ID-FRONTIERS for September 1-6, 2003

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Date   Time   Re: NEW GULL BOOK   Tim Vaughan    Mon, 1 Sep 2003   2:37am   A cursory review of 'The Gull Book'   Jonathan Simms    Mon, 1 Sep 2003   7:58am   snow goose migration   Millington/BIS    Mon, 1 Sep 2003   1:11pm   ID of Red-necked Stint   Martin Reid    Tue, 2 Sep 2003   4:36am   aging Elegant Tern   =?iso-8859-1?Q?Alain   Tue, 2 Sep 2003   4:48am   Cape Verde Little Shearwater/Boyd's SW, Cape Cod Bay June 28   Jim Barton    Tue, 2 Sep 2003   5:08pm   Cape Verde Little Shearwater P.a.boydi/Boyd's SW P. boydi Cape Cod Bay, June 28, 2003   Jim Barton    Tue, 2 Sep 2003   5:12pm   [TEXBIRDS] 44th supplement to the AOU check-list (fwd)   Ian Paulsen    Wed, 3 Sep 2003   11:38am   Re: Cape Verde Little Shearwater   Floyd Hayes    Wed, 3 Sep 2003   12:34pm   color variability undertail coverts Audbubon's SW   Jim Barton    Wed, 3 Sep 2003   3:51pm   Additional Audubon's Shearwater photo   Floyd Hayes    Wed, 3 Sep 2003   4:44pm   Re: Additional Audubon's Shearwater photo   ppyle@prbo.org   Thu, 4 Sep 2003   5:30am   audubon's vs. boyd's shearwater   Jim Barton    Thu, 4 Sep 2003   6:52am   vireos   Ian Paulsen    Thu, 4 Sep 2003   5:22pm   Re: Hutton's Vireo eyerings (was: vireos)   Rich Hoyer    Fri, 5 Sep 2003   5:56pm   Possible Lawrence's Warbler   John Idzikowski    Sat, 6 Sep 2003   2:10pm

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

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Subject: Re: NEW GULL BOOK
From: Tim Vaughan <timvaughan(AT)TALK21.COM>
Date: 1 Sep 2003 2:37am

Hi everyone,
Ian Paulsen asks about the new gulls book - its superb. Grants' gulls book 2nd
edition was 1986 so the new book shows how far gull ID (particularly large
gulls) has come. Grant was brilliant and still is - the new book has years of
reading and studying for us all in it but it will be worth sharing views across
the web - there seems to be lots of debates to be had about the new book text
and plates. I just want to sit in the field with it and compare to what I see.
Its an amazing achievement and with large gull ID so complex its a good overview
 of that.
Tim Vaughan
Seaforth, UK

> HI ALL:
> I just heard that the new Gull book by Olsen and Larsson is finally out
>(with errata sheet included)! Has anyone seen it yet? How does it compare
>with Grant's Gull book?
>
>--
>Ian Paulsen
>Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
>A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"

--------------------
talk21 your FREE portable and private address on the net at
http://www.talk21.com


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Subject: A cursory review of 'The Gull Book'
From: Jonathan Simms <jaeger77(AT)T-ONLINE.DE>
Date: 1 Sep 2003 7:58am

I received my anxiously awaited copy of "Gulls of Europe, Asia and North
America" today. Wow! I commend the authours for such a monumental tome! I
cannot hope to provide a thorough review in the short term, but the
following are my impressions and observations after a 'first pass'.

To say this book is "big" and "useful" would be major understatements. Be
mindful that my bias is North American with a recent European twist added
in.

The Good
- approximately 600 pages.
- 823 colour photos (47 of Herring Gull alone).
- up-to-date taxonomy (e.g. splitting off American Herring Gull, splitting
off Mew Gull).
- 83 very high quality colour plates that depict most ages standing and
flying.
- much discussion about, and visual depiction of hybrids.
- plates dedicated to wing-tip patterns of adults.
- extensive photographs of problem gulls like Iceland the former Herring
Gulls of Asia.
- a much more balanced view of Northern Hemisphere gulls than Grant, which I
felt was Euro-centric (even the second edition).
- interesting wide-angle photos of groups a gulls. I spotted the Ross' Gull
easily in figure 1. How many spotted the Yellow-legged Gull?

The Bad (err, I mean 'not so good')
- a number of distribution maps do not do justice IMHO to the vagrancy of
gulls. For example, Ring-billed Gull is clearly shown as being a regular
vagrant to western Europe, but European colonizers to North America (GBBG,
for example) are not shown (on the maps) to be vagrants throughout North
America itself. The map only depicts the eastern third. However, this is
covered in the text. The map of Iceland Gull, even with the errata, has an
analogous problem. I spent 5 years in the Chicago area and never went a
winter without at least 5-25 Iceland Gulls. I wonder if Lake Michigan
represents a gap in the literature available to the authours.
- a few minor omissions with respect to vagrancy, but this is highly
dependent upon the availability of information. For example, I know of 2
documented occurrences of Vega Gull in interior North America (one of which
is mine - not certain if it was accepted by the Illinois Bird Records
Committee).
- I was really hoping for a few illustrations and photos of second winter
Larus fuscus fuscus, being a recent North American transplant here in
Europe.
- I was also hoping for more photos of California Gull, since this is
becoming an important vagrant in eastern North America.

The Ugly
- one page of errata that came with the volume. Some of us could also see
this as a good thing, but considering the considerable delays in publishing
this book, it would have been nice to have it right the first time.
- one possible omission from the errata is the map of Red-legged Kittiwake
(p 577) which shows the breeding colonies in the middle of the Gulf of
Alaska. I suspect this was a printing error.

Summary
In a word: indispensible! This is one amazing book that should find itself
on bookshelves of all larophiles. It make even turn a few larophobes into
larophiles!

Kind regards,

Jonathan Simms
Currently in Moenchengladbach, Germany
Formerly of northeastern Illinois, USA and southwestern Ontario, Canada


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Subject: snow goose migration
From: Millington/BIS <sales(AT)birdingworld.co.uk>
Date: 1 Sep 2003 1:11pm

Hi

A flock of Snow Geese arrived in UK on 15th August 2003, moving to SW
Ireland the same day:
22 birds (12 adult+3 juv white, four adult+3 juv blue).

No European source has been traced for these birds, which appear to be a
genuine vagrant flock.

My question:
Are Lesser Snow Geese currently on the move in Canada/USA or, more to the
point, was any early wave evident this year (e.g. to first staging grounds)
in mid August?

Any info gratefully received!
cheers
Richard

richard(AT)birdingworld.co.uk


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Subject: ID of Red-necked Stint
From: Martin Reid <upupa(AT)AIRMAIL.NET>
Date: 2 Sep 2003 4:36am

Dear all,
It's that time of year when a young man's fancy turns to peep shows...
So I've constructed a collage of mostly RNSTs (all juvs) from images
collected from the WWW, showing just the scapulars and wing coverts of nine
juvenile birds; are they identifiable from this view?:
http://www.martinreid.com/peepquiz.html
This is not a contest, but a catalyst for discussion of this thorny ID
problem: There are no accepted non-specimen records of  juvenile RNST in
the Americas away from western Alaska, I believe (please post details if
I'm wrong - thanks.)
Good Peeping,
Martin

Martin Reid
Fort Worth, Texas
mailto:upupa(AT)airmail.net
http://www.martinreid.com


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Subject: aging Elegant Tern
From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Alain_Foss=E9?= <alfosse(AT)wanadoo.fr>
Date: 2 Sep 2003 4:48am

Dear all,

We have here in Western France a vagrant non-breeding Elegant Tern Sterna
elegans*.
It has dark-tipped outer rectrices (at least 2 outer ones), darkish secondaries
and a dark centre on one of its left tertials. Can those dark markings fit an
adult bird? Can they be immaturity signs (2-cy bird)?

*some digiscoping on
<http://www.digimages.info/steele/steele.htm> this evening (ie from 5pm UTC
onwards)

Cheers. 
Alain Fossé, LPO Anjou, Maine-et-Loire, France 
alfosse(AT)wanadoo.fr 
http://www.digimages.info/ 
http://membres.lycos.fr/listoiseauxmonde/ 
http://www.lpo-anjou.org/


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Subject: Cape Verde Little Shearwater/Boyd's SW, Cape Cod
         Bay June 28
From: Jim Barton <redwingatfp1986(AT)COMCAST.NET>
Date: 2 Sep 2003 5:08pm

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    Hello.  I am about to post a formal description of Cape Verde Little =
Shearwater from Cape Cod Bay . Massachuisetts, June 28.  I have not yet =
posted the description to our local birding listserv, Massbird.  I would =
like to do so in two days, since two significant pelagic trips will soon =
depart from eastern MA, and there's a possibility this bird may still be =
around.

    Why post two months after the sighting?  Well, there's very little =
info on the web on this bird.  And it took me two months to figure the =
bird out, having intitially misidentified it as an Aububon's SW.  And as =
noted above, I want to get the info out locally.  Ordinarily, I would =
wait until I had had the change to vet my description with recognized =
experts.  I have contacted recognized experts; however, after September, =
insurance costs prevent pelagic trips from being conducted in MA. =20

    Now, as to Ireland and the UK, if this bird, endemic to Madeira, can =
make it to Cape Cod, it can make it to Ireland and the UK.=20

    Yours

Jim Barton
redwingatfp1986(AT)comcast.net
Cambridge, MA
US Coordinator, Proact
campaigning for birds and their habitats
before it's too late
www.proact-campaigns.net

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Subject: Cape Verde Little Shearwater P.a.boydi/Boyd's SW
         P. boydi Cape Cod Bay, June 28, 2003
From: Jim Barton <redwingatfp1986(AT)COMCAST.NET>
Date: 2 Sep 2003 5:12pm

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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   Hello.  I first called this bird an Audubon's Shearwater P.  =
lherminieri. As the Narrative below will show, I became increasingly =
unhappy with my ID.  Now that I have finally found a drawing in a Cape =
Verde field guide, and a murky but revealing photograph on a Cape Verde =
travel website, I am calling the bird a Cape Verde Little Shearwater, =
Puffinus assimilis boydi as classified by a number of authorities, or P. =
boydi, classified as a separate species by the Portuguese ornithologist =
C. J. Hazevoet in l995 in a publication of the British Ornithological =
Union, and also by other authorities.  Also called Dusky Shearwater.  I =
will call the bird Boyd's Shearwater as is commonly done in Europe.   =20

    1.  Description

    Very small dark shearwater sitting on a calm sea with many Greater =
Shearwater' P. gravis.  Half the size of nearby gravis.  Dark face.  =
Appeared long-winged. wing-tips appearing to extend beyond the end of =
the tail.   In flight, rose from surface almost directly into the air, =
flapped or fluttered very briefly, then approached the stern of a whale =
watch boat in a long glide from left to right, rising to eye-level on =
the first deck.  Extended glide into a very wide circle, returning =
leftwards  about to its original location.  Repeated this behavior three =
times, affording excellent views, as the boat proceeded after whales.   =
The bird was following whales, along with about 100 Greater Shearwater =
and 60 Sooty Shearwater P. griseus.  I did not observe any feeding. =20

    Upperparts uniform dull brownish black.  Wings long, thin as in =
Swainson's Hawk B. swainsoni. Tail appeared relatively short.  Very =
graceful in flight. Dark eye set in dark face.  No evidence of white =
near the eye.  No evidence of pale panel on trailing edge of the upper =
wing.  Primaries dark below.   Diffuse, dusky margins present on leading =
and trailing edges of the underwing.  Appeared fairly broad.  Undertail =
dark.  Undertail coverts dark, with dark coloration extending back along =
the legs half way to the base of the legs, that is, up to but not =
including the vent area. Legs dark,  contrasting with white vent area to =
about half their length.   Underparts seen against background of bright =
sky.  See discussion of leg color below. =20

