ID-FRONTIERS for October 28-31, 2001

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Date   Time   G.gallinago gallinago photos   =?iso-8859-1?Q?Ricar   Sun, 28 Oct 2001   3:49am   Re: G.gallinago gallinago photos   Alain Foss=?ISO-8859   Sun, 28 Oct 2001   4:13am   Re: G.gallinago gallinago photos   Martin Reid    Sun, 28 Oct 2001   6:16am   Re: Photos of possible Hammond's Flycatcher from New York   Les Chibana    Sun, 28 Oct 2001   1:53pm   Re: G.gallinago wilsonia photos   Norman D.van Swelm   Sun, 28 Oct 2001   4:54pm   Fw: G.gallinago delicata photos   Norman D.van Swelm   Mon, 29 Oct 2001   4:13am   western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in the east?   Steven Feldstein    Mon, 29 Oct 2001   8:48am   Re: Photos of possible Hammond's Flycatcher from New York   Alan Wormington    Mon, 29 Oct 2001   11:25am   Re: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in the east?   Blake Maybank    Tue, 30 Oct 2001   4:22am   Basic plumaged calidris   Richard Stern    Tue, 30 Oct 2001   10:17am   Re: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in the east?   Michael Retter    Tue, 30 Oct 2001   4:10pm   Re: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in the east?   Glenn A dEntremont    Tue, 30 Oct 2001   5:15pm   Long-billed Murrelet specimen (fwd)   ian paulsen    Wed, 31 Oct 2001   5:00pm   Hammond's Flycatcher   Steven Mlodinow    Wed, 31 Oct 2001   8:39pm

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

[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: G.gallinago gallinago photos
From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Ricard_Guti=E9rrez?= <GUTARB(AT)TERRA.ES>
Date: 28 Oct 2001 3:49am

Hello all:
I remembered we had trapped and ringed some G.gallinago some time ago and
took some digital photos. I think I have more somewhere in a cd but in the
meantime, for those interested, I once put three c.800x600 pixels sized of
them online that might be of some interest for this discussion. Photos are
mine, and if quoted, can be used or linked in any webpage for these
purposes.

The direct links are as follows:
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof46.jpg
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof59.jpg
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof47.jpg

Yours
Ricard Gutiérrez
Rare Birds in Spain website
http://www.terra.es/personal3/gutarg
28.10.2001


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: G.gallinago gallinago photos
From: Alain Foss=?ISO-8859-1?B?6Q==?= Angers France <alfosse(AT)BIGFOOT.COM>
Date: 28 Oct 2001 4:13am

Le 28·10·01 12:48, Ricard Gutiérrez à GUTARB(AT)TERRA.ES a écrit :

> I remembered we had trapped and ringed some G.gallinago some time ago and
> took some digital photos. I think I have more somewhere in a cd but in the
> meantime, for those interested, I once put three c.800x600 pixels sized of
> them online that might be of some interest for this discussion. Photos are
> mine, and if quoted, can be used or linked in any webpage for these
> purposes.

So are my own French digiscoped ones on
<http://digimages.multimania.com/becmar/becmar.htm>

Best regards.

•=======================================•
Alain Fossé,LPO Anjou,Montreuil-Juigné,France
47° 31' 34" N, 0° 35' 43" W
<alfosse(AT)bigfoot.com> or
<alfosse(AT)wanadoo.fr>
My digiscoping
<http://digimages.multimania.com/>
My French List of the Birds of the World
<http://listoiseauxmonde.multimania.com/>
Web Site LPO Anjou<http://www.lpo-anjou.org/>
•=======================================•


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: G.gallinago gallinago photos
From: Martin Reid <upupa(AT)AIRMAIL.NET>
Date: 28 Oct 2001 6:16am

Dear All,
I'd like to thank Alain Fossé and Ricard Gutiérrez for their contributions
of photos.  In particular, I'd like to draw your attention to the
similarity on Alain's photo:
http://digimages.multimania.com/becmar/galgal011002_12cw.JPG
- of the inner median coverts to those of my candidate bird at:
http://www.martinreid.com/snipe2.html

Ricard's photo:
http://www.gencat.es/mediamb/rndelta/graf/idllof59.jpg is interesting for
different reason, as the scapular edges and tertial pattern approaches that
of Pintail Snipe (yet the bill and head pattern is not typical of that taxon).

