Western Birds Journal

Volume 21, No. 2

Published April 1, 1990

Issue description

Volume 21, number 2 of Western Birds, published 1990

Articles

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    STEVE N. G. HOWELL (Author)

    IDENTIFICATION OF WHITE AND BLACK-BACKED WAGTAILS IN ALTERNATE PLUMAGE

    Since the American Ornithologists’ Union (1983) considered the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) and Black-backed Wagtail (M. lugens) separate species, interest in their field identification in North America has grown. The White Wagtail breeds across Eurasia to western Alaska, while the Black-backed Wagtail breeds primarily in the Kamchatka Peninsula; the two are sympatric along the Bering Sea coast north of the Kamchatka Peninsula (Morlan 1981, A.O.U. 1983). The Siberian (and Alaskan) subspecies of the White Wagtail is M. a. ocularis, which, together with lugens, differs from other forms of White Wagtail in its black eyestripe; both forms winter in southeast Asia.

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    DAVID A. HOLWAY (Author)

    PATTERNS OF WINTER SHOREBIRD OCCURRENCE IN A SAN FRANCISCO BAY MARSH

    Resource exploitation by shorebirds in marine environments is influenced to a large degree by the tidal cycle. The periodicity of the tides dictates where and when shorebirds will feed (Connors et al. 1981). Some shorebirds that find their prey by touch feed whenever tidal conditions permit, independent of ambient light levels (Goss-Custard 1969).

    In this study, I counted shorebirds of nine species in two plots of equal sizes. All censuses were conducted within a fixed interval of tidal height during both the flood and ebb tides. With this important abiotic variable held constant, I addressed three hypotheses:
    (1) Shorebird numbers in winter are constant in one location at a fixed tidal height.
    (2) Shorebird numbers in one location do not change in the same tidal height interval on the ebb and flood tides.
    (3) Shorebird species are distributed in each plot equally (numbers of each species and total biomass of shorebirds within each plot are equal).

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    GUY McCASKIE (Author)

    FIRST RECORD OF THE BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL IN CALIFORNIA

    On 12 September 1970 a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma castro) was seen during an all-day pelagic boat trip off San Diego, San Diego County, California. I and more than forty other observers spent that entire day aboard a chartered sport-fishing boat exploring the waters off San Diego for pelagic birds, venturing as far off shore as the south end of San Clemente Island. 

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    KIMBALL L. GARRETT (Author)

    NOTES: LEUCISTIC BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS (PUFFINUS OPISTHOMELAS) IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

    In his account of the biology of the Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas), Everett (1988) mentioned that “leucism and partial albinism . . . are so far unrecorded for opisthomelas.” Such plumage aberrations are widely recorded among birds, including, among procellariids, Sooty Shearwaters (P. griseus; Palmer 1962, Stallcup 1976) and a Greater Shearwater (P. gravis) off New England (Vickery 1978). Within the Puffinus puffinus complex, leucism has been documented for P. p. mauretanicus (Mackrill and Yesou 1988, Elkins 1990) and P. p. puffinus (Flumm 1990). This note presents photographic documentation of two leucistic Black-vented Shearwaters and briefly discusses implications for field identification of shearwaters. Leucism is used here in the sense of Buckley (1982) to signify a reduction or local absence of pigment short of albinism (the complete lack of pigment).

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    CHARLES T. COLLINS, DALE DELANEY, JONATHAN L. ATWOOD (Author)

    NOTES: FIRST RECORD OF THE GREAT KISKADEE IN BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

    The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) has a widespread distribution extending from southern Texas south through most of Middle and South America to central Argentina (Meyer de Schauensee 1966). In western Mexico it is resident in southern Sonora with occasional individuals ranging north to southern Arizona (A.O.U. 1983). It has not been previously recorded from Baja California, Mexico (Wilbur 1987), even though its distinctive plumage and strident vocalizations make it an obvious and easily identified species throughout its range.

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    CHARLES T. COLLINS, JONATHAN L. ATWOOD (Author)

    NOTES: FIRST RECORDS OF THE THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD IN BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

    On 13 December 1986 we found a Thick-billed Kingbird (Tyrannus crassirostris) in a dry wash dominated by paloverde (Cercidium sp.) and mesquite (Prosopis sp.), about 25 km south of La Paz, between the towns of San Pedro and El Triunfo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The single individual was quietly perched most of the time it was under observation and only occasionally made short foraging flights. The diagnostic large black bill, dark forehead and “mask,” contrasting clear white throat and breast, and notched tail were seen at close range by several observers (C.T. Collins, P.H. Collins, B.W. Massey, K. Keane, and C. Boardman). On 5 January 1987 presumably the same individual was again seen at this site by C.T. Collins, J.L. Atwood, P.H. Collins, and E. Palacios.

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    STANLEY W. HARRIS, BEN HAWKINS (Author)

    NOTES: A SPECIMEN OF CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW FROM HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

    A fresh specimen of a Chuck-will’s-widow (Caprimulgus carolinensis) was found dead on a road near Loleta, Humboldt County, California, on 4 January 1989 by Jeff Apgar. This bird was erroneously reported by others in American Birds (43:363) as having been picked up by J. Apgar during the period 12–16 December 1988. The bird apparently had been hit by a car. It was delivered by Mr. Apgar to Hawkins, who donated it to the Humboldt State University, Department of Wildlife Museum. The specimen (H.S.U. 7749) has been mounted as part of the educational program at Humboldt State University. This is only the second record of this species in California and extends the range of the species far to the northwest of any previous record. The previous California specimen was reported in American Birds (41:140) and by S. F. Bailey (1989, W. Birds 20:93-95).

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    DANIEL M. TAYLOR (Author)

    NOTES: THE CASPIAN TERN IN IDAHO

    Although it is a breeding species in many parts of the Great Basin (Ryser 1985) and along the Columbia River (Thompson and Tabor 1981), the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) has been infrequently recorded in Idaho. Burleigh (1972) listed it as a uncommon, local summer visitant to the southern part of the state with one record for northern Idaho at Lewiston, Nez Perce Co. He thought it might breed in Idaho, but knew of no colonies. Davis (1935), Levy (1950), and Oring (1962) recorded it in small numbers from Rupert (Minidoka Co.), south-central Idaho, and Camas National Wildlife Refuge (Jefferson Co.), respectively. Larrison et al. (1967) stated that it was known to breed only at the Dingle Marsh in Bear Lake Co. but gave no details. I present evidence here that this tern breeds at several locations in southern Idaho, is sometimes found in moderate concentrations in this part of the state, and is more than an accidental visitor to the northern part of the state.