FOS Records Committee
Andrew Kratter
The Records Committee of the Florida Ornithological Society met at the Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid, Florida, on 30 August 2008. Members present and their year of term expiration on the FOSRC were: Mary Catherine “Mickey” Wheeler (2008), Bill Pranty (2009), Sally Jue (2010), Andy Kratter (2011), Bruce Anderson (2012), Mark Berney (2013), and John Murphy (2014).
1. Meeting convened at 9:00 A.M., chaired by Andy Kratter, Secretary.
2. Minutes of the January 2008 meeting at the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH), Gainesville, were amended and approved.
3. Previously Unresolved Submissions (bold if accepted)
RC 08-665. Bullock’s Oriole, Icterus bullockii. 26 December 2007. Tallahassee, Leon Co.
The winter of 2007-2008 marked the third consecutive winter that what is almost certainly the same female oriole visited feeders at the residence of Fran Rutkovsky (FOSRC #06-607 in 2005-2006 and # 07-628 in 2006-2007). We tabled the submission at the January 2008 meeting to await a photograph, which Dean Jue provided in February. The photograph shows an after-second-year, female-plumaged oriole, with yellow throat, breast, supercilium, and undertail coverts, a dark line through the eye, off white lower breast and belly, and a saw-tooth pattern to the median wing coverts. These marks are consistent with a Bullock’s Oriole. There are seven previously confirmed records of Bullock’s Oriole for Florida (Pranty et al. 2005, Greenlaw and Kratter 2007).
Accept 7-0.
4. NEW BUSINESS (accepted submissions in bold):
RC 08-667. Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena. 28 January–4 February 2008. Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area, Lake County. FOSRC forms and photographs from Linda Felker and Barbara Gay, photograph from Barry Ault. This male was easily distinguished from Indigo Bunting (P. cyanea) by its bright white wingbars, rusty orange breast, and white belly. The bright turquoise blue upperparts and head, with only a small amount of pale feather edges, indicate an after-second-year bird (Pyle 1997). Of the seven records and reports previously accepted by the FOSRC, six have been males in March or April. A female or immature in Belle Glade (Palm Beach Co.) in December 1991 is the only exception.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-668. Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides. 23 January–15 February 2008. Tomoka Landfill, Daytona Beach Shores, and off Ponce Inlet, Volusia Co. Photographs and FOSRC form from Bob Wallace (Tomoka Landfill on 23 January); video and FOSRC form from Andy Bankert (Tomoka Landfill on 3 February); photographs from Tom Dunkerton (off Ponce Inlet on 28 January) and Michael Brothers (Daytona Beach Shores on 15 February). This first-cycle gull apparently wandered widely in Volusia Co. This particular individual was recognized by its petite build, very pale plumage, and distribution of pale brown on the face, wing coverts, and belly. There are 15 previous accepted records for Florida, (one supported by a specimen, 14 supported by photographs).
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-669. California Gull, Larus californicus. 27 January–3 February 2008. Tomoka Landfill, Daytona Beach, Volusia Co. Photographs and written analysis from Alvaro Jaramillo. Probably also at Ponce Inlet (Volusia Co. 12 February) and Daytona Beach Shores (Volusia Co., 20 February -6 March), but documentation not submitted. This first-cycle gull was distinguished from other similar large gulls (particularly Herring Gull, L. argentatus, and Lesser Black-backed Gull, L. fuscus) by its size (smaller than Herring), its relatively long legs and wings, its long parallel-sided bill with sharply demarcated pale base, its pink legs with bluish cast to the tarsal joints, and relatively unpatterned gray, first basic, back feathers. The FOSRC has previously accepted three submissions: a sight report from Pinellas Co. in 1983 (FOSRC #83-040), one photographed in Franklin Co. in 1998 (FOSRC #99-392), and a third-cycle bird photographed in Levy Co. in 2007 (FOSRC 07-646).
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-670. Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena. 5 February–30 March 2008. Alva, Lee Co. Photographs from Charlie Ewell; FOSRC form and photographs from Bill Pranty; photos from Rich Demler. The turquoise-blue upperparts of this second-year male were largely masked by extensive buff edges to the feathers. The bright white upper wingbar, rusty orange breast, and white belly differentiated it from Indigo Bunting. This individual was somewhat outside the usual spring occurrence of Lazuli Buntings in Florida, and likely wintered. Of eight records and reports accepted by the FOSRC (including 08-667 above), the only two not in March or April were a female or immature in Belle Glade (Palm Beach Co.) in December 1991 and FOSRC # 08-667 above.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-671. Razorbill, Alca torda. 25 January 2008. Ponce Inlet. FOSRC form from Michael Brothers. The description in this sight report, which includes the alcid shape, long bill, white underparts, and black upperparts, with a white crescent on the wings formed by the white tips to the secondaries, indicates either a murre (Thick-billed Murre, Uria lomvia, or Common Murre, U. aalge) or Razorbill. The blunt and deep bill, which distinguishes this alcid from either species of murre (Uria sp.), is adequately described. This rare winter visitor is known from Florida on the basis of one photographed in Brevard Co. in 1967, and 10 specimens (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Pranty 1993, 1996, Greenlaw and Kratter 2008).
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-672. Manx Shearwater, Puffinus puffinus. 21 November 2007. Playalinda Beach, Merritt Island, Volusia Co. Sight report. This bird was seen flying at ca. 300-400 m away through a spotting scope. The description of a small black-and-white shearwater matches either Manx Shearwater or Audubon’s Shearwater (P. lherminieri), which can be difficult to distinguish. The shorter tail, more extensive white on the underwing, white undertail coverts, and black upperparts all suggest Manx Shearwater, and the observer was extensively familiar with both species. However, at the distance of observation the field marks can be difficult to observe, especially since Audubon’s Shearwater can show much white in the undertail coverts (along with pale feet obscuring the dark undertail coverts), and fresh birds can be quite black. The observer’s description of the flight --- “The bird alternated between a series of rapid wingbeats interspersed with short (1-2 seconds) glides” --- is appropriate for Audubon’s Shearwater as well.
Not accept 0-7.
RC 08-673. Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis. 27 January–10 February 2008. Tomoka Landfill, Daytona Beach, Volusia Co. Photos and FOSRC form from Bob Wallace and John Hintermister, FOSRC form from Chris Newton, photographs and written analysis from Cameron Cox, and opinions from nine European gull experts. If confirmed as a Yellow-legged Gull, this would be the first record for Florida. This first-cycle gull generated some debate among the European gull experts. Eight of nine thought it was a Yellow-legged Gull, probably from one of the Atlantic populations in France, Spain, or Portugal. One of these experts, however, stated “… as a first for Florida, you may wish to wait for a more typical individual.” Another expert was not sure what it was, but did not think it was a Yellow-legged Gull. However, his concerns about the identification were rebutted by one of the other experts. The photos show a large gull (about size of Herring Gull), with a large, mostly dark bill, white head and breast streaked lightly with brown, rather long wings, mostly dark primaries with only a suggestion of a pale window in the inner primaries, mostly new scapulars with distinct dark anchor pattern, pale worn wing coverts with indistinct brown bars, and a white tail with broad dark subterminal band and no dark barring in the outer rectrices. Votes to not accept were concerned with the one dissenting opinion among the opinions solicited from the gull experts.
Not resolved, 5 accept, 2 not accept.
