First North American recordof Pallas'sWarbler (Phylloscopusproregulus) at Gainbell,Alaska

PAULE. LEHMAN ß P.O.BOX 379 ß CAPEMAY, NEW JERSEY 08204 ß (EMAIL:[email protected]) GARYH. ROSENBERGß P.O.BOX 91856 ß TUCSON,ARIZONA 85752 ß (EMAIL:[email protected])

Abstract fromat leastthe pasttwo centurieshave Two of the threeboneyards are located Thefirst record of Pallas'sWarbler (Phyl- revealedimportant records involving near the base of 187-m Sevuokuk Moun- 1oscopusproregulus) for North America bones (Friedmann 1934, Murie tain(Figure 5), whichprobably acts as a was documented at Gainbell, Saint 1936). Today,these same midden sites barrierto somelow-flying landbirds that LawrenceIsland, Alaska, on 25-26 Sep- (known collectively as "the bone- mightotherwise continue moving farther tember 2006. The identification and evi- yards")--aswell as other areasof dis- eastward.Other migrants probably arrive dencesupporting the record are present- turbedground--are characterized in late elsewhere on the island and work their edhere and put intocontext with records summerand early fall by relativelylush way to the northwesterntip at Gainbell of otherlandbird vagrants found in au- vegetationdominated by Northern or Many passerinesare not discoveredin tumn at Gainbell since the 1990s. Tall Wormwood (Artemisia tilesii) and theboneyards until theafternoon or ear- ArcticSage or Wormwood(A. arctica), ly evening,which suggests that theyare Introduction which growsto a maximumheight of new arrivals. The Aleutiansand islands of the Bering slightlymore than a halfmeter. The rich Sea in western Alaska are well known to soil and vegetativegrowth, combined Field encounter NorthAmerican birders as places where with the verticalrelief and protection The autumn of 2006 at Gainbell was Asianmigrants and vagrants occur regu- from the wind providedby the digging poor for vagrant Asian larly Attu, Shemya,Buldir, and Adak Is- pits, are magnetsfor passerinesin au- through early September,with none lands in the western and central Aleu- tumn. The list of regularlyoccurring found until 10 September,when three uans,St. Paul (and to a lesserextent St. avianspecies found here includes a num- Bramblings(Fringilla montifringilla) put George)Island in thePribilofs (southern ber with primarilyOld World distribu- in a brief appearance.In contrast,the BeringSea), and the village of Gainbellat tions that also nest on mainland Alaska lastseveral days of Augustand firstten the northwesterntip of SaintLawrence (with a few breedingin smallnumbers daysof Septemberwere goodto excel- Island(northern Bering Sea) (Figure4) on St. Lawrence Island as well), but lent for Asianlandbird strays each year are all sitesthat have producedmany which then return westward in late sum- from 2002 through2005. The Bram- documented records of Asian waterbirds merand early fall to winterin southeast- blings were followed,however, by a and landbirds--some of which have ern Asia or Africa. These "trans- SiberianRubythroat (Luscinia calliope) turned out to be regularmigrants and BeringJan" include Arctic War- and a PechoraPipit (Anthusgustavi) on some of which have been determined to bler (Phylloscopusborealis), Bluethroat 14 September.But then moderate-to- be true vagrantswith few NorthAmeri- (Luscinia svecica), Northern Wheatear strongnorth winds set in for the follow- can records. (Oenanthe oenanthe), Eastern Yellow ing eight days--through 22 Septem- Gainbell,a villageof some660 Yupik ( Motacillatschutschensis) , White ber-and againno Asian passerines were peoplelocated at thenorthwestern tip of Wagtail(M. alba),and Red-throated Pip- found(although Alaska's fourth and the St. Lawrence Island, lies 315 km (195 it (Antbus cervinus). Another trans- BeringSea region'sfirst Philadelphia mi) west-southwestof Nome and 74 km BeringJanmigrant, Gray-cheeked Thrush Vireo[Vireo philadelphicus] appeared on (46 mi) fromthe closest point on 's (Catharusrainlinus), has nesting popula- 18 September).The windsslackened to ChukotskiyPeninsula (Figure 4). Con- tions in northeastern Russia that in au- lightsouthwesterly and then light north- unuoushuman occupation of the Gain- tumn head eastward,back into North easterlyover the ensuingseveral days, bell area datesback some2000 years. America.The boneyardsare also attrac- with partlycloudy to overcastskies on Middendeposits (burial sites for discard- tiveto mostof thevagrant landbirds from 23-24September, and overcast with light ed marine mammal and bird carcasses) both Asia and mainland North America. rain on 25 September.We discovereda

4 NORTH AM[RICAN Pallas'sBunting (Emberiza pallast) on 24 which in turn contrasted with a bold su- Septemberin Gainbell's"Near Bone- perciliumthat wasstrongly tinged with yard," where it remainedthrough 26 deepyellow in frontof theeye, paling to September. an off-whitishbehind the eye, and which Duringthe earlyafternoon of 25 Sep- in turn contrasted with a distinct dark tember,we arrived at the "Circular Bone- eyeline. In all, thehead pattern was very yard,"where Lehman promptly flushed bold and distinct.The upperpartswere a very small passerinewhich flew off, unmarkedolive green, except for a bold low, and droppedback into cover.He medium yellow rump patch that was told Rosenbergthat it lookedinteresting usually coveredby the folded wings and thatthey should try to re-findit. Af- when the bird was at rest but which be- ter sometime, Rosenbergrelocated the came obvious when the bird flicked its bird, gota brieflook at it on the ground wingsor tookflight. The wingsshowed and,based on partialviews, yelled, "Yel- twobold pale yellow wing bars, pale yel- 1ow-browed Warbler!" The bird then lowishedgings to the secondaries,and flushed and both observers were able to distinct whitish edgesto the tertials. see its yellow rump, at which point [The bird's overall small size, distinct Lehmanyelled, "Pallas's Warbler!!" Pan- palesupercilium, and white tertialedges ic quickly ensued,as Rosenbergwas are all charactersshared by Yellow- scheduledto leavethe island in just two browedWarbler (Phylloscopusinorna- hours time and still needed to do some tus).] The underpartswere off-whitish packing.Both observers were well aware and appearedunmarked. The tail was that this bird would constitute a first short and showedno pale patchesor NorthAmerican sighting and that recog- spots.The legswere dusky, not obvious- nizablephotographs would be neededto ly paleor verydark. The birdacted nerv- documentthe record.So, with a high ous,giving regular wing-flicks, much as a level of urgency and nervousness, Ruby-crownedKinglet does. Several Rosenbergand Lehmanbegan the task timesit hover-gleanedfood from plants, of trytngto obtainthe needed documen- oneto two feetoff the groundfor about tation, with digital photographyand one or two secondseach time, but then video,respectively. quicklyreturned to coverout of view.It Figures1-3. These photographs ofthe Gainbell The bird remained faithful to the Cir- calledat leastonce, and gave a clear,up- Pallas'sWarbler were taken 25 September 2006. cular Boneyardfor two days--through slurred su-wee. Togetherthey show almost all the important field 26 Septemberbut, like manymigrant The combination of small overall size, marksof this species, including the distinct pale passerinesoccurring at Gainbellin au- distinctpale median crown stripe, bold mediancrown stripe, bold supercilium with bright tumn, it was very furtive,could easily supercilium with strongly yellow mediumyellow supraloral area, distinct dark eye hidein therelatively thick boneyard veg- supraloralarea, distinctdark eye line, line,olive-green upperparts and off-whitish etation,and proveddifficult to seewell olive-greenupperparts, off-whitish un- underparts,dark tertials with distinct whitish or for longperiods of time.Despite these derparts, dark tertials with distinct edges,and a light-to-medium-yellowrumppatch. PhotorjraphsbyGary tt. Rosenberg. difficulties,excellent photographs (e.g., whitish edges,medium yellow rump Figures1-3) andvideo were obtained. patch,su-wee call, and wing-flicking and The bird was the size of a Ruby- hover-gleaningbehavior clinch the iden- crownedKinglet (Regulus calendula). It tification as Pallas's Warbler. showeda thinbut sharp and distinct pale yellowcentral crown stripe, set off by Discussion dark(very dark olive) sides to thecrown, Pallas'sWarbler, also known as "Pallas's

