Stonechat($ ¾o qutn) on $a.n Clemente Island:First record forCalifornia wRh. review of its occurrencein North America BRIAN L. SULLIVAN ß P.O. BOX51701 ß PACIFICGROVE, CALIFORNIA 93950 ß (EMAIL: [email protected]) ROBERT T. PATTON ß 4444 LA CUENTADRIVE ß SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA92124 ß (EMAIL: [email protected]) Abstract photographsfor review.Although not ideal maura), based on differences in natural This paper documents a photographic images, the photographsshowed a bird history, vocalizations, morphometrics. recordof a Stonechat(Saxicola to•tluata) having featuresinconsistent with Vermil- plumage,and genetics(Urquhart 2002). on San Clememe Island, Los Angeles ion Flycatcher,being too warmly colored There are nine confirmed Alaskan County,California on 20-21 October1995, with peach-buffcoloration on the breast, recordsof the species,but just two are the first record for California and one of with incorrectshape and posture,and very from the autumn. Six records are from 24 only two North Americanrecords outside long tarsi. The photographswere sent to May through 6 June at Gambell, St. of Alaska. numerous authorities on bird identifica- Lawrence Island: one male 6 June 1978 tion, and the consensuswas that the bird (Gibson and Kessel 1992); one male 5 The California record was a Stonechat(Saxicola torquata), likely June 1985 (Gibson and Kessel 1992, On 20 October 1995, while working as a one of the Siberiansubspecies (i.e., of the A.B.A. 2002); one female 4-5 June 1992 biologiston SanClemente Island, Los An- mauragroup; see Urquhart 2002). Pattong (A.B.A. 2002); one "immature" 31 May geles County, California, Robert Patton field notes indicated that the behavior of 2003 and one adult male 3 June 2003 found an unusualbird in the dr) vegeta- the bird was alsoconsistent with the typi- (both Tobish2003); and one 24-26 May tion surroundinga vernal pond at the cal foragingstyle of stonechatsrather than 2006 (T Tobish, pers. comm.). One at north end of the island.He photographed with thatof VermihonFlycatcher: hawking Gambell6 September2005 (Tobish2005) the bird (Figures1, 2) and tookbrief field for insectsfrom the ground,fanning tail, is the only fall recordfrom that location. notes; however, the bird was at that time and flitting wings. The record was re- There is also a sight recordfrom 8 Sep- identifiedas a VermilionFlycatcher (Pyro- viewed by the California Bird Records tember 1992 from Gambell; it has incom- cephalusrubinus), a potentialfirst for the Committeeand was acceptedas the first plete documentationand is not generally island. Patton returned to the research lab- state record (Cole et al. 2006). considered verified. There are two Alaska oratoryand alertedothers to the presence specimens,both of the easternSiberian of the bird; he was able to relocate the bird Discussion subspeciesS. t. stegnegeri(in the maura later in the sameday and showedit to five Stonechathas a very modestpresence as a subspeciesgroup): one found in a Bank other researchers.The bird wasseen again vagrantin North America.Only one other Swallow(Riparia riparia) nest-burrowat on 21 Oclober,but attemptsto locatethe record has been reported away from Galena 19 April 1986, the specimen bird after that date were unsuccessful. Alaska: one photographed on Grand thought to have been preservedsince the While compiling information for a Marian Island, Charlotte County, New previousfall (Osborneand Osborne1987, comprehensivepaper documentingbirds Brunswick on I October 1983 (American Gibson and Kcssel 1992): and one from recorded on San Clemente Island (Sullivan Bi•ds 38: 178; Wilson 1986). This individ- Middleton lsland on 28 September1990 and Kershner 2005), the authors asked ual was identifiedas beingof the Siberian (Gibson and Kessel1992). The late Sep- Patton to provide documentationfor the subspeciesgroup mauna, which is split by tember