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ID-FRONTIERS for May 7-13, 2000
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Subject: QRY:Ageing light morph SWHA
From: "James H. Barton" <redwing1986(AT)MEDIAONE.NET>
Date: 7 May 2000 4:33pm
Friends-- In your experience, at what age does light morph
Swainson's Hawk attain a fully white throat, chest below the bib,
flanks, belly and undertail coverts?
At what age(s) might a returning early spring bird exhibit
extensively worn scapulars, evident at a distance as two white
longitudinal bars on the back, plus (when perched), a dark crown, pale
forehead, pale supercilium and an apparently dark brown auricular
patch? Could such a face and head pattern result from heavy feather
wear on an adult bird? Or would it suggest a younger bird?
And, finally, do you know of any good published sources on the
molting cycles of Swainson's and of North American buteos in general?
Thanks for your help.
Yours,
Jim Barton
redwing1986(AT)mediaone.net
Cambridge, MA
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Subject: Possible Cuban Pewee
From: John H Boyd III <boydj(AT)FIU.EDU>
Date: 10 May 2000 2:31pm
A pewee was seen in Coral Gables FL on April 29 and 30 that some birders
here thought might be a Cuban Pewee. In particular, its yellow belly
seemed out-of-place on an Eastern Wood-Pewee. However, some of the other
characteristics don't appear to fit Cuban Pewee very comfortably either.
I searched through the references I have (e.g., Raffaele et.al.), and past
ID Frontiers discussions on Cuban Pewees, but have been unable to
definitely figure the bird out. I gather there is a lot of
island-by-island variation.
I've put 7 photos on the web at http://ecojb.fiu.edu/pewee/
Any insight members of this list have would be appreciated.
--
John H. Boyd III, Dept. of Economics, boydj(AT)fiu.edu
Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 305-348-3287
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Subject: Re: Possible Cuban Pewee
From: Alvaro Jaramillo <alvaro(AT)SIRIUS.COM>
Date: 10 May 2000 6:38pm
At 05:31 PM 5/10/00 -0400, John H Boyd III wrote:
>A pewee was seen in Coral Gables FL on April 29 and 30 that some birders
>here thought might be a Cuban Pewee. In particular, its yellow belly
>seemed out-of-place on an Eastern Wood-Pewee. However, some of the other
>characteristics don't appear to fit Cuban Pewee very comfortably either.
>
>I searched through the references I have (e.g., Raffaele et.al.), and past
>ID Frontiers discussions on Cuban Pewees, but have been unable to
>definitely figure the bird out. I gather there is a lot of
>island-by-island variation.
>
>I've put 7 photos on the web at http://ecojb.fiu.edu/pewee/
>
>Any insight members of this list have would be appreciated.
>
John et al.
I have just returned from a month birding in Cuba, where I saw hundreds
of Cuban (Crescent-eyed) Pewees. However, I only have experience with this
species in Cuba, I have never seen the Bahamas form, which may be the one
that winds up in Florida. My impressions of the photos are that this bird
is not a Cuban Pewee. The marks I am looking for are structural. Cuban
Pewees have short primary extensions (for a pewee). Only three primaries
are regularly seen extending past the tertials. Your bird shows a
substantial primary projection, too long for Cuban Pewee. Cuban Pewees have
long bills which are somewhat narrow and shallow. YOur pewee shows a broad,
and short bill. Cuban Pewees almost always have a good amount of dark
towards the tip of the lower mandible, which your bird lacks. The tail of
the Cuban Pewee is consistently narrow at the base, and wide at the tip
with a moderate notch. Your bird's tail is rather short and not "flared" in
the way that Cuban Pewees tend to be. Cuban Pewees consistently show a
peaked crown, which your bird lacks. Although the crescent behind the eye
is variable, it is much more prominent than shown by any of the photos.
Finally, Cuban Pewees are darker on the breast (on average) and do not tend
to show a striking amount of yellow on the undertail coverts as your bird
does. My Cuban experience leads me to believe that this is not a Cuban
Pewee, however I do not know the Bahamas form and it likely differs.
cheers, and sorry to be a drag.
