plumage studied at length in California. The two observations for Trinidad, Blake tml pattern, size, scaly appearance,straight, surmises that "accidental occurrences on the medium-lengthbill, and buffy foreneck and SouthAmerican mainland are likely." breast rule out all other shorebirds. Wilson's Phalarope breeds in the interior of North America and winters in southern NVenezuela,ArmtTtON To themE series^Bovœ ofnew fallrecords shorebird for South America. It is recorded in transit in censusescarried out by the authors in 1975, western Ecuador and Colombia, and in 1976 and 1977 at the Refugio de Fauna Sll- Central America. Phelps and Phelps (Lista vestre de Cuare has resulted in observations de las Aves de Venezuela con su Distribu- of severalother shorebirdspecies only rarely ct6n, Tomo II, Parte 1, Caracas, 1957) recorded in Venezuela. Hudsonian Godwit opined that Wilson's Phalarope(p. 16) would (Limosa haemastica),a speciespreviously probably be found in Venezuela, but they known in Venezuela from only two speci- apparently could not state positively that it mens (Phelps and Phelps, op. cit.) was had occurred. Moreover, vagrantshave been sightedOct. 18, 1975and Nov. 1, 1975.Red observedin Jamaica,Guadeloupe, Martinique Knot (Calidris canutus),known in Venezuela and Barbados (Bond, Birds of the West from onlyone specimen (op. cit.) wasrecorded Indies, 1974) and in interior Brazil in Mato Sept. 28, 1975 (two individuals), Sept. 10, Grosso (de Schauensee,The Speciesof Birds 1977 (two individuals) and Sept. 17, 1977 of South America with their Distribution, (one individual). Snowy Plover (Charadrms 1966). alexandrinus),not previouslyreported from The Ruff is, of course, a Eurasian bird, but the Venezuelanmainland, (although reported it has been reported frequently from North resident in the Dutch and Venezuelan islands America. Antillean recordswere sufficiently of the southernCaribbean), has been found numerous for Bond (op. cit.) to include the to be regular in small numbers(up to seven species in the main text rather than in his individuals)in Septemberand October of all "List of Vagrants." Indeed, he notes it as "a three years. frequent visitor to Barbados." The only pre- The authors would like to thank E. R vious South American record is from Colom- Blake and E. Eisenmannfor commentingon bia, but, accordingto Blake (Manual of Neo- this manuscript. tropical Birds, p. 592, 1977), it is "based solely on a skin of 'Bogot•i'make and is ques- --Departamento de Matematicas, Univer- tionable." However, after mentioning one sMad Simon Bolivar, Apartado Postal 5354, record each for Guatemala and Panama and Caracas, Venezuela.

Eurasian Curlew (Numeniusarquata) on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

George G. Daniels

east. Through binoculars we could discern HIScolleaguesNOTE ISSUBMITTEDAllan R. Keith,onbehalf Charlesof myW. that the bird wasa curlew,and the expecta- Lincoln, Richard M. Sargent,E. Manning tion was that it wouldbe a Whimbrel,which Sears -- and myself. would have beenunusual enough at this time At approximately 10 a.m. on February 18, of year. However,the firstlook through our 1978, we arrived at the northwest comer of scopes-- ranging from 20x to 40x -- made it Menemsha Pond preparatory to birding the clear that here was no Whimbrel. The bill area. Manning Sears was the first to spot a was too long and the bird appearedto be large shorebird standingamong gulls on a plain-headed, lacking the Whimbrel's bold sandspitapproximately one-half mile to the stripes. The bird, also, was immense- 310 AmericanBirds, May 1978 Eurasian Curlew, Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard, Mass., Mar. I I, 1978.Note the light tail and white wedge extendingup the back. Photos/Alan Brady.