VOLUME 61 (2007) ß NUMBER 1 5 [FIRSTNORTH AMERICAN RECORDOF PAL•'AS'S WARBLER

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71o •a ,7• • •m • 150 Figure4. Mapshowing the Bering Sea region, western Alaska, and eastern and the Russian FarEast. 6arnbell islocated atthe northwestern tipof St. Lawrence Island andis only 74 krn (46 rni) frorn the closest point on Russia's Chukotskiy Peninsula. Many of the vagrant Asian passefines thatturn up at Gainbell inthe fall breed northeast to theKoryak Highlands orAnadyr River basin ("Anadyrland"). Someindividuals have originated from even rnuch farther away. Pallas's Warbler isnot known to breed any closer thanthe Magadan area bordering thenorth-central Seaof Okhotsk. Map by Vir•Tinia MaynarcL

Leaf-Warbler"and (formerly)"Lemon- (south to northern Thailand, northern ganistan(Cramp et al. 1992,Baker 1997, rumpedWarbler," is a distinctivespecies Laos,and northern Vietnam) and Hainan del Hoyo et al. 2006). Severalauthori- andone that is a regularautumn vagrant (Cramp et al. 1992, Baker 1997, del ties-including Alstr6m and Olsson to westernEurope. Some authorities rec- Hoyo et al. 2006: Figure6). It is a rare (1990) and Martens et al. (2004)---have ommendsplitting this species•which but annualmigrant to offshoreJapan split thesetaxa from nominatePallas's currentlyis madeup of fouror fivesub- (Brazil,in press)and has occurred many Warblerinto at leastone new species species--intoat leasttwo, and possibly times as an autumn vagrant in Europe (Lemon-rumpedWarbler, P chloronotus) four, separate species (Baker 1997, (Mullarneyet al. 1999). and possiblyup to three new species Rheindt 2006). Nominateproregulus Dunng the past 15 or so years,leaf- (Rheindt 2000): Gansu Leaf-Warbler (P breedswidely in coniferousand mixed warblertaxonomy throughout Asia and p. kansuensis),Simla Leaf-Warbler (P p. taigaforests from centraland southern Europehas been going through so•ne- chloronotus/simlaensis), and Sichuan Siberia eastward to Amurland, the thingof a revolution,with manyrecent Leaf-Warbler(P p. forresti). Seasonal StanovoiRange, Maya River,the mouth and ongoingstudies there focusingon movementswithin thesetaxa are prima- of the Amur River,Ussuriland, Sakhalin, importantdifferences in vocalizations, rily altitudinal, although some birds northeastern , and North (some quite subtle), and genet- move farther southward to the Hi- (Vaurie1959, Crampet al. 1992,Baker ics.Man)' taxa once thoughl to be mem- malayanfoothills, Bangladesh, Burma, 1997; Brazil,in press;Figure 6). The bersof the samespecies-complexes are southeastern China, and northern ln- northeasternmost extent of the summer now being split into separatespecies. dochina (Cramp et al. 1992, Baker rangeis thoughtto reachimmediately Ihe "final"taxonomic arrangements-- 1997). Another taxon--Chinese (or "La northof the Seaof Okhotsk,just eastof eventhe agreed-uponEnglish names-- Touche's") Leaf-Warbler (P. yunna- thecity of Magadan(Andreev et al. 2005, are still very mucha work in progress hensis)--hasalready been split from Pal- del Hoyo et al. 2006), some 1900 km (Rheindt2006). Othertaxa currently in- las• Warblerby severalauthorities (e.g., (1200 mi) southwestof Gambell(Fig- cludedin the PallassWarbler complex Alstr6m and Olsson 1990, Martens et al. ures4, 6). This taxonwinters in tropical are kansuensis, chloronotus/simlaensis, 2004, del Hoyoet al. 2006); it breedsin Asia, from southeasternChina (south of andforresti,which nest from central Chi- central and eastern China and winters theYangtse River) to northernIndochina nato theHimalayas and the border of Af- "apparently"in SoutheastAsia (del Hoyo

