I“<bRTH American Birds

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGICAL RECORD PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION

Volume 56: No.1, 2002 • August 2001 -November 2001

The Fall Migration

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The Fall Migration

August Through November 2001

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS • AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION • VOLUME 56; NUMBER 1 • 2002

4 Geographic variation, hybridization, and

taxonomy of New World ButorUles herons

Floyd E. Hayes

1 1 Introducing eBird: The Union of Passion
and Purpose

John W. Fitzpatrick, Frank Gill, Michael Powers,
Jeffrey V. Wells and Kenneth V. Rosenberg

13 Editors’ Notebook

1 5 The Changing Seasons

Edward S. Brinkley

The Regional Reports
22

24

28

33

37

41

44

48

51

54

55
60

Atlantic Provinces
Bruce Mactavish
Quebec

Pierre Bannon, Samuel Denault, Yves Aubry, and Normand David

New England

Walter G. Ellison and Nancy L. Martin
H udson — Delaware

Robert 0. Paxton, Joseph C. Burgiel, and David A. Cutler
Middle Atlantic Coast
Marshall J. Iliff

Southern Atlantic Coast
Ricky Davis
Florida
Bill Pranty
Ontario

Margaret J. C. Bain
Appalachia "’V,

Robert C. Leberman
Western Great Lakes
Peder Svingen

Middlewestern Prairie
Kenneth J. Brock
Central Southern

Robert A. Duncan and Lucy R. Duncan

64 Prairie Provinces

Rudolf F. Koes and Peter Taylor

66 Northern Great Plains

Ron Martin

67 Southern Great Plains

Joseph A. Grzybowski
70 Texas

Mark Lockwood, Greg Lesley, Willie Sekula,
and Brush Freeman

75 Idaho — Western Montana

David Trochlell

76 Mountain West

Van A. Truan and Brandon K. Percival
79 Great Basin
Ted Floyd
83 Arizona

Gary H. Rosenberg and Roy M. Jones
87 New Mexico

Sartor 0. Williams III
89 Alaska

Thede Tobish

92 British Columbia — Yukon
Donald G. Cecile

96 Oregon — Washington

Steven MIodinow, Alan Contreras, and Bill Tweit
101 Middle Pacific Coast

Scott B. Terrill, Thomas P. Ryan, Michael M. Rogers,

Steven A. Glover, and Don Roberson
105 Southern Pacific Coast

Guy McCaskie and Kimball L. Garrett
109 Baja California Peninsula

Robert A. Hamilton, Richard A. Erickson, Eduardo Palacios,
and Roberto Carmona
T1 1 Mexico

Hector Gomez de Silva
1 1 5 Central America
H. Lee Jones
118 West Indies

Robert L. Norton and Andrew Dobson
120 Hawaii

Robert L. Pyle and Peter Donaldson
123 Pictorial Highlights

This Wood Stork— part of a large flight of this species in late summer that spanned from Chicago to Cleveland to Pelee to upstate New York, and even to
Quebec — brightened Littlesfown, Pennsylvania 21 August 2001, one of two birds found in that state. A flight on this scale had not been observed in decades
in most of these areas. Photograph by Rick Wiltraut

American Birding Association

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Gerald J. Ziarno

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CONSERVATION AND PUBLIC POLICY
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G. Stuart Keith ( 1970 pro tern)

RECENT PAST JOURNAL EDITORS
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North American Birds

is published by the American Birding Association.

The mission of the journal is to provide a complete overview of the changing panorama
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EDITORIAL AND SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

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Hamilton, Matthew L. Holder, Pam Hunt, Marshall J. Iliff, H. Lee Jones, Roy Jones,
Rudolf F. Koes, Greg Lasley, Robert C. Leberman, Bruce Mactavish, Mark Lockwood,
Nancy L. Martin, Ron E. Martin, Blake Maybank, Guy McCaskie, Ian A. McLaren, Steven
G. Mlodinow, B. Mac. Myers, Robert L. Norton, Eduardo Palacios, Robert O. Paxton,
Brandon K. Percival, Simon Perkins, Wayne R. Petersen, David J. Powell, Bill Pranty,
Robert D. Purrington, Robert L. Pyle, Don Roberson, Michael M. Rogers, Gary H.
Rosenberg, Thomas P. Ryan, Willie Sekula, Cliff Shackelford, Daniel S. Singer, Mark M.
Stevenson, Peder Svingen, Peter Taylor, Scott B. Terrill, Thede G. Tobish Jr., David
TrochleJl, Van A. Truan, Bill Tweit, Phillip A. Wallace, Sartor O. Williams III.

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North American Birds (ISSN 1525-3708) (USPS 872-200) is published quarterly by the American Birding
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2

North American Biros

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Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

3

Geographic variation, hybridization, and
taxonomy of New World Butorides herons

Floyd E. Hayes

Department of Life Sciences
University of the West Indies
St. Augustine
Trinidad and Tobago
(email: floyd_hayes@hotmail.com)

ABSTRACT

The New World Butorides herons comprise three distinct forms whose tax-
onomy has been debated: the rufous-necked Green Heron (B. virescens) of
North America, Central America, and the West Indies; the gray-necked
Striated Heron (B. striatus) of South America and the Old World; and the
dark Lava Heron (B. sundevalli) of the Galapagos Islands. An extensive analy-
sis by Payne (1974) concluded that they interbreed freely where their ranges
meet and should be considered conspecific. However, Monroe and Browning
(1992) alleged that Payne’s voucher specimens used as a hybrid index for B.
virescens and B. striatus included juveniles and did not represent a continuous
series; they concluded that B. virescens and B. striatus rarely interbreed and
were specifically distinct. My reexamination of Payne’s voucher specimens
revealed that all had attained adult neck coloration and represent a continu-
ous series. My reanalysis of Payne’s data demonstrates increased variability
and intermediacy in the contact zone between B. virescens and B. striatus,
implying extensive hybridization there. However, the presence of apparently
pure B. virescens and B. striatus phenotypes within the contact zone suggests
that assortative mating does occur, supporting the treatment of the two forms
as distinct species. Similarly, the persistence of pure B. sundevalli in a poten-
tial hybrid zone with 6. striatus in the Galapagos Islands supports its treat-
ment as a distinct species. Further information is provided on molts and
plumages of Butorides herons.

INTRODUCTION

Studies of geographic variation in birds are crucial for testing hypotheses of
phylogenetic relationships and speciation processes among closely related
species (Zink and Remsen 1986). Where zones of phenotypic intermediacy
occur between sister taxa, it is important to distinguish between primary
intergradation (clinal variation) and secondary intergradation (hybridiza-
tion). Hybridization, a genetic phenomenon that is widespread in birds
(Grant and Grant 1992), is generally defined as interbreeding between popu-
lations in secondary contact (Sibley and Short 1964) and can be phenetically
inferred by an increase in variability and intermediacy in concert (Schueler
and Rising 1976).

The New World herons of the genus Butorides include three distinct forms:
the rufous-necked Green Heron (B. virescens) of North America, Central
America, and the West Indies; the gray-necked Striated Heron (B. striatus) of
South America and the Old World; and the dark Lava Heron (B. sundevalli)
of the Galapagos Islands.

The three forms were generally considered distinct species (e.g., Bock 1956,
Peters 1931, Hellmayr and Conover 1948, Palmer 1962, Wetmore 1965, Slud
1967), although sometimes considered conspecific (Hartert 1920) or possibly
conspecific (Eisenmann 1951, Parkes 1955), until Payne ( 1974) examined 837
New World Butorides specimens and found evidence of extensive hybridiza-
tion between Green and Striated Herons where their ranges meet in southern
Central America, the southern Caribbean islands, and coastal northern South
America, and between Striated and Lava Herons in the Galapagos Islands.
Payne (1974, 1979) and Payne and Risley (1976) concluded that the three
forms represented a single, polymorphic species comprising six recognizable
subspecies. This conclusion was partially accepted by the American
Ornithologists’ Union (1976, 1983), which lumped B. virescens and B. striatus
into a single species, the Green-backed Heron B. striatus, but regarded B. sun-

devalli as specifically distinct.

In a critical reanalysis of specimens from the Panamanian contact zone
between B. virescens and B. striatus, Monroe and Browning ( 1992) concluded
that interbreeding between the two forms was limited and recommended that
they be recognized as distinct species. This conclusion was accepted by the
American Ornithologists’ Union (1993, 1998), which resplit Butorides into
three separate species.

Given the existence of individuals appearing intermediate between these
forms in the areas where their ranges meet and the debated taxonomic signif-
icance of such individuals, the following review is offered to synthesize cur-
rent knowledge and to stimulate further study of the geographic variation,
hybridization, taxonomy, and identification of New World Butorides herons.

MOLTS PLUMAGES, AND SOR PARTS

A sound analysis of geographic variation and taxonomy in birds is premised
upon comparisons of individuals of like age, which in turn requires a thor-
ough understanding of molts and plumages. Although Butorides herons are
widespread and relatively common, the sequence of their molts and plumages
remains surprisingly poorly known. The following descriptions are based
upon B. virescens, the sequence of molts and plumages of which has been ten-
tatively described (Oberholser 1912, 1974, Bent 1926, Palmer 1962, Davis and
Kushlan 1994) and is presumably similar in poorly known B. striatus (Cramp
and Simmons 1977, Marchant and Higgins 1990) and B. sundevalli.

Juvenal and immature plumages — The distinctive juvenal plumage of
young birds of this genus is acquired before flight is attained. Juveniles are
immediately diagnosable by heavy streaking on the brownish neck (usually
absent in the center of the whitish throat) and upper breast, a brownish cast
to the upperparts, and whitish underparts. Juveniles also possess distinctive
wing feathers in which the coverts are more rounded, with broad, buffy mar-
gins and a buffy triangular spot at the tip of each covert that rapidly fades to
white and wears away, and the remiges (primaries and secondaries) are broad-
ly tipped with white. The tibial (thigh) feathers are often, but not always,
marked with darker horizontal bars. In juveniles, the bill is paler than in
adults.

The juvenile appearance is generally retained during the first fall and early
winter until all body feathers are gradually replaced during the first prebasic
molt, which begins a few weeks after attaining flight and lasts for several
months until the first-basic plumage is obtained. During this period, an
“immature” appearance is gradually acquired as the cap becomes more solid
black, the chin and throat become a clearer white, and the sides of the neck
lose their streaking, becoming more rufescent. However, the wing feathers do
not molt; thus, the distinctive juvenile appearance of triangular white spots at
the tip of each covert and white-tipped remiges is retained.

Subadult plumage — The first prealternate molt, beginning in late winter
and ending in spring, is poorly known but apparently partial, probably limit-
ed to new head and neck feathers, scapulars and some wing coverts, and
plumes on the back. The first alternate plumage, acquired by spring, is essen-
tially a “subadult” plumage resembling that of the adult except that the back
plumes are shorter, the wings retain some worn juvenal coverts, all juvenal
flight feathers (each tipped with white), the chin, throat, and underparts are
whiter, and the dusky stripes of the lower foreneck and upper breast are
broader. It is important to note that the sides of the neck have essentially
acquired adult coloration by this time but may be slightly brighter.

Adult plumage — Definitive basic adult plumage is obtained during the
second prebasic molt, which begins in late spring or early summer, when the
bird is about one year old, and is completed in the fall. The second prebasic
molt, which begins earlier than subsequent prebasic molts, is usually com-
plete, although molting of some juvenal secondaries and primaries may be
further delayed. Adults subsequently undergo a partial but more extensive

4

North American Birds

Figure 1 . Voucher specimens from the National Museum of Natural History
used by Payne (1974) to score neck coloration of Butorides on a hybrid index
scale (from left to right) of 1 -9 (see Table 1 for further details). Photograph by
Floyd E. Hayes.

Figure 3. “Figure 11” of Payne (1 974) illustrating variation in neck color, repre-
sented by numbers (see Fig. 1), of Swtor/cfes specimens in Panama. Circled
numbers represent winter birds (both residents and northern migrants) col-
lected during October to April; uncircled numbers represent probable breed-
ing residents collected from May to September. Reprinted by permission of
Robert B. Payne and the British Ornithologists’ Club.

Figure 5. This juvenile/immature nominate Striated Heron (B. s. strlatus) from
Argentina shows markings similar to those of similar-aged Green Heron, but
it is a paler bird, with more washed-out gray-brown tones to the neck
streaking, lacking the chestnut or rufescent tones of the Green Heron in
Figure 4. Photograph by T. J. Ulrich/VIREO.

Southwestern USA (28) • t | t

Southern Baja California (28) —

Bahamas (21)

Michigan (15)

Mexico (17)

Central America (17)

Greater Antilles (43)

Lesser Antilles (32)

Western Panama (6)

CB-

B]

-m-

-^3

m-

Central Panama (15)

Venezuela /Trinidad (19)
Guianas (29)
Ecuador /Peru (71)
Bolivia (17)
Brazil (18)
Paraguay / Uruguay (23)
Argentina (22)

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

NECK COLOR SCORE

10

Figure 2. Geographic varia-
tion in neck coloration of
New World Butorides herons
(excluding the Galapagos
Islands), based on a
reanalysis of data in Payne
(1974). Vertical line = mean
score; box = ±1 S. D.; hori-
zontal line = range. Sample
sizes are given for each
geographical region. An out-
lier of “3” for the Lesser
Antilles is not illustrated.
Note the anomalous situa-
tion with bahamensis Green
Herons, whose scores place
them closer to birds of the
southern Caribbean rather
than the southeastern
United States or northern
Caribbean islands.

Figure 4. Atypical nominate juvenile Green Heron (B. v. wrescensj from eastern
North America, photographed in July on Big John’s Pond, at Jamaica Bay N.W.R.,
Queens, New York, New York. This bird shows streaking on the brownish neck and
upper breast, a brownish cast to the upperparts, with whitish underparts. Wing
coverts are more rounded than those of the adults and bear broad, buffy margins
and a buffy triangular spot at the tip of each covert. In juveniles of all Butorides
herons, the bill is paler than in adults. Photograph by A. Morris/Birds as Art.

Figure 6. Four immature specimens of Striated Heron (on the left; all from
Brazil) and five immature specimens of Green Heron (on the right; from
Central America and North America on the right). Note the grayer tones of
neck coloration in Striated Heron and more rufescent tones in Green Heron.
Photograph by Floyd E. Hayes.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

5

Figure 7. A typical adult Green Heron photographed at Shark Valley,
Everglades National Park, Florida. Photograph by A. Morris/Birds as Art.

prealternate molt from late winter to early spring and a complete prebasic
molt from late summer to fall. In definitive alternate plumage, the back plumes
of both sexes are longer than during definitive basic plumage.

Adults are readily distinguished from juveniles and immatures by their
darker bill, solid rufous sides to the neck, greenish-gray upperparts lacking
brown tones, longer back plumes, more pointed scapulars and wing coverts,
narrower buffy margins to the wing coverts (which lack white spots), narrow-
er white tips of flight feathers restricted to the inner primaries and secondar-
ies, and darker brown-gray underparts.

The sexes are indistinguishable by plumage, but females average smaller
than males. When breeding, the bill and loral area become glossier black, and
the iris and legs become more orange, especially in the male.

GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION

Butorides virescens — ^The Green Heron is represented by four currently rec-
ognized subspecies (Payne 1974, 1979, Hancock and Kushlan 1984, Davis and
Kushlan 1994), though as many as 18 were once recognized (Oberholser
1912). Nominate B. v. virescens, a rufous-necked form, occurs from central and
eastern North America southward to Panama and in the southern Caribbean
islands east to Tobago. Body size averages larger in northern populations than
in southern populations. Voous (1986) and Steadman et al. ( 1997) argued that
a general Caribbean race should be recognized as B. v. macidatiis, which aver-
ages smaller and slightly paler-necked than eastern North American B. v.
virescens, but considerable overlap occurs with Central American populations
of B. V. virescens (Payne 1974). A larger and paler-necked form, B. v. anthonyi,
occurs in western North America. A distinctive purplish-necked form, B. v.
frazari, inhabits southern Baja California (south of about 27° 20’ N latitude).
The smallest and palest form, B. v. bahamensis, occurs in the Bahama Islands.
The North American populations of B. v. virescens and B. v. anthonyi migrate
southward as far as Ecuador (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001), Colombia (Hilty
and Brown 1986), Venezuela (Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps 1978),
Trinidad (ffrench 1973), Guyana (Snyder 1966), and Suriname (Haverschmidt
1968), where they occur primarily during winter and only rarely during sum-
mer (Hilty and Brown 1986). The other forms are relatively sedentary.

Butorides striatus — South America is inhabited by the nominate race of
the Striated Heron B. s. striatus (other races occur in the Old World), which is
typically gray-necked, although a small proportion of browner-necked indi-
viduals occurs throughout its range. The South American populations tend to
be variable, with no distinct geographical trends in plumage or morphometric
variation (Payne 1974). Although B. s. striatus is not known to undergo long-
distance migratory movements, individuals are apparently resident in the

Galapagos Islands (Harris 1973) and have strayed to Cocos Island (Slud 1967),
Bonaire (Voous 1986), Tobago (Payne 1974), and as far north as Costa Rica in
Central America (Stiles and Skutch 1989) and St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles
(Bond 1964, Payne 1974).

Contact zone between Green and Striated Herons — In his comprehensive
analysis of geographic variation within B. virescens and B. striatus, Payne
( 1974) compared neck coloration of all specimens that had “completed most
or all of their postjuvenile moult” with a voucher series of nine specimens in
the National Museum of Natural History (USNM; Washington, D. C.) repre-
senting a “smoothly graded series of nine colors from grey through brown and
maroon” (Fig. 1, Table 1 ). In a critical reanalysis of Payne’s voucher specimens,
Monroe and Browning ( 1992) incorrectly stated that “two of the voucher spec-
imens (5 and 6) ... are whitish below as in the typical juvenal plumage.” In fact,
specimen 5 is an adult lacking evidence of juvenal plumage. However, speci-
mens 6, 7, and 8 each retain some juvenal wing feathers (white spots at the tips
of the greater primary coverts and, in specimen 8, broad white tips to some
remiges). Furthermore, specimen 6 possesses traces of barring on the tibial
feathers (a condition not found in “all white-bellied juvenal virescens^' contra
Monroe and Browning 1992) and a paler belly, both features representing
traces of juvenal plumage. Although these three subadult voucher specimens
have not yet acquired definitive adult plumage, each (including specimen 6)
clearly completed most of its post-juvenile molt and possesses adult neck col-
oration, although neck coloration of specimen 6 may be slightly brighter than
when adult (Monroe and Browning 1992).

Payne (1974) considered the specific identity of birds scored 4-6 as arbi-
trary, but Monroe and Browning (1992) alleged that “there is a definite break
[in neck coloration] between voucher specimens 5 and 6.” However, this break
is not apparent in Fig. 1, in which facial coloration of specimen 5 resembles
specimen 6 more than specimen 4, whereas neck coloration resembles speci-
men 4 more than specimen 6.

Payne (1974) summarized neck coloration scores for 19 geographic regions
(excluding the Galapagos Islands) in his “Figure I,” “Figure II,” and “Table 2.”
Monroe and Browning (1992) were puzzled by the discrepancy between
Payne’s ( 1974) “Figure I,” in which the 72 Panamanian specimens included 14
scored as 5 and none scored as 4, and “Figure II,” which included 1 1 scored as
4, five scored as 5, and one scored as 4-5. However, Payne stated in the legend
of “Figure I” that “‘5’ in Fig. I = ‘4’ or ‘5’,” but his rationale for lumping scores
4 and 5 as “5” remains puzzling. A reanalysis of Payne’s data on geographical
variation is presented in Fig. 2. In my reanalysis, 1 have included only specimens
collected from May to September, most of which were probably breeding resi-
dents, from Mexico, Central America, Panama, Bahamas, Greater Antilles,

Figure 8. An adult Green Heron of the race anthonyi from western North
America, photographed at Lake Cunningham Park, San Jose, California, in
January 2001 . Photograph by Peter LaTourrette.

6

North American Birds

New World Butorides Herons

Lesser Antilles, southern Caribbean, Venezuela, and Trinidad samples. Only
wintering B. virescens are deleted from the Colombia sample. Specimens col-
lected during October to April in these regions were excluded because they
included Nearctic migrants in addition to residents. Southern Baja California
specimens indicated by an “X” in Payne’s (1974) “Figure 1” were described as
having “a colour darker purple (less brown, more greyish) than colour 9”; for
the purposes of analysis, 1 have scored these specimens as 10. 1 have limited
southern Caribbean specimens to Aruba, Los Roques, and Margarita, and have
treated Tobago specimens separately. rUthough all but one specimen from
Tobago were collected during October to April, only one appears similar in
size and neck color to nominate B. virescens, but it was collected during the
North American breeding season; because these specimens appear to represent
residents, all are herein included. Specimens from Espada, Venezuela, and
Guajira, Colombia, were included within the southern Caribbean sample by
Payne (1974), but these coastal localities are situated on the continent and are
herein included within the respective country’s sample. For South American
countries excluding Colombia and Venezuela (with which the few Trinidad
specimens were lumped), I scored the few specimens lumped as 3-4 in “Table
11” of Payne (1974) as 3.5, which slightly reduces variability.

Payne also provided a detailed map of scores in Panama (see Fig. 3), where
typical B. virescens occurred in western Panama in contrast with highly vari-
able, intermediate populations in central Panama. Based on the increased vari-
ability and prevalence of intermediate specimens with neck coloration rang-
ing from 4-6 in central Panama, southern Caribbean islands (Aruba, Los
Roques, Margarita and Tobago), and coastal northern South America
(Colombia and Venezuela), Payne concluded that secondary intergradation
(hybridization) occurred between B. v. virescens and B. s. striatus.

Voous (1986) pointed out that the populations of Butorides in the
Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curasao) were less variable than
Payne’s limited sample suggested. Of 123 records comprising 16 specimen,
eight photographic, and 95 sight records (enigmatically these numbers do not
add up), all but eight were rufous-necked B. virescens, including some
migrants from North America (at least three of 16 specimens). Only one was
an adult B. striatus, seen in Bonaire. Individuals of intermediate appearance,
which comprised only 6% of the sample, included two from Aruba and five
from Bonaire. However, the intermediate individuals likely comprised more
than 6% of the resident population, as 19% of the specimens, along with an
unestimated number of photographic and sight records, were represented by
Nearctic migrants of B. virescens.

Monroe and Browning (1992) stated that B. striatus is the resident form on
Trinidad, whereas B. virescens is resident on nearby Tobago. However, the sit-
uation on these islands is complex. According to Belcher and Smooker (1934),
B. striatus was common on both islands but was known to nest only in
Trinidad; they did not find B. virescens on Tobago but reported it to be rare in

Table 1: Voucher specimens (see Fig. 1) from the National Museum
of Natural History used by Payne (1974) to score neck coloration
of Butorides on a hybrid index scale.

Score

Neck color

Catalogue

number

Locality

1

gray

263848

Venezuela: Culata

2

gray, tinge brown

423096

Panama: Charco del Toro

3

gray, wash brown

444948

Panama: Rio Indio

4

brownish gray

400113

Panama: Pese, Herrera

5

grayish brown

448634

Panama: La Jagua

6

grayish red-brown

368472

Colombia: Guajira

7

reddish brown

206343

Panama: Rio Indio

8

purplish brown

316840

Cocos Island

9

dark purplish brown

468699

Panama: Almirante

Figure 9. A typical aduit Striated Heron photographed at Manaus, Brazil.
Photograph by Andrew Whitiaker/VIREO.

Trinidad, where it nested in mangroves with eggs reported “to be more round-
ed on the average” than those of B. striatus. Junge and Mees ( 1958) stated that
B. striatus was the most common species in Tobago but collected only a spec-
imen of B. virescens. Specimens from Tobago were taken approximately a cen-
tury ago, when the population appeared to be intermediate between B.
virescens and B. striatus and included specimens of both species (scores rang-
ing from 3-8; Fig. 2). However, the resident population today is comprised
predominantly of rufous-necked B. virescens scoring higher on the index. B.
striatus occurs in small numbers, possibly as a seasonal visitor, but the pres-
ence of intermediate individuals implies that hybridization occurs (Hayes
unpubl. data). These observations suggest a recent historical shift toward typ-
ical B. virescens in Tobago. Payne’s sample of B. striatus from Trinidad includ-
ed only four specimens, with scores ranging from 1 to 3. However, the current
Trinidad population appears much more variable than Payne’s limited sample
suggested, with a small proportion of intermediate individuals and B. virescens
occurring only rarely, apparently as a winter migrant (Hayes, unpubl. data).

Monroe and Browning ( 1992) argued that specimens scored 1-5 represent-
ed B. striatus, whereas those scored 6-9 represented B. virescens. Although
specimens scored 1-4 occur naturally throughout the South American range
of B. striatus and specimens scored 6-9 occur naturally within the North
American range of B. virescens, specimens scored as 5 in southern Central
America, the southern Caribbean, and coastal northern South America appear
to be truly intermediate. Outside the zone of overlap between the two species,
specimens scored as 5 occur only in the pale-necked Bahamian population
(29% of Payne’s sample; n=21), which represents an exception to clinal varia-
tion and obviously does not represent B. striatus.

Monroe and Browning (1992) argued that neck coloration of the resident
population of B. striatus in Panama was no more variable (scores ranging from
2-5) than the populations of B. striatus throughout South America (scores
ranging from 1-4) and was merely shifted up by one level in the index.
However, even when specimens obtained from October to April (which
include North American migrants at the upper end of the scale and two pos-
sible residents scored at the lower end of the scale) are excluded, variability in
central Panama still exceeds that of any other population (Fig. 2). Monroe and
Browning also pointed out that no mixed breeding pairs had ever been report-
ed, but failed to note that relatively few ornithologists reside within the region
where intermediates occur and that visiting and resident ornithologists invari-
ably studied other species of birds. They further speculated that the two
Panamanian and one Colombian specimens scored as 6 were more likely
vagrants from the Lesser Antilles than extreme variants of B. virescens, but
given the extreme distance and east-west direction of movement from the
Lesser Antilles, such long-distance vagrancy from populations thought to be
relatively sedentary seems highly unlikely.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

7

Figures 10 and 1 1 . Two adult Striated Herons illustrating variability of neck col-
oration scores ranging from 1 (bird on left; taken at Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad, 7
October 2000) to 4 (bird on right; taken at Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad, 1 1 August
2001). The bird on the right could be mistaken for a Green Heron because of its
somewhat rufous neck coloration, but the distinctly grayer hindneck is character-
istic of many brown-necked Striated Herons. The possibility of hybrid origin can-
not be ruled out in this case. Photographs by Floyd E. Hayes.

Figure 12. A typical adult Lava Heron (B. sundevalll) from the Galapagos
Islands, Ecuador. Photograph by S. BahrtA/IREO.

Based on their reanalysis of Panamanian specimens, Monroe and Browning
( 1992) concluded: “there is no substantial evidence that there is interbreeding,
and certainly if it occurs at all, it must be at a low level.” However, biologists
have long recognized that hybridization can be inferred by an increase in vari-
ability and intermediacy in concert (Schueler and Rising 1976). The data in
Fig. 2 clearly illustrate the increased variability and high proportion of inter-
mediate individuals within the zone of contact between B. virescens and B.
striatus, even when specimens of presumed Nearctic migrants (plus residents)
are removed from the sample. Such a pattern strongly implies extensive sec-
ondary intergradation between the two forms in a relatively narrow hybrid
zone between 8° and 10° N latitude.

Extensive hybridization between taxa often has been interpreted as evidence
for lack of reproductive isolation, requiring that the taxa be considered con-
specific according to the traditional biological species concept (BSC; Mayr
1970). However, the degree of hybridization must be considered, inasmuch as
more than 10% of bird species retain the ability to interbreed and produce
viable offspring with other closely related species, including non-sisters (Grant
and Grant 1992). Johnson et al. (1999) proposed a new comprehensive bio-
logic species concept (CBSC) applicable to birds: “An avian species is a system
of populations representing an essentially monophyletic, genetically cohesive,
and genealogically concordant lineage of individuals that share a common fer-
tilisation system through time and space, represent an independent evolution-
ary trajectory, and demonstrate essential but not necessarily complete reproduc-
tive isolation from other such systems” (emphasis added). Assuming pheno-
type is correlated with genotype, the presence of “pure” phenotypes within a
hybrid zone, even when hybridization is extensive, provides evidence of assor-
tative mating; in this case, the two taxa demonstrate essenfia/ reproductive iso-
lation and should be considered specifically distinct. In contrast, when all indi-
viduals within a hybrid zone are intermediate, free interbreeding is inferred
and the two taxa should be regarded as conspecific.

In New World Butorides, the seemingly continuous variation in neck color
from purplish-brown in the north to gray in the south strongly implies poly-
genic control of the deposition of gray eumelanin and rufous phaeomelanin
pigments in the distal barbules of neck feathers (Schodde et al. 1980). Each
currently recognized subspecies appears to differ in the combination of alleles
coding for neck coloration, with intermediate combinations occurring where
the ranges of B. virescens and B. striatus meet. The presence of apparently pure
B. virescens and B. striatus phenotypes within the contact zone suggests that
although the two forms frequently hybridize, assortative mating does occur.
However, the sample sizes of museum specimens are small, and it remains
uncertain whether both forms actually breed within the hybrid zone.

In Tobago, a large body of recently collected data clearly indicates the pres-
ence of mostly “pure” phenotypes in an apparent hybrid zone (neck scores
range from 1 to 8; Hayes unpubl. data), providing further evidence that assor-
tative mating occurs. Thus, the two forms appear to maintain essential repro-
ductive isolation and should be regarded as specifically distinct. However, fur-
ther colorimetric, morphological, behavioral, and genetic studies are needed
to shed light on the extent of gene flow and the stability of the hybrid zone.

Based on current taxonomy, B. s. striatus is thought to be more closely relat-
ed to Old World taxa as well as to B. sundevalli than to B. virescens. Thus, the
two forms are not considered sister taxa, although they retain the ability to
hybridize. Amadon (1953) speculated that North American B. virescens was
derived from Asia, whereas South American B. striatus was derived from
Africa. Although this hypothesis may explain the current zone of secondary
contact between the two taxa, it is unsupported by fossil or genetic evidence.

Butorides sundevalli — The Lava Heron is endemic to the Galapagos
Islands, where its dark gray coloration enables it to blend in with a backdrop
of exposed lava. Harris (1973) pointed out that B. striatus was also resident on
the islands and that some specimens were intermediate between the two
forms. Payne (1974) examined 50 specimens from the Galapagos Islands,
which varied from blackish to pale gray as in B. striatus. The majority of the

North American Birds

New World Butorides Herons

specimens possessed blackish (26%) or dark-gray, nearly blackish under-
parts (34%), with a slightly paler throat (white-edged feathering, slight
streaking or simply grayer). Twelve (24%) specimens with dark gray under-
parts had a lighter gray belly, blackish to dark gray sides of the neck and
cheeks, and a throat streaked with whitish edges. Four (8%) specimens with
gray underparts darker than B. striatus were also gray on the sides of the
neck and cheeks, and streaked white and gray-brown on the upper breast
with whitish feathers forming a midline. Finally, four (8%) pale specimens
with light gray underparts resembled B. striatus from the mainland but were
streaked white and gray-brown on the neck with no more than a trace of
rufous on the upper breast.

Because the paler Galapagos birds differed from those of the mainland,
Payne (1974) regarded them as local residents rather than vagrants and con-
sidered the high proportion of intermediate birds as evidence for free inter-
breeding between derived populations of B. sundevalU and more recent
colonists of B. striatus from the mainland. Hancock and Kushlan (1984),
however, regarded the variable forms of B. sundevalU as a situation of color
polymorphism within the taxon rather than intergradation between B. sun-
devalli and B. striatus. Given the persistence of apparently pure phenotypes
of B. sundevalU within a potential hybrid zone, the two forms do not appear
to be interbreeding freely; thus, they may be considered specifically distinct.
However, further studies of colorimetry, morphology, behavior, and genetics
are needed to resolve the taxonomic status of B. sundevalU adequately.

LIMITS OF IDENTIFICATION

Identification of B. virescens and B. striatus is problematic in southern
Central America, on southern Caribbean islands, and in coastal northern
South America. Wetmore (1965) claimed that adult B. striatus possessed a
lighter, more grayish-green back than B. virescens, but specimens’ back col-
oration overlaps greatly between the two species. Thus, neck coloration
remains the sole criterion for identification during all ages. Juvenile and
immature specimens are often separable by the more rufous brown tones of
B. virescens and grayer brown tones of B. striatus (Figs. 4, 5, 6). However, cau-
tion is warranted, especially in the field, because some juvenile and immature
specimens from North American and South American populations are so
similar that they cannot be safely distinguished. Because inexperienced
observers often misidentify brown-necked immature B. striatus as B.
virescens, accurate ageing of individual birds is crucial to correct identifica-
tion to species.

Neck coloration in subadult and adult B. virescens typically ranges from
reddish-brown to purplish-brown with no hint of gray (Fig. 7); Green Herons
of the race anthonyi from the western United States are typically paler than
eastern birds of the nominate form (Fig. 8). Because each neck feather of B.
virescens is gray basally, a displaced tuft of feathers may reveal some gray
tones, so caution is warranted in assessing neck colors. Neck coloration in
adult B. striatus typically ranges from gray to brownish gray, with narrow
rufous streaking anteriorly (Fig. 9). In browner-necked adults, which also
may be mistaken by inexperienced observers for B. virescens, the brown is
usually (though not always) more intense toward the front of the neck, where
it merges with the rufous streaking, whereas the sides of the neck become
grayer posteriorly (Figs. 10, 1 1 ). Hindneck coloration of adults often provides
the best clue for identification: in B. virescens, it is always rufous without any
hint of gray, whereas in B. striatus it is usually gray, but may be brownish gray.
Truly intermediate individuals obviously cannot be identified.

In the Galapagos, most individuals of B. sundevalU are readily distin-
guished from B. striatus by their consistently darker plumage at all ages (Fig.
12). Only the palest individuals with a contrasting black cap and streaking on
the foreneck can be considered to represent B. striatus, although if these birds
actually represent a light morph of B. sundevalU, as suggested by Hancock and
Kushlan (1984), B. striatus may not even occur in the Galapagos.

Acknowledgments

I thank D. B. McNair, W. Murphy, and J. V. Remsen, Jr. for reviewing the man-
uscript. My examination of museum specimens in the U. S. National Museum
of Natural History (USNM) and the American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH) was financed by a Study and Travel Grant from the University of the
We.st Indies, St. Augustine. For their assistance 1 thank C. Angle (USNM), M.
Foster (USNM), J. Weicker (AMNH), R Rasmussen (USNM), and P. Sweet
(AMNH). I also thank J. Eitniear, A Kratter, R. Payne, and K. Voous for pro-
viding pertinent literature.

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American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American Birds, 7th
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Belcher, C., and G. D. Smooker. 1934. Birds of the Colony of Trinidad and
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Bent, A. C. 1926. Life histories of North American marsh birds. United States
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Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, eds. 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe,
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Davis, W. E., Jr., and J. A. Kushlan. 1 994. Green Heron Butorides virescens. Birds
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Eisenmann, E. 1952. Annotated list of birds of Barro Colorado Island, Panama
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Eisenmann, E. 1955. The species of Middle American birds. Transactions of the
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ffrench, R. 1973. A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Harrowood
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Hancock, J., and J. Kushlan. 1984. The Herons Handbook. Harper & Row
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Harris, M. P. 1973. The Galapagos avifauna. Condor 75: 265-278.

Hartert, E. 1920. Gattung Butorides Blyth. Die Vogel der palaearktischen Fauna
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Junge, G. C. A., and G. F. Mees. 1958. The avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago.

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Zoologische Verhandlungen 37: 1-172.

Marchant, S., and P. J. Higgins, eds. 1990. Handbook of Australian, New
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Monroe, B. L., Jr., and M. R. Browning. 1992. A re-analysis of Butorides.
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Venezuela. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Oberholser, H. C. 1912. A revision of the subspecies of the Green Heron
(Butorides virescens [Linnaeus]). Proceedings of the United States
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Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The Bird Life of Texas, vol. 2. University of Texas
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Palmer, R. S. (ed.). 1962. Handbook of North American
Birds. Vol. 1. Loons through Llamingos. Yale University
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Parkes, K. C. 1955. Systematic notes on North American
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Payne, R. B. 1974. Species limits and variation of the New
World Green Herons Butorides virescens and Striated
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Club 94:81-88.

Payne, R. B. 1979. Family Ardeidae. Pp. 193-243 in Mayr,

E.., and G. W. Cottrell, eds. Check-list of Birds of the
World., Vol. 1. 2nd ed. Harvard University Press,

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tionary relationships among the herons (Ardeidae).

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Ecuador. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.

Schodde, R., I. J. Mason, M. L. Dudzinski, and J. L.

McKean. 1980. Variation in the Striated Heron
Butorides striatus in Australasia. Emu 80: 203-212.

Schueler, F. W., and J. D. Rising. 1976. Phenetic evidence of
natural hybridization. Systematic Zoology 25: 283-289.

Sibley, C. G., and L. L. Short, Jr. 1964. Hybridization in the
orioles of the Great Plains. Condor 66: 130-150.

Slud, P. 1967. The birds of Cocos Island [Costa Rica].

Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
134: 261-296.

Snyder, D. E. 1966. The birds of Guyana. Peabody Museum,

Salem, Massachusetts.

Steadman, D. W., R. L. Norton, M. R. Browning, and W. J.

Arendt. 1997. The birds of St. Kitts, Lesser Antilles.

Caribbean Journal of Science 33: 1-20.

Stiles, F. G., and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A Guide to the birds of
Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.

Voous, K. H. 1986. Striated or Green Herons in the South
Caribbean islands? Annalen des Naturhistorischen
Museum zu Wien (B) 88/89: 101-106.

Wetmore, A. 1965. The birds of the Republic of Panama.

Part 1. — Tinamidae (tinamous) to Rynchopidae (skim-
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of geographic variation in birds. Current Ornithology 4: 1-69.

— Received 25 Eebruary 2001; accepted 13 December 2001.

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Two dawns of the twenty-first century

In cultural terms, it has been stated that for the United States the twenty-first
century began on 1 1 September 2001, the day when international terrorism
struck a terrible blow on North American shores. Although these attacks
have generated a profoundly unwelcome aftermath, they have also released a
remarkable sense of dedication among many citizens of the world, a dedica-
tion to focus on higher meanings in their lives and to seek out ways to con-
tribute actively for the common good.

Birders were spared neither the initial agony nor the aftermath of this
tragic event. The good news, however, is that we find ourselves privileged to
contemplate how we might contribute tangibly toward community purpose.
Ironically, perhaps our most important opportunity owes its roots to the
other major, watershed event coinciding with the dawn of the new millenni-
um: the maturation of the Internet.

For most of the decade before September 11, the Internet already had
served as an efficient delivery tool, allowing information and products to
reach consumers. We believe, however, that the Internet reached maturity
only a year or two ago, when projects began to emerge that reversed the direc-
tion of information-floW' — pooling data from widely dispersed individuals
into centralized databases. In the world of biology, chief among these proj-
ects have been those created by and for birders. These projects seek to tap the
vast pools of information about nature generated each day by people like us
having a passion for birds.

We do not exaggerate in claiming that birders are among the most signif-
icant pioneers in using the Internet to interpret and conserve the natural
world. Our concept is proven (see <http://birdsource.org> for many exam-
ples). To all birders, especially to readers of North American Birds, we say,
“Now it’s time to kick it up a notch!” The real work, and the real exhilaration,
is about to begin.

Our passion has been our curse

This very magazine exists because birders tend to be record-keepers.
“Listing” takes many forms, but even the most casual among us likes to doc-

ument in one form or another what we encounter in the field. If you read this
magazine, you know what we mean. In thousands of closets around the
world today lie countless notebooks, index cards, annotated checklists, and
diaries. Those of us involved with birding institutions know well the frustra-
tion of hearing, over and over again, about “my late-uncle’s bird records.” We
know how valuable they could be. Sadly, we also know we can’t use them.

Those of us who contribute regularly to N.A.B. do so because we want to
make something more of our observations than a stash of bird-records to be
posthumously discarded. We know that each observation provides useful
information about the distribution and/or abundance of that species. After
all, these observations are painstakingly compiled by the regional editors for
N.A.B., who then disseminate the information by placing each report in the
context of the “bigger picture.” These seasonal and annual summaries, in
turn, yield countless stories of both biological and cultural interest, as distri-
butions shift across North America and abundances fluctuate through time.

Unfortunately, the medium of the printed page is always constrained by
time and money. Word limits, deadlines, and format restrictions limit the
amount of information that can be received and digested. We all know that
the records that survive to grace the pages of N.A.B. pale in comparison to
the volume of information gathered each quarter by birders, and as a result,
only the most noteworthy trends can be detected and commented upon.
Indeed, most bird sightings are never even reported, because most observers
assume that because their sightings are not unusual, they are also not valu-
able.

One of the most painstaking tasks any birder or scientist can face is that
of extracting noteworthy patterns from the written page. Anyone who has
attempted this feat — poring over volumes of text in search of records for a
particular species or region — knows this well. Our curse is that so much
information exists, yet so much of it lies out of sight in private records, and
that public records are often produced only as pared-down seasonal or year-
ly compendia. If you have ever faced this dilemma, then you have dreamed
of the day when such information could be readily accessible via a central
database, just waiting to be sorted, graphed, mapped, and interpreted.

The long-awaited day has arrived

Maturation of the Internet has removed the constraints long imposed on the
printed page, and we are pleased to announce the arrival of our long-await-
ed on-line checklist project, called eBird. Developed jointly by the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the project uses
industry-scaled database tools and cutting-edge Internet software to collect,
archive, and disseminate bird sightings from anywhere in the world (though
our initial focus is North America).

Precursors of eBird are no doubt familiar to N.A.B. readers. For several
years, projects such as Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count,
and Project FeederWatch have used prototype Internet tools to conduct
interactive data-gathering online, but these projects focus on specific proto-
cols and narrow windows of time. eBird, however, will finally open the
process up to bird observations made 365 days per year, at any place, and
using a wide variety of protocols.

All observations will be archived in a common database, so that recent and
past sightings will be available for personal perusal, for analyses of abun-
dances and distributions, for scientific research, and for use in long-term
monitoring. Using customized data-retrieval functions, the process of gath-
ering information and analyzing trends in specific regions will be far easier

1 1

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

and more efficient than ever before. Contrary to competing with N.A.B., we
intend eBird to be an indispensable tool to be used by N.A.B. Regional and
Subregional Editors as they collect, analyze, and publicize sightings and
trends from across their regions. In fact, Ned Brinkley and many N.A.B.
Regional Editors have been instrumental with assistance and suggestions in
developing eBird. eBird is not meant to replace N.A.B. but instead to aug-
ment the observations available to the editors and to ease the efforts involved
in finding and making sense of notable trends.

Compilers are not the only beneficiaries of these new technologies.
eBird’s overarching objectives are (1) to make entering bird sightings quick
and easy, and (2) to make these sightings available for user-generated queries
in real time. eBird will allow all participants to enter, store, retrieve, and ana-
lyze their personal bird observations over the Internet. Because eBird is built
with the users in mind, the project will make it easy for a newly indoctrinat-
ed backyard birder to start keeping a life list (not to mention year list, month
list, or yard list). Moreover, all observations are stored in a central database,
where eBirders not only can track their personal sightings, but they also can
access the sightings submitted by birders from across North America. As
participation expands, generating more reports of common and uncommon
species, our knowledge of the details of distribution, abundance, and move-
ments of North American birds will achieve a new level of sophistication.

How does it work?

Central to the entire project is an elemental database consisting of just six
core fields (who, where, when, what species, how many, and effort), all of
which adhere to international monitoring standards. It should take a typical
birder 5-15 minutes to enter a day’s observations. Once signed in, eBirders
will have multiple ways to select their birding location. Hundreds of
renowned birding hotspots, such as National Wildlife Refuges and Audubon
centers and Important Bird Areas (I BAs) are already uploaded into the data-
base. If your regular birding site isn’t listed as a hotspot, you can pinpoint
and register your own favorite location, be it a locally known hotspot, a near-
by park or nature center, even your own backyard. An innovative mapping
tool ( patent pending! ) allows users to zoom in on their location using a street
map, a topographic map, and aerial views, and then add their specific point
to the database where it is stored and available for subsequent entries.

After pointing-and-clicking to enter the date, species, number of individ-
uals for each species, and an estimate of effort (e.g., time spent and distance
traveled), a summarized list will appear, prompting you to review your sub-
mission. eBirders then confirm their observations by clicking the ‘Submit
data’ button, which uploads the list to the central database and collates their
observations with all other submitted reports from across North America.
These data will be immediately available to all eBird users for any subsequent
queries or analyses. Therefore, anyone (e.g., regional N.A.B. compilers) will
have access to notable sightings in his or her region essentially as they are
submitted, and can verify any of these observations as necessary.

Who’s going to take out the garbage?

The old adage “garbage in, garbage out” is especially appropriate for data-
bases filled with sight-records from a variably skilled public. WTaat’s to stop
erroneous data from entering the database? What if the Brambling submit-
ted by an inexperienced birder is actually a misidentified Oregon Junco? To
help screen the data for bogus sightings, state and regional experts have cre-
ated a series of “filters” for each state and province across the U.S. (including
Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada. Each filter sets an upper limit on the num-
ber of each species that can be reported without documentation from a given
location on a given date. As each birder submits a checklist, eBird software
automatically compares the entire submission with the filter. Any sighting
that exceeds the filter’s settings is ‘flagged’ for review by a state or regional
expert for verification and/or documentation. Initially, these filters are set so
that any notable sighting will be flagged, not just the rare species requiring
documentation. A late summer Say’s Phoebe in western Washington, for
example, is notable and will be flagged, even though documentation for the
state’s bird records committee is not necessary. More obvious are the

Calliope Hummingbirds on a Manhattan Christmas Bird Count, or Long-
billed Murrelets in the finger Lakes region of New York. Such records do
need documentation to state records committees, and will be certainly
flagged. A selected regional editor will have the ability to fine-tune the filters
to reflect their region as the project proceeds through time.

Flagging the vagrants

For any flagged record, the observer submitting it immediately will be asked to
confirm or edit (in case of a typographic error) the sighting. If the report is
confirmed (i.e., the observer is sure that’s what he saw), it will be forwarded to
a regional editor. These editors will have the opportunity to determine whether
the sighting is acceptable as entered, or if additional documentation is neces-
sary before it enters the permanent database. Only these editors will have the
prerogative of removing flags, thereby sending the notable record into the per-
manent database. In the future, eBirders will be able to submit notes, photo-
graphs, or other supporting evidence directly to the regional editor via the
eBird web site.

It is important to stress that flagged sightings will not simply be discarded.
All such observations will be brought to the attention of a regional editor
and/or a state records committee. In many cases, a sighting may not be allowed
to pass into the permanent database without supporting evidence, but in oth-
ers the flag merely alerts a regional compiler of an “expected-but-rare” sight-
ing that might warrant mention in the pages of North American Birds.

The benefits of real-time tracking

Using state-of-the-art tools for data retrieval, any interested person will have
the opportunity to have fun querying the database, for any purpose. User-
friendly prompts will permit birders (or fifth-grade science classes) to gen-
erate on-line reports focusing on specific locations, species, dates, or combi-
nations of these variables. The casual birder can examine a home-state
checklist, or browse specific locations he or she intends to visit. The seasoned
chaser can search for specific sightings of unusual species, or check on the
national “hotline” page for the most unusual. Everyone will enjoy watching
winter finches pour southward and comparing irruptions year to year, or
studying the warbler migration as it unfolds in spring and fall. Querying the
database will be simple enough to allow even first-time users to browse maps
or trends, but also will permit amateur scientists and researchers to drill
deeply into the numbers and even conduct sophisticated analyses.

We cannot overemphasize the long-term importance of this project for
the conservation of birds. The impact of census projects, such as Breeding
Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count, is already well established, as these
provide our most reliable records of population trends at both regional and
global scales across North America. But these projects, like so many others,
represent single-frame snapshots at fixed intervals and a relatively small
number of fixed places. eBird releases us from these constraints, allowing lit-
erally every individual birder to develop his or her own bird-monitoring
routes, and every nature center to develop a protocol for measurement of
long-term change in its bird populations. Measured over decades and cen-
turies, such measurements of individual places will play an enormous role, we
believe, in detecting and explaining changes in bird populations. Such
understanding, in turn, is essential as we struggle to sustain wild places and
wild birds in the face of inexorable pressures they face from human culture.

The union of passion and purpose

Alpha-testing of eBird began last fall, and beta-testing begins in April 2002.
Because it is web-based, we plan to treat it as a living, community-based
effort. We will seek input from birders, bird clubs, Audubon chapters, and
scientists across the continent. We will amend and improve both input and
output capabilities as new ideas or new technology allow. We especially hope
that those individuals who faithfully document North American birds, and
those who devotedly read North American Birds, will participate actively in
the effort. The new millennium in birding has arrived, and we feel privileged
indeed to be able to meld our passion for birds and nature with a global-
scaled effort to document and to understand their timeless ebb and flow, a

12

North American Biros

Editors’ Notebook

Into the breach!

The American Birding Association has begun a subscribership campaign
on behalf of North American Birds. Many regional editors, along with
friends of the journal, will be distributing back issues and subscription
forms to birders likely to sign on as subscribers. We hope that this grass-
roots drive will be more effective than a mass mailing in increasing our
subscriber base and that by this time next year, we might count several
hundred, perhaps 1000 new subscribers among the readers of the journal.
We can always use more help, so if you feel inclined to talk up the journal
among friends or colleagues, please drop a line to the editor
(ensifera@aol.com; or by mail at 9 Randolph Avenue, Cape Charles, VA,
USA 23310), who will be happy to help get you set up. With more sub-
scribers, we’ll be able to publish more articles, color photographs, and
more in-depth regional reports.

Offshore outposts

The thrill of a few weeks in autumn on Southeast Farallon Island off cen-
tral California, or out on Bermuda, or, more recently, on one of the deep-
water oil-drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico would be hard to beat
anywhere, but there are autumn outposts at sea yet to be fully test-driven.
This season’s reports from observers stationed on San Clemente Island,
almost 100 km off southern California, and on St. Lawrence Island, in the
Bering Sea, include a number of island first records, as well as a few records
even more significant. We received much good photographic material from
birders and ornithologists on both islands, so we gathered the images up in
montages to showcase some of their discoveries. Islands hold an obvious
attraction to migrant and vagrant landbirds (whose only alternative might
be open ocean), but they also offer a gauge for those studying migratory
waves and reverse migrants, as the “overflight” or “overshoot” of such waves
is often more apparent on islands than on nearby mainland coasts. These
particular islands are also well situated for studying seabird flights.

Good fortune

This journal and its predecessors have been blessed for nearly 20 years
with the editorial services of Greg Lasley and Chuck Sexton. We at the
journal will miss their swift pen and sense of humor, their mastery of the
Texas avifauna, and their devotion to the enterprise that is North American
Birds. We’re fortunate, too, to have a worthy lot of Texans willing to fill their
boots — Mark Lockwood will be heading up a team that includes Willie
Sekula, Brush Freeman, and Cliff Shackelford, not to mention numerous
subregional compilers and contributors. Texas, where everything is on a
grand scale, has so much birding activity in its borders that for the editing
team to track down and check all the interesting reports — some of them
just Internet-generated gossamer — inevitably involves an enormous com-
mitment of time. So if you see these good editors afield, where they’d dear-
ly love to be more often, offer a “thank you” and a cold drink.

Typos and sundries

Our apologies to Adrian Dorst, whose fine photograph of the Bar-tailed
Godwit at Tofino, British Columbia {N. A. B. 55: 381), was miscredited, and
to Gary H. Rosenberg, whose stunning Elegant Tern photograph taken at
Avra Wastewater Treatment Plant on 19 July 2001 (N. A. B. 55: 506) was
ascribed to the nearby New Mexico record; thanks to Rudolf Koes and
Mark Stevenson for sending in these corrections. The article on the first
successful U. S. nesting of Heermann’s Gull (M A. B. 55: 375-378) had its
dates of reception and acceptance truncated; it was received 20 September
2001 and accepted 22 October 2001. Finally, a faux pas in the Editors’
Notebook, where yours truly set Mexico “second only to Brazil in the New
World” in its number of endemics. In fact, with recent splits, the new

Armed with patience, perseverance, and chum, birders were rewarded with
White-faced Storm-Petrels off the coasts of Massachusetts at Hydrographer
(here) and Atlantis Canyons, off Block Island, Rhode Island (one banded!), off
Long Island, New York, off New Jersey at the Hudson Canyon, and off Virginia
near the Norfolk Canyon. One of the scarcest seabirds that regularly if rarely
visits western Atlantic waters. White-faced is often found offshore in large aggre-
gations of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. Photograph 28 August by Stephen Mirick.

Clements and Shany A Field Guide to the Birds of Peru (Ibis, 2001) recog-
nizes as many as 118 endemic species there, with more birds currently
defined as endemic subspecies surely to be accorded status as species in the
future. In describing the new subregions of Mexico, which now have their
own maps, thanks to Cindy Lippincott and Bob Berman, we inadvertently
left off mention of the state of Colima; it falls in the subregion of Central
Mexico (cf. N. A. B. 55: 375-378).

September morning

I can’t avoid a few words on what was certainly a harrowing experience for
all of us. How trite it is to write here that more than the seasons changed
on September 11: our collective lives changed, no matter how we reacted to
the atrocities in New York City and Washington, D. C., and central
Pennsylvania that day. The next week’s New Yorker, rarely a magazine to
take a birder’s-eye view, captured a widely felt disparity:

On the morning of the day they did it, the city was as beautiful as it had ever
been. Central Park had never seemed so gleaming and luxuriant — the leaves
just beginning to fall, and the light on the leaves left on the trees somehow mak-
ing them at once golden and bright green. A bird-watcher in the Ramble made
a list of the birds he saw there, from the Northern Flicker and the Red-eyed
Vireo to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Balthnore Oriole. “Quite a few
migrants around today,” he noted happily. (Adam Gopnik, “Taking a long
walk home,” The New Yorker 24 September 2001 : 34-38.)

In the East, for birders afield on that day, the cruel convergence
lingered: one of those perfect, blue-blue migration mornings, with birds in
their places at the appointed times in hoped-for numbers and plumages
and foliage perfectly lit, all oblivious to the sky-borne terror that rained
down just a few hours after their own dawn descents.

Now, even seven months later, where the talk is of recovery and retribu-
tion, and our markets and military defy the impact of those planes, a cer-

VoLUME 56 (2002), Number 1

13

tain innocence is still elusive: where hireling for so many seemed a realm
wholly apart from atrocity — one of aesthetic marvel, or passionate wonder
at birds’ behavior and movements, or dispassionate scientific pursuit —
there drifts an intrusive presence through our birding, ghostlike. Was it a
disparity of scale that we registered; was it that we felt our avocations so
puny next to so much loss on that morning? Or was it the disorienting
contrast of serenity and beauty in the migrants’ presence with the surreal
live images broadcast on television? Or is there, perhaps, some barely inti-
mated association between the safe, restorative pleasure we take in our own
respite from wordly cares — our birding — and the definitive end of the iso-
lation from terror that the United States had enjoyed? Had we imagined,
without forming the thought, our pleasure and our passion to be apart
from politics? We might look away from CNN’s footage of oil-soaked
Socotra Cormorants during the Gulf War; we could hardly look away from
images that told of a brutal interruption of what is for many birders the
most sublime time of year.

Connections, contributions, consequences

I would imagine that, for some reading this, questions such as these are as
foreign as were the topographies of central and southern Asia before the war
commenced and we found ourselves semi-willing students of theretofore-
obscure realms. But for those who found in September 1 1 a cause for reflec-
tion on their day-to-day activities, including birding, and who recognize the
quiet slippage it occasioned, it may also be true that this thunderclap morn-
ing brought with it some measure of political catharsis. The United States
of America, made up of its citizens, our lives, our achievements but too our
excesses and flaws and our comfortable distance from the difficulties and
despair of so many on the planet, could not fantasize itself in the singular
for much longer. We were, as some members of our government had
warned us, “overdue.”

And so September 1 1 could, for some, have meant a change in the way
birding feels. “To what end do I bird?” is a question heard more often
now — is it an escape from stressful quotidian life, a focused pursuit with
structured guides (Internet postings, listing goals, geographic touring), a set
of scientific inquiries? I compose these thoughts as a citizen of the United
States and as an Easterner, and they are inevitably personal and provincial.
But on the days that followed the attacks, email messages flooded the offices
of the A.B.A. from the four corners of the globe, all expressing an anguish
and solidarity either unimaginable or unarticulated before the attacks. We
became aware how close we are to so many in the world who care about our
lives and life as such. Feelings of shock and concern, it turned out, were not
provincial.

This journal represents an enterprise in solidarity; its reporting regions
are now made up of 23 nations: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas,
Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, France (Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Pierre and
Miquelon), Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico,
Panama, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, and the United States of America. With these, other political
entities are within our reporting area: Bermuda, a self-governing British
dependency; the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, the Cayman
Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands, all dependent territories of the U. K.;
Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, municipalities of the Netherlands
Antilles; Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the U. S. A.; and the U. S. Virgin
Islands, an unincorporated territory of the U. S. A. And in this issue, we
have field notes from an October visit to Aruba — not a Venezuelan island
but an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, like its
neighbors Bonaire and Curac^ao.

But our solidarity through this journal is uneven. How much contact do
we birders, from all over this half of the hemisphere, have with each other?
Is it enoughs Of the many countries included this journal, some rarely have
visits by North American birders; and many of their birders and citizens
interested in birds likewise have not visited North America. Some countries
included in the journal have never had bird records published. Lee Jones, in

his Central American Region column, implores adventurous birders to take
on the little-known countries of Nicaragua and El Salvador, now relatively
tranquil after years of unrest. In the Caribbean, Rob Norton writes, a few
souls ventured out to Montserrat, recently ravaged by the Soufriere Hills
volcano, to find that perhaps two thousand endemic Montserrat Orioles
have survived the eruptions, with help from local forest wardens.

One wonders what difference hundreds more international exchanges by
birders from this hemisphere might make for the birds’ well-being. Many,
many people are deeply involved with North and Central American birds
all through their ranges, but one can’t help thinking that we can all try to
do more than what we do now to bolster the worldwide project of pro-
gressive birding: to strengthen local knowledge about birds and local
resolve for conservation, to get to know the people, including birders, of
other countries, and to stay in dialogue and develop friendships with them.
So many millions of bird migrants move between borders with no thought
to polities or outrageous attacks. If we are to speak for them, perhaps we
should undertake their migrations with them more often and begin to per-
ceive the planet more as they do. Ours is no time to withdraw and to go
about our business as usual, as we are urged; it’s an unparalleled opportu-
nity to reach out beyond borders drawn on maps. What can we do?

As readers know, the A.B.A. offers literally hundreds of ways for mem-
bers and nonmembers to become involved at the local and regional level
with birding and conservation organizations, as well as with national and
international groups pursuing the welfare of birds. There are volunteer
projects large and small to suit any taste or talent. The A.B.A. takes its part-
nerships in conservation projects seriously and constantly adapts to the
changing scene of international bird conservation. But so many of us, most
of us, have constraints upon our time that prevent us from taking part in
the dozens of bird-conservation projects available to us, much less from
forging ties with countries and islands distant from us. The part of our
lives that includes birds might be just a few precious weekends a year, or
even just a slow backroad commute to work.

It may seem an outlandish claim: those observations have real value.
When I was growing up, sending in field notes to American Birds was con-
sidered an ethical imperative, done for the greater good, the “permanent
record,” so it was said. “Do these observations amount to anything?” we
asked ourselves from time to time. The question has been asked over and
over again in this journal, and the difficult but accurate answer has almost
always come in the negative: truly vast amounts of data would have to be
computerized, an overwhelming task, and even then it could never be sat-
isfactorily standardized. North American Birds and its predecessors have
never served as archives for data but rather as journals that analyzed trends
and records over large regions in narrative, that is, more or less as journal-
ism— far from lacking in value, but never a database from which to draw
firm conclusions. But then, that was before the Internet, which now con-
nects birders from all over the world and permits us to dare what was never
before feasible.

Now, for the first time on a continental scale, there is an opportunity for
individual birders to make a contribution that could end up, as with
Christmas Bird Count data, having important consequences, perhaps even
deep effects in the realm of bird conservation. I urge all to read the pages
penned by John Fitzpatrick, Frank Gill, Mike Powers, Jeff Wells, and Ken
Rosenberg that detail plans for eBird, a database on a continental scale. Is
it ambitious? Yes, it is. Will it have hitches along the way? Most certainly.
Is it beyond our capacity as a community of people devoted to birds to
make this happen? By no means. I hope that readers will consider becom-
ing involved in this project in coming months and years; it promises to
enrich the pages of this journal, and much more. Sooner than we might
imagine, eBird could reach through and unite the bird-people of the
Western Hemisphere.

— Edward S. (Ned) Brinkley, Editor

14

North American Birds

The Changing Seasons: Warm Winds

A balmy fall

It’s rare in a season to hear such unanimity from across the temperate
reporting regions: from virtually all quarters comes word that warm
weather ruled most of the continent north of Mexico almost through
November’s end, and in many regions, a marked lack of typical cold
fronts meant few fallouts or concentrations of migrants over much of the
season. Even from off-continent reporting areas, such as Bermuda, the
paucity of cold fronts was noted as having substantially reduced the num-
ber and diversity of migrants. Despite the late arrivals and lower numbers
of migrants in many regions, there was also near-consensus that the sea-
son was a very good one for vagrants, virtually everywhere.

From Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to the Rockies and Great Plains
and Prairie Provinces, through eastern Canada and the northeaster-
states — and south through Appalachia, the Southern Great Plains, the
Southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts — the fall season was again unusually
warm, with below-average precipitation over much of the continent. The
combination of high temperatures and little rain led to near-drought
conditions over much of the eastern two-thirds of North America, with
notable exceptions. In Ontario, rains in late August and September alle-
viated dry conditions somewhat; light rains fell then from New York
south to Virginia but did little to change bone-dry impoundments:
Bombay Hook and Chincoteague refuges had very little habitat for shore-
birds, while Conejohela Flats in eastern Pennsylvania produced 27
species. In the drying Upper St. Lawrence River area, mudflats were
exposed; but, as in the eastern Great Lakes, the anticipated flocks of
shorebirds never materialized. Editors Denault, Bannon, Aubry, and
David speculate that the birds might have simply been less concentrated
on migration this year. Similar conditions in New England produced
excellent shorebirding on Lake Champlain, while Robert Leberman
reports that “low water levels and extensive mudflats at many lakes and
reservoirs [ . . . ] translated into more than the usual number of interesting
shorebird sightings” in Appalachia. Florida’s drought situation contin-
ued, despite showers from tropical systems.

Wisconsin reported above-average rainfall, but only from August,
while to the south, the eastern prairies of the Midwest had much rain
from August through mid-October. In Missouri, as elsewhere in the west-
ern parts of the Middlewestern Prairie Region, habitat for shorebirds and
waterfowl dried up, but eastern Indiana had the opposite problem, with
the best spots flooded out. A “deluge” hit western Tennessee in late
November, but otherwise the Bob and Lucy Duncan note “unremarkable”
weather in the Central Southern Region. Texas, in contrast to areas to the
east, witnessed heavy rains fuelled by Pacific fronts’ clashes with Gulf
moisture, at least in the eastern part of the state; West Texas suffered
under drought. Despite these localized rains, the drought meant poor
food crops over much of the East and Texas, and editors from near and
far commented that the low mast production appeared to be linked to low
numbers of late-season birds in particular.

All talk of global warming aside, even northern Alaska was relatively
warm and mild, especially from August until early October, which is
news. “Although the norm tends to be systematic cooling and snow accu-
mulations following a mid- to late October freeze-up, this year’s freeze fell
hard and fast after very mild conditions dominated the Region,” writes
Thede Tobish. In British Columbia, Donald Cecile documents an unusu-
ally mild and “late, late, late” fall, with the transition to cold weather and
snow coming abruptly in late November, as was true almost everywhere
in the Lower 48 states. New York had its “warmest November since the
1931 Dustbowl and the first snow- free November in 122 years in Buffalo,”
according to editors Paxton, Burgiel, and Cutler. Even all the way to the
north of Lake Superior, Peder Svingen reports that “November weather

Part of a large influx of the species from the Midwest through western New
York and Pennsylvania, these Wood Storks made Clyde, New York their fish-
ing ground in late August and September. Photograph by Angus Wilson.

seemed like September!” — and the same news comes from Rudolf Koes
and Peter Taylor in the Prairie Provinces, Ron Martin in the Northern
Great Plains, Brandon Percival and Van Truan in the Mountain West, and
David Trochlell, who adds that August was Idaho’s warmest and
Montana’s fourth warmest. Ken Brock notes that November was Kansas
City’s fourth warmest; Chicago’s daytime high temperatures in November
averaged seven degrees Fahrenheit above normal. New Mexico and
Arizona also found their falls very mild, with “winter’s” arrival also large-
ly post-Thanksgiving Day.

Out West, at least south of the Canadian border, the weather situation
resisted neat characterization, as is often the case. “Few observers were
willing to generalize about the weather or to speculate about its possible
relation to avian distribution and abundance this fall,” writes Ted Floyd in
the Great Basin. Editors Mlodinow, Tweit, and Contreras describe a
warm and very dry early season in Oregon and eastern Washington, with
more typical wet weather arriving in November, in line with the rest of
the continent, but average weather in western Washington. The lack of
either twin, El Nino nor La Nina, off California presumably means that
the weather was more or less “normal” there as well, while in Hawai’i, Bob
Pyle and Peter Donaldson send word that the long drought was finally
broken by heavy rains on several islands, much-needed relief.

Fronts

Regional editors in the East provided good detail on the cold fronts that
crossed their paths; given the mild weather and scarcity of cold fronts,
birds in the eastern and central parts of the continent tended to linger
north later than usual but also to concentrate themselves in migratory
passages on what northerly winds were available. There were too many
reports of record-late departures to cite here, but in some areas, such as
the Central Southern Region, the late arrival of a respectable cold front
produced a large number of record-early arrival dates. In general, those
birders north of the Mason-Dixon line’s latitude saw birds moving rough-
ly on schedule, while those from the Carolinas, southern Appalachia, and
the Southern Great Plains southward twiddled their thumbs longer than
normal while waiting on the short-distance migrants in particular. In the

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

15

Southern Great Plains, Joe Grzybowski attests, “Some observers wondered
when the sparrows would be arriving” (dittoed by the Duncans in the
northern Gulf of Mexico). We have only to look north to find the birds:
“The placid conditions allowed a gradual retreat of most migrants, while
giving lingerers little trouble surviving into December,” note Taylor and
Koes; on the same note, Margaret Bain in Ontario comments on the
numerous lingering warblers and vireos in that province. Brock offers
“the presence of 13 warbler species in Indiana’s Migrant Trap 13 October”
as an index of the late fall, and Walter Ellison and Nancy Martin write that
the “mild weather also delayed the movement of temperature-responsive
migrants like waterfowl.”

While August was warm over most of the continent, and cool fronts of
any consequence negligible, a Canadian cool front passing over the East
Coast coincided with the calamities of 1 1 September, and birders reluc-
tantly moved from their local migrant hotspots to the television set, the
beginning of long efforts to understand what had happened in the human
world. One wonders what the tens of thousands of Broad-winged
Hawks — in the synchronous flights that followed on 15 September across
New England, Pennsylvania, and New York — saw from their heights as
they moved toward winter quarters. On the Gulf Coast, the first strong
cold front of the season arrived 23-24 September, bringing a long-await-
ed push of belated Gulf migrants but also a small numbers birds that typ-
ically arrive later in October. Four days later, on 28 September, an unusu-
ally concentrated wave of Canada Geese, jaegers, and thrushes passed
through upstate New York, but, as elsewhere, record-early dates were
established, in this case for Brant and Harlequin Duck.

October began to feel more like autumn, though cold fronts were still
few. A strong front 6-7 October worked wonders for banders from Fort
Morgan, Alabama to Bluff Point, Connecticut, where 1300 warblers of 16
species were tallied. A moderate frontal passage 22-24 October ground-
ed flocks of Brant in interior New England, jaegers and Sabine’s Gulls in
the Great Lakes, and brought numerous waterfowl into southern
Louisiana, as if on cue for the Louisiana Ornithological Society’s conven-
tion. A strong front passed just a few days later in the Midwest and East,
26-28-1- October, putting down sea ducks in the interior (though not
Appalachia) and an Ancient Murrelet past Miller Beach, Indiana, and
finally giving larger raptors the means to move en masse. On 28 October,
the sea watch at Avalon, New Jersey counted over 13,000 Double-crested
Cormorants and 50,000 scoters, while owl-banders at Cape Charles and
Cape May filled their nets with Northern Saw-whet Owls (in what was
supposed not to be a flight year for the species).

In contrast to the eastern editors’ correlation of frontal passage with the
appearance of particular birds, central and northern California’s editors
report “a very solid September with fine ‘vagrant’ weather (high overcast
and not much wind)” that “dissipated into a rather ordinary October-
November.” It would seem that whatever role “weather” plays in bringing
eastern birds into California (if any!), the mechanism there could be quite
different from those thought to obtain for western birds in the East. It is
likewise difficult to countenance a cause for southeastern Oregon’s sud-
den bonanza of eastern warblers (greater observer effort in a “good”
year?), but we can certainly appreciate the work that went into that
Region’s total of 26 warbler species, a seasonal high mark for the Pacific
Northwest.

Tropical systems

In October, Belize was hit by one of the worst hurricanes in its recorded
history. Iris. With winds gusting to 185 mph, it hit the south of the coun-
try 8 October, leaving great tracts of primary rainforest destroyed and
forest birds displaced and disoriented; read Lee Jones’s column for more
details. Elsewhere, effects of tropical storms were rather were limited to

the corners of the Atlantic coasts and offshore islands. Tropical Storm
Gabrielle hit the central Gulf coast of Florida 14 September, crossing over
to the Atlantic in under a day. Small numbers of coastal species such as
Magnificent Frigatebirds were seen inland, and phalaropes and terns,
including large numbers of Bridled and Sooty, were counted along the
Atlantic coast. During the same time, a mix of Pomarine and Parasitic
Jaegers was noted off Cape Saint Francis, Newfoundland after Hurricane
Erin passed offshore 15 September.

Though no birds were seen entrained in the storm. Hurricane Karen hit
Bermuda 11-12 October and damaged vegetation, both with high winds
and salt spray. In the Bahamas, Hurricane Michelle passed directly over
New Providence 5 November and did more damage to trees; during its
passage east of Florida the next day, the storm pushed dozens of Cory’s
and a few Audubon’s Shearwaters and a Brown Booby into Florida’s
Atlantic coast. The unpredictable Olga, meandering between the
Bahamas and Bermuda in late November, was credited with bringing an
American Pipit to Middle Caicos 28 November. Hurricane Juliette moved
over Baja California Sur in late September and into the Gulf of California
in early October; no displacement of seabirds was noted, but heavy rains
spurred late-season breeding by some species.

Birds north: dispersals and reversals

It had been a good long time — in some places almost 50 years — since
young Wood Storks staged a late-summer flight into the Midwest, south-
ern Canada, and the Northeast. The first showed up 5 August in Lombard,
near Chicago, Illinois, and remained for 20 days, starring in the Chicago-
Tribune. Four days later, three appeared at Pelee Island, Ontario, followed
quickly by singles near Mosiertown and Littlestown, Pennsylvania, 12-31
August and mid- August to 3 September, respectively. The motherlode hit
Clyde, in upstate New York, about 15 August where 16 stayed for three
weeks. Even Quebec was the recipient of a stork: way, way out at
Bonaventure 3-5 September, the province’s second. The last stork
appeared near Cleveland 9 September, only the fourth Ohio record.

It’s probably fruitless to speculate on the origin of these storks. The
species nests in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, as well as in coastal
Mexico south through tropical South America and larger Greater Antilles.
It has usually been assumed that wanderers in the East are from the east-
ern states, western vagrants from Mexico or perhaps a bit farther south.
Since at least the 1970s, the sharp decline in records of the species out of
range in most of the East has been attributed to the crash in Florida’s pop-
ulation, now perhaps a seventh of its 1930s numbers. No good population
data are available for other parts of the species’s range in Central America,
much less a sense of how the weather south of the U. S. border might
affect the species. It seems odd that the Atlantic coast states and Gulf coast
states saw nothing ol this stork flight (other than an April report of 10-12
birds from Virginia); the birds were found almost entirely northeast to
northwest of the nearest nesters (South Carolina) and mostly near the
shores of Lakes Erie, Michigan, or Ontario. In the past, it has sometimes
been plausible to tie eastern vagrants to Florida’s rainy season (in forag-
ing they exploit drying ponds); perhaps this latest wave came from the
healthier South Carolina and Georgia rookeries or from Tennessee, where
1215 were counted.

There were a few other species whose post-nesting dispersals brought
them northward in notable numbers this season, and there were plenty of
warm fronts and southerly winds to bring birds north in August and early
September. A connection between the storks’ arrival and the five Great
White Herons found along the East Coast between Long Island and
Maryland seems implausible: the timing of the movements differed, the
species rely on different habitats, and there were no other Florida species
on the move (a few Georgia Limpkins notwithstanding) to suggest a great

16

North American Birds

Changing Seasons

exodus. Single Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks at Jug Bay, Maryland and
Andrews Island, Georgia were the only members of the species reported
well out of range this season, but Bill Pranty reports that the Florida pop-
ulation was unusually prolific and widespread this year.

Continuing the past summer’s trend, Mississippi Kites wandered
around north of normal range, into the mid- Atlantic and Midwest, where
not usually autumn birds, and persisted in Nevada. A Swallow-tailed Kite
at Shelby, Indiana was the state’s sixth modern record; the hawk watch at
Smith Point, Texas recorded 74 this season, far more than usual. A White-
tailed Hawk in Louisiana was among the many attestations of this state’s
potential for birds from the Tamaulipan biotic province. Carolina Wren
continued to make inroads, into Nova Scotia and Quebec, and other
southerners drifting north were single Black Vultures in Minnesota (that
state’s first) and Nova Scotia, a Least Tern in Michigan, and a Brown-
headed Nuthatch in Ohio. In keeping with recent trends, dispersing
“southern” herons continued to move farther north, in larger numbers,
and to remain longer — Great Egrets were almost common locally this fall
in British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Out West, Reddish Egrets
are wandering a great deal recently: birds in western Texas, Arizona, New
Mexico, and Colorado would have been considered extraordinary only a
few years ago. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons made it to New Mexico and
Washington, where quite rare.

Southerly species were scarce out of range on migration (or in reverse
migration) in the East, and part of the problem may have been the posi-
tion of the jet stream, which, in addition to bringing few cold fronts down
the traditional track, robbed the Atlantic Provinces of southwesterly
winds during the September and early October vagrant season, as Bruce
Mactavish suggests. Nevertheless, other staple wanderers were found. An
immature Purple Gallinule arrived at L’Ancienne-Lorrette, Quebec 18
November, part of a modest pattern at this time of year; the only other
one out of range this season was in Maryland, its first in 13 years. Summer
Tanager may be showing signs of a shift in the frequency of vagrancy: one
in Quebec and several in Manitoba and the Atlantic Provinces, plus a rush
of records in California, Oregon, and Washington, continued an upward
trend. One in Arizona was identified as a probable nominate (eastern)
bird; it’s worthwhile trying to key out late or vagrant Summer Tanagers to
refine our knowledge of how the rubra and cooperi subspecies move.

What would the fall report be without tropical tyrant flycatchers?
Fork-tailed Flycatchers put in appearances in New Brunswick, Michigan,
New Jersey, North Carolina, and British Columbia, while a Couch’s
Kingbird at Plum Island, Massachusetts made for a first state record, one
of very few in the East. A calling Tropical Kingbird at Pea Island, North
Carolina was that state’s second, among several Tropical/Couch’s types
seen on the Outer Banks this fall; another Tropical/Couch’s was at
Dauphin Island, Alabama, a state fifth. Single Gray Kingbirds where
notable were at Quintana, Texas and at Point Pelee, and Texans had a
Thick-billed Kingbird in the Panhandle. A Cassin’s Kingbird in Oregon
was a state second — and its first in over 65 years. While we’re on vagrants
and visitors whose ranges lie primarily in the tropics or subtropics, we
should mention the two Green-breasted Mangos in Texas, the Rufous-
backed Robin in southern California, both Blue-throated and
Magnificent Hummingbirds in Colorado, nesting Rufous-capped
Warblers and possibly nesting Short-tailed Hawks in Arizona, the coop-
erative Western Spindalis at Cape Florida, and the Blue Mockingbird at
Weslaco, Texas.

Southern seabirds far north of range were Laughing Gull and Wilson’s
Storm-Petrel off Washington (state third and second); Yellow-nosed
Albatross off Rhode Island, a possible state first; Sooty Tern just offshore
of Marin County, California (northeasternmost Pacific record); Shy
Albatross and Black-vented Shearwater off Oregon (both seconds); and

Masked Booby reported 24 August in New Jersey, a far piece from usual
Gulf Stream habitat — indeed there are no confirmed records north of the
Carolinas.

Birds souths irruptives and boreal migrants

Into the eastern and central United States and most of southern Canada,
the great boreal forest belt let forth a fine flight of its birds late in the sea-
son, chief among them Pine Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings, White-
winged Crossbills, Common Redpolls, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, and
Black-capped Chickadees, with lesser numbers of Red-breasted
Nuthatches and Red Crossbills. Most of the far-northern species reached
only the states and provinces either side of the U.S. -Canada border (the
waxwings made northwestern Pennsylvania), but there were outliers
among the other species: White- winged Crossbills to Bermuda, Kentucky,
and southern Virginia, single Purple Finches to Texas and New Mexico,
and Common Redpolls south to Oregon, Nevada, Nebraska, Missouri,
and North Carolina. Evening Grosbeaks continued as just a shadow of
their former (1960s to mid-1980s) numbers in the East.

Among these irruptors, the real stories were the grosbeaks and chick-
adees. Pine Grosbeaks were in numbers not seen for almost 30 years in the
eastern Great Lakes: counts such as 80 around Buffalo were staggering for
younger birders, though the species never made it south to Pennsylvania
or past the central Hudson Valley. Earther east, small flocks roamed New
England, with outliers to Connecticut, Cape Cod, and Nantucket. In the
Atlantic provinces, Minnesota, New England, New York, and Ontario, the
chickadees moved in great waves beginning in early September, when
Thunder Bay researchers saw hundreds daily, through late September,
when one observer counted as many as 500 in two minutes streaming past
his northeastern New Brunswick home! The Kaiser-Manitou banding
station near Rochester, New York banded 380 on 13 October alone!

Most vole-eaters stayed up north, but Snowy Owls staged a strong
flight (on par with those of 1987 and 1991) into the Midwest and East, as
far south as Fort Fisher, North Carolina; a substantial proportion of the
birds in Minnesota and Ontario were found injured, starving, or dead.
Long-eared Owls were captured in record-high numbers at Cape May on
the marvelous flight night of 28 October. Northern Shrikes, Rough-
legged Hawks, Northern Goshawks, and Gyrfalcons stayed within typical
wintering range.

With the increase of birding in the continent’s interior, particularly
around lakes, the flood of information on southbound taiga- and tundra-
zone nesters — on shorebirds, but also on jaegers, Sabine’s, Little, and
many other gulls, loons and grebes, scoters and other seaducks
(Harlequin Duck: Pennsylvania, Texas, and Nebraska got lucky), and on
locally scarce (Harris’s Sparrow) or secretive (Nelson’s Sharp-tailed
Sparrow) passerines — has been truly impressive. Even a few very low-
density obligate migrants, such as Northern Wheatear, are detected
inland, as at Great Meadows, New Jersey; coastal individuals reached
southern California and southern Louisiana this season.

Birds east a feast

In contrast to the spring, in which few western birds show up well out of
range in the East, the autumn is a time for birders to scramble in a search
for regular vagrants (Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western
Kingbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Lark Sparrow, Swainson’s Hawk et
al.) but especially those off-course migrants from the Far West. This
year’s search was wildly successful, by all counts.

Leading the list were clearly Florida’s Surfbird at Sanibel Island and
New Jersey’s Pacific Golden-Plover in Salem County, both birds scarcely
known in the East. It’s tempting to see a faint connection between these
and other extralimitals: a Pacific Golden-Plover reported at Bowdoin

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

17

N.W.R. in Montana would be a state first, the Yukon found its first-in-fall
Pacifies, while British Columbia found its first Surfbird ever for the inte-
rior. (But the distance between Montana and New Jersey is considerable.)
A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Bermuda, somewhat farther traveled, fit an
established pattern of juveniles dispersing across the continent and
beyond in the autumn. (All of these birds probably flew as far south as
they did east, but not by much!) Not altogether unexpected, but mighty
rare, was a Flammulated Owl on a condominium balcony in Florida at
Navarre Beach; the state’s other record was from St. Petersburg. Given
recent records from offshore Gulf oil rigs (Texas had another this fall), the
states north of Florida should be alert for vagrant Flams.

In a league with these records. North Garolinians found a Sprague’s
Pipit, Ontarians a Virginia’s Warbler and a Lewis’s Woodpecker (another
was in Missouri), and Pennsylvanians a Black-throated Gray Warbler,
while Wisconsin enjoyed a Brambling and a probable Slaty-backed Gull,
the latter potentially a first for the state, Alabama a Chestnut-collared
Longspur (a state first), and Michigan, Louisiana, and Maine each a Sage
Thrasher. Single Ancient Murrelets were reported in Indiana and
Michigan, a long way from home but part of a weak pattern of late-
autumn dispersal across the Great Lakes and eastward.

More precedent provided context for the Black Brant at Chicago,
Sprague’s Pipit in Alabama, Black-throated Sparrow in Minnesota,
Audubon’s Warbler in New FJampshire, two White-faced Ibis in Florida,
Rock Wrens in Michigan and Louisiana, Western Grebes in Tennessee and
North Carolina, a Townsend’s Solitaire in Indiana (and others elsewhere).
Green-tailed Towhee in Illinois, Spotted Towhee and Ferruginous Hawk
in Louisiana, Bronzed Cowbirds in western Florida, and Bullock’s Oriole
in Quebec. The Florida Heermann’s Gull continues to hang on there;
another one was about as far away as it could be in the mainland United
States at Ketchikan, Alaska 28 August (without El Nino!).

The distribution of several essentially western birds appears to be
changing in the East. Cave Swallows now nest far enough east (to
Louisiana) that one might consider them a “southern” rather than a west-
ern vagrant to the East, where there were again a number this year, as well
as in Kansas. One migrant remarked upon as scarce this season, as back
to 1996, was Wilson’s Phalarope; the species was uncommon a generation
ago in the East but was regular in modest numbers in the 1980s and early
1990s.

Elegant Tern might also be a species in flux. Reports of Elegants out of
range have always made me nervous, rather like those Black-tailed Gulls
in the East. On one shoulder, the angel of acceptance encourages — “hey,
after all, they’re recorded regularly in the Caribbean off Costa Rica, as
vagrants to European countries, and how about those recent southwest-
ern records?” And: “Hey, Ancient and Long-billed Murrelets show up in
the East; why not Pacific gulls and terns?” But then the devil of doubt, on
the other shoulder, weighs in: “Oh, yeah, then why aren’t there more
Salton Sea records of Elegant Tern? It’s not as though the Salton Sea is
underbirded....” And: “What about the southernmost ‘Cayenne’ Terns
that are larger and longer-billed than northern ‘Cayenne’ Terns? How easy
are they to distinguish from Elegant Terns?” After the previous season’s
birds in Arizona and New Mexico, this fall saw another set of reports of
out-of- range Elegants. Two of these were at East Beach 4-18 September,
a third record of the species for Texas. Having looked at photographs of
these birds posted on the Internet, I think that one bird looked certainly
like an Elegant, the other more like a Cayenne Tern, the eurygnatha sub-
species of Sandwich Tern. About the same time, Brian Patteson and I
found an Elegant Tern among a large number of Sandwich Terns at
Chincoteague on 5 September, a bird that remained at least two more
days. The bird was very near the site of Claudia Wilds’s 10 June 1985
record (A. B. 39: 897), the first Atlantic Coast record.

It is the subsequent Florida story that makes one wary: in summer 2001
at Fort De Soto, on the Gulf Coast, an Elegant was seen copulating with a
Sandwich Tern (N. A. B. 55: 382), and this autumn at least three Elegants
were present here, but observers are uncertain of their parentage. A juve-
nile was seen groveling to an adult 17 August, whereas a subadult was
present 21-22 September, with an adult present 24 September. Pranty
reports now that an “obvious hatch-year Elegant x Sandwich Tern hybrid
was photographed at Cortez Beach” in Manatee County on 9 October.
Uh-oh. As with the Kelp Gulls hybridizing with Herring Gulls on islands
off the coast of Louisiana, the out-of-range Elegant in Florida appears to
be in a catch-as-catch-can situation, with the result that we’ll need to be
even more cautious when reporting these birds out of range than before.

Long a staple of eastern vagrant-seasons, flycatchers from the West are
expected visitors, but a Hammond’s Flycatcher on Long Island 26-27
October was genuinely rare, one of few satisfactorily documented east of
the Mississippi. More regular but nowhere sneezed at, single Vermilion
Flycatchers made it to Wisconsin, Maryland, Ohio, western Florida, and
Quebec. New Brunswick’s Ash-throated Flycatcher at Jemseg and
Manitoba’s first at Grosse Isle were outliers in a flight of this species
toward the East, one that included five in New England, three in the
Middle Atlantic, about six in the Hudson-Delaware Region, two in
Alabama, and one in western Florida.

And then there are the rising stars from the West, the hummingbirds,
no longer a shock but always a pleasure. Rufous Hummingbirds still lead
the pack by a sizable margin, with scores of them reported in the East and
individuals north to Saint-Prime, Quebec, Old Orchard Beach, Maine,
and Liscomb, Nova Scotia. Are these birds using feeders throughout their
journeys? You betcha; one captured at Ortonville, Michigan in October
had been banded by Susan Campbell in December 2000 near
Hendersonville, North Carolina. Black-chinned Hummingbirds, known
for a good while as lower-density vagrants to the Deep South, pushed the
envelope farther north, with records in New Jersey and Virginia, 26-29
October, this season. Meanwhile, in the Deep South, where 10 humming-
bird species might be recorded in a season, the rare become regular and
ultra-rare visitors are putting in appearances — viz.. North Carolina’s first
Broad-billed and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds in October. Two Broad-
billed Hummingbirds made it to Louisiana, one to Oregon, and Texas had
a bunch, while two Calliopes, not previously recorded north of Cape May
in the East, made it to New York City 1 7 November, where they held court
at Fort Tryon for several weeks. Even Costa’s Hummingbirds sallied forth:
one continued near Fort Davis, Texas, while singles in Nebraska and
Montana were both unprecedented.

Some columbids get the blood racing: the single Band-tailed Pigeons in
Minnesota and Ontario would be among those. White-winged Doves
and Eurasian Collared-Doves, on the other hand, are hard to avoid lately,
even many hundreds of miles from core breeding range; and Inca Doves
continue to move north and slightly east as well, having now crossed the
Mississippi River in small numbers, into Mississippi. It’s important to
keep a watch on all of these situations, particularly given persistent
reports of confusion between “Ringed Turtle-Doves” (a dove-fancier’s
form) and bonafide Eurasian Collared-Doves.

The Davis Mountains of Texas continue to produce records of birds
whose ranges lie farther west and/or south: observers there this season
saw a Buff-breasted Flycatcher (feeding a young Gray Flycatcher!?), a
Clark’s Nutcracker, and a Flame-colored Tanager. Not too far away in El
Paso, the state’s sixth Violet-crowned Hummingbird visited a feeder.

Birds west; nearly everything but Kirtland’s Warbler

Birds out of range in the West showed breathtaking diversity this season,
often true in fall, and though warblers dominated the news, virtually all

18

North American Birds

Changing Seasons

other Neotropical migrants put in appearances, most of them annual
visitors. Single Scarlet Tanagers brightened Idaho (first record), Nevada
(few records), and Arizona (~20 records), as well as California, which has
over 100 records. Other headliners were single Glossy Ibis in Arizona and
New Mexico; Black-throated Blue Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Purple
Martin, and Ruddy Duck in Alaska; Upland Sandpiper and Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher on the Farallones; Common Crackle in Washington;
Philadelphia Vireo in Utah; White-eyed Vireo and Eastern Phoebe in
Nevada; Wood Thrush, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Baltimore
Oriole in New Mexico; a possible Eastern Wood-Pewee in Arizona; Whip-
poor-will and Yellow-billed Cuckoo in British Columbia; Orchard Oriole
and Chestnut-collared Longspur in Oregon; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in
Idaho; and a Prairie Warbler at Minot, North Dakota. Some western birds
shock western birders by moving even farther west: the Elf Owl near Los
Angeles, Rufous-crowned Sparrow on Southeast Earallon Island, and
Cassin’s Sparrow on San Clemente Island are the season’s exemplars. The
prizes for real reverse migration, though, might have to go to the single
Least and “Western” Flycatchers out on St. Lawrence Island this fall, or to
the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Fairbanks.

Every autumn, what must be very large numbers of “eastern” warblers
move westward, with the bulk of these discovered on California shores
and in interior “vagrant traps.” The causes for this movement are not
known, but prevailing wind patterns may play a supporting role, as in
spring. Certainly, the absence of westerly and northwesterly winds for
long periods in the East early this past fall could have resulted in more
passerines reaching western locations. But much of the thinking lately

focuses on vagrants’ variable numbers as indices of population changes.
California reports a significant (up to 40%) increase in records of eastern
warblers over last fall, nearly as good as 1999’s numbers. A part of this
increase may be thanks to birders in interior valleys, who are stepping up
efforts and finding remarkable numbers and variety of migrant warblers
(15 eastern warbler species in interior northern California alone this sea-
son!), but the increase might also Indicate upward trends in the popula-
tions of certain species.

Birders away from the Golden State are also finding eastern warblers in
some variety and even numbers. The Pacific Northwest certainly did its
share this season, notably southeastern Oregon, but western birders else-
where turned in an impressive array of strays as well, a few of them not
recorded in California. As has been the case, California had more indi-
vidual vagrant warblers (1003) than the rest of the West combined (396),
and though one concedes that California had probably ten- or twenty-
fold the birding coverage of the rest of the West (and tracks more species
as “vagrants” than some other states), there is little doubt that the geog-
raphy of that state serves to concentrate off-course eastern migrants like
nowhere else, despite the greater distance of the state from eastern migra-
tory pathways. Roberson, Terrill, Ryan, Rogers, and Glover tally 38 war-
bler species for the Middle Pacific Coast’s season, while in southern
California, 40 warbler species were found.

No striking patterns emerge in the timing of interior records versus
coastal records, and an unsystematic attempt to correlate wind flow pat-
terns and frontal passages with warbler arrivals in coastal California was
not immediately productive; but there are a few questions that arise in

Table 1;!

Some extralimital warblers reported in western states and

prowinces

!, August-November 2001.

State/Province

BC

AB

SK

WA

OR

n. CA

s. CA

UT

m

Al

NM

CO

WY

MT

ID

Species

Blue-winged Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

Golden-winged Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

Tennessee Warbler

2

—

—

1

4

42

33

0

1

2

3

6

0

2

2

Northern Parula

0

1

0

0

2

18

13

0

0

9

1

11

0

1

1

Chestnut-sided Warbler

0

4

0

1

1

82

25

3

2

4

2

2

0

1

6

Magnolia Warbler

0

1

0

1

0

30

17

0

0

0

2

4

1

0

0

Cape May Warbler

0

1

0

0

2

6

2

0

1?

0

1

0

0

0

1

Black-throated Blue Warbler

0

3

1

0

3

17

17

1

1

3

6

10

0

1

1

Black-throated Green Warbler

—

0

0

0

0

6

6

0

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

Blackburnian Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

16

14

0

0

0

1

2

0

0

1

Yellow-throated Warbler

0

0

1

0

0

1*

It

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Pine Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

1

5

0

0

1

2

3

0

0

0

Prairie Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

20

7

1

0

0

1?

4

0

0

0

Palm Warbler

—

0

~15

10+

123+

54+

0

3

0

4

5

1

0

1

Bay-breasted Warbler

0

0

0

0

1

7

3

0

1?

0

0

2

0

0

1

Blackpoll Warbler

2

0

0

sp.

3

86

42

0

5

1

0

10

1

0

4

Black-and-white Warbler

1

0

0

0

7

34

44

1

3

6

5

13

3

0

1

American Redstart

—

0

0

. —

63

~50

3

9

5

11

18

0

Prothonotary Warbler

1

0

0

0

1

5

5

0

2-3

1

0

4

0

0

0

Worm-eating Warbler

0

0

0

0

1

1

1

0

1

0

0

2

0

0

0

Swainson’s Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

Ovenbird

—

0

0

0

0

8

9

0

1-2

2

4

12

0

0

0

Northern Waterthrush

—

0

0

39

22

4

12

15

14

5

0

Louisiana Waterthrush

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

Kentucky Warbler

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Connecticut Warbler

1

0

0

0

1

2

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

Mourning Warbler

1

0

0

0

0

3

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

Hooded Warbler

0

2

0

0

0

6

4

0

0

1

2

2

0

0

0

Canada Warbler

—

0

0

0

1

3

5

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

Totals 8 12 2

KEY: sp. = “BaypoH” (Blackpoll/Bay-breasted Warbler); * = albilors, t
but a lack of space prohibits their inclusion here.

~19 37+ 620+ 383+ 13 39+ 52 61 123 6 5 19

= dominica', — = species not tallied. The Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Baja California, Alaska, and western Texas also had eastern vagrants.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

19

looking at the raw record (Table 1). The near-absence of early migrants
such as Yellow-throated, Swainson’s, and Cerulean Warblers and
Louisiana Waterthrush stands out. One doubts that such birds are over-
looked, as has been suggested back East, where few go warblering during
the wilting heat of July and early August — and when few cold fronts
ground migrating passerines. Is there some aspect of late summer weath-
er that is poor for transporting birds westward? California had an albilo-
m Yellow-throated at Point Reyes and an unexpected dominica in San
Diego County, there were no western Ceruleans, not unusual, and the
only Louisiana Waterthrush and Swainson’s Warbler were in Arizona and
New Mexico, respectively. Why is that?

Does it seem remarkable that Chestnut-sided Warblers were so numer-
ous across the West, including Baja, this year? Their numbers (about 132)
exceeded those of Black-and-white Warbler (118) and nearly reached
those of Blackpoll (154) and American Redstart (159). Is it noteworthy
that Tennessee Warblers (98) almost outnumbered Northern
Waterthrushes (111)? In southern California, Tennessees were way up,
and one lost bird even showed up at Cambell! There is such continuity in
records-keeping in California that these data beg to be compared to the
impressions of long-time observers back East, even if autumn is no aus-
picious season for hazarding guesses about birds’ populations. Many East
Coast regional reports this season suggested a continued decline in Cape
May, Bay-breasted, and Tennessee Warblers, the “spruce budworm” clan,
and I tend to concur from my limited standpoint, particularly in recent
autumns with Cape May Warbler, which could occasionally be counted in
the low hundreds in southeastern Virginia 15 years ago, but also with
Tennessee and Bay-breasted, which featured prominently in the mid-
Atlantic coastal flights of the late 1970s through the 1980s. That New
Englanders found 49 Orange-crowned Warblers this fall, more than dou-
ble their tally of Tennessee Warblers, formerly a very common migrant
here, dovetails with my impression of its coastal scarcity farther south.

Appalachian banding stations, however, sent mixed signals on
Tennessee Warbler. A flight of 1000-t- at Roan Mountain, Tennessee on 6
September and a record-high banding total of 806 at Three Rivers
Migration Observatory would seem to betoken a strong flight of the
species; but the nearby Appalachian Front Migration Observatory’s total
of 305 was near average, and in Pennsylvania, Powdermill Nature
Reserve’s tally was about 75% below average. The total of 33 Tennessee
Warblers in southern California was “more than triple last fall’s total for a
species that has declined in recent years as a vagrant to California.” So
perhaps it was a good year for a species that is otherwise experiencing a
decline, noticed most on the eastern periphery of its migrational path.

No such mixed signals for Cape May and Bay-breasted Warblers:
Kaiser-Manitou banded only seven Cape Mays and nine Bay-breasteds
this season, very low numbers again. At Appalachian stations, captures of
Cape Mays were down 70-90% and of Bay-breasteds down 33-43%, com-
pared to their own most recent ten-year averages. The increasing birding
and banding activity across some western states and provinces might lend
an impression of increasing vagrants: Idaho tallied its second Cape May
and fourth Bay-breasted Warblers this year, Oregon its eleventh Bay-
breasted and thirteenth and fourteenth Cape Mays. Most would argue
that one has to look to coastal California, where observer effort is more
even and the history of vagrant-hunting much longer, to perceive any
trend in these birds’ numbers. Kimball Garrett and Guy McCaskie con-
firm that Cape May Warbler is “among the rarest eastern warbler strays in
recent years”; I could only find eight records for all of California this past
fall, whereas Bay-breasteds made a “good showing,” with ten in California,
but numbers here have been higher. The decline in these species seems
confirmed from all quarters.

From New England: “over the past decade. Magnolia and Black-throat-

ed Green Warblers have become the most frequently encountered of mid-
fall migrants,” and both appear to have increased in the mid-Atlantic
states as well, though Northern Parula, Palm Warbler, Gommon
Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warbler, and American Redstart are still
more numerous in mid-fall. Why then do Arizona’s editors find that
Black-throated Green “has decreased dramatically in the past 20 years” in
that state? And why is it relatively scarce in California as well? Northern
California’s editorial team calculates that over 90% of the warblers found
there are “of northeastern origin, with the others from the Southeast (6%)
or Southwest (2%),” so one might expect more Black-throated Greens to
vagrate out West. There are those observers out there who have been
thinking about these things for a long time — North American Birds would
love to publish a summary article on such trend.

European birds (Birds west, Part II)

Relatively few species visit our shores from Europe in the autumn, prob-
ably owing to the prevailing westerlies in the northeastern quadrant of
North America. This year, however, had a fair number of east-wind days
up north. A Common Chaffinch in Nova Scotia was thought to have been
“wild” — the European easterlies blew quite a few vagrants into Iceland
this September/October, chaffinches among them, and Nova Scotia is
within reach of a hardy chaffinch. A Common Ringed Plover in
Newfoundland, though likely not a nominate (European) bird, was a
remarkable record in several respects: the bird is not easy to pick out
amongst abundant Semipalmateds; it is hardly known from the province
(one previous record); but it nests on Baffin Island, not alarmingly far
away. White-faced Storm-Petrel, an enigmatic visitor from the eastern
North Atlantic, bounced by us in good numbers (8-I-) off the Atlantic
coast from Virginia to New England, mixed in with large numbers of
Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. In a season that began quietly for northern gulls
south of range, a report of a Common Gull (the nominate form of Mew
Gull) from Cameron Parish, Louisiana was not anticipated — probably the
most southerly record of the taxon on the continent if confirmed. There
was no particular pattern of movement apparent for Common Gull,
though a first-winter bird was found at Montreal 18 November.

Asian vagrants (Birds east, Part II)

Some birds surely come to their point of discovery from the nearest pop-
ulation: the jnpom'cus American Pipits that made it to southern Galifornia
were coming from northeastern Asia; and the same must be true of
California’s Common Greenshank, the first known south of Alaska, and
its one-day Wood Sandpiper. The first Eurasian Hobby record for the
Lower 48 states came at Seattle on 20 October; another Hobby showed up
2 1 September on Shemya, surely from Siberia. A Streaked Shearwater at
Monterey Bay crossed a fair bit of ocean to get there from the other side
of the International Date Line, while the Long-billed Murrelets recorded
south to Santa Cruz County, California came from the far northwestern
North Pacific. Other obvious Asian-origin vagrants were out on St.
Lawrence Island — Sky Lark, Siberian Accentor, Little Bunting — and
Shemya, which had visits from Fork-tailed Swift, Common House-
Martin, and Eurasian Kestrel. The Smew at Vancouver Island (a seventh
British Columbia record) probably came over from the nearest nesting
areas in Siberia, too. But what about the Red-necked Stint in
Massachusetts or the many Curlew Sandpipers scattered through conti-
nent? Are they coming over from northeastern Asia, or are they coming
from the European side of Eurasia? Perhaps a bit of both.

Just plain lost

A Greater Shearwater in Monterey Bay was in the wrong ocean altogeth-
er; presumably it began its northward migration mispositioned in the

20

North American Birds

Changing Seasons

Pacific off the west coast of South America, rather than in the South
Atlantic. Records of this sort are extreme, but this was California’s third
Greater Shearwater, and most families of tubenoses show phenomenal
propensity for vagrancy. The small black-and-white shearwater seen on
northern Lake Champlain 24 August (no hurricane) and the Manx
Shearwater found dead two days later on the Ottawa River provided less-
er cases in point. These birds must have come from the Gulf of St.
Lawrence down the St. Lawrence River (not far from Lake Champlain at
Montreal), believed to be the conduit for Quebec’s interior records of the
Manx Shearwater.

Likewise way off course in temporal terms was the Eastern Kingbird at
Saint-Antoine-de-Lavaltrie, Quebec on 30 November. The bird should
have been plucking fruit in the Amazon basin by that date! Silent
Myiodynastes flycatchers were in Miami and Gulf Breeze, Florida; hard to
know where they were coming from without knowing what they were —
Florida’s three records of the genus all refer to Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher,
of which Alabama recorded (banded) its third this year, at Fort Morgan,
also in September. It’s tempting to see a flight of Sulphur-bellieds in
these records, but angels aren’t treading there.

Thrush flights

Qne of the genuine pleasures of being on this earth is listening to the
flights of thrushes pass overhead at night in the East. In Berks County,
Pennsylvania, peak nights were on the September fronts of the 16th- 17th
(250 each Wood and Swainson’s), 23rd (350 Swainson’s), and 28th ( 1000
Swainson’s). The 22nd-23rd was also good on Kennesaw Mountain (78
Veery, 27 Gray-cheeked, 64 Wood) and Marietta, Georgia (712
Swainson’s). During the same time window, Pranty reports “perhaps the
best thrush flight ever -reported in Florida”: at Weeki Wachee, one
observer listened to “hundreds” of Swainson’s going over on the 21st and
as many as 1500 on the 26th (nearly tenfold Florida’s previous high
count). If you haven’t learned to identify the thrushes’ nocturnal flight-
call notes, take a look at the CD-ROM authored by Bill Evans and
Michael O’Brien (http://wvw.oldbird.org). This resource is certain to
become a foundational tool for the revolutionary study of nocturnal
migrants; anyone with an interest in bird identification and bird
migration should look into it.

The finer points: are we paying more attention?

In recent “Changing Seasons” columns, Steve Dinsmore, Tony Leukering,
and Michael Patten implored readers to attend to identifiable subspecies.
It is striking how many regional reports for this past season feature
vagrant subspecies, a relatively recent development in many of these
reports. Some are feeder birds that observers have monitored closely for
decades — Qregon Juncos in the East or Slate-colored Juncos in the
West — but other subspecies have been less well tracked since mid-centu-
ry, among them the various types of Fox and White-crowned Sparrows.
In Massachusetts, one of the western races of Fox Sparrow was at Bolton
Flats 28 Qctober, while a Slate-colored Fox Sparrow (schistacea) was at
Rachel Carson Park in Maryland 23 November, a first for Maryland In
the Great Basin, Ted Floyd notes that all four distinctive subspecies —
Slate-colored, Thick-billed, Sooty, and Red Fox Sparrows — occur in Utah
and Nevada but that the Region lacks good data on their relative abun-
dances. Gary Rosenberg (not surprisingly, a co-finder of Maryland’s first
schistaceal) and Roy Jones document all but Thick-billed from Arizona
this season and encourage readers to distinguish the subspecies in the
field and in their notes. Powdermill Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania
banded its first Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow, and Maryland got
another one this year. Are these really so scarce here? Virginia records
reveal that naturalists pre-1950 detected this subspecies infrequently, but

the lack of records between 1942 and 1998 surely indicates inattention to
the identification of subspecies here. I found it surprising that above-
average numbers of Yellow Palm Warblers (hypochrysea) were worthy of
comment in the Niagara River gorge and all around Qntario, with over
16 reports; I had not realized before how scarce that subspecies could be
in the Great Lakes in fall. Subtle reports of two cinnamomea Solitary
Sandpipers in Ontario, both juveniles seen in the narrow window 3-5
August, will hopefully spur those in the East to scrutinize their birds for
this western subspecies.

A thorny problem for seekers of vagrant subspecies involves intergrade
flickers. For whatever reason, true Red-shafted Flickers (subspecies
cafra) are almost unknown in the East. This fall, in Virginia, two appar-
ent intergrades of Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted were found, and in
Florida, two flickers with some red in the rectrices were reported from
Leon County, while another at Q’Leno State Park had red webbing in the
rectrices but “a black malar stripe and a brown face,” thus an intergrade.
Neither state has confirmed cafra records. Flickers also give Great Basin
birders pause for study, especially in southern Nevada, where all three
North America Colaptes populations (including Gilded Flicker) can be
studied, along with intergrades and hybrids. Gilded Flickers are being
seen there away from breeding areas, while likely Yellow-shafted Flickers
are reported regularly out of range, along with a few intergrade Yellow-
shafted/Red-shafted around Reno late in this past season. Qne wonders
whether birds of hybrid origin (or intergrades) are more likely to be
found out of range than birds of “pure” parentage: patterns of vagrancy
in Black-headed x Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Spotted x Eastern Towhees,
Lazuli X Indigo Buntings, Baltimore x Bullock’s Qrioles, and even
Western x Clark’s Grebes, might make interesting study.

Closing thoughts: open questions

It is often thought but not often enough printed: bird collections that
lose their captives make our study of bird distribution difficult. And,
sometimes, that just plain ticks us off.

An adult Common Crane was observed with an adult Sandhill and a
hybrid juvenile at Barraute, Quebec in September and October. This sce-
nario has played out in New Jersey and Nebraska as well, but the New
Jersey bird is probably a former captive (so the thinking goes), whereas
these mid-continent birds might be coming over with Siberian Sandhills
(so the thinking goes). I cower behind the mantle of agnosticism. I think
it’s safe to say that we all wish there were a sure means to determine how
the Demoiselle Crane arrived at the San Joaquin Valley, a potential first
record for the New World. A few records of the species from Alaska or
the Northwest would help the case for natural vagrancy here; the several
hundred captives held in American collections make it a tough case.

A Ruddy Shelduck made an August appearance at Jug Bay, Maryland.
Readers of Birders Journal know that a wild flock made it to
Southampton Island, Nunavut, a first firm record of vagrants in North
America. This gaudy near-goose has reached Greenland, Iceland, and
other North Atlantic islands, and the Nunavut record makes one wonder
about those wary birds that show up along the Eastern Seaboard at the
same season as European wanderers. What can one say of the similarly
handsome but suspect Barnacle Geese that materialized from the
Canadian Maritimes to the Middle Atlantic Region this fall and winter,
beginning with one in Moncton, New Brunswick 3 November? A sum-
mary of this possible “flight” will appear in the next issue. Meanwhile,
Paul Hess and Marshall Iliff are preparing a paper on the species’s occur-
rence in North America; contact them at miliff@aol.com with any of
your old records. — Ed. A

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

21

Atlantic Provinces

Bruce IVIactavish
37 Waterford Bridge Road
St. John’s, Newfoundland A1E 1C5
(bruce.mactavish1@nf.sympatico.ca)

It was a standard autumn with a plethora of
vagrants and more interesting events than
there is room in this column to touch upon. A
Common Ringed Plover in Newfoundland and
a Common Chaffinch in Nova Scotia were the
two most exciting vagrants. New Brunswick
had more routine rarities such as Ash-throated
Flycatcher and Fork-tailed Flycatcher. A late-
autumn Rufous Hummingbird, still very rare
in the Region, was in Nova Scotia. The most
spectacular migration witnessed was a huge
movement of Black-capped Chickadees.

Abbreviations: C.S.I (Cape Sable Island, Nova
Scotia); G.M.I. (Grand Manan Island, New
Brunswick).

LOONS THROUGH RAILS

The highest of several good counts of Red-
throated Loons in loon-rich Northumberland
Strait was 120 on 5 Nov at Waterside RR,
Pictou, NS (KM). Northern Fulmars, taken for
granted in much of the Region, were a treat for
pelagic trippers off G.M.I. , NB 28 Sep (ST et
al.). There were still 12 Greater Shearwaters off

G.M.I., NB on the late date of 26 Nov (DG).
There was a high count of 60 Manx
Shearwaters off G.M.I., NB 9 Aug (LM). An
astounding 25,000 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels were
present in the Grand Manan Basin, NB 20 Aug
(BD). A late and lost Leach’s Storm-Petrel was
alive at Buchans in the center of
Newfoundland on 22 Nov (DBu). There was a
good influx of Great Egrets into the Region,
with 26 reports including 15 from Nova Scotia
in Oct. The only Little Blue Heron was at
Guysborough Harbour, NS 18 Sep {fide RK).
The Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland
received the brunt of the annual late autumn
influx of Cattle Egrets, with 8 out of the 15
reported across the Region. Reports of imm.
Yellow-crowned Night- Herons were: singles at
Bancroft Pt, G.M.I., NB 16 Oct (BD); Glace
Bay, NS 3-13 Aug (CM et al.); Sober L, NS 2-8
Sep (fide KM) and St. Pierre, SPM 12 Aug (PA).
A rare autumn Glossy Ibis was on at Cherry
Hill Beach, NS 20 Oct(JH).