Here are some more links to gallinago:
http://www.fsinet.or.jp/~bird/bird/photo/jpeg/tashigi.jpg
and
http://homepage1.nifty.com/gallinago/gallinago-gallery.html - an incredible
resource for snipe images!

I have also added a page (prepared a year ago but never loaded previously)
about the gallinago-like specimen in the Texas  collection:
http://www.martinreid.com/snipex.html

I am looking forward to more URLs - especially ones of birds in flight.  I
recall seeing a photo in a older US magazine/journal of a flying snipe
identified as gallinago; I think it was from Attu or Gambell - does anyone
know which issue this was in?

Martin Reid

Fort Worth, Texas
upupa(AT)airmail.net
http://www.martinreid.com  or  http://www.cyberramp.net/~upupa


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Photos of possible Hammond's Flycatcher from
         New York
From: Les Chibana <les(AT)auc.com>
Date: 28 Oct 2001 1:53pm

I don't have a lot of experience with Hammond's Flycatchers, but I did
just band one a few weeks ago and have some points to share. The bird that
I processed had a mostly clear underside of the lower bill. There was only
a 2 mm dusky smudge under the tip of the bill. The bill shape was similar
to the NY bird in that it wasn't large and convex-edged as in "Western"
Flycatchers, my typical comparison species.

I did all of the wing formula and bill measurements prescribed in Pyle and
they pointed to Hammond's. The primary extension and "big-headed" look on
the NY bird looks like a good match for the Hammond's that I handled.
Additionally, the fresh-looking plumage in fall migration is good for
Hammond's, which has its pre-basic molt on its summer grounds.

I band on the West Coast in the south San Francisco Bay at the Coyote Creek
Field Station of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

Les Chibana
Palo Alto, CA
les(AT)auc.com


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: G.gallinago wilsonia photos
From: "Norman D.van Swelm" <Norman.vanswelm(AT)WXS.NL>
Date: 28 Oct 2001 4:54pm

Martin Reid wrote:>In particular, I'd like to draw your attention to the
>similarity on Alain's photo:
>http://digimages.multimania.com/becmar/galgal011002_12cw.JPG
>- of the inner median coverts to those of my candidate bird at:
>http://www.martinreid.com/snipe2.html
>
Let's turn the tables for a change! Late in the afternoon of 18th July I
watched a couple of Snipe here in the Port of Rotterdam. While walking along
another, one Snipe raised it's wings revealing an all dark underwing
including axillaries! In a high state of alarm as I was I noticed the bird
was slightly colder coloured than the others. As you can see on Martin's
bird the tail in European Snipe (which I think it could be) is rufous on
both sides of the black bar across the middle of the tail. In my bird only
the subterminal part of the tail was rufous whereas the basal half lacked
any rufous as did the rump and upper-tail feathers. The next morning I found
the bird again and could show it to some friends. Naturally it refused to
raise it's wings but the cold pale greyish rump stood out and can even be
seen on the tiny image in the picture I took. So Martin, for the sake of
fairness could you please return to the museum and photograph your bird
together with some wilsonia's? I would welcome in particular some shots of
tails and rumps!
Norman


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Fw: G.gallinago delicata photos
From: "Norman D.van Swelm" <Norman.vanswelm(AT)WXS.NL>
Date: 29 Oct 2001 4:13am

>So Martin, for the sake of
>fairness could you please return to the museum and photograph your bird
>together with some wilsonia's? <

errrrr....... I mean delicata. Sorry, thank you Alain!
Norman


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in the
         east?
From: Steven Feldstein <sbf(AT)ESSC.PSU.EDU>
Date: 29 Oct 2001 8:48am

Yesterday afternoon, while playing in our yard with our 4-year old
daughter,  I saw a Nashville Warbler. Given that the fall migration
of Nashville Warbler extends to the end of October, seeing this
particular warbler wasn't too surprising.  One thing that did
catch my attention was that the bird was continuously wagging its
tail, somewhat like a Palm Warbler, but the movement was a little
slower and less extensive (the tail seemed to move a shorter distance
than exhibited by most Palm Warblers).  However, my view of the bird
was rather brief, only about 5 to 10 seconds, (it wagged its tail
about 4 times while I was watching it) as my daughter couldn't resist
trying to scare the bird away.

As is written in the National Geographic Guide, the Sibley Guide, and the
Dunn and Garrett guide to Warblers, the nominate subspecies only very
occasionally wags its tail, whereas the western subspecies _ridgwayi_,
wags its tail quite a lot. As far as I am aware, there are no records
of _ridgwayi_ in eastern North America.  Thus it does seem
extremely likely to me that the bird I saw was of the nominate subspecies,
and that it happened to be continuously wagging its tail .