    2.  Conditions, Equipment, Location

    Seen from the second deck at the stern of a large whale watch boat =
out of Barnstable Harbor on the northern shore of Cape Cod.   Zeiss =
10x40.  Sun high over head, air clear, sea calm; no troublesome glare or =
reflection from the sea surface.  Distance to bird, 50 meters closing to =
20 to 30 meters.   Cape Cod Bay west of Provincetown at about 11:00 a.m. =
 The boat encountered so many whales early on that the captain kept the =
boat in the area and did not proceed on to Stellwagen Bank north of =
Provincetwon.   =20

    3.  Similar Species

    On standard accounts (see Narrative), Little Shearwater baroli =
presents white undertail coverts, a dark eye set in a white face, and a  =
pale panel on the railing edge of upper wing.  Also appears much whiter =
than boydi underneath. =20

     Ned Brinkley (1999) cites Lee (l988) to the effect that baroli can =
present a face pattern similar to Audubon's, with black about the eye.  =
See Angus Wilson's website, "Ocean Wanderers" www.oceanwanderers.com  =
under Little Shearwater.  But June 28 lacked all three of the major =
field characters of baroli, hence, on probability, that subspecies of =
Little Shearwater can safely be eliminated.    =20

    Audubon's Shearwater presents dark undertail coverts on the =
Carribean birds to be expected in the Atlantic Ocean, but dark =
feathering extends into the vent area virtually to the base of the legs. =
 On boydi, dark feathering does not extend into the vent area.  The =
difference in the extent of dark feathering beneath the rump is =
striking.  Field guides do not point this out, but the character is =
quite evident.  See, for example, the portrayal of Audubon's on Plate 32 =
on page 85 of Peter Harrison's "Seabirds" (Boston, Houghton Mifflin, =
l983).  See also the photos of Audubon's on "Ocean Wanderers".  Then =
compare Harrison's illustration of boydi (Harrison, loc. cit.)    See =
also the portrayal of boydi in the Cape Verde field guide, "Aves de Cabo =
Verde", published by Birdlife International in l993 and available on the =
web at www.caboverde.com/nature/aves-04.htm .  =20

    On Audubon's in flight, the background to the legs is shown as =
almost entirely dark in Harrison and on "Ocean Wanderers"  The =
background to only  very short segments of the legs is white.  Sibley =
shows the background as entirely dark (Knopf, New York, 2000, p. 39).   =
A photo on Brian Patteson's website www.patteson.com shows a bird with =
less extensive dark undertail coverts than shown by Harrison, Wilson or =
Sibley,  but the bird's legs also appear against a dark backround    The =
same is true of a bird shown taking off on "Ocean Wanderers".  In a =
sideview  on Patteson's site, the legs are nearly invisible against a =
dark background. =20

    On Boyd's, half the background is dark, half is white. That's =
exactly what June 28 presented. =20

    The legs of lherminieri are pink.  Since conditions on June 28 were =
close to ideal,  I would have seen pink legs on the bird had it =
presented pink legs. =20

    On Audubon's, the tail extends beyond the wingtips when the bird is =
sitting on the water.  Cf. Sibley loc. cit. and a photo of multiple =
individuals on the Patteson site.  June 28 looked long-winged on the =
water and in the air.   The "Collins Field Guide" shows baroli on the =
water with wing-tips extending slightly beyond the tip of the tail =
(Mullarney et al., London, 1999, p. 23).

    A dark form of Manx Shearwater P. puffinus occurs (Sibley loc. cit.) =
But Manx is much larger, and always presents white undertail coverts.  =
Here are comparative sizes for reference. =20

    Comparative sizes (from Harrison):
   =20
    Manx            34/82cm

    Audubon's   30/69cm

    Little             27/62cm=20

    4.  Discussion of Leg Color=20

    The legs of Little Shearwater subsp. are blue.  Leg coloration is =
considered diagnostic by some authorities.  See discussion on "Ocean =
Wandererers".  The legs show pale blue for boydi in Harrison and pale =
blue for baroli on "Ocean Wanderers" =
www.oceanwanderers.com/littleshear.html    On that same site, a photo of =
P.a.kermadecensis shows the legs as dark blue.  The coloration in the =
photos is clearly affected by the lighting.=20