Digby Neck, NS had the highest concentra-
tions of Turkey Vultures, with an impressive 25
on the late date of 26 Nov (JS). A Black
Vulture was at a garbage dump in
Guysborough, NS for the last week of Nov (SB).

Always a good find in the Region, this
autumn’s Greater White-fronted Geese were
singles at a golf course in Cavendish, PEI 21

Oct (DS, EM) and one identified as the
Greenland race fiavirostris at Lakeville, Kings,
NS 8 Nov-I- (JT et al.). A Brant was out of
range at Miquelon, SPM 5-6 Nov (Yvon
Detcheverry, RE). A single ad. Barnacle Goose
of unknown origin fed with a large flock of
wild Canada Geese near Moncton, NB 3-28
Nov (ST et al.). It was a poor autumn for
Eurasian Wigeon, with 3 in New Brunswick, 4
in Nova Scotia, and a mere 2 in
Newfoundland. Six Redheads at Cavendish,
PEI 21 Oct was a good count for this scarce
migrant (DS). Twelve Tufted Ducks at St.
John’s, NF during Nov constituted a new
Regional high for a single location, but
Eurasian Wigeon were scarce.

Two juv. Cooper’s Hawks at E. Point, PEI 7
Sep were a provincial rarities (VL). Best days
for Broad-winged Hawk at Brier L, NS were
115 on 18 Sep (TEP) and 200 on 30 Sep
(MUN, RS). A very intriguing report of 3
Swainson’s Hawks at East Pt., PEI was unfortu-
nately not accompanied by details. New
Brunswick had single Golden Eagles at Greens
Pt. 18 Oct (BC) and at Mary’s Pt. 19 Oct (DC).
Single dark-morph Gyrfalcons, possibly same
individual, were reported at St. Peters Bay on 2
Nov and 40 km away at East Pt. 19 Nov (VL).

Sandhill Cranes continue a gradual increase
in the Region. This autumn, there were 2 at
Havelock, NB 1-24 Oct (m. ob.), 4 at Truro, NS
2 Oct-5 Nov (m. ob.), with singles at Riverport,
NS 13 Oct {fide SF), Port Clyde, NS 13 Oct
(SH), and St. Anthony, NF late Nov-l- (m. ob.).

SHOREBIRDS THROUGH ALCIDS

An ad. Common Ringed Plover was thor-
oughly studied and well documented with
video and photographs at Bellevue Beach,
Trinity Bay, NF 14-16 Aug (PL et al.). This rep-
resents only the 2nd confirmed record for the
Region. The other was also an ad. in late Aug
1980 at L’Anse-aux- Meadows, NF. The abun-
dance of Semipalmated Plover in Nova Scotia
is for the most part unappreciated. High
counts were 2000 at Cole Harbour, NS 10 Aug
(BMy) and 1350 at Crescent Beach, NS 16 Aug
(SC). American Oystercatcher is well known at
C.S.I., NS, where a pair of breeding ads. and 2
offspring were last seen on 3 Sep (MN); how-
ever, an ad. American Oystercatcher in New
Brunswick at Three Islands Harbour, G.M.I.
on 2 Aug, found after persistent rumours of
three in the area through Jul, indicates the
species is exploring elsewhere in the Region
(BD, PP, KE). An American Avocet at the
causeway in Windsor, NS 21 Sep was about the
18th for the province {fide SF). A Marbled
Godwit at Morien Bar, C.B.L, NS 15 Sep was
far e. for this barely annual rarity (AM, CM).

22

North American Birds

Atlantic Provinces

Semipalmated Sandpiper totals from the Bay
of Fundy staging sites were at normal numbers,
with the highest count being 100,000 at
Windsor Causeway on the late date of 5 Sep
(BMy). A Semipalmated Sandpiper banded at
Johnson Mills, NS on 28 Aug 1987 was recap-
tured at the same location on 16 Aug 2001 — 14
years later (PH)! Provincial totals of the regu-
lar but scarce shorebirds in the Region were as
follows: Baird’s Sandpiper: 10 in New
Brunswick, 12 in Nova Scotia, and 3 in Prince
Edward Island; Stilt Sandpiper: 10 in New
Brunswick, 9 in Nova Scotia, and 2 in
Newfoundland; Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 4 in
New Brunswick, 10 in Nova Scotia, and 2 in
Newfoundland.

Prince Edward Island accounted for 3 of the
high Regional total of 4 Curlew Sandpipers,
with singles at Covehead Harbour 24 Aug
(RC), Souris 15 Sep (EM, DS), and 15 Sep
Alexandra (EM, DS). In Newfoundland, there
was a nicely photographed ad. at Cape Freels 4
Aug (PJ). The only Ruff was a juv. at the water-
fowl park in Sackville, NB 7 Oct (DH).
Typically earlier than the rest of the Region, the
waterfowl park in Sackville, NB had a well-
studied ad. Long-billed Dowitcher 3 Aug (ST et
ah). A flock of 10 dowitchers at the same loca-
tion on 4 Oct were all thought to be Long-
billed Dowitchers (PP et al.). There were up to

2 at Daley Creek, NB 7 Oct-1 Nov (ST et al.).
Far e. for the species were a juv. 8-9 Oct (AM,
CM), and one ad. 8c one juv. 12 Nov were at
Morien Bar, C.B.L, NS (SM). Wilson’s
Phalarope may soon become the genuine rari-
ty it was three decades ago in the Region. There
were only 6 reported, 3 in New Brunswick and

3 in Nova Scotia, including a late individual at
Clark’s Harbour 18 Oct (BMy, IM). A very late
Red-necked Phalarope was at Broad Cove, NS
4-5 Nov (SF, BH). There were encouraging
numbers of Red Phalaropes in the Bay of
Fundy, with tens of thousands reported on the
whale watching boat trips off Brier L, NS dur-
ing Sep (Carl Haycock).

Great Skuas were widely reported, adding to
a very recent trend of increasing autumn
migrants in the Region. There was one on 15
Sep at Cape St. Francis, NF (KK, JW). Birders on
the ferry between Digby, NS and Saint John, NB
identified a single Great Skua on 4 Oct and 2
more on 12 Oct (Ken Macintosh, RL). A good
day for skuas was 7 Oct, with a Great Skua iden-
tified from land on Brier L, NS (FL) and anoth-
er, plus 2 unidentified skuas, on the Avalon Pen.,
NF (DF et al). Two late Great Skuas were seen
from a boat off The Isthmus, SPM 3 Nov (LJ).
The only jaeger report of any significance was a
mix of 35 Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers off
Cape St. Francis, NF after the passage of

Hurricane Erin on 15 Sep (KK, JW).

The only Laughing Gulls were one at
Stratford, PEI 11-14 Aug (EM, DS) and one at
Mactaquac, NB 1 Nov (Bev Schneider). Little
Gulls reported were singles at Cape Brule, NB
2 Sep (Rose-Alma Mallet), The Whistle,
G.M.L, NB 29 Sep (ad.; BD), St. Peter’s Bay,
PEI 8 Sep and 20 Nov (VL), Lower Rose Bay,
Lunenburg, NS 29 Oct (JH), and Pictou
Causeway, NS 3-5 Nov (KM). Single ad. Mew
(Common) Gulls were at St. John’s, NF 28
Oct-l- (BMt) and Antigonish, NS 24 Nov (IM et
al.). Lesser Black-backed Gulls were reported
in good numbers comparable to recent years.
The highest one-day counts from both Nova
Scotia (4) and Prince Edward Island ( 10) were
from farm fields — a habitat often overlooked
by gull watchers in this Region. There were 3
Sabine’s Gulls reported from New Brunswick:
an ad. 6 Sep and a first-winter 8 Sep at The
Whistle, G.M.L (KE et al.) and a first-winter 27
Sep at Bouctouche Dune (DD). Caspian Terns
are very local and site-specific in the Region.
They are locally abundant, as attested by 150 at
St. Peters Bay PEI 8 Sep (VL). Eighty
Razorbills at East Point, PEI 18 Nov was a good
count for the province (VL).

DOVES THROUGH WAXWINGS

Three White-winged Doves for the season was
par: one at Saint John, NB during the last week
of Oct (F. Kelly), one at C.S.L, NS 25 Oct- 12
Nov {fide MN), and one at Wood Islands, PEI
3-4 Sep, for a 2nd provincial record (EM, DS).
Yellow-bUled Cuckoo totals by province were:
7 New Brunswick, 15 Nova Scotia, and 5
Newfoundland. A significant influx of Snowy
Owls was heralded by an early individual at
C.S.L, NS 11 Oct, with at least 20 in that
province by the end of the period (BMy).
Similarly high numbers were found in all
provinces starting in early Nov. An imm. male
Rufous Hummingbird studied closely at
Liscomb, NS 23 Oct-4 Nov was the 7th provin-
cial record (Brian Wilson et al.). Red-headed
Woodpeckers maintained a low-key presence,
with one at Riverside, NB 4-30 Nov (N.
Belliveau) and 3 late Oct feeder visitors in
Nova Scotia. Three Red-bellied Woodpeckers
reported in w. parts of the Region was below
the season’s recent norms.

An Ash-throated Flycatcher, identified in
retrospect, was first seen at Jemseg, NB 25 Nov
(Bev Schneider). The autumn had the first
strong showing of Western Kingbird in years,
with 14 birds in four provinces, 8 of which
were present during part of Nov. Northeast
New Brunswick had a monopoly on long-
tailed flycatchers, with a Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher at Lac Frye 1 1 Oct (RD et al.) and a

few km away on Miscou 1. a Fork-tailed
Flycatcher 7-16 Oct (G. Benoit).

Northern Shrikes were uncommon across
the Region. All 4 White-eyed Vireos reported
were observed in the classic period of occur-
rence in the Region of 20 Sep- 10 Oct, with one
banded at St. Andrews, NB 25 Sep (TD), one at
Hartlen Point, NS 24 Sep (CSS), and singles at
Brier L, NS 24 Sep (CLS) and 7 Oct (m. ob.).
The only Yellow-throated Vireo was at St.
Patrick’s Rd, PEI (A. Gray).

C There was a massive irruption of
ijF^Black- capped Chickadees into New
Brunswick and a hint of the movement in
western Nova Scotia. Veteran New
Brunswick birder Dave Christie summed it
up: “movements of chickadees are notice-
able here to some extent every autumn, but
this year the numbers are remarkable,
greater than any I can recall in previous
years.” The movement was heaviest in the
last two weeks of September, when from
his upper Bay of Fundy home at Mary’s
Point he witnessed thousands moving
south and east. Spectacular counts of 885
in 20 minutes and 500 in 2 minutes are dif-
ficult to imagine.

Nova Scotia had its 9th and 10th Carolina
Wrens, with individuals at Halifax 10 Oct-30
Nov (m. ob.) and another across the harbor in
Dartmouth 18-30 Nov (m. ob.). A late House
Wren was in Halifax 17-30 Nov (Terry
Pacquet). Low-to-average numbers of vagrant
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were reported the
usual vagrant-hunting areas in the Region.
Outside of juveniles lingering into Aug at the
new breeding site at Cape Pine, NF, Northern
Wheatears reports were scant: one at
Swallowtail, G.M.I, NB 16 Sep (BD), one at St.
John’s, NF 25 Sep (JS), 2 at Port Saunders, NF
27 Sep (John Gibbons), and one at Langlade,
SPM 1 Sep (LJ, BL). Bohemian Waxwings
trickled into New Brunswick starting in late
Sep. They were widespread in New Brunswick
in Oct and by Nov in Prince Edward Island and
Nova Scotia, with flocks of several hundred
being frequent.

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Perhaps the paucity of southwest winds during
Sep was responsible for the uniform shortage
of “southern” warbler vagrants at vagrant traps
across the Region. Both Blue- winged Warblers
were in Newfoundland: at Bear Cove 20 Sep
(TB, DF) and at Cappahayden 30 Sep (IJ, MR).
The rarer Golden-winged Warbler was at
Portuguese Cove, NS 17 Sep {fide KM). The 3

Volume 56 (2001), Number 1

23

Yellow-throated Warblers reported were all in
late autumn, as expected: at The Hawk C.S.I.,
NS 26-27 Oct (JON, SAN), Saint John, NB 31
Oct (F. Kelly), and at a feeder in Tracadie, NB
24-30 Nov (R. Doiron). Prairie Warbler totals
were 3 in New Brunswick and 13 in Nova
Scotia, but none were seen in Newfoundland,
where it is usually found. Despite the poor
showing of southern warblers, there were 3 of
the rare Cerulean Warbler: Brier I., NS 30 Aug
(EM), Morien Bay, C.B.I., NS, 26 Sep (CM),
and Cape Spear, NF 3-5 Sep (IJ et ah). There
were no reports of Prothonotary, Worm-eat-
ing, or Kentucky Warblers. Five Hooded
Warblers, however, was a strong appearance: a
male at Blacks Harbour, NB 10 Nov (Ken
McIntosh), a male at Cape Sable I., NS 18 Aug
(fide BMy), a female at Brier 1., NS 30 Aug (m.
ob.), another at Hartlen Pt., NS 24 Sep (CLS),
and a male at Schooner Pond, C.B.I., NS 20
Oct (RK). Yellow-breasted Chats were con-
spicuous in New Brunswick, with 8 reports,
and in Nova Scotia, with 20-l- individuals.

It was quite a season for late and rare tan-
agers. Summer Tanagers were at Brier I., NS in
early Oct (m. ob.), Portuguese Cove, NS 9-12
Nov (fide BMy), and Campellton, NB 22-24
Nov (fide DC). A Western Tanager was in
Halifax, NS on 22 Nov (IM). The most spec-
tacular tanager report was a trio of tanagers —
a Western Tanager, a Summer Tanager, and a
Scarlet Tanager — frequenting one backyard at
Canso, NS in late Nov, all documented with
photographs (SB). A Scarlet Tanager was a rar-
ity in St. John’s, NF on 6 Nov (DBr). An
Eastern Towhee was out of range in the cen.
Newfoundland wilderness at Buchans on 18
Nov (DBu). There was an autumn total of 7
Clay-colored Sparrows: one in New
Brunswick, 5 in Nova Scotia, and one in
Newfoundland. The was an above-average
Regional total of 10 Lark Sparrows divided
between New Brunswick (2) and Nova Scotia
(8). Most interesting among the above-average
Regional total of 18 Blue Grosbeaks, was a rash
of late-Nov birds: 2 at C.S.I., NS 28 Nov (MN),
one at Louisbourg, NS 21 Nov (SM), one at
L’Ardoise, NS in late Nov (Weldon MacPhail),
and one at St. John’s, NF 20 Nov (DBr). About
20 Dickcissels reported in the Region was close
to average.

Just 2 Yellow-headed Blackbirds reported: an
ad. male at Brier I, NS 28 Oct and one at
Edgitts Landing, NB 20 Sep (fide DC).
Brewer’s Blackbirds reported with a few details
were an ad. male at a feeder on G.M.I., NB 9-
10 Oct (fide BD) and another compared with a
Rusty Blackbird at a feeder at Sand L., C.B.I.,
NS 22 Nov (SM, AM, CM). An imm. male
Common Chaffinch began a several week stay

at a feeder in Bedford, NS on 27 Nov (Suzanne
Borkowski, m. ob.). This is the 4th for Nova
Scotia and at least the 6th for the Region. The
question of origin is always a problem. It was a
very good autumn for most finches across the
Region. Particularly large flights of Common
Redpoll and Pine Grosbeak were noted in New
Brunswick.

Contributors (subregional editors in bold-
face): Todd Boland, Dave Brown (DBr), Diane
Burton (DBu), Stephen Bushnell, David
Christie, Shirley Cohrs, Ray Cooke, B. Cowan,
Brian Dalzell, Tracey Dean, Robert Doiron,
Denis Doucet, Roger Etcheberry, Ken

Edwards, Dave Fifield, Sylvia Fullerton,
Dederic Grecian, Carl Haycock, Peter Hicklin,
Sandy Hiltz, James Hirtle, D. Hoare, Andy
Horn, Laurent Jackman, Ian Jones, Paul Jones,
Richard Knapton, Ken Knowles, Vernon Laux,
Fulton Lavender, Roger LeBlanc, Bruno
Letournal, Paul Linegar, Angus Maclean, Eric
Marcum, Bruce Mactavish, Blake Maybank
(BMy), Ken McKenna, Ian McLaren, Susann
Myers, Laurie Murison, Alan Murrant, Cathy
Murrant, Murray Newell, Peter Pearce, Martin
Renner, David Seder, Clarence Stevens Jr.
(CLS), Clarence Stevens Jr (CSS), June Swift,
Stuart Tingley, Judy Tufts, John Wells. A

Quebec

"Blanc-Sablonj

Havre-SL-Pierre

Natashquan

Matagami

'Chibougamau

Baie^i

Comeau

Gulf of
St Lawrence

Matane

Rimouski

»Amos

Chicoutimi

, Mont-
Launer

Montreal

James

Bay

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

Pierre Bannon
1517 Leprohon
Montreal, Quebec H4E 1 PI
(pbannon@total.net)

Yves Aubry
Canadian Wildlife Service
P.O Box 10100

Sainte-Foy, Quebec G1V4H5
(yves.aubry@ec.gc.ca)

Samuel Denault

75 Beauchemin

Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Quebec J3N 1J6
(Samuel. denault@videotron.ca)

Normand David
11931 Lavigne
Montreal, Quebec H4J 1X9
(ndavid@netrover.com)

The province of Quebec experienced yet
another warm fall in 2001, while precipita-
tion this season remained below average. As a
consequence, water levels in the Upper St.
Lawrence River continued to be very low, with
the resulting formation of large areas of suit-
able habitats for shorebirds. Ironically, it was
one of the worse falls ever for shorebirds.
Whether it was the case that the birds were
more scattered throughout these newly-created
habitats or that their low numbers were signs of
actual problems remains unknown. Hawks and
gulls also appeared to be in lower numbers than
usual. Apart from this disturbing news, it was
on the other hand an interesting season for
stragglers. If one measures the quality of a sea-
son by the number of boldfaced bird names, it
was indeed an excellent season, considering
that Wood Stork, Common Crane, Rufous

24

North American Birds

Atlantic Provinces — Quebec

This adult male Bullock’s Oriole at He aux Coudres 24-30 Nov-i- (and probably earlier) provided a
Regional first, previous provincial records having been of immature or female birds, which are
confusable with pale Baltimore Orioles and with hybrid Bullock’s x Baltimore Orioles. The pattern of
vagrancy for this western species is likewise clouded in most of the East by these identification
problems. Photograph by Michele Lafleur.

Hummingbird, Vermilion Flycatcher, Black-
headed Grosbeak, Brewer’s Blackbird, and
Bullock’s Oriole all made an appearance.

Late summer and fall sometimes prove bet-
ter than any other seasons to get useful infor-
mation about the size of some bird popula-
tions. Among some of our well-known
expanding species — which include Great
Egret, Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkey, Sandhill
Crane, Caspian Tern, Tufted Titmouse,
Carolina Wren, and Northern Cardinal — some
figures recorded this fall were really astound-
ing, when one considers that a few decades ago
all the above species were either absent or
extremely rare.

FULMAR THROUGH OWLS

A count of 200 Northern Fulmars made from
the Souris, NB — lies de la Madeleine ferry 6
Nov was respectable (A. Richard). Three
American White Pelicans first spotted in flight
at Alma 10 Sep (M. Maltais, J. Gauthier) were
later found at Metabetchouan, Lac-Saint-Jean
10-22 Sep (F. Lessard, m. ob., ph.). An excep-
tional count of 94 Great Egrets was made at the
Saint-Timothee marsh 9 Sep (YG et al.). This
roosting site probably accounts for a signifi-
cant proportion of the population that breeds
in s. Quebec. Single imm. Little Blue Herons
showed up at Yamaska Park, near Granby 13-
14 Oct (MB, MM), Port-Saint-Fran<;ois 21-31
Oct (R. Barbeau, M. Lemieux et al., m. ob..

ph.), L. Boivin, Granby 4 Nov (MB, MM) and
Saint-Mathias 9 Nov (LS, IM). These very late
sightings apparently involved 2 different birds.
The previous latest record in the Region was 13
Oct 1998. The routine northward wandering of
Cattle Egrets resulted in 9 being reported from
widely scattered localities, most of them in late
Oct-early Nov. A Plegadis Ibis made a one-day
appearance at Carignan on the Richelieu R. 18
Oct (G. Garneau, MT).

Confirming the trend documented in the last
few falls, more imm. Ross’s Geese are turning
up in the Region. A group of 4 Ross’s at
Metabetchouan 28 Sep included 3 imm. (2
white morph and one dark morph; S. Boivin),
while a group of 7 at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
10-13 Oct included 3 imm., all white morphs
(P. Beaule, ni. ob.). Single Mute Swans were at
Bergeronnes 1-18 Aug (A. Gosselin, R. Gilbert)
and at He aux Coudres 24-30 Nov-t (SD et al.).
The 5 male Eurasian Wigeon, an excellent
count for fall, included singles at Havre-aux-
Basques 10 Sep (DGG), Sainte-Catherine 14-
20 Oct (PB), Baie-du-Febvre 28 Oct {fide S.
Houle), Pointe-aux-Prairies Nature Park,
Montreal 28-30 Oct (SB), and Lachenaie 4-30
Nov-t (F. 8c S. Rousseu). A female Bufflehead
with 3 ducklings at Lac Grosse Roche, ZEC
Martin-Valin, Saguenay 1 1 Aug provided the
easternmost record for this rare breeding
species (M. Tremblay).

Canadian Wildlife Service — Hydro-Quebec

surveys conducted at Laforge I and II reservoirs
in North-Central Quebec (54° N) in mid- Aug-
early Sep noted concentrations of 20-t Bald
Eagles; the proportion of breeders versus non-
breeders has yet to be determined (YA, R.
Cotter, H. Senneville). An imm. Wood Stork
that reached Bonaventure, Gaspesie 3-5 Sep was
part of a larger incursion into northeastern
North America and provided only our 2nd
Regional record (B. Arsenault, ph., fide PP).
The breeding range of the Turkey Vulture is still
expanding northward as supported by the pres-
ence of a family group of 2 ad. and 3 imm. birds
at Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues, Temiscamingue in
late Aug (JF). In the same region, 66 were
counted at Ville-Marie 3 Sep (JF). During the
peak of the migration, an important concentra-
tion of 110 was reported farther s. at Plaisance

7 Oct (L. 8c D. Parenteau), while 19 at Bic 5 Sep
(M. Cote, MC. Rancourt) and 11 at the
Tadoussac hawkwatch throughout the fall are
indicative of the dispersal to more n. locations
(CA, CG). A late straggler was photographed at
Amos, Abitibi 11 Nov (R. Germain). Wild
Turkeys appeared in new localities: a group of
20 at Quyon, Pontiac 27 Nov ()D) and a group
of 10 at Sainte-Justine-de-Newton, Vaudreuil-
Soulanges 4 Oct (fide MA. Boisclair).

A juv. Purple Gallinule was found dead at
L’Ancienne-Lorette 12 Nov (D. Labarre).
Numbers of Sandhill Cranes are really explod-
ing in northwestern Quebec as evidenced by a
concentration of 1200 at Palmarolle, Abitibi 29
Sep (SG et al.). A flock of 61 between NMelec
and Roulier, Temiscamingue 17 Nov furnished
a new Regional record late date (JF). For the
3rd consecutive year, an ad. Common Crane
accompanied by an ad. Sandhill Crane and a
hybrid juv. brightened Barraute, Abitibi 26 Sep-

8 Oct (R. Gauthier, AL, m. ob.). Two Whimbrels
at Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Temiscamingue 1 Oct
were locally rare (JF). A high count of 21
Hudsonian Godwits at Venise-en-Quebec 25
Sep was worthy of mention (P. Savoie). A
Baird’s Sandpiper at Grosse-Ile, lies de la
Madeleine 28 Nov was record late (DGG), as
was the case for single Stilt Sandpipers at Port
Saint-Fran^ois 22-27 Oct (CM, D. Daigneault,
m. ob.) and at Saint-BIaise 26 Oct (LS et al).

Rarely seen in extreme southwestern
Quebec, an ad. Black-headed Gull at Carignan
24-30 Nov-f was a welcome sight ( JM. Bdiveau,
m. ob.). A first-year Mew Gull of the nominate
(European) race (L. c. canus) was an exciting
find at Pointe-Claire, Montreal 18 Nov (B.
Barnhurst). A group of 3 ad. Black-legged
Kittiwakes at L. Davignon, Cowansville 28 Nov
was a rare inland occurrence (BH). Caspian
Terns can now be termed almost common in
late summer in s. Quebec, as evidenced by a

Volume 56 (2001), Number 1

25

peak count of 41 at Maple Grove 31 Aug (LS);
one remained until 12 Oct at Oka (JM, LS). A
Forster’s Tern was spotted from the Trois-
Pistoles ferry 2 Sep (M. Lafleur, JR Ouellet). A
Dovekie at Beauport 6-7 Nov was a notable
event (I. Deschenes).

Snowy Owls staged a major invasion in the
Region. A peak of 14 birds was recorded at
Saint-Barthelemy 24 Nov ( YG, SM). With about
10 birds reported, the Northern Hawk Owl fall
flight was ordinary compared to last year’s
record flight {fide S. Belleau). A juv. Boreal Owl
at Labrecque, Saguenay 7 -I \ Aug raised the pos-
sibility of local breeding (B. Dumont, m. ob.).

HUMMINGBIRDS THROUGH ORIOLES

The discovery of a male Rufous Hummingbird,
our 4th Regional record, at Saint-Prime, Lac-
Saint-Jean 13-19 Sep was a notable event (B.
Lavoie, fide GS). The only Red-headed
Woodpecker was an imm. at Saint- Hyacinthe 28
Oct (H. & A. Deschenes). An imm. male
Vermilion Flycatcher caused a sensation at the
Pointe-aux-Prairies Nature Park, Montreal 28
Oct-2 Nov, providing a first Regional record
(SB, m. ob., ph.). A Western Kingbird was
enjoyed by many at Aylmer 31 Oct- 12 Nov (JD,
m. ob.). A record-late Eastern Kingbird

stopped at Saint-Antoine-de-Lavaltrie during
an ice storm 30 Nov (MT); this date outdoes
most late dates on the eastern United States’
coasts. The successful nesting of Carolina Wren
was confirmed at He des Soeurs by the presence
of a pair with 3 juvs. 26 Aug (PB), while an ad.
and 2 juvs. were also observed at Chateauguay
12 Aug (PB), accounting for our 6th and 7th
Regional breeding records, all of them in the
Montreal area. One individual strayed n. to
Falardeau, Lac-Saint-Jean 12 Aug (C. Cormier,
GS), and about a half-dozen birds were report-
ed in the s. later in the season. With 4 reported
16 Oct-6 Nov, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers made a
remarkable incursion into the Gaspesie region
(ftdePP).

Single Northern Wheatears graced
Chicoutimi 12-18 Sep (GS, ph.) and Les
Escoumins 20 Sep (CA, CG, ph.). Single
Townsend’s Solitaires were encountered at Cap
Tourmente 30 Oct-3 Nov (L. Messely et al.) and
at Saint-Hubert 17 Nov (R. Belhumeur). A
Varied Thrush visited Joliette 15-21 Nov (M.
Benney, fide R. Piche). A Cape May Warbler at
lie Charron, Boucherville 4 Nov was notably
late (E. Samson, A. Lacasse). Worthy of men-
tion was a Yellow-throated Warbler at La
Malbaie 10-13 Nov, the 17th for the Region but

a first for Charlevoix county (R. Laberge). A juv.
Prairie Warbler, most probably a male, at
Bergeronnes 14 Oct was only the 2nd for the
North Shore (CG, CA), while a juv. female visit-
ed Beauport 21-22 Oct (R. & F. Dion). Totally
unexpected for the North Shore was the occur-
rence of 3 Yellow-breasted Chats: a juv. male
banded at Bergeronnes 28 Sep (FG), an
unbanded individual found at nearby
Tadoussac 9-10 Oct (CA, CG), and one detect-
ed at Sept-Iles 1 1 Nov, a record late date for the
Region (M. Poirier, D. Roussy). A first-year male
Summer Tanager made the news at Baie-Saint-
Paul 19-30 Nov-l- (G. Filion, m. ob. ph.), while
another one, probably a female, reached
Riviere-au-Renard, Gaspesie 3-30+ Nov (A.
Tapp, R. Reeves, m. ob.). A male Western
Tanager was a nice find at Havre-Saint-Pierre 27
Sep (S. Marchand).

Single Eastern Towhees at Moffet in mid-Oct
(R. Roy,/Jde JF) and at Amos 9-11 Nov(/JdeSG)
were the first records for the Temiscamingue
and the Abitibi regions, respectively. Sept-Iles
hosted a Lark Sparrow 22 Sep (JF. Laporte, B.
Duchesne). A juv. Grasshopper Sparrow band-
ed at Bergeronnes 15 Oct was a first occurrence
for the North Shore (FG). An imm. male Black-
headed Grosbeak, only the 2nd Regional
record, was a prize find at Sainte-Brigitte-de-
Laval 21-30 Nov+ (ME. Lepage, m. ob.). Single
Yellow-headed Blackbirds appeared at Baie-du-
Eebvre 24-28 Oct (C. & R. Cote, J. Lehoux, MT),
and Saint-Barthelemy 24 Nov (YG, SM). Single
male Brewer’s Blackbirds visited Dubuisson 28
Sep (AL) and Barraute 1 Oct (CM, ph.). Very
few records of this species have been document-
ed with a photograph. An ad. male Bullock’s
Oriole at He aux Coudres 24-30 Nov+ was out-
standing, providing the first unquestionable
record for the Region (SD, G. Zenaitis, PB, m.
ob., ph.). All previous sightings had involved
imms. or females. This bird had apparently been
around for a week before being reported to the
birding community.

Contributors (subregional editors in bold-
face): C. Auchu, P. Bannon {Montreal)., M.
Berlinguette, S. Berube, C. Buidin (North
Shore), J. Dubois, J. Frechette, F. Gagnon, S.
Gagnon, DG. Gaudet {lies de la Madeleine), Y.
Gauthier, C. Girard, B. Hamel (Estrie), J.
Lachance {Quebec City), A. Lefebvre, M.
Maheu, JL. Martel {Lower St. Lawrence), J. May,
S. Moran, C. Morin, P. Poulin ( Gaspesie), C. Roy
{Bois-Francs), G. Savard {Saguenay-Lac-Saint-
Jean), L. Simard, D. Toussaint {Outaouais), M.
Turgeon

Jou

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28 March- 20 April

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26

North American Birds

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New England

Walter G. Ellison
Nancy L. Martin

23460 Clarissa Road

Chestertown, Maryland 21620
(wgellison@earthlink.net)

(rossgull@crosslink.net)

Autumn 2001 was characterized by warmer-
than-average temperatures and lower-
than-average rainfall, contributing to the year’s
cumulative rainfall deficit and producing
excellent shorebirding on northern Lake
Champlain. An appreciable Broad-winged
Hawk flight on 15 September followed passage
of a cold front 13-14 September. Cold air
pushed into the Region on 7 October, encour-
aging a large flight of 1300 warblers of 16
species at Bluff Pt., Connecticut. A weak
frontal passage 22 October was apparently
enough to put down numbers of Brant away
from the coast, and a stronger front 26 October
forced sea ducks down at inland locations 27-
29 October. No hurricanes made landfall.

Influxes of a few northern species were seen
this season, including a Snowy Owl flight
equivalent to 1987 and 1991, and Bohemian
Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, White-winged
Crossbills, and Common Redpolls in moderate
numbers. More significant rarities of the sea-
son were Yellow-nosed Albatross off Rhode
Island, Red-necked Stint, Curlew Sandpiper
and Couch’s Kingbird in Massachusetts, an
unprecedented five Ash-throated Flycatchers,

and last but certainly not least, Maine’s first
Sage Thrasher.

Abbreviations: Appledore (Appledore I.,
Kittery, York, ME); Charlotte (Charlotte,
Chittenden, VT); Gay Head (Gay Head,
Martha’s Vineyard, Dukes, MA); Missisquoi
(Missisquoi Bay, L. Champlain, Highgate and
Swanton, Franklin, VT); Plum 1. (Plum I.,
Newbury/Rowley, Essex, MA); Rockport
(Andrew’s and Halibut Pts., Rockport, Essex,
MA); S. Beach (South Beach 1., Chatham,
Barnstable, MA).

LOONS THROUGH VULTURES

Massachusetts’s Pacific Loon reports came
from Plum 1. 31 Oct (fRH), Gloucester, Essex
11 Nov (N. Soulette et al.), and Race Pt.,
Provincetown, Barnstable 24 Nov (SM et al.); a
series of undocumented reports came from
York, ME in Nov. Low water levels on L.
Champlain and regular coverage by dedicated
observers produced unprecedented numbers
of several species on L. Champlain’s Missisquoi
Bay and the adjacent river delta. Pied-billed
Grebe numbers gradually climbed through
Sep, peaking at 99 on 12 Oct (RL).
Massachusetts also had better-than-usual
numbers in Nov. Farther s. on the lake, 200
Horned Grebes at Addison, Addison 17 Nov
were noteworthy (AA, JN). The venerable
Eared Grebe returned to Gloucester for its 7th

season 11 Oct (D. Sandee et al.), and 2
appeared at Trustom Pd. N.W.R., S. Kingstown,
Washington, RI 8 Oct-4 Nov (S. Wheelock, S.
Mitra et al.); one of these stayed to 17 Nov.

A report of a Yellow-nosed Albatross seen
from shore at Green Hill Pt., S. Kingstown, RI
30 Oct awaits review by the state’s records com-
mittee (tM. Tucker). Maine birders found only
2 Manx Shearwaters, but Massachusetts fea-
tured excellent counts of 170-t- offshore at
Stellwagen Bank 8 Aug (J. Trimble) and 45-1-
from shore at Provincetown 22 Sep (BN).
“Inexplicable” best describes an observation of
an apparent small black-and-white shearwater
on n. L. Champlain 24 Aug (fDJH); recent stray
Manx Shearwaters in unlikely locations and
outside the context of hurricanes (in Michigan,
Quebec, Ontario) may provide some context.
Three Audubon’s Shearwaters were more
expected at Hydrographer Canyon 27 Aug
(B.B.C., N. Samson). Exceptional numbers of
Wilson’s Storm-Petrels frequented inshore
waters in Aug; land-based high counts included
225 in Rockingham, NH 12 Aug (SM, J.
Lawrence), 800-f- at S. Beach 3 Aug, and 830 at
Cape Ann, Essex, MA 5 Aug (RH). White-faced
Storm-Petrels were very cooperative: 2 were
photographed at Hydrographer Canyon 27 Aug
(M. Sylvia et al.), one was captured on film at
Atlantis Canyon 7-9 Sep (W. Zuzevitch et al.),
and another was captured and banded 92 km s.
of Block L, RI 30 Aug (ph. K. Gaffet). A Leach’s
Storm-Petrel surprised lake watchers at
Charlotte when it passed by heading n. on 16
Sep (fTM), while others appeared inshore in e.
Massachusetts 30 Sep-1 Oct, and 2 were at
Newmarket, Rockingham, NH 1 Oct (ph. SM).
Another storm-petrel, believed to be a Leach’s,
was seen over S. Windsor, in the Connecticut R.
Valley n. of Hartford, also on 30 Sep (fD.
Crockett).

An American White Pelican appeared in
Stamford, Fairfield, CT 18 Oct (P. Dugan). An
opportunistic Brown Pelican was seen in
Groton, New London, CT, feeding in the wake
of a fishing boat with gulls between there and
Fisher’s L, NY 19-20 Sep (M. Horn), while
another was photographed at Ninigret Pd.,
Charlestown, Washington, RI 29 Sep (L.
Landon). Double-crested Cormorants showed
no signs of decline, with 2000 southbound
migrants at Charlotte 22 Oct (TM, PR), over
20,000 passing Plum 1. in Sep-Oct (RH), and
7640 at Napatree Pt., Washington, RI 23 Oct
(CJR). Great Cormorants strayed inland to
Concord, Merrimack, NH 24 Sep (SM, MS,
RW) and Young L, Grand /s/c, VT 29 Oct (fRL,
tDJH).

Least Bitterns were well represented, with at
least 10 individuals reported, including an ad.

28

North American Birds

New England

with 3 young continuing from summer in
Rockport through Aug (RH) and a lingering
bird there 7 Oct and in Chappaquiddick,
Dukes, MA 4 Oct. Great Egrets found inland
low water levels to their liking: 13 were at L.
Umbagog, Coos, NH 4 Aug (CM, D. Demers et
al), and 19 were at Missisquoi 29 Sep (R&DL).
The maximum count at the traditional Plum I.
roost was 210 (RH). Snowy Egrets wandered n.
to the Champlain valley 6 Sep (C. Powell) and
L. Umbagog, NH 5 Aug (CM et al.). The sea-
son’s only Little Blue Heron of note was at
Frash Pond, Stratford, Fairfield, CT through
the end of Nov (C. West). A Regional total of 5
Tricolored Herons was low, as was a total of 7
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. The L.
Champlain Cattle Egret post-nesting popula-
tion remains stable at about 30 birds, seen fre-
quenting Shelburne, Chittenden, VT in Aug.
Black Vultures continue to increase, reaching
Thomaston, Knox on the cen. Maine coast, as
well as the more remote ne. parts of
Connecticut. Turkey Vulture populations
remained healthy, with counts of 70 in St.
Albans, Franklin, VT and 80 in Westport,
Bristol, MA.

WATERFOWL

This season’s 5 Greater White-fronted Geese
were once again confined to the s. part of the
Region, with one each in Massachusetts and
Rhode Island and the rest in Connecticut. The
usual 12,000-15,000 Snow Geese gathered at
Dead Creek W.M.A., Addison, VT in Oct and
were accompanied by up to 3 Ross’s Geese. A
single Ross’s Goose photographed in
Chilmark 14-22 Oct was Massachusetts’s 2nd
documented record (T. Rivers et al.). Canada
Goose peak numbers are now much lower than
those for Snow Goose in the Region, so
observers have taken to searching flocks for
small pale birds of the Richardson’s race
ihutchinsii). One was found at Dead Creek
W.M.A., and 3 were in Northampton, MA in
Oct. Connecticut claimed the 4 Tundra Swans
found this season. The total of 7 Eurasian
Wigeon was lower than the number we have
come to expect in recent autumns. However,
large numbers of American Wigeon found
Missisquoi a fortuitous migration stopover:
the peak count of 730-f there 3 Oct (RL) con-
trasted with maxima near 200 in New
Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The Sterling, Worcester, MA Tufted Duck
returned for its 7th season 30 Sep (F.
McMenemy et al.). Only 4 King Eiders — a low
count — were picked out from their more com-
mon brethren, 2 in Maine, a drake in
Massachusetts, and a hen in Connecticut.
Harlequin Ducks gathered at traditional win-

tering areas in good numbers, with 45 at Cliff
House, York, ME, 42 in Rockport, and 25-1- at
Nantucket. Surf Scoters reached an impressive
10,000 in Plymouth, MA 22 Oct (E.
Neumuth). L. Champlain watchers continue to
tally good numbers of the other scoters, with
peaks of 551 White-wingeds 8 Oct at Charlotte
(TM, AS) and 611 Blacks 27 Oct in Grand Isle
(DJH). The period of 27-29 Oct produced
numerous reports of sea ducks inland, espe-
cially White-winged and Black Scoters and
Long-tailed Ducks. A near-record 274 Long-
tailed Ducks passed Charlotte 9 Oct (TM et
al.), probably on their way to join the flock of
22,616 counted at Nantucket 18 Nov (E.
Andrews). Seventeen Barrow’s Goldeneyes

arrived in Nov in Vermont (2), New

Hampshire (one), Maine (11), and

Massachusetts (3). Vermont claimed the high
count of Hooded Mergansers, with 265 at
Carry Bay, N. Hero, Grand Isle 24 Nov (TM et
al.). Sabbattus Pond, Androscoggin, ME
remains popular with Ruddy Ducks, hosting
500-1- in Nov; Massachusetts high counts came
from W. Newbury, Essex (602) and

Marlborough, Middlesex (459).

RAPTORS THROUGH CRANES

A Mississippi Kite passed over Mt. Wachusett,
Worcester, MA 29 Sep (fj. Stein et al.). A fami-
ly group of a male Northern Harrier with 4
imms. was a surprise in Vermont’s Connecticut
Valley in Windsor 4 Aug (fM. Quinn), while at
coastal breeding localities six pairs nested at
Tuckernuck, MA, and a female with 2 juvs. was

observed at Plum I. (RH). The Sharp-shinned
Hawk migration peaked 7-8 Oct along the s.
coast, with two-day totals of 2179 at
Lighthouse Pt., CT and 254 at Napatree Pt., RL
Napatree also had its one-day Cooper’s Hawk
high count (of 22) on 8 Oct, while 40+ were
counted at Gay Head the next day (VL). The
bulk of the Broad-winged Hawk migration
was concentrated on 15 Sep in s. New England,
with three Massachusetts watches topping
2000 and two Connecticut lookouts surpass-
ing 5000 birds. A single juv. Swainson’s Hawk
was reported without details from Plum 1. 16
Sep. Rough-legged Hawks apparently stayed to
the n., with only 18 individuals found in their
favored haunts in the Champlain Valley, one in
New Hampshire, and 6 in Massachusetts.
Golden Eagles continue to appear in moderate
numbers in the Region; this season’s total was
14. A dark-morph Gyrfalcon was at Plum 1.
16-25 Oct, but no observers submitted details
of their observations. The established popula-
tion of Gray Partridge in far nw. Vermont
reappears in these pages with a count of 12-15
in Alburg (F. Oatman, J. Wood). Only 8
Common Moorhens were located
Regionwide, but one stayed into Dec on
Nantucket. The Sandhill Crane that sum-
mered for the 3rd year in the n. Connecticut
Valley was apparently joined by a 2nd bird, as
the only report received from there was of 2
seen flying together 11 Aug (fl. Williams).
Additional crane reports came from
Massachusetts (2) and Connecticut (3).

Maine’s first Sage Thrasher at Cape Neddick, York, York County, was found 1 7 November 2001 (pho-
tographed here 18 November) and became the cause for pilgrimages by birders from much of New
England and beyond. Photograph by Dennis Abbott.

Volume 56 (2001), Number 1

29

^ A The lack of rain and subsequent
0-/^low water levels on L. Champlain
led to the emergence of extensive flats at
Missisquoi Bay, at the n. end of the lake in
Highgate and Swanton. Observers, led by
Richard Lavallee, had to maneuver a small
boat carefully, sometimes getting out to
push it across the mud, but were rewarded
with unprecedented counts of shorebirds.
Maxima of particular interest included 82
Greater Yellowlegs 24 Oct, 30 Lesser
Yellowlegs 21 Aug, 9 Hudsonian Godwits
24 Oct, 53 ad. White-rumped Sandpipers
23 Aug and 28 juvs. 26 Sep, 110 Pectoral
Sandpipers 15 Oct, 1527 Dunlin 25 Oct,
and 250 dowitchers overhead 27 Aug.
Rarities for Vermont included a Willet 9
Oct, Western Sandpipers 19 8c 24 Sep, a
Buff-breasted Sandpiper 29 Sep, a Wilson’s
Phalarope 21 8c 26 Aug and 2 on 14 Sep,
and an ad. Red Phalarope 26 Sep (all tRL).

SHOREBIRDS

Moderate numbers of American Golden-Plovers
touched down in New England, with a peak
count of 23 from Grand Isle, VT 28 Aug (DJH);
6 on New Hampshire’s L. Umbagog 4 Oct were
at an unexpected location (RQ et al.). The count
of 185 American Oystercatchers at S. Beach 23
Aug was marginally above counts of the past few
autumns (BN et al). American Avocets num-
bered 4: one at Tuckernuck 1., MA 5 Aug (RV), 2
at Plum I. 10-11 Oct (RH), and one at
Hammonasset Beach S.P., CT 28 Oct- 11 Nov
(m. ob.). All of the Region’s 28 Upland
Sandpipers were found in Massachusetts; none
were reported from breeding habitat in the
Champlain Valley. Details of a Black-tailed
Godwit reported from Colchester, Chittenden,
VT 19 Oct were scant, relying on only one criti-
cal field mark. Such a record would be almost
unprecedented inland. The coastal high count of
107 Hudsonian Godwits came from S. Beach 13
Aug (BN). Most of the 19+ reports of Marbled
Godwit came from various beaches in Chatham,
MA (BN), with singles found in Maine,
Connecticut, and Rhode Island. A count of
5000+ Semipalmated Sandpipers from
Lynn/Nahant, Essex, MA 4 Aug (RH) was
impressive for a location away from
Newburyport and Cape Cod. A concentration of
15 Western Sandpipers was found at Plum I. 9
Sep (C. Buelow). Stray shorebirds from Eurasia
reaching Massachusetts were a Red-necked
Stint at S. Beach 13 Aug (tBN) and a Curlew
Sandpiper making an extended stay there 5-26
Aug (R. Lockwood et al.). Species staying

beyond expected departure dates included 5
Lesser Yellowlegs in Newburyport, Essex, MA to
the end of the season, a Least Sandpiper at Oak
Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard 26-30 Nov (AK et al.),
and a Stilt Sandpiper at Plum 1. 4 Nov (RH).
Two White-rumped Sandpipers at L. Umbagog,
NH 13 Oct were unexpected at that location
(RQ), while a maximum of 800 at S. Beach 26-
27 Aug was notable (BN). The Regional totals of
45+ Baird’s Sandpipers and about 10 Wilson’s
Phalaropes were about average, while 10 Buff-
breasted Sandpipers was low. An apparently
injured, or at least severely disoriented, Red
Phalarope was found along a roadside in S.
Hero, Grand Isle, VT 17 Oct (fT. Aversa).

JAEGERS THROUGH ALCIDS

The Great Skua of the season was found 24-32
km s. of Great Wass L, Washington, ME 30 Sep
(LB et al.). Lakewatchers at Charlotte contin-
ued to document jaeger migration on L.
Champlain, with 14 for the season. About half
were identified as Parasitics 1 Sep-2 Oct; 3
Long-taileds passed by in mid-Sep, and the
balance was conservatively left unidentified
(tTM et al.). Three other unidentified jaegers
were viewed from Grand 1. (DIH). On the
Cape, a count of 25 Parasitics at Chatham 27
Sep was noteworthy (RH).

A Laughing Gull inland at Hadley,
Hampshire, MA 8 Oct (PY) was unusual. Little
Gull numbers were down, with only 14 report-
ed from L. Champlain and lesser numbers in
Maine and Massachusetts. A Black-headed
Gull was at Grand Isle, VT 6 Nov (fDJH),
while 12 others were at more expected loca-
tions along the Maine and Massachusetts
coasts. White-winged gulls arrived late and in
low numbers, but Lesser Black-backed Gulls
put on a strong showing, with at least 43 indi-
viduals reported throughout the season. Two
juv. Sabine’s Gulls passed Charlotte 13 Sep
(tTM, FP); a bird in first-alternate plumage at
Scarborough, Cumberland, ME 31 Aug and 5
Sep was a surprise (L. Bevier et al.), but singles
offshore at Stellwagen Bank and Atlantis
Canyon were expected. A juv. Black-legged
Kittiwake 29 Sep and a second-winter bird 17
Nov kept lakewatchers at Charlotte on their
toes (tTM et al.).

Caspian Terns continued on n. L.
Champlain, with 2-3 at Shelburne Bay,
Chittenden 3 Aug (B. Pfeiffer) and up to 7 at
Missisquoi in late Aug (RL). Eight were to the
n. in Biddeford Pool, York, ME 20 Sep (LB).
Common Terns seem to be faring well lately, as
evidenced by 150-170 on n. L. Champlain and
up to 10,000 in Chatham in late Sep. Burster’s
Terns also showed impressive numbers, espe-
cially in s. New England, with 130 at Duxbury,

Plymouth, MA 18 Sep (G. Levandoski) and 280
on the Seekonk R., Providence, RI (R. Farrell).
A Least Tern was found at Eastham, Barnstable,
M A on the very late date of 20 Oct ( J. Hoye et
al.). A noteworthy count of 71 Black Terns
came from Missisquoi 16 Aug (RL). A report of
3 Black Guillemots w. of Grand L, VT 18 Oct
was puzzling and awaits consideration by the
Vermont Bird Records Committee (fDJH).
Nine Atlantic Puffins put in an early appear-
ance at Rockport 20 Aug (RH).

DOVES THROUGH WOODPECKERS

A White-winged Dove was reported 10 Sep
from the same yard in Sterling, Windham, CT
where the state’s first documented record was
videotaped in 1997. Snowy Owls invaded New
England in force, with at least 65 — just sur-
passing totals from 1987 and 1991. The earliest
were in the three n. states 31 Oct-1 Nov, but
they had reached the s. coast by the middle of
Nov. The magnitude of the flight was drama-
tized by individuals appearing in such inland
locations as N. Grantham, Sullivan and Twin
Mt., Coos, NH, Orono, Penobscot and Houlton,
Aroostook, ME, and Great Barrington,
Berkshire, MA. Small numbers of these owls
were later found dead. Barred Owls also
seemed to be present in higher-than-usual
numbers, suffering high road-kill mortality in
the n. and appearing in uncharacteristic loca-
tions along the Massachusetts coast. The
unprecedented nesting confirmation of Boreal
Owl on Mt. Pierce, Coos, NH has been sum-
marized in the previous Nesting Season report
(R. Sawyer, ph. SM). Subsequent visits to the
area by other observers indicated that at least 2
fledglings were present. Spruce and fir at high-
er elevations in n. New England produced an
exceptional cone crop in 2000, which led to
bumper populations of voles, mice, and Red
Squirrels, apparently enticing Boreal Owls that
came s. in autumn 2000-2001 to linger in suit-
able habitat. One wonders how many more
bred in less-visited locations, and how far a
hatch-year bird banded at Snake Mt., Addison,
VT 30 Oct (ph. tRO) might have traveled. The
owl banding station at Snake Mt. also handled
over 90 Northern Saw-whet Owls for the sea-
son (RO), and the Freeport, Cumberland, ME
station banded 187 (J. Walker). Vermont’s peak
Common Nighthawk count of 50 came from
Burlington 20 Aug (E. Buford); the flight con-
tinued in Massachusetts, with 604 in Worcester
25 Aug (ML), 418 in Northampton 27 Aug
(TG), and 934 in Worcester 28 Aug (B. Kamp),
while New Hampshire saw 150 in Manchester,
Hillsborough (J. O’Shaughnessy). A single
Chuck-wills-widow remained on Martha’s
Vineyard 1 Aug (AK). Selasphorus humming-

30

North American Birds

New England

birds were found in Granby, Hampshire and
Worcester, MA in Nov, in a community garden
in Storrs, Tolland, CT in Sep, and Southington,
Hartford, CT in Oct. A female Rufous
Hummingbird appearing in Old Orchard
Beach, York, ME in mid-Nov subsequently
wintered with a rehabilitator {fide JD), while it
was unclear if another female in Agawam,
Hampden, MA 16 Sep-30 Oct was the same
bird that has wintered in a greenhouse there
for the past four years (TG). A modest total of
16 Red-headed Woodpeckers was nonetheless
well distributed across the Region. Red-bellied
Woodpeckers continued to push northward, to
Hanover, Grafton, NH and to Smithfield,
Somerset znd Machiasport, Washington, ME. A
Black-backed Woodpecker in Grand I., VT 23
Aug was well out of range (DJH).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH WRENS

An Eastern Wood-Pewee in Whitefield, Coos,
NH 3 Oct (RQ et al.) was late for so far north.
Banders at Appledore handled 45 Yellow-bel-
lied Flycatchers for the season, their 2nd best
total in 21 years of effort (DH). An impressive
5 Ash-throated Flycatchers invaded New
England. New Hampshire’s 2nd was in
Concord 6-8 Oct (M. Suomala, D. Abbott, ph.
S. Mirick). Massachusetts hosted singles in
Belmont, Middlesex 30 Aug (fM. Rines),
Gloucester 15-18 Nov (H. & J. Paluzzl, v. o.;
subsequently relocated in Dec), and Cohasset,
Norfolk 24-26 Nov (IN. Swirka, H. Cross), and
Rhode Islanders found one in Middletown,
Newport 26 Oct (H. Willoughby, P.
Capabianco). A Couch’s Kingbird on Plum I. 7
Sep was watched for several hours before a
passing Peregrine Falcon elicited an identity-
clinching call from it (tRH et al.); this species
is virtually unknown as an East Coast vagrant
n. of Florida. Thirteen Western Kingbirds were
found, mostly in mid-season, with 2 in coastal
Massachusetts in mid-Nov; one in W.
Hartford, Hartford, CT was farther inland than
usual. A modest 23-1- Northern Shrikes first
arrived 24 Oct and made it s. to Rhode Island.

Wandering White-eyed Vireos reached
Appledore 24-27 Sep (the 2nd ever banded
there; DH) and Durham, Strafford, NH 8 Oct
(tSM). Late for such a count were 10 Blue-
headed Vireos at Block I., RI 12 Nov (CJR);
also late was a Red-eyed Vireo 17 Nov at
Hammonasset Beach S.P., New Haven, CT (B.
DeWire). Appledore banders netted a record-
high 54 Philadelphia Vireos for the season, but
numbers of other vireos were unremarkable
(DH). Good numbers of Gray Jays were in evi-
dence in New Hampshire’s White Mts., with
individuals wandering to the s. in Lee, Strafford
(DA, fide SM), and in Massachusetts in

Windsor, Berkshire (continuing into winter; C.
Quinlan, m. ob.), Barre, Worcester (F.
McMenemy), and Gate 40, Quabbin Res. (2; J.
Offerman). Fish Crows wandered inland to
Concord, NH (RQ) and Northampton,
Hampshire, MA (M. Williams) and showed
that they are now well established on Cape Cod
with a count of 40 in Truro (J. Young).
Common Ravens continued their strong show-
ing of recent years with 75-t- in Manchester
Center, Bennington, VT 11 Oct (B. Powers), 87
for the season at Mt. Watatic, MA, and an
“almost regular” comment from Rhode Island
(DE).

A count of 800 Horned Larks in
Northampton, MA 2 Nov (G. LeBaron) was
noteworthy, as was a migrant Purple Martin in
Gilsum, Cheshire, NH 20 Aug (M. Wright).
Very few martins were observed from their
New England breeding stronghold in Grand
Isle, VT. However, Northern Rough-winged
Swallows there are doing very well, with a max-
imum count of 315 on 21 Aug (DJH). Along
with the expected Nov Tree Swallow reports
were one of a Northern Rough-winged in W.
Dennis, Barnstable, MA 1 1 Nov (P. Flood) and
Barn Swallows at Lighthouse Pt., New Haven,
CT 17 Nov (B. Banks) and Chilmark, Dukes,
MA 21 Nov (AK). Two Petrochelidon swallows,
suspected of being Cave Swallows, in
Provincetown, MA 27 Sep were conservatively
left unidentified to species (RH).

Boreal Chickadees showed signs of a weak
flight from the n. country, with individuals in
Strafford, Strafford, NH and three s. Maine and
five Massachusetts locations. Tufted Titmice at
four locations on Martha’s Vineyard indicate
the species is becoming established on this off-
shore island (fide AK). Red-breasted
Nuthatches moved in modest numbers, pro-
ducing average counts of 15-20 and maxima of
36 and 45 along the Massachusetts coast.
Brown Creepers joined the exodus, with a
record 105 banded at Appledore, 25 of them on
29 Sep (DH). Carolina Wrens were found n. to
Grand Isle, in Vermont’s Champlain Valley, to
Fairlee, Orange, VT and Lyme, Grafton, NH in
the Connecticut Valley, and to 22 locations in
Maine. Sedge Wrens showing late-season
breeding site tenacity included a singing male
in Durham, NH 3-12 Aug (SM et al.) and 3
vocalists in Old Lyme, New London, CT for
most of Aug. A bird there was observed carry-
ing food 21 Aug, but a later search found no
nests (H. Golet et al.). As many as 6 other
migrants were located in Massachusetts and
Connecticut.

GNATCATCHER THROUGH WARBLERS

The last of several late, probably reverse-

migrant Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were at
Rockport 17 Nov (RH) and Perryville,
Washington, RI 22 Nov (S. Tsagarakis). The
season’s only Northern Wheatear was admired
at Plum 1. 7-10 Sep (RH, m. ob.). The night of
29 Sep was good for detecting migrant thrush-
es, with 40 Bicknell’s/Gray-cheeked type and
200 Swainson’s over Lincoln, Middlesex, MA
(S. Perkins). The season total 237 Gray
Catbirds banded at Appledore was 50 better
than their previous record (DH). Certainly a
contender for bird-of-the-season was Maine’s
first Sage Thrasher, first discovered 1 7 Nov at
Cape Neddick, York. The bird was encouraged
to stay into Dec by offerings of mealworms and
raisins from appreciative birders from across
the Region (L. Maley, fT. Wetmore, ph. DA,
SM, m. ob.). Bohemian Waxwings appeared in
moderate numbers across n. New England,
with early arrivals in Northfield, Merrimack,
NH, 14 Oct (PH) and Colchester, VT 23 Oct.

Only 3 Golden-winged Warblers were found
this fall; these were supplemented by 2
Brewster’s Warblers in Massachusetts.
Observers turned up at least 49 Orange-
crowned Warblers, more than twice as many as
the formerly common Tennessee Warbler. The
other traditional spruce budworm warblers.
Cape May and Bay-breasted, were represented
by equally low numbers. Over the past decade.
Magnolia and Black-throated Green Warblers
have become the most frequently encountered
of mid-fall migrants. Of course, Yellow-
rumped Warblers continue to far outnumber
other species later in the season, especially
along the coast, as attested by a count of 750-1-
from Noman’s Land, Dukes, MA 9 Oct (AK et
al.). An Audubon’s Warbler found 22 Nov at
Odiorne Pt. S.P., Rye, Rockingham, NH fre-
quented the same area until at least late Jan (M.
A. Patten, fD. & T. Donsker, m. ob.). Southern
warblers, regular but rare, were all in
Massachusetts. They included Yellow-throat-
eds in Gloucester 28 Sep-2 Oct (RH, m. ob.)
and Nantucket 28 Nov (M. Aquir), a
Prothonotary at Plum 1. 29 Sep (D.
Chickering), a Kentucky at Marblehead Neck
W.S., Essex 17 Aug (RH), and 4 Hoodeds
between Plum L, Stoneham, Middlesex,
Nahant, Essex, and Mt. Auburn Cemetery,
Cambridge, Middlesex. Lingering warblers
were scattered across the Region, with a Yellow
at Trustom Pd. N.W.R., RI 17 Nov (D. Finizia,
C. Nunes), a Black-throated Blue in Concord,
NH 14 Nov (RW), a Black-throated Green in
Fairlee, VT 10 Nov (W. Scott), a Prairie in
Rockport 26 Nov (JB), an American Redstart
in Canton, Hartford, CT 28 Oct (J. Meyers),
and an Ovenbird in Waltham, Middlesex, MA
26 Nov (L. Harvey). Also later than expected

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

31

was a Connecticut Warbler at Long I., Boston
25 Nov. About 32 other Connecticuts were dis-
tributed across the Region, while Yellow-breast-
ed Chats were reported from Maine (14) and
Massachusetts (23). Seven Connecticut
Warblers banded at Appledore made that sta-
tion’s 2nd highest tally, while 8 Yellow-breasted
Chats was average and 56 Wilson’s Warblers a
record (DH).

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

A female Scarlet Tanager at Plum I. 16-22 Nov
was considerably tardy (S. Haydock, m. ob.). A
better-than-average 56 Clay-colored Sparrows
were spread across the Region, with a high count
of 6 on Monhegan I., ME in early Oct (P.
Moynahan). Lark Sparrows also found
Monhegan to their liking, with 4 at one feeder
there 22-24 Sep (LB, T. Martin). Maine had 3
others, Massachusetts 7, and Connecticut one
for the season. Grasshopper Sparrows stayed
into Nov in Maine; one was in Portland, and
another joined the Sage Thrasher at Cape
Neddick 18-20 Nov (ph. DA, m. ob.). Fox
Sparrows exhibited a strong flight in Maine, and
an individual of one of the dark northwestern
races was found in Bolton Flats, Worcester, MA
28 Oct (S. Sutton et al.). Peak flights for several
of the regular migrant sparrows clustered
around 13-15 Oct, but there were no exception-
al high counts. Jumping the gun on their expect-
ed arrival dates were a White-crowned Sparrow
in Northfield, NH 16 Sep (P. Fiunt) and a lone
Snow Bunting on Scusset Beach, Bourne,
Barnstable, MA 2 Oct (R. Titus). The lone
Flarris’s Sparrow was at Chilmark, MA 27-30
Nov (AK et al.).

Maine’s only Blue Grosbeak was late and far-
ther n. than usual in Winterport, Waldo 1 Nov
(B. Bochan), while 2 of the Bay State’s 16 were
well inland at Fladley 25 Sep (PY) and
Northampton 20-22 Oct (R. Rieda et al.); Rhode
Island and Connecticut also had singles.
Massachusetts once again dominated the
Dickcissel tally, with 32 of 73 reported, but every
other state contributed one to 7. After skipping
out on New England in 2000, 7 Yellow-headed
Blackbirds were found along the coast in Sep-
Oct 2001. Good numbers of Rusty Blackbirds
were encountered, with an especially good count
of 300 in Simsbury, Hartford, CT 22 Oct (J.
Kaplan). Common Crackle numbers built up to
unprecedented levels near the coast, with 75,000
in Portsmouth, Rockingham, NH 29 Oct (SM)
and up to one million in Methuen, Essex, MA 4
Nov (J. Hogan et al.). Up to 9 Boat-tailed
Crackles were found near the species’s breeding
outpost in Stratford, Fairfield, CT (M. Resch),
while Orchard Orioles at nesting sites in Grand
L, VT and Kensington, Rockingham, NH just

made the fall season. Two additional Orchard
Orioles were found at Plum 1. 18 Aug (RH).

Autumn 2001 was good for finches. Pine
Grosbeaks staged a moderate irruption —
although they reached Connecticut,
Nantucket, and Cape Cod, no flocks over 20
were reported. In contrast. Purple Finches exit-
ed the n. country, with Appledore banders
handling their 3rd highest total and an observ-
er on Martha’s Vineyard counting 250+ at Gay
Head 9 Oct (V. Laux). Red Crossbills were scat-
tered in small numbers, mostly in pines along
the s. coast. White-winged Crossbills were
more numerous and widespread, with flocks
up to 100 in Ellsworth, Hancock, ME and 150+
in Salisbury, Essex, MA. Small numbers of
White-wingeds delighted feeder watchers in
Connecticut and Rhode Island. Common
Redpolls also invaded the northeast, arriving
in early Nov. Most flocks were in the 20-40
range, but counts of 400+ at Dead Creek
W.M.A., Addison, VT (AA, JN) and 600 in
Sandwich, Carroll, NH (T. Vazzano et al.) were
noteworthy. Pine Siskins joined Purple Finches
in their exodus, especially along the
Connecticut coast, where counts of over 300
per day were achieved at Lighthouse Pt., CT in
late Oct. Evening Grosbeaks, although not

nearly as abundant as most observers can
remember, were nonetheless more numerous
than they have been in recent years.

EXOTICS

Up to 3 Whooper Swans were still present in
Ipswich, MA, in Nov (JB). Two Monk
Parakeets spent Sep-Oct in Concord,
Middlesex, MA (S. Carlson et al.). An Orwell,
Addison, VT feeder hosted a Ringed Turtle-
Dove 3-5 Sep (tS. Wetmore).

Subregional editors (boldface), contributors
(italics), and observers: Denny Abbott,
Audubon Society of New Hampshire, Anne
Aversa, Jim Berry, Bird Observer, Lysle
Brinker, Brookline Bird Club, Alan & Barbara
Delorey, Jody Despres, David Emerson, Tom
Gagnon, Kay Gammons, Greg Hanisek, Rick
Heil, David J. Hoag, David Holmes, Alan Keith,
Vernon Laux, Richard & Dorothy Lavallee,
Chris Martin, Steve Mirick, Ted Murin, Julie
Nicholson, Blair Nikula, Rodney Olsen,
Frederick Pratt, Robert Quinn, C. J. Raithel,
Records of Vermont Birds, Peter Riley, Marj
Rines, Alan Strong, Mark Suomala, Richard
Veit, R. Woodward, P. Yeskie.

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>111

32

North American Birds

New England — Hudson-Delaware

Hudson-Delaware

Robert 0. Paxton

460 Riverside Drive, Apartment 72
New York, New York 10027
(rop1@columbia.edu)

Joseph 0. Burgiel
331 Alpine Court
Stanhope, New Jersey 07874
(burgiel@optonline.net)

David A. Cutler

1003 Livezey Lane

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19119

(dacutler@dcipaper.com)

Low numbers but great rarities — that sums
up fall 2001. This second tranquil autumn
in a row featured few weather events to con-
centrate or ground migrants, and numbers
remained below average at hawk watches,
banding stations, sea and lake watches.

Fronts had some effect on 15 September
(Broad-winged Hawks), on 28 September
(Canada Geese, jaegers, thrushes), and in mid-
October (jaegers, Sabine’s Gulls), especially in
the north. The first massive front arrived 28

October, when waterfowl and raptors were
primed to move. It grounded 35 Black Scoters
in Dutchess, NY, carried 13,568 Double-crest-
ed Cormorants and nearly 50,000 scoters past
the seawatch at Avalon, NJ, pushed the season’s
highest Buteo and Accipiter counts past many
hawk watches, and permitted the owl-banders
at Cape May to catch 18 Long-eared and 46
Northern Saw-whet Owls, their best night of
the fall.

Rainstorms in late August and late
September did little to palliate the intensifying
drought. The rainfall deficit exceeded 25 cm in
many places by December. Few cones, seeds, or
berries developed. Low food supply may
explain the relatively low number of lingerers,
despite the warmest November since the 1931
Dustbowl and the first snow-free November in
122 years in Buffalo.

Mild weather also delayed the movement of
temperature-responsive migrants like water-
fowl. Record-early arrivals in upstate New York
with the 28 September cold front (Brant,
Harlequin Duck, Red Phalarope) were there-
fore a surprise. An outbreak of type-e botu-
lism on L. Erie killed several thousand loons,
ducks, and gulls.

The season was remarkable mainly for out-
standing rarities, many of them gratifyingly
well documented. White-faced Storm-Petrel,
Pacific Golden- Plover, Masked Booby, Wood
Storks, Great White Herons, Black-chinned
and Calliope Hummingbirds, Hammond’s and
Fork-tailed Flycatchers, and Cave Swallows all
made this season memorable.

Abbreviations: Avalon (sea watch. Cape May,
NJ); Bombay Hook (N.W.R, Kent, DE); Brig
(Brigantine Unit, Edward P. Forsythe N.W.R.,
Atlantic, NJ); Derby Hill (se. corner L. Ontario,
Mexico, Oswego, NY); Conejohela Flats
(Susquehanna R. at Washington Boro,
Lancaster, PA); Hamlin Beach (L. Ontario
shore, Monroe, NY); Green Lane (reservoir,
Montgomery, PA); Hudson Canyon (continen-
tal shelf 135 km e. of Barnaget, NJ); Jamaica
Bay (Wildlife Refuge, New York City); Kaiser-
Manitou (banding station w. of Rochester,
NY); L. 1. (Long L, NY); Peace Valley (park
near Doylestown, Bucks, PA); P.O.R.C.
(Pennsylvania Ornithological Records
Committee).

LOONS THROUGH STORM-PETRELS

After a slow start, a record 3785 Red-throated
Loons passed the Hamlin Beach lake watch 21
Nov (DT, MD, J. Bounds). The 8192 that
passed Avalon 23 Nov approached the highest
single-day count there, while the season’s total
of 70,361 was the 2nd greatest since this sea
watch became full-time in 1993.

Post-breeding Eared Grebes stray here more
frequently in late summer, sometimes display-
ing astonishing site fidelity. Last Jul’s bird at
the Batavia Waste Water Treatment Plant,
Genesee, NY — the 4th late summer record
there in a row and the 4th since 1996 (WW,
BK, WD’A et al.) — was joined by another 1 Sep
(MM) and, briefly, by a 3rd on 20 Oct (K. Fox).
Another still in alternate plumage 24 Aug-1
Sep provided only the 3rd late-summer record
for Jamaica Bay (Matt Victoria). Two were
unusual near Rochester on 2 & 21 Oct, while 3
along the coast were about par.

While tubenose numbers offshore were
mostly unremarkable, 15 Audubon’s
Shearwaters at Hudson Canyon 4 Sep (FONT)
were an excellent count. Multiple White-faced
Storm-Petrels were reported again, though
below 1999’s numbers: one was at Hudson
Canyon 4 Sep (FONT, ph. Alan Brady, ph. P.
Guris, RW), and several others were reported
without details off Long 1. in Sep.

BOOBIES THROUGH STORKS

A careful description of an imm. Masked
Booby at Island Beach S.P., Ocean, NJ 24 Aug

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

33

This White-winged Dove, now a staple extralimital
rarity over much of the United States and south-
ern Canada, fed at a Cedarhurst, Long Island
feeder from mid-October through 21 November
2001 , when this image was taken. Photograph by
Michael Stubblefield.

(G. Wenzelburger)was approved by the New
lersey Bird Records Committee. It becomes the
first confirmed state and Regional record.
Northern Gannets were in no hurry to leave the
warm north: only 30,126 (about two-thirds the
normal number) had passed Avalon by season’s
end, and none had reached L. Ontario.

An American White Pelican missing its left
eye circulated around e. Long I. 19 Oct-7 Nov
(J. Kuhlman, m. ob.), possibly the same one-
eyed individual in Ulster, NY in Mar 2000 and
in Massachusetts in the last two springs.

Inland Great Cormorants are on the increase.
One at Wilson, Niagara, NY 23 Oct was the
Buffalo area’s first (B. Ewald), while another at
Long Pond, Monroe 19 Oct (DT) was rare at
Rochester. In Pennsylvania, where they have
become regular on the Delaware R. since first
confirmation in 1983, singles at Peace Valley 8-
17 Nov (AM), Glen Morgan L., Berks 20-24 Nov
(Ken Lebo), Green Lane 4 Nov (fide AM), and
the Conejohela Flats 6-14 Oct (RMS et al.)
added to a handful of recent inland records.

Two Great White Herons, the white morph
of the Great Blue Heron usually found in
Florida and the Caribbean, were totally unex-
pected in New York. One on Staten I. 2 Sep-4
Nov (Cbris Nuzzi, m. ob., ph. AW) differed in
plumage details from another at Gilgo Beach,
Suffolk, 8-28 Oct (JF, m. ob.). The only previous
state record followed a 1949 hurricane. One at
Woodland Beach after 24 Nov (Maurice
Barnhill, Joe Russell, m. ob.), a first for
Delaware if confirmed, may have been home-

ward bound or a different individual yet. The
only White Ibis, an imm. as is typical, was
around Cape May 23-25 Aug (L. Goldsmith,
EO, RC).

Sixteen imm. Wood Storks spent
15 Aug- 10 Sep fishing out several
small ponds around Clyde, Wayne, NY
(Fay Sedore, m. ob., ph AW). Although
four groups of 10-15 have reached coastal
New York before, mostly during 1958-
1962, all but one of a dozen interior
records have consisted of singles. Late-
summer wandering by immatures has
been typical of Wood Storks, but with
diminishing frequency as the South
Florida population has declined in recent
decades. Others in Illinois, Ontario, Ohio,
Quebec, and w. Pennsylvania this season
suggest food or drought problems in the
south.

WATERFOWL

The Snow Goose explosion was evidenced by
an estimated 45,000 on L. Champlain at Point
au Roche S.P., Clinton 25 Oct (David Hoag), a
record New York count. Increasing inland
flocks included 154 at Peace Valley after 18 Oct
(AM) and 324 on 24 Oct at Green Lane (AM).
Careful scrutiny of Snow Goose flocks can
reveal Ross’s Geese anywhere, and not only at
the main staging areas like Brig and Bombay
Hook, as with the first records in the 1970s and
1980s. This season, in addition to the now-
expected south-coastal birds, singles were at
Calverton, L.I. 30 Oct-23 Nov (Bob Adamo, m.
ob.) and Blooming Glen, Bucks, PA 23 Oct
(Cameron Rutt, Robert Rutt).

Tbe Hamlin Beach lake watch counted
32,110 Canada Geese on the cold front of 28
Sep, tenfold the previous one-day maximum.
A surprise there in a season when most water-
fowl stayed n. were 63 record-early Brant 25
Sep (J. Bounds, DS), followed by 179 on the
28th. An ad. Barnacle Goose, possibly but not
certainly wild, moved about on e. Long I. 17
Nov-h (P. A. Buckley, AJL). The species was
reported from New Brunswick to n. Virginia in
the fall and winter.

Four coastal Eurasian Wigeon — including
the old perennial at Cape May — were below
par. Inland, a drake was at Buttonwood Creek,
near Rochester 17 Oct (DT). The only Tufted
Duck was the female that was Delaware’s first
in 1999. She returned to Spring L., Rehoboth 4
Nov (FR). More Common (4) than King Eiders
(one) flew by Hamlin Beach; both were con-
sidered rare here until recently. Two

female/imm. Harlequin Ducks were record-
early there 28 Sept (MD, DT).

RAPTORS

We thank the following hawkwatches for data:
Mount Peter, Orange, NY (Judith Cinquina);
Hook Mt., Rockland, NY (Frank Bonanno); Fire
I., L. I. (Drew Panko); Central Park, New York
City (Bob DeCandido); Montclair, Essex, NJ
(Else Greenstone); Chimney Rock, Somerset, NJ
(Chris Aquila); Hawk Mt., Berks, PA (David
Barber); Second Mt., Lebanon, PA (Dave
Schwenk); Militia Hill, Fort Washington, PA
(Jane Henderson); Cape May, NJ (BM); and
Cape Henlopen, DE (CB).

Although Mississippi Kites occur mostly in
spring, one was at Reed’s Beach, Cape May, NJ
27 Sep (Tom Reed). Even more remarkable in
fall was a Swallow-tailed Kite sighted repeatedly
as it traversed Cape May southbound 21 Aug
(David Mizrahi, RC et ah).

Numbers were generally low at hawk watches
once again. No doubt tranquil weather was
responsible, along with long-term declines in
Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and
American Kestrels. Bald Eagles were an excep-
tion. Hook Mt.’s 79 were nearly 50% above last
year’s record count, and they reached their 2nd
highest count yet at Cape May (229). Cooper’s
Hawks, steadily gaining ground within the
Accipiter flight, made good showings at Hook
Mt. (160; 2nd best) and Hawk Mt. (893; 3rd
best).

Most Broad-winged Hawks passed along the
ridges early in the expected time frame. The
biggest day by far was 1 5 Sep, on light nw. winds.
No one hawk watch hit the jackpot; the best
count known to us was 9087 that crossed Hook
Mt. in an early afternoon rush. The Broadwing
SEPT project counted 32,760 during 14-27 Sep
in its annual north-south transect of
Pennsylvania, its 2nd best total in eight years
(Kirk Moulton). Nearly half of them crossed
Bucks, avoiding the more northerly Hawk Mt.
ridge. A smaller, more southerly push gave Cape
May its highest Broad-winged counted of the
season 28 Sep (421). A Swainson’s Hawk paused
at Cape May 26-27 Oct; it has been missed there
in only three fall seasons since 1975.

Merlins consolidated their new migration
track along inland ridges. Hawk Mt. set a new
record (175). Peregrine Falcons were well above
average at Mt. Peter (12) and Fire I. (178),
where, contrary to most years when passage
concentrated in early Oct, they surged again in
late Oct.

RAILS THROUGH SHOREBIRDS

A Yellow Rail was exceptional 3 1 Oct at Easton,
Northampton, PA (AK, Jason Horn). The only

34

North American Biros

Hudson-Delaware

Purple Gallinule lingered two weeks after 12 Aug
at the Celery Farm, Allendale, Bergen, NJ
(Robert Fanning, Stiles Thomas et al.). Sandhill
Cranes, now annual, appeared only in Wayne,
NY (2 on 18 Sep, MM), over Staten 1. 9 Sep (Cliff
Hagen), and over Ocean, NJ (2 on 28 Oct, Fred
Birazzi).

Drought affected shorebirding variously,
uncovering some mudflats in nw. New York and
e. Pennsylvania (27 species at the Conejohela
Flats), while shrinking others to weedy fields at
Bombay Hook. Without weather-related
groundings, numbers were low, though species
variety was good.

Star of the season was a Pacific
Golden-Plover 4-14 Sep at the
Johnson Sod Farms, Deerfield, Salem, NJ
(RC, m. ob., ph. AW, MS), along with a fine
assemblage of other grasspipers ranging up
to 45 American Colden-Plovers, 2 Baird’s, 7
Pectoral, and 11 Buff-breasted Sandpipers.
Recognized as a separate species only in
1993, this form had been confirmed only
once before in e. North America (an ad.
female shot at Scarborough, ME 11 Sep
1911), though this champion flyer has also
occurred in Greenland, Bermuda, and
Barbados — and has probably been over-
looked here in the past.

Three American Avocets at the Conejohela
Flats 3 Aug (RMS et al.) may have been coming
from the west. Drought affected their Delaware
stronghold, and singles (possibly from this
group) straggled as far n. as Piermont, on the
Hudson R., 7 Oct (Della Wells et al.), a first
Rockland, NY record, and to Bucks and Chester
in se. Pennsylvania.

Two flocks totalling 29 Whimbrels at Hamlin
Beach 26 Aug (S. Taylor, WS) were a healthy sum
there, while one at the Ausable R. delta, Clinton,
NY 7 Aug (Judy & Roger Heintz) was rare on L.
Champlain. Both godwits arrived in only single
digits at the usual coastal lagoons, but 3
Hudsonians at Iroquois N.W.R. 29 Sep- 14 Oct
(BK, WW, WD’A, Betsy Potter), the best among
several inland observations, and a Marbled
Godwit at the Conejohela Flats 5-11 Aug (RMS
et al.) were good finds. Up to 9 Long-billed
Dowitchers were exceptional at Iroquois in Oct
(BK), and one at Machias 12-22 Sep (Michael
DeSha) was a first Cattaraugus, NY record.
Among some 35 widely scattered Baird’s
Sandpipers, mostly between mid-Aug and early
Sep, singles on L. Champlain at Noblewood
Park, near Willsboro, Essex 23 Aug (MMe) and
at King’s Bay, Clinton 10 Sept (Bill Krueger), 3 at
the Conejohela Flats 5 Sep (RMS et al.), and 5 in
nw. New Jersey were noteworthy inland.

A Curlew Sandpiper at Stone Harbor, Cape
May, NJ 25 Jul-21 Aug (m. ob.) and possibly
another at Brig were, again, below 1970s levels.
Many observers commented on Stilt Sandpiper
abundance. Maxima were 72 at Jamaica Bay 5
Aug and 75-100 at Woodland Beach, DE 30 Aug
(Michael Smith), historically modest figures.
Though no gatherings of Buff-breasted
Sandpipers larger than the 1 1 mentioned above
appeared, small groups were widespread,
including inland: 3 at Pine Run Res., Bucks, PA 9
Sep (Ken Rieker), 3 at Green Lane 14 Sep (AM),
and a first Schuylkill, PA record at Sweet Arrow
L. 4 Sep (Dave Rieger, Tom Clauser). Two Ruffs
on Long 1. and 4 in Delaware were at habitual
coastal lagoons. One at a highway department
remediation site at Wayne, Passaic, NJ for two
weeks following 1 Aug (Ivan Kossak, Frank
Bobowski, Pete Both, Bill Resotko et al.) was a
surprise in interior n. sNew Jersey.

Wilson’s Phalaropes were scarce again. Best
tally among widely scattered Red-necked
Phalarope records was of 18 at Hamlin Beach
18 Oct (S. Soule, DT). A record-early Red
Phalarope was there 28 Sep followed by an
unusual 8 on subsequent dates (maximum 3
on 8 Oct, WS, DT). As the least expected
phalarope inland, one Red was admired at
Peace Valley 20 Oct (AM).

JAEGERS THROUGH ALCIDS

Jaeger migration along L. Ontario and L. Erie
was exciting in stormy late Sep (one Pomarine
and 13 Parasitics at Hamlin Beach 28 Sep) and
mid-Oct (one Pomarine at Woodlawn Beach
S.P., Erie 17 Oct). Totals, however, were mod-
est overall (44 Parasitics at Hamlin Beach; 22
Parasitics and 3 Pomarines at Derby Hill). An
unprecedented 4 Long-tailed Jaegers passed
Hamlin Beach 26-29 Aug (WS, DT, MD, DS, S.
Taylor) and another 19 Sep (DT); there were
only about four prior records there, mostly in
the last two years. Other singles were reported
from the ferry between Bridgeport, CT and
Port Jefferson, L.I. 27 Aug (Dennis Mildner)
and from Hudson Canyon 4 Sep (FONT).

The annual Laughing Gull assemblage off e.
Long I. peaked at 1000 at Orient Pt. 16 Oct
(Shai Mitra); 700 were still off Montauk Pt. 10
Nov (HMcG, Andy Baldelli). Wanderers were
far afield on the Susquehanna at the West
Fairview Boat Launch, Dauphin, PA in Aug
(DH) and on L. Champlain at the Four
Brothers Is., off Willsboro, Essex, NY 4 Nov
(David Miskell, Jamie Mittendorf, Richard
McDonald), the 2nd Adirondack record. Only 3
Franklin’s Gulls were found: an early ad. at
Jones Beach, L. 1. 5 Aug (AWo), and imms. at
Northrup Cr., Monroe, NY 14 Nov (DT) and
Cape May, NJ 6 Sep (MO’B).

An ad. California Gull in the Niagara R. 1 1
Nov was the 10th consecutive year for the
species in this location. Reports of “white-
winged” gulls are increasing inland away from
the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence. An ad.
Glaucous Gull at Tunkhannock 16 Nov and 2
second-year Icelands there 19 Nov (WR) were
both Wyoming, PA firsts, while both species
were found in the gigantic gull flock in the
Delaware R. off Florence, Burlington, NJ, oppo-
site the Tullytown, PA dump. Sabine’s Gulls
were found only around the Great Lakes: 2 at
Athol Springs, Erie, NY 17 Oct, one on 30 Oct
at Hamlin Beach (DT), and 2 at Derby Hill 7
Oct (plus 7 Parasitic Jaegers; Gerald Smith, BP).

Common Terns “go pelagic” just before
departure; 500 were off Montauk, L. 1. 2 Sep
(HMcG). Twelve at Noblewood Park 21 Aug
(MMe) set an Essex, NY record. One Bridled
Tern, far below last year’s numbers, was off
Delaware 2 Sep (FONT).

Two White-winged Doves were above par:
one at a feeder at Cedarhurst, Nassau, L. I. 13-
25 Oct (Cindy Wolinsky, m. ob., ph. MS) and
another at Cape May 6 Oct (Hampshire Bird
Club, Amherst, MA).

OWLS THROUGH HUMMINGBIRDS

Snowy Owls began a modest invasion on the L.

White-faced Storm-Petrels enjoyed another “ban-
ner” year in the Region, with nearly as many
reported as in 1 999. This bird was photographed
3 September 2001 about 157 km east of
Barnegat Light, New Jersey. Photograph by Rick
Wiltraut.

Volume 56 (2002), Number i

35

Ontario shore at Greece, Monroe, NY 6 Nov
(KG). Except for several down the Hudson Valley,
all were coastal, with 3 reaching n. Delaware. The
Cape May owl banding project had a mixed sea-
son, capturing one Barn Owl, 70 Long-eared Owls
(a high count), and 206 Northern Saw-whet Owls
27 Oct- 17 Nov (Katie Duffy).

A reassuring 1103 Common Nighthawks were,
counted flying sw. near Riverhead, L. I. 22 Aug-6
Oct, 218 of them 30 Aug-2 Sep (Jim Clinton).
Their migration was remarkably protracted; they
missed only one evening in Sep (the 18th) there.
An amazing 5500 Chimney Swifts funnelled into
the Reading, PA high school chimney 8 Sep
(Katrina Knight).

A record 85 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
were banded at Jenny L., Saratoga, NY (plus 33
already-banded birds recaptured) May-16 Sep
(RPY). Hawk Mt. counted a record 310 ridge-top
migrants; the Montclair hawkwatch tallied 147.
Extralimital hummingbirds abounded again. An
imm. male Black-chinned Hummingbird at
Cape May 27-29 Oct (VE, RC, Val Driscoll, m.
ob.) was New Jersey’s 2nd. Two imm. male
Calliope Hummingbirds took up residence 17
Nov in late-blooming Pineapple Sage in Fort
Tryon Park, New York City (TWB, MB, PL, m. ob.,
ph. MS, DA) and were properly identified in early
Dec, for the 3rd and 4th Regional records — and
first records for New York — following New
Jersey’s 2nd last fall. Four Selasplwrtis humming-
birds were positively identified as Rufous: one at
Panama, Chatauqua, NY 18-28 Oct (Dick Miga,
Jim Berry, Bob Sundell, ph.); an imm. male at the
Lenoir Preserve, Yonkers, NY 17 Nov-l- (MB, m.
ob.), the first Westchester record; a female at
Easton, Northampton, PA 9-17 Nov (AK, Scott
Weidensaul); and a female at Barnegat Light, NJ
22 Nov-t (G. Spingola, m. ob.). A male
Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird was at Knowlton
Twp., Warren, NJ 5 Oct-l- (Dennis Briede).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH TANAGERS

Not all late fall Empidonax are western acciden-
tals. A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher banded 4 Nov at
Gilgo Beach, L.I. (ROP, Sarah Plimpton) was
identified by wing formula; only its axillaries were
faintly yellow. It remained until 11 Nov. A
Hammond’s Flycatcher was closely studied at
Jones Beach, L. I. 26-27 Oct (JF, m. ob., ph. AW,
MS) until a Merlin carried it off If confirmed, it
will constitute New York’s first record; there are
two reports from Pennsylvania and one from
Delaware. About 6 Ash-throated Flycatchers con-
tinued the recent good numbers: Alley Pond Park,
New York City 22 Nov (Al Ott); Sandy Hook,
Montnouth, NJ 30 Oct (Michael Fahay);
Bedminster, NJ 26 Nov-9 Dec (Susan Endres, m.
ob., ph.); Brig 18-29 Nov (Linda Mack, Fred
Tetlow); and Cape May (probably 2 birds) 27 Oct-

7 Nov. About 8 coastal Western Kingbirds were a
low count; one was more unexpected inland at L.
Nockamixon S.P., Bucks, PA 4 Oct (Bill Etter). A
Fork-tailed Flycatcher visited Cape May 19-22
Aug (Karl & Judy Lukens, RC, Shawneen Finnegan
et al., ph. AP). Seven of New Jersey’s 13 previously
accepted records have occurred there.

The only Loggerhead Shrike was in coastal
Delaware in Nov (SHD et al.). For the 4th fall
since 1997, a White-eyed Vireo was banded n. of
breeding range at Manitou very late, this time 30
Oct (C. and R. McKinney).

Black-capped Chickadees staged a mammoth
irruption. Red-breasted Nuthatches a medium
one. Kaiser-Manitou banded an astonishing 1668
chickadees, 380 during one hectic 13 Oct. Boreal
Chickadees were found only at 12 Adirondack
locations. Three Northern Wheatears were noted:
Smith’s Pt., Suffolk, L. 1. 16 Sep-1 Oct (P.

Maldonado, M. Wolf m. ob.). Great Meadows,
Warren, NJ, 16-21 Sep (Alan Boyd, Dennis Briede,
Sandy McPhail, ph. RW, AP), for a rare inland
New Jersey record, and Bivalve, Cumberland, NJ 5
Oct (John Gluth). Peak nights for thrush-calls
over Berks, PA came on cold fronts 16-17 Sep (ca.
250 Wood Thrushes and ca. 250 Swainson’s
Thrushes), 23 Sep (ca. 350 Swainson’s), and 28
Sep (ca. 1000 Swainson’s; all RKe). A Bohemian
Waxwing was record early on 22 Sep at Hamlin
Beach (RGS, DT), but only the Adirondacks had
numbers. The southernmost were 8-10 at Hague,
on L. George, Warren, NY 18 Nov (Brad Bidwell).

Some warblers fare better than others. Among
1218 warblers of 28 species banded at Kaiser-
Manitou, 10 species made up 86%: Magnolia
(341 ), Myrtle ( 175), Common Yellowthroat ( 157),
Wilson’s (92), Black-throated Blue (84), Blackpoll
(79), American Redstart (65), Nashville (33), and
Yellow (33) (EBr). Some spruce budworm feeders
seem particularly hard-hit; Kaiser-Manitou band-
ed only 7 Cape May and 9 Bay-breasted Warblers.

Southerly warblers n. of breeding range includ-
ed a Yellow-throated Warbler at Jones Beach, L. 1.
20 Sep (Joe DiCostanzo) and a Kentucky Warbler
on L. Ontario at Braddock Bay, near Rochester 31
Aug (DT). Five Yellow Palm Warblers, along with
4 of the nominate (western) form, were a good

count at Goat I. in the Niagara R. (Don
Roberson). Fourteen Connecticut Warbler
reports around New York City and Long 1. were
exceptional, while about 20 were amazing at
Union Beach, Monmouth, NJ 9-27 Sep, including
6 on both 19 & 22 Sep (TBo). Around 15 inland
reports included 5 around Rochester and one to 3
daily at Chalfont, Bucks, PA 16 Sep into Oct (Ron
French).

A tantalizing Western Tanager in Central Park,
New York City 2 Sep ( Jack Meyer, Martin Sohmer;
no details) was unrelocatable.

SPARROWS THROUGH FINCHES

Migrant Clay-colored Sparrows are increasing.
Nearly 50 were reported on the coast, plus singles
in Sussex (Jim Zamos) and Morris (EO), NJ.
Though only 8 Lark Sparrows were found on the
coast, one was notable inland at Cold Brook
Preserve, Tewkesbury Twp., Hunterdon, NJ 17 Oct
(EO). Lark Buntings, rarer than a generation ago,
were outstanding finds at Stone Harbor Pt., Cape
May, NJ in early Oct (Mike Fritz; details needed)
and at Peace Valley 21 Oct (Chuck Crunkleton,
Elaine Ryan, report to P.O.R.C.). Le Conte’s
Sparrows were at Sandy Hook, Monmouth, NJ 26
Oct (ph. TBa), where they are nearly annual, and
at Hamlin Beach 21 Nov (DT, MD, KG), where
they are sporadic.

Oregon Juncos were documented at Eden, Erie,
NY (2nd year there; RA), Cape May 26-27 Oct
(EO, m. ob.), and at Gilgo Beach, L. 1. 22 Oct
(TWB, ROP, ph. Andy Guthrie, Gail Benson), a
bird that was first thought to be possibly a Pink-
sided Junco. A report of a Gray-headed Junco
came from Leesport, Berks, PA 6 Nov (Dean
Kendall, details to P.O.R.C.).

Four reports of Yellow-headed Blackbird, all
coastal, were a low count. The only Brewer’s
Blackbirds were 3 males 17 Oct at Hamlin Beach
(DT), near their regular 1980s site.

Winter finches swarmed in the n., but their
anticipated invasion southward disappointed.
Pine Grosbeaks were in their greatest numbers
since the 1970s along L. Ontario: 80 around
Buffalo 18 Nov [fide MM), in “almost every apple
orchard” in Jefferson (Bob Long), and in record

^ ft Cave Swallows appeared for the 9th straight fall, though far fewer than in the banner year
Wf^of 1999. Cape May continued its unbroken run, with up to 3 during 5-20 Nov (RC, D.
Lovitch, MO’B, BM, PL, m. ob.). Elsewhere one or 2 were early at two localities near Rochester 8-
9 Oct (KG, Dave Tetlow), the 2nd and perhaps 3rd local records, and one was at Jones Beach 11
Nov (D. Teta, S. D’Amato et al.), the 3rd for Long I. Observers thought the bird to be a candidate
for the Caribbean racefulva (SS, AWo), like the spring Nova Scotia specimens, but unlike previous
fall coastal birds, all of which have so far been attributed, where identifiable, to the rapidly expand-
ing sw. race pallida (see D. B. McNair and W. Post, 2001. Review of the Occurrence of Vagrant Cave
Swallows in the United States and Canada. Journal of Field Ornithology 72: 485-503). The diffi-
culty in identifying birds in the field with certainty to one form or the other in the autumn is for-
midable and probably insurmountable in most cases.

36

North American Birds

Hudson-Delaware — Middle Atlantic Coast

numbers in the L. Oneida Basin. The southern-
most explorers reached only the Finger Lakes and
the mid-Hudson valley, however. Having nested
abundantly in the Adirondacks for two years,
White-winged Crossbills were ready to spill into
the lowlands when the cone crop failed. They are
the likely origin of small flocks that hurried down
the outer beaches and along interior ridges in late
Oct and then disappeared, probably finding little
food. The best places for them were Long 1. barri-
er beaches (24 at Jones Beach 31 Oct; JF), Hawk
Mt. (41 total, maximum 10 on 3 & 16 Nov), and
Cape May (about 40 total for the season, /ide PL).
Only a handful reached interior lowlands, and the
s. limits were Bucks, PA and S. Bethany Beach, DE
13 Nov (Lorraine Logan). Red Crossbills followed
a different nomadic pattern. Totally absent from
the Adirondacks, they were limited elsewhere in
New York to a sprinkling in the Oneida L. basin
and on Long 1. Only s. New Jersey had numbers —
e.g., 60 around Cape May 11 Nov, with many
more over the remainder of the month and later
there. The only inland report was one at L.
Nockamixon S. R, Bucks, PA 6 Nov (AM). At Cape
May, several forms seemed to be involved, sug-
gesting w. origins. Common Redpolls, numerous
on L. Ontario, ranged to Hawk Mt. (12; maxi-
mum 5 on 6 Nov) and down the coast as far as
cen. Delaware. Pine Siskins, American
Goldfinches, and Purple Finches mounted real
invasions, though the latter were still below his-
toric levels. Evening Grosbeaks, despite having
bred in the Adirondacks last summer, remained a
faint echo of the past. The largest of a dozen low-
land reports were 24 at Hummelstown, Dauphin,
PA 12 Nov (Jan Getgood) and 10 at Villas, Cape
May, NJ 30 Oct (D. Dowdell).

EXOTICS

Up to 6 Eurasian Collared-Doves hung around
Selby, DE (Irene Goverts, m. ob., ph. Chip
Krilowicz), near the Maryland border, where the
first state record was established in 1998. Ringed
Turtle-Doves, a feral form sold by pet dealers,
have also been reported in Delaware, so
Streptopelia doves need careful scrutiny. A Serin
was. photographed 29 Sep at Fort Tilden,
Brooklyn, NY (Steve Nanz). As a popular cage
bird, it is presumed an escapee. Even so, having
spread massively westward across Europe this
century (like Eurasian Collared-Doves), Serins are
a potential candidate for natural vagrancy.

Observers (subregional compilers in boldface):
Deborah Allen (Central Park, NY), Robert
Andrle (Niagara Frontier Area), Scott Barnes (ne.
NJ; Owl Haven, Rt. 522 Box 26, Tennent, NJ
07763), Chris Bennett {Sussex, DE: Cape
Henlopen S. R, 42 Cape Henlopen Dr., Lewes, DE
19958), Michael Bochnik (lower Hudson, NY: 86

Empire St., Yonkers, NY 10704), Tom Boyle
(TBo), Kate Brethwaite, Elizabeth Brooks, T. W.
Burke (NY Rare Bird Alert), Richard Crossley,
Willie D’Anna, Ward Dasey (sw. NJ: 29 Ark Road,
Medford, NJ 08055), Mike Davids, S. H. Dyke, A.
P. Ednie (New Castle and Kent, DE: 59 Lawson
Ave., Claymont, DE 19703), Vince Elia (s. coastal
NJ: 106 Carolina Ave., Villas, NJ 08251), Focus on
Nature Tours (FONT), John Fritz, Jane Graves
(Hudson-Mohawk, NY: Skidmore College,
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866), Andy Guthrie,
Kevin Griffith, Lee Harper (St. Lawrence, NY: 58
Old River Rd., Massena, NY 13662); Armas HUl
(Philadelphia Birdline), Deuane Hoffman (lower
Susquehanna, PA: 3406 Montour St., Harrisburg,
PA 17111-1827), Rudy Keller (RKe; Berks, PA: 71
Lutz Rd., Boyertown, PA 19512), Brendan Klick,
Arlene Koch (Lehigh Valley, PA: 1375 Raubsville
Rd., Easton, PA 18042), R. J. Kurtz, A. J. Lauro,
Paul Lehman, Matthew Medler (MMe), Hugh
McGuinness (e. Long L), Bruce McWhorter,
August Mirabella, John C. Miller, Mike Morgante
(Niagara Frontier, NY: 16 Lakeside Crescent,

Marshall J. Iliff

901 Crystal Spring Farm Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
(mlliff@aol.com)

Lancaster, NY 14086), Brennan Mulrooney, Bill
and Naomi Murphy, Evan Obercian, Michael
O’Brien, Bill Ostrander (Finger Lakes, NY: 872
Harris Hill Rd., Elmira, NY 14903), Ed Patten
(nw. NJ: 9 Cornfield Terrace, Flemington, NJ
08822), J. M. C. Peterson (Adirondack-
Champlain, NY: Discovery Farm, RD 1,
Elizabethtown, NY 12932), Vivian Pitzrick, A1
Pochek, Bill Purcell ( Oneida Lake Basin, NY: 28 1
Baum Rd., Hastings, NY 13076), Rick Radis (n.-
cen. NJ: 69 Ogden Ave., Rockaway, NJ 07866),
WOliam Reid (n.e. PA: 73 W. Ross St., Wilkes-
Barre, PA 18702), Frank Rohrbacher, Sy Schiff
(Long L: 603 Mead Terrace, S. Hempstead, NY
11550), R. M. Schutsky, Dominic Sherony, R. G.
Spahn (Rochester area: 716 Hightower Way,
Rochester, NY 14580); Michael Stubblefield, Pat
Sutton (Cape May Bird Observatory), William
Symonds, Dave Tetlow, Otis T. Waterman Bird
Club {Dutchess, NY); William Watson, Rick
Wiltraut, Angus Wilson, Al Wollin (AWo) (Long
L: 4 Meadow Lane, Rockville Center, NY 11570),
R. P. Yunick. a

This fall, there were only a few excellent
migration days noted, and the very low
number of classic cold fronts through much of
the season made for a comparatively slow sea-

Middle Atlantic
Coast

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

37

son at the Region’s major hawk watch at
Kiptopeke. Persistent dry conditions after early
August reduced shorebird habitat at
Chincoteague and elsewhere, and the drought
might also have reduced mast production (spot-
ty over the Region) and insects available for
migrants and early wintering birds, which were
markedly low in number in the southern parts of
the Region in Nov and later. Several good land-
bird flights were noted on Virginia’s Eastern
Shore, but otherwise the season’s emphasis was
on the excellent cadre of rarities. A few other
events of note were the above-average numbers
of Mississippi Kites and American Avocets, a stel-
lar number of Selasphorus in Virginia (and I’ll bet
next year beats this one...), a good Northern Saw-
whet Owl year, and a bit of a winter finch flight.
Many have remarked on the cruel irony that the
birds seemed to know nothing of the human
events of 11 Sep, a day of marvelous landbird
migrafion on the outer coast; I found it impossi-
ble to list bird sightings from that day without
somber reflection. My heart goes out to all those
whose lives were changed by that day’s events.

Abbreviations: Assat. (Assateague I., Worcester,
MD); Bay (Chesapeake Bay); C.B.B.T.
(Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, s. of
NorthamptotiyVA)-, Chine. (Chincoteague N.W.R.,
Accomack, VA); C.R.W.B. (Cedar Run Wetlands
Bank, Prince William, VA); D.C. (District of
Columbia); Hart (Hart-Miller Dredge Spoil
Containment Facility, Baltimore, MD); Kipt.
(Kiptopeke State Park, Northampton, VA); Middle
Bay (Chesapeake Bay, MD, from Virginia line to
Bay Bridge); N.F.W.B. (North Fork Wetlands
Bank, Prince William, VA); p. a. (pending accept-
ance by state records committee); Upper Bay
(Chesapeake Bay, MD, n. of Bay Bridge); U.M.C.F.
(Univ. of Maryland Central Farm, Howard, MD);
Vaughn (E.A. Vaughn W.M.A., Worcester, MD).
Note that due to reporting biases, all locations can
be assumed to be in Maryland except that each
Virginia location is so noted the first time it is
mentioned.

LOONS THROUGH RAPTORS

A Red-throated Loon at Terrapin Pt., Queen
Anne’s 29 Sep ( JLS, MH, ZB) tied the record-early
fall arrival date. Eared Grebes were at Hurlock
W.T.P., Dorchester for the 2nd straight year on 8
Sep (MH, ZB, vt. ILS) and 27 Oct (SA, JD). An
unidentified procellariid, thought to be a dark-
morph Northern Fulmar, was noted briefly from
the C.B.B.T. 22 Oct (RLA). Finding a White-faced
Storm-Petrel is now believed to be only a matter
of effort — lay enough chum off the mid-Atlantic
between mid-Aug and mid-Sep, and you’ll get
one eventually. After several specific searches in
Aug (ESB, MJI et al.), a juv. White-faced Storm-

Petrel was finally recorded off Virginia Beach 23
Sep (p. a. ESB, ph. BP, vt. RLA, m. ob.) among
some 1500 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels that day.
There are five previous records for Virginia and
two for Maryland.

An American White Pelican at the e. end of
the Bay Bridge, Queen Anne’s 12 Nov (p. a. B.
Peterjohn) may have been fhe same bird fhat has
been wandering around Bodkin and Poplar Is.
for the past two summers. Eight passing Kipt. 8
Nov (CB et al.) and 4 there 17 Nov (CB) were
more typical, as they are seen nearly annually at
this location, though 8 was the highest count for
this site; the only higher count on the Eastern
Shore was of 15 seen jusf n. of Kiptopeke 25 Mar
1989 (A. B. 43: 459). Three Northern Gannets at
Assat. 24 Aug (MLH) add to a growing body of
summer reports of the species. Upper Bay Great
Cormorants were early 2 (E. Blom) & 15 (MH,
JLS) Sep at Havre de Grace, Harford, and Hart 8
Sep (EJS et al). At least one Anhinga was noted
at Stumpy L., VA through 11 Aug (Lauren Scott).

A singing Least Bittern at N.F.W.B. 15 Aug
(SR) was unusual in the Virginia Piedmont; it
did not breed here and probably represented a
dispersing bird, as must have been the case with
the one along Rte. 309, Queen Anne’s 19 Aug
(MJI, TMD, HM). The premier Maryland rarity
this season was the Great White Heron (p. a.)
astutely identified by Peters 26 Sep at Ft.
McHenry, near downtown Baltimore. It was
relocated and photographed the next day (ph.
MJI), seen, photographed, and videotaped (JLS)
by many observers through 30 Sep, and consti-
tuted a first MaryJand record. Given that other
individuaJs appeared in New Jersey (Jun), New
York (2, Sep-Nov), and Delaware (Nov-Jan),
something unusual was clearly afoot. A
Tricolored Heron continued at Hart 1 Aug (EJS
et al.), while one imm. Yellow-crowned Night-
Heron at Ft. McHenry was fairly late 28 Sep
(MH,JLS).

Maryland’s 4th Black-bellied Whistling-
Duck record came 14 Aug (p. a. fDBy) when one
ad. was seen flying in to roost at dusk on Jug Bay,
Anne Arundel. The excellent description includ-
ed details of the vocalization as well as plumage.
Apparently the bird was seen nearby earlier in
the day from a canoe (G. Kearns, fide JLS).
Virginia has one specimen record but just a few
unconfirmed sight reports otherwise. A Greater
White-fronted Goose returned to Fauquier,NA 1
Oct (S. Heath), with another nearby 22 Oct
(TMD). Ross’s Geese have become so routine
that I no longer list sightings, but a family group
of 4 at Chine, at least 17-25 Nov (E. G. 8( C. F.
Poole, Gary Graves) was noted to contain 2 blue
morphs, an ad. and an imm.; this morph is still
quite rare in the Region, with no reports sub-
stantiated with photographs yet. A Brant noted

at Assat. 8 Sep (MH, ZB) probably summered,
while singles at Chesapeake Beach, Calvert 1 Oct
(DBy) and Crofton, Anne Arundel 22 Oct (D.
Perry) were at unusual locations. A flock of 16
small Canada Geese, presumed to be hutchinsii,
was seen at Chino Farms 4 Nov (MH, JG). This
is the largest group yet noted in the Region. A
male Eurasian Wigeon was at West Ocean City
Pond, Worcester 20-27 Oct (MH et al., vt. JLS),
where it has been almost annual. Eiders contin-
ue to show poorly in the Region, with one
Common at the C.B.B.T. 29 Oct (KK), 2 at
Ocean City Inlet 10 Nov (J.B. Churchill), and an
imm. male at Chine. 24 Nov-I- (A. Merritt, v. o.).

A Ruddy Shelduck of uncertain provenance
was at Jug Bay 21 Aug (FF); although it is com-
mon in captivity, this highly dispersive species
has reached Greenland and Nunavut as a
vagrant — as well as Iceland, the Faeroes,
Madeira, and other Atlantic islands (see Allard,
K., K. McKay, and L. McKinnonby. 2001.
Sighting of Ruddy Shelducks at East Bay,
Southampton Island, Nunavut. Birder’s Journal
10: 86-89). Its nearest nesting areas are in nw.
Africa. Records of wary, unbanded individuals
from this Region come from Chine. 9-31 Jul
1979 (A. B. 33: 851;VARCOM Archive) and 4-13
Jul 1980 (A. B. 34: 882). Observers should keep
track of all waterfowl species, even those sus-
pected of being former captives.

There was some kind of mini-invasion of
Mississippi Kites in the Region in Aug-Sep, an
unusual time for this species to appear in the
Region; it has historically appeared mostly in
May-Jun. The first kite was a single in Doswell,
Hanover, VA 3 Aug (PP); others were one at
Ellicott City 29 Aug, for a Howard 2nd (fBO,
tEH); 2 ads. in Chesapeake, VA 15 Aug (D.
Clark); one imm. at Bowie 21 Aug (FF); one at
Schoolhouse Pond 21 Aug (JLS) and 2 imms.
there 10 Sep (JLS); a juv. at Kipt. 25 Aug (CB);
and one at the intersection of 1-495 and 1-66,
Arlington, VA 8 Sep (Lawry Sager). Most unusu-
al was the sighting of 2 ads. perching together
near Passapae Landing, Caroline 19 Aug (ph.
MJI, ph. TMD, HM) just a few km from where
one was reported in Jul. Though not seen on
subsequent days, it is tempting to speculate that
this was in fact a pair and that there may have
been a nesting attempt in the area. The species is
not known to have bred n. of n. Virginia.

Brennan returned for his 2nd fall season as
hawk counter at Kipt. and logged 803.6 hours 25
Aug-30 Nov. The season total 31,401 raptors of
17 species (including vultures) was similar to last
year’s total but well below the seven-year average
which is still influenced by the exceptionally high
counts of 1995-1997. A highlight of this fall’s
hawkwatch at Kipt. was a single juv. light-morph
Swainson’s Hawk 28 Sep (CB), the first at this

38

North American Birds

Middle Atlantic Coast

location since 1998, when there was a record-
high count of 8. Selected season totals were:
8998 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 7307 American
Kestrels (both near the four-year average), 147
Red-shouldered Hawks (3rd highest), 10 Golden
Eagles (2nd lowest), 3 Northern Goshawks (ties
low), 627 Broad-winged and 752 Red-tailed
Hawks, 950 Merlins, and 439 Peregrine Falcons
(all seven-year lows). There were no significant
one-day counts, with the season peak coming 26
Sep with 1233 raptors counted and the Sharp-
shinned peak a mere 487 on 4 Oct. A full report
of the 2001 raptor season is available from
Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory, P. O. Box
111, Franktown, VA 23354 <www.cvwo.org>.

RAILS THROUGH TERNS

One of the more regular vagrants along the East
Coast — and the most regular North American
vagrant to South Africa — an imm. Purple
Gallinule at L. Artemesia 22 Sep (p. a. W.
Stephens, tDM, tRH, fPP) was nonetheless the
first for Maryland since 1988 and only the 16th
reported for the state. The Dulles Greenways
Black Rail continued at least through 5 Aug (au.
TMD, BE). Two Sandhill Cranes were seen
migrating past Kipt. 29 Oct (CB).

This was a banner year for American Avocets,
with record Maryland numbers at Hart and scat-
tered birds turning up at other locations
throughout the state. The flock at Hart built
from 28 on 4 Aug (EJS et al.), to 34 on 11 Aug
( JLS et al), 46 on 19 Aug (S. Ricciardi et al.), and
a peak of 51 on 25 Aug (EJS et al), before drop-
ping off again to 23 on 1 Sep (EJS et al.). Others
included a Prince George’s first with 2 on 5 Aug
(vt. RFR, DM), singles at Jug Bay, Anne
Arundel/ Prince George’s 11 Aug and 30 Sep
(DBy), a Carroll first at Westminster 3 Sep (RFR,
V. o.), 9 at Herrington Harbor, Anne Arundel
(JLS), and one at Solomons, Calvert 5 Sep (J.
Horton). Fancy Piedmont shorebirds noted by
Rottenborn included a juv. Baird’s at N.F.W.B. 19
Sep, 2 American Golden-Plovers at C.R.W.B. 25
Aug (seen again 30 Aug by LG) and one on 4 Oct,
an Upland Sandpiper at C.R.W.B. 23 Aug, and
several Stilt Sandpipers including one ad. at
C.R.W.B. 31 Jul (LC), 2 juvs. at N.F.W.B. 15 Aug,
and single juv. there 5 Sep and at C.R.W.B. 23-25
Aug. Another 2 Upland Sandpipers were at the
sod farm near Mannassas Regional Airport,
Prince William, VA 3 Sep (SR), and another
Baird’s was at Smith Switch Rd., Loudoun, VA 1
Sep (BA et al.). Highlights at Hunting Cr.,
Fairfax, VA included a Wilson’s Phalarope 22-23
Sep (SS, V. o.), a Baird’s Sandpiper 22 Sep (SS),
and up to 2 Long-billed Dowitchers 11 Aug-23
Sep (SS, KG et al.), which may have involved
numerous different individuals or just 2.

