The Kingbird

W.KINGBIRD VOL XVII, NO. 4 OCTOBER • 1967 FEDERATION OF NEW YORK STATE BIRD CLUBS, INC. THE KINGBIRD, published four times a year (January, May, July and October), is a publi¬ cation of The Federation of New York State Bird Clubs, Inc., which has been organized to further the study of bird life and to disseminate knowledge thereof, to educate the public in the need of conserving natural resources and to encourage the establishment and main¬ tenance of sanctuaries and protected areas. Individual member's dues are $5.00 annually, of which $4.00 is for a subscription to The Kingbird. A member wishing to make an addi¬ tional contribution may become a Sustaining Member ($7.50), a Supporting Member ($10), or a Life Member ($100 — "payable over a four-year period in equal installments," if member so desires). Single copies: $1.50. Student membership $3.00. KINGBIRD subscription for non-members $5.00 per year on calendar year basis only. APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP should be sent to the chairman of the membership committee, James J. Doherty, 913 Winton Road North, Rochester, N. Y. 14609. Send CHANGES OF ADDRESS to the Treasurer, Dort A. Cameron, 5423 Palmyra Rd., Pittsford, N.Y. 14534. Order SINGLE COPIES, BACK NUMBERS, and REPLACEMENT OF DAMAGED COPIES from Dorothy W. Mcllroy, 419 Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. Publication office is 419 Triphammer Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. Second class postage paid at Ithaca, N.Y. Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation 1. Filed October 2, 1967 2. 3. The Kingbird, a quarterly with 4. 5. publication and business offices at 419 Triphammer Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 6. Publisher — The Federation of New York State Bird Clubs, Inc. c/o Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology 33 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Editor — Mrs. Dorothy W. Mcllroy, 419 Triphammer Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Managing Editor — None 7. Owner — The Federation of New York State Bird Clubs, Inc., a non-profit organization, c/o Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 33 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 8. Known bondholders, mortgagees and other security holders — None 9. The purpose, function and non-profit status of this organization and the exempt status for Federal income tax purposes have not changed during preceding 12 months. Ave. no. copies each issue Single issue during preceding nearest 10. 1 2 months filing date A. Total number copies printed (net press run) 718 700 B. Paid circulation 1. Sales thru dealers and carriers, street venders and counter sales None None 2. Mail subscription 642 608 C. Total paid circulation 642 608 D. Free distribution (including samples) by mail. carrier or other means 12 16 E. Total distribution 654 624 F. Office use, left-over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing 64 76 G. Total (sum of E & F) 718 700 1 certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. (Signed) Dorothy W. Mcllroy Editor P/KINGBIRD PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF NEW YORK STATE BIRD CLUBS. INC. Vol. XVII No. 4 October, 1967 Pages 189-247 CONTENTS Photographs of New York State Rarities 11. Harris’ Sparrow.Peter W. Post 190 Notice of 21st Annual Meeting of the Federation. 193 The President’s Page.Allen H. Benton 194 Poster Design Prize Winners. 194 The Identification of Winter Finches and Grosbeaks in Flight Dr. Harold H. Axtell 196 Food Habits of the Crow..John B. Belknap 200 Minutes of the 20th Annual Meeting of the Federation of New York State Bird Clubs, Inc.Mrs. Betty Strath 201 John J. Elliott Memorial Prize — 1966 and 1967 . 206 A Bibliography of New York State Ornithology — 1965 . 207 Conservation News.Maxwell C. Wheat, Jr. 210 Field Notes Notes on the Roosting Behavior of Bonaparte’s Gull.Joanna Burger 213 Migrating Flock of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at Green Haven Enid Butler 213 Albino Kingbird .Florence Germond 214 Odd Warbler at Caton Swamp near Elmira.Wilifred I. Howard 214 Immature Black-headed Gull at Sandy Pond Outlet Oswego County Margaret S. Rusk 214 Highlights of the Summer Season June 1-August 15.David B. Peakall 215 Regional Reports . 216 Book Reviews. 