Western Birds Journal

Volume 5, No. 4

Published October 1, 1974

Issue description

Volume 5, number 4 of Western Birds, published 1974

Articles

  1. Cover image V5(4)

    ARNOLD SMALL (Author)

    WESTERN BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS

    This is the second of a series of pictorial essays by western bird photographers. Readers will note that the photographic editor chose himself as the subject for this issue (a useful prerogative). I have been photographing birds and other wildlife subjects for more than 20 years. During this time I have accumulated reasonably good portraits of about 1000 species of birds, of which more than 400 were photographed in North America. Many of my pictures have appeared in books and magazines and the culmination of this effort was reached in March 1974 with the publication of The Birds of California (Winchester Press, N. Y.) in which 304 of California’s birds are illustrated.

  2. Cover image V5(4)

    LAURENCE C. BINFORD, J. V. REMSEN, JR. (Author)

    IDENTIFICATION OF THE YELLOW-BILLED LOON (GAVIA ADAMSII)

    The recent increase in sightings of Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii) along the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States (Remsen and Binford MS) has necessitated a revaluation of the characters used for identification, both in the field and in the hand. Field guide treatment is often inaccurate and invariably incomplete, especially in regard to birds in gray-brown plumage. The more technical literature not only is widely scattered and poorly digested for use in modern field identification, but also neglects some of the most important distinguishing characteristics.

  3. Cover image V5(4)

    HELEN M. PRATT (Author)

    BREEDING OF GREAT BLUE HERONS AND GREAT EGRETS AT AUDUBON CANYON RANCH, CALIFORNIA, 1972-1973

    Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) and Great Egrets (Casmerodius albus) are among the species known to have suffered eggshell thinning as a result of accumulating high levels of DDT and its derivatives in their body tissues (Vermeer and Reynolds 1970, Henny and Bethers 1971, Faber et al. 1972). Great Egret reproductive success in the San Francisco Bay region was recently diminished because eggs broke during incubation (Pratt 1972a) while the effect of eggshell thinning on reproductive success of Great Blue Herons was insignificant.

  4. Cover image V5(4)

    J. MICHAEL SCOTT, HARRY B. NEHLS (Author)

    NOTES: FIRST OREGON RECORDS FOR THICK-BILLED MURRE

    Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) have been recorded wintering as far south as Vancouver Island, British Columbia (AOU Check-list, 1957) and have been found off the central and southern California coast (see Yadon, Calif. Birds 1:107-110, 1970, for records up to 1970 and DeSante and Remsen, Am. Birds 27:110-119, 656-662, 1973, for more recent records). They have not, however, been reported from either Washington or Oregon.

  5. Cover image V5(4)

    TIMOTHY A. REICHARD (Author)

    NOTES: BARRED OWL SIGHTINGS IN WASHINGTON

    At approximately 0900 on 24 April 1974 I was conducting Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) drumming counts near Bacus Hill, approximately 8 km east of Sedro Woolley, Skagit County, Washington. I was startled by an owl that flew past me approximately 50 m away and landed in a Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata). In flight the owl appeared dark brown and when it landed I noticed white spots on its back. It flew before I could see the breast, belly or head.