Good Howard and Montgomery shorebirds

were seen at Triadelphia Res. on a small spit off
Greenbridge Rd., nearly al! of which crossed into
both counties. Highlights included Ruddy
Turnstone, a juv. present 4-5 Sep (SA, m. ob.), a
female American Avocet 7 Oct (B. 8c J. Metter, m.
ob., ph. RC), up to 3 White-rumped Sandpipers
26 Sep-7 Oct (NM, m. ob.), 3 Stilt Sandpipers 21
Sep (JS et al.) and 2 there 25 Sep (JS, BO), and
Sanderlings 20-23 Sep (SA et al.) and 20 Oct
(NM). The turnstone provided a Howard first
and the avocet a Howard 3rd, while the Stilt and
White-rumped Sandpipers only had two and five
prior records, respectively. A water-filled borrow
pit near Salisbury supplied some good Wicomico
shorebirds, including Buff-breasted Sandpiper
29-30 Aug (MJI, SHD), Baird’s Sandpipers there
10 8c 15 Sep (SHD), and several sightings of
American Golden-Plovers, Stilt Sandpipers, and
numerous White-rumped Sandpipers. Another
Buff-breasted was at the Hampshire Rd. sod
farm, Wicomico 1-2 Sep (SHD, v. o.), and a
Baird’s was there 26 Aug (SHD). Thirty Upland
Sandpipers at the Salisbury Airport, Wicomico 27
Aug (SHD) was a good count. A Baird’s
Sandpiper at Ft. McHenry was at an unusual
location and quite late 31 Oct- 12 Nov (JP, EK,
SS). A count of 18 Baird’s Sandpipers at Hart 8
Sep (EJS et al.) was excellent, even for this most
consistent Regional location. At Hart a lone
Marbled Godwit was noted 25 Aug-1 Sep, and a
juv. Hudsonian Godwit was present 29 Sep-6 Oct
(EJS et al.). A state high count were the 4 Ruffs
(all cinnamon males) at John Brown Rd., Queen
Anne’s 12 Aug (FF et al), 2 of which may have
moved several km toward Rte. 309 on 14 Aug
(PW et al.). An ad. Curlew Sandpiper at Chine.
16-21 Aug (Ron 8c Liz Darnell, ph. MJI, TMD et
al.) was well documented; this species is less than
annual in the Region. A total of 31 Purple
Sandpipers at Poplar L, Talbot 26 Nov (MJI) was
a high count for the Middle Bay, which has had
comparable numbers only at Smith L, Somerset
but was not surprising given the extensive stone
rip-rap being used to build the new dikes there.
One at the C.B.B.T. 20 Aug-7 Sep (BL, TMD, C.
8c D. Broderick) was unprecedentedly out-of-
season and may have summered. A Wilson’s
Phalarope at Westinghouse Pond 23-24 Aug (vt.
B. Schreitz, MJI) was rare for Anne Arundel.

An ad. Black-headed Gull at Hurlock W.T.P.
with Laughing Gulls 15 Oct (ph. MJI) was a
Dorchester 2nd and the earliest fall record for
Maryland by almost a month, though neighbor-
ing Delaware has much earlier records. An ad.
California Gull joined a first-winter Glaucous
Gull at Poplar L, Talbot 26 Nov (p. a. tMJI) to
provide a first county record and about the 18th
for Maryland, with the 17th found at Hart (the
5th record there) 6 Oct (p. a. EJS et al.). One
other Glaucous was noted at Sandy Pt. S.P., Anne

Arundel 24 Nov (HLW et al). Although the
Tullytown/Florence area continues to report
three-digit Lesser Black-backed Gull numbers,
our Region has not seen a similar increase, with
few double-digit counts (except from the best
gull areas), despite the fact that the species can be
found easily in most decent gull concentrations
Regionwide. Thus, a count of 15-1- at Prince
William Landfill 6 Oct (SR) was a noteworthy
Regional count and was probably evidence of a
migratory push. Interestingly, there was just one
juv. among them, with ads. ( 10) predominant.

One of the more surprising Regional repeat
performances occurred when Brinkley (f) and
Patteson picked an Elegant Tern out of 130
massing Sandwich Terns at Chine. 5 Sep, which
was seen again 7 Sep by V.S.O. members arriving
early for the annual field trip here (JV, BA, m.
ob.). It was noted as being in second-autumn
plumage by virtue of its calico leg pattern, faint
secondary bar, and dusky outer rectrices. A previ-
ous record 10 Jun 1985 at the same location was
found and photographed by Claudia Wilds (A. B.
39: 897) and provided a shocking first record for
the East, one that had not been matched until this
year. Elegant Tern has a history of long-distance
vagrancy, with records over the past year in

This immature male Vermilion Flycatcher,
Maryland’s second, Dorchester County’s first, and
the Region’s fourth, was found at Hurlock 1
October 2001 . Most East Coast records of this
species fall into the same late September to
October period, most exceptions being southerly
records. Photograph by Charlotte Diedrich.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

39

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida (where
it nested), and previous records from as far away
as France, Spain, and Ireland! The spate of
records in Florida, Texas (Dec 2001), and the
interior Southwest over the past year could indi-
cate a broader movement. The Sandwich Tern
flock at Chine, peaked at 155 on 8 Sep, a rather
high number here (ESB et ah). One Roseate Tern
at Ocean City Inlet 3 Aug (p. a. M. A. Todd) pro-
vided a somewhat late record.

OWLS THROUGH WARBLERS

This year’s Snowy Owl invasion brought one to
Chine. 7 Nov {fide ESB ), one to Assat. 10-11 Nov
(PO, V. o.), and at least 2 to Poplar I., both of
which died {fide EJS). This fall was termed the
best “non-invasion year” for Northern Saw-whet
Owls by owl banders; because many stations con-
tinue into Dec, details will follow in the winter
season’s report. A Common Nighthawk at Ellicott
City 23 Oct (D. Farner) was late.

At least 5 late Archilochus identified as Ruby-
throateds were noted in mid-Oct, with the latest
lasting until 29 Nov at Chesterfield, VA (WE).
Hughes’s productive feeder in Portsmouth, VA
hosted an apparent Black-chinned
Hummingbird 27-29 Oct (p. a.); coincidentally,
a Black-chinned was at Cape May on the same
dates, arriving with a cold front and departing
on the first warm day. Although Maryland
almost missed out, Virginia hit it big with
Selasphorus this year: I count some 19 reports
Aug-Jan. This fall’s birds included one
imm. /female Selasphorus at Cape Charles,
Northampton, VA 31 Aug (ESB), an ad. female
Rufous banded in Hamilton (a Loudoun, VA
first) 10 Oct+ (v. o., MG, ph. MJI, ph. TMD), a
hatch-year female 12-29 Nov (WE, MG, v. o.),
and hatch-year male 21-29 Nov (B. Siegfried,
MG), both banded around Chesterfield,
Chesterfield,YA, and an imm./female Selasphorus
in Virginia Beach 12 Nov (Karen Beatty). As a
hummingbird review for readers, recall that
Virginia’s past record for Selasphorus includes
(approximately): one in 1952, one in 1979, 6 in
the 1980s, one in 1991, 18 from 1995-1999, and
10 in 2000 (B. Taber, pers. comm.). Maryland’s
only one arrived 30 Oct in Sam Pancake’s yard —
the 3rd Selasphorus to occur there since 1989 —
only to meet an untimely end in the talons (?) of
a praying mantis. A White-winged Dove was
seen at Kipt. 2 Nov (CB), and another was near-
ly caught in the nets at Little Island City Park,
just n. of Back Bay N.W.R. (RS). Up to 3
Eurasian Collared-Doves set up shop along
Magotha Rd., Northampton, VA from 17 Aug
into at least early Oct (p. a. CB, m. ob., ph.).
Another was reported from the 1-895 mitigation
site in eastern Henrico, VA 10 Aug (CT). There
are still no Maryland reports, and Virginia has

only three documented records to date. Brennan
counted 625 Northern Flickers at Kipt. 29 Sep,
and a suspected intergrade Yellow-shafted x Red-
shafted was banded 12 Oct (ph. Jethro Runco),
while another was found dead and given to the
E.S.V.N.W.R. staff in mid-Oct {fide ESB).

An Olive-sided Flycatcher at Bayside
Campground, Assat. 29 Sep (SHD) was on the
late side, and another was at Kipt. 11 Sep (CB);
the species is a rare migrant on the Coastal Plain.
The award for the most frustrating one-day
wonder must go to the imm. male Vermilion
Flycatcher that spent a few hours flycatching in
a Hurlock, Dorchester backyard 1 Oct (p. a., ph.
C. & B. Diedrich) where it was stunningly pho-
tographed for a 2nd Maryland record. In addi-
tion to the Assateague, Worcester record from 29
Sep 1991, there are two well-documented winter
records from Virginia, but only about nine oth-
ers for the East Coast n. of South Carolina, most
of which have occurred in a narrow period from
late Sep to mid-Oct.

Three Ash-throated Flycatchers were found
this year: one paused briefly in the dawn flight at
Bayside Campground, Assat. for a Worcester 2nd
record on 29 Sep (p. a. fSHD), one visited
Kenilworth Park 11-12 Nov, for a D.C. first (p. a.
RH et al., m. ob., vt. DC), and another was band-
ed at Little Island City Park 4 Nov (RS), aged as
a hatch-year bird, not surprisingly. As Regional
birders get better and better at intentionally
searching for w. vagrants in warm microclimate
habitats during “vagrant season” (Nov), we can
expect Ash-throated Flycatchers to continue at a
regular clip. What we probably cannot expect,
though, are many additional records from Sep or
from D.C.

A late-ish Least Flycatcher was at Assat. 15 Oct
(ph. MJI). Western Kingbirds were seen in
Virginia at Kipt. 11 Sep (CB) and 12 Oct (CB),
Fisherman I. N. W. R. on 12 Oct (PH et al.), at
the VA 623/802 junction in Fauquier 10 Oct
(fTMD), and Little Island City Park (RS); in
Maryland, singles were at Assat. 9 Oct (GM et al.)
and Layhill Park, Montgomery 5 Nov (MB). The
1500 migrating Eastern Kingbirds at Kipt. 30 Aug
(CB) made for a good count; hundreds roosted in
trees surrounded by Phragmites at nearby Oyster,
VA in late Aug and early Sep (m. ob.).

A conservative 50,000 Tree Swallows were esti-
mated in the Kipt. area 24 Sep (CB, RLA et al.). A
Barn Swallow was noted at the Chestertown
W.T.P., Kent 4 Nov (MH). A Sedge Wren at
Cromwell Valley Park for several days around 23
Sep (EK) was unusual for Baltimore. A good
dawn flight at Sunset Beach Inn, Northampton 12
Sep had 380 Red-eyed Vireos (ESB). Northern
Mockingbirds are indeed migratory and are
sometimes noted on the C.B.B.T. and other
migration hotspots. Brinkley noted 37 perching

in just three trees at Sunset Beach 12 Sep during
the excellent landbird flight there.

Just missing the 16 Aug early date, a Cape May
Warbler was banded at Chino Farms 17 Aug ( JG).
A Yellow Warbler at Hunting Cr., Fairfax, VA 15
Nov (KG) was exceptionally late for this species,
which usually departs by Sep. A hatch-year male
Mourning Warbler along Sterling Parkway,
Loudoun, VA 23 Oct (SR) was quite late, while
one banded at Chino Farms 7 Aug ( JG, MH) tied
Maryland’s early date. A Blackpoll Warbler was
late on Assat. 10 Nov (HEW, LMD).

The Labor Day period is often productive for
numbers of early migrants in lower
Northampton, VA, and this year 4 Sep was fair at
Sunset Beach (perhaps the equivalent of Higbee’s
Beach, Cape May, NJ). Following a mild frontal
passage, 225 American Redstarts and 50 Black-
and-white Warblers were counted, among other
species (ESB); 11 & 12 Sep were much better
days, with 350 redstarts, 100+ Black-throated
Blues, 90+ Palms, 100+ Northern Parulas, and
90+ Magnolias 11 Sep (ESB, RV) and 485 red-
starts, 265 Black- throated Blues, 125 Palms, 110+
Magnolias, and 65 parulas 12 Sep (ESB). Similar
flights were seen to the n. at Kipt. on these days
(CB, BT,m. ob.).

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

A female Western Tanager visiting the water drip
in Bob Ake’s Norfolk, VA yard off the Lafayette R.
22 Oct comes on the heels of at least 2 in Virginia
last winter. A Summer Tanager at Ellicott City
was late and rare for Howard 3 Oct (BO). A
Dickcissel at Julie Metz Wetlands, Prince William,
VA 22 Sep (SR), was an unusual Piedmont loca-
tion, and one flyover at Assat. 15 Aug (MH, MLH
et al. ) bested the Worcester arrival by one day. A
highlight for already vagrant-rich Saint Mary’s
was the imm. Harris’s Sparrow at the very tip of
P.L.S.P. 20 Nov+ (p. a. fPC, m. ob., ph. AR), a first
county record and about the 18th for Maryland.
A Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow at Black
Hills Res., Montgomery 12 Nov (p. a. vt. DC) was
almost as rare (actually there are still fewer
Maryland records for Gambel’s.) Diligent Oct
searches of sparrow-rich Piedmont wetlands are
providing more data about the inland passage of
Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow. At N.F.W.B., there
were 3 on 12 Oct (SR, CT), 2 on 14 Oct (KG, SS),
and one 20 Oct (SR, TMD, BA). At U.M.C.F.,
there was a bright bird (presumably nelsoni) 27
Sep-2 Oct (BO et al.) and a duller bird (possibly
alterus) 2-16 Oct (BO et al, ph. RC); both were
seen in direct comparison 2 Oct. The barrier
islands in the Region are the Lark Sparrow
hotspots, and this year there was one at Chine. 21
Aug (MJI, TMD), one Assat. 24-31 Aug (ph.
MLH, m. ob.), and another at Assat. 29 Aug (ph.
MLH et al.). One juv. at Hart 1 Sep (vt. JLS, EJS et

40

North American Birds

Middle Atlantic Coast — Southern Atlantic Coast

al.) was more unusual — it was species #276 for
the Hart-Miller list — and another was at John
Brown Rd., Queen Anne’s 25 Sep (D. Poet). Away
from the coast, where regular in small numbers,
Clay-colored Sparrow was found in at Oxon Hill
Farm, Prince George’s 1 Oct (DM), in Howard 14-
15 Oct (tBO et al.), at Mt. Pleasant 27 Oct (HH),
at Meadowbrook, and at Western Regional Park 4
Nov (BO, NM, RC). One on the C.B.B.T. 4 Sep
(CB et al.) and 2 there 6 Sep (KK) provide evi-
dence that this species is arriving slightly earlier
in the Region as its regularity increases as a
migrant. Lincoln’s Sparrow arrived early too,
with one at Western Regional Park 1 Sep (BO)
providing Maryland’s 2nd earliest; several 9-11
Sep (v. 0.) in Maryland’s Piedmont and D.C. were
likewise quite early. A Slate-colored Fox Sparrow
(p. a.) at Rachel Carson Conservation Park,
Montgomery 23 Nov (PO, M. O’Brien, L.
Zemaitis, G. H. Rosenberg) provided the first
Maryland record for a non- iliaca subspecies;
Virginia has one report of this form, which is rec-
ognized as a species by some authorities but not
yet by the American Ornithologists’ Union.
Maryland’s 2nd Oct record (first was 23 Oct
1977) for Le Conte’s Sparrow was garnered 20
Oct (p. a. MH et al.), when one was flushed from
the same n. Vaughn strip of grass that has held at
least one wintering bird since 1998; it was seen
again 1 1 Nov ( p. a. KF, MH et al. ) . A search of the
same area 15 Oct (MJI) did not find the bird. Is
this the same long-lived bird, or is this tiny sec-
tion of habitat so good that it hasn’t gone vacant
in four years? A Le Conte’s Sparrow at Sky
Meadows S.P. 20-21 Oct (p. a. S. Eccles, fTMD)
provided a Fauquier, VA first and one of the only
seven Piedmont records for the state.

An imm. male Yellow-headed Blackbird at
Oyster, Northampton, VA 3 Sep was seen amidst
the spectacle of 34,000 Bobolinks going to roost
here; a Dickcissel was also in the mix (ESB,
SWH). Brewer’s Blackbirds included 2 at Hart 27
Oct (EJS et al.) and one male on Rte. 309, Queen
Anne’s 9 & 1 1 Nov (MH, KF, JLS). A good count
of 210 Baltimore Orioles was noted at Sunset
Beach 12 Sep (ESB). There was some evidence of
winter finches on the move again this year,
including a Common Redpoll at a Middleton,
Frederick feeder (ph. J. Alexander), and single Red
Crossbills at Kipt. on several dates 30 Oct-23 Nov
(CB). Even rarer were White-winged Crossbills:
one at a Columbia, Howard feeder 1 Nov (J. & T.
D. Coskren, ph. R.Solem, v. o.), 3 flybys at Kipt. 23
Nov (CB), and 12 at Chine, feeding in scrub pines
along the dunes 25 Nov (Rosemary Jagus ftde
GM). Pine Siskins and Purple Finches staged
respectable invasions this year, and there was the
usual smattering of Evening Grosbeak reports in
Nov, including Kipt. sightings by Brennan on 2
Nov (2) and 13 Nov (3).

Corrigenda

Patty Craig pointed out that I miscounted the fly-
catcher species known from Saint Mary’s {N. A.
B. 55: 287); the real total is 15. In the same issue,
note also that the date for the Ruff at Deal (N. A.
B. 55: 286) should be 14 Apr 2001.

Observers (area compilers in boldface): Bob
Abrams, Robert L. Ake, Bill Akers, Henry T.
Armistead, Stan Arnold, Zach Baer, Debbie
Bennett [Caroline, P.O. Box 404, Denton, MD
21625), Michael Bowen, Calvin Brennan, Edward
S. Brinkley, Danny Bystrak, Patty Craig [Saint
Mary’s, P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD 20653),
Ralph Cullison, Dave Czaplak, Todd M. Day, Joan
DeCarli, Samuel H. Dyke, Wendy Raiding, Fred
Fallon, Kevin Fehskens, Kurt Gaskill, Mary
Gustafson, Matt Hafner, Steven W. Hairfield, Rob

Ricky Davis

608 Smallwood Drive

Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804

(RJDNC@aol.com)

The fall season was one of contrasts. Weather
patterns were relatively average in August,
but in October and November, temperatures
were mild and precipitation was way below
normal. Some areas received practically no
measurable rain for over a month! With this

Hilton, Hans Holbrook, David L. Hughes, Karen
Kearney, Elliot Kirchbaum, Bev Leeuwenburg,
Larry Lynch (VA-BIRD internet group), Gail
MacKiernan, Nancy Magnusson, Holly Mercer,
Dave Mozurkewich, Paul, O’Brien, Bonnie Ott,
Brian Patteson, Helen A. Patton [Montgomery,
429 Hamilton Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20901
<helen@dataprompt.com>), Jim Peters, Paul
Pisano, Elizabeth Pitney [Wicomico, 7218
Walston Switch Rd., Parsonsburg, MD 21849),
Steve Rottenborn, Robert F. Ringler, Norm
Saunders (MDOsprey internet group), Eugene J.
Scarpulla, Rob Simpson, Jo Solem [Howard,
10617 Graeloch Rd., Laurel, MD 20723), James L.
Stasz, Paula Sullivan (Voice of the Naturalist),
Sherman Suter, Craig Turner, Roberta Vallone,
Jerry Via, Les Willis (Virginia Birdline). a

warm, dry period, major frontal passages were
not very prevalent. This meant that much of
the migration was unspectacular and went
unnoticed by many observers, especially in the
first half of the period. Things changed in
October and November. Many observers com-
mented on more migrants, probably a result of
the delayed early migration. Also quite a few
rarities were found, making for a very exciting
last half of the season.

Southern Atlantic
Coast

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

41

Abbreviations: B.R.C. (Bird Records

Committee); C. Hatt. (Cape Hatteras, NC);
E.L.H. (E. L. Huie Land Application Eacility,
Clayton, GA); H.B.S.R (Huntington Beach State
Park, SC); K. Mt. (Kennesaw Mt. National
Battlefield Park, GA); L.M. (L. Mattamuskeet,
NC); P.l. (Pea L N.W.R., Dare, NC); S.S.S.
(Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper, SC); W.RL (West
Point L., GA).

LOONS THROUGH WOOD STORK

The loon migration was uneventful except for an
inland Red-throated at Jordan L., NC 10 Nov (DS
et al.) and a good count of 130 Commons at
W.RL. 6 Nov (WC). The most dependable loca-
tion for Pacific Loon in the Region is Eigure
Eight L, NC. This year Pacifies were present 18-25
Nov with a peak of 3 on the 24th (DC et al).
Grebes were well represented this fall with an
early Red-necked at Palls L., NC 31 Oct (BB) and
Eareds at the usual locations. A Western Grebe at
Palls L., NC 11-17 Nov (RD, v. o.) provided about
the 5th or 6th for that state. Pelagic highlights
from North Carolina included one or 2 Herald
Petrels off Manteo 25 Aug, a peak of 4 Manx
Shearwaters off Hatteras 5 Aug, a peak of 2
White-tailed Tropiebirds off Hatteras 4 Aug, and
a Masked Booby off Manteo 25 Aug (BP et al.).
Elsewhere a White-tailed Tropiebird was a good
find out of Murrell’s Inlet, SC 1 Sep (JP, RL).
American White Pelicans were present in se.
South Carolina in unprecedented numbers, with
200 over Donnelley W.M.A. 27 Oct (CR et al.)
being the highest count reported. Other notable
sightings included at least 6 at L.M. 30 Nov
(R&SB), and inland singles at Falls L., NC 11-18
Nov (RD, v. 0,) and L. Seminole, GA 11-12 Nov
(MB). A Magnificent Frigatebird seen heading s.
at Capers L, SC 26 Nov (AZ) was very late.

Long-legged waders of note included a very
early American Bittern in Horry, SC 15 Aug
(S&BTh), a Least Bittern found in downtown
Winston-Salem, NC 3 Oct, which later died (RS
et al.), and the usual smattering of Reddish Egrets
from all three states. The peak count was 3 on
Sapelo L, GA 18 Sep (DCo), and the latest one
was on Jekyll L, GA 30 Nov (LT et al.). Outside of
the usual se. GA area. Roseate Spoonbills were
found at James L, SC 15 Aug (fide DF), Cape
Romain N.W.R., SC 22 Oct (PN et al.), and
Skidaway I., GA 10-11 Nov (RW et al.).
Wandering Wood Storks were good finds: one at
Townville, SC 12 Aug ( JE et al.), 2 at L.M. 14 Aug
(JPa), and 2-8 in n. Greene, GA 9-16 Sep (PS).

WATERFOWL THROUGH CRANES

The waterfowl migration was generally
uneventful and late, with numbers being down
for most species. Exceptions to this were the 56
Fulvous Whistling-Ducks at Harris Neck

N.W.R., GA 6 Oct (EH), 250-r Snow Geese fly-
ing over S. Peachtree Creek Nature Pres., GA
25 Oct {fide JS), 2100 Blue-winged Teal at the
S.S.S. 6 Oct (PS, SC), and 200 Red-breasted
Mergansers at W.RL. 21 Nov (WC). Some of
the rarer reports included a Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck of unknown origin at
Andrews I., GA 15 Sep (BW), a Ross’s Goose in
a large Snow Goose flock in n. Forsyth, GA 26
Oct. (JFI), and a Long-tailed Duck on L.
Hickory, NC 28-29 Oct (D&LM). Inland scot-
er reports were down from past fall seasons,
but several individuals of all three were locat-
ed.

A Swallow-tailed Kite was a good find at Ft.
Fisher, NC 8 Sep (SCo), and an excellent count
of 26 migrating Mississippi Kites was had at
the Congaree Bluffs, SC hawk watch 16 Aug
(DB). The rare Northern Goshawk was found
twice this fall with an ad. at Pocosin Lakes
N.W.R., NC 1 1 Nov (R&SB) and an imm. on
Roanoke L, NC 24 Nov (R&PT). Other hawks
of note included a late Broad-winged at
Winston-Salem, NC 5 Nov (DD) and a
Rough-legged back at Alligator River N.W.R.,
NC 1-30 Nov+ (RD, v. o.). Always noteworthy
in the region. Golden Eagle reports included
an imm. at Congaree Swamp Nat. Mon., SC 22
Nov {fide RC) and an ad. at Capers L, SC 23
Nov (AZ).

Black Rail reports away from typical locales
included individuals seen at Savannah
N.W.R., SC 25 Aug (AC), at Andrews L, GA 29
Oct (WC), at L.M. 26 Nov (MM), and one
heard at Long Beach, NC 31 Oct (SCo). The
Limpkin continued its presence in the Region,
with one at Phinizy Swamp, Augusta, GA 9-15
Sep (PC, JS, CL) and 2 at Gamecock L.,
AJtamaha R., GA 8 Oct (MH, v. o.) until at
least 3 Nov ( JS et aJ.). The only Sandhill Crane
report of note was of 2 flying over the Croatan
N.F., NC 30 Oct (JF et al.).

PLOVERS THROUGH TERNS

American Golden Plovers were reported wide-
ly from all three states. The best count was
four at the Orangeburg sod farms, SC 22 Sep
(SCa et al.). A Piping Plover was very rare
inland at the Plant Scherer Ash Pond, Monroe,
GA 16 Aug (TJ; TS et al.). Excellent seasonal
totals were: 22 Piping Plovers at Ocracoke, NC
1 1 Sep (RH), a probable record count of 1,131
American Oystercatchers at Cape Romain
N.W.R., SC 20 Sep (CH et al.), over 400
American Avocets at P.L 17 Nov (HW et al.),
and 6000 Sanderlings on St. Catherine’s Bar,
Liberty, GA 8 Aug (PS). The best inland avocet
reports included 15 at L. Auman, Moore, NC
19 Oct (DDo) and 6 at L. Katherine,
Columbia, SC 22 Sep (RSa et al.). Another

noteworthy inland shorebird was the Willet at
the Legacy sod farm, GA 12-13 Aug (JG, BD;
GB, JFL) and one at the Winslow sod, Halifax,
NC 19 Aug (RD). The best Upland Sandpiper
total reported was of 20 at the Orangeburg sod,
SC 16 Aug (VA et al.). Also rare inland.
Marbled Godwits were found at the Legacy
sod, GA 4-5 Aug (BD; BZ et al.) and at L. Don
T. Howell, Cabarrus, NC 17 Aug-9 Oct (TL, m.
ob.). Baird’s Sandpiper reports of note includ-
ed an excellent count of 4 at the Legacy sod
farm, GA 1 Sep (WC et al.) and one at L.M. 24
Nov being very late (R&PT). The only Curlew
Sandpiper reported was at P.l. 4-23 Aug ( JL, ST
et al., R&SB). Stilt Sandpipers were wide-
spread; 6 at L.M. 10 Nov were rather late (BH).
Buff-breasted Sandpipers were once again
found throughout the Region. The best total
was of 8 at Turfgrass America, Floyd, GA 2 Sep
(MD). This season’s Ruffs were at C. Hatt., a
female 7 Sep (vt. BP), and inland at Turfgrass
Group sod farm, Marshallville, GA 1 Sep (JS,
CS), the latter providing the first for that state
since the early 1980s. Other reports of note
involved 30 Short-billed Dowitchers at the
Winslow sod farm, NC 14 Aug (EE) and 4
Wilson’s Phalaropes at the Super sod farm,
Macon, GA 14 Aug (WC).

South Polar Skuas were found off Hatteras,
NC four times in Aug, with the peak count
being 4 on the 4th (BP et al.). Jaeger numbers
were average offshore and from the beaches,
but the aJways noteworthy Long-taiJed Jaeger
was found once — 4 off Hatteras 4 Aug (BP et
al.). Some interesting gull reports included a
good early count of 12 Lesser Black-backed
Gulls at Wassaw L, GA 22 Sep (SC) and a first-
winter Glaucous at Carolina Beach, NC 28 Nov
(LG et al.). A Sabine’s Gull off Manteo, NC 1
Sep was a good find (BP et al.). This species has
been hard to come by the last several years. In
Georgia, an imm. Black-legged Kittiwake was
at W.RL. 29 Nov-t (WC). This location is
becoming one of the better areas to hope for
inland kittiwakes in the region. Late, for
inland locations, were a Caspian Tern at Falls
L., NC 27 Oct (HL), and 2 Common Terns at L.
Hickory, NC 24 Oct (D&LM). The best Bridled
Tern total was of the 29 out of Savannah, GA in
South Carolina waters 1 Sep (GB et al.), while
the best Sooty Tern number was the 51 off
Manteo, NC 1-2 Sep (BR et al.). Inland, Black
Terns peaked at 8 on L. Hickory, NC 19 Aug
(DM). And finally, an excellent count of 332
Black Terns was made on the pelagic trip out of
Savannah, GA 1 Sep (GB et al.).

DOVES THROUGH PIPITS

From one to 2 White-winged Doves were once
again present in Beaufort, NC during the peri-

42

North American Birds

Southern Atlantic Coast

od (m. ob.), and another one was found at near-
by Ft. Macon, NC 10-17 Oct (R&SB, JF, BH).
The only Black-billed Cuckoos reported were
singles at Callaway Gardens, GA 18 Sep (WC)
and at P.I. 26 Oct (IL, BC, BP). A Snowy Owl at
Ft. Fisher, NC 25-30 Nov-l- (BS; TP et al.; m. ob.)
was one of the most obliging ever found in that
state, with many observers locating the bird
during its stay. The Short-eared Owls, present at
Alligator R. N.W.R., NC through the spring and
summer seasons were again found 15 Aug,
when two ads. and one juv. were seen (KK et
al.). North Carolina got its first Broad-billed
Hummingbird this season, a subad. male at a
feeder near New Bern 7-12 Oct (IP, SCb, m.
ob.). There was one previous Regional record,
from Seneca, SC 30 Jul 1985. Black-chinned
Hummingbirds included a female banded at a
feeder in Pawley’s I., SC 10 Nov (GP) and a male
returning for the 2nd winter in a row in
Savannah, GA 18 Oct-30 Nov-f (SC). Calliope
Hummingbirds also returned for a 2nd winter
at Augusta, GA 10 Oct-30 Nov-t- and at Lilburn,
GA 29 Nov-t (RTr). An imm. male Broad-tailed
Hummingbird showed up near Gibsonville,
Guilford, NC 22 Oct-30 Nov-h (MT; SCb, m.
ob.). The bird, banded 1 1 Nov, provided anoth-
er new species of hummingbird for North
Carolina — the state’s 9th documented species.

Always noteworthy in the Region, Olive-
sided Flycatchers included singles at Pinckney I.
N.W.R., SC 1 Sep (DT et al.), K. Mt. 1 1 Sep (GB
et al.), Congaree Nat. Mon., SC 23 Sep (PW),
Santee Coastal Res., SC 2 Oct (GP, JP, BM), and
the Savannah R. Site, SC 6 Oct (Jide PC). Yellow-
bellied Flycatchers were reported much more
frequently than normal, with at least 20 sight-
ings across all three states. Other Empidonax
flycatchers included an Alder heard at
Ocmulgee Nat. Mon., GA 20 Sep (EB), a Willow
at Legacy sod farms, GA 13 Aug (GB et al.), and
2 calling Leasts at Augusta, GA 25 Sep (AW).
Western Kingbirds found this season were sin-
gles at P.I. 27 Oct (JW et al.) and Kure Beach,
NC 3-5 Nov (MG, BS). Other “yellow-breasted”
kingbirds made news this fall. A Tropical
Kingbird was at P.I. 29 Oct- 18 Nov (RD, R&PT,
m. ob.). This individual was seen by countless
observers and well photographed, but never
audio-taped. Descriptions of the voice point to
Tropical. This was that state’s 2nd definite
Tropical, the first being at L. Mattamuskeet 29
Dec 1985-3 Jan 1986. Amazingly, a another
kingbird was several miles away from the first
one at P.I. 1 1 Nov (BH et al.). Seen in flight and
perched, it was never heard and was identified
as a Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird! Also another
Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird was seen briefly but
well, but also not heard, at Phinizy Swamp,
Augusta, GA 21 Sep (PC et al.). This season’s

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers included an imm. at
Mackay 1. N.W.R., NC 18 Aug (DCl) and a male
at Cartersville, GA 15 Sep (BD et al.). And last
but not least in the flycatcher parade. North
Carolina got its 2nd Fork-tailed Flycatcher
when one was moving n. from P.I. to Nags
Head, NC during the day 4 Nov (LTo, m. ob.).

Always good finds in the Region, Warbling
Vireos were at Roanoke L, NC 17 Sep (JL), K.
Mt. 26-27 Sep (WC, TE), and in n. Greene, GA
23 Sep (PS). Philadelphia Vireo reports were
down somewhat, with the best total being 3 at
Ft. Benning, GA 3 Oct (WC). In the exception-
ally early department was a Brown Creeper
found near Greensboro, NC 16 Aug (R&SB). In
the amazing numbers department was the
report of 40-t Marsh Wrens at the Phinizy
Swamp, Augusta, GA 10 Nov (MB et al.). Red-
breasted Nuthatches were found in decent
numbers across much of the Region this fall.
Thrush migration as usual was a mixed bag of
negatives and positives, low visual counts and
high nocturnal counts. The best predawn
counts came from K.Mt., where on 23 Sep 78
Veeries, 27 Gray-cheekeds, and 64 Woods were
heard (GB et al.). The peak Swainson’s count
was the 712 heard at Marietta, GA 22 Sep (BZ).
A BicknelTs Thrush was banded at Weymouth
Woods, Southern Pines, NC 27 Sep (SCb,
CHe). This will hopefully document this
species, which is notoriously hard to identify,
for that state. And finally a Sprague’s Pipit was
at C. Hatt. 28 Oct-18 Nov (JW et al., vt. BP; m.
ob.). Pending acceptance, the photos would
provide the first physical evidence for the
species in that state.

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Always noteworthy, several of the Blue-winged
Warbler x Golden-winged Warbler hybrids
were found including a Brewster’s at K. Mt. 30
Aug (BZ), a Brewster’s near Ft. Benning, GA 3
Oct (WC), and a Lawrence’s at Cochran
Shoals, GA 22 Sep (BBe et al.). Two Nashville
Warblers at Charlotte, NC 18 Oct (JB) provid-
ed a good one-day total for that area.
Intriguing was the report of a bird heard giving
a full spring song of a Kirtland’s Warbler at
Mayesville, SC 25 Aug (ED, JBe)! Unfortunately
the bird was not visually verified. Connecticut
Warblers were at Berry College, Floyd, GA 22
Sep (MD), on Roanoke L, NC 26 Sep (JL), and
at Duck, NC 30 Sep (JL). Wilson’s Warbler
reports were down somewhat, and the best
count was of 2 at Charlotte, NC 12 Oct (JB).
Rare coastal Canada Warblers included singles
at Bodie L, NC 2 Sep (JL) and Savannah, GA 23
Sep (GB et al.).

Always noteworthy in the Region, an
American Tree Sparrow was at Cowans Ford

Ref., Mecklenburg, NC 3 Nov (DSw), for the
only report this fall. Clay-colored Sparrows
were found about normally, with sightings
from all three states. The farthest inland were
singles at Alpharetta, GA 30 Sep-3 Oct (BD,
JFl) and in Elbert, GA 27 Oct (EH). Lark
Sparrows also tend to be found coastally in the
fall, thus of note was one inland in Peach, GA
26-27 Sep (MD, BZ). Excellent sparrow totals
included 7 Grasshoppers in Grady, GA 24 Nov
(MB), H-f Henslow’s at Paulk’s Pasture, GA 23
Nov (EH, BZ, TE), and 6 Lincoln’s near L. Don
T. Howell, Cabarrus, NC 23 Oct (TL). Le
Conte’s Sparrows were found at Phinizy
Swamp, Augusta, GA 28 Oct (PC), Paulk’s
Pasture, GA 29 Oct- 10 Nov (WC), Elliott
Wildlife Center, Mansfield, GA 13 Nov (TK),
and at the S.S.S. 7 Nov (SC). Always rare
inland, 2 Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows were
at Phinizy Swamp, Augusta, GA 7 Oct (PC).
One was still present there until at least 10 Nov
(PC et al.). The only Lapland Longspurs
reported involved singles at C. Hatt. 29 Oct
(RD) and at H.B.S.P. 13 Nov (JP et al.). Single
Snow Buntings were at C. Hatt and P.I. 29 Oct
(RD) and again at P.I. 3 Nov (RD, v. o.).

An imm. male Black-headed Grosbeak was
closely observed near Conway, SC 27 Sep (JP).
If accepted by the South Carolina B.R.C., it
would provide about the 7th report for that
state. Dickcissel reports of note involved one at
Webb W.M.A., Hampton, SC 13 Sep (CR) and
2 at Myrtle Beach, SC 10 Nov (STu). Georgia
had the only Yellow-headed Blackbirds with 2
near Carter’s L., Murray 10 Sep (PJ) and one at
Lake Seminole S. P. 18 Nov (EH). This season’s
Shiny Cowbirds were singles at H.B.S.P. 16 Oct
(JP et al.) and at St. Simons L, GA 24 Nov {fide
EH). Purple Finches arrived in somewhat bet-
ter numbers than last year, but by the end of
the period, reports had dwindled. A few
Evening Grosbeaks found their way to the
Region this fall, with the best count being 6 at
a feeder in Cary, NC 29 Nov (MJ).
Contributors: Van Atkins, Donna Bailey, Giff
Beaton, Jim Beatty (JBe), Michael Bell, Eric
Beohm, Brad Bergstrom (BBe), Brian
Bockhahn, Rich & Susan Boyd (R&SB), John
Buckman, Steve Calver, Susan Campbell
(SCb), Brad Carlson, Derb Carter, Robin
Carter, Sandy Cash (SCa), Andrea Ceselski,
Walt Chambers, Paul Champlin, David Clark
(DCl), Doris Cohrs (DCo), Sam Cooper
(SCo), Evelyn Dabbs, Ricky Davis, Doug
DeNeve, Marion Dobbs, Dick Dole (DDo),
Bruce Dralle, Jim Edwards, Tom Egan, Elisa
Enders, Jim Elynn (JEl), Dennis Eorsythe, John
Fussell, Mark Galizio, John Gatchet, Chris
Helms (CHe), Chris Hill, Malcolm Hodges,
Bob Holmes, Earl Horn, Royce Hough, Paul

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

43

Jastram, Mark Johns, Terry Johnson, Tim
Keyes, Kim King-Wrenn, Carol Lambert,
Harry LeGrand, Jeff Lewis, Rich Lilly, Tomm
Lorenzin, Dwayne & Lori Martin (D&LM),
Bob Maxwell, Mary McDavit, Perry Nugent,
Inge Parker, Jim Parnell (JPa), Brian Patteson,

Jack Peachey, Gary Phillips, Taylor Piephoff,
Carroll Richard, Chuck Saleeby, Richard
Sasnett (RSa), Todd Schneider, Jeff Sewell,
Doug Shadwick, Bruce Smithson, Danny
Swicegood (DSw), Paul Sykes, Stephen &
Barbara Thomas (S&BTh), Lydia Thompson,

Simon Thompson, Les Todd (LTo), Monte
Tickle, David Trently, Rusty Trump (RTr),
Sharon Turner (STu), Russ & Patricia Tyndall
(RScPT), Anne Waters, Russ Wigh, Haven
Wiley, Brad Winn, Pete Worthington, John
Wright, Bob Zaremba, Aaron Zaretsky. a

Florida

Bill Pranty

Audubon of Florida
410 Ware Boulevard, Suite 702
Tampa, Florida 33619
(billpranty@hotmail.com)

The Region’s long-term drought was eased
somewhat by above-average rainfall. Tropical
Storm Gabrielle made landfall along the south-
central Gulf coast early 14 September and moved
northeast across the Peninsula, exiting north of
Daytona Beach just before midnight. On 15-16
September, there were predictable observations of
coastal species inland, and several large counts of
terns along the northern Atlantic coast. Hurricane
Michelle, which missed the Region to the east,
drove several pelagic species to the southern
Atlantic coast in early November. Florida’s third
verifiable Surfbird was the clear highlight of the
season.

Abbreviations/definitions: C.P. (County Park);
E.N.P. (Everglades N.R); report (any observa-
tion); record (only reports verifiable from photo-
graph, videotape, or specimen evidence).

LOONS THROUGH WATERFOWL

Single Eared Grebes were found at L. Apopka 7
Oct (HR) and Springhill Road W.T.P., Tallahassee
9-23 Oct (GM, JD, JM), while different Polk
mines held 11 on 7 Nov and 19 on 30 Nov (PE).
Good counts of Cory’s Shearwaters were 25 at
Boynton Inlet, Palm Beach 4 Nov (JHB et al.); 50
at Red Reef Park, Palm Beach 4 Nov (DL et al.); 3
definites and 90 probables at Turtle Mound,
Canaveral National Seashore, Volusia 6 Nov
(MG); and 90 off Port Canaveral, Brevard 1 Nov
(KK et ah). Eleven Audubon’s Shearwaters were at
Boynton Inlet 4 Nov (JHB et ah), and a Brown
Booby was spied from Turtle Mound 6 Nov
(MG). Largest counts of American White Pelicans

were 1050 at Flamingo, E.N.P. 9 Nov (BR) and
1200 at Polk mines 24 Nov (CGe, PT, LAl). Twelve
Magnificent Frigatebirds w. of L. Wales, Polk 14
Sep (TP) and one at Belle Glade, Palm Beach 16
Sep (CW, GH) probably were related to Gabrielle.
Other frigatebirds were 4 over Alligator Pt.,
Franklin 5 Aug ( JM) and 13 Oct ( JM, GS) and one
at Crescent Beach, St. Johns 1 Oct (GB). L. Apopka
attracted an early American Bittern 22 Aug, a
Reddish Egret 9 Sep, and up to 2 White-faced Ibis
4-11 Nov (HR). Forty-eight first-year Roseate
Spoonbills were at Holiday, Pasco 19 Aug (KT, LT),
and the Snake Bight, E.N.P. flock of Greater
Flamingos peaked at 27 (BR).

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks made a strong
showing this fall, and many broods were
observed, including several in the n. Peninsula.
Five broods with 7-15 chicks each were in
Alachua 9 Aug-9 Sep (WW, LG et al.), 3 ads. and
12 juvs. were at Viera, Brevard 26 Aug (BPa),
broods of 2, 6, and 8 were at the Sarasota “Celery
Fields” 8 Sep (LS), one pair and 12 chicks were at
Emeralda Marsh, Lake 15 Sep (PM), and one ad.
and 9 chicks were at Bartow, Polk 6 Oct (PF). The
63 whistling-ducks at Paynes Prairie, Alachua 10
Nov (RR) established the highest count for n.
Florida. Three Greater White-fronted Geese visit-
ed L. Apopka 28 Oct (HR), while 75 Snow Geese
were at St. Marks N.W.R. 26 Oct (JD, JC et al.),
and 13 were s. of Dundee, Polk 3-30 Nov-l- (BC,
LC). Six broods of Muscovy Ducks were seen at
Brandon, Hillsborough throughout Nov, and a
Mallard brood was there 9 Nov (BPr). A Mallard
s. of Dundee 3 Nov (BC, LC) was thought to be
wild. American Black Ducks are rare in cen.
Florida, so singles at Merritt 1. 8 Sep (BC, LC) and
L. Apopka beginning 11 Nov (HR) were notable.
Peak counts of Blue-winged Teal were 2459 at Polk
mines 6 Oct (PF) and 3005 at L. Apopka 28 Oct
(HR). An ad. male Cinnamon Teal livened up
Honeymoon 1. 7 Oct (JBo, CT), likewise another
at L. Apopka 1-27 Nov (HR). Unverified inland,
single Greater Scaup were identified carefully at L.
Apopka 1 1-30 Nov-l- (HR) and Polk mines 24 Nov
(CGe, PT, LAI). Irregular so far s. were 17 Black
Scoters at Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade 3 Nov and
“many” at Red Reef Park 6 Nov (RD).

44

North American Biros

Florida

RAPTORS THROUGH SHOREBIRDS

All-day raptor watches at Guana R. S.R, St. Johns
27 Sep- 12 Oct totalled 47 Merlins and 489
Peregrine Falcons (BS et al.). Four White-tailed
Kites were at Miami Canal, Palm Beach 3 Sep
(DSi), 2 were at Brown’s Farm Road, Palm Beach
19 Aug (CBo), and 2 at Buck I. Ranch, Highlands
24 Sep (MMc). A subad. Mississippi Kite circled
low over Sanibel Lighthouse Park, Lee 30 Sep
(VM, CE et al). Early raptors at L. Apopka were a
Northern Flarrier 14 Aug, a Sharp-shinned Hawk
29 Aug, and an American Kestrel 26 Aug (HR).
Another Sharp-shinned was at Lakeland, Polk 27
Aug (PF), while another kestrel was at Cape Coral,
Lee 31 Aug (CE). A flock of 47 Broad-winged
Hawks over Sanibel Lighthouse 1 Oct (LB) was
above average for that site. The most interesting of
8 Short-tailed Hawk reports in the cen. Peninsula
(v. o.) was one near Floral City, Citrus 15 Oct (BC,
LC). A light-morph ad. Swainson’s Hawk near
Haines City, Polk 28 Aug (BC, LC) was extremely
early, while an amazing 59 Crested Caracaras for-
aged in a freshly plowed field in n. Okeechobee 24
Oct (PSm). Black Rails were found inland at Buck
1. Ranch 20 Aug, 20 Sep, and 16 Oct (MMc) and
Holey Land W.M.A., Palm Beach 27 Aug (DSi).
One hundred Soras were heard at Newnans L. 21
Oct (JHi, HA). The count of American Coots at
Polk mines peaked at 32,000 on 3 Nov (PF).

There were 483 Black-bellied Plovers n. of
Bakersville, St. Johns 30 Sep (JHi, LD) and 160 at
Ft. De Soto C.P., Pinellas 24 Nov (PSy). A Snowy
Plover was rare at Pine L, Hernando 12 Aug (CBl,
A8cBH), while another returned to winter at
Talbot Is., Duval by 7 Nov (PL). Sixty-five
Semipalmated Plovers were n. of Bakersville 30
Sep (JHi, LD), while Ft. De Soto supported 185
birds 24 Nov (PSy). A downy Killdeer chick at
Springhill Road W.T.P. 18 Nov (GM) represented
one of the latest Florida breeding reports.

American Avocets occurred widely this fall (v. o.).
Notable Pasco observations were 3 at Green Key
24 Sep (KT) and 10 at Hudson Beach 7 Oct (JBo,
CT). Elsewhere, 205 were at Polk mines 6 Oct
(PF), 3 at Pine I. 6 Oct (RG), 3 at Cedar Key, Levy
29 Oct (MG, JG), 1 1 at Ft. De Soto 4 Nov (BA, LAt
et al.), and 4 at Springhill Road W.T.P. 12 Nov
(GM).

Brown’s Farm Road hosted 18 Upland
Sandpipers 19 Aug (CBo), while one at Fort Myers
8-9 Sep (DSu et al.) was the first there in five
years. Casual in the Region was the Hudsonian
Godwit at Fort Island Beach Park, Citrus 14 Sep
(TR, ph.). The stunning Surfbird at Sanibel L,
Lee 26-28 Oct (B&CP et al, vt. BPr, DP) repre-
sented only the 3rd Florida record and one of very
few away from the w. states. Shorebirds at L.
Apopka were one Red Knot 16 Sep, one
Sanderling 29 Aug, one Ruff, 8 White-rumped,
and 690 Pectoral Sandpipers 16 Sep, one Baird’s
Sandpiper 13 Sep, and 3 Buff-breasted Sandpipers
26 Sep (HR). A 2nd inland Sanderling dropped by
Tram Road W.T.P., Tallahassee 13 Sep (GM),
while Ft. Meade, Polk hosted another Baird’s
Sandpiper 20 Oct (TP). A Purple Sandpiper made
it s. to Boynton Inlet 15-30 Nov-i- (PB, CJG et ah),
and a leucistic Dunlin was found at St. Marks 4
Nov (SD). Other Buff-breasteds were duos at
Honeymoon I. 2-3 Sep (RaS et al.) and Brown’s
Farm Road 7 Sep (KA et al), and singles at Tram
Road W.T.P. 17 Oct (JC), n. of Bakersville 30 Sep
(JHi, LD), and w. of St. Augustine 29-30 Sep
(LD). Very early were 2 Long-billed Dowitchers
(identified by plumage and call) at Brown’s Farm
Road 11 Aug (DSi). Phalaropes apparently cour-
tesy of Gabrielle were 142 Red-neckeds at Ft.
George Inlet, Duval 15 Sep (RC), 15 near Turtle
Mound 16 Sep (DSi), and one Red at L. Apopka
16 Sep (HR). Another Red-necked Phalarope was
found at Polk mines 14 Oct (LAl, CGe).

Providing only the third verifiable record for
Florida (and third record for any eastern state!)
was this Surfbird at Sanibel Island 26-28 October
2001 (here 27 October). Photograph from digital
video by Bill Pranty.

C II Florida’s first Elegant Tern was
^#ir%recorded at Honeymoon I. 3
Oct-22 Nov 1999, while another of the
species was discovered the following win-
ter (2-29 Dec 2000) at Ft. De Soto, about
50 km to the south. This past spring, pre-
sumably the same Elegant reappeared at
Ft. De Soto and was observed copulating
with a Sandwich Tern (cf. N. A. B. 55:
382); Florida’s primary Sandwich Tern
colony is nearby. This fall, 3 Elegant Terns
were photographed at Ft. De Soto,
although whether all of them were “pure”
is uncertain at the time of publication.
The following information is a brief sum-
mary of these observations; readers are
referred to Lyn Atherton’s website for
additional details: <http://home.earth-
link.net/~bonniedabird/FirstElegant.htm
>. On 17 Aug, 2 terns were seen at Ft. De
Soto, one carrying a fish while being
pursued by a second, begging bird. A
dusky-tailed subad. was photographed
here 21-22 Sep, while a white-tailed ad.
was photographed the following day.
Finally, an “obvious HY [Elegant x
Sandwich Tern] hybrid” (!) was pho-
tographed at Cortez Beach, Manatee 9
Oct. We will continue to monitor this
fascinating situation.

Table 1. Curry Hammock S.P. hawk watch data, 15 Sep-13 Mov 2001 (SBr, GP, CL, CBo). These data
again confirm that the Florida Keys are an excellent spot for observing migrating Peregrine Falcons in
particular. Unlike the data presented for fall 2000, only southbound birds are totalled here, which is
believed to be the most accurate method for determining overall numbers.

Species

Count

Species

Count

Osprey

983

Broad-winged Hawk

3535

Swallow-tailed Kite

17

Short-tailed Hawk

38

Mississippi Kite

57

Swainson’s Hawk

109

Bald Eagle

19

Red-tailed Hawk

5

Northern Harrier

741

American Kestrel

4338

Sharp-shinned Hawk

3697

Merlin

581

Cooper’s Hawk

335

Peregrine Falcon

1432

Red-shouldered Hawk

7

Total individuals

15,930

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

45

This juvenile Sabine’s Gull at Green Key, New Port
Richey 6 October 2001 provided the first docu-
mented record for the Florida Gulf coast away
from the Dry Tortugas. Photograph by Ken Tracey.

JAEGERS THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Seventy Pomarine faegers were at Boynton Inlet 4
Nov (DL et al.), while Gardler saw 3 definite and
>50 probable Pomarines and 7 ad. Parasitic
Jaegers at Turtle Mound 6 Nov. Rare larids at Ft.
De Soto were 2 juv. Franklin’s Gulls 28-29 Oct,
the Heermann’s Gull to 10 Nov, a first-year
Thayer’s Gull 24 Oct-30 Nov-l-, a park high of 7
Lesser Black-backed Gulls 12 Oct, and 2 yellow-
ish-legged Great Black-backed Gulls 22-29 Sep
(LAt, PSy et al.). At Talbot Is., there were 692
Herring Gulls and 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
28 Sep (RC). An ad. Lesser Black-backed at New
Port Richey 6-30 Nov-l- (KT, LT) furnished Pasco’s
first. A surprising 5 Sabine’s Gulls, all juvs., were
reported, including one at Green Key 6 Oct (KT,
ph.) that furnished the first record for the Gulf
coast (excluding the Dry Tortugas); others were
up to 2 at Boynton Inlet 3-30 Nov-t (BH et al.),
possibly one of these nearby at Red Reef Park 4
Nov (DL et al.), and one southbound off Turtle
Mound 6 Nov (MG). Gabrielle brought large
numbers of terns to Ft. George Inlet 15 Sep; 35
Caspian, 325 Royal, 72 Sandwich, 210 Common,
153 Forster’s, 101 Bridled, 91 Sooty, and 850 Black
Terns (RC). The storm also pushed some of these
species inland: one Royal, one Common, and 2
Sandwich Terns were at Newnan’s L. 15 Sep (RR,
JBr), another Sooty was at Viera 15 Sep (BPa et
al), and L. Apopka hosted 4 Common and 26
Black Terns 16 Sep (HR). A pelagic trip off Port
Canaveral 7 Nov netted 200 Royal, 1000
Sandwich, 30 Common, and 15 Bridled Terns
(KK et al.). Sykes reported large numbers of terns
feeding off Ft. De Soto 24 Nov, including 330
Sandwich, 565 Forster’s, and 4000 that were too

distant to identify; 625 Black Skimmers also were
seen. At Polk mines. Fellers found 51 Sandwich
Terns 6 Oct, and 217 Caspian, 4 Royal, and 225
Forster’s Terns and 375 Black Skimmers 30 Nov.

An imm. White-crowned Pigeon wandered n.
to Birch S.P., Ft. Lauderdale 12 Sep ( WG). Among
several reports of White-winged Doves were two
notably large counts: 24 at L. Apopka 19 Sep (HR)
and 14 at Eastpoint, Franklin 27 Oct (SK). Three
Cockatiels were found in mid-Pinellas 29 Nov
( JF), while the Bayonet Pt., Pasco Budgerigar roost
contained 74 birds 30 Nov (KT). Two flocks —
thought to be separate — of Rose-ringed Parakeets
at Naples contained 95 and 132 birds 27 Nov
(DSu, BPr), the largest numbers reported in
Florida. With the Rose-ringeds at Naples 14 Oct
were 6 Aratinga, including at least 2 each of Blue-
crowned and White-eyed Parakeets (KD, TD,
BPr). At Boynton Inlet 23 Nov, >20 Black-hooded
Parakeets and one Orange-fronted Parakeet were
found (TD); the latter represented the first
Florida report since 1988. Finally, Monk Parakeets
at new sites were singles at Ortona, Glades 5 Aug
(VM et al.) and Apalachicola, Franklin 8 Sep
(KM), and 7 at Weekiwachee Preserve, Hernando
19 Nov (A&BH). Black-billed Cuckoos, rare in the
Region, were at L. Apopka 7 Oct (HR) and Paynes
Prairie 13 Oct (RR, JHi et al.). A fledgling Yellow-
billed Cuckoo fed by an ad. at St. Marks 1 1 Sep
(JD, JM) seems like a late breeding date, while
another Yellow-billed lingered at Goodwin
W.M.A., Brevard 10 Nov (CP, BHA). Single Lesser
Nighthawks were reported at w. Kendall, Miami-
Dade 16 Nov (JHB) and Loxahatchee N.W.R.,
Palm Beach 24 Nov (BH).

Whip-poor-wills sang at Ft. George 1. 17 Aug
(RC) and Bald Pt. 28 Aug (ID). A roost of
Chimney Swifts at New Port Richey peaked at 5 17
birds 18 Jun and was last active 16 Oct, when 85
birds were present (KT et al). A Buff-bellied
Hummingbird was e. to Eastpoint 10 Nov (SK,
KM), while single Black-chinned Hummingbirds
were at Tallahassee feeders 29-30 Sep (D&SJ, JC)
and 10-15 Nov (FR, JC). Seven Rufous
Hummingbirds, either ad. males or banded (FB),
ranged from Tallahassee and Jacksonville s. to
Miami beginning 31 Aug (v. o.), while 10
Selasphorus were found beginning 4 Sep (v. o.).
Forty-three Red-headed Woodpeckers along one
trail at O’Leno S.P., Columbia 12 Oct (JHi) must
have been awe-inspiring. Single Hairy
Woodpeckers were in St. Johns 9 Nov (PP) and at
L. Apopka 27 Nov (HR); the latter report suggests
(seasonal?) movement. Red-shafted Flickers have
never been verified to occur in Florida, so flickers
with “reddish” tails in Leon 2 Sep (SJ) and 31 Oct
(GM) were interesting. Another flicker, at O’Leno
S.P. 12 Oct, had “definitely red tail feathers” but
also a black malar stripe and a brown face and was
thought to be an intergrade (JHi).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH PIPITS

Rare in the Region, an Olive-sided Flycatcher was
photographed at Alligator Pt. 29 Sep (JD, JM)
then promptly vanished. Cavanagh’s yard at
Tallahassee contained a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
19-20 Sep and a Traill’s Flycatcher 20 Sep. Two
Least Flycatchers were identified at Rotenberger
W.M.A., Palm Beach 14 Aug (DSi), one visited San
Luis Mission Park, Leon 6 Oct (DH, GM), and 3
were wintering at L. Apopka by 7 Nov (HR).
Vermilion Flycatchers enlivened L. Kissimmee,
Osceola 6 Oct (DG, WB et al.), L. Apopka 17 Oct
(HR), and Tallahassee 29 Nov (GM). Five Ash-
throated Flycatchers were wintering at L. Apopka
beginning 1 Nov (HR). La Sagra’s Flycatchers
strayed to Miami at A.D. Barnes Park 24 Oct-7
Nov (MWh et al.) and Key Biscayne 12 Nov (RD).
An unidentified Myiodynastes flycatcher was
seen at Miami 25 Sep (MD, RD); there are only
three records in Florida, all of Sulphur-bellied
Flycatchers. A Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird made a
brief appearance to Jupiter Inlet, Palm Beach 1
Sep (JHa), while one that arrived to winter at St.
Marks 1 1 Nov was identified as a Tropical
Kingbird (M&NM, GF, EH et al., ph.) based on
call notes heard. Gray Kingbirds inland were at L.
Apopka 2 Aug (one) and 17 Oct (2; HR),
Newnans L. 5 Sep (ML, BM), and L. Kissimmee 6
Oct (DG, WB et al). Last year, 1 commented on
the “mind-boggling” count of 50 Gray Kingbirds
at Bayport; this year, 63 were found nearby at
Weeki Wachee 13 Sep (MG) — are these apparent
migratory roosts a regular occurrence rarely
noted previously?

During and following 26 Sep, perhaps
the best thrush flight ever reported in
Florida occurred. Swainson’s Thrushes were
“all over” Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 29
Sep (JHB et al), there were “dozens” at St.
Marks the same day (DSi), and 36 at L.
Apopka 26 Sep (HR). However, the largest
counts were made by MG of calling noctur-
nal migrants over Weeki Wachee. He heard
“hundreds” of Swainson’s Thrushes 21 Sep,
and an estimated 1500 on 26 Sep — the previ-
ous Florida high count was 155 individuals!

A Bell’s Vireo was discovered e. of E.N.R 1 1-30
Nov-l- (DSi, CJG et al.), while 2 Philadelphia
Vireos at Tallahassee 1 Sep (tIC) were among the
earliest reported in Florida. Three others were
found on 26 Sep: at Ft. De Soto (MWi, LAt),
Sawgrass L. C.P., Pinellas (RoS), and w. Kendall
(JHB), with another at Hatbill Park, Brevard 29
Sep (BPa et al.). An estimated 20,000 Purple
Martins occupied a Marco 1. roost in late Aug
(BD). Bank Swallows comprised “the majority” of

46

North American Birds

Florida

1000 swallows at Browns Farm Road 11 Aug
(DSi); 145 others were at L. Apopka 2 Sep. Also at
L. Apopka, Robinson tallied 18 Cliff Swallows 26
Sep and 1450 Barn Swallows 2 Sep (HR). A Red-
breasted Nuthatch at Lower Suwannee N.W.R.,
Levy 25 Oct (AKr) was the sole report. A seasonal
high of 282 House Wrens at L. Apopka 7 Nov
(HR) was less than half of last fall’s record count
but still represented an exceptional single-observ-
er total. A surprising number, 20 Golden-crowned
Kinglets were tallied at Lower Suwannee 8 Nov
(DSt, AKr et al.), while early Ruby-crowned
Kinglets were at Tallahassee 25 Sep (ND) and
Bonner Park, Pinellas 26 Sep (RW).

The abundance of Gray Catbirds during fall
migration was demonstrated by 83 at Crystal R. 2
Oct (A&BH) and 148 at L. Apopka 24 Oct (HR).
Brown Thrashers in the Region appear to be
“stealth” migrants that quietly appear in fall. At L.
Apopka, 23 were found 7 Oct, with numbers
dwindling to no more than 5 birds by Nov; do
these birds fly farther s. or become more secretive
as winter approaches? The sole report of
Sprague’s Pipit was one at Apalachicola Airport,
Franklin 21 Nov (AS, RoS et ah).

WARBLERS THROUGH MANNIKINS

Blue-winged Warblers totalled 14 reports 26
Aug-14 Oct (v. o.), while there were 6 Golden-
winged Warblers 22 Sep-9 Oct (v. o.). A “probable
first-generation female” Brewster’s Warbler
enlivened Mead Gardens, Orlando 28 Sep (BHA et
al). Nashville Warblers were surprisingly wide-
spread, with 14 reports 23 Sep-27 Nov (v. o.), all of
singles except for 3 at Ft. De Soto 17 Oct (LAt et
al). Robinson counted 71 Yellow Warblers at L.
Apopka 16 Aug (one of the Region’s highest totals)
and found an Audubon’s Warbler there 11 Nov.
Probably wintering locally were 3 Yellow Warblers
at Belle Glade 17 Nov (CW), one Black-throated
Blue Warbler near Sebastian Inlet, Indian River 25
Nov (DSi), and a Worm-eating Warbler at Key
Largo 24 Nov (KR). Dawn counts at Green Key tal-
lied large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers
thought to represent different southbound flocks
each day. Counts totalled 860 on 24 Nov, 1138 on
25 Nov, 1208 on 27 Nov, 810 on 29 Nov, and 359 on
30 Nov (KT). The 39 Prairie Warblers at L. Apopka
9 Sep (HR) established the fall high count for
Florida. Several observers commented on the rela-
tive abundance of Blackpoll Warblers this fall,
attributed to strong winds that pushed birds west-
ward. There were seven reports of Cerulean
Warblers 12 Aug-22 Sep (v. o.), all singles except
for 3 at Ft. De Soto C.P. 15 Aug (LAt). At L. Apopka,
Robinson tallied 24 Northern Waterthrushes 13
Sep, 11 Louisiana Waterthrushes 16 Aug, and 108
Common Yellowthroats 14 Oct. Considered rare in
the Region (except for this past fall and winter!), 17
Wilson’s Warblers were found 9 Sep-25 Nov (v. o.);

all were of singles. Also more than typical, 5
Canada Warblers occurred Regionwide: singles at
San Felasco, Alachua 23 Sep (AKe, MMa, JHi),
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 29 Sep (JHB et al),
Vero Beach 29 Sep (MG, WB), and 2 at Ft. De
Soto — a female 29 Sep (SBa, LAt) and a male 30
Sep (JG, TG et al). A migrant Yellow-breasted
Chat was detected at Birch S.P. 6 Nov (WG).

Single Western Tanagers enlivened
Honeymoon 1. 31 Aug (LAt, JG) and A. D. Barnes
Park 18 Oct (MWh, JR), and a black-backed male
Western Spindalis entertained dozens during its
stay at Cape Florida 14-26 Nov (E&GR et al, ph.).
A juv. Chipping Sparrow at Flamingo 7-8 Sep
established the earliest fall report for Florida,
while another juv. was near High Springs, Alachua
15 Sep (JHi). A surprising 11 Clay-colored
Sparrows were reported, all singles, beginning 5
Sep (v. o.), and a Vesper Sparrow was s. to E.N.P.
13 Nov (CJG). Lark Sparrows were found at St.
Marks 18 Aug (TC): there were 4 at Bald Pt. 21
Aug, and another was there 29 Aug (JD, JM).
Locally uncommon in the n. part of the Region, 4
Henslow’s Sparrows were at St. Marks 4 Nov (BBe
et al.) and 9 at Apalachicola N.F., Liberty 21 Nov
(AS, RoS). An imm. male Black-headed
Grosbeak visited Bald Pt. 23-25 Oct (JD et al.). A
Painted Bunting spent its 3rd winter at Tallahassee
(BBu). L. Apopka attracted 108 Indigo Buntings
10 Oct, 2 Dickcissels 9 Sep, 513 Bobolinks 13 Sep,
2300 Red-winged Blackbirds 15 Sep, and 2420
Boat-tailed Crackles 19 Sep (HR). Yellow-headed
Blackbirds were discovered at Key West 8-9 Oct
(JO) and L. Apopka 15 Nov (HR). At least 7 Shiny
Cowbirds were at Islamorada, Monroe 30 Aug
(LM), while single males were at L. Apopka 10 Oct
(HR) and Hague Dairy, Alachua 3 Nov (JHi); the
latter site also hosted a Bronzed Cowbird 4 Nov
(MMa, AKe, RR). An ad. male Bronzed at Ft. De
Soto 13 Nov (LAt) established a park first. A
subad. male Bullock’s Oriole was found at A. D.
Barnes Park beginning 19 Oct (JHB et al). Finally,
2 Nutmeg Mannikins were at Key West 23 Aug
(CBo), while a Bronze Mannikin (Lonchura cucul-
lata) at L. Apopka 18 Nov (HR) provided the first
report for Florida.

ADDENDA

Observations from ne. Florida were accidentally
left out of the Summer Report. The most note-
worthy reports follow. One hundred American
White Pelicans at White Sands L., Clay 1 Jul
remained about one week (John Blois). Wilson’s
Plovers bred successfully at Fort Matanzas N.M.,
St. Johns 25 May (8 ads. and one chick; fide Peggy
Powell), Talbot Island S.P., Duval 23 Jun (40 ads.
and 5 chicks; Pat Leary), and Huguenot Memorial
Park, Duval in Jun (13 ads. and 5 chicks; Roger
Clark). Two pairs of American Oystercatchers
each bred at Huguenot 13 Jun (Tim Breen) and

the Bird Is., Duval in Jun (Pat Leary), producing 2
and 3 chicks, respectively. Non-breeding rarities at
Spoonbill Pond, Duval were one American Avocet
and one Wilson’s Phalarope 13 Jul (Pat Leary). The
rookery at Huguenot Park contained 800 Laughing
Gull nests and >400 Royal Tern nests 13 Jun (Tim
Breen), but high tides and strong ne. winds heavily
damaged the ternery at the Bird Is. From 22 pairs
of Gull-billed Terns and 250 pairs of Least Terns
estimated 4 Jul, only 5 and 79 chicks, respectively,
remained alive 22 Jul; 62 dead Least Tern chicks
and 2 dead Gull-billed chicks were also found (Pat
Leary). A colony of Least Terns at Fort Matanzas
contained 24 nests 25 May {fide Peggy Powell),
with no later reports about its fate.

Cited contributors (compilers of tbe Florida
Ornithological Society Field Observations
Committee are in boldface): Howard Adams,
Larry Albright (LAI), Ken Allen, Bruce H.
Anderson, Roger Atchison, Brooks Atherton, Lyn
Atherton (LAt), Steve Backes (SBa), Jocie Baker
(JBa), Linda Baker, Gian Basili, Fred Bassett, Brad
Bergstrom (BBe), Wes Biggs, Paul Bithorn, Clay
Black (CBl), Chris Borg (CBo), Jeff Bouton (JBo),
John H. Boyd III, Stijn Brand (SBr), Judy Bryan
(JBr), Barbara Buford (BBu), Jim Cavanagh, Roger
Clark, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Tom Curtis,
Lloyd Davis, Michelle Davis, Nona Dawson, Robin
Diaz, Bill Dietrich, Stephen Dinsmore, Kathy
Doyle, Terry Doyle, Jack Dozier, CharUe Ewell,
Grayal Farr, Paul Fellers, Judy Fisher, Jill Gaetzi,
Tom Gaetzi, Murray Gardler, Chuck Geanangel
(CGe), Wally George, Dave Goodwin, Lee Gordon,
Rita Grant, C.J.Grimes (CJG), Jack Hailmn (JHa),
Al & Bev Hansen, David Harder, Eliza Hawkins,
John Hintermister (JHi), Jackie Holstein (JHo),
Brian Hope, Gloria Hunter, Sebastian Jones, Dean
and Sally Jue, Adam Kent (AKe), Sheila Klink,
Katrina Knight, Andy Kratter (AKr), David
LaPuma, Mary Landsman, Pat Leary, Rob
Lengacher, Casey Lott, Kate Malone, Mike Manetz
(MMa), Larry Manfredi, Peter May, Vince
McGrath, Mike McMillian (MMc), Gail Menk,
Mike & Nancy Miller, John Murphy, Barbara
Muschlitz, Joe Ondrejko, Tom Palmer, Bob Paxson
(BPa), Gerard Phillips, Cheri Pierce, Bev & Claire
Postmus, David Powell, Peggy PoweO, Bill Pranty
(BPr), Kurt Radaraaker, Bryant Roberts, Harry
Robinson, Tommie Rogers, Eddie 8c Gary
Rosenberg, Jill Rosenfield, Rex Rowan, Fran
Rutkovsky, David Simpson (DSi), Parks Small
(PSm), Ray Smart (RaS), Austin Smith, Ron Smith
(RoS), Lee Snyder, Gary Sprandel, David Steadman
(DSt), Bob Stoll, Doug Suitor (DSu), Paul Sykes
(PSy), Clay Taylor, Pete Timmer, Ken Tracey, Linda
Tracey, Winston Weaver, Ray Webb, Chuck Weber,
Mickey Wheeler (MWh), Eddie Wliite, and Margie
Wilkinson (MWi). a

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

47

Ontario

Margaret J. C. Bain

21 9 Albert Street
Cobourg, Ontario K9A 2R6
(mjcbain@sympatico.ca)

Hot, dry summer weather continued through
August across most of the province. A little
much-needed rain fell near the end of August
and increased through September. Cool north
winds towards the end of September helped
migration on its way, but October and
November remained unusually mild. Even north
of Lake Superior, permanent snow did not arrive
until the last week of November.

In spite of the widespread drought across the
country, waterfowl numbers were generally
excellent. Fall raptor migration started rather
earlier than usual in southern Ontario but was
otherwise unremarkable. Water levels in the
Great Lakes were extremely low, providing sub-
stantial littoral habitat, but this was not reflected
by many high shorebird numbers. Jaeger passage
along the Great Lakes was light, and the mild fall
weather markedly delayed the usual late-fall
build-up of gulls on the Niagara River. The mild
weather also encouraged many passerines, espe-
cially vireos and warblers, to linger much later
than usual. Very poor cone crops in the boreal
forest led to an early flight of winter finches into
the south of the province, but most of these birds
had moved even farther south by mid-
November.

Abbreviations: C. A. (Conservation Area),
K.F.N. (Kingston Field Naturalists), L.RB.O.
(Long Point Bird Observatory), P.P.N.P. (Point
Pelee National Park). Place names in italics refer
to counties, districts, and regional municipali-
ties.

LOONS THROUGH VULTURES

Prince Edward Pt. on L. Ontario had an imm.
Pacific Loon 16 Oct (JHE, BR) and an ad. 4 Nov
(ROW, K.F.N. ). On L. Erie, there were 705
Common Loons off the Tip of P.P.N.P. 19 Oct
(AW), a record high for the area, and 265 Pied-
billed Grebes at Erieau 6 Oct (JB), also a record
count. After several initial setbacks. Red-necked
Grebes nested successfully on Kelly L., Sudbury,
where a pair raised 4 chicks in Aug (JL); 2 Red-
necked Grebes at P.P.N.P. 29 Sep (GML, BKe)
were rare for the area. A juv. Eared Grebe at the
Casselman S.T.P. 1-2 Sep (BB, CL) was the 3rd
record for the Ottawa area; another Eared Grebe
was at the Wawa S.T.P. 19-22 Sep (RZD). Single
Western Grebes were on the Wabigoon R.,
Dryden 11 Sep (CE) and off the e. beach at
P.P.N.P. 3-21 Nov (RH, POP et al).

A Manx Shearwater found dead at Shirley’s
Bay on the Ottawa R. 26 Aug (BSq, fide BDL) is
now housed at the Museum of Nature in Ottawa
and represents the first record for Ontario.
Single juv. Northern Gannets were seen off Fifty
Pt., Niagara 6 Oct (SM), off the Leslie St. Spit,
Toronto 7 Oct (TF), flying w. up the Ottawa R. 8
Oct (BB, CL, BL, JS, MT), and off Confederation

Park, Hamilton 24 Nov (BSC). Three American
White Pelicans were photographed at Simon L.,
Lively 7 Sep (S&MW) for the 2nd Sudbury
record, and an imm. was at Mission Bay, Thunder
Bay 9 Sep (H8dW); the imm. pelican at Sarnia 29
Sep-14 Oct (DP, m. ob.) could well have been the
same bird seen on Pelee 1. 18 Oct (BP et al). A
record-high count of 13,000 Double-crested
Cormorants came from Hillman Marsh, Essex
and adjacent L. Erie 25 Aug (DJW); the 5000
Double-crested Cormorants at Windy Pt., Lake
of the Woods 19 Sep (DHE, BRa) represented an
impressive pre-migration build-up for the area,
again underscoring the continuing, rapid expan-
sion of this species across the province.

An American Bittern at Flamborough 4 Nov
was late (BCh). Great Egrets continued to be
widely reported, with a high count of 85 at
P.P.N.P. 1 Sep (DJW). A juv. Snowy Egret found
at Muddy Creek, Essex 20 Aug moved that day to
Wheatley P.P., where it stayed until 30 Aug (DJW,

m. ob.); another was at the St. Clair N.W.R. 9-15
Sep (BM). A Little Blue Heron was found on the
Bruce Peninsula, n. of Ferndale 21 Aug (PM).
Cattle Egrets were widely reported in ones and
twos 21 Oct-30 Nov, mostly in the s., but there
were 2 in Thunder Bay {fide NGE), 2 in Sault Ste.
Marie [fide BK), and 2 on Manitoulin 1. (fide JL)
in Nov. Perhaps the most widely viewed and
photographed birds of the period were the 3 juv.
Wood Storks found on Pelee 1. 9 Aug and oblig-
ingly remaining there until 22 Sep (DDJ, m. ob.).
They constituted the 11th record for the
province and were part of a large post-breeding
dispersal of young Wood Storks to ne. North
America.

Turkey Vultures continue to expand their
breeding range in the province: 2 fledglings out-
side an inaccessible nest cave on the Lower
French R. 15 Sep (BH) confirmed breeding at the

n. edge of the s. Ontario population. Fall migra-
tion numbers have also escalated: Holiday Beach
Migration Observatory tallied a one-day record
4950 vultures 30 Oct, and a record season total of
31,157.

GEESE THROUGH RAPTORS

An ad. Greater White-fronted Goose was at
Kingsville, Essex 12 Nov (DJW). An ad. white
morph Ross’s Goose was found at Kingsville 19
Oct (DJW et al.) and was joined by another on
22 Oct (KAM et al.), with both birds seen inter-
mittently through 30 Nov-t-. On 28 Oct, one of
them was noted at nearby P.P.N.P. for the Park’s
5th record (AW). Trumpeter Swans from intro-
duction programs in Ontario and Minnesota
bred successfully as far n. as Lively (JL) and
Rainy River, where there were still 2 birds near
Atikokan 27 Aug (DHE). Rondeau Bay held a
pair of Eurasian Wigeon 21 Oct (DJW). High

48

North American Biros

Ontario

waterfowl counts included a record 1200 Green-
winged Teal at P.P.N.P. 11-20 Oct (AW), 52,000
Greater Scaup off Kingston 5 Nov (K.RN.), and
a record 28,000 Lesser Scaup at P.P.N.P 17 Nov
(AW). Harlequin Ducks arrived unusually early
in s. Ontario and were seen throughout the peri-
od at many locations on the shores of L. Ontario
and L. Erie, where 2 at P.P.N.P 8 Oct were record
early (AW, STP). The 26,000 Long-tailed Ducks
tallied at Prince Edward Pt. 4 Nov (K.EN.) were
surpassed by the 50,000 off the
Hamilton/Burlington lakeshore 6 Nov (RZD).
There were up to 3 Barrow’s Goldeneyes in the
Remic Rapids on the Ottawa R. 8 Oct-(- (m. ob.).

Hawk migration at the main monitoring sites
was good but not exceptional. A late Osprey was
at Hay Bay, Prince Edward 4 Nov (K.F.N.). A
Swallow-tailed Kite frequented the Hillman
Marsh area 11-13 Sep (AS, CW, m. ob.). The
mild weather may have encouraged Broad-
winged Hawks to linger longer than usual before
heading south: record late for P.P.N.P. was a juv.
Broad-winged 20 Oct (AW), but even later were
single juvs. at Burlington (KK) and at L.P.B.O.,
both 4 Nov. An ad. light-morph Swainson’s
Hawk flew over P.P.N.P 30 Sep (DJW, ICP et al).
An ad. dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk was at
P.P.N.P 2 Oct (RLW, KAM, AW, BSC, LC), and
another was noted over Hamilton 4 Nov (BCu,
GS); a juv. Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk frequented
Sturgeon Creek, Essex 16-30 Nov-l- (MEM, m.
ob.). In contrast to the late lingerers, unusually
early Rough-legged Hawks were at Amherst I. 1 1
Sep (BR, )HE), Oxdrift, Thunder Bay 18 Sep
(CE), and P.P.N.P 1 Oct (AW, KAM, RLW, DKS).
The juv. Merlin at P.P.N.P 5 Aug (KJB, SC) was a
record-early fall migrant there.

RAILS THROUGH SHOREBIRDS

A Yellow Rail was flushed from long grass during
a sparrow survey at Walsingham, Norfolk 17 Aug
(AT), and a King Rail was at Big Creek Marsh 6-
12 Aug (L.PB.O.). Common Moorhen numbers
were extremely low in most of the province, with
not a single report from P.P.N.P in the entire
year, but there were 6500 American Coots at
Shrewsbury, Chatham-Kent 4 Nov (}B). The
1766 Sandhill Cranes at Spring Bay, Manitoulin
1. 20 Oct (m. ob.) were a record one-day count
for Oct.

Apparently new to Ontario, a juv. Solitary
Sandpiper of the w. race cinnamomea was at
Sturgeon Creek 3-4 Aug (AW, m. ob.), and a sec-
ond juv. of the same race was discovered in the
nearby “Onion Fields” 4-5 Aug (AW, m. ob.). A
juv. Willet was at Hillman Marsh 1 Aug (DJW),
and another was at Big Creek Marsh 21 Sep (JF).
Single juv. Marbled Godwits were at Hillman
Marsh 4-17 Aug (KO, JPK, m. ob.), Sturgeon
Creek 15 Aug (IW), and Big Creek Marsh 27

Aug-3 Sep (m. ob.). White-rumped Sandpipers
appeared in record numbers, with an amazing 90
at Presqu’ile P.P. 25 Sep (RDM) and 65 at
Sturgeon Creek 1 Oct (AW, KAM, RLW).
Hillman Marsh held 1300 Pectoral Sandpipers 3
Aug (AW). Purple Sandpipers were relatively
easy to find at several lakeshore sites from 27 Oct
onward, with a high count of 7 at Port Weller 27
Oct (BA, ASm). Record-late fall migrants for
P.P.N.P were the 13 juv. Stilt Sandpipers at
Sturgeon Creek 29 Oct-2 Nov (AW et al). Very
rare for Algonquin P.P. were 4 Buff-breasted
Sandpipers on the exposed mud of drought-
stricken Radiant L. 25 Aug (JD, MB).

JAEGERS THROUGH MURRES

Jaeger passage was relatively light this fall — of
note was a Parasitic Jaeger on Lake of the Woods
20 Sep (BRa, DHE), oiily the 2nd record for
Rainy River. Long-tailed Jaegers reported were all
juvs. and included one flying along the beach at
Presqu’ile P.P. 22 Aug (DSh), a dark-morph
young bird off Van Wagners Beach, Hamilton 24
Aug (RZD), and one found dead at Van Wagners
Beach 27 Sep (BCu, GS), likely from a collision
with hydroelectric wires; a juv. jaeger, probably
another Long-tailed, flew over Big Porcupine L.,
Algonquin P.P 24 Sep (KC, MC), a very rare
sighting for the Park.

An ad. Little Gull was noteworthy at Sault Ste.
Marie 16 Nov [fide BK). Among the first of the
Niagara rarities, single Black-headed Gulls were
at Queenston 24 Nov (GB) and Niagara Falls 26
Nov (DDT). Because of the mild fall weather,
there were still 39 Bonaparte’s Gulls at Rainy
River 13 Nov (DHE). Presqu’ile PR’s first
California Gull was a basic ad. on the beach dur-
ing fierce sw. gales 25 Oct (RDM, MR); the now-
expected California Gull in the Niagara R. gorge
returned 11 Nov (BPo, WD’A). Farther n. than
usual were an imm. Great Black-backed Gull at
Thunder Cape 17 Sep (JW), an ad. at Nipigon 22
Sep (RZD), 4 over Algonquin P.P. 9 Oct (FP),
only the 2nd record for the Park, and one at the
Sudbury dump 21 Nov (CB). There was a good
flight of Sabine’s Gulls in the s. in the first half of
Sep, with a high count of 7 at Van Wagners Beach
2 Sep (BSt, BSm, MC); a juv. Sabine’s Gull pho-
tographed in heavy rain on Big Porcupine L. 24
Sep (KC, MC) was the first record for Algonquin
P.P. A first-winter Black-legged Kittiwake was on
the breakwall at Sunnyside, Toronto 20 Oct
(GC), and Van Wagner’s Beach had singles 30
Oct (DL), 17 Nov (KAM et al.), and 27-30 Nov
(JO et al.).

An unidentified alcid seen off the Tip of
P.P.N.P. 19 Oct was probably a Dovekie, based on
its very small size and fast, whirring wingbeats,
but caution is warranted in light of recent
records of Ancient and Long-billed Murrelets in

eastern North America (AW). On 4 Nov, three
murres flew past Prince Edward Pt. so fast that it
was impossible to identify them as to species
(MHE, RDW).

PIGEONS THROUGH NUTHATCHES

Another first for Algonquin P.P. was the ad.
Band-tailed Pigeon photographed at a feeder in
Rock L. Campground 13-16 Sep (E&LM,
Br&BsW). An imm. White-winged Dove was
banded at the Tip of Long Pt. 19 Oct for the 2nd
L.PB.O. record (MH, VB, HR).

Snowy Owls were seen in good numbers in the
s. by early Nov, but many of these birds were
starving; 4 had reached P.P.N.P. by 27 Nov (AW
et al.). Two of the Northern Hawk Owls belong-
ing to the family of 4 at Alfred, Prescott- Russell
were still around 5 Aug ( JBo), and a juv. bird was
near Pass L., Thunder Bay 3 Sep ( AE); in the nw.
of the province, plentiful voles, mice, and shrews
supported an influx of Northern Hawk Owls
later in the fall, including one in Atikokan 10
Nov (DHE). Three different Great Gray Owls
were seen in or near Algonquin P.P. late Aug-late
Oct [fide RGT), possibly lingerers from last win-
ter’s flight, given the apparent lack of sightings
elsewhere in s. Ontario.

Unusually late at P.P.N.P. were a Whip-poor-
will 4 Nov (DJW, STP) and a Chimney Swift 2
Nov (FJU). A Lewis’s Woodpecker visited a feed-
er at Chelmsford, Sudbury 22-30 Oct (G&DD,
CWh; ph.). There were at least 4 Red-headed
Woodpeckers on Manitoulin 1. in Oct (m. ob.).
The first Red-bellied Woodpecker for Algonquin
P.P. was a male, documented on video at feeders
in the Mew L. Campground 16-20 Oct (FB, m.
ob.). Red-bellied Woodpeckers were surprisingly
far n. during the 2nd half of Nov, with one at a
Trout L., North Bay feeder (fide DT) and a male
and 2 females at feeders in Algoma (fide BK).

An Acadian Flycatcher called for most of the
day at the Toronto Bird Observatory banding site
on Muggs 1. 1 Sep but may have eventually fallen
prey to a Sharp-shinned Hawk (PNP). Single
Western Kingbirds were at Singing Sands, Bruce
1 Sep (SD), Humber Bay, Toronto 26 Oct (BY),
and Brittania C.A., Ottawa 30 Oct (MG) — this
last bird flew across the Ottawa R. to Deschenes,
Quebec, where it remained until 7 Nov (fide CL).
A Gray Kingbird at P.P.N.P. 4 Aug (DEP, JHG et
al.) was the 3rd for the Park and the 6th for
Ontario.

There were up to 6 White-eyed Vireos at
L.PB.O. mid-Aug to mid-Sep. Several vireo
species lingered late in the mild fall weather, with
a White-eyed Vireo at P.P.N.P. 25 Nov (MH, LP),
a Warbling Vireo at Kingston 23 Nov (HE), a
Philadelphia Vireo at Wheatley P.P. 1 1 Nov
(DJW), and single Red-eyed Vireos in Toronto 3
Nov (CSAM) and Brighton 4 Nov (IS). Blue Jay

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

49

migration was heavy, with a record 48,200 tallied
in five hours at Seacliff, Essex 29 Sep (AW, WGL,
MWJ). Many swallows and martins also delayed
their departure south, with a Purple Martin at
Shrewsbury 22 Oct (KAM), a Northern Rough-
winged Swallow at P.P.N.P. 9 Nov (AW, KAM,
RLW, HTO), a Bank Swallow at Seacliff 17 Oct
(AW), and a Barn Swallow at Long Pt. 15 Nov
(LP.B.O.).

There was a major movement of Black-capped
Chickadees through Thunder Bay in early Sep,
with several hundred seen daily at Thunder Cape
Bird Observatory, and large numbers reported
also from Duluth, MN {fide NGE); 400 were tal-
lied at the Tip of Long Pt. 2 Oct (L.P.B.O.). A
Tufted Titmouse was unexpected at Prince
Edward Pt. 23 Oct (RTS). White-breasted
Nuthatches were in unusually good numbers in
many areas across the province, especially n. of L.
Superior (fide NGE).

THRUSHES THROUGH WARBLERS

There were 180 Eastern Bluebirds in Woodland
Cemetery, Hamilton 20 Oct (RZD)! Single
Townsend’s Solitaires were found in a crab-apple
tree s. of Peterborough 27 Oct (PB), in black-
thorn bushes at Presqu’ile P.P. 27-30 Oct (FH, m.
ob.; ph.), at Copetown, Hamilton 4-11 Nov
(SMC, m. ob.), and at Long Point P.P. 18-23 Nov
(DC, m. ob.). Three Gray-cheeked Thrushes
banded n. of Rainy River 18 Sep (DHE, BR) were
considered rare in the area, but may have been
overlooked in the past among the large numbers
of migrant Swainson’s and Hermit Thrushes. A
male Varied Thrush spent the whole day at a
feeder in the Northumberland County Forest 2
Nov (KD) but had left by the next morning.

At least one Northern Mockingbird could be
found in Thunder Bay to the end of Nov (BT).
American Pipits moved s. early, with one at
Cobourg harbor 24 Aug (CEG) and 3 there 27
Aug (MJCB). A very early Bohemian Waxwing
was at the Two Rivers Airfield, Algonquin P.P. 26
Sep (BKo, BM).

A Nashville Warbler of the w. race ridgwayi
(“Calaveras Warbler”) was closely observed in
Presqu’ile P.P. 18 Sep and noted to be pumping
its tail, unlike nominate birds (DSh). Star of the
fall warbler season was a Virginia’s Warbler, the
first for Northern Ontario and the 4th for the
province, banded at Thunder Cape Bird
Observatory 29 Aug {fide NGE). A late Northern
Parula lingered at Presqu’ile P.P. until 13 Nov
(CEG, JG), an Audubon’s Warbler was at
Sheguiandah, Manitoulin 1. 6-7 Nov (GG, CB),
and L.P.B.O. banded its latest Black-throated
Green Warbler 5 Nov. Single Yellow-throated
Warblers were at Bath, Lennox and Addington 28
Oct-7 Nov (D&GG, m. ob.) and Barrie L,
Manitoulin 1-2 Nov (RC). Migrant Palm

Warblers of the eastern race hypochrysea were
unusually widely reported: P.P.N.P. had only 2
previous records, but this year there were 11
reports there in the 2nd half of Oct (AW et al.),
with at least 2 more in the Ottawa area (BDL), 3
in Toronto {fide RBHS), and other scattered
observations. A late Bay-breasted Warbler was
banded at Long Pt. 3 Nov (L.P.B.O.). Twelve
hundred Blackpoll Warblers was a high one-day
count at Long Pt. 1 1 Sep (L.P.B.O.). A total of 23
Connecticut Warblers was seen or banded at
L.P.B.O. 20 Aug-23 Sep (m. ob.). A hatch-year
female Hooded Warbler was unexpected at
Colonel Sam Smith Park, Toronto 16 Sep (GC).

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

The imm. male Summer Tanager on territory in
the Wilson Tract at Long Pt. through the sum-
mer was last reported 3 Aug (L.P.B.O.); a female
Summer Tanager was in Shell Park, Bronte 20
Oct (CJE, NGE); and Dryden had its first record,
a male at a feeder 22-26 Oct (RD, AA), so far the
most northerly record of Summer Tanager for
the province.

A Spotted X Eastern Towhee hybrid was band-
ed at the Tip of Long Pt. 23 Oct (MH, CH).
Rarely seen in migration, 2 Clay-colored
Sparrows were in P.P.N.P. 28 Sep (BKe, GML),
and an ad. was along railroad tracks in Windsor
21 Oct (RH). A well- watched Lark Sparrow was
near Newburgh, Lennox and Addington 24-30
Nov+ (BRi, PJG, m. ob.). Single Le Conte’s
Sparrows were at the traditional site in the long
grass of the Two Rivers Airfield, Algonquin P.P. 4
Oct (MRu) and at the Tip of Long Pt. 18 Oct
(MH), with 2 more at P.P.N.P. 22 Oct (AW). The
passage of Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the
s. was fairly light, perhaps due to the dry condi-
tions, but there were 8 at Dundas Marsh,
Hamilton 29 Sep (RZD).

Algonquin P.P. had at least 6 Northern
Cardinals, most at feeders, 18 Oct-5 Nov. This
species occurs in the Park primarily as a very rare
late-fall wanderer, apparently involving mostly
first-year birds in dispersal; the last multiple
sightings were in 1993, but there were fewer indi-
viduals then than this year {fide RGT). These
observations are probably part of the general
northward expansion of cardinals in the
province and accompany several reports from
Thunder Bay and Algoma, with at least one bird
as far nw. as Atikokan 4 Nov (JZ). There was a
Dickcissel at Prince Edward Pt. 14 Oct (RTS); an
ad. female Dickcissel visiting feeders in Ottawa
5-30 Nov-t- (G8cRJ) provided only the 3rd record
for the Ottawa area. The 2 pairs of Brewer’s
Blackbirds in P.P.N.P. 21 Oct (AW) were the 10th
fall record for the Park.

Beginning in Oct, there was a good southerly
movement of several finch species, including

Purple Finches, White-winged Crossbills, and
Pine Siskins. Feeders were busy for a while, but
even in s. Ontario there was a poor cone crop
almost everywhere, and most of these birds had
proceeded even farther s. before mid-Nov.
Common Redpolls were numerous and wide-
spread somewhat later than the other finches
and stayed longer. Occasional Hoary Redpolls
were found among the Common Redpolls, often
at feeders, but a redpoll flock regular for much of
Nov on the weedy headland at Cobourg harbor
appeared to include 2 distinct Hoary Redpolls,
one of the more expected exilipes race and the
other a large, very pale hornemanni (MJCB,
CEG, m. ob.).

Subregional editors (boldface), contributors
(italics), and cited observers: B. Ahara, A.
Allum, Robert F. Andrle, Margaret J. C. Bain, P.
Beales, C. Bell, G.Bellerby, F. Bodsworth, J.
Bouvier (JBo), Bob Bracken, Evelyn Brown, V.
Brown, J. Burk, Keith J. Burk, M. Burrell, R.
Campbell, S. Charbonneau, B. Charlton (BCh),

A. Chartier, B. S. Cherriere, L. Cherriere, K.
elute, G. Coady, M. Cornish, J. Cram, B. Curry
(BCu), S. Daniel, W. D’Anna (WD’A), R. Dawes,

B. Di Labio, D. Di Tommaso, Rob Z. Dobos, J.
Dombroskie, K. Drew, G. 8c D. Durette, C. Eady,
M. H. Edwards, David H. Elder, J. H. Ellis, A.
Ertolahti, C. J. Escott, Nick G. Escott, H. Evans, J.
Fisher, T. Flinn, M. Gabhauer, G. Garrett, D. 8c G.
Gault, P. J. Good, Clive E. Goodwin, J. Goodwin,
D. Graham, J. H. Guild, F. Helleiner, C. Hindle,
M. Hindle, R. Horvath, B. Hughes, D. D. Jacobs,
G. 8c R. Jenkins, M. W. Jennings, B. Kemp (BKe),

J. P. Kleiman, Bob Knudsen, K. Konze, B. Korol
(BKo), B. Ladouceur, W. G. Lamond, John
Lemon, D. Lewington, Christina Lewis, G. M.
Links, J. D. Lockrey, S. Mackenzie, M. F. Malone,
Blake Mann, S. McGregor, C. S. A. McLauchlan,

K. A. McLaughlin, R. D. McRae, P. Middleton,
John Miles, E. 8c L. Moss, J. Olmsted, H. T.
O’Neill, K. Overman, D. Parsons, D. E. Perks, S. T.
Pike, F. Pinilla, B. Platsko, I. C. Platt, B. Potter
(BPo), P. D. Pratt, P. N. Prior, L. Pye, R. Pye, B.
Ratcliff (BRa), Pete Read, Ian Richards, Alf H.
Rider, Maureen Riggs, B. Ripley (BRi), H.
Robert, B. Rowe, M. Runtz (MRu), Doug Sadler,
D. K. Sealey, D. Shanahan (DSh), J. Shanahan, G.
Slessor, J. Slumkoski, Maggie Smiley, A. Smith
(ASm), B. Smith (BSm), Roy B. H. Smith, R. T.
Sprague, B. Squirrel (BSq), B. Stamp (BSt), A.
Starling, Dick Tafel, M. Tate, B. Thacker, A.
Timpf, Ron G. Tozer, F. J. Urie, R. L. Waldhuber,
S. 8c M. Walker, Br. 8c Bs. Walsh, D. J. Ware, H. 8c
1. Warmenhoven, C. Weber, Ron D. Weir, C.
Whitelaw (CWh), J. Woodcock, I.Woods, Alan
Wormington, B.Yucich, J. Zajac.

50

North American Birds

Ontario — Appalachia

Appalachia

Robert C. Leberman

Powdermill Nature Reserve
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
H.C. 64, Box 453

Rector, Pennsylvania 15677-9605
{rcleberm@charterpa.net)

It was an unseasonably mild and dry fall
throughout much of the Region. On the plus
side (from a birding standpoint), this led to low
water levels and extensive mudflats at many
lakes and reservoirs, which translated into more
than the usual number of interesting shorebird
sightings. The lack of strong cold fronts or
storms resulted in a late and comparatively light
waterfowl migration, with no major fallouts
through the end of the period. The generally
weak frontal passages also did not precipitate
heavy fallouts of passerine migrants, but the
clement weather provided consistently favorable
conditions for the daily operation of the
Region’s three big songbird banding stations,
and totals at two of these were well above aver-
age. At Powdermill Nature Reserve in the moun-
tains of southwestern Pennsylvania, a record
10,641 birds were banded, which was a remark-
able three standard deviations (S.D.) above the
40-year average of 6190. Banders at the Three
Rivers Migration Observatory in southern West
Virginia also enjoyed their best fall migration
(5522 birds banded) since the inception of that
program in 1995. In contrast, 3826 birds banded
at the Allegeheny Front Migration Observatory

in northeastern West Virginia was the sixth low-
est fall total in 44 years and just 67% of average
(GH). For complete fall banding totals at two of
these stations, readers are referred to
<http://www.westol.com/ ~banding> (for
Powdermill) and <http://www.brooksbird-
club.org/afmo.html> (for Allegheny Front).

Abbreviations: A.F.M.O. (Allegheny Front
Migration Observatory, Grant, WV); P.N.R.
(Powdermill Nature Reserve, Rector,
Westmoreland, PA); P.I.S.P. (Presque Isle S.R,
Erie, PA); T.R.M.O. (Three Rivers Migration
Observatory, Raleigh and Mercer, WV); Y.C.S.P.
(Yellow Creek S.P., Indiana, PA).

LOONS THROUGH IBISES

As usual, most Red-throated Loon sightings
came from P.I.S.P., where 48 were listed during a
systematic waterbird count, including an early
bird 4 Oct (JMc); s. of L. Erie, singles were at
Pymatuning Res., PA 14 Nov (RFL), Y.C.S.P. 20
Nov (MHi, DJ), Bald Eagle S.R, PA 25-26 Nov
(RSt), and at Salem, WV 6 Nov (PC). The best
migration count of Common Loons was of 271
flying over Y.C.S.P. 20 Nov (MHi, DJ). An excep-
tionally early Red-necked Grebe appeared at N.
Fork Dam, Cambria, PA 15 Aug (KGe), one was
at Codorus S.R, York, PA 28-30 Sep (PR), and 2
were at P.I.S.P. 18-23 Nov ()Mc). Up to 2 Eared
Grebes were at P.I.S.P. 17-27 Nov (JMc), and one
was at Pymatuning 18 Nov (RFL); at S. Holston
L., TN, where they have been found for eight
consecutive autumns, 4 Eared Grebes had

returned by 17 Sep, and 10 were seen 21 Oct
(RKn). Four American White Pelicans were a
rare find at Douglas L., TN 2-7 Nov (RKn). The
Double-crested Cormorant flight peaked at the
end of Oct with 239 on L. Arthur, Butler, PA on
the 27th (DY) and 275 at Pymatuning on the
28th (RFL).

A Least Bittern found dead in Parkersburg 19
Oct was a first record for Wood, WV {fide JE).
There were good counts of Great Egrets
throughout Appalachia; 20 were along the
Susquehanna R. at W. Fairview, Cumberland, PA
in early Aug (RKo), up to 15 were at Mosquito
L., OH, in Sep (DH, CBa), and a high count of
75 was made at Rankin Bottoms, TN 9 Sep
(RKn). Among other s. herons, a Snowy Egret at
Brunner’s L, York, PA 24 Sep represented the
season’s sole report (AS), as did a Tricolored
Heron at W. Fairview, PA 5 Aug (RKo). There
were two reports of Cattle Egret: one in Wood,
WV 27-30 Oct (NO) and one in Garrett, MD 2
Nov (KD). Wood Storks created much excite-
ment among birders when an imm. was found
near Mosiertown, Crawford, PA 12-31 Aug (AT,
ph. JMc, m. ob.), providing the 2nd record of the
species for nw. Pennsylvania, and another imm.
was at Littlestown, Adams, PA from mid-Aug
through 3 Sep (ph. RW, TFe, PR, m. ob.).
Another exceptional Pennsylvania find was an
imm. White Ibis at Y.C.S.P. 19-27 Aug (M&EF,
m. ob.), while in Tennessee an unidentified
Plegadis ibis was a notable rarity at Rankin
Bottoms 8 Aug {fide RKn).

WATERFOWL

Rare anywhere in Appalachia, a Greater White-
fronted Goose was at Long Arm Res., York, PA 23
Nov (BM). A Brant was another good find at
P.I.S.P. 24 Nov-f- (JT, m. ob). Although 5 early
Tundra Swans were at Pymatuning 28 Oct
(RFL), the flight was generally late and few real-
ly large flocks were noted — an exception being
797 flyovers at Y.C.S.P. 20 Nov (MHi, DJ). The
waterfowl find of the season was the female
Harlequin Duck that put down on a small pond
in Richmond Township, where it was a first
record for Crawford, PA (ph. BS). Seasonal totals
of 11 Surf, 12 White- winged, and 11 Black
Scoters were listed on the P.I.S.P. waterbird
count (JMc); elsewhere a White-winged stopped
on S. Holston L., TN 4-11 Nov (MBr, m. ob.),
and 2 Blacks put down on Colyer L., Centre, PA
11 Nov (MHe). The Hooded Merganser migra-
tion was heavy at Pymatuning, peaking at 3600
birds 18 Nov; Red-breasted Mergansers also
were fairly numerous there, with a maximum of
500 on 12 Nov (RFL). The presence of 6
Common Mergansers on the Cheat R. at
Rowlesburg, WV throughout Aug and into Sep
suggested the possibility that the species may be

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

51

One or two Bohemian Waxwings, part of a small but solid flight of the species toward the eastern and
lower Great Lakes and New England, made it south to Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania, 10 and
(here) 1 7 November 2001 . Birds of this species south of northern Pennsylvania are genuine vagrants in
the East. Photograph by Jerry McWilliams.

breeding in the state (GF), and in the Tioga-
Hammond Dam area in Tioga, PA an exception-
al total of 1000-1- was seen 13 Nov (RSh). Two
early Ruddy Ducks were at P.I.S.P. 16 Aug (JMc);
the season’s high count was of 1100 on two
Garrett, MD lakes 3 Nov (FP).

RAPTORS THROUGH TERNS

In general, the hawk migration through the
Region was good to excellent based on results at
several organized hawk watches in the moun-
tains of w. and cen. Pennsylvania. A good Osprey
flight included 432 at Waggoner’s Gap, Carlisle
(DGr), 122 at Tuscarora Summit, Franklin
(DGe), 111 at Allegheny Front, Bedford (CM),
and 109 at Stone Mt., Huntingdon (GG); in
Tennessee, a late migrant was still at Ft.
Loudoun L. 30 Nov (CW). A Swallow-tailed Kite
was a rare late summer wanderer to Oak Ridge,
TN 8 Aug iftde JCa); another was observed from
the Mendota, VA hawk watch 16 Sep (LMc).
Excellent numbers of Bald Eagles were observed
at Allegheny Front (38), Stone Mt., PA (42), and
Waggoner’s Gap ( 132), but 15 was a low count at
Tuscarora Summit. High count for Northern
Goshawk was 144 at Waggoner’s Gap. There was
an excellent flight of Red-tailed Hawks, includ-
ing 4420 at Waggoner’s Gap, a record-high 2779
at Allegheny Front, and a 2nd highest 1543 at
Stone Mt. The only report of Swainson’s Hawk
came from the Stone Mt., PA 9 Nov [fide GG). A
very good flight of Golden Eagles included 186
at Waggoner’s Gap (DGr), a record 140 at
Allegheny Eront (CM), 109 at Stone Mt. (GG),
and 52 at Tuscarora Summit (DGe).

Although drought conditions contributed to
low marsh bird (but high shorebird) counts over
much of Appalachia, water levels remained high
at Conneaut Marsh, Geneva, PA, where good rail
counts included 5 Virginias 22 Aug and 22

Common Moorhens 18 Sep (REL). A family of 4
Sandhill Cranes from the Lawrence! Mercer, PA
breeding population remained through the fall
(NT, m. ob.); the first migrant arrived at
Hiwassee W.R., TN 29 Oct, where the flock
totaled 3000 birds by late Nov (KAC). An
unusually good diversity (30 species) of shore-
birds was reported from the Region, including
multiple records of seldom-reported species like
White-rumped, Baird’s, Upland, and Buff-
breasted Sandpipers. Sod farms at Henderson,
NC attracted 1 1 Black-bellied Plovers 1 Sep and
8 American Golden-Plovers 6 Oct (WF, BO). A
record-late Semipalmated Plover was at P.I.S.P.
17-30 Nov (JMc). Increasingly regular in
Appalachia in recent years, an American Avocet
was at Littlestown, Adams, PA 4 Aug (fide PR), 2
were at Prince Gallitzen S.P., PA 17 Aug (JSa),
one was at Kingston Steam Plant, TN 20 Sep
(AH), and a flock of 14 was at Bristol, TN 21 Oct
(KH, m. ob.). Lone Whimbrels were at P.I.S.P. 20
Aug and 11 Sep (JMc); one was at
Conneautville, PA 1 Sep (AT), while a bird at
Shenango Res., Mercer, PA 12 Sep was a county
first (NT). Single Hudsonian Godwits were rar-
ities at P.I.S.P. 28 Aug (JMc) and 13 Sep (SS). A
late Ruddy Turnstone was still at P.I.S.P. 30 Nov
(JMc), and one near Ligonier, PA on 17 Sep was
a rare find in the mountains (FN). Four Red
Knots at Rankin Bottoms, TN were an unusual
find there 14-21 Sep (RKn). A flock of 100-h
Least Sandpipers was exceptionally large for the
Canaan Valley, Tucker, WV 17 Aug (fide GF).
Two Ruffs appeared at Rankin Bottoms 23 Sep
(DM, ALo, LN) for the 3rd e. Tennessee record.
A Wilson’s Phalarope stopped at Shenango Res.,
PA 5-8 Aug (JSt, KGo, m. ob.), and one was at
Kingston Steam Plant, TN 1 1 Aug (fide RKn). In
Tennessee, single Red Phalaropes were at
Kingston Steam Plant 16-23 Sep (JHe) and

Rankin Bottoms 23-24 Sep (RKn); in
Pennsylvania, one was at P.I.S.P. 27 Oct (BC).
Two Red-necked Phalaropes were rare finds at
Trout Run W.W.T.P., Garrett, MD 21-22 Aug
(FP). An imm. Pomarine Jaeger was well
described from P.I.S.P. 18 Nov (JMc), and single
unidentified jaegers were observed there 8 Oct
(JMc) and 23 Nov (JF). A Laughing Gull wan-
dered inland to Warren, PA 3 Aug (JF), one was
spotted at P.I.S.P. 4 Oct (JMc), and 5 were at
Rankin Bottoms, TN 14-19 Sep (RKn). A Lesser
Black-backed Gull was an exciting find at P.I.S.P.
22 Sep (BC). Rare away from L. Erie, single
Great Black-backed Gulls were at W. Fairview,
Cumberland, PA in early Aug (RKo) and at
Pymatuning L. 16 Aug (RFL). The season’s only
Least Tern appeared at Shenango Res, Mercer, PA
12 Aug (MMc, m. ob.) — a county first.

DOVES THROUGH WAXWINGS

A Eurasian Collared-Dove at Eairview, PA 25
Nov was a first for Erie ( JMc). A few Snowy Owls
invaded Appalachia in late Nov, with one at Glen
Rock, York, PA 15-16 Nov (fide PR) and one at
Willow 1. Dam Pleasants, WV 20-29 Nov (fide
JE); another found injured at Lafayette, Walker,
GA during the last week of Nov later died at a
rehab station (fide MB). Up to 6 Short-eared
Owls at Imperial, Allegheny, PA in Nov (CT)
topped numerous w. Pennsylvania sightings,
and one was a rare find at Masontown, Preston,
WV 21 Nov (GF). Northern Saw- whet Owls
were widely reported in Pennsylvania, including
a remarkable 172 banded at Shaver’s Cr.
Environmental Center, Huntingdon, this fall
(fide GG). Better Common Nighthawk counts
included 500-1- near Black Moshannon S.P., PA
24 Aug (fide CBa), 136 in one flock in the upper
Cedar Cr. Valley, Shenandoah, VA 24 Aug (DD),
and 100 at Athens, WV 22 Aug (JP). The Ruby-
throated Hummingbird migration at P.N.R.,
where 210 were banded, was 3rd best there in 40
years (RM, RCL), and a record 844 humming-
birds was counted in passage at A.F.M.O. (fide
GH, RB). An imm. Calliope Hummingbird vis-
ited a feeder at Little R., Transylvania, NC 4-8
Nov (NS, WF) for a 2nd county record in two
years. In Tennessee, a female Rufous
Hummingbird was banded in Sevier 4 Nov (CS),
and one was in Sequatchie 11 Nov (CBl); an
unidentified Selasphorus was in Henderson, NC
8-30 Nov (WF, BO).