246 Editor — Dorothy W. McIlroy Associate Editors Field Notes — Sally Hoyt Spofford Regional Reports — David B. Peakall Photographic — David G. Allen Editorial Board John B. Belknap Stephen W. Eaton Allen H. Benton Eugene Eisenmann Fritz Scheider Cover Design — Douglas L. Howland PHOTOGRAPHS OF NEW YORK STATE RARITIES 11. Harris Sparrow Photograph by Dennis Puleston Brookhaven, Suffolk Co., 28 October 1966 The Harris’ Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula, breeds in the open boreal forest zone of north-central Canada from northwestern Mackenzie to northwestern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba; casually to north¬ western Ontario. The species migrates through the Great Plains, win¬ tering from southern British Columbia, northern Idaho, northern Colo¬ rado and central Iowa to southern California, central Arizona, and southern Texas, casually further east (Various Sources). Of the twenty-one published reports of the Harris’ Sparrow from New York, listed in the accompanying table, none is prior to 1951. Fifteen of these appeared at feeders, often after snow storms. Individuals may remain only for a few days, or well into spring, allowing dozens of observers to add it to their life list. At least three of the birds which were immatures when they arrived had molted into adult plumage by the end of April. A photograph of the Brookhaven bird, which was captured in a mist net, appears above. The species has also been photographed at Lake View and Hamburg by Mitchell and at Quoque by Puleston. The photo- 190 TABLE 1 Published records of the Harris’ Sparrow from New York State Date(s) Location County Feeder Other Observer (s) Plumage Reference(s) 9-11 Nov 1951 Hamburg Erie Airs. Charles W. Avery, Jr. Bernard Nathan immature Avery, Prothonotary, 17(2): 68-69, Dec 1951 Harold Alitchell Brockner, Kingbird, 4(2): 38, July 1954 mob Beardslee and Alitchell, p. 443* early Nov 1951 W. of Lake View, Erie Airs. Gordon Gannon none immature Beardslee and Alitchell, p. 443 about a half-mile from Lake Erie 28 Sept 1954 Forest Lawn Erie No Bernard Nathan immat\ire Kingbird, 4(4): 103, Jan 1955 Cemetery, Buffalo mob Beardslee and Alitchell, p. 443 29 Sept - 4 Oct Kenmore Erie Mrs. Carl A. Houck Frances Rathbun immature Houck, Prothonotary,20(10) :86-87,Oct, 1954 1954 Al. L. Emerson Kingbird, 4(4): 103, Jan 1955 Harold D. Mitchell Beardslee and Alitchell, p. 443 191 23 May 1956 City Hall Park, New York No Lester Walsh adult Bull, p. 460** New York City 30 Sept 1956 near Fire Island Suffolk No John Bull adult Bull, p. 460 Lighthouse Kingbird, 6(4): 140, Jan 1957 through Nov Jamestown Chautauqua Airs. Carl Brolin Claude Parker immature Kingbird, 7(4): 119, Jan 1958 1957 Clarence M. Beal Beardslee and Alitchell, p. 443 William Alealy mob 28-29 Jan 1958 Trumansburg Tompkins Airs. C. R. Harrington none adult Kingbird, 8(1): 17, Alay 195S Kingbird, 8(3): 74, Oct 1958 11 May 1958 Island Cottage Monroe No Air. and Airs. James adult Kingbird, 8(2): 48, July 1958 Woods H. Barlow 15-16 Oct 1961 Dubois Road, Tompkins No Douglas J. Fut.uyma adult Futuyma, Kingbird, 11(4): 198-199, about five miles mob Dec 1961 North of Ithaca early winter Webster Monroe Jerome Hartke Howard S. Aliller immature - Kingbird, 14(3): 162, July 1964 to 5 May 1964 Alfred A. Starling adult Allen E. Kemnitzer TABLE 1. Continued Date(s) Location County Feeder Other Observer(s) Plumage Reference (s) late fall 1964 Voorheesville Albany Yes Walton Sabin adult Kingbird, 15(2): 124, May 1965 to 24 Feb 1965 Hazel Eddy Donald Tucker mob 27 Jan - 3 May near Athens Greene Yes Geoffrey Carleton immature Kingbird, 15(2): 124, May 1965 1965 Peter P. Wickham Kingbird, 15(3): 189, July 1965 James Bush mob mid-Dec 1964 Lake View Erie Mr. and Mrs. William Kranz Robert F. Andrle immature - Kingbird, 15(2): 104, May 1965 to 6 May 1965 Harold D. Mitchell adult Kingbird, 15(3): 164, July 1965 mob 31 Oct - 3 Nov Quoque Wildlife Suffolk Mrs. Carl Helms Dennis Puleston adult Kingbird, 16(1): 64, Jan 1966 1965 Sanctuary Gilbert Raynor Leroy Wilcox 192 15-16 May 1966 West Hill Road, Chemung Irving Runey Albert Fudge adult Kingbird, 16(3): 162, July 1966 Elmira Wilifred Howard et al. 29 Oct 1966 Brookhaven Suffolk No Dennis Puleston immature Kingbird, 17(1): 62, Jan 1967 Walter Terry Gilbert Raynor 7 Feb - 18 May, Kripplebush Ulster Fred Hough Dan and Virginia immature - Kingbird, 17(2): 117, May 1967 1967 Smiley adult Kingbird, 17(3); 186, July 1967 5 & 10-12 May Elmira Chemung Mrs. Robert Ruggles Wilifred Howard 2 adults Kingbird, 17(3): 162, July 1967 1967 Mrs.' Joseph Smith mob 15-16 May 1967 Virgil Cortland Mr. and Mrs. M. Trapp None adult Kingbird, 17(3): 166, July 1967 20-21 May 1967 Newfane Niagara John and Mabel Lehrer None adult Prothonotary 33(6): 86, 91, 95 Kingbird, 17(3): 156, July 1967 * Birds of the Niagara Frontier Region, Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sciences, 22: 1965. ** Birds of the New York Area, Harper and Row, 1964. Additional information on records from Regions 1, 3, 4 and 9 not found in the references, was supplied by Harold D. Mitchell, Robert Sundell, Sally Hoyt Spof- ford, John Gustafson, and Fred Hough. Photograph by Harold D. Mitchell Lake View, Erie Co., 6 May 1965 graph of the Lake View bird clearly shows a band on its left leg. None of the published accounts mention this, nor have I been able to obtain any information as to whether it was captured and banded in New York.

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