ID-FRONTIERS for May 6-12, 2001

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Date   Time   Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in Alberta   Barb Beck    Sun, 6 May 2001   2:50pm   Murre ID   John Idzikowski    Mon, 7 May 2001   8:58am   Murre ID   Gunter De Smet    Mon, 7 May 2001   10:48am   ID Murre revisited   Gunter De Smet    Mon, 7 May 2001   3:23pm   Grey-bellied Brant   Millington/BIS    Tue, 8 May 2001   1:00am   Re: Murres   John Pogacnik    Tue, 8 May 2001   3:39am   Murre photos   Blair Nikula    Tue, 8 May 2001   1:59pm   Tertial spots on Flame-colored Tanagers   Rich Hoyer    Tue, 8 May 2001   6:16pm   Rufous-capped Warbler question   Stuart Healy    Wed, 9 May 2001   1:16pm   Re: Rufous-capped Warbler question   Rich Hoyer    Wed, 9 May 2001   2:40pm   Thanks RE: Rufous-capped Warbler question   Stuart Healy    Wed, 9 May 2001   4:54pm   Orchard Oriole-Do females sing?   Glenn A dEntremont    Wed, 9 May 2001   6:03pm   Re: Orchard Oriole-Do females sing?   Bruce H Anderson    Wed, 9 May 2001   7:18pm   Re: Rufous-capped Warbler question   Jack Dozier    Wed, 9 May 2001   10:07pm   White flank patches in Cormorants   Frank Pinilla    Thu, 10 May 2001   8:01am   Re: White flank patches in Cormorants   Alan Wormington    Thu, 10 May 2001   9:07am   Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in Alberta   Steven Mlodinow    Thu, 10 May 2001   7:33pm   Little Egrets, RFI   Steven Mlodinow    Thu, 10 May 2001   8:12pm   Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in Alberta   WAYNE WEBER    Fri, 11 May 2001   8:41am   Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in Alberta   Barb Beck    Fri, 11 May 2001   9:08am   Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in Alberta   Jerry Tangren    Fri, 11 May 2001   9:27am   Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in   KACastelein and DJLa   Fri, 11 May 2001   12:09pm   Western Fly in WA   Steven Mlodinow    Sat, 12 May 2001   8:30am   Franklin's Gull in Spain online   Ricard Gutierrez    Sat, 12 May 2001   10:09am   NORTHWESTERN VS. AMERICAN CROWS   WAYNE WEBER    Sat, 12 May 2001   12:24pm   Re: NORTHWESTERN VS. AMERICAN CROWS   Noel Wamer    Sat, 12 May 2001   12:47pm   Re: NORTHWESTERN VS. AMERICAN CROWS   Alvaro Jaramillo    Sat, 12 May 2001   10:35pm

To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'. This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.

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Subject: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in
          Alberta
From: Barb Beck <barb(AT)BIRDNUT.OBTUSE.COM>
Date: 6 May 2001 2:50pm

Hi.
I apologize to those of you who have seen this in another group.  There are
now more bird vocalizations in the comparison graphs and several people
suggested I might find some help here.

I am concerned about the field id of the species which make up the former
Western Flycatcher in Alberta, the Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Epidonax
difficilis) or the  Cordilleran Flycatcher (E. occidentalis). I have
recorded the Alberta species and even upon analysis of the call, song  and
parts of the song by ear and  computer generated graphs of the pitch and
volume of the components cannot in my own mind safely assign the birds to
either species.   As one person put it "We cannot even look at a range map
and bluff" because the range of the two species is in doubt in Alberta.

The recording of the Alberta bird as well as the graphs to analyze the call
and parts of the  song  of it and  9 other birds  can be accessed from:

http://owlnut.rr.ualberta.ca/~barb/sounds/WesternFlycatcher.html
The sonograms and the wave form displays indicate a considerable variation
in the vocalizations of these birds across their range.

One is supposed to be able to separate these birds on vocalization but based
on the intermediate vocalizations we appear to have here I am not sure these
things can be separated  by ear (or the computer graphs)  in our area.

Any comments the experts in this group might have to help us out would be
greatly appreciated
Barb Beck
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Barb.Beck(AT)ualberta.ca


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Subject: Murre ID
From: John Idzikowski <idzikoj(AT)UWM.EDU>
Date: 7 May 2001 8:58am

I have posted a few more digitals of the unidentified Murre at the link
below including details of the flight feathers and shots of bill
measurements. There is little known about this specimen except that it was
collected in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA on Lake Michigan probably about 1896.

The flattened wing chord on the birds left side is 205 mm; there does not
seem to be any significant wear on the tip of the longest primary as there
is on the right side- chord (flat)= 197+mm

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1596768&a=12818125

John Idzikowski, Milwaukee


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Subject: Murre ID
From: Gunter De Smet <gunter.de.smet(AT)PANDORA.BE>
Date: 7 May 2001 10:48am

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Today, I had a quick look at 10 specimens of Thick-billed Murre Uria =
lomvia lomvia at
the KBIN, Brussels, to see if they showed a white line or a small white =
plate at the
base of the upper mandible. It is definitely a white line, and not a =
plate, and I must admit that I misinterpreted this in the field.