Possibly part of the small disjunct Tennessee
breeding population, single Scissor-tailed
Flycatchers were seen in Hawkins 2 Aug (DE)
and in Claiborne 11 Aug (JM). Single Olive-
sided Elycatchers were reported 1 Aug- 12 Sep
from six widely scattered localities spanning the
full length of the Region (m. ob.). A Northern
Shrike had arrived at Pymatuning L. by 9 Nov

52

North American Birds

Appalachia

(RFL), and one was at Erie N.W.R., Crawford, PA
18 Nov (BS) for the season’s only reports. The
13,212 Blue Jays counted passing by A.F.M.O.
was the 3rd best flight there in 44 years {fide
GH), and a heavy jay movement was also noted
at Morgantown, WV during the first three weeks
of Sep (GB). At Pymatuning, an estimated 6200
Tree Swallows were seen 25 Sep, and 2 remained
there 22 Oct (RFL). A very late Cliff Swallow
appeared at Moraine S.P., PA 27 Oct (ph. SK). A
heavy Red-breasted Nuthatch flight brought
good numbers to se. Tennessee by mid-Sep
(KAC), and 25 were found in Rabin, GA 10 Nov
(fide MB). Despite deteriorating habitat, at least
12 Brown-headed Nuthatches were found at
Kingston Steam Plant, TN 23 Sep (FR). A Sedge
Wren was a rare find at Curwensville, Centre, PA
23 Aug (EZ), and one was in Henderson, NC 26
Sep (WF, RSe); in Tennessee singles were at
Austin Springs 20-29 Sep (RKn) and Brainerd
Levee 20 Sep and 21 Oct (KAC). Surprising was
an imm. Marsh Wren, still in juv. plumage,
banded at P.N.R. on 16 Aug, about 160 km from
any known breeding station (RCL, RM). There
was an extraordinary flight of Wood Thrushes at
P.N.R. — 120 were banded, five times the long-
term average and double the previous record
high there (RCL, RM). At T.R.M.O., 17 Wood
Thrushes was almost three times greater than
the six-year average and twice the previous high
(RC), but 21 banded at A.F.M.O. was just aver-
age. The Swainson’s Thrush flight was good at
all three stations: 336 at A.F.M.O. and 314 at
P.N.R. were a little above average, and a record
79 birds were banded at T.R.M.O. Up to 300
American Pipits were at Henderson, NC 10 Nov
(WF, BO), and 500 in Sullivan, TN 22 Nov was
an exceptional count ( WC). One or 2 Bohemian
Waxwings were rare wanderers to P.I.S.P. 10 &
17 Nov (ph. JMc).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Undoubtedly the parulid of the season was w.
Pennsylvania’s first Black-throated Gray
Warbler, found at P.I.S.P. 8 Sep (BC, JHo, RF,
KCo). Although the warbler migration in gener-
al did not make much of an impression on most
field observers, some very good one-day counts
at Hendersonville, NC 15 Sep included 40-1-
Chestnut-sided Warblers, 40+ Magnolia
Warblers, and 75 American Redstarts ( WF, RSe).
A locally heavy flight of Tennessee Warblers this
fall was evidenced by a record-high total of 806
(200% above average) banded at T.R.M.O. (RC),
with a peak of 170 there on 18 Sep and a “mas-
sive movement” of 1000+ Tennessees crossing
Roan Mt., TN on 6 Sep (RKn). At A.F.M.O.,
however, 305 Tennessee Warblers banded was
just a little above average, whereas 40 banded at
P.N.R. was 75% below average. At A.F.M.O., a

total of 374 Blackpoll Warblers, historically the
most commonly banded bird there, was down
37% compared to the most recent ten-year aver-
age, 63 Cape May Warblers down 70%, and Bay-
breasted Warblers (49 banded) down 43%. At
P.N.R., these species were 45%, 90%, and 33%
below their 40-year averages, respectively. At
T.R.M.O., however, 51 Bay-breasted Warblers
banded was the highest fall total since that sta-
tion began operation in 1995. With 849 banded.
Black-throated Blue Warblers were 20% above
average at A.F.M.O.; 430 Black-throated Green
Warblers at A.F.M.O. were 12% above average.
At P.N.R., banding totals for Black-throated
Blue Warbler were twice the long-term average,
and record-high fall banding totals for Black-
throated Green Warbler (130), Magnolia
Warbler (523), Hooded Warbler (189),
Northern Waterthrush (71), and Black-and-
white Warbler (32) were all 130-190% above
average. A very late Yellow Warbler frequented a
suet feeder in Warren, PA 21-25 Oct {fide TG),
and a Magnolia Warbler was still in Hamilton,
TN 17Nov(/ideKAC).

Single Clay-colored Sparrows were at P.I.S.P.
21 Oct (RSr) and in nearby Erie on 31 Oct (DB).
Nineteen Grasshopper Sparrows at Swoope 16
Sep set a new fall high count for Augusta, VA and
the Shenandoah Valley (ALa). A late Henslow’s
Sparrow was banded at P.N.R. 19 Oct (RM,
RCL), and one banded at Shady Valley, TN 21
Oct represented the 5th local record (RKn). It
was an exceptionally good fall for Nelson’s
Sharp-tailed Sparrows: one was reported near
Mercer, PA 23 Sep (NT), up to 4 were at P.I.S.P.
5-11 Oct (JMc, m. ob.), one was in Blount, TN
12 Oct (CM), and 2 were at Brainerd Levee 21
Oct (KAC). An imm. Gambel’s White-crowned
Sparrow 20 Oct was the first of this race ever
banded at P.N.R. (ph. RM, RCL). The first
Lapland Longspur appeared at P.I.S.P. 18 Sep
(BC); others had reached s. as far as Henderson,
NC by 10 Nov (WF, BO) and S. Holston L., TN
12 Nov (RKn). Two early Snow Buntings were
sighted at Elliott Knob, Augusta, VA 2 Nov {fide
YL), and in Tennessee, singles were at
Clingman’s Dome, Great Smoky Mt. N.P. 3-8
Nov (CM) and Roan Mt. 7 Nov (RKn). A
Dickcissel was at McAlevy’s Fort, Huntingdon,
PA 14 Nov (GG). Three Brewer’s Blackbirds
were rarities at Saybrook, Warren, PA 29 Oct
(CN), and 2 others were identified at Slippery
Rock, PA 3 Nov (GW).

An exceptionally heavy flight of Purple
Finches passed through the mountains of sw.
Pennsylvania this fall, where more than 900 (six
times the long-term average) were banded at
P.N.R. (RCL, RM); the flight, however, had
largely moved on by early Nov, when good num-
bers began to appear as far s. as n. Georgia (MD,

MB). A Red Crossbill on 22 Sep and 2 on 19 Oct
at Pipestem S.P., WV (JP) may have belonged to
one of the resident Appalachian populations; an
undoubted migrant was at P.I.S.P. 23 Nov (JF).
White-winged Crossbills, in flocks of up to 30,
were widespread across w. Pennsylvania by late
Oct (m. ob.); the only report elsewhere was of 5
at Poland, OH 5 Nov (NB). Common Redpolls
first appeared in Erie, PA 30 Oct in flocks of up
to 30 (JMc), and 4 were at Beaver Meadows,
Centre, PA 4 Nov {fide EZ). Pine Siskins were in
good numbers nearly throughout the Region,
appearing at feeders as far s. as Union, GA by 25
Nov (DF). An unusually heavy American
Golfinch migration resulted in a record count of
6028 flying past A.F.M.O. (GH, RB) and record
banding totals of 1182 at T.R.M.O. (RC) and
1654 at P.N.R. (RCL, RM). Small numbers of
Evening Grosbeaks appeared at scattered locali-
ties in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia,
and West Virginia during the last week of Oct,
and 2 females had reached Bledsoe, TN by 5 Nov
{fide KAC).

Contributors and cited observers: Carole
Babyak (CBa), Scott Bastian, Michael Bell, Ralph
Bell, Jon Benedetti, Clyde Blum (CBl), Dick
Bollinger, George Breiding, Machelle Brown
(MBr), Nancy Brundage, Phil Calise, Kevin A.
Calhoon (KAC), Jim Campbell (JCa), Ronald
Canterbury, John Churchill, Wallace Coffey,
Kristin Cornell (KCo), Ben Coulter, David
Davis, Marion Dobbs, Kevin Dodge, Dee Eiklor;
Jeanette Esker, John Fedak, Gary Felton, Taffy
Ferguson (TFe), Tim Flannigan (TFl), Wayne
Forsythe, Mike & Evelyn Fowles, Tim Fox (TFo),
Dot Freeman, Rick Fridell, Dale Gearhart
(DGe), Kevin Georg (KGe), Kathy Goodblood
(KGo), Ted Grisez, Dave Grove (DGr), Greg
Grove, George Hall, Kevin Hamed, Molly Heath
(MHe), John Henderson (JHe), Paul Hess,
Margaret Higbee (MHi), David Hochadel,
Audrey Hoff, Joyce Hoffmann (JHo), Dori
Jacobs, Scott Kinzey, Rick Knight (RKn),
Ramsay Koury (RKo), Allen Lamer (ALa),
YuLee Lamer, Robert C. Leberman (RCL),
Ronald F. Leberman (RFL), Alice Loftin (ALo),
Janice Martin, Mark McConaughy (MMc),
Larry McDaniel (LMc), Jerry McWilliams
(JMc), Don Miller, Che Mincone, Bob Moul,
Robert Mulvihill, Charlie Muise, Chuck Neel,
Fraenzi Nievergelt, Linda Northrop, Bob
Olthoff, Nina Ott, Jim Phillips, Fran Pope, Frank
Renfrow, Peter Robinson, John Salvetti ( JSa) Bob
Scribner, Ron Selvey (RSe), Richard Shelling
(RSh), Norma Siebenheller, Chris Sloan, A1
Spiese, Jerry Stanley (JSt), Rob Stone (RSt),
Randy Stringer (RSr), Sam Stull, Chuck Tague,
Joan Tague, Adam Troyer, Neil Troyer, Chris
Welsh, Gene Wilhelm, Rick Wiltraut, Debra
Yovanovich, Eugene Zielinski. fj

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

53

Western Great Lakes

Feder H. Svingen

2602 East 4th Street
Duluth, Minnesota 55812
(psvingen@cl.umn.eclu)

Many species lingered while temperatures
were above normal this season. Drought
continued in Michigan until September but was
relieved in Wisconsin by above-average rainfall
during August. November weather seemed like
September! Yellow-billed Loon, Black Vulture,
Band-tailed Pigeon, and Black-throated Sparrow
were outstanding in Minnesota, while Wisconsin
highlights included Vermilion Flycatcher,
Brambling, and a probable first state record
Slaty-backed Gull. Under review in Michigan
were Northern Gannet, Least Tern, Ancient
Murrelet, White-winged Dove, Fork-tailed
Flycatcher, Rock Wren, and Sage Thrasher.

Abbreviations: Big Stone (Big Stone N.W.R., Big
Stone and Lac Qui Parle, MN); Fi.R.N.R. (FFawk
Ridge Nature Reserve, Duluth, MN); M.B.R.C.
(Michigan Bird Records Committee); M.C.G.I.
(Milwaukee Coast Guard Impoundment, WI);
Muskegon (Muskegon Wastewater System,
Muskegon, MI); p. a. (pending acceptance); Park
Pt. (Park Point, St. Louis, MN); Pte. Mouillee
(Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, Monroe, MI);
Shiawassee (Shiawassee N.W.R., Saginaw, MI);
S.M.R.R. (Southeast Michigan Raptor Research,
including Lake Erie Metropark and Pte. Mouillee
HQ, Wayne, MI); W.B.R.C. (Wisconsin Bird
Records Committee); Wise. Pt. (Wisconsin Point,
Douglas, WI); W.P.B.O. (Whitefish Point Bird
Observatory, Chippewa, MI).

LOONS THROUGH VULTURES

Minnesota had 2-3 Red-throated Loons on L.
Superior, including one in Cook 26-29 Oct (m.
ob.); Wisconsin had four reports from L.
Michigan. W.P.B.O. counted 535 between 27 Aug
and 10 Nov, peaking at 117 on 20 Sep. Eight more
Red-throateds in Michigan included one inland
at Park L., Clinton 29 Nov (BRC). Six Pacific
Loons was near the recent Minnesota average,
but Wisconsin had only 2, far fewer than last fall’s
9. One at Wise. Pt. 15 Oct (RJ) was likely the same
individual seen at Park Pt. 13-29 Oct (CRG et
al.); the other was in Dane 18-23 Nov (AS, m.
ob.). Pacific Loon is casual in Michigan; among 3
reports, best documented was one at W.P.B.O. 20
Sep (p.a., KMe). Common Loons peaked at 1 163
on Mille Lacs L., MN 4 Nov (PCC, PHS). At
W.P.B.O., 3613 were counted 1 Aug-14 Nov,
peaking at 482 on 2 Oct. Providing Minnesota’s
5th record was the juv. Yellow-billed Loon in
Mille Lacs 4 Nov (PHS, PCC).

W.P.B.O. tallied 19,325 Red-necked Grebes 10
Aug-15 Nov, peaking at 2212 on 17 Aug.
Wisconsin had Eared Grebes at Wise. Pt. 9 Sep
(RJ) and Milwaukee 25 Nov (LH); up to 3 were at
Muskegon (m. ob.). Western Grebes were in three
se. Wisconsin counties; casual in Michigan, one
was at Keweenaw Bay, Baraga 26 Oct-2 Nov
(MTA, JAY et al.). An ad. Northern Gannet at
Pte. Mouillee HQ, Wayne 11 Nov (DS, JSc) fur-
nished an 8th Michigan record.

Snowy Egrets included an imm. in Houston,
MN 7-8 Aug (FZL, RZ), 3 in Brown, WI through
3 Sep ( JH), and one in Bay, MI 17 Aug (ES). Little
Blue Herons (all imm.) were in Branch, MI 5 Aug
(SS), Carver, MN 16-24 Aug (RMD et al.), and

Wayne, MI 20 Sep-1 Oct (TS, m. ob.). Four
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were in se.
Wisconsin; casual in Michigan, one strayed to
Pte. Mouillee 1 Sep (AMB). In Minnesota,
unidentified Plegadis were in Clay 28 Sep (MO)
and Lyon 17-18 Oct (RJS et al.). Anticipated for
years, Minnesota’s first Black Vulture was pho-
tographed at H.R.N.R. 28 Aug (FJN, KRE et al.).

WATERFOWL THROUGH RAILS

Ross’s Geese were in four Minnesota locations,
including one in Duluth 3-26 Nov (CRG et al.)
and 13 in Big Stone 21 Nov (PCC). No longer
reviewed by W.B.R.C., one in Chippewa 3 Oct was
record early (JP). Unusual away from L. Superior
was the Harlequin Duck in Mille Lacs, MN 5 Nov
(CRM et al.); up to 8 were in ne. Minnesota,
including an ad. male at Paradise, Cook 24 Nov-(-
(DPJ). Wisconsin had Harlequins in three coun-
ties, including 3 in Sheboygan 26 Nov (DT, TCW).
Unusually early were Harlequins in Alger, MI 9 Sep
and 3 Oct (SH); more seasonal were 3 at
Muskegon 12-18 Nov (m. ob.). Seasonal totals at
W.P.B.O. were 287 Surf, 3236 White-winged, and
158 Black Scoters, plus 10,428 Long-tailed Ducks.
A male Barrow’s Goldeneye was photographed
near Reno, Houston, MN 17 Nov (PEJ). In
Wisconsin, Tessen reported Barrow’s in Ozaukee
10 Nov and Sheboygan 20 Nov.

Late were single Ospreys in Green, WI 18 Nov
( WR) and Wayne, MI 12-23 Nov (KO, MM, GAS).
Except for a record-high 190 Golden Eagles,
H.R.N.R. had a poor season, but S.M.R.R. (JSc,
CRF, PCy) set records for Osprey (268), Bald Eagle
(176), Sharp-shinned Hawk (19,981), Northern
Goshawk (70), Red-shouldered Hawk (1134), and
Peregrine Falcon (94). A Swainson’s Hawk strayed
to Little Suamico, WI 18 Sep (TE), while 6 were at
S.M.R.R. during Sep (JSc, GRF, PCy). Wisconsin
had only 2 Golden Eagles, but 174 were at
S.M.R.R., including 32 on 3 Nov (JSc, CRF, PCy).
Minnesota reported the only Gyrfalcon, an imm.
gray morph at H.R.N.R. 28 Oct (FJN et al.). Prairie
Falcons were in Rock 26 Aug (AXH, PHS) and
Wilkin 15 Sep (MO), both Minnesota. Each state
had one Yellow Rail: Jackson, MN 4 Sep (BRB),
M.C.G.I. 5-6 Oct (SL, KD, m. ob.), and Shiawassee
13 Sep (DP). A family of 9 Common Moorhens
dawdled at Minnesota L., Meeker, MN through 28
Sep (DMF).

SHOREBIRDS THROUGH TERNS

Noteworthy counts included 800-1- American
Golden-Plovers in Marshall, MN 9 Oct (BAB)
and 136 Semipalmated Plovers at Big Stone 8 Aug
(BEO). Single Piping Plovers were in Big Stone,
MN 12-27 Aug (PCC, PHS et al), W.P.B.O. 17-26
Aug, and Ludington, Mason, MI 31 Aug (fide
KM). The Killdeer crescendo was 866 at Pte.
Mouillee 15 Aug (AMB, ST, TW, ES). American

54

North American Birds

Western Great Lakes

Avocets were in three Minnesota, five Wisconsin,
and four Michigan counties; peak counts were 1 1
in Big Stone, MN 30 Aug (KJB) and 7 at Lake Erie
Metropark, Wayne, MI 28 Oct (WGP), the latter a
first county record. Estimates by others varied,
but Byrne systematically counted 1942 Lesser
Yellowlegs at Pte. Mouillee 19 Aug, apparently a
record-high tally for Michigan. Late was the Willet
in Wayne, MI 15 Aug-20 Oct (m. ob.).

Hudsonian Godwit normally occurs in small
numbers during fall migration, but double-digit
counts were routine during Aug in w. Minnesota,
e.g., 27 in Toqua Twp., Big Stone 16 Aug (DBz)
and 17 at Big Stone 25 Aug (TAT). Wisconsin’s
only report was of 4 in Brown 26 Aug (DT), but
Michigan had up to 24 at Huron R. mouth, Wayne
17-19 Aug (m. ob.) and 13 at Pte. Mouillee 18 Aug
(DF). Infrequently counted, 48 Marbled Godwits
were at Big Stone 8 Aug (BEO).

Red Knot was scarce in Minnesota (one or 2)
and Wisconsin (3), but 14 knots were scattered
among six Michigan locations, including 5 at
Portage Point Marsh, Delta 26 Aug (SS). Record
high for Minnesota was a count of 1722
Semipalmated Sandpipers at Big Stone 8 Aug
(BEO et ah). Providing the first acceptable
Minnesota record since May 1991 was an imm.
Western Sandpiper at L. Byllesby, Dakota 26-27
Oct (ADS et al.). Wisconsin reported single
Westerns in Door 1 Aug (BS) and M.C.G.I. 30 Aug
(KD), while Michigan had five records, including
a very late bird at Thunder Bay, Alpena 17 Nov
(FMc). Also record high was a total of 2105 Least
Sandpipers at Big Stone 8 Aug (BEO et al.).

Normally a scarce fall migrant, about 60
White-rumped Sandpipers were in 12 Michigan
counties, including 30 in Monroe 30 Sep (AMB).
At Pte. Mouillee, record-high counts were 73

Baird’s Sandpipers 1 Sep (AMB) and 1339
Pectoral Sandpipers 15 Aug (AMB, ST, TW, ES).
Michigan had 6 Purple Sandpipers in five loca-
tions and 1 150 Dunlin in Wayne 5 Nov (WGP).
Peak Stilt Sandpiper counts were 615 at Big
Stone 8 Aug (BEO et al), 125 in Brown, WI 16
Aug (DT), and 109 at Pte. Mouillee 19 Aug
(AMB).

Minnesota’s Buff-breasted Sandpiper migra-
tion was exceptional, with 550-1- birds in 12
counties, including 164 at Empire, Dakota 6 Aug
(CRM) and 162 at Big Stone 8 Aug (BEO et al.).
Wisconsin had reports from seven counties,
including 35 in Racine 10 Aug (KD), while
Michigan had about 35 in six counties.
Furnishing Wisconsin’s 8th fall record was the
Ruff at M.C.G.I. 9 Aug (BB). All three states had
unconfirmed reports of Red Phalarope, but sin-
gles were well documented in Kewaunee, WI 25
Nov (PS), Van Buren, MI 27 Oct (RGS et al.),
Muskegon 27-29 Oct ( JPo et al.), and Baraga, MI
29 Nov-h (JAY, ph. MTA).

JAEGERS THROUGH MURRELETS

Providing the 14th Minnesota record was an ad.
Pomarine Jaeger at Duluth 19 Sep (KRE et al). A
juv. Pomarine was carefully identified at St.
Joseph, Berrien 9 Sep (p.a., CJG); M.B.R.C. will
consider additional reports. A total of 5-8
Parasitics plus 3 unidentified jaegers was at Park
Pt. and/or Wise. Pt. (m. ob.). Eight Parasitics plus
25 unidentified jaegers were in Michigan, mostly
( 19) at W.P.B.O. A Long-tailed Jaeger on the St.
Croix R. between Bayport, MN and Hudson, WI
5-7 Sep (TR, NG, m. ob.) provided 8th and 7th
state records, respectively. Casual in Michigan
and under review by M.B.R.C. were Long-taileds
at W.P.B.O. 30 Aug (SH, RP), New Buffalo,

Minnesota joined the ranks of other northern tier
states when this Biack Vuiture, a state first,
fiapped and saiied by the Hawk Ridge hawkwatch
site at Duiuth on 28 August 2001 . Photograph by
Frank J. Nicoletti.

Berrien 10 Sep (KM), and Grand Haven, Van
Buren 6 Oct (JGG). Early and intriguing was a
jaeger sp. in Cass, MN 1 Aug (SCH).

Single imm. Little Gulls were at Park Pt. 16
Sep (CRG, JWH) and Brown, WI 1-3 Sep (NC,
BH et al). Michigan had singles in Berrien 9 &
15 Sep (CJG, WMB, PU) and Ottawa 13 Oct
(SM). For the 4th consecutive Oct, a Black-head-
ed Gull was in Jackson on the Minnesota-Iowa
border. Bonaparte’s Gulls peaked at 3175 on L.
Winnibigoshish, MN 11 Nov (PHS). Record
early was an ad. Thayer’s Gull in Hennepin, MN
23 Sep (PEB). Iceland Gulls were in all three
states, including early juvs. at W.P.B.O. 6 Oct
(AMB, JMc) and Cook, MN 12-14 Oct (KRE et
al.). A dark-mantled gull in Milwaukee, WI 13
Nov (p.a., ph. BB) was tentatively identified as a
third or fourth-basic Slaty-backed Gull.To reca-
pitulate last fall’s bonanza (cf N. A. B. 55: 55):
8-10 Sabine’s Gulls were at Park Pt. and/or Wise.
Pt. during late Sep, though most lacked details;
one was late at Wise. Pt. 12 Oct (RJ). Providing
first county records were juv. Sabine’s in Stearns,
MN 21 Sep (HHD), Washtenaw, MI 1 Nov (MS,
DCC, JGe, ph. HP), and Wayne/Monroe, MI 24
Nov (DS, WGP); another was in Chippewa, MI
19 Nov (DL). Minnesota had single imm. Black-
legged Kittiwakes in Cook 12 Nov (CRM et al.)
and St. Louis 30 Nov (DAG, JWL). Michigan had
one at Port Huron, St. Clair 16 Oct (AMB), plus
3 at W.P.B.O. An ad. Arctic Tern with a juv. at
Wise. Pt. 19-21 Sep (vt. SP, RJ et al.) briefly
strayed into Minnesota. Representing the 6th
Monroe and 8th Michigan occurrence was the
Least Tern at Pte. Mouillee 1 Sep (p.a. KM, CJG).
An Ancient Murrelet found in Paradise,
Chippewa on 14 Nov (p. a. KMe, SH) was the 5th
Michigan and 3rd Chippewa record.

On 6 October 2001 , a Biack-headed Gull, a species rather rare away from northeastern coasts, turned up
at Spirit Lake in Jackson County, on the Minnesota-Iowa border; this is the fourth October in a row for the
species here. Birders away from the Atlantic coasts are finding the lakes and rivers in the interior produc-
tive for this and indeed virtually any gull species. This photograph was taken 24 October. Photograph by
Brad Bolduan.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

55

PIGEONS THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Providing the 8th Minnesota record was a Band-
tailed Pigeon at Golden Valley, Hennepin 18-20
Oct (m. oh.). A pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves
at Caledonia, Houston, MN fledged their 3rd
brood of the year in Sep (KAK); probable breed-
ing was indicated by an ad. and a juv. at Russell,
Lyon 11 Aug (ph. PHS). Intermittently docu-
mented at Jasper since Jan 1999, 3 were in
Pipestone/Rock, MN 8-9 Sep (ph. PHS et al.).
Present since summer 2000 were 2 Eurasian
Collared-Doves in Oconto, WI (J&KS); another
was at Holy Cross (JSo). Providing the 6th
Michigan record was a White-winged Dove on
14 Oct in Keweenaw (ZG).

Echoing last winter’s invasion, about one-
fourth of the 64 Snowy Owls in Minnesota were
injured, starving, or found dead. Snowy Owls
were in eight Wisconsin counties, including 5 at
Green Bay 5 Nov-I- (J&KS, m. ob.), while 34+
were in 19 Michigan counties. Six Northern
Hawk Owls in ne. Minnesota was an above-aver-
age number but probably included breeding
birds; one at W.P.B.O. 1 Nov was Michigan’s only
report. Tardy was the Chimney Swift in Dane, WI
1 Nov (WH). Wisconsin had 2 Rufous
Hummingbirds, at Montello 1 Aug-20 Sep (DC
et al.) and Greendale 17-19 Aug (p.a. PA).
Michigan had ad. males near Paw Paw, Van Buren
4 Oct-2 Nov (KM, RGS, AMB, ph. ATC) and
Ortonville, Oakland 26 Oct+ (MC, ph. ATC, m.
ob.); Chartier found the latter already banded —
by Susan Campbell, 2 Dec 2000 near
Hendersonville, North Carolina!

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH PIPITS

Record late was an Eastern Wood-Pewee in
Milwaukee, WI 7 Nov (JI, DG). Photographed in
Wisconsin for the first time and furnishing a 5th
state record was the Vermilion Flycatcher in
Jefferson 10 Nov+ (BR). Normally a rare early Sep
migrant along the North Shore of L. Superior in
Minnesota, single Western Kingbirds were in
Lake 9-1 1 Oct ( IWL) and Duluth 14 Oct (AXH).
Record late was an Eastern Kingbird in
Waukesha, WI 5 Nov (MW). Resubmitted to
M.B.R.C. after a split vote was the Fork-tailed
Flycatcher at Bay City S.P., Bay 15 Sep (R&DC).

Record late and exceptional along the North
Shore was an imm. White-eyed Vireo at Lutsen,
Cook, MN 25-28 Oct (CAK, JJS, m. ob.); more
expected was one in Hillsdale, MI 22 Sep (JR).
The provenance of a Black-billed Magpie in
Brown, WI 26 Aug (DC) was uncertain.
Potentially a 4th Michigan record was the Rock
Wren at New Buffalo, Berrien 15 Nov (p.a., DBu).
Carolina Wrens increased in all three states; most
unusual was one at Grand Marais, Cook, MN
Aug-late Oct (K&MH). Recently a late fall
vagrant along the North Shore of L. Superior, a

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was in Lake, MN 2 Nov
(JWE), but one was even later in Wayne, MI 7
Nov(JSc, CRF, PCy,WGP).

No fewer than 20 Townsend’s Solitaires were in
Minnesota, including first county records in
Kandiyohi 13 Oct (RSF) and Rock 18 Oct (NED,
PHS). Early was one in Lyon, MN 23 Sep (RJS).
Wisconsin’s only solitaire was at Devils Lake S.P.,
Sauk 20 Nov (AH), but Michigan had singles in
Bay 20 Oct (DD), St. Clair 23 Oct (PE), and
W.P.B.O. 28 Oct (AMB). A Varied Thrush visited
a feeder in Eau Claire, WI 10 Nov {fide EE); 3-4
were in Minnesota. Northern Mockingbirds were
scarce in MN (3) and WI (one), but 8-9 were in
Michigan. Providing the 2nd Michigan record
was a Sage Thrasher at W.P.B.O. 30 Sep-3 Oct
(KMe, ph. JGG & BCM, m. ob.). Unexpected was
a Sprague’s Pipit at Resurrection Cemetery,
Dakota 21-22 Sep (TAT, ADS).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Unusual was a total of 24+ Black-throated Blue
Warblers in eight Minnesota counties between 30
Aug and 4 Oct (m. ob.); late were 2 at W.P.B.O. 3
Nov. At or near summer 2001 nesting locations
were single Yellow-throated Warblers at Port
Snelling S.P. 24 Aug (RBJ) and Acacia Cemetery
8-9 Sep (TAT), both in Dakota, MN, and 2 near
Three Oaks, Berrien, MI 22 Sep (DCV).
Noteworthy in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was
the juv. Kirtland’s Warbler banded near Little L.,
Marquette 3 Aug (MEP). Apparently a first for the
U. P. was the Worm-eating Warbler n. of Paradise,
Chippewa 4 Sep (KMe).

Extremely late was the Scarlet Tanager in
Berrien, MI 27 Nov+ (JTW, WJ, WBW, ph. SW).
Briefly seen were a Western Tanager in Brown 10
Sep (DT) and a Green-tailed Towhee at M.C.G.I.
14 Oct (JI); both will be reviewed by W.B.R.C.
Scarce for the 3rd consecutive fall, a Spotted
Towhee at Rochester in late Oct (RLE) was the
only Minnesota report. Wisconsin also had one,
at M.C.G.I. 16 Oct (DG, MBo). Purnishing the
5th Minnesota record was an imm. Black-throat-
ed Sparrow at Knife River, Lake 7 Oct (PB et al.).
Late Ammodramus included a Grasshopper
Sparrow at W.P.B.O. 2-4 & 6 Nov (AMB et al.)
and a Henslow’s Sparrow in Milwaukee, WI 5
Nov (KD). Migrant Nelson’s Sharp-tailed
Sparrows were in six Minnesota and three
Wisconsin locations; Wisconsin’s were at
M.C.G.I. 22 Sep-5 Oct (m. ob.), 4 in Milwaukee
23 Sep (AS), and one in St. Croix 1 1 Oct (MBe).
High counts included 222 Lincoln’s Sparrows at
W.P.B.O. 19 Sep and 218 White-crowned
Sparrows in Alpena, MI 28 Sep (WNG). During
late Oct, dozens to “hundreds” of Smith’s
Longspurs were at Jefferson Petroglyphs,
Cottonwood, MN (m. ob.), but one was unexpect-
ed in Duluth 21 Oct (PHS). Great-tailed Grackles

peaked at about 50 in Jackson, MN 17 Oct (PHS).
Providing Wisconsin’s 2nd record during its all-
too-short stay was the Brambling at Franklin,
Milwaukee 1-2 Nov (ph. PBr, m. ob.). Crossbills
and redpolls irrupted in all three states.

Cited Observers (subregional editors bold-
faced): Paul Andre, M. Thomas Auer, Parker
Backstrom, Karl J. Bardon, Betsy A. Beneke,
Dedrick Benz (DBz), Murray Berner (MBe),
Brian Boldt, Brad R. Bolduan, Marilyn Bontly
(MBo), Walter M. Booth, Pat Brust (PBr), Paul E.
Budde, Dixie Burkhart (DBu), Adam M. Byrne,
Donald C. Chalfant, Mike Champagne, Allen T.
Chartier (Michigan), Daryl Christensen, Philip

C. Chu, Bruce R. Cohen, Julie A. Craves, Noel
Cutright, Paul Cypher (PCy), Ralph & Donna
Czerepinski, Karl David, Nelvina E. De Kam,
Herb H. Dingmann, Robert M. Dunlap, Dan
Duso, Kim R. Eckert, Robert L. Ekblad, Tom
Erdman, Laura Erickson, Dan M. Floren, Craig R.
Fosdick, Pat Frankenbach, Randy S.
Frederickson, Darlene Friedman, Zachary Gayk,
Jacco Gelderloos (JGe), Nancy Goetzinger, Colin
R. Gjervold, Cory J. Gregory, James G. Granlund,
William N. Grigg, David A. Grosshuesch, Dennis
Gustafson, Skye Haas, Lowell Hall, Jan Hansen
(Wisconsin), Steven C. Hansen, Bettie Harriman,
Anthony X. Hertzel, John W. Hockema, Ken &
Molly Hoffman, Aaron Holschbach, Willy
Hutcheson, John Idzikowski, Robert B. Janssen,
Paul E. Jantscher, Warren Johns, Douglas P.
Johnson, Robbye Johnson, Karla A. Kinstler,
Chuck A. Krulas, Fred Z. Lesher, James W. Lind,
Derek Lovitch, Steve Lubahn, Craig R. Mandel,
John McDaniel (JMc), Fred McDonald (FMc),
Michael Mencotti, Ken Mettie (KMe), Kip Miller,
Steve Minard, Brad C. Murphy, Frank J. Nicoletti,
Bridget E. Olson, Mark Otnes, Karl Overman,
Walter G. Pawloski, Dave Peters, Michael E.
Petrucha, Rod Planck, Janine Polk, James
Ponshair (JPo), Douglas E. Powless, Hein
Prinsen, Shaun Putz, Thomas Ramsay, Jack
Reinoehl, Wayne Rohde, Brenda Rozelle, Steve
Santner, Paul Schilke, Russ G. Schipper, Roger J.
Schroeder, Jeff Schultz (JSc), Thomas R. Schultz,
Mike Sefton, Don Sherwood, Tim Smart, Andrew

D. Smith, Ed Smith, Jerry & Karen Smith, Gerald

A. Sniderman, Joe Soehnel, Joan Sommer (JSo),
Jeff J. Stephenson, Barbara Stover, Aaron Stutz,
Peder H. Svingen (Minnesota), Scott Terry, Daryl
Tessen, Tom A. Tustison, Pat Underwood, David
C. Vinnedge, Steve Warren, Warren B. Warren,
Tex Wells, Marlyn Winter, Thomas C. Wood,
Jonathan T. Wuepper, Joseph A. Youngman, and
Ric Zarwell. An additional 335 contributors
could not be listed individually but have our
thanks for their submissions. /)

56

North American Birds

Western Great Lakes — Middlewestern Prairie

Middlewestern

Prairie

IOWA

Toledo

Davenport

Michigan '

City Ft •
Wayne

NWR

ILLINOIS

OHIO

irJOIAN^

Squaw Creek NWR

Dayton

Indianapolis'

Muscatafuck'

NWR

{^Louisville
Lexington •

Evansville

Rend L

s^rab Orchard
\ NWR j

Ki-rti j.' t','

L Cumber/artd^^

Ballard

WMA

Kenneth J. Brock

1265 Red Bud Drive
Chesterton, Indiana 46304
(kebrock@iun.edu)

For the most part, it was a beautiful autumn
for birders. The weather was warm, and
November brought a delightful Indian(a) sum-
mer. Actually, November temperatures were
quite remarkable — in Kansas City, it was the
fourth warmest November ever, and in Chicago
temperatures averaged 7° F above normal.
Though western reaches of the Region were dry,
the August through mid-October period was
unusually wet in most areas. As a result Bill
Eddleman reported that dry conditions in
Missouri eliminated most waterbird habitat,
whereas, in eastern Indiana Jim Haw lamented
that heavy precipitation inundated the shore-
bird habitat (such are the joys of birding). In
many areas, passerines riding September fronts
overflew the Region, resulting in few fallouts
and an erratic distribution of migrant song-
birds. Despite these shortcomings, most corre-
spondents submitted positive assessments for
the season. Perhaps the most noteworthy
weather impact was a delayed migration.
Numerous species took full advantage of sum-
mer-like conditions and tarried on their south-
bound journey. One measure of this delay was
provided by the presence of 13 warbler species
in Indiana’s Migrant Trap 13 October and a

dozen warblers in St. Louis 6 October. These
are impressive tallies for mid-October.
Additionally, high-fives were struck for an
ample number of rarities, including Ohio’s
first Brown-headed Nuthatch. It was indeed a
good season for birders.

Abbreviations: Carl. L. (Carlyle L., Clinton,
Fayette, & Bottd, IL); H.B.S.P (Headlands
Beach S.P., OH); I.B.S.P (Illinois Beach S.P., on
the lakefront 16 km s. of the WI line), L. Chau.
(Lake Chatauqua N.W.R., IL); Mill. B. (Miller
Beach, IN, the southernmost point on L.
Michigan); O.N.W.R. (Ottawa N.W.R., OH);
R.E.D.A. (Riverlands Environmental
Demonstration Area, MO); S.C.R. (Squaw
Creek N.W.R., MO).

LOONS THROUGH VULTURES

Beginning in the mid-1990s, the Region’s Red-
throated Loon reports abruptly increased by
roughly a factor of five. That pattern contin-
ued this year, with reports from all six states.
The highest numbers came from the Indiana
lakefront, where 47 were counted, with a peak
daily tally of 14 at Mill. B. 19 Nov (JKC, PBG,
JMc et al.). Pacific Loons occurred in typical
numbers, with singles at Smithville L., MO 26
Oct-13 Nov (JHi, RF, LL ), Clin. L. 11 Nov
(fRTC), and 23 Nov at I.B.S.P. (fAFS, RE).
The peak Common Loon tally consisted of 730
off Beverly Shores, IN 7 Nov (PBG). Red-
necked Grebes were more common than nor-

mal, with 6 in Iowa, 5 in Indiana, 4 in Ohio, and
one in Illinois. Eared Grebes wandered to Ohio,
where one was in Paulding 9-10 Sep (JPe, D &
MD) and another in Erie 4-1 1 Oct (BWh, JHa).
Western Grebes were scarce, with only 2 report-
ed e. of the Mississippi R.; these were at Clin. L.
31 Oct (RTC) and L. Chau. 5-24 Nov (KR, RBj,
SBj, m.ob.).

The American White Pelican population
continues to flourish, with counts exceeding
2500 birds in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The
peak tally was 3600 in Marion, lA 23 Aug (ABs),
and singles occurred as far e. as Erie, OH 4-17
Aug (BM, m. ob.) and O.N.W.R. 13 Sep (GM et
al.). Double-crested Cormorants were also
more than plentiful, with counts exceeding
1000 in five states. A late American Bittern was
at R.E.D.A. 17 Nov (Joe Eads). Least Bitterns
were reported in excellent fall numbers, with a
maximum of 34 at Swan Lake N.W.R. 24 Sep,
where one lingered until 15 Nov to provide one
of Missouri’s latest records (SK). Although
Great Egrets were deemed scarce in Missouri
and Kentucky, impressive counts of 1700 in
Calhoun 4 Aug (KAM, m. ob.) and 836 in
Mason were logged in Illinois (RBj, SBj). Little
Blue Herons peaked at 400 in Union, IL 2 Sep
(CMc, JMk). The maximum Cattle Egret count
consisted of “several thousand” at a post-breed-
ing roost near L. Barkley, KY (BPB).
Unidentified Plegadis ibis were in Van Wert, OH
28-29 Oct (JPe) and Henderson, KY 21 Nov-4
Dec (LA, MM, BPB). The latter is extremely
late. In concert with the invasion farther east, 2
Wood Storks were identified in the Region.
The first was present in the Chicago suburb of
Lombard 5-25 Aug (SWo, photos in the
Chicago-Tribune, m. ob.), where it attracted
both birder and media attention. The 2nd stork
was observed soaring near Cleveland 9 Sep
(tBrad Stemen et al.) to provide Ohio’s 4th
record. Extraordinary vulture counts included
230 Blacks at Table Rock Dam, Taney, MO 21
Nov (MBR) and 465 Turkeys at Effigy Mounds,
Allamakee, lA 26 Sep (FL).

WATERFOWL THROUGH CRANES

An unusually mild Nov delayed the waterfowl
flight; consequently many species, especially the
later migrants, appeared in below-normal num-
bers. Once again Greater White-fronted Geese
were widespread; 6 were found in Paulding, OH
28 Oct (D&MD), where they are rare. Bucking
the late waterfowl trend, a record-early Ross’s
Goose appeared in Cerro Gordo, lA 15 Sep
(fCN, tRG, tPH). In Illinois and Indiana, it
was the best year for Brant in several decades.
Records included an early imm. Atlantic Brant
(subspecies hrota) at Mill. B. 24 Sep (tJMc, BGr,
et al.), an ad. at Mill. B. 16 Oct (PBG, BGr), and

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

57

another at Carl. L 19-27 Oct (KM, ASe, MW).
A Black Brant (subspecies nigricans) on the
Chicago lakefront 27 Sep (fCAW, RHu, m. ob.)
was rarer still. Tundra Swans peaked in
Allamakee, I A 12 Nov when 800 were counted
(CE). A fine Blue-winged Teal tally was record-
ed at L. Chau. 30 Aug, when 2403 were count-
ed (RBj, SBj). The delayed migration kept bay
duck numbers well below average, but inland
scoter counts were in the normal range, with
one to 3 of each species reported in every state.
On the Great Lakes, White-winged Scoters were
surprisingly scarce, with no reports on L. Erie;
this species was the rarest scoter on L.
Michigan. Chicago had a monopoly on this
season’s Harlequin Ducks, with singles at
Lincoln Park 30 Oct-11 Nov (GAW, DDa, JEL,
m. ob.) and Winthrop Harbor 26 Nov (SH).

A whopping 66 Ospreys passed the I.B.S.P.
hawkwatch 10 Sep ( VB et ah), and one lingered
at Smithville L., MO until 26 Nov (SK, KG).
Diurnal raptor of the season was an ad.
Swallow-tailed Kite that frequented Shelby, IN
2-4 Sep (RR, fDGo, m. ob.) to provide the
state’s 6th modern record. A flock of 8
Mississippi Kites, associating with migrating
hawks, was seen in St. Louis, MO 24 Sep (MBr).
A remarkable fall tally of 101 Northern
Harriers was recorded 26 Oct during an I.B.S.P.
hawkwatch (VB et ah). The latter site also pro-
vided some impressive Sharp-shinned Hawk
counts, with 213 on 26 Oct and 200 on 6 Oct
(VB et ah). An above-normal 20 Northern
Goshawks were reported across the Region,
with half of these in Iowa. The largest Broad-
winged Hawk flight, by far, occurred in
Allamakee, I A, where 1408 were counted 22 Sep
(EL). Eor the 2nd consecutive year, an
unprecedented Swainson’s Hawk movement
was recorded in Iowa. This year 553 birds were
counted in Pottawattamie 5 Oct (MO). The
most impressive aspect of a better-than-aver-
age Golden Eagle flight was the appearance of 4
in Ohio; the easternmost was in Fulton 17 Sep
(RHa, SWa).

Greater Prairie-Chicken reports were
restricted to w. Missouri, where the peak tally
was 52 birds at Prairie Creek S.P, Barton 20
Nov (MBR). Rail reports were skimpy but did
include a single King Rail in Areola, IL 11 Aug
(RTC) and 2 at S.C.R. 26 Aug (RE), plus a fine
autumn tally of 35 Soras in Appanoonse, I A 16
Sep (TJ). The 17 Common Moorhens counted
at O.N.W.R., OH 5 Aug (RHn, SWa) is among
the better fall tallies of recent years. The 17,351
migrating Sandhill Cranes counted over the
Chicago suburb of Villa Park, IL 19 Nov (RB) is
almost certainly the Region’s largest count ever
made away from the Jasper-Pulaksi, IN staging
area.

SHOREBIRDS

The maximum plover counts came from Ohio,
where 200 Black-bellieds were at O.N.W.R. 4
Oct ( JHa, BWh), 430 American Golden-Plovers
were at the same location 11 Oct (VF), 96
Semipalmateds were counted at Cedar Point 31
Aug (VF), and 3700 Killdeer in three nw. Ohio
counties 8 Aug (VF).

For years most of the Region’s
observers have tacitly assumed that
all migrant Piping Plovers that appear on
s. L. Michigan beaches were part of the
Great Lakes’ breeding population. That
assumption was shown to be invalid this
fall when a juv., sporting color leg bands,
was photographed at Miller Beach, IN 1
Aug (MT, JMc, ph. EPo). A lengthy web
search, using the band colors and
sequence, allowed Jefif McCoy to ultimate-
ly determine the bird’s origin. It had been
banded as a chick by Paul Gooseen of the
Canadian Wildlife Service at L.
Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan during the
summer of 2001. Other migrant Piping
Plover reports included 4 in Marion, lA 2
Aug (MPr) and one at Carl. L. 28 Aug (IH);
unfortunately, there was no information
about the origin of these birds.

Black-necked Stilts were reported at Clin. L.,
where two pairs were present 4-9 ful (fRTC,
HP, m. ob.) and in Fulton, KY, where 5 (2 ads.,
3 juvs.) were observed 19 Aug-2 Sep (BPB, AC,
et ah). A strong Whimbrel flight occurred on
the Great Lakes, with 15 on L. Michigan and 9
on L. Erie; a rare inland occurrence was record-
ed at Carl. L. 8 Aug (DKa, ph.). Hudsonian
Godwits appeared in typical numbers except in
Indiana, where a flock of 26 at Mill. B. 3 Sep
(BGr) established a record tally for the state. A
better-than-average Marbled Godwit flight
brought 9 to Indiana, 5 to Illinois, 5 to Ohio,
and one to Iowa. In Ohio, a very tardy Marbled
lingered at O.N.W.R. through 28 Oct (VF).
One to 8 Red Knots were reported in every
state except Kentucky. The most noteworthy
knot records occurred in Marion, lA 21 Aug
(tABs), Ray, MO 10 Sep (RE), and Johnson, lA
12 Sep (tJLF, tMCD, fTHK), where this
species is casual. Peak tallies of the smaller
shorebirds included 286 Sanderlings at
O.N.W.R. 11 Oct (VF), 6 White-rumped
Sandpipers at Chausee, OH 25 Jul (KMi, DS),
24 Baird’s Sandpipers at L. Cal. 19 Aug (GAW,
m. ob.), 2000 Pectoral Sandpipers at O.N.W.R.
8 Aug (VF), and 6500-r Dunlin at O.N.W.R. 28
Oct (IPg). Single Purple Sandpipers were

reported at Michigan City Harbor, IN 15-16
Nov (PBG, SBg et al.) and at H.B.S.P. 20 Nov
(JS). A fairly typical Buff-breasted Sandpiper
flight was highlighted by 26 imms. at Carl. L. 8
Sep (DKa). The season’s Ruff list consisted of
an ad. male in St. Charles, MO 23-24 Aug
(CMa, m. ob.) and a juv. on the Mississippi R.,
Carlisle, KY 8-9 Sep (BPB, RD). The most
noteworthy dowitcher report was of a Long-
billed at Kentucky L. 24-25 Nov (HC, BPB,
AC), which established a new late date for
Kentucky. A mega-snipe tally was recorded at
Metzger Marsh W.M.A., OH 18 Nov, when 310
were counted (VF). Wilson’s Phalaropes staged
a very good flight, with one to 8 birds recorded
in every state. Most noteworthy was a very late
Wilson’s at Point Clinton, OH 18 Nov (VF).
On the Great Lakes, the Red Phalarope migra-
tion was somewhat above average, with 9 on L.
Erie and 5 on L. Michigan. The only adequate-
ly documented inland report consisted of a sin-
gle at Carl. L. 25-26 Aug (DKa, ph. m. ob.).

JAEGERS THROUGH ALCIDS

The Region experienced another fine jaeger
flight. As is typical, a majority of the birds was
recorded at Mill. B., where the season total was
81 jaegers, 57 of which were unidentified.
Pomarine reports were restricted to the Great
Lakes, where an imm. was at Mill. B. 25 Sep
(tJKC, PBG), another was there 16 Oct (tJMc
et al.), one was at H.B.S.P. 24 Nov (LRo), and 2
were reported at Rocky River City Park, OH 15
Nov (GL). The season’s Parasitic Jaeger total at
Mill. B. was 22, with a peak of 7 on 24 Sep
(JMc, RHu, BGr, et ah). The only other
Parasitic was reported at Lakeshore Metro
Park, OH 7 Oct (JPg). With more intense
observation and better identification informa-
tion, Long-tailed Jaegers are becoming regular
in the fall report. This year, the Region had
three reports of single birds: 21 Sep at Carl. L.
(tDKa), 6 Oct at Mill. B. (tJKC, tJMc, fKJB et
al.), and at H.B.S.P. 27 Oct (fKMe, EB).

Noteworthy among the smaller gulls were 45
Franklin’s (Kentucky’s 2nd highest count) at
Kentucky L. 4 Oct (DR, HC), an ad. Little at
Clin. L. 30-31 Oct (fRTC), another Little in
Grundy, IL 3 Nov (DSt), and an ad. Black-head-
ed at Spirit L. (the traditional site) Dickinson,
lA (fLAS, fET, tPH, m. ob.). Autumn
California Gulls are becoming regular in the
Region. This fall, single ads. were at Michigan
City Harbor 30 Oct (fKJB, ph.), in Waukegan,
IL 18 Nov (CF), and 24 Nov at the LaPorte, IN
landfill (tJKC, SBg, fKJB). A first-year Thayer’s
Gull in Buchanan, MO 10 Oct provided that
state’s earliest record and one of few reports
from w. Missouri (MBR). The Region’s single
Iceland Gull report came from Michigan City

58

North American Birds

Middlewestern Prairie

Harbor, IN 28 Nov (KJB, ph.). Though Great
Black-backed Gulls are becoming fairly com-
mon on L. Michigan, inland birds remain casu-
al; consequently, the first-year bird at Kentucky
L., KY 4 Oct (DR) was noteworthy. Compared
to recent years’ reports, 200 1’s kittiwake num-
bers were down, with 3 in Indiana and singles in
Illinois and Iowa. In contrast, it was a remark-
able fall for Sabine’s Gulls — with 52 birds scat-
tered across the four n. states. The largest accu-
mulations occurred at MOL B., where flocks of 9
and 11 were seen 11 & 18 Sep, respectively
(BGr). Both were record-high counts for
Indiana.

Peak tern counts included 109 Caspians in
Marion, lA 6 Oct (ABs), 4000 Commons at
MOL B. 22 Sep (BGr, et al.), 480 Forster’s at
Point Clinton, OH 23 Oct (VF), and 140+
Leasts at Smithland Dam, Livingston, KY 1 1 Aug
(BPB). During a powerful 27 Oct autumn gale
on L. Michigan, lakewatchers at Mill. B. were
astonished when a small alcid flew past among
the breakers. Brendan Grube saw the bird as it
approached and yelled “murrelet!” — unfortu-
nately, in roaring wind some of the 20 observers
present thought he said “Merlin!” and cast their
eyes skyward. Those able to get the bird in their
scopes identified it as Indiana’s 2nd Ancient
Murrelet (fKJB, fJKC, fDG, fMT).

DOVES THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Maintaining the recent pattern of Regional
incursions, a White-winged Dove visited a
Dickinson, lA feeding station 1-7 Oct (fET, ph.,
tLAS). A Greater Roadrunner seen in Newton,
MO 20 Sep (SL) provided the first se. Missouri
report in several years. Snowy Owls executed a
modest invasion, with some 15 birds reported
across four states; a majority (nine) occurred in
Ohio, the earliest being at Michigan City
Harbor, IN 20 Oct (BGr), and one pressed s. to
Grant, KY, where it was seen 13 Nov (MI, TH).
It was another good fall for Northern Saw-whet
Owls, with 14 birds scattered across all six
states. Common Nighthawk flights were quite
modest; the peak counts consisted of 319 at
Columbus, OH 29 Aug (MS) and 300+ at
Rockford, IL 20 Aug (DW). In contrast, hefty
Chimney Swift tallies were recorded, with 3100
in Jefferson, lA 23 Sep (DP) and 2000+ in
Licking, OH 3 Sep (TN). A very nonchalant
Ruby-throated Hummingbird tarried in
Monroe, IN through 2 Nov (JHv & SHv).
Missouri’s 3rd Lewis’s Woodpecker was discov-
ered Schell-Osage W.M.A., Vernon 20 Oct (RF,
J8cEZ) and remained through the period (m.
ob.).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH PIPITS

Adhering to the season’s pattern for landbirds.

several flycatchers lingered late in the Region.
An Eastern Wood-Pewee was still in Texas, MO
20 Oct (MBR), an Acadian Flycatcher was
found in Warren, KY 7 Oct (DR), a Willow
Flycatcher was netted in Buchanan, MO 25 Sep
(MBR), and a Least Flycatcher was identified in
Vigo, IN 10 Nov (fPS). The Willow constitutes
Missouri’s latest confirmed record (BEd),
whereas the Least is Indiana’s first Nov record. It
is becoming apparent that the fall Alder
Flycatcher migration begins very early. This
year, Aug birds giving the “pip” call note were
identified far s. of their breeding range. In
Fulton, KY, a chipping bird responded to an
Alder tape on 12 Aug, and 3 more responded on
25 Aug (BPB). Ohio’s 3rd Vermilion
Flycatcher, an imm. male, was discovered at
O.N.W.R. 4 Oct (SC, BZ) and remained
through the period. The easternmost Western
Kingbird appeared in Porter, IN 8-9 Sep (PBG,
tJMc, tJKC et al., ph.). E. of the Mississippi R.,
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers appeared at Carl. L. 1 2
Aug-9 Sep (DKa, RTC) and in Franklin, IL 2-23
Sep (FB, LSt). A spate of late Nov Blue-headed
Vireos occurred across the Region, several
established all-time late state records. These
sightings included singles at Jasper-Pulaski
W.M.A., IN 4 Nov (JHv, SHv, P 8c JK), the Port
of Indiana 3 Nov (SBg), Magee Marsh W.M.A.,
OH 3 Nov (Haw et al.), Parma, OH 1 Nov (GL,
PL), and Warren, KY 1 Nov ( JE). At the opposite
extreme, a Philadelphia Vireo in Jefferson, KY 27
Aug (JB, PB) established an early fall date for
that state. The largest American Crow count
was 70,000 at a roost near Terre Haute, IN 28
Nov (PS).

Impressive swallow congregations included
10,000-15,000 Purple Martins on Chicago’s s.
side 28 Aug (CMh), 80,000 Tree Swallows at
Carl. L. 7 Oct (DKa), 6000 Northern Rough-
winged Swallows in Emmet, lA 1 Sep (LAS) and
1200+ Bank Swallows at O.N.W.R. 4 Aug (VF).
It was a Red-breasted Nuthatch flight year, and
observers were not disappointed, as good num-
bers were reported across the Region.
Hypothetical (at best) in most of the Region’s
states just a few years ago, the Brown-headed
Nuthatch has now appeared three times, in as
many states, since fall 1999. The most recent
arrival, and Ohio’s first record, appeared at a
South Russell, Geauga feeding station 21 Nov
and remained through the season (LG, LRo, ph.,
m. ob.). The I.B.S.P. Brown-headed Nuthatch
present during summer remained through the
season (BWe m. ob.). The Region’s only
Bewick’s Wren report came from Cedar, MO,
where one was found 22 Sep (MBR). An ad.
Townsend’s Solitaire at West Beach, IN 28-29
Oct (BGr, PBG, tJMc, P 8c JK et al, ph.), pro-
vided that state’s 4th record. Noteworthy

American Robin tallies included 14,000 at a
Pottawattamie, lA hawkwatch 21 Oct (MO),
4000 in Urbana, IL 18-24 Oct (RTC), and 1161
at Kelly’s Island, OH 17 Nov (TB et al.). Once
again, migrant Sprague’s Pipits were found in
nw. Missouri. This year, one was near
Horseshoe L., Buchanan 1 1 Oct (JHi, MBR), 3-
4 were in the same county 16 Oct (LL), and 2
were at Prairie S.P., Barton 20 Nov (MRB).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Most correspondents deemed the warbler flight
about average. The most noteworthy aspect of
the migration was the number of late records,
which were no doubt related to mild late fall
conditions. Among the latest warblers were a
Tennessee in Marshall, KY 4 Nov (BPB, MBe),
an Orange-crowned in Barton, MO 20 Nov
(MBR), a Black-throated Blue in Madison, KY
22 Nov (AR, TR), a Prairie in Chagrin
Metropark, OH 14 Oct (KMe), an imm./female-
plumaged Cerulean at L. Barkley, KY 28 Sep
(DR), a Black-and-white in Warren, KY 26 Nov
(DR), and a Worm-eating banded in
Pocahontas, lA 19 Oct (RHm, ph.) to provide
that state’s first Oct record. Not surprisingly,
considering the vicissitudes of warbler migra-
tion, there were also a few early arrivals. Most
noteworthy among these was a record-early
Nashville in Louisville, KY 20 Aug (JB). Also
quite unusual was the occurrence of 4 Black-
throated Blue Warblers in Springfield, IL 1 Sep
(HDB), which is well w. of their usual migrato-
ry corridor. A count of 6 Scarlet Tanagers,
Urbana, IL 14 Oct (RTC et al.) was remarkably
high for this late date.

As most of the Region’s records occur in win-
ter, a Green-tailed Towhee 12 Oct at Forest
Park, Cook, IL (fGAW, SBl, m. ob.) was most
unexpected. Spotted Towhee reports were con-
fined to the w. states, with 5 in Iowa and 3 in
Missouri. A moderately tardy Lark Sparrow lin-
gered in Cerro Gordo, I A until 12 Sep (RG).
Also late were 2 Henslow’s Sparrows at the
Peabody W.M.A., Muhlenberg, KY 6 Nov (DR).
Le Conte’s Sparrows were ubiquitous, with
reports from all six states, including 2 in Ohio,
where this species is casual. White-throated
Sparrows peaked 7 Oct at O.N.W.R., where 436
were counted (EPi, et al.). Although a peak
count of 220 Harris’s Sparrows was made in
Polk, lA 31 Oct (ABs), none wandered e. of
Illinois. Birders in w. reaches of the Region have
a firm handle on finding autumn Smith’s
Longspurs; this year Smith’s were reported in
Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, with a maximum
tally of 60+ in Buchanan, MO 2 Nov (MBR).
The best Snow Bunting count consisted of 913
at Mill. B. 27 Oct (JKC et al.). On 16 Aug,
Pottawattamie, lA hawkwatchers must have had

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

59

little time to tally hawks as they counted a phe-
nomenal 230 migrating Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks (MO). A male Painted Bunting lin-
gered at the East St. Louis breeding site until 6
Aug (DKa et ah). A late Dickcissel was at
H.B.S.P. 22 Oct (LRo, VW ph.). In fall,
Bobolinks often slip by undetected; conse-
quently, the 500 (including 350 in the air at one
time) observed in Hamiltony OH 1 Sep (PW) is
most noteworthy. Also surprising was a
Bobolink in Orange, IN 23 Nov (fLSn, ST),
which provided Indiana’s first Nov record. A
singing Western Meadowlark was detected in
Muskingum, OH 17 Sep (RHa, SWa). Great-
tailed Grackles continued their eastward move-
ment with 56 in Randolph, MO 1 1 Oct (BGo).

In this winter finch flight-year, both cross-
bills were widespread in small to modest num-
bers. Peak counts consisted of 42 Reds at I.B.S.P.
10 Nov (EWl) and 6 White- wingeds in both
Mahoning, OH 2-8 Nov (LW) and DuPage, IL
22 Nov (ES, EWl). One overanxious imm. male
White-winged that arrived in Madison, KY 3
Nov (GR) shaved three weeks off that state’s
earliest date. A modicum of Common Redpolls
and Pine Siskins also staged incursions.
Redpolls were reported in every state except
Kentucky; one pushed s. to Macon, MO, where
it was seen 10 Nov (JHt). A late Oct wave of
Pine Siskins scattered birds across all six states;
the peak count was 100+ at Clin. L. 14 Nov
(RTC). Evening Grosbeaks continued their
boycott of the Region; a few small flocks, with a
maximum of 15 birds, were reported in four
states.

Contributors (subregional editors in bold-
face): Lyman Allen, Alan Anderson, Emil Bacik,
Susan Bagby (SBg), Steve Bailey (SBl), Tom
Bartlett, lane Bell, Pat Bell, Prank Bennett, Mark
Bennett (MBe), Vic Berardi Rich Biss, H. David
Bohlen, Richard Bjorklund (RBj), Sigurd
Bjorklund (SB)), Mike Brady (MBr), Aaron
Brees (ABs), Kenneth I. Brock, Alan W. Bruner
(Indiana), Charles Burwick, John K. Cassady,
Paul Chad, Hap Chambers, Robert T. Chapel
(Illinois), Amy Covert, Sharon Cummings,
Donald Dann (DDa), Roseanna Denton, James
J. Dinsmore, David Dister (DDi), Michael C.
Dooley (MCD), Doug & Micki Dunakin (D &
MD), Bill Eddleman (BEd) (Missouri), Chris
Edwards, Jackie Elmore, B), Robert Erickson,
Vic Fazio, Carolyn Fields, , Robert Fisher, James
L. Fuller, Bill Goodge (BGo), Rita Goranson,
Don Gorney, Kirby Goslee, Brendan Grube
(BGr), Peter B. Grube, Joe Hammond (JHa),
Rob Harlan (RHa) (Ohio), Ron Harms (RHm),
Todd Harp, John Harter (JHt), Jim Haw (Haw),
Roger Hedge (RHg), Jim Hengeveld (JHv),
Susan Hengeveld (SHv), Paul Hertzel (Iowa),

Scott Hickman, Jack Hilsabeck (JHi), CRobert
Hughes (JHu), Ian Hunt, Marshal Iseral,
Thomas Johnson, Dan Kassebaum (DKa), Phil
and Joanne Kelly (P & JK), Matthew C. Kenne,
Thomas H. Kent, Steve Kinder, Larry Lade,
James E. Landing, Gabe Leidy, Fred Lesher, Stan
Little, Paula Lozano, Charlene Malone (CMa),
Carolyn Marsh (CMh), Walter J. Masrcisz, Jeff
McCoy (JMc), Cynthia McKee (CMc), John
McKee (JMk), Keith A. McMullen (KAM),
Kevin Metcalf (KMe), Greg Miller, Kent Miller
(KMi), Mark Monroe, Ben Morrison, Curt
Nelson, Tammy Nickerson., Mark Orsag,
Brainard Palmer-Ball (BPB) (Kentucky),
Helen Parker, John Perchalski (JPe), Ed Pierce
(EPi), John Pogacnik (JPg), Diane Porter, Ed
Powers (EPo), Beth Proescholdt (BPr), Mark
Proescholdt (MPr), Michael Retter (MRe),
Kevin Richmond, Art Ricketts, Tina Ricketts,

Gary Ritchison, Mark B. Robbins, David
Roemer, Larry Rosche (LRo), William Rowe,
Ron Rayl, Dan Sanders, Lee A. Schoenewe, Scott
Schuette (SSc), Peter Scott, Eric Seeker, Joe
Sedransk, Albert Seppi (ASe), Mark Skinner,
Leonard Stanley (LSt), Lee Sterrenburg (LSn),
Alan F. Stokie, Doug Stotz (DSt), Ed Thelen,
Stephanie Thomas, Michael Topp, Edge Wade
(EWd), Sandy Wagner (SWa), Mike Wallace,
Eric Walters (EWl), Leslie Warren, Vern
Weingart, Paul Wharton, Bill Wengelewski
(BWe), Bill Whan (BWh), Dan Williams, Geoff
A. Williamson, Sandy Woltman (SWo), Jim 8c
Ellen Zellmer (J 8c EZ), Brian Zweibel. In addi-
tion to the 135 individuals cited in this report,
many others contributed information to the
various state lists but could not be personally
acknowledged here. All observers have the edi-
tor’s thanks. /)

Central Southern

Robert A. Duncan
Lucy R, Duncan

614 Fairpoint Drive

Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561

(cotinga@worldnet.att.net)

Unremarkable weather was the norm for the
Region except for the deluge that hit west-
ern Tennessee in late November. The first

strong cold front of the season penetrated the
Region 23-24 September, bringing many
migrants. Observers reported early arrival
dates too numerous to cite. Another strong
cold front 6-7 October brought a wave of
migrants filling the nets of ecstatic banders at
Ft. Morgan, Alabama. To the delight of
Louisiana Ornithological Society convention-
eers in Cameron, waves of ducks, geese, and

60

North American Birds

Middlewestern Prairie — Central Southern

other migrants filled the skies of southern
Louisiana following the strong cold front of
24-25 October. Temperatures were above nor-
mal along the coast in November, possibly
accounting for low numbers of sparrows into
the end of the period. It was a good season for
vagrants in the Region: Red-billed Tropicbird,
Common Gull, Flammulated Owl, Broad-
billed Hummingbird, and more.

Abbreviations: b. (banded); EM.N.H.
(Florida Museum of Natural History);
F.W.B.S.F. (Fort Walton Beach spray field,
Okaloosa, FL); Noxubee (Noxubee N.W.R., e.-
cen. MS); p. a. (pending acceptance); Wheeler
(Wheeler N.W.R., n. AL); W.P. (Western
Panhandle [Escambia, Santa Rosa, and
Okaloosa], FL). States are often identified only
with the initial use of a place name.

LOONS THROUGH STORKS

Red-throated Loons, rare but becoming regu-
lar in Henry, TN, were recorded four times 21
Oct-25 Nov (ph. JRW, m. ob.). A Pacific Loon
was in the same locale 3 Nov and a different
bird 25 Nov (ph. JRW, HC). Large flocks of
water birds attracted area attention: 386
Common Loons 18 Nov and 300 Horned
Grebes 3 Nov in Henry were seasonal highs
(JRW, KL, m. ob.). Over 200 Common Loons
were in St. Tammany, LA 30 Nov (ph. MS). A
surprise in Henry was an uncommon Red-
necked Grebe 3 Nov (p. a., ph. JRW, LP).
Tennessee’s 2nd Western Grebe showed up in
Lake 11 Nov (p. a. JRW, MT, DM et al.)
Another was at Caddo, LA 11-12 Nov (p. a.,
ph. CL, JT, MS, RJB). Eared Grebes surfaced 1-
9 Oct (LRD, RAD) and 27-29 Nov at
F.W.B.S.F. (WB, DG, DW). Rare locally in
Mississippi, others were in Oktibbeha 2 Oct
and 5 Nov (TLS), 10 Nov in Madison (GK,
SK), and 17 Nov in Panola (SJD).

A pelagic trip 22 Sep that ventured 50-100
km se. of Perdido Pass in Florida waters yield-
ed an estimated 60 Cory’s Shearwaters (SPag),
the 3rd record and maximum ever for the
W.P., and 100-1- Audubon’s Shearwaters, the
6th record and maximum ever reported!
Another pelagic trip 70-110 km s. of Perdido
Pass in Alabama waters 18 Aug yielded 2
Wilson’s and 2 Band-rumped Storm-Petrels,
Alabama’s 19th and 6th records, respectively
(p. a. KK, GDJ, m. ob.). The lucky observers
also recorded Alabama’s 2nd Red-billed
Tropicbird about 72 km offshore (p. a. GDJ,
LFG, SM et al.).

American White Pelicans were reported in
good numbers throughout the Region, with a
maximum of 2600 estimated 2 Nov on three
adjoining lakes on the Mississippi-Tennessee

state line (JRW). An estimated 1000 in Santa
Rosa and Okaloosa, FL 12 Oct was the maxi-
mum ever for one day in the W.P. (LRD, m.
ob.). A displaced Brown Pelican found on
Sardis L., Lafayette, MS was the 3rd record
there (WMD). A Regional fall high for
Double-crested Cormorants was 10,000 at
Sardis L., MS 10 Nov (WMD). An amazing 12
Least Bitterns 4 Aug in Desha, AR was high for
the area (KN, LN). A Least Bittern 24 Aug at
Noxubee was the latest ever for the area by
eight days (TLS, MHS). Over 600 Great Egrets
were tallied in Shelby, TN 28 Aug, and 780
were counted 1 Sep in Dyer, TN as they went
to roost (JRW). Fourchon Beach, LA fur-
nished 5-7 Reddish Egrets 5 Aug-22 Sep (m.
ob.), and Alabama’s 3rd inland record
occurred in Lowndes 2-3 Sep (FB, PB, JC, m.
ob.). Alabama’s mountain region hosted its
maximum ever of 365 Cattle Egrets in Shelby 6
Aug (GDJ, DGJ). In Caddo, 14,100 were
counted as they went to roost 7 Sep (JT, JnT).
The cold front 5 Oct produced abundant
waterbirds along the Louisiana coast. Among
them were an estimated 100,000 Cattle Egrets
moving s. across stretches of I- 10 and Hwy. 26
in Cameron and Jefferson Davis (MS, CL). Late
nesting Black-crowned Night Herons were
observed at Yazoo N.W.R., MS 21 Oct- 19 Nov
( JLL, MPS). White Ibis nested for only the 2nd
year at Noxubee, producing 26 dependent
young by 9 Aug (TLS). More than 10,000
White-faced Ibis at Cameron, LA, were consid-
ered extraordinary (JPK, JK), as was a single
one at Prairie, AR 25 Aug (KN, LN). Alabama’s
12th White-faced Ibis (p. a. SM) was at Bayou
LaBatre, Mobile, AL 22 Sep and 12-13 Oct, and
the 13th on Mobile Causeway 11-12 Oct (p. a.
SM). At Lafourche, LA, 148 Roseate Spoonbills
5 Aug were a large number for that area (PW,
MM, RDP). In Mississippi, 8-12 Roseate
Spoonbills were at Adams 10 Aug, one at
Noxubee 27 Aug-25 Sep, and another at
Jackson 17 Oct (m. ob.). A Roseate Spoonbill
at Dauphin I., AL 21 Sep was Alabama’s 19th
(p. a. SM). Wood Storks were reported in good
numbers from every state except the W.P.
Totals are as follows: Alabama 548, Arkansas
715, Tennessee 1215, Mississippi 569, and
Louisiana 2155. The more than 720 counted 9
Sep in Dyer established a new state daily high
for Tennessee (ph. JRW).

WATERFOWL THROUGH CRANES

A Fulvous Whistling-Duck in White, AR 31
Aug established a 2nd county record (p. a., ph.
KN, LN). Early, 400 Greater White-fronted
Geese arrived 6 Oct in Cameron, LA (JPK) on
the strong front that also brought early ones
into Mississippi 7-12 Oct (TLS, WMD). A

Mississippi’s first documented Inca Doves 7-23
November 2001 (here 22 November) in

Washington were among the apparent vanguard
of a northward and eastward expansion.

Photograph by Jeff R. Wilson.

hundred appeared at Reelfoot L., TN 10-25
Nov (NM). Another in Gulf Breeze, FL 1 Nov
was found dead 2 Nov (MR, RR, *F.M.N.H.).
Two at F.W.B.S.F. 29 Oct-28 Nov were rare
(DW, m. ob.). In Iberville, LA 7 Ross’s Geese
25-26 Oct were early (VR). Rare but expected
was a Ross’s Goose at Wheeler 17 Nov (RRR).
In Lafayette, MS, 235 Wood Ducks 15 Sep was
high (WMD). Mottled Ducks were rare sum-
mer residents in Desha and White, AR 4 Aug-1
Sep (KN, LN, JRW), where up to 2 birds were
seen. About 5200 Blue-winged Teal were
counted 15 Sep in Cameron (JPK, MS). Rare
inland scoter sightings included a White-
winged 25 Nov (MP) and a Black 23 Nov in
Pope, AR (KN, LN). A Black Scoter was at
Sardis L. 17 Nov (SJD), and 4 Black Scoters 20
Nov in Oktibbeha were rare for the area (TLS,
SJD, PhB). Tennessee recorded 3 Surf Scoters
and one White-winged 3 Nov in Benton (JRW,
LP) and one Black 4 Nov in Henry (JRW, LP).
A Long-tailed Duck 24 Nov in Cameron was
rare (ph. CL, MS, RJB). Another in Davidson,
TN 9 Nov was rare but regular (EO). A high for
the area, 5000-t- Ruddy Ducks were at Reelfoot
L., TN 17 Nov (JRW, MAG, m. ob.).

A Swallow-tailed Kite 25 Aug in Warren, MS
was late (KR). Bald Eagles were reported in all
states from 5 Aug-24 Nov, with a maximum of
49 at Henry, TN 24 Nov (JRW, m. ob.). A
Sharp-shinned Hawk in Harrison, MS 8 Aug
was very early (SW). A Swainson’s Hawk 22
Sep at Dyer, TN was accidental (p. a. JRW).
Another Swainson’s 6-16 Nov at F.W.B.S.F.
provided the W.P.’s 10th record (WWD, RAD,
LF). In Louisiana, where they are more regular,
a total of 13 birds was reported 25 Aug- 14 Nov.
Accidental in Louisiana, a White-tailed Hawk

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

61

was seen 30 Nov in Jejferson Davis (p. a. JPK,
IK). A Ferruginous Hawk, also accidental in
Louisiana, was near Thornwell, Jefferson Davis
9-24 Nov (p. a., ph. DL, MS, GN, DPM, PC).
In Henry, TN, where they are rare but regular.
Golden Eagles were in evidence, with an imm.
28 Oct, an ad. 4 Nov, and 2 subad. and an imm.
18 Nov (IRW et al.). An imm. Golden Eagle
was found 17 Nov (DPM, PC) in Jefferson
Davis, and in Mississippi, another was found
14 Nov at Noxubee (TLS); both were locally
rare. A Crested Caracara, local and sparse in
Louisiana, was farther e. than usual 9 Nov in
Vermilion (p. a. DL, GN). A Merlin in Colbert,
AL 5 Aug was early (MA, GNP). Peregrine
Palcon reports from coastal locations were
nonexistent, possibly because sightings are
now considered commonplace. In the interior,
where sightings are not as numerous, reports
were received from Arkansas (2), Mississippi
(4), and Tennessee (10).

A tractor ride in the rice fields of Jejferson
Davis, LA 6 Nov flushed 10 Yellow and 5 King
Rails (MS). An ad. and 4 young Purple
Gallinules and numbers of Common Moorhens
were seen in Arkansas, AR 1 Sep (KN, LN, MD).
Two ad. and 5 young American Coots in Desha,
AR 26 Aug provided the first nesting record
there (KN, LN). Wheeler had 91 Sandhill
Cranes 23 Nov, a large number for Alabama.

SHOREBIRDS

A Snowy Plover found at Elmer’s L, Jefferson 19
Aug was rare for se. Louisiana. Three were in
Cameron 6 Oct (IPK) and one in Harrison, MS
4 Nov (SW, MC). Threatened Piping Plovers
were reported from three states, Tennessee (4),

This Sabine’s Gull on Cross Lake in Caddo,
Louisiana 9 September 2001 was one of four to
appear in the Central Southern Region 1-9
September this season. Photograph by Charlie
Lyon.

Arkansas (6), and Louisiana (15) between 10
Aug and 26 Oct. An American Oystercatcher in
Escambia, EL 30 Oct established a first Oct
record for the W.R (LRD). Hundreds of Black-
necked Stilts were noted in Adams, MS 10-11
Aug (WP, MPS). American Avocets in
Lafayette, MS, were reported 22 Sep-26 Oct,
with 6 on 14 Oct the highest ever for that
county in fall. In Oktibbeha, MS, one found 6
Oct was the 8th area record (TLS). Avocets
may be expanding their range into rice fields: a
maximum of 138 was counted in this habitat
in Vermilion, LA on 25 Aug ()PK, KF). Two
were reported in Shelby, TN 1 Sep and 16 Oct
(IRW) and 4 in Crittenden, AR 6 Oct (IRW).

A Willet in Oktibbeha 31 Aug was the area’s
6th fall record (TLS). Rare in the interior, a
Willet was in Shelby, AL 31 Aug-1 Sep (AMi, m.
ob.). Alabama totalled 28 early Upland
Sandpipers 5-13 Aug. Five were found in TN
11-19 Aug, 16 in LA 11-23 Aug, and 9 in
Mississippi 8 Aug-2 Sep. Thirteen Whimbrels
were at Grand Isle, Jejferson 5 Aug (PW, MM,
RDP). A rare migrant in Arkansas, single
Marbled Godwits were observed 1-8 Sep in
Prairie and 1 Sep in White (KN, LN). Rare
inland Ruddy Turnstones were found in
Lowndes, AL 30 Iul-6 Aug (SER) and Prairie,
AR 9 Sep (KN, LN). In Tennessee, 4 turnstones
were reported 3-21 Sep in Shelby (IRW). Five
Red Knots, casual in Tennessee, were found in
Shelby 28 Aug (IRW). A Semipalmated
Sandpiper banded in Ecuador was found in
Shelby,TN 10 Aug, where a season high of 2530
was counted 1 1 Aug (IRW). An estimated 2500
Western Sandpipers were in rice fields in
Acadia and Vermilion 25 Aug (IPK, KF).
Significant numbers of Least Sandpipers were
reported: 1300 from Lafourche and Jejferson,
LA 16 Sep (MM, DPM, RDP) and 2538 on 11
Aug and 4951 on 15 Sep in Shelby, TN, (IRW,
m. ob.). Rare in fall, an early White-rumped
Sandpiper was found in Colbert, AL 15 Aug
(DIS), and another in Shelby, TN 25 Aug
(IRW). Two more were found 5 Oct in Shelby
(IRW).

Baird’s Sandpiper, a w. Gulf migrant, made a
good showing throughout the Region in all
states except Arkansas. Totals were: Alabama 7,
Mississippi 9, Louisiana one, Tennessee 17, and
W.P. one. A Dunlin in Vermilion, LA 23 Aug
was very early (IPK, CF, MG, IG). The rice
fields of sw. Louisiana attracted 1400 Stilt
Sandpipers 12 Aug (PW, MM). A maximum
inland Alabama record of 60 Buff-breasted
Sandpipers was noted in Perry 13 Aug (RRS).
Other tallies of Buff-breasteds were 44 in
Jefferson Davis, LA 23 Aug (JPK, CF, MG, JG)
and 46 in Lake and Shelby, TN 7 Aug-2 Sep
(IRW et al.). A Ruff in Shelby, TN 4-7 Aug was

the 13th for the area (p. a., ph. JRW, m. ob.).
Another Ruff was seen in Jefferson, LA 5 Aug
(p. a., ph. PW, MM, RDP). A good number
(1400) of Long-billed Dowitchers was at
Vermilion 1 Sep (MM, PW, CS). A Common
Snipe was early 25 Aug in Washington, AR
(MiM). Rare in Arkansas, one to 3 Red-necked
Phalaropes were observed 31 Aug-9 Sep in
White (KN, LN, WS, MD, m. ob.). Another was
found 8 Nov in Pulaski, AR (EL). Accidental in
Mississippi, a Red Phalarope was in Oktibbeha
1-3 Oct (p. a. TLS).

JAEGERS THROUGH HUMMINGBIRDS

A maximum for Alabama’s Tennesee Valley, 22
Laughing Gulls were counted at Lauderdale 12
Aug (MA, GNP). An astonishing 6000
Franklin’s Gulls 27 Oct at Millwood L.,
Hempstead was Arkansas’s highest count
(CM). Also impressive were 3000 in Caddo, LA
2 Nov (CL). Rare and irregular in Mississippi,
16 Franklin’s were in Oktibbeha 26 Oct (TLS),
one in Lafayette 31 Oct (WMD), and 565 in
Grenada and Yalobusha 13 Oct- 17 Nov (SID).
Very rare in the W.P., one Franklin’s was seen in
Okaloosa 27 Oct (DW) and another at
F.W.B.S.F. 30 Oct (RAD, DS, EC). Four others
were observed 28 Oct- 17 Nov in Henry, Shelby,
and Obion, TN (IRW et al.). A possible
Common Gull in Cameron 25 Nov would be a
first state record for Louisiana (p. a., ph. MS,
DPM, MM). Accidental, a Black-headed Gull
was at Millwood L., Hempstead 25 Nov (p. a.
CM). The status of Lesser-black backed Gulls
has changed from “accidental” to “rare” in
some states in a relatively short time. One in
Marshall, AL 29 Oct was rare (p. a. MSG, m.
ob.), while another in Pope, AR 17 Nov-1 Dec
was considered accidental (p. a. KN, LN, MD).
Casual in Tennessee, 2 were in Henry 21 Oct (p.
a., ph. IRW). No longer reviewed in Louisiana,
at least 16 individuals were reported, with 12 at
Rutherford and Holly Beach 26-28 Oct (DPM
et al.). A Great Black-backed Gull in Henry,
TN 21 Oct-3 Nov was casual (JRW, m. ob.).
Rare in Alabama, one was in Marshall 30 Nov
(SWM), an early one was at Dauphin 1.14-25
Oct (LFG, HEH), and yet another in Baldwin,
AL 19 Oct (KK). Accidental throughout the
Region, a first-summer Sabine’s Gull was spot-
ted in Dyer, TN 1 Sep (JRW). Amazingly,
Wilson found and photographed an imm.
Sabine’s 3 Sep on Mud 1. in downtown
Memphis as well (p. a. JRW, MG, BJ, JN)!
Another Sabine’s Gull appeared in Caddo, LA 9
Sep (ph. CL). Not to be outdone, Mississippi
had its own Sabine’s in Oktibbeha 31 Aug-3 Sep
(p. a. TLS, m. ob.) and a juv. in Yalobusha 6 Oct
(p. a. SJD).

A first-year Arctic Tern 3 Aug at Navarre,

62

North American Birds

Central Southern

Santa Rosa, FL was a first for the W.P. (EC,
RAD). A count of 150 Least Terns in
Crittenden, AR 1 Sep was high for fall (NL,
CLa). A Bridled Tern excited Alabama pelagic
trip participants 18 Aug (p. a. GDJ, m. ob.).
Another Bridled Tern was found in Florida
waters 22 Sep (SPag). A Sooty Tern at Ft.
Pickens 12 Aug was considered casual (PM,
RM).

Eurasian Collared-Doves were reported
from Pulaski (25), Little River (2), and
Columbia (4), Arkansas, and sw. Memphis
(10), confirming their rapid spread. The
expected Inca Dove expansion e. of the
Mississippi R. may be underway: 3 birds were
discovered in Washington, w.-cen. Mississippi
7-23 Nov (p. a. CGS, TLS, ph. JRW, GK, m.
ob.). These provided the state’s 2nd record, the
first being in Harrison in 1996. There were only
two reports of Groove-billed Ani: 14 Oct at
Dauphin I. (ES, m. ob.) and 20 Oct at Bay, FL
(PM, RM). This species has been reported less
frequently in recent years. Florida’s 2nd
Flammulated Owl was found on a condomini-
um balcony at Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa, FL 9
Nov. Rehabilitated at the Wildlife Sanctuary, it
was released successfully 12 Nov (p. a., ph. LRD
RAD, EC). Florida’s first Flammulated Owl (in
St. Petersburg, 1978) was also found coastally.
Continuing the astounding saga of , stray w.
hummingbirds in the Region, a Broad-billed
Hummingbird was in Rapides, LA 7 Nov (p. a.,
ph. CL, RJB) and another 12 Nov in New
Orleans (p. a., ph. DPM). A Calliope
Hummingbird was in St. John 11-12 Nov (RJS)
and another in Iberville 25 Nov (p. a., ph. VR,
DL). An early Broad-tailed Hummingbird was
at Iberville 8 Oct (VR), another at St. John 4-5
Nov (p. a. RJS), and another in New Orleans 18
Nov (p. a., ph. DPM). Arkansas boasted an ad.
male Rufous Hummingbird 9 Sep- 13 Nov in
Clark (SF, HP, MP, banded, ph.), and an ad.
male was reported 30 Oct in Craighead, AR
(LJ).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH PIPITS

An Olive-sided Flycatcher in Nashville 9 Oct
established a new fall late date (PDC, FCF).
Among the Empidonax, 4 Alder Flycatchers 8
Sep in Washington, AR were the most ever in
fall (MiM). Rare Willows were in Birmingham
7 Sep (p. a. SM) and Cameron, LA 18 Aug (p. a.
MS, CL, JT, vt.). A late Least Flycatcher was in
Faulkner, AR 13 Oct (HR). A male Vermilion
Flycatcher 10 Sep-9 Oct at F.W.B.S.F. was the
first Sep record for the W.P. (DW, LD, RAD).
Five were reported in Louisiana 14-27 Oct.
Another was in Baldwin, AL 17 Oct (LG, SP).
Now rare but regular in the W.P., an Ash-
throated Flycatcher was at F.W.B.S.F. 10-11

Nov (LF, PCT, BT et ah). Ash-throated
Flycatchers were at opposite ends of Dauphin
L, AL 14 Oct (ECS, CDC, m. ob.), rare in
Alabama. Alabama’s 3rd Sulphur-bellied
Flycatcher, a hatch-year bird, was banded
near Ft. Morgan, Baldwin 15 Sep (p. a., ph.
JF). A silent Myiodynastes flycatcher at Gulf
Breeze, Santa Rosa, FL was the 2nd occur-
rence of this genus for the W.P. (RAD). A
Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird 22-25 Sep at
Dauphin L, AL was the state’s 5th (p. a. PCT,
BT, LRD, RAD, m. ob.). At Perry, AL, 250
Eastern Kingbirds established the highest fall
count for the state 13 Aug (RAS). One in
Dyer, TN 14 Oct was late (KL, BL). Scissor-
tailed Flycatchers bred in Montgomery, AL, at
a new site where an ad. and 2 imms. were
found 4 Aug (SH, DH). The 200 Scissor-
taileds counted in Caddo, LA 5 Sep must have
been eye-popping (JT, JnT). Four were spot-
ted 7 Oct-6 Nov in the W.P, where they are
rare.

A Bell’s Vireo was singing in Hot Spring, AR
17 Aug (AF). Two were banded in Baldwin,
AL 1 5 Oct, where they are rare but regular ( JF
et ah). Early dates for Blue-headed Vireos
were 5 Sep in Washington, AR (MiM), 7 Sep in
Caddo, LA (JT), and by eight days, 15 Sep in
Oktibbeha, MS (DP, JP). Warbling Vireos, rare
in coastal Alabama, were at Dauphin 1.11 Sep
(one; HEH) and Baldwin 14 & 15 Oct (2
banded; JF). A late Philadelphia Vireo in
Faulkner, AR 20 Oct (HR) was a lucky find, as
was a Red-eyed Vireo in Washington 13 Oct
(MiM).

High numbers of Fish Crows (74) were
noted at Pope, AR 7 Oct (LA). An overwhelm-
ing 500,000-1- Tree Swallows 7 Nov at St.
James, LA must have been impressive (JPK,
JK). Red-breasted Nuthatches staged an inva-
sion in Tennessee (WRP), as well as in
Mississippi and Louisiana. A Rock Wren
found in Sabine, LA 28 Oct was accidental (p.
a. RJS, MW). Casual in the W.P., a Bewick’s
Wren 29 Oct was at Ft. Pickens (p. a. DS,
LRD, RAD). Where they are more common, 2
were reported in Scott, AR 20 & 26 Sep (LA).
Louisiana’s 7th Northern Wheatear was at
Lafourche 14 Oct (p. a. BMM, DPM, ph. CL,
TD). With fewer than 10 records for
Louisiana, a Sage Thrasher delighted the
L.O.S. Convention in Cameron 27-28 Oct (p.
a. BW, LW, ph. MS, LR, m. ob.). A Sprague’s
Pipit in Baldwin 11-30 Nov was Alabama’s
18th (p. a. BS, ph. SM, m. ob.).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Five Golden-winged Warblers were reported
for the Region. One 14 Aug at Noxubee was
the earliest area record by five days (TLS).

Nashville Warblers arrived early in Alabama,
Arkansas, and Louisiana, with 2 Sep the earli-
est ever for nw. Louisiana (JT). Likewise earli-
est ever was a Magnolia Warbler 28 Aug in
Washington, nw. Arkansas (MiM), and earliest
by three days was one at Noxubee 24 Aug
(TLS). Rare fall migrants in Tennessee, Cape
May Warblers were reported 14 Sep-3 Oct in
Davidson and Putnam. A very late Black-
throated Blue Warbler was in Faulkner, AR 9
Nov (SC), while very late Black-throated Green
Warbler was in St. Martin, LA 29 Nov (RCD).
A Palm Warbler in Jefferson 9 Sep was very
early (LLE). Only 3 of the declining Cerulean
Warblers were reported for the Region. Rare
but regular, a Mourning Warbler was banded 7
Sep in Baldwin, AL (JF). Rare in Tennessee,
one was found dead 3 Sep in Memphis (DB)
and another seen in Munford 16 Sep (DDP).
An amazing 500-1- Common Yellowthroats
were in Ascension, LA 29 Sep (JVH). Thirteen
Wilson’s Warblers were banded 26 Sep- 16 Oct
in Baldwin, AL (JF et al.). Rare away from the
coast. Clay-colored Sparrows were at Lawrence,
AL 20 Sep (DJS) and Oktibbeha, MS 12 Oct
(TLS). Coastal birds were at Dauphin 1. 14 Oct
(DW, m. ob.). Ft. Pickens 3 Oct (LRD, m. ob.),
and F.W.B.S.F. 6 Sep (DW). A Spotted Towhee
at Peveto Sanctuary, Cameron, LA 24 Nov-23
Dec was a great find (p. a. DB, vt. MS, MW,
RB). A Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow at
Shelby, TN 16 Oct (JRW) was casual for the
state. Rare and early in coastal Alabama,
Lapland Longspurs were in Baldwin 28 Oct-t-
(BS, m. ob.). In Tennessee, where they are more
common, 300 were counted 17 Nov in Lake
(MAG, JRW). A Chestnut-collared Longspur

One of fewer than 10 records for the state, this
Sage Thrasher timed its visit to coincide with the
convention of the Louisiana Ornithological Society
in Cameron Parish 27 (here) & 28 October 2001 .
Photograph by Mark Swan.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

63

in Baldwin, AL 16-18 Nov was a state first (p.
a., ph. SM, BS, m. ob.). Black-headed
Grosbeaks were in Lafayette, LA 16 Nov (p. a.
KD, vt. MS), and St. Martin 30 Nov (p. a. RCD).
Rusty Blackbirds in Marshall, AL 16 Aug were
early by two months (D&LR). A Bronzed
Cowbird in Santa Rosa, FL 5-7 Nov (SD, RAD)
and another at Ft. Pickens 18 Nov (DS, AK)
were the 5th and 6th for the W.P. In New
Orleans, 500 on 17 Nov was a discouraging tally
(PW). A pair of American Goldfinches in
Bolivar, MS 14 Aug was surprisingly early (NH,
ICH).

Cited observers (subregional editors in bold-
face): Moez Ali, Leif Anderson, Robbie Bacon,
Peggy Baker, Philip Barbour (PhB), Fred
Bassett, Wes Biggs, Roger J. Breedlove, Debbie
Bruce, Sharon Carter, Ed Case, Mollie Cashner,
Phillip D. Casteel (middle Tennessee), Hap
Chambers, Paul Conover, C. Dwight Cooley,

Rudolf F. Koes

1 35 Rossmere Crescent
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2K 0G1
(rkoes@merlin.mb.ca)

Peter Taylor

P.O. Box 597

Pinawa, Manitoba ROE 1L0
(taylorp@granite.mb.ca)

The season was generally dry and mild
Regionwide; the odd early snowstorm aside,
winter did not really arrive until late November.
The placid conditions allowed a gradual retreat of

Jane Crittenden, Terry Davis, W. Marvin Davis,
Mike Dillon, Stephen J. Dinsmore (SJD), R. C.
Dobbs, Lydia Dougherty, Kay Drouant, Lucy R.
Duncan, Robert A. Duncan (nw. Florida),
William W. Duncan, Jeffrey Farrington, Karen
Fay, Francis C. Fekel, Lenny Fenimore,
Anthony Floyd, Carol Foil, Sarah Franklin,
Larry F. Gardella, Lex Glover, Dave Goodwin,
M. Scott Gravette, Mark A. Greene, Margie
Griffith, J. Guillory, Dana Hamilton, Stan
Hamilton, J. C. Herbert, Nona Herbert,
Howard E. Horne, Debra G. Sr. Greg D. Jackson
(Alabama), Bonnie J. Johnson, Lou Johnson,
Keith Kamper, Joanne 8c Joseph P. Kleiman
(Louisiana), Gene Knight, Shannon Knight,
Alan Knothe, Daniel Lane, Ed Laster, Cheryl
(CLa) 8c Norman Lavers, Betty Leggett, Ken
Leggett, Jerry L. Litton, Charlie Lyon, Don
Manning, Steve McConnell, Powers 8c Rosann
McLeod, Ann Miller (AMi), Charles Mills,
Mike Mlodinow (MiM), Nancy Moore, David

most migrants, while giving lingerers little trou-
ble surviving into December. Numbers of “east-
ern” warblers moved west, particularly to Alberta.

Sadly, we have to report the untimely passing
of Robert Kreba, our long-time provincial com-
piler from Saskatchewan. His thorough reports
will be greatly missed; indeed, the Prairie
Provinces’ birding community is the poorer for
his loss.

Abbreviations: I. B. S. (Inglewood Bird
Sanctuary, Calgary, AB); L. M. L. (Last Mountain
Lake, SK); O. H. M. (Oak Hammock Marsh W.

P. Muth, Mac Myers, Judy Newsome, Kenny 8c
LaDonna Nichols, George Nixon, Elizabeth
O’Connor, Steve Pagliughi (SPag), Helen 8c
Max Parker (Arkansas), Diane Patterson,
Jimmy Patterson, Steve Patterson, Larry
Peavler, W. Robert Peeples (w. Tennessee),
Wilma Pickett, G. Ned Piper, Dick D. Preston,
R. Dan Purrington, Herschel Raney, Shawn E.
Reed, Robert R. Reid, Ken Reineke, Van
Remsen, Dick 8c Linda Reynolds, Lois Rodgers,
Robert R. Sargent, Marion H. 8c Terence L.
Scheifer (Mississippi), William Shepherd,
Damian J. Simbeck, David Simpson, Carl G.
Smith, Eric C. Soehren, Curt Sorrells, Ronald J.
Stein, Mary P.Stevens, Bill Summerour, Mark
Swan, Betsy Tetlow, Philip C. Tetlow, Jean
(JnT) 8c Jeff Trahan, Phillip Wallace, Don
Ware, Melvin Weber, Beth Willis, Lyndel Willis,
Jeff R. Wilson, Stefan Wolfmann. a

M. A., MB); S. R. V. (Sheep R. Valley hawkwatch,
AB); Ww. L. (Whitewater Lake, MB).

LOONS THROUGH RAPTORS

Highlighting a good loon migration in Alberta,
one Red-throated, 4 Pacific, and 65 Common
Loons passed Mt. Lorette, AB in a nine-minute
period ahead of an advancing snowstorm 17 Oct
(PS). Also noteworthy were up to 5 Pacific Loons
at L. M. L. 31 Oct (RKr), and single Yellow-billed
Loons at Bassano, AB 21 Oct (ASl), S. R. V. 1 Nov
(WS), and L. M. L. 16 Oct-2 Nov (BL, m. ob.). A
Double-crested Cormorant at Churchill, MB 17
Aug was a local rarity (BC).

A Great Egret at Lethbridge, AB 6 Aug was a
good find (GG); more expected were lone birds at
St. Ambroise, MB 23 Aug (PT, GT) and
Minnedosa, MB 9 Sep (CC). A Snowy Egret at
Riding Mountain N.P., MB about 7 Oct (PSu,
DR) and a Little Blue Heron at Elie, MB 27 Aug
(DS) were reported without details. Lone Cattle
Egrets lingered at cattle feedlots near Riverton,
MB 2 Nov (BT) and near Minnedosa 16 Nov
(BF), while other singles were near Hodgeville,
SK 14 Nov (M8cJP) and Churchill 15 Oct (JD,
MG). A White-faced Ibis obliged many observers
at O.H.M. 4-21 Sep (PVl, m. ob.).

Snow Geese were scarce in se. Manitoba, but in
the sw. up to 250,000 were in the Ww. L. area 20
Oct (RK), and in Saskatchewan they peaked at
100;000 at Good Spirit L. (B&JA). Ross’s Geese
lingered until about 20 Nov in all three provinces.
A Brant near Outlook, SK 6 Oct was seen by
many (BCa et ah). High swan counts included
500 Trumpeters and 4500 Tundras at Frank L.,
AB 4 Nov (ASl) and thousands of Tundras at Ww.
L. 20 Oct- 10 Nov (RK, AW). An American Black
Duck at Cold L., AB 22 Oct was w. of its usual

Prairie Provinces

64

North American Birds

Central Southern — Prairie Provinces

range (RKl, TH). A Harlequin Duck stayed at
Pine Falls, MB from 17 Oct to 9 Dec (RP, LV, m.
ob.). Out-of-season were 4 Barrow’s Goldeneyes
near Taber, AB 2 Aug (LB), and out of range was
an undocumented male at St. Ambroise, MB 25
Oct (CA, RP,JS,AW).

A female Osprey, fitted with a satellite trans-
mitter near Rosthern, SK, flew 2961 km in four
days, including an astounding 2052 km 9-10 Sep
to Matador, TX; she crossed into Mexico 13 Sep
(SH). A late Sep movement of Swainson’s Hawks
in the Souris R. basin at Weyburn, SK peaked at
an amazing 1918 birds in less than one hour on
the 29th (CB, MB). An early Gyrfalcon was at S.
R. V. 26 Sep (WS); 15+ were reported elsewhere
in Alberta, but only one in Saskatchewan and
none in Manitoba.

SHOREBIRDS THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Exceptional among many late shorebirds were a
Black-bellied Plover at Libau, MB 25 Nov
(J&PC), 4 American Avocets at Regina Beach, SK
20 Oct (BL) and 28 the same date at Ww. L. (RK),
a Marbled Godwit at Ww. L. 20 Oct (RK et al.),
and 30 Stilt Sandpipers migrating past Windy
Point, AB 2 Nov (WS). Other notable sightings
were 150 Semipalmated Plovers at Beaverhill L.,
AB 18 Aug (BW), 115 American Avocets at
Weyburn 23 Sep (CB, MB), 70 Long-billed
Curlews at Frank L. 6 Aug (TK), a Western
Sandpiper at Ww. L. 18 Aug (RP, AW), a juv.
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Langdon Res., near
Calgary, 30 Sep (PC, AF, MM, m. ob.), 2 Purple
Sandpipers at Gordon Point, near Churchill, 6
Nov (GL et ah), and 300 Common Snipe at
O.H.M. 21 Aug (CL).

The only jaeger reported was a Long-tailed at
Park Lake P.P., AB 9 Sep (D&TD). A Franklin’s
Gull at Calgary 18-19 Nov was exceptionally late
(MH, RS). Five Little Gulls — among thousands
of Bonaparte’s Gulls at Victoria Beach, MB 23
Oct (CA, RP, AW) — were the most ever seen in
the south. Sixty Bonaparte’s Gulls at Grand
Beach, MB 25 Nov were record late (PT, RZ).
Above-average numbers of Mew Gulls included 5
ads. at Calgary 9 Nov (TK), and wayward singles
at Riding Mountain N.P. 3-6 Oct (PT, AW) and
Regina 10 Oct (BL).

Manitoba’s latest-ever California Gull was at
the large landfill near St. Ambroise 26 Oct (PT,
RK). Rarities included single Iceland Gulls at
Cold L, AB 15-20 Oct (RKl, TH) and at
Edmonton, AB 29 Oct (FW), an ad. Lesser Black-
backed Gull at 1. B. S. 22 Aug-20 Sep (TF, m. ob.),
likely the same bird at Glenmore Res. 14-25 Oct
(PC, MM, m. ob.), and a possible Slaty-backed
Gull at Cold L. 26 Oct (RKl). An ad. Sabine’s Gull
graced Buck L., SK 6 Sep (BL); lone juvs. were
spotted at Vegreville, AB 23 Sep (FW, m. ob.) and
Calgary 12-13 Oct (TW, BW, m. ob.). Six migrat-

ing Common Terns at S. R. V. 10 Sep were the first
for the valley (WS, RW), and one lingered at Twin
Lakes Beach, MB 1 Nov (PT).

Up to 7 Eurasian Collared-Doves were present
in Mortlach, SK 7 Oct (MF, m. ob.). A Yellow-
billed Cuckoo was accidental at Pincher Creek,
AB 25 Nov (CBe). Snowy Owl numbers were
highest in Manitoba, where 63 were tallied 17
Nov sw. and n. of Winnipeg (CA, RP, LV, AW).
The highest Common Nighthawk count was
200+ at Falcon L., MB 21 Aug (JG). A Red-bel-
lied Woodpecker in Regina from 15 Oct into Dec
was Saskatchewan’s 7th (IB, TR, m. ob.).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH WEAVER FINCHES

An Ash-throated Flycatcher, seen and heard at
Grosse Isle, MB 18 & 20 Sep, was a first for
Manitoba (KG). A major movement of Clark’s
Nutcrackers, starting mid-Aug, yielded counts of
61 birds 29 Aug and 144 on 10 Sep at S. R. V.
(WS). A Black-capped Chickadee at Dymond L.,
nw. of Churchill, was far n. 19 Oct (DF). From
Alberta to Manitoba, Red-breasted Nuthatches
were present in the best numbers in years, includ-
ing 50 in a few hours at Park Lake RP. 9 Sep (TK)
and 30 in just two roadside stops at Riding
Mountain N.P. 17 Nov (KK). Saskatchewan and
Manitoba each had 3 Townsend’s Solitaires. Sixty
Hermit Thrushes were counted in a 5-km walk 10
Oct at Winnipeg (RK), where one was very late 18
Nov (B&LdM).

Rarely reported in fall were late Sprague’s
Pipits, near Taber, AB 30 Sep (LB) and at Mt.
Lorette 8 Oct (PS). The only large Bohemian
Waxwing concentration totalled 1300 near
Nanton, AB 4 Nov (TK). Particularly tardy were a
Tennessee Warbler 17 Nov (WC, MW) and a
Nashville Warbler 6 Nov (CP), both in Winnipeg.
Six Nashvilles were reported 2 Sep-4 Oct in s.
Alberta (ASl et ah). Single Northern Parulas were
out of range at Churchill 13 Oct (PR et al.) and at
Wyndham-Carseland P.P., AB 21-27 Oct (MH,
RS). Other warblers of note in s. Alberta were 4
Chestnut-sided 31 Aug-10 Sep (m. ob.), a
Magnolia 23-25 Oct (CScDC), and a Cape May 18
Nov (GY). Black-throated Blue Warblers wan-
dered to Delta, MB 3 Sep (HdH, PV), Grosse Isle
26 Sep (KG), Calgary 4-8 Oct (2 birds, ASl; NB,
JL), Medicine Hat, AB 13 Oct (PH, m. ob.), and
Saskatoon 4 Nov (CE). Saskatchewan’s 2nd or 3rd
Yellow-throated Warbler was discovered at
Wascana Marsh, Regina 2 Nov (AS). Unusually
late were single Palm Warblers at Calgary 15 & 17
Nov (D&LF; IH) and near Hodgeville 25 Nov
(M8cJP), and an Ovenbird at Winnipeg 14 Oct
(B&LdM). A Connecticut Warbler at Mt. Lorette
16 Sep was the first for the site (JDn). Finally,
Alberta’s 3rd and 4th Hooded Warblers were at
Medicine Hat 5 Oct (DBo) and at Edmonton from
4 Nov untO found dead on the 25th (FS, m. ob.).

Once a major rarity in Manitoba,
with just eight records prior to
1996, the Summer Tanager has occurred
almost annually in recent years. The first
this season was spotted near Dauphin in
August (WW). A juv. lingered at a feeder
near Eriksdale 29 Oct-7 Nov (SS). A weak-
ened bird in Winnipeg was turned in for
rehabilitation 28 Nov (WG, fide AM). The
record-breaker — and our first winter tan-
ager— was a likely second individual near
Dauphin 21 Nov-14 Dec (D&JM, WW).

Noteworthy sparrow sightings included a late
Chipping at St. Adolphe 12 Nov (AC), the first
Baird’s for S. R. V. 13 Sep (WS), and a late Swamp
at Patricia Beach 17 Nov (PT, RK). A Northern
Cardinal visited a feeder near Edmonton in the
2nd half of Nov (BTo). Manitoba’s latest-ever
Rose-breasted Grosbeak frequented Pinawa feed-
ers until 21 Nov (SHa, RZ). In Jul and Aug, 82
Orchard Orioles were banded at Delta, compared
with a previous high of 24 (HdH, PV). Red
Crossbills were only numerous in Alberta, while
White-wingeds were noted Regionwide. A strong
Common Redpoll migration was noted in late
Oct. A possible Eurasian Tree Sparrow was at
Winnipeg 7 Nov (CCs, GH).

Contributors (regional compilers in boldface):

B. & J. Anaka, C. Artuso, M. Bailey, D. Baresco
(DBo), I. Benesh, L. Bennett, C. Bergman (CBe),

C. Bjorklund, N. Bryant, B. Carey (BCa), B.
Chartier, W. Christianson, J. & P. Christie, C. & D.
Coulter, A. Courcelles, P. Cram, C. Curtis (CCs),
C. Cuthbert, B. & L. deMarch, H. den Haan, D. &
T. Dolman, J. Dubois, C. Elchuk, D. Fast, T.
Fenton, B. Firby, A. Fishkin, M. Flack, D. & L.
Flynn, K. Gardner, W. Goevmann, M. Goodyear,
). Goossen, G. Greenlee, S. Halley (SHa), 1.
Halliday, M. Harrison, T. Hindmarch, G.
Holland, P. Horch, S. Houston, K. Kingdon, R.
Klauke (RKl), R. Koes, T. Korolyk, R. Kreba
(RKr), G. Lasley, J. LeBlanc, C. Lindgren, B.
Luterbach, D. & J. McDonald, A. Mickey, M.
Mulligan, R. Parsons, C. Penner, M. & J. Priebe, P.
Ratson, D. Reed, T. Riffel, S. Saunders, F. Schwieg,
P. Sherrington, A. Slater (ASl), A. Smith, W.
Smith, D. Steppler, R. Storms, P. Sullivan (PSu), J.
Swartz, G. Taylor, P. Taylor, B. Thorarinson, B.
Toms (BTo), L. Veelma, P. Viola, P. Vlaming (PVl),
M. Waldron, W. Walley, A. Walleyn, T. Weaver, R.
Wershler, F. Whiley, B. Wilson, G. Yaki, R. Zach.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

65

Northern Great
Plains

Ron Martin
16900 125th Street SE
Sawyer, North Dakota 58781 -9284
(jrrriartin@ndak.net)

Much of the Region experienced very dry
conditions and above-average tempera-
tures. Almost no precipitation fell in eastern
Montana and the western Dakotas. Rivers and
lakes in those areas were very low by the end of
the period. In the eastern Dakotas, water levels
declined but were still adequate. November was
particularly warm, with even small water bodies
open until the 25th of the month. A violent
storm hit the Fort Peck, Montana area in
August, and many birds were killed.

Codes: Sightings marked with a -I- are subject to
review by the appropriate state committee.

LOONS THROUGH GROUSE

A juv. Red-throated Loon 8-19 Nov at Ft. Peck,
MT would provide about the 10th record for the
state (CC-f-). Furnishing the 7th record for South
Dakota was a Pacific Loon in Fall River 20 Oct
(TJ+). In Montana, a single Pacific Loon was
noted at Deadman’s Basin Res. 22-24 Oct (DC).

A new high count for North Dakota, 110
Great Egrets were tallied in Sargent 11 Aug
(DNS). A late Cattle Egret was ne. of Billings,
MT 13 Nov (GM). The latest report for North
Dakota, a Green Heron was in Fargo 27 Oct
(DPW). Eight times the previous high for North
Dakota, 400 White-faced Ibis were counted in
Sargent 1 1 Aug. Notably far n., and a first coun-
ty record, 51 White-faced Ibis were in Bottineau,
ND6Sep (REM).

A Harlequin Duck in Grand Forks, ND 4-11
Nov furnished the 15th report for the state and
the 4th documented by photograph (EEF, DOL,
ph.). Casual in South Dakota, 2 Black Scoters
were in Stanley 18 Oct (RDO+). About the 13th
report for North Dakota, a Barrow’s Goldeneye
was studied at Hettinger 26 Nov (DAG, CG-t).
In Montana, a single was at Bowdoin N.W.R. 25
Oct (DP). The species was also noted at its tra-
ditional wintering spot at Canyon L. in Rapid
City.SD (JLB).

An Osprey in Yankton, SD 22 Nov was late
(SVS). Providing the 18th report for North
Dakota, and the first for fall, a Red-shouldered
Hawk was seen in Pierce 19 Nov (GAE+). Late
and notably far e., a Ferruginous Hawk was in
Grand Forks 1 1 Nov (RC). Rough-legged Hawks
made a good showing in North Dakota, with a
peak of 48 in Grand Forks 29 Nov (EEF).

Gray Partridge continues its slow recovery in
North Dakota and Montana. West of normal
breeding areas in Minnesota, a Ruffed Grouse
was unusual in Fargo 21 Nov (DPW).

SHOREBIRDS THROUGH FLYCATCHERS

Three Black-bellied Plovers at Medicine L., MT
2 Nov were late (EM, MR). Details were submit-
ted for a Pacific Golden-Plover at Bowdoin
N.W.R., MT 24 & 31 Oct (DP-I-). If accepted, this
would provide the first record for Montana and
the Region. Furnishing the 4th nesting for North
Dakota, a Black-necked Stilt with a large chick
was documented in Cass 10 Aug (REM, CDE,
HCT+). A notable peak of 500 American
Avocets was recorded 14 Oct in Sully, SD
(RDO). Also in South Dakota, a Greater
Yellowlegs was late 23 Nov in Brown (DAT).

About the 10th record for Montana, a Red
Phalarope was at Freezeout L. 27-31 Oct (JN,
MS+).

