Western Birds Journal

Volume 10, No. 2

Published April 1, 1979

Issue description

Volume 10, number 2 of Western Birds, published 1979

Articles

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    BILL HARRINGTON-TWEIT (Author)

    A SEABIRD DIE-OFF ON THE WASHINGTON COAST IN MID-WINTER 1976

    During the last week of February and the first two days of March 1976, large numbers of dead seabirds, particularly Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis), Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and Common Murres (Uria aalge), washed up on the Pacific coast beaches of Washington and northern Oregon. Lesser numbers of fulmars and kittiwakes were recorded on beaches south into southern California (DeSante 1976). This event received considerable news coverage and the concern of biologists, naturalists and others.

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    Robert Andrews (Author)

    COLORADO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS OFFICIAL RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT 1976–1977

    This report contains the results of the work done by the Colorado Field Ornithologists Official Records Committee in 1976 and 1977. All records reviewed appear below with the ORC file number and names of observers who submitted documentation. Activities of the ORC from its inception in May 1972 until 1976 have been reported by Reddall (1973a, b, c, 1974a, b, 1975, 1976a, b). The list of Colorado birds as recognized by the ORC stands at 427 species.

    The ORC currently consists of six members: Robert Andrews (Chairman), David Griffiths, Edward Hollowed, Harold Holt, Peter Moulton and Richard Stransky. All ORC records are deposited in the Department of Zoological Collections, Denver Museum of Natural History.

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    J. MICHAEL SCOTT, SHEILA CONANT, H. DOUGLAS PRATT (Author)

    FIELD IDENTIFICATION OF THE HAWAIIAN CREEPER ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII

    The Hawaii race of the Hawaiian Creeper (Loxops maculatus mana) has recently been classified as endangered (USFWS 1975). As recently as 1972, so little was known about the bird’s distribution and abundance that Berger (1972:137), in summarizing existing knowledge, was unable to state whether the species was uncommon or on the verge of extinction. Underlying the lack of information on this bird’s status is the inability of many observers to consistently and correctly distinguish it from the abundant Hawaii race of the Amakihi (Loxops virens virens). Field identification of these two species is problematic on the islands of Oahu (Shallenberger and Pratt 1978) and Hawaii. The similarity of these two birds on the island of Hawaii has been previously mentioned by Henshaw (1902), Munro (1944) and Peterson (1961), but adequate field characters still have not been well documented. Because the creeper is classed as endangered and because identifications have often been uncertain, we herein identify and document the behavioral and morphological characters that have proved useful in identifying the Hawaii Creeper.

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    KATHY A. WINNETT, KELVIN G. MURRAY, JOHN C. WINGFIELD (Author)

    NOTES: SOUTHERN RACE OF XANTUS’ MURRELET BREEDING ON SANTA BARBARA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

    We report here the first breeding record of the southern race of Xantus’ Murrelet (Endomychura hypoleuca hypoleuca) north of the San Benitos Islands, central Baja California. Two well-marked subspecies of this small black and white alcid, differing in size and facial plumage, were first described by Green and Arnold (1939) and further investigated by Jehl and Bond (1975). The northern race (E. h. scrippsi) breeds from San Miguel Island off the California coast to the San Benitos Islands off Baja California; this form is characterized by an entirely dark facial pattern (Classes “3” and “4”, Jehl and Bond 1975:13) in which the white throat and face feathers do not extend all the way up to the eye. Murrelets of the southern race (E. h. hypoleuca) have whiter facial patterns (Classes “0” and “1”) “in which the white of the face extends up in front of (and occasionally over) the eye, and onto the ear coverts...” (Jehl and Bond 1975:15). Prior to this record, this subspecies had been known to breed only on Guadalupe and the San Benitos islands.

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    SHIRLEY WELLS, LUIS F. BAPTISTA (Author)

    NOTES: BREEDING OF ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD (SELASPHORUS SASIN SEDENTARIUS) ON THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MAINLAND

    The Palos Verdes Peninsula, 36.7 km east of Santa Catalina Island, in Los Angeles Co., California, is in many ways a land-locked Channel Island. The flora on the peninsula includes many Channel Island endemics. Some avian species absent on the Channel Islands are also absent on Palos Verdes (Bradley, Western Birds, in press). Bradley (loc. cit.) also noted that the breeding Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata) on the peninsula is referable to the Channel Island subspecies sordida. We document herein the subspecific and breeding status of the Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) on the peninsula as an additional contribution to the knowledge of the avifauna of this most interesting region.

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    BRUCE E. WEBB, JEANNE A. CONRY (Author)

    NOTES: A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER IN COLORADO, WITH NOTES ON PLUMAGE AND BEHAVIOR

    On 26 October 1975 we discovered an immature Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) at Hiram Prince Lake II, a small pond 1 mile north of Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado. It was observed foraging in a loose association with four Pectoral Sandpipers (C. melanotos). Nearby were eight Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) and four Long-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus scolopaceus). On 31 October we trapped and banded the Sharp-tailed and took a series of photographs, measurements and feather samples. Slide duplicates are on file at the Denver Museum of Natural History. Later that day we released it at the same pond, where it remained until 6 November 1975. During this 12-day period many other observers saw the bird. This is the only recorded occurrence of this species in Colorado.

    The plumage description detailed below is taken from notes made on 31 October while the bird was in hand. Table 1 summarizes useful field characteristics of Sharp-tailed and Pectoral sandpipers.

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    PHILIP HENDERSON (Author)

    NOTES: A DOTTEREL ON SOUTHEAST FARALLON ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

    Among the birds that came to Southeast Farallon Island in a spectacular migrational wave on 12 September 1974 was a Dotterel (Eudromias morinellus). The number of shorebird species on the island had increased from 5 the previous day to 13, and the number of other migrant species from 14 to 59. The island, located 43 km west of San Francisco, California, is visited regularly in the spring and fall by migrant birds.

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    IDENTIFICATION NOTES

    With this issue, we initiate a new and regular feature in Western Birds. Hopefully it will stimulate increased contribution of notes on field marks, photographs of poorly known or aberrant plumages, and other information worth sharing. Short notes on little-known field marks are particularly desirable, but should be backed by field experiences documenting the relative usefulness of these marks, and, if possible, examination of specimen collections. Notice and occasional summaries of articles appearing in other journals will also be included. We also wish to encourage interested and knowledgeable individuals to write full length identification papers on some of the knottier problem groups (see below). The format of this section may change considerably from issue to issue. To a large extent, contributions will reflect your interests.