Western Birds Journal

Volume 36, No. 4

Published October 1, 2005

Issue description

Volume 36, number 4 of Western Birds, published 2005

Articles

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    CHRISTOPHER B. GOGUEN, DAVID R. CURSON, NANCY E. MATHEWS (Author)

    BREEDING ECOLOGY OF THE GRAY FLYCATCHER IN PINYON–JUNIPER WOODLANDS IN NEW MEXICO

    We studied the breeding ecology of the Gray Flycatcher as part of a long-term study of bird communities of pinyon–juniper in northeastern New Mexico, 1992–2002. All years combined, we located and monitored 37 nests and measured vegetation and habitat characteristics at most nests. Clutch-initiation dates ranged from 12 May through 14 July with a peak from late May to early June. Mean clutch size was 3.65 eggs but was significantly lower in later nests than in early nests. Mayfield nest success was 31% with most (93%) unsuccessful nests failing because of predation. Only one nest (3%) was parasitized by a cowbird. Nest height averaged 2.32 m with most nests placed close to or against the main trunk within the middle portion of a tree. Positioning the nest close to the trunk increases nest concealment and may represent a strategy to avoid predation. Gray Flycatchers nest primarily in pinyon pines (Pinus edulis; 62% of nests) and junipers (Juniperus spp.; 35%). On average, the flycatchers built nests in areas with taller and denser canopies, steeper slopes, and higher densities of trees, especially junipers.

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    MARK J. RAUZON, H. LEE JONES (Author)

    FIRST RECORD OF THE KELP GULL AND SIGNIFICANT RECORDS OF THE GLAUCOUS-WINGED AND LAUGHING GULLS FOR THE CENTRAL PACIFIC

    We report three species of gulls on islands in the mid-Pacific Ocean from 1999 to 2004, including the first Pacific Ocean record of the Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) north of the equator, a new southernmost record for the Glaucous-winged Gull (L. glaucescens) on Christmas Island, and Laughing Gulls (L. atricilla) from Wake Atoll, with additional recent sightings and historical records from other atolls.

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    CHUCK PRIESTLEY, LISA PRIESTLEY (Author)

    RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY MONITORING NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL MIGRATION IN CENTRAL ALBERTA, CANADA

    We initiated monitoring of Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) migration by mist-netting at Beaverhill Lake Natural Area, Alberta, Canada, with a part-time effort in 1997, 2000, and 2001. On the basis of positive results in those years we expanded the study to nightly netting following a standardized protocol in fall 2002 and 2003. Those years yielded 145 and 151 owls captured, respectively. First-year owls represented 68.7% of captures, and females represented 73.8% of captures (two-year mean). Migration began on 18 August, peaked on 3 October, and ended 11 November. Ninety-five percent of the owls were captured between 9 September and 4 November. There were three recaptures within a year and no recaptures in subsequent years.

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    STEVEN G. MLODINOW (Author)

    LEAST FLYCATCHER RANGE EXPANSION INTO WASHINGTON STATE

    The Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) has expanded its range west over the past 50 years at least. It has occurred annually in Washington since the 1970s, and its subsequent numbers there have increased steadily. Records extend from late April to late September, with spring migration likely peaking during late May and early June and fall migration peaking during early September. Many birds appear to be seeking territories and/or mates, but as of 2004 there were only two records of nesting. No obvious habitat changes coincided with this species’ arrival in Washington, and appropriate habitat seems to have long been present. The explanation for the Least Flycatcher’s range expansion may be related to population increases in its core range and/or microhabitat changes not yet described. The Least Flycatcher’s expansion parallels that of several other woodland birds also currently expanding west from eastern North America.