    The legs show dark in "Aves de Cabo Verde", which portrays the bird =
from below against a bright sea background, and show dark in a photo =
from a Cape Verde travel site www.capeverdetravel.co.uk .  Go to =
"search" and enter "birdwatching."=20

    5.  Narrative=20

    Had I known about boydi  at the time of the sighting, I wouldn't =
have waited all this time to report it.  But I had no idea that any such =
bird existed.  On looking into my National Geographic Field Guide, =
fourth edition, and into my Collins Field Guide I found only baroli.  =
That's the subspecies of Little Shearwater that has been recorded off =
Ireland, and, on very few occasions, off the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. =
and off the Canadian Maritimes,   Two birds were recorded off Cape =
Breton by Soheil Zendeh in l992. =20

    On looking into Harrison and Sibley, I became increasinly unhappy =
with my ID of Audubon's.  The relationship between the wintips and the =
tip of the tail wasn't right.  The tail didn't look long enough.  And =
then I realized that the legs of Audubon's were pink.  Still, what was I =
supposed to do with a small dark shearwater showing dusky margins to the =
underwing and dark undertail coverts?=20

    After staring repreatedly at the illustrations in Harrison, I =
suddenly noticed the striking difference in the extent of dark =
coloration under the rump.  At that point I started asking for =
photographs.  I couldn't find any. =20

    Harrison doesn't tell you that Boyd's is also commonly called Cape =
Verde Little Shearwater.  I only found that out by slogging through trip =
reports on the internet.   Then a search on "Cape Verde birds" turned up =
"Aves de Cabo Verde".   The site only gave the Cape Verde Portuguese =
common names for the birds, but by this time I knew that "Cagarra" was =
Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii.  So I tried the next bird, =
"Pedreiro". =20

    Respectfully submitted,=20
   =20

Jim Barton
redwingatfp1986(AT)comcast.net
130 Appleton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
August 30, 2003=20

US Coordinator, Proact
campaigning for birds and their habitats
before it's too late
www.proact-campaigns.net

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Subject: [TEXBIRDS] 44th supplement to the AOU check-list
         (fwd)
From: Ian Paulsen <birdbooker(AT)ZIPCON.NET>
Date: 3 Sep 2003 11:38am

HI ALL:
 FYI

--
Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2003 12:20:35 -0500
From: Mark Lockwood <Mark.Lockwood(AT)TPWD.STATE.TX.US>
To: TEXBIRDS(AT)LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Subject: [TEXBIRDS] 44th supplement to the AOU check-list

---> Texbird help file http://www.texbirds.org <---

Dear TexBirders,

For anyone interested and who hasn't already seen the recently published
44th supplement to AOU Check-list, here is a link to a pdf version:

http://www.thayerbirding.com/aou2003.pdf

Mark

Mark Lockwood
Alpine, Texas

For answers to questions about this list, as well as current Texas
Birding Links, visit the Texbirds Reference Page at http://www.texbirds.org


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Subject: Re: Cape Verde Little Shearwater
From: Floyd Hayes <floyd_hayes(AT)YAHOO.COM>
Date: 3 Sep 2003 12:34pm

I don't know whether any hard data has been published
on color variability of undertail coverts in Audubon's
Shearwater populations in the Caribbean (if so I'd
like to know), but judging from what I've heard from
researchers studying the species in the Bahamas it
appears to be substantial and NOT A RELIABLE
IDENTIFICATION CHARACTER for distinguishing it from
the Cape Verde Little Shearwater. The National
Geographic guide mentions this and Sibley's guide
hints at it. I've posted photos of a hand-held
juvenile with extensive white undertail coverts from
the Virgin Islands at:

http://www.geocities.com/secaribbirds/viaudubonsshearwater

-Floyd

__________________________________
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: color variability undertail coverts Audbubon's SW
From: Jim Barton <redwingatfp1986(AT)COMCAST.NET>
Date: 3 Sep 2003 3:51pm

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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

    Hello.  I'd be very interested in what's been published on the =
coloration of the undertail coverts of Audubon's Shearwater (or what's =
rumored to have been found) and I would be very impressed if the people =
studying Audubon's had expressly stated a concern for separating that =
species from Boyd's. =20

    No authorities I've encountered suggest that the undertail coverts =
of AUSW are anything but dusky.  Please advise, if I have missed =
something. =20

    The issue, I believe, is the extent of the dark coloration.  I am =
quite prepared to believe it's variable.  In fact, I indicated in my =
report that photos show the extent to be variable. =20

    I hope other knowledgeable observers will comment. =20

    Yours,=20
   =20
    Jim Barton
redwingatfp1986(AT)comcast.net
Cambridge, MA
US Coordinator, Proact
campaigning for birds and their habitats
before it's too late
www.proact-campaigns.net

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Subject: Additional Audubon's Shearwater photo
From: Floyd Hayes <floyd_hayes(AT)YAHOO.COM>
Date: 3 Sep 2003 4:44pm

One of the researchers (who happens to be my genetic
clone) studying Audubon's Shearwater in the Bahamas
just zapped me a photo of an adult with white
undertail coverts, now posted at the same webpage:

http://www.geocities.com/secaribbirds/viaudubonsshearwater

Note the relatively long, black tail in these photos;
a Manx Shearwater would have a shorter tail, thus less
black when viewed from below.

I suspect there may be variation among
metapopulations. My brother hastily wrote: "I
understand from Will Mackin that at his study site in
the Exumas he sees few (if any) dark undertail coverts
(but can't recall his exact statement)."

-Floyd

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Additional Audubon's Shearwater photo
From: "ppyle(AT)prbo.org" <ppyle@prbo.org>
Date: 4 Sep 2003 5:30am

For what it's worth I've pasted in a "Geographic variation" section for
Audubon's Shearwater that I compiled over a year ago. I'll be glad to
supply citations for anyone interested. Note that the undertail coverts of
shearwaters are fairly long and usually flush with the rectrices, so the
exact pattern can be difficult to discern. For example, in the images
posted by Floyd Hayes the coverts appear primarily dark to me, with pale
bases, but are difficult to see against the rectrices. The brighter white
feathers are primarily those of the lower vent. 

Peter Pyle

Geographic variation-- Moderate but complex and variable due to 
pantropical distribution, lack of information on several 
recognized subspecies, and debate surrounding relationships with 
Little Shearwater (e.g., the taxon boydi, with dark undertail 
covs, from Cape Verde Is). Subspecies taxonomy follows C. 
Jouanin and J.-L. Mougin in Mayr and Cottrell (1979); see Murphy 
(1927), Fleming and Serventy (1943), Wetmore (1959, 1965), 
W.R.P. Bourne in Palmer (1962), Blake (1977), Marchant and 
Higgins (1990), Bourne (1995), Shirihai et al. (1995), 
Bretagnolle et al. (2000), Shirihai (2001). Nine other 
subspecies occur, only one of which (P.l. loyemilleri of the 
Carribean side of Panama) is found in the north Atlantic Ocean 
and could occur in e.N.Am, while P.l. subalaris of the Galapogos 
Is occurs off Mex and possibly could occur in w.N.Am. 

P.l. lherminieri (br Caribbean Is, visitor throughout north 
Atlantic range): From other subspecies by combination of larger 
size and (especially) longer tail (Table 5, p. __); dusky brown 
of crown usually not extending below eye (Fig. ___); white of 
underparts relatively extensive and with reduced dusky brown 
wash to flanks and sides; undertail covs whitish with black tips 
(Fig. __C-E). P.l. loyemilleri differs only in smaller size (wg 
chord 183-195, tl 81-89, exp culmen 25-30, tarsus 38-40). P.l. 
subalaris is smaller and shorter-tailed (wg chord 185-203, tl 
68-75, [exp culmen], tarsus 34-37), has blacker upperparts, the 
blackish of crown distinctly defined and extending __-__ below 
eye (cf Fig. __X), and has mostly to entirely dark undertail 
covs (Fig. __E-F). 