Providing the 8th record for North Dakota,
an ad. Mew Gull was at Garrison Dam 18 Nov
(REM, DNS-I-). An ad. Sabine’s Gull found dead
12 Aug at Audubon N.W.R., ND furnished the
first record for the state in that month (SW,
REM, ph.). A South Dakota Sabine’s Gull report
came from Hughes 22 Sep (JSP, RFS-i-), and in
Montana a single was documented at Bowdoin
N.W.R. 3 Oct (DP-I-). Three times the previous
high, 6000 Black Terns were at Sargent, ND 1 1
Aug (REM, DNS).

Eurasian Collared-Doves were noted at four
South Dakota and two North Dakota locations.
A major invasion of Sno^vy Owls began across
the Region in Nov, with single day counts reach-
ing double digits in some areas of North Dakota.
An unidentified Selasphorus hummingbird
documented 3 Sep in Dickinson would provide
the 3rd record for North Dakota (JPL, REM,
DNS-I-). Regular fall migrants in ne. Montana, at
least 12 Ruby- throated Hummingbirds were tal-
lied 12-30 Aug.

The latest report ever for North Dakota, and
the first for Oct, an Eastern Wood-Pewee was
noted in Fargo 14 Oct (DPW). Casual in
Montana, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were again
noted in Westby, with a single 19 Aug, 2 banded
30 Aug, and a single seen 1 Sep (TN, JM).

VIREOS THROUGH WARBLERS

Casual in South Dakota, a White-eyed Vireo 12
Oct in Brown provided only the 2nd fall record
for the species (CDE, HCT, REM-i-). Casual in
Montana, Philadelphia Vireos were noted at
Westby 29 & 30 Aug (JM). A Ruby-crowned
Kinglet was late 16 Nov in McKenzie, ND (JAH).
Increasingly noted in the w. Dakotas, Blue-gray
Gnatcatchers were in Dickinson, ND 3 Sep ( JPL)
and in Custer, SD 19 Aug (JSP). Tying the latest
report for North Dakota, a Wood Thrush was a
window-kill victim in Grand Forks 15 Nov (RC).

It was another stellar fall for e. warblers in e.
Montana, with 21 species recorded: 19 at Westby
and 14 at Ft. Peck. In nw. North Dakota, 25
species were tallied at Minot. Casual in the
Dakotas, Blue-winged Warblers were docu-
mented 25 Aug in Ransom, ND (CC-I-) and 27
Aug in Hughes, SD (RDO-i-). Casual in Montana,
and very late, a Northern Parula was in Ft. Peck
3 Nov (CC-I-). It was a banner year for Black-
throated Blue Warblers, with eight individuals in
North Dakota spanning 12 Sep-20 Oct. Six
South Dakota reports spanned 22 Aug-29 Oct.
Casual in Montana, a single male Black-throat-
ed Blue Warbler was in Ft. Peck 23 Sep (CC+).
Also at Ft. Peck, a Yellow-rumped Warbler was
late 14 Nov (CC).

66

North American Birds

Northern Great Plains — Southern Great Plains

A Townsend’s Warbler banded at Westby, MT
30 Aug provided only the 2nd local record (JM,
TN). Furnishing the 6th record for South
Dakota, a Townsend’s Warbler was in
Pennington 3-5 Sep (TJ, TBW-t). If accepted, an
imm. Prairie Warbler documented at Minot,
ND 26 Sep would provide only the 2nd record
for the state (REM-I-). A late Black-and-white
Warbler was noted in Hughes, SD 10 Nov (KM).
Increasingly reported from the Black Hills, but
still casual in South Dakota, a Hooded Warbler
was in Pennington 19 Aug-22 Sep (TJ, JLB^-).

TANAGERS THROUGH REDPOLLS

A Western Tanager was well e. in Hughes, SD 20
Sep (RDO, EDS). A Clay-colored Sparrow 17
Nov in Hettinger provided the latest report for
North Dakota, and only the 2nd for Nov (JPL,
HCT, CDE). Rarely reported after Aug, a Baird’s
Sparrow was noted at Minot, ND 29 Sep (BD).
Tying the latest report for North Dakota, a Le
Conte’s Sparrow was in Fargo 20 Oct (DPW). A

Lincoln’s Sparrow was still present in Yankton,
SD at the end of the period (SVS).

Two Smith’s Longspurs were documented n.
of Westby, MT 7 Oct (REM, TN-h). If accepted,
this would provide about the 4th record for the
state. Northern Cardinals made a notable push
into North Dakota, with six individuals noted
away from the regular Fargo locations. Farthest
nw. were singles at Upper Souris N.W.R. 16 Oct
(REM) and at New Town 22 Nov (RS). A Rose-
breasted Grosbeak was tardy at Ft. Peck, MT 8-
15 Nov (CC).

A large flock of 60 Great-tailed Grackles was
still in Douglas, SD 3 Nov (SVS). White-winged
Crossbills were widespread and in fair numbers
across the Region. Many reports came from
North Dakota, and the species was noted at
three South Dakota locations. In Montana, a
single was at Ft. Peck 19 Nov-l- (CC). Common
Redpolls also made a significant push into the
Region, and an early Hoary Redpoll was tallied
at Minot, ND 12 Nov (REM).

Contributors (state editors in boldface):
MONTANA: Charles Carlson, Dan Casey,
Elizabeth Madden, Jeff Marks, Ron E. Martin,
George Mowat, Ted Nordhagen, John Nordrum,
Dwain Prellwitz, Mike Rabenberg, Mike
Schwitters. NORTH DAKOTA: Charlie Clark,
Rich Crawford, Bob Danley, Corey D. EUingson,
Gary A. Eslinger, Eve E. Freeberg, Carolyn
Griffiths, Dave A. Griffiths, John A. Heiser,
David O. Lambeth, Jack P. Lefor, Ron E. Martin,
Rita Satermo, Dan N. Svingen, H. Clark
Talkington, Sheridan Walter, Dennis P.
Wiesenborn. SOUTH DAKOTA: Jocelyn L.
Baker, Corey D. EUingson, Todd Jensen, Ron E.
Martin, Kenny Miller, Ricky D. Olson, Jeffrey S.
Palmer, Robb F. Schenck, Eileen Dowd Stukel,
H. Clark Talkington, Dan A. Tallman, Steve Van
Sickle, Tom and Brenda Warren.

A

Southern Great Plains

‘Chadron

» Valentine NWR

NEBRASKA

• Crescent Lake NWR
Lake McConaughy

North Plane

.Scottsbiuff

^6irand Island

Lincoln •

Kirwtn NWR*

Manhattan >

KANSAS

^Cheyenne Bottoms

Quivtra V.
NWR

.imarron Nat Grassland

Great Salt Plains
NWR

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City

I Washita
NWR

•Wichita Mountains NWR
•Fort Sill

Broken
' Res

Joseph A. Grzybowski

715 Elmwood Drive
Norman, Oklahoma 73072
{jgrzybowski@ucok.edu)

“his fall season was marked by a high level
species diversity but notably low counts

many species. Some observers wondered when the
sparrows would be arriving; others lamented the
absence or low densities of birds at feeding sta-
tions. Even juncos seemed uncommon. Some
species, such as Carolina Wren, were dearly set
back by the severity of last winter, and many win-
tering species may also have declined. The pattern

of below-average precipitation continued in many
areas this fall. The fall season was also notable for
the extremely mild weather pattern, which allowed
many migrants to linger later than normal and
delayed the arrival of many wintering species.
Rarities were widely reported, nearly on par with
the past several fall seasons.

Abbreviations: Cheyenne Bottoms (Cheyenne
Bottoms W.M.A., Barton, KS); McConaughy (L.
McConaughy, Keith, NE); L. Ogallala (L. Ogallala,
Keith, NE); Oliver (Oliver Res., Kimball NE);
Quivira (Quivira N.W.R., Stajford, KS); Rainwater
Basin (pothole area in south-central Nebraska);
Red Slough (Red Slough W.M.A., McCurtain, OK).

LOOfilS THROUGH DUCKS

A Red-throated Loon at Noble/Pawnee, OK 19 Oct
(JAG) was quite early; another was in Oklahoma 3
Nov+ (JAG, SG, m. oh.). Still rare, but occurring
more regularly. Pacific Loons were at Oliver 20 Oct
(JF), Sedgwick, KS 29-30 Oct (1-2 birds; PJ, KK,
B&NB), Sequoyah/Cherokee, OK Nov 5-15 (3; JWA,
JS, SB), Kingman, KS 18 Nov (TH, LH), and
Cowley, KS 21 Nov (TH, LH). Common Loons
built up to an astounding 433 at L. Tenkiller,
Sequoyah/Cherokee, OK 15 Nov (JWA, JS, SB).

Quite early was a Horned Grebe in Phelps, NE 26
Aug (LR, RH). Red-necked Grebes, rare in the
Region, were noted on the very early dates of 15

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

67

Aug-15 Sep in Scotts Bluff, NE (SJD, TEL, JF), with
another ad. in Phelps, NE 26 Aug (LR, RH). The fall
build-up of Western Grebes on McConoughy this
season reached an “astonishing” 29,500 by 19 Sep
(SJD), with hundreds in Lincoln, NE 31 Aug (TEL).
The 15 Westerns at Cheyenne Bottoms 24 Aug (BP)
made a good count for that locale, with 3 others
reported from e. Nebraska (fide WRS), 4 from
Kansas (fide LM), and 2 from Oklahoma (JWA,
JAG). Up to 18 Clark’s Grebes were with the
Westerns at McConaughy 19 Sep (SJD), with sin-
gles reported from Scoffs Blujf, NE 15 Aug (SJD), L.
Ogallala 1 Oct (LR, RH), and Cheyenne Bottoms 24
Aug (BP).

Up to 5 Neotropic Cormorants were seen 7 Aug-
29 Sep at Red Slough (DA, BH, m. ob.), the only
ones reported this season. Up to 10 Anhingas could
be found at Red Slough 12 Sep-25 Oct (DA, BH, m.
ob.), also the only ones recorded for the Region.

Great Egrets appear to be expanding their range
in the Region, with up to 400 noted at Quivira 18
Aug (SS, DB) and one nw. to Kimball, NE 1 Aug
(RW). Among the rarest herons in the Region,
Tricoloreds were found at Quivira 2 Aug (DK, GS),
with up to 1 8 at Red Slough 6 Aug- 1 0 Oct ( DA, BH ,
m. ob.) Yellow-crowned Night-Herons wandered n.
and w. to Clay, NE 1 1 Aug ( JGJ), with one to 2 juvs.
photographed in Phelps, NE 19 Aug (MU, LR, RH).

Among the very rare summer vagrants were an
imm. White Ibis in Phelps, NE 9 Aug (JD, fide LB).
Possibly the same bird appeared at another location
in Phelps 12-19 Aug (JK, MU et ah), only the 3rd
documented for Nebraska. Several White Ibis lin-
gered to 4 Nov at Red Slough (DA, BH). An even
tougher find was a Glossy Ibis documented 13 Sep
at Cheyenne Bottoms (BE). The 2 Roseate
Spoonbills in Finney, KS 12 Aug-21 Sep (MO, TS,
SSh) attracted many admirers, as did up to 3 spoon-
bills at Red Slough 7-23 Sep (BH, DA). Wood Stork
numbers at Red Slough built to 259 in Aug, with
birds lingering until 23 Sep (DA, BH, m. ob.).

It seems as if each year a token Mottled Duck
observation comes from cen. Kansas; this year one
was noted at Quivira 29 Aug (MR). A Mottled was
also observed at Red Slough 23 Aug-3 Sep (DA, BH
et al.). A Canvasback in Morton, KS 28 Aug-2 Sep
(BP, SP, m. ob.) was either summering or a very
early migrant. A female Ring-necked Duck in Scotts
Blujf, NE 24 Aug (SJD) was probably an early fall
migrant. Clearly exceptional was an alternate-
plumaged ad. male Harlequin Duck in Pierce, NE
21 Nov (S'W,fide EB, MB), the 3rd documented for
Nebraska (/ideWRS).

Any scoter is a good find in the Region, and fall
is the best time to search for them. Surf Scoters were
noted in Jefferson, KS 27 Oct (AP), Knox, NE 6 Nov
(MB), Custer, OK 9 Nov (JAG, JWA), and Reno, KS
11 Nov (PJ, CG). The only White-winged Scoter
documented this season was in Custer, OK 20 Nov
(JAG). Three Black Scoters were observed: at L.

Ogallala 9 Nov (JGJ), Tulsa 18 Nov (BC), and
Osage, KS 25 Nov (DG, DL). Surprisingly, the only
report for Long-tailed Duck this season was from
Osage, KS 30 Nov (JN).

HAWKS THROUGH TERNS

Northern Goshawks were reported in Keith, NE 12
Oct (GJ), Pawnee, KS 25 Oct (SS, DSe), and
Douglas, KS 27 Oct (MR). A Broad-winged Hawk
in Morton, KS 22 Sep (MG, DW) was the most
westerly. About 25 Merlins were reported from
Nebraska (/ideWRS), 10-11 from Kansas (fide LM),
and 3 from Oklahoma (JWA, JAG). Peregrine
Falcons were reported this season in numbers that
have become the norm; about 7 from Nebraska
(fide WRS) and 13-16 from Kansas (fide LM), but
only 3-4 from Oklahoma (fideJVLA).

Up to 5 Yellow Rails were flushed at Red Slough
10-25 Oct (DA, BH et al.). Black Rails were heard
calling at their Quivira outpost 2 Aug along with 2
King Rails (DK, GS). A notable local breeding
record of Virginia Rail was that of an ad. with 3
downy young 10 Aug at Quivira (DW). A single
Purple Gallinule graced Red Slough 15 Aug (DA).
Whooping Cranes were noted at several locations

22 Oct-2 Nov, mostly in their narrow window of
fall passage, with one lingering at Cheyenne
Bottoms until at least 22 Nov (M&EC).

The 16 Black-bellied Plovers at McConaughy 20
Aug (SJD, JJD) made a good count for fall, and the
120+ at Quivira 29 Aug (MR) quite exceptional. A
Snowy Plover with 3 young at McConaughy 10 Aug
(SJD) provided only the 3rd breeding record for
Nebraska. Piping Plovers may have fared better this
summer, as a group of 13 was at McConaughy 20
Aug (SJD, JJD), with 2 juvs. lingering until 19 Sep
(SJD). The 15 Pipings in Dixon, NE 19 Aug (BFH)
were also encouraging.

Black-necked Stilts are doing much better in the
Region. Even considering the 100 estimated at
Cheyenne Bottoms 10 Sep (GY, MRa, KB), the
count of 16 in Finney, KS 23 Aug (TS, SSh) was
exceptional. Exceptionally late were the 2-3 Willets
in Sumner, KS 21 Oct (B8(NB), 3 in Tulsa 23 Oct
(PM et al.), and one 12 Nov in Reno, KS (TH, LH).
Also lingering were Long-billed Curlews at
McConaughy 15-19 Sep (SJD, JF) and Texas, OK 22
Sep (JAG, DWg). A tardy Marbled Godwit was in
Phelps, NE 20 Sep (SJD) to 17 Oct (LR, RH).

Small numbers of Red Knots passed during
their normal fall window of occurrence 20 Aug- 19
Sep; later individuals included 2 w. to Beaver, OK

23 Sep (MK, GK, C&SR) and 4 noted as late as 6
Oct in Sumner, KS (KOS). A record fall count of
222 Sanderlings was made at McConaughy 15 Sep
(SJD, JF). Among a collection of tardy shorebirds
were single Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers at
Quivira 18 Nov (CG, TH, LH) and a remarkable 65
Stilt Sandpipers 2 Nov at Cheyenne Bottoms (SS).

Reports of fall Western Sandpipers have steadily

declined in the Region in recent years. Only 20-24
birds were reported by reliable observers in
Nebraska; a few years ago this might have repre-
sented a daily total in late Aug in Oklahoma. Is this
species declining? Almost unheard of during fall
in the Region were the 5 White-rumped
Sandpipers documented in Platte, NE 9 Sep (DP,
JP). A number as noteworthy as the careful count-
ing process itself were the 3976 Baird’s Sandpiper
at McConaughy 9 Aug (SJD). Also worthy of men-
tion were the 740 Stilt Sandpipers at McConaughy
15 Sep (SJD, JF), with 632 in the e. Rainwater Basin
11 Aug (JGJ).

Buff-breasted Sandpipers appeared in fair num-
bers this fall, with the high count of 1 15 on 11 Aug
in Tulsa (BC). Eight Short-billed Dowitchers, all
juvs., were reported 15 Aug-20 Sep in Nebraska
(JGJ, SJD), with additional birds reported from
McCurtain, OK (DA) and Cheyenne Bottoms (BP,
SP, CG). A nice 21 Red-necked Phalaropes were in
Sheridan, NE 14 Sep (SJD, JF), with another good
count of 16 at Quivira 3 Sep (EW, BD, JLe). None
were reported from Qklahoma.

Even a single jaeger is an event in the Region,
and some autumns pass with no reports of any
species. This season, however, Nebraska was graced
with all three species. A juv. Pomarine Jaeger was
observed chasing a Franklin’s Gull in Cedar, NE 2 1
Oct (MB); possibly the same bird was in Knox, NE
the same day (MB, PW) and back in Cedar, NE a
few days later (DSt, fide MB). Two Parasitic
Jaegers were at McConaughy 15 Sep: a light-
morph subad. and an intermediate-morph juv.
(SJD, JF), the 4th and 5th documented for
Nebraska. And the creme de la creme was an ad.
light-morph Long-tailed Jaeger at McConaughy
19 Sep (SJD), the 4th documented record for the
species in Nebraska. Finally, a dark juv. jaeger left
unidentified to species was also noted at
McConaughy 19 Sep (SJD). Regular checks of L.
McConaughy in fall have now demonstrated that
jaegers are annual visitors there, and this pattern
may emerge at other large water bodies in the
Region.

Franklin’s Gulls can occur in large numbers dur-
ing fall: the 100,000-150,000 estimated in Butler,
KS testify to that (B&NB). Among the more
unusual gulls were Laughing Gulls in Sequoyah,
OK 30 Aug (MK, m. ob.), at Cheyenne Bottoms 2
Sep (AS, RP), and in Tulsa 28 Nov (JWA). Ad.
Little Gulls were documented at Cheyenne
Bottoms 13 Sep (BF) and in Kingman, KS 11 Nov
(TH, LH). Quite early was a Bonaparte’s Gull 18
Aug in Knox, NE (MB) and 3 first-winter Herring
Gulls at McConaughy 9 Aug (SJD, JJD); 8 Herrings
were present by 20 Aug (SJD, JJD).

An ad. Lesser Black-backed Gull was docu-
mented at McConaughy 15 Sep (SJD, JF). Much
more exceptional was an ad. Great Black-backed
Gull photographed there 15-28 Sep (SJD, JF, JGJ),

68

North American Birds

Southern Great Plains

unusual for date as well. A decade ago, data on
each Sabine’s Gull would be listed out; this season,
we note that about 17 Sabine’s Gulls were report-
ed from Nebraska {fide WRS), with 5-8 at
McConaughy 15-19 Sep (SJD, JF); there were 12-
20 reported from Kansas (fide LM), including up
to 5 at a time in Jejferson, KS (DK); and 2 were
noted in Oklahoma (JWA, DWg). The season’s
Where’s Waldo Black-legged Kittiwake was in
Linn, KS 5 Oct (RM). An ad. Common Tern was
at McConaughy 9 Aug (SJD); up to 11 were in
Scotts Bluff, NE 14 Sep (SJD, JF).

DOVES THROUGH WAXWINGS

Eurasian Collared-Doves are still a story because of
their rapidly increasing numbers. Reports of as
many as 40 birds are now coming from Kansas
(fide LM). The distributions of sightings are not
uniform across the Region, with largest numbers in
sw. Nebraska, w. Kansas, and nw. Oklahoma
(including the panhandle), but with a sprinkling of
birds in e. areas. Not as abundant. White-winged
Doves were noted in Lane, KS (SS), Reno, KS (LS),
and Oklahoma City (PV). Up to 21 Inca Doves
were counted in Pratt, KS 25 Aug (LL), with singles
in Stevens, KS 14 Sep (BF), Morton, KS 22 Sep (DV,
WAS), McCurtain, OK 29 Sep-1 Oct (BH, PFl), and
Finney, KS 1 Oct (LRi).

Toward the end of Nov, Snowy Owl reports sug-
gested a possible influx. One found dead in
Dawson, NE 16 Nov was very thin (BT, fide CH).
Others were from Custer, OK 19-30 Nov (J&DR),
Dakota, NE 21 Nov (fide KP), Kearney, KS 23 Nov
(BPr, TS, SSh, MO), and Johnson, KS 29 Nov (MD).

Late summer and fall brings out the best array of
hummingbirds. This season, an imm. male Costa’s
Hummingbird, present in Dawson, NE from some
time in Oct to 15 Nov (LR, RH, m. ob.), provided a
first state record. A possible female Anna’s
Hummingbird noted in Pawnee, KS 5 Sep was
undocumented. There was an array of Calliope
Hummingbirds, including several in Finney and
Pawnee, KS from 10-24 Aug. Documented reports
of Calliopes came from Kimball, NE 9 Aug (SJD),
Sedgwick, KS 30 Aug (B&NB, N&KC), and Sioux,
NE 9-10 Aug (HKH).

In Nebraska, single Broad-tailed Hummingbirds
were observed in Scotts Bluff 8 Aug (KL) and Keith
20 Aug (an ad.; SJD, JJD). There were 14 undocu-
mented reports of Broad-taileds from w. Kansas of
perhaps 13-18 individuals, mostly of females or
birds of unspecified sex, 9 Aug-22 Sep (fide LM);
the only documented report from Kansas was a
female in Sedgwick 28 Aug (N&KC, PJ, B&NB).
More expected but still noteworthy were Rufous
Hummingbirds. There were 9+ in Kimball, NE 9
Aug (SJD); including these, 25-30 were reported
through 25 Aug for Nebraska, the easternmost
being one at McConaughy 10 Aug (SJD). About 21
Rufous were reported from Kansas (fide LM), the

eastermost and latest being singles in Sedgwick 15
Sep (PJ) and Saline 14-30 Nov (NH). Surprisingly,
only one observation of a Rufous was submitted
for Oklahoma, that in Mayes 9-10 Aug (GW).

Red-naped Sapsuckers appear to migrate earlier
than do Yellow-bellieds in this Region. This sea-
son, one was noted in Sioux, NE 19 & 29 Sep
(HKH), up to 2 were in Cimarron, OK 20-24 Sep
(MK, GK, JWA et al.), and 2 were in Oliver 26 Sep
(JAS).

An Olive-sided Flycatcher in Sarpy, NE 1 Oct
was very late (BPa, LP). Given vexing identification
issues and differing levels of confidence between
observers, reports of fall Empidonax flycatchers can
raise difficulties. Among the interesting data this
season for this group, in part obtained from mist-
netting, were the 16 individuals in Sioux, NE 25
Aug that included 4 Willows, 3 Least, one each of
Dusky and Hammond’s, and 7 unidentified to
species (SJD, HKH, AK). Hammond’s, among the
easiest to identify, appear to be regular but rare
migrants during fall in the very w. reaches of the
Region, with singles observed in Kimball, NE 1 Sep
(TJ), Morton, KS 2 (BP, m. ob.) & 15 Sep (BF), and
L. Ogallala 15 Sep (SJD), with 2 in Cimarron, OK
22 Sep (MK, GK, C&SR). Banders in Kimball, NE
are documenting the regular appearance of Dusky
Flycatchers there. Singles were netted at Oliver 24
Aug (SJD, JAS) and Sioux, NE 25 Aug (SJD, HKH,
AK) with others observed there 7 (SJD) & 14 Sep
(SJD, JF), and one reported from Clark, KS 31 Aug
(GP, MM, DS).

Although rarely reporting Least Flycatchers,
observers in Morton, KS reported 3 Gray
Flycatchers, one 15 Sep being documented (BF),
and one undocumented Cordilleran Flycatcher 22
Sep. An exceptionally late Acadian Flycatcher was
noted in Linn, KS 29 Sep (BF). Other extralimital
flycatchers were Say’s Phoebes in Sedgwick, KS 12
Aug (PJ) and Knox, NE 22 Sep (MB) and an Ash-
throated Flycatcher in Morton, KS 15 Sep (BF).

Reports of Plumbeous Vireos at Oliver 20 Aug
(SJD, JJD) & 1 Sep (JGJ), Morton, KS 30 Aug (BP,
SP) & 22 Sep (SS et al.) indicate that observers are
making progress in documenting this species in the
Region; easterly (although undocumented) was a
Plumbeous reported from Sedgwick, KS 25 Sep
(B&NB, PJ). Surprisingly, 12 Cassin’s Vireos were
reported from the Nebraska Panhandle 20 Aug-7
Sep, including one netted at Oliver 24 Aug (SJD,
JAS). Two were reported from Morton, KS 27 Aug
(BP, SP, m. ob.) & 2 Sep (BP, LH, m. ob.). Blue-
headed Vireos at L. Ogallala 19 Sep (SJD) and Hall,
NE 16 Sep (LR, RH) were only the 5th and 6th doc-
umented records away from e. Nebraska. One
Blue-headed in Dixon, NE 21-22 Aug (JJ) was the
2nd earliest for Nebraska; early and westerly was
another in Morton, KS 1 Sep (BP, m. ob.). A
Warbling Vireo banded in Washington, NE 17 Nov
(BG, CHe fide DM) was the latest ever for

Nebraska by about a month. Two Warblings netted
(of 8 observed) at Oliver 21 Aug were both of the
Rocky Mountains subspecies brewsteri (SJD).
Westerly were Philadelphia Vireos at Oliver 7 Sep
(SJD), with one banded in Meade, KS 3 Sep (TF).

A straggler Clark’s Nutcracker appeared at the
top of Scotts Bluff N.M. 25 Aug (GH, WH).
Steller’s Jays appeared to have an invasion year in
the far w. Oklahoma panhandle, with 2 in
Cimarron 20 Sep (MK, GK, C&SR) and 17 on 30
Nov (JAG, JWA). Among few records of Violet-
green Swallows were one in Sumner, KS 22 Aug
(TH, LH) and up to 2 in Cimarron, OK 6 Sep
(JAG). Very surprising were 2 Cave Swallows doc-
umented in Finney, KS 27 Sep (TS, MO).

A Rock Wren in Tulsa 3 Nov (JL et al.) was off
course. Suggestive of breeding or early migration
was a Mountain Bluebird in sw. Kimball, NE 15
Aug (SJD). Among few records for Veeries of the
w. subspecies for the Region were singles netted
and photographed in Sioux, NE 30 Aug (SJD,
HKH, JAS) and Morton, KS 28 Aug (BP, m. ob.). A
hatch-year Swainson’s Thrush banded in Sarpy, NE
30 Oct (RG) was quite tardy. Two Gray-cheeked
Thrushes banded in Meade, KS 3 Sep (TF) were
westerly. Lingering quite late was a Gray Catbird in
Buffalo, NE 23 Nov (LR, RH). An unlikely duo
were a Sage Thrasher (WAS, MG, DW) and Curve-
billed Thrasher (SS, MRa) in Morton, KS 22 Sep.

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

The fall period usually brings out an array of
extralimital warblers. Among the “zooties” were
Golden-winged Warblers in Douglas, KS 1 Sep
(BA), Otoe, NE 2 Sep (LF, CF), and Tulsa 9 Sep
(BC). Black-throated Blue Warblers were observed
in Morton, KS 31 Aug (BP) and Sumner, KS 1 1 Oct
(TH, LH). Enviable was a Connecticut Warbler
documented in Sedgwick 24 Sep (B&NB).

Among e. warblers west in Morton, KS were a
Chestnut-sided 1 Sep (BP, m. ob.), a Pine Warbler
1-2 Sep (BP, m. ob.), a Prairie Warbler 1-2 Sep
(TH, LH, MM), a Blackpoll Warbler 1 Sep (CG,
MG, m. ob.), and Canada Warblers (at two loca-
tions) 1 (GP, MM, DS) & 2 Sep (BP, m. ob.). Other
more exceptional “westerlies” were a Chestnut-
sided Warbler in Garden, NE 2 Sep (JGJ), a
Magnolia Warbler netted in SJomx, NE 30 Aug (SJD,
m. ob.), a Blackburnian Warbler in Garden, NE 2
Sep (JGJ), a Bay-breasted Warbler at McConaughy
15 Sep (SJD, JF), and a Hooded Warbler in Sioux,
NE 29 Sep (HKH).

Western warblers encroaching onto the Plains
included single Virginia’s Warblers 1-2 Sep in
Morton, KS (PJ, BP) and 22 Sep in Cimarron, OK (2
birds, JWA). Black-throated Gray Warblers were
found at two locations in Morton, KS 31 Aug (BP,
SP, m. ob.) & 1 Sep (TH, LH) and at Oliver 7 Sep
(SJD; 3rd documented for Nebraska). While not as
healthy a set as last year, Nebraska tallied about 25

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

69

Townsend’s Warblers this season, all but one from
its Panhandle, the last in Grant! Sep (MB). Only
one Townsend’s was reported from Kansas, that in
Scott 9 Sep (TS, SSh), with one 6 Sep in Cimarron,
OK (JAG), and 2 there 20 Sep (MK, GK, C&SR).
Among early arrivals were an Orange-crowned
Warbler at Oliver 15 Aug (SJD) and a Canada
Warbler 11 Aug in Douglas, KS (MM, GP).
Lingering was a Northern Parula 14 Oct in
McCurtain, OK (DA, DR, BH).

Few Brewer’s Sparrows are noted during fall;
this year’s lot included singles in Cimarron, OK 21
Aug (JWA, JL, JS) and Morton, KS 2 Sep (SS, TC et
ah). Quite tardy was a Vesper Sparrow in Knox, NE

28 Nov-3 Dec (MB). More frequently observed in
recent years are Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows.
About 8 were reported from e. Nebraska, all from
30 Sep-14 Oct [fide WRS), with two reports of 3
birds from Kansas 13-14 Oct {fide LM). Nine
Sharp-taileds were flushed at Red Slough 10 Oct
(DA).

An ad. male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Finney,
KS 23-25 Nov (ES), was geographically and tempo-
rally out of place. Perhaps making a pattern of
sorts were 4 late-ish Lazuli Buntings in Scotts Bluff,
NE 22 Sep (AK), Morton, KS 22 Sep (SS, MRa),
Cimarron, OK 24 Sep (JAG, JWA, DWg), and Tulsa

29 Sep (BC, TM). Also tardy was an Indigo
Bunting in Dixon, NE 30 Oct (JJ), the 2nd latest
ever for the state. A Lesser Goldfinch in Morton, KS
2 Sep (SS et al.) was a little n. of most. The only
Common Redpoll noted was in Nebraska City 23
Nov (LF, CF).

Cited observers (area editors boldfaced):
KANSAS: Bob Antonio, Dave Bryan, Bill 8c Nancy
Beard, Ken Brunson, Ted Cable, Nick 8c Kathy
Clausen, Mark & Elaine Corder, Barbara Duncan,
Mary Deuser, Tom Flowers, Bob Fisher, Dan Gish,
Chet Gresham, Matt Gearheart, Leon Hicks, Tyler
Hicks, Nancy Highgate, Pete Janzen, Dan Kluza,
Kerrie Kirkpatrick, Linda Loomis, Jean Leonatti
(JLe), Dan Larson, Mick McHugh, Roger McNeill,
Lloyd Moore, Jim Nickel, Marie Osterbuhr,
Sebastian Patti, Brandon Percival, Galen Pittman,
Ralph Pike, Alexis Powell, Bob Price (BPr), Mark
Robbins, Mike Rader (MRa), Leonard Rich (LRi),
Greg Schrott, David Seibel, Scott Seltman, Diane
Seltman (DSe), Tom Shane, Sara Shane (SSh),
Emaline Scott, Lauren Sill, Art Smalwell, Kansas
Ornithological Society (KOS), Max Thompson,
Don Vannoy, Edge Wade, Dave Williams, Wichita
Audubon Society (WAS), Gene Young. NEBRAS-
KA: Laurel Badura, Elliott Bedows, Mark Brogie,
James J. Dinsmore, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Jeff
Drahota, Carol Falk, Laurence Falk, Joe Fontaine,
Ruth Green, Betty Grennon, Carolyn Hall, Robin
Harding, Craig Hensley (CHe), Glen Hoge, Wanda
Hoge, Helen K. Hughson, Bill F. Huser, Todd
Jensen, Jan Johnson, Gerry Jorgensen, Joel G.

Jorgensen, Alice Kenitz, Jon Kozak, Thomas E.
Labedz, Kathy Larson, Don Maas, Babs Padelford
(BPa), Loren Padelford, Don Paseka, Jan Paseka,
Kevin Poague, Larry Randolph, James A. Sedgwick,
W. Ross Silcock, David Stage (DSt), Barb Tebble,
Mark Urwiller, Scott Wessel, Peter Wickham, Rick
Wright. OKLAHOMA: David Arbour, James W.

Arterburn, Sandy Berger, Bill Carrell, Joseph A.
Grzybowski, Stephen Grzybowski, Berlin Heck, Pat
Heck, George Kamp, Marty Kamp, Jo Loyd, Terry
Mitchell, Pam Moser, Dan Reinking, Justin 8(
Donna Roach, C.8cS. Ruby, Jerry Sisler, P. Velte, G.
White, David Wiggins (DWg).

Texas

Mark W. Lockwood
6710 Lancret Hill Drive
Austin, Texas 78745
(mwlockwood@juno.com)

Greg Lasley

305 Loganberry Court
Austin, Texas 78745
(glasley@earthlink.net)

Wiilie Sekula

7063 County Road 228
Falls City, Texas 78113
(wsekula@the-cia.net)

Brush Freeman

1 20 North Redbud Trail
Elgin, Texas 78621
(brush@onr.com)

This fall was characterized by above-average
rainfall in the eastern half of the state while
the drought remained unabated in the west.
Pacific fronts repeatedly crossed the state, pro-
ducing heavy rainfall when they interacted
with moisture from the Gulf. At Houston’s
Bush Intercontinental Airport, the rainfall
total for the fall alone was over 63 cm. This
was more than 25 cm above average. As a
result, temperatures in the east were moderate,
while in the west they were above normal.
Hardest hit by the drought was El Paso, where
the annual rainfall barely exceeded 10 cm, less
than half the average.

In general, most observers described the fall
migration as lackluster. In many areas of the
state, the lack of summer rains left poor food
crops and while many wintering species
arrived on time, they seemed to disappear by

70

North American Birds

Southern Great Plains — Texas

fall’s end. Passage of Pacific fronts early in the
season resulted in some record-early dates for
a few species that were stopped on their way
southward. Irruptive species were hard to
come by throughout the state, and there was
no repeat of last autumn’s invasion of montane
species in the west.

Abbreviations: T.B.R.C. (Texas Bird Records
Committee); U.T.C. (Upper Texas Coast). The
following are shortened names for the respec-
tive local, county, state, or national parks and
wildlife refuges, etc.: Alazan Bayou, Anahuac,
Balcones Canyonlands, Big Bend, Big Bend
Ranch, Brazoria, Buffalo Lake, Matagorda
Island, Packery Channel, Palo Duro Canyon,
Quintana, Sabine Woods, Santa Ana, Sea Rim,
Trinity River.

LOONS THROUGH SPOONBILL

A Pacific Loon was at Greenfield City L., Hunt,
providing a first county record (MWh, KWh).
Up to 3 Least Grebes were on the Katy Prairie,
Waller 2 Sep, providing a rare record for the
U.T.G. (BH). Aechmophorus grebes continue to
increase in numbers, particularly in the w.
Trans-Pecos. Clark’s Grebes nested in unprece-
dented numbers at McNary Res., Hudspeth,
with up to eight pairs with young 29 Oct
among up to 70 other individuals (BZ, JPa, JZ).
Paton counted up to 142 on reservoirs in El
Paso and Hudspeth 1 1 Nov, including up to 20
juv. Clark’s.

Sixty4- Cory’s Shearwaters off Port Aransas,
Aransas 21 Oct was an unusually large number
(SWe). American White Pelicans are regular
migrants through the w. half of the state, but
counts of 60 at Midland and over 300 at
Buffalo L., Randall in Oct were remarkable.
Brown Pelicans have been found in the Trans-
Pecos with increasing frequency in the fall.
This season, singles were at Tornillo Res., El
Paso 16 Aug, Balmorhea L., Reeves 4 Sep, and
McNary Res., El Paso 8 Sep. Wandering Brown
Pelicans were also present at L. Worth, Tarrant
and L. Tawakoni, Rains 5 Nov-2 Dec.
Magnificent Frigatebirds lingered until 15 Nov
at Galveston, providing only the 3rd Nov
record for the Region (RWe).

Bitterns are rarely reported from the w. half
of the state, but this fall an American Bittern
was at Balmorhea L. 25 Aug (RK) and single
Leasts were at Ralls, Crosby 2 Sep (RK), Big
Bend 22 Sep (MF), Lubbock 21 Oct (AF) and
Balmorhea L. 12 Oct (DHe). A gathering of 37
Great Egrets in Crosby 2 Sep was an amazing
count for the High Plains (JCr et al). The Little
Blue Heron first reported in Jul from El Paso
remained until 22 Aug (BZ, JSp). Tricolored
Heron post-breeding dispersal was particular-

ly strong this fall in the e. half of the state.
Unprecedented for the Edwards Plateau was a
count of 6 Tricolored Herons at L. Buchanan,
Burnet 3 Aug (TFe). This species is an almost
regular fall visitor to the Trans-Pecos, and this
year singles were at Balmorhea L. 12-25 Aug
(MAd, RR) and Rio Grande Village 10 Sep-1
Oct (LK et al.). Reddish Egret was document-
ed from the Edwards Plateau for the first time
this fall, with singles at Kerrville 23 Aug (EB,
ph.) and Canyon L., Comal 6 Sep (BN).
Reddish Egrets continue to be found in the
Trans-Pecos with surprising frequency; this
season’s individuals include continuing birds
at Balmorhea L., El Paso, and Imperial Res.,
Pecos, and another was at Fort Stockton, Pecos
17 Aug (MAd). Yellow-crowned Night-Herons
were reported from scattered locations in the
Trans-Pecos, with one at Rio Grande Village 2
Aug (RE), 2 at Fort Hancock 2 Sep (BZ), and 2
at Balmorhea L. 23 Sep (MAd). An imm.
Roseate Spoonbill at McNary Res. 31 Aug-5
Oct was an extraordinary record for the El
Paso area.

WATERFOWL THROUGH RAPTORS

Six Fulvous Whistling-Ducks at Bastrop on 12
Aug (BFr) was a large number for the Austin
area. Extremely early were 8 Canada Geese in
Angelina 27 Aug (GG); the possibility of these
being feral cannot be ruled out. A female
Gadwall with young was discovered at
Lubbock on 12 Aug (AF), providing a very rare
breeding record for the South Plains. A
Harlequin Duck was spotted flying with a
group of Lesser Scaup at L. Worth 23 Nov (t
ph., MR); if accepted it would be the 3rd for
Texas. Surf Scoters are almost annual in the
Trans-Pecos between late Oct and early Nov;
this fall found up to 3 at Tornillo Res. 26-29
Oct (JZ, MS, BZ) and one at McNary Res. 4-14
Nov. Long-tailed Ducks are annual but always
noteworthy in Texas; singles were at S. Padre 1
Nov (WC) and Aransas 30 Nov (RWe).
Hooded Mergansers appeared in Texas on
record early dates, including singles at Greenbelt
L, Donley 8 Aug (BiM, JHu) and Balmorhea L.
(RK) and Buffalo L. (EK), both 25 Aug.
Providing a first summer/early fall record for the
Nacogdoches area were 2 hens 10-25 Aug (DWo
et al.). An injured Common Merganser lingered
through the summer and fall at Tornillo Res.

A count of 74 Swallow-tailed Kites was
recorded at the Smith Pt. Hawk Watch during
the fall, well above the expected number. A
White-tailed Kite discovered at Acton, Dickens
2 Sep (RK et al.) provided a first record for the
South Plains; another rare w. record was of one
at Midland 1 Aug (FR). A fall roost of 25
White-tailed Kites near Orange Grove, Jim

This female Acorn Woodpecker in McAllen, Texas
6-10 November 2001 provided an unexpected
first record for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The
closest populations of this montane species are
in the Sierra Pichacos in northeastern Mexico,
about 1 60 km away. Photograph by Steve
Bentsen.

Wells (BCr) was farther n. than expected, but a
roost of over 150 near McAllen, Hidalgo was
truly spectacular (LM). Two very early Bald
Eagles were found in Bailey 25 Aug (RSm). A
Harris’s Hawk at Canyon, Randall 5-6 Oct
(KW et al.) provided a rare Panhandle record.
Equally unexpected were single Harris’s at
Smith Pt. 17 Sep and 7 Nov. Farther w. than
normal were Red-shouldered Hawks at
Midland 24 Aug (RMS) and Lubbock 1-19 Sep
(RK et al.). A record total of 103,603 Broad-
winged Hawks was recorded on the Smith Pt.
Hawk Watch, while on the other end of the
state one was at Big Bend on 19 Aug (MF) and
3 in El Paso 19-27 Sep (JPa, JZ, MS, BZ).
Broad-winged Hawks were seen in above-aver-
age numbers on the High Plains, with a high
count of 4 at Lubbock 29 Sep (AF). Falling into
an established pattern of fall occurrences e. of
the breeding range, a Zone-tailed Hawk was at
Mitchell L. 30 Oct {fide GSc). Extremely rare in
El Paso, Rough-legged Hawks were seen 27
Nov (BZ) and 29-30 Nov (JZ, MS). An ad.
Golden Eagle was an unexpected find at

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

71

Brazoria N.W.R. 6 Oct (DJa). Sandifer report-
ed a high count of 27 Peregrine Falcons along
a 96-km stretch of North Padre Island 10 Oct.
Prairie Falcons are rare on the coastal prairies;
this season one was at the Katy Prairie, Waller

18 Oct-30 Nov (JHi, BDe) and another in
Kenedy during early Nov (OC).

PHEASANTS THROUGH TERNS

An unusual find was a Ring-necked Pheasant
at Guadalupe Mts. on 20 Oct (IWo). A Yellow
Rail in Lubbock on 21 Oct (AF) provided a
very rare record for the South Plains.
Unexpected was a Purple Gallinule at Midland
on 6 Oct (D&JM), while another individual
lingered at San Bernard, Brazoria until 30 Nov
(RWe). East of the normal migration corridor
were 7 Whooping Cranes at Katy Prairie 24
Oct (JMu).

A Snowy Plover at L. Sam Rayburn, San
Augustine 28 Aug (DWo) provided only the
2nd area record. A Semipalmated Plover at
Buffalo L. 10 Nov provided the latest date for
the Panhandle by 17 days (EK). With increas-
ing attention to the plight of Mountain
Plovers, all sightings are noteworthy. The first
of the fall was reported from the Granger area,
Williamson 13 Oct, where the high count of
116 individuals was made 4 Nov (TFe). A
Black-necked Stilt with young at Cooper L. 16
Aug (MWh), where they likely nested, provid-
ed an unusual n.-cen. Texas record. Although
this species is a common migrant through the
state, a group of 200-t- Upland Sandpipers on
the ground near Granger, Williamson 12 Aug
was surprising (TFe). Another unexpected
concentration was 1000 Long-billed Curlews
near Tulia, Swisher 4 Oct (JRe). Any fall
Hudsonian Godwit in Texas is noteworthy; one
initially discovered during the summer at
Brazoria N.W.R. lingered until 4 Aug (RWe).
Sanderlings were reported in higher-than-nor-
mal numbers in the Trans-Pecos and High
Plains, with a high count of 5 at Imperial Res.

19 Oct (EC). An early Common Snipe was
found at Aransas 17 Aug (RWe).

Pomarine Jaegers are regular in fall and win-
ter in the Gulf but are rarely found along the
shore; one was at Port Aransas 13 Oct (MC,
WS). Inland Parasitic Jaegers were found at
Balmorhea L. 6 Sep (BPi) and L. Tawakoni 4-
5 Nov (MWh). More spectacular was a Long-
tailed Jaeger at L. Benbrook, Tarrant 31 Oct-5
Nov (t, ph., MR et ak). Laughing Gulls have
become almost annual in the Trans-Pecos, and
this fall a juv. was at McNary 23 Aug-8 Sep ( JZ,
Me, BZ) and was Joined by another in first-
winter plumage 31 Aug-1 Oct (BZ). An ad.
Little Gull was at L. Worth on 18-19 Nov (t
JMc, CA). A dark-mantled gull, possibly a Kelp

Gull, was photographed at South Padre L,
Cameron 29 Sep (SCo); however, the bird was
too distant for positive identification. Sabine’s
Gulls are rare but regular fall migrants through
the state, and this year saw a higher-than-aver-
age number of sightings: up to 3, including one
ad., were at McNary Res. 2-8 Sep (BZ et ak);
and singles were seen at L. Palestine, Smith 4-8
Sep (RG), L. Tawakoni 7 Sep (MWh), Lubbock
8 Sep (AF), Fort Bliss on 10 Sep (*U.T.E.P.), L.
Worth 28 Sep-4 Oct (MR et ak), and near
Aransas Pass, Aransas, an ad. 22 Oct (ML).

Rare for the Trans-Pecos was a Caspian Tern
at McNary Res. 23 Aug (BZ, JZ, MS). Two
Elegant Terns were at East Beach, Galveston 4-
18 (DSi, t) ph., m. ob.), providing only the 3rd
record for the state. Common Terns were
found in far above-normal numbers in the w.
Trans- Pecos, where a total of 9 was recorded 13
Sep-22 Oct (m. ob.). An Arctic Tern was care-
fully studied at L. Worth 18 Oct (f ph., MR).
There are currently only three documented
records for the state. A very large concentra-
tion of 183 Black Terns was at Fort Hancock,
Hudspeth 10 Aug (BZ), and smaller groups
were found in other locations in Hudspeth and
El Paso on the same day (JZ, MS).

DOVES THROUGH NIGHTHAWKS

Eurasian Collared-Dove populations along the
upper and central coasts continue to grow, as
indicated by a count of 80+ from Port
O’Connor, Calhoun 1 Oct (BFr). This species
was recorded for the first time in Armstrong
and Wheeler in the Panhandle. A White-
winged Dove was at Ryan L., Angelina 19 Aug
(DWo, et ak), providing only the 2nd county
record. A subad. Yellow-headed Parrot in
Brownsville, Cameron 21-22 Sep (JAr) could
conceivably have been a vagrant from the
native population found 240 km to the s. in
Tamaulipas, Mexico. Observers should be very
careful to distinguish young Yellow-headeds
from the similar young Yellow-crowned Parrot
(Amazona ochrocephala), an exotic species
recorded in Brownsville in Apr 2001 (CDB et
ak).

A Black-billed Cuckoo in Lubbock on 25
Aug (AF) was farther w. than expected. A
Flammulated Owl was discovered on an oil rig
off Brazoria 25 Oct (WB, ph.) providing the
4th U.T.C. record. More expected was one in
Luhbock 11 Oct (CMi) — in recent years it has
become clear that this is within the normal
migration path of this species. An Eastern
Screech-Owl was discovered perched in Baton’s
yard 26 Oct (ph.), a first El Paso record.
Spotted Owls are very rare and local residents
in the Davis and Guadalupe Mts. This fall, one
was present in a known roost site in the Davis

Mts. 7 Sep (GL et ak), and another was flushed
in Dead Bear Canyon, G.M.N.P. 9 Oct (JMi). A
lingering Lesser Nighthawk was seen near
Dryden, Terrell 22 Nov (CMe, JeR). This
species is a rare winter resident to the s. in the
w. South Texas Brush Country.

SWIFTS THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Chaetura swifts that were thought to be Vaux’s
were reported from Smith Pt. 4 Oct and L.
Worth 8 Oct. This species remains undocu-
mented in the state and obtaining such docu-
mentation will be a daunting task. There were
two documented records of Green-breasted
Mango this season. An imm or female was in
Pharr, Hidalgo 20 Jul-mid-Aug (G&PH, ph.),
and a male nearing ad. plumage was at
McAllen 4-18 Oct (t, ph., m. ob.). Two Broad-
billed Hummingbirds were in El Paso: a male
20 Oct-30 Nov+ (JKi, fJZ, MS) and a female 28
Oct-30 Nov+ (tBZ et ak). Other Broad-billeds
were found in McAllen from 3-18 Oct (f m.
ob.) and Houston 3-30 Nov+ (fMMa, JHi et
ak). A Violet-crowned Hummingbird graced
Zimmer’s yard 6-30 Nov+ (f ph., BZ et ak)
providing the 6th record for the state. A
remarkably late ad. male Magnificent
Hummingbird was seen during a snow storm
in the Davis Mts. 28 Nov (M&ME). Anna’s
Hummingbirds are rarely reported from the
High Plains, but 4 were found this season: one
in Bailey in mid- Aug, one in Lubbock 19 Aug
(AF), another there from 1-3 8c 15 Nov (RE),
and 2 in Amarillo 24 Oct-30 Nov+ (RSc, BPi et
ak, ph.). The Costa’s Hummingbird first
found on 10 |un near Fort Davis, Jejf Davis lin-
gered until 1 Sep (t ph. V&NR et ak). Calliope
Hummingbirds found e. of the normal migra-
tion route were in Clehurne, Johnson late Aug-
early Sep, Bastrop 15 Sep (BFr), High Island,
Galveston 24 Sep (BDi), Port O’Connor 7 Oct
(BFr), and Beaumont, Jefferson 5 Nov (JWh et
ak). Another Calliope lingered in Amarillo
until 22 Nov (RSc).

The Merritts found 2 wandering woodpeck-
ers in Midland, one from the e. and one from
the w. — a Red-headed 4 Sep and an Acorn 20
Sep. Bentsen and Moore were stunned by the
sight of an Acorn Woodpecker in McAllen 6-10
Nov. Williamson’s Sapsuckers were found in
two lowland locations in the w. Trans-Pecos:
one at El Paso 20 Sep and another in Pinto
Canyon, Presidio 2 Oct (RBe).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH NUTCRACKER

An Empidonax identified as a Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher was at Bear Creek Park, Harris 29
Nov (JHi, JRa). An Acadian Flycatcher at
McNary Res., Hudspeth 1 Oct (BZ) provided a
first county and a very rare w. Trans-Pecos

72

North American Birds

Texas

record. Gray and “Western” Flycatchers were
found much farther e. than is normally expect-
ed. Grays were at Possum Kingdom L, Young 5
Aug (KN, ph.) and on Padre I., Nueces 29 Aug
(MCo, ph.). The “Westerns” were at Weslaco,
Hidalgo 14-16 Sep (JAr, BMc) and West
Galveston I. 22-24 Nov (DP, DPe). An ad. Buff-
breasted Flycatcher in the Davis Mts. Preserve
was observed feeding what appeared to be a
fledgling Gray Flycatcher 19 & 26 Aug (KBr et
al.). The Buff-breasted was last seen 9 Sep (GL,
BFr, PHo, ph.). A Black Phoebe was unexpected
in Bailey 29 Aug (RSm). A Say’s Phoebe wan-
dered to the Pineywoods near Hallsville,
Harrison 28-30 Sep and 2-10 Nov (JPi, DR,
EdR, GLu). A Say’s Phoebe was present at this
location the previous winter. Vermilion
Flycatchers also made an appearance in East
Texas, with one at Alazan Bayou W.M.A.,
Nacogdoches 26 Aug (JF) and another at L. Sam
Rayburn, San Augustine 24 Oct (DWo, JF).
Another Vermilion at Muleshoe on 11 Aug
(AF) was more within the normal wanderings
of this species. In El Paso, this species is
remarkably scarce, but this fall there were three
different sightings 9 Aug- 1 Oct. An Ash-throat-
ed Flycatcher in Chappell Hill, Washington 3
Nov (DVo) provided a first county record.

Great Kiskadees wandered n. of their normal
range, with individuals reported at Stillhouse
Hollow Res., Bell 7- 10 Aug (GCr), Chappell HUl
on 18-29 Aug (RSt et al), and Castroville,
Medina mid-Oct-30 Nov-h {fide GSc). A pair of
Tropical Kingbirds successfully nested at
Midland 10 Aug- 15 Sep (RMS ph., audiotape,
FR). This is the first successful nesting in Texas
away from the Lower Rio Grande Valley or the
Big Bend region. Reid found two unexpected
species of kingbirds at L. Worth this season: a
Couch’s Kingbird 2 Sep (t ph.) provided the
first record for n.-cen. Texas and 2 Cassin’s 3
Sep. A Thick-billed Kingbird was pho-
tographed near Buffalo L. 19 Aug (f, ph., BR
RSc). This Panhandle record would have been
totally unexpected if not for the previous
record from Palo Duro Canyon on 30 Oct 1998.
Wandering Eastern Kingbirds made their way
to the Trans-Pecos this fall, with singles at Fort
Bliss 27-28 Aug (RR, BZ), Dugout Wells, Big
Bend 3 Sep (JHa), and Rio Grande Village 9 Sep
(LK et al). Some very large concentrations of
migrating Eastern Kingbirds were noted in the
e. third of the state. The most noteworthy
counts were at Nacogdoches, where a roost
flight of 1020 was counted 29 Aug (DWo, JF)
and 300-1- were at a different roost 30 Aug
(DWo). A Gray Kingbird was seen briefly at
Quintana, Brazoria 10 Oct (t RWe); if accepted,
this would represent the 4th state record.

Surprisingly, only one Northern Shrike was

reported from the Panhandle this fall, on the
early date of 29 Oct in Donley (KS). White-
eyed Vireos wandered w. to Palo Duro Canyon
14 Sep (KS) and Midland 23 Oct (D&JM). A
Bell’s Vireo 2 Sep (ERa, DVo) provided a first
county record for Burleson and a rare fall
record for the Central Brazos Valley. A
Plumbeous Vireo was studied at Rose Hill
Cemetery in Corpus Christi 25 Nov (RoB). A
Cassin’s Vireo in Bailey 16 Sep (AF) provided a
first county record and one of the few for the
South Plains. Early Blue-headed Vireos were
reported from Granger L., Williamson 29 Aug
(BFr) and Galveston 10 Sep (AMu). Another
early vireo was a Warbling near Yorktown,
Dewitt, on 26 Aug (DMu). Philadelphia Vireos
made rare appearances in the w. half of the
state this fall, with singles at McClellan, Gray 2
Oct (KS) and at El Paso 8 Oct (JPa, BZ). Red-
eyed Vireos also headed w. this fall, with indi-
viduals at Midland 7 Aug (RMS, FR), in
Hudspeth 3 Sep (RR), and Fort Bliss 24 Sep
(BZ). A well-described Yellow-green Vireo was
reported from Duval 22 Sep (JHai).

A very good find was a Steller’s Jay at
Amarillo, Potter 16 Nov (JPr). Blue Jays contin-
ued to be found in Edinburg, Hidalgo, where
the species has taken up residence in recent
years. More unusual was a small influx into far
w. Texas, where 2 were in El Paso 22 Sep-30
Nov-t (JK et al.) and one at another El Paso
location 17 Oct (BZ). The only montane
invaders this fall were small numbers Western
Scrub-Jays into El Paso at scattered locales, the
first spotted 14 Sep at Fort Bliss (BZ). Small
numbers of Pinyon Jays were found in the
Davis Mts. 26 Aug-24 Oct (m. ob.). The only
other report was a small group at Guadalupe
Mts. N.P. 9 Oct (RD). A Clark’s Nutcracker
was reported from Wild Rose Pass, Jeff Davis 6
Sep (tBPi), details to be reviewed by the
T.B.R.C.

SWALLOWS THROUGH WARBLERS

A large Purple Martin roost estimated to have
1 50,000 individuals was in Tyler, Smith 24 Aug
(JaS). Residents complained about the noise
and mess, and local officials used noise can-
nons to disperse the roost. Far w. of the normal
migration range, a Purple Martin near
McNary, Hudspeth 22 Sep (JPa) provided a 3rd
country record. Migrating Purple Martins
noted in Burleson on 6 Oct were late. A group
of 7 Violet-green Swallows was at Lubbock on
7 Sep (AF) constituted an unusually large
number for the High Plains. Cave Swallows
provided first county records for Tarrant at L.
Worth 28 Aug (MR) and Washington near
Chappell Hill 31 Aug- 11 Oct (DVo).

A very early Brown Creeper was at College

Station, Brazos 30 Sep (ERa). Carolina Wrens
continued along Terneros Cr. in Big Bend
Ranch S.P., Presidio through the fall. Golden-
crowned Kinglets appeared in greater-than-
normal numbers in late Oct and early Nov but
seemed to almost disappear by late Nov. A very
late Gray-cheeked Thrush was at Port Aransas
7 Nov (MCo); another at Sundown, Hockley 6
Oct (AF) was equally unexpected. A Varied
Thrush was well studied at Balmorhea S.P. 24-
27 Oct (t, ph., TJo, MAd). A Gray Catbird was
at Fort Bliss 6-9 Oct (JPa, BZ), providing an
unusual El Paso record. The Blue
Mockingbird reappeared at Weslaco after an
apparent lengthy absence (tJBu). Despite the
rarity of this species, details of its occurrence
are rarely submitted, perhaps because some
observers assume the bird to be an escapee.
Another early arrival was an American Pipit
near Bastrop in 24 Aug (BFr). For the 3rd con-
secutive fall season, Sprague’s Pipits were
located in Hudspeth near Fort Hancock 16
Oct-30 Nov-(- (BZ et al.).

The first Blue-winged Warblers were noted
at High I. and Sabine Woods 2 Aug (DVe). A
Golden-winged Warbler in Lubbock 29 Sep
(AF) provided one of the few South Plains
reports. Lawrence’s Warblers are rarely report-
ed in the fall, but this year 2 were at High 1. 24
Sep (WBu). A Tennessee Warbler in Lubbock
29 Sep (AF) was both far w. and late. Lucy’s
Warhlers are rarely found away from breeding
areas, even in the Trans-Pecos. This fall, one
was in El Paso 18 8c 25 Aug (RR, JPa), and
another was near McNary, Hudspeth 8 Sep (JZ,
MS). Northern Parulas made a strong appear-
ance in El Paso well w. of their normal haunts
this fall: singles on 8 8c 9 Oct and 20-30 Nov
(BZ, JPa), representing three individuals. The
Tropical Parulas at Davis Mts. S.P. from the
summer remained until 4 Sep. Chestnut-sided
and Magnolia Warblers were noted in the w.
Trans- Pecos this fall, with single Chestnut-sid-
eds in El Paso 17 8c 23 Oct (BZ et al.) and a
Magnolia at Big Bend Ranch 3 Oct (RBe).
Black-throated Blue Warblers in the w. half of
the state are always noteworthy. This fall, there
were singles in Lubbock 8 Sep (AF), Fort Bliss
1 Oct (BZ, JZ, MS), Big Bend 8 Oct (PK) and
20 Oct at Tornillo, Hudspeth (JPa, MS).
Following a summer report from Boot Springs,
a Golden-cheeked Warbler was reported from
Big Bend’s South Rim Trail 3 Aug (DJo). A
Townsend’s Warhler in Midland 27 Aug (FR)
made an interesting record. An imm. female
Hermit Warbler at Quintana 31 Aug (RWe et
al.) provided the U.T.C. with a first fall record.
With only two previous records, a
Blackburnian Warbler at Fort Bliss, El Paso 17
Oct (BZ) was a nice find. Grace’s Warblers are

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

73

very rarely seen during migration, but this sea-
son 3 were found in Hudspeth and El Paso 1 1 -
25 Aug (BZ, JPa, RR). Unexpected was a Pine
Warbler in Lubbock 23 Sep (AF). Another sur-
prise for El Paso observers was a Prairie
Warbler at Fort Bliss 23 & 26 Aug (JZ, MS), a
first county record. Another westward-wander-
ing Prairie Warbler was at Lubbock 12 Aug
(E&TM). Palm Warblers in El Paso 23 Sep (JSp)
and McNary 4-5 Oct (BZ et al.) provided rare
fall records. Blackpoll Warblers are very rare in
Texas during the fall. This season 2 were
reported, in Lubbock 10 Sep (RK) and
Quintana 1 Oct (CBr).

An American Redstart lingered until 17 Nov
in Austin (B&SB). Prothonotary Warblers were
found farther w. than usual, with singles at
McNary 16 & 31 Aug (BZ, ph.). There was also
a Prothonotary in Lubbock 3 Sep (AF). A
singing Swainson’s Warbler at Richland Creek
W.M.A., Freestone 9 Sep (PB, RG) was about a
month later than the previous late record.
Paton discovered a Louisiana Waterthrush at
Fort Bliss on 15-16 Sep, providing the first
record for El Paso since 1994. A Kentucky
Warbler in Amarillo, Randall 30 Sep (RSc) was
a nice find. A Connecticut Warbler was well
described from Lubbock 6-7 Oct (fAF); if
accepted by the T.B.R.C. it would represent the
8th record for the state. A Mourning Warbler
also made an appearance in Lubbock on 20 Oct
(AF). A Canada Warbler at Sabine Woods,
Jefferson 2 Aug (DVe) was extraordinarily early.
Two Canada Warblers were found in the Trans-
Pecos: at Fort Bliss 24 Sep (BZ) and in the
Sierra Vieja, Presidio 5 Sep (BFr, PHo et al.).
Rare Red-faced Warblers were at Big Bend 3
Aug (t DJo) and Canyon Lake, Comal 15 Sep,
far less expected (tBN, RSi). A migrant Painted
Redstart was at Fort Bliss 16 Sep (JPa), but
totally unexpected was one at Packery Channel,
Nueces 2 Oct (TSc, MCo, ph.). Amazing was a
concentration of 20-25 Yellow-breasted Chats
around Granger L. 29 Aug (BFr).

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

A female Scarlet Tanager in El Paso 8-9 Oct
(JPa et al., ph.) provided a first county record.
One of the great finds of the season was a male
Fiame-colored Tanager in the Davis Mts. 1-5
Oct (t ph., M&ME et al.), a 3rd state record. A
very early Chipping Sparrow was at Galveston
27 Aug (JSt). A Henslow’s Sparrow was in
Grimes 8 Nov (KK, DMa), providing a 2nd
county record. Longspurs in general were in
short supply across the state this season. A
Rose-breasted Grosbeak at High 1. 2 Aug (DVe)
was very early. Black-headed Grosbeaks are
almost annual on the coast in the fall; this year,
one was at Quintana 16 Oct (RWe). A Lazuli

Bunting wandered e. to Smith Pt. 7 Oct (WBu
et al.). A Varied Bunting at McNary Res. 16 Aug
(BZ) provided Hudspeth with its 2nd record.
An amazing concentration of 2000 Dickcissels
was near Granger L. 1 Sep (TFe). Two
Bobolinks were impressive fall finds in El Paso:
an ad. was at Fort Bliss 12 Sep (BZ, ph.), and an
imm. was at the same location 27 Sep (BZ et
al.). Another interesting Bobolink record was
provided by 2 in Bexar 25 Sep (fide GSc). Single
Rusty Blackbirds were well w. in Amarillo 18
Oct (EK) and El Pasol7 Nov (JZ, MC). Early
Brewer’s Blackbirds were found near Hallsville,
Harrison 30 Sep (GLu) and South Padre 1. 7 Oct
(JAr). A Bronzed Cowbird wandered n. to
Lubbock on 5-12 Aug (AF, RK). Two Purple
Finches at Kurth L., Angelina 30 Oct (GG) were
early. This species has been very scarce in Texas
in recent years. Four Red Crossbills appeared at
Lake Tawakoni, Van Zandt 1 Sep (MWh). One
Red Crossbill was at Fort Bliss 18 Oct (BZ, JZ,
MS) — a marked contrast to last fall, when the
species was widespread. A single imm. Evening
Grosbeak was found at L. Worth 21 Nov (MR).

Cited Observers (subregional editors in bold-
face): Mark Adams (MAd) (Trans-Pecos:
HC75, Box 1337-B, Ft. Davis, TX 79734-5016.
email: mta@astro.as.utexas.edu), John Arvin
(JAr), Peter Barnes, Robert Behrstock (RBe),
Chris D. Benesh, Robert Bensen (RoB), Steve
Bentsen, Billie & Sue Bernard, Wade Boyd, Erik
Breden, Charles Brower (CBr), Kelly Bryan
(KBr), John Buckman (JBu), Winnie Burkett
(WBu), Oscar Carmona, Eric Carpenter, Will
Carter, Scarlett Colley, Mel Cooksey (MCo)
(South Texas: 15825 Socorro Loop, Corpus
Christi, TX 78418. email: arliec@ciris.net). Bob
Creglow (BCr), Grant Critchfield (GCr), Jim
Grites (JCr), Rich Damron, Bonnie Deming
(BDe), Bob Diebold (BDi), Marc & Maryann
Eastman, Jesse Fagan, Tim Fennell (TFe), Mark
Flippo, Anthony Floyd, Brush Freeman (BFr),
Bert Frenz (East Texas: 221 Rainbow Dr., PMB
12190, Livingston, TX 77399-2021), Georgette
Guernsey, Ron Gutberlet, Jim Hailey (JHai),
James Hand (JHa), David Hedges (DHe), Gene
& Pauline Hill, Sue & Wally Hill, Jim Hinson
(JHi), Petra Hockey (PHo), Bob Honig, Janelle
Hutchinson (JHu), Denis James (DJa), Tom
Johnson (TJo), Daniel Jones (DJo), Laura Karr,
P. Kiep, John Kiseda (JKi), Karl Kosduch, Rich
Kostecke, Ed Kutac, Greg Lasley (GL), Mark
Lockwood, Guy Luneau (GLu), Damion Marx
(DMa), Mike Mathews (MMa), EOen & Toby
McBride, Jimmy McHaney (JMc), Bill
McKinney (BiM), Brad McKinney (BMc),
Chris Merkord (CMe), Don & Joann Merritt,
Jeff Miller (JMi), Carol Mitchell (CMi), Laura
Moore, Jeff Mundy, Alan Murphy (AMu),

Derek Muschalek (DMu), Ken Nanney, Bob
Norris, Jim Paton, Dick Peake (DP), Dwight
Peake (DPe), Barrett Pierce (BPi), Jason Pike
(JPi), Randy Pinkston, Joann Pruitt (JPr),
JoAnn Raine, Ross Rassmussen, Ellen Ratoosh
(ERa), Eddie Ray (EdR), Joel Reese (JRe),
Martin Reid, Jennifer Reidy (JeR), David
Ringer, Van & Nancy Robinson, Forrest
Rowland, Billy Sandifer, Tom Schall (TSc),
Georgina Schwartz (GSc), Marcy Scott,
Rosemary Scott (RSc), Jim 8c Phoebe Lou Sealy,
Willie Sekula (Central Texas: 7060 Co. Rd. 228,
Falls City, TX 781 13-2627. email: wsekula@the-
cia.net), Ken Seyffert (Northwest: 226 S.
Lipscomb, Amarillo, TX 79109), David Sibley
(DSi), Richard Sims (RSi), Alex Smith, Ronn
Smith (RSm), John Sproul (JSp), Jace
Stansbury (JaS), Jim Stevenson (JSt), Randall
Stockton (RSt), Rose Marie Stortz (RMS), Don
Verser (DVe), Darrell Vollert (DVo), Kenny
Walker, Ron Weeks (RWe) (UTC: 110 Indian
Warrior, Lake Jackson, TX 77566. email: igara-
pet@brazosport.cc.tx.us), Steve Welborn
(SWe), Kristin White (KWh), Matt White
(MWh) (N.C. Texas: 882 Hwy 50, Campell, TX
75422. email: mwhite@ssisd.net), Jan
Wobbenhorst (JWo), David Wolf (DWo),
Jimmy Zabriskie, and Barry Zimmer. ^

Assist in bird conservation,
research, and outreach in
the Neotropics by donating
your used but still function-
ing birding equipment to

Birders' Exchange,

American Birding Associa-
tion, 720 West Monument
St., PO Box 6599, Colorado
Springs, CO 80934-6599.

h ttp://americanbirding. org/
programs/consbex. htm

74

North American Birds

Texas — Idaho-Western Montana

Idaho-Western Montana

David Trochlell

1931 Tallwood Lane
Boise, Idaho 83706
(dtrochle@qwest.net)

The first two months of autumn 2001 were
unusually warm and dry; in fact, this August
was Idaho’s warmest and Montana’s 4th warmest
ever recorded. October’s cooler temperatures and
rains brought welcome relief, but November was
warmer than usual and somewhat dry, until a
series of snowstorms ushered in an early winter at
the end of the month.

As was the case last year, reservoir drawdowns in
early fall attracted large numbers of waders and
shorebirds, and migrants took advantage of the
habitat and lingered in the mild weather of
November. It was another spectacular season for
vagrants; no fewer than three state “firsts” were
recorded, and many other rarities were found as
well.

Abbreviations: A.F.R. (American Falls Res., by
American Falls, ID); Camas (Camas N.W.R.,
Jefferson, ID); I. B. 0. (Idaho Bird Observatory at
Lucky Peak, near Boise, ID); Market L. (Market
Lake W.M.A., Jefferson, ID).

LOONS THROUGH SHOREBIRDS

Rarest of loons were Idaho’s Red-throated Loon in
Canyon 2 Nov (MC) and a Yellow-billed Loon in
Bonner 15-30 Nov-t (EC). It was an excellent fall

for Pacific Loons, with 13 recorded. American
White Pelicans were unusually plentiful, with peak
counts of about 245 in Valley 8 Aug (RM) and 600
in Canyon 25 Aug (BC). Notable American White
Pelicans were in Nez Perce, ID 12-20 Oct (BJ) and
Madison, MX 16 Nov (JP). Unprecedented num-
bers of egrets wandered to the Region’s north. A
total of 8 Great Egrets and 6 Cattle Egrets visited
Idaho’s panhandle, and one Great Egret and 7
Cattle Egrets were reported in Lake, MX. Other
extralimital waders included single Black-crowned
Night-Herons near Helena, MX 11 Aug & 1 Sep
(MV) and Missoula, MX 21 Aug (CP) and a Green
Heron in Twin Falls, ID 15 Sep (L&JI).

As last year, an estimated 20,000 White-faced
Ibis staged at A.F.R. in Aug (MCr). Single Mute
Swans visited Idaho’s Fremont 16 Aug (CW) and
Canyon 19 Sep 8c 2 Oct (JH); they are increasingly
reported in the Gem State. Also notable were 2
locally rare Greater White-fronted Geese in
Flathead, MX 7 Oct (DC). A Snow Goose at A. F. R.
8 Aug (MCr) was surprisingly early. Five Eurasian
Wigeon were reported, up from last year. At least 3
Long-tailed Ducks visited both states, about aver-
age for fall. Scoters were unusually numerous.
Reports included Idaho’s 6th Black Scoter in Idaho
Falls, 22-30 Nov+ (RM, m. ob.), as well as 13 Surfs
and 15 White-wingeds.

Rare Red-shouldered Hawks visited Idaho at 1.
B. 0. 5 Oct (JC), Boise 26 Oct (MC), and Valley 3
Nov (CS). It was a spectacular fall for Broad-
winged Hawks, with totals of 30 at 1. B. O., one in

Jefferson, ID 19 Sep (CW), and a record 36 at
Montana’s Bridger Ridge Hawk Watch. Xhe only
Gyrfalcon reported was in Lemhi, ID 17 Nov (GK).
Overall numbers of American Golden-Plovers
were down from last year, but these included a
record flock of 13 in Valley, ID 13 Sep (BC). Rare
Stilt Sandpipers made an excellent showing in
Idaho; especially noteworthy was a record count of
23 at A.F.R. 7 Sep (CX). Five Short-billed
Dowitchers were reported in Idaho, more than
usual.

JAEGERS THROUGH THRASHERS

Xwo Parasitic Jaegers were at A.F.R. 30 Aug-24 Oct
(CX), and one visited Kootenai, ID 15-16 Oct (LS).
An ad. Little Gull that staged at A. F. R. 13-30 Nov-l-
(CX) provided Idaho’s 5th record. Xhe tally of rare-
but-annual gulls was impressive: reports included
4 Mew, 12 Xhayer’s, several Glaucous-winged x
Westerns, and 2 Glaucous-winged Gulls. A new
record count of 15 Sabine’s Gulls was tallied in
Idaho 13 Sep-20 Oct. As expected, Arctic Xerns
stopped near A.F.R. dam; one was present 2 Sep
(D&EF), while another there 29 Oct (MC) was late.

A surprising total of 6 Band-tailed Pigeons
strayed to Idaho 12 Aug-23 Sep. Eurasian
Collared-Doves continued to explore Idaho. At
least one remained in Power 20 Oct (CX), while
another 3 were discovered in Cassia 20 Oct-30
Nov+, and one was found in Cassia 17-30 Nov+
(RL). Especially rare in autumn was a Yellow-billed
Cuckoo in Canyon 1 1 Sep (MJ). Owl captures at 1.
B. O. turned up 17 Flammulated, 2 Northern
Pygmy-, one Long-eared, and 159 Northern Saw-
whet Owls 29 Aug-28 Oct, significantly more than
last year. Also noted at 1. B. O. were 3 migrating

This female Costa’s Hummingbird was first identified
at Donna Hosko’s home near Corvalis, Ravalli,
Montana on 25 October 2001 and was last seen there
on 20 November. This bird furnished a first record for
Montana and the Region. Photograph by Wayne Tree.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

75

A good capture at the Idaho Bird Observatory was this
first-fall female Bay-breasted Warbler, which provided
Idaho’s fourth record. It was banded by Jay Carlisle on
1 3 September 2001 . Photograph by Ryan Brady.

Black Swifts 10 Sep (FV), where they are now near-
ly annual.

Hummingbirds made news in both states. A
Black-chinned Hummingbird in Salmon, ID 16
Oct (HU) was unusually late. Anna’s
Hummingbirds seemed almost common, with a
record 6 reported. Best of all was a female Costa’s
Hummingbird discovered in Ravalli 25 Oct-20
Nov (DH, ph. WT, m. ob.), which provided a first
record for Montana and the Region. Idaho’s 5th
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was netted at I. B. 0. 29
Sep (IC). Captures at I. B. O. also included locally
rare Gray Flycatchers 8 & 28 Aug and several
Pacific-slope Flycatchers 11-14 Aug (JC). Another
Gray in Washington, ID 13 Sep (F&MZ) provided a
local first. Idaho’s 8th Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
was in Gooding} Sep (DK).

Only 4 Blue lays were reported in Idaho, appar-
ently the weakest flight in six years. Montana’s scat-
tered sightings included a downy juv. Blue Jay near
Helena 18 Aug (ND) that indicated rare, local
breeding. At least 6 Western Scrub-Jays wandered
to Gooding and Twin Falls, ID 15 Oct-30 Nov+
(KF), and pairs of Pinyon Jays visited I. B. 0.
throughout Sep (FV) and Ravalli, MX 10-14 Oct
( JMn). Record late was a Tree Swallow near Dillon,
MX 22 Nov (JR). Extralimital single Idaho
Bewick’s Wrens turned up in Boise 20 Aug (MC),
Lemhi 28 Sep (HU), and A. F. R. 5 Oct (GX).
Montana birders discovered Northern
Mockingbirds in Madison 20 Aug (DC) and near
West Yellowstone 16 Sep (KD, PM). Brown
Thrashers were found at Camas 29 Sep (MCr) and
in Challis, ID 17 Nov [fide D&EF).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

It was an outstanding season for rare warblers.
Both states reported 2 Tennessee Warblers 21 Aug-
20 Sep. Even better was Idaho’s 5th and first fall-

period Northern Parula at Camas 7 Sep (MCr).
Chestnut-sided Warblers had their best year ever,
with 7 reported 30 Aug-4 Oct. Another spectacular
find was a Cape May Warbler in Clark 15 Sep (BD,
GR) that provided Idaho’s 2nd record. Idaho’s 1 1th
Black-throated Blue Warbler was found at Camas 7
Sep (MCr). The best capture of the fall at I. B. 0.
was Idaho’s first Blackburnian Warbler 2 Sep (ph.
RB, JC). Another good one at I. B. O. was Idaho’s
4th Bay-breasted Warbler 13 Sep (ph. RB, JC). The
only Black-and-white Warbler reported was at
Camas 15-18 Aug (DCl). Boise hosted the only
Palm Warbler 15 Sep (MC). A good total of 4
Blackpoll Warblers was seen in Idaho 28 Aug-23
Sep, where they are now expected in fall.

A male Scarlet Xanager discovered at Market L.
21-22 Aug (tDCl, MCr) furnished Idaho’s first
record. Amazingly, another one was discovered
near Hailey, ID 2-5 Oct (ph. PWP, m. ob.).
Especially rare in fall were single Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks in Idaho’s Gem 3-5 Sep (E8(MZ),
Pocatello 28 Sep-4 Oct (MCr), and Blaine 5-9 Oct
(PWP, m. ob.). The Gem State’s lineup of best spar-
rows included a “Ximberline” Brewer’s Sparrow
captured at I. B. 0. 8 Sep (ph. JC), Grasshopper
Sparrows in Kootenai 16 Sep (SL), and single Red
Fox Sparrows in Boise 20-21 Oct (RLR, fDX) and
Gem 5-6 Nov (fF&MZ). About 25 White-throated
Sparrows, 6 Golden-crowned Sparrows, and 10
Harris’s Sparrows were reported, fairly typical
numbers. Rare anywhere in the Region were Rusty

Blackbirds in Montana’s Flathead 21 Nov (BR) and
Ravalli 25-30 Nov+ (CP). Idaho Great-tailed
Crackles explored new territory. A pair was found
in Bingham 21 Oct (D&EF), and 4 were in Owyhee
4 Nov (SP). A record flock of up to 50 Common
Crackles staged in Challis, ID 2-21 Sep (D&EF),
and at least 3 were in Flathead, MX 21 Nov (BR).
Common Redpolls were widespread and increas-
ingly reported by late Nov, presaging a major
irruption. A wayward Lesser Goldfinch in Blaine,
ID 24 Nov (BS) furnished a local first.

Contributors (subregional editors in boldface):
IDAHO: Ryan Brady, Jay Carlisle, Earl Chapin,
Darren Clark (DCl), Marty Collar (MCr), Mark
Collie (MC), Brian Cooper, Bob Davis, Kas
Dumroese, Dave & Elise Faike, Kent Fothergill,
Greg Kalteneker, Lisa Hardy, Jim Holcomb, Lorna
& James Irwin, Bryan Jamison, Marlin Jones,
Dwight Knapik, Merlene Koliner, Steve Lindsay,
Ron Lynch, Russ Manwaring, Stacy Peterson, Greg
Rice, Hadley Roberts, R.L. Rowland, Lynn
Sheridan, Brian Sturges, Shirley Sturts, Colleen
Sweeney, David Xrochlell, Chuck Xrost, Helen
Ulmschneider, Fred Vanhove, Cliff Weisse, Poo
Wright-Pulliam, Fred and Melly Zeillemaker.
MONTANA: Dan Casey (DC), Norma Dixon,
Katie Duffy, Donna Hosco, Jeff Marks (JM), Judy
Mason (JMn), Patrick Methany, John Parker (JP),
Caleb Putnam, Jim Rogers, Bob Rost, Don Skaar,
Mike Vashro.

Mountain West

Van A. Truan

1 901 Court Street

Durango

.Gunnison

Lamar

f, Two Buttes Res.
f “f Monte Vista Baca

Valley County

Pueblo, Colorado 81003
(vtruan@msn.com)

Brandon K. Percival

835 Harmony Drive

Pueblo West, Colorado 81007

(flammowl@juno.com)

Temperatures in the Region were above aver-
age this fall, and much of the Region con-
tinued to remain drier than normal. Strong
cold fronts, which typically push migrants into
the southern part of the Region, were scarce
this fall and affected mostly the northern parts

76

North American Birds

Idaho-Western Montana — Mountain West

of the Region. In eastern Colorado, the
“Indian Summer” lasted into late November.
In a good but not remarkable autumn, shore-
birds were scarce, scoters scattered, but war-
blers widespread, from both East and West,
with no fewer than 36 species reported. All
locations mentioned below are in Colorado
unless otherwise indicated.

Abbreviations: C.C.R. (Cherry Creek

Reservoir, Arapahoe, CO), C.V.C.G (Crow
Valley Campground, Weld, CO), E.K.W.
(Edness K. Wilknis State Park, Natrona, WY),
J.M.R. (John Martin Reservoir, Bent, CO), L.A.
(Little America, near Cheyenne, WY), S.M.R.
(Spinney Mountain Reservoir, Park, CO),
S.W.A. (State Wildlife Area), W.H.R.
(Wyoming Hereford Ranch, near Cheyenne,
WY).

LOONS THROUGH DUCKS

Single Red-throated Loons were at J.M.R. 27
Oct (DN), Standley L., Jefferson 28-29 Oct
(BPG,RO) & 9-10 Nov (LS), C.C.R. 12 (BB) &
18 Nov (AS), and Pueblo Res., Pueblo 19 Nov
(CLW, BKP, JLD et al.). The summering Pacific
Loon in Ft. Collins, Larimer stayed until 23
Aug (NK). Two Pacific Loons were noted in
Wyoming, singles at Hawk Springs Res. 12 Nov
(DF, CLW) and Soda L. in Casper, Natrona 15
Nov (CEM). A total of 34 Common Loons was
reported in Park 28 Oct (AS, NP). Sixty
Horned Grebes were at Grayrocks Res., WY 12
Nov (DF, CLW). Ten Red-necked Grebes, an
amazing number, were in Colorado 25 Oct-27
Nov, including up to 4 at Pueblo Res. 25 Oct-
27 Nov (BKP, m. ob.) and one at Elevenmile
Res., Park 28 Oct-3 Nov (AS, NP, m.o b.). Red-
necked Grebes in Wyoming included singles at
Healy Res., Johnson 22 Oct (CEM, BSo) and
Grayrocks Res. 12 Nov (DF, CLW). There were
3183 Western Grebes at Standley L. 25 Oct
(LS); another high count of 600-f- came from
the mountains at Elevenmile Res. 28 Oct (TL).
Late for Wyoming, an American White Pelican
was at Glendo Res. 12 Nov (DF, CLW), while
23 Double-crested Cormorants were at
Grayrocks Res. 12 Nov (DF, CLW).

Late single Great Egrets were at Connected
Lakes S.P., Mesa 2 Nov (LA, BPG et al.) and in
n. Larimer 10 Nov (RH). The white-morph
subad. Reddish Egret stayed at Neenoshe Res.,
Kiowa until 19 Aug (DN, m. ob.). A juv.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was at Lower
Latham Res., Weld 10-23 Aug (NG, TL et al.),
and 2 juvs. were e. of Hasty, Bent 15 Sep (DN).

An ad. Black Brant was at Woods L., Weld
30 Nov-I- (DF). A male Eurasian Wigeon was
at S.M.R. 4 Nov (AS, NK, JK), and another
male was at Soda L., WY 8 Nov (BR).

On the evening of 17 Sep, a severe
thunderstorm moved across
Holbrook Res., Otero, CO. The storm last-
ed only a few minutes, but according to a
NOAA report, hailstones approximately 5-
7 cm in diameter fell over the reservoir.
The storm killed more than 1500
American White Pelicans and smaller
numbers of Double-crested Cormorants,
ducks, shorebirds, and other birds. The
Colorado Division of Wildlife spent two
days removing the corpses. Injured birds
remained on the lake until freeze-up, when
they perished on the ice or starved. It
appears that the birds were hit while sleep-
ing or resting and had no chance to escape.

Colorado had high numbers of scoters this
season: 28 Surf (26 Oct-22 Nov), 16 White-
winged (27 Oct-30 Nov), and 8 Black (27 Oct-
30 Nov). Most of the scoters were found at
S.M.R., with 1 1 Surf and 8 White-winged there
28 Oct-1 1 Nov (AS, NP, m. ob.). Black Scoters
in the mountain areas included singles at Blue
Mesa Res., Gunnison 12 Nov (BPG, TL, NG)
and Clear Creek Res., Chaffee 15 Nov (NE). In
Wyoming, 2 Surfs were at Twin Buttes Res.,
Johnson 21-24 Oct (DP, DMc) and 2 at Soda L.
25 Oct (CEM), while a White-winged was at
Buffalo W.T.P., Johnson 22 Oct (CEM, BSo).

HAWKS THROUGH GULLS

Eleven Broad-winged Hawks kettled over
C.V.C.G. and sailed to the s. 19 Sep (DAL,
DCE). American Golden-Plovers were report-
ed in larger numbers than normal, with up to
18 at Jackson Res., Morgan 25 Sep-22 Oct (NK,
m. ob.) and 2 at J.M.R. 11-14 Oct (DN). Single
were at Chatfield Res. 8 Sep (JK, AS), Rocky
Ford S.T.P., Otero 3 Oct (SO), Pueblo Res. 4
Oct (BKP), and Upper Queens Res., Kiowa 11
Oct (DN). Piping Plover sightings included
singles at Chatfield Res. 9-11 Aug (JBH, m. ob.)
and 9 Sep (GW, BB, LAB). A late Wyoming
Greater Yellowlegs was at E.K.W. 24 Oct (DF).
A Whimbrel was at Jackson Res. 11 Aug (FL).
Rare in fall, a Hudsonian Godwit was at Soda
L., WY 30 Aug (CEM). The only Ruddy
Turnstone reported was one at Jackson Res. 30
Sep (DFO). Single Red Knots were at Soda L.
9 Sep (CEM), L. Holbrook, Otero 16 Sep (BKP,
MJ), and Jackson Res. 20 Oct (BB, LAB). A juv.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper was at Bump
Sullivan Res., WY 25 Aug (SJD), and another
was at Prewitt Res., Washington 21 Sep (DAL).
Colorado had 4 Short-billed Dowitchers this
fall (10 Aug-30 Sep); also, a juv. was at Bump
Sullivan Res. 25 Aug (SJD) and one at Soda L.

This Long-tailed Jaeger, Colorado’s seventh, was
at Standley Lake, Jefferson County, well
photographed on 23 August 2001 . Photograph by
Larry Semo.

20 Sep (CEM). Single Red Phalaropes were at
Jackson Res. 23-24 Sep (TL, m. ob.) & 14-19
Oct (BPG, m. ob.) and at Soda L. 20 Sep
(CEM) & 16 Oct (CEM, BSo, JG).

A subad. light-morph Pomarine Jaeger
was observed at Windsor Res., Weld 31 Oct-5
Nov (NK, m. ob.), and a third-year light-
morph Long-tailed Jaeger — Colorado’s 7th —
impressed observers at Standley L. 25-27 Aug
(LS, m. ob.). Single Laughing Gulls were at
four locations in Colorado: an ad. at Jackson
Res. 3 Aug (CLW), a juv. at Big Johnson Res., El
Paso 3 Sep (BGo, JWe, AV, BMy), a basic-
plumaged ad. at Prewitt Res. 9 Sep (AS, NP),
and a first-basic bird along the S. Platte R.,
Adams 30 Nov (HEK, UCK et al.). Wyoming’s
first Little Gull, in first-basic plumage, was at
Green River S.T.P., Sweetwater 22-23 Nov
(R8cJS, m. ob.). In Colorado, Mew Gulls
appeared at four locations: single juv./first-
basic birds were at Pueblo Res. 19-22 Nov
(CLW, BKP, JLD et al.) and Warren Res.,
Larimer 30 Nov (NK), while single basic-
plumaged ads. were at Union Res., Weld 20-23
Nov (NK, RV, m. ob.) and Chatfield Res. 23
Nov (GW, AS). Nine Lesser Black-backed
Gulls were reported from Colorado 6 Oct-30
Nov. Reports of Great Black-backed Gulls
included an ad. at Upper Queens Res. 1 1 Oct
(DN) and a first-basic bird at Lower Queens
Res. 24 Nov (BKP, AS, LM). Five Sabine’s Gulls
were found in Wyoming: singles at Cheyenne 2
(SJD) 8( 7 Sep (SJD), L. Hattie Res. 7 Sep (SJD),
Goldeneye Res., Natrona 9 Sep (BR), and Soda
L. 22 Sep (CEM, J8cGL). A basic-plumaged ad.
Black-legged Kittiwake was at Chatfield Res. 23
Nov (GW, AS).

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

77

This adult Great Black-backed Gull has been
showing up every winter since 1993 at Pueblo
Reservoir, Pueblo County, Colorado. It was
photographed on 15 December 2001.

Photograph by Larry Semo.

DOVES THROUGH THRUSHES

A Band-tailed Pigeon was quite e. of normal at
Two Buttes Res., Baca 3 Sep (MJ). Single
White-winged Doves were in Pueblo 21 Aug
(JS), at Blende, Pueblo 16 Oct-30 Nov+ (RM),
and near Rye, Pueblo 4-30 Nov-l- (NH, SC,
DSi). Single Black-billed Cuckoos were found
at Tamarack Ranch, Logan 12 Aug (FL), Rocky
Ford S.W.A., Otero 22 Aug (SO), and at
Chatfield Res. 9 (RK) & 20 Sep (DD, AS). A
female Magnificent Hummingbird was
reported at Fruitgrowers Res., Delta 2 Aug
(JBy), while a female Blue-throated
Hummingbird was noted in Coal Creek
Canyon, Jefferson 28 Sep (PH).

An imm. Red-headed Woodpecker was at
3000 m near Ward, Boulder 24 Sep (AS). Five
Williamson’s Sapsuckers (10 Sep- 15 Nov), 6
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and 20 Red-naped
Sapsuckers (11 Sep-26 Oct) were found in e.
Colorado. In w. Colorado, an ad. male Yellow-
bellied Sapsucker was in La Plata 1 Oct (JBy).
High counts of Three-toed Woodpeckers
included 7 in the Routt N.F., Jackson 8 Sep
(SJD) and 7 at Pine Valley Ranch, Jefferson 18
Nov (BSc). An Eastern Wood-Pewee was at
Two Buttes Res. 3 Sep (MJ). Single Willow
Flycatchers were at Bump Sullivan Res. 25 Aug
(SJD) and at W.H.R. 2 Sep (SJD), both in
Wyoming. A male Vermilion Flycatchers was
n. of Navajo Res., Archuleta 12 Aug (AS).

White-eyed Vireo reports included singles
from El Paso 22 Sep (DE) and Boulder 1 Nov
(JKl), whereas single Blue-headed Vireos were
seen at Prewitt Res., Washington 9 Sep (AS),
Pueblo 15 Sep (BKP, MJ), Las Animas, Bent 16

Sep (DN), and Ft. Lyon, Bent 21 Oct (MJ,
BKP). In Colorado, 7 Philadelphia Vireos were
noted between 2 Sep and 5 Oct. Twenty-one
Steller’s Jays, a high count, wandered e. to Bent
21 Oct (VAT, MJ, DN, BKP). A Juniper
Titmouse provided a first Larimer record 3
Nov (DSt, CSi). Single Carolina Wrens were at
Laporte, Larimer 23 Aug (SJD) and Colorado
City, Pueblo 30 Oct-30 Nov-l- (DSi, m. ob.). A
Winter Wren was in Story, Sheridan, WY 20
Oct (LW). Two Eastern Bluebirds were at
E.K.W. 22 Aug (CEM). In Colorado, a Wood
Thrush was in Ft. Collins 13 Oct (ph. DAL),
and a female Varied Thrush was at C.V.C.G.
16-23 Oct (HEK, ph. DAL, m. ob.).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Colorado had reports of 36 species of warblers
this season. Single Blue-winged Warblers were
in Mesa 24 Aug (GG) and Adams 2 Sep (CLW);
a rarer female Golden-winged Warbler was in
Adams 31 Aug-3 Sep (TL, m. ob.). Six
Tennessee Warblers were found in Golorado,
including one in Mesa 2 Sep (LA) and a late
one in Boidder 1-4 Nov (BK, m. ob.). Late
Nashville Warblers were in Boulder 31 Oct-1
Nov (MB, PH, m. ob.) and Pueblo 11 Nov
(BKP). Eleven Northern Parulas were seen,
with a late one in El Paso 15 Nov (KP, JHu).
Also late was a Yellow Warbler was in Larimer
11 Nov (DAL).

A Chestnut-sided Warbler 14 Sep and
Magnolia Warbler 17 Sep were in Mesa (GG).
Ten Black-throated Blue Warblers were report-
ed, including a male in Alamosa 14-15 Oct
( J8cLR). Single Blackburnian Warblers were in
Washington 9 Sep (NP, AS) and Pueblo 18-21
Sep (BKP, m. ob.). A Grace’s Warbler was at
Chatfield Res. 23 Aug (AS). Single Pine
Warblers were in Weld 23 Aug (CLW) and
Prowers 3 (MJ) & 22 Sep (AS). Single Prairie
Warblers were found in Routt 4 Aug (RH),
Mesa 10 & 16 Aug (LA), Weld 1-2 Sep (JH,
JMm, BB, LAB), and Park 6 Nov (RV). Also,
single Bay-breasted Warblers were in Colorado
City, Pueblo 7-9 Sep (DSi, DJ, BKP) and Pueblo
19 Sep (BKP, DSi, SMo). A Blackpoll Warbler
was banded in the mountains in Teller 5 Oct
(JHo); other singles were in the San Luis Valley
in Alamosa 13-16 Oct (J8cLR) and at W.H.R. 29
Sep (JBF, CLW). Three Black-and-white
Warblers were at E.K.W. 27 Aug (CEM). Single
Prothonotary Warblers were in Otero 17 Sep
(SO), Washington 22 Sep (LK), La Plata 3 Oct
(JBy), and Teller 17 Oct (banded; JHo, DA).
Worm-eating Warblers were in Washington 9
Sep (AS) and in Alamosa 14-16 Oct (J8(LR). A
Connecticut Warbler was reported from
Prewitt Res., Washington 1 Sep (JK, DSc, AS),
and an imm. Mourning Warbler was banded at

Barr L., Adams 25 Sep ( JBn, TL, m. ob.). Single
Hooded Warblers were in Adams 31 Aug j
(CLW) and Bent 3 Sep (MJ), and single |
Canada Warblers were at Barr L. 28 Aug-3 Sep !
(CLW, m. ob.) and at C.V.C.G., 31 Aug-1 Sep '
(DAL, m. ob.). i

Five Scarlet Tanagers were reported in e.
Colorado between 7 Sep and 9 Oct. Rufous-
crowned Sparrows may be expanding north-
ward; this season, 2 were found at Pueblo Res.
S.W.A., Pueblo 24 Sep-30 Nov-l- (RM, m. ob.).
Single Field Sparrows were in Prowers 20 Oct
(DAL) and Boulder 5-9 Nov (MB, m. ob.). At
John Martin Res. wetlands (Bent), a Le Conte’s
Sparrow was seen 11-21 Oct (DN, m. ob.). Fox
Sparrows of the Rocky Mt. race were in
Fremont 12 Oct (J8cRW) and Otero 21 Oct
(VAT, BKP, MJ). Also, single Red Fox Sparrows
were sw. of Casper, WY 5-9 Nov ( J&GL, CEM),
at Chatfield Res. 14 Oct (AS), at Barr L. 22 Oct
(BPG), and at Boulder 6 Nov (BK). Western-
slope sparrows included a Swamp Sparrow in
Ouray 14 Oct (TL), 5-6 White-throated
Sparrows in Montrose 16 Oct- 14 Nov (CD,
BW), and single Harris’s Sparrows in Montrose
1 Nov (CD, BW) and Mesa 19 Nov (LA, m.
ob.). In Wyoming, 2 White-throated Sparrows
were at W.H.R. 6 Oct (JBF, ASL) and at
Rawhide W.M.A. 12 Nov (DF, CLW). Golden-
crowned Sparrows were at Chatfield Res. 16
Sep (HEK) and at Lamar, Prowers 18 Nov j
(CLW). Rose-breasted Grosbeaks included
western-slope birds in Moffat 3 Sep (FL) and
one in Garfield 3-4 Oct (DC), while singles in
Wyoming were at E.K.W. 24 Aug (CEM) and
W.H.R. 6 Oct (JBF, ASL). Baltimore Orioles
were in Kiowa 19 Aug (BKP, MJ) and Pueblo 4
Sep (BKP). A pair of Purple Finches was at
Lamar, Prowers 18-28 Nov (CLW, BKP, MJ, m. ^ |
ob.), and a female-plumaged bird stayed at
Naturita, Montrose 15-30 Nov-t- (CD, BW). On
the plains were 12 Cassin’s Finches in Littleton
23-26 Aug & 1 Sep (TJ) and a female in Las ,
Animas, Bent 22 Oct (DN). Twenty-five
White-winged Crossbills were in R.M.N.P.,
Larimer 17 Nov (CLW, SLH). Common l|
Redpolls pushed s. to Pueblo 15-21 Nov (KH, ij
BKP) and Colorado Springs 24 Nov (K&DS).

Observers: Mymm Ackley, Doug Allen, Larry
Arnold, Jason Beason (JBn), Jim Beatty (JBy), I
Maggie Boswell, Leon Bright, Bob Brown, Lea
Ann Brown (LAB), Tamie Bulow, Richard
Bunn, David Clark, Andy Cowell, Susan Craig, *
Dan Derbyshire, Coen Dexter, Stephen J.
Dinsmore (SJD), Sharon Dooley (SD), David
Elwonger (DE), David C. Ely (DCE), Norma
Erickson (NEn), Norm Erthal (NEr), Doug |
Faulkner, Joe Fontaine, Brian P. Gibbons |
(BPG), Glenn Giroir, Nancy Gobris, Bob !

78

North American Birds

Mountain West

Goycoolea (BGo), BB Hahn, Paula Hansley,
Stephanie L. Hanson, J.B. Hayes (JBH), Leon
Hicks, Tyler Hicks, Dona Hilkey, Joe Himmel
(JH), James Hollingsworth (JHo), Rachel
Hopper, Jane Hunter (JHu), Mark Janos, Dave
Johnson, Tina Jones, Bill Kaempfer, Joey
Kellner, Loch Kilpatrick, Hugh Kingery, Joan
Kleypas (JKl), Ray Korpi, Nick Komar, Tony
Leukering (TL), David A. Leatherman, Andrea

Great

Ted Floyd

Great Basin Bird Observatory
One East First Street, Suite 500
Reno, Nevada 89501
(tedfloyd57@hotmail.com)

The fall season is typically the most exciting
in the Great Basin, and so it was this year: a
good scattering of sea ducks started to show up
on area lakes and reservoirs by the end of the
reporting period; shorebirds again made a
good showing in northern Utah; and the
vagrant traps hosted the usual assortment of
rare passerines. Few observers were willing to
generalize about the weather or to speculate
about its possible relation to avian distribution
and abundance this fall. Some of the most
notable species that were reported included
Red-throated Loon, Mississippi Kite, American
Golden-Plover, Ruff, Arctic Tern, Nuttall’s
Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed

S. Lueders, Forrest Luke, Joe Mammoser
(JMm), Bill Maynard, Jack Merchant Jme),
Rich Miller, Larry Modesitt, SeEtta Moss,
Duane Nelson, Kent Nickell, Stan Oswald, Ken
Pals, Brandon K. Percival, Nathan Pipelow,
John Prather, John & Lisa Rawinski (J&LR),
Joe Roller (JR), Gene Rutherford, Ira Sanders,
Pearle Sandstrom-Smith, Bill Schmoker (BSc),
Karleen Schofield, Dick Schottler (DSc), Larry

Basin

Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Prairie Warbler,
Worm-eating Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and
Common Redpoll.

Abbreviations: A.I.C. (Antelope Island
Causeway, Davis, UT); A.M.N.W.R. (Ash
Meadows N.W.R., Nye, NV); B.R. (Bodyfelt
Ranch, Nye, NV); C.L. (Carson L., Churchill,
NV); C.C. (Corn Cr., Clark, NV); D.C. (Devil’s
Canyon, San Juan, UT); F.S.N.W.R. (Fish
Springs N.W.R., Juab, UT); G.R. (Garr Ranch,
Davis, UT); G.L. (Glover Lane, Davis, UT);
G.M.H.W. (Goshute Mountains Hawk Watch,
Elko, NV); H.B.V.P. (Henderson Bird Viewing
Preserve, Clark, NV); H.R. (Hyrum Reservoir,
Cache, UT); L.S. (Lake Shore, Utah, UT); M.R.
(Mantua Reservoir, Box Elder, UT); M.R.S.
(Miller’s Rest Stop, Esmeralda, NV); P.N.W.R.
(Pahranagat N.W.R., Lincoln, NV); P.L.
(Pyramid L., Washoe, NV); Q.C.R. (Quail

Semo, Jack Short, David Silverman (DSi),
Carol Simmons (CSi), Clif Smith (CSm), Drew
Smith (DSm), Andrew Spencer, Bob Spencer
(BSp), Dave Steingraeber (DSt), Kathy & Don
Stevens, Van A. Truan, Randy Vernon, Glenn
Walbek, David Waltman, Jim & Rosie Watts
(J&RW), Jeff Webster (JW), Loy Wheeler,
Christopher L. Wood, Brenda Wright, Mark
Yaeger, Eric Zorawowicz. fj

Creek Reservoir, Washington, UT); S.L. (Soda
L., Churchill, NV); S.N.W.R. (Stillwater N.W.R.,
Churchill, NV); W.R (Washington Fields,
Washington, UT).

LOONS THROUGH FALCONS

Single Red-throated Loons were found at
Q.C.R. 22 Nov (RF) and at Minersville Res.,
Beaver, UT 27 Nov-1 Dec (DS et ah). There are
only two previous Utah records, and both of
them are more than 20 years old. Pacific Loons
numbered one to 2 at three Utah locales 20
Oct-30 Nov (v. o.), but the only Nevada report
was of 2 at P.L. 20 Oct (TF et al.). Horned
Grebes numbered up to 4 at four Utah locales
22 Sep-27 Nov (v. o.); in Nevada, the species
was noted at Alamo, Lincoln 6 Oct (M&JCr)
and at P.L. as early as 26 Aug (DSe). A Red-
necked Grebe at P.L. 3 Nov (FP) was the only
one reported.

An American Bittern was found at W.F. 27
Sep (RF, KW), and a good count of 5 came
from S.N.W.R. 25 Oct (BH). A Least Bittern at
A.M.N.W.R. 5 Aug (JC) was the only report.
Green Heron reports came from four locations
in Nevada and from three in Utah (v. o.). Cattle
Egrets made a better-than-usual showing in
Nevada, with reports from five locations led by
24 at Moapa, Clark 30 Sep (MC, JCr).

Small flocks of Tundra Swans were noted at
three Nevada locales 11-19 Nov (v. o.), and
more than 200 were seen at Salt Creek W.M.A.,
Box Elder, UT 10 Nov (JM). Three Trumpeter
Swans at H.R. 12-22 Nov (JLf et al.) were the
only ones reported. Greater White-fronted
Geese numbered 2-7 at three Nevada locales 26
Aug- 18 Nov (v. o.), while the only Utah report
was of a single bird at Jordan R. Parkway, Salt
Lake 3 Oct (fide MMo). Snow Goose maximum
was 3000 at C.L. 21 Nov (JW); 3 “Blue” Geese
also were on hand at C.L. on that date (JW).
Ross’s Geese were found at four Nevada locales
11-30 Nov (v. o.).

Wood Ducks at nine Nevada locations were
led by a count of 6 at Oxbow Park, Washoe 4

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

79

Any golden-plover In the Great Basin is notable. This bird, first located at Fish Springs N.W.R., Juab
County, Utah 21 October 2001 (and photographed there on the final day of its stay, the 28th), was deter-
mined after some discussion to be a juvenile American Golden-Plover. Photograph by Terry Sadler.

Nov (AW); Utah reports included 2 at Draper,
Salt Lake 15 Nov (SA) and a good 24 at La
Verkin Cr., Washington 23 Nov (SS et al.). A
Blue-winged Teal at B.R. 20 Oct (DT) was the
only report. A Eurasian Wigeon was a nice find
at F.S.N.W.R. 31 Oct (JG). A Greater Scaup was
at P.L. 20 Oct- 13 Nov (v. o.), and 3 were at S.L.
21 Nov (JW). A Long-tailed Duck put in an
appearance at A.I.C. 3 Nov (TJ). Scoters went
unreported in Nevada, but they made a nice
showing in Utah: 2 Black Scoters were at M.R.
27 Oct (LW), and one was at H.R. 3-1 1 Nov (v.
o.); single Surf Scoters were found at an
impressive five locales 20 Oct- 17 Nov (v. o.);
and White-winged Scoter reports included a
single bird at M.R. 27 Oct (LW) and up to 3 at
H.R. 3-29 Nov (v. o.).

An early (or oversummering?) Common
Goldeneye was atH.B.V.R 19-21 Sep (v. o.), and
2 Barrow’s Goldeneyes at Logan 10 Nov (CG et
al.) was the sole report for that species. A
Bufflehead was at A.M.N.W.R. on the unusual
date of 5 Aug (JC). One Hooded Merganser at
A.M.N.W.R. 9 Nov (SG) and 2 at S.L. 10 Nov
(TF et al.) were the only Nevada reports; there
were records at three Utah locales, including 15
at Q.C.R. 27 Nov (DS, BS). Red-breasted
Merganser reports included one at P.N.W.R.
12-18 Nov (RF et al.), one at H.R. 10 Nov (CG
et al.), and 3 at M.R. 3 Nov (JB, KB).

A Mississippi Kite at Henderson, Clark 5
Aug (ph., tM&JCr) was one of just a handful of
Nevada records. Bald Eagles were noted at four
Utah locales (v. o.), and a mere 6 passed by the
G.M.H.W. during the fall season {fide HG).
Red-shouldered Hawks were reported from an
impressive 14 locations in Nevada, but the only

Utah records were of single birds at Callao, Juab
21-22 Aug (RF) and at W.F. 12 Oct (RF, KW).
Broad-winged Hawk is hardly the sort of bird
that Regional birders think of as commonplace,
and most observers would count themselves
lucky to see one anywhere in the Great Basin.
Yet they are of regular occurrence at the

G. M.H.W., with a staggering 79 being counted
this fall {fide HG).

Two Zone-tailed Hawks were at P.N.W.R. 16
Sep- 11 Nov (JC), and one was at Pine Park,
Washington, UT 13 Aug (RF, KCo). A Rough-
legged Hawk at S.N.W.R. 15 Oct (BH) was early.
Merlins at three Nevada locales were led by 46 at
the G.M.H.W. {fide HG); single birds were
found at seven places in Utah (v. o.). Peregrine
Falcons numbered 29 at the G.M.H.W. {fide
HG), and singles were noted at three other
Nevada locations (v. o.); reports of one to 2 birds
came from four Utah locales (v. o.).

GROUSE THROUGH TERNS

The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is associated in
most people’s minds with Colorado, but the
species does range into our Region; there was a
report of 3 from near Monticello, San Juan, UT
23 Nov (TB). Two Common Moorhens at

H. B.V.P. 19 Sep (TF et al.) were the only ones
reported. Migrant Sandhill Cranes numbered
up to 5 at four Nevada locations 9 Sep- 10 Nov
(v. o.).

Black-bellied Plovers were scarce, with
reports of 2 at Saltair, Salt Lake, UT 19 Sep (AN
et al.), 15 at A.I.C. 27 Aug (LL), and single birds
at three Nevada locations 21 Aug-30 Sep (v. o.).
A juv. American Golden-Plover was at
F.S.N.W.R. 21-28 Oct (fMSt et ah, ph. TS).

Rather tardy were a Snowy Plover at A.I.C. 16
Nov (JLf) and 2 Semipalmated Plovers at P.L. 4
Nov (MM).

Solitary Sandpipers were found at three
Nevada locales 5 Aug- 16 Sep (v. o.) and at four
places in Utah 1 Aug-7 Sep (v. o.). A Ruddy
Turnstone at A.I.C. 13 Oct (JB, KB) was the
only one reported. Single Sanderlings were
noted at H.B.V.P. 29 Sep-4 Oct (v. o.) and at
S.L. 21-26 Sep (v. o.), while small flocks were at
Saltair, Salt Lake, UT 5 Sep (AN et al.) and at
A.I.C. 21 Sep (TJ, PK). The usual scattering of
Semipalmated Sandpipers included 2 at C.L. 21
Aug ( JD et al), one at H.B.V.P. 4 Oct (MC, JCr),
and one to 2 at Utah L., Utah, UT 14-24 Aug
(DS, EH). Baird’s Sandpipers numbered up to 5
at six Nevada locations 3 Aug-6 Oct (v. o.),
while reports from six Utah locales were led by
35 at Farmington Bay W.M.A., Davis 9 Oct
(TJ).

The Pectoral Sandpiper passage was a little
better than usual: small flocks numbering up to
7 were reported from eight Nevada locations,
with the last record coming from S-Line Res.,
Churchill on the late date of 10 Nov (TF et ah).
There were reports of Pectorals from eight
Utah locales, including lO-i- at Fool Creek Res.,
Millard 13 Oct (DA). Stilt Sandpiper reports
included the following: one at Provo Airport
Dike, Utah, UT 1 Aug (DS), one at G.L. 19 Aug
(JB, KB), and 5 at G.L. 28-29 Sep (TJ, BB). A
Ruff at G.L. 23 Sep (ph. DG et al.), if accepted
by the Utah Bird Records Committee, would be
a state first. Single Short-billed Dowitchers
were noted at C.L. 21 Aug (JD et ak), S.L. 26
Aug (DSe), G.L. 27-29 Sep (v. o.), and at the
SR-9 sewage ponds, Washington, UT 10-12 Oct
(RF). Single Red Phalaropes were nice finds at
P.L. 27 Sep (tSH et al.) and at the Logan sewage
lagoons. Cache, UT 20 Oct (JLw).