date of the Middleton Island VermilionFlycatcher, and he submittedhis some authorities as Siberian Stonechat (S. record suggeststhat perhaps some fall Stonechatsarrive in Alaskaafter birding coveragehas ceased for the season. The 20-21 October date of the Califor- nia Stonechatfalls roughly within the au- tumn window for many other Siberian vagrantpassefines encountered in Califor- nia (all froin C.B.R.C., in press): one record of Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata)11-12 September1995; nine acceptedrecords of DuskyWarbler (Phyl- loseopusfuscatus) between 27 September and 31 October (bird on the latter date re- mained through 3 November); three recordsof ArcticWarbler (Phylloscopusbo- rcalis)13 September1995, 29 September- I October1996, and 7 September2000; one record of Red-flanked Bluetail (Tar- 308 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS FIRSTRECORD OFSTONECHAT FORCALIFORNIA sigercyanu•us) I November1989; 11 ac- cepted records of Northern Wheatear (Ocnantheocnanthe) between 15 Septem- ber and 6 November (the bird on the latter date remained through 10 November), plus one springrecord 11 June; 12 records of apparent Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motaciila tschutschensis)between 27 Au- gust and 21 September;one accepted recordof Gray Wagtail (Motacillacinerea) 9-10 October1988; al leasteight records of White Wagtail (Motaciilaaiba ocularis) 9 October-23 December (bird on the latter date remained through 6 March and re- turned to winter in the next two seasons); at least12 recordsof Black-backedWagtail (Motaciilaaiba iugens)7 August-25Janu- ary.plus four springrecords, 26 April and learned.A straightforwardconnection can nanza. North American Birds 57: 14-21. 10, 13, and 22 May; one recordof Olive- be drawn between the arrival of Asian California Bird Records Committee backedPipit (Antbushodgsoni) 26-29 Sep- landbirds in Alaska and strong weather [C.B.R.C.I. in press.Rare Birds of Cali- tember1998; at least204 acceptedrecords systemsmoving northeastward from Asia fornia. CaliforniaBird RecordsCommit- of Red-throatedPipit (Antbuscervinus) 9 toward Alaska, but the connection is less tee, Camarillo, California. September-ll November, with strong clear in the case of Asian landbirds in Cal- Cole,L. W., K. N. Nelson,andJ. S. Sterling. peak betweenlate Septemberand mid-Oc- ifornia, Oregon, and Washington.In au- 2006. The 30th Reportof the California tober; two recordsof Little Bunting (Em- tumn, the easterlyair flows and t•Tical Bird Records Committee: 2004 Records. beriza pusilia), 21-24 October 1991 and storm tracksmove from the Seaof Japan, Westet• Birds: 37: 65-68. 27-28 September2002; and four accepted northward toward the latitudes of Aleu- Gibson,D., and B. Kessel.1992. Seventy- recordsof RusticBunting (Ember•zarus- tians and southern Kamchatka Peninsula, four new avian taxa documented in tlea), 25 November-8 January. Clearly, and then back southeastward across the Alaska 1976-1991. Condor 94: 454-467. there are distinctionsamong theseAsian BeringSea-North Pacific interface and into Lehman, E E. 2003. Gambell, Alaska, Au- species:the mostly insectivoroustaxa, the Gulf of Alaska.These large-scale base tumn 2002: First North American such as the motacillids, tend to arrive ear- flowsapparently generate and/or steer (ad- Recordsof Willow Warbler (Phyiiosco- lier, whereasthe granivores,such as em- vect) the weathersystems that bring these pus trochilus), Lesser Whitethroat berizids, may arrive later. Such (probablymisoriented) migrants to west- (Sylviacurruca), and SpottedFlycatcher distinctions conform to expectations ern Alaska. Farther south, dramatic (Muscicapa striata). North American based on their migration phenology in weatherevents are lessfrequent, and the Birds 57:4-11. Asia as well as Alaska. Two other Siberian number of Asian landbirds far smaller, Osborne, T. O., and G. K. