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ID-FRONTIERS for February 18-24, 2001
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Subject: Barn Swallow subspecies
From: "Peter G. Merritt" <merritt(AT)GATE.NET>
Date: 18 Feb 2001 11:36am
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Hello,
I am trying to find someone familiar with plumage variations in the Barn =
Swallow to view a short videotape that I took in Florida. The bird that =
I videotaped appears to me that it may be the Eurasian subspecies of the =
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica rustica). However, I would like to get the =
opinion of someone who has experience working with Barn Swallows.=20
I have about 1 minute and 7 seconds of good video of this bird. The =
swallow is perched and spends most of the time preening, ruffling its =
feathers, and twisting its head. The feathers along the ventral mid-line =
of the upper breast are partially separated, which may be the result of =
the constant movement of air associated with a long migratory flight. =
Even so, there appears to be a complete gray band characteristic of the =
H. r. rustica. I would appreciate hearing from someone who has =
experience with plumage variations in Barn Swallows and would be willing =
to view the tape and offer an opinion concerning the identification of =
subspecies.
Sincerely,
Peter G. Merritt, Ph.D.
merritt(AT)gate.net
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Subject: Vagrant swifts in MA
From: "James H. Barton" <redwing1986(AT)MEDIAONE.NET>
Date: 19 Feb 2001 5:56pm
Friends, I'd like to pursue the subject of vagrant swifts with a
view to compiling a list of possibilities and probabilities in different
regions of the U.S.. Such a list might help observers pick up important
characters on these exciting and enigmatic birds in flight. To that
end, here are my four records from MA, two of which I still have trouble
believing.
Mid-May. Noticeably smaller and paler swift soaring with
Chimney Swifts at the entrance to the Mt. Auburn
Cemetery, Cambridge, MA. Three observers. Underside seen well.
Overall shape seemingly more compact. Two observers quite familiar with
Vaux's Swift. Reported and recorded as Vaux's, C. vauxi.
Mid-May. Swift with long forked tail and white rump, seen
moving northwards at high speed at Plum Island, Newburyport, MA. Seen
two weeks later at a Purple Martin house on PI. White throat. I've
convinced several knowledgeable people that this was a Fork-tailed
Swift, A. pacificus. But I haven't really convinced myself.
Mid-August. Large, very dark, bulky swift (as I perceived it,
given my experience with Chimney Swift) with shallowly forked tail,
coursing a salt marsh at eye level at Belle Isle, E. Boston. Taken to
be Black Swift C. niger, which I had seen in California. Not large
enough or with tail sufficiently deeply forked to be Common Swift, A.
apus.
Mid-August. Most startling. Associated with a major
hurricane. Very small, very dark swift seemingly without any tail,
smaller than Tree Swallow, T. bicolor. First thought to be Tree
Swallow, but >...noticeably smaller, all dark below, with evident swift
shape and flight pattern...<. Fluttering above an insect rich field at
the Fresh Pond Reservation, Cambridge, MA. Studied at length against
the background of high, thick haze. Underside seen well. Shades of dark
coloration not possible to observe. Short-tailed Swift, C. brachyura
???
Have at them.
Yours,
Jim Barton
redwing1986(AT)mediaone.net
Cambridge, MA
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Subject: Swifts
From: Clay Taylor <CTaylor(AT)WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Date: 19 Feb 2001 7:44pm
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Hi Jim -
Obviously, the swift sightings are pretty interesting, but the bare =
bones report (no specific dates, photos, videos, expanded field notes, =
etc....) leaves me nothing to "Have at". Were these sightings written =
up and submitted to any review committee, or is this e-request the first =
step in such a process?
Living just to your south, I would conclude that some (all?) of =
these birds could have passed by my area either before or after you saw =
them in Eastern Mass, so I certainly am interested in knowing more about =
them.
Clay Taylor
Moodus, CT
ctaylor(AT)swarovskioptik.com=20
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Subject: Aechmorphorus Grebe - Florida
From: Noel Wamer <nwamer(AT)FCOL.COM>
Date: 19 Feb 2001 8:22pm
A grebe of this genus was present for several weeks this winter at Sanibel
Island Florida, and beautiful photographs of it were obtained and are
posted on the Web:
http://home.earthlink.net/~bonniedabird/images/Rarities/WEGR1.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~bonniedabird/images/Rarities/WEGR2.jpg
http://www.javaswift.com/floridabirds/Western%20Grebe.html
Do the bill color and large, well-defined white lore patch on this bird
make it an example of an enigmatic intermediate bird as illustrated in The
Sibley?
Later...
Noel Wamer
nwamer(AT)fcol.com http://www.badbirdz.com
Jacksonville, FL, US 30.2820 -81.4972
"You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see"
(Van Morrison)
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Subject: Barn Owl Tyto alba ssp guttata?
From: Ricard Gutierrez <GUTARB(AT)terra.es>
Date: 20 Feb 2001 3:36pm
Hello:
On behalf of my colleague at the Feral Birds Spanish Committe (GAE), Jordi
Clavell albanell(AT)retemail.es who is not in this forum, I forward his query
about the possible ssp identity of some Barn Owl shots taken in Spain which
have caused some controversy.
His message is as follows:
Hi all,
On the web [http://idd002nn.eresmas.net/tyto/Tyto.htm] we have enclosed
several photos of Tyto alba specimens, coming from a work of Jaume Bonfil,
Anna Varea and Francesc Moncasí, taken from 1996 to 1998 in Catalunya (NE
Spain).