RC 08-674. Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides. 23 January 2008. Tomoka Landfill, Daytona Beach, Volusia Co. Photograph from Bob Wallace. This first-cycle bird was a more typical “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gull than 08-668, with the same size and small-billed, round headed, long-winged structure, but the pale plumage had much more extensive pale brown markings on the body and wing coverts. The visible portion of the primaries in this sitting bird appeared to be very pale brown, ruling out Thayer’s Gull. The tail also appeared to be very pale. There are 16 previous accepted records for Florida, (one supported by a specimen, 15 supported by photographs), including the record above.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-675. Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena. 20 February 2008. Old River, just north of Perdido Key, Escambia Co. FOSRC form from Jan Osborn. Sight report. This bird was seen in direct comparison with Horned Grebes (P. auritus). The observer noted the bird’s stockier build, larger size, longer neck, and longer and yellow bill in comparison to Horned Grebes. The observer also noted that the bird had white on both the leading and trailing edge of the wing in flight. Although other details of the plumage pattern were not noted by the observer --- other than stating “…the colors of the head and neck perfectly matched the adult non-breeding Red-necked Grebe in Sibley” --- the Committee felt that the details provided and direct comparison with Horned Grebe effectively eliminated any other species. There are only two previously accepted reports of Red-necked Grebe for Florida, one photographed in Gulf Breeze, (Santa Rosa Co.), December 2000, and a sight report, also from Gulf Breeze, in January 2001.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-676. Band-tailed Pigeon, Patagioenas fasciata. Withdrawn by submitter. Photographic evidence submitted indicated a Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina).
RC 08-677. Golden-cheeked Warbler, Dendroica chrysoparia. 15 March 2008. Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Lee Co. FOSRC form. Sight report. The observer had only a 3-second view of this bird, but noted the bird’s black crown and throat, yellow face, and thin black line through the eye. The rest of the bird was not seen. Although this face pattern matches Golden-cheeked Warbler and this species arrives on its central Texas breeding grounds in mid-March, the Committee felt that a rarity of this magnitude requires a much more detailed observation, including the solid black back that is diagnostic for this species. The similar Black-throated Green Warbler (D. virens) winters in small numbers in south Florida. There is but one record for Florida, a specimen was collected at Sawgrass Lake, Pinellas Co., on 24 August 1964 (Woolfenden 1967).
Not accept 0-7.
RC 08-678. Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri. 3–6 March 2008. Central Disposal Facility, Cocoa, Brevard Co. FOSRC form and photographs from Andy Bankert. A sight report from the same location by David Freeland on 29 January 2008 was almost certainly the same bird. This first-cycle bird was photographed standing but not in flight. The photos show a pale gray brown gull that is slightly smaller and slimmer than an adjacent Lesser Black-backed Gull, and has long wings, a somewhat rounded head, a short dark bill, primaries that are dark above and pale below, and muddy gray tertials fringed with white. These characters rule out other gull species. There are only 10 previous documented or accepted reports 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 FOSRC 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.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-679. Loggerhead Kingbird, Tyrannus caudifasciatus. 14–22 March 2008. Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, Monroe Co. FOSRC form and photographs from Larry Manfredi, Casper Zuyderduyn, and Laure Neish. Second Florida record. The photographs show a stocky, long-billed kingbird with predominately white underparts (with a yellowish wash to the undertail coverts), a black cap, a contrasting brownish-gray back, and broad white tips to the outer rectrices. Gray Kingbird (T. dominicensis) shows a grayer crown that is concolor with the back, a heavier bill, and lacks the pale tail tips. Eastern Kingbird (T. tyrannus) has a darker back, more clearly demarcated white tail tips, a shorter bill, and longer primary extension. The gray back with little olive tone, pale tail tips, and white flanks of the Dry Tortugas bird indicates either the nominate race from Cuba or T. c. flavescens from the Isle of Youth. This record comes quickly on the heels of the first record from Florida in March 2007 (FOSRC 07-632), though this species has had a convoluted history on the Official State List of Florida. Birds photographed in the 1970s had been accepted by Robertson and Woolfenden (1992), but Smith et al. (2000) reviewed these records and concluded that none established the species for the State. The FOSRC subsequently voted to remove the species from the list in 2003 (Bowman and Greenlaw 2006), and it was not reinstated until the appearance of the Key West bird in 2007.