Western Birds Journal

Volume 30, No. 1

Published January 1, 1999

Issue description

Volume 30, number 1 of Western Birds, published 1999

Articles

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    LARRY B. SPEAR, DAVID G. AINLEY, H. T. Harvey, PETER PYLE (Author)

    SEABIRDS IN SOUTHEASTERN HAWAIIAN WATERS

    Waters within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of North America and the Hawaiian Archipelago—the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)—are considered within North American boundaries by bird records committees (e.g., Erickson and Terrill 1996).

    Seabirds within 370 km of the southern Hawaiian Islands (hereafter referred to as Hawaiian waters) were studied intensively by the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program (POBSP) over a 15-month period in 1964 and 1965 (King 1970). These researchers replicated a trackline each month, providing considerable information on the seasonal occurrence and distribution of seabirds in these waters.

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    CAROL L. McINTYRE, ROBERT E. AMBROSE (Author)

    RAPTOR MIGRATION IN AUTUMN THROUGH THE UPPER TANANA RIVER VALLEY, ALASKA

    Raptor migration in Alaska is not well documented (Swem 1982; Mindell and Mindell 1984). The upper Tanana River valley, in east-central Alaska, is a well-known migration route for many species of Alaskan birds (Kessel 1984; Cooper et al. 1991). Ambrose's casual observations of migrating raptors from 1976 to 1986 suggested that the area may also be a major raptor migration corridor in autumn.

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    JOEL D. WEINTRAUB, MIKE SAN MIGUEL (Author)

    FIRST RECORD OF THE IVORY GULL IN CALIFORNIA

    On 5 January 1996, at about 09:45, Weintraub, Carolyn Raynesford, Lucy Lee, and Irene Horiuchi found an immature Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) on a gravelly beach at Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, Orange County, California (33°27'33"N, 117°40'31"W). Later, the bird flew to the nearby mouth of San Juan Creek, where it was subsequently seen by approximately 25 observers, including San Miguel.

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    MARK A. TUCKER , ABBY N. POWELL (Author)

    SNOWY PLOVER DIETS IN 1995 AT A COASTAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BREEDING SITE

    The Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) feeds by pecking at the ground for invertebrates and by catching insects in the air while on the run. Along the Pacific Coast, Snowy Plovers feed on both marine and terrestrial invertebrates, but little more specific information is available (Reeder 1951; Page et al. 1995).

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    MICHAEL P.FORCE (Author)

    A SIGHT RECORD OF A STREAKED SHEARWATER IN OREGON

    On 13 September 1996, while conducting surveys for marine mammals and seabirds aboard the NOAA ship McArthurapproximately 57 kilometers off the southern Oregon coast, we observed a Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas), a species familiar to both Force and Rowlett.

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    GORGONIO RUIZ-CAMPO, ARMANDO J. CONTRERAS-BALDER (Author)

    SECOND MAINLAND SPECIMEN OF THE RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH FROM BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

    Since the first mainland record of the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) for Baja California (Ruiz-Campos and Quintana-Barrio 1991), from the Sierra Juárez (32°04'N, 116°05'W; altitude 1370 m) on 15 September 1990 in coniferous forest dominated by Pinus jeffreyi, specimens of this species have continued to be collected in Baja California.

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    JON R. KING, STEVE N. G. HOWELL (Author)

    VARIATION IN IRIS COLOR OF ADULT THAYER'S GULLS

    Iris color is sometimes useful in bird identification, especially for gulls. A frequently quoted example is the separation of adult Herring (Larus argentatus smithsonianus) and Thayer's [L. (glaucoides?) thayeri] Gulls.

    Typically, adult Herring Gulls have “staring” unmarked pale yellow irides, while adult Thayer's Gulls have dark irides—a view supported by numerous publications (e.g., Gosselin and David 1975; Lehman 1980; Grant 1986; Zimmer 1990, 1991).