FOS Records Committee
Secretary’s Report
Submitted by Andrew Kratter
Board of Directors Meeting 27 October 2007
Synopsis
The Records Committee of the Florida Ornithological Society met at the Archbold Biological Station on 18 August 2007. We reviewed 22 new reports; in addition one report tabled from our previous meeting was reviewed, and two reports, both of gulls, were opened again because of new identification references. Of the 25 total reports we reviewed at the meeting, 19 were documented by photographs; two of these had video documentation as well, and one of these had sound clips. The other six were sight reports with varying amounts of written documentation. Of these 25 reports, 12 were accepted, seven were not accepted, one was accepted to a species pair (Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird), four were tabled, and one was not acted upon because it is not a species-level taxon (European Herring Gull). Three new birds were added to the official list of Florida: Loggerhead Kingbird (also a first for the ABA Checklist Area), White-Wagtail, and Neotropic Cormorant, bringing the State List to 502 species.
Meeting Accomplishments
The Records Committee of the Florida Ornithological Society met at the Archbold Biological Station on 18 August 2007. Members and their year of term expiration on the FOSRC are: Fred Lohrer (2007), Mickey Wheeler (2008), Sally Jue (2010), Andy Kratter (2011), Bill Pranty (2009), Bruce Anderson (2012), and Mark Berney (2013).
1. Meeting convened at 09:00, chaired by Andy Kratter, Secretary.
2. Welcomed new member Bruce Anderson. He replaces Glen Woolfenden, who died 19 June 2007.
3. The late Glen Woolfenden’s contributions to the FOSRC were acknowledged. It was recommended that the FOSRC prepare a complete history of the Committee for publication on the FOS website.
4. The Minutes of the January 2007 meeting at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, were accepted, with revisions made at the meeting.
5. Previously Unresolved Records (accepted records are bold-faced)
RC 06-616 KIRTLAND’S WARBLER, Dendroica kirtlandii, 29 October 2006. Lake Kissimmee State Park, Polk Co. This was a single observer sight report. The observer submitted an FOSRC form. The bird, identified as an adult male, was seen at quite a distance (50 yards) with bright mid-day skies. There was concern that the report described a spring-plumaged male, with a blue-gray back, whereas all ages of Kirtland’s Warblers in the fall should have a brownish wash on the back (Dunn and Garrett 1997; Pyle 1997). The report described that the bird had no discernible wingbars; however, fresh-plumaged Kirtland’s Warblers in the fall should have grayish-white edges to the wing coverts. There are four previously accepted records for Florida (one specimen, one photo, two sight reports), with two additional records, both with diagnostic photographs, accepted at the August 2007 meeting (see below). All six of these accepted records have been coastal.
VOTE: Not accept 0-7.
6. NEW BUSINESS:
RC 07-627. HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER, Empidonax hammondii. 28 January – 2 March 2007. Hal Scott Regional Preserve, Orange Co. The FOSRC received 3 FOSRC forms and 20 photos from two observers for this record, originally found by Jeffrey Gordon. It was seen by numerous other observers. Although no vocalizations were described or recorded, the extraordinarily high resolution photographs allowed the Committee to determine identification through a suite of field marks. In particular, the bird showed: an olive back with a slightly more grayish head; a whitish throat; a small bill with straight, not convex, sides; a near complete whitish eyering, that flared somewhat behind the eye; the primary tips on the perched birds showed a large gap between pp 6-7 instead of a more equal gaps between the exposed pp; and emargination of p6. In combination, these characters eliminate the two most similar Empidonax, Dusky Flycatcher (E. wrightii) and Least Flycatcher (E. minimus), as well as other members of this notoriously difficult to identify genus. This is the second record for Florida; the other was found the previous fall in Pinellas County (RC 06-615, accepted at January 2007 FOSRC meeting).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-628. BULLOCK’S ORIOLE, Icterus bullockii. 19 December 2006 -13 April 2007. 3210 Brookforest Dr., Tallahassee, Leon Co. An FOSRC form and photographs were submitted for this record. This bird, an AHY/ASY female, was visiting the same feeder as had a HY/SY female the previous year (FOSRC #06-607, accepted, Greenlaw and Kratter 2005). Although there is a strong probability that this is the same bird as in winter 2005-2006, there is no definite way to confirm this, and the Committee decided to treat the record as new. The pale yellow throat and supercilium lacked the orange tones found in AHY/ASY female Baltimore Orioles (Pyle 1997). The saw-tooth pattern of white edges to the median upperwing coverts also indicates Bullock’s Oriole. This is the seventh confirmed record of Bullock’s Oriole for Florida (Pranty et al. 2005, Greenlaw and Kratter 2007).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-629. CASSIN’S KINGBIRD. Tyrannus vociferans. FOSRC form. 10 February 2007. Lake Apopka, Hooper Farm, Orange Co. We received an FOSRC for this report. Although Cassin’s Kingbirds have been reported annually in recent years at the Lake Apopka kingbird roost (B. H. Anderson, pers. comm.), this is the first submitted report since winter 2002-2003 (FOSRC #03-516, accepted Bowman 2006) and thus is treated it as a new submission. The description in the submitted form is rather brief and somewhat unclear about the pattern in the throat, a critical field mark for identifying Cassin’s Kingbird. Committee member Bruce Anderson also saw this bird and knows that some photographs of it exist. Thus, the Committee felt that it was appropriate to request photographs, and wait to assess the record.
VOTE: Table
RC 07-630. Yellow-nosed Albatross, Thalassarche chlororhynchos. 10 June 2004. 6 miles south of Pensacola Beach, Escambia Co. The Committee received a written description of this bird from a single observer. This bird was seen for ca. 15 minutes at close range (ca. 10 feet) from a fishing boat, but without binoculars. The bird is only briefly described, and some characters, particularly “the upper mandible was yellow,” the “black tail band,” and the “undersides of the wing were white with black trailing edge” do not fit any albatross. It was felt by some committee members that the observer may have meant that the culmen ridge was yellow, not the entire upper mandible, that the entire tail was dark, and that the leading edge of the underwing was also edged black, but the Committee could not definitely determine this. As more than three years had passed since the observation, we felt that too much time had passed to reconfirm plumage details. There are three previously accepted records of Yellow-nosed Albatross for Florida (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). In addition, a sight report off Lake Worth Pier, Palm Beach Co., in January 1995 was accepted to genus only (Diomedea sp., sensu lato, including all members of the family).
VOTE: Not accept 0-7.
RC 07-631. RED-NECKED GREBE, Podiceps grisegena. 4 February 2007. Joe’s Bayou, Destin, Okaloosa Co. We received a FOSRC form for this report from a single observer. The description was very brief, mainly comparing a few field marks to Horned (P. auritus) and Eared Grebes (P. nigricollis). The description mentioned larger size (than Horned Grebe), the dark neck and sides of face, and “light” bill. The brief description, however, fails to mention of how it was determined to be a grebe and does not describe the bird other than the field marks mentioned above. Most importantly, the description fails to mention the pale crescent at the rear of the face. The report also does not consider the possible of Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis), which is known from Florida. The Committee again debated how to inform local birders that descriptions submitted to records committees should cover the entire bird, not just a few field marks. There are only two previously accepted records of Red-necked Grebe for Florida , one photographed in Gulf Breeze, (Santa Rosa Co.), December 2000, and a sight report of one in Destin, Okaloosa Co.(March 2001).
VOTE: Not accept 0-7.
