Western Birds Journal

Volume 17, No. 4

Published October 1, 1986

Issue description

Volume 17, number 4 of Western Birds, published 1986

Articles

  1. Cover image V17 (4)

    GARY W. PAGE, FRANCES C. BIDSTRUP, ROBERT J. RAMER, LYNNE E. STENZEL (Author)

    DISTRIBUTION OF WINTERING SNOWY PLOVERS IN CALIFORNIA AND ADJACENT STATES

    Snowy Plovers of the subspecies Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus nest on sandy coastal beaches, around salt evaporation and agricultural drainage ponds, and on the barren margins of interior alkaline and saline lakes in western North America.

    Human encroachment has caused nesting birds to disappear from many coastal breeding locations in California (Page and Stenzel 1981). Because of the continued threat of encroachment and the species' overall scarcity, the California Department of Fish and Game has categorized the Snowy Plover as a species of special concern.

  2. Cover image V17 (4)

    GARY H. ROSENBERG, SCOTT B. TERRILL (Author)

    THE AVIFAUNA OF APACHE COUNTY, ARIZONA

    In general, the distribution and seasonal status of Arizona's avifauna are fairly well understood. The Birds of Arizona(Phillips et al. 1964) covers the entire state and provides a fairly complete account for all seasons.

    However, large sections of the state have received relatively little ornithological attention. One such area is Apache County, in northeastern Arizona. Despite being of considerable ornithological interest, Apache County received little coverage prior to 1976, especially in comparison to the many popular birding “hot spots” elsewhere in the state.

    It is possible to assemble a list of species that breed in Apache County using Phillips et al. (1964), the revision by Monson and Phillips (1981), and several detailed studies (e.g., Carothers et al. 1973, Franzreb 1975). However, substantial gaps remain in our knowledge of migrant, wintering, and even some nesting species found in Apache County.

  3. Cover image V17 (4)

    SCOTT L. FINDHOLT (Author)

    THE RING-BILLED GULL: A REDISCOVERED NESTING SPECIES IN WYOMING

    Historically, two Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) nesting colonies existed in Wyoming (Conover and Conover 1981, Conover 1983). Knight (1902) indicated that this species bred on the Laramie Plains, Albany County. It was also found nesting on the Molly Islands, Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park (Skinner 1917, Kemsies 1930). I can find no evidence for the four recent Ring-billed Gull nesting colonies Conover (1983) listed for Wyoming.

    The intent of this note is to clarify the literature on the recent status and distribution of Ring-billed Gull nesting colonies in the state and provide details on the only known breeding location of this species in Wyoming.

  4. Cover image V17 (4)

    MARCIA F. RADKE, WILLIAM R. RADKE (Author)

    BREEDING BY A TWO-YEAR OLD SANDHILL CRANE

    Most animal species do not reproduce before a certain age and cannot reproduce after a certain age (Dempster 1975). Understanding the age at first breeding is essential to the study of population dynamics (Caughley 1977). Studies have shown that Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) typically first breed at 3 or 4 years of age (R.C. Drewien, unpubl. data; Littlefield and Ryder 1968; Walkinshaw 1973).

    Here, we describe nesting in 1985 by a 2-year-old Greater Sandhill Crane (G. c. tabida) on Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (N.W.R.), California.