Western Birds Journal

Volume 44, No. 2

Published April 1, 2013

Issue description

Volume 44, number 2 of Western Birds, published 2013

Articles

  1. V44(2)

    MATTHEW J. BAUMANN, SABRINA M. McNEW, CHRISTOPHER C. WITT (Author)

    MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR EVIDENCE CONFIRM THE FIRST DEFINITIVE EASTERN WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH (SITTA C. CAROLINENSIS) FOR NEW MEXICO

    We report the first confirmed eastern White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis carolinensis) from New Mexico. The bird was collected on 15 October 2011, at Boone’s Draw, Roosevelt County. Morphological and plumage characters matched those of the eastern White-breasted Nuthatch, the bill being markedly shorter and the back paler than those of the subspecies resident in New Mexico, S. c. nelsoni, and other western subspecies. The DNA sequence of the mitochondrial gene for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) was an exact match to published sequences from Michigan and Pennsylvania and was phylogenetically nested within a monophyletic and deeply divergent eastern clade.

  2. V44(2)

    ROBERT J. MEESE (Author)

    CHRONIC LOW REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF THE COLONIAL TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD FROM 2006 TO 2011

    I studied the Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) in California’s Central Valley over six breeding seasons from 2006 through 2011 and documented fates of nesting attempts, reproductive success of colonies, and relative abundance of insect prey in foraging areas. I found widespread and chronic reproductive failures except in cases of relatively high insect abundance. My observations suggest that the productivity of Tricolored Blackbird colonies is food-limited and that the relatively high reproductive success at few colonies is primarily a function of unusually high abundance of insects in nearby foraging areas.

  3. V44(2)

    MONICA L. BOND, DEREK E. LEE, RODNEY B. SIEGEL, MORGAN W. TINGLEY (Author)

    DIET AND HOME-RANGE SIZE OF CALIFORNIA SPOTTED OWLS IN A BURNED FOREST

    Fire is pervasive in forests used by California Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) and their prey species. We assessed the diets and sizes of the breeding-season home ranges of seven Spotted Owls occupying burned forests in the southern Sierra Nevada 4 years after a fire and compared the results with data from previous studies in unburned forests within the range of the subspecies. Prey captured by owls in the burned area comprised 40.3% (by biomass) pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.) and 25.9% northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus). In contrast, in unburned areas of the Sierra Nevada Spotted Owls fed primarily on flying squirrels, or on both flying squirrels and woodrats (Neotoma spp); in unburned southern California forests they fed overwhelmingly on woodrats. The owls’ mean home range in the burned forest covered 402 ha, an area similar to that recorded in unburned forests of the Sierra Nevada. Our results are consistent with hypotheses that the burned habitat in our study area was rich in gophers and that Spotted Owls foraging on gophers in burned forests do not require home ranges substantially larger than do owls in unburned forests. With currently available data we could not conclusively attribute variation in diet or home-range size to the influence of fire, so further testing is warranted. Use of rodenticides and herbicides in managing burned Spotted Owl habitat may reduce the owl’s key prey

  4. V44(2)

    CARA E. BROOK, DAVID P. BERNSTEIN, ELIZABETH A. HADLY (Author)

    HUMAN FOOD SUBSIDIES AND COMMON RAVEN OCCURRENCE IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

    We examined the influence of the availability of human food on the distribution and foraging habits of the Common Raven (Corvus corax), in Yosemite National Park, California. The raven arrived and established itself as a year-round resident in Yosemite in the 1960s, and its population has been increasing ever since. Surveys of nine sites with varying levels of human influence in Yosemite suggest that the Common Raven is most densely distributed in human-influenced regions, especially Yosemite Valley. It is largely absent from Yosemite’s Badger Pass Ski Area in the off-season but uses the site as an anthropogenic food source and becomes more available during the ski season. At Badger Pass and four recreational destinations ravens track the availability of human food temporally, preferably foraging before or after human mealtimes.

  5. V44(2)

    KEVIN ELLISON, JEREMY D. ROSS, JUAN L. BOUZAT (Author)

    GENETIC EVIDENCE FOR MIXED MATERNITY AT A LARK SPARROW NEST

    Among passerines not nesting in cavities, mixed maternity within a clutch is rare and has been recorded at <1% of the nests of four North American species. Using genetic methods, we report the first case of mixed maternity in the Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus). Within an unusually large clutch in Texas, we found that the attending female shared the mitochondrial haplotype with an unhatched egg and one nestling, but not with another nestling. Analysis with microsatellite DNA confirmed mixed maternity at the nest; the female and a nestling did not share alleles at five of nine loci analyzed. Various behaviors may lead to mixed maternity, including intraspecific reuse of nests, conspecific usurpation, and conspecific parasitism. Our study stresses the important roles that intensive nest monitoring and genetic tests can play in detecting cryptic reproductive strategies.