nearly Herring Gull size. the more uniform mantle of Whimbrel -- of Color was a medium-dark, brown-gray, whichever race. which ruled out Long-billed Curlew, as did We continued to observe the bird on the the bill, which, while long, was not exceed- marsh for perhaps another ten minutes, and ingly so. At this point, in feverishconsulta- finally concludedthat no goodpurpose would tion with a European field guide, we beganto be served by moving to the opposite shore- suspectthat our bird was a EurasianCurlew, line and perhaps spookingit into flight. Numenius arquata. We thereuponmoved up We found the bird again the next day, and to the bird, leap-frogging so that some confirmed all of our previous observations. members of our group always had the bird in Numerous groupsof birdersfrom Massachu- scope.After we had worked up possiblyone- setts, Connecticutand as far away as Florida, third of the distance, it becameapparent that on hearing the news, travelled to the Vine- the bird, in fact, did not have head stripings. yard and saw the bird. The last reported We also observed that aside from the body sightingswas on March 18. streaking, there was a thin, horizontal Numenius arquata breeds in Eastern whitish line where the wings covered the tail. Europe, the U.S.S.R. and Scandinavia and The legsappeared slaty blue, in what was fair normally wintersthroughout much of Europe, light, with the sunoff our right shoulders. North Africa and Asia Minor. As far as we The bird next got up and flew a short dis- tance, exposing a light tail, with a white wedge running up into the back. We now knew that it was a speciesof Europeancur- lew. Not wishing to rule out anything, we consideredthe possibilityof Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris),but the bird was much too big and too long-billed.

URacrossBIRD COOPERATEDthe narrow ADMIRABLYMenemsha by channelflying to a marsh, affording excellent views. We were impressed by the triple-toned effect: brownish grey body and fore-wing, a dis- tinctly lighter area in the secondaries,and a much darker set of primaries. This flickering Eurasian Curlew, same bird, showing the long triple-tonedeffect as the bird flew was really decurved bill, light area in the secondaries and quite striking. It was in dramaticcontrast to dark forewing.

Volume 32, Number 3 311 can determine, this is the third record for year after one spent the winter on the Cape continental North America. A bird of the And finally, two male Brewer's Blackbirds nominate race was collected on Long Island, spent the winter of 1975 on the Cape, the N.Y., in 1853. A secondbird was observedat winter of 1976on the Vineyard, the winter of Monomoy, Cape Cod, Mass., in the fall of 1977 back on the Cape, and, lo, Allan Keith 1976. It is interesting to speculate whether pointed out a male Brewer's in a flock of the presentbird is the Monomoybird of two Starlings on this last trip at the very same years past. These accidentalshave a way of Katama farm where the two had appearedat turning up in the samegeneral area year after Christmastimetwo years earlier. year. A Smew reported in Rhode Island in 1978 was possibly a returnee [see p. 322]. A -- 10901 Pleasant Hill Dr., Potomac, Sandhill Crane turned up on the Vineyard a MD 20854.

Black-headed G11 (Larus ridibundus) breeding in Newfoundland

Davis W. Finch

At Stephenville Crossingon the west coast sides of the upper breast. The feet were an of Newfoundland an extensive estuary with indeterminate dark shade, the bill dull pink broad flats, shallows and small islands basally. provides breeding habitat for Great Black- My approach.across the flats provoked backed, Herring and Ring-billedGulls as well repeated if mild protest behavior on the part as Common and Caspian Terns. Since at of the adults, some of which circled low over- least 1973, small numbers of summering head, making shallow dives and uttering a Black-headed Gulls have also been present, sharp "kuk-kuk". The only call heard from as the following records indicate: In 1973, the young birds was a shrill whining "eeeer" four adults on August 15 and two on August repeated at short intervals both in flight, 20 (DWF); in 1974, three adults on July 17 when in some cases they seemed to pursue (AGR); in 1975, ten adults on July 27 adults, and on the flats, when they would (BDMact, SIT); in 1976, eight adults or walk up to adults in a hunchedposture w•th second-summerbirds on July 28 and four on neck withdrawn and head lowered. Although August 24 (DWF). In 1977, I visited the area it could not be established with certainty, it on August 12and 26, findingon the first occa- seemed probable that two pairs of adults sion five adults and a just-fledged juvenal, were present with young and although the and on the second five adults and three record could not be based on nests and eggs, juvenals. This appears to be the first the evidence of breeding was unambiguous ewdence of North American breedingby the It could be added that the discoverycomes as species. no particular surprise, Black-headed Gulls That these were indeed locally-hatched having slowly increased in eastern North juvenals was apparent from the fact that the America for more than four decades. The primaries were not fully developed, the speciesmay well have nestedat Stephenville wings being short and roundedat the tips and Crossingprior to 1977;the area is only occa- the wingbeats deep. To an observer accus- sionally visited by birdwatchers. tomed to juvenal Bonaparte's Gulls they I wish to thank Bruce D. Mactavish, A. Glen looked surprisinglydark brown on the crown, Ryan and Stuart I. Tingleyfor their records. neck, back and upper wing surface, but like that specieshad a warm brown wash on the -- South Road, East Kingston, N.H. 03827

312 American Birds, May 1978