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    LUIS SAUMA, ROBERTO CARMONA, GEORGINA BRABATA (Author)

    NOTES: FIRST NESTING RECORD OF THE BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK ON THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA, MEXICO

    The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) ranges from the southern United States to northwestern Peru, Argentina, and Brazil, occupying lakes and shallow freshwater marshes in the tropical and subtropical zones (A.O.U. 1998). It is a largely nocturnal species that often forms small groups, nests at heights of up to 3 m in large trees, and feeds on aquatic plants, cultivated grains, and seeds (Alsop 2001). Although the species is generally nonmigratory, extralimital records (some of which probably involve escapees) are scattered across the United States to southern Canada, as well as parts of Mexico outside of the normal range (James and Thompson 2001). The Baja California Peninsula is not part of the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck’s historical range (Grinnell 1928, Wilbur 1987), but Howell and Webb (1992) reported one at San José del Cabo in June 1999, Carmona et al. (1999) reported four at Lagunas de Chametla, within the city of La Paz (11 and 12 December 1997; 14 February and 4 March 1998), and Erickson et al. (2001) reported additional sightings at both locations from 1992 to 1998. This paper updates the species’ status in La Paz since that time and documents the first breeding records for the peninsula.

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    THEODORE G. TOBISH, JR., GARY H. ROSENBERG (Author)

    NOTES: AN UNUSUAL HIGH COUNT OF PACIFIC LOONS FROM A FRESHWATER LAKE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

    In the evening (approximately 20:30) of 5 June 2004, while traveling north on the Cassiar Highway (British Columbia Route 37), we stopped at the Hodder Lake Wayside (BC 37 km 246.5), located on the west shore of Hodder Lake some 90 km north of the intersection with BC 37A at Meziadin Junction. On this roughly 10-hectare lake we saw a scattered assortment of waterfowl and an extremely large, conspicuous raft of birds. From a distance of approximately 1 km, we scoped this group and observed a uniform, very tight mass of Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica), all of which were in definitive alternate plumage (Figure 1). Counting in blocks of ten, we conservatively estimated 1070 individuals, and we noted that during our 20 minutes of viewing this group, none of the birds appeared to be diving. Also on the lake, away from this main raft, was an aggregation of 26 Common Loons (G. immer) and four Yellow-billed Loons (G. adamsii), also all in definitive alternate plumage. During the preceding hours, while we were driving the Cassiar Highway from Stewart, British Columbia, at the head of Portland Canal and tidewater, the weather was predominantly very low overcast with scattered drizzle and patchy ground-fog. At times along this stretch of road, the cloud cover and local fog was well below the adjacent ridges (1100–2000 m). There was little wind, and visibility rarely exceeded 1 km.

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    JOSÉ ALFREDO CASTILLO-GUERRERO, ERIC MELLINK, ERIK PEÑALOZA-PADILLA, MIGUEL PRADO-LÓPEZ (Author)

    NOTES ANOMALOUSLY PIGMENTED BROWN BOOBIES IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA: LEUCISM AND POSSIBLY HYBRIDIZATION WITH THE BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY

    Plumage color anomalies in the Sulidae (boobies and gannets) seem to be uncommon and have received little attention in detailed studies of the family (Dorward 1962, Nelson 1978). The only reference to such anomalies in the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) is of an albino noted by Harrison (1983). Similarly, hybridization or mixed-species pairing among sulids has only rarely been reported; the only suspected cases involve the Brown and Masked (S. dactylatra) Boobies (Worcester, 1911, Nelson 1978), although the supporting evidence is weak. Here we report five leucistic Brown Boobies and two likely hybrids of Brown and Blue-footed (S. nebouxii) Boobies at Farallón de San Ignacio, northern Sinaloa, Gulf of California, México, during 2003 and 2004.

