61/- 6§4 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Vol. 24, No. 3 August 1996 Pages 61-92 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 Officers President: BRUCE H. ANDERSON, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Vice-President: Ted H. BELOW, 3697 North Road, Naples, Florida 33942. Secretary: Richard L. West, 2808 Rabbit Hill Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-3137. Treasurer: LINDA DOUGLAS, 3675 1st Ave., N.W., Naples, Florida 33964. Editor of the Florida Field Naturalist: WALTER K. TAYLOR, Dept, of Biology, Univer- sity of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816-3268. Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: FRED E. LOHRER, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1997 Karen Bearden, 10299 Widswept Place, Boca Raton, Florida 33498. Ken Meyer, 101 NE 9th Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1998 GAIL PARSONS, 14346 Wadsworth Dr., Odessa, Florida 33556. DAVE Maehr, Wilkison and Associates, Inc., 3506 Exchange Avenue, Naples, Florida 33942. Directors, Terms Expiring in 1999 Bobbie Kittleson, 5334 Woodhaven Lane, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Eric D. Stolen, 2612 Adela Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32826. Honorary Memberships Samuel A. Grimes 1979, Helen G. Cruickshank 1980; Oliver L. Austin, Jr. 1982; Pierce Brodkorb 1982; William B. Robertson, Jr. 1992; Glen E. Woolfenden, 1994. All persons interested in Florida’s natural history, particularly its abundant bird life, are invited to join the Florida Ornithological Society by writing the Treasurer. Annual membership dues are $15 for individual members (overseas $20), $20 for a family mem- bership, $10 for students, and $35 for contributing members. All members receive the Florida Field Naturalist and the newsletter. Subscription price for institutions and non-members is $20 per year. Back issues ($3.00 per issue) are available, prepaid, from the Treasurer. Notice of change of address, claims for undelivered or defective copies of this journal, and requests for information about advertising and subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. The Florida Field Naturalist is published quarterly (February, May, August, and November) by the Florida Ornithological Society. It is printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., P.O. Box 877, DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130. The permanent address of the Florida Ornithological Society is Department of Ornithology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611. THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Vol. 24, No. 3 August 1996 Pages 61-92 Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 61-67, 1996. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE RECORDED IN HIGHLANDS COUNTY, FLORIDA Glen E. Woolfenden, Bill Pranty, John W. Fitzpatrick, and Brian S. Nelson Archhold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862-2057 Abstract. — On 19 June 1995, near Archbold Biological Station in Highlands County, Florida, we studied at close range for more than two hours a bird we identified as a West- ern Wood-Pewee ( Contopus sordidulus ). We recorded numerous calls and prepared a sonogram that compares three vocalizations from the Florida bird with three from known Western Wood-Pewees, and one from a known Eastern Wood-Pewee (C. virens). We conclude that these comparisons confirm our identification. We reviewed the report of a wood-pewee studied on 26-28 October 1986, at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Wakulla County, Florida, that was identified as C. sordidulus. Our sonogram also depicts two calls from the St. Marks bird made from the tape that accompanied the report. We conclude that the St. Marks wood-pewee cannot be identified to species. Thus the High- lands County report constitutes the first record of the Western Wood-Pewee from Florida. During the morning of 19 June 1995, nine biologists from Archbold Biological Station listened to and watched a lone Western Wood-Pewee 0 Contopus sordidulus ) for more than two hours on a private ranch about 2 km WNW of the Station’s headquarters, in Highlands County, Florida. Identification was determined by vocalizations and supported by the appearance of the bird. At about 0720, GEW and BP, who were searching for fledgling Flor- ida Scrub-Jays ( Aphelocoma coerulescens ) in scrubby flatwoods habi- tat, detected a distinctive sound in the distance. After listening to the bird for a few minutes, GEW identified the calls as those of a Western Wood-Pewee. BP located the pewee calling from a slash pine ( Pinus el- liottii ) in an open stand of about 40 tall pines surrounding a grassy de- pression about 200 m away and raced to the Station to alert others and to secure a tape recorder. Several observers returned to the site, includ- ing JWF and BSN, both of whom brought tape recorders. 61 62 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Materials and Methods JWF obtained about 10 min of recorded vocalizations using a Marantz analog cas- sette recorder (model PMD 430) and an Audio-Technica shotgun microphone (model AT815a). BSN obtained additional recordings using a 16-bit 48 kHz Sony digital audio tape recorder (model TCD-D3) and a 55 cm Telinga Pro II parabolic microphone. BSN made all sonograms in Figure 1 on a Macintosh computer, using Canary 1.1 software (Charif et al. 1993) with 16-bit resolution and sampling rates of 48 kHz. We then com- pared sonograms of the vocalizations of the Highlands County wood-pewee with those of known Western Wood-Pewees and an Eastern Wood-Pewee (C. uirens). Results The pewee vocalized persistently from at least 0720 until it was last seen, about 1010. We identified four different vocalizations. Most frequent was a loud, burry, slightly descending call that matches the typical daytime call of Western Wood-Pewees on their breeding range, described as pheeer by Lanyon (1983) and pzzeeyear by Kaufman (1990). This ringing call was audible even from a moving vehicle sev- eral hundred meters away. It was sharply accented on the burry onset of the note. At close range, a second syllable often was clearly audible, and the utterance sounded like pheeer-der. GEW and BP timed these loud calls for several periods. From 0748-0753, the bird called 29 times. From 0835-0855 (with incomplete data for 0851), the bird called 152 times, varying from 3-11 times per minute. All loud calls were deliv- ered while the bird was perched. Occasionally we heard a quiet, three-syllable note that GEW jotted down as “pee-de-lit” Although quieter, this vocalization resembles por- tions of the dawn song of the Western Wood-Pewee, described by Lanyon (1983) as “somewhat rolling phee-rr-reet” and by Kaufman (1990) as dree, di-deep and having “a thin, liquid, whistled quality.” Kaufman and Lanyon both describe the complete dawn song of the Western Wood-Pewee as a rolling series of calls alternating between the loud, burry call and the 3-syllable call. Although we heard the 3- syllable call delivered immediately after a loud call, our pewee did not engage in the extended, alternating series typical of wood-pewee dawn songs. Occasionally, the loud call was followed by a short series of quiet “pip” or “peet” notes that closely resembled those described by Peterson (1992) as a chatter. The fourth vocalization, a brief, thin, single, slurred note that ascended slightly, was heard only twice, both times when the pewee was flying from one perch to another. Figures 1A and IB depict recordings of the Highlands County wood-pewee. Figure 1A shows two representative sonograms of the loud pheeer call. Figure IB shows one pheeer call followed by a chatter. Sonograms of similar vocalizations, taken from Peterson (1992), are WOOLFENDEN ET AL. • Western Wood-Pewee in Florida 63 shown from known Western Wood-Pewees (Figures 1C and ID), and an Eastern Wood-Pewee (Figure IF). The bird was observed at close range, sometimes within 7 m, with a variety of binoculars, including Zeiss 10 x 40. Many observations were made in full mid-morning light with the sun behind us. The morn- ing was virtually windless. All observers noted the characteristic tyr- annid proportions, pewee size, and typical wood-pewee foraging habits. During its frequent sallies and brief preening, we saw no signs of molt of the flight feathers. Based on vocal activity, feather texture, absence of huffy wash to the wingbars, and season, we suspect that the bird was an adult. Plumage characteristics observed included dark olive-gray to brownish color of the upperparts including the face; no discernible eye- ring; posterior crown feathers forming a “squared-off” look; dark wings with two prominent pale yellowish-white wing-bars, the lower being wider than the upper; dark upper mandible, bicolored lower mandible with orangish-yellow basal half and dark distal half; dark grayish-olive chest band solid across the upper breast and contrasting with the paler throat; dark grayish-olive flanks, with the darker chest band splitting ventrally around a fairly well-defined pale yellow stripe that broad- ened toward the belly. This combination of visual features — especially the unbroken, dark chest band and dark grayish flanks— is typical of the Western Wood-Pewee in fresh adult plumage. Its close congener, the Eastern Wood-Pewee, tends to be greener overall, with paler greenish tones on the chest and flanks. However, without specimen in hand, we agree with Kaufman (1990:180), who states: “On current knowledge it is probably impossible to distinguish them with certainty in the field by sight alone” and with Lanyon (1983:254), who states that “The wood- pewees are only reliably distinguished by voice.” Behavior noted during the 2.5 hours of observation included perch- ing, changing perches, sallying, ingesting, vocalizing, and, rarely, dis- playing and preening. The pewee perched only in the taller pines {ca. 10-20 m) near the grassy depression, in an area of about 1-2 ha. After about two hours it departed, but later was found again at the original locality. The bird was last seen at 1010. Searches of the entire region in the afternoon, evening, and next morning failed to locate the bird. Most often the pewee sat below the pine canopy, on the tips of bro- ken limbs 4-10 m above the ground. Virtually all foraging maneuvers observed were classified as aerial hawking (Fitzpatrick 1980). When sallying, the bird most often flew nearly straight out from the perch, but also sallied downward to just above the low ground cover of grasses and forbs, or upward at angles up to 45 degrees. Sally distances ranged from 2 to 5 m. All vocalizations (except the few, weak “position notes” kHz -j A kHz - 5.0" M 5.0i 64 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST seconds seconds Figure 1. Western Wood-Pewee calls recorded in Highlands Co., Florida, 19 June 1995 (1A and IB), and in Arizona (1C), and Cali- fornia (ID) (Peterson 1992). Calls of the bird reported as a Western Wood-Pewee recorded in St. Marks Nat. Wildl. Ref., Wakulla Co, Florida, 26 October 1986 by Jim Cavanagh (IE) (Florida Mus. of Nat. Hist. Bioacoustics Lab. master tape 888, cut 1; F.O.S. Records Committee catalog number 86-107). Eastern Wood-Pewee calls recorded in New York (IF) (Peterson 1992). WOOLFENDEN ET AL. • Western Wood-Pewee in Florida 65 described above) were delivered while perched. When delivering the thin, 3-syllable note, the pewee briefly flexed its tail upward slightly, and twice raised both wings high over its back in an apparent display. No significant interactions were noted with the few other species that foraged in the same pines, namely several Pine Warblers (. Dendro - ica pinus ), occasionally a White-eyed Vireo ( Vireo griseus), and once a Great Crested Flycatcher ( Myiarchus crinitus). The pewee was dis- placed once by a Florida Scrub-Jay. Foraging seemed highly successful. Although counts were not made, most sallies resulted in prey capture. In addition to numerous items too small for us to identify, we observed the capture of a large dragonfly (Libellulidae), possibly a cicada, and a medium-sized moth. Some of the prey were knocked against a branch before ingesting. The dragonfly was swallowed whole, head first. Discussion We know of three reports of the Western Wood-Pewee from Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). On 16 October 1970 at Plantation Key, Monroe County, S. Sprunt and E. Knoder “carefully studied” a wood-pewee they “suspected” was a Western Wood-Pewee, “but the identification was inconclusive” (Robertson 1971). On 2-3 November 1985, Jeffrey Moore (pers. comm.) identified by its calls a Western Wood-Pewee in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, but details were never published. The third Florida report involved a bird observed 26-28 October 1986 near the lighthouse in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Wakulla County, by Noel Warner, Jim Cavanagh, and others (Atherton and Atherton 1987). The bird was photographed and its voice — a short, upwardly inflected, somewhat burry call — was tape recorded. Figure 1 E depicts two calls of the St. Marks wood-pewee. The Florida Ornitho- logical Society Records Committee (F.O.S.R.C.; Dowling 1989) and Stevenson and Anderson (1994:411) accepted the St. Marks bird as a verified record of the Western Wood-Pewee. However, both Eastern and Western wood-pewees may give burry, upwardly inflected call notes as advertising calls on their wintering grounds in South America (JWF pers. obs.). Based on comments by JWF regarding vocalizations by non- breeding wood-pewees, Robertson and Woolfenden (1992:163) consid- ered it “doubtful” that the two wood-pewees could be reliably separated outside the breeding season except by specimens, and relegated the St. Marks report to their list of “unverified stragglers.” According to com- ments in his field guide, Kaufman (1990) agrees, stating that based on current knowledge, vocalizations of wood-pewees other than full songs “may not be [distinctive]” and also pointing out that “either species 66 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST may give buzzy or dry trilled calls in aggressive interactions.” Having reviewed carefully all the supporting data (F.O.S.R.C. 86-107), we con- clude that the St. Marks wood-pewee cannot be identified to species. The Western Wood-Pewee breeds throughout much of North Amer- ica west of the Great Plains and winters from southern Central Amer- ica south to the Andes. Weather conditions two weeks prior to our sighting were conducive to carrying a migrant that was northbound through Central America off course to the east to the Florida penin- sula. In particular, the unusually early Hurricane Allison that formed in the western Caribbean Sea and moved north through the Gulf of Mexico from 3 to 5 June, included west to southwest winds up to 75 mph that continued through 7 June. Quite a few species of birds that breed in western North America and winter in Central and South America, including several tyrannids (e.g., Pyrocephalus rubinus, Myiarchus cinerascens, M. tyrannulus , Tyrannus verticalis , and T. forficatus ), are regular fall transients and winter visitors in Florida. The Western Wood-Pewee is not among these species, perhaps because it is a bird of more westerly, montane habitats rather than of the plains and southwestern deserts. Even the Eastern Wood-Pewee, a regular, uncommon to fairly common breeding resident in northern Florida and a fall transient throughout, has not been re- corded in winter, although numerous reports exist (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Unfortunately, Con- topus outside the breeding season rarely emit their species-specific vo- calizations. Therefore, probably only collecting will permit conclusive identification of late fall and winter wood-pewees in Florida. Documentation for the Highlands County wood-pewee, including copies of the audio recordings and photographs, was deposited in the F.O.S. Archives. The F.O.S.R.C. accepted the report as a verifiable record. We thank Reed Bowman for photographing the bird, Bruce Anderson for sending us the F.O.S.R.C. file on the St. Marks wood-pewee, and Rich Paul and Walter Taylor for comments on the manuscript. Literature Cited Atherton, L. S., and B. H. Atherton. 1987. The autumn migration: Florida region. Arner. Birds 41:76-80. Charif, R. A., S. Mitchell, and C. W. Clark. 1993. Canary 1.1 User’s Manual. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca. DOWLING, H. 1989. F.O.S. Records Committee report. Florida Field Nat. 17:51-52. FITZPATRICK, J. W. 1980. Foraging behavior of Neotropical tyrant flycatchers. Condor 82:43-57. KAUFMAN, K. 1990. A Field Guide to Advanced Birding. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. LANYON, W. E. 1983. Western Wood-Pewee. Pp. 254-255 In: The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding, Vol. 2, Gulls to Dippers. J. Farrand, Jr., (ed.). Alfred A. Knopf, New York. WOOLFENDEN ET AL. • Western Wood-Pew ee in Florida 67 PETERSON, R. T. (ed.). 1992. A Field Guide to Western Bird Songs. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. ROBERTSON, W. B., Jr. 1971. Florida region. Amer. Birds 25:4449. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. WOOLFENDEN. 1992. Florida Bird Species: An Anno- tated List. Florida Ornithol. Soc. Spec. Publ. No. 6. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville. FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Species Index to Florida Bird Records in Audubon Field Notes and Amer- ican Birds Volumes 1-30 1947-1976, by Margaret C. Bowman. 1978. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 1. Price $4.00. The Carolina Parakeet in Florida, by Daniel McKinley. 1985. Florida Ornitho- logical Society, Special Publication No. 2. Price $6.00. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay, by Jeffrey A. Cox. 1987. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 3. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes 1947- 1989, by Robert W. Loftin, Glen E. Woolfenden, and Janet A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 4. Price $8.00. West Indian Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990): Species Index by Islands, by Robert W. Loftin. 1992. Florida Or- nithological Society, Special Publication No. 5. Price $8.00. Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List, by William B. Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Ornithological Society, Special Publication No. 6. Price for FOS members $14.95 (soft cover), $19.95 (hard cover); nonmembers $17.95 (soft cover), $22.95 (hard cover). Order prepaid from the Secretary; add $1.00 handling and shipping for Spe- cial Publications No. 1-5; add $2.00 handling and shipping for Special Publication No. 6. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to the Florida Ornithological Society. Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 68-73, 1996. EFFECTS OF SUMMER BURNS ON FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS W. Gregory Shriver1, Peter D. Vickery2, and Scott A. Hedges3-4 1 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management , University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 2 Center for Biological Conservation, Massachusetts Audubon Society, South Great Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 3 Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary, National Audubon Society, 17350 N. W. 203rd. St., Okeechobee, Florida 34972 4 Present address: National Audubon Society, 700 Broadway, New York, New York 10003 Abstract. — The federally endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum floridanus ) prefers recently burned sites in an early successional stage (Delany et al. 1985). Management of the dry prairie ecosystem for this endemic bird has usually involved late fall and winter prescribed burns. However, naturally ignited fires on dry prairies usually occur in summer (Robbins and Myers 1992). Because this endan- gered sparrow probably evolved with summer wildfires, we sought to understand how prescribed summer burns affected this rare species. We studied the effects of three pre- scribed summer fires on Florida Grasshopper Sparrows at the Kissimmee Prairie Sanc- tuary (1993, 1994) and Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (1994). Sparrows occupied the burned area one week after the fire, and remained reproductively active into September at Three Lakes. On the unburned control units, territorial behavior di- minished by late July. In response to summer burns, Florida Grasshopper Sparrows ini- tiated a second bout of breeding activity. This bimodel breeding phenology is strong support to the theory that this bird has evolved with frequent summer fires. These re- sults suggest that summer burns are beneficial for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows and that fire management plans should consider the evolutionary and ecosystem dynamics of fire seasonality on Floridas’ unique dry prairie. Dry prairies in central Florida are pyrogenic plant associations that have evolved with frequent natural fires (Robbins and Myers 1992). These prairie fires are naturally ignited by lightning strikes, primarily in the summer months (June-August) (Snyder et al. 1990). Clearly, plants have adapted to these summer conflagrations. For ex- ample, wiregrass (. Aristida stricta ) only flowers and sets seed after summer fires. It is also likely that the fauna of this system would have adapted to these major, yet seasonally predictable, disturbances. The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (. Ammodramus savannarum floridanus ), a federally endangered grassland sparrow is endemic to central Florida dry prairies. They have evolved in this fire adapted ec- osystem, and prefer areas exposed to fire within the past 24 months (Walsh et al. 1995, Delany et al. 1985, Delany and Cox 1986). Federal 68 SHRIVER ET AL. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrows 69 guidelines recommend prescribed burns to maintain and enhance pop- ulations of this endemic sparrow (USFWS 1988). To reduce potential nest mortality resulting from fire, nearly all burns have been con- ducted in late fall or winter (Walsh 1995). No studies have examined whether the timing of prescribed burns (dormant vs. growing season) affect Florida Grasshopper Sparrow breeding biology and, therefore, its potential recovery. As part of a comprehensive study of the breeding habitat requirements of this sparrow, we initiated a project in 1993 to examine the potential effect of summer prescribed fire on this endan- gered sparrow. Study Sites and Methods We censused grasshopper sparrows at unlimited radius points, counting all birds that were detected visually with binoculars, and aurally during a five minute period. Points were chosen using aerial photography, a 100 m tape, and a compass. All point centers were >50 m from unsuitable habitat (depression marsh, hammock, or different burn units) and >300 m from the nearest point center to ensure independence between points (Anderson and Shugart 1974). Due to the relatively small burn units (<200 ha) it was im- portant to space the points such that we could fit as many as possible into each unit. All points were established in late April or early May for both years and the same points were censused before and after the fire on treatment areas. Due to limited area in similar burn classes and personnel, we reduced the number of control points that were censused after the burns in 1994. The average number of sparrows/point on a given census day was calculated by summing the number of sparrows detected on each point and dividing by the total number of points censused. We used Three-Way ANQVA to test for differ- ences between treatments (burned vs. unburned), study sites and years. Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary The National Audubon Society’s, Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary is a 3,071-ha portion of the greater prairie mosaic that once covered much of central Florida. As part of the sanctuary management plan, a 112 ha unit was burned on 16 June 1993. This area had not been burned for four years. We censused grasshopper sparrows at six points in the treatment (burned) and an additional six points in the control (unburned). The control area was burned in June 1992. We censused the treatment area between 1 May and 20 August 1993 and between 1 May and 30 July on the control. In 1994, a 250 ha unit was burned on 15 July. We censused 15 points in both treat- ment and control units (30 total) before the fire, and 11 points in the treatment, and 4 points in the control (15 total) after the fire. Both areas had been burned in the summer of 1992 by a naturally ignited, lightning fire. The control area was 240 ha and adjacent to the treatment area. Because the breeding season extended beyond 20 August in 1993, in 1994 we extended the census period through 15 September. We knew from our habitat selection study that the breeding activity on unburned areas had diminished in mid-July. Therefore, four points were randomly selected within the control to reduce the time con- straint of sampling 15 points, and still document the lack of activity on unburned areas through August. Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area Approximately 4,000 ha of dry prairie occur on the southern portion of Three Lakes WMA, Osceola County. This property is owned and managed by the Florida Game and 70 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Fresh Water Fish Commission. The Commission has traditionally burned on a 2-3 year rotation during the fall and winter months. In the summer of 1994, we censused grass- hopper sparrows in response to summer fire using 11 points. Prairie surrounding 7 of these 11 points was burned on 22 June 1994. The remaining 4 points served as a control. Both of these areas were on the same fire rotation, and had not been burned for 3 years. Results Florida Grasshopper Sparrow activity (mean # birds/point) contin- ued to 9 September on prairie burned 22 June 1994, at Three Lakes WMA (Figure 1c). Both burned areas at Kissimmee Prairie (1993,1994) had sparrow activity continuing until at least 15 August, while spar- row activity ceased on the control areas for all three burns before 1 Au- gust (Figure la, b, c). In 1993, sparrow activity on the unburned control area declined throughout the summer, while activity on the burned area increased after the fire (Figure la). In 1994, there were dramatic declines in sparrow activity on the control areas throughout the summer, while there were increases in sparrow activity on burned areas (Figure lb, c). Three-Way AN OVA demonstrated significant burn treatment and year effects, but no differences between sites (Table 1). We observed Florida Grasshopper Sparrows establishing territo- ries on burned areas within one week of all three fire events. Male sparrows sang and defended territories in areas that were vacant or had very low densities (0.2 birds/point) prior to the burn. Females were also observed pairing in these new territories, increasing the likelihood of reproductive activity. Discussion The seasonality of prescribed burns is critical to both the prairie ecosystem’s dynamics, and therefore to providing optimal habitat for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Winter burns may provide adequate sparrow breeding habitat, but may also have unknown effects on win- ter mortality or other components of this species’ life history. The ex- tension of the breeding season on one burned unit into early September, and into mid-August on two other burns, has important im- plications for both evolutionary ecology and endangered species man- agement. A prolonged bimodel breeding season extending from March to September, could have important consequences for a species that ap- pears to have particularly low reproductive success (Vickery et al. 1992). The extension of the breeding season to six months may double the number of nesting opportunities and may increase the number of pairs that attempt additional clutches. It may also give sub-dominant males a chance to breed for the first time. The rapidity with which male sparrows began to establish territories on summer burn sites (within one week of the fire) provide strong evi- Shriver ET AL. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrows 71 Figure 1. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow response to summer burns. A-Kissim- mee Prairie, 1993. B=Kissimmee Prairie, 1994. C - Three Lakes Wildlife Manage- ment Area, 1994. 72 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Three-Way ANOVA of point-count data for Florida Grasshopper Spar- row response to summer prescribed fire at Three Lakes WMA and Kissimmee Prairie, Florida, 1993-1994. Source Sum of Squares Df Mean-square F-ratio P Site 0.705 1 0.705 0.576 0.452 Year 9.940 1 9.940 8.125 0.007 Treatment 17.864 1 17.864 14.603 0.000 Error 47.711 39 1.223 dence that Florida Grasshopper Sparrows have evolved with and adapted successfully to summer fires. Males sang and defended territo- ries in areas that were once devoid of sparrow territories. Females paired in these new territories, indicating the likelihood of reproductive activity. The significant year effect that we detected may be explained by the differences in sparrow activity on the control units (Table 1). In 1993 sparrow activity remained constant, but declined sharply in 1994. We observed a similar, significant pattern of increased sparrow activity on the treatment areas after all three fires. The extent and intensity of each prescribed burn are unique because each fire is influenced by sea- sonal weather patterns (e.g., wet vs. dry summers), daily weather (e.g., wind and humidity), and different fuel loads associated with different sites. These differences can influence the response of the flora and fauna to fire (Robbins and Myers 1992). Despite this variability, we ob- served similar, positive sparrow responses to three fires over two years. Research into the effects of summer prescribed fire should be con- tinued to determine how seasonality of burns effects sparrow reproduc- tive success, winter habitat use and survivorship, and plant phenology. The question of when to use fire to manage this ecosystem is critical to both its function and to provide optimal sparrow habitat. Acknowledgments This research was funded by the USAF, Avon Park Air Force Range, and The Nature Conservancy, Lake Wales Ridge Office. Bonnie MacCulloch, Leslie Backus, and Jen Bar- ret assisted in data collection. The cooperation of Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary staff, the National Audubon Society, Dave Darrow and the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area staff and Bob Progulskie, USAF are all warmly acknowledged. Thanks to Sam Van Hook for his time, equipment and expertise in prescribed fire. This MS benefited from careful reviews by Patrick Walsh, Dr. Walter Taylor, David Leonard, and an anonymous reviewer. Literature Cited ANDERSON, S. H., AND H. H. SHUGART, Jr. 1974. Habitat selection of breeding birds in an east Tennessee deciduous forest. Ecology 55:828-837. SHRIVER ET AL. • Florida Grasshopper Sparrows 73 DELANY, M. F., AND J. A. Cox. 1986. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow breeding distribution and abundance in 1984. Florida Field Nat. 14:100-104. Delany, M. F., H. M. Stevenson, and R. McCracken. 1985. Distribution, abundance, and habitat of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. J. Wildl. Manage. 49:626-631. FEDERAL REGISTER. 1986. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; determina- tion of endangered status of the Florida grasshopper sparrow. Federal Register 51(147):27492-27495. ROBBINS L. E., and R. L. Myers. 1992. Seasonal effects of prescribed burning in Florida: A review. Tall Timbers Research, Inc. Misc. Publ. No. 8. Snyder, J. R., A. Herndon, and W. B., Robertson, Jr. 1990. South Florida Rockland. Pages 230-277, in Ecosystems of Florida. R. L., Myers and J. J. Ewel (eds). Univ. of Central Florida Press, Orlando. U.S. FISH and Wildlife Service. 1988. Recovery plan for Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, GA. Pp. 22. VICKERY, P. D., M. L. Hunter, Jr., AND J. V. WELLS. 1992. Evidence of incidental preda- tion and its effects on nests of threatened grassland birds. Oikos 63:281-288. WALSH, P. B., D. A. DARROW, AND J. G. DYESS. 1995. Habitat selection by Florida Grass- hopper Sparrows in response to fire. Proceedings for the 49th annual conference of the southeastern fish and wildlife agencies. 74 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST NOTES Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 74-75, 1996. SANDERLING (CALIDRIS ALBA) FLIGHT DURATION IN RESPONSE TO INADVERTENT DISTURBANCE Henry T. Smith1 and James A. Rodgers, Jr.2 1 Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Park Service, 13798 S.E. Federal Highway, Hobe Sound, Florida 33455 2Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Wildlife Research Laboratory, 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601 Sanderlings ( Calidris alba) are common fall and winter inhabitants of many south Florida marine coastal areas (Kale and Maehr 1990, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992) where they are frequently observed foraging in the intertidal zone of sandy beaches. Burger and Gochfeld (1991) modeled diurnal and nocturnal responses of Sanderlings to human activities at a Florida beach and reported altered foraging behaviors, running re- sponses, flight responses, and daily activity patterns for the birds in their study. Roberts and Evans (1993) examined response patterns of foraging Sanderlings to approaching humans in England, and found that flight reactions were related to approacher distance and flock composition variables. Sprandel et al. (FGFWFC unpubl. ms.) reported that humans were the primary cause of disruption at 48 of the 60 wintering shorebird sites they evaluated in Florida. We report herein the flight durations of foraging Sanderlings when they were inadvertently disturbed by humans walking rapidly or jogging at two Florida beaches. The two study sites were at Woolbright Beach located in the town of Ocean Ridge, Palm Beach County, and the beach at Avalon State Recreation Area located in unincor- porated St. Lucie County about 14.5 km south of Vero Beach. Data were collected on Sat- urdays and Sundays from 21 October to 3 December 1995, at various times between 09:00 and 18:00 on clear to partly cloudy days, and were random in relation to tidal cycle. The Woolbright study area usually was lightly occupied by people during observation pe- riods, while the Avalon site always was lightly occupied. Observations were made with binoculars from elevated walkways crossing the dunes. These structures enabled an un- obstructed view of Sanderlings along the beach for about 200+ m in each direction. Foraging groups of Sanderlings (estimated group size range=l-17 birds, mean=4.7) were observed as they were inadvertently approached by people walking rapidly (ca. > 2 steps/sec.) or jogging (ca. > 2-3 steps/sec.) along the narrow intertidal zone. Although the approaches differed slightly in mechanics, data were pooled because the approach speeds were similar. No pets accompanied the approachers. Typical Sanderling responses to this type of disturbance consisted of vigilant behavior, followed by running and subsequent flight. Most groups of birds remained coalesced during flight and then relanded together. Due to distances and angles of observation, we were unable to accurately determine the moment a running response actually started and abated for birds that did not take flight. Consequently, only the durations of flight responses could be quantified. Similarly, Rob- erts and Evans (1993) could not reliably quantify Sanderling running responses. All flight durations were timed with a stopwatch. One group of birds was lost from sight dur- ing flight and eliminated from the sample. The data from both sites initially were tested as to whether they were normally distributed (SAS Institute Inc. 1990); both distribu- tions were heavily skewed. Natural log transformations were then used to normalize the Notes 75 Table 1, Duration of flight responses of Sanderlings at two sites in south Florida, Number of Range Meant 1 S.D. Location observations (sec.) (sec.) Woolbright Beach 28 1.83-58.50 7.70L2.171 Avalon Beach 7 3.33-21.14 7.44±1.912 Totals 33 1.83-58.50 7.64±2,09 1>2No significant (f-test=0.1095, P=0.7Q, d.f.