RC 07-632. LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD, Tyrannus caudifasciatus. 8-26 March 2007, Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, Monroe Co. We received copious documentation for this record, a potential first for the State and the ABA area. We received 16 photos, a WAV file including audio/video, FOSRC forms from seven observers, field notes from two observers, and detailed descriptions and analyses of subspecies. However, we did not receive documentation for the Loggerhead Kingbird reported from nearby Stock Island on 25 April 2007, nearly one month later. For the Key West bird, found by Carl Goodrich, the photographs clearly show a white-bellied, dark-backed kingbird, with a long relatively narrow bill. The long bill, big head, and short wings eliminate Eastern Kingbird (T. tyrannus). The entire head is black, contrasting with the dark brown mantle, unlike the Gray Kingbird (T. dominicensis), which has a much grayer crown. The rather spike-like bill is less wide and deep, and less arched, than that of Giant Kingbird (T. cubensis) of Cuba. Vocalizations obtained of the Key West bird were also diagnostic for Loggerhead Kingbird. The Committee, using J. S. Greenlaw’s analysis of geographic variation in the species (in litt.), determined that the bird probably originated from the Cuban (T. c. caudifasciatus) or Isle of Pines (T. c. flavescens) populations, as the subspecies from the Bahamas (T. c. bahamensis) is more yellow below, those from Puerto Rico (T. c. taylori) and Hispaniola (T. c. gabbi) do not have a pale tail tip, the subspecies from the Cayman Islands (T. c. caymanensis) is more olive backed, and the subspecies from Jamaica (T. c. jamaicensis) has a darker back and more distinct white tail tip . The subspecies from Isle of Pines differs from the Cuban subspecies by its subtly more olive back and more yellow underwing linings.
This species has had a convoluted history on the Official State List of Florida. A bird photographed at Islamorada December 1971 –January 1972 was accepted by Robertson and Woolfenden (1992), as were three other photographs in the 1970s. Bond considered the first bird to represent a Giant Kingbird (in litt., cited from Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Smith et al. (2000) reviewed the records of the Loggerhead Kingbird from Florida, and it determined that none conclusively established the species for the State. The FOSRC removed Loggerhead Kingbird from the list in 2003 (Bowman 2006), as did the ABA-CLC in 2002 and the AOU-CLC in 2002 (Banks et al. 2002).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-633. SPOTTED TOWHEE, Pipilo maculatus. 10 March – 24 April 2007. Alligator Point, Franklin Co. Six photos and two FOSRC forms were submitted for this potential second State record. The bird was found by John Murphy in his yard, and subsequently seen by several observers. The photographs are diagnostic, showing a “Rufous-sided” Towhee, with obvious white markings on the back, scapulars, and wing coverts. The extent of white-spotting indicates that this is one of the interior subspecies group of Spotted Towhee (Pyle 1997), though it would be difficult to identify the subspecies within this group without a specimen. The most likely subspecies in Florida is P. e. arcticus, the northernmost and most migratory of the interior group of subspecies (Pyle 1997); the previous record in Florida was a specimen of subspecies arcticus, collected 14 December 1967 in Franklin County (Stevenson and Anderson 1994).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-634. WHITE WAGTAIL, Motacilla alba. 18-22 March 2007. Moon Lake Park, Pasco. Co. This bird, the first State record, was documented with video, photographs, and FOSRC forms. It was discovered by David Faintich and two other birders from Missouri, who were able to videotape the bird, and alerted local birders to its presence. The bird was seen by several more observers and more photographs were obtained. A manuscript of the record has been submitted to the Florida Field Naturalist (B. Pranty). The photographs and video clearly show a White Wagtail. The bird is in first alternate plumage, and identifiable to subspecies M. a. alba, based on its gray back (eliminating the four black-backed subspecies), its black chin and throat (eliminating baicalensis); lack of a black eyeline (eliminating ocularis and subpersonata),and its sharply contrasting paler gray back and expansive white in the head (eliminating personata), (Alström and Mild 2003). The eastern form of alba (“dukhunensis,” often considered a separate subspecies) can be ruled out by its broader white wing-bars that sometimes form a wing-panel (Alström and Mild 2003). Thus, the Moon Lake Park White Wagtail was of the western form of alba, which breeds in Iceland and Greenland and across continental Europe, and winters from continental Europe to northern Africa (Alström and Mild 2003; Pranty in review).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-635. ZENAIDA DOVE, Zenaida aurita. 23 March 2007. Long Key State Park, Marathon Key, Monroe Co. An FOSRC form was submitted by a single observer for this report; another observer saw the bird but did not submit a report. This was a brief observation (30-45 seconds), and the resulting description is incomplete. In particular, the description mentions a “small white patch on wing” without describing its shape or location. It described the tail as “shorter and more squared off than a Mourning Dove” but did not describe any pattern or color to the tail. The bird was flushed, according to the report, thus the pale gray tail corners should have been visible. The description was too incomplete to substantiate identification. There are five substantiated records for Florida (two specimens before 1900, and three photographs, 1962-63, 1988, 2002), all from the Keys. In addition, three sight reports have been accepted by the FOSRC (1997, 2001, 2004), two from Monroe Co., and one from Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade Co. Three other sight reports were not accepted by the FOSRC. Stevenson and Anderson (1994) list three older sight reports that have not been reviewed by the FOSRC.