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-680. Townsend's Solitaire, Myadestes townsendi. 9–13 March 2008. Genius Drive Nature Preserve, Winter Park, Orange Co. Manuscript submitted to Florida Field Naturalist by Andy Bankert, Bruce Anderson, and Bill Pranty; photographs by Lyn Atherton. This bird, a first record of the species for Florida, was an erect-perching, elongated passerine, with a long tail and short dark bill. The photographs show a rather uniform plumage coloration, medium gray above, paler below. The bird has a distinct white eyering, distinct buff bases to the remiges, black undertail coverts with white tips, and large white outer rectrices. These characters rule out all other possible species. Pale edges to some breast, back, and wing covert feathers indicates a second-year individual (Pyle 1997). One call-note, a high-pitched “peet” was elicited when prerecorded songs and calls were broadcast. This migratory, western montane species breeds east to southwestern Saskatchewan, southwestern South Dakota, and northwestern Nebraska, and regularly winters at lower elevations east to western Missouri, western Oklahoma, and western Texas (AOU 1998). It has strayed east to much of northeastern North America south to Iowa, Ohio, and New Jersey (AOU 1998), and more recently to South Carolina (SCBRC 2006), Mississippi (sight report; MOSBRC 2004), and Louisiana (Dobbs 2003). Townsend’s Solitaires staged a mini-invasion of eastern North America during winter 2007-2008 and the Florida individual was undoubtedly associated with this movement.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-681. Razorbill, Alca torda. 6 April 2008, South Beach, Vero Beach, Indian River Co. Photographs from Greg Bossart and Andrew Kratter. Specimen (UF 46592). A mummified specimen was found beached by Andrew and Troy Westover. The specimen was brought to Gregory Bossart at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, who identified it as a Razorbill. The specimen was then sent to the FLMNH, where a skeletal specimen and spread wing was prepared. Although the specimen was quite mummified, it is quite unlikely to have died outside of State waters and drifted 350 km south to Indian River Co. This rare winter visitor is known from Florida on the basis of one photographed in Brevard Co. in 1967, one observed in Volusia Co. (FOSRC #08-671 above), and 11 specimens (Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Pranty 1993, 1996, Greenlaw and Kratter 2008).
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-682. MacGillivray's Warbler, Oporornis tolmiei. 22–23 April 2008. Fort De Soto Park, Pinellas Co. This bird was found by Pete Timmer, Chuck Geanangel, and Mark Henderson and subsequently photographs by Lyn Atherton were posted to the Internet (permission to use her photographs as submissions, Atherton in litt.). This male showed an olive green back, unmarked wings, a gray head and throat, broad white crescents above and below the eye, and bright yellow breast and belly. The broad eye crescents and black-mottled, gray throat separate it from the closely related Mourning Warbler (O. philadelphia). The FOSRC has accepted four previous reports (one photo, three sight reports).
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-683. Red-billed Tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus. 23 May 2008. 16 km east of Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade Co. FOSRC form and photographs from Roberto Torres; photographs from Angel Abreu and Trey Mitchell. The series of photographs, showing the bird in flight and resting on the water, showed a subadult bird with characters diagnostic for Red-billed Tropicbird: a large dull yellow bill with an arching culmen, a black mask that circled back toward the nape, black on the outer six primaries, and dark primary coverts. There were nine previously accepted reports (four specimens, four photos, one sight report) for this species in Florida.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-684. Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus. 26 April–2 May 2008. Peacock’s Cove, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Brevard Co. Photographs from Reinhard Geisler. FOSRC form from Chris Newton. The photographs show the bird swimming on the water; no flight shots were obtained. This first-cycle gull shows a long bill that is dark red basally and black distally. This bird generated some debate on the Internet, with one observer stating that it was a Bonaparte’s Gull (C. philadelphia) with aberrant bill color. This observer felt that the bird was structurally similar to nearby Bonaparte’s Gulls and lacked the darker underwings of Black-headed Gull. However, on examination of specimens of Bonaparte’s and Black-headed Gulls from the FLMNH, as well as photographs in Olsen and Larsson (2004) and Howell and Dunn (2007), the Committee found the bill matched Black-headed Gull in that feathering extended along the bill nearly to the nares. In Bonaparte’s Gull there is a noticeable gap between the feathering and nares. First-cycle Black-headed Gulls can become quite bleached by late spring and lack distinctively dark underwings (Olsen and Larsson 2004, photo 638 on p. 449) Also suggestive of Black-headed Gull was the bird’s tameness; Bonaparte’s are more wary. There are seven previously documented or accepted records and reports for Florida, one sight report and six supported by photographs, in Cocoa, Brevard Co., in 1972 (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992), Leon (Aug 1982), Collier (Nov 1990), Duval (Dec 1998), Alachua (Jan 2000), and Indian River (Feb 2002), and Miami-Dade (Oct 2005) cos.