= 25, 6) difference found. data sets thereby allowing calculation of means, standard deviations, and * test analysis of the site means. The geometric means and standard deviations calculated in Table 1 re- flect these back-transformed data estimated by the delta method to obtain the asymp- totic distribution (see Agresti 1934). Of the 28 flights recorded at Woolbright Beach, 84.8% (n- 22) ranged from 1.83 to 12.49 sec. with the remainder (n= 4) timed at 19.82, 26.55, 32.53, and 58.50 sec. Similarly, of the seven flights recorded at Avalon Beach, 85.7% (n=6) ranged from 3.33 to 13.58 sec. with one longer flight of 21.14 sec. No significant (£=0.1095, p=0.70, d.f.= 25, 6) difference was found be- tween flight durations of the birds at Woolbright Beach and those at Avalon Beach (Table 1). However, sample sizes may have been too small, and imbalanced, to detect such variation. Sanderlings foraging on many south Florida beaches are subject to frequent, inadvert- ent human disturbances of varying intensities. At both sites in this study joggers and speedwalkers frequently caused flight responses in Sanderlings when they co-occupied the narrow intertidal zone. However, people walking slowly or standing leisurely at the wa- ter’s edge sometimes had birds foraging within ca. 10-20 m of them. Similar effects to these have previously been reported for various nonbreeding shorebirds by Burger (1981). Roberts and Evans (1993) also suggested that Sanderlings may maximize foraging time in the presence of disturbance by minimizing numbers of flights and distances of flights they undertake. Likewise, the apparently short duration of most flights recorded during this study may support the notion of various behavioral mechanisms for maximizing Sander- ling foraging time at a site once it is occupied. Such strategies may provide maximum ca- loric benefit for foraging Sanderlings when low intensity disturbance regimes exist. We thank W. K. Taylor and J. A. Gore for their reviews which considerably improved the manuscript. Literature Cited AGRESTI, A. 1984. Analysis of Ordinal Categorical Data. John Wiley and Sons, New York. BURGER, J. 1981. The effect of human activity on birds at a coastal bay. Biol. Conserv. 21:231-241. BURGER, J., AND M. Gochfeld. 1991. Human activity influence and diurnal and noctur- nal foraging of Sanderlings ( Calidris alba). Condor 93:259-265. KALE, H. W., II, AND D. Maehr. 1990. Florida’s Birds. Pineapple Press, Inc., Sarasota. ROBERTS, G., AND P. R. EVANS. 1993. Responses of foraging Sanderlings to human ap- proaches. Behaviour 126:29-43. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Bird Species— An Anno- tated List. Florida Ornithol. Soc. Spec. Publ. no. 6, Gainesville. SAS INSTITUTE, Inc. 1990. SAS procedures guide, version 6. SAS Inst., Cary, North Caro- lina. SPRANDEL, G. L., J. A. Gore, and D. T. Cobb. Unpubl. manuscript. Winter shorebird sur- vey draft final performance report— Sept. 1995. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Tallahassee, Florida. 76 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 76-77, 1996. GULL-BILLED TERN NESTING ON A ROOF IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA Lara M. Coburn Department of Biology, University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, Florida 32514 Present address: 210 Nagle Hall, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 Gull-billed Terns ( Sterna nilotica ) have a scattered, worldwide distribution (Spende- low and Patton 1988). Typically, these terns nest with or near other colonial seabirds, such as Least Terns ( Sterna antillarum), Common Terns ( Sterna hirundo), Royal Terns (. Sterna maxima), and Laughing Gulls ( Larus atricilla) (Hallman 1960, Portnoy 1977, Sears 1978, Clapp et al. 1983, and Spendelow and Patton 1988). On the Gulf Coast of Florida, Gull-billed Terns are found most often in association with Black Skimmers (. Rynchops niger) (Spendelow and Patton 1988, Smith et al. 1993). There have been few published records of Gull-billed Terns nesting in northwest Flor- ida. The earliest record is of one nest near Pensacola, Escambia County, in 1932 (Weston 1933). In the years since, there have been reports of Gull-billed Terns nesting on an is- land in St. Joseph Bay, Gulf County (Hallman 1960, 1968), on St. George Island, Frank- lin County (Stevenson and Anderson 1994), and on the St. George Causeway, Franklin County (Smith et al. 1993). Gull-billed Terns have nested on sandy coastal beaches, coastal marshes, natural and man-made islands (Weston 1933, Nicholson 1948, Portnoy 1977, Soots and Landin 1978, and Spendelow and Patton 1988), causeways (Smith et al. 1993), and disturbed inland habitats (Layne et al. 1977). Herein, I present a nesting record for Bay County and the first known record of a Gull-billed Tern nesting on a gravel-covered roof in Florida. On 7 June 1995, 1 noticed two adult Gull-billed Terns flying overhead while I surveyed a Black Skimmer/Least Tern colony. The colony was located on the roof of the Walmart Store in Parker, Florida, on Highway 98, Bay County. The roof, 10 m off the ground, was covered with a 2.0-2.5-cm layer of brown gravel. Thirty-eight Black Skimmer nests were clustered on the western end of the roof and 195 Least Terns nests were scattered over the roof. On 14 June, one adult Gull-billed Tern was present on a nest containing one egg. The nest was in the middle portion of the roof and was a scraped-out, 2.1-cm deep, hollow of gravel. It was unlined and was not near any protruding object as are many ground Gull- billed Tern nests (Sears 1978). While I examined and marked the nest, the adults circled overhead and gave their characteristic call, but did not approach. The egg within the nest appeared undamaged. I visited the Walmart roof colony once a week until 19 July. The adult Gull-billed Terns, however, were not seen after 27 June. The nest and egg were still intact, but the egg never hatched. Eggs of roof-nesting Black Skimmers often crack (Greene and Kale 1976, Fisk 1978, Gore 1987), but no cracks were found in the Gull-billed Tern egg. The reason for the nest abandonment was not apparent. I thank the management of Walmart in Parker for allowing me access to the roof. I also thank J. A. Gore for his help with observations. W. K. Taylor, B. Jackson, and an anony- mous referee provided helpful review comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Literature Cited Clapp, R. B., D. Morgan- Jacobs, and R. C. Banks. 1983. Marine birds of the southeast- ern United States and Gulf of Mexico. Part III: Charadriiformes. US. Fish Wildl. Serv., FWS/OBS-83/30, Washington, D. C. Notes 77 FISK, E. T. 1978. Roof-nesting terns, skimmers and plovers in Florida. Florida Field Nat. 6:1-8. GORE, J. A. 1987. Black Skimmers nesting on roofs in northwestern Florida. Florida Field Nat. 15:77-79. GREENE, L. L., AND H. W. Kale, II 1976. Roof nesting by Black Skimmers. Florida Field Nat 4:15-17. HALLMAN, R. C. 1960. Gull-billed Tern ( Gelochelidon nilotica ) nesting in Gulf County, Florida. Florida Nat. 33:224. HALLMAN, R. C. 1968. St. Joe Island Sanctuary. Florida Nat. 41:86. Layme, J. N., J. A. Stallcup, G. E. Woolfenden, M. N. McCauley, and D. J. Worley. 1977. Fish and wildlife inventory of the seven-county region included in the central Florida phosphate industry areawide environmental impact study. U.S. Fish Wild! Serv. Contract No. 14-16-0097-77-005, Washington, D.C. NICHOLSON, D. J. 1948. Freshwater nesting of the Gull-billed Tern in Florida. Auk 65:139-140. PORTNY, J. W. 1977. Nesting colonies of seabirds and wading birds: coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. U.S. Fish Wild! Serv., FWS/OBS77/07, Washington, D.C. SEARS, H. F. 1978. Nesting behavior of the Gull-billed Tern. Bird-Banding 49:1-16. Smith, H. T., J. A. Gore, W. W. Miley, H. L. Edminston, and J. A. Rodgers, Jr. 1993. Recent nesting of Gull-billed Terns in Northwest Florida. Florida Field Nat. 21:80-82. SOOTS, R. F. , JR., AND M. C. LANDIM. 1978. Development and management of avian hab- itat on dredged material islands. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Exp. Stn., Tech Kept. DS-78-18, Vicksburg. SPENDELOW, J. S., and S. R. Patton. 1988. National atlas of coastal waterbird colonies in the contiguous United States: 1976-1982. U.S. Fish Wild! Serv. Biol. Kept. 88(5), Washington, D.C. STEVENSON, H. M., AND B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. Univ. Presses of Florida, Gainesville. WESTON, F. M. 1933. Gull-billed Tern nesting at Pensacola, Florida. Auk 50:215-216. 78 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 78-80, 1996. LATE BREEDING RECORDS OF A RED HEADED WOODPECKER AND A SUMMER TANAGER IN FLORIDA Douglas B. McNair Tall Timbers Research Station, Route 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-9712 While studying the nesting phenology of passerines and woodpeckers in 75 year-old longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris) forest in the Apalachicola National Forest near Sumatra, Liberty County, Florida, I found a late nest each of the Red-headed Woodpecker (. Melan - erpes erythrocephalus ) and Summer Tanager ( Piranga rubra). These birds were un- marked. These breeding record dates exceed those for Florida cited by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) and elsewhere in the southeastern United States (Potter 1973, Smith and Layne 1986, McNair 1987, and Ingold 1987, 1989). Red-headed Woodpecker (RHW). — One pair of RHWs apparently raised two broods from the same nest cavity in a bole of a longleaf pine snag. On 26 June, a large RHW nestling was being fed by a parent at the cavity entrance. This nestling fledged before 4 July. One large RHW nestling of the second brood was being fed by an adult at the cavity entrance on 30 September. By noon of the next day (1 Oct), no activity was detected at the nest cavity. About 3 months elapsed from the time nestlings from the first nest fledged until the time nestlings from the second nest fledged. After it fledged young from its initial nesting effort by early July, this RHW pair switched its nest-site to a snag 219 m away, where it remained until about 24 July. The pair of RHWs was not seen again at its original nest- site until 5 August. The extremely late nest record of a RHW, in which the last nestling did not fledge un- til either 30 September or 1 October, is about 8-11 days later than the latest previous fledgling dates for RHWs in Florida (Nicholson 1927, Grimes 1947, Smith and Layne 1986). Outside of Florida, a few RHW nests were still active as late as mid-September in Mississippi (Ingold 1989; Ingold, in litt.). Otherwise, September nestling dates for RHWs are not documented. The late RHW nesting record of Smith and Layne (1986) in Highlands County, Flor- ida, was of a pair that abandoned their original nest cavity, in a slash pine ( P. elliottii ) snag, and relocated in another pine snag 150 m away. The young from the first brood fledged between 11-25 June. It was approximately 90 days before the nestlings from the later nest effort fledged in mid-September, approximately the same interval I observed in the Apalachicola National Forest. The longest previous interval between dates where nest attempts were completed for RHW pairs was 60 days in Mississippi (Ingold 1987). The length of undisturbed nesting cycles in the same cavity after the first breeding at- tempt are approximately 45 days (Jackson 1977, Short 1982, and Ingold 1989, 1994). These two latest documented breeding attempts of RHW in Florida occurred after pairs switched nest-sites (temporary switch for one pair) after a first brood, yet both pairs were eventually successful in raising a second brood (Smith and Layne 1986; this study). The switch in nest-sites resulted in delays in the initiation of a successful nesting cycle. In the case of my RHW pair, nesting was delayed even further because the alterna- tive snag lacked previously completed cavities, a rare event (Reller 1972, Jackson 1976; this study). Documented excavation times for this species have ranged from 6-17 days (Jackson 1977). However, the major proximate explanation for late nesting dates by RHWs is the length and timing of the breeding season. RHWs are frequently double- brooded in the South (Smith and Layne 1986; Ingold 1987, 1989; Venables and Collopy Notes 79 1939; McNair and Engstrom, unpubl.) and do not begin their initial nesting efforts until mid April through early May unlike most other woodpecker species in the southeastern United States. Summer Tanager (ST).