I have a couple of questions: (1) Have other birders in the east noticed
nominate Nashville Warblers wagging their tail in the manner that
I described?  Perhaps this behaviour isn't so unusual, and I just
haven't noticed it before.  Also, given the late date of the
observation, it makes me wonder whether the bird I saw came from
the western part of the range of the nominate subspecies, and perhaps
western individuals of this subspecies wag their tails more than
eastern individuals.  (2) To what extent is tail wagging useful for
subspecific identification of _ridgwayi_.

Thanks

Steven Feldstein

+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Steven B. Feldstein                                            |
| Senior Research Associate                                      |
| EMS Environment Institute                                      |
| The Pennsylvania State University       email:sbf(AT)essc.psu.edu |
| 2217 Earth-Engineering Science Bldg.    phone:(814) 865-7042   |
| University Park, PA  16802              fax:  (814) 865-3191   |
| USA                                                            |
|                                                                |
|                   http://www.essc.psu.edu/~sbf/                |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Photos of possible Hammond's Flycatcher from
         New York
From: Alan Wormington <wormington(AT)JUNO.COM>
Date: 29 Oct 2001 11:25am

Without analyzing these fabulous photos to death, my immediate impression
when seeing the photos was that the bird is a Least Flycatcher.

Although incredibly late, I once saw a Least Flycatcher near Hamilton,
Ontario, on November 2nd some 20 years ago.  At the time I assessed
whether the bird could be something other than a Least, but I concluded
that it was indeed a Least.

Alan Wormington,
Leamington, Ontario


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in
         the east?
From: Blake Maybank <maybank(AT)NS.SYMPATICO.CA>
Date: 30 Oct 2001 4:22am

Re: Apparent ‘ridgwayi' Nashville Warblers in Nova Scotia.

Nashville Warblers are almost annual in late autumn/early winter in Nova
Scotia, and one bird managed to successfully overwinter in relatively
temperate Yarmouth in the winter of 1997-1998.

Such late colourful birds are always a welcome sight, and are well-watched.
 On at least three occasions observers have noted individual birds that
showed the published characteristics of the western ‘ridgwayi' race.  The
first was a bird present in Halifax from Oct. 30 through late December
1999.  As described by Ian McLaren, the bird showed "bright yellow-green
rump, grayish green back, and much whitish on the belly region.  It also
pumped its tail quite vigorously at times."  Other observers concurred with
this description.  I'm unsure if any useable photos were secured, as the
bird was very active, and often elusive.

Mitch Meredith and I watched an apparent ‘ridgwayi' Nashville Warbler at
Hartlen Point, Halifax Harbour, on September 29, 2000.  This bird had a
whitish belly and grayish-green back, and was a vigourous tail-pumper, not
unlike a Prairie Warbler in its pumping action.  The rump could not be well
seen.

Most recently, Ian and Bernice McLaren had a possible ‘ridgwayi' on Seal
Island, Yarmouth County, Oct. 25, 2001.  I've not seen his report, but I
know the tail pumping and grayish-green back, and whiter belly was noted.

‘Ridgwayi' birds should also be looked for in the center of the continent,
which is still east of their breeding range.  On September 26, 2001, during
a day of good migration, I noted eight Nashville Warblers in Assiniboine
Park, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Seven were typical eastern birds (which breed
sporadically to west central Saskatchewan, and througout the southern
boreal forests of Manitoba), but one was a tail-pumper, with a bright
yellow-green rump contrasting with a grayer back, and a whitish belly.  I
thought it a good candidate for a 'ridgwayi'.

The differences between the ruficapilla and ridgwayi races are subtle with
respect to belly, rump and back colour, but the tail-pumping is a valuable
clue, and any such pumping autumn or winter Nashville should be closely
studied for plumage colour.  Sibley portrays the differences extremely
well, but the plates in my Peterson Warblers guide are dull and unhelpful,
although the text is good.

Hope this helps.

Blake Maybank
maybank(AT)ns.sympatico.ca

White's Lake, Nova Scotia
CANADA

Birding the Americas - Trip Report & Planning Repository
http://www.birdingtheamericas.com


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Basic plumaged calidris
From: Richard Stern <rbstern(AT)NS.SYMPATICO.CA>
Date: 30 Oct 2001 10:17am

    2 of us recently had a chance to attempt to ID a basic plumaged calidris
at Grand Pre here in NS, but could not come to any firm conclusion despite
very close looks. The bird was in an area where up to 100,000 Semipalmated
spend a few weeks on passage from mid-July to mid -Sept., and of course
birds in late Fall or Winter are thought to be just as likely stray
Westerns. This bird was on 27 Oct. - i.e. in the overlap range of documented
sightings, and at a date when Western should have already moulted, and a
late - migrating Semi. might have done. The bill appeared "intermediate" in
both length and shape - i.e. OK for a short Western, or a long Semi. The
pattern on the head, face, scapulars, wings, tail etc. would have done for
either in basic plumage. The appearance of the slight pale superciliary
stripe seemed to vary with head position. There was no trace of any residual
rust on the scapulars. The breast was very pale gray, with no streaking or
spotting, and no hind of any streaking across the center. The standard field
guides are very unclear about the significance of this, with 3rd ed. NGS
appearing to contradict Sibley, and the others, including Hayman et al,
mentioning that Western is more likely to have fine streaking but there is
overlap. The legs were black, and I was able to see very slight palmations
between the toes, but again, not enough to distinguish between the 2
species. Godfrey - Birds of Canada - gives some useful measurements for
birds in the hand that can differentiate the 2 in this plumage, but we
didn't have the bird in the hand. Kaufman's "Advanced Birding" advises a
great deal of caution in trying to ID full basic plum. Semi. in the winter
in N.America, but there are very few well documented instances of this
species in NS.

    Doe anyone have further thoughts on differentiating these 2 species in
basic plumage in the field, that they would be willing to share?

####################

Richard Stern
Kentville
Nova Scotia
Canada

rbstern(AT)ns.sympatico.ca

####################


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in
         the east?
From: Michael Retter <mretter(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 30 Oct 2001 4:10pm

I observed a Nashville Warbler in central Illinois this spring that I think
was Vermivora ruficapilla ridgwayi.  So for what it's worth, I believe they
occur in Illinois, if only accidentally.  Here's my description of the bird
from that day, if anyone is interested.  I apologize if I already posted
this; I cannot remember.  I do have a question though: this bird exhibited a
strange (to me) WAY of bobbing its tail, described below.  Is this normal
for 'ridgwayi'?
----------
The Calaveras Warbler was bobbing its tail
wildly, and I thought it was going to be a Palm or
Prairie Warbler at first.  It was really washed out
for a spring bird--had to be a female.  It had a
rather large white patch that extended from the lower
breast through the belly (including leg feathers) and
right down to (but not including) the undertail
coverts--over half of the underparts.  The remainder
of the underparts was a weak, lemon yellow color.  It
also had a really pale, not-very-blue, ashy-gray head
that did not contast with the grayish-green back; and
it had a really bright olive-yellow rump that did
markedly contrast with the grayish back.  The bird
never stopped bobbing its tail the 7 minutes or so
that I watched it--and it didn't bob it straight up
and down but rather in a half-circle pattern--also
rather strange.
_________

Michael L. P. Retter
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, McLean Co, IL
mretter(AT)iwu.edu
http://www.iwu.edu/~mretter
309.556.2149

"The patronage of public office should no longer be confided to one who uses
it for active opposition to the national will."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"Your vote certainly counts . . . but on the other hand, your vote may not
be counted." -- The L.A. Times

"Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the
winner of [last] year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is
perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial
guardian of the rule of law."
-- US Supreme Ct. Justice John Paul Stevens

"Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not
put." -- Sir Winston Churchill

>From: Blake Maybank <maybank(AT)NS.SYMPATICO.CA>
>Reply-To: Blake Maybank <maybank(AT)NS.SYMPATICO.CA>
>To: BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
>Subject: Re: [BIRDWG01] western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in the
>         east?
>Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 07:20:28 -0400
>
>Re: Apparent ‘ridgwayi' Nashville Warblers in Nova Scotia.
>
>Nashville Warblers are almost annual in late autumn/early winter in Nova
>Scotia, and one bird managed to successfully overwinter in relatively
>temperate Yarmouth in the winter of 1997-1998.
>
>Such late colourful birds are always a welcome sight, and are well-watched.
>  On at least three occasions observers have noted individual birds that
>showed the published characteristics of the western ‘ridgwayi' race.  The
>first was a bird present in Halifax from Oct. 30 through late December
>1999.  As described by Ian McLaren, the bird showed "bright yellow-green
>rump, grayish green back, and much whitish on the belly region.  It also
>pumped its tail quite vigorously at times."  Other observers concurred with
>this description.  I'm unsure if any useable photos were secured, as the
>bird was very active, and often elusive.
>
>Mitch Meredith and I watched an apparent ‘ridgwayi' Nashville Warbler at
>Hartlen Point, Halifax Harbour, on September 29, 2000.  This bird had a
>whitish belly and grayish-green back, and was a vigourous tail-pumper, not
>unlike a Prairie Warbler in its pumping action.  The rump could not be well
>seen.
>
>Most recently, Ian and Bernice McLaren had a possible ‘ridgwayi' on Seal
>Island, Yarmouth County, Oct. 25, 2001.  I've not seen his report, but I
>know the tail pumping and grayish-green back, and whiter belly was noted.
>
>‘Ridgwayi' birds should also be looked for in the center of the continent,
>which is still east of their breeding range.  On September 26, 2001, during
>a day of good migration, I noted eight Nashville Warblers in Assiniboine
>Park, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Seven were typical eastern birds (which breed
>sporadically to west central Saskatchewan, and througout the southern
>boreal forests of Manitoba), but one was a tail-pumper, with a bright
>yellow-green rump contrasting with a grayer back, and a whitish belly.  I
>thought it a good candidate for a 'ridgwayi'.
>
>The differences between the ruficapilla and ridgwayi races are subtle with
>respect to belly, rump and back colour, but the tail-pumping is a valuable
>clue, and any such pumping autumn or winter Nashville should be closely
>studied for plumage colour.  Sibley portrays the differences extremely
>well, but the plates in my Peterson Warblers guide are dull and unhelpful,
>although the text is good.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Blake Maybank
>maybank(AT)ns.sympatico.ca
>
>White's Lake, Nova Scotia
>CANADA
>
>Birding the Americas - Trip Report & Planning Repository
>http://www.birdingtheamericas.com

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: western subspecies of Nashville Warbler in
         the east?
From: Glenn A dEntremont <gdentremont(AT)JUNO.COM>
Date: 30 Oct 2001 5:15pm

This "arc" pattern is described in Dunn's warblers (Peterson Guide) page
167 in the first paragraph under "Behavior".

        Glenn

 The bird
> never stopped bobbing its tail the 7 minutes or so
> that I watched it--and it didn't bob it straight up
> and down but rather in a half-circle pattern--also
> rather strange.

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


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Long-billed Murrelet specimen (fwd)
From: ian paulsen <ipaulsen(AT)KRL.ORG>
Date: 31 Oct 2001 5:00pm

HI ALL:
 I thought someone might be interested in this?

Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
ipaulsen(AT)krl.org
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way"

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 14:11:06 -0800
From: Dennis Paulson <dpaulson(AT)ups.edu>
To: tweeters(AT)u.washington.edu
Subject: Long-billed Murrelet specimen

If anyone is curious to see what an alternate(breeding)-plumaged
Long-billed Murrelet looks like, I've put on the web images of a specimen
recently salvaged in Washington.  The skin is at
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/LBMU01-37.jpg.  The wing is at
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/wingphotos.html (scroll down until you
find it).

Dennis Paulson, Director                           phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History                 fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound                       e-mail dpaulson(AT)ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Hammond's Flycatcher
From: Steven Mlodinow <SGMlod(AT)AOL.COM>
Date: 31 Oct 2001 8:39pm

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

Greetings All

I do think the NY Empid is likely a Hammond's. The primary projection is
definitely Hammond's. I think that the tail shape is more Hammond's. Also,
the NY bird shows a teardrop shape to the hind portions of the eyering in
several images. I have seen this in Hammond's, but not yet in Dusky or Least.
Not all Hammond's seem to show it, and I don't know if an occasional Least or
Dusky can look this way, but I'd add this feature to the pro-Hammond's
column. The contrast of the tertial edges is hard to judge, especially in
photos, but I lean towards Hammond's/Dusky rather than Least here, too.

Concerns. Yes, the bill worries me a tad. I've always been very wary about
judging Empid bill shape without a direct view from underneath -- but we have
some photos at least approaching such a view. The bill does look a bit long,
but the view is too poor to make any definitive comments in my experience.
Immature empids can show much more pale coloration than adults (a topic
discussed in this listserve a year or two ago), so I wouldn't make much of
the restricted dark coloration.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow

----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----