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-685. Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis. 18 June 2008. Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Monroe Co. Photographs, sketch, and FOSRC form from Larry Manfredi. The photographs, though not sharp, show an olive-backed passerine with plain wings, a whitish belly, yellow flanks and undertail coverts, a contrasting gray nape, and sturdy gray legs. Details of the head are not visible in any of the three photographs; however, the sketch and details submitted mention a long bicolored bill, gray crown, and red eye. All these characters are consistent with Yellow-green Vireo and rule out the similar Red-eyed Vireo (V. olivaceus) and Black-whiskered Vireo (V. altiloquus). Accepted reports in Florida include one specimen (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992) and five sight reports.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-686. Masked Duck, Nomonyx dominicus. 2 May 2008. Sheridan Street, Pembroke Pines, Broward Co. Photograph and FOSRC form from Larry Manfredi. This male, photographed on private property, shows the huge pale bill, chestnut body, and black head that are diagnostic for this species. The FOSRC has accepted four previous reports (3 photographs, 1 sight report); in addition, Stevenson and Anderson (1994) list eleven documented records (7 photographs, 4 specimens) that have not been evaluated by the FOSRC.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-687. “Audubon's” Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata “auduboni.” 15 April 2004. Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, Monroe Co. Video and FOSRC form from Larry Manfredi. The video shows a Yellow-rumped Warbler with a bright yellow throat, black lores, plain dark gray face and extensive black across the breast, all consistent with a male of one of the western races (formerly split as Audubon’s Warbler). The bird shows no signs of intergradation with the white-throated eastern races (“Myrtle Warbler”). The two previously accepted reports by the FOSRC were another spring migrant at Dry Tortugas (30 April 1988), and a fall migrant at Fort De Soto (Pinellas Co, 28 Sep 2006).
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-688. Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis. 23 April 2008. Key West Botanical Gardens, Stock Island, Monroe Co. FOSRC form from Carl Goodrich. Sight report. The description includes the olive back and unmarked wings, white underparts with distinctive yellow flanks and undertail coverts, large bill, and gray crown lacking black borders that are diagnostic for Yellow-green Vireo. Accepted records and reports in Florida include one specimen (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992), one photographed (08-685 above), and five sight reports.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-689. Great Black-Hawk. Buteogallus urubitinga. December 2003–August 2008. Virginia Key, Miami-Dade Co. Written analysis and photographs from Robin Diaz. Additional photographs from John Boyd, III, Bonnie Ponwith, and Tricia Auffhammer. Diaz presented the long history spanning several decades that black-hawks of the genus Buteogallus have been reported in the Keys and southern mainland of Florida. Although some have commented that these reports may have represented natural vagrants of Common Black-Hawk (B. anthracinus), the FOSRC has never assessed these reports, and Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) did not accept any Buteogallus species to the Official State List. In recent years, birds centered in and around Virginia Key have been identified as Great Black-Hawks. In the photos presented by Diaz, the basal half of the tail and uppertail coverts are distinctively white, thus identifying this individual as a Great Black-Hawk from the nominate population in South America. This population is unlikely to reach Florida as a natural vagrant. Although it seems likely that a small population of Great Black-Hawks has persisted here for 30+ years, we only have photographs and submitted notes from 2003 onwards and thus restrict our identification to this time period. We thus accept the identification as Great Black-Hawk of the nominate race, but do not accept the record as a natural vagrant to Florida, as Diaz had concluded in her analysis. The only other FOSRC reviewed Buteogallus report from Florida (94-296, from Dixie Co.) was not accepted (Anderson 1996).