In skins, the white line is much less obvious than in live birds : the =
black bill fades to brown, and the
gleaming white tomium stripe turns dull whitish (but the white stripe =
was present in all ten
specimens, representing most plumages, including first-winter and =
adult-winter).=20

ADULT
In breeding adults (n=3D6), the white stripe is generally relatively =
broad and slightly raised. When looking at the distal end of the white =
stripe, just below the nostril, a minor structural difference with Uria =
aalge aalge may be evident : some adults show a shallow groove-like =
unevenness below the nostril. Only one out of six adults at the KBIN was =
more strongly marked, showing a quite obvious short hooked groove going =
from the nostril to the cutting edge. Perhaps this feature is =
age-related and less pronounced in younger adults (as e.g. bill grooves =
in Razorbill Alca torda). Most, however, showed a bump below the =
nostril, as there is a difference in level between the slightly raised =
rather flat tomium stripe and the rest of the bill. In several adults at =
the KBIN, the area between the nostril and the cutting edge, seemed to =
be slightly wrinkled or pinched together. These "features", however, =
need confirmation as I only had access to a small (too small ?) sample.

In the field, the slightly elevated white stripe (very contrasting in =
good light), combined with this bump/groove below the nostril, created =
the false impression of an extra layer. In live birds, the tomium stripe =
looks very much like a thick layer of white paint on a glossy black =
bill. Over most of its length, the tomium stripe is bordered by feathers =
above, and by the cutting edge of the upper mandible below.

IMMATURE
In young Thick-billed Murres, the bill is more evenly smooth. Young =
birds have shorter, more even-sided bills (lacking the bump/groove below =
the nostril of many adults). The part of the upper mandible below the =
nostril can be perfectly smooth and flat in 1st winter birds (like in =
Common Murre), but also in some (young ?) adults.

At Varanger, all the adults in the small colony (15 pairs) I studied at =
close range during several days, showed this bump/groove below the =
nostril. Although I wrongly interpreted this in the field - thinking =
that the white tomium stripe was a small plate - this minor structural =
difference was still useful to identify adult Thick-billed Murres with =
strongly reduced white on the bill : individuals with very little white, =
still showed a groove/bump below the nostril (unlike Uria aalge aalge in =
the colony).

I now realize that the groove/bump is of no use to identify the =
Wisconsin specimen, as it seems to be present in adults only. I also =
found a 2nd calendar year Thick-billed Murre in the collection of the =
KBIN, matching the head pattern and the brownish primaries of the =
Wisconsin specimen. Unfortunately, I had no time today to check all Uria =
aalge specimens, nor to compare the photographs of the Wisconsin =
specimen directly with skins. It may be interesting to compare the bill =
shape of the Wisconsin specimen directly to skins, but it is probably =
more useful to check its full measurements.

Yours,

Gunter De Smet.

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Subject: ID Murre revisited
From: Gunter De Smet <gunter.de.smet(AT)PANDORA.BE>
Date: 7 May 2001 3:23pm

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If these measurements are metric (in mm), the mounted Murre cannot =
possibly be a Common Murre. The bill length is way too short for Common =
Murre, and is a very good indication of a first year Thick-billed Murre. =
It is a lot shorter than all published measurements for ADULT =
Thick-billed Murre in Europe, and I have never personally seen a first =
winter Common Murre in Europe with such a short bill measurement. It is =
difficult to find a first-winter Common Murre Uria aalge albionis/aalge  =
in Belgium with a bill shorter than 41 mm. If you want, I can check this =
in an archive of all beached Murres in Belgium from the 1960s until now, =
but it is unlikely that any were even approaching the bill length of the =
Wisconsin specimen (unless wrongly measured or misidentified !). I even =
wonder if such a short bill is still possible in late winter for a 2nd =
calendar year Thick-billed Murre; it would be good to have confirmation =
until when the bill of first-winters can remain that short.=20

Here are some measurements of beached Thick-billed Murres in Belgium and =
the Netherlands :
The first Belgian record of a living Thick-billed Murre, a 1st winter =
beached on 7 December 1981 at Blankenberge, had a bill length of only =
27.0 mm (measured with callipers) - at the time shorter than any other =
published measurement - and a wing of 195 mm. Another juvenile, washed =
ashore dead on 4 January 1981 at De Haan/Klemskerke (West-Vlaanderen) =
had a bill length of 28.2 mm, and a wing of 210 mm. A third bird, found =
dead on 18 January 1981 at Wenduine (West-Vlaanderen) had a 33.5 mm =
bill, and a wing of 208 mm. A bird from the Dutch coast found on 14 =
January 1967 had a bill of 32 mm and a wing of 203 mm. If a 27.0 mm bill =
is possible in a live 2nd calendar year Thick-billed Murre, an even =
shorter bill can be expected in a specimen that is over a century old.

The only live Belgian first-winter Thick-billed Murre also showed =
strikingly blue-grey legs with dark blackish stripes on the underside of =
the toes and the back of the tarsi, unlike first-winter Common Murres =
which usually show yellowish brown legs with brownish black stripes. I =
do not know if the leg colour is a characteristic feature in first =
winter Thick-billed Murres, and it would be good to see confirmation of =
this (but it will definitely not be of any help for the ID of =
specimens).

Yours,
Gunter De Smet.

There are good pictures of a live first-winter Thick-billed Murre with a =
darker throat than mounted specimen, and a white "blaze" on the upper =
mandible at
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/NYTBMurre.html

I also found a picture of an individual showing great similarity to the =
Wisconsin mounted specimen :
http://www.stke.k12.nf.ca/past/animals/bird_web/thick-billedmurre.html

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Subject: Grey-bellied Brant
From: Millington/BIS <sales(AT)birdingworld.co.uk>
Date: 8 May 2001 1:00am

Hi all

What does a Grey-bellied Brant look like?