Bonaparte’s Gulls were scarce in Nevada,
with reports of up to 3 birds at three locations
7 Sep- 18 Nov (v. o.). They were better repre-
sented in Utah, though; there were reports
from six locations 24 Sep-27 Nov, including
several counts in double digits (v. o.). Herring
Gulls were noted at four Nevada locations, with
a top count of 1 1 at P.L. 4 Nov (MM); one to 3
were found at three Utah locales. Single
Thayer’s Gulls were noted at P.L. 15 Nov (JW)
and at the Logan sewage lagoons. Cache, UT 20
Oct (JLw et al.). P.L. hosted up to 2 Glaucous-
winged Gulls 27 Oct- 15 Nov (v. o.) and one
“Olympic Gull” (Glaucous-winged Gull x
Western Gull) also during that time span (v.
o.). The Sabine’s Gull flight was good; reports
from eight Nevada locations 3 Sep- 12 Oct were
led by 5 at P.L. 27 Sep (v. o.); in Utah, there were
reports of one to 2 birds at five locations 19
Sep-17 Oct (v. o.).

80

North American Birds

Great Basin

Among riparian specialists in the West, Bell’s
Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Blue Grosbeak
come to mind, but in the Great Basin, the Long-
eared Owl is also a riparian specialist, not
uncommon but often overlooked in riparian sur-
veys and neglected in management plans for
such habitats. This bird roosted at Fish Springs
N.W.R., Juab, Beaver County, Utah on 28
October 2001 . Photograph by Terry Sadler.

The Common Tern passage was modest: a
flock of 12 was found at Rye Patch Res.,
Pershing, NV 13 Sep (GS); a flock of 6 were at
RL. 27 Sep (v. o.); and 2-3 were at Q.C.R. 22
Sep- 12 Oct (RF, KCo). An Arctic Tern was a
good find at Washoe L., Washoe, NV 28 Sep
(KG et al.).

DOVES THROUGH VIREOS

The plot thickens! Streptopelia doves continue
to show up in our Region, but several observers
have rightly questioned the origin and identifi-
cation of Ringed Turtle-Doves, Eurasian
Collared- Doves, and possible hybrids in the
Great Basin. This period’s sightings included: a
Ringed Turtle-Dove at Bryce Canyon N.P.,
Garfield, UT 6 Aug (BP, MPa); 3 Eurasian
Collared-Doves at L.S. 2-3 Sep (DG & LW); and
a Eurasian Collared-Dove at Fallon, Churchill,
NV 2 Aug (MA). A White-winged Dove at
M.R.S. 6 Sep (JBr) was northerly.

A Vaux’s Swift at Dyer, Esmeralda, NV 15 Sep
{fide GS) provided the only report. A male
Black-chinned Hummingbird at Reno 22 Nov
(ph. LWi) was quite tardy. Northerly Anna’s
Hummingbirds were noted at two Reno area
locations 3 Aug- 10 Nov (v. o.), and a Costa’s
Hummingbird at Reno 12 Nov (LWi) was
something of a surprise.

There was a strong passage of Lewis’s
Woodpeckers through Nevada: migrants were
reported from at least 22 lowland locations 3 1

Aug-27 Oct, and flocks numbered into the
double digits at three of these locales (v. o.).
Acorn Woodpecker is accidental in Nevada, so
it was thrilling to have 2 in the state this fall: the
first was at Wadsworth, Washoe, NV 4 Oct (ph.,
tJL, DW), but it did not stick around; the 2nd
was at C.C. 19-24 Oct (DC et ah), and it was
enjoyed by many. Meanwhile, an individual at
D.C. 11 Nov (JB, KB) was at a more expected
locale. Easterly Red-breasted Sapsuckers were
reported from E.S.N.W.R. 27 Sep (LW), at St.
George 4 Oct (LJ), and at three cen. or e.
Nevada locations 20 Oct-30 Nov (v. o.).
Meanwhile, hybrid sapsuckers (Red-breasted x
Red-naped) were noted at four e. Nevada
locales 10-14 Oct (v. o). Away from far w.
Nevada, hybrids are considerably more likely
than pure Red-breasted Sapsuckers, and
observers should be aware of this problem.

An extralimital Nuttall’s Woodpecker was at
Circle-L Ranch, Esmeralda, NV 16 Sep-2 Oct
(GS et ah). Flickers present an interesting chal-
lenge to Great Basin birders, especially in s.
Nevada. All three of the major populations
(Red-shafted, Yellow-shafted, and Gilded) are
present to varying degrees, but the occurrence
of hybrids complicates the matter. This fall,
possible Gilded Flickers were noted at three s.
or cen. Nevada locations away from the breed-
ing grounds near Searchlight (v. o.), and possi-
ble Yellow-shafted Flickers were reported from
six s. or cen. Nevada locations (v. o.). The only
Yellow- shafted x Red-shafted hybrids were sin-
gle birds at two Reno area locations 30 Oct- 14
Nov (TF et ah).

Migrant Willow Flycatchers were noted at
eight Nevada locations 12 Aug-3 Oct (v. o.),
while 2 birds near Mt. Rose, Washoe, NV were
thought to be breeders (TF, KS). The species is
nearly extirpated as a breeder in n. Nevada.
Least Flycatchers were reported from three
Nevada locations 26 Aug-20 Sep (v. o.), and it is
gratifying that all three records were accompa-
nied by good written descriptions. Meanwhile,
a Least Flycatcher at G.R. 9-14 Sep was seen by
many. A late Gray Flycatcher was at C.C. 15
Nov (RF, KW). Black Phoebes made their usual
fall incursion into n. and cen. Nevada, with
reports from eight locations 9 Aug-2 Nov (v.
o.). The most northerly record for Utah was of
a bird at Draper, Salt Lake 14 Sep (KC, SC). An
Eastern Phoebe strayed to C.C. 22-23 Nov
(KR, tRS). A male Vermilion Flycatcher at
Circle-L Ranch, Esmeralda, NV 2 Nov (JW) was
northerly. A Cassin’s Kingbird at H.B.V.P 28
Oct (MC, JCr) was the only report. Eastern
Kingbirds were found at three n. Utah locations
17-25 Aug (v. o.).

Northern Shrike reports came from the fol-
lowing locations: M.R.S. 20 Oct (DT); Elko 26

Oct (MP, LP); D.C. 11 Nov (JB, KB); and Utah
L., Utah, UT 14 Nov (KC). A White-eyed Vireo
was found at Peavine Ranch, Nye, NV 2 Sep
(tJBo). Gray Vireos are almost never seen on
migration, so a report of an apparent upslope
migrant at 2400 m in the Pine Valley Mountain
Wilderness, Washington, UT 18 Aug (SS, PS)
was interesting. The Cassin’s Vireo flight was
rated by several observers as better than usual.
There were reports of a Philadelphia Vireo at
G.R. 30 Aug-25 Sep (m. ob.). The record
appears to be credible, but there was some
question as to whether more than one individ-
ual was present during the period of observa-
tion. At least one Red-eyed Vireo was at G.R. 16
Aug-29 Sep (v. o.), and another was seen at
Provo Canyon, Utah, UT 4 Sep (KC).

Single Steller’s Jays wandered to the lowland
locations of W.P. 27 Sep (RE) and Dyer,
Esmeralda, NV 2 Oct (MS et ah). Western
Scrub-Jays staged a major invasion into the
lowlands of Utah and especially Nevada (m.
ob.). The Pinyon Jay flight was comparatively
minor, with reports from only three lowland
desert locations in s. Nevada (v. o.). And the
Clark’s Nutcracker flight was virtually nonex-
istent, with the only sightings coming from
C.C. 8 Sep-9 Nov (v. o.).

SWALLOWS THROUGH WARBLERS

A Purple Martin at L.S. 26 Aug (JB 8c KB) was
unusual, and a Cliff Swallow at Virginia L.,
Washoe, NV 29 Nov was quite late (JW).
Mountain Chickadees made a better-than-
usua! incursion into the lowlands of Nevada
this fall. It was felt by several observers that
some of the birds exhibited characters of the
nominate subspecies, for which there exist no
known Nevada records. Winter Wrens were
found at G.R. 9-23 Sep (v. o.), at Q.C.R. 13-29
Oct (RF, KCo), and at six Nevada locales 31
Aug- 18 Nov (v. o.).

The only Swainson’s Thrush reports came
from RN.W.R. 14 Sep (RF, KW) and Floyd
Lamb S.R, Clark, NV 14 Oct-1 Nov (v. o.).
Varied Thrushes were noted at six Nevada loca-
tions 8 Oct-25 Nov (v. o.), while the only Utah
report came from G.R. on the early date of 23
Sep (v. o.). Gray Catbird reports included the
following: 6-8 near Eden, Weber, UT 14-16 Aug
(LL); one at Jordanelle Res., Wasatch, UT 14-16
Aug (CD); and a stray to M.R.S. 22-26 Sep (v.
o.). Brown Thrashers were found at C.C. 25
Oct-23 Nov (JC et ah), at S.N.W.R. 17 Nov (ph.
BH), and at Garden City, Rich, UT 18 Nov
(JBy). A Bendire’s Thrasher was at Hurricane
Eields, Washington, UT 11 Sep (RF).

An American Pipit at the summit of Mt.
Rose, Washoe, NV 4 Aug (TF, KS) may have
been a local breeder. The species was not

Volume 56 {2002), Number 1

81

detected here during the recently completed
Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas. The first migrant
Cedar Waxwings were seen at Numana,
Washoe, NV 12 Aug (TF). A Phainopepla at
Peavine Ranch, Nye, NV was northerly (JBo).

A Tennessee Warbler at Washoe L., Washoe,
NV 30 Sep (tPL) was the only sighting this fall.
The peak of the Orange-crowned Warbler
flight through Nevada seemed to occur during
the period 13-16 Sep (v. o.). A late Nashville
Warbler lingered at Willard Bay S.P, Box Elder,
UT until 28 Nov (CS, MSo). Chestnut-sided
Warblers made a nice showing, with sightings
at G.R. 29 Sep (BB, TJ), L.S. 26-28 Aug (JB et
al.), Q.C.R. 22-30 Sep (RF et mult, al.), M.R.S.
6 Sep (JBr), and Lida, Esmeralda, NV 22 Sep
(GS, MM). A possible Cape May Warbler was
reported from M.R.S. 3 Oct (JBr). Black-
throated Blue Warblers were found at C.C. 23
Oct-5 Nov (v. o.) and at G.R. 8 Sep (DG).
Myrtle Warblers were noted at three Nevada
locales 2-25 Oct (v. o.).

The Townsend’s Warbler flight through Utah
was better than average and was highlighted by
a remarkable one-day high of 20-1- individuals
at G.R. 13 Sep (TJ). A Hermit Warbler in the
Spring Mountains, Clark, NV 12 Aug (SG, HH)
was somewhat off the beaten path, and a hybrid
Hermit Warbler x Townsend’s Warbler was
found at the Carson R. Diversion Dam,
Churchill, NV 14 Aug (TF). The parulid of the
season was a Prairie Warbler at Q.C.R. 28-30
Sep (DG et al.). Palm Warblers were noted at
three Nevada locations 26 Sep-3 Oct (v. o.). A
possible Bay-breasted Warbler was reported

C JV Sparrows breed in the high
W^^iountains of the Great Basin and
are commonly encountered on migration
and occasionally in winter here. But which
of the four or more distinctive forms occur
in our Region? The Slate-colored Fox
Sparrow breeds throughout much of the
Region, and the Thick-billed Fox Sparrow
is common in the Carson Range and per-
haps elsewhere in w. Nevada. Single Sooty
Fox Sparrows were recorded at three
Nevada locations this fall, and one or 2 Red
Fox Sparrows were at Corn Creek, Clark,
NV 19 Oct-9 Nov (v. o.). It is obvious that
virtually any sort of Fox Sparrow can show
up in the Great Basin, but it is likewise
clear that we lack good occurrence data for
the multiple forms that occur here.
Observers in the Great Basin are thus
urged to try to identify migrant Fox
Sparrows to the level of subspecies when-
ever possible.

from Lovelock, Pershing, NV 13 Sep (JW).
Blackpoll Warblers were found at a good five
Nevada locations 9 Sep-2 Oct (v. o.).

Black-and-white Warblers were found at L.S.
23-27 Aug (DS et al.) and at three Nevada
locales 19 Aug-23 Nov (v. o.). American
Redstart reports came from eight locations in
Nevada 31 Aug-9 Oct (v. o.) and from three in
Utah 23 Aug-1 Oct (v. o.). Two or more
Prothonotary Warblers were found at two loca-
tions in the Dyer, Esmeralda, NV area 8-22 Sep
(GS et al.). A Worm-eating Warbler was a good
find at C.C. 1-2 Sep (KWa, RS). One or 2
Ovenbirds were at C.C. 19 Sep-25 Oct (v. o.).
Northern Waterthrushes were seen at 10
Nevada locales 23 Aug-16 Sep (v. o.) and at four
locations in Utah 15 Aug-3 Sep (v. o.).

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

A Summer Tanager at Dyer, Esmeralda, NV 16
Sep (GS, JBr) was somewhat northerly, and one
was found at St. George 6 Oct (SS, RF). A well-
described female Scarlet Tanager at Crystal
Springs, Lincoln, NV 1 1 Oct (tJD et al.) was one
of only a handful of records for the state.

An American Tree Sparrow was at the unex-
pected locale of C.C. 4-10 Nov (SG, JC). At
more expected locations were 8 at Ruby Valley,
Elko, NV 1 1 Nov (KV) and 7 at Farmington Bay
W.M.A., Davis, UT 21 Nov (TJ). A Clay-colored
Sparrow was at Q.C.R. 24 Sep-6 Oct (RF et
mult. al.). Possible Brewer’s Sparrows of the
taverneri subspecies were found above 3000 m
in Great Basin N.P., White Pine, NV 1 1 Aug
(MP, LP). This subspecies’s status has not been
determined in the Great Basin, and more work
is needed here. A Black-chinned Sparrow at
nearly 2700 m along the Ophir Creek Trail,
Washoe, NV 20 Aug (tJD, GB) was remarkable
in every way: latitude, altitude, and habitat.

Single Lark Buntings were reported from
Butler Basin, Nye, NV 20 Aug (JBr) and from
Torrance Ranch, Nye, NV 9 Sep (JBr), and 3
were at Tremonton, Box Elder, UT 9 Sep (fide
MSt). A Grasshopper Sparrow at Hurricane
Fields, Washington, UT 4 Aug (RF) afforded
the only report. Three juv. Lincoln’s Sparrows
near Mt. Rose, Washoe, NV 4 Aug (TF, KS)
indicated local breeding. A Swamp Sparrow
was reported from Tonopah 3 Oct (JBr).
White-throated Sparrows numbered up to 3 at
nine Nevada locations 3 Oct-25 Nov (v. o.), but
the only Utah reports were of singles at Cedar
City, Iron 4 Nov (SS) and at Sugar House, Salt
Lake 2-8 Nov (MSt). Harris’s Sparrows were
seen at Provo Airport Dike, Utah, UT 3 Oct
(EH) and at Jordan R. Parkway, Utah, UT 5-10
Nov (TR et al.). Golden-crowned Sparrows
were widespread in w. Nevada, and single indi-
viduals ranged as far e. as the Fish Spring

Mountains, Juab, UT 20 Oct (MSt) and Red
Cliffs Recreation Area, Washington, UT 24-29
Nov (RF). Slate-colored Juncos were noted at
three Nevada locales 27 Oct-2 Nov (v. o.).

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were found at
seven Nevada locations 15 Aug- 19 Nov (v. o.),
but one at L.S. 25 Aug (MW) was the only
record for Utah. Single Indigo Buntings were
found at B.R. 8 Sep (GS, JBr), at Lytle Ranch,
Washington, UT 29 Sep (RF et al), and at C.C. |

on the late date of 23 Nov (KR). An ad. male ]

Dickcissel was seen at Tonopah 20 Sep (JBr). j
A female Bobolink strayed to M.R.S. 8 Sep
(GS, JBr). Single Common Crackles put in
appearances at B.R. 9 Oct (fJD et al.) and at
Sandy, Salt Lake, UT 11 Oct (KL). Great-tailed
Crackles continue to expand in Utah, as evi-
denced by a flock of 35-1- (including juvs.) at
Cedar City 19 Aug (SS et al.). A female
Baltimore Oriole at the Carson R. Diversion
Dam, Churchill, NV 28 Sep (MG et al.) was a
nice find. j

Some 25-t- Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches were I
at Arches N.P., Grand, UT 12 Nov (JB, KB). An j
apparent Brown-capped Rosy-Finch at
Monticello, San Juan, UT 23 Nov (TB), if *
accepted by the Utah Bird Records Committee, i
would be a state first. Red Crossbills were bare-
ly noted, with the only reports coming from the I
following locales: Incline Village, Washoe, NV i
22 Aug ( JD); Ophir Creek Trail, Washoe, NV 28 I
Sep (JD); and D.C. 11 Nov (JB, KB). A
Common Redpoll at Woods Cross, Davis, UT i
15 Nov (SCo) heralded an impressive invasion |
of the species in the months to follow. Two |
Evening Grosbeaks at C.C. 9 Nov (SS et al.) j
made for the only report.

EXOTICS I

A Nutmeg Mannikin was a delightful if i
“uncountable” visitor to Rancho San Rafael '
Park, Washoe, NV 30 Aug (DAr). |

I

Observers: David Allan, David Arsenault
(DAr), Mike Amos, Sharon Andrus, Giff ,
Beaton, Joel Beyer, Kathy Beyer, Todd Black, '
Jim Boone (JBo), Jeanie Boynton (JBy), John |
Brack (JBr), Bob Bradley, Steve Carr, K.C. I
Childs, Jack Cochran, Steve Coleman (SCo), |
Kristen Cornelia (KCo), Donna Crail- I
Rugotzke, Marian Cressman, Jim Cressman I
(JCr), Carol Davis, Jon Dunn, Ted Floyd, Rick '
Fridell, Kimball Garrett, Shawn Goodchild, Jim
Graham, Dana Green, Mike Green, Howard |
Gross, Carol Gwynn, Bill Henry, Steve Howell,

Eric Huish, Heather Hundt, Lee Jones, Tony
Jones, Phil Kline, Kim Lane, Peter LaTourrette,

Lisa Lister, James Lofthouse (JLf), Jean Lown
(JLw), Jim Lytle, Jim McIntyre, Martin Meyers,
Milton Moody (MMo), Anne Neville, Bob

82

North American Birds

Great Basin — Arizona

Parsons, Marilyn Parsons (MPa), Fred Petersen,
Lois Ports, Mark Ports, Kathy Robertson, Tuula
Rose, Terry Sadler, Mike San Miguel, Rick
Saval, Greg Scyphers, Dennis Serdehely (DSe),

Gary H. Rosenberg

P.O. Box 91856

Tucson, Arizona 85752-1856

(ghrosenberg@comcast.net)

Roy M. Jones

2237 North Sunset Drive
Tempe, Arizona 85281
(barbet@primenet.com)

Abbreviations: Arizona Bird Committee
(A.B.C.); Avra Valley Waste Water Treatment
Plant (A.V.); Boyce Thompson Arboretum
(B.T.A.); Cow Springs L. (C.S.L.); El Mirage
Pond (E.M.P.); Gilbert Water Ranch (G.W.R.);
Granite Reef Picnic Area (G.R.R); Hassayampa
River Preserve (H.R.P.); Imperial N.W.R.
(I.N.W.R.); Lower Colorado R. Valley
(L.C.R.V.); Navajo Indian Reservation (N.I.R.);
Picacho Reservoir (P.R.); Sewage Treatment
Plant (S.T.P.); Sweetwater Wetlands (S.W.W.);
Tempe Town L. (T.T.L.); White Water Draw
Conservation Area (W.W.D.).

Bryan Shirley, Dennis Shirley, Kei Sochi,
Carolyn Somer, Mark Somer (MSo), Mark
Stackhouse (MSt), Priscilla Summers, Steve
Summers, Dennis Trousdale, Ken Voget, Alan

LOONS THROUGH DUCKS

Away from the L.C.R.V., where they’re more
regular. Common Loons were found in above-
average numbers this season and were wide-
spread: in the s., singles were at G.W.R. 20-21
Oct (JoB), G.R.P.A. 28 Oct (JSm), Fountain
Hills 29 Oct-8 Nov (JSm, SL), and Willcox 3
Nov (GB); and in the n., they were at Flagstaff
25 Oct (CL), Big L. 26 Oct (DR), and Becker L.
27 Oct (DR). Likewise, it was a good year for
Western Grebes in the s., with as many as 11
reported from various locations; early individ-
uals were at G.W.R. 23 Sep (SC) and W.W.D. 3
Oct (FF). About normal, a few Clark’s Grebes
were away from the L.C.R.V.: individuals were
at Becker L. 10 Sep (SH), G.R.R 2-28 Oct (EL,
JB, JSm), and at Nelson Reservoir 26 Nov (DR).
A rare but regular wanderer from the Gulf of
California, Brown Pelicans showed up at A.V. 1
Aug (MI), Patagonia L. 7-16 Aug (AE), Willcox
21-30 Aug (MMS, CDB), and at W.W.D. 28 Oct
(RHu). The only Neotropic Cormorant — away
from the species’s usual haunts of Patagonia L.
and the confluence of the Salt and Gila R. — was
at Arizona City 26 Oct (MMS, BiS).

Wallace, Kevin Wallace (KWa), Jack Walters,
Kevin Wheeler, Larry Williams (LWi), Diane
Wong, Merrill Webb, Larene Wyss.

Early American Bitterns were at Nelson
Reservoir 4 Aug (DR) and RR. 18 Aug (WT,
WL); others included individuals at W.W.D. 1-
12 Nov (PS, JM) and Patagonia L. 8-17 Nov
(SH, GB), and 2 were at RR. 25 Nov (RH et al.).
Wandering herons were well represented this
season. Single Little Blues were at Patagonia L.
in early Oct (PW) and at E.M.P. 11 Nov (EL),
while Tricolored Herons were at W.W.D. 2-29
Sep (JM, KK et al..) and a confirmed 2nd indi-
vidual was at Patagonia L. 28 Sep-28 Oct (JBo,
BP). The status of Reddish Egret has dramati-
cally changed in the last half-decade; before
1996, there were only six records. Since then,
the number has more than doubled. This fall
alone, we received four additional reports: from
G.W.R. 26 Aug (tJS, SL), I.N.W.R. 3 Sep (BZ,
MH) & 5 Sep-3 Oct (ph. GHR), and one stayed
very late at RR. 21 Oct-22 Nov (B&LW, m. ob.).
Rare for the N.I.R., a Green Heron was at
Kayenta 5 Oct (CL). Hot on the heels of the
state’s first record of Glossy Ibis, another ad.
was reported this fall at E.M.P. 11 Aug (fTC).
Black Vultures were reported n. of their normal
range; 8 were w. of Phoenix 22 Oct (JSa, SL),
and an incredible >100 were counted at RR. 26
Oct (CDB, MMS).

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks occasionally
nest in Maricopa', this year several ads. with
young were at E.M.P. starting 4 Aug (MB, m.
ob.) and a lone ad. was a first for the n. part of
the state at C.S.L. 5-21 Oct (CL). This year
seemed to be below average for migrant
Greater White-fronted Geese; we received only
three reports. Singles were at Tucson 23-26 Oct
(DW et al.) and at Green Valley S.T.R 25 Nov
(MMS), and 2 were at W.W.D. 29 Sep (KK).
The case with white geese was quite the reverse:
their numbers were high for locations away
from the L.C.R.V. High counts were of 21
Snow Geese at Willcox 23 Nov (SB) and 45 at
W.W.D. 30 Nov (SH). Single Ross’s Geese were
reported from seven different s. locations dur-
ing late Oct and Nov; an apparent Snow x
Ross’s Goose hybrid at Sahuarita L. provided
plenty of fodder for discussion when it was
found 1 1 Nov (MMS, m. ob.). The only Greater
Scaup reported to us was one at L. Havasu 27
Oct (GB). The Harlequin Duck that surpris-
ingly summered in the Grand Canyon was seen

Arizona

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

83

again 6 Oct (DSta). A casual transient, records
of Surf Scoter are always interesting. This year,
individuals were at Sahuarita L. 1 1-12 Nov (ph.
MMS, m. ob.) and at Flagstaff 15-22 Nov (ErM,
DHe). A Long-tailed Duck, casual in the south-
east, was a big surprise at the Apache Station
Wildlife Area Cochise 23 Nov (SB). Accidental
anywhere away from the L.C.R.V., 3 Barrow’s
Goldeneyes were at Becker L. 14 Nov (DR);
interestingly, this species was found here last
year. Red-breasted Mergansers were found in
about normal numbers this year, with 6 indi-
viduals reported away from the L.C.R.V. during
Nov.

KITES THROUGH TERNS

Four White-tailed Kites (2 ad. and 2 juv.) were
near Portal along Stateline Rd 4 Aug (CG); this
is e. of the species’s normal range and suggests
local breeding. Ten Mississippi Kites were at St.
David 28 Aug (HL), which suggests another
very successful breeding season since the
species returned to the area two years ago. An
individual that was part of a family group that
spent the summer in the Prescott region, n. of
the their normal range, was last seen 6 Sep
(EMo). Several individual Gray Hawks were at
unusual locations during the season: Sulfur
Springs Valley 5 Aug (RT), Tucson along the
Santa Cruz R. 9 Sep (WR), and PR. 23 Sep
(EL). Late Common Black- Hawks were at
B.T.A. 3 Oct (BD, SG) and Page Springs 13 Oct
(RRa). The pair of Red-shouldered Hawks at
H.R.P. remained throughout (m. ob.). Short-
tailed Hawks returned to the state again this
year. Reports of the species came from the
Huachuca Mts. at both Miller and Carr
Canyons 18 Aug-9 Sep (CDB, WW, T&BeP et
al.), while an ad. with a buffy juv. present in the
Chiricahua Mts. at Barfoot Park 5 Aug-3 Sep
(EG, CDB, MMS, JHa, RiW) suggests nesting.
Late Zone-tailed Hawks were one each at Yuma
23 Oct (HD) and Tucson 5 Nov (DSte), while
several early Ferruginous Hawks were n. of
Elfrida 24 Sep (NH). The only Rough-legged
Hawk reported away from usual areas was an
individual at W.W.D. 18 Nov (SW et al.).
Casual in Maricopa, a Crested Caracara was a
nice find along the Gila R. w. of Phoenix 12
Nov (CW). After a couple of years of nearly
bone dry conditions at P.R. it did not take long
for Clapper Rails to return once water was put
back in the reservoir; we received multiple
reports of this species there during Aug (MI,
WT,WL).

Small wintering flocks of Sandhill Cranes are
not uncommon in w. Maricopa, but >100
reported near Arlington 8 Oct (BG, MR) was
noteworthy. A sizable concentration of
Mountain Plovers returned to Friendly Corners

again this year; 45 were counted at the Western
Sod Farm 22 Nov (TG). Overall, though the
season seemed less than satisfying for shore-
birds, several uncommon but regular species
were observed in very small numbers, i.e.,
Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers. This is prima-
rily due to the general lack of the small ponds
and flooded agricultural fields that constitute
much of the desert shorebird habitat. As more
and more of these areas are converted to hous-
ing, we are likely to see this trend continue.
American Avocets occasionally nest in cen.
Arizona; this year they raised young at E.M.P.
(MB). Lesser Yellowlegs are rare anywhere in
the state during winter; late individuals were at
E.M.P. 14 Nov (SG) and P.R. 25 Nov (RHo).
The only Marbled Godwit reported to us was
one at Roosevelt L. 23 Aug (JE). A casual tran-
sient in the state, the shorebird of the season
was definitely the Ruddy Turnstone that was
present for only a few hours at E.M.P. 9 Aug
(TC et al.). Sanderlings were observed in
above-average numbers this fall; we received
five reports that totaled 14 individuals (KK, TS,
CB, BuJ, DW). A few Semipalmated
Sandpipers, about normal for a fall season,
were reported; singles were at G.W.R. 23-28
Aug (EyS, JaS, SG), A.V. 24 Aug (MMS), and
Many Farms L. 22 Sep (CB, BJ). After last year’s
poor fall season for Stilt Sandpipers, the num-
bers this year seemed to return to normal, with
individuals at A.V. 2-5 Aug (MI, RD), Rimmy
Jim Tank 5 Aug (CL), E.M.P. 8 Aug- 15 Sep
(MB, RW, AVA, JBu), G.W.R. 1 Sep (SG, JaS),
and Willcox 6 Oct (BiS, JHa, et al.). Short-billed
Dowitchers put in a nice showing this season.
Four individuals were observed in the Gilbert
area on different ponds 5 Aug-28 Sep (SG, CB,
JSm, SL), although it is hard to say how many
birds were present here; another was at W.W.D.
6 Oct (KK). The only Red-necked Phalarope
report was of an individual at W.W.D. 6-11 Oct
(KK, PS, JMc).

A possible Parasitic Jaeger generated a lot of
excitement when reported at W.W.D. 30 Oct
(SH); all three jaeger species are accidental in
the state. Unlike shorebirds, gulls and terns put
in a nice showing this season. Interesting
reports were of a Laughing Gull at W.W.D. 1-13
Aug (JBo, MMS, m. ob.) and a Franklin’s Gull
at T.T.L. 23 Aug (EyS, JSm, fide Diana Stuart).
Reports of Sabine’s Gulls were 2 at Lyman L. 12
Sep (SH), one at Tucson 28 Sep (BN, ph.
MMS), and 4 at Roosevelt L. 3-4 Oct (JE).
Rare-but-regular terns included 2 Caspians at
Gilbert 2 Sep (HE), while Common Terns
noted included one at Becker L. 7 Sep (CB), 7 at
Concho L. 5 Oct (JV), and 5 at W.W.D. 6-8 Oct
(KK). Black Terns were 15 W.W.D 3 Aug (RHu
et al.) and 8 at E.M.P. 27 Aug (MB).

DOVES THROUGH WOODPECKERS

A Band-tailed Pigeon was at an unusually low
elevation at the Sweetwater Wetlands, Pima 20
Oct (RT). Eurasian Collared-Dove continued
its expansion in the state; new locations were
Black Canyon City and the Phoenix Zoo (JT,
RMJ). A single White-winged Dove at Flagstaff
1 Nov (PF) was n. of the species’s typical range.
After a couple of winters with few records.
Ruddy Ground-Doves returned to the state in
high numbers this year; at least 15 individuals
were reported from various location including
Patagonia, Tolleson, Tucson, H.R.P., E.M.P.,
Douglas, and W.W.D. We received an interest-
ing report of a Black Swift from (of all places)
Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix;
an air traffic controller sighted it as it soared
with White-throated Swifts around the tower
18 Sep (EB). Although it’s reported almost
annually, this species has still not been physi-
cally documented in the state.

The only White-eared Hummingbirds found
away from regular areas were one at a low ele-
vation in Portal 3 Aug (CGr) and one in Box
Canyon, Santa Rita Mts. 14 Aug (GM, BC). The
only Berylline Hummingbird of the season was
at its normal haunts in Ramsey Canyon 4 Aug-
4 Sep (MP). A Violet-crowned Hummingbird
sw. of Tucson 14 Nov (CTi, et al.) was a bit n. of
normal range, while a Blue-throated
Hummingbird was lower than normal at the
Batons’ in Patagonia 21 Nov (JHa et al). The
Plain-capped Starthroat first found 25 Jul and
subsequently seen by many observers was in
the lower reaches of French Joe Canyon until at
least 3 Sep (MMS, JBo, Jo&LH, m. ob.); anoth-
er individual was at Sycamore Canyon 5 Aug
(BaJ). Observers are reminded that all reports
of this species should be accompanied by a
written description, and if possible, a photo-
graph. Four late Selasphorus hummers were
one in the Mule Mts. 5 Nov (RHu), 2 at Bisbee
23 Nov (SW), and one at Tucson 30 Nov (BN).
Banders in the Huachucas captured a remark-
able number of Allen’s Hummingbirds during
the season, many of them late; high captures
were 4 on 18 Sep and 3 on 2 Oct (GW). A late
Elegant Trogon remained in Madera Canyon
until at least 28 Nov (DMc). Lewis’s
Woodpeckers once again wandered into the
lowlands of the se. during Oct and Nov; like-
wise, Acorn Woodpeckers were discovered at
lower-than-normal elevations and away from
their preferred oak habitat at P.A.P. 15 Sep (BiS)
and at G.R.P. 23 Sep (RMJ, SG).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH THRASHERS

It appeared to be an excellent year for post-
breeding dispersal of Northern Beardless-
Tyrannulets, with several reports n. of their

84

North American Birds

Arizona

usual nesting range in Arizona: singles were at
the H.R.P. 8 Sep (JoB), near Superior 12 Sep
(CTo), B.T.A. 17 Sep (CTo), and Camp Creek
15 Oct (TC). Another indication that it was a
good year for tyrannulets were the report of
singles at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson 13 Nov
(JHa et al.) and in Chino Canyon 14 Nov (SJ,
NM). This species is only irregularly reported
this late into the season, and these later records
may suggest either a good breeding success, or
the mildness of the fall weather, or both.
Extraordinary was a report of a “silent” Eastern
Wood-Pewee along the Santa Cruz R. in Tucson
8 Oct (WR); there have been only three or four
acceptable reports of this species in the state, all
of them of singing individuals. A sparse fall and
winter visitor to riparian areas in the s. portion
of the state, single Eastern Phoebes were
reported from PR. 22 Oct (B&LW), Rio Verde
near Phoenix 11 Nov (TC), and from along
Sonoita Cr. above Patagonia L. 25 Nov (WR).

A Tropical Kingbird at the Phoenix Zoo 18
Aug (RMJ) and another along the Gila R. w. of
Phoenix 4 Sep (TC) provided two of the few
reports of this species away from actual or sus-
pected breeding locations. A late report was of
one still present at the P.A.P. pecan grove 16 Sep
(BiS et al.). Another indication of a very mild
fall was several reports of lingering Cassin’s
Kingbirds in s. Arizona: one was in Bisbee 7
Nov (SW), one was at S.W.W. 8 Nov (JHa,
MMS), and one was at Patagonia L. 14 Nov (GB
et al). A Thick-billed Kingbird was at the Palo
Duro Golf Course pond 19 Aug (WL, WT); this
location is away from known breeding areas.
Western Kingbird is considered a very common
breeding bird and migrant across s. Arizona,
but the report of literally “thousands” (about
100/mile) throughout the Sulphur Springs
Valley 5 Oct (RH et al.) was extraordinary and
likely represented the last big push of this
species migrating southward. The Scissor-
tailed Flycatcher in sw. Phoenix reported spo-
radically during the summer season was still
present as of 29 Sep (TC, MB). Elsewhere, one
was reported near Prescott 4 Oct ( J. Barton, /ide
CTo), and another was at Yuma 24 Oct (HD);
this species is still considered casual in the state.

There seemed to be a good winter in the
making for Northern Shrikes in n. Arizona,
with several reports beginning in late Oct from
the triangle created between Flagstaff, Page,
and Kayenta (CL), the only reliable area in the
state for this species. A very late Bell’s Vireo was
reported singing 31 Oct in Bisbee (SW). Two
different Red-eyed Vireos were reported this
fall, one from Powers Butte 24 Sep (MB) and
another from Eagar 29-30 Sep (DR, GC); this
species is still a very casual migrant anywhere
in the state. After last winter’s incredible inva-

sion of virtually all the montane species, only a
few species seemed to be on the move this fall.
Single Western Scrub- Jays appeared in the low-
lands in Phoenix 1 Oct (G. Knowles, fide T.
Gatz), at Bill Williams N.W.R. 7 Oct (HD), and
at Parker 15 Nov (MMS). Pinyon Jays also were
sighted at lower-than-usual elevations, with
>100 along the Verde R. 4 Sep (T. Linda), and 8
at Slate Creek Divide 7 Sep (SG, SH), but this
early movement apparently did not continue.
A single American Grow was out of place in
Arlington 13 Nov (TC, CW). A very late Tree
Swallow was at A.V. 1 Dec (MMS). Also out of
place was a single White-breasted Nuthatch in
Tucson 27 Sep (JHi).

Winter Wrens are seldom reported from n.
Arizona; therefore, one in Flagstaff 12 Oct
(CL), 3 along the Little Colorado R. near
Cameron 28 Oct (CL), and one in Pasture
Canyon 1 Dec (CL) were all significant.
Another seen in Cave Creek Canyon 21 Oct
(JB) was the only report this fall from s.
Arizona. An American Dipper at Shultz Tank
22 Oct (CL) was away from known breeding
areas in n. Arizona. Three Swainson’s Thrushes
netted in the Santa Rita Mts. 17 Sep (WL, WR)
were believed to be of the race C. u. swainsoni,
of which there are only a handful of document-
ed records (almost all from May) in the state;
this race breeds n. and w. of Arizona to British
Colombia but migrates almost exclusively e. of
our state. Always of interest, a Varied Thrush
was near Flagstaff 7 Nov (DH). A greater-than-
usual number of migrating Gray Catbirds,
casual away from breeding areas in ne. Arizona,
was reported this fall, with one in E. Whitetail
Canyon 14-15 Oct (RT), one in Madera
Canyon 19-23 Oct (BP et al.), and another in
Lyle Canyon near Canelo 30 Oct-5 Nov (D.
Rhodes). A Brown Thrasher, a casual fall and
winter visitor to the state, was at the B.T.A. 17
Nov-i- (JBa et al.).

WARBLERS THROUGH GOLDFINCHES

Single Tennessee Warblers were reported from
Springerville 13 Aug (DR, GC) and from along
the Santa Cruz R. in Tucson 12 Oct (J&SL); this
species remains a casual migrant in the state. A
very late Nashville Warbler was at S.W.W. in
Tucson 9-11 Nov (KK). This was an extraordi-
nary fall for Northern Parula, a casual migrant,
with no fewer than 9 reported statewide. A late
Yellow Warbler was along the Salt R. w. of
Phoenix throughout Nov (TC). Chestnut-sided
Warblers, now seemingly annual in the state
during the late fall and winter, were reported
from Granite Basin near Prescott 15 Sep (B.
Pranter, B. Thomen), at the B.T.A. 12 Oct (JBa),
at S.W.W. in Tucson 7 Nov-l- (GB et al), and
from along the Santa Cruz R. in Tucson 14 Nov

(J8cSL). Another warbler that used to be casual
in the state, but has become virtually annual
during the fall. Black-throated Blue Warblers
were reported at the Pinal Homestead near
Superior 14 Sep (CT), at the B.T.A. 8-10 Oct
(RM&JJ et al.), and at Kino Springs 22 Oct
(J&MH et al.). One warbler that has decreased
dramatically over the past 20 years. Black-
throated Green Warbler, was in Cave Creek
Canyon 20 Oct ( JBo). A Townsend’s Warbler in
Flagstaff 1 1 Nov (F. Brandt) was quite late.

A Pine Warbler reported from along the Salt
R. w. of Phoenix 9 Oct (tCB, S. Stangeland) rep-
resents only the 8th state record, if accepted by
the A.B.C. A Blackpoll Warbler, still casual in
Arizona, was in a ne. Tucson yard 25 Oct (ph.
WR). No fewer than 6 Black-and-white
Warblers were reported from during the fall 19
Aug-1 Dec. Likewise, 5 American Redstarts,
about normal for a fall, were reported 7 Aug-27
Oct. The only Prothonotary Warbler of the fall
was one at Patagonia 3 Aug (J. Hansen, MMS,
MI). Single Ovenbirds, casual in the fall and
winter, were in Oro Valley 22 Nov (D. Prichett)
and at Agua Caliente Park 29 Nov-i- (DW, m.
ob.). At least 15 Northern Waterthrushes were
reported statewide this fall 4 Aug-7 Oct. A
Louisiana Waterthrush was along Sonoita Creek
at the Roadside Rest 30 Aug (CDB, et al.); it is
interesting that there are two distinct time peri-
ods when this species turns up in Arizona, one
during late summer, and the other during win-
ter. A Hooded Warbler, casual in the state dur-
ing fall, was at Granite Basin 27 Sep (GTo). Very
late Wilson’s Warblers included one at Roger
Road S.T.P. 7-21 Nov (GB et al.) and one at St.
David 25 Nov (RH). A Painted Redstart was out
of place at the B.T.A. 16 Sep (GTo). A very late
Yellow-breasted Chat lingered at Agua Caliente
Park in Tucson 22 Oct (RT).

Late Summer Tanagers were reported from the
Little Colorado R. near Cameron 12 Oct (CL),
from Reid Park in Tucson 9 Nov (DW), from
the Little Colorado R. again (different individ-
ual; greenish-yellow, thought to possibly be the
e. race) 12 Nov (CL), and from the Gila R. w. of
Phoenix 24 Nov (TG). A Scarlet Tanager was at
the Phoenix Zoo 5-7 Oct (RMJ et al.); there
have been only about 20 previous state records.

Clay-colored Sparrow reports were one in
Tempe 4 Oct (fK. Groschupf), one along the
Santa Cruz R. in Tucson 8 Oct (WR), another
along the Santa Cruz 12 Oct (JScSL), and 2
along the Santa Cruz 20 Oct (WR, NL). This
species is a rare to casual fall transient and
winter resident in s. Arizona. With Fox
Sparrow on the verge of being split into three
or more distinct species, it has become impor-
tant to distinguish the different forms that
occur in the state during winter. This fall, the

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

85

The saga of the pair of Rufous-
capped Warblers in French Joe
Canyon continued this summer and fall
with tantalizing reports of the two birds
carrying nesting material — then, on 7 Aug,
a nest was located with the female sitting
on it (F. Gallo). By 16 Aug, the female was
seen carrying food and a fecal sac (MMS),
and on 18 Aug a recently-fledged juv. was
first reported (J. Cochran). In all, the pair
successfully fledged three juvs., and the
family was reported through 9 Sep.
Although a Rufous-capped Warbler was
found on a nest with two eggs in Cave
Creek Canyon in Jul 1977, this nesting in
French Joe Canyon represents the first
known successful nesting in Arizona and
in the United States.

Slate-colored subspecies was reported from
Pena Blanca L. 9 Oct (BM), from Paradise 20
Oct ( JBo), from Lockett Meadow near Flagstaff
29 Oct (CL, RR), and from S.W.W. in Tucson 7
Nov (MMS, KH). Two other subspecies were
reported, an apparent Sooty Fox Sparrow at
Madera Canyon 24 Oct (D. Touret, RP), and a
Red Fox Sparrow from Pasture Canyon 3 Nov
(CL). At least 10 different White-throated
Sparrows were reported 20 Oct-24 Nov around
s. Arizona. The only Harris’s Sparrow of the fall
was of one at Cornville 27 Nov (ph. RRa). Up
to 7 McCown’s Longspurs were found on the
Ft. McDowell I.R. 25 Nov-I-, in the same area
where one was discovered last winter; this rep-
resents only the 2nd Maricopa record (ph. RMJ
et al.).

A Pyrrhuloxia at Sedona 24 Aug (L. Francis)
was n. of this species’s normal range in
Arizona. A very late Black-headed Grosbeak
was at Fountain Hills 6 Nov (J. Smith et al).
Late Varied Buntings included 5 at Kino
Springs 7 Oct (JiB, BSc) and one in Whitetail
Canyon 14 Oct (RT); most individuals of this
species are gone by late Sep. No fewer than 20
different Painted Buntings were found 4 Aug-7
Oct, a far greater-than-usual number than is
typical in fall. This incursion should finally
dispell the idea that many of the Arizona
reports pertained to escaped cage birds. Single
Dickcissels were at P.A.P. pecan grove 19 Sep
(ph. GHR, WR), at S.W.W in Tucson 8 Oct
( JHa et al.), and at Willcox 1 1 Oct (PW).

A Rusty Blackbird was along the Santa Cruz
R. 8 Oct (WR); there have been only about 15
previous records for the state. A late Hooded
Oriole was reported from Patagonia L. 2 Nov
(SH), and a late Bullock’s Oriole was at Kino
Springs 12 Oct (LL). After the past few years.

local observers can be forgiven for becoming
jaded about Black Rosy-Finch (due to large
flocks present near Page), but in reality, it is
still considered accidental in Arizona. This fall,
3 were along the highway near Pipe Springs
NM 23 Nov (JBo). The only Lawrence’s
Goldfinch reports of the fall were of 2 along
the Santa Cruz R. in Tucson 14 Oct (WR, NL)
and of one at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson
31 Oct (RH).

Contributors: Charlie Babbitt, Mike Baker,
Steve Barlow, Sally Barnes, Jack Bartley, Robin
Baxter, Tom Beatty, Chris D. Benesh, Bill Berky,
Louis Bevier, Barbara Bickel, Gavin Bieber,
Kathleen Blair, Jerry Bock, Ned Boyajian, Ed
Boyd, Clait Braun, Hank Brodkin, Terry
Brodner, Jim Burns, Josh Burns, Cliff Cathers,
Dale Clark, Barry Cooper, Troy Corman, Alan
Craig, Gary Crandall, Robert Darby, Diana
Davis, Bix Demaree, Henry Detwiler, James
Dick, Rich Ditch, Al Driscoll, Jon Dunn,
Allison Ellicott, Jeff Estis, Frank Fekel, Peter
Friederici, Frank Gallo, Steve Ganley, Joseph
Gebler, Tony Godfrey, Joe Gottlieb, Keith
Graves, Clive Green, Chet Gresham, Jodi
Griffith, Bill Grossi, Robbie R. Duerksen, Herb
Fibel, Peter Friederici, Jay Hand, Ned Harris,
Bill Harvey, Sherry Hayes, Karen Havlena, Jim
Havlena, Mike Hawkes, Stuart Healy, Diana
Herron, John Higgins, John Hildebrand, John
Hirth, Marty Hirth, Dottie Hook, Rich Hoyer,

J. Hudson, Rob Hunt, Kelly Hutton, Marshall J.
Iliff, Dave Jasper, Barbara Johnson, S & R
Johnsen, Bud Johnson, Roy M. Jones, Sue Katz,
Ken Kertell, Eric Lauttner, Heidi Lauchstedt,
Nick Laviola, Wade Leitner, Susannah Lerman,
B. Levy, S. Levy, Larry Liese, Gail Mackiernan,
Bill Massey, Matthew Matthiesen, Janine
McCabe, Doug McFall, Brian McKnight, Bill
Metheny, Norma Miller, Trent Miller, Narca
Moore-Craig, Eric Moore, Steve Moore, Elaine
Morrall, Pete Moulton, John Mueller, Colby
Neuman, Brian Nicholas, Mike Overton,
Richard Palmer, Jim Parks, David Pearson, Ian
Phillips, Bev Pickering, Tom Pickering, Nathan
Pieplow, Brigid Pollock, Mark Pretti, Roger
Radd, Gary H. Rosenberg, Donna Roten, Ruth
Rudesill, Michael Rupp, Will Russell, John
Saba, Peter Salomon, Mark Schalcker, Bob &
Jean Scheibe, Bob Schutsky, Bill Scott, Chuck
Sexton, Ed Shoben, Eyal Shocat (EyS), Norm
Shrout, Curtis Smith, James Smith (JSm), Dale
Stahlecker, Sig Stangland, Tom Staudt, Dave
Stejskal, Judy Stevens, Mark M. Stevenson,
Rick Taylor, Carol Timmons, Carl Tomoff, Will
Turner, Dave Quady, Anita Van Auken, Jimmy
Videle, Wezil Walraven, Peter Walsh, Billy
Weber, David West, George West, Russ Widner,
John Wilson, Richard Wilt, John Williams,
Sheri Williamson, Barb Winterfield, Lou
Winterfield, Cathy Wise, Robin Wollcot,
Joanne Woodley, Bob Witzeman, Janet
Witzeman, Brenda Zaun.

Struggling with flycatcher ID?

loin instructor Chris Benesh from )uly 20-25, 2002 in Sierra Vista,
Arizona for a workshop that will tackle this classic challenge. Field work
and classroom sessions will address empids, pewees, kingbirds, and
more-habitat preferences, characteristic behaviors, coloration and
structure, and distinctive songs and call notes.

Presented b}/ ABA's Institute for Field Ornithology
4j^ (IFO), combining classroom education with field stud}/
to provide an in-depth look at birds; life histoiy, ecology,
behavior, and identification.

American Binding Association
www.americanbirding.org/IFO"(800)8S0-

86

North American Birds

Arizona — New Mexico

New Mexico

Sartor 0. Williams III

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

RO. Box 25112

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504

(sowilliams@state.nm.us)

Fall 2001 was characterized by relatively warm
and dry conditions, with the cold and snow
delayed until late November. Both birds and
birders were active, and several interesting rari-
ties were documented.

Abbreviations: B.L.N.W.R. (Bitter Lake
N.W.R.); Bosque (Bosque del Apache N.W.R.);
E.B.L. (Elephant Butte L.); L.V.N.W.R. (Las Vegas
N.W.R.); Maxwell (Maxwell N.W.R.); N.R.T. (n.
Roosevelt migrant trap near Melrose); R.G.V.
(Rio Grande Valley).

LOONS THROUGH CRANES

A good season for Pacific Loons found singles at
Clayton L. 10 Nov (ph. JO), Charette L. 11 Nov
(ph. JO), Eagle Nest L. 13 Nov (DC), and
Sumner L. 28 Nov (WW). Common Loons
where seldom reported included 8 at Charette L.
11 Nov (JO) and one at Quemado L. 28 Oct
(JO). The few Horned Grebe reports were
restricted to the ne. and included 4 at Springer L.
1-7 Nov (DC) and a displaying pair at
L.V.N.W.R. 3 Nov (JO). Twelve pairs of Clark’s
Grebes produced 8 chicks at Stubblefield L. by 23
Aug (DC); at least one Clark’s chick was at

Bosque 2 Aug (MS, JZ). An ad. Neotropic
Cormorant strayed far n. to Stubblefield L. 13
Aug-26 Sep (ph. DC). A Least Bittern at Bosque
19 Aug (MS, JZ) provided the only report.
Northerly for the season were 2 Great Egrets at
Bernardo 30 Sep (BV); late were 5 at B.L.N.W.R.
2 Nov (GW) and 2 near Radium Springs 25 Nov
(JO). Always noteworthy, 2 Little Blue Herons
were at B.L.N.W.R. 13 Sep (CR), and one wan-
dered to Holloman L. 29 Aug (GE). Unreported
from New Mexico prior to 1991 (but recently
found annually!). Reddish Egrets made an espe-
cially strong showing this season, with singles at
Sunmer L. 18-31 Aug (WW, JO, JEP), Ute L. 8 &
22-23 Sep (ph. JO), and Caballo L. 25 Sep (WW)
plus one to 2 at B.L.N.W.R. on various dates 3
Aug- 15 Sep (GW, JEP, WW, SW). Yellow-
crowned Night-Herons likewise made an
impressive showing, with 2 juvs. at Bosque
Redondo 4 & 7 Sep (WW, JEP, ph. J. Nelson-
Moore), 3 juvs. near Bellview, Curry 22 Sep (ph.
JO), and an ad. at Tatum 18 Aug (ph. JO). An ad.
Glossy Ibis at Fort Sumner 8 Sep (JEP, ph. JO)
furnished New Mexico’s first fall record. Turkey
Vultures exited the state on schedule; last were
singles at Deming 17 Oct (LM), B.L.N.W.R. 18
Oct (GW), and Delaware R. 20 Oct (SW).

Five Tundra Swans graced Maxwell 29 Oct-26
Nov (JEP, JO, MW, ph. DC). Ever on the
increase. Wood Ducks were noted in 10 counties
and included an impressive 18 near Sunland
Park 23 Oct (MS, JZ). Single Eurasian Wigeon

were at Albuquerque 18-19 Nov (R. Yaksich) and
Deming 17-21 Nov (LM). Noteworthy
Canvasback concentrations were 1220 at Stone
L., Rio Arriba 6 Nov (MW) and 1030 at
L.V.N.W.R. 5 Nov (MW). One to 2 Greater Scaup
at Conchas L. 31 Oct (WW), Bosque 4 Nov (JO),
and Sunland Park 10, 19, & 22 Nov (MS, JZ) pro-
vided the only reports. An imm. White-winged
Scoter at Ruby Ranch near Las Vegas 14 Nov
(WW) furnished a local first. Single Long-tailed
Ducks were at Stubblefield L. 16 Oct (DC) and L.
Avalon 29 Nov-1 Dec (SW, JO).

Lingering were single Ospreys at Conchas L.
10 Nov and E.B.L. 25 Nov (JO). White-tailed
Kites were in evidence in Hidalgo, including at
least 2 near Rodeo 4 Aug (C. Gresham) and one
in the s. Animas Valley 8 Sep (AC, NM-C).
Noteworthy for the lower R.G.V. were 3
Mississippi Kites at Sunland Park 11 Aug (MS,
JZ); late were 3 at Melrose (JO) and one at Fort
Sumner (JEP) 22 Sep. Very early for San Miguel
was an ad. Bald Eagle at Ruby Ranch 7 Oct
(WW). North in the R.G.V. was a Harris’s Hawk
at Bosque 16 Nov (GE). Two ad. Zone-tailed
Hawks were with a juv. at Turkey Canyon,
Guadalupe Mts. 8 Aug (SW). Extremely early
were single Merlins at Milnesand 1 Sep (JO) and
Holloman L. 29 Aug (GE); Merlins were wide-
spread after 1 Oct. Native Aplomado Falcons in
s. New Mexico included the “resident” pair seen
on territory 4 Sep, 10 Oct, and 20 Nov (RM) and
an ad. at a new site 16 km from there 24 Aug
(SOW, PM), plus 2 others on Otero Mesa 14 Nov
(E. Mayfield). Encouraging were 30 Gould’s Wild
Turkeys at the mouth of Clanton Canyon 1 1 Oct
(ph. C. Hayes). Among the few Montezuma
Quail reports were 8 in P.O. Canyon 28 Nov
(CL). Early Sandhill Cranes were 2 at Maxwell 20
Sep (DC), 4 at B.L.N.W.R. 28 Sep (GW), and a
remarkable 51 at Percha 30 Sep (CR).

PLOVERS THROUGH NIGHTJARS

An American Golden-Plover stopped at a Santa
Teresa turf farm 2-9 Oct (MS, JZ, ph. BZ); unde-
tailed was another at B.L.N.W.R. 28 Sep (fide
GW). Other plovers in the news included single
Black-bellieds at Stubblefield L. 12-19 Sep (DC,
JEP, JO), Ruby Ranch 7 Oct ( WW), E.B.L. 27 Sep
(JEP, JO), and B.L.N.W.R. 18 Oct (GW), 3
Snowies at Stubblefield L. 20-23 Aug (ph. DC),
and 4 late Semipalmateds at E.B.L. 22 Nov (JO).
A Mountain Plover near Santa Teresa 8-9 Oct
(BZ, MS, ph. JZ) furnished one of the few Dom
Ana records. Solitary Sandpipers where seldom
reported were one at Mountainair 19 Aug & 9
Sep (JO), 3 at Clanton Cienega 25 Aug (AC, NM-
C), and one near Queen, Guadalupe Mts. 16 Sep
(SW). An impressive 32 Upland Sandpipers were
at Bosque Redondo 21 Aug ( WW); smaller num-
bers passed through N.R.T., Portales,

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

87

B.LN.W.R., Carlsbad, Otero Mesa, and Animas
Valley 1 Aug-9 Sepi (JO, lEP, SW, RM, DH).
Baird s Sandpipers were much in evidence at
Stubblefield L. 1 Aug-24 Oct (DC), with maxima
of 580 on 31 Aug and 485 on 16 Sep; elsewhere,
72 were at Moriarty 31 Aug (JO) and 295 were at
B.L.N.W.R. 3 Aug (GW). Stilt Sandpipers were
conspicuous in the east 1 Aug- 18 Oct, including
a high 320 at B.L.N.W.R. 3 Aug (GW). The
shorebird event of the season was provided by a
juv. Buff-breasted Sandpiper that strayed w. to
Alameda 28-30 Sep (JO et ah, ph. JO, ph. HS,
sketch NV); another Buff-breasted was near
Moriarty 29 Sep (ph. JO). Nicely documented
was a juv. Short-billed Dowitcher near Moriarty
15Sep(JEP,ph. JO).

Making an all-too-brief appearance was an
ad. Little Gull at L. Avalon 29 Nov (SW). An
impressive 90 California Gulls were at Eagle
Nest L. 28 Aug (ph. DC); south were one to 2 at
Deming (LM, vt. JO), Sunland Park (MS, JZ), L.
Avalon (SW), and L. Carlsbad (SW) 24-30 Nov.
Sabine’s Gulls, all juvs., were at 8 locales from
the R.G.V. eastward 7 Sep- 17 Oct; highs were 4
at Stubblefield 18 Sep (ph. DC) and 7 at E.B.L.
25 Sep (WW). A juv. Black-legged Kittiwake at
Springer L. 25-26 Sep (ph. DC) was a Colfax first
and the state’s earliest ever.

A Caspian Tern at Ute L. 23 Sep (vt. JO) pro-
vided the only report. Apparent Common Terns
were 3 at Springer L. 25-26 Sep (ph. DC) and
singles at Conchas L. 16 Sep (WH) and Sumner
L. 30 Sep (JO). Black Terns have become
increasingly rare migrants in recent years; high
this season was 65 at Maxwell 1 Aug (ph. DC).

Band-tailed Pigeons typically vacate cen. New
Mexico by mid-Oct, so noteworthy were 3 in
Water Canyon 18 Nov (fide HS). The Eurasian
Collared-Dove tide continued to sweep across
New Mexico, with often multiple reports from
23 of the state’s 33 counties; west were 3 at
Gallup 5 Sep (G. Johnson), 25 at Silver City Oct-
Nov (DZ, JO), and up to 7 at Playas 7 Aug (P.
Pirtle). Northerly White-winged Doves were
one at Clayton 10 Nov (ph. JO), 8 at Ute L. 8 Sep
(JO), 20 at Tucumcari 31 Oct (WW), and 3 at
Madrid 30 Nov (LS). Inca Doves continued to
increase n. to Albuquerque, where 1 1 were at the
Zia school 7 Oct (BV). Encroaching on the
Rocky Mts. was a Roadrunner at Raton 21 Nov
(DC). An impressive 156 Elammulated Owls
were banded at Capilla Peak 27 Aug-6 Oct (JD),
demonstrating the importance of the Manzano
Mts. for this Neotropical migrant. Thirteen
Northern Saw-whet Owls were banded at
Capilla Peak 25 Sep-21 Oct (JD); noteworthy
was a vocal Saw-whet on Buck Mt., Lincoln 24
Aug (SW). Late Common Poorwills were singles
near Rodeo and in P.O. Canyon 1 Nov (CL).

SWIFTS THROUGH FLYCATCHERS

In the Jemez Mts., 6 Black Swift nests each con-
tained one nestling 23 Aug (HS), with fledging
expected by 1 Sep. Broad-billed Hummingbirds
continued to push n. in the Peloncillo Mts., with
one at P.O. Canyon 26 Aug (RTS). An imm. male
Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Port Sumner
19 & 21 Aug (ph. JO; WW) furnished New
Mexico’s 6th credible report. Post-breeding
Anna’s spread across s. New Mexico in the
expected pattern, present in the Peloncillo Mts.
by early Aug (and peaking there in Oct; RTS, CL,
WB), at Deer Cr., Animas Mts. 24 Aug (SOW,
PM), and reaching Las Cruces 13 Nov (MS, JZ)
and Carlsbad 29 Nov (SW, E. Pierce). Banding
studies in Grant continued to clarify our under-
standing of Allen’s Hummingbird in New
Mexico: along Sapillo Cr. (where 2 had been
banded in mid-Jul), one was banded and meas-
ured at Trout Valley 6 Aug (WC), and another
was similarly processed at Grey Feathers Lodge
11 Aug(JD-M).

Lewis’s Woodpeckers moving s. in the R.G.V.
were 2 at Corrales 1 Sep (WH), 4 at Los Lunas 28
Oct (CR), one at Luis Lopez 10 Sep (JO), and
one at La Mesa, Dona Ana 4 Nov (MS, ph. JZ).
Two Williamson’s Sapsuckers on Salinas Peak,
San Andres Mts. 1 Oct (DH) provided a rare
record for that range. The woodpecker of the
season was a nicely-detailed Red-breasted
Sapsucker at Los Alamos National Lab 5-6 Nov
(JT, BE), but security restrictions prevented oth-
ers (and their cameras) from visiting the area;
the species remains unconfirmed in the state.
Apparently early was a Hairy Woodpecker in the
Organ Mts. at Aguirre Springs 19 & 29 Sep (BZ),
where not known to nest. West was a male
Yellow-shafted Flicker at Albuquerque 2 Nov
(DM). Least Flycatchers were reported from nine
sites from the R.G.V. eastward, primarily during
the period 18 Aug-8 Sep (JO, JEP, SW, MS, JZ).
An apparent Pacific-slope Flycatcher was meas-
ured and banded at Albuquerque 9 Sep (S&NG).
A Buff-breasted Flycatcher in the cen. Peloncillo
Mts 24 Sep was the observers’ first ever for New
Mexico (DZ, MZ). Easterly Vermilion
Flycatchers were singles near Encino, Torrance 2\
Sep (JO), House, Quay 8 Sep (vt. JO), and
Stephens Park, Lea 2 Sep (JO). Single Great
Crested Flycatchers were at Rattlesnake Springs 2
Sep (JO, SW) and Fort Sumner 18 Sep (WW). A
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher in Last Chance
Canyon 9 Aug (SW et al.) was an Eddy first.
Notably late was a Cassin’s Kingbird at P.O.
Canyon 5 Nov (CL). An Eastern Kingbird
reached Albuquerque 26 Aug (NV).

VIREOS THROUGH WARBLERS

Making news at Mesilla was a Blue-headed Vireo
12-13 Nov (GE, MS, JZ, ph. BZ); another was at

Ramon, Lincoln 13 Sep (CR). Four Hutton’s
Vireos at Aguirre Springs 29 Sep (BZ) was a high
number for the Organ Mts.; 5 in Slaughter
Canyon 18 Nov (SW, RW) were noteworthy for
Eddy. Single Philadelphia Vireos were at Corrales
3 Sep (WH), Socorro 29 Sep (CR), Percha 29 Sep
(DE,BN), and N.R.T. 3 Oct (WW). Steller’s Jays
dispersing to unlikely locales were 2 at
Albuquerque’s oxbow 14 Oct (NV) and singles e.
to Mills Canyon 5 Nov (DC), Seneca, Union 1
Oct (JO), near Encino 19 Oct (JO), and at
B.L.N.W.R. 24 Oct (GW). Beyond expected
range and habitat were 6 Pinyon Jays at Mesilla 9
Sep (MS, JZ).

Purple Martins ne. to the Sangre de Cristo
Mts. were 8 on the Vermejo R., Colfax 8 Aug
(DG) and 22 on Sapello Cr., San Miguel 19 Aug
(WW). Still in the family way was a pair of
Mountain Chickadees carrying food at Corrales
3 Sep (WH). A Cactus Wren in e. Albuquerque
14 Oct (MG) indicated that that n. population
was persisting. Single Winter Wrens reached
N.R.T. 3-13 Oct (JEP, WW, ph. JO), Ramon 19
Oct (JO), and Mangas 23 Nov (JO). Well-docu-
mented were a Wood Thrush at N.R.T. 6 Oct
(JEP, ph. JO) and a Varied Thrush at Maljamar
(!) 13-15 Oct (ph. JO; B. Whitman). A Brown
Thrasher returned to a Corrales yard 3 Nov, for
the 3rd consecutive winter there (WH); another
was banded at Albuquerque 29 Sep (S&NC). A
Long-billed Thrasher continued in residence at
Bosque Redondo, where it was singing 13 Oct
(JEP). Seven migrant Sprague’s Pipits were
detected over Otero Mesa grasslands 7 Nov
(RM). A vocal Olive Warbler drifted down to
Mesilla 11-15 Nov (MS, JZ, ph. BZ). Leading the
warbler parade was a Golden-winged Warbler at
N.R.T. 6 Sep (JO), a Magnolia Warbler near
Stead, Union 1 Oct (JO), plus one at Percha 30
Sep (DE, BN), a female Cape May Warbler at
Carlsbad 27 Nov (SW), a Blackburnian Warbler
at Bosque Redondo 13 Oct (JEP), a Pine
Warbler at Sunland Park 29 Nov (JZ, sketch
MS), and one at N.R.T. 7 Oct (DE, BN), a possi-
ble Prairie at Carlsbad Caverns NP 7 Oct (SW),
and a Swainson’s Warbler at Rattlesnake Springs
23 Sep (SW). Adding spice was a Northern
Parula near Chamberino 17 & 22 Nov (MS, JZ),
single Chestnut-sideds at Moriarty 2 Oct (WW)
and Bosque 16 Oct (SA), 2-3 Black-throated
Blues at N.R.T. 15 Sep-13 Oct (JEP, ph. JO), plus
singles at Nara Visa (JO), Boone’s Draw (ph. JO),
and San Marcial (BJ, banded HW) 7-13 Oct, sin-
gle Palms at Seneca 6 Oct (JO), N.R.T. 7 Oct
(DE, BN), Bosque 16 Oct (SA), and (undetailed)
Caballo Dam 30 Oct (W. Glenn), single Black-
and-whites at 5 locales 18 Aug-6 Sep (JEP, JO),
single American Redstarts w. to La Joya (DM),
San Marcial (HW, BJ), Mesilla (MS, JZ),
Riverside (RSS), and Deming (LM), and lone

88

North American Birds

New Mexico — Alaska

Hoodeds w. to L. Roberts 1 1 Aug (RG) and near
Riverside 25 Aug (RSS fide DZ).

Noteworthy distributional records included
single Hermits near Grassy L.O., San Mateo Mts.
25 Aug (lEP) and Aguirre Springs 29 Sep (BZ),
one to 2 Red-faceds in the San Mateo Mts. 25
Aug (JEP, JO), and a Painted Redstart in Potato
Canyon, San Mateo Mts. 31 Aug (HS).

SPARROWS THROUGH FINCHES

A Cassin’s Sparrow nest with eggs was in the
Animas Valley 22 Aug (SOW, PM); few if any
nests have been reported from sw. New Mexico.
Also noteworthy for the sw. were 2 Clay-colored
Sparrows banded in the s. Animas Valley 7-8 Sep
(AC, NM-C). Two stub-tailed Savannahs were
begging food at Maxwell 11 Aug (DC). The 25
Grasshopper Sparrows in the s. Animas Valley 25
Aug (AC, NM-C) included an ad. feeding fledg-
lings; 3 migrant Grasshoppers were on Otero
Mesa 9 Oct (RM). Single migrant Baird’s
Sparrows were detected at 2 Otero Mesa sites 10
Sep and 16 Oct (RM), at Davies Tank, Tularosa
Basin 26 Nov (DH), and near Deming 20 Nov
(RM). Early was a Harris’s Sparrow at Carlsbad

27 Sep (SW); another reached Luis Lopez 9 Nov
(ph. JO).

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak wandered to
Chamberino 22 Nov (MS, JZ). Still in the nest
was a Blue Grosbeak chick at Double Adobe,
Animas Mts. 9 Sep (AC, NM-C). Lazuli Buntings
migrated in large numbers in late Aug, including

28 at Albuquerque’s oxbow 26 Aug (NV) and 75
in the Animas Valley 25 Aug (AC, NM-C).
Noteworthy was a male Painted Bunting n. to the
Mountainair area 12-13 Aug (TH); other
Painteds were reported from the e. plains, lower
Pecos Valley, lower R.G.V., and the Animas
Valley. Further evidence of Dickcissels breeding
in Colfax was furnished by a female carrying
food to an unseen chick near Springer 21 Aug
(DC); westerly Dickcissels were 4 at Luis Lopez
13 Sep (JO) and 3 at Percha 30 Sep (CR). Late for
the n. were single Common Crackles at Maxwell
25 Nov (DC) and Las Vegas 11 Nov (JT).
Noteworthy was an Orchard Oriole at
Mountainair 21 Sep (JO). Quite rare in New
Mexico, a Baltimore Oriole was near Encino 16
Sep (JO). Even more rare in the state, a Purple
Finch was at B.L.N.W.R. 9-12 Nov (GW, ph.
CR); 2 probable Purples were described from
Brushy Canyon, Peloncillo Mts. 7 Oct (CL). Red
Crossbills, prevalent in Jul, continued in evi-
dence in most major mountain ranges but in
diminished numbers. Continuing from late Jul,
up to 3 White-winged Crossbills, including
singing males, were at the Santa Fe ski area 4-20
Aug (WW, MS, JZ, J&KH, ph. WH), but no
breeding was documented; nearby, a pair was at
Hyde Memorial Park 20 Aug (J&KH), while to

the n. a singing male was at Williams L., Taos 19
Aug (BJ). A late Lesser Goldfinch nest at Maxwell
had 3 nestlings 24 Sep (DC); 3 fledglings were
being fed by ads. at Madrid 20 Oct (LS). Evening
Grosbeaks were restricted to the n. and included
20 at Taos 18 Aug (MS, JZ), where they favored
Russian Olives, and up to 80 at Raton 27 Sep
(DC).

Initialed Observers: Susan Allerton, William
Baltosser, William Calder, David Cleary, Steve &
Nancy Cox, Alan Craig, Joan Day-Martin, John
DeLong, Douglas Emkalns, Gordon Ewing,

Thede Tobish

2510 Foraker Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99517
(tgt@aiaska.net)

Autumn 2001 produced as distinct a season of
weather extremes and contrasts as we’ve wit-
nessed in over a decade. And given the number
of boldfaced rarities and reports of extralimital
species, it was also one of the Region’s most excit-
ing in recent memory. The season’s first half, well
into October, showed consistently above-average
temperatures. Even in the northerly latitudes,
balmy conditions were clearly responsible for a
protracted migration, for example at Gambell,
where Lehman didn’t see freezing conditions

Bernard Foy, Rebecca Gracey, Jim & Karen
Havlena, David Holdermann, William Howe,
Tyler Huning, Brian Johnson, Carroll Littlefield,
Larry Malone, David Mehlman, Patricia
Mehlhop, Raymond Meyer, Narca Moore-Craig,
Bruce Neville, Jerry Oldenettel, John E.
Parmeter, Christopher Rustay, Lawry Sager, Hart
Schwarz, Robert T. Scholes, Marcy Scott, Roland
S. Shook, Joyce Takamine, Brad Vaughn, Nick
Vaughn, Hira Walker, Gordon Warrick, Mark
Watson, Renee West, Steve West, William West, S.
O. Williams, James Zabriski, Barry Zimmer, Dale
Zimmerman, Marian Zimmerman.

until the last days of September. Although the
norm tends to be systematic cooling and snow
accumulations following a mid- to late October
freeze-up, this year’s freeze fell hard and fast after
very mild conditions dominated the Region. By
late October, near-record snows had covered
habitats and bodies of water that had barely
begun the typical transition into winter. This
turnaround happened within a week and was fol-
lowed by Arctic high pressure and unseasonably
cold conditions through the remainder of the
period. As could be expected, these extremes
focused birders and rarities in the late season and
produced a fair share of late dates of departure.

With continued coverage and later into the
season, the Bering Sea vagrant season becomes

Alaska

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

89

better known, with this year’s finds from both
continents expanding an already heady list of
casual birds. Similar expanded pelagic coverage
beyond the seabird breeding peak in the Western
Aleutians supplements reports of the past few
years, which has helped to fill gaps in our knowl-
edge of the offshore avifauna at this time. The
only shortcoming in Bering Sea fall coverage is
the lack of a field presence in the Pribilofs after
Labor Day. I have been heartened by the past
decade’s evolution of the documentation of rari-
ties and by the generally high-quality reporting
from all regular hotspots. Great strides have
been made since the 1980s in this regard, as
perusal of past autumn reports will show.

Abbreviations: A.B.O. (Alaska Bird

Observatory); North Gulf (North Gulf of
Alaska); S.E. (Southeast Alaska); S.C.
(Southcoastal Alaska); U.C.I. (Upper Cook Inlet);
Y.-K. Delta (Yukon-Kuskokwim R. Deltas);
Referenced detaOs, specimens, photographs, and
videotapes are on file at the University of Alaska
Museum. Italicized place names denote especial-
ly unusual locations for the noted species.

LOONS THROUGH RAILS

The Nome area produced the season’s only Arctic
Loons, with 3 ads. in Safety Sound 22 & 30 Aug
(vt. WINGS); a few are being found there regu-
larly in Aug. Local and rare from the S.E.
Mainland, where suitable habitat is limited, a
Common Loon family on MacDonald L. on the
Cleveland Pen. 23 Aug (SCH) represented a first
record from that section of s. S.E. About average
were single Pied-bOled Grebes from traditional
fall locations — at Sitka 6 Oct-2 Nov (MET,
MLW) and Ketchikan 18 Oct-19 Nov (SCH).

The season’s northernmost Western Grebes
reached well beyond standard sites, with singles
near Eagle Beach n. of Juneau 18 Nov (PS, GW)
and Skagway 23 Nov (fJJ, AR) — there are few
records n. of the greater Stikine R. delta. A late
Aug transect across the W. Aleutians confirmed
the increasing abundance of Laysan Albatross,
with a peak of 70 counted in Kiska Pass 25 Aug
(TT, LGB). Only one Short-tailed Albatross was
reported this fall, from the same cruise, feeding
with Red-legged Kittiwakes off Buldir 1. 25 Aug
(TT). Mottled Petrels were distinctly scarce in
the e. Bering Sea in late Aug, with the only con-
centrations located in >120 fathoms (>216 m)
about 8 km off the sw. side of Attu, with 31 tallied
between there and the International Dateline 26
Aug (TT, LGB). Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels con-
tinued a recent autumn trend and ventured
inshore and to unusual locations, their wander-
ings highlighted by an incredible estimated 360
up Lynn Canal off Vanderbilt Reef 6 Aug (AD),
another 10-30+ (maxima) at the Ketchikan

waterfront 27 Aug-22 Oct (SCH), 45 in West
Behm Canal 24 Oct (AWP), 2 birds into the
Bering Strait, where casual, at Gambell 6-7 & 18
Sep (SM, vt., fPEL, TJD), and a late-ish bird well
up Cook Inlet off Anchorage 7 Oct (TT, DWS)
also where casual. A single Leach’s Storm-Petrel
in the Ketchikan waterfront 10 Oct (SCH) was a
2nd local record and represents one of very few
inshore S.E. occurrences.

Given the mild first half of the season, water-
fowl highlights were predictably lacking and split
evenly between the W. Aleutians and S.E. While
Snow Goose departures were generally late, one
in Anchorage 9 Oct (RP, TT) was a local extreme,
and a group of 12 in Sitka 22 Nov (MET, MLW)
was nearly record. Casual in the W. Aleutians,
where there are sporadic fall and winter reports,
were 2 Brant at Shemya 7 Oct (CS, MS). A group
of 5 Wood Ducks appeared along Ketchikan Cr.
13 Nov (SCH) and remained in the area where a
few have appeared in the past few years. After
only two Alaska records through the mid-1980s.
Wood Duck is nearly annual somewhere in S.E.,
usually in fall/winter. Two Garganeys described
from Shemya 27-29 Sep (CS, MS) were the only
ones of the season. Eleven Hooded Mergansers
in the Juneau area 29 Oct-1 Nov+ (RJG) was this
season’s above-average peak count, although few
were reported elsewhere. A female Ruddy Duck
in Juneau 18 Oct (PS, BA et al.) fit the pattern of
casual fall/winter appearances for S.E. For what-
ever reason, perhaps because of the changeover
from mild conditions in late Sep, Ospreys were
more common and on the move in coastal areas
in late Sep, where they are often undetected.
Several were reported in Juneau, through 20 Sep
(BA, DM), at Kodiak 24 Sep (RAM, JBA), and in
the Ketchikan area 22 Sep-4 Oct (SCH). Two
Northern Goshawks were unusual beyond the
taiga into coastal tundra habitat e. and w. of
Nome 30 Aug (WINGS). Migrant falcons stirred
things up at Shemya into Oct, where observers
identified a Eurasian Kestrel 17-18 Oct (no
details), a juv. Eurasian Hobby 21 Sep-5 Oct (*),
and non-peali Peregrines in late Sep (CS, MS).
Both Eurasian Kestrel and Eurasian Hobby con-
tinue as casual migrants in the Region, mainly in
spring in the W. Aleutians-Bering Sea zone — the
hobby is the 2nd confirmed Aleutians fall record.
Although occasional pale Peregrines are reported
from the Aleutian-Commander Is., there are few
confirmed records of races other than resident
peali. Certainly near-record late for the n. Bering
Sea coast was a Peregrine inland on the cen.
Seward Pen. along the Noxapaga R. 16 Nov {fide
RM), fully a month later than the latest published
fall record.

Following summer sightings of lone males in
similar alpine habitats, a family group of Rock
Ptarmigan was located at 960 m near Mt. Reid,

Revillagigedo I. 4 Aug (KL, ]H,fitde SCH), the first
confirmation of breeding for that island. The
status of Rock Ptarmigan in S.E., especially away
from Mainland habitats and s. of the Stikine R.
watershed, remains poorly delineated.

PLOVERS THROUGH DOVES

Because of this fall’s extensive coverage, shore-
birds were well represented in the mix of rarities
and spread across the breadth of the Region’s
coastal hotspots. Aleutian-Bering Sea highlights
included: a one-day season peak of 181 Pacific
Golden-Plovers at Shemya 30 Sep (CS, MS) and a
very late count of 16 on freezing marshes at
Gambell 29 Sep (PEL); a total of 4 Mongolian
Plovers from Gambell 25 Aug-2 Sep (WINGS); a
single Common Greenshank, casual in fall, at
Shemya 21 Sep (CS, MS); extralimital single
Lesser Yellowlegs, possibly on their way to the
Palearctic, at Shemya 5-10 Sep (CS, MS) and St.
Paul 1. 17 Aug (WINGS); 2 Spotted Redshanks at
Shemya 26-27 Sep (CS, MS); 3 Red-necked Stints
at Gambell 23-28 Aug (WINGS) and 4 on St Paul
31 Aug (ST. PAUL); a Little Stint 17-19 Aug on St.
Paul 1. (WINGS; vt., tPEL); a Temminck’s Stint
30 Aug, with no details from St. Paul 1. (ST.
PAUL); a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at St. Paul 20
Aug (WINGS); a good maximum count of 16
Long-billed Dowitchers at St. Paul 31 Aug (ST.
PAUL); and incredible Bering Sea Red Phalarope
staging concentrations including a peak 40,000
birds off Gambell’s Northwest Cape 9 Sep (PEL).
With Lehman’s fall summaries from Gambell
over the past few years, it is clear that waters off
St. Lawrence I.’s nw. shores provide ideal staging
habitat for much of the Region’s Red Phalarope
population.

Notable shorebird reports elsewhere included
an unprecedented 6 Mongolian Plovers, includ-
ing ads. and juvs., in alpine habitat on Tern Mtn.
on the Y.-K. Delta Mainland 2-7 Sep (ph. FB, ph.
DR), where there are few records; a season high
and late i7 Killdeer in Juneau 1 1 Nov (m. ob.); a
very late Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Kodiak 23
Nov (RAM) and a late Long-billed Dowitcher at
Juneau 12 Nov (RJG); unusual inshore and very
late Red-necked Phalarope concentrations in the
Ketchikan area, with a maximum 3200 on 28 Aug
and 3 still there 18 Oct (SCH); and U.C.I.’s 3rd
and latest Red Phalarope at freeze-up in
Anchorage 21 Oct (TT).

As has become expected, wandering gulls
made big news, mainly from standard sites in the
s. half of the Region. Franklin’s Gulls made per-
haps their best-ever showing in the Region, with
a juv. at Juneau (4th local record) 19 Aug (PS,
GW, RJG), an ad. n. to Anchorage (3rd U.C.I.
record and first in fall) 1-11 Oct (DWS, DFD,
RLS, TT et al.), and up to 3 in Ketchikan, where
casual in fall, 13 Aug-12 Oct (ph. SCH). A Black-

90

North American Birds

New Mexico — Alaska

A Little Stint on St. Paul Island 17-19 August 2001
was a casual visitor to western Alaska and the Bering
Sea— in contrast to Red-necked Stint, which is seen
in small numbers annually here in spring and fall.

Note in this image the distinct dark spots forming
streaks within the (buff) wash on the sides of the
breast (in Red-necked, the streaks are weak, faint,
blurry, and dusky), the bold split supercilium, the pale
forehead, and the bill shape. Photograph from video-
tape by Paul E. Lehman.

headed Gull that hung around Gambell 26 Aug-4
Sep (vt. PEL) was one of few from the n. Bering
Sea and St. Lawrence I.’s first in fall. Ketchikan’s
4th Heerman’s Gull was a second-year bird near
town 28 Aug (fSCH, AWP). The Region’s first
was discovered in Ketchikan in Aug 1991 with
subsequent finds from Sitka. A molting second-
winter Black-tailed Gull was drawn into the
Kodiak gull hordes 27 Sep-2 Oct (ph. RAM), the
first for the archipelago and one of the latest of
few fall records. Of the scattered Ring-billed Gull
reports, significant were records of 9 in Ketchikan
28 Aug (SCH) and at least 2 in the Anchorage
area, where casual, 30 Aug- 13 Oct (DWS, RLS,
TT). California Gulls established a new high for
the Region, with 3500 counted around Ketchikan
28 Aug (SCH), while a second-winter bird in the
Kodiak area 30 Sep-30 Oct (ph. RAM) represents
one of the Region’s westernmost.

The status of various gulls in the Bering Sea in
the autumn has become better understood since
the start of recent birding coverage at Gambell at
this season. This year’s noteworthy Gambell
reports included several Nearctic smithsonianus
Herring Gulls late Aug-27 Sep (PEL, SM) and an
ad. Thayer’s Gull 15 Sep (fPEL, fTJD, ND), one
of few substantiated from the Bering Sea. North
Gulf Slaty-backed Gulls included an ad. in Juneau
14 Sep and 25-27 Oct (PS, NM) and up to 4 in
Kodiak 23 Sep- 15 Oct (RAM, JBA, JD). Heinl
included notes on a dark ad. Western Gull from
the Ketchikan harbor 21 Nov (fSCH), where
post-breeders have wandered occasionally since
the early 1990s. Up to 4 Ross’s Gulls turned up in
the Gambell surf after a cold front, almost record
early from 28 Sep- 10 Oct (vt. PEL, DC). Most

Ross’s Gulls move into winter areas of the w.
Bering Sea/North Pacific later in the season and
probably along the w. side of the Bering Strait.

With few fall data after Aug departures from
known staging sites, notable Caspian Tern
reports included one in Sitka 9-10 Sep (MET,
MLW), where casual, and singles in Ketchikan 3
& 22 Sep (AWP, SCH), a local first in fall. Staging
Arctic Terns at Kodiak in early Aug built to an
impressive 400+ on 10 Aug (RAM), certainly one
of the Region’s highest counts away from breed-
ing colonies. A few Arctics lingered to 19 Sep
(PEL), record late for Gambell. The season’s only
Mourning Dove was one in Sitka on the outer
S.E. coast 29 Nov (MET, MLW).

OWLS THROUGH THRUSHES

Snowy Owls staged a coastal push, with birds
detected at w. coast sites between Kotzebue,
Nome, Kodiak and as far s. as Juneau and
Ketchikan, where they are sporadic and rare, 30
Aug-7 Nov (m. ob.). More unusual were 2 in
Anchorage 17-22 Oct (PP, RLS) and 2+ around
Fairbanks and farther e. at Delta Junction, both
in late Oct (fide A.B.O.). At least 3 Common
Nighthawks were noted in Juneau 27 Aug-1 1 Sep
(GW et ah), the only report and the site of most
fall reports. One of the earliest of the Region’s
few fall reports, a Fork-tailed Swift hawked
insects along the coastal bluffs at Shemya 1 8 Aug
(CS, MS). Post-breeding Rufous Hummingbirds
wandered to extremes to the w., with 2 at L. Clark
9-13 Sep (fide SS), and n., with a single in Delta
Junction 12 Sep (fide A.B.O.].

Empidonax dominated the season’s flycatcher
highlights, including an unprecedented Least
Flycatcher, the Bering Sea’s first, skulking around
the Gambell middens 19 Sep (fPEL, ND, TJD),
and a “ Wester n-type” Flycatcher there 1-2 Sep
(fPEL, ND, EB, vt. fSM). The Western-type was
thought by the observers to be a Pacific-slope
Flycatcher and was, incredibly, St. Lawrence I.’s
2nd such record. Another Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher, the 6th, was netted and banded in
Fairbanks 1 1 Aug (A.B.O.). Most of the Region’s
dozen or so reports are scattered around the
Interior from early summer. Sky Lark was added
to the St. Lawrence I. fall list with a single in the
Gambell middens 24 Sep (fPEL, ND) — there are
about 6 records from spring there. A )uv. Purple
Martin, well described from Juneau 24 Sep (fMS
et ah), constitutes Alaska’s first fall record and fol-
lows summer observations from the same gener-
al area. After a half-dozen spring overshoot
Purple Martin reports from the 1970s, there have
been few since. A brave Tree Swallow wandered
across the Aleutians to Shemya 20 Sep (CS, MS).
Most of the few Aleutian reports are from farther
e. in the Chain (none w. of Buldir) from spring.
Farther ne. into the Bering Sea at St. Paul I. came

a convincing description of a Common House-
Martin 28-30 Aug (ST PAUL, fDL), a 3rd Pribilof
record and one of few for the Region in fall.
Earlier than most of the handful of S.E. winter
reports was a single Mountain Chickadee near
Juneau 14 Oct (GW).

Unusually late and northernmost of the few
fall Bering Sea records was a male Siberian
Rubythroat at Gambell 24 Sep (fPEL, ND).
Swainson’s Thrush was added to the diverse list of
Aleutian avifauna with a single found in the
Shemya thickets 10 Oct (CS, MS’*'). There are few
records w. of Mainland taiga breeding sites at the
base of the Alaska Pen. and only one other Bering
Sea island account. The season’s latest Hermit
Thrushes included singles at Anchorage 23 Oct
(RLS), U.C.I.’s latest ever, at Kodiak 3 Nov (RAM)
and Sitka 20 Nov (MET, MLW). Freeze-up typi-
cally pushes most Cathanis out of the Region by
late Oct, and until the late 1980s there were few
records past 1 Nov. First in fall for Gambell,
where there are a dozen spring reports, was a sin-
gle Hermit Thrush in the middens 13-15 Sep
(SM, ND, PEL). This season’s only fall report was
a single Eye-browed Thrush at Shemya 3 Oct (CSj
MS). An intriguing call and follow-up by A.B.O.
staff turned up a Brown Thrasher at a Fairbanks
feeder 28 Sep-26 Nov (EC ph., A.B.O. et ah), the
Region’s latest. All but two of the five previous
records have come from the Interior. Yet another
Siberian Accentor, still casual and most often
encountered in fall on Bering Sea islands, was
found the Gambell middens 21-26 Sep (vt.,
fPEL, ND, DC), where most of the state’s fall
reports have originated.

WARBLERS THROUGH FRINGILLIDS

As is typical in fall, warbler highlights were of
Bering Sea extralimitals and late departures. The
offshore warbler push documented in the
Gambell middens on St. Lawrence I. was remark-
able, with four warbler species discovered: an
imm. Tennessee Warbler, obviously a first in the
Bering Sea and W. Alaska, 22 Sep (vt., fPEL, ND);
2 Orange-crowned Warblers, one celata 13 Sep &
one lutescens 19 Sep (tPEL,ND, TJD, SM, EB), a
species casual away from S.C.; an imm. Yellow
Warbler 10 Sep (EB, fPEL, ND, vt. SM); and 26
Yellow-rumped Warblers 26 Aug (fPEL) and 17
Sep (vt., tPEL, ND, TJD). Warbler rarities of
note were a imm. male Magnolia from Juneau 29
Aug (tDT, TP), casual in fall for the Region in
S.E., a very rare Inferior American Redstart from
the Tok banding station 4 Sep (ph. ICWL), and
Alaska’s first and surprisingly late Black-throated
Blue Warbler from Juneau feeders 22 Nov-Dec
(DW, GW, SZ, ph. EC, ph. PS). The closest
known summer records to S.E. appear to be from
se. Saskatchewan, although there are a few fall
and winter reports from British Columbia. And

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

91

Alaska’s first Black-throated Blue Warbler was this
striking male at feeders around Tee Harbor, Juneau
from 22 November into December (here 1

December 2001); the nearest record is from south-
eastern Saskatchewan! Photograph by Ed Clark.

given the fair number of Pacific Coast fall records,
Black-throated Blue was anticipated in Alaska
someday. The season’s latest warblers lingered, as
usual, in S.E., with an Orange-crowned in
Ketchikan 13 Nov, 2 Yellow-rumpeds in Ketchikan
23 Nov, a single Common Yellowthroat near
Ketchikan 14 Oct (SCH), and one Wilson’s in
Juneau 12 Nov (PS, GW).

Sparrows were well represented in observers’
reports, at least until the Nov high pressure cold
settled in. Rare offshore in S.E. were single
Chipping Sparrows at Ketchikan 23-25 Oct (JFK,
ph. SCH) and Sitka 24 Nov (MET, MLW). The
Region’s first fall and 2nd ever migrant Brewer’s
Sparrow, an imm. showing some plumage sub-
tleties of taverneri, was attracted to Koerner’s
Ketchikan feeder 25-31 Oct (JFK, ph., tSCH,
AWP). The species is known in Alaska only from
limited treeline willow habitats localized on the n.
flank of the Nutzotin Mts. in the e. Interior near
the Canadian border; a spring bird from Hyder is
the only prior record away from there. Rare
Bering Sea sparrows included a zaboria Fox
Sparrow from Gambell 22-25 Sep (vt. PEL, ND)
and a Lincoln’s there 26 Sep (vt. PEL, ND), a 2nd
for St. Lawrence 1. Seward always attracts interest-
ing late fall sparrows and this year produced yet
another White-throated 24 Nov and a less com-
mon Harris’s the same day in a different junco
flock (NS, RLS, TT). S.E. White-throateds were
above the usual one to 2, with 2 in Juneau 15-24
Oct (PS, LD) and at least 5 in Ketchikan 1 Oct-30
Nov+ (JFK, SCH, AWP). One of GambelJ’s big
highlights was what was probably a single Little
Bunting in the middens 19-24 Sep (fPEL, ND).
All but one of the Region’s half dozen reports are
from the Bering Sea, mainly from Gambell, in Sep.
A clean winter ad. McKay’s Bunting at Gambell 22
Sep (ND, vt. PEL) provided one of few migrant or
dispersal dates to w. coast wintering areas.

Macintosh submitted excellent documenta-
tion of an imm. Black-headed Grosbeak that
spent 27-28 Oct feeding in Riibus thickets in his
Kodiak yard (ph., tRAM). This is the latest of the
three fall Alaska records, the first of which was in
mid-Sep from Middleton J. (e. of Kodiak in the
North Gulf). Bramblings were scarce, especially
given the Bering Sea coverage, with a few at
Shemya 9 Sep-13 Oct (CS, MS), one in Juneau
19-22 Oct (PS, BA, GW), and at least 4 from
Gambell middens 17-26 Sep (TJD, vt. PEL, ND).
The only significant finch reports included an at-
sea male Red Crossbill from St. Paul 1. 19-23 Aug
(vt., tPEL; ST PAUL), about the 5th for the
Pribilofs, a rare St. Lawrence 1. record of Pine
Siskin at Gambell 26 Sep (ph. DC), and a very
rare W. Aleutian Pine Siskin from Shemya 8 Oct
(CS, MSN.

Contributors and observers: A.B.O. (N. DeWitt
et al.), B. Agler, C. Allen, J. B. Allen, R. Armstrong,
L. G. Balch, E. Banstorp, K. J. Bardon, P. Bartley,

Donald G. Cecile

7995 Wilson-Jackson Road
Vernon, British Columbia VI B 3N5
(dcecile@sd22.bc.ca)

A. M. Benson, M. Bowman, K. D. Brady, F.
Broerman, E. Clark, R. Clarke, D. Cunningham, J.
Dearborn, L. DeCicco, D. F. Delap, A. DeMartini,

L. Devaney, N. Dobbs, T. J. Doyle, R. M. Fowler, B.
P. Gibbons, D. D. Gibson, R. E. Gill, R. J. Gordon,
T. Goutier, H. Griese, J. Haddix, S. C. Heinl, R. 8c
Z. Hogan, J. Jantunen, R. S. Kaler, J. F. Koerner, K.
Larson, K. W. Larson, Paul E. Lehman, R. A.
Macintosh, D. MacPhail, R. Meyers, B.
Micklejohn, S. Mlodinow, L. J. Oakley, B. Paige, T.
Peterson, R. Pintner, A. W. Piston, P. Pourchot, D.
Ruthrauff, C. L. Ross, A. Rousseau, D. Rudis, K.
Russell, S. Savage, R. L. Scher, M. A. Schultz, W.
Schuster, M. Schwan, C. 8c M. Schwitters, N.
Senner, S. Senner, D. Shaw, D. W. Sonneborn, J. 8c

M. Stab, ST PAUL TOURS (E. Hynes, D. Lovitch,
R. Namitz), P. Suchanek, A. Swingley, M. E. Tedin,
L. Tibbitts, T. Tobish, P. Tomkovitch, D. Trochlell,
D. M. Troy, R. Uhl, G. Van Vliet, V. Wallace, M. L.
Ward, WINGS (RE. Lehman, J. Hough et al.), D.
Wood, M. A. Wood, M. York, T. P. Zadina, S.
Zimmerman.

Late, late, late are three words that best
describe the fall migration in the Region.
The weather remained unusually mild right up
until the first winter cold snap (in the last week
of November), and snowpacks were naturally
minimal until the cold weather hit. By the end

British

Columbia-Yukon

92

North American Birds

Alaska — British Columbia-Yukon

Table 1. Summary of local and area record-fate sightings

Species

Date

Location

Observer(s)

Eared Grebe

24-25 Oct

Fort Nelson

MGS

Gadwall (8 birds)

25 Oct

Fort Nelson

MGS

Harlan’s Hawk

26 Oct

Fort Nelson

MGS

Sandhill Crane

22 Nov

Vanderhoof

RR

Semipalmated Plover

11-22 Oct

Whse.

CE, HG

Baird’s Sandpiper

4-18 Oct

Whse.

CE, HG

Spotted Sandpiper

8 Oct

Whse.

CE, PS

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

14-23 Oct

Whse.

CE, HG

16-24 Nov

Iona S.T.P.

m. ob.

Sabine’s Gull

6-28 Oct

Kelowna

SK, LL

Black Swift

22 Nov

Vancouver

CG(t)

Vaux’s Swift

21 Nov

Nanaimo

GLM (t)

Hammond’s Flycatcher

6 Oct

Lake Laberge, Yukon

CE

Barn Swallow

16-17 Nov

Eaglet L, P.G.

SK, LL, CA

American Pipit

20 Nov

P.G.

NK

Philadelphia Vireo

5 Nov

Eaglet L, P.G.

SK, LL (t: *)

Black-throated Green Warbler

16 Nov

P.G.

MAi (t;* )

Townsend’s Warbler

20 Oct

Whse.

CE

* = first local record

of the period, it became obvious that quite a
few birds were lingering north longer than
usual, yielding some surprisingly late sightings
(Table 1). There were three additions to the
provincial checklist: Whip-poor-will, Fork-
tailed Flycatcher, and Prothonotary Warbler.
A longer version of the present report is avail-
able from the Regional Editor by email.

Abbreviations: Chichester (Chichester Bird
Sanctuary, Kelowna), C.I.P. (Cottonwood I.
Park, P. G.); F.S.R. (Forest Service Road);
N.R.P.S. (Northern Raptor Preservation
Society, P.G.); O.M.P (Okanagan Mountain
Park, Kelowna); O.W.L. (Orphaned Wild Life,
P.G.); P.G. (Prince George); Q.C.I. (Queen
Charlotte Islands); R.P.B.O (Rocky Point Bird
Observatory s. Vancouver I.); Whse.
(Whitehorse, Yukon).

L00I\1S THROUGH HER0I\IS

Single Yellow-billed Loons, rare in the Region,
were in White Rock 4-18 Nov (JL, RTo, MiM,
JO), Schwatka L. in Whse. 17 Oct-5 Nov (CE,
HG), Lewes Marsh, Yukon 20 Nov (JukJ),
Union Pt. 29 Oct- 18 Nov (GLM), O.M.P. 6 Oct
(the only ad.; HV,TF), and near Little R. on the
e. coast of Vancouver 1. 29 Oct-18 Nov (NH).
Rare in inside waters, a Fork-tailed Storm-
Petrel was seen from the Tsawwassen ferry 7
Sep (MTo, KeK, KrK). Eared Grebes very rarely
wander as far as the w. coast of Vancouver L;
one seen from Stubbs L, near Tofino 17 Sep
(AD) furnished the 3rd local record. Western
Grebe, in decline in the Region, made a poor
showing in the interior, with only 47 birds on
Eaglet L. 26 Sep-24 Oct (LL, SK). There were
no notable concentrations in the s. interior
where, in the recent past, thousands could be
counted. Singles were good finds at L. Laberge,
Yukon 26 Sep (BD, HG) and Swan L., Peace R.
31 Oct (MP).

Rare along the s. coast, a single American
White Pelican was seen 12 Nov at the N.
Vancouver Sea Bus Station (AB). A Brown
Pelican in the water channel at Vancouver’s
Planetarium was a comical sight 23 Oct (JI,
RTo, MTo, MiM, ph.). A pelagic trip off Tofino
20 Aug produced more than 100 Pink-footed
Shearwaters, the most common shearwater
>30 km offshore (AD). Rarely seen from shore,
a Leach’s Storm-Petrel was at Stubbs 1. and
Tofino Harbour 15 Sep (AD). A high count of
73 Great Blue Herons 6 Aug (AD) at Tofino
was heartening inasmuch as the coastal sub-
species is considered threatened. Single Great
Blue Herons, rare in the Yukon, were seen at
the confluence of the Little and Big Rancheria
Rivers 28 Aug (KR, MR) and 55 km w. of
Watson L. 2 Sep (TMK). In the Peace R. area.

2 were at the Dawson Cr. airport 17 Aug ()F)
and singles at Dawson Cr. 30 Aug (JF) and
Pouce Coupe R. 22 Oct (PB).

Following their good showing this summer.
Great Egrets staged an unprecedented invasion
into the province. Fifteen years ago, there were
no interior autumn records; this year, at least

17 materialized, mostly on Vancouver 1. The
most notable were singles at Tofino 27 Aug-4
Sep (AD, MC) and Nanaimo R. Estuary 6-30
Sep (GLM). Cattle Egrets likewise made their
best showing since the fall of 1992, with at least
32 birds reported, mostly singles scattered
across the s. half of the province, the first being
at Giscome 19 Aug (MA). The peak count was
at Kelowna — up to 8 birds present 12-21 Nov
(CC, m. ob.) — while a late one was in McBride

18 Nov (ES, EG). There are only a handful of
interior records of Green Heron, and none
after Aug, so the imm. bird found on Scout L,
Williams L. was astounding 12-27 Oct (KA,
PR, AR).

WATERFOWL THROUGH FALCONS

A hybrid Greater White-fronted x Canada
Goose was at Salmon Arm 18 Nov (DGC). A
presumed hrota Brant of the Pacific form
(Gray-bellied Brant) was present in Kamloops
6-12 Nov (RH, SR, WW). The world popula-
tion of this form stands at just 7000, and
almost all birds winter in Skagit County,
Washington, though small numbers find their
way to British Columbia’s lower mainland (FC,

pers. comm.). Canada Geese were noted to be
very late in the Peace R. area 17 Nov (MP).
Waterfowl numbers at the Whse. lagoons were
dominated by American Wigeon (up to 2500
in Sep) and Northern Shoveler (up to 1000 in
Aug; CE, HG). An albino Northern Shoveler
was a striking sight at the Whse. lagoons 23
Aug (BD, CE, HG). Noteworthy Gadwall
observations from the Whse. sewage lagoons
included an ad. female with one small duckling

9 Aug (CE; the 2nd confirmed breeding record
for the Yukon and the first for Whse.), an ad.
female with 7 young 1 Sep (CE), and a record
count of 44 on 18 Oct (CE, HG). Casual on the
Region’s coast, an ad. male Smew was offshore
from the Little R. ferry terminal n. of Comox,
Vancouver 1. 15 Nov (PiG), the first report in

10 years and the province’s 7th record if
accepted.

A juv. Osprey was late at Inkaneep P.P. 20
Oct (DGC). A leucistic Cooper’s Hawk was at
R.P.B.O. 8 Sep (DA). The pair of Swainson’s
Hawks suspected of nesting at Rolla was last
seen 26 Aug (MP, JF). Another Swainson’s fol-
lowed a hay tractor near Fort St. James during
the first two weeks of Aug (RR), and 2 dark-
morph birds were near Dawson 8 Sep (GB,
MBr). The migration route of Golden Eagles
along the Canadian section of the Rockies has
become well known since its discovery a
decade ago. At Pine Pass, 316 were counted 1-
3 Oct (SK, LL). Only 6 Peregrine Falcons were
reported away from the coast this season.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

93

This juvenile Hudsonian Godwit was found on 7
September 2001 by Chris Charlesworth at
Salmon Arm, British Columbia. It provided a first
local record for the species, which is a casual
visitor to the southern interior of the province.
Photograph by Donald G. Cecile.

SHOREBIRDS

Regular checks of the Whse. sewage lagoons
turned up a remarkable 26 shorebird species.
Highlights here included this season’s only
reported Black-bellied Plover 28 Sep (HG) in
the Yukon; the Yukon’s first fall records of
Pacific Golden-Plover (all juv.), a single 2 Sep
(HG), 2 on 7-8 Sep (CE), and 3 on 12 Sep (CE);
and s. Yukon’s first fall record of Red Knot, a juv.
22-24 Aug (TL; HG, YBC; GE). A very late
Killdeer was feeding between ice patches on the
Yukon R. in Whse. 27 Oct (CE). Single juv.
Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were at the Whse.
lagoons 1 (CE; BD, HG) & 7-8 Sep (CE). An
incredible 23 shorebird species were at Sandspit
Airport, Q.C.I. 3 Sep (MH, PH), among them: 3
American and 9 Pacific Golden-Plovers, 3
Marbled Godwits, one Sharp-tailed, one Buff-
breasted, 2 Upland, and 123 Pectoral
Sandpipers (highest tally for the islands), and
the islands’ 4th Ruff followed by the 5th, a juv. 8
Oct (CCu, MH, GH, PH). A concerted effort to
find golden-plovers in Tofino yielded up to 15
fulva, 2 dominica, and 7 unidentified birds (AD
et al.). Pacific Golden- Plovers peaked with 7 at
the Long Beach Airport 26 Oct (AD); an early
but unidentified golden-plover was at Tofino 3
Aug (PY).

A late Greater Yellowlegs was at Salmon Arm
10 Nov (DGC). A pair of Upland Sandpipers
was located at Tranquille Pond, Kamloops 15
Sep (fLoR), and a single was at Boundary Bay
9-10 Aug (LJ et al.}. A juv. Hudsonian Godwit
was at Salmon Arm 7-22 Sep (CC, DG, ph.), a
first local record. A juv. Bar-tailed Godwit tan-
talized birders when it was found just s. of the
border in Blaine, WA, but it crossed the border

25 Sep (RS), where it was seen at Peace Arch
Beach Park. A juv. Surfbird, the first ever
recorded in the British Columbia interior, was
at Salmon Arm 7-8 Sep (CC, DGC, ph.) along
with 17 other shorebird species. An amazing
tally of 10,360 Sanderlings — more than double
the Region’s highest count ever and a very high
count for the Pacific coast anywhere — was
made between Tow Hill and Rose Spit, Q.C.I. A
basic-plumaged ad. White-rumped Sandpiper
was found at Iona I. 22 Sep (DP, RTo, MTo et
al.), one of only a handful of records there. A
juv. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was at Tofino
Airport 24 Oct (AD), and 2 juvs. furnished a
first local record in Salmon Arm 7-8 Sep (CC,
DGC, ph.). Single Buff-breasted Sandpipers
were at Drummond L., Riske Cr. 1 1 Aug
(CKo) — the only previous Cariboo sighting was
from this same lake — and Tofino 5 Aug (PY,
MBe). A juv. Ruff was reported from Boundary
Bay 4 Aug (Vancouver RBA). A fallout of
Common Snipe occurred 26 Oct, when 133
were flushed at the Long Beach Airport (AD).

JAEGERS THROUGH NIGHTJARS

A Parasitic Jaeger was very late at Iona’s s. Jetty
4 Nov (RTo, MiM). Franklin’s Gulls are very
rare along the s. coast. Two first-basic birds
were very late in Mission 17 Nov (TM), while a
series of juvs. was seen at Williams L.: one there
25 Aug, 5 there 29 Aug, and one 24 Sep (PR,
SH). The only s. interior sightings were of a
molting juv. in Vernon 29 Sep (DGC) and a
single at Burton, Kootenays 16 Sep (GD). Very
rare along the s. coast, an ad. Little Gull was at
Nile Cr. 27 Oct (NH, JF, AM). Mew Gulls are
more often seen in spring in the cen. interior,
but an ad. was off C.J.P. 31 Oct (LL). Single juv.
California Gulls were noted at the Whse. land-
fill 17 & 30 Aug (CE). An Iceland Gull was
present in Vernon 10-24 Nov (DGC ph.). An
ad. Black-legged Kittiwake seen 60 km nw. of
Herschel I. 13 Sep (BMT) provided a rare
Yukon record. R.P.B.O had a Black-legged
Kittiwake 12 Aug (DA), the first Aug record for
the Victoria checklist area. The best Sabine’s
Gull show in the interior since 1996 involved
20 birds, with at least 5 at Williams L. 25 Aug-
19 Sep, while Eaglet L. in the P.G. area was vis-
ited by a juv. 2 Sep (SK, NK, LL), MacDonald
Cr. ( 1 5 km s. of Nakusp on Arrow L. ) hosted an
imm. 23 Sep. (GD), and Penticton had a single
bird 3 Oct (LN). Three others were off O.M.P.
6-28 Oct (HV, CC, m. ob.).

A juv Common Tern at Rose Spit, Q.C.I. 10
Aug provided a first record for the islands
(MH, ph.; BH, PH). Arctic Terns, rarely seen
from shore, turned up at Dixon Entrance off
Masset, Q.C.I 27 Aug ( 1 1 birds; PH, BOH) and
on Long Beach 16 Sep (one bird; RTo, ph.). A

Black Tern at Clover Pt., Victoria 17 Sep (DA)
was a very good find. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo
was a remarkable find in Bella Coola 18 Aug
(CKo) — one of only a handful of modern
records for the Region.

The young Northern Hawk Owl found near
Chief L. in Jun and rehabilitated at O.W.L. in
Delta was returned to P.G. and released 6 Sep
(NRPS et ah). Two were seen near Fort Nelson
19 Oct (TTr, JH), one was near the w. end of
Pine Pass 19 Nov (JBo), and one at
Springhouse, Williams L. 11 Aug (JuJe). A
remarkable 8 hawk owls were tallied in the
vicinity of Whse. through Nov (m. ob.). Unlike
last year, the taiga population of this species
stayed north. Providing a first provincial
record was a decomposing 'Whip-poor-will
found at Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet 5 Nov
(BMc). The wings and tail were salvaged and
sent for possible subspecific identification 14
Nov (AD).

HUMMINGBIRDS THROUGH PIPITS

A very rare visitor to the cen. interior, an
Anna’s Hummingbird was in Smithers 20 Nov
iftde BMa). A female-type Rufous
Hummingbird was an exciting find in Whse.-
Riverdale 17-18 Sep (MBo, KM). Calliope
Hummingbirds are very rare on Vancouver 1.
and are unheard of in the fall, thus the juv. at
Englishman R. Estuary, Parksville 8 Sep
(tGLM) was exceptional. One of the most elu-
sive birds in the province, a White-headed
Woodpecker was discovered foraging in the
Ponderosa Pine woods e. of Oliver, s.
Okanagan 8 Aug (DTy). By 12 Sep, a male and
2 females were found and videotaped near this
same location (GT, TTe et ah). On 20 Oct, a
female was seen and a 2nd bird was heard
nearby (DGC).

A late active nest of Gray Flycatcher was
noted 4 Aug near Oliver, s. Okanagan (TF, JV).
An Ash-throated Flycatcher was discovered at
Beach Grove Park in Tsawwassen 13 Oct (m.
ob.) and remained for several days. Tropical
Kingbirds were back this year, with the first
sighting near Ucluelet 14-15 Oct (fBSl).
Tofino, the Tropical Kingbird Capital of
Canada, had singles in town 16 Oct (AD), at
Chesterman Beach 18-19 Oct (AD), and again
in town 21 Oct (AD). The latest report was of
2 on 27 Oct at Carmannah Pt. on the w. coast
of Vancouver 1. (Victoria RBA). A provincial
first, an ad. Fork-tailed Flycatcher was found
by a visiting birder in Penticton, s. Okanagan 8
Sep (tBL). Continuing the late theme this sea-
son was a Violet-green Swallow at Kokanee Cr.
Park 30 Oct (RW) and a Cliff Swallow at Alkali
L. 21 Oct (SH,PR).