VOTE: Not accept 0-7.
RC 07-636. LAZULI BUNTING, Passerina amoena. 4-5 April 2007. 2624 Westminster Terrace, Oviedo, Seminole Co. Two photographs and one FOSRC form were submitted for this record. The bird was found by Mary Acken as it visited her backyard bird feeder. The two photos, although shot through a screen door, show an alternate plumage male, with pale blue head and back, dull orange chest, white belly, and large bright white edges to the greater and median wing coverts, creating two distinct wing bars. The brown suffusion to the upperparts indicates that the bird is in its second calendar year (Pyle 1997). This is the fifth substantiated record for Florida: the first was photographed in March-April 1977 in Sharpes (Brevard Co.), the second was photographed in March 1991 in Ponte Vedra Beach (St. John Co.), the third was photographed March-April 2001 in Ft. Pierce (St. Lucie Co.), and the fourth was photographed in April 2002 at Fort De Soto (Pinellas Co.). Two other sight reports have been accepted by the FOSRC (March 1991 in Alachua Co. and December 1991 in Palm Beach Co.).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-637. NEOTROPIC CORMORANT. Phalacrocorax brasilianus. 13 April 2007. Boca Chica, Monroe Co. Three photographs and a FOSRC form were submitted for this record, a first for Florida. The bird, found and photographed by Carl Goodrich, was not seen subsequently. The photographs show two cormorants perched on rocks, ca. 25 m apart. The bird on the left is clearly a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), with a bright orange throat, large size, thick neck, and long thick bill. The bird to the right appears quite a bit smaller (though given the geometry of the two cormorants and the photographer, it is difficult to judge size), and has a proportionately narrower neck and thinner bill; its tail appears long, but this is hard to determine. This bird has a dark gular pouch, narrowly edged in white. The white tapers to a point behind the bill and under the eye. These features, all important for distinguishing Neotropic from other cormorants, along with the direct comparison with Double-crested Cormorant, unquestionably identify the bird as Neotropic Cormorant. The nearest populations of Neotropic Cormorant are in Cuba and the Bahamas (A.O.U. 1998), although it is also possible that the bird originated from populations in the western Gulf of Mexico, which extend northeast to southwest Louisiana (A.O.U. 1998).
VOTE: Accept 7-0.
