Minutes of the MBRC Meeting s1

Minutes of the MBRC Meeting 23 November 2008 DeWitt, Michigan

Members present: Caleb G. Putnam, Chairman; Adam M. Byrne, Secretary; Rick Brigham, Lathe Claflin, Jim Dawe, Louie Dombroski, Brad Murphy, and Scott Terry

Members absent: Joe Kaplan

The meeting was called to order by Caleb Putnam at 1118 EST.

Physical evidence 2008-1770-01 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Saginaw Co., Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge 29 September – 1 October 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-1700-04 Ross’s Goose Grand Traverse Co., Boardman Lake 13-31 March 2008 Resubmit, 5-2

2006-1491-02 Tufted Duck Wayne Co., Lake Erie Metropark 16 April 2006 Accept, 6-1 [Some discussion took place regarding the presence/absence of gray vermiculations on the bird’s back, a sign of past introgression of scaup spp. (Aythya marila/affinis) genes. The photo was taken through some branches, which created some blurry areas on the upper back. All felt the tuft, bill, and back appeared consistent for an adult male Tufted Duck, but one member shared concerns that the blurriness to the back region prevented him from being certain gray vermiculations were not present.]

2008-0100-02 Pacific Loon Marquette Co., Marquette 26 May – 2 June 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-0090/0100-01 Arctic/Pacific Loon Gogebic Co., Ottawa National Forest 1 October 2008 Reject, 0-7 [Some discussion took place regarding the likelihood that the bird was actually a Red- throated Loon. The picture showed a very diffuse, weak neck pattern, very unlike the strong contrast one should see on an Arctic/Pacific Loon. Also, the video footage showed a loon swimming with a very snake-like neck and rather upturned profile to the head/bill.]

1999-3290-01 Mississippi Kite Washtenaw Co. 19 May 1999 Accept, 7-0

2008-2600-01 Ruff Monroe Co., Pointe Mouillee State Game Area 19-23 August 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-0570-01 Heermann’s Gull Houghton Co., Chassel 18 July 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-3190-01 White-winged Dove Mackinac Co., Milakokia Lake 7 September 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-4271-01 Green Violetear Alger Co., Laughing Whitefish Point 5-6 July 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-4271-02 Green Violetear Kent Co., Cascade Twp. 18-28 October 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-4330-01 Rufous Hummingbird Ottawa Co., Holland 7 November – present 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-4570-01 Say’s Phoebe Baraga/Houghton Cos., Arnheim 29 September 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-4430-01 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Chippewa Co., Whitefish Point to Paradise 2-3 June 2008 Accept, 7-0

2008-7150-02 Rock Wren Baraga/Houghton Cos., Arnheim 22 May 2008 Accept, 7-0

The minutes from the meeting on 29 June 2008 were approved unanimously.

Resubmissions From Round 111: 2008-2080-02 King Rail There was some concern regarding the very general rail-like shape reported, but most of the conversation revolved around the size comparison reported. The bird was said to be larger than an American Woodcock that was “visible at about the same distance.” Many were concerned that the birds could have been in opposite directions, making it very difficult to ascertain relative sizes. The throat was described as “reddish,” which fits for Virginia Rail but not King Rail (should be whitish on Kings).

2008-6070-01 Western Tanager (male only) The biggest concern for this record was the odd, or highly coincidental, circumstance surrounding the sighting. The observer had just spoken with her son in Oregon who reported seeing his life Western Tanager. A few hours later, the observer was stunned to see what was believed to be a male and female Western Tanager in her yard. [The female was rejected in the first round, but the male made it into resubmission.] The bird was described as being yellow with a reddish face and black wings with wingbars.

Some felt the circumstances were just too suggestive, thinking the observer was likely swayed by the earlier conversation with her son. However, other members felt it was not possible to just ignore the details provided – they really didn’t fit anything but a Western Tanager. The observer stated her first impression was of a finch, but that was due to the flash of yellow coloration, not because of some reference to overall size. Another reject comment questioned whether a feeder station was appropriate for a Western Tanager – it was pointed out that many of Michigan’s records have been visiting bird feeders.

