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Vol. 21, No. 1, 1990

WESTERN BIRDS

Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists

President: Narca A. Moore-Craig, P.0. Box 254, Lakeview, CA 92353
Vice-President: Peter Gent, 55 South 35th, Boulder, CO 80303

Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Howard L. Cogswell, 1548 East Avenue,
Hayward, CA 94541

Recording Secretary: Jean-Marie Spoelman, 4629 Diaz Drive, Fremont, CA 94536
Circulation Manager: Jerry R. Oldenettel, 4368 37th Street, San Diego, CA 92105

Directors: Peter Gent, Ron LeValley, John S. Luther, Guy McCaskie, Timothy
Manolis, Robert McKern an, Narca Moore-Craig, Joseph Morlan, Janet Witzeman

Editor: Philip Unitt, 3411 Felton Street, San Diego, CA 92104

Associate Editors: Cameron Barrows, Tim Manolis, Narca A. Moore-Craig,
Thomas W. Keeney

Graphics Manager: Virginia P, Johnson

Photo Editor: Bruce Webb, 8204 Cantershire Way, Granite Bay, CA 95661
Review Editor: Richard E. Webster, 1114 Oneonta Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90065

Secretary, California Bird Records Committee: Don Roberson, 282 Grove Acre
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Editorial Board: Robert Andrews, Alan Baldridge, Andrew J. Berger, Laurence C.
Binford, David F. DeSante, Jon L. Dunn, Richard Erickson, Kimball L. Garrett,
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Laymon, Paul Lehman, John S. Luther, Guy McCaskie, Joseph Morlan, Harry B.
Nehls, Dennis R. Paulson, Stephen M. Russell, Oliver K. Scott, Ella Sorensen, Richard
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C. Weber, Richard E, Webster

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WESTERN BIRDS

Volume 21, Number 1, 1990

BREEDING DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLACK SWIFT
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

KEVIN S. FOERSTER and CHARLES T. COLLINS, Department of Biology, Califor-
nia State University, Long Beach, California 90840 (present address of Foerster: U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 524,
Newark, California 94560)

The Black Swift ( Cypseloides niger) is sparsely distributed over wide por-
tions of western North America from British Columbia and southwestern
Alberta south to southern California and east to Colorado (A.O.U. 1983).
Elsewhere its range includes Mexico, Central America south to Costa Rica,
and the Greater Antilles. Within this range, it has a discontinuous distribu-
tion, with nests found on sea cliffs (Vrooman 1901), in sea caves (Legg
1956), behind mountain waterfalls {Smith 1928, Knorr 1962), on moist in-
land cliffs (Michael 1927), and in limestone caves (Davis 1964). The winter
range of the migratory population in western North America is presumed to
be southern Mexico (Friedmann et al. 1950).

The nest and egg of the Black Swift were discovered by A.G. Vrooman
(1901) along a sea cliff west of Santa Cruz, California. Vrooman, an amateur
egg collector, was searching for cormorant eggs along the cliff when
“suddenly, right from under the pole and not more than three or four feet
from my hand, a Black Swift flew out and down toward the water and passed
around the angle toward the ocean,” The nest was situated in a small crevice
lined with mud and tufts of grass. Even though a second nest was found four
years later (Vrooman 1905) , the record was subject to widespread skepticism
from within the ornithological community. It was not until 1915 that the
record was widely accepted, following a visit to the site and a subsequent
apology from W. L. Dawson (1915) in an article entitled “The Nesting of the
Black Swift — A Vindication.” Subsequently, Black Swifts were also found
breeding inland behind waterfalls (Michael 1927, Smith 1928).

Knorr (1961) conducted a 10-year survey of the geographical distribution
of Black Swifts in Colorado and proposed a set of ecological requirements for
Black Swift breeding. Even so, there has been a notable absence of surveys in
other parts of the species’ range of the distribution of nest sites and com-
parisons with Knorr’s proposed nest-site requirements. In this study we ex-
amine the characteristics of breeding sites and the population size of Black
Swifts breeding in southern California.

Western Birds 21:1-9, 1990

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

METHODS

Field work was conducted from March to early September in 1985 and
from late April to early September in 1986, which included the period of
residency of Black Swifts in the area. Black Swifts occur in southern Califor-
nia between April and October with the extreme dates representing the
passage of migrants (Garrett and Dunn 1981). The breeding period, from
egg laying to fledging, is from May to September (Foerster 1987, Collins and
Foerster unpubl. data). We conducted our field surveys in the San Gabriel,
San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains of southern California (Figure
1) . Each potential nesting site was rated according to the presence or absence
of Black Swifts and Knorr’s (1961) ecological criteria. Detailed descriptions of
all confirmed nest site localities examined in this study, along with their eleva-
tions and ecological features are presented below. The locations of all poten-
tial nest sites where Black Swifts were not detected during this study are listed
in Appendix 1.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Distribution

Within southern California, the Black Swift is a local and restricted
breeder. Hall (1948) reported the first Black Swift nest in southern California
near Hemet, Riverside County. Other previously known nesting sites are
Sturtevant Falls in the San Gabriel Mountains (McCaskie 1974, Remsen
1978), Big Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains (McCaskie 1969, Remsen
1978), and on the lower North Fork of the San Jacinto River (Collins and
Sheppard unpubl. data). Over the two seasons of this study, we surveyed 50
separate waterfalls and found Black Swifts nesting at six sites (Figure 1) . All
sites were located in mountain canyons with riparian habitat along the
streams. The sites are as follows:

1. Sturtevant Falls— The falls are located in Santa Anita Canyon at a top
elevation of 645 meters, approximately 15 km northeast of downtown Los
Angeles. Water flows year round over the 20-meter falls. The plant
communities in this area are Chamise Chaparral and Scrub Oak Chaparral
(Hanes 1976). A single nest was situated on the south side of the falls,
approximately 7 meters above the base. Since the early 1970s, periodic
surveys have revealed from one to three pairs of swifts present during the
nesting season, although only a single nest was located in any of these years
(Collins unpubl. data).

2. Wolfskill Falls — This site is located in Wolfskill Canyon within the San
Dimas Experimental Forest at a top elevation of approximately 550 meters.
This area is protected and regulated by the Forest Service of the United
States Department of Agriculture. Water flows year round over a series of
three waterfalls. The largest (20- meter) and highest upstream fall served as
the nesting site. A single nest was located on the north side of the fall, about 4
meters above the base, The major plant communities in the area are Chamise
Chaparral and Scrub Oak Chaparral. The herbaceous vegetation in the
immediate vicinity of the site consists primarily of monkeyflower (Mimulus

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

cardinaiis). A freshwater alga, Vaucheria sp., dominates the rock surfaces of
the waterfall.

3. Big Falls— This site is located about 2.5 km northeast of Forest Home
in the San Bernardino Mountains at a top elevation of 1950 meters. The
water flows year round, as this stream is a major snow melt drainage for the
southwest side of Mount San Gorgonio. The plant communities in this area
are Western Coniferous Forest and Mixed Chaparral (Minnich 1976).
Hazardous falling rock and sheer inaccessibility limited the study to the lowest
of five waterfalls that drop 150 meters into Mill Creek Canyon. The single
nest found was located in a small crevice 10 meters high on the east side of
the falls.

4. Lawler Falls— These previously unnamed falls are located 150 meters
downstream from the crossing of Highway 243 over the North Fork of the
San Jacinto River. The elevation at the top of the falls is approximately 1620
meters. The water flows year round over and behind several large boulders

Figure 1. Locations of Black Swift breeding sites in the southern California moun-
tains. 1, Sturtevant Falls; 2, Wolfskill Falls; 3, Big Falls; 4, Lawler Falls; 5, Four Falls;
6, Strawberry Grotto. The stippled area indicates the general outline of the mountain
ranges.

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

wedged into the bottom of the canyon. The placement of the boulders
creates a waterfall 8 meters high with a cave 10 meters deep. A minimum of
seven pairs of Black Swifts nested in 1985 and again in 1986. The surround-
ing vegetation is Mixed Conifer Forest dominated by Coulter Pine (Pinus
coulteri) and Ponderosa Pine (P. ponderosa) .

5. Four Falls — This site is located on the North Fork of the San Jacinto
River approximately 8 km downstream from Lawler Falls at a top elevation of
755 meters. It consists of a series of four waterfalls on property of the Lake
Hemet Municipal Water District. The falls range in height from 3 to 15
meters. The one probable nest site was located near the upper falls in 1971
(Collins and Sheppard unpubl. data) and in 1985 (this study). The plant
community near this west-facing slope is Chamise Chaparral (Vogl 1976). A
large grotto with numerous ferns can be found near the middle falls. This
may be the same area described by Hall (1948). Several nests were
photographed here in the 1950s (D. Bleitz pers. comm.).

6. Strawberry Grotto — This site is located 1.5 km downstream from the
crossing of Tollgate Road over Strawberry Creek in Idyllwild. The top eleva-
tion of the falls is approximately 1402 meters. The water flows through a hole
between two overhanging boulders that create a small cave. This fall is sub-
ject to wide fluctuations in water quantity, but generally the flow is year-
round (M. Hamilton pers. comm.). The plant community in this area is
Manzanita Chaparral (Vogl 1976). We found single nests in two different
locations in 1985 and 1986. Grinnell (1908) first reported seeing Black
Swifts flying in Strawberry Valley in the early 1900s. However, no nests were
located in the area until our study. Strawberry Grotto is the southernmost
known breeding site of Black Swifts in California.

Habitat Characteristics

We surveyed a total of 50 waterfalls in southern California for the presence
or absence of five ecological features. These are summarized from Knorr
(1961) as follows:

1. Water. Water is present at every nesting site, varying in degree from a
rushing torrent to a mere trickle.

2. High relief. The nesting site must have a commanding position above
the surrounding terrain so that swifts flying out from the nest are automatical-
ly at potential foraging altitude above the surrounding valley.

3. Inaccessibility. The site must be inaccessible to terrestrial marauders and
accessible only to winged animals or humans with climbing gear.

4. Darkness. The nest is in a position such that the sun will not shine on an
occupied nest.

5. Unobstructed Fly ways. The fly way in front of the nest must be free of
obstructions.

All six nesting sites had the five ecological requirements. Fifty-six percent
of all the waterfalls surveyed had all five requirements (Table 1).

While all of Knorr’s five ecological requirements were met by the southern
California nest sites, these requirements do not completely describe all nest
sites throughout the range of the Black Swift. The presence of water may be
the most crucial feature, as no nests are known from intermittent streams.
Knorr (1961) suggested the high relief requirement because all of the nesting

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Table 1 Number of Ecological Requirements 0 Met at Sites Searched for
Nesting Black Swifts

Number of Requirements Met

1-0

Unoccupied sites

n = 44

Occupied sites

n =6

Total

Percentage of total

56%

20%

14%

a From Knorr (1961); see text.

sites within his survey were above 7200 feet (2000 meters) in the Colorado
Rockies. The high relief requirement may not apply to coastal sea cave nests,
but was more typical of the mountain sites examined in this study. Inacces-
sibility of nests varied from some being reachable only by a high-exposure
rappel, to others being within an arm’s reach of the base of the falls. The ab-
solute darkness requirement may be less important, as some nests in Mon-
tana were in direct sunlight during part of the day (Hunter and Baldwin
1962). However, all the nests in southern California were shaded from direct
sunlight, although at least two were only lightly shaded and therefore not in
deep darkness. An unobstructed flyway, other than in the immediate vicinity
of the nest, appears to be the least important requirement. Black Swifts at
Lawler Falls and Sturtevant Falls routinely flew through a maze of tree
branches when approaching or leaving the vicinity of the waterfalls.

Many of the falls surveyed in this study (Appendix 1) did not appear to
have nesting Black Swifts present even though the majority met the
ecological requirements of Knorr (1961). Some clearly lacked a suitable
ledge or shelf to support a nest, and this most likely contributed to the
absence of nesting at these sites. It was not always obvious why others were
not utilized. Even so, potential waterfall nest sites are not abundant and may
represent a limiting resource for this species in this part of its range.

Breeding Population Estimates

We found that Black Swifts forage on the wing all day and return to the
nest at dusk. By standing at the base of the waterfalls, we could count the
number of arrivals and departures. Through numerous early evening water-
fall watches and direct observation of nests, we were able to obtain an
estimate of the breeding population. The number of adults seen in the survey
area was 30 in 1985 and 32 in 1986. However, these population estimates
span the entire length of the breeding season and may include counts of
some migrating swifts. For example, nine adult swifts were seen during the
early season (May) at Sturtevant Falls. A mid-season census (July) revealed
only four swifts present on two occasions. Therefore, only adults present dur-

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Table 2 Estimated Population of Black Swifts at Southern California Sites

Location

Adults

Nestlings 0

1985

1986

1985

1986

Sturtevant Falls

Wolfskill Falls

Big Falls

Lawler Falls

Four Falls

Strawberry Grotto

Totals

a Black Swifts lay a single egg per nesting attempt.
fc Nest or nest site inaccessible.

ing the mid-season censuses are included in the breeding population
estimates (Table 2). The breeding population remained constant during the
2-year study with over 50% of the adults nesting within the San Jacinto
Mountains.

The breeding success of the nesting pairs surveyed in this study appeared
to be very high (Foerster 1987, Collins and Foerster unpubl. data) even
when there was substantial human activity nearby. Therefore, it seems
unlikely that the Black Swift population in southern California is only margin-
ally successful and thus unable to increase through natural recruitment. The
alternative explanation for the low population size of Black Swifts in southern
California is a lack of suitable nesting sites. Our continuing monitoring of the
population size and reproductive success of these swifts will help to test this
hypothesis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Connie Boardman, Ray Bransfield, Tad Bodeman, Scott Chestnut, Shirley Critch-
field, Maureen Foerster, Gayle Hoffman, John Hooper, Kathy Keane, Victor Lopez,
Beverly McIntosh, Todd Pappas, Steve Posson, and William Schew provided
valuable field assistance. We are particularly indebted to Michael Hamilton of the
University of California in Riverside for allowing us to use the James Reserve as a
research base for two years. We are grateful to the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, the Tribal
Council of the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians, the Riverside Country
Parks Department, the Desert Water Agency, and the Lake Hemet Water District for
allowing access to the waterfall sites. Ray Bransfield provided useful comments on an
early draft of the manuscript. The final manuscript was improved by the helpful
criticism of Kimball Garrett and Philip Unitt. Financial assistance was generously pro-
vided by the El Dorado Chapter of the National Audubon Society and Marguerite
Foerster.

LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds. 6th ed.

Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C.

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Davis, D. G. 1964. Black Swifts nesting in a limestone cave in Colorado. Wilson Bull.
76:295-296.

Dawson, W. L. 1915. The nesting of the Black Swift— a vindication. Condor
7:8-12.

Foerster, K. S. 1987. The distribution and breeding biology of the Black Swift
( Cypseloides niger ) in southern California. M. S. thesis, California State Univ.,
Long Beach,

Friedmann, H., Griscom, L., and Moore, R. 1950. Distributional check-list of the
birds of Mexico. Part 1. Pac. Coast Avifauna 29:1-202.

Garrett, K. , and Dunn, J. 1981. Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution.
Los Angeles Audubon Soc,, Los Angeles.

Grinnell, J. 1908. The biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. Univ. Calif. Publ.
Zool. 5:1-170.

Hall, E. M. 1948, Black Swift nesting in southern California. Condor 50:274.

Hanes, T. L. 1976. Vegetation types of the San Gabriel mountains. In symposium
proceedings of the plant communities of southern California. California Native
Plant Society. No. 2.

Hunter, W. F. , and Baldwin, P.H. 1962. Nesting of the Black Swift in Montana.
Wilson Bull. 74:409-416.

Knorr, O. A. 1961. The geographical and ecological distribution of the Black Swift in
Colorado. Wilson Bull. 73:155-170.

Knorr, O. A. 1962. Black Swift breeds in Utah. Condor 64:79.

Legg, K. 1956. A sea-cave nest of the Black Swift. Condor 58:183-187.

McCaskie, G. 1969. The nesting season. Southern Pacific Coast region. Audubon
Field Notes 23:693-696.

McCaskie, G. 1974. The nesting season. Southern Pacific Coast region. Am. Birds
28:948-951.

Michael, C. M. 1927. Black Swift nesting in Yosemite National Park. Condor
29:89-97.

Minnich, R. A. 1976. Vegetation of the San Bernardino mountains. In symposium
proceedings of the plant communities of southern California. California Native
Plant Society. No. 2.

Remsen, J. V. Jr. 1978. Bird species of special concern in California. California
Department of Fish and Game. Wildlife Management Branch Admin. Report No.
78-1.

Smith, E. 1928. Black Swifts nest behind a waterfall. Condor 30:136-138.

Vogl, R. J. 1976. An introduction to the plant communities of the Santa Ana and San
Jacinto mountains. In symposium proceedings of the plant communities of
southern California. California Native Plant Society, No. 2.

Vrooman, A. G. 1901. Discovery of the egg of the Black Swift (Cypseloides niger bor-
ealis) . Auk 18:394-395.

Vrooman, A. G. 1905. Discovery of a second egg of the Black Swift. Condor
7:176-177.

Accepted 20 December 1989

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

APPENDIX 1. Survey sites where Black Swifts were not detected in the
southern California mountains during 1985 and 1986. The format is as
follows: waterfall name, location, top elevation, height, falls direction, and
notes if any; n/a, not available.

San Gabriel Mountains

(1) Bonita Falls; 2 km SW of Lytle Creek Ranger Station on an unnamed creek;
1030 m; 25 m; N.

(2) Bouquet Canyon Falls; 2 km SW of Bouquet Reservoir on Bouquet Canyon
Creek; n/a; 3 m; SW.

(3) Castaic Creek Falls. 7 km NW of Castaic Lake on Castaic Creek; n/a; n/a;
n/a.

(4) Cooper Canyon Falls; 2 km N of Kratka Ridge on Cooper Canyon Creek; 1725
m; 10 m; NE.

(5) Cucamonga Canyon Falls; 3.5 km SW of Cucamonga Peak; 1300 m; n/a;
SW.

(6) Daggar Falls; 3 km S of Magic Mountain in Daggar Canyon; n/a; n/a; n/a;
flows only after a storm.

(7) Lower Devils Canyon Falls; 4.5 km N of Cogswell Reservoir in Devils Canyon;
1000 m; n/a; S.

(8) Upper Devils Canyon Falls; 2 km S of Waterman Mountain in Devils Canyon;
1750 m; n/ a; S.

(9) Devils Gulch Falls; 2 km NE of Rattlesnake Peak on Devils Gulch Creek; 910
m; 10 m; E.

(10) Eaton Falls; 1 km NE of Altadena in Eaton Canyon; 420 m; 10 m; N.

(11) Fall Creek Falls (Big Tujunga); 2 km NE of Big Tujunga Dam; 745 m; 18 m;
E.

(12) Fall Creek Falls (Occidental Peak); 0.5 km NE of Occidental Peak in Falls
Canyon; 1525 m; n/a; NE,

(13) Fish Canyon Falls; 3.5 km W of Morris Reservoir on Fish Canyon Creek; 425
m; 35 m; SE.

(14) Fox Creek Falls; 1.5 km NE of Big Tujunga Dam; 710 m; n/a; SE.

(15) Lewis Falls; 1 km SE of Crystal Lake on Soldier Creek; 1325 m; 10 m; SE.

(16) Little Santa Anita Canyon Falls; 1 to 5 km N of Sierra Madre in Little Santa
Anita Canyon; variable; variable; variable; several waterfalls that flow for a few days
following a storm.

(17) Millard Falls; 1.5 km N of Altadena in Millard Canyon; 670 m; 15 m; SW.

(18) Monrovia Falls; 2 km N of Monrovia in Monrovia Canyon; 550 m; 10 m; S.

(19) San Antonio Falls; 2 km SE of Mount San Antonio. 2010 m; 40 m; SE.

(20) San Dimas Canyon Falls (East Fork); 3 km NE of San Dimas Reservoir on the
East Fork of the San Dimas Creek; 610 m; n/a; W; 2 falls,

(21) San Dimas Canyon Falls (North Fork); 3 km NE of San Dimas Reservoir on
the North Fork of San Dimas Creek; 550 m; 12 m; SW.

(22) Switzer Falls; 5.5 km N of Altadena in Switzer Canyon; 885 m; 15 m; W.

(23) Unnamed falls; 2 km SE of Lytle Creek Ranger Station; 850 m; less than 15
m; E.

(24) Unnamed falls (Waterman Mountain area); 0.5 km W of Kratka Ridge; 1895
m; 20 m; NE.

San Bernardino Mountains

(25) Cold Creek Falls; 1 km NE of Angelus Oaks on Cold Creek; 1730 m;
10 m; N.

(26) High Creek Falls; 2.5 km SW of San Gorgonio Mountain on High Creek;
2740 m; 7 m; S.

BLACK SWIFT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

(27) Monkeyface Falls; 1.5 km NW of Forest Falls on Monkeyface Creek; 1490 m;
50 m; S.

(28) Mountain Home Creek Falls (East Fork); 3 km S of Angelus Oaks on the East
Fork of Mountain Home Creek; 1825 m; 3 m; S.

(29) Unnamed falls; 6.5 km N of Highway 10 in a side drainage to the Whitewater
River; 730 m; n/a; SW; flows only after a storm.

Son Jacinto Mountains

(30) Falls Creek Falls; 5 km N of San Jacinto Peak on Falls Creek; 730 m; greater
than 50 m; N.

(31) Fuller Mill Creek Falls (Lower); 3.5 km N of Pine Cove on Fuller Mill Creek;
1680 m; 10 m; SW.

(32) Fuller Mill Creek Falls (Upper); 3.5 km N of Pine Cove on Fuller Mill Creek;
1735 m; 3 m; SW.

(33) Marion Mountain Creek Falls; 4.5 km SW of San Jacinto Peak; 2170 m; 15
m; W.

(34) Oasis de los Osos Falls; 8 km N of San Jacinto Peak on Oasis de los Osos
Creek; 670 m; 15 m; N.

(35) Strawberry Grotto (Lower); 2.5 km W of Idyllwild on Strawberry Creek; 1300
m; less than 5 m; W; 3 separate falls.

(36) Tahquitz Falls; 1.5 km W of Palm Springs on Tahquitz Creek; 270 m;
10 m; E.

Northern Saw-whet Owl Sketch by Cameron Barrows

DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY OF OWLS
AT MONTE BELLO OPEN SPACE PRESERVE,

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

PAUL L. NOBLE, San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, P. O. Box 247, Alviso,
California 95002

From March 1986 through June 1987 I censused owls 72 km south of
San Francisco in the northern end of Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, in
Santa Clara County. My objectives were to identify the species and determine
the density of owls in various habitats. Vocal responses to tape-recorded calls
were noted and compared to weather conditions, lunar phases, and time
of year.

STUDY AREA AND METHODS

The study area, approximately 300 ha, includes Stevens Creek and its
headwaters and ranges in elevation from 520 to 950 m. I used aerial
photographs and vegetation maps to determine the areas of the five habitat
types represented there. Douglas-fir forest, composed mostly of second
growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ) with some Canyon Live Oak
( Quercus chrysoiepis) and Madrone ( Arbutus menziesii), encompasses 75
ha. Canopy closure by these species approaches 100%. This habitat is
confined mainly to the northeast-facing slopes of Stevens Creek Canyon.
Broadleaf evergreen forest encompasses 75 ha mainly of Canyon Live Oak,
Other members of the community include Valley Oak ( Quercus lobata ),
California Bay ( Umbellularia californica) , and Madrone. A meadow,
covering 125 ha, is composed of non-native European annual grasses with a
few scattered patches of native perennial bunchgrasses and native annuals.
On more rocky areas Coyote Brush ( Baccharis pilularis) grows in scattered
clumps. Chaparral, composed of Chamise ( Adenostoma fasiculatum) and
manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), covers approximately 22 ha on south- and
west-facing slopes. A thin strip along Stevens Creek and its main feeder
streams is a riparian woodland of Big-leaf Maple ( Acer macrophyllum) , Tan-
oak { Lithocarpus densiflora), California Bay, and some willow ( Salix sp.).
This habitat is bounded on both sides by the Douglas-fir community,

I used taped recordings of owl calls to elicit responses while I walked the
census route. Tapes were played at stations at 100-m intervals. Calls of each
species of owl were played for 15 seconds, followed by a minute of silence.
Calling owls were then mapped. Often owls would not respond to the tapes
immediately so I usually stayed at each station for 5 to 10 minutes.

I censused the area 2 or 3 times a month for a total of 38 censuses, spend-
ing a total of 69 hours in the field for an average 4.6 hours per month. The
census route, limited to developed and some undeveloped trails, allowed
coverage of 95% of the study area. Most of the censuses were conducted
during calm, clear nights, but three were conducted during strong wind or
rain for information on the relationship between owl calling and weather
conditions. Censuses were generally conducted between 1 hour after sunset

Western Birds 21:11-16, 1990

OWLS AT MONTE BELLO PRESERVE

and 1 hour before sunrise. In May and June 1987 I put in two all-night vigils
to listen to unsolicited calling and to record on tape the owls’ vocalizations.

RESULTS

Six species of owls were found in the study area: the Barn Owl (Tyfo alba),
Western Screech-Owl (Otus kennicottii) , Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius
acadicus ), Great Horned Owl ( Bubo urrginianus) , Northern Pygmy Owl
( Glaucidium gnoma), and Long-eared Owl ( Asio otu$). Owls were most
vocal from late December through March. Calling of all owl species except
the Pygmy decreased through the late spring and summer. The period from
late September through mid-November was generally quiet. The phases of
the moon seemed to have little effect on calling (Table 1). Weather condi-
tions, however, did have an effect. Although only three censuses (less than
10% of the total) were during poor weather, calling was sharply reduced
during these periods.

Western Screech-Owl

The most abundant owl encountered in the study area with a density of
0.4 pairs/ha. Calling males were often encountered approximately 100 m
apart in preferred habitat. Western Screech-Owls showed a preference for
the Canyon Live Oaks and were rarely encountered outside this habitat
(Table 2).

These owls readily responded to taped calls and were most vocal in late
December and January. I usually heard screech owls while playing tapes; I
rarely heard unsolicited calling. Often several minutes passed before an owl
would respond to my calls. The first owl’s response, in turn, would start other
screech owls calling until several would be calling all around me. Western
Screech-Owls responded to taped calls with the typical “bouncing ball” call
(Tyler 1978). Mated pairs often responded and began to duet near each
other. The initial calls switched to trilling as pairs approached one another.
Other calls noted were loud barking by the adults accompanied by juveniles
and puppy-like barking uttered primarily by fledged juveniles in June and
July. Calling by the adults fell off markedly by the end of March (Figure 1).

Table 1 Effect of Lunar Phases on Numbers of Owls Heard

Lunar phase

Number
of censuses

Number of
owls heard

Average number
heard per census

New

103

7.3

First quarter

6.1

Full

7.1

Third quarter

8.0

OWLS AT MONTE BELLO PRESERVE

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Confined to the Douglas-fir forest and the associated riparian areas along
Stevens Creek (Table 2), the Saw-whet is the second most common owl in
the study area with density of 0.25 pairs/ ha. Saw-whet Owls are very
aggressive during the courtship and nesting season. They would respond to
my taped calls instantly, and I often had to duck to avoid an attacking owl.
Saw- whets, like Western Screech-Owls, tended to respond only to the taped
calls, not to call unsolicited. Most vocal November through February (Figure
1), these owls responded to the taped calls with two types of calls. One call
consisted of a single note repeated 120 to 180 times per minute. The pitch
and volume increased as the owls became agitated. The other call was a
nasal whine, increasing in pitch at the end, which lasted 1.5 to 2.0 seconds.
Other calls included a loud angry chatter and various loud barks and whistles.
To solicit food from adults juvenile Saw-whet Owls emit a call that resembles
a soft hiss (Jon Winter pers. comm.). I observed a juvenile Saw-whet Owl
along Stevens Creek in mid-August 1986.

Great Horned Owl

This owl ranged over all habitats in the study area (Table 2). Two pairs
were present throughout the study. The one nest observed, a bulky platform
of sticks, was in a large Douglas-fir 30-40 m from the ground and 3 m out
from the trunk. A single owlet fledged in mid-June 1986 and continued to
beg for food from the adults into June of 1987. Great Horned Owls in my
study area responded to any owl call played but were located mostly by
unsolicited calling. Other owl species (Western Screech-Owls in particular)
became quiet around a calling Great Horned Owl.

Figure 1. Average number of Western Screech-Owl and Saw-whet Owls calling per
census each month.

OWLS AT MONTE BELLO PRESERVE

Table 2 Distribution of Owl Occurrences by Species and Habitat

Percentage of Occurrences

Habitat type

Percentage
of study
area

Screech

Owl

Saw-whet

Owl

Pygmy

Owl

Great

Horned

Owl

Broadleaf

evergreen forest

Douglas-fir forest

Meadow

Chaparral

Riparian

Chi-square value

276.4

363.6

428.1

16.32

Significance level

p < 0.005

p < 0.2E

Total observations

Northern Pygmy Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owls were restricted to the Douglas-firs and oaks border-
ing Stevens Creek (Table 2). Three pairs were encountered along the entire
4.8 km of the creek in the study area. The birds called in the two hours after
twilight in the morning and the last hour of twilight in the evening (Figure 2) . I
never heard a Pygmy Owl call at night. The Pygmy Owls were generally
located by unsolicited calling and were equally vocal throughout the year. I
did not locate any nesting Pygmy Owls, but W. Bousman (pers. comm.) saw
two juveniles in the study area in late July 1981.

Figure 2. Calling frequency of Northern Pygmy Owls.
14

OWLS AT MONTE BELLO PRESERVE

Barn Owl

Encountered only eight times during the study, this species was seen flying
low over the grasslands or trees. I saw single birds in March, June,
September, and November 1986 and in January, February, April, and June
1987. I found a possible nest site in a large dead Canyon Live Oak where I
usually saw the owl, but I never saw any evidence of breeding.

Long-eared Owl

I first encountered this owl on 20 November 1986, hunting over a
meadow. In late December I again saw this species calling from a willow
copse. In February 1987 I witnessed a pair copulating at a potential nest site.
On 14 May 1987 I saw three recently fledged young being fed by an adult
close to the nest tree. The nest was placed in a Canyon Live Oak approxi-
mately 20 m from the ground and 5 m out from the trunk. It appeared to be
an old flattened squirrel nest. Several pellets found below the nest contained
the remains of California Voles (Microtus californicus ); no other prey were
identified. The male’s call was a low hooting to which the female often
responded with a higher-pitched call or cat-like mews. The fledglings’ food-
begging calls resembled a violin being lightly stroked. These calls were low in
volume and did not carry far. The fledglings were attended by the adults until
June 1987.

DISCUSSION

Population densities for Western Screech-Owls in the southwestern U.S.
have been previously reported to be 2.25 pairs/ ha with territories spaced
closer than 100 m (Miller and Miller 1951). These densities are over five
times greater than those I found during this study.

The distribution of Saw-whet Owls in California is not well known, owing
in part to the species’ retiring habits. Grinnell and Miller (1944) indicated that
it was nowhere considered common, and that it inhabits woodland or broken
forest. It has been found breeding in habitat similar to that where I found the
owl in my study area in San Mateo County at Spring Valley Lakes (now
Crystal Springs Reservoir). There the owls were nesting in Douglas-fir
(Santee and Granfield 1939).

Information on Northern Pygmy-Owls is sparse as well, but the distance
between pairs may be as low as 1.6 km where the population is dense (Tyler
1978). This distance is approximately the same as I found during my study.

The last reported breeding of Long-eared Owls in Santa Clara County was
in the 1930s (Sibley 1952). No breeding has been reported from San Mateo
County, which lies along the northern boundary of the study area, for 80
years. There is a February 1893 breeding record for the study area cited by
Sibley (1952). There are a handful of winter records for the Long-eared Owl
in Santa Clara County, but most of these are from the San Francisco Bay
margin. In the winter of 1986 several Long-eared Owls were found on local
Christmas Bird Counts, far more than had been found in previous years.
These owls stage periodic irruptions, and, if conditions are favorable, they
may stay and breed the following year.

OWLS AT MONTE BELLO PRESERVE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, particularly James Boland,

Operations Supervisor, who allowed me access to the study area after preserve hours.

Jon Winter and David Suddjian kindly read drafts of the manuscript and offered com-
ments and ideas. Thanks to Bill Bousman, Cameron Barrows, and Peter Metropulos,

who provided important information, and thanks to Lynne Aldrich, Peter Gottschling,

Tom Olson, and David Suddjian, who accompanied me on some of the field censuses.

LITERATURE CITED

Grinnell, J., and Miller, A.H. 1944. The distribution of the birds of California. Pac.
Coast Avifauna. 27.

Miller, A.H., and Miller, L. 1951. Geographic variation of the Screech Owls of the
deserts of western North America. Condor 53:161- 177.

Santee, R., and Granfield, W. 1939. Behavior of the Saw-whet Owl on its nesting
grounds. Condor 41:3-9.

Sibley, C.G. 1952. The birds of the south San Francisco Bay region. Unpublished
manuscript available in Falconers’ Biology Library, Stanford University.

Tyler, H.A. 1978. Owls by Day and Night. Naturegraph, Happy Camp, CA.

Accepted 2 February 1990

IDENTIFICATION AND SOUTHWARD LIMITS,
IN AMERICA, OF GAVIA ADAMSII,

THE YELLOW-BILLED LOON

ALLAN R. PHILLIPS, Department of Zoology, Denver Museum of Natural History,
City Park, Denver, Colorado 80205

Various studies in recent years have advanced our knowledge of the ident-
ification of Gavia adamsii, the Yellow-billed Loon or White-billed Diver, and
its winter distribution in North America. Still, only breeding adults are readily
distinguishable (with care) from the more widespread G. immer, the Com-
mon Loon or Great Northern Diver.

IDENTIFICATION

After Palmer’s (1962) basic handbook, important reviews of identification
of Gavia adamsii were published by Binford and Remsen (1974), Burn and
Mather (1974), Appleby et al. (1986), and the references they cited. To
these may be added Schwartz (1978), McCaskie et al. (1979), and Godfrey
(1986). Various helpful characters were pointed out, but most of them are
rather subtle and/or show considerable individual variation, sometimes
overlapping with those of G. immer. Even with birds in good plumage, close
study is necessary, and additional complications are introduced by wear,
fading, soiling, and molts. In the field, therefore, Appleby et al. warned that,
even with well and closely seen birds, “too much reliance should never be
placed on one or two characters alone”; identifications of even breeding
adults should “be backed up by a careful check of other characters” besides
the bill.

These warnings are underlined by Godfrey’s report (in Palmer 1962:25,
Godfrey 1986) of hybrids. Storer (1978) rejected Godfrey’s identification of
one of these, believing it simply a mis-sexed immer. However, the sexes are
alike in all specific characters (differing slightly only in size), as stated in all
standard references (e.g., Palmer 1962). The bird in question, Royal Ontario
Museum 76360, was reexamined at my request by J. A. Dick; it resembles
immer more than adamsii in the color of the shafts of the remiges, but it is
nearer adamsii in the white of the back and in bill shape (J. C. Barlow in litt.) ;
see also James (1981). Ornithologists need not determine a loon’s sex to
identify the species or possible hybrids.

In non-breeding birds, the most useful and constant characters of adamsii
seem to be (1) Distinctly pale shafts of the middle part of the outer primaries,
sometimes nearly whitish above; the pale color extends distad well beyond
the tips of the primary coverts. (In immer the outer primaries’ shafts are pale
only basally, wholly dark fuscous to dusky beyond their upper coverts, so
show no contrast with the dark webs.) Most of the under side of the shaft is
also very pale to whitish. (2) complete lack of dusky on the distal half or more
of the bill, particularly the culmen. (3) More extensive feathering anteriorly
between the mandibular rami (see Binford and Remsen 1974) and a less ex-
tensive median groove beyond these (Godfrey 1986) . (4) Broader feathering
behind the nostril (Godfrey 1986). The maxillary ramphotheca, below the

Western Birds 21:17-24, 1990

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

nostril, is bare for 10 mm or more toward the base (from the posterior end of
the nostril) in immer, whereas in adamsii feathering encroaches on it in less
than 10 mm.

On the mandible of G. immer a median groove can be seen to extend
distad perceptibly (at a proper angle of illumination) to within 30 mm or less
of the tip. In adamsii the tip has no median groove for the last 35 mm or
more (but it may have a slight median projection, producing a somewhat
grooved appearance beside it).

In the field only (2) is useful, and it is usually difficult to get a good, direct
view of the culmen from above. Appleby et al. (1986) therefore warned that
even these differences “are not always so obvious under normal viewing con-
ditions as the detailed accounts might suggest.”

In fresh, unworn winter (basic) plumage, the extensively pale sides of the
thick head and neck of adamsii are also fairly diagnostic; they contrast with a
narrower (and not quite so dark) stripe down the thick hind-neck, and often
with a somewhat darker auricular area. But by spring and summer young im-
mer may be badly faded, obliterating this difference between the species.

Wear can whiten the tips of the webs of the primaries, but the shafts remain
dark in immer (Figures 1 and 2). Even the most extensively whitish-shafted
immer do not have as extensively pale shafts as the least whitish-shafted
adamsii. This is true of all but the upper side of the secondaries (where each
species may have a dark tip for 45 mm, minimum of immer and approximate

Figure 1. Dorsal view of primaries of Colorado loons. Left to right: DMNH 12244,
male Gauia immer; DMNH 23974, "male” G. adamsii : DMNH 7807, unsexed adult
G. immer. Note pale shafts of adamsii. dark shafts of immer.

Photo by Gary Hall, courtesy of DMNH archives

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

maximum of adamsii ) ; the difference is most marked on the under side of the
outer primaries. In immer the lower side of the shaft is more or less dark (not
whitish) for at least 120 mm from the tip. In adamsii it is whitish or very pale
to within about 40 mm of the tip, at least in its major part; the inner edge of
the shaft is sometimes darker, on the long primaries.

Thus not all sight and photographic records of supposed extralimital
Gaviae are fully reliable. The species known to occur in a region, properly
documented by concrete evidence — preserved specimens of some kind— will
appear in all their varieties of plumages and molts, clean, faded, or soiled,
normally or occasionally as variants (or perhaps hybrids) . The farther from
birds’ proven ranges (geographic and ecologic) and seasons, the greater the
need of concrete, physical evidence of correct identification, “It should be
borne in mind that several of the observers consulted . . . some of whom have
accumulated a lot of experience of divers in flight, do not claim to identify
specifically more than 40% of those that they see” (Appleby et al.
1986:387-388).

SOUTHWARD AND SOUTHEASTWARD DISTRIBUTION

From coastal British Columbia south and east, the range and status of G.
adamsii have been misunderstood and disputed for many years. Even in

Figure 2. Dorsal view of wing (remiges) of Gauia immer, showing dark shafts.

Photo by Victor Krantz, courtesy of National Museum of Natural History

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

British Columbia the species was considered of hypothetical occurrence to
1925 (Brooks and Swarth) and was termed “scarce” to 1947 (Munro and
Cowan); it is still uncommon even in winter (Campbell et al. 1989),

There were no records for the contiguous United States until 1934, when a
dead bird was found (but lost) in Washington; having no specimen, Jewett et
al. (1953) placed the species on the state’s hypothetical list, Gabrielson and
Jewett (1940) and Grinnell and Miller (1944) had no reports from Oregon or
California, Today it apparently winters rarely but regularly along the coast
south to northern or perhaps central California (Monterey area) . The
southernmost California specimen is a bird eventually found dead at Goleta,
Santa Barbara County, on 12 April 1982 (Morlan 1985). Perhaps adamsii
does not survive well in southern climes, lacking physiological/immuno-
logical adaptations to warmer ecosystems (Remsen and Binford
1975:13-14).

A single specimen from Los Coronados Islands, northwestern Baja
California Norte, 24 November 1968 (Jehl 1970) gives no support to a
“well-described sight record” (Simon and Simon 1974; Wilbur 1987:32) on
30 June 1973, farther south and across the peninsula near San Felipe in the
Gulf of California, where adamsii has never been taken, even in winter. The
published photograph of a “Yellow-billed Loon” in Arizona (Witzeman and
Stejskal 1984) is not convincing to me, as it does not reveal the color of the
culmen,

Campbell et al. (1989), like most others, suggested that this apparent
southward extension of range is a recent development. There had been early
reports, but all were discredited. One from Colorado (Cooke 1897) was cor-
rected by Bent (1915), who had “always suspected. . .erroneous identifica-
tion, as Colorado is so far away from the known range or migration route of
this Arctic loon.” The specimen proved to be an odd, yellow-billed immer.
Another Colorado specimen, Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH)
7807, was later marked “adamsii F.C. Lfincoln]” but was reported by Bailey
and Niedrach (1937) as the large G. i. immer: “It is such a large bird that it
greatly resembles the immature adamsii except for the shape of its culmen.”
(See Figures 1, 3, 4).

Bailey and Lincoln (1954) reported a third Colorado specimen (DMNH
7808) as an immature G. adamsii. This was repeated by Bailey and Niedrach
(1965), who also listed several G. immer, including DMNH 23974, an im-
mature. Of 7808 they wrote “it reposed in the museum skin collection for
thirty years in the series of Common Loon skins, until we studied individual
birds in the course of preparation for this report.” This they cited as an exam-
ple of the difficulty of identifying winter and immature birds. But this
specimen, in turn, was also reidentified as G. immer by Binford and Remsen
(1974) and Remsen and Binford (1975).

After such repeated studies of the DMNH series of G. immer , it hardly
seemed necessary to reexamine it in my taxonomic reevaluation of the col-
lection. But I at once noted that DMNH 23974 was not G. immer elasson as
labeled. Rather, it proved to have all Binford and Remsen’s characters of
adamsii ! (Figures 1,3,4, center.) This bird, sexed as a male, was taken by K.
C. Morse at (or near) Sterling, Logan County, on the northern Colorado
plains, 19 January 1944. The label, as was customary, lacks supplementary

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

Figure 3. Dorsal view of Colorado loons. Top to bottom: DMNH 12244, male Gauia
immer, DMNH 23974, “male” G. adamsii: DMNH 7807, unsexed adult G. imrner.

Photo by Gary Hall, courtesy of DMNH archives

Figure 4. Heads of Colorado loons. Left to right: DMNH 12244, male Gavia immer ;
DMNH 23974. "male” G. adamsii : DMNH 7807. unsexed adult G. immer.

Photo by Gary Hall, courtesy of DMNH archives

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

information. The bill and foot are remarkably small {especially if the bird was
sexed correctly); presumably they are still not full-grown. Morse was not a
collector or regular contributor to the museum collection. Perhaps the bird
was found dead or injured. But it is a normal, wild bird, establishing the oc-
currence of adamsii (at least casually) as far southeast as the Colorado plains
at a date prior to its known occurrence anywhere else south of Washington
(doubtfully) and British Columbia!

There is no reason to question the authenticity of the dates. DMNH 23974
was catalogued with numerous specimens taken in 1943. It was one of the
earliest 1944 birds to be catalogued (though not the first). In fact, the
museum’s own April 1943 expedition was entered later (nos. 24065 to
24339) . Thus the undated catalogue entry was probably made within a few
months of the bird’s receipt. The well-made specimen was doubtless
prepared by the museum’s taxidermists. (Such data never appeared on the
labels.) And the degree of plumage wear is appropriate for January.

Not impossibly, were adamsii more easily distinguishable, it might prove
regular in winter in Colorado. On a Denver reservoir, (soon after finding this
Colorado specimen), I was shown a loon believed to be adamsii; the ident-
ification appeared to be correct, as far as I could tell. But at this writing
DMNH 23974 remains the only specimen from Colorado or any adjacent or
more eastern state, to my knowledge.

To be sure, the A.O.U. Check-lists of 1957 and 1983 accredit adamsii to
Long Island, New York, as an accidental. This report is based on Zimmer’s
(1947) identification of a mandible from a badly decomposed bird; nothing
else was salvaged. But even accepting Zimmer’s dubious identification, we
could not tell where the bird had died, as mentioned by Nichols (1948: 135) .

If adamsii does reach the interior United States regularly, this remains to be
established. Any shed remiges or long-dead remains of large loons should be
salvaged for identification.

Arnold and Henderson (1973) have provided an antidote to unwarranted
over-optimism in loon identification: “a suspected Yellow-billed Loon was
reported seen on . . . Christmas Bird Census (Amer. Birds 25:419, 1971)” in
Texas; upon collection it proved to be G. immer “despite the oddly shaped
bill.”

Should adamsii actually prove regular in Colorado, there will be no reason
to think the 1944 specimen accidental. Rather, it must cast doubt on the pre-
sent general belief that the species has enormously expanded its winter range
in America in recent years. Old-time ornithologists probably wasted little time
searching for “this Arctic loon” at a time when the characters distinguishing it
in winter were ill-defined or unknown and there was little hint of any long
migration; a big Gauia is not easy to collect, to skin, or to store. More likely,
what we now have is a greatly expanded number of eager observers, plus
some knowledge of what to look for and where.

SUMMARY

Despite recent advances, the field identification of the larger loons remains
extremely difficult, except in breeding plumage; even then, birds should be
carefully observed. Fresh-plumaged winter birds of usual coloration and

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

shape may be identified with approximate certainty under favorable cir-
cumstances, but even museum specimens have required repeated examina-
tion for correct identification. Records outside the normal, proven range
(geographically or seasonally) require specimen evidence, since the most
reliable differences are not visible in the field and hybrids have been reported.

Discovery of a specimen from Colorado taken (doubtless at random) in
1944 not only extends the established range of Gauia adamsii onto the Great
Plains but also suggests that the species’ apparent enormous range expansion
is an artifact of more intensive searching. But additional concrete evidence of
normal wintering so far southeast is still needed.

This discovery also re-demonstrates the lasting importance of properly
maintained scientific collections for accurate understanding of birds and their
distributions, and the desirability of fuller labeling than has been customary.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For help with references, examining specimens, etc., I am indebted to Jon C.
Barlow, M. Ralph Browning, R. Wayne Campbell, James A. Dick, Kimball L. Garrett,
Daniel D. Gibson, Mark Holmgren, Guy McCaskie, Robert Phillips, and Amadeo M.
Rea. Photographs were taken by Gary Hall, courtesy of DMNH Archives, and by
Victor Krantz, courtesy of U. S. National Museum of Natural History.

Specimens were examined at the Denver and National Museums. 1 extend my
thanks to their authorities and to all the above colleagues. The manuscript was im-
proved by comments of J. Van Remsen and Philip Unitt. I thank Betty Grillos for typ-
ing the final copy.

LITERATURE CITED

Appleby, R. H., Madge, S. C., and Mullarney, K. 1986. Identification of divers in im-
mature and winter plumages. Br. Birds 79:365-391.

Arnold, K. A., and Henderson, J. C. 1973. First specimen of Arctic Loon from
Texas. Auk 90:420-421.

Bailey, A. M., and Lincoln, F. C. 1954. The Yellow-billed Loon ( Gauia adamsi) in
Colorado. Auk 71:203.

Bailey, A. M., andNiedrach, R. J. 1937. Notes on Colorado birds. Auk 54:524-527.

Bailey, A. M., and Niedrach, R. J. 1965. Birds of Colorado. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist.,
Denver.

Bent, A. C. 1915. Yellow-billed Loon: A correction. Condor 17:130.

Binford, L. C., and Remsen, J. V., Jr. 1974. Identification of the Yellow-billed Loon
{Gauia adamsii ). W. Birds 5:111-126.

Brooks, A., and Swarth, H. S. 1925. A distributional list of the birds of British
Columbia. Pac. Coast Avifauna 17.

Burn, D. M., and Mather, J. R. 1974. The White-billed Diver in Britain. Br. Birds
67:257-296.

Campbell, R. W., Dawe, N. K., McTaggart-Cowan, I., Cooper, J. M., Kaiser, G. W.,
and McNall, M. C. E. 1989. The Birds of British Columbia. Vol. 1, Parts 1 and 2:
Introduction, Ornithological History, The Environmental and Species Ac-
counts — Loons through Falcons. Royal Br. Columbia Mus., Victoria.

Cooke, W. W. 1897. The Birds of Colorado. Bull. 37, State Agric. College, Fort
Collins, CO.

YELLOW-BILLED LOON

Gabrielson, I. N., and Jewett, S. G. 1940. Birds of Oregon. Ore. State Monogr.
Studies in Zoology No. 2. Ore. State Univ., Corvallis.

Godfrey, W. E. 1986. The Birds of Canada. Natl. Mus. Can. Bull, 203, Biol. Ser. 37,
rev. ed. Ottawa, Ontario,

Grinnell, J., and Miller, A. H. 1944. The distribution of the birds of California. Pac.
Coast Avifauna 27.

James, R. D. 1981. Hybrid Common Loon (Gauia immer) x Yellow-billed Loon (G.
adamsii)? Abstracts, meeting of American Ornithologists’ Union, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, 24 August-27 August 1981, p. 26.

Jehl, J, R., Jr. 1970. A Mexican specimen of the Yellow-billed Loon. Condor
72:376.

Jewett, S. G., Taylor, W. P., Shaw, W. T., and Aldrich, J. W. 1953. Birds of
Washington State. Univ. of Wash. Press, Seattle.

McCaskie, G., DeBenedictis, P., Erickson, R., and Morlan, J. 1979. Birds of
Northern California: An Annotated Field List. 2nd ed. Golden Gate Audubon
Soc., Berkeley, CA.

Morlan, J. 1985. Eighth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds
16:105-122.

Munro, J. A., and Cowan, I, McT. 1947. A review of the bird fauna of British Colum-
bia. Br. Columbia Prov. Mus. Spec. Publ. 2.

Nichols, J. T. 1948. A picture of bird migration with particular reference to Long
Island, New York. Birds of Long Island 5:115-136.

Palmer, R. S., ed. 1962. Handbook of North American Birds, vol. 1. Yale Univ.
Press, New Haven, CT.

Remsen, J. V., Jr., and Binford, L. C. 1975. Status of the Yellow-billed Loon ( Gauia
adamsii) in the western United States and Mexico, W. Birds 6:7-20.

Schwartz, M. 1978. Zur schweizerischen Erstbeobachtung aes Gelbschnabel-
Eistauchers Gauia adamsii mit Erorterung der Bestimmungsmerkmale. Ornithol.
Beobachter 75:213-226.

Simon, D., and Simon, W. F. 1974. A Yellow-billed Loon in Baja California, Mexico.
W. Birds 5:23.

Storer, R. W. 1978. Systematic notes on the loons (Gaviidae: Aves). Breviora 448.

Wilbur, S. R. 1987. Birds of Baja California. Univ. of Calif. Press, Berkeley, CA.

Witzeman, J., and Stejskal, D. 1984. The winter season. Southwest region. Am.
Birds 38:343-346.

Zimmer, J. T. 1947. Yellow-billed Loon on Long Island, New York. Auk
64:145-146.

Accepted 9 June 1990

The following article is the sixth in a series on Californio, rarities edited by Morlan
and Roberson. It is based on materials submitted to the California Bird Records Com-
mittee (CBRC). The description and circumstances were drawn from the account of
the observer and have been reviewed by him. Roberson prepared the distributional
summary; Morlan prepared the identification summary. In this way we hope much
important information accumulated in CBRC files will become widely available.

Sooty Tern

Sketch by Tim Manolis

FIRST RECORD OF THE SOOTY TERN
IN CALIFORNIA

RICHARD E. WEBSTER, 1114 Oneonta Dr., Los Angeles, California 90065

JOSEPH MORLAN, 417 Talbot Ave., Albany, California 94706

DON ROBERSON, 282 Grove Acre Ave., Pacific Grove, California 93950

At about 1500 on Monday, 27 September 1982, Webster was birding at
the San Diego River mouth, San Diego County, California. He was standing
on the south side of the flood control channel, viewing the flats through a
15-25 x spotting scope, when he noted an unusual tern about 50 yards
away. It flew with steady, rowing wingbeats, rising and falling a bit on every
stroke, as it headed into the stiff breeze coming off the ocean. After a rainy
morning, the sun was out, though winds were still gusting to 20 miles per
hour. The lighting was excellent as the bird passed, flying west, but became
less so as the tern continued down the channel and out over the ocean.
Webster recognized it as an immature-plumaged Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata.
He wrote the following description (slightly edited to produce full sentences) :

The bird was a medium-sized tern, appearing larger than a Forster’s Tern S. forsteri
and a little bit smaller than an Elegant Tern S. elegans, although there were no other
terns in same field of view (though five other species of terns were seen immediately
before and after the sighting). The wings were slim and sharply angled but did not
appear especially long. The overall color was a dark blackish brown, apparently more
brown than blackish, although it seemed to be close to an even mix. The color
appeared to be uniform, with the exception of a most noticeable white area on the
vent and undertail covert region. The white was clear, and while not sharply de-
marcated from the rest of the underparts, merged rapidly into the dark of the belly and

Western Birds 21:25-32, 1990

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

breast, giving the bird a pattern not unlike that of a breeding-plumaged Black Tern
Chlidortias niger. The flight feathers were dark and contrasted with some pale whitish
on the underwing coverts. There was no such contrast on the upper surface of the
wing. The upperparts appeared darker than the dusky portions of the underparts.
There was faint buff spotting on the upperwing coverts and on the back; I looked for
this character in the field and it was not very prominent (e.g. , young Heermann’s Gulls
Larus heermanni show much more conspicuous spotting on this date). The tail was
fairly long and gave the impression of being deeply notched. The bill was long,
slender, and dark,

I have no prior experience with this plumage of Sooty Tern and have only seen a
few adults of this species before. 1 had a mental image of the field guide pictures and
was expecting a dark bird with upperpart edgings. I was surprised by the white under-
tail covert area.

The record was unanimously accepted by the California Bird Records
Committee (CBRC) after two circulations (Morlan 1985). It constitutes the
first record for California.

When the CBRC evaluated this record, the available literature on the
Sooty Tern’s plumage sequences was deficient or misleading, prompting
concern among Committee members over the plumage as described. One
source (Harrison 1983) incorrectly pictured Juvenal birds with white outer tail
feathers, though showing the white crissum and underwing coverts described.
Other sources (e.g., Alexander 1928, Ridgway 1919) failed to describe the
whitish underwing coverts and the extent of white undertail coverts, though
Witherby et al. (1944) did. Available photos (e.g., Farrand 1983) of juvenal
birds showed white spots or barring on the back much more extensive than
Webster described. However, wear reduces the spotting significantly
(Oberholser 1974) , and in the end the CBRC members considered Webster’s
description acceptable. Since the review, photos that show the extent of
white on the underparts and underwings well have been published (e.g.,
Harrison 1987), confirming the analysis of the Committee. A previously
unpublished photo of this plumage appears as Figure 1; this bird also lacked
any spotting or barring on the upperparts (Roberson pers. obs.).

Beyond the identification itself, the Committee discussed the propriety of
accepting a first state record based on a rather brief sighting by a single
observer. Perhaps it is this point that prompted Phillips (1986) and Unitt
(1984) to doubt the record. However, the Committee considered this issue
along with all other facts and, on this rare occasion, accepted such a record
(see Trochet et al. 1988 for another example and fuller discussion of this
topic) .

One relevant factor was the recent passage of tropical depression Olivia,
which had passed over the Sooty Tern’s pelagic range as a hurricane on its
way north. During mid-September 1982, Hurricane Olivia developed in the
tropical eastern Pacific Ocean and began moving north off the western coast
of Mexico. By Tuesday, 21 September 1982, it was churning due south of
Baja California, with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. By mid-day on
Wednesday, it was heading northwest but losing intensity. On Thursday it
was downgraded to a tropical depression, whirling 700 miles south of Los
Angeles. By mid-day on Saturday, 25 September, Olivia was about 240
miles southwest of southern California and heading towards the coast. It was
largely dissipated as it moved over land on Sunday, 26 September, bringing

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

showers and gusty winds (all per satellite photos and weather notes in the
Los Angeles Times ; see Figure 2). Webster and most Committee members
attributed the bird’s presence to the storm,

DISTRIBUTIONAL SUMMARY

The Sooty Tern has a wide distribution in the tropics, nesting on islands in
all tropical oceans. Its nesting cycle encompasses the entire year, with dif-
ferent colonies nesting in different seasons according to latitude and local
conditions (Murphy 1936). In the eastern Pacific, the Sooty Tern nests in
Hawaii and on islands off western Mexico, including Clipperton, the Tres
Marias, and the Revillagigedos (A.O.U. 1983; see Figure 2). Recently a col-
ony of about 250 birds was found nesting on the Alijos Rocks, some 160
miles west of southwestern Baja California (24°57 ' N, 115°45' W) and ap-
proximately 500 miles due south of San Diego (Pitman 1985).

The Sooty Tern generally avoids inshore waters except to visit its breeding
islands (Diamond 1978, Au and Pitman 1986). Most vagrants onshore have
been found after the passage of tropical storms. Hurricane Olivia passed over
or near the Alijos Rocks, crossing the northeastern pelagic range of the Sooty
Tern in the eastern Pacific (Gould 1974, Pitman 1986; see Figure 2).

Away from the breeding islands. Sooty Terns are extremely pelagic
(Ashmole and Ashmole 1967, Diamond 1978). They forage by following
schools of skipjack Katsuwonus pelamis and other species of tuna, being
near-obligate commensals (Au and Pitman 1986) . As they cannot rest long

Figure 1. Subadult Sooty Tern in the eastern tropical Pacific (6°12 'N, 113°30 'W),
11 August 1989. Note white crissum and underwings.

Photo by Don Roberson

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

on the water (Gould 1974), their adaptations include a continuous agile
flight, constant vocalizations, and the ability to recognize distant foraging
flocks and detect surfacing fish (Au and Pitman 1986), These foraging flocks
include a substantial percentage of subadult birds in the late summer and fall
(Roberson pers. obs.; see Figure 1).

In the northwestern Pacific, typhoons regularly carry Sooty Terns beyond
their normal range. Gould (1974) listed 28 instances from 1966 to 1968 of
banded birds being driven out of their normal range by typhoons, including a
bird banded on 11 May 1965 on Johnston Island (south of the Hawaiian
Islands) that was dropped by typhoon Trix over eastern Honshu, Japan, on
18 September 1965. This bird was at a latitude of 37° 40 ' N and some 3000
miles from its natal island.

In eastern North America the Sooty Tern nests on islands in the Gulf of
Mexico from Texas to Lousiana, on the Dry Tortugas and other inlets off
southern Florida, and has nested as far north as South Carolina (Wilkinson
1987, 1988) and North Carolina (Fussell et al. 1981). It follows the Gulf
Stream north regularly to at least North Carolina (Lee and Booth 1979), and
storms push it farther. Records, often associated with hurricanes, exist for
every northeastern state (DeSante and Pyle 1986) . Northernmost examples
include three on Hog Island, Maine, after a hurricane in September 1954,
and five scattered over that state after a hurricane in September 1960

Figure 2. Breeding range of the Sooty Tern in the eastern Pacific (dots indicate
colonies), approximate pelagic range (shaded; after Pitman 1986), and location of
California sighting (star). Approximate 1300 positions (south to north) of Hurricane
Olivia from 20 to 26 September 1982 are shown by arrows, indicating path of move-
ment (based on satellite photos published in the Los Angeles Times) .

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

(Vickery 1978). One was picked up dead on 28 August 1924 at Wolfville,
Nova Scotia, after the passage of a hurricane, and a sight record of one at
Three Fathom Harbor, Nova Scotia, on 21 October 1968, was attributed to
Hurricane Gladys (Godfrey 1986). Inland records exist for Texas (after
Huricane Allen in August 1980, Arnold 1984), Arkansas, Wisconsin,
Tennessee, West Virginia, Vermont, and Ontario (DeSante and Pyle 1986).

SUBSPECIES

Cramp (1985) pointed out that geographic variation in this species is slight
and that the validity of some of the six currently recognized subspecies is
questionable. According to Blake (1977), S. /. crissalis of the Pacific coast of
Central America and Mexico differs from the nominate fuscata of the Atlantic
and Caribbean by the “more decidedly grayish” underparts of the adult. We
presume the San Diego bird to have been crissalis or, possibly, the central
Pacific oahuensis.

IDENTIFICATION SUMMARY

The Sooty Tern normally takes 1 to 2 years to acquire adult plumage.
Juvenal birds are all dark with buff or golden barring or spotting on the
mantle. These markings are lost with the acquisition of the first basic plumage,
which is dark with whitish patches on the underwings and white undertail
coverts (Figure 1). Some birds have extensively white bellies (Roberson pers.
obs.). The exact sequence to adult plumage is not well known. However,
30% of 3-year-old birds and 5% of 5-year-old birds retain some dark speck-
ling below (Urban et al. 1986).

The Sooty Tern in juvenal or subadult plumage might be confused with the
Black Tern Chlidonias niger. The Black Tern is much smaller than the Sooty
Tern, and it flies very differently, more like a butterfly or nighthawk
Chordeiles, depending on the wind (Connor 1988) . The flight of the Sooty
Tern is strong and purposeful, but buoyant. Flint and Nagy (1984) found that
high winds had little effect on characteristics of this species’ flight. At least one
previous report of the Sooty Tern from California (Moss Landing) was based
on a misidentified Black Tern in winter plumage. Another claimed Sooty
Tern photographed in Mississippi (Jackson et al. 1978) was likewise a Black
Tern in winter plumage (Clapp et at. 1983) . A heavily oiled tern resembling
the immature Sooty Tern is also a possibility. However, oiled terns should
not have the distinct spotting and barring on the upperparts shown by juvenal
Sooty Terns, nor the distinct white crissum of older birds.

The immature Sooty Tern is very different from the im matures of the other
tropical terns of similar size. The immatures of both the Bridled Sterna
anaethetus and Gray-backed Sterna lunata terns have white underparts.
Young Sooty Terns are more likely to be confused with noddy terns Anous,
the young of which lack the distinctive white caps of the adults (Pratt et al.
1987). The longer wedge-shaped tail of noddy terns, white crissum and
underwings of the subadult Sooty Tern, and different behavior should
prevent confusion. Rauzon (1985) published a photograph of a leucistic
Sooty Tern from Hawaii that had white feathers mixed with black on its

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

crown, nape, and back. This individual probably would not be confused with
any other species, but such abnormal patterns of pigmentation might cause
confusion.

The adult Sooty Tern is most likely to be confused with the adult Bridled
Tern. The recent discovery of breeding Bridled Terns at San Bias, Mexico
(S.N.G. Howell fide P. Pyle), extends that species’ known breeding range far
to the north, making the Bridled Tern a possibility for storm-driven dispersal
to California. Duncan and Havard (1980) and most field guides claim that
the adult Bridled Tern has a complete white collar. Harris (1988), however,
noted that the white extends only part way up the side of the neck and not
entirely across the nape. He also noted that the position of the eye in relation
to the “bridle” is not easy to see and suggested the larger white area extending
higher onto the forehead of the Sooty Tern versus the thin bar of white on
the forehead of the Bridled Tern as a field mark. The black lore stripe also
meets the bill higher on the Bridled, further squeezing the white into a thin
strip (see Figure 3). This gives the Sooty Tern a “happy” or “relaxed” ex-
pression in contrast to the “frowning squint” of the Bridled (Connor 1988).

The solid black back of the Sooty Tern does not contrast with its black cap
as does the gray-brown mantle of the Bridled Tern. However, in bright
sunlight, Sooty Terns may look washed out, thus resembling Bridled Terns.
Under these conditions, Harris (1988) found the pattern of the underwings
to be helpful. The Bridled has the outer primaries largely white from below,
while on the Sooty Tern all the remiges appear dark gray below. The paler
undertail discussed by Lithner (1983) may be useful in the Atlantic, but the
differences may not apply to Pacific populations (Harris 1988).

In the central Pacific, the Gray-backed Tern may be confused with Bridled
or Sooty terns. It resembles a small Bridled Tern with a much more delicate
flight, recalling that of the Arctic Tern S. paradisaea.

Figure 3. Head patterns of adult Sooty and Bridled terns (after Harris 1988).
30

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Laurence C. Binford, Jon L. Dunn, Kimball L. Garrett, H. Lee Jones,
Paul E. Lehman, Guy McCaskie, and Benjamin D. Parmeter for their helpful com-
ments in reviewing this record. Keith Hansen and Peter Pyle supplied unpublished
information. Robert L, Pyle reviewed an earlier draft and made many useful sugges-
tions. Tim Manolis kindly drew the sketches. Roberson’s surveys in the eastern tropical
Pacific were supported by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Data from these surveys were kindly made
available by Stephen B. Reilly and Robert L. Pitman of the Southwest Fisheries
Center, NMFS, NOAA.

LITERATURE CITED

Alexander, W.B. 1928. Birds of the Ocean. Putnam, New York.

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds. 6th ed.
A.O.U., Washington, D.C.

Arnold, K. A. 1984. Checklist of the Birds of Texas. 2nd ed. Texas Ornithol. Soc.,
Austin, TX.

Ashmole, N.P., and Ashmole, M. J. 1967. Comparative feeding ecology of seabirds
of a tropical oceanic island. Peabody Mus. Nat. Hist. Yale Univ. Bull. 24:1- 131.

Au, D. W.K., and Pitman, R.L. 1986. Seabird interactions with dolphins and tuna in
the eastern tropical Pacific. Condor 88:304-317.

Blake, E.R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical Birds. Vol. 1. Univ. of Chicago Press,
Chicago.

Clapp, R.B., Morgan -Jacobs, D., and Banks, R.C. 1983. Marine birds of the
southeastern United States and Gulf of Mexico. Part III: Charadriiformes. U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Serv., Div. Biological Serv., Washington, D.C.
FWS/OBS-83/30.

Connor, J. 1988. The Complete Birder. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Cramp, S. (ed). 1985. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 4. Oxford Univ.
Press, Oxford, England.

DeSante, D., and Pyle, P. 1986. Distributional Checklist of North American Birds.
Vol. 1. Artemisia Press, Lee Vining, CA.

Diamond, A.W. 1978. Feeding strategies and population size in tropical seabirds.
Am. Nat. 112:215-233.

Duncan, C.D., and Havard, R.W. 1980. Pelagic birds of the northern Gulf of
Mexico. Am. Birds 34:122-132.

Farrand, J. Jr., ed. 1983. The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding. Vol. 2.
Knopf, New York.

Flint, E.N., and Nagy, K.A. 1984. Flight energetics of free-living Sooty Terns. Auk
101:288-294.

Fussell, J.D. Ill, Quay, T. L., and Hader, R. J. 1981. Sooty Tern nest found near
Cape Lookout, N.C. Am. Birds 35:236.

Godfrey, W. E. 1986. The Birds of Canada. Rev. ed. Nat. Mus. Canada, Ottawa.

Gould, P. J. 1974. Sooty Tern ( Sterna fuscata), in Pelagic studies of seabirds in the
central and eastern Pacific Ocean (W.B. King, ed.), pp. 1-52. Smithsonian
Cntrib. Zoo!. 158.

SOOTY TERN IN CALIFORNIA

Harris, A, 1988. Identification of adult Sooty and Bridled Terns. Br. Birds
81:525-530.

Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Harrison, P. 1987. Seabirds of the World: A Photographic Guide. Christopher Helm,
Bromley, England.

Jackson, J. A., Cooley, C.D., and Schardien, B.J. 1978. Sooty Terns on Horn
Island, Mississippi. Mississippi Kite 8:42.

Lee, D. S., and Booth, J., Jr. 1979. Seasonal distribution of offshore and pelagic
birds in North Carolina waters. Am. Birds 33:715-721.

Lithner, S. 1983. Identification of Sooty and Bridled Terns. Br. Birds 76:348-349.

Morlan, J. 1985. Eighth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds
16:105-122.

Murphy, R.C. 1936. Oceanic Birds of South America. Vol. 2. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
New York.

Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The Bird Life of Texas. Vol. 1, Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.

Phillips, A. R. 1986. Known Birds of North and Middle America. Part 1 . A. R. Phillips,
Denver, CO.

Pitman, R.L. 1985. The marine birds of Alijos Rocks, Mexico. W. Birds 16:81-92.

Pitman, R. L. 1986. Atlas of seabird distribution and relative abundance in the eastern
tropical Pacific. Nat. Marine Fish. Serv. Admin. Rep. LJ-86-02C. Southwest
Fisheries Center, P.O. Box 271, La Jolla, CA 92038.

Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P. L., and Berrett, D.G. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of
Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ, Press, Princeton, NJ.

Rauzon, M.J. 1985. Leucism in a Great Frigatebird and Sooty Tern. ’Elepaio
46:19-20.

Ridgway, R. 1919. The birds of North and Middle America. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 50,
part 8.

Trochet, J., Morlan, J., and Roberson, D. 1988. First record of the Three-toed
Woodpecker in California. W. Birds 19:109-115.

Unitt, P. 1984. The birds of San Diego County. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. Memoir 13.

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H., and Keith, S. 1986. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 2. Academic
Press, London.

Vickery, P. D. 1978. Annotated checklist of Maine birds. P. Vickery, with Maine
Audubon Soc.

Wilkinson, P. 1987. First nesting of Sooty Tern in South Carolina. Chat 51:51.

Wilkinson, P. 1988. Second nesting of the Sooty Tern in South Carolina. Chat 52:40.

Witherby, H.F., Jourdain, F.C.R., Ticehurst, N.F., and Tucker, B.W. 1944. The
Handbook of British Birds. Vol. 5. Witherby, London.

Accepted 9 March 1 990

NOTES

FIRST REPORT OF NESTING LESSER GOLDFINCH
IN IDAHO

DANIEL A, STEPHENS, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University,
Pocatello, Idaho 83209

CHERYL WEBB, 225 N. Lincoln Ave., Pocatello, Idaho 83204

CHARLES H. TROST, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University,
Pocatello, Idaho 83209

The A.O.U. Checklist (1983) listed the Lesser Goldfinch ( Carduelis psaltria) as
casual or accidental in southwestern British Columbia, eastern Oregon, and southern
Wyoming. It was not listed for Idaho by Burleigh (1972) and was reported without
details as a rare spring migrant at the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge, southern
Idaho, by Larrison et al. (1967). Before 1988 there were only eight Lesser Goldfinch
records for Idaho, all from southern counties (Bannock, Canyon, Elmore, Minidoka,
and Twin Falls). For a review of seven of these records see Taylor and Trost (1987).
An additional record not reported by Taylor and Trost is of one observed by Jeff Marks
on Simco Road 0.2 mi. north of Highway 67, in Elmore County on 18 September
1982 (pers. comm.).

On 5 July 1988, Webb discovered a green-backed male Lesser Goldfinch feeding
five juveniles 2.1 miles south of Pocatello along the west side of Mink Creek Road,
across from Frazier’s Egg Farm. Later the same day Trost observed the juveniles and
confirmed that they were Lesser Goldfinches (greenish plumage above, dark bill, and
yellow undertail coverts). On 12 July, Stephens observed a female Lesser Goldfinch
feeding three juveniles in a half-dead Black Hawthorn ( Cragaegus douglasii) at the
same location. The juvenal plumage on these birds was not completely developed,
and they could barely fly from branch to branch. An adult male was within 5 to 10
meters and another adult male was seen about 50 meters to the south.

Mink Creek runs year round and lies less than 100 meters to the east of the road
where these birds were seen. The site was at the bottom of an east-facing slope on
relatively level ground. The dominant vegetation in the immediate vicinity included
Big Sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata), Black Hawthorn, Common Chokecherry
( Primus uirginiana), currant ( Ribes sp.), Utah Juniper ( Juniperus osteosperma) , and
willow ( Salix sp.). Water Birch (Betula occidentalis ) is common along Mink Creek.

Additional observations of male and female Lesser Goldfinches were made in the
Pocatello area from 17 June (one in Webb’s yard) through July of 1988. These
include sightings in town and at Cherry Springs Nature Area (3 miles south of Pocatello
on Mink Creek Road) by us and several other observers. At least one singing male was
heard and seen on the west side of Pocatello during June and July of 1989, and a pair
was observed at the Mink Creek nesting site on 17 July 1989, but juveniles were
not seen.

During the summer, Lesser Goldfinches depend physiologically on a substantial
water supply for drinking and bathing (Ryser 1985), The availability of water is believed
to affect the occurrence of this species strongly (Linsdale 1957) . It therefore seems
possible that Lesser Goldfinches were attracted to Mink Creek because of the drying
up of more traditional nesting areas to the south during the drought of 1988.

Western Birds 21:33-34, 1990

NOTES

However, increases in Lesser Goldfinch numbers observed in northern Utah during
the summer of 1988 (Kingery 1988) suggest that the influx to southeastern Idaho was
due to a general increase (for whatever reason) throughout the northern Great Basin
region in 1988.

LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Checklist of North American Birds. 6th ed.
Am. Ornithol. Union, [Washington D.C.]

Burleigh, T, D. 1972. Birds of Idaho. Caxton, Caldwell, Idaho.

Kingery, H.E. 1988. Mountain West region. The nesting season. Am. Birds
42:1321-1324.

Larrison, E.J., Tucker, J.L., and Jollie, M.T. 1967. Guide to Idaho Birds. J. Ida.
Acad. Sci. 5:1-220.

Linsdale, J.M. 1957. Goldfinches on the Hastings Natural History Reservation. Am.
Midland Nat. 57:1-119.

Ryser, F. A. Jr. 1985. Birds of the Great Basin: A Natural History. Univ. of Nevada
Press, Reno.

Taylor, D. M., and Trost, C.H. 1987. The status of rare birds in Idaho. Murrelet
68:69-93.

Accepted 2 February 1 990

NOTES

COWBIRD PARASITISM ON THE
LEAD-COLORED BUSHTIT

ALAN A. GUBANICH, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
89557

HOWARD R. PANIK, Western Nevada Community College, Carson City, Nevada
89701

The Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) is evidently not a common host of the Brown-
headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ) . Only eight instances of cowbird parasitism on this
species have been reported (Bent 1946, Friedmann 1963, Friedmann 1966, Fried-
mann et al. 1977, Smith and Atkins 1979, Friedmann and Kiff 1985). One involved
the subspecies P. m. californicus, the other seven, P. m. minimus. Here we report the
first known instance of cowbird parasitism on the subspecies P. m, plumbeus, the
Lead-colored Bushtit, and an observation of adult Lead-colored Bushtits feeding a
fledgling Brown-headed Cowbird.

On 26 May 1988, while censusing pinyon-juniper woodland in the Pine Nut
Mountains, Carson City, Nevada (39°06'N, 119°37'W), for a study on breeding
bird densities, we discovered a Bushtit nest in a Single-leaf Pin yon ( Pinus monophylla )
by following two Bushtits that were carrying food. The nest was 4.7 meters from the
ground and well hidden in the needles of the tree. We watched for several minutes as
the birds entered the nest with food and exited without. We did not check the nest for
contents. Although we passed the nest on six additional censuses between then and
14 June, we saw no more activity at the nest, and do not know if the young fledged.
On 24 June we returned to the area to make measurements of nest-site
characteristics. We collected the nest and found it contained six recently laid Bushtit
eggs and one cowbird egg. The eggs were cold, and no adults were seen in the area
during the 40 minutes we were there, suggesting that the nest had been abandoned.
The nest showed no signs of damage, as had been reported in two prior instances of
cowbird parasitism on this species (Friedmann 1977, Smith and Atkins 1979). The
nest is now specimen number 68 in the nest collection of the University of Nevada
Museum of Vertebrate Biology.

The second incident also occurred in the Pine Nut Mountains of Nevada, about 4.8
km south of the nest site described above. On 9 June 1988, during a morning census
of pinyon-juniper woodland, we were attracted by the calls of Bushtits near the top of
a pinyon, about 4.2 m from the ground. Adult Bushtits were carrying food to a nest in
the tree, but instead of entering the nest, they fed the food to a fledgling Brown-
headed Cowbird perched beside the nest. Whenever a Bushtit approached with food,
the cowbird vibrated its wings rapidly, gaped, and uttered loud begging calls. At least
three Bushtits brought food to the fledgling, indicating a possible helper at the nest.
We caught and banded the cowbird; its flight feathers were about half grown, with
sheaths still present. We placed the cowbird back near the Bushtit nest, but after a few
minutes it flew to a nearby pinyon and we were unable to locate it again. The nest
contained six nestling bushtits, all close to fledging. We banded the nestlings and
returned them to the nest. During this time the three adults continually circled the nest
tree uttering alarm calls while carrying food in their beaks.

VJe visited the nest site 4 days later. The nest was empty and we assumed the young
had fledged. This was confirmed on 16 June when we saw the banded young foraging
in a flock with unbanded adults 300 meters northeast of the nest site.

We do not know if the Bushtits were the actual foster parents of this cowbird. Obser-
vations of adults feeding fledgling cowbirds are not conclusive evidence that those
adults are the foster parents; Klein and Rosenberg (1986) and Scott (1988) have
reported several examples of cowbird fledglings being fed by more than one species.

Western Birds 21:35-36, 1990

NOTES

Thus, this particular individual could have been raised by some other host but attracted
the Bushtits by its loud and persistent begging calls. However, to our knowledge, this
is the first known instance of Bushtits feeding a fledgling cowbird.

LITERATURE CITED

Bent, A.C. 1946. Life histories of North American jays, crows, and titmice. U.S. Natl.
Mus. Bull. 191:1-495.

Friedmann, H. 1963. Host relations of the parasitic cowbirds. Smithsonian Inst. Bull.
233:1-276.

Friedmann, H. 1966. Additional data on the host relations of the parasitic cowbirds.
Smithsonian Misc. Coll. 149:1-12.

Friedmann, H., Kiff, L.F., and Rothstein, S.I. 1977. A further contribution to know-
ledge of the host relations of the parasitic cowbirds. Smithsonian Contrib. Zool.
235:1-175.

Friedmann, H., and Kiff, L.F. 1985. The parasitic cowbirds and their hosts. Proc. W.
Foundation Vert. Zool. 2(4):226-302.

Klein, N.K., and Rosenberg, K.V. 1986. Feeding of Brown-headed Cowbird
(Molothrus ater) fledglings by more than one “host” species. Auk 103:213-214.

Scott, D. M. 1988. House Sparrow and Chipping Sparrow feed the same fledgling
Brown-headed Cowbird. Wilson Bull. 100:324-325.

Smith, J.P., and Atkins, R. J. 1979. Cowbird parasitism on Common Bushtit nest.
Wilson Bull. 91:122-123.

Accepted 26 December 1989

NOTES

FIRST CONFIRMED NESTING OF THE
BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE IN WASHINGTON

CLIFFORD M. ANDERSON, Falcon Research Group, Box 24S, Bow, Washington
98232

DAVID M. BATCHELDER, 2514 Boyer East, Seattle, Washington 98102

The range of the Black-shouldered Kite ( ; Elanus caeruteus ) in the United States has
been described as restricted to southern Texas, California (west of the desert and the
Sierra Nevada). Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma (rare) (American Ornithologists’
Union 1957). The species has been expanding its range during the last 30 years,
however (Eisenmann 1971, Larson 1980), and has now been reported in at least 22
states (American Ornithologists’ Union 1983, Clark and Wheeler 1987, Toups et al.
1985) .

On the Pacific coast, records of the Black-shouldered Kite breeding in California ex-
tend into the last century (Taylor 1887). In Oregon, the earliest kite observation was
reported by Jewett (1933) near Portland. Henny and Annear (1978) located the first
breeding pair near Corvallis in 1977.

Kites were first recorded in Washington on 10 July 1975 at the Nisqually River
delta, Thurston County, and on 27 November 1977 near Raymond, Pacific County
(Harrington-Tweit 1980). The species has since been reported at Raymond annually
(Terry Wahl pers. comm.). Elsewhere in southwestern Washington, kites have been
seen regularly at Toledo, Lewis County, Grays Flarbor, Grays Harbor County, and on
the Long Beach Peninsula, Pacific County (Phil Mattocks pers. comm.). The nor-
thernmost record for the state is for 29 October 1983 near Samish Island, Skagit
County (Thais Bock pers. comm.) Although this location lies only 30 miles south of
the Canadian border, the species has yet to be reported in British Columbia (R.W.
Campbell pers. comm.).

Although there have been observations of at least four separate family groups in the
southwestern part of the state during the last decade, we here report Washington’s first
confirmed nesting record for the Black-shouldered Kite.

On 12 May 1988, Batchelder watched a pair of kites copulate atop a Sitka Spruce
(Picea s itchensis) near the Raymond airport. On a later visit (26 May) , he saw an adult
kite capture prey and carry it to the same tree. A month later (28 June), a transfer of
prey between two adults was observed. The bird receiving the prey then flew into the
nest site. The following day, we used a Questar telescope (54 x ) to confirm the
presence of at least one live downy young in the nest. We estimated it to be approx-
imately 10-14 days old.

We revisited the site on 23 July and approached the nest tree for the first time. We
found three dead chicks, half-grown (Burke Memorial Washington State Museum
specimen no. 43032). We could not determine the cause of death, although we
suspect it was related to an unseasonably cold, wet period in late June.

The nest was 20 inches in diameter and 5 inches thick. It was composed of sticks
from both deciduous and coniferous trees and had a mat of mammal fur 1 inch thick
on its floor. It was situated against the north side of the main trunk, 54 feet above
ground and 4 feet below the top of the tree. The nest was well concealed and very dif-
ficult to see from the ground.

The nest tree was located in a row of spruce, red alder (A/nus rubra), and willow
(Salix spp.) bordering the eastern boundary of the airstrip. The surrounding area,
located at sea level, is open, flat pasture land reclaimed historically from the adjacent
mudflats of Willapa Bay. Vegetation consists of grasses, Canada Thistle ( Cirsium
arvense), Common Horsetail ( Equisetum arvense ), Tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare), and
tussocks of Juncus.

Western Birds 21:37-38, 1990

NOTES

During the last six years, at least four other family groups, all of late-season flying
birds, have been observed in southwestern Washington, but no nests have been
reported. In 1982, R. Widrig (Harrington-Tweit et al. 1982) found two adults and two
juveniles flying together at Leadbetter Point, Pacific County, on 18 and 23
September. On 5 September 1984, L, D’Veek (pers. comm.) saw two adults feeding a
single young near Oysterville, Pacific County. In 1987, on 18 August, B. Harrington-
Tweit located two adults and four immatures near the Raymond airport (Mattocks
1988), and on 7 September, L. D’Veck (pers. comm.) observed another adult feeding
three young near Oysterville.

We thank Bill Clark for his comments and suggestions on this report.
LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists Union. 1957. Checklist of North American Birds. 5th ed.
American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C..

American Ornithologists Union. 1983. Checklist of North American Birds. 6th ed.
American Ornithologists Union, Washington, D.C..

Clark, W. S., and Wheeler, B. K. 1987. A Field Guide to Hawks, North America.
Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Eisenmann, E. 1971. Range expansion and population increase in North and Middle
America of the White-tailed Kite ( Elanus leucurus ). Am. Birds 25:529-536.

Harrington-Tweit, W. 1980. First records of the White-tailed Kite in Washington. W.
Birds 11:151-153.

Harrington-Tweit, W., Mattocks, P. , and Hunn, E. 1982. The nesting season. North-
ern Pacific Coast region. Am. Birds 36:1009.

Henny, C. J., and Annear, J. T. 1978. A White-tailed Kite breeding record for
Oregon. W f . Birds 9:131-133.

Jewett, S. G. 1933. White-tailed Kite in Oregon. Murrelet 14:79.

Larson, D. 1980. Increase in the White-tailed Kite populations of California
and Texas, 1944-1978. Am. Birds 34:689-690.

Mattocks, P. Jr. 1988. The autumn migration. Northern Pacific Coast region. Am.
Birds 42:123.

Taylor, H. R. 1887. The nesting of the White-tailed Kite. Ornithol. and Ool. 12:135.

Toups, J. A., Jackson, J. A., and Johnson, E. 1985. Black-shouldered Kite: Range
expansion into Mississippi. Am. Birds 39:865-867.

Accepted 2 February 1990

NOTES

FIRST BREEDING RECORD OF THE SNOWY
PLOVER FOR SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND

CLARK S. WINCHELL, Natural Resources Office, Staff Civil Engineer, Naval Air
Station North Island, San Diego, California 92135

On 22 April 1989 I observed an adult and chick Snowy Plover ( Charadrius
alexandrinus ) standing within 10 cm of each other at West Cove at San Clemente
Island. I found the birds at 2355 hr by spotlight while surveying the intertidal zone
and observed them for 2 minutes from a distance of 15 m. The adult then took
flight, leaving the chick, which I subsequently captured and examined for 3
minutes. I took no measurements, but from its feather development I estimated
the chick would not fledge for at least 1 or 2 weeks.

Snowy Plovers are fairly common winter visitors on San Clemente Island, as
established by numerous reports (Howell 1917, Jorgensen and Ferguson 1984,
Linton 1908, Page et al. 1986). However, there are no breeding records for this
species at San Clemente Island. Breeding of Snowy Plovers on the California
Channel Islands is documented only for Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and San Nicolas,
with an estimated minimum of 130 breeding pairs (Page and Stenzel 1981).

San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the California Channel Islands, lying
103 km west-northwest of San Diego. Jorgensen and Ferguson (1984), Olmstead
(1958), and Raven (1963) provided excellent descriptions of the Island, its
geological features, and vegetation, respectively.

Large coastal sandy beaches typical of Snowy Plover breeding sites are absent
from San Clemente Island. The 88.5-km coastline of the island is mostly rocky
except for five small sandy beaches, constituting 4.6 km of coastline. Three of
these, at China Cove, Horse Beach Cove, and Pyramid Cove, are at the southern
end of the island; the other two, at Northwest Harbor and West Cove, are at
opposite sides of the northern end of the island. West Cove is the smallest of the
five, measuring only 120 m along the mean high tide line. Its depth, measured
from the mean high tide line to clay soil substrate, is 105 m. In general, the beach
is shaped like a half circle, with little to no vegetation and no adjacent dunes. The
topography above mean high tide is flat.

At San Clemente Island, not only are sandy beaches few, but some of them are
used for minor military maneuvers, and Island Foxes (Urocyon littoralis ) and
Common Ravens ( Coruus corax ) frequent them. These factors combine to
preclude the establishment of a large breeding population of Snowy Plovers on the
island. Small groups or solitary pairs, however, may exist, having been overlooked
previously because of infrequent and short sampling efforts.

I thank Jan Larson and William T. Everett for their critical reviews of the
manuscript. As reviewers Gary Page and Philip Unitt supplied helpful editorial
comments. In addition, I thank Commander Jonathan Duke and the U.S. Navy
for supporting natural resources programs on San Clemente Island.

LITERATURE CITED

Howell, A. B. 1917. Birds of the islands off the coast of southern California. Pac.
Coast Avifauna 12.

Jorgensen, P. D., and Ferguson, H. L. 1984. The birds of San Clemente Island. W.
Birds 15:111-130.

Linton, C. B. 1908. Notes from San Clemente Island. Condor 10:82-86.

Western Birds 21:39-40, 1990

NOTES

Olmstead, F. H. 1958. Geologic reconnaissance of San Clemente Island, California.
U. S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 1071-6:55-68.

Page, G. W., and Stenzel, L. E. 1981. The breeding status of the Snowy Plover in
California. W. Birds 12:1-40.

Page, G. W., Bidstrup, F. C., Ramer, R. J., and Stenzel, L. E. 1986. Distribution of
wintering Snowy Plovers in California and adjacent states. W. Birds 17:145- 170.

Raven, P. H. 1963. A flora of San Clemente Island, California. Aliso 5:289-387.

Accepted 26 April 1 990

Volume 21, Number 1, 1990

Breeding Distribution of the Black Swift in Southern California

Kevin S. Foerster and Charles T. Collins 1

Distribution and Density of Owls at Monte Bello Open Space

Preserve, Santa Clara County, California Paul L. Noble 11

Identification and Southward Limits, in America, of Gavia adamsii ,

the Yellow-billed Loon Allan R. Phillips 17

First Record of the Sooty Tern in California Richard E. Webster ,

Joseph Morlan, and Don Roberson 25

NOTES

First Report of Nesting Lesser Goldfinch in Idaho Daniel A.

Stephens, Cheryl Webb, and Charles H, Trost 33

Cowbird Parasitism on the Lead-colored Bushtit Alan A. Gubanich

and Howard R. Panik 35

First Confirmed Nesting of the Black-shouldered Kite in

Washington Clifford M, Anderson and David M. Batchelder 37

First Breeding Record of the Snowy Plover for San Clemente

Island Clark S. Winchell 39

Cover photo by © B. “Moose” Peterson of Santa Barbara, California:
nestling Black Swift ( Cypseloides niger ) near Idyllwild, California,
August 1987.

Western Birds solicits papers that are both useful to and understandable by
amateur field ornithologists and also contribute significantly to scientific litera-
ture. The journal welcomes contributions from both professionals and
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tion, geographic variation, conservation, behavior, ecology, population
dynamics, habitat requirements, the effects of pollution, and techniques for
censusing, sound recording, and photographing birds in the field. Papers of
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VoL 21 , No. 2, 1990

WESTERN BIRDS

Quarterly Journal of Western Reid Ornithologists

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WESTERN BIRDS

Volume 21, Number 2, 1990

IDENTIFICATION OF WHITE
AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS IN
ALTERNATE PLUMAGE

STEVE N. G, HOWELL, Point Reyes Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway,
Stinson Beach, California 94970.

Since the American Ornithologists’ Union (1983) considered the White
Wagtail ( Motaciila alba) and Black-backed Wagtail (M. lugens) separate
species, interest in their field identification in North America has grown. The
White Wagtail breeds across Eurasia to western Alaska, while the Black-
backed Wagtail breeds primarily in the Kamchatka Peninsula; the two are
sympatric along the Bering Sea coast north of the Kamchatka Peninsula
(Morlan 1981, A.O.U. 1983). The Siberian (and Alaskan) subspecies of the
White Wagtail is M. a. ocularis, which, together with lugens, differs from
other forms of White Wagtail in its black eyestripe; both forms winter in
southeast Asia.

The prebasic molt (July to September), partial in juveniles, is mostly com-
pleted on the breeding grounds prior to migration. The prealternate molt,
which includes the central restrices and often some tertials, takes place
(December to April) mostly on the winter grounds prior to northward migra-
tion. Apparently, lugens requires two years to attain definitive alternate
plumage (Morlan 1981), but this may be variable (see below); ocularis, like
most passerines, attains definitive plumage in one year.

Adults of lugens have mostly white wings, while adults of ocularis have
mostly dark wings. However, first-year birds of both forms have mostly dark
wings, and the juvenal and first basic plumages usually are indistinguishable
in the field. Some confusion exists in the literature concerning distinctions
between the Black-backed and White wagtails in alternate plumage, and
most sources differ in their treatment of alternate-plumaged “adults,” par-
ticularly females (Morlan 1981, Gibson 1983, National Geographic Society
[NGS] 1983, 1987, Wild Bird Society of Japan [WBSJ] 1982). First-
alternate-plumaged females of lugens and alternate-plumaged ocularis
(especialy females) can be at best difficult to distinguish in the field. Typically,
alternate-plumaged males of lugens of all ages have much black on the back

Western Birds 21:41-49, 1990

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

and usually are not a problem to identify. Here I discuss identification of
alternate-plumaged Black-backed and White wagtails, especially the distinc-
tions between ocularis and first-year lugens.

METHODS

I examined over 200 specimens, of both forms, at the American Museum
of Natural History, New York (AMNH), the Museum of Comparative
Zoology, Harvard University (MCZ), the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology,
University of California, Berkeley, and the British Museum. In particular, I
examined all 64 specimens of alternate-plumaged lugens collected between
mid-April and June, and compared them with 62 alternate-plumaged
ocularis collected from mid- April to June. Identification of specimens was
based upon unequivocal plumage characters and/or locations within the
known breeding ranges. Potentially misidentified birds were omitted from the
analysis.

The criteria I examined were (1) chin (and upper throat) color, (2) back
and rump color, (3) wing pattern, (4) tail pattern, and (5) bill size. Specimens
were segregated by age on the basis of differential wear and pattern of flight
feathers, and by sex on the basis of specimen labels and measurements
(males average larger than females) .

Figure 1. Chin/throat patterns of White and Black-backed wagtails in alternate
plumage.

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Chin Color

I assessed the chin color of each specimen by means of four categories:
white, whitish, sooty, and black (Figure 1). Whitish chins were mostly white,
variably flecked with black; sooty chins were mostly black, flecked with white.

Morlan (1981) stated that females of lugens “can be distinguished (from
ocularis ] by their white chin and upper throat” but then said that eight out of
24 females showed black on the chin. Gibson (1983) stated that the adult
female lugens has “chin, throat, and back like both sexes of White Wagtail.”
The NGS (1983, 1987) shows a “breeding female” lugens with a white chin
and upper throat, while WBSJ (1982) also shows a “female summer” lugens
with a white chin and upper throat.

My results (Table 1) show that in lugens a white chin is more typical of
adults than of immatures, ten (28.5%) of which had an all-black chin. Also,
even a sooty chin can appear all-dark, and careful views are needed to see
this feature clearly. Interestingly, three first-year specimens of ocularis had a
whitish chin.

In most cases chin color is not diagnostic, though it may be useful in
combination with other characters. It appears diagnostic only for those lugens
that have a clean white chin, and for adult ocularis with a solidly black chin.

Back and Rump Color

I estimated the percentage of black on the back and rump (Table 1), and
further divided the rump into upper and lower (Figure 2) ; typically, the upper
tail-coverts of both forms are black.

Table 1 Chin, Back, and Rump Color of Black-backed and White Wagtails in Alternate
Plumage

black

Chin

sooty whitish white

Back
(% black)

Upper

Rump

(% black)

Lower

Rump

(% black)

Black-backed
lst-year cr

15-100

0-100 (53)“

20-100 (90)

2nd-year cr

20-100

10-100 (40)

75-100 (94)

Adult cr

95-100

20-100 (77)

80-100 (97)

lst-year 9

0-15

0-25 (8)

10-100 (60)

Adult 9

0-80

0-60 (20)

20-100 (79)

White

lst-year cr

—

0-75 (40)

Adult cr

—

0-2

5-90 (50)

lst-year 9

—

0-50 (24)

Adult 9

—

10-45 (21)

°Mean value in parentheses.

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

Morlan (1981) correctly pointed out that female lugens in summer can be
gray-backed and “may resemble ocularis closely, particularly in the first year
when the white in the wing is not fully developed.” Gibson (1983) stated that
the adult female lugens has a “back like both sexes of White Wagtail” and that
females of the two are “probably inseperable.” Only three females of lugens I
examined (two first-year, one adult) had an all-gray back but six others had
so little black, always on the scapulars, that it might be difficult to see in the
field. All first-year males of lugens had at least some black mottling on the
back that should be noticeable in the field. The lower rump of all specimens
of lugens showed some black and often was solidly black. Only eight of these
had an all-gray upper rump (one first-year male, five first-year females, two
adult females) .

The sexes of alternate-plumaged ocularis are similar. Both male and
female have a gray back and upper rump, typically with the lower rump
contrastingly darker gray and usually mottled black. The back of most
specimens of ocularis is a brighter, clearer (or bluer) gray than the relatively
dusky gray back of lugens, but some approach the dusky gray of lugens.
Rarely, ocularis has slight black mottling on the back (Table 1), though this
may indicate an intergrade with lugens.

The most visible of these characters is the clearer, brighter blue-gray back
of ocularis versus the darker, duskier gray back of lugens , but judgment of
this in the field probably requires prior experience with one or both forms. In
addition, a solidly black lower rump and black mottling on the upper rump
indicates lugens, while an all-gray upper rump and slight or no black mottling
on the dark gray lower rump indicates ocularis . The rump pattern, however,
may be difficult to see or judge in the field and should be used in conjunction
with other characters.

Figure 2. Distinction between upper rump (A) and lower rump (B) of White and Black-
backed wagtails.

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

Wing Pattern

Birds in first alternate plumage retain their juvenile flight feathers, which, in
both species, are similar: the remiges are dark brownish, narrowly edged
whitish, and often become noticeably faded by spring. Although NGS (1987)
stated that immature lugens has a whiter base to the flight feathers than does
ocularis , this character is not readily evident in specimens with folded wings;
consequently I did not evaluate it. It is worth noting, however, that
photographs of hand-held first-year lugens show a distinct whitish stripe
across the bases of the remiges (Bird Migration Research Center 1983);
unfortunately, I have not found comparable pictures of ocularis.

Following the second prebasic molt, the remiges of lugens are mostly white
and hence quite different from those of ocularis ( see below). Several
specimens of lugens (intergrades with ocularis?) had the outer two or three
primaries mostly dark, as in ocularis. The primaries of adult male lugens are
similar to the second-generation feathers but average more extensively white.
In female lugens, individual variation makes the distinction between second-
generation and older remiges difficult, and I was unable to distinguish these
age classes with confidence, although Morlan (1981) stated that “adults differ
from second-year birds in the greatly increased amount of white in the wing.”

In ocularis, the remiges of the second and subsequent basic plumages are
similar to the juvenal feathers but darker, with more contrasting white edges.
By spring, however, they may fade and appear similar to first-year remiges.

Typically, at least one or two tertials are replaced during the first winter.
Morlan (1981) stated that, after the first year, the edges of the tertials become
more broadly white in lugens than in ocularis. I found that the thickness and
pattern of white tertial edgings vary greatly within lugens, such that individual
variation is as great as age-related or sex-related variation . Variation within
ocularis was slight and the typical pattern was matched by several lugens,
though all birds with mostly or entirely white outer webs to the tertials were
male lugens. There appeared, however, to be a difference in the intensity of
the white, and specimens of lugens with patterns similar to that of ocularis
had brighter white tertial edgings.

Thus, the birds with mostly white remiges are lugens, but mostly dark
wings characterize first-year lugens and all ocularis. Tertial pattern is
unhelpful except for some males of lugens, which can be readily identified by
other characters, e.g., extensive black on the back. The apparently brighter
white of the tertial edgings of lugens is evident when series of specimens are
compared but is unlikely to be useful in the field. The whiter base to the flight
feathers of lugens may be apparent in the field.

Tail Pattern

Males of lugens of all ages rarely show some white mottling on the inner
web of rectrix 4, i.e., the third from outermost reetrix. No specimen of
ocularis showed this feature. More consistent, but of limited field use, was
that 85% of lugens (of both sexes) had the basal portion of the fourth rectrix
shaft white (Figure 3B), typically more extensive in males. However, four
first-year males and one first-year female had the fourth rectrix shaft dark
brown (Figure 3A) . In ocularis , typically the shaft of rectrix 4 was dark (Figure

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

3A) ; a few birds had a slight whitish streak along the shaft which was difficult
to see in the hand and probably would be invisible in the field. The white
shafts on most specimens of lugens were quite bright, clearly more so than
the effect caused by light reflected from a shiny dark shaft.

Therefore, a bright white shaft to rectrix 4 indicates lugens, but birds with
an all-dark shaft rectrix 4 could be either lugens or ocularis . Observing this
character in the field would be difficult but not impossible, given patience and
luck.

Bill Size

Morlan (1981) stated that ‘’the culmen of ocularis averages slightly shorter:
10.1 mm to the nostril vs. an average of 10.3 mm for lugens ” in the
specimens he measured. I measured the bills of 86 specimens of lugens (47
male, 39 female) and 77 of ocularis (43 male, 34 female), from the anterior
end of the nostril to the tip of the maxilla. Males of lugens measured
9,3-11.2 mm (mean 10.2), females of lugens 9.2-10.8 mm (10,0); males
of ocularis measured 8.5-10.2 mm (9.4), females of ocularis 8. 5-9. 8 mm
(9.2).

From these measurements, as well as simply standing back and looking at
the specimens, lugens clearly averages larger-billed than ocularis, far more so
than might be interpreted from Morlan’s figures. Part of the visual difference,
not evident from these measurements, is accounted for by the associated
greater bill depth of lugens; one also should remember that size (i.e.,
volume) increases as a cube of increase in length. With experience, bill size
might be useful in the field, as it is with Empidonax flycatchers, even though
absolute length differences are not great.

Figure 3. Patterns of rectrix 4 in White and Black-backed wagtails. A, ocularis, some
lugens; B, most lugens.

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

Identification Problems

Birds with an extensively black back and/or birds that appear extensively
white-winged in flight are lugens (with the potential exception of partly albino
ocularis). However, gray-backed birds with dark wings and a blackish throat
are not necessarily ocularis.

Two females of lugens in first alternate plumage (AMNH specimens 29915
and 29917) could easily be taken for ocularis , particularly as their throats are
sooty. Their rumps show very little black and, in the field, extremely good
views would be needed to see the slight black mottling on the scapulars.
AMNH 29915 was collected at “Bering Is.” on 11 May 1882; AMNH 29917
was collected at “Petrop. (= Petropavlovsk) , Kamchatka” on 15 May 1883.
Both, therefore, are from the breeding range of lugens.

Figure 4 shows a lineup of lugens and ocularis, including the two problem
birds. AMNH 29915 was identified as lugens by Leonhard Stejneger; later,
Charles Vaurie amended the identification to ocularis, presumably on
account of the black chin and throat. However, 29915 has a white shaft to
rectrix 4, slight blackish mottling on the scapulars, and a bill length from
nostril of 10.0 mm. In all these characters it agrees with lugens. The
identification of 29917 (bill from nostril 9.8 mm) as lugens has not been
questioned although it is very similar to 29915. Also, MCZ 276409, labeled
lugens (bill from nostril 9.6 mm) , is extremely similar to the two AMNH birds.

Regardless of their parentage, all three represent identification problems
and observers should consider the possibility of intergrade lugens x ocularis
occurring on the west coast of North America.

CONCLUSIONS

The distinctions between alternate-plumaged Black-backed and White
wagtails are confused in the literature. The first alternate plumage of female
lugens and the alternate plumage of ocularis (especially females) are at best
difficult to distinguish in the field. Even with a bird in the hand, one may be
unable to rule out the possibility of an intergrade lugens X ocularis. Adult
females of lugens in alternate plumage typically have a white chin and mostly
white wings, striking in flight. In alternate plumage, males of lugens of all ages
have an at least partly black back.

A gray-backed, black-throated, dark-winged wagtail presents the greatest
problem. However, careful consideration of the following points should
allow the majority of such birds to be identified.

An extensively white chin indicates lugens, but in their first year many
examples of lugens, like ocularis, have a black throat.

Some specimens of lugens have a gray back like ocularis , but most show at
least slight black mottling, especially on the scapulars. Typically, ocularis has
a cleaner, brighter blue-gray back than the darker, dusky gray back of lugens,
but a few have a dusky gray back.

Black mottling on the upper rump and a solidly black lower rump indicate
lugens. A gray upper rump and relatively little black mottling on a darker gray
lower rump indicate ocularis. Examples of ocularis with the most black on the
lower rump are adult males, which usually have a brighter, bluer gray back
than does female lugens.

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

Figure 4. Five specimens in AMNH. Left to right: 56951 (first-year female lugens),
29917 (first-year female lugens), 29915 (first-year female lugens), 77331 (adult
female ocularis), 77325 (adult male ocu/aris). A, dorsal view. Note extensively black
rump and relatively dusky gray back of lugens. B, ventral view. Note black and sooty
throat, respectively, of 29915 and 29917.

Photos by Steve N. G. Howell
48

WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS

The wing pattern of first-year lugens is similar to that of ocularis, although
lugens often shows whiter tertial edgings; this difference is subjective,
however, and there is overlap in pattern. A whitish base to the flight feathers
of lugens may be apparent in flying birds but was not evident from
specimens.

Many specimens of lugens show a constrasting white basal half or more to
the shaft of rectrix 4. On some, especially first-year birds, however, the shaft
can be dark brown as on ocularis .

The bill of lugens averages larger than that of ocularis but judgment of this
requires experience with one or both forms.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank the curators and personnel at the American Museum of Natural History, the
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the British
Museum who allowed me access to the skins in their care. I also thank Joe Morlan,
Peter Pyle, Philip Unitt, and Sophie Webb for helpful comments on earlier drafts of
this paper, and Joe Morlan for drawing my attention to the Japanese Bird-Banding
Manual. This is contribution number 470 of Point Reyes Bird Observatory.

LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Checklist of North American Birds. 6th ed.
Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C.

Bird Migration Research Center. 1983, Bird-banding Manual, Identification Guide to
Japanese Birds: 7-11. Yamashima Inst, for Ornithology, Shibuya, Tokyo,
Japan.

Gibson, D. D. 1983. White Wagtail, in (J. FarrandMr., ed.), vol. 3, p. 76. The
Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding, Knopf, New York.

Morlan, J. 1981. Status and identification of forms of White Wagtail in western North
America. Continental Birdlife 2:37-50.

National Geographic Society. 1983. Field Guide to the Birds of North America. 1st
ed. Natl. Geogr. Soc,, Washington, D.C.

National Geographic Society. 1987. Field Guide to the Birds of North America. 2nd
ed. Natl. Geogr. Soc., Washington, D.C.

Wild Bird Society of Japan. 1982. A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan. Wild Bird
Society of Japan, Tokyo, Japan.

Accepted 8 August 1 990

White Wagtail Photo h » A,an Ho P kins

PATTERNS OF WINTER SHOREBIRD
OCCURRENCE IN A SAN FRANCISCO BAY MARSH

DAVID A. HOLWAY, Department of Biology, University of California,

Los Angeles, California 90024

Resource exploitation by shorebirds in marine environments is
influenced to a large degree by the tidal cycle. The periodicity of the
tides dictates where and when shorebirds will feed (Connors et al. 1981).
Some shorebirds that find their prey by touch feed whenever tidal condi-
tions permit, independent of ambient light levels (Goss-Custard 1969).

In this study, I counted shorebirds of nine species in two plots of equal
sizes. All censuses were conducted within a fixed interval of tidal height
during both the flood and ebb tides. With this important abiotic variable
held constant, I addressed three hypotheses: (1) Shorebird numbers in
winter are constant in one location at a fixed tidal height. (2) Shorebird
numbers in one location do not change in the same tidal height interval
on the ebb and flood tides. (3) Shorebird species are distributed in each
plot equally (numbers of each species and total biomass of shorebirds
within each plot are equal).

STUDY AREA AND METHODS

I conducted this study at Corte Madera Marsh, Marin County,
California, inside San Francisco Bay (Figure 1). Once an extensive salt
marsh, Corte Madera Marsh is now a complex of diked wetlands with
only vestiges of remnant salt marsh. The marsh system is bounded on
the north by Corte Madera Creek and on the south by San Clemente
Creek. This study focused on shorebirds’ use of Muzzi (direct tidal flow)
and Marta’s (muted tidal flow) marshes. These marshes were diked off
from San Francisco Bay in the 1960s.

The mudflats in Muzzi and Marta’s marshes are important feeding sites
for shorebirds during both ebb and flood tides. I established two plots of
approximately 4.5 hectares (150 m X 300 m) in each marsh. I refer to
these plots as the plot under direct tidal flow (Muzzi) and the plot under
muted tidal flow (Marta’s). The mudflats within both plots are several feet
above those on the bay side of the dikes. During the flood tide these are
the last areas to be inundated; shorebirds concentrate here to feed before
the flats get covered when the tide reaches +5 feet. Shorebirds retreat to
nearby roost sites when the tide exceeds +5 feet. The first mudflat to be
uncovered when the tide begins to ebb is the plot under direct tidal flow,
where shorebirds then concentrate. At low tide shorebirds move out
onto mudflats in San Francisco Bay to forage.

The plot under direct tidal flow is bordered on two sides by dikes
(breached in several places in 1976) and on two sides by salt marsh. The
plot encompasses the only extensive mudflat within Muzzi Marsh; the
remainder is salt marsh composed of Salicornia uirginica and Spartina
foliosa. This mudflat is similar in size to the mudflat in the plot under
muted tidal flow and lies about 5 feet above the 0.0 tideline.

Western Birds 21:51-64, 1990

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

The plot under muted tidal flow is a diked tidal pond. The pond has a
tidal gate at its western end along San Clemente Creek, which empties
the marsh. The drain imparts a lag in the tidal cycle so that the cycle in
this pond is several hours later than that of the bay and mutes the tidal
flow. The plot is covered when the water level reaches about -+-4,5 feet
during the flood tide but remains a mudflat throughout the flood-tide
census interval. The lag time within this pond is a function of the tidal
amplitude and the amount of runoff in San Clemente Creek. The
mudflat in the plot under muted tidal flow becomes covered slightly later
on the flood tide than does the plot under direct tidal flow. In addition,
this pond remains full during the ebb census because of the lag and is not
used by shorebirds for feeding at this time. The vegetation is the plot
under muted tidal flow consists primarily of Salicornia virginica distrib-
uted along the periphery of the pond.

I conducted censuses from one fixed point for each plot by using a
20x scope, lOx binoculars, and handcounters to count shorebirds. The
mudflats were small enough to allow an easy count of all shorebirds
present. For each census the time the tide took to rise or fall from one
limit of the specified interval to the other, duration of the census,
weather, notable shorebird behavior (such as territoriality), raptor pres-
ence, and human disturbance were recorded. Censuses were not
conducted in the rain or on days when the tidal interval was misjudged.

Both plots were censused on 21 days from 30 September 1988 to 11
March 1989 at roughly 7-day intervals. Censuses were conducted from
+3.5 to +4.5 feet on the flood tide and from +4.5 to +3.5 on the ebb
tide. During these tidal intervals, chosen early in the fall (July-September
1988), high concentrations of shorebirds fed on the two plots (as shown
by observations through the complete tidal cycle). During the flood- tide
interval, similar areas of mudflat were exposed within each plot. In addi-
tion, there was little change in mudflat area during the flood-tide interval;
incoming water during this interval went mostly toward filling tidal chan-
nels cut into the mudflat. Because of the complexity of the tidal regime
in San Francisco Bay it was necessary to get to the census points well
before the tide level predicted from tidal charts. I placed a stake in the
plot under direct tidal flow to determine when to begin and end censuses.

Censuses took from 60 to 90 minutes. The height of the tide
remained within the specified interval for approximately 60 to 120
minutes, the time varying primarily as a function of tidal amplitude. I
remained in the area throughout the tidal interval. For each of the nine
study species, I averaged the results of three counts taken in close succes-
sion. This method gave a precise count of shorebirds present, as stan-
dard deviations of arithmetic means were always fairly small.

Because the two plots were small and juxtaposed, I could conduct
censuses simultaneously and note any shorebird movement between the
two plots. There was usually little interplot movement during the
censuses. When there was movement into or out of the area as a whole
during a census, I counted the maximum number of shorebirds present at
one time during the interval.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

All shorebird species were counted, but only nine occurred regularly
(Table 1). Two broad distributional divisions exist among the nine study
species: five breed in high latitudes (arctic and subarctic) and four breed in
middle latitudes (one of these, the American Avocet, breeds in San
Francisco Bay).

I used the coefficient of fluctuation (CF) (Whittaker 1975; see also
Holmes et al. 1986) to assess variability in the winter abundance of each
species. The CF is an index of population fluctuation based on loga-
rithms and measures fluctuation around the geometric mean. Because

Figure 1. Corte Madera Marsh, Marin County. Stippled area, Saticornia-Spartina
marsh. Inset, location of study site on San Francisco Bay.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

the CF is based on logarithms, it is less affected by absolute differences in
population size {as between species) than the coefficient of variation
(Whittaker 1975). In other words, populations of different sizes that are
fluctuating by the same amount will have comparable CFs. Population
sizes used in calculating CFs were the flood-tide totals from both plots
combined. Because each species has a unique migration schedule, I used
the “winter” periods for each species specified by McCaskie et al. (1979)
as the periods of uniform seasonal abundance inclusive of the dates of
this study. This simplification is crude, but less so than arbitrarily assign-
ing one wintering period for all nine species. With only two exceptions
(see Results), the winter schedule of each species completely overlapped
the duration of this study. I used the weights listed by Page et al. (1979)
to calculate biomasses and Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank tests to
test the differences between the plots in shorebird biomass and between
the flood- and ebb-tide censuses (Sokal and Rohlf 1981, Mathcad 1988).

RESULTS

Variation in Numbers

By sampling within one tidal height interval, I fixed the principal
variable affecting shorebird presence in the two plots. Numbers of
Willets ( Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), Long-billed Curlews ( Numenius
americanus), and Least Sandpipers ( Calidris minutilla) fluctuated errati-
cally all winter. Although the CFs for these species were not as high as
those of others (Table 1), the occurrence of the three in the plots seemed
random, showing no obvious patterns (Figures 2-4). The irregularity was

Table 1 Latitudes of Breeding, Mean Weights, and Coefficients of Fluc-
tuation for Shorebirds Studied at Corte Madera Marsh, 1988-1989

Species

Latitude of
breeding “

Mean
weight
(grams) 6

Coefficient
of fluctuation c

Black-bellied Plover

219.0

1.95

American Avocet

312.0

1.51

Willet

299.3

2.82

Long-billed Curlew

691.3

2.09

Marbled Godwit

M.H

371.4

1.17

Western Sandpiper

25.0

5.49

Least Sandpiper

20.5

3.16

Dunlin

50.1

6.76

Do witcher spp.

113.6

1.70

“H, high latitudes (arctic and subarctic); M, middle latitudes.

6 Data from Page et a!. (1975).

‘Antilog [Z(log N x - log N) 2 /t- l] 1/a , where N x is the species’ abundance on day x and N is geo-
metric mean density. The coefficient is unitless (Whittaker 1975).

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

Willel

450

DIRECT

□ MUTED

Figure 2. Flood-tide abundance of the Willet in the plots under direct and muted
tidal flow at Corta Madera Marsh.

due at least in part to these species’ preference for other foraging sites.
Willets and Long-billed Curlews commonly fed in salt marsh when the

Long-billed Curlew

Figure 3. Flood-tide abundance of the Long-billed Curlew in the plots under direct
and muted tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

tide was high. Least Sandpipers often fed along tidal channels within the
salt marsh or on high exposed mud outside of the plots.

The remaining six species foraged primarily within the two plots during
the flood-tide interval. Through the winter, their numbers varied either
little or in a nonrandom pattern. In general the mid-latitude breeders
have a longer winter residency than do high-latitude breeders, but impor-
tant differences within each distributional division exist as well.

The Marbled Godwit ( Limosa fedoa) showed little variation in numbers
through the winter (Figure 5). This species had the lowest CF (1.17) of
any species (Table 1); Marbled Godwit numbers fluctuated by only about
17% above and below their geometric mean during the winter.

The American Avocet ( Recurvirostra americana ), dowitchers
( Limnodromus spp.), and Black-bellied Plover ( Pluvialis squatarola) also
showed small fluctuations in abundance during the winter (Figures 6-8).
CFs for these species were all less than 2 (Table 1); their fluctuations
averaged less than two times the geometric mean. The American Avocet
occurred in fairly regular numbers during the winter (early November to
early March), Peaks of abundance in October and March probably repre-
sented influxes of migrants. It is not known what proportion of the
wintering population in San Francisco Bay consists of local breeders or
whether these local birds are resident in the bay.

In my analysis, I pooled data for the two species of dowitchers.
Dowitchers remaining past mid-October were almost entirely Long-billed
(L. scolopaceus); the high numbers in late October and November proba-

Least Sandpiper

H DIRECT
BO MUTED

Figure 4. Flood-tide abundance of the Least Sandpiper in the plots under direct
and muted tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

bly represented an influx of migrants. The only Short-billed Dowitchers
(L. griseus) detected (by call) in winter were in the plot under direct tidal
flow, which was seldom used by Long-billed Dowitchers on the flood tide
(Figure 7), Fewer than five Short-billed Dowitchers wintered in the vicin-
ity, but this species was common in passage from July to September and
during that time used primarily the plot under muted tidal flow.

Black-bellied Plovers occurred in fairly stable numbers all winter but
demonstrated no clear preference for either of the two plots (Figure 8).

The Western Sandpiper ( Calidris mauri) and Dunlin (C. alpina), which
typically fed and flocked together, exhibited similar patterns of fluctuation
during the winter (Figures 9 and 10). Both of these species had distinct
peaks of abundance in November and January followed by a rapid atten-
uation in abundance in midwinter. The congruency of these patterns is
intriguing because the molt and migratory schedules of the two species
are so different. Western Sandpipers molt in migration and on the
wintering grounds (Holmes 1972) and pass through this latitude from
July through September. This species was common in the plot under
muted tidal flow in July and August (mostly adults) and abundant from
August to into September (mostly juveniles). Unlike Western Sandpipers,
Dunlins migrating down the Pacific coast of North American molt on or
near their arctic breeding grounds (Holmes, 1966, 1971) and pass
through this latitude in October and early November (the winter period of
this species begins in late October). The first Dunlins on the study plots
arrived in late September.

Marbled Godwit

^ DIRECT
11 MUTED

Figure 5. Flood-tide abundance of the Marbled Godwit in the plots under direct
and muted tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

American Avoeet

£1 DIRECT
El MUTED

0 N D J F M

Figure 6. Flood-tide abundance of the American Avoeet in the plots under direct
and muted tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

Flood-Ebb Comparisons

For all species, numbers counted during the flood-tide interval were
higher than numbers counted during the ebb-tide interval (both plots

Dowitcher spp.

H DIRECT
■ MUTED

0 N D J F M

Figure 7. Flood-tide abundance of dowitchers in the plots under direct and muted
tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

Black -bellied Plover

ON D J F

Figure 8. Flood-tide abundance of the Black-bellied Plover in the plots under
direct and muted tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

combined). This is most likely an artifact of the smaller (by 50%) mudflat
area exposed during the ebb-tide interval. The plot under muted tidal
flow remained full during the ebb census, so I could compare (by the

Western Sandpiper

600

500

400

300

200

100

13 DIRECT
□ MUTED

0 N D J F M

Figure 9. Flood-tide abundance of the Western Sandpiper in the plots under direct
and muted tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test) shorebird abundance during the
flood and ebb tides only for the plot under direct tidal flow. Numbers
counted during the ebb-tide interval were significantly greater (p < 0.01)
than number counted during the flood-tide interval for all species except
the Least Sandpiper and Dunlin, for which the difference was not statisti-
cally significant.

Most species remained at roost sites within the marsh throughout the
ebb-tide interval. From late December through early February, however,
mixed flocks of Western Sandpipers and Dunlins were consistently seen
leaving high-tide roosts in Corte Madera Marsh during the ebb-tide inter-
val without feeding. Flocks left Corte Madera Marsh toward either the
south or southeast.

Comparison of Plot Use

Three species, the American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, and dowitchers,
preferred the plot under muted tidal flow to the near exclusion of the
other plot during the flood-tide census (Figures 5-7). Two species, the
Western Sandpiper and Dunlin, favored the plot under muted tidal flow
during the fall but shifted to the plot under direct tidal flow in early
December and January (Figures 9 and 10) before leaving the area entirely
in midwinter. Western Sandpipers showed a distinct preference for the
plot under muted tidal flow during migration (July-September) as well.

The absolute biomass of shorebirds in each plot was significantly differ-
ent. The plot under muted tidal flow supported a significantly higher
shorebird biomass (p < 0.005; Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test)

Dunlin

DIRECT

H MUTED

0 N D J F M

Figure 10. Rood-tide abundance of the Dunlin in the plots under direct and muted
tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

than the plot under direct tidal flow all winter (Figure 11). Shorebird
biomass was lowest in early February; this depression coincided with a
week-long cold snap. A small percentage of shore birds roosted (rather
than fed) in the plots during both tidal intervals, biasing these calculations
to some extent, but the overwhelming majority of shorebirds fed in the
plots.

DISCUSSION

Despite the unique morphology and foraging behavior of each species,
all probably responded to local fluctuations in resource abundance and, as
a result, may have shown congruent patterns of winter fluctuation (e. g.,
the seasonal variation in abundance of Western Sandpipers and Dunlins;
Figures 9 and 10).

A late-winter diminution in Dunlin numbers has been described from
other parts of San Francisco Bay (Storer 1951, Holmes 1966) and from
Bodega Harbor, Sonoma County (P. G. Connors pers. comm.). Where
Dunlins go in late winter is unknown; possibilities include a protracted
spring migration up the Pacific Coast (Holmes 1966) or a shift from tidal
mudflats to nontidal seasonal wetlands as these areas become available
and profitable for feeding in midwinter. Ruiz et al. (1989) found that
Dunlins wintering in Bodega Harbor constitute two subpopulations, each
with distinct foraging patterns. If such subpopulations are a common
feature in wintering populations of Dunlins, both of these processes could

Proportional Biomass

Figure 1 1 . Proportional biomass of shorebirds in the plots under direct and muted
tidal flow at Corte Madera Marsh. Calculated with weights from Page et al. (1979).

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

be important; successive pulses of Dunlins may pass through this latitude
during spring migration. Large numbers of Dunlins do occur on San
Francisco Bay in mid-April (Stenzel and Page 1988).

Numbers of birds in the plot under direct tidal flow during the ebb tide
(when the other plot was unavailable for feeding) were a small fraction of
those present in both plots during the flood tide. This suggests two possi-
ble ebb-tide feeding strategies: (1) Birds remain at high-tide roosts after
feeding areas have been uncovered because they are not energetically
constrained to maximize feeding time. (2) Birds move to new feeding
areas as these become uncovered by the ebb tide, in order to maximize
energy intake. Both tactics may be employed by individuals of some
species, but consideration of these alternative strategies may help explain
the behavior patterns of certain groups of species. The larger species
(American Avocet, Willet, Long-billed Curlew, and Marbled Godwit) often
loafed at high-tide roosts in the marsh after mudflats became exposed by
the ebb tide, suggesting that these species were not under severe ener-
getic constraints to maximize foraging time.

A different pattern I noted was the exodus of mixed flocks of Western
Sandpipers and Dunlins from Corte Madera Marsh during the ebb tide,
even though mudflat was exposed in the plot under direct tidal flow. If
food was always made available when mud was uncovered, Western
Sandpipers and Dunlins were passing up immediate resources in favor of
prospective richer resources elsewhere. Perhaps the energy needs of
these smaller birds demand that they maximize food intake. I saw none
of the other study species leave the area during the ebb tide on a regular
basis.

Vagility may vary from species to species owing to energetic demands
caused by resource limitation. Smaller species (such as Calidris sand-
pipers) may depend on patchy, concentrated, or ephemeral resources
and may be forced to forage widely in search of food. On an estuary as
large as San Francisco Bay, roosting sites and feeding sites can be several
kilometers apart if the energetic cost incurred by the commute does not
exceed the profitability of foraging at a distant location. In contrast, a
pattern of local winter residency has been demonstrated for some species
of large shorebirds. Kelly and Cogswell (1979) found that a banded
population of Willets and Marbled Godwits wintering in south San
Francisco Bay showed little local movement. Ruiz et al. (1989) found
that different levels of vagility may be important at the intraspecific level
as well.

Both of my mudflat plots were used primarily for feeding by all of the
study species during the flood-tide interval. It is therefore reasonable to
infer that differences in shorebird abundance and biomass were primarily
a result of differences between the plots in the resource base.

The midwinter shift between the two plots in abundance of Western
Sandpipers and Dunlins (Figure 11) probably paralleled a change in the
distribution and abundance of resources. A midwinter decline in prey
items in the upper few centimeters of mud could have made the plot
under muted tidal flow unsuitable for short-billed species (Western
Sandpiper and Dunlin) but not for long-billed species (Marbled Godwit

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

and do witchers). American Avocets fed primarily by straining the water
column {mainly in tidal channels) so are exempt from this hypothesis.
Observations of Western Sandpipers and Dunlins regularly leaving the
marsh during the ebb tide are consistent with the idea that the area may
have been resource-poor for these species and that richer areas existed
elsewhere. An increasing depth of prey items has been found to be
inversely related to intake rate in some shorebird species (Reading and
McGorty 1978, Myers et al. 1980).

The patterns of shorebird occurrence that I found in this study probably
result from resource heterogeneity on a spatial scale (between plots) and
on a temporal scale (across the winter). A quantification of the resource
base is central to any study of community structure, foraging behavior, or
habitat selection. With no data on resources such a fit of patterns to
processes can be only inferred. Aside from this, the spatial and temporal
distributions of shorebirds on a local scale are clearly not uniform.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was completed in partial fulfillment of the Senior Honor’s Thesis at
the University of California at Berkeley. The following people provided helpful
suggestions and insightful comments: John Comstock, Peter G. Connors, Richard
T. Holmes, Ned K. Johnson, Durrell D. Kapan, Brian J. McCaffery, Tim Manolis,
Frank A. Pitelka, Lynne E. Stenzel, and an anonymous reviewer. Barbara
Salzman and Roger Harris provided useful information regarding the study site.
Finally, I am indebted to the logistical support of John Comstock and Richard and
Gail Holway, without whose assistance and patience this study would not have
been possible.

LITERATURE CITED

Connors, P. G., Myers, J. P., Connors, C. S. W., and Pitelka, F. A. 1981.
Interhabitat movements by Sanderlings in relation to foraging profitability and
the tidal cycle. Auk 98:49-64.

Goss-Custard, J. D. 1969. The winter feeding ecology of the Redshank ( Tringa
totanus). Ibis 111:338-356.

Holmes, R. T. 1966. Breeding ecology and annual cycle adaptations of the Red-
backed Sandpiper ( Calidris alpina ) in northern Alaska. Condor 68:3-46.

Holmes, R. T. 1971. Latitudinal differences in the breeding and molt schedules
of Alaskan Red-backed Sandpipers ( Calidris alpina). Condor 73:93-99.

Holmes, R. T. 1972. Ecological factors influencing the breeding season schedule
of Western Sandpiper ( Calidris mauri) in subarctic Alaska. Am. Midland Nat.
87:472-491.

Holmes, R. T., Sherry, T. W,, and Sturges, F. W. 1986. Bird community
dynamics in a temperate deciduous forest: Long-term trends at Hubbard Brook.
Ecol. Monogr. 56:201-220.

Kelly, P. R., and Cogswell, H. L. 1979. Movements and habitat use by wintering
populations of Willets and Marbled Godwits, in Shorebirds in Marine
Environments (F. A. Pitelka, ed.), Studies Avian Biol. 2:69-82.

WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE

Mathcad. 1988. Version 2.09. Mathsoft, Inc., Cambridge, M A.

McCaskie, G., DeBenedictis, P., Erickson, R. A., and Morlan, J. L. 1979. Birds
of Northern California: An Annotated Field List. Golden Gate Audubon Soc.,
Berkeley.

Myers, J. P., Schick, C. T., and Castro, G. 1989. Structure in Sanderling
(Calidris alba) populations: The magnitude of intra- and inter-year dispersal
during the non-breeding season. Proc. XIX Int. Ornithol. Congr,, pp. 604-615.

Myers, J. P., Williams, S. L., and Pitelka, F. A. 1980. An experimental analysis
of prey availability for Sanderlings (Aves: Scolopacidae) feeding on sandy beach
crustaceans. Can. J. Zool. 58:1564-1574.

Page, G., Stenzel, L. E., and Wolfe, C. M. 1979, Aspects of the occurrence of
shorebirds on a central California estuary, in Shorebirds in Marine Environments
(F. A. Pitelka, ed.), Studies Avian Biol. 2:13-32.

Reading, C. J., and McGorty, S. 1978, Seasonal variations in the burying depth
of Macorrta balthica and its accessibility to wading birds. Estuarine Coastal Mar.
Sci. 6:135-144.

Ruiz, G. M., Connors, P. G., Griffin, S. E., and Pitelka, F. A. 1989. Structure of
a wintering Dunlin population. Condor 91:562-570,

Sokal, R. R., and Rohlf, R. J. 1981. Biometry, 2nd ed. Freeman, New York.

Stenzel, L. E., and Page, G. W. 1988. Results of the 16-18 April 1988
shorebird census of San Francisco and San Pablo bays. Point Reyes Bird
Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970.

Storer, R. W. 1951. The seasonal occurrence of shorebirds on Bay Farm Island,
Alameda County. Condor 53:186-193.

Whittaker, R. H. 1975. Communities and Ecosystems. Macmillan, New York.

Accepted 7 March 1990

FIRST RECORD OF THE BAND-RUMPED
STORM-PETREL IN CALIFORNIA

GUY McCASKIE, 954 Grove Street, Imperial Beach, California 92032

On 12 September 1970 a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma
castro) was seen during an all-day pelagic boat trip off San Diego, San Diego
County, California. I and more than forty other observers spent that entire
day aboard a chartered sport-fishing boat exploring the waters off San Diego
for pelagic birds, venturing as far off shore as the south end of San Clemente
Island. When returning from San Clemente Island in the afternoon, at about
32°50 3 /4N, 117°50/4 W, some 25 to 30 miles off San Diego, the boat pass-
ed through an area that had attracted a large number of storm-petrels. I
estimated there to be about 400 Black Storm-Petrels ( Oceanodroma
melania) and 600 Least Storm-Petrels ( Oceanodroma microsoma) , most in
two large rafts on the water, this being very close to the same area where
Miller (1936) encountered rafting storm-petrels in 1935. As the boat passed
through the flock I saw a white-rumped storm-petrel flying northward some
distance in front of the boat, then swing west as if to move around to the stern
of the boat. Five minutes later what I assumed to be the same white-rumped
storm-petrel had joined eight to ten Black Storm-Petrels following in the
wake of the boat. It remained behind the boat for at least 20 minutes, coming
to within 75 feet of the boat on a couple of occasions, but remaining between
100 and 200 feet behind the boat for most of the time. Low clouds reduced
the glare of the sun, and the fact that the boat was moving in the same direc-
tion as the waves gave us a relatively stable deck from which to study the
bird. We viewed the bird at leisure through 10 x and 8x binoculars, openly
discussing the marks noted, and even speculating that it might be a Band-
rumped Storm-Petrel. I made the following notes.

The white-rumped storm-petrel was clearly smaller than the accompany-
ing Black Storm-Petrels, and I judged it to be about the same size as the
Leach’s Storm-Petrels ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa) seen earlier in the day.
The wings appeared to be long and pointed, clearly being narrower than
those of the accompanying Black Storm-Petrels. The tail appeared square-
ended most of the time, but was seen to be slightly notched on occasions.
The feet and legs were never seen, but the feet did not extend beyond the tip
of the tail.

The bird had a distinctive manner of flight, remaining closer to the surface
of the water than did the accompanying Black Storm-Petrels, and flying with
four or five shallow but rapid wing-beats followed by a glide. When gliding
the bird held its wings rigid and straight out from the body, and arched slight-
ly downward at the tips. The manner of flight was more like that of a small
shearwater than that of the storm-petrels normally encountered off San
Diego, never having the deep wing-beats of the Leach’s and Least storm-
petrels or the lazy wing-beat of the Black Storm-Petrel.

This bird appeared to be blacker than the accompanying Black Storm-
Petrels, but the gray bar on the upper wing-coverts appeared paler than that
on the Black Storm-Petrels. The contrast between the paleness of the wing-

Western Birds 21:65-68, 1990

BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL

bar and the blackness of the rest of the wing made this mark more prominent
than on any of the Least, Black, or Leach’s storm-petrel seen during the day.
The rump was pure white, with the white extending down onto the sides of
the vent, and the shape of the rump patch appeared as a shallow “U” open-
ing toward the back. In addition, there was no dark dividing stripe in the
center of the rump as on a Leach’s Storm-Petrel.

Jon Atwood, G. Shumway Suffel, Richard E. Webster, and I submitted
descriptions to the California Bird Records Committee. The Committee
spent a long time scrutinizing this record, finally accepting it unanimously
during the fourth circulation (Luther et al. 1983). In 1973 when the record
was first reviewed, none of the Committee members was familiar with Band-
rumped Storm-Petrels, and they were thus reluctant to rely on information
found in the various sources of literature consulted. However, in 1980 when
the record was circulated for the fourth time, much had been learned from
observers, including some on the Committee who had seen this species at
sea. It was verified at this time that the appearance, and particularly the
mannerism of flight, of the bird seen off San Diego were characteristic of a
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.

IDENTIFICATION

Lee (1984) listed the features useful for identifying the Band-rumped
Storm-Petrel at sea, comparing it with both the Leach’s and Wilson’s storm-
petrels. He stated that the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is most like a Leach’s
Storm-Petrel in size, coloration, and plumage pattern, both species having
white rumps. He also stated that the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is almost the
same size as the Leach’s Storm-Petrel, giving measurements that show it has
slightly shorter wings and sketches that show it has a less noticeably forked
tail. However, the tail on the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel appears to be
square-ended much of the time. In addition the shapes of the two species’
white rump patches differ. The white on the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
forms a uniformly wide shallow U-shaped band across the rump, extending
onto the sides of the rump and vent. The shafts of the white rump feathers
are white, but the tips of the longest rump feathers are black, giving a uniform
banded appearance to the white rump. The white on the Leach’s Storm-
Petrel is divided down the center by a gray stripe, does not appear uniformly
wide as on the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, and only occasionally extends
down onto the vent. The shafts of the white rump feathers are black. Lee also
indicated that the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is a darker bird than the
Leach’s Storm-Petrel, but this can vary in part according to the relative
freshness of the plumage. Unfortunately most of these characters are difficult
to evaluate at sea.

The Wilson’s Storm-Petrel is noticeably smaller than the Band-rumped
Storm-Petrel and has shorter, straighter, and more rounded wings. It also
has a striking uniformly wide white rump patch that extends down onto the
sides of the vent, as it does on the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, but more ex-
tensively. The Wilson’s Storm-Petrel has a rounded tail that could appear
square-ended at times but never appears notched as on a Band-rumped
Storm-Petrel. The feet of a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel extend beyond the tip of

BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL

the tail, whereas those of a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel are never visible
beyond the tip of the tail. In addition the webs between the toes on a Wilson’s
Storm-Petrel are yellow instead of black as on the Band-rumped Storm-
Petrel.

The flight of the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is noticeably different from
that of the Leach’s Storm-Petrel, and is now considered the most useful
character for separating the two at sea. Unfortunately the authors of earlier
field identification guides gave little information on how to separate the
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel from the Leach’s Storm-Petrel. Watson (1966)
considered it nearly impossible to distinguish the two species by appearance,
but indicated the flight may be the best at-sea character for this. He re-
marked, though, that this needed further verification. Peterson (1980) stated
the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is very similar to Leach’s Storm-Petrel but
has shorter wings and a less bounding flight. Brown (1980) was one of the
first to describe the flight differences in detail, stating the Band-rumped
Storm-Petrel flies with a faster and shallower wing-beat than does the Leach’s
Storm-Petrel, that it moves in regular horizontal zigzags with no vertical boun-
ding during flapping flight, and that it glides on wings held more or less flat.
Harrison (1983) described the flight as usually buoyant, following a steady
zigzag progression between quick wing-beats and low shearing glides, with
wings held flat or bowed below the horizontal, producing a flight pattern
recalling that of a small shearwater. Farrand (1983) also described the flight,
stating the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel flies with wing-beats shallower than
Leach’s, gliding like a shearwater, and often following a horizontal zigzag
course. Lee (1984) stated that while gliding the bird holds its wings parallel to
the water surface with the outer primaries bowed below the rest of the wing as
does Audubon’s Shearwater ( Puffinus Iherminieri ) . Pratt et al. (1987) gave a
little more information on the flight and confirmed the shearwater-like ap-
pearance.

DISTRIBUTIONAL SUMMARY

The Band-rumped Storm-Petrel ranges over the warmer waters of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans (Harrison 1983). In the western Pacific Ocean it is
known to nest on Hidejima off the east coast of northern Honshu in Japan,
may also nest on nearby Sanganijima, and breeds in small numbers on the
Izu and the Bonin islands (Hasegawa 1984). It is a very rare in the waters
around the Hawaiian Islands in the mid Pacific, though several fledglings
have been found on Kauai in recent years (Harrison et al. 1984) and the
species has been heard vocalizing in Haleakala Crater on Maui (Pyle 1984).
In the eastern Pacific it is widely distributed through the Galapagos Islands
where some 15,000 pairs nest (Coulter 1984). Crossin (in King 1974) in-
dicated the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel has been seen as far north as 25 °N in
the eastern Pacific Ocean, showing two sightings from the vicinity of 25 °N,
120°W, but Pitman (1986) plotted no positive sightings of the species north
of 10°N, showing sightings north only to the vacinity of 10°N, 125°W. The
bird sighted off San Diego on 12 September 1970 is, to date, the only ac-
cepted record from the Pacific coast of North America. Pyle, however,
reported at least nine between 120 and 160 nautical miles off San Nicolas

BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL

Island in a restricted area of convergence between the California Current and
the pelagic waters of the central Pacific in July 1989 (McCaskie 1989) .

Even though this species occurs disjunctly in both the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans, and breeding colonies in both oceans are widely separated, the
various populations do not differ significantly in size or color. Therefore the
subspecies once described are no longer recognized, the species being con-
sidered monotypic (Cramp and Simmons 1977).

LITERATURE CITED

Brown, R. G. B. 1980. Flight characteristics of Madeiran Petrel. Br. Birds
73:263-264.

Coulter, M. C. 1984. Seabird conservation in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. 1CBP
Tech. Publ. 2:237-244.

Cramp, S., and Simmons, K. E. L. 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe and
Middle East and North Africa, vol 1. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England.

Farrand, J. Jr. 1983. The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding. Knopf, New
York.

Harrison, C. S., Naughton, M. B., and Fefer, S. I. 1984. The status and conservation
of seabirds in the Hawaiian Archipelago and Johnston Atoll. 1CBP Tech. Publ.
2:513-526.

Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Hasegawa, H. 1984. Status and conservation of seabirds in Japan, with special atten-
tion to the Short-tailed Albatross. 1CBP Tech. Publ. 2:487-500.

King, W. B. (ed.) 1974. Pelagic studies of seabirds in the central and eastern Pacific
Ocean. Smithsonian Contr. Zool. 158.

Lee, D. S. 1984. Petrels and storm-petrels in North Carolina’s offshore waters:
including species previously unrecorded for North America. Am. Birds
38:151-163.

Luther, J. S., McCaskie, G. and Dunn, J. 1983. Fifth report of the California Bird
Records Committee, W. Birds 14:1-16.

McCaskie, G. 1989. The nesting season. Southern Pacific Coast region. Am, Birds
43:1366-1369.

Miller, L. 1936. Some maritime birds observed off San Diego, California. Condor
38:9-16.

Peterson, R. T. 1980. A Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies. Houghton
Mifflin, Boston.

Pitman, R. L. 1986. Atlas of Seabird Distribution and Relative Abundance in the
Eastern Tropical Pacific. Southwest Fisheries Center Administrative Report
LJ-86-02C. Southwest Fisheries Center, P.O. Box 271, La Jolla, CA 92038.

Pratt D. H., Bruner, P. L., and Berrett, D. G. 1987. The Birds of Hawaii and the
Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, N.J.

Pyle, R. L. 1984. The autumn migration. Hawaiian Island region. Am. Birds
38:249-251.

Watson, G. E. 1966. Seabirds of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. Smithsonian Identifica-
tion Manual. Smithsonian Press, Washington, D.C.

Accepted 31 July 1990

NOTES

LEUCISTIC BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS
(PUFFINUS OPISTHOMELAS ) IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA

KIMBALL L. GARRETT, Section of Ornithology, Natural History Museum of Los
Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90007

In his account of the biology of the Black-vented Shearwater ( Puffinus
opisthomelas) , Everett (1988) mentioned that “leucism and partial albinism. . .are so
far unrecorded for opisthomelas,” Such plumage aberrations are widely recorded
among birds, including, among procellariids, Sooty Shearwaters ( P . griseus; Palmer
1962, Stallcup 1976) and a Greater Shearwater (P. gravis) off New England (Vickery
1978). Within the Puffinus puffinis complex, leucism has been documented for P. p.
mauretanicus (Mackrill and Yesou 1988, Elkins 1990) and P. p. puffinus (Flumm
1990) . This note presents photographic documentation of two leucistic Black-vented
Shearwaters and briefly discusses implications for field identification of shearwaters.
Leucism is used here in the sense of Buckley (1982) to signify a reduction or local
absence of pigment short of albinism (the complete lack of pigment) .

On 14 January 1984 Arthur L. Howe observed and photographed an odd shear-
water from the vessel Sharpshooter in Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles Co., Califor-
nia. Because the bird was with a large group of Black-vented Shearwaters and iden-
tical to them in size, shape, and style of flight, .he tentatively identified the bird as a
Black-vented Shearwater. The one photograph he obtained (Figure 1) confirms this
identification ,

In the field the bird showed diluted pigmentation on the head and neck, being
essentially white-headed with a pale brown crown and pale brown and white mottling
on the hindneck. The Black-vented Shearwater’s crown color is normally “dark
brown” (Palmer 1962, Harrison 1983). The white of the face, throat, and auricular
area extended well back to the sides of the neck. The general dorsal plumage color
was that of typical P. opisthomelas, though somewhat paler; the extent to which
plumage wear might have contributed to the paler dorsum is uncertain. The undertail
coverts appeared dusky, as is typical of this species. Another opisthomelas in similar
plumage was observed in Santa Monica Bay in January 1988 (Howe pers. comm.).

On 7 March 1987 Jonathan K. Alderfer observed and photographed a Black-
vented Shearwater in the San Pedro Channel, Los Angeles Co., with extensive white
in the primaries, secondaries, uppertail coverts, undertail coverts, and hindneck
(Figures 2-4). This individual also showed white mottling on the crown. Like the bird
photographed by Howe, this bird was observed with normally plumaged Black-vented
Shearwaters and was identical in size and shape (Figure 4) . The extensive white in the
wings was very evident in flight (Figures 2-3). An apparent P. opisthomelas showing
large white wing patches was noted by Howe (pers. comm.) in Santa Monica Bay in
November 1988; it was not photographed.

Leucism and other plumage anomalies in seabirds have obvious implications for
field identification since species diagnosis at sea relies heavily on general plumage pat-
tern and coloration (along with flight style and shape) rather than the details of struc-
ture and plumage. Leucism in Sooty Shearwaters has likely given rise to some claims

Western Birds 21:69-72, 1990

NOTES

Figure 1, Leucistic Black-vented Shearwater in Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles
County, California, on 14 January 1984.

Photo by Arthur L. Howe

Figure 2. Boldly pied flight pattern of leucistic Black-vented Shearwater in San Pedro
Channel, Los Angeles County, on 7 March 1987.

Photo by Jonathan K. Alderfer

NOTES

Figure 3. Same leucistic Black-vented Shearwater in San Pedro Channel, Los Angeles
County, 7 March 1987.

Photo by Jonathan K. Alderfer

Figure 4. Same leucistic Black-vented Shearwater on the water with typically plumag-
ed conspecifics.

Photo by Jonathan K. Alderfer

NOTES

of the Cape Petrel ( Daption capense ) in the northern Pacific Ocean {files of California
Bird Records Committee)

The abnormal Black-vented Shearwater in Figure 1 bore a superficial resemblance
in plumage to the Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) , a vagrant to Califor-
nia waters with three records accepted by the California Bird Records Committee
(Morlan 1985). However, the size, structure, and flight of the Santa Monica Bay bird
convincingly rule out the much larger Calonectris. with its languid flight. Inexperienc-
ed observers all too often base field identifications on single field marks (Garrett 1986)
while ignoring a suite of other characters that suggest a more sensible identification. In
this case a largely whitish head might have suggested C. leucomelas. The bird
photographed by Alderfer (Figures 2-4) showed a striking wing pattern suggesting
that of a Cape Petrel and could conceivably have been mistaken for that species. Field
identification problems within the Puffinus puffinus complex (including opisthomelas )
are well-known (Everett 1988, Harrison 1983, Jehl 1982, Morlan 1985); observers
should be award of the potential confusion generated by plumage aberrations.

I thank Arthur Howe and Jonathan Alderfer for documenting these records and
bringing them to my attention and for permission to publish their photographs, W.T.
Everett and R.R. Veit made a number of helpful suggestions after reviewing an early
draft. A later draft benefited from review by W.R.P. Bourne and K.T. Briggs.

LITERATURE CITED

Buckley, P.A. 1982. Avian genetics, in Diseases of Cage and Aviary Birds (M.L.
Petrak, ed.), pp. 21-110. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia.

Elkins, N. 1990. Partial albinism in Manx Shearwaters. Br. Birds 83:22.

Everett, W.T. 1988. Biology of the Black-vented Shearwater. W. Birds 19:89-104.

Flumm, D.S. 1990. Partial albinism in Manx Shearwaters. Br. Birds 83:22.

Garrett, K.L. 1986. Field tips: The single field mark syndrome. W. Tanager
52(5) : 1-2.

Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds, an Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Jehl, J.R,, Jr, 1982. The biology and taxonomy of the Townsend’s Shearwater.
Gerfaut 72:121-135.

Mackrill, E.J., and Yesou, P. 1988. Leucism and partial albinism in Balearic race of
Manx Shearwater. Br. Birds 81:235-236.

Morlan, J. 1985. Eighth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds
16:105-122.

Palmer, R.S., ed. 1962. Handbook of North American Birds, vol. 1, Loons through
Flamingos. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven.

Stallcup, R.W. 1976. Pelagic birds of Monterey Bay, California. W. Birds
7:113-136.

Vickery, P.D. 1978. Northeastern maritime region. The nesting season. Am. Birds
32:1137-1140.

Accepted 15 March 1990

NOTES

FIRST RECORD OF THE GREAT KISKADEE IN
BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

CHARLES T. COLLINS, Department of Biology, California State University, Long
Beach, California 90840

DALE DELANEY, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, Inc., P.O. Box 33008, Austin,
Texas 78764

JONATHAN L. ATWOOD, Manomet Bird Observatory, Manomet, Massachusetts
02345

The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) has a widespread distribution extending
from southern Texas south through most of Middle and South America to central
Argentina (Meyer de Schauensee 1966). In western Mexico it is resident in southern
Sonora with occasional individuals ranging north to southern Arizona (A.O.U. 1983).
It has not been previously recorded from Baja California, Mexico (Wilbur 1987) , even
though its distinctive plumage and strident vocalizations make it an obvious and easily
identified species throughout its range.

On 5 January 1987 we observed a single Great Kiskadee about 3 km south of San
Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, in a date palm orchard intermixed with dry thorn
scrub on the north shore of a permanent estero. Even though the bird was seen and
heard only briefly before it disappeared, its distinctive plumage (yellow belly, brown
back, rufous wings and tail, black crown and facial area with white throat, forehead
and eyeline) and vocalizations, very familiar to all three observers, made us certain of
the identification. The Great Kiskadee might be confused with the similar Social
Flycatcher ( Myiozetetes similis) and Boat-billed Flycatcher ( Megarhynchus pitangua),
which also occur in western mainland Mexico. However, the former species is
substantially smaller than the bird observed, and Boat-billed Flycatchers lack the
rufous wings and tail evident in this individual. Also, both of these species have distinc-
tive vocalizations different from the Great Kiskadee’s. Subsequent attempts over the
next hour to relocate the bird were unsuccessful.

The avifauna of the Baja California peninsula has been summarized by Grinnell
(1928) and more recently by Wilbur (1987), Even so, the difficulty of travel in some
areas of this part of Mexico, particularly prior to the completion of the transpeninsular
highway in 1973, has prevented the type of detailed field surveys necessary for a full
description of the peninsula’s avifauna. Many of the vagrants found regularly in
southern California (Garrett and Dunn 1981) are yet unrecorded from the peninsula.
While the occurrence of west Mexican species in Baja California is less probable,
records of such species as the Fan-tailed Warbler ( Euthlypis lachrymose) (Grinnell and
Lamb 1927) and Great Kiskadee certainly add to the allure of future field work in this
area. The increased accessibility to this area (and increasing interest by ornithologists
from both the U.S. and Mexico) is sure to result in new distributional records for Baja
California.

We thank Dr. Juan Guzman P. of the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur
for his hospitality and logistical support and Eduardo Palacios C. for his company in
the field.

LITERATURE CITED

Garrett, K., and Dunn, J. 1981. Birds of Southern California. Los Angeles
Audubon Society, Los Angeles.

Grinnell, J.A. 1928. A distributional summation of the ornithology of Lower
California. Univ. Calif, Publ. Zool. 32:1-300.

Western Birds 21:73-74, 1990

NOTES

Grinnell, J.A., and Lamb, C.C. 1927. New bird records from Lower California
Condor 29:124-126.

Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1966. The Species of Birds of South America and
Their Distribution. Acad, Nat. Sci., Philadelphia.

Wilbur, S.R. 1987. Birds of Baja California. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley.

Accepted 19 July 1990

NOTES

FIRST RECORDS OF THE THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD
IN BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

CHARLES T. COLLINS, Department of Biology, California State University, Long
Beach, California 90840

JONATHAN L. ATWOOD, Manomet Bird Observatory, Manomet, Massachusetts
02345

On 13 December 1986 we found a Thick-billed Kingbird (Tyrannus crassirostris) in
a dry wash dominated by paloverde (Cercidium sp.) and mesquite (Prosopis sp.) ,
about 25 km south of La Paz, between the towns of San Pedro and El Triunfo, Baja
California Sur, Mexico. The single individual was quietly perched most of the time it
was under observation and only occasionally made short foraging flights. The
diagnostic large black bill, dark forehead and “mask,” contrasting clear white throat
and breast, and notched tail were seen at close range by several observers (C.T. Col-
lins, P.H. Collins, B.W. Massey, K. Keane, and C. Boardman), On 5 January 1987
presumably the same individual was again seen at this site by C.T. Collins, J.L. At-
wood, P.H. Collins, and E. Palacios.

A second Thick-billed Kingbird was seen and heard by the same observers on 9
January 1987 on the grounds of the public zoo in the town of Santiago, approximately
50 km southeast of the previously described location.

The Thick-billed Kingbird breeds from southeastern Arizona and extreme
southwestern New Mexico south in western Mexico to southern Puebla and western
Oaxaca; it winters south to Chiapas and western Guatemala (A.O.U. 1983). It is
migratory in the northern part of its range in Arizona and Sonora (Miller et al. 1957,
Phillips et al. 1964). This species has not been previously recorded anywhere in
peninsular Baja California (Grinnell 1928, Wilbur 1987).

In recent years there have been several records of Thick-billed Kingbirds in southern
California during late fall and winter (Garrett and Dunn 1981, Unitt 1984), with one
individual staying at one location throughout the winter and returning to the same
locality for at least seven sequential years (McCaskie 1989). At least one of the birds
we report similarly appeared to be sedentary during the December-January period
and was apparently over- wintering at the site.

The Thick-billed Kingbird may be only a casual winter visitant to Baja California but
the finding of two individuals during this rather brief period of field observation sug-
gests that they may be of more regular occurrence. Despite the increased accessibility
of many parts of the Baja California peninsula and increased numbers of observers,
much additional field work is needed before the status of the Thick-billed Kingbird and
many other species can be fully elucidated in this part of their range.

We thank Dr. Juan Guzman P. of the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur
for his hospitality and logistical support and Eduardo Palacios C. for his company in
the field.

LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American 6th ed.
Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C.

Garrett, K., and Dunn, J. 1981. Birds of Southern California. Los Angeles Audubon
Soc., Los Angeles.

Grinnell, J. 1928. A distributional summation of the ornithology of Lower California.
Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 32:1-300.

Western Birds 21:75-76, 1990

NOTES

McCaskie, G. 1989. The winter season. Southern Pacific Coast region. Am.
Birds 43:364-369.

Miller, A.H., Friedmann, H., Griscom, L., and Moore, R.T. 1957.
Distributional check-list of the birds of Mexico. Pac. Coast Avifauna 33:1-436.

Phillips, A., Marshall, J., and Monson, G. 1964. The Birds of Arizona. Univ.
Ariz. Press, Tucson.

Unitt, P. 1984. The birds of San Diego County. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist.
Memoir 13.

Wilbur, S.R. 1987. Birds of Baja California. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley.

Accepted 19 July 1990

NOTES

A SPECIMEN OF CHUCK- WILL’S - WIDOW
FROM HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

STANLEY W. HARRIS, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata,
California 95521

BEN HAWKINS, Department of Biology, College of the Redwoods, Eureka, Cali-
fornia 95501

A fresh specimen of a Chuck-will’s-widow ( Caprimuigus carolinensis) was found
dead on a road near Loleta, Humboldt County, California, on 4 January 1989 by Jeff
Apgar. This bird was erroneously reported by others in American Birds (43:363) as
having been picked up by J. Agpan during the period 12-16 December 1988. The
bird apparently had been hit by a car. It was delivered by Mr. Apgar to Hawkins, who
donated it to the Humboldt State University, Department of Wildlife Museum. The
specimen (H.S.U. 7749) has been mounted as part of the educational program at
Humboldt State University, This is only the second record of this species in California
and extends the range of the species far to the northwest of any previous record. The
previous California specimen was reported in American Birds (41:140) and by S. F.
Bailey (1989, W. Birds 20:93-95).

The Loleta bird is an immature male in fresh plumage. It weighed 110 grams when
prepared on 24 January 1989. The wing chord measured 222 mm, the total length,
330 mm. Both testes were 2 mm long and 1 mm wide. The combination of large size,
lack of white in the plumage, and lateral filaments at the base of the rictal bristles
identify the specimen as a Chuck-wilPs-widow. The record has been accepted by the
California Bird Records Committee (D. Roberson pers. comm.).

The bird had an empty gullet, but the gizzard was packed with brownish fibers and a
few recognizable insect fragments, among them, the remains of two moths and one
beetle. It also contained one seed of Bearberry (Arctostaphyios uva-ursi). Although
the bird had no or little visceral fat and only a slight amount of subcutaneous fat
around the base of the tail and over the small of the back, it was in good flesh, not
emaciated, and its weight was only slightly smaller than the average for breeding birds
as summarized by Bailey (1989).

Accepted 26 March 1990

Western Birds 21:77, 1990

NOTES

THE CASPIAN TERN IN IDAHO

DANIEL M. TAYLOR, 2903 Greenvale Place, Nampa, Idaho 83868

Although it is a breeding species in many parts of the Great Basin (Ryser 1985) and
along the Columbia River (Thompson and Tabor 1981), the Caspian Tern ( Sterna
caspia) has been infrequently recorded in Idaho. Burleigh (1972) listed it as a uncom-
mon, local summer visitant to the southern part of the state with one record for north-
ern Idaho at Lewiston, Nez Perce Co. He thought it might breed in Idaho, but knew of
no colonies. Davis (1935), Levy (1950), and Oring (1962) recorded it in small
numbers from Rupert (Minidoka Co.), south-central Idaho, and Camas National
Wildlife Refuge (Jefferson Co.), respectively. Larrison et al. (1967) stated that it was
known to breed only at the Dingle Marsh in Bear Lake Co. but gave no details. I pre-
sent evidence here that this tern breeds at several locations in southern Idaho, is
sometimes found in moderate concentrations in this part of the state, and is more than
an accidental visitor to the northern part of the state.

Known breeding colonies stretch across the entire southern part of Idaho. In
southwestern Idaho about 100 adults have produced 20 young a year from at least
1977 to 1989 in the Snake River islands section of the Deer Flat National Wildlife
Refuge (pers, comm., refuge personnel). Sonnenberg and Powers (1977) considered
it abundant here during summer, and the reported nesting in the spring of 1980 from a
Snake River island near Nyssa, Oregon (Rogers 1980a) , may have been by part of this
population. In south-central Idaho Liven Peterson, in an unpublished survey of co-
lonial birds for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, found a colony of 20 nests at
Magic Reservoir, Blaine Co., in the summer of 1972. He banded 29 young here.
Charles Trost (unpubl. data) estimated 10-15 nests here in 1984 and found 16 fledg-
lings on 18 July of that year. In July 1984 Trost (pers. comm.) found a colony of
15-20 pairs at Mormon Reservoir, Camas Co. In southeastern Idaho an unknown
number nested in 1972 at North Lake Wildlife Management Area, Jefferson Co. (L.
Peterson unpubl. data). A colony of 14 birds with young was found at Blackfoot
Reservoir, Caribou Co., in the summer of 1982 (Rogers 1982), and was present at
least the next 2 years with 10- 15 pairs (C. Trost unpubl. data) . A small colony of 5 to
10 pairs has nested at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Lake Co., from at
least 1980 to 1989 (G. Deutscher pers. comm.). Two to three pairs nested at
American Falls Reservoir, Bingham and Power counties, in 1984 (C. Trost unpubl.
data) .

A review of quarterly reports from American Birds revealed an absence of any Cas-
pian Tern records in Idaho during the 1960s and very early 1970s. This lack of records
may reflect in part a paucity of active field workers in the state during this time, and
Oring (1962) did find small numbers in Jefferson Co. Since the mid-1970s Caspian
Terns have been reported consistently from southern Idaho. Larger concentrations in-
clude 14 at Rupert in the spring of 1976 (Rogers 1976) and 15 at Island Park Reser-
voir, Fremont Co., in the spring of 1978 (Rogers 1978). At Lake Lowell, Canyon
Co., the Caspian Tern has been consistently recorded in small numbers with 14 in
1980 (Rogers 1980b) and 13 in 1987 (pers. obs ). I found 13 at C.J. Strike Dam in
early September 1987. I have consistently found this species in late summer at
American Falls Reservoir in the 1980s with a peak of 61 birds at the mouth of the
Snake River in August 1986.

There was a record from west-central Idaho of one bird at Cascade Reservoir,
Valley Co., in 1984 (Rogers 1984a). Northern Idaho records I know of are of two
birds at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, Boundary Co., in 1983 (Rogers 1983a),
four birds at Pend Oreille Lake, Bonner Co., in 1985 (Rogers 1985a), and nine
records from the Lewiston area in the late 1970s and 1980s (Rogers 1983a, b,

Western Birds 21:78-80, 1990

NOTES

1984a, b, 1985a, b, 1987, Weber 1981). Weber (1981) collected an adult female at
Lewiston on 19 July 1978.

The discovery of six nesting colonies in southern Idaho and more frequent records
in the last 15 years, including some of the fairly high numbers, indicate that the Cas-
pian Tern may be increasing in the state. Since Burleigh lived for 11 years in the 1940s
and 1950s at Lewiston and recorded only one Caspian Tern and there were no other
northern Idaho records (Burleigh 1972), it certainly appears that this species has
recently become more common in northern Idaho.

The only information on dispersal of Caspian Terns from Idaho is of one young bird
banded at Magic Reservoir in the summer of 1972 recovered in April 1973 at Morelos
Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico (L. Peterson unpubl. data).

I thank G. Deutscher, C. Trost, and the personnel of Deer Flat National Wildlife
Refuge for providing information. This study was funded in part by the nongame pro-
gram of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

LITERATURE CITED

Burleigh, T.D. 1972. Birds of Idaho. Caxton, Caldwell, ID.

Davis, W.B. 1934. An analysis of the bird populations in the vicinity of
Rupert, Idaho. Condor 37:233-238.

Larrison, E.J., Tucker, J.L., and Jollie, M.T. 1967. Guide to Idaho Birds J. Ida.
Acad. Sci. 5:1-220.

Levy, S.H. 1950. Summer birds of southern Idaho. Murrelet 31:2-8.

Oring, L.W. 1962. Observations on the birds of southeastern Idaho. Murrelet
43:40-50.

Rogers, T.H. 1976. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain -Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 30:865-869.

Rogers, T.H. 1978. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain -Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 32:1033-1036.

Rogers, T.H. 1980a. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 34:797-800.

Rogers, T.H. 1980b. The nesting season. Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 34:911-914.

Rogers, T.H. 1982. The nesting season. Northern Rocky Mountain -Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 36:998-1000.

Rogers, T.H, 1983a. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain -Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 892-894.

Rogers, T.H. 1983b. The nesting season. Northern Rocky Mountain -Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 1007-1009.

Rogers, T.H. 1984a. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 936-939.

Rogers, T.H. 1984b. The nesting season. Northern Rocky Mountain -Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 1041-1043.

Rogers, T.H. 1985a. The fall migration. Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 39:79-81.

Rogers, T.H. 1985b. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain- Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 939-942.

Rogers, T.H. 1987. The spring migration. Northern Rocky Mountain- Intermoun-
tain region. Am. Birds 41:463-466.

NOTES

Ryser, F.A. Jr. 1985. Birds of the Great Basin. Univ. Nevada Press, Reno.

Sonnenberg, E.L., and Powers, L.R. 1977. Notes on the avifauna of several Snake
River islands in southwestern Idaho. J. Ida. Acad. Sci. 13:1-4.

Thompson, B.C., and Tabor, J.E. 1981. Nesting populations and breeding
chronologies of gulls, terns, and herons on the Upper Columbia River, Oregon
and Washington. Northwest Sci. 55:209-218.

Weber, J.W. 1981. New tern records from southeastern Washington and northern
Idaho. Continental Birdlife 2:160-164.

Accepted 20 May 1 990

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Volume 21, Number 2 y 1990

Identification of White and Black-backed Wagtails in Alternate

Plumage Steve N. G. Howell 41

Patterns of Winter Shorebird Occurrence in a San Francisco Bay

Marsh David A. Holway 51

First Record of the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel in California

Guy McCaskie 65

NOTES

Leucistic Black- vented Shearwaters (Puffinus opisthomelas) in

Southern California Kimball L. Garrett 69

First Record of the Great Kiskadee in Baja California, Mexico

Charles T. Collins , Dale Delaney, and Jonathan L. Atwood 73

First Records of the Thick-billed Kingbird in Baja California, Mexico

Charles T. Collins and Jonathan L. Atwood 75

A Specimen of Chuck-will’s-widow from Humboldt County,

California Stanley W. Harris and Ben Hawkins 77

The Caspian Tern in Idaho Daniel M. Taylor 78

Cover photo by Richard Stallcup of Inverness, California: Pink-footed
Shearwater (fhifflnus creatopus), Monterey Bay, September 1985.

Reprints can be ordered at author’s expense from the Editor when proof is
returned or earlier.

WESTERN BIRDS

Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists

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WESTERN BIRDS

Volume 21, Number 3, 1990

THE TAXONOMY, DISTRIBUTION, AND STATUS
OF COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

AMADEO M. REA, San Diego Natural History Museum, P. O, Box 1390, San
Diego, California 92112

KENNETH L. WEAVER, 1113 Senwood Way, Fallbrook, California 92028

The southern coastal sage scrub is a distinctive plant community of
southern California (Munz and Keck 1959, Mooney 1977). Beginning very
narrowly in the Santa Barbara region, it is best developed in Ventura, Los
Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties, and ends in northwestern Baja
California, where a different plant assemblage, the maritime desert scrub,
begins (Thorne 1976). One very prominent feature of coastal sage scrub is
thickets of cactus, including the Coastal Cholla, Opuntia prolifera , and two
species of prickly-pears, Opuntia littoralis and O. oricola. The coastal sage
scrub is the primary habitat of two birds, the California Gnatcatcher,
Polioptila californica californica, and the San Diego Cactus Wren,
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus sandiegensis, that are declining rap-
idly because of loss of habitat to urbanization. (For explanation of variations
in the spelling of the Cactus Wren’s scientific name, see Appendix 1).

This paper has four goals. First, we present the characters distinguishing
C. b. sandiegensis as a valid subspecies distinct from adjacent races of Baja
California and the interior continental deserts. The characters are given in
sufficient detail that anyone with a specimen in hand should be able to
identify it. Second, we evaluate the taxonomic status of the Cactus Wrens
occupying Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties. In the original
description (Rea 1986:119), these were referred to as less typical
sandiegensis , and the birds from the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles
Co., were called anthonyi (Phillips 1986:120). Third, we analyze the
habitat requirements of C. b, sandiegensis. And finally, we present census
data from the last ten years demonstrating the rapid decline of the San
Diego Cactus Wren due to habitat loss.

TAXONOMIC BACKGROUND

Taxonomists have long recognized that the Cactus Wren population
isolated along the California coast is distinctive, but opinions differed as to

Western Birds 21:81-126, 1990

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

the significance of the difference (Table 1). Debate often focused on
whether the wrens belonged to a continental or a peninsular subspecies.
The peninsular forms in Baja California (C. b. bryanti and C. b. affinis ,
including “C. b. purus”) have the entire tail black barred with white, except
for the central brown pair of rectrices, have little or no buff wash on the
flanks and abdomen, and have large spots rather uniformly distributed over
the underparts. The black throat spots are mostly double on each feather. In
contrast, the various continental forms have quite a different appearance.
Their tails are essentially black except for the brown central pair. The black
feathers have a subterminal white bar with additional white bars being
restricted to the outer one or two pairs of rectrices. The birds have a strong
cinnamon-buff wash on the abdomen and a cluster of large black spots on
the throat. There is usually a single large spot along the shaft of each throat
feather. The remaining underparts are more finely spotted.

The differences between the two groups of subspecies are readily ap-
parent in the field as well as in the hand. Actually the two groups look like
different species.

Furthermore, the two subspecies nearest the southern California coastal
population differ strongly in dorsal coloration. Campylorhynchus b. bryanti
of northern Baja (31°-29°N) is rather uniform dark umber brown above,
whereas C. b. anthortyi of the deserts of southern California, adjacent
northeast Baja California, southern Arizona, and northwestern Sonora has
a brownish gray back that contrasts with the darker, strongly rufous crown
and nape (see Figure 1 for distributions).

When A. W. Anthony (1894) erected the subspecies C. b, bryanti for the
Cactus Wrens of northern Baja California (type locality San Telmo), he
referred San Diego County birds to his new race. He wrote, “east of the
Cuyamaca Mts., I am unable to find any indication of either bryanti or

Table 1 Historical Treatment of Coastal Cactus Wrens

Author

Date

Disposition

A. W. Anthony

1894

Race different from that in Baja or desert
(unnamed)

E. A. Mearns

1902

bryanti

H. S. Swarth

1904

couesi

R. Ridgway

1904

bryanti (not typical) in San Diego region; couesi
in Los Angeles region

F. Stephens

1904

bryanti “blending into couesi (or anthonyi )”

J. Grinnell

1915

“Meeting ground of couesi and bryanti” in
same locality, possibly without intergradation

J. Grinnell

1921

couesi with slight tendency toward bryanti

G. Bancroft

1923

Distinct disjunct subspecies (unnamed)

J. Grinnell

1928

couesi

Grinnell and Miller

1944

couesi

G. Bancroft

1946

Western “group”

A. M. Rea

1986

Described subspecies sandiegensis

M. R. Browning

1990

Recognized sandiegensis

CALIFORNIA

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

patterns suggests probable areas of intergradation.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

affinis,” noting that birds from the interior or desert portion of the county
are unlike those of Baja California but the same as those from the rest of the
Sonoran Desert of southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico. He also
noted that the rufous wash of the underparts “is not so pronounced in
western San Diego County skins as those from San Bernardino County
(Cal,), Arizona, and New Mexico.” In an addendum Anthony noted, “Owing
to the lack of material, 1 am unable to make a satisfactory disposition of the
Cactus Wren from north of the boundary. The series at hand points toward
a race inhabiting the southwestern part of California, differing from the bird
of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.” Also in 1894, Anthony collected four
specimens (now in the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh) from Valle de las
Palmas and Carrizo Valley, a bit southeast of Tijuana in Baja California.
These also show the San Diego combination of characters.

The Cactus Wren as a species had been described originally by Lafresnaye
in 1835 from “Californie.” Edgar A. Mearns (1902) attempted to determine
where, in what was broadly conceived in the 1830s as constituting Cali-
fornia, the original specimen might have been taken because, as Mearns
explained, “the Cactus Wren of the portion of California west of the Coast
Range Mountains is different from that of east.” At his request, Robert
Ridgway at the Smithsonian Institution examined the type specimen pre-
served at the Boston Society of Natural History. He concluded that it best
matched material from Guaymas, Sonora, thus fixing this as the type
locality. Mearns then described the subspecies C. b. anthonyi with type
locality near Tacna, Yuma County, Arizona, and gave its range as “interior
deserts of the southwestern United States, south into the Mexican states of
Chihuahua, Sonora, and northeastern Lower California (east of the Coast
Range).” He retained the population west of the Peninsular Ranges in
bryanti.

Swarth (1904) took exception to Mearns’ treatment, considering C. b.
anthonyi and C. b. bryanti (at least as represented in southern California)
both synonyms of C. b. couesi (type locality Laredo, lower Rio Grande,
Texas). Swarth conceded that bryanti might be a valid race from the Baja
California area Anthony ascribed to it. Swarth’ s inability to see more than
one subspecies is hardly surprising because his specimens were all from the
range of anthonyi as we define it here.

The same year Ridgway (1904) completed the third volume of his
monumental Birds of North and Middle America. He treated C. b. anthonyi
as a synonym of C. b. couesi of the lower Rio Grande, ranging west to
Orange, Los Angeles, and interior San Diego counties, and included the
“coast district of San Diego County" in the range of C. b. bryanti of
northern Baja California.

Before the volume was issued, Ridgway received Swarth ’s publication
and noted in an addendum (Ridgway 1904:753-754) that he agreed with
Swarth in synonymizing anthonyi but not with Swarth’s treatment of
bryanti: “Mr. Swarth’s California material apparently did not contain a
specimen from the coast district (or any other portion?) of San Diego
County, to which H. b. bryanti (not typical, however) is restricted in its
California range.” The third edition of the A.O.U. Check-list (1910) es-
sentially followed Ridgway’s (1904) treatment.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Frank Stephens (1904) likewise responded to Swarth’s paper. Stephens
gave an excellent analysis of the northwest continental and the two penin-
sular races. On the basis of a “hasty study” of A. W. Anthony’s specimens,
Stephens assigned two skins from San Diego to bryanti, noted the differ-
ence in crown color between the birds of coastal San Diego and the interior,
but concluded there were “more couesi [or anihonyi, if distinct] south of the
border than bryanti north of it.” He did not specify whether he had desert
or only coastal specimens in the series he was examining.

Initially, Joseph Grinnell (1915) believed that two forms of Cactus Wren
occupied southwestern California. He listed couesi as “a common resident
locally in the San Diegan district from San Diego northwest as far as Santa
Paula, Ventura County.” On the basis of the A. W. Anthony series as well as
recently collected specimens in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, he listed
bryanti as “sparingly and locally resident in the vicinity of San Diego. The
metropolis of this form is to the southward, San Diego apparently being the
meeting ground of H. b. couesi and H. b. bryanti, for the two are known to
have nested in the same locality. These two forms thus have no wide area of
intergradation, if actual blending occurs at all.”

Grinnell (1921) later reexamined A. W. Anthony’s specimens. He con-
cluded that “specimens from San Diego County, California, which have
been labeled ‘ bryanti ’ prove to exhibit only a slight tendency in that direc-
tion, being much nearer H. b. couesi. Those individuals showing nearly or
quite complete white barring of the tail do not show the other diagnostic
features of bryanti, namely very heavy spotting below and dark upper
surface.”

Griffing Bancroft (1923) next pointed out that birds from the San Dtego
district are different from both bryanti and couesi, and he thought that they
constituted a distinct subspecies. Furthermore, he noted the coastal birds
were perfectly isolated except for perhaps through the narrow San
Gorgonio Pass in Riverside and San Bernardino counties (see also Grinnell
and Swarth 1913). He found only one place where the birds extended south
of the international boundary, about 32 km east of Tijuana. Laurence M.
Huey, curator of birds at the San Diego Natural History Museum, took
specimens there, finding them “identical with the birds of southwestern
California."

Bancroft (1923) surveyed the remaining area between the border and
San Telmo (31°N) many times without finding the wren or its nests. The
habitat was not suitable. Good cholla stands, Bancroft reported, “are
confined to a narrow strip very near the ocean” where mesas drop off
abruptly to the coast; inland there are but “small isolated patches” of habitat
without wrens. Bancroft concluded from both field work and specimens that
C. b. bryanti did not come closer than “150 miles” of California.

Grinnell (1928:211-212) mapped a “station of record” 32 km east of
Tijuana as C. b. couesi. On the basis of specimens, he also concluded that
this race occurs from northeastern Baja California south along the gulf
coast to a little below 31°N. Grinnell’s map shows a wide hiatus in the
Cactus Wren’s distribution between the San Diego-Tijuana region and the
San Telmo region at 31°N, a north-south distance of 160 km.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

The fourth and fifth editions of the A.O.U. Check-list (1931, 1957)
likewise considered the Cactus Wrens of all of southern California to be C.
b. couesi with bryanti restricted to Baja, coming north only to 31°N.

Bancroft (1946) believed birds of coastal southern California to have the
darkest eggs of any of the peninsular or continental forms he studied,
further exemplifying, he said, the distinctiveness of this isolated population.
On the basis of larger sample sizes now available, this apparent difference
in egg color does not stand up (Lloyd Kiff pers. comm.).

After examining specimens in major U.S. museums, Rea prefers to
recognize couesi and anthonyi as distinct. C. b. anthonyi has a more
rufescent crown and a paler, grayer ground color of the back, whereas
couesi has a darker brown crown and a darker, warmer brown back. C. b.
couesi occupies Texas, southern New Mexico, and adjacent Mexico, with
some individuals scattered across the higher elevations of the species’ range
in central Arizona (Rea 1983). Phillips (1986) reluctantly recognized
anthonyi and synonymized couesi with a query in C. b. guttatus (Gould) of
central Mexico. Kenneth C. Parkes (pers. comm.) notes that U guttatus is
distinctly shorter-tailed, has the interscapular area less grayish, and has
larger and rounder spots on the flanks” than Texas specimens and suggests
that couesi and nominate brunneicapillus may be indistinguishable.

While preparing a revision of the Cactus Wrens of southern Arizona (Rea
1983:206), Rea noted and set aside various specimens in the San Diego
Natural History Museum collection labeled as “ couesi” but having anoma-
lous characters. Generally their spotting below was too heavy and they had
too much white in the tail for either couesi or anthonyi, but their backs were
not as dark as bryanti. When their localities were checked, all proved to be
of coastal origin. Later this population was described as the subspecies C. b.
sandiegensis Rea, 1986 (type locality San Diego Wild Animal Park, 3.7 km
west of San Pasqual, adjacent to San Pasqual Battlefield State Park, San
Diego Co., California).

CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Methods

We examined specimens from the following collections: San Diego
Natural History Museum (SD), Pomona College (PC), Los Angeles County
Museum (LA), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of
California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berke-
ley (MVZ), University of Arizona, Tucson (ARIZ), University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque (UNM), National Museum of Natural History, Washington,
D.C. (US), Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh (CM), and American Museum of
Natural History, New York (AMNH).

We believe that we have located virtually all extant adult specimens from
coastal populations (46 from the San Diego vicinity and 67 from the
northern coastal region). No specimens known to us exist from northern
San Diego County or most of Orange County (see Figure 2).

Cactus Wrens are exposed to bright sunlight much of the day. As a result,
their plumage undergoes significant seasonal color change due to fading

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Figure 2. Distribution of the Cactus Wren in coastal southern California and north-
western Baja California. Dots, localities from which adult specimens were examined;
numbers, number of adult specimens examined from that locality (if more than one);
circles, additional localities from which the Cactus Wren has been reported or
collected (some localities in close proximity have been lumped; see Figure 13 for
more detail).

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

and wear. November-taken specimens, for example, are not comparable to
January specimens, nor are these comparable with March skins. Insofar as
possible, we made color comparisons only among specimens taken within
six weeks of each others’ collection date. Post-mortem color changes
(foxing) also occur in this species. Dorsal browns become more rufescent
within the first decade the specimen is in the museum.

Comparisons were made with 94 specimens from the peninsula (races C.
b. bryanti and C. b. affinis ) and approximately 300 specimens from the
continent (C. b. anthonyi , C. b. couesi, C. b. brunneicapiUus , and C. b.
guttatus).

Scoring of Characters

Seven characters (Table 2, Figures 3 and 4) distinguish the continental
desert populations of Cactus Wrens, the races C. b. anthonyi and C. b.
couesi, from the Baja California peninsular races C. b. bryanti and C. b.
affinis.

1. Chin/gular area. The chin and interramal area are immaculate in over
three-quarters of the specimens from the continental deserts. An occasional
specimen from the western or Colorado desert lacks this white patch,
having spots going as far forward as in peninsular wrens. Peninsular
specimens are spotted on the chin all the way through to the interramal
area.

Table 2 Characters Distinguishing Subspecies of the Cactus Wren a

Character

C. b. anthonyi

C. b. bryanti

1. Chin/gular area

Broadly white in >75% (1)

Speckled (2)

2. Chest spot shape

Always single, large
central reniform spot (1)

Mostly double,
irregular marks (2)

3. Abdominal spotting

Fine, linear to narrowly
rhomboid, contrasting
with throat/chest (1)

Heavy, oval to
diamond-shaped, not
strongly contrasted
to chest (2)

4. Chest patch

Spots aggregated to form
black patch (1)

No strong aggregation
into patch (2)

5. Flank/abdomen color

Conspicuous buffy wash
across flanks and lower
abdomen (1)

Largely white, weak
ochre wash ± re-
stricted to flanks
or absent (2)

6. Back color

Warm ground color of
nape contrasting with
grayer interscapulars
and lower back (1)

Warm ground color of
nape continuing
through inter-
scapulars and lower
back without
demarcation (2)

7. Tail barring

Largely black
(states 1-3, see Table 3)

Largely white-barred
(states 7-9)

“Score values in parentheses
88

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

2. Chest spot shape. Chest spots of continental desert birds are single,
occupying the middle of the feather, and centered on the shaft (Figure 5a).
An occasional individual has some split spots along the lateral margins of
the chest. The spots’ shape is variable but is most often kidney- or even

Figure 3. Underparts of two subspecies of the Cactus Wren. Upper, C. b. anthonyi;
lower, C. b. sandiegensis.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

chevron-shaped, with the proximal margin concave. In both peninsular
subspecies the central part of the chest feather is white, and irregularly
shaped spots occupy the two distal lateral corners of the feather (Figure 5b).

Figure 4. Underparts of two subspecies of the Cactus Wren. Upper, C. b. bryanti ;
lower, C. b. sandiegensis.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

3. Abdominal spotting. In continental Cactus Wrens the flanks and belly
are largely pale because the spots of this region are fine, either linear or
rhomboid, strongly contrasting with the large single spots on the chest. In
peninsular forms the abdominal spots are large and oval, giving the ap-
pearance of a bird with an almost uniformly marked undersurface. Spots on
the crissum of bryanti are two or more times larger than those of anthonyi.

4. Chest patch. Because of the larger size of the chest spots of continental
birds as well as the contrasting fineness of the spotting on the rest of the
underparts, there is a conspicuous aggregation of the spots into a black
chest patch. This is only weakly correlated with sex. In some cases a male
may be more densely spotted than a female, but most anatomically sexed
specimens cannot be segregated on this criterion. Peninsular Cactus Wrens
are more uniformly marked below, with nonaggregated (double) chest spots
and large oval abdominal spots. In other words, a chest patch is lacking.

5. Flank/abdomen color. Until their plumage is worn and faded, conti-
nental Cactus Wrens have a strong buffy wash across the flanks and
abdomen, contrasting with the white ground color of the remaining under-
parts. In peninsular birds this wash is usually entirely absent. Some indi-
viduals have a weak wash, but the color is more yellowish, nearest Pale
Ochraceous Buff of Ridgway (1912). Both the quality and the quantity of
the color differ. An occasional peninsular specimen has a distinct wash
below, but this invades the entire underparts to the chest. This color may be
adventitious, the result of a bird dust-bathing in red (iron-oxide) clay soils.

6. Back color. In anthonyi, the ground color of the back is brownish gray,
distinctly contrasting with the rufous of the crown and nape. The crowns of
peninsular birds are even more strongly rufescent, with the warmer, darker
brown tones extending down through the ground color of the entire
dorsum. (The shape of the white dorsal streaks, bordered by fuscous or
blackish streaks, appears not to vary geographically, at least in the north-
western Mexico and the southwestern U.S.)

7. Tail markings. Continental forms of adult Cactus Wrens have essen-
tially black tails except for the brown central pair of rectrices and the white
subterminal bar across the remainder (Table 3). White bars and spots are
restricted primarily to the outer (sixth) rectrix. Rectrix 5 may have a trace of
white or a distinct spot or bar on the inner web (states 1-3 in Figure 6).
Peninsular forms have distinct white bars and spots on the inner webs of
rectrices 3-6, their tails thus being completely barred.

Figure 5. Chest-spot shapes in two groups of subspecies of the Cactus Wren. A,
continental subspecies; B, peninsular subspecies.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

The pattern in juvenal rectrices differs from that in adults in that the distal
white marking is not a simple subterminal bar running across the tail.
Usually there is a terminal spot at the rachis running back onto the inner
vane as an irregularly shaped bar, which may or may not be actually
connected to the spot (Figure 7). This produces tails more extensively
marked with white in juveniles than in adults from the same populations.
Juvenal rectrices are also more rounded and less truncated at their tips.
Occasional first-winter birds fail to molt their rectrices. In the analysis of
these individuals, we have considered the distal spot and bar or splotch to be
one rather than two separate markings. Specimens in juvenal plumage
proved so variable in most other characters that we did not attempt to score
them, except where noted specifically in the text.

Each adult specimen examined was scored for the seven character states
(Table 2). Characters 1 through 6 were scored 1.0 for the state normally
found in the western continental desert form (C. b. anthonyi ) and 2.0 for
the state normally found in the northern peninsular form (C. b. bryanti).
Conditions intermediate between these were scored 1.5. Tails were scored
1-3 for states normally found in anthonyi, 4-6 for intermediate states, and
7-9 for states found in bryanti. Tails with conditions intermediate between
the states given in Table 3 and Figure 6 were encountered. Some characters
readily admit intermediate states (tail pattern, as noted, and abdominal
color); others, such as chest spotting, are either/or.

Not every available specimen could be scored for all seven distinguishing
characters. Some fall individuals were still molting their rectrices when
collected. Others had missing or broken tail feathers. (Loose rectrices
should be attached to the specimen or its label, as they are critical in the
evaluation of coastal birds.) A frequent problem we encountered with Los
Angeles area specimens was evaluating colors. Because of considerable

Table 3 Tail Patterns of Cactus Wrens 0

State

Rectrix 5

Rectrix 4

Rectrix 3

States normally found on wrens

from continental deserts 6

No white

Trace white

No white

White spot (distinct)

No white

States normally found on wrens

from coastal sage scrub, San Diego region

Several distinct spots

Trace or none

Spots and barfs)

Spots and bar(s)

Trace

Distinct white bars

Spots and bars

Spots

States normally found on wrens

from peninsular Baja California

Distinct white bars

Spots

Distinct white bars

Spots and bars

Entire tail barred (except central pair)

“Inner webs, exclusive of white subterminal bar
b States 1-3 may have reduced white even on rectrix 6

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Figure 6. Variations in tail patterns of adult Cactus Wrens. Outer (6th) rectrix at left in
each set. Character states correspond to descriptions in Table 3. States 1-3,
continental deserts; 4-6, southern coastal sage scrub, San Diego area; 7-9, peninsu-
lar Baja California.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

soot staining, character 5 (the extent and color of the abdominal wash) was
particularly difficult to access. Even early fall specimens of this region
scarcely a month after molt were already severely blackened.

The following formula was used to calculate an index for each character
for each population:

Character x number of individuals
value with that character

= Index

Total number of scored specimens

For example, from the northern coastal or Los Angeles population, 65 of
the 67 specimens could be scored for chin spotting (character 1). Of these, 52
had distinctly white chins (value 1), 12 had some spotting encroaching into
the chin (value 1.5), and one had the interramal area fully spotted (value 2).

1 x 52 = 52

1.5 x 12 = 18

2 x 1 = 22

The index shows the average value for the entire sample scored but does
not show the range of variability within the population.

Pooled Characters of Two Populations

Of the 46 adult specimens of the Cactus Wren known from coastal San
Diego County and northwestern Baja California, 315 individual characters
could be scored out of a possible 322 (46 x 7 ; there were seven missing

Figure 7. Variations in tail patterns of juvenile Cactus Wrens, showing the “single”
subterminal bar. Right feather is of an adult for comparison.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

character scores). The pooled results (Table 4) are plotted in Figure 8. Total
scores for five characters (1, 3, 4, 5, and 7) are. at or near the mean
between pure anthonyi (1.0) and pure bryanti (2.0). In two characters (2,
type of chest spot; 6, back color), San Diego birds scored nearer anthonyi.

Of the 67 available adult specimens of the Cactus Wren from the Los
Angeles region (Ventura, Los Angeles, and extreme northern Orange
counties), 429 individual characters could be scored (there were 40 missing
character scores). The pooled results (Table 4) are plotted in Figure 9. In
only two characters (5, reduction of buff on abdomen; 7, increase in white
tail markings) was there an approach toward peninsular birds.

Three specimens (MVZ) from Santa Ana Canyon in northern Orange
County are indistinguishable from transmontane anthonyi in characters 1
through 6. Their tails score 4.5, 3, and 6, indicating a very slight tendency
toward the peninsular subspecies.

The San Diego-Area Population

In making subspecific identifications, however, taxonomists need to be
able to identify individual specimens; averages or pooled characters are
not sufficient. The standard frequently used for evaluating a subspecies is
the so-called seventy-five percent rule (Amadon 1949). In its more rigorous
interpretation, “before a population is given subspecific status, at least 75

Table 4 Pooled Characters of Coastal Cactus Wrens

Character

Sample Size

Index 0

San Diego-vicinity population

1 . Chin/gular area

1.34

2. Chest spot shape

1.26

3. Abdominal spotting

1.49

4. Chest patch

1.50

5. Flank/abdomen color

1.46

6. Back color

1.22

7. Tail barring

5.18

Northern coastal population

1 . Chin/gular area

1.11

2. Chest spot shape

1.00

3. Abdominal spotting

1.06

4. Chest patch

1.03

5. Flank/abdomen color

1.22

6. Back color

1.03

7. Tail barring

3.44

Q For characters 1-6, a value of 1.0 indicates the condition typical of C. b.
anthonyi-, a value of 2.0 indicates the*condition typical of C, b. bryanti. For
character 7, a value of 1.0 indicates the least barring, a condition found only
in C. b. anthonyi; a value of 9.0 indicates the most barring, a condition
found only in C. b. bryanti and C. b. affinis.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

percent of the individuals [constituting] it must be separable from 99+
percent of the individuals of all other populations of the same species which
may overlap with it as regards the geographically variable characters. An
equivalent statement is that 97 percent of one of two compared populations
must be separable from 97 percent of the other. ”

As noted above, at least seven characters or variables distinguish south-
western Cactus Wrens. For the two coastal segments, the Los Angeles and
San Diego regions, we determined how many characters distinguished an
individual specimen from adjacent subspecies — in other words, how many
of the available specimens were distinguishable from anthonyi on the basis
of no character, only one character, only two characters, etc., to all seven
variables (Figures 10a and 11a). The same comparison was made with
bryanti (Figures 10b and lib). Of 46 known specimens from coastal San
Diego County and adjacent Baja California, that is, of sandiegensis as we
here define it, all are distinguishable from anthonyi by at least one charac-
ter, while 86.9% (40 individuals) are distinguishable from it by three or more

San Diego Vicinity Population

Character

Figure 8. Pooled characters of the San Diego-area population of the Cactus Wren
(C. b. sandiegensis ) (see Tables 2 and 4). Characters 1-6 go with the left vertical axis.
Character 7, tail barring (cross-hatched), goes with the right vertical axis. Low scores
(near 1) indicate continental values ( anthonyi and couesi), while high scores (near 2
or, for tails, near 9) indicate peninsular values (bryanti and af finis). Height of bar
represents the mean score for all specimens of the population scored for that
particular character; n, number of individuals scored.

The San Diego population is strongly intermediate for characters 3, 4, 5, and 7
(see text), less strongly intermediate for characters 1,2, and 6.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

characters. By the same comparison to bryanti, the northern peninsular
form, 97.8% of sandiegensis (45 individuals) are separable on the basis of
three or more characters. Even more rigorously, 89.1% (41 individuals) are
distinguishable from peninsular birds by four or more characters. No
specimen from the range of sandiegensis was indistinguishable from
bryanti, nor was any distinguishable on the basis of only a single variable.
As noted by the white bars in Figure lib, two specimens, one each falling
into the two- and three-character-only categories, were defective and could
not be scored for all possible characters.

The population named sandiegensis thus meets the criterion of a valid
subspecies. Based on a mosaic of characters, it is completely distinguishable
from disjunct populations to the east ( anthonyi ) and the south ( bryanti ). If
we could present a seven-dimensional figure, we could demonstrate this
100% separation graphically. Two variables are the most that can be shown
easily in a scatter diagram. The two that allow the most discrimination,

Northern Coastal Population

2.0

1.5

1.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Character

Figure 9. Pooled characters of the Los Angeles-area population of the Cactus Wren
(see Tables 2 and 4). Characters 1-6 go with the left vertical axis. Character 7, tail
barring (cross-hatched), goes with the right vertical axis. Low scores (near 1) indicate
continental values (anthonyi and couesi), while high scores (near 2 or, for tails, near
9) indicate peninsular values ( bryanti and affinis). Height of bar represents the mean
score for all specimens of the population scored for that particular character; n,
number of individuals scored.

The northern coastal population is very near the desert (continental) anthonyi but
shows some peninsular genetic influence in characters 1,5, and 7.

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

abdominal spotting and tail barring, together distinguish 89% of
sandiegensis from 86% of anthonyi from the lower Colorado River valley
(Figure 12). While it is not possible to predict in individual specimens which
characters will distinguish sandiegensis, there is a greater probability that
these will be chest patch (3), abdominal spotting (4), abdominal color (5), or
tail pattern (7). Because of the aggregate nature of the characters, all
possible characters should be considered in identifying an individual to
subspecies (see Amadon 1949:254-255). A single character, even among
the four most likely (3, 4, 5, 7), may not be distinguishing.

At least in historic times, the San Diego Cactus Wren has been isolated
from conspecific populations to the south by a hiatus of about 160 km
owing to a lack of suitable habitat. This population extends no farther south
than does the coastal sage scrub habitat. There may be a few pairs scattered
throughout the hiatus, but it is doubtful that any sizable colonies exist here.
To the east, the coastal subspecies is broadly separated from desert
anthonyi by unsuitable habitat (the chaparral, oak woodland, and conifer-
ous forests of the Peninsular Ranges). The desert subspecies reaches

Northern Coastal Population

Minimum number of distinguishing characters

Figure 10. Number of characters (horizontal axis) distinguishing the San Diego-area
population of the Cactus Wren (C. b. sandiegensis) from desert anthonyi (left) and
peninsular bryanti (right). (Number of individuals on vertical axis.) Black bars, speci-
mens scored for all possible character states; white bars, defective specimens lacking
scores for one or more character states.

All but six specimens from the San Diego area were distinguishable from desert
anthonyi on the basis of three or more characters, while all but two were distinguish-
able from peninsular bryanti on the basis of three or more characters (four speci-
mens could not be scored for all characters).

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

eastern San Diego County, ascending east-facing slopes to an elevation of
at least 1190 m (SD 42688).

The Los Angeles-Area Population

Results for coastal Cactus Wrens north of San Diego County are graphed
in Figure 11. Only 10.9% (seven individuals) are distinguishable from
continental forms by three or more characters. (The highest-scoring speci-
men, SD 45699, is one of the only three available from Ventura County,
the northernmost locality.) Of 67 specimens, 22 (32.8%) are completely
indistinguishable from anthonxji. Peninsular characters are only weakly re-
flected in northern coastal birds. All 67 specimens are distinguishable from
bryanti on the basis of four or more characters. Even here, the lower limits
may be artifacts, since the three specimens falling into the four- or five-
character-only categories and 15 of the 19 falling in the six-only category
were defective (that is, could not be scored for all seven characters). Of 67
scored specimens, at least 45 (67.2%) were distinguishable from the
peninsular populations by all seven characters. Thus, while the northern

Northern Coastal Population

Minimum number of distinguishing characters

Figure 1 1 . Number of characters (horizontal axis) distinguishing the Los Angeles-area
population of the Cactus Wren from desert artthonyi (left) and peninsular bryanti
(right). (Number of individuals on vertical axis.) Black bars, specimens scored for all
possible character states; white bars, defective specimens lacking scores for one or
more character states.

Only five Los Angeles-area specimens were distinguishable from artthonyi on the
basis of three or more characters, while 43 specimens were distinguishable from
bryanti on the basis of six or seven characters (18 specimens could not be scored for
all characters).

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

coastal Cactus Wrens are readily distinguishable from bryanti, they are not
taxonomically separable from adjacent desert anthonyi. The Los Angeles-
area population tends only slightly toward sandiegensis, mostly in tail pat-
tern, more weakly in reduced abdominal buff and invasion of chin spotting
into gular region.

As an isolated character, how reliable is tail pattern? Our initial criterion,
based on a somewhat superficial examination of several hundred speci-
mens, was that continental birds had largely black rectrices except for the
subterminal white bar and outer (6th) rectrix, while peninsular birds had
completely barred or spotted rectrices (this is exclusive of the brown central
pair in all populations). Baja California specimens indeed cluster in catego-
ries 8 and 9, with few scoring as low as 7. To evaluate the range of variation
in continental birds, we scored 35 specimens from the Tucson region,
eastern Pima Co., Arizona, well outside the influence of bryanti. Here, 77%
of the tails ranked, as expected categories 1 to 3.5, with a mean of 2.9.
However, seven specimens scored 4, and one scored 4.5. Thus the some-
what higher tail values for the northern coastal wren population in them-
selves are not necessarily indications of sandiegensis influence. Coupled
with reduced buffy abdominal wash, the higher tail scores probably do
reflect some genetic influence from the south. Unfortunately, the extensive
soiling of Los Angeles Basin birds makes this color character difficult to

Tail

Figure 12. Scatter diagram of abdominal spotting (character 3) plotted against tail
pattern (character 7) in two races of the Cactus Wren. All but five specimens of C. b.
sandiegensis (89.1%) are separated from all but four specimens of C. b. anthonyi by
the line effecting maximum separation. Northern specimens from Los Angeles and
Ventura counties east to the Coachella Valley have been excluded; these show slight
genetic influence of sandiegensis. For scoring of characters, see Tables 2 and 3 and
Figure 6.

100

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

evaluate. Nine northern specimens (15.6% of those scorable) had tail values
of 5 to 6, which we interpret as an indication of sandiegensis genes.

Although their distribution is patchy, coastal Cactus Wrens, as noted
earlier, extend as far north as southern Ventura County. Los Angeles Basin
birds were narrowly connected with desert birds through San Gorgonio
Pass, an avenue of possible gene flow of desert characters west into the Los
Angeles area, resulting in the present genetic condition of that population.
Several Coachella Valley specimens (SD) suggest possible gene flow in the
opposite direction.

Specimens from Northeastern Baja California

Desert anthonyi and peninsular bryanti (or affinis ?) must come into
contact along the gulf coast east of the Sierra San Pedro Martir, between
San Felipe and latitude 29°N (see Figure 1). Apparently Cactus Wrens have
never been collected there because the region lacks adequate roads. This
area merits further study, as the two gnatcatcher species, Polioptila
melanura and P. californica , overlap there without interbreeding (Atwood
1988). There is indirect evidence that this is not the case with Cactus
Wrens. The few specimens available from San Felipe on the northern
peninsular gulf coast (SD, all spring) suggest that this population is influ-
enced by a peninsular form. Nine of the 11 San Felipe specimens are in
juvenal plumage. Their tails score 3, 3.5, 4 (2), 4.5 (2), 5, and 8 (2). One
(SD 32660) is far along in postjuvenal molt. Its large single chest spots,
small abdominal spots, and paler upperparts are those of anthonyi, but its
dilute abdominal wash is yellowish buff as in bryanti rather than buffy ochre
as in anthonyi. One adult (SD 32658) has single chest spots and a tail score
of 3.5 but rather heavy abdominal spotting and dark upperparts, suggesting
bryanti (or affinis) influence. The other adult (SD 10463) looks like
anthonyi but has a distinct white spot on all the black rectrices.

Two spring adult males (SD) from Aguajito Spring, Valle de la Trinidad,
Baja California, are indistinguishable from sandiegensis. One has large
single chest spots and a heavy chest patch, while the other has twin spots
and chevrons on the throat and chest. Both have relatively heavy flank
spotting, reduced abdominal buff, and dorsal coloration warmer than that of
couesi or anthonyi in comparable seasonal wear. Their tail scores are 4 and
5. The other six characters average 1.5 and 1.46, respectively.

Four juveniles from Valle de la Trinidad (SD, 14 July) lack abdominal
spots and are only lightly spotted on the throat. Their upperpart colors are
warm, as in bryanti. Two have mostly black tails (2, 2) and two have heavily
barred tails (8, 9). This colony, apparently isolated from sandiegensis,
seems anomalous. At this locality Atwood (1988:18) discovered limited
contact between the California Gnatcatcher and the Black-tailed Gnat-
catcher. Atwood stated that “the former species occurs primarily in wide-
spread sage scrub vegetation dominated by Artemisia, Salvia, and Rhus,
whereas the latter is generally restricted to typical (but limited in extent)
Sonoran desert wash vegetation dominated by Prosopis.”

Like sandiegensis, the Cactus Wrens of Tiburon Island (C. b. seri) com-
bine characters of the two major evolutionary groups. They resemble

101

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

continental birds from the adjacent mainland (characters 1[?], 2, 4[?], 7) but
have larger spotting on the abdomen (character 3). In reduction of abdomi-
nal buff wash (character 5), they are intermediate toward peninsular birds.
Their bills are shorter than either peninsular, continental, or coastal forms
(Rea 1986). They occupy a range approximately half the size of that of C.
b. sandiegensis, as here restricted.

Field Identification

Our experience with this bird indicates that nearly all adults of
sandiegensis individuals can be identified as such in the field except when
they are in worn plumage (late spring and summer). San Diego Cactus
Wrens have a smudgy appearance, as the large spots of the flanks and
abdomen present an extension of the dark chest patch. Most individuals
also show a light buffy wash on the flanks. In contrast, north coastal and
desert birds can be readily recognized by the clear demarcation between the
black chest patch and light belly, which is very finely speckled. The richer
cinnamon buff of most of these individuals extends across both flanks and
abdomen.

We also can recognize a distinct song dialect in southern coastal wrens.
Their vocalizations have a slightly slower frequency and lower pitch than
more northern and eastern birds, and have a raspy quality not heard in
adjacent populations. This behavioral aspect deserves further study.

Subspecies Limits

Too few specimens exist to determine whether there is north-south clinal
variation within sandiegensis. There are large gaps in specimen represen-
tation, with nothing from northern San Diego County (including all of
Camp Pendleton) or southern Orange County. We included these areas in
the range of sandiegensis on the basis of field observations and vocaliza-
tions (San Diego-type dialect). Central and northern Orange County wrens
sing the Los Angeles Basin dialect. Within the northern coastal segment
(even with the larger sample size, 67 adult specimens), we were unable to
segregate a coastal versus a more interior subset or a northwest to southeast
cline in characters. Considerable individual variation occurs at each locality.
The largest sample from a single locality (28 specimens from the San
Fernando Valley) shows a scattering of intermediate traits in all characters
except 2 (chest spot shape). Scores of one sample, of nine adults and two
juveniles from Claremont, were discordant. While body scores were consis-
tently low except apparently for character 5 (abdominal color), 10 tails
scored high (from 4 to 5.5) and one scored low (2).

Only three specimens (SD) are known to us from the isolated Ventura
County population. Owing to molt or seasonal wear, these could not be
scored for all characters. One (SD 45699) shows southern influence in
characters 3, 4, 5, and 7. Habitat just east of Camarillo is still rather
extensive and population numbers are relatively high for the north.

Northern coastal Cactus Wrens, with their very different genetic compo-
sition, must have had an evolutionary history different from that of
sandiegensis. Either they were derived directly from anthongi ancestors

102

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

from the desert, then received genetic influence from the south along the
coast, or a pre-existing sand/egensrs-like population has continued to ex-
perience genetic swamping by desert birds. Before urbanization of the Los
Angeles Basin, colonies were open to at least narrow genetic contact
through the San Gorgonio Pass. During hotter, dryer periods of the
Holocene (if there were any), the contact here presumably would have been
greater. But there was at least some contact with the south, as evidenced by
occasional individual characters such as large ventral spots, white-barred
tails, or reduced abdominal buff.

POPULATION STATUS
Methods

To determine the distribution and numbers of the San Diego Cactus
Wren, we reviewed localities on specimen labels (both study skins and egg
sets), checked areas of previously known occurrence, solicited information
from local field ornithologists, and surveyed areas where appropriate habi-
tat was likely to occur.

The generalized vegetation map of San Diego County (Oberbauer 1977)
helped us determine where large blocks of coastal sage scrub occurred
within that county. Our early surveys also indicated that the distribution of
cacti, in which the wren nests almost exclusively, is correlated strongly with
soil type. The maps of the Soil Survey of the San Diego Area (Bowman
1973) suggested additional, smaller areas potentially supporting cactus
associations. Locations with cacti were then surveyed on foot. We began
field surveys in 1980, with the greatest effort in 1984 and 1985. During
1988, 1989, and 1990, we revisited most areas that had wrens in 1984
and 1985. Through August 1990, approximately 285 hours had been
devoted to field surveys.

Censusing was by direct count, aided by playing tapes of Cactus Wren
songs, to which the wrens are very responsive. During field surveys, we also
collected data on nests. We obtained information on territory size, shape,
and location by conducting breeding bird censuses (Weaver 1982, Weaver
in press) and winter bird censuses (unpublished) in accordance with proce-
dures suggested by Hall (1964), Kolb (1965), and Van Velzen (1972).

Distribution

Our review of specimens confirms the San Diego Cactus Wren’s occur-
rence from the San Dieguito River in west-central San Diego County to the
Tijuana and Valle de las Palmas regions in northwestern Baja California
(Figure 13). Our field observations also indicate that sandiegensis ranges
north through northwestern San Diego County to San Juan Creek in
southern Orange County.

The Peninsular Ranges of San Diego County and northern Baja Califor-
nia separate sandiegensis from the nearest populations of the desert race,
anthonyi, by a minimum of 50 km. The Agua Tibia Mountains on the
northern border of San Diego County separate sandiegensis by only 14 km
from Riverside County birds that are very similar in appearance to the

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COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

northern coastal population. The Plano Trabuco separates it from northern
coastal birds by less than 5 km in southern Orange County. The Cactus
Wrens of the Coto de Caza area, near Trabuco Canyon, Orange County,
should be studied because they are situated between anthonyi-like and
sandregensis-like populations.

Coastal Cactus Wrens recently occurred as far inland as Pauma Valley in
San Diego County, 48 km from the coast (a population now exterminated),
but most live within 32 km of the sea. Most wrens live at elevations of less
than 150 m. We have found them as high as 400 m in San Diego County,
while Schneebeck (1978) recorded the birds in Orange County at the upper
limits of the coastal sage scrub at 450 m above sea level.

The wren’s distribution is highly fragmented, and most populations
consist of only a few pairs. In San Diego County, the wrens are concen-
trated along the Otay River and its tributaries, near Lake Jennings, in the
interior valleys of the San Dieguito River, and near the Santa Margarita
River. In Orange County, most wrens are found along the mid-section of
San Juan Creek and its northeastern tributaries. A detailed account of
distribution and numbers is given in the Appendix 2.

• /

•6 /

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COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Figure 13. Localities where the San Diego Cactus Wren (C. b. sandiegensts ) has
occurred since 1980. A, southern Orange County and northern San Diego County;
B, central and southern San Diego County. Solid circles, colonies still extant; open
circles, colonies lost during the 1980s. The single locality in Baja California where
the San Diego Cactus Wren has been reported since 1980, Valle de las Palmas, is
shown in Figure 2.

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COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Areas that were not checked but would appear to provide suitable habitat
include northwestern Camp Pendleton below the Border Patrol checkpoint
in San Diego County (Larry Salata pers. comm.) and Gabino Canyon and
the north end of Canada Gobernadora in southern Orange County. Addi-
tional surveys are also recommended for the Starr Ranch Audubon Sanc-
tuary in Orange County.

Current Numbers

Our counts and those of other active field workers conducted over the
past decade show that the San Diego Cactus Wren has a very small and
rapidly declining population. As of fall 1990, approximately 200 pairs still
inhabit San Diego County and 150 pairs still inhabit Orange County. In
Baja California, fewer than 10 pairs are present at Valle de las Palmas south
of Tecate, the only currently known area of occurrence south of the border.
The habitat here has been seriously degraded by burning, grazing, and
conversion to vineyards during the past two decades (Marcos Camacho
pers. comm.)

Former numbers of sandiegensi s are speculative, but the scattered
populations still present in the early to mid-1980s suggest that they were
once numerous near all of the lagoons and coastal canyons in San Diego
and southern Orange counties.

The decrease in this bird’s numbers has been apparent to field workers
for decades. Dawson (1923:667) first called attention to the seriousness of
the decline of the coastal population: “All proper desert areas west of San
Gorgonio Pass are being threatened by human invasion. The Cactus Wren
has receded from many parts of the San Diego-Ventura section already,
and is in danger of being altogether cut off.”

Willett (1933) noted the species’ decline at its northern limits.- “Reported
by Evermann (1886) as rather common resident of Ventura County in early
80s, but apparently much less plentiful in that section at the present time, as
land has been largely cleared for agricultural purposes.” Whereas J. S.
Appleton had found the bird a “formerly common resident of Simi Valley,
southern Ventura County,” by 1933 it had not been seen there “for several
years past.”

In 1944, Grinnell and Miller described the range of the coastal popula-
tions of southern California as “much restricted as compared with condi-
tions in 1880s and 1890s, owing to great reduction of requisite habitat.”
Sams and Stott (1959) observed that the wren was “found sparingly in the
coastal lowlands (near San Diego),” and, referring to the San Diego County
coast, Unitt (1984) stated that “in 1981, the species is found in very few
localities. ”

By August 1990, we could find no wrens at 26 of the 78 sites (33%) in
San Diego County where they had been recorded in the preceding decade.
Even more alarming, the wrens have disappeared from 14 of the 27 sites
that we or other field observers had censused in 1984-85 and again in
1988-90, and have decreased in numbers at another seven locations. We
noted increases at only three sites. The number of pairs at these 27 sites
dropped from 145 to only 102, a 30% decrease. We noted habitat

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COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

destruction at most of these sites. Grazing, clearing for agriculture, and fires
contributed to the decrease, but construction of houses accounted for the
majority of the population reductions or local extirpations. We do not know
the extent of population losses in Orange County, but these must be
substantial due to the accelerating growth in the south end of the county.

Continuing declines in population are a certainty. Well over 50% of all
wrens occur on privately owned lands. Virtually all of these areas are in
imminent danger of development in the 1990s. Those wrens found on
public lands, including the largest remaining colonies, also face a dubious
future. Many lie in the path of proposed highways (as across Rancho
Mission Viejo along the proposed Foothill Transportation corridor in
Orange County and in the Sweetwater and Otay River valleys in San Diego
County or along existing highways where increasing pressure for “improve-
ments” will greatly reduce habitat for the wren (as in Caspers Wilderness
Park).

Another cause for concern includes the accidental fires resulting from
training exercises on Camp Pendleton and policies that encourage “con-
trolled” burns, such as those that have taken place at the San Diego Wild
Animal Park. Benson (1969) considered fire to be the chief limiting factor in
the distribution of cacti in southern California, so it is disconcerting to see
preventable habitat destruction of a rapidly vanishing natural resource.

Isolated populations of birds of the coastal sage scrub have high rates of
extinction according to a recent study in San Diego County (Soule et al.
1988). Our studies of the Cactus Wren certainly corroborate this. Soule’s
team found the wren in only one of the 37 canyons they surveyed. Their
studies emphasized that sage scrub birds disappear from isolated “islands”
of habitat owing to their low initial numbers and their inability to cross
urbanized areas to repopulate these remnants.

All 26 sites in San Diego County where we documented the bird’s
disappearance had populations of fewer than five pairs. Eighteen of these
still retain sage scrub remnants that should support, on a strictly spatial
basis, at least a pair of wrens. From their recent history of disappearance, it
should be of concern that in this county, which supports the largest
remaining numbers of wrens, only 10 of the 52 remaining sites support five
or more pairs.

ECOLOGY
Habitat Requirements

San Diego Cactus Wrens adhere strictly to coastal sage scrub throughout
the year. Areas supporting this plant community are dry, receiving even less
rainfall than the chaparral above, at higher elevations. Coastal sage scrub
may extend inland as far as 50 km, but more often is within 30 km of the
coast. Species diversity is high. Some characteristic shrubs include Flat-top
Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum; California Sagebrush, Artemisia
califprniea ; White Sage, Salvia apiana, and Black Sage, S. mellifera. Of-
ten there are scattered shrubs approaching tree size — Laurel Sumac,
Malosma Iaurina, and Lemonadeberry, Rhus integrifolia. Some compo-

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COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

nents of this community are from the Sonoran Desert or have their closest
relatives there: Coast Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus viridescens; Fish-hook
Cactus, Mammillaria dioica ; California Wolfberry, Lycium californicum;
Bladderpod, Cleome isomeris (= Isomeris arborea ); San Diego Sunflower,
Viguiera laciniata ; Chalk-lettuce, Dudleya pulverulenta; California
Encelia, Encelia californica ; Our Lord’s Candle, Yucca whipplei; Spanish
Dagger or Mojave Yucca, Yucca schidigera; Jojoba, Simmondsia chinensis

Figure 14. Nest of the San Diego Cactus Wren in Opuntia littoralis on Bernardo
Mountain, near Escondido, San Diego County, November 1988.

Photo by Kenneth L. Weaver

108

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

(see Raven and Axelrod 1978). Our breeding and winter censuses indicate
that the wrens prefer areas dominated by California Sagebrush and Flat-top
Buckwheat and tend to avoid locations dominated by sages.

The wren’s chief requisite, though, is tall Opuntia cacti. The wrens
supplement their insect diet in fall and winter by feeding on the fruit of two
species of Opuntia. Most important, the cacti provide the only firm support
for the wren’s bulky, pouch-shaped nests, which are used not only for
raising young but also for nighttime roosting throughout the year (Figure

I 4 ).

The bird’s almost exclusive selection of tall cacti for nest placement is
corroborated by our nest records. We have located 584 nests in coastal San
Diego and Orange counties. All but two were found in Opuntia. The ex-
ceptions were located in particularly robust individuals of the Yellow Bush
Penstemon ( Keckiella antirrhinoides). The median height of cacti in which
the wrens placed their nests was 138 cm (n = 98, range 74-226 cm), while
the median height of the nests was 94 cm above ground (range 40-165
cm). The wrens are absent from areas where only low, sprawling cacti grow.

Nest counts are not a reliable indicator of wren populations. We have
found up to a dozen nests within the territory of a single pair of wrens.

The wrens nest in three native species of Opuntia : the Coastal Cholla
( Opuntia prolifera ) and two species of prickly-pear (O. littoralis and O.
oricola). Coastal Cholla is the typical choice in southern San Diego County

Figure 15. Sage scrub dominated by Coastal Cholla ( Opuntia prolifera) near
Sweetwater Dam, San Diego County, May 1990. Coast Barrel Cacti ( Ferocactus
uiridescens ) are also common at this locality.

Photo by William T. Everett

109

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

where large prickly-pears are scarce (Figure 15). Definite nesting prefer-
ences by the wren are not obvious where both cholla and prickly-pears grow
abundantly. For example, of 32 nests found at Agua Hedionda Lagoon, 16
were located in cholla, 16 in prickly-pears; Santa Margarita River nests
included 18 (42%) in cholla, 39 (58%) in prickly-pears.

The two species of prickly-pear offer the only nesting sites in the interior
valleys of the San Dieguito and San Luis Rey rivers in San Diego County.
Nest selection varies greatly. Twenty-eight of 34 nests (82%) on Bernardo
Mountain near Escondido (Figure 16) were built in the more abundant
Opuntia littoralis , but all 11 nests of a remnant population near Pala were
found in O. oricola (Figure 17).

Tall Opuntia cacti capable of supporting the wren’s nests are found
primarily on south-facing slopes or at the bases of hillsides within 400 m of
river valleys. They are also on hillsides along tributary canyons, mainly
those with south- and west-facing slopes. Along San Juan Creek in Orange
County (Figures 18 and 19) and the Otay River in San Diego County, tall
Opuntia cacti grow right on the edges of the washes, a situation that once
probably existed along many other rivers. Dense patches inhabited by
wrens are also found where coastal sage scrub forms a ground cover in the
very open woodland of Coast Live Oaks ( Quercus agri folia) and California
Sycamores ( Platanus racemosa) along San Juan Creek and some of its
tributaries, such as Bell and Crow canyons (Nagata 1982; Gundy and

Figure 16. Sage scrub dominated by the prickly-pear Opuntia littoralis on the south
slope of Bernardo Mountain, near Escondido, San Diego County, November 1988.

Photo by Kenneth L. Weaver

110

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Flanagan 1978). The association of the wrens with tall Opuntia growing
along canyons is so striking that the simplest way to locate the birds is by
watershed.

Using spot-mapping techniques (Hall 1964), we determined the approxi-
mate size of territories for 13 pairs of wrens in south Escondido in San
Diego County. Territories ranged in size from 0.8 ha to 2 ha, with an

Figure 17. Sage scrub dominated by the prickly-pear Opuntia oricola at San Pasqual
Battlefield Historical Park, San Diego County, May 1990, The type locality of C. b.
sandiegensis, the San Diego Wild Animal Park at San Pasqual, is less than 1 km
away.

Photo by Kenneth L. Weaver

111

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

average of 1.3 ha. In Arizona. Anderson and Anderson (1973) found
territories to range from 1.2 to 2.8 ha and average 1.9 ha.

San Diego Cactus Wrens we studied centered their territories on narrow
draws, where cacti tend to be more abundant and taller than on adjacent
slopes. Most territories tend to be roughly elliptical, corresponding to the
downslope flow of the draws. Thus, there is a vertical as well as a spatial
requirement for hillside-inhabiting wrens, a factor that has not been taken
into consideration in mitigation efforts. The wash-dwelling wrens of San

Figure 18. Wash inhabited by San Diego Cactus Wrens in San Juan Creek, Casper’s
Wilderness Park, Orange County, April 1990.

Photo by Kenneth L. Weaver

112

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Juan Creek lack a vertical component to their territories. However, the
narrow distribution of cacti along the creek also causes the birds’ territories
to be elliptical or rectangular.

Associated Fauna

The avifauna associated with the San Diego Cactus Wren forms a small
but distinctive assemblage. Birds recorded in significant numbers (greater
than three pairs) on our census plots are the California Quail ( Callipepla

♦

Figure 19. Wash inhabited by San Diego Cactus Wrens in San Juan Creek, Casper’s
Wilderness Park, Orange County, April 1990.

Photo by Kenneth L. Weaver

113

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

californica), Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae ), Bushtit ( Aegithalos
minimus), California Towhee ( Pipilo crissalis ), California Gnatcatcher
(. Polioptila californica), Rufous-crowned Sparrow ( Aimophila ruficeps),
and Sage Sparrow ( Amphispiza belli). Where sumacs and other tall shrubs
occurred, Bewick’s Wren ( Troglogytes bewickii), California Thrasher
(Toxostoma redtuivum), Wrentit ( Chamaea fasciata), and Rufous-sided
Towhee ( Pipilo erythrophthalmus) also occurred in significant numbers.

A wide variety of mammals frequents the coastal sage scrub. Several
rodents, such as the San Diego Pocket Mouse ( Perognathus fallax), Agile
Kangaroo Rat ( Dipodomys agilis), and Desert Woodrat (Neotoma lepida),
show a distinct preference for this habitat (Bleich 1973).

Although no reptiles are limited entirely to coastal sage scrub, two lizards
restricted to southern California and listed by the California Department of
Fish and Game as threatened, the Coast Horned Lizard ( Phrynosoma
coronatum) and the Orange-throated Whiptail (Cnemidophorus
hyperythrus ), are particularly common in this habitat (Eric Lichtwardt pers.
comm.). The Red Diamond Rattlesnake (C rota I us ruber), in its U.S. distri-
bution found only in southwestern California, is also especially abundant in
the coastal sage scrub (Richard Zembal pers. comm.).

Certain insects are found primarily or exclusively in the coastal sage
scrub, usually because of association with certain plants. Two examples are
the moths Megathymus comstocki and Tegeticula yuccasella (on Yucca
schidigera ).

PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY

The modern southern coastal sage scrub community that supports the
San Diego Cactus Wren is itself anomalous in the otherwise mesic chaparral
of the California Floristic Province. Most of the plant genera characterizing
southern coastal sage scrub community, enumerated under Habitat Re-
quirements, have their evolutionary centers of diversity in deserts, which
themselves were more restricted in area generally and in more southern
latitudes during the Pleistocene Epoch. Axelrod (1966) attributed these
relictual desert components along the coast to the Xerothermic period (also
called the Hypsithermal or Altithermal period) that followed the Wisconsin
glaciation. According to Raven and Axelrod (1978:33), “The continued
trend toward spreading drought, as in the Xerothermic periods of the
Quaternary, allowed many taxa that are primarily associated with deserts to
invade the dryer parts of the California Floristic Province.” Many of these
desert plant genera have evolved endemic species along the coast.

Axelrod (1978) believed that the southern coastal sage as a community is
relatively young, occupying its present area only since the last glaciation,
12,000 years ago. He hypothesized that when grasslands in semiarid open
areas among forests and woodlands began to lose summer precipitation,
coastal sage vegetation replaced them. Tectonic events during the Quater-
nary Period elevated lowlands into mesas, which were then dissected by
erosion, producing the slopes and thin, well-drained soils favored by coastal
sage scrub. Sonoran Desert vegetation was moving northward on the

114

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

continent about the same time. Modern plant communities in the South-
west were probably in place by 4000 years ago (Van Devender et al. 1987).

Presumably, the California Gnatcatcher, which has evolved to the species
level, and the San Diego Cactus Wren, which has not, invaded coastal areas
between 12,000 and 4000 years ago. (Both represent genera having
centers of diversity in subtropical or tropical regions.) Whether the subspe-
cies C. b. sandiegensis represents a genetic mixing of traits derived from a
dual invasion of anthonyi from the east and bryanti from the south is un-
known. Alternatively, the San Diego Cactus Wren may have been derived
from the intergrading of continental and peninsular birds in northeast Baja
California (area of overlapping patterns in Figure 1) and later invaded its
current range. Specimens (SD) from Valle de la Trinidad have traits charac-
teristic of the subspecies sandiegensis, and specimens from San Felipe tend
in that direction. In the modern vegetation, the coastal wrens, so far as
known, are separated from Valle de la Trinidad by 140 km. The coastal
California Gnatcatcher, however, with a broader niche in the sage scrub (it is
not dependent on cactus), reaches and narrowly overlaps the desert Black-
tailed Gnatcatcher in Valle de la Trinidad (Atwood 1988).

The taxonomic differences between the Cactus Wrens of the Los Angeles
and San Diego areas are interesting in the light of apparent differences in
the vegetative community. Axelrod (1950, 1966) has suggested that two
segments of southern coastal sage scrub be recognized, a Venturan compo-
nent and a San Diegan component.

CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS

The San Diego Cactus Wren is particularly vulnerable because of the
bird’s restriction to a single type of habitat and strict dependence on a single
genus of cacti for placement of its breeding and roosting nests. Rampant
urbanization has caused an extremely fragmented distribution and a rapidly
shrinking population. Most populations now consist of fewer than five
pairs, and the bird appears to be unable to colonize suitable habitat that is
surrounded by development. We believe this bird will not survive unless the
following steps are taken:

1. Listing of C. b. sandiegensis as an endangered subspecies by the
federal government;

2. Protection of large blocks of its habitat, the coastal sage scrub;

3. Maintenance of the habitat, including local suppression of fires.

SUMMARY

The Cactus Wrens of southern Orange County, coastal San Diego
County, and extreme northwestern Baja California form a distinct subspe-
cies, Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus sandiegensis. They are easily
distinguishable in the hand and in the field from neighboring populations to
the north, south, and east. Based on a mosaic of seven characters, C. b.
sandiegensis differs from C. b. anthonyi of the transmontane desert by
larger ventral spotting, reduced abdominal buff, and greater white tail

115

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

barring, and from C. h. bryanti of Baja California by its less brown dorsum,
less barred tail, generally single-spotted chest feathers, and tendency toward
a chest patch. This sedentary bird is highly dependent on coastal sage scrub
containing tall Opuntia cacti. Fewer than 400 pairs remain. Rapid habitat
destruction places this bird in serious danger of extinction. Cactus Wrens
from the Los Angeles area of southern California are not taxonomically
distinguishable from C. b. anthonyi of the adjacent desert, although some
individuals show some genetic influence of C. b. sandiegensis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We acknowledge the following with thanks for assistance. William D. Toone of the
Wild Animal Park negotiated permission from park authorities to collect the type
specimens and to survey the park. Takashi Ijichi collected the type series. Jeanne L.
Rogers volunteered her services drafting the maps and illustrations. Gregory K.
Pregill prepared the graphs. William T. Everett provided photographic assistance.
Thomas Oberbauer and Thomas Van Devender commented on the floristic and
paleoenvironmental aspects. M. Ralph Browning, Kenneth C. Parkes, and Allan R.
Phillips commented on the taxonomic sections. Philip Unitt lent his editorial skills
toward the manuscript’s improvement.

Curators in charge of collections at the institutions listed under Character Analysis
kindly loaned specimens.

The following field observers furnished records and/or locations of Cactus Wrens in
southern California: Richard Barber, Pam Beare, John Beezley, Linda Belloumini,
David R. Bontrager, Timothy A. Burr, Slader Buck, Alice DeBolt, Pete DeSimone,
Claude Edwards, Lenore Feinberg, the late Alice Fries, Nancy Gilbert, Glenn Greenwald,
Jon and Jane Griffith, Daniel Guthrie, Don and Marjorie Hastings, Steve Huemner,
Barry Jones, Kathy Keane, David King, Arthur Langton, Roc Lee, Eric Lichtwardt,
Michael Long, H. Elliott McClure, Robert McKernan, Esther J. McNeil, Steve Montgom-
ery, Thomas Oberbauer, Larry Salata, Robert Shanman, Doreen Stadtlander, Peter
Tackney, Gerald Tolman, Philip Unitt, Richard Webster, and Harold Wier.

We also thank Donald Pohl and Thomas Cline for permission to survey the San
Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park and the U.S. Marine Corps for permission to
survey Camp Pendleton. Information on Cactus Wren locations at the Fallbrook
Naval Weapons Station was obtained under a study funded by the U.S. Navy, Naval
Facilities Engineering Command.

Unfortunately, we had difficulty in acquiring a number of Cactus Wren records.
This is a result of serious flaws in the way California’s environmental impact review
process is administered. Proprietary rights to scientific data gathered during biologi-
cal surveys are assigned to landowners, not to the public. Dissemination of this
information thus may be restricted; biologists who work for consulting firms may be
restricted from sharing their data with the scientific community. We know of several
instances where consultants have actually been fired when they reported rare birds
and other wildlife. The environmental assessment process is in dire need of reform.

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(2) N and E (mainland) races, in The Known Birds of North and Middle America,
Part 1 (A. R. Phillips, ed.), p. 120. A. R. Phillips, Denver, CO.

Raven, P. H., and Axelrod, D. I. 1978. Origin and relationships of the California
flora. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot, 72:1-134.

Rea, A. M. 1983. Once a River: Bird Life and Habitat Changes on the Middle Gila.
Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson.

Rea, A. M. 1986. Geographic variation [of Campylorhynchus brunneicapillum]: (1)
NW, peninsular, and insular races, in The Known Birds of North and Middle
America, Part 1 (A. R. Phillips, ed.), pp. 118-119. A. R. Phillips, Denver, CO.

Ridgway, R. 1904. The Birds of North and Middle America. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 50,
Part 3.

Ridgway, R. 1912. Color Standards and Color Nomenclature. A, Hoen & Co.,
Baltimore, MD.

Sams, J. R., and Stott, K. Jr. 1959. Birds of San Diego County, California: An
annotated checklist. Occ. Pap. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 10.

Schneebeck, C. A. 1978. Breeding bird census: Coastal sage scrub. Am. Birds
32:98.

Soule, M. E., Bolger, D. T., Alberts, A. C., Wright, J., Sorice, M., and Hill, S. 1988.
Reconstructed dynamics of rapid extinctions of chaparral-requiring birds in
urban habitat islands. Conserv. Biol. 2:75-92.

Stephens, F. 1904. Cactus Wrens. Condor 6:51-52.

Swarth, H. S. 1904. The status of the southern California Cactus Wren. Condor
6:17-19.

Thorne, R. F. 1976. The vascular plant communities of California, in Plant Commu-
nities of Southern California (J. Latting, ed.), pp. 1-10. Calif. Native Plant Soc.
Publ. 2.

118

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Unitt, P. 1984. The birds of San Diego County. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. Memoir
13.

Van Devender, T. R., Thompson, R. S., and Betancourt, J. L. 1987. Vegetation
history of the deserts of southwestern North America: The nature and timing of
the late Wisconsin-Holocene transition, in North America and Adjacent Oceans
during the Last Deglaciation. Geology of North America, Vol. K-3 (W. F.
Ruddiman and H. E. Wright, eds.), pp. 323-352. Geol. Soc. Am., Boulder, CO.

Van Velzen, W. T. 1972. Breeding-bird census instruction. Audubon Field Notes
26:1007-1010.

Weaver, K. L. 1982. Breeding bird populations of coastal sage scrub communities in
southwestern California. Am. Birds 36:93-94.

Weaver, K. L. in press. Breeding bird census: Coastal sage scrub. J. Field Ornithol.

Willett, G. 1933. A revised list of the birds of southwestern California. Pac. Coast
Avifauna 21.

Accepted 27 September 1990

APPENDIX 1. HISTORY OF THE NAME CAMPYLORHYNCHUS

Readers will note variations in the gender of the scientific name of the Cactus
Wren. The species was described by Lafresnaye in 1835 as Picolaptes
brunneicapillus. The generic name Picolaptes Lesson, 1830, with the type species
R spixii, is now a synonym of Xiphorhynchus Swainson, 1827, in the family
Dendrocolaptidae (woodcreepers). The generic name Campylorhynchus was first
proposed by Spix in 1824 for what is now C. turdinus, and the generic name was
used by Gray in 1847 in combination with the specific name as brunneicapillus. The
A.O.U. (1886, 1889) followed Gray. However, Palmer (1893), following the conven-
tion of nomenclature of that time, concluded that Campylorhynchus should be
treated as a junior synonym of Campylirhynchus Megerle, 1821, a generic name of
a beetle. The A.O.U. (1910, 1931} used the next available generic name, Heleodytes
Cabanis, 1851, for the Cactus Wren. The fifth edition of the Check-list (A.O.U.
1957, first printing) returned to the use of Campylorhynchus Spix because the name
is not preoccupied under current mles of nomenclature, but scientific names of the
Cactus Wren were treated as neuter in gender. (In the second printing, an incorrect
mixture of both masculine and neuter was used.) The neuter was followed in the
original description of the San Diego Cactus Wren (Rea 1986), in conformity with
other taxa in the genus written by Phillips (1986). In this paper, the masculine is used,
as in the original species combination by Gray, the thirty-second supplement to the
A.O.U. Check list (1973), the sixth edition of the A.O.U. Check-list (1983), and
according to the latest edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature,
which specifies that genera with the masculine ending -us be treated as masculine
regardless of their derivation and gender in language of origin.

119

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

APPENDIX 2. RECORDS OF THE SAN DIEGO CACTUS WREN
SINCE 1980

Most Recent
Survey 0

Survey

Location Count

San Juan Creek® 1

1 . Rancho Mission Viejo —

2. Rancho Mission Viejo —

3. Rancho Mission Viejo —

4. Caspers Park e —

5. Caspers Park 19

6. Starr Ranch® —

7. Starr Ranch e —

Segunda Deshecha Canada

8. San Clemente 1

San Mateo/San Onofre Creeks

9. Rancho Mission Viejo —

10. Camp Pendleton —

Unnamed creek

11. Camp Pendleton —

Aliso Creek

12. Camp Pendleton —

Santa Margarita River

13. Camp Pendleton —

14. Camp Pendleton 0

15. Camp Pendleton —

16. Camp Pendleton —

17. Camp Pendleton —

18. Camp Pendleton 1

19. Naval Weapons Station 17

20. Naval Weapons Station 2

San Luis Rey River

2 1 . Camp Pendleton ON

22. Camp Pendleton —

23. Camp Pendleton —

24. Camp Pendleton —

25. Camp Pendleton/

Naval Weapons Station 1 1

26. Naval Weapons Station 1

27. Bonsall 5

28. Lilac 0

Territorial Territorial

Males

Count fa

Males

Notes®

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

NPR

—

Continued

120

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Location

Most Recent
Survey 0

Territorial
Count Males

Survey

Territorial
Count* 5 Males

Notes 0

29. Pala

30. Pala

—

31. Pauma Valley

Agua Hedionda Creek

32. Agua Hedionda Lagoon

San Marcos Creek

33. Batiquitos Lagoon

Escondido Creek
34. San Elijo Lagoon

—

San Dieguito River
35. Rancho Santa Fe

36. Rancho Sante Fe

—

NPR

—

37. Rancho Bernardo

—

NPR

—

38. Rancho Bernardo

39. Rancho Bernardo

—

40. Rancho Bernardo

41. Rancho Bernardo

42. Escondido

F, R

43. Escondido

44. Escondido

45. Escondido

—

46. Escondido

47. Escondido

R, G

48. Escondido

49. San Pasqual Valley

R, A

50. San Pasqual Valley

R, A

51. San Pasqual Valley

52. San Pasqual Valley

—

53. San Pasqual Valley

54. San Pasqual Valley

55. San Pasqual Valley

56. San Pasqual Valley

—

57. San Pasqual Valley

58. San Pasqual Valley

Los Penasquitos Creek
59. Torrey Pines State Res.

60. Poway

61. Poway

Continued

121

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Location

Most Recent
Survey 0

Territorial
Count Males

Survey

Territorial
Count b Males

Notes c

San Diego River

62. San Diego

63. Santee

—

64. Spring Valley

—

NPR

—

65. El Cajon

66. Lakeside

67. Lakeside

68. Lakeside

Sweetwater River

69. Chula Vista

—

NPR

—

70. Chula Vista

NPR

—

71. Sunnyside

—

NPR

—

72. San Diego

—

NPR

—

73. Sweetwater Reservoir

—

74. Sunnyside

—

75. Mother Miguel Mt.

—

76. Mother Miguel Mt.

77. S of Mother Miguel Mt.

—

NPR

—

78. S of Mother Miguel Mt.

NPR

—

79. S of Mother Miguel Mt.

Otay River

80. Dennery Canyon

NPR

—

81. Rancho Otay

—

82. Rancho Otay

—

83. Rancho Otay

—

84. Proctor Valley

—

Tijuana River

85. Otay Mesa

NPR

—

86. Spring Canyon

NPR

—

87. Valle de las Palmas

—

a N, nests found; ON, remnants of oid nests found.

fa KS, known site, no record available; NPR, no previous record.

C A, habitat destruction due to agricultural clearing; D, proposed development; F, habitat destruc-
tion due to fire; G, habitat destruction due to grazing; R, habitat destruction due to residential
construction.

^Results of Orange County Breeding Bird Atlas indicate a minimum of 50 pairs in this portion of
the San Juan Creek drainage basin but data are not listed according to specific locations.
e Data resulting from breeding bird censuses, not strictly surveys.

122

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

Details of San Diego Cactus Wren Locations and Surveys

Orange County, California

San Juan Creek

1. Rancho Mission Viejo, W side of Canada Chiquita, from San Juan Creek N
approx. 5 mi. Oct 1989-Jan 1990 (DB).

2. Rancho Mission Viejo, W side of Canada Gobernadora from San Juan Creek N
3 mi., W across ridge to E side Canada Chiquita, then N 2 mi. Oct 1989-Jan
1990 (DB).

3. Rancho Mission Viejo, W side of Canada Gobernadora from San Juan Creek N
approx. 2.25 mi. Oct 1989-Jan 1990 (DB).

4. Caspers Regional Park, Bell Canyon. 23 Apr-24 May 1981 (PF & KA).

5. Caspers Regional Park, San Juan Creek, from park road crossing to 1.5 mi. E.
12 Feb and 19 Apr 1990 (KW).

6. Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary, Crow Canyon, 5.5 mi. SE of Trabuco Oaks
Post Office. 16 Apr-24 May 1981 (JN).

7. Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary, S side of Pruesker Peak, 5.1 mi. N of entrance
to Caspers Regional Park. 15 Apr-20 May 1982 (RB).

Segunda Deshecha Canada

8. San Clemente, NW corner intersection of Marblehead Dr. and Avenida Pico.
19 Apr 1990 (KW).

San Mateo Creek

9. Rancho Mission Viejo, Cristianitos Canyon area from Hwy. 74 S approx. 3 mi.
Oct 1989-Jan 1990 (DB).

San Diego County, California

San Mateo/San Onofre Creeks

10. Camp Pendleton, NW and S slopes of ridge on N side of Basilone Rd., approx.
1.5 mi. E of Interstate 5. 1983 (HW); spring 1989 (LS).

Unnamed creek

11. Camp Pendleton, SW slope of Homo Hill, approx. 0.5 mi. NW of intersection
of old Highway 1 and Homo Canyon. Spring 1989 (LS).

Aliso Creek

12. Camp Pendleton, SW slope below hills 765 and 693, S side of Las Pulgas Rd., E
side of Stuart Mesa Rd. Spring 1989 (LS).

Santa Margarita River

13. Camp Pendleton, N side of mouth of Santa Margarita R., W of Interstate 5.
Spring 1989 (LS).

14. Camp Pendleton, N side of Santa Margarita R., W of Stuart Mesa Rd. 18 Jul
1984 (KW); spring 1989 (LS).

15. Camp Pendleton, N side of Santa Margarita R., between Stuart Mesa Rd. and
Basilone Rd. 18 Jul and 4 Aug 1984 (KW); spring 1989 (LS).

16. Camp Pendleton, N side of Pueblitos Canyon. E of Vandegrift Blvd. Spring 1989
(LS).

17. Camp Pendleton, W slope of hill 492, NE side of head of Pueblitos Canyon, SE
of base radio tower. Spring 1989 (LS).

18. Camp Pendleton, 300 yards S of confluence of Santa Margarita R. and De Luz
Creek. 1982 (RZ).

123

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

19. Naval Weapons Station (Fallbrook Annex), W slopes of hills 650, 592, and 472,
W and SW edge of base. Spring 1989 (DS).

20. Naval Weapons Station (Fallbrook Annex), ridge line between water tanks, NE
end of base. Spring 1989 (DS).

San Luis Rey River

21. Camp Pendleton, Wire Mt., N of Santa Margarita School. 18 July 1984 (KW).

22. Camp Pendleton, E side of Windmill Canyon, SE slope of hill 425, E of golf
course club house. Spring 1989 (LS).

23. Camp Pendleton, W side of Windmill Canyon, W of golf course, N to base radio
tower. 4 Aug 1984 (KW); spring 1989 (LS),

24. Camp Pendleton, Pilgrim Creek N of Vandegrift Blvd. and S of firing range.
Spring 1989 (LS).

25. Camp Pendleton/Naval Weapons Station (Fallbrook Annex), Pilgrim Creek on
Camp Pendleton immediately S of border with Naval Weapons Station N 0.5 mi.
to slopes E and W of Fallbrook Rd. Spring 1989 (LS); spring 1990 (DS).

26. Naval Weapons Station (Fallbrook Annex), E border of base, approx. 0.5 mi. S
of Fallbrook Community Air Park. Spring 1990 (DS).

27. Bonsall, N side West Lilac Rd. 1.3 mi. E of intersection with Camino del Rey. 18
Aug 1989 (KW); 25 Aug 1990 (KW).

28. Lilac, E side of Couser Canyon Rd., 1 mi. S of intersection with Hwy. 76. 27
Dec 1989 (KW); 21 Jun 1990 (KW).

29. Pala, N side of Hwy. 76, 4 mi. E of intersection with Interstate 15. 16 Mar 1985
(KW); 25 Aug 1990 (KW).

30. Pala, N side of Hwy. 76, hill W of intersection with Pala Rd. 16 Mar 1985 (KW);
13 Nov 1988 (KW).

31. Pauma Valley, uppermost Adams Dr. 16 Apr 1985 (KW); 3 Feb 1990 (KW).

Agua Hedionda Creek

32. Carlsbad, Agua Hedionda Lagoon, N side of Lake Dr., W of intersection with
Kelly Dr. 3 Mar 1984 (KW); 3 Dec 1988 (KW).

San Marcos Creek

33. Carlsbad, Batiquitos Lagoon, W side Batiquitos Dr. 20 May 1984 (KW); 3 Dec
1988 (KW).

Escondido Creek

34. Encinitas. San Elijo Lagoon, NE of intersection of Interstate 15 and Manchester
Ave. 6 Sep 1981 (DK & CE); 1 Apr 1984 (KW).

San Dieguito River

35. Rancho Santa Fe, SE side of confluence of Lusardi Creek and San Dieguito R.
Aug 1983 (HW); 9 Mar 1985 (KW).

36. Rancho Santa Fe, NW of intersection of Del Dios Hwy. and Camino del Norte. 9
Mar 1985 (KW).

37. Rancho Bernardo, hills W of SE arm of Lake Hodges, W of Interstate 15. “Early
1980s” (EM).

38. Rancho Bernardo, W of intersection of Camino del Norte and West Bernardo
Dr. 25 Aug 1984 (KW); 23 Dec 1989 (KW).

39. Rancho Bernardo, Westwood area, N of Rancho Bernardo Rd. and W of
Interstate 15. “Early 1980s” (EM).

40. Rancho Bernardo, ridge E of SE arm of Lake Hodges, W of Interstate 15. 1 Sep
1984 (KW); 16 Jun 1988 (PU), 18 May, 6 and 30 Jun 1990 (RB & PU).

41. Rancho Bernardo, NE of Interstate 15 and Bernardo Center Dr., W of Escala Dr.
1981 (KW).

124

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

42. Escondido, S slope of Bernardo Mt., hill 506 S of Lake Hodges boat landing. 8
Apr and 1 Sep 1984 (KW); 20 and 27 Nov 1988 (KW).

43. Escondido, N side of Lake Hodges, W of Interstate 15. 30 May 1981 (KW); 16
Jun 1985 (KW).

44. Escondido, N side of Clarence Lane W of Centre City Pkwy. 27 Jul 1981 (KW);
20 Apr 1990 (KW).

45. Escondido, S side of hill 765, NE of Lake Hodges, 28 Apr 1983 (KW); 25 Feb
1989 (KW).

46. Escondido, N of El Dorado Dr. between Bear Valley Pkwy. and Summit Dr. 28
Feb-20 Jun 1981 (KW); 20 Apr 1990 (KW).

47. Escondido, intersection of San Pasqual Rd. and Sunset. 18 Mar 1984 (KW); 13
Feb 1989 (KW).

48. Escondido, SE of intersection of San Pasqual Rd. and Old Pasqual Rd. 18 Mar
1984 (KW); 13 Feb 1989 (KW).

49. San Pasqual Valley, NE side of intersection of Cloverdale Rd. and Hwy. 78. 10
Mar 1984 (KW); 20 Apr 1990 (KW).

50. San Pasqual Valley, NE and SE of intersection of Cloverdale Rd. and Rockwood
R. 23 Mar 1984 (KW); 13 Feb 1989 (KW).

51. San Pasqual Valley, E side of Rockwood Rd. 1 mi. N of intersection with
Cloverdale Rd. 1989 (JG); 20 Apr 1990 (KW).

52. San Pasqual Valley, S side of hill 1017, N of Hwy. 78, E of Cloverdale Rd. 10
Mar 1984 (KW); 31 Dec 1988 (KW).

53. San Pasqual Valley, San Pasqual State Historical Park and San Diego Wild
Animal Park, from 0.5 mi. E of entrance to Wild Animal Park to Guejito Creek.
2, 9, and 26 Jun and 3 Jul 1984 (KW); 17 and 31 Mar, 4 and 20 Apr 1990
(KW).

54. San Pasqual Valley, NW of Hwy. 78 bridge over Guejito Creek. 5 Jun 1983
(KW); 20 Apr 1990 (KW).

55. San Pasqual Valley, N side of Santa Ysabel Creek, due N of Crane’s Peak. 9 Jun

1984 (KW); 20 Apr 1990 (KW).

56. San Pasqual Valley, SE of intersection of Bandy Canyon Rd. and Santa Ysabel
Creek Rd. 23 Mar 1984 (KW); 13 Feb 1989 (KW).

57. San Pasqual Valley, S side of Bandy Canyon Rd., approx. 1.5 mi. E of intersec-
tion with Santa Ysabel Creek Rd. 23 Mar 1984 (KW); 20 Apr 1990 (KW).

58. San Pasqual Valley, W slope of Crane’s Peak. 23 Mar 1984 (KW); 20 Apr 1990
(KW).

Los Penasquitos Creek

59. San Diego, Los Penasquitos Lagoon, Torrey Pines State Reserve, W of railroad
tracks. 14 Mar 1984 (RW); 2 Mar 1985 (KW).

60. Poway, W of La Manda Rd. and N of Camino del Norte. 25 Aug 1984 (KW); 23
Dec 1989 (KW).

61. Poway, S of Gate Dr. 1981 (HW); 15 Aug 1984 (KW).

San Diego River

62. San Diego, Mission Hills, canyon between Fort Stockton Dr. and Washington PI.
20 Mar 1986 (CE); 20 May 1990 (SH).

63. Santee, Fanita Ranch, E side of Sycamore Canyon NE of Santee Lakes. 29-27
Jul 1983 (CE); 13 May and 2 Jun 1989, 27 Jul 1990 (PU).

64. Spring Valley, N slope of Dictionary Hill, W of Lamar, S of Crest Dr. 18 Nov-2
Dec 1989 (GG).

65. El Cajon, Fletcher Hills, ridge between Travelodge Dr. and Murray Dr. Jul 1989
(EM); Mar 1990 (HW).

66. Lakeside, N of intersection of Lake Jennings Park Rd. and El Monte Rd. 13 Apr

1985 (KW); 9 Mar 1990 (KW).

125

COASTAL CALIFORNIA CACTUS WRENS

67. Lakeside, Lake Jennings County Park and vicinity S of El Monte Rd. and E of
Lake Jennings Park Rd. 13 Apr and 3 May 1985 (KW); 9 Mar 1990 (KW).

68. Lakeside, S of Lake Jennings Park Rd., N of Helix Water District building. 13
Apr 1985 (KW); 9 Mar 1990 (KW).

Sweetwater River

69. Chula Vista, E of Interstate 805 between Bonita Rd. and H St. 15 Aug 1989
(fide AMR).

70. Chula Vista, NW of intersection of East H St. and Ridgeback Rd. 27 Dec 1988
(KW).

71. Sunnyside, NW of intersection of Sweetwater Rd. and Quarry Rd. 4 May 1990
(PB, EB).

72. San Diego, Paradise Hills, Hwy. 54 at Briarwood Dr. Aug 1989 (JB).

73. Sweetwater Reservoir, SE of dam. 5 and 24 May 1990 (SS, SV, KW).

74. Sunnyside, Long Canyon W of Corral Canyon Rd. 27 Dec 1988 (KW).

75. Mother Miguel Mt., SW base, E end of San Miguel Rd., N of Wild Man’s Canyon.
1989 (EL); 6 Apr 1990 (PU).

76. Mother Miguel Mt., W slopes. 23 Mar 1989 (EL); 6 and 18 Apr 1990 (PU).

77. S of Mother Miguel Mt., N side of Proctor Valley Rd. approx. 1 mi. W of
intersection with Rancho Janal Dr. 18 Apr 1990 (JL).

78. S of Mother Miguel Mt. , approx. 0.5 mi. N of Proctor Valley Rd. at S end of Wild
Man’s Canyon. 1989 (EL).

79. $ of Mother Miguel Mt., 0.5 mi. N of Proctor Valley Rd., approx. 0.25 mi. W of
intersection with Rancho Janal Dr. 1989 (EL); 6 Apr 1990 (PU).

Otay River

80. Dennery Canyon, N of Otay Mesa Rd., E of Interstate 805, and W of Otay Valley
Rd. 15 Mar 1988 (HW).

81. Rancho Otay, Poggi Canyon. 1986-1988 (fide NG).

82. Rancho Otay, Otay R. SW of Lower Otay Reservoir, including Salt and Wolf
canyons. 1986-1987 (fide NG).

83. Rancho Otay, Johnson Canyon (S of Otay River). 1986-1987 (fide NG); 7 Jun,
16-17 Jul 1990 (PB, SS, SV).

84. Proctor Valley, NW side of Proctor Valley Rd. N of Upper Otay Reservoir. 1987
(fide NG); 10 Mar 1989 (PU).

Tijuana River

85. Otay Mesa, W of Brown Field, S of Otay Mesa Rd. 22 Sep 1983 (RW).

86. Spring Canyon, SW of intersection of Otay Mesa Rd. and Cactus Rd. “Before
1986” (HW).

Baja California

87. Valle de las Palmas, E of Hwy. 3 on S-facing slopes, 0. 5-1.0 mi. N of town of
Valle de las Palmas. 27 Jul 1986 (AMR).

Sources: Richard Barber, Raymond Bransfield (Am. Birds 37:95, 1983), John
Beezley, Tim Burr (U.S. Navy), Claude Edwards, Patricia Flanagan and Kent
Armstrong (Am. Birds 36:88, 1982), Pam Beare (Caltrans), Ellen Berryman
(Caltrans), David R. Bontrager, Nancy Gilbert (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Glenn
Greenwald, John Griffith, Steve Huemner, David King, Eric Lichtwardt, John Lovio,
Julia Nagata (Am. Birds 36:87, 1982), Esther McNeil, Amadeo M. Rea, Larry Salata
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Sue Scatolini (Caltrans), Doreen Stadtlander (U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service), Philip Unitt, Sandy Vissman (Caltrans), Kenneth Weaver,
Richard Webster, Harold Wier, Richard Zembal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

126

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN, JOSHUA TREE
NATIONAL MONUMENT, CALIFORNIA

A. TOWNSEND PETERSON, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of
Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637

The Little San Bernardino Mountains of Riverside and San Bernardino
Counties in southern California support a peninsula of oak- pine woodland
running southeast from the higher San Bernardino Mountains (Figure 1) . In
spite of the continuity of the woodland connecting the two ranges, the birds
of the Little San Bernardino Mountains are remarkably differentiated from
populations to the west. Three subspecies requiring woodland are endemic
to the range: a Mountain Quail, Oreortyx pictus russelli, a Plain Titmouse,
Parus inornatus mohavensis, and a Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus sociabilis
(Miller 1946), and another, a Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens cana, is
endemic to the nearby Eagle Mountains (Miller 1946, Pitelka 1951).

Miller (1946), Pitelka (1951), and Miller and Stebbins (1964) discussed
three alternative hypotheses for the origin of these differentiated populations.
(1) The peninsula restricts gene flow from populations to the west. (2) The
differentiated populations represent intergrades or hybrids between popula-
tions in the San Bernardino Mountains to the west and the Providence
Mountains to the northeast. (3) A third hypothesis is one of faunal relaxation.
Because as recently as 8000 years ago the Mojave Desert contained pin-
yon-juniper woodland (Wells and Berger 1967, Van Devender 1977), dif-
ferentiated populations in the Little San Bernardino Mountains and other
mountain ranges farther east may represent remnants of what was once a
continuous distribution (Grinnell and Swarth 1913, Miller and Stebbins
1964). Hence, they may show traits that are either ancestral or intermediate
owing to historical genetic interchange.

Information on populations of these species in the bits of woodland be-
tween the Little San Bernardino Mountains and the Providence Mountains is
critical to assessing the latter two hypotheses. The Eagle Mountains, the
Bullion Mountains, the Old Woman Mountains, and others provide elevated
landscapes (Figure 1). Of these, only the Eagle Mountains are known to hold
pinyon woodland, and this habitat is restricted to a small area (approx. 150
ha) around the peak of Eagle Mountain itself, in Joshua Tree National Monu-
ment. Eagle Mountain reaches a height of 1631 m, with a broad, flat valley at
approximately 1460 m. Sparse woodlands of Single-leaf Pinyon ( Pinus
monophylla ), California Juniper ( Juniperus californica) , and Scrub Oak
(Quercus turbinella) occur above 1400 m. Eagle Mountain is isolated from
the nearest woodland habitat in the Little San Bernardino Mountains by
about 33 km of desert, the lowest point being Cottonwood Pass (914 m).

In the 1940s and 1950s, scientists from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
(MVZ), University of California at Berkeley, led by Alden H. Miller, studied
the vertebrates of the Monument. They visited Eagle Mountain twice (in May
and October 1945) and assembled representative series of specimens from
the area. Dennis Rainey and Richard Loomis of California State University at
Long Beach apparently worked in the area briefly in the early 1960s. In
1986, George San Miguel of the Monument staff visited the area on several

Western Birds 21 : 127- 135, 1990 127

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

occasions and recorded several important sightings. To my knowledge, these
trips consistute the only ornithological work on the birds of Eagle Mountain
prior to my visits. Information on other vertebrates known from Eagle Moun-
tain was summarized by Miller and Stebbins (1964).

The purpose of this study is to summarize the existing information on the
avifauna of Eagle Mountain. This paper represents an attempt to understand
the historical processes leading to the differentiation of Mojave Desert edge
forms of a number of bird species.

METHODS

As part of studies of the resident Scrub Jays ( Aphelocoma coerulescens
cana), I climbed Eagle Mountain four times: 13 May 1987, 14 May 1987,
14- 15 March 1988, and 26-27 May 1988, each time with one other person,
for a total of 102 observer-hours. Observations from visits to the area by
other ornithologists are also summarized.

To check the validity of the five forms described as differentiated in the
region [Mountain Quail, Scrub Jay, Plain Titmouse, Bushtit, and Bewick’s
Wren ( Thryomanes bewickii )], I made comparisons of museum specimens in
the collections of California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) and the
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) . At MVZ, the three specimens of the
Scrub Jay from the Eagle Mountains were compared with other specimens
from adjacent areas of the same age and sex, and collected in the same
season and approximately the same years. At CSULB, I used the extensive
series from the Little San Bernardino Mountains collected by Dennis Rainey
and Richard Loomis to replicate the comparisons of Miller (1946) , again con-
trolling for variation due to age and sex, and year and season of collection.

RESULTS

Listed below are the species observed by the MVZ teams and by Rainey
and Loomis (Miller and Stebbins 1964, A.H. Miller’s field notes from the
Field Note Collection at MVZ), by George San Miguel (pers. comm.), and by
myself and my field companions. Habitat usage of species breeding in the Lit-
tle San Bernardino Mountains is categorized into plant zones following Miller
and Stebbins (1964): P, pinyon; Y, yucca; C, creosote. 1 do not describe the
habitat usage of species that apparently do not breed in the region. Species
presumed or known to breed on the mountain are indicated by an “x” or
respectively.

Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis) . Single birds seen 13 May 1987 and 26 May
1988 soaring over peak. PYCx.

Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos) . Pair seen flying by north base 20 Oct 1945. PYCx.

Gambel’s Quail ( Callipepla gambelii ) . Seen 16 May and 19 Oct 1945. A covey of >20
flushed 26 May 1988 at Conejo Well, PYCx.

Mountain Quail [Oreortyx pictus). Collected 16 and 20 May, and seen 19 Oct. 1945.
PYx.

Mourning Dove ( Zenaida macroura ). Several hundred seen flying to and from Conejo
Well on 26 and 27 May 1988. PYCx.

128

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

Great Horned Owl ( Bubo uirginianus). One heard calling at dawn on 27 May 1988.
PYCx.

Long-eared Owl (Asio otus). Seen 19 Feb (year?) at 1370 m (Rainey and Loomis, in
Miller and Stebbins 1964) . P.

Lesser Nighthawk ( Chordeiies acutipennis ) . Seen at dusk on 26 May 1988. YCx.

Figure 1. Topography of the southern Mojave Desert. The 1000 m contour line is
shown. The black rectangle on the inset map of California shows the approximate
area covered by the map.

129

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

White -throated Swift (Aeronaut.es saxatalis). Seen 19-20 Oct 1945, 13-14 May

1987, 14-15 Mar, and 26-27 May 1988, with the recent records being of groups of
5-20 individuals. Several times, especially on 26 May 1988, seen entering cavities on
cliffs which may have been nest sites. PYCx.

Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna). Collected 20 Oct and seen 21 Oct 1945, 17
Mar 1986, 13 May 1987, and 26-27 May 1988. Abundant 26-27 May 1988, with
many aggressive encounters observed, but only one of >50 individuals had a gorget;
two others had a few dark feathers on their throats.

Costa’s Hummingbird (C. costae). Seen 17 Mar 1986 at west base of mountain.
PYCx.

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formiciuorus) . An apparently immature vagrant of
the Arizona form (M. /. aculeatus ) collected 19 Oct 1945 (Miller 1947) .

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris ). Seen 19 Oct 1945, 17 Mar 1986,
and single individuals seen 13 May 1987 and 26 May 1988. PYx.

Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker ( Colaptes auratus). Seen 19-21 Oct 1945.

Western Wood-Pewee ( Contopus sordidulus) . Seen 14 May 1945.

Western Flycatcher ( Empidonax difficilis). One individual seen on 13 May 1987;
abundant 26-27 May 1988. None heard calling, so all probably represent migrants.

Say’s Phoebe (Sayorn/s saya). Seen 17 Mar 1986 at west base of mountain. PYCx.

Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens ) . Seen 17 Mar 1986 at base of moun-
tain. PYCx.

Western Kingbird (Tyrannus uerticalis). Three individuals seen 26-27 May 1988.
PYCx.

Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina). Seen 19-20 May 1945.

Scrub Jay ( Aphelocoma coerulescens). Collected on 16 May, 19 and 20 Oct 1945.
On 16 May 1945, a brood of fledglings was observed. One to five individuals seen 13
May 1987 and 14-15 Mar 1988. P*.

Common Raven (Coruus corax). Single individuals heard over peak on 13 May 1987,
14 Mar, and 26 May 1988. PYCx.

Mountain Chickadee (Parus gambeli) . Seen Nov 1986.

Bushtit ( Psaltriparus minimus) . Collected 16, 19-21 May 1945, and observed several
times daily 13-14 May 1987, 14-15 Mar and 26-27 May 1988. P*.

Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) . Seen 18-21 Oct 1945, and com-
monly at base of mountain 13-14 May 1987 (nest found), 14 Mar and 26-27 May

1988. PYC*.

Rock Wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus). Seen 20-21 Oct 1945, 17 Mar 1986. PYCx.

Canyon Wren ( Catherpes mexicanus). Seen 19 Oct and collected 20 and 21 Oct
1945; seen commonly 17 Mar 1986, 13-14 May 1987, 14 Mar and 26-27 May
1988. PYx.

Bewick’s Wren ( Thryomanes bewickii). Collected on 16 May and 18-21 Oct 1945;
seen commonly 13-14 May 1987, 14-15 Mar, and 26-27 May 1988. Recently fledg-
ed young found 16 May 1945. PY*.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) . Seen 19 Oct 1945, 17 Mar 1986.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila caerulea). Seen 16 May 1945, and commonly
13-14 May 1987, 14-15 Mar, and 26-27 May 1988, apparently on territories. PYx.

Townsend’s Solitare (Myadestes townsendi) . Seen 19 Oct 1945.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus). Seen 19 Oct and collected 20 Oct 1945.

130

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

Northern Mockingbird ( Mimus polyglottos) . Seen singing 17 Mar 1986 at west base of
mountain. PYCx.

Cedar Waxwing ( Bombycilla cedrorum) . Seen 19-20 Oct 1945.

Phainopepla ( Phainopepla nitens) . Seen near base of mountain 17 Mar 1986, 13 May
1987 (1). Several pairs on territories above 1370 m 26-27 May 1988. Nest with 3
eggs found 26 May 1988. YC*.

Loggerhead Shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus) . Seen 16 May and 18-20 Oct and collected
21 Oct 1945, 17 Mar 1986. Bird with dependent young noted on 16 May 1945.
PYC*.

Gray Vireo (Vireo vicinior). Seen 13 May 1987. P.

Solitary Vireo (V. solitarius). Seen 16 May 1945.

Hutton’s Vireo (V. button/). Collected 20 Oct 1945 at 1450 m.

Warbling Vireo (V. giluus). Collected 20 Oct 1945.

Orange-crowned Warbler ( Vermiuora celata). Seen 16 May 1945, 17 Mar 1986.
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata). Seen 19 Oct 1945, 17 Mar 1986.
Black-throated Gray Warbler (D. nigrescens) . Seen 20 Oct 1945.

Townsend’s Warbler (D, townsendi) . Seen 16 May 1945.

Hermit Warbler (D. occidentalis) . Male seen 13 May 1987.

Wilson’s Warbler ( Wilsonia pusilla ). Seen 16 May 1945 and 13 May 1988, the latter
sighting of a single individual in the dense willows at Conejo Well.

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) . Seen 16 May 1945.

Black-headed Grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus). Seen 16 May 1945.

Lazuli Bunting ( Passerina amoena). Seen 16 May 1945.

Green-tailed Towhee { Pipilo chlorurus) . Seen 16 May 1945.

Rufous-sided Towhee (P. erythrophthalmus) . Collected 16 May and 19 Oct 1945.
The May specimen had an enlarged oviduct and brood patch. P*.

Black-chinned Sparrow ( Spizella atrogularis) . Collected 16 May 1945, testes 3 mm.
Px.

Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata ). Seen 16 May, 18-21 Oct 1945, and
commonly 13-14 May 1987. Nest with downy young found 16 May 1945. PYC*.

Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) . Seen 19-21 Oct 1945.

White-crowned Sparrow [Zonotrichia leucophrys) . Seen 15, 18-19 Oct 1945.
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Seen 20 Oct and collected 19 and 21 Oct 1945.

Northern (Bullock’s) Oriole ( Icterus galbula). Seen 17 Mar 1986 at west base of moun-
tain.

Scott’s Oriole (/. parisorum) . Several apparently territorial males seen 13 May 1987
and 26-27 May 1988. PYx.

Cassin’s Finch (Carpodacus cassinii). Seen 19-20 Oct 1945.

House Finch (C. mexicanus) . Seen 18-21 Oct 1945, 13-14 May 1987, 14-15 Mar
and 26-27 May 1988. Several males singing 26-27 May 1988. PYCx.

Lesser Goldfinch ( Carduelis psaltria). Seen 19 Oct 1945; pairs seen at west base on
17 Mar 1986; several flocks of 5-10 individuals seen 26-27 May 1988. PYx.

Lawrence’s Goldfinch (C. lawrencei). Seen 19-20 Oct 1945. PY.

131

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

DISCUSSION

Sixty-two species have been recorded on Eagle Mountain. Of these, 30
are known or presumed to breed. Eagle Mountain constitutes the
southeastern limit of the ranges of several species in southern California, in-
cluding the Mountain Quail, Scrub Jay, Bushtit, and Rufous-sided Towhee.
Except for the quail, all of these species are represented in the mountains of
the Great Basin, the south westernmost limit of which is about 117 km north
in the Providence Mountains (Figure 1; Johnson et al. 1948).

Because Miller’s and my visits to Eagle Mountain were brief, it is difficult to
draw conclusions about temporal changes in the avifauna (e.g., Johnson
1974). Presences and absences of several species (e.g., Scott’s Oriole in
1945, and Black-chinned Sparrow in 1987-88) are suggestive of coloniza-
tions and local extinctions, but given high year-to-year fluctuations in
numbers of these two species (R. McKernan pers. comm.), their significance
is difficult to assess. In the discussion that follows, I ignore temporal changes
in the avifauna, thus potentially overestimating the number of species
breeding on the mountain.

A comparison of the bird fauna of Eagle Mountain with that of the Little
San Bernardino Mountains (Miller and Stebbins 1964) shows that several
species breeding in the Little San Bernardino Mountains are either absent or
probably not breeding on Eagle Mountain (Table 1). The habitat classifica-
tions of Miller and Stebbins (1964) provide insight into these distribution pat-
terns. Seven of nine species (all except American Kestrel, Falco sparverius,
and Lawrence’s Goldfinch) inhabiting both pinyon and yucca habitats in the
Little San Bernardino Mountains (Miller and Stebbins 1964) probably breed
on Eagle Mountain. (American Kestrels have been observed within 20 km of
Eagle Mountain, fide George San Miguel.).

In contrast, of the nine species restricted to pinyon habitats in the Little San
Bernardino Mountains (Miller and Stebbins 1964) , only four are known or
presumed to breed on Eagle Mountain. Two others have been observed as
migrants or winter visitors, and three have not been observed on Eagle
Mountain (Table 1) . That Gray Vireos and Long-eared Owls do not breed on
Eagle Mountain seems probable, given the amount of habitat searched dur-
ing my last two visits, which were early and late in the breeding season. I am
confident that Pinyon Jays ( Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) , Plain Titmice,
and California Thrashers (Toxostoma redivivum) are absent, given that all
three species are conspicious and vocal when they are present.

Thus, only 44-67% of the pinyon-restricted bird species of the Little San
Bernardino Mountains breed on Eagle Mountain. The proportion of species
breeding in the Little San Bernardino Mountains but absent on Eagle Moun-
tain differs significantly (binomial test, P<0.05) between habitat-restricted
(pinyon habitats only) and less restricted (pinyon and yucca habitats) species.
This result indicates that species of higher-elevation habitats are less likely to
be present in the peripheral habitat island on Eagle Mountain. Mammals and
reptiles appear to show similar patterns of absence of pinyon-restricted
species on Eagle Mountain (Miller and Stebbins 1964).

It is interesting, however, that species restricted to woodland habitats to the
west and east (Long-eared Owl, Gray Vireo, Acorn Woodpecker, see Miller

132

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

Table 1 Occurrences of Bird Species Restricted to Pinyon or Yucca
Habitats in the Little San Bernardino Mountains and on Eagle Mountain 0

Species

Little San
Bernardino
Mtns

Eagle

Mountain

Pinyon Woodland Only (P)

Long-eared Owl

Scrub Jay

Pinyon Jay

Plain Titmouse

Bushtit

California Thrasher

•

Gray Vireo

Rufous-sided Towhee

Black-chinned Sparrow

Pinyon Woodland or Yucca Habitats (PY)

American Kestrel

•

Mountain Quail

•

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Canyon Wren

Bewick’s Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Scott’s Oriole

Lesser Goldfinch

Lawrence’s Goldfinch

•

a * , breeding; x, present and probably breeding; 4- , present but probably not breeding; 0 , absent.

1947) have been recorded on Eagle Mountain as migrants, vagrants, or
winter visitors. Opportunities for these species to colonize the limited habitat
on Eagle Mountain therefore do occur, but either the habitat is too sparse or
numbers of these species reaching Eagle Mountain are insufficient for suc-
cessful colonization.

It appears that gene flow from the Great Basin does occur. Of the four
pinyon-restricted species that breed on Eagle Mountain, Miller and associates
collected series of two species: three Scrub Jays and 15 Bushtits. The three
Scrub Jay specimens and one from northernmost Baja California Norte,
Mexico, were described as a race carxa, distinct from the coastal obscura in
having the blue lighter and grayer throughout, the back lighter and grayer
brown, and the belly somewhat grayer (Pitelka 1951). On the basis of the
specimens then in existence from the Little San Bernardino Mountains,
Pitelka suggested that the resemblance between cana and the race of the
Great Basin, neuadae, was due to similar selective regimes imposed by life at
the edge of the desert. However, on the basis of one specimen of neuadae
and two apparent obscura x neuadae hybrids in a series of 66 collected from
the Little San Bernardino Mountains in the 1960s (CSULB) , I believe that

133

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

cana reflects genetic interaction of obscura with neuadae, in spite of the wide
expanse of desert separating them (Peterson unpubt.).

In Bushtits, 12 of 15 individuals collected on Eagle Mountain belong to the
race sociabilis, which is endemic to the Monument. The remaining three in-
dividuals, however, have the gray pileum characteristic of the Great Basin
race prouidentialis, and probably represent intergrades or immigrants (Miller
1946).

In Bewick’s Wrens (not pinyon-restricted) , specimens from the Little San
Bernardino Mountains and the Eagle Mountains show wide variation in back
color, from the dark brown of the coastal race, correctus, to the pale gray of
the race in the Providence Mountains, eremophilus. However, intrapopula-
tion variability is sufficiently great that definite conclusions cannot be made
(Miller and Stebbins 1964) .

Three hypotheses were presented above to account for the differentiation
of four subspecific forms in the Little San Bernardino and Eagle mountains.
The isolation provided by the peninsular geographic situation may well be
important in maintaining the integrity of the differentiated forms. However,
in at least two of the species (Bushtit and Scrub Jay), evidence exists for
genetic influence from the east. The Scrub Jay population in the Eagle
Mountains appears to have originated by hybridization between coastal and
interior populations. Thus, either historical or current gene flow (Hypotheses
3 and 2, respectively) may well be important in the differentiation of the
desert-edge forms in Joshua Tree National Monument.

SUMMARY

Sixty-two species of birds have been recorded on Eagle Mountain, an
island of pinyon woodland in Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside
County, California. Several species breeding in the nearby Little San Bernar-
dino Mountains do not breed on Eagle Mountain, but vagrants of these
species occasionally visit there. Although the avifauna of Eagle Mountain is
most closely allied to the avifaunas of regions to the west, evidence exists for
gene flow or historical influence from the east in three species. Similar avi-
faunal surveys and collections are badly needed from other small mountain
ranges to the east, which may serve as stepping stones across the Mojave
Desert.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to the staff of Joshua Tree National Monument, especially Bob Moon
and Mark Heuston, for making my work on Eagle Mountain possible. Thanks to Amy
Peterson, Lloyd Kiff, Manuel Marin, Dale Clayton, and Bill Schew, for companion-
ship and assistance in the field under difficult conditions. Thanks to George San
Miguel, Charles Collins, Bob McKernan, and Jon Atwood for information about the
Eagle Mountains, and to Bruce Patterson and Lloyd Kiff for critical readings of the
manuscript. Bob McKernan, Amadeo Rea, and Philip Unitt provided additional com-
ments on a late draft of the manuscript. Special thanks to Frank Pitelka for advice and
interest throughout this study.

134

BIRDS OF EAGLE MOUNTAIN

LITERATURE CITED

Grinnell, J., and Swarth, H. S, 1913. An account of the birds and mammals of the
San Jacinto area of southern California, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 10:197-406.

Johnson, D. H., Bryant, M. D., and Miller, A. H. 1948. Vertebrate animals of the
Providence Mountains area of California. Univ. Calif, Publ. Zool. 48:221-376.

Johnson, N. K. 1974. Montane avifaunas of southern Nevada: Historical changes in
species composition. Condor 76:334-337.

Miller, A. H. 1946. Endemic birds of the Little San Bernardino Mountains,
California. Condor 48:75-79.

Miller, A. H. 1947. Arizona race of Acorn Woodpecker vagrant in California. Condor
49:171.

Miller, A. H., and Stebbins, R. C. 1964. The Lives of Desert Animals in Joshua Tree
National Monument. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley.

Pitelka, F. A. 1951. Speciation and ecological distribution in American jays of the
genus Aphelocoma. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 50:195-464.

Van Devender, T. R. 1977. Holocene woodlands in the southwestern deserts.
Science 198:189-192.

Wells, P. V., and Berger, R. 1967. Late Pleistocene history of coniferous woodland
in the Mohave Desert. Science 155:1640-1647.

Accepted 13 July 1990

135

Mountain Quail

Sketch by Narca Moore-Craig

136

NOTES

FIRST DOCUMENTED RECORD OF
CHUCK-WILLS'S-WIDOW IN NEW MEXICO

JOHN J. PIAZZA, 905 Whitten Hollow Rd,, New Kensington, Pennsylvania 15068

In September or October 1987 1 found a Chuck-will’s-widow ( Caprimulgus
carolinensis) dead on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University, Portales,
Roosevelt County, New Mexico. It was found lying near the base of the university’s
science hall approximately fifteen yards from South Avenue K. The specimen ap-
peared to have been dead for several hours and was missing all its rectrices. The exact
date was lost while the bird was stored in the university’s freezer.

The bird was delivered to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where it was prepared as a study skin (CM T- 13227) by Stephen M.
Rogers. The specimen was an immature male (testes 4x5 mm) and had no fat.

The latest check-list of birds in New Mexico shows no prior record of this species in
the state (Hubbard 1978). Recently Hubbard (pers. comm.) reaffirmed that no
substantiated sightings of Chuck-will’s-widow had previously been made in New Mexi-
co. The only previous mention of the species in the state is the undocumented state-
ment by McCall (1851:215) that “a few” were met with in New Mexico in June and
July 1850. Hubbard (pers. comm.) indicated this is one of several species apparently
misidentified by McCall in his list of New Mexico birds.

The Chuck-will’s-widow’s breeding range extends as far west as central Kansas,
central Oklahoma, and central Texas. (Johnsgard 1979, Oberholser 1974, AOU
1983). Sutton (1967) recorded a calling Chuck-will’s-widow on 2 September 1963 in
Cimmaron County, extreme western Oklahoma.

Three far western specimens of the Chuck-will’s-widow have been recorded in re-
cent years. The first was found on the Desert Wildlife Range, Clark County, Nevada,
under a telephone line, 12 June 1984 (Kingery 1984); the second was found 16 Oc-
tober 1986 at Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County, California (Bailey 1989); the third
was dead on a road near Loleta, Humboldt County, California, on 4 January 1989
(Harris and Hawkins 1990).

I thank Kenneth E. Parkes, James M, Loughlin, Scott D. Wood, and Stephen M.
Rogers of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for their help in identifying the
specimen and in the preparation of the manuscript. I thank John P. Hubbard, New
Mexico Department of Game and Fish, for providing information on the status of the
species in New Mexico.

LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds. 6th ed.
Am. Ornithol. Union, [Washington, D.C.],

Bailey, S. F. 1989. First record of Chuck-will’s-widow in California. W. Birds
20:93-95.

Harris, S. W., and Hawkins, B. 1990. A specimen of Chuck-will’s-widow from
Humboldt County, California. W. Birds 21:77.

Hubbard, J. P. 1978. Revised check-list of the birds of New Mexico. N. M. Ornithol.
Soc. Publ. 6.

Western Birds 21:137-138, 1990

137

NOTES

Johnsgard, P. A. 1979. Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distri-
bution. Univ of Nebr. Press, Lincoln.

Kinqery, H. E. 1984. The nesting season. Mountain West region. Am. Birds
38:1044-1047.

McCall, G. A. 1852. Some remarks on the habits, &c., of birds met with in western
Texas, between San Antonio and the Rio Grande, and in New Mexico; with des-
criptions of several species believed to have been hitherto undescribed. Proc.
Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 5:213-224.

Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The Bird Life of Texas. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.

Sutton, G. M. 1967. Oklahoma Birds. Univ. of Okla. Press, Norman.

Accepted 14 August 1990

Chuck - will’s - widow

Sketch by Tim Manolis

138

NOTES

A SECOND WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER
IN CALIFORNIA

GUY McCASKIE, 954 Grove Street, Imperial Beach, California 92032
RICHARD E. WEBSTER, 771 Gage Drive, San Diego, California 92106

On 31 July 1988 we started a day of birding at the mouth of the Whitewater River at
the north end of the Salton Sea, Riverside County. At about 0630 we waded across
the rivermouth to check the area to the west of the river. When partially across the
river we stopped on an exposed sandbar and looked over the open water to the south.
Almost immediately Webster spotted a procellariiform flying toward us from the
southwest and pointed it out to McCaskie. As we watched the bird flying toward us we
initially considered the Flesh-footed Shearwater (Puffinus cameipes ) since the uniform
dark coloration of the bird, along with its slow manner of flight, closely matched that
species. However, as the bird got closer it became clear that the bill was dark,
eliminating the possibility of a Flesh -footed Shearwater. In addition, our brief views of
the tail left us both with the impression that the bird had an unusually long tail for a
shearwater, leading Webster to suggest it might be a Wedge-tailed Shearwater ( Puf-
finus pacificus ). The bird continued to fly toward us, giving us time to consider the
Sooty Shearwater {Puffinus griseus ) and eliminate that species as a possibility. When
about 100 yards to the southwest of us it landed on the water among a small group of
gulls, giving us an ideal opportunity to study it carefully while commenting on the
shape and coloration of the bill, the coloration of the head and breast, the apparent
patterning on the upperparts, the protrusion of the tip of the tail beyond the tips of the
folded wings, and the coloration on the underwings on the one occasion it flapped its
wings while swimming.

At this point we were convinced the bird was a dark-morph Wedge-tailed Shear-
water. Webster went back to the car for his camera while McCaskie kept an eye on the
bird. During Webster’s absence the bird did much bathing and preening. At one point
while the shearwater was preening its tail, it raised its tail upward and partially spread
it, clearly showing it to be pointed at the tip. The central tail feathers were noticeably
longer than the outer tail feathers, giving the tail a shape similar to that of a booby’s.

Just as Webster was returning the shearwater jumped into flight, allowing McCaskie
to see the feet and legs. Initially the bird flew off toward the southwest, then turned to
the north and swung back toward us. The bird followed the shoreline, heading directly
toward us from the west, passing within 100 feet of us, and continued along the
shoreline to east of the rivermouth. Then it turned south and flew out over the open
water of the Salton Sea, disappearing from sight. We had the bird under observation
for between 20 and 30 minutes. While the shearwater was flying toward and past us,
Webster took nine photographs, one of which has been published (American Birds
42:1225, 1988). Together the photographs clearly show the bird to be a large dark
shearwater with a long tail and wings held flexed at the wrists. One of the photographs
shows the bill to be a grayish with a dark tip. Webster immediately departed to spread
the word of our discovery. Birders were at the mouth of the Whitewater River from
about 1030 to dark on 31 July, and again during the first half of the morning on 1
August, but without seeing the shearwater.

The Wedge-tailed Shearwater was a uniform brown, noticeably paler than a Flesh-
footed Shearwater, with the dark eye being a noticeable feature of the face, and the
color of the underwings most like that on the underwings of the darker Short-tailed
Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) . When the bird was sitting on the water we were
able to see that the back and scapular feathers were fringed with lighter brown,
creating a scaled pattern. This feature was not prominent, however, and not evident
when we were observing the bird in flight. The tip of the tail protruded an inch or so

Western Birds 21 : 139 - 140, 1990 139

NOTES

beyond the tips of the primaries on the folded wings. The bill was long and narrow like
that of other shearwaters, being a dark blue-gray with a blackish tip. The feet and legs
were entirely pink.

In flight the Wedge-tailed Shearwater had the long-winged profile of a Buller’s
Shearwater ( Puffinus bulleri ) but an even longer tail. The bird flew with slow wing-
beats and much gliding, the wings held bowed downward but with a kink at the carpal
joint like that on a frigatebird. The feathers on the wings, especially the secondaries,
appeared worn. A study of the photographs shows the bird was molting primaries.

A light-morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater photographed about 4 miles off Point
Pinos, Monterey County, California, on 31 August 1986 (Stallcup et al. 1988)
represents the only previous recorded occurrence of this species in North America.
The Wedge-tailed Shearwater inhabits the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian
oceans, its closest approach to California being along the west coast of Mexico. King
(1974) showed Wedge-tailed Shearwaters occurring off western Mexico north to near
the southern tip of Baja California. In addition, King found relatively large numbers of
dark-morph Wedge-tailed Shearwaters off western Mexico in July. Pitman (1986) also
showed Wedge-tailed Shearwaters ranging as far north as off the coast of Nayarit,
near the mouth of the Gulf of California.

This is not the first time a procellariiform has reached the Salton Sea, there being
previous recorded occurrences of the Laysan Albatross ( Diomedea immutabilis ) ,
Cook’s Petrel ( Pterodroma cookii), Buller’s Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Leach’s
Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa). Black Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma
melania), and Least Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma microsoma) . The appearance of the
Least Storm-Petrels and one of the Leach’s Storm-Petrels was associated with Hurri-
cane Kathleen’s passage through the area on 10 September 1976. However, all other
occurrences of procellariforms appear unrelated to storms, the birds being found dur-
ing calm conditions and suspected of reaching the area by way of the Gulf of Califor-
nia. We suspect the Wedge-tailed Shearwater seen at the north end of the Salton Sea
on 31 July 1988 also reached this area by way of the Gulf of California, by entering
the Gulf from the waters off Nayarit, moving north to the head of the Gulf, and across
the 200 miles of flat land separating the Salton Sea from the Gulf.

This record (150-1988) was reviewed by the California Bird Records Committee
and received a unanimous endorsement. The record, including the nine photographs
taken by Webster, is now on file at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology,
Los Angeles.

LITERATURE CITED

King, W. B. 1974. Wedge-tailed Shearwater, in Pelagic studies of seabirds in the
central and eastern Pacific Ocean. Smithsonian Contr. Zool. 158.

Stallcup, R., Morlan J., and Roberson, D. 1988. First record of the Wedge-tailed
Shearwater in California. W. Birds 19:61-68.

Accepted 21 August 1990

140

Wedge-tailed Shearwater off Woolongong, N.S.W. Australia, November 1986

Photo by Bruce Webb

141

Volume 21, Number 3, 1990

The Taxonomy, Distribution, and Status of Coastal California

Cactus Wrens Amadeo M. Rea and Kenneth L. Weaver 81

Birds of Eagle Mountain, Joshua Tree National Monument,

California A. Townsend Peterson 127

NOTES

First Documented Record of Chuck-will’s-widow in New Mexico

John J. Piazza 137

A Second Wedge-tailed Shearwater in California Guy McCaskie

and Richard E. Webster 139

BULLETIN BOARD 142

New Rates for Membership in Western Field Ornithologists 144

Cover photo by Rich Stallcup of Inverness, California: First winter
Broad-winged Hawk ( Buteo platypterus), Inverness, California.

Western Birds solicits papers that are both useful to and understandable by
amateur field ornithologists and also contribute significantly to scientific litera-
ture. The journal welcomes contributions from both professionals and
amateurs. Appropriate topics include distribution, migration, status, identifica-
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dynamics, habitat requirements, the effects of pollution, and techniques for
censusing, sound recording, and photographing birds in the field Papers of
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particularly desired are reports of studies done in or bearing on the Rocky
Mountain and Pacific states and provinces, including Alaska and Hawaii,
western Texas, northwestern Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

Reprints can be ordered at author’s expense from the Editor when proof is
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WESTERN BIRDS

Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists

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Vice-President: Peter Gent, 55 South 35th, Boulder, CO 80303

Treasurer /Membership Secretary: Howard L. Cogswell, 1548 East Avenue,

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Directors: Bruce Deuel, Peter Gent, Ron LeValley, John S. Luther, Guy McCaskie, Robert
McKeman, Narca Moore-Craig, Janet Witzeman, David Yee

Secretary , California Bird Records Committee: Michael A. Patten, P, O. Box 8612,
Riverside, CA 92515

Editorial Board : Robert Andrews, Alan Baldridge, Andrew J. Berger, Laurence C.
Binford, David F. DeSante, Jon L. Dunn, Richard Erickson, Kimball L, Garrett,
Joseph R. Jehl, Jr., Ned K. Johnson, Virginia P. Johnson, Brina Kessel, Stephen A.
Laymon, Paul Lehman, John S. Luther, Guy McCaskie, Joseph Morlan, Harry B.
Nehls, Dennis R. Paulson, Oliver K. Scott, Ella Sorensen, Richard W. Stallcup,
Charles Trost, Terence R. Wahl, Roland H. Wauer, Bruce Webb, Wayne C. Weber,
Richard E. Webster

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WESTERN BIRDS

Volume 21, Number 4, 1990

ELEVENTH REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA BIRD
RECORDS COMMITTEE

LOUIS R. BEVIER, RO. Box 665, Storrs, Connecticut 06268

This report contains 257 records reviewed by the California Bird Records
Committee (hereafter the Committee) and is the largest of the eleven
reports compiled thus far. A total of 81 species is covered as follows: 234
records of 73 species accepted and 23 records of 20 species not accepted.
Thus, 91% of the reports are accepted. The rate of acceptance in the last
four Committee reports has varied from 88% to 92%, whereas in previous
reports the rate has been as low as 74% and as high as 97%. The records
dealt with here span 90 years from 1896 to 1986 and include reports for
almost every year from 1960 onward. Over half of the records, however,
are from the last two years of that period (99 for 1985 and 40 for 1986).

Half of the counties in California are represented in this report, including
all but two of the coastal counties. Of these, San Diego and San Francisco
counties have 40 and 37 accepted records, respectively; these numbers are
slightly over twice the next highest totals of 17 and 16 for Santa Barbara
and San Luis Obispo counties, respectively. The largest number of rarities
per land area goes to Southeast Farallon Island, which has 15% of the
accepted records (a total of 35) and only one ten-thousandth of one percent
of California’s total land area. The quality and consistency of the reports
from there has recently been among the highest that the Committee
reviews. Special recognition for this goes to Peter Pyle, Dave DeSante, and
the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.

Three species are added to the state list in this report: Wedge-tailed
Shearwater, Ruddy Ground-Dove, and Three-toed Woodpecker. These
decisions and other recent decisions (Roberson 1990) place the total
number of bird species recorded in California at 572. In addition, the
earliest records for the state are accepted for four species: Anhinga,
Common Black-headed Gull, Yellow-throated Vireo, and Pine Warbler.

Western Birds 21:145-176, 1990

145

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

PROCEDURES

In evaluating a submitted report, members of the Committee assess the
adequacy of the evidence supplied — written, photographic, and otherwise.
The Committee can neither verify nor invalidate records, but can provide a
judgment on the acceptability of the report for the permanent historical
record that is maintained. Observers whose reports are not accepted by the
Committee should not take this to mean that the bird or birds were
misidentified or that the observer’s abilities are questioned. Cases in which
the Committee is convinced of an error are rare, and the majority of
unaccepted reports involve a lack of adequate documentation. It is the
accuracy and completeness of the field report and the rigor and objectivity
of the review procedure that distinguishes an accepted record from an
uncorroborated report.

One of the major aims underlying the establishment of the Committee
was to foster an awareness in California’s field ornithologists of the impor-
tance of providing corroboration for reports of rarities. Careful field notes,
sketches, photographs, and sound recordings are essential to establishing a
record of lasting ornithological value. In most cases the best evidence for
the occurrence of a bird species in the state is a specimen, but current
constraints against collecting, coupled with the improvement of photo-
graphic and recording equipment and the sharpening of field skills have
given rise to the need for procedures for evaluating and preserving this
evidence, in much the way museum collections allow for the evaluation and
preservation of specimens. This means that careful attention must be paid
to acquiring all the necessary details for identification at the time of the
observation and that a cautious approach must be used for evaluating the
evidence.

When reviewing the documentation of a rarity, the Committee attempts
to eliminate all other possible species from consideration. Therefore, it is
important for the observer to document the presence of characters that
exclude other similar species. In fact, a thorough description may sometimes
include critical field marks that distinguish the species from others not
considered at the time of the observation. By relying only on characters that
support an identification and that fail to reject other species, including those
sometimes ignored, one risks making a misidentification. Two examples of
this type of error involved some extraordinary rarities, the circumstances of
which are well worth reviewing — see Morlan and Erickson (1983) regarding
a Eurasian Skylark ( Alauda aruensis) that was identified by many as a
Smith’s Longspur ( Calcarius pictus) and Abbott and Finch (1978) regard-
ing a Variegated Flycatcher ( Empidonomus uarius) that many labeled as a
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher ( Myiodynastes luteiuentris). To persons using
these records in their research, it should be said that the Committee strives
to evaluate reports in this fashion but is not infallible. In addition, questions
involving the natural occurrence of a bird cannot be assessed by a similar
method whereby all possible explanations are eliminated. It is extraordinarily
difficult, if not impossible, to prove that a bird did not escape from a cage or
was not purposely transported into the state. To help document such
rarities, the reporter should supply the Committee with information on the

146

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

captive status and likelihood of vagrancy for the species as well as justifying
its identification. In such cases, the Committee’s decisions represent a
collective opinion based on the information available. (See Anhinga, Ruddy
Ground-Dove, and Barnacle Goose in this report.)

The purposes and procedures of the Committee have been published in
its bylaws (Western Birds 8: 161-165, 1977) and updated periodically in
some of its reports (Binford 1983, 1985). The current membership of the
Committee, recent changes in policy and practices, and the list of reviewed
species were published most recently by Roberson (1990). Please note the
removal from the review list of Cook’s Petrel, Pterodroma petrels identified
only as the subgenus Cookilaria , Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Barred Owl, and
Prothonotary Warbler. Also, the Committee is now soliciting reports of
Tricolored Heron occurring after 1 January 1990. Send all rarities reports
directly to the secretary, Michael A. Patten, P.O. Box 8612, Riverside, CA
92515. The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (1100 Glendon
Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024) continues to maintain the archive of all
published records. All voice recordings are housed at the California Acad-
emy of Sciences, Department of Ornithology and Mammalogy, Golden
Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118.

FORMAT

The organization and style of this report are similar to those used in the
tenth report (Dunn 1988). The systematic lists for accepted and unaccepted
records follow the AOU Check-list (1983) and its supplements (AOU 1985,
1987, 1989). The number after each species’ name represents the total
accepted records for California. Two asterisks following this number mean
that the total reported covers only the period of years for which the species
is reviewed or that reports not formally accepted are added to the total (see
Roberson 1986). Species marked with a single asterisk are no longer
reviewed by the Committee.

Within each species account, records are listed chronologically according
to the first known date of occurrence. Each record presents in order as
much of the following information as possible: number of birds, age, sex,
locality, county, date or complete date span, and, in parentheses, initials of
contributing observers, repository of specimens, and the official record
number. The diagnosis of age and sex is my own opinion based on evidence
in the files and comments by other Committee members; annotations on
subspecific identification are handled in the same way. Designations for
either category are made only when supported by the evidence available.
The initials of the contributing observers are listed in alphabetical sequence
by name; if the observer or observers first finding or identifying the bird
submitted documentation, then their initials are placed first and separated
from the others by a semicolon. Observers who submitted a photograph
have a dagger (t) following their initials. Photographs greatly assist in the
review procedure, and their submission with the written report is strongly
encouraged. As in previous reports, 1 have attempted to provide the full
date span for records. The seasonal reports of American Birds and its
predecessor Audubon Field Notes are the primary' source for these dates,

147

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

but where I have given a revised date, it is italicized. These revised dates are
considered correct by the Committee.

Decisions regarding the number of individuals involved, especially when
the species returns to the same locality annually, are made by a consensus
of the Committee. An individual judged as the same or probably the same as
a previous bird is not counted in the total of accepted records, whereas an
individual considered not the same or possibly the same is added to the
total. These decisions are rarely based on firm evidence, such as a uniquely
banded bird, but are the considered opinions of the Committee members
based on their experience and the evidence available.

ABBREVIATIONS

The Committee has adopted the following abbreviations for counties
cited in this report: ALA, Alameda; BUT, Butte; CC, Contra Costa; COL,
Colusa; DN, Del Norte; GLE, Glenn; HUM, Humboldt; IMP, Imperial; INY,
Inyo; KER, Kern; LA, Los Angeles; MER, Merced; MNO, Mono; MOD,
Modoc; MRN, Marin; MTY, Monterey; ORA, Orange; RIV. Riverside; SBA,
Santa Barbara; SBE, San Bernardino; SD, San Diego; SF, San Francisco;
SHA, Shasta; SIS, Siskiyou; SJ, San Joaquin; SLO, San Luis Obispo; SM,
San Mateo; SCL, Santa Clara; SON, Sonoma; STA, Stanislaus; TUO,
Tuolumne; VEN, Ventura.

Museums cited as the repository for a specimen are abbreviated as
follows: CAS, California Academy of Sciences; CM-EHS, Clarke Museum,
Eureka High School, Eureka; DVNMM, Death Valley National Monument
Museum; SDNHM, San Diego Natural History Museum; SFSU, San Fran-
cisco State University collection; UCLA, University of California, Los
Angeles. Journals cited are spelled out or given the following abbreviations:
AmB, American Birds; AFN, Audubon Field Notes. Parks, refuges, and
the like are abbreviated with the following: NF, National Forest; NM,
National Monument; NP, National Park; NS, National Seashore; NWR,
National Wildlife Refuge.

ACCEPTED RECORDS

YELLOW-BILLED LOON Gavia adamsii (33). One was at Pacific Grove, MTY,
22-25 Jan 1969 (AB; LCB; 38-1985). One was at Bodega Bay, SON, 6 Dec 1980
(JWi; 225-1986). One was seen from Fields Landing, Humboldt Bay, HUM, 1 Jan
1981 (RLeVt; 24T1986). One was found on Carmel Bay, MTY, 23 Jan 1982 (KHa;
GPot; 163-1986). An adult in alternate plumage off the south jetty at Humboldt Bay,
HUM, 27 Aug-3 Oct 1982 (RLeVt; 242-1986) represents the earliest record for fall
and is only the fourth seen in alternate plumage in California. One was about 3/4
mile southwest of Moss Landing harbor, MTY, 30 Dec 1985-19 Jan 1986 (SFBf;
AB; 6-1986). One immature was observed feeding on Dungeness crab ( Cancer
magister ) in the harbor at Eureka, HUM, 25 Apr-18 May 1986 (RAE; GSL, LPL,
SS|; 283-1986); this is the latest spring occurrence of any Yellow-billed Loon in
California,

The Pacific Grove bird was published as an adult (AmB 23:514), but the descrip-
tion does not support any conclusion as to age: from records of birds of known age,
an immature is much more likely. Both Remsen and Binford (1975) and Roberson

148

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

(1985) published this bird as present through 26 Jan, which is incorrect. The Carmel
Bay bird was published by Roberson (1985) incorrectly as off Asilomar on 17 Jan
1982; this same error was published in The Gull 64:52 and AmB 36:325.

SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS Diomedea albatrus (3**). A first-year bird was
seen over the west edge of the Cordell Bank, about 25 miles west of Point Reyes,
MRN, 3 and 5 Nov 1985 (Figure 1; RS+: SFB, LCB, RAE, WEGt, JSLt. RMt.
GMcC, BDP, DRt, RAR+; 142-1985),

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this record is that a chartered boat with
California’s most enthusiastic field ornithologists returned two days after the initial
sighting to find the bird within 1/4 mile of where Rich Stallcup had first seen it. At
least one photograph shows what appears to be a band on the left foot; this species
is banded on Torishima, a small volcanic island 380 miles south of Tokyo, Japan, and
the only known breeding locality for this endangered species (Hasegawa and
DeGange 1982).

A century ago. the Short-tailed Albatross was not uncommon along the Pacific
coast of North America south to Baja California, and first-year birds were then
apparently the most frequently encountered age class in the southern part of its range
(Anthony 1924). This is the third record for California this century, and ail birds have
been entirely dark immatures such as this one, although there is a recent report of an
adult off Baja California (D. Ainley pers. comm.) and an older report published by
Traylor (1950) of an adult off San Francisco in 1946. This latter report was recently
reviewed but not accepted by the Committee because the published description,

Figure 1 . Short-tailed Albatross. Cordell Bank, about 25 miles west of Point Reyes,
Marin Co.. 3 November 1985.

Photo by Rich Stallcup
149

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

although intriguing, failed to eliminate the Wandering and Royal Albatrosses (D.
exulans and epomophora ); this decision will be published in a forthcoming report.

MOTTLED PETREL Pterodroma inexpectaia (15). Ten were seen 150 to 200
miles southwest of Cape Mendocino, HUM, 20 Apr 1985 (RLPt; 133-1985). Two
photographs on file document at least one of these birds.

This record was published by Morlan and Erickson (1988). The species will
undoubtedly prove to be regular in these waters.

STREAKED SHEARWATER Calonectris leucomelas (4). One was 3.5 miles
southwest of Point Pinos, MTY, 22 Sep 1985 (Figure 2; JLD; LJf; 61-1986). This is
only the fourth record for California and North America. A report from Monterey
Bay on 14 Oct 1978 has unfortunately still not been submitted for review (AmB
33:209, Roberson 1980, 1985, AOU 1983, Morlan 1985).

WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER Puffinus pacificus (1). One was 4.5 to 5 miles
west of Point Pinos, MTY, 31 Aug 1986 (RSf; RB, BM, NM, PaN, PhN, SP, AKT,
KW, WU; 456-1986).

Superbly documented, this sighting establishes the first record for California.
Details of the observation along with distributional and identification summaries were
published by Stallcup et al. (1988).

’WILSON’S STORM-PETREL Oceanites ocearticus (74). Three were on
Monterey Bay, MTY, 3 Oct 1970 (GMcC; 133-1986), and one was there 5 Oct
1974 (GMcC; 141-1986). Up to two were seen on four separate days on Monterey
Bay, MTY, 31 Aug-6 Oct 1985 (JLD, JML; SFB, MJL, GMcC; 138-1985). At least
45 were seen over the Cordell Bank, about 25 miles west of Point Reyes, MRN. 3-
7 Nov 1985 (RS ; SFB, LCB, RAE, RMt, GMcC, JM, BDP, DRt; 144-1985) with at
least seven on 3 Nov, at least 45 on 5 Nov, and about 15 on 7 Nov.

C - -
0

Figure 2. Streaked Shearwater, Monterey Bay, 3.5 miles southwest of Point Pinos,
Monterey Co., 22 September 1985.

150

Photo by Lars Jonsson

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Even by conservative estimates, the numbers over the Cordell Bank are unprec-
edented for the eastern North Pacific Ocean. The birds on Monterey Bay were more
expected, as a few individuals have been found regularly with storm-petrel flocks in
fall since 1967. The Committee no longer reviews this species.

BROWN BOOBY Sula leucogaster (20). One immature was at Rock Hill, Salton
Sea, IMP, 15 -23 Aug 1970 (GMcC; 134-1986). One immature was at the north end
of the Salton Sea, RIV, 28 Aug-7 Sep 1971 (GMcC; 136-1986). One sub-adult was
near Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 1 Jul 1984 (KFC; HAG, TMcE; 122-1985); this
bird and one the previous fall at the Farallones (previously accepted 126-1985, Dunn
1988) are the northernmost records for the Pacific coast of North America.

OLIVACEOUS CORMORANT Phalacrocorax olivaceus (3). An adult was seen at
the Whitewater River mouth, north end of the Salton Sea, RIV, 23 Mar and 20 Apr
1986 (BEDa; 329-1986) and was seen there again 19 Jul and 23 Aug 1986 (GMcC;
376-1986). This is probably the same individual first found at this locality 1 Aug
1982 and seen intermittently at both ends of the Salton Sea over the next four years
(previously accepted 76-1982, 37-1983. Morlan 1985; 66-1983, Roberson 1986;
100-1985. Dunn 1988).

ANHINGA Anhinga anhinga (2). An adult female was at Sweetwater Reservoir,
SD, 4 Feb 1977-20 Jan 1979 (GMcCt. JVR, DR; 3-1977).

This currently represents the earliest record accepted for California, although an
earlier report for 1939 in San Francisco has recently been accepted and will be
published in a forthcoming report. Originally submitted in 1978, the current record
was reviewed on two circulations and not accepted to the state list on the basis of
questionable natural occurrence (Luther et al. 1979). The main points of concern
were the exceptionally long period of residence for a vagrant bird and the lack of any
pattern of occurrences supporting the likelihood of vagrancy to California. Subse-
quently, another Anhinga found in the fall of 1983 at Lee Lake, RIV, remained for
just over six months and was accepted by the Committee (Roberson 1986). This
record, along with information on the recent occurrence of the Anhinga in Sonora,
Mexico, and the apparent scarcity of the species in captivity, were the main cause for
reconsideration and ultimate acceptance of this older record.

The latest date for this bird is based on the last known report. Unitt (1984) and
Garrett and Dunn (1981) gave "fall 1980" as the latest date, but there appears to be
no documentation for this date.

REDDISH EGRET Egretta rufescens (17). One was at Long Beach, LA, 26 Sep
1980 (JLA; 9-1985). One adult at San Diego Bay, SD, 9 Nov 1985-26 Jan 1986
(GMcC; JML. REWt: 69-1986) was considered the same bird returning for its fourth
winter (previously accepted 49-1984, 45-1984, Roberson 1986; 50-1985, Dunn
1988). An immature reported at Seal Beach and Bolsa Chica, ORA, 8 Nov 1980-
end of Feb 1981 (AmB 35:225. 335) may have been the same individual at Long
Beach accepted above, the first county record for LA. This species is rarely reported
north of San Diego Bay.

YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON Nyctanassa violacea (12). An adult was
at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, SD, 19 Aug-9 Oct 1984, again 19-
31 Mar 1985, and 5 Dec 1985-28 Feb 1986 (JLDt. JML, MJL. GMcC, REWt; 18-
1986). This was judged to be the same individual that had been seen periodically here
and at nearby San Elijo Lagoon since 25 Oct 1981 (88-1981, Binford 1985; 81-
1982'. 36-1983. Morlan 1985; 237-1984, Dunn 1988).

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK Dendrocygna autumnalis (5). Two were
near the Salton Sea NWR headquarters, IMP, 29 May-22 Jun 1985 (JML, MJL,
GMcC, REWt; 141-1985).

151

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

TRUMPETER SWAN Cygnus buccinator (7). Four adults wintered with Tundra
Swans (C. cotumbianus ) near Fort Dick and the Smith River estuary, DN, 2 Dec
1985-14 Mar 1986 (RAE: SFB, ADB, JLD, JML, GSL, MJL, CM, GMcC, JM; 1-
1986).

EMPEROR GOOSE Chen canaqica (37**). One was at the Sacramento NWR,
GLE, 11-27 Nov 1960 (GMcC; 93-1986).

TUFTED DUCK Ayf/iya fuligula (31). One male was at Tiburon, MRN, 3 Jan
1981 (CB; 91-1986); this is not the same bird that returned to Mill Valley and
Richardson Bay, MRN (see Morlan 1985). A male at Lopez Lake. SLO, 17-28 Feb
1981 (CM; 465-1986) probably returned to that locality and was one of two males
seen there in early 1986, the first 25 Jan-21 Feb 1986 (TME; JLDt, CM, JEM: 73-
1986) and the second 15-16 Feb 1986 (TME; 203 1986). One female was at
Areata, HUM, 22 Nov 1985-1 Feb 1986 (GSL. GMcC, JCSt; 19-1986). A male at
Saticoy, VEN, 2-25 Jan 1986 (REW; GMcC; 21-1986) was considered the same as
one there the previous winter (42-1985, Dunn 1988). A female was at the same
locality 20 Feb 1986 (KTS; 188-1986) and was probably the same bird returning for
its second winter (previously accepted 197-1985, Dunn 1988). One male was on the
Fall River near Glenburn, SHA, 18 Jan 1986 (REk; 207-1986). A single female was
at the San Francisco Zoo, SF, 25 Jan-13 Feb 1986, moving to Golden Gate Park,
SF, 24 Feb-4 Mar 1986 (JM; SFB, LE, JMcCf, DGY; 161-1986). One male was at
O’Neill Forebay, San Luis Reservoir, MER, 17 Feb 1986 (JKr; 173-1986). Another
male was at Areata Marsh (Lake Areata), HUM, 13 Apr-3 May 1986 (RAE; 284-
1986).

KING EIDER Somateria spectabilis (20). An immature male was at Bodega Bay,
SON, 17 Sep 1961 (GMcC; 95-1986). One female was near Brooks Island,
Richmond, CC, 18 Dec 1983 (GPe, PW; 98-1986); this bird was judged probably
the same as one seen at Brooks Island in the summer of 1984 and the fall of 1985
(156-1984, 120-1985, Dunn 1988) and possibly the same as one wintering at
Emeryville, ALA, in 1982-1983 (7-1983, Morlan 1985). A female at Morro Bay,
SLO, 28 Oct 1985-28 Feb 1986 (TME; JLD, RRHf, P&MC; 72-1986) was judged
probably the same as one off nearby Montana de Oro State Park, SLO, 12 Jan 1986
(TME; 81-1986). One female was at Moss Landing. MTY, 12 Jan 1986 (FRCt; 171-
1986). Another female was at Point Saint George, DN, 29-31 Mar 1986 (ADB,
SHe; 208-1986). An immature male was at the Salinas River mouth. MTY, 27 Apr-
15 Jun 1986 (RFT|, CT, TC; DR; 229-1986).

MISSISSIPPI KITE Ictinia mississippiensis (16). One adult was at Furnace Creek
Ranch, Death Valley NM, INY, 2-5 Jun 1968 (GMcC; 125-1986); this was the
second state record. One immature was at Point Loma, SD, 21 Sep 1985 (GMcC;
67-1986).

The immature seen flying south over Point Loma represents the third fall record
for California and the latest by one week; the previous fall records involved one
immature and one adult. One member noted that the Plumbeous Kite (/. plumbea ),
which occurs from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, was not clearly elimi-
nated. Middle American populations are migratory, withdrawing to South America in
the winter, and the imrnatures of both species are very similar (see Ridgely and
Gwynne 1989). Nevertheless, other members responded that no extralimital records
of Plumbeous Kite are known and that the paler head and notched tail noted on the
Point Loma bird probably eliminate that species.

ZONE-TAILED HAWK Buteo albonotatus (18). One was on the Plano Trabuco
near O’Neill Park, ORA. 22 Dec 1985-17 Jan 1986 (MJL, GMcC. GT, REW; 17-
1986).

152

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

GYRFALCON Falco rusticolus (3). One was at Tule Lake NWR. MOD. 31 Oct
1983 (BEDe: 128-1985). This is only the third record for California, the first being
from nearby Lower Klamath NWR also in late October (Roberson 1986). The
description suggests that this was an immature bird; immatures typically have a more
noticeable vertical streak below the eye and dark gray feet.

YELLOW RAIL Coturnicops noveboracensis (54**)- One was at Mono Lake
County Park, MNO, 15 Jul 1985 (DAG; 158-1985). The date is noteworthy because
a Yellow Rail nest was found by W. L Dawson (1922) on 6 Jun 1922 just south of
here in the Long Valley near Lake Crowley, and the species formerly nested to the
north at Bridgeport until 1950. The boggy grass at the northwest corner of Mono
Lake is suitable breeding habitat if kept free of disturbance.

AMERICAN OYSTERCATCEIER Haematopus patliatus (7). A bird missing one
foot was at Avila Beach. SLO. 25 Oct 1964-late Mar 1965 (GMeC; 115-1986).
One was at Santa Barbara Island, SBA, 30 May 1986 (BWA+, RAC; 375-1986).

The bird at Avila Beach represents the second definite mainland record and the
first definite record in over 100 years for California. It is also the farthest north that
the species is reliably documented in the state: unaccepted sight records exist for
MTY and MRN counties. Marantz (1986) mentioned two reports from nearby
localities around the time of the Avila bird: Pismo Beach, 1 1 Jun 1963 (C. Mills. Jr.),
and Montana de Oro State Park. 20 Jul 1966 (Vera Barnes). These rnay pertain to
the same bird at Avila Beach, but the reports are unreviewed and not certain. The
Committee would welcome any information on these sightings.

SPOTTED REDSHANK Tringa erythropus (3). One juvenile just beginning molt
into first basic plumage was in the Santa Maria River valley near Betteravia. SBA. 25
Oct 1985 (LRBe: JLDt. PELt; 167-1985).

This sighting is dedicated to the memory of Carolyn Fredericksen who died
tragically in an automobile accident while searching for this bird. This is the third
record for California and the first of a bird in juvenal plumage.

RUFOUS-NECKED STINT Calidris ruficollis (4). One alternate-plumaged bird
was at Crescent City. DN. 18 Jun 1974 (PFSt; RLeVt; 57-1986). This is the second
record for California.

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER Tryngites subruficollis (36). All of the following
records involved birds in juvenal plumage. Two were at Goleta. SBA, 10-26 Sep
1964 (GMcC; 111-1986). One was at Oceanside, SD. 16 Sep 1967 (GMcC; 117-
1986). The following records represent the remaining reports of Buff-breasted
Sandpipers for the fall of 1985 (others were reported by Dunn 1988): one at the
Salinas sewage ponds, MTY. 23-28 Aug (CT; 183-1986): one at the Smith River
mouth, DN. 24 Aug (Figure 3: ADB; 195-1985); singles at Southeast Farallon Island,
SF, 30 Aug-4 Sep (PPt; 177-1985) and 6 Sep (PP. 178-1985); one at Crescent
City, DN. 6 Sep (ADB; RAE; 162-1985); one at the Lancaster sewage ponds,
Antelope Valley. LA. 7-11 Sep (NBB+: JLDt, MHt; 148-1985): two near Imperial
Beach, SD. 11 Sep (GMcC, REW+; 64-1986).

The total of 15 birds in the fall of 1985 is surpassed only by the fall of 1978. when
as many as 24 were reported from California.

*RUFF Philomachus pugnax (32), One in juvenal plumage was at Areata bottoms.
HUM.- 21 Sep-8 Oct 1979 (SWH. BBet; 79-1979).

Originally submitted in 1979, this record was published as not accepted by Binford
(1985). This decision was reached after four circulations and following much discus-
sion of the single description then supporting the record. Later, two photographs of
a Ruff in juvenal plumage were sent to the Committee, and the record was accepted
without question. The Committee is always pleased to correct past decisions; we also
welcome any comments that suggest a previous decision might be incorrect.

153

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

The Ruff was removed from the Committee’s review list in 1981; the species is a
regular but rare migrant, primarily in fall, and a rare winter visitor in California.

LITTLE GULL Larus mirtutus (28). One adult was at King Harbor, Redondo
Beach, LA, 22-26 Dec 1969 (KLG, GMcC, GSS; 356-1986). Representing the
second state record, it was reportedly found on the first date about 3 miles south of
this locality on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Another adult at Inverness, MRN, 21-22
Nov 1984 (RS; 287-1986) is previously unpublished.