6 NOBTH AMERICAN BIRDS FIRSTNORTH AMERICAN RECORDOF PALLAS'S WARBLERl

et al. 2006). thesespecies are largely unknown from records of Yellow-browed Warbler in All of thesemore southerly breeding the springseason, and several with only 1999 (Lehman 2000); LesserWhitethroat members or former members of the Pal- a handful of records before the mid- (Sylvia curruca), Warbler (P las• Warblercomplex are unlikely to oc- 1990sare now beingfound almost an- tmchilus),and Spotted Flycatcher (Musc- curin Alaskabased on geographic distri- nually-•e.g.,Dusky Warbler (Phyllosco- icapastriata) in 2002 (Lehman2003); butionand somewhat limited migrator), pus fuscatus), Siberian and the Pallas's Warbler discussed here. behavior.They also have slightly duller (Prunella montanella),Pechora Pipit, The second record (and first live individ- plumageoverall than nominate proregu- andLittle Bunting (Etnberiza pusilia). h ual) of EurasianWryneck (Jynx torquilla) lus (and than the Gambell bird), with alsoappears that the fall seasonin the was discoveredin 2003, as was a second more washedout greensand yellows, Bering Sea region is a rich time for Yellow-browedWarbler in 2002, the third slightlyduller (more grayish)under- North American mainland strays. recordof TreePipit (Artthustrivialis) in parts,and particularlyduller head pat- Speciesthat until very recentlywere 2002,and the fifthof Pallas'sBunting in terns (duller median and lateral crown largelyunknown in this area-•evenin 2006. Other notableAsian species, and stripesand much duller yellow in thesu- Alaskaoverall--are being found in sur- the number of individuals found in fall perciliumin front of the eye) (Baker prisingnumbers. during this eight-yearperiod, include 1997,del Hoyo et al. 2006). Call-notes Followingvery limitedand sporadic OrientalCuckoo ( optatus) (2), differ markedly (Alstr6m and Olsson autumn fieldwork on St. Lawrence Island SkyLark (Alaudaarvensis) (3), Midden- 1990, Baker 1997, Martens et al. 2004): throughthe late 1980s,Lehman initiated dofff'sGrasshopper-Warbler (Locustella the Gambell bird• su-wee call matches moreregular tour-leading and independ- ochotensis)(3), DuskyWarbler (7), thatof nominateproregulus but notthose ent surveysat Gainbellbeginning in Flycatcher(Ficedula albicilla) (1), Siber- of the othertaxa in the complex(Baker 1992,with lengthy visits between mid- or ian Rubythroat(2), Red-flankedBluetail 1997,del Hoyoet al. 2006). Basedon its late Augustand earlyOctober annually (Tarsigercyanurus) (1), Stonechat(Saxi- widespreadbreeding range in Russia, from 1999 throughthe present(2006). cola torquatus)(1), EyebrowedThrush long-distancemigration, and regular oc- Increasedcoverage at thisseason by oth- (Turdusobscurus) (1), Siberian Accentor currenceas