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Floyd Hayes floyd_hayes(AT)YAHOO.COM
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 16:43:59 -0700
To: BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [BIRDWG01] Additional Audubon's Shearwater photo

One of the researchers (who happens to be my genetic
clone) studying Audubon's Shearwater in the Bahamas
just zapped me a photo of an adult with white
undertail coverts, now posted at the same webpage:

http://www.geocities.com/secaribbirds/viaudubonsshearwater

Note the relatively long, black tail in these photos;
a Manx Shearwater would have a shorter tail, thus less
black when viewed from below.

I suspect there may be variation among
metapopulations. My brother hastily wrote: "I
understand from Will Mackin that at his study site in
the Exumas he sees few (if any) dark undertail coverts
(but can't recall his exact statement)."

-Floyd

__________________________________
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Subject: audubon's vs. boyd's shearwater
From: Jim Barton <redwingatfp1986(AT)COMCAST.NET>
Date: 4 Sep 2003 6:52am

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    Hello.  Floyd Hayes has called our attention to photos of Audubon's =
Shearwater from the Carribean (see his recent posts for URLs).  I find =
these photos of great interest. Note that  dark featheration reaches =
very nearly to base of the pink legs.   On Boyd's the dark featheration =
reaches up along the blue legs about half way towards the base.   Put =
another way, the background to all or nearly the entire  the leg is dark =
on Audubon's in flight.   Or, to judge from from some photos and =
drawings,the background to the all or nearly the entire outer edge of =
the pink leg is dark.   On Boyd's the background to the upper half of =
the blue leg is white on both sides of the leg.  This can most =
definitely be seen on a bird in flight.  =20

    Yours,=20

Jim Barton
redwingatfp1986(AT)comcast.net
Cambridge, MA
US Coordinator, Proact
campaigning for birds and their habitats
before it's too late
www.proact-campaigns.net

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Subject: vireos
From: Ian Paulsen <birdbooker(AT)zipcon.net>
Date: 4 Sep 2003 5:22pm

HI ALL:
 Today I observed a Hutton's Vireo with a pronounced eye-ring. I was wondering
how to tell Hutton's from 1st year Cassin's Vireos that lack the contrast
between the head and back?
--
Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
A.K.A.:Birdbooker
Rallidae all the way!


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Subject: Re: Hutton's Vireo eyerings (was: vireos)
From: Rich Hoyer <calliope(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 5 Sep 2003 5:56pm

Dear Birders,

From what I have been able to determine (including a brief specimen review
at the U of A museum and critically observing dozens in the field), all
Hutton's Vireos have a break at the top of the eyering due to several dark
feathers there. I believe that very dull, small Cassin's Vireos are not
infrequently misidentified as Hutton's.

Good Birding,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

>
> Date:    Thu, 4 Sep 2003 17:27:02 -700
> From:    Ian Paulsen <birdbooker(AT)ZIPCON.NET>
> Subject: vireos
>
> HI ALL:
> Today I observed a Hutton's Vireo with a pronounced eye-ring. I was wondering
> how to tell Hutton's from 1st year Cassin's Vireos that lack the contrast
> between the head and back?


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Subject: Possible Lawrence's Warbler
From: John Idzikowski <idzikoj(AT)UWM.EDU>
Date: 6 Sep 2003 2:10pm

One of Wisconsin's most experienced banders sent me digitals of a rather
green-backed female "golden-winged" Warbler. The back is greener than any
either he or I have ever encountered in a female during fall netting. We are
aware of the variation in the amount of green on the upper back of female
Golden-winged, but we believe that this bird might be a Lawrence's; we would
appreciate comments from anyone familar with the range of variations in this
hybrid complex.

http://my.execpc.com/~idzikoj/warblers/warbler.JPG
http://my.execpc.com/~idzikoj/warblers/warbler2.JPG
http://my.execpc.com/~idzikoj/warbler3.jpg
http://my.execpc.com/~idzikoj/warbler4.jpg

John Idzikowski, Milwaukee