The point is that the Tyto that can be seen on the pictures are very dark,
with the plumage like that of the ssp. guttata, but they were ringed within
the full breeding season in Catalunya, an area where only the nominal form
alba is supposed to be found
In this study it has been found a high variability of colours, and some very
dark examples, often exceeding the usual differences between males and
females. Therefore we should be interested to gather opinions of
ornithologists well acquainted with guttata, for the right identification of
these specimens. The point is outstanding because in none of the consulted
sources is the ssp. guttata described as a breeder in SW Europe, and it even
gives cause to think if T. a. guttata is really a ssp. or a 'form' or
coloration 'phase' which could appear less frequently in SW Europe than in
other areas.
Jordi Clavell
Thank you
Ricard Gutiérrez
RBS http://www.terra.es/personal3/gutarb
20.2.2001
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Subject: Unidentified UK Gull
From: Dick Newell <dick.newell(AT)APPLEONLINE.NET>
Date: 22 Feb 2001 4:34pm
On http://www.cambridgebirdclub.org.uk/photos.htm see 4 pictures, taken by
Dave Hatton, of an unidentified gull, originally picked out by Simon
Stirrup, at Milton Landfill, Cambridge, UK on 15/11/98 (pictures also
temporarily on faster site below). This bird turned up shortly after some of
us in the UK were starting to get our brains around Caspian Gull (aka Pontic
Gull) Larus cachinnans cachinnans. At first we thought it was another
Caspian Gull. Now, after a lot more experience with cachinnans, we are not
sure what it is. The bird appears to be in 2nd winter (2CY) plumage - but
even that has been challenged. It has a mirror on P10, which we believe is
normal for cachinnans at this age, but very unusual, if at all, on
michahellis. The bill was unusual, being a combination of black with yellow
from the tip along the culmen. This pattern is occasionally seen in a number
of large gulls in Europe. It was very active and full of charisma, extremely
aggressive to other gulls, frequently lunging at them and often raising its
wings. It had a peculiar feeding habit, holding its bill under the water and
advancing rapidly.
Opinions on its identification would be welcome, there is no consensus or
firm commitment to an id among the few people we have consulted so far.
Dick Newell
Faster site: http://magikcircle.com/cbc/photos.htm
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Subject: FL Aechmorphorus Grebe - Summary
From: Noel Wamer <nwamer(AT)FCOL.COM>
Date: 22 Feb 2001 9:15pm
The inquiry I posted a week or so ago about the Aechmorphorus grebe from
Sanibel Island, Florida resulted in responses from nine persons. I would
like to thank all of them for their thoughtful comments. As no one
responded directly to the list, I will only post a "box-score" of the opinions:
Western - 1
intermediate/hybrid - 7
not sure -1
I would especially like to thank the person who went to the trouble to
examine a number of museum specimens. I certainly agree with this person's
comment:
>Whatever the answer, this kind of stuff makes birding fun!
Later...
Noel Wamer
Jacksonville, FL, US
nwamer(AT)fcol.com http://www.badbirdz.com/
"Even in its most primitive form, naming is a kind of judgment."
(Walker Percy)
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Subject: Re: Unidentified UK Gull
From: Koen Verbanck <verbanckk(AT)SKYNET.BE>
Date: 23 Feb 2001 7:21am
Hi all,
this bird looks like a michahellis: I think that this bird is a second
summer (3yc) bird with a strange moult-pattern (based a.o. on the large
amount of adult looking secundaries, quite a few grey median & lesser
wingcoverts, tail which is already largely white with only little remains of
the black tailband ; strange is the lack of adult-looking greater coverts.
This age would also explain the white mirror on P10). The bill pattern is
quite variable in michahellis in this stage but isn't unusual: although the
yellow tip is quite extensive, there is also a less clear yellow billbase.
Normally I would expect to see more clear yellow at the base.
Love to hear other opinions, greatings Koen Verbanck.
> On http://www.cambridgebirdclub.org.uk/photos.htm see 4 pictures, taken by
> Dave Hatton, of an unidentified gull, originally picked out by Simon
> Stirrup, at Milton Landfill, Cambridge, UK on 15/11/98 (pictures also
> temporarily on faster site below). This bird turned up shortly after some
of
> us in the UK were starting to get our brains around Caspian Gull (aka
Pontic
> Gull) Larus cachinnans cachinnans. At first we thought it was another
> Caspian Gull. Now, after a lot more experience with cachinnans, we are not
> sure what it is. The bird appears to be in 2nd winter (2CY) plumage - but
> even that has been challenged. It has a mirror on P10, which we believe is
> normal for cachinnans at this age, but very unusual, if at all, on
> michahellis. The bill was unusual, being a combination of black with
yellow
> from the tip along the culmen. This pattern is occasionally seen in a
number
> of large gulls in Europe. It was very active and full of charisma,
extremely
> aggressive to other gulls, frequently lunging at them and often raising
its
> wings. It had a peculiar feeding habit, holding its bill under the water
and
> advancing rapidly.
> Opinions on its identification would be welcome, there is no consensus or
> firm commitment to an id among the few people we have consulted so far.
> Dick Newell
> Faster site: http://magikcircle.com/cbc/photos.htm
>
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Subject: White-fronted Goose id
From: Dick Newell <dick.newell(AT)APPLEONLINE.NET>
Date: 23 Feb 2001 1:48pm
Having heard that a flock of 8 Greenland White-fronted Geese, together with
1 European White-front, had turned up not far from here (Cambridge, UK) I
went to see them. Greenland White-front is a mega rarity here in East
Anglia, but there was not a twitcher to be seen - they are not considered a
different species. Anyway, I found 9 geese with white fronts and most had
bright orange bills, some looking more pinkish. I have to admit, that I was
fairly persuaded that these were indeed Greenland White-fronts. Take a look
at http://www.cambridgebirdclub.org.uk/photos.htm - what would you make of
them?
Dick Newell
Temporary faster site: http://magikcircle.com/cbc/photos.htm
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