a fall vagrantin Europe,Pal- er observers--bothas part of organized (10), Olive-backedPipit (Artthushodg- lasõWarbler of the nominatesubspecies birdingtours and as independentbird- soni) (1), Pechora Pipit (9), Little hasbeen anticipated to occurin western ers--hasfollowed. A paperdetailing the Bunting (8), Reed Bunting (Emberiza Alaska by some authorities (Tobish autumn birdlife at Gainbell and St. schoeniclus)(1), and Common Rosefinch 2000). LawrenceIsland through 2004 was re- (Carpodacuserythrinus) (2) (Lehman All documentationinvolving the Gain- cently published(Lehman 2005). The 2005). From the North American main- bell bird, includingphotographs and richnessof the autumnvagrant season landduring this same period came such videotape,has beendeposited with the canbe seen in a partiallisting of whathas far-flung vagrants as Common AlaskaChecklist Committee. Following been found at Gainbell between 1999 and Nighthawk(Chordeiles minor), Least Fly- its receipt, that committeein January 2006. There were first North American catcher(Empidonax rainlinus), Pacific- 2007 voted unanimouslyto acceptPal- las• Warbler to the Alaska kist. Autumnvagrants at Gambell BERING Annualcoverage in springof severalof the islandsin westernAlaska began S/• • back in the 1970s but ended in the west- ern Aleutians for most birders in 2000, Gambell circular when Attu Island birding operations • boneyard ceased.Regular spring visits to AdakIs- land in the central Aleutians, to St. Paul, and to Gambell farther to the north, near boneyard • Sevuokuk have continued,and coveragehas in- : Mountain creasedin somecases. By contrast,fall birdingcoverage did not blossomuntil Contour interval: relativelyrecently, beginning in the ear- I00 feet ly 1990sor later,though birding records dateback to the early 1970sand even GAMBELL earlier.This increasein coverage,com- • North binedwith the excellentautumn poten- AREA 0 Kdometer ! tial for vagrantsfrom the largepool of long-distancemigrant species breeding 0 lelile in Russiaand wintering in Southeast Figure5. Mapof the Gambell village area, showing three of the principal sites for migrant passefines: the"Near, • Asia,has led to the recentdiscovery of a "Far,"and "Circular" Boneyards (middens). (the Pallas's Warbler inSeptember 2006 frequented theCircular Boneyard.) substantial number of Asian birds, for SevuokukMountain, lying immediately tothe east, may act to impede the dispersal ofsome landbird transients. This manyof whichthere existed fewer than barrier,combined with the otherwise sparse vegetation and extensive gravel that characterize thevillage area, helps ten North American records. Some of tofurther concentrate migrants and vagrants inthe boneyards. Map by Cindy LJppincott andVirginia Maynard.