Al
Alvaro Jaramillo
Senior Biologist
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 247
Alviso, CA 95002
(408)-946-6548
http://www.sfbbo.org/
Home of the California Fall Challenge!!
alvaro(AT)sirius.com
Birds of Chile and
New World Blackbirds at : http://www.sirius.com/~alvaro
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Subject: Re: Possible Cuban Pewee
From: Jack Dozier <jdozier(AT)NETTALLY.COM>
Date: 10 May 2000 11:42pm
At 05:31 PM 5/10/00 -0400, John H Boyd III wrote:
>A pewee was seen in Coral Gables FL on April 29 and 30 that some birders
>here thought might be a Cuban Pewee. In particular, its yellow belly
>seemed out-of-place on an Eastern Wood-Pewee. However, some of the other
>characteristics don't appear to fit Cuban Pewee very comfortably either.
>
>I searched through the references I have (e.g., Raffaele et.al.), and past
>ID Frontiers discussions on Cuban Pewees, but have been unable to
>definitely figure the bird out. I gather there is a lot of
>island-by-island variation.
>
>I've put 7 photos on the web at http://ecojb.fiu.edu/pewee/
>
>Any insight members of this list have would be appreciated.
I have chased two Cuban Pewees in S FL, missed both, probably fodder of
hawks! I have studied the species. These photos do not draw the expected
picture for Cuban Pewee. If anything, and it is real difficult to tell, it
may be an Empid or E. Wood. I cannot agree with Cuban Pewee.
Jack Dozier
Alligator Pt., FL
jdozier(AT)nettally.com
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Subject: Re: Possible Cuban Pewee
From: Todd McGrath <skua(AT)EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Date: 11 May 2000 12:12am
Dear Birders,
I saw the Pewee in question on April 29th. I happened to be in the park in
Coral Gables on that day, but did not find out until the next day that the
bird was being called a possible Cuban Pewee. At the time, I identified the
bird as an Eastern Wood Pewee, but was not sure until I saw the photos
whether or not I had seen the same bird. I believe that I did.
Al Jaramillo posted a far more eloquent analysis of the key field marks of
Cuban Pewee than I am capable of, so I will simply add an "I agree" to his
post, and add only a few observations based my one experience with Cuban
Pewee (The bird at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton a few years back.)
I found the Cuban Pewee in Boca to be much more like an empidonax in
structure. The short primary projection, slim bill,and prominent eye
crescent, did not make it appear very pewee like at all. In addition, the
back coloration was greener than a typical pewee. When I saw the Coral
Gables bird, it was a little brighter than normal, but structurally, very
much a typical pewee.
Todd McGrath
SKUA(AT)MSN.com
Marina Del Rey CA
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Subject: Forsters Tern
From: paullarkin <paullarkin(AT)PGEN.NET>
Date: 11 May 2000 2:49pm
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
What Ho!
It is not unusual to see adult Common Tern in the UK with no dark on the =
bill. Has anyone seen or heard of any records of adult Forsters Tern =
with completely orange bill?
----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----
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Subject: Mystery hawks, Kamchatka Gull question?
From: Joseph Morlan <jmorlan(AT)CCSF.CC.CA.US>
Date: 11 May 2000 3:05pm
ID Frontiers,
I have updated the mystery birds at:
http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/mysteries.htm
adding two hawks this month. One is a juvenile Broad-winged or Gray
Hawk. I'd love to hear from people with more knowledge of juvenile
Gray Hawk. Are the flank and uppertail covert pattern diagnostic?
I have also posted "answers" to the warbler and gull from last month,
concluding that the gull was a juvenile Ring-billed. However I
confess that I don't know enough about the juvenal plumage of L. canus
kamtschatschensis to confidently eliminate it. I would very much
appreciate feedback from those with knowledge of that form.
Feedback and comments are always welcome. Enjoy!
--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044: mailto:jmorlan(AT)ccsf.cc.ca.us
California Birding; Mystery Birds: http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee: http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/
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Subject: Spizella photos
From: Derek Hill <kinglet32(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 11 May 2000 8:44pm
I took photos of a strange Spizella sparrow fairly recently, and would
welcome comments on the ID. So far Clay-colored, Brewer's, Clay-colored X
Brewer's, Clay-colored X Chipping, and Brewer's X Chipping have all been
suggested or considered. Please take a look and tell me what you think.
http://members.aol.com/kinglet32/spizella.html
Good birding,
Derek Hill
Richardson, TX
http://members.aol.com/kinglet32
http://springcreekforest.virtualave.net
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