RC 07-638. WHITE-WINGED TERN, Chlidonias leucoptera. 27 April 2007. Campbell Lake, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Walton Co. A single FOSRC form was submitted for this report, a potential first for Florida. The bird was seen by two observers, from ca. 100 yards in 10X binoculars for 15 minutes. The flight behavior seems appropriate for the genus Chlidonias, and the field marks noted suggest White-winged Tern. However, given that this would be, if accepted, a first record for Florida, the Committee unanimously felt that some verifiable evidence, such as photographs or video, would be needed for acceptance. Although the by-laws of the FOSRC allow for undocumented reports to be accepted to the Official State Florida List, with annotation that the report lacked verifiable evidence (see http://www.fosbirds.org/RecordCommittee/RulesAndProcedures.htm, under Glossary/Records), the Committee felt that this single report, of a briefly seen bird at quite a distance, did not merit placement on the Official List. The species occurs casually along the coast of northeastern North America (A.O.U. 1998), with records as far south as South Carolina (http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/checklist_of_South_Carolina_birds.html).
VOTE: Not accept 0-7.
RC 07-639. SOUTH POLAR SKUA, Stercorarius maccormicki. 25 May 2007. New Smyrna Beach, Volusia Co. Three photographs and an FOSRC form were submitted of this bird, seen only by a single observer. The photographs show a very dark Stercorarius skua/jaeger consuming a Ring-billed Gull on the beach, and then flying away from the observer. Although the photographs show excessive white at the base of all the primaries, consistent with South Polar or Brown (S. chilensis) Skua, none adequately show wing width or tail length, features that are diagnostic for separating skuas from jaegers. One Committee member was convinced that the bird was an immature, dark-morph Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), based on brown mottling in body and nape, and bicolored legs. Other Committee members though that the bird appeared to have a larger bill and more white in the primaries than jaegars, and was probably a skua. However, separating dark Brown and South Polar Skuas is very difficult (Olsen and Larsson 1997), and the photographs do not lend enough detail to make an identification. The FOSRC has previously accepted four records of South Polar Skuas with photographs (31 October 1993 in Brevard Co, 9 November 1998 in Volusia Co., 10 October 1998 in Nassau Co., and 12 December 2000 in Palm Beach Co.) and two sight reports (5 September 1982 and 28 October 1994, both in Brevard Co.).
VOTE: Not accept 0-7.
RC 07-640. TROPICAL KINGBIRD, Tyrannus melancholicus. Mahogany Hammock, Everglades National Park, Miami-Dade Co. A photograph and an FOSRC form were submitted for this record, which was seen by a single person. No vocalizations were heard, which are the only reliable means for differentiating Tropical and Couch’s (T. couchii) kingbirds in the field (Sibley 2000). The photographs show a large-billed, yellow bellied kingbird, with a dark mask, a white throat, and an unmarked, notched tail. The plumage and bill proportions are consistent with both Tropical and Couch’s Kingbirds. Although the bill does seem excessively large, which is better for Tropical Kingbird (Pyle 1997), it would be difficult to determine the species without measurements. The Committee unanimously accepted the record as a Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird, but did not accept it as a Tropical Kingbird. There are five accepted records with photographs plus one accepted sight report of Tropical Kingbird for Florida; there are three accepted records (with photographs) of Couch’s Kingbird in Florida.
Vote: Accept (Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird) 7-0;
Not Accept Tropical Kingbird 0-7.
RC 07-641. BICKNELL’S THRUSH, Catharus bicknelli. 12 May 2007. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade Co. Eight photographs and one FOSRC form were submitted for this record, which consisted of two birds that were mist-netted and measured. The plain face, black spotted upper breast, and small size indicated that these two individuals were either Bicknell’s or Gray-cheeked (C. minimus) Thrush. The lower mandible was extensively yellow (> half the length) in both birds, characteristic of Bicknell’s Thrush. The wing chords of both individuals (89.5 mm in one, 87.6 mm in the other) were less than range reported for Gray-cheeked Thrush (93-109 mm, Pyle 1997). A third bird may have been present the same day as the song of Bicknell’s Thrush was heard at the same locale some distance from where the other two were caught (M. Wheeler, pers. comm.). The only two previous records for Florida of Bicknell’s Thrush were mist-netted in Key Largo (Monroe Co.), also in the spring (8 and 11 May 2004; Bowman 2006).
Vote: Accept 7-0
RC 07-642. KIRTLAND’S WARBLER, Dendroica kirtlandii. 10 May 2005. Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas Co. This record is based on photographs taken by Lyn Atherton, and published on the Bird Brains list-serve (archived at: http://listserv.admin.usf.edu/archives/brdbrain.html) the same day. The Committee obtained permission from the photographer to use her photographs to assess this record (L. Atherton, in litt.). No FOSRC form has been received for this bird, which was found by John Hintermister and others, and was not seen on subsequent days. The photographs clearly show a bulky Dendroica warbler, with a gray head, white eye crescents, black-striped gray back, indistinct white-edged wing coverts, yellow underparts streaked black laterally, and white vent diagnostic for Kirtland’s Warbler. The lack of black in the face, gray head and face, and suffusion of brown in the back indicate an ASY female (Dunn and Garrett 1997). There are four previously accepted records for Florida (one specimen, one photo, two sight reports), with one additional record, with diagnostic photographs, accepted at the August 2007 meeting (see below). All six of these accepted records have been coastal.
Vote: Accept 7-0
RC 07-643. ICELAND GULL, Larus glaucoides. 4 April 2007. Ponce Inlet, Volusia Co. Seven photographs and an FOSRC form were submitted for this record, a bird found and photographed by Bob Wallace. The photographs show a very bleached, nearly all white gull, a bit bigger than a nearby adult Ring-billed Gull (L. delawarensis). The bird show typical proportions of an Iceland or Thayer’s (L. thayeri) Gull, with a small bill, round head, long body, and long primary extension. The all-white primaries fit Iceland Gull. A few pale gray feathers in the mantle and the pink base to the bill suggest a second cycle individual. Although the bill seems a bit bulky for some Iceland Gulls, the worn head plumage may make the head appear smaller, and thus the bill larger. There are ten previous accepted records for Florida, (one specimen, nine photos).
Vote: Accept 7-0
RC 07-644. THAYER’S GULL, Larus thayeri. 11 January 2007. Volusia County Landfill, Daytona Beach, Volusia Co. Seven photographs and an FOSRC form were submitted for this well documented record, a bird found and photographed by Bob Wallace. The photographs show the typical proportions and plumage of a first cycle Iceland or Thayer’s (L. thayeri) Gull, with a small all-black bill, round head, long body, and long primary extension. The primaries are largely dark grayish brown suggesting Thayer’s Gull. However, the tail band is not solid, with paler areas within in the brown, a pale subterminal band, and extensive white barring in the outer rectrices. In addition, the tertials have white marbling within the dark centers, the dark secondaries do not show a strong contrast with the greater coverts (thus, no well defined “secondary bar”), and the dark centers of the outer primaries blend gradually into the white primary edges instead of a sharply dark and white contrast. These four features all point to some introgression of Iceland “Kumlien’s Gull (L. g. kumleini) into this otherwise typical Thayer’s Gull. The Committee felt that this bird was most likely a hybrid of Kumlien’s and Thayer’s Gull, a known hybrid combination (Olsen and Larsson 2004, Howell and Dunn 2007). There are ca. 10 previous records of Thayer’s Gull in Florida, one specimen and six records with photographs from before 1984 (and not reviewed by the FOSRC), but only three birds accepted by the FORSC since: a bird photographed in March 1985 in Broward Co., a sight report from Broward Co. in January 1999, and a bird photographed in November 2001 in Pinellas Co.
Vote: Not accept 0-7.