VOLUME 61 (2007) - NUMBER 1 7 IFIRSTNORTH AMERICAN RECORDOF PAI. I.AS'S WARBIER

east Russia:Annotated Catalog of SpeciesDistribution and Biology.(In Russian.)NESC FEB RAS,Magadan, Gambell Russia. Baker.K. 1997.Warblers of Europe,Asia, and North America. Princeton Univer- sity Press,Princeton, New Jersey. Brazil,M. in pressßA FieldGuide to the Birdsof EastAsia. Cramp,S., et al., eds.1992. Handbook of theBirds of Europe, the Middle East, and NorthAfrica: The Birds of theWestern Palearctic, Volume VI: Warblers. Oxford UniversityPress, New York. del Hoyo,J., A. Elliott, and D. Christie, eds. 2006. Handbookof Birdsof the WorldßVolume 1 I: Old WorId Flycatch- ers to Old WorldWarblers. Lynx Edi- cions, Barcelonaß Friedmann. H. 1934. Bird bones from Es- Breedingrange kimo ruins on St. Lawrence Islandß Journalof the WashingtonAcadetny of Sciences 24: 83-96ß Winterrange Lehman. P E. 2000. First record of Yel- low-browedWarbler (Pkylloscopus in- ornatus) in North Americaß Western Birds 31: 57-60. ß 2003. Gainbell, Alaska, autumn 2002: First North American records of (Phylloscopus trochilus), (Sylvia cutruca),and Spotted Flycatcher (Mus- cicapastriata). North AmericanBirds Figure6. Breedingand winter distribution ofthe Pallas's Warbler. The closest point in the summer range extends east- 57: 4-11. wardto just east of the city of Magadan, some 1900 km (1200 mi) southwest ofGainbell. A4ap by Virginia A4aynard. ß2005. Fall bird migrationat Gain- bell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.West- slope/CordilleranFlycatcher (E. diffi- late-fall lingerersand vagrantsremain crn Birds 36: 2-55. cilis/occidentalis)(2), Warbling Vireo largelyundiscovered. Martens,J., D. T. Tietze, S. Eck, and M. (Vireogilvus) (4), PhiladelphiaVireo, Veith.2004. Radiation and species lim- TennesseeWarbler (Vcrmivor a peregrina), Acknowledgments its in the Asian Pallas's Warbler com- NashvilleWarbler (V. ruficapilla), Magno- Helpful commentson earlier draftsof plex(Phylloscopus proregulus s.l.). Jour- lia Warbler(Dcndroica magnolia), Palm thispaper were provided by LouisBevier, nalof Ornithology145: 200-222. Warbler(D. pahnarum),American Red- Matt Heindel, Alvaro Jaramillo, Steve Mullarney,K., L. Svensson,D. Zetter- start (Setophagaruticilla) (2), Mac- Dinsmore,and SteveHeinl. Brad Benter str6m,and P J. Grant. 1999. Birdsof Gillivray'sWarbler (Oporornistolmei), and D. D. Gibson furnished several refer- Europeß Princeton University Press, Clay-coloredSparrow ( Ernberiza pallida), ences.Virginia Maynard composed the Princeton,New Jersey. Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus finemaps. We thankWings, Inc., for giv- Murie, O. J. 1936. The birds of St. melanocephalus),Bullock's Oriole (lcterus ing us the opportunityto lead toursto Lawrence Island, Alaska, in archaeo- bullockii),and PurpleFinch (Carpodocus Gainbell for manyyears. Hansen lrrigoo logical excavationsat Kukulik, St. purpureus)(Lehman 2005). andAaron lworrigan of Gainbellassisted Lawrence Island, Alaska (O. W Geist Mostof therecent autumn coverage at us in manyways during our visits.Troy andE G. Rathe);eds.). Univcrsitv Alas- Gainbellhas not begununtil 20 August and Kathie Klunder helped with the ka Miscellaneous Publications 2: 361- or later(except during two yearswhen it downloadingof videofootage. 376. beganas earlyas 11 August),and there Rheindt,E E. 2006.Splits galore: the rev- hasbeen no recentfall coverage after ear- Literature cited olutionin Asianleaf warbler systemat- ly October.And Gainbellis substantially Alstr6m, P.,and U. Olsson. 1990ßTaxon- ics.Birding ASIA 5: 25-39. bettersurveyed in autumnthan almost omy of the Phylloscopusproregulus Tobish,T. 2000. The nex! new ABA-Area any othersite in westernAlaska! Thus, complex.Bulletin of the BritishOr- birds:Western Alaska. Birding 32: 498- the late-autumnmigration remains poor- nithologists'Club 110: 38-43. 505. ly studiedoverall, accuratedeparture Andreev, A. V., N. E. Dokuchaev, A. V. Vaurie,C. 1959.The Birds of thePalearc- datesfor a goodnumber of species(par- Krechmar,and E B. Chernyavsky. tic Fauna:Passer iformes. H. E & G. ticularlywaterbirds) are not known,and 2005. TerrestrialVertebrates of North- Witherby,London.

8 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS