated that CONTACTS depended on distance from the nest (see Results), TYPE had four possible values for the univariate EGLS analysis of CONTACTS: nest at <1 cm, nest at 1 m, nest at 2 m, and non-nest. All computations were performed using the SAS System (SAS Institute, Inc., 1990). In the following, least-squares means are denoted by x, and the estimate of the standard error of the least-squares mean is denoted by SE. Results Twenty active nests (containing eggs or young) of grass construc- tion were located on the ground in shallow (<3.2 cm) excavations in the sand substrate. Most (15 of 20) were shielded by low (<29.5 cm) clumps of dwarf live oak {Quercus minima) that provided concealment from above and the sides. Although there was a significant months post-burn effect (P - 0.002), vegetation composition did not significantly change with dis- tance from the nest (P - 0.19 for DISTANCE, P = 0.37 for MONPOSTB X DISTANCE). However, univariate EGLS analysis showed the num- ber of vegetation contacts differed significantly (P < 0.0001) among dis- tances, and distance effects did not depend on months post-burn (P = 0.84 for MONPOSTB x DISTANCE). Vegetation density was signifi- cantly higher within 1 cm of the nest (x = 9.59, = 1.13) than at 1 m (x = 5.00, SE - 0.59) and 2 m (x - 6.34, SE = 0.75) distances (P < 0.001 for each pairwise contrast). The number of contacts at 1 m from the nest was significantly lower than at the other two distances (P = 0.05 for 1 m vs 2 m) (Fig. 1). The maximum height of vegetation contact (x = 30.89 cm) did not significantly change with distance from the nest (P = 0.12 for DISTANCE, P = 0.39 for MONPOSTB x DISTANCE). Vegetation composition did not differ significantly between nest and non-nest sites (P = 0.47 for TYPE, P = 0.65 for MONPOSTB x TYPE) although there was a significant (P = 0.0004) months post-burn effect (Table 1). Univariate EGLS analysis showed the number of veg- etation contacts differed significantly (P < 0.0001) among location 36 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST A m o a m A +3 o s u 0 m © a m o s 05 !> to O ® ©4 tH 03 JO ^ O- i> CO 05 03 lO 05 O id f-H to t> fH iq « t> •^‘ cd ® cq yH 05 O !> to to cd 03 cd ■pH f— I fH id O- !>• CO 05 to cd ^ 03 05 to to U Cq w ■pH O 00 o iq o 03 tH 05 lA ® eq CO 03 o to cq i> pH d c4 03 q pH cq tH d 05 to id id ® M CS ^ m o Delany & Linda • Nesting Habitat of Grasshopper Sparrows 37 Figure 1. Plot of the number of vegetation contacts (density) for each unique months post-burn and type (nest site or non-nest site) combination. **+” sym- bols indicate the back-transformed least squares means based on the reduced split-plot model. TYPES (nest at <1 cm, nest at 1 m, nest at 2 m, or non-nest), and those differences did not depend on MONPOSTB (P = 0.18). Vegetation den- sity at non-nest sites (x = 7.90, SE ~ 0.84) was significantly (P = 0.02) lower than at <1 cm from nests, and was significantly higher than at 1 m (P < 0.0001) and 2 m (P = 0.07) from nests (Fig. 1). The maximum height of vegetation contact was significantly lower (P = 0.02 for TYPE, P ™ 0.22 for MONPOSTB x TYPE) at nest sites (x = 29.05 cm, SE = 1.66) than at non-nest sites (x - 32.00 cm, SE = 1.73). Discussion The most important nesting component for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows was vegetation density. The availability of small clumps of 38 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST dense vegetation (slightly more than nest diameter) within more open patches (>4 m in diameter) was an important factor influencing nest site selection. Vegetation composition was not a significant factor in site selection. Patterns of vegetation structure and composition at nests appeared consistent despite significant successional changes re- lated to time post-burn. Nest sites often provide concealment that may reduce the risk of predation (Martin 1993) and ameliorate microclimate factors at the nest (With and Webb 1993)': 'Florida 'Grasshopper Sparrow nest placement' at the base of dense vegetation may have been an anti-predation strategy Dense shielding vegetation also may provide thermal advantages. Grasshopper Sparrows are ground-dwelling birds that usually require >20% bare ground for unrestricted movement (Whitmore 1981). Low vegetation density within the nest patch may facilitate adult access. An exposed area near the nest also would allow a quick exit and make pred- ator distraction displays (M. Delany pers. observ.) more visible. Prairie grasslands in Florida are often altered for cattle grazing. Improved pastures are created and maintained by mechanical clearing and planting bahia grass {Paspalum sp.) and clover {Trifolium spp.) (Milleson et al. 1980). Prairies also are plowed and planted with bahia grass for sod production. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow preference for dense clumps of vegetation within more open patches may restrict nest placement. Breeding sites that had been converted to improved cattle pastures and sod fields lacked dense clumps of vegetation within more open patches and were abandoned by sparrows (Delany and Linda 1994). Unmanaged grasslands may develop into a dense successional stage that is also unsuitable for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Delany et al. 1985). Managers of public lands occupied by Florida Grasshopper Spar- rows use prescribed fire to maintain vegetation in a sparse, early suc- cessional stage associated with greater densities of sparrows (Walsh et al. 1995). Cattle grazing also affects grassland composition and struc- ture, and may create conditions suitable for Grasshopper Sparrows at some locations (Bock and Webb 1984). The low stocking rates and short duration grazing on the study area seemed compatible with sparrow nesting requirements. However, measures of reproductive success are needed to determine habitat quality. Breeding aggregations of >11 pairs of Florida Grasshopper Spar- rows are known from only six protected locations. The sparrow could be reclassified as threatened if 50 pairs become established at each of 10 secure, discrete locations throughout its former range (USFWS 1988). A minimum viable population may require 240 to 1,348 ha of prairie grassland (Delany et al. 1995). Florida Grasshopper Sparrows appear to be responsive to habitat restoration (Delany 1996), and the creation Delany & Linda • Nesting Habitat of Grasshopper Sparrows 39 of additional nesting habitat adjacent to occupied sites via prescribed fire and grazing may expand some populations. Acknowledgments This study was funded by the Florida Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund. The U.S. Air Force allowed access to the study area and Natural Resources personnel at Avon Park Air Force Range provided assistance. C. S. Collins, T, F. Dean, D. K. Ford, L. N. Her- rlinger, B. W. Mansell, B. C. Pranty, D. R. Progulske, Jr., M. D. Scheurell, and P. B. Walsh helped search for nests, T. L. Steele assisted with word processing. J. R. Brady, S. A. Nes- bitt, J. A. Rodgers, Jr., P. D. Vickery, D. A. Wiedenfeld, D. A. Wood, and J. L. Zimmerman reviewed previous drafts. Literature Cited Aitchison, j. 1986. The statistical analysis of compositional data. Chapman and Hall, London. Bock, C. E., and B. Webb. 1984. Birds as grazing indicator species in southeastern Ari- zona. J. Wildl. Manage. 48:1045-1049. Delany, M. F. 1996. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Pages 128-136 in Rare and endan- gered biota of Florida, J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H, W. Kale II, and H. T. Smith (eds.). Univer- sity Press Florida, Gainesville. Delany, M. F., and S. B. Linda. 1994. Characteristics of occupied and abandoned Flor- ida Grasshopper Sparrow territories. Florida Field Nat. 22:106-109. Delany, M. F., and S. B. Linda. 1998. Characteristics of Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests. Wilson Bull. 110:136-139. Delany, M. F., C. T, Moore, and D. R. Progulske, Jr. 1995. Territory size and move- ments of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. J. Field Ornithol. 66:305-309. Delany, M. F., H. M. Stevenson, and R. McCracken. 1985. Distribution, abundance, and habitat of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. J. Wildl. Manage. 49:626-631. Fed. Reg. 1986. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; determination of endan- gered status of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Federal Register 51(147): 27492-27495. Martin, T. E. 1993. Nest predation and nest sites, new perspectives on old patterns. Bio- Science 43:523-532. Milleson, j. F., R. L. Goodrick, and J. A. Van Arman. 1980. Plant communities of the Kissimmee River Valley. South Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Tech. Pub. 80-7. SAS Institute, Inc. 1990. SAS Language: Reference, version 6, 1st ed. SAS Institute Inc., Cary. SAS Institute, Inc. 1996. SAS/STAT Software: Changes and enhancements through re- lease 6.11, SAS Institute Inc., Cary. USFWS. 1988. Recovery plan for Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Atlanta. Vickery, P. D, 1996. Grasshopper Sparrow {Ammodramus savannarum). in The Birds of North America, No. 239, (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA and the American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Walsh, P. B., D. A. Darrow, and J. G. Dyess. 1995. Habitat selection by Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows in response to fire. Proc, Annu. Conf, Southeast. Assoc. Fish and Wildl. Agencies 49:342-349. Whitmore, R. C. 1981. Structural characteristics of Grasshopper Sparrow habitat. J. Wildl, Manage. 45:811-814. Wiens, J. A, 1969. An approach to the study of ecological relationships among grassland birds. Ornithol. Monographs No. 8. With, K. A., and D. R. Webb. 1993. Microclimate of ground nests: the relative importance of radiative cover and wind breaks for three grassland species. Condor 95:401-413. 40 NOTES Florida Field Nat. 26(2):40-43, 1998. ASSESSMENT OF OCCURRENCES OF FLAMINGOS IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA, INCLUDING A RECENT RECORD OF THE GREATER FLAMINGO (PHOENICOPTERUS RUBER) Douglas B. McNairs and Jeffery A. Gore^ ^Tall Timbers Research Station, Route 1, Box 678 Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 ^Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 3911 Highway 2321, Panama City, Florida 32409 Flamingos occur very rarely and irregularly on the Panhandle coast of Florida (Rob- ertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994); there are only four records and four reports (sensu Robertson and Woolfenden 1992) during the last 70 years. In this note, we document a 1995 record of the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) at La- nark Village, Franklin County, Florida. We also summarize ail occurrences of flamingos from the northern Gulf coast of Florida during this century; and we discuss the possibil- ity that some of the occurrences may be vagrants from wild populations in Mexico and, perhaps, western Cuba. We hypothesize that some Greater Flamingos were carried to the Panhandle coast of Florida by tropical cyclones that tracked through the western Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Since the establishment of captive flocks of Greater Flamingos in South Florida in the 1930s (which are now properly defined as feral, semi-domesticated birds; P. W Smith, in litt.), the origin of Greater Flamingos observed in Florida has been conjectural (Allen 1956, op. cit.). Flamingos of uncertain origin could also arrive from other sources. Small flocks observed in Florida Bay may have been natural vagrants, although this is uncer- tain (Allen 1956, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). De- termining the provenance of Greater Flamingos in Florida is complicated further because this species closely resembles the Chilean Flamingo (P. chilensis), which has now been reported twice in Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). In the Carolinas, the four verified records of flamingos are all of the Chilean Flamingo (Lee 1987, Post and Gauthreaux 1989). We obtained data on occurrences of flamingos in northwest Florida from Howell (1932), Allen (1956), Stevenson and Anderson {1994), Audubon Field Notes, and archives at Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS). We examined the original citations for each oc- currence. We obtained data on annual reports of tracks of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean from Neumann et al. (1981); data on tropical cyclones from 1981-1995 were extracted from annual reports published in Monthly Weather Review. We defined a storm- assisted flamingo as an individual bird reported within 500 km of the storm track and within 20 days after the storm’s landfall (cf , Tuck 1968, Fussell and Alien-Grimes 1980). Flamingos are land-based waterbirds, not seabirds, but we believe this opera- tional definition is appropriate for our analyses. We photographed a richly colored adult Greater Flamingo along the shore of St. George Sound, Lanark Village, on 12 June 1995 (TTRS P634-P637). The large size, long tarsus, pink legs, head and neck, and general coloration including extensive pink on the back indicate that the bird was a Greater Flamingo (Allen 1956). We watched the fla- mingo for 1 hr while it fed in shallow water, but could not detect any obvious plumage ab- Notes 41 normalities or soft-part wear that might suggest the bird had been a recent captive. Our record is the first occurrence of any flamingo from the Florida Panhandle in 23 years. The following annotated list of the seven other occurrences of flamingos that have ap- peared on the Panhandle coast is organized chronologically. (1) 24 Sept 1927-31 Jan 1928; Wakulla Co. The original report was in Stoddard (1928) with further discussion in Bailey (1928), Howell (1932), and Allen (1956). The bird was filmed, but the whereabouts of this film is unknown. This report was not asso- ciated with a tropical cyclone, (2) 22 June 1948; Bay Co.; Hallman (1962). This record of a Greater Flamingo is sup- ported by a specimen at Florida State University (FSU 1505). This record was not associated with a tropical cyclone. (3) early July 1961; Bay Co.; Hallman (1962). This bird was captured and eventually transported to a zoo, but no verifiable evidence exists. This report was not associ- ated with a tropical cyclone. (4) 1-15 Oct 1965; Wakulla Co.; Anon (1966). This record of a Greater Flamingo is sup- ported by TTRS P5. Tropical Storm Debbie landed in Mississippi on 29 Sept approx. 400 km to the west of Wakulla Co. (5) 30 Oct 1967; Escambia Co.; Anon (1968). This bird was captured but no verifiable evidence exists. This report was not associated with a tropical cyclone. (6) 12 June 1970; Wakulla Co.; Anon (1970). This record of a Greater Flamingo is sup- ported by TTRS P71. Tropical Depression Alma landed in Dixie Co. just north of Ce- dar Key on 25 May approx. 140 km southeast of the sighting in Wakulla Co. This storm reached hurricane strength earlier in the western Caribbean sea. (7) 19 June 1972; Wakulla Co.; Anon (1972). This report was associated with Hurricane Agnes which landed in Bay and Gulf counties on 19 June approximately 120 km to the west of Wakulla Co. These eight occurrences of flamingos on the northern Gulf coast of Florida during this century (the seven above plus this report) occurred during two periods of about one month each: five from early June to early July, and three from late September to late October, Four of eight of these occurrences are records of Greater Flamingos. The four reports can- not exclude the possibility that any one of these individuals could have been a Chilean Fla- mingo. The earliest sighting (No. 1) preceded the establishment of captive flocks of Greater Flamingos in South Florida in the 1930s (Bailey 1928, Stoddard 1928, Alien 1956). Four of the eight occurrences (three records; one report) coincided with storm tracks of tropical cyclones in June (three) and October (one). These cyclones originated in the western Caribbean Sea or the Yucatan and passed over the Yucatan, through the Yucatan Straits, or the western tip of Cuba (Alma). Greater Flamingos are locally abun- dant in the Yucatan and, perhaps, western Cuba (Allen 1956, Sprunt 1975, A.O.U. 1983, Espino-Barros and Baldassarre 1989, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Arengo and Bal- dassarre 1995), None of these four cyclones originated or passed over other areas in the WYst Indies inhabited by flamingos. Three of the above four occurrences that were verified as Greater Flamingos (Nos. 4, 6, and our record) coincided with landfall of tropical cyclones that passed over or near the Yucatan where Greater Flamingos are locally abundant, which suggests that these indi- vidual birds were natural vagrants that were displaced across the Gulf of Mexico (ca. 1200 km). One sighting (No. 7) occurred under these same conditions which suggest that this bird was also a natural vagrant and probably a Greater Flamingo, not a Chilean. In addition, Allen (1956) believed four Greater Flamingos reported to be captured in Es- cambia County after a storm in 1881 were v/ild vagrants and properly identified. Early or late season tropical cyclones that originate in the western Caribbean Sea and then pass over the Yucatan or through the Yucatan Straits tend to travel north- northeast (see Neumann et al. 1981). There have been only eight such storms that landed on the Panhandle from the 1930s through 1995. We find it striking that three 42 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST storm-assisted occurrences (Nos, 4, 7, and our record) of flamingos for the Panhandle co- incided with three of these storms. The 1970 record (No. 6) also coincided with a storm from the western Caribbean Sea that landed on the Florida peninsula. Most storms that land on the Panhandle during mid-season (mid-July to mid-Septem- ber) have passed over geographical areas where flamingos are absent, which may ac- count for the absence of arrival of flamingos on the Panhandle during the middle of the storm season. The principal area of tropical cyclone formation during this period is the Atlantic Ocean, and the predominant direction of storms that track through the Yucatan Straits is northwest toward the western Gulf of Mexico (Neumann et al. 1981). The four occurrences of flamingos from the northern Gulf coast of Florida that did not coincide with tropical cyclones were also not associated with weaker storm systems (e.g., tropical depressions with wind <33 knots), or other obvious weather events (based on examina- tion of detailed weather summaries available in Monthly Weather Review and Climato- logical Data). One explanation is that these flamingos were not detected until long after storms transported them across or around the Gulf, but we have no way of examining this possibility. Because these occurrences could not be associated with storm systems, the probable origins of these birds remain uncertain. In contrast to the northern Gulf coast of Florida, on the southeast Atlantic coast, Lee (1987) suggested that only one of approximately 18 occurrences of flamingos in the Car- olinas was associated with a tropical cyclone. The track of this one storm (in mid-Septem- ber 1876) passed just westerly of Andros Island (Neumann et al. 1981), probably the major source for Greater Flamingos in Florida (Allen 1956). The Andros Island colonies were subsequently decimated, however, and the only breeding colonies remaining in the Bahamas are on Great Inagua Island, which, together with the Yucatan, form the two largest breeding populations in the Caribbean Basin (Allen 1956, Sprunt 1975, Espino- Barros and Baldassarre 1989, Arengo and Baldassarre 1995). Recoveries of flamingos banded on Great Inagua Island have occurred further west and south in the Greater An- tilles, not further north in the Bahamas (Sprunt 1975). Only seven tropical cyclones have passed near or over Great Inagua Island with landfall in the Carolinas since the 1930s (Neumann et al. 1981). Therefore, Greater Flamingos have had few opportunities to be transported by storms to the Carolinas, reinforcing Lee’s (1987) evaluation that many re- ports of flamingos in the Carolinas since the 1930s have probably been Chilean Flamin- gos, in addition to the four records (see also Post and Gauthreaux 1989). In contrast to Great Inagua Island, tropical cyclones passing near or over the Yucatan are relatively frequent (at least 35 since the 1930s; see Neumann et al. 1981) which has coincided with the occurrence of four storm-assisted flamingos in northwest Florida since the 1930s, all but one verified as Greater Flamingos. Allen (1956) stated that Greater Flamingos were scarce on the Gulf coast outside Florida and the Yucatan, though he did document several apparent storm-assisted vagrants in Texas, apart from other reports from this state (also see Oberholser 1974, Chapman et al. 1979). At least one occurrence (15 Oct 1912) was associated with a hurricane which landed on the Texas coast after crossing northeast Yucatan. In summary, we documented a record of the Greater Flamingo from the Florida Pan- handle in early June 1995 following tropical cyclone Allison. This is the first occurrence of a flamingo on the Florida Panhandle in 23 years. Three (Nos. 4, 6, and 7) out of seven other occurrences of flamingos from this region during the past 70 years were also asso- ciated with tropical cyclones. Thus, four of eight occurrences were associated with cy- clones which originated in the western Caribbean Sea or the Yucatan early or late in the season. These cyclones passed over the Yucatan, through the Yucatan Straits, or over the western tip of Cuba, which suggests these flamingos were naturally transported by these storms (ca. 1200 km). Three of these four occurrences were records of Greater Flamingos (our record and Nos. 4 and 6), and we believe the sighting (No. 7) was probably a Greater Flamingo also. The probable origins (wild vagrants or escapees) and species identity Notes 43 (Greater or Chilean) of the remaining four occurrences of flamingos are uncertain, al- though these occurrences also occurred early or late in the season. We believe that ob- servers should not dismiss occurrences of Greater Flamingos in the United States north of Florida Bay as escapees before assessing the probable geographic origin of these birds. Some of these birds, particularly on the Gulf coast, have almost certainly been wild va- grants. Acknowledgments, —We thank D. S. Lee, W. Post, and especially P. William Smith for reviewing a draft of the manuscript. We also thank R. T, Engstrom for editorial assis- tance. Literature Cited Allen, R. P. 1956. The flamingos: their life history and survival. Research Report No. 5, National Audubon Soc., New York. American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edi- tion. Allen Press, Lawrence. Anon. 1966. The changing season: Florida region. Aud. Field Notes 20:32. Anon. 1968. The changing season: Florida region. Aud. Field Notes 22:52. Anon. 1970. The changing season: Florida region. Aud. Field Notes 24:674. Anon. 1972. The changing season: Florida region. Aud. Field Notes 26:848. Arengo, F., and G. a. Baldassarre. 1995. Effects of food density on the behavior and distribution of nonbreeding American Flamingos in Yucatan, Mexico, Condor 97:325- 334. Bailey, H. H. 1928. Regarding a late Florida record of the Flamingo. Wilson Bull. 40:197-198. Chapman, B. R., P. A. Buckley, and F. G. Buckley. 1979. First photographic record of Greater Flamingo in Texas. Bull. Texas OrnithoL Soc. 12:20-21. Espino-Barros, R., and G. a. Baldassarre. 1989. Numbers, migration chronology, and activity patterns of nonbreeding Caribbean Flamingos in Yucatan, Mexico, Condor 91:592-597. Fussell, J. O., Ill, AND A. Allen-Grimes. 1980. Bird sightings associated with Hurri- cane David. Chat 44:89-100. Hallman, R. C. 1962. American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) captured in Bay County. Fla. Nat. 35:92. Howell, A, H. 1932. Florida Bird Life. Coward and McCann, New York, Lee, D. S. 1987. Long-legged pink things: What are they? Where do they come from? Chat 51:43-48. Neumann, C. J., G. W. Cry, E. L. Casso, and B. R. Jaevian, 1981. Tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1871-1980. National Climatic Center, Asheville. Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. Univ. Texas Press, Austin. Post, W., and S. A. Gauthreaux, Jr 1989. Status and distribution of South Carolina birds. Contrib, Charleston Mus. No. 18. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species— an anno- tated list. Florida OrnithoL Soc. Spec. PubL No. 6, Gainesville. Sprunt, a. 1975. The Caribbean. Pages 65-74 in Flamingos (J. Kear and N. Duplaix- Hall, eds.). T. & A. D. Poyser, Berkhamsted. Stewnson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press Flor- ida, Gainesville. Stoddard, H. L. 1928. The flamingo in northwest Florida. Auk 45:201-202. Tuck, L. M. 1968. Laughing Gulls (Larus atricilla) and Black Skimmers {Rynchops ni- gra) brought to Newfoundland by hurricane. Bird-Banding 39:200-208. 44 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Nat. 26(2):44-45, 1998. UNCOMMON BEHAVIORS OF RED HEADED WOODPECKERS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA M. Shane Belson^-^ and Parks E. Smalu ^Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816 ^Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Wekiva Basin GEOpark 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, Florida 32712 ^Present address: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Tosohatchee State Reserve, 3365 Taylor Creek Road, Christmas, Florida 32709 During a study of habitat use by Red-headed Woodpeckers {Melanerpes erythroceph- alus) at Wekiwa Springs State Park, Orange County, Florida, we incidentally observed three uncommon Red-headed Woodpecker behaviors. Two events involved food items the species has not been recorded using in Florida, and one event involved the response of a Red-headed Woodpecker breeding pair to nest site alteration. Unusual foods.— The Red-headed Woodpecker is omnivorous (Beal 1911). It has been reported to take the eggs or young of other birds (Iowa, Aldrich 1877; Colorado, Montana, New York, Bendire 1895; Georgia, Fontaine 1886; Ohio, Jones 1883; and Ontario, Canada, Morden 1889). Beal (1911) mentions that the Red-headed Woodpecker in Florida “enters poultry houses and sucks the eggs of domestic fowls,” but did not provide further details. However, in the most extensive foraging study of the Red-headed Woodpecker conducted in Florida during the breeding season, Venables and Collopy (1989) did not observe depre- dation of eggs or young by Red-headed Woodpeckers during 170 hours of scan sampling. On 2 June 1996, in mesic pine flatwoods with a canopy of pond pine (Pinus serotina) and slash pine (P. elliottii) and a shrub layer of shiny lyonia {Lyonia lucida), gallberry {Ilex glabra), and saw palmetto {Serenoa repens), M. Belson observed an adult Red- headed Woodpecker perched atop a 3.6 m pine {Pinus sp.) snag that was 60 m from the woodpecker’s nest. The bird appeared excited and, after making a few tearing motions from something on top of the snag, flew from sight. M. Belson collected from the snag the remains (trachea, wings, and pygostyle) of a naked, recently-hatched bird that appar- ently had been eaten by the woodpecker. Although the diet of the Red-headed Woodpecker is extremely varied, there are few records of Red-headed Woodpecker eating vertebrates other than young birds. Nauman (1932) reported a failed attack on a house mouse {Mus domesticus [musculus]) and Ven- ables and Collopy (1989) the depredation of a “small lizard.” We observed a Red-headed Woodpecker handle a previously unreported vertebrate food item, the Florida worm liz- ard (Amphisbaenia: Rhineura floridana). On 24 June 1997, in a sandhill longleaf pine (P. palustris) forest with a mid-story of turkey oak {Quercus laevis), small post oak (Q. stellata), and sand live oak (Q. geminata), and groundcover of wiregrass {Aristida beyrichiana), M. Belson watched an adult Red- headed Woodpecker flycatch from a low, dead limb of a longleaf pine that was 10 m from the woodpecker’s nest snag. After each of several sallies, the woodpecker cached its prey in the dead limb. During one foray, the bird flew from sight and returned to the pine with somewhat labored flight and something worm-like in its bill. The woodpecker perched on the dead limb and attempted to cache the item, but it was placed perpendicular to the limb and fell to the ground after a few pecks. M. Belson collected the food item and iden- tified it as a worm lizard. Notes 45 The worm lizard was thoroughly desiccated and the body intact (TL = 28 cm), except for damage in the head region; the mandible was missing and the vertebral column was broken at two points within 3 cm of the head. The desiccation of the body suggests that the worm lizard had been killed at an earlier time. We do not know whether the wood- pecker killed or scavenged the worm lizard. Response to Nest A/tera^iow.— Information on levels of parental investment in off- spring by primary cavity nesting birds in natural cavities is limited. Venables and Col- lopy (1989) calculated that during the reproductive season, Red-headed Woodpeckers use 2.8% of daylight hours for feeding nestlings and 1.3% for cavity excavation. References to continued parental investment in a natural nest cavity that has been damaged or a cav- ity in a snag that has fallen are few. Brewster (1893) describes in great detail how a pair of Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) fledged young after their snag broke at the nest cavity entrance. There are several references to continued parental investment in nests located in nest boxes that fell to the ground; Carpenter (1992) and R. Dawson (pers. comm.) describe American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) and R Lederle (pers. comm.) de- scribes Tree Swallows {Tachycineta bicolor) demonstrating this behavior. The factors that govern whether a parent will continue to attend a damaged or altered nest cavity are not well understood. In the sandhill habitat described above, a longleaf pine snag containing a Red-headed Woodpecker nest ignited during a prescribed Are on 17 May 1995. The snag fell that af- ternoon and landed with the cavity intact and the entrance accessible to the adults. A single bird visited the fallen cavity on multiple occasions. Assuming the nesting attempt had failed, P. Small removed the cavity face, revealing one infertile egg and two freshly hatched, living chicks. P. Small replaced the cavity face. An adult woodpecker visited the cavity numerous times the following day, and the chicks were alive and had full crops. On the fourth day, the chicks were dead in the cavity and covered with ants. Acknowledgments.— Thm project has received support from the Florida Ornithologi- cal Society, Gopher Tortoise Council, and Citizens for Wekiva Basin GEOpark, We thank J. A. Jackson, W. K. Taylor, Rosi Mulholland, Christine Small, Kendra Panton, and Bruce Anderson for their comments. The suggestions of Danny Ingold, R. Todd Engstrom, and an anonymous reviewer are appreciated. Literature Cited Aldrich, C. 1877. The Red-headed Woodpecker carnivorous. Am. Nat. 11:308. Beal, F. E. L. 1911, Food of the woodpeckers of the United States. U.S. Dept. Agr., Biol. Survey Bull. No. 37, Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D. C. Bendire, C. E. 1895. Life histories of North American birds. U.S. Natl. Mus. Spec. Bull. 3. Brewster, W. 1893. A brood of young flickers {Colaptes auratus) and how they were fed. Auk 10:231-236. Carpenter, T. W. 1992. American Kestrel completes clutch following movement of its nest box, J. Raptor Res. 26:268. Fontaine, L. B. 1886. Cannibalism of the Red-headed Woodpecker. Oologist and Orni- thologist 3:29. Jones, H. 1883. An unrecorded habit of the Red-headed Woodpecker. Oologist and Orni- thologist 8:56. Morden, j. a. 1889. A murderous Red-headed Woodpecker. Oologist 5:113. Nauman, E. D. 1932. The Red-headed Woodpecker as a mouser. Wilson Bull. 44:44. Venables, A., and M. W. Collopy. 1989. Seasonal foraging and habitat requirements of Red-headed Woodpeckers in north-central Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Nongame Wildl. Program Final Rep. 46 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Nat. 26(2):46-47, 1998. HENSLOW’S SPARROW AND SEDGE WREN RESPONSE TO A DORMANT-SEASON PRESCRIBED BURN IN A PINE SAVANNA Douglas B. McNair Tall Timbers Research Station Route 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 Upland Ammodramus sparrows are secretive and prefer open habitat with dense ground cover. Consequently, these sparrows are difficult to detect and census on their winter range. All Grasshopper (A. savannarum) and LeConte’s (A. leconteii) sparrows flushed on their winter range in Oklahoma and Texas were alone (Grzybowski 1983a in Lowther 1996, Grzybowski 1983b). Most Henslow's Sparrows (A. henslowii) in their win- ter range in Florida are also flushed alone, but I have rarely observed groups of two or three (D. McNair pers. obs.). In January 1997, I observed an unusual concentration of Henslow’s Sparrows and Sedge Wrens (Cistothorus platensis) during a dormant-season prescribed burn in a pine savanna. On 22 January 1997, almost all of Compartment 71 of the Apalachicola Ranger District of the Apalachicola National Forest (ANF) was burned, including a 116-ha sa- vanna (Stand 26) dominated by beakrush sedge {Rhynchospora chapmanii). After burn- ing most of the savanna, the Are approached a narrow (<150 m; usually 50 to 75 m), 500- m long strip of open longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest that abutted a narrow titi (Cy- rillaceae) swamp. Two lines of fire converged to form a triangle of savanna with this strip of relatively wet longleaf pine forest at its base. While walking within and behind this unburned triangle from 1500-1600 hr, I flushed as many as flve Henslow’s Sparrows at one time; most sparrows were located more than 75 m from the edge of the fire. I also flushed Sedge Wrens from locations that were usu- ally closer to the leading edge of the fire; the Sedge Wrens flew shorter distances away from the Are than did the Henslow’s Sparrows. Some individuals of both species may have escaped the encroaching fire by running through the ground cover. At approximately 1600 hr, I sat down 3 m from several gallberry {Ilex glabra) clumps in the triangle to observe the birds’ response to fire. During the next 30 min, I estimated that a total of 50 Henslow’s Sparrows and 20 Sedge Wrens flew by me as the fire ap- proached. I detected more individuals of both species when the fire intensified from aim flame height to 2 to 3 m. During one of these episodes, nine Henslow’s Sparrows flew by me at one time; three of which alighted in the gallberry clumps. A few Henslow’s Spar- rows flew back over the flames and landed in slight depressions at the base of shrubs on the burnt savanna at least 150 m away, but most birds sought shelter within or along the edge of the wetland forest. I rarely heard calls from any individual. In contrast, I never observed Sedge Wrens fly over the flames or fly by in groups of greater than two individuals. Unfortunately, I cannot provide an estimate of the number of individuals of both species present in the entire savanna because of inadequate pre- burn observations. After the triangle of savanna was burned, the encroaching fire advanced toward the narrow, wet longleaf pine forest strip, which provided refuge for both species. From 1630- 1700 hr I flushed 30 Henslow’s Sparrows (up to four at one time) in a portion of this strip of longleaf pine forest. Four days later, I flushed one Sedge Wren and no other species from this same area. On 18 February, during a 1-hr walk through the strip, I flushed five Sedge Wrens and four Henslow’s Sparrows and no other species; I would consider the lat- ter count typical for this habitat. The wrens preferred the wetter (6 to 10 cm standing wa- ter) and the sparrows the drier portions of this strip (Hyde 1939, D. McNair pers. obs.). Notes 47 The differences between escape behaviors of Sedge Wrens and Henslow’s Sparrows in response to fire are consistent with the differences in their escape behavior in response to flush attempts by rope-dragging. Sedge Wrens are rarely flushed into mist-nets by rope- dragging, which is a fairly efficient technique for catching Henslow’s Sparrows in these savannas (D. McNair pers. obs.). The wrens are reluctant to escape and usually remain in dense ground cover as the rope passes overhead. In summary, the disturbance caused by a dormant-season prescribed burn in a pine savanna induced unusual concentrations of Henslow’s Sparrows and Sedge Wrens at one site, although the response of Sedge Wrens to fire was less obvious. The ground cover as- sociated with a long, narrow, unburned strip of adjacent open longleaf pine forest pro- vided temporary refuge for most of these birds. Acknowledgments.— 1 thank R. T. Engstrom, P. D. Vickery, and an anonymous individ- ual for their reviews of this manuscript. Literature Cited Grzybowski, J. a. 1983a. Sociality of grassland birds during winter. Behav. EcoL Socio- biol. 13:211-219. . 1983b. Patterns of space use in grassland bird communities during winter. Wil- son Bull. 95:591-602. Hyde, A. S. 1939. The life history of Henslow’s Sparrow, Passerherbulus henslowii (Au- dubon). Univ. Michigan Mus. Zool. Misc. Publ. No. 41:1-72. Lowther, P. E. 1996. LeConte’s Sparrow {Ammodramus leconteii). In The Birds of North America, No. 224 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Phil- adelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 48 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Nat. 26(2):48-59, 1998. Fall Report: Aug-Nov 1997.— The observations listed here are based on rare or un- usual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Soci- ety (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). These reports have not been reviewed formally, thus they should be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall (Aug-Nov). Submit reports to regional com- pilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at billpranty@hotmail.com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered ‘"reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds that require documen- tation {FFN 24(4): 132-133, 1996). These species are marked at this report with an aster- isk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this re- port). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: ABS = Archbold Biological Station {Highlands), APAFR = Avon Park Air Force Range, CP = county park, DOR = dead on road, ENP = Everglades NP, FBR = Florida Birding Report {fide Dotty and Hank Hull), FDCP = Fort DeSoto CP {Pinellas), FWBSTF = Fort Walton Beach STF {Okaloosa), HISRA = Honeymoon Island SRA {Pinellas), HPM = Hamilton phosphate mine (formerly Occidental WMA and Bienville Plantation), LJCA = Lake Jessup Conservation Area {Seminole), NWR - national wildlife refuge, PPSP = Paynes Prairie State Preserve {Alachua), R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 = Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SCCP = Saddle Creek CP {Polk), SGISP = St. George Island SP {Franklin)-, SLCP = Sawgrass Lake CP {Pinellas), SMNWR = St. Marks NWR {Wakulla), SP = state park, SRA = state recreation area, STF = sewage treatment facility, WMA = wildlife management area, WSSP = Wekiwa Springs SP {Orange), and N, S, E, W, etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly re- ported or verified for Florida. For sharing information with us, we thank Noel Warner, the fall editor of Field Notes, and Dotty and Hank Hull, the Florida Birding Report compilers. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the editing of the manuscript. Summary of the Fall Season Fall 1997 was notable for its lack of severe weather statewide, and in many areas, lower than average rainfall, which resulted in a lackluster migration. Noel Warner called the season “by far the dullest” in his memory. Rex Rowan agreed, stating the migration in general was a “snoozer.” The only fallouts reported occurred 29 Sep-1 Oct, when nu- merous species, especially the Tennessee Warbler, were observed in numbers at Gaines- Field Observations 49 ville and Miami. From 27 Sep-14 Oct, Bob Stoll conducted 18 consecutive daily hawk watches at Guana River and recorded impressive totals for the Peregrine Falcon. FOSRC rarities reported for Florida this fall were 2 Masked Ducks in Pace, a “Gray- cheeked” Thrush at Jacksonville believed to be a BicknelFs Thrush, a Sage Thrasher at Gulf Breeze, a Warbling Vireo at Cedar Key, a Kirtland’s Warbler at Vero Beach, a Lark Bunting at Alligator Point, and a Harris’ Sparrow at Niceville. The first state report of a duck reported by a single observer at Santa Rosa in November was submitted to the FOC with insufficient details, and thus is not included in this report. Other rarities reported were a Pacific Loon at Gulf Breeze (the first that has sum- mered in the state), a Great Cormorant at Oldsmar, a Greater White-fronted Goose at Fort Walton Beach, a Eurasian Wigeon at Merritt Island NWR, a Yellow Rail photo- graphed at Avon Park Air Force Range, 3 reports of Baird’s Sandpipers for the W Pan- handle, a Willow Flycatcher calling at Fort DeSoto Park, 4 Ash-throated Flycatcher reports for the W Panhandle, a BelFs Vireo at St. George Island State Park, 2 Mourning Warblers near Tallahassee, and a Black-headed Grosbeak at Guana River SP. Lastly, as suggested by reports last year, the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck was confirmed to breed in Hamilton in October 1997, when adults and ducklings v/ere observed. This is only the second Florida report of breeding by presumably wild Black— bellied Whistling— Ducks, and the location— only 25 km from the Georgia line— clearly shov/s the dispersal capabil- ities of the species. Species Accounts Red-throated Loon: 1 at HPM 16 Nov (B. Bergstrom); 1 at SMNWR 22 Nov (B. Berg- strom) and 30 Nov (R. Smith, B. Hoffman et ah). Pacific Loon: 1 in “very worn plumage” at Gulf Breeze {Santa Rosa) 3-9 Aug (B. and L. Duncan). Common Loon: 2 at Gulf Breeze 13-25 Sep (B. Duncan); 1 at Lanark Reef (Franklin) 18 Oct (R. West, G. Sprandel); 1 over PPSP 7 Nov (M. Manetz, H. Adams); 1-2 at PPM 19- 22 Nov (P, Fellers, M. Hartsaw). Pied-billed Grebe: 18 migrants at Lake Lafayette (Leon) 20 Sep (D. Harder). Horned Grebe: 13 at HPM 20 Sep (J. Krummrich); 7 at Lake Lafayette 11 Nov (G. Menk); 49 at Newnans Lake (Alachua) 11 Nov (R. Rowan, G. McDermott), Eared Grebe: 1 at FWBSTF 5-27 Sep (B. Duncan, B. Burroughs, T. Pratt). Masked Booby: 1 immature found injured at Egmont Key NWR (Hillsborough) 13 Aug died later (fide R. Smith, specimen to ABS). American White Pelican: 200 over Lanark Reef 17 Oct (D. Dobbins); 100s over Fort Myers Beach (Lee) 2 Nov (V. McGrath), Great Cormorant: 1 immature at Oldsmar (Pinellas) 21-29 Oct was found dead 30 Oct (G. Southam et aL, specimen to ABS). Magnificent Frigatebird: 160 at a roost at FDCP 20 Sep (P. Blair, R. Smith, B. Hoff- man). American Bittern: 4 at PPM 22 Nov (fide L. Cooper). Snowy Egret: 200 at LJCA 16 Aug (fide L. Malo). Little Blue Heron: 119 at LJCA 16 Aug (fide L. Malo). Tricolored Heron: 141 at LJCA 16 Aug (fide L. Malo). Reddish Egret: up to 6 (including 1 white morph) at Navarre Beach (Santa Rosa) 1 Aug-24 Sep (D. Muth, B. Duncan et aL); 8 (including 1 white morph) at Hagens Cove (Taylor) 31 Aug (R. Rowan et aL). White x Scarlet Ibis: 1 at PPM 19-22 Nov (P. Fellers, M. Hartsaw et aL). Glossy Ibis: 3-4 at St. Petersburg (Pinellas) 30 Aug-20 Sep (A. and R. Smith et aL); 1 at FWBSTF 9 Sep-29 Sep (D. Ware, B. Duncan); 1 at Springhill Road STF, Tallahassee (Leon) 15-20 Sep (H. Horne et aL). 50 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Roseate Spoonbill: l at Newnans Lake 9 Aug (D. Beatty); 1 first-year bird E of Avon Park (Highlands) 12 Aug (B. Pranty, A. Mains); 1 at PPM 19 Nov (R Fellers, M. Hartsaw). White Spoonbill: l at McKay Bay (Hillsborough) 19 Oct (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman) 1 day short of exactly 4 years after the first sighting of presumably the same bird. Wood Stork: 300+ at Zellwood 9 Aug (L. Hopkins et ah). Greater Flamingo: 32 at Snake Bight Trail, ENP (Monroe) 9 Nov (L. Manfredi). Fulvous Whistling— Duck: 25 adults and young at Zellwood 9 Aug (P. Blair, L, Hopkins et ah); 2 at LJCA 16 Aug (fide L. Male); about 25 at Orange Lake 24 Sep (J. Bryan). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 2 in a flooded field E of Avon Park 12 Aug (C. and D. Ford et ah); 3 at Zellwood farms 25 Aug (K. Tracey, photos to FOC); 4 adults and 8 ducklings at HPM 12-16 Oct (B. Bergstrom, J. Ault) was the first breeding report for N Florida; up to 26 near Bartow (Polk) 25 Nov through the period (P. Fellers); 82 at PPM 24 Aug had increased to 109 by 26 Oct (both P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Greater White-fronted Goose: 1 at FWBSTF 20 Nov (B. Duncan, D. Ware, E. Case, M. Rose). Snow Goose: 12 at FWBSTF 28 Oct (D. Ware, L. Fennimore), and 29 there 10 Nov (D. Ware); 6 (4 adults) at Ding Darling NWR (Lee) 5 Nov (fide FBR); 1 blue morph W of Crystal River (Citrus) 7 Nov (B. Sm3rth); 2 (1 blue, 1 white) at PPSP 7 Nov (M. Manetz, H. Adams); 2 (1 blue, 1 white) at Merritt Island NWR 8-29 Nov (fide FBR); 4 at SMNWR 9 Nov (D. and S. due); 1 blue morph at HPM 17 Nov (J. Krummrich); 2 blue morphs near Blackwater River SP (Santa Rosa) 20 Nov (K. Enge); 2 (1 blue, 1 white) in Leon 29 Nov (L. Stafford); 3 (2 blue, 1 white) at Hague Dairy (Alachua) 29- 30 Nov (J. Martin et ah). Green-winged Teal: 2 at St. Andrew SRA (Bay) 16 Oct (E. Fontaine). Northern Pintail: 14 at PPM 19 Nov (P. Fellers, M. Hartsaw). Blue-winged Teal: 14 at APAFR (Highlands) 1 Aug (B. Pranty, P. Walsh), and 40 there 28 Aug (B. Pranty); 415 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area (Brevard, Lake, Or- ange, and/or Seminole) 18 Oct (fide L. Malo); 1000+ at Myakka River SP (Sarasota) 9 Nov (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoffman). Blue-winged x Cinnamon Teal: 1 hybrid at Southwood Plantation (Leon) 20 Sep (Jim Cox, K. NeSmith, A. Kropp). Gadwall: 2 at Shell Key (Pinellas) 14 Oct (R Blair et ah); 3 at HISRA 28 Nov (W. Yusek). Eurasian Wigeon: 1 at Merritt Island NWR (Brevard) 1 Nov (fide FBR). American Wigeon: 3 at Lake Lafayette 20 Sep (D. Harder). Redhead: 1 at Tierra Verde (Pinellas) 2 Aug probably summered (L. Atherton et ah). Ring— necked Duck: 1 female in Hillsborough 3 Oct (R. Webb). Lesser Scaup: 2 at Tierra Verde 15 Aug (L. Atherton). Surf Scoter: 1 female at Cape San Bias (Gulf) 18 Oct (T. Menart et ah); 2 at Alligator Point (Franklin) 30 Nov (L. Atherton et ah). Red-breasted Merganser: 1 at Orange Lake (Alachua) 10 Nov (G. McDermott, R. Rowan); 4 at Newnans Lake 11-15 Nov (M. Manetz, G. McDermott); 14 at HPM 16 Nov (B. Bergstrom et ah). Ruddy Duck: 4 at Lake Jackson (Leon) 21 Oct (G. Menk, D. Redfield). *Masked Duck: 2 males in breeding plumage at Air Products Sanctuary, Pace (Santa Rosa) 12-15 Nov were described as “small dusky brown ducks [that] had blackish faces and blue bills and when startled they dove below the pond and did not fly” (T. Neese, B. Milmore). Osprey: 55 at LJCA 16 Aug (fide L. Malo). Swallow-tailed Kite: 9 together at Marianna (Jackson) 18 Aug (B. and L. Cooper); 1 migrating S at Guana River SP (St. Johns) 1 Oct (B. Stoll). White-tailed Kite: 1 N of Homestead (Dade) 3 Nov (fide FBR); 1 on SR-80 ca. 11 mi E of LaBelle (Hendry) 3 Nov (V McGrath, W. Winton). Mississippi Kite: 2 at Tallahassee 14-15 Sep (K. MacVicar, L. Short). Field Observations 51 Northern Harrier: 1 at SCCP 2 Sep (P. Fellers, B. and L. Cooper). Sharp-shinned Hawk: a “mini migration” of 5 at Tiger Creek Preserve (Polk) 1 Nov (fide L. Cooper). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 light morph at SCCP 5-25 Sep and 1 dark morph there 13 Oct (both P Fellers et aL); 2 (1 dark, 1 light) at Newnans Lake 10-14 Oct (L. Santisteban, R. Rowan et aL); 4 singles (2 dark and 2 light) at Key West (Monroe) 10 and 11 Oct and 20 and 25 Nov (all J. Ondrejko); 8-12 birds (5-7 dark morphs and 3-5 light mor- phs) at Flamingo, ENP (Monroe) and 1 light morph at Anhinga Trail, ENP (Dade) 3 Nov (all W. Biggs et aL). Swainson’s Hawk: 1 light morph at Key West 19 Sep ( J. Ondrejko); 1 at HPM 3 Oct (J. Krummrich); 1 at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 27 Oct (B. Duncan, T. Barbig); 2 at ENP (Dade) 9 Nov (L. Manfredi). Red-tailed Hawk: 1 “Harlan’s Hawk” over Boot Key (Monroe) 23 Oct (T. Palmer); 1 “Krider’s Hawk” at Hague Dairy 11-15 Nov (M. Manetz). American Kestrel: the first of the season at Key West 21 Sep (J. Ondrejko). Merlin: 1 at Egmont Key NWR 21 Sep (P Blair, R. Smith); a total of 70 at Guana River SP during daily watches from 27 Sep-14 Oct (B. Stoll). Peregrine Falcon: l at ENP (Dade) 2 Aug (S. Belson); 1 at PPSP 4 Oct (J. Hinter- mister); singles at Newnans Lake 10 Oct (L. Santisteban, R. Rowan) and 13-14 Oct (A. Prather, D. Beatty); a total of 430 at Guana River SP during daily watches from 27 Sep-14 Oct (B. Stoll); 1 at SCCP 19 Oct (P. Fellers, M. Chakan). Yellow Rail: 1 captured and released at APAFR (Highlands) 25 Nov (T, Dean et aL, photos by B. Pranty). Black Rail: 1 calling at PPSP 8 Aug (R. Rowan, J. Weimer); 1 DOR along US-441 at PPSP 5 Sep (R. and G. Rowan, specimen to Univ. of Florida). SORA: 1 DOR at Lake Alice, Gainesville 29 Aug (C. Romagosa, specimen to Univ. of Flor- ida). Purple Gallinule: 14 at LJCA 16 Aug (fide L. Malo). American Coot: 24,800 at PPM 19 Nov (R Fellers, M. Hartsaw). Sandhill Crane: 1 over Fort Walton Beach (Okaloosa) 27 Oct (C. and D. Ware); 17 at FWBSTF 10-11 Nov (B. Cantner et aL), and 1 there 11 Nov (P. Baker, P. Beasley, B. Burroughs). American Golden-Plover: singles at Gulf Breeze 14-15 Sep (B. and G. Bremser) and 14 Nov (B. Bremser); 1 at Tram Road STF, Tallahassee 20 Sep (Jim Cox, K. NeSmith, A. Kropp); 4 at HPM 20 Sep, and another there 25 Nov (both J. Krummrich); singles at FWBSTF 24-29 Sep and 25 Nov (both B. Duncan); 2 at Lake Lafayette (Leon) 13 Oct (J. Cavanagh); 1 at FDCP 17 Nov (L. Atherton); 1 at Navarre Beach 20 Nov (B. Duncan, E. Case, M. Rose). Snowy Plover: 12 at Shell Key 20 Sep (P. Blair); 1 at Cedar Key 22-23 Nov (T. Taylor, R. Rowan); 3 at Tigertail Beach CP (Collier) 26 Nov (P. Fellers, S. Riffe). Semipalmated Plover: 13 at Yent Bayou (Franklin) 10 Aug (G. Sprandel); 6 at Carra- belle Beach (Franklin) 10 Aug (G. Sprandel). Piping Plover: 1 at SMNWR 9 Aug (J. LaVia); 1 at Key West 7 Sep (J. Ondrejko); 26 at Shell Key 20 Sep (P. Blair); 1 at Bill Baggs/Cape Florida SRA (Dade) 26 Sep (M. Wheeler). Black-necked Stilt: 17 E of Brooksville (Hernando) 16 Aug (C. Black); 1 at Lake Lafayette 16-20 Sep (D. Harder). American Avocet: 7 at Zellwood 9 Aug (L. Hopkins, P. Blair, R. Smith); 3 at Navarre Beach 22 Aug K. Bowman); 3 at Tram Road STF 2 Sep (G. Menk); 1 at FDCP 18 Oct (B. Hoffman); 200+ at McKay Bay 19 Oct (R. Smith, B. Hoffman); 65 at N Jacksonville (Duval) 22 Oct (P. Powell); 115 at PPM 26 Oct (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Solitary Sandpiper: 3 E of Avon Park 13 Aug (B. Pranty); singles at Gainesville 25 Oct (R. Rowan) and 1 Nov (G. McDermott). 52 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST WiLLET; 1 at HPM 4-10 Aug (J. Krummrich). Spotted Sandpiper: 2 at ABS 8 Oct (G. Woolfenden). Upland Sandpiper: 4 at Zellwood farms 9 Aug (R Blair, L. Hopkins et al.), and 16 there 17 Aug (J. Hintermister, B. MuscMitz); 2 at Lake Lafayette 9 Oct (D. Harder). Whimbrel: 14 at HISRA 14 Sep (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman). Long— BILLED Curlew: 1 at Shell Key 17 Aug-14 Oct (P. Blair et al.); 1 at Huguenot Park, Jacksonville 14 Sep (N. Warner); 1 at HISRA 14-20 Sep (R. Smith et al.); 1 E of Bay North {Franklin) 10 Oct (G. Sprandel). Marbled Godwit: 200 at Shell Key 31 Aug (A. and R. Smith); 1 at Hernando Beach {Hernando) 8 Nov (C. Black). Ruddy Turnstone: 1 at HPM 21 Sep (J. Krummrich). Sanderling: singles at Leon STFs 20 Sep and 3 Oct {fide G. Menk); 800-1000 at Sanibel Island 2 Nov (Vince McGrath). Western Sandpiper: 1 at Gainesville 1-7 Sep (M. Manetz et al.); 800-1000 at Fort Myers Beach 2 Nov (V McGrath). Least Sandpiper: 4300 at PPM 19 Nov (R Fellers, M. Hartsaw). White-rumped Sandpiper: 1 at FDCP 23 Oct (L. Atherton). Baird’s Sandpiper: 1 at Navarre Beach 16 Sep (T. Pratt), and 2 there 17 Sep (B, Duncan, T, Pratt, B. Burroughs); 1 at Fort Walton Beach 20 Sep (A, Knothe). Pectoral Sandpiper: 150 at Zellwood 9 Aug (L. Hopkins et al.); 5 E of Avon Park 12-13 Aug (C. and D. Ford, B. Pranty et al.); ca. 100 in 2 flocks (26 and ca. 75) at a golf course in N Collier 25-26 Aug (G. McBath, J. and L. Douglas); 2 at HISRA 18-19 Oct (A. and R. Smith). Purple Sandpiper: 1 at Sebastian Inlet SRA {Brevard) 9 Nov {fide FBR). Stilt Sandpiper: 60 at Zellwood 9 Aug (L. Hopkins et al.); 47 at N Jacksonville 28 Aug (R. Clark); up to 26 at Springhill Road STF 2-22 Sep and up to 16 there 6-22 Oct (both G. Menk et ah); 1 at Shell Key 20 Sep (R Blair). Buff-breasted Sandpiper: up to 4 at FWBSTF 5-24 Sep (B. Duncan et ah); 3 at Big Sabine {Escambia) 14 Sep (T. Pratt). Short-billed Dowitcher: up to 25 at Springhill Road STF 2-20 Sep (G. Menk et al.). Long— billed Dowitcher: 3 E of Avon Park 12 Aug (C. and D. Ford, B. Pranty et al.); sin- gles at FWBSTF 24 Sep and 25 Nov (both B. Duncan). Common Snipe: 26 at LJCA 20 Sep {fide L. Malo). Wilson’s Phalarope: 1 at Springhill Road STF 11 Aug (G. Menk) and 3 there 31 Aug (N. Warner, T. West); 11 at Zellwood 17 Aug (R. Webb); 1 at Tyndall Air Force Base {Bay) 30 Aug (G,. Bolam); 14 at N Jacksonville 30 Aug (R. Clark); 2-3 at FWBSTF 5-24 Sep (B. Duncan, D. Ware); 1 at PPM 6 Nov (P. Timmer, B. Fisher). Parasitic Jaeger: 1 light morph immature on the beach at Egmont Key NWR 5 Oct (B. Pranty, FOS trip). Franklin’s Gull: 1 at Air Products Sanctuary, Pace {Santa Rosa) 13-22 Nov (B. Milmore et al.). Herring Gull: 1 at Newnans Lake 24 Oct (R. Rowan). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 16 at Huguenot Park 20 Oct (R. Clark); 1 at FDCP 24 Oct (L. Atherton); 2 (1 adult) at North Shore Park, St. Petersburg 24 Oct-8 Nov (B. Hoff- man et al.); 3 at Jetty Park {Brevard) 1 Nov {fide FBR); 2 at Port Mayaca Lock {Martin) 6 Nov {fide FBR); 1 adult at MacDill Air Force Base {Hillsborough) 20 Nov (S. Gross). Great Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at Shell Key 31 Aug (J. King); 1 adult at Matanzas Pass {Lee) 21 Nov-16 Dec (P. Hinchcliff). Gull^BILLED Tern: 1 at Banana Lake {Polk) 15 Aug (T. Palmer); 1 at SMNWR 11 or 12 Oct (Georgia Ornithol. Soc.); 2 at Hernando Beach {Hernando) 9 Nov (A, and B. Hansen). Caspian Tern: 1 at the Okaloosa landfill 6 Aug (D. Ware); 1 at Springhill Road STF 12 Aug (J. Cavanagh, B. Henderson). Field Observations 53 Royal Tern: 2 at PPM 26 Oct-19 Nov (R Timmer, C. Geanangel, P. Fellers, M. Hartsaw). Sandwich Tern: first of the season at Key West 17 Aug (J. Ondrejko); 290 at PPM 26 Oct (R Timmer, C. Geanangel), and 350 there 6 Nov (R Timmer, B. Fisher). Common Tern: 5 at FDCP 2 Aug (M. Wilkinson, L. Atherton); 1 at HRM 4 Aug (J. Krum- mrich). Forster’s Tern: 900 at PPM 19 Nov (R Fellers, M. Hartsaw). Least Tern: 205 at a newly-created tidal area at Bill Baggs/Cape Florida SRA 7 Aug (H. Smith, E. Golden); 1 immature at FDCP 24 Oct (L. Atherton). Sooty Tern: 1 off Jupiter Beach {Palm Beach) 7 Sep {fide FBR). Black Tern: 2900 at Santa Rosa Island {Escambia) 21 Aug (G. Sprandel); 50 at Tyndall Air Force Base 30 Aug (G. Bolam); 250 at Tampa Bay {Pinellas) 20 Sep (J. King); 140 at PPM 26 Oct (R Timmer, C. Geanangel), and 1 there 6 Nov (R Timmer, B. Fisher). Black Skimmer: 410 at PPM 19 Nov (R Fellers, M. Hartsaw). Elfrasian Collared-Dove: 1 at Jasper {Hamilton) 20 Sep (J. Krummrich). White-winged Dove: 3 at Key West 24 Aug ( J. Ondrejko); 1 at Tallahassee 22 Oct {fide G. Menk); 2 at Cedar Key 22 Nov (R. Rowan et ah). Budgerigar: 21 at Holiday {Pasco) 21 Nov (K. Tracey, photos to FOC). Monk Parakeet: 10 near Auburndale {Polk) 2 Nov (C. Geanangel, R Timmer); 1 at Key West 23 Nov (J. Ondrejko). CockatieL: 1 in Sarasota 18 Jul (K. Tracey, photo to FOC). Black-billed Cuckoo: 2 at FDCP 28 Sep (S. Backes, L. Atherton et ah); 1 immature at San Luis Mission Park {Leon) 5 Oct (H. Horne); 1 adult at SGISP 15 Oct (J. Ca- vanagh). Groove-billed Anl 1 at Cedar Key 1 Oct (D. Henderson); 1 at FSU Dairy {Leon) 5 Oct (G. Menk); 1 at Key West 5-7 Oct (J. Ondrejko); 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Park, St. Pe- tersburg 8-10 Oct (R. Smith et ah); 2 at Fort Pickens 29 Oct (B. Duncan). Short-eared Owl: 1 at Estero Island {Lee) 16 Sep (R Hinchcliff), Chuck-WILL’S-WIDOW: 1 singing at Sebring {Highlands) 9 Oct (R. Bowman); 1 at Dune- din Hammock City Park {Pinellas) 19 Oct (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman). Whip-POOR-WILL: 1 singing at Bald Point {Franklin) 31 Aug (J. Dozier); 1 singing at Timberlake Road 20 Sep (D. Ware); 1 at FDCP 27 Sep (L. Atherton et ah). Chimney Swift: 6 over APAFR {Polk) 30 Oct (B. Pranty); 96 at SCCP 10 Nov (P. Fellers et al). Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 7 at WSSP 9 Aug {fide L. Malo); 18 observed in 15 min- utes migrating N at St. Joseph Peninsula SP {Gulf} 20 Sep (G. Sprandel); 42 along 1.6 km of Cones Dike, PPSP 21 Sep (H. Adams); 1 at Tallahassee 27-28 Nov (B. and L. Short, S. Jue, J. Cavanagh). Rufous Hummingbird: 1 at Mary Krome Park, Homestead {Dade) 10 Sep (L. Manfredi); 1 male at Gainesville 23 Oct (G. and S. Rowan). Eastern Wood-Pewee: 1 at FDCP 22 Aug (L. Atherton), and 14 there 29 Sep (R. Smith); 1 at Key West 22-26 Aug ( J. Ondrejko); 15 at SCCP 30 Aug (B. Hope); 1 in partial song at ABS 17 Oct (G. Woolfenden); 1 at HISRA 9 Nov (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoffman). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: 1 at FDCP 27 Sep (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson). Acadian Flycatcher: 7 at SCCP 28 Sep (R Fellers, B. and L. Cooper). Willow Flycatcher: 1 calling at FDCP 28 Sep (L. Atherton). “Traill’s Flycatcher:” 1 at St. Luis Mission Park 7 Sep (H. Horne, D. Harder). Least Flycatcher: 1 at St. Luis Mission Park 7-12 Sep (H. Horne, D. Harder); 1 at A. D. Barnes CP {Dade) 10 Sep remained for “several weeks” (M. Wheeler et ah); 1 at SGISP 2 Oct (J. Cavanagh). Empidonax SPECIES: 1 at St. Petersburg 23 Oct (J. Fisher). - Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 male at Guana River SP {St. Johns) 1 Oct (D. Cole); presum- ably the same male returned to Buck Island Ranch {Highlands) by 5 Oct for at least its 4th winter (M. McMillian et ah); 1 female at Fort Pickens 15-17 Oct (B, Duncan). 54 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Ash-throated Flycatcher: 2 at Gulf Breeze 29 Oct-2 Nov (B. Duncan); 1 at FWBSTF 31 Oct-13 Nov (B. Duncan et al.); 1 at Timberlake Road {Okaloosa) 4-9 Nov (D. Ware). Western Kingbird: 1 at Sanibel Lighthouse {Lee) 20 Oct {fide FBR); 2 at Alligator Point {Franklin) 2 Nov (G. Sprandel); 2 at Key West 13 Nov (J. Ondrejko); 1 at Cedar Key 14 Nov (G. McDermott, D. Wahl). 1 at Largo {Pinellas) 17 Nov (J. King et al.); 2 at Merritt Island NWR 20 Nov (A. and B. Hansen); 1 near Lake Lowery {Polk) 23 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 1 at HISRA 27-28 Nov (W Yusek). Eastern Kingbird: 150 at FDCP 22 Aug (L. Atherton); 38 near Fort Meade {Polk) 6 Sep (T. Palmer). SciSSOR-TAlLED FLYCATCHER: 1 at Huguenot Park 1 Nov (R. Clark) and 2 there 2 Nov (N. Warner); 1 at Alligator Point 2 Nov (G. Sprandel); 1 at Timberlake Road 3-9 Nov (D. Ware et al.); 1 at FDCP 6 Nov (L. Atherton); 1 at Avon Park {Highlands) 6 Nov (D. Le- onard, L. Riopelle); 1 near Lake Lowery 13 Nov (E. Bostleman, P, Timmer); 9 at Key West 13 Nov (J. Ondrejko). Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 90 at FDCP 29 Oct (L. Atherton). Bank Swallow: singles at APAFR {Highlands) 18, 22, and 26 Aug (B. Pranty). Cliff Swallow: 2 at Zellwood 20 Aug (J. Krummrich); 3 at Hagens Cove 31 Aug (R. Rowan); 1 over Boot Key 23 Oct (T. Palmer); 1 at Springhill Road STF 29-30 Oct (H. Horne, G. Menk, D. Harder). Barn Swallow: 4 over APAFR {Polk) 25 Nov (B. Pranty). Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1 at a Jacksonville feeder 2 Nov (J. Woodbury). White-breasted Nuthatch: 2 at Niceville 20 Sep (P. Koechel). Carolina Wren: 136 at WSSP 9 Aug {fide L. Malo). Winter Wren: 1 at Tallahassee 27 Oct (F. Rutkovsky); 1 at Black Swamp 4 Nov (G. Menk). Marsh Wren: adults feeding 2 fledglings at Crystal River Buffer State Preserve {Citrus) 15 Oct (A. and B. Hansen); 17 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 18 Oct {fide L. Malo). Golden-crowned Kinglet: 1 near Newnans Lake 2 Nov (R. Rowan); 1 at Lochloosa Conservation Area {Alachua) 28 Nov (M. Manetz, R. Rowan). Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 2 in Leon 20 Sep {fide G. Menk); 1 at FDCP 29 Oct (L. Ather- ton). VeerY: 1 at SCCP 2 Sep (P. Fellers); 1 at Bonner Park, Largo 7 Sep (J. Fisher), and 10 there 28 Sep (J. Fisher, K. Nelson); 3 at Jacksonville 10 Oct (N. Warner). “Gray-cheeked” Thrush: 1 at SCCP 17-19 Oct (P. Fellers). *Bicknell’S Thrush: 1 at Jacksonville 10 Oct (N. Warner). Swainson’S Thrush: 5 at SCCP 2 Oct (P. Fellers); 3 at Jacksonville 10 Oct (N. Warner). Wood Thrush: 1-2 at SCCP 13-19 Oct (P. Fellers); 3 at Bonner Park 20 Oct (J. Fisher). Gray Catbird: the first of the season at Key West 8 Oct (J. Ondrejko); a “huge move- ment” associated with a strong cold front at Fort Pickens and Gulf Breeze 15 Oct (B. Duncan et al.). "^Sage Thrasher: 1 at Gulf Breeze 17-21 Nov (B. and L. Duncan et al.). Brown Thrasher: “many” at ABS 13-16 Sep were considered fall migrants (G. Wool- fenden). Cedar Waxwing: 7 at Cedar Key 9 Nov (D. Henderson); 30 at Black Swamp 15 Nov (G. Menk). Common Myna: 2 at McDonald’s Restaurant at Clewiston {Hendry), a well-known site, 9 Sep (B. Carlton). White-eyed Vireo: approx. 35 at FDCP 1 Oct (M. Wilkinson). Bell’s Vireo: 1 at SGISP 15 Oct (J. Cavanagh). Yellow-throated Vireo: 1 at Bonner Park 18 Oct ( J. Fisher, K. Nelson). Philadelphia Vireo: 1 at Seminole {Pinellas) 30 Sep (J. Fisher, K. Nelson); 1 at SGISP 15 Oct (J. Cavanagh, photo to FOC). Field Observations 55 *Warbling Vireo: 1 at Cedar Key 22 Sep (D. Henderson, details to FOSRC). Red-EYED VireO: 1 near Newnans Lake 2 Nov (M. Manetz). Black-whiskered Vireo: 1 migrant at FDCP 3 Aug (L. Atherton). Blue-winged Warbler: 1 at Black Swamp 24 Aug (G. Menk); 1 at Bonner Park 3 Sep ( J. Fisher); 1 at Suwannee River SP {Suwannee) 6 Sep (R. Smith); 1 at Fort Walton Beach 13 Sep (S. Milum et ah); 3 at John Chestnut CP 20 Sep (J. King et ah); 15 in Alachua 21 Sep {fide R. Rowan); 3 at Bonner Park 29 Sep (J. Fisher); 1 at A. D. Barnes CP 30 Sep (J. Rosenfield, L. Manfredi, M. Wheeler); 9 at East Beach, FDCP 1 Oct (M. Wilkinson); 1 at Bonner Park 2 Oct (J. Fisher). Golden-winged Warbler: 1 at SLCP 1 Sep (A. and R. Smith); 1 at Hurricane Lake {Okaloosa) 20 Sep (L. Fennimore, C. Parkel); 1 at SCCP 28 Sep-13 Oct (P. Fellers et al); 1 at A. D. Barnes CP 30 Sep (J. Rosenfield, L. Manfredi, M. Wheeler); 1 at APAFR {Polk) 1 Oct (K. Rothrock); 2 at Fort Meade Recreation Area {Hardee) 19 Oct (T. Palmer); 2 at FDCP 18 Oct, and 1 there 19 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); a total of 12 in Pinellas this season (1 Sep-19 Oct) {fide R. Smith), including 4 at FDCP 27 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 6 singles (5 males) in Franklin, Leon, and Wakulla variously 11 Sep- 12 Oct (all J. Cavanagh). “Brewster’s Warbler”: 1 at Swift Creek {Hamilton) 25 Sep (J. Krummrich); “Brewster’s Warbler” 1 at Newnans Lake 1-2 Oct (D. Cimbaro, J. Skemp); 1 at APAFR {Polk) 1 Oct (K. Rothrock); 1 at SLCP 14 Oct (M. Wilkinson); 1 at Bonner Park 16 Oct (J. Fisher, K. Nelson). “Lawrence’s Warbler”: 1 at Bonner Park 19 Oct (J. Fisher, K. Nelson). Tennessee Warbler: 1 at Black Swamp 7 Sep (D. and S. Jue); 50+ at A. D. Barnes CP 30 Sep (J. Rosenfield, L. Manfredi, M. Wheeler); 14 at Gainesville on 1 Oct (D. Cimbaro); 1 mist-netted in Leon 15 Nov (P. Homann); 1 at Lakeland 15 Nov (P. Fellers et al). Orange-crowned Warbler: IV. c. lutescens at SGISP 28 Oct (J. Cavanagh, sketch to FOC) appears to be the first Florida report of this race (S&A 1994:544-545). Nashville Warbler: 1 at FDCP 27-29 Sep (L. Atherton. R. Smith), and another there 28 Sep (R Blair); 1 at Alligator Point 15 Oct ( J. Dozier). Yellow Warbler: 20 at Weedon Island CP {Pinellas) 24 Aug (A. and R. Smith); 75 at PPM 24 Aug (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 20 at FWBSTF 5 Sep (B. Duncan). Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1 at Bonner Park 22 Aug (J. Fisher); 1 at St. Luis Mission Park 23 Aug (D. and S. Jue). Cape May Warbler: 1 male at FDCP 21 Oct, and 2 males there 29 Oct (both L. Ather- ton). Black-throated Blue Warbler: singles at Bonner Park 23 and 29 Aug (both J. Fisher, K. Nelson). Blackburnian Warbler: 8 at A. D. Barnes CP 30 Sep (J. Rosenfield, L. Manfredi, M. Wheeler); 14 in Pinellas this season (6 Sep-29 Oct) {fide R. Smith). Yellow-throated Warbler: 21 at WSSP 9 Aug {fide L. Malo). *Kirtland’S Warbler: 1 at Vero Beach {Indian River) 20 Oct (B. Wagner, details to FOSRC). Prairie Warbler: 7 at SCCP 5-13 Sep (P. Fellers, M. Chakan); 1 at Springhill Road STF 3 Nov (D. Harder, G. Menk). Palm Warbler: 1 at HISRA 14 Sep (A. and R. Smith); 1 at Key West 21 Sep (J. On- drejko). Bay-breasted Warbler: 1 in Leon 14-22 Sep (F. Rutkovsky); 8 at SGISP 17 Oct and 23 Oct (J. Cavanagh); 2 at Bonner Park 19 Oct (J. Fisher, K. Nelson); 1 at Fort Meade Recreation Area 19 Oct (T. Palmer); 2 at FDCP 3 Nov (L. Atherton). Cerulean Warbler: singles at Tallahassee 23 Aug, 29 Aug, and 11 Sep (all J. Ca- vanagh); 1 at Crystal River 23 Aug (E. and M. Smith); 1 at SCCP 2 Sep (P. Fellers, B. and L. Cooper); 1 female at Six Mile Cypress Preserve, Fort Myers {Lee) 7 Sep (V. McGrath); 1 at SLCP 3 Oct (R. Smith, B. Hoffman); 9 in Pinellas this season (22 Aug- 56 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 3 Oct) {fide R. Smith); 7 in Alachua this season (30 Aug-22 Sep) {fide R. Rowan), in- cluding 3 at PPSP 30 Aug (M. Manetz, G« McDermott, R. Rowan). American Redstart: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve {Hernando) 24 Aug (C= Black); 1 at PPSP 8 Nov (M. Manetz); 1 at Lake Alto {Alachua) 12 Nov (M. Winn); 1 at Gainesville 20 Nov through the period (M. Manetz). Prothonotary Warbler: 1 at FDCP 16 Oct (B. Hoffman). Worm-eating Warbler: 1 in Leon 23 Aug (J. Cavanagh); 1 at John Chestnut CP 14 Sep (J. King). Swainson’S Warbler: 1 at SCCP 6 Sep (R Fellers); 1 at Bonner Park 29-30 Sep (K. Nel- son, J. Fisher); 2 at A. D. Barnes CP 30 Sep ( J. Rosenfield, L. Manfredi, M, Wheeler). Louisiana Waterthrush: 3 in Pinellas 2 Aug (R. Smith, L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson). Kentucky Warbler: 1 at Mary Krome Park 10 Sep (L, Manfredi); 3 at FDCP 27 Sep (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson et aL); 1 SCCP 28 Sep (P. Fellers, B. and L. Cooper); 3 at Bon- ner Park 29 Sep (K. Nelson); 1 at A. D. Barnes CP 30 Sep remained for a week (J. Rosenfield, L. Manfredi, M. Wheeler). Mourning Warbler: 2 at Black Swamp 6 Sep (D. Harder, H. Horne). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 male at Black Swamp 19 Sep (J. Cavanagh), and 1 female there 28 Sep (D. and S. Jue); 1 at the Destin Bridge {Okaloosa) 28 Sep (L. Fennimore); 1 at FDCP 28 Sep (L. Atherton et aL); 1 at Newnans Lake 11 Oct (B. Roberts, T. Taylor); 1 male at St. Luis Mission Park 12-13 Oct (B. Henderson); 1 at SCCP 19 Oct (P. Fellers); 1 at Loxahatchee NWR {Palm Beach) 22 Oct (T. Palmer). Canada Warbler: singles in Leon 17 Sep (F. Rutkovsky) and 27 Sep (D. Harder); singles at FDCP 27 Sep, 29 Sep, and 2 Oct (L. Atherton, R. Smith, M. Wilkinson et aL); 1 at Cedar Key 10 Oct survived a collision with a window (D, Henderson), Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve {Levy) 3 Oct (T. Webber); 1 at PPSP 6 Oct (M. Landsman); 1 near Newnans Lake 30 Oct (C. Reno). Summer Tanager: 1 at FDCP 2 Aug (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson). Scarlet Tanager: 1 at John Chestnut CP 14 Sep (J. King); 1 in Leon 15 Sep (F. Rutk- ovsky), and 2 there 16 Sep (G. Menk); 1 at SCCP 19 Oct (P. Fellers); 1 at Cedar Key 3 Nov (D. Henderson). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 in NW Alachua 29 Aug (P. Burns); 1 in SW Leon 20 Sep (R. West); 1 at SCCP 13 Oct (P. Fellers); 1 at Alligator Point 2 Nov (J. Dozier). Black-headed Grosbeak: 1 first-year male at Guana River SP 14 Oct (P. Powell). Blue Grosbeak: 8 at Seminole Ranch Conservation 18 Oct {fide L. Malo); 1 in Leon 6 Nov (G. Menk); 1 near Baseball City (Polk) 23 Nov (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Indigo Bunting: 20 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 18 Oct, and 8 there 8 Nov (both fide L. Malo); 19 near Auburndale {Polk) 2 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 2 at Alligator Point 17 Nov (J. Dozier); 2 at Cedar Key 22 Nov (R. Rowan); 1 at PPSP 23 Nov (M. Manetz); 1 at Gainesville 24 Nov (J. Hintermister). Painted Bunting: 1 at Alligator Point 15 Nov (J. Dozier). DickcisseL: 1 male at East Bay (Bay) 27 Aug (A. and R. Ingram); 1 calling in flight over APAFR {Polk) 10 Nov (D. Leonard, P. Barber). Chipping Sparrow: singles at FDCP 28 Oct and 9 Nov (L. Atherton, R. Smith et aL). Clay-colored Sparrow: 2 at Fort Pickens 16 Oct (B. Duncan); singles at FWBSTF 16 Oct (E. Case), 7 Nov (B. Duncan), and 10 Nov (B. Duncan); 1 near Lake Wales {Polk) 9 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 1 at St. Sebastian River State Buffer Preserve {Brevard) 15 Nov (L. Griggs). Vesper Sparrow: 1 at HISRA 26 Oct (A. and R. Smith). Lark Sparrow: 1 at the Okaloosa landfill 6 Aug (D. Ware); 1 at St. Marks (Wakulla) 24 Aug ( J, Dozier); 1 at Bald Point 28 Aug ( J. Dozier); 1 at Fort Pickens 4 Sep (B. Duncan); 3 at Key West 7 Sep (J, Ondrejko); 1 adult at SGISP 12 Sep (J. Cavanagh); 1 immature at HISRA 14 Sep (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman), and 1 adult there 20 Sep (R. Webb, D. Bowman); 1 at Fort Walton Beach 25 Sep (D. Ware); 1 at FWBSTF 8 Oct (B. Duncan). Field Observations 57 Lark Bunting: l at Alligator Point 24 Aug-1 Sep (J. Dozier, B. Henderson, D. Wells). Grasshopper Sparrow: 2 near Aripeka {Pasco) 16 Nov (A. and R. Smith); 12 near Base- ball City 23 Nov (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 1 at FWBSTF 24 Sep (B. Duncan); 100 at Lanark Reef 18 Oct (R. West, G. Sprandel); 1 of the alterus race at SMNWR 20 Oct (J. Ca- vanagh). Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 1 at Gulf Breeze 2 Oct (B. Duncan); 1 at SMNWR 11 Nov (J. Cavanagh). Fox Sparrow: 1 in S Columbia 27 Nov (J. Krummrich). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 2 at PPSP 7 Nov (M. Manetz, R. Rowan). Swamp Sparrow: 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve {Pinellas) 26 Oct (A. and R. Smith). White-throated Sparrow: 1 at HISRA 19 Oct (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman); 1 at FDCP 9 Nov (P. Blair, B. Hoffman, R. Smith). White-crowned Sparrow: 1 at Key West 5 Oct ( J. Ondrejko); 1 adult of the leucophrys race at APAFR {Polk) 21 Oct only (B. Pranty, D. Leonard, et ah, photos to FOC) fed heavily, and almost solely, on the seeds of bahiagrass {Paspalum notatum) and an Asian ma3dlower {Murdannia nudiflora); 1 adult at St. Augustine {St. Johns) 27-30 Oct (A. and M. C. Morgan); 1 near Auburndale 2 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 3 in a salt marsh near Cedar Key 5 Nov (B. Muschlitz, M. Resch); 1 immature at HISRA 15 Nov (K. Tracey, photos to FOC), and 2 there 29 Nov (D. Bowman, W. Yusek). *Harris’ Sparrow: 1 immature male at Niceville 12-14 Nov (G. and N. Estes, details to FOC). Bobolink: 5 at Niceville {Okaloosa) 8 Aug (M. Lambert); 5-14 at FWBSTF 5 Sep-16 Oct (B. Duncan, B. Burroughs et ah), and 1 there 31 Oct (B. Duncan); 25 over ABS 13 Sep (G. Woolfenden); 70 at LJCA 20 Sep {fide L. Malo); 3 at Springhill Road STF 12 Oct (G. Menk, J. Cavanagh, D. Redfield). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 immature at Navarre Beach 16 Sep (T. Pratt); 1 adult at Fort Pickens 22 Sep (B. Duncan); 1 female at St. Augustine 30 Sep-2 Oct (A. and M. C. Morgan); 2 females and 1 male at Hague Dairy 11 Oct through the period (R. Rowan, M. Manetz). Rusty Blackbird: 1 at Alligator Point 3 Nov ( J. Dozier). Common GracklE: 15 at Key West 11 Oct, and 65 there 23 Nov (both J. Ondrejko). Shiny Cowbird: up to 10 at Key West through the season (J. Ondrejko); “several” at Briggs Nature Center {Collier) in late November (Joe Cox et ah), Baltimore Oriole: 1 at San Felasco Hammock {Alachua) 26 Aug (M. Landsman, B. Muschlitz); 2 at Boyd Hill Nature Park 6 Sep (B, Hoffman); 3 at Egmont Key NWR 21 Sep (A. and R. Smith, P. Blair); 4 at SLOP 3 Oct (R. Smith, B. Hoffman). Bullock’S Oriole: 1 at A. D. Barnes CP 29 Sep ( J. Rosenfield). House Finch: 1 at Crystal River 15 Oct (E. and M. Smith); 1 female at Cedar Key 21 Oct, and 1 male there 21 Nov (both D. Henderson). American Goldfinch: 2 at Niceville 20 Sep (P. Koechel). House Sparrow: 3 females or immatures at Shell Key 4 Oct (B. Pranty, FOS trip). Contributors: Howard Adams, Lyn Atherton, John Ault, Steve Backes, Peggy Baker, Patti Barber, Tom Barbig, Pam Beasley, David Beatty, Shane Belson, Brad Bergstrom, Wes Biggs, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Geoff Bolam, Ernie Bostleman, Dave Bowman, Kris Bowman, Reed Bowman, Bill Bremser, Greta Bremser, Judy Bryan, Patricia Burns, Bill Burroughs, Bonnie Cantner, Bob Carlton, Ed Case, Jim Cavanagh, Mike Chakan, Dan Cimbaro, Roger Clark, Dan Cimbaro, David Cole, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Jim Cox, Joe Cox, Tylan Dean, Dan Dobbins, John Douglas, Linda Douglas, Jack Dozier, Bob Dun- can, Lucy Duncan, Kevin Enge, Gene Estes, Nancy Estes, Bert Fisher, Judy Fisher, Paul Fellers, Lenny Fennimore, Eula Fontaine, Clarice Ford, Don Ford, Elizabeth Golden, 58 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Dave Goodwin, Laurel Griggs, Steve Gross, Erik Haney, A1 Hansen, Bev Hansen, David Harder, Mae Hartsaw, Bob Henderson, Dale Henderson, Paul Hinchcliff, John Hinter- mister, Brett Hoffman, Peter Homann, Brian Hope, Larry Hopkins, Howard Horne, Ann Ingram, Richard Ingram, Dean Jue, Sally Jue, Joyce King, Alan Knothe, Paul Koechel, Alex Kropp, Jerry Krummrich, Jay LaVia, Margie Lambert, Mary Landsman, Dave Le- onard, Keith MacVicar, Allison Mains, Lome Malo, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, J. Martin, George McBath, Greg McDermott, Vince McGrath, Mike McMillian, Tony Me- nart, Gail Menk, Bill Milmore, Steve Milum, Amanda Morgan, M. C. Morgan, Barbara Muschlitz, David Muth, Katy NeSmith, Tracey Neese, Kris Nelson, Joe Ondrejko, Tom Palmer, Charles Parkel, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Andy Prather, Tom Pratt, David Red- field, Cathy Reno, Mike Resch, Sue Riffe, Larry Riopelle, Bryant Roberts, Christina Ro- magosa, Merilu Rose, Jill Rosenfield, Kirstin Rothrock, Graham Rowan, Rex Rowan, Sarah Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Lenny Santisteban, Bob Short, Lavinia Short, John Skemp, Austin Smith, Effie Smith, Henry Smith, Myron Smith, Ron Smith, Betty Smyth, Gordon Southam, Gary Sprandel, Les Stafford, Bob Stoll, Terry Taylor, Pete Tim- mer, Ken Tracey, Billi Wagner, David Wahl, Pat Walsh, Noel Warner, Carol Ware, Don Ware, Ray Webb, Tom Webber, James Weimer, Donna Wells, Rick West, Terry West, Mickey Wheeler, Margie Wilkinson, Mary Lou Winn, Walt Winton, Judy Woodbury, Glen Woolfenden, and Wilfred Yusek. Rex Rowan’s regional report for Winter 1996-1997 reached me late, so it is being printed here in its entirety— BR Red-throated Loon: 1 at Bivens Arm, Gainesville {Ala- chua) 28 Nov-3 Dec (John Hintermister); Common Loon: 26 at Lake Santa Fe {Alachua) 30 Dec (William Bolte, Rex Rowan); Brown Pelican: single immatures at Bivens Arm 22 Dec (William Bolte, Lowery Douglas) and Newnans Lake, Gainesville 23 Jan~26 Feb (John Moran et ah); Great Blue Heron: nest-building by 4 pairs at Paynes Prairie State Preserve {Alachua) underway by 4 Dec (Rex Rowan); Reddish Egret: 1 at Cedar Key {Levy) 4 Jan (Ron Christen); Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 1 shot out of a flock of 4 at Hamilton phosphate mine 25 Jan (Art Stoelke), and the remaining 3 birds seen there 5 Feb (Jerry Krummrich); Canvasback: singles in Alachua 5-22 Dec (Don Kielting, Mike Manetz) and 15 Dec {fide Rex Rowan) were rare there; Harlequin Duck: the male at Alli- gator Point 10-11 Jan was discovered by Patricia Burns; Swainson’s Hawk: 20-30 just N of Everglades National Park {Dade) 10 Dec (Rex Rowan); Stilt Sandpiper: 32 at Hamilton phosphate mine 7-21 Dec (Rex Rowan); Parasitic Jaeger: 1 light morph adult at Ponce In- let (Volusia) 20 Jan (Andrew Kratter, Terry Taylor); Sandwich Tern: 2 at Matanzas Inlet {St. Johns) 23 Feb (Greg McDermott); White-winged Dove: 9 at Cedar Key 4 Jan (Car- mine Lanciani, Grace Kiltie); Chaetura species: 3 at Kanapaha Gardens {Alachua) 12-29 Jan (Bryant Roberts, Rex Rowan), for the fifth winter in a row; 2 heard over Ordway- Swisher Preserve near Melrose (Putnam) 6 Feb “sounded like Chimney Swifts, only higher” (Lenny Santisteban); Rufous Hummingbird: 1 adult male at Gainesville 26 Sep through the period (Bryant Roberts); Allen’s Hummingbird: the male at Gainesville was seen last on 2 Feb {fide Rex Rowan); Great Crested Flycatcher: 1 at Gainesville 20 Feb through the period (Andrew Kratter); Brown-crested Flycatcher: 1 S of Melrose 30 Dec (Carmine Lanciani); Western Kingbird: 1 at Newnans Lake 13 Dec (John Hintermister); 1 in Suwannee 26-27 Dec (Jerry Krummrich); Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 near Paynes Prai- rie State Preserve 22 Dec-9 Feb (Greg McDermott et aL); Winter Wren: 2 near Swift Creek (Hamilton) 21 Dec (Greg McDermott, Rex Rowan) and 1 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve 22-30 Dec (Michael Manetz); Black-throated Blue Warbler: 1 at Newnans Lake 22 Dec (Dan Cimbaro); Northern Waterthrush: 1 at Gainesville 20 Dec (Karl Miller); Western Tanager: 1 at Newnans Lake 22 Dec (Dan Cimbaro, Ike Fromberg); Rose- breasted Grosbeak: 1 second-year male at Gainesville 17-25 Feb (Marge Hemp, Rex Rowan); Dickcissel: 1 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve 22-28 Dec (John Hintermister, Field Observations 59 Michael Manetz); Henslow’s Sparrow: 3 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve 22 Dec through the period (Andrew Kratter et ah); Lincoln’s Sparrow: singles at Paynes Prairie State Preserve 11 Dec through the period (Barbara Muschlitz et al.), and 22 Dec (Craig Paren- teau); Dark-eyed Junco: 5 at Morningside Nature Center {Alachua) 29 Dec through the period (Ike Fromberg, Cathy Reno); Pine Siskin: 1 at Gainesville 28 Feb (Evelyn Perry) was Alachua’s sole winter report. Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billprant5^hotmaiLcom). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven, Florida 33884; email lcooper298@aoLcom), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15* Terrace, Gaines- ville, Florida 32609, email afn49272@afn.org), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, email smithowl21@aol.com). Florida Field Nat. 26(2):60-64, 1998. THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 1973 TO 1997.* THE FIRST 25 YEARS R. Todd Engstrom Tall Timbers Research Station Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312 After 25 years of publication it seems appropriate to reflect upon how the Florida Field Naturalist (FFN) has changed and to assess how we are meeting the objectives es- tablished for the journal. In 1973 editor Henry M. Stevenson {FFN 1:1-2) challenged the Florida Ornithological Society membership to “make some real contributions to ornithol- ogy” by publishing systematic counts of birds and detailed observations of birds that are unusual to Florida. The two main objectives of FFN, described by William B. Robertson, Jr. {FFN 1(2):17-18), were “to achieve a modest professional respectability as the journal of Florida natural history and to enlist as contributors as many able Florida Ornitholog- ical Society members as possible.” The emphasis on natural history has shifted to a more scientific perspective. Since 1982 (Vol. 10, issue 2) the definition of the FFN in the “Infor- mation to Contributors” has been: “a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies.” Professional respectability depends on publication of relevant scientific articles that are produced in a consistent and scholarly format on a regular schedule. The relevance and usefulness of the Florida Field Naturalist is somewhat difficult to gauge, but one measure is the number of times that articles and notes from the journal are cited in other works. In a survey of the Literature Cited sections of 387 articles and short communica- tions in the 1996 volumes of Aa^, Wilson Bulletin, Condor, and Journal of Field Ornithol- ogy, only two FFN articles, Patton and Manners (1984) and Mitchell et al. (1995), were cited in Gabrey (1996) and Mitchell et al. (1996) respectively. This indicates that FFN ci- tations in the geographically and topically diverse mainstream ornithological journals are relatively rare. In “Florida bird species: an annotated list” (Robertson and Wool- fenden 1992), over 150 Florida Field Naturalist articles and notes were cited. Although this is no surprise, because many of the notes in FFN document distribution of birds in Florida, it is one measure of usefulness. FFN articles and notes also were cited in species accounts in “Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida: Volume V. Birds” (Rodgers et al. 1996). For example, four FFN notes were cited accounts for Reddish Egret {Egretta rufe- scens) (Paul 1996) and Florida Sandhill Crane {Grus canadensis pratensis) (Nesbitt 1996), but only two for the endangered Wood Stork {Mycteria americana) (Ogden 1996). For “The Birds of North America” series, Hughes (1997) in her account of the Mangrove Cuckoo {Coccyzus minor) and Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick (1996) in their account of the Florida Scrub- Jay {Apelocoma coerulescens) each cited FFN three times; Post et al. (1996) cited FFN nine times for their account of the Boat-tailed Grackle {Quiscalis ma- jor). The use of FFN articles in the universe of scientific literature is beyond the scope of this article, but in the brief survey above, it appears that our journal supplies informa- tion for scholarly studies of Florida birds, particularly state bird books. In an analysis of the 150 articles and 415 notes published in FFN from 1973-1997, most of the articles (84%) and notes (90%) were about birds. Mammals were the topic of 13 percent of articles and 6 percent of notes; herpetiles constituted about 3 percent of both notes and articles. This contrasts sharply with the journal, Florida Scientist, in which only 2 of 59 articles (3%) published from 1994 to 1996 concerned birds. Most (61%) of the articles and notes of FFN were about general biology (e.g., nesting and miscella- neous) and distribution of vertebrates in Florida (Table 1). 60 Engstrom • The Florida Field Naturalist 1973 to 1997: the First 25 Years 61 Table 1. Topics of articles (n = 150) and notes in = 415) in FFN Yol. 1-25, 1973 to 1997. The number of articles or notes for each topic is followed by the percent- age in parentheses. Topic categories are derived from “Recent Ornithological Literature,” which is published as a supplement to The Auk and The Ibis. Topic Articles Notes Behavior and Vocalizations 10(7) 50(12) Conservation 1(1) 1(<1) Diseases, Parasites & Pathology 2(1) 10 (2) Distribution 35 (23) 127 (31) Ecology and Populations 18(12) 9(2) Evolution, Systematics, & Hybrids 1(1) — Feeding Behavior, Diet & Predators 10 (7) 73 (18) General Biology 57 (38) 124 (30) Histories and Checklists 2(1) 6(1) Identification 5(3) 6(1) Migration 2(1) 7(2) Pesticides and Pollution 5(3) — Techniques 2(1) 2(1) I find it surprising that so few articles and notes have addressed conservation and mi- gration: topics that have a strong geographic identity. The subject material for FFN in general tends to be descriptive instead of quantitative, but use of statistics is becoming more frequent and more sophisticated. (See, for example, Delany and Linda, this issue.) State ornithological journals, including FFN, seem to attract quirky, singular observa- tions, such as “Brown Pelican found dead with adult Double-crested Cormorant in pouch” (Francis 1981), “Foraging of Boat-tailed Crackles at car radiators” (Schardian and Jack- son 1978), and “The Pink Pause, a previously undescribed behavior by Roseate Spoon- bills” (Ogden 1976). Geographical distribution of contributions is somewhat skewed to south and central Florida. Of the 150 articles, study locations for 48 (33%) were in the southern peninsula and Keys, 36 (24%) in the central peninsula, 16 (11%) in the northern peninsula, and 9 (6%) in the Panhandle. The remainder of the articles were statewide or coastal 35 (23%) or miscellaneous locations 6 (4%), such as the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Georgia, and the southeastern U.S. FFN has strived for a consistent scientific style and timeliness of publication. The journal format has been publicized in the “Suggestions to Contributors” section of FFN, which has been periodically updated. I am currently working on “Guidelines for Contrib- utors” that give explicit instructions to contributors in the form of a checklist. Peer re- view—-typically by two referees— has been an essential part of the publication process. FFN has gradually adopted a more formal scientific journal article format with Abstract, (Introduction), Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. The only change in publica- tion schedule has been the shift from two to four issues per year in 1981 (Volume 9). Turn around time from submission of a note or article to publication in FFN is short because the total number of submissions is small, but delays and complications on some manu- scripts are inevitable. The Florida Field Naturalist has changed over the years. Most noticeably it has grown from two issues of approximately 40 pages per volume to four issues per in 1981 (Fig. 1). The length of articles has grown from three to four pages in the first seven vol- umes to about seven to ten pages currently, and the mean number of authors per article has increased from about one to two. While the total number of pages has increased to 62 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 200 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 Year Figure 1. Growth in the number of pages of the FFN from 1973 to 1997. The hatehed areas indicate the number of pages devoted to Field Observations. 160 in issue 25, a large proportion of the journal in the last eight years (approx. 20% to 35%) has been devoted to the Field Observations section. If the Field Observations sec- tion were removed, the number of pages in each volume has not changed appreciably since the mid-1980's. Overall, approximately 41 and 32 percent of the first 25 years of the FFN were devoted to articles and notes respectively, 9 percent to Field Observations, 6 percent to reviews, 10 percent to Florida Ornithological Society and FFN business, and 2 percent to “Florida Birds in the Periodical Literature.” The second objective of the journal is to enlist Florida Ornithological Society mem- bers to contribute. This objective falls squarely within Article II of the Articles of Incor- poration of the Florida Ornithological Society . . to unite amateurs and professionals in the study of birds in the wild.” On this objective, the results are mixed. Of 150 articles published in the first 25 years in FFN, only 14 (9%) of the first authors were amateurs or private individuals (Table 2). (I use “amateur” to mean one “who cultivates any study for pleasure instead of professionally or for gain,” not to indicate any lack of skill.) Most of the first authors of articles were professionals who were associated with in-state aca- demic institutions (27%) or county, state, and federal governmental organizations (28%). Fourteen percent were contributed by state non-profit research organizations and 16% were from out-of-state museum and university personnel. In contrast, the first authors of 117 (28%) FFN notes were private individuals. Only 8 of 16 Helen G. and Allan D. Cruickshank Award winners have authored or co-authored articles or notes in FFN, In conclusion, FFN mainly provides a niche for studies of the distribution and status of Florida birds and miscellaneous natural history observations. Although the FFN is Engstrom • The Florida Field Naturalist 1973 to 1997: the First 25 Years 63 Table 2. Affiliations of first authors of articles (n = 150) and notes (n = 415) in FFN Yol. 1-25, 1973 to 1997. The number of articles or notes for each affiliation category is followed by the percentage in parentheses. Articles Notes Government Florida State (FGFWFC, DNR, DEP, etc.) 27(18) 75(18) County 3(2) — Federal (USFWS and National Parks) 12 (8) 30(7) Academic Institutions and Museums Out-of-state 24(16) 48(12) In-state 40 (27) 75(18) Private Research Stations 16(11) 47(11) Audubon Society 5(3) 14(3) Consulting Companies 9(6) 9(2) Individuals 14 (9) 117 (28) rarely cited in national ornithological journals, it provides a forum for documentation of Florida birdlife that is unavailable in other journals. Conservation and migration— top- ics with a strong local emphasis that would seem to be logical for a state journal— have been poorly represented. Not surprisingly, notes tend to be written by amateurs, and ar- ticles by professionals. The size of the journal, except for the addition of the Field Obser- vations section, reached a plateau in the mid-1980’s. To stimulate readership and improve the quantity and quality of articles and notes in FFN, I hope to: (1) initiate an invited Commentary section, (2) encourage graduate stu- dents to submit manuscripts, particularly students who have received the Cruickshank Award from the Florida Ornithological Society, (3) encourage use of the Field Observa- tions section for scientific studies, (4) provide new Guidelines to Contributors, and (5) conduct a workshop at a future Florida Ornithological Society meeting on study design, literature survey, field techniques, and data analysis that would encourage amateur-pro- fessional partnerships within the Florida Ornithological Society as stated in the Articles of Incorporation. Acknowledgments I would like to thank Scott Borderieux, Cory Croft, Deb Guenther, and Janet Gladden for constructing the database of the Florida Field Naturalist for this project. Fred Lo- hrer, Wilson Baker, Doug McNair, Bill Pranty, and Robert Crawford provided useful com- ments. Literature Cited Gabrey, S. W, 1996. Migration and dispersal in Great Lakes Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. J. Field Ornithology 67:327-339. Francis, T. L. 1981. Brown Pelican found dead with adult Double-crested Cormorant in pouch. Florida Field Naturalist 9:38-40. Hughes, J. M. 1997. Mangrove Cuckoo {Coccyzus minor). In The Birds of North America, No. 299 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and the American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 64 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Mitchell, M. C., L. B. Best, and D. L. Fischer 1995. Bird abundance in Florida citrus groves, Florida Field Naturalist 23:1-9. Mitchell, M.C., L. B. Best, and J. P. Gionfreddo. 1996. Avian nest-site selection and nesting success in two Florida citrus groves. Wilson Bulletin 108:573“583. Nesbitt, S. A. 1996. Florida Sandhill Crane. Pp. 219-229 In J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale, II, and H. T. Smith (eds.). Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida: Volume V. Birds. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Ogden, J. C, 1996. Wood Stork. Pp. 31-41 In J. A. Rodgers, Jr., 'H. W. Kale,- II, and"H. T. Smith (eds.). Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida: Volume V. Birds. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Patton, S. R., and L. A. Hanners. 1984. The history of the Laughing Gull population in Tampa Bay, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 12:49-57. Paul, R. T. 1996. Reddish Egret. Pp. 281-294 In J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale, II, and H. T. Smith (eds.). Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida: Volume V Birds. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Post, W., J. P. Poston, and G. T. Bancroft. 1996. Boat-tailed Crackle {Quiscalis ma^ jor). In Birds of North America, No. 207 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washing- ton, D.C. Robertson, W. B., Jr. and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list Florida. Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 6., Gainesville. Rodgers, J. A., Jr., H. W. Kale, II, and H. T. Smith (eds.) 1996. Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida: Volume V. Birds. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Schardian, B. j,, and J. A. Jackson. 1978. Foraging of Boat-tailed Crackles at car radi- ators. Florida Field Naturalist 6:20. Woolfenden, G. E., and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coer- ulescens). In Birds of North America, No. 228 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Wash- ington, D.C. Five Year Index 65 FIVE-YEAR INDEX to the FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST VOLUMES 21-25 1993-1997 Part One, Author Index A Alsop, III, Fred J., A communal roost of Gray Catbirds at Eco Pond, Everglades National Park, 23:69. Anderson, Beverly J., see Theodore H. Be- low et al. Anderson, Bruce H., and Jocelyn L. Baker, EOS records committee report, 21:86- 91; FOS records committee report, 22:17-23. Anderson, Bruce H., FOS records commit- tee report 23:38-43; FOS records com- mittee report, 24:122-134. Arendt, Wayne J., see Douglas B. McNair et al. B Badger, Lynn C., see Stephen A. Nesbitt and. Baker, Jocelyn L., and Rebecca L. Payne, Nest usurpation of a Starling nest by a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 21 :33- 34; see Bruce H. Anderson and. Balent, Karla, see Thomas Brooks and. Baltz, Michael E., Abundance of neotropi- cal migrant songbirds on North Andros Island, Bahamas, 21:115-117; Observa- tions of Roseate Spoonbills and evi- dence of breeding on North Andros Island, Bahamas, 25:98-100. Banner, Brett K, Continuous breeding by American Coots in Dade County, Flor- ida, 23:87-92. Below, Theodore H., Beverly J. Anderson, and John L. Douglas, Field notes on Chuck-will’s-widow migration, 24:41- 42. Bennetts, Robert E,, see Philip C. Darby et al.; see Patricia L. Valentine-Darby et al. Best, Louis B., see Mary Crowe Mitchell et al. Bowman, Margaret Coon, Sighting of Masked Duck ducklings in Florida, 23:35. Bowman, Reed, P. William Smith, and John W. Fitzpatrick, First winter record of an Eastern Kingbird in Flor- ida, 23:62-64. Bowman, Reed, Glen E. Woolfenden elected Honorary Member of the Flor- ida Ornithological Society, 23:73-74. Brabitz, Pamela, see Joel W. Snodgrass et al. Brandt, Laura A., see F. Chris Depkin et al. Breen, Timothy F., and John W. Parrish, Jr,, American Kestrel distribution and use of nest boxes in the coastal plains of Georgia, 25:128-137. Breininger, David R., Avifauna of an unim- pounded salt marsh on Merritt Island, 25:1-10. Brooks, Thomas, and Karla Balent, Peach- colored Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) in southern Florida, 24:108. Buden, Donald W, Summer recoveries of banded neotropical migrants in the West Indies, 27:11-15. Burhans, Dirk E., Review of Rare and en- dangered biota of Florida, Volume V. Birds, 25:24-25. C Carnes, Tania A., see Garry W. Foster and. Champe, Christine, Review of Ecology and conservation of neotropical migrant landbirds, 22:15-16. Charnetzky, Dawn Y., see Ricardo Zam- brano et al. Clouse, Ronald M., see Walter E. Me- shaka, Jr. et al. Coburn, Lara M., Gull-billed Tern nesting on a roof in northwest Florida, 24:76- 77. Collins, Charles T, see Tom Webber and. Crawford, Robert L., Review of A birder’s guide to Georgia, 5* Ed., 25:73. D Darby, Patricia Valentine, see Philip C. Darby et al. 66 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Darby, Philip C., Patricia Valentine Darby, and Robert E. Bennetts, Spatial rela- tionships of foraging and roost sites used by snail kites at Lake Kissimmee and Water Conservation Area 3A, Flor- ida, 24:1-9. David, Peter G,, Nesting and food habits of Barn Owls in south Florida, 24:93-100. Delany, Michael F., Clinton T. Moore, and Donald R. Progulske, Jr., Distinguish- ing gender of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows using body measurements, 22:48-51. Delany, Michael F., and Stephen B. Linda, Characteristics of occupied and aban- doned Florida Grasshopper Sparrow territories, 22:106-109. Delany, Michael F., and Donald J. For- rester, Ticks from Florida Grasshopper Sparrows, 25:58-59. Depkin, F. Chris, Laura A. Brandt, and Frank J. Mazzotti, Nest sites of Florida Sandhill Cranes in southwestern Flor- ida, 22:39-47. Deyrup, Mark, see Reuven Yosef and. Doerr, P. D., see A. E. Kinlaw et al. Douglas, John L., see Theodore H. Below et al. Douglas, Linda, Review of Stokes field guide to the Birds: Eastern region, 25:108-109. Duncan, Robert A., Migration of the Scis- sor-tailed Flycatcher in the Florida panhandle, 23:67-68. E Edmiston, Henry L., see Henry T. Smith et al. Ehrhart, L. M., see A. E. Kinlaw et al. Emanuel, Brian W., see Parks E. Small and. Engstrom, R. Todd, Review of Birding by ear: A Guide to bird-song identification, 21:38. Esman, Laura A., see Henry R. Mushinsky and. F Ferster, Betty, see Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. and. Fillman, Donald R., see George E. Wallace. Fitzpatrick, John W, see Reed Bowman; see Glen E. Woolfenden, et al. Fischer, David L., see Mary Crowe Mitch- ell et al. Forrester, Donald J., see Marilyn G. Spald- ing et al; see Michael F. Delany and. Foster, Garry W, and Tania A. Carnes, Chewing lice, Trichodectes pinguis eu- arctidos, from a Black Bear in Florida, 23:17-18. Franz, Richard, see Lora L. Smith and. Frederick, Peter C., Review of White Ibis— - Wetland Wanderer, 22:55-56. Frederick, Peter, and Tim Towles, Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaia ajaja) nesting at an inland location in the Everglades, 23:65-66. G Gault, Kathleen E., see Louis F. Phillips, Jr., and. Goguen, Christopher B., see Jeff P. Smith and. Goodwin, R. David, see Glen E. Wool- fenden et al. Gore, Jeffrey A., see Henry T. Smith et al. H Hedges, Scott A., see W. Gregory Shriver et al. Hingtgen, T. M., see J. E. Thaxton and. Hoffman, Wayne, Yellow-nosed Albatross specimen from Key Largo, 22:75-77. Hovis, Julie A., Distribution of the Long- tailed Weasel in Florida, 27:101-107. Hunter, Gloria, see Howard Langridge and. J Jansen, Deborah, Review of Florida’s pio- neer naturalist, the life of Charles Tor- rey Simpson, 24:113. Johnston, David W, Review of The birdlife of Florida, 23:75-76. K Kent, Donald M., and Eddie Snell, Verte- brates associated with Gopher Tortoise burrows in Orange County, Florida, 22:8-10. Five Year Index 67 Kinlaw, A. E., L. M. Ehrhart, and R D. Do- err, Spotted Skunks, (Spilogale puto- rius ambarvalis) trapped at Canaveral National Seashore and Merrit Island, Florida, 25:57-61. Kitchens, Wiley M,, see Patricia L. Valen- tine-Darby et al. Kittleson, Barbara C., William B. Robert- son elected Honorary Member of the Florida Ornithological Society, 25:72. L Langridge, Howard R, and Gloria Hunter, Probable sighting of a Brown-chested Martin in Palm Beach County, Florida, 27:18-19. Langridge, H. R, First January sighting in the United States of a Yellow-nosed Al- batross, 25:70-71; Probable Common Poorwill Phalaenonptilus nuttallii at Dry Tortugas National Park, 24:16-17. Layne, James N., Review of Manatees and dungongs. 21:22; History of an intro- duction of Elk in Florida, 21:71-80; Long-tailed Weasel Observations in south-central Florida, 21:108-114. Leonard, Jr., D. L., Avifauna of forested wetlands adjacent to river systems in central Florida, 22:97-105. Lewis, Thomas E., see Douglas B. McNair and. Linda, Stephen B., see Michael F. Delany and. Lopez, Manuel, see Richard T. Paul et al. M Maehr, David S., Roy T. McBride, and J. Jeffrey Mullahey, Status of Coyotes in south Florida, 24:101-107; see Steven G. Seibert et al. Matthiesen, Diana G., see Glen E. Wool- fenden and. Massiah, Edward, see Douglas B. McNair et al. Mazzotti, Frank J., see F. Chris Depkin et al. McAlpine, Donald F, see Jay W. Tishen- dorf and. McBride, Roy T, see David S. Maehr et al. McGehee, Steven M., see Joan L. Morrison et al. McGinity, James, Florida Scrub-Jay kills Common Ground-Dove, 25:101-102. McMahon, Laura, see Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. et al. McMillian, Michael A., and Bill Pranty, Recent nesting of the White-tailed Kite in central Florida, 25:143-145; see Joan L. Morrison et al.; see Bill Pranty and. McNair, Douglas B., Late breeding records of a Red-Headed Woodpecker and a Summer Tanager in Florida, 24:78-80; Early winter breeding record of the Eurasian Collared-Dove in northern Florida, 25:22-23. McNair, Douglas B., Wayne J. Arendt, and Edward Massiah, Sightings of the Blackpoll Warbler in the West Indies during winter, 24:81-82. McNair, Douglas B., and Thomas E. Lewis, Vaux’s Swifts overwinter at a roost in Apalachicola, Florida, 25:54-57. Meshaka, Jr., Walter E., Giant toad eaten by Red-Shouldered Hawk, 22:54-55; Theft or cooperative foraging in the Barred Owl?, 24:15. Meshaka, Jr., Walter E., and Betty Ferster, Two species of snakes prey on Cuban Treefrogs in southern Florida, 25:97- 98. Meshaka, Jr., Walter E., Ronald M. Clouse, and Laura McMahon, Diet of the Tokay Gecko (Gekko Gecko) in southern Florida, 25:105-107. Meyers, Eric, see Wayne Richter and. Mihalik, Mary Beth, see Darren G. Rum- bold and. Miley, Woodard W, see Henry T, Smith et al. Miller, Karl E., Prey selection of the Com- mon Barn-owl in a northern Florida wetland, 22:11-13. Miller, William J. B., see Henry T. Smith et al. Mitchell, Mary Crowe, Louis B. Best, and David L. Fischer, Bird abundance in Florida citrus groves, 25:1-9. Moore, Clinton T., see Michael F. Delany et al. Morrison, Joan L, Michael A. McMillian, Steven M. McGehee, and L. Danielle Todd, First record of Crested Caracaras nesting in a cypress, 25:51-53. 68 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Mullahey, J. Jeffrey, see David S. Maehr et al. Muschlitz, Barbara R, Asiatic Marbled Murrelet: First spring record in North America, 23:30-32. Mushinsky, Henry R., and Laura A. Es- man, Perceptions of Gopher Tortoise burrows over time, 22:1-7. N Nelson, Brian S., see Glen E. Woolfenden et al. Nesbitt, Stephen A., In memoriam: Lawrence H. Walkinshaw, 21:85. Nesbitt, Stephen A., and Lynn C. Badger, Coyote Preys on young Florida San- dhill Crane, 23:15-16. Neville, Bruce, Review of A birder's guide to Florida ed., 25:71-72. Norton, Robert L., Avifauna of Little San Salvador, Bahamas, 21:16-17; Review of West Indian bird records in Ameri- can Birds and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990): Species index by islands, 22:85. Norton, Robert L., and Jeff Ripple, First report of Fuertes' Red-tailed Hawk from Florida, 25:138-140, P Palmer, Tom, Review of A naturalist in Florida: A celebration of Eden, 23:18; Review of Swamp song: A natural his- tory of Florida’s swamps, 24:110. Parrish, Jr., John W., see Timothy F. Breen and. Paul, Richard T., Ann F. Schnapf, and Manuel Lopez, A second Ruddy Duck nests in Hillsborough County, Florida, 22:53-54. Paulson, Dennis R., Review of Florida bird species: An annotated list, 21 :39-40; An early Tropical Kingbird report from Florida, based on calls, 22:14. Pa5me, Rebecca L., see Jocelyn L. Baker and. Phillips Jr., Louis F., and Kathleen E. Gault, Predation of Red-cockaded Woodpecker young by a Corn Snake, 25:67-68. Post, William, Anting behavior of Boat- tailed Grackles, 21:75-77; Banding con- firmation that some middle Atlantic coast Boat-tailed Grackles visit Florida in the winter, 22:51-52; Late autumnal breeding by Killdeer, 24:109. Powell, Peggy, In memoriam: Samuel A. Grimes, 1906-1996, 25:69-70. Pranty, Bill, Review of Spring migration at the Dry Tortugas, The birds of Sanibel, and Rare birds of Sanibel, 21:83-84; Tool use by Brown-headed Nuthatches in two Florida slash pine forests, 23:33- 34; see Glen E. Woolfenden et aL; see Michael A. McMillian and. Pranty, Bill, and Mark D. Scheuerell, First summer record of the Henslow’s Spar- row in Florida, 25:64-66. Pranty, Bill, and Michael A. McMillian, Status of the White-tailed Kite in northern and central Florida, 25:117- 127. Progulske, Jr., Donald R., see Michael F. Delany et al. R Richter, Wa5me, and Eric Meyers, The birds of a short-hydroperiod, muhlen- bergia-dominated wetland prairie in southern Florida, 21:1-10. Ripple, Jeff, see Robert L. Norton and. Roberts, Richard E., and Cary V. Tambor- ski, Blackpoll Warbler mortality during fall migration at a tower in southeast- ern Florida, 21:118-120; see Henry T. Smith et al, Robertson, William B., see Glen E. Wool- fenden et al. Robson, Mark S., see Ricardo Zambrano et al. Rodgers, James A., Jr., Frequency of ad- dled eggs of nesting Wood Storks in north and central Florida, 24:38-40; Pesticide and heavy metal levels of waterbirds in the Everglades agricul- tural area of south Florida, 25:33-41; see Henry T. Smith et al. Roof, Jayde C., Black Bear food habits in the lower Wekiva River Basin of cen- tral Florida, 25:92-97; see Steven G. Seibert et al. Five Year Index 69 Rumbold, Darren G., and Mary Beth Mi- halik, Snail Kite use of a drought-re- lated habitat and communal roost in West Palm Beach, Florida: 1987-1991, 22:29-38. S Scheuerell, Mark D., see Bill Pranty and. Schillaci, Jessica M., and Ruthe J. Smith, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in north- western Florida produce a second clutch, 22:112-113. Schnapf, Ann R, see Richard T. Paul et al. Seibert, Steven G., Jayde Roof, and David S. Maehr, Family dissolution in the Florida Black Bear, 25:103-104. Shriver, W. Gregory, Peter D. Vickery, and Scott A. Hedges, Effects of summer burns on Florida Grasshopper Spar- rows, 24:68-73. Small, Parks E., and Brian W. Emanuel, Summer singing of a Whip-poor-will {Caprimulgus vociferus) in Florida, 24:46-47. Smith, Henry T., Jeffrey A. Gore, Woodard W. Miley, Henry L. Edmiston, and James A. Rodgers, Jr., Recent nesting of Gull-billed Terns in northwest Flor- ida, 27:80-82. Smith, Henry T., William J. B. Miller, Rich- ard E. Roberts, Cary V. Tamborski, Walter, W. Timmerman, and John S. Weske, Banded Royal Terns recovered at Sebastian Inlet, Florida, 22:81-83. Smith, Henry T, and James A. Rodgers, Jr., Sanderling (Calidris alba) flight duration in response to inadvertent disturbance, 24:74-75; see Ricardo Zambrano et al. Smith, Jeff P, and Christopher B. Goguen, Inland Nesting of the Brown Pelican, 27:29-33. Smith, Lora L., and Richard Franz, Use of Florida Round-tailed Muskrat houses by amphibians and reptiles, 22:69-74. Smith, P. William and Susan A. Smith, De- termining the origin of non-native birds seen in the wild in Florida —A case study case: Woolly-necked Stork, 23:10-12; see Reed Bowman et al. Smith, P. William and Glen E. Woolfenden, Status of the Northern Wheatear in Florida, 23:93-96. Smith, P. William, Review of A birder’s West Indies, 25:110. Smith, Ruthe J., see Jessica M, Schillaci and. Smith, Susan A., see P. William Smith and. Snell, Eddie, see Donald M. Kent and. Snodgrass, Joel W, Tami Townsend, and Pamela Brabitz, The status of scrub and Scrub Jays in Brevard County, Florida, 27:69-74. Spalding, Marilyn G., Christine K. Steible, Stephen F Sundlof, and Donald J. For- rester, Metal and organochlorine con- taminants in tissues of nestling wading birds iCiconiiformes) from southern Florida, 25:42-50. Steible, Christine K., see Marilyn G. Spal- ding et al. Stolen, Eric Douglas, Black and Turkey Vulture interactions with Bald Eagles in Florida, 24:43-45. Sundlof, Stephen R, see Marilyn G. Spald- ing et al. Sunquist, Mel, see Susan Walker and. T Tamborski, Cary V., see Richard E. Rob- erts and, see Henry T. Smith et al. Tarvin, Keith A., Long-eared Owl observed in Highlands County, Florida, 22:110- 111. Thaxton, J. E., and T. M. Hingtgen, Effects of suburbanization and habitat frag- mentation on Florida Scrub-Jay dis- persal, 24:25-37. Timmerman, Walter W, Review of Wildlife conservation in metropolitan environ- ments, 27 :21; see Henry T, Smith et al. Tischendorf, Jay W, and Donald F. McAlpine, A melanistic Bobcat from outside Florida, 23:13-14. Titus, Russell C., Fish Crows chase Tree Swallows, 27:34-35. Todd, L. Danielle, see Joan L. Morrison et al. Tordoff, Harrison, B., Review of The Prai- rie Falcon, 25:146-147. Towles, Tim, see Peter Frederick and. Townsend, Tami, see Joel W. Snodgrass et al. 70 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST V Valentine-Darby, Patricia L., Robert E. Bennetts, and Wiley M. Kitchens, Breeding season masses of Snail Kites in Florida, 25:60-63. Vickery, Peter D., see W. Gregory Shriver et al. W Walker, Susan, and Mel Sunquist, Move- ment and spatial organization of Rac- coons in north-central Florida, 25:11- 21, Wallace, George E., and Donald R. Fill- man, Sighting of a Northern Gannet in Cuba, 22:114-117. Warner, Noel, Review of Shadowbirds, a quest for Rails, 25:36-37. Ware, Donald M., White-crowned Pigeon north of its known range, 25:141-142. Webber, Tom, and Charles T. Collins, Re- cordings verify that Vaux’s Swifts visit Florida in winter, 25:25-29. Weske, John S., see Henry T. Smith et al. Wilson, Dawn S., see Brian W. Witz and. Witz, Brian W, and Dawn S. Wilson, Clutch size, egg mass, and incubation period in an Eastern Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus ventralis, 21:36-37 . Woolfenden, Glen E., and Diana G. Mat- thiesen. In Memoriam: Pierce Brod- korb, 1908-1992,21:41. Woolfenden, Glen E., Bill Pranty, and R. David Goodwin, North Pinellas Christ- mas Bird Count, 1985, 22:83-84. Woolfenden, Glen E., William B. Robert- son, Jr,, and Bill Pranty, Comparing the species lists in two recent books on Florida birds, 24:10-14. Woolfenden, Glen E., Bill Pranty, John W. Fitzpatrick, and Brian S. Nelson, West- ern Wood-Pewee recorded in Highlands County, Florida, 24:61-67. Woolfenden, Glen E., see P. William Smith and. Y Yahr, Rebecca, Review of Palms of south Florida, 24:111-112. Yosef, Reuven, and Mark Deyrup, Pellet analysis of Burrowing Owls in south central Florida, 22:78-80. Z Zambrano, Ricardo, Mark S. Robson, Dawn Y. Charnetzky, and Henry T. Smith, Distribution and status of Least Tern nesting colonies in southeast Florida, 25:85-91. Five Year Index 71 Part Two, Location Index A Alachua Co., 22:11-13; 23:15-16; 23:25-29. B Bahama Islands, Little San Salvador, 21:16-17. North Andros, 21:115-117, 25:98-100. Bay Co., 24:76-77. Brevard Co., 21:69-74; 23:1-9; 23:57-61; 24:1-10. Broward Co., 24:1-9. C Collier Co., 24:41-42; 25:101-102. Cuba, 22:114-117. D Dade Co., 21:1-10, 22:54-55; 23:10-12; 23:87-92; 24:1-9; 25:105-107. De Soto Co., 22:106-109. Dry Tortugas National Park, 24:16-17. E Eglin Air Force Base, 22:112-113; 25:67- 68. Everglades National Park, 23:65-66; 23:69; 23:97-98. F Florida (entire state), 21:39-40; 21:77-80, 21:101-107; 23:93-96; 24:10-14. Franklin Co., 21:80-82; 25:22-23; 25:54-57. G Georgia, 25:128-137. Glades Co., 21:34-35. H Hendry Co., 21:29-33. Highlands Co., 22:1-7; 22:48-51; 22:78-80; 22:106-109; 22:110-111; 23:33-34; 24:61-67; 25:51-53; 25:58-59; 25:143- 145. Hillsborough Co., 21:36-37; 22:53-54. L Levy Co., 23:30-32; 25:138-140. Liberty Co., 24:78-80. M Martin Co., 21:118-120; 24:93-100. Monroe Co., 22:14; 22:75-77. N New Brunswick, 23:13-14. O Orange Co., 22:8-10; 22:97-105. Okaloosa Co., 25:141-142. Okeechobee Co., 23:97-98; 25:64-66. Osceola Co., 24:1-9; 24:43-45; 24:68-73. P Palm Beach Co., 21:18-19; 22:29-38; 23:35; 23:70-71; 24:74-75; 24:93-100. Pinellas Co., 22:83-84. Polk Co., 22:48-51; 25:58-59. Putnam Co., 22:69-74; 25:11-21. S St. Lucie Co., 24:74-75. Santa Rosa Co., 23:67-68. Sarasota Co., 24:25-37. Sebastian Inlet, 22:81-83. Seminole Co., 22:97-105. South Carolina, 24:109. V Volusia Co., 21:33-34; 22:51-52; 23:17-18. W West Indies, 21:11-15; 22:85; 24:81-82. 