Well, there's a photo of a real live Puget Sound adult at

http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/birdingworld.cgi

Fewer than 8,000 of these remain in the World...

good birding
Richard Millington

sales(AT)birdingworld.co.uk
(Birding World, Books for Birders & Birdline)
Bird Information Service, Stonerunner, Coast Road,
Cley next the Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RZ, UK
Tel. 44 (0) 1263 741139  Fax. 741173
Website www.birdingworld.co.uk


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Subject: Re: Murres
From: John Pogacnik <jpogacnik(AT)NCWEB.COM>
Date: 8 May 2001 3:39am

Its probably more than a coincidence that the date of the specimen, 1896,
coincides with one of the largest thick-billed murre flights ever recorded
on the Great Lakes.  Hundreds of birds were reported from the eastern Great
lakes.  In Ohio, the first birds showed up at Fairport Harbor (Lake County)
on December 18.  By the end of the month, murres had been recorded from the
following counties all of which adjoin Lake Erie, Lorain-4, Erie-3, Lake-2,
and Ashtabula-1.  Birds were also recorded in Michigan and several were shot
at Presque Isle Pennsylvania.

John Pogacnik
4765 Lockwood Road
Perry, OH 44081
(440) 259-2751
jpogacnik(AT)ncweb.com


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Subject: Murre photos
From: Blair Nikula <odenews(AT)MEDIAONE.NET>
Date: 8 May 2001 1:59pm

I had a rare opportunity to photograph both murre species side-by-side
in Massachusetts in early March.  A couple of photos are at:
http://people.ne.mediaone.net/odenews/murres.htm

Blair Nikula
--
2 Gilbert Lane, Harwich Port, MA  02646
mailto:odenews(AT)mediaone.net

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cape Cod
http://people.ne.mediaone.net/odenews/odenews.htm


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Subject: Tertial spots on Flame-colored Tanagers
From: Rich Hoyer <calliope(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 8 May 2001 6:16pm

Dear Birders,

If you get two copies of this, it's because I'm cross-posting.

Regarding a female bird present in the Huachuca Mts. in SE Arizona right
now, does any know if the lack of white tertial spots in Flame-colored
Tanager is a regular thing or if it is idicative of it being a hybrid? This
female apparently looks much like a Flame-colored Tanager and it consorting
with a male Western Tanager and another male tanager that appears to be a
Flame-colored X Western.

Thanks for your input,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Field Leader for
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---
Note: I will be gone May 12th - June 4th


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Subject: Rufous-capped Warbler question
From: Stuart Healy <shealy(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 9 May 2001 1:16pm

Wednesday, May 9, 2001

Please forgive 01/05 cross posting.

Question: Are female Rufous-capped Warblers known to sing?

In previous years, when multiple singing Rufous-capped Warblers
were in French Joe Canyon, Whetstone Mtns., AZ, I attempted to
research this question but never found any pertinent information.

We now have the situation again. This morning, I watched two
Rufous-capped Warblers exhibiting what seemed normal paired
behavior, except that both birds sang repeatedly. Two songs
were involved (described later as song #1, song #2). This
was also the case in previous years.

This morning, for a period of about 30 minutes, I watched the
two birds foraging on the ground, in low bushes, and occasionally
at mid level in small oaks. They moved around over a distance of
approx. 1/2 mile sticking closely together, sometimes as close
as 1 foot. At no time did I observe any animosity between the
two birds.

They appeared to behave as a mated pair (which would be great news)
except that both birds sang constantly. Whenever one bird sang, the other
would immediately reply. Song #1 was given infrequently,
Song #2 was repeatedly given.

Song #1
An extension of the birds rapid chipping calls with buzzy notes mixed
in, all on the same pitch. This song lasts about 7 seconds and is what
I have heard most over the years in French Joe Canyon.

Song #2
This is much more melodic warble (still slightly raspy) with some up
and down pitch variation and somewhat shorter at around 5 seconds.
I have heard this before when two birds were in the canyon.

Summarizing: Although I have experience with the French Joe birds over
a period of 6 years and almost 100 observations, I have very little
experience with them in Mexico. I can't see two males being so "friendly"
towards each other but the fact that they both sing leads me to believe that
that they are indeed, both males. So, can anyone shed any light on
this conflicting behavior or know if females sing?

Thanks for any input.
Stuart
--
Stuart Healy, Western U.S. Bird Guide, specializing in SE Arizona.
Personal Guiding; Scheduled and Custom Tours
220 Stardust St., Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Tel: (520) 458-7603  Fax: (520) 458-7353
shealy(AT)theriver.com   http://www.aztrogon.com
Birding journal: http://www.aztrogon.com/journal.com
I'd rather be birding (and I usually am)


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Subject: Re: Rufous-capped Warbler question
From: Rich Hoyer <calliope(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 9 May 2001 2:40pm

Stuart and Birders,

I have never seen a single Rufous-capped Warber south of the U. S. border,
and frequently have seen both members of each pair sing. Since males and
females are probably too similar to sex by plumage (see Peter Pyle's
Identification Guide to North American Birds), I've always assumed that they
are mated pairs. Also assuming they have a typical neotropical bird biology,
I would guess that they probably are sedentary and have more-or-less
permanent pair bonds. My observations south of the U. S. border would
conform to these assumptions.

So it seems that only now for the first time do we have an undisputed pair
of birds in Arizona. There had been reports of multiple birds in French Joe
Canyon as well as in the San Pedro River valley, but I don't think this has
ever been confirmed--it's always been a case of "I just saw the bird over
there and I never saw it fly over here, and it couldn't have done it so
quickly." But I think if there were ever two birds, it would be always and
immediately obvious, and such reports of multiple birds have never been
repeatable.