The Stockton sewage ponds, SJ, had up to four adults as follows: one from 9 Oct
1985 until a second joined it 11 Jan 1986, a total of three on 18 Mar, four together
14-16 Apr, and two remaining until 28 Apr 1986. A single adult seen foraging over
a flooded field near Woodbridge, approximately 16 miles north of the sewage ponds,
on 13 Mar 1986, was considered probably the same as one of the three at the
Stockton sewage ponds five days later (DGY; JML, MJL, GMcC, JM; record 165-
1985 refers to the two wintering birds, and record 478-1986 refers to all other
observations by DGY from the earliest to the latest dates). The Committee judged the
two wintering birds probably the same as previous adults at Stockton over the past
seven winters (21-1979, Luther et al. 1983; 85-1983, 93-1983, 1-1984, 42-1984,
Roberson 1986; 269-1984, Dunn 1988).

Figure 3. Buff-breasted Sandpiper, mouth of Smith River, Del Norte Co., 24 August
1985.

154

Sketch by Alan D. Barron

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL Larus ridibundus (12). One adult was at the
Richmond inner harbor, CC. 23-24 Jan 1954 (HLC; 219-1986). An adult at the
Stockton sewage ponds, SJ, 10 Nov 1985-Mar 1986 (DGY; SFBt, JML. MJL,
GMcC, JM; 5-1986) returned for its eighth winter (see Roberson 1986 for dates of
previous occurrences; 20-1979, 2-1984, 84-1983, 43-1985).

The Richmond bird was the first for the state. Since the late 1970s, this species has
occurred almost annually in California.

SANDWICH TERN Sterna sandvicensis (1). One was seen in a nesting colony of
Elegant Terns (S. etegans) at San Diego Bay, SD, 12-14 Jun 1985 (REWt; GMcC;
9-1986). This was judged probably the same bird seen here in May 1981 and May-
Jun 1982, the only other occurrences of this species in California (Schaffner 1981:
80-1980, Luther et al. 1983; 58-1982, Morlan 1985).

RUDDY GROUND-DOVE Columbina talpacoti (2). A male was at Iron Mountain
Pump Station, SBE, 11 Oct-3 Nov 1984 (RMcKt; GMcC; 23-1985), and a female
was there one year later on 9 Oct 1985 (BWt; MMcC; 62-1986).

These are the first and second accepted records for California, and part of a
growing number of reports from the desert Southwest over the past five years.
Another report from September of 1 984 (record in circulation) would supersede the
first of these records and bring the total number of Ruddy Ground-Doves reported in
California to 20 through the fall of 1989. Crucial to understanding this increase in
sightings are reports north of this species’ known range in western Mexico — two
reports for the fall of 1982 in southern Sonora and twenty or more birds in northern
Sinaloa in the fall of 1984 (Witzeman 1985 and AmB 39:87). Previously, this species
had not been known north of southern Sinaloa despite the attention that these areas
have received, including a distributional survey of Sonora by van Rossem (1945) and
recent Christmas bird counts at Alamos, Sonora. These reports tie in with those from
southeastern California, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico. Big Bend, and the
lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and show a seasonal pattern of primarily fall and
winter occurrences. In addition, it appears that the west Mexican race, C. t. eluta, is
involved in most of these sightings. The male of eluta is paler and less richly colored
than the east Mexican (and Central American) race, rufipennis (Ridgway 1916).
Several of the males photographed in the Southwest, including the male at Iron
Mountain Pump Station, showed the characters of eluta. whereas only one. from Big
Bend, showed the characters of rufipennis.

The Committee does caution that Ruddy Ground-Doves are held in captivity,
though not in great numbers (J. Jennings, president of the American Federation of
Aviculture, in litt.), and the possibility exists that birds could be escaping and some
even mixing with natural vagrants. Since these reports are restricted to the desert
Southwest and fit a seasonal pattern, natural occurrence is strongly suggested. Other
species of American ground-doves have shown such long-range dispersal, sometimes
coupled with a range expansion. As noted by McCaskie (AmB 43:169), the Inca
Dove (C. inca ) underwent such an expansion beginning in the late 1800s in Arizona
and Texas, as documented by Phillips et al. (1964), Oberholser (1974), and Rea
(1983). In Texas at least, this expansion was preceded principally by fall and winter
occurrences. Indeed, the Inca Dove established itself along the Colorado River in
California only recently, between 1948 and 1970 (Monson and Phillips 1981). The
Common Ground-Dove (C. passerina) has also expanded its range in California
since at least 1944. when it was essentially restricted to the extreme southeastern
portion of the state, and has now established itself north to southern Santa Barbara
County (Spencer 1987).

Once again, however, observers are warned that not all sightings may involve wild
birds, and further study is required. The Committee previously rejected a record from
Fillmore. VEN. 24-26 Nov 1978 (31-1981, Binford 1985) on the basis of ques-

155

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

tionable natural occurrence; this bird was reported prior to the range expansion of
the last few years. The first of the current records was accepted by all but two
members — the first record to pass under a recent bylaws change allowing acceptance
of records with up to two votes questioning natural occurrence on the fourth round.
The second record was accepted by all but one member.

A lesson learned by the Committee in attempting to analyze these records was that
our knowledge about the status of birds in captivity is extremely limited. Efforts to
compile information on the status of this species in captivity failed to obtain good
estimates of the numbers held. Declared imports from 1968 to 1972 listed only one
Ruddy Ground-Dove (Banks 1970; Banks and Clapp 1972; Clapp and Banks
1973a, 1973b, 1974), and yet a series of books on pet doves (Delacour 1959,
1980; Gos 1989) claimed that the species is frequently imported from Mexico and
South America to the United States. However, this statement is repeated unchanged
by the same publisher for both authors and probably does not reflect the current
situation. The Committee has no way to substantiate this statement, but some
members suspect illegal importation occurs.

Regardless of the circumstances, this species presents a new identification problem
for California birders, who should now carefully study all ground-doves they en-
counter, especially in the northern deserts where the Common Ground-Dove is a
scarce vagrant. The male Ruddy Ground-Dove is quite richly colored, but the female
could be confused with a Common Ground-Dove. The key points to look for on the
Ruddy Ground-Dove are the entirely dark bill, complete lack of scaling on head, neck
and breast, linear black marks on the scapulars, and black wing linings. These
features are diagnostic and were discussed along with other aspects of the identifi-
cation by Dunn and Garrett (1990).

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO Coccyzus erythropthalmus (7). One immature was
on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 18 Oct 1985 (PPt; 12-1986). This record is over
two weeks later than the next latest record for the state, and that record involved a
bird dead one to two weeks (Morlan 1985).

SNOWY OWL Nyctea scandiaca (38**). Two specimens were taken at Eureka,
HUM, 8 Dec 1896 (CM-EHS 644 and 678; 318-1986). A minimum of four were in
the coastal dunes near the Mad River estuary, HUM, 31 Jan-26 Mar 1967 (GMcC;
143-1986); these were the first Snowy Owls seen in California since the winter of
1916-17 (Harris and Yocum 1968). One was reportedly photographed, but the
photograph is not with the record. One was at Berkeley, ALA, 16 Feb 1974 (SFB;
221-1986); this occurrence was part of the record invasion of Snowy Owls into
California during 1973-74 (AmB 28:685).

The Eureka specimens are the only evidence known to the Committee for reports
of this species from Humboldt County 'in flocks" during the winter of 1896-97,
when these and several other birds were reported in California (Grinnell and Miller
1944). The Committee does not count pre-1900 reports in the total number of
records.

*BARRED OWL Strix varia (4). One at Howland Hill near Crescent City, DN, 3-
12 May and 22 Dec 1985 (SFB, GSL; 224-1986} was judged the same bird first
found here 12 Mar 1982 and detected intermittently until recently (26-1982, Binford
1985; 28-1983, Morlan 1985). This species is now resident in this region of
California and has been removed from the Review List.

BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD Cynanthus Jatirostris (27) One immature
male was at Goleta, SBA, 16-25 Oct 1985 (JLDt, PEL, REWt; 168-1985).
Another male was at San Marcos Pass, near Santa Barbara, SBA, 3-5 Nov 1985
( J&GH ; LRBet; 169-1985). An adult male at Balboa Park, San Diego, SD, 1 Dec
1985-5 Jan 1986 (GMcC. REW; 23-1986) was considered the same bird first found

156

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

there in the winter of 1979-80 (43-1980, Binford 1983; 240-1980, 241-1980, 2-
1983, Binford 1985 — the last record was inadvertently published without a record
number but the bird was reported as present 18 Dec 1982-5 Jan 1983). An
immature male was at Coronado, SD, 11 Jan-28 Feb 1 986 (JML, MJL, GMcC. DR,
REW; 26-1986). Another immature male was at Goleta, SBA, 27 Jan-22 Feb 1986
(LRBet, JLDt. PEL; 74-1986).

RUBY- THROATED HUMMINGBIRD Archilochus colubris (2). An immature
male was captured, examined, and released on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 21-22
Aug 1985 (Figures 4 and 5; PPf; TPf; 179-1985). This represents the second
record for California.

Southeast Farallon Island biologists are to be commended for recognizing this bird
as unusual and taking careful notes and measurements. At the time, characters used
to distinguish this species from the Black-chinned Hummingbird (A. alexandri) were
culmen length, bright green upperparts, and a bright buffy wash with admixture of
green in the flanks. While useful, these characters are not proven to separate the two
species in all cases. Therefore, the descriptions and photographs were sent to
Louisiana State University for review by J. V. Remsen, Jr. and Nancy L. Newfield,
both of whom supported the identification and directed the Committee’s attention to
features of the primaries that were diagnostic for Ruby-throated but that were not
initially studied or described when the bird was in hand. The tenth (outer) primary
tapered evenly to a narrow, blunt tip, which is quite different from the comparatively
broad and strongly curved outer primary of the Black-chinned Hummingbird. This
feature, clearly visible in two photographs, the short culmen, the strongly sculptured
notches on the inner primaries, and the plumage features mentioned above, combine
to eliminate the Black-chinned. The heavily spotted throat and the distinct notches on
the inner primaries identify the bird as an immature male. Phillips (1975) first
discussed using the outer primaries to distinguish the Ruby-throated and Black-
chinned Hummingbirds. Baltosser (1987) quantified these characters in his compre-
hensive key to Archilochus and Calypte (in North America).

RED HEADED WOODPECKER Melanerpes erythrocephalus (2). One at Point
Saint George, DN, 9 Jun 1986 (JKgt; ADB, GSL, WER; 290-1986) established the
second accepted record for California. This bird exhibited two black bars in the
secondaries, indicating that it was one year old; the juvenal plumage of Red-headed
Woodpecker has barring in the secondaries and tertials, some of which may be
retained following its molt into first alternate plumage (Bent 1939).

THREE-TOED WOODPECKER Picoides tridactylus (1). One male at South Fork
Pine Creek, Warner Mountains, MOD, 2 Nov 1985 (JT; 146-1985) represents the
first record for California. A potential first state record is treated with great scrutiny
by the Committee, especially when it is only a sight record by one observer. In this
case, the record was accepted, following two circulations, by all but one member. The
extremely detailed description was convincing and overcame concerns that this
species is largely resident within its range, only occasionally showing irruptive fall
movements. The pattern and amount of white noted on the back suggest that the bird
was of the race fasciatus, which occurs in nearby southern Oregon. The nearest
report to this sighting is approximately 130 miles to the northwest and involves a
family group of three birds at Fourmile Lake along the east base of Mount
McLoughlin. Oregon (Gabrielson and Jewett 1940). Over most of its range in
western North America, the Three-toed Woodpecker inhabits forests of Engelmann
Spruce ( Picea engelmannii ) and Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiona), or forests
of Lodgepole Pine ( Pinus contorta ); of these, only Lodgepole Pine grows in the
Warner Mountains, and then only in small stands, confirming the likelihood that this
record represents only a vagrant. Details of this record along with distributional and
identification summaries were published by Trochet et al. (1988).

157

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

GREATER PEWEE Contopus pertinax (19). One was at Griffith Park. Los An-
geles, LA, 31 Dec 1967-10 Apr 1968 (GMcC; 124-1986). One was near Balboa
Park, San Diego, SD. 21 Dec 1985-26 Jan 1986 (REWt: JML, MJL, GMcC, JEP,
DR; 25-1986).

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER Empidonax flauiuentris (2), An immature
female present on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 27-28 Sep 1983 (KHa; 87-1986)
was found in weakened condition on the second day and later died. A detailed
analysis of the specimen (CAS 71430), the first for California, was published by
DeSante et al. (1985), This is the second record for the island and the state.

DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER Myiarchus tuherculifer (11). One was at
Goleta, SBA. 1 Dec 1985 (JLD, PEL; 75-1986).

GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER Myiarchus crinitus (17). One was at Point
Fermin, San Pedro, LA. 26 Sep 1970 (GSS, SW; 357-1986). One was at Montana
de Oro, SLO, 26-29 Sep 1984 (GPS; CM; 1-1985). One was at the Big Sur River
mouth, MTY, 30 Sep 1984 (RFF; 227-1984). One was at Southeast Farallon Island,
SF. 5 Sep 1985 (PPt: 186-1985). One was at Doheny State Beach, ORA, 30 Sep
1985 (DRWt; 84-1986).

The Farallon bird represents the earliest fall record for the state by two weeks, and
the Point Fermin bird record is the second for California.

THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD Tyrannus crassirostris (7). One was at Point Loma,
SD. 18-23 Oct 1967 (GMcC; 122-1986). The same adult returned to Peters
Canyon. Lemon Heights. ORA, 26 Nov 1983-3 Jan 1984 (KAH; 97-1986) and 26
Oct 1985-9 Mar 1986 (JML, MJL, GMcC, REW; 16-1986); apparently, this bird
was missed by observers during the intervening winter. This is considered the same
bird as first found wintering here 19 Dec 1982-9 Apr 1983 (previously accepted
110-1982, Morlan 1985).

SCISSO R-TAILED FLYCATCHER Tyrannus forficatus (38). One male was col-
lected by Roland H. Wauer at Furnace Creek, Death Valley NM, INY, 3 May 1962
(DVNMM 10896; 252-1986), Single birds were seen near Imperial Beach, SD, as
follows: 22 Feb-early Apr 1965 (GMcC; 114-1986), 21-23 Sep 1967 (GMcC; 118-
1986). 16 Oct 1968 (GMcC; 126-1986), and 3-6 Nov 1971 (GMcC; 140-1986).
One was at Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley NM, INY, 18 May-1 Jun 1975
(GMcC; 142-1986). One was at Oasis, MNO, 31 May 1977 (JVR; 258-1986). A
single female constructed and sat on a nest near Needles, SBE, 26 May-end of Jun
1979 (GMcC; 145-1986). Four years later at the same locality, what was probably
the same bird was again seen sitting on a nest, 19 Apr to at least 14 May 1983
(SFB|, EACt; 227-1986). One was at the Prado Basin near Corona, RIV, 6 Jan-3
Feb 1980 (JLD, PEL; 239-1986); a photograph of this bird was published (AmB
34:307). One was at Triangle Park, Big Pine, INY, 31 Jul 1985 (MCS; 99-1985).
One was near Lompoc, SBA, 6 Sep-13 Oct 1985 (LRBe, JLDt, PELt; 170-1985).
One was on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 30 Sep 1985 (MM; 185-1985). One was
at the Smith River estuary, DN, 5-6 May 1986 (RAE; GSL; 285-1986). One was at
San Diego, SD, 13-17 Jun 1986 (MFt, JF; 371-1986). One was near Imperial
Beach, SD, 17 Aug-19 Oct 1986 (GMcC; BBr ; 377-1986).

The first nest built and attended by the female at Needles was reported to contain
five eggs (AmB 33:806), but these were apparently abandoned (AmB 33:897-898).
In both nesting attempts, the bird was presumed mated to a Western Kingbird (T.
vertical is). These are the only occurrences of nesting by Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in
California.

SEDGE WREN Cistothorus platensis (2). One was found singing at Little Shasta
Valley, SIS, 8 Jun-4 Jul 1986 (Figures 6-8; REkt ; HClf, SEF, KLH, JML [voice

158

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

recording], MJL, GMcC, JM, DR, DGY; 263-1986). This is only the second record
for California.

VEF.RY Catharus fuscescens (6). One adult was captured and banded on South-
east Farallon Island, SF, 26-29 Sep 1985 (PPt; 184-1985). One was at Deep
Springs, INY, 17 May 1986 (TME; BSc, JML, MJL, CM; 264-1986).

The observer of the Farallon bird suggested that it was from western populations of
the Veery, C. /. saiicicoia (AmB 40:331), an opinion based on experience with the
nominate race of eastern North America. Most Committee members, however,
cautioned against making any subspecific identification. The distinction between the
races is based on differences in color tone to the upperparts and, especially,
patterning on the underparts, but these differences are best determined when
individuals of both subspecies can be compared side by side.

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH Catharus minimus (4). One was trapped and banded
on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 10 Oct 1979 (RPHt; 10-1981).

RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN Turdus rufopalliatus (5). One was at Saratoga
Springs, Death Valley NM, SBE, 19 Nov 1974 (MA; 235-1986). This is the second
record for California.

GRAY CATBIRD Dumetella carolinensis (24). One landed on a boat 15 miles off
Oceanside, SD, 26 Oct 1983 (MWGt; 100-1987). One female (with brood patch)
was banded on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 24 Jun 1985 (JPt; 180-1986).

YELLOW WAGTAIL MotaciHa flava (6). One immature was at Abbotts Lagoon,
Point Reyes NS, MRN, 12-13 Sep 1985 (ALEt; RAE; 159-1985). This record falls
in the middle of the narrow 12-day span of dates over which this species has occurred
in California, 7-19 Sep.

BLACK-BACKED WAGTAIL MotaciHa lugens (3). One was seen in flight at close
range near the Mad River estuary, HUM, 13 May 1985 (RLeV; 247-1986).

One member voted to accept this as only identifiable to White (M. alba)/ Black-
backed wagtail, feeling that the observation was too brief for careful checking of the
wing pattern. Other members, while expressing some reservations, endorsed the
record as this species because the flight feathers were described as being mostly
white, which, along with other characters distinguishes, this species from the White
Wagtail.

RED-THROATED PIPIT Anthus ceruinus (32). One was near Imperial Beach,
SD, 6-11 Oct 1985 (GMcC; 65-1986). More Red-throated Pipits have been seen in
this area than anywhere else in California.

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO Vireo flavifrons (22). One male was collected by
Bruce P. Paige at Wildrose Campground, Death Valley NM, INY, 7 May 1963
(DVNMM 10904; 251-1986) and published by McCaskie (1968) as the first record
for California. One was seen and heard singing at Fort Piute, SBE, 30 May 1979
(GMcC; 144-1986). One was at Los Osos, SLO, 14-19 Apr 1985 (JTH, KAH; 103-
1985). One was at Huntington Beach, ORA, 26-28 Sep 1985 (JRGt; 68-1986).
One was at Santa Barbara, SBA, 1 Oct 1985 (HR; 171-1985), One was at Point
Loma, SD, 13-20 Nov 1985 (CM, GMcC, REWf; 2-1986).

PHILADELPHIA VIREO Vireo phiiadelphicus (51) One was near Imperial Beach,
SD, 4-11 Oct 1970 (GMcC; 135-1986). One was at Pismo State Beach, Oceano,
SLO, 1 7 Sep 1985 (JAJ; 78-1986). One was at Bodega Bay, SON, 23 Sep 1985
(BDP; 119-1985).

YELLOW-GREEN VIREO Vireo flauoviridis (13). One was at Dana Point, ORA,
22-27 Sep 1964 (GMcC; 110-1986). One was near Imperial Beach, SD, 23 Sep

159

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

1967 (GMcC; 119-1986). One was on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 19 Oct 1982
(RPHf ; 107-1987). One was at Point Loma, SD, 16-18 Sep 1983 (BEDa; 296-
1986). One was on the Oxnard plain, VEN, 3-4 Oct 1983 (JLD, PEL; 76-1986).
One was at Stinson Beach, MRN, 27-30 Oct 1985 (JM; 172-1986).

The Dana Point bird represents the second record for California (McCaskie 1968),
but an earlier report of one collected near Riverside, 1 Oct 1887 (Price 1888) has not
yet been reviewed by the Committee, as the specimen has not been located.

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER Vermivora pinus (5). One was seen near Imperial
Beach, SD, 26 Sep 1964 (GMcC; 112-1986) for the second accepted record in
California (one earlier report has not been reviewed yet); Roberson (1980) published
the incorrect date of 25 Sep. One was at California City, KER, 25 May 1986 (JWi;
231-1986); this record is not previously published.

YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER Dendroica dominica (43). One male was at
Corn Springs, R1V, 25 Apr 1981 (ASf; 259-1986). One was seen and heard singing
at Berkeley, ALA, 14 May 1985 (JCT; 48-1985); this is previously unpublished One
singing bird was at Point Reyes NS, MRN, 12 Jun 1985 (MCM; 147-1985); this also
is previously unpublished. One was at Point Loma, SD, 12 Oct 1985 (REW; 10-
1986).

The Corn Springs bird, a color photo of which appears in Clarke (1989), showed
characters of the race albilora, while the other records were suggestive of that race
or undetermined. This subspecies, typically white-lored and white-chinned, is the
race most frequently found in California.

GRACE’S WARBLER Dendroica graciae (16). One adult was at Ventura, VEN,
23 Oct 1985-1 Feb 1986 (JLD, GMcC, REW; 22-1986) and regarded as spending
its second winter here (previously accepted 6-1985, Dunn 1988). A male returning
for its seventh winter was at Montecito, SBA, 1 9 Oct 1985-21 Feb 1986 (PEL, JLD;
77-1986); this is the same bird as previously accepted (114-1984, Roberson 1986;
3-1985, 221-1984, Dunn 1988). Another bird, possibly a female, only a few blocks
away in Montecito, SBA, 10 Nov 1985-21 Feb 1986 (PEL. GMcC. REW; 20-1986)
was spending its second winter there (previous record 5-1985, Dunn 1988). One
singing male was at Clark Mountain, SBE, 23-25 May 1986 (PDG, HAG; DCR,
JWh, PR, SEF; 327-1986). This record was reported as involving at least two males
(AunB 40:525), but observations on the later date showed that one male was covering
a large territory.

PINE WARBLER Dendroica pinus (14). An immature male collected at Imperial
Beach, SD, 22 Oct 1966 (GMcC; SDNHM 36049; 15-1985) is the first record for
California. A singing male was photographed and its voice was recorded (recording
to CAS) at the Clear Creek Outdoor Education Center in the Angeles NF, 10 miles
north of La Canada, LA, 7 Apr 1984 (HPt; 249-1984); this record is previously
unpublished and is the first for LA. One was at Coronado, SD, 15 Dec 1984-9 Mar
1985 (JLD, JML, MJL, GMcC, REW+; 11-1985); this was published as a female, but
the descriptions indicate that it was probably an immature male. One was at Long
Beach, LA. 1 Jan-8 Mar 1986 (JLD, KLG, JML, MJL, CM. GMcC, REWt; 24-
1986).

CERULEAN WARBLER Dendroica cerulea (9). An immature male was at
Cambria, SLO, 13-15 Oct 1985 (GPS, JTH, KAH ; JLD, TME, CM; 161-1985).

This bird was initially identified as an aberrant Black-throated Gray Warbler (D.
nigrescens). The cautious observer should keep in mind the possibility of mistaking a
Black-throated Gray, especially immatures, for Cerulean. Confusion with dull
Blackburnian Warbler (D. fuscescens ) in autumn has been a problem as well (see
Lehman 1987).

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CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

*PROTHONOTARY WARBLER Protonotaria citrea (51). One male was at Point
Loma, SD, 27 Sep 1969 (GMcC; 130-1986). One was at Doheny State Beach,
ORA, 8-11 Oct 1981 (BSc; 256-1986). A male was at Furnace Creek Ranch, Death
Valley NM, I NY, 26 May 1984 (JLA; 236-1986). One was at Furnace Creek Ranch,
Death Valley NM, 1NY, 20 Oct 1984 (GMcC; 232-1986). One was at Carpinteria,
SBA, 2-18 Sep 1985 (LRBa; JML; 150-1985), and another was there 15-21 Sep
1985 (LRBa: 149-1985). One male was at Cambria, SLO, 13-19 Oct 1985 (TME;
JLD. CM, GPS; 3-1986). One was at Inglewood, LA, 18 Oct 1985 (LMcC, NMcC;
79-1986) One male at Pismo State Beach, Oceano, SLO, 27 Oct 1985 (J&AC;
255-1987) is previously unpublished. One was at Smith River, DN, 17-24 Nov 1985
(GSL, ADB; RAE, LPL; 164-1985).

WORM-EATING WARBLER Helmitheros vermiuorus (32), A female collected on
Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 5 Jul 1965 (SFSU, now CAS 84320; 272-1986) is the
second record for California (Tenaza 1967). One was on the Otay Mesa, SD, 12 Sep
1971 (GMcC; 138-1986). One was at Point Loma, SD, 16 Sep 1984 (BF; REW;
238-1984), One was at Goleta, SBA, 21-22 Aug 1985 (TEW; 172-1985).

KENTUCKY WARBLER Oporomis formosus (23). One was at Lincoln Park in
San Francisco, SF, 16 May 1981 (ASH; 255-1986). One was at Montana de Oro
State Park, SLO, 27 Oct 1983 (GPS; 40-1984). One was clearly heard singing but
only briefly glimpsed at the Yurok Experimental Forest, Klamath, DN, 19-20 May
1985 (RAE; 96-1985), One was at Iron Mountain Pumping Station, SBE, 22 May
1985 (BH; 108-1985). One male was at Carpinteria, SBA, 22-23 Aug 1985
(LRBe; 82-1986), a rather early fall date. One was at Oasis, MNO, 15 Sep 1985
(AME; 80-1986). A male was at the old Eureka airport willows near Fairhaven,
HUM, 11 Jun 1986 (GSL; 289-1986).

CONNECTICUT WARBLER Oporomis agilis (29). One immature collected near
Imperial Beach, SD, 27 Sep 1963 (GMcC; SDNHM 30776; 16-1985) represents
the second state record (McCaskie 1970). The following single birds were caught and
banded on Southeast Farallon Island, SF: 23-29 Sep 1974 (DDeSt; 81-1978); 23
Sep 1974 (DDeSt; 174-1986), when another was seen only (DDeS; 175-1986); 10
Oct 1982 (RPHt; 114-1987); 25 Sep 1983 (GSM; KHat; 208-1987); 20 Sep 1984
(RPH; PPt; 115-1987); 6-7 Sep 1985 (PP; 183-1985), reportedly photographed
but the photograph is not in Committee files; 6 Sep 1985 (PPt; 194-1985); and 1-
2 Oct 1985 (PPt; 14-1986). One was at Pismo State Beach, Oceano, SLO, 13-14
Oct 1985 (BSc; CM; 4-1986).

The two records from the first week of September are exceptionally early, being the
earliest fall records for California. Nearly all records of the Connecticut Warbler are
after mid-Sep and average slightly later than those of the Mourning Warbler in fall.

MOURNING WARBLER Oporomis Philadelphia (32). One immature female col-
lected on Point Loma, SD. 3 Oct 1968 (GMcC; SDNHM 36933; 13-1985)
constitutes the first record for California (McCaskie 1970); an earlier report, of a bird
collected in June of the same year from Deep Springs, INY, has not been accepted by
the Committee (decision will be published in a forthcoming report). One at Bolinas,
MRN, 16 Sep 1973 (DDeS; 179-1986) was not included in AmB. The following
birds were on Southeast Farallon Island, SF: one, seen only, 17-18 Sep 1974
(DDeS: 178-1986); three caught, banded, and each photographed 25 Sep 1974
(DDeSf; 82-1978, 37-1984, 176-1986); and one banded 26 Sep 1974 (DDeS;
177-1986). One was also on Southeast Farallon Island 20 Sep 1984 (PPt; RPHt;
119-1987). A male was at Mesquite Springs, Death Valley NM, INY, 25 May 1985
(JWh: 107-1985). One was banded on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 4 Sep 1985
(PPt: 182-1985). One was near Imperial Beach, SD, 21 Sep 1985 (GMcC; 66-
1986), One was at Goleta, SBA, 26 Sep 1985 (PEL; JLD, LRBe; 173-1985).

161

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Figure 4. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Southeast Farallon Island, San Francisco
Co., 21 August 1985.

Photo by Teya Penniman

Figure 5. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Southeast Farallon Island, San Francisco
Co., 21 August 1985 (note the shape of the primaries).

162

Photo by Teya Penniman

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Figure 6. Sedge Wren, Little Shasta Valley, Siskiyou Co., 23 June 1986.

Photo by Ray Ekstrom

Figure 7. Sedge Wren. Little Shasta Valley, Siskiyou Co., 28 June 1986.

Photo by Herbert Clarke

163

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

SCARLET TANAGER Piranga olivacea (40). A male was at Point Loma, SD, 14-
21 Oct 1967 (GMcC: 120-1986). One female was near Imperial Beach, SD. 4 Nov
1967 (GMcC: 123-1986). An immature male was banded on Point Loma, SD, 29
Oct 1968 (GMcC; 127-1986). A female was on Point Loma, SD, 7-17 Nov 1969
(GMcC; 131-1986). One female was at Scotty's Castle, Death Valley NM, 1NY, 23-
29 May 1970 (GMcC; 132-1986). A female was at Point Loma, SD, 12 Oct 1984
(REW, GMcC; 223-1984). An adult male was at Santa Barbara, SBA, 6-7 Oct 1985
(PWC; CM; 174-1985). An immature male was at Ventura, VEN, 27 Oct 1985 (JSR;
CM; 175-1985). One immature male was at Point Loma, SD, 13-16 Nov 1985
(REW; GMcC; 11-1986).

^NORTHERN CARDINAL Cardinalis cardinalis (3). An immature male was at
Earp (Wheel-er-ln trailer park), SBE, 4 Aug 1968 (GMcC; 216-1986), and a pair was
seen there 30 Apr 1977 (GMcC; 215-1986). Up to four were reported over a three-
year period along the Colorado River about 10 miles south of Earp at the Vidal Wash,
SB E/E IV, 23 Mar 1983 -28 Feb 1986 (JLD, EGr, BWK, JML, MJL, CM; 74-1985).
A small population is known to have existed in this area since 1946, when A. J. van
Rossem and Loye Miller, working on a report from Boris Krichesky, observed three
males, a female, and a nest five miles north of Earp on 7 May of that year (van
Rossem 1946; specimen of male 33414 in the Dickey Collection at UCLA). These
birds were identified as the race superba , which occurs in Arizona and part of New
Mexico south to the Mexican state of Sonora and which has undergone an expansion
of its range since the late nineteenth century, including establishment of a population
along the nearby Bill Williams River in Arizona (Phillips et al. 1964, Rea 1983). The
population has had a tenuous hold in California, and continued disturbance to the
brushy habitats bordering the Colorado River endangers its existence. The race
involved in the records reported here has not been determined. The race superba has
a longer tail and wing than the nominate race of eastern North America; males of
superba show little or no black crossing the forehead and have the crest as red as the
breast, whereas males of the nominate race show black across the forehead and have
a crest that is duller red than the breast (Ridgway 1901).

3 o j

u nAertak) ^ i * U.

Figure 8. Sedge Wren, Little Shasta Valley, Siskiyou, 8 June 1986.

Sketch by Ray Ekstrom

164

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Prior to van Rossem's observations, the Northern Cardinal was known in Califor-
nia since at least 1880 as an escape or introduction. Alden Miller (1928) summarized
these occurrences, including the establishment of the nominate race at El Monte, LA,
since 1923; the viability of that population has not been determined by the Com-
mittee, however. It should be noted that while these birds are of the eastern race,
several individuals of the race superba were released at Riverside (1914), Montebello
(1925). and Los Angeles (1930) by W. J. Sheffler (Michener and Michener 1938).

The Committee no longer reviews records of this species, and the total number
given above represents only records accepted in this report and the eighth report
(Morlan 1985). Information on introductions is still requested.

PYRRHULOXIA Cardinalis sinuatus (10). One female was east of Lancaster in
the Antelope Valley. LA. 7-10 May 1983 (JLD; KLG; 117-1983), One male was at
Encinitas. SD. 26-27 May 1983 (GMcC; 89-1986). Another male was at Cotton-
wood Springs. Joshua Tree NM, R1V. 1 Jun 1986 (GH; 372-1986).

While this species has exhibited a tendency for long-distance dispersal, the En-
cinitas bird is only the second record accepted for the coastal slope of California; all
others have been from desert areas, which are contiguous with similar habitats
occupied within the normal range of the species.

PAINTED BUNTING Passerina ciris (13). An immature was caught and banded at
Lanphere Dunes, HLJM, 12 Sep 1984 (JCS, KVRf; 78-1985). Single immatures
were found on Southeast Farallon Island, SF, as follows: 14 Sep 1984 (GW, EH;
122-1987) and 27 Sep-6 Oct 1984 (PP, RPH'h 123-1987). One male was near
Oasis, MNO. 23 May 1986 (PJM; DRt; 262-1986).

The Lanphere Dunes bird, the northernmost known for California, had a deformed
crossed bill causing several members to note the possibility of its having been caged.
However, the records of immatures from Southeast Farallon Island later the same
season supported a pattern of natural occurrence. The Oasis bird represents the first
accepted spring record for California and was possibly a one-year-old male, having
pale red underparts. This color, however, was not like that observed in some caged
male Painted Buntings, which show yellow to yellow-orange underparts.

CASSIN S SPARROW Aimophila cassinii (15). One was near the mouth of the
Little River. HUM. 29 May 1984 (KVR; 462-1986). Single birds were on Southeast
Farallon Island. SF. 1-3 Oct 1984 (PP; RPHt; 211-1987), 17-30 Sep 1985 (PPt;
181-1985). and 29 Sep-2 Oct 1985 (Figure 9; PPt; 180-1985). One was at Bolsa
Chica. ORA. 10-18 May 1986 (CM, DRW, GMcC; 268-1986).

The first of the Farallon birds in 1985 was quite rufous in comparison to the gray-
brown bird that arrived later. This coloration and the large bill initiated thoughts of
Bachman's Sparrow (A. aestivalis), which is normally found only in the southeastern
United States and is unrecorded in California. The correct identification was based on
the anchor-shaped black marks on the uppertail coverts, the moderate barred pattern
to the tail, lack of an orange tinge to the plumage or heavy streaks iri the back shown
by Bachman's, and the presence of pale tips to the outer tail feathers. Wolf (1977)
analyzed the genus Aimophila and discussed some of these characters; Kaufman
(1990) discussed the field identification of Cassin’s Sparrow.

‘‘SHARP-TAILED SPARROW Ammodramus caudacutus (30). One was at Morro
Bay. SLO. 12 Nov 1970 (RLeVt; 245-1986). One was near Palo Alto Baylands,
SCL. 22 Dec 1980 (EGu; 205-1986); this is considered the same as one of up to
three birds wintering there from 1980 to 1983 (record 32-1983, which now includes
two on 22 Nov 1980, a maximum of three 9 Jan-6 Feb 1982, and up to two 1 1 Oct
1982-1 Mar 1983: see Morlan [1985) for how the Committee previously handled
this record). One was at Morro Bay, SLO. 19 Nov-4 Dec 1983 (CM; 70-1986). One
at Bolinas Lagoon. MRN, 8 Dec 1985 (MJL; B&.MS; 160-1985) is not previously
published.

165

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Figure 9. Two Cassin’s Sparrows, Southeast Farallon Island, San Francisco Co., 29
September 1985.

Photo by Peter Pyle

Figure 10. Snow Bunting, Point Lobos State Reserve, Monterey Co., 27 October
1985.

Photo by Ronald L. Branson

166

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

SNOW BUNTING Plectrophenax nivalis (21). One was at Sacramento NWR,
GLE, 4 Nov 1961 (GMeC; 96-1986). One was at Southeast Farallon Island, SF, 30
Oct 1982 (PP; 125-1987). One at Point Lobos State Reserve, MTY, 22 Oct-1 Nov
1985 (Figure 10; RLB+, DRt; 137-1985) was published by Morlan and Erickson
(1988). One was near Lake Talawa, DN, 14 Nov-3 Dec 1985 (ADB, RAE; 163-

19 85 ) .

The Point Lobos record is the southernmost for the coast of California.

COMMON GRACKLE Quiscaius quiscuia (13). One at Deep Springs, INY, 10-
12 Jun 1986 (BSa; 374-1986) showed the characteristics of the Bronzed Crackle,
Q. q. versicolor , the only race known to have occurred in California.

BRAMBLING Fringilla montifringilla (3). One was at Areata Marsh, HUM, 20
Nov 1985 (JMH; 293-1986). One was at Chico, BUT, 1 1-19 Feb 1986 (RK+; 265-

1986) , Both of these records were published by Morlan and Erickson (1988).

These are the second and third records of this Palearctic finch for the state. The

Areata bird was described as having black flecking in the face, which indicates that it
was probably a male, whereas the Chico bird showed a rather plain gray face, which
is more typical of females.

COMMON REDPOLL Carduelis flammea (3). A flock of up to twenty-four was at
Tule Lake NWR, SIS, 29 Dec 1985-11 Jan 1986 (Figure 11; ADB; LRBet, JLDt,
RAE, MJL, CM, GMcC, DR, JTt; 8-1986). A separate flock of thirty was at Lower
Klamath NWR, SIS, 20 Jan-2 Mar 1986 (SFB, LCB, JML, JM ; 63-1986), These are
the second and third accepted records for the state, although one previous record is
still in circulation. The first record, in 1899, was also of a flock in this same region of
California (Roberson 1986).

Figure 11. Common Redpoll, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Siskiyou Co., 31
December 1985.

Photo by Louis Bevier
167

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Careful study of the flocks revealed females, immatures, and adult males, which
showed streaked rumps and undertail coverts. These characters are important in
distinguishing the Common Redpoll from the Hoary Redpoll (C. hornemanni), which
is unrecorded in California but has occurred south to Oregon. In autumn, both
species of redpoll are in fresh plumage and appear paler than in late spring and
summer when the plumage is worn. This is due to the wide pale edges of the fresh
feathers; thus, late autumn is when Common Redpolls, especially adult males
showing rather whitish rumps, are confusingly similar to Hoary Redpolls. By contrast,
immature and adult female Hoary Redpolls (especially the circumpolar subspecies
exiiipes) show moderate streaking when these pale edges are worn away and their
appearance becomes more similar to Common Redpoll (Molau 1985). The identifi-
cation of these intermediate birds has been variously interpreted, some considering
them examples of hybrids or part of a continuum of one species (Troy 1985), others
of two species with complex, overlapping plumages (Knox 1988, Molau 1985). It
should be noted that the nominate race of Hoary Redpoll, which breeds only on
Ellesmere and Baffin islands and in northern Greenland, is quite distinct, being larger
and paler than the circumpolar exiiipes. Recently, the AOU Committee on Classifi-
cation and Nomenclature rejected a proposal to merge these taxa (AOU 1989). A
cautious approach to the identification is urged. Observers should pay special
attention to the bill shape (comparatively short and deep in Hoary), and the pattern of
streaks on the rump, undertail coverts, and flanks (faint and narrow streaking or none
at all in Hoary, depending on age, sex, and race).

UNACCEPTED RECORDS, identification questionable

YELLOW-BILLED LOON Gauia adamsii. One at Bodega Bay, SON, 18 Jan
1971 (92-1985). One at Lake El Estero, Monterey, MTY, 11 Apr 1986 (253-1986).
The Bodega Bay report was published by Bolander and Parmeter (1978) with the
date 17 Jan 1971. A majority of the members felt that the description did not
eliminate Common Loon and that it failed to point out key features such as culmen
color and the post-auricular spot characteristic of Yellow-billed Loon. Identification of
this species is treated by Binford and Remsen (1974) and Appleby et al (1986).

*COOK'S PETREL Pterodroma cookii. One 10 miles west of Southeast Farallon
Island, SF, 30 Jun 1985 (27-1986).

BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY Sula nebouxii. One at Moss Landing, MTY, 8 Oct
1984 (45-1987). Most members felt that this bird was a booby but that the Red-
footed Booby (S. sula) was not eliminated. In fact, some aspects of the description
seemed to indicate Red-footed — entirely dark wings and upperparts apparently
lacking any white mottling. Since this record circulated following the fall of 1987
when several Red-footed Boobies were seen in California (records in review; see
AmB 42.128, 135), the Committee was very cautious about this possibility.

WHOOPER SWAN Cpgnus cygnus. Two at Pescadero Beach, SM, 20 Nov 1985
(170-1986). These birds were felt by many to be immature Tundra Swans (two were
seen at the same locality). In addition, the details were insufficient to make a positive
determination.

MISSISSIPPI KITE Ictinia mississippiensts. One at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir,
Yosemite NP, TUO, 27 Jun 1983 (50-1984). A majority (6-4) of the Committee
accepted this report on its final round, but the others noted that the description did
not correctly match any known plumage for this species. In addition, the bird was
heard giving “a long, clear, dying whistle/' a call for this species that was unfamiliar to
any member. It may well have been a Mississippi Kite, but the details were not quite
convincing. This would have been the first record for the Sierra Nevada.

168

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

UNACCEPTED RECORDS, identification questionable (Cont.)

COMMON BLACK-HAWK Buteogallus anthracinus. One at Barker’s Dam,
Joshua Tree NM, SBE, 23 Apr 1985 (110-1985).

This report was published (AmB 39:350), The brief and inconclusive description
from only one of the observers and the extraordinary rarity of the species in
California was the primary reason for the Committee preferring to leave this bird as
unidentified. An individual of this species was seen at Thousand Palms Oasis, RIV,
only ten days before this report (previously accepted 46-1985, Roberson 1986;
Daniels et al. 1989). That locality is approximately 20 miles to the southwest over the
Little San Bernardino Mountains, and the possibility that this was the same bird was
raised but not considered further by the Committee.

ZONE-TAILED HAWK Buteo albonotatus. One at Big Pine, INY, 10 Nov 1985
(86-1986). The Committee was almost unanimous in pointing out that other species
of dark Buteo were not eliminated, in particular the Rough-legged Hawk ( B . lagopus),
which would have been a likely species at this locality in late autumn.

YELLOW RAIL Coturnicops noveboracensis. One at Coyote Hills Regional Park,
ALA, 11 Nov 1973 (196-1986). One at Pescadero Beach, SM, 14 Apr 1986 (282-
1986).

COMMON RINGED PLOVER Charadrius hiaticula. One at Southeast Farallon
Island, SF, 12-14 Sep 1985 (13-1986).

The Committee and the observer, after circulation had already begun, were
unanimous in the opinion that this was a juvenal-plumaged Sernipalmated Plover (C.
semipalmatus). The bird demonstrated some of the potential identification problems
involved with this species pair. The extent of webbing between the middle and inner
toes was clearly seen and seemed intermediate between that in the Sernipalmated
and that in the Common Ringed, which lacks this web or has only a minute one. This
character and the call note — a mellow, rising whistle in Common Ringed — are the
only features known to separate the two species in non-breeding plumages. Although
other minor differences may distinguish the two on occasion, validation of any
claimed Common Ringed Plover in California will require extensive documentation,
including a careful description or recording of the call, details of the webbing between
the toes, and plumage characters (for example, the face pattern, which is especially
useful on alternate-plumage males).

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER Tryngites subruficollis. One at Jacoby Creek,
Humboldt Bay, HUM, 25 Aug 1970 (243-1986).

COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL Larus ridibundus. One at Oakland, ALA, 4
Jan 1956 (220-1986). This report was published (McCaskie et al. 1979). The details
obtained for this old report were insufficient to support the identification, but most
members felt that it was probably correct.

MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD Eugenes fuigens. One at Ridgecrest, KER, 24
Apr 1984 (253-1984). A potential first state record, the majority (6-4) of the
Committee accepted the report on its final round, and even more agreed that the
description fit a male Magnificent Hummingbird. The bird was seen briefly at close
range by a single person, apparently without binoculars, and was not described in
detail. In the opinion of those not accepting this record, these circumstances were
too tenuous to establish firmly a first state record. Further, it was pointed out that
there are no verified lowland records for this species in Arizona (Monson and Phillips
1981), the species being found only at higher elevations in pine-oak woodland.
There is one lowland report for Texas, of a male at San Antonio, 24-26 May 1959
(Oberholser 1974), and one for northeastern Kansas, Linn County (AOU 1983);

169

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

UNACCEPTED RECORDS, identification questionable (Cont.)

both are only sight records, however. Other extralimital records are from mountain
areas in summer or fall, which is not surprising, since many species of hummingbird
tend to migrate at higher elevation in fall. Since this species strays northward to the
mountains of Colorado and Utah, a verified record for California is anticipated. This
report from Ridgecrest was published (AmB 38:961).

The Magnificent Hummingbird has been reported previously three times from
California as follows: an unreviewed report of a bird collected at San Gorgonio Pass,
RIV, 15 Jul 1899 (Loomis 1902), and two reports for which the identification was
not accepted (see Luther et al. 1979 and 1983). Grinnell and Miller (1944) included
the San Gorgonio Pass bird on their supplementary list only, citing some doubt that
the bird was actually collected in California (the specimen was 17394 at CAS but was
destroyed by fire following the San Francisco earthquake in 1906).

GREEN KINGFISHER Chloroceryle americana. One at Tennessee Cove, MRN,
10-13 Sep 1986 (368-1986). The Committee unanimously agreed that the docu-
mentation did not support the identification Additionally, the probability of this
species reaching coastal northern California was felt to be exceedingly small. The
Green Kingfisher has demonstrated only a slight tendency for vagrancy and is
unrecorded from California, although Grinnell and Miller (1944) cited two reports in
their supplementary list: one by Elliott Coues, who claimed to have observed it at
several points along the Colorado River from Fort Mojave to Fort Yuma in 1865, and
another at Poway, SD, a report they thought likely a misidentification (neither has
been submitted to the Committee).

PHILADELPHIA VIREO Vireo philadelphicus. One at Arroyo Grande, SLO, 22
May 1982 (52-1982). One at Carpinteria, SBA, 15 Nov 1986 (47T1986). The
Arroyo Grande report was previously accepted (Morlan 1985) but was reviewed
again in light of the scarcity of spring records from the coast. A majority is required to
overturn a previous acceptance.

YELLOW-GREEN VIREO Vireo flavoviridis. One at the Carmel River mouth,
MTY, 2 Sep 1985 (28-1986).

KENTUCKY WARBLER Oporornis formosus. One at the Carmel River mouth,
MTY, 2 Sep 1 985 ( 1 45- 1985).

COMMON GRACKLE Quiscalus quiscula. One at Furnace Creek Ranch, Death
Valley NM, [NY, 9 Oct 1979 (288-1986). This bird was not seen well enough for the
observer to describe the back color or to reconfirm characters. The Great-tailed
Grackle (Q. mexicanus) had already established itself at this locality, and many
members felt that the chance of error was high given the brevity of the sighting. The
Bronzed Grackle (Q. q. versicolor), which shows a contrasting, bronzy back color, is
the only subspecies of Common Grackle known to occur in California.

COMMON REDPOLL Carduelis flarnmea. A flock of seven along the Shasta
River near Edgewood, SIS, 21 Dec 1985 (206-1986). Although this sighting
occurred immediately previous to other redpolls just to the northeast of this locality
(see Accepted Records), the documentation failed to eliminate several other possible
species, notably Cassin's Finch ( Carpodacus cassinii).

UNACCEPTED RECORDS, natural occurrence questionable
(identification accepted)

BARNACLE GOOSE Branta leucopsis. One was at Lower Klamath NWR, SIS,
18 Nov 1984 and 5-17 Apr 1985 (185-1986). A photograph was reportedly taken

170

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

UNACCEPTED RECORDS, natural occurrence questionable
(identification accepted} (Cont.)

but is not with the record; the Committee would like to include this photograph with
the file and requests that anyone having a photograph documenting this record
contact the Secretary. A Barnacle Goose reported near Colusa, COL, 7-10 Dec
1984 and later near Modesto, STA, 12-21 Dec 1984 were presumed to involve the
same individual as the Klamath bird (AmB 39:345), but the Committee did not review
details of these sightings. A Barnacle Goose, presumably the same bird again, was
reported in nearby southern Oregon shortly after the last sighting in California, but
again no details have been reviewed. We would appreciate anyone having notes on
these reports sending them to the Secretary.

The Klamath bird associated with a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser
albifrons) and a few Cackling Canada Geese (. B . canadensis minima ) and was not
considered tame. Nevertheless, the Committee unanimously agreed that Barnacle
Goose is not a reasonable candidate for vagrancy to western North America and
chose not to admit this species to the state list.

The Barnacle Goose's normal wintering grounds are on coastal bluffs and islands
of northern Great Britain and Ireland, with a separate group wintering in the
Netherlands. While a dislocation of this distance is not unprecedented (see the report
of an Aleutian Tern in Great Britain, Dixey 1981), it is highly unlikely and is made
even more suspect by the popularity of this species with aviculturalists, who com-
monly raise this goose in captivity, from which it frequently escapes. These escapes
are capable of long-distance dispersal, often flocking with other geese, especially the
Canada Goose. Barnacle Geese have been reported across North America, and
mated pairs of Canada and Barnacle Goose are seen occasionally. An interesting
case of this involved a Barnacle Goose mated with a Richardson’s Canada Goose (B.
c, hutchinsii ) and seen with two hybrid offspring in Connecticut from 22 Nov 1984
to 10 Jan 1985 (Szantyr 1985). Since Richardson’s Goose breeds along the eastern
coastline of the District of Keewatin and western Baffin Island in the Northwest
Territories, this pair probably migrated at least 2,000 miles together each direction.
This Barnacle Goose was presumed to be an escaped bird now traveling with Canada
Geese, much as the California bird did. A Barnacle Goose seen at Palmer, Alaska
(near Anchorage), 22 Apr-12 May 1985 (AmB 39:338), only five days after the
California bird was last seen, was widely presumed to be the same individual because
Cackling Geese are known to migrate to Alaska non-stop from the Klamath Basin in
about 40 hours (M. J. Lippsmeyer in lift.). However, the date that the Barnacle
Goose was last seen in Oregon is unknown, and if later than the Alaska individual,
then obviously a different was bird was involved.

The Barnacle Goose has occurred naturally in North America, as demonstrated by
a pair shot in the late fall of 1981 on the northeast coast of Newfoundland, the male
banded in Spitsbergen, a Norwegian archipelago about 360 miles north of mainland
Norway (Montevecchi and Wells 1984). On the other hand, Ryff (1984) argued
against the natural occurrence of most North American birds, referring especially to
the numbers held in captivity and the tendency for this species to migrate strictly
between Greenland and western Europe. A point missed by Ryff and favoring the
potential for vagrancy to North America was that another species of goose follows a
similar migration route and yet does stray to this continent. The race of Greater
White-fronted Goose (A. a. flauirostris) that breeds in western Greenland and win-
ters in Great Britain and Ireland is a rare but regular visitor to the northeast states and
provinces. Another trans-Atlantic migrant that winters in the same areas as the
Barnacle Goose is the subspecies of the Brant, B. bernicla hrota, that breeds on
Canadian arctic islands. While this subspecies winters primarily on the east coast of
North America, a portion of the population regularly migrates to Ireland for the

171

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

UNACCEPTED RECORDS, natural occurrence questionable
(identification accepted) (Cont.)

winter (Cramp and Simmons 1977), thus offering a group of birds that could lead a
Barnacle Goose to this continent. The western North American subspecies of the
Brant, B. b. nigricans , is also a regular but rare vagrant to western Europe and
another example of a goose that can successfully navigate the passage between the
two continents.