72 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Part Three, Species Index A Ajaia ajaja, 25:65--66; 25:98-100. Albatross, Yellow-nosed, 22:75-77; 23:70- 71. Aphelocoma coerulescens coerulescens, 21:69-74; 24:25-37; 25:101-102. Ammodramus hemlowii, 25:64-66. Ammodramus savannarum floridanus, 22:48-51; 22:106-109; 24:68-73; 25:58- 59. Asio otus, 22:110-111. Athene cunicularia floridana, 22:78-80. B Bear, Black, 23:17-18; 25:92-97; 25:103- 104. Bobcat, 23:13-14. Brachyramphus marmoratus perdix, 23:30-32. Bubulcus ibis, 24:108. Bufo marinus, 22:54-55. Buteo jamaicensis fuertesi, 25:138-140. Buteo lineatus, 22:54-55. C Calidris alba, 24:74-75. Cams latrans, 23:15-16; 24:101-107. Caprimulgus carolinensis, 24:41-42. Caprimulgus vociferus, 24:46-47. Caracara, Crested, 25:51-53. Caracara plancus, 25:51-53. Catbird, Gray, 23:69. Cathartes aura, 24:43-45. Cervus elaphus, 21:77-80. Chaetura vauxi, 23:25-29; 25:54-57. Charadrius vociferus, 24:109. Chuck-wilFs-widow, 24:41-42. Ciconia episcopus, 23:10-12. Coluber constrictor, 23:97-98. Columha leucocephala, 25:141-142. Columbina passerina, 25:101-102. Coot, American, 23:87-92. Contopus sordidulus, 24:61-67. Coragyps atratus, 24:43-45. Corvus ossifragus, 21:34-35. Coyote, 23:15-16; 24:101-107. Crane, Florida Sandhill, 22:39-47; 23:15- 16. Crow, Fish, 21:34-35. D Dendroica striata, 21:118-120; 24:81-82, Diomedea chlororynchos, 22:75-77; 23:70- 71. Dove, Eurasian-Collared, 25:22-23. Duck, Masked'*, 23:35. Ruddy, 22:53-54. Dugoiigs, 21:22. Dumetella carolinensis, 23:69. E Eagle, Bald, 24:43-35. Elanus leucurus, 25:117 -127 ; 25:143-145. Elaphe guttata guttata, 25:67-68. Elaphe ohsoleta, 23:97-98. Elk, 21:77-80. Egret, Cattle, 24:108. F Faico sparverius, 25:128-137, Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed, 23:67-68. Fulica americana, 23:87-92. G Gannet, Northern, 22:114-117. Gecko, Tokay, 25:105-107. Gekko gecko, 25:105-107. Gopherus polyphemus, 22:1-7; 22:8-10. Crackles, Boat-tailed, 21:75-77; 22:51-52. Ground-Dove, Common, 25; 101-102. Grus canadensis pratensis, 22:39-47; 23:15-16. H Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 24:43-45. Hawk, Fuertes’ Red-tailed, 25:138-140. Red-shouldered, 22:54-55. J Jay, Florida Scrub, 21:69-74; 24:25-37; 25:101-102. K Kestrel, American, 25:128-137. Five Year Index 73 Killdeer, 24:109. Kingbird, Tropical, 22:14. Kite, Snail, 22:29-38; 24:1-9; 25:60-63. White-tailed, 25:117-127; 25:143-145. L Lizard, Eastern Glass, 27:36-37. Lynx rufus, 25:13-14. M Manatee, 27:22. Martin, Brown-chested, 27 : 18-19. Melanerpes caroUnus, 21 :33-34. Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 24:78-80. Morus bassanus, 22:114-117. Murrelet, Asiatic Marbled, 25:30-32. Muskrat, Round-tailed, 22:69-74. Mustela frenata, 27:101-107; 27:108-114. Mycteria americana, 24:38-40. N Neo fiber alleni, 22:69-74. Nuthatch, Brown-headed, 25:33-34. O Oenanthe oenanthe, 25:93-96. Ophisaurus ventralis, 21:36-37 . Osteopilus septentrionalis, 25:97-98. Owl, Barn, 22:11-13, 24:93-100. Barred, 24:15. Burrowing, 22:78-80. Long-eared, 22:110-111. Oxyura dominica, 25:35. Oxyura jamaicensis, 22:53-54. P Pelecanus occidentalis, 27:29-33. Pelican, Brown, 27:29-33. Phaeoprogne tapera, 27:18-19. Phalaenonptilus nuttallii, 24:16-17. Picoides borealis, 22:112-113. Pigeon, White-crowned, 25:141-142. Piranga rubra, 24:78-80. Poorwill, Common, 24:16-17. Procyon lotor, 25:11-21. Q Quiscalus major, 21 :75-77, 22:51-52. R Raccoon, 25:11-21, Racer, Black, 25:97-98. Ratsnake, Yellow, 25:97-98. Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus, 22:29- 38; 24:1-9; 25:60-63. S Sanderling, 24:74-75. Sitta pusilla, 25:33-34. Skunk, Spotted, 25:57-61. Snake, Corn, 25:67-68. Sparrow, Florida Grasshopper, 22:48-51; 22:106-109; 24:68-73; 25:58-59. Henslow's, 25:64-66. Spilogale putorius ambarvalis, 25:57-61. Spoonbill, Roseate, 25:65-66; 25:98-100. Starling, European, 27 :33-34. Sterna antillarum, 25:85-91. Sterna maxima, 22:81-83. Sterna nilotica, 27:80-82; 24:76-77. Stork, Wood, 24:38-40. Woolly-necked, 25:10-12. Streptopelia decaocto, 25:22-23. Strix varia, 24:15. Sturnus vulgaris, 2 1:33-3A. Swallow, Tree, 27 :34-35. Swift, Vaux’s, 25:25-29; 25:54-57. T Tachycienta bicolor, 21:34-35. Tanager, Summer, 24:78-80. Tern, Gull-billed, 27:80-82; 24:76-77. Least, 25:85-91. Royal, 22:81-83. Toad, Giant, 22:54-55. Tortoise, Gopher, 22:1-7; 22:8-10. Treefrog, Cuban, 25:97-98. Tyrannus forficatus, 25:67-68. Tyrannus melancholicus, 22:14. Tyto alba, 22:11-13; 24:93-100. U Ursus americanus, 25:17-18; 25:92-97; 25:103-104. V Vulture, Black, 24:43-45. Turkey, 24:43-45. 74 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST W Warbler, Blackpoll, 21:118-120; 24:81-82. Weasel, Long-tailed, 21:101-107; 21:108- 114. Wheatear, Northern, 25:93-96. Whip-poor-will, 24:46-47. Woodpecker, Red-bellied, 21:33-34. Red-cockaded, 22:112-113; 25:67-68. Red-headed, 24:78-80. Wood-Pewee, Western, 24:61-67. The Florida Ornithological Society is Proud to Announce Special Publication No. 6 FLORIDA BIRD SPECIESi AN ANNOTATED LIST BY William B. Robertson, Jr. Glen E. Woolfenden The first complete and authoritative review of Elorida’s avifauna since Arthur Howell’s 1932 Florida Bird Life. Treats over 660 species reported in the state. More than 140 species of non-native exotics. Essential for every- one interested in the modern status of Florida’s native and introduced birds. HARD COVER $15.00 All orders add $2.00 shipping and handling per book. Elorida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to Florida Ornithological Society. Mail to: F.O.S. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION P.O. BOX 2057 LAKE PLACID, FL 33862 75 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. TREASURER’S REPORT- 1997 Florida Field Nat. 26(2):75, 1998. CASH AND BANK ACCOUNTS: Barnett Checking Account 10,245.58 MBNA CD @ 6.25% 11/22/98 16,496.51 MBNA CD @ 6.95% 12/06/98 10,472.33 MBNA CD @ 7.40% 12/06/99 10,614.76 MBNA CD @ 5.95% 12/06/00 10,252.60 MBNA CD @6.15% 12/06/00 10,423.33 MBNA CD @ 6.31% 12/12/01 10,363.81 MBNA Money Mkt. @ 4.9% 9.299.73 TOTAL ASSETS: $88,168.65 ANALYSIS OF CASH AS DISTRIBUTED TO FOS FUNDS: General Operating Fund 13,711.90 Special Publications Fund 19,076.98 Grants and Awards Fund 37,593.43 Endowment Fund 12,631.34 Deferred Items (See note) TOTAL: 5.155.00 $88,168.65 Note: Dues received in 1997 for future years are considered deferred income. Deposits for future meetings are considered deferred expenses. These figures will be incor- porated into the General Operating Fund income in the 1998 year-end report. Income Dues 8,884.00 Meetings 7,594.73 Spec, publications 1,128.61 Interest 4,818.19 Page charges 1,416.50 Gifts 1,137.00 Miscellaneous 516.00 TOTAL: $25,495.03 1997 CASH ASSETS: TOTAL as of 1/1/97: TOTAL as of 12/31/97: Expenses FFN Printing 4,453.53 Meetings 6,660.58 Operating 2,136.54 Postage & shipping 1,400.29 Newsletter printing 358.57 Grants and awards 1,000.00 Sales Tax Paid 1.84 $16,461.35 $79,909.97 $88,168.65 Respectfully submitted, Vaughn W, Morrison, Treasurer (term expiring 4/25/98) FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Species Index to Florida Bird Records in Audubon Field Notes and Amer- ican Birds Volumes 1-30 1947-1976, by Margaret C. Bowman, 1978. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 1. Price $4,00. The Carolina Parakeet in Florida, by Daniel McKinley. 1985. Florida Ornitho- logical Society, Special Publication No. 2. Price $6.00. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay, by Jeffrey A. Cox. 1987. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No, 3. Price $8,00. Florida Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes 1947- 1989, by Robert W. Loftin, Glen E. Woolfenden, and Janet A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 4. Price $8.00. West Indian Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990); Species Index by Islands, by Robert W. Loftin. 1992. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 5. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List, by William B, Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden. 1992, Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6. Price $15.00 (hard cover). Order prepaid from the Secretary; add $1.00 handling and shipping for Spe- cial Publications No. 1-5; add $2.00 handling and shipping for Special Publication No. 6. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to the Florida Ornithological Society. Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editon R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312^9712. Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Associate Editor (for reviews): Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Associate Editor (for technical papers): ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792. Associate Editori Trina M. Cassels, 5827 Louvinia Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Editor of Special Publications? Glen E. Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee: WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: STEPHEN A. NESBITT, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Wildlife Research Laboratory, 4005 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida 32601. Field Observations Committee: Bill Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: H. James Sigsbee (Chair), 10090 SW 144th St., Miami, Florida 33176. Nominating Committee: WAYNE HOFFMAN (Chair), National Audubon Society, 115 Indian Mound Trail, Tavernier, Florida 33070. Records Committee: Bruce H. Anderson (Secretary), 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899. Conservation Committee: David LEONARD, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862-2057. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 18, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. 3 9088 00996 1400 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 26, No. 2 - May 1998 Pages 33Y6 CONTENTS ARTICLES Nesting Habitat of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows at Avon Park Air Force Range Michael F Delany and Stephen B. Linda ........................................................ 33-39 NOTES Occurrences of Flamingos in Northwest Florida, Including a Recent Record of the Greater Flamingo {Phoenicopterus ruber) Douglas B. McNair and Jeffery A. Gore .......................................................... 40-43 Uncommon Behaviors of Red-headed Woodpeckers in Central Florida M. Shane Belson and Parks E. Small ............................................................. 44-45 Response of Henslow’s Sparrows and Sedge Wrens to a Dormant-Season Prescribed Fire Douglas B. McNair 46-47 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Fall Report; August to November 1997 Bill Pranty 48-59 REVIEW The Florida Field Naturalist 1973 to 1997: The First 25 Years R. Todd Engstrom 60-64 FIVE-YEAR INDEX Five-year Index to the Elorida Field Naturalist, Volumes 21-25, 1993-1997 Debra Guenther 65-74 TREASURER’S REPORT Vaughn W. Morrison ............................................................................................... 75 (XL- ts t Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 3 August 1998 Pages 77-108 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Vice-President: Jan Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Secretary: Eric D. STOLEN, Florida Coop Unit & Dynamic Corp., Dept. Wildlife and Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450. Treasurer: SEAN RoWE, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Flor- ida 33862. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. 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The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 3 August 1998 Pages 77H08 Florida Field Nat. 26(2):77-83, 1998. THE PROPORTION OF SNAIL KITES ATTEMPTING TO BREED AND THE NUMBER OF BREEDING ATTEMPTS PER ^AR IN FLORIDA Robert E. BENNETTSl’^ Katie GoldenI’S, Victoria J. Dreitz^, AND Wiley M. Kitchens^ ^University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, EO. Box 110450 Gainesville, Florida 32611 ^Department of Biology, University of Miami, P.O. Box 249118 Coral Gables, Florida 33124 ^US. Geological Survey / Biological Resources Division Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 ^Current address: Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat le Sambuc, 13200 Arles, France ^Current address: Department of Medicine and Oncology Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232 Abstract,— During the breeding season of 1995 we monitored the proportion of adult and subadult Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociahilis) attempting to breed and the number of breeding attempts using radio telemetry. Our sample consisted of 23 adults (14 females, 9 males) and 9 subadults for which we had data over the entire breeding season. All adults attempted to breed at least once with an observed average of 1.4 (± 0.6 SD) breed- ing attem.pts per individual. In contrasty only 3 (33%) of the subadults attempted to breed. Of the adults, 15 (65%) made one breeding attempt, 7 (30%) made two breeding at- tempts, and 1 (4%) attempted three times. Only one bird (4%) successfully raised two broods. Our data are consistent with previous reports that >1 breeding attempt by Snail Kites in Florida is common during some years, although our estimate for 1995 was lower than previously reported estimates. A combination of our estimation procedures, defini- tions of a breeding attempt, and annual variability of this parameter probably account for the disparity between our data and previous reports. Understanding the structure and dynamics of any natural popula- tion requires knowledge of the birth and death rate of that population 77 78 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST (Seber 1982). From a demographic perspective, what is ultimately of interest regarding birth rate is the number of young produced per fe- male (Caughley 1977). Many species, including Snail Kites (Rostrha- mus sociabilis), it is difficult to estimate-this parameter directly. Thus, it is often derived from estimation of several parameters including the (1) proportion of the population attempting to breed, (2) number of breeding attempts that were successful, (3) number of young produced per successful breeding attempt, and (4) number of breeding attempts per year (Brown 1974, Caughley 1977, Beissinger 1995). The success per breeding attempt and the number of young pro- duced per attempt are relatively well known for Snail Kites (Sykes 1979, Bennetts et al. 1988, Snyder et al. 1989, Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). In contrast, there has been virtually no empirical data for that proportion of the population attempting to breed, although authors have reported values based on anecdotal observations (e.g., Nichols et al. 1980, Beissinger 1995). Similarly, there has been little evidence for the number of breeding attempts per year. Snail Kites are capable of raising >1 brood per year and attempts at multiple brooding may be fairly widespread (Snyder et al. 1989). Snyder et al. (1989) suggested that individuals have the potential to successfully raise four broods per year, although we know of no documented cases of individuals success- fully raising >2 broods in a given year. Snyder et al. (1989) estimated the number of nesting attempts per pair to be 2.7. Their estimate was derived using the number of Snail Kites counted on an annual survey at two locations (Lake Okeechobee and Water Conservation Area 3A) during the fall of 1977 as an estimate of the potential breeding popula- tion for 1978. They then used the number and success of nests found at those localities the following breeding season to estimate the number of nesting attempts by that breeding population. Beissinger (1995) later used a more “conservative” estimate of 2.2 attempts per pair in a population viability analysis because the estimate by Snyder et al. (1989) was reported to be “under the best conditions”. Here, we present empirical estimates for the proportion of the population attempting to breed and the number of breeding attempts per year for individual Snail Kites during the 1995 breeding season using radio-telemetry. Study Area and Methods Snail Kites in Florida consist of one population that shifts in distribution throughout the state, rather than several subpopulations (Bennetts 1993, Beissinger 1995, Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). Consequently, our study area comprised a network of wetlands throughout the Snail Kite’s range in Florida (Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). During the breeding season of 1994, 100 radio transmitters were attached on Snail Kites, 60 on adults and 40 on juveniles. The goal was to monitor the breeding status of as many of these birds as possible during the entire 1995 breeding season. Birds whose radio trans- Bennetts et al. • Snail Kite Breeding Attempts 79 mitters failed before the end of the 1995 breeding season, or whose location or breeding status were unknown for a period >30 d were excluded from the sample. The 1995 breed- ing season was considered to extend from November 1994 through August 1995; al- though actual breeding activity was only observed January to July. Breeding attempt is defined as initiation coincident with laying of the first egg (Steenhof 1987). However, additional activity associated with breeding, was recorded, in- cluding courtship behaviors to enable more comprehensive record of each individual. During the breeding season, we visually located each bird approximately biweekly and determined its breeding status (e.g., not breeding, courtship, or breeding). Birds in which no breeding activity was detected were generally observed for >2 hrs and subsequent vis- its, usually within 10 days, were required to confirm a non-breeding status and to con- firm any nests of birds exhibiting courtship behavior. A breeding attempt was considered successful if at least one young reached fledging age (Steenhof 1987). Because birds may or may not be present at the nest after fledging, we defined fledging age as 80% of the av- erage age of first flight (Steenhof and Kochert 1982). Snail Kites are capable of first flight at approximately 30 days of age (Chandler and Anderson 1974); thus, a breeding attempt was considered successful if it produced young that survived to at least 24 d (Bennetts et al. 1988). Survival after this period was estimated using radio telemetry and capture re- capture techniques and is reported elsewhere (Bennetts et al. in press). Results and Discussion We were able to monitor the breeding status of 23 adults (14 fe- males and 9 males) and 9 subadults for the entire 1995 season. The av- erage interval between successive observations of breeding status was 14.1 d (± 8.1 SD). All adult birds attempted to breed at least once with an average of 1.4 (± 0.25 SE) breeding attempts per bird. Fifteen adults (65%) made one breeding attempt, 7 (30%) made two breeding at- tempts, and 1 (4%) attempted three times (Table 1). Only one adult (4%) successfully raised two broods. In contrast, not all subadults at- tempted to breed; only 3 (33%) were confirmed to have a nest in which at least one egg was laid, and none were observed attempting to breed more than once. Our data were consistent with Snyder et al. (1989) that >1 breed- ing attempt by Snail Kites in Florida is common during some years. However, our results did not agree with previous estimates of 2.7 (Sny- der et aL1989) or 2.2 attempts per year (Beissinger 1995). The differ- ences between these estimates is large and may have dramatic influence for estimating reproduction. Using a value of 2.7 attempts versus 1.4 would nearly double an estimate of reproduction for a given year if other parameters were equal. Thus, we believe that it is impor- tant to understand possible reasons for the disparity of these esti- mates. A combination of differences in our respective definitions of a breeding attempt, our estimation procedures, and annual variability of this parameter probably account for the discrepancies between these two data sources. Snyder et al. (1989) considered a breeding attempt to begin with nest building, prior to the laying of the first egg. Although we agree 80 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Number of breeding attempts and attempts that were successful for 23 adult Snail Kites during 1995. Radio Frequency Gender Number of Breeding Attempts Number of Successful Attempts 152.039 F 2 1 152.128 M 1 1 152.169 F 2 1 152.369 F 1 1 152.379 M 2 1 152.494 F 1 1 152.499 F 1 0 152.539 M 1 0 152.584 F 1 0 152.698 F 1 1 152.739 F 3 1 152.777 F 1 1 152.848 M 1 0 152.858 M 1 1 152.869 M 1 1 153.290 M 1 1 153.390 M 1 1 153.496 F 2 0 153.860 F 2 1 153.900 M 1 1 153.931 F 1 1 153.969 F 2 2 153.979 F 2 1 with Snyder et al. (1989) that, for many questions, the failure of nests prior to egg laying may have important biological implications, we dis- agree that nests during the nest-building stage, for this species, should be considered as a breeding attempt for estimation of reproductive pa- rameters. Nest building is part of courtship for Snail Kites and often involves birds for which a pair bond has not even been established (Beissinger 1988, Bennetts et al. 1994). We observed one radio-tagged male initiate courtship with at least five different females before a pair bond was established. Courtship, including nest building, is often ter- minated with the passage of cold fronts and resumed at a new site after temperatures return to pre-front conditions (Beissinger 1988, Ben- netts et al. 1988, 1994). For demographic purposes, these postpone- ments are viewed as courtship interruptions, rather than multiple breeding attempts with each interruption being considered as a breed- ing failure. Thus, we agree with Steenhof (1987) and defined a breeding attempt to begin with the laying of the first egg. If our definition were applied to the data reported by Snyder et al. (1989) their estimate would have been reduced from 2.7 to 1.9 breeding attempts per pair (Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). Bennetts et al. • Snail Kite Breeding Attempts 81 The assumptions inherent for each of the estimation procedures also can have a dramatic influence on the resulting estimates. The pri= mary assumption of our estimate was that no breeding attempts went undetected during the breeding season. The interval of our breeding status checks could have resulted in failure to detect some birds that initiated a nest that failed early during laying or incubation. However, exclusion of birds from the sample for which we had gaps in the known breeding status helped to minimize this potential bias. Analyses were repeated with a more restrictive criteria for the gaps in observations, such that the average interval between visits was <8 d, with a maxi- mum of 21 d between any two visits. This more restrictive criterion re- duced sample size in = 10), but did not alter the estimate of the number of breeding attempts per adult (x = 1.38). Consequently, we believe that the potential bias from having missed breeding attempts probably was very low. Our estimate also was based on a relatively small sample size {n ~ 23), although this does not bias the estimate; rather it reduces the confldence through an increased standard error. Because Snyder et al. (1989) did not know the breeding history of individuals over the 1978 breeding season, their estimation procedure required several additional assumptions not required had the status of individuals been known. Snyder et al. (1989) pointed out that their procedure assumed (1) the 1977 annual survey was an accurate census (i.e., a complete count of all kites), (2) no birds died between the 1977 survey and the 1978 breeding season, (3) all birds counted during the 1977 survey were potential breeders during 1978, and (4) a 1:1 sex ra- tio. We suggest that their procedure was not robust to violations of these assumptions, and recent evidence suggests that several of these assumptions were unlikely to have been met. Because Snyder et al. (1989) used the 1977 survey to represent the number of potentially-breeding pairs during the 1978 breeding season, their approach required a more rigorous assumption regarding closure than they suggested. Their procedure assumed that the two locations they monitored (i.e., WCA-3A and Lake Okeechobee) represented a closed population. Thus, the assumption is not only that there were no deaths between the 1977 survey and the end of the 1978 breeding sea- son, but also that there were no births, immigration, or emigration. Re- cent data from 271 radio-tagged Snail Kites in Florida indicated that the probability of a bird moving from one wetland to another during a given month is approximately 0.25 (Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). Given that the time between the 1977 survey and the end of the 1978 breeding season was approximately 8-9 months, it is likely that there was substantial immigration and emigration. Further, Bennetts and Kitchens (1997) and Valentine-Darby et al. (1998) found that there is an appreciable shift from peripheral habits, during the time of the sur- 82 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST vey, to breeding habitats during spring. Thus, there was very likely a net increase in the “breeding population” which could have substan™ tially inflated their estimate of the number of breeding attempts per pair. Bennetts and Kitchens (1997) and Valentine-Darby et al. (1998) also found that during late fall, when the annual survey is conducted up to 60% of the population may be in areas not included in the survey or in habitats (e.g., cypress) where detection is difficult. In addition, Bennetts and Kitchens (1997a) and Bennetts et al, (in press) found that the average probability of detecting marked individuals during spring, when birds are more concentrated, was quite low (<25%). Thus the assumption of an accurate census also was unlikely to have been met. Previous reports (e.g., Snyder et al. 1989), and our data confirm, that not all subadults are potential breeders. Thus, the assumption that all birds during the 1977 survey were potential breeders during 1978 also was unlikely to have been met because adults and subadults were not distinguished during the annual survey. If use of an estimate is extended to years other than one from which it was derived, it must be assumed that the estimate be “repre- sentative” of the conditions to which the estimate is being applied. Es- timates derived from both our data and that of Snyder et al. (1989) were each based on a single year. Based on the data reported by Snyder et al. (1989), 1978 was an extremely high year for reproduction. Ex- cluding years for which they reportedly did not have extensive field coverage (i.e., before 1970 and after 1983), the number of nests docu- mented during 1978 was nearly 3 standard deviations above the mean number of nests found (based on Snyder et al. 1989, Table 1). Similarly, the number of young banded during 1978 was >3 standard deviations above the mean number for other years (based on Snyder et al. 1989, Table 7). Snyder et al. (1989), apparently recognized the extreme na- ture of 1978 and correctly limited their inference to that year. Beiss- inger (1995) later used what he considered a “conservative” estimate of 2.2 breeding attempts per pair in a population viability analysis in or- der to extend the estimate of Snyder et al. (1989) to other years. Our data suggest that even this “conservative” estimate was likely to be substantially inflated if used as an annual average. Acknowledgments Funding for this work was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey/ Biological Re- sources Division, South Florida Water Management District, and St. Johns River Water Management District through the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Cooperative Agreement #14-16-0007-1544, RWO90. This paper is contribution No. R- 06466 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Bennetts et al. • Snail Kite Breeding Attempts 83 Literature Cited Beissinger, S. R. 1987. Mate desertion and reproductive effort in the Snail Kite. Anim. Behav. 35:1504-1519. Beissinger, S. R. 1988. The Snail Kite. Pages 148-165 in R. S. Palmer (ed.). Handbook of North American Birds. Volume IV. Yale University Press, New Haven. Beissinger, S. R. 1995. Modeling extinction in periodic environments: Everglades water levels and Snail Kite population viability. Ecol. Appl. 5:618-631. Bennetts, R. E. 1993. The Snail Kite: a wanderer and its habitat. Florida Nat. 66:12-15. Bennetts, R.E., M. W. Collopy, and S. R. Beissinger. 1988. Nesting ecology of Snail Kite in Water Conservation Area 3A. Fla. Coop. Fish Wildl. Res. Unit Tech. Rep. No. 31, Univ. Florida, Gainesville. Bennetts, R. E., M. W. Collopy, and J. A. Rodgers, Jr. 1994. The Snail Kite in the Florida Everglades: A food specialist in a changing environment. In S. Davis and J. Ogden (eds.) Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach. Bennetts, R. E., and W. M. Kitchens. 1997. The demography and movements of Snail Kites in Florida. Technical Report No. 56. U.S. Geological Survey/Biological Re- sources Division, Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville. Bennetts, R. E., V, J. Dreitz, W. M. Kitchens, J. E. Hines, and J. D. Nichols, (in press) Annual survival of Snail Kites in Florida with comparisons between radio te- lemetry and capture-recapture data. Auk. Brown, L. H. 1974. Data required for effective study of raptor populations. Pages 9-20 in F. N. Hamerstrom, Jr., B.E. Harrell, and R. R. Olendorff (eds.) Management of Rap- tors. Raptor Research Foundation. Vermillion. Caughley, G. 1977. Analysis of vertebrate populations. John Wiley and Sons, New York. Chandler, R., and J. M. Anderson. 1974. Notes on Everglade Kite reproduction. Amer. Birds 28:856-858. Nichols, J. D., G. L. Hensler, and P. W. Sykes. 1980. Demography of the Everglade kite: implications for population management. Ecological Modelling 9:215-232. Seber, G. a. F. 1982. Estimation of animal abundance and related parameters. Mac- Millan, New York. Snyder, N, F. R., S. R. Beissinger, and R. Chandler. 1989. Reproduction and demog- raphy of the Florida Everglade (Snail) Kite. Condor 91:300-316. Steenhof, K. 1987. Assessing raptor reproductive success and productivity. Pages 157- 170 in B. A. G. Pendleton, B. A. Milsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird. Raptor Manage- ment Techniques Manual. National Wildlife Federation. Washington, D.C. Steenhof, K., and M. N. Kochert. 1982. An evaluation of methods used to estimate raptor nesting success. J. Wildl. Manage. 46:885-893. Sykes, P. W., Jr. 1979. Status of the Everglade Kite in Florida-1968-1978. Wilson Bulle- tin 91:495-511. Valentine-Darby, P. L., R. E. Bennetts, and W. M. Kitchens. 1998. Seasonal patterns of habitat use by Snail Kites in Florida. Journal of Raptor Research. In Press. 84 NOTES Florida Field Nat. 26(3):84-87, 1998. CAUSES OF MORTALITY OF POST-FLEDGING JUVENILE AND ADULT SNAIL KITES IN FLORIDA Robert E. Bennetts\ Malene R. Shannon^ and Wiley M. Kitchens^ ^Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Florida Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Florida RO. Box 110450, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450 ^Department of Biology, University of Miami, P.O. Box 249118 Coral Gables, Florida 33124 ^U.S. Geological Service ! Biological Resources Division Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450 Previous demographic studies of Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis) primarily have focused on reproduction, though survival may be the most important demographic pa- rameter for this species (Nichols et al. 1980, Beissinger 1995, Sykes et al. 1995). There have been several reports of causes of death of nestling Snail Kites (e.g., Sykes 1987, Bennetts et al. 1988), but such information has been largely speculative for post-fledging juveniles and adults (Beissinger 1986, Sykes et al. 1995). The purpose of this paper is to provide an indication of the relative frequencies of different causes of mortality of post- fledging juvenile and adult kites during our study. Our study was conducted between April 1992 and April 1995 in central and south Florida as part of a larger study of survival and movements of Snail Kites in Florida (Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). We attached 282 radio transmitters on 271 individual kites; 11 birds were recaptured in a subsequent year and their radios replaced. We mon- itored birds primarily by aircraft, although verification and retrieval of dead birds was conducted by airboat or on foot. The average interval between consecutive locations of birds was 13.5 (±7.9 SD) days (Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). All radio transmitters were equipped with a mortality switch that altered the pulse rate upon prolonged lack of mo- tion (~6 h); which enabled us to remotely determine if a bird was dead or had dropped its radio. We attempted to find all birds emitting a mortality signal the same day that the signal was detected, although logistic constraints occasionally resulted in recovering car- casses the following day. We found 31 post-fledging juveniles and 16 adult Snail Kites dead or moribund. We as- signed a likely cause of death to 24 (51%) of these 47 birds. Most (81%) dead birds were found using radio telemetry, although we have also included birds found without the aid of radio transmitters (19%). Carcasses (n = 7) in which the fleshy parts had not been con- sumed or that did not exhibit extreme autolysis were sent for necropsy either to the Labo- ratory of Wildlife Disease Research, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, or the U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Research Center. We cau- tion from the outset that the exact cause of death can seldom be determined with certainty without finding each carcass while fresh and conducting a necropsy. Even when a necropsy was performed, a conclusive diagnosis was seldom possible and several contributory fac- tors were often confounded. Despite our effort to minimize the time until a necropsy could be performed, severe autolysis was common in the time interval between death and detec- tion of the mortality signal. Thus, our intention here is to provide a crude indication of the relative frequencies of different causes of death, rather than a definitive assessment. Notes 85 Table 1. Probable causes of mortality of Snail Kites recovered in Florida from 1992 tol995. Juveniles Adults Total Probable Cause No. % No. % No. % Predation 10 32.2 7 43.8 17 36.2 Starvation 2 6.5 0 0.0 2 4.3 Disease 0 0.0 1 6.3 1 2.1 Vehicle Collision 1 3.2 2 12.5 3 6.4 Gun Shop 1 3.2 0 0.0 1 2.1 Unknown (undisturbed)'^ 4 12.9 3 18.8 7 14.9 Unknowm 13 41.9 3 18.8 16 34.0 Total 31 100.0 16 100.0 47 100.0 ‘“Record courtesy of Jon Buntz (Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission). ‘“Birds found with carcasses intact and no indication of predation. One juvenile was not emaciated and in excellent nutritional health. Another juvenile was severely emaciated, which could have been either a symptom of illness or a cause of death. ■“Birds were too severely decomposed, were potentially disturbed, and there was no evi- dence of the potential cause of death. Beissinger (1986, 1988) suggested that adult Snail Kite mortality due to predation was probably rare. In contrast, we found predation the most frequent probable cause of death identified (Table 1). However, we assigned predation to be the probable cause only when we had ancillary information, in addition to the carcass having been eaten. Other- wise, the death was classified as unknown. Four carcasses were found at a feeding or plucking perch with carcasses of other species. Six other kites had been plucked, a behav- ior not associated with any local scavengers. The predator most frequently suspected was the Great Horned Owl {Bubo virginianus). In four cases (not including those listed above) adults were found decapitated on their nest, which is a common behavior of Great-horned Owl predation (Nisbet 1975). In several other cases, a Great-horned Owl was seen in the area. Barred Owls (Strix varia) have been previously suspected of killing at least one adult female based on feathers left at the nest (Sykes et al. 1995); although we found no evidence of predation by Barred Owls during this study. Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) also were occasionally observed in the area during migration but have not been reported to take Snail Kites. Starvation was the second most frequently suspected cause of death for juveniles, al- though only two cases were diagnosed (N. Thomas, National Wildlife Health Center, un- publ. data). In these two cases, each bird was found alive, but in a severely weakened and emaciated state from which they did not recover. Each of these birds was also found in marine environments (one in Florida Bay and one near Sarasota) where apple snails {Pomacea paludosa), the primary food of kites, were completely lacking. These deaths were attributed to inexperienced birds that dispersed in a direction where they were un- able to find sufficient food. One band return from a previous study (Bennetts et al. 1988) also was from a juvenile found dead in a marine environment (Sanibel Island). One ad- ditional juvenile was severely emaciated at the time of death, but the diagnosis was not conclusive and the bird also may have had an intestinal disease (N. Thomas, National Wildlife Health Center, unpubl. data). In this case, emaciation may have been a symp- tom of illness, rather than a cause of death. Starvation also may have been underesti- mated in our sample. For example, juvenile birds dispersing to habitats atypical of adults may have a lower probability of detection due to less intensive searches of these 86 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST habitats. These areas also may less predictable food resources. In addition, starvation may be a more frequent cause of death for both age classes during drought years, when food may be scarce (Beissinger 1986); our data were collected only during non-drought years. Vehicle collisions were a probable cause of death for both age classes and occurred where birds were observed foraging or nesting adjacent to roadways. One adult female probably died of an infection of the coelomic cavity (D. J. Forrester and M. G. Spalding, Laboratory of Wildlife Disease Research, University of Florida, unpubl. data). The skel- etal remains of one juvenile had a probable shotgun pellet hole through its sternum, but we were unable to confirm conclusively if this was the cause of death. Beissinger (1986, 1995) and Snyder et al. (1989) have suggested that most adult Snail Kite mortality in Florida occurs during droughts and is likely caused by starvation or risks encountered during dispersal. This inference was derived primarily from changes in the number of kites counted during an annual survey, rather than from empirical ev- idence of actual mortality. Although we agree with these authors that an increased risk of mortality during widespread droughts is likely, the actual extent of mortality attrib- uted to specific causes is not known (Bennetts et al. 1994, Sykes et al. 1995, Bennetts and Kitchens 1997). However, we emphasize that our study was conducted during non- drought conditions and our inferences are limited accordingly. Our inferences also were likely influenced by our methods. For example, two of three birds we found hit by vehicles were found without using radio transmitters. This proba- bly is because they were along roadways where detection of the birds was likely. Finding birds that died of other causes would have been far less likely without the use of radio transmitters. If a study goal is to determine the causes of mortality, it also is imperative that sampling intervals of radio-tagged birds be frequent. Even with our relatively inten- sive sampling effort, severe autolysis precluded much of the information that could have been derived had the carcasses been found fresh. Decomposition occurs quickly in Flor- ida’s subtropical environment. Consequently, causes of death that required examination of soft tissues for diagnosis are likely to have been underestimated in our sample. This study was part of a larger study of survival and movements of Snail Kites in Florida by Bennetts and Kitchens. Financial support was provided by the US. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, US. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District, and the Biological Resources Division of the US. Geological Service through the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit cooperative agreement No. 14-16-0007-1544, RWO90. We are very grateful for our field biologists David Boyd, Phil Darby, Patricia Valentine-Darby, Katie Golden, Hilary Maier, Steve McGehee, and Scott Severs. Necropsies were conducted by Marilyn Spalding and Donald Forrester of Laboratory of Wildlife Disease Research, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, and Kathyrn Converse and Nancy Thomas of the US. Geolog- ical Survey, Biological Resources Division, National Wildlife Health Research Center. We appreciate the cooperation of the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. Help- ful comments were provided by James A. Rodgers Jr. and Marilyn Spalding. This is con- tribution number R-06363 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Literature Cited Beissinger, S. R. 1986. Demography, environmental uncertainty, and the evolution of mate desertion in the Snail Kite. Anim. Behav. 35:1504-1519. Beissinger, S. R. 1988. The Snail Kite. Pages 148-165 in Handbook of North American Birds. Volume IV (R. S. Palmer, Ed.). Yale University Press, New Haven. Beissinger, S. R. 1995. Modeling extinction in periodic environments: Everglades water levels and Snail Kite population viability. Ecol. Appl. 5:618-631 Notes 87 Bennetts, R. E., and W. M, Kitchens, 1997, The demography and movements of Snail Kites in Florida. U.S. Geological Survey/Biological Resources Division, Florida Coop- erative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit. Technical Report No. 56. Gainesville. Bennetts, R. E., M. W. Collopy, and S. R. Beissinger. 1988. Nesting ecology of Snail Kites in Water Conservation Area 3A. Technical Report No. 31. University of Florida, Florida Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville. Bennetts, R. E., M. W. Collopy, and J. A. Rodgers, Jr. 1994. The Snail Kite in the Florida Everglades: A food specialist in a changing environment. In Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration (S. Davis and J. Ogden, Eds.), St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach. Nisbet, I, C. T. 1975. Selective effects of predation in a tern colony. Condor 77:221-226. Nichols, J. D., G. L. Hensler, and P. W. Sykes. 1980. Demography of the Everglade Kite: implications for population management. Ecological Modelling 9:215-232. Snyder, N. F. R., S. R. Beissinger, and R. Chandler. 1989. Reproduction and demog- raphy of the Florida Everglade (Snail) Kite. Condor 91:300-316. Sykes, P. W., Jr. 1979. Status of the Everglade Kite in Florida, 1968-1978. Wilson Bull. 91:495-511. Sykes, P. W., Jr. 1987. Some aspects of the breeding biology of the Snail Kite in Florida. J. Field Ornithol. 58:171-189. Sykes, P. W., Jr., J. A. Rodgers, Jr., and R. E. Bennetts. 1995. Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis). In The Birds of North America, No. 171 (A. Poole and F, Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists Union, Washington. 88 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Nat. 26(3):88-89, 1998. FIRST RECORD OF THE THICK-BILLED MURRE FROM FLORIDA Howard P. Langridgei and Glen E. Woolfenden^ ^1421 W. Ocean Ave., Lantana, Florida 33462 ^Archhold Biological Station, Lake Placid, Florida 33862 A live Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) picked up on Hobe Sound Highway, Palm Beach Co., and later preserved provides the first record (sensu Robertson and Wool- fenden 1992, i.e., supported by tangible evidence) of the genus and species from Florida. Julia Stutevoss found the live bird on 6 December 1992 and took it to the Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital where Rebecca Elliot and Ken Christensen cared for the bird until it died on 29 December 1992. The live bird was examined by HPL and photographed (Fig. 1, West and Warner 1993) and post-mortem it was prepared as a study skin by GEW and added to the collections at Archbold Biological Station. The specimen (GEW 5872) is a fe- male (ovary 18 x 5 mm, granular; emaciated, no fat). The species-specific whitish line along the basal edge of the upper mandible is evident in the photographs and on the study skin. The large and granular ovary suggests an adult. Four reports of murres from Florida, all of single birds, precede this record. One iden- tified a live bird only to genus; another identified a carcass as a Common Murre (U. aalge). The other two were live birds identified as Thick-billed Murres (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). The first report came from D. C. Scott, who examined a dead bird he found on the ocean beach near Ft. Pierce, St. Lucie Co., 28 December 1971 and decided it was a Common Murre. After consulting a field guide the night after his find, he realized its importance but failed to relocate the carcass (Steven- son 1972). A well-documented report accepted by the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (Powell 1986) was of a sighting by William Matthews, Gloria Hunter and HPL, who observed a Thick-billed Murre at the Lake Worth Fishing Pier, Palm Beach Co., 20 November 1976. Son Billy Matthews made the discovery near sunset and alerted the others. At times the bird swam within 6 m of the observers who studied it with binoculars and telescope, with field guide in hand. The diagnostic field marks were noted including the white line on the bill. Unfortunately no opportunity existed to pho- tograph the bird (Langridge 1977). Johnny Johnson had a close study of a bird he identi- fied as a Thick-billed Murre off Cape Canaveral, Brevard Co., 20 December 1977 (Stevenson 1978, Cruickshank 1980). Finally, A. Steadman identified a live bird along the Gulf Coast at the south end of Casey Key, Sarasota Co., 30 December 1982, as a murre of undetermined species (Hoffman 1983, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992). The Thick-billed Murre seems more likely to occur in Florida than its congener be- cause it winters farther south along the east coast of North America. The Thick-billed Murre is regular south to New Jersey and casual to South Carolina. The Common Murre is regular south only to Maine and casual to Virginia (Amer. OrnithoL Union 1983). We thank P. William Smith and William B. Robertson, Jr. for their editorial sugges- tions. Literature Cited American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American birds, 6th edi- tion. Allen Press, Lawrence. Cruickshank, A. D. 1980. The birds of Brevard County, Florida. Florida Press, Orlando. Notes 89 Hoffman, W. 1982. The winter season. Am. Birds 37:295. Langridge, H. P. 1977. First sighting of a Thick-billed Murre for Florida. Florida Field Nat. 5:19. Powell, P. 1986. FOS records committee report. Florida Field Nat. 14:107-109. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithol. Soc. Special Pub. No. 6, Stevenson, H. [M.]. 1972. The winter season. Am. Birds 26:595. Stevenson, H. [M.]. 1972. The winter season. Am. Birds 32:341. Stevenson, H. M., and B. A. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. West, R., and N. Wamer 1993. The winter season. Am. Birds 47:251-252. FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Species Index to Florida Bird Records in Audubon Field Notes and Amer- ican Birds Volumes 1-30 1947-1976, by Margaret C. Bowman. 1978. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 1. Price $4.00. The Carolina Parakeet in Florida, by Daniel McKinley. 1985. Florida Ornitho- logical Society, Special Publication No. 2. Price $6.00. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay, by Jeffrey A. Cox. 1987. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 3. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Records in Aanerican Birds and Audubon Field Notes 1947- 1989, by Robert W. Loftin, Glen E. Woolfenden, and Janet A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 4. Price $8.00. West Indian Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990): Species Index by Islands, by Robert W. Loftin. 1992. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 5. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List, by William B. Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6. Price $15.00 (hard cover). Order prepaid from the Secretary; add $1.00 handling and shipping for Spe- cial Publications No. 1-5; add $2.00 handling and shipping for Special Publication No. 6. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to the Florida Ornithological Society. 90 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Nat. 26(3):90, 1998 TWO NEW RAZORBILL SPECIMENS FROM FLORIDA Paul R. Sweet^ and Dan Martinellf ^Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024 ^Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital, 2800 S. E. Bridge Road, Hobe Sound, Florida 33455 The Razorbill {Aica torda) is considered a rare and irregular winter visitor to Florida (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992). Stevenson and Anderson (1994) cite all previous oc- currences (seven records and two reports); seven of the nine are from the Atlantic coast and two are from the Gulf coast. Here we report an additional two specimens from Juno Beach, Palm Beach County. Both birds were salvaged by the Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital of Hobe Sound and sent to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) where they were prepared as study skins by the first author. The first specimen, AMNH 832010, which was found alive on 7 November 1996, but died overnight, was an imma- ture female with an undeveloped ovary and a small ungrooved bill. The bird had no fat but was not emaciated. The second, AMNH 832022, also an immature female with a small ovary was found on 20 November 1996 and kept at Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospi- tal where it subsequently died on 16 December 1996. At preparation this specimen was very fat. Literature Cited Robertson, W. B,, Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida OrnithoL Soc. Special Pub. No. 6. Stevenson, H. M., and B. D. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Notes 91 Florida Field Nat. 26(3):91-93, 1998. “FOOT HUNTING’’ BEHAVIOR BY A GREAT HORNED OWL Michael A. McMillian Archbold Biological Station, 123 Main Drive, Venus, Florida 33960 The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is an opportunistic feeder occupying more habitat types and living under a greater variety of climatic conditions than any other North American owl (Johnsgard 1988). Typically Great Horned Owls hunt by making short (up to 100 m) flights from perches to capture prey (Marti 1974). Additional hunting methods include: harrier (Circus sp.)-like hunting (Sherman 1912), random flight method (flying into a large stream of bats and capturing one) (Baker 1962), foot pursuit and hawking insects (Duncan and Lane 1988). Hunting areas are typically open, but in- clude woodlands and groves with at least scattered trees for perching. Great Horned Owls also have been observed giving the “broken wing” display while on the ground (Bent 1925). In this note I describe a method of hunting by Great Horned Owls that in- volves actively searching out prey by walking on the ground. This method should be re- garded as distinct from either pursuit of prey on the ground, which usually involves running after prey that was missed in the initial attack, or hunting from a stationary ground perch. The observations described here do not involve flightless juvenile owls who may walk around in search of food until they can fly (Clark 1975). I monitored Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) nests twice a week during the summers of 1992-93 in the Admiral Island (30%20’N, 87%19’W) tern nesting colony, Escambia County, Florida. Admiral Island is a treeless spoil island (approx. 27.5 ha) that contained more than 250 nesting pairs of Least Terns in 1992-93. Least Terns nested on Admiral Is- land for at least eight years (A. Forster, pers. comm.) previous to this study. On the morn- ing of 8 June 1992, I observed Great Horned Owl tracks in the sand. Tracks were alternating and showed three large segmented toes. There was a small point or dot (talon) in the sand just beyond the end of each toe. Each foot measured an estimated 10 cm in length which includes a portion of the fourth or rear-facing toe and alternating tracks were 20 cm apart (center of track to center of track; see Murie 1974). Jeff Gore (Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission; pers. comm.) independently con- firmed the tracks were made by a Great Horned Owl, and Great Horned Owls have been heard calling from the island (M. Hudson, pers. comm.). Owl tracks and feathers were observed 14 times during the 1992 and 1993 breeding seasons and the trails left by these tracks ranged in length from 3 to 20 m. Owl tracks meandered through open areas and small vegetated dunes within the Least Tern colony as the owl apparently searched for Least Tern chicks. Great Horned Owl tracks often ended at Least Tern nests that had contained either eggs or young nestlings during monitoring visits. These nests were empty after I observed the tracks. Great Horned Owl predation on tern colonies has been described before, however, tracks were never mentioned or observed (Nisbet 1972, Nisbet 1975, Morris and Wiggins 1986). Previous evidence suggesting Great Horned Owl depre- dation included the presence of severed tern heads, dismembered tern bodies, and Great Horned Owl feathers. In 1993, four nests containing eggs in early stages of development were empty by the following nest survey. Great Horned Owl tracks ended at these nests which contained small amounts of dried yolk stains. No other animal tracks were observed. While egg- eating has not been reported for the Great Horned Owl it seems likely that an owl would associate eggs with food. Eggshell fragments have been reported for a juvenile Short- eared Owl (Asia flammeus) that apparently consumed eggs of an unidentified sparrow species (Clark 1975); and a Short-eared Owl of unknown age has been reported to con- 92 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST sume passerine eggs (Wiebe 1991). It is possible that Least Terns were frightened off nests by the presence of the Great Horned Owl either causing damage to the eggs them- selves (Nesbitt and Welton 1984) or exposing the eggs to another bird species or ghost crab {Ocypode quadrata). Ghost crabs are known predators of Least Tern eggs and even small nestlings (pers. obs.). Most accounts of adult North American owl species foraging on foot involve the pur- suit of moving prey. The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi), Burrowing Owl {Athene cunicu- laria), Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) and Barred Owl {Strix varia) have all been observed pursuing prey on the ground (Johnsgard 1988, Taylor 1994). These pursuits may have resulted from failed capture attempts and, therefore, may not represent actual “foot hunting”. There are, however, rare cases of owls hunting by foot. A Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca) in Michigan was observed walking or hopping over snow listening for prey below the surface (Chamberlin 1980). A Barn Owl was ob- served hunting by foot through a meadow in a random fashion (Hadasch 1991). This hunting technique may be more common than is known because of the difficul- ties in observing owls foraging at night and lack of readily visible sign. In California, S. Schultz (pers. comm.) observed Great Horned Owl tracks in a Least Tern colony. The owls walked a straight line until encountering an irregularity in the sand and then veered to- wards the irregularity. Least Terns often position their nests abutting these irregulari- ties. Trails left by these tracks ranged in length from 8 to 66 m. In Massachusetts, R Trull (pers. comm.) also observed Great Horned Owl tracks in the sand in two Common/ Roseate Tern {Sterna hirundo I Sterna dougallii) colonies. The owls landed outside of the tern colony and than proceeded inside. Trail lengths ranged up to 10 m. Great Horned Owls have been experimentally induced to hunt by foot for night-vision research (Marti 1974). Great Horned Owls appear to have adapted this unusual hunting technique to exploit large supplies of prey in treeless habitats. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the Great Horned Owl or owls may also have consumed Least Tern eggs. I thank Jeff Gore, Steve McGehee, and Daniel Todd for editorial comments. Mike Hudson was invaluable in the field. Anne Forster provided historical information for Least Terns on Admiral Island. Sandy Schultz and Peter Trull provided information from their field notes. I would also like to thank Jim Jenniges and Jim Ozier for responding to a “request for information”. Douglas McNair and an anonymous reviewer made valuable comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Literature Cited Baker, J. K. 1962. The manner and efficiency of raptor depredations on bats. Condor 64:500-504. Bent, A. C. 1925. Life histories of North American Birds of Prey. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York. Chamberlin, M. L. 1980. Winter hunting behavior of a Snowy Owl in Michigan. Wilson Bull. 92:116-120. Clark, R. J. 1975. A field study of the Short-eared Owl {Asia Flammeus), in North Amer- ica. Wildl. Monogr. No. 47. Duncan, J. R., and P. L. Lane. 1988. Great Horned Owl observed “Hawking” insects. J. Raptor Res. 22(3):93. Hadasch, J. 1991. Barn Owl Tyto alba hunting on foot. Limicola 5:303. Johnsgard, P. A. 1988. North American Owls: Biology and Natural History. Smithso- nian Institution Press, Washington. Marti, C. D. 1974. Feeding ecology of four sympatric owls. Condor 76:45-61. Murie, O. j. 1974. The Peterson Field Guide Series: A field guide to animal tracks. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Notes 93 Morris, R. D., and D. A. Wiggins. 1986. Ruddy Turnstones, Great Horned Owls, and egg loss from common tern clutches. Wilson Bull. 98(1): 101-109. Nisbet, I. C. T. 1972. Disaster year for terns. Man and Nature (December): 16-21. Nisbet, I. C. T. 1975. Selective effects of predation in a tern colony. Condor 77:221-226. Nisbet, I. C. T, and M. J. Welton. 1984. Seasonal variation in breeding success of Com- mon Terns: consequences of predation. Condor 86:53-60. Sherman, A. R. 1912. Dirunal activities of the Great Horned Owl {Bubo virginianus). Auk 29:240-241. Taylor, I. 1994. Barn Owls: predator-prey relationships and conservation, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain. WiEBE, K. L. 1991. Food habits of breeding Short-eared Owls in Southwestern British Columbia. J. Raptor Res. 25:143-145. The Florida Ornithological Society is Proud to Announce Special Publication No. 6 FLORIDA BIRD SPECIES: AN ANNOTATED LIST BY William B. Robertson, Jr. Glen E. Woolfenden The first complete and authoritative review of Florida’s avifauna since Arthur Howell’s 1932 Florida Bird Life. Treats over 660 species reported in the state. More than 140 species of non-native exotics. Essential for every- one interested in the modern status of Florida’s native and introduced birds. HARD COVER $15.00 All orders add $2.00 shipping and handling per book. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to Florida Ornithological Society. Mail to: F.O.S. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION P.O. BOX 2057 LAKE PLACID, FL 33862 94 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Nat. 26(3):94-96, 1998. GULL-BILLED TERN FLEDGED ON A ROOF IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA Gary L. Sprandel^, Heather A. Bolter and David T. Cobb^ ^Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Route 7 Box 3055 Quincy, Florida 32351 ^Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 620 S. Meridian Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399 Several species of larids, including Least Terns {Sterna antillarum), Roseate Terns {S. dougallii), and Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger), have fledged young on roofs in Florida (Greene and Kale 1976, Fisk 1978, Hovis and Robson 1989, Gore 1991, Gore and Kinni- son 1991, Cimbaro 1993, Coburn 1995, Smith 1996, Hovis and Gore 1997, Zambrano et al. 1997, Bolte and Cobb 1998). Additionally Royal Terns (S. maxima) (Toland and Gil- bert 1987) and Gull-billed Terns {S. nilotica) (Coburn 1996) have unsuccessfully at- tempted roof-nesting in this state. This note reports the successful fledging of a Gull- billed Tern chick from a roof in Panama City, Florida. In 1996, we monitored a colony of Black Skimmers on the roof of the Sears depart- ment store, Panama City, Bay County (30°11.PN, 85°38.9’W). The 1.0 ha, 10-m high roof was covered with approx. 1 to 2 cm of light-brown gravel of 0.5 to 1.0 cm diameter. On 2 July, 17 Black Skimmer nests were distributed over 75 percent of the roof One adult Gull-billed Tern was on a scrape with two undamaged eggs and one slightly dented (<0.5 cm) egg in the middle of the roof near a rubber partition. The adult tern flushed from the nest on our approach. We also heard two Gull-billed Terns calling, saw three flying, and observed one mobile chick. Although we found no other Gull-billed Tern nests, we cannot say if the chick was from the same nest as that with eggs. On 12 July, an adult Gull-billed Tern was standing by the nest, one was circling overhead, and three eggs were still present. The chick appeared about ready to fledge (Fig. 1). The lower mandible on the chick was predominantly orange, the upper mandible black, and the legs a dirty orang- ish-pink. On 17 July, one adult was standing by the three eggs, of which one had a crack approximately 1 cm in length. The fledgling was flying over the roof, suggesting it was at least 28 to 35 days old (Clapp et al. 1983, Parnell et al. 1995). On 24 July, all three eggs had cracks >1 cm long, an adult Gull-billed Tern was observed fl5dng, and the chick was not seen. Gull-billed Terns have produced young on roofs in Texas and Louisiana (Purrington 1990, Smalley et al. 1991), on causeways (Smith et al. 1993), dredged-material islands, and disturbed inland habitats (e.g. phosphate mines) (Layne et al. 1977, Smith and Alvear 1997). To our knowledge, however, this is the first Gull-billed tern chick to fledge from a roof in Florida. The roof nesting sites in Bay County reported here and by Coburn (1996) were 3.8 and 2.5 km, respectively, from the bay and even closer to small bayous. In 1997, we returned and saw an adult flying over the Sears roof on 9 July, but no nests were located during the summer. As in previous reports from northwest Florida, Gull- billed Terns show a strong affinity for nesting with Black Skimmers (Smith et al. 1993, Smith and Gore 1996, Coburn 1996). Since Black Skimmers have continued to use roofs in recent years (Hovis and Gore 1997, Zamrano et al. 1997, Bolte et al. 1998) perhaps the Gull-billed Tern will also continue to be found on roofs. Three Gull-billed Tern eggs probably cracked on the gravel substrate. Gore (1987) and Coburn (1995) noted that relatively large birds like the Black Skimmer are more likely to crack their eggs on roofs than the smaller Least Tern, because the thin layer of gravel prevents skimmers from making a scrape deep enough to support the weight of Notes 95 Figure 1. Gull-Billed Tern chick, estimated 23-30 days old, at Sears Roof, Pan- ama City, Bay County, Florida, 12 July 1996. the incubating adult (Fisk 1978). On rooftops, perhaps eggs of Gull-billed Terns, which are intermediate in size to Least Terns and Black Skimmers, will crack more often than eggs of Least Terns but less often than Black Skimmers. In order to understand what steps may be taken to avoid excessive egg loss on roofs, studies of the effect of substrate type, color and gravel depth on reproductive success should continue as proposed by Coburn (1995), Coburn et al. (1997), and Bolte and Cobb (1998). Future observations of nesting on artificial sites should report substrate depth, substrate size and color, and nest height above ground. We thank the management at Sears in Panama City for allowing us access to the roof. Todd Engstrom, Jeff Gore, Hank Smith, Brian Toland, Glenn Reynolds, and an anony- mous reviewer provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Literature Cited Bolte, H. A., and D. T. Cobb. 1998. An evaluation of management techniques to in- crease the reproductive success of roof-nesting Black Skimmers in northwest Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Annual Perf Kept. Tallahassee. CiMBARO, J. S. 1993. Hatching, fledging success and thermoregulatory behaviors of roof- nesting Least Terns {Sterna antillarum). M.S. thesis. Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Ra- ton. Clapp, R. B., D. Morgan-Jacobs, and R. C. Banks. 1983. Marine birds of the southeast- ern United States and Gulf of Mexico. Part III. Charadriiformes. US. Fish. Wildl. Serv., Div. Biol. Serv., FWS/OBS-83/30. Washington, D.C. Coburn, L. M. 1995. Reproductive success of roof and ground nesting Black Skimmers {Rynchops niger) in northwest Florida. M.S. thesis. Univ. W. Florida, Pensacola. Coburn, L. M. 1996. Gull-billed Tern nesting on a roof in northwest Florida. Florida Field Nat. 24:76-77. 96 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Coburn, L. M., D. Cobb, and J. Gore. 1997. Management opportunities and techniques for roof" and ground-nesting Black Skimmers in Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Final Perf. Rept. Tallahassee. Fisk, E. J. 1978. Roof-nesting terns, skimmers, and plovers in Florida. Florida Field Nat. 6:1-8. Gore, J. A. 1987. Black Skimmers nesting on roofs in northwest Florida. Florida Field Nat. 15:77-79. Gore, J. A. 1991. Distribution and abundance of nesting Least Terns and Black Skim- mers in northwest Florida. Florida Field Nat. 19:65-72. Gore, J. A., and M. J. Kinnison. 1991. Hatching success in roof and ground colonies of Least Terns. Condor 93:759-762. Greene, L. L., and H. W. Kale. 1976. Roof nesting by Black Skimmers. Florida Field Nat. 4:15-17. HOVIS, J. A., and j. a. Gore. 1997. Nesting shorebird survey. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Final Perf Rept. Tallahassee. HoviS, J. A., AND M. S. Robson. 1989. Breeding status and distribution of the Least Tern in the Florida Keys. Florida Field Nat. 17:61-66. Layne, j. N., j. a. Stallcup, G. E. Woolfenden, M. N. McCauley, and D. J. Worley. 1977. Fish and wildlife inventory of the seven-county region included in the central Florida phosphate industry areawide environmental impact study. U.S. Fish. Wild. Serv. Contract No. 14-16-0097-77-005, Washington, D.C. Parnell, J. F., R. M. Erwin, and K. C. Molina. 1995. Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica). In The Birds of North America, No 140. A. Poole and F. Gill (Eds.). Amer. Ornithol. Union and Philadelphia Acad, of Nat. Sci., Philadelphia. Purrington, R. D. 1990. Central Southern Region. Audubon Field Notes: 44(5): 1143- 1147. Smalley, A. E., G. B. Smalley, A. J. Mueller, and B. C. Thompson. 1991. Roof-nesting Gull-billed Terns in Louisiana and Texas. J. La. Ornith. 2(1): 18-20. Smith, H. T. 1996. Roseate Tern. Pp. 247-257 In Rare and endangered biota of Florida: Volume V. Birds. (J. A. Rodgers, H. W. Kale II, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Smith, H. T., and E. M. Alvear 1997. Recent breeding reports of the Gull-billed Tern in Florida . . . status undetermined. Florida Naturalist 70(l):22-23. Smith, H. T., and J. A. Gore. 1996. Gull-billed Tern. Pp. 624-632 In Rare and endan- gered biota of Florida: Volume V Birds. J. A. Rodgers, H. W. Kale II, and H. T. Smith (Eds.). Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. Smith, H. T., J. A. Gore, W. W. Miley, H. L. Edmiston, and J. A. Rodgers. 1993. Re- cent nesting of Gull-billed Terns in northwest Florida. Florida Field Nat. 21:80-82. Toland, B., and T. Gilbert. 1987. Roof nesting by Royal Terns in Vero Beach, Florida. Florida Field Nat. 15:80-82. Zambrano, R., M. S. Robson, D. Y. Charnetzky, and H. T. Smith. 1997. Distribution and status of Least Tern nesting colonies in southeast Florida. Florida Field Nat. 25:85-91. Notes 97 Florida Field Nat. 26(31:97-99, 1998. SANDWICH TERN MORTALITY CAUSED BY VEHICLE COLLISION ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE ERIN Douglas B. McNair Tall Timbers Research Station, Route 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 Published accounts of seabird mortality away from breeding colonies during and in the aftermath of the passage of tropical cyclones are scarce in the southeastern United States (Wiley and Wunderle 1994 and references cited therein; Post 1992). This study provides evidence of mortality of non-breeding seabirds, particularly Sandwich Terns (Sterna sandvicensis), associated with a tropical cyclone of modest strength (gale to strong gale) at Apalachicola, Florida, in early August 1995. This onshore mortality con- sisted of collisions with vehicles along bridge sections of the Gorrie Causeway, and was low compared to the number of roosting and foraging birds in the area. I estimated that 2% (11/550) of the Sandwich Terns — the principal species affected — were killed. The eye of Hurricane Erin came ashore at Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, about 160 km W of Apalachicola on 2-3 August 1995. Maximum sustained winds at Apalachi- cola reached gale or strong gale force (66-80 km/hr; maximum gust: 120 km/hr) for seven and one-half hours during the evening and morning of 2-3 August (weather data from automated weather station located along the St. George Causeway). Large numbers of seabirds, including at least 150 Sandwich Terns, occurred over the extensive marshes along the Apalachicola River on 3 August, when strong onshore winds (S-SE) and storm surge associated with Hurricane Erin almost covered these marshes. On 4 August, at least 40 Sandwich Terns were seen foraging in Apalachicola Bay by the Gorrie Causeway, which is also an unusually large number at this site. I found 15 seabird casualties of four species from 3-5 August 1995 on bridge sections of the Gorrie Causeway at Apalachicola (none on the St. George Island Causeway), as well as one dead juvenile Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus). Casualties included nine Sandwich Terns (one flattened adult not salvaged), four Laughing Gulls (Larus atri- cilla) (1 ad., 3 juv.), an adult Sooty Tern (S. fuscata; deposited at Tall Timbers Research Station, TTRS 3953), and a juvenile Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger). In addition, I sal- vaged two fresh Sandwich Terns on 8 August from a dredged-material island located 1 km beyond the mouth of the Apalachicola River, where seabirds roosted. Four of the eleven (three of five adults) Sandwich Terns were alive but had broken wings. Two of the dead Sandwich Terns also were visibly damaged (broken wing or neck). The median masses of these adult (169.3 g, range 128.1-180.1 g, ^ = 4) and juvenile (142 g, range 102.4-160.6 g, ^ = 6) Sandwich Terns (mean mass for all birds = 146.9 g ± 24.6 SD) are the lowest body masses recorded in either North America or Europe (see Clapp et al. 1983:434-435, Dunning 1984, Cramp 1985:61). Only the heaviest adult contained remains of food, a few fish bones. Visual inspection of dissected birds killed in this study revealed that none had any visible subcutaneous, abdominal, or cardiac fat. Furthermore, the pec- toral muscle mass had atrophied to varpng degrees on all birds; the most extreme cases were the pectoral muscle masses on the entire keel of the sterna of the two lightest birds (juveniles) which had wasted away to a veneer of tissue covering the bone. Published information on body masses of Sandwich Terns is scarce for any of the three subspecies; only S. s. acuflavida is found in North America which is smaller than the nominate race S. s. sandvicensis of the Old World. The only information I found for the North American subspecies were the mean masses of breeding adults collected in Texas (197.5 g, ^ = 11; Maedgen et al. 1982 in Clapp et al. 1983) and Virginia (208.5 g, n - 10; Dunning 1984), both higher than the median mass of adult birds killed at Apalach- icola, Florida. 98 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST In early August, the juvenile Sandwich Terns at Apalachicola were probably about 3- 4 weeks-old post-fledging (see Clapp et al. 1983, Rodgers et al. 1996) (flattened wing length: median = 273 mm, range 256-283; the juvenile wing is not full-grown until about three months; Cramp 1985:61). No evidence of seabird mortality occurred along the Gor- rie Causeway during tropical cyclones Opal or Josephine in early October 1995 and 1996 when Sandwich Terns were even more numerous (>800 birds roosted at the dredge-ma- terial island; McNair, unpubL). Weather conditions at Apalachicola during Opal were similar to Erin, which included onshore winds (SE to SW) of similar strength (gale force) and a. somewhat greater storm surge. Large numbers (200+) of Sandwich Terns foraged along the Apalachicola River and over the extensive river marshes during Opal. By early October-— the month when Opal occurred — juvenile Sandwich Terns would be fully grown, approximately 3 months old, and not as dependent upon adults for food, although family groups remain together away from breeding colonies once the young have fledged (see Cramp 1985). The fully grown wing of juveniles in early October compared to less developed birds in early August would greatly strengthen their ability to avoid collisions with vehicles during moderately strong storms (gale to strong gale). I speculate that adults are also less susceptible to collisions in early October because they are less atten- tive toward juveniles and not as vulnerable to collisions. The large numbers of birds in conjunction with a high proportion of dependent juvenile Sandwich Terns at Apalachi- cola (ca. 50%; D. McNair, unpubL) may have increased the susceptibility of both age classes to collisions associated with Hurricane Erin, In summary, I documented seabird mortality from collisions with vehicles along the Gorrie Causeway associated with Hurricane Erin in early August 1995 at Apalachicola, Franklin County, Florida. Most casualties were Sandwich Terns. Strong onshore winds and storm surge caused unusual concentrations of Sandwich Terns along the Apalachi- cola River and over the extensive river marshes. Both age classes crossed over bridges in flying to and from Apalachicola Bay or returning to a roost site (dredge-material island) located just beyond the mouth of the Apalachicola River. No seabird mortality occurred under similar weather conditions during Hurricane Opal in early October 1995, when Sandwich Terns were more numerous but when juveniles were two months older. The low body masses of Sandwich Terns killed in this study are the lowest published in North America. I thank G. O. Bailey of the research staff at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Re- search Reserve for providing me weather data from the automated weather station lo- cated along the St. George Island Causeway and operated by the Northwest Florida Water Management District. R, L. Crawford prepared the salvaged Sooty Tern as a study skin. I also thank F. C. James, T. E. Lewis, D. Shealer, and J. M. Wunderle, Jr., for their reviews of a draft of this manuscript. Literature Cited Clapp, R. B., D. MORGAN-Jacobs, and R. C. Banks. 1983. Marine birds of the Southeast- ern United States and Gulf of Mexico. Part III: Charadriiformes. FWS/OBS-83/30, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC. Cr,AMP, S. (Ed.). 1985. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Af- rica. The Birds of the Western Palearctic, VoL 4. Terns to Woodpeckers. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford. Dunning, J. B., Jr 1984. Body weights of 686 species of North American birds. Western Bird Banding Association Monogr. No. 1. Eldon Publ. Co., Cave Creek. Maedgen, j. L., C. S, Hacker, G. D. Schroder, and F. M. Weir 1982. Bioaccumulation of lead and cadmium in the Royal Tern and Sandwich Tern. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 11:99-102. Notes 99 Rodgers, J. A., Jr., H. T. Smith, and R. T. Paul. 1996. Sandwich Tern. Pgs. 541-550 in Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida, Vol. 5: Birds. (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale II, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). Univ. Press Florida, Gainesville. Post, W. 1992. Wood Stork mortality from Hurricane Hugo. Florida Field Nat. 20:107. Wiley, J. W., and J. M. Wunderle, Jr 1994. The effects of hurricanes on birds, with special reference to Caribbean islands. Bird Conserv. Int. 3:1-31. 100 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Nat. 25(3);100-108, 1997. Winter Report; December 1997-February 1998 — The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). As these reports are not reviewed formally, they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall (August-November). Submit reports to re- gional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at billpranty@hot- mail.com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered ‘"reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds for which they require documentation, in FFN 24(4):132-133, 1996. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: CP = county park, ENP = Everglades National Park, NWR = national wildlife refuge, PPSP = Paynes Prairie State Preserve (Alachua), R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 = Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SP = state park, SRA = state recreation area, STF = sewage treatment facility, WMA = wildlife management area, and N, S, E, W, etc. for compass directions. We thank Rick West, the winter editor of Field Notes for sharing information with us. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the editing of the manuscript. Summary of the Winter Season The big event of the winter season was the appearance of an El Nino Southern Oscil- lation, which deposited extremely large amounts of rainfall statewide. As examples, Tampa International Airport received 39.3, 11.6, and 27.4 cm of rain for December, Jan- uary, and February respectively. Average rainfall from that site is 5.3, 4.8, and 7.6 cm, re- spectively. At Gainesville, the seasonal rainfall was 73.4 cm, compared to an average of 21.3 cm. The water level at Paynes Prairie reached 18.5 m ASL, the highest ever re- corded. Virtually all areas of the state reported similar conditions. Florida’s first documented Northern Lapwing was found along Mossy Cove Road, a little-traveled road to a small resort on Lake Istokpoga in Highlands County. Many hun- dreds of birders — some from as far away as Alaska! — traveled to the area and spent thousands of hours waiting for the lapwing to appear. Nearly 70 other bird species, in- cluding White-tailed Kite, Groove-billed Ani, Least Flycatcher, and 3 Northern Water- thrushes, were observed along the road during this time, proof of P. William Smith’s Field Observations 101 theory of the “Patagonia Picnic Table effect,” whereby birders searching for one rarity find others. Other FOSRC rarities this season were 3 (!) Least Grebes in Polk County, 1 Ross’ Goose at Tallahassee, 1 Calliope Hummingbird at Pensacola, 1 Allen’s Hummingbird at Tallahassee, 1 Say’s Phoebe in Hamilton County, and a Harris’ Sparrow at Fort Walton Beach, The highest Florida count of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks was obtained in Sa- rasota County, and a new exotic — a Great White Pelican — was found in Polk County in January. Bob Brown submitted a newspaper article detailing the killing of at least 100 Brown Pelicans in Brevard County in February. Some of the pelicans had been shot, others had their neck broken, and others had their wings broken and tied in knots. The first car- casses washed up on beaches on 4 February, and 70 more were found between Melbourne and Cocoa Beach in early March. The Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies are investigating the crime. Species Accounts Red-throated Loon: 1 offVirginia Key {Dade) 20 Dec (R. Cunningham, M. Cooper); 3 at Huguenot Park, Jacksonville {Duval) 31 Jan (R. Rowan); 1 at St. Marks NWR {Wakulla) 22 Feb (H. Horne, T. Kennedy). Pacific Loon: 1 with a throat strap at Fort Pickens {Escambia) 7 Jan-6 Feb (B. Duncan); 1 with a throat strap at J. N. “Ding” Darling NWR {Lee) 8 Jan (D. Mages, S. Fried, sketch to FOC). Common Loon: 1 at Lake Jackson {Leon) 5 Dec-17 Feb (G. Menk); 56 in a raft on Lake Santa Fe {Alachua) 21 Feb (B. and J. Bolte). *Least Grebe: 3 at Polk phosphate mines 15 Feb could not be relocated (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel, details to FOSRC). Horned Grebe: 5 at Bivens Arm {Alachua) 19 Feb (M. Landsman, R. Rowan). Eared Grebe: 2 at a Sarasota STF 1 Dec-11 Jan (J. Palmer et ah). Masked Booby: 1 at Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore {Brevard) 23 Jan (A. and B. Hansen). Northern Gannet: 2 at St. Marks NWR 15 Feb (T. Kennedy). Great White Pelican {Pelecanus onocroatalus): 1 with American White Pelicans at Polk phosphate mines 11 Jan (R Timmer, C. Geanangel). Brown Pelican: 12 on the Lakeland CBC {Polk) 20 Dec {fide P. Fellers); 8 at Newnans Lake {Alachua) 21 Dec-20 Feb (J. Bryan et ah); 5 at Lake Kissimmee {Osceola) 30 Jan (B. and L. Cooper). Double-crested Cormorant: 1 with all-white plumage (soft parts normal in color) at Bivens Arm 19 Dec through the season (R. Rowan). Magnificent Frigatebird: 1 at Cedar Key {Levy) 8-9 Jan (D. Henderson). Least Bittern: singles at Destin Pointe {Okaloosa) 21-25 Dec (D. Ware, E. Case) and Destin Bridge West {Okaloosa) 22 Dec (A. Knothe) were the first regional reports in Dec {fide B. Duncan). White Ibis: 400 in central Pasco 11 Jan (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, J. Alexander). Roseate Spoonbill: 131 at ENP, Lake Ingraham {Monroe) 4 Jan (B. Berringer et al.). White Spoonbill: 1 at McKay Bay {Hillsborough) 17 Jan (R Fellers, M. Chakan, D. Mc- Coy). Greater Flamingo: 16 at Snake Bight Trail, ENR {Monroe) 1 Jan (R. Smith); 65 at ENR 4 Jan ( J, Villamil, D. Dillman, W Gilbert). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: up to “502” in Sarasota through the period {fide J. Ralmer); 26 on the Lakeland CBC 20 Dec (R. Fellers et al.); 1 at Florida City {Dade) 7 Jan (R. Cunningham). 102 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Greater White-fronted Goose: 12 near Fort Walton Beach Spray Field {Walton) 11 Jan (G. McDermott et al.); 6 at St. Marks NWR 10-11 Jan were described as having orange bills (D. Morrow, G. McDermott et ah). Snow Goose: 5 blue morphs E of Sarasota (Sarasota) 1-14 Dec (J. Palmer et ah); 3 (1 white and 2 blue) at Tram Road STF (Leon) 1-5 Dec (J. Cavanagh et ah); 1 white morph at Lynn Haven (Bay) 14 Dec (J. Oswald); 1 white morph at Weedon Island County Preserve (Pinellas) 20 Dec (B. Hoffman et ah); 1 near Wewahitchka (Gulf) 27 Dec (J. Richardson, D. Brahier); 8 (5 white, 3 blue) at N Jacksonville 3 Jan (R. Clark); 1 at PPSP 25 Jan (T. Wronski). *R0SS’ Goose: 1 at Tram Road STF 1-5 Dec (J. Cavanagh et ah, photo to FOSRC). BranT: 1 at Honeymoon Island SRA (Pinellas) 20 Dec through the period (W. Yusek et ah). Wood Duck: 1 pair nesting in a box at Melrose (Putnam) 2 Feb (B. and J. Bolte); 13 warm eggs in a box at Solatia [formerly Monsanto] Sanctuary (Escambia) 7 Feb (C. Davis). Green-winged Teal: 150+ near Royal Palm, ENP (Dade) 31 Jan (R. Cunningham). Mallard; 1 male at Buck Island Ranch (Highlands) 26 Jan through the period (B. Pranty). Cinnamon Teal: 1 male near Royal Palm, ENP 31 Jan had been present “for several days” (R. Cunningham); 1 at Hamilton phosphate mines 7 Feb through the period (R. Harrison et ah). Northern Shoveler; 140 at Springhill Road STF (Leon) 19 Jan (G. Menk et ah). Gadwall: 2 near Royal Palm, ENP 31 Jan (R. Cunningham). Eurasian Wigeon: 1 at Merritt Island NWR 10 Jan (R. Webb et ah) and 17 Jan (W. Stinehelfer); 1 male at Polk phosphate mines 11 Feb through the period (J. Jackson et ah). CanvasbacK: 1 at Bivens Arm 21 Dec-12 Jan (R. Rowan, J. Hintermister). OldsquaW: 1 at St. Marks NWR 12-16 Dec (C. Black et ah); 1 male at Hunter Lake, Spring Hill (Hernando) 23 Dec (A. and B. Hansen, C. Black); singles at Huguenot Park and N Jacksonville 27 Dec (R. Rowan, J. Hintermister); 1 at Cedar Key 3 Jan-25 Feb (D. Henderson); 1 near Turtle Mound, Canaveral National Seashore (Volusia) 11 Jan (K, Allen); 1 female at St. George Island (Franklin) 14 Feb (H. Adams, B. Musch- litz, M. Landsman). White-winged Scoter: 1 immature at Choctawhatchee Bay (Okaloosa) 22 Dec (A. and J. Knothe et ah). Common Goldeneye; singles at Gainesville (Alachua) 22 Nov-20 Jan (J. Hintermister) and 10-17 Jan (K. Johnson); 22 at St. Marks NWR 20 Dec (fide J. Cox); 1 at Fort Is- land Beach Park (Citrus) 10 Jan (A. and B. Hansen, C. Black); lower numbers than normal reported from the western Panhandle (fide B. Duncan). Osprey; 1 pair nesting at Lake Talquin (Gadsden) 28 Jan (G. Sprandel). Swallow-tailed Kite: 6 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Collier) 23 Feb (S. Merrill); 2 in Taylor 23 Feb (K. Bowman); 1 near Royal Palm, ENP 24 Feb (R. Cunningham); 1 at Ellzey (Levy) 28 Feb (T. Webber). White-tailed Kite: 1 at Mossy Cove Road, Lake Istokpoga (Highlands) 8 Dec (W. Biggs, G. Woolfenden et al); 1 adult just NW of Loxahatchee NWR (Palm Beach) 28 Dec (B. Snow); 2 S of Fort Basinger (Highlands) 30 Dec (fide D. and H. Hull); 2 at Buck Island Ranch 8 Dec-5 Feb had built a nest by 5 Feb, but a prescribed fire a few days later singed the nest tree, and the kites deserted the area (M. McMillian, W. Jess, B. Pranty). Snail Kite: 1 at Lake Jackson, Sebring (Highlands) 8 Feb (D. Leonard). Cooper’s Hawk: 1 at Key West (Monroe) 21 Jan (R. Cunningham). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 at Ponce Inlet (Volusia) 20 Dec (D. Hartgrove); 1 light morph at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 20 Jan (B. Postmus) and 23 Feb (S. Merrill); 1 dark Field Observations 103 morph at Buck Island Ranch 27 Feb (M. McMillian) was a first for the ranch; 2 dark morphs wintered at Key West (J. Ondrejko). American Kestrel: 1 with a white belly “Cuban race?” at Key West 1 Jan through the period (J. Ondrejko). Peregrine Falcon: 1 at Gainesville 26 Jan (B. Eichhorn). Black Rail: 2 Hernando reports: 1 apparently run over by a vehicle (!) at Weekiwachee Preserve 20 Dec (D. Robinson, M. Barnwell et ah, specimen to Archbold Biological Sta- tion and 1 responded to a tape at 0655 at Pine Island 23 Dec (D. Goodwin, E. Haney). Purple Gallinule: 138 on the Lakeland CBC 20 Dec {fide P. Fellers); 1 at Orange Lake {Alachua) 21 Jan (J. Bryan). Sandhill Crane: 1 at Niceville Spray Field {Okaloosa) 18-24 Dec (G. Estes, D. Ware et ah); 5 calling over N Jacksonville 27 Dec (B. Roberts); 77 on the Tallahassee CBC {Leon) 1 Jan {fide G. Menk). Whooping Crane: 2 near Haines City {Polk) 9 Jan (D. Gore). Northern Lapwing {Vanellus vanellus): 1 adult in a pasture along Lake Istokpoga {Highlands) 7 Dec-4 Jan (E. and F. Pratt et al., note by G. Woolfenden and B. Pranty in prep.) was the first Florida record of this Eurasian species. Black-bellied Plover: 500 at Shell Key {Pinellas) 26 Feb (R Blair). Semipalmated Plover: 2 inland near Royal Palm, ENP 31 Jan (R. Cunningham). Piping Plover: 38 at Shell Key 6 Jan (P. Blair, W. Yusek). Solitary Sandpiper: 1 at Buck Island Ranch 31 Jan (R. Webb). Long-billed Curlew: singles through the period at Fort DeSoto CP {Pinellas) (L. Ather- ton et al.) and Honeymoon Island SRA (Pinellas) (W. Yusek et ah). Stilt Sandpiper: 1 in central Pasco 11 Jan (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, J. Alexander); 1 at Royal Palm, ENP 4 Feb (R. Cunningham). Long-billed Dowitcher; 20 in central Pasco 19 Jan (R. Webb et al.); 8 at Carillon {Pinel- las) 28 Feb (A. and R. Smith); 2 near Royal Palm, ENP 31 Jan (R. Cunningham). American Woodcock: 5 birds in courtship display E of Brooksville {Hernando) 7 Jan-5 Feb (A. and B. Hansen et al.). Jaeger species: 1 “probable” Parasitic Jaeger at St. Marks NWR 24 Jan (M. Keese). Parasitic Jaeger: 1 subadult light morph on the beach at Cape San Bias {Gulf) 21 Feb (T. Menart et al.), Franklin’s Gull: 1 at Venice {Sarasota) 12 Jan (A. Van Netta); 2 along SR-406 {Brevard) 18 Jan (B. Bergstrom). Herring Gull: 200 at Shell Key 23 Feb (P. Blair). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 at Lake Istokpoga 28 Feb (M. McMillian); 1 adult at Fort DeSoto CP through the period {fide R. Smith); 1 at Merritt Island NWR 23 Jan (A. and B. Hansen); 1 at Fort Myers Beach {Lee) 3 Feb (C. Ewell); 1 adult at Carillon 26 Feb through the season (L. Atherton et al.), and 2 there 8 Mar (B. Pranty, G. Stoc- cardo, W. Biggs). Glaucous Gull: 1 first-year bird at Egmont Key NWR {Hillsborough) 19 Feb (J. Chi- coine). Great Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at Virginia Key 20 Dec (R. Cunningham). Black-legged Kittiwake: 1 immature at Jetty Park {Brevard) 21 Dec (R. Halpin et al); 1 adult at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 29 Dec (D. Ware et al.). Gull-billed Tern: 1 at Pine Island CP {Hernando) 26 Dec (B. Pranty, C. Letcher); 1 in- land near Royal Palm, ENP 31 Jan (R. Cunningham). Caspian Tern: 70 on the Lakeland CBC 20 Dec {fide R Fellers); 35 at Shell Key 6 Jan (P. Blair, W. Yusek). Black Skimmer: 2800 at ENP, Lake Ingraham 4 Jan (B. Berringer et al.); 1 at Gaines- ville 19 Jan (J. Krummrich). Eurasian Collared-DovE: 10 old nests in two trees 15 m apart along Groom Road {Her- nando) 27 Dec, a recently colonized area (K. Spilios et al.). 104 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST White-winged Dove: 1 near Newberry {Alachua) 13 Dec (E. Gravely). Monk Parakeet: 25 near Lake Tohopekaliga {Osceola) 23 Jan {fide L. Lane). Mangrove Cuckoo: 1 at J. N. “Ding” Darling NWR {Lee) 28 Jan through the period (B. Postmus). Groove-billed Ani: 1 along Mossy Cove Road 13 Dec-Jan (D. Wright et ah); 1 at Fort Pickens 24 Jan (M. Scheller) and 27 Feb (B. Duncan). Lesser Nighthawk: 8 at Loxahatchee NWR {Palm Beach) 24 Nov-24 Dec (C. Weber, B. Hope et ah). Chuck-WILL’S-WIDOW: 1 at John Chestnut CP {Pinellas) 7 Dec (J. King); 1 at Fort Pickens 21 Jan (B. Duncan); 1 at Bonner Park, Largo {Pinellas) through the period (J. Fisher). Whip-poor-will: 12 between Snake Bight Trail and Flamingo, ENP {Monroe) 16 Jan (R. Smith). Buff-bellied Hummingbird; 1 at Cantonment {Escambia) 20 Sep- 12 Dec (B. Kenney, banded by B. Sargent); singles at Pensacola {Escambia) 10 Nov-20 Dec (J. Pfeiffer et al.) and 9-20 Dec (C. Suggs et ah). Ruby-throated Hummingbird; 1 first-year male at Tallahassee 9 Feb through the pe- riod (A. Camp et ah, banded by B. Sargent); 1 female at Tallahassee 10 Feb through the period (J. Elliott et aL, banded by B. Sargent). Black-chinned Hummingbird; 1 at Tallahassee 10-22 Feb (M. Friedeman et al., banded by B. Sargent). Archilochus species: 1 probable Black-chinned Hummingbird at Orange Park {Clay) 16-23 Dec (L. McCullagh). *Calli0PE Hummingbird: 1 adult female at Pensacola 5-10 Jan (M. Carson et al., banded by B. Sargent). Rufous Hummingbird; 1 adult male at Pensacola 15 Dec-21 Dec (C. Suggs et al.); 1 fe- male at Dade City {Pasco) mid-Nov-6 Mar (D. Ward, L. Atherton et al.); 1 first-year fe- male at Tallahassee 5 Jan through the period (B. and D. Gruender et ah, banded by B. Sargent); 1 adult female at Tallahassee 10-26 Feb (J. O’Malley et al., banded by B. Sargent); 1 male wintered at Edgewater {Volusia) (G. Dombroski); 1 female banded by B. Sargent at Melrose last winter returned 8 Jan through the period (D. Abbott et al.). *Allen’S Hummingbird: 1 adult male at Tallahassee 5 Jan (L. and R. Short et al., details to FOSRC). Selasphorus SPECIES: 1 at Gainesville 1 Jan through the period (M. Manetz, E. Perry). Red-headed Woodpecker; 1 adult at Boyd Hill Nature Park {Pinellas) 7 Dec only (V. Morrison). Least Flycatcher: 1 calling just S of Mossy Cove Road 9 Dec (J. Fisher); 1 calling at Brooker Creek County Preserve {Pinellas) 11 Jan, where 1 was found in mid-Feb 1996 (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman). *Say’S Phoebe: 1 at Hamilton phosphate mines 17 Jan-24 Feb (M. Dolan et al., details to FOSRC). Vermilion Flycatcher; 1 immature at St. Marks NWR 10 Jan through the period (G. McDermott et al.); the male at Buck Island Ranch was seen last 27 Feb (M. McMil- lian). Ash-throated Flycatcher: 1 at Fort Walton Beach Spray Field 29 Oct-24 Feb is prob- ably the same bird that has wintered there the past three years (B. Duncan et al.). Great Crested Flycatcher; 1 at Peace River Park {Polk) 11 Jan (C. Geanangel, P Tim- mer); 1 at Gainesville 21 Feb (S. Duncan). Western Kjngbird: 2 at Lake Lowery {Polk) through the period {fide P. Timmer); 2 at Ruskin {Hillsborough) 3 Dec (R. Smith et al.); 2 at Banana Lake Park {Polk) 5 Dec (T. Palmer); 1 at Weedon Island 20 Dec (B. Hoffman et al); 2 at Mayport {Duval) 27 Dec (M. Davidson); 1 at St. Joseph Peninsula SP {Gulf) 18-19 Jan (R. Halpin, C. Perrin); 1 at Egmont Key NWR 18 Jan (J. Shrewsbury); 2 at Cedar Key 2 Jan (D. Henderson, R. Christen); 18 at Homestead {Dade) 14 Jan (L. Manfredi), Field Observations 105 SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER: 1 at Lake Lowery through the period (E. Bostleman et aL); 3 at Ruskin mid-Dec- 1 Feb {fide R. Smith); 8 at Homestead 18 Jan (L. Manfredi). Purple Martin: 2 in female plumage over Hernando Beach {Hernando) 26 Dec (B. Pranty); several at Highland City {Polk) 12 Jan (P. Blair); 2 at Kanapaha Prairie {Ala- chua) 17 Jan (L. Badger). Cave Swallow: 1 without details at St. Marks NWR 30 Dec (D. Morrow). Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1 at Monticello {Jefferson) 4 Dec-23 Feb (R. Atchison et aL); 1 at Cedar Key 2 Jan (G. Basili, R. Christen); 1 at Jacksonville 10 Jan through the sea- son (N. Warner). Brown Creeper: 1 at Tall Timbers Research Station {Leon) 1 Dec (L. Manfredi et al.) was the only report received. Winter Wren: 1 at Swift Creek {Hamilton) 20 Dec (R. Rowan); 1 at Black Swamp {Leon) 12-25 Jan (G. Menk, L. Atherton). Golden-crowned Kinglet: an unspecified number at Joe Budd WMA {Gadsden) in Jan (G. Sprandel); 1 N of Gainesville 8-18 Feb (J. Hintermister). American Pipit: 150 along Southport Road {Osceola) 30 Jan (B. and L. Cooper). Sprague’s Pipit: 1 at Apalachicola Airport {Franklin) 30 Nov-12 Jan (L. Manfredi, J. Ca- vanagh et al.). Blue-winged Warbler: 1 at PPSP 21 Dec (G. McDermott). Orange-crowned Warbler: 1 lutescens at Honeymoon Island 21 Dec (L. Atherton). Nashville Warbler: 1 at Fort DeSoto CP 17 Dec-8 Feb (L. Atherton et al); 1 at Talla- hassee 28 Jan-1 Feb (D. Harder, J. LaVia). Northern ParulA: 2 at Newnans Lake 21 Dec (L. Terry); 4 at Peace River Park 11 Jan (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 1 singing at PPSP 22 Feb (B. Muschlitz); 3 singing at Joe Budd WMA 27 Feb (G. Sprandel). Yellow Warbler: 1 at Loxahatchee NWR 13 Dec (H. Langridge, G. Hunter); 1 near Mossy Cove Road 11 Jan (L. Atherton). Magnolia Warbler: 1 at Tampa {Hillsborough) 22 Dec (K. Allen, P. Rawls); 1 at Emer- alda Marsh Conservation Area {Lake) 2 Jan (J. Bryan). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 1 male near Newnans Lake 21 Dec (M. Manetz); 1 at Peace River Park 11 Jan through the period (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer, B. Bratlie); 1 male and 1 female at West Palm Beach {Palm Beach) 10 Feb (A. Hunter, A. Kanafel). Black-throated Green Warbler: 1 male at Royal Palm, ENP 7 and 25 Jan (R. Cun- ningham); 1 at San Pedro Center {Seminole) 29 Jan (D. Freeman). Prairie Warbler: 1 at Destin 22 Dec (E. Case, P. Beasley, P. Berry); 1 at Gainesville 17 Jan (R. Rowan); 1 at Jacksonville through the season (P. Powell). American Redstart: 1 at Gainesville 20 Nov through the winter (M. Manetz et al.); 1 at Bivens Arm 21 Dec (R. Rowan); 1 “presumed migrant” E of Florida City 24 Feb (R. Cunningham). Northern Waterthrush: 1 near Newnans Lake 6 Dec (M. Manetz); 3 near Mossy Cove Road 13 Dec (L. Atherton); 1 near PPSP 21 Dec (M. Manetz). Hooded Warbler: 1 female at Key West 15 Jan (J. Ondrejko). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 male in Leon 10 Dec (G. Menk, R. Peterson); 1 adult at Gulf Breeze 12 Feb (D. and J. Ballman). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area 2 Jan ( J. Bryan). Summer Tanager: 1 female on the Lakeland CBC 20 Dec (C. Geanangel et al,); 1 female at Street Nature Center, Winter Haven {Polk) 31 Dec-2 Jan (L. Cooper); 1 at Deering Estate {Dade) 6 Feb (R. Cunningham). Western Tanager; 1 on the Pensacola CBC 20 Dec (B. Duncan, J. Pfeiffer, M. Peters); 1 at Shalimar {Okaloosa) 22 Dec (M. and R. Rose); 1 adult male at Sanibel Island {Lee) 18 Feb through the season (R. Konz et ah, videotape by B. Atherton). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 female at Fort Pickens 9 Dec (B. Duncan); 1 adult male at Sanibel Island 18 Feb through the season (R. Konz et al., videotape by B. Atherton). 106 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Black-headed Grosbeak: 1 at Fort Walton Beach 24 Jan (B. and T Fleck). Blue Grosbeak: 1 at Alligator Point {Franklin) 5-24 Dec (J. Dozier); 1 probable male at Fort Pickens 9 Dec-6 Feb (B. Duncan^ M. Rose); 1 in Leon 2 Jan {fide G. Menk). Indigo Bunting: 1 at Gulf Breeze 7-9 Dec (B. Duncan); 1 in female plumage at Lynn Ha- ven 13 Dec (J. and L, Oswald); 2 at Pensacola 21 Dec (S. Duncan^ 1 male at Okaloosa landfill 23 Dec (E. Case); 1 at Big Lagoon {Escambia) 29 Dec (B. Bremser); 1 at Cedar Key 2 Jan {fide R. Christen); 1 in Hillsborough 20-30 Jan (D. Bowman). Painted Bunting: 1 male at Fort Walton Beach Spray Field 10 Dec (D. Nicholson); up to 7 at a Haines City feeder through the period (A. Wheaton et al.); 1 m.ale at Orlando Wetlands Park {Orange) 21 Feb (C. Pierce et ah). Field Sparrow: Three Pinellas reports: 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Park 6 Dec (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman), 2 at Weedon Island 20 Dec (B, Hoffman), and 2 at Brooker Creek Preserve 11 Jan (A, and R. Smith, B. Hoffman). Lark Sparrow: 1 at Homestead {Dade) 18 Jan (L. Manfredi). Henslow’S Sparrow: 3 S of Newport (Wakulla) 2 Dec (L. Manfredi); 1 at PPSP 21 Dec (B. Roberts, T. Taylor). Le Conte’s Sparrow: 6 at Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area 2 Jan through the period (J. Bryan et ah); 1 at Buck Island Ranch 29 Jan (B. Pranty). Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 1 at St. Marks NWR 2 Dec (L. Manfredi); 2 at Fort Island Gulf Beach 10 Jan (A. and B. Hansen). Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow: “several” at St. Marks NWR 2 Dec (L. Manfredi); 2 at Fort Island Gulf Beach 10 Jan (A. and B. Hansen); 7 at Fort DeSoto CP 21 Feb (R. Smith et aL). Fox Sparrow: 1 at Niceville 15 Dec (G. Estes); 1 in Hamilton 20 Dec (M. Manetz, J. Ault); 1 at PPSP 21 Dec (M. Manetz, S. Cole); 4 at Florida Caverns SP {Jackson) 10 Jan (Lake Region Aud. Soc.); 3 at San Felasco Hammock {Alachua) 11 Jan-8 Feb (M, Manetz, G. McDermott); 1 at Lake Alto {Alachua) 14 Feb (J. Winn). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 23 Dec (B. Pranty); 1 at St. Marks NWR 17 Jan (T. Taylor, V. Steadman); 1 at Buck Island Ranch 28 Jan (B. Pranty): 2 at PPSP through the period (J, Hintermister, M. Manetz). White-throated Sparrow: 1 at Tampa 22 Dec (D. Bowman, H. Neinhouse). White-crowned Sparrow: 2 at Delray Beach {Palm Beach) 27 Dec (B. Hope); 2 W of West Palm Beach 6 Jan (H. Langridge, G, Hunter), *Harris’ Sparrow: 1 adult at Fort Walton Beach Spray Field 15 Dec-l? Jan (L. Fenni- more et al.). Dark-eyed Junco: 6 in Leon variously this winter {fide G. Menk); 3 at Gainesville 3 Dec- Si Jan (E. Perry); 1 at Melrose 4 Dec (B. and J. Bolte); 1 at Orange Park 15-16 Dec (L. McCullagh); 1 at Joe Budd WMA 19 Jan (G. Sprandel); 1 near Newnans Lake 11 Feb (C, Reno, 1. Fromberg). Bobolink: 1 at Gulfport {Pinellas) 20 Dec (R. Webb [photos to FOG], A. and R, Smith). Eastern Meadowlark: 1 at Shell Key 23 Feb was the first for the island (P. Blair and W. Yusek). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 adult male at Bradenton {Manatee) 28 Feb-1 Mar (J. Palmer). Rusty Blackbird: 10+ at Florida Caverns SP {Jackson) 7 Dec (R. Rowan et aL); 8 at PPSP 18 Dec (J. Hintermister, H. Adams); 1 near Newnans Lake {Alachua) 21 Dec (M. Manetz, T. Hoctor); 10+ near Cedar Key 2 Jan (R. Rowan, M. Manetz). Brewer’s Blackbird: 1 at Hamilton phosphate mines 1 Dec (J. Krummrich). Shiny CowbirD: 50+ at Briggs Nature Center {Lee) 30 Dec (V. Fazio). Bronzed Cowbird: 1 at Apalachicola 1 Dec (L. Manfredi); 8 at Lakeland {Polk) through the period (L. Cooper et al.). Baltimore Oriole: 1 male and 1 female at Key West 18 Jan (J. Ondrejko). Bullock’s Oriole: 1 male and 1 female at Key West 18 Jan (J. Ondrejko). Field Observations 107 Black-capped Manikin {Lonchura atricapillus): 1 male and 1 female at Flamingo, ENP 28 Dec (M, Manetz). Purple Finch: 1 “pair” at Jacksonville 4-7 Dec (J. Ross); 1 male at Jacksonville 2 Jan- mid-Feb {fide R Powell). House Finch: 1 male and 1 female at Haines City 1 Dec through the period (A. Wheaton et ah); 13 at Brooksville {Hernando) 6 Jan through the period (L. Atherton et aL). Contributors: Dianna Abbott, Howard Adams, Janet Alexander, Ken Allen, Roger Atchison, Brooks Atherton, Lyn Atherton, John Ault, Lynn Badger, Dick Ballman, Jane Ballman, Mary Barnwell, Gian Basili, Pam Beasley, Brad Bergstrom, Bill Berringer, Phil Berry, Wes Biggs, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Bill Bolte, Janice Bolte, Ernie Bostleman, Dave Bowman, Kris Bowman, David Brahier, Dave Branchett, Byron Bratlie, Bill Bremser, Judy Bryan, Ann Camp, Mickey Carson, Ed Case, Jim Cavanagh, Mike Chakan, Jules Chicoine, Ron Christen, Roger Clark, Sam Cole, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Jim Cox, Ri- chard Cunningham, Mary Davidson, Chris Davis, Dick Dillman, Mark Dolan, Gail Dom- broski. Jack Dozier, Bob Duncan, Scot Duncan, Bob Eichhorn, Jody Elliott, Gene Estes, Charlie Ewell, Vic Fazio, Paul Fellers, Lennie Fennimore, D. Gore, Judy Fisher, Bonnie Fleck, Tom Fleck, Dot Freeman, Sam Fried, Mark Friedeman, Ike Fromberg, Chuck Geanangel, Wil Gilbert, Dave Goodwin, Emerson Gravely, Betty Gruender, David Gruender, Roy Halpin, Erik Haney, A1 Hansen, Bev Hansen, Randy Harrison, David Harder, David Hartgrove, Dale Henderson, John Hintermister, Tom Hoctor, Brett Hoff- man, Brian Hope, Howard Horne, Dotty Hull, Hank Hull, Ann Hunter, Gloria Hunter, Janet Jackson, Wendy Jess, Karen Johnson, A. Kanafel, Mark Keese, Tom Kennedy, Bev- erly Kenney, Joyce King, Alan Knothe, Jessie Knothe, Richard Konz, Jerry Krummrich, Jay LaVia, Mary Landsman, Larry Lane, Howard Langridge, Dave Leonard, Charlie Letcher, Donna Mages, Michael Manetz, Larry Manfredi, Dennis McCoy, Lenore McCul- lagh, Greg McDermott, Mike McMillian, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Scott Merrill, Vaughn Morrison, Don Morrow, Barbara Muschlitz, Harry Neinhouse, Dixie Nicholson, Julie O’Malley, John Oswald, Lois Oswald, Jeff Palmer, Carrie Perrin, Evelyn Perry, Marvin Peters, Rose Peterson, James Pfeiffer, Cheri Pierce, Bev Postmus, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Eleanor Pratt, Fred Pratt, Pat Rawls, Cathy Reno, Jimmy Richardson, Bryant Roberts, Don Robinson, Merilu Rose, Rufus Rose, Don Ross, Jamie Ross, Ken Rowe, Rex Rowan, Bob Sargent, Mike Scheller, Robert Short, Lavinia Short, Jerry Shrewsbury, Austin Smith, Ron Smith, Bob Snow, Ken Spilios, Gary Sprandel, Virginia Steadman, Wes Stinehelfer, Gene Stoccardo, Clarence Suggs, Terry Taylor, Linda Terry, Pete Tim- mer, A1 Van Netta, Juan Villamil, Noel Warner, David Ward, Don Ware, Ray Webb, Tom Webber, Chuck Weber, Adair WTieaton, Margie Wilkinson, John Winn, Glen Woolfenden, David Wright, and Wilfred Yusek. Corrections to Summer 1997 report (FFN 26:26-32): the observations by Jack Dozier of Yellow Warbler and Prairie Warbler at St. Marks NWR were reversed: 1 Prairie War- bler was observed 26 Jul, and 1 (not “1-2”) Yellow Warbler was observed 5 Jul, which is the earliest fall report. Fall 1997 reports not published previously, all from Palm Beach: Manx Shearwater: 1 with a British Museum leg band found dead at Palm Beach 17 Nov (Mark Robson); Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at Spanish River Park, Boca Raton 3 Sep (Brian Hope); Diamond Dove: 1 at a feeder at Boynton Beach Oct-Nov (Joan Calder, photo to P. William Smith); Blue-and-yellow Macaw: 1 pair frequenting a feeder at Loxahatchee “the last few years” was observed feeding a juvenile this year {fide Howard Langridge); Lesser Nighthawk: 3 at Loxahatchee NWR 24 Nov through the period (Chuck Weber, Brian Hope et al., videos 108 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST by B. Hope); Brown-crested Flycatcher: 1 calling W of Delray Beach, where 1 was found last winter, 28 Oct (B. Hope); Nashville Warbler: 1 at Spanish River Park 28 Oct (B. Hope). Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billpranty@hotmail.com). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven, Florida 33884; email lcooper298@aol.com), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, email duncan44@juno.com), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15‘^ Terrace, Gainesville, Florida 32609, email afn49272@afn.org), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, email smithowl2 l@aol.com). Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Associate Editor (for reviews): Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Associate Editor (for technical papers): ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792, Associate Editor: Trina M. Cassels, 5827 Louvinia Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Editor of Special Publications: Glen E. Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee: WALTER K. Taylor (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: STEPHEN A. NESBITT, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Wildlife Research Laboratory, 4005 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida 32601. Field Observations Committee: Bill Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: H. JAMES SiGSBEE (Chair), 10090 SW 144th St., Miami, Florida 33176. Nominating Committee: WAYNE HOFFMAN (Chair), National Audubon Society, 115 Indian Mound Trail, Tavernier, Florida 33070. Records Committee: Bruce H. Anderson (Secretary), 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899. Conservation Committee: David Leonard, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862-2057. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 18, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consic eration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may he submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. 3 9088 00996 418 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 3 August 1998 Pages 77008 CONTENTS ARTICLES The Proportion of Snail Kites Attempting to Breed and the Number of Breeding Attempts per Year in Florida Robert E. Bennetts, Katie Golden, Victoria J. Dreitz, and Wiley M. Kitchens .................................................................................. 77-83 NOTES Causes of Mortality of Post-fledgling Juvenile and Adult Snail Kites in Florida Robert E. Bennetts, Malene R. Shannon, and Wiley M, Kitchens ................... 84-87 First Record of the Thick-billed Murre from Florida Howard P Langridge and Glen E. Woolfenden .............................................. 88-89 Two New Razorbill Specimens from Florida Paul R. Sweet and Dan Martinelli ........................................................................ 90 “Foot-hunting” Behavior by a Great Horned Owl Michael A. McMillian ....................................................................................... 91-93 Gull-billed Tern Fledged on a Roof in Northwest Florida Gary L. Sprandel, Heather A. Bolte, and David T Cobb ................................ 94-96 Sandwich Tern Mortality Caused by Vehicle Collision Associated with Hurricane Erin Douglas B. McNair ........................................................................................... 97-99 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Winter Report: December 1997 to February 1998 Bill ........................................................ 100-108 L. SH o s Florida Field PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL, 26, No. 4 November 1998 Pages 109-140 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Vice-President: jAN WOOLFENDEN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Secretary: Eric D. STOLEN, Florida Coop Unit & Dynamac Corp., Dept. Wildlife and Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450. Treasurer: SEAN RoWE, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Flor- ida 33862. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1998 Bobbie Kittleson, 5334 Woodhaven Lane, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Camille Sewell, 2303 Oak Dr., Fort Pierce, Florida 34949. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1999 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 715 Warrenton Rd., Winter Park, Florida 32792. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2000 Gian Basili, Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Lillian Saul, 5106 Vinson Drive, Tampa, Florida 33610. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden, 1994. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., P.O. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 4 November 1998 Pages 109-140 Florida Field Naturalist 26(4):109-113,1998 DOUBLE-CLUTCHING AND DOUBLE-BROODING IN RED-COCKADED WOODPECKERS IN FLORIDA Louis F. Phillips Jr., Joseph Tomcho Jr., and Jeffrey R. Walters Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Red-cockaded Woodpecker Research Team, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0406 Throughout the Red-cockaded Woodpecker’s (Picoides borealis) range, successful dou- ble-brooding has previously been documented in only two states. North Carolina and South Carolina (Franzreb 1997, Labranche et al. 1994). In 1996, a Red-cockaded Wood- pecker group on Eglin Air Force Base (EAFB), Florida, successfully fledged one young from their second brood after fledging two young from their first brood. This observation represents the first report of successful double-brooding in Red-cockaded Woodpecker’s in Florida. To put this observation into a larger context, we summarized data from other studies of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers from throughout Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina (Table 1). The study site, historical background of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker project on EAFB, and methods employed were described by Hardesty et al. (1995), Hardesty et al. (1997), Phillips and Gault (1997), and Schillaci and Smith (1994). A total of 87 active Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity tree clusters were monitored on EAFB during the 1996 reproductive monitoring season. The group of interest (0906B) was comprised of one breeding male, one helper male, and the breeding female. All three had been banded as adults in cluster 0906B on 13 July 1995. On 30 April 1996 LFP and JT found a nest of four eggs in the breeding male’s cavity tree. This nest produced two 7 to 8-day-old hatchlings, which were banded on 16 May, and fledged one male and one female by 7 June. The three banded adults tended both the nest and the fledglings. The cluster was checked for a second clutch (double-clutch) on 13, 18, 25 June and 2 July. On 2 July, we heard hatchlings vocalize from the previous nest cavity. On 3 July we climbed the tree and found one egg and two 2-day-old hatchlings in the cavity. On 4 July we confirmed that the group composition had not changed since the first brood. We also observed the male, but not the female fledgling from the first brood. All three adults fed the hatchlings of the second brood. The male fledgling from the first brood (now approximately 57 to 58-days-old) stayed on or near the nest tree containing the hatchlings of the second brood and approached the cavity but did not enter. He begged for the food that the adults were delivering to the hatchlings, as M.S. LaBranche (pers. comm.) also observed in North Carolina. We banded the two hatchlings on 9 July, and checks on 1 and 6 August 1996 revealed that one male fledged. During these checks, we also observed the three adults and the male fledgling from the first brood. The significance of this observation is that it indicates that successful double-brood- ing can occur in the southern portion of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker’s range as well as the northern. Double-clutching and double-brooding appear to be rare rangewide phe- 109 Table 1. Detection of double-clutches or double-broods in monitored Red-Cockaded Woodpecker populations in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 110 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST g Sh p 3 (O 13 13 p > p p 0 Sh -O 0 0 P a p 'T3 t|-M 0 Sh -Q CO 42 0 ^ 0) M 0) O a> 3 o ^ ^ O 0) a 3 “ o fcuo ^ cc Ph p o p o 0) c o b o ^ g o M 5-1 02 « Ph 0 Pi m m g K bfl . Q X! P P P ai Sm P a ^ O ^ CO o ^ CO £ a § 6 a a ^ o o p ^ a cd ^ 4^ P S -y o 3^ P . p p O ho ^ m ciQ o ^ w P 5h •r-l P O P P S ^ P ^ tn g 5 « O P « U tfi .a p ^ p-^ p P !m P .2 w £ ^ ° ^ ^ p tJ ^ p I p p O p p p p o o o o o xh CO CO o o o o t> 1>- lO CO • [> C- c- C^ I>- t- _P 'o H 0) "d O) 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 H 0 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 i-H t-H tH ^—^ »-H tH r-H t-H rH t-H 0 p 4 4 03 10 cq LO CQ 4 0 tH ■4^ 0 03 03 t> 03 03 03 03 03 00 00 CD d 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 tH tH fH tH t-H rH rH rH rH T— 1 P CO P m ^ OJ b « ^ o rj S ;§ P bJD O W P 0) ^ "S piS p p o o O O p p P t3 P P to p m kP p CO P P O iaD .a p p 5h X! CO p p O bo .a p p 5-1 5h P X5 P P « t P CO 4J ^ M 03 'M P P lO CO p o a CO p ^ a M .s 'p ^ p 0 o ^ p o ^ p O ^ O P ^ ^ P a p a p p p p •S a xs ^ "p •S 1 ■p .> P PS > p > o 03 ^ (?3 (^ P >> P u p p “S « p p > p r? o CO rO CO O a u o ^ s ^ .p p p •c a § p p o a p p ^ a .2 S ^ £ ^ a CO ’-b (O p p p 5m 4-3 2 a O ^ hO ^ CO p p p p p ^ p % 3 o o ^ H H X3 -O P P ° -2 p p p p 42 .5 a a ^ a p p p p 43 -5 4-3 -1-3 CO CO Id "p p p o" cr* p p p p bo bo Cd TO 4J +3 P P p P o P 5h 5-1 P P a Pn p P X H H Table 1. (Continued) Detection of double-clutches or double-broods in monitored Red-Cockaded Woodpecker populations in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Number Number (%)® Number i%y Notes 111 ® m S' p o o o u © o o ’-a 1-1 m O tH to o o -I § ^ S 'o ^ o ® '^0 3 .S ba 'B PJ +3 © o ® a ^ o © C3 ^ ^ rt © © I ^ g ■s m • t-4 © o cd S-i m cd 4-3 ^ cd 3 cd ^ w ^ ^ 05 a ^ ^ m 2 5 2 ® ^ CO ^ 'N a 'd Sh p p_, p ^ © a 03 9 +3 rt s3 ® 5 - © ^ 0, P © U ft ^ fl n o © o m ^ J Od . .. 03 lO cq rH o d d o « CO TO tH os TO QO lO O « t- cq 05 LO CO C-. !>• !>■ CO 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 T— I tH tH CO 03 d i6 TO TO 00 TO 03 03 03 ■pN tH tH tH m -a «The percentage equals the number of double clutches observed divided by the number of potential breeding groups. The percentage equals the number of double broods observed divided by the number of potential breeding groups. 112 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST nomena. Our observation of double-brooding is consistent with several conclusions drawn by LaBranche et al. (1994). The number of young fledged from the second brood was smaller than the number fledged from the first brood in the same group. The group had initiated their first nest relatively early (last week in April) in the reproductive sea- son. In fact, it was among the first eight to nest in the monitored portion of the popula- tion. Also, the second clutch was initiated (approximately 17 June) within the double- clutch and double-brood initiation range reported (7-23 June) by LaBranche et al. (1994). Because the age of the breeding female in cluster 0906B was unknown, we could not de- termine whether the double-brood was produced by one of the older females in the popu- lation, as suggested by LaBranche et al. (1994). LaBranche et al. (1994) suggested that double-brooding occurs in years of extreme nesting effort. However, Schillaci and Smith (1994) concluded that the year in which the previous double-clutch occurred on EAFB was not characterized by extreme nesting ef- fort, nor was 1996 when this double-brood occurred. Out of six years, 1993 ranked fifth and fourth, respectively, for two measures of nesting effort: the proportion of groups at- tempting to nest and the probability of renesting after failure. 1996 ranked third for both. We propose that double-clutching and double-brooding are anomalies that have the potential to occur in any given year, regardless of nesting effort. Thus, causation should be investigated at the level of the group rather than the population. In the many studies of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, few double-broods have been observed. Both at EAFB (1992-1997) and in other populations monitored in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina (1979-1997), groups have been monitored closely enough for double-clutching and double-brooding to be detected reliably. Groups on EAFB (1993-1997) and in North Carolina (1992-1997) were checked specifically for dou- ble-clutching and double-brooding. Low detection in most years confirms that double- clutching and double-brooding are rare in the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Table 1; see also Franzreb 1997, LaBranche et al. 1994, Schillaci and Smith 1994). With only one ex- ception (Savannah River Site, South Carolina), the proportion of groups in a population that produce double-clutches and double-broods was less than 1% (Table 1). All the dou- ble-clutches observed in Florida occurred from 1993 through 1996. Six of eight double- clutches observed in North Carolina occurred in one year (1991). Recent data from North Carolina and South Carolina confirm that the seven double- clutches reported in 1991 (LaBranche et al. 1994) represented an exceptional event, rather than an initial report of a previously overlooked, regular phenomenon. The rate of double-clutching in 1991 in the Croatan National Forest (2.3%) and the North Carolina Sandhills (2.5%) populations was greater than 2% (LaBranche et al. 1994), but has been 0.3% and 0.1% in these two populations since. Similarly, there have been no additional instances of double-brooding at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina (Franzreb 1997) since the single instance observed in 1991 (LaBranche et al. 1994). Double-clutches are often successful when they occur. Out of 11 double-clutches ob- served in Florida (1993-1996) (Schillaci and Smith 1994, Table 1), eight (72.3%) became successful double-broods, fledging one or two young in each case. Of the nine double- clutches that have now been observed in North Carolina and South Carolina, (Franzreb 1997, LaBranche et al. 1994, Table 1), eight (88.9%) became successful double-broods, each fledging one or two young. In all cases of douhle-clutching and double-brooding, the group initiated their first nest relatively early (all in April) in the nesting season and sec- ond clutches were initiated between extreme late May and late June. As suggested by LaBranche et al. (1994), researchers throughout the Red-cockaded Woodpecker’s range should check all groups that successfully fledge young by 15 June for this rare, but ap- parently widespread and regular phenomenon. We thank RA. Barb for her assistance in the field and J. Sheehan for his technical as- sistance. Thanks to H.F. Percival of the University of Florida and J.L. Hardesty of The Nature Conservancy for supporting the Red-cockaded Woodpecker Research Team. R. T. Notes 113 Engstrom, K. E. Gault, C. A. Hess, and an anonymous reviewer commented on an earlier draft of this manuscript. We thank the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Biological Resources Division, USGS) for their support and assistance. Funding was provided by Research Work Order (RWO) Number 33, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, We also acknowledge the Department of Defense and Eglin Air Force Base for their support and assistance. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge all the researchers that shared their data and experiences with us. Literature Cited Franzreb, K. E. 1997. Success of intensive management on a critically imperiled popu- lation of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in South Carolina. Journal of Field Ornithology 68(3):458-470. Hardesty, J. L., R. J. Smith, C. J. Petrick, B. W. Hagedorn, and H. F. Percival. 1995. Status and distribution of the fourth largest population of Red-cockaded Woodpeck- ers: preliminary results from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Pages 494-502 in Red- cockaded Woodpecker: recovery, ecology, and management. (D. L. Kulhavy, R. G. Hooper, and R. Costa, Eds.). Center for Applied Studies in Forestry, Stephen F. Aus- tin University, Nacogdoches. Hardesty, J. L., K. E. Gault, and H. F. Percival. 1997. Trends, status and aspects of demography of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker {Picoides borealis) in the sandhills of Florida’s panhandle. Part IL Final Report: Research Work Order 146. Florida Coop- erative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conser- vation, University of Florida, Gainesville. Jansen, D. K. and G. A. Patterson. 1983. Late nesting and low nesting success of Red- cockaded Woodpeckers in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, in 1983. Page 99 in Proceedings of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker Symposium II (D. A. Wood, Ed,). Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. LaBranche, M. S., j. R. Walters, and K. S. Laves. 1994. Double brooding in Red-cock- aded Woodpeckers. Wilson Bulletin 106(2):403-408. Phillips, L. F., Jr,, and K. E. Gault. 1997. Predation of Red-cockaded Woodpecker young by a corn snake. Florida Field Naturalist 25(2):67“68. Reinman, j. P. 1995. Status and management of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers on St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, 1980-1992. Pages 106-111 in Red-cockaded Woodpecker: recovery, ecology, and management. (D. L, Kulhavy, R. G. Hooper, and R. Costa, Eds.). Center for Applied Studies in Forestry, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches. Schillaci, j. M., and R. J. Smith. 1994. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in northwestern Florida produce a second clutch. Florida Field Naturalist 22(4):112-113. 114 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Naturalist 26(4): 114- 116, 1998. DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF A SMALL EPIZOOTIC OF SALMONELLOSIS IN PASSERINES Scott P. Terrell, Marilyn G. Spalding, and Donald J. Forrester Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 In late January 1998, a homeowner in Gilchrist County, Florida reported morbidity and mortality in Northern Cardinals iCardinalis cardinalis) and Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Several birdfeeders and birdbaths were present on the homeowner’s property. Large piles of waste seed and feces were present on the ground below the feeders and no sanitation efforts had been undertaken. She had been feeding birds continuously for several years and had never experienced a problem prior to this time. Two weeks prior to observation of the first sick bird, the homeowner noted that a large number of Brown- headed Cowbirds (approximately 1000) had begun using her property as a congregation area. The cowbirds actively used the birdfeeders and bird baths on the property. Sick and dead birds were first noted in mid-January. The clinical signs observed by the homeowner included: “fluffed-up feathers, dull eyes, and decreased alertness”. Birds either disappeared or were found dead within 24 hours after first being noticed as sick. Six cardinals and 12 cowbirds were found dead over a two-week period. It is not known how many birds died that were not discovered. Three birds which had recently died were submitted to the University of Florida Col- lege of Veterinary Medicine for necropsy (one cardinal and two cowbirds). At necropsy, the birds had a minor reduction of pectoral muscle mass. There was an obvious absence of sub- cutaneous and coelomic adipose tissue. No evidence of trauma was apparent. Gross lesions were limited to the esophagus, spleen, and brain. Granulomas filled with white caseous material were present in the wall of the esophagus of one cardinal and one cowbird. The spleens of all birds examined were moderately enlarged, friable and mottled white and red in color. A small white focus was present in the cerebral cortex in one cowbird. Sections of spleen from one cardinal and one cowbird were submitted for aerobic cul- ture and Salmonella sp. screening. Heavy growth of 100% Salmonella group B was cul- tured from both spleens. Cultures were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (Ames, Iowa) for serotyping. Both samples were serotyped as Salmonella ty- phimurium (Copenhagen). Tissue sections were collected in 10% neutral buffered formalin, embedded in paraf- fin, sectioned at Sum, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathologic exam- ination. Necrotizing and inflammatory lesions with intralesional bacterial rods were observed in multiple tissues from all three birds examined including the spleen, liver, lung, kidney, esophagus, brain and pectoral muscle. The esophageal gTanulomas noted at necropsy contained massive accumulations of heterophils and rod shaped bacteria. Gram negative staining of the intralesional bacterial rods was seen on histopathologic sections stained with a tissue gram stain (Brown & Brenn). A diagnosis of bacterial sep- ticemia due to Salmonella typhimurium (Copenhagen) was made based on gross lesions, culture results, and histopathologic findings. Management recommendations were made to the homeowner based on the diagnosis of salmonellosis. These recommendations included temporary discontinuation of feeding stations and bird baths, removal of waste seed and fecal material from the ground under- neath the feeders, and thorough disinfection of bird feeders and bird baths with a dilute bleach solution. Mortality decreased in frequency, but did continue (two more cardinals Notes 115 were found dead) following institution of the above recommendations. Further communi- cation with the homeowner revealed that only a portion of the recommended disinfection protocol had been followed (no bleach had been used). Mortality ceased following disin- fection of the feeders with a 10% bleach solution and complete removal of waste seed and fecal material from the ground underneath feeders. Salmonella typhimurium has been reported in many types of wild birds including wa- terfowl, cranes, gallinaceous birds, and passeriform birds (Steele and Galton 1971, Stroud and Friend 1987). In Florida, Salmonella typhimurium (Copenhagen) has been found in three raccoons (Procyon lotor) from Bay County, Florida in 1969-1971 (Bigler et al. 1974) and in an adult wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) from Levy County, Florida in 1977 (Forrester, unpubl. data). Salmonella typhimurium infection of passeriform birds is often associated with artificial feeding stations (Locke et al. 1973, Nesbitt and White 1974, Stroud and Friend 1987). Feeding stations are an important aspect of the epizooti- ology of salmonellosis for several reasons: (1) the feeders serve to concentrate large num- bers of birds, (2) the build up of waste seed and fecal material provides an optimal bacterial growth medium, and (3) the feeding activity is conducive to transmission of bacteria which are normally acquired by ingestion. The source of Salmonella sp. in bird feeder-associated epizootics is often thought to be via a carrier bird (Stroud and Friend 1987). The carrier bird deposits the bacteria in fecal material onto the common source of infection (the birdfeeder). There was evidence that the bacteria were introduced by a carrier bird in this case. The homeowner reported that morbidity and mortality began soon after a large number of cowbirds began using the feeders and birdbaths. Faddoul et al. (1966) found that among 187 specimens from 29 dif- ferent avian species surveyed for Salmonella sp., Brown-headed Cowbirds were the most frequently infected species. It is possible that the bacteria responsible for this epizootic were introduced by a brown-headed cowbird. Management of salmonellosis in wild populations of birds involves control of the com- mon source of the bacteria. As contaminated feeders are often the common source of the bacteria for passeriform birds, sanitation of feeding stations should be a priority. Feeders should be disinfected routinely with household bleach solution and waste seed and fecal material should be periodically removed from feeding stations. In the case of an outbreak associated with mortality, discontinuation of feeding should be considered. Due to the fact that Salmonella spp. are a common cause of “food poisoning” in humans, care should be taken during disinfection of feeders and handling of sick or dead birds. We recommend that humans handling waste material and/or sick or dead birds should wear gloves and thoroughly disinfect their hands after handling those materials. At the time that this epizootic was occurring in Florida in January of 1998, similar outbreaks of salmonellosis were occurring in several states in the midwest and north- eastern United States including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin (Kimberly Miller, pers. comm). The underlying cause of the large number of Salmonella associated outbreaks in 1998 is not known. Despite the fact that outbreaks of salmonellosis are well documented and easily recognized by biological and veterinary personnel, public awareness of this disease ap- pears to be lacking. The homeowner in this case had no idea that the tremendous build up of waste seed and fecal material at her feeding stations might be harmful to the birds. This demonstrates the need for public education concerning proper methods of disease prevention and sanitation at backyard bird feeders. In summary, bacterial septicemia due to infection by Salmonella typhimurium was diagnosed as the cause of mortality of a small number of Northern Cardinals and Brown- headed Cowbirds in Gilchrist County, Florida. As is the case with many outbreaks of sal- monellosis in passeriform birds, this case was associated with a backyard birdfeeder. The combination of poor sanitation, fecal contamination, and concentration of large numbers of birds at bird feeders provided optimal conditions for transmission of this highly patho- 116 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST genic bacterium. Control of salmonellosis is by disinfection of bird feeders and removal of waste seed and fecal material from the area. Those people maintaining hird feeders should be educated concerning the importance of sanitation for prevention of similar out- breaks. We thank An Nguyen and Georgeann Ellis for their assistance in bacterial culture of the organisms. This research was supported in part by contracts from the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and is a contribution of Federal Aid to Wildlife Resto- ration, Florida Pittman-Robertson Project W-41. This is Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. R-06384. Literature Cited Bigler, W. J., G. L. Hoff, A. M. Jasmin, and F. H. White. 1974. Salmonella infections in Florida raccoons, Procyon lotor. Archives of Environmental Health 28:261-262. Faddoul, G. P., G. W. Fellows, and J. Baird. 1966. A survey on the incidence of Sal- monella in wild birds. Avian Disease 10:89-91. Locke, L. N., R. B. Schillinger, and T. Jareed. 1973. Salmonellosis in passerine birds in Maryland and West Virginia. Journal of Wildlife Disease 9:44-145. Nesbitt, S. A. and F. H. White. 1974. A Salmonella typhimurium outbreak at a bird feeding station. Florida Field Naturalist 2:46-47. Steele, J. H. and M. M. Galton. 1971. Salmonellosis. Pages 51-58 in Infectious and parasitic disease of wild birds. Iowa State University Press, Ames. Stroud, R. K. and M. R. Friend. 1987. Avian salmonellosis. Pages 101-106. in Field guide to wildlife diseases: general field procedures and diseases of migratory birds. USDI, Washington, D.C., Resource Pub 167. Notes 117 Florida Field Naturalist 26(4), 117-121, 1998. SECOND BREEDING LOCALITY OF CLIFF SWALLOWS IN FLORIDA Thomas E. Lewis* And Douglas B. McNair^’^ ’St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, RO. Box 447, Apalachicola, Florida 32329-0447 ^Tall Timbers Research Station, Route 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) have bred at one locality in Florida, near Port Mayaca, Martin County, where less than ten pairs nested under bridges at 1-2 sites from at least 1975 to 1982 (Sykes 1976, 1979; Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Steven- son and Anderson 1994). This extralimital breeding locality on the east side of Lake Okeechobee was 690 km away from another former extralimital breeding site on the At- lantic coast of South Carolina in Charleston County, which was active from 1977-1981 (Shuler 1978, Post and Gauthreaux 1989). Along the Gulf coast, an active breeding colony of Cliff Swallows is located at Mobile Bay, Alabama, 50 km west of the Florida line. This colony was discovered in 1982 when 22 pairs nested; an estimate of current numbers is 20-30 pairs (Reid 1988, Summerour 1989, G. Jackson in litt.). Other coastal colonies along the Gulf are located farther west in Mississippi and beyond (Spence and Toups 1986, Imhof 1989:494; see Brown and Brown 1995). Inland breeding populations of Cliff Swallows have expanded south from northern Al- abama and Georgia but still have not penetrated beyond the Piedmont into the Upper Coastal Plain (Grant and Quay 1977, Haney et al. 1986, Phillips 1986, Reid 1988, Sum- merour 1989, Brown and Brown 1995), except for one small colony site in Perry County, Alabama, which was colonized in the early 1990s (G. Jackson in litt.). In nearby Tusca- loosa County, other colony sites were active in 1975-1976 (C. R. Brown in litt., B. Sum- merour in litt.) and from the early 1990s to the present (G. Jackson in litt.). We are uncertain if these colony sites are located in the Upper Coastal Plain rather than the Ap- palachian Mountain physiographic province. A sizable gap still exists between the inland and Gulf coastal breeding populations of Cliff Swallows in the southeastern United States (see Brown and Brown 1995). We document the second breeding locality of Cliff Swallows in Florida at St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, in 1997 and 1998. This site is on the Gulf coast, 285 km east- southeast of the Mobile Bay colony. The nest site was the wooden refuge boathouse along St. Vincent Sound near Indian Pass, 400 m from the mainland. A small colony of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) nests annually at the site. We monitored the Cliff Swallow colony at least twice a week throughout the breeding season of 1997. The first birds (Pair 1) arrived and began nest building on 10-11 May. We saw a third individual on 27 May, but did not observe Pair 2 until 13 June, when they began nest building. We first observed Pair 3 on 17 June when they also began building a nest. Each pair built at least one nest. Pair 1 attempted to build a nest attached to the soffit and painted wooden vertical siding of the boathouse. Nest material repeatedly fell off and the nest finally collapsed on 18 May. The birds then selected a nest-site on the oppo- site side of the boathouse on the ledge of a support pole and adjacent siding just below the soffit. This nest was built on the remains of an old Barn Swallow nest and also col- lapsed before egg-laying began. Following this second failure, Pair 1 was joined by two other pairs. All three pairs built nests on top of boathouse support poles, Pair 1 on the ^Address correspondence to this author. 118 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST same pole as their second nest, and the two new pairs on adjacent poles. One of these lat- ter nests was built on the remains of an old Barn Swallow nest. Ail Cliff Swallow nests were ca. 3.5 m above the water. Initially, all three pairs collected nest material from the beach within 20 m of the boathouse. Nest material routinely fell off shortly after it was applied to the substrate or the nest. The third nest attempt of Pair 1 and the nests of Pairs 2 and 3 did not remain intact until birds collected a more adhesive material from a tidal pool on the Gulf beach, 600 m away from the boathouse. We analyzed soil samples obtained from both locations (USD A touch texture method performed by J. Schuster). The sample from the boathouse beach had a texture of fine sand, Munsell soil color lOYR 8/2. The combined percentage of clay and silt was less than 5% and organic matter was extremely low. The tidal pool sample had a texture of fine sand loam, Munsell soil color of 2.5Y 5/2. Color and odor suggested high organic content, but this negated precise analysis of clay and silt content, which probably ranged from 30- 50%. The soil samples from the tidal pool location had much higher clay, silt, and organic content and were much more adhesive than the fine sand from the boathouse beach loca- tion, which rarely stayed intact even when wet (cf., Robidoux and Cyr 1989). None of the Cliff Swallow nests were normal, closed, retort-shaped structures, which suggests that material collected from the tidal pool was barely adequate for nest-build- ing. The partially completed neck of one nest crumbled. Only a half-dome covered the top of the remaining nests which had even more exposed entrances. Cliff Swallows spent considerable time repairing the three active nests. The third nest of Pair 1 collapsed on 27 June, after incubation had begun, and the pair was not seen again. All three pairs commenced incubating the latter half of June in incomplete nests, which is not unusual (Samuel 1971). Pair 2 fed young on 8 July; the last of 2-3 young fledged on 25 July. We observed three eggs on 3 July in the nest of Pair 3; the pair were feeding young on 15 July. These young fledged between 29 July and 1 August. We saw the last Cliff Swallows (two) fl5dng in the vicinity of the boathouse on 12 August. The nests of Pairs 2 and 3 collapsed about a week later. We captured a juvenile Cliff Swallow of Pair 2 at 0830 hr on 25 July, after it had just fledged (Fig. 1; TTRS P644). This is the first juvenile Cliff Swallow banded in Florida. Its mass was 22.2 g and had no visible fat. Other data were: wing length (flattened/chord): 93/91.5 mm; tail length (central rectrices): 43.5 mm; bill length (base of forehead/ante- rior edge of nostril): 7.35/5.4 mm, and tarsus: 13.15 mm. The juvenile was in molt. Pri- maries 6-9 and the rectrices were still growing and partially sheathed at the base. Otherwise, the remiges were completely grown. The upper- and undertail coverts were also partially sheathed at the base. The remainder of body molt was fairly heavy, espe- cially on the forehead, chin, and throat. Many feathers from each of these three areas had broad white tips, whereas the base was dark, varying from rusty to reddish-brown (Fig. 1). We detected no ectoparasites. In 1998 two pairs of Cliff Swallows nested at the exact sites where Cliff Swallows nested successfully in 1997 (Pairs 2 and 3). In 1998, we saw the first Cliff Swallow on 22 May; its mate, a dark-forehead bird as in 1997 (possibly the same individual), arrived on 27 May. We noted a second pair on 9 June. Both Cliff Swallow pairs evicted incubating and brooding Barn Swallows from their nests (see Brown and Brown 1995) on 4 and 13 June. Pair 1 of 1998 had completed three-quarters of its nest by 17 June. Pair 2 of 1998 never built a nest, but attempted to evict the other pair of Cliff Swallows from their nest. We conclude that intraspecific aggression, which continued through 24 June as the nest deteriorated, was the cause of breeding failure. We did not see Cliff Swallows at the nest afterwards, although we saw foraging individuals in the vicinity through 28 July. Breeding at this small Cliff Swallow colony was delayed in 1997 because several nests collapsed because of the poor quality of available nesting materials. Despite the usurpa- tion of Barn Swallow nests in 1998, the poor quality of nesting materials may also have Notes 119 Figure 1. Cliff Swallow, St. Vincent Island, Franklin Co., Florida, 25 July 1997. This juvenile is the first banded in Florida. Note the molt on the forehead, chin, and throat (see text). Photo by T. E. Lewis. been responsible for the delayed breeding attempt at one nest that year. These pioneer- ing Cliff Swallows may also have arrived late (mid-May to early June) in both years. Cliff Swallows typically arrive at their breeding colonies in the southeastern United States in late April (Grant and Quay 1977, Post and Gauthreaux 1989, Brown and Brown 1995). However, delayed breeding because of late arrival is uncertain in the extreme southeast- ern United States because of the scarcity of data. An extralimital pair of Cliff Swallows in their first breeding year in coastal South Carolina probably nested late in 1977 (Shuler 1978). In the subsequent year, a single pair reused the old nest and probably did not breed late (Shuler 1978). Sykes (1976) did not document late breeding at the extra- limital Cliff Swallow colony in southeast Florida in 1975, although this Martin County breeding colony had established itself by 1974 or earlier. Both extralimital Cliff Swallow colonies established in the mid-1970s in southeast Florida and South Carolina did not persist, although both colonies fledged some young. Most active nests in South Carolina and southeast Florida were complete (retort-shaped) and did not collapse, so structural failure of nests was probably not a factor that limited or retarded population growth in these colonies (cf , Krapu 1986). Nests at the colony on St. Vincent Island in both years were incomplete, required constant repair, and all three nests of Pair 1 in 1997 collapsed prior to fledging any young. The only two nests that re- mained intact in 1997 were placed on top of support poles. Even there, nest materials were barely adequate as these nests of Pairs 2 and 3 collapsed shortly after the young fledged. We do not know whether the adult Cliff Swallows at the Franklin County breeding site originated from inland breeding populations expanding from the north, or from coastal populations expanding from the west. The location of the Franklin County colony, along the Gulf and fairly close to the established Mobile Bay colony, may favor the latter 120 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST origin. At the Martin County site, the subspecific identification of the adult male col- lected was the nominate race P. p. pyrrhonota (Sykes 1976), which has expanded from the north (Brown and Brown 1995). The identity of the coastal populations expanding from the west is apparently the recently described ganieri race that ranges inland to west-central Tennessee (Phillips 1986, Browning 1990). However, the distinctiveness of this race has been questioned (C. R. Brown, pers. comm.). Summerour (1989) stated that the majority of birds sighted at the Mobile Bay colony had dark chestnut foreheads, and on this basis, suspected that these birds were from one of the two southwestern races, but this was never confirmed. One of six adults in 1997 and one of four in 1998 in Franklin County also had dark chestnut foreheads, similar in color to the sides of the head and throat (also see Stevenson and Anderson 1994:708). The dark chestnut forehead fits the southwestern race melanogaster (also probably tachina). The latter race is probably more likely to occur in Florida based on its documented breed- ing range. The darkest forehead color of eastern birds of the race pyrrhonota have been described as near avellaneous in color, pale cinnamon brown, or pale brown (Behle 1976, Browning 1992, Brown and Brown 1995). The forehead color of pyrrhonota and ga/iieri is indistinguishable (Phillips 1986, Brown and Brown 1995). Consequently, dark chestnut is darker than the darkest forehead color described for either pyrrhonota or ganieri. We believe that subspecific identification in Cliff Swallows cannot be made solely on the ba- sis of sightings of forehead color. Nevertheless, birds with dark chestnut foreheads at col- onies in coastal Alabama and northwest Florida are puzzling and should be collected to determine their subspecific identity reliably. In summary, we provide documentation for the second breeding locality of Cliff Swal- lows in Florida, along the northwest Gulf coast at St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, in 1997 and 1998. Our verified evidence includes photographs of one recently fledged juve- nile in 1997. This is the first juvenile Cliff Swallow banded and released in Florida. The small colonies of three and two pairs in 1997 and 1998, respectively, were at an anthro- pogenic nest site (boathouse) on a large body of water, which is typical of breeding popu- lations of both races of Cliff Swallows that have recently expanded into the southeastern United States. Breeding at the Franklin County site was delayed in both years because of the poor quality of available nesting materials, especially in 1997 when three new de- tached nests of Pair 1 collapsed. Late arrival of pioneering birds may also have contrib- uted toward delayed breeding both years. Two pairs in 1997 fledged young; complete breeding failure occurred at the same sites in 1998, suggesting the birds were the same individuals both years. Origins of the adult Franklin County birds are unknown, but they may have arrived from the west along the Gulf coast, which would identify them as the recently described race ganieri. One of six adult Cliff Swallows in 1997, and one of four adults in 1998 were birds (possibly the same individual) with a dark chestnut fore- head, The origin of these birds is puzzling, but they could have been from either one of the two southwestern races melanogaster or tachina. Acknowledgments We thank J. Schuster of Ecological Resource Consultants, Inc., for conducting the soil analyses, R. Gay, US. Fish and Wildlife Service, for his observations at the colony site, and C. R. Brown, G. Jackson, and B. Summerour for providing unpublished observations on breeding information of Cliff Swallows in Alabama. We also thank C. R. Brown, R. Crawford, G. Jackson, B. Pranty, and P. W. Sykes, Jr., for reviewing a draft of our manu- script. Photographs of the juvenile Cliff Swallow are archived at Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS P643-645). Notes 121 Literature Cited Behle, W. H, 1976. Systematic review, intergradation, and clinal variation in Cliff Swal- lows. Auk 93:66-77. Brown, C. R., and M. B. Brown. 1995. Cliff Swallow {Hirundo pyrrhonota). In The birds of North America, No. 149 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sci- ^ ences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Browning, M, R. 1990. Taxa of North American birds described from 1957 to 1987. Pro- ceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 103:432-451. . 1992. Geographic variation in Hirundo pyrrhonota (Cliff Swallow) from northern North America. Western Birds 23:21-29. Grant, G. S., and T. L. Quay. 1977. Breeding biology of Cliff Swallows in Virginia. Wil- son Bulletin 89:286-290. Haney, J. C., P. Brisse, D. R. Jacobson, M. W. Oberle, and J. M. Paget. 1986. Anno- tated checklist of Georgia birds. Occasional Publication No. 10, Georgia Ornithologi- cal Society. IMHOF, T, A. 1989. The spring season: central-southern region. American Birds 43:491-495. Krapu, G. L. 1986. Patterns and causes of change in a Cliff Swallow colony during a 17- year period. Prairie Naturalist 18:109-114. Phillips, A. R. 1986. The known birds of the North and Middle America. Part L Denver, Colorado: Allan R. Phillips. Post, W., and S. A. Gauthreaux, Jr. 1989. Status and distribution of South Carolina birds. Contributions of the Charleston Museum No. 18. Reid, B, 1988. Cliff Swallows expanding range in Alabama. Alabama Birdlife 35:15-16. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 6. Gainesville. ROBIDOUX, Y. P., and A. Cyr. 1989. Selection granulometrique pour la construction du riid chez i’Hirondelle a front Blanc, Hirundo pyrrhonota. Canadian Field-Naturalist 103:577-583. Samuel, D. E. 1971. The breeding biology of Barn and Cliff swallows in West Virginia. Wilson Bulletin 83:284-301. Shuler, J. 1978. Cliff and Bank swallows at a Barn Swallow colony near Charleston, S.C. Chat 42:33-35. Spence, J. L., and J. A. TOUPS. 1986. First nesting of the Cliff Swallow on the Missis- sippi coast. Mississippi Kite 16:20-21. Stevenson, H. M., and B. Anderson. 1994, The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. SUMMEROUR, B. 1989. Southwestern subspecies of Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrho- nota) nesting in Mobile colony. Alabama Birdlife 36:13-14. Sykes, P. W., Jr. 1976. Cliff Swallow breeding in south-central Florida. Wilson Bulletin 88:671- 672. . 1979. Cliff Swallows continue to nest in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 7:8-9. 122 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Naturalist 26(4): 122=123, 1998. THE OCCURRENCE OF SNAIL KITE NESTS WITH FOUR FLEDGLINGS IN FLORIDA Victoria J. Dreitzi-^ and Malene R, Shannon^, ^Department of Biology, University of Miami, RO. Box 249118 Coral Gables, Florida 33124 2 12567 West 69*'^ Avenue, Arvada, Colorado 80004 Nesting of the endangered Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) has been widely stud- ied throughout its range in the United States since the late 1960s. During this time, re- ported clutch size has ranged from one to five eggs (Sykes et al. 1995), but the proportion of clutches with four or more eggs is <2.2% (Chandler and Anderson 1974, Beissinger 1986, 1988, Sykes 1987, Bennetts et al. 1988, Snyder et al. 1989, Sykes et al. 1995). Al- though Snail Kites lay large clutches on occasion, there have been no published reports of four young fledging from a nest. During 1997 we monitored Snail Kite nests throughout their range in central and southern Florida as part of a larger, ongoing study of demography of Snail Kites in Flor- ida. We monitored 345 nests of which 7 (2.0%) contained 4 eggs. Of these large clutch nests, two nests successfully fledged four young. These nests were located 0.34 km apart in Water Conservation Area-3A (WCA-3A), which is a 23,700 ha impoundment located in Dade and Broward counties 25 km west of Miami to the north of Highway 41 and to the south of Interstate-75. It is not clear whether or not the occurrence of nests fledging four young can be inter- preted as an indication of environmental quality. Compared to other reproductive param- eters (e.g., nest success, proportion of birds attempting to breed), the number of young produced per successful nest tends to fluctuate the least in response to environmental conditions for many raptors (Brown 1974, Steenhof 1987), including Snail Kites (Beiss- inger 1986). Our estimate of nest success, which tends to be a more sensitive parameter to environmental fluctuation, was higher in WCA-3A (49%) than the overall Florida average (38%) for 1997, but within the range of 32% to 50% reported in previous studies (Sykes et al 1995). James A. Rodgers Jr, (pers. comm.) also observed a nest that fledged four young on Lake Kissimmee during 1988. Average clutch size on Lake Kissimmee for 1988 was higher when compared to other years he observed (J.A. Rodgers Jr., pers. comm.). How- ever, this was also the year following extremely low-water conditions at Lake Kissimmee, which Snyder et al. (1989) suggest indicates relatively poor conditions for reproduction. We thank W.M. Kitchens and D. L. DeAngelis, J. Diffendorf, and P. Richards for their helpful comments and/or logistic support. Reviews by R. E. Bennetts and P. W. Sykes, Jr. greatly improved this manuscript. Funding for this work was provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Biological Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey, St, Johns River Water Management District, and South Florida Water Management Dis- trict. We appreciate the logistical support of the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Florida. Literature Cited Beissinger, S. R. 1986. Demography, environmental uncertainty, and the evolution of mate desertion in the Snail Kite. Ecology 67:1445-1459. To whom correspondence should be sent. Notes 123 Beissinger, S. R. 1988. Snail Kite. Pages 148-165 in Handbook of North American birds, voL 4 (R. S. Palmer, ed.). Yale University Press, New Haven. Bennetts, R. E., M. W. Collopy, and S. R. Beissinger. 1988. Nesting ecology of Snail Kite in Water Conservation Area 3A. Florida Cooperative Fish Wildlife Research Unit Technical Report no. 31, University of Florida, Gainesville. Brown, L. H. 1974. Data required for effective study of raptor populations. Pages 9-20 in Management of raptors (F. N. Hammerston, Jr., B. E. Harrell, and R. R. Olendorff, Eds). Raptor Research Foundation, Vermillion. Chandler, R., and J. M. Anderson. 1974. Notes on Everglade Kite reproduction. Amer- ican Birds 28:856, 858. Snyder, N. F. R., S. R. Beissinger, and R. Chandler 1989. Reproduction and demog- raphy of the Florida Everglade (Snail) Kite. Condor 91:300-316. Steenhof, K. 1987. Assessing raptor reproductive success and productivity. Pages 157- 170 in Raptor Management Techniques Manual. (B. A. G. Pendleton, B. A. Millsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird, eds). National Wildlife Federation. Washington, D.C. Sykes, P. W., Jr 1987. Some aspects of the breeding biology of the Snail Kite in Florida. Journal of Field Ornithology 58:171-189. Sykes, P. W., Jr., J. A. Rodgers, Jr., and R. E. Bennetts. 1995. Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis). In The birds of North America, no. 171 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 124 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Naturalist 26(4):124-125, 1998. OBSERVED NESTING OF THE SNAIL KITE IN EASTERN ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA Mark D. Sees^ and Dorothy W. Freeman^ 'City of Orlando, PO. Box 1375, Christmas, Florida 32709 ^4515 Montclair Road, Orlando, Florida 32812 The Snail Kite {Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a resident breeder from central Florida southward to Cuba and Central and South America (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Rodgers 1996). In Florida the Snail Kite has nested as far north as Wakulla Springs (Howell 1932); however, by the late 1970s the species was restricted to the west side of Lake Okeechobee and the southeastern region of Water Conservation Area 3A (Sykes 1984). In the 1980s, nesting kites were found north to lakes Kissimmee, Tohopekaliga and East Tohopekaliga (Takekawa and Beissinger 1989) and these remained the most northerly nesting sites into the mid-1990s (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). On 17 May 1996 a male Snail Kite was observed carrying nesting material across a marsh at the Orlando Wetlands Park (OWP) in east Orange County, Florida. On 7 June 1996 a female was seen fl3dng with an apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) in its bill to the top of a live cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) in a stand of live and dead palms growing in water 0.8 m deep. Later that day, a male flew to the top of the same palm where it re- mained until it was replaced by a female. On 25 June 1996, a male Snail Kite took sev- eral apple snails to a large nestling atop the palm tree. The adult male would capture a snail, fly to a snag in close proximity of the nest tree, extract the muscular portion of the snail, then take it to the nest. On 3 July 1996 the nestling was heard calling loudly while the female in close proximity seemingly ignored the male and the nestling. Observations of only the male bringing food to the nestling continued until 19 July 1996 when the ju- venile kite was seen and photographed on a live oak {Quercus virginiana) snag near the nesting site. The Snail Kite may have recolonized this part its former range, because apple snails are abundant in OWP. OWP is a 494 ha wetland treatment system designed and built in the mid-1980s for the final treatment of up to 76 million liters of reclaimed wastewater per day initially treated by the City of Orlando’s Iron Bridge Regional Water Reclama- tion Facility, which is a wastewater treatment plant initiated in July 1987. Three differ- ent wetland habitats (the deep marsh, open marsh and hardwood swamp) serve to polish the wastewater at OWP. It is in the open marsh that Snail Kites have been most fre- quently observed. A kite was first seen at the OWP in August 1989 (Ogden 1990), the species has been observed sporadically except for years 1993, 1994 and 1997. The open freshwater marsh is characterized by large areas of open water with scat- tered patches of pickerelweed (Pontedaria cordata), duck potato (Saggitaria lancifolia), bulrush iScirpus californicus) and other emergent macrophytes. Another important as- pect of this marsh is the presence of submerged species, particularly southern naiad {Na- jas quadalupensis) and coontail (Ceratophylum demersum). This habitat has a high density of apple snails, which serve almost exclusively as the sole food source for the Snail Kite (Snyder and Snyder 1969, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). The kite’s foraging habitat requires extensive areas of open water with a low density of emergent vegetation (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Rogers 1996). The lack of the Snail Kite observations during 1993 and 1994 may be partially caused by an overgrowth of cattails {Typha spp.) within the open marsh. In 1994 a multi-phase management tech- nique for the control of the encroaching cattails was begun. A combination of aerial heli- Ahtes 125 copter herbicide applications followed with prescribed burning and spot herbicide applications using airboats led to significant reductions in the cattail density within the marsh. Rodgers (1996) noted that although the apple snail is widespread in north Flor- ida^ and parts of Georgia and Alabama, lack of suitable foraging habitat that provides ac- cess to the apple snails will prevent significant recolonization further north. Effective management for the control of cattail populations at the OWP led to more open water ar- eas which aided in establishing foraging areas. Literature Cited Howell, S. H. 1932. Florida bird life. Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, Ogden, J. C. 1990, The winter migration: Florida region. American Birds 44:258 Rodgers, J. A., Jr. 1996. Florida Snail Kite. Pages 42-51 In Rare and endangered biota of Florida. (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H, W. Kale and H. T. Smith, Eds.), University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Snyder, N. F, R., and H.A. Snyder. 1969. A comparative study of mollusc predation by Limpkins Everglade Kites and Boat-tailed Grackles. Living Bird 8:177-223. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Mrdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Sykes, P. W., Jr. 1984. The range of The Everglades Snail Kite and its history in Florida. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum 29:211-64 Takekawa, j. E., and S. R. Beissinger 1989. Cyclic drought, dispersal, and the conser- vation of the Snail Kite in Florida: lessons in critical habitat. Conservation Biology 3:302-11. 126 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Naturalist 26(4): 126, 1998. BLUE GROSBEAK DUSTBATHING William Post Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403 Although the Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca caerulea) is a widespread breeding species in North America, nothing appears to have been reported about its feather maintenance be- havior (Ingold 1993). On 18 April 1993, at 1500 EST, I saw a second-year male Blue Gros- beak engage in dust-bathing for about 1 min. The bird sat in an open patch of sand on a westward-facing slope in a suburban yard on Sullivan’s Island, Charleston County, South Carolina. The day was clear, with little wind; the temperature was 21°C. Mourn- ing Doves (Zenaida macroura) and House Sparrows {Passer domesticus) frequently used the same site for sunning and dust-bathing, although none was there at the same time as the grosbeak. While dustbathing, the grosbeak formed a hollow about 1 cm deep with his body, ruf- fled his plumage, and drooped his wings. In forming the depression, he rotated his body slightly, shuffed his feet, and made ducking movements with his breast. These move- ments resembled those used by other passerines engaged in nest-shaping (Simmons 1964), and also those described for dustbathing House Sparrows (Lowther and Cink 1992). He then shook out his plumage, and flew about 2 m to a 1 m high branch, also in a spot exposed to the sun, and preened and scratched for about 3 min. I did not record the specific movements used during this phase. Since this occurrence, I have seen no other incidents of sunbathing by this species. This appears to be the first report of dust-bathing in the family Cardinalidae, al- though several other species have been studied in detail. These include the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea; see review by Payne 1992), the Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amaena; Greene et al. 1996), and the Painted Bunting {Passerina ciris; P. E. Lowther, pers. comm.l. There also appear to be no published reports of dust-bathing in the family Emerizidae, although J. S. Greenlaw (pers.comm.) recorded one instance of an Eastern Towhee’s {Pipilo erythrophthalmus) dust-bathing in New York. I appreciate the critiques of R. T. Engstrom, J. S. Greenlaw and J. I. Ingold. Greenlaw also graciously provided unpublished data from his New York field journal. Literature Cited Greene, E., V. R. Muehter, and W. Davison. 1996. Lazuli Bunting {Passerina amoena). In The birds of North America, No. 232 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Nat- ural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Ingold, J. L. 1993. Blue Grosbeak {Guiraca caerulea). In The birds of North America, No. 79 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Lowther, P. E., and C. L. Cink, 1992. House Sparrow {Passer domesticus). In The Birds of North America, No. 12 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.), The Academy of Natural Sci- ences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Payne, R. B. 1992. Indigo Bunting {Passerina cyanea). In The birds of North America, No. 4 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Simmons, K. E. L. 1964. Feather maintenance. In New dictionary of birds (A. L. Thom- son, Ed.). McGraw-Hill, New York. Notes 127 Florida Field Naturalist 26(4); 127, 1998. INEDIBLE OBJECTS OFFERED DURING COURTSHIP FEEDING BY BLACK SKIMMERS Fred H. Groves Northeast Louisiana University, Monroe, Louisiana 71209 Male Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) sometimes offer the female a food item such as a fish or shrimp during courtship (Pettingill 1937, Welty 1976, Burger and Gochfeld 1990). Burger and Gochfeld (1990) further noted that the female swallows the fish after copulation. During observations of skimmer courtship in Florida, I observed that males occasionally offered an inedible object to the female instead of an edible one, and that the use of inedible objects extended copulation time significantly. I studied social behavior of Black Skimmers in the Tampa Bay area of Florida during the breeding seasons of 1975, 1976, and 1977. Study sites were nesting colonies along beaches adjoining the west causeway of the Howard Frankland Bridge (Pinellas County), which crosses Tampa Bay, and at Ft. DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg (Pinellas County). I observed a total of 37 instances of courtship feeding. These feeding episodes were mea- sured to the nearest second with a wristwatch with sweep-second hand. During my observations of courtship feeding, small fish were the only type of food item offered by males to females, but males occasionally offered an inedible item, such as a small stick or piece of shell. Typically a female approached the male on the ground from a position in front of the male, took the object, pivoted 180 degrees, and allowed the male to mount. Of the 37 observations of copulation attempts, 10 (27%) involved presentation of a fish, 13 (35%) involved an inedible object, and 14 (38%) involved no gift at all. In all cases where an object was offered, the female allowed the male to mount until the object was either swallowed (edible item) or discarded (inedible item), whereupon she broke contact with the male. When a fish was accepted, the male was able to stay mounted for up to 5 s (mean = 3.3 s), which was the time needed for the female to swallow the fish. However, when an inedible object was offered, the times were significantly longer (mean = 5.0 s, ^-test, P<0.01). During this time, the female would try unsuccess- fully to swallow the object. Upon discarding it, she would move out from under the male. When no object was offered (mean - 2.8 s), mounting time was significantly less from that with an inedible object (P<0.01), but not significantly different (P>0.10) from when a fish was offered. Substitutions of inedible objects for edible ones may reduce energy expenditure by males by eliminating the time needed to search for a food item. Also, the increased mounting time may enhance copulation success. Literature Cited Burger, J., and M. Gochfeld. 1990. The Black Skimmer: social dynamics of a colonial species. Columbia University Press, New York. Pettingill, O. S., Jr. 1937. Behavior of Black Skimmers at Cardwell Island, Virginia. Auk 54:237. Welty, J. C. 1979. The life of birds. Saunders College Publications, Philadelphia. 128 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Naturalist 26(4): 128-137, 1998. Spring Report: Mar-May 1998.— -The observations listed here are based rare or un- usual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Soci- ety (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). As these reports are not reviewed formally, they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall ( August-No vember). Submit reports to re- gional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at billpranty@hot- mail.com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds for which they require documentation, in FFN 24(4): 132-133, 1996. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: ABS = Archbold Biological Station (Highlands), APAFR = Avon Park Air Force Range, CP = county park, DTNP = Dry Tortugas NP (Monroe), ENP = Everglades NP, EOS = end of season, FDCP = Fort DeSoto CP (Pinellas), FWBSTF = Fort Walton Beach STF (Walton), HISRA = Honeymoon Island SRA (Pinellas), NWR = national wildlife ref- uge, PPM = Polk phosphate mines, R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 = Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SGI = St. George Island (Franklin), SMNWR = St. Marks NWR (Wakulla), SP = state park, SRA = state recreation area, SRSTF = Spring- hill Road STF (Leon), STF = sewage treatment facility, WMA = wildlife management area, and N, S, E, W etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the edit- ing of the manuscript. Summary Of The Spring Season Following a mild, rainy winter that was Florida’s wettest on record, the state experi- enced a hot, dry spring that was one of its driest ever. By the end of the season, this drought caused the occurrence of a wildfire season that from a human viewpoint was Florida’s worst in 50 years. More on these fires will be included in the summer report. Fallouts were relatively unimpressive this spring with a significant exception 11-15 May. Nonetheless, a striking number of rare species was found in Florida during the sea- son. Most observers considered the migration to end late, and many reports seem to in- Field Observations 129 dicate this. Connecticut Warblers were widespread this spring; over 70 birds were reported, including a count of 30 + birds at DTNP 15 May. Amazingly, three birds will be added to the Florida state list this spring, pending FOSRC acceptance. Two of the birds, a Tropical Kingbird at FDCP 9-12 May, and a MacGillivray’s Warbler at Sanibel Island 5-17 April were seen by numerous observers, and photographed by some. The third bird, an American Tree Sparrow, was observed and reportedly photographed 15 April by a single observer and was not seen again. Two other potentially new species were reported but not verifiably recorded: a Yellow-legged Gull at Pensacola 8 April and a Common Redpoll at DTNP 15 May. Other rarities were a Pacific Loon at St. George Island, a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel beached at Pensacola, an imma- ture Red-footed Booby at DTNP, a Brant at Honeymoon Island, Hudsonian Godwits at Fort Walton Beach and Mayport, three reports of Baird’s Sandpipers, a Ruff near Tampa, a skua species off Key West, up to 6 Black Noddies at DTNP, a Lesser Nighthawk at St. George Island, a BicknelFs Thrush at Fort Clinch, and a Mourning Warbler at DTNP. A count of 72 Peregrine Falcons at Huguenot Park 4 April was unprecedented in spring. Rarities found at Fort Pickens this spring were a Pacific Loon, 2-3 Groove-billed Anis, a singing Bewick’s Wren, 5 altiloquus race Black-whiskered Vireos, a Yellow-green Vireo, a Warbling Vireo, a Townsend’s Warbler, a Western Tanager, a Black-headed Grosbeak, and 2 Shiny Cowbirds! Caribbean species observed were at least one “West Indian Short-eared Owl” and a Cuban Pewee at DTNP, La Sagra’s Flycatchers at Fort Lauderdale and Key Largo, Ba- hama Mockingbirds at Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, a Stripe-headed Tanager at Key West, and numerous Shiny Cowbirds along the Gulf coast from Pensacola to DTNP. New exotics in Florida were the breeding Purple Swamphens at Pembroke Pines, and a Black Bulbul at Merritt Island and Yero Beach. Other interesting exotics were the White-faced Whistling-Duck in Polk, a Ringed Teal at Delray Beach, and a Troupial at Sanibel Island. Species Accounts Red-throated Loon: singles at Huguenot Park, Jacksonville (Duval) 12 Mar (dead; N. Warner) and 25 Apr (R. Rowan); 1 at St. Marks NWR (Wakulla) 11 Apr (D. Morrow), Pacific Loon: 1 molting into breeding plumage at SGISP (Franklin) 9 Apr (J. Cavanagh, J. Dozier); 1 in “almost full” breeding plumage at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 23 Apr (E. Case). Common Loon: 1 in winter plumage at Sarasota Bay (Sarasota) 13 May (E. Miller). Horned Grebe: 1 on the Wekiva River (Lake and Seminole) 4 Apr (fide P. Small); 2 in breeding plumage at SGI 9 Apr ( J. Dozier, J, Cavanagh); 1 in “near breeding plumage” at Tavernier (Monroe) 9 May (fide M. Cooper). *Band-RUMPED Storm-Petrel: 1 found alive at Pensacola (Escambia) 28 Apr later died (A. Forster, specimen to Archbold Biological Station), The bird was banded in the Azores in 1993 (fide B. and L. Duncan). White-tailed Tropicbird: 1 “immature” at DTNP 16 May (D. Okines, S. Pimm et al.). Brown Booby: 1 at Canaveral National Seashore (Volusia) 9 May (J. Pace et al.). Red-footed Booby: 1 immature brown morph at Long Key, DTNP 21 Apr (P. Lehman et al.). Northern Gannet: 50 at Pepper Park (St. Lucie) 20 Mar (J. Bartlett); 7 immatures at FDCP 9 May (B. Hoffman, R. Smith, A. Smith). American White Pelican: 77 fl)dng N over SMred Island (Dixie) 16 May (R. Rowan); 22 at Merritt Island NWR (Brevard) 26 May (T. Rogers). Brown Pelican: at least 1 of 8 that wintered at Newnans Lake (Alachua) remained to 13 Apr (D. Heuer). 130 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Double-crested Cormorant: 4 nests at Orange Lake {Alachua) 2 Apr (M. Meisenburg, B. Simons), the second consecutive year of nesting there. There are only “a handful” of other nesting reports in the county {fide R. Rowan). Magnificent Frigatebird: single males over East Bay {Bay) 11 May (A. Ingram) and St. Vincent NWR {Gulf) 23 May (T. Menart et ah); 5 over Lanark Village {Franklin) 19 May (L. and S. Fleming). American Bittern: 1 at Cape San Bias {Gulf) 28 Mar (E. Fontaine, H. Loftin, T. Me- nart); 9 in one small area of Paynes Prairie State Preserve 12 Apr (S. Duncan); 2 ob- served from an airboat S of Loop Road in Big Cypress National Preserve {Miami- Dade) 14 May (J. Greenlaw, W. Post). Great Blue Heron: 6 migrating NE over Key West {Monroe) 15 Mar (J. Ondrejko). “Great White Heron:” 1 nest with 2 young at Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve (Lee) 28 Apr (P. Hinchcliff, R. Paul, A. Schnapf et ah). Scarlet Ibis: 1 at Alafia Bank {Hillsborough) 21 Mar (A. Schnapf, R. Paul, J. Kowalski). The color of the bird was not as bright as birds R. Paul has seen in Trinidad. Glossy Ibis: 1 at FWBSTF 4-9 Mar (E. Case, B. Duncan). White Spoonbill: 1 at Alafia Bank 17 Mar was described as being “in heart-stoppingly gorgeous breeding plumage” (R. Paul, A. SchnapD. Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 1 at Lake Carr {Leon) 30 May (J. Cox). White-faced Whistling-Duck: 1 unbanded bird in Polk 19 Mar-4 Apr (K. Byers et al). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 3 at Bartow {Polk) 25 Apr (P. Fellers et ah); 1 adult at St. Augustine {St. Johns) 28-29 Apr (A. Morgan, R. Van Ghent et ah); 30 at Myakka River SP {Sarasota) 9 May (C. Everly). Brant: 1 at HISRA through 15 Mar (W. Yusek et ah). Cinnamon Teal: 1 adult male at the Hamilton phosphate mines was seen last 2 Apr (D. Levey, S. Duncan). Ringed Teal {Callonetta leucophrys): 1 male at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach {Palm Beach) 10 Apr (E. Carey). Eurasian Wigeon: 1 at IMC-Agrico phosphate mine {Polk) 3 Mar (R. Paul, A. Schnapf, J. Jackson). Redhead: 1 at HISRA 7 May (A. Hansen, B. Hansen). Ring-necked Duck: 1 at PPM 9 May (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Greater Scaup: 1 at Okaloosa holding pond 9 May (D. Ware). Oldsquaw: 1 male at Choctawhatchee Bay {Walton) 14 Mar (M. Rose); 6 at Santa Rosa Sound {Escambia) 18 Mar (B. and P. Tetlow, B. Duncan). Surf Scoter: 1 male at FDCP 22 May (N. Douglass). Hooded Merganser: 2 eggs found 13 Feb in a Wood Duck box at Monsanto Sanctuary {Escambia) were removed and hatched by a chicken(l). A second box contained a fe- male incubating 12 eggs 24 Mar (both C. Davis). Osprey: 73 at PPM 24 May (P Timmer, C. Geanangel). Swallow-tailed Kite: 1 at Jacksonville 22 Mar (N. Warner). White-tailed Kite: 2 S of SR-74 near Fisheating Creek {Glades) 16 May (J. Rose, A. Kristensen). Mississippi Kite: 1 pair was nesting at Rosewood {Levy) 25 May (R. and T. Rogers). Cooper’s Hawk: 1 pair that nested at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf Breeze {Santa Rosa) {fide E. Case) was only the second nesting report in the region (B. Dun- can); 2 Pinellas nests this season: 1 unsuccessful nest attempt at Largo Narrows CP 19 Apr (P Trunk) and 1 nest that fledged 2 young at Boyd Hill Nature Park by mid- May (D. Goodwin et al). Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at DTNP 13-14 May (J. Rose, A. Kristensen). Short-tailed Hawk: 3 Buck Island Ranch {Highlands) reports: 1 light morph 3 Mar and single dark morphs 24 and 27 Mar (M. McMillian, W. Jess); 1 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve 8 Mar (B. Roberts, T. Taylor); 1 at Peace Creek Park, Homeland {Polk) 19 Apr Field Observations 131 (R Timmer, C. Geanangel); 1 light morph over New Port Richey {Pasco) 10 May (K, Tracey, photo to FOC). Crested Caracara: 1 along SR-50 just E of the St. Johns River {Brevard) 4 Mar (J. Weidlich). Peregrine Falcon: 1 near Belleview {Marion) 11 Mar (D. Steadman); 72 moving N over Huguenot Park between 0900-1400 hrs 4 Apr (B. Stoll); 1 at Hamilton phosphate mines 9 May (J. Krummrich). Common Peafowl: 1 male at New Port Richey 15 May (K. Tracey, photos to FOC). Black Rail: surveys of the central Gulf coast, mostly in Mar (B. Pranty, D. Robinson et al., note in prep.) located 25 birds at three sites: Weekiwachee Preserve {Hernando) including 9 birds 28 Mar (D. Robinson, P. Blair), Boyce-Werner Gulf Coast Preserve, Bayonet Point {Pasco), and Ozello {Citrus) 5 Apr (C. Black); singles observed at ENP {Miami-Dade) in late Mar at Mahogany Hammock (L. Manfredi) and Anhinga Trail (R. Cunningham), where 2 birds were heard 30 Apr {fide M. Cooper); 2 calling near the beginning of the boardwalk at Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve {Collier) 30 Apr {fide M. Cooper). Purple Swamphen {Porphyrio porphyrio): 1 pair with 4 chicks at Pembroke Pines {Bro- ward) 16 May. The species is native to Africa and Asia, and the Broward birds pre- sumably are escapes. Swamphens have been present at this site for over a year (K. and K. Schnitzius et ah, photos to FOC). Purple Gallinule: 8 at Rogers Park {Citrus) 22 Mar (T. Rogers); 4 at Buttonbush Marsh, St. Andrew SRA {Bay) 6 May (E. Fontaine, T. Menart, M. Mosher, H. Young). Whooping Crane: 5 near Winter Haven {Polk) 3-6 Apr (V. Booth et al.). Sandhill Crane: 1 E of Wewahitchka {Gulf) 16 and 25 May (T. Menart et al.). American Golden-Plover: 2 at FDCP 23-29 Mar (L. Atherton, L. Saul et al.); singles at PPM 7 May and 24 May (both P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Snowy Plover: 3 pairs with chicks at Cayo Costa SP {Lee) 25 May (C. Ewell). Semipalmated Plover: 1 in SW Alachua 26 May (R. Rowan). Black-necked Stilt: 4-5 pairs nesting near Zephyrhills ca. 15 May-EOS (D. Robinson et al.) were the first Pasco breeding report {fide B. Pranty). American Avocet: 1 at St. Petersburg {Pinellas) 8-29 Mar (R. Smith et al.); 135 at PPM 23 May (R Fellers). Solitary Sandpiper: singles in Leon 21 May (G. Menk) and 24 May (B. Henderson, D. Wells). WiLLET: 1 at Lake Arbuckle {Polk) 16 Mar (L. Riopelle). Spotted Sandpiper: 1 at PPM 23 May (P. Fellers). Upland Sandpiper: 2 near Columbia City {Columbia) 9 Apr (J. Krummrich); 1 at Hamil- ton phosphate mines 17 Apr (J. Ault); 1 heard only over Avon Park Air Force Range {Polk) 30 Apr (D. Perkins, R. Lockwood). Long-billed Curlew: 1 that wintered at FDCP and Shell Key was seen last 21 Mar (L. Atherton); 1 at Cedar Key 31 Mar (G. McDermott, R. Rowan, H. Adams). Hudsonian Godwit: 2 (1 in breeding plumage) at FWBSTF 22 Apr (B. Duncan); 2 in breeding plumage at Mayport {Duval) 16 May (K. Knight). Marbled Godwit: 7 at Pensacola 28 Apr (A. and D. Forster). Ruddy Turnstone: 1 at PPM 24 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Red Knot: 1 in breeding plumage at Fort Pierce Inlet SRA {St. Lucie) 10 Apr (J. Brooks). Semipalmated Sandpiper: 165 at two Leon sites 19 May {fide G. Menk); 1050 at PPM 24 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 850 at Cedar Key 25 May (R. and T. Rogers). Western Sandpiper: 140 at PPM 23 May (P. Fellers). White-rumped Sandpiper: 10 at 30 Apr-19 May (G. McDermott, R. Rowan et al.); 4 at various sites in Alachua 8-17 May (B. Muschlitz et al.); “several” E of Wewahitchka 16 May {fide T. Menart), and 1 there 25 May (A. and R. Ingram et al.); 3 at Cape San Bias 132 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 16 May (J. Cox); 8 at PPM 23 May (P. Fellers) and 3 there 24 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 5 at Cedar Key 25 May (R. and T. Rogers). Baird’s Sandpiper: 2 at HISRA 21-27 Apr (D. Gardiner et al., photos by W. Yusek); 2 at SRSTF 25 Apr (H. Horne, D. Harder); 3-4 E of Wewahitchka 16 May {fide T. Menart). Pectoral Sandpiper: 11 at Buck Island Ranch 23 Mar (M. McMillian); 1 at Carillon, St. Petersburg 11 Apr (A. and B. Hansen). Dunlin: 21 at PPM 9 May, and 1 there 24 May (both P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Stilt Sandpiper: 1 at SGISP 8 Apr (J. Dozier, J. Cavanagh); 2 at HISRA 21-23 Apr (D. Gardiner, W. Yusek et al); 11 at Hamilton phosphate mines 9 May (J. Krummrich); 1 at St. Marks NWR 13 May (J. Dozier). Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 1 at FWBSTF 9 Apr (B. Duncan). Ruff: 1 S of Tampa {Hillsborough) 8-19 Apr (E. Kwater et al.). Wilson’s Phalarope: 1 in E Polk 13 Mar (P. Fellers); 2 (1 in breeding plumage) at FWB- STF 22 Apr (B. Duncan); 1 male and 1 female, both in breeding plumage, at Myakka River SP {Sarasota) 8 May (K. Knight, D. Wassmer, L. Saul); 2 at PPM 9 May (P. Tim- mer, C. Geanangel). Red-necked Phalarope: 3 between DTNP and Key West 12 May (B, Pranty et al.). *Skua SPECIES: 1 between DTNP and Key West 14 May (J. Rose, A. Kristensen, details to FOSRC). Franklin’s Gull: 1 adult in breeding plumage at SRSTF 8-13 May (J. Cavanagh et al.). *Yellow-LEGGED Gull {Lams cachinnans): 1 adult at Pensacola Beach {Escambia) 8 Apr had “all the characteristics” of a Herring Gull “except that it had bright yellow legs and feet and a red orbital ring” (B. Duncan). Bonaparte’s Gull: 1 at Hamilton phosphate mines 9 May (J. Krummrich). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 immature at Carillon 17-29 Mar (L. Atherton et al.); 13 (all third-year or adults) at Fort Myers Beach/Little Estero Lagoon {Lee) 9 Apr (C. Ewell, N. Pettis); 1 immature at Snake Bight, ENP {Monroe) 26 Apr (P. Lehman et al.); 1 third-year bird at SGI causeway 10 May (J. Dozier). Gull-billed Tern: 1 at Cape San Bias 28 Mar (E. Fontaine, H. Loftin, T. Menart); 2 at PPM 9 May, and 9 there 24 May (both P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Royal Tern: 1 at Fanning Springs SRA {Levy) 10 Mar died later {fide C. Parenteau); 2 at PPM 9 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Common Tern: 1 first-year bird at SGI causeway 10 May (J. Dozier). Least Tern: 1 in Leon 2 Apr {fide G. Menk); first of the season at Key West 7 Apr (J. On- drejko); 2 at Lake Lochloosa {Alachua) 11 May (R. Rowan); 25-50 pairs nested at a K-mart at South Fort Myers {Lee) in May (C. Ewell). Black Tern: 2 at Gulfport Beach {Pinellas) 19 Apr (J. King et al.); 10 at Newnans Lake 9 May (A. Kratter); 4 at SGI causeway 10 May (J. Dozier); 1 at Courtney Campbell Causeway {Pinellas) 20 May (L. Snyder). Black Noddy: up to 6 at DTNP this season {fide W. Biggs). Black Skimmer: 475 at PPM 9 May (R Timmer, C. Geanangel). Eurasian Collared-DovE: 2 at Fort Pierce Inlet SRA through the season — the barrier island has not been colonized until very recently (J. Brooks); 1 at DTNP 15-18 May (D. Okines, S. Pimm et al.) White-winged Dove: 1 in Leon 11 Apr (D. and S. Jue); 1 at FWBSTF 22 Apr (B. Dun- can); 1 at HISRA 25 Apr (J. King); 1 at SGISP 1 May (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Baypoint {Bay) 2-3 May (T. Menart); 1 at FDCP 9 May (L. Atherton, C. Ewell); singles (same bird?) at Jacksonville 21 May (M. Frase) and 27 May (R. Stoll). Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 18 at FDCP 25 Apr (P. Fellers et al); “dozens” at SGI 30 Apr (R. Rowan, G. McDermott). Black-billed Cuckoo: singles at FDCP 25 Apr (A., L., and R. Smith et al.) and 1-4 May (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at DTNP 8-9 (P. Hinchcliff et al.); 1 at Sanibel Lighthouse Park {Lee) 11 May (V. McGrath); 1 at SGI 11 May (J. Krummrich). Field Observations 133 Mangrove Cuckoo: 1 at FDCP 22 Mar-25 Apr (L. Atherton et al.). Groove-billed Ani: 2-3 that wintered at Fort Pickens were seen last 21 Apr (B. Duncan et al., videotape by A. and D. Norfolk). Burrowing Owl: 3 discovered at Albert Whitted Airport, downtown St. Petersburg 25 May (L. Snyder et al.) have been present for at least 2 years, according to airport per- sonnel. This is the first report for the city. Short-eared Owl: singles at Loggerhead Key, DTNP the last 2 weeks in Apr (W. Biggs et al.) and 16 May (D. Okines, S. Pimm). Lesser Nighthawk: 1 male perched at SGISP 29 Apr (J. Cavanagh). Whip-poor-will: 2 at Crystal River 19 Apr (T. Rogers). Black-chinned Hummingbird; 1 immature male at Key West 15 Mar (J. Ondrejko). Rufous Hummingbird: 1 male at Edgewater (Volusia) 15 Nov-17 Mar (G. Dombroski); 1 that wintered at Tallahassee was seen last 20 Mar (L. Short). Belted Kingfisher: 1 near Lake Istokpoga {Highlands) 17 May (D. Perkins et aL). Red-headed Woodpecker: 1 adult at Garden Key, DTNP 13-25 Apr (L. Manfredi, P. Leh- man et al.); 1 adult at FDCP 22 Apr (W. Yusek, D. Gardiner). ^Cuban Pewee; 1 at Garden Key, DTNP 13-17 May (S. Bass, W. B. Robertson et al., vid- eotape to FOSRC). Acadian Flycatcher: 1 at Loggerhead Key, DTNP 10 May (J. Greenlaw et al.). *WlLLOW Flycatcher: 1 bird that called repeatedly at Loggerhead Key, DTNP 10-11 May (B. Pranty, W Biggs et al.). Least Flycatcher: 1 that wintered at the ENP Research Station (Miami-Dade) was seen last 25 Apr (S. Bass et al.). Empidonax SPP: 1, possibly a “Traill’s” Flycatcher at Bald Point 29 May (J. Dozier). Brown-crested Flycatcher: 1 that wintered at the ENP Research Station was seen last 3 May (S. Bass, R. Smith et al.). La Sagra’S Flycatcher: 1 at North Key Largo (Monroe) 26 Apr-EOS (W. Hoffman et ah); 1 at Hugh Taylor Birch SRA (Broward) 30 Apr-1 May (W. George, J. Baker, S. Epps et al.). *Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus): 1 at FDCP 9-12 May (L. Snyder et al., photos by L. Snyder and K. Tracey, videotape by B. Atherton, to FOSRC). This will be the first verified Florida record pending FOSRC acceptance. Western Kingbird: 18 in S Miami-Dade 21 Mar (L. Manfredi); 1 at FDCP 29 Mar (P. Blair, R. Smith, A. Smith, B. Hoffman); 1-3 that wintered at Key West remained to 7 Apr (J. Ondrejko); 3 at DTNP 15-18 May (D. Okines, S. Pimm et al.). Eastern Kingbird: 1 at FDCP 17 Mar (L. Atherton); 2 at Buck Island Ranch 22 Mar (M. McMillian). Gray Kingbird: 5 at Key West 23 Mar (J. Ondrejko); 1 at Homestead 23 Mar (L. Man- fredi). SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER: 2 that wintered at Ruskin (Hillsborough) were seen last 4 Apr (fide D. and H. Hull); 5 that wintered at Key West were seen last 7 Apr, with the final bird seen last 15 Apr (both J. Ondrejko); 2 at FDCP 13-16 Apr (L. Atherton, S. Backes et al.), and another there 11 May (K. Nelson et al.). Tree Swallow: 265 at PPM 9 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel), and 8 there 23 May (P. Fellers). Barn Swallow: 4 at Key West 31 May (J. Ondrejko). Bank Swallow: “971” S of Lake Harbor (Palm Beach) 9 May (A. Liberman); 1 at SGI 10 May (J. Dozier, D. McNair); 1 or more at Sanibel Island 11 May (V. McGrath). Cliff Swallow: 1 at Newnans Lake 5 Apr (J. Hintermister). Cave Swallow: 1 at SGI 9 Apr (J. Cavanagh). American Crow: 4 at PPM 23 May were “very rare” there (P. Fellers). Carolina Chickadee: a pair at Gainesville had a clutch of 6 eggs 19 Mar and fledged 5 young 14 Apr (R. Rowan). 134 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1 at Monticello {Jefferson) to 23 Mar, and another there 15 Apr (R. Atchison et ah); 1 at a Jacksonville feeder to 7 Apr (N. Warner). Black Bulbul {Hypsipetes madagascariensis): 1 of the white-headed race perched on a window ledge at Merritt Island NWR {Brevard) 10 Apr (M. Epstein) and the same (?) bird perched on a window ledge at Vero Beach {Indian River) in early May (G. Doyle, photo to FOC). The Vero Beach bird was banded. ^Bewick’s Wren: 1 singing at Fort Pickens 21 Mar (E. and L. Case, C. Ascherfeld et aL). Marsh Wren: 2 males singing at Babcock- Webb WMA {Charlotte) 4 Apr (C. Ewell, A. Salcedo). Veery: 1 at Crystal River 26 Mar (T. Rogers); 3 at various Gainesville sites 2-9 May (D. Beatty, M. Manetz, J. Hintermister); 1 in W Leon 9 May (B. Henderson, D. Wells). *Bicknell’S Thrush: 1 at Fort Clinch SP {Nassau) 18 May (J. Rose, A. Kristensen, de- tails to FOSRC). Swainson’S Thrush: 1 at Buck Island Ranch 20 Mar (M, McMillian); 1 singing at Sani- bel Lighthouse Park 13 May (V. McGrath). Hermit Thrush: 1 at Bald Point 7 May (J. Dozier); 1 at Tallahassee 9 May (S. Jue, F. Rutkovsky). Wood Thrush: 1 at Crystal River 26 Apr (T. Rogers); 1 at Key West 28 Apr-3 May (J. On- drejko); 1 migrant at Cedar Key 17 May (D. Henderson). American Robin: 1 in Sarasota 30 May-1 Jun (J. Palmer). Bahama Mockingbird: 1 at Birch SRA 2 May (W. George, S. Epps); 1 at Palm Beach {Palm Beach) 9 May (C. Plockelman). Common Myna: 1 pair nested in a Food Lion sign at Fort Pierce in May, the same site as in 1997 (J. Brooks). Philadelphia Vireo: 1 at Sanibel Island 20 May (L. Atherton, W Winton). *Warbling VireO: 1 at Fort Pickens 11 May (D. Ballman). *Yellow-GREEN VireO: 1 at Fort Pickens 11 May (B. Duncan, H. Barbig). Red-eyed Vireo: 15 at Crystal River 25 Mar (T. Rogers). Black-whiskered Vireo: 1 at Birch SRA 5 Mar (W. George); 5 at Fort Pickens variously 14-28 Apr were identified as the race V. a. altiloquus {fide B. Duncan); 1 at SGI 19 Apr (R. Atchison, J. Reed et al.); 1 “pair” at FDCP early May-EOS (L. Atherton et al.). Nashville Warbler: 1 at FDCP 14 Apr (L. Atherton, C. Ewell). Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1 male at Phipps Preserve {Franklin) 9 May (D. Click, D. Mc- Nair); 1 at FDCP 12 May (L. Atherton et al.). Magnolia Warbler: 1 at Cross Creek 19 Apr (J. Edwards) and 3 at Kanapaha Gardens 9 May (B. Roberts) were rare in Alachua {fide R. Rowan); 6 at FDCP 12 May (L. Ather- ton et al.). Cape May Warbler: 1 female at HISRA 5 Apr (P. Trunk). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 75 in Palm Beach 9 May {fide R. Rowan). Yellow-RUMPED Warbler: 1 in SE Leon 9 May (J. Cox); 1 male at Sarasota remained to 16 May as it “recuperated from an injured wing” (E. Miller, J. Carlock). Townsend’s Warbler: 1 adult male at Fort Pickens 27-28 Apr (B. Duncan, D. and J. Ballman). Black-throated Green Warbler: 1 at FDCP 21 Apr (L. Atherton et al.). Blackburnian Warbler: 1 at DTNP 9 May (P. Hinchcliff et al.); 1 in Miami-Dade 9 May (M. Cooper, L. Manfredi); 1 at FDCP 11 May (A. and B. Hansen); 1 at Tallahassee 25 May (F. Rutkovsky). Palm Warbler: 26 at Crystal River 26 Apr (T. Rogers). Bay-breasted Warbler: 1 singing at Kendall {Miami-Dade) 14 Apr {fide M. Cooper); 1 at Cedar Key 20 Apr (D. Henderson); 1 at SGI 1 May (J. Cavanagh), and 8 there 11 May (J. Krummrich); 4 at FDCP 12 May (L. Atherton et al.). Blackpoll Warbler: 1 at Gainesville 10 Apr (M. Meisenburg); 70 at FDCP 25 Apr (P. Fellers et al.); 80 at Jacksonville 4 May (J. Cocke); 93 in Palm Beach 9 May {fide R. Field Observations 135 Rowan); “many hundreds” at DTNP 15-18 May (W. B. Robertson et aL); 3 singing at Sarasota 20 May (E. Miller). Cerulean Warbler: 1 female at FDCP 11-12 May (L. Atherton et ah). American Redstart: 106 in Alachua and 345 in Palm Beach, both 9 May {fide R. Rowan). Worm-eating Warbler: 1 at FDCP 5 Apr (L. Snyder). Swainson’S Warbler: 4 singles in Pinellas 5 Apr- 12 May (fide R. Smith); 4 Broward re- ports 10-14 Apr, with 3 birds 12 Apr (W. George et al.). Ovenbird: 114 in Palm Beach 9 May {fide R. Rowan). Northern Waterthrush: 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve {Pinellas) 8 Mar (A. and R. Smith). Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at DTNP 21-24 Apr (P. Lehman et al.); 1 at Key West 17 May (J. Ondrejko). Kentucky Warbler: 1 male singing at Sanibel Lighthouse 10-12 Apr (C. Ewell); 1 at Seminole {Pinellas) 13 May (J. Fisher); 1 at SW Gainesville 31 May (B. Roberts). Connecticut Warbler: singles at Bonner Park 8 May (J. Fisher et al.) and 13-15 May (K. Nelson et al.); birds in Broward 9-13 May daily, with 5 birds 10 May and 7 birds 11 May (W. George et al.); 1 at North Hutchinson Island {St. Lucie) 10 May (J. Brooks); 1 at Sanibel Lighthouse Park 11-13 May (V. McGrath) and 2 others there 18 May (C. Ewell, N. Pettis); 8 in Brevard 13 May: 4 at Turkey Creek Sanctuary and 4 at Melbourne Village (S. Hills); singles at Seminole 14 May (J. Fisher, K. Nelson) and 17 May (J. Fisher); more than 30 at DTNP 15-18 May (W. B. Robertson, D. Okines, S. Pimm et al.); 6 at FDCP 16 May (L. Atherton, P. Blair), with 2 there 17 May {fide R. Smith); 1 at Captiva Island {Lee) 16 May (V. McGrath); 3 in Miami-Dade 16 May, with 2 of these at A. D. Barnes CP, where 1 lingered to 17 May {fide M. Cooper); 1 at Key Largo 19 May (L. Manfredi); 3 females at Key West 19-21 May (J. Ondrejko). Mourning Warbler: 1 male at DTNP 15 May (D. Okines, S. Pimm). MacGillivray’S Warbler {Oporornis tolmiei): 1 adult male at Sanibel Lighthouse Park 5-17 Apr (N. Pettis et al., photos and videotapes by D. and L. Stokes to FOSRC) will be the first Florida record if accepted by the FOSRC. Hooded Warbler: 1 at Seminole 13 Mar (J. Fisher). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 in Miami-Dade 9 May (J. Villamil). Canada Warbler: 1 male at Mead Gardens {Orange) 19 Apr (C. Pierce). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at St. Martin’s Buffer Preserve {Citrus) 26 Apr-2 May (T. Rogers); 1 singing at Crystal River State Buffer Preserve {Citrus) 6 May-EOS (A. and B. Hansen et al.). Northern Stripe-headed Tanager {Spindalis z. zena): 1 male at Indigenous Park, Key West 30 Apr-4 May (J. Gordon, J. Ondrejko et al.). Western Tanager: 1 male that wintered at Sanibel Island was seen last 26 Mar (D. Konz); 1 male at Melbourne Village {Brevard) 2-4 Apr (B. and S. Hills); 3 at St. George Island 10-11 Apr (J. LaVia et al.); 1 male at Fort Pickens 11 May (B. Duncan et al.). Scarlet Tanager: 1 singing at Sanibel Lighthouse Park 13 May (V. McGrath). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 male that wintered at Sanibel Island was seen last 20 Mar (D. Konz); 1 at a Sanford {Seminole) feeder 3-9 Apr (R. Grimshaw); 1 at Tallahassee 15 May (B. Henderson). Black-headed Grosbeak: l male at Fort Pickens 20 Apr (T. McCaskey). Indigo Bunting: up to 3 at a Sanford feeder 21 Feb-16 May (R. Grimshaw). Painted Bunting: 7 wintered at Haines City {Polk) with the final bird seen last 1 May (A. and H. Wheaton); up to 6 wintered at a Sanford feeder with the last bird to 30 Apr (R. Grimshaw); 1 male at St. Marks NWR 13 Apr (S. Turner); 2 at St. Martins Buffer Preserve 1 May (T. Rogers); 1 female at St. Petersburg 5-6 May (B. Hoffman). Dickcissel: 2 at DTNP 19 Apr (L. Manfredi); 1 at FDCP 20 Apr (L. Atherton, P. Blair et al.); 1 at Shired Island 6 May (R. Rowan). 136 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST *American Tree Sparrow iSpizella arborea): 1 at the lighthouse, St. Marks NWR 15 Apr (R. Bell, details and photos to FOSRC) will be the first Florida record pending FOSRC acceptance. Chipping Sparrow: 4 in N Leon to 9 May (L. Brennan); 1 at Key West 31 May (J. Ondrejko). Clay-colored Sparrow: 1 at Homestead 19 Mar (L. Manfredi). Lark Sparrow: 4 at Homestead 1 Mar (L. Manfredi). Savannah Sparrow: 1 at APAFR (Highlands) 4 May (B. Pranty). Grasshopper Sparrow: singles at FDCP 14, 19, and 21 Apr (L. Atherton, R. Smith et al.). Henslow’S Sparrow: 1 at APAFR (Polk) 9 Apr (B. Pranty). Le Conte’s Sparrow: 1 near Lake Asbury (Clay) 2 Mar (J. Krummrich). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve to 31 Mar (G. McDermott, R. Rowan, H. Adams). Swamp Sparrow: 1 at Orlando Wetlands Park (Orange) 25 Apr (C. Pierce); 1 at Ozello (Citrus) 3 May (C. Black, A. and B. Hansen). White-crowned Sparrow: 2 at HISRA 8 Apr (W. Yusek); singles at FDCP 30 Apr (R. Smith, A. Smith, B. Hoffman) and 4 May (S. Gross et ah); 1 at Lower Wekiva River State Preserve (Lake or Seminole) 2 May (fide P. Small) Dark-eyed Junco: singles at HISRA 5-8 Apr (P. Trunk et al., photo by W. Yusek) and FDCP 10 Apr (R. Smith). Bobolink: 2000 E of Sarasota 2 May (E. Miller, J. Carlock); “609” at PPM 9 May (P. Tim- mer, C. Geanangel). Red-winged Blackbird: 1 male at Loggerhead Key, DTNP 24 Apr (P. Lehman et al.). Eastern Meadowlark: 1 at FDCP 23 Mar was the first spring report for the park (L. Atherton, A. and R. Smith); 1 at Egmont Key NWR (Hillsborough) 23 Apr (J. Shrews- bury, J. Chicoine). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 male E of Sarasota (Sarasota) 28 Feb-22 Mar (J. Palmer et al.); 1 adult male at Tyndall Air Force Base (Bay) 14-15 May (S. Nishino). Shiny Cowbird: single males at Fort Pickens 8 Apr (B. Duncan) and 19 Apr (B. Brem- ser); 7 at DTNP 20-30 Apr (P. Lehman et aL); single males at FDCP 22 Apr (fide R. Paul) and 5-12 May (L. Atherton et al.); 1 male at Largo (Pinellas) 3-31 May (K. Nel- son); 1 “pair” at Bald Point 10 May (J. Dozier); 1 male at St. Marks NWR 22 May (D. Pereksth). Orchard Oriole: 13 males at Ruskin 10 Apr (K. Tracey); 17 at HISRA 10 Apr (W Yusek); 1 at St. Martins Buffer Preserve 2 May (T. Rogers). Troupial (Icterus icterus): 1 at Sanibel Lighthouse Park 20 Apr (V. McGrath). Baltimore Oriole: 1 at East Bay 23 May (A. and R. Ingram). Purple Finch: 6 at Tallahassee 11 Mar (F. Rutkovsky). House Finch: a nest at Ocala (Marion) 8 Mar contained 5 eggs 25 Mar and fledged 2 young 19 Apr (M. Paczolt); 1 male singing at Longboat Key (Manatee) 25 Mar (fide R. Paul); 1 male at Haines City to 18 Apr (A. and H. Wheaton); 1 pair at Jacksonville through the season (J. Ross). *COMMON Redpoll (Carduelis flammea): 1 at DTNP 13 May 13 (J. Rose, A. Kristensen, details to FOSRC). American Goldfinch: 1 “pair” at Monticello 18 May (R. Atchison). Contributors: Howard Adams, Carol Ascherfeld, Roger Atchison, Brooks Atherton, Lyn Atherton, John Ault, Steve Backes, Jocie Baker, Dick Ballman, Jane Ballman, Howard Barbig, John Bartlett, Sonny Bass, Dave Beatty, Robert Bell, Wes Biggs, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Vicky Booth, Bill Bremser, Leonard Brennan, Jane Brooks, Kathy By- ers, Eugenia Carey, Janet Carlock, Ed Case, Lois Case, Jim Cavanagh, Jules Chicoine, Dan Click, Julie Cocke, Mort Cooper, Jim Cox, Richard Cunningham, Chris Davis, Gail Dombroski, Nancy Douglass, Jack Dozier, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Scot Duncan, Jane Field Observations 137 Edwards^ Susan Epps, Charlie Ewell, Charlie Everly, Paul Fellers, Shawneen Finnegan, Judy Fisher, Linda Fleming, Stewart Fleming, Eula Fontaine, Ann Forster, Dan Forster, Mike Frase, Denys Gardiner, Chuck Geanangel, Wally George, Dave Goodwin, Jeff Gor- don, Jon Greenlaw, Roger Grimshaw, A! Hansen, Bev Hansen, David Harder, Bob Hend- erson, Dale Henderson, Doug Heuer, Bill Hills, Shirley Hills, Paul Hinchcliff, John Hintermister, Brett Hoffman, Howard Horne, Dotty Hull, Hank Hull, Ann Ingram, Rich- ard Ingram, Janet Jackson, Dean Jue, Sally Jue, Joyce King, Katrina Knight, Dick Konz, Joe Kowalski, Andy Kratter, Andreas Kristensen, Jerry Krummrich, Ed Kwater, Jay La- Via, Paul Lehman, Doug Levey, A1 Liberman, Ron Lockwood, Horace Loftin, Lome Malo, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, Tom McCaskey, Greg McDermott, Vince McGrath, Mike McMillian, Doug McNair, Michael Meisenburg, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Edith Miller, Amanda Morgan, Don Morrow, Mary Mosher, Barbara Muschlitz, Kris Nelson, Shirley Nishino, Alice Norfolk, Don Norfolk, David Okines, Joe Ondrejko, Jerry Pace, Mike Pac- zolt, Jeff Palmer, Craig Parenteau, Rich Paul, David Pereksth, Dustin Perkins, Neil Pet- tis, Cheri Pierce, Stuart Pimm, Cynthia Plockelman, Will Post, Bill Pranty, Judy Reed, Larry Riopelle, Bryant Roberts, William B. Robertson, Don Robinson, Ron Rogers, Tom- mie Rogers, Joshua Rose, Merilu Rose, Jamie Ross, Rex Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Arlyne Salcedo, Lillian Saul, Ann Schnapf, Kevin Schnitzius, Kim Schnitzius, Lavinia Short, Jerry Shrewsbury, Bob Simons, Parks Small, Austin Smith, Lori Smith, Ron Smith, Lee Snyder, David Steadman, Donald Stokes, Lillian Stokes, Bob Stoll, Rea Stoll, Terry Tay- lor, Betsy Tetlow, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Ken Tracey, Paul Trunk, Sandy Turner, Roger Van Ghent, Juan Villamil, Noel Warner, Doug Wassmer, Joseph Weidlich, Donna Wells, Adair Wheaton, Harriet Wheaton, Walt Winton, Glen Woolfenden, Herb Young, and Wilfred Yusek. Report prepared by Bill Praety, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billpranty@hotmaiLcom). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven, Florida 33884; email lcooper298@aoLcom), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, email duncan44@juno.com), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15* Terrace, Gainesville, Florida 32609, email afn49272@afn.org), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, email smithowl2 l@aoLcom). 138 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Naturalist 26(4): 138, 1998. REVIEWERS FOR THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST, 1998 We take this opportunity to thank those who contributed reviews during the period that Volume 26 was in preparation. Individuals who contributed two or more reviews are noted with an asterisk. Bruce H. Anderson, Wilson Baker, Robert E. Bennetts*, Gianfranco Basili, Dave Breininger, Kristen Brugger, David T. Cobb, Bobby Craw- ford*, Robert L. Curry, Randy Davidson, James Dinsmore, Michael R. Erwin, Peter C. Frederick, Jeffrey A. Gore, Jon S. Greenlaw, Jim Her- kert. Chuck Hess, Julie Hovis, James L. Ingold, Jerome Jackson, Frances C. James, John Kappes, Jim Kushlan, James N. Layne, Michael Legare, Douglas B. McNair*, D. Bruce Means, Kenneth D. Meyer*, Brian Millsap, Paul E. Moler, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Richard T. Paul, Bill Pranty, William B. Robertson, Jr.*, James A. Rodgers, Jr., Elizabeth A. Schreiber, Bill Smith*, Henry T. Smith, Eric D. Stolen, Paul W Sykes*, Jr., Brian Poland, Peter Vickery, Eric L. Walters, Tom Webber, Rick West, David Wiedenfeld, Glen E. Woolfenden*, Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., Ricardo Zambrano, and John Zimmerman. Notes 139 Florida Field Naturalist 26(4): 139-140, 1998. FIRST RECORD OF THE THICK-BILLED MURRE FROM FLORIDA Howard P. Langridge^ and Glen E. Woolfenden^ ‘1421 W Ocean Ave., Lantana, Florida 33462 ^Archhold Biological Station, Lake Placid, Florida 33862 A live Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) picked up on Hobe Sound Highway, Palm Beach Co., and later preserved provides the first record {sensu Robertson and Wool- fenden 1992, i.e., supported by tangible evidence) of the genus and species from Florida. Julia Stutevoss found the live bird on 6 December 1992 and took it to the Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital where Rebecca Elliot and Ken Christensen cared for the bird until it died on 29 December 1992. The live bird was examined by HPL and photographed (Fig. 1, West and Warner 1993) and post-mortem it was prepared as a study skin by GEW and added to the collections at Archbold Biological Station. The specimen (GEW 5872) is a fe- male (ovary 18 x 5 mm, granular; emaciated, no fat). The species-specific whitish line Figure 1. Live Thick-billed Murre captured in Florida. 140 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST along the basal edge of the upper mandible is evident in the photographs and on the study skin. The large and granular ovary suggests an adult. Four reports of murres from Florida, all of single birds, precede this record. One iden- tified a live bird only to genus; another identified a carcass as a Common Murre {U. aalge). The other two were live birds identified as Thick-billed Murres (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). The first report came from D. C. Scott, who examined a dead bird he found on the ocean beach near Ft. Pierce, St. Lucie Co., 28 December 1971 and decided it was a Common Murre. After consulting a field guide the night after his find, he realized its importance but failed to relocate the carcass (Steven- son 1972). A well-documented report accepted by the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (Powell 1986) was of a sighting by William Matthews, Gloria Hunter and HPL, who observed a Thick-billed Murre at the Lake Worth Fishing Pier, Palm Beach Co., 20 November 1976. Son Billy Matthews made the discovery near sunset and alerted the others. At times the bird swam within 6 m of the observers who studied it with binoculars and telescope, with field guide in hand. The diagnostic field marks were noted including the white line on the bill. Unfortunately no opportunity existed to pho- tograph the bird (Langridge 1977). Johnny Johnson had a close study of a bird he identi- fied as a Thick-billed Murre off Cape Canaveral, Brevard Co., 20 December 1977 (Stevenson 1978, Cruickshank 1980). Finally, A. Steadman identified a live bird along the Gulf Coast at the south end of Casey Key, Sarasota Co., 30 December 1982, as a murre of undetermined species (Hoffman 1983, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992). The Thick-billed Murre seems more likely to occur in Florida than its congener be- cause it winters farther south along the east coast of North America. The Thick-billed Murre is regular south to New Jersey and casual to South Carolina. The Common Murre is regular south only to Maine and casual to Virginia (Amer. Ornithol. Union 1983). We thank P. William Smith and William B. Robertson, Jr. for their editorial sugges- tions. Literature Cited American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American birds, 6th edi- tion. Allen Press, Lawrence. Cruickshank, A. D. 1980. The birds of Brevard County, Florida. Florida Press, Orlando. Hoffman, W. 1982. The winter season. Am. Birds 37:295. Langridge, H. P. 1977. First sighting of a Thick-billed Murre for Florida. Florida Field Nat. 5:19. Powell, P. 1986. FOS records committee report. Florida Field Nat. 14:107-109. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithol. Soc. Special Pub. No. 6. Stevenson, H. [M,]. 1972. The winter season. Am. Birds 26:595. Stevenson, H. [M.]. 1972. The winter season. Am. Birds 32:341. Stevenson, H. M., and B. A. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. West, R., and N. Wamer 1993. The winter season. Am. Birds 47:251-252, (Editor’s notei This note was reprinted in full, because the figure was inadvert- ently left out of the original printing in FFN 26(3):88-89.) Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738^999x PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor; R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Associate Editor (for reviews): Reed BOWMAN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Associate Editor (for technical papers): ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792. Associate Editor; Trina M. Cassels, 5827 Louvinia Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Editor of Special Publications; Glen E. Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter; Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee; WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: PETER G. MERRITT (Chair), 8558 SE Sharon St., Kobe Sound, Florida 33455. Field Observations Committee; Bill Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee; H. James Sigsbee (Chair), 888 Brickell Key Dr., #1711, Miami, Florida 33131. Nominating Committee: John Douglas (Chair), 3675 1=‘ Ave. NW, Naples, Florida 34120-2709. Records Committee; Lyn Atherton (Managing Secretary), 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger (Co-chair), Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899: Gian Basili (Co-chair), Florida Audubon Soci- ety, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Conservation Committee: David LEONARD, 220 NW 14th Ave., Gainesville, Florida 32601. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and VoL 18, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. 3 9088 00996 426 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 26, No. 4 November 1998 Pages 109-140 CONTENTS NOTES Double-clutching and Double-brooding in Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in Florida Louis F Phillips Jr., Joseph Tomcho Jr., and Jeffrey R. Walters 109-113 Diagnosis and Management of a Small Epizootic of Salmonellosis in Passerines Scott P. Terrell, Marilyn G. Spaulding, and Donald J. Forrester ................. 114-116 Second Breeding Locality of Cliff Swallows in Florida Thomas E. Lewis and Douglas B. McNair 117-121 The Occurrence of Snail Kite Nests with Four Fledglings in Florida Victoria J. Dreitz and Malene R. Shannon 122-123 Observed Nesting of the Snail Kite in Eastern Orange County, Florida Mark D. Sees and Dorothy W. Freeman 124-125 Blue Grosbeak Dustbathing William Post 126 Inedible Objects Offered during Courtship Feeding by Black Skimmers Fred H. Groves 127 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Spring Report: March to May 1998 Bill Pranty 128-137 REVIEWERS FOR THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST, 1998 138 ERRATA First record of the Thick-billed Murre from Florida Howard P. Langridge and Glen E. Woolf enden 139-144 C-irJit Florida Field Natural! PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 1 February 1999 Pages 1-36 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Vice-President: JAN WOOLFENDEN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Secretary: Eric D. STOLEN, Florida Coop Unit & Dynamic Corp., Dept. Wildlife and Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450. Treasurer: SEAN RoWE, 4845 Rayburn Road, Cocoa, Florida 32926. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1999 Bobbie Kittleson, 5334 Woodhaven Lane, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Camille Sewell, 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2000 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 2458 Econ Cir. Apt. 132, Orlando, Florida 32817-2653. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2001 Gian Basili, Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Lillian Saul, 5106 Vinson Drive, Tampa, Florida 33610. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden, 1994. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., P.O. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 1 February 1999 Pages 1-36 Florida Field Naturalist 27(l):l-9, 1999. AERIAL ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW HABITAT: CONSERVATION IN A FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPE W. Gregory Shriveri>3 And Peter D. Vickery^ ^ ^Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, Holdsworth Natural Resource Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 ^Center for Biological Conservation, Massachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 ABTRACT.— The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum florida- nus) is endemic to dry prairie habitat of central Florida. This year-round resident is de- pendent on dry prairie habitat for all stages of its life history and is considered endangered because of habitat loss and consequent population decline (Federal Register 1986). Dry prairie habitat once occupied an estimated 0.83 million ha throughout central Florida (Davis 1967), but its current status is unclear. Because only four populations of Florida Grasshopper Sparrow are currently protected, it is important to identify any re- maining fragments of dry prairie habitat that might aid in the conservation of this en- dangered taxon. In 1995, six aerial surveys were flown in the former range of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow to identify and rank potential dry prairie areas for breeding grass- hopper sparrows. Of 138,000 ha surveyed, we found 64,000 ha in high quality habitat, 40,000 ha in marginal habitat, and 34,000 ha unsuitable for breeding grasshopper spar- rows. Including already protected sparrow populations, we estimate that 156,000 ha of dry prairie habitat existed in 1995 (approximately 19% of the original area). In our aerial surveys we found five large areas that retain the native vegetation needed by breeding grasshopper sparrows. Thus, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 1988 recovery plan goal of 10 populations with at least 50 breeding pairs remains a major conservation challenge that is unlikely to be achieved without intensive habitat conservation initiatives, includ- ing acquisition, and habitat restoration. Dry prairie and pine flatwoods of Florida once constituted the most extensive terrestrial ecosystems in central Florida (Abrahamson and ^Present Address: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York 13210 1 2 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Hartnett 1990). Characterized by low, flat topography, these ecosys- tems grade into each other in response to precipitation, drainage, soil types, and fire, creating a mosaic of prairie-flatwood associations (Abrahamson and Hartnett 1990). Dry prairies are treeless expanses of bunch grasses, low shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Flatwoods have a similar understory, but with a pine {Pinus elliottii, and P. palustris) overstory. The conditions that create treeless dry prairies instead of flatwoods have not been clearly identified, but the frequency and inten- sity of fire are probably primary influences (Abrahamson and Hartnett 1990). Pine trees readily colonize dry prairies that have not been burned for more than five years or that were burned under low inten- sity fire (W. G. Shriver pers. obs.). The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus), a dry prairie endemic, was listed as federally endangered in 1986 (Federal Register 1986) primarily because of habitat loss and population decline. The recovery plan adopted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS 1988) recommended conserving sufficient habitat to protect 10 populations of at least 50 breeding pairs in each population. In 1985, nine sites, with a total of 182 singing male grass- hopper sparrows, were identified in central Florida (Delany et al. 1985, Delany and Cox 1986). At the time of this study (1995), three sites. Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (Three Lakes), Avon Park Air Force Range (Avon Park), and The National Audubon Society’s Ord- way-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary ( Or d way- Whitt all), were protected (7,400 ha dry prairie total). In 1996, a fourth site, Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve, which occupies >12,000 ha of dry prairie habi- tat, was purchased by the State of Florida as part of the State Conser- vation and Recreation Lands (CARL) program. The numbers of singing males estimated for these sites ranged from 1 (Ordway-Whittell) to 116 (Three Lakes) (Table 1). Avon Park supported two separate popula- tions: Delta/OQ Range with 40, (Vickery and Perkins 1997) and Echo Range with 72 singing males (Vickery and Shriver 1994). The number of territories at Ordway-Whittell declined over a three-year study from 1993 to 1995 (Shriver 1996), and only one male was counted in 1998 (D. Perkins pers. comm.). These estimates and information from Florida’s Breeding Bird Atlas (Kale et al. 1992) suggest that currently protected dry prairie habitat will not adequately provide for the long-term sur- vival of this endangered sparrow (Cox et al. 1994). In order to meet the USFWS recovery plan goal of 10 breeding sparrow populations, it is necessary to identify the location, size, and quality of the remaining grasshopper sparrow habitat. An earlier at- tempt to use satellite imagery to locate and quantify remaining dry prairie habitats important to Florida Grasshopper Sparrow popula- tions did not accurately delineate sparrow habitat (Cox et al. 1994). Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Habitat Conservation 3 Table 1. Number of singing male Florida Grasshopper Sparrows at four pro- tected sites in central Florida. SITE GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS (singing males) PRAIRIE (ha) REFERENCE Avon Park AF Range Delta/OQ 40 700 Vickery and Perkins 1997 Echo 72 887 Vickery and Shriver 1994 Three Lakes WMA 116 4,000 Walsh et al. 1995 National Audubon Society Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary 1 1,000 D. Perkins pers. comm. 1998 Kissimmee Prairie State > 100 12,000 D. Perkins pers. Preserve comm. 1998 Satellite information did not discriminate dry prairie from areas with scattered pine trees and fallow pastures, neither of which are often oc- cupied by breeding grasshopper sparrows (Cox et al. 1994). To better determine the location and extent of remaining dry prairie, we con- ducted aerial surveys within eight central Florida counties, identified dry prairie habitat remnants, and ranked the quality of these areas for potential grasshopper sparrow breeding habitat. Methods The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) provided a database of potential natu- ral areas (PNAs) of dry prairies (Steve Orzel pers. comm.) that we used for our survey. FNAI personnel used black and white aerial photographs (1:24,000) taken in 1992-1993 to identify PNAs that had native vegetation cover, which were then transcribed on De- partment of Transportation county maps and digitized. We queried the FNAI database in the 12-county area of the former range of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Figure 1) to locate dry prairie PNAs. These areas were then identified on a Florida Atlas and Gaz- etteer for reference during aerial surveys (DeLorme Mapping 1989). Four of the 12 coun- ties (Collier, Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota) did not have dry prairie PNAs and were not surveyed from the plane. All 17 PNA’s observed from the air in this study were in private ownership. Six aerial surveys were flown between 1 May and 31 July 1995. Each flight was longer than four hours, and flight altitude was decreased to an elevation of 300 m to view a dry prairie PNA. Although we searched the landscape for suitable Florida Grass- hopper Sparrow habitat in addition to the FNAI PNAs, we did not find any. We classified dry prairie PNAs into the three categories (high, marginal, and poor quality) defined be- low based on the presence of native vegetation, recent fire history, fragment size, and contiguity. High Quality Sites = vegetation dominated by native grasses, recent fire, greater than 100 ha in size, and contiguous with another dry prairie site. 4 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 1. Map of the remaining Florida Grasshopper Sparrow habitat based on six aerial surveys flown in 1995. Currently protected sits (with breeding spar- rows) and habitat quality estimates of the remaining breeding sparrow habitat are shown. Marginal Sites = native vegetation, recent fire, and less than 100 ha but greater than 25 ha. Poor Quality Sites = invasive exotic vegetation, no fire (shrub dominated cover), isolated. Not potential sparrow habitat. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Habitat Conservation 5 Results and Discussion We surveyed 138,000 ha of potential dry prairie habitat on 17 pri- vately owned PNAs in eight central Florida counties (Figure 1). Of the privately owned PNAs, 64,000 ha (46%) were high-quality grasshopper sparrow breeding habitat, 40,000 ha (29%) were marginal, and 34,000 ha (25%) were either poor quality or converted to agriculture (Figure 1). With the addition of protected sites in public ownership that have suitable sparrow breeding habitat, we estimate that 156,000 ha of dry prairie habitat remained in Florida in 1995. Estimating the extent of pre-colonial habitat to determine the amount of dry prairie habitat lost is difficult. However, two estimates of the historic extent of dry prairie exist. Davis (1967) estimated that 0.83 million ha of dry prairie habitat existed in pre-settlement Florida (Kautz et al. 1993) while Crumpacker et al. (1988) estimated that 1.1 million ha of palmetto prairie habitat historically existed in the United States. This figure may be an overestimate of the amount of dry prairie habitat because it includes the entire state Florida and potentially other regions where palmetto prairie exists. Since the Davis (1967) es- timate is clearly within the state of Florida and restricted to the former range of dry prairie, we use this estimate to attempt to determine the amount of dry lost prairie from presettlement to 1995. Kautz et al. (1993) used Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery (1985-1989) to determine the percent cover of 22 land cover types in Florida. They estimated that 561,000 ha of dry prairie remained, representing a loss of 269,000 ha (33%) of the original area. Our 1995 estimate of 156,000 ha of dry prairie represents an additional loss of 405,000 ha and indi- cates that only 19% of historical dry prairie remained in 1995. Effective management for the long-term persistence of an endan- gered species relies not only on knowledge of a species’ biology, but also on the identification and prioritization of potential sites for conserva- tion action. Presently, four protected populations of Florida Grasshop- per Sparrows exist with three PNAs ranked as high quality sparrow habitat. Thus, the 1988 USFWS goal of 10 populations with at least 50 breeding pairs is still a major conservation challenge unlikely to be achieved without concerted prairie habitat conservation initiatives, in- cluding habitat acquisition, and habitat restoration. Delany (1993) es- timated that Three Lakes and Avon Park were the only two sites that supported more than 50 breeding pairs. Ordway-Whittell was also listed as a potential site with habitat to support a large population of breeding sparrows (Cox et al. 1994). By 1997 however, the grasshopper sparrow population at this site had declined from 11 singing males 1993 (Shriver 1996) to 1 singing male in 1998 (D. Perkins, unpubl. data). This decline was primarily the result of an artificial dike that in- 6 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST undated sparrow habitat with unnaturally high water levels (Paul Grey pers. comm.). Until this site is restored to a more natural hydro- logic condition, its potential to support a large breeding population of sparrows will be limited. When designing a system of reserves to protect the habitat and populations of an endangered species, it is critical to consider essential biological requisites of rare species (Shafer 1990), in this case area re- quirements and dispersal abilities. Generally, grasshopper sparrows occupy large tracts of open grasslands and avoid narrow fragmented patches (Peterjohn and Rice 1991). Research in Illinois (Herkert 1994) and Maine (Vickery et al. 1994) has documented that Grasshopper Sparrows do not occupy small grasslands. In Florida, Delany et al. (1985) suggested that 240 to 1,348 ha of contiguous dry prairie habitat was needed to support a breeding population of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Based on territory size estimates, at least 600 ha was needed to support 50 breeding pairs (Delany 1993). The apparent sen- sitivity of this species to habitat area makes conservation of large prai- rie remnants paramount for increasing the long-term viability of this sparrow. The notably sedentary nature of this bird reduces the probability that unoccupied prairie habitats will be readily colonized (Vickery and Dean 1997). This conclusion is further supported by DNA analysis that found genetic differences between two sparrow populations (Echo Range and Delta/OQ Range) within Avon Park, sites that are no more than 12 km apart (Vallianatos 1997). This is the shortest distance be- tween any of the existing breeding populations, indicating that connec- tivity sufficient to facilitate gene flow between breeding sites is very limited or does not exist. This survey has demonstrated that large prairie remnants with native vegetation only occur on three remaining unprotected sites (1 high quality site in each of the following counties; Osceola, Desoto, and Glades, Figure 1). Therefore, active conservation initiatives and acqui- sition of all remaining dry prairie habitat should be a major conserva- tion priority. This study supports Cox et aUs (1994) assertion that conservation of dry prairie habitat should be a top priority in this re- gion. In addition, this study makes it clear that protection of existing native prairie is unlikely to be adequate for achieving the goals of the USFWS recovery plan. Including the three high quality sites and the four presently protected sites, it appears that three additional sites will have to be restored before the USFWS recovery goal of 10 breeding populations can be achieved. Recent dry prairie initiatives. — -In 1996, a landmark dry prairie and central Florida conservation plan was completed. In a cooperative initiative between the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conser- Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Habitat Conservation 7 vancy, and the State of Florida Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) program, a 21,000 ha ranch was acquired by the State of Flor- ida, the Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve. This state preserve protects the area between Avon Park and Ordway-Whittell (Figure 1). This ac- quisition has created a protected wilderness area in central Florida and may link two known breeding grasshopper sparrow populations. The State CARL plan has also secured a conservation easement on the Brighthour Ranch (only high quality habitat in DeSoto County, Figure 1) and added another site (Bombing Range Ridge and Flatwoods) adja- cent to Avon Park Air Force Range and Kicco Wildlife Management Area, where Florida Grasshopper Sparrows have been identified. These initiatives have substantially increased the area and distribu- tion of dry prairie habitat under protection, and secured the fourth site known to support Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Conservation considerations.— Because restoration of “improved” pastures and other degraded sites will evidently be necessary to achieve the goals of the USFWS recovery plan, it will be critical to con- sider the landscape context of these sites. The spatial configuration of all sites needs to be carefully considered, including providing for ade- quate connectivity between existing sites, two of which are very iso- lated. Although sparrows are known to move widely within prairie fragments in the nonbreeding season, evidence to date suggests that this taxon does not readily move beyond these fragments (Vickery and Dean 1997). Given these very limited dispersal tendencies, it is unclear what will constitute an adequate corridor for this endangered taxon. This is a topic that has not been studied, but requires attention. We suggest that future restoration sites should be sited within the present matrix of remaining dry prairie habitat, and sites in Okeechobee, Highlands, se. Polk, and s. Osceola counties appear to provide the best potential for sparrow habitat restoration. The two major breeding sites at Avon Park (Echo and Delta/OQ ranges) appear to function as two separate populations, thus it would be particularly advantageous to re- store additional prairie sites at Avon Park. In the 1960s, nearly 9,000 ha at Avon park were planted with an introduced form of North Florida Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) for commercial forestry purposes, supplant- ing much of the native prairie at this site (Avon Park 1994). Restora- tion of these plantations to dry prairie habitat provides an obvious opportunity to both increase the number of sparrow breeding sites and to improve connectivity between existing sites that are currently sepa- rated by 12 km. Given the loss of approximately 81% of native dry prairie in Flor- ida, it seems clear that, in addition to site-specific management, land- scape-level planning and implementation throughout interior central Florida will be essential if endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrows 8 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST and the biologically diverse ecosystem that they inhabit are going to persist. We hope these results will encourage conservation planners and dry prairie land managers in Florida to take a broader, landscape- level perspective of the conservation issues surrounding Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows. Although site specific management is very impor- tant, it has received considerable attention and study, and site management has been generally effective in maintaining high quality sparrow habitat. But it now seems clear that these efforts will be insuf- ficient without a broader, more regional approach to this critical con- servation issue. Acknowledgments We thank FNAI for use of its facilities and data, and Steve Orzel who provided impor- tant suggestions early in the project. Jim Cox (FGFWFC) provided valuable suggestions and references throughout this project. Joan Morrison provided flying time, without which this project would not have been possible. Thanks to the Natural Resource Flight of the Avon Park Air Force Range and The Nature Conservancy Lake Wales Ridge Office. Scott Taylor and Dan Layfield from FNAI provided Geographic Information Systems maps and coverages. We thank Paul Steblein and Rick Schaffler from the Region 5 US- FWS GIS Laboratory for access to the laboratory and facilities. Jim Cox, George Tanner, James Gibbs, and Todd Engstrom provided valuable comments that greatly improved this manuscript. Literature Cited Abrahamson, W. G., and D. C. Hartnett. 1990. Pine flatwoods and dry prairies. Pages 103-149 in Ecosystems of Florida. L. Myers and J. J. Ewels, Eds.). University of Cen- tral Florida Presses, Orlando. Anonymous. 1994. The integrated natural resources management plan for Avon Park Air Force Range. Unpubl. report. Avon Park Air Force Range, Avon Park. Anonymous. 1992. Florida Land Cover. Nongame Wildlife Program, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. Cox, J., R. Kautz, M. MacLaughlin, and T. Gilbert. 1994. Closing the gaps in Flor- ida’s wildlife habitat conservation system. Office of Environmental Services, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. Crumpacker, D. W., S. W. Hodge, D. Friedley, and W. P. Gregg, Jr. 1988. A prelimi- nary assessment of the status of major terrestrial and wetland ecosystems on Federal and Indian lands in the United States. Conservation Biology: 103- 115. Davis, J. H. 1967. General map of natural vegetation of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Experiment Stations, Circular S-178, University Florida, Gainesville. Delany, M. F. 1993. Florida grasshoppersparrowpopulation survey. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Final Performance Report No. 7513, Tallahassee. Delany, M. F., and J. A. Cox. 1986. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow breeding distribution and abundance in 1984. Florida Field Naturalist 14:100-104. Delany, M. F., H. M. Stevenson, and R. McCracken. 1985. Distribution, abundance, and habitat of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Journal of Wildlife Management 49:626-631. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Habitat Conservation 9 DeLorme Mapping Company. 1989. Florida Atlas and Gazetteer. Third edition. De- Lorme Mapping, Freeport. Federal Register. 1986, Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; determina- tion of endangered status of the Florida grasshopper sparrow. Federal Register 51 (147):27492-27495. Herkert, J. R. 1994, The effects of habitat fragmentation on midwestern grassland bird communities. Ecological Applications 4:461-471. Kale, H. W., II, B. Pranty, P. W. Smith, and C. W. Biggs. 1992. An atlas of Florida’s breeding birds. Final report. Nongame Wildlife Program, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. Kautz, R. S., D. T. Gilbert, and G. M. Mauldin. 1993. Vegetative cover in Florida based on 1985-1989 Landsat thematic Mapper Imagery. Florida Scientist, 56(3): 135- 154. Peterjohn, B, G., and D. L. Rice. 1991. The Ohio breeding bird atlas. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus. Shafer, C. L. 1990. Nature reserves: island theory and conservation practice. Smithso- nian Institution Press, Washington, D. C. Shriver, W. G. 1996. Habitat selection of Florida Grasshopper {Ammodramus savan- narum floridanus) and Bachman’s sparrows (Aimophila aestivalis). Masters Thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. U. S, Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. Recovery plan for Florida Grasshopper Spar- row. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta. Vallianatos, M. 1997. Conservation genetic analyses of the Grasshopper Sparrow. Hon- ors Thesis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Vickery, P. D., M. L. Hunter, Jr., and S. M. Melvin. 1994. Effects of habitat area on the distribution of grassland birds in Maine. Conservation Biology 8:1087-1 097. Vickery, P. D., and T. F. Dean. 1997. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow winter ecolo- gyproject. Annual report, 1996-1997 field season, Avon Park Air Force Range, Avon Park. Vickery, P. D., and D. W. Perkins. 1997. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow: minimum pop- ulation estimate at Avon Park Air Force Range and effects of herbivory and summer fires on breeding ecology - 1996 field season. Final Report to Avon Park Air Force Range, Avon Park. Vickery, P. D., and W. G. Shriver. 1994. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow monitoring pro- tocol. Final Report, Avon Park Air Force Range, Avon Park. Walsh, P. B., D. A. Darrow, and J. G. Dyess. 1995. Habitat selection by Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows in response to fire. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 10 NOTES Florida Field Naturalist 27(1):10-13, 1999. NESTING SUCCESS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF FLORIDA SANDHILL CRANES ON NATURAL AND DEVELOPED SITES IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA Brian Toland' U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, R O. Box 2676 Vero Beach, Florida 32961-2676 The Florida Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) is most frequently associ- ated with prairies and pastures interspersed with emergent palustrine wetlands domi- nated by pickerel weed (Pontederia lanceolata) and maidencane (Panicum hemitomon) (Nesbitt 1996, Stys 1997). Sandhill Cranes require freshwater wetlands for nesting and roosting, while adjacent upland prairies, improved pasture, croplands, and open pine forests are utilized for feeding (Layne 1981, 1983). Water depth and seasonal food avail- ability are the most important factors influencing seasonal shifts in habitat use (Ben- nett 1992). Loss of habitat through urbanization and intensive agricultural conversions has resulted in an increasing number of Florida Sandhill Cranes using suburban and urban landscapes (Stys 1997). As a result, Sandhill Cranes can be found inhabiting such areas as airports, residential subdivisions, golf courses, and farms (Toland 1991, Stys 1997). Much of the mitigation for development-related impacts to wetlands consists of onsite creation or enhancement of wetlands, including excavation of retention/detention ponds, lakes, and created littoral shelves or fringe wetlands. Often the documented presence of nesting or roosting Florida Sandhill Cranes in artificial wetlands is cited as an indicator of successful habitat mitigation. The results of this study suggest that nest- ing success and productivity of Florida Sandhill Cranes in sites associated with develop- ment are significantly lower than cranes inhabiting undisturbed native wetland habitats. The mere presence of roosting or nesting Florida Sandhill Cranes in created or enhanced artificial wetlands associated with development is not necessarily indicative of suitable habitat quality or quantity. In reality, these disturbed habitats may be repro- ductive sinks for Florida Sandhill Cranes inhabiting development-related landscapes. I monitored Florida Sandhill Crane nests in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Osceola, and southern Brevard counties from 1987 through 1994. Each wetland was searched for signs of paired cranes with 10 x binoculars. I categorized nest sites as either natural (undisturbed habitat) or developed (suburban residential or com- mercial developments). When a Sandhill Crane nest was located, I recorded the stage of nesting, nesting substrate, distance to the nearest upland vegetation, and distance to the nearest human development. Subsequent visits were made to each nest site to docu- ment the fate of each nesting attempt. I used an average 30-day incubation period and a 10-week fledging period to estimate nesting dates (Tacha et al. 1992, Nesbitt 1996). Nesting success was defined as the percentage of all nesting attempts to fledge at least one young. Annual production was calculated as the number of fledglings that survived to independence at approximately 9 to 10 months of age (Tacha et al. 1992, Nesbitt 1996, Stys 1997). 'Current address: Brevard County, Office of Natural Resources Management, Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. A, Viera, Florida 32940. Notes 11 The two most important habitats to Florida Sandhill Cranes are shallow wetlands dominated by pickerelweed and maidencane, interspersed with grasslands or transi- tional pine flatwoods. In southeast Florida, Sandhill Cranes nested in isolated wetlands adjacent to either pastures/prairies or pine flatwoods. All crane nests that were catego- rized as natural sites were found in these landscapes. Sandhill Cranes also nested in the littoral zones of man-made residential ponds, lakes, and retention/detention ponds in suburban developments. Most of these artificial wetlands received run-off from adja- cent golf courses, streets, and lawns, facilitating encroachment by cattails (Typha spp) and woody plants. I categorized all nests in these landscapes as developed sites. A total of 73 nesting attempts was documented during this study, including 42 in natural habitats and 31 in developed areas. The mean incubation initiation date for cranes nesting in natural habitats was February 26, the mean hatching date was March 28, and the mean fledging date was June 6 (Table 1). Nesting phenology for Florida Sandhill Cranes in natural habitats in this study was similar to those reported by Walkinshaw (1982) for nests on the Kissimmee Prairie (mean nest initiation date = 23 February, range = 7 January to 21 April). In this study. Sandhill Crane pairs in natural habitats nested more than a month earlier than those pairs nesting in developed sites (Table 1). Nesting cranes in optimal habitat may accu- mulate endogenous resources necessary for reproduction sooner and therefore nest ear- lier than cranes in less suitable, disturbed lands. Conversely, later nesting by cranes in developed sites may be related to the higher frequency of human-related disturbances and the time required for each nesting pair of cranes to acclimate. Selection of subopti- mal and marginal nest sites by Florida Sandhill Cranes may be indicative of young, inexperienced, or subordinate nesting pairs (Nesbit pers. comm,, Toland 1991). Irregular or threatening sources of disturbance may cause interrupted incubation (Toland 1991) or flush adults from the nest site (Stys 1997). Sandhill Cranes flush in response to human intruders at a distance of from 10 to 250 feet (3 to 75m) from the nest (Stys 1997, Toland, pers. observ.). Subsequent to flushing, adult cranes may remain off the nest for 15 minutes to three hours (Walkinshaw 1985, Dwyer and Tanner 1992). These behavioral responses can significantly delay crane nesting attempts or even cause nest abandonment (Toland 1 991, Toland 1993, Stys 1997). Florida Sandhill Cranes in natural habitats were more successful breeders and pro- duced more fledglings per pair than did those pairs nesting in developed sites (Table 2). Other studies in natural habitats in Florida reported smaller brood sizes of 1.42 (Layne 1982) and 1.26 (Bishop and Collopy 1987). Nesbitt (1992) reported an annual production rate of 0.51 for known breeding pairs of cranes in north-central Florida. Sandhill crane nesting success was significantly higher in natural habitats (67%, 28 of 42 nests) than in developed sites (26%, 8 of 31 nests) (x^ = 17.17, P<0.01, df = 1). Table 1. Nesting phenology of Florida Sandhill Cranes in natural habitat ver- sus developed sites, 1987-1994. Nesting Stage Natural Sites in = 42) Developed Sites (^ = 31) Incubation initiation Mean: February 26 Range: Jan. 5-Apr. 30 Mean: April 3 Range: Feb. 8-May 29 Hatching Mean: March 28 Range: Feb. 4-May 30 Mean: May 3 Range: Mar. 10- June 29 Fledging Mean: June 6 Range: Apr. 15-Aug. 1 Mean: July 16 Range: May 20-Sept. 7 12 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 2. Nesting success and productivity of Florida Sandhill Cranes in natu- ral versus developed sites in southeastern Florida, 1987-1994. Nesting variable Natural sites Developed Sites Nests in) 42 31 Mean clutch size 1.93 1.84 Mean brood size 1.57 1.19 Mean fledgling production^ 0.86 0.32 Mean annual production^ 0.45 0.16 Woung >10 weeks old. independent young. Although some Sandhill Cranes may adapt to development-modified landscapes in close proximity to humans, the overall nesting productivity of Sandhill Cranes nesting in altered sites such as golf courses, lawns, intensive agricultural areas, and suburban or urban created wetlands is usually reduced (Nesbitt 1996). Cranes nesting in devel- oped sites probably face a wider range of nest disturbances than those pairs in natural habitats. Both habitat quantity and quality are important factors regulating Florida Sandhill Crane populations by influencing nesting effort, nesting success, and survival of young (Tacha et al. 1992). Not only do these suburban cranes face typical “natural” limiting factors such as inclement weather, fluctuating water levels, and native preda- tors, they also encounter domestic pets, automobile traffic, maintenance equipment, power lines, fences, pedestrian intruders, and environmental contaminants (Tacha et al. 1992, Nesbitt 1996). If the amount or condition of either wetland or upland habitat is not adequate to support a family of cranes, they will leave the defended territory to forage elsewhere for extended periods (Nesbitt and Williams 1990). This additional energy expenditure may reduce endogenous resources needed for egg production or cause complete nest abandonment. Individual pairs of cranes react to human distur- bances differently (Stys 1997), but even more subtle perturbations may extend incuba- tion enough to significantly lower hatchability or nestling survival rates (Toland 1991, Stys 1997). Long-term viability of the Florida Sandhill Crane in southeast Florida is in question due to the increasing rate of habitat loss and modification due to commercial and resi- dential development. Wetland filling, draining, or degradation, and upland habitat frag- mentation have forced more Florida Sandhill Cranes to roost or nest in suboptimal habitats and travel greater distances to find adequate foraging sites. As a result, an expanding component of the Florida Sandhill Crane population in southeast Florida is now using suburban and urban areas. This study suggests that the mere presence of nesting Florida Sandhill Cranes in mitigation wetlands on developed lands may be misleading with regard to long-term population viability. These apparently suboptimal, man-made habitats may simply pro- vide nest sites for young, inexperienced, subordinate, or surplus Florida Sandhill Cranes to attempt to breed with success rates and annual productivity too low to com- pensate for natural and human-related mortality rates. Therefore, these development- related habitats may function as reproductive sinks, reducing the overall breeding fit- ness of Florida Sandhill Crane populations in southeast Florida. Long-term statewide surveys of Florida Sandhill Cranes in natural versus artificial landscapes are needed to determine how increased use of suboptimal habitat may influence the demography of the Florida population of this subspecies. Notes 13 Acknowledgments. — I appreciate the helpful editorial comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript by R. T, Engstrom, J, N. Layne, and S. A. Nesbitt. I thank L. D. Toland for dedicated field assistance. Literature Cited Bennet, a. J. 1992. Habitat used by Florida Sandhill Cranes in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. Pp. 121- 29 in Proc. 1988 North American Crane Workshop. (D, A. Wood, Ed.) Florida. Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lake Wales. Bishop, M. A., and M. W. Collopy. 1987. Productivity of Florida Sandhill Cranes on three sites in central Florida. Pp. 257-263 in Proc. 1985 Crane Workshop. (J. C. Lewis, ed.) Platte River Whooping Crane Habitat Maintenance Trust and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Island. Dwyer, N. C., and G. W. Tanner 1992. Nesting success in Florida Sandhill Cranes. Wil- son Bulletin 104:22-31. Layne, j. a. 1981. Nesting, development of the young, and parental behavior of a pair of Florida Sandhill Cranes. Florida Field Naturalist 9:51-75. Layne, J. A. 1982. Dry ground nests of Florida Sandhill Cranes. Florida Field Naturalist 10:55-56. Layne, J. A. 1983. Productivity of Sandhill Cranes in south central Journal Wildlife Management 47:178-185. Nesbitt, S. A. 1992. First reproductive success and individual productivity in Sandhill Cranes. Journal Wildlife Management 56:573-577. Nesbitt, S. A. 1996. Florida Sandhill Crane. Pages 219-229 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 5, Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Nesbitt, S. A., and K. S. Williams. 1990. Home range and habitat use of Florida San- dhill Cranes. Journal Wildlife Management 54:92-96. Stys, B. 1997. Ecology of the Florida Sandhill Crane. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Nongame Wildlife Program Technical Report. 15. Tallahassee. Tacha, T. C., S. a. Nesbitt, and P. A.Vohs. 1992. Sandhill Crane, in The birds of North America, No. 31 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gills, Eds.) Academy of Natural Sci- ence; Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington D.C. Toland, B. R. 1991. An unusual nest site of the Florida Sandhill Crane in southeastern Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 19:10-12. Toland, B. R. 1993. Nesting phenology, productivity, and success in Florida Sandhill Cranes in south-central Florida, 1987-1993. Unpubl. rep. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Vero Beach. Walkinshaw, L, H. 1982. Nesting of the Florida Sandhill Crane in central Florida. Pa- per 53-62 in Proceeding of the 1981 Crane Workshop (J. C. Lewis, Ed.). National Au- dubon Society, Tavernier. Walkinshaw, L. H. 1985. Nest attentiveness by Florida Sandhill Cranes. Florida Field Naturalist 13:67-68. 14 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Florida Field Naturalist 27(1):14-16, 1999. BARBOUR’S MAP TURTLE IN THE DIET OF NESTING BALD EAGLES D. Bruce Means^’^ and Anne Harvey^ ^Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy, 1313 N. Duval Street Tallahassee, Florida 32303 ^St. Joseph State Park, 8899 Cape San Bias Rd. Port St. Joe, FL 32456 A recent survey of amphibians and reptiles preyed upon by North American raptors (Ross 1991) revealed quite a few species of turtles in the diet of the bald eagle (Haliaee- tus leucocephalus). Of 14 species of reptiles, 10 (71%) were turtles (Clemmys guttata, Pseudemys nelsoni, Malaclemys terrapin, Kinosternon suhrubrum, Stenotherus odora- tus, Chelydra serpentina, Terrapene Carolina, Chrysemys picta, Apalone sp., and Grap- temys sp.), all of which were confined to the southeastern U. S. Here we report the first records of Barbour’s map turtle {Graptemys barbouri), including a few other vertebrate prey remains, that we gathered during the nesting seasons of 1993-1998 under the nests of one pair of bald eagles in Torreya State Park, Liberty Co., Florida. We picked up vertebrate food remains from the ground under three old loblolly pine trees iPinus taeda), each ~70 cm diameter at breast height and growing within about 100 m of each other on steep (20% grade) slopes about 2.0 km east of the Apalachicola River. The three trees emerged from a mixed hardwood/pine canopy on clay soils and had been used one breeding season at a time by the presumed same pair of bald eagles since at least the winter of 1992-93. One of us (AH) first noticed turtle remains under a nest tree during the January- April, 1993, nesting season. After the following five nesting seasons, we gathered all vertebrate remains from under the three trees and marked, measured, and stored them for future reference. Straight line measurements of turtle shells were taken with alumi- num forestry calipers for carapace length (CL) and plastron length (PL). In order to avoid disturbing the nesting eagles, we did not check systematically under the nest trees. In the last three years, we gathered food remains after the eaglets had fledged. No doubt scavengers had carried away many items we did not recover. Because parts of the carapace, plastron, and the bridge between them were some- times missing, we were unable to obtain some measurements. Measurements made on Barbour’s map turtle and eastern mud turtle {Kinosternon subrubrum) shells are accu- rate to within +0.1 cm because shells of these species are hard and bony. Measurements of the Gulf Coast spiny softshell {Apalone spinifera aspera), however, were probably within ±1.0 cm because this species has cartilage and soft parts around the margins of its shell, which had dried and shrunk considerably. After each of the five nesting seasons we picked up the remains of vertebrate species that we assume were fed upon by the eagles and discarded from their nests. Among these were the neurocranium of the white catfish {Ictalurus catus)] 7 left and 5 right cle- ithra of a catfish {Ictalurus sp.); one neurocranium and three cleithra of the lake chub- sucker {Erimyzon sucetta); one sternum of a coot {Fulica americana); and 45 specimens of three species of turtles. Among the turtle remains were shells of 6 Gulf Coast spiny softshells, 1 eastern mud turtle, and 38 Barbour’s map turtle which dominated our ver- tebrate sample. E-mail: dbm5647@garnet.acns.fsu.edu Notes 15 In all five nesting seasons, Barbour’s map turtle was the most abundant of the turtle remains: 5 of 8 in 93/94; 19 of 19 in 94/95; 5 of 5 in 96/97 (3 were not available for this study); and 5 of 9 in 97/98. Altogether, Barbour’s map turtle accounted for 85% of turtle remains and 78% of all vertebrate remains we salvaged. The finding of turtles in the diet of the bald eagle is not new, but his is the first report of Barbour’s map turtle in the diet of the bald eagle. It is interesting that Barbour’s map turtle was the most abundant food item we found over a five-year period. An endemic species of the Apalachicola/ Chattahoochee/Flint river system, Barbour’s map turtle has been the object of human exploitation for food for decades (Sanderson 1992). Its small geographic range and population decline have resulted in its listing as a state species of special concern (Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 1997). Human exploi- tation has focused mainly on females, which are strikingly larger than males, reaching carapace lengths >300 mm. Males do not exceed 130 mm CL (Sanderson 1992). The bald eagle family in this study, however, fed upon a narrow range of Barbour’s map turtle body sizes (x CL = 130. 3± 2.8 mm; x PL = 111.8±9.3 mm; n == 35), neither choosing young turtles below 108 mm CL, nor adult females >157 mm CL (Figure 1). The sizes of the single eastern mud turtle (CL = 105 mm; PL - 88 mm) and Gulf Coast spiny softshell (x CL = 129.8±22.9 mm, n = 5; x PL - 108. 0± 19.0 mm, n ~ 4) also fell within the range of the dimensions of Barbour’s map turtle. Figure 1. Range of plastron lengths of the shells of 35 Barbour’s map turtle, Graptemys barbouri^ from under a bald eagle nest in Torreya State Park (diag- onally hatched bar) compared with a frequency distribution of percent of pop- ulation by sex against plastron length for a large sample (n = 419) from the Chipola River near Marianna, Florida; Chipola data are from Sanderson (1974). 16 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST The narrow range of turtle shell sizes found beneath the nesting trees probably reflects the inability of our eagles to grasp turtles smaller than -10.0 cm CL^ or larger than about 160 cm CL. Male G. barbouri do not get larger than about 110 mm PL (or about 129 mm CL) (Sanderson 1974), but 20 (53%) shells of our sample were larger than this (Figure l).We had no means of determining the sex of our turtle remains, but these 20 were probably all females. Our nesting eagles were eating proportionately more small female Barbour’s map turtles, therefore, than males. We have no evidence that the bald eagle prefers female Barbour’s map turtles, however. We believe that the upper size limit of turtle shells that can be grasped by the bald eagle is simply greater than the maximum size reached by the males of Barbour’s map turtle. In Torreya State Park, Liberty County, Florida next to the Apalachicola River, Bar- bour’s map turtle figured prominently (84% of all turtle and 74% of all vertebrate remains) in the diet of five broods of the same pair of nesting bald eagles from 1993- 1998. All of the turtle shells, including those of the eastern mud turtle and Gulf Coast spony softshell, fell within a range of 101-157 mm carapace length and 85-131 mm plas- tral length. The 20 largest shells of Barbour’s map turtle were probably all of females because males do not grow to these sizes. Acknowledgments. — We thank Mary K. Jones and Karl Studenroth for assisting us in gathering turtle and other vertebrate remains. We thank Dale Jackson for the loan of his turtle measuring calipers and for advice. We are grateful to Elizabeth Wing for iden- tifications of the bird sternum and fish bones. And we thank Paul E. Moler for construc- tive comments on the manuscript. Literature Cited Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. 1997. Florida’s endangered spe- cies, threatened species and species of special concern: official lists. Tallahassee. Ross, D. A. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles in the diets of North American raptors. Wis- consin Endangered Species Report 59:1-33. Sanderson, R. A. 1974. Sexual dimorphism in the Barbour’s map turtle, Malaclemys barbouri (Carr and Marchand). M. S. thesis. University of South Florida, Tampa. Sanderson, R. A. 1992. Barbour’s map turtle. Pages 196-199 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. III. Amphibians and reptiles (Paul E. Moler, Ed.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. 17 Florida Field Naturalist 27(1): 17-20, 1999. EVALUATION OF BREEDING INFORMATION OBTAINED BY J. E. GOULD IN FLORIDA DURING THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY Douglas B. McNair^ and William Post^ ^Tall Timbers Research Station, Route 1, Box 678 Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 ^Ornithology Dept., Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403 J. E. Gould, an amateur oologist, resided for seven years (1915-1921) in Arcadia, DeSoto County, Florida, from where he reported breeding information for several spe- cies of birds (Johnston 1991a). Johnston (1991a) stated that Gould’s collection provided evidence of extralimital breeding for two species in south Florida: Northern Harrier {Circus cyaneus) and Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla). The waterthrush record was the first for the state (Gould 1933). Johnston (1991a) did not recognize that extralimital breeding of the Chimney Swift {Chaetura pelagica) also was exceptional. B. H. Anderson (in Stevenson and Anderson 1994) questioned the validity of Gould’s breed- ing information for these three species and Gould’s egg set data for five additional spe- cies in Florida: Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia), Mangrove Cuckoo {Coccyzus minor), White-eyed Vireo {Vireo griseus), Summer Tanager {Piranga rubra), and Red- winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Although Johnston (1991a) did not examine the Gould Collection to verify any of the records, he later criticized Anderson’s evaluation of Gould’s data (Johnston 1995). Johnston contended that a “precise catalog entry ... is still an acceptable record” and does not require “validation” or “verification”. The Gould Collection is deposited in the Charleston Museum (Ch M) and has now been cataloged and archived. Using this collection and other information, we compared Gould’s catalog entries with the actual egg sets to determine how precise the catalog entries are. Northern Harrier, — ^Gould’s field notes (Johnston 1991a) mention that he found an “old nest” (no eggs) of the Northern Harrier in 1915 near Arcadia, DeSoto County, in south-central peninsular Florida, much farther south than the only other reported breeding pairs in Alachua County (all before 1909; Howell 1932, Robertson and Wool- fenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). As no eggs were collected, and, other than the catalog entry, no notes were taken about this occurrence, we question whether Gould properly identified the nest he found. According to his catalog, Gould had previ- ously collected only one egg set of the Northern Harrier 22 years earlier (Lake Bradford, Indiana; ChM 91.13.7). Gould did not explain how he differentiated the “old nest” from that of other ground-nesting birds. Wilson’s Plover, — The two egg sets of Wilson’s Plover listed in Gould’s catalog as taken at Boca Grande, Lee County (Johnston 1991a) are not in his collection. One set was listed as collected on the late date of 7 July 1917 (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). The set was reported to have 4 fresh eggs. The Wilson’s Plover rarely lays this number (Harrison 1975): no other Florida set has more than three eggs (Stevenson and Ander- son 1994). One additional set of Wilson’s Plover’s eggs remains in the Gould Collection. It is not listed in his catalog, but it is correctly identified, and has both an A. O. U. and a clutch number (1/3). The collection also has 8 of the 9 Killdeer (C. vociferus) sets that are listed in his catalog (all from Ohio; one set is missing), and these eggs are also correctly identi- fied. This confirms that Gould was able to distinguish the eggs of the two species. The absence of nesting Killdeer south of Lake Okeechobee during the period of Gould’s work 18 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST (Kushlan and Fisk 1972, Stevenson and Anderson 1994) supports the claim that the two sets collected at Boca Grande were those of Wilson’s Plovers. The nest record data are inaccurate, however, indicating that Gould transposed and mislabeled eggs between sets. Mangrove Cuckoo. — Gould listed a set of the Mangrove Cuckoo eggs taken from an old Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis) nest at Boca Grande, Lee County (date unknown). Gould placed a question mark beside the entry in his catalog, suggesting that he was not certain of the identification. Egg sets of the Mangrove Cuckoo were especially valuable, as few had been collected (Stevenson and Anderson 1994); we would expect that a definite collection date would have been recorded. The clutch size of four is also large (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Three eggs from this cuckoo egg set are still extant (ChM 91.13.104). However, the eggs of Mangrove and Yellow-billed (C. americanus) cuckoos are indistin- guishable, and Gould did not always correctly identify the eggs of Yellow-billed and Black- billed (C. erythrophthalmus) cuckoos that he collected in Georgia and Ohio (McNair 1995). As Gould was incorrect about the identification of some cuckoo eggs, and, as the date of col- lection is unknown, we cannot confirm that positive identification was made. Chimney Swift. — Gould’s catalog listed one set that contained four eggs, obtained from a chimney of his residence at Arcadia, DeSoto County, on 8 June 1920 (Johnston 1991a; Gould’s catalog, ChM). This egg set is missing. The southernmost breeding site in Florida at that time was much farther north in Volusia County (Howell 1932), and Chimney Swifts did not extend their breeding range southward in Florida until the 1950s, and then, only gradually (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992). As material evidence of this extralimital breeding record is lacking, the record cannot be verified. White-eyed Vireo. — Gould collected an egg set at Marianna, Jackson County, on 10 April (Johnson 1991a, Stevenson and Anderson 1994; ChM 91.13.215, one egg missing). The date this set was collected is early, although unremarkable. Louisiana Waterthrush. — In 1915, the same year Gould reported the Northern Har- rier’s nest near Arcadia, he also found a “territorial pair” of Louisiana Waterthmshes in DeSoto County (Gould 1933). Gould’s note miscites Howell (1932), where he meant Bailey (1925). If considered to be evidence of breeding, this would have been the first for the state. It also would be far south of other known breeding locations (Brewer 1992, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Gould (1933) also reported a breeding pair in Polk County, 100 km north of Arcadia. Despite the signifi- cance of these records, Gould provided no details. Possibly, Gould misidentified North- ern Waterthmshes (S. noveboracensis) as Louisiana Waterthmshes. The former species establishes feeding territories during the non-breeding period (Eaton 1995). We question why Gould did not communicate his discovery of the territorial Louisi- ana Waterthmshes to H. H. Bailey, an occasional field companion (see Gould 1933; also Johnston 1991b). Possibly he did, but Bailey (1925) did not cite the record. We agree with Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) that the breeding of Louisiana Waterthmshes in DeSoto and Polk counties is doubtful. Brewer’s (1992) hypothesis of a northward “withdrawal” of breeding Louisiana Waterthmshes from Florida in the early 20th century depends on (1) the validity of Gould’s records, and (2) Stoddard’s decade of searching before finding breeding Louisi- ana Waterthmshes in Leon County, Florida, and Grady County, Georgia (Howell 1936, Stoddard 1978). We believe the delay in discovery is an artifact of insufficient field work in appropriate habitat, rather than a real absence of the species from the region. For example, three other species of warblers that occur in mesic forest along woodland creeks in Grady County, Swainson’s {Limnothlypis swainsonii; rare and local), Kentucky (Oporornis formosus; fairly common), and Hooded (Wilsonia citrina; common) were not discovered or confirmed breeding until the early 1930s (Stoddard 1978; Howell 1932, 1936). Gould’s data on breeding Louisiana Waterthmshes is a foundation of Brewer’s (1992) hypothesis of breeding range contraction in Florida. As Gould’s Florida breeding records are highly suspect, we believe Brewer’s hypothesis is untenable. Notes 19 Summer Tanager. — This species returns from the tropics to northern Florida in early April. The earliest reliable clutch dates in Florida occur in late April (Stevenson and Anderson 1994), The set that Gould reported on the exceptionally early date of 2 April at Marianna, Jackson County (Johnston 1991a, Stevenson and Anderson 1994) is not in the collection. The other Summer Tanager egg set that Gould collected in Marianna, in early May (Johnston 1991a; ChM 91.13.193, one egg missing), is in the collection. We suggest that Gould may have written “April” when he meant “May” for the egg set. Red-winged Blackbird. — The egg set that Gould reported collecting on 16 July (Johnston 1991a, Stevenson and Anderson 1994) is not in the collection. The clutch date is the latest in Florida by three days (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Late nests of many landbirds in Florida are undersampled (cf., McNair 1996), so this Red-winged Blackbird egg set, if it exists, is unremarkable. We conclude that Gould's reports of breeding for the Northern Harrier and Louisiana Waterthrush are too important to be accepted without substantiating details. Gould’s reports were not consistent with the data of earlier field workers. Gould’s unsubstanti- ated record of Chimney Swift and an examination of the Gould specimens coupled with an assessment of their historical context also forces us to question the validity of his most important Florida records because of misidentification of eggs and inconsistencies between the actual contents of the collection and catalog entries, Gould frequently failed to properly record his records or properly mark his eggs (cf , McNair and Post in press). We doubt that Bailey (1925) overlooked Gould’s information. The association of the two men began in Virginia in 1906 (Johnston 1991b). We suspect that Bailey (op. cit.) may have known of these reports and records, but ignored them because the substantiating data were weak. In Florida, in contrast to his field work in Virginia (McNair and Post in press), Gould’s collection efforts in Florida were not based on a solid foundation of field research by other ornithologists. In summary, we evaluated two interpretations of breeding information obtained by J. E. Gould for eight species in Florida during the early 20th century (Anderson in Steven- son and Anderson 1994, Johnston 1995). Breeding information on unsubstantiated extralimital occurrences of three species (Northern Harrier, Chimney Swift, Louisiana Waterthrush) are unconvincing. Less important breeding information for three other species (Wilson’s Plover, Mangrove Cuckoo, Summer Tanager) also are suspect. The data for the remaining two species (White-eyed Vireo, Red-winged Blackbird) are unremark- able. We conclude that Anderson’s interpretation was correct. Acknowledgments. — ^We thank P. Frey, C. A. Seals, and K. Whiddon for helping us curate the Gould Collection. We also thank R. L. Crawford, T. E. Engstrom, and W. B. Robertson for reviewing a previous draft of this manuscript and G. E. Woolfenden for reviewing the final draft. Literature Cited Bailey, H. H. 1925. The birds of Florida. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore. Brewer, R. 1992. Successful nesting of Louisiana Waterthrush in Woodyard Hammock, Leon County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 20:77-78. Eaton, S. W. 1995. Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus novehoracensis). No. 182 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Phil- adelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Gould, J. E. 1933. Louisiana water thrush breeding in southern Florida, Raven 4 (June):3. Harrison, H. H. 1975. A field guide to bird's nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Howell, A. H. 1932. Florida bird life. Coward-McCann, New York. Howell, A. H. 1936. A reconnaissance of the summer bird life of Georgia. Oriole 1:29-32. 20 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST JOHNSTON5 D. W. 1989. Joseph Edward Gould-early Georgia oologist. Oriole 54:17-34, Johnston, D. W. 1991a. An overlooked early Florida oologist and ornithologist, Joseph E. Gould. Florida Field Naturalist 19:110-116. Johnston, D. W. 1991b. Joseph Edward Gould (1866-1945). Early Virginia oologist and ornithologist. Raven 62:59-62. Johnston, D. W. 1995 Review of 'The birdlife of Florida” by H. M. Stevenson and B, H. Anderson. Florida Field Naturalist 23:75-76. Kushlan, J. a., and E. J. Fisk. 1972. Range expansion of the Killdeer in Florida, Bird- Banding 43:261-263. McNair, D. B. 1995. Refutation of purported historical breeding records of the Black- billed Cuckoo on the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. Oriole 60:42-44. McNair, D. B. 1996. Late breeding records of a Red-headed Woodpecker and a Summer Tanager in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 24:78-80. McNair, D. B., and W. Post. In press. Re-evaluation of the avian breeding records of J. E. Gould. Oriole. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6, Gainesville. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Stoddard, H. L., Sr. 1978. Birds of Grady County, Georgia. Edited, with additional ma- terial, by R. Komarek and R. L. Crawford. Bulletin of Tall Timbers Research Station Number 21. 21 Florida Field Naturalist 27(l):21-23, 1999. SUCCESSFUL NESTING BY WILSON’S PLOVERS IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA Brian Toland^ U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P O. Box 2676 Vero Beach, Florida 32961 Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia) breed sporadically along both coasts of Flor- ida on sandy beaches and mudflats, usually excavating a nest scrape within a short dis- tance of salt or brackish water (Sprandel 1996). Although the Breeding Bird Atlas confirmed Wilson’s Plovers in 6.1% (63 of 1036) of the quadrangles surveyed prior to 1992 (Kale et al. 1992), there has been no complete census of breeding numbers of Wil- son’s Plovers in Florida. Population declines may have occurred in response to increased human use of Florida beaches (Weston 1965, Cruickshank 1980, Sprandel 1996). Confirmed breeding by Wilson’s Plovers has been lacking between Merritt Island and Jupiter Inlet on the east coast of Florida (Kale et al. 1992). This note reports suc- cessful nesting by Wilson’s Plovers during 1996 and 1997 in the City of Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida. The study area comprised a 1,500 m length of beach and primary dune on the barrier island in Vero Beach, Florida. This section of beach started at the end of Pirate Cove Lane and extended to Seahorse bend. The primary dune vegetation included sea oats (Uniola paniculata), railroad vine (Ipomoea pes-caprae), sea rocket ( Cakile fusiformis), beach bean (Canavalia maritima), beach-star (Remirea maritima), beach elder (Iva imbricata), and beach croton (Croton punctatus), transitioning into saw palmetto (Ser~ enoa repens), prickly pear cactus ( Opuntia stricta), sea daisy (Borrichia frutescens), and sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera). I surveyed the beach for Wilson’s Plovers by walking transects weekly from 1 April through 15 August each year. Nests were located by observing behaviors such as: plo- vers flying to or from the primary dune line, males chasing other birds in the “hunched” territorial display, mockbrooding, or broken-wing distraction displays (Bergstrom 1988b, Sprandel 1996). When a Wilson’s Plover nest was located, I recorded nest site characteristics and the stage of nesting. Subsequent visits were made to each nest site to document the fate of each nesting attempt. I documented two breeding pairs of Wil- son’s Plovers in the study area during both 1996 and 1997. Wilson’s Plover nest scrapes were excavated along the foredune within 5 m of the leading edge of the vegetation (Fig- ure 1). Nest scrapes were placed along intact dunes that ranged from 40 to 60 m in width. Vegetation around three active nest scrapes consisted predominantly of beach croton, with lesser numbers of beach-star. Incubating adult Wilson’s Plovers were extremely difficult to see due to the camouflaging effect of the surrounding beach croton. Wilson’s Plover nesting dates were estimated using five to six days for laying of the average three egg clutch and an average 25-day incubation period (Bergstrom 1988a, Sprandel 1996). For initial nesting attempts, the mean date for initiation of egg la3dng was 21 April (range = 14 April-4 May), the mean incubation date was 30 April (range = 20 April" 10 May) and the mean hatching date was 20 May (range = 13 May-3 June). Wilson’ Plover modal clutch size is three eggs with a range of two to four (Sprandel ^Current address: Brevard County Office of Natural Resources Management, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. A, Viera, Florida 32940 22 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 1. Nest of a Wilson’s Plover and foredune vegetation in Indian County, Florida. The nest scrape with three eggs is located in the small clump of beach croton in the center of the photo. Notes 23 1996). During this study, Wilson's Plovers were successful in fledging at least one young 40% (2 of 5) of the nesting attempts. Mean annual productivity (number of fledglings per nesting pair per year) was 0.4 for all nesting attempts. Wilson's Plovers require about eight days before renesting is attempted after a failed nesting attempt (Bergstrom 1986, Sprandel 1996). Two renesting attempts that were documented during this study consisted of 3 eggs each. One renesting attempt resulted in incubation beginning during the last week in May and the other attempt initiated incubation during the first week of June. Three of the five documented nesting attempts failed, including two during the first week after hatching and one during incubation. Causes of nest failure were difficult to identify, but chicks that disappeared at around 1 week of age were probably lost to predators. The nest failure that occurred during incu- bation resulted from an extremely heavy thunderstorm that apparently cracked the eggs. The most likely predators on Wilson’s Plover eggs and chicks include gulls, Fish Crows (Corvus ossifragus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and domestic pets. Human recreational activities, including sun bathing, picnicking, fishing, and walk- ing dogs were the most important causes of disturbance to roosting and nesting Wilson’s Plovers. Additional surveys for breeding Wilson’s Plovers should be initiated in southern Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie Counties, focusing on stretches of beach with intact dune systems. Suitability of such habitats for nesting Wilson’s Plovers could be enhanced by enforcing pet leash laws, acquisition or restoration of beach habitat, educa- tional signage, and fencing off of nest sites in foredune habitat. Acknowledgments. — I appreciate constructive comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of the manuscript by R. T. Engstrom, D. Breininger, and an anonymous reviewer. I thank L. D. Toland for assistance in surveying for Wilson’s Plovers and locat- ing nest scrapes. Literature Cited Bergstrom, P. W. 1986. Daylight incubation sex roles in Wilson’s Plover. Condor 88:113- 115. Bergstrom, P. W. 1988a. Breeding biology of Wilson’s Plover. Wilson Bulletin 100:25-35. Bergstrom, P. W. 1988b. Breeding displays and vocalizations of Wilson’s Plover. Wilson Bulletin 100:36-49. Cruikshank, a. D. 1980. The birds of Brevard County. Ed. H. Cruikshank, addenda R. Barber. Privately published. Kale, H. W., II, B. M. Smith, and C. W. Biggs (Eds.) 1992. Atlas of breeding birds of Florida. Final report submitted to the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commis- sion, Tallahassee. Sprandel, G. L. 1996. Wilson’s Plover. Pp. 497-506 in Rare and endangered biota of Flor- ida. Vol. 5, Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W Kale, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). University Press of Florida. Gainesville, Weston, F. M. 1965. A survey of the birdlife of northwestern Florida, Bulletin Tall Tim- bers Research Station 5:1-147. 24 REVIEWS Florida Field Naturalist 27(1):24, 1999. Birdwatching for Dummies.— Bill Thompson III, 1997. IDG Books Worldwide. New York, New York. ISBN 0-7645-5040-3. 360 pages. $19.99 paper. — It had to happen sooner or later, the “for dummies” series has come to birdwatching! Bill Thompson III. Editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, presents a lively, informative guide to a pursuit an esti- mated 85 million Americans enjoy. As the title implies, the author assumes little about the reader’s knowledge, for which beginning birders will be grateful, but which more advanced birders may find a trifle boring. Thompson’s book begins with such basics as defining what a bird is, describing how different species of birds are classified and named and provides some introductory information on the basic philosophy of birdwatching. Thompson then proceeds to discuss the basic equipment and methods of birdwatch- ing. He discusses binoculars and field guides, including tips on how to make the best use of both of them. Especially informative for the beginner are discussions of field marks and field identification techniques, including useful discussion of using a bird’s behavior as an identification tool. Subsequent chapters include how to attract and feed birds at your home and how to provide nest boxes designed for the preferences of different species. The final chapters expand on lessons presented earlier in the book, such as more in-depth discussions of optics, bird identification, and bird finding. This latter discussion is useful because it discusses the often overlooked, but the critical relationship between birds and their hab- itats. Of particular importance is a discussion of how amateur birdwatchers can assist professional ornithologists through volunteering their skills to collect data about species distributions and abundances through such activities as Breeding Bird Surveys, Christ- mas Bird Counts, and even activities such as developing checklists for local parks or assisting at bird rehabilitation centers. This is a well-needed reinforcement because many wildlife monitoring projects in Florida demand skilled volunteers to collect these important data. Thompson sprinkles the text with information boxes on subjects you never learn in basic bird identification courses, such as the best way to dry a wet field guide, how to turn the mess under your bird feeder into compost, and how to plan a birding field trip. All of the information in this book is enhanced by copious illustrations. There is a color spread in the middle of the book with some photos of particularly striking birds and illustrations of birds in their habitats. The book also includes an appendix and an index, which enhances the value for everyone. This book is a useful general reference for personal use and a valuable guide to edu- cators. Providing well-organized and thorough information presented in a light and accessible style. — Tom Palmer, 1805 26*^^ St., NW, Winter Haven, Florida 33881. 25 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Naturalist 27(l):25-30, 1999. Summer Reporti June-July 1998.— The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). As these reports are not reviewed formally, they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-Feb- ruary), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall (August-November). Submit reports to regional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at bill- pr anty ©hotmail . com . Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds for which they require documentation, in FFN 24(4): 132-133, 1996. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: CP = county park, EOS = end of season, FDCP = Fort DeSoto CP {Pinellas), PPM = Polk phosphate mines, R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 “ Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SP = state park, SRA - state recreation area, SRSTF = Springhill Road Sewage Treatment Facility {Leon), and N, S, E, W, etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the editing of the manuscript. Summary Of The Summer Season Following one of the driest springs on record, Summer 1998 will be long remem- bered. The drought that began in April and continued through June combined with above-average temperatures and decades of fire suppression to create (from a human viewpoint) the worst wildfire season in 50 years. Over 200,000 ha of land burned in the state, with over 60,000 ha in Volusia County alone. The entire human population of Fla- gler County was forced to evacuate to other counties, and large areas of Brevard County also burned. One might predict local but temporary population increases of fire-depen- dent species such as the Hairy Woodpecker and Florida Scrub-Jay in these burned areas. It will be interesting to see whether the wildfires of 1998 make the public more willing to accept the use of prescribed fire as an ecological management tool, which ben- efits humans by reducing fuel loads to lessen the severity of wildfires. Birdwise, the summer was somewhat quiet. Only two FOSRC rarities were reported: two Couch’s Kingbirds at Gulf Breeze in July, and one (or more) Tropical Kingbirds at Fort DeSoto variably through the season. There also were two other reports of Couch’s/ 26 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Tropical Kingbirds, indicating an unprecedented movement of these birds to the Gulf coast of Florida this season. Other interesting reports this summer were a large flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks that summered at Gainesville, the third and fourth breeding reports of Cooper’s Hawks in the western Panhandle, and an apparently excep- tional breeding year for American Robins at Pensacola. SPECIES ACCOUNTS Pacific Loon: 1 at Gulf Breeze {Santa Rosa) 1 Jun (D. Ballman). Common Loon: 1 at SRSTF 4 Jun called one time (G. Menk); 3 at Anna Maria Island {Manatee) 11 Jun (B. Carlton). Pelagic Species: the table below shows the results of 3 pelagic trips SE of Marathon, in- cluding the “Marathon Hump” {Monroe) by P. Hess: 15 Jun: 20-45 km, winds S 9-18 km/h, seas 0.3-0. 6 m, 17 Jun: 29-40 km, winds SE 9-27 km/h, seas 0. 3-1.0 m, and 19 Jun: 20-45 km, winds SE 18-27 km/h, seas 0. 6-1.0 m. Species Cory’s Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Audubon’s Shearwater storm-petrel spp. Wilson’s Storm-Petrel booby spp. Brown Pelican Magnificent Frigatebird Laughing Gull Royal Tern Roseate Tern Bridled Tern Sooty Tern Black Tern (first-summer) Brown Noddy Total species Total individuals 15 Jun 17 Jun 19 Jun 3 3 0 10 0 30 18 72 0 1 0 0 1 0 10 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 10 0 1 1 0 0 12 14 15 28 280 220 205 10 0 10 6 77 9 9 8 341 266 398 Cory’s Shearwater: 1 bird ca. 16 km E of Mayport {Duval) 12 Jun (J. Krummrich). Brown Pelican: 15 over Lake Arbuckle {Polk) 21 Jun (D. Leonard); 320 nests at Marco Island {Collier) apparently fledged few young because available food became scarce (T. Below). American White Pelican: 3 at Lake Talquin {Gadsden) 10 Jun (G. Sprandel); 17 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area {Orange and/or Seminole) 13 Jun {fide L. Malo) Snowy Egret: 780 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). American Bittern: 1 on the Palmdale Breeding Bird Survey {Glades) 19 Jun (R. Bow- man). Reddish Egret: 1 red morph at Yankeetown {Levy) 25 Jul (C. Black); 1 immature at St. Marks NWR {Wakulla) 26 Jul (F. and P. Rutkovsky). Scarlet Ibis: 1 at Lakes CP, Fort Myers {Lee) 18 Jun (K. Tracey, photos to FOC). Roseate Spoonbill: 2 first-year birds at Zephyrhills {Pasco) 28 Jun (D. Robinson, P. Bo- wen); 3 or 4 at Gainesville {Alachua) 28 Jun-15 Jul (L. Badger et ah); 16 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 1 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 11 Jul {fide L. Malo). Field Observations 27 Wood Stork: 200 or more nestlings at the Tower Road {Leon) colony 27 Jun (G. Spran- del); 155 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangel, R Timmer). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 24 at Gainesville 6 Jun-EOS (B. Roberts, O. Fogle et al); 1 at PPM 19 Jul (P Timmer). Mottled Duck: 1 at Gulf Breeze 24 Jun (L. Duncan) was accidental there {fide B. Dun- can). Mallard: 1 hybrid male at Zephyrhills 28 Jun (D. Robinson, P. Bowen). Blue-winged Teal: 1 male at Zephyrhills 9 and 28 Jun (B. Pranty, D. Robinson et al.); 2 drakes in Gainesville, 11 Jun-17 Jul (M. Manetz, R. Rowan); 1 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). American Wigeon: 1 at PPM 19 Jul (R Timmer). Ring-necked Duck: 3 or more at Carr Lake {Leon) 6 Jun (J. Cox); 1 male “in full molt (no primaries)” at W Jacksonville {Duval) 28-31 Jul (H. Hooper, P. Powell et al.). Lesser Scaup: 1 at Palm Harbor sewage treatment facility {Pinellas) 26 Jul (A. and R. Smith, B. Hoffman); 3 males summered at SHSTF (G. Menk et al.). Red-breasted Merganser: 1 at Shell Key {Pinellas) 7 Jun (P. Blair); 3 females at St. Andrew SRA {Bay) 21 and 28 Jun (H. Loftin, T. Menart). Ruddy Duck: 1 female summered at SRSTF (J. Cavanagh, G. Menk et ah). Osprey: 15 active nests around Blackwater Bay {Santa Rosa) 2 May (M. Clark) repre- sents a “significant increase in recent years of a bird that was scarce 15-20 years ago” (B. Duncan); 34 nests from N of Rookery Bay to Coon Key {Collier) produced 0.8 fledg- lings per nest, with 15 nests failing (T. Below). Cooper’s Hawk: 1 nest near Lake Pierce {Polk) fledged at least 1 young in early Jun (T. Dellinger, J. Arnett); 2 emaciated young birds near Cantonment {Escambia) 9 Jun were brought to Wildlife Rescue; 1 later died {fide E. Case); a pair nested at Gulf Breeze in 1997 and 1998 (A. Robinson); 2 birds (1 a fledgling) at a nest ca. 12 m high at NE Cape Coral {LeeJ 1 Jul — an adult and juvenile were observed here in Aug 1997 (C. Ewell, W Winton); 1 at FDCP 28 Jul (K. Holland). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 light morph adult at E Jacksonville 10 May (J. Arnett) was the first for Duval. American Kestrel: 1 at FDCP 24 Jul (P. Fellers). Purple Gallinule: 1 at Key West {Monroe) 6-7 Jun (J. Ondrejko). American Coot: 6 at Lake Jackson {Leon) 6 Jun, and 3 others summered there (both G. Menk); 1 juvenile with an adult at Gainesville 20 Jun (J. Hintermister); 1 adult with 2 chicks at the Hernando landfill 25 Jul (C. Black). Sandhill Crane: 1 at N Jacksonville 6 Jul (R. Clark). Whooping Crane: 1 at a ranch near Pasco Trails {Pasco) 17-18 Jun (D. Robinson et al.). Black-bellied Plover: 1 in breeding plumage at PPM 3 Jun (C. Geanangel, R Tim- mer). Snowy Plover: 2 adults and 3 eggs at nest at Sanibel Island {Lee) 16 Jun {fide N. Pettis), and 3 chicks there 24 Jun (C. Ewell); 1 adult and 1 juvenile at Shell Key 1 Jul (R Blair). Wilson’s Plover: a few nesting pairs are “barely hanging on” in vacant lots at Her- nando Beach {Hernando) (C. Black). Piping Plover; 1 at Carrabelle Beach {Franklin) 18 Jul (G. Sprandel). KilldeeR: 1 at Key West 7 Jun (J. Ondrejko). Black-NECKED Stilt: 365 at PPM 3 Jun (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 12-t- in Alachua 16 Jun-EOS including 1 juvenile at Kanapaha Prairie 24 Jul (S. Schwikert et al.) was only the second county breeding report {fide R. Rowan). American Avocet: 11 at N Jacksonville 6 Jul (R. Clark); 2 at Honeymoon Island SRA {Pinellas) 13 Jul (K. Walbot) and 1 there 17 Jul (P. Kelley); 185 at PPM 19 Jul (R Timmer). Greater YellowlegS: 1 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 4 at SRSTF 7 Jul (J. Cavanagh). 28 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Lesser YellowlegS: 4 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangei, R Timmer); 5 at SRSTF 7 Jul (J. Cavanagh). Solitary Sandpiper: 1 at SRSTF 7 Jul (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Gainesville 9 Jul (R. Rowan); 1 E of Avon Park {Highlands) 18 Jul (B. Pranty, H. Lovell). Spotted Sandpiper: 1 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 11 Jul {fide L. Malo); 1 at Gainesville 12 Jul (M. Manetz); 4 at SRSTF 20 Jul (G. Menk). Upland Sandpiper: 1 at Zellwood {Orange) 31 Jul (M. Manetz, J. Hintermister, A. Kent). Long-billed Curlew: 1 at Shell Key 19 Jul (S. Pulling, J. King). Marbled Godwit: 1 at Carrabelle Beach 18 Jul (G. Sprandel). Ruddy Turnstone: 1 at PPM 3 Jun (C. Geanangei, P Timmer). Semipalmated Sandpiper: 130 at SRSTF 4 Jun (G. Menk); 2 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanan- gei, P Timmer); 2 at Hague Dairy {Alachua) 18 Jul (M. Manetz, R. Rowan); 4 at SRSTF 20 Jul (G. Menk). Western Sandpiper: 2 at Hague Dairy 18 Jul (M. Manetz, R. Rowan). Least Sandpiper: 30 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangei, P Timmer); 6 at SRSTF 7 Jul (J. Ca- vanagh). Pectoral Sandpiper: 2 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangei, P Timmer); 235 at N Jacksonville 6 Jul (R. Clark); 1 at Honeymoon Island SRA 18 Jul (S. Pulling); 3 at Hague Dairy 24 Jul (P Burns). American Woodcock: 1 at Pensacola {Escambia) 17 Jun (P Tetlow); 1 in central Pasco 17 Jun (D. Robinson). Wilson’s Phalarope: 1 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangei, P. Timmer); 1 at N Jacksonville 6 Jul (R. Clark). Laughing Gull: 1 nest with 1 chick at Big Marco Pass {Collier) was the first breeding re- port for the area (T. Below). Ring-billed Gull: 1 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangei, P Timmer), and 2 there 19 Jul (P. Tim- mer); 1 at Gainesville in mid-Jul (R. Rowan). Great Black-backed Gull: 1 immature at Shell Key 1 Jul (P Blair). Gull-billed Tern: 11 at PPM 5 Jul (C. Geanangei, P. Timmer), and 13 (including juve- niles) there 19 Jul (P Timmer). Common Tern: 2 at Shell Key 7 Jun and 1 Jul (P. Blair); 1 at Zellwood 31 Jul (M. Manetz, J. Hintermister, A. Kent). Least Tern: no reports of successful nesting at Anastasia Island {St. Johns) or Guana River SP {St. Johns), but 157 nests at FCCJ campus, Jacksonville (all P Powell); about 250 pairs in Volusia, all colonies but one were on rooftops (D. Hartgrove); 307 nests at Big Marco Pass 6 May had declined to 69 by 31 May, then built up at a nearby site to 165 nests 3 Jun, but all birds were gone 1 Jul. There was “lots of evidence” of human disturbance at the sites. At Morgan Point, Cape Romano, 200 nests produced at least 1 fledgling each (all T. Below); 28 (4 juveniles) at Banana Lake Park {Polk) 2 Jul (T. Palmer); 225 at PPM 19 Jul (P. Timmer). Black Tern: 1 at Yent Bayou {Franklin) 6 Jun (G. Sprandel); 12 at Sanibel causeway {Lee) 30 Jun (C. Ewell, W Dirks); 35 near the Courtney Campbell Causeway {Pinel- las) 16 Jul (L. Snyder); 2 at St. Marks NWR 26 Jul (M. Hill); 4 near Guana River SP 31 Jul (P. Powell). Black Skimmer: a locally high count of 255 nests at Big Marco Pass fledged many young, but a die-off caused the deaths of more than 50 birds (T. Below). White-winged Dove: 1 at Cape Coral 26-29 Jun (C. Ewell); 1 at Gulf Breeze 7 Jul (B. and L. Duncan). COCKATIEL: 1 at Cape Coral throughout the period (K. Lawrence, J. Van Tine). Monk Parakeet: over 40 birds at 25 nests at Cape Coral, a site active for at least 3 years (C. Ewell). Rose-ringed Parakeet: 4 at a nest tree at Cape Coral 11 Jun (C. Ewell). Field Observations 29 Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 1 migrant at FDCP 19 Jul, and 2 there 20 Jul (both L. Ather- ton). Smooth-billed Ani: 1 at the Zephyrhills Airport 11 Jun (D. Robinson), 1 along SR-60 {Osceola) 23 Jun (R Hess). Belted Kingfisher: 1 at Lake Alfred {Polk) 8 Jul (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); 4 at Paynes Prairie State Preserve {Alachua) 23 Jun (M. Manetz). *Couch’S/Tropical Kingbird: singles at St. Marks NWR 20 Jun (B. Ridenour, photos to FOSRC) and Gulf Breeze 14 Jul (B. Duncan). *Couch’S Kingbird: 2 “very vocal birds” at Gulf Breeze 7 Jul (B. and L. Duncan, E. Case, P. Tetlow). *Tropical Kingbird: singles (possibly different birds) at FDCP 7 Jun, 13 Jul, and 20 Jul (all L. Atherton et al.). Eastern Kingbird: 2 at FDCP 7 Jun (B. and L. Atherton). Gray Kingbird: only a single report from the Fort Pickens area {Escambia) and the ad- jacent mainland this season {fide B. Duncan). Purple Martin: 4000-6000 birds roosted nightly under the bridge at I- 10 and Scenic Highway {Escambia) (B. and L. Duncan et al.). Tree Swallow: 3 at PPM 3 Jun (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Northern Rough-winged Swallow: adults and juveniles at Tierra Verde {Pinellas) 13 Jun (B. and L. Atherton); 109 at PPM 3 Jun (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); unprece- dented widespread breeding in Pasco this year (D. Robinson et al.). Bank Swallow: 1 at Zellwood 31 Jul (M. Manetz, J. Hintermister, A. Kent). Cliff Swallow: 1 at Zellwood 31 Jul (M. Manetz, J. Hintermister, A. Kent). Florida Scrub- Jay: successful breeding from the first locally-produced female at Rook- ery Bay Research Reserve {Collier) was recorded this year (T. Below). American Robin: 1 pair in a residential neighborhood at N Pensacola May-10 Jun (D. Timmons), and 24 birds (about half of these juveniles) feeding on the ground there 22 Jul (C. and D. Timmons et al.) were called “a major increase” in the local population (B. Duncan); 1 in N Okaloosa 16 Jun (B. Duncan, P. Tetlow); 1 juvenile brought to Wildlife Rescue from near Ensley {Escambia) 3 Jul {fide B. Duncan). Gray Catbird: 1 migrant (?) at McKay Bay 26 Jul (A. Smith, L. Snyder). American Pipit: 1 at Fort Walton Beach Landfill {Okaloosa) 29 Jul (D. Ware). Yellow-throated Vireo: singles in Polk at Peace River Park 24 Jun (T. Palmer) and Saddle Creek CP 11 Jul (P. Fellers). Black- WHISKERED VireO: 1 male singing at FDCP to 14 Jul (L. Atherton et al.). Northern Parula: 1 migrant at Bonner Park, Largo {Pinellas) 6 Jul (K. Nelson); 21 (13 juveniles) at Saddle Creek CP 11 Jul (P. Fellers). Yellow Warbler: 1 at Bonner Park 6 Jul (K. Nelson); 1 at Palm Point 24 Jul (D. Be- atty). Prairie Warbler: 1 at Lake Jackson 20 Jul (K. MacVicar); 1 at Newnans Lake 26 Jul (M. Manetz); 1 at Saddle Creek CP 27 Jul (P. Fellers). Prothonotary Warbler: 2 at Saddle Creek CP 27 Jul (P. Fellers). Black-and-white Warbler: 1 at Palm Point 11 Jul (D. Beatty); 1 at Saddle Creek CP 27 Jul (P. Fellers); 1 female at FDCP 28 Jul (L. Atherton). American Redstart: 1 at Palm Point 25 Jul (M. Manetz); 1 at Saddle Creek CP 27 Jul (P. Fellers); 1 at Winter Haven {Polk) 31 Jul (P. Fellers). Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at Newnans Lake {Alachua) 5 Jul (R. Rowan); 2 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 11 Jul {fide L. Malo); 1 at Saddle Creek CP 11 Jul (P. Fellers); 1 at Lower Wekiva River State Preserve {Lake or Seminole) 11 Jul (L. Cooper); 1 at Black Swamp {Leon) 15 Jul (K. MacVicar); 1 at Mabry Park {Leon) 18 Jul (G. Menk). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Crystal River State Buffer Preserve {Citrus) through 26 Jun (A. and B. Hansen). 30 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Chipping Sparrow: 1 male singing at Key West 28 Jun-26 Jul (J. Ondrejko). Shiny Cowbird: 1 male at Seminole {Pinellas) 17 Jun (K. Nelson); 1 male at FDCP 14 Jul (L. Atherton); up to 12 (8 males, 4 females) at Key West through the season (J. On- drejko). American Goldfinch: 1 female at a Gulf Breeze feeder 20 Jun (B. and C. Kahn). Contributors: John Arnett, Brooks Atherton, Lyn Atherton, Lynn Badger, Dick Ball- man, Clay Black, David Beatty, Paul Blair, Pam Bowen, Reed Bowman, Pat Burns, Bob Carlton, Ed Case, Jim Cavanagh, Morris Clark, Roger Clark, Julie Cocke, Linda Cooper, Jim Cox, Tim Dellinger, Wes Dirks, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Charlie Ewell, Paul Fellers, Orin Fogle, Chuck Geanangel, A1 Hansen, Bev Hansen, David Hartgrove, Paul Hess, Michael Hill, John Hintermister, Brett Hoffman, Kelley Holland, Harry Hooper, Betty Kahn, Charles Kahn, Paul Kelley, Adam Kent, Joyce King, Jerry Krummrich, Karen Lawrence, Dave Leonard, Horace Loftin, Holly Lovell, Lome Malo, Keith MacVicar, Mike Manetz, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Kris Nelson, Joe Ondrejko, Tom Palmer, Neil Pettis, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Susan Pulling, Bob Ridenour, Bryant Roberts, Ariel Robinson, Don Robinson, Rex Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Paul Rutkovsky, Steve Schwikert, Parks Small. Austin Smith, Ron Smith, Lee Snyder, Gary Sprandel, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Carney Timmons, Dana Timmons, Ken Tracey, Joann Van Tine, Keith Walbot, Don Ware, and Walt Winton. Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billpranty@hotmail.com). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven, Florida 33884; email lcooper298@aoLcom), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, email duncan44@juno.com), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15* Terrace, Gainesville, Florida 32609, email afn49272@afn.org), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, email smithowl21@aol.com). 31 Florida Field Naturalist. 27(l):31-35, 1999. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST The Florida Field Naturalist, a quarterly publication of the Florida Ornithological Society, is a fully refereed technical journal of field biology and natural history The Florida Field Naturalist welcomes submission of articles and notes containing the re- sults of biological field studies, distributional records, and natural history observations of vertebrates, especially birds. Its geographic area includes Florida, adjacent states, the Bahamas, and nearby West Indies. Notes on behavior should consider previously pub- lished information, and interpret the biological, ecological, or evolutionary significance of the behavior reported. Field studies must conform to standard scientific criteria for study design, analysis, and interpretation. Hypotheses should be clearly stated and data should be subjected to statistical testing where appropriate. 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C., and M. W. Collopy. 1989. The role of predation in determining repro- ductive success in colonially nesting wading birds in the Florida Everglades. Auk 106:625-634. Moore, J., D. Simberloff, and M. Freehling. 1988. Relationships between Bobwhite Quail social-group size and intestinal helminth parasitism. American Naturalist 131:22-32. Repenning, R. W., and R. F. Labisky. 1985. Effects of even-age timber management on bird communities of the longleaf pine forest in northern Florida. Journal of Wildlife Management 49:1088-1098. Sykes, P. W., Jr 1988. Regional summary: Georgia-Florida, 1987-1988 Christmas Bird Counts. American Birds 42:534-535. Dissertations and Theses: Robertson, W, B., Jr 1955. An analysis of the breeding bird populations of tropical Florida in relation to the vegetation. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Illinois, Ur- bana. Lohrer, F. E. 1974. Post-hatching growth and development of the loggerhead shrike. M.S. thesis, University of South Florida, Tampa. CHAPTERS: Derrickson, K. C. and R. Breitwisch. 1992. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglot- tos). In The birds of North America, no. 7 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Academy of Nat- ural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Fitzpatrick, J. W., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1988. Components of lifetime reproductive success in the Florida Scrub Jay. Pages 305-320 in Reproductive success (T. H. Clut- ton- Brock, Ed.). University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Books: American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American birds, 7th ed. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an anno- tated list. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6, Gainesville. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. V. Figure Legends □ Indent and double-space legends. 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Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities Walter Kingsley Taylor "This is the first photographic identification guide to have an extensive discussion of plant communities and to organize plants by plant community ... of interest to anyone desiring to identify Florida flowering plants^ — individuals who enjoy the outdoors, amateur naturalists, teachers, students, and professional biologists."— Walter Judd, University of Florida 400 pp. 500 color photos, 6 maps, 12 drawings, references, index. Flex binding. Paper, $24.95 Landscaping for Florida's Wildlife Re-creating Native Ecosystems in Your Yard Joe Schaefer and George Tanner In a clear, step-by-step format, this book tells how to create a wildlife-friendly landscape that takes into account both people and nature. The authors' theme— "put back what you don't need" — ^allows the gardener to reduce maintenance costs while providing a habitat that offers wildlife the essentials of food, cover, water, and space. 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Cassels, 5827 Louvinia Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Editor of Special Publications: Glen E. Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee; WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: PETER G. MERRITT (Chair), 8558 SE Sharon Street, Kobe Sound, Florida 33455. Field Observations Committee: BILL Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: H. JAMES SiGSBEE (Chair), 10090 SW 144th St., Miami, Florida 33176. Nominating Committee: JOHN DOUGLAS (Chair), 3675 1st Avenue, NW, Naples, Flor- ida 34120-2709. Records Committee: Lyn Atherton (Managing Secretary), 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger (Co-chair, Cruickshank Award), Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 and Gian Basili (Co-chair, Education Award), Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Suite 110, Win- ter Park, Florida 32789. Conservation Committee: David LEONARD, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862-2057. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 27, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. 3 9088 00996 1434 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 1 February 1999 Pages 1-36 CONTENTS ARTICLES Aerial Assessment of Potential Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Habitat: Conservation in a Fragmented Landscape W. Gregory Shriver and Peter D. Vickery.. 1-9 NOTES Nesting Success and Productivity of Florida Sandhill Cranes on Natural and Developed Sites in Southeastern Florida Brian Poland 10-13 Barbour’s Map Turtle in the Diet of Nesting Bald Eagles D. Bruce Means and Anne Harvey 14-16 Evaluation of Breeding Information Obtained by J. E. Gould in Florida during the Early 20^^ Century Douglas B. McNair and William Post 17-20 Successful Nesting by Wilson’s Plovers in Indian River County, Florida Brian Poland 21-23 REVIEW Birdwatching for Dummies. Bill Thompson III Pom Palmer ......24 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Summer Report: June to July 1998 Bill Pranty 25-30 INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS 31-35 v^L F ^ F ^ 3 Florida Field Naturalis PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 27, No. 2 May 1999 Pages 37-76 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Vice-President: Jan Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Secretary: Eric D. Stolen, Florida Coop Unit & Dynamic Corp., Dept. Wildlife and Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450. Treasurer: SEAN RoWE, 4845 Rayburn Road, Cocoa, Florida 32926. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1999 Bobbie Kittleson, 5334 Woodhaven Lane, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Camille Sewell, 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2000 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 2458 Econ Cir. Apt. 132, Orlando, Florida 32817-2653. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2001 Gian Basili, Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Lillian Saul, 5106 Vinson Drive, Tampa, Florida 33610. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden, 1994. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., PO. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 27, No. 2 May 1999 Pages 37-76 Florida Field Naturalist 27(2):37-51, 1999. HERMIT THRUSH AND BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, NEW FOR CUBA, AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT BIRD RECORDS FROM CAYO COCO AND VICINITY, CIEGO DE AVILA PROVINCE, CUBA, 1995-1997 George E. Wallace^ ^ Elizabeth A. H. Wallace^ ®, Daniel R. Froehlich^®, Brett Walker^-^ Arturo Kirkconnell^ Eliser Socarras Torres% Heather A. Carlisle^-®, and Eric Machell^-^ ^Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 ^Bird Studies Canada, P. O. Box 1 60, Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada NOE IMO ^Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Obispo #61, Habana Vieja 10100, Cuba "^Centro de Investigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros, C. R 69400, Cayo Coco, Municipio, Moron, Provincia Ciego de Avila, Cuba Abstract. — We present accounts of the occurrence of 44 bird species on Cayo Coco, Archipielago de Sabana-Camaguey (ASC) and vicinity, Cuba during 1995-1997. Hermit Thrush {Catharus guttatus) is new for Cuba and Black-throated Gray Warbler (Dendro- ica nigrescens) is new for Cuba and the West Indies. In addition, we present records and reports for 14 species new to the ASC and 27 other records and reports that augment in- formation available on threatened and endangered species, rare migrants and residents, and the seasonal status of regularly occurring migrants and residents. Even modest amounts of field work in Cuba can produce much new information on the status and dis- tribution of its birds. The threats to birds in the ASC posed by the construction of cause- ways linking the cays to the mainland are discussed. ^Current address: 1507 Vermont Avenue, Lynn Haven, Florida 32344 ^Current address: Institute for Bird Populations, P. O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, California 94956 '^Current address: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812 ^Current address: 3890 W. Blakely Avenue NE, Bainbridge Is., Washington 98110 ^Current address: P O. Box 2, Delhi, Ontario, Canada N4B 2W8 37 38 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Several summaries of the avifauna of Cuba have been produced over the years, ranging from the pioneering works of Lembeye (1850) and Gundlach (1876, 1893) to more contemporary works such as the Catdlogo de las Aues de Cuba (Garrido and Garcia Montana 1975). The latter is currently undergoing a much needed revision (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.) and a field guide to Cuba’s birds is in pro- duction (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in press). Nonetheless, a surpris- ing amount has yet to be learned about the status and distribution of many of Cuba’s birds, both resident and migrant. A variety of factors account for this, including Cuba’s large size (1250 km long; 114,524 km^), long history of social unrest, and recent political and social iso- lation. Furthermore, few Cubans pursue birdwatching as a recre- ational pastime. Today, although there are several resident ornithologists working in Cuba, the number is proportionately low compared with more developed countries, and constraints on travel and research funding have limited the extent of their studies. Large areas of the country are still relatively unstudied and even modest amounts of field time can produce much valuable information. Here we present noteworthy records, including two species new for Cuba, collected during the period June 1995-March 1997 on Cayo Coco and vicinity, Cuba. Cayo Coco is in the Archipielago de Sabana-Camaguey (ASC) (Fig. 1), a chain of islands along the north coast of Cuba stretching 465 km from the beach resort area of Varadero, Provincia de Matanzas, 110 km E of La Habana, east to Nuevitas, Provincia de Camaguey. Figure 1. The island of Cuba showing the location of the Archipielago de Sa- bana-Camaguey and Cayo Coco in relation to the capital city La Habana. Cuban Bird Records 39 Cayo Coco (380 km ESE La Habana, 370 kmO is the second largest is- land in the ASC, surpassed only by Cayo Romano immediately to the southeast. Cayo Coco is a designated faunal reserve and lies 15 km off- shore, separated from the mainland by the Bahia de Perros. It is con- nected to the mainland by a causeway completed in 1989 to initiate tourism development on Cayo Coco and its neighbors to the north- west, Cayo Guillermo (13.2 km^), and to the east, Cayo Paredon Grande (6 km^). The islands are flat and covered by mixed evergreen and semideciduous forest ranging from low coastal scrub over much of Cayos Guillermo and Paredon Grande and the northern coast of Cayo Coco to moist forest in the western interior of Cayo Coco. The scrub, though largely undisturbed in the past, now faces severe pressure with beach hotel construction well underway Much of the forest in eastern and central Cayo Coco is coppice woodland and has been thinned intensively in the past for charcoal production, resulting in many multi-stem trunks, but the moist forests of the western interior have been undisturbed for at least 40 years and resemble primary for- est. The latter two forest types are now threatened by road construc- tion and wood collection to supply cooking fuel for construction workers. The avifauna of Cayo Coco and vicinity has been described by Garrido (1973, 1976) and Kirkconnell (in press), and supplemented by various shorter visits (e.g., Garrido 1978, Regalado 1981, Wallace et al. 1996). We follow the procedure of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) Check-list Committee by referring to species’ occurrences docu- mented by specimens or photographs as “records” and by referring to species’ occurrences that lack tangible evidence (e.g., sightings or banded birds) as “reports” (AOU 1998). Many of our records and reports come from two winter fleld sea- sons, November-February 1995-96 and 1996-97 when we conducted in- tensive mist net and point count surveys in 12 sites on Cayo Coco, four in each of coastal scrub, coppice woodland, and well-conserved forest. Other records and reports are the result of several fleld trips to the neighboring cays and mainland. Here we limit our accounts to rare and vulnerable species and to species for which we have data to update their status at the national and ASC levels. Details on species at the cay level are available from the first author on request. Locations are on Cayo Coco, unless otherwise specified. The “Causeway” is the causeway connecting Cayo Coco to the mainland. North American, West Indian, and Cuban status and distribution are from AOU (1998), Bond (1956 and supplements; 1985), Garrido and Garcia Montana (1975), Garrido and Kirkconnell (in prep.), and Raf- faele et al. (1998) unless otherwise indicated. 40 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Species Accounts Audubon’s Shearwater {Puffinus Iherminieri): 1 found dead, 27 February 1996 (speci- men no. 609, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, La Habana); origin unknown, may have died outside Cuban waters. Widely distributed in West Indies, but most common in eastern Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles. This brings the total of Cuban speci- mens with documentation to four (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). Breeding has not been documented, although there is an anecdotal report from a fisherman of a “penguin- like” bird observed emerging from a rock crevice that contained one white egg in Cayos Los Felipes, ASC. West Indian Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna arborea): Common 10 November 1995- February 1996, mostly on interior freshwater lagoons; high count 19 (including 9 flightless young), 20 November 1995; also 1 being eaten by a Red-tailed Hawk {Buteo jamaicensis), 12 November 1995. Flightless young 20 November 1995 to mid-Febru- ary 1996. In winter 1996-97, first observed 12 December; high count 12, 17 December 1996; reported at many sites near mangroves throughout Cayo Coco, January-Febru- ary 1997; less common in 1996-97 and arriving later. This species is resident in the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and northern Lesser Antilles. In Cuba, it is a locally com- mon permanent resident with a wide distribution, including Cayos Coco and Romano, but is vulnerable to human predation. Typically it breeds April-December, but there are reports for breeding as late as January (see citations in Collar et al. 1992). Our ob- servations indicate that it is common on Cayo Coco and that breeding occurs through- out the winter. Its late appearance in winter 1996-97, and in lower numbers than 1995-96, suggests that populations may fluctuate from year-to-year. The species has declined throughout its range, including in Cuba, because of hunting, egg collecting, wetland drainage, and exposure to pesticides used widely in rice plantations (Collar et al. 1992). Despite legislation against hunting in Cuba, poaching continues, making breeding populations in protected areas such as Cayo Coco important to the species’ conservation. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus): 2 females on brackish lagoon, 29 Novem- ber-early December 1996. A rare winter visitor to the West Indies with reports from Cuba, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and Martinique. In Cuba, there is one re- port from Cienfuegos and seven specimens collected from La Habana east to Holguin Province (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). First report for the ASC. Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator): Five sightings along Causeway during 10 December 1995-14 January 1996; high count approx. 1000, apparently all females, 7 January 1996; three sightings (max. 4) 12 December 1996-17 January 1997, also mostly females. Winters along the United States coast and is common in Florida dur- ing winter (Stevenson and Anderson 1994), but only casual in the West Indies. In Cuba, it is considered a very rare winter resident and transient with five reports from Pinar del Rio in the west to the Bahia de Perros. A recent report suggests that they are fairly regular in April in Maspoton, Pinar del Rio (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.; D. Rodriguez and B. Sanchez unpubl. data). The three specimens with locality information in Cuban collections are from eastern Cuba, including one from Gibara, Holguin Province and two from Guantanamo Province (J. W Wiley pers. comm.). Our sightings suggest that, at least occasionally, it is a locally very common, but sporadic, winter resident. Large numbers during the winter of 1995-96, with apparently in- creasing numbers in early January, may have been the result of the severe winter in the United States, particularly along the north and central Atlantic coasts. Changes in water circulation and food distribution in the Bahia de Perros following the con- struction of the Causeway also may play a role in concentrating this species. Bond (1959) noted that nearly all West Indian specimens that he examined were females or immatures. Cuban Bird Records 41 Sharp-shinned Hawk {Accipiter striatus): 1 immature male banded, 27 December 1995 and re-sighted 28 December 1995; 1 immature female banded, 22 November 1996; 1 female observed, 24 December 1996; 1 adult male banded, 25 December 1996. All were of the North American subspecies velox, considered a rare winter resident in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles. In Cuba, it is considered a rare transient and, possi- bly, a rare winter resident with eight previous reports. Six during 19 October-2 De- cember and another in April may have been transients. However, one banded on Cayo Coco 8 February 1993 (Wallace et al. 1996) was certainly a wintering bird, as proba- bly were the late December individuals reported here. These reports suggest that velox is a rare winter resident in Cuba. Gundlach’S Hawk {Accipiter gundlachi): 2 (1 definite adult), Loma de Cunagua, 16 Jan- uary 1996; four sightings on Cayo Coco, 18 November 1996-13 February 1997, includ- ing one adult male giving a territorial call. Gundlach’s Hawk is a rare and locally distributed species endemic to Cuba. Five areas of population concentration are known and the species is threatened (Collar et al. 1992). Loma de Cunagua is an iso- lated mountain (338 m) surrounded by sugar cane fields and open marsh lands, just inland from the southern shores of the Bahia de Perros. Recently it was designated a faunal reserve by the Ministerio de Agricultura. The adult observed was performing a nuptial display flight with flight behavior not unlike that of a Common Nighthawk {Chordeiles minor). Facing into wind, the bird flapped with slow, buoyant beats bring- ing the wing tips nearly together over the back. This report is the first from Loma de Cunagua which may be a new breeding locality. Our series of sightings from Cayo Coco suggests that Gundlach’s Hawk also is established and breeding there. Previ- ously single birds were reported from Cayo Coco by Garrido (1976) and Regalado (1981). However, in over 600 h of observation during 1987-89, Kirkconnell (in press) failed to find any, but suggested that previous reports may have been strays from Loma de Cunagua, the closest site he felt might support a population. Merlin {Falco columbarius): Common on Cayo Coco during winter in open areas and in forests along roads and trails; not rare in winter as previously reported (Kirkconnell, in press). Among the seven captured during the winters of 1995-96 and 1996-97, one was especially noteworthy: an adult male, 20 December 1995; originally banded 29 September 1992, Cape May, New Jersey. Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia): 1, Cayo Paredon Grande, 18 January 1996; 1, 3 February 1996; 1, 8 November 1996; 5, 5 January 1997. Found throughout the West Indies. In Cuba, it is a common summer resident 19 February-14 November (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.), declining in winter (Raffaele et al. 1998). The source for the latter statement is unclear as our reports are apparently the first from mid-win- ter for Cuba. Our reports suggest that it is a very rare and local winter resident. Piping Plover {Charadrius melodus): Five sightings of 3-9 birds, Cayos Coco and Paredon Grande, 30 December 1995-18 January 1996. By February 1996 numbers had increased at all sites; high count 23 on Cayo Paredon Grande on 23 February 1996 (P. Blanco unpubl. data); 5, 8 February 1997; a flock that built from 4, 8 Novem- ber 1996 to a high of 37, 23 February 1997; 1, 3 March 1997. None of the birds ob- served carried bands. Winters mostly from South Carolina south to Florida and west to eastern Texas and rarely in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles. In Cuba, based on 22 known reports 1965-1995, it is a rare winter visitor and uncommon transient (Blanco et al. 1993, Blanco Rodriguez 1995, Blanco Rodriguez and Perez M. 1997). Previous reports from Cayos Coco and Paredon Grande seem to pertain only to tran- sients. Our reports are the first wintering for the species in the ASC and the flock of 37 is the largest concentration reported for Cuba. Cayos Coco and Paredon Grande are evidently important wintering and staging areas for Piping Plover and increased disturbance on beaches caused by intensive tourism development is a significant threat. 42 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST American Oystercatcher {Haematopus palliatus): 1 photographed, 7 June 1995. Patchily distributed in the West Indies, breeding in the Bahamas, Dominican Repub- lic, islets off Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and on some of the Grenadines. It is very rare in Cuba with only one specimen with locality details and eight sightings, most along the north coast, and all during the nonbreeding season (Garrido and Kirkcon- nell, in prep.; Wallace unpubl. data; J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). This is the first breeding season record. Although it is described as a “spotty breeder” in Cuba by Raffaele et al. (1998), breeding has not yet been documented for Cuba. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus): 5, islet between Cayos Coco and Romano, 20 Novem- ber 1996; 3 persisted to at least 5 January 1997; 3, Cayo Guillermo, 3 March 1997. Transient and rare winter resident in the West Indies. In Cuba, it is considered a rare transient. Of three specimen records, two are undated, including one from Cayo Coco, and one is a fall transient from August (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). There are six addi- tional reports: three in April, probably spring migrants; one in March possibly a win- tering bird; and two reports from Cayo Coco September-October were likely fall migrants. Our sightings are the first evidence of wintering in Cuba. Red Knot (Calidris canutus): 26, inlet between Cayos Guillermo and Coco, 15 January 1996; 49 (assumed to include the 26 of 15 January), lagoon 0.5 km west of inlet, 15 January 1996; 7, 28 January 1996; 15, Cayo Guillermo, 3 March 1997. Knots winter mostly along the southern Atlantic coast of Argentina and in Chilean Tierra del Fu- ego (Morrison and Myers 1987, Morrison and Ross 1989). Despite the presence of a significant wintering population in Florida (approximately 10,000 birds, Harrington et al. 1988), knots are generally considered only transients in the West Indies. In Cuba, knots are rare transients and very rare winter residents. One winter record (photographed) and four winter reports exist of up to four individuals, all since 1986 and all from La Salina, Cienaga de Zapata. Our sightings are the first for the ASC. These are the largest numbers reported in Cuba in winter, and, to our knowledge, are the largest wintering concentrations reported for the West Indies. Western Sandpiper {Calidris mauri): Four sightings, most from the Causeway, 14 No- vember 1995-6 February 1996; high count approx. 200 in mixed flock of 370 Calidris, 6 February 1996; min. 20, Causeway, 20 November 1996; 1, Causeway, 20 January 1997; 800, Causeway, 4 March 1997. Few sightings in 1996-97 reflect reduced search effort. An uncommon transient and winter resident throughout the West Indies. In Cuba, it is considered a rare transient, but is not known to winter. However, we suspect this spe- cies is regular in winter in Cuba, but is under-reported because of difficulty distinguish- ing it from Semipalmated Sandpiper (C. pusilla) in winter plumage. The status of Western Sandpiper in Cuba is in need of re-evaluation much in the way it required re- evaluation for North America (Phillips 1975). The birds we observed were with Semipal- mated and Least sandpipers (C. minutilla). In winter we feel comfortable only with field identification of extreme individuals, which usually are females. All individuals had dis- tinctly long, decurved bills and contrasted with the short and straight-billed Semipal- mated Sandpipers. We also noted, under ideal viewing conditions, that the bills of some Western Sandpipers were finer near the tips, unlike the stockier bills of Semipalmated Sandpipers. Our January and February sightings are the first winter reports for Cuba. Dunlin {Calidris alpina): 4 photographed. Causeway, 20 January 1997. Bond (1962, 1964) was reluctant to accept reports of Dunlin for the West Indies unless supported by specimens of which only two have been obtained from Barbados (Bond 1972). Sightings exist from many other islands, mostly in the Bahamas and Greater Anti- lles, but in Cuba it has been sighted previously only five times (photographed once), all since 1989 at Cienaga de Zapata. Given its status in Florida and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where it is fairly common in winter (DeSante and Pyle 1986, Stevenson and Anderson 1994), it probably occurs regularly in Cuba and the north- ern Caribbean. First record for the ASC. Cuban Bird Records 43 Stilt Sandpiper {Calidris himantopus): 8, Causeway, 20 November 1996. A common transient in Cuba with sightings from various localities on the Cuban mainland and from Cayos Matias and Rosario along the southern coast. First report for the ASC. POMARINE Jaeger {Stercorarius pomarinus): 1 barred-phase juvenile in feeding flock of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis), Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), and Laughing Gulls {Larus atricilla), Causeway, 17 January 1997. Appar- ently rare in the West Indies with reports at sea in the Caribbean and among the Ba- hamas, although its regularity and occasional abundance in Florida and in the southern Caribbean (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Olsen and Larsson 1997) sug- gest that it is under-reported. It is extremely rare in Cuba with two, possibly three, records (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.) and five previous reports. First report for the ASC. Gull-billed Tern {Sterna nilotica): 1, 13 January 1996; 1, Causeway, 2 March 1997. Whereas this species breeds in the Bahamas and Virgin Islands, it is a transient or rare winter resident elsewhere in the West Indies. The main wintering grounds of North American breeders are along the Caribbean coast of Central America (Bond 1956). In Cuba, it is a rare winter resident and transient with three records (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.) and seven previous reports scattered across Cuba. First reports for the ASC. Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis): 1, 8 January 1996; flocks up to 50, Causeway, 14- 17 January 1996; 9, Causeway, 17 January 1997. Although widespread in the West Indies, in Cuba it is considered a locally common spring and summer resident with reports mostly from the northern and southern cays. The only previous winter report for the species is of a single bird off La Habana (Wallace unpubl. data), but the con- centrations observed along the Causeway confirm that this species winters in Cuba. Given that these are the only winter reports, the statement that Sandwich Tern is a common year-round resident throughout Cuba (Raffaele et al. 1998) is apparently without foundation. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger): 1, 20 November 1996. Common during winter on the Cuban mainland and also reported from Cayo Juan Garcia in far western Cuba. First report for the ASC and the earliest winter report for Cuba. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto): Three sightings of single birds, 9-30 November 1996. Spread to Florida, probably from escapes in the Bahamas in 1974 (Smith 1987) and established in the Cayman Islands and various of the Lesser Anti- lles (Barre et al. 1996, Raffaele et al. 1998). It was first confirmed in Cuba in 1990 (Garrido and Kirkconnell 1990), although a sighting by a forest guard in Cayo Coco in 1988 may have been this species. Populations are known from La Habana and vicin- ity and the tip of the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. Our reports are the first confirmed for the ASC. In the absence of sightings between La Habana and Cayo Coco, it is pos- sible that birds in these two areas may be the result of different colonizing events from the United States or the Bahamas or that it has been overlooked in the interven- ing area. Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia): 1, 8-15 December 1995; 1 (probably same individ- ual), same location and perch, 30 November 1996. Known from the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, and, formerly, several of the Lesser Antilles. In Cuba, six breeding popu- lations are localized in western and eastern Cuba and on Isla de Pinos. This is the sec- ond report from Cayo Coco, but, thus far, subspecific identification is unknown. They most likely pertain to A. a floridana, the breeding subspecies of the Bahamas and Florida for which two specimens exist from the ASC, including one from Cayo Guill- ermo (Garrido 1973, Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.). The species is not known to breed on Cayo Coco as stated by AOU (1998), nor is the species known to be a year- round resident in several cays of the ASC as stated by Raffaele et al. (1998). Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus): 1 found dead, 5 June 1995 (specimen at Centro de Investigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros, Cayo Coco). Formerly considered rare in 44 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Cuba, this species has undergone a recent, dramatic population increase, apparently in response to increased land clearing for sugar, citrus, and rice, and has been re- ported from nearly all provinces. A specimen from Key West, Florida has been attrib- uted to this population explosion (Garrido 1995). This record is the first for the ASC and is also likely attributable to increases on the mainland. The species is not known to breed on Cayo Coco as stated by AOU (1998). Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus): 1, 10 November 1995. A rare visitor to Cuba, the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico 14 October-20 April. In Cuba, it is a very rare transient and possible winter resident, with at least eight previous occurrences (Bond 1956, 1960; Suarez Duque 1996; Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.; J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). First report for the ASC. Thick-billed Vireo (Vireo crassirostris): 1 banded and photographed, 26 November 1995; 2 banded (one was photographed), 14 and 15 December 1996, one resighted and heard singing, 8 February 1997; 1 singing, 22 January 1997. All birds were in coastal scrub. The first records for the species in Cuba were from Cayo Paredon Grande in Oc- tober 1989 (Kirkconnell and Garrido 1991) and breeding was confirmed there in spring 1997. Until the above records and reports, Paredon Grande was the only con- firmed locality in Cuba and our records and reports are probably dispersers from the Paredon Grande population. The known status of Thick-billed Vireo in Cuba has been confused by accounts in AOU ( 1998) and Raffaele et al. ( 1998). AOU (1998) indicates that it is resident on . . northern cays off the Cuban mainland, including Cayo Coco and Cayo Paredones (rare winter resident). . . .” This implies that the species is known from several of the northern cays, but, in fact, there are no confirmed records or reports for the species any- where in Cuba other than Cayos Coco and Paredon Grande. Our records and reports are the basis for the AOU’s inclusion of Cayo Coco as part of the species’ range. Cayo Paredones should read Cayo Paredon Grande. As noted above, the species is now known to breed on Cayo Paredon Grande. All occurrences to date on Cayo Coco have been dur- ing winter, but its status during other times of year is unknown. The account in Raf- faele et al. (1998) does not mention the species’ known occurrence on Cayo Paredon Grande which is documented by nine specimens in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba (Kirkconnell and Garrido 1991; J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). Instead it states that the species “. . . is an uncommon migrant in north-central Cuba during October where it occurs locally near Rancho Velez and on several nearby cays.” This would be the only known migratory population of Thick-billed Vireo. The basis for this statement is the account in Kirkconnell and Garrido (1991) of two groups of vireos that were observed in October 1979, one group of eight “in the environs of the river Si- erra Morena” [approximately 15 km W of Rancho Velez] and another group three days later on Cayo Cinco Leguas [approximately 50 km NW of Rancho Velez]. The birds had “brown” eyes and the Sierra Morena birds were in the company of migrant warblers. At the time, they were thought to be White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus) which is a common migrant and winter resident in Cuba. Twelve years later, the authors speculate that these birds could have been Thick-billed Vireos. This constitutes neither substantive evidence for a migratory population of the species in northern Cuba nor evidence for its occurrence anywhere other than on Cayos Coco and Paredon Grande. Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus): 2 banded and photographed, 18 February 1996. Considered a vagrant in the West Indies and a rare, but regular, fall transient in Cuba. Not known to winter in the West Indies, although Bond (1985) reports 1-27 February as dates of occurrence. This species is known to leave its wintering grounds relatively late in spring migration, usually not until mid- to late April (Wetmore et al. 1984). The earliest reports for the southern United States are from Florida in late March, but typically it does not appear in Florida and Texas until mid- to late April (Oberholser and Kincaid 1974, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Cuban Bird Records 45 Anderson 1994). Therefore, it seems plausible that our records and those of Bond per- tain to winter residents. Northern Rough-winged Swallow {Stelgidopteryx serripennis): 1, 14 November 1996. A rare transient and possibly a rare winter resident in Cuba. First report for the ASC. Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva): Common winter resident throughout winter 1995- 96 and 1996-97. Flocks of up to 30 observed along the northern coast and over interior lagoons. In Cuba, it is a very common summer resident and transient; partly migra- tory with low numbers overwintering. Our reports are the first winter records for the ASC and indicate that it is locally common. Hermit Thrush {Catharus guttatus): 1 immature banded and photographed in coppice woodland, 25 December 1995 (photographs deposited at Centro de Investigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros and Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba). This is the first record of Hermit Thrush in Cuba. It was identified as a Catharus thrush by its small size, in contrast to larger Turdus thrushes, overall brownish plumage, speckled breast and long legs, and as a Hermit Thrush by its grayish-brown back and head with contrasting rufous uppertail coverts and tail. The eye-ring and throat were whit- ish and distinct speckling was restricted to the upper breast with indistinct speckling continuing down the sides. The auriculars were streaked with buff. Legs were flesh colored and the bill was blackish-brown grading to dull yellow at the base of the lower mandible. We aged it as an immature by the presence of buff-tipped, juvenal greater secondary coverts and an incompletely pneumatized skull. It had a wing chord of 94 mm and weighed 32.2 g. Hermit Thrush has been expected as one of the next new spe- cies for Cuba, given Cuba's proximity to a large portion of its winter range which ex- tends across much of the southern United States and south to El Salvador. In the West Indies, it is a rare winter resident in the northern Bahamas. This individual was apparently on winter territory, and the possibility exists that it was driven south by severe weather from its wintering grounds in the United States. Raffaele et al.’s (1998) reference to Hermit Thrush as a vagrant to Cuba is based on our record. Wood Thrush {Hylodchla mustelina): 1 immature observed then banded and photo- graphed, 8-10 February 1997. A rare transient and extremely rare winter resident in Cuj3a with two specimens (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.) and three sightings. The only pre- vious report for the ASC was one bird banded during spring migration on Cayo Coco (Rodriguez et al. 1994). This record is the second for the ASC and the first during win- ter. Bahama Mockingbird {Mimus gundlachii): 1 banded, 24 January 1996; total of 6, in- cluding 2 banded, 14 November 1996-6 February 1997; 5, Cayo Guillermo, 20 Novem- ber 1996. This species is found throughout most of the Bahamas, but is local in Jamaica and Cuba, where it is considered a rare resident on a few cays in the ASC, in- cluding Cayos Coco and Guillermo. Our observations during winter 1995-96 and 1996-97 and in previous years suggest that Bahama Mockingbird is fairly common on Cayo Guillermo where it is more common than Northern Mockingbird {Mimus poly- glottos), and that it may be increasing on Cayo Coco. AOU (1998) states that its range in Cuba extends from Cayo Tio Pepe east to Cayo Coco. Its range actually extends east to Cayo Cruz, approximately 50 km ESE of Cayo Coco, and includes Cayo Paredon Grande. Cedar Waxwing {Bombycilla cedrorum): 1, 21 January 1997; 1, February 1997. An occa- sional winter resident in Cuba. First reports for the ASC. Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata): 1 banded in coastal scrub, 29 November 1995. Orange-crowned Warbler winters in the southern United States and south through Mexico and Central America and is vagrant to the Bahamas 14 October-2 January. In Cuba, there are two previous occurrences: one specimen taken on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula in far western Cuba November 1989 (Kirkconnell et al. 1997); and one captured on Cayo Santa Maria, ASC, 21 October 1994. 46 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Black-throated Gray Warbler {Dendroica nigrescens): 1 photographed, 17 October 1997 (photographs deposited at Centro de Investigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros and Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba). This is the first record of a Black- throated Gray Warbler for all of the West Indies. It appeared at the Centro de Inves- tigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros, Cuba, during a period of unsettled, wet weather preceding Hurricane Lili’s passage on 18-19 October, and took refuge in a tree in the protected courtyard of the station where it remained for approximately one hour. Al- though photographed with a “point-and-shoot” camera, the photographs clearly show the key identifying features. The bird was an adult female or an immature male and was medium gray above and white below with the throat and breast band dark blackish-gray. The chin appeared whitish and from it a prominent white sub- moustachial stripe extended posteriorly nearly to the nape. Also prominent was a white post-ocular stripe framing the black auricular patch. The yellow loral spot is barely visible in the photo, but was seen well in the field. Black streaks extended down the sides and there were two distinct white wing bars. Black-throated Gray Warbler is a western species breeding from southwestern British Columbia south through much of the western and southwestern United States to north Baja Califor- nia and extreme western Texas. It winters from southern California, Arizona and Texas to Oaxaca and Veracruz. However, it also has a striking history of vagrancy, particularly during fall migration, and has been recorded in half of Canada’s twelve provinces and territories and all but eight of the lower 48 United States (DeSante and Pyle 1986). In Florida, it is considered a rare fall transient and rare, but nearly regular, winter visitor, with over 80 October- April records and reports (Stevenson and Anderson 1994), suggesting that the species’ occurrence in the northern Carib- bean is not unexpected. Blackpoll Warbler {Dendroica striata): 1 immature male banded, 10 December 1996. Common transient in Cuba, noted particularly in the ASC during fall. A new late date for a fall migrant in Cuba. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla): Very common winter resident and one of the most commonly banded migrant warblers. One adult male captured, 13 February 1996; originally banded Mugg’s Is., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 24 May 1994. Swainson’S Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsoni): A total of 134 encounters of 77 individ- uals during winter 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 on Cayo Coco; recorded in 10 of 13 band- ing sites. A few others were observed but all of the above were captured and recaptured with mistnets, emphasizing the findings of Kirkconnell et al. (1996) that Swainson’s Warbler is much more common in Cuba than previously thought. Because of its cryptic coloration and behavior, surveys with mistnets (Kirkconnell et al. 1996) or playback (Graves 1996) are the only reliable methods for recording its presence and abundance. Lolfisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla): 1 (same bird) observed twice, 22 Decem- ber 1996 and 15 February 1997; 1 banded, 30 January 1997. A common winter resi- dent on the Cuban mainland, but not previously known to winter in the ASC. These two reports probably were the result of unusually wet conditions on Cayo Coco during winter 96-97 when more wet forest habitat was available. In typical years, mangrove forest is the only flooded forest on Cayo Coco, but this is rarely favored by Louisiana Waterthrush during winter in Cuba and is thoroughly dominated by Northern Water- thrush {Seiurus noveboracensis). Kentucky Warbler {Oporornis formosus): 1 immature female banded and photo- graphed, 20 December 1995, recaptured 22 December; 1 heard, same location, 17 Feb- ruary 1996; 1 immature male banded, 25 December 1995, recaptured and photographed 23 February 1996. The winter range of Kentucky Warbler extends south from Mexico to northern Colombia and Venezuela. In the West Indies, it is a rare transient in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles and a very rare winter resident. Cuban Bird Records 47 There are also reports from Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. In Cuba, it is consid- ered a rare transient and possibly a very rare winter resident with two previous mid- winter reports. It has been reported previously on Cayo Coco during migration (Ro- driguez and Sanchez 1995). Our records and reports confirm that Kentucky Warbler is a rare winter resident in Cuba. Yellow-breasted Chat {Icteria virens): 1 immature female banded, and photographed in coastal scrub, 22 November 1995. Winters from Mexico south through Central America and considered a vagrant to the West Indies with reports from the Bahamas, Cuba, and Grand Cayman. In Cuba, it is considered a very rare transient with six previous reports including two specimens, 24 October 1976 and 12 February 1960 and four sight reports; 1, Cayo Paredon Grande, October 1991; 2, Cayo Coco, 5 May 1976; and 1, Cienaga de Zapata, 26 March 1991. However, occurrences to date suggest that the species is a rare transient and very rare winter resident in Cuba. Bananaquit iCoereba flaveola): 1 adult, Cayo Paredon Grande, 18 January 1996 and 10 December 1996; 1 singing adult male, Cayo Guillermo, 20 November 1996; 1 imma- ture banded, 23 November 1996; 1 adult, 10 January 1997; 1 immature banded and photographed, 23 January 1997. All were in coastal scrub. One of the enigmas of West Indian biogeography, the Bananaquit breeds virtually throughout the Caribbean ex- cept for Cuba and the Swan Islands and is widely distributed in Central and South America. In Cuba, it is considered a very rare visitor from the Bahamas with all spec- imens pertaining to C. f hahamensis. Our record and reports and historical reports suggest two areas of population concentration, or at least two areas in which searches have been intensive enough to find birds: the Gibara area, where at least 10 birds have been captured 1968- 1980s, and the Cayos Guillermo, Coco, Paredon Grande area where a total of six birds have been recorded, including 1 banded and photo- graphed, Cayo Coco, 7 February 1993 (Wallace et al. 1996). Additional records include 1 adult female, Cayo Tfo Pepe, approximately 140 km NW of Cayo Coco, 13 March 1965 and 2, Macizo Guamuhaya (Escambray) in south-central Cuba, 1 March 1994 (Hernandez Munoz and Bowles 1997). Bond (1987) suggested that Bananaquit does not breed in Cuba because of “unfavorable ecological conditions” and further specu- lated that much of western Cuba is too cool in winter to support it, just as south Flor- ida is, although breeding has been suspected several times there and there are two reports of nest building (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). In the one area Bond thought was suitable, near Santiago de Cuba, far from any area where it has been observed, he speculated that if it could occur there it might be competitively excluded by Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) which was already present. These are unsatisfactory explanations for the apparent absence of breeding Bananaquits in Cuba, given that the honeycreeper is uncommon and local in Cuba, that Bananaquit is a habitat generalist throughout most of its range and sympatric with Red-legged Honeycreeper in many mainland areas, and that the eastern two-thirds of Cuba is as tropical as the rest of the West Indies. A breeding population probably occurs in Cuba, and one will probably be discovered; nonetheless, breeding has yet to be confirmed. Red-legged Honeycreeper: 1 female, 2 December 1995; 2 females, same location, 4 De- cember 1995; heard, same location, 3-6 December 1996; 2 (1 female, 1 possible juve- nile), 23 December 1996; 2 heard, 30 January 1997; 1 adult male banded and photographed, 14 February 1997. In the West Indies, Red-legged Honeycreeper oc- curs on mainland Cuba where it is a rare permanent resident, but is locally common in parts of western and eastern Cuba. Our record and reports are the first for the ASC. There has been confusion about the species’ status in Cuba. AOU (1983) stated that the species was “formerly widespread, but now confined to Oriente.” The check- list account has been updated to state, “Records from Cuba (where possibly estab- lished) . . .” (AOU 1998). AOU (1983, 1998) and Raffaele et al. (1998) suggest that the 48 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST species may have been introduced. The Red-legged Honeycreeper is certainly well es- tablished in Cuba, and as noted above, is locally common in some areas. It has been known to occur in Cuba for nearly 150 years (Lembeye 1850). The suspicion that it may have been introduced seems to stem from Bond’s (1956) comment that Red- legged Honeycreeper is frequently kept as a cage bird in Cuba and may therefore have been introduced. Keeping a species in captivity is not grounds for assuming its introduction, and many other species are kept in captivity in Cuba that occur in other countries and that are not believed to have been introduced (e.g., Cuban Parrot, Am- azonia leucocephala; Yellow-faced Grassquit, Tiaris olivacea). Furthermore, the pe- ripheral occurrence of Middle and South American species in Cuba and neighboring Hispaniola is not without precedent (e.g.; Spotted Rail, Pardirallus maculatus; Sty- gian Owl, Asio stygius). Fossil remains of Double-stripped Thick-knee {Burhinus bis- triatus) have been discovered on Cuba (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.). Other fossil remains from Cuba further illustrate the close biogeographic connection be- tween Cuba and the mainland (e.g., Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Geranoaetus mel- anoleucus; tapaculo species, Scytalopus sp.) (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.). The natural occurrence of Red-legged Honeycreeper is not only possible, but also probably the most parsimonious explanation for its occurrence in Cuba. Black-faced Grassquit (Tiaris bicolor): 1 male, Cayo Guillermo, 20 November 1996. Another species with an unusual West Indian distribution. Black-faced Grassquit is found virtually throughout the West Indies, except Isla de Pinos, Swan Islands, and Cayman Islands. In Cuba, a small population was discovered on Cayo Tio Pepe in 1959 when two birds were collected. In 1963 five more birds were collected and three others observed. One was also collected from nearby Cayo Punta de Piedras (Bond 1963). It also has been encountered on Cayo Coco (Garrido 1976) and Gibara (J. W. Wiley pers. comm.). Our report is a new locality for the species in Cuba and the first in nearly 20 years. Chipping Sparrow iSpizella passerina): 1, basic plumage adult, Cayo Guillermo, 20 No- vember 1996. This species is a vagrant to the West Indies with only three previous records (total of four specimens) for Cuba (Garrido and Kirkconnell, in prep.; Suarez Duque 1996). First report for the ASC. Discussion Our observations illustrate well that even modest amounts of field work in Cuba can produce much new information on the status and distribution of its birds. The two species new for Cuba bring the total species recorded in Cuba to 354. Our work also resulted in 14 new records and reports for the ASC and 27 other records and reports that significantly improve information available on threatened and endan- gered species, the status of rare migrants and residents, and the sea- sonal status of many regularly occurring migrants and residents. Whereas knowledge of Cuban birds has certainly grown in recent years, clearly much remains to be learned. The “Bahamian” components of Cuba’s avifauna, Bahama Mock- ingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, Bananaquit, and Black-faced Grassquit, have populations largely restricted to coastal scrub habitat in the ASC. Intensive efforts to develop tourism in the ASC seriously threaten coastal scrub and this significant component of Cuba’s avian biodiver- sity. Cuban Bird Records 49 Two species, Gundlach’s Hawk and Red-legged Honeycreeper, may be expanding into the ASC because of the links provided to the main- land by causeways. Four major causeways now connect cays in the ASC to the mainland and, as Garrido (1996) has pointed out, these cause- ways, and others linking cays to each other, could facilitate invasion of species not native to the cays, potentially affecting their isolated eco- systems. Many of the cays support endemic subspecies of resident birds as well as endemic species of reptiles and amphibians. The im- pact of non-native mainland forms on the isolated faunas of the cays is as yet unknown. In Puerto Rico, populations of Puerto Rican Vireo {Vireo latimeri) on offshore islands are apparently safe from parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds {Molothrus bonariensis) (J. Faaborg pers. comm.). Causeways could facilitate dispersal of cowbirds to the ASC where pop- ulations of species with extremely restricted ranges, such as Thick- billed Vireo, could be adversely affected. Acknowledgments Our work on Cayo Coco was made possible by grants from the Canadian Wildlife Ser- vice, the American Ornithologists’ Union, Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research, and the Sharon Litchfield Corporation. Additional support was provided by the University of Missouri, Hiram Gonzalez of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Celso Pazos Al- berdi and the staff of the Centro de Investigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros, and Michael Bradstreet and Jon McCracken of Bird Studies Canada. Julian del Campo Alonso photographed the Black-throated Gray Warbler. Terri Groh, Luis Omar Melian Hernandez, Mabel Lopez Rojas, Hector Miguel Reyes, Marianela Torres Gutierez, Pedro Regalado Ruiz, Kathryn Warner, and Martin Wernaart assisted in the field. James W. Wiley generously assisted with references and information on specimens in Cuban col- lections. John Faaborg, William B. Robertson, James W. Wiley, Glen Woolfenden, and an anonymous reviewer provided comments that improved the manuscript. Literature Cited American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American birds. 6th ed. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. 7th ed. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Barre, N., P. Feldmann, G. Tayalay, P. Roc, M. Anselme, and P. W. Smith. 1996. Sta- tus of the Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) in the French Antilles. El Pitirre 9(3):2-4. Blanco, P., J. P. Goosen, H. Gonzalez Alonso, and J. Sirois. 1993. Occurrences of the Piping Plover in Cuba. Journal of Field Ornithology 64:520-526. Blanco Rodriguez, P. 1995. Nuevo registro del Frailecillo Silbador Charadrius melo- dus (Aves: Charadriidae) en Cuba. El Pitirre 8(3):2. Blanco Rodriguez, P. and E. Perez M. 1997. Otros nuevos registros del Frailecillo Sil- bador Charadrius melodus en la Provincia de la Habana, Cuba. El Pitirre 10(1): 13-14. Bond, J. 1956. Check-list of birds of the West Indies, 4th ed. Academy of Natural Sci- ences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1959. Fourth supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 50 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Bond, J. 1960. Fifth supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1962. Seventh supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1963. Eighth supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1964. Ninth supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1972. Seventeenth supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1985. Birds of the West Indies, 5th ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Bond, J. 1987. Twenty-seventh supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Collar, N. J., L. P. Gonzaga, N. Krabbe, A. Madrono Nieto, L. G. Naranjo, T. A. Parker III, and D. C. Wege. 1992. Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN red data book, 3rd ed., part 2. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. DeSante, D. and P. Pyle. 1986. Distributional checklist of North American birds. Arte- misia Press, Lee Vining. Garrido, O. H. 1973. Anfibios, reptiles y aves del Archipielago de Sabana-Camagiiey, Cuba. Torreia (new series) 27:1-72. Garrido, O. H. 1976. Aves y reptiles de Cayo Coco, Cuba. Miscelanea Zoologica, Aca- demia de Ciencias de Cuba 3:3-4. Garrido, O. H. 1978. Nueva subespecie del Carpintero Verde (Aves: Picidae) para Cayo Coco, Cuba. Informe Cientifica Tecnica Zoologica, Academia de Ciencias de Cuba 67:1-6. Garrido, O. H. 1995. A preliminary review of the Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus com- plex in the Greater Antilles. Abstract, 1995 Society of Caribbean Ornithology annual meeting. El Pitirre 8(3):8. Garrido, O. H. 1996. General aspects of conservation in Cuba. El Pitirre 9(3): 19 Garrido, O. H. and F. Garcia Montana. 1975. Catalogo de las aves de Cuba. Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, La Habana, Cuba. Garrido, O. H. and A. Kirkconnell. 1990. La Tortola Streptopelia decaocto (Aves: Columbidae) en Cuba. El Pitirre 3(4):2. Garrido, O. H. and A. Kirkconnell. In prep. Catalogo de las aves de Cuba. Garrido, O. H. and A. Kirkconnell. In press. A field guide to the birds of Cuba. Cornell University Press, Ithaca. Graves, G. R. 1996. Censusing winter populations of Swainson’s Warblers: surveys in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Wilson Bulletin 108:94-103. Gundlach, j. 1876. Contribucion a la ornitologfa cubana. Imprenta “La Antilla”, La Ha- bana, Cuba. Gundlach, J. 1893. Ornitologfa cubana, o catalogo descriptivo de todas las especies de aves tanto indfgenas como de paso anual o accidental observadas en 53 ahos. Archives de la Policlfnica, La Habana, Cuba. Harrington, B. A., J. M. Hagan, and L. E. Leddy, 1988. Site fidelity and survival dif- ferences between two groups of New World Red Knots (Calidris canutus). Auk 105:439-445. HernAndez Munoz, A. and B. Bowles. 1997. Primera observadon de Coereha flaveola (Linneo) (Aves: Coerebidae) para el Macizo Montanoso Guamuhaya, Cuba. El Pitirre 10(1):16. Kirkconnell, A. In press. Aves de Cayo Coco, Archipielago de Sabana-Camagiiey, Cuba. Torreia. Kirkconnell, A., A. Llanes, and O. Garrido. 1997. First report of the Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata celata) in Cuba. El Pitirre 10:95. Cuban Bird Records 51 Kirkconnell, a. and O. H. Garrido. 1991. The Thick-billed Vireo, Vireo crassirostris (Aves: Vireonidae), a new addition to the Cuban avifauna. Ornitologia Neotropical 2:99-100. Kirkconnell, A., G. E. Wallace, and O. H. Garrido. 1996. Notes on the status and dis- tribution of the Swainson’s Warbler in Cuba. Wilson Bulletin 108:175-178. Lembeye, J. 1850. Aves de la Isla de Cuba. Imprenta del Tiempo, La Habana, Cuba. Morrison, R. I. G. and J. P. Myers. 1987. Wader migration systems in the New World. Wader Study Group Bulletin 49, Supplement/IWRB Special Publication 7:57-69. Morrison, R. I. G. and R. K. Ross. 1989. Atlas of Nearctic shorebirds on the coast of South America, VoL 1. Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Oberholser, H. C. and E. B. Kincaid, Jr. 1974. The bird life of Texas. Vol. 2. University of Texas Press, Austin. Olsen, K. M. and H. Larsson. 1997. Skuas and jaegers. Yale University Press, New Ha- ven. Phillips, A. R. 1975. Semipalmated Sandpiper: identification, migrations, summer and winter ranges. American Birds 29:799-806. Raffaele, H., j. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Regalado, P. 1981. El genero Torreomis (Aves: Fringillidae): descripcion de una nueva subespecie en Cayo Coco, Cuba. Ciencia Agricultural 2:87-112. Robertson, W. B., and G. E. WOOLFENDEN. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Special Publication 6, Florida Ornithological Society, Gainesville. Rodriguez, D., and B. SAnchez. 1995. Avifauna del matorral xeromorfo en la region ori- ental de Cuba durante la migracion otonal (octubre de 1989, 1990, y 1991). Poeyana 447:1-12. Rodriguez, D., B. Sanchez, D. Zunigas, and R. Gomez. 1994. Distribucion y abundan- cia de las aves terrestres en Cayo Coco. Unpublished Technical Report, Instituto de Ecologia y Sistematica, CITMA. Smith, P. W. 1987. The Eurasian Collared-Dove arrives in the Americas. American Birds 41:1370-1379. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Suarez Duque, W. 1996. Nuevo record del Gorrion de Cabeza Carmelita (Spizella pas- serina) y nuevo reporte de fecha para el Bobito de Cresta (Myiarchus crinitus) para Cuba. El Pitirre 9(2):2-3. Wallace, G. E., H. GonzAlez Alonso, M. K. McNicholl, D. Rodriguez Batista, R. Oviedo Prieto, A. Llanes Sosa, B. SAnchez Oria, and E. A. H. Wallace. 1996. Forest-dwelling Neotropical migrant and resident birds in three regions of Cuba. Condor 98:745-768. Wetmore, A., R. F. Pasquier, and S. L. Olson. 1984. The birds of the Republic of Pan- ama. Pt. 4. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 52 NOTES Florida Field Naturalist 27(2):52-56, 1999. A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN POPULATION OF FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS ON AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGE Michael F. Delanys Patrick B. Walshs Bill Pranty^ and Dustin W. Perkins^ ^Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601 ^U.S. Air Force, OLA DET 1347 OGICEVN 29 South Boulevard, Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida 33825 ^8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662 ^Department of Wildlife Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow {Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) was listed as endangered because of its restricted distribution, loss of habitat, and popula- tion decline (USFWS 1988). Five extant populations are heretofore known on protected lands (Delany 1996, Shriver and Vickery 1999). We report the discovery of a population of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows and provide information on the current known range, status, and management of the subspecies. On 19 April 1997, during a survey for Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), P. B. Walsh heard a singing male Florida Grasshopper Sparrow on Bravo Range, Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR), Polk County (27°4PN 81°17W) (Fig. 1). He has con- ducted annual bob white surveys at this location since 1993 and no Grasshopper Spar- rows were previously detected. The location is an aerial bombing and gunnery range used by fighter and bomber aircraft, and artillery and mortar gunnery from ground- based weapons systems. Over 1,000 high explosive rounds and several thousand nonex- plosive rounds strike the location annually (Anon. 1997). Ordnance-ignited wildfires are frequent (> 1/year) and occur year round. Prescribed burns are conducted during the winter (December-March) on areas that did not burn during wildfires. The 206 ha grass- land was comprised of saw palmetto {Serenoa repens), wiregrass (Aristida spp.), cut- throat grass (Panicum ahscissum), and yellow-eyed grass {Xyris spp.). The grassland was bordered by open-canopy longleaf pines (Pinus palustris), shrubs, wetlands, and a bare ground target area. Soils are mostly Myakka sand and Basinger sand. Surveys to determine the number and distribution of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows at this location were conducted using a system of 22 grid points. Each point was sepa- rated by about 350 m and marked with aim length of galvanized electrical conduit. The coordinates of points were determined with a global positioning system. Survey methods and population estimation follow Walsh et al, (1995). Visual and auditory observations of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows were recorded during a 5- minute interval at each point during 5-19 May 1997. Observations were made from sun- rise to 1000 hrs. One survey was conducted at each point on three separate days. Spar- row locations were recorded in reference to the grid point markers using false-color Notes 53 Figure 1. Map of Florida Grasshopper Sparrow populations on protected lands, 1998. TLWMA = Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, APAFR - Avon Park Air Force Range, KPSP - Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve, OWKPS - Ordway- Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary. For APAFR: 1 = Bravo Range, 2 - Delta Trail/OQ Range, 3 = Echo Range. Distribution surveys were incomplete for KPSP. infrared maps of the study area. Sparrows observed on different days >203 m apart were considered separate individuals. To obtain an estimate of the total population size, the number of males detected during point counts was doubled, and the number of spar- rows of undetermined sex was added. The size of the area used was determined by digi- tizing the outermost locations of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows and calculating the area of the minimum convex polygon using Arc View GIS 3.0 software (ESRI 1990). 54 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Surveys on Bravo Range located 21 males and one sparrow of undetermined sex, for a minimum population estimate of 43 Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. The birds occu- pied 198 ha of prairie grassland. Nesting was confirmed on 12 May 1997, when B. Pranty found a nest with four eggs. Bravo Range is 5.5 km northeast of the nearest population of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Fig. 1) and separated by slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations, longleaf pine forests, and unoccupied prairie grasslands. Land use records (APAFR unpubl. data) indicate Bravo Range was once forested, and we noticed pine stumps where surface soil was displaced from bomb craters. Sparrows probably colonized the site after it was cleared in the 1920s. Frequent ordnance-ignited wildfires since the 1940s have main- tained grasslands on Bravo Range in an open, early successional stage preferred by Grasshopper Sparrows (Walsh et al. 1995, Vickery 1996). Florida Grasshopper Sparrows seem to be responsive to habitat restoration (Delany 1996) and their use of a previously forested location supports this contention. Florida Grasshopper Sparrows appear to be sedentary (Delany et al. 1995) and the Bravo Range population is probably a distinct breeding aggregation. This provides an additional, protected location and an important opportunity towards the recovery of the sparrow. The subspecies could be reclassified as threatened if 50 breeding pairs become established at each of 10 secure, discrete locations throughout its former range (USFWS 1988). However, only four populations meet these criteria (Table 1, Fig. 1). Since its listing, habitat loss on private lands has caused the sparrow to abandon six former breeding locations (Delany and Linda 1994). Search of a former location (Delany 1996) on private property in DeSoto County during 1996 failed to locate Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows (T. F. Dean pers. comm.). A location on private property 11.0 km south- east of Basinger (Okeechobee County) (Delany 1996) has not been searched since 1992 when an unmated male and a mated pair with a nest containing four young were found (Turner and DeLotelle 1992). On 15 May 1997, a male Florida Grasshopper Sparrow was found on River Ranch Acres in Polk County (Pranty 1997), 10 km east of the Bravo Range population. Current information does not warrant a change in the listing status of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Breeding aggregations are known from only six protected loca- tions with a total population of <1,000 birds (Table 1). However, other populations prob- ably exist and additional distribution surveys are needed to locate occupied sites. Shriver and Vickery (1999) identified 156,000 ha of potential habitat within the historic range of the sparrow. As the Bravo Range population exemplifies, Florida Grasshopper Sparrows can be easily overlooked. Known populations should be monitored each year to determine trends. The objective of the recovery plan for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is to main- tain populations and increase distribution and abundance (USFWS 1988). Small popu- lations (<50 pairs) or isolated pairs may provide a focal point for habitat management and the formation of viable populations. Tree and shrub removal, along with prescribed fire, may provide additional habitat to expand some occupied locations. A population of 50 breeding pairs may require 240-1,348 ha of prairie grassland (Delany et al. 1995). Additional information is needed on the effects of land management practices on Florida Grasshopper Sparrows to achieve recovery. Acknowledgments. — This work was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 14- 45-0009-154, Research Work Order 175, funded by the US. Air Force through the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. We thank H. F. Percival and D. G. Cook who effectively promoted this effort. T. L. Steele and V L. Sims assisted with word pro- cessing. T. F, Dean assisted with surveys. P. Gray, R. Mulholland, and J. A. Pederson pro- vided information on land management. K. NeSmith and B. Stith provided some of the coverages used in the map. J. A. Gore, S. A. Nesbitt, P. D. Vickery, and D. A. Wood re- viewed previous manuscript drafts. Table 1. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow populations and land management on protected lands, 1996-1998. Number of Estimated Singing Population Population County Males Size* Land Management Notes o ^ CQ b ^ ^ bB 00 _d cq '3 b g 0 4-5 ® ® ® 0 § s S § g ■S bo r ^ ed N d ±2 d d s ^ 5-1 4J d t© ^ ^ ® J ® CO S d bfl 5 >5.S d ^ d 6 £ J 4J 5h d o 0 0) O > ^ "m ^ o 1 & g H 5~1 • cd Sib ^ Id m ^ i-J ■a >4 1 8 -s , d d © § d ffl d ® 5n U d ® N d & 4J a ® o X ® bo d d o 5-1 m m ed ® a d m ® ® m ’xi 1 03 •T3 d cd 0 o d5 o ® p3 o 1 ® ® ® © s s o o ® d cd 55 ‘’Pers. observ. D. W. Perkins, 1998. incomplete surveys, '•Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (unpubl. data 1996). 56 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Literature Cited Anon. 1997. Environmental assessment for high explosive ordnance delivery from AC- 130 aircraft at Avon Park Air Force Range. Environmental Assessment, US. Air Force. Unpublished report, Avon Park Air Force Range. Delany, M. F. 1996. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Pages 128-136 in Rare and endan- gered biota of Florida, Volume 5, Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale, II, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Delany, M. F., and S. B. Linda. 1994. Characteristics of occupied and abandoned Flor- ida Grasshopper Sparrow territories. Florida Field Naturalist. 22:106-109. Delany, M. F., C. T. Moore, and D. R. Progulske, Jr. 1995. Territory size and move- ments of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Journal of Field Ornithology 66:305-309. Environmental System & Research Institute (ESRI). 1990. Arc View 3.0 GIS soft- ware. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. Redlands. Pranty, B. 1997. Field observations spring report: March-May 1997. Florida Field Nat- uralist 25:148-158. Shriver, W. G., and P. D. Vickery. 1999. Aerial assessment of potential Florida Grass- hopper Sparrow habitat: conservation in a fragmented landscape. Florida Field Nat- uralist 27:1-9. Turner, D. A., and R. S. DeLotelle. 1992. Cypress energy project. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow mitigation and management plan. Unpublished report. Black & Veatch, Inc., Kansas City. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. Recovery plan for Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. U S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta. Vickers, P. D. 1996. Grasshopper Sparrow {Ammodramus savannarum). In The Birds of North America, no. 239 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Academy of the Natural Sci- ences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Walsh, P. B., D. A. Darrow, and J. G. Dyess. 1995. Habitat selection by Florida grass- hopper sparrows in response to fire. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 49:340-347. Notes 57 Florida Field Naturalist 27(2):57-58, 1999. FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY NESTLINGS PREYED UPON BY AN EASTERN COACHWHIP Stephan J. Schoech Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47401 E-Mail: sschoech@indiana.edu Considerable indirect evidence implicates diurnal snakes as major predators on eggs and nestlings of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens; see Schaub et al. 1992). Despite observations of an eastern coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum; Webber 1980) and an eastern indigo (Drymarchon corais; Mumme 1987) preying upon fledgling Flor- ida Scrub- Jays and Westcott’s (1970) finding nestling Florida Scrub- Jays in the stomach of a dead coachwhip, there are no direct observations of either eggs or nestling Florida Scrub-Jays being taken by snakes. Lohrer (1980), however, observed a coachwhip prey- ing upon nestling Blue Jays, {Cyanocuta cristata). In this report, I describe predation of two of a brood of three 11-day-old Florida Scrub- Jay nestlings by an eastern coachwhip. On 6 May 1998, I conducted a nest watch to quantify feeding rates by nonbreeding helper Florida Scrub- Jays at Archbold Biological Station. The study area is described in detail by Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick (1984) and Schoech et al. (1991, 1996). I set up a blind of camouflage netting approximately 50 m from the nest and observed through a 20-60 X Bausch and Lomb spotting scope set at approximately 25 x Each of three nest- lings had been weighed and given a unique colorband combination five hours earlier. I began to watch the nest at 1643 h; at 1653 h the adult jays began scolding near the nest. The group consisted of a breeding pair and two helpers and, based on the quality of the vocalizations, all members of the group were involved in the mobbing. At 1655 h I noticed the branches about the nest begin to shake slightly, as they do when an adult jay approaches to feed the nestlings. I first observed the snake when it was about 0.5 m from the nest. The snake rapidly approached the nest and struck one of the nestlings, held the nestling briefly, readjusted its grip, and began to swallow the nestling. The snake then moved away from the nest with the nestling firmly in its jaws. The nestling taken (band combination, -ZL) weighed 47.8 g, an average weight for a healthy day-11 Florida Scrub- Jay. I estimated the coachwhip at between 1.5 and 2 m long. Scarcely 30 seconds had passed from the time the snake first appeared until it disap- peared from view. Although I could not see the snake for the next several minutes, the con- tinued vigorous scolding by the jays suggested that it remained in sight nearby. For the next 4 min the scolding continued in the general vicinity of the nest. At 1700 h the snake again entered my field of view from the direction from which it had exited the nest site. The events were much the same as before with another nestling being struck, gripped, and carried away from the nest. The second nestling (-ZF) weighed 46.7 g. This time, the snake probably concealed itself while swallowing the second nestling because the jays ceased scolding after the snake moved away from the nest. During the next several minutes the breeding female came to the nest several times and spent considerable time investigating and subsequently pecking vigorously at the nest lining. I have seen this behavior many times during other nest watches and consider it unlikely to be associated with the predation event. At 1711 h, scolding recommenced and I anticipated the reappearance of the coach- whip. However, I was not prepared for the manner of that reappearance. In both of the previous attacks the snake had approached the nest on the same horizontal plane as the nest, approximately 1 m above ground. This time the coachwhip erupted from beneath the center of the nest nearly knocking the palmetto fiber nest lining from its twig foun- dation. As the snake passed through the center of the twigs its body knocked the nest 58 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST cup of palmetto fibers askew; the remaining nestling stayed in the cup that was now fac- ing away from the snake at a 60 degree angle. After approximately a third of the snake’s body passed through the nest foundation, the snake turned and struck at the nestling twice; however, the fiber cup was between the snake and the nestling. Seemingly foiled by the mouthful of fibers rather than the nestling, the coachwhip turned, struck unsuc- cessfully three times at the adult jays that were fluttering nearby, and departed. I could not see the snake’s progress, but based on the location of the mobbing vocalizations it seemingly traveled 100 m in less than a minute. The coachwhip did not return for the remaining nestling which fledged successfully one week later. The preceding account has implications for several aspects of Florida Scrub-Jay biol- ogy. First, although strong circumstantial evidence implicates coach whips as Florida Scrub- Jay predators (Schaub et al. 1992), this is the first direct observation of nest preda- tion by an eastern coachwhip. Second, Florida Scrub-Jays not uncommonly experience brood reduction (Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984, pers. obs.). Often, when the nestling lost is the light weight, brood reduction is suspected to be a case of a nestling starving to death and being removed by a parent. However, sometimes brood reduction occurs with the loss of a large, seemingly healthy nestling. We now have evidence that-some of these cases may be attributed to predation (see also Schaub et al. 1992). Third, it seems unlikely that in the absence of mobbing by numerous jays that the snake would have retreated without consuming the remaining nestling. Therefore, this observation suggests that mob- bing is successful at times in driving away a predator (at least one that already has had a substantial 94.5 g meal). Fourth, it illustrates one means by which the presence of helpers " ay reduce predation on nestlings, as has been postulated by numerous workers on Flor- Scrub-Jays (e. g., Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984, Mumme 1992, Schaub et al. 1992). Acknowledgments. — I thank Reed Bowman, Bob Curry, Ron Mumme, Tom Webber, and Glen Woolfenden for helpful comments on this manuscript. Noah Owen-Ashley’s dil- igence located the nest. This study was supported by NSF Grant # IBN-9722823. Thanks to the staff at Archbold Biological Station for facilitating my research in many ways. Literature Cited Lohrer, F. E. 1980. Eastern coachwhip predation on nestling Blue Jays. Florida Field Naturalist 8:28-29. Mumme, R. L. 1987. Eastern indigo snake preys on juvenile Florida Scrub Jay. Florida Field Naturalist 15:53-54. Mumme, R. L. 1992. Do helpers increase reproductive success? An experimental analysis in the Florida scrub jay. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 31:319-328. Schaub, R., R. L. Mumme, and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Predation on the eggs and nestlings of Florida Scrub Jays. Auk 109:585-593. SCHOECH, S. J., R. L. Mumme, and M. C. Moore. 1991. Reproductive endocrinology and mechanisms of breeding inhibition in cooperatively breeding Florida scrub jays (Aph- elocoma c. coerulescens). Condor 93:354-364. SCHOECH, S. J., R. L. Mumme, and J. C. Wingfield. 1996. Delayed breeding in the coop- eratively breeding Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens): inhibition or the ab- sence of stimulation. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 39:77-90. Webber, T. A. 1980. Eastern coachwhip predation on juvenile Scrub Jays. Florida Field Naturalist 8:29-30. Westcott, P. W. 1970. Ecology and behavior of the Florida scrub jay. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Florida, Tampa. Woolfenden, G. E., and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1984. The Florida Scrub Jay: Demography of a cooperative-breeding bird. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Notes 59 Florida Field Naturalist 27(2):59-61, 1999. POPULATION INCREASE, NESTING PHENOLOGY, NESTING SUCCESS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF REDDISH EGRETS IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA Brian Toland^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service RO. Box 2676 Vero Beach, Florida 32961-2676 The Florida population of the Reddish Egret {Egretta rufescens) has been gradually expanding its breeding range from Florida Bay northward to its former breeding limit (Bancroft 1971, Paul 1982, Paul 1986, Rodgers and Schwikert 1986, Poland 1991). Approximately two-thirds of Florida’s Reddish Egret population occurs in Florida Bay and the Keys, where the species is widely distributed (Paul 1996). Nesting is more local- ized and less common along the peninsular coastlines (Paul 1996). The best documented range expansion along Florida’s Atlantic Coast occurred in Brevard County (Haulover Island in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge) and Indian River County (Riomar Island, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Oslo Island) (Maxwell and Kale 1974, Paul et al. 1979, Paul 1982, Rodgers and Schwikert 1986, Poland 1991). During the period from 1984 through 1989, only one Reddish Egret nest was found per year in Indian River County at either Riomar Island in Vero Beach or Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (Rodgers and Schwikert 1986, Poland unpubl. data). This note reports an increase in nesting pairs of Reddish Egrets in Indian River County and docu- ments nesting phenology, nesting success, and productivity from 1990 through 1998. I studied the nesting behavior of Reddish Egrets throughout Indian River County, Florida from 1990 through 1995; and from 1996 through 1998 I monitored Reddish Egrets on Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge only. From 1990 through 1995, 1 sys- tematically surveyed a 39-km section of the Indian River Lagoon for Reddish Egrets biweekly by boat from 1 April through 15 August each year. The study area includes 49 spoil islands (created by dredging the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway) and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. I observed all mixed-species waterbird nesting colonies for Reddish Egrets using lOx binoculars. Nest counts were accomplished by (1) using a boat to drift along an island’s perimeter about 20 m from the mangrove fringe, and (2) slowly entering the interior of the colony by foot. Entry was from the unoccupied section of the island during late incubation and early nestling stages so as to minimize distur- bance-related nesting failures or premature fledging (Poland 1991). When a Reddish Egret nest was located, I recorded the stage of nesting, nesting substrate, and height of nest above ground. Subsequent visits were made to each nest site to document the fate of each nesting attempt. During this study Reddish Egrets nested exclusively in mixed-species colonies of waterbirds (Ciconiiformes and Pelicaniformes) on either natural or dredged-material (spoil) islands in the Indian River Lagoon. I located a total of 21 Reddish Egret nests in Indian River County from 1990 through 1995. The number of breeding pairs nesting in the study area increased from two during 1990, to three during 1992 and 1993, to four during 1993 and 1994, to five pairs during 1995. An additional 12 Reddish Egret nests ^Current address: Brevard County, Office of Natural Resources Management, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. A, Viera, Florida 32940. 60 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST were located on Pelican Island from 1996 through 1998 and the number of nesting pairs increased from three to five. All five nests on Pelican Island successfully fledged young in 1998 (2.0 fledglings per pair). Of the 50 available islands in the study area, 5 (10%) were used for nesting attempts by Reddish Egrets during the eight-year study. The natural island at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was the only site used by Reddish Egrets every year during the study. Reddish Egrets constructed nests 1 to 4 m high in five species of plants including, 22 in prickly pear cactus iOpuntia stricta), 4 in white mangrove {Laguncularia race- mosa), 4 in black mangrove {Avicenna germinans), 2 in buttonwood {Conocarpus erec- tus), and 1 in Brazilian pepper {Schinus terehinthafolius). Only 2 of 21 (9.5%) Reddish Egret nests were constructed over water; the majority of nests were located in the inte- rior of nesting colonies at distances of from 5 to 25 m from water. All Reddish Egret nests were located among mixed-species herons and egrets and not peripherally distrib- uted or isolated from other species as reported for Florida Bay (Paul 1996). Mean nesting dates were estimated using a 26-day incubation period and 6.5-week nestling period (Hancock and Kushlan 1984). The mean date of initiation of incubation was April 18, the mean hatching date was May 14, and the mean fledging date was June 27. Reddish Egret clutch size is typically three to four eggs (Paul 1996). Mean clutch size was 3.4 {n = 16, range = 3 to 4) in this study. This contrasted with the overall average of 2.8 eggs (range = 2.3 to 3.0) reported for small colonies in Florida Bay (R. T. Paul unpubl. data). Hatching success for this study was 80% (44 eggs hatched out of 55 eggs laid) and about 75% of the nestlings monitored subsequently fledged. Normal hatching rates range from 65 to 85% of all eggs laid while normal fledging success ranges from 60 to 75% of all hatched eggs (Paul 1996). Paul (unpubl. data) documented hatching success of 86% and fledging success var3dng from 4 to 62% in Florida Bay. Reddish Egrets in my study suc- cessfully fledged at least one young 94% (31 of 33) of the nesting attempts. Mean annual productivity was 2.4 fledglings per nesting pair per year for all nesting attempts. Produc- tivity ranged from 0.1 to 1.8 fledglings per nesting pair in Florida Bay (Paul unpubl. data). Human recreational activities, including boating, personal watercraft use, picknick- ing, and fishing, were the most important causes of disturbance to roosting and nesting Reddish Egrets. During this study, all islands used by nesting Reddish Egrets were rel- atively unattractive or inaccessible to humans due to dense Brazilian peppers, absence of sandy beaches or spits, and/or surrounding oyster reefs. The mixed-species wading bird colony at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is officially protected and moni- tored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, the wading bird nesting colonies on spoil islands have received no official protection and are potentially vulnerable to dis- turbance from boaters and personal watercraft operators. Powerboats frequently approached to within 25 m of wading bird colonies while personal watercraft easily encroached to within 10 m of nests, causing numerous flushes of breeding birds. These disturbances can cause direct adverse affects including nest abandonment or premature fledging by nestlings, as well as indirect impacts such as opportunistic nest predation by Fish Crows {Corvus ossifragus). Management recommendations for Reddish Egrets in the Indian River Lagoon should prioritize the control of human recreational activities on or near spoil islands with documented heronries, at least during the nesting period of March through July. County comprehensive plans should include nesting colony protection, emphasizing buffer zones around nest sites (Rodgers and Smith 1995). Recent studies to determine disturbance distances of approaching personal watercraft to nesting wading birds rec- ommend a buffer zone radius of 150 m to adequately protect Reddish Egrets and other colonial nesting waterbirds (Rodgers pers. comm). Continued wading bird surveys are needed to locate additional Reddish Egret nest sites, update wading bird population assessments, and initiate appropriate protective measures throughout the Indian River Lagoon. Notes 61 Acknowledgments. — I am grateful for dedicated assistance in the field by P. Tritaik and L. D. Poland. R Tritaik graciously provided additional Reddish Egret nesting data for Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. R. T. Engstrom, P. Frederick, and J. A. Rodg- ers, Jr. made constructive, editorial comments that improved the manuscript. Literature Cited Bancroft, G. 1971. Northern breeding record for Reddish Egret. Auk 88:429. Hancock, J., and J.A.Kushlan. 1984. The herons handbook. Harper and Row, New York. Maxwell, G. R., and H. W. Kale, II. 1974. Population estimate of breeding birds on a spoil island in the Indian River, Indian River County, Florida. Florida Field Natural- ist 2:32-39. Paul, R. T. 1982. Florida region. American Birds 36:967-970. Paul, R. T. 1986. Florida region. American Birds 40:1194. Paul, R. T. 1996. Reddish egret. Pages 281-294 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida, Vol. 5, Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale, II, and H. T. Smith, Eds.), University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Rodgers, J. A., Jr., and S. T. Schwikert. 1986. Recolonization of Pelican Island by Red- dish Egrets. Florida Field Naturalist. 14:76-77. Rodgers, J. A., Jr., and H. T. Smith, 1995. Set-back distances to protect nesting bird colonies from human disturbances in Florida. Conservation Biology 9:89-99. Poland, B. 1991. Successful nesting by Reddish Egrets at Oslo Island, Indian River County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist. 19:51-53. 62 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Naturalist 27(2):62-76;i999. Fall Reports August-November 1998.— The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornitho- logical Society (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). As these reports are not reviewed formally, they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-Feb- ruary), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall (August-November). Submit reports to regional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at bill- pranty@hotmaiLcom. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, University Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds that require documen- tation {FFN 24[4]: 132-133, 1996). These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: APAFR = Avon Park Air Force Range, CP = county park, DTNP = Dry Tortugas NP {Monroe), EMCA = Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area {Lake), ENP == Everglades NP, EOS - end of season, FDCP Fort DeSoto CP {Pinellas), HISRA = Honeymoon Island SRA {Pinellas), HPM = Hamilton phosphate mines, NWR = national wildlife ref- uge, PPM = Polk phosphate mines, PPSP = Paynes Prairie State Preserve {Alachua), R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, RSRSP = Rock Springs Run State Pre- serve {Lake), S&A 1994 = Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SCCP - Saddle Creek CP {Polk), SGI = St. George Island {Franklin), SP = state park, SRA = state recreation area, SRCA = Seminole Ranch Conservation Area (Orange and/or Seminole), SRSTF = Sprin- ghill Road STF {Leon), STF - sewage treatment facility, TRSTF - Tram Road STF fLeon), WMA = wildlife management area, WSSP = Wekiva Springs SP {Orange), and N, S, E, W etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida, or record high counts. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted v/ith the editing of the manuscript. Summary of the Season The most notable event of Fall 1998 was the new, but temporary, management of the former farm fields at Zellwood. Efforts by Gian Basili and Bill Pranty of the Florida Audubon Society appear to have convinced the St. Johns River Water Management Dis- trict and the National Resources Conservation Service to agree to maintain a proposed “shorebird management area” on at least 800 ha at Zellwood. During the schedule regu- lated by the farmers, fields were flooded from July through September or early October, and farmed for the remaining 8-9 months of the year. Under the management plan pre- Field Observations 63 sented by Audubon, fields will be shallow-fiooded year-round, to benefit resident wading birds, migratory and wintering waterfowl, and especially migratory and wintering shorebirds. The proposed waterbird viewing area likely will not be in place until mid- 2000, but interim shallow-flooding of the fields this fall, primarily for weed control, cre- ated ideal conditions for shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, and other species. Spar- rows, wrens, buntings, and other species were abundant in unflooded weedy fields. Birders responded enthusiastically to the increased bird abundance and diversity, and Zellwood was hailed as the best fall birding spot in Florida by many of the state’s most experienced observers. The Herculean efforts of Harry Robinson at Zellwood must be mentioned. Harry vis- ited Zellwood 18 times between 15 August and 30 November, and carefully counted indi- vidual birds on 16 of these trips. Bird diversity increased steadily from 60 species on 15 August to 119 species on 30 November. Total counts of individuals ranged from 3599 to 34,109, with a mean of 18,558 birds per survey. During the season, 174 species were reported at Zellwood. The complete compilation of Harry Robinson’s data are found in the revised edition of the Zellwood management report, published by Florida Audubon. Other notable events were numerous pelagic species found inland following Hurri- cane Earl on 3 September, and Hurricane Georges on 25 September. Chief among these were single Pomarine Jaegers at three sites, which represent the second through fourth inland reports for the species in Florida. Other interesting reports were breeding of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks in Lake County, the first inland breeding report of Black Rails in the state, three Ruffs at Zellwood, and an inland report of a Nelson’s Sharp- tailed Sparrow at Tallahassee. This fall, all five of Florida’s native geese were found in the state, including the highest counts ever of Greater White-fronted Geese and Snow Geese. The latter species was also more widespread in the state than is typical. FOSRC rarities reported this fall were the White-faced Ibis and 2 Ross’s Geese at Fort Walton Beach, at least 3 Curlew Sandpipers at Zellwood, South Polar Skuas at Fort Clinch and New Smyrna Beach, Atlantic Puffin picked up at Jacksonville, Sulphur-bel- lied Flycatcher at Fort Pickens, Tropical Kingbird at Fort DeSoto CP, Warbling Vireos in Alachua and Pinellas, and MacGillivray’s Warbler at Orlando. Fall migration was mixed. Bob Duncan called the season “great” for western vagrants to the Western Panhandle, but “dull” for Neotropical migrants. Rex Rowan associated the “more interesting than usual” migration in the Gainesville region in mid- September to Hurricane Earl, but migration was slower afterward. In Pinellas County, exceptional fallouts were noted 2 October and 4 November, when high counts were obtained for the Yellow-throated Vireo, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, and Summer Tanager. Species Accounts Red-throated Loon: 1 at Canaveral National Seashore {Brevard) 8 Nov (B. and D. Branchett); 2 at Ochlockonee Bay (Wakulla) 22 Nov (H. Hooper et ah). Common Loon: 1 at Lake Jackson (Leon) 21 Oct (G. Menk); 2 at HPM 17 Nov (J. Krum- mrich). PIED-BILLED Grebe: 1 “presumed migrant” at SRSTF 9 Aug (G. Menk); 400 at PPM 1 Nov (C. Geanangel, P Timmer); 750 at Zellwood (Orange) 18 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Horned Grebe: 1 at SRSTF 23 Oct (H. Horne); 3 at Zellwood 2 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.). Eared Grebe: up to 3 at 2 Leon STFs 26 Sep-EOS (J. Cavanagh et al.); 3 at FWBSTF 29 Sep-EOS (D. Ware, B. Duncan et al.); 2 at PPM 1-21 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer et al.); 3 at Zellwood 11 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.); 21 at HPM 14 Nov (M. Manetz et al.). 64 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Cory’S Shearwater: 3 off Clearwater {Pinellas) 20 Sep (W. Biggs et aL). White-tailed Tropicbird: 1 washed ashore at St. Augustine 14 Oct and died 15 Oct {fide R. Rowan, specimen to Univ. of Florida). Masked Booby: 1 at Garden Key, DTNP 31 Aug (M. Collins); 1 immature 8-10 km off SGI 7 Sep (T. Kennedy). Brown Booby: 1 at Navarre Flats {Santa Rosa) 30 Aug (A. and D. Forster); 1 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle) and 31 Aug (M. Collins). Red-footed Booby: 1 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle); 1 about 16 km S of Marquesas Keys {Monroe) 24 Aug (M. Collins). Northern Gannet: 3 off Cape San Bias {Gulf) 22 Aug (R. Houser, R. Ingram, T. Menart); 96 at Canaveral National Seashore 26 Nov (T. Rogers). American White Pelican: up to 1350 at Zellwood 17 Sep-EOS (H. Robinson et al.); 110 at FDCP 25 Oct (L. Atherton, B. Ahern); 77 at N Jacksonville {Duval) 29 Oct (R. Clark); 200 at EMCA 18 Nov {fide J. Marburger); 20 at PPSP 21 Nov (E. Bonahue). Anhinga: 75 in a flock moving N over Holey Land WMA {Palm Beach) 25 Aug (L. Man- fredi); 32 (most or all males) over APAFR {Polk) 28 Sep (B. Pranty). Magnificent Frigatebird: 100 at DTNP 31 Aug (M. Collins); 18 in Alachua 3 Sep (M. Landsman et al.); 2 at Lake Jackson 6 Sep (P. Conover), 6 there 27 Sep (D. Harder), and 2 there 30 Sep (P. Conover); 12 at Bald Point {Franklin) 28 Sep (P. Conover). Great Blue Heron: 295 at Zellwood 30 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Great Egret: 1950 at Zellwood 6 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Snowy Egret: 300 at Zellwood 15 Aug (H. Robinson et al.); 725 in a pond at N Jackson- ville 30 Aug (R. Clark). Cattle Egret: 7500 at Zellwood 7 Aug (P. Fellers et al.), and 3000 there 2 Sep (H. Rob- inson et al.). White Ibis: 1000 at Zellwood 15 Aug (H. Robinson et al.). Glossy Ibis: 450 at Zellwood 8 Aug (R Fellers et al.) and 18 Nov (H. Robinson et al.); up to 5 at FWBSTF 3 Oct-4 Nov (B. and L. Duncan, D. Ware et al.); 1 at HISRA 18 Nov (P. Blair, W. Yusek). *White-FACED Ibis: 1 with “unequivocal” red irides at FWBSTF 5-7 Nov (P. Tetlow et al.). Roseate Spoonbill: up to 6 at Zellwood 15 Aug-EOS (H. Robinson et al.); 1 at SRCA 19 Sep {fide L. Malo); 1 at St. Marks NWR (Wakulla) 30 Sep-26 Nov (T Kennedy, F. Rut- kovsky et al.); 1 at Big Lagoon (Escambia) 30 Oct (P. Perdue), 1 at EMCA 18 Nov (fide J. Marburger). Wood Stork: 1 at FWBSTF 22 Aug (B. Gericke, D. Ware et al.); 3 in Okaloosa 19 Sep (K. and P. Gault); 1130 at Zellwood 18 Nov (H. Robinson et al.); 127 at EMCA 18 Nov {fide J. Marburger). Greater Flamingo: 1 immature at Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce {St. Lucie) 28 Sep was thought to be a Georg'es-driven bird (D. and H. Hull et al.); 1 adult at SGI 23-24 Oct (D. Jue [photo to FOC], S. Jue, J. Cavanagh); 39 at Snake Bight, ENP {Monroe) 7 Nov (L. Manfredi et al.). Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 250 at Zellwood 21 Oct (H. Robinson et al.); 2 at EMCA 31 Oct {fide J. Marburger). Black-bellied Whistling-duck: 2 at Gainesville to 2 Aug (R. Rowan); 3 at PPM 2 Aug (P. Fellers, P. Timmer); 4 at Zellwood 15 Aug (P. Fellers) and 2 there to 27 Nov {fide B. Pranty); 4 at PPSP 5 Sep (J. Weimer); 7 adults and 6 “very young” ducklings at My- akka River SP {Sarasota) 5 Sep (C. and L. Manfredi); 3 adults with 8 young at EMCA 31 Oct, and 12 (no ages given) there 18 Nov (both fide J. Marburger). Greater White-fronted Goose: 103 with Snow Geese over Fort Pickens {Escambia) 11 Nov (B. and L. Duncan) is by far the state’s highest count (S&A 1994); 4 at St. Marks NWR 11-12 Nov (J. Dozier); 7 over FWBSTF 12 Nov (B. and L. Duncan, D. Svengin), and 3 there 17-24 Nov (D. Ware, B. and L. Duncan et al.). Field Observations 65 Snow Goose: 3 blue morphs at Merritt Island NWR {Brevard) 19 Oct (P. Fellers et al.); 1 immature white morph at New Port Richey (Pasco) 1-22 Nov (K. Tracey, photos to FOG); up to 85 at Zellwood 2 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson, B. and L. Cooper, T. Palmer et al.); 2 blue morphs at Merritt Island NWR 3 Nov (D. Beach); 2603 flying NE from 0930-1130 hrs over Fort Pickens 11 Nov (B. and L. Duncan), and 3000 estimated over FWBSTF from 0800-1100 the same day (D. Ware); “unprecedented numbers” in the E Panhandle 11-13 Nov (fide G. Menk) included “thousands” in Franklin (J. Dozier) and 5000 in GulfiG. Sprandel); 12 at Fort Myers (Lee) 11 Nov (D. Beeler); 2 (1 white and 1 blue) in N Jacksonville 14 Nov (R. Clark); 4 at HPM 17 Nov (J. Ault); 1 blue morph at HISRA 18-20 Nov (P. Blair, W. Yusek); about 50 at Gainesville 18 Nov (G. Pryor); 1 immature white morph (possibly the Pasco bird) at HISRA 23-24 Nov (E. Kwater, W. Yusek). *ROSS’S Goose: 2 (1 adult and 1 immature) at FWBSTF 18 Nov-EOS (B. and L. Duncan et al.). Brant: 1 at Smyrna Dunes Park (Volusia) 24 Oct (W. Biggs, K. Radamaker). Canada Goose: 2 at PPM 2 Aug were “quite tame” (P. Timmer, P. Fellers); 1 at Cedar Key 31 Aug (D. Henderson); 6 at Zellwood 29 Oct (J. Petty), and 3 there 30 Oct-EOS (G. Basili et al.). Egyptian Goose: 1 at Ocklawaha Farms (Marion) 1 Sep (A. Alexander, photo to FOC). Green-winged Teal: 300 at EMCA 18 Nov (fide J. Marburger); 2100 at Zellwood 30 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Gadwall: up to 29 at Zellwood 16 Oct-EOS (H. Robinson); 16 at EMCA 18 Nov (fide J. Marburger). American Wigeon: 1 at PPM 2 Aug (P. Timmer, P. Fellers); 107 at Zellwood 25 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). American Black Duck: 2 at Zellwood 25 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.). Mottled Duck: 569 at PPM 2 Aug (P. Fellers, P. Timmer); 1 at Gulf Breeze (Santa Rosa) 29 Sep (B. Bremser); up to 4 at FWBSTF 3 Oct-24 Nov (B. and L. Duncan et al.). Mallard: up to 12 at Zellwood 11 Sep-EOS (H. Robinson et al.). Northern Pintail: 27 at PPM 21 Nov (L. Albright, C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Blue-winged Teal: 200 at Cape San Bias 29 Aug (E. Fontaine, H. Loftin, T. Menart); 250 at HISRA 3 Oct (E. Kwater); 10,500 at Zellwood 2 Nov (H. Robinson et al.) may be the state’s high count (S&A 1994). Cinnamon Teal: 1 male at FWBSTF 7 Oct (B. and L. Duncan); 1 male at Zellwood 30 Nov (H. Robinson). Northern Shoveler: 1 at Gainesville 2 Sep (J. Hintermister); 477 at Zellwood 13 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Canvasback: 1 near St. Andrew SRA (Bay) 24 Oct (A. Parker, N. Amesbury); 3 at Zell- wood 29 Oct-EOS (H. Robinson et al.). Redhead: 2 at Zellwood 18 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.). Ring-necked Duck: 1 male at W Jacksonville 28 Jul-9 Sep (H. Hooper et al.); 7845 at Zellwood 30 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Greater Scaup: 1 at SRSTF 27 Oct (G. Menk, P. Conover); 2 at Zellwood 6 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.). Lesser Scaup: 500 or more at St. Andrew SRA 14 Nov (fide T. Menart). Oldsquaw: 1 in Walton 19 Sep (S. Milum); 2 in Okaloosa 5 Nov (D. Ware, L. Fenimore). Surf Scoter: 1 at Fort Clinch SP (Nassau) 24 Oct (R. Clark). White-winged Scoter: 3 at HPM 14 Nov (M. Manetz, D. Wahl). Common Goldeneye: 1 at Gainesville 29 Nov (R. Rowan, B. Roberts). Bufflehead: 1 at EMCA 18 Nov (fide J. Marburger); 1 female at Zellwood 30 Nov (H. Robinson). Hooded Merganser: 1 female at Spring Hill (Hernando) 22 Aug (A. and B. Hansen). Ruddy Duck: 1 at Lake Lochloosa 28 Aug (R. Rowan). 66 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST White-tailed Kite: 1 at Medart {Wakulla) 14 Aug (R. Christen); 1 adult over Florida’s Turnpike 0.8 km N of the Miami-Dade line {Broward) 15 Aug (B. Pranty, H, Lovell); 2 adults at the 1998 nest site at ENP {Miami-Dade) 16 Aug (B. Pranty, H. Lovell). Mississippi Kite: 1 at Red Level {Citrus) 15 Aug (C. Black); 1 at Tallahassee 10 Sep (F, Rutkovsky); 1 adult at RSRSP 20 Sep (B. Anderson); 1 S of Aripeka {Pasco) 24 Sep (D. Robinson). Bald Eagle: 6 at FWBSTF 3-4 Noy and at least 3 present all season (P. Tetlow, D. Ware et al.); 14 at Zellwood 28 Nov (B. and L. Cooper et aL). Northern Harrier: 1 in female-plumage at APAFR {Highlands) 2 Sep (B. Pranty); 26 at Zellwood 20 Nov (H. Robinson et al.); 15 at PPM 21 Nov (L. Albright, C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Sharp-shinned Hawk: 81 on the Boot Key hawk watch {Monroe) 10 Oct (M. Whitesides et al). Cooper’s Hawk: 14 on the Boot Key hawk watch 10 Oct (M. MTiitesides et aL). Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at Zellwood 6 Oct (H. Robinson), and 2 there 7 Nov (L. Snyder); 109 at the Boot Key hawk watch 10 Oct (M. Whitesides et aL); 1 at HPM 17-24 Nov (J. Krummrich). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 light morph at Newnans Lake 27 Sep (B. Muschlitz, H. Adams et al.); 2 light morphs over Hontoon Island SP {Lake and/or Volusia) 3 Oct (C. Pierce et al.); 3 at the Boot Key hawk watch 10 Oct (M. Whitesides et al.). Swainson’S Hawk: 1 at Alligator Point {Franklin) 26 Nov (J. Dozier). Golden Eagle: 1 at Wakulla Springs SP {Wakulla) 24 Oct (T. Kennedy); 1 immature at FWBSTF 6 Nov (H. Huddleston, D. Ware); 1 at Yent Bayou {Franklin) 11 Nov (G. Sprandel); 1 at TRSTF 27 Nov (D. Harder). Merlin: 42 at SGISP between 0930-1500 hrs 24 Sep (J. Cavanagh); a total of 63 during daily watches at Guana River SP {St. Johns) 27 Sep-12 Oct (B. Stoll). Peregrine Falcon: 40 at SGISP between 0930-1500 hrs 24 Sep (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Newnans Lake 26 Sep (R. Rowan, M. Manetz et al); a total of 353 during daily watches at Guana River SP 27 Sep-12 Oct (B. Stoll); 238 on the Boot Key hawk watch 10 Oct (M. Whitesides et al.); 1 at PPM 1-21 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Northern Bobwhite: 42 in Citrus 7 Oct (T. Rogers). Yellow Rail: 1 at PPSP 19 Sep (J. Weimer). Black Rail: birds at Holey Land WMA 4 May-30 Aug, included at least 2 young “about the size of a ping pong ball” 25 Aug (L. Manfredi) is the first inland breeding report in Florida (S&A 1994). Common Moorhen: 1100 at Zellwood 11 Sep (H. Robinson et al.); 350 at PPM 11 Oct (P. Timmer, P. Fellers). American Coot: 1 albino at Zellwood in Oct (H. Robinson et al.); 1 albino at Merritt Is- land NWR 30 Oct (V. Fitz-Gerald); 16,720 at Zellwood 18 Nov (H. Robinson et al.); 21,000 at PPM 21 Nov (L. Albright, C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Limpkin: 1 at Black Swamp 10 Aug was called possibly the first Leon report in 20 years (G. Menk). Sandhill Crane: 72-115 roosted at Eagle Ridge Mall {Polk) through the season {fide L. Cooper); 9 at Fort Pickens 6 Nov (N. Gobris); up to 3 at FWBSTF 7 Nov-EOS (B. Bur- roughs et al.); 1 at TRSTF 20 Nov (J. Cavanagh); 97 at Zellwood 13 Nov (H. Robinson et al.); 4 at Niceville STF {Okaloosa) 30 Nov (G. Estes). Whooping Crane: 1 at Hawthorne {Alachua) 3 Oct (V. Call). Black-bellied Plover: 315 at Zellwood 25 Nov (H. Robinson et al). American Golden-plover: 1 at N Jacksonville 4 Sep (R. Clark); 1 at HISRA 10 Oct (E. Kwater et al); singles at TRSTF 29 Oct and SRSTF 20 Nov (both J. Cavanagh); 1 at FWBSTF 11-18 Nov (D. Ware et al). Snowy Plover: 16 at HISRA 18 Nov (P. Blair, W. Yusek). Semipalmated Plover: 70 at Zellwood 2 Sep (H. Robinson et al). Field Observations 67 Piping Plover: 20 at Shell Key (Pinellas) 11 Sep (P. Blair), and 1 there 14 Sep had been banded in South Dakota 15 days earlier (fide R Blair); 20 at HISRA 18 Nov (P. Blair, W. Yusek). Black-necked Stilt: 2 pairs with chicks at Kanapaha Prairie (Alachua) 4-12 Aug (S. Schwikert); 368 at Zellwood 17 Sep (H. Robinson et al.); singles at SRSTF 1 Oct and 20-26 Nov (both G. Menk); 1 at N Jacksonville 31 Oct (R. Clark); 1 at PPM 21 Nov (L. Albright, C. Geanangel, R Timmer). American Avocet: 94 at PPM 2 Aug (P. Timmer, P. Fellers); 47 at a pond at N Jackson- ville 19 Sep had increased to 194 by 31 Oct (both R. Clark); 63 at Zellwood 25 Nov (H. Robinson et al.), and 70 there 27 Nov (B. Ahern). Greater YellowlegS: 400 at Zellwood 2 Nov (H. Robinson et aL). Lesser Yellowlegs: 995 at Zellwood 2 Nov (H. Robinson et aL), Solitary Sandpiper: 5 at FDCP 3 Sep (L. Atherton). Willet: up to 3 at Zellwood 15 Aug- 11 Sep (H. Robinson et al.); 1 at SRSTF 3 Sep (H, Horne, T. Kennedy). Spotted Sandpiper: 2 at Zellwood 15 Aug and 1 there 2 Sep (H. Robinson et aL). Upland Sandpiper: 5 at Zellwood 25 Aug (G. Basili, B. Pranty) and 28 Aug (L. Atherton, P. Biair, C. Buhrman); 1 at Cedar Key 22 Sep (D. Henderson). Long-billed Curlew: 1 at Shell Key 11 Sep (P. Blair). Hudsonian Godwit: 1 in Walton 19 Sep (S. Milum). Marbled Godwit: 1 at Cape San Bias 15 Aug (H. Loftin, T. Menart, J. Richardson); 2 at Zellwood 16 Sep (D. Freeman) and 2 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et ah). Ruddy Turnstone: 4 at Zellwood 7 Aug (P. Fellers et al.). Red Knot: 500 at FDCP 22 Aug, and 1000 there 4 Sep (both E. Kwater et ah); singles at SRSTF 23 Aug (H. Hooper, G. Menk, J. Cavanagh) and 5-14 Oct (fide G. Menk) were the first Leon reports; 2 at Zellwood 17 Sep-21 Oct (H. Robinson et al.). Sanderling: 3 at Zellwood 11-17 Sep (H. Robinson et ah). Semipalmated Sandpiper: 200 at Zellwood 15 Aug (H. Robinson et aL). Western Sandpiper: 965 at Zellwood 11 Sep (H. Robinson et ah). Least Sandpiper: 2400 at Zellwood 13 Nov (H. Robinson et ah). White-RUMPED Sandpiper: 4 at N Jacksonville 1 Oct, and 1 there 31 Oct (both R. Clark). Pectoral Sandpiper: 900 at Zellwood 7 Aug (P. Fellers et al.), 880 there 15 Aug (R Fellers et al.), and 450 there 2 Sep (H. Robinson et ah); 1 at Cape San Bias 15 Aug (H. Loftin, T. Menart, J. Richardson); 8 at FDCP 9 Aug (J. King), 20 there 3 Sep (L. Atherton), and 1 there 18 Sep (L. Atherton, S. Backes et al.); 5 at PPM 11 Oct (R Timmer, R Fellers). Purple Sandpiper: 1 at Fort Clinch SP 3 Oct (R. Clark). Dunlin: 400 at Zellwood 4 Nov (T. Rogers et al.) is by far the highest inland count (S&A 1994). *Curlew Sandpiper: singles at Zellwood 19 Aug (K. Radamaker), 2 Sep, and 11 Nov (both H. Robinson et al), and 2 there 6 Nov (D. Freeman). Stilt Sandpiper: 1 at HISRA 8 Aug, 2 there 29 i\ug, and 1 there 3 Oct (all E. Kwater et al.); 2 at Shell Key 16 Aug and 13 Sep (both P. Blair, J. King) were new for the island; 1 at Weedon Island Preserve (Pinellas) 22 Aug (P. Blair et a!.); 52 at N Jacksonville 24 Oct, and 17 there 31 Oct (both R. Clark); 490 at Zellwood 21 Oct (H. Robinson et aL). Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 14 birds, an “unprecedented” number, in the W Panhandle between 16 Aug-15 Sep (fide B. Duncan); 6 at Zellwood 17 Aug (K. Radamaker), 9 there 18 Aug (B. Pranty, G. Basili), 21 there 4 Sep (L. Atherton et aL), and 23 there 11 Sep (H. Robinson); 1 at FDCP 1 Sep (W. Biggs); up to 5 at N Jacksonville 4 Sep-1 Oct (R. Clark); 1 at HISRA 19 Sep (K. Karlson). Ruff: 1 at Zellwood 21 Jul (K. Radamaker), and 2 there (thought to be 1 male and 1 fe- male) intermittently 29 Oct-EOS, including both birds on 25 Nov (H. Robinson et aL). 68 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Short-BILLED Dowitcher: up to 670 at Zellwood 15 Aug~25 Nov (H. Robinson et al); up to 3 at SRSTF 16^23 Aug (U Menk), Long-billed Dowitcher: up to 1275 at Zellwood 30 Sep-EOS (H. Robinson et al.) is the state's highest count by far (S&A 1994); up to 35 at N Jacksonville 17-31 Oct (R. Clark). Common Snipe: 3 at Fort Pickens 14 Aug (W. Duncan); 1 at FWBSTF 27 Aug (B. Duncan, P. Tetlow); 1 at SRSTF 1 Sep (G. Menk); 1 at Hague Dairy {Alachua) 6 Sep (P. Burns); 200 at Zellwood 17 Nov (A. and B. Hansen et al.), and 402 there 18 Nov (H, Robinson et al.). Wilson’s Phalarope: 2 at Zellwood 4 Aug (A. and B. Hansen), 12 there 17 Aug (S. Backes, R. Webb), 16 there 28 Aug (L. Atherton, P. Blair, C. Buhrman), 21 there 2 Sep (H. Robinson et al.), and 2 there 25 Nov (H. Robinson); 3 at N Jacksonville 30 Aug-19 Sep, and 1 there 1 Oct (all R. Clark); 1 at FDCP 19 Sep (K. Karlson). Red-necked Phalarope: 6 off Clearwater 20 Sep (W. Biggs et al.). Red Phalarope: 1 off Clearwater 20 Sep (D. Goodwin) was the first report for Pinellas. *S0UTH Polar Skua: 1 at Fort Clinch SP 7-10 Oct was picked up by a rehabilitator, then released at the same site 18 Oct, and observed through 25 Oct (P. Leary et aL, photos); 1 at Smyrna Dunes Park (Volusia) 9-17 Nov (L. Malo et al., photos by B. Pranty to FOSRC). POMARINE Jaeger: 1 immature at SRSTF 3 Sep (J. Cavanagh [photo to FOC] et al.), 1 over Lake Jackson 6 Sep (P. Conover), and 1 “sitting in a farm field” at Homestead (MiamhDade) 26 Sep (C. and L. Manfredi, B. Rapoza, J. Rosenfield) were the second through fourth inland reports in Florida; 3 off Clearwater 20 Sep (W. Biggs et al.); 6 at Smyrna Dunes Park 24 Oct (W. Biggs, K. Radamaker). Parasitic Jaeger: 1 picked up at Jacksonville 14 Oct died later (P. Powell, photos). Franklin’s Gull: 2 at Lake Jackson 2-3 Nov (P. Conover); 6 at Zellwood 20 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.); up to 3 at FDCP 22-23 Nov (L. Atherton, L. Albright et ah); 2 at TRSTF 24 Nov M. Coker); 2-3 at Newnans Lake 29 Nov (R. Rowan). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 third-year bird at FDCP 7 Sep (J. and L. Hopkins, L. Manfredi et al.) and 1 adult there 18 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 4 at Huguenot Park, Jacksonville 19 Sep-1 Oct (R. Clark et aL); 1 at Ponce Inlet 24 Oct (W. Biggs, K. Rad- amaker); up to 24 (20 adults) in a flock at Jetty Park (Brevard) 9-15 Nov (T. Hince et al.); 1 adult at Fort Myers Beach (Lee) 24 Nov (N. Pettis). Great Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at FDCP 9 Aug (J. King). Black-legged Kittiwake: 6 at Smyrna Dunes Park 24 Oct (W. Biggs, K. Radamaker). Gull-billed Tern: singles at FDCP 19 Sep (K. Karlson) and 24 Nov (E. Kwater); up to 37 at FWBSTF 28 Sep-18 Nov (D. Ware, B. and L. Duncan et al.). Caspian Tern: 1 at SRSTF 3 Sep (H. Horne, T. Kennedy); 1 at Lake Jackson 3 Sep (P. Conover); 74 at Zellwood 11 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Royal Tern: singles at Newnans Lake 2 Aug (J. Hintermister) and 3 Sep (R. Rowan); 2 at Hague Dairy 9 Aug (M. Manetz); 1 at SRSTF 3 Sep (H. Horne, T. Kennedy); 1 at Lake Alto (Alachua) 19 Sep (J. and M. Winn). Sandwich Tern: 8 at Fort Island Beach (Citrus) 15 Aug (C. Black); 2 at SRSTF 3 Sep (H. Horne, T, Kennedy); 1 at Lake Jackson 3 Sep (J. Cavanagh, S. Borderieux). Common Tern: 2 in St. Joe Bay (Bay or Gulf) 15 Aug (H. Loftin, T. Menart, J. Richard- son); 4 at Cape San Bias 22 Aug, and 2 there 29 Aug (both T. Menart et al.); 3 at SRSTF 3 Sep (H. Horne, T. Kennedy); 6 at Lake Jackson 3 Sep (P. Conover); 109 Hu- guenot Park 19 Sep (R. Clark); 4000 at HISRA 3 Oct (E. Kwater); 6000 at FDCP 9 Oct (L. Atherton). Forster’s Tern: 1097 at PPM 2 Aug (R Fellers, P. Timmer); 500 at Zellwood 2 Sep (H. Robinson et al.). Least Tern: 75 at Fort Island Beach 15 Aug (C. Black); 450 at HISRA 15 Aug (E. Kwa- ter); 1 immature at SRSTF 3 Sep (H. Horne, T. Kennedy). Field Observations 69 Bridled Tern: 4 off Clearwater 20 Sep (W. Biggs et aL); 1 at FWBSTF 28-29 Sep (D. Ware, H. Huddleston). Sooty Tern: 1 adult at Cape San Bias 15 Aug (H. Loftin, T. Menart, J. Richardson); 1 at Newnans Lake 3 Sep (J. Bryan); 6 (5 adults) at Lake Jackson 3 Sep (R Conover); birds at Homestead 25-26 Sep (C. and L. Manfredi, B. Rapoza, J. Rosenfield); 1 in Okaloosa 28 Sep (D. Ware); 1 at Pensacola 28-29 Sep (P. Baker, P. Beasley; D. Ware, J. Pfeiffer). Black Tern: 32 at N Jacksonville 23 Aug (R. Clark); 50 at Cape San Bias 29 Aug (E. Fon- taine, H. Loftin, T. Menart); 500 at Zellwood 2 Sep (H. Robinson et aL); 70 at Lake Jackson 3 Sep, and 1 there 30 Sep (both P. Conover). Brown Noddy: 1 on the beach at Stuart {Martin) 10 Aug was taken to a rehabilitation center {fide D. Hull); birds at Homestead 25-26 Sep (C. and L. Manfredi, B. Rapoza, J. Rosenfield); 1 adult with an injured wing but still capable of flight at Boynton Inlet {Palm Beach) 26 Sep (W Zane, photo to FOC). Black Noddy: 2 at DTNP 31 Aug (M. Collins). Black Skimmer: 3 at SRSTF 3 Sep (H. Horne, T. Kennedy); 2 at Lake Jackson 3 Sep (P. Conover); 475 at PPM 11 Oct (P. Timmer, P. Fellers). *Atlantic Puffin: 1 picked up off Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville 1 Oct died “several weeks” later (P. Powell, photos). Rock Dove: a brood of newly-hatched nestlings at Gainesville 26 Nov (R. Rowan). White-winged Dove: 1 at FDCP 6 Sep (C. and L. Manfredi et aL); 1 at Cedar Key 27 Oct (D. Henderson); singles at SGI 4 Oct (H. Horne, T. Kennedy) and 5 Nov ( J. Cavanagh); 1 at HISRA 28 Oct (S. Backes et aL); singles in Bay 3 Nov (E. Fontaine, T. Menart) and 14 and 16 Nov (both T. Menart); 1 at SGISP 5 Nov (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Ozello {Citrus) 7 Nov (C. Black); 1 at Spring Hill 8 Nov only (A. and B. Hansen); 1 at Alligator Point 29 Nov-7 Dec (J. Dozier). Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 1 at St. Marks NWR 5 Nov (H. Horne); 1 at Hague Dairy 7 Nov (M. Manetz et aL); 1 at Tallahassee 14 Nov (B. Scott). Black-billed Cuckoo: 1 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle); 1 at Seminole {Pinellas) 22 Sep (J. Fisher, K. Nelson). Groove-billed Ani: 1 at Tallahassee 3 Sep (T. Kennedy); 1 in Okaloosa 1 Oct (D. Ware); 1 at Destin 2 Oct (B. Peavey et aL); 1 at SRSTF 14 Oct (G. Menk); 1 at FWBSTF 5-19 Nov (A. Knothe et aL). Short-eared Owl: 1 at HPM 29 Nov (B. Bergstrom); 1 at Zellwood 30 Nov (H. Robin- son). Common NighthawK: 150 at Snell Isle, St. Petersburg 4 Sep (B. Hoffman). Whip-poor-will: 1 at Bald Point {Franklin) 29 Aug (J. Dozier); 1 in Citrus 7 Oct (T. Rog- ers); 1 at Boyd Hill NP, St. Petersburg 24 Oct (R. Smith, A. Smith). Buff-bellied Hummingbird: 1 banded bird at a feeder at Pensacola 4 Sep for its fourth year (B. Kenney); 1 at Gulf Breeze 18 Sep (B. and L. Duncan, videotape by J. Bearden). Archilochus species:! possible Black-chinned Hummingbird (pumping its tail) at Gainesville 23 Nov-EOS (D. Beatty) Ruby-throated Hummingbird: up to 25 at a feeder at Gulf Breeze in Sep (B. and L. Duncan); 4 at Winter Haven {Polk) 4 Oct (P. Fellers); 1 male at East Bay {Bay) 3 Nov (A. and R. Ingram). Black-chinned Hummingbird: 1 at Tallahassee 12 Nov (J. O’Malley, P. Conover). Selasphorus SPECIES: 1 at Gainesville 12 Nov-EOS (E. Perry). Rufous Hummingbird: 1 at Mount Pl5niiouth {Lake) 8 Sep (P. Small). Red-headed Woodpecker: adults fed a fledgling at Crystal River State Buffer Preserve {Citrus) 29 Sep (A. and B. Hansen). Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 1 in Leon 28 Sep (B. Henderson). Hairy Woodpecker: 1 at PPSP 19 Sep (T. Workman, T. Hoctor); 1 at SGI 4 Oct (H. Horne, T. Kennedy); 1 at Crystal River State Buffer Preserve 15 Oct (A. and B. Hansen); 1 at TRSTF 6 Nov (S. Borderieux, H. Horne). 70 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Eastern Wood-Pewee: 3 at Weekiwachee Preserve {Hernando) 7 Sep (D. Robinson); 50 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman); 1 at Tallahassee 2 Nov (P. Conover); 12 at HISRA 5 Nov (A. and B. Hansen, D. Woodard). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: 1 heard calling at FDCP 6-8 Sep (S. Backes, L. Atherton, R. Smith et aL); 1 at SGISP 9 Sep “stayed close to ground in shrubs” (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Bonner Park {Pinellas) 12 Sep (K. Nelson, J. Fisher); 1 in Okaloosa 1 Oct (D. Ware); 1 in Citrus 7 Oct (T. Rogers). “Traill’S” Flycatcher: singles at RSRSP 19 and 27 Sep (B. Anderson). Willow Flycatcher: 1 at Bonner Park 24 Sep (L. Atherton, C. Buhrman). Alder Flycatcher: 1 banded at RSRSP 19 Sep (B. Anderson). Least Flycatcher: 1 at St. Marks NWR 4 Sep (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Zellwood 4 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 3 at Weekiwachee Preserve {Hernando) 13 Sep (D. Robinson); sin- gles banded at RSRSP 14 Sep and 6 Oct {fide P. Small); 1 at Bonner Park 23 Sep (L. Atherton); 1 at FDCP 26 Sep, 3 there 3 Oct, and 2 there 4 Oct (all L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Bonner Park 2 Oct (P. Blair). Empidonax species: 25 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson et al.). Eastern Phoebe: 1 at Tallahassee 16-19 Sep (J. Cavanagh); 1 leucistic bird at Gaines- ville 24 Oct (R. Rowan). Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 female at FWBSTF 13 Oct (B. Duncan), and up to 2 others there 22 Oct-EOS (P. Tetlow et al.); 1 at Hickory Mound {Taylor) 7 Nov (J. Ault); 1 male on US-98, 25 km W of Perry {Taylor) 10 Nov (J. Ault). Ash-throated Flycatcher: 1 at FWBSTF 10 Nov-EOS (L. Fenimore, B. Duncan, P. Tet- low) for the third consecutive winter. Myiarchus SPECIES: 1 at Gulf Breeze 8-9 Nov (B. and L. Duncan et al.) was thought to be an immature Ash-throated Flycatcher. *Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher: 1 at Fort Pickens 8 Aug (P. Baker). Western Kingbird: 1 at Cedar Key 7 Oct (D. Henderson); 1 at Lake Alfred {Polk) 3 Nov in the same area as in 1997 (E. Bostleman); 4 near Florida City {Miami-Dade) 6 Nov (L. Manfredi); 2 at Zellwood 11-25 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). *Tropical Kingbird: 1 at FDCP 1 Oct (L. Atherton). *Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird: 1 at Loxahatchee NWR {Palm Beach) 11 Nov (B. Hope). Eastern Kingbird: 5 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle); 80 over Tallahassee {Leon) 5 Sep (P Conover); 200-i- at Sanibel Island {Lee) 7 Sep (C. Ewell). Gray Kingbird: 2 at Zellwood 15 Aug (B. Anderson et al.), and 2 others there 16-21 Oct (H. Robinson et al.). Scissor-TAILED Flycatcher: 1 at FDCP 9 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Lake Alfred 3 Nov in the same area as in 1997 (E. Bostleman); 1 at Morriston {Levy) 4-5 Nov (S. Lowrimore, M. Manetz); 3 near Seven Springs {Pasco) 10 Nov (D. Robinson et al.); 3 at Naples {Collier) 10 Nov (D. Suitor); 1 at HISRA 24 Nov (W. Yusek). Yellow-throated VireO: 1 at SCCP 5 Aug (P. Fellers), and 3 there 15 Aug (C. Geanan- gel); 11 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman) may be the highest fall count (S&A 1994); 1 at Gainesville 23 Nov (D. Beatty). Blue-headed Vireo: 6 at SRCA 14 Nov {fide L. Malo). ^Warbling Vireo: 1 at Newnans Lake 12 Sep (M. Manetz, J. Bryan); 1 at Seminole 3-4 Oct (J. Fisher). Philadelphia Vireo: 1 at PPSP 12 Sep (T. Taylor); 1 at Crystal River {Citrus) 2 Oct (T. Rogers); 2 at FDCP 2-3 Oct (M. Wilkinson, A. Smith. L. Atherton et al.), and sin- gles there 9 Oct (L. Atherton), 4-5 Nov (L. Atherton, S. Backes et al.), and 10 Nov (A. and B. Hansen); 1 at Tallahassee 15 Oct (J. Cavanagh, D. Morrow); 1 at Fort George Island, Jacksonville 17 Oct (L. Atherton + FOS). Red-eyed Vireo: 400 at FDCP 20 Sep (M. Wilkinson); 100 at Boyd Hill Nature Park, St. Petersburg 21 Sep (R. Smith). Field Observations 71 Black- WHISKERED VireO: 1 adult feeding a cowbird fledgling at FDCP 10 Aug (L. Ather- ton^ K. Holland); 1 at FDCP 4 Sep (M. Wilkinson); 1 at HISRA 7 Sep (E. Kwater). Tree Swallow: 1 at APAFR (Polk) 28 Aug (B. Pranty); 2 at Zellwood 29 Aug (B, Pranty, G. Basili) and 1150 there 18 Nov (H. Robinson). Bank Swallow: 1 at APAFR (Highlands) 21 Aug (B. Pranty); 35 at Zellwood 11 Sep (H, Robinson et aL); 1 at HPM 5 Nov (J. Krummrich). Cliff Sv/ALLOW: 3 in Pasco 17 Aug (D. Robinson); 2 at Zellwood 17 Aug (R. Webb, S. Backes); 10+ at Sanibel 7 Sep (C. Ewell); 1 at Bonner Park 23 Sep (L. Atherton); 30 in Pinellas 26 Sep (E. Kwater); 2 at FDCP 26 Sep (L. Atherton) and 1 there 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman). Barn Swallow: 460 at Zellwood 11 Sep (H, Robinson et aL); 120 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman); 4 at PPM 1 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer), House Wren: 1 at SCCP 24 Sep (R Fellers, M. Chakan). Winter Wren: 1 at S Jacksonville 24 Oct (R. Clark). Marsh Wren: 1 at Carillon, St. Petersburg 11 Oct (R. Smith). Wood Thrush: a total of 6 banded at RSRSP between 23 Sep~23 Oct (fide R Small), Veery: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson); 5 at SCCP 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et aL). “Gray-cheeked” Thrush: 3 at S Jacksonville 13 Oct (J. Cocke). Hermit Thrush: 1 at RSRSP 3 Oct is the state’s earliest fall record (B. Anderson, speci- men to UCF). American Robin; about 30 in a flock at Pensacola 10 Sep (B. and P. Tetlow). Gray Catbird: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson); a flock of 38 at Crystal River 7 Oct (T. Rogers). American Pipit: 1 at Orange Lake 31 Oct (R. Rowan); 2 at FDCP 14 Nov (L. Atherton et aL); 370 at Zellwood 20 Nov (H. Robinson et aL); 5 at HISRA 23 Nov (E. Kwater); 5 at Carillon 27 Nov (K. Tracey). Cedar Waxwing: 25 at SRCA 14 Nov (fide L. Malo). Blue-winged Warbler: 25 in Pinellas between 4 Sep-4 Oct (fide R. Smith), with 9 birds at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton et aL); 4 at SCCP 7 Sep (L. Albright, M, Chakan, B. Had- dad); 1 banded at WSSP 13 Sep (fide P. Small); 16 in Alachua 19 Sep (fide R. Rowan); 1 in Citrus 7 Oct (T. Rogers); 1 at ENP (Monroe)14 Nov (D. Cimbaro, R. Rowan). Vermivora HYBRID: single “Brewster’s Warblers” at Sawgrass Lake CP (Pinellas) 7 Sep (C. and L. Manfredi et aL), Bonner Park 15 Sep (L. Atherton, P. Blair, M. Wilkinson et aL), and S Jacksonville 16-19 Sep (J. Cocke). Golden-winged Warbler: 16 in Pinellas between 2 Sep-3 Oct (fide R. Smith), with 5 birds at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton et aL); singles at SCCP 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et al.) and 3 Oct (P. Fellers et al.). Tennessee Warbler: 1 at SCCP 12 Sep (B. Ahern); 28 at FDCP 1 Oct, 63 there 2 Oct, and 40 there 4 Nov (all L. Atherton et aL). Nashville Warbler: 1 at DTNP 31 Aug (M. Collins); 10-12 in Pinellas this season 12 Sep-16 Nov (fide R. Smith), with 2 each at Bonner Park 15 Sep and FDCP 1 Oct (both L. Atherton); 1 at Winter Haven 27-28 Sep (R Fellers). Northern Parula: 2 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle); 25 at SCCP 7 Sep (L. Albright, M. Chakan, B. Haddad) and 11 there 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et ah); 64 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman). Yellow Warbler: 1 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle). Chestnut-sided Warbler: 4 at SCCP 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et al.) and 2 there 26 Sep (B. Ahern); 28 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman). Magnolia Warbler: a total of 24 banded at RSRSP and WSSP between 22 Sep-11 Oct (fide P. Small); 51 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman); 7 at SCCP 3 Oct (R Fellers et al.); 1 at EMCA 18 Nov (fide J. Marburger). 72 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Cape May Warbler: singles at FDCP 10 Sep and 26 Sep (both L. Atherton); 1 at Bonner Park 11 Sep (J. Fisher); 1 at Sanibel 11 Sep (V. McGrath); 5 at SCCP 26 Sep (B. Ah- ern); 4 at Winter Haven 27 Sep (P. Fellers). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 11 at SCCP 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et al.) and 35 there 26 Sep (B. Ahern); 17 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman). Yellow-RUMPED Warbler: 1 at PPSP 3 Oct (R. Rowan, M. Manetz). Black-throated Gray Warbler: 1 at FDCP 6 Sep (L. Manfredi et ah, videotape by B. Atherton). Black-throated Green Warbler: 1 at Sawgrass Lake CP 12 Sep (M. Wilkinson); 10 at FDCP 17 Oct and 82 there 4 Nov (both L. Atherton et al.); 1 at SCCP 18 Oct (P. Fellers). Blackburnian Warbler: 2 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson); singles banded at RSRSP 9 and 13 Sep (B. Anderson); 2 at Winter Haven 23 Sep (P. Fellers); 55 in Pinel- las between 24 Aug-17 Oct (fide R. Smith), with 7 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton et al.). Prairie Warbler: 14 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson). Palm Warbler: 1 at Sawgrass Lake CP 11 Sep (M. Wilkinson); 870 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson et al.) may be the highest fall count (S&A 1994). Blackpoll Warbler: 1 at FWBSTF 20 Oct (N. Gobris). Cerulean Warbler: 12 in Pinellas between 3-22 Sep (fide R. Smith); 2 at S Jacksonville 4 Sep, and 1 there 19 Sep (both J. Cocke); 2 at Cedar Key 6 Sep (D. Henderson); at least 6 Sit Alachua between 7-19 Sep (A. Kratter et al.); singles at Tallahassee 11 and 13 Sep (J. Cavanagh, F. Rutkovsky et al.); singles at Winter Haven 23 and 27 Sep (both P. Fellers). American Redstart: 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Park 1 Aug (R. Smith); 50 at SCCP 26 Sep (B. Ahern); 200 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman et al.); 1 at Gainesville 29 Nov-EOS (M. Manetz). Prothonotary Warbler: 18 at SCCP 8 Aug and 9 there 22 Aug (both C. Geanangel et al.). Worm-eating Warbler: 32 in Pinellas between 3 Sep-6 Oct (fide R. Smith), with 6 in the N part of the county 12 Sep (J. and L. Hopkins); 5 at SCCP 7 Sep (L. Albright, M. Cha- kan, B. Haddad), 6 there 12 and 26 Sep (B. Ahern), and 10 there 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et al.); 1 at ENP (Monroe)14: Nov (D. Cimbaro, R. Rowan). Swainson’S Warbler: 1 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle); 1 at SCCP 12 Sep (B. Ahern); 2 at SCCP 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et al.); 1 at John Chestnut CP (Pinellas) 27 Sep (A. Smith et al.); 1 at Bonner Park 2 Oct (P. Blair). OVENBIRD: 5 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson); 30 at SCCP 19 Sep (C. Geanangel et al.), and 42 there 26 Sep (B. Ahern). Northern Waterthrush: 1 at Newnans Lake 8 Aug (M. Manetz); 1 at SCCP 8 Aug (C. Geanangel, L. Albright) and 8 there 29 Aug (C. Geanangel); 1 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kimmerle). Kentucky Warbler: 18 in Pinellas between 5 Sep-3 Oct (fide R. Smith), with 5 at Bon- ner Park 11 Sep (J. Fisher); 2 at SCCP 26 Sep (B. Ahern); 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson). Mourning Warbler: 6 reports of 7 birds between 23 Aug-30 Sep in the W Panhandle (B. and L. Duncan, P. Beasley, D. Ware) were “unprecedented” for the region (B. Duncan); 1 female at Sanibel 7 Sep (N. Pettis et al.). *MacGillivray’S Warbler: 1 first-year male at Turkey Lake Park (Orange) 14-24 Nov (K. Radamaker et al.). Hooded Warbler: 1 at Sawgrass Lake CP 3 Aug (R. Smith); 2 at DTNP 27 Aug (K. Kim- merle); 5 at SCCP 29 Aug (C. Geanangel et al.); 1 at Crystal River 2 Oct (T. Rogers). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 at RSRSP 20 Sep (B. Anderson); 1 at SCCP 21 Sep (T. Palmer); sin- gles at Black Swamp, Tallahassee 23 Sep, and SGISP 24 Sep (both J. Cavanagh); 3 at Fort George Island 3 Oct (R. Clark). Field Observations 73 Canada Warbler: 4 in Alachua between 5 Sep-17 Oct (M. Manetz, L. Santisteban, D. Beatty); singles banded at RSRSP and WSSP 5, 10, and 19 Sep (B. Anderson); 3 at Sanibel 7-12 Sep (V. McGrath, C. Ewell et al.); 3 in Pinellas between 9-20 Sep {fide R. Smith); 1 at Tallahassee 13 Sep (J. Cavanagh, F. Rutkovsky); singles at SCCP 13 Sep (L. Albright) and 24 and 28 Sep (R Fellers et al.); 1 at Cedar Key 23 Sep (D, Henderson). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Dunedin Hammock 12 Sep (L. Hopkins); 1 banded at RSRSP 31 Oct (B. Anderson). Summer Tanager: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson); 41 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman). Scarlet Tanager: 1 at PPSP 7 Sep (A. Kratter); 25 at FDCP 2 Oct (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson, C. Buhrman); 5 at SCCP 3 Oct (P. Fellers et al.); 2 at Winter Haven 16 Oct (P. Fellers). Western Tanager: 1 male at Gulf Breeze 4 Aug (B. and L. Duncan). Chipping Sparrow: 1 at Shell Key 3 Oct was the first for the island (R Blair). Clay-colored Sparrow: singles at HISRA 12 Sep and 24 Oct (both E. Kwater et al.); 1 at Sanibel 10 Oct (N. Pettis); 1 at Dundee (Polk) 27 Nov (C. Geanangel, P Timmer). Lark Sparrow: 1 at FDCP 3 Oct (H. Robinson); 1 at Sanibel 7 Oct (W Dirks). Savannah Sparrow: 715 at Zell wood 25 Nov (H. Robinson et al.). Henslow’S Sparrow: singles at Zellwood 16 Nov (B. Pranty) and 20 Nov-EOS (H. Rob- inson). Le Conte’s Sparrow: 1 at Hague Dairy 24 Oct (M. Manetz). Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 20 at Fort Island Beach (Citrus) 14 Nov (A. and B. Hansen, L. Atherton et al.); 1 C. n. alterus inland at SRSTF 19 Nov (J. Cavanagh). Song Sparrow: 1 at FDCP 4 Nov (L. Atherton, S. Backes). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve (Pinellas) 24 Oct (R. Smith); 1 at Zell- wood 25 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson). White-crowned Sparrow: 1 immature at HISRA 7 Nov (R. Smith et al.) and 4 there 23 Nov (E. Kwater); 3 at Talbot Island SP 24 Oct (R. Clark); 2 at Fort Clinch SP 24 Oct (P. Powell); 1 in N St. Johns 8 Nov (P. Powell); 25 (6 adults) N of Mims (Brevard) be- tween 9-15 Nov (T. Hince et al.); 1 at S Jacksonville 13 Nov (P. Powell); 15 at Dundee 27 Nov (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer); up to 10 at Zellwood 13 Nov-EOS, included many in song (H. Robinson et al.). Dark-eyed Junco: 1 at FDCP 20 Oct (L. Atherton); 2 at Gainesville 17 Nov-EOS (D. Be- atty, E. Perry). Lapland Longspur: 1 male at Zellwood 16 Oct (H. Robinson); 1 at ENP (Miami-Dade) 7 Nov (L. Manfredi). Northern Cardinal: 35 at SCCP 5 Aug (P. Fellers). Indigo Bunting: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 7 Sep (D. Robinson); 45 at FDCP 17 Oct (L. Atherton); 11 at SRCA 24 Oct (fide L. Malo). Painted Bunting: 1 female at Tampa (Hillsborough) 27 Aug (D. Bowman); singles banded at RSRSP 29 Sep and 27 Oct (fide P. Small); 2 at FDCP 3 Oct (L, Atherton et al.); 4 at HISRA 5 Nov (A. and B, Hansen, D. Woodard). Dickcissel: singles at FDCP 26 Aug, 19 Sep, and 5-6 Nov (all L. Atherton et al.); 1 at ENP (Monroe) 14 Nov (D. Cimbaro, R. Rowan); 1 at Zellwood 20 Nov (H. Robinson). Bobolink: 700 at Zellwood 17 Sep (H. Robinson et al.); 421 at SRCA 19 Sep (fide L. Malo). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 immature male at Port St. Lucie 22 Aug (J. Bonanno, M. Loving); 1 male in Okaloosa 24 Aug-2 Sep (A. and M. Lutz); 1 adult male at Zell- wood (H. Robinson), and 3 females there 23 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson et al.); 1 at St. Pe- tersburg 2 Oct (fide P. Blair); 2 at Hague Dairy 18-25 Oct (M. Manetz); 1 at HPM 14- 24 Nov (M. Manetz, J. Krummrich). Rusty Blackbird: 1 in Okaloosa 6 Nov (D. Ware, H. Huddleston); 10 at Black Swamp 13 Nov (G. Menk, J. Cavanagh); 1 at FWBSTF 30 Nov (D. Ware et al.). 74 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Brewer’s Blackbird: 2 males at Black Swamp 13 Nov (J. Cavanagh). Boat-tailed Grackle: 11 in Santa Rosa 10 Nov (R Tetlow). Bronzed Cowbird: 1 immature male at Flamingo, ENP (Monroe) 26 Oct (L. Manfredi); 1 male at Zellwood 23 Nov (H. Robinson); 2 males at their traditional wintering site at Lakeland (Polk) 30 Nov (W. Biggs, K. Knight). Baltimore Oriole: up to 2 at Haines City (Polk) 1 Nov-EOS (B. and L. Cooper). Bullock’s Oriole: 1 female at Winter Haven 27 Sep (P. Fellers); 1 female at SGISP 22 Oct (J. Cavanagh, H. Horne). House Finch: 1 female at Largo 19 Aug joined by a male 11 Oct (both P. Trunk et al. were the first Pinellas reports. Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus): 1 that sang often at FDCP 6-24 Aug (L. Atherton et ah); possibly the same bird about 3.6 km farther E 10 Sep (A. and R. Smith). Contributors: Howard Adams, Brian Ahern, Larry Albright, Alex Alexander, Natalie Amesbury, Bruce Anderson, Brooks Atherton, Lyn Atherton, John Ault, Steve Backes, Peggy Baker, Dave Barber, Gian Basili, Doug Beach, Pam Beasley, Johnny Bearden, David Beatty, Dick Beeler, Wes Biggs, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Ed Bonahue, Joel Bon- anno, Scott Borderieux, Dave Bowman, Brenda Branchett, Dave Branchett, Bill Brem- ser, Judy Bryan, Charlie Buhrman, Pat Burns, Bill Burroughs, Vic Call, Jim Cavanagh, Mike Chakan, Ron Christen, Dan Cimbaro, Roger Clark, Julie Cocke, Mitch Coker, Mike Collins, Paul Conover, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Mike Delgrasso, Wes Dirks, Jack Dozier, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Will Duncan, Gene Estes, Charlie Ewell, Paul Fellers, Lenny Fenimore, Judy Fisher, Vera Fitz-Gerald, Eula Fontaine, Ann Forster, Dan Forster, Dot Freeman, Manny Gardner, Kathy Gault, Patrick Gault, Chuck Geanangel, Bill Gericke, Nancy Gobris, Dave Goodwin, Bill Haddad, Al Hansen, Bev Hansen, David Harder, Tom Hince, John Hintermister, Tom Hoctor, Brett Hoffman, Kelley Holland, Harry Hooper, Brian Hope, Judi Hopkins, Larry Hopkins, Howard Horne, Ron Houser, “Hud” Huddleston, Dotty Hull, Hank Hull, Ann Ingram, Richard Ingram, Dean Jue, Sally Jue, Kevin Karlson, Tom Kennedy, Bev Kenney, Keith Kim- merle, Joyce King, Katrina Knight, Alan Knothe, Andy Kratter, Jerry Krummrich, Ed Kwater, Mary Landsman, Pat Leary, Horace Loftin, Holly Lovell, Manny Loving, Steve Lowrimore, Arno Lutz, Mary Lutz, Lome Male, Mike Manetz, Christine Manfredi, Larry Manfredi, Joy Marburger, Vince McGrath, Michael Meisenburg, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Steve Milum, Don Morrow, Barbara Muschlitz, Kris Nelson, Julie O’Malley, Tom Palmer, Charlie Parkell, Audrey Parker, Bob Parker, Bobbie Parker, Buzz Peavey, Paula Perdue, Evelyn Perry, Neil Pettis, Jerry Petty, Jim Pfeiffer, Cheri Pierce, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Greg Pryor, Kurt Radamaker, Brian Rapoza, Jimmy Richardson, Bryant Roberts, Don Robinson, Harry Robinson, Tommie Rogers, Jill Rosenfield, Rex Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Lenny Santisteban, Steve Schwikert, Bob Scott, Nedra Sekera, Parks Small, Austin Smith, Ron Smith, Lee Snyder, Gary Sprandel, Bob Stoll, Doug Suitor, Dan Svengin, Terry Taylor, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Ken Tracey, Paul Trunk, David Wahl, Don Ware, Ray Webb, Jim Weimer, Mark Whitesides, Margie Wilkinson, John Winn, Mary Lou Winn, Don Woodard, Tom Workman, Wilfred Yusek, and Wilma Zane. Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billpranty@hotmail.com). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (558 Sunshine Place, Haines City, Florida 33844-9540; email lcooper298@aol.com). Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, email duncan44@juno.com), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan Field Observations 75 (2041 NE 15“’ Terrace, Gainesville, Florida 32609, email afn49272@afn.org), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, email smithowl21@aol.com). Summer 1998 reports not published previously: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: 1 bird 2.1 km S of Olustee {Baker) 25 Jun was not seen subsequently (John Ault); Orchard Oriole: 1 at Seminole (Pinellas) 30 Jul (Judy Fisher). Spring 1998 reports not published previously: Yellow-chevroned Parakeet: 1 nest with 2 young in a Canary Island Date Palm at Coral Gables (Miami-Dade) in Mar or Apr (Larry Manfredi) seems to be the first breeding report for this species in Florida. According to L. Manfredi, the birds excavated a cavity into the “stump” of a cut-off frond in the living palm. White-winged Parakeets in Miami-Dade build nests in the same manner. Clarification to the Fall 1997 report (FFN 1998, 26(2):55): the report of the Black- whiskered Vireo at Fort DeSoto CP 3 Aug 1997 was listed as a migrant. But based on the date of the bird observed feeding a cowbird fledgling 10 Aug 1998, Lyn Atherton now considers the 1997 bird to have been a summer resident. The Florida Ornithological Society is Proud to Announce Special Publication No. 6 FLORIDA BIRD SPECIES: AN ANNOTATED LIST BY William B. Robertson, Jr. Glen E. Woolfenden The first complete and authoritative review of Florida’s avifauna since Arthur HowelFs 1932 Florida Bird Life. Treats over 660 species reported in the state. More than 140 species of non-native exotics. Essential for every- one interested in the modern status of Florida’s native and introduced birds. HARD COVER $15.00 All orders add $2.00 shipping and handling per book. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to Florida Ornithological Society. Mail to: F.O.S. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION P.O. BOX 2057 LAKE PLACID, FL 33862 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Species Index to Florida Bird Records in Audubon Field Notes and Amer- ican Birds Volumes 1-30 1947-1976, by Margaret C. Bowman. 1978. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 1. Price $4.00. The Carolina Parakeet in Florida, by Daniel McKinley. 1985. Florida Ornitho- logical Society, Special Publication No. 2. Price $6.00. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay, by Jeffrey A. Cox. 1987. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 3. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes 1947- 1989, by Robert W. Loftin, Glen E. Woolfenden, and Janet A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 4. Price $8.00. West Indian Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990): Species Index by Islands, by Robert W. Loftin. 1992. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 5. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List, by William B. Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6. Price for FOS members $14.95 (soft cover), $19.95 (hard cover); nonmembers $17.95 (soft cover), $22.95 (hard cover). Order prepaid from the Secretary; add $1.00 handling and shipping for Spe- cial Publications No. 1-5; add $2.00 handling and shipping for Special Publication No. 6. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to the Florida Ornithological Society. Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor; R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, Rt. 1 Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Associate Editor (for reviews): Reed BOWMAN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Associate Editor (for technical papers): ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792. Editor of Special Publications: Glen E. Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee: WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board; PETER G. MERRITT (Chair), 8558 SE Sharon Street, Kobe Sound, Florida 33455. Field Observations Committee: BILL Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: H. JAMES SiGSBEE (Chair), 888 Brickell Bay Drive #1711, Miami, Florida 33131. Nominating Committee: JOHN DOUGLAS (Chair), 3675 1st Avenue, NW, Naples, Flor- ida 34120-2709. Records Committee; Lyn Atherton (Managing Secretary), 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger (Co-chair, Cruickshank Award), Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 and Gian Basili (Co-chair, Education Award), Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Suite 110, Win- ter Park, Florida 32789. Conservation Committee: David LEONARD, 220 N.W 14th Avenue, Gainesville, Flor- ida 32601. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 27, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. 3 9088 00996 442 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 27, No. 2 May 1999 Pages 37-76 CONTENTS ARTICLES Hermit Thrush and Black-throated Gray Warbler, New for Cuba, and Other Significant Bird Records from Cayo Coco and Vicinity, Ciego de Avila Province, Cuba, 1995-1997 George E. Wallace, Elizabeth A. H. Wallace, and Daniel R. Froehlich 37-51 NOTES A Previously Unknown Population of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows on Avon Park Air Force Range Michael F Delany, Patrick B. Walsh, Bill Pranty, and Dustin W. Perkins 52-56 Florida Scrub-Jay Nestlings Preyed upon by an Eastern Coachwhip Stephan J. Schoech 57-58 Population Increase, Nesting Phenology, Nesting Success, and Productivity of Reddish Egrets in Indian River County, Florida Brian Poland 59-61 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Fall Report: August to November 1998 Bill Pranty 62-75 FGf(o3> ^ 1 Florida Field to PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 3 August 1999 Pages 77-140 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: JiM Cox, Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Talla- hassee, Florida 32312-9712. Vice-President: Ann Schnapf, 7217 North Ola Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33604. Secretary: Eric D. STOLEN, Florida Coop Unit & Dynamic Corp., Dept. Wildlife and Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450. Treasurer: SEAN ROWE, 4845 Rayburn Road, Cocoa, Florida 32926. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2000 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 2458 Econ Cir. Apt. 132, Orlando, Florida 32817-2653. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2001 Gian Basili, Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Lillian Saul, 5106 Vinson Drive, Tampa, Florida 33610. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2002 Camille Sewell, 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Mike Legare, 3570 Von Stuben Court, Titusville, Florida 32796-1538. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden 1994; Ted Below 1999. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., PO. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 3 August 1999 Pages 77=136 Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):77-88, 1999. OCCURRENCE OF BIRDS IN BEACH HABITAT IN EAST- CENTRAL FLORIDA Eric D. Stolen^ Dynamac Corporation, Mail Code: DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 Abstract. — Few studies quantify the use of open beach habitat by birds in Florida, and none address beaches that are protected from human disturbance. Between Novem- ber 1995 and October 1996, 1 documented the numbers of waterbirds using beach habitat along 16.5 km of Atlantic coast beach in east-central Florida that receives very low hu- man use. A total of 16,841 observations of waterbirds were made during 19 surveys. A di- verse group of waterbirds used the beach, including 35 species (six families in three orders). The four most common species observed were Royal Tern (Sterna maxima), Sanderling (Calidris alba), Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla), and Brown Pelican (Peleca- nus occidentalis). Results indicate that east-central Florida beaches and nearshore wa- ters are important foraging and roosting habitat for wintering, migratory, and resident shorebirds, gulls, terns. Brown Pelicans, and Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). Results also indicate that Florida beaches protected from human disturbance are important conservation areas for species that are dependent on beach habitat during all or part of their life cycles. Coastal areas of Florida constitute important wintering habitat for several species of shorebirds and waterbirds that breed in North Amer- ica (Paul and Below 1991, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Sprandel et al. 1997). High quality wintering habitats are essential for birds to maximize overwintering survival, and for some species, to meet pre- breeding nutritional requirements (Maron and Myers 1985). Large numbers of individuals of several species also depend on coastal Flor- ida habitats as stopover sites on their way to wintering areas in the West Indies or South America. Stopover sites are important compo- nents of shorebird migration strategies (Myers et al. 1987, Skagen and Knopf 1994). The continued availability and quality of coastal habitats has been recognized as a conservation priority for Florida (Cox et al. 1994, De E-mail: edstolen@earthlink.net 77 78 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Freese 1991). Unfortunately, nearly half of all natural coastal habitat in Florida has been lost to development or altered by humans since the arrival of Europeans (Johnson and Barbour 1990). Based on remote sensing data, Kautz et al. (1993) estimated the loss of coastal strand vegetation from pre-settlement amounts of nearly 98%. The loss of Florida’s natural beach habitat is greatest on the southern Atlantic coast where many counties (e.g.. Palm Beach, Broward, Dade) have al- most no natural beach vegetation remaining (Johnson and Barbour 1990). Johnson and Barbour (1990) list the Cape Canaveral-Merritt Is- land coastline as being among the best-preserved beaches in Florida. Loss of habitat increases the risks faced by migratory populations (My- ers 1983, Myers et al. 1987). Shorebirds are vulnerable to coastal hab- itat loss and degradation, and for this reason they are considered an avian group of conservation concern in Florida (Millsap et al. 1990, Breininger et al. 1998). In some cases, habitat might be available, but its value to migrants could be diminished by other factors. For exam- ple, human disturbance could effectively reduce time spent foraging and increase energy expenditures (e.g. alertness, flight response) which would exacerbate the difficulties birds face during long-distance migrations (Burger 1981, Burger and Gochfeld 1991, Pfister et al. 1992). It follows that conservation efforts should make the preserva- tion of undisturbed waterbird habitat a priority. Few studies have examined the use of beach habitat by birds along the east coast of Florida. Loftin (1960) reported on a summer shorebird survey of Florida that included eight sites on the East Coast, including two near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Longstreet (1934) conducted a five- year shorebird survey along a 5 mile (8 km) stretch of beach near Day- tona Beach, Florida. Sprandel et al. (1997) surveyed coastal Florida for wintering birds in 1993 and 1994, and identifled important wintering sites for shorebirds in Florida. Previous surveys were designed to doc- ument species occurrence and included habitats other than open beach. Here I report seasonal bird use of open beach habitat on Cape Canaveral, in east-central Florida. The area provided a unique oppor- tunity to determine the seasonal use of beach habitat and numbers of wintering and migratory waterbirds in a low-disturbance area. Data from this study will serve as a baseline for comparative studies to as- sess waterbird use of beach habitats exposed to various levels of hu- man disturbance. Methods The study site consisted of 16.5 km of beach on an Atlantic coast barrier island com- plex in east central Florida (Fig. 1). The study site was surrounded by protected federal lands, including the Canaveral National Seashore, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (which includes the Kennedy Space Center), and the Cape Canaveral Air Station. Bird use of beaches in Florida 79 Survey Route Atlantic Ocean CNSS E Figure 1. Map of study site beach in east-central Florida showing location of 16.5 km survey route. Also shown are the locations of the Merritt Island Na- tional Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Cape Canaveral Air Station CCAS), and the Canaveral National Seashore (CNSS). 80 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST The beach is a high-energy beach characterized by stretches of high primary dune with steep beach slopes, interspersed with areas that are broad and flat (for details see Schmalzer and Hinkle 1990). Associated with the barrier island system are extensive brackish wetlands including 4,352 ha of saltmarsh and mangroves, and 3,680 ha of impounded salt marsh (Provancha et al. 1986). To the west is a large estuarine system composed of the Indian and Banana rivers and the Mosquito Lagoon. The southern portion of this barrier island complex has been largely developed with little of the original mangrove and saltmarsh habitat re- maining intact (Larson 1995). Nearly all salt marsh habitat of the northern portion has been impounded for mosquito control (Schmalzer 1995). The climate of the region is sub- tropical. Mean annual rainfall on Merritt Island is 131 cm. Lowest temperatures occur in January (11.8°C mean monthly minimum) and highest temperatures are in August (32.6°C mean monthly maximum) (Mailander 1990). Public access to this beach is limited and the number of people using this area of beach is very low (I estimate <0.2 km/day) and is mostly limited to areas near a few ac- cess points. Most visits are brief (<1 h) and occur during daylight hours. During Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Station launch operations, even this low level of activity is curtailed for many days at a time. Thus, this beach is among the least dis- turbed on Florida’s Atlantic coast. All birds occurring within a zone extending from the base of the primary dune to ap- proximately 100 m over the ocean were counted along 16.5 km of undisturbed beach. Birds were either foraging in the surf-zone, resting on the beach up to the dune vegeta- tion, on the water’s surface, or flying within this zone. I rode a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle at approximately 10 km/h and counted all birds within the transect as I ap- proached them. When a large group of birds was encountered, I stopped and counted from a distance of approximately 100 m. Birds were identified to species except: Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri), Semipalmated Sandpiper (C. pusilla), and Least Sandpiper (C. minutilla) which were recorded as Calidris spp.; and Short-billed Dowitcher {Limno- dromus griseus) and Long-billed Dowitcher (L. scolopaceus) which were recorded as Lim- nodromus spp. Nineteen surveys were conducted between 2 November 1995 and 21 October 1996. Surveys were conducted biweekly when possible, but because of flight operations that limited beach access intervals between many counts were longer (mean between-count interval was 19.7 days). Surveys were initiated approximately 30 min prior to low tide and were completed within 2 h. Most surveys were conducted in the morning (between 1 and 5 h after sunrise) and all surveys were completed before mid-afternoon (by 8 h after sunrise). The route was always surveyed from south to north beginning at the abandoned Launch Complex 34 on the Cape Canaveral Air Station (lat. 28°31’16”, long. 80°33’26”). Surveys were not conducted in rain or during high winds (>40 km/h). Results Fourteen species of shorebirds used the beach for feeding and roosting (Table 1). Ten sandpipers (Scolopacidae) were observed with a combined mean density over all surveys of 15.4 individuals/km. Sanderlings comprised 79% of all sandpipers, and were seen on all surveys except one in July. Sanderling numbers were highest during fall migration (July through September). Ruddy Turnstones {Arenaria interpres) were the second most common shorebird observed, and oc- curred throughout the year; their numbers were highest during spring and fall migrations (April through May, August through Sep- November- January February-March April-July August-October Species in = 5> (n = 5) in = 4) in = 5) Bird use of beaches in Florida 81 00 d 00 tH q 00 ? 05 tH 1-i *? cq d d d 1—1 d rH d tH d d d o d o o d d d d d ... o q d cJ cb'' d to cq iq d q CO d d d d d d 1-4 (OQ cq lO o !>• t—H o tH d d d d d d d d tH q 1— i TO d o d P P d TO o rH d rH d d q" CM d o o o o d d TO d d d TO O O d q d s fH P' d d d CM rH d CM N — ^ lO LO TO o TO TO TO o d d d r H rH d d S' , ^ q P o rH TO cb rH cq q d 1 o S d 00 d o T d ci d TO o d o o O d d d . .. . ... O o . . .. . .. q rH q d t-. CM cq t-H rH rH d d CM ' — " o o O q rH rH LO oi d d r H d cb q s ^ ^ TO TO o 1— i O 00 tH o d 1— 1 q P d d d d p d d q d d d d d d d d TO id CO o O d TO d o o o o q d TO d d d P" d to" d d d d rH ' — ^ ' — ^ (N rH ' — ^ ' — ^ CO (M TO o O o lO o 00 d d d d d d d d d a g ^ O 11 :s ^ o ^ CO c2 S U g I o O d o b 0) TO _ij a CO 0) Ph V C! ^ = 1 pq Q 0 0 3 fe m la -4^ cd cd £ £ o o I ^ Sd W W ^ >> .2 o 0 m d CO CO d !S d O 1“ §1 ?H i>C> i d ■§) s s i 0 d g s o 0 ?H S 0 £ p5 •'S 0 B %4 a •S 'd d u e$ X O t> o o 6 CO (M d d s ^ l-s d" CO CO •2 S d Sj e sj4 C5 ^ d 0 0 o S ^ r 04 (j ^ > 0 o o o m cc3 r;:^ m > ^ 0 Cd > s ° 1 1 0 m Ph CO -V d CO k, d o o o d O t Z O 0 ^ 0 'd ^ I $ Spotted Sandpiper iActitis macularia) 0 0.01 (0.03; 0-0.06) 0 0 Ruddy Turnstone iArenaria interpres) 0.2 (0.3; 0.2-0. 7) 0.5 (0.6; 0-1.5) 1.6 (1.2; 0.4-2. 7) 1.9 (2.1; 0. 3-4.4) Table 1. (Continued) Mean number of waterbirds observed during 19 surveys of 16.5 km beach from 2 November 1995 through 21 October 1996. 82 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST a < d rH rH CD o > cR CO tH 1 cq 1— 1 d q o d '-p 11 rH 6 cp d o O d o o CO q d o o o o o 1 oq d d cd d cd 00 1 o a s al tg CO rH d id [C o d o d cd < d d to CO w ^ ^ CO cq ' T“^ o q q q o q d d d d CO d d o cq d .d S GO q rH d cd d 1 rH CO o cq 05 d cq d d 1 to rH CO § to CO LO o d d rH 1 o d o d cq rH 11 d CO o 61 o d CO id o d d'' id o cd o 05"' d o d o cd IC tH d dl W rH id d d d d 61 cd d 1-5 d rH W rH 1— 1 ' — ' oq d d ' — ' CO ^ ^ rH ' — ^ ' — ^ to ' — ' ' — ^ ^ ' r'^ i> oq o 00 o o D- q o o q £> d i6 d d d d c6 00 d d i6 cq d d • d d 61 d 00 ^ ' ^ ^ ' — ^ tH ' — ^ d ' — ^ rH tH d ^ ^ cq ^ ^ ' — ^ cq t> to CD ' — ' rH ' — ' ' — ^ t- ^ ^ tH o o o o tH O cq O to 00 CO o q d d d d d rH d d d d CO d d d rH CD d d cd q t> CD o , — ^ o o ^ ^ P C3 rH 00 CO rH d cq t>. cq d d 00 9 cq CO cd cd iO cq rH d d GO rH d d d CO rH to 6 H o o d O cd d d cd d d o d II q o . .s . .V o . .. 61 . .s 0 -D do" q d d iq CD d CO cq 9 q s tH 1—5 d rH ' — ' CO to ' — ^ d cq rH !> ^ ' — ' ' — ^ tH ' — ' ' — ^ ' — ' ^ ^ ' — ^ 0 > q rH q O o q q rH GO q O rH CD d rH d cq d d cq rH cd Q 'a -T3 0) Q CO a a 5: Ci, e e 5 Sk4 o » O 3 I ^ -M s IS Pm M ^ . ^ ^ a ® S M O P •S R O e R -S O P Kj O S O s II b 0) .a O) ^ -M 0) R s cd a ^ ^ tie ^ d o .q PQ O d ■g s o *4=^ i ^ £ 16 d "S ra o O CO ■ ^ o e a d .S S d aj Sm 11 d d cd o m o tP CO e ^ 6 CC 0) "■fH H u cd o OJ Ph P BlackTern {Chlidonias niger) 0 0 0.1 (0.3)(0-0.6) 0.2 (0.4)(0-0.8) Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) 0 0 0.08 (0.2)(0-0.3) 0 Bird use of beaches in Florida 83 tember, respectively). Red Knots (Calidris canutus), and Willets (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) also were numerous during surveys. Five species of plovers (Charadriidae) used the beach with a combined mean density over all surveys of 2.6 individuals/km. Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) comprised 55% of all plovers ob- served and occurred on 13 surveys. Their numbers peaked in early Feb- ruary; lesser numbers occurred throughout the rest of the year. Although less numerous, Black-bellied Plovers {Pluvialis squatarola) were observed on all but two surveys. They were usually foraging near the surf-zone. Five species of gulls and eight species of terns were observed dur- ing the study (Table 1). Larids were usually roosting in large groups on the beach; occasionally small groups of gulls were foraging in the surf zone, in association with shorebirds. Laughing Gulls comprised 52% of all gulls and were seen on 16 surveys. Laughing gulls were not seen during March or April. Royal Terns were observed during 15 surveys, and comprised 84% of all terns observed. Royal Terns were seen during every month except September. A total of 1328 Brown Pelicans was observed; many of these obser- vations may have been the same individuals seen on multiple sur- veys. The average number of Brown Pelicans observed was around 70 individuals per survey. Brown Pelicans were observed on all surveys, but were much less numerous May through August. Most Brown Pel- icans were observed in large groups, with most individuals roosting on the lower beach and some individuals foraging in the surf A total of 240 Double-crested Cormorants was observed; many of these obser- vations may have been the same individuals seen on multiple sur- veys. The average number of Double-crested Cormorants observed was around 13 individuals per survey. Double-crested Cormorants were most common February through March; they were not observed during summer (Table 1). Double-crested Cormorants were observed foraging in the surf, and roosting, often in close proximity to Brown Pelicans. Six species of long-legged wading birds were observed (Table 1); wading birds were observed foraging near the surf Only two fal- cons were seen during the study: a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregri- nus) flying over the open beach in October, and a Merlin {F. columharius) in January. Discussion Shorebird numbers on the beach were highest during fall migra- tion, and lowest in summer. The Sanderling was the most numerous species of shorebird recorded during surveys. A large component of Sanderling populations may travel along the Atlantic coast of North 84 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST America during migration (Myers et aL 1990); many of these birds mi- grate through or overwinter in Florida (Sprandel et al. 1997). Sprandel et al. (1997) ranked the northeast coast as third among six regions of Florida coastline for Sanderling abundance in winter. The importance of preserving beach habitat for this species is heightened because Sanderlings have exhibited significant declines at migratory stopover sites along the Atlantic Flyway in recent years (Howe et al. 1989). Ruddy Turnstones were common year-round with strong migratory peaks evident. Both Semipalmated Plovers and Black-bellied Plovers were abundant in winter, with peaks observed during fall and spring. Sprandel et al. (1997) identified the northeast coast as second among six regions of Florida coastline in abundance of wintering Ruddy Turn- stones and Black-bellied Plovers. It was fourth in importance for Semi- palmated Plovers. Among sixty sites chosen as the best wintering habitat for shorebirds in Florida, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) stood out as crucial wintering habitat for these plo- vers in Florida (Sprandel et al. 1997). Red Knots were observed in small flocks during spring migration and in winter; these birds may be members of a separate population of Red Knots that winters in Florida rather than along the Atlantic coast in South America (Harrington et al. 1988). However, the majority of Red Knots observed during winter in Florida occur on the Gulf Coast (Sprandel et al. 1997). Dunlin (Calidris alpina) were recorded on only four surveys in fall (October and November) and winter (January and February), Dunlin are perhaps the most common wintering shorebirds found in Florida (Sprandel et al. 1997, Stevenson and Anderson 1994) and are very common in the impounded salt marshes and along the Mosquito Lagoon shoreline of the adjacent MINWR in winter (pers. obs.). The current study may not have detected use of beach habitat by roosting Dunlin because surveys were conducted around low tide and therefore may have occurred during peak foraging activities of these birds (Warnock et al. 1995). This also may have been true of other spe- cies that are abundant at the refuge during winter including: Semipah mated Plover, Black- bellied Plover, Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), Calidris spp., Willet, Limnodromus spp., and Ruddy Turnstone (Brein- inger and Smith 1990). Several species of shorebirds used beach habitat during the sum- mer months, Willets were abundant on the beach March through Sep- tember; during this time Willets nest on adjacent dunes and wetlands near the study site. Wilson's Plovers {Charadrius wilsonia) occurred at low density throughout the study, with the highest numbers in March through August when they nest on the beaches of the study site (M. Ep- stein, MINWR pers. comm.). Although they do not breed in Florida, Black-bellied Plovers were observed throughout the year, and were Bird use of beaches in Florida 85 still common in June and July. This same pattern was observed for Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones. Loftin (1960) documented that in several species of boreal-breeding shorebirds, some individuals are found in Florida during the breeding season. These birds are mostly in basic plumage, but a few individuals in alternate plumage have been recorded in mid-June through early July (Loftin 1960, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Of the five species of gulls observed during the study, only Laugh- ing Gulls were observed in Spring and Summer. Laughing Gulls nest on spoil islands in the Banana River west of the study site (Paul and Below 1991, pers. obs.). Among the terns. Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns {Sterna sandvicensis), and Least Terns (S. antillarum) were all ob- served during the breeding season. Royal Terns and Least Terns nest on nearby spoil islands of the Indian River Lagoon system (Paul and Below 1991, Breininger et al. 1994, pers. obs.). Least Terns also nest on the beach approximately 6 km south of the study site, and on rooftops within 5 km of the study site (pers. obs). Sandwich Terns are not known to breed near the study site (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Al- though the majority of the Caspian Terns {Sterna caspia) observed were seen in winter, three were seen in April, before the start of nest- ing season. Caspian Terns occasionally nest on spoil islands of MINWR (Breininger et al. 1994). Although statistical comparisons were not possible, some similari- ties are striking between shorebird data from this study and those of Longstreet (1934), which were collected near Daytona Beach, Florida. Both studies recorded the same species of shorebirds during year- round surveying efforts with the exception of Killdeer, which I ob- served but Longstreet (1934) did not. Seasonal numbers peaked in July-August for Sanderling and Willet, and between November and February for Black-bellied Plover. During months of peak abundance, Longstreet (1934) reported densities (individuals / km of beach) of 26.5 (Sanderling), 2.98 (Willet), and 1.14 (Black-bellied Plover); this study reported densities of 31.2 (Sanderling), 3.45 (Willet), and 4.0 (Black- bellied Plover). Because Sanderlings have exhibited population de- clines (Howe et al. 1989), and because beaches near Daytona Beach are under strong encroachment pressure, protected beaches near Canav- eral gain particular importance for shorebird conservation. Dissimilarities between studies were sharpest for Red Knots. I ob- served densities of 1.64 individuals / km in May whereas Longstreet (1934) reported 21.75. Unfortunately, it is impossible to assess the full implications of these differences. If it is assumed that the beach sur- veyed by Longstreet (1934) was not yet altered by human encroach- ment or disturbance, contrasts between studies suggest that Red Knots do not use Canaveral extensively during migration. However, it is also 86 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST possible that these species could use either beach, (e.g, Daytona Beach or Canaveral) but this study occurred during a year of low use. Alterna- tively Longstreet (1934) might have sampled during high tide when Red Knots were resting on the beach. Assessing such possibilities un- derscore the value not only of surveys conducted over wide geographi- cal areas (see Sprandel et al. 1997), but also of surveys within portions of Florida (e.g. Northeast) to formulate conservation strategies. During this study open beach was used extensively for feeding and roosting by migratory and wintering shorebirds. The beach also was heavily used by gulls and terns as winter roosting sites, and for resting sites when foraging in nearshore waters. Similarly open beach was used for roosting and for resting during foraging by large numbers of Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants, especially in winter. These avian groups, some of which contain endangered species or spe- cies of special concern, are easily disturbed by human activities (Erwin 1980, Burger 1981, Burger and Gochfeld 1991, Pfister et al. 1992, Rodgers and Smith 1997). These data suggest that undisturbed beaches like the one in this study may be important refugia for many species of waterbirds in central Florida, where most beaches receive heavy use by humans. Acknowledgments This research was funded by NASA and supported by the cooperation of B. R. Sum- merfield and W. K. Knott, III of the NASA Biomedical Operations and Research Office, Kennedy Space Center, and by staff of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. J. Collazo, D. Breininger, G. Woolfenden, R. M. Erwin, J, Gore, M. Epstein, T Stevens, M, Legare, and M. Stolen provided helpful comments on earlier drafts. I thank G. Spran- del for providing information about wintering shorebirds in Florida. Literature Cited Breininger, D. R., M. J. Barkaszi, R. B. Smith, D. M. Oddy, and J. A. Provancha. 1994. Endangered and potentially endangered wildlife on John E Kennedy Space Center and faunal integrity as a goal for maintaining biological diversity. NASA Technical Report 109204. Breininger, D. R., M. J. Barkaszi, R. B. Smith, D. M. Oddy, and J. A. Provancha. 1998. Prioritizing wildlife taxa for biological diversity conservation at the local scale. Envi- ronmental Management 22:315-321. Breininger, D. R., and R. B. Smith. 1990. Waterbird use of coastal impoundments and management implications in east-central Florida. Wetlands 10:223-241. Burger, J. 1981. The effect of human activity on birds at a coastal bay. Biological Con- servation 21:231-241. Burger, J., and M. Gochfeld. 1991. Human activity influence and diurnal and noctur- nal foraging of Sanderlings {Calidris alba). Condor 93:259-265. Cox, J., R. Kautz, M. MacLaughlin, and T. Gilbert. 1994. Closing the gaps in Flor- ida’s wildlife habitat conservation system. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Com- mission, Tallahassee. Bird use of beaches in Florida 87 De Freese, D. E. 1991. Threats to biological diversity in marine ecosystems in Florida. Coastal Management 19:73-101. Erwin, R. M. 1980. Breeding habitat use by colonially nesting waterbirds in two mid-At- lantic U. S. regions under different regimes of human disturbance. Biological Conser- vation 18:39-51. Harrington, B. A., J. M. Hagan, and L. Leddy, 1988. Site fidelity and survival differ- ences between two groups of new world Red Knots {Calidris canutus). Auk 105:439- 445. Howe, M. A., P. H. Geissler, and B. A. Harrington. 1989. Population trends of North American Shorebirds based on the International Shorebird Survey. Biological Con- servation 49:185-199. Johnson, A. F,, and M. G. Barbour 1990. Dunes and maritime forests. Pages 429-480 in Ecosystems of Florida (R. Myers and J. Ewel, Eds.). University of Central Florida Press, Orlando. Kautz, R. S., D. T. Gilbert, and G. M. Maulden. 1993. Vegetative cover in Florida based on 1985-1989 Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. Florida Scientist 56:135-54. Larson, V. L. 1995. Fragmentation of the land-water margin within the northern and central Indian River Lagoon watershed. Bulletin of Marine Science 57:267-277. Loftin, H. 1960. A cooperative summering shorebird survey. Florida Naturalist 33:199- 208. Longstreet, a. j. 1934. A five-year shorebird census at Daytona Beach. Auk 51:97-99. Mailander, j. L. 1990. Climate of the Kennedy Space Center and vicinity. NASA Tech- nical Memorandum 103498, Kennedy Space Center. Maron, j. L., and j. P. Myers. 1985. Seasonal changes in feeding success, activity pat- terns, and weights of nonbreeding Sanderlings (Calidris alba). Auk 102:580-586. Millsap, B. a., j. a. Gore, D. E. Runde, and S. L Cerulean. 1990. Setting priorities for the conservation of fish and wildlife species in Florida. Wildlife Monographs 111:1-57. Myers, J. P. 1983. Conservation of migrating shorebirds: staging areas, geographic bot- tlenecks, and regional movements. American Birds 37:23-25. Myers, J. P., R. 1. G. Morrison, P. Z. Antas, B. A. Harrington, T. E. Lovejoy, M. Sallaberry, S. E. Senner, and A. Tarak. 1987. Conservation strategy for migra- tory species. American Scientist 75:19-26. Myers, J. P., M. Sallaberry, A. E. Ortiz, G. Castro, L. M. Gordon, J. L. Maron, C. T. Schick, E. Tabilo, P. Antas, and T. Below. 1990. Migration routes of new world Sanderlings (Calidris aZ6a). Auk 107:172-180. Paul, R. T., and T. H. Below. 1991. Populations, distribution, habitats, and migration of gulls, terns and shorebirds in coastal Florida: an overview. Pp. 66-78 in Proceedings of the Coastal Nongame Workshop (D. P. Jennings, compiler). Gainesville, Florida, 1991. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Com- mission, Fort Collins. Pfister, C., B. a. Harrington, and M. Lavine. 1992. The impact of human disturbance on shorebirds at a migration staging area. Biological Conservation 60:115-126. Robertson, W. B., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Special Publication No. 6, Florida Ornithological Society, Gainesville. Rodgers, J, A. and H. T. Smith. 1997. Buffer zone distances to protect foraging and loaf- ing waterbirds from human disturbance in Florida. Wildlife Society Bulletin 25:139- 145. Provancha, M. j., P. a. Smalzer, and C. R. Hinkle. 1986. Vegetation types (Maps). John F, Kennedy Space Center, Biomedical Operations and Research Office. Schmalzer, P. a. 1995. Biodiversity of saline and brackish marshes of the Indian River Lagoon: historic and current patterns. Bulletin of Marine Science 57:37-48. Schmalzer, P. A, and C. R. Hinkle. 1990. Geology, Geohydrology and soils of Kennedy Space Center: a review. NASA Technical Memorandum 103813. 88 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Skagen, S. K., and F. L. Knopf. 1994. Residency patterns of migrating sandpipers at a midcontinental stopover. Condor 96:949-958. Sprandel, G. L., J. a. Gore, and D. T. Cobb. 1997. Winter shorebird survey. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Final Performance Report, Tallahassee. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Warnock, N., G. W. Page, and L. E. Stenzel. 1995. Non-migratory movements of Dun- lins on their California wintering grounds. Wilson Bulletin 107:131-139. Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):89-94, 1999. NESTING PHENOLOGY AND COOPERATIVE BREEDING OF THE BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH IN NORTH FLORIDA PINELANDS Kael E, Miller and Gregory A. Jones Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, R O. Box 110430, Gainesville, Florida 3261 1 Abstract.“-We monitored 15 nests of the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) in pine flatwoods at Camp Blanding Training Site, Florida, during 1995-1998. Dates of clutch initiation ranged from 27 February to 11 April and peaked during late March. Nuthatches initiated nesting earliest in 1997, a year marked by an exceptionally mild winter. We observed two cases of probable re-nesting after initial nest failure but no evi- dence of double-broodedness. Eleven of 15 (73%) nests were successful. Cooperative breeding was documented for 3 of 15 (20%) nests, or 3 of 13 (23%) nuthatch groups, which is similar to the results of Norris (1958) in the coastal plain of Georgia but much less fre- quent than that documented by Slater (1997) in the Big Cypress region of southern Flor- ida. Cooperative breeding and other nesting behaviors in the Brown-headed Nuthatch warrant further investigation, particularly in light of the species' population declines and the fragmented nature of remaining tracts of extensive, mature pinelands. The Brown-headed Nuthatch {Sitta pusilla) is a cavity-nesting bird species inhabiting open pine forests of the southeastern United States (Withgott and Smith 1998). Breeding Bird Survey data indicate that Brown-headed Nuthatch populations are declining (Peterjohn et aL 1996), particularly in Florida (Cox 1987). Although once described as “abundant” in northwest Florida and “moderately common” in cen- tral and south Florida (Howell 1932), the Brown-headed Nuthatch to- day is only “fairly common” in north Florida and “uncommon” or “rare” through the central and southern portions of the state (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Populations may have declined because of extensive logging of mature pinelands, fragmentation of habitat, and forest management practices that limit the availability of dead trees suit- able for cavity excavation (Cox 1987, Jackson 1988, Withgott and Smith 1998). Nesting ecology and breeding behavior of the Brown-headed Nuthatch have been little studied (Withgott and Smith 1998), Norris (1958) found that Brown-headed Nuthatches in Georgia occasionally bred in social groups that included a breeding pair and a helper, but co- operative breeding behaviors remain poorly studied in this species. Re- cently, Slater (1997) reported a high frequency of cooperative breeding 89 90 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST for Brown-headed Nuthatches in a slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and cy- press {Taxodium distichum) mosaic in the Big Cypress region of south- ern Florida. We located and monitored Brown-headed Nuthatch nests during 1995-1998 as part of a larger study of nest-site selection and nesting success of cavity-nesting birds in north Florida pinelands. Our objec- tives in this paper are to document aspects of nesting phenology and cooperative breeding of the species in north Florida. Study Area and Methods Our study area was located at Camp Blanding Training Site, a Florida Army National Guard facility encompassing approximately 30,000 ha in Clay County, Florida. We searched for nests of cavity-nesting birds in slash pine plantations (even-aged, 30-35 years old) and in adjacent longleaf pine {Pinus palustris) stands (uneven-aged, with a sig- nificant component of >60 year-old trees and scattered >100 year-old relict trees). Most nest searching was done in the plantations, which were mesic flatwood sites character- ized by moist, poorly-drained soils (Abrahamson and Hartnett 1990) and a shrub layer dominated by gallberry {Ilex glabra), saw palmetto {Serenoa repens), and various erica- ceous shrubs. Plantation study plots were 10 ha in size and had an average canopy height of >20 m and canopy closure of >70%. During 1995-1996, we located nuthatch nests op- portunistically in the course of other research activities. During 1997-1998, we conducted nest search efforts specifically for nuthatches beginning in mid-March and continuing until nesting activity abated. We surveyed study plots once per week by walking slowly through the habitat for >1 hour; if nuthatches were not detected, tape-recorded nuthatch calls were played to elicit vocalizations. Once territories were identified, we located nests by following individual birds. We monitored nests regularly at 3-4 day intervals to assess nesting status (Martin and Geupel 1993, Ralph et al. 1993). Nests located <4m above ground were reached with a stepladder and the contents checked with a light and dental mirror to determine clutch size and nest status. Nests located >4m above ground or those in unsteady, well-decayed trees were monitored from the ground through observation of adult behaviors (Martin and Geupel 1993, Ralph et al. 1993). Nest phenology was moni- tored using 14 days for incubation period and 18-19 days for nestling period, as reported in Norris (1958) and McNair (1984). We determined group size during each monitoring visit by counting the number of adult nuthatches engaged in any of three breeding activ- ities: incubating eggs, brooding young, or bringing food to the nest. If >3 individuals were observed simultaneously participating in breeding activities at a nest, we categorized the nest as belonging to a cooperative family group. We made repeat visits to nuthatch terri- tories throughout the summer to look for evidence of re-nesting. Results We located 15 Brown-headed Nuthatch nests, 4 opportunistically during 1995-1996 and 11 during nest searches in 1997-1998. All nests were located in dead, well-decayed slash pine {n = 9) or longleaf pine {n = 6) trees. Dates of clutch initiation ranged from 27 February to 11 April (Table 1). Although spread over a 6-week period, nest initiation peaked in late March, when eight of 15 (53%) nuthatch pairs initiated clutches (Fig. 1). Most nests fledged young during the last week of April, but young from three February nests fledged on 4 April. Brown-Headed Nuthatch Nesting Ecology 91 Table 1. Reproductive data from 15 Brown-headed Nuthatch nests monitored at Camp Blanding Training Site, Clay County, Florida, 1995-1998. Nest No. Group size Clutch initiation^ No. of eggs No. of fledglings 1 3 23 Mar 4 4 2 2 11-20 Mar U‘> 0 3 2 24 Mar U 2 4 3 24-25 Mar u 1+" 5 2 27 Feb u 4 6 2 28 Feb 4 4 7 3 24 Mar u 5 8 2 8-10 Apr u 0 9 2 27-28 Feb u 4 10 2 11 Apr 4 3 11 2 30 Mar u 0 12 2 25 Mar 5 4 13 2 27 Mar 5 5 14 2 20-27 Mar U 0 15 All nests‘‘ Successful nests 2 2.2 (0.4) 2.3 (0.5) 7-8 Apr 4 4.3 (0.5) 4.3 (0.5) 3 2.7 (1.9) 3.8 (0.9) “Range of possible dates given. ‘’Unknown. "Nest successful, but exact number of fledglings unknown. ‘‘Mean (SD). We observed two probable instances of re-nesting after an initial nest failure. In both cases (nests #3, #15), presumed second nests were located in the same territory, within 100 m of the first nests (nests #2, #14). Although nuthatches were not color-banded for positive identifi- cation, the proximity in space and time to the first nest and low nuthatch densities (typically <1 pair or group per 10-ha study plot) strongly suggested that these second nests were by the same nesting pair or group. We found no evidence of double-broodedness; occasion- ally we saw nuthatches engaged in cavity excavation after early April, but we did not observe any subsequent evidence of nesting. Four nests that were monitored throughout the entire nesting cycle enabled confirmation of 14 days and 18-19 days as the length of incu- bation and nestling periods, respectively, although one nest had a nest- ling period of 19-20 days. Clutch size averaged 4.3 {n = 6; Table 1). Eleven of 15 nests (73%) were successful, and the number of fledglings produced by successful nests ranged from 2 to 5 (Table 1). We docu- mented cooperative breeding for 3 of 15 (20%) nests, or 3 of 13 (23%) groups (because two nests were believed to be re-nests). All three nest attempts by cooperatively-breeding groups were successful, whereas only 8 of 12 (67%) nest attempts by breeding pairs were successful. Mean size of nuthatch groups was 2.2. 92 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 9 1 19-28 Feb 1-10 Mar 11-20 Mar 21-30 Mar 31 Mar-9 Apr 10-19 Apr Date Figure 1. Phenology of clutch initiation for 15 Brown-headed Nuthatch nests, Camp Blanding Training Site, Clay County, Florida, 1995-1998. Discussion Nuthatches probably breed earlier in years with exceptionally mild weather. All three February nests were from 1997, a year marked by a very mild winter with only a few hours of freezing temperatures in northcentral Florida. The three early nests we found are among the earliest dates reported for the species in Florida (McNair 1984, Steven- son and Anderson 1994). McNair (1984; pers. comm.) reported a few early nest records in Florida, including egg sets collected 2 March 1960 in Walton County and 4 March 1893 in Putnam County and a nest record of 5 eggs “heavily incubated” on 7 March 1962 in Leon County. Similarly, Worthington and Todd (1926) described a nest with five nuthatch eggs in northwest Florida on 2 March. Howell’s (1932) ac- count of eggs in a nest on 18 February 1908, the earliest date reported for Florida, appears to be an outlier and warrants further confirma- tion. Our results reinforce previous studies (McNair 1984, Slater 1997, Withgott and Smith 1998) that indicate that the Brown-headed Nuthatch is typically single-brooded in Florida. As in this study. Slater (1997) found few Brown-headed Nuthatches in south Florida at- tempted to renest after nest failure. The long dependency period of fiedglings (>40 days; Norris 1958) may be a constraint on re-nesting and double broodedness in Brown-headed Nuthatches (Slater 1997). This study is one of only a few records of cooperative breeding in Brown-headed Nuthatches. Frequency of cooperative breeding in Brown-headed Nuthatches in north Florida (3 of 13 groups, 23%; this study) was similar to that in Georgia (3 of 17 groups, 18%; Norris Brown-Headed Nuthatch Nesting Ecology 93 1958). The ecologically similar Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea) of western North America is a cooperative breeder at about 30% of its nests (Sydeman 1988). In contrast, Slater (1997) documented a high frequency (35 of 58 groups, 61%) of cooperative breeding for Brown- headed Nuthatches in extreme southern Florida, where mean group size ranged from 2.6 to 2.7 individuals. In our study area, cooperatively-breeding nuthatches had greater nest success than did pairs of nuthatches. Similarly, Slater (1997) found that breeding groups with >3 individuals were significantly more successful at fledging young than were pairs in south Florida. Local variation in the expression of cooperative breeding in Brown- headed Nuthatch populations may be considerable. We were unable to examine how cooperative breeding might correlate with environmental factors in our study because of small samples. Evidence suggests that habitat saturation (e.g.. Brown 1987, Komdeur 1992) as well as varia- tion in the quality of territories (e.g., Stacey and Ligon 1987, 1991) could be factors that facilitate delayed dispersal and the development of cooperative breeding in birds. Cooperative breeding behaviors in the Brown-headed Nuthatch warrant further investigation particularly in light of the species' population declines and the fragmented nature of remaining tracts of mature pineland habitat. Acknowledgments G. L. Slater contributed advice about field techniques, and S. A. Johnson assisted with data collection. D. B. McNair and E. Walters provided helpful comments that im- proved the manuscript. We thank McNair for sharing with us some records of early nest- ing. Funding for study of cavity-nesting birds was provided to KEM by the Nongame Wildlife Program of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, the Florida Department of Military Affairs Army National Guard, and the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. This paper is Journal Series #R-06825 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Literature Cited Abrahamson, W. G., and D. C. Hartnett. 1990. Pine flatwoods and dry prairies. Pages 103-149 in Ecosystems of Florida (R. L. Meyers, and J. J. Ewel, Eds.). University of Central Florida Press, Orlando. Brown, J. L. 1987. Helping and communal breeding in birds: ecology and evolution. Princeton University Press, New Jersey. Cox, J. 1987. The breeding bird survey in Florida: 1969-1983. Florida Field Naturalist 15:29-44. Howell, A. H. 1932. Florida bird life. Coward-McCann, New York. Jackson, J. A. 1988. The southeastern pine forest ecosystem and its birds: past, present, and future. Bird Conservation 3:119-159. Komdeur, J. 1992. Importance of habitat saturation and territory quality for evolution of cooperative breeding in the Seychelles Warbler. Nature 358:493-495. Martin, T. E., and G. R. Geupel. 1993. Nest-monitoring plots: methods for locating nests and monitoring success. Journal of Field Ornithology 64:507-519. 94 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST McNair, D. B. 1984. Clutch size and nest placement in the Brown-headed Nuthatch. Wil- son Bulletin 96:296-301. Norris, R. A. 1958. Comparative biosystematics and life history of the nuthatches, Sitta pygmaea and Sitta pusilla. University of California Publications in Zoology 56:119- 300. Peterjohn, B. G., J. R. Sauer, and W. A. Link. 1996. The 1994 and 1995 summary of the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Bird Populations 3:48-66. Ralph, C. J., G. R. Geupel, P. Pyle, T. E. Martin, and D. F. Desante. 1993. Handbook of field methods for monitoring landbirds. General Technical Report PSW-GTR-144. Pacific Southwest Research Station, U. S. Forest Service. Slater, G. 1997. Brown-headed nuthatches and Eastern bluebirds in southern Florida pinelands: breeding biology, nest-site selection, and the infiuence of habitat on nest- ing success. M. S. thesis. University of Florida, Gainesville. Stacey, P. B., and J. D. Ligon. 1987. Territory quality and dispersal options in the Acorn Woodpecker, and a challenge to the habitat-saturation model of cooperative breeding. American Naturalist 130:654-676. Stacey, P. B., and J. D. Ligon. 1991. The benefits-of-philopatry hypothesis for the evo- lution of cooperative breeding: variation in territory quality and group size effects. American Naturalist 137:831-846. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University of Florida Press, Gainesville. Sydeman, W. j. 1988. Annual reproductive yield in the cooperative Pygmy Nuthatch {Sitta pygmaea). Auk 105:70-77. WiTHGOTT, J. H., AND K. G. SMITH. 1998. Brown-headed Nuthatch {Sitta pusilla). In The birds of North America, no. 349 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.) Academy of Natural Sci- ences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. WORTHINGTON, W. W., AND W. E. C. TODD. 1926. The birds of the Choctawhatchee bay region of Florida. Wilson Bulletin 38:204-229. Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):95-102, 1999. FEEDING ECOLOGY OF BLACK BEARS IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA Marty R. Stratman and Michael R. Pelton Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 Abstract.”Food habits of black bears (Ursus americanus floridanus) was deter- mined from the analysis of 259 scats collected on Eglin Air Force Base (Eglin AFB), Flor- ida from 1994 to 1996. Spring diets were dominated by debris, insects, and the hearts of saw palmetto {Serenoa repens). Black bears consumed primarily blueberries {Vaccinium spp.) (44% by volume) in early summer and sweet gallberry (Ilex coriacea) (29%) and acorns {Quercus spp.) (25%) in late summer. In 1994, saw palmetto fruit was the primary fall food, but due to a palmetto mast failure in 1995, acorns were the primary fall food. The dominance of acorns and saw palmetto in the diet of black bears illustrates the im- portance of maintaining a variety of desirable bear foods. The Florida black bear population has been reduced to eight rela- tively disjunct populations, largely due to land conversion for agricul- ture and urban development (Cox et al. 1994). Consequently, the black bear is listed as threatened by the State of Florida. Because the rela- tive abundance and distribution of food can have a significant impact on bears in terms of natality, mortality, and movements (Pelton 1982, Rogers 1987), a detailed understanding of the feeding ecology of indi- vidual populations is necessary for proper management and future survival of these isolated populations. In Florida, black bears use a wide variety of forest types, from tem- perate to subtropical plant communities (Maehr and Wooding 1992). Such distributional variation in Florida has resulted in regional differ- ences in food habits. Food habits of Florida black bears have been stud- ied in several areas of the state (Maehr and Brady 1982, 1984; Maehr and DeFazio 1985; Seibert 1993; Land 1994; Roof 1997; Maehr 1997), however, no information has been collected from the population at Eg- lin AFB in northwest Florida. Our objective was to determine the sea- sonal and annual diet of black bears at Eglin AFB. Study Area and Methods Eglin AFB (1,875 km9, is bounded by private land to the north and east and the Gulf of Mexico to the south and west. It is characterized by rolling sandhills with numerous seepage streams. Seventy-two percent of Eglin AFB is comprised of upland pine forests. Dominant tree species include longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), slash pine (P. elliottii), sand pine (P. clausa), turkey oak (Quercus laevis), laurel oak (Q. hemisphaerica), sand live oak (Q. geminata), and titi (Cyrilla racemiflora). Dominant understory species in- clude saw palmetto, blueberry, gallberry (Ilex spp.), fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), and bri- 95 96 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST ars {Smilax spp.). Twelve percent of the land area has been cleared for military airfields, test ranges, right-of-ways, and administrative areas. The remaining areas are comprised of wetland and riparian habitats. Dominant overstory species in those habitats include titi iCyrilla racemiflora) slash pine, redbay (Persea horbonia), magnolias {Magnolia spp.), and bald cypress {Taxodium distichum). Dominant understory species include wild grape {Vitis rotundi folia), gallberry, fetterbush, and briars. Between November 1994 and October 1996, we collected scats at capture sites, day- beds, den sites, foraging areas, and while scouting for new trap sites. Radio telemetry was used to aid in locating scats from individual bears in foraging areas, bedding areas, and den sites. Scats were washed through a series of sieves with openings of 7, 2, and 0.15 mm to separate food particles of equal size. We identified individual food items to the lowest possible taxon using field guides and reference collections. We determined frequency of occurrence and percent volume both seasonally and an- nually for each food item (Korschgen 1980). Percent volume was visually estimated for individual food items in each scat. Food items were grouped into five categories: tree fruit, shrub/vine fruit, animal matter, vegetation, and debris. Because invertebrate, mammal, and avian species are sources of high concentrations of protein, they were grouped into one category to show the collective seasonal and annual sources of protein in the diet of bears. We determined seasons by major shifts in bear food habits: winter - 1 February to 31 March; spring - 1 April to 31 May; early summer - 1 June to 31 July; late summer - 1 August to 30 September; and fall - 1 October to 31 January. Results We identified 30 separate food items in 259 scats. Eighty percent (by volume) of the diet of bears was of plant origin. Spring diet was dominated by debris (unidentified material, soil, and wood particles) (Table 1); these were probably ingested while foraging for beetles (Co- leoptera) and yellow jackets (Hymenoptera). Beetles and yellow jackets were the primary type of animal matter found in spring scats. The hearts of saw palmetto occurred in one^third of the spring scats and ac- counted for 23% of the volume. Vertebrate species identified in spring scats included armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), opossum (Didelphis virginianaX and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The volume of early summer diet was dominated (60%) by shrub/vine fruit volumetrically. Blueberries and Florida anise {Illicium floridanum) accounted for 55% by volume. Saw palmetto hearts occurred in 18% of scats examined. Beetles occurred in 68% of the early summer scats. Late summer diet was predominantly sweet gallberry and acorns. Sweet gallberry occurred in 46% of the scats and accounted for approx- imately one-third of the diet by volume. Black bears switched to acorns in mid-September. Acorns represented 25% of late summer diet by vol- ume. Animal matter was dominated by beetles. Acorns and saw palmetto fruit accounting for 93% by volume dur- ing fall. Animal matter was dominated by beetles and occurred in 24% of fall scats. Other forms of animal matter found in fall scats included cottontail rabbit {Sylvilagus floridanus), wild turkey {Meleagris gallo- pauo), and unidentified mammalian and avian species. Table 1. Percent of items by occurrence and volume identified in black bear scats collected on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1994-1996. Feeding Ecology of Black Bears 97 05 lO h. (M ^ II o ^ s ^ I " o CD a ^ > a ii o Ih ^ a ^ a *1 tJO t> c. .g (M > ^ II ^ H ^ CO t-H tH 00 QO CO H ^ tH CO o CO ^ ^ C H = Percent occurrence = Percent volume = Trace amount (<1.0%) Table 1, (Contiimed) Percent of items by occurrence and volume identified in black bear scats collected on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1994-1996. 98 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST CO ^ S " O 00 O u 0) a 05 TO TO cd W a d II o TO TO m (>. " m s S OEhco ^ 05 tH CO fH CO CO 55 5 t- ^ cc ^ oj td 05 « »B ^ CD ^ ?H CO H Bin TO TO Xj) ^ 00 05 r-i ^ Oi ^ ^ \ ^ \ ^ CO TO CO ^ O 05 rH tH kO TO CO 05 S2 CO TO 00 OT Gi TO 00 ■t—i TO O ^ H = Percent occurrence = Percent volume ^ Trace amount (<1.0%) Feeding Ecology of Black Bears 99 Winter scats consisted primarily of saw palmetto and greenbriar fruitj which occurred in 69% of these scats. Although ingestion of de- bris is considered accidental, it represented 15% by volume of the win- ter diet. Vegetation, primarily the hearts of saw palmetto and gallberry leaves, accounted for 27% by volume. The annual diet by volume was dominated by shrub/vine fruit (38%) and tree fruit (34%). Debris, vegetation, and animal matter ac- counted for 12%, 9%, and 7% by volume, respectively. Discussion Seasonal shifts in feeding ecology of black bears on Eglin AFB were similar to other studies (Maehr and Brady 1984, Land 1994, Branden- burg 1996, Roof 1997). Bears shifted from mostly herbaceous matter in spring, to soft mast in summer, then to hard mast in fall. A spring diet dominated by herbaceous vegetation is common in many parts of the Southeast (Beeman and Belton 1980, Maehr and Brady 1984, Roof 1997). The consumption of saw palmetto hearts by bears in spring was also found in other regions of Florida (Maehr and Brady 1982, 1984; Maehr and Layne 1996; Roof 1997). Saw palmetto is rich in carbohydrates (Hough 1968). Bear use of saw palmetto hearts appears to correspond with the seasonal changes in starch and sugar content in the plants. With the onset of the growing season in early spring, starches are converted to sugars, which are used for frond growth and fruit production (Hough 1968). While starch content decreases through the summer, sugar production increases. This reduction in starch content during spring and summer corre- sponded with the time when bears consumed the largest amounts of saw palmetto hearts. Also, in plants with high moisture content, sugar content is nearly twice that of starch (Hough 1968). Signs of bears feeding on saw pal- metto were frequently found in areas near den sites, along rivers, streams and wetlands during the spring and early summer. Because spring is generally a time of food shortage for bears, the increase in sugars in saw palmetto and high consumption of invertebrates likely provided the nutrients necessary to sustain general metabolic require- ments until fruit production began in early summer. On Eglin AFB, summer is a period of high soft mast production. Fruits of blueberry, sweet gallberry, blackgum {Nyssa biflora), and wild grape were the most important plant foods available during this pe- riod. These and other soft mast species provide the protein needed for growth and rebuilding of muscle mass, especially for sub-adults and fe- males with cubs. This need for protein is reflected in the high consump- tion of blueberries by bears (Inman and Belton in press). Blueberries 100 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST rank among the highest in caloric production for soft mast shrub/vine species (Inman and Pelton in press). Because some soft mast species maintain an abundant fruit supply throughout most of the summer, bears are able to take advantage of a variety food items to meet their nutritional requirements. Although the relative abundance and distribution of oak mast can have a significant impact on bears in terms of natality, mortality, and movements (Pelton 1989), this may not be the case for black bears in some areas in Florida (Maehr and Brady 1982, Maehr and Wooding 1992). Maehr and Brady (1982) reported that saw palmetto fruit was the dominant fall food and found only traces of acorns in black bear stomachs collected in Baker and Columbia Counties, Florida. The importance of the fruit and hearts of saw palmetto was recog- nized in other areas of Florida (Maehr and Brady 1982, 1984; Maehr and DeFazio 1985; Roof 1997; Maehr 1997). Saw palmetto, like some oak species, is subject to periodic local mast failures (Maehr and Brady 1982, Seibert 1993). In 1994, many areas were examined for bear sign, including numerous oak stands and palmetto thickets. Although many oak stands had abundant acorns, the fall diet in 1994 was dominated (94%) by saw palmetto fruit. In 1995, saw palmetto apparently suf- fered a mast failure; no fruit was found on saw palmetto plants. Subse- quently, acorns dominated the 1995 fall diet of bears. In 1996, the production of saw palmetto fruit was fair compared to 1994. However, the sample size in 1996 {n = 6 scats) was too small to make reliable comparisons with previous years. The 1994 fall diet indicated that bears on Eglin AFB may be selecting saw palmetto over acorns as their primary source of fall food; similar results were found in other areas of the state (Maehr and Brady 1982). The dominance of acorns in the 1995 fall diet demonstrates their importance as an alternative source of fall food for bears on Eglin AFB. Acorns and saw palmetto fruit likely serve as replacements for each other during years of mast failures or low food availability. Similar re- sults were found from a population in the lower Wekiva River Basin in central Florida (Roof 1997). In contrast, bears in Apalachicola National Forest used blackgum fruit as an alternative source of food during a year of saw palmetto mast failure (Seibert 1993). Also, the 1-5 year burning regime on Eglin AFB (McWhite et al. 1993) may inhibit fruit production of saw palmetto. Because saw palmetto is subject to mast failures and frequent fires, hardwood stands on Eglin AFB should be managed to promote production of oak mast while providing a diver- sity of successional stages. Human uses of the landscape will inevitably cause bear popula- tions to become more fragmented and isolated. Differences in habitat composition and the isolation of black bear populations in Florida rein- Feeding Ecology of Black Bears 101 forces the need to understand the ecology of individual populations. If these remnant bear populations are to be preserved, then it is neces- sary to determine their life requisites and develop and implement management strategies. Because food is the key element to the sur- vival of all wildlife species, a detailed understanding of the local feed- ing ecology of a species is necessary Long-term effects of large-scale land use practices in areas occupied by black bears should be thor- oughly evaluated to determine their impacts on the distribution and availability of important foods and ultimately on the survival of the species. Acknowledgments We thank Mike Thomas of the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, University of Florida for his assistance with identifying invertebrate samples. We also thank C. David Alden and all the summer technicians for their assistance collecting specimens. Finan- cial support for this study was provided by the Department of Defense, Legacy Resource Management Program and United States Air Force, Eglin AFB, Florida. Literature Cited Beeman, L. E,, and M. R. Pelton. 1980. Seasonal foods and feeding ecology of black bears in the Smoky Mountains. International Conference on Bear Research and Man- agement. 4:141-147. Brandenburg, D. M. 1996. Effects of roads on behavior and survival of black bears in coastal North Carolina. Thesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. Cox, J., R. Kautz, M. MacLaughlin, and T. Gilbert. 1994. Closing the gaps in Flor- ida’s wildlife habitat conservation system. Office of Environmental Services, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee, Florida. Hough, W. A. 1968. Carbohydrate reserves of saw-palmetto: seasonal variation and ef- fects of burning. Forest Science. 14:399-405, Inman, R. M., and M. R. Pelton. In Press. Energetic production by black bear foods in the Smoky Mountains. International Conference on Bear Research and Management. 11. Korschgen, L. j. 1980. Procedures for food-habits analyses. Pages 113-127 in S. D. Schemnitz eds.. Wildlife management techniques manual. The Wildlife Society, Washing- ton, D.C. Land, E. D. 1994. Southwest Florida black bear habitat use, distribution, movements, and conservation strategy. Final Report W-41-32. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee, Florida. Maehr, D. S., and j. R. Brady. 1982. Fall food habits of black bears in Baker and Colum- bia Counties, Florida. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of Southeastern Associ- ation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 36:565-570. , AND . 1984. Food habits of Florida black bears. Journal of Wildlife Manage- ment. 48:230-235. , AND J. T. DeFazio. 1985. Foods of black bears in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist. 13:8-12. , AND J. B. Wooding. 1992. Florida black bear. Pages 265-275 in S. R. Humphrey, Eds., Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Volume 1, mammals. University of Flor- ida Press, Gainesville, Florida. 102 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST , AND J. N. Layne. 1996. The saw palmetto, Florida’s all-purpose plant. The Pal- metto. 16(4):6-15. . 1997. The comparative ecology of bobcat, black bear, and Florida panther in south Florida. Bulletin. Florida Museum of Natural History. 40:1-176. McWhite, R. W., D. R. Green, C. J. Petrick, and S. M. Seiber 1993. Natural resources management plan Eglin Air Force Base, Florida 1993-1997. Department of Air Force, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Pelton, M. R. 1982. Black bear. Pages 504-514 in J. A. Chapman and G. A. Feldhammer, eds., Wild mammals of North America: biology, management, and economics. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. . 1989. The impacts of oak mast on black bears in the southern Appalachians. Pages 7-11 in C. E. McGee eds., Proceedings of the workshop: Southern Appalachian Mast Management. Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennes- see, Knoxville, Tennessee. Rogers, L. L. 1987. Effects of food supply and kinship on social behavior, movements, and population growth of black bears in northwestern Minnesota. Wildlife Mono- graph 97. Roof, J. C. 1997. Black bear food habits in the lower Wekiva River Basin of central Flor- ida. Florida Field Naturalist. 25:92-97. Seibert, S. G. 1993. Status and management of black bears in Apalachicola National Forest. Final Report W-41-30. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tal- lahassee, Florida. Wooding, J. B., and T. S. Hardisky. 1994. Home range, habitat use, and mortality of black bears in north-central Florida. International Conference on Bear Research and Management. 9:349-356. Florida Field Naturalist 27(3): 103-108, 1999. OBSERVATIONS OF A COLONY OF ROOF-NESTING LEAST TERNS, 1988-1997 David K. Voigts Environmental Services Department, Florida Power Corporation, R O. Box 14042, St. Petersburg, Florida 33733 Abstract.— I studied a Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) roof-nesting colony in St. Pe- tersburg, Florida, for 10 years to obtain long term information on variation in colony size and productivity. Colony size varied greatly between years: numbers of pairs ranged from 4 to 509 and nests from 4 to 807. Predation, especially by Fish Crows (Corvus ossi- fragus), was severe. The colony site was abruptly abandoned early in the 1997 nesting season in response to intense predation pressure. Shelters made of two concrete blocks placed side-by-side were used to provide shade and protection from some predators, but they may not have provided adequate protection against Fish Crow predation. The Least Tern’s only defense against intense predation is relocation of the colony, so it is impor- tant that a number of suitable potential colony sites are available for relocation. Least Terns {Sterna antillarum) frequently nest on fiat, gravel-cov- ered roofs of low buildings (Fisk 1978). Use of roofs seems to be increas- ing, and in some areas the majority of Least Tern colonies are on roofs (Zambrano et al. 1997). Hatching success in roof colonies can be higher than in ground colonies (Gore and Kinnison 1991). Ground colonies were found to vary considerably in size and reproductive success dur- ing studies of seven years (Burger 1984), eight years (Massey and Fancher 1989), and four years (Kirsch 1996). The objective of this study was to survey a Least Tern roof-nesting colony to obtain information on long-term variation in colony size and productivity. In addition, the role of predation in reducing productivity and causing colony site aban- donment was also investigated. Study Area and Methods I surveyed a Least Tern colony on the roofs of the Florida Power Corporation General Office Complex in south St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, from 1988 through 1997. The first nesting at this site was in 1987: the first year after the roofs were rebuilt using a lighter color of gravel. Least Terns nested only on the two largest two-story office buildings of the seven building complex. Terns from both nesting groups, which were about 800 feet apart, mobbed potential predators, therefore I considered the birds nest- ing on the two buildings to be a single colony. Four small raised rooms, some air conditioning equipment, and small ventilators that protruded from the roof cast shadows. Least Terns frequently brooded their chicks in these shaded areas. Starting in 1993, 1 provided concrete blocks to chicks for additional ^Current address: 12132 Rickard Rd., Jesup, Iowa 50648 103 104 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST shade and protection from predators. I placed the blocks within the nesting area before the birds returned and arranged them in side-by-side pairs so that the openings formed longer chambers (Fig. 1). Each pair of blocks was orientated generally in an east- west di- rection so one side was usually shaded. This orientation also allowed me to observe the interior chambers from a nearby office tower. When used as a shelter, concrete blocks are relatively easy to use yet heavy enough to remain stationary. The roofs had screened drains that permitted little ponding following rains. Least Terns foraged and drank often at an artificial pond on the grounds of the office complex and at Boca Ciega Bay about 1.0 km away from the colony. I censused Least Terns from early May, shortly after the first eggs were laid, until the colony disbanded, usually in mid to late July. I made observations every 1 to 10 days, ex- cept for a few instances of longer intervals. Although my efforts in different years were similar, my methods varied. In 1988 and 1989 I counted nests and chicks during visits to the colony, but in 1990 I began observing terns with a 15x to 60x spotting scope from a nearby office that overlooked the colony. I used the small ventilators and cables that crossed the roofs to divide the roof into smaller sections; I estimated the number of incu- bating adults and chicks separately in these subsections. I made multiple counts to im- prove accuracy. In addition, since the observation site was slightly westward of the roofs, I usually observed the colony before solar noon to minimize the areas with shade that could not be seen. On most weekdays, I searched the grounds and parking areas near the colonies for chicks that had fallen off the roofs. In addition I asked security guards, building mainte- nance personnel, and other employees to watch for chicks and to inform me if any were found. All downed chicks found alive were captured, inspected for injuries, and returned to the colony. Access to the roofs was restricted during the nesting season by the Facility Manage- ment Department. Only a few visits to the roofs for emergency repairs to equipment were allowed. Figure 1. Least Tern chick in a roof colony seeking shade and protection from predators in a shelter made of two concrete blocks placed side by side, St. Pe- tersburg, Florida, 1996. Roof-nesting Least Terns 105 I estimated the number of nests present at one time by adding the number of nests being incubated and the number of chicks observed in the colony. Since Least Terns usu- ally raise only one young (Burger 1984), I assumed each chick represented a nest that had hatched successfully. I used the largest number of nests (incubated nests plus chicks) recorded at one time during the nesting season to estimate of the number of pairs present in the colony. Least Tern pairs that have lost their eggs or chicks usually renest within 4 to 16 days (Massey and Fancher 1989) so the total number of nesting attempts is greater than the number of pairs present in a colony. I estimated the total number of nesting attempts during a season by summing the number of new nests from each census. I determined the number of new nests by noting the increase in nests being incubated after subtract- ing the number of nests that were assumed to have hatched since the previous observa- tion (Gore and Kinnison 1991). I used a hatching period of 21 days (Lohrer and Lohrer 1973). If nests initiated between observations were offset by losses, no change in the number of nests would have been noted. Therefore, my data represent the minimum number of nesting attempts. Results and Discussion Least Terns returned and used the same portions of the roofs each year, but the number of birds varied greatly. The largest colonies were in 1995 when there were approximately 509 pairs and 630 nesting at- tempts and 1996 when there were 447 pairs and 807 nesting attempts (Table 1). Except for the 1997 colony that was quickly abandoned, the smallest colony was in 1990 when I recorded 17 pairs and 38 nesting attempts (Table 1). Although the roofs were inaccessible to terrestrial predators, the colony was preyed upon by Fish Crows {Corvus ossifragus) and to a lesser extent by Laughing Gulls {Larus atricilla) and other predators. Nocturnal predators also may have attacked the colony. On one occa- Table 1. Numbers of pairs and nests of a Least Tern roof-nesting colony, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1988-1997. Year^ Number of Pairs Number of Nests^ Number of Ne 1988 66 80 1.2 1989 29 37 1.3 1990 17 38 2.2 1991 61 131 2.1 1992 150 220 1.5 1993 82 148 1.8 1994 191 312 1.6 1995 509 630 1.2 1996 447 807 .8 1997 4 4 3 ^Data for 1988 and 1989 from site visits. Beginning in 1990 all data was from observa- tions with a spotting scope. ^All nesting attempts, including renests. ^Colony site was deserted. 106 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST sion, the few chicks that remained in the colony were counted late in the evening, but by the next morning some of them had disappeared. Nocturnal aerial predation on Least Terns by GreaUhorned Owls {Bubo virginianus) and Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nyc- ticorax) has been reported by Kirsch (1996), During my limited observations of predation, Least Terns appeared to be able to defend the colony from some Fish Crows, but others were unstoppable. Typically, a successful Fish Crow would fly in low and hide along a wall or under machinery where it was safe from the mob- bing attacks of the Least Terns. Once secure, it would observe the col- ony until a prey item was selected. It would then dart out, seize the chick or egg, and return to its shelter, often in five seconds or less. I never saw a Fish Crow chase down a chick or drive an adult off the nest. Fish Crows always seemed to take a chick or egg that was unprotected. Laughing Gulls employed a less successful foraging strategy. A Laughing Gull would fly over the colony; and if it saw a prey item but was not driven off, it would fly in progressively tighter arcs as it “fo- cused” in and finally seized its prey. I also observed an immature Red-shouldered Hawk {Buteo linea- tus) at the small colony in 1990. The hawk sat in the middle of the col- ony area without being mobbed. A half hour later, the Red-shouldered Hawk was gone, and the Least Terns had returned. I saw no chicks or active nests on this day although three days earlier the colony con- tained one chick. Two days later 13 nests were being incubated. In another study Least Terns have temporarily abandoned their colony when confronted with predation by cats and rats (Burger 1984), and Common Terns {Sterna hirundo) left their colony during nocturnal predation, probably by Great Horned Owls (Nisbet 1975) and Black- crowned Night-Herons (Hunter and Morris 1976). Only a few chicks were found on the grounds or parking areas. Some chicks that fell off the roof may have been carried away by pred- ators, but I doubt this happened often. I found very few feather piles or dismembered baby Least Terns, and all dead chicks that were found re- mained in that location for at least a few days. The concrete blocks that were placed in the colony were readily used as shelter by chicks and adults, especially on sunny days (Fig. 1). The two chambers and the side of the blocks that was shaded provided three separate areas that usually sheltered a single family grouping. However, these areas also were shared, and I counted at least 17 chicks using one pair of blocks for shelter at the same time. O’Meara and Gore (1988) suggested that a vertical board probably would be used more for shelter than a shelter the birds would have to enter. Apparently the openings in the concrete blocks were large enough that the chicks were not deterred from entering. Roof-nesting Least Terns 107 The concrete blocks may not have provided adequate protection against Fish Crow predation. Chicks old enough to utilize the concrete blocks were still taken. One apparent reason for this vulnerability was that chicks usually left the protection of the concrete blocks to be fed, giving the Fish Crows an opportunity to seize them. Furthermore, on one occasion, I repeatedly approached an older chick hiding in a con™ Crete block. Each time the chick would sneak away as I approached. When I backed away, it would return to its hiding place. If young Least Terns retreated from the concrete blocks when a Fish Crow ap- proached, they would have been easy prey. Shelters have been found to protect Least Tern chicks from avian predation by American Kestrels {Falco sparverius) and Northern Har- riers {Circus cyaneus) (Jenks-Jay 1982). However, Fish Crows in this study functioned almost as terrestrial predators by searching for prey while sitting on the roof and then by flying very low to seize the se- lected prey. It is possible the concrete blocks provided more protection from Laughing Gulls and other avian predators. A different arrangement of the blocks might have improved their effectiveness against predators. For example, if several blocks were ar- ranged so that their chambers did not line up, the vertical supports of the blocks would have reduced the effective size of the interior cham- bers and created hiding places behind the supports. Perhaps this would make it more difficult for the Fish Crows to chase the chicks out of the shelters. I do not have a direct measure of predation pressure, although the ratio of total nests, which includes renests, to pairs could be a crude in- dex of predation pressure. Higher nests per pair values should indicate more losses to predation since successful Least Terns and those that lose a nest to starvation usually do not renest (Massey and Fancher 1989). No trends are evident from these data (Table 1). Even the very large colonies of 1995 and 1996 were not able to prevent substantial predation. The nests per pair values for these years were within the range of values for other years, and the ratio of 1.8 nests per pair in 1996 was one of the highest for the study (Table 1). Burger (1984) found that colonies of more than 80 pairs suffered proportionately greater predation than small colonies, and she sug- gested that large colonies may be more vulnerable because they have more prey to attract predators. Furthermore, since large colonies usu- ally occupy the same site for several years, predators can learn to ex- pect a food source at that site (Burger 1984). This may have been the case at this site. I observed Least Terns for the first time in 1997 when at least a hundred terns rose to defend the colony against an attack by several Fish Crows. Two days later I saw only four terns incubating nests. At the same time, four Fish Crows were walking unmolested 108 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST through a different part of the colony area. These two instances were the only times when I observed attacks by several Fish Crows at the same time. The nests were gone on the next day, and I noted no further nesting attempts during subsequent observations. Massey and Atwood (1981) and Burger (1984) found that Least Tern colony sites were abandoned if they experienced heavy predation pressure. Since the Least Tern’s only defense against intense predation is abandonment of the site and relocation of the colony, it is important that a large number of suitable potential sites be available for the relo- cation of colonies. If Least Terns are limited to a few sites, it is doubtful they can sustain the heavy predation pressure that occurs once preda- tors learn where to expect a ready food source. Acknowledgments This project would not have been possible without the help and support of G. McWil- liams and G. Wilson of the Facility Management Department. Many other co-workers also provided important assistance, especially J. Whitney, J. Foss, A. Dierolf, and E. Mills. I am also grateful to C. Huegel who helped initiate the study and encouraged me to continue it. This manuscript benefited greatly from careful reviews by Dr. Jeff Gore, R. Todd Engstrom, and an anonymous reviewer. Literature Cited Burger, J. 1984. Colony stability in Least Terns. Condor 86:61-67. Fisk, E. J. 1978. Roof-nesting terns, skimmers, and plovers in Florida. Florida Field Nat- uralist 6:1-8. Gore, J. A., and M. J. Kinnison. 1991. Hatching success in roof and ground colonies of Least Terns. Condor 93:759-762. Hunter, R. A., and R. D. Morris. 1976. Nocturnal predation by a Black-crowned Night- Heron at a Common Tern colony. Auk 93:629-633. Jenks-Jay, N. 1982. Chick shelters decrease avian predators in least tern colonies on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Journal of Field Ornithology 53:58-60. Kirsch, E. M. 1996. Habitat selection and productivity of Least Terns on the lower Platte River, Nebraska. Wildlife Monographs 132:1-48. Lohrer, F. E., and C. E. Lohrer 1973. Inland nesting of the Least Tern in Highlands County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 1:3-5. Massey, B. W., and J. L. Atwood. 1981. Second-wave nesting of the California Least Tern; age composition and reproductive success. Auk 98:596-605. Massey, B. W., and J. M. Fancher 1989. Renesting by California Least Terns. Journal of Field Ornithology 60:350-357. Nisbet, I. C. T. 1975. Selective effects of predation in a tern colony. Condor 77:221-226. O’Meara, T. E., and J. A. Gore. 1988. Guidelines for conservation and management of Least Tern colonies in Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tal- lahassee. Zambrano, R., M. S. Robson, D. Y. Charnetzky, and H. T. Smith. 1997. Distribution and status of Least Tern nesting colonies in southeast Florida. Florida Field Natural- ist 25:85-89. 109 NOTES Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):109-111, 1999. WINTERING LOCATIONS OF BLACK SKIMMERS BREEDING IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE Gary L. Sprandel, Heather A. Bolte, and Kristoffer T. Bowman Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 5300 Highhridge Road, Quincy, Florida 32351 During the summers of 1996 to 1998, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commis- sion (FGFWFC) personnel banded 207 Black Skimmer {Rynchops niger) chicks in four roof and six ground colonies situated from Franklin County to Escambia County in the Florida Panhandle (Bolte and Cobb 1998). In 1996, 46 chicks were banded with alumi- num U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) bands and from one to three color bands, and 4 chicks with only USFWS bands. In 1997, 79 chicks were banded with USFWS bands and three color bands, and 23 with only USFWS bands. In 1998, 34 chicks were banded with USFWS bands and three color bands, and 21 with only USFWS bands. By mid-September of each year, all skimmers had left their breeding colonies. In the winters (December through mid-February) of 1997-98 and 1998-99 we looked for banded skimmers in Taylor and Levy counties, and in 1998-99 in Pinellas County. Surveys of roosting flocks resulted in observing 14 skimmers for which the original colony location could be determined (Table 1). Distances between the breeding colony and winter loca- tion ranged from 69 to 468 km. We observed that winter skimmer populations were composed of individuals from more than one breeding colony. In the winter of 1997-98 on Cedar Key, we detected five banded skimmers, but we could not read all the color bands because some bands were lost or the view was obscured by the flock or muddy feet. We saw enough colors, however, to determine that they were different than individuals whose bands could be seen well. (Table 1). We also observed skimmers with USFWS bands only. On 2 February 1998, we found a banded skimmer at Keaton Beach, Taylor County (29°49’, 83°35’), which is 95 km from the closest colony in which birds were banded; in the winter of 1998-99, we detected at least two skimmers at Cedar Key, one on Dunedin Causeway, and seven at Fort Desoto with USFWS bands only. Based on Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) from 1962-72, highest concentrations of wintering skimmers occur in East Florida around Daytona Beach and inland in the Everglades (Root 1988). Our summary of CBC data from 1980-89 indicated that the highest densities of skimmers in Florida were at Jacksonville, Cocoa, and Coot Bay (in the Everglades). Along the Gulf coast from 1980-89, St. Petersburg CBCs averaged >250 skimmers. North Pinellas CBCs >370 skimmers, and Cedar Key, farther north on the Gulf, averaged >300 skimmers. Black (1981) speculated that the source of individuals in winter skimmer popula- tions at Cedar Key must be from states other than New York, New Jersey, Virginia, or the Carolinas, because she detected no skimmers that were banded in these locations. Despite winter use of Cedar Key by skimmers since at least 1920 (Howell 1932), the his- toric banding record (birds banded 1925-1991) of 445 Florida skimmer recoveries had only one winter recovery in Levy County, a bird banded in South Carolina during the breeding season. The only recoveries of banded skimmers in Pinellas County before this study were from birds banded during summer in New Jersey, South Carolina, Louisi- ana, and the Florida Panhandle. 110 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Winter sightings of Black Skimmers banded in the Florida panhandle as chicks from 1996-1998. Breeding Colony Latitude Longitude Location Winter Location Latitude Longitude Date Band Date Distance Port of Pensacola roof 30°2T 87°12’ Cedar Key, Back Bayou 29°8^ 83°2’ 30 Jan 1999'' 25 Jul 1996 424 km Cedar Key, Gulf sand spit 29°9’ 83°3’ 13 Feb 1999 3 Jul 1996 425 km Navarre Causeway 30°23’ 86°52’ Orange beach, Alabama 3o°ir 87°28’ 3 Dec 1996 5 Sep 1996 69 km Cedar Key, Gulf sand spit 29°9’ 83°3’ 13 Feb 1999 2 Jul 1996 393 km Dunedin Causeway 28°3’ 82°47’ 7 Jan 1999 28 Aug 1996 468 km Dunedin Causeway 28°3’ 82°47’ 19 Jan 1999 9 Sep 1998 468 km Sears roof, Panama City 3o°ir 85°39’ Fort Desoto Park, beach 27°38^ 82°44’ 30 Jan 1999 9 Sep 1997 397 km Tyndall Air Force Base, sand spit 30°4’ 85°37’ Dunedin Causeway 28°3’ 82°47’ 13 Jan 1999" 26 Aug 1996 350 km St. George Island Causeway 29°42’ 84°53’ Cedar Key, Back Bayou" 29°8’ 83°2’ 12 Dec 1997 15 Jul 1997 188 km Dunedin Causeway"' 28°3’ 82°47’ 7 Jan 1999 15 Jul 1997 271km Dunedin Causeway 28°3’ 82°47’ 7 Jan 1999 15 Jul 1997 271 km ''Also observed 13 Feb 1999 at Cedar Key, Gulf sand spit. ''Also observed 26 Jan 1999,28 Jan 1999, and 1 Feb 1999 at the same location. "This represents 3 individual birds banded at the same colony and sighted together. "■This represents 2 individual birds banded at the same colony and sighted together. Our banding observations indicate that some skimmers that breed in the region between Pensacola and the St. George Island Causeway winter in Levy and Pinellas counties. We observed skimmers roosting on bars and mud flats at Cedar Key, which are rarely disturbed by boaters; and. Black (1981) urged conservation of winter feeding areas in shallow water between oyster bars or mudflats. We recommend that sandbars and mudflats for roosting and shallow water for foraging be protected for wintering pop- ulations of the Black Skimmer, a Species of Special Concern (Wood 1997) in Florida. Special thanks to Wilfred Yusik and Paul Blair who contributed the observations from Pinellas County, and Minnie Nonkes for reporting the skimmer observed in Ala- bama. We thank David Cobb, Todd Engstrom, Jeff Gore, Glenn Reynolds, Eric Stolen, and Don Wood for reviewing earlier drafts of this manuscript. We thank the Bird Band- ing Laboratory at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center for historical banding data. CBC are sponsored and organized by the National Audubon Society and conducted by volun- teers, with data provided by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Notes 111 Literature Cited Black, B. B. 1981. Winter feeding ecology of Black Skimmers on the Florida gulf coast. M.S. thesis. University of Florida, Gainesville. Bolte, H. a,, and D. T. Cobb, 1998. An evaluation of management techniques to in- crease the reproductive success of roof-nesting Black Skimmers in northwest Florida. Annual report. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. Howell, A. H. 1932. Florida bird life. Florida Department of Game and Fresh Water Fish, Tallahassee. Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds - an analysis of Christmas bird count data. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Wood, D. A. 1997. Official lists of endangered and potentially endangered fauna and flora in Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. 112 Florida Field Naturalist 27(3): 112-1 16, 1999. NEST SITE CHARACTERISTICS, BREEDING PHENOLOGY, AND NESTING SUCCESS OF AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA Brian Toland U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, RO. Box 2676, Vero Beach, Florida 32961-2676 The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) inhabits coastal salt marshes, estuaries, and beaches along both coasts of Florida (Nol and Humphrey 1994). One of the few birds to specialize on saltwater bivalve mollusks, American Oystercatchers are entirely restricted to marine habitats (Nol and Humphrey 1994). This species was for- merly common in all suitable habitats on both coasts of Florida (Howell 1932). However, intensive coastal development and human recreational activities in the State have pre- cipitated a rapid population decline of breeding American Oystercatchers (Sprunt 1954, Ogden 1973, DeGange 1978, Below 1996). This shorebird, now rare and locally distrib- uted especially on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (Wood 1996). The American Oystercatcher requires extensive beaches, sandbars, mudflats, and mollusk beds for feeding, loafing, and roosting (Below 1996). Oystercatchers prefer large, sparsely vegetated sand areas for nesting, but will use wrack and marsh grass (Lauro and Burger 1989), and Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) monocultures on spoil islands (Toland 1992) when sand nesting areas are lacking or regularly dis- turbed by humans. I studied the nesting behavior of American Oystercatchers in Indian River County, Florida from 1 March through 15 August, 1986 through 1996. Using a boat, I performed systematic biweekly surveys of a 39-km section of the Indian River Lagoon for American Oystercatchers. The Indian River Lagoon is a linear estuarine system that comprises more than a third of Florida’s east coast from Ponce de Leon Inlet near New Smyrna Beach to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County (Anonymous 1996). My study area includes 53 dredged material spoil islands designated as LR.1-43 (Brown-Peterson and Fames 1989), a small, sand and shell island under the 17* Street Bridge in Vero Beach, and the natural 1.2-ha Pelican Island (the mixed-species water bird nesting colony island within the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge). The average size of all spoil islands in my study area is 2.9-ha (range = 0.1 to 29.6 ha). Indian River County spoil islands were created when the Atlantic Intracoastal Water- way was dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to a depth of 3.7 m from 1957 through 1960 (Brown-Peterson and Fames 1989). The 17* Street Bridge island was created as part of the mitigation for the construction of the bridge (H. Kale pers. comm.). Indian River County spoil islands have minimal topographical relief with maximum elevations ranging from about 1.0 m to 2.0 m above mean sea level. Vegetation on spoil islands consists of an upland near monoculture of 10-15 m Australian pines with a scat- tered understory of Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). The perimeter wetland transitional area and mangrove fringe average 15 m in width, dominated by red man- grove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), white mangrove 'Current address: Brevard County, Office of Natural Resources Management, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. A, Viera, Florida 32940. Notes 113 (Laguncularia racemosa), and buttonwood (Conocarpus erecta). Rocky oyster reefs occur in varying amounts adjacent to many of these islands. Most (77%) of the spoil islands have deep water accesses of 1.0 to 2,5 m in depth that accommodate landing by small to medium-sized power boats. Sand or sand/shell beaches or spits occur to some extent on 64% of the islands in my study area. I used a pair of lOx binoculars to search each island for signs of paired oystercatch- ers. Invariably only one pair of oystercatchers nested per spoil island. However, on Peli- can Island two pairs of oystercatchers sometimes nested concurrently. When I located an oystercatcher nest scrape, I recorded the stage of nesting, nesting substrate, distance to the nearest upland vegetation, and distance to the mean high water line. Subsequent visits were made to each nest site to document the fate of each nesting attempt. I defined a nesting attempt as the laying of at least one egg in the nest scrape. An initial nest attempt was described as the first scrape with at least one egg laid by a breeding pair. A renesting attempt was defined as a breeding pair whose first attempt was known to have failed, subsequently la5dng at least one egg in an alternate scrape, usually on the same island or an adjacent island. I documented a total of 58 nesting attempts for oystercatchers during my study. Of the 55 available islands in the study area, 13 (24%) were used for nesting attempts by American Oystercatchers during the 11-year study. The islands selected for nesting by breeding oystercatchers ranged in size from 0.1 to 2.6 ha (x - 1.0 ha), substantially smaller than the spoil islands without nests (x - 3.5 ha). Only Pelican Island was used by at least one pair of oystercatchers every year during the study; although, I did not determine the fate of every nesting attempt on this National Wildlife Refuge because of the potential for disturbing the surrounding wading bird colony. Prior to egg laying, each pair of oystercatchers excavated one or more shallow nest scrapes. In this study, nest scrapes were constructed an average distance of 5.9 m (range = 1.5 to 15 m) above the mean high water line. There was no significant difference in dis- tances above mean high water line between successful nests (6,1 m) and unsuccessful nests (5.5 m) (X^= 0.03, P>0.05). Nest scrapes were located an average of 3.2 m below the vegetation pioneering edge, including 80% of the scrapes below the vegetation line and 20% above the vegetation line. Scrapes were dug in several types of substrate, including sand/shell beach (64%), sandy mudflat (19%), sand/rock beach (7%), Austra- lian pine litter (7%), and mangrove/Brazilian pepper (3%). Nest scrapes of American Oystercatchers averaged from 7.5 to 12.7 m above the water in New York and from 21.0 to 32.0 m above the water in North Carolina and Mas- sachusetts (Lauro and Burger 1989). Vegetation around nest sites in those studies aver- aged from 23 to 50% (Lauro and Burger 1989). The mean egg laying date was 10 April (range - 25 March to 25 May), the mean hatching date was 5 May (range = 20 April to 20 June), and the mean fledging date was 9 June (range = 24 May to 24 July). Renesting attempts occurred after an estimated 2- v#eek recycling period (Baker and Cadman 1980, Nol 1989), resulting in hatching taking place as late as 30 June and fledging as late as 3 August. Mean clutch size of initial nesting attempts was 2,73 (n ~ 44; 73% 3-egg clutches) while mean clutch size of renesting attempts was 2.21 (n = 14; 78.6% 2-egg clutches). American Oystercatchers were successful in fledging at least one young 57% (33 of 58) of the nesting attempts. Mean number of fledglings per nesting attempt v/as 1.1 for all oys- tercatcher nesting attempts and 2.0 for successful nesting attempts. Mean initial clutch sizes of American Oystercatchers in other states included 2.81 (67% 3-egg clutches) and 2.78 (78% 3-egg clutches) for Massachusetts and Virginia, respectively (Nol et al. 1984, Nol and Humphrey 1994). In Virginia, replacement clutches averaged 2.3 (69% 2-egg clutches) (Nol et al. 1984). The percentage of nesting pairs to fledge at least one young in other studies ranged from 34% to 80% (Post and Raynor 1964, Zaradusky 1985, Nol and Humphrey 1994). 114 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST In this study, the most important causes of disturbance to roosting and nesting American Oystercatchers included powerboats, personal watercraft, picnickers, anglers, and domestic pets. Spoil islands with sandy beaches and/or spits and deep water accesses were regularly used by boaters, especially on weekends. These same habitat features attracted breeding pairs of oystercatchers to attempt nesting. During week days when few boats were on the water, a pair could successfully excavate a nest scrape and lay eggs, only to be exposed to continuous human interruptions on the weekend (B. Toland pers. obs.) Disturbances to oystercatchers usually resulted in repeated flush- ing, distraction displays, and defensive flight displays, all high energy activities. Many of the nest sites regularly disturbed by humans resulted in nest abandonment or depre- dation by domestic predators (mainly dogs). The only native predator observed to take oystercatcher eggs or chicks during this study was the Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus), and humans invariably increased nest vulnerability by flushing adult oystercatchers, which otherwise were efficient at repelling crows from the nest site (B. Toland pers. obs.). Pelican Island is the only island in my study area that restricts visitation by the pub- lic and is protected as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge System. Of the 54 remaining islands, 27 (50%) are regularly used by humans for fishing, camping, and picnicking. American Oystercatchers nesting on islands with a tradition of regular rec- reational use by humans had lower nesting success than those pairs nesting on islands that received little or no human disturbance (Table 1). Nesting success of oystercatchers on undisturbed islands was 77%, significantly higher than the nesting success rate of 33% on islands regularly used for human recreation = 20.2, P<0.01). Of the 42 spoil islands never selected for nesting by oystercatchers, 93% were either regularly used by humans or lacked sand or sand/shell beaches. Of the 27 spoil islands unexploited by people, 22 either lacked sand/shell beaches or were inaccessible to boat- ers because of rocky oyster reefs or shallow water (<1.0 m). The five remaining undis- turbed islands featured both sand/shell spits or beaches and deep water access and were occupied by nesting oystercatchers and large, conspicuous colonies of mixed-species water birds. These colony sites were active every year at least since 1986 (B. Toland unpubl. data) and were typically avoided by boaters. Two islands that oystercatchers successfully nested upon seven times lacked a sand/ shell beach component but were inaccessible to boaters. On these islands nest scrapes were placed beneath Australian pines or mixed mangrove-Brazilian pepper thickets in close proximity to large mixed-species water bird colonies. Of the islands used by nest- ing American oystercatchers, eight (62%) were historical colony sites of mixed-species water birds. During the past 20 years, Indian River County barrier island beaches have been impacted by intensive development and burgeoning recreational use, severely reducing the availability of undisturbed beach habitat (Fernald et al. 1982). Indian River Lagoon spoil islands with sand/shell beaches or spits have also experienced more and more rec- reational use (Fisk 1978, Schreiber and Schreiber 1978). The use of Australian pine for- est (Toland 1992) and mixed mangrove/Brazilian pepper fringes for nesting by American Oystercatchers on islands lacking beaches but inaccessible to boaters, is probably an adaptive response to increased human activity on open, sandy beaches of the barrier islands and more recently on the Indian River Lagoon spoil islands (H. Kale pers. comm., B. Toland pers. obs.). Management recommendations for American Oystercatchers in the Indian River Lagoon should include as a high priority the control of human recreational activities on or around the 13 islands that were documented as oystercatcher nest sites during this study. Oystercatchers nested in close proximity to eight of the ten active colonial water bird nesting rookeries in my study area. Therefore, protection measures for colonies of pelicaniformes and ciconiiformes should benefit nesting American Oystercatchers. Notes 115 Table 1. Effect of human recreation on American Oystercatcher nesting suc- cess from 1986 through 1996 on islands in Indian River Lagoon. Island Number or Name Deep Water Access Sand/Shell Beach Regular Use by Humans Total Nesting Attempts Successful Nesting Attempts Pelican Island No Yes No 11 9 LR.8 Yes Yes No 2 2 LR. 15 Yes Yes No 2 1 I.R. 16 Yes Yes No 2 1 I.R. 18 Yes Yes No 4 3 LR. 19 Yes Yes No 2 1 17th Street Bridge Yes Yes Yes 8 3 LR. 37 No No No 4 3 LR. 37a Yes Yes Yes 9 3 LR. 38 No No No 4 4 LR. 39 Yes Yes Yes 3 1 LR. 41 Yes Yes Yes 3 1 Harbor Branch Yes Yes Yes 4 1 Implementation of artificial nest platforms (automobile tires tied together and filled with sand and shell) on islands lacking beaches that are not currently utilized for human recreation has proven successful in Virginia and could increase potential nest sites in southeastern Florida (Nol and Humphrey 1994). Three spoil islands with small sandy beaches that are inaccessible to people should be monitored for future use by oys- tercatchers. County comprehensive plans should include nest site protection, emphasiz- ing buffer zones around nesting islands (Rodgers and Smith 1995). Recent studies to determine disturbance distances of approaching personal watercraft to nesting wading birds and shorebirds recommend a buffer zone radius of 180 m to adequately protect shorebirds (J. Rodgers pers. comm). Continued nest surveys are needed to locate addi- tional American Oystercatcher nest sites, update oystercatcher population assessments, and initiate appropriate protective measures throughout the Indian River Lagoon. Acknowledgments. — I am grateful for enthusiastic assistance in the field by R Tritaik and L. D. Toland. P. Tritaik also provided technical support and boat travel to Pelican Island from 1994 through 1996. R. T. Engstrom, B. D. McNair, and an anony- mous reviewer made constructive, editorial comments that improved the manuscript. Literature Cited Anonymous. 1996. Indian River Lagoon comprehensive conservation and management plan. Indian River Lagoon Estuary Program, Melbourne. Baker, A. J., and M. Cadman. 1980. Breeding schedule, clutch size and egg size of Amer- ican Oystercatchers {H. palliatus) in Virginia. Wader Study Group Bulletin 32:33. Below, T. H. 1996. American Oystercatcher. Pages 230-235 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 5, Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Brown-Peterson, N., and R. W. Fames. 1988. Indian River Lagoon spoil island man- agement plan. Florida Department of Natural Resources. DeGange, a, R. 1978. American Oystercatcher. Pages 37-39 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 2, Birds (H. W. Kale, Ed.). University Presses of Florida, Gaines- ville. 116 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Fernald, R. T., B. S. Barnett, A. Goetzfried, and S. R, Lau. 1982. The Sebastian In- let-Ft. Pierce Inlet Barrier Island. A profile of natural communities, development trends, and resource management guidelines. Office of Environmental Services, Flor- ida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Unpublished report. Fisk, E. J. 1978. Roof-nesting terns, skimmers, and plovers in Florida. Florida Field Nat- uralist 6:1-8. Howell, A. H. 1932. Florida bird life. Coward-McCann, New York. Lauro, B. and J. Burger 1989. Nest-site selection of American Oystercatcher {Hae- matopus palliatus) in salt marshes. Auk 106:85-192. NOL, E. 1989, Food supply and reproductive performance of the American Oystercatcher in Virginia. Condor 91:429-435. Nol, E. and R. C. Humphrey. 1994. American Oystercatcher. In The birds of North America, no. 82 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadel- phia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Nol, E., A. J. Baker, and M. D. Cadman. 1984. Clutch initiation dates, clutch size and egg size of the American Oystercatcher in Virginia. Auk 101:855-867. Ogden, J. C. 1973. Florida region. American Birds. 27:859-863. Post, P. W., and G. S. Raynor 1964. Recent range expansion of the American Oyster- catcher into New York. Wilson Bulletin 76: 339-346. Rodgers, J. A., Jr., and H. T. Smith. 1995. Set-back distances to protect nesting bird colonies from human disturbances in Florida, Conservation Biology 9:89-99. Schreiber, R. W., AND E. A. Schreiber. 1978. Colonial bird use and plant succession on dredged material islands in Florida. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Exper- iment Station, Technical Report D-78-14. Sprunt, a. Jr. 1954. Florida bird life. Coward-McCann Inc., New York. Toland, B. 1992. Use of forested spoil islands by nesting American Oystercatchers in southeast Florida. Journal Field OrthithoL 63:55-158. Wood, D. A, 1996. Official lists of endangered and potentially endangered fauna and flora in Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. Zaradusky, j. D. 1985. Breeding status of the American Oystercatcher in the town of Hempstead. Kingbird 35:105-113, 117 Florida Field Naturalist 27(3): 117-120, 1999. RECENT BREEDING STATUS OF ROYAL AND SANDWICH TERNS IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA Douglas B. McNairs and Jeffery A. Gore^ ^Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 ^Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 3911 Highway 2321, Panama City, Florida 32409 The Royal Tern (Sterna maxima) is a locally uncommon to common breeding species in Florida and the Sandwich Tern (S. sandvicensis) is rare (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Egensteiner et al. 1996, Rodgers et al. 1996). Each species was first recorded breeding in northwest Florida in the 1800s, when G. W. Mas- lin collected five Sandwich Tern eggs (National Museum Natural History [NMNH] 2946) and two Royal Tern eggs (Stevenson and Anderson 1994; J. R Angle, in lift., NMNH) on St. George Island, Franklin County. Neither species was subsequently reported to breed in northwest Florida until Royal Terns (1951) and Sandwich Terns (1970) nested on a dredged-material island in St. Joseph Bay near Port St. Joe, Gulf County (Hallman 1952, Stevenson 1972). Only 1-5 pairs of Royal Terns nested at the St. Joseph Bay site prior to 1970 (Hall- man 1968, Stevenson and Anderson 1994), but larger colonies occurred there during at least four years from 1970-1977 (Stevenson 1972; J. C. Hallman, Tall Timbers Research Station [TTRS] archives). In 1976 and 1978, Clapp et al. (1983) estimated from aerial surveys that 200 adult Royal Terns were present at this site. As many as 50 pairs of Sandwich Terns also nested on the island in St. Joseph Bay from 1971-1973, the latter two years apparently without Royal Terns (R. C. Hallman, TTRS archives; Downing 1973). In 1971, pre-flight young were still present on 26 August (photograph by L. Will- iams, TTRS P87). This dredged-material island disappeared in the late 1970s (Steven- son and Anderson 1994). In 1978 or 1979, C. Bird (pers. comm.) observed incubating Royal Terns in a mixed-species seabird colony on Flag Island. This small sandbar, located in the Gulf of Mexico 1.6 km offshore of St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. In this note we document more recent breeding of Royal and Sandwich terns in northwest Florida. We provide additional information on a Royal Tern colony at Lanark Reef, near Lanark Village, Franklin County that was noted briefly by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) and Egensteiner et al. (1996). We also document breeding of both spe- cies at two new sites in Franklin County: the St. George Island Causeway (hereafter, the Causeway) and Bird Island, a new dredged-material island at the mouth of the Apalach- icola River (see site description in McNair and Gore 1999). Lanark Reef is a narrow natural estuarine reef located 1.2 km offshore from Lanark Village. We observed Royal Terns nesting at the western end of Lanark Reef in each year from 1991-1995, except for 1992 (Table 1). The birds likely nested there in 1992 also, but we did not visit the site that year. No Royal Terns nested on Lanark Reef in 1989-1990; thus we believe the birds first colonized the site in 1991. The Royal Terns nested each year at the same sparsely vegetated spot on an islet just west of the largest exposed segment of Lanark Reef The nesting site was about 1 m above mean high tide and <20 m from a small channel that cut through the reef The Royal Terns formed a compact monospecific breeding colony, although in several years they shared the islet with nesting Laughing Gulls (Larus atricilla). Least Terns (S. anti- llarum) and Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) have also nested at this site, but not in years when Royal Terns nested successfully. 118 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Number of nests or breeding pairs of Royal Terns at three colony sites in Franklin County, Florida, 1991-1998^ Year Lanark ReeP St. George Island Causeway Bird Island, Apalachicola^ 1991 40 0 0 1992 — 0 0 1993 139 0 0 1994 75 0 0 1995 80 0 0 1996 0 154 0 1997 0 305 0 1998 0 362 14^ Uolony size was determined from complete censuses of nests, except at Lanark Reef where in 1991, 1994, and 1995 the number of nests or breeding pairs was estimated. Dates of visitation were in late May and early June except at Lanark Reef in 1991 (date unknown) and 1994 (13 July). ^1991 value represents minimum estimate reported by Stevenson & Anderson (1994). No count was made at Lanark Reef in 1992. ^Prior to deposition of dredged material in 1995, a small, low sandbar existed at the site of Bird Island. ^A creche of 62 vagile young was observed on 19 August. On 4-5 June 1995, the storm surge from Hurricane Allison inundated the islet and destroyed all Royal Tern nests. The following spring we observed 40 Royal Terns at Lanark Reef, but they did not breed. Even though the former colony site was sparsely vegetated in 1996 and appeared suitable for Royal Terns, only a small colony of Black Skimmers nested there that year. In the same year that nesting terminated at Lanark Reef, Royal Terns began nesting at the Causeway, 35 km to the southwest. From 1996-1998, we observed Royal Terns nesting on the Causeway (Table 1), along with a large colony of Laughing Gulls. In 1997, we found three Royal Tern nests with single eggs on 9 May and on 5 June we counted 305 nests in three subcolonies. The colony was still active in early August, when we observed adults feeding chicks and fledged juveniles. The colony site at the Causeway in 1996-1997 was located on slightly sloping ground about 10 m from the highway that traverses the Causeway. This colony site was on peb- bly compacted fill with semi-barren low grassy vegetation, unlike the site at Lanark Reef which was on sand with low vegetation nearby. This semi-barren area was larger than the nesting area at Lanark Reef and may have facilitated the increase in colony size at the Causeway (Table 1). In 1998, the colony site was alongside the paved road within 50 m of the previous site, but on barren level ground that had been disked to remove vegetation and facilitate colonization by terns; the number of nests increased slightly in 1998 (Table 1). Also in 1998, we counted 14 nests of Royal Terns on nearby Bird Island on 1 June. However, we counted 62 vagile young (most partly feathered) in a creche on 19 August, indicating additional Royal Terns colonized Bird Island after early June. Sandwich Terns nested within the Royal Tern colony at the Causeway in 1997-1998. In 1997, we counted 18 Sandwich Tern nests: five nests within one subcolony of Royal Terns and 13 in the center of another subcolony. On 17 June, 15 Sandwich Tern nests contained eggs and three nests contained single chicks estimated to be 2-3 days old. Notes 119 Three eggs measured (in mm) 50,8 x 34.9, 52,4 x 37.5, and 51.5 x 37.4; one other egg that had an unusual reddish-brown background color was photographed by T. Lewis (TTRS P697). The colony was still active in late July, when we observed adult Sandwich Terns feeding chicks. In 1998, seven pairs of Sandwich Terns nested on the Causeway within the Royal Tern colony and seven other pairs nested with the small group of Royal Terns on Bird Island. All 18 Sandwich Tern nests at the Causeway in 1997 contained one egg, which is con- sistent with clutch size data from two other localities in Florida (Little Bird Island, Duval County, n = 5, Loftin and Sutton 1975 contra Rodgers et al. 1996 whose evalua- tion was based on a misinterpretation of Loftin and Sutton 1975; and a Tampa Bay col- ony, n = 10, Rodgers et al. 1996), and other clutch size data (means of 1-1.2) from the southeastern United States (Blus et al. 1979, Clapp et al. 1983, Shealer 1999). The egg sets of three reported in Florida by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) were probably aug- mented by collectors and should be disregarded (see McNair 1987). The colony sites in Franklin County have been the only recent nesting locations for Royal and Sandwich terns along the northeast Gulf coast between Tampa Bay, Florida, and Gaillard Island in Mobile Bay, Alabama (Cooley 1987, Egensteiner et al. 1996, Rodgers et al. 1996), other than small colonies on several dredged-material islands in Citrus County, Florida (Egensteiner 1996; see Barbour et al. 1976, Clapp et al. 1983). Royal Terns last nested on these Citrus County sites in 1987 (Egensteiner 1996) and Sandwich Terns have apparently not nested there since 1991 (Rodgers et al. 1996). In summary. Royal Terns nested at three colony sites in Franklin County in the 1990s. A small colony of Royal Terns nested on Lanark Reef from 1991-1995, but Hurri- cane Allison eliminated the breeding colony in early June of 1995. The following year Royal Terns began nesting on the St. George Island Causeway and the colony increased in size from 1996-1998. In 1998, Royal Terns also nested at a new dredged-material island (Bird Island) at the mouth of the Apalachicola River. Small colonies of Sandwich Terns also nested within the Royal Tern colonies at the St. George Island Causeway in 1997-1998 and Bird Island in 1998. These colony sites are among only a few documented for Royal and Sandwich terns from northwest Florida and they currently support the only nesting colonies for both species in the region. Acknowledgments. — We thank G. O. Bailey, T. Calleson, H. L. Edmiston, and W. Miley of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve for sharing census data and assisting with observation and management of the tern colonies. C. Bird pro- vided information about the former colony at Flag Island. We thank T. Lewis for helping census Sandwich Terns and for his photograph of an atypical egg. J. Whiddon, archivist at Tall Timbers Research Station, provided access to unpublished data of J. C. Hallman. J. R Angle provided additional information on the 19“’ century nest records of Royal and Sandwich terns at St. George Island. Finally, we thank D. T. Cobb, B, A. Millsap, R. L. West, and D. A. Wood for reviewing a draft of this manuscript. Literature Cited Barbour, D. B., S. A. Nesbitt, and D. T. Gilbert. 1976. A second recent Royal Tern nesting colony on the Gulf coast of Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 4:9-10. Blus, L. J., R. M. Prouty, and B. S. Neely, Jr 1979. Relation of environmental factors to breeding status of Royal and Sandwich terns in South Carolina, USA. Biological Conservation 43:301-320. Clapp, R, B., D. Morgan-Jacobs, and R. C. Banks. 1983. Marine birds of the Southeast- ern United States and Gulf of Mexico. Part III: Charadriiformes. United States Fish and Wildlife Service FWS/OBS-83/30, Washington, D.C. 120 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Cooley, C. D. 1987. Status of colonial seabird resources in coastal Alabama. Pages 56-66 in Symposium on the natural resources of the Mobile Bay estuary (T. A. Lowery, Ed.). Alabama Sea Grant Extension Service Publication MASGP-98-007. Downing, R. L. 1973. Preliminary nesting survey of Least Terns and Black Skimmers in the east. American Birds 27:946-949. Egensteiner, E. D., H. T. Smith, and J. A. Rodgers, Jr. 1996. Royal Tern. Pages 532-- 540 in Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida, Volume 5: Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale II, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Hallman, R. C. 1952. Royal Tern nesting near Port St. Joe. Florida Naturalist 25:38-39. Hallman, R. C. 1968. Sanctuary reports - St. Joe Island sanctuary. Florida Naturalist 41:86. Loftin, R. W., and S. Sutton. 1975. Sandwich Tern breeds on the Atlantic coast of Flor- ida. Florida Field Naturalist 3:18. McNair, D. B. 1987. Egg data slips — are they useful for information on egg-laying dates and clutch sizes? Condor 89:369-376. McNair, D. B., and J. A. Gore. In press. Recent breeding of Caspian Terns in northwest Florida. Florida Field Naturalist. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species— an anno- tated list. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication Number 6, Gainesville. Rodgers, J. A., Jr., H. T. Smith, and R. T. Paul. 1996. Sandwich Tern. Pages 541-550 in Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida, Volume 5: Birds (J. A. Rodgers, Jr., H. W. Kale II, and H. T. Smith, Eds.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Shealer, D. 1999. Sandwich Tern {Sterna sandvicensis). In The birds of North America, No. 405 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Stevenson, H. M. 1972. Recent breeding of the Sandwich Tern {Thalasseus sandvicen- sis) in Florida. Florida Naturalist 45:94-95. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. 121 Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):121-123, 1999. THE HERPETOFAUNA OF THE DOC THOMAS HOUSE IN SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. Everglades Regional Collections Center, Everglades National Park, 40001 SR-9336, Homestead, Florida 33034-6733 walter_meshaka@nps.gov Thirty-nine species of exotic reptiles and amphibians are established in Florida (But- terfield et al. 1997; Meshaka et al. 1999), 34 of which are found in Dade County. Nearly all of these exotics inhabit buildings and disturbed habitat. The Doc Thomas House (DTH), built in 1931 by Dr. Arden Hayes Thomas in what is now the city of South Miami, represents one such site. The property is a remnant parcel of the once extensive rockland pine/tropical hardwood hammock mosaic of the Atlantic coastal ridge (Lodge 1998). One year before his death in 1974, Dr. Thomas donated his house and approxi- mately 1.2 ha of land to the Tropical Audubon Society for environmental and education purposes. The property was poorly tended from the mid 1950s until the early 1990s, when efforts were made to restore the site to pineland and two hammocks by removing unwanted exotic species and replacing them with native flora. However, some exotic plants were retained for historical reasons. The area north and west of the property is the commercial district of the City of South Miami. Urban residential areas surround DTH to the south and east. Consequently, the house grounds represent a small, semi- natural island within an ocean of human commerce and habitation. DTH thus provides an opportunity to measure the response of the southern Florida herpetofauna to the res- toration of a fragment of once natural and expansive habitat that is now imbedded in an urban setting. Six visits were during March-October 1997 and 1998. A single nocturnal visit was made in April 1998. Animals found in the open by scanning the surfaces of buildings, fences and trees. Animals were uncovered from their retreats by searching under rocks and logs and searching through leaf-litter by hand. Approximately two hours were spent during each visit. Reports by staff of DTH supplemented my records. Perch heights of anoles were recorded during a single walk through the grounds on 8 August 1997 from 1030-1105 hrs. to provide a measure of relative abundance and degree of spatial separa- tion. Voucher specimens are stored in the Everglades Regional Collection Center of Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida. Scientific and common names follow the standard of Collins (1997). Ten reptile and three amphibian species were recorded from the Doc Thomas House. Seventy-seven percent (n = 10) of the species are non-indigenous to Florida; five of these are of Cuban origin. Lizards are the most diverse segment of the herpetofauna with anoles being the dominant family: Brown anole {Anolis sagrei), bark anole (A. disti- chus), Cuban green anole (A. porcatus), knight anole (A. equestris). Perch heights of the four anoles at DTH (Table 1) agreed with observations of Williams (1969, 1983) and Col- lette (1961) with respect to occupation of the trunk-ground (brown anole), trunk (bark anole), the trunk-crown (Cuban green anole), and the crown giant (knight anole) struc- tural niches in their native ranges. The brown anole was clearly the most abundant anole as it is at the Kampong, another altered habitat in southern Florida (Meshaka 1999). This largely terrestrial and ubiquitous species is eaten by a wide range of native species, including the Ever- glades racer, Coluber constrictor paludicola (Meshaka et al. 1999). At both sites, the maintenance of sunny open habitat is conducive to the brown anole as is an abundance 122 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Perch heights (cm) of anoles at the Doc Thomas House in South Miami, Dade County, Florida. Perch height (cm) Species 0-60 60-105 105-180 180-h Total Anolis distichus 0 0 4 5 9 A. equestris 1 0 0 5 6 A. porcatus A. sagrei 0 0 0 5 5 male 9 11 4 2 26 female 6 3 2 0 11 juvenile 32 0 0 0 32 of leaf-litter and mulch that harbored an abundance of invertebrate prey free from on- site insecticide treatments. The extensive ground cover also provides habitat for the southern ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus punctatus), a native species, and the exotic braminy blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) at both sites. The abundance of invertebrate prey may also contribute to the persistence of the rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) at DTH, a noteworthy native species record in an urban setting. The fossorial and insectivorous Florida brown snake (Storeria dekayi victa) was not recorded from DTH or the Kampong (Meshaka 1999) but may also occur at DTH despite not being found in the present survey. Two exotic geckos, the Indo-Pacific gecko (Hemidactylus garnotii) and tropical gecko {H. mabouia), recorded at DTH are primarily nocturnal insectivores that live among the trees and artificial structures on the property. Although I did not record the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) from DTH, its presence in nearby neighborhoods and the apparent suit- ability of the habitat of DTH lead me to predict its future colonization of the site if indeed it is currently absent. The absence of native amphibians from DTH may reflect the site’s distance (60 km) from any natural wetlands. Not surprisingly, the greenhouse frog {Eleutherodactylus planirostris) uses the moist, abundant leaflitter, and both the Cuban treefrog {Osteopi- lus septentrionalis) and cane toad (Bufo marinus) have access to artificial breeding sites at and nearby DTH. The findings at this site and at the Kampong (Meshaka 1999) demonstrate the abili- ties of many non-indigenous species of amphibians and reptiles to survive in altered mesic upland habitats in southern Florida. The diminished native fauna of disturbed sites, and a transitional but dominant exotic community in the urban landscape, typify the changing biota of disturbed, even if protected, sites in southern Florida. Acknowledgments. — I thank the staff and volunteers at the Doc Thomas House for their kindnesses. B. Ferster and M. L. Meshaka assisted me on some of my visits. J. Pechmann and K. Kandl reported the rough green snake. LITERATURE CITED Butterfield, B. P., W. E. Meshaka, Jr., and C. Guyer 1997. Nonindigenous amphibi- ans and reptiles. Pages 123-138 in Strangers in Paradise (D. Simberloff, C. C. Schmitz, and T. C, Brown, Eds.), Island Press, Washington. Collette, B. B. 1961. Correlations between ecology and morphology in anoline lizards from Havana, Cuba and southern Florida. Bull. Museum of Comparative Zoology 125:137-162. Notes 123 Collins, J. T. 1997. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North Ameri- can Amphibians and Reptiles. SSAR Herpetol. Circ. No. 25. Fourth ed. Lodge, T. E. 1998. The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem. St. Lucie Press, Boca Raton. Meshaka, Jr., W. E. 1999. The herpetofauna of the Kampong. Florida Scientist 62:153- 157. , B. P. Butterfield, and J. B. Hauge. 1999. Exotic ampibians and reptiles of Flor- ida. Krieger Publishing, Melbourne. Williams, E. E. 1969. The ecology of colonization as seen in the zoogeography of anoline lizards on small islands. Quarterly Review of Bology 44:345-389. . 1983. Ecomorphs, faunas, island size, and diverse end points in island radiations of Anolis. Pages 326-370 in Lizard Ecology: Studies of a Model Organism (R. B. Huey, E. R. Pianka, T. W. Schoener, Eds.), Harvard University Press, Cambridge. 124 Florida Field Naturalist 27:124-125, 1999. LONG-DISTANCE DISPERSAL OF A SOUTHEASTERN BEACH MOUSE {PER- OMYSCUS POLIONOTUS NIVETVENTRIS) AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA D. M. Oddy1’3, M. a. Hensley^, J. A. Provanchas and R. B. Smith^ ^Dynamac Corp. Mail Code DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 ^Dynamac Corp. Mail Code DYN-1, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 The southeastern beach mouse, Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris, is currently listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Presently, the subspecies inhabits the dunes and coastal strand only at Canaveral National Seashore (CNS), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), and the southern half of Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area (Stout 1992). The continued existence of the subspecies is primarily threatened by habitat loss due to development, erosion, and habitat fragmentation. On 15 October 1996 a juvenile male southeastern beach mouse was captured, ear tagged, and released on a grid at CCAS. It was recaptured on the same grid on 16 and 17 October 1996 after moving distances of 40 m and 10 m, respectively. No trapping was conducted on this site between October 1996 and March 1997. On 13 March 1997, the mouse, now an adult, was recaptured on a grid 28,000 m to the north on KSC. This is a record long-distance dispersal for this species. Home range estimates recorded on KSC are based on average distances for male and female P. p. niveiventris and are as follows: 24 m and 19 m (Extine 1980), 21 m and 26 m (Stout 1980), and 22 m and 24 m (Provancha, Mailander, and Oddy unpublished data). Previous dispersal movements identified on KSC are movements of 690 m and 2440 m (both males) (Provancha and Oddy 1992). Prior to this, the longest dispersal reported for P. p. niveiventris was an adult female from Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area that moved approximately 4828 m to Treasure Shores County Park, in Indian River County (Bard 1997). Other documented long-distance dispersals for juveniles of this species are 600 m for P. p. leucocephalus on the west coast of Florida (Blair 1951) and 2834 m and 7725 m for two male P. polionotus at Ocala National Forest (Smith 1968). Maximum movements of other juvenile Peromyscus spp. such as P. maniculatus bairdi were recorded at a distance of 1082 to 1219 m (Stickel 1968). Obtaining unbiased estimates of the distribution of animal dispersal distances in natural unbounded populations is problematic, because the probability of detecting dis- persal events declines directly and dramatically with dispersal distance (Koenig et al. 1996). Thus, detection of such a long distance dispersal movement by P. p. niveiventris is an unusual occurrence. The successful dispersal was likely made possible by the avail- ability of relatively unfragmented, suitable habitat. Literature Cited Bard, A. 1997. The gypsy beach mouse of Sebastian Inlet. Florida Park Service and Flor- ida Department of Environmental Protection Resources Management Notes 8(4):83. Blair, W. F. 1951. Population structure, social behavior, and environmental relations of the beach mouse {Peromyscus polionotus leucocephalus). Contributions of the Labora- tory of Vertebrate Biology, University of Michigan 48:1-47. ‘E-mail: donna.oddy-l@ksc.nasa.gov Notes 125 Extine, D. D. 1980. Population ecology of the beach mouse, Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris. M.S. thesis. University of Central Florida, Orlando. Koenig, W. D., D. Van Vuren, and P. N. Hooge. 1996. Detectability, philopatry, and the distribution of dispersal distances in vertebrates. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 11(12):514-516. Provancha, J. a., and D. M. Oddy. 1992. A mark and release study of the Southeastern beach mouse {Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris) on the Kennedy Space Center. (Pa- per abstract) Florida Scientist 55 (Supplement 1):28. Smith, M. H. 1968. Dispersal of the old-field mouse, Peromyscus polionotus. Georgia Academy of Science 26:45-51. Stickel, L. F. 1968. Home range and travels. Pages 373-411 in Biology of Peromyscus (Rodentia) (J. King, Ed.). American Society of Mammalogists, Special Publication No. 2. Stout, I. J. 1980. Terrestrial community analysis. Vol. I: a continuation of base-line stud- ies for environmentally monitoring space transportation systems (STS) at John F. Kennedy Space Center. NASA Contract Report No. 10-8986. Stout, I. J. 1992. Southeastern beach mouse. Pages 242-249 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 1, Mammals. (S. R. Humphrey, Ed.). University Presses of Flor- ida, Gainesville. 126 NEWS Florida Field Naturalist 27(3): 126-127, 1999 Theodore H. Below Elected Honorary Member of the Florida Ornithological Society.-Ted Below provides a fine example of an amateur birder and conservationist who became a “professional” later in life. Ted was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924. World War II and the Marine Corps interrupted high school; marriage and a family interrupted studies at Columbia University. A wide variety of jobs eventually channeled him into becoming a licensed Master Plumber and owner of his own business. In 1955, he and family moved to Naples, Florida, where he was a plumber for 35 years. Here he also served for 16 years as a member, often chairman, of the Collier County Environmental Advisory Council, where he earned the enmity of developers and their fellow travelers. Ted’s mother, Lilia Below, well known to the older birders in Flor- ida, was a bird watcher for many years. While Ted resided in New York, she failed to interest Ted in the activity. The same was true after they all moved to Florida, until the mid ‘60s when she conned him into participating in a Dry Tortugas Sooty Tern banding trip. There he got hooked. For 15 years he was a member of these banding parties, and soon became a stalwart in all meanings of the word. Try as I and others (e.g., Ralph Schreiber) might, we could not match Ted at capturing adult Sooty Terns out of the air with long-handled “crab” nets. Ted became so expert at this challenging sport that when he swung the net he only went for banded birds and often then only for a “double’ with one sweep. It was on these many memorable (the stories are legend) Tortugas tern band- ing trips that Ted first had opportunity to meet numerous ornithologists, and Ted “caught the bug.” He decided he too wanted to add to the knowledge of birds. In 1972 Ted began working with Ralph Schreiber, “the pelican man,” by monitoring Brown Pelican populations along the southwest coast of Florida. Soon Ted incorporated other coastal waterbirds (e.g., long-legged waders, shorebirds), and a much larger por- tion of the southwest Florida coastline, into his surveys. In 1982 Ted started receiving remuneration for his bird work, by accepting the posi- tion of National Audubon Society warden/biologist at Rookery Bay, Southwest Florida. In 1990 much of Ted’s time was transferred to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, where he held the position of Resource Manager. Despite added duties, he somehow managed to continue his monitoring of coastal waterbirds. At age 70 Ted semi-retired. Working one day a week for Audubon, the other six days he continues his extensive waterbird moni- toring along the Southwest coast. Ted’s field work has extended well beyond Tortugas tern banding and coastal sur- veys. He conducted a five-year, color-banding study of southwest coastal Florida shore- birds. Results include demonstrating that individual shorebirds use at least 200 miles of local coastline, and that large numbers of the endangered Piping Plover from all the major breeding populations winter in the Marco area. Ted also has been a major contrib- utor to the first relocation project for the Florida Scrub- Jay; a research program initi- ated by Ron Mumme. Ted has more than 25 years of data on habitat use, population levels, and seasonal trends of about 45 species of coastal waterbirds. These data have supplied the informa- tion for over a dozen presentations at scientific meetings, 10 papers in professional jour- nals, and 35 articles in the local Audubon newsletter, newspaper, and several magazines. He has presented hundreds of programs to the local community, and has taught adult education classes in bird watching and bird photography. Ted is a member of several national ornithological societies, and often attends meetings of the Colonial Waterbird Society, where he has participated as an invited symposium speaker. News 127 Ted served as President of the Big Cypress Nature Center for twelve years. During his incumbency the organization shifted from insolvency to a viable operation. Ted regu- larly attends meetings of the FOS, for which he has served as a member of numerous committees, on the Board of Directors, as Vice President, and as President. Ted provides an excellent example of a person who developed an interest in birds and conservation and eventually became a contributor to these fields. The FOS is proud to honor him.- Glen E. Woolfenden^ Archbold Biological Station, Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. 128 REVIEW Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):128-129, 1999. Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities.— Walter K. Taylor. 1998. Gainesville, Florida, University Press of Florida. 370 p. ISBNO-8130-1616-9. $24.95 paper. — Walter Kingsley Taylor’s new book, Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Com- munities, is both a continuation of, and a departure from, his earlier book, The Guide to Florida Wildflowers (Taylor Publishing Company, 1992). Like The Guide, Florida Wild- flowers combines competent photographs of Florida’s flora with succinct descriptions. Unlike The Guide, Florida Wildflowers groups plants by habitat rather than by flower color. The result of this shift in method, if not always successful, is a nonetheless useful and attractive guide to the floral treasures of Florida. Florida Wildflowers is divided into two parts. Part I describes eight “Major Terres- trial Communities” of Florida, including ruderal (weedy) sites. These communities, as well as subtypes and variants, are generally well-defined by Dr. Taylor, but some diffi- culties arise from a relatively narrow definition of “terrestrial”. For instance, under the Pine Flatwoods description, no mention exists of wet prairies or seasonal ponds, yet many important (and imperiled) flatwoods species, including some pictured by Dr. Tay- lor in this section, occur in these seasonally inundated habitats. Part II places 460 species of flowering plants, each represented by a photograph, in one of the eight communities described in Part I. The number of species depicted per community is roughly proportional to the areal extent of the community, with Pine Flat- woods, Temperate Hardwood Forests and Coastal Uplands having the most species and Scrub and Rockland Pineland habitats having the fewest. While some disappointing omissions occur, the selection is largely representative of the different communities. Part II is, perhaps, the Achilles’ heel of Dr. Taylor’s book, since any given species may occur in more than one of the communities that he describes. Thus, Florida Wildflowers works best for species with narrow habitat preferences. If, for example, you wished to identify a hog-plum {Ximeria americana) in the pine rocklands or hardwood hammocks of the Keys, where it is relatively common, you will have a hard time finding it in Flor- ida Wildflowers unless it occurs to you to look in the scrub community where the species description occurs. The 460 photographs, with their accompanying species accounts, are the heart of the book. Each photograph is accompanied by the species’ scientific and common names and placed in its family. The species accounts have three subheadings: Description (diagnostic vegetative and floral traits), Flowering Time, and Habitat and Range. Generally, the pho- tos permit “ballpark” identification of the species and the description, habitat, and range are adequate to cinch the identification. Experts on specific taxa will find points to dispute in the descriptive and habitat information provided by Dr. Taylor, but that is unavoidable. Some aspects of the species accounts are unnecessarily frustrating. What is the point, for example, of enumerating all the counties in which each species is found (or some counties where it is not found!)? Regional distribution would be adequate for most species and could be provided more economically (as in the thumbnail maps used in C. R. Bell and B. J. Taylor’s Florida Wild Flowers and Roadside Plants, Laurel Hill Press, 1982). As in The Guide, Dr. Taylor adds a Comment subheading in Florida Wildflowers in some species accounts to inform us about the origin of the species name, traditional uses of the plant by indigenous peoples, or how to distinguish the species from similar plants in the same habitat. This last feature is particularly helpful for speciose and confusing genera such as Liatris, Eupatorium, and Crotalaria. Reviews 129 In comparison to The Guide, Florida Wildflowers fares better in some respects than in others. Overall, it presents more detailed habitat information, but it covers fewer spe- cies than The Guide (460 vs. 576) and fewer pages of the total (70% vs 90%) are devoted to showing plants, which is, after all, the point of a field guide. The Guide provides an admirable introduction to flower morphology, unfortunately truncated in Florida Wild- flowers. However Dr. Taylor’s books are more usefully viewed as companions rather than as competitors. Together The Guide and Florida Wildflowers cover over 800 species of flow- ering plants. The two guides provide information on almost a quarter of the flowering plants of Florida. For the wildflower enthusiast, the avocational naturalist or the profes- sional botanist on unfamiliar ground. Dr. Taylor’s books are reliable tools. The acid test of Florida Wildflowers is this: if you are interested in the natural com- munities of Florida, can you take this book into the field and find your way? I think the answer is a resounding. Yes! This book is an informative and attractive guide to the wildflowers of a state named for its floral exuberance. I am proud to have it on my book- shelf and in my field kit. — Carl Weekley, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. 130 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Naturalist 27(3):130-140, 1999. Winter report: December 1998-February 1999.— The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). As these reports are not reviewed formally, they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-Feb- ruary), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall ( August-No vember). Submit reports to regional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at bill- pranty @hotmail .com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. Publ. No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds for which they require documentation, in FFN 24(4): 132-133, 1996. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: CP = county park, EMCA - Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area {Lake), ENP = Everglades National Park, EOS = end of season, FWBSTF = Fort Walton Beach STF {Okaloosa), HISRA = Honeymoon Island SRA {Pinellas), MINWR = Merritt Island SRA {Brevard), NWR = national wildlife refuge, PPM ~ Polk phosphate mines, PPSP = Paynes Prairie State Preserve {Alachua), R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 = Stevenson and Anderson 1994, SMNWR = St. Marks NWR {Wakulla), SP = state park, SRA = state recreation area, SRCA = Seminole Ranch Conservation Area {Brevard, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia), STF = sewage treatment facility, SRSTF = Springhill Road STF {Leon), TRSTF - Tram Road STF {Leon), and N, S, E, W, etc. for compass direc- tions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. We thank Dotty and Hank Hull and Rick West for sharing information with us. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the editing of the manuscript. Summary of the Winter Season The biggest news this winter was the continued use of the proposed Zellwood Shore- bird Management Area by tens of thousands of birds (and the die-off that occurred there as a result of organochlorine pesticide poisoning. The following summary is based on information presented to the FOS Board by Bill Pranty and Gian Basili in April 1999. After acquiring nearly 5200 hectares of farmland along the north shore of Lake Apo- pka by mid-1998, the St. Johns River Water Management District shallow-flooded many of the fields as a means of weed control. These conditions created ideal habitats for resi- dent wading birds, and migratory and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds, and other Field Observations 131 aquatic species such as American White Pelicans. Under the schedule maintained by farmers for the past 50 or more years, the fields produced vegetable crops from Novem- ber through June, and were flooded from July through September or early October. This year, some fields remained flooded into January. Unflooded fields quickly succeeded to weedy areas that supported sparrows and other grassland birds. Fall and winter bird use at Zellwood was phenomenal, and the site was called one of the best birding areas in the southeastern US. At least 110,000 individuals of over 215 species of birds visited the fields between mid- August 1998 and mid-February 1999. The first Zellwood/Mount Dora Christmas Bird Count tallied the astounding total of 174 species, which apparently is the highest inland CBC total obtained anywhere in North America in the 99-year history of the CBC. Birders visited Zellwood on a regular basis through 17 February 1999, when the area was closed to all public access. In particular, Harry Robinson visited Zellwood 43 times during this period, and made careful counts of all birds present. This information has enormously aided our efforts to understand the avian response to the initial restoration phase along the north shore of Lake Apopka, and also proved invaluable in helping to secure bird habitat at the former farms. Daily counts of birds at Zellwood reached 10,000 individuals by mid-September, 15,000 by mid-October, 25,000 by early Novem- ber, and nearly 35,000 birds by mid-November. The highest total was obtained on 8 December, when over 41,000 birds were counted. Unfortunately, not all the news from Zellwood is positive. In early November, a few car- casses of American White Pelicans were visible in the fields, and by early December, it was evident that a die-off was in progress. This die-off was virtually restricted to fish-eating birds, and lasted through the end of February, at which time no water remained on the fields, and most aquatic birds had dispersed to other areas. As of 8 March 1999, nearly 500 bird carcasses had been salvaged from Zellwood, of which 403 were American White Peli- cans. Additionally, over 350 other pelican carcasses were found off-site, including some as far away as Key Largo and Jackson, Mississippi, and it is likely that these pelicans were associated with the die-off at Lake Apopka. We recovered US. Fish and Wildlife Service bands from 20 of the pelicans salvaged at Zellwood, and all the birds were banded in Minne- sota and North Dakota. We anticipate that American White Pelican mortality will increase as the >4000 birds observed at Zellwood migrate northward toward their breeding areas. Investigators of the US Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that organochlorine pesti- cides, specifically dieldrin, toxaphene, and DDT derivatives, had killed the birds. While these compounds have been banned for the past 10 to 30 years, they are chemically stable and persist in the soil. They are also well known for their ability to accumulate in the tis- sues of aquatic organisms, and it is believed that the birds received lethal doses from eat- ing toxic fish. The source of such high levels of these compounds remains unclear, and it is hoped that the investigators will determine whether the problem is pervasive throughout the site, or is associated with one or more previously unidentified pesticide “hot spots.” A task force of numerous agencies and organizations has been assembled in an attempt to solve the remaining mysteries about the die-off, and to recommend future research and management actions at Zellwood. Included in the group are some of the world’s top experts on organochlorine pesticides. What we learn from this episode will help us with future management of Zellwood, and will have ramifications for restoration of other former agricultural lands in the Everglades and throughout the US. Although the bird die-off at Lake Apopka during the winter of 1998-1999 was an unfortunate situ- ation, we believe that in the long-term, much good will result from this experience. Temperatures this winter were mostly mild and dry statewide. The weather appar- ently was responsible for a number of lingering Neotropical migrant species observed in the state, as mentioned by Bob Duncan in the western Panhandle, and Rex Rowan in the Gainesville area. 132 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST FOSRC rarities reported this season were 7 Ross’s Geese at three sites, White- cheeked Pintails of unknown origin in Hillsborough and Palm Beach, 2 Common Mer- gansers at Pensacola, the South Polar Skua at Boynton Inlet, Iceland Gulls at Fort Clinch and Jacksonville, the Black-headed Gull in Jacksonville, the Thayer’s Gull at Pompano Beach, and the MacGillivray’s Warbler at Orlando. The best bird of the winter was unquestionably the Gray-hooded Gull that was seen and photographed by two observers at Apalachicola for one day only. This represents the first record for North America. Other interesting observations were 5 male Cinnamon Teals plus a hybrid Cinnamon x Blue-winged Teal found at Zellwood and two other sites, 1 or 2 Yellow Rails at Avon Park Air Force Range, 29 Franklin’s Gulls at 9 sites, increasing numbers of White-winged Doves along the Gulf Coast, Lesser Nighthawks at Zellwood and Paynes Prairie, up to 5 Eastern Kingbirds at Tallahassee, 9 Vermilion Flycatchers statewide, 8 Black-throated Green Warblers and 6 Summer Tanagers in northern and central Flor- ida, the “Western” Stripe-headed Tanager at Everglades National Park, and the sparrow extravaganza at Zellwood. Several unusual exotics also were reported, including the first state reports of Abdim’s Stork (apparently 3 individuals at widely-scattered locations in South Florida), Dusky Lory at Kendall, and African Gray Hornbill at Brooksville. The population of Pur- ple Swamphens at Pembroke Pines, censused in February, was 134 birds plus 1 road-kill. Species Accounts Red-throated Loon: 3 on the Perdido Bay CBC (Escambia) 26 Dec (P. Tetlow); 1 at Al- ligator Point (Franklin) 7 Feb (M. Coker). Common Loon: 2 at Crowder Landing (Leon) 20 Jan (G. Menk, D. and J. Devlin). Pacific Loon: 1 at Big Lagoon (Escambia) 10 Dec (P. Tetlow et aL). Pied-billed Grebe: 555 at Zellwood 3 Dec (H. Robinson). Eared Grebe: 2 at FWBSTF 2-31 Dec (B. Duncan); 1 at PPM 21 Feb (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); up to 4 at Zellwood to 10 Feb (H. Robinson et aL). Shearwater species: 1 all-dark bird at the S Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier (Manatee) 6 Jan (L. Snyder). Sooty Shearwater: 1 at the S Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier 3 Jan (L. Atherton). American White Pelican: up to 37 in N Duval to 10 Jan (R. Clark); 4370 at Zellwood 29 Jan (H. Robinson). Brown Pelican: 2 adults at Mulberry (Polk) 19 Feb (T. Palmer). Great Blue Heron: 395 at Zellwood 3 Dec (H. Robinson). “Great White Heron:” 1 at Honeymoon Island SRA (Pinellas) 27 Dec-EOS (W. Yusek et al.). Great Egret: 810 at Zellwood 5 Feb (H. Robinson). Snowy Egret: 1513 at SRCA 20 Dec (fide L. Malo). Little Blue Heron: 1512 at SRCA 20 Dec (fide L. Malo). Tricolored Heron: 202 at SRCA 16 Jan (fide L. Malo). Reddish Egret: up to 7 immatures at SMNWR 23 Jan- 17 Feb (B. Bergstrom, J. Dozier, F. Rutkovsky). Cattle Egret: up to 19 at TRSTF 10-19 Dec (G. Menk); 1 in Gulf 26 Jan (D. and J. Dev- lin). Black-crowned Night-Heron: 200 at Zellwood 20 Dec (B. Pranty, G. Basil! et ah). Glossy Ibis: 1037 at SRCA 20 Dec (fide L. Malo); 1010 at Zellwood 8 Jan (H. Robinson); 50 at Hamilton phosphate mines 12 Feb (B. Bergstrom). Roseate Spoonbill: 2 at Talbot Island SP (Duval) 26 Dec (H. Belcher). Abdim’s Stork (Ciconia abdimii): 1 at Flamingo, ENP (Monroe) 26 Nov-11 Feb (fde P. Hinchcliff, videotaped); 1 banded on the left leg at Immokalee (Collier) in Jan (Bev- Field Observations 133 erly Anderson et aL, photo to FOC). Another stork over “Ding” Darling NWR (Lee) 29 Apr (L. Baker) apparently is a third individual, and reportedly had been present on Sanibel Island for over a year (D. Konz fide L, Baker). These are the first Florida re- ports of this African species. Wood Stork: 1 on the Pensacola CBC {Escambia or Santa Rosa) 19 Dec (D. Ware, H. Huddleston); 86 on the Tallahassee CBC 1 Jan {fide G. Menk); 815 at Zellwood 29 Jan (H. Robinson). Greater Flamingo: 40 wintered at Snake Bight, ENP {Monroe) {fide D. and H. Hull); 1 adult at the salt ponds, Key West {Monroe) 18 Dec through early Jan {fide D. and H. Hull). Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 189 at Zellwood 8 Dec (H. Robinson). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 8 in N Hillsborough 6 Dec (S. Gross); 2 wintered at PPSP (J. Weimer); 1 shot by a hunter in Manatee 17 Jan {fide E. Martin, wing to Of- fice of Migratory Bird Management). The Office has a wing from another Black-bel- lied Whistling-Duck shot in Florida in 1983 {fide E. Martin). These are the first “specimens” from Florida, and the 1983 “specimen” constitutes the earliest verifica- tion of the species in the state (S&A 1994), Tundra Swan: 1 at Lake Seminole {Jackson) 1 Jan (J. Pitts fide G. Sprandel); 2 at SM- NWR 10 Jan (P. Berry). Greater White-fronted Goose: 1 at Zellwood 4-11 Dec (H. Robinson et ah); up to 17 at FWBSTF through 21 Jan (D. Ware, B. Duncan et ah); 1 at TRSTF 31 Dec (G. Menk, J. La Via, J. Cavanagh [photo]); 1 at Gulf Breeze {Santa Rosa) 15 Jan-15 Feb (B. Bremser); 3 at Hamilton phosphate mines 19 Dec (M. Manetz, G. McDermott, J. Ault). Snow Goose: 2 at HISRA 15 Dec (W. Yusek); up to 90 at Zellwood to 28 Dec (H. Robinson et ah); 1 at MINWR 16 Jan (D. and H. Hull); 230 wintered at FWBSTF (B. Duncan, P. Tetlow); 5 at St. Joseph {Pasco) 6 Feb (B. Pranty [photos to FOC], D. Goodwin, R. Grant). *ROSS’S Goose: 2 adults at Zellwood 6-16 Dec (C. and K. Radamaker, H. Robinson et ah); 4 (3 adults) at FWBSTF to 23 Feb (B. Duncan, P. Tetlow et ah); 1 at Shalimar {Oka- loosa) 21 Dec (M. and R. Rose). Canada Goose: 3 wintered at Zellwood (H. Robinson et ah). BranT: 2 at Mosquito Lagoon, MINWR 26 Feb (L. Snyder et ah, photos). Green-winged Teal: 12,565 at Zellwood 18 Dec (H. Robinson); 880 at PPM 17 Jan (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 520 at EMCA 27 Feb {fide J. Marburger). American Black Duck: up to 3 at Zellwood to 12 Jan (H. Robinson et ah); 5 at Lake Lafayette {Leon) 31 Dec (D. Morrow). Mallard: 21 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H, Robinson). Northern Pintail: 420 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson); 51 at PPM 17 Jan (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). *White-CHEEKED Pintail: 1 at Wakodahatchee Wetlands {Palm Beach) 19 Dec (B. Hope); 1 shot by a hunter in Hillsborough (!) 27 Dec {fide E. Martin, wing to Office of Migratory Bird Management). Blue-winged Teal: 6580 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Blue-winged Teal X Cinnamon Teal: 1 hybrid male at Zellwood 10 Feb was like a Cin- namon Teal but had the white facial crescent of a Blue-winged Teal (H. Robinson). Cinnamon Teal: 1 male at Sarasota 19 Dec- 19 Feb (J. Kopitzke et ah); 1 male at Myakka River SP {Sarasota) 26 Dec (C. Ewell, N. Pettis, W. Dirks); up to 3 males at Zellwood to 10 Feb (L. Manfredi, H. Robinson et ah). Northern Shoveler: 200+ at Weedon Island Preserve {Pinellas) 13 Dec (B. Hoffman, P. Blair, R. Smith); 645 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson); 2200 at Hamilton phos- phate mines 19 Dec (M. Manetz, G. McDermott, J. Ault). GadwalL: 89 at Zellwood 12 Jan (H. Robinson). 134 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Canvasback: 1 at Bivens Arm {Alachua) 7-8 Jan (M. Landsman, R. Rowan); up to 5 at Zellwood to 10 Feb (H. Robinson et aL); 18 at PPM 21 Feb (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Redhead: 650 at Holiday (Pasco) 31 Dec (K. Tracey et aL); 750 at HISRA 8-15 Jan (W. Yusek); up to 8 at Zellwood to 5 Feb (H. Robinson et aL). Ring-necked Duck: 11,900 at Zellwood 3 Dec (H. Robinson). Greater Scaup: 1 male at Driggers Road (Highlands) 2 Dec (B. Pranty et aL); up to 5 at Zellwood to 5 Feb (H. Robinson et aL). Lesser Scaup: 279 at Zellwood 12 Jan (H. Robinson); 1100 at PPM 21 Feb (C. Geanan- gel, P. Timmer). Common Eider: 1 at Port Canaveral (Brevard) 8 Dec (fide D. and H. Hull). Oldsquaw: 1 at Port Orange (Volusia) 19-22 Jan (fide D. and H. Hull). Black Scoter: 216 off Lauderdale-By-The Sea (Broward) 12 Dec (W. George); 12 at Sanibel Island (Lee) 24 Dec (B. Postmus et aL); 4 at Port Charlotte (Charlotte) 26 Dec- EOS (J. Bouton, C. Ewell et aL). Surf Scoter: 13 at Sanibel Island 23 Dec (B. Postmus et aL); 1 at Cape San Bias (Gulf) 10 Jan (H. Horne, T, Kennedy). White-winged Scoter: 4 at Madeira Beach (Pinellas) 13 Dec (K. Nelson). Common Goldeneye: 1 at SRSTF 14 Dec (G. Menk); 1 female in Citrus 31 Dec (A. and B. Hansen); 10 at SMNWR 14 Jan (M. Coker); 1 male at Port Orange 25 Jan (fide D. and H. Hull); 1 female at TRSTF 29 Jan-5 Feb (H. Horne, G. Menk, S. Borderieux); 1 at Lake Weir (Marion) 4 Feb (E. Scales); 2 wintered at Gainesville (R. Rowan). Bufflehead: up to 5 at Zellwood to 5 Feb (H. Robinson et aL); 4 at PPM 21 Feb (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer). Hooded Merganser: 125 at TRSTF 4 Dec (G. Menk). *Common Merganser: 2 females at Pensacola Naval Air Station (Escambia) 4 Dec (C. Henning, P. Tetlow et aL). Red-breasted Merganser: singles at Gainesville 5 Feb (J. Hintermister) and 28 Feb (S. Flamand). Ruddy Duck: 517 at Zellwood 8 Dec (H. Robinson); 1800 eX Hamilton phosphate mines 19 Dec (M. Manetz, G. McDermott, J. Ault); 390 at Lake Weir 10 Feb (E. Scales). Swallow-tailed Kite: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve (Hernando) 27 Feb (C. Black); 2 at SRCA 27 Feb (fide L. Malo); 2 near Loughman (Polk and/or Osceola) 28 Feb (T. Palmer). White-tailed Kite: 2 at CR-832 (Hendry) 18 Dec (fide D. and H. Hull); 1 in Lee near the Hendry line 19 Dec (N. Pettis); 1 in the St. Johns River marsh in S Brevard 2 Feb (S. Rowe, J. Bryan), and 2 there 3 Feb (S. Rowe). Snail Kite: 1 in Lee near the Hendry line 19 Dec (N. Pettis). Bald Eagle: 19 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Northern Harrier: 27 at Zellwood 20 Dec (H. Robinson). Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at Sarasota 26 Dec (L. Saul, D. Wassmer). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 dark morph near Tiger Creek (Polk) 2 Jan (T. Palmer); 3 dark morphs (1 with nesting material) at Lake Istokpoga (Highlands) 13 Feb (M. McMil- lian); 1 dark morph at Lake Arbuckle (Polk) 14 Feb (M. McMillian); 1 light morph at Saddle Creek CP 18 Feb (M. Chakan, J. Rudd); 1 at Lettuce Lake Park (Hillsborough) 27 Feb (R. Webb); 3 dark morphs (2 adults) wintered at Key West (J. Ondrejko). Swainson’S Hawk: 1 adult at FWBSTF 14 Dec (D. Ware et. aL). Golden Eagle: 1 immature at SMNWR 1 Jan (D. and K. MacVicar); 1 adult at Zellwood 17 Dec (R. and T. Rogers) and 3-30 Jan (B. Pranty, D. Reed et aL). Peregrine Falcon: 1 at Zellwood through 5 Feb (H. Robinson et aL); 1 at Fort Clinch SP (Nassau) 29 Jan (T. Palmer); 1 male wintered at Bradley Junction (Polk) (C, Geanan- gel, R Timmer et aL). Yellow Rail: singles 500-1000 m apart at Echo Range, Avon Park Air Force Range (Highlands) 6 Dec (D. Barber) and 20 Dec (R. Harrison). Field Observations 135 Black Rail: 1 responded to a tape at Hernando Beach {Hernando) 23 Dec (B. Pranty, D. Goodwin); 1 heard ca. 1.6 km S of the turn-off to Mahogany Hammock^ ENP {Mi- ami-Dade) 31 Dec (L. Manfredi). Purple Gallinule: 5 on the Gainesville CBC 20 Dec (fide B. Muschlitz). Purple Swamphen: 134 at Pembroke Pines (Broward) 21-22 Feb (B. Pranty, H. Lovell, K. and K. Schnitzius), plus a road-killed bird 20 Feb (to Archbold Biological Station). Sandhill Crane: 1 at Gulf Breeze 9 Dec (B. Bremser); 13 at SRSTF 10 Dec (G. Menk); 3 at Lake Jackson (Leon) 11 Dec (G. Menk); 3 at FWBSTF 11 Dec (B. Duncan, P. Tet- low et ah), and 5 there 29 Dec (B. Duncan et aL); 30 at SMNWR 28 Dec (J. and K. Sun- derslin); 1 found injured in N Escambia 9 Jan later died (L. Duncan); 2 flying ESE over Key West 23 Feb (J, Ondrejko). Black-bellied Plover: 346 at Zellwood 3 Dec (H, Robinson). American Golden-Plover: 2 at Zellwood 12 Dec (E. Kwater, K. Radamaker et ah), and 1 there 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Piping Plover: 172 on 8 barrier islands in Pinellas and S Pasco 11-19 Jan, included 70 at Three Rooker Bar (Pinellas) 13 Jan (P, Blair, W. Yusek), This count compares fa- vorably with the 179 birds counted in Jan 1996. Kjlldeer: 756 at Zellwood 1 Jan (H. Robinson). American Oystercatcher: 1 at the Wakulla Springs SP dock (Wakulla) 30 Dec (S. Stedman et al.) was only the second inland Florida report (S&A 1994). American Avocet: 1 at SMNWR 9 Dec (T. Kennedy); up to 35 in N Duval to 10 Jan (R. Clark); 75 at Zellwood 11-12 Jan (H. Robinson). Greater Yellowlegs: 415 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Lesser YellowlegS: 1195 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Solitary Sandpiper: 1 at ENP [county^ 28 Dec (fide D. and H. Hull); 1 at Gainesville 28 Feb (M. Manetz). Spotted Sandpiper: 1 at the Marsh Flow- way, Lake Apopka (Lake) 20 Dec (B. Pranty, G. Basili, J. Peterson). Whimbrel: 13 at HISRA 8 Feb (G. Sprandel). Marbled Godwit: 1 at Zellwood 28 Dec and 27 Jan-10 Feb (H. Robinson et al). Sanderling: 1 at Zellwood 12 Dec (E. Kwater, K. Radamaker et ah). Least Sandpiper: 2450 at Zellwood 31 Dec (H. Robinson). Pectoral Sandpiper: 1 at Zellwood 9-10 Feb (H. Robinson). Purple Sandpiper: 2 at the Venice Jetty (Sarasota) 3 Jan-15 Feb (C. Sample, J. Ko- pitzke et al.); up to 18 wintered at Fort Clinch SP (R. Clark et al.). Dunlin: 145 at Zellwood 31 Dec (H. Robinson). Stilt Sandpiper: 156 at Zellwood 19 Jan (H. Robinson). Ruff: 1 at Zellwood to 19 Jan (H. Robinson). Short-billed Dowitcher: 1200 at Cedar Key (Levy) 13 Feb (G. Sprandel). Long-billed Dowitcher: 1890 at Zellwood 12 Dec; no Short-billed Dowitchers were identified there after 25 Nov (H. Robinson); 1 at FWBSTF 6 Jan (B. Duncan), 10 there 21 Jan (P. Tetlow et al.), and 3 there 25 Jan (D. Ware); ca. 100 dA Hamilton phosphate mines 12 Feb (B. Bergstrom). Common Snipe: 898 at Zellwood 28 Dec (H. Robinson). American Woodcock: 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve (Pinellas) 9 Jan (D. Goodwin et al.). Wilson's Phalarope: 1 at Zellwood 3 Dec (H. Robinson). POMARINE Jaeger: 2 (1 dark, 1 light) at the St. Johns River mouth (Duval) 17 Jan (R. Clark). Parasitic Jaeger: 1 immature light morph at the St. Johns River mouth 17 Jan (R. Clark). *S0UTH Polar Skua: 1 at Boynton Inlet (Palm Beach) 2 Dec-23 Jan (B. Hope et al.). Franklin’s Gull: 1 immature at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 2 Dec (B. and L. Duncan); 1 at FWBSTF 3 Dec (P, Tetlow et al.); 1 at Hamilton phosphate mines 18 Dec (R, Rowan, 136 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST G. McDermott); up to 21 at Zellwood to 28 Dec (H. Robinson); 1 adult at Port St. Joe (Gulf) 28-29 Dec (S. Stedman, G. Menk, S. Borderieux); 1 at Lake Jackson 1 Jan (D. and S. Jue); 1 at SRSTF 14 Jan (H. Horne); 1 at Boynton Inlet 21 Jan (B. Hope); 1 at Fernandina Beach (Nassau) 20 Jan- 13 Feb (P. Leary et al.). *Black-HEADED GulI: 1 in N Jacksonville 26-27 Dec (R. Clark, photos to FOSRC). Bonaparte’S Gull: 1000+ at Lake Weir 10 Feb (E. Scales). Ring-billed Gull: 1603 at Zellwood 29 Jan (H. Robinson). *ICELAND Gull: 1 first-winter bird at the St. Johns River mouth 17 Jan (R. Clark); 1 at Fort Clinch SP 7 Feb (J. Krummrich). Herring Gull: 88 at Zellwood 3 Feb (H. Robinson). *Thayer’S Gull: 1 first-year bird near the Pompano Beach Landfill (Broward) 10 Jan (G. McCaskie, M. Patten). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2 adults at Zellwood to 17 Feb (H. Robinson, B. Pranty [photos to FOC] et al.); 2 at Snake Bight, ENP 7 Jan (G. McCaskie, M. Patten); 6 (2 adults) at Port Charlotte (Charlotte) 10 Jan (J. Bouton); 8 (5 adults) near the Pom- pano Beach Landfill 10 Jan (G. McCaskie, M. Patten); 1 adult at St. Cloud (Osceola) 26 Feb (W. Biggs). *Gray-HOODED Gull: (Larus cirrocephalus): 1 adult at Apalachicola (Franklin) 26 Dec (D. McNair [photosl, T. Lewis [photosl, manuscript in prep.) was not seen again. This is the first North American record of a species native to South America and western Africa. Glaucous Gull: 1 at Fort Clinch SP 21 Dec-EOS (fide P. Powell). Black-legged Kittiwake: 1 immature at the S Sunshine Sk3rway Fishing Pier 29 Dec- EOS (N. Gobris et al.); 1 at Fort Clinch SP 30 Jan (A. Turner, S. Flamand et ah). Sabine’s Gull: 1 near MINWR 2 Feb (fide D. and H. Hull). Caspian Tern: 208 at Zellwood 10 Feb (H. Robinson). Royal Tern: 1 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Forster’s Tern: 280 at Zellwood 18 Dec (H. Robinson). Black Skimmer: 20 at Lakeland (Polk) Jan-Feb (T. Palmer); 120 at Zellwood 3 Feb (H. Robinson). Eurasian Collared-Dove: 1 adult incubating, another pair nest-building, and other birds courting at Hudson Beach CP (Pasco) 7 Feb (K. Tracey, B. Pranty). White-winged Dove: 1 at Tierra Verde 2 Dec (L. Atherton); 58 on the Choctawhatchee CBC 21 Dec (E. Case, A. Knothe); 4 at Spring Hill 23 Dec (C. Black, K. Tracey [photos to FOC] et al.), and 1 there through 31 Jan (C. Black); 11 at Cedar Key 2 Jan (fide D. Henderson). Mourning Dove: 2 juveniles at Gulf Breeze 25 Feb (B. Duncan). Dusky Lory (Pseudeos fuscata): 1 adult red morph at Kendall (Miami-Dade) 19-23 Jan (B. Pranty, W. Biggs et al.) was the first Florida report. Peach-faced Lovebird: 1 (with a yellow face) at Port Richey (Pasco) 7 Feb (K. Tracey [photos to FOC], B. Pranty). Mangrove Cuckoo: 1 seen and heard on SR-92 ca. 3 km S of US-41 (Collier) 21 Jan (L. Manfredi). Groove-billed Anl 2 at FWBSTF to 2 Dec (D. Ware et al.). Barn Owl: 1 at Altha (Calhoun) 24 Feb (M. Hill). Short-eared Owl: 1 at Zellwood 3 Dec-25 Jan (H. Robinson, A. and T. Mason et al.). Lesser Nighthawk: 1 at Zellwood 16 Dec (H. Robinson); 1 found dead at PPSP 11 Jan (H. Adams, R. Ozmore, specimen to Florida Museum of Natural History). Buff-bellied Hummingbird: 1 banded at Pensacola in 1995 was recaptured at the same site 11 Jan (M. J. Pfeiffer, F. Bassett et al.). Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 1 at Gulf Breeze 21 Dec had been banded in Metairie, Louisiana in Nov 1997 (M. Esmond, F, Bassett et al.); 1 banded at Pensacola in Jan 1997 was recaptured at the same site 5 Jan (S. Roberts, F. Bassett et al.); 1 immature Field Observations 137 at Tallahassee 11 Jan (N. Fichter, J. Cavanagh); 1 male at Tallahassee to 23 Jan (M. Lidell, P. Conover); 1 wintered at Palm Bay {Brevard) (D. Novier); 2 (male and immature) wintered at Oviedo {Seminole) (L. Orr). Black=CHINNED Hummingbird: 1 banded at Niceville {Okaloosa) 21 Dec, 2 banded at Pensacola 5 Jan, and 2 others banded at Pensacola 11 Jan (all F. Bassett et al.); 1 at Tal- lahassee to 31 Jan (J. O’Malley, P. Conover); 1 wintered at Gainesville (D. Beatty et al.). Rufous Hummingbird: 1 banded in Jan 1998 at Niceville was recaptured at the same site 8 Dec (F. Bassett). Selasphorus SPECIES: 1 at Orlando 21 Dec (Bruce Anderson); 1 at Lakes Park, Fort My- ers {Lee) 24-31 Dec (L. Atherton, C. Ewell et al.); 1 wintered at Kanapaha Prairie {Alachua) (E. Perry); singles at Gainesville 4 Jan and 27-28 Feb (both B. Roberts). African Gray Hornbill {Tockus nasutus): 1 on the Brooksville CBC {Hernando) 26 Dec (C. Black, E. Sperry, photos to FOC) had been present for 10-12 months, and is the first Florida report. Eastern Phoebo: 49 at Zellwood 9 Feb (H. Robinson). Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 male at Buck Island Ranch {Highlands) for at least the fifth year was seen through 23 Feb (M. McMillian et al.); 1 at Hickory Mound Impoundment {Taylor) 8 Dec (J. Cavanagh); 1 female at Micanopy {Alachua) 13 Dec-EOS (C. Lanciani et al.); 1 female at PPSP 20 Dec-8 Jan (G. McDermott, R. Rowan); 1 female at MINWR 12 Feb (M. and R. Sampere); 1 female at Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area {Brevard) 19 Feb (D. Novier); up to 2 at FWBSTF to 23 Feb (B. Duncan, P. Tetlow et al.); 1 adult male at Grand Ridge {Jackson) 24 Feb (M. Gray fide G. Wallace). Ash-throated Flycatcher: 1 at FWBSTF through at least 30 Jan (D. Ware et al.), the third year a bird has wintered there. Great Crested Flycatcher: 2 calling at Venus Flatwoods Preserve {Highlands) 15 Jan (J. Greenlaw, B. Pranty et al.); 1 at PPSP 7 Feb (R. Rowan, D. Wahl). Western Kingbird: 2 at Banana Lake Park {Polk) 14 Dec (T. Palmer); 4 at CR-833 {Hen- dry) 3 Jan {fide D. and H. Hull); 1 at FWBSTF 30 Jan (D. Ware) and 6 Feb (N. Go- bris); 22 at Homestead {Miami-Dade) 14 Feb (L. Manfredi); up to 20 wintered at Zellwood (B. Pranty, C. Pierce, H. Robinson et al.). Eastern Kingbird: up to 5 at Lake Jackson 2 Dec-3 Jan (G. Menk, P. Conover et al.). SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER: 1 at Lake Alfred {Polk) 18 Jan (P. Timmer); 1 at Okeechobee {Okeechobee) 19 Feb (C. and M. Tucker); 1 at St. Joseph SP {Gulf) 20 Feb (T. Kennedy); 5 at Homestead 14 Feb (L. Manfredi); 1 wintered at Seven Springs {Pasco) (K. Tracey [photo to FOC] et al.); 3 wintered at Zellwood (H. Robinson et al.). Bell’s VireO: 1 on the Tallahassee CBC 1 Jan (J. LaVia, J. Cavanagh et al.). Yellow-throated Vireo: 1 at PPSP 26 Jan (B. and H. Dowling). Fish Crow: a peak of 16 wintered at Key West (J. Ondrejko). Purple Martin: 3 at Spring Hill {Hernando) 24 Jan (A. and B. Hansen); 2 at Gainesville 26 Jan (B. Dowling, H. Dowling). Tree Swallow: 1,000,000 along Lake Istokpoga in Feb (M. McMillian, J. Johnson). Cave Swallow: 25 at the Cutler Ridge breeding site {Miami-Dade) 6 Jan (G. McCaskie, M. Patten), and 50+ there 23 Jan (B. Pranty et al.). Barn Swallow: singles at TRSTF 1 Dec (G. Menk, D. and K. MacVicar, B. Henderson) and SRSTF 4 Dec (G. Menk); 1 at Zellwood 16 Dec, and 2 there 31 Dec-1 Jan (H. Rob- inson). Brown Creeper: 1 at Black Swamp {Leon) 11 Jan (M. Coker). House Wren: 26 at Zellwood 9 Feb (H. Robinson). Winter Wren: 1 at Swift Creek {Hamilton) 19 Dec (M. Manetz); 1 at Black Swamp 4-8 Jan (G. Menk, S. Borderieux). Golden-crowned Kinglet: 1 at San Felasco Hammock SP {Alachua) 6 Dec (M. Manetz); 1 at SRCA 20 Dec {fide L. Malo); widespread in Leon this winter (G. Menk). 138 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Veery: 1 at Tallahassee 17 Jan was mist-netted and examined in the hand (with a few body feathers salvaged), but not photographed (P. Homann, S. Jue). American Pipit: 570 at Zellwood 8 Dec (H. Robinson). Common Myna: 2 at Rolling Oaks, Pembroke Pines 22 Feb (B. Pranty, Kim Schnitzius, H. Lovell). Nashville Warbler: 1 at Lake Jackson 15 Dec (G. Menk); 1 at HISRA 27 Dec (E. Kwa- ter); 1 of the W race at Zellwood 10 Jan- 10 Feb (K. Radamaker, C. Paine, C. Pierce et al). Northern ParulA: 1 at FWBSTF 4 Dec (B. Duncan); 1 at Kanapaha Prairie 20 Dec (R. Rowan, S. Cimbaro); 1 at PPSP 6 Jan (B, Muschlitz et al.); fairly common and singing at Gainesville the first week of Feb (A. Kratter, H, Adams et al.). Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1 at S Jacksonville 3 Dec-EOS (J. Cocke). Black-throated Green Warbler: 1 at Gainesville 8-15 Dec (A. Kratter, A. Kent); 1 at S Jacksonville 14 Dec-8 Feb (J. Cocke); 1 at Weedon Island Preserve 19 Dec (B. Hoff- man et al.); 3 on the Zellwood/Mount Dora CBC 20 Dec including 1 at Zellwood (H. Robinson); 1 at St. Leo Golf Course (Pasco) 22 Dec (D. Robinson, P. Young) and 6 Feb (D. Goodwin, B. Pranty, R. Grant); 1 at Kanapaha Prairie in mid-Jan (M. Meisen- burg); 4 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Collier) 17 Feb (B. and L. Cooper). Palm Warbler: 370 at Zellwood 8 Dec (H. Robinson). American Redstart: up to 2 at Zellwood to 28 Dec (H. Robinson et al.); 1 in female- plumage at Crews Lake CP (Pasco) 23 Dec (D. Robinson et al.); 1 female at Loxa- hatchee NWR 3 Jan (N. Pettis); 1 adult male wintered at Gainesville in the same yard where an immature male wintered last year (M. Manetz). OVENBIRD: 1 at Lake Overstreet (Leon) 17 Dec (S. Borderieux, B. Kicklighter), and 3 there 1 Feb (M. Coker). Northern Waterthrush: 1 at PPSP 8 Dec (C. Parenteau); 1 at Fort Pickens 15 Dec (B. Duncan) and 8 Jan (S. and S. Tagatz); 1 N of St. Joseph 22 Dec (W. Biggs, B. Pranty); 1 at Zellwood 31 Dec-30 Jan (H. Robinson, P. Fellers et al.); 1 at Weedon Is- land Preserve 7 Feb (R. Smith); 1 at SRCA 27 Feb (fide L. Malo). Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at Newnans Lake (Alachua) 20 Dec (J. Bryan). *MacGillivray’S WARBLEr: 1 at Turkey Lake Park (Orange) remained to 1 Dec (N. Sek- era, D, Novier). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 male at Rainbow Springs SP (Marion) 26 Dec (B. Roberts); 1 at Bivens Arm 16 Jan (S. Duncan). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 in Hillsborough 20 Dec (R. Smith). Summer Tanager: 1 at Saddle Creek CP 6 Dec (L. Albright); 1 at Newnans Lake 20 Dec (J. Bryan); 1 female at Spring Hill 22 Dec-EOS (A. and B. Hansen); 1 female at St. Leo Golf Course 22 Dec (B. Pranty, W. Biggs, G. Stoccardo) and 6 Feb (B. Pranty, D. Goodwin, R. Grant); 1 in female-plumage at Port St Joe 29 Dec (B. Henderson, D. Wells); 1 at Gainesville 3 Jan (S. Duncan). Western Tanager: 1 immature male at Fort Walton Beach 19 Jan (C. and D. Ware, H. King); 1 at Lakes Park, Fort Myers 30 Jan-EOS (R. Miller, J. Greenlaw et al.). Stripe-headed Tanager:! black-backed male at Gumbo Limbo Trail, ENP (Miami- Dade) 1 Feb (L. Manfredi). Clay-colored Sparrow: 1 at Lake Wales (Polk) 18 Jan (P. Timmer); 1 N of Mims (Brevard) 31 Jan (K. LaBorde); 46 at Zellwood 3 Feb (H. Robinson). Vesper Sparrow: 11 at Zellwood 11 Jan (H. Robinson). Lark Sparrow: 1 at Auburndale (Polk) 16 Dec (P. Timmer); 1 on the Pensacola CBC 19 Dec (M. and R. Rose); 1 at Talbot Island SP 26 Dec-4 Jan (M. Dolan); 1 at Sarasota (Sarasota) 24 Jan-EOS (J. Carlock, photo to FOC); 1 at Zellwood 9-17 Feb (H. Robin- son); 1 at Pensacola 25 Feb (A. Forster). Savannah Sparrow: 860 at Zellwood 8 Dec (H. Robinson). Grasshopper Sparrow: 8 at Zellwood 3 Dec (H. Robinson). Field Observations 139 Henslow’S Sparrow: 1 at Zellwood 7-19 Jan (H. Robinson et aL); 11 in Alachua 18 Dec- 12 Feb {fide R. Rowan), including 7 at PPSP 20-22 Dec (A. Kent et aL). Le Conte’s Sparrow: 5 at three areas of Zellwood 6-20 Dec (R. Smith et aL, R. and T. Rogers, B. and L. Atherton); 1 at PPSP 20 Dec (A. Kent et aL); 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve 27 Dec (A. Smith, R. Smith, P, Blair). Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 1 at Gulfport 5-18 Dec may be the second Pinellas report (R. Smith et aL). Fox Sparrow: 2 at PPSP 18-22 Dec (A. Kent, J. Hintermister); 1 at Jacksonville 26 Dec (R. Rowan). Song Sparrow: 1 at HISRA 27 Dec (E. Kwater); 6 at Zellwood 5 Feb (H. Robinson). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1 at Lake Placid Scrub Wildlife and Environmental Area {High- lands) 8 Jan (G. McCaskie, M. Patten); 1 at PPSP 31 Jan-2 Feb (B. Ahern et aL); up to 4 at Zellwood to 17 Feb (H. Robinson). Swamp Sparrow: 100 at Zellwood 20 Dec (H. Robinson). White-crowned Sparrow: 51 at Zellwood 3 Feb (H. Robinson); 10 at Cockroach Bay {Hillsborough) 7 Feb (B. and L. Atherton); up to 15 at Talbot Island SP through 20 Feb {fide P. Powell); 4 at EMCA 27 Feb {fide J. Marburger). Dark-eyed JuncO: 1 in Wakulla 31 Jan (J. Epler); 2 wintered at Gainesville (D. Beatty, E. Perry). Snow Bunting: 1 female at Canaveral National Seashore {Brevard) 8 Dec (N. Sekera, D. Novier). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 at Newnans Lake 2 Jan (C. Reno, 1. Fromberg); 1 at Gainesville 22 Jan-14 Feb (S. Hellard). Blue Grosbeak: up to 3 at Zellwood to 5 Feb (H. Robinson et aL). Indigo Bunting: up to 7 at Zellwood to 17 Feb (H. Robinson et aL); 1 in Hillsborough 20 Dec (A. and R. Smith); 1 at Jacksonville 26 Dec (R. Rowan); 1 at Cockroach Bay 7 Feb (B. and L. Atherton). Painted Bunting: 1 female in Hillsborough 20 Dec (A. and R. Smith); 1 at Jacksonville 26 Dec (J. Cocke); 1 at Cross Creek {Alachua) 28 Dec-9 Jan (J. Edwards); up to 4 win- tered at Zellwood (H. Robinson et aL). Dickcissel: up to 4 at Zellwood to 17 Feb (H. Robinson et aL). Bobolink: 1 at Zellwood 20 Dec (L. Atherton). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 female at Hernando Beach 23 Dec (B. Ahern, D. Good- win, B. Pranty); 1 female at HISRA 30 Jan (D. Woodard, E. Kwater); up to 5 wintered at Zellwood (H. Robinson et aL). Rusty Blackbird: 13 in a bayhead at Zellwood 3 Dec (H. Robinson); 38 at Micanopy 19 Dec-EOS (G. Kiltie et aL); 2 at Holiday {Pasco) 31 Dec (P. Young); 5 at FWBSTF to 26 Jan (D. Ware); 2 at Lakeland 28 Jan (E. Kwater). Brewer’s Blackbird: 1 at Lake Seminole {Pinellas) 9 Dec (K. Nelson); 1 at Micanopy 19 Dec (G. Kiltie); 1 at the Wakulla River {Wakulla) 14 Feb (J. Cavanagh). Boat-tailed Grackle: 1 female torreyi at Gainesville 21 Feb (R. Rowan). Shiny CowbirD: 18 at Briggs Nature Center {Collier) 16 Jan (L. Manfredi, B. Pranty et aL); 1 male at Captiva Island {Lee) 26 Jan (V. McGrath), Bronzed Cowbird: 1 at Lassing Park {Pinellas) 19 Dec (D. Wassmer et aL); up to 6 win- tered at Lakeland {fide D. and H. Hull). Brown-headed Cowbird: 3150 at Zellwood 5 Feb (H. Robinson). Baltimore Oriole: 2 females at Fort Walton Beach 21 Dec (L. Fenimore); up to 2 at Zellwood 31 Dec-20 Jan (H. Robinson et aL); 11 wintered at Gainesville (D. Beatty et aL). Pine Siskin: 1 at Holiday 31 Dec (P. Young). Evening Grosbeak: 1 at Havana {Gadsden) 24 December (L. Herring /ide G. Menk). 140 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Contributors; Howard Adams, Brian Ahern, Larry Albright, Beverly Anderson, Bruce Anderson, Brooks Atherton, Lyn Atherton, John Ault, Steve Backes, Linda Baker, Peggy Baker, Dave Barber, Fred Bassett, Pam Beasley, David Beatty, Hal Belcher, Brad Berg- strom, Phil Berry, Wes Biggs, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Paul Blakeburn, Scott Borderieux, Jeff Bouton, Bill Bremser, Michael Britten, Judy Bryan, Pat Burns, Ed Case, Jim Cavanagh, Mike Chakan, Sara Cimbaro, Roger Clark, Julie Cocke, Mitch Coker, Paul Conover, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Dian Devlin, Jack Devlin, Wes Dirks, Mark Dolan, Bill Dowling, Helen Dowling, Jack Dozier, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Scot Duncan, Jane Edwards, John Epler, Mike Esmond, Charlie Ewell, Lenny Fenimore, Nancy Fich- ter, Scott Flamand, Ann Forster, Ike Fromberg, Chuck Geanangel, Nancy Gobris, Dave Goodwin, Rita Grant, Mary Gray, Jon Greenlaw, Steve Gross, A1 Hansen, Bev Hansen, David Harder, Randy Harrison, JoAnn Hartzler, S. Hellard, Bob Henderson, Dale Hend- erson, Larry Herring, Michael Hill, Paul Hinchcliff, John Hintermister, Brett Hoffman, Peter Homann, Brian Hope, Howard Horne, “Hud” Huddleston, Dotty Hull, Hank Hull, Jim Johnson, Dean Jue, Sally Jue, Tom Kennedy, Adam Kent, Bart Kicklighter, Grace Kiltie, 'Helene King, Alan Knothe, Dick Konz, Jim Kopitzke, Andy Kratter, Jerry Krum- mrich, Ed Kwater, Jay La Via, Carmine Lanciani, Mary Landsman, Patrick Leary, Pat Lewis, Micki Lidell, Holly Lovell, Dottie MacVicar, Keith MacVicar, Lome Malo, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, Joy Marburger, Elwood Martin, Anya Mason, Tom Mason, Guy McCaskie, Greg McDermott, Mike McMillian, Gail Menk, Michael Meisenburg, Rick Miller, Don Morrow, Barbara Muschlitz, Kris Nelson, Dick Novier, Julie O’Malley, Joe Ondrejko, Laura Orr, Roy Ozmore, Carol Paine, Tom Palmer, Craig Parenteau, Evelyn Perry, Jim Peterson, Neil Pettis, Mary Jo Pfeiffer, Cheri Pierce, Jerry Pitts, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Cindy Radamaker, Kurt Radamaker, Diane Reed, Martin Reed, Cathy Reno, Bryant Roberts, Sharon Roberts, Harry Robinson, Ron Rogers, Tommie Rogers, Merilu Rose, Rufus Rose, Rex Rowan, Sean Rowe, Joyce Rudd, Fran Rutkovsky, Michael Sam- pere, Roberta Sampere, Charles Sample, Lillian Saul, Earl Scales, Kevin Schnitzius, Kim Schnitzius, Nedra Sekera, Austin Smith, Ron Smith, Lee Snyder, Eric Sperry, Gary Sprandel, Stephen Stedman, Brad Stith, John Sunderslin, Kate Sunderslin, Sam Tagatz, Scotty Tagatz, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Ken Tracey, Curtis Tucker, Melissa Tucker, David Wahl, George Wallace, Carol Ware, Don Ware, Doug Wassmer, Ray Webb, Jim Weimer, Donna Wells, Don Woodard, Paul Young, and Wilf Yusek. Summer 1998 report not published previously: Gray Crowned Crane: 1 at St. Augus- tine {St. Johns) 26-27 Jun had escaped “from a local aviary” (Tom Field, Peggy Powell). Fall 1998 reports not published previously: Egyptian Goose: 7 in flight over Pem- broke Pines {Broward) 26 Nov (Wally George); Sandhill Crane: 1 at Tram Road STF {Leon) 20 Nov (Jim Cavanagh) and 1 at Alligator Point {Franklin) 26 Nov (Jack Dozier). Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662; email billpranty@hotmail.com). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (558 Sunshine Boulevard, Haines City, Florida 33844-9540; email Lcooper298@aol.com), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, email duncan44@juno.com), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15“’ Terrace, Gainesville, Florida 326^9, email rexrowan@emaiLmsn.com), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, email smithowl2 l@aoLcom ). Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor! R. TODD ENGSTROM, Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Associate Editor (for reviews): Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Associate Editor (for technical papers): ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792. Editor of Special Publications! Glen E. Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter! Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee! WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: PETER G. MERRITT (Chair), 8558 SE Sharon Street, Kobe Sound, Florida 33455. Field Observations Committee: Bill Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: H. JAMES SiGSBEE (Chair), 888 Brickell Bay Drive #1711, Miami, Florida 33131. Nominating Committee: JOHN DOUGLAS (Chair), 3675 1st Avenue, NW, Naples, Flor- ida 34120-2709. Records Committee: Reed Bowman (Managing Secretary), Archbold Biological Sta- tion, P. O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger (Co-chair, Cruickshank Award), DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 and Gian Basili (Co-chair, Education Award), Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Suite 110, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Conservation Committee: David Leonard, 220 N.W 14th Avenue, Gainesville, Flor- ida 32601. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 27, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 3 August 1999 Pages 77-140 CONTENTS ARTICLES Occurrence of birds in beach habitat in east-central Florida Eric D. Stolen 77-88 Nesting phenology and cooperative breeding of the Brown-headed Nuthatch in north Florida pinelands Karl E. Miller and Gregory A. Jones 89-94 Feeding ecology of black bears in northwest Florida Marty R. Stratman and Michael R. Pelton 95-102 Observations of a colony of roof-nesting Least Terns, 1988-1997 David K. Voigts 103-108 NOTES Wintering locations of Black Skimmers breeding in the Florida panhandle Gary L. Sprandel, Heather A. Bolte, and Kristoffer T Bowman 109-111 Nest-site characteristics, breeding phenology, and nesting success of American Oystercatchers in Indian River County, Florida Brian Poland 112-116 Recent breeding status of Royal and Sandwich terns in northwest Florida Douglas B. McNair and Jeffery A. Gore 117-120 The herpetofauna of the Doc Thomas House in South Miami, Florida Walter E. Meshaka, Jr 121-123 Long-distance dispersal of a southeastern beach mouse {Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris) at Cape Canaveral, Florida D. M. Oddy, M.A. Hensley, J.A. Provancha, and R. B. Smith.... 124-125 NEWS Theodore H. Below, Elected Honorary Member of the Florida Ornithological Society Glen E. Woolfenden 126-127 REVIEW Florida wildflowers in their natural communities by Walter K. Taylor Carl Weekly 128-129 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Winter Report: December 1998 - February 1999 Bill Pranty 130-140 UH V" lo Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 4 November 1999 Pages 141-194 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: JiM Cox, Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Talla- hassee, Florida 32312-9712. Vice-President: Ann Schnapf, 7217 North Ola Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33604. Secretary: ERIC D. STOLEN, Florida Coop Unit & Dynamic Corp., Dept. Wildlife and Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0450. Treasurer: SEAN RowE, 4845 Rayburn Road, Cocoa, Florida 32926. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2000 Lynn Atherton, 1100 Pinellas Bayway 1-3, Tierra Verde, Florida 33715. Eugene Stoccardo, 2458 Econ Cir. Apt. 132, Orlando, Florida 32817-2653. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2001 Gian Basili, Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Lillian Saul, 5106 Vinson Drive, Tampa, Florida 33610. Directors, Terms Expiring in 2002 Camille Sewell, 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach, Florida 32963. Mike Legare, 3570 Von Stuben Court, Titusville, Florida 32796-1538. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden 1994; Ted Below 1999. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., P.O. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 27, No. 4 November 1999 Pages 141-194 Florida Field Naturalist 27(4): 141-149, 1999. BREEDING ECOLOGY OF THE LEAST BITTERN IN CENTRAL FLORIDA James A. Rodgers, Jr. and Stephen T. Schwikert Bureau of Wildlife Diversity Conservation Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601 Abstract.— Least Bitterns (Ixobrychus exilis) were found to be common residents of the littoral zone of many central Florida lakes but rare or absent at other wetlands, pre- sumably because of lack of suitable emergent vegetation in the littoral zone. Nesting oc- curred most frequently in cattail (Typha sp., 38.2%) and bulrush (Scirpus validus, 52.1%). Water depth under nests averaged 107.16 ± 29.35 cm (range = 38-168 cm, n = 207 nests) but varied among lakes. Nest height above the water averaged 46.8 ± 21.2 cm (range ~ 5- 135 cm, n ~ 207 nests) and was similar among lakes. Clutch, size averaged 4.08 ± 0.59 eggs/nest (range = 2-5, n = 104 nests) and ranged from 3.69 ± 0.48 to 4.35 ± 0.49 among lakes and years. Number of young surviving to 2-weeks of age averaged 1.05 ± 1.62 nest- lings/nest (range = 0-4) and was similar among lakes. Only 47.4% of nests survived to pro- duce nestlings >2-weeks of age. Many nests failed due to wind/wave effects (24.3%) or nest abandonment (23.1%) for unknown reasons. Average hatching date was 29 May on both Lakes Kissimmee and Tohopekaliga. Significant interyear variation in mean hatch dates occurred on Lake Tohopekaliga, Because cattail appears to be an important nesting hab- itat for Least Bitterns and other nesting birds, lake management programs should re-ex- amine the wildlife value of cattail and make accommodation for emergent stands of herbaceous marsh vegetation in the littoral zone of central Florida lakes. Despite the Least Bittern having a widely distributed nesting range in North and South America (Palmer 1962, Gibbs et al. 1992), lit- tie is known about its breeding biology and habitat requirements. The species appeals to be a common breeding bird in the Everglades (Fred- erick et ril LDth I) and the littoral zone of many lakes in peninsular Flor- ida (Rodgers pers. obs.). However, few population estimates exist for Florida because Least Bitterns are the smallest and most secretive of the herons in North America and difficult to accurately census. Despite the Least Bittern’s relative abundance and general distribution, little information is available regarding the species’ demographic character- istics and habitat preferences (e.g., Weller 1961, Gibbs et al. 1992, Post 141 142 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST and Seals 1993, Post 1998), especially in Florida (Frederick et al. 1990). This lack of information resulted in the Least Bittern receiving a high “action score” (a relative measure of how much is known about a species within Florida) of 30 in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserva- tion Commission’s priority listing for vertebrate conservation efforts (Millsap et al. 1990). The objective of our study was to investigate the status, nesting habitat, and demographic characteristics of Least Bitterns at several sites in central Florida. Knowledge of the population limitations, eco- logical specialization, and reproductive potential would help determine if this species needs specific conservation actions. Wetlands in Florida are under continuing threat of conversion or degradation from an ex- panding human population. Knowledge of Least Bittern nesting ecol- ogy will provide a basis for the conservation of the species and its supporting habitat in Florida. Study Area and Methods We surveyed the littoral zone of several lakes, impoundments, and wetlands in cen- tral Florida by airboat or canoe during February through August 1995-97 to locate nest- ing Least Bitterns. Surveys consisted of transects through suitable bittern habitat based on previously published studies (Weller 1961, Gibbs et al. 1992, Post and Seals 1993, Post 1998). Nest locations were mapped using a Global Positioning System unit (model NAV 5000D, Magellan Systems Corporation, San Dimas, California). Bittern nests were individually marked with numbered, colored flagging and visited every 1-2 weeks. Care was taken to reduce disturbance to the breeding bitterns by minimizing nest monitoring during pair-formation and early egg-laying periods. Nests also were visited during cooler morning and late afternoon periods and no visits occurred during inclement weather. The time (<1 minute) spent at each nest was minimized by use of two people to observe and record data, and binoculars were used to monitor nests from a distance when the nestlings were large and capable of leaving the nest. Breeding density was estimated by counting the number of Least Bittern nests along a 2-meter wide by 50-meter transect randomly located in suitable habitat. Areas along the transect devoid of vegetation were not included in the census. Thus, the values re- ported herein are densities of nests per 100 m^of vegetation. Study nests were monitored for standard nesting demographic variables (i.e., clutch size, nesting success, and sources of nest and nestling loss). Nest height, water depth, and nesting substrate also were measured and recorded during the early phase of nest- ing when the nest contained eggs. Because it was difficult to locate the highly mobile and small nestlings among the dense, nonwoody vegetation once they hatched and became mobile, nest success could only be monitored to the second week of age of the first hatchling. Nests that failed with incomplete clutches were included in the calculation of overall nest success, but were not used to calculate clutch size. Whereas, the Ma5dield method has been shown to be superior to traditional estimators of avian survival rates (Hensler and Nichols 1981), we were not always able to attain suggested minimum sample sizes (i.e., 39 nests for a minimum coefficient of variation equal to 0.05). In addition, bittern survival varies considerably during the egg laying to fledging period and would necessi- tate calculation for each 7-14 day period. Instead, we estimated nestling survival rates Breeding Ecology of the Least Bittern 143 as the number of nestlings/clutch. Nestling loss was attributed to starvation when young disappeared in a sporadic pattern rather than all at once; the latter is typical of preda- tion (Howe 1978) or nest abandonment. Data are presented as a mean ± 1 SD. Statistical analyses were performed using the SAS System (SAS Institute Inc. 1990a, 1990b, 1990c). Analyses of reproductive and chro- nological variables were performed only on data sets with >10 nests. Prior to pairwise comparisons, data were tested for normality with the Shapiro-Wilk test using the UNIVARIATE procedure. Parametric statistics (ANOVA for mean comparisons and Fisher’s protected LSD test for pair-wise comparisons) were used if the probability of Shapiro-Wilk test suggested homogeneity of variance for the variable. Nonparametric statistics were used for clutch size and fledging success variables be- cause the data were discrete, exhibited a small range of one to five, and often were not normally distributed. Whereas we have included the mean and one standard deviation values for clutch size and fledgling/nest rates for comparison with the literature, a Pear- son chi-square test was used to analyze differences in these variables. If a chi-square test indicated a significant interlake difference among the samples, then pairwise samples of the data were compared with the Fisher’s exact test. Low frequency (<10) of expected cell counts for some analyses required lumping clutch sizes into small (1 and 2-eggs), me- dium (3-eggs) and large (4 and 5-eggs) categories. Fledging success was analyzed for 0- fledgling, 1-fledgling, 2-fledglings, and >3-fledglings categories. Hatching date was a convenient reference point for comparing breeding chronology be- cause nest building can be variable in length, we minimized nest visitation early in pair formation to reduce disturbance, egg-la3ring dates were not known, and some hatching dates could be determined by back-aging nestlings. Hatching dates, defined as the week of hatching for the first egg in a nest, were grouped by one-week intervals based on visita- tion date and aging of nestlings. ANOVA/Fisher’s protected LSD tests were run on normal or log-transformed hatching date for lake and year comparisons of breeding cycles. We as- sumed independence between lakes and a constant correlation within each lake. Results Breeding density of Least Bitterns averaged 3.16 ± 2.89 nests/100 {n = 107 transects) and ranged from 0 to 12 nests/100 nests among all the wetlands we surveyed in central Florida. Few nests were located at lakes Rosalie {n = 3), Tiger {n = 1)^ Cypress {n = 4), and Mary Jane {n = 2) despite having relatively large amounts of emergent vege- tation in the littoral zone. No nests were located at Alligator Lake (Os- ceola Co.), Lake Gentry (Osceola Co.), Live Oak Lake (Osceola Co.), Brick Lake (Osceola Co.), Buck Lake (Osceola Co.), Lake Hart (Orange Co.), and Lake Nona (Orange Co.). These lakes either lacked suitable cattail/bulrush nesting habitat, had a narrow littoral zone, or the lit- toral zone was altered due to shoreline development. Least Bitterns nested most frequently in cattail (38.2%) and bulrush (52.1%) substrates (Table 1). Nests frequently were found in isolated “is- lands” of cattail and/or bulrush 75-200 m from shore in the deeper re- gions of the littoral zone of Lakes Kissimmee, Marion, and Tohopekaliga. These islands ranged from 25-200 m in width. Many (42.7%) bittern nests were located in colonies of Boat-tailed Crackles (Quiscalus major), and 2.6% of bittern nests were built on abandoned grackle nests. 144 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Percent use of plant species by nesting Least Bitterns on central Flor- ida lakes. Lakes Species® Cypress Kissimmee Marian Tohopekaliga Total Buttonbush 3.4 0.5 (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Bulrush (Scirpus validus) 73.3 55.2 49.0 52.1 Cattail 20.0 17.2 100.0 44.1 38.2 {Typha sp.) Maidencane {Panicum hemitomon) 3.3 24.1 7.0 8.7 Arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia) 3.3 0.5 Number of nests 30 29 5 143 207 ^Frequency of vegetation based on the most dominant species supporting nest structure. Water depth beneath Least Bittern nests averaged 107.2 ± 29.3 cm (range = 38-168 cm, n = 207 nests) but significant (ANOVA, P = 0.001) differences occurred in the mean water depths among lakes (Table 2). Bitterns on Lake Cypress nested in significantly shallower water than birds on both Lakes Kissimmee (Fisher's LSD test, P = 0.0001) and To- hopekaliga (Fisher’s LSD test, P = 0,0001), whereas bitterns on Toho- pekaliga nested in significantly (Fisher’s LSD test, P = 0.0001) shallower water than those on Lake Kissimmee. Nest height above the water averaged 46.8 ± 21.2 cm (range = 5-135 cm, n = 207 nests) and did not vary significantly (ANOVA, P = 0.61) among lakes (Table 3). Least Bittern clutch size averaged 4.08 ± 0.59 eggs/nest (range = 2- 5,n = 104 nests) and did not vary significantly (x^ ~ 1.98, P = 0.37) be- tween Lakes Kissimmee and Tohopekaliga (Table 4). Clutch size did not vary during the breeding season at Lake Kissimmee (ordinary Table 2. Water depth (cm) beneath Least Bittern nests on central Florida lakes. Lake Number Mean + 1 SD Range Cypress 30 66.3 ± 16.1 38-100 Kissimmee 29 134.0 ± 27.6 65-166 Marian 5 92.2 + 7.3 85-105 Tohopekaliga 143 110.8 + 22.9 46-168 Total 207 107.2 + 29.3 38-168 Breeding Ecology of the Least Bittern 145 Table 3. Height above the water of Least Bittern nests on central Florida lakes. Lake Number Mean ± 1 SD Range Cypress 30 49.5 ± 23.9 10-105 Kissimmee 29 43.3 ± 18.9 15-95 Marian 5 54.0+ 15.2 40-70 Tohopekaliga 143 46.7 + 21.3 5-135 Total 207 46.8 + 21.2 5-135 Table 4. Clutch size of Least Bitterns nesting on central Florida lakes. Lake Number Mean + 1 SD Range Kissimmee 20 4.35 + 0.49 4-5 Tohopekaliga 84 4.01 + 0.59 2-5 Total 104 4.08 + 0.59 2-5 least squares regression, = 0.11, P = 0.27) but exhibited a significant seasonal decline (-1.2 eggs/100 days) at Lake Tohopekaliga (R^ ^ 0.21, P - 0.002). The number of young surviving to 2-weeks of age averaged 1.05 ± 1.62 nestlings/nest (range = 0-4, n = 104 nests) and did not vary signif- icantly (x^ - 1.68, P = 0.79) between Lakes Kissimmee and Tohope- kaliga (Table 5). Only 47.4% of nests survived to produce at least one 2- week old nestling (Table 6). Most bittern nesting attempts failed for Table 5. Survivorship to 2-weeks of age for Least Bitterns nesting on central Florida lakes. Lake Number Mean + 1 Std. Dev. Range Kissimmee 20 1.10+ 1.79 0-4 Tohopekaliga 84 1.04+ 1.60 0-4 Total 104 1.05 + 1.62 0-5 Table 6. Frequency (%) and sources of Least Bittern reproductive success and failure on central Florida lakes. Lake^ Abandoned Collapsed Herbicided Depredated Successful Kissimmee 24.1 13.8 0.0 0.0 62.1 Tohopekaliga 22.9 26.4 5.6 0.7 44.4 Total 23.1 24.3 4.6 0.6 47.4 ^Sample sizes are given by lake in Table 4. 146 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST unknown causes before reaching the early nestling phase. However, 24.3% of nests failed because of wind-related collapse (both wind and wave action) of the nesting substrate. Herbiciding of the nesting vege- tation resulted in collapse of 8 (5.6%) nests in cattail during 1997 on Lake Tohopekaliga. Least Bitterns exhibited similar (Fisher’s LSD test, P > 0.05) nest- ing chronology between Lakes Kissimmee and Tohopekaliga (Table 7). However, bitterns on Lake Tohopekaliga nested significantly (Fisher’s LSD test, P = 0.003) earlier in 1995 (mean + sd = 22 May ± 15.67 days, n = 26 nests) than 1996 (13 June ±28,72 days, n = 11 nests); nesting in 1997 (30 May ± 12.88 days, n = 8 nests) was similar (Fisher’s LSD test, P > 0.05) to both 1995 and 1996. Discussion Least Bitterns appear to be a common nesting species of the lit- toral zone of four lakes in central Florida. Bitterns were found to breed as solitary nesters and in loose colonies in regions of cattail/bulrush but not as dense as typical day herons. Kushlan (1973) considered an especially dense nesting assemblage of 11 active nests in 260 m^ (or 4.23 nests/100 m^) of Everglades, which is slightly greater than the av- erage density (3.16 nests/100 m^) we observed on all central Florida lakes. Post and Seals (1993) found low nesting densities in South Caro- lina that averaged 2.90 nests/ha (0.029 nests/100 m^) with the highest density of 13 nests in a 621 m^ cattail island. We also found bitterns nesting in colonies of Boat-tailed Crackles similar to observations re- ported by Bent (1926), Kushlan (1973), Post and Seals (1993), and Post (1998). The lack of bittern nests on six other Florida lakes may have been due to lack of suitable littoral habitat. Frederick et al. (1990) concluded that dense stands of sawgrass (Cladium jamaicencis) and mixed sawgrass-cattail were the most im- portant vegetative classes used by Least Bitterns in the water conser- vation areas (Everglades) of south Florida. Only 8.6% of sighted bitterns were flushed from dense stands of pure cattail during their study (Frederick et al. 1990:6). However, Least Bitterns were common in both pure and mixed stands of cattail and bulrush in central Florida Table 7. Hatching dates for Least Bitterns nesting on central Florida lakes during 1995--1997. Lake Number Mean ± 1 SD Range Kissimmee 13 29 May ± 20.68 days 2 May- 11 July Tohopekaliga 45 29 May ± 20.95 days 18 April- 15 July Total 58 29 May ± 20.91 days 18 April-15 July Breeding Ecology of the Least Bittern 147 lakes during our study. Bent (1926: Massachusetts and Texas) and Post (1998: South Carolina) reported bitterns commonly nested in dense growths of cattail. Weller (1961) also found frequent use of cattail and bulrush habitats by bitterns in central Iowa. Post (1998) reported the average nesting height of 41.0 cm, which is similar to the 46.8 cm aver- age height we found in central Florida. Weller (1961) reported the average clutch size of Least Bitterns in Iowa as 4.48 eggs, Trautman (in Palmer 1962) found an average of 4.39 from Michigan, while Post (1998) reported an average of 3.80 in South Carolina. Only the latter value is similar to the average of 4.08 eggs in our Florida study. Weller (1961) suggested Least Bittern clutch size may increase with latitude in North America, which is typical of many avian species (Klomp 1970, Koenig 1986, Schamel and Tracy 1987). However, we found no evidence that average clutch size was smaller early in the breeding season as suggested by Weller (1961). Post (1998) also found little interyear and seasonal variation in clutch size in South Carolina. Nest success in our study (46.4%) was intermediate to the 20-73% annual reproductive success reported by Weller (1961) and Gibbs et al. (1992). However, the 1.05 nestlings/nest surviving to 2 weeks in central Florida was less than the 2.93 nestlings/nest surviv- ing to 1 week in South Carolina cited by Post (1998). Bent (1926) cited Least Bittern egg dates for Florida ranging from 25 May to 26 June, while Palmer (1962) reported the laying season in Florida was from mid-March to early July. These ranges are similar to the hatching chronology of 18 April to 15 July we found on central Flor- ida lakes. The average dutch completion date of 19 May reported by Post (1998) is only slightly earlier than the average hatch date of 29 May in central Florida. We found the major sources of Least Bittern nesting failure were nest collapse (24.3%), abandonment (23.1%), with little loss attributed to predation (0.6%). These values contrast with the sources of nest col- lapse (32.4%), abandonment (14.7%), and predation ^*^9.4%) identified by Post (1998). We do not know the cause of the large frequency of nest loss attributed to abandonment but these nests ncu have been depre- dated between our visits. The loss of eight Least Bittern nests in cattail sprayed as part of the control of nuisance aquatic plants (both water hyacinth [Eichornia crassipes] and cattail) on Lake Tohopekaliga may be only a small por- tion of the actual loss of nests caused by the state sponsored herbiciding program on the lake. Once the nesting vegetation is sprayed, the plant and nest usually falls over into the water within 14 days. In addition to the bittern nests that failed when the cattail collapsed into the water, numerous nests of Boat-tailed Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds {Age- laius phoeniceus), Purple Gallinule (Porphyrula martinica)^ and Com- 148 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST mon Moorhens {Gallinula chloropus) suffered the same fate. According to both Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission fisheries biologists and South Florida Water Management District personnel we interviewed, dense stands of cattail are considered of little value to fish and wildlife populations. Thus, large cattail islands are systematically sprayed to reduce their area of coverage. This is unfortunate because large cattail islands appear to provide more interior nesting habitat that may be less subject to wave related nest loss. Post (1998) also found cattail islands to be of considerable value to grackles and bitterns in south Carolina. Future lake management should address this di- chotomy between perceived and actual wildlife value of cattail and make accommodation for the value of emergent stands of herbaceous marsh vegetation in the littoral zone of central Florida lakes. Acknowledgments Numerous individuals assisted with the collection of data during this study, espe- cially J. Buntz. S. Linda and R Kubilis provided statistical consultation. This paper is de- rived in part from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission study number 7511. We thank S. A. Nesbitt, J. A. Gore, D. A. Wood, and especially W. Post and S. Melvin for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. Literature Cited Bent, A. C. 1926. Life histories of North American marsh birds. United States National Museum Bulletin 135. Frederick, P. C., N. Dwyer, S. Fitzerald, and R. E. Bennetts. 1990. Relative abun- dance and habitat preferences of Least Bitterns {Ixobrychus exilis) in the Everglades. Florida Field Naturalist 18:1-9. Gibbs, J. P., F. A. Reid, and S. M. Melvin. 1992. Least Bittern. In The birds of North America, No. 17 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Hensler, G. L. and j. D. Nichols. 1981. The Mayfield method of estimating nesting suc- cess: a model, estimators and simulation results. Wilson Bulletin 93:42-53. Howe, H. F. 1978. Egg size, hatching synchrony, sex, and brood reduction in the Common Grackle. Ecology 57:1195-1207. Klomp, H. 1970. The determination of clutch size in birds. Ardea 58:1-124. Koenig, W. D. 1986. Geographic variation in clutch size in the Northern Flicker (Co- laptes auratus): support for Ashmole’s hypothesis. Auk 101:698-706. Kushlan, j. a. 1973. Least Bittern nesting colonially. Auk 90:685-686. Millsap, B. a., j. a. Gore., D. E. Runde, and S. I. Cerulean. 1990. Setting priorities for the conservation of fish and wildlife species in Florida. Wildlife Monograph 111:1-57. Palmer, R. S. (Ed.). 1962. Handbook of North American birds. Volume 1. Yale University Press, New Haven. Post, W. 1998. Reproduction of Least Bitterns in a managed wetland. Colonial Water- birds 21:268-273. Post, W., and C, A. Seals. 1993. Nesting associations of Least Bitterns and Boat-tailed Grackles. Condor 95:139-144. SAS Institute Inc. 1990a. SAS procedures guide, version 6. Cary, North Carolina: SAS Institute Incorporated. Breeding Ecology of the Least Bittern 149 SAS Institute Inc. 1990b. SAS/STAT user’s guide, version 6, volume 1. Cary, North Carolina: SAS Institute Incorporated. SAS Institute Inc. 1990c. SAS/STAT user’s guide, version 6, volume 2. Cary, North Carolina: SAS Institute Incorporated. Schmael, D., and D. M. Tracy, 1987. Latitudinal trends in breeding Red Phalaropes. Journal of Field Ornithology 58:126-134. Weller, M. W. 1961. Breeding biology of the Least Bittern. Wilson Bulletin 73:11-33. Florida Field Naturalist 27(4):150-162, 1999. MONITORING THE EXPANDING RANGE OF COYOTES IN FLORIDA: RESULTS OF THE 1997-98 STATEWIDE SCENT STATION SURVEYS Main\ M. B., P. B. Walshs K. M. Portiere and S. F. Coates^ ^Southwest Florida Research and Education Center Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida, IFAS 2686 State Rd. 29 North, Immokalee, Florida 34142 ^OLADET 1, 3470GICEVN 29 South Boulevard, Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida 33825 ^Department of Statistics, University of Florida, IFAS RO. Box 110339, Gainesville, Florida 32611 Abstract. — The distribution of the coyote (Canis latrans) has expanded throughout much of peninsular Florida during recent decades. Neither the rate of this expansion nor the implications of increasing numbers of coyotes to native wildlife are known. This study represents the first attempt to document and quantify coyote distribution in Flor- ida and the effects of expanding coyote populations on three native predators — gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcat (Felis rufus), and raccoon {Procyon lotor). During February-March 1997 and 1998 we documented the presence of coyotes in 14 of 19 coun- ties surveyed {n = 830 scent stations) and recorded a mean coyote visitation rate of 3.3% among the 622 scent stations monitored during both years. Visitation rates by coyotes did not differ between years, nor did visits by coyotes influence visits to scent stations by fox, bobcats, or raccoons. The low numbers of coyotes detected at scent stations indicate coyote populations remain low or that our survey methods were not sensitive enough to detect changes between years. Expansion of the range of coyotes into the southeastern United States has been well-documented (Paradiso 1966, Richens and Hugie 1974) and is thought to have occurred from 1940's through 1970 (Gip- son 1978). Today, coyotes are well established throughout the south- eastern United States (Crawford et al. 1993). The relatively recent increase in sightings of coyotes in central and southern Florida is be- lieved to be the result of natural range expansion and intentional in- troductions (Layne 1997, Maehr et al. 1996). Although several cases were documented where small numbers of coyotes (4-30) were inten- tionally released into Florida by hunters between 1925-1950 (Hill et al. 1987, Layne 1997), the influence of introductions on current day popu- lations of coyotes in Florida is unknown. Consistent with an eastward expansion, information on the distri- bution of coyotes in Florida suggest numbers of coyotes are greatest in the northwestern portion of the state, but are increasing southward into peninsular Florida (Brady and Campell 1983, Coates et al. 1998, 150 Expanding Range of Coyotes in Florida 151 Maehr et al. 1996, Wooding and Hardisky 1990). To date, documenta- tion of coyote populations in Florida has been limited to mail surveys (Brady and Campell 1983, Wooding and Hardisky 1990) and a sign sur- vey conducted on several large parcels in southern Florida (Maehr et al. 1996). No systematic surveys using scent stations or other means to document the distribution of coyotes in Florida have been reported in the literature. Consequently, base-line data for monitoring the in- crease of coyotes or their potential effect on other medium-sized preda- tors is lacking. The objective of this paper is to report the results of a two-year systematic, scent station survey on the relative abundance and distribution of coyotes and three medium-sized predators, the gray fox, bobcat, and raccoon in peninsular Florida. Methods We arranged for scent station surveys to be conducted by state, federal, and private sector cooperators in 19 Florida counties during February-March 1997 and 1998 (Fig. 1, Table 1). We conducted surveys during February-March because coyotes typically are mobile and responsive to odor attractants during this period due to behaviors associated with their reproductive cycle (R. McBride, personal communication). Coyotes typically whelp in May-June in the United States (Kennelly 1978) and information obtained from coyote carcasses suggests reproductive patterns of coyotes are similar in Florida (M. Main, unpublished data). We supplied cooperators with survey kits that included survey protocol, attractant- treated discs, rubber gloves, and survey and location data sheets. Using the protocol we provided, cooperators selected scent station locations, prepared tracking surfaces, and monitored scent stations for coyote, fox, bobcat, and raccoon tracks. We used modified methods of Linhart and Knowlton (1975) to conduct scent station surveys. Cooperators es- tablished permanent scent stations >1.6 km apart along the sides of secondary roads and trails in all habitats, but predominantly in pine {Pinus elliottii, P. palustris), prairie, and other open habitats including agriculture. To the extent possible, scent stations were es- tablished in a systematic grid covering each cooperating study area. Vegetation was clas- sified at each study area according to the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (1990) plant community classification system. Stations were uniquely numbered and established in lo- cations that were described in sufficient detail to make future surveys possible. Tracking surfaces at each scent station were 1-m diameter circles raked clean of veg- etation and debris and brushed smooth with a soft-bristle brush or covered with sifted soil using 0.3-0. 6 cm framed hardware cloth to facilitate track identification. We used Fatty Acid Scent (FAS, Pocatello Supply Depot, Pocatello, Idaho), a commercial attrac- tant impregnated into small plaster disks, as the odor attractant at scent stations. Scent baits were kept in airtight bags and removed with forceps or gloves and placed in the center of the scent station. Scent baits were used only once. Scent stations were in- spected the following day by cooperators who identified and recorded tracks within the 1- m scent station circle. Evidence of visitation for each species was recorded as a single an- imal regardless of the number of tracks observed. The proportion of visits to total number of scent stations was calculated for each spe- cies at each cooperating study area as an index to relative abundance. Stations that were unreadable due to weather, trampling, or other factors, were eliminated from analyses. If >50% of the scent stations from a study area were unreadable the survey was either re- peated using new scent baits or the study area was eliminated from analyses. Survey re- 152 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST ID Participating Study Areas * 1 Eglin Air Force Base * 2 Tyndall Air Force Base * 3 Caravella WMA * 4 Lake George WMA 5 Tiger Bay WMA * 6 Seminole Forest WMA * 7 Rock Springs Run WMA 8 Little Big Econlockhatchee WMA 9 Tosohatchee WMA * 10 Half Moon WMA * 11 Croom WMA 12 Chinsegut Wildlife S. Environmental Area 13 Chassahowitzka WMA * 14 Green Swamp West •k 15 Hilochee WMA 16 Triple N Ranch WMA 17 Three Lakes WMA 18 Kicco WMA * 19 Walk-in-the-Water WMA * 20 Arbuckle WMA * 21 Avon Park Air Force Bombing Range 22 Highlands Hammock State Park 23 MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center 24 Archbold Biological Station 25 Myakka River State Park * 26 Myakka River State Forest * 27 GDC RV Griffin Reserve 28 Babcock Webb WMA 29 Corkscrew Regional Watershed 30 Picayune Strand State Fores! 31 Big Cypress National Preserve ’ study areas at which coyotes were recorded during scent station surveys Fig. 1. Participating study areas where scent surveys were conducted during 1997 or 1998. Study area boundaries and locations were established using state geographic information system coverages. suits were compiled from all study areas during both years. Analyses of data from study areas that successfully collected data during both 1997 and 1998 were used to evaluate whether 1) visits to scent stations by coyotes significantly increased or decreased be- tween years and, 2) whether visits to scent stations by coyotes were negatively or posi- tively related to visits by raccoons, fox, or bobcats. Study areas consisting of only one year of data were eliminated from comparisons between years to avoid bias. Visitation rates for each species at each study area were treated as estimated binomial proportions. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear model (SAS) that allowed comparison of binomial proportions between years for each species for those study areas with data for both 1997 and 1998, despite different numbers of scent stations at some study areas dur- ing each year (Nelder and Wedderburn 1972). To evaluate whether a relationship existed between visitation rates to scent stations by coyotes and other predators, coyotes were added to the general linear model as a covariate in the analyses of between year visits by fox, bobcats, and raccoons. Analyses of the generalized linear model with both Chi- square and approximate F-test statistics produced identical results, so only F-test statis- tics are reported. Table 1. Summary of counties^ study areas, and cooperators participating in scent station surveys and the proportion of scent stations visited by coyotes, foxes, bobcats and raccoons at each study area during 1997 and 1998. Data recorded as NA (not avail- able) for study areas and years when surveys were not successfully conducted. Expanding Range of Coyotes in Florida 153 ® d o o ® -43 o « ^ m m u a o o Q a m d d o O o o o o to ^ 3 g o o o o u m O a 0 Q 0 0 4.3 m 4J d s 02 fa 4.J d S bfl u & Q) B d +3 A ^ cd I ■5 m m P S d C« o o •c o m fa p 0 c« g ^ |^§ > P P ^ GJ 1 I fa m P o fa :2 m m . m o “Si) o ^MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center (Affiliate of ABS). “Florida Dept, of Environmental Protection. ^^St. Johns River Water Management District. “Mean proportion of visits to available scent stations. “Standard deviation of the mean. Table 1* (Continued) Summary of counties, study areas, and cooperators participating in scent station surveys and the propor- tion of scent stations visited by coyotes, foxes, bobcats and raccoons at each study are-a during 1997 and 1998. Data recorded as NA (not available) for study areas and years when surveys were not successfully conducted. 154 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST o o Q 0) d O O (B ^ CO d u 0) a o o O d CO ^ CO 05 t> O ^ ^ rH O rH ^ ^ d d do d ^ t-H t> O 00 o o ro do odd o o o Q O O O on o o o ^ q q o o q ^ o o o ^ t- o o o q o q o o o o ^qo oo q ^ ^ o o ^ o o o o o o d O HO to O iO lO to o ^ o o o o o ^ t3 ^ d d d q d cd cd o d d d 03 ^ ?-i 5-1 0) 4) 03 0) P W K K m w d d S ? hD hD K £ d pS M) d ffl P O P :§ P ^ rfi O W P P £> f S m ^ 2 cd d "2 -d q a o o ® w 6 2 p q _ ^ g q Ih 0 pd Is 4J a 0) P ■o p pS Expanding Range of Coyotes in Florida 155 ^MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center (Affiliate of ABS). “Florida Dept, of Environmental Protection. “St. Johns River Water Management District. “Mean proportion of visits to available scent stations. “Standard deviation of the mean. Table 1. (Continued) Summary of counties, study areas, and cooperators participating in scent station surveys and the propor- tion of scent stations visited by coyotes, foxes, bobcats and raccoons at each study area during 1997 and 1998. Data recorded as NA (not available) for study areas and years when surveys were not successfully conducted. 156 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST g m O) d ^■2 4 " 2 M Sin o -t-i cd 5-1 0) a o o o oi 00 00 O CO tH o o o o S S O O CD ^ *^^00 d d d d ^ ^ CO O O o d d o o o ^ ^ e-i "1 O O ^ 2^22 ooq^ o 2 < > « o CM CM d d lO i> o o l> Od o o CO ® o o o 0) o 0) i^Florida Dept, of Environmental Protection. i^St. Johns River Water Management District. ^^Mean proportion of visits to available scent stations. ^^Standard deviation of the mean. 158 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Results Cooperators included 7 state and 2 federal agencies, and 1 non-gov- ernmental organization that monitored 830 scent stations at 31 study areas during 1997-1998 (Table 1). Study areas were located in 19 coun- ties, primarily in central and southern Florida (Fig. 1). The number of study areas that completed surveys and total number of scent stations differed between years and included 25 study areas {n = 437 scent sta- tions during 1997) and 24 study areas {n = 393 scent stations during 1998) (Table 1). Coyotes were documented at 59 of the 830 scent sta- tions during the 1997-98 surveys, confirming their presence at 16 study areas in 14 counties. Numbers of coyotes, fox, and bobcats re- corded at scent stations were similar during both years (Table 1). Six of the cooperators that participated during 1998 did not participate dur- ing 1997 and eight of the original cooperators from 1997 did not com- plete surveys during 1998 due to extremely wet conditions associated with El Nino weather events. Seventeen study areas successfully completed consecutive surveys during both years {n = 320 stations; median survey date 25 February 1997; n = 302 stations; median survey date 25 March 1998). Overall rates of visitation to scent stations by coyotes were low Only 21 visits by coyotes were recorded for 622 scent stations at study areas that con- ducted surveys during both 1997 and 1998, resulting in a mean visita- tion rate of 3.3%. Despite a 175% increase in the rate of visits by coyotes and a 123% increase in the rate of visits by fox during 1998, visitation rates did not differ statistically between years for coyotes, fox, bobcats, or raccoons (Table 2). There was no relationship detected between rate of visitation by coyotes and rates of visitation by fox, bob- cats, or raccoons (Table 2). Discussion Coyotes have expanded their range into peninsular Florida (Maehr et al. 1996) and have been reported as far south as southern Collier County (M. Owens, personal communication). Increased numbers of coyote sightings and reports of damage to livestock from cattle ranch- ers suggests coyote populations have increased in south Florida during recent years (Layne 1997, M. Fanning, personal communication) and may continue to increase in Florida as they have done elsewhere in the southeastern United States (Crawford et al. 1993). Information that si- multaneously monitors coyote populations and the populations of other native predators will provide valuable insight as to the potential eco- logical effects that coyotes may exert on native fauna and on Florida ecosystems should coyote densities increase in the future. Expanding Range of Coyotes in Florida 159 1 ® g 1 $ g 3 ^ o ® ^ 05 © - 'S H ^ O 0 ^ « o 1 i ® SH bfi .S ® .S 3 M £ ^ ^ P © d "C >13 H 0 o § 3 © 'o ^ O *S-5;S M >, d « © © ^ s 3 © © ® M 'S -53 g 5 -4* 2 d r O ® ^ sh § SI 1 “ ;»1 ^ ^ 6 3 « o m ^ 0 4^ .S ■+^ g ^ d s © +* o *3 b -S m © -M d fl o » © ■** © o Q sw O w ■+S O © © fi d .® 1 1 S © ’> © Q) d ® B © ^ TO cd d ft .9 , ® © O o © ft m 5-1 Q d o m Q) O CJ ft d d o d M 5 o O !>• CQ G5 oq o o d o o o o io a^ T-l CO O 05 CO ea 00 o t- O no CO 05 LO , CO oq ® (» q CO odd ^ i> eq C- 05 00 o o o o 00 cq o ^ la rH G la o o o o CO rH LO 05 d kO lO CO t> © d o d o o o O Q O TO o fe m « © N 'to 5h © d bfl © CO o © ft m © CO © -p !1 'g S "d d a g ^ ^ o d d X S ^ ,o © S ^ S © ^ 4J g, i! o o 9 a 9 160 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Potential effects of increasing coyote populations on native preda- tors in Florida, such as fox, bobcat, and raccoon, can only be speculated upon at this time. It is known from other studies that coyotes compete for food resources with gray fox (Cypher 1993, Smith and Danner 1990) and coyotes also have been documented as direct sources of mortality to gray and red fox (Dekker 1989, Wooding 1994). The potential exists, therefore, for coyote populations to exert a negative influence on exist- ing populations of gray fox in Florida. As opportunistic predators of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and small mammals, coy- otes also have the potential to compete with bobcats. The omnivorous diet of the coyote provides a competitive edge over the bobcat, an obli- gate carnivore (Wassmer et al. 1988). The influence of coyotes upon rac- coon populations is likely to be less intense, as both species have catholic diets, high reproductive potential, and raccoons coexist throughout the range of the coyote. Our study confirmed the presence of coyotes at 16 of the 31 study areas, 14 of which occur in peninsular Florida (Fig. 1). The absence of coyotes at some study areas does not necessarily indicate coyotes do not occur in these areas, but provides baseline data that suggests coy- ote densities are not high. Hence, even the failure to record coyotes at study areas provides important baseline data for monitoring coyote populations at these sites. Results also confirmed that coyotes were us- ing the same habitats used by fox, bobcat, and raccoon. The rate of vis- itation by coyotes to scent stations was low (mean = 3.3%) and, although the number of coyotes that visited scent stations increased during 1998 by 175%, this increase was not significant due to the low overall rate of visitation. Our results suggested that coyotes currently exist at low numbers in south and central Florida, or that our survey techniques were not sensitive enough to adequately measure population trends and should be modified to increase sample size by extending the length of time that scent stations remain active. The same recommendations apply for de- tecting changes in population trends for fox, bobcats, and raccoons. We recommend future surveys check scent stations both at 1- and 5-day in- tervals after scent station establishment. Modifying surveys in this manner will provide data that can be compared with the 1997-98 sur- veys (1-day check) while providing a new set of data (5-day check) that will be more sensitive to detecting coyote presence and, therefore, more sensitive to measuring future changes in abundance of coyotes and other species. We also recommend expanding the survey to include ad- ditional study areas. Finally, we recommend continued cooperation in maintaining a long-term scent station survey program to monitor the relationship between populations of coyotes and other predators in Florida. Data from long term monitoring efforts may provide insight Expanding Range of Coyotes in Florida 161 into competitive interactions and provide the basis for hypothesis test- ing through ecological studies should relationships in population sizes between coyotes and other predators change in the future. Acknowledgments We thank the many cooperators listed in Table 1 who are making this statewide sur- vey possible. We also thank the U.S. Air Force wildlife management program for providing the funding to purchase and mail scent baits to cooperators. We thank two anonymous re- viewers for useful comments on the manuscript. This paper is a contribution (Journal Se- ries No. R-06748) of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Literature Cited Brady, J. R., and H. W. Campbell. 1983. Distribution of coyotes in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 11:40-41. Coates, S. F., M. B. Main, J. J. Mullahey, J. M. Schaefer, G. W. Tanner, M. E. Sun- DQUIST, and M. D. Fanning. 1998. The coyote (Canis latrans): Florida’s newest pred- ator. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science WEC-124;l-7. Crawford, B. A., M. R. Pelton, and K. G. Johnson. 1993. Techniques to monitor rela- tive abundance of coyotes in east Tennessee. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 47:62-70. Cypher, B. L. 1993. Food item use by three sympatric canids in southern Illinois. Trans- actions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 86:139-144. Dekker, D. 1989. Population fluctuations and spatial relationships among wolves, Canis lupus, coyotes, Canis latrans, and red foxes, Vulpes vulpes, in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Canadian Field-Naturalist 103:261-264. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 1990. Guide to the natural communities of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, The Nature Conservancy, Tallahassee. Gipson, P. S. 1978. Coyotes and related Canis in the southeastern United States with a comment on Mexican and Central American Canis. Pp. 191-208, in Coyotes: biology, behavior, and management (M. Bekoff, Ed.). Academic Press, New York. Hill, E. P., P. W. Sumner, J. B. Wooding. 1987. Human influences on range expansion of coyotes in the southeast. Wildlife Society Bulletin 15:521-524. Kennelly, j. j. 1978. Coyote reproduction. Pp. 73-93, in Coyotes: biology, behavior, and management (M. Bekoff, Ed.). Academic Press, New York. Layne, j. N. 1997. Nonindigenous mammals. Pp. 157-186, in Strangers in paradise: im- pact and management of nonindigenous species in Florida (D. Simberloff, D. Schmitz, and T. Brown, Eds.). Island Press, Washington, D.C. Linhart, S. B. and F. F. Knowlton. 1975. Determining the relative abundance of coy- otes by scent station lines. Wildlife Society Bulletin 3:119-124. Maehr, D. S., R. T. McBride, and J. M. Mullahey. 1996. Status of coyotes in south Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 24:101-107. Nelder, j. a., and R. W. M. Wedderburn. 1972. Generalized linear models. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A 135:370-384. Paradiso, j. L. 1966. Recent records of coyotes, Canis latrans, from the southeastern United States. Southwest Naturalist 11:500-501. Richens, V. B., and R. D. Hugie. 1974. Distribution, taxonomic status, and characteris- tics of coyotes in Maine. Journal of Wildlife Management 38:447-454. Smith, N. S., and D. A. Danner 1990. Gray fox diets relative to presence of coyotes and cattle grazing. Pp. 144-150, in Managing wildlife in the southwest (P. R. Krausmann and N. W Smith, Eds.). Ariz. Chap. The Wildlife Soc., Phoenix. 162 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Wooding, J. B. 1994. Coyote food habits and the spatial relationship of coyotes and foxes in Mississippi and Alabama. M.S. thesis, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Wooding, J. B., and T. S. Hardisky. 1990. Coyote distribution in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 18(1):12-14. Wassmer, D. a., D. D. Guenther, and J. N. Layne. 1988. Ecology of the bobcat in south- central Florida. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 33:159-228. NOTES Florida Field Naturalist 27(4): 163-166, 1999. BREEDING STATUS OF BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES AT SX VINCENT ISLAND, FRANKLIN COUNTY, FLORIDA Douglas B. McNairs and Thomas E. Lewis^ ^Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive Tallahassee, Florida 32312-0918 ^St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, RO. Box 447, Apalachicola, Florida 32329-0447 The dark-eyed form of the Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major westoni) reaches the western limit of its breeding range on St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, Florida (the pale-eyed subspecies Q. m, alabamensis nests sporadically in northwest Florida, after a gap of about 200 km in the species breeding range; Stevenson 1981, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). The status of the extreme western populations of Q. m. westoni has never been assessed. We confirmed breeding activity by Boat-tailed Crackles at six localities on St. Vincent Island in 1995-1997 and censused populations at two of these localities in 1995 and 1996. Finally, we also measured nest-site characteristics of Boat- tailed Crackle nests. We conducted complete nest searches of Boat-tailed Crackles at the two major locali- ties (Oyster Pond, Dry Bar East) in 1995-1996, and at Dry Bar Central in 1995 and Lake-3 in 1996 (Fig. 1). We visited nests three to four times from late March to early May; the timing of our nest visits was similar in both years at the two major localities. Our complete counts of nests represent the number of breeding females at these sites during the first breeding cycle (Post 1995, Post et al. 1996). At other localities or in other years, we estimated colony size by the maximum number of females that we counted at each site each year. We recorded clutch size for complete nests and calculated the date of clutch initiation. The estimated date of clutch initiation was equal to the date the clutch was collected minus clutch size plus one day. Additional days were subtracted from this date according to the estimation of Boat-tailed Crackle incubation time elapsed: fresh = 0, slight = 2, advanced = 10, unknown = 7 (half of incubation period of 13 days; Post et al. 1996). We also backdated nests discovered during the nestling stage by estimating the age of young from a nestling period of 13-14 days (Bancroft 1984, Post et al. 1996). Boat-tailed Crackles on St. Vincent Island nested only in marshes over standing water. At Oyster Pond, we located 26 nests (three colonies) in 1995 and 14 nests (one col- ony) in 1996, and at Dry Bar East, 16 nests (one colony) in 1995 and 14 nests (one col- ony) in 1996. We located 9 nests (one colony) at Dry Bar Central in 1995 and 10 nests (two colonies) at Lake-3 in 1996. Mean colony size was 9.9 ± 3.9 nests (range: 5-16; n ~ 9), which agrees closely with mean colony size described by Post (1995). We confirmed breeding at Lake-3 in 1995, Dry Bar Central in 1996, and Mallard Slough (Taylor Lake) in 1997, but our counts of nests at these sites were incomplete. We also observed female grackles throughout the breeding season at an active alligator {Alligator mississippien- sis) hole at Dry Bar West in 1995-1997; our maximum count was 9 females (1995). We also watched females building nests in 1995 and bringing food to young in 1996 at this site. At Lake-5, we observed female grackles in 1995, but did not detect any breeding evidence. Taken together, complete counts of nests at four localities (Oyster Pond, Dry 163 164 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 1. Map of six confirmed Boat-tailed Grackle breeding localities on St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, Florida from 1995-1997. Approximate location of individual colony sites is denoted by large dark circles. Bar East, Dry Bar Central, Lake-3), a late count of nests at Mallard Slough, and a max- imum count of females at Dry Bar West suggest that the total breeding population on St. Vincent Island is about 70 female grackles. Mean clutch size of Boat-tailed Grackles on St. Vincent Island was 2.71 + 0.46 (range: 2-3; n = 28), which is very similar to mean clutch size in marshes of peninsular Florida and South Carolina (Post 1995, Post et al. 1996). Mean date of clutch initiation was 15 April ±11 days {n = 63) and was significantly different by year (1995: 8 April ± 9 days [n - 33]; 1996: 22 April ± 9 days [n = 30]; Mest = 5.73, df = 61, P < 0.001). The two-week delay in breeding in 1996 was probably attributable to a cold winter and early spring. Mean date of clutch initiation (both years) for the first breeding cycle on St. Vincent Island was about two weeks later than in peninsular Florida or South Carolina (Post 1995, Post et al. 1996), and about one week later than Louisiana (Mcllhenny 1937). Boat-tailed Grackles nested primarily in cattails {Typha spp.) and sawgrass {Cla- dium jamaicense) on St. Vincent Island (94 of 102 nests, 92%). All nests at Oyster Pond were in cattails, and almost all nests at Dry Bar and Lake-3 were in sawgrass. The remaining nests were in black needlerush {Juncus roemerianus). Nests built in cattails and sawgrass differed in five of six nest-site characteristics: height of eggs above ground, nest outside depth, water depth, distance to open water, and distance to near- Notes 165 est-neighbor nest (within colony) (Table 1). Nest height did not change as the season progressed (linear regression, R = 0.00, P > 0.05, n = 54), although the maximum height of vegetation did (linear regression, R - 0.30, P < 0.05). Fewer females nested at Oyster Pond in 1996 compared to 1995 which probably was attributable to a decrease in preferred nesting habitat. Grackles nested farther away from open water in 1996 than in 1995 it = 7.79, P < 0.001) because of the effects pre- scribed-burns had on the distribution and growth of cattails along the edge of open water. Two years of vegetative growth had accumulated along the edge when Oyster Pond was prescribed-burned in January 1995, when all cattails were burned except along open water. Oyster Pond was prescribe-burned again in February 1996, when approximately 25% of the cattails burned but this included the older growth along the edge of open water. In 1997, Oyster Pond was not prescribe-burned and Boat-tailed Grackles again nested along the edge of open water where two years of vegetation had accumulated. Boat-tailed Grackles prefer nesting in cattails where older vegetation has accumulated, especially early in the breeding season (Post 1995, Post et al. 1996). Oyster Pond is currently being restored from a freshwater impoundment to a natural low-salinity brackish marsh. The use of prescribed burns is one component of the pro- cess to reduce cattails and promote a natural vegetative community (Clewell 1981, Moore 1992). While both historical and current populations of Boat-tailed Grackles have nested in cattails at Oyster Pond, reversion or partial reversion to sawgrass will provide favorable habitat. Whereas cattails and sawgrass are numerous at Dry Bar East and Lake-3, all but one grackle nest was found in sawgrass. Mcllhenny (1937) stated that Boat-tailed Grackles preferred nesting in sawgrass early in the breeding season in Lou- isiana. Nests in sawgrass are lower and not as deep or as bulky as they are in cattails (Mcllhenny 1937, Post et al. 1996, this study). Thus, nests are probably better hidden in older growth of sawgrass, at least early in the breeding season (Mcllhenny 1937, McNair pers. obs.). Compared with nests in sawgrass, nests in cattails also were placed over deeper water and farther away from open water and from nearest conspecific nests. These nest-site differences may reflect different responses to predators in the two habi- tat types (Dunham 1990). Predation is the primary source of mortality to nests (Post 1995), although ground predators may be deterred by alligators that occupy the nesting areas (Post and Seals 1993, Post 1995, Post et al. 1996). Boat-tailed Grackle (Q. m. Table 1. Characteristics of Boat-tailed Grackle nests in cattails and sawgrass at St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, Florida, 1995-1996. Nest-Sites Cattail Sawgrass Parameter Mean ± SD (n) Mean ± SD (n) T-test P Distance to open water (m) 7.23 ± 7.84 (29) 0.57 ± 0.3 (42) 5.53 < 0.001 Water depth (cm) 58.93 ± 19.22 (30) 33.64 ± 13.21(42) 6.62 < 0.001 Height of eggs above water (cm) 61.47+ 11.68 (30) 52.38 ± 17.95 (42) 2.43 <0.05 Nest outside depth (cm) 19.80 ±3.16 (30) 15.69 + 3.17 (42) 5.44 < 0.001 Maximum height of vegetation (cm) 132.03 ± 18.26 (30) 123.71 ± 23.34 (42) 1.63 >0.05 Distance to nearest neighbor (m) 4.11 + 2.33(19) 2.33 ± 1.78 (39) 3.22 <0.01 166 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST westoni) populations at marshes on St. Vincent Island are stable, and as long as alliga- tors remain, grackles should continue nesting at the western limit of their breeding range in Florida. In summary, the total breeding population of Boat-tailed Grackles {Q. m. westoni) on St. Vincent Island is about 70 females. Grackles nested only in marshes where breeding was confirmed at six localities. Most nest-site characteristics in cattails and sawgrass were different; most differences probably reflect differences in vegetation structure, and may be related to selection for predator avoidance behavior. Eventual reversion of Oys- ter Pond, one of two major breeding localities, from a manipulated freshwater cattail impoundment to a natural brackish marsh dominated by sawgrass could benefit Boat- tailed Grackle populations on St. Vincent Island. Acknowledgments. — We thank P. A, Lang, GIS coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Panama City office, for producing the map used in Figure 1, and K. Miller, W Post, and an anonymous individual for their reviews of the manuscript. Literature Cited Bancroft, G. T. 1984. Growth and sexual dimorphism of the Boat-tailed Grackle. Con- dor 86:423-432. Clewell, a. F. 1981. Natural setting and vegetation of the Florida panhandle: an ac- count of the environments and plant communities of northern Florida west of the Su- wannee River. Volume 1. Report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile. Dunham, M. L. 1990. Nest-site selection by Boat-tailed Grackles. Wilson Bulletin 102:702-706. McIlhenny, E. a. 1937. Life history of the Boat-tailed Grackle in Louisiana. Auk 54:274- 295. Moore, R. H. 1992. Low-salinity backbays and lagoons. Pages 541-614 in Biodiversity of the southeastern United States: aquatic communities (C. T Hackney, S. M. Adams, and W. H. Martin, Eds.). John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. Post, W. 1995. Reproduction of female Boat-tailed Grackles: comparisons between South Carolina and Florida. Journal of Field Ornithology 66:221-230. Post, W., J. P. Poston, and G. T. Bancroft. 1996. Boat-tailed Grackle {Quiscalus ma- jor). In The birds of North America, no. 207 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.), Academy of Nat- ural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Post, W., and C. A. Seals. 1993. Nesting associations of Least Bitterns and Boat-tailed Grackles. Condor 95:139-144. Stevenson, H. M. 1981. Status of the Boat-tailed Grackle in the Florida Panhandle. Florida Field Naturalist 9:34-37. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Florida Field Naturalist 27(4); 167-170, 1999. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS AT NOCTURNAL ROOST SITES IN SAVANNAS Douglas B. McNair Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee Florida 32312-0918 The status and activities of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in the longleaf pine ecosystem are not well understood. In longleaf pine forest, Red-winged Blackbirds (mostly females) occur infrequently and in low numbers during winter, when they are primarily opportunistic predators on seeds of open cones, an irregular resource (McNair in press). The occurrence of Red-winged Blackbirds in savannas has never been documented. My major objective is to document that Red-winged Blackbirds roost in savannas of the longleaf pine ecosystem. I also evaluate the structure of several noctur- nal roost sites. Red-winged Blackbirds have not been previously documented to roost in savannas of the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem or other native upland grass- land habitats in the southeastern United States (Meanley 1965, 1971; Yasukawa and Searcy 1995). The Apalachicola District of the Apalachicola National Forest contains 2,329 ha of savannas, the highest concentration of native upland grasslands in northwestern Flor- ida. These open treeless areas are normally water saturated for < 3 months/year (Frost et al. 1986). More than 95% of these savannas are concentrated around Sumatra and Wilma. I observed Red-winged Blackbirds fly in to roost near dusk or fly out of roosts at dawn in six savannas (concentrated along Liberty County road 379 and forest service roads 123 and 180, about 10 km north of Sumatra) on almost a daily basis during the winter of 1994-1995, but few of my observations were detailed. In two subsequent win- ters (1995-1996, 1996-1997), I counted nocturnal winter roosts of Red-winged Black- birds on a more systematic basis. In 1995-1996, 1 conducted 25 counts from mid-October to late March, in 1996-1997, 19 counts. Most larger, permanent winter roosts occurred in two of the larger savannas and I focused on these. Savanna 76A (stand 35), 66 ha, located in forest service compartment 76, was last burned by prescription on 29 July 1996. In winter 1995-1996, this wet-mesic savanna was dominated by beak rush sedge (Rhnchospora chapmanii) and panic grasses {Panicum spp.); in winter 1996-1997, this savanna was dominated by wiregrass (Aristida beyrenchium). Scattered black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) shrubs occur in the area. Savanna 7 IB (stand 26), 116 ha, located in compartment 71, was last burned by prescription on 22 January 1997; the previous burn was on 29 June 1995. This mesic savanna was dominated by grasses (especially wiregrass and bluestem Andropogon virginicus) in the winter of 1995-1996. In 1996- 1997, beak rush sedge was the dominant species. I sampled vegetation at four roost sites in December and January of 1996-1997. I obtained ten samples for each roost by passing a wooden dowel (0.9 cm diameter) through the vegetation and placing the end on the ground at 5 m intervals along two 20- m long transects which were centered on the roost site and spaced 5 m apart. I mea- sured the number of contacts with live and dead plant material on the dowel for 10-cm intervals at each point. I also measured the maximum vegetation height within a 1-m square quadrant centered on each point. Small numbers (< 100) of Red-winged Blackbirds arrived and roosted at night in the Wilma savannas by 19 October 1995. Larger (> 200) numbers arrived each year by mid- November (11 Nov 1995; 19 Nov 1996). Blackbirds declined precipitously by late March when the last individuals were detected at nocturnal roost sites (< 100 birds); one flock of 167 168 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 170 females flew over a savanna on 28 March 1995. Thus, nocturnal winter roosts in the Wilma savannas occurred over a 5-month period, but relatively large numbers were con- centrated into just over 4-months (mid-November to mid-March). I detected peak num- bers each winter in December (3,000, Savanna 76A, 27 December 1995; 4,300, Savanna 7 IB, 13 December 1996). Most birds were females; the proportion of roosting males (all immatures) was low (< 20%). All nocturnal roosts consisted only of Red-winged Black- birds, with the exception of small numbers (< 10) of Rusty Blackbirds {Euphagus caroli- nus) at one site (Savanna 76A) on 18 November 1995. Red-winged Blackbirds roosted 7- 23 min after sunset (n = 5), and departed 3-8 min before sunrise (n ~ 2). The younger savanna (5-6 months post-fire) had less dense vegetation (lower number of vegetative contacts) at winter roost sites than the older savanna (18-19 months post- fire) (Table 1); 91% of all contacts were 30 cm or less. The maximum height of vegetation among the two savannas was similar (Table 1), although slightly higher in the older savanna. This study documents permanent nocturnal winter roosts of Red-winged Blackbirds in savannas of the Apalachicola National Forest in northwest Florida. These roosts were almost always monospecific and small (<4,300 birds), in contrast to the frequent pattern of large mixed-species roosts with other species of icterids and Starlings (Sturnus vul- garis), although many tidal marsh roosts contain only Red-winged Blackbirds (Meanley 1965). The seasonal timing and duration of these winter roosts in savannas are in agree- ment with information on Red-winged Blackbird roosts reported at many other locali- ties on the winter range in the southeastern United States (Meanley 1965, Mott 1984, Yasukawa and Searcy 1995). Icterids other than Red-winged Blackbirds and Starlings are scarce to absent during winter in the vicinity of the Wilma savannas with the excep- tion of Common Crackle (Quiscalus quiscula) which roosts in forests. American Robins {Turdus migratorius) sometimes join blackbird roosts during winter (Meanley 1965, 1971) but did not join Red- winged Blackbirds in these savannas. Meanley (1965, 1971) described the specific vegetative communities that are typi- cally used as nocturnal roost sites by Red-winged Blackbirds in the southeastern United States. Red-winged Blackbirds often select coastal wetland habitats for nocturnal roost sites (Meanley 1965, 1971; Yasukawa and Searcy 1995), although they will also select roost sites in urban and suburban areas (Mott 1984). Meanley (1965, 1971) emphasized that dense cover was the most important attribute of optimal roost sites; Meanley found highest roosting densities in deciduous trees and other tall vegetation where vertical stratification was possible. Several subsequent quantitative studies of nocturnal roost sites during autumn and winter in the eastern United States also emphasized dense canopy cover and high tree densities as important attributes (Lyon and Caccamise 1981, Micacchion and Townsend 1983). However, both Meanley (1965) and Yasukawa and Searcy (1995) also stated that dense cover provided by high marsh vegetation such as Table 1. Number of vegetative contacts and maximum height of vegetation mea- sured at four nocturnal winter roosts of the Red-winged Blackbird in two Wilma savannas (71B, 76A) of the Apalachicola National Forest, winter 1996-1997. Roost site Median number of birds Savanna site- age (months since fire) Number of vegetative contacts mean ± SD (median) Maximum height (cm) of vegetation mean + SD (median) 1-76A 600 5-6 13.4 ± 3.4(13.5) 81.8+ 11.9 (78.5) 2-76A 250 5-6 15.7 + 5.1(16) 79.6+ 11.1 (78) 3-71B 800 18-19 22.5 + 3.2 (21.5) 85.6+ 10.1 (84.5) 4-71B 1,200 18-19 21.0 + 4.2(22) 96.4+ 11.8 (92.5) Notes 169 Phragmites is frequently used for nocturnal winter roost sites. Nocturnal winter roosts in early successional habitats, other than in marsh vegetation and rice (Oryza sativa) fields, preferably over water, are evidently rare (Meanley 1965, Glahn et al. 1994). Plant species composition of the savannas I sampled in the Apalachicola National Forest was dominated by wiregrass or beak rush sedge. Vegetation density (cf , Meanley 1965, 1971; Yasukawa and Searcy 1995), specifically dense low groundcover, appeared to be the major vegetative factor which attracted Red- winged Blackbirds to use the savan- nas as nocturnal winter roost sites, including savannas as young as 5-6 months post- burn, Differences in groundcover density and maximum height because of time since last burn were probably of minimal biological significance since the youngest savannas were used frequently by roosting birds. Blackbirds also roosted in several of these savannas at several wet sites (3 cm standing water) dominated by Panicum spp. The vegetation in these savannas is generally much shorter than other permanent winter roost sites in early successional habitats of the southeastern United States (Mean- ley 1965, Glahn et al. 1994, Yasukawa and Searcy 1995). Most other roost sites have been at least 1.5-2 m high, in emergent vegetation of rice fields and marshes or dry sites such as canebrakes and sugarcane (Saacharum officinarum) fields, where the lowest birds have perched within 15-60 cm of water or the ground (Meanley 1965, 1971; Glahn et al. 1994). Ground roosts (i.e., grassy fields, rice stubble, weathered-down cattail marshes, and a mat of smartweed {Polygonum spp.] vegetation in a pond) were often exclusively com- posed of females (Meanley 1965). It is not evident if these aforementioned habitats were permanent winter roost sites. The most unusual temporary roost site was rice stubble coated with an ice sheet (Meanley 1965). The predominance of female Red-winged Blackbirds at these ground roost sites is consistent with results in savannas of the Apalachicola National Forest. In addition, R. T. Engstrom (unpubl. data) observed females and immature males (about 60 birds) at a temporary (< 1 week) nocturnal winter roost site in dense ground- cover of the Wade Tract in southwestern Georgia, an old-growth longleaf pine forest tract. Red-winged Blackbirds in the Wade Tract also roosted in monospecific flocks. Savannas of the Apalachicola National Forest and groundcover of longleaf pine forest in the Wade Tract are the only two localities where Red-winged Blackbirds have been docu- mented to roost in native upland grassland habitats in the southeastern United States. I never observed Red-winged Blackbirds that roosted in savannas of the Apalachi- cola National Forest to feed there nor did I see blackbirds in savannas during the day. Red-winged Blackbirds may feed in surrounding longleaf pine forest (McNair in press), although most birds fly in from greater distances to roost in these savannas. The separa- tion of roosting and foraging activities during winter is the usual pattern of Red-winged Blackbirds in most natural and anthropogenic habitats in the southeastern United States (Meanley 1965, 1971). However, the small roost of Red-winged Blackbirds in the Wade tract also foraged in longleaf pine forest (R. T. Engstrom pers. comm.). Low numbers and female sex-bias of Red-winged Blackbirds at nocturnal roost sites in savannas and dense groundcover of longleaf pine forest suggest that these upland habitats may be secondary (cf , longleaf pine forests; see McNair in press). However, detailed studies are required to elucidate the sex and age bias of roosting birds in the longleaf pine ecosystem, under what conditions roosting behavior occurs (e.g., anti-pred- ator and thermoregulatory benefits; Walsberg and King 1978, Weatherhead and Hoysak 1984), and the basis for sexual segregation at these roosts (e.g., behavioral dominance: Meanley 1965, Gauthreaux 1978, Weatherhead and Hoysak 1984, Searcy 1986, Yasukawa and Searcy 1995; differential migration: Dolbeer 1982; although see McNair in press). I propose that nocturnal roost sites in native upland grassland habitats iso- lated from anthropogenic habitats during winter are probably used primarily by females. Females usually comprise a much smaller fraction of wintering birds at roosts in anthropogenic habitats (Meanley 1965, 1971; Yasukawa and Searcy 1996). 170 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST In summary, in the Apalachicola National Forest, northwest Florida, Red-winged Blackbirds occurred at monospecific nocturnal roost sites in savannas (< 2-yr post- burn), which they used repeatedly between three winters (1994-1997). The largest roost count was 4,300. Most birds were females. Birds roosting in savannas did not feed there. The possible implications of these results are discussed. Acknowledgments. — I thank R. T. Engstrom for contributing unpublished observa- tions on Red-winged Blackbirds in old-growth longleaf pine forest (Wade Tract) in Tho- mas County, Georgia. I also thank D. F. Caccamise, R. A. Dolbeer, R. T. Engstrom, J. F. Glahn, F. C. James, M. B. Meanley, and C. Ortega for reviewing a previous draft of the manuscript. Literature Cited Dolbeer, R. A. 1982. Migration patterns for sex and age classes of blackbirds and star- lings. Journal of Field Ornithology 53:28-46. Frost, C. C., J. Walker, and R. K. Peet. 1986. Fire-dependent savannas and prairies of the Southeast: original extent, preservation status and management problems. Pages 348-357 in Wilderness and natural areas in the eastern United States (D. L. Kulhavy and R. N, Conner, Eds.). Center of Applied Studies, Nacogdoches, Texas. Gauthreaux, S. a., Jr 1978. The ecological significance of behavioral dominance. Pages 17-54 in Perspectives in ethology, Volume 3 (P. R G. Bateson and P. H. Klopfer, Eds.). Plenum Publication Corporation. Glahn, J. F., R. D. Flynt, and E. P. Hill. 1994. Historical use of bamboo/cane as black- bird and starling roosting habitat: implications for roost management. Journal of Field Ornithology 65:237-246. Lyon, L. A., and D. F. Caccamise. 1981. Habitat selection by roosting blackbirds and starlings: management implications. Journal of Wildlife Management 45:435-443. McNair, D. B. In press. Red-winged Blackbirds in longleaf pine forests during winter. The Oriole. Meanley, B. 1965. The roosting behavior of the Red-winged Blackbird in the southern United States. Wilson Bulletin 77:217-228. Meanley, B, 1971. Blackbirds and the southern rice crop. Research Publication 100, US. Fish and Wildlife Service. Micacchion, M., and T. W. Townsend. 1983, Botanical characteristics of autumnal blackbird roosts in central Ohio. Ohio Academy of Science 83:131-135. Mott, D. F. 1984. Research on winter roosting blackbirds and starlings in the southeast- ern United States. Proceedings of Vertebrate Pest Conference 11:183-187. Searcy, W. A. 1986. Are female Red-winged Blackbirds territorial? Animal Behavior 34:1381-1391. Walsberg, G. E., and j. R. King. 1978. The energetic consequences of incubation for two passerine bird species. Auk 95:644-655. Weatherhead, P. j., and D. j. Hoysak. 1984. Dominance structuring of a Red- winged Blackbird roost. Auk 101:551-555. Yasukawa, K., and W. a. Searcy. 1995. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). In The Birds of North America, Number 184 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washing- ton, D.C. Florida Field Naturalist 27(4):171-172, 1999. MID-AIR CAPTURE OF FISH BY TRICOLORED HERONS AND SNOWY EGRETS IN SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA Brian Toland^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, RO. Box 2676, Vero Beach, Florida 32961 To forage effectively wading birds use a variety of feeding methods (Hancock and Kushlan 1984). Many of the estimated 38 feeding strategies used hy Ciconiiformes have been described by Kushlan (1978), Rodgers (1983), and Hancock and Kushlan (1984). Low frequency use of most of these foraging methods suggest they are specialized tech- niques, selected in response to localized habitat conditions or prey types (Rodgers 1983, Kent 1987). Some ardeids possess a more varied foraging repertoire and use more active feeding strategies than others (Rodgers 1983). The relatively infrequent use of “active pursuit” foraging methods such as “running”, “open wing”, or “aerial” result in lower for- aging efficiency than more commonly implemented “less active” strategies including “stand and wait”, “peering”, and “walk slowly” (Hancock and Kushlan 1984, Rodgers 1983). Most species of wading birds specialize in the more sedentary feeding techniques but active hunting is more frequently used by Reddish Egrets (Egretta rufescens), Tri- colored Herons (E. tricolor), and Snowy Egrets {E. thula) (Recher and Recher 1980, Rodgers 1983). Herein I report the opportunistic mid-air capture of fish by foraging Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons in the St. Johns marshes of Indian River County, Florida. The study area is within the 6,075-ha Blue Cypress Water Management Area of the St. Johns River Water Management District which encompasses a mosaic of marshes, sloughs, impoundments, and tree islands. Most of the study area is presently open water ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 m in depth, with interspersed herbaceous emergent vege- tation including sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), pickerelweed (Pontedaria lanceolata), maidencane (Panicum hemitomon), and spikerush {Eleocharis elongata). On 24 March 1991, I observed four Tricolored Herons and three Snowy Egrets con- centrated around a breech in an internal levy in an open water tract of the study area referred to as Lake Miami Ranch in Indian River County. The mean water depth of this area is approximately 1.0 m which precludes foraging by wading birds except along lev- ies and berms. I observed these birds from 0900 to 1100 as they fed upon golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucus) that were swimming and jumping upstream through the levy breech. As the shiners jumped to heights of as high as 0.6 m in the air, the wading birds attempted to strike the fish in mid-air (Fig. 1). Snowy Egrets were successful in mid-air capture of golden shiners on 12 of 22 (54.5%) attempts, while Tricolored Herons were successful during 15 of 36 (41.7%) attempts. The “run” of golden shiners continued unabated for the entire 2-h observation period. The next day no wading birds or golden shiners were present because water levels on both sides of the levy had equalized, and little water flowed through the breech. My observations suggest that Tricolored Herons and Snowy Egrets exhibit great behavioral plasticity when opportunistically exploiting ephemeral food sources. If her- ons modify their feeding behavior to suit local conditions, they can maximize their forag- ing efficiency (Rodgers 1983). More sedentary foraging wading birds generally exhibit higher hunting success rates than more active feeding species (Recher and Recher 1980, ^Current address: Brevard County, Office of Natural Resources Management, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. A, Viera, Florida 32940 171 172 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 1. Tricolored heron feeding on jumping golden shiners. Photo by Brian Toland. Rodgers 1983). Rodgers (1983) documented similar hunting success rates in Snowy Egrets (50.2%) and Tricolored Herons (30.6%) using more frequently deployed foraging methods. Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons in Tampa Bay were found to have higher prey capture success when using less active hunting methods than when employing more active behaviors (Kent 1987). Prey type and habitat type are linked in influencing a heron’s foraging strategy (Kent 1987). The use of behaviors with varying levels of activity (energy expenditure) and prey capture success rates (energy gain) indicates that maximizing energy intake is the ultimate goal of foraging herons (Kent 1987). The mid-air prey capture behavior doc- umented herein, suggests an opportunistic foraging strategy that facilitated exploita- tion of a temporary superabundance of prey that would have otherwise been unavailable. Acknowledgments. — I appreciate editorial comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of the manuscript by R. T. Engstrom, J. A. Rodgers, Jr., and an anonymous reviewer. Literature Cited Hancock, J., and J. A. Kushlan. 1984. The herons handbook. Harper and Row, New York. Kent, D. M. 1987. Effects of varying behavior and habitat on the striking efficiency of egrets. Colonial Waterbirds 10:115-119. Kushlan, J. A. 1978. Feeding ecology of wading birds. Pages 249-297 in Wading Birds (A. Sprunt IV, J. C. Ogden, and S. Winckler, Eds.). Natl. Aud. Soc. Res. Rept. No. 7, Recher, H. F., and j. a. Recher 1980. Why are there different kinds of herons? Trans. New York. Linnaean Society 10:135-158. Rodgers, J. A., Jr. 1983. Foraging behavior of seven species of herons in Tampa Bay, Flor- ida. Colonial Waterbirds 6:11-23. Florida Field Naturalist 27(4): 173-176, 1999. Incidental Impact to Nesting Wilson^s Plovers During The Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring Season Marc Epstein U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge RO. Box 6504, Titusville, Florida 32782 The coastal beach and dune system is critical habitat for many nesting species. In Florida, this system is exceedingly vulnerable to shoreline disturbance and modifica- tion, and is important to many species including threatened or endangered sea turtles, Snowy and Piping Plover {Charadrius melodus and C. a. tenuirostris, respectively), endemic species (e.g., Florida Beach Mice, Peromyscus polionotus sp.), and colonial nest- ing shorebirds (Charadriiformes) (Johnson and Barbour 1990, Millsap et aL 1990). Wil- son’s Plover (C. wilsonia) may nest with or near other species of shorebirds using this system, but commonly nest singly or in loose associations with nests spread a good dis- tance from each other (Sprandel 1996). Nesting commonly occurs from April through June (Cruickshank 1980) during a period when human use of the beach begins to increase. Some nesting also occurs in March and July (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Because nesting may not be obvious, the potential for incidental impact is high. The Wilson’s Plover is classified as a Federally listed species of special management concern (Office of Migratory Bird Management 1995). The species is dependent on habi- tat that is vulnerable to human development, recreation, contaminants and other forms of disturbance or alteration. The Wilson’s Plover has received special attention because of its vulnerability to habitat alteration and destruction (Millsap et al. 1990, Cox et al. 1994, Sprandel 1996) and included as a breeding and wintering priority species (North American Wetlands Conservation Council 1999). Wilson’s Plovers were observed nesting on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) beaches in 1996. Plovers and sea turtles use the same beach habitat for nest- ing at MINWR. During spring and summer of 1997 and 1998, we located and marked plover nests to avoid impacts associated with the sea turtle nest monitoring program. Here, I describe the characteristics of Wilson’s Plover nesting at Merritt Island NWR. The results illustrate how conservation activities of one species can have a negative impact on another species, and augments the need for awareness and identification of plover nests and chicks on beaches by individuals monitoring nesting sea turtles. I conducted this study in Brevard County on MINWR, which is an overlay of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (56,667 ha). The undeveloped 11-km barrier beach within the MINWR extends from the south boundary of Canaveral National Seashore (CNS) to the north boundary of Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). The beach has a generally sta- ble, low energy profile; however, wave energy varies between the north or south ends. The higher energy section has erosion and the marine scrap extends to the dune face and/or into transitional scrub. The lower energy sites have typical beach and dune fore- shore development with a low erosion upper beach. The upper beach is largely unvege- tated, except for isolated beach plants (e.g., sea rocket, Cakile spp.). The dunes are vegetated primarily with sea oats (Uniola paniculata), morning glories {Ipomoea sp.), and typical dune grasses (Johnson and Barbour 1990). In this study, survey habitats included the intertidal zone (area between low and high tide line below the drift line); the upper beach (the area from the drift line to the 173 174 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST foot of the primary/foredune); the foredune face (from the dune foot to the dune crest); and the foredune crest (top of dune). The beach was divided into ll, 1-km sections as established by the sea turtle nest monitoring program. From April through August 1997 and April through July 1998, one survey per week was performed by three individuals to locate and mark Wilson’s Plover nests along the beach. We marked the nests to make them more visible to individuals monitoring nest- ing sea turtles and to help those individuals recognize and avoid plover nest locations. We rode ATVs down the intertidal zone at a moderate speed (19-24 kph), focusing on a distance about 46 m or more ahead to see plovers standing at nest sites. When a plover was observed on the upper beach or foredune, a search of the area was conducted. Plo- vers with nests consistently performed nest protection behavior (Bergstrom 1988), such as nest site diversion, broken wing display, agitated calling, or a flyby (either overhead or within 15-20 m) with agitated calls. If plovers displayed this behavior, an intensive search was performed to locate the nest. Adult plovers became more agitated as our proximity to the nest became closer. This was valuable in locating nest sites. If a nest was found, it was marked by driving two or three small wooden markers into the sand about 9-12 m away from the nest. If a nest or chicks were not found, a record of the adult behavior, location, and date was made. Time did not permit recording chronological development of individual nests. Data recorded were: date, nest location, clutch size, number of chicks, adult behavior, habitat, observer, and comments. I observed nest sub- sequent to marking to insure the marking did not induce nest abandonment or preda- tion. Location and general observations of fledged chicks using beach habitats were also recorded. During April through August 1997, we located and marked nine Wilson’s Plover nests along the 11-km beach. We found all nest within the southern, contiguous 3-km section of low energy beach, which had good upper beach and dune development. No nests were located in June, July, or August. I observed eggs and neonatal chicks in six and three of the nests, respectively. Clutch size ranged between one and three eggs. I did not see any nest with more than two neonatal chicks. Nesting habitats varied: four nests were on the upper beach, three were on the vegetated dune face, and two were on the vegetated pri- mary dune crests. Among the four nests on the high beach, two were in bare sand/shell, and two were in close proximity to vegetation. All of the nests on the dune face and crest were associated with vegetation. I did not locate any nest in 1998; however, I observed one chick with a pair of adult plovers, and three pairs were observed using the beach in May. No additional data will be presented for the 1998 season. Bird behavior (broken wing display, agitated calling, and/or other nest protection behavior) consistently confirmed sites where nests were located. However, plovers per- formed this behavior at eight additional sites where nests and/or chicks were not located. Five of these sites were located in June, July, or August when no new nests were confirmed. We did not observe nest abandonment or depredation from marking activi- ties. During a May storm, three of seven marked nests were destroyed by a storm surge (two on the upper beach and one at the foot of the dune face). From May through August, we observed seven chicks in various beach habitats, either alone or with an adult plover. Chicks used the intertidal zone for feeding and also were seen on the upper beach and dune face. In June, one chick was killed from impact with an ATV operated by an individual conducting a sea turtle survey. This chick was in the low intertidal zone when killed. Ironically, we had asked the sea turtle monitoring team to use the intertidal zone to avoid impacting plover nests on the beach. We also observed ATV tire tracks in close proximity (1-2 m) to plover nests on the upper beach prior to locating and marking. The low mortality rate observed may have been the result of our marking of known plover nest. We did not observe any sea turtle crawl disturb a nest during this study; however, some fresh crawls were just a few meters away from Wilson’s Plover nests on the upper beach and dune face. Notes 175 Brevard County beaches, especially the Canaveral-Merritt Island conservation com- plex, are listed as some of Florida’s best preserves (Johnson and Barbour 1990). Wilson’s Plover historically nested on Brevard County beaches but populations are thought to be declining (Cruickshank 1980). In addition to the beach-dune system, Wilson’s Plovers also nest in open, sandy high marsh sites (D. Breininger pers. comm.) and on sandy islands. I observed plovers nesting in high marshes along the emergent-shrub transi- tional ecotone of the Matanzas River in St. Johns County; however, they do not com- monly nest in thick vegetation (Tomkins 1944). During this study, plovers were found nesting in all habitats of the beach-dune sys- tems, except the intertidal zone. The secondary dune field is not well represented along the NWR beach and was not inspected for nesting plovers during this project. Largely, there is a quick transition from the primary dune to a denser, transitional scrub habitat. Sandifer et al. (1980) and Tomkins (1944) reported nests on beaches and in the dune along edges of foredunes. Five of nine nests during this study were associated with dune habitat and two were located on the crest of the primary dune. Birds nesting on the upper beach habitat were more susceptible to disturbance from storm surge and other activities occurring in this habitat. Personnel monitoring sea turtle nesting activity at CNS and CCAS were notified after confirming plover nesting on the NWR. Subse- quently, CCAS confirmed 2 Wilson’s Plover nests on their beach in 1997 (K. Herpich pers. comm.). There may be seasonal variation in the number of plovers breeding on these beaches as indicated by the difference between our observations in 1997 and 1998 at MINWR, although the data are limited. Interestingly, a plover nest must survive the crawling activity of nesting sea turtles, about 53% of which occurs by July. Thus, it may be advantageous for plovers to nest early before the peak nesting by sea turtles. During spring and summer, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection coordinated a statewide sea turtle nest monitoring program. Individuals from a variety of agencies and organizations participate by marking nests and collecting data on nest- ing and production. A common procedure is to use an ATV or other vehicle to survey the beaches and perform the monitoring. Participants are usually conservation-minded and will minimize impacts that might occur from their activity, but Wilson’s Plovers are hard to detect and thus, susceptible to disturbance. The cryptic chicks often lay flat and motionless when approached, which makes them susceptible to impact before they are detected. Our data suggest that additional awareness of plover nesting characteristics is pru- dent. Impact of marked and unmarked nests was not compared; however, it is felt that marking nests assisted in avoiding potential impacts, it increased our awareness of interspecific habitat use, and added to an insubstantial data base on Wilson’s Plover in Florida. To avoid incidental impacts to nesting plovers, agencies or individuals partici- pating in sea turtle programs or similar beach habitat monitoring programs should be aware of plover nesting and fledgling habitat use. It is recommended that plover nest surveys be conducted to determine if nesting is present. If nesting is occurring, a system of locating and monitoring nest sites should be established. Additional data on simple presence or absence of Wilson’s Plovers on beaches would augment our knowledge of the species distribution in Florida substantially. Sensible use of ATVs is encouraged. Opera- tors should be alert and aware of possible nests and fledglings and adjust ATV speed according to the site and circumstances. Nests and fledglings may occur on the upper beach and dunes. Fledglings also use the intertidal area, perhaps for feeding. ATV speed should not exceed the ability to recognize nests and fledglings and avoid impacts (<10-12 mph). Common sense should play an important role in ATV operation. For areas open to the public, additional efforts may be necessary to protect Wilson’s Plovers from human disturbances. Educational programs to increase awareness of criti- cal habitats may enhance the public’s understanding and appreciation of the value and fragility of Florida’s coastal resources. 176 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Acknowledgments. — Special thanks to the turtle monitoring staff at Merritt Island NWR for assisting in this project and for their appreciation of our coastal resources. M. Legare, D. Myers, S. Adams, and W. Lindsey assisted with data collection and nest location. E. Stolen, B. Bolt, J. Collazo, G. Sprandel, and J. Gore provided comments to an earlier draft. I thank C. Kelly and two anonymous reviews for helpful comments to the manuscript. Literature Cited Bergstrom, R W. 1988. Breeding displays and vocalizations of Wilson’s Plovers. Wilson Bulletin 100(l):36-49. Cox, J., R. Kautz, M. McLaughlin, and T. Gilbert. 1994. Closing the gaps in Florida’s wildlife habitat conservation system. Office of Environmental Services, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. Cruickshank, a. D. 1980. The birds of Brevard County. Helen Cruickshank, Ed., Ap- penda Robert Barber. Florida Press, Orlando. Johnson, A. F. and M. B. Barbour. 1990. Dunes and maritime forest. Pages 429-480 in Ecosystems of Florida (Myers, R. L. and J. Ewel, Eds.). University of Central Florida Press, Orlando. Millsap, B. a., j. a. Gore, D. E. Runde, and S. I. Cerulean. 1990. Setting priorities for the conservation of fish and wildlife species in Florida. Wildlife Monographs 111. North American Wetlands Conservation Council. 1999. United States standard grant application instructions. North American Wetlands Conservation Act. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington. Office of Migratory Bird Management. 1995. Migratory nongame birds of manage- ment concern in the United States: the 1995 list. Office of Migratory Bird Manage- ment, US. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. Sandifer, P. a., and j. V. Miglarese. 1980. D. R. Calder, et al. (Eds.). Ecological char- acterization of the Sea Island coastal region of South Carolina and Georgia. VoL III: Biological Features of the characterization area. US Fish and Wildlife Service, OBS, Washington, D.C. FWS/OBS-79/42. Sprandel, G. L. 1996. Wilson’s Plover. Pages 497-506 in Rare and endangered biota of Florida (Rogers, J. A., Jr., H. W. Kale, and H. T. Smith, Eds.), Vol. V: Birds. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Stevenson, H. M. and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Tomkins, I. R. 1944. Wilson’s Plover in its summer home. Auk 61:259-269. Florida Field Naturalist 27(4): 177-179, 1999. FIRST REPORTED BREEDING OF BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK IN NORTHERN FLORIDA Bradley J. Bergstrom Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia 31698-0015 The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) is a widespread Neo- tropical breeding bird (Madge and Burns 1988) whose primary breeding range north of Mexico is southern and coastal Texas and a small area of southeastern Arizona (Sauer et al. 1997). Since at least the early 1980s, an additional small breeding population, which now numbers more than 500 birds, has been established in west-central Florida near Sarasota (Pranty 1996a; B. Pranty pers. comm.). Outside of these primary breed- ing populations, individual birds and groups of birds are known to wander widely throughout North America, as far north as Iowa and Michigan (Stevenson and Anderson 1994), Maryland (Ilif 1996 cites the third state record, the first being 12 birds in June 1993; P. Davis pers. comm.) and Quebec (10 birds in June 1993; Yank and Aubry 1993). In the spring and summer of 1998, an apparently wild Black-bellied Whistling-Duck spent at least three months in a pond in Digby Co., Nova Scotia (B. Maybank pers. comm.). The Texas population has been expanding rapidly over the past three decades; trend analysis data from the USGS/National Biological Survey’s North American Breeding Bird Survey indicate an average annual increase of 1.5%, with an even more rapid increase since the late 1980s (Sauer et al. 1997). Until the early 1970s, the species was largely restricted to southernmost Texas (south of the Nueces River), but by 1998, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks were common breeders along the entire length of the Texas coast and extending into the rice belt around Houston (T. Eubanks pers. comm.). The species is now a regular and increasingly common breeder in southwestern Louisi- ana (Steadman 1994; Purrington 1996; G. Jackson pers. comm.), and there is a recent breeding report from southwestern Arkansas (Purrington 1996). The Florida population also is increasing and expanding its breeding range, includ- ing the northern peninsula. The Bienville Plantation/PC S phosphate mine Swift Creek complex between Jasper and White Springs, Hamilton County, Florida, contains thou- sands of hectares of active excavations, dredge-spoil mounds, and clay settling ponds, which provide transitory suitable habitat for aquatic birds. Some portions of the com- plex are inaccessible, whereas others are accessible only by special permission or during scheduled waterfowl hunts. Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks were first recorded at the Hamilton County mines in June- July 1995 (J. Krummrich, R. Rowan pers. comm.) when one adult was seen in a public waterfowl area just east of US-41 (Pranty 1995). Many observers saw one to several ducks here, especially on the south and west sides of set- tling pond #4 (1 km northeast of Genoa; DeLorme 1997, p. 54, A2) on various dates from June 1996 through mid-October 1997 (B. Bergstrom, M. Manetz, B. Roberts, R. Rowan et al. pers. obs.). In July 1996, two or three apparent pairs were seen at the mines; and in August of that year, three independent hatch-year birds were seen (R. Clark; in Pranty 1996b). This latter observation suggested possible breeding but did not preclude dispersal of the young birds from a natal site elsewhere. On 22 November 1996, 10 adult birds were seen on this pond (B. Bergstrom pers. obs.). On 12 October 1997 I led a Georgia Ornithological Society field trip to the PCS phos- phate mines in Hamilton County, Florida, which are approximately 1 km NE of Genoa. We saw four adult Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks at 1400 EST swimming near two or three small dredge-spoil islands off the SW shore of settling pond #4 (the same area as 177 178 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST many of the previous sightings). During the hour that the ducks were observed, the four adults at various times were united into a single group and separated into two pairs. Eight yellow-and-black striped ducklings estimated to be a few days old followed one pair of adults. The group alternately swam in open view and left the water to roost on the ground of the islands, which was partially concealed by weedy and brushy vegeta- tion. The adult Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is unmistakable, with pink-orange bill and feet, white eye-ring, rusty-orange breast sharply contrasting with the black belly, and bold white wing patch (greater wing coverts). The downy ducklings were extremely brightly marked with equal-width yellow and black stripes running mostly vertically on the body and horizontally on the head. (This is well illustrated in the color plates in Bellrose [1976]). These birds were seen in an area where there are no large trees (or cav- ities) nearby; however, there are numerous small islands in the pond, and the species does sometimes nest in vegetation on the ground (Bent 1925). This October 1997 breeding record for Hamilton County, Florida (30°30’N), with an anticipated date of independence of young in early December (Terres 1980), seems unusually late, although the species has been known to breed in coastal south Texas from May to October and occasionally in early November (Oberholser 1974). This is the first confirmed record of breeding for the species in the northern half of Florida. Six of the eight ducklings were seen on 16 October 1997 (J. Ault fide R. Rowan). After this mid- October 1997 sighting, all subsequent attempts by several observers through mid- December 1998 to find juvenile or adult whistling-ducks at the Hamilton County phos- phate mines failed (B. Bergstrom, R. Clark, R. Rowan et al. pers. obs.). The small Hamilton County population in residence from 1995 to 1998 may have been established by strays from the growing population in Sarasota County, where birds are increasingly sighted in Myakka River State Park (Pranty 1997; various observers fide Dotty Hull, summer 1998). Nine downy young were observed at the park on 5 Sep- tember 1998 (Larry Manfredi fide B. Pranty pers. comm.). Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks also are frequently sighted at the Polk County phosphate mines (Pranty 1996b). In addi- tion to Sarasota and Polk counties, sightings had been reported through 1996 from nine other counties in southern Florida (south of Orlando) and from Brevard, Hernando, Lake, Orange, Volusia, and Wakulla counties in the northern half of the state (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Langridge 1996, Pranty 1996). Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks have occurred sporadically from 1994 through 1998 at the Zellwood Farms complex in Orange County (B. Anderson pers. comm.). Seven birds appeared in Gainesville, Alachua County in May 1997 (Pranty 1997). During 1998 <25 birds were observed in Gainesville and 75 birds were also seen in southeastern Marion County (R. Rowan pers. comm.). On 29 April 1998 an adult Black-bellied Whistling-Duck was seen 4 mi south of St. Augustine in St. Johns County (Pranty 1998). In January of 1999 a hunter-submitted wing sug- gested the species’ presence in Manatee County (B. Pranty pers. comm.). Elsewhere in the Southeast, there have been a few sightings (accepted by the appropriate state bird records committees) from northern Alabama, northwestern and west-central Missis- sippi, southern coastal South Carolina, and western Tennessee, (Steadman 1991; Davis 1995; Muth 1996; G. Beaton, G. Jackson, T. Schiefer pers. comm.). A Black-bellied Whis- tling-Duck— Georgia’s first accepted record — spent several days in June 1998 at the E. L. Huie Land Application Facility in Clayton County (G. Beaton pers. comm.). The Hamilton County, Florida, breeding record reported in this paper probably rep- resents the northernmost breeding of D. autumnalis to the east of Louisiana or Arkan- sas. In July 1998 several adult Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks with young were reported from Yemassee, Beaufort Co., South Carolina (N, Lloyd, S. Sisler pers. comm., fide T. Piephoff), although the age or origin of the young could not be confirmed. Although the origin and early history of the species in Florida are obscure, Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) concluded that the ongoing colonization was a natural process, akin to the spread of the Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) in Florida in Notes 179 the mid 1970s. Stevenson and Anderson (1994) mentioned that the first reported sight- ings (1943) and the first breeding (1969) of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks in the wild in Florida were attributed to escaped birds, yet they concluded that the established breed- ing population in Sarasota County was descended from wild migrant birds from Texas. Others have suggested that the source of the Sarasota ducks was the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (B. Pranty pers. comm.). Regardless of the source of the original colonists, it seems likely that the population from Sarasota (Pranty 1996) rather than Texas (R. Rowan pers. comm.) is the source of the growing number of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks sighted throughout Florida. Literature Cited Bellrose, F. C. 1976. Ducks, geese and swans of North America. 2nd ed. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Bent, A. C. 1925. Life histories of North American wild fowl. U.S. National Museum Bul- letin No. 130, pt. 2. Washington, D.C. DeLorme Mapping. 1997. Florida atlas and gazetteer. 4th ed. Freeport. ILIF, M. 1996. Mid-Atlantic region reports, spring 1996. Field Notes 50:263. Madge, S. and H. Burn. 1988. Waterfowl: an identification guide to the ducks, geese and swans of the world. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Muth, D. P. (comp.) 1996. Central southern region reports, spring 1996. Field Notes 50:291. Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. University of Texas Press, Austin. Pranty, B. (comp.) 1995. Florida Ornithological Society Field Observations Committee summer report: June-July 1995. Florida Field Naturalist 24:18-24. Pranty, B. 1996a. A birder’s guide to Florida. American Birding Association, Colorado Springs. Pranty, B. (comp.) 1996b. Florida Ornithological Society Field Observations Committee fall report: August-November 1996. Florida Field Naturalist 25:74-84. Pranty, B. (comp.) 1997. Florida Ornithological Society Field Observations Committee Spring Report: March-May 1997. Florida Field Naturalist 25:148-158. Pranty, B. (comp.) 1998. Florida Ornithological Society Field Observations Committee Spring Report: March-May 1998. Florida Field Naturalist 26:128-137. Purrington, R. D. (comp.) 1996. Central southern region reports, winter 1996. Field Notes 50:958-959. Robertson W. B., Jr. and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithological Society, Gainesville. Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, G. Gough, I. Thomas, and B.G. Peterjohn. 1997. The North American Breeding Bird Survey Results and Analysis.Version 96.4. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, (http://www.mbr.nbs. gov:80/cgi-bin/plotpgm. pl71770.tex). Steadman, S. J. (comp.) 1994. Central southern region reports, winter 1994. National Audubon Society Field Notes 48:216. Steadman, S. J. 1991. Central southern region reports, fall 1990. Field Notes 45:283. Stevenson, H. M. and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida. Gainesville. Terres, j. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred P. Knopf, New York. Yank, R. and Y. Aubry. (comp.) 1993. Quebec region reports, summer 1993. American Birds 47:1086. REVIEW Florida Field Naturalist 27(4): 180-181, 1999. New World Blackbirds. — Alvaro Jaramillo and Peter Burke. 1999. New World Blackbirds — the Icterids. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 431 pages. $49.50. ISBN 0-691-00680-6. — Members of the New World family Icteridae occupy a great diversity of habitats over a wide geographic range. They have evolved an extraor- dinary array of mating strategies and plumage. This book treats 106 species, of which about 20 have been recorded in Florida. Most of the other 86 are found only south of Florida. Considering the large degree of intraspecific plumage variation that occurs in the Icteridae, the authors provide very thorough descriptions of the plumage of the var- ious age and sex categories of each species. These details alone make the book a valu- able aid for museum workers, bird banders, or for others who study plumage. Because they are visually and vocally conspicuous and usually live in open country, the blackbirds, particularly the marsh species {Agelaius and Xanthocephalus), and the grackles (Quiscalus), have been the focus of much behavioral research. The meat of the book is in its detailed treatment of the natural history of each species. Bird books have evolved beyond the field guide stage. The market has now reached the point where read- ers will buy detailed accounts of specific taxonomic groups. Recent examples are books on warblers (Curson, J., D. Quinn, and D. Beadle. 1994. Warblers of the Americas. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.) and sparrows (Rising, J. D., and D. D. Beadle. 1996. The sparrows of the United States and Canada. Harcourt Brace and Co., San Diego). This book goes far beyond either of these works in providing detailed information. Most of the blackbird species accounts are three or more pages of fine type. The bibliography is over 30 pages, has about 1200 references, and the authors have included references from Latin American publications. Access to such extensive data serves a function in the development of our knowledge: by summarizing what is known, and by bringing it all together in one place, the book stimulates readers to evaluate what they see within in an evolutionary framework. As we local naturalists become peripatetic, it is possible for us to think comparatively about natural history of related species that may exist in dis- tant places and widely divergent habitats. Examples of other recent books on the Icteridae are “Blackbirds of the Americas” (Orians, G. H. 1985. University of Washington Press. Seattle) and “Orioles, Blackbirds, and their Kin” (Skutch, A. K. 1996. University of Arizona Press. Tucson.). These are rec- ommended collateral reading for anyone who reads the present book, and gets hooked on blackbirds. These books also illustrate how the behavior and diversity of the black- birds have influenced the work of two leading naturalists. And now for the quibbling. Most of the species accounts are up to date. I was dis- mayed, however, that the most recent research on the Boat-tailed Grackle, although cited in the references, was not discussed in the text. This work includes the Florida research of Tom Bancroft, much of which was published in this journal (Bancroft, G. T. 1987. Mating system and nesting phenology of the Boat-tailed Grackle in central Flor- ida. Florida Field Naturalist 15:1-18). The authors give a 1937 publication as the main source for this species, although at least 10 major papers have been published since then. The Boat-tailed Grackle, like the Montezuma Oropendola, has a mating system known as harem polygyny, in which male mating success is related to position in a dom- inance hierarchy. The discovery of this behavior in Boat-tailed Grackles (Post, W 1992. Dominance and mating success in male Boat-tailed Grackles. Behavior 44:917- 929) preceded its finding in oropendolas. Peter Burke’s 39 color plates and numerous line drawings are beautifully rendered. Each plate is faced by a distributional map and a synopsis of diagnostic plumage fea- 180 Review 181 tures. The plates often show the subjects in alert postures, in which they appear to be preparing to take off; this is reasonable, as that is the way we usually see them. How- ever, in future editions, the artist may wish to portray some of the more unusual dis- plays for some of the better known species. In this edition, he has accomplished this beautifully with the Scrub Blackbird (Plate 32), and for many of the oropendolas and caciques (Plates 1-8), The drawings of flight patterns are also unique, and very nice, Burke’s paintings reflect the empathy he felt with his subjects. At the very reasonable price, I highly recommend New World Blackbirds, if only for the excellent plates. This book is an essential reference for all ornithologists, particu- larly those interested in behavior and evolutionary biology. It also should be obtained by college and community libraries.— William Post, Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403. FIELD OBSERVATIONS Florida Field Naturalist 27(4):182-193, 1999. Spring Reports Mar-May 1999,— The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) Field Observations Committee (FOC). As these reports are not reviewed formally they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (December-Feb- ruary), spring (Mar-May), summer (June-July), and fall (August-November). Submit reports to regional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at bill- pranty@hotmail . com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, FOS Spec. PubL No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ. Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “reports,” while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” The FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) revised the list of birds for which they require documentation, in FFN 24(4): 132-133, 1996. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the FOSRC with details of their sightings. (Some reports that lack documentation may have been omitted from this report). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; further listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: CP = county park, DTNP - Dry Tortugas NP {Monroe), ENP - Everglades NP, EOS = end of season, FDCP = Fort DeSoto CP (Pinellas), FWB = Fort Walton Beach (Okaloosa), HISRA - Honeymoon Island SRA (Pinellas), HTBSRA = Hugh Taylor Birch SRA (Broward), NP = national park, NWR = national wildlife refuge, OWP = Orlando Wetlands Park (Orange), PPM = Polk phosphate mines, PPSP = Paynes Prairie State Preserve (Alachua), R&W 1992 = Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994 = Steven- son and Anderson 1994, SGI = St. George Island (Franklin), SMNWR = St. Marks NWR (Wakulla), SP = state park, SRA = state recreation area, SRSTF - Springhill Road sew- age treatment facility (Leon), and N, S, E, W, etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced spe- cies, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. R&W 1992 and S&A 1994 were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Todd Engstrom assisted with the editing of the manuscript. SUMMAEY OF THE SPRING SEASON Spring 1999 featured above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall nearly statewide. A prolonged drought was prevented by extensive showers beginning in late June. Frontal activity was at a minimal, and few fallouts were reported in the state. Exceptions were fallouts at Fort DeSoto County Park 15 March and 16 April, and a “major wave of migrants” at Fort George Island 1 May. The lack of spring rains caused water levels at Paynes Prairie, which has been flooded since January 1998, to drop suffi- ciently to expose extensive mudflats along the edge of the prairie basin. FOSRC rarities reported this spring were the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel en route from Dry Tortugas National Park, the Ross's Goose at Crystal River, and Tropical/ 182 Field Observations 183 Couch’s Kingbirds at St. George Island and Talbot Island State Park. Other rarities were Key West Quail-Doves at Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Long Key, the “West Indian” Short-eared Owl at Dry Tortugas National Park, La Sagra’s Flycatchers at Islamorada and Key West, the Bahama Mockingbird at Fort Lauderdale, a total of six Stripe- headed Tanagers at Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Grassy Key, and 38 Shiny Cowbirds statewide. Species Accounts Common Loon: 1 over US-27 {Highlands) 31 Mar (B. Cooper). Red-throated Loon: 1 at Gulf Breeze (Santa Rosa) 8 Mar (D. and J. Ballman). Pacific Loon: 1 at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 12 Mar (B. Duncan) and 22 Mar (P. Tetlow); 1 at SGISP 10 Apr-10 May (D. and S. Jue, J. Dozier et ah); 1 at Gulf Breeze 29 Apr (B. and L. Duncan); 1 at Pensacola Bay (Escambia and/or Santa Rosa) 11 May (A. Forster). Horned Grebe: 1 at SRSTF 10 Apr (D. Harder). Eared Grebe: 1 at SGI 21 Mar (P. Conover). Sooty Shearwater: 1 at Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore (Brevard) 30 May (C. Paine, C. Pierce). Audubon’S Shearwater: 80+ SW of DTNP 4 May (D. Goodwin, W. Biggs et al.). *BanD“RUMPED Storm-Petrel: 1 bird 13 km SSW of the Sand Key Light (Monroe) 27 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al., photo to FOC). White-tailed Tropicbird: 1 bird 24 km S of Carrabelle (Franklin) 27 Mar (B. Kennedy fide T. Kennedy); no details were submitted. Masked Booby: 32+ at Hospital Key, DTNP with “several” chicks in Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.). Red-footed Booby: 1 adult white-tailed brown morph 25 km SSW of the Marquesas (Monroe) 27 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al., photo to FOC). American White Pelican: 3000 at PPM 13 Mar (R Fellers, Y. Babb), and 437 there 30 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 35 over New Port Richey (Pasco) 21 Apr (K. Tracey); 1 over APAFR (Highlands) 21 Apr (B. Pranty); 6 at Lake Jackson (Leon) 14 May (M. and P. Meredith); 10 at Myakka River SP (Sarasota) 23 May (K. Rodemaker et al.); 10 at the mouth of the St. Johns River (Duval) 25 May-EOS; 50+ at Lake Santa Fe (Ala- chua) 26 May (D. Seeds). Brown Pelican: 1 at Lake Parker, Lakeland (Polk) 16 Apr (T. Palmer); 2 at Winter Ha- ven (Polk) 25 Apr (B. Bratlie). Magnificent Frigatebird: singles at SGI 29 Apr (F. Rutkovsky) and 9 May (J. Dozier); 1 at Bald Point (Franklin) 21 May (J. Dozier). American Bittern: 2 at OWP 1 May, and 1 there 29 May (both C. Pierce et al.). Great Blue Heron: 5 migrating N over Cape Coral (Lee) 8 Apr (C. Ewell). “Great White Heron:” 1 at HISRA 19 Mar-25 Apr (A. and B. Hansen et al.); 1 at the Sunshine Sk5rway (Pinellas) 20 May (L, Atherton). Reddish Egret: 6 immatures at SMNWR 19 Mar (K. MacVicar), and 7 immatures there 1 Apr (B. Bergstrom, B. Derrick). Black-crowned Night-Heron: 2 adults at DTNP 25-29 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.). Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: 7 at Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area (Lake) 24 Apr and 22 May (fide J. Marburger). White X Scarlet Ibis: 1 presumed hybrid at Lakes Park (Lee) 1 May (L. Baker et al.). Roseate Spoonbill: 50+ at Shiloh Marsh (Brevard and Volusia) 5 Mar (N. Sekera et al.); 10 at PPM 19 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Riffe) and 17 there 8 May (P. Timmer); 9 E of Sara- sota (Sarasota) 5 May (J. Carlock, E. Miller); 40+ at Myakka River SP 23 May (K. Ro- demaker et al.). 184 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Wood Stork; 75 nests near the Ochlockonee River {Leon) 27 Mar (G. Sprandel), Woolly-necked Stork: 1 photographed over Anhinga Trail, ENP (Miami-Dade) 4 Apr (D. DeNeve, photos to FOG) apparently is one of the birds that escaped from Miami MetroZoo in Aug 1992. Turkey Vulture; 2 at Key West {Monroe) 17 May (J. Ondrejko). Greater Flamingo: 1 near the Sunshine Skyway {Manatee) 25 Apr probably was the bird that escaped from a Sarasota exhibit a few years ago (L. Atherton); 6 at Snake Bight, ENP {Monroe) 3 May (L. Saul, D. Wassmer). Fulvous Whistling-DucK; 3 at PPSP 8-23 May (R. Rowan, J. Weimer, A. Kratter). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: up to 12 at PPSP 6 Mar-EOS (H. Adams, A. Kratter); up to 11 at Gainesville 29 Apr-14 May (M. Manetz); 1 adult at Pembroke Pines (Bro- ward) 8 May (G. Basili, B. Pranty, H. Lovell) and 30 May (J. DiPasquale, W George); up to 20 at Bartow {Polk) through the season (P. Fellers); 5 at Emeralda Marsh Con- servation Area 22 May {fide J. Marburger). *R0SS’S Goose: 1 adult at Crystal River {Citrus) 12 Mar-EOS (B. Stith et al., photos to FOSRC by B. Pranty) apparently had been present for 2-3 weeks before it was identified. Canada Goose: 2 at PPM 30 May (R Timmer, C. Geanangel). Snow goose: 1 at Merritt Island NWR {Brevard) 1 Mar (N. Sekera); 1 white morph at SRSTF 23-29 Mar (G. Menk). Green-winged Teal: 1 at Zellwood to 18 May (H. Robinson). American Black Duck: 3 at Al-Bar Ranch {Pasco) 11 Mar (S. Peacock, B. Pranty). Northern Shoveler: 1 male E of Sarasota 4 May (J. Carlock, E. Miller); 1 at PPSP 16 May (M. Manetz); 1 at Zellwood 18 May (H. Robinson). American Wigeon: 1 at Zellwood 18 May (H. Robinson). Eurasian Wigeon: 1 male at Bradley Junction {Polk) 10-21 Mar (A. and T. Mason, B. and D. Lamoureux). Redhead: 1 male E of Sarasota 4-5 May (J. Carlock, E. Miller). Ring-necked Duck: 2 at Lake Okeechobee {Okeechobee) 30 May (D. and H. Hull). Lesser Scaup: 2125 at PPM 19 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Riffe), and 4 there 14 May (P. Fellers); 2 at Zellwood to 29 May (H. Robinson). Oldsquaw: 1 female at Lake Tohopekaliga {Osceola) 3 Apr (J. Fishman); 1 at Cedar Key 27 Apr (D. Henderson). White-winged Scoter: 12 at Fort Pickens 25 Mar (B. and L. Duncan). Black Scoter: 1 female at Huguenot Park, Jacksonville {Duval) to 21 May (R. Clark et al.). Common Goldeneye: 1 at Gainesville to 2 Mar (R. Rowan), Ruddy Duck: 3090 at PPM 19 Mar (R Fellers, S. Riffe); 2 males at Spring Hill {Her- nando) 29 Mar (A. and B. Hansen); 1 female at Zellwood 1 May-EOS (H. Robinson). Osprey: 38 active nests in Gadsden and Leon 13 Mar (G. Sprandel). Swallow-tailed Kite: 1 at Alligator Roint {Franklin) 3 Mar (J. Dozier); 1 at Saddle Creek CR {Polk) 10 May (R Fellers); 32 at OWR 17 May (L. Malo). White-tailed Kite: 1 adult at Blackwater State Forest {Santa Rosa) 2 Mar (G. Bass fide G. Wallace); 1 nest at Three Lakes WMA {Osceola) fledged five young in Apr (T. Dean), the first successful nest in central Florida {fide B. Rranty); 1 at Cape Sable, ENR {Monroe) ca. 26 Apr (B. Quinn); 1 adult at Sweet Bay Rond, ENR {Miami-Dade) 2 May (J. Boyd). Mississippi Kite: 4 at Eglin Air Force Base {Okaloosa) 13 Mar (D. Ware) was the earliest regional report by 26 days {fide B. Duncan); 1 at Black Creek Ravines {Clay) 6 May (B. and L. Cooper). Northern Harrier: 3 at Zellwood 18 May (H. Robinson). Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 at Zellwood through the season (H. Robinson). Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at Zellwood 16 Mar (H. Robinson); 1 at Tallahassee 26 Mar (F. Rutkovsky). Field Observations 185 Short-tailed Hawk: 1 dark morph in Hillsborough 11 Mar (D. Romer); 1 dark morph along Snell Creek (Polk) 12 Mar harassed a Bald Eagle (B. and L. Cooper); 1 at Semi- nole Ranch Conservation Area 13 Mar (fide L. Malo); 1 pair (1 light and 1 dark) at No- bleton (Hernando) 3 Apr (D. and V. Goodwin); 1 light morph at Saddle Creek CP 18 Apr (C. and K. Radamaker); 1 immature light morph at Key West 6 May ( J. Ondrejko). Swainson’S EEawk: 1 at Fort Walton Beach (Okaloosa) 18 Mar (H. King). Crested Caracara: 1 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 10 Apr (fide L. Malo). Merlin: 1 at Lake Jackson 16 Mar (S. Johnson); 1 at Zellwood 18 May (H, Robinson). Peregrine Falcon: 1 at Newnans Lake 1 May (D. Beatty); 1 caught 2 Purple Martins at Seven Springs (Pasco) in late May (D. Wassmer); 1 at PPM 28 May (N. Douglass). Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus): 1 at Hudson (Pasco) 24 May (R. Grant) was the first Florida report of this species, which is native to central China. Common Peafowl: 1 at Zellwood 2 May (C. Pierce, C. Paine). Sora: 1 at PPSP 9 May (M. Manetz); 1 at OWP 16 May (C. Pierce); 2 at Zellwood 18 May (H, Robinson). Black Rail: a “rough estimate” of 4-5 pairs at Holey Land WMA (Palm Beach) through the season (L. Manfredi). Purple Gallinule: 18 at OWP 9 May (C. Pierce). American Coot: 10,000 at PPM 1 Mar (N. and P. Fellers, S. Emerson). Whooping Crane: pairs nested and produced eggs at undisclosed sites in Brevard and Pasco in Apr, the first nesting records in Florida, and the first in the US since 1894. One of the nests was depredated, and the other failed from flooding caused by rainfall (fide S. Nesbitt); 1 at PPSP 17 Mar (A. Kratter et ah). Black-bellied Plover: 1 at Rodman Reservoir (Marion) 20 Mar (E. Scales et al.); up to 3 at PPM 25 Apr-14 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel, P. Fellers); 56 at Zellwood 7 May (H. Robinson); 1 salvaged at PPSP 18 May (L. Smith, specimen to FLMNH); 1 at SRSTF 25 May (G. Menk). American Golden-Plover: 102 at Fort Walton Beach STF (Okaloosa) 16 Mar (P. Tetlow et al.); 1 at FDCP 16-20 Mar (R and A. Smith et al.); 2 at Baypoint (Bay) 17 Mar (E. Fontaine, T. Menart); 3 S of Bradley Junction 19 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Riffe), and 12 N of there 21 Mar (C. Geanangel, P. Timmer), with 7 remaining through 26 Mar (fide L. Cooper); 1 at HISRA 23 Mar (W. Yusek); singles at SMNWR 29 Mar (J. Wren) and 11 May (K. Slearce); up to 2 at Zellwood 23 Apr-7 May (H. Robinson). Semipalmated Plover: 22 at Zellwood 4 May, and 1 there 25 May (both H. Robinson); 102 at PPM 8 May (P. Timmer); 1 at PPSP 9 May (M. Manetz); 1 at SRSTF 25 May (G. Menk). Piping Plover: 1 at FDCP 1 May (A. and R. Smith). American OystercatcheR: 1 at Gulf Breeze 5 Apr (B. Duncan). Black-necked Stilt: 2-3 at Gainesville 8 Apr-18 May (R. Rowan, M. Manetz, E. Scales); up to 5 at PPSP 11 Apr-EOS (H. Adams, M. Manetz); 2 “late transients” at SRSTF 20 May (G. Menk); 620 at PPM 30 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). American Avocet: 340 at PPM 4 Apr (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 25 at Fort Pickens 15 Apr (B. Duncan, C. Depkin); 12 at Pensacola (Escambia) 11 May (A. and D. Forster); 1 at Huguenot Park, Jacksonville 13 May (J. Wheat); 1 in breeding plumage at Zell- wood 29 May (H. Robinson). Greater Yellowlegs: 1 “cripple” at Tallahassee 28 May-2 Jun (G. Menk, P. Conover). Lesser Yellowlegs: 1300 at PPM 25 Apr (R Timmer, C. Geanangel); 1 at Tallahassee 28 May (J. Cavanagh). Solitary Sandpiper: 2 at PPM 19 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Riffe); 8 at Tallahassee 12 Apr (D. Harder), and 1 there 28 May (G. Menk, P. Conover); 4 at Lettuce Lake Park (Hills- borough) 23 Apr (R. Webb); 6 together at Lake Pierce (Polk) 3 May (D. Pierce); 1 near Haines City (Polk) through 18 May (B. and L. Cooper); 1 at Tallahassee 28 May (G. Menk, J. Cavanagh). 186 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Spotted Sandpiper: 5 at PPM 25 Apr (R Timmer, C, Geanangel); 1 at Grassy Key {Mon- roe) 16 May (R. and T. Rogers); 1 at Zellwood to 22 May (H. Robinson). Upland Sandpiper: up to 4 at N Jacksonville 17-26 Apr (J. Hintermister, M. Manetz, R. Clark); 6 at Zellwood 20-23 Apr, and 1 there 10-18 May (both H. Robinson). Whimbrel: 1 at Green Key Park (Pasco) 10 Mar (K. Tracey photo to FOC); 6 at SMNWR 23 Apr (M. Coker); 1 at Zellwood 1 May (H. Robinson); 4 at Shell Key (Pinellas) 18 May (R Blair). Long-billed Curlew: 1 at Shell Key 9 Mar (R Blair). Marbled Godwit: 3 at Pensacola 22 Apr (A. and D. Forster). Ruddy Turnstone: 1 at Zellwood 4 May (H. Robinson); singles at PPM 5 May (P. Tim- mer) and 30 May (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). Red Knot: 1 at SMNWR 29 Mar-1 Apr (J. Wren, J. and M. Reed); 1 at West Lake Park IS- IS May was the first spring report in Broward (T. Hendrickson); 1 at Zellwood 25 May (H. Robinson). SanderlinG: 1 at Zellwood 1 May (H. Robinson). Semipalmated Sandpiper: 7900 at PPM 8 May (P. Timmer); 160 at Weedon Island Pre- serve (Pinellas) 8 May (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoffman); 178 at SRSTF 25 May (G. Menk). Least Sandpiper: 4200 at PPM 19 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Riffe). White-RUMPED Sandpiper: 4 in W Duval 7 May (R. Clark); 31 at PPM 8 May (R Tim- mer); up to 5 at PPSP 9-16 May (M. Manetz); 5 at SRSTF 20 May (G. Menk). Baird's Sandpiper: 1 at Tallahassee 16 Mar (G. Menk, J. Cavanagh [videotape]); 1 at Long Key SRA (Monroe) 19 Apr (R. Webb); 1 at Zellwood 7 May (H. Robinson); 2 at Mosquito Lagoon, Canaveral National Seashore 30 May (C. Paine, C. Pierce). Pectoral Sandpiper: up to 3 at PPM 4-19 Mar (R Timmer, C. Geanangel, R Fellers, S. Riffe); 12 at Gainesville 18-20 Mar (M. Landsman); up to 3 at Zellwood 20 Apr-10 May (H. Robinson). Dunlin: 1 at PPM 4 Mar (R Timmer, C. Geanangel); 5 at Gainesville 18-19 Mar (M, Landsman). Purple Sandpiper: 13 at Fort Clinch SP (Nassau) 23 Mar (J. Rose). Stilt Sandpiper: up to 11 at Gainesville 19 Mar-3 Apr (B, Roberts); 1 at SMNWR 25 Mar (E. Rose); up to 23 at Zellwood 20 Apr-14 May with 1 remaining to 31 May (H. Robin- son); 15 at Myakka River SP 4 May (C. and R Leigh), and 5 there 9 May (C. Ewell); 57 in W Duval 7 May (R. Clark); 4 at PPSP 9 May (M. Manetz); 750 at PPM 14 May (R Fellers); 24 at SRSTF 20 May (G. Menk). Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 1 at Zellwood 7 May (H. Robinson). Ruff: 1 male with “a full black ruff!” at Myakka River SP 4 May (C. and R Leigh); 1 fe- male at Zellwood 25-31 May (H. Robinson). Short-billed Dowitcher: 3000 at PPM 19 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Riffe); 75 at Zellwood 20 Apr, 20 there 4 May and 2 there to 29 May (all H. Robinson), Long-billed Dowitcher: 4 at Zellwood 4 May and 1 there 14 May (both H. Robinson). Common Snipe: 1 at Zellwood 1 May (H. Robinson). Wilson's Phalarope: singles at SMNWR 30 Mar-1 Apr (A. Uterhart, B. Bergstrom, B. Derrick), and 16 May (J. Dozier); 1 at Fort Walton Beach STF 1 Apr (P Tetlow et ah); 1 at PPM 8 May (P, Timmer). Red-necked Phalarope: 3 SW of Key West (Monroe) 27 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al). Parasitic Jaeger: 2 at FDCP and the N Sunshine Sk5nvay Pier (Pinellas) 18-20 Mar ( J. Bouton, L, Atherton, R. and A. Smith), and another at the S Sunshine Sk3way Pier (Manatee) 23 Mar (L. Atherton); 1 immature chasing Laughing Gulls at Fort Clinch SP 23 Mar (J. Rose). Long-tailed Jaeger: 1 adult plucked from the ocean 8 km E of Fort Lauderdale 24 May (fide W. George, specimen to UCF). Laughing Gull: 65 at Zellwood 1 Apr (H. Robinson). Field Observations 187 Bonaparte’s Gull: 1 at Zellwood to 26 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 at SRSTF 16 and 30 Apr (G. Menk et al.); 1 at Lake Jackson 8 May (G. Menk, K. Wensing). Herring Gull: 1 at Zellwood to 14 May (H. Robinson). Great Black-backed Gull: 1 first-winter bird at Fort Myers Beach {Lee) through the season (C. Ewell). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at Anne’s Beach, Lower Matecumbe Key {Monroe) 15 Mar (M. Boyd); 8 (3 adults) at Little Estero Lagoon (Lee) 25 Mar (C. Ewell); 1 imma- ture at Zellwood 20 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 adult at Huguenot Park 15 May (A. Kratter). Gull-billed Tern: 1 at Cedar Key {Levy) 2 Mar (M. Gardler, T. Rogers) and 21 Mar (D. Henderson); up to 4 at Zellwood 14 Apr-1 May (H. Robinson); 17 nesting at 2 sites at PPM 8 May (P. Timmer) had fledged 12 young 30 May (C. Geanangel, R Timmer). Caspian Tern: 68 at PPM 1 Mar (N. and P. Fellers, S. Emerson); 154 at Zellwood 20 Apr (H. Robinson); 2 at PPSP 2 May (T. Taylor). Common Tern: 1 at SRSTF 10 Apr (J. Erickson, G. Menk); 1 at West Lake Park 2-3 May (J. DiPasquale, W. George); 1 at SGI 7 May (J. Dozier); 1 at HISRA 26 May (J. Fisher, K. Nelson). Least Tern: 4 at East Bay {Bay) 3 Apr (A. and R. Ingram); 1 at Key West 4 Apr (J. On- drejko); 1 at SRSTF 10 Apr (J. Erickson, G. Menk); 22 presumably nesting on three mall rooftops in Leon 17 May (G. Menk). Black Tern: 1 at Zellwood 10 May (H. Robinson); 1 at Huguenot Park 13 May (J. Wheat); 186 at PPM 14 May (P Fellers). Black Noddy: no birds at DTNP this spring (P Lehman, W Biggs et al.). Black Skimmer: 1 adult with 2 juveniles at Key West 20 May (J. Ondrejko) would repre- sent the first Keys breeding report if the birds were reared locally. White-crowned Pigeon: 1 at Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve {Collier) 7 Mar (J. and L. Douglas); 1 at North Hutchinson Island {St. Lucie) 14 Mar (J. Brooks); 1 adult at HTBSRA 19 May (J. Higgins), 1-2 have been found in the park annually the past 5 years {fide W. George). White-winged Dove: 1 at St. Petersburg 16 Mar (R. Smith); 1 at Ocala 20-21 Mar (C. Ewell); 1 at Panama City {Bay) 26 Mar-19 Apr (T. Menart); 3 at Key West 4 Apr, and 15 there 11 Apr (both J. Ondrejko); 1 in S Pinellas 5 Apr (J. Alexander); 2 at Bald Point 24 Apr, and 1 there 25 May (both J. Dozier); 1 at Cedar Key 21-30 May (D. Henderson). Mourning Dove: 1405 at Zellwood 29 May (H. Robinson). Common Ground-Dove: 52 at Zellwood 31 May (H. Robinson). Key West Quail-Dove: 1 at HTBSRA 12 Apr-26 May (W. George et al); 1 at Bill Baggs/ Cape Florida SRA {Miami-Dade) 19 Apr-EOS (M. E. Ahearn, D. Wright et al.); 1 at Long Key SRA {Monroe) 2 May {fide D. and H. Hull). Red-masked Parakeet: 18 at Fort Lauderdale {Broward) 10 Apr (S. Epps). Dusky Lory: 1 at Kendall {Miami-Dade) ca. 31 Mar (E Dewaghe). Yellow-headed Parrot: 2 at Gulfport {Pinellas) in mid-Apr (M. Maxwell). Black-billed Cuckoo: 1 at SMNWR 2 May (L. Saul, D. Wassmer); 1 at Loggerhead Key, DTNP 3 May (D, Goodwin et al.); 1 at Zellwood 10 May (H. Robinson). Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 200+ at DTNP 2-3 May (D. Goodwin, W. Biggs et al.). Mangrove Cuckoo: 2 at Ponce DeLeon Park, Punta Gorda {Charlotte) 1 May-EOS ( J. Bouton); 3 at Weedon Island Preserve 8 May-EOS (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoffman); 5 recorded using a tape at J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR (Lee) 9 May (C. Ewell et al.). Short-eared Owl: singles (the same?) at Garden Key, DTNP 20-21 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.) and Loggerhead Key, DTNP 25 Apr- 10 May (P. Lehman, S. Finne- gan, W Biggs et al.). Lesser Nighthawk: 1 at Apalachicola {Franklin) 15 Apr (J. Dozier). Common Nighthawk; 1 calling at Key West 25-26 May was the latest report from there (J. Ondrejko). 188 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Antillean Nighthawk: 1 at Key West 13 Apr (J. Ondrejko); 9 at Marathon Airport (Monroe) 16 May (R. and T. Rogers). Buff-bellied Hummingbird: 1 at Tallahassee 29 Apr-2 May (B. Patterson et al, photo to FOG by H. Hooper). Black-chinned Hummingbird: 1 at Gainesville to 21 Mar (D. Beatty). Selasphorus SPECIES: 1 at Cedar Key to 16 Mar (D. Henderson). Belted Kingfisher: 1 male at Key West 6 May (J. Ondrejko). Red-headed Woodpecker: 1 at Panama City 12 Apr was the first there in 21 years (T. Menart); 1 adult at HTBSRA 29 May was nev/ there, and was one of very few re- cent Broward reports (W. George). Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 1 at Bonner Park, Largo (Pinellas) 20 Apr (J. Fisher); 1 at DTNP 20-24 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et aL); 1 at Florida International Univer- sity (Miami-Dade) 4 May (J. Boyd). Hairy Woodpecker: 1 at Zellwood 13 Mar (H. Robinson). Eastern Wood-PeweE: 1 at Alligator Point 27 Mar (J. Dozier); 1 at HISRA 26 May (R. Paul et aL). Acadian Flycatcher; 1 in Gadsden 7 Apr (G. Sprandel). Least Flycatcher: 1 at Hague Dairy (Alachua) 11 Apr (R. Rowan); 1 singing along the Santa Fe River (Alachua) 2 May (A. Kratter). Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 female at Micanopy (Alachua) to 4 Mar (K. Tracey et aL). Great Crested Flycatcher: 1 in SW Taylor 20 Mar (J. Dozier, B. Bergstrom, K. Avera); 1 at Tallahassee 21 Mar (F. Rutkovsky). BROmoJ-CRESTED FLYCATCHER: 1 at the lori Building, ENP (MiamhDade) 11 Apr (J. Boyd). La Sagra’S Flycatcher: 1 at the Hurricane Monument, Islamorada (Monroe) 1 May (D. Goodwin) and 5 May (P, Blair); 1 at Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West 3 May (K. Scharringa, photos to FOG). *Couch’S/Tropical Kingbird: 1 at SGISP 8 May (J. Cavanagh, J. LaVia, photos); 1 at Talbot Island SP (Duval) 26 May (R. Clark). Western Kingbird: 2 in Brevard 8 Mar (D. Novier); 21 at Zellwood 14 Apr, 16 there 1 May, and 1 there to 16 May (all H. Robinson, C. Pierce); 4 near the SE shore of Lake Istokpoga (Highlands) 27 Apr (M. McMillian et aL); 1 at PPSP 8 May (J. Weimer, R. Rowan); 1 at Gulf Breeze 10 May (B. Duncan). Gray Kingbird: 1 at Key West 4 Apr (J. Ondrejko); singles at Zellwood 6 Apr and 22 May (both H. Robinson); 1 at Alligator Point 13 Apr ( J. Dozier). SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER: 1 at FDCP 16-19 Mar (G. Wilson et aL); 1 at Key Largo (Monroe) 18 Mar (H. Prinsen); 1 at Seven Springs to 9 Apr (K. Tracey); 2 at Zellwood to 23 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 near the SE shore of Lake Istokpoga 27 Apr (M, McMillian et aL). White-eyed VireO: 151 at FDCP 15 Mar, and 135 there 16 Mar (both L. Atherton); 23 in the Green Swamp (Lake and Polk) 8 May (R Fellers). Bell's Vireo: 1 at Coquina Baywalk Park, Bradenton Beach (Manatee) 21 Apr (L. Ather- ton et aL). Yellow-throated Vireo: 11 at FDCP 15 Mar (L. Atherton); 1 at Zellwood 23 Mar (H. Robinson). Blue-headed Vireo: 1 at Zellwood 20 Apr (H. Robinson). Philadelphia Vireo: 1 at Largo Narrows Park (Pinellas) 22 Apr (J. Fisher). Red-eyed Vireo: 1 at Bald Point 13 Mar (J. Dozier); 11 at Saddle Creek CP 29 Apr (R Fellers). Black-whiskered Vireo: 1 at Key West 5 Apr (J. Ondrejko); 1 at FDCP 17 Apr (R Fellers et aL); 1 at Fort Pickens 28 Apr (M. Rose, H. Huddleston); 1 of the race bar- batulus at Gulf Breeze 29 Apr (B. Duncan); 1 at SGI 29 Apr (S. Jue, F. Rutkovsky); 3 at J. N. 'Uing” Darling NWR 9 May (C. Ewell, W. Dirks). Purple Martin: “dozens” nesting in Cabbage Palm snags at OWP 9 May (C. Pierce). Field Observations 189 Tree Swallow: 50,000 at PPM 1 Mar (P. Fellers, S. Emerson, N. Fellers), and 20 there 14 May (R Fellers). Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 1 at SRSTF 10 Mar (G. Menk); 4 at Ochlockonee Bay {Wakulla) 11 Mar (G. Menk); 2 at Zellwood 16 Mar (H. Robinson); 2 pairs nested in a drainage pipe in a seawall at the Belleview Biltmore {Pinellas) 21 May-EOS (J. Fisher), Bank Swallow: 3 at Zellwood 30 Mar, 11 there 17 Apr, 21 there 1 May, and 1 there 22 May (all H. Robinson); 4 at Gainesville 1 May (M. Manetz); 4 at Newnans Lake 1 May (D. Beatty). Cliff Swallow: 1 at Fort Walton Beach STF 3 Mar (R Tetlow et al.); 1 at Zellwood 17 Apr, and 2 there 1 May (both H. Robinson); 1 at Gainesville 1 May (M. Manetz); 1 at Newnans Lake 1 May (T. Hoctor). Cave Swallow: 1 of the West Indian race at FDCP 25 Mar (L. Atherton, M. Gardler), and 1 (race undetermined) there 12 Apr (L. Atherton). Barn Swallow: 1 at Fort Walton Beach STF 3 Mar (P. Tetlow et al.); 1 at HISRA 12 Mar (P. Blair, W. Yusek); 5 at SRSTF 15 Mar (G. Menk et al.); 2200 at Zellwood 17 Apr, and 565 there 1 May (both H. Robinson); singles at Shell Key 27 May and HISRA 31 May (both P. Blair). House Wren: 3 at Zellwood 1 May, and 1 there 4 May (both H. Robinson); 1 at San Felasco Hammock State Preserve {Alachua) 8 May (J. Hintermister). Winter Wren: 1 at Black Swamp {Leon) 18 Mar (G. Menk); 1 at Florida Caverns SP {Jackson) 27 Mar (R Fellers et ah). Sedge Wren: 1 at RRSR 9 May (M. Manetz); 1 at Shell Key 18 May (R Blair, R. Raul). Marsh Wren: 31 singing at RPM 4 Apr (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel); 1 singing at Lake Jackson 8 May (G. Menk, K. Wensing); 2 at Zellwood 14 May (H. Robinson). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 1 at Dunedin Hammock {Pinellas) 21 May (J. Fisher); 1 at DTNP 21 May (P. and P. Nistico). Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 2 at Swift Creek Middle School {Leon) 3 May (R Conover). Eastern Bluebird: 1 female at HTBSRA 11 May was new to the park, and was believed to have been an arrival from the Bahamas (W. George). Veery: 6 at FDCR 5 May (L. Atherton et al.). Wood Thrush: 1 that wintered at Melbourne Village {Brevard) remained through 26 Mar (B. and S. Hills); 1 at Alligator Point 28 Mar (J. Dozier); 1 at HISRA 13 Apr (W. Yusek) was the earliest of 4 in Pinellas this spring {fide R. Smith). American Robin: up to 20 in N Pensacola in early May, and a nest with 2 nestlings there 10 May (D. Timmons, P. Tetlow et al.); 1 at Kendall 26 May (L. Manfredi). Northern Mockingbird: 1 at Loggerhead Key, DTNP 25 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.). Bahama Mockingbird: 1 at HTBSRA 10 May (B. LeRoy, W. George). Common Myna: 2 pairs were nesting at Pompano Beach {Broward) 29 May (S. Epps). Cedar Waxwing: 615 at Zellwood 6 Apr, 1000+ there 2 May, 570 there 4 May, and 3 there to 22 May (all H. Robinson, C. Pierce, C. Paine); 20 at Lake Wales {Polk) 15 May (T. Palmer). Blue-winged Warbler: 1 at Alexander Springs {Marion) 15 Apr (N. Sekera et al.); 1 at Cedar Key 16 Apr (T. Hoctor); 6 in Pinellas this spring, all between 16-23 Apr {fide R. Smith); up to 2 at Sanibel Lighthouse Park {Lee) 17-20 Apr (H. Hamilton, D. Konz, C. Ewell et al.); 1 at Coquina Baywalk Park 22 Apr (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Zellwood 26 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 at Newnans Lake 29 Apr (K. Johnson). Golden-winged Warbler: up to 3 at FDCP 16-22 Apr {fide R. Smith). Vermivora HYBRID: 1 “Brewster’s Warbler” at Garden Key, DTNP 24 Apr (R Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.). Tennessee Warbler: 2 at Zellwood 17 Apr, and 1 there 1 May (both H. Robinson); 1 at SMNWR 18 Apr (D. Morrow), 190 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Nashville Warbler: 1 at Zellwood to 18 Mar (H. Robinson); 1 in SW Polk 25 Mar (E. Kwater); 1 at Gainesville 31 Mar (D. Wahl); 1 at SMNWR 10 Apr (B. and S. Donner). Northern Parula: 34 at FDCP 15 Mar, and 52 there 16 Mar (both L. Atherton). Yellow Warbler: 1 at Cedar Key 16 May (D. Henderson). Magnolia Warbler: 1 at Juniper Springs (Marion) 15 Apr (N. Sekera et al.); 5 at FDCP 5 May (M. Wilkinson). Cape May Warbler: 17 at Zellwood 17 Apr (H. Robinson); 10 at HISRA 23 Apr (WYusek). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 84 at Fort George Island (Duval) 1 May (R. Clark); 1 male at Cherokee Park, Sarasota 18 May (E. Miller). Yellow-RUMPED Warbler: 1 partially leucistic bird at PPSP 3 Mar had a white head with a yellow crown patch (B. Muschlitz et al.); 1 at DTNP to 29 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.); 47 at Fort George Island 1 May (R. Clark); 1 at PPSP 2 May (T. Tay- lor); 2 in Leon 8 May (P. Conover). Black-throated Green Warbler: 1 at FDCP 17-20 Mar (B. Ahern et al.). Yellow-throated Warbler: 15 in the Green Swamp (Lake ondPolk) 8 May (P. Fellers). Prairie Warbler: 1 at SRSTF 23 Mar (G. Menk). Palm Warbler: 1 at Tall Timbers Research Station 8 May (T. Engstrom); 2 at SGI 10 May (J. Dozier); 1 at HISRA 26 May (J. Fisher, K. Nelson)— -all 3 reports were of the W race. Blackpoll Warbler: 300+ seen and “1000s” estimated to have been present at Bill Baggs/Cape Florida SRA 1 May (J. Boyd et al.); 14 at Zellwood 1 and 10 May (both H. Robinson); 2 in Leon 8 May (P. Conover); 2 at Key Largo Hammocks State Botani- cal Site (Monroe) 28 May (B. Paxson). Cerulean Warbler: 1 at Cedar Key 16 Apr (T Hoctor); up to 3 at FDCP 16-20 Apr (L. Atherton et al); at least 6 (3 females and 3 males) at SGI (D. Jue, J. Cavanagh); singles at Sanibel Lighthouse Park 17-18 Apr (D. Konz) and 20 Apr (C. Ewell); 1 at DTNP 20 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.); 1 at San Felasco Hammock State Pre- serve 30 Apr (J. Krummrich); 1 at Zellwood 10 May (H. Robinson). Black-and-white Warbler: 16 at FDCP 15 Mar (L. Atherton); 1 at Zellwood 10 May (H. Robinson). American Redstart: 1 that wintered at Gainesville remained to 11 Apr (M. Manetz); 1 immature male that wintered at Melbourne Village arrived 11 Oct and remained to 3 May (B. and S. Hills); 76 at Fort George Island 1 May (R. Clark). Prothonotary Warbler: 1 at FDCP 15 Mar (I. Hernandez); 1 at Zellwood 18 Mar (H. Robinson). Swainson’S Warbler: 1 at FDCP 16-23 Apr (L. Atherton, B. Ahern et al.); 1 at Bonner Park, Largo 18-22 Apr (J. Fisher); 1 at DTNP 20-21 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.); 1 at Coquina Ba3rwalk Park 21-22 Apr (J. Bouton et al.); 1 at Largo Narrows Park 22 Apr (J. Fisher); 1 at Cedar Key 23 Apr (D. Henderson); 1 at HTBSRA 1 May (M. Stickell), and 2 there 12 May (M. Stickell, R. MacGregor). Ovenbird: 1 at Tallahassee 27 Mar (K. MacVicar); 107 at Fort George Island 1 May (R. Clark). Northern Waterthrush: 2 at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area 13 Mar (fide L. Malo); 1 at Zellwood to 18 May (H. Robinson). Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at Zellwood 11 Mar (H. Robinson); 4 at FDCP 15 Mar, and 5 there 16 Mar (both L. Atherton); 1 at Bartow (Polk) 27 Mar (T. Palmer); 1 at Key West 18 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.). Kentucky Warbler: 1 at Zellwood 14 Apr (H. Robinson); 7 in Pinellas this spring (fide R. Smith), including 5 at FDCP 16 Apr (L. Atherton). Connecticut Warbler: up to 5 singles at Turkey Creek Sanctuary (Brevard) 26 Apr- 14 May (B. and S. Hills); 1 at Fort Lauderdale 1 May (M. Stickell), 3 there 14 May (L. Manfredi), and 1 there 16 May (W George); 1 at SGI 8 May (J. Cavanagh, J. La- Field Observations 191 Via); 1 at Bellair Beach 8 May, to Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, released 10 May {fide R. Smith); other singles in Brevard 10-11 May (B. and S. Hills) and 15 May (K. Rad- amaker). Hooded Warbler: 1 at Seminole {Pinellas) 14 Mar (J. Fisher); 37 at FDCP 15 Mar, and 29 there 16 Mar (both L. Atherton); 1 at Zellwood 23 Mar (H. Robinson); 1 male sing- ing at Chassahowitzka WMA {Hernando) 17 May-EOS (K. Wood et ah). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 at PPSP 3 Mar (B. Zaremba); 1 male at FDCP 16 Apr (C. Black). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Station {Brevard) 19 Mar (D. Novier); 1 at Zellwood 17 Apr (H. Robinson); 2 singing at Crystal River Buffer Preserve {Cit- rus) 20 Apr-EOS, and a third bird singing there 6 May (all A. and B. Hansen); 5 at Ce- dar Key Scrub State Reserve {Levy) 1-5 May (B. Muschlitz, M. Landsman, D, Beatty). Summer Tanager: 1 at FDCP 16 Mar (C. Buhrman). Scarlet Tanager: 2 at Tallahassee 16 Apr (F. Rutkovsky). Western Tanager: 1 male at Inverness {Citrus) 17-18 Mar (E. and M. Smith); 1 female at Lakes Park {Lee) remained to 1 Apr (N. Pettis et al.); 1 at SGI 15 Apr (M. Coker et aL). Stripe-headed Tanager: 1 adult black-backed male at Coquina Ba3rwalk Park and en- virons {Manatee) 20 Apr-10 May (P. Shanler-Houston, B. Miles, A. Rawson et al., pho- tos to FOC by B. Pranty) was the first Gulf Coast record; 1 black-backed male at Greynolds Park {Miami-Dade) 8 May (D. Dillman, W Gilbert) was joined by another black- backed male and a female 9 May (D. Wright, M.E. Ahearn, K. Sarsfield et al.); 2 green-backed males at Grassy Key 16 May (R. and T Rogers). Eastern Towhee: 1 red-eyed bird at St. Marks NWR 28 May (J. Dozier). Clay-colored Sparrow: 3 at Aurantia {Brevard) 8 Mar (D. Stuckey, W. Frost, D, Novier); 1 at Talbot Island SP 28 Mar (R. Clark); 1 at Zellwood 23 Apr (H. Robinson). Vesper Sparrow: 1 at Zellwood 23 Apr (H. Robinson). Lark Sparrow: 1 at Zellwood 7 Mar (C. Pierce [photo to FOC], C. Paine); 1 at Sarasota {Sarasota) to 6 Apr (J. Carlock, photo to FOC); singles at Loggerhead Key, DTNP 17- 21 Apr (R, Webb, P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.) and Garden Key, DTNP 29 Apr (P. Leh- man, S. Finnegan et ah). Savannah Sparrow: 1 at Zellwood to 7 May (H. Robinson). Grasshopper Sparrow: 5 at Zellwood 7 Mar (C. Pierce, C. Paine), and 1 there to 31 May (H. Robinson); 1 at DTNP 20 Apr (R Lehman, S. Finnegan et ah); 1 at FDCP 23 Apr (L. Atherton, C. Buhrman). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 2 at Zellwood 7 Mar (C. Pierce, C. Paine); 1 at Garden Key, DTNP 9- 10 May (W. Biggs, G. Basili, B. Pranty et al.). Swamp Sparrow: 1 at SMNWR 3 May (J. Dozier); 1 at Zellwood to 4 May (H. Robinson); 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve {Hernando) 15 May (A. and B. Hansen). White-crowned Sparrow: 3 at Zellwood to 4 May (H. Robinson). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 at Gainesville 11-26 Mar (L. Fitzgerald). Blue Grosbeak: up to 17 males singing at Zellwood through the season (H. Robinson). Indigo Bunting: 1 male at Bald Point 24 Mar (J. Dozier); 1 male at Black Swamp 26 Mar (D. Harder); 50 at FDCP 16 Apr (L. Atherton, A. and B. Hansen), and 100 there 22 Apr (M. Wilkinson); up to 6 males singing at Zellwood through the season (H. Robinson). Painted Bunting: 9 at Zellwood 7 Mar (C. Pierce, C. Paine), and up to 3 first-year males singing there 18 May-EOS (H. Robinson); 1 male and 1 female at Bald Point 15 Apr (J, Dozier); 1 male at Spring Hill 15-17 Apr (C. Schleh); 3 at HISRA 23 Apr (W. Yusek), and 4 there 25 Apr (D. and R. Seals); 1 female at FDCP 1 May (R. and A. Smith); 1 adult male at OWP 12 May (J. Clifton). Dickcissel: singles at SGI 21 Mar and 28 Apr (both M. Coker); 1 at Garden Key, DTNP 29 Apr (J. Boyd et al.); 2 (male and female) at Zellwood 31 May (H. Robinson). Bobolink: 75 at FDCP 23 Apr (L. Atherton, C. Buhrman); 2 at Crystal River Buffer Pre- serve 23 Apr (M. Gardler, T. Rogers); 400 at Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area {Lake) 24 Apr {fide J. Marburger); 1600 at Zellwood 26 Apr, 3120 there 1 May, 1920 192 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST there 4 May, and 15 there to 18 May (all H. Robinson); 2000 E of Sarasota 4 May (J. Oarlock, E. Miller); 445 at PPM 8 May (R Timmer); 4 females at APAFR {High- lands) 19 May (B. Pranty); 2 at SRSTF 25 May (G. Menk); 1 at Alligator Point 28 May (J. Dozier). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 3 at Zellwood to 19 Mar, and 2 there to 1 Apr (both H. Rob- inson). Rusty Blackbird: 1 male at Black Swamp 26 Mar (D. Harder); 4 along 1-75 {Hamilton) 30 Mar (K. Knight); 8 remained at Micanopy to 6 Apr (R. Rowan, A. Prather). Shiny Cowbird: up to 14 at Key West 14 Mar-EOS (J. Ondrejko); 1 at SGI 21 Mar (P Conover); 1 at Seminole 13 Apr (J. Fisher); 7 at DTNP 27-29 Apr (P. Lehman, S. Finnegan et al.), and 3 there 10 May (W. Biggs et al.); 1 male and 1 female at Bald Point 29 Apr (J. Dozier); 1 at Cedar Key 29 Apr-EOS (D. Henderson, R. Rowan); 1 at Fort George Island 13-30 May (R. Clark); 1 at Gulf Breeze 14 May was the 16th local report since the first in 1990 (B. Duncan); 10 (4 males and 6 females) at Flamingo Campground, ENP {Monroe) 22 May (J. Boyd). Bronzed Cowbird: up to 5 at Lakeland to 28 Mar {fide D. and H. Hull). Brown-headed Cowbird: 1 male at Key West 12-17 Apr, and 1 male and 2 females there 3-14 May (both J. Ondrejko). Orchard Oriole: 1 first-year male singing at Zellwood 25 May-EOS (H. Robinson). House Finch: 1 male at Sarasota 15 Feb was joined by a female 9 Mar-EOS (B. Frey); 2 (1 immature) in downtown Jacksonville 24-26 Apr (P. Anderson); 1 pair nested unsuc- cessfully at Lakeland 10 May-8 Jun (B. Haddad, video). American Goldfinch: 1 at Monticello {Jefferson) 13 May (R. Atchison); 1 at Tallahassee 15 May (D. and S. Jue). House Sparrow: 1 female at Avon Park Air Force Range (Highlands) through the season (B. Pranty, H. Lovell). Contributors: Howard Adams, Brian Ahern, Mary Ellen Ahearn, Larry Albright, Janet Alexander, Pat Anderson, Roger Atchison, Lyn Atherton, Kristi Avera, Yvonne Babb, Linda Lee Baker, Dick Ballman, Jane Ballman, Gian Basili, Gray Bass, Dave Beatty, Brad Bergstrom, Wes Biggs, Clay Black, Paul Blair, Jeff Bouton, John Boyd, Mike Boyd, Jane Brooks, Charlie Buhrman, Janet Carlock, Jim Cavanagh, Roger Clark, Joie Clifton, Mitch Coker, Paul Conover, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Tylan Dean, Doug DeNeve, Chris Depkin, Betty Derrick, Francois Dewaghe, Joe DiPasquale, Dick Dillman, Wes Dirks, Bob Donner, Sandy Donner, John Douglas, Linda Douglas, Nancy Douglass, Jack Dozier, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Sue Emerson, Susan Epps, John Erickson, Charlie Ewell, Nancy Fellers, Paul Fellers, Shawneen Finnegan, Judy Fisher, Jerry Fishman, Linda Fitzgerald, Eula Fontaine, Ann Forster, Dan Forster, Dot Free- man, Bonnie Frey, Warren Frost, Murray Gardler, Chuck Geanangel, Wally George, Wil Gilbert, Dave Goodwin, Vanetta Goodwin, Rita Grant, Bill Haddad, Holly Hamilton, Al Hansen, Bev Hansen, David Harder, Dale Henderson, Ted Hendrickson, Irene Hernan- dez, Jim Higgins, Bill Hills, Shirley Hills, John Hintermister, Tom Hoctor, Brett Hoff- man, Harry Hooper, “Hud” Huddleston, Dotty Hull, Hank Hull, Ann Ingram, Richard Ingram, Karen Johnson, Steve Johnson, Dean Jue, Sally Jue, Mary Keim, Bill Kennedy, Tom Kennedy, Helene King, Katrina Knight, Dick Konz, Andy Kratter, Jerry Krum- mrich, Ed Kwater, Jay LaVia, Bill Lamoureux, Delores Lamoureux, Mary Landsman, Beverly LeRoy, Paul Lehman, Carol Leigh, Peter Leigh, Holly Lovell, Russ MacGregor, Keith MacVicar, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, Joy Marburger, Anya Mason, Tom Mason, Marilyn Maxwell, Mike McMillian, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Mike Meredith, Pat Meredith, Beth Miles, Edith Miller, Don Morrow, Barbara Muschlitz, Kris Nelson, Steve Nesbitt, Patsy Nistico, Paul Nistico, Dick Novier, Joe Ondrejko, Carol Paine, Tom Palmer, Bob Patterson, Rich Paul, Bob Paxson, Steve Peacock, Neil Pettis, Cheri Pierce, Diane Pierce, Bill Pranty, Andy Prather, Hein Prinsen, Bob Quinn, Arnold Rawson, Field Observations 193 Joyce Reed, Martin Reed, Sue Riffe, Bryant Roberts, Harry Robinson, Karen Rode- maker, Ron Rogers, Tommie Rogers, David Romer, Josh Rose, Merilu Rose, Rex Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Kevin Sarsfieid, Lilian Saul, Earl Scales, Kees Scharringa, Chris Schleh, Dave Seals, Roberta Seals, David Seeds, Nedra Sekera, Peggy Shanler-Houston, K. Slearce, Austin Smith, Effie Smith, Lora Smith, Mike Smith, Ron Smith, Randy Sny- der, Gary Sprandel, Monte Stickell, Brad Stith, Doug Stuckey, Terry Taylor, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Dana Timmons, Ken Tracey, Andy Uterhart, David Wahl, George Wallace, Don Ware, Doug Wassmer, Ray Webb, Jim Weimer, Karen Wensing, Jim Wheat, Margie Wilkinson, Glen Wilson, Kristin Wood, J. Wren, David Wright, Wilfred Yusek, and Bob Zaremba. Correction to Fall 1998 report: the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher found by Kris Nelson and Judy Fisher 12 Sep was at Dunedin Hammock Park, not Bonner Park. Winter 1998-1999 reports not published previously: Great Cormorant: 1 immature at Fort Clinch SP (Nassau) 13 Feb (Andy Kratter); Lesser Black-backed Gull: 6 at Little Estero Lagoon (Lee) 26 Feb (Charlie Ewell); Gull-billed Tern: 1 at Green Key Park 28 Feb (Ken Tracey, photo to FOC) was the first for Pasco (fide Bill Pranty); Palm Warbler: 1 partially leucistic bird at the Richloam Fish Hatchery (Sumter) 6 Feb (Dave Goodwin, Bill Pranty, Rita Grant). Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (National Audubon Society, 410 Ware Boulevard, Suite 702, Tampa, Florida 33619; e-mail billpranty@hotmaiLcom). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (558 Sunshine Boulevard, Haines City, Florida 33844-9540; e-mail Lcooper298@aol.com), Bob Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, e-mail duncan44@juno.com), Gail Meek (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304), Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257), Rex Rowan (2041 NE 15‘‘’ Terrace, Gainesville, Florida 32609, e-mail rexrowan@email.msn.com), and Ron Smith (1767 Colorado Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703, e-mail smithowl21@aol.com). REVIEWERS FOR THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST, 1999 We take this opportunity to thank those who contributed reviews during the period that Volume 27 was in preparation. Individuals who contributed two or more reviews are noted with an asterisk. Bruce Anderson, Michael Baltz, David Breininger, Randall E. Breitwisch, Don F. Caccamise, David Cobb, James A. Cox*, Robert L. Crawford*, Robert L. Curry, Michael Erwin, Peter C. Frederick, Jeffrey A. Gore, Julie Hovis*, Stephen R. Humphrey, Dale Jackson, John Kappes, Jim Layne*, David S. Maehr*, Douglas B. McNair*, D. Bruce Means, Peter G. Merritt, Karl E. Miller*, Scott M. Melvin, Paul E. Moler, Stephen A. Nesbitt*, Erica Nol, Michael R. Pelton, William Post, Bill Pranty, William B. Robertson, Jr.*, Jim Rodgers, Elizabeth Schreiber, Bill Smith, Eric Stolen, Melvin E. Sunquist, Paul F Sykes, Jr., George Tanner, Brian Poland, Peter D. Vickery, George Wallace, Eric L. Walters, Tom Webber, Richard L. West, James A. Wiley, Glen Woolfenden, Ricardo Zambrano. The Three Editors; R. Todd Engstrom, Peter G. Merritt, and Walter K. Tay- lor. Current and former editors of the Florida Field Naturalist on a field trip on Elliot Key, Florida, 25 April 1998. Photo credit; Karin S. Taylor. 194 The Florida Ornithological Society is Proud to Announce Special Publication No. 6 FLORIDA BIRD SPECIES: AN ANNOTATED LIST BY William B. Robertson, Jr. Glen E. Woolfenden The first complete and authoritative review of Florida’s avifauna since Arthur Howell’s 1932 Florida Bird Life. Treats over 660 species reported in the state. More than 140 species of non-native exotics. Essential for every- one interested in the modern status of Florida’s native and introduced birds. HARD COVER $15.00 All orders add $2.00 shipping and handling per book. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to Florida Ornithological Society. Mail to: F.O.S. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION P.O. BOX 2057 LAKE PLACID, FL 33862 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Species Index to Florida Bird Records in Audubon Field Notes and Amer- ican Birds Volumes 1-30 1947-1976, by Margaret C. Bowman. 1978. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 1. Price $4.00. The Carolina Parakeet in Florida, by Daniel McKinley. 1985. Florida Ornitho- logical Society, Special Publication No. 2. Price $6.00. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay, by Jeffrey A. Cox. 1987. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 3. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes 1947- 1989, by Robert W. Loftin, Glen E. Woolfenden, and Janet A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 4. Price $8.00. West Indian Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990)2 Species Index by Islands, by Robert W. Loftin. 1992. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 5. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Speciesi An Annotated List, by William B. Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6. Price for FOS members $14.95 (soft cover), $19.95 (hard cover); nonmembers $17.95 (soft cover), $22.95 (hard cover). Order prepaid from the Secretary; add $1.00 handling and shipping for Spe- cial Publications No. 1-5; add $2.00 handling and shipping for Special Publication No. 6. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to the Florida Ornithological Society. Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor: R. TODD Engstrom, Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712. Associate Editor (for reviews); Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Associate Editor (for technical papers): ROBERT L. CRAWFORD, 208 Junius Street, Tho- masville, Georgia 31792. Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Editor of Special Publications: Glen E, Woolfenden, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: Katy NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee: WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: PETER G. MERRITT (Chair), 8558 SE Sharon Street, Hobe Sound, Florida 33455. Field Observations Committee: BILL Pranty (Compiler), 8515 Village Mill Row, Bay- onet Point, Florida 34667-2662. Finance Committee: David Goodwin, 10775 Village Club Circle N., #104, St. Peters- burg, Florida 33716. Nominating Committee: JOHN DOUGLAS (Chair), 3675 1st Avenue, NW, Naples, Flor- ida 34120-2709. Records Committee: Reed BOWMAN (Managing Secretary), Archbold Biological Sta- tion, P. O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Grants and Awards Committee: David Breininger (Co-chair, Cruickshank Award), DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 and Gian Basili (Co-chair, Education Award), Florida Audubon Society, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Suite 110, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Conservation Committee: David LEONARD, 220 N.W 14th Avenue, Gainesville, Flor- ida 32601. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 27, No. 1 for detailed infor- mation. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, R. Todd Engstrom. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson, Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. IThlSQN AM M5T T1JTIQW„L, BHAP 3 9088 00996 1467 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 27, No. 4 November 1999 Pages 141-194 CONTENTS ARTICLES Breeding ecology of the Least Bittern in Central Florida James A. Rodgers, Jr. and Stephen T Schwikert 141-149 Monitoring the expanding range of coyotes in Florida: results of the 1997-98 statewide scent station surveys M. B. Main, R B. Walsh, K. M. Fortier, and S. F. Coates 150-162 NOTES Breeding status of Boat-tailed Grackles at St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, Florida Douglas B. McNair and Thomas E. Lewis 163-166 Red-winged Blackbirds at nocturnal roost sites in savannas Douglas B. McNair. 167-170 Mid-air capture of fish by Tri-colored Herons and Snowy Egrets in southeastern Florida Brian Toland 171-172 Incidental impact to nesting Wilson’s Plovers during the sea turtle nest monitoring season Marc Epstein 173-176 First reported breeding of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in northern Florida Bradley J. Bergstrom 177-179 REVIEW New world blackbirds, by Alvaro Jaramillo and Peter Burke William Post 180-181 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Spring Report: March to May 1999 Bill Pranty 182-193 REVIEWERS FOR THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST, 1999 194 I