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    ROBERT W. DICKERMAN (Author)

    NOTES: SAYORNIS SAYA YUKONENSIS IS VALID

    Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya) nests in western North American from subarctic Alaska south to central Mexico. Four subspecies of it have been named. From north to south these are S. s. yukonensis Bishop (type locality Glacier, White Pass, Alaska), S. s. saya (Bonaparte) (type locality near Pueblo, Colorado), S. s. quiescens (type locality San José about 45 miles east of San Quintín, Baja California), and S. s. pallida (Swainson) (type locality southern central plateau of Mexico). Browning (1976) reviewed the literature on Say’s Phoebe and in a detailed study of a large collection of adults reached the conclusion that yukonensis is not valid on either the basis of color or by measurements. He reiterated the problems in assessing geographic variation in this species: fading of the plumage because of exposure to the sun (considerable in this species of open habitats that molts only once per year) and foxing of the plumage (shifting of grays to browns with a specimen’s age in the museum). Rea (1983) enlarged on the problems, pointing out that the birds may leave nesting areas prior to molting and that wintering populations may be mixed, consisting of two or more subspecies. He suggested that birds in fresh juvenile plumage may be the best basis for working out geographic variation in the species, and he noted that 9 of the 11 specimens in the type series of yukonensis are juveniles (Bishop 1900). Browning did not mention the juvenile plumage. Rea (1983:185, map) extended the nesting range of quiescens from Baja California to central Arizona (Pima and Pinal counties).

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    David Lukas (Author)

    BOOK REVIEWS: Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Humboldt County, California: by John E. Hunter, David Fix, Gregory A. Schmidt, and Jude Claire Power. 2005. Redwood Region Audubon Society, Eureka. 445 pages, plus maps and illustrations. Paperback, $30 (ISBN 0-9760380-0-5); hardback $50.

    Situated in the northwest corner of California, the state’s fourteenth largest county is a significantly bird-rich area that has long attracted the attention of biologists and birders. As a measure of this importance, Humboldt County now has a comprehensive breeding bird atlas (hereafter Atlas) that covers the county’s 197 breeding species in 445 pages. Although Humboldt County is easily pigeonholed as a land of continuous conifer forest and heavy logging, the picture painted by the Atlas is much more fascinating and complicated. Not only does Humboldt County sit at the crossroads of northern species (e.g., the Ruffed Grouse, Gray Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, and Varied Thrush) and southern species (e.g. the White-tailed Kite, Oak Titmouse, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher), it encompasses numerous pockets of unexpected habitats and birds. The latter category includes Mountain Bluebirds haunting high peaks on the eastern border of the county, a surprisingly vigorous population of American Redstarts along the coast, and newly discovered nesting Rufous-crowned Sparrows in the southwest.

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    Jessie H. Barry, Cameron D. Cox (Author)

    BOOK REVIEWS: Birds of Washington: Status and Distribution: by Terence R. Wahl, Bill Tweit, and Steven G. Mlodinow (eds.). 2005. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 436 pages, 35 black-and-white illustrations, numerous maps. Hardback, $65. ISBN 0-87071-049-4.

    The Birds of Washington (hereafter BWA) is the first work since 1953 (when Birds of Washington State by Jewett et al. was published) to cover the status of Washington’s birds completely. The three editors contributed a large portion of the species accounts, but, all told, more than 40 authors played parts in writing the book. All 483 species recorded in Washington have individual species accounts, and separate sections in the back of the book treat introduced and hypothetical species (one of which, the Red-necked Stint, has since been confirmed in the state).

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    WALTER WEHTJE (Author)

    FEATURED PHOTO: IDENTIFYING HYBRID OYSTERCATCHERS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

    The photo featured on the back cover of this issue was taken on 26 May 2005 on the south side of San Nicolas Island, Ventura County, California. Its subject appears to be a rather dark American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus). A large shorebird of sandy beaches, tidal mudflats and rocky shores, along the Pacific coast this species ranges from central Chile to central Baja California. In central Baja California it is replaced by the Black Oystercatcher (H. bachmani), a bird of rocky shorelines that ranges north to the Aleutian Islands. For a 300-mile stretch along the Baja California peninsula the two species interbreed, forming a stable hybrid zone (Jehl 1985). Any pied oystercatcher observed north of the international border had probably wandered north from Baja California and has to be examined closely. Of the 35 documented sightings of “American” Oystercatchers in southern California, 11 have proved to be of hybrids (Cole and McCaskie 2004).