Not accept (provenance) 0-7.
RC 08-690. Bullock’s Oriole, Icterus bullockii. 26–31 March 2008. Tallahassee, Leon Co. FOSRC form and video from Alexa Roche. The video clearly shows an adult male Bullock’s Oriole, with bright orange underparts and supercilium, and black crown, eye-stripe, chin patch, and back. The greater coverts are largely white. There are eight previously confirmed records of Bullock’s Oriole for Florida (Pranty et al. 2005, Greenlaw and Kratter 2007, FOSRC 08-665 above); however, three of these pertain to what is almost certainly the same returning female to a yard in Tallahassee in winter from 2005-2006 to 2007-2008.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-691. Alder Flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum. 5 September 2007. “The Annex”, Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area, Miami-Dade Co. FOSRC form and audio recording from Mickey Wheeler. The documentation includes a written description of this Empidonax flycatcher and a recording of its flat “pip” calls (calls transcribed from Sibley 2000). This recording was analyzed in reference to recordings of Empidonax species in Elliott et al. (1997). Calls of similar Empidonax flycatchers possible in Florida are the more liquid “whit” of Willow Flycatcher (E. traillii) or “pwit” of Least Flycatcher (E. minimus), the rich distinctive “pweek” of Acadian Flycatcher (E. virescens), or the more whistled “tuwee” of Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (E. flaviventris). The large bill with a mainly yellow mandible eliminates the vagrant Hammond’s Flycatchers (E. hammondii). The FOSRC added Willow Flycatcher and Alder Flycatcher to the FOSRC review list because the status of these extremely similar species, which were formerly lumped as Traill’s Flycatcher (E. traillii), is very unclear in Florida.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-692. Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus/couchii. 2 August 2008. Gulf Breeze, Peake Subdivision, Santa Rosa Co. FOSRC form from Bob Duncan. Sight report. The description of this silent, yellow-bellied kingbird includes the long bill, unmarked notched tail, and green breast that indicate either Tropical Kingbird or Couch’s Kingbird. Field identification of these two species is not possible without hearing their distinct vocalizations or observing the relative lengths of some of the outer primaries (Pyle 1998). There are six previously accepted records with photographs and recordings and/or descriptions of vocalizations plus one accepted sight report of Tropical Kingbird for Florida; there is an additional accepted record (photo) of a bird that was either a Tropical or a Couch’s Kingbird. Couch’s Kingbird remains to be documented from Florida. Vocalizing Couch’s Kingbirds, which were not recorded, have been found in Florida and were accepted by the FOSRC (# 86-092 and 86-106), but the species is not included on the Official State List because no verifiable documentation existed.
Accept 7-0.
RC 08-693. Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus/couchii. 16 July 2008. Fort De Soto Park, Pinellas Co. Photograph from Lyn Atherton posted to Internet (permission to use her photographs as submissions, Atherton in litt.). The photograph shows a yellow-bellied kingbird with a very long bill, unmarked notched tail, and green breast that indicate either Tropical Kingbird or Couch’s Kingbird. Field identification of these two species is not possible without hearing their distinct vocalizations or observing the relative lengths of some of the outer primaries (Pyle 1998), although the length of this bird’s bill may be outside the range of Couch’s Kingbird. Nevertheless, without measurements or vocalizations, the Committee felt it was appropriate to list this as a Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird. There are six accepted records with photographs and recordings and/or descriptions of vocalizations plus one accepted sight report of Tropical Kingbird for Florida; there are an additional two accepted records (one photo and the one sight report above) of birds that were either Tropical Kingbird or Couch’s Kingbird.
Accept 7-0
RC 08-694. “Thayer's” Gull, Larus thayeri. 31 January 2008. Central Disposal Facility, Cocoa, Brevard Co. Photographs. This gull was originally posted on the Internet as a probable Thayer’s or Kumlien’s Iceland Gull hybrid with a Herring Gull (Larus argentatus smithsonianus). The Committee thought it was appropriate to review the record, as both Iceland Gull and Thayer’s Gull are on the review list, even though no one had submitted it as a review list taxon. This first-cycle gull had noticeable damage to its inner primaries. Although this gull had some characters of Thayer’s Gull (long wings, smaller size relative to Herring Gull, dark primaries that were paler from below), it also had a massive bill that is not typical of “white-winged” gulls (Thayer’s and Iceland gulls). The oversized bill indicates a possible hybrid ancestry, most likely with Herring Gull as one parent, and Thayer’s Gull or possibly Kumlien’s Iceland Gull as the other parent. However, neither hybrid combination is known (Howell and Dunn 2007).
Not accept 0-7.
RC 08-695. Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides. 29 January 2008. Central Disposal Facility, Cocoa, Brevard Co. Sight report. The rather brief description includes several characters that are good for Kumlien’s Iceland Gull, such as the size (between Herring and Ring-billed gulls), short dark bill, rounded head, and white primaries with few brown bars. However, the description does not include the length of the primaries and details of the tail and tertials, which are important criteria for differentiating an Iceland Gull from a small bleached or leucistic Herring Gull.
Not resolved: 5 accept, 2 not accept.
RC 08-696. Alder Flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum. 28 August 2008. “Lucky Hammock,” Frog Pond Wildlife Management Area, west of Homestead, Miami-Dade Co. Audio recording from Larry Manfredi. The audio file provided a song (burry harsh “vreee----bee-o”), some song variants and a few calls typical of Alder Flycatcher. This recording was analyzed in reference to recordings of Empidonax species in Elliott et al. (1997). Manfredi stated (in litt.) that there were six Alder Flycatchers present at this time at “Lucky Hammock,” and that several are present at this site every fall. He has yet to find a Willow Flycatcher at this site.
Accept 7-0.
RC 85-075. Bachman’s Warbler, Vermivora bachmanii. 30 March 1977. Lake Washington, west of Melbourne, Brevard Co. This record, accepted by the FOSRC in 1985, is described in Barber (1985). Five photographs and a written analysis, which includes some transcribed opinions of S. D. Ripley and R. F. Pasquier from the National Museum of Natural History, H. M. Stevenson from Florida, and N. K. Johnson and S. F. Bailey from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, were originally submitted to the FOSRC. The original correspondence from the experts, however, is not in the FOSRC file. In addition, Barber and Dan Heathcote, who also saw the Brevard Co. bird, visited the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, to study warbler specimens. This identification is particularly intriguing, because the next most recent confirmation of this probably extinct species was in 1962 in South Carolina. In their warbler monograph, Dunn and Garrett (1997) questioned the identification as a Bachman’s Warbler. Dunn and Garrett (1997) concluded that this was a female “Golden” Yellow Warbler (D. petechia, petechia group), which is resident in mangroves in southernmost Florida and throughout most of the Caribbean. However, they did not provide reasons for their conclusion. Interestingly, this identification was never considered by either the original observers or the consulted experts. With the recent question of the identity of this bird, the FOSRC decided to re-assess the submission. Along with digital copies of the original photos, the FOSRC had a digital photograph posted to the Internet of three Bachman Warbler specimens from VIREO (Visual Resources of Ornithology), and specimens of Golden Yellow Warblers and North American (aestiva group) Yellow Warblers from the FLMNH and Archbold Biological Station. The photographs of the 1977 bird, none of which is very sharp, show a very drab pale brownish warbler, whitish below with a band of pale yellow across the chest, no wingbars, indistinct yellow edges to the remiges and maybe some coverts. The primary extension appears short. The bill appears to have a slightly curved maxilla. The plumage matches some Bachman’s Warblers, but may also approach some female Golden Yellow Warblers, though none of the specimens or photographs we examined show such drab plumage in a spring female. The primary extension of Bachman’s Warbler appears long in the VIREO photographs, but the angle of the photographs does not permit an accurate assessment of this character. Unlike Yellow Warblers of the aestiva group, Golden Yellow Warblers have short primary extension. The Brevard Co. bird does not appear to have the pronounced decurved bill typical of Bachman’s Warbler, but the observers felt it matched a female specimen at the Academy of Natural Sciences. The Committee felt that it needed more comparative material to overturn a prior FOSRC decision and voted to table the vote.
Tabled.
RC 08-666. Bicknell’s Thrush, Catharus bicknelli. 28 October 2007. Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, Monroe Co. FOSRC form and photographs. This Catharus thrush, with its relatively plain face, lack of eyering, and dark spotted breast on a white background is either a Gray-cheeked or Bicknell’s Thrush. The lower mandible shows a bright yellowish-orange base, extending more than halfway toward the tip, which is characteristic of Bicknell’s. The color of the tail and wings was described as reddish brown, also indicating Bicknell’s. The observer, who is quite familiar with both species, stated that the size and subtle plumage differences are noticeable in the field, but without in hand measurements, this would be difficult to determine. Although most of the Committee felt that this is a good candidate for Bicknell’s Thrush, based on the bill pattern and tail color, a Committee member stated that banders in south Florida have had good Bicknell’s candidates previously, but measurements showed them to be Gray-cheeked. Most references (Pyle 1997, Lane and Jaramillo 2000) state that Bicknell’s Thrush cannot be safely identified without measurements or descriptions of vocalizations. Previous records in Florida of Bicknell’s Thrush in Florida include four specimens identified by Woolfenden & Greenlaw (2005), three from spring (Nassau, Brevard, and Miami-Dade cos.) and one from fall (Miami-Dade Co.), and three records (two fall and one spring) of birds that were mist-netted, photographed, and measured in Miami-Dade and Monroe cos.; the spring record (FOSRC #07-641) was of two birds and a third bird was also heard there that day.
Not Accept 0-7.
6. Proposals to change By-laws, and Rules and Procedures. Bruce Anderson and Bill Pranty gave a short progress report on Proposal 1 they introduced to the FOSRC meeting in January 2008 (Reconstruct the “Official List of the Birds of Florida as compiled by the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee” based exclusively on reports/records evaluated by FOSRC). They have been assembling records from museum collections. There was no progress on the other three proposals introduced at the January 2008 meeting.
7. Change requirements for accepting Alder Flycatcher and Willow Flycatcher submissions. The FOSRC has Willow and Alder Flycatchers on the review list, but will accept submissions only if vocalizations are recorded and submitted. The FOSRC included this stipulation because field (or even in-hand) identification is usually impossible without vocal evidence, and the status of both species in Florida is thus very unclear. Even though we have had this stipulation for these two species for several years, and both species are reported annually in Florida, we have had no submissions of either species until this meeting, when two Alder Flycatcher records were submitted. Bruce Anderson, however, pointed out that we do not require audio recordings of vocalizations for submissions of Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird, and, in fact, we had at our January meeting accepted a submission of Tropical Kingbird that described the vocalizations, but without audio recordings. The Committee voted to remove the stipulation that audio recordings are required for submissions of these two Empidonax species to increase the rate of submissions. We also voted to remove a separate list of review species on the FOSRC Internet site, and to have review species indicated solely by annotations on the Official State List.
8. Replacement for Mickey Wheeler on FOSRC. The Committee nominated Jon Greenlaw to replace Mickey Wheeler on the FOSRC. The nomination was approved by FOS President, Jerry Jackson. Jon previously served on the FOSRC from 2000-2006, and as Secretary of the Committee in 2006.
9. Meeting adjourned at 6:40 PM.
LITERATURE CITED
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Anderson, B. A. 1996. Twelfth report of the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee: 1995-1995. Florida Field Naturalist 24: 122-134.
Barber, R. D. 1985. A recent record of Bachman’s Warbler from Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 13: 64-66.
Bowman, R, and J. Greenlaw. 2006. Fifteenth report of the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee: 2004-2005. Florida Field Naturalist 34: 103-112.
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