This argument has led me to question the first record for Arizona,
repeatedly published as two birds. In early summer 1977 a single bird was
found singing. In late summer a single bird was found with a nest and eggs.
It has apparently been assumed that the first bird was a male (it's never
been mentioned that the bird was collected and sexed, so I am making an
assumption that it wasn't), and my first inclination is to assume the two
sightings were of the same bird.

Good Birding,

Rich
---
Note: I will be gone May 12th - June 4th


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Subject: Thanks RE: Rufous-capped Warbler question
From: Stuart Healy <shealy(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 9 May 2001 4:54pm

Wednesday, May 9, 2001

Again, please forgive the cross post but I wanted to make sure
everyone received this response.

Many thanks to Rich and all others that replied. It seems pretty clear
that females of the species do sing. Perhaps we'll have successful
breeding this year.

On another issue, contrary to what Rich mentioned about unconfirmed
multiple birds, I'd  like to point out that two warblers were definitely
present (together) in French Joe Canyon previously. Below are my notes
published
to BIRDWG05 from a day in 1996.

START NOTES********************************************************************
Wednesday, July 31, 1996
French Joe Canyon. Enter gate 4:40am, leave gate 8:30am.

Gadzooks. Not one, definitely two and possibly 3 RC Warblers today!

On arriving at the spring/canyon fork at 5:55am, RCW was singing. Based on
recent visits, we (Peter Hanan from MD and I) immediately worked our way up
the slope along the right fork of the canyon towards the waterfall. (This is
where the bird seems to favor). I had no sooner got through telling Peter
that there was only one bird, when first two birds and then three began dancing
around in front of us near the waterfall. All three birds were similar in size,
shape and flight pattern. One bird left and the other two were unequivocally
identified as RC Warbler.

We stayed around for some time and followed the birds into the canyon above the
waterfall where I had not seen the bird on previous visits. I can almost say
for
sure (but tantalizingly, not quite) that two of the birds were singing. I also
heard a
vocalization today that was shorter and more musical and rhythmic than the
birds
usual chips and buzzes - I had not heard it previously from this or last year's
birds,
nor any RCW that I have seen in Mexico.

So the bottom line is unclear. Two males, 1 female? A family? Anyone else
planning
visits may be able to shed more light. Its amazing to me that I had only seen
one
bird in many visits this season.
END NOTES
********************************************************************************

Based on what I know now, the song I heard (in the above 1996 post) was song #2
that I described in my post earlier today. My conclusion is that this is the
"normal" song given by a mated pair.

Thanks again for the responses
Stuart
--
Stuart Healy, Western U.S. Bird Guide, specializing in SE Arizona.
Personal Guiding; Scheduled and Custom Tours
220 Stardust St., Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Tel: (520) 458-7603  Fax: (520) 458-7353
shealy(AT)theriver.com   http://www.aztrogon.com
Birding journal: http://www.aztrogon.com/journal.com
I'd rather be birding (and I usually am)


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Subject: Orchard Oriole-Do females sing?
From: Glenn A dEntremont <gdentremont(AT)JUNO.COM>
Date: 9 May 2001 6:03pm

I witnessed what appeared to be a female Orchard Oriole today singing.
The bird was all yellowish in the front from the bill to the legs.  The
bill was typical of oriole with a light bluish (bluish-gray?) wash over
the base of the lower mandible.  There was no hint of a black bib at all.
 No North American oriole shows no bib or non-darkish head in its' first
year.

The song was typical Orchard Oriole, too.

For the Massachusetts birders, this was in Easton.

        Glenn d'Entremont
        Stoughton, MA
        gdentremont(AT)juno.com


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Subject: Re: Orchard Oriole-Do females sing?
From: Bruce H Anderson <Scizortail(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 9 May 2001 7:18pm

Glenn and all,
I observed a female plumaged Orchard Oriole singing in North Dakota in the
spring of 1986; the song was not typical of a male Orchard as I was only able
to identify the singer upon visual contact; I did not associate it with any
other species at the time.  Henry M. Stevenson wrote a note about female
plumaged Orchard Orioles in both Florida and Alabama that he heard singing "a
song similar to that of a Warbling Vireo."  This information was published in
our book, "The Birdlife of Florida" (1994); his note was published in 1973,
volume 1 of the "Florida Field Naturalist."
Bruce

Bruce H. Anderson
Winter Park, FL
Scizortail(AT)aol.com


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Subject: Re: Rufous-capped Warbler question
From: Jack Dozier <jdozier(AT)NETTALLY.COM>
Date: 9 May 2001 10:07pm

At 02:37 PM 5/9/01 -0700, Rich Hoyer wrote:
>Stuart and Birders,
>
>I have never seen a single Rufous-capped Warber south of the U. S. border,

My 1st sighting was of a single bird in Mexico.  Maybe I missed the mate,
or all three of us did. I should say.

>So it seems that only now for the first time do we have an undisputed pair
>of birds in Arizona. There had been reports of multiple birds in French Joe
>Canyon as well as in the San Pedro River valley, but I don't think this has
>ever been confirmed--it's always been a case of "I just saw the bird over
>there and I never saw it fly over here, and it couldn't have done it so
>quickly." But I think if there were ever two birds, it would be always and
>immediately obvious, and such reports of multiple birds have never been
>repeatable.