— A female was apparently incubating eggs in a nest located 19.75 m high in a 21.75 m tall longleaf pine. In over 1.5 hr of observations, 1 watched the female settle on the nest twice on 16 July once on the 19th, and for the night at 2030 and 1937 hr on 16 and 19 July respectively. On 24 July one bird called near the nest-site. Af- ter this date, the nest was abandoned. This active nest, during which the female was apparently incubating eggs from 16-19 July and perhaps as late as 23-24 July is by far the latest active nest reported for STs in Florida. The latest egg dates listed by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) are 13 and 24 June, and they also state that a brood of young “just out of the nest” was seen on 30 June. Consequently the latest active nest during the incubation stage documented herein ex- ceeds the previous latest dates in Florida by about 25-30 days. This late nest record in Florida is even late for the species throughout its breeding range (McNair 1987). The latest published record of an active tanager nest in the south- eastern United States is from North Carolina, where a female incubated eggs up to 2 July when they hatched (Potter 1973). The late Florida date exceeds that by about three weeks. Unlike all other species cited in McNair (1987), early egg-laying dates from egg set data were not overrepresented for ST, though the end of the breeding season might be poorly defined. The late nest record documented herein, in conjunction with an earlier nest record lo- cated 131 m away (McNair, unpubl.), suggests the possibility of double-broodedness. The two territories overlapped broadly as only a slight shift was detected between nest at- tempts. I observed no other pairs of ST within or adjacent to the study area. Unfortu- nately, I am uncertain of the eventual fate of the earlier breeding record, though it was probably only 2-3 days from successful fledging. Double-broodedness has never been doc- umented for the ST (Isler and Isler 1937). I thank R. T. Engstrom, D. J. Ingold, D. C. Lenard, P. Small, and W. K. Taylor for com- ments on the manuscript. Literature Cited GRIMES, S. A. 1947. Birds of Duval county Florida Nat. 21:1-13. INGOLD, D. J. 1987. Documented double-broodedness in Red-headed Woodpeckers. J. Field Omithol. 58:234-235. INGOLD, D. J. 1989. Nesting phenology and competition for nest sites among Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers and European Starlings. Auk 106:209-217. INGGLD, D. J. 1994. Influence of nest-site competition between European Starlings and woodpeckers. Wilson Bull. 106:227-241. ISLER, M. L., and P. R. Isler. 1987. The Tanagers: Natural History Distribution, and Identification. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, D.C. JACKSON, J. A. 1976. A comparison of some aspects of the breeding ecology of Red-headed and Red-bellied woodpeckers in Kansas. Condor 73:67-76. JACKSON, J. A. 1977. How to determine the status of a woodpecker nest. Living Bird 15:205-221. McNair, D. B. 1987. Egg data slips — are they useful for information on egg-laying dates and clutch sizes? Condor 39:369-376. Nicholson, W. H. 1927. Late Red-headed Woodpecker. The Oologist 44:13. POTTER, E. F. 1973. Breeding behavior of the Summer Tanager. Chat 37:35-39. Roller, A. W. 1972. Aspects of behavioral ecology of Red-headed and Red-bellied wood- peckers. Amer. Midi. Nat. 88:270-290. 80 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST SHORT, L. L. 1982. Woodpeckers of the world. Delaware Museum of Natural History, Greenville, Delaware. SMITH, D. R., AND J. N. Layne. 1986. Occurrence of a double brood in Red-headed Wood- peckers in south central Florida. Florida Field Nat. 14:98-99. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. Univ. Press Flor- ida, Gainesville. VENABLES, A., AND M. W. COLLOPY. 1989. Seasonal foraging and habitat requirements of Red-headed Woodpeckers in north-central Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Nongame Wildl. Program Final Rept. The Florida Ornithological Society is Proud to Announce Special Publication No. 6 FLORIDA BIRD SPECIES: AN ANNOTATED LIST BY William B. Robertson, Jr. Glen E. Woolfenden The first complete and authoritative review of Florida’s avifauna since Arthur Howell’s 1932 Florida Bird Life. Treats over 660 species reported in the state. More than 140 species of non-native exotics. Essential for every- one interested in the modern status of Florida’s native and introduced birds. SOFT COVER HARD COVER FOS Members $14.95 $19.95 Non-Members $17.95 $22.95 All orders add $2.00 shipping and handling per book. Florida residents add 7% sales tax to the total. Make checks payable to Florida Ornithological Society. Mail to: F.O.S. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION P.O. BOX 2057 LAKE PLACID, FL 33862 Notes 81 Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 81-82, 1990. SIGHTINGS OF THE BLACKPOLL WARBLER IN THE WEST INDIES DURING WINTER Douglas B. McNair1, Wayne J. Arendt2, and Edward Massiah3 tTali Timbers Research Station , Route 1, Box 678 , Tallahassee , Florida 32312-9712 2USDA Forest Service , Calls 2, A 11. Brisas del Mar, Luquillo, Puerto Rico 00773 3Dr. Nelson Johnson Road , Fitts Village , St. James , Barbados Blackpoll Warblers ( Dendroica striata ) have rarely been reported during winter in the West Indies, despite great interest in their transoceanic migration during autumn through the West Indies and to northern South America (Bond 1950, 1980; Pashley and Hamilton 1990; Nisbet et al. 1995). Several winter sightings from the Netherlands Anti- lles have been rejected (Pashley and Hamilton 1990). Raffaele (1983) stated the Black- poll Warbler is “uncommon” in December in Puerto Rico, but provided no details. The latest precise accepted autumn date is 9 December (1955), based on a specimen from Grenada (Pashley and Hamilton 1990). The earliest spring date of 22 March is appar- ently based on a sight report (Bond 1950, 1980). At Trinidad and Tobago, an island group in northern South America close to the West Indies, Ffrench (1991) states that Blackpolls are rare from December through February, but provides no details. We present information on two sightings of single Blackpoll Warblers in basic plum- age during winter from Puerto Rico and Barbados plus an additional report from Tobago. All birds were identified by diagnostic characters, especially the yellowish soles and bases of the posterior tarsi (Stiles and Campos 1983). WJA and D. DeSante saw one Blackpoll Warbler on 1 January 1980 at about 500m in hygrophytic forest in El Yunque within the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. EM saw another individual in thick mangrove forest at Graeme Hall Swamp, Barbados, on 13 March 1993. At Tobago, EM also saw one Blackpoll Warbler on 2 January 1989 as- sociating with Blue-backed Manakins ( Chiroxiphia pareola ) at about 450m in hygro- phytic forest near Hillsborough Dam. Thus, these three reports occurred in early or late winter only. Blackpoll Warblers winter in northern South America, though their distribution and abundance are poorly known (Morse 1989). Stiles and Campos (1983) documented the first verified records and reports of Blackpoll Warblers during autumn in southern Cen- tral America. Several of these individuals remained until January or later, which sug- gests that they may overwinter there. We have presented herein the first specific winter reports in the West Indies, and an additional recent report from nearby Tobago. We thank F. E. Hayes, H. P Langridge, G. E. Menk, and W. K Taylor for their reviews of the manuscript. Literature Cited Bond, J. 1950. Check-list of Birds of the West Indies. 3rd ed. Wickersham Printing Co., Lancaster, Pennsylvania. BOND, J. 1980. Twenty-third supplement to the Check-list of Birds of West Indies (1956). Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. FFRENCH, R. P. 1991. A guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. 2nd ed. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York. MORSE, D. H. 1989. American Warblers. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge. 82 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Nisbet, I. C. T., D. B. McNair, W. Post, and T. C. Williams. 1995. Transoceanic migra- tion of the Blackpoll Warbler: summary of scientific evidence and response to criti- cisms by Murray. J. Field Ornithol. 66:612-622. PASHLEY, D. N., AND R. B. HAMILTON. 1990. Warblers of the West Indies. III. The Lesser Antilles. Carib. J. Sci. 26:75-97. RAFFAELE, H. A. 1983. A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. San Juan, Puerto Rico, Fondo Educativo Interamericano. STILES, F. G., and R. G. Campos. 1983. Identification and occurrence of Blackpoll War- blers in southern Middle America. Condor 85:254-255. Field Observations 83 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Fla. Field Nat. 24(3): 83-92, 1996. Winter Report: December 1995 February 1996 — The observations listed here are based on rare or unusual species or significant numbers of birds reported to the Flor- ida Ornithological Society (F.Q.3.) Field Observations Committee (F.O.C.). As these re- ports are not formally reviewed, they may be considered tentative. Significant reports are welcomed for inclusion in future issues of this section. Reports should include the following information: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance of the report. Reporting periods are winter (Becember-Febraary), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall (. August- 'November). Submit reports to re- gional compilers within 2 weeks after the close of each period, or to the state compiler within 1 month. Reports may be E-mailed to the state compiler at blp414@aol.com. Following the examples set by Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, F.O.S. Spec. PubL No. 6) and The Birdlife of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Univ, Press of Florida), sight-only observations are considered “re- ports/' while only those supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” Brace Anderson (in Hit. July 1995) revised the list of birds for which the F.O.S. Records Committee (F.O.S.R.C.) requires documentation. These species are marked in this report with an asterisk (*) to alert the observers of their need to supply the F.O.S.R.C. with details of their sightings. A county designation accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report; fur- ther listings of the same site lack the county name. Abbreviations used are as follows: A.B.S.=Archbold Biological Station ( Highlands ), ca. -circa, C.B.C.=Christmas Bird Count, C.N.S.=Canaveral National Seashore (Volusia), C.P.=eounty park, E.NP -Ever- glades N.P., F.B,K.=Florida Birding Report, N.P,=national park, N.W.R.- -national wildlife refuge, P.P.S.P.=Paynes Prairie State Preserve (Alachua), R&W 1992=Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, S&A 1994-Stevenson and Anderson 1994, S.P --••state park, S.R.A.=state recreation area, W.M.A.