Although the California record is not accepted, it is still important to document
records of Barnacle Goose because new information may change our view, but for
now. the safest approach is to treat these birds as probable escapees.

"‘NORTHERN CARDINAL Cardinalis cardinalis. An adult male was near Imperial
Beach, SD, 13-14 Oct 1962 (217-1986). Reports of escaped Northern Cardinals
are not infrequent, and the reader is referred to the account for this species under
Accepted Records for more information.

CORRIGENDA TO TENTH REPORT (Dunn 1988)

Under Accepted Records: Record 94-1985 (Spotted Redshank) should indicate
the bird’s presence at Elk Creek in Crescent City harbor, 14 May 1985, and at the
mouth of Jordan Creek (not Elk Creek as published) on Lake Earl, 15 May. The
caption to figure 8 on page 147 (Scissor- tailed Flycatcher, record 56-1985) shows
the wrong date; the correct date is 26 May 1985 (not 2 May as published). Record
275-1984 (Gray Catbird) should indicate the year as 1984.

Under Unaccepted Records, Identification Questionable: Record 111-1985 (Yel-
low-billed Loon) has the locality misspelled; the birds were reported off Endert Beach
(not Erdent. Beach).

CONTRIBUTORS

Merle Archie, Brian W. Arnold, Jon L. Atwood, Stephen F. Bailey, Alan Baldridge,
Larry R. Ballard (LRBa), Ruben Balzer, Alan D. Barron. Bob Behrstock (BBe), Louis
R. Bevier (LRBe), Laurence C. Binford, Jeff Boyd, Bob Bradley (BBr), Ronald L.
Branson, Julia A. Breitenstein, N. Bruce Broadbrooks, Courtney Buechert, Kurt F.
Campbell, Eugene A. Cardiff, Ronnie A. Clark. Herbert Clarke (HC1), Howard L.
Cogswell, G. R. Coles, Paul W. Collins, Peggy & Michael Craig, Tim Crisler, Janet &
Art Cupples, F. Rigdon Currie, Brian E. Daniels (BEDa), Becky DeMonte, David
DeSante, Bruce E. Deuel (BEDe), Jon L. Dunn, Tom M, Edell, Arthur L. Edwards,
Alan M. Eisner, Ray Ekstrom (REk), Lee Elias, Richard A. Erickson, Janet Fader,
Mack Fader. Shawneen E. Finnegan, Bob Florand, David A. Gaines, J. R. Gallagher,
Kimball L. Garrett, Ed Greaves (EGr), Helen A. Green. Paul D. Green, William E.
Grenfell, Jr., Mike W. Guest, Ed Gustafson (EGu), Kem L. Hainebach, Keith Hansen
(KHa), Richard R. Hansen, Joan & George Hardie, Stanley W. Harris, James T.
Havlena, Karen A, Havlena, Gjon Hazard, Matt Heindel, Steve Heinl (SHe), Bruce
Henderson, R. Philip Henderson, J. Mark Higley, Craig Himmelwright, Alan S.
Hopkins, Eric Horvath, Jerome A. Johnson, Thomas M. Johnson, Lars Jonsson,
Brian W. Keelan. James Kieran (JKr), Robbins King, Jeff Kingery (JKg). Theodore H.
Koundakjian. Charlott Langdon, Jeri M. Langham, Ron LeValley, Paul E. Lehman.
Gary S. Lester, Lauren P. Lester, Michael J. Lippsmeyer, John S. Luther, Bill
Manolis, Curtis Marantz, Roger Marlowe, Guy McCaskie, Lester McClung, Nora
McClung. John McCormick, Mike McCrary, John E. McDonald. T. McElroy, Chet
McGaugh, Robert McKernan, Nancy Menken, Peter J. Metropolus. Mark C. Miller,

172

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Joan Mills (JMi), Joseph Morlan, Michelle Morris, Robert E Munsey, Stephen J.
Myers, Philippe Nonet (PhN), Pamela Nonet (PaN), Larry Norris, Benjamin D.
Parmeter, John E. Parmeter, Susan Peaslee, Hill Penfold, Jay Penniman, Teya
Penniman, George Peyton (GPe), Robert L. Pitman, Gary Potter (GPo), Peter Pyle,
Hugh Ranson, J. Van Remsen, Jr., David C. Rice, Mike Robbins, Don Roberson,
Richard H. Rocco, William E. Rodstrum. Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Philip Rostron, Jim
S. Royer, Ruth A. Rudesill, George San Miguel, Barry Sauppe (BSa), Brad Schram
(BSc), Arnold Small, Gregory P. Smith, Marilyn C. Smith, Kevin T. Spencer, Paul F.
Springer, Rich Stallcup, John C. Sterling, Bob & Mary Anne Stewart, Nick Story,
Chris Stromsness, G. Shumway Suffel, Steve Summers, Phil Swan, Chris Tenney,
Alan K. Thomas, Jean C. Thomas, Robert F. Tintle, Gerald Tolman, John Trochet,
William Ure, Bill Wagner, George Wallace, Richard E. Webster, Shirley Wells, Jack
Whetstone (JWh), Peter White, Douglas R. Willick, John Wilson (JWi), Katherine
Wilson, Tom E. Wurster, David G. Yee.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The 166 contributors named above made this report possible, and the Committee
greatly appreciates their support. Those who submitted photographs are especially
thanked, and their contributions enhance this report. Critical analysis and advice, for
which the Committee is most grateful, was received from the late Peter Grant, John
Marchant, Ron Naveen, Nancy L. Newfield, and J. V. Remsen, Jr. Special thanks go
to Gary S. Lester and Richard E. Webster for examining and photographing
specimens. The following museum curators and collections managers provided
assistance with collections under their care: Stephen F. Bailey (CAS), George A.
Clark, Jr. (Connecticut State Museum of Natural History), Shirley Harding (DVNMM),
and Amadeo Rea (SDNHM). Many past Committee members voted on the records
contained in this report, but a large number of these were reviewed by Laurence C.
Binford, Benjamin D Parmeter, and Rich Stallcup. Finally, I thank my fellow
committee members for reviewing and improving this report. Those members, past
and present, are Stephen F. Bailey, Jon L. Dunn, Richard A. Erickson, Kimball L.
Garrett, Jeri M. Langham, Paul E. Lehman, Michael J. Lippsmeyer, Curtis Marantz,
R. Guy McCaskie, Joseph Morlan, Peter Pyle, and Don Roberson.

LITERATURE CITED

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Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C.

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1985. Thirty-fifth supplement to the American
Ornithologists Union Check-list of North American birds. Auk 102:680-686.

American Ornithologists Union, 1987. Thirty-sixth supplement to the American
Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American birds. Auk 104:591-596.

American Ornithologists' Union. 1989. Thirty-seventh supplement to the American
Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American birds. Auk 106:532-538.

Anthony, A. W. 1924, The raided rookeries of Laysan, a belated echo. Condor
26:33-34.

Appleby, R. H., Madge, S. C., Mullarney, K. 1986. Identification of divers in
immature and winter plumages. Br. Birds 79:365-391.

Baltosser, W. H. 1987. Age, species, and sex determination of four North American
hummingbirds. N. Am. Bird Bander 12:151-166.

173

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Banks, R. C. 1970. Birds imported in 1968. Special Science Report — Wildlife, No.
136. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Washington, D.C.

Banks, R. C., and Clapp, R. B. 1972. Birds imported in 1969. Special Science
Report — Wildlife, No. 148. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Washington, D.C.

Bent, A. C. 1939. Life histories of North American woodpeckers. U. S. Natl. Mus.
Bull. 174.

Binford, L. C. 1983. Sixth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W.
Birds 14:127-145.

Binford, L. C. 1985. Seventh report of the California Bird Records Committee. W.
Birds 16:29-48.

Binford. L. C., and Remsen, J. V. Jr. 1974. Identification of the Yellow-billed Loon
(■ Gauia adamsii), W. Birds 5:111-126.

Bolander, G. L.. and Parmeter, B. D. 1978. Birds of Sonoma County, California.
Benjamin D. Parmeter, 2500 Emerson St., Napa, CA 94558,

Clapp, R. B., and Banks, R. C. 1973a. Birds imported in 1970. Special Science
Report — Wildlife, No. 164. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Washington, D.C.

Clapp, R B., and Banks, R. C. 1973b. Birds imported in 1971. Special Science
Report — Wildlife, No. 170. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Washington, D.C.

Clapp, R. B., and Banks, R. C. 1974. Birds imported in 1972. Special Science
Report — Wildlife, No. 193. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Washington, D.C.

Clarke, H. 1989. An Introduction to Southern California Birds. Mountain Press,
Missoula, MT.

Cramp, S., and Simmons, K. E. L (eds.). 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe,
the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1.
Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, Great Britain.

Daniels, B. E,, Hays, L., Hays, D., Morlan, J., and Roberson, D. 1989. First record
of the Common Black-Hawk for California. W. Birds 20:11-18.

Dawson, W. L. 1922. A new breeding record for California. J. Mus. Comp. Ool.
2:31.

Delacour, J. 1959. Wild Pigeons and Doves. All Pets Books, WI

Delacour, J. 1980. Wild Pigeons and Doves. New ed. T. F. H. Pet Books. Neptune,
N.J.

DeSante, D. F,, Johnson, N. K., LeValley, R., and Henderson, R. P. 1985. Occur-
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Island, California. W. Birds 16:153-160.

Dixey, A. E., Ferguson, A., Heywood, R., and Taylor, A. R. 1981. Aleutian Tern:
New to the western Palearctic. Br. Birds 74:41 1-416.

Dunn, J. L. 1988. Tenth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds
19:129-163.

Dunn, J. L., and Garrett, K. L. 1990. Identification of Ruddy and Common Ground-
Doves. Birding 22:138-145.

Gabrielson. 1. N., and Jewett, S. G. 1940. Birds of Oregon. Oregon State University,
Corvallis.

Garrett, K., and Dunn, J. 1981. Birds of Southern California. Los Angeles Audubon
Soc., Los Angeles.

Gos, M. 1989. Doves. T. F. H, Pet Books, Neptune, N.J.

174

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Grinnell, J., and Miller, A. H. 1944. The distribution of the birds of California. Pac.
Coast Avifauna 27.

Harris, S. W., and Yocum, C. F. 1968. Records of Snowy Owls in California. Condor
70:392.

Hasegawa, H., and DeGange, A. R. 1982. The Short-tailed Albatross: Its status,
distribution and natural history. Am. Birds 36:806-814.

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Knox, A. G. 1988. The taxonomy of redpolls. Ardea 76:1-26.

Lehman, P. 1987. Immature Blackburnian and Cerulean Warblers: A cautionary
note. Birding 19:22-23.

Loomis, L. M. 1902. Rivoli's Hummingbird in California. Auk 19:83.

Luther, J., McCaskie, G., and Dunn, J. 1979. Third report of the California Bird
Records Committee. W. Birds 10:169-187.

Luther, J., McCaskie, G., and Dunn, J. 1983. Fifth report of the California Bird
Records Committee. W. Birds 14:1-16.

Marantz, C. 1986. The Birds of San Luis Obispo County, California: Their status and
distribution. Master’s thesis, Calif. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo.

McCaskie, R. G. 1968. Noteworthy records of vireos in California. Condor 70:186.

McCaskie. R. G. 1970. Occurrence of the eastern species of Oporornis and Wilsonia
in California. Condor 72:373.

McCaskie, R. G., DeBenedictis, P, Erickson, R., Morlan, J. 1979. Birds of Northern
California. Golden Gate Audubon Soc., Berkeley.

Michener. H.. and Michener, J. R. 1938. Rare birds at a Pasadena banding station.
Condor 40:38-40.

Miller. A. H. 1928. The status of the Cardinal in California. Condor 30:243-245.

Molau, U. 1985. Grasiskkomplexiet i Sverige [The Redpoll complex in Sweden]. Var
Fagelvarld 44:5-20.

Monson. G., and Phillips. A. R. 1981. Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona.
Univ. of Ariz. Press, Tucson.

Montevecchi, W. A., and Wells, J. 1984. Two new specimen records for insular
Newfoundland: Barnacle Goose and Tricolored Heron. Am. Birds 38:257-258.

Morlan, J. 1985. Eighth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds
16:105-122.

Morlan. J., and Erickson, R. A. 1983. A Eurasian Skylark at Point Reyes, California,
with notes on skylark identification and systematics. W. Birds 14:113-126.

Morlan, J., and Erickson, R. 1988. Supplement to the Birds of Northern California,
1988. Golden Gate Audubon Soc., Berkeley.

Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The Bird Life of Texas (E. B. Kincaid, Jr., ed.). Univ. of
Texas Press, Austin.

Phillips, A. R. 1975. Why neglect the difficult? W. Birds 6:69-86.

Phillips, A. R., Marshall. J., Monson, G. 1964. The Birds of Arizona. Univ. of Ariz.
Press, Tucson.

Price, W. W. 1888. Occurrence of Vireo flavoviridis at Riverside, California. Auk
5:210.

Rea, A. M. 1983. Once a River. Univ. of Ariz. Press, Tucson.

175

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS

Remsen, J. V., Jr., and Binford, L. C. 1975. Status of the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia
adamsii ) in the western United States and Mexico. W. Birds 6:7-20.

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ed. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

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pt. 1.

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pt. 7.

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CA.

Roberson, D. 1985. Monterey Birds. Monterey Peninsula Audubon Soc., Carmel,
CA.

Roberson, D. 1986. Ninth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W.
Birds 17:49-77.

Roberson. D. 1990. News from the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds
20:269-271.

Ryff, A. J. 1984. The long sea-flights: A precise tradition. Birding 16:146-154.
Schaffner, F.C. 1981. A Sandwich Tern in California. W. Birds 12:181-182.

Spencer, K, T. 1987. Range extension of the Common Ground-Dove into Santa
Barbara and Ventura counties, California. W. Birds 18:171-174.

Stallcup, R., Morlan, J., Roberson, D. 1988. First record of the Wedge-tailed
Shearwater in California. W. Birds 19:61-68.

Szantyr, M. S. 1985. A Barnacle Goose in Southbury, with comments about the
status of Barnacle Goose in North America. Conn. Warbler 5:16-18.

Tenaza, R. R. 1967. Recent records of land birds from South Farallon Island,
California. Condor 69:581.

Traylor, M. A. 1950. A record of the Short-tailed Albatross. Condor 52:90.

Trochet, J., Morlan, J., and Roberson, D. 1988. First record of the Three-toed
Woodpecker in California. W. Birds 19:109-115.

Troy, D. M. 1985. A phenetic analysis of the redpolls Carduelis flammea flammea
and C. hornemarmi exilipes. Auk 102:82-96.

Unitt, P. 1984. The birds of San Diego County. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. Memoir
13.

Van Rossem, A. J. 1945. A distributional survey of the birds of Sonora, Mexico. Occ.
Pap. Mus. Zool., Louisiana State Univ. 21.

Van Rossem, A. J. 1946. An isolated colony of the Arizona Cardinal in Arizona and
California. Condor 48:247-248.

Witzeman, J. 1985. Field observations [fall]. Cactus Wren 33:11.

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Monogr. 23.

Accepted 18 July 1990

176

NOTES

OBSERVATIONS ON ISLA GUADALUPE
IN NOVEMBER 1989

ERIC MELLINK and EDUARDO PALACIOS, Centro de Investigation Cientifica y
Education Superior de Ensenada, Baja California, P. O. Box 43844, San Diego,
California 92143-4844

Isla Guadalupe (29° N, 118° 17 W) is located off the west coast of Baja California,
Mexico. The history and status of its avifauna, as well as a brief description of the
island, have been given by Jehl and Everett (1985). Additional recent observations
have been reported by Dunlap (1988) and Oberbauer et al. (1989).

In this note we report on birds observed on and near Isla Guadalupe on 23
November 1989. Our time ashore lasted from 1000 to 1500 hours, during which we
traveled about 60 km (round trip) by car from Melpomene Cove, at the southern end
of the island, to the large barren area north of the remnant of the cypress forest, in
the high central region. En route we also visited Campamento Weste.

At the start of the trip air temperature was in the low 20s (°C) and the visibility was
several kilometers. By the time we arrived at the cypress forest, the temperature had
dropped several degrees and become cold, it was misty and windy, and visibility had
decreased to 100 meters.

An annotated list of birds observed is presented below:

Laysan Albatross ( Diomedea immutabilis). We saw four individuals roosting on a
barren rocky area at Melpomene Cove, while two were flying over. A breeding colony
was discovered in the same place in 1986 (Dunlap 1988) and discussed by Everett
(1988). This same colony was also reported on by Pitman (1988) and Oberbauer et
al. (1989). We assumed that the birds sitting on the ground were incubating but did
not attempt to confirm this because of possible disturbance.

Leach’s Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa). We saw several individuals flying
close to the ship at night, near the north end of the island. These storm-petrels are
regular breeders in the area, and their status was discussed by Jehl and Everett
(1985).

American Kestrel (Falco sparuerius). Several individuals, both females and males,
were seen along the road. This is a common species of the island (Jehl and Everett
1985).

Killdeer ( Charadrius uociferus). We saw two on the sandy beach of Campamento
Weste.

Ring-billed Gull ( Larus delawarensis). We saw a few flying between Isla Zapato and
Isla Toro off the south end of the main island, in a mixed flock with Western Gulls
(Larus occidentalis). These gulls were identified by their pale mantle, small size, and
ringed yellow bill. Jehl and Everett (1985) reported only two previous sight records,
one of them questionable.

Western Gull (Larus occidentalis ). This species is resident on the island (Jehl and
Everett 1985), but its abundance may be augmented by mainland birds during the
winter (W. T. Everett pers. comm.). We saw several between Isla Zapato and Isla
Toro.

White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica). We saw two individuals near Campamento
Pista, in the high central area, on rocky ground with some herbaceous cover. This
species has been collected only once on the island, on 10 June 1953 (Howell and
Cade 1953).

Western Birds 21:177-180, 1990

177

NOTES

1 18° 30 ' II8°I5'

178

NOTES

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). This is a common resident of the island (Jehl
and Everett 1985). We saw several near Campamento Pista, in rocky herbaceous
habitat.

Rock Wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus). Although this species is reportedly abundant
on the island (Jehl and Everett 1985), we saw only two individuals: one at
Campamento Punta Sur and one in a barren area north of the cypress forest.

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naeuiu s). We saw a male standing on small rocks at the side
of the road in a barren area between Campamento Pista and the cypress forest. The
only other record is of a male observed on 4 March 1886 (Bryant 1887).

Mockingbird ( Mimus polyglottos). This seems to be a rare species on the island
(Jehl and Everett 1985). We saw one individual in a eucalyptus tree at Campamento
Pista.

Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens ). This is a new species for the island. We saw a
male and a female near the small water pond (about 100 square meters) by
Campamento Pista.

European Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). Several at Campamento Pista, in a mixed
flock (about 15 individuals of each species) with Brown-headed Cowbirds ( Molothrus
ater).

Warbler [Dertdroica sp.). A Dendroica warbler of undetermined species in a eu-
calyptus tree at Campamento Pista.

White-crowned Sparrrow ( Zonotrichia leucophrys). One individual in a eucalyptus
tree at Campamento Pista. This is the second Guadalupe record for the species,
although it is probably regular in migration (Jehl and Everett 1985).

Guadalupe Dark-eyed Junco ( Junco hyemalis insularis). Two individuals in the
cypress forest.

Western Meadowlark ( Sturnella neglecta). One individual seen on a barbed wire
fence near Campamento Pista, and another heard in the old goat fence-trap,
approximately halfway between Melpomene Cove and Campamento Pista, on the
high central area. This species has not been recorded on the island since 22 March
1886 (Bryant 1887).

Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater). Several individuals at Campamento
Pista, mixed with the starlings. This species is new to the list of birds of the island.

House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). Several on a barbed wire fence near
Campamento Pista.

The locality at which we recorded the highest number of bird species was
Campamento Pista. This camp is inhabited by a marine in charge of the landing strip,
and includes a few huts and a garden with some eucalyptus trees and other
introduced plants. It also had, at the time of the visit, a water pond nearby. These two
facts likely contributed to the variety of birds at the site. Our observations add two
species to the island’s list of known birds, and include some not recorded since the
end of the last century and others considered rare.

Habitat destruction by goats and predation by feral cats have been important
factors in causing the extinction of some birds and decimation of the populations of
others (Howell and Cade 1954). We observed many goats (between 200 and 300
animals, in four herds) over the entire area, except near Melpomene Cove. The goats
were very wary, as a result of continuous, though low-intensity, hunting. We saw also
two packs of feral dogs (three and seven animals). These are said to be very
aggressive, and are surely another important factor of predation.

Figure 1. Isla Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico, showing localities visited on 23
November 1989.

NOTES

This trip would not have been possible without the kind support of the Armada de
Mexico and captain and marines of the Coast Guard ship Altamirano, who allowed
us to travel with them to and from the island, and transported us by car on our field
trip. We thank William T. Everett and Philip Unitt for their thorough review of this
paper.

LITERATURE CITED

Bryant, W. E. 1887. Additions to the ornithology of Guadalupe Island. Bull. Calif.
Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, 2:269-318.

Dunlap, E. 1988. Laysan Albatross nesting on Guadalupe Island. Mexico. Am. Birds
42:180-181.

Everett, W. T. 1988. Historic and present distribution of breeding marine birds of
Baja California’s Pacific coast. Proceedings of the 7th Marine Biology Sympo-
sium. pp. 97-106, La Paz, Baja California Sur. Southern California Ocean
Studies Consortium, California State University, Long Beach.

Howell, T. R., and Cade, T, J. 1954. The birds of Guadalupe Island in 1953. Condor
56:283-294.

Jehl, J. R., and Everett, W. T. 1985. History and status of the avifauna of Isla
Guadalupe, Mexico. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 20:313-336.

Oberbauer, T. A., Cibit, C.,, and Lichtwardt, E. 1989. Notes from Isla Guadalupe. W.
Birds 20:89-90.

Pitman, R. L. 1988. Laysan Albatross breeding in the eastern Pacific — and a
comment. Pac. Seabird Group Bull. 15:52.

Accepted 23 October 1990

180

NOTES

PEREGRINE FALCONS NESTING IN SAN DIEGO,
CALIFORNIA

MARK A. PAVELKA, 1148 Vista Del Playa, Orange, California 92665

Thirty-nine years after the last Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum ) nest was
documented in San Diego County, a pair has bred successfully on the Coronado Bay
Bridge. Peregrines originally numbered between 100 and 300 nesting pairs in California
with four to six pairs per year in San Diego County (Bond 1946, Cade et al. 1988). Prior
to 1948 active nests existed at Point Loma, La Jolla cliffs, San Pasqual, and Morro Hill
(collected eggs in the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology), San Onofre (Dixon
1906), Pala and Santa Margarita river estuary (Dixon 1917), Escondido (Sharp 1919),
and the nearby Los Coronados Islands (Howell 1910). In the 1950s, however. Peregrine
numbers plummeted primarily because of egg shell thinning caused by widespread use of
organochlorine pesticides, especially DDT (Hickey 1969, Ratcliffe 1980). The last
recorded sign of a breeding Peregrine in San Diego was a single egg collected from a
"sea wall” in 1950 (Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology). By 1970, the California
Peregrine population had been reduced by over 95% to only two known nesting pairs,
neither in San Diego (Herman 1971).

On 14 April 1989 I found a Peregrine Falcon nest under the eastern, or San Diego,
portion of the Coronado Bay Bridge, the bridge that crosses San Diego Bay and joins
San Diego with Coronado. After notifying California Department of Fish and Game and
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials of the discovery, I obtained permission from the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to be escorted along the catwalk
beneath the bridge to investigate the status of the nest. On 18 April 1989 1 observed four
nestlings from a ledge beneath the catwalk, and estimated that they were one and a half
to two weeks old. Photographs of the nest and young were taken with a Nikon FM
camera equipped with a 1600- mm lens and Kodak T Max 3200 film pushed to 12,800
ASA. Photographs of the adults (Figure 1) were taken with Kodak Ektar 1000 film.
Photographs are on file at the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group (SCPBRG)
University of California, Santa Cruz, and the San Diego Natural History Museum.

On 20 April 1989 1 arranged for a representative from the Peregrine Fund, Dan
Brimm, to meet with Caltrans officials to view the nest and recommend a management
plan. As a result, the portion of catwalk nearest the nest was closed.

Photographs of the adult female showed a scarred right eye, a USFWS aluminum
band, and a defunct leg- mounted radio transmitter, positively identifying the bird as one
released by SCPBRG at Point Loma in 1986. As part of a joint reintroduction program
with the Peregrine Fund, SCPBRG released 12 Peregrines, all of which reached in-
dependence, at Point Loma between 1982 and 1988 (Linthicum 1989, Brian Walton
pers. comm.). The male was unbanded and very pale.

The nest was on the east-facing, or leeward, side of bridge support tower number 31
approximately 90 feet above ground level. It was a scrape in what appeared to be 1 inch
of pigeon feces and accumulated dust. The ledge was about 12 to 14 inches wide and 6
feet long. The nest was visible only from a single point beneath the catwalk, 196 feet
away, and was inaccessible without specialized equipment.

On 14 May 1989 two of the four young, both males, fledged successfully. A third, the
only female, fledged and collided with the San Diego Trolley. It suffered only superficial
damage and was placed on the catwalk beneath the bridge near the nest ledge the fol-
lowing day. Two days later one of the juvenile males failed in an attempt to land atop the
nesting tower and slid down the concrete face to the ground. The bird suffered, a broken
wing. The wing was taped by veterinarians at the San Diego Zoo and the bird was
shipped to SCPBRG for rehabilitation. The fourth young, also male, fledged on 20 May.
The three remaining young were fed for several weeks by the adults and appeared to
reach independence (Dan Brimm pers. comm., pers. obs.).

Western Birds 21:181-183, 1990

181

NOTES

The pair of adults returned to the Coronado Bridge in 1990 and hatched three young.
During early May (before the 11th; exact date lost. John P. Reiger pers. comm.), one of
the young, a male, was struck by a vehicle crossing the bridge. It was killed on impact.
Philip Unitt prepared it as a study skin and partial skeleton, catalogue number 46702,
San Diego Natural History Museum. On 10 May, a second young, a female, either
fledged prematurely or fell from the nest and landed on the ground. It was taken to the
San Diego Zoo where tests revealed no injuries. The following day, the third young, a
female, also left the nest and fell to the ground. The two surviving young were taken to
SCPBRG, then released in Yosemite National Park on 20 May. After release, one was
killed by a Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) prior to reaching complete independence;
the other one dispersed (Linthicum and Walton 1990).

I thank Mike Couffer for photographic assistance and Brian J. Walton for helpful
review of the manuscript.

Figure 1. Female Peregrine Falcon that nested at San Diego in 1989 and 1990, identified
as one of three released in 1986 at Point Loma, only four miles from the nesting site, by
its USFWS band, leg-mounted radio transmitter, and scarred right eye.

Photo by Mike Couffer

182

NOTES

LITERATURE CITED

Bond, R. M. 1946. The Peregrine population of western North America. Condor
48:101-116.

Cade, T. J., Enderson, J. H., Thelander, C. G., and White, C. M., eds. 1988. Peregrine
Falcon Populations: Their Management & Recovery. The Peregrine Fund, Boise.

Dixon, J. B. 1906. Land birds of San Onofre. Condor 7:91- 98,

Dixon, J. B. 1917. A collecting trip in Southern California. Oologist 34:48-52.

Herman, S. G. 1971. The Peregrine Falcon decline in California. II. Breeding Status in
1970 . Am . Birds 25:818-820.

Hickey, J. J. 1969. Peregrine Falcon Populations: Their Biology and Decline. Univ. of
Wise. Press, Madison.

Howell, A. B. 1910. Notes from Los Coronados Islands. Condor 12:184-187.

Linthicum, J. 1989. Peregrine Falcon Monitoring, Nest Management, Hack Site, and
Cross- Fostering Efforts. Unpublished report for Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Re-
search Group, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Linthicum, J., and Walton, B. J. 1990. Peregrine Falcon Monitoring, Nest Manage-
ment, Hack Site, and Cross -Fostering Efforts. Unpublished report for Santa Cruz
Predatory Bird Research Group, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Ratcliffe, D. 1980. The Peregrine Falcon. T. & A. D. Poyser Ltd., Calton, England.

Sharp, C. S. 1919. Duck Hawk notes. Oologist 36:39-43.

Accepted 12 January 1991

183

NOTES

FIRST RECORD OF THE WESTERN KINGBIRD
(TYRANNUS VERTICALIS) IN BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR

RICARDO RODRIGUEZ- ESTRELLA, LAURA RIVERA RODRIGUEZ, EUSTOLIA
MATA, and RAYMUNDO DOMINGUEZ, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, Div,
Biol, Terr., Apartado Postal 128, La Paz 23000, Baja California Sur, Mexico

The Western Kingbird (Tyrannus uerticalis ) is the most widespread kingbird in the
western USA, being common in dry and open country (Peterson 1990). Its breeding dis-
tribution ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and it winters south to Costa
Rica (Peterson and Chalif 1973). In Baja California, the Western Kingbird is considered a
spring transient and summer resident species in the north (Wilbur 1987), being recorded
south just to El Salto and Rancho Rosarito (30° 25 ' N, 115° 25 ' W) (Short and Banks
1965) . However, on 29 September 1990 we recorded two individuals of the species in
the southern tip of the peninsula. The birds were perched on fences and mesquites,
catching insects at Ejido La Trinidad (37.5 km south of La Paz; 23° 48 ' N, 110° 19 ' W),
where disturbed areas surrounded by open woodland and field crops dominated the
landscape. Vegetation of the area was composed of mesquite (Prosopis articuiata),
Choya ( Opuntia cholla) , palo verde ( Cercidium praecox ), Tacote ( Viguiera deltotdea),
and isolated Dagger Cactus (Machaerocereus gummosus) , Organ Pipe Cactus ( Lemaireo -
cereus thurberi), and Cardon ( Pachycereus pringlei) .

We recognized these Western Kingbirds by their bright lemon yellow bellies, pale
grayish throats and breasts, and gray heads, and particularly by the narrow white edging
on each side of their black tails. The white edges on the outer feathers of the tail helped us
to differentiate this species from Cassin’s Kingbird ( Tyrannus vociferans) , a regular winter
visitor to Baja California Sur.

Our records suggest that Western Kingbirds in the southern tip of Baja California must
have been overlooked before. The avifauna of Baja California, especially of the southern
part of the peninsula, has not been very well determined, and we want to call attention to
the need for more intensive studies year round, mainly in the winter season, because Baja
California Sur seems to receive a considerable number of overwintering bird species
(Rodriguez 1988).

We thank Amado, Franco, and Abelino Cota and Marcos Acevedo for field company.
Support was provided by Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, Secretaria de Pro-
gramacion y Presupuesto, and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia.

LITERATURE CITED

Peterson, R. T. 1990. A Field Guide to Western Birds. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Peterson, R. T. , and Chalif, E. L. 1973. A Field Guide to Mexican Birds. Hough-
ton Mifflin, Boston.

Rodriguez, R. E. 1988. Avifauna, in La Sierra de La Laguna de Baja California
Sur (L. Arriaga and A. Ortega, eds.), pp. 185-208. Centro de Investiga-
ciones Biologicas Publ, 1.

Short, L. L., Jr., and Banks, R. C. 1965. Notes on birds of northwestern Baja
California. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 14:41-52.

Wilbur, S. R. 1987. Birds of Baja California. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Accepted 1 December 1990

184

Western Birds 21:184. 1990

CORRIGENDUM

Owing to a printer’s error at the final stage of production, Figure 10 in “The Tax-
onomy, Distribution, and Status of Coastal California Cactus Wrens,” by Amadeo M.
Rea and Kenneth L. Weaver (Western Birds 21: 81-126, 1990) was replaced by a dupli-
cate copy of Figure 11. The correct Figure 10, with its legend, appears below. Also, in the
tabulation on page 94, the numeral “22” should be “2.” The sum is correct. Western
Birds regrets these errors.

San Diego Vicinity Population

Minimum number of distinguishing characters

185

WESTERN BIRDS, INDEX, VOLUME 21, 1990

Compiled by Mildred Comar

Aegithalos minimus , 35-36, 114, 127, 130,
132, 133, 134

Aegolius acadicus, 12, 13, 14, 15
Aeronates saxatalis , 130
Aimophila cassinii , 165, 166
rujiceps , 114
Alauda arvensis , 146
Albatross, Laysan, 140, 177
Short-tailed, 149-150
Ammodramus caudacutus, 165
Amphispiza belli, 114
bilineata , 131

Anderson, Clifford M., and David M.

Batchelder, First Confirmed Nesting of
the Black-shouldered Kite in Washington,
37-38

Anhinga, 145, 147, 151
Anhinga anhinga, 145, 147, 151
Anser albifrons, 171
Anthus cervinus , 159
Aphelocoma coerulescens, 127, 128, 130,
132, 133, 134
Aquila chrysaetos, 128, 182
Archilochus alexandri, 157
colubris , 157. 162

Asiootus, 12, 14, 15, 129, 132, 133
Atwood, Jonathan L., see Collins, C. T.
Avocet, American, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 63
Aythya fu/igula, 152

Batchelder, David M., see Anderson, C. M.
Bevier, Louis R., Eleventh Report of the

California Bird Records Committee, 145-
176

Black-Hawk, Common, 169
Bombycilla cedrorum , 131
Booby, Blue-footed, 168
Brown, 151
Brambling, 167
Branta leucopsis, 170-172
bernicla, 171, 172
canadensis , 171

Bubo virginianus , 12, 13, 14, 129
Bunting, Lazuli, 131
Painted, 165
Snow, 166, 167

Bushtit, 35-36, 114, 127, 130, 132, 133,
134

Buteo albonotatus , 152, 169
jamaicensis, 128
Buteogallus anthracinus, 169

Western Birds 21: 187-192, 1990

Calcarius pictus, 146
Calidris alpina, 54, 57, 60-63
mauri, 54, 57, 59-63
minutilla, 54, 56, 60
ruficollis, 153
Callipepla californica, 113
gambelii , 128

Calonectris leucornelas, 150
Calypte anna, 130
costae, 114, 130

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, 81-126,
130, 185

Caprimulgus carolinensis, 77, 137-138
Cardinal, Northern, 164-165, 172
Cardinalis cardinalis, 164-165, 172
sinuatus, 165

Carduelis flammea, 167-168, 170
hornemanni . 168
lawrencei, 131, 132, 133
psaltria, 33-34, 131, 133
Carpodacus cassinii, 131
mexicanus, 131, 179
Catbird, Gray, 159, 172
Catharus fuscescens, 159
guttatus, 130
minimus, 159

Catherpes mexicanus, 130, 133
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, 54, 55, 62
Chamaea fasciata, 114
Charadrius alexandrinus, 39-40
hiaticula, 169
uociferus, 177
Chen canagica, 152
Chickadee, Mountain, 130
Chloroceryle americana , 170
Chordeiles acutipennis, 129
Chuck-will’s- widow, 77, 137-138
Cistothorus platensis , 158-159, 163, 164
Coccyzus erythropthalmus, 156
Colaptes auratus, 130
Collins, Charles T., and Jonathan L. Atwood,
First Records of the Thick-billed Kingbird
in Baja California, Mexico, 75-76; Dale
Delaney, and Jonathan Atwood, First
Record of the Great Kiskadee in Baja
California. Mexico, 73-74; see also
Foerster, K. S.

Columbina talpacoti, 145, 147, 155-156
inca, 155

passering, 155, 156

187

Contopus pertinax, 158
sordidulus, 130
Cormorant, Olivaceous, 151
Corvus corax, 130

Coturnicops noveboracensis, 153, 169
Cowbird, Brown-headed, 35-36, 179
Cuckoo, Black-billed, 156
Curlew, Long-billed 54, 55, 62
Cygnus buccinator, 152
cygnus, 168

Cynanthus latirostris, 156-157
Cypseloides niger , 1-9

Delaney, Dale, see Collins, C. T.
Dendrocygna autumnalis, 151
Dendroica sp., 179
cerulea, 160
coronata, 131
dominica, 160
graciae, 160
riigrescens, 131
occidentalis, 131
pinus , 160
toumsendi, 131
Diomedea albatrus , 149-150
immutabilis, 140, 177
Dominguez, Raymundo, see Rodriguez-
Estreila, R.

Dove, Common Ground, 155, 156
Inca, 155

Mourning, 128, 179
Ruddy Ground, 145, 147, 155-156
White-winged, 177
Dowitcher spp., 54, 56, 58, 60, 63
Long-billed, 56, 57
Short-billed, 57

Duck, Black-bellied Whistling, 151
Tufted, 152

Dumetella carolinensis, 159, 172
Dunlin, 54, 57, 60-63

Eagle, Golden, 128, 182
Egret, Reddish, 151
Egretta rufescens , 151
Eider, King, 152
Elanus caeruleu s, 37-38
Empidonax difficilis, 130
flauiventris, 158
Ernpidonomus uarius, 146
Eugenes fulgens, 169-170

Falco peregrinus, 181-183
rusticolus, 153
sparuerius, 132, 133, 177

Falcon, Peregrine, 181-183
Finch, Cassin’s, 131
House, 131, 179

Flicker, Northern (Red-shafted), 130
Flycatcher, Ash-throated, 130
Dusky-capped, 158
Great Crested, 158
Scissor-tailed, 158, 172
Sulphur-bellied, 146
Variegated, 146
Western, 130
Yellow-bellied, 158

Foerster, Kevin S., and Charles T. Collins,
Breeding Distribution of the Black
Swift in Southern California, 1-9
Fringilla montifringilla , 167

Garrett, Kimball L., Leucistic Black-
vented Shearwaters {Puff in us
opisthomelas ) in Southern Califor-
nia, 69-72

Gauia adamsii, 17-24, 148-149, 168,
172

immer, 17-22

Glaucidiurn gnoma , 12, 14, 15
Gnatcatcher, Black-Tailed, 101
Blue-gray, 130, 133
California, 81, 114, 115
Godwit, Marbled, 54, 56, 60, 62
Goldfinch, Lawrence’s, 131, 132, 133
Lesser, 33-34, 131, 133
Goose, Barnacle, 147, 170-172
Canada, 171
Emperor, 152
White-fronted, 171
Grackle, Common, 167, 170
Grosbeak, Black-headed, 131
Ground-Dove, Common, 155, 156
Ruddy, 155-156

Gubanich, Alan A., and Howard R.

Panik, Cowbird Parasitism on the
Lead-colored Bushtit, 35-36
Gull, Common Black-headed, 145, 155,
169

Little, 154
Ring-billed, 177
Western, 177

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus , 132, 133
Gyrfalcon, 153

Haematopus palliatus, 153
Harris, Stanley W., and Ben Hawkins, A
Specimen of Chuck-will’s-widow
from Humboldt County, California,
77

188

Hawk, Common Black, 169
Red-tailed, 128
Zone-tailed, 152, 169
Hawkins. Ben, see Harris, S, W.
Helmitheros vermivorus, 161
Heron, Yellow-crowned Night, 151
Holway, David A., Patterns of Winter
Shorebird Occurrence in a San
Francisco Bay Marsh, 51-64
Howell, Steve N. G., Identification of
White and Black-backed Wagtails in
Alternate Plumage, 41-49
Hummingbird, Anna’s, 130
Black-chinned, 157
Broad-billed, 156-157
Costa’s, 114, 130
Magnificent, 169-170
Ruby- throated, 157, 162

Icterus galbula , 131

parisorum, 131, 132, 133
Ictinia mississippiensis, 152, 168
plumbea, 152
Ixoreus naeuius, 179

Jay, Pinyon, 132, 133

Scrub, 127, 128, 130, 132, 133,134
Junco, Dark-eyed, 131, 179
Junco hyemalis, 131, 179

Kestrel, American, 132, 133, 177
Killdeer, 177

Kingbird, Thick-billed, 75-76, 158
Western, 130, 184
Kingfisher, Green, 170
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned, 130
Kiskadee, Great, 73-74
Kite, Black-shouldered, 37-38
Mississippi, 152, 168
Plumbeous, 152

Lanius ludovicianus, 131
Larus delawarensis, 177
minutus, 154
occidentalism 177
ridibundus, 145, 155, 169
Limnodromus spp., 54, 56, 58, 60, 63
griseus, 57
scotopaceus, 56, 57
Limosa fedoa, 54, 56, 60, 62
Longspur, Smith’s, 146
Loon, Common, 17-22
Yellow-billed, 17-24, 148-149, 168,
172

Mata, Eustolia, see Rodriguez-Estrella, R.
McCaskie, Guy, First Record of the
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel in
California, 65-68; and Richard E.
Webster, A Second Wedge-tailed
Shearwater in California, 139-140
Meadowlark, Western, 179
Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 157
formicivorus, 130, 132
Mellink, Eric, and Eduardo Palacios,
Observations on Isla Guadalupe in
November 1989, 177-180
Mimus polyglottos, 131, 179
Mockingbird, Northern, 131, 179
Molothrus ater, 35-36, 179
Morlan, Joseph, see Webster, R. E.
Motacilla alba, 41-50
flava, 159
lugens, 41-49, 159
Myadestes townsendi, 130
Myiarchus cinerascens , 130
crinitus, 158
tuberculifer , 158
Myiodynastes luteiuentris, 146

Nighthawk, Lesser, 129
Night-Fleron, Yellow-crowned, 151
Noble, Paul L., Distribution and Density
of Owls at Monte Bello Open Space
Preserve, Santa Clara County,
California, 11-16

Numenius americanus, 54, 55, 62
Nyctanassa oiolacea, 151
Nyctea scaridiaca, 156

Oceanites oceanicas, 66, 147, 150-151
Oceanodroma castro, 65-68
leucorhoa , 65, 66, 140, 177
meiania, 65, 66, 140
microsoma, 65, 66, 140
Oporornis agilis, 161
formosus, 161, 170
Philadelphia, 161

Oreortyx pictus, 127, 128, 132, 133,
136

Oriole, Northern (Bullock’s), 131
Scott’s, 131, 132, 133
Otus kennicottii, 12, 13, 14, 15
Owl, Barn 12, 15
Barred, 147, 156
Great Horned, 12, 13, 14, 129
Long-eared, 12, 14, 15, 129, 132,
133

Northern Pygmy, 12, 14, 15

189

Northern Saw-whet, 12, 13, 14, 15
Snowy, 156

Western Screech, 12, 13, 14, 15
Oystercatcher, American, 153

Palacios, Eduardo, see Mellink, E.

Panik, Howard R., see Gubanich, A. A.
Parus gamheli, 130

inornatus, 127, 128, 132, 133
Passerella iliaca, 131
Passerina amoena, 131
ciris, 165

Pavelka, Mark A,, Peregrine Falcons
Nesting in San Diego, California,
181-183

Peterson, A, Townsend, Birds of Eagle
Mountain, Joshua Tree National
Monument, California, 127-135
Petrel, Cook’s, 140, 147, 168
Mottled, 150
Pewee, Greater, 158
Western Wood, 130
Phainopepla, 131, 179
Phainopepla nitens, 131, 179
Phalacrocorax oliuaceus , 151
Pheucticus melanocephalus , 131
Phillips, Allan R., Identification and
Southward Limits, in America, of
Gavia adamsii , the Yellow-billed
Loon, 17-24

Philomachus pugnox , 153-154

Phoebe, Say’s, 130

Piazza, John J., First Documented

Record of Chuck-will’s- widow in New
Mexico, 137-138
Picoides scalaris, 130, 133
tridactyfus, 157
Pipilo chlorurus , 131
crissalis, 114

erythrophthalmus , 114, 131, 132,
133

Pipit, Red-throated, 159
Piranga ludoviciana, 131
oliuacea, 164

Pitangus sulphuratus, 73-74
Plectrophenax niualis, 166, 167
Plover, Black-bellied, 54, 56, 57, 59
Common Ringed, 169
Snowy, 39-40

Pluuialis squatarola, 54, 56, 57, 59
Polioptila caerulea, 130, 133
californica , 81, 114, 115
melanura, 101
Protonotaria citrea, 161

Psaltriparus minimus, 35-36, 114,

127, 130, 132, 133, 134
Pterodromo cookii, 140, 147, 168
inexpectata, 150
Puffinus bulled , 140
carneipes, 139
griseus , 139, 140
opisthomelas, 69-72
pacificus, 139-140, 150
tenuirostr is, 139
Pyrrhuioxia, 165

Quail, California, 113
Gambel’s, 128

Mountain, 127, 128, 132, 133, 136
Quiscalus quiscula, 167, 170

Rail, Yellow, 153, 169
Raven, Common, 130
Rea, Amadeo M., and Kenneth L.

Weaver, The Taxonomy, Distribution,
and Status of Coastal California
Cactus Wrens, 81-126
Recurvirostra cimericana, 54, 56, 58,
60, 62, 63

Redpoll, Common, 167-168, 170
Hoary, 168

Redshank, Spotted, 153, 172
Regulus calendula, 130
Rivera R., Laura, see Rodriguez-Estrella, R.
Roberson, Don, see Webster, R. E.

Robin, Rufous-backed, 159
Rodriguez-Estrella, Ricardo, Laura Rivera
Rodriguez, Eustolia Mata, and
Raymundo Dominguez, First Record
of the Western Kingbird ( Tyrannus
verticals) in Baja California Sur, 184
Ruff, 153-154

Salpinctes obsoletus , 130, 179
Sandpiper, Buff-breasted, 153, 154, 169
Least, 54, 56, 60
Rufous-necked, 153
Western, 54, 57, 59-63
Sagornis saga, 130
Screech-Owl, Western, 12, 13, 14, 15
Shearwater, Black-vented, 69-72
Buller’s, 140
Flesh-footed, 139
Short-tailed, 139
Sooty, 140
Streaked, 150

Wedge-tailed, 139-140, 150
Shrike, Loggerhead, 131

190

Skylark, Eurasian, 146
Solitaire, Townsend’s, 130
Somateria spectabilis, 152
Sparrow, Black-chinned, 131, 132, 133
Black- throated, 131
Cassin’s, 165, 166
Fox, 131

Rufous-crowned, 114
Sage, 114
Sharp-tailed, 165
White-crowned, 131, 179
Spizella atrogularis, 131, 132, 133
Starling, European, 179
Stephens, Daniel A., Cheryl Webb, and
Charles H. Trost, First Report of
Nesting Lesser Goldfinch in Idaho,
33-34

Sterna anaethetus, 30
caspia, 78-80
fuscata , 25-32
sanduieensis, 155
Stint, Rufous-necked, 153
Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped, 65-68
Black, 65, 66, 140
Leach’s, 65, 66, 67, 140, 177
Least, 65, 66, 140
Wilson’s, 66, 67, 147, 150-151
Strix uaria, 156
Sturnella neglecta, 179
Sturnus vulgaris , 179
Sula ieucogaster, 151
nebouxii, 168
Swallow, Violet-green, 130
Swan, Trumpeter, 152
Whooper, 168
Swift, Black, 1-9
White-throated, 130

Tachycineta thalassina, 130
Tanager, Scarlet, 164
Western, 131

Taylor, Daniel M,, The Caspian Tern in
Idaho, 78-80
Tern, Bridled, 30
Caspian, 78-80
Sandwich, 155
Sooty, 25-32

Thrasher, California, 114, 132, 133
Thrush, Gray-cheeked, 159
Hermit, 130
Varied, 179

Thryomanes bewickii , 114, 128, 130,
133, 134

Titmouse, Plain, 127, 128, 132, 133

Towhee, California, 114
Green-tailed, 131

Rufous-sided, 114, 131, 132, 133
Toxostoma rediuivum, 114, 132, 133
Tringa erythropus , 153, 172
Troglodytes bewickii, 114, 128, 130,
133, 134

Trost, Charles H., see Stephens, D. A.
Tryngites subruficollis , 153, 154, 169
Turdus rufopalliatus, 159
Tyrannus crassirostris, 75-76, 158
forficatus, 158, 172
verticalis, 130, 184
Tyto alba, 12, 15

Veery, 159

Vermivora celata , 131
pinus, 160

Vireo, Gray, 131, 132, 133
Hutton’s, 131
Philadelphia, 159, 170
Solitary, 131
Warbling, 131

Yellow-green, 159-160, 170
Yellow-throated, 145, 159
Vireo flauifrons, 159
flauoviridis, 159-160, 170
gilvus, 131
huttoni, 131

philadelphicus, 159, 170
solitarius, 131
vicinior , 131, 132, 133

Wagtail, Black-backed, 41-49, 159
White, 41-50
Yellow, 159
Warbler, sp., 179

Black-throated Gray, 131
Blue-winged, 160
Cerulean, 160
Connecticut, 161
Grace’s, 160
Hermit, 131
Kentucky, 161, 170
Mourning, 161
Orange-crowned, 131
Pine, 160
Prothonotary, 161
Townsend’s, 131
Wilson’s, 131
Worm-eating, 161
Yellow-rumped, 131
Yellow-throated, 160
Waxwing, Cedar, 131

191

Weaver, Kenneth L., see Rea, A. M.
Webb, Cheryl, see Stephens, D. A.
Webster, Richard E., Joseph Morlan, and
Don Roberson, First Record of the
Sooty Tern in California, 25-32; see
also McCaskie, G.

Whistling-Duck, Black-bellied, 151
Willet, 54, 55, 62
Wilsonia pusilla, 131
Winchell, Clark S., First Breeding Record
of the Snowy Plover for San
Clemente Island, 39-40
Woodpecker, Acorn, 130, 132
Ladder-backed, 130, 133

Red-headed, 157
Three-toed, 145, 157
Wood-Pewee, Western, 130
Wren, Bewick’s, 114, 128, 130, 133,
134

Cactus, 81-126, 130, 185
Canyon, 130, 133
Rock, 130, 179
Sedge, 158-159, 163, 164
Wrentit, 114

Zenaida asiatica , 177
macroura, 128, 179
Zonotrichia leucophrys, 131, 179

Ruddy Ground-Dove

Sketch by Tim Manolis

192

Volume 21, Number 4, 1990

Eleventh Report of the California Bird Records Committee

Louis R. Bevier 145

NOTES

Observations on Isla Guadalupe in November 1989 Eric Mellink

and Eduardo Palacios 177

Peregrine Falcons Nesting in San Diego, California

Mark A. Pauelka 181

First Record of the Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis ) in Baja
California Sur Ricardo Rodriguez- Estrella, Laura Rivera
Rodriguez, Eustolia Mata , and Raymundo Dominguez 184

Corrigendum 185

Bulletin Board 186

Index Mildred Comar 187

Cover photo courtesy of Sea & Sage Audubon Nature Library/ photo
by James R. Gallagher: Red-breasted Sapsucker ( Sphyraplcus ruber
daggetti), San Bernardino Mountains, California.

Reprints can be ordered at author’s expense from the Editor when proof is
returned or earlier.

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