I think it was 1995,+ or - a year, that I saw what I am sure were two
individuals in French Joe Canyon.  Like you stated they weren't seen
together, but one was high up the canyon, across the creek,  singing, and
the other back near the 1st cairn at the same time as my friend was met
there with it at hand, and had been observing it during the same time I was
observing the higher bird.  There were even some folks that wondered if
there was even a third individual involved!

Jack Dozier
Alligator Pt., FL
jdozier(AT)nettally.com


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Subject: White flank patches in Cormorants
From: Frank Pinilla <frankpinilla(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 10 May 2001 8:01am

Hi All,

On April 27, 2001 I saw a small line of 10 Double-crested Cormorants flying
on Lake Ontario (amongst hundreds more), but the last bird in this line had
definite white hip/flank patches on it.  In all other respects the bird
looked the same as the other DCCO's with which it was flying.  I checked for
a white throat patch (as we had two Great Cormorants on Lake Ontario last
winter), as well as size, which appeared to be similar to the other birds.
I guess my quick question is, how often do DCCOs show these white breeding
patches?  Or do I have another possibility on Lake Ontario, I rule out GRCO
because of the lack of a white throat patch and the lack of a noticeable
size difference from the other DCCOs.

Thanks for any responses.

Good birding,

Frank Pinilla
Richmond Hill, ON
frankpinilla(AT)hotmail.com
frank.pinilla(AT)bell.ca

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.


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Subject: Re: White flank patches in Cormorants
From: Alan Wormington <wormington(AT)JUNO.COM>
Date: 10 May 2001 9:07am

Re Double-crested Cormorants with "white flank patches":

On the Great Lakes hundreds (if not thousands) of Double-crested
Cormorants have been banded over the years.  A cormorant band is quite
large and on many occasions I have witnessed observers looking at such
birds believing that they were seeing white feathering on the flanks, but
it fact were seeing the bright leg bands, which can look even brighter if
sunshine is reflecting off of them.  The fact that Frank's bird was
otherwise identifical to other Double-crested Cormorants would strongly
suggest that a banded bird was involved.

Alan Wormington,
Leamington

On Thu, 10 May 2001 11:00:38 -0400 Frank Pinilla
<frankpinilla(AT)HOTMAIL.COM> writes:
> Hi All,
>
> On April 27, 2001 I saw a small line of 10 Double-crested Cormorants
> flying
> on Lake Ontario (amongst hundreds more), but the last bird in this
> line had
> definite white hip/flank patches on it.  In all other respects the
> bird
> looked the same as the other DCCO's with which it was flying.  I
> checked for
> a white throat patch (as we had two Great Cormorants on Lake Ontario
> last
> winter), as well as size, which appeared to be similar to the other
> birds.
> I guess my quick question is, how often do DCCOs show these white
> breeding
> patches?  Or do I have another possibility on Lake Ontario, I rule
> out GRCO
> because of the lack of a white throat patch and the lack of a
> noticeable
> size difference from the other DCCOs.
>
> Thanks for any responses.
>
> Good birding,
>
> Frank Pinilla
> Richmond Hill, ON
> frankpinilla(AT)hotmail.com
> frank.pinilla(AT)bell.ca
>
>
_________________________________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at
> http://www.hotmail.com.


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher
         sp. in Alberta
From: Steven Mlodinow <SGMlod(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 10 May 2001 7:33pm

----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----

Greetings All

Dick Cannings and Gene Hunn did a study of Western Flycatcher songs across
the Pacific Northwest and found them to be clinal. Unfortunately, their work
was never published.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow

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[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Little Egrets, RFI
From: Steven Mlodinow <SGMlod(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 10 May 2001 8:12pm

----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----

Greetings All

I am working on a Little Egret in NA article. I need some info and was hoping
someone out in our marvelous ether could help.

1) when do Snowy Egrets breed on the Canary Islands?
2) is there an article detailing the increase of Little Egret in Great
Britain?

Help would be much appreciated
Cheers
Steven Mlodinow

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Subject: Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher
         sp. in  Alberta
From: WAYNE WEBER <contopus(AT)HOME.COM>
Date: 11 May 2001 8:41am

Barb and Bird ID People,

I think it would be fair to say that many people familiar with the
"Western Flycatcher" complex believe that the split into Cordilleran
and Pacific-Slope Flycatchers was premature. The research on which the
split was based was mainly carried out in northern California, and it
certainly seems that the distinction there is fairly clear-cut.
However, in British Columbia, Alberta, and other northerly parts of
the "Western Flycatcher" range, the situation is still very confused.

There are other situations where two forms behave like good species in
some areas where their ranges meet and/or overlap, but not in others.
The Northwestern Crow is one of these: in Alaska and B.C., there seems
to be little or no hybridization between it and American Crow, but in
Washington, there is extensive interbreeding and the two do not behave
like separate species. The
"Western Flycatcher" situation may be a somewhat similar one.

For the record, I have not tape-recorded songs of "Pacific-Slope" and
"Cordilleran" Flycatchers, or done research on these forms. However, I
am a keen observer of Empidonax flycatchers and their vocalizations,
and I have kept track of their distribution and occurrence in British
Columbia and adjacent areas for 35 years.

I noticed when I first started birding in the 1960s that "Western
Flycatchers" in the Okanagan Valley had distinctly different position
notes from those west of the Cascades in B.C. There are differences
between coastal and interior populations in B.C. However, extensive
research carried out by Dick Cannings (and alluded to by Steve
Mlodinow) indicates that, in the southern B.C. Interior and
southwestern Alberta, there is much individual variation in
vocalizations, and many birds give "intermediate" vocalizations. Thus,
without further work, birds in Alberta (and the B.C. interior) cannot
be clearly assigned to either "species" as presently defined-- if, in
fact, the species split holds up after further research.

Based on vocalizations alone, most or all birds in the Blue Mountains
of SE Washington and NE Oregon, and in southern Idaho, appear to be
"Cordilleran". However, all populations north of there, and east of
the Cascades or Coast Range (in B.C.), appear to be somewhat
intermediate. "Western Flycatchers" breed north at least to the Peace
River in northeastern B.C.

Barb, I will forward your message to Dick Cannings, and see if he is
interested
in responding, either to you individually or to the group.

Wayne C. Weber, Ph.D.
Kamloops, BC
contopus(AT)home.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Barb Beck <barb(AT)BIRDNUT.OBTUSE.COM>
To: <BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2001 2:49 PM
Subject: [BIRDWG01] Field Identification of Western Flycatcher sp. in
Alberta

> Hi.
> I apologize to those of you who have seen this in another group.
There are
> now more bird vocalizations in the comparison graphs and several
people
> suggested I might find some help here.
>
> I am concerned about the field id of the species which make up the
former
> Western Flycatcher in Alberta, the Pacific-slope Flycatcher
(Epidonax
> difficilis) or the  Cordilleran Flycatcher (E. occidentalis). I have
> recorded the Alberta species and even upon analysis of the call,
song  and
> parts of the song by ear and  computer generated graphs of the pitch
and
> volume of the components cannot in my own mind safely assign the
birds to
> either species.   As one person put it "We cannot even look at a
range map
> and bluff" because the range of the two species is in doubt in
Alberta.
>
> The recording of the Alberta bird as well as the graphs to analyze
the call
> and parts of the  song  of it and  9 other birds  can be accessed
from:
>
> http://owlnut.rr.ualberta.ca/~barb/sounds/WesternFlycatcher.html
> The sonograms and the wave form displays indicate a considerable
variation
> in the vocalizations of these birds across their range.
>
> One is supposed to be able to separate these birds on vocalization
but based
> on the intermediate vocalizations we appear to have here I am not
sure these
> things can be separated  by ear (or the computer graphs)  in our
area.
>
> Any comments the experts in this group might have to help us out
would be
> greatly appreciated
> Barb Beck
> Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
>
> Barb.Beck(AT)ualberta.ca
>


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher
         sp. in  Alberta
From: Barb Beck <barb(AT)BIRDNUT.OBTUSE.COM>
Date: 11 May 2001 9:08am

Hi Field ID specialists,

Thank you for all of the informative replies.  Dick Cannings has contacted
and his message is at the end of mine.

The fact that a species is mixed up in Alberta is no big surprise.  Lots of
species hybridize to a certain extent here and we are a notorious mixing
bowl for eastern and western subspecies.  But this problem looks a lot
bigger than just Alberta.  Even Kevin Colvers Utah COFL on the Western
Stokes is far different from those from Colorado and much closer to our
birds.  In fact Kevin said my bird sounded like an agitated COFL in his
area.

I have not yet seen Dicks paper but have asked for a copy and suggested that
if he is not going to publish it at least put it up on the web.

BTW  I am still slogging through 15 years of recordings.  In the next cut on
the tape from my bird there is in the background of a Winter Wren song a
WEFL doing a very nice PSFL call - long first part but not as upslurred as
the California birds.  Two other background birds found so far seem
intermediate but there is a lot of noise in their recordings.

In my next life I am coming back as a photographer - much easier to sort out
what you have!

Barb Beck
Edmonton

-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Cannings [mailto:dickcannings(AT)home.com]
Sent: May 9, 2001 8:50 AM
To: Barb.Beck(AT)ualberta.ca
Cc: "Eric Tull" <
Subject: Western Flycatchers

Hi Barb:

Eric Tull passed on your message to the Alberta birds group about Western
Flycatcher vocalizations in Alberta.  I studied these vocalizations for a
few years back in the late 80s and early 90s and tried to publish a paper in
the Auk about it, but it never got passed Ned Johnson's review.  My
contention is that this taxon is nicely separate if you look at coastal vs.
southwest (i.e. Utah and Arizona) birds, but the vocalizations of these
birds in the interior of BC, WA, AB, ID and MT show complete intergradation.
Since vocalizations are innate in Empidonax, that suggests genetic
intergradation as well.  The vocalizations change in about a dozen ways, but
these characters change at different rates.  Calls are more or less useless
in getting a definitive ID (and even Ned Johnson, who split the species,
admits that), since some birds (e.g. one recording I have from Lake Louise)
give both Cordilleran and Pacific-slope calls back-to-back.

As you can see from the sonagrams, the songs change in several ways, but
only one of these characters changes immediately as you go over the coastal
divide.  That is the addition of a new note into the middle of the "ptik"
portion of the song (nicely shown in your Alberta example).  Johnson
confuses the issue by describing this in terms of "up-down" (Cordilleran)
vs. "down-up" (Pacific-slope), but what it really is, is a new note that is
higher than the last note in intergrade populations and on equal pitch in
pure Cordilleran populations.  I could send you my rejected manuscript if
you like to give you more detail on this.

In a nutshell, I recorded over 40 songs from the interior of BC, AB and WA,
and only one could be considered pure Pacific-slope; none were pure
Cordilleran.

You could pass this on to the Alberta birders listserve if you like.

Dick Cannings
1330 Debeck Road
S11, C96, RR#1
Naramata, BC
V0H 1N0

250-496-4049


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher
         sp. in  Alberta
From: Jerry Tangren <tangren(AT)WSU.EDU>
Date: 11 May 2001 9:27am

I may be totally wrong, but this is the Internet and it's my right.
Growing up in California and living in Washington the past 25 years has
given me a perspective on how the zoogeographic barriers in California
are not the same as in Washington. In California many of the species and
races of lowland forest habitats are separated by high mountain ranges.
In Washington, the mountains aren't as high, and the barriers run along
the base of the east slopes of the Cascades where forest runs into
shrub-steppe. The Cordilleran Flycatcher dominated Blue Mountains of
Washington lie to the east of the shrub-steppe Columbia Basin.

Just a little farther north along the US-Canadian border, the situation
becomes even more complicated as forest communities with a more coastal
relationship extend east in pockets as far as Alberta, the area
currently in question. If one examines the distribution of species such
as the Western Hemlock, it's not difficult to see why one should expect
Pacific-slope Flycatchers in Alberta.

Jerry <tangren(AT)wsu.edu>
WSU-Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center

On Friday, May 11, 2001, at 08:39 AM, WAYNE WEBER wrote:

> Barb and Bird ID People,
>
> I think it would be fair to say that many people familiar with the
> "Western Flycatcher" complex believe that the split into Cordilleran
> and Pacific-Slope Flycatchers was premature. The research on which the
> split was based was mainly carried out in northern California, and it
> certainly seems that the distinction there is fairly clear-cut.
> However, in British Columbia, Alberta, and other northerly parts of
> the "Western Flycatcher" range, the situation is still very confused.
>
>>
>


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Field Identification of Western Flycatcher
         sp. in
From: KACastelein and DJLauten <birdsong(AT)HARBORSIDE.COM>
Date: 11 May 2001 12:09pm

WAYNE WEBER wrote:

>
> There are other situations where two forms behave like good species in
> some areas where their ranges meet and/or overlap, but not in others.
> The Northwestern Crow is one of these: in Alaska and B.C., there seems
> to be little or no hybridization between it and American Crow, but in
> Washington, there is extensive interbreeding and the two do not behave
> like separate species. The
> "Western Flycatcher" situation may be a somewhat similar one.
>
Wayne, others,

I would like to see some decent references about this.  While I am not
questioning whether this is true or not, I would like to see more than
just a passing comment that someone has been able to positively prove
that what ought to be a "Northwestern" Crow was in fact breeding with an
"American" Crow.  Has this really been proven or is this general belief,
or what?

Dave Lauten
Bandon OR
birdsong(AT)harborside.com


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Western Fly in WA
From: Steven Mlodinow <SGMlod(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 12 May 2001 8:30am

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Greetings All

A minor correction to Wayne Weber's post-

Most of the Western Flycatcher's in WA's Blue Mountains sound more like
Pacific Slopes. The minority sound like Cordilleran, and a number sound like
intermediates, give both position notes/songs/ etc.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow

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[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Franklin's Gull in Spain online
From: Ricard Gutierrez <GUTARB(AT)terra.es>
Date: 12 May 2001 10:09am

Hello:
A 1st winter moulting into 1st summer Franklin's Gull (Larus pipixcan) was
found yesterday (and still present today) at Llobregat Delta Nature
Reserves, Barcelona, NE Spain. It is the 6th for Spain after 4 previous
records in mainland Spain (one also in the Delta in 1991) and another in the
Canary Islands. The bird was in company of 154 1st summer Mediterranean
gulls.
There is a number of good shots of this bird in the Rare Birds in Spain web
page at http://www.terra.es/personal3/gutarb
Yours

Ricard Gutiérrez
12.5.2001
Sorry for cross-postings


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: NORTHWESTERN VS. AMERICAN CROWS
From: WAYNE WEBER <contopus(AT)HOME.COM>
Date: 12 May 2001 12:24pm

Bird ID People,

In response to Dave Lauten's question about Northwestern versus
American Crows, I am forwarding a message that I sent earlier this
year to TWEETERS (the Washington State birding E-mail group), along
with some further comments. The TWEETERS message was a response to a
question from a relatively inexperienced birder.

The most detailed study of Northwestern versus American Crows was the
following:

Johnston, David W. 1961. The biosystematics of the American Crows.
University of Washington Press, Seattle. 118 pages.

Johnston's study is considered to be incomplete in some respects.
However, to my knowledge, no one has done any detailed systematic work
on crows in the Pacific Northwest in the intervening 40 years. Had
such wore been done, I am quite certain that the overwhelming
recommendation would be to lump the two species. This in fact was
recommended by Johnston, but his recommendation was not accepted by
the A.O.U. Check-list Committee.

It is a standing joke among birders and ornithologists in much of
western Washington that Northwestern and American Crows intergrade so
completely that one cannot distinguish them with certainty. However,
there are parts of western Washington, as I've indicated below, where
the crows seem to be virtually 100% Northwestern.

In British Columbia, although there may be some narrow zones of
overlap and hybridization in places like the Fraser River Canyon and
Skeena River Valley, the two forms are essentially allopatric.
Northwestern Crows are found west of the Coast and Cascade Mountains,
and American Crows east of them. The treatment of crows by Campbell et
al. in "The Birds of British Columbia" (Vol. 3, 1997) agrees closely
with my experience.