  6. V44(2)

    JAMES M. MALEY, JACOB R. SAUCIER, MATTHEW D. CARLING (Author)

    REFUTATION OF WYOMING NESTING RECORD OF THE PACIFIC WREN

    The nesting status of the Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) in Wyoming is not clear. According to several sources (Hellmayr 1934, AOUI 1957, Peters 1960, AOUI 1998, Dickinson 2003, Clements 2007), Wyoming is not part of the distribution, but this is contradicted by several other sources. On the basis of two immature specimens (USNM 228577 and 228578), collected by Alexander Wetmore in the Tetons on 27 August and 15 September 1910, Phillips (1986) suggested there might be an undescribed subspecies that nests in northwest Wyoming. Saucier examined these specimens and confirmed they are Pacific Wrens, already in adult plumage, although they appear lighter and grayer than specimens from elsewhere. Cary (1917) is the only additional paper we have found mentioning these specimens. We cannot exclude the possibility that they were migrants from elsewhere in the distribution (Toews and Irwin 2012), as information on the schedule of the Pacific Wren’s migration in the Rocky Mountains is still lacking. Wyoming has two winter records of the Pacific Wren but none for fall. (D. W. Faulkner pers. comm.)

  7. V44(2)

    EDWARD R. PANDOLFINO (Author)

    LACK OF RECOVERY OF THE YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE FROM THE WEST NILE VIRUS IN CALIFORNIA’S CENTRAL VALLEY

    The 2005 outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) in California’s Central Valley was followed by declines in several species of birds, including the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica), Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli), American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), and Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) (Airola et al. 2007, Koenig et al. 2007, Pandolfino 2007, Crosbie et al. 2008, Pandolfino 2008a, Wheeler et al. 2009, Smallwood and Nakamoto 2009). Prior to the 2005 outbreak, the Loggerhead Shrike was acknowledged to be in decline across most of its range (Yosef 1996, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2002), and the Yellow-billed Magpie had declined locally in some areas in the Coast Range and southern California (Roberson 1985, Lehman 1995, Koenig and Reynolds 2009).

  8. V44(2)

    KENNETH M. BURTON, LESLIE SCOPES ANDERSON (Author)

    FIRST RECORD OF THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER IN NEVADA

    On the afternoon of 12 June 2012, Anderson found an unfamiliar woodpecker in cottonwoods (Populus sp.) near the Bressman Historic Cabin at Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko County, Nevada (coordinates 40.2° N, 115.4° W). She observed the bird for approximately 20 minutes while it foraged, during which time she obtained several excellent photographs that allowed her to identify it as a female Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

  9. V44(2)

    MIKE TYNER, L. JOSEPH BURNETT, MIKE M. STAKE (Author)

    CALIFORNIA CONDOR FORAGING ON A LIVE CALIFORNIA SEA LION PUP

    California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) feed on a variety of wild and domestic carrion, but are not known to take live prey in the wild (Snyder and Snyder 2000, Snyder and Schmitt 2002). There exists, however, an historical account (Townsend 1848) of a California Condor apparently attempting to take a live salmon along a river bank in the Pacific Northwest. However, the bird was collected before the fish was killed, and it is not clear if feeding was observed. A sister species, the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), has, however, been reported to take live prey (Murphy 1925), and smaller species of New World vultures, the Black (Corcygas atratus) and Turkey (Cathartes aura) Vultures have also been reported to take live prey occasionally (Parmalee 1954, Kirk and Mossman 1998, Buckley 1999, Paves et al. 2008). While not providing clear evidence of taking live prey, Townsend’s account indicates the opportunistic foraging by California Condors is not confined to dead animals. Nevertheless, occasions for documenting California Condors with live prey have been limited, because, historically, few individuals have been available for observation. Even with intensive conservation efforts during the past 20 years that have resulted in increased numbers of birds in the wild, the practice of provisioning carcasses at designated feeding sites limits opportunities for observation of natural foraging, especially rare events such as attempts to take live prey.

