Volume 12, No. 2

LEE JONES, KIMBALL GARRETT, ARNOLD SMALL (Author)

CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA: California Bird Records Committee, Checklist Subcommittee

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The last checklist of the birds of California was published in this journal more than a decade ago (McCaskie et al. 1970). It listed 501 species. Shortly after its publication the California Bird Records Committee (hereafter CBRC) was formed to review records of noteworthy species from California, including those previously unrecorded in the state. The checklist presented here includes only those species which have passed the scrutiny of this committee.

STEVEN W. CARDIFF, J.V. REMSEN, Jr. (Author)

BREEDING AVIFAUNAS OF THE NEW YORK MOUNTAINS AND KINGSTON RANGE: ISLANDS OF CONIFERS IN THE MOJAVE DESERT OF CALIFORNIA

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Quantification of species turnover rates on islands in the context of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography (MacArthur and Wilson 1967) depends on accurate inventories of the biota taken at appropriate intervals in time. Inaccurate historical data concerning species composition is a source of error that must be avoided when calculating turnover rates (Lynch and Johnson 1974). Johnson’s (1974) analysis of historical changes in species composition and abundance exemplifies the importance of sound avifaunal inventories for later comparison. In this paper, we present data to provide future researchers with a baseline from which to calculate turnover rates for the breeding avifaunas of two conifer “islands” in the Mojave Desert in California.

RICHARD ZEMBAL, BARBARA W. MASSEY (Author)

A CENSUS OF THE LIGHT-FOOTED CLAPPER RAIL IN CALIFORNIA

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The Light-footed Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) is a reclusive resident of southern California’s coastal saltmarshes. Historically the subspecies ranged from Santa Barbara, California, to San Quintin Bay, Baja California, Mexico (Bent 1926). Long known to be in jeopardy because of loss of habitat (Wilbur and Tomlinson 1976), the rail is on both federal and state lists of endangered species.

John Luther (Author)

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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Greetings,

Our joint meeting with Colorado Field Ornithologists in Estes Park 26–28 June 1981 was a great success thanks to Jeanne Conry and Bruce Webb who organized the event. More than 100 participants from 13 states were there! The papers presented were excellent. They included:

• Distribution and Status of the Boreal Owl in Western North America – Ronald Ryder and David Palmer

• South Platte Vertebrate Community – Walter Graul

• Reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons – Steve Sherrod

• Blue Grouse Investigations in Colorado – Richard Hoffman

• Patterns of Bird Distribution and Species Richness in Colorado – Douglas Inkley

• Flight Identification of North American Accipiters and Common Buteos – William Clark

• Identification of Longspurs – Timothy Manolis

• An Introduction to the Pawnee National Grassland – Prairie Images and the Function of Song Flight in Lark Buntings – William Ervin

This fantastic evening presentation acquainted us with many moods of the prairie and the beautiful state bird of Colorado.

WAYNE C. WEBER, RICHARD J. CANNINGS, BRIAN M. KAUTESK, ROBIN R. WEBER (Author)

NOTES: SECOND DOCUMENTED RECORD OF THE BLACK PHOEBE IN CANADA

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At about 1300 on 26 April 1980 Brian Kautesk found a Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia. The bird was flycatching along the shore of Lost Lagoon, a small freshwater lake in the park, where it remained until the evening of 27 April. It occupied a small island covered with Red Alder (Alnus rubra), Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. arborescens), and other small trees and shrubs, some of which were dead. It usually perched low, not more than 3-4 m above the water.

At least 16 competent observers, including Gerry and Wendy Ansell, Audrey Banton, Dan Bastaja, Norm Chesterfield, Mark Daly, Al and Jude Grass, John and Teresa Ireland, Doug Kragh, Allen Poynter and the four of us, saw the Black Phoebe. Richard Cannings, Al Grass and Robin Weber obtained recognizable photographs (see Figure 1), which have been deposited in the Photoduplicate File at the British Columbia Provincial Museum, Victoria (BCPM photorecord 658). In addition, Wayne Weber and Brian Kautesk took detailed field notes, also on file at the Provincial Museum.

DIANA HERRON (Author)

NOTES: AN ALBINISTIC BLACK-NECKED STILT: A SECOND RECORD

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Albinism has been recorded infrequently for the two North American members of the family Recurvirostridae. Gross (Bird-Banding 36:67-71, 1965) listed only one record of albinism for the Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) and one record for the American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana). To my knowledge no further reports of albinistic Black-necked Stilts have been published.

On 17 September 1977 I saw an albinistic Black-necked Stilt foraging in a small pond at Buena Vista Lagoon, San Diego County, California. The bird was with six to eight normally pigmented stilts. A description of the bird follows: plumage all white; legs light pink, lighter than normal; bill light yellow. Eye color was not seen.

During 5 minutes of observation the albinistic bird appeared to behave similarly to the other stilts, and I did not see any unusual behavior on the part of the normally pigmented stilts toward the albinistic bird. When the group of stilts flew away, the albinistic bird accompanied them. Presumably the same albinistic stilt was seen by two other observers at the same location on 7 September 1977.

Janice K. Victoria of the San Diego Natural History Museum critically reviewed this note; her comments are appreciated.

IDENTIFICATION QUIZ

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The shape of the bill and pattern of upperpart streaking identify this rather nondescript bird as some kind of sparrow or longspur.