The time is long overdue for another detailed systematic treatment of
Northwestern and American Crows, preferably including some DNA
analysis. I would like to see if my impressions of variations among
crow populations in different parts of western Washington are borne
out by morphometric and biochemical analysis. It would be a great
project for a Ph.D. student, or even for an established university
researcher.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC, Canada
contopus(AT)home.com

----- Original Message -----
From: WAYNE WEBER <contopus(AT)home.com>
To: TWEETERS <tweeters(AT)u.washington.edu>; WHATCOM BIRDERS
<whatcombirds(AT)lists.wwu.edu>
Cc: SUSAN MUTTART <smuttart(AT)qwest.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2001 8:53 AM
Subject: CROWS IN WESTERN WA (was: I'm confused)

> Tweeters,
>
> Most Tweeters are probably familiar with the status of crows in
> western Washington. However, like Susan, there are probably quite a
> few who aren't, so the following explanation may be helpful.
>
> Ornithologists recognize 2 species of crows in the Northwest: the
> smaller Northwestern Crow, generally found in coastal areas from
> south-central Alaska to the Puget Sound area and the Olympic
> Peninsula, and the American Crow, found in all other areas. However,
> in the last 50 to 100 years, American Crows have spread westward in
> Washington due to the creation of new habitat by the clearing of
> forest. They have apparently interbred with Northwestern Crows to
the
> point where, in much of western Washington, it's hard to say what
kind
> of crow is present, and many of us just call them "crows". In fact,
> the two species should almost certainly be "lumped", but the
American
> Ornithologists' Union, which rules on such matters, has not made
this
> decision yet.
>
> In southeastern Alaska and in coastal British Columbia-- unlike
> Washington-- there is little or no overlap and/or hybridization
> between the two crows, and any crow seen west of the Cascade/Coast
> Range crest can safely be called a Northwestern.
>
> In my birding experience in WA, virtually all crows I see in San
Juan
> and Island Counties, and in western Whatcom and Skagit Counties,
look
> and sound like Northwestern Crows, and I record them as such. Most
> crows in coastal parts of the Olympic Peninsula are probably
> Northwesterns as well.
>
> However, by the time you get south to Snohomish and King Counties,
the
> picture becomes much more confused, and it is safer to just call
them
> "crow species". Even in eastern parts of Whatcom and Skagit Counties
> (e.g. around Diablo Lake), the crows there look and sound to me like
> American Crows.
>
> You are right, Susan-- the situation is confusing!
>
> Others may have somewhat different impressions of the local
> distribution of crows in WA-- and I'd be interested in hearing
them--
> but I believe the overall picture I've drawn is fairly accurate.
>
> Wayne C. Weber
> Kamloops and Delta, BC
> contopus(AT)home.com
>


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: NORTHWESTERN VS. AMERICAN CROWS
From: Noel Wamer <nwamer(AT)FCOL.COM>
Date: 12 May 2001 12:47pm

I have quoted below the remarks section of the Northwestern Crow account
from Allan Phillip's curious book.  Can anyone confirm or debunk the
possibility of differing mouth color linings in Northwestern and
American?  (Any typos in the quote are the fault of my OCR software!)

 >Remarks: It is somewhat doubtful that caurinus can be maintained as a
 >distinct species. Breeding behavior (Verbeek and Butler 1981; Butler et al.
 >1984) appears to differ only in degree from that of brachyrhynchos. Johnston
 >1961 reported hybridization or intergradation in W Washington, but no mixed
 >pairs were collected. Skeletons of caurinus from Valdez, Alaska, and
hesperis
 >from various parts of the West are indistinguishable on characters. There
 >are no consistent differences in wing formulae. The types of caurinus are
 >unsexed, but an adult paratype from Orcas Island, San Juan Co., Wash., is
 >within the size range of southern California hesperis. Should they be
 >merged, hesperis 1887 would be a synonym. The very small birds from Alaska
 >and coastal British Columbia would then require a name. However, an
 >orange-mouthed juvenal collected on the beach in Clallam Co., Wash. (AMR),
 >suggests there may be isolating mechanisms (biological differences).
 >Juvenals of all races of brachyrhynchos I have examined had pink mouths.
 >Some authors cite vocal differences (Brooks, et al.), and different flight.

Later...

Noel Wamer
Jacksonville, FL, US
The Virtual 'Hood: http://www.badbirdz.com/dripperCam.htm
Check the latest garden pix: http://www.badbirdz.com/garden04262001.htm
"Even in its most primitive form, naming is a kind of judgment."
                                                        (Walker Percy)


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: NORTHWESTERN VS. AMERICAN CROWS
From: Alvaro Jaramillo <alvaro(AT)SIRIUS.COM>
Date: 12 May 2001 10:35pm

Birders:

    I think that crows are one of the interesting questions we have here in
the West that no one has seriously tried to tackle in a manner that may
resolve the issue. Johnson was a start in my opinion, not an end. A bunch
of us, including Don Roberson and Joe Morlan were talking about this issue
just a couple of weeks ago at a party and it was clear that the question is
very rich and ripe for someone to tackle. One of the points we came up with
was that in many ways crows west of the Cascades/Sierras appear much more
similar to each other than they do to the "true" American Crows east of
these mountains. I would not be surprised if the real phylogenetic rift is
east and west of these mountains rather than north of Puget Sound, as it is
currently. Basically the pattern as we have it now, with Northwestern being
north of Puget Sound and American being south of the sound doesn't line up
with the pattern shown by any other species, or even well marked subspecies
(or am I missing something?). In a way it doesn't make much sense, but an
east-west split might. Only careful analyses of macro-geographic patterns
in vocalizations or DNA will really add anything new to what we know
already. Morphology may not be all that useful in this case.

cheers,

Alvaro

Alvaro Jaramillo
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