=wildlife management area, and N , S., E., W., etc. for compass directions. Bold-faced species, if any, denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida. We thank Rick West, the winter editor of National Audubon Society Field Notes , and Robbie Wooster of the F.B.R. for sharing information with us. R&W (1992) and S&A (1994) were used to determine the regional and seasonal status of many species. Editor Walter Taylor suggested many helpful comments. Lastly, we welcome Gail Menk as the new compiler for the Panhandle region, and we thank Jim Cox for his assistance in the first 24 F.O.C. reports. Summary of the Winter Season The clear highlight of the 1995-1996 winter season was the number of western-breed- ing hummingbirds found in Florida, especially in the western Panhandle. In Escambia, Santa Rosa , and Okaloosa, 60 individuals of 7 species were reported, including 2 species new for Florida. Bob Duncan called this event “a hummingbird invasion of unprece- dented proportions.” The table below lists the wintering hummingbirds found in the western Panhandle this winter. Other winter residents reported in greater than usual numbers were Dark-eyed Juncos and Baltimore Orioles, with 12 or more individuals of the latter species reported at 3 feeding stations in Jacksonville and Tallahassee. 84 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Hummingbird Species Individuals Buff-bellied 4 Magnificent 1 Archilochus spp. 5 Ruby-throated 1 Black-chinned 5 Calliope 7 Broad-tailed 1 Rufous /Selasphorus spp. 36 Totals 60 In addition to the Buff-bellied, Magnificent, Calliope, and Broad-tailed humming- birds listed above, F.O.S.R.C. rarities included in this report are: Red-necked Grebe at Cedar Key, Ross’ Goose at Lake Woodruff N.W.R., White-cheeked Pintail at Kendall, Rough-legged Hawk at Sorrento, Northern Saw- Whet Owls at Tallahassee and Naples, Common Poorwill at Gulf Breeze, Vaux’s Swifts at Apalachicola, Ringed Kingfisher at Deltona, Cassin’s Kingbird at Homestead, Couch’s Kingbird (the first verifiable Florida record) on the Palm Beach/Broward line, Sprague’s Pipit at Apalachicola, and Bell’s Vireos at St. Petersburg and in Broward. With the addition of the 2 “new” hummingbirds and the kingfisher, the number of birds reported in Florida is 705 species, with 472 species on the accepted Florida list us- ing the criteria established by Robertson and Woolfenden (1992). The remaining 233 spe- cies consist of unestablished exotics (161 species) and non-verifiable native species (72). Species Accounts Red-throated Loon: 7 at Fort Clinch S.P ( Nassau ) 10 Feb (R. Clark); 1 at St. Marks N.W.R. ( Wakulla ) 11 Feb (J. Stevenson, L. Paugh). PACIFIC Loon: 1 off St. George Island ( Franklin ) 11-20 Jan (J. Stevenson, R. Perry). Eared Grebe: 3 at Fort Walton Beach ( Okaloosa ) 12 Dec (B. Duncan); 1 at St. Joseph Peninsula S.P. ( Gulf) 2 Feb (J. Stevenson, L. Paugh); 1 at St. Marks N.W.R. 11 Feb (J. Stevenson, L. Paugh); 1 in breeding plumage at Bienville Plantation ( Hamilton ) 26 Feb. (R. Clark). * RED-NECKED Grebe: 1 off Seahorse Key, Cedar Keys N.W.R. {Levy) 30 Dec (D. Stead- man, B. McNab). The species remains unverified in Florida. American White Pelican: 3963 S. of Everglades City ( Collier ) 20 Dec (T. Below); 300 moving E. off Franklin 3 Jan (J. Dozier); 4400 at Polk phosphate mines 8 Feb (P. Fellers). BROWN Pelican: 4 on the Lakeland C.B.C. {Polk) 16 Dec (B. and F. Henry). Least Bittern: 1 male at Gainesville {Alachua) 10 Jan-10 Feb (F. Davis). Greater Flamingo: 13 at Snake Bight, E.N.P. {Monroe) 21 Jan {fide F.B.R.). Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 121 at Lake Kissimmee {Osceola) 15 Feb (T. Palmer). TUNDRA SWAN: 2 immatures at Lake Lafayette {Leon) 29 Dec-24 Jan (B. Stoutamire, G. Menk et ah); probably the same 2 birds at nearby Buck Lake through 10 Mar (H. Hooper et al.). Greater WHITE-FRONTED Goose: 4 at Fort Walton Beach 31 Jan-8 Feb (P. Tetlow et al.); 4 at Gulf Breeze {Santa Rosa) 7 Feb (B. Bremser). SNOW Goose: 7 in W. Duval 3 Dec-3 Jan (R. Clark); 1 adult blue morph at Freedom Lake City Park {Pinellas) 9-16 Dec (L. Hopkins, R. Smith, D. Goodwin et al.); 1 blue morph at Gainesville 22 Dec-12 Jan (J. Hintermister); 1 blue morph at Polk phosphate mines 12 Jan (B. and L. Cooper) and 21 Jan (L. Lane). Field Observations 85 *ROSS’ GOOSE: 1 at Lake Woodruff N.W.R. ca. 17 Feb-13 Mar ( fide F.B.R.) was the first Vo- lusia report (S&A 1994:101). BRANT: 1 at C.N.S. 11-28 Jan (H. Robinson). MALLARD: 6 at Honeymoon Island S.R.A. {Pinellas) 17 Dec (R. Smith, B. and M. Hoff- man); 125 at St. Marks N.W.R. ( Wakulla ) 7 Jan (D. and R Fellers). *WHITE-CHEEKED PINTAIL: 1 in Kendall {Dade) in Jan {fide W. Biggs). NORTHERN Pintail: 1 at Honeymoon Island S.R.A. 17 Dec was the first park report (R. Smith). CINNAMON Teal: 1 male at St. Marks N.W.R. 8 Dec-2 Feb (R. Gidden, J. Reinman et al.). NORTHERN Shoveler: 1000 at Bienville Plantation 26 Feb (R. Clark). GAD WALL: 133 at Apalachicola {Franklin) 7 Jan (D. and P. Fellers). EURASIAN WlGEON: 1 in Polk phosphate mines 17 Feb (K. Nelson, P. Fellers, L. Hopkins et al.) was the first county report (S&A 1994:121). American WlGEON: 1550 at Polk mines 8 Feb (P. Fellers). OLDSQUAW: 2 off Cedar Key 30 Dec (D. Steadman, B, McNab); 3 at C.N.S. 28 Jan (H. Rob- inson); 2 at St. Marks N.W.R. 11 Feb (J. Stevenson, L. Paugh). Black Scoter: 35 off the Pinellas coast 16 Dec (D. Goodwin, C. Buhrman et al.) and 24 Dec (K. Nelson); 40 off Holiday {Pasco) 29 Dec (E. Haney, B. Pranty, D. Goodwin). SURF Scoter: 51 off Naples {Collier) 14 Dec (J. Douglas) was the highest count for the Gulf coast (S&A 1994:134); 2 at Fort Walton Beach {Okaloosa) 26 Dec (J. Dunn, S. Tackett); 10 at St. Marks N.W.R. 21 Jan (J. Arnett, G. Hokit). WHITE-WINGED Scoter: 2 at Bienville Plantation 16 Dec (J. Krummrich, R. Rowan); 1 at Shalimar {Okaloosa) 18 Dec (B. Ferris, B. Reid); 1 immature at Fort Walton Beach 26 Dec (J. Dunn, S. Tackett, photo). COMMON Goldeneye: 2 at Palm Harbor {Pinellas) 7-9 Dec (L. Atherton, M. Wilkinson) were irregular so far south; singles at 2 Polk mines 16 Jan- 17 Feb (B. and M. Kit- tredge, P. Fellers et al.). RUDDY Duck: 1500 at Bienville Plantation 26 Feb (R. Clark). TURKEY Vulture: 1000 estimated migrating E. along the Franklin and Wakulla coasts 10-11 Dec (J. Dozier). SWALLOW-TAILED Kite: 1 near Frostproof {Polk) 28 Feb (T. Palmer); 1 at Freeport {Wal- ton) 29 Feb (D. Ware). WHITE-TAILED Kite: 2 on the Lake Placid C.B.C. {Highlands) 27 Dec for the 5th consec- utive year {fide G. Woolfenden); 1 at Three Lakes W.M.A. {Osceola) 22 Jan (D. Will- iams, W. Biggs); 1 at Kissimmee Park {Osceola) 7 Feb (W. Biggs); 1 near the S. shore of Lake Istokpoga {Highlands) 10 Feb (S. McGehee) and 2 there 11 Feb (M. McMil- lian, S. McGehee, D. Todd). SNAIL Kite: 1 immature at PPS.P. 3 Feb (F. Davis, I. Fromberg). SHORT-TAILED Hawk: 1 light morph over Lake Annie, A.B.S. 15 Jan (K. Tarvin); 1 dark morph at Tiger Creek Preserve {Polk) 24 Feb (C. Geanangel, B. Binschadler). SWAIN SON’S Hawk: 1 adult light morph over A.B.S. 3 Jan (J. and L. Hailman). RED-TAILED HAWK: 1 “Krider’s Hawk” at St. Marks N.W.R. 20 Feb (J. Reinman); 2 “Krider’s Hawks” wintered at Tram Road S.T.F. {Leon) (G. Menk et al.). * ROUGH-LEGGED Hawk: 1 adult light morph over Sorrento 11 Feb (B. and W. Biggs) was the most recent report of this unverified Florida species, and the first report for Lake (S&A 1994:173). GOLDEN Eagle: 1 adult at Lakeland 5 Dec (T. Palmer) was the first winter report for Polk (S&A 1994:174). PURPLE Gallinule: 6 at one small pond N.W. of Dade City {Pasco) 21 Dec (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoffman); 1 adult at Lake Annie 15 Jan through the period (K. Tarvin et al.); 16 at Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area {Lake) 24 Feb (J. Marburger et al.). SANDHILL Crane: 332 migrating N. high over Winter Haven {Polk) 19 Feb (B. and L. Coo- per). 86 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST WHOOPING Crane: 21 on the N.E. shore of Lake Kissimmee 25 Feb (B. and L. Cooper, D. Denys, K. Beecher); over 100 birds have now been released at Three Lakes W.M.A., but mortality remains high (Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission). BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER: 1 at Lake Kissimmee 15 Feb (T. Palmer) was rare inland in win- ter. SNOWY Plover: 86 in Pasco and Pinellas 20 Jan {fide P. Blair); 9 at Lanark Reef ( Frank- lin) 14 Feb (H. Bolte, C. Gunnels). WILSON’S Plover: 2 at Cape San Bias {Gulf) 24 Feb (J. Stevenson) were locally rare in winter. PIPING Plover: 179 in Pasco and Pinellas 20 Jan {fide P. Blair); 78 at Lanark Reef 14 Feb (G. Sprandel). Black— necked Stilt: 1 in W. Duval 9-22 Dec (M. Dolan) was the first county report in winter (S&A 1994:222); 80 at Polk mines 13 Jan (Lake Region Audubon Society). AMERICAN AVOCET: 4 at Fort George Island {Duval) 7 Dec (R. Clark). LESSER YellowlegS: 225 in a small pond E. of Dade City 21 Dec (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoffman). SOLITARY Sandpiper: 1 at Oscar Scherer S.P. {Sarasota) 11 Dec (A. Rawson) was the first county report in winter (S&A 1994:228); 1 at Sawgrass Lake C.P. 24 Dec through the period (M. Wilkinson); 1 in Escambia 19 Jan (E. Case, M. Sands, R. Rose) was the first 1 there in winter (S&A 1994:228); 1 in Santa Rosa 20 Jan (P. Tetlow et al.). LEAST Sandpiper: 500 in a small pond E. of Dade City 21 Dec (R. Smith, P. Blair, B. Hoff- man). PECTORAL Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Pasadena, Dade City 21 Dec (P. Young, B. Pranty, D. Robinson). PURPLE Sandpiper: up to 3 at Convoy Point, Biscayne N.P. {Dade); 1 at Boynton Inlet {Palm Beach) 19 Dec-3 Jan (R. Hunter, H. Langridge, F. Broerman et al.); up to 10 at Fort Clinch S.P. through the period {fide P. Powell). STILT Sandpiper: singles at Springhill S.T.F. {Leon) 11 and 22 Dec were considered “un- usually late fall migrants” (G. Menk); 37 N. of Bartow 16 Dec (P. Fellers). LONG-BILLED DowitcheR: 445 at Polk mines 12 Feb (P. Fellers et al.); 8 that called at N. Jacksonville 14 Feb (R. Clark). WILSON’S Phalarope: 1 at Tram Road S.T.F. 5 Dec (J. Cavanagh) was the first winter Leon report (S&A 1994:262). POMARINE JAEGER: 1 dark morph adult at Fort Clinch S.P. 22 Dec (R. Clark); 1 at C.N.S. 28 Jan (H. Robinson). Parasitic Jaeger: 2 at C.N.S. 28 Jan (H. Robinson). FRANKLIN’S Gull: 1 remained at Springhill S.T.F. until 7 Dec (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Port St. Joe 4 Dec (P. Tetlow et al.) was the first winter report for Gulf { S&A 1994:272); 2 on the Choctawhatchee C.B.C. {Okaloosa or Walton) 18 Dec (P. Tetlow). LESSER Black-backed Gull: 1 along the Sunshine Skyway {Pinellas) 16 Dec (L. Ather- ton); 2 at Fort DeSoto C.P. {Pinellas) 2 Jan (L. Atherton); 1 inland at Lake Lafayette 15 Jan (D. Evered); 1 at Daytona Beach ( Volusia ) 27 Jan (Ruth Clark to F.B.R.); 1 at Crandon C.P. {Dade) 4 Feb {fide F.B.R.); 1 adult at Merritt Island N.W.R. {Brevard) 18 Feb (A. and R. Smith). BLACK-LEGGED Kittiwake: 1 in first- winter plumage at Lake Worth Pier {Palm Beach) 17 Dec (D. Beech, H. Langridge, G. Hunter, F. Broerman). FORSTER’S Tern: 147 swimming in a raft off Round Key, 10,000 Islands {Collier) 7 Dec (T. Below, B. J. Anderson). White-winged Dove: 1 at St. Marks N.W.R. 9 Dec (D. Morrow); up to 12 in Crystal River in Jan (B. Smyth) were the first for Citrus (S&A 1994:323). Although the large num- ber of birds suggests they are not wild birds from the western U.S., the nearest known exotic population is greater than 80 km S.E.; 10 at Key West {Monroe) 21 Jan (J. On- drejko). Field Observations 87 WHITE Cockatoo ( Cacatua alba): 1 feeding in a flowering Bombax tree at Key West 23 Feb (J. Ondrejko) was the first report for Monroe (S&A 1994:334). BUDGERIGAR: 36 at Hernando Beach {Hernando) on the Aripeka-Bayport C.B.C. 22 Dec (fide B. Pranty); 54 on the West Pasco C.B.C. (Pasco) 29 Dec (fide B. Pranty). Birds were not found on the St. Petersburg C.B.C. 17 Dec (fide D. Goodwin) and North Pinel- las C.B.C. 18 Dec (fide J. Rippon), so the species seems to be extirpated from Pinellas. CANARY-WINGED Parakeet: 1 (race not specified) on the Lake Wales C.B.C. 30 Dec (fide P. Fellers) was the first winter report for Polk (S&A 1994:345). GROOVE-BILLED Ani: 1 S.W. of San Antonio (Pasco) 21 Dec through the period (C. Buhr- man, D. Goodwin, E. Haney et aL, photos by D. Woodard to Tall Timbers Research Station) was the first for the county (S&A 1994:358); 1 at a Polk mine 9 Jan (B. and L. Cooper, J. Jackson) was never relocated. BURROWING OWL: 1 at St. George Island 2 Dec (H. Horne) was the first winter report for Franklin (S&A 1994:365). SHORT-EARED OWL: up to 3 at Tram Road S.T.F. 1-2 Dec (M. Mulenix) were the first in Leon in winter (S&A 1994:369); 1 at Dog Island (Franklin) 3 Dec (D. Evered); 2 at La- nark Reef 7 Feb (H. Bolte, C. Gunnels). ♦Northern Saw-whet OWL: 1 at Phipps Park (Leon) 16 Dec (N. Warner) was the first Panhandle report (S&A 1994:370); 1 hunting at night in Fort Myers (Lee) 30-31 Dec (A. Bouchard, fide L. Messely) was described as being “small/5 with no “ear tufts” and with “large vertical rufous stripes ... on the underparts.” CHUCK - WILL'S -WIDOW. 1 at Bartow (Polk) 16 Dec (M. Bunn). ♦COMMON Poorwill: 1 at Gulf Breeze 1 Dec (B. and L. Duncan, details to F.O.S.R.C.) was the second Florida report, the first occurring 7 months earlier, on 5 May 1995 at Dry Tortugas N.R CHAETURA SPECIES: 2-4 at Gainesville 22 Dec-6 Feb (D. Cimbaro, R. Rowan, B. Roberts). *Vaux58 SWIFT: a small flock wintered in Apalachicola (Franklin) for the second consecu- tive winter (fide D. McNair, S. Stedman). ♦Buff-bellied Hummingbird: singles at Destin 11 Nov-15 Dec (B. Hardison et aL, banded by B. and M. Sargent 4 Dec) and 18 Dec (fide D. Ware) were the first in winter in Okaloosa (S&A 1994:385); 3 Pensacola (Escambia) reports: 1 present 27 Nov-11 Jan (B. Duncan et aL, banded by B. and M. Sargent 5 Dec), 1 present 16 Dec-7 Feb (B. Duncan, J. Pfeiffer, J. French et aL, banded by B. and M. Sargent 19 Dec), and 1 present 18 Dec-26 Jan (B. Milmore et aL, banded by B. and M. Sargent 26 Jan) were also the first county winter reports (S&A ibid.) ♦Magnificent Hummingbird ( Eugenes fulgens): 1 female at Pace (Santa Rosa) 22 Dec (E. Barbig et aL, details to F.O.S.R.C.) and 24 Dec (H Langridge et aL) was the first Florida report. ARCHILOCHUS SPECIES: 1 in Polk through the period (B. and L. Cooper et aL); at least 4 in Jacksonville through the period (fide P. Powell); 1 at Gainesville 27 Jan through the period (fide T. Webber). Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 1 in female plumage on the Pensacola C.B.C. 16 Dec (J. Pfeiffer); 1 adult male at feeder in Jacksonville through the period (H. Tyner); 1 adult male returned to Alligator Point (Franklin) 23 Feb (J. Dozier). Black-chinned Hummingbird: singles at Pensacola 16 Dec-3 Jan (C. Suggs et aL), 27 Dec-21 Jan (B. Burroughs et aL), and 8-21 Jan (B. Duncan, B. Tetlow et aL); 1 female at Pace 22 Dec-7 Jan (E. Barbig, H. Langridge et aL); 1 female at St. Leo (Pasco) 10 Dec (R. Smith) and 1 male there in late Jan (J. and L. Hopkins, K. Nelson); 1 at Destin 18 Dec (B. Hardison); 1 at Milton ( Santa Rosa) 22 Dec-7 Jan (E. Barbig et aL); 3 Tal- lahassee reports: singles present 23-31 Dec (H. Hooper, J. Cavanagh) and 22-28 Dec (J. Elliot, J. Cavanagh, N. Warner), and 4 others through the period (N. Warner et aL); 1 male at Dover 22 Feb through the period (S. Backes) was the first Hillsborough re- port (S&A 1994:388). 88 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST *Calliope HUMMINGBIRD: 8 reports this winter: 4 birds at 2 Pensacola feeders: 1 female 30 Nov-19 Dec (specimen to A.B.S.), 1 immature male 12-16 Dec (B. Duncan, details to F.O.S.R.C., videotape by B. Atherton), 1 bird 16-19 Dec (J. Pfeiffer et al., details to F.O.S.R.C.), and 1 immature male 19 Dec (J. Pfeiffer et al., banded by B. and M. Sar- gent, details to F.O.S.R.C.); 1 at Jacksonville 20 Dec.-27 Jan (P. Anderson et al. details to F.O.S.R.C., videotaped by N. Warner); 1 at Pace 24 Dec (E. and L. Case, R. Harrison et al.); 1 at Destin 24-26 Dec (B. Hardison); 1 female at Gulf Breeze 10 Jan (J. French, details to F.O.S.R.C.). Prior to this winter, only 1 Florida record existed! SELASPHORUS SPECIES: 35 reports in the Panhandle, most identified as Rufous Humming- birds {fide G. Menk); at least 4 reports in Jacksonville through the period (fide P. Pow- ell); at least 3 at Gainesville and 1 at Cedar Key through the period ( fide B. Muschlitz). *Bro ad-tailed Hummingbird ( Selasphorus platycerus ): 1 adult male (wing whistle heard) at Pensacola 8 Jan- 11 Feb (J. Pfeiffer, P. Sykes, H. Langridge et al., videotapes by B. Atherton, R, Wooster to F.O.S.R.C.) will be the first Florida record pending ac- ceptance. Rufous Hummingbird: 13 banded in the Panhandle on various dates (B. and M. Sar- gent); 1 first-year female captured at Gulf Breeze 5 Dec (B. and M. Sargent) had been banded at Reserve, Louisiana, 18 Nov 1995 (N. Newfield); 1 male at Jacksonville through the period had acquired full adult plumage by Mar (P. Powell); at least 5 birds at 3 Tallahassee sites (J. Cavanagh, N. Warner et al.). ^Ringed Kingfisher ( Ceryl torquata ): 1 at Deltona ( Volusia ) 30 Nov (L. Rabbit) and 1 Dec (W. Biggs) was never relocated. This was the first published Florida report. EMPIDONAX SPECIES: 1 with “a prominent eye ring teardrop shaped coming to a point be- hind the eye” at Gulf Breeze 28 Dec was considered a “probable” “Western Fly- catcher” (= Pacific slope Flycatcher, E. difficilis or Cordilleran Flycatcher, E. occidentalis ) (B., L., and S. Duncan), the first Florida report; 1 that appeared to be of a species other than Least Flycatcher at Port Richey (Pasco) 29 Dec (P. Young). LEAST Flycatcher: 1 calling in N. Pinellas 24 Feb (J. and L. Hopkins, R. Smith) was the first winter report for the county (S&A 1994:419). Vermilion Flycatcher: 7 (3 males and 4 females) at St. Marks N.W.R. through the pe- riod (J. Harrell, K. Avipa et al.) may be the largest Florida count; 1 adult male S.W. of San Antonio 4 Jan through the period (W. Yusek, R. Smith et al.) was the first Pasco report (S&A 1994:422); 1 male wintered at Buck Island Ranch (. Highlands ) (M. Mc- Millian et al.) for the second consecutive year; 1 first-year male at Parker Island (. Highlands ) 24 Feb (B. Hope), and 2 Mar (D. Goodwin, E. Haney et al.). ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER: 1 at Turkey Creek Sanctuary (Brevard) through 23 Feb (B. and S. Hills, B. Brown et al.). Great Crested Flycatcher: 2 calling in Polk 22 Feb (P. Fellers). BROWN-CRESTED Flycatcher: 1 calling at Kapok Tree Park, Fort Lauderdale (Broward) 17 Dec was compared with a nearby Great Crested Flycatcher (H. Langridge, L. Man- fredi, R. Buccholz); 1 at E.N.P (Dade) 9 Jan-22 Jan (fide F.B.R.). La Sacra’s Flycatcher: 1 at Mahogany Hammock E.N.P. (Dade) 10 Feb (fide F.B.R.). *CASSIN’S Kingbird: 1 W. of Homestead 9 Jan-14 Feb (L. Manfredi et al.). *Couch*S KINGBIRD: 1 W. of U.S.-27 on the Broward/Palm Beach county line 1 Feb-2 Mar (A. and B. Liberman, C. Kilmer et al., photo by Alice Smith to F.O.S.R.C., speci- men to University of Central Florida, Orlando) was the first verified Florida record. WESTERN Kingbird: 1 at Melbourne (Brevard) in mid-Feb (B. Brown et al.) was rare lo- cally. GRAY Kingbird: 1 at Pahokee (Palm Beach) 2 Dec (C. Weber et al.). HORNED Lark: 1 at Tram Road S.T.F. 1 Dec (N. Warner). PURPLE Martin: 2 (1 male and 1 in female plumage) at the A.B.S. martin house begin- ning 4 Jan (G. Woolfenden et al.) were the earliest “spring” reports (S&A 1994:441); 4 at Lake Alfred (Polk) 9 Jan (P Timmer); 1 male at Key West 10 Jan (J. Ondrejko). Field Observations 89 Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 2 at Oehlockonee Bay ( Wakulla ) 15 Dec (J. Do- zier). BANK Swallow: 1 at Tram Road S.T.F 1 Dec (G. Menk, D. Evered), 1 at Bienville Plan- tation 16 Dec (R. Rowan, J. Krammrich), and 1 at Eglin Air Force Base 18 Dec (L. Duncan) were the first winter reports for Leon , Duval , and Okaloosa , respectively (S&A 1994:449). Cliff Swallow: 1 at Gainesville 22 Dec (J. Hintermister) was the first winter report for Alachua (S&A 1994:450) BARN Swallow: 1 at Tram Road S.T.F. 28 Feb (G. Menk) was the first winter report for Leon (S&A 1994:453). FLORIDA Scrub-Jay: 13 at a newly discovered site in Crystal River 28 Dec (fide B. Smyth). Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1 at Gainesville 13 Dec (D. Levey). Brown CREEPER: 1 at Gainesville 17 Dec (K. Miller). WINTER Wren: 1 at S. Jacksonville 28 Nov-30 Jan (B. Rhodes); 1 at Seahorse Key 30 Dec (D. Steadman, B McNab) was the first Levy report (S&A 1994:483). Golden-crowned kinglet: 1 at Highlands Hammock S.P. ( Highlands ) 20 Jan (H. Lan- gridge, G. Hunter et al.). American Pipit: 200+ S.E. of Fort Meade (Polk) 20 Feb (C. and D. Ford, B. and M. Kit- tredge). *Sprague?S PIPIT: 1 at Apalachicola Causeway (Franklin) 3 Feb ( J. Stevenson, L. Paugh). *Bell5S VlREO: 1 at Sawgrass Lake C.P. 16 Dec (B. Pranty, D. Goodwin et al.) was the first Pinellas report (S&A 1994:528); 1 at Kapok Tree Park 17 Dec (H. Langridge, L. Manfredi) was found again 17 and 19 Dec by playing tape-recorded vocalizations of a Bell’s Vireo (L. Manfredi et al.). BLUE-WINGED Warbler: 1 at St. Lucie Inlet State Preserve (Martin) 30 Dec (R Merritt); 1 at Fort Clinch S.P. 11 Jan (E. Colborn). GOLDEN— WINGED WARBLER: 1 male at Six Mile Cypress Parkway (Lee) 11 Feb through the season (V. McGrath, N. Pettis) was the first winter report for the state (S&A 1994:541-542). NASHVILLE Warbler: singles in Leon 25-30 Dec (D. Harder, G. Menk, J. Alexander et al.) and 15 Jan (H. Home); 1 male at Gainesville 31 Dec (T. Hoctor); 1 at Everglades N.P. (Dade) 20 Jan (R. Smith). Northern Pakula: 1 on the Tallahassee C.B.C. 1 Jan (M. Hill, D. Evered, L. Messick); 1 at A.B.S. 9 Feb (G. Butcher, F. Lohrer et al.) was believed to be a migrant; if so, it was the earliest “spring” report (S&A 1994:547). YELLOW Warbler: 4 wintered at Belle Glade Campground ( Palm Beach) (C. Weber, H. Langridge, G. Hunter). Magnolia Warbler: 1 S.E. of Lake Placid ( Highlands ) 25 Feb (S. Backes et al.). CAPE May WARBLER: 1 at Auburndale 14 Dec was the first winter report for Polk (P. Fellers, P. Timmer); 1 at Sawgrass Lake C.P. 16 Dec (L. Hopkins et al.). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 1 female at Homestead (Dade) through 29 Dec (B. and B. Robertson). Black- THROATED Green Warbler: 1 at Sawgrass Lake C.P. 16 Dec-9 Jan (M. and L. Hopkins, M. Wilkinson); 1 at Tiger Creek Preserve 17 Feb (T. Palmer) and 2 males there 24 Feb (C. Geanangel, B. Binschadler). AMERICAN Redstart: 1 female at Sawgrass Lake C.P. 16 Dec ( fide D. Goodwin); 1 at Tal- bot Island S.P. (Duval) 30 Dec (R. Wears); 1 in female plumage at Big Cypress Na- tional Preserve ( Collier ) 11 Feb (J. and L. Douglas). WORM— EATING WARBLER: 1 at St. Lucie Inlet State Preserve (Martin) 30 Dec (R Merritt); 2 at Everglades N.P. (Dade) 20 Jan (R. Smith); 1 at Big Cypress National Preserve 11 Feb (J. and L. Douglas). Northern WATERTHRUSH: 1 S.E. of Lake Placid 25 Feb (S. Backes et al). 90 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at Gainesville 6=9 Jan (M. Manetz, R. Rowan). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 adult male at Gainesville 3 Jan-3 Feb (D. O’Neill). YELLOW-BREASTED Chat: 1 S.W. of San Antonio 21 Dec-18 Feb (D. Goodwin, C. Buhrman et al.); 1 at Homestead 27 Dec through the period (B. and B. Robertson); 1 at Hickory Mound Impoundment ( Taylor ) 15 Jan (R. Smith) was the first winter report for the county (S&A 1994:600). Stripe-headed Tanager: 1 male at Lake Worth 4 Dec (T. Trotsky). Summer Tanager: 1 in female plumage at Gulf Breeze 1 Dec (B. Duncan); 1 male at Sawgrass Lake C.R 29 Dec (V. Morrison); 1 at Tree Tops C.R ( Broward ) 12 Feb ( fide F.B.R.). WESTERN Tanager: 1 male at Lecanto 7-16 Jan (B. Smyth et al.) was the first Citrus re- port (S&A 1994:609). Black-headed Grosbeak: 1 at Pensacola 11 Jan (J. Yates, B. Bremser). INDIGO Bunting: 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve ( Pinellas ) 9 Dec- 10 Feb (L. Hopkins, R. Smith, W. Yusek, D. Gagne); 1 at Panacea ( Wakulla ) 12 Dec-2 Feb (J. Dozier); 1 at Weedon Island Preserve ( Pinellas ) 16 Dec (J. and L. Hopkins); 1 at Destin 18 Dec (E. Case); 1 at Zellwood ( Orange ) 14 Jan-10 Feb (G. Bretz, T. Robinson); 1 male at Gaines- ville 9 Feb through the period ( fide B. Muschlitz). PAINTED Bunting: 1 at Gulf Breeze 1 Dec (B. Duncan) was the first winter report for Santa Rosa (S&A 1994:618); 1 “pair” at Pensacola 9 Feb (C. and S. Clark); 1 first-year male at Talbot Island S.P. 26 Feb (R. Clark). DlCKCISSEL: 1 at Santa Rosa Island ( Escambia ) 7 Feb (R. Rowan); 2 at Ponce DeLeon City Park, Punta Gorda 18 Feb (R. Gribbs to F.B.R.) were the first Charlotte report (S&A 1994:620). Clay-colored Sparrow: 1 at Alligator Point 19 Jan (J. Dozier). FIELD SPARROW: some birds seen off C.R. -184 N.E. of the Escambia River C Escambia ) 25 Dec and at Phipps Regional Park, Tallahassee C Leon ) 27 Dec were “quite drab in ap- pearance” with “pure white” breasts, “no rufous on the back and reduced amounts of rufous on the head.” The birds were possibly of the W. race Spizella pusilla arenacea , apparently never reported in Florida previously (both J. Dunn, S. Tackett). LARK Sparrow: 1 at Crestview 1 Dec (K. Gault) was the first winter report for Okaloosa (S&A 1994:635); 1 at Turkey Creek Sanctuary 23 Feb-2 Mar (B. and S. Hills et al.). HENSLOW’S SPARROW: 3 in W. Duval 22 Sep through the period (R. Clark); 1 at P.P.S.P. 17 Dec (J. Weimer, A. Kratter); 1 at Bienville Plantation 13 Jan (J. Hintermister, J. Krummrich); 21 banded in Apalachicola National Forest ( Liberty ) 12-13 Feb (D. Mc- Nair) exceeds the previous published high count, and are the first published reports for the county (S&A 1994:641); 3 at Newport ( Wakulla ) 17-26 Feb (M. Collins, R. West et al.). Le Conte’s Sparrow: 1 at P.P.S.P. 12-17 Dec (R. Rowan); 1 at St. Marks N.W.R. 14 Jan (K. and T. Engstrom); 1 at Dog Island 3 Feb (D. Evered); 1 at Lake Lafayette 4-17 Feb (J. Stevenson, L. Paugh, J. Childs); 1 at Newport 3-17 Feb (H. Horne, D. Harder et al.). Fox SPARROW: 2 in Wakulla 11 Jan ( fide G. Menk); 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve 28 Jan- 4 Feb (R. Smith, W. Yusek et al.) was very rare so far south; 1 at Shalimar 6 Feb (B. Dalton, D. Ware); 6 at Florida Caverns S.P. ( Jackson ) 4 Feb (R. Rowan et al.) and 4 there 9 Feb (S. Backes, R. Webb, R. Card). LINCOLN’S Sparrow: 1 at Weedon Island Preserve 16 Dec (J. and L. Hopkins) was the first 1 for the St. Petersburg C.B.C.; 1 at Fort Clinch S.P. 22 Dec (R. Clark) was the first Nassau report (S&A 1994:653); 1 at Lake Wales 10 Feb (P. Timmer, C. Geanangel). White-crowned Sparrow: 1 immature at A.B.S. 15 Jan (M. McMillian). DARK-EYED JUNCO: 1 male at Melbourne 19 Nov-6 Mar (B. Brown et al.); 1 at St. Augus- tine (St. Johns ) 1 Dec (fide P. Powell); 1 at Pine Ridge (Citrus) 28 Dec (fide B. Smyth); 1 at S. Jacksonville 28 Dec (J. Cocke); 1 at Cedar Key 30 Dec (fide B. Muschlitz); more common in Gainesville than in typical years (B. Muschlitz). Field Observations 91 RED-WINGED Blackbird: 200,000 estimated E. of Marianna ( Jackson ) 5 Jan (D. and P. Fellers). Eastern Meadowlark: at least 70 in W. Duval 22 Dec (R. Clark). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 2 adult males near Lakeland 16 Dec (T. Palmer); 2 males at Homestead in Jan ( fide F.B.R.). RUSTY Blackbird: 65-70 at Black Swamp {Leon) 29 Jan (G. Menk). Brewer’s Blackbird: 2 at Black Swamp 29 Jan (G. Menk). Shiny Cowbird: up to 15 at a feeder in Homestead late Oct-early Dec included adult males and females and “probable immatures” (B. and B. Robertson); 1 immature male at Alligator Point found dead 22 Jan (J. Dozier) was the first winter report for the E. Panhandle (S&A 1994:678). BRONZED Cowbird: 6 at Lakeland for the 7th consecutive winter (B. and L. Cooper et ah). BROWN-HEADED Cowbird: 50,000 estimated E. of Marianna 5 Jan (D. and P. Fellers) ties the highest Florida count (S&A 1994:681). BALTIMORE Oriole: 1 at Fort Burgess Landing 2 Dec (H. Loftin, T. Menart) was the first winter report for Gulf (S&A 1994:687); up to 12 at feeders at Gainesville 20 Jan-15 Feb (S. Bynum); over 50 at feeders in W. Jacksonville all winter (R. Davis); 15 win- tered at a feeder in S. Jacksonville (J. Cocke); dozens at a Tallahassee feeder all win- ter (N. Warner); 1 male at Parker Island 10 Feb (G. Woolfenden) and 1 at DeFuniak Springs 13 Feb (G. Oakman) were the first winter reports for Highlands and Walton , respectively (S&A ibid.). BULLOCK’S Oriole: at least 7 wintered at 3 Jacksonville sites (R. Davis, J. Cocke, fide P. Powell); singles in female plumage in Crystal River 28 Dec and 15 Jan (both B. Smyth) were the first Citrus reports (S&A 1994:687); single males at two Tallahassee sites 27 Jan-Feb (N. Warner, G. Menk). PURPLE Finch: 12 at Fort Clinch S.P. ( Nassau ) 7 Jan (A. and R. Smith); 2 at Gainesville [date?] {fide B. Muschlitz); singles at 2 feeders at Jacksonville in Feb {fide P. Powell); reported this winter in Wakulla (J. and L. Epler, R. Christen), Gadsden (D. McBride, G. Menk), and Leon (R. Rutkovsky, B. Scott, N. Warner et ah). HOUSE Finch: up to 30 at Gainesville 26 Jan (D. Wenny); 1 male singing at Newberry {Alachua) in early Feb (C. Parenteau). PINE SISKIN: 1 at Delray Beach {Palm Beach) 7 Jan (H. Langridge). EVENING Grosbeak: 1 adult male at Gainesville 9 Jan (H. Loescher). CONTRIBUTORS: J. Alexander, Beverly J. Anderson, Pat Anderson, John Arnett, Brooks Atherton, Kristi Avipa, Steve Backes, Evelyn Barbig, Doug Beech, Kit Beecher, Ted Below, Bettye Biggs, Wes Biggs, Ben Binschadler, Paul Blair, H. Bolte, Andre Bou- chard, Bill Bremser, Greg Bretz, Fred Broerman, Bob Brown, Ray Buccholz, Charlie Bu- hrman, Mike Bunn, Bill Burroughs, Greg Butcher, Sunny Bynum, Ron Card, Ed Case, Lois Case, Jim Cavanagh, J. Childs, Ron Christen, Dan Cimbaro, C. Clark, Roger Clark, Ruth Clark, S. Clark, Julie Cocke, Ele Colborn, Mike Collins, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, B. Dalton, Fritz Davis, Ron Davis, Dena Denys, Mark Dolan, Jack Dozier, John Douglas, Linda Douglas, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Scot Duncan, Jon Dunn, J. Eliot, Km Eng- strom, Todd Engstrom, John Epler, L. Epler, Duncan Evered, Donna Fellers, Paul Fellers, B. Ferris, Clarice Ford, Don Ford, Jere French, Ike Fromberg, Dave Gagne, K. Gault, Chuck Geanangel, Red Gidden, Dave Goodwin, Roger Gribbs, C. Gunnels, Jack Hailman, Liz Hailman, Eric Haney, David Harder, B. Hardison, Jim Harrell, Randy Harrison, Bert Henry, Fran Henry, Bill Hills, Shirley Hills, John Hintermister, Thomas Hoctor, Brett Hoffman, Marti Hoffman, Grant Hokit, Harry Hooper, Brian Hope, Judi Hopkins, Larry Hopkins, Howard Horne, Gloria Hunter, Richard Hunter, Janet Jackson, Cecil Klmer, Bruce Kttredge, Marion Kttredge, Andy Kratter, Jerry Kummrich, Larry Lane, 92 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Howard Langridge, Doug Levey, A1 Liberman, Barbara Liberman, Hank Loescher, Horace Loftin, Fred Lohrer, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, Debbie McBride, Steve McGehee, Mike McMillian, Brian McNab, Doug McNair, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Peter Merritt, Louis Messely, Lyla Messick, Karl Miller, Bill Milmore, Vaughn Morrison, Don Morrow, M. Mulenix, Barbara Muschlitz, Kris Nelson, Nancy Newfield, David O'Neill, Gertrude Oakman, Joe Ondrejko, Tom Palmer, Craig Parenteau, Leslie Faugh, R. Perry, Jim Pfeiffer, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Arnold Rawson, B. Reid, Joe Reinman, John Rip- pon, Bryant Roberts, Betty Robertson, Bill Robertson, Harry Robinson, Ted Robinson, Rufous Rose, Rex Rowan, Marilu Sands, Bob Sargent, Martha Sargent, Alice Smith, An- drea Smith, Ron Smith, Betty Smy th, Gary Sprandel, David Steadman, Jim Stevenson, Clarence Suggs, Paul Sykes, Sue Tackett, Keith Tarvin, Betsy Tetlow, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Danielle Todd, Tadziu Trotsky, Hugh Tyner, Noel Warner, Don Ware, Robert Wears, Ray Webb, Tom Webber, Chuck Weber, Jim Weimer, Dan Wenny, Rick West, Mar- gie Wilkinson, Dianne Williams, Glen Woolfenden, Robbie Wooster, Jerry Yates, Paul Young, and Wilfred Yusek. Fall 1995 reports not reported previously: Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 flying S. over Lib- erty 31 Aug was considered an early migrant (Jim Stevenson, R. Perry); White-winged Dove: 3 at Big Cypress Bend ( Collier ) 26 Nov (John and Linda Douglas); Black-billed Cuckoo: 1 S. of Marco Island ( Collier ) 16 Sep (Ted Below); Whip-poor-will: 1 found dead at Apalachicola {Franklin) 31 Jul or 1 Aug (Jim Stevenson) would be the earliest fall re- port if the bird did not summer there; Eastern Wood-Pewee: 1 at Golden Gate ( Collier ) 22 Aug (John Douglas). Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (5572 County Road 64 East, Avon Park, Florida 33825). Other committee members are Linda Cooper (115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven, Florida 33884), Gail Menk, 2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304, and Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257). INVITE A VERY SPECIAL FRIEND TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999x PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor: WALTER K. TAYLOR, Dept, of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816-3268. Assistant Editors: Eric D. Stolen and Mike Petrovich, (address as above). Associate Editor (for bird distribution): BRUCE H. ANDERSON, 2917 Scarlet Road, Win- ter Park, Florida 32792. Associate Editor (for reviews): REED BOWMAN, Archbold Biological Station, PO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. Associate Editor (for technical papers): RICHARD T. PAUL, National Audubon Society, 410 Ware Blvd., Suite 500, Tampa, Florida 33619. Editor of Special Publications: GLEN E. WOOLFENDEN, Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: KATY NeSmith, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. Archives Committee: WALTER K. TAYLOR (Chair), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816. Editorial Advisory Board: STEPHEN A. NESBITT, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Wildlife Research Laboratory, 4005 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida 32601. Field Observations Committee: BILL PRANTY (Compiler), Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33852. Finance Committee: P. WILLIAM SMITH (Chair), P.O. Box 1341, Homestead, Florida 33090. Nominating Committee: JAMES Cox (Chair), Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 620 S. Meridian St., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600. Records Committee: BRUCE H. ANDERSON (Secretary), 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. Grants and Awards Committee: TODD ENGSTROM (Chair), Tall Timbers Research Sta- tion, Rt. 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. Conservation Committee: Reed BOWMAN (Chair), Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida 33862. INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. It welcomes submission of manuscripts containing new information from these areas. Please consult recent issues for style and Vol. 18, No. 1 for detailed information. Submit manuscripts for consideration to the Editor, Walter K. Taylor. Mono- graph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to the Editor of Special Publications, Glen E. Woolfenden. Send books and other materials for review to Associate Editor, Reed Bowman. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of manuscripts dealing with bird distribution and rarities contact Associate Editor, Bruce H. Anderson. Reports of rare birds in Florida should also be submitted to the FOS Records Committee Secretary, Bruce H. Anderson. For preliminary assistance regarding submission of scien- tific, technical, or behavioral contributions contact Associate Editor, Richard T. Paul. Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Vol. 24, No. 3 August 1996 Pages 61-92 CONTENTS ARTICLES Western Wood-Pewee Recorded in Highlands County, Florida Glen E. Woolfenden, Bill Pranty, John W. Fitzpatrick , and Brian S. Nelson 61-67 Effects of Summer Burns on Florida Grasshopper Sparrows W. Gregory Shriver, Peter D. Vickery, and Scott A. Hedges .............................. 68-73 NOTES Sanderling ( Calidris alba) Flight Duration in Response to Inadvertent Disturbance Henry T. Smith and James A. Rodgers, Jr ...................................................... 74-75 Gull-billed Tern Nesting on a Roof in Northwest Florida LaraM. Coburn 76-77 Late Breeding Records of a Red-headed Woodpecker and a Summer Tanager in Florida Douglas B. McNair 78-80 Sightings of the Blackpoll Warbler in the West Indies during Winter Douglas B. McNair, Wayne JArendt, and Edward Massiah .......................... 81-82 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Winter Report: December 1995-February 1996 Bill Pranty 83-92