2008-6050-02 Lark Bunting Members were concerned about the very brief report, describing a black bird with a conical bill and white epaulettes. The main issue was whether a leucistic blackbird could be eliminated from consideration. Supporters felt the all black plumage should eliminate Brown-headed Cowbird, while the conical bill was not appropriate for a Red-winged Blackbird. The limited details and placement of the white on the wings left members divided, with some feeling things were just too brief and unclear and others feeling the details fit a Lark Bunting. 2008-6050-03 Lark Bunting The photos were discussed, but most felt the images were just too small and blurry to allow one to feel completely confident what apparent field marks were actually present. The photos showed a blackish bird with a large white area on the wing, but many felt the extent and location of white was hard to ascertain. However, some members felt the photos were supportive, stating that the shape and extent of the wing patch appeared consistent with a male Lark Bunting.

The written description, however, mentioned the head was blacker than the slate-gray body – a mark considered inconsistent with a male Lark Bunting. In the end, most members felt the blurry images were inconclusive and that the written details seemed contradictory to the identification.

2008-5970-01 Blue Grosbeak The observer described a blue bird with brown on the wings. Its size was estimated to be larger than a House Sparrow, but several members pointed out that no direct comparisons were available. The song was described as a “melodic musical phrase, like a [song sparrow] in timbre but lower in pitch.” At least one member felt this was supportive of Blue Grosbeak and not of an Indigo Bunting, while other members felt the song, as described, could fit almost anything. Lastly, the bird was observed from very close range (~10 yards), so details on face pattern (ie., presence and distribution of black around the bill) would have been useful. In the end, many felt the description was not adequate to eliminate a second calendar year male Indigo Bunting.

From Round 112: 2008-1860-02 Plegadis ibis The description was brief, but it described a large bird with a curved beak and dark “blue/brown/purple” plumage. The dissenting members were bothered by the brief details and whether a juvenile White Ibis could fully be eliminated. However, the combination of colors mentioned for the plumage would never be seen on a juvenile White Ibis. By the end of the discussion, all present were comfortable with the details.

2008-5520-07 Lark Sparrow Concerns centered on the time lag between observation and preparation of the report (~ 3 weeks), vague date on the report, and reported size of the bird. Most felt the time from observation to report preparation was not problematic, especially since the details presented were very general and of very bold obvious field marks. The date on the report just said “25 May,” but failed to specify the year of the observation. Byrne pointed out that the record was originally posted to eBird and corresponded to a entry for 25 May 2008 – had he noticed the absent year on the report, he would have printed the eBird entry that clearly listed the year of observation. Lastly, the size was stated to be large, “like a Fox Sparrow.” No direct size comparisons were available, and many felt the impression of a large sparrow was appropriate for this species. Some felt the reference to a Fox Sparrow was inaccurate, but given the lack of comparisons, most members felt this was not an egregious error. From physical evidence (see above): 2008-1700-04 Ross’s Goose The two photos show only a small white goose, with no other species available for comparison. However, all felt the general proportions and size seemed appropriate for a Ross’s Goose. The concern centered on the perception of a small grin patch in one of the photos. Most members felt the lighting was creating the impression, causing some of the blue-gray warty region at the bill’s base to appear dark. In other words, to most, there did not appear to be any appreciable grin patch. The bill base/facial feathering interface appeared straight and vertical, there was noticeable blue-gray coloration on the bill base, the bill lacked a grin patch, and size seemed appropriate, leading all members to agree this individual appeared consistent with a pure Ross’s Goose.

Bylaws Proposals E.5. Byrne proposed to change Bylaw E.5. to: Members will abstain from voting on records for which they have submitted documentation; members will not abstain on any other votes. When it is not possible to get seven votes for a record, votes will be solicited from past committee members, starting with the most recently replaced member and going back in succession until there are enough eligible and willing voters; in cases where more than one committee member rotated off the committee at the same time, past committee members will be contacted simultaneously and the first to respond positively will be used. Past committee members will be given seven days to respond to the solicitation before the next past committee member is contacted.

At the end of 2008, two committee members (Kaplan and Terry) will simultaneously rotate off the committee. This proposal would clarify the process of contacting and selecting ex-members for voting assistance – the current version does not detail how the Secretary is supposed to choose between members that rotate off the committee at the same time.

Dawe moved to change Bylaw E.5. to: Members will abstain from voting on records for which they have submitted documentation; members will not abstain on any other votes. When it is not possible to get seven votes for a record, votes will be solicited from past committee members, starting with the most recently replaced member and going back in succession until there are enough eligible and willing voters; in cases where more than one committee member rotated off the committee at the same time, those committee members will be contacted simultaneously and the first to respond positively will be used. Past committee members will be given seven days to respond to the solicitation before the next past committee member is contacted. The motion was seconded by Dombroski. Election of New Members At the end of 2008, both Kaplan and Terry will complete their second terms. Seven new candidates expressed interest in serving on the Michigan Bird Records Committee: Cathy Carroll, Philip Chu, Skye Haas, Matt Hysell, Mike Sefton, David Slager, and Daniel Webb. In addition, both Byrne and Claflin were interested in serving a second term.

All members were very impressed with this slate of candidates - it is by far the deepest and most qualified slate of candidates in recent memory. Obviously not all can be selected for membership in 2009, but members were excited that the level of interest and caliber of candidates was so great.

Claflin nominated the slate of seven new candidates, the motion was seconded by Brigham. Members voted and selected Philip Chu as the incoming first alternate and Skye Haas as the incoming second alternate.

[After the meeting, it was pointed out that both Byrne and Claflin complete their first terms at the end of 2008, effectively creating two additional vacancies. Putnam nominated the remaining slate of five candidates and Byrne and Claflin – the online vote resulted in the unanimous reappointment of Byrne and Claflin to their second terms.]

Election of Committee Officers for 2009 Putnam and Byrne are both willing to continue serving as Chairman and Secretary, respectively. Brigham moved to retain Putnam as Chairman and Byrne as Secretary for 2009. The motion was seconded by Terry. The motion passed unanimously.

New Business Corrections to record numbers In Round 109, Byrne made two numbering mistakes. In 2007, there were six different Loggerhead Shrike reports, but when numbering rounds, a designation for a third record was skipped. So, record 2007-6220-07 should have been numbered as 2007-6220-03. Byrne feared that future committees could become confused over the lack of a record labeled “03” in the files. Byrne moved to change record number 2007-6220-07 to 2007- 6220-03; the motion was seconded by Terry. The motion passed unanimously.

The second error was with regard to the Lark Sparrow records in Round 109. There were two Lark Sparrow records from 2007, numbered 01 and 02, but in a previous round a record with the designation 01 had already been reviewed. Thus, Byrne moved to change record number 2007-5520-01 to 2007-5520-03. The motion was seconded by Brigham and passed unanimously.

Website photo updating Murphy has been working to prepare photos for uploading to our website. He now has material ready for editing that encompasses Rounds 102-108. Hopefully Byrne and/or Putnam can review the material and get it on the website in the coming months.

Online rare bird report form Putnam shared that the link to the rare bird report form on our website is currently hosted by michiganbirds.org. Keith Saylor contacted Byrne and Putnam this fall about relocating this form to our own site – they were interested in taking it off michiganbirds.org. Putnam made some modifications to the form and has forwarded it to Jeff Colon to see if it could be hosted on the MAS website. If anyone wants to comment on the form, Putnam can make the current version available for review.

Annotated list of references for review species Claflin has been working to compile an annotated list of references for Michigan’s review species. The ultimate goal is to place on our website a thorough list of references for anyone interested in researching the identification of species on our review list. Soon, a draft of this work will be available to each committee member for review and editing, any references that one feels are missing, or ones that may need excluding, should be brought to the attention of the whole committee. The committee is indebted to Claflin for his efforts – this will be a very valuable addition to our website and an incredible resource for everyone.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:07 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Adam M. Byrne, Secretary, MBRC