Western Birds Journal

Volume 14, No. 2

Published April 1, 1983

Issue description

Volume 14, number 2 of Western Birds, published 1983

Articles

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    JONATHAN L. ATWOOD, DENNIS E. MINSKY (Author)

    LEAST TERN FORAGING ECOLOGY AT THREE MAJOR CALIFORNIA BREEDING COLONIES

    The California Least Tern (Sterna antillarum browni) historically nested commonly on coastal beaches from Monterey County, California, to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California (Grinnell 1928, Grinnell and Miller 1944). However, substantial population declines were documented in the subspecies’ United States range during the years following World War II, and the population was given Federal and State endangered species status in 1969 and 1971.

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    SCOTT L. FINDHOLT, SAM D. FITTON (Author)

    NOTES: RECORDS OF THE SCOTT’S ORIOLE FROM WYOMING

    The first sighting of a Scott’s Oriole (Icterus parisorum) in Wyoming occurred on 24 June 1967 when O. K. Scott observed an adult male on “Trash Hill,” 4 km southeast of Rock Springs, Sweetwater Co. Scott found another adult male in the same location on 1 July 1972. The Scott’s Oriole was not seen again in Wyoming until R. Jackman located an adult male and an adult female or immature in Little Firehole Canyon, 13 km southeast of Green River, Sweetwater Co., on 20 May 1980. An adult male was observed in the same location by R. Jackman and D. Johnson the following day.

    Several Scott’s Orioles were reported from Wyoming during 1982. On 10 June Findholt saw an adult male in Firehole Canyon, 18 km southeast of Green River, Sweetwater Co. Another adult male was discovered by Fitton in Little Firehole Canyon on 26 June, near where the sightings were made in 1980. Two different adult males were observed by Fitton on Powder Rim, approximately 106 km southeast of Rock Springs, Sweetwater Co., on 16 May and 29 June, respectively. Also, on 29 June Fitton located a pair of adults near Anthill Reservoir, approximately 105 km southwest of Rawlins, Carbon Co., and 35 km north of Colorado.

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    LINDEN A. PIEST (Author)

    NOTES: FIRST NESTING RECORDS OF WILSON’S PHALAROPE IN ARIZONA

    Wilson’s Phalaropes (Phalaropus tricolor) nest commonly throughout much of the Great Plains and Great Basin regions of the U.S. and Canada as far south as the central parts of Utah and Nevada and south-central California (American Ornithologists’ Union, Check-list of North American Birds, 1957). Prior to 1981, however, this species had never been reported to nest in Arizona. This note documents the nesting of Wilson’s Phalaropes at Pintail Lake in southern Navajo County, Arizona, during 1981 and 1982.

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    DOUGLAS B. INKLEY (Author)

    NOTES: A TRANSPARENT NEST BOX FOR SWALLOWS

    The affinity that Violet-green Swallows (Tachycineta thalassina) and especially Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have for nest boxes is well known. Nest boxes, properly placed and maintained, may be used for many years. In this note I report the use of plexiglass in the construction of swallow nest boxes. Plexiglass facilitates observation of nesting activities such as incubation, brooding and feeding of young. Prey items may be identified and interactions among young and adults observed. Photographs inside the nest box may also be obtained. Finally, transparent nest boxes can contribute immensely to natural history education of children and adults by providing close observation opportunities without disturbing the birds.

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    HOWARD F. SAKAI, THEA C. JOHANOS (Author)

    THE NEST, EGG, YOUNG, AND ASPECTS OF THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE ENDANGERED HAWAII CREEPER

    The Hawaii Creeper (Oreomystis mana), an endangered species (USF&WS 1975), occurs only on the Island of Hawaii and is limited to higher forests in a patchy distribution (J.M. Scott pers. comm.). The bird is about 11–13 cm long, drab-green with a whitish throat and a slightly decurved bill (Scott et al. 1979). The species is not known to be sexually dichromatic (Scott et al. 1979) but we and others have noticed plumage variation among adults.

    Very little is known of the breeding biology of this species (Berger 1981). Only recently have even partial nests and their placement been described (Scott et al. 1980, Sakai and Ralph 1980). We report here, for the first time, on a successful Hawaii Creeper nest and its eggs and young.

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    GUY McCASKIE (Author)

    ANOTHER LOOK AT THE WESTERN AND YELLOW-FOOTED GULLS

    With recognition of the Yellow-footed Gull (Larus livens) as a distinct species, separate from the Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) (American Ornithologists Union 1982), there is renewed interest in the dark-mantled gulls of western North America. In order to correctly identify these birds it is important to understand how they progress from juvenal to adult plumage, and when molts occur.

    Jonathan Dwight’s definitive work, The Gulls of the World (1925), includes much valuable information on plumages and molts, but was designed for museum workers with specimens in hand, and is now difficult to obtain, being long out of print. Recently, Peter Grant (1982) provided a masterpiece on all the gulls known to occur in the western Palearctic, Gulls: A Guide to Identification, with emphasis on field identification. It is from this book that the chart showing the sequence of plumages and molts, as well as the topographical terminology, is taken.