  10. V44(2)

    JON WINTER (Author)

    IN MEMORIAM - RICHARD W. STALLCUP, 1944–2012

    On 15 December 2012, during the compilation of the Point Reyes Christmas Bird Count in Point Reyes Station, Rich Stallcup passed away in a San Rafael hospital from complications of leukemia. Rich was a co-founder of that count in 1970 and had participated in it every year until 2012. The birding community in California lost a soul of incalculable value as a teacher, naturalist, tour leader, and indefatigable cheerleader for the natural world. His reputation extended far beyond the borders of California; he was well known in birding circles across North America. An ordinary memorial cannot express the depth of his influence on people and how many lives he touched during his time on this planet. In January 2013, more than 500 people, some from as far away as the east coast, attended a memorial service for Rich.

  11. V44(2)

    MATTHEW J. BAUMANN (Author)

    BOOK REVIEWS: Raptors of New Mexico

    As the title suggests, this book reviews the birds of prey regularly occurring in New Mexico with additional information on the vagrant species that occasionally appear in the state. This is no small task given that New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the U.S. and boasts the fourth highest number of avian species recorded, so raptors are well represented in the Land of Enchantment. Forty-four documented raptor species, including breeding species as diverse as the Boreal Owl and Aplomado Falcon, make it unique among the 50 states. Each of the 37 regularly occurring species of raptors has its own lengthy section, ranging from 10 to 28 pages, that contains a detailed analysis of the species within New Mexico. Besides Cartron, the chapters are written by a number of authors who have studied a particular species in depth. Additionally, contributions of photographs came from over 100 individuals, so this book is truly a collaboration. This is a landmark publication for New Mexico ornithology as the first publication to take on only the raptors. For each species account and migration data the book pulls an enormous amount of information from the peer-reviewed literature, but it is worded in a fashion that amateur ornithologists and birders can easily follow.

  12. V44(2)

    COLE J. WOLF (Author)

    BOOK REVIEW: Twelve Hundred Miles by Horse and Burro: J. Stokley Ligon and New Mexico’s First Breeding Bird Survey

    J. Stokley Ligon (1879–1961) was a New Mexico ornithologist and conservationist during one of the most dynamic periods in the state’s history. Dale Zimmerman noted that Ligon “Probably … covered New Mexico more thoroughly than any other naturalist before or during his lifetime.” Born and raised on a ranch in Texas, Ligon was a self-trained ornithologist who spent his twenties drilling wells and fixing windmills in west Texas and southern New Mexico. He was well acquainted with trapping predators and fur-bearers from his time on the ranch and family hunting trips. Later in life he was paid to manage teams of trappers that extirpated the Mexican wolf and grizzly bear from New Mexico. He eventually softened his views on predator control and in 1927 successfully lobbied the state legislature to designate bears as game animals, rather than pests to be shot on sight. Ligon is probably best known to contemporary ornithologists and birders from his New Mexico Birds and Where to Find Them (1961), an ambitious but relatable work that describes the state’s bird life and birding locations, along with more general topics such as life zones and bird conservation.

  13. V44(2)

    EDWARD R. PANDOLFIO (Author)

    WFO PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: THE FUTURE OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

    When it comes to deciding which of the many worthy organizations we should support, the number of options seems overwhelming. None of us can afford to belong to all of them, so we try to choose those focused on the areas we care most about. While we hope WFO members appreciate direct benefits such as first option on special field trips and conference registration, we know that most of you belong to WFO because we work to promote field ornithology in a variety of ways. Among those, none is more important than fostering, encouraging, and teaching the next generation of field ornithologists.

  14. V44(2)

    OSCAR JOHNSON, PETER PYLE, JIM TIETZ (Author)

    FEATURED PHOTO: THE SUBSPECIES OF THE SONG SPARROW ON SOUTHEAST FARALLON ISLAND AND IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

    The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is one of the most morphologically variable birds of North America. As many as 52 subspecies have been named, 39 of which were recognized by the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU 1957) and Paynter (1970) from Canada, the United States, Baja California, and central Mexico. In the latest taxonomic revision of the Song Sparrow, Patten and Pruett (2009) recognized 25 subspecies. The subspecies vary from small and pale in the desert Southwest (fallax) to large and dark in the Aleutian Islands (maxima), with a wide range of intermediates and other variations. Although the Song Sparrow has little or no prealternate molt, the appearance of the basic plumage, especially in subspecies of more open and drier habitats, is affected by wear. The upperparts generally become paler (grayer or browner) and less distinctly streaked from fall to spring, while the underparts become whiter (less buff or brownish) and more distinctly streaked in spring. The subspecies are migratory to various degrees, with some being resident, while others are short-distance or medium-distance migrants (AOU 1957, Arcese et al. 2002).