RC 07-645. Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis. 5 March 2007. Volusia County Landfill, Daytona Beach, Volusia Co. Nine photographs, an FOSRC form, and expert opinions from two gull experts were submitted for this well documented record, found by Bob Wallace, and a potential first State record. This is a first cycle bird, appearing in plumage to be similar to a first cycle Lesser-Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus), but differing in proportions (larger bodied, deeper chested) and particularly in its large thick bill. Klaus Olsen, a co-author of an authoritative text on gull identification (Olsen and Larsson 2004), was “95% certain” that this was a Yellow-legged Gull from one of the Atlantic populations (either L. m. atlantis or L. m. michahellis, depending on taxonomy); the only problem he had with the bird was a bit too much black barring in the rectrices. In an email to Wallace, another expert (Dick Newell) stated that “there is no question that your bird is atlantis.” One problem is assessing this record is that immature plumages of hybrids of Lesser Black-backed Gull X Herring Gull (L. argentatus smithsonianus), which has been a suspected combination in northeastern North America, are not known (Howell and Dunn 2007), and would presumably looks like this individual. However, one Committee member felt that the bulky bill was too large to be from this hybrid combination. Another problem is that proportions of the posterior part of the bird are difficult to assess given the angle of the photographs. Overall, the Committee felt that a first State record had to be unambiguous, so we have decided to seek further expert opinion on this individual, as well as request if there are more photographs.
Vote: Tabled.
RC 07-646. CALIFORNIA GULL, Larus californicus. 18 April 2007. Cedar Key, Levy Co. A photograph and a brief written description were submitted for this record. The photograph submitted appears to be a low-resolution scan, with the adult bird at a distance. Although proportions and mantle color appear to be correct for an adult California Gull, details of the bill, iris and leg color, and any pattern in the wingtips cannot be seen in the photograph submitted. The Committee felt it could better assess the record if a higher resolution scan or the original photograph could be submitted. We decided to contact the observer to see if he could send the original.
Vote: Tabled.
RC 07-647. CARIBBEAN MARTIN, Progne dominicensis. 29 March 2007. Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West. Seven photographs, an FOSRC form, comparative photos of museum specimens, and detailed analyses were submitted for this record, which is a potential first State and ABA record. This bird was found and photographed by Carl Goodrich, but could not be located subsequently. The photographs show a male Progne martin, with a rather deep tail fork, white to off-white belly sharply demarcated from the purple chest and dark sides. The uppersides are dark, glossed purple. We could not detect, for certain, any streaking in the white underparts, although the resolution may be a bit too low to properly assess. A photograph of the bird’s sides shows what appear to be brownish flanks. The purple in the photographs appears to be blotchy, interspersed with brown, indicating a second-year bird. The comparative material includes photographs of free flying Caribbean Martins in Puerto Rico, as well as museum specimens of the following species: Purple Martin (P. subis), Cuban Martin (P. cryptoleuca) Gray-breasted Martin (P. chalybea), Caribbean Martin (P. dominicensis), and Sinaloa Martin (P. sinaloae). We did not find any photographs or specimens of male martins that matched this bird’s plumage, in particular the not quite white underparts and the brownish flanks. It appears that SY martins are quite rare in collections. Gray-breasted Martin can be eliminated because it never shows a purple throat in any plumage. Male SY Purple Martins should show thin dark streaks on the underparts. Sinaloa and Cuban martins are rare in collections and SY male plumage appears to be undescribed. The Committee felt that to adequately assess this record, it would need more competitive material of all Progne species, particularly SY males. The Committee will request material from natural history museums.
Vote: Tabled.
RC 07-648. KIRTLAND’S WARBLER, Dendroica kirtlandii. 10-12 May 2007. Sebastian Inlet State Park, Indian River Co. This bird was found by David Simpson late on 10 May, and seen by several other birders on 11-12 May, when photographs were obtained. At the FOSRC August meeting, the Committee received phone (and later email) permission from Ron Smith to use his photo, which had been posted on the internet (see http://listserv.admin.usf.edu/listserv/wa.exe?A2=ind0705&L=brdbrain&T=0&F=&S=&P=7628). No FOSRC form has been received. The one photograph shows a large-bodied Dendroica warbler, with a gray head with indistinct dark streaks, white eye crescents, indistinct white-edged wing coverts, and yellow underparts streaked black laterally. The lack of black in the face and gray head and face indicate an ASY female (Dunn and Garrett 1997). There are five previously accepted records for Florida (one specimen, two photos, two sight reports), including 07-642, accepted above. All six of these accepted records have been coastal.
Vote: Accept 7-0
7. Other new business:
With the recent publication of another book on gull identification, (Howell and Dunn 2007), the Committee felt it was appropriate to revisit to two recent gull records: the first (RC 06-604, “European” Herring Gull, Larus argentatus subsp.) was tabled indefinitely because it lacked species level taxonomic status and identification standards were not well developed, and the second (RC 07-622. Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides) because the new reference appeared to contradict our criteria for not accepting the record at the January meeting.
.
RC 06-604. “EUROPEAN” HERRING GULL, Larus argentatus subsp., a single bird observed by multiple birders and photographed by two people at the Volusia County Landfill, Daytona Beach, Volusia County, 11 February to 6 March 2006. Howell and Dunn (2007) states that European Herring Gull averages “less extensive black on tail…and greater coverts typically paler overall and more patterned…but some individuals may overlap in pattern. They then state that “study needed of distinguishing features.” The Committee felt that the identification criteria were still too vague to identify this individual and decided not to further discuss the record until more information on identification becomes available.
No Vote.
RC 07-622. ICELAND GULL, Larus glaucoides. 4 March 2007, Volusia Landfill, Volusia Co. At our previous meeting (January 2007), the Committee decided to not accept this record, stating in the Minutes of that meeting:
The photographs show a darker bird than is typical for Kumlien’s Iceland Gull, particularly for a second winter bird. The head seems blocky and the bill a bit large as well. The long-winged, and pale wing tips is correct for the Iceland/Thayer’s complex. The Committee felt that the bird may be closer to Thayer’s Gull, or a hybrid between Thayer’s and Iceland.
After notifying Bob Wallace, the observer, that his record was not accepted, Bob wrote back that the tail and primary patterns, though dark, fell outside the range of Thayer’s Gull and were within the range of “Kumlien’s” Gull. With publication of Dunn and Howell (2007) and further considerations of the photographs along with reference to Olsen and Larsson (2004), we reopened this record for consideration. The bird, apparently in its second-cycle, is quite dark for Kumlien’s, but show extensive white barring in the rectrices, white primary edges gradually blending with darker centers, and white marbling in the dark centers of the tertials typical of a dark Iceland “Kumlien’s” Gull. There are eleven previous accepted records for Florida, (one specimen, ten photos), including 07-643 above.
Vote: Accept 7-0.
In other business, the Committee assessed records of Yellow-faced Grassquits (Tiaris olivacea) in Florida. Don Gorney, chair of the Indiana Bird Records Committee, recently sent the Committee a United State Fish and Wildlife Service print-out of seizures of birds in Miami from 2000-2007. Included among the seizures in the report were several shipments with Yellow-browed Grassquits (subspecies not determined). A note from second-hand personal communication in the message indicated that grassquits and other birds may have been released at the sites of capture. The Committee felt that although this new information may call into question the origin of the one post-1999 record of Yellow-faced Grassquit in Florida (RC 01-440, 19 February 2001, Monroe Co., accepted 27 July 2001), the other two records (7-12 July 1990, Miami-Dade Co., accepted by Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, and RC 94-305, 20 April 1994, Dry Tortugas, accepted by FOSRC) occurred before these shipments (when most or all Yellow-faced Grassquit imported to the United States were of the distinctly different Central American population) and that the questions of origin of the Miami-Dade Co. record was adequately assessed by Smith et al. (1991). One Committee member felt that the number of intercepted Yellow-faced Grassquits (65 birds over a seven-year period) was insufficient, and the locations of the accepted records too distant, to be a concern.
8. Discussion of a member to replace Fred Lohrer, who served from 2000-2007 was postponed for discussion by email.
9. The meeting was adjourned at 1910h.
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