There was not a large movement of Steller’s

94

North American Birds

British Columbia-Yukon

This photograph of one of two juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at Salmon Arm, British Columbia was
taken 7 September 2001 ; Sharp-tailed is a rare visitor to the interior of the province. Photograph by
Donald G. Cecile.

and Blue Jays this fall. Notable sightings of
Blue Jays included singles at Fort St. James 1
Oct-10 Nov (PGa), Quesnel 19-21 Oct (AP),
P.G. 22 Oct (LL), Willowbrook, sw. Okanagan
Falls 20 Oct [fide DCa), Lavington 19 Nov-l-
(PaMc), Wynndel 2 Oct (MAB), Kaslo 8 Oct-4
Nov (DRi), Robson 17 Oct-6 Nov (EB), North
Saanich 27-28 Oct (Victoria RBA), and Comox
18 Oct-27 Nov {fide NH), with 2 present on
the latter date. Mountain Bluebirds, rare on the
w. coast of Vancouver I., were at Tofino airport
25 Nov (4 birds; RP). Almost an annual event,
a Red-throated Pipit was found in the cen.
Saanich bulb fields on Vancouver I., the 5th
record at this site, 17 Oct (KT).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

Tennessee Warblers are very rare in the s. inte-
rior, yet 2 singles were found: at Chichester 20-
24 Sep (CC) and in Rutland, a neighborhood
of Kelowna, 9 Oct (window-kill; CC). A late
Nashville Warbler was at Williams L. 18 Oct
(PR). Oct sightings of Yellow Warblers in
Tofino, almost an annual event, came 16 & 31
Oct (AD). A late Yellow-rumped Warbler was
eating soapberries at Shadow L., near
Whitehorse 29-31 Oct (DRu, SR). An
Audubon’s Warbler provided a rare fall record
at Marsh L. 8 Nov (JukJ). On the 15 Sep
pelagic trip out of Ucluelet, a remarkable
Blackpoll Warbler followed the boat to shore
through the dense fog, all the while remaining
airborne and avoiding swooping California
Gulls (RTo, JF, m. ob.). Remarkably, another
imm. Blackpoll was discovered in Beachgrove,
Tsawwassen 9 Sep (RFox, JF, RTo et ah).
Only rarely seen in the cen. interior, a

Black-and-white Warbler was along the
Bowron F.S.R. 28 Aug (LL, SK). The highlight
from the Columbia R.-Revelstoke Migration
Monitoring Station was undoubtedly the
Connecticut Warbler banded 12 Sep (JaJ, ph).
Measurements taken indicate it was a hatch-
year female. Mourning Warblers are rarely
encountered away from the ne. corner of the
province, so the ad female banded in
Mackenzie 8 Aug (JJ, AR et al.) was a good find.
Single Wilson’s Warblers were very late in P.G.
7 & 20 Nov (LW, CKe). New for the provincial
checklist was a window-killed male
Prothonotary Warbler in downtown Victoria
16 Nov (SF).

Very rare in the s. Okanagan, a female Rose-
breasted Grosbeak was at Chichester 23 Aug
(CC, tRyT). A late Lincoln’s Sparrow appeared
at a downtown Whse. feeder 27 Oct and
remained through Nov but apparently suc-
cumbed to the cold shortly thereafter (HG).
Harris’s Sparrows only rarely appear on the w.
coast of Vancouver 1. One individual was pres-
ent 30 Nov-2 Dec ( JW, AD) and possibly a dif-
ferent individual spent 14-16 Nov in Ucluelet
(BSl). A female Rusty Blackbird was a rare
sight in Nanaimo, on the e. side of Vancouver
L, 28 Nov (GLM). The male Great-tailed
Grackle first noted in May 2000 continues to
be found near fast food outlets in Kelowna,
cen. Okanagan. Common Crackles are casual
to very rare away from the ne. corner of the
province: a single in Nakusp 15 Sep (GD) pro-
vided a rare Kootenay record and a single in
Port Clements, Q.C.I. 12-23 Nov (ALo, BL,
PH) furnished a first record for this archipela-
go.

Common Redpolls began appearing in late
Oct in small flocks in the s. interior and else-
where; no huge flocks were seen in the cen.
interior. The fall of 2000 produced much larg-
er numbers in the interior, but the birds were
more widespread in 2001, with small numbers
showing up throughout the lower mainland
and Vancouver I., where they are rarely found.
Some flocks in the lower mainland were even
larger than those reported from the s. interior.
A few of the many significant sightings includ-
ed 60 at Five Mile L. near Mayo 5 Aug (PS), 5
near Qualicum Bay, and a single at Deep Bay
19 Nov (GLM).

Contributors (subregional editors in bold-
face): Marika Ainley, David Allinson
(R.P.B.O.), Kris Andrews, Cathy Antoniazzi,
Mary Antoniazzi, Steve Bailley, Colin Bartlett,
Marc-Andre Beaucher, Ure Becker, Phyllis
Bedell, Mary Bewick, Malcolm Boothroyd,
Jack Bowling (Prince George), A. Broomhall,
Greg Brunner, Marlen Brunner, Dick
Cannings, Chris Charlesworth (Kelowna),
Fred Cooke, Michael Curns, Carolyn Curtis,
Gary Davidson (Kootenays), Boris
Dobrowolsky, Adrian Dorst (Tofino-
Ucluelet), Cameron Eckert (Yukon), Jamie
Fenneman, Robert Ford, Shane Ford, Trevor
Forder, Roger Foxall, Lloyd Freese, Paul
Gardner, Calvin Gehlen (Vancouver), Phil
Gehlen, Pierre Geoffray, Elaine Gillette,
Helmut Griinberg (Yukon), Ben Hamel, Peter
Hamel (Queen Charlotte Islands), Todd
Heakes, Margo Hearne, Nathan Hentze, Jared
Hobbs, George Holland, Steve Howard, Rick
Howie, Janice Jarvis, Jukka Jantunen, Judy
Jenkins, Colleen Kelly, Sandra Kinsey, Ken
Klimko, Kris Klimko, Cathy Koot, Nancy
Krueger, David W. Lambie, John Lambie, Vi
Lambie, Benoit Lantegne, Laird Law, Adelia
Lowrey, Bryan Lowrey, Jim Luke, Jo Ann
MacKenzie, Ken Madsen, Brenda Mallory,
Hylda Mayfield, Peter, Mayfield, Pat
McAllister, Murray McDonald, Mitch
Meredith, Guy L. Monty, Trench Moore, Art
Morgan, Ted Murphy- Kelly, Laure Neish, Brian
O’Hara, Jason Osterhold, Anna Paisley, Dan
Petersen, Mark Phinney (Peace River), Phil
Ranson (Cariboo-Chilcotin), Randy Rawluk,
Kerry Reese, Melanie Reese, Louise Rice, Dirk
Rinehart, Anna Roberts, Laurie Rockwell,
Amelie Rousseau, Don Russell, Sharon Russell,
Michael G. Shepard, Pam Sinclair, Kent
Sinnott, Brian Slater, Renie Smith, Elsie
Stanley, Keith Taylor, Greg Tellier, Terry Tellier,
John Todd, Ryan Tomlinson, Mike Toochin,
Rick Toochin, Tania Tripp, Danny Tyson, Hank
Vanderpol, John Vooys, Rita Wege, Lois
Withers, Paul Yorke. /)

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

95

Oregon-Washington

San Juan Is. ^Y?Bellingham

Finery ^4

^Port Angeles

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i Samish Flats
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V Brookirigs

• Fields

Steven MIodinow

4819 Gardner Avenue
Everett, Washington 98203
(SGIVlIodOaol.com)

Alan Contreras

795 E. 29th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97405
(acontrer@mindspring.com)

Bill Tweit

RO. 60x 1271

Olympia, Washington 98507-1271
(Sebnabgill@aol.com)

The Region had another fabulous and fun fall,
with rarities, range expansions, and irruptions,
but two stories vie for top billing: Warblers and
Seabirds. The Region had 26 species of warblers
this fall, perhaps not that impressive to our
friends in California, but almost certainly
unprecedented in the Pacific Northwest. Most
appeared in southeastern Oregon, and perhaps
increased effort there partly explains this fall’s
bonanza. Perhaps even more astounding are the
data from a N.O.A.A. Southwest Fisheries Science
Center cruise (under the auspices of Dr. L.
Ballance) that passed through Washington and

Oregon several times, spending seven days during
August, ten days during September, five days dur-
ing October, and two days during November in
our waters. Xantus’s Murrelets have been
rumored to spend the nonbreeding season well
off our shores, and this fall’s cruises certainly sup-
ported that hypothesis — but which Xantus’s sub-
species predominates?

Beyond the above headlines, there was still
much to cheer about. There were 34 records of 28
species that warranted boldface type, including
two first Regional records, six second state
records, and three third state records. The most
amazing of the lot was the first Eurasian Hobby
record for the contiguous United States.

Regarding the weather, it was a tale of two falls.
The first half of the fall was warm and quite dry,
especially away from w. Washington. The latter
half was very wet, especially in November, and
temperatures generally remained moderate.

Abbreviations: F.R.R. (Fern Ridge Reservoir,
Lane); Malheur (Malheur N.W.R., Harney.);
N.S.C.B. (N. Spit Coos Bay, Coos); O. S. (Ocean
Shores, Grays Harbor); P.N.P. (Pt. No Pt., Kitsap);
Ridgefield (Ridgefield N.W.R., Clark.); Y.R.D.
(Yakima R. delta, Benton, WA). “Eastside” and
“westside” indicate the eastern and western slopes
of the Cascade crest, respectively.

LOONS THROUGH GROUSE

Peak loon counts from seawatches in Lincoln
included 3000 Red-throateds 25 Nov, 23,000
Pacifies 16 Nov, and 1000 Commons 9 Nov (PP).
Single Red-throateds at Wenatchee, Chelan 29
Nov (DB) and Wickiup Res., Deschutes 18 Sep
(KO) were on the eastside, where very rare. Seven
westside Yellow-billed Loons, from 17 Oct
onward, was a bit above average. A concentration
of 600 Red-necked Grebes at Marrowstone Point,
}ejferson 20 Oct may have set a Regional record (S.
MacKay), while a gathering of 67 Eared Grebes at
Utsalady Bay, Island 10 Nov provided a new high
count for w. Washington (SM). Thirteen westside
Clark’s Grebes, from 23 Sep onwards, was about
average.

Oregon’s 2nd and the Region’s 4th Shy
Albatross was at Perpetua Bank 7 Oct (TS); pre-
vious records were all Sep-Jan. The NOAA
researchers found 10 Laysan Albatrosses off the
Oregon coast between 24 Oct and 2 Nov (MF).
Only 3 were found on regular pelagic trips: one
on Perpetua Bank, Lincoln 6 Oct and 2 there 7 Oct
(TS). Northern Fulmar numbers were moderate-
ly low, with generally fewer than 200 per trip
except in the 2nd half of Aug, when counts ranged
up to 1000. Fulmar are rare away from the outer
coast, so one near Sequim, Clallam 13 Oct was
noteworthy (SM, DD). NOAA researchers
encountered 12 Mottled Petrels off Oregon,
including 6 birds 37-55 km off Tillamook 1 Nov,
3 birds about 276 km off Cape Arago, Coos 2 Nov,
two birds about 368 km off Cape Blanco, Curry 20
Oct, and a single 309 km w. of the Chetco R.
mouth, Curry 24 Oct (MF, C. Oedekoven); there
were only about 12 previous Regional records of
live birds, all Nov-Apr. A Dark-rumped Petrel
was 423 km off Pt. St. George 10 Sep (RRw, MF);
this bird would just have been within Oregon if
the boundary was extended that far to sea. There
is one previous Regional record: a bird found 497
km off Cape Arago, Coos 19 Oct 1986 (Pyle et al.
1993, in Western Birds), but to the south, approx-
imately 13 have been recorded in California,
spanning late Apr to late Aug. Pink-footed
Shearwater numbers were excellent, averaging 440
per trip, with a large peak of 2536 off Westport 22
Sep (BT). Only 16 Flesh-footed Shearwaters were
found, a poor total for the amount of effort.
Buller’s Shearwater numbers were unimpressive,
averaging 33 per trip and peaking at only 190 off
Westport 22 Sep (BT). Sooty Shearwater numbers
continued to improve: both the average of 3000
per trip and the peak of 10,000 off Westport 22

96

North American Biros

Oregon — Washington

This nominate Xantus’s Murreiet landed on a research vessel about 29 km off Cape Blanco, Oregon, on 20 October 2001. N.O.A.A. researchers encountered
unprecedented numbers of Xantus’s Murrelets off the Oregon and Washington coasts this fall; most were of the nominate race. Photographs by Michael P. Force.

Sep (BT) were increases over the recent past. The
onshore peak count of 250,000 off Clatsop Spit 5
Sep (MP) was phenomenal for recent years. A
respectable total of 56 Short-tailed Shearwaters
was reported from pelagic trips, primarily from
late Sep onward. Manx Shearwaters were off
Westport 4 Aug (BLa) and at O. S. 10-16 Aug
(tPtS, BSh); almost all records have been Apr-
Oct. A well-described Black-vented Shearwater
seen from Boiler Bay 1 1 Nov would represent the
2nd or 3rd Oregon record if accepted (fPP). A
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel off Westport 6 Sep provid-
ed Washington’s 2nd record (fRTS, fBLa); the
first was also off Westport on 23 Jul 1984 (Tweit
and Paulson 1994, in Washington Birds).

Brandt’s Cormorant movements peaked at
3300 at Boiler Bay 28 Sep (PP). Some impressive
concentrations of American White Pelicans
remained in the westside’s interior after last sum-
mer’s irruption, including 102 lingering through
Aug and Sep in the Portland/Ridgefield area {D.
Mandell, HN) and 98 at Hyatt L., Jackson 26 Aug
(P. Trail); the only reports from the outer coast
were of 5 at Tillamook 9 Sep (JG) and one at O. S.
5 Oct (K. Wolgemuth). Brown Pelicans arrived
late but in numbers, with large concentrations
remaining much later than normal, including 610
at Coos Bay 20 Nov (SM). A few, as has become
the norm, wandered into the Puget Sound area,
totalling 6 birds 23 Sep-3 Nov. Another Brown
Pelican near McMinnville, Yamhill 30 Oct provid-
ed a very rare interior westside record (fide T.
Love). A tally of 127 Great Egrets at Ridgefield 13
Sep may well be the highest ever for w.
Washington (JE). Snowy Egrets continue to
increase in the Region as evidenced by 3 in
Washington and one in nw. Oregon this fall: one
at Blaine, Whatcom 22 Aug- 10 Sep (fWW, J.
Duemmel), 2 at Ridgefield 9-11 Oct (tJE), and
one in Portland 19 Oct (I. Tomlinson). Cattle
Egrets had another poor showing this fall, with

only 9 reported, primarily from the eastside: 2,
Burbank, Walla Walla 19-31 Nov (fide BE) and
singles near Brewster, Okanogan 6 Nov (H. Stout),
Wenatchee, Chelan 8 Nov (fDB), Prescott, Walla
Walla 9 Nov (MD), near Silvana, Snohomish 17
Nov (J. Osmundson, DD), near Stanwood,
Snohomish 17-31 Nov (DD), Davenport, Lincoln
17-19 Nov (JA), and Coos Bay 25-31 Nov (TR,
TS). A Green Heron at Yakima 12-16 Nov fur-
nished a rare e. Washington record (R. Repp).
Washington’s 2nd Yellow-crowned Night Heron
was a juv. at Wenatchee 24 Sep (tDB); the first
came from Walla Walla during May-Jun 1993
(Tweit and Skriletz 1996, in Washington Birds). An
imm. Plegadis ibis, presumably a White-faced, was
at Bingen, Klickitat 2-22 Oct (S. Johnston, WC);
despite recent spring irruptions, White-faceds
remain extremely rare during fall in Washington.

At least 2 Emperor Geese were at Sauvie
I./Ridgefield from 14 Oct onward (S. White, tTA);
this species is almost annual among the huge win-
tering Cackling Goose (B. c. minima) flocks along
the lower Columbia R. The Emperor Goose at
Port Angeles, Clallam, now 2 years old, remained
through the fall (BN). The only errant Ross’s
Goose this fall was near Vancouver L., Clark 24
Nov (SM). Brant, rare on the westside interior,
were at Ankeny N.W.R., Marion 9 Oct (M.
Kleinbaum), Fernhill Wetlands, Washington 23
Oct (HN), Ridgefield 30 Oct (fide JE), and
Junction City, Lane 12 Nov (P. Sherrell). Despite
earlier reports of their demise in this column, at
least one phenotypically pure American Black
Duck survives at Everett, Snohomish — a female on
14 Oct (tEH, MB). Surf Scoters were present in
excellent numbers on the eastside, with 26 in e.
Washington and 7 in e. Oregon, mostly during
mid- and late Oct; the first was found near
Orondo, Douglas 26 Aug (DB), and the maximum
was 13 at Rock L., Whitman, 14 Oct (CS). White-
winged Scoters had a similar showing during the

same time frame, with 27 in e. Washington and 3
in e. Oregon; the maximum was 6 at Sprague L.,
Adams 14 Oct (BE, CS). A total of 920 Black
Scoters flew s. past Boiler Bay 20 Nov (PP); this is
an exceptional count, especially for so far south.
The only eastside Long-tailed Duck was at
Bridgeport, Douglas 15 Aug into Oct (M. Spencer,
R. Hendrick); this bird had likely summered
locally.

White-tailed Kites continue to increase in the
Region, highlighted by a maximum of 28 at Finley
N.W.R., Benton 8 Oct (PV, MC). Red-shouldered
Hawk numbers also continue to increase.
Unprecedented, 9 were found in e. Oregon: 5 in
Harney plus 2 at Tumalo Res., Deschutes 22 Aug
(SS) and 2 at Sparks L., Deschutes 10 Sep (AJ). In
Washington, one at Conboy L., Klickitat 12 Sep
provided e. Washington’s 3rd record (tJE), while
one at Skagit W.M.A. 27 Sep was the state’s north-
ernmost ever (tTA, SG); others were at Pierce
N.W.R. 19 Sep (M. Hayes), Ridgefield 20 Oct
( WC), and Brady, Grays Harbor throughout peri-
od (ph. RS, tTA). Two Broad-winged Hawks were
found, both away from hawkwatches: Timberwolf
Mtn., Yakima 9 Sep (AS) and near Lebanon, Linn
30 Sep (B. Thackaberry). Swainson’s Hawks are
very rare on the westside, especially during fall, so
one at W. Eugene, Lane 30 Aug was noteworthy
(LM, D. Arendt). Harlan’s Hawk (B. j. harlani)
numbers seem to have been increasing over the
last decade, highlighted this fall by a maximum of
6 in the Kittitas Valley 1 Nov (TA). Ferruginous
Hawks, very rare on the westside, were at Eugene,
Lane 3 Sep (AJ), Finley N.W.R. 7 Sep (R.8cS.
Maulding), Linn 15-16 Sep (J. Fleischer), and Mt.
Hood 26 Oct (J. Olson). A Rough-legged Hawk
near Gordon, Whitman 25 Aug was more than a
month early (RH). A pale male Merlin, probably
F. c. richardsonii, was at Hanford, Benton 29 Nov
(BL). The most amazing bird of this stunning fall
was an ad. Eurasian Hobby snapping up dragon-

VoLUME 56 (2002), Number i

97

flies in Seattle 20 Oct (KA, vt. P. Cozens); there are
only about 6 other records from North America,
all from Alaska. Washington falconers felt there
was very little chance that this bird was an escapee
(B. Anderson). A Gyrfalcon was near Floras L.,
Curry 21 Oct (DL, KC) and was refound at the
New R. mouth, Coos 17-18 Nov (TR); Gyrs are
extremely rare in sw. Oregon. The only other
Gyrfalcon was at Samish Flats, Skagit 11-31 Nov
{BL, NL). Approximately 8 westside Prairie
Falcons included an early individual at Tangent,
Linn, 29 Aug (J. Fleischer). Two Greater Sage-
Grouse at FEALE, Benton 17 Nov were at a loca-
tion where they had been thought extirpated (NL,
BL); however, there have been a couple reports
from this location over the past two years.

PLOVERS THROUGH AUKLETS

One hundred golden-plovers, subpar, were
reported from the westside, with Pacifies report-
edly outnumbering Americans by 2:1; however,
the picture is far from clear as, at times, the same
flock of plovers was identified differently by dif-
ferent observers. Indeed, almost no golden-
plovers were left unidentified, a condition that
arouses great anxiety on the part of this column’s
authors. Rare on the eastside, single American
Golden-Plovers were at Joseph, Wallowa 19 Sep
(F.8cS. Conley), Richland, Baker 15 Nov (E.
McVicker), and Othello, Adams 21 Sep (BF). A
Black-necked Stilt at Othello 29 Sep was among
the latest ever for Washington (SM, CB). An
American Avocet near Othello 22 Oct was excep-
tionally late for e. Washington (BF), and one at L.
Abert, Lake 11 Nov was similarly delayed in e.
Oregon (SS). Avocets on the westside, where rare,
included one at Mollala, Clackamas 13-24 Aug
(ES) and 3 near Florence, Lane 20 Sep (TM, AM).
An unprecedented 73 Solitary Sandpipers were
reported, mostly from the eastside, with a
Regional record tally of 15 at Lind Coulee, Grant
12 Aug (SM, DD). Willets are very rare in
Washington away from the outer coast, so singles
at Blaine, Whatcom 25 Aug-3 Sep (C. Blake) and
Kennedy Creek, Mason 15 Oct (PtS, RS) were
noteworthy. A Whimbrel at L. Kahlotus, Franklin
11 Aug was in e. Washington where very rare
(SM, DD), while one at Davis L., Deschutes 5 Aug
was in e. Oregon where rare (M. Hunter, D.
Morgan). Two Long-billed Curlews were near
Brownsville, Linn 21 Aug (HH), and one was at
Alvadore, Lane 26-27 Aug (M. Decker, D. Brown);
they are rare on the westside away from the outer
coast. Bar-tailed Godwits had an excellent show-
ing again this fall. At least 3 were at Tokeland: an
ad. 1 Aug-23 Oct (ph. RS, PtS), with a 2nd ad. 23
Oct (JG), plus a juv. 16 Oct into Dec (BS). Juvs.
were also at Blaine, Whatcom 14-22 Sep (tJ.
Duemmel, vt. SM) and Empire, Coos 3-31 Nov
(TR). Marbled Godwits were unusually numer-

ous in w. Washington, including a record tally of
850 at Tokeland 7 Oct- 15 Nov (EH, TA) and away
from the outer coast, a maximum of 60 near
Sequim, Clallam 24 Sep (TA). A Hudsonian
Godwit at Blaine 26 Aug was about the 24th for
Washington (fC. Blake, L. Dunlap); most previ-
ous records have been late Aug-early Oct.

A concentration of 120 Red Knots at 0. S. 13
Aug may represent a Regional record high count
for fall (S. MacKay), and one at Y.R.D. 4 Sep was
in e. Washington, where very rare (NL).
Semipalmated Sandpiper numbers seemed
roughly normal, with about 56 reported in
Washington, including a maximum of 14 at
Othello, Adams 15 Aug (BF); 2 at Othello on 29
Sep furnished a Regional record late date (SM). A
concentration of 5000 Least Sandpipers at
N.S.C.B. would have been noteworthy at any time
but was especially so on the late date of 2 Nov
(TR). Eleven Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in Oregon
from 4 Sep to 22 Oct, including a maximum of 3
at Fernhill Wetlands, Washington 14 Oct (E.
Knight), was well above average; Washington had
only 2 Sharp-taileds: one at O. S. 8 Sep (BW) and
a record-late bird at Brady, Grays Harbor 30 Nov
(ph. PtS, RS). A Curlew Sandpiper was at
N.S.C.B. 1 Oct (TR, vt. DL); there are fewer than
20 Regional records. Stilt Sandpipers were scarce,
with only 17 reported; singles at Othello and
Scooteney Res., Adams 13 Oct were exceptionally
late for the eastside (BF, DR, PB). Fifteen Buff-
breasted Sandpipers 13 Aug- 16 Sep was well
above the recent average of about 3 per fall; espe-
cially noteworthy was one on the eastside, where
extremely rare, at Redmond, Deschutes 24 Aug
(K. Owen), and singles in the Puget Trough,
where very rare, near Nisqually, Thurston 6-10
Sep (BSh) and at Samish Flats, Skagit 25 Aug
(fMB). The maximum was 3 at O. S. 7-15 Sep
(tR. Lawson, BW). Four Ruffs this fall was about
average: Necanicum estuary, Clatsop 24 Aug
(TT), Agate L., Jackson 31 Aug (H. Sands), near
Tillamook 7-16 Sep (W. Gross), and Bandon,
Coos 9 Sep-1 Oct (D. Heyerly, TR, DL, KC).

South Polar Skua numbers were the highest in
at least 1 5 years; a tally of 2 1 off Westport 22 Sep
broke the old Washington record of 17 and
exceeded most seasonal totals for the last decade
(BT). Jaeger counts also improved substantially
this fall: Pomarines averaged 25 per trip with a
peak of 147 off Westport 22 Sep (BT). The
onshore high count of Parasitic Jaegers was a
stunning 25 at P.N.P. 19 Sep (VN), but offshore
numbers were average. A Parasitic Jaeger at
Klamath Falls 13 Sep was on the eastside, where
rare (D. Haupt). Long-tailed Jaeger numbers
were better than they have been for a decade,
with a peak of 126 off Newport 25 Aug (GG) and
an average of 16 per pelagic. A juv. Long-tailed
Jaeger, extremely rare on the eastside, was at L.

Lenore, Grant 25 Aug (vt. SM, CB). Washington’s (
3rd Laughing Gull was an imm. at Wenatchee, j:
Chelan 4 Sep (tDB); previous records were from
the outer coast 14 Aug 1982 and 1 Sep 1975
(Tweit and Skriletz 1996). The pattern of j'
Franklin’s Gull occurrences in the Region contin- |
ues to change; numbers remain down in the
Puget Trough, where only 3 were found 16 Aug-
22 Oct, but elsewhere on the westside, numbers ;
are remain higher than normal, with 4 reported j
18 Sep- 13 Nov. Five were also found on the east-
side, where rare, 12 Aug- 14 Oct. The only Little *

Gull was at P.N.P. 18-27 Sep (VN). A Heermann’s i

Gull at Fernhill Wetlands, Washington 23 Oct was
inland, where very rare (HN, D. Albright). A juv.
Mew Gull at L. Lenore, Grant 25 Aug was likely
the earliest ever for the eastside (SM, CB).
California Gull numbers were up this year, with
peak tallies of 20,000 in Lincoln 22 Nov (PP) and
15,000 at O. S. 1 Aug (PWS). A Glaucous Gull at
Ocean City, Grays Harbor 5 Aug was more than
two months early (ph. D. Hayden); only 3 others
were seen 16 Nov-t-. An astonishing 16 Sabine’s
Gulls were found on the eastside 7-29 Sep, with
maxima of 4 at LaGrande, Union 14 Sep (TB) and
4 at Sprague L., Adams 17 Sep (JA). Offshore,
Sabine’s Gull numbers were above average as
well, with about 75 per trip; three outings had
counts exceeding 200 (GG, BT, BLa).
Approximately 15 Forster’s Terns were reported
in w. Oregon 16 Aug-20 Sep, with a maximum of

12 at F.R.R. 20 Sep (DDW). A Forster’s at
Edmonds, Snohomish 22 Oct was the only one in
w. Washington (DD); notably, this species is
roughly annual in the Puget Trough, with most
records being surprisingly late from early Oct to
early Nov.

Common Murre numbers reflected another
successful breeding season, peaking off Westport

13 Aug at 2480 with lots of juvs. (TRW). An oiled
Thick-billed Murre was found near Newport,
Lincoln 25 Aug, representing Oregon’s 4th record;
the 9 previous Regional records have mostly been
from winter, but two were from Sep. A Long-
billed Murrelet 19 km w. of Pomeroy, Garfield 13
Aug furnished Washington’s 6th record and the
first from the Region’s eastside (*W.S.U.
Museum).

A juv. Ancient Murrelet at Chief Joseph Dam,
Douglas 10-14 Aug was on the eastside, where
extremely rare (ph. M. Scuderi, R. Fischer); the
date is also early for anywhere in the Region.
Pickering totalled 15,000 Cassin’s Auklets moving
past Boiler Bay, Lincoln 6 Oct, perhaps setting an
Oregon record. However, the Aug-Sep offshore
counts of fewer than 20 per trip, prior to the
arrival of n. migrants in Oct, indicated continu-
ing depression of local breeding. And Tufted
Puffin numbers stank, as they have for more than
a decade, averaging 0.5 per trip.

98

North American Birds

Oregon — Washington

^ II Mostly due to N.O.A.A. research,
OA^more Xantus’s Murrelets were
found in the Region this year than ever
before. From public birding pelagic trips,
only S. h. scrippsi were found, including a
pair 29 km w. of Garibaldi, Tillamook 16
Sep (CR, S. Russell), one 40 km off Boiler
Bay 10 Aug (tGG), and 2 off Westport 4
Aug (fBLa). Additionally, 2 Xantus’s of
unknown race flew past Boiler Bay 2 Oct
(tPP). Researchers’ pelagic efforts located
35+ S. h. hypoleucus, 4 scrippsi, and 6
unidentified Xantus’s Murrelets off
Oregon from mid-Aug into late Oct (MF,
RRw). In Washington, 2 hypoleucus were
66 km w. of Leadbetter Point 6 Sep, and
pairs of scrippsi were 156 km w. of
Westport 13 Aug and 110 km s. of
Destruction I. 5 Sep (RRw). Eight uniden-
tified Xantus’s/Craveri’s Murrelets were
also found off Washington 13 Aug-5 Sep
(RRw).

Michael Force, who has conducted
several late summer and early winter
oceanographic surveys off Oregon and
Washington, noted that “of the 106
Xantus’s Murrelets I’ve seen off Oregon
and Washington, at least 90% of them
were hypoleucus. Most of these were
beyond 90 km from shore. As one moves
farther south, scrippsi begins to predominate.

It would appear that hypoleucus leapfrogs
over scrippsi, particularly far from shore.”
There were only three previous Regional
reports of hypoleucus scattered between
Jun and Sep.

PIGEONS THROUGH SILKY-FLYCATCHERS

Band-tailed Pigeons are very rare on the eastside
during fall, so one at Malheur 14 Oct was note-
worthy (AC, R. Hoyer). The season’s only Snowy
Owls were singles near Spokane 9-19 Nov ()A,
WC) and Eugene, Lane 23-24 Nov (DDW, M.
Nikas ). Burrowing Owls on the westside were at
Baskett Slough, Polk 15 Oct-Dec (K. Sparkman)
and Medford, Jackson 26 Oct (N. Barrett), repre-
senting a typical fall. Great Gray Owls nested
again at Havillah, Okanogan as evidenced by 2
young found with their parents in late Aug (BSu);
actual nesting records from Washington are few.
Another Great Gray at Wenaha Tucannon
Wilderness 19 Sep provided a first Columbia
record (MD). During Sep-Oct, 8 Boreal Owls
were reported from traditional locations, 4 in the
Cascades and 4 in the Blue and Wallowa Mts. The
Eugene Vaux’s Swift roost peaked at 15,000 on 25
Sep (B. Newhouse). A Broad-billed
Hummingbird at Gearhart, Clatsop 6-14 Oct pro-
vided Oregon’s 2nd record (ph. S. Hinton); the

first was in Grant in Sep 1998. More Lewis’s
Woodpeckers than usual were found in w.
Oregon, with a maximum of 10 near Perrydale,
Polk 1 1 Sep (BTi); only one was in w. Washington,
near Brady, Grays Harbor 27 Sep (J. Paulios). A
sapsucker in advanced molt at Hood Park, Walla
Walla 13 Oct (fMD, fS. Steinberg) bore several
characteristics of Yellow-bellied, but the timing of
the molt was more typical of Red-naped, and the
bird may well have been a hybrid between the two
species. Three Red-breasted Sapsuckers at
Frenchglen, Harney 13-14 Oct were a rare find in
the e. third of Oregon (SS, M. Kocher, P. Blatt, H.
Blank).

A Willow Flycatcher at Washtucna, Adams 30
Sep provided e. Washington’s 2nd latest fall date
(BF, RH, SM). A rash of Least Flycatchers broke
out at Washtucna, with one on 8 Sep (CC, JC), 3
on 9 Sep (BF, RH), and 2 on 15 Sep (BF); another
at nearby Hooper 30 Sep furnished Washington’s
latest record (BF, RH, SM). Previously, only 8
Least Flycatchers had been found during fall in
Washington, half of which were at Washtucna.
Black Phoebes continue to push northward, with
singles at Willamina, Yamhill 20 Oct (C. Karlen, J.
Dippolo) and Dayton, Yamhill 18 Nov (FS).
Another at Redmond, Deschutes 16 Sep-9 Oct was
in e. Oregon, where very rare (KO, SS). Six west-
side Say’s Phoebes this fail was near the average
(about 5 per year). Ash-throated Flycatchers are
very rare on the Oregon coast, so singles at
Langlois, Curry 1 1 Aug (TJW) and Cape Blanco,
Curry 3 Nov (HN) were noteworthy; the latter
bird was also about two months late. Twelve
Tropical Kingbirds this fall brought the Regional
all-time total to nearly 100, over half of which
were found during the last 5 years. The 10 Oregon
Tropicals were 4 Oct- 18 Nov, and Washington’s
records consisted of singles at O. S. 28 Oct-6 Nov
(KA, RTS, BT, vt. SM) and Stanwood, Snohomish
12-24 Nov (tDD, fDB, ph. PB); the Stanwood
bird provided only the 2nd Washington record
away from the outer coast and Olympic Pen.
Oregon’s 2nd Cassin’s Kingbird — and first since
Aug 1935 — graced a farmyard near Canby,
Clackamas from 10 Oct into Dec (ES, TS, R.
Hoyer); there are but two nw. California records,
one from May and one from Oct (Harris 1996,
Northwest California Birds). A Western Kingbird
at Hoquiam, Grays Harbor 6 Oct was a month late
for Washington and on the outer coast, where
very rare in fall (fPtS, RS). An Eastern Kingbird
near Corvallis, Benton 29 Aug provided a very
rare fall westside record (E. Eltzroth).

Rare for the Oregon coast was a Loggerhead
Shrike at N.S.C.B. 8-31 Nov (TR). Only 6 Blue
Jays were found, all 18 Oct+, with an individual at
McKenzie Bridge, Lane 18 Oct (L.&T. Brown)
providing the only westside record; the Region
has recently averaged about 8 per fall. Three

Western Scrub-Jays at Sisters, Deschutes 11 Sep
(SS) and one at Frenchglen, Harney 29 Sep (TJ)
were beyond this species’s current but ever
expanding range. A Pinyon Jay in Cascade-
Siskiyou N.M., Jackson provided a very rare west-
side record (P. Trail). A Purple Martin at
Wenatchee 16 Aug provided Chelan’s first record
(fDB). A congregation of 20,000 Barn Swallows
near Dayton, Yamhill 15 Sep was remarkable but
below last year’s total (FS). A Rock Wren at 0. S.
28 Oct (G. Gerdts) provided heavily birded Grays
Harbor with its 2nd record, while one at Astoria,
Clatsop 10-16 Sep was on the Oregon coast, where
very rare (S. Warner). A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at
Lone Ranch S.P., Curry 24 Sep was on the Oregon
coast, where also very rare (DM). A Veery at
Rattlesnake Ridge 22 Sep provided Bentons first
record (DR, PB); migrant Veeries are very rarely
noted in the Region. A Swainson’s Thrush in
Josephine 6 Nov was more than a month late
(DV). Late Gray Catbirds were noted at several
locations including Wenatchee, Chelan 26 Sep
(DB), Lyons Ferry, Franklin 30 Sep (BF), and
Malheur 25 Oct (T8cK Steele). Eight Northern
Mockingbirds this fall was above recent norm of
about 6 per fall; Washington records included sin-
gles at Edmonds, Snohomish 5 Nov (DD), Skagit
W.M.A. 18 Nov (E. Peasley), and near Stanwood,
Snohomish 25 Nov (H. Ballash, M. Roening). A
Brown Thrasher at Astoria, Clatsop 4-6 Nov was
about Oregon’s 22nd (fMP). Following closely on
the heels of two records this spring, Oregon’s 7th
Phainopepla was near Eugene, Lane 30 Aug (fC.
Downs).

WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES

A Tennessee Warbler at Mt. Pleasant, Skamania 4
Sep was about the 11th for Washington (fWC);
most previous records have been late Aug-mid
Sep. In Oregon, where annual, Tennessees were at
Riley, Harney 13 Sep (AJ), near Redmond,
Deschutes 27 Sep & 9 Oct (KO), and Page Springs,
Harney 13 Oct (SS). Northern Parulas at Malheur
1-2 Oct (WW, M) and near Brookings, Curry 6
Oct (DM) added to 50+ previous Oregon records,
most of which are from May-Jun. A Yellow
Warbler at Moolack Beach, Lincoln 23 Nov was
more than a month late (Tanya Bray). A
Chestnut-sided Warbler at Seattle 19 Sep was
Washington’s 15th (fKA), and one at Malheur 16
Sep added to approximately 40 Oregon records
(D. Bailey); most previous records have been
May-Jun, and the Seattle bird was only the 3rd
during fall in Washington. A Magnolia Warbler at
Wenatchee, Chelan 2 Oct was only Washington’s
11th (fDB). Oregon’s 13th Cape May Warbler
was at Malheur 12 Sep (AJ) and was followed
shorthly by another at Frenchglen, Harney 28 Sep
(S. Wright). Single Black-throated Blue Warblers
were at Malheur 23 Sep (GL), Riley 30 Sep-3 Oct

Volume 56 {2002), Number 1

99

(D. Heyerly), and Frenchglen 6 Oct (N. Strycker);
there are more than 30 previous Oregon records,
but none since 1998. A movement of 2000+
Yellow-rumped Warblers at Wenatchee 2 Oct may
well have set a Washington record (DB). Two
Hermit Warblers at Snow Mtn., Grant, OR 15 Aug
were e. of the Cascades, where very rare (CM). A
Palm Warbler at Pendleton R. Parkway, Umatilla
20 Oct was on the eastside, where very rare (A.
Skirvin). A Bay-breasted Warbler at Malheur 12
Sep added to about 10 previous Oregon records
( AJ). An unidentified “Baypoll” was at Spokane 14
Oct (tCS); there are no Washington records of
Bay-breasted and only about 13 Blackpoll records,
none after 20 Sep. Blackpoll Warblers at Malheur
12 Sep (M. Rudolph) and Fields, Harney 22 Sep
(TR) were in se. Oregon, where now annual, but
one at Brookings 9 Oct (AC) was on the outer
coast, where still very rare. Seven Black-and-white
Warblers in Oregon 5 Aug-2 1 Oct was well above
the norm. A Prothonotary Warbler at Halfway,
Baker 9-20 Nov was Oregon’s 8th and the latest by
about one month (ph. M.&D. Hammar). Even
rarer was Oregon’s 3rd Worm-eating Warbler at
Winchuck St. Wayside, Curry 2 Nov (fDM, K.
Goldwater); previous records were from Malheur
during Jun and Sep. A Connecticut Warbler was
reported by an experienced observer at Fields,
Harney 14 Sep (D. Bailey), but details have not yet
arrived; if accepted, this would represent a first
Regional record. Look for more info in an adden-
dum to the winter 2001-2002 column. A concen-
tration of 310 Wilson’s Warblers at Washtucna,
Adams 8 Sep is surely a Washington record high
count (CC, JC), while a lone Wilson’s at
Wenatchee 20-26 Nov provided e. Washington’s
latest ever (DB). A Canada Warbler, Oregon’s 7th,
was at Malheur 8 Sep (S. Steinberg, AC, HH, FM);
four of the previous records were 4 Sep-4 Oct. A
Yellow-breasted Chat at Astoria, Clatsop 15 Aug
provided a very rare record for the n. Oregon
coast (L. Cain).

Continuing the recent onslaught of Summer
Tanagers, Oregon’s 13 th- 15 th were near
Beaverton, Washington 28 Sep (fW Wenger),
Portland 13 Oct (JG), and Bend, Deschutes 17-25
Nov (DT, J. Meredith). A Western Tanager at Port
Townsend, Jefferson 8 Nov (TA) was quite tardy,
but one at Seattle 27 Nov was almost two months
late (TA). Single Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, very
rare during fall, were at Astoria, Clatsop 26 Aug
(MP), Portland 26 Sep (M. Houck), and Riley,
Harney 8-12 Oct (N. Strycker, TM, J. Carlson).
Extremely rare for the Oregon coast was a Green-
tailed Towhee at Newport, Lincoln 28 Sep (R.
Cheek). An American Tree Sparrow near Cape
Blanco 6 Nov was Currys 3rd (TRW); others in w.
Oregon included one at Newport 31 Oct (HN)
and 2 at Baskett Slough, Polk 11-31 Nov (M.
Ratzlaff). Clay-colored Sparrows had another

exceptional fall, with approximately 12 in sw.
Oregon 9 Sep-26 Nov, and 2 in Washington:
Hooper, Adams 22-24 Aug (fBF) and Woodland,
Cow/ifz 24-31 Nov (SM); Oregon has had 28 Clay-
colored Sparrows during the last four falls com-
pared with about 32 total prior to 1994! Is this a
change in observer awareness, or a sign of popu-
lation increase and/or range expansion? Another
Spizella that has been increasingly reported from
the westside is Brewer’s Sparrow. This fall singles
were near Tillamook 4 Aug ( W. Gross) and F.R.R.
22 Aug-2 Sep (LM). Rare for the outer coast were
single Lark Sparrows near Bandon, Coos 24 Aug
(DL, KC) and at Pistol R., Curry 2 Oct (DM). A
Red Fox Sparrow was at Merlin, Josephine 2 Nov
(tDV); 3 others were reported from Oregon with-
out documentation. Swamp Sparrow numbers
were above average, with at least 20 in w. Oregon
and 5 in Washington. White-throated Sparrows
were also present in good numbers, as highlight-
ed by a maximum of 1 5 at Millacoma Marsh, Coos
17 Nov (TR, DL, KC). Eleven Harris’s Sparrows in
Oregon plus 5 in Washington provided an excel-
lent Regional fall total. A concentration of 6
Golden-crowned Sparrows at Sacajawea S.P.,
Franklin 17 Nov was exceptional for the eastern
third of Washington (DR). Oregon’s 9th
Chestnut-collared Longspur was near Cape
Blanco, Curry 9 Oct — the 3rd consecutive Oct for
that location (TJW)! Shortly thereafter, others
were found at N.S.C.B. 26 Oct (TR) and Lost
Creek Res., Jackson 9 Nov (fDM).

Bobolinks, now annual on the Oregon coast,
were at Lone Ranch, Curry 9 Sep (DM) and
N.S.C.B. 5 Oct (DL, KC). Rusty Blackbirds, rare
but regular in Washington, were near Nisqually,
Thurston 20-23 Nov (BSh), near Vancouver L.,
Clark 24 Nov (vt. SM), and at Brady, Grays Harbor
25 Nov (tPtS, RS). Washington’s 7th Common
Crackle was at Two Rivers Pk., Benton 8 Aug
(fDR); amazingly, this was Washington’s first in
fall. Oregon’s 5th Orchard Oriole was at
Newport, Lincoln 13-16 Oct (fR. Smith, fR-
Freeman, FS). Gray-crowned Rosy- Finches have
become very rare in w. Wasington’s lowlands over
the last decade, so one in Seattle 21 Oct was note-
worthy (EH, N. Hunn, vt. SM). Two Purple
Finches at Sullivan L., Pend Oreille 5 Sep were well
e. of their usual haunts (TA). White-winged
Crossbills were widely reported in mountainous
areas of ne. Washington, with maxima of 45 at
Salmo Peak, Pend Oreille 5 Sep (TA) and 35 near
Rogers L., Okanogan 24 Sep (C. Wright). The only
report from w. Washington was of 3 at Johnson
Ridge, Snohomish 11 Nov (KK). Common
Redpolls staged a major invasion, with flocks of
20+ widely reported across Washington 4 Nov+,
including a relatively high percentage from the
westside. Westside maxima included 40 at Lummi
Flats, Whatcom 11 Nov (HO, J. Edwards) and 40

at Stanwood, Snohomish 18 Nov (DB). The south- ,
ernmost westside reports included 2 at Detroit 1
Flats, Marion 23 Nov (J. Livaudais), one in j
Portland 22 Nov (A. Shalas), and 2 others in ‘
Portland 29 Nov (1. Thomlinson). On the east- j
side, redpolls were found as far s. as Bend, |
Deschutes. Among the Common hordes was j
Washington’s 13th, and w. Washington’s 2nd,
Hoary Redpoll at Lummi Flats, Whatcom 1 1 Nov
(tHO, J. Edwards).

Addenda

For the 6th consecutive summer, a Yellow-billed
Loon was found in Washington: Diamond Pt.,
Clallam 16 Jun 2001 (ph. RS, PtS)! A Thayer’s Gull
at Dungeness, Clallam 16 Jul 2000 furnished an
extremely rare summer record (ph. DP). The Red-
shouldered Hawk at Naselle, Pacific 2\ May 2001
was rejected by the Washington B.R.C. An
Ovenbird was found dead in Seattle 17 Jun 2001
providing Washington’s Nth record (*Univ. Puget
Sound Slater Museum, DP).

Initialed observers (subregional editors in bold-
face): Kevin Aanerud, Jim Acton, Tom Aversa
(WA), David Beaudette, Phil Bartley, Casey
Beachell, Trent Bray, Marv Breece, Wilson Cady,
Kathy Castelein, Craig Corder, Judy Corder,
Marcia Cutler, Merry Lynn Denny, Mike Denny,
Don DeWitt (DDW), Dennis Duffy, Joe Engler
(Clark), Bob Flores, Michael Force, Steve Gerstle,

Jeff Gilligan, Greg Gillson, Denny Granstrand
(Yakima), Hendrik Herlyn, Randy Hill, Eugene
Hunn, Tim Janzen, Alvaro Jaramillo, Ken Knittle,
Bruce Labar (BLa), Bill LaFramboise (lower
Columbia Basin), Nancy LaFramboise, David
Lauten, Gerard Lillie, Maitreya (M), David
Mandell (DMa), Frank Mayer, Larry McQueen,
Alison Mickel, Tom Mickel (Lane), Craig Miller,
Marilyn Miller, Don Munson, Harry Nehls (OR),

Vic Nelson, Bob Norton (Olympic Peninsula),

Hal Opperman, Kimdel Owen, Michael Patterson,
Dennis Paulson, Phil Pickering, Craig Roberts,
Dennis Rockwell, Tim Rodenkirk, Russell Rogers
(WA), Richard Rowlett (RRw), Floyd Schrock,
Ryan T. Shaw (RTS), Bill Shelmerdine (BSh), Tim
Shelmerdine, Steve Shunk, P.W. Smith (PWS),
Elmer Specht, Dan Stephens (Chelan), Andy
Stepniewski, Patrick Sullivan (PtS), Paul Sullivan
(PaS, E. OR), Ruth Sullivan, Bob Sundstrom
(BSu), Charles Swift, Todd Thornton, Bill Tice
(BTi), Paula Vanderheul, Dennis Vroman, Terry J.
Wahl, Terry R. Wahl, Wayne Weber, Bob Woodley.

100

North American Birds

Middle Pacific Coast

Pt. St. George If

Cordell Bank

Davidson Seamount

Scott B. Terrill & Thomas R Ryan

(Loons to Frigatebirds, Larids to Alcids)

H. T. Harvey & Associates

3150 Almaden Expressway, Suite 145

San Jose, California 95118

{sterrill@harveyecology.com)

(tryan@harveyecology.com)

Michael M. Rogers

(Herons to Shorebirds)

499 Novato Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94086
(m.m.rogers@att.net)

Steven A. Glover

(Doves to Wrentit)
i 6526 Conestoga Lane
i Dublin, California 94568
i (Sgloverccc@aoLcom)

Don Roberson

I (Thrashers to Finches)

• 282 Grove Acre Avenue
Pacific Grove, California 93950
I (creagrus@montereybay.com)

Fall 2001 was worth writing home about. Two
I birds drew observers from across the conti-
I nent: the first Common Greenshank south of
I Alaska on the northwest coast and a Demoiselle
i Crane of uncertain provenance in the San
, Joaquin Valley. In a year that saw neither El Nino
nor La Nina, seabirds continued to make things

interesting with the appearance of both Streaked
and Greater Shearwaters in Monterey Bay just
two days apart. From opposite directions came a
Sooty Tern offshore (the farthest northeastern
Pacific record) and several Long-billed Murrelets
inshore (including the 2 farthest south on the
eastern side of the Pacific). For coastal landbird
enthusiasts, a very solid September with fine
“vagrant” weather (high overcast and not much
wind) dissipated into a rather ordinary October-
November with quite a bit of rain late in the
period. Interior migrant hunters were rewarded
with a better-than-usual wealth of rarities.

Abbreviations: C.A.S. (California Academy of
Sciences, San Francisco); C.B.R.C. (California
Bird Records Committee); C.V. (Central Valley);
F.I. (Southeast Farallon L, San Francisco), N.S.
(National Seashore); R.P. (Regional Park); R.S.
(Regional Shoreline); S.B. (State Beach); S.F.
(San Francisco); S.R. (State Reserve); W.A.
(Wildlife Area).

Reports of exceptional vagrants submitted
without documentation are normally not pub-
lished. Observers wishing C.B.R.C. review
should also send their documentation to Guy
McCaskie, Secretary, P.O. Box 275, San Diego CA
91933. Banded birds on F.I. should also be cred-
ited to Point Reyes Bird Observatory, those
banded at Big Sur R. mouth to Big Sur
Ornithology Lab of the Ventana Wilderness
Society.

LOONS THROUGH FRIGATEBIRDS

Mendocino’s 2nd Dark-rumped Petrel was 13 km
offshore of Noyo Harbor 18 Aug (fSNGH,
DLSh, tSBT, fDR et al.). A Streaked Shearwater
was 19 km w. of Pt. Pinos, Monterey 6 Oct
(TMcG, DLSh et al.) This species remains quite
rare on the e. side of the Pacific, with the vast
majority of records from Monterey Bay.
Following last winter’s observation of the species
in Monterey Bay, a Greater Shearwater was off
Santa Cruz 8 Oct ( JiD, TMcG, DLSh, CKf et al).
Annual in small numbers, single Manx
Shearwaters were seen from shore in Santa Cruz
25 Aug (tSBT) and 24 Sep (fDLSu); from F.I. 17
Oct (Adam Brown); from Pigeon Pt. San Mateo
21, 23 & 27 Oct (JiD, AdeM, RSTh); and offshore
Monterey 25 Nov (RT). Twelve Wilson’s Storm-
Petrels were over Cordell Bank, Marin 16 Sep
(RS, SBT et al.). This location consistently pro-
duces the largest concentrations of these typical-
ly Atlantic storm-petrels off the w. coast.
Formerly quite rare n. of Monterey, Black Storm-
Petrels are increasing off Marin, with 46 on 29
Sep; accompanying them were 6 Least Storm-
Petrels (SBT, DLSh et al). This species is quite
scarce n. of Monterey Bay, but fall records off
Marin have been increasing with better coverage.
Almost annual in the Region in recent years, a
Brown Booby was documented off Santa CruzlO
Oct (DLSh, v.t. LLu, ph. EP, fCLu et al.)

HERONS THROUGH CRANES

An imm. Snowy Egret at Trinity L. 18 Aug-2 Sep
was the 2nd for Trinity, a Cattle Egret there 12
Sep was a county first (both SAG, m. ob.). A late

This juvenile Common Greenshank spent almost
three weeks associating with both yellowlegs species
at the mouth of the Mad River in Humboldt County,
thrilling visitors from across the country 27 August-
1 5 September 2001 . Photograph by Ron LeValley.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

101

ad. Little Blue Heron e. of Skaggs Island Rd.,
Solano 1 Oct ( JMR) was the only report; for the
first fall in 10 years, none were reported from
Alviso, Santa Clara. Coastal White-faced Ibis 10
Sep- 14 Oct included five flocks in Monterey, one
in Marin, and single birds from Santa Cruz,
Humboldt, and Santa Clara. A count of 1400
from n. of Los Banos, Merced 18 Aug was excep-
tional (PIM, FrT).

The 3 Tufted Ducks reported were all from s.
S.R Bay, in Santa Clara and San Mateo, 1 1 Oct-
30 Nov (Blake Matheson, fMJM, RSTh). An ad.
male Harlequin Duck at Coyote Pt. 26 Nov
(RSTh) was only the 2nd for the bayside of San
Mateo. Inland White-winged Scoters included
the first documented in Lake on 4 Nov (Mike
Stevenson) and the 2nd since the 1920s in Placer
on 3 Nov (TEa).

Seven Broad-winged Hawks away from the
Marin headlands included Shasta’s first, an early
imm. at Lassen Volcanic N.P. 23 Aug-1 Sep
(tDPM). Five coastal Swainson’s Hawks were
reported 14 Aug-22 Sep. A Clapper Rail at Crissy
Field 17 Oct was the first for S.F. in over 20 years
(DPM, ’^C.A.S.).

The discovery of an ad. Demoiselle
Crane {Anthropoides virgo) at
Isenberg Sandhill Crane Reserve and nearby
Staten L, San Joaquin attracted the attention
of birders from across the continent. Found
by a pick-up Big Day team (Celeste Pryor,
JHG, RbF) on 30 Sep and present through at
least 28 Nov, it would, if of natural origin, be
the first New World record. Some suggested
that a spring overshoot might have reached
Siberia, joined Sandhills for the summer,
and then followed them to California.
However, the International Species
Information System lists 103 Demoiselles in
public holdings across North America, and
perhaps twice that many are in private
hands. None is required to be banded, and
captive birds can have the muscle mass to be
active flyers. Although we will likely never
know the true origin of this crane, it added
dramatically to the spectacle of Sandhill
Crane migration. Coincidentally, privately
owned Staten Island was purchased by the
Nature Conservancy during the crane’s visit
and will hereafter be managed as a crane
reserve.

SHOREBIRDS

Two ad. Snowy Plovers at Clear Lake S.R 4 Sep
were the first for Lake (DvW, m. ob.), as was an
ad. Ruddy Turnstone at the same location 12
Aug (SAG). A wayward Mountain Plover made
it to Cock Robin L, lower Eel R. 24 Oct for the
10th Humboldt record (fSMcA). Black

Oystercatchers and Surfbirds penetrated
unusually far s. into S.F. Bay. Up to 2 Black
Oystercatchers were at the Hayward R.S.,
Alameda 23 Sep-30 Nov+, with up to 10
Surfbirds there 19 Aug-7 Oct (all RJR).

The shorebird highlight of the season was a
juv. Common Greenshank at the Mad R. estu-
ary, Humboldt 27 Aug- 15 Sep (KI, ph. SMcA,
m. ob.). This obliging bird — a first for
California and the Pacific coast s. of Alaska —
was seen by hundreds of observers and well
photographed. An Upland Sandpiper on EL
23-28 Aug (JTz) was the 3rd there and the 5th
for the Region. A Whimbrel at Clear Lake S.R
5 Aug (DvW, JRW) was the 2nd for Lake. A
white-rumped Whimbrel — presumed to be N.
p. variegatus — at MacKerricher S.R. 23 Nov
(fCEV) was in the same vicinity as
Mendocino’s first, seen five years ago on 22 Aug
1996 (fDT). These add to records discussed by
Heindel (1999, N. A. B. 53: 232). On 15 Sep, a
single acre s. of Chowchilla, Madera held 3100
Long-billed Curlews (KVV), comprising 15%
of the estimated world population of this
species.

Ten coastal Semipalmated Sandpipers 4
Aug-24 Sep made for a poor showing, but this
contrasted with a whopping 13 juv. birds
inland 5 Aug- 10 Sep, including Tehama’s
apparent first at Black Butte Res. 14 Aug (fDR,
RC), Trinity’s 2nd at Trinity L. 20 Aug (JSL),
and Lake’s 3rd at Clear Lake S.R 24-31 Aug
(JRW, m. ob.). An ad. White-rumped
Sandpiper near Stratford, Kings 12-14 Oct
(tJSy) was a county first, only the 3rd fall
record for the Region, and the latest this
species has been recorded in California. Sharp-
tailed Sandpipers arrived early and in above-
average numbers. A briefly described bird
from the Mad R. estuary, Humboldt 4-8 Sep
(Fred Lessor, t Jesse Conklin) was followed by
juvs. at F.I. 9-11 Sep (tJTz, 7th island record)
and at Manchester S.B. 10 Sep (fDT,
Mendocino’s 2nd). Later birds included singles
at Eel River W.M.A., Humboldt 29 Sep (KI) and
at Bodega Bay, Sonoma 23 Sep-7 Oct (fLCh,
CCb). A total of 3 Stilt Sandpipers 15 Aug- 14
Oct was far fewer than reported in recent falls.
Buff-breasted Sandpipers made a good show-
ing, with 1 1 birds reported from six counties,
including the 3rd for Siskiyou 1 Sep (RE), at
least 2 from Humboldt 25 Aug-2 Sep (fMiF,
SMcA), the 3rd and 4th records for Mendocino
1-4 Sep (CEV, ph. MMtt, GEC, tJRW), one in
Marin 31 Aug-5 Sep (RtW, m. ob.), the 8th for
F.I. 6 Sep (tJTz, KNN), and 4 from Monterey 9
Sep-1 Oct (RC, tDR, ph. JSo, Carleton Eyster,
BHG, m.ob.). Ruffs appeared in typical num-
bers, with 13 reported from both coastal and
inland counties. Females found at New

A long way from home, this adult Demoiselle
Crane at Staten Island, San Joaquin County,
sparked extensive debate about whether this
Eurasian species could occur as a natural
vagrant in North America. Photograph by Kevin
McKereghan.

Chicago Marsh, Santa Clara 19 Aug (MJM)
and Bodega Bay, Sonoma 9 Sep (BDP, AWgh)
attempted to overwinter, remaining into Dec.

SKUAS THROUGH ALCIDS

Record numbers of Long-tailed Jaegers occurred
offshore, e.g., 55 on 5 Aug off Cordell Bank,
Marin (RS); 96 w. of Noyo Harbor, Mendocino 5
Sep (TMcG et al..); and 55 on 11 Sep offshore
Sonoma (DN). About 70% of the 150+ tallied 12
Aug off Cordell Bank (SNGH, PR SBT et al.)
were second-year birds, suggesting that Long-
tailed Jaegers had high productivity the previous
summer.

Very scarce in the Region, a Laughing Gull
was at Palo Alto Baylands, Santa Clara 23 Oct
(tJennifer Rycenga). A second-year Little Gull
was in Mountain View, Santa Clara 17 Nov
(JLx). Very rare away from the immediate coast,
a Heermann’s Gull was at Mono L., Mono 4-5
Oct (DLSu). Also quite rare far inland, a Mew
Gull was at Corcoran Res. 20 Nov (fADeM),
perhaps a 3rd Kings record. Thayer’s Gulls
occurred at several unusual inland locations,
including a juv. at Crowley L., a first for Mono,
2-3 Nov (tJLD, tJ&DP et al.). Unusually large
numbers of Sabine’s Gulls inland included up to
17 at N. Lake Tahoe, Placer 18-28 Sep (TEa et
al.), 6 at Bridgeport Res., Mono (GjH), and 4 at
Crowley L., Mono 26 Sep (JLD). Single individ-
uals were widely reported from inland locations
throughout the Region.

An Arctic Tern at N. Lake Tahoe 18-28 Sep
was a first for Placer (TEa et al.). A post-breed-
ing congregation of 156 Least Terns at Hayward
R.S., Alameda on 19 Aug was larger than usual
(RJR). Numbers of Leasts peaked at 98 at Salt
Pond A2E Santa Clara 1 Aug (MMR), and 3
were observed flying above a forested area at
Skyline Ridge between S.F. Bay and the Santa
Cruz coast 1 Aug (DLSu). A Sooty Tern, a first

102

North American Birds

Middle Pacific Coast

This Long-billed Murrelet off Santa Cruz 23
August 2001 represents the southernmost record
of this Asian species on the eastern Pacific
Coast. Detections of Long-billed Murreiet are
increasing in the Region, a pattern likely related
to observers’ increased awareness of characters
separating this species from the closely related
Marbled Murrelet. Photograph by Josh Adams.

for the Region and the farthest n. in the coastal
eastern Pacific, was 17.6 km sw. of Bodega Head,
Marin 26 Aug (ph. RS, fCLu, vt. LLu). The win-
tering flock of Black Skimmers at Charleston
Slough, Santa Clara increased to a high of 22 on
25 Nov (Grant & Karen Hoyt, m. ob.), the high-
est concentration yet in San Francisco Bay of
this species, which has been rapidly expanding
in the state over the past three decades.

A Long-billed Murrelet off Aptos 23 Aug, a
first for Santa Cruz and the southernmost
coastal e. Pacific record (tLHe, ph. Josh Adams,
Hannah Nevins), was followed closely by a first
for San Mateo just n. of Santa Cruz off Ano
Nuevo Pt. (tLHe, ph. Josh Adams). Two others
were observed in Humboldt Eel R. mouth 11
Sep and Little R. mouth 21 Sep (both tEE). This
Asian species is turning up more regularly now
that observers have become familiar with char-
acters distinguishing it from Marbled Murrelet.

NIGHTJARS THROUGH FLYCATCHERS

An unidentified nighthawk was at Wilder Ranch
S.P., Santa Cruz 25 Aug (Carlton Eyster); wan-
dering Commons were at Lake Red Bluff,
Tehama 1 Aug (4; BED) and Ida Clayton Rd.,
Sonoma 25 Aug (DgSh).,What certainly must
have been an awesome sight was a flock of
White-throated Swifts estimated at 2000-4000
birds 27 Sep at Monticello Dam,
Solano/Napa/Yolo (RLCL, ABtt, Roger Muskat,
Uzelle Williams). Our Regional notebooks con-
tain no mention of a flock even approaching this
size. A Calliope Hummingbird at Marysville,
Yuba 16 Sep (fBDW) provided a rare fall record
for the C.V.; an imm. at Pt. Pinos 25 Sep (tDR)
was the first for autumn in Monterey.

Small numbers of Lewis’s Woodpeckers
reached the coast at Humboldt to Santa Cruz,

and at least 13 birds were noted heading e. over
Tilden Park, Contra Costa 12-26 Oct (more than
the total seen in the county in the past decade;
SAG). Inland they were more widespread and
numerous than is typical, particularly in
Humboldt and Shasta. One at Avenal Canyon 21
Sep was quite unusual in Kings (JWtg). Out-of-
place Acorn Woodpeckers were at Fairhaven,
Humboldt 15-17 Sep (GSL, MWa) and S.F. city
(at least 13 between 27 Aug-30 Nov; m. ob.).
Another at Lundy Canyon 11 Sep (PJM) was a
Mono rarity. Five Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
beginning 10 Oct included a juv. at San Luis Res.
16 Oct, a first for Merced (JSy). A female Hairy
Woodpecker 23 Aug- 1 5 Oct, felt to belong to the
local dark-winged population, was the first ever
found on outer Pt. Reyes, Marin (RS); one in
Avenal Canyon 20-21 Sep was a rarity for forest-
strapped Kings (LkC, JWtg). At least 4 Black-
backed Woodpeckers 1 Oct-7 Nov s. of Mono L.
(Maya Decker, JLD) and 2 near Mammoth Lakes
8 Oct (Kaaren Perry) were noteworthy finds in
Mono.

A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, just the Region’s
6th and the latest by 6 days, was on EL 4 Oct
(tJTz, PP et al.). Other interesting Empidonax
included 1 1 Leasts, all coastal or near-coastal 4
Sep- 15 Oct, and single Grays at Antonelli Pond,
Santa Cruz 12 Sep (TEa) and Pt. Reyes 13 Sep
(RS). Eastern Phoebes had an uninspiring show-
ing with 4 birds: 7 Oct at Willow Creek,
Humboldt (fTWL); 12 Oct at Henry Cowell
Redwoods S.P. (Santa Cru£s first for fall; JND);
and singles at F.1. 26 Oct and 2-4 Nov (P.R.B.O.).
The season’s only Dusky-capped Flycatcher was
at Bodega Head, Sonoma 17 Nov (fEric
Lichtwardt, ph. RS et al.). A Great Crested
Flycatcher at Owl Canyon, Bodega Bay 5 Oct
was Sonoma's eagerly-awaited first (ph. fDN,
tEric Lichtwardt, tBDP et al). A meager 22
Tropical Kingbirds after 23 Sep was well below
the recent average. A Cassin’s Kingbird at Oasis
10 Sep was the first for Mono in a decade (PJM).
Five Eastern Kingbirds 27 Aug-20 Sep included
two county firsts: San Felipe L., San Benito 27
Aug (Mark Paxton) and Yosemite Valley,
Mariposa 19-20 Sep (tDLSu). Santa Cruz’s sum-
mering Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was last noted
16 Sep; a migrant was near Pt. Sur, Monterey 4
Nov (ph. Bernardo Alps).

VIREOS THROUGH THRASHERS

Six Blue-headed Vireos were found: 21 Sep
(KNN) and 6 Oct (Ryan Burnett) on F.L; 22 Sep
at Bayview Hill, S.F. (fASH); 23 & 30 Sep at Pt.
Reyes, Marin (RS); and 3 Oct at Areata,
Humboldt (fDFx, GSL, LPL, SMcA). The sole
vagrant Plumbeous Vireo was at Merk Pond,
Santa Cruz 9 Nov (DLSu). Though a whopping
12 Philadelphia Vireos were reported 11 Sep- 13

Oct, only 3 were documented: 23-24 Sep at
Sutro Heights Park, S.F. (fRich Ferrick, tJM, m.
ob.); Pajaro R., Monterey/Santa Cruz 29 Sep
(tDLSu); and Big Sur R. mouth, Monterey 6 Oct
(banded; ph. DR). Thirteen Red-eyed Vireos was
a fine showing, among them an ad. at Moss
Beach, San Mateo 12 Aug (RSTh) and one
inland 16 Sep near Lincoln, Place/s first (fTEa).

Observers have just begun reporting fall con-
centrations of roving imm. Western Scrub-Jays,
likely an annual post-breeding dispersal phe-
nomenon in this sedentary species (cf. Grinnell
& Linsdale, 1936, Vertebrate Animals ofPt. Lobos
Reserve). Flocks at unusual locations included
13 at Hayward R.S., Alameda 16 Sep (previous
high there of just 2; RJR) and 26 at Point Pinole
R.S., Contra Costa 22 Sep (SAG). Several large
Monterey flocks at river mouths also contained
many young Steller’s Jays, including 100+ at
Carmel R. mouth 13 Oct (R. Wolfe, RbF) and 29
in a single tree 20 Oct at Big Sur R. mouth (DR).
High numbers of Pinyon Jays in Mono included
an estimated 480 flying over Mono L. County
Park 3 Oct, an estimated 1950 around Sagehen
Peak 3 Oct, and 375 near Mono Craters 5 Oct
(all DLSu). A Black-billed Magpie, extremely
rare away from Great Basin haunts, was in
Redding, Shasta 21 Oct- 15 Nov (Ray Bruun,
Larry Siemens). Each season we expect large
concentrations of Common Ravens to become
routine, and each season there is an even larger
flock. This time it was an estimated 250 at San
Pedro Valley Co. Park, San Mateo 1 Oct (Alan
Ridley). A Barn Swallow at DeChambeau Ponds
19 Nov was the latest ever for Mono (RHw,
TMcK). A Chestnut-backed Chickadee 14-15
Sep was the first for outer Pt. Reyes, Marin (RS,
CLu, LLu). Very odd were 17 widely scattered
birds in Santa Cruz exhibiting varying degrees
of leucism and/or albinism (DLSu). A Mountain
Bluebird at Sutro Heights Park 1 Nov was the
first for S.F. city (fMyra Ulvang). The sole Gray-
cheeked Thrush was at Nunes Ranch, Marin 30
Sep (RS); most Regional records are from F.L

A Gray Catbird at Lewiston L. 16-17 Aug
(tDR, RC), a first for Trinity, may have sum-
mered locally. More traditional migrants were
banded at Coyote Creek Field Center 26 Sep
(Sherry Hudson; Santa Clara’s 2nd) and F.L 5
Oct, and seen at Mono L. Park, Mono 23 Oct
(ph. Bartshe Miller). The only Brown Thrasher
was at Princeton, San Mateo 5 Oct (RSTh), and
the only Red- throated Pipits were on F.L 16 Oct
8c 7 Nov (PP). An imm. Phainopepla in Pacific
Grove, Monterey 23 Sep (RbF, ph. DR, RC) was
the first for the Monterey Peninsula.

WARBLERS

For many observers, the whole point of fall
migration is the search for misoriented e. war-

VoLUME 56 (2002), Number i

103

biers. For them, this was a solid autumn, with
numbers of eastern warblers up 10-40% from
average and approaching highs set in 1999 or
some of the “glory years” in past decades. Mid-
Sep was particularly fine, with up to 4-5
Chestnut-sided Warblers on outer Pt. Reyes,
Marin (BDP, LLu, CLu, m. oh.) on a day that saw
another land on a boat three hours offshore (Jeff
Gilligan et ah). Incomplete returns for the coast
(no report submitted from Del Norte) show 592
vagrant warblers, 91% of generally northeastern
origin with the others from the Southeast (6%)
or Southwest (7 Virginia’s, 5 Lucy’s = 2%). As
usual, nearly 20% of the total were Palm
Warblers, but in a surprising turn there were as
many Chestnut-sideds (82) as there were
Blackpolls (82; 14% of total). Our scarcer w.
migrants were also in good numbers. Nashvilles
were widely found Humboldt to Monterey and
offshore on F.I.; careful compiling in Santa Cruz
found that they had more than doubled the
prior autumn’s high count (DLSu).

A Grace’s Warbler at Natural Bridges S.P.,
Santa Cruz 27-29 Sep (tMichelle Scott, fTN,
tSGe, fCDL et al.) was the Region’s first for fall
migration; alas, attempts to videotape it showed
a Blackburnian also present at the spot and
caused much confusion before all was sorted
out. One of 2 Cape May Warblers on F.I. 19-27
Sep (PP) reoriented to the mainland and was
seen with a shiny band at Pt. Reyes 23 Sep (RS,
LLu, CLu). The other coastal warbler bighlights
were a Blue-winged in Shay Park, Areata,
Humboldt 6 Oct (GSL, LPL, fDFx, JCP), an
albilora Yellow-throated at Pt. Reyes 28-29 Sep
(Jim Holmes, RS, m. ob.), a Pine on F.I. 7 Oct
(PP, Ryan Burnett) where it was the 5th for the
island but only the 9th for our Region, 7 Bay-
breasteds, including birds in S.F. 22-25 Sep
(tlWth, m. ob.) and Humboldt 1 Oct (TMcK), 5
Prothonotaries on the coast and another at
Crowley L., Mono 11 Sep (fKLG), a Worm-eat-
ing banded at Big Sur R. moutb, Monterey 19-20
Sep (ph. JsSc), 8 Ovenbirds, single Connecticuts
at Pt. Reyes 22 Sep (tJLD, m. ob.) and F.I. 23
Sep-4 Oct (KNN et ah), 2 Mournings on F.I. 4-7
Oct (KNN, PP) and another in Areata 5 Oct
(tDFx), and a Canada at Pescadero, San Mateo
20 Sep (RSTh). Remarkably, 2 more Canada
Warblers were inland: 31 Aug at Jewel L., Tilden
Park, Contra Costa (f William Gilbert) and 26
Sep at San Luis Res., a first for Merced (SBT).

Perhaps the most remarkable attribute of the
warbler showing were the 32 records of 15
species found inland, a bonanza attributable to a
lot more effort inland during a strong migra-
tion. Given our limited space, we can only sum-
marize here while wrapping up the more regu-
larly occurring vagrants. Thirty-nine Tennesees
were along the coast but one struck a window in

Clayton, Contra Costa 12 Sep {fide Lindsay
Museum), and other vagrants were at Davis, Yolo
21 Sep (SCH) and Hopland, Mendocino 28 Sep
(CEV). A dozen Northern Parulas were coast-
side, but 5 were in C.V. in Butte and Sacramento
plus Merced’s first at San Luis Res. 6 Oct
(tKW). A Chestnut-sided was at Cosumnes R.
Preserve, Sacramento 25 Sep (JTr). Among the
30 Magnolias was one inland at San Luis Res. 30
Aug, another Merced first (SBT). A Black-throat-
ed Blue visited Cosumnes R. Preserve 16 Oct
(JTr); another 16 were on the coast. Only 5
Black-throated Greens were on the coast, but
one at San Luis Res. 6 Oct (fPJM) was yet
another Merced first. A Blackburnian Warbler
well up tbe Pajaro R. on the Santa Clara/San
Bcnifo border 2 Oct (tDLSu) made for a 3rd and
first record simultaneously; another 15 were
more expected along the coast. Palm Warblers
are even more coast-hugging than most
vagrants, so birds at San Luis Res. 6 Oct (fPJM;
a Merced first) and Richmond (CDL; fewer than
5 Contra Costa records) were unusual. On top of
82 coastal Blackpolls were 4 in C.V.: Placers 2nd
near Lincoln 23 Sep-3 Oct (JCS), plus one in
Yolo and 2 in Sacramento. Thirty-two Black-
and-whites were on the coast and 2 inland,
including possibly Tulare’s first at Camp Nelson
2 Oct (1800 m elev.; fMelanie Ingalls). Some 60
American Redstarts brightened the coast; a
returning male arrived at Reichmuth Park,
Sacramento 5 Oct (fide TDM ) and another pro-
vided Placer’s 2nd record near Lincoln 14 Sep
(tCliff Hawley). A Northern Waterthrush in
Mono and 34 on the coast were expected, but
one at Weaverville 5 Oct was a Trinity first (GjH,
JEH), and others were at Rodman Slough 26
Aug (tJRW; 2nd for Lake), near Lincoln 16 Sep
(fTEa, 2nd in Placer), and along Latrobe Road,
El Dorado 27 Sep (a county first? Tim Steuer).
Six Hoodeds were coastal, but another was at
Cosumnes R. Preserve 1 Sep (Jonathan Glazier).

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

A baker’s dozen (13) Summer Tanagers reached
the coast, but more exciting was Monterey’s 2nd
Scarlet Tanager at Laguna Grande, Seaside 13-18
Oct (fAlex Cruz, ph. Bill Hill, m. ob.). There are
over 100 records for California but just 15 prior
reports for our Region.

A juv. Rufous-crowned Sparrow on F.I. 7-10
Sep (tJTz) was actually more exciting there than
many e. vagrants, as this species is so sedentary
in its habits. Three American Tree Sparrows
reached the coast within days of each other: at a
Santa Cruz feeder 9-1 1 Nov (DLSu), Big Sur R.
mouth 17 Nov (B.S.O.L. banded), and
Halfmoon Bay, San Mateo 17 Nov (RSTh).
Among more expected coastal Spizella vagrants
were 73 Clay-coloreds and 9 Brewer’s; inland

were Lake’s 3rd Clay-colored at Kelsey Cr.
mouth 7 Sep (DvW, tJRW) and Brewer’s at San
Luis Res, Merced 1 Sep (Jeff Seay) and S. Wilbur
Flood Area, Kings 21 Sep (fLkC, JWth). Other
sparrows rare to the coast were 21 Vespers, 4
Black- throateds, and 10 Lark Buntings, includ-
ing at Westport, Mendocino 7 Sep (DT). What
may be only the 2nd Regional record of a Large-
billed Savannah Sparrow was at Seal Pt. on S.F.
Bay, San Mateo 29 Oct-1 Nov (tADeM, TAC,
AB). A Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow at L.
Merced 7-9 Oct (Karen Noble, DSg, m. ob.) is
the only known S.F. City record.

A bright ad. Harris’s Sparrow at Little River
19-20 Nov was Mendocino's 2nd (Ron Levalley,
DT, CEV, m. ob.). Monterey’s 2nd McCown’s
Longspur e. of Gonzales 18 Nov (tRFT, fBlake
Matheson) was in the same field as the first for
the county last Dec. About 32 Rose-breasted and
7 Blue Grosbeaks on the coast were reasonable
numbers, but only 6 Indigo Buntings were a very
low total; a Blue Grosbeak at Navarro R. mouth
22 Sep (tJRW) was just Mendocino’s 2nd. The
only Painted Bunting was banded at Big Sur R.
mouth 5 Sep (ph. JsSc); the only Dickcissel was
on F.I. 22-23 Sep (PP).

Among 29 coastal Bobolinks were two very
late individuals at Moss Landing, Monterey 3-17
Nov (BHG, RF) and Laguna Creek, Santa Cruz
16 Nov (DLSu). Two n. C.V. Rusty Blackbirds
were unexpected: Pleasant Grove Rd., Sutter 29-
30 Nov (tTEa et al.) and Cosumnes R. Preserve,
Sacramento 6 Nov (Andy Engliss). The only
other icterids of note were 7 each Orchard and
Baltimore Orioles on the coast, including 4
Baltimores together in Pacific Grove, Monterey
8-9 Oct (RbF, DR). Single male Lawrence’s
Goldfinches were nifty yard birds in Ferndale,
Humboldt 1 Oct (TMcK) and Santa Cruz 22-23
Nov (ph. Cindy Cummings); 4 on Mt. Davidson
1 1 Aug (PSa) were the first in S.F. since 1996.

CORRIGENDA

A White-eyed Vireo at Pescadero listing in our
Spring report as a first for San Mateo {N. A. B.
55: 353) was actually the 2nd county record. The
first was at Butano Creek 18 Jun 1998 (DLSu).

Cited observers (county coordinators bold-
faced): Alan Baldridge, Anthony Battiste,
William G. Bousman (Santa Clara), Penelope
K. Bowen (Alpine & Calaveras), Kenneth J.
Brunges (Tuolumne), Rita Carratello, Ted A.
Chandik, George E. Chaniot, Les Chibana, Luke
Cole (Kings), Chris Corben, Hugh Cotter (S.F.
city), James Danzenbaker, Jeff N. Davis, Al
DeMartini, Bruce E. Deuel (n. C.V. counties),
Jon L. Dunn, Todd Easterla, Mark W. Eaton, Ray
Ekstrom (Siskiyou), EJias Elias, Mike Feigbner,
David Fix (Humboldt), Rick Eournier (RF), Rob

104

North American Birds

Middle Pacific Coast-Southern Pacific Coast

Fowler (RbF), James H. Gain, Kimball L.
Garrett, Bruce H. Gerow, Steve Gerow, Steven A.
Glover (Contra Costa), Steve C. Hampton, Gjon
Hazard, Laird Henkel, Rob Hewitt, Alan S.
Hopkins, Steven N.G. Howell, John E. Hunter
(Trinity), Ken Irwin, Robert J. Keiffer
(Mendocino), Clay Kempf, Robin L.C. Leong
( Napa & Solano), Tom W. Leskiw, Gary S. Lester,
Lauren R Lester, Cindy Lieurance, Les
Lieurance, Jim Lomax, Calvin D. Lou, John S.
Luther, Michael J. Mammoser, Timothy D.
Manolis (Sacramento & Yolo), Matthew A.
Matthiessen, Sean McAllister, Peter J.

Metropulos (San Mateo & Mono), Mac
McCormick (Sierra & Plumas), Todd McGrath,
Tristan McKee, Joseph Morlan, Dan P. Murphy,
Dan Nelson, Kristie N. Nelson, Todd Newberry,
Ed Pandolfino (Placer), Jim & Debbie Parker,
Benjamin D. Parmeter, Point Reyes Bird
Observatory, Jude C. Power (Humboldt), Eric
Preston, Peter Pyle (F.I.), Jean M. Richmond,
Robert J. Richmond (Alameda), Michael M.
Rogers, Don Roberson (Monterey), Ruth A.
Rudesill (Sonoma), Paul Saraceni, Jason Scott
(JsSc), Jeff Seay, Doug Shaw (DgSh), Debra L.
Shearwater (DLSh), Dan Singer (DSg), John

Sorensen, Rich Stallcup, John C. Sterling, David
L. Suddjian (DLSu; Santa Cruz), Richard
Ternullo, Scott B. Terrill, Ronald S. Thorn, Jim
Tietz, Dorothy Tobkin, Francis Toldi, Kent Van
Vuren (Merced & San Benito), Chuck E. Vaughn,
Matt Wachs, Jerry R. White (Lake), Brian D.
Williams (Nevada), Peter White, Alan Wight,
Jay Withgott, Dave Woodward, Bob & Carol
Yutzy (Shasta). Many more observers were not
specifically cited; all are appreciated. .

Southern Pacific Coast

Guy McCaskie

954 Grove Avenue

Imperial Beach, California 91 932

(guymcc@pacbell.net)

Kimball L. Garrett

Natural History Museum
of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.

Los Angeles, California 90007
(kgarrett@nhm.org)

This fall saw higher than average totals of east-
ern passerine vagrants, with numbers of
most species far exceeding those of last fall; how-
ever, many observers remarked that western

migrants seemed fewer in number than normal.
The only Asian landbird vagrants were two pipit
taxa and the Region’s second Northern
Wheatear. Most irruptive species (such as Red-
breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskins) were in
relatively low numbers, although a movement of
interior scrub-jays occurred for the second year
in a row.

Abbreviations: C.L. (China Lake Naval Air
Weapons Station, extreme ne. Kern); E.A.F.B.
(Edwards Air Force Base, se. Kern); F.C.R.
(Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley National
Monument, Inyo); G.H.P (Galileo Hill Park in
extreme e. Kern); N.H.M.L.A.C. (Natural
History Museum of Los Angeles County in Los

Angeles); N.E.S.S. (n. end of the Salton Sea,
Riverside); S.C.R.E. (Santa Clara River Estuary
near Ventura, Ventura); S.D.N.H.M. (San Diego
Natural History Museum in San Diego); S.E.S.S.
(s. end of the Salton Sea, Imperial); S.F.K.R.P.
(South Fork Kern River Preserve near Weldon,
Kern); V.C.G.R (Ventura County Game Preserve
near Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station, Ventura).
Because virtually all rarities in s. California are
seen by many observers, only the observer(s)
initially finding and identifying the bird are
included. Documentation for species on the
California Bird Records Committee (C.B.R.C.)
review list is forwarded to the C.B.R.C. Secretary
and archived at the Western Foundation for
Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo.

LOONS THROUGH HAWKS

A Red-throated Loon on Tinemaha Res. near Big
Pine, Inyo 9 Nov (T&JH), along with 7 Pacific
Loons in the Owens Valley, Inyo between 26 Oct
and Nov 24 (T&JH, JLD) and one near Seeley,
Imperial 26 Oct (GMcC) were inland. A Wilson’s
Storm-Petrel, rare in S. California waters, was off
China Pt. on San Clemente I. 6 Sep (BLS).

Red-billed Tropicbirds continued off China
Pt. on San Clemente I. through 24 Sep (BLS), 9
were encountered during an organized birding
trip to the waters off San Nicolas I. 18 Aug
(DMH), one was near Prisoner’s Harbor on
Santa Cruz I. 13 Sep (DMC), another was off
Laguna Beach, Orange 25 Aug (JWi), and one
was found on the beach San Onofre, San Diego 7
Oct (S.D.N.H.M.), indicating more than normal
numbers were in S. California waters. A Brown
Pelican at C.L. 8-9 Nov (SSt) was only the 4th to
be found in Kern.

A Little Blue Heron at Laguna Dam, Imperial
1 Aug (RMcK) was the only one reported away

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

105

These Canada Geese found 14 October 2001 at
Chad’s Bluff represent only the fourth record from
San Clemente Island. The darker individual perished
in Wilson Cove, providing a specimen of the Aleutian
race leucopareia (*Los Angeles County Museum). The
paler bird remained at Lemon Tank until 7 November
and was also one of the small races. Photograph by
Brian L. Sullivan.

from coastal San Diego. An imm. Tricolored
Heron was inland at S.E.S.S. 30 Sep-1 Dec
(GMcC, BMi), and single birds were on the coast
at Irvine/Upper Newport Bay, Orange 16 Sep- 14
Nov (BED, BH) and Bolsa Chica, Orange 28
Oct-I- (J&EH). An imm. Reddish Egret at Little
L. 29 Sep-4 Oct (JED, ph.) was the first in Inyo,
and the one found at S.E.S.S. 17 Aug remained
through 12 Oct (MP); along the coast the imm.
in Goleta, Santa Barbara remained through 1 1
Sep (JRS), what may have been this same bird
was at Point Mugu, Ventura 15 Sep-i- (DL), and
at least 6 were in San Diego 25 Aug-t- (GMcC,
GCH, Ml, GLR). Two Wood Storks near
Winterhaven, Imperial 2 Aug (RMcK) were in
the Colorado R. Valley, where seldom encoun-
tered in recent years.

Three Fulvous Whistling-Ducks at Laguna
Dam, Imperial 1 Aug (RMcK) were in an area
where unrecorded in recent years. A Harlequin
Duck on Mission Bay, San Diego 28 Oct-i- (SC)
was probably the same bird present in Mar. A
Surf Scoter at N.E.S.S. 2 Nov (CMcG), a White-
winged Scoter on Tinemaha Res., Inyo 22 Nov-1
Dec ( JLD), and a Black Scoter there 9 Nov (JLD)
were all inland. A Hooded Merganser along
Triunfo Creek in the Santa Monica Mts., Los
Angeles 22 Aug (BED) probably summered
locally.

One Harris’s Hawk remained from the 1994
incursion at Borrego Springs, San Diego through
25 Oct (P)). A Broad-winged Hawk near Port
Hueneme, Ventura 12-13 Oct (DPe) and an
imm. on San Clemente 1. 31 Oct-l- (BLS) were
the only 2 convincingly reported. Fifty
Swainson’s Hawks at Borrego Springs 27 Oct
(PJ) was the largest migrant flock reported, and
one at California City, Kern 21 Nov (JM) was the
latest. A Zone-tailed Hawk in Santa
Barbara/Goleta, Santa Barbara 16 Nov-f (DMC)
was believed to be the same bird present every

winter since 1993-1994, and another around
Escondido, San Diego 19 Aug-t- (MB) was the
same bird present for several years; inland one
was over Cuyamaca Rancho S.P., San Diego 10
Nov (SB), an ad. was near Blythe, Riverside 10-11
Nov (RH), the one near El Centro, Imperial 12
Jul remained through the end of the period
(KZK), and 2 ads. were over Brawley, Imperial 12
Oct (MP).

CRANES THROUGH ALCIDS

A flock of 22 Sandhill Cranes near Brawley,
Imperial 8 Sep (GMcC) documents just how
early this species arrives in s. California. Four
ad. Pacific Golden- Plovers on the Ventura coast
16 Aug (OA, DL), 4 juvs. near Port Hueneme 14-

15 Oct (DD), and one on San Clemente 1. 3 Aug
(BLS) appeared to be migrants, but one at
Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles 30 Nov+ (KL), up
to 4 at Seal Beach, Orange 21 Sep+ (BED, JFi),
one at Bolsa Chica 4 Nov-i- (JEP,) and another in
Imperial Beach, San Diego 22 Aug-I- (RP) were
wintering locally. Single juv. American Golden-
Plovers were near Port Hueneme 14-15 Oct
(DD) and 10 Nov (LC). A Mountain Plover near
Port Hueneme 3-10 Nov (JFe) was the only one
reported on the coast. Two hybrid American x
Black Oystercatchers were at Seal Beach 1 7 Aug
OFi).

A short-staying Wood Sandpiper was report-
ed in Blythe 1 Sep (RH); there are no accepted
records for California. An ad. Black Turnstone,
rare inland, especially so in fall, was at Salton
City, Imperial 22 Aug (MBS, ph.). A Red Knot at
Tinemaha Res 13 Sep (CW), one in Blythe 2-6
Aug (RH) and 3 more near Lancaster, Los
Angeles 3 Aug (MSanM) were the only ones
found inland away from the Salton Sea.
Semipalmated Sandpipers appeared to be
scarcer than expected, with only 17 juvs. found
between 3 Aug and 2 Sep. An ad. Curlew
Sandpiper was on San Elijo Lagoon, San Diego 9
Aug (DVB, BMu), and another was at Bolsa
Chica 17-23 Sep (JA). Single Stilt Sandpipers in
Goleta 11 Aug (NAL), V.C.G.P. 13 Aug-3 Sep
(OA, MSanM) and S.C.R.E. were on the coast,
and one in Blythe 16 Oct (RH) was inland and
away from the S.E.S.S. The only Buff-breasted
Sandpipers were single juvs. near Port Hueneme

16 Sep (LB, ph.) and on San Clemente 1. 2-7 Sep
(BLS, ph.). An ad. Ruff was at V.C.G.P. 15-27 Aug
(OA), single juvs. were in Long Beach, Los
Angeles 1-16 Sep (KL), 7-20 Oct (KL), and 10
Nov (DSC), another juv. was near Blythe 1-7 Oct
(RH), and an ad. male was near Brawley 8-23
Sep (PAG, GMcC). Single Red Phalaropes at
Little L. 4-6 Oct (ILD) and on Tinemaha Res. 22
Oct (ILD) and 3-7 Nov (REM) were inland.

Ten South Polar Skuas seen during a pelagic
trip out of Ventura 18 Aug (DMH) was a large
number for a single day in S. California waters.

A juv. Long-tailed Jaeger at Salton City 26 Sep
(GMcC) was the only jaeger reported inland.
Two Franklin’s Gulls were at C.L. 19 Aug (TEW),
another was there 26 Sep (SSt), at least 20 were
found at S.E.S.S. between 1 Sep and 26 Oct
(GMcC), and a late migrant was near Brawley 24
Nov (B&NlaF, ph.). A Heermann’s Gull at
S.E.S.S. 30 Sep (GMcC), another on L. Perris,
Riverside 19 Oct (CMcG) and one in Palmdale,
Los Angeles 4 Nov (KLG) were inland. Mew
Gulls in the interior, where rare, were at S.E.S.S.
1 1 Nov (ES, ph.) and in Palmdale 4 Nov (KLG);
both were quite early. A Lesser Black-backed
Gull at N.E.S.S. 11 Nov-t (CMcG) was the same
bird present last winter. A first-winter Glaucous
Gull at Dana Point, Orange 25-26 Nov (JEP) was
somewhat early. At least 4 Sabine’s Gulls were
found in Inyo between 13 Sep and 4 Oct (JLD,
GCH), single birds were at C.L. 7 Sep (SSt) and
3-5 Oct (SSt), a juv. was near Lancaster 8 Sep
(MSanM), another was near Blythe 24-27 Sep
(RH), and 3 more were seen on the Salton Sea
between 8 and 26 Sep (GMcC). A Least Tern
near Seeley, Imperial 18 Aug (PS) was inland.

An Ancient Murrelet was at Newport Beach,
Orange 24 Nov (BED), and at least 20 were seen
flying s. off La Jolla, San Diego 25-30 Nov (PAG,
GMcC, SWa).

DOVES THROUGH WOODPECKERS

A count of 39 Eurasian Collared-Doves in Isla
Vista 27 Sep (NAL) shows that this species is
well established in Santa Barbara; 2 near El
Centro 7 Aug (GMcC) and one at Desert Center,
Riverside 2 Nov (CMcG) may have originated
from farther east. Forty-five White-winged
Doves were reported from along the coast, with
an unprecedented 15 together on San Clemente
1. 8 Sep (BLS), and one in San Luis Obispo 1 Nov
(MTH) being the northernmost. A Common
Ground-Dove in Independence 15 Oct (AK) was
only the 3rd to be found in the Owens Valley.

Fewer than normal numbers of longspurs were
found in Southern California this fall, and this
Lapland Longspur at Furnace Creek Ranch, Inyo
County, was one of only nine reported.
Photograph by Larry Sansone.

106

North American Birds

Middle Pacific Coast — Southern Pacific Coast

This male Scarlet Tanager in Goleta, Santa
Barbara County 14 November 2001 was one of
nine found along the coast of southern California
this fall. Photograph by Peter Gaede.

Up to 5 Ruddy Ground-Doves at F.C.R. 13 Oct-
22 Nov OLD, JM), one at G.H.R 20-22 Oct
(TEW), and a minimum of 5 around Blythe 3
Nov+ (RH, ph.) were iiiore than in recent years.

A migrant Yellow-billed Cuckoo was on San
Clemente I. 31 Aug (BLS). Astonishing was an
Elf Owl caught in the Whittier Hills e. of the Los
Angeles Basin 29 Sep (fide DAG; ph.
N.H.M.L.A.C.); this species is virtually extirpat-
ed in California and is previously unrecorded
away from the southeast portion of the state. A
Long-eared Owl on San Clemente 1. 29 Nov
(JTB) was unexpected. At least 2 Chimney
Swifts with migrant Vaux’s Swifts near down-
town Los Angeles 9 Oct (MJSanM) were late. A
male Broad-billed Hummingbird was on Pt.
Loma, San Diego 22 Oct (REW).

Acorn Woodpeckers appeared to be on the
move as indicated by single out-of-range birds at
G.H.R 9 Sep-21 Oct (KSG), in Irvine 24 Nov
(BED), on Pt. Loma 20-21 Sep (GMcC) and 8
Oct (REW), and 5 on San Clemente 1. between
21 Sep and 18 Nov (BLS). A handful of Downy
and Hairy Woodpeckers in e. Kern during the
period suggests these species were also on the
move. A Williamson’s Sapsucker at G.H.R 11-12
Sep (KSG) was only the 6th in fall in e. Kern.
Reports of 8 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers scattered
throughout the Region were about average.

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH CORVIDS

Least Flycatchers, rare but regular in fall, were at
Irvine, Orange 6-12 Oct (GLT, COJ, BED), Pt.
Loma, San Diego 21-23 Sep (GCH, JLD), and
near Imperial Beach 15-16 Oct (EC). Dusky
Elycatchers, scarce and poorly understood in
fall, were in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles 18 Sep
(DLM) and G. H. P. 16 Oct (TEW). Fall vagrant
Eastern Phoebes were at San Simeon Cr. San
Luis Obispo 11 Oct (GPS), in Irvine 3 Nov (LO,
BED), on San Clemente 1. 6 Oct (JHP), on Pt.
Loma 2 Nov (IWo), and at Laguna Dam,
Imperial 6 Nov (RMcK); another near Lakeview,
Riverside 15 Nov-t (CMcG) was a returning win-

tering bird. A Great Crested Flycatcher on Pt.
Loma 10-13 Oct (REW) stayed longer than this
species’s usual “one-day wonders.” Even rarer on
the coast was a Brown-crested Flycatcher at the
same locality on 13 Oct (REW, DPa); another
Brown-crested at Laguna Dam 23 Sep (GCH)
remained quite late in a breeding area. Nine
Tropical Kingbirds were found along the coast
15 Sep-3 Nov; another near Seeley, Imperial 22
Sep (GCH) was the 3rd for the Imperial Valley.
Late Western Kingbirds included one in
Torrance, Los Angeles 28 Nov (DLM) and in the
interior at Ridgecrest, Kern 14 Oct (BS); one at
Deep Springs 30 Sep (DSC) was the latest for
Inyo. Six Eastern Kingbirds were found, 16 Sep-
18 Oct, with 4 on the deserts and 2 along the
coast. A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in El Monte,
Los Angeles 13 Nov (BED) was the only one
reported.

A Bell’s Vireo, very rare away from breeding
sites, was on San Clemente 1. 7 Oct (BLS). Blue-
headed Vireos were near Pt. Mugu, Ventura 27
Sep (OA) and Port Hueneme 7 Oct (DPe), and
in the interior at Blythe 30 Sep (RH), Horse
Thief Springs, San Bernardino 20 Oct (BD), and

G. H. P. 22 Oct (TEW). Nineteen Plumbeous
Vireos were found in coastal counties 16 Sep-22
Nov, with some likely remaining to winter. A
Yellow-throated Vireo, casual in fall, was near Pt.
Mugu 7-8 Oct (DD, ph.). A Warbling Vireo at G.

H. P. 25 Oct (JEP) was the latest fall record for
Kern. Documented Philadelphia Vireo records
came from San Clemente 1. 4 Oct (BLS) and
Huntington Beach 7 Oct (LO) and 27 Oct (JEP).
Five Red-eyed Vireos were found along the coast
3 1 Aug- 1 7 Oct. Yellow-green Vireos, now regular
in fall, were in Goleta, Santa Barbara 7-8 Oct
(DMC) and near Port Hueneme 11-12 Oct
(OA).

Interior (“Woodhouse’s”) Scrub-Jays were on
the move for the 2nd consecutive fall, being
found in various lowland localities in Inyo, e.
Kern and e. San Bernardino after 23 Sep; one e.
of Lancaster 29 Oct (MSanM) was the first for
Los Angeles. Pinyon Jays were also noted well
away from breeding areas, including up to 2 at
Desert Center, Riverside 7-23 Sep (CMcG) and 6
on the lower Colorado R. at Senator Wash,
Imperial 7 Nov (RMcK).

SWALLOWS THROUGH WARBLERS

Only 4 migrant Purple Martins were found
along the coast, 11-23 Sep, and another was at
Deep Springs 14 Sep (JLD); this species is casu-
al in Inyo. A Winter Wren at California City,
Kern 3-4 Nov (TEW) was thought to be of the e.
hiemalis group by call. A Northern ’Wheatear
made a brief appearance at La Jolla, San Diego
18 Oct (SSm, DA), establishing only the 2nd
record for the Region. A Rufous-backed Robin

at Blythe 11-14 Nov (RH, ph.) was the 9th for
California. Gray Catbirds appeared in the interi-
or at California City 6-13 Oct (TE), Blythe 20
Oct (RH), and E. A. F. B. 29 Oct (MSanM), and
on the coastal slope at Pt. Loma 10 Oct (VC) and
Claremont, Los Angeles 4 Nov-I- (DAG). Very
scarce in recent years in California, Brown
Thrashers were found at F. C. R. 13-21 Oct
(JLD), Inyokern, Kern 15-16 Oct (WH), and La
Jolla 17 Oct (FB).

Up to 5 Red-throated Pipits were in the Port
Hueneme area 17 Oct-3 Nov (OA, DPe), and
another was near Imperial Beach 13-19 Oct
(GMcC). Birds at the former locality were joined
by an American Pipit of the Asian subspecies
japonicus 29 Oct-3 Nov (NAL); previous reports
of this taxon have all coincided with influxes of
Red-throated Pipits.

Forty species of warblers were found in the
Region this fall; among the regular e. vagrants
only Mourning Warbler went unreported. A
female Golden-winged Warbler, the 8th for
Orange, was at Huntington Beach 6 Oct (JEP).
Thirty-two Tennessee Warblers were found
along the coast 12 Sep-28 Nov, and one was
inland at G. H. P. 15 Sep (KHL); this is more
than triple last fall’s total for a species that has
declined in recent years as a vagrant to
California. Eighteen Virginia’s Warblers on the
coast 3 Sep- 13 Nov was a normal total; 5 more
were on the deserts 1 Sep- 13 Oct, with the last
record (at G. H. P.) being the latest for Kern
(TEW). Coastal Lucy’s Warblers were in Long
Beach, Los Angeles 1 Sep (TEW), Irvine 13-14
Oct (LDT), and San Clemente 1. 2-7 Nov (BLS;
JTB, ph.); one near Bishop 2-3 Sep was the far-
thest n. ever for Inyo (J&DP). Seven Northern
Parulas were along the coast 30 Sep- 16 Nov; 5
more were inland 6 Oct-8 Nov, plus an excep-
tionally late bird n. of Bishop 2-10 Dec (J&DP).
Of 19 coastal Chestnut-sided Warblers, 18 were
found 18 Sep-3 Nov, with at least 2 of these
remaining to winter; an earlier bird was in
Westchester, Los Angeles 30 Aug (BPE). In the
interior, Chestnut-sideds were at G. H. P. 30 Sep
(JCW) and 8 Oct (TEW) and at Ridgecrest 3 Oct
( JoS). Sixteen Magnolia Warblers were along the
coast 11 Sep- 11 Nov, and another was at
California City 25-29 Sep (JEP). Cape May
Warblers, among the rarest e. warbler strays in
recent years, were on San Clemente 1. 20 Sep- 17
Oct (JHP; BLS, ph.) and at Avila Beach, San Luis
Obispo 25-27 Nov (RHZ). Ten Black-throated
Blue Warblers were in coastal counties 7 Oct-27
Nov, and 7 more were on the deserts 6-28 Oct.
Five fall vagrant Black-throated Green Warblers
were along the coast 13 Oct-28 Nov, and winter-
ing birds in San Diego were in National City 9
Nov-I- for a 5th year (DWA) and in Coronado 30
Nov-t- (EC).; inland one was at Horse Thief

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

107

Springs, San Bernardino 8 Oct (AE). Thirteen
Blackburnian Warblers were on the coastal slope
7 Sep-18 Nov; exceptionally late was a bird in
the n. interior near Bishop 2 Dec (JLD). A
Yellow-throated Warbler in Solana Beach, San
Diego 24 Oct (PAG) was a “yellow-lored” bird
rather than the more expected albilora. A Grace’s
Warbler found on Pt. Loma 20 Sep (GMcC)
remained to winter; another Grace’s was in Del
Mar, San Diego 9 Nov (EC). A Pine Warbler was
well-described from Cactus City, e. of Indio,
Riverside 21 Oct (DSC); coastally, where more
regular, one was on Pt. Loma 4-6 Oct (REW),
and 3 wintering birds were in Long Beach 25
Nov+ (KSG, TEW). Seven Prairie Warblers were
along the coast 10 Sep-6 Nov, with one of the 3
on San Clemente 1. remaining until the end of
the period (BLS). About 50 Palm Warblers were
found on the coast 22 Sep-24 Nov; on the
deserts one was at G. H. P. 18 Sep for the earliest
fall record for Kern (MSanM), 2 more were there
30 Sep-1 Oct (TEW) and 20-26 Oct (TEW), and
one was at N. E. S. S. 2 Nov (CMcG). A good
showing of 3 Bay-breasted Warblers included
birds at Pt. Loma 20-21 Sep (IWo), at Refugio,
Santa Barbara 3-4 Oct (DMC), and near Pt.
Mugu 23-28 Oct (OA). Some 37 Blackpoll
Warblers on the coast 14 Sep-2 Nov were about
normal, as were 5 on the Kern deserts, including
the latest for that area at G. H. P. 27 Oct (TEW).

Thirty-five Black-and-white Warblers along
the coast 1 Sep-t and 9 on the deserts 20 Aug-7
Nov were about normal totals. Some 50
American Redstarts, 80% coastal, were found
after 2 Sep. Prothonotary Warblers were found
along the coast at Pt. Loma 16 Sep (HK), near Pt.
Mugu 22 Sep (DPe; vt.), and near Port Hueneme
6-11 Oct (OA; DPe, video); inland singles were
at Olancha, Inyo 4 Oct (J8cDP) and In-Ko-Pah,
Imperial 8 Oct (DWA). A wintering Worm-eat-
ing Warbler was in Goleta 30 Nov-I- (GBW). Six
Ovenbirds were found along the coast 22 Sep-20
Oct, with additional birds inland at Morongo
Valley, San Bernardino 13 Sep (LDT), California .
City 6-13 Oct (TEW), and F. C. R. 21 Oct (CH,
RBe). Northern Waterthrushes were almost
evenly divided between coastal records (10 birds
25 Aug-5 Oct) and those in the interior (12 birds
2 Sep-28 Oct); another waterthrush in Torrance,
Los Angeles on 8 Aug (DLM) was not identified
to species. A Kentucky Warbler was in Encinitas,
San Diego 30 Sep (DWA), and another was
inland at G. H. P. 6 Oct (HB). The fall’s only
Connecticut Warbler was at G. H. P. 23 Sep
(JeS), constituting the 5th for Kern. Hooded
Warblers were in e. Anaheim, Orange 14-15 Oct
(DRW) and on Pt. Loma 7 Oct (PJ) and 10 Nov
(SWo), and inland at G. H. P. 22-23 Oct (TEW).
Five Canada Warblers were along the coast 18
Sep-29 Oct. Five Painted Redstarts were more

than expected; different individuals were at Pt.
Loma 18-24 Sep (TP) and 22-24 Sep (GMcC),
one was near Pt. Mugu 27 Sep (OA), one was
near Seeley 15 Sep (IK), and a wintering bird
was found in Palm Desert, Riverside 24 Nov-l-
(ES). Only 5 Yellow-breasted Chats were report-
ed along the coast 8 Sep-4 Oct, though not all
observers report this difficult-to-detect species.

TANAGERS THROUGH FINCHES

Casual away from its few breeding sites in the
Region, a Hepatic Tanager was at G. H. P. 1 Oct
(TEW). Summer Tanagers were widespread,
with at least 27 in the coastal counties 25 Aug-(-
and 6 more inland (away from breeding areas)
11 Sep- 19 Nov. Remarkably, 9 Scarlet Tanagers
were found this fall, all along the coast: birds
were at Pt. Loma 9 Oct (IWo), 22-28 Oct
(GCH), 27-28 Oct (REW), and 29 Oct-10 Nov
(JWo), at La Jolla 19 Oct (PAG), on San
Clemente 1. 26 Oct (BLS) and 7 Nov (HAC), in
Goleta 14-17 Nov (WTF; PG, ph.), and in
Oceano, San Luis Obispo 28-29 Nov (KJZ). A
Western Tanager at California City 22 Oct
(TEW) was the latest fall record for the Kern
deserts.

A Cassin’s Sparrow, casual in California, was
photographed on San Clemente I. 2 Nov (BLS).
The only American Tree Sparrow was at F. C. R.
27 Oct (SK). At least 21 Clay-colored Sparrows
were along the coast 14 Sep-30 Nov, and 8 more
were on the deserts 7 Oct-3 Nov. A Black-
chinned Sparrow, rarely encountered away from
breeding habitat, was on San Clemente I. 16 Nov
(CWB). The only Lark Bunting reports were
from V. C. G. P. 16 Sep (OA) and San Clemente
1. 22 Sep (BLS). Wintering Nelson’s Sharp-tailed
Sparrows arrived at Seal Beach N. W. R., Orange
by 19 Oct (JFi). The first (Large-billed)
Savannah Sparrow was noted 15 Aug at Playa del
Rey (RBa), and small numbers were found
thereafter n. to Morro Bay, with a high count of
4 at Bolsa Chica 2 Sep (BED). One was at N. E.
S. S. 7 Sep (CMcG); this subspecies is far more
numerous at the s. end of the Salton Sea. Harris’s
Sparrows were at Tinemaha Res. 9 Nov (JLD)
and Bishop 17 Nov (J&DP), with another on the
coast at Goleta 30 Nov (WTF). Relatively few
longspurs were found this fall, with only 5
Chestnut-collared and 9 Lapland reported; in
addition, McCown’s were found near Port
Hueneme 26-27 Oct (DD) and near Lancaster
29 Oct (MSanM).

Two male Northern Cardinals at Laguna
Dam, Imperial 6 Nov (RMcK) were part of a tiny
lower Colorado R. population; another male
near Blythe 8-9 Aug (RH) was possibly wild.
Twenty Rose-breasted Grosbeaks along the coast
6 Sep+ and another 6 on the deserts 13 Aug-26
Oct was an average showing. Ten Indigo

Buntings were along the coast 3 Aug- 18 Nov,
including a female feeding fledglings at H. C. P.
(where a pair summered) on 19 Aug (BED); one
near Bishop 2-3 Dec (J8cDP) was remarkably
late for the Region, let alone the n. interior. Ad.
male Painted Buntings in Torrance 23 Sep
(DLM) and near Imperial Beach 16-23 Nov
(GMcC) could well have been escapees, but a
drab green female in Bishop 22 Aug (J&DP) and
an ad. female banded near Victorville 13 Oct
(SJM) were probably natural vagrants.
Dickcissels were on San Clemente 1. 7 Oct (BLS)
and 17 Oct (ELK), in Ocean Beach, San Diego 13
Oct (REW), and in Goleta 14 Oct (NAL).

Thirty-three Bobolinks were on the coastal
slope or offshore islands 15 Sep-26 Oct. and
another 9 were on the deserts 18 Sep-4 Nov; a
bird at G. H. P. on the last date was the latest ever
for Kern. An impressive 6 Orchard Orioles were
found along the coast 26 Aug-24 Sep, plus a win-
tering bird present in Irvine 10 Nov-l- (DRW).
Six Baltimore Orioles reported 20 Sep- 18 Nov
along the coast were augmented by a bird at
Deep Springs 14 Sep (JLD).

EXOTICS

A European Goldfinch apparently of the central
Asian gray-headed caniceps group was on San
Clemente 1. 1 Aug (JTB, ph.). Twenty-five
Nutmeg Mannikins in Goleta 24 Sep (JH) was a
high count for Santa Barbara of this expanding
exotic species.

Cited observers (county coordinators in bold-
face): Jim Abernathy, Douglas W. Aguillard,
Onik Arian, David Au, Richard Barth (RBa),
Rosie Beach (RBe), Fred Belinsky, Lance Benner,
Mark Billings, Steven Bobzien, David V. Blue,
Harold Bond, John T. Brollini, Christopher W.
Burney, Eugene A. Cardiff (San Bernardino),
Heather A. Carlisle, Susan Carter, Luke Cole,
David M. Compton (Santa Barbara), Virginia
Conway, Daniel S. Cooper, Elizabeth Copper
(San Diego), Brian E. Daniels, Bill Deppe, Don
Desjardin, Jon L. Dunn, Todd Easterla, Tom M.
Edell (San Luis Obispo), Al Eisner, Barbara P.
Elliott, Jon Feenstra (JFe), John Fitch (JFi), Wes
T. Fritz, Peter Gaede, Kimball L. Garrett (Los
Angeles), Karen S. Gilbert, Peter A. Ginsburg,
Daniel A. Guthrie, Michael T. Hanson, Joan
Hardie, Beverly Hargrove, Jim and Ellen
Hargrove (J & EH), Gjon C. Hazard, D. Mitchell
Heindel, Tom & Jo Heindel (Inyo), Wanda
Hewett, Roger Higson, Chris Howard, Marshall
Iliff, Curtis O. Johnson, Paul Jorgensen, Eric L.
Kershner, Howard King, Andrew Kirk, Sandy
Koonce, Jim Kuhn, Kenneth Z. Kurland, Bill and
Nancy La Franboise (B & NLaF), Kevin Larson,
Nick A. Lethaby, Kelli H. Levinson, Dee Lyon,
Robert E. Maurer, Guy McCaskie (Imperial),

108

North American Birds

Southern Pacific Coast-Baja California

Chet McGaugh, Robert McKernan (Riverside),
Bob Miller (BMi), David L. Moody, Joseph
Morlan, Brennan Mulrooney (BMu), Stephen J.
Myers, Leo Ohtsuki, Dennis Parker (DPa), Jim
and Debby Parker (J&DP), Robert Patton, Dave
Pereksta (DPe), James E. Pike, Jonathan H.
Plissner, Tim Plunket, Molly Pollock, Geoffery L.

Rogers, Mike San Miguel, Michael J. San Miguel,
Paul Saraceni, Jeff Seay (JeS), Joyce Seibold (JoS),
Greg P. Smith, Susan Smith (SSm), Bob Steele,
Susan Steele (SSt), John R. Storrer, Mary Beth
Stowe, Emilie Strauss, Brian L. Sullivan, Gerald
L. Tolman, Larrry D. Tripp, Stan Walens (SWa),
Richard E. Webster, Walter Wehtje (Ventura),

Baja California
Peninsula

Richard A. Erickson

LSA Associates
20 Executive Park Suite 200
Irvine, California 92614
(richard.erickson@lsa-assoc.com)

Robert A. Hamilton

34 Rivo Alto Cana!

Long Beach, California 90803
(robb.hamilton@gte.net)

Eduardo Palacios

Ecoiogia, Centro de Investigacion Cientffica

y Educacion Superior de Ensenada

Miraflores 334, Fracc. Bella Vista

La Paz, Baja California Sur

23050 Mexico

(U.S. mailing address:

P.O. Box 434844

San Diego, California 92143-4844
(epalacio@cicese.mx)

Roberto Carmona

Departamento de Biologia Marina
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur
Apartado Postal 19-B
La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
(beauty@uabcs.mx)

Regional coverage was better than ever this sea-
son, yielding 14 new state records, five new to
the Region. Unprecedented numbers of vagrant
passerines were found, mostly in Eucalyptus trees
infested with sugary lerps covering the larvae of
small insects. With the insects having spread
south to at least Bahia Tortugas (no significant
infestations were found in the Cape District),
birders have found it worthwhile, if unaesthetic,
to check stands of sickly Eucalyptus for lerp-
fueled wanderers. Webster termed it “some of the
best disgusting birding possible.”

Hurricane Juliette crossed southern Baja
California Sur 27-30 Sep and moved up the Gulf
of California before dissipating in central Baja
California on 2 Oct. Storm-driven waifs went
unrecorded, but abundant rainfall apparently
prompted opportunistic nesting by various land-
birds in Baja California Sur: Common Ground-
Doves at Ciudad Constitucion 29 Oct (RAE),
Costa’s Hummingbirds east of San Ignacio 24 Oct
(KLG), and Cactus Wrens near San Gregorio 28
Oct (RAH).

We welcome Roberto Carmona to our editori-
al team this season. He is part of an active group
of biologists in the La Paz area whose contribu-
tions we look forward to in coming years.

Grant B. Weyburne, Douglas R. Willick
(Orange), Jeff Williams (JWi), John C. Wilson
(Kern), Shauna Wolf (SWo), Chris Wood, Joseph
Worley (JWo), Thomas E. Wurster, Roger H.
Zachary, Kevin J. Zimmer. An additional 25+
observers who could not be individually
acknowledged submitted reports this season.

Abbreviation: U.A.B.C.S. (Universidad

Autonoma de Baja California Sur).

CORMORANTS THROUGH GULLS

An ad. Neotropic Cormorant at Ojo de Agua, e.
of La Purisima, 26 Oct (fFMR et al.) represents
the 3rd peninsular record n. of Bahia Magdalena.
Southerly waterfowl at Lagunas de Chametla (La
Paz sewage ponds and vicinity) included up
to 5 Greater White-fronted Geese 9-29 Oct (RC
et al.) and one Lesser Canada Goose
(taverneri/parvipes) 29 Oct-30 Nov (RAE et al.).
Swainson’s Hawks winter primarily in South
America, so up to 19 roosting — and probably
wintering — in Ciudad Constitucion 26-29 Oct
(RAE, vt. RAH) were unexpected. Among few
previous peninsular records, 2 were w. of Ciudad
Insurgentes 26 Feb 1994. Although Crested
Caracaras are seen regularly n. to around
Guerrero Negro, one just s. of Villa Jesus Maria
22 Oct (KLG et al.) was the first seen in B.C.
since 1994. The identification of a richardsoni
Merlin at Guerrero Negro 22 Oct (fKLG et al.)
was relatively straightforward; it was the first for
B.C.S. The identification of Peregrine Falcon
subspecies is generally considered more prob-
lematic. A juv. showing the characteristics of
tundrius was at Rancho San Jose de Castro 6 Oct
(SNGH, RAH).

Several calling Clapper Rails at Estero San
Gregorio 28 Oct (RAE, RAH) were at a new loca-
tion for the species. Golden-Plovers are rarely
recorded in the Region; this season’s only report
was of 2 Americans at Bahia Asuncion 17 Oct
(REW). Lagunas de Chametla hosted a number
of interesting shorebirds: an ad. Semipalmated
Sandpiper 21 Aug (first for B.C.S.; GB et al;
“^U.A.B.C.S.); a late juv. Baird’s Sandpiper 29 Oct
(RAE, RAH); single juv. Pectoral Sandpipers 9
Oct (first for the La Paz region; RC et al.;
^U.A.B.C.S.) and 26 Oct (RAH, RAE); a juv.
Curlew Sandpiper 25 Oct-3 Nov (first Regional
and 2nd Mexican record; fRAE, vt. RAH, LS, GB;
’•^U.A.B.C.S.); and an ad. Stilt Sandpiper 25 Oct-
1 Nov (first confirmed record for B.C.S. ; vt.
RAH, RAE, LS, GB; “^U.A.B.C.S.). Gulls in unex-
pected places included an ad. Heermann’s at
Catavina 22 Oct (KLG et al), ad. Yellow-footeds
on the Pacific coast at San Juanico (2) and Estero

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

109

San Gregorio (9) 28 Oct (RAE, RAH), and a
worn ad. Black-legged Kittiwake one km s. of
Todos Santos 27 Oct (KLG et al; presumably left
over from the previous flight, cf. N. A. B. 55:
483).

PIGEONS THROUGH THRUSHES

An imm. Band-tailed Pigeon at Rancho El
Descanso 12-15 Oct (JEP et al.) represents one of
few lowland records in the Region. Ruddy
Ground-Doves were recorded in record num-
bers. A female at Catavina 9 Oct (SNGH, vt.
RAH), a pair at Bahia de Los Angeles 21 Oct (ph.
M&GF), and an ad. male at Santa Teresita, B.C.S.
13 Oct (tMSM) were n. of previous Regional
records. Birds at seven locations from La
Purisima southward 25-30 Oct (RAE, vt. RAH)
included a flock of 50-i- at Villa Morelos 26-29
Oct. A Long-eared Owl at La Salina 21 Oct
(REW) was presumably a fall migrant, the first
such record for the Region. A Common
Nighthawk flying s. along the beach s. of El
Socorro, B.C. at dawn on 20 Oct (fREW) was
heard well and seen in silhouette. The species is
extremely rare as a migrant in California, and
there are no previous Regional records. A female
Xantus’s Hummingbird at Cadeje 28 Oct (RAE)
was at a new location for the species.
Woodpeckers made news with a Lewis’s
Woodpecker at San Ignacio 24 Oct (first for
B.C.S.; tKLG et al.); Williamson’s Sapsuckers at
El Rosario 15 Oct (REW), Catavina 19-22 Oct
(REW, tKLG et al.), and Rancho San Jose de
Castro 6-17 Oct (SNGH, vt. RAH, REW); 3 Red-
naped Sapsuckers on the Magdalena Plain 27
Oct (RAH, RAE); a Red-breasted Sapsucker at
Bahia Tortugas 7 Oct (first for B.C.S.; vt. RAH,
fSNGH); and a Downy Woodpecker at El
Descanso 3 Oct (RAH, SNGH). Reports of
Northern Flickers in n. B.C.S. were undocu-
mented and the species remains unconfirmed in
the state.

A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Rancho El
Descanso 18 Sep (ph. tMJI, fDSC, vt. fRAH)
was the 2nd recorded in B.C. and the Region.
Noteworthy records of congeners included Least
Flycatchers at La Mision 19 Sep (DSC, vt. RAH,
tMJI), Bahia Tortugas 7 Oct (2-3; vt. RAH,
SNGH), and Arroyo Hondo, n. of El Triunfo 26
Oct (KLG); single Hammond’s Flycatchers near
Salsipuedes, n. of Ensenada, 14 Oct (REW), and
at Bahia Asuncion 8 Oct (2nd for B.C.S.; SNGH);
and a Dusky Flycatcher at Catavina 18 Sep (MJI,
DSC, vt. RAH). An early Eastern Phoebe at El
Rosario 12 Oct (fMSM, JEP) represented the 5th
Regional record. New to the Region was the
Great Crested Flycatcher found at Bahia
Tortugas 7 Oct (tSNGH, fRAH). Three Tropical
Kingbirds were seen in Oct and a record 9-1-
Thick-billed Kingbirds were at five traditional

1 10

sites from Arroyo Hondo southward 24-26 Oct
(RAE, RAH, KLG et al.). We suspect the latter
species is now resident in the s. Cape District,
although unrecorded Mar-Sep. Three Western
Kingbirds in n. B.C.S. in Oct were overshadowed
by an Eastern Kingbird at Bahia Asuncion 6-8
Oct (SNGH, vt. RAH) and a Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher at San Juanico, B.C.S. 28 Oct (RAE, vt.
RAH).

Vireos were represented well with 4-5
Plumbeous Vireos noted in Oct; possible nomi-
nate (eastern) Warbling Vireos at Bahia Tortugas
7 Oct (fRAH, fSNGH) and Santiago 25 Oct
(RAH, RAE); Philadelphia Vireos at Punta Banda
10-15 Oct (vt. RAH, RAE), Maneadero Plain 10
Oct (fRAH, SNGH), and Guerrero Negro 23 Oct
(first for B.C.S.; ph. fKLG et al); a Red-eyed
Vireo at El Sauzal, B.C. 10-11 Oct (vt. RAH et
al.); and Yellow-green Vireos at Bahia Tortugas 7
Oct (SNGH) and Punta Banda 10 Oct (SNGH,
vt. RAH). The peninsula’s first Winter Wren
record came from Catavina 19 Oct (fREW). A
Townsend’s Solitaire at Catavina 19-21 October
(REW et al.) was at low elevation and was as far
s. as ever recorded on the Region’s mainland. An
American Robin at Guerrero Negro 23 Oct
(MUE, KLG) furnished one of few records for
B.C.S. A Varied Thrush near Ejido Zarahemla 15
Oct (vt. REW) was in the northwest, where small
numbers occur with some regularity in fall and
winter.

WARBLERS THROUGH BLACKBIRDS

Tennessee Warblers were unusually plentiful,
with 16 or 17 found during 5-20 Oct (vt. RAH,
vt. REW et al.). Two Virginia’s Warblers at Punta
Banda 19 Sep (RAH et al.) were the only ones
recorded, while a total of 5 Lucy’s Warblers 18
Sep- 14 Oct was more than expected. Northern
Parulas were found at Bahia Asuncion 6 Oct
(fRAH, SNGH), Bahia Tortugas 7 Oct (SNGH,
RAH), El Socorro 9 Oct (SNGH, RAH), and on
the Maneadero Plain 11 Oct (MSM, JEP), bring-
ing the number of fall records to 10. Five
Chestnut-sided Warblers found 19 Sep-23 Oct
included 2 in B.C.S.: Rancho San Jose de Castro
7 Oct (SNGH, vt. RAH) and w. of Gavilan 23 Oct
(KLG et al.). Five Magnolia Warblers found 19
Sep-21 Oct (vt. REW et al.) included one in
B.C.S.: Bahia Asuncion 8 Oct (SNGH, vt. RAH).
An imm. female Cape May Warbler at Punta
Banda 23 Sep (fRAE) provided a first for B.C.
and only the 2nd peninsular record. It was an
exceptional fall for Black-throated Blue
Warblers, with 9 or 10 found 6-20 Oct (vt. RAH
et al.). Black-throated Green Warblers were
found as follows: Punta Banda 23 Sep (RAE); up
to 3 on the Maneadero Plain 10-30 Oct+ (RAH
et al.); and Guerrero Negro 13 Oct (MSM).

Six Blackburnian Warblers at coastal locations

This Red-breasted Sapsucker at Bahia Tortugas 7
October 2001 was the first for Baja California Sur.
Photograph from digital video by Robert A.
Hamilton.

17 Sep- 18 Oct (tDSC, tMJI, vt. REW et al.)
included the first for B.C.S.: Guerrero Negro 5
Oct (fRAH, SNGH); Rancho San Jose de Castro
6-7 Oct (SNGH, vt. RAH); and Bahia Tortugas

18 Oct (REW). The peninsula’s 3rd Yellow-
throated Warbler, at Boca de San Jacinto, B.C.S.
24 Oct (vt. tRAH, RAE), belonged to the more
expected race, albilora. An early imm. male Pine
Warbler foraging in lerp-infested Eucalyptus on
the Maneadero Plain 11 Oct (tJEP, fMSM) was
the first to be confirmed on the peninsula. Six
Prairie Warblers 17 Sep-30 Oct (fREW, vt. RAH
et al.) was a healthy sum, whereas 7 Palm
Warblers in B.C. 9-31 Oct was, if anything, a bit
low. A Bay-breasted Warbler at Punta Banta 14
Oct (fREW) was the 3rd for B.C. and the penin-
sula. A flood of Blackpoll Warblers poured
through coastal areas 18 Sep-23 Oct, 15 being
recorded in B.C. and 3 in n. B.C.S. Black-and-
white Warblers, which winter regularly in B.C.S.,
were comparatively scarce, with up to 22 birds
about evenly split between the two states 1 9 Sep-
30 Oct. American Redstarts were more abun-
dant, with 23 in B.C. 18 Sep-30 Oct (most prob-
ably migrants) and 24 in B.C.S. 5-30 Oct (many
presumably wintering).

Building on 10 previous peninsular records,
an imm. female Prothonotary Warbler at La
Salina 17 Sep (RAH, DSC, tMJI) was followed by
an imm. male there 23 Sep (RAE), and an imm.
male was at Guerrero Negro 8 Oct (vt. RAH,
SNGH). After just seven previous fall records in
the Region, Ovenbirds were found at Catavina 18
Sep (MJI, DSC, vt. RAH ), Punta Prieta 16-19 Oct
(vt. REW), Bahia Tortugas 7 Oct (SNGH, vt.
RAH), and Ciudad Constitucion 27 Oct (RAE).
A Connecticut Warbler at El Sauzal 17 Sep
(tMJI, tDSC, RAH) provided the first record for
B.C. and 3rd for the peninsula. Belding’s
Yellowthroats were found at two locales where

North American Birds

Baja California-Mexico

not recorded by Rodriguez-E. et al. {Animal
Conservation 2: 77-84, 1999): a male at Santiago
26 Oct (KLG), and a male and female together at
Cadeje 28 Oct (RAE, vt. RAH). A male Hooded
Warbler at La Salina 21 Oct (REW) was the 2nd
for B.C. (both fall), while a female near Gavilan
5-16 Oct (SNGH, vt. RAH et al.) was the 3rd fall
record for B.C.S. Single Canada Warblers at
Santa Ines 18 Sep (DSC, vt. RAH, MJI) and
Punta Banda 20-21 Oct (fREW) brought B.C.
even with B.C.S., the two states now claiming
four records each, all in fall. Two Yellow-breasted
Chats at Catavina 18 Sep (RAH et al.), one there
16 Oct (REW), and another at Bahia Tortugas 7
Oct (RAH, SNGH), were away from known win-
tering areas to the s. and presumably migrants.

A female Hepatic Tanager at Rancho El
Descanso 18 Sep (fDSC, ph. fMJI, RAH) was the
3rd for B.C. and the peninsula. Summer
Tanagers were present in force, with at least 20
split evenly between the two states (ph. KLG et
al.). Four Scarlet Tanagers were found 15-23 Oct
(vt. tREW, fKLG et al.); another at San Jose del
Cabo 25 Oct (RAE, vt. RAH) was the first for the
s. third of the peninsula. One or more Spotted
Towhees were far s. at Catavina 18 Sep and 9 Oct

Hector Gomez de Silva

Xola 314-E

013100 Mexico, D. F.

{hgomez@miranda.ecologia.unam.mx)

Fall 2001 continued to provide records of birds
outside their distributions mapped in Howell
and Webb (1995), including a few first state
records, as well as migrants and vagrants. Birder
coverage continues to be spotty, with no reports
from large parts of the country. A large difference
between knowledge of bird distribution and sea-
sonality in Mexico and such knowledge in the U.S.
and Canada is that, in most areas of Mexico,
months or years may pass between visits by birders.
A much smaller proportion of those vagrants and
accidentals that are out there actually become
reported in Mexico. Even the relatively intensely
birded Mexico City continues to yield new records
(this fall produced the first record of Herring Gull
in the D.F.).

Birders living in Torreon, Coahuila continue to
find vagrants in their area and adjacent parts of
Durango, though many more vagrants were found
in spring. Perhaps the most exciting accidental
reported this fall was the Ruff found by John
Forcey near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. This
species had not been reliably recorded in Mexico
until very recently, though there are accepted

(RAH et al.), and one at Punta Prieta 16-19 Oct
(REW) was even farther south. An imm. Golden-
crowned Sparrow at Punta Eugenia 18 Oct
(REW) was a Vizcaino Desert first. A Slate-col-
ored Junco and up to 3 Gray-headed Juncos were
at Punta Banda 14-21 Oct (REW). One of the
latter had a dark maxilla and paler throat like }.h.
dorsalis, but that subspecies is essentially seden-
tary on the breeding grounds in Arizona, New
Mexico, and Texas.

At least 10 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks — 9 of
them in B.C. — exceeded expectations. Five or 6
Indigo Buntings in the Region 18 Sep- 17 Oct was
a typical number, whereas 11+ Dickcissels
throughout the peninsula 18 Sep-24 Oct (ph.
M8cGF, vt. RAH, fMJI et al.) nearly doubled the
previous high seasonal total. Bobolinks were also
relatively numerous, with 8 on the central penin-
sula 5-25 Oct (ph. M8(GF, vt. RAH et al.). A
female Bronzed Cowbird at Rancho El Descanso
18 Sep (fDSC, tMJI, vt.fRAH) represented just
the 3rd record away from the Rio Colorado delta.
Orioles were reported as follows: Orchards at
Bahia Tortugas 7 Oct (SNGH, RAH) and on the
San Quintin Plain 12 Oct (JEP, MSM); Bullock’s
at Santa Ines 5 Oct (SNGH) and Rancho San Jose

recent records from Yucatan and from Baja
California (Howell et al. Annotated checklist of the
birds of Baja California and Baja California Sur.
Monographs in Field Ornithology, in press) prior
to this Oaxaca record.

NORTHERN MEXICO

HERONS THROUGH OWLS

One Boat-billed Heron was sighted in Taninul
(around 20 km e. of Ciudad Valles), S.L.P. 15 Nov
(BC). An ad. White Ibis was spotted 27 Oct catch-
ing and eating a large river shrimp in shallow
waters near La Isla on the lower Nazas R., Dgo.; it
was accompanied by a couple of White-faced Ibis
(FVP, FGE). A Greater White-fronted Goose was
seen well from the railroad tracks along the
Abelardo L. Rodriguez dam in Hermosillo, Son. 26
Nov (JMB, DN, BO). Three ducks resembling
female Mallards were near San Pedro, Chih. 1 Sep

de Castro 7 Oct (SNGH, RAH); Baltimores at La
Bufadora 4 Oct (RAH, SNGH), on the
Maneadero Plain 14 Oct (MSM), and at Punta
Banda 14 Oct (JEP, MSM); and Scott’s on the
Maneadero Plain 17 Sep (RAH et al.), at La
Bufadora 4 Oct (RAH), 2 at Santa Ines 5 Oct
(RAH, SNGH), and 4 at Mision Santo Domingo
15 Oct (REW).

EXOTICS

An ad. male African Darter (Anhinga
[melanogaster] rufa) at Ensenada 24 Sep-3 Dec
(RAE, ph. EM, RAH) adds to several recent
records from San Diego and Imperial, California.

Contributors: Georgina Brabata, Roberto
Carmona, Daniel S. Cooper, Richard A.
Erickson, Michael U. Evans, Mary and George
Flicker, Daniel Galindo, Kimball L. Garrett,
Robert A. Hamilton, Steve N. G. Howell,
Marshall J. Iliff, Eric Mellink, James E. Pike,
Mike San Miguel, Luis Sauma, Fred M. Roberts,
Jr., Richard E. Webster.

(HGdS). Five Harris’s Hawks were on telephone
poles between Janos and the turnoff to Casa de
Janos, Chih. 30 Aug, and 3 were between Janos and
Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chih. 8 Sep (HGdS).
Passage of Swainson’s Hawks was evidenced by
dozens, including juvs., seen daily roosting on
bushes — and a group of 35 once seen feeding on
the ground — around San Pedro through the first
week of Sep, with peak numbers on 3 8c 4 Sep
(HGdS). A Golden Eagle was seen around Rancho
El Cuervo, Chih. 4 Sep (HGdS).

Around 1000 Long-billed Curlews were report-
ed in a field at Hedionda Grande, Coah. 4 Nov
(DH). A flock estimated to contain 225 Thick-
billed Parrots was seen 20 Nov feeding on pine
cones in Dgo. along Highway 40, roughly 1 1 km
towards Ciudad Durango from “La Espina del
Diablo” on the continental divide (JMB, DN, BO).
The breeding season of Maroon-fronted Parrots is
Jul-Oct. This year, the species had relatively low
breeding success, with only 8 pairs raising fledg-
lings in El Taray, Coah., the largest breeding colony,
whereas 21 pairs raised fledglings in both 1998 and
2000 (CMC). A few Maroon-fronted Parrots were
seen in their wintering grounds at Pena Nevada,
N.L. in mid-Oct, which is unusually early (CMC).
One Vermiculated Screech-Owl was seen near
Gomez Farias, Tamps. 1 Oct (DP).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH BLACKBIRDS

A very active Tufted Flycatcher was seen in Bosque
Venustiano Carranza, a city park in Torreon, Coah.

Mexico

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

111

17-20 Nov (FVP, WB). At least two dozen late
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were recorded daily near
Anahuac, Tamps. 25 Oct-1 Nov (AOI, RRS).
Hundreds of Tree Swallows fed over the cultivated
fields around Buenos Aires, Chih. 5 & 6 Sep, with
much smaller numbers on 4, 7 & 8 Sep. These swal-
lows probably roosted in the mountains to the s. of
this locality, because northbound flights could be
seen 0700-0745 over the prairie s. of Buenos Aires 5
& 6 Sep (HGdS). Five Cave Swallows and dozens of
Barn Swallows were seen at Anahuac late Oct (AOI,
ORS). A flock of more than a hundred White-
necked Ravens was seen near Rancho El Cuervo 7
Sep (HGdS). Four European Starlings were at San
Pedro 4 Sep, and 1 1 were at Buenos Aires 8 Sep
(HGdS). Two pairs of Northern Mockingbirds
appeared to have active nests on the late date of late
Nov near Anahuac (AOI, ORS).

A Yellow-throated Warbler together with other
birds mobbed a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl in brush
along Playa Lupita in Teacapan, Sin. 22 Nov ( IMB,
DN, BO). A single Colima Warbler was seen 20 Nov
in a mixed species flock on Highway 40 roughly 2
km west of the “Espina del Diablo” pull-off in the
state of Dgo. (IMB, DN, BO). Blue Grosbeaks and
Cassin’s Sparrows were still singing around San
Pedro the first week of Sep (HGdS). Several Green-
tailed Towhees were seen around San Pedro in the
first week of Sep (HGdS). A flock of 12 Brewer’s
Blackbirds near San Pedro 31 Aug was somewhat
early (HGdS). Mid-Oct saw the arrival of the flocks
of blackbirds that roost in Calzada Colon and sev-
eral city parks in Torreon, Gomez Palacio, Dgo. and
Lerdo, Dgo., mixed flocks comprising Yellow-head-
ed blackbirds. Great-tailed Grackles, Brown-headed
Cowbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Bronzed
Cowbirds (FVP, WB). Francisco Valdes Peresgasga
and William Beatty estimate that along Calzada
Colon (1.1 km of tree-lined avenue) as many as 1.5
to 2 million birds roost every night. Small numbers
of Bullock’s Orioles were seen almost daily around
San Pedro in the first week of Sep (HGdS).

Contributors (area compilers in boldface):
William Beatty, lames M. Black, Bob Cecil, Felipe
Gaytan Echavarri, Hector Gomez de Silva, Diane
Holsinger, Claudia Macias Caballero, Daniel
Newman, Adan Oliveras de Ita, Bruce Ostyn, Dick
Palmer, Octavio Rojas Soto, Francisco Valdes
Peresgasga.

CENTRAL MEXICO

Abbreviations: U.N.A.M. (Universidad Nacional
Autonoma de Mexico), C.C.C.M. (Centro Clvico
Cinco de Mayo, Puebla, Pue.).

TROPICBIRDS THROUGH HUMMINGBIRDS

Two ad. Red-billed Tropicbirds were seen at Roca
Elefante off San Bias, Nay. 17 Nov (SJD). One
American White Pelican was seen in the Parque
Ecologico de Xochimilco, D.F. 29 Nov (AMH,
RGW). Two ad. and one imm. Muscovy Ducks
were seen in the San Bias area of Rio San Cristobal,
Nay. 13 Nov (SID). Eight Northern Shovelers, 9
male and one female Ruddy Ducks, and around 50
Mexican Ducks were in the artificial lake at Parque
Tezozomoc, Mex. 22 Sep (HGdS, AOI). One female
Red-breasted Merganser was seen in the San Bias
area of Rio San Cristobal 13 Nov (SID), a first state
record. One dark-morph Hook-billed Kite was
seen at the U.N.A.M. Botanical Garden, D.F. on
several visits through Nov (SA, HGdS). This
species, unrecorded by Wilson & Ceballos (1993),
is probably a passage migrant in the D.F., with by
far the most records in Nov (Gomez de Silva, in
press). One Sharp-shinned Hawk was recorded fly-
ing over C.C.C.M. 15 Aug (MPV). A Cooper’s
Hawk was heard at Parque El Tepozan, D.F. mid-
Sep (SA). One to 2 Cooper’s Hawks were heard on
several visits in Oct and Nov to the Parque
Ecologico de la Ciudad de Mexico, D.F. (SA).
Howell and Webb (1995) state that this species is
rarely heard Oct-Apr. A Northern Harrier was
seen in the U.N.A.M. Botanical Garden 25 Oct
(SA). One Wilson’s Plover and one Stilt Sandpiper
were seen on Peso Island, San Bias 16 Nov (SID).
Three Common Moorhens and around 10 Wilson’s
Phalaropes were seen at Parque Tezozomoc 22 Sep
(HGdS, AOI). One Herring Gull and one Ring-
billed Gull were seen in the Parque Ecologico de
Xochimilco, D.F. 29 Nov (AMH, RGW). Five
Military Macaws were recorded at El Mirador del
Aguila, Nay. 19 Nov (SID). Three Colima Pygmy-
Owls were seen at La Bajada, Nay. 18 Nov (SID).
One Eared Poorwill was recorded at Cerro de San
luan. Nay. 15 Nov (SID). HZV reported that there
appeared to be much more activity at the White-
throated Swift roost in the southeastern side of
Cerro del Chiquihuite, Mex. 19 Aug than in Id.
One male Mexican Woodnymph was reported
from Cerro de San luan 15 Nov (SID). Green
Violet-ears were staking out territories at La Cima,
D.F. through at least the first week of Aug. Green
Violet-ears were singing in the Parque Ecologico de
la Ciudad de Mexico, D.F. through 1 1 Oct, and one
silent individual was seen there 22 Oct (SA). A
female Broad-tailed Hummingbird was observed
feeding a nestling in the Parque Ecologico de la
Ciudad de Mexico 8 Sep, where a recently-fledged
White-eared Hummingbird was likewise being fed
by a female (SA). One male Rufous Hummingbird
was seen at Parque El Tepozan 4 Aug (SA).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH ORIOLES

One Tufted Flycatcher was heard 1 Aug at La Cima, }
where not always present. A White-throated •
Flycatcher was seen at La Cima 5 Aug (HGdS, !
AOI). One Gray Flycatcher was recorded at
C.C.C.M. 16 Aug (MPV). A Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher was recorded in the U.N.A.M. Botanical
Garden 25 Oct (SA). Three and 2 Black-capped '
Vireos were seen at Cerro de San luan 15 & 19 Nov,
respectively, while a Plumbeous Vireo was at
Singayta 14 Nov (SID). Five Purplish-backed lays
were seen on the San Bias end of Rio San Cristobal

13 Nov, and 3 ads. and one juv. were seen at Peso
Island, San Bias 16 Nov (SID). Two small groups of j
Boucard’s Wrens were recorded at C.C.C.M. 14-16
and 26-28 Aug (MPV). Small numbers of Sedge
Wrens were present at La Cima in Sep and Oct but I
were very shy and inconspicuous, in contrast to j
their behavior from May to Aug (AOI, HGdS). }
One Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush was seen at !
the San Bias sewage ponds 16 Nov (SID). Single !
Rufous-backed Robins were recorded at C.C.C.M. |
15 & 28 Aug (MPV). One Blue Mockingbird was (
seen at La Cima 1 Aug. Nine European Starlings
were seen at Tepotzotlan, Mex. 8 Sep (HGdS), one
was seen at Parque Tezozomoc 22 Sep (HGdS,
AOI), and 2 were at Metro Etiopia, D.F. 26 Nov
(HGdS, MPV). Small numbers of Gray Silky- fly-
catchers were present in and around the U.N.A.M.
Botanical Garden throughout the reporting peri-
od.

The earliest migrant warbler noticed this season
in Mexico City was a Black-and-white Warbler in
the Parque Ecologico de la Ciudad de Mexico 12
Aug (SA). Single Yellow-rumped and Townsend’s
Warblers were reported on the early date of 27 Aug
at C.C.C.M. (MPV). A Painted Redstart, perhaps a
migrant, was at the largely Eucalyptus-forested
C.C.C.M., in the center of Mexico’s 4th largest city,

15 Aug (MPV). An Ovenbird was reported from
Laguna Quelele, Nay. 11 Nov, while a Kentucky
Warbler was noted at La Bajada 18 Nov (SID). Six
Red-crowned Ant-Tanagers were seen at La Bajada

14 Nov (SID). A Northern Cardinal was singing at
the U.N.A.M. Botanical Garden 15 Aug (HGdS,
AGP, SA). A mother and a recently fledged
Cinamon-bellied Flower piercer were at Instituto
de Ecologla, U.N.A.M., D.F. 13 Aug (HGdS, MPV).
Two Black-vented Orioles were seen at C.C.C.M. j

15 and 16 Aug (MPV). ;

Corrigendum i

In the Summer report, several records from El^^
Palmito, Sin. made their way into the Central j
Mexico subregional report; these should have been '
listed in the Northern Mexico subregion. I

Contributors (area compiler in boldface): Sofia
Arenas , Stephen I. Davies, Hector Gomez de Silva,
Adrian Gutierrez Perez, Alejandro Melendez

112

North American Birds

Mexico

Herrada, Adan Oliveras de Ita, Monica Perez
Villafana, Richard G. Wilson, and Heliot Zarza
Villanueva. Uncredited observations are by Hector
Gomez de Silva.

SOUTHERN MEXICO

Abbreviation: P.A.D. (Piedra Azul dam, Teotitlan del
Valle). All records received are from Oaxaca state.

GREBES THROUGH HUMMINGBIRDS

An ad. Least Grebe with 2 chicks was seen at P.A.D.
29 Nov. Two imm. Neotropic Cormorants were at
San Andres dams 1 Sep (IMF, MG). One early
Great Blue Heron was seen at San Andres dams 4
Aug. Snowy Egrets also arrived early, recorded 4
Aug at ponds near Guendulain and Tlacolula and 7
Aug at San Pablo Etla. One Little Blue Heron was
seen at San Pablo Etla 10 Oct. One female Blue-
winged Teal at Teotitlan del Valle 1 1 Sep was the
earliest fall record (MG, JMF). Two juv. and one ad.
Harris’s Hawks were seen at Tlacolula 29 Sep. A
Sora was heard at a marsh at Yagul 29 Sep, where
very small numbers winter, as occasionally at
P.A.D. Common Moorhens nested through most
of Aug along the Rio Salado at San Juan Guelavia:
an ad. with chick was seen 23 Aug, and up to 18
ads. and imms. continued to be seen to the end of
the reporting period.

Two Double-striped Thick-knees were at
Rancho El Paraiso between Astata and Huatulco 26
Sep (MG). Two Black-bellied Plovers were at the
mouth of Rio Colotepec, near Puerto Escondido 22
Nov. A Black-necked Stilt and 2 American Avocets
were seen Tlacolula 29 Sep. Single Solitary
Sandpipers were recorded four times in the Valley
of Oaxaca 7 Aug-29 Sep, mostly at Teotitlan del
Valle. A Semipalmated Sandpiper was recorded
Tlacolula 4 Aug and another at Teotitlan del Valle
28 Aug. Baird’s Sandpipers were recorded six times
between 23 Aug-8 Nov at various locations in the
Valley of Oaxaca. An Upland Sandpiper was
recorded 1 Sep at 2150 m elevation at San Juan
Mixtepec (EH, per MG). A rare-in-fall Pectoral
Sandpiper was recorded 20 Oct at Teotitlan del
VaOe. A basic-plumaged male Ruff was recorded at
the mouth of Rio Colotepec 20 & 22 Aug; this is the
first record for Oaxaca (JMF). Two Wilson’s
Phalaropes were seen Teotitlan del Valle 28 Aug.
One Franklin’s Gull, 6 Sandwich Terns, about 10
Common Terns, and about 20 Black Skimmers
were seen at the mouth of Rio Colotepec 20 8f 22
Nov. A juv. White-collared Swift was seen in
Oaxaca City 9 Sep, the first in the Central Valley of

Oaxaca (MG). Three Azure-crowned
Hummingbirds were seen at Matias Romero Dam
at San Pablo Huitzo 15 Nov. One Green-fronted
Hummingbird was seen 23 Aug at San Juan
Guelavia. One Garnet-throated Hummingbird was
seen 20 Oct at 2200 m above Teotitlan del Valle.

TROGONS THROUGH BLACKBIRDS

A Citreoline Trogon was recorded 23 Sep at
Rancho San Antonio near Huatulco at 1 150 m ele-
vation (MG), slightly above its altitudinal range
stated in Howell & Webb (1995). Two Western
Wood-Pewees were seen near Monte Alban 10 Nov,
establishing a new late date for the lowland Valley
of Oaxaca, whereas a Say’s Phoebe at Yagul 29 Sep
established a new early date for the region. Western
Kingbirds were seen at several locations in central
Oaxaca from 29 Sep to 29 Nov. Eight Scissor-tailed
Flycatchers were recorded at Tlacolula 29 Sep.
Single Tree Swallows were seen at two locations
near Teotitlan del Valle 8 Nov. One Happy Wren
was recorded at P.A.D. 11 Nov (RA). One Gray
Catbird was seen at P.A.D. 13 Nov (RA), and 2
more were seen at the same location 29 Nov. The
earliest warblers recorded this fall in the Central
Valley of Oaxaca were single Wilson’s, Townsend’s,
and Black-and-white Warblers at San Felipe Park 1
Sep (MG, JMF). A Golden-winged Warbler was
recorded at 1000 m elevation at Rancho San
Antonio near Huatulco 26 Sep (MG). One Black-
throated Green Warbler was seen 13 Oct at San
Felipe Park. The earliest Audubon’s Warbler this
fall was recorded 29 Sep (MG, JMF). Single Rose-
breasted Grosbeaks were noted 20 8c 23 Oct at
Teotitlan del Valle and La Guacamaya. One to 3
Indigo Buntings were spotted at widely scattered
locations in central Oax. 17 Oct-3 Nov. One
Painted Bunting was recorded in Oaxaca City 22
Oct. About 20 Dickcissels were seen at Playa
Bachoco, the westernmost beach in Puerto
Escondido, 21 Nov. A Melodious Blackbird was
seen at Rancho San Antonio 26 Sep (MG); the
species is a recent colonist on the Pacific slope of
Oaxaca (Gomez de Silva 1998).

Contributors (area compUer in boldface): Roque
Antonio, John M. Forcey, Manuel Grosselet, and
Eugene Hunn. Uncredited observations are by
John M. Forcey.

YUCATAN PENINSULA

Abbreviations: RA. (Punta Allen, Q. Roo); Chun.
(Chunyaxche, Q. Roo); P.N. (Punta Norte, Isla del

Carmen, Camp.); R.L. (Rio Lagartos,Yuc.); E.C. (El
Cuyo, Yuc.); F.C.P. (Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q. Roo);
B.C. (Banco Chinchorro, Q.Roo); L.T. (Laguna de
Terminos, Camp.); V.C. (Vigia Chico road, Q. Roo),
S.T. (Santa Teresa. Station, Sian Ka’an Biosphere
Reserve, Q. Roo); Y.R (Yucatan Peninsula).

ANHINGA THROUGH QUAILS

Boatmen in Celestiin, Yuc. observed approximate-
ly 100 Anhingas flying high over the estuary mid-
Sep. A Tricolored Heron was observed brooding
chicks on B.C. 27 Sep, confirming their status as
resident there. One Wurdemann’s Heron was seen
at R.L. 16 Nov, and a pale Wurdemann’s Heron was
at Lake Coba, Q. Roo 14 Nov (HGdS), the latter
possibly the same individual seen with a Great
White Heron 27-30 Sep (MDC). One ad. Glossy
Ibis was reported on the golf course on the north-
east side of Cozumel, Q. Roo 24 Sep (MDC). A sin-
gle Jabiru was photographed in a waterhole at the
Dzibanche archeological site, Q.Roo 24-26 Oct
(LT). Two pairs of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks
with downy young were seen at a pond on the east
side of Cozumel 8 Aug (DK). Muscovy Duck pop-
ulations are dwindling in the L.T. area, where 2
were seen 30 Aug. Seven Blue-winged Teal, the
most common migrant duck in Y.P, were observed
on B.C. 25 Sep, and three flocks, each numbering
200-500, were seen in L.T. Beaton found a female
Hooded Merganser on Cozumel 18 Nov.

Two ad. King Vultures were seen soaring over
Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q. Roo 12 Nov (HGdS).
Three Swallow-tailed Kites were observed on V.C. 8
Nov (MT). In R.L., single Zone-tailed Hawks were
reported 26 Oct (GT) and 16 Nov (HGdS). Three
Black Hawk-Eagles were seen near F.C.P 21 Oct
(GT). Two each of Merlin and Peregrine Falcon,
the two most common migratory raptors found on
B.C., were present again this fall 24-27 Sep. Two
Peregrine Falcons were observed at E.C. trying to
capture frigatebirds 18 Oct, the day after a heavy
influx of migrants. Three were observed in R.L. 26
Oct (GT). V.C. produced a flock of 8 Ocellated
Turkeys 19 Sep. Three Singing Quails were seen in
the forest at Coba 15 Oct (GT).

RAILS THROUGH SKIMMERS

Many Gray-necked Wood-Rails were seen on V.C.
17 Aug, including a group of 6 (DK). Bacab report-
ed a Sora in Celestun 24 Sep. An ad. and a juv.
American Avocet were recorded on the e. side of
Cozumel 8 Aug (DK). At Playa Norte on Isla del
Carmen, Camp., small numbers of Black-bellied,
Snowy, Wilson’s, and Semipalmated Plovers were
observed 27 Aug, among hundreds of resident
waterbirds. Many more were observed at the same
location 8 Nov, together with a small flock of
Killdeer, 25 American Avocets, 100 Willets, one
Whimbrel, 2 Long-billed Curlews, 6 Marbled
Godwits, 200 Least Sandpipers, 100 Short-billed

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

113

Dowitchers, and 200 Forster’s Terns. Single
Whimbrels were seen R.L. 26 Oct (GT) and 16 Nov
(HGdS). One Long-billed Gurlew was seen at P.A.
18 Sep, and 3 were seen at R.L. 26 Oct (GT). A
Marbled Godwit and a Wilson’s Plover were report-
ed near Progreso, Yuc. 13 Aug (DK). Several
Marbled Godwits were at R.L. 26 Oct (GT), and 2
were seen there 16 Nov (HGdS). One Upland
Sandpiper was seen in a field close to Las Coloradas,
Yuc., and one Buff-breasted Sandpiper was reported
at Las Coloradas 26 Sep (MDC). One ad. Kelp Gull
was seen at Las Coloradas 26 Sep (MDC), while a
pair was seen there 17 Nov (HGdS). Two Black
Terns were seen near Progreso 13 Aug (DK), 3 were
observed in Celestiin 14 Aug (BM, DB), and 10 were
in Isla Aguada 27 Aug. One Black Tern was seen at
L. Coba 27 Sep, with 2 there 28 Sep (MDC).
Approximately 50 Black Skimmers were at Playa
Norte 8 Nov.

DOVES THROUGH MANAKINS

An exhausted White-winged Dove resting in a palm
tree 27 Sep was a new record for B.C., while 6
Mourning Doves were seen feeding in E.C. 18 Oct,
the day after a heavy influx of migrants. One
Zenaida Dove was seen being followed by a
Mourning Dove at the Cozumel, Q. Roo dump 19
Nov (HGdS). Yellow-billed Cuckoos were observed
within normal dates, with singles 25 & 27 Sep on
B.C., and another 18 Sep at P.A. Bacab reported that
3 Barn Owls arrived in the plaza of Celestun during
Aug and Sep and that by Oct the plague of Great-
tailed Crackles that roosted in the trees there were
gone. On the night of 23 Sep with a strong north
wind blowing, at least 6 Common Nighthawks fed
over the plaza of Celestun (DB). A pair of Collared
Trogons was observed at Chun. 4-6 Aug.

Three Amazon Kingfishers were seen on the Rio
Palizada 29 Aug; this locality is the only area of the
peninsula where the species appears to be relatively
common. A Rufous-breasted Spinetail was observed
putting the final touches on its new nest at Chun. 5
Aug (IC). One Ochre-bellied Flycatcher was seen
about 3 km from F.C.P. on V.C. 13 Nov (HGdS).
Three Eye-ringed Flatbills were seen at Coba, Q.
Roo 14 Nov (HGdS). One Yellow-olive Elycatcher
was in the heavily disturbed Chichen Itza archael-
ogicai site, Yuc. 15 Aug (DK) and 15 Nov (HGdS). A
single Eastern Wood-Pewee was at Celestun 24 Sep
(DB), while a pair of Tropical Pewees was recorded
for the first time on B.C. 25 Sep. Several Acadian
Flycatchers were reported between central Q. Roo
and n. Yuc. 14-26 Oct, and an Alder/Willow
Flycatcher was observed 21 Oct at Chun. (GT).
Least Flycatcher, a transient on the peninsula {fide
BM), made an appearance 24 Sep at Celestun and 5-
6 Aug at Chun., and a first-fall plumaged bird was a
new record for B.C. 25 Sep. Fifteen Eastern
Kingbirds, a common migrant through the area,
were observed in the Atasta area of L.T. 28 Aug,
while at least 80 flew over the Rio Palizada 29 Aug,

1 14

heading southwest. Two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers
were at the s. outskirts of Canciin, Q. Roo 10 Nov
(HGdS). A Red-capped Manakin at Chun. 21 Oct
provided a new record for the locality (GT).

VIREOS THROUGH GROSBEAKS

White-eyed Vireos appeared in Celestun 23 Sep, and
the first Yellow-throated Vireo was reported there 24
Sep (DB). Large numbers of Tree Swallows were flying
over the Rio Chompan, Camp. 7 Nov, and large num-
bers of Barn Swallows were reported over the Rio
Palizada 29 Aug. A pair of White-breasted Wood-
Wrens was seen at Coba 28 Sep (MDC), a first for this
locality. Two Veeries were mist-netted on B.C. 26 Sep
and one at E.C. 12 Sep. In B.C., 3 Swainson’s Thrushes
were recorded 25 & 26 Sep on Cayo Norte, and 2 were
recorded 27 Sep on Cayo Centro, where a Wood
Thrush was seen 25 Sep. One Black Catbird was seen
around 3 km from F.C.P. on V.C. 13 Nov (HGdS). One
possible Cozumel Thrasher was glimpsed 18 Nov at
San Gervacio ruins, Cozumel in the forest floor near
“El Pozo” (HGdS). After recent hurricanes and much
development on Cozumel, this species has become
very scarce indeed; it is possibly one of the most criti-
cally endangered species in Mexico or in the A.O.U.
Area. The most recent confirmed record is from Dec
1998 (J. Coons et al.).

Observers witnessed heavier than usual migra-
tion of passerines this fall in coastal areas, particu-
larly in the last week of Sep. A Blue-winged Warbler
on B.C. 27 Sep was a new record, while 4 female
Golden-winged Warblers were observed 17 Oct
between E.C. and R.L. Bacab reported 6 Yellow
Warblers 24 Sep in Celestun, where Magnolia
Warblers were in great evidence among the migrants
that arrived 27 Sep. Black-throated Blue Warblers
and Black-throated Green Warblers were recorded
on B.C. 25-27 Sep. Eour male Black-throated Blue
Warblers were seen on Cozumel 18 Nov at San
Gervasio ruins and at the sewage treatment plant
(HGdS). A male Cape May Warbler was seen at
Cedral, Cozumel, and a female was in coastal scrub
on the e. coast of Cozumel 19 Nov (HGdS). One
Prairie Warbler was close to the Cozumel sewage
treatment plant 18 Nov, and another was on the e.
coast of Cozumel 20 Nov (HGdS). A male and sev-
eral female Yellow-rumped Warblers were observed
on B.C. 25-26 Sep. A Blackburnian Warbler was
recorded at Chun. 10 Sep (IC), while another was
observed at F.C.P. 21 Oct (GT), at the end of its nor-
mal passage dates. Numbers of Prairie and Palm
Warblers were normal on B.C. 25-27 Sep, and 2 Bay-
breasted Warblers seen 20 Oct at Coba (GT) were on
schedule. JD and AC recorded the first Cerulean
Warbler for the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve at
E.C. on 25 Aug. A Prothonotary Warbler was record-
ed at Chichen Itza 15 Aug (DK) and another at
Chun. 25 Aug (IC). An American Redstart and 12
Prothonotary Warblers were tallied at Celestun 24
Sep (DB), and one Worm-eating Warbler was mist-
netted on B.C. 26 Sep. A Louisiana Waterthrush was

at Chun. 30 Iul-5 Aug (IC). A Kentucky Warbler,
uncommon on the Y.P., was seen at Chichen Itza 16 [
Aug (DK), and another arrived at Celestun with the !
heavy migrant influx of 24 Sep (DB). One |
Swainson’s Warbler was seen at El Paso del Cedral, '
Cozumel 19 Nov (HGdS). At least 5 Gray-crowned
Yellowthroats were close to Cedral, Cozumel 1 9 Nov (
(HGdS). A couple of male Hooded Warblers were i
observed on B.C. 24 8c 27 Sep. JD and AC added
Canada Warbler to the Ria Lagartos Biosphere
Reserve bird list when they mist-netted one at E.C.

13 Sep. Another Canada was recorded on the golf
course on the nw. side of Cozumel 24 Sep (MDC, m.
ob.).

Blue-gray Tanagers spread to the n. Y.P. 10 years j
ago, and now it is not uncommon to see the species [
in Merida, Yuc. Two were reported at Chichen Itza '
24 Oct (GT). A female Red-legged Honeycreeper
was feeding young in the nest at Chun, as late as 5 j
Aug (IC). Six Red-legged Honeycreepers were ■
recorded at San Gervasio ruins, Cozumel 24 Sep
(NC, fide MDC). At least 3 Gray-headed Tanagers |
were at an ant swarm behind Hotel Hacienda (
Chichen, Yuc. 16 Nov (HGdS). A female White-col- i
lared Seedeater was observed feeding a fledgling at
P.A. 19 Sep. A Chipping Sparrow at Celestun 30 Oct
(DB) was a new record for that locality. One
Savannah Sparrow was recorded at Celestun 24 Sep
(DB). One juv. 'White-crowned Sparrow was in
coastal scrub 5.6 km w. of Las Coloradas 16 Nov
(HGdS). Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings were
recorded at B.C. 25-26 Sep and at Xcalak, Q. Roo 20
Oct. One Dickcissel was recorded at Xcalak 20 Oct.
Eight Bobolinks were recorded 25 Sep on B.C., and
one was recorded 20 Oct at Xcalak. On 19 Nov, 5
Lesser Goldfinches were seen at El Paso del Cedral
and one at Cedral (HGdS).

Undocumented rarities: One Yellow-green Vireo was
reported on Cozumel 19 Oct (GT).

Contributors (area compiler in boldface): David
Bacab, Giff Beaton, Ismael Caamal, Michael D. ;
Carmody, Antonio Cells, Neal Clark, Jill Deppe,
Hector Gomez de Silva, Greentours (GT; guided by .
Paul Cardy and Owen Mountfort), Dave Klauber, |
Barbara MacKinnon, and Luis Tellez. Uncredited
observations are by Barbara MacKinnon. |

Literature cited |

Gomez de Silva, H. 1998. Distribution and temporal |
records of some Mexican birds. Cotinga 9: 16-20. f

. in press. New distributional and temporal [

records of Mexican birds. Cotinga. j

Howell, S.N.G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds j
of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford |
University Press, Oxford. '

Wilson, R. G., and H. Ceballos-Lascurain. 1993. T?ie '
birds of Mexico City. Second edition. BBC Printing &
Graphics, Ltd. Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

North American Birds

Mexico-Central America

Central America

H. Lee Jones

P.O. Box 158
Punta Gorda, Belize
U.S. address:

6108 Wildwood Road

Lake Isabella, California 93240

(buteo@attgiobai.net)

The timing of migration, reflected in the first
and last records of migrant species each
season, has been poorly documented in most
of Central America in the past. Now, a few ded-
icated birders are keeping dose track of the
arrival and departure of these migrants. Jim
and Dorothy Beveridge, residents of Caye
Caulker, Belize, are to be commended for keep-
ing accurate daily notes on the birds they see
on their morning walks, which follow essen-
tially the same route every day. In two years,
they have seldom missed a morning afield, and
now have an impressive record of landbird
migration at this key migrant stopover locality.

While birding in Panama, Costa Rica, and
Belize has become a popular pastime for both
tourists and residents, the silence from
Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala is
downright deafening. And El Salvador would
be a complete void without the dedicated work
of Oliver Komar. Many birders visit Guatemala
every year. Surely, some of them subscribe to
this journal. Surely, they see at least a few birds
worthy of mention in this column. Guatemala
is the gateway to Central America with one of
the richest avifaunas in the Region. Honduras
and Nicaragua form the link between northern
and southern Central America, but unfortu-
nately receive few birders each year and have
even fewer (if any?) resident field ornitholo-
gists. This is an appeal. Is anyone out there?

Abbreviations: C.C.C.-U.S.F.S. (Caribbean
Conservation Corporation’s and U.S. Forest
Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory’s
Tortuguero Banding Station); Crooked Tree
(Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize);
M.P.R. (Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize);
Monteverde (Monteverde Cloud Forest
Reserve, Costa Rica); S.F. (shrimp farm).

FRIGATEBIRDS THROUGH FALCONS

The American White Pelican is now a regular
winter visitor in n. C.A., but a report of 115 at
Laguna El Jocotal, Dept. San Miguel 28 Nov
(NH) was an unusually large concentration for
El Salvador. An ad. male Magnificent
Frigatebird at Mile 6, Mollejon Road, Cayo
Dist., Belize 14 Aug (JG) was well inland near
the Guatemala border. Two Reddish Egrets at
the shrimp ponds in Chomes, Costa Rica 12
Nov (RH et al.) were noteworthy. A pair of
Cinnamon Teal at Laguna El Jocotal, Dept. San
Miguel 28 Nov (NH) was only the 2nd El
Salvador record. A Ring-necked Duck in juv.
plumage was at Punta Gorda 28 Nov (LJ). This
species is rare in Belize away from Crooked
Tree. Imm. and/or female Snail Kites have been
reported in El Salvador since 1996, but the
presence of an ad. pair at Laguna El Jocotal,
Dept. San Miguel 28 Nov (NH) suggests that
the species may be establishing itself as a
breeding resident.

A Swallow-tailed Kite at Caye Caulker 10
Sep (J&DB) represented one of only a few
records for the Belize cayes. Three subad.
Mississippi Kites were seen with migrating
Hook-billed Kites over Punta Gorda 21 Oct
(LJ, LZ). Five Sharp-shinned Hawks were seen

For the second year in a row and
the third year out of four, the fall
season was marked by a powerful hurri-
cane that struck Belize in the month of
October. In 1998 it was Mitch, last year it
was Keith, this year it was Iris. Considered
by old-timers to be the most destructive
hurricane ever to hit Belize — more power-
ful than Hattie in 1961 — Iris was a com-
pact storm that, at one point, had three
eyes. With sustained winds of 145 mph
and gusts up to 185 mph, it struck south-
ern Belize on the evening of 8 October
with the force of a tornado swarm and left
a 48-km-wide path of devastation across
the country from the cayes to the
Guatemalan border. A wide swath of pri-
mary rainforest was literally blown away in
less than an hour. On 9 October, the sun
rose on a desolate landscape littered with
the trunks of thousands of trees, some
lying neatly in rows, others not too far
away lying in disarray like a giant pile of
pick-up sticks. All of the foliage and small-
er limbs from the ground to the canopy
was gone. Reports soon came in of mot-
mots, toucans, Squirrel Cuckoos, and
other forest birds sitting on tree stumps
beside the highway. People reported hun-
dreds of dead birds in their villages, and
seeing normally elusive Crested Guans and
Great Curassows feeding among domestic
flocks of turkeys, chickens, and ducks.
Among the eerily out-of-place birds wit-
nessed by Jones when he returned to Belize
nine days after the hurricane were impres-
sively large numbers of Keel-billed
Toucans moving through the outskirts of
Punta Gorda, a bedraggled Collared
Arapari missing half its feathers perched
on a powerline in the village of Maffedi,
Yellow-headed Parrots in Punta Gorda well
south of their normal pineland haunts,
and a lone White-bellied Emerald, a forest
dwelling hummingbird, on a weed stalk in
the middle of an expansive ricefield far
from the nearest forest remnant.

in s. Toledo Dist. between 18 and 24 Oct (LJ et
al.); but 7 Cooper’s Hawks seen during the
same period (20 Oct-3 Nov) were unexpected,
as this species is normally less frequent than
Sharp-shinned in Belize. A Swainson’s Hawk
in first-basic plumage was closely studied in
flight and perched at close range near Big Falls,
Toledo Dist., Belize 30 Nov (LJ, WRM, LZ,
RC). Despite numerous unsubstantiated
reports of this species in Belize in the past
(Jones 2002), this represents the first docu-
mented record for the country. A juv. Zone-

VoLUME 56 (2002), Number i

115

Costa Rica now has a migratory
raptor monitoring station at
Kekoldi in the BriBri indigenous reserva-
tion near Cahuita at the base of the
Talamanco Mts. along the s. Caribbean
coast. The project is being run jointly by
the Hawk Mt. Sanctuary, the Kekoldi Wak
Ka Loneke Indigenous Associaion, and
Anai. In its first year, the station joined the
elite sites of Elait in Israel and Vera Cruz in
Mexico as the only ones to count more
than a million raptors in a season. This fall,
2,979,102 individuals of 15 species were
recorded as follows: Turkey Vulture
1,367,200; Broad-winged Hawk
1,018,666; Swainson’s Hawk 374,188;
Mississippi Kite 207,915; Peregrine Falcon
2062; Osprey 2051; Swallow-tailed Kite
595; Merlin 43; Plumbeous Kite 22; Zone-
tailed Kite 20; Sharp-shinned Hawk 18;
Cooper’s Hawk 16; Northern Harrier 10;
American Kestrel 4; Red-tailed Hawk 2;
unidentified migratory raptors 6290
(source: La Nacton, 9 Dec. 2001).

Belize, at the base of the Yucatan Pen., is
a far cry from Costa Rica. That most
migrating raptors avoid the Yucatan Pen. is
evident in the totals obtained for the four
most common Costa Rica species by LJ et
al. at a coastal location just outside Punta
Gorda in s. Belize between 15 Jul and 15
Nov: migrant Turkey Vulture 0; Broad-
winged Hawk 13; Swainson’s Hawk 0;
Mississippi Kite 3. On the other hand, LJ
recorded 1030 Hook-billed Kites at this
site, all between 19 Oct and 15 Nov. This
species is proving to be, by more than an
order of magnitude, the most common
migrant raptor along the s. Belize coast.
Without exception, all were moving sw.
along the coast. Consider that counts were
for only 2-2.5 hours every other day, with
virtually no raptors seen in the first hour
(the counts are designed to include all
diurnal migrants and began shortly after
sunrise). Based on these limited observa-
tions, LJ estimated that at least 5000 Hook-
billed Kites passed over this coastal site in
fall 2001.

tailed Hawk was at Punta Gorda 5 Nov (LJ,
WRM). An ad. Ornate Hawk-Eagle was at
Cerro Azul near Panama City 12 Nov (KK, RK,
LS). An ad. Yellow-headed Caracara at
Chilamate, 5 km w. of Puerto Viejo de
Sarapiqui, 25 Nov (RA, FM et al.) represents
one of very few records for the Caribbean slope
of Costa Rica. It may have reached Chilamate
from Canas on the Pacific slope, where it has
been established for a number of years. An

American Kestrel at Caye Caulker 18 Sep
(J&DB) represents the earliest fall record for
Belize, and an Aplomado Falcon at Punta
Gorda 18 Oct (LJ, WRM, LZ) was well s. of its
normal pine savanna range in Belize.

NEW WORLD QUAIL THROUGH TERNS

A group of 8 Black-eared Wood-Quail and 2
female Tawny-faced Quail, two rarely seen
species in Panama, were at Cerro Azul near
Panama City 28 Oct (BA). The Rufous-necked
Wood-Rail, generally thought to be resident
wherever it occurs, may be seasonal on Caye
Caulker. Several individuals frequent J&DB’s
yard daily between Sep and Apr; however, they
have never seen or heard it on the island in the
intervening months. The first ones of the sea-
son arrived in their yard this year on 17 Sep. A
road-killed juv. picked up by LJ at the mouth
of Joe Taylor Creek, Punta Gorda on 15 Nov
established the southernmost record for this
species in Belize. A Sora at Caye Caulker 17
Sep (J&DB) established the earliest fall record
for Belize.

The 3rd documented record of Southern
Lapwing in Costa Rica came 15 Nov when
LMC recorded 6 about 10 km e. of Siquirres
on the Rio Pacuare. A juv. American Golden-
Plover at Chomes 20 Oct (JRZ) was unexpect-
ed, as this species is seldom seen anywhere in
C.A. in fall. A Snowy Plover at Caye Caulker
25 Aug (EM) represented only the 2nd docu-
mented record for Belize. More than the nor-
mal number of Long-billed Curlews was
recorded this fall. In Belize, a flock of 10 was at
Caye Caulker 29 Aug { J&DB), after which, one
bird stayed until 4 Nov; in Costa Rica, one was
present 15 Sep-20 Oct at Chomes (RD, EA); in
Panama, one was at Panama Viejo, Panama
City 28 Sep (KK, PAS), and another was at
Costa del Este, also in Panama City 25 Nov
(DM, KW, SH). A Marbled Godwit at Caye
Caulker 18 Sep-31 Oct (J&DB, LJ) was the
only one recorded in Belize this fall. A juv.
Long-billed Dowitcher at Aqua Mar S.F. 29
Aug (LJ, LZ) was the earliest yet recorded in
Belize. A group of at least 100 Common Snipe
in a ricefield near Big Falls, Toledo Dist. 8 Nov
(LJ) was an unusually large number for Belize,
with a more typical dozen or so still present at
the end of the period. A Wilson’s Phalarope at
the Parismina R. mouth 19 Sep (DVdB) was
apparently the first one documented from the
Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

A first summer Ring-billed Gull at Aqua
Mar S.F. 18 and 29 Aug (LJ, LZ) was both early
and in s. Belize, where it is seldom seen. The
event of the season in Panama was the discov-
ery of one subad. and 4 ad. Kelp Gulls at Costa
del Este on the outskirts of Panama City on 25

Nov (ph., vt., DM, KW, SH). At least 3 were still
present into early Dec (m. ob.). These are the
first of this species recorded in the Region,
though it is known from the Mexican Yucatan.

A Royal Tern at Mile 31, Western Hwy 22 Aug
(PB) represents the first inland record for
Belize, although it has been reported from |
Lago Peten Itza in Guatemala. A White Tern i'
showed up in EB’s yard in Sierpe de Osa (ph. >'
NC) on 28 Oct but later died. This represents
the first mainland record for Costa Rica (it is
abundant on Cocos 1. 320 km to the sw.).

PIGEONS THROUGH WOODPECKERS ;

A Red-billed Pigeon at Caye Caulker 24 Aug
(J&DB) was the first seen on any Belize caye. |
With expansion of its preferred urban habitat, \
the Inca Dove has been expanding its range all .
the way from California to Costa Rica. One in \
Tortuguera all fall (C.C.C-U.S.F.S.) may have ■
reached there via a range extension to the se., ;
or it may have been a boat-assisted or escaped i
cage bird. Determining the origin of birds fre- I
quently found in the pet trade will always be !
problematic. At least 2 (possibly 4) Scarlet !
Macaws were seen around Cerro Tortuguero in }
mid-Nov (PG). These are likely wanderers !
from the Indio-Maiz Reserve in Nicaragua, as 1
they have yet to reestablish a resident popula- I
tion anywhere in Caribbean Costa Rica. Two j
Yellow-headed Parrots on the outskirts of |
Punta Gorda 28 Oct and again 7 Nov (both LJ) !
were unexpected, as this species is normally ;
restricted to the pinelands farther north. They
may have been driven s. in search of food by
Hurricane Iris, which passed just n. of Punta
Gorda in early Oct. Fifteen Blue-fronted |
Parrotlets were at Cerro Azul near Panama j
City 8 Aug, and a Rufous-vented Ground- j
Cuckoo was there 28 Oct (both BA). Both are j
rarely encountered in Panama. \

A tower-killed Whip-poor-will at Punta
Gorda 2 Oct (LJ) represents one of the few
records from Belize, all of tower-killed or mist-
netted birds, and most in Oct. An Oilbird seen '
in a tree near Metropolitan Nature Park in j
Panama City was captured by park staff and '
brought to the park where it was seen by GA i
and many others. At least 2 individuals had j
been seen flying about buildings in the same -
area on previous nights. With at least 10 j
records from the Panama City area since 1974, i
there may be an undiscovered nesting cave :
somewhere in the area. Three Chimney Swifts
at Punta Gorda 13 Nov (LJ, WRM) were late. A |
female White-crested Coquette at Tapanti N.P.,
Costa Rica 3 Nov (RH et al.) was on the
Caribbean slope where few have been report-
ed. An imm. male Ruby-throated
Hummingbird near the Braulio Carrillo N.P.

116

North American Birds

Central America

ranger station 16 Nov (RH et al.), and a female-
plumaged bird in Tortuguero town two days
later (BF) were on the Caribbean slope of Costa
Rica where the species is seldom found.

On 18 Oct, 10 days after Hurricane Iris, LJ
and WRM counted 70-80 Keel-billed Toucans
moving through the trees on the edge of a ball
field near Punta Gorda in a two-hour period.
On subsequent days progressively fewer were
seen. It is expected that these birds had moved
into the area in search of food following
Hurricane Iris. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, rare
I: in Panama, was at Cerro Azul near Panama
i City 26 Nov (DM, KW, SH).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH PIPITS

' An Olive-sided Flycatcher at Punta Gorda 9
Nov (LI) was late. A Vermilion Flycatcher at
Caye Caulker 17 Oct (I&DB) was only the 4th
ever recorded from the Belize cayes. Belize’s
first documented Western Kingbird was close-
ly studied 30 Oct near Punta Gorda (LJ). An
Eastern Kingbird at Punta Gorda 16 Aug and
another there 9 Nov (both LJ) represented the
earliest and latest fall records to date for Belize.
A Fork-tailed Flycatcher near Guayabos on the
i Pacific slope of Volcan Miravalles 29 Oct (JRZ)
and 2 others at Tortuguero 25 Sep and 1 1 Oct
(C.C.C.-U.S.F.S.) are worthy of mention, as the
status of this species (as migrants vs. residents)
is still poorly known in much of Costa Rica.

A surprising 3 White-eyed Vireos were band-
ed at Tortuguero this fall: one on 8 Nov (pres-
ent until 7 Dec) and 2 on 26 Nov (C.C.C.-
U.S.F.S.). An early Red-eyed Vireo was at
Naranjo de Alajuela, Costa Rica 24 Aug (JRZ),
and a late Purple Martin was at Punta Gorda,
Belize 28 Oct (LJ). A juv. Tree Swallow at Caye
.Caulker 29 Sep (LJ) represented the earliest
j record for Belize by nearly a month, and a
female at Ft. Sherman near Colon, Panama 24
Nov (DM, KW, SH) was s. of its normal winter
range. A Bank Swallow at Punta Gorda 13 Nov
jwas late, as was a Cliff Swallow there 9 Nov
I (both LJ). The Cave Swallow, while still quite
Jrare in Belize, must be increasing in frequency.
.A minimum of 8 was seen migrating s. with
other swallows at Punta Gorda 4-13 Nov (LJ,
I WRM). All had pale rumps and were assumed
I to be the partially migratory pallida subspecies
i from n. Mexico and sw. U.S. A Veery near Punta
Gorda 24 Nov (LJ) was the latest yet recorded
in Belize. Rare in the Caribbean slope lowlands
of Costa Rica was a White-throated Robin at La
Selva 22 Nov (SS). The 2nd record of European
Starling from Panama was of an ad. seen 24
Nov (DM, KW, SH) at Ft. Sherman near Colon,
I a few km from the Atlantic entrance to the
Canal Zone. It is likely that this individual was
I ship-assisted. Belize’s first documented

American Pipit was closely studied at Punta
Gorda 5 Nov (LJ, WRM). Previously, LJ had
heard one overhead near Punta Gorda on 3
Nov 1999.

WARBLERS THROUGH TANAGERS

An Orange-crowned Warbler at Parque
Nacional Walter Thilo Deininger 3 Nov (TJ)
was only the 3rd ever reported in El Salvador,
all sight records. A Tennessee Warbler at Caye
Caulker 8 Sep and a Northern Parula there 29
Aug (both J&DB) were both early; whereas a
Northern Parula at Tortuguero 12 Nov
(C.C.C.-U.S.F.S.) was well s. of its normal win-
ter range. There are few records of this species
from Costa Rica. A Chestnut-sided Warbler at
El Palmar Viejo on the Pacific coast of
Guatemala 28 Oct (TJ, JB) was in an area not
shown within the range of this species (Land
1970, Howell and Webb 1995), but JB has seen
it there previously. Two, possibly 3, Cape May
Warblers at Chan Chich Lodge the last week of
Nov (JVG, CB et al.) were at a site well inland.
This species is seldom seen in Belize away from
the cayes. Two Black-throated Blue Warblers
were reported from Costa Rica: one at
Tortuguero 30 Oct (C.C.C.-U.S.F.S.) and
another at Virgen del Socorro 19 Nov (JSc).
Noteworthy were several Yellow-rumped
Warblers in Costa Rica this fall, as were 2 in
Panama: one each on 24 Nov (DM, KW, SH) at
Ft. Sherman and Gatun Dam. This species is an
irregular and generally rare winter visitor in s.
C.A. An ad. male Golden-cheeked Warbler
carefully studied at Jaguar Creek near Blue
Hole N.P. 6 Nov (MMa) represented the first
documented record for Belize. A Black-throat-
ed Green Warbler at Caye Caulker 7 Sep
(J&DB) was early, but one at Prusia in Volcan
Irazu N.P., Costa Rica 18 Aug (JS) was excep-
tionally early. Three Hermit Warblers were seen
in Costa Rica, all from the vicinity of
Monteverde. Three Yellow-throated Warblers
were also reported in Costa Rica, with one on
28 Aug ( JRZ) considered early. Prairie Warblers
at Monteverde 14 Aug (EA) and Puerto Viejo
de Sarapiqui 7 Oct (JRZ) were s. of the species’s
normal winter range. Similarly, a Palm Warbler
at Ft. Sherman near Colon 24 Nov (DM, KW,
SH) was well s. of its normal winter range; one
at Caye Caulker 18 Sep (J&DB) was early. A
Black-and-white Warbler at 3300 m in Volcan
Irazu N.P. 18 Aug ( JS) was both early (for Costa
Rica) and at the upper limit of its elevational
range. An American Redstart at Naranjo de
Alajuela 28 Aug (JRZ) was early for Costa Rica,
and one at Caye Caulker 1 Aug was the earliest
yet for Belize. Likewise, a Kentucky Warbler at
Caye Caulker 2 Aug (J&DB) established the
earliest fall record for Belize, and a male

Common Yellowthroat there 8 Sep (all J&DB)
was also exceptionally early. Yellowthroats nor-
mally do not arrive until late Sep. A Hooded
Warbler in the San Luis Valley on the Pacific
slope below Monteverde 19 Nov (JRZ) was at
the upper elevational limit for this species; it is
also rare on Costa Rica’s n. Pacific slope. A
Hooded Warbler at El Palmar Viejo 28 Oct (TJ,
JB) was a little out of range on the Pacific slope
of Guatemala. Summer Tanagers at Belmopan
(PB) and Caye Caulker (J&DB) 5 Sep were
early fall migrants, as was a Scarlet Tanager at
Caye Caulker 13 Sep (J&DB).

SPARROWS THROUGH FINCHES

Quite unexpected was a lone juv. Grassland
Yellow-Finch in Punta Gorda 3 Nov (LJ,
WRM), an area where this apparently nomadic
species had not been previously recorded. A
Clay-colored Sparrow in Payne’s Creek N.P. in
late Sep or early Oct (MMu, RE) was only the
3rd record for Belize. The bird was closely stud-
ied; however, MMu’s field notes were destroyed
by Hurricane Iris shortly after the sighting
(thus the imprecise date). Also destroyed were
his house, all his possessions, and his village
(Monkey River). Belize’s first Vesper Sparrow
was seen in Punta Gorda on the surprisingly
early date of 26 Aug (LJ). Also noteworthy in
Belize were Lark Sparrows at Blue Creek
Village, Toledo Dist. (LJ, LZ), and Caye Caulker
(ph., J&DB) on 2 & 3 Oct, respectively, and a
Savannah Sparrow in Punta Gorda on 30 Oct
(LJ). A Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Caye
Caulker 15 Sep (J&DB) was the earliest yet
recorded in Belize.

A Dickcissel in Punta Gorda 18 Aug and
another 15 Nov (both LJ) were the earliest and
latest yet recorded in Belize, and a Bobolink at
Caye Caulker 2 Sep (J&DB) was the earliest fall
occurrence for that species. The most exciting
find of a spectacular fall on Caye Caulker had
to be the imm. Yellow-headed Blackbird found
23 Sep and last seen 1 Oct (ph., J&DB, LJ).
While ad. males have been seen twice before in
Belize, and a female was once seen with frayed
string around its foot, this was the first one
considered to be of wild origin. A pair of
singing Eastern Meadowlarks 2 Aug at La
Palma, Dept. Chalatenango (NH) suggests local
breeding in El Salvador, where the species has
previously been reported only in winter. A male
Orchard Oriole at San Ignacio 2 Aug (MM)
established the earliest fall record for Belize.
Lesser Goldfinches are still being seen in the
vicinity of Trinidad, Belize (WM), where they
were first recorded in Sep 1998 and appear now
to be established. The Black-headed Siskin is a
common resident in the M.P.R.; however, as
much as 90% of its pines have been killed in the

1 17

Volume 56 {2002), Number 1

West Indies

ATLANTIC OCEAN

TUrics & Csicos Is.
91

DOMINICAN SLJohn

s VIRGIN IS.

Antigua

MontB&rai’^ ^Guadeloupe

^Dominica
Martinique^

Bsrbsdc,

SL Vincent ti O
LESSER
Grenada ANTILLES

past few years by a Pine Bark Beetle infestation.
Two flocks of unidentified siskins seen briefly
in flight on the outskirts of Punta Gorda on 9
& 15 Nov (LJ) may well have been Black-head-
eds seeking new areas of suitable habitat; how-
ever, no natural pine woodlands occur near
Punta Gorda. Apparently, no one is studying
the effects of this devastating bark beetle dis-
ease on bird populations in the M.P.R.; thus it
is not known to what extent species such as the
siskin. Red Crossbill, Greater Pewee, and other
pine-dependent species restricted in Belize to
the M.P.R. have been affected. Five House
Sparrows were in Tortuguero 1 Sep (DVdB,
CR), where they have not been previously
reported.

UNDOCUMENTED RARITIES

A Black-headed Grosbeak in Monteverde near
Finca Ecologica 21 Oct has been reported vari-
ously as a male and a female. Because of the
confusion, and because details in support of
this record have not yet surfaced, the sighting
should be considered undocumented, at least
for now.

Cited references

Howell, S. N. G., and Webb, S. 1995. A Guide to
the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central
America. Oxford University Press, New York.
Jones, H. L. 2002. Erroneous and unconfirmed
bird records from Belize. Bull. British
Ornithol. Club. In press.

Land, H. C. 1970. Birds of Guatemala.
Livingston Publishing Company,
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

Contributors (country coordinators in bold-
face): Bill Adsett, Rodolfo Alvarado, Eduardo
Amengual, George Angehr (Panama), Philip
Balderamos, Erick Beita, Chris Benesh, Jason
Berry, Jim and Dorothy Beveridge, Roberto
Cabb, Neyer Campos, Luis Miguel Cruz, Robert
Dean, Roberto Echeverria, Joe Garel, Paul
Grant, Nestor Herrera, Rich Hoyer, Steve
Huggins, Tom Jenner, Lee Jones (Belize), Karl
Kaufmann, Rosabel Kaufmann, Oliver Komar
(El Salvador), Ellen McRae, Mark MacReynolds
(MMa), Freddy Madrigal, Wilvur Martinez,
Martin Meadows, Darien Montanez, Mario
Muschamp (MMu), Panama Audubon Society,
Carol Ralph, Wilfred Requena-Mutrie, Julio
Sanchez, Loyda Sanchez, Janet Schafer (JSc),
Steve Schafer, Dan Van der Brock, Jay
VanderGaast, Ken Wysocki, Len Zeoli, James R.
Zook (Costa Rica). /)

Robert L. Norton

8960 NE Waldo Road
Gainesville, Florida 32609
(corvus0486@aol.com)

Andrew Dobson

Bermuda Audubon Society
Hamilton, Bermuda

For many observers, the fall migration was dis-
appointing in terms of numbers and diversity
of birds recorded. Certainly, local and continen-
tal factors were not favorable for bringing
migrants to offshore areas such as Bermuda, for
instance: frontal systems to bring birds from the
continent were few and weak, and places such as
Warwick and Spittal Pond were full of water all
season, with little in the way of muddy margins.

At Bermuda, a number of late-season storms,
notably Tropical Storm Karen — ^which became a
hurricane as it passed 11-12 October — denuded
the island of much vegetation. Salt spray
“burned” much foliage, and hundreds of trees
were felled by wind and rain. In early December,
decaying Hurricane Olga brought more wind and
rain. Nevertheless, there were some real high-
lights at Bermuda, including Red-tailed Hawk,
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern, Red-
breasted Nuthatch, two House Wrens, Lark
Sparrow, and two White-winged Crossbills.

In the Bahamas, Hurricane Michelle passed
directly over New Providence on 5 November,
causing considerable damage to trees all over the

island. Paul Dean reported soon after the hurri-
cane that birds were back in good numbers
despite the damage to his usually well-vegetated
back yard.

At Aruba 19-26 October and 12 November, Jan
Hein van Steenis reported on resident and
migrant birds. In Guadeloupe, the Nature
Reserve of Petitie-Terre continues to produce a
phenomenal diversity of birds, especially
Nearctic landbird migrants. Eddie Massiah notes
that Grenada Hook-billed Kites are scarce but
more widespread on Grenada than previously
thought, including in rainforest up to 400 m. He
also reported a new breeding species for Grenada:
Channel-billed Toucan, the result of a Guyanese
bird dealer’s release in the early 1990s. Larry
Manfredi and Dennis Buss reported on a one-day
excursion to Montserrat in search of the endem-
ic Montserrat Oriole. The news is good for the
oriole (<http://sei.org/opva.html>), but the stoic
people who remained on the island to keep the
country’s spirit alive are the real story (on the
volcanic impact on Montserrat: <http://sei.
org/impacts.html> and Montserrat Volcano
Observatory: <http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volca-
noes/west.indies/soufriere/govt/>).

Abbreviations: BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium,
Museum and Zoo).

ST0RM--PETRELS THROUGH TERNS

A Leach’s Storm-Petrel came aboard a tour boat
off St. David’s, Bermuda 19 Sep (HW) and was

118

North American Birds

Central America — West Indies

released the following day. At Trou Caiman, Haiti
17 Nov, JRC ventured into the large, reed-fringed
lake by boat and found 6 Least Bitterns, possibly
in three pairs. An imm. Least Bittern reported at
Bubali, Aruba (JHvS) seen 19-26 Oct is not a
species recorded in Voous’s checklist of Aruba’s
birds; the species was also seen here in Mar 2001.
A rare occurrence at Middle Caicos was a Glossy
Ibis 15 Oct (BM and EG-W). At Trou Caiman,
Haiti, JRC found a Roseate Spoonbill 11 Aug.
Greater Flamingos numbered about 500 at Trou
Caiman, Haiti 22 Sep (JRC). Six Black-bellied
j Whistling-Ducks and a male American Wigeon
were noted at Bubali, Aruba during the week of
19-26 Oct (JHvS). A wild Mallard was reported
from the Bahamas (TW) and considered a rarity
there. At lake Bois Nef, near Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, JRC reported a Ruddy Duck 7 Oct. A
Sharp-shinned Hawk reported 10 Oct at Spittal
Pond, Bermuda, was the first of several fall sight-
ings (AD). A Red-tailed Hawk reported by DBW
and WF 23 Nov is only the 3rd reported from
Bermuda in the last 100 years; the others were
noted in 1983 and 1929! At Rose 1. off Nassau,
NM reports a Peregrine Falcon 6 Oct. And at
Elbow Cay, Abaco, Bahamas, DC reported seeing
a Peregrine 20 Oct for the first time on the outer
islands. As many as 3 Peregrines, one each at
Spanish Lagoon, Arikok, and San Nicolaas, all on
Aruba, were noted 19-22 Oct (JHvS).

A Virginia Rail (DBW) was seen 17 Nov at
Devonshire Marsh, Bermuda. Near Kenscoff,
Haiti, at 1500 m, JW {fide JRC) reports a Limpkin
calling at her farm, where it may be feeding on
snails. At Bois Cotierre, Arbonite Valley, Haiti,
JRC found 6-8 Northern Ja^anas among a dozen
I Common Moorhens 2 Nov. A Piping Plover
' (DBW) was an aircraft kill at the CivO Air
Terminal, Bermuda 2 1 Aug. Other Piping Plovers
at Bermuda, where now rare, were noted 29 Aug
at Elbow Beach (SR), again at the air terminal 7
I Sep (SR), and at Cooper’s I. 3 Oct (DBW).

I A Dunlin was reported by JM on 13 Nov at
I Daniel’s Head, Bermuda. In Barbados, a Curlew
Sandpiper was found (EM, MF) at Congo Road
30 Nov. A Sharp-taded Sandpiper, originally
I found on 29 Jul, departed North Pond, Bermuda
' 6 Aug (EA). Four Pectoral, one Stilt, and 3 Buff-
breasted Sandpipers were seen at Hewonarra, St.
Lucia 22 Sep (JP, FH). A rare visitor to Bermuda,
an American Woodcock was found by HW 30
Nov at St. David’s, Bermuda.

1 Nineteen Lesser Black-backed Gulls were
I recorded 29 Nov at Dockyard, a record count for
' this species in Bermuda (SR). At Paradise I.,
Nassau, LG and SB found a rare Great Black-
I backed Gull 6 Oct. A very late Gull-billed Tern
was seen 9 Sep-8 Oct at the Dockyard, only the
4th fall record from Bermuda (AD). A Forster’s
Tern (EA) seen 22 Oct-t- at Castle Harbour,

Bermuda furnished a first record for fall. An
imm. Black Tern on Bermuda was taken into the
bird rehabilitation facility at BAMZ 13 Sep but
perished that day.

PIGEONS THROUGH FINCHES

At Cormorant Cay, Abaco, Bahamas, SP counted
2,284 White-crowned Pigeons 16 Aug and man-
aged to band about 6% ( 1 57) . At Lyford Cay, New
Providence, Bahamas, TW reports 2 Caribbean
Doves 7 Nov. The endemic Aruban Brown-
throated Parakeet [Aratinga pertinax arubensis)
was considered abundant throughout during a
visit to Aruba 19-26 Oct (JhvS). A Long-eared
Owl was found dead 14 Nov at St. George’s
Cemetery, Bermuda (SR). One Aruban
Burrowing Owl (S. cunicularia arubensis) was
seen in Santa Cruz, with more heard there; it
occurs in Noord, in the Hotel Area, along the
Spanish Lagoon, and on golf courses, but it can
be difficult to locate (JHvS). Fourteen Common
Nighthawks were seen 1 Oct at Belmont Golf
Course, Bermuda (AD), a high number there.
Perhaps late, one was noted in Santa Cruz, Aruba
19-26 Oct ( JHvS). At an elevation of 1350 m, JRC
noted 12 Antillean Palm Swifts and 2 White-col-
lared Swifts at Fermanthe, Baptist Haiti Mission.
A Northern Flicker was noted 3 Nov at St.
George’s, Bermuda (SR). Two Yellow-bellied
Sapsuckers were seen 1 Nov at the Arboretum,
Bermuda (AD). One to 2 Eastern Phoebes are
recorded annually at Bermuda, so the 6 recorded
this fall was a high count. A Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher at Treasure Cay, Abaco, caught EB by
surprise 31 Oct, but there is precedent for the
species in this area (A. B. 38; 362). A remarkable
find was of 8 Eastern Wood-Pewees between 28
Sep and 5 Oct (PD) on South Andros L, where
Cuban Pewee is resident. A flock of up to 40 Cliff
Swallows at the East End was a maximum for
Bermuda 26 Aug (PW). At Fermanthe, Haiti 10
Aug, JRC noted a single Golden Swallow. Mike
Pienkowski concluded that Hurricane Olga,
which moved in unpredictable loops between the
Bahamas and Bermuda, was responsible for the
appearance of an American Pipit 28 Nov on
Middle Caicos. A Blue-headed Vireo was noted
on 3 Nov at the Arboretum, Bermuda (SR). A
Red-breasted Nuthatch at Ferry Point Park 10
Nov (SR et al.) represented only the 6th record in
30 years at Bermuda; more remarkable, 2 House
Wrens 4 Nov-f at St. George’s Cemetery,
Bermuda, were the 5th and 6th records since
1970 (IF).

On Bermuda, 36 warbler species were reported
at least once Aug-Nov (all but Townsend’s and
Cerulean Warbler): among the more interesting
records, a Golden-winged Warbler 15 Sep at
Horseshoe Bay was the only 2001 report (DW),
and a Palm Warbler 7 Sep at Ferry Reach was the

This Short-eared Owl landed on the ship North Star
while it was under way at 25.7° N, 50. 2° W, or
about 1 577 km east of Antigua, 1 1 November 2001 ;
it had been seen the day before in flight. Although
known to make water crossings readily, this species
has rarely been recorded so far out at sea in the
Atlantic Ocean. The bird departed the ship on the
12th, heading eastward {fide Hubert Hall).
Photograph by Chief Engineer David Redmond.

earliest record by six days (DBW). Three
Swainson’s Warblers (DW) 26 Sep at Somerset
was most unusual: this usually elusive species was
reported from all parts of the Bermuda this fall. A
Kentucky Warbler was seen 29 Nov-I- at Smiths
Hills, also Bermuda (JM). At Guadeloupe, 8
Blackpoll Warblers were noted 7 Nov, and a lin-
gering male Hooded Warbler was observed at the
Nature Reserve of Petite-Terre from 7-28 Nov
(AL). A Chestnut-sided Warbler, considered rare
on the coastal islands of South America, was
found at Arikok, Aruba during the 3rd week of
Oct (JHvS). Also at Aruba, JHvS found a road-
killed Blackpoll Warbler at Rooi Awa Marga,
around Cero Arikok, during late Oct; they were
locally fairly common along the road to Seroe
Colorado at this time. Two Connecticut Warblers
were at Montague Foreshore, Nassau 12 Oct (SB).

Nine Scarlet Tanagers 3 Oct at Ocean View Golf
Course, Bermuda was a record high count (EA).
Three Summer Tanagers 30 Sep at St. George’s,
Bermuda were unusual (AD et al.). A Chipping
Sparrow 13 Nov at St. Cemetery Hill, Bermuda
was the only report for this species in 2001 (IF),
but Clay-colored Sparrows were seen 18 Sep at
Lagoon Park (DBW) and Kindley Field, Bermuda
27 Oct (SR). A Clay-colored Sparrow was report-
ed by PD at South Andros 1., Bahamas 28 Sep-5
Oct. The 5th record for Lark Sparrow was report-
ed 22 Oct at Ferry Point Park, Bermuda (EA), and

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

119

^ Ji Dennis Buss and Larry Manfredi
OJ^^eported on a visit to Montserrat to
look for Montserrat Oriole: “We had
heard stories of the volcanic eruption on
Montserrat in 1997. And we had heard that
the oriole had been reduced in numbers
but had survived the destruction. But we
did not think travel to Montserrat was pos-
sible: no flights were scheduled and no
hotels listed. We discovered that it is possi-
ble, and indeed very enjoyable, to visit
Montserrat. The southern half of
Montserrat (the Exclusion Zone) is a
ghostly desolation, covered with volcanic
ash. But the northern half contains a col-
orful and determined population of about
4,500 hardy souls, many relocated from the
southern half, who are in the process of
rebuilding their lives. We were also very
happy to learn that the Montserrat Oriole,
thanks to the dedicated efforts of 8-10 nat-
uralists in the Forestry Division, is surviv-
ing well in the Centre Hills, which are in
the secure northern part of the island. We
made arrangements with James “Scriber”
Daley, a naturalist in the Forestry Division
who has been studying Montserrat Orioles
for 16 years, to look for the bird. He told us
that there are an estimated 2000 orioles in
existence, all in the Centre Hills, except for
a small, remnant population in an isolated
part of forest that escaped destruction in
the southern Soufriere Hills. With Scriber
on 22 Oct, we saw both male and female
Montserrat Orioles readily on Baker Hill
along unmarked trails. Later, from the top
of Garibaldi Hill, we looked down on
Plymouth, the former capital of
Montserrat, now buried in pyroclastic lava
ash, and we looked up at the cause of the
destruction, La Soufriere, still emitting a
sinister plume of smoke. Scriber told us
nostalgically that his town, St Patrick, was
completely buried under 10 m of pyroclas-
tic lava.”

a Song Sparrow 18 Nov at Lagoon Park (SR). A
Snow Bunting 14 Nov at Little Head Park,
Bermuda (SR) was the only one reported in the
fall season. A Dickcissel at Nonsuch L, Bermuda
12 Nov (DBW) was rare if regular, while at West
End, Grand Bahama EG and RJ counted up to 14
Bobolinks on 15 Oct. Two Bobolinks were noted
at Bubali, Aruba ( JHvS) in late Oct.

An imm. Brown-headed Cowbird was noted 6
Oct at East End Dairy, Bermuda (AD et al.). On
South Andros L, PD found about 15 Shiny
Cowbirds, mostly imms., which is a rather omi-
nous count for resident hosts such as the Black-
cowled Oriole. Two — a male and a female —
White-winged Crossbills were seen 14-17 Nov at
Astwood Park, Bermuda, indeed a very rare
occurrence in Bermuda ( JH, AD). That the local
resident who first noted them drinking from the
same puddle as a Purple Gallinule boggles the
mind!

Observers: Eric Amos, Bahamas National Trust,
Michele Bethell, Elwood Bracey, Sandy Buckner,
Dennis Buss, Chuck Cable, Diane Claridge, J. R.
Crouse, Paul Dean, Andrew Dobson, Ian Fisher,
Wendy Frith, Martin Frost, Erika Gates, Lynn
Gape, Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams, Bruce Hallett, Junior
Hill, Tony Hutson, Ricardo Johnson, Anthony
Levesque, Jeremy Madeiros, Pericles Maillis, Bryan
Manco, Larry Manfredi, Eddie Massiah, Neil
McKinney, Isaac Pady, Scott Paterson, Mike
Pienkowski, John Pilgrim, Steve Rodwell, Jane
Ruffin, Jan Hein van Steenis, Paul Watson, David
Wallace (DW), Tony White, David Wingate
(DBW), Helge Wingate. ^

A.

Hawaiian Islands

Robert L. Pyle

1314 Kalakaua Avenue, #1010
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
(rlpyle@hawaii.rr.com)

Peter Donaldson

2375 Ahakapu St.

Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
(pdonaldson@hawaii.rr.com)

Many areas of the main islands finally got some
relief from a protracted drought. A rainstorm
in late Oct dumped 33 cm of rain in six hours on
the east side of the Big Island of Hawaii. A low
aloft in late Nov produced widespread heavy rain
but rainfall remained well below normal through
Nov in a few areas: southwestern 0‘ahu, south-
western Molokafi, and the northwestern part of
the Big Island.

Abbreviations: E. (endangered species); H.

(Hawaih Island); Hakalau (Hakalau N.W.R.,
Hawai'i Island); Hanalei (Hanalei N.W.R., Kaua‘i
L); Honouliuli (Honouliuli Unit of Pearl Harbor
N.W.R., 0‘ahu Island); K. (Kaua'i Island); Kanaha
(Kanaha Pond, Maui Island); Kealia (Kealia Pond
N.W.R., Maui Island); Kii (Ki‘i Unit of Jas.
Campbell N.W.R., 0‘ahu Island); K.P. (Kilauea Pt.
N.W.R., Kaua‘i Island); M. (Maui Island); O. (0‘ahu
Island); Waiawa (Waiawa Unit of Pearl Harbor
N.W.R., 0‘ahu Island); T. (threatened species).

ALBATROSS THROUGH EGRETS

At least 2 Short-tailed Albatross (E.), one yellow-
banded and one red-banded, have appeared on
Midway this fall (KL, WS). The yellow-banded bird,
a female, was observed building a nest 7 Nov and
incubating an egg 9 Nov (KL). This female has been
returning to Midway every fall since 1993. She has
laid eggs about every two years but has never found
a mate.

120

North American Birds

West Indies — Hawaiian Islands

We received reports from several pelagic trips,
mostly west of Kaua'i, and detailed data from a
four-day trip s. of O’ahu. The variety of species
was low. Six Hawaiian Petrels (E.), one Bulwer’s
Petrel, and a probable Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
were observed on a boat trip out of Kaua‘i 24 Aug
(DK). Two Sooty Shearwaters were seen off Kaua‘i
4 Oct (DK et al), and a Masked Booby was report-
ed near Lehua I. 23 Oct (DK). Newell’s
Shearwaters (T.) were seen on five trips out of
Kaua‘i but numbers were low. The highest count
was of 5 on 4 Oct (DK et al). On the trip s. of
0‘ahu, a Newell’s Shearwater was seen 1 1 Oct; one
Christmas Shearwater, one Hawaiian Petrel, and
one Masked Booby were observed 12 Oct; a Laysan
Albatross, 2 Masked Boobies, and 7 Pomarine
Jaegers were seen 13 Oct; and a Pomarine Jaeger
was observed 14 Oct (EV). An all-dark storm-
petrel-sized bird with no white on its rump
flushed from the grass on Midway 21 Oct (BW).

Single Cattle Egrets were reported on Midway
on several dates from 2 Sep- 15 Nov (CG, KL).
Cattle Egrets are abundant in the main Hawaiian
Islands but rare on the nw. Hawaiian Islands.

DUCKS THROUGH FRANCOLINS

Feral Mallards are common on the main Hawaiian
Islands, so it is hard to distinguish migrants from
the feral birds; however, a Mallard found dead on
Midway 30 Oct (KL) was probably a migrant.
Numbers of the most common migrant ducks were
low. Northern Shovelers are usually the most com-
mon migrant ducks in Hawai'i. The largest flock of
shovelers was 67 at Kealia 29 Nov (MN). There
were a number of Green-winged Teal reports,
including one of 24 at Honouliuli 9 Nov (MS). Two
to 5 Green-winged Teal on Midway 28 Oct+ were
reported, with no details, as Eurasian birds (KL).
Numbers of bay ducks were very low again this fall.
One Canvasback and one Ring-necked duck, both
female, were seen in w. H. 3 Nov (RD). One female
Canvasback was at Kii 29 Nov (PD, MO, KP). There
were 3 Lesser Scaup at Kii 24 Nov (RM).

Single Ospreys were observed on Maui 2 Aug-t-
(MN, LT) and 0‘ahu 15-23 Aug (PD, KH). Another
large hawk seen on Maui 2 Aug (MN) was thought
to be another Osprey, but later reports suggest
another possibility. Two different Rough-legged
Hawks were reported this fall. A large hawk spot-
ted on Midway 3 Oct+ (BW) was later identified as
an ad. female Rough-legged Hawk (fKL, MM). A
Rough-legged Hawk observed on Kaho'olawe 20
Nov was identified as an imm. light-morph bird
(tLT). There is only one documented record of a
Rough-legged Hawk in the Hawaiian Islands, a
bird photographed on Laysan in the spring of
1988. A hawk, seen 21 & 28 Oct on Midway and
described only as small, was reported as a Merlin
(WS). Merlins are very rare in the Hawaiian
Islands. A Peregrine Falcon was observed chasing

Common Mynas in downtown Honolulu 14 Nov
(EV). Peregrine Falcons are rare but regular in
Hawai'i from fall through spring.

Two Gray Francolins were spotted running
across a highway in sw. 0‘ahu 18 Nov (RM). One
Erckel’s Francolin was seen at Honouliuli 13 Nov
(MS, DS). These were the first reports of either
gamebird in those areas.

SHOREBIRDS THROUGH TERNS

Only one Black-bellied Plover was reported, a juv.
at Kii 27 Sep-l- (KP et al). As usual, Pacific Golden-
Plovers were present in large numbers. Over 500
were seen on Midway 26 Aug (CG), and 485 were
counted at Honouliuli 2 Sep (PD). Pacific Golden-
Plovers were reported occupying newly created
lawns at a large sports complex in central 0‘ahu
(DB). Semipalmated Plovers were scarce and not
reported until unusually late. Single birds were
seen at Kanaha 21 Sep (MN), Kealia 1 1 Nov (MN),
and Kii 24 Nov (RM). Hawaiian Stilt nesting was
unusually protracted this year. On 0‘ahu, the last
chicks did not fledge until early Sep, over a month
later than usual (MS).

A Whimbrel of the North American race
arrived at Kii 18 Aug+ (PD). This is probably the
same individual that has appeared at Kii each fall
since 1997. There were good numbers of Bristle-
thighed Curlews again at Kii: 23 were seen 29 Aug
(MS). The Black- tailed Godwit first seen on Maui
26 Oct 2000 has been at Kii since Jan 2001 (m.
ob.). It remains the only one of its species report-
ed in the Hawaiian Islands. Single Lesser
Yellowlegs were at Ohiapilo, Moloka‘i 1. 16 Aug
and 24 Oct (SR), Midway 17 Sep (BW), and
‘Aimakapa 25 Sep (DP). A Baird’s Sandpiper was
reported on Midway 17 & 23 Sep with sparse but
convincing details (BW). This was the first report
of a Baird’s Sandpiper since 1995. All of the peeps
are uncommon to rare in the Hawaiian Islands.
There were several reports of peeps on 0‘ahu and
Maui, but none had sufficient details to establish
which species they were. One Ruff was observed
around the Kii area 25 Oct-h (KP, MS, RM). Only
one Common Snipe was reported, a bird on
Midway 13 Nov+ (KL). Common Snipe usually
arrive earlier and are present in greater numbers.

One Franklin’s Gull was reported at Kealia 16
Nov (MN). Franklin’s Gulls are usually seen in
Hawai‘i only in late spring. Single first-winter
Glaucous-winged Gulls were around Kii 1-24 Nov
(PD, MO, KP), at Honokohau Harbor, H. 2 Nov
(RS), and at Kealia 28-29 Nov (MN, LT). Two were
seen around Kii 29 Nov (PD, MO, KP). A Caspian
Tern was spotted at Kii 14 Aug (GS) & 28 Sep
(MS) and on the Marine Corps base in Kaneohe,
0. 15 Aug (MR). An ad. basic-plumaged Common
Tern was seen at the Kona S.T.P. 5 Aug and 3 Nov
(RD). Both of these species are uncommon in
Hawaii.

Hurricane Iniki hit Kaua‘i 11 Sep
1992, devastating the native forest.
Some native forest bird populations were
apparently reduced. David Kuhn has a cabin
in the native forest of Kaua‘i, allowing him to
observe native forest birds on a regular basis.
David has reported encouraging signs of a
post- Iniki recovery by some of the forest bird
species. He reports that ‘Apapane and Kaua‘i
‘Amakihi have increased in abundance
around his cabin since Iniki. David had no
‘Tiwi near his cabin for years after Iniki, but
in 1996 they started showing up in Jan when
his cherry trees were blooming. This year,
David started hearing ‘Tiwi in early Oct and
has heard them most days since then.

PARROTS THROUGH PASSERINES

A flock of 21 Red-masked Conures was found in e
0‘ahu 29 Nov (MO). The status of this species is
uncertain. On the other hand, Red-crowned Parrots
now seem to be established on 0‘ahu. They are seen
almost daily in Pearl City in flocks as large as 75 (PD).
In MUilani, 18 were observed feeding in Chinaberry
Trees in late Sep (DB).

One Maui Parrotbill (E.) was seen at Waikamoi, M.
13 Oct (JH, MH). Single ‘Akiapola‘au (E.) were spot-
ted at Hakalau 4 Nov (RS), where they can usually be
found and off the Saddle Road H. 28 Aug (DL); they
are seen here infrequently. Maui Parrotbills and
’Akiapola‘au are very rare, but few birds have smaller
populations than the Po'ouli (E.): only 3 individuals
are believed to exist. One female was located in
Hanawi, M. 8 Aug (BS) and one male some distance
away 18 Aug (EV). If all goes well, these 2 birds will
meet in Jan when the female is moved into the male’s
territory. The 3rd Po'ouli, a female, has not been
observed recently.

One Red-cheeked Cordonbleu and 2 Black-
rumped Waxbills, uncommon and local, were seen 15
Oct near Pu’uanahulu, H. (JH, MH). Twelve Black-
rumped Waxbills were found in the area 1 Nov (RS).
Eleven African Silverbills were observed in downtown
Honolulu, 0. 20 Sep, and 10 were in the same location
24 Sep (EV). African Silverbills are rarely reported on
0‘ahu and this was a new location.

Contributors: David Bremer, Chad Castle, Jim
Denny, Peter Donaldson, George Fisher, Chris
Gallagher, Kathy Hachey, John Hirth, Marty Hirth,
Nancy Hoffman, David Kuhn, Keith Larson, Dan
Lindsey, Richard May, Mark McCaustland, Christian
Melgar, Mike Nishimoto, Mike Ord, Kurt Pohlman,
Doug Pratt, Thane Pratt, Robert Pyle, Mark Rauzon,
Sharon Reilly, Jason Rogers, Wayne Sentman, Mike
Silbernagle, Greg Smith, Bill Sparklin, Donna
Stovall, Robert Sundstrom, Lance Tanino, Tom
Telfer, Eric VanderWerf, Billi Wagner, Michael
Walther, Abby Brown-Watson, David Watson. /)

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

121

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Pictorial Highlights

This first-year male Summer Tanager at Baie-Saint-Paul was one of two in
Quebec in November this tali and remained from 1 9 to at least 30 November.
Photograph by Michele Lafleur.

This Serin (Serinus sehnus) was photographed at Fort Tilden, Brooklyn, New
York, on 29 September 2001. Though popular as a cage bird, the species
has been expanding its range across western Europe in recent decades, and
long-distance vagrancy is conceivable. Photograph by Steve Nanz.

A juvenile Surfbird was one of several unusual shorebirds found by Chris
Charlesworth at Salmon Arm, British Columbia on 7 September 2001 . This bird
provided the first interior record for the province. Photograph (from kayak!) by
Donald G. Cecile.

This young male Vermilion Flycatcher graced Parc de la Pointe-aux-Prairies
from 28 October to 2 November 2001 (here 30 October); it was Quebec’s first
and one of the northernmost records anywhere
(cf.http://www.vdn.ca/~ledy/portfolio1e.html). Photograph by Yves LeDuc.

An enviable find in North America anywhere away from the Pacific coast, much
less in New Jersey, was this Pacific Golden-Plover, a species known from only
one other eastern record (1911 in Maine), as well as others from Iceland, Europe,
Barbados, Bermuda, and Greenland. Originally found by Richard Crossley 4
September 2001 , it accompanied up to 45 American Golden-Plovers and two
Baird's, seven Pectoral, and 1 1 Buff-breasted Sandpipers at the Johnson Sod
Farms in Salem County over its 1 1 -day stay. Photograph by Michael Stubblefield.

This Great White Heron at Fort McHenry, Baltimore City, Maryland was present 26-30
September 2001 , a first for Maryland. This season saw a noteworthy invasion of Great
Whites, with others in New Jersey in late May and June, Staten Island, New York in
September, and Long Island in September and October. Photograph by MarshallJ. Illiff.

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

123

This Hammond’s Flycatcher, another New York first, received careful
scrutiny after its discovery by John Fritz at Jones Beach, Long Island 26
October 2001 . It remained another day, long enough to provide a meal for
a Merlin. Photograph by Angus Wilson.

This female Harlequin Duck, a rare find in interior Pennsylvania, put down
on a small pond in Richmond Township, Warren County, on 18 October
2001 . Photograph by Bob Scribner.

This male Flame-colored Tanager frequented a bird bath in the Davis
Mountains of Texas 1 -5 October 2001 , the third Flame-colored to be discov-
ered in Texas and the first in the fall. Photograph by Kelly Bryan.

Oregon’s second Shy Albatross was seen at Perpetua Bank 7 October 2001 .
Records of members of this not-so-shy complex have been increasing off
California, and observers have attempted to determine the subspecific identity
of each bird. The complex is split into as many as four species by ornitholo-
gists in the southern hemisphere, and it’s possible that all have now occurred
in the northern hemisphere! Photograph by Bruce Craig.

Every year, small numbers of Northern Wheatears show up on the Atlantic
seaboard, and occasionally a few turn up away from the coast as well. This
bird at Great Meadows, New Jersey, remained for six days 1 6-21 September
(photographed here on the last day of its stay). Photograph by Rick Wiltraut.

Providing the eighth Minnesota record was this Band-tailed Pigeon at
Golden Valley, Hennepin County, 1 8-20 October 2001 . Photograph by
David A. Cahlander.

124

North American B i r p s

Pictorial Highlights

This adult

Townsend’s Solitaire
at West Beach,
Indiana Dunes
National Lakeshore
was photographed
28 October 2001 ;
present for just two
days, it provided
Indiana with its
fourth record of the
species.

Photograph by
Jeffrey J. McCoy.

I The most exciting capture made at the Idaho Bird Observatory’s banding
I station near Boise, Idaho in fall 2001 was the state’s first Blackburnian
Warbler, a first-fall female banded 2 September by Jay Carlisle.

; Photograph by Ryan Brady.

Florida’s second Flammulated Owl was found dehydrated on a condomini-
um balcony 9 November 2001 at Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa County. It was
released three days later in a forested tract in northern Escambia County.
Photograph by Lucy R. Duncan.

A surprise in
banding nets
within the Bon
Secour N.W.R.
near Fort
Morgan, Baldwin
County, Alabama,
this Sulphur-bei-
iied Flycatcher,
Alabama’s third,
was banded by a
research team
from University
of Southern
Mississippi on
15 September
2001.

Photograph by

Jeffrey

Farrington.

f

■Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

125

Up to four baueri
Bar-tailed Godwits
visited Tokeland,
Washington this fall.
Formerly a vagrant,
Bar-taileds have
been annual during
the last decade
among Willapa Bay’s
large Marbled
Godwit roosts. This
bird was captured on
film at Tokeland on
13 October 2001.
Photograph by Ruth
Sullivan.

The mouth of the
Mad River at
McKinleyville,
Humboldt County,
California hosted this
fine juvenile
Common

Greenshank from 27
August until 1 5
September 2001, the
first record for the
state and first for the
Pacific coast south
of Alaska.

Photograph by Larry
Sansone.

At least five Ruddy Ground-Doves of the eluta subspecies were present
around Blythe, Riverside County, California in November 2001 . This male
was photographed on 9 December 2001 . Photograph by Kenneth Z.
Kurland.

This male Western Spindalis entertained hundreds during its stay at Cape
Florida State Park, Florida, 14-26 November 2001 (here 15 November).
Formerly a subspecies of Stripe-headed Tanger, this species is near-regular
stray from the nearby Bahamas. Photograph by Carmen Tarantino.

Recorded in double-digit numbers in the
Middle Pacific Coast Region this fall. Buff-
breasted Sandpipers were well document-
ed from several locations. One of these
two at Salinas, Monterey County, 9
September 2001 was engaged in some
stunning territorial behavior, a strange
sight from juveniles during fall migration
but often observed on the wintering
grounds in southern South America.
Photograph by John Sorensen.

126

North American Birds

Pictorial Highlights

Like many vagrant iandbirds found this fail in Baja California, this Philadelphia Vireo
at Punta Banda on 10 October 2001 was feeding in lerp-infested Eucalyptus trees.
This was the third Regional record and the first of three found during the season.
Photograph from digital video by Robert A. Hamilton.

Among many outstanding records from Belize’s Caye Caulker
this fall was an immature male Yellow-headed Blackbird seen
23 September-1 October. Though there are three other
reports of the species from Belize, this individual was thought
to be the first of wild origin there. Photograph by James
Beveridge.

Following the bounty of Calliope Hummingbirds out
of range in fall 2000 and winter 2000-2001 , per-
haps the two immature males that appeared 1 7
November 2001 in Fort Tryon Park, New York City
should not have surprised Big Apple birders. A
two-bird first record for the state, they remained
through the season, permitting hundreds a chance
to study the subtleties of identifying Stellula. In
particular, note the white in the lores (unlike
Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds), the short bill and
short tail with little rufous, the pale buffy under-
parts, and the slight projection of the wingtips past
the tail (unlike Selasphorus). Photographs by Sean
Sime/Housewren (righthand three images) and
Michael Stubblefield (all others).

Volume 56 (2002), Number 1

127

San Clemente Island has received intensive coverage by ornithologist-birders in recent seasons, and several observers have worked to document their finds with
photographs, a small number of which from fall 2001 we present here. A Cassin’s Sparrow (center), casual in California and secretive in migration, was found 2
November. A Cape May Warbler (upper left), also a first for San Clemente Island, was found 20 October and remained a week at Lemon Tank, the only standing fresh
water on the island and an excellent migrant trap — boasting 24 species of warbler this fall. A hatch-year Broad-winged Hawk (lower left) at Lemon Tank 31 October
was the first for the California Channel Islands. Rare but regular fall transients along the California coast, Broad-winged Hawks avoid most water crossings, making
this bird’s appearance here surprising. Of two Blackburnian Warblers found on 4 October, this male (bottom), a second island record, was at Wilson Canyon, while a
Summer Tanager (lower right) on 6 October was a second island record and likewise one of two found this season. Bobolinks (right) were rather numerous, with eight
recorded this fall; this one was at Horse Beach Canyon 23 September. An immature female Lucy’s Warbler (upper right) 2-7 November was an island first, as was a
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (top) 3 September, both at Lemon Tank. Photographs by John Brollini (upper right) Brian L. Sullivan (aii others).

In the Bering Sea, at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island,
more birding coverage, including a few pioneering
autumn birding tours, is providing some fascinating
fresh information on seabird movements and concen-
trations, as well as on misplaced migrants from Asia
and North America. Lehman’s recent stints at Gambell
have produced many outstanding records such as
Yellow-browed Warbler {N. A. B. 54: 1 1 7-1 20), but of
equal interest are records of North American mega-
vagrants here, such as this Tennessee Warbler (lower
left) and “Western” Flycatcher (lower right), noted 22
and 1 -2 September, respectively. The warbler was a
first for any location in western Alaska; the flycatcher
was, remarkably, the island’s second record. A rare
sight for any birder was this male McKay’s Bunting in
fresh definitive basic plumage (upper right), on its way
to the wintering grounds 22 September, but the star of
the season was surely the striking Siberian Accentor
(upper left), still casual in Alaska, present 21-26
September (here recorded on its first day). Photographs
from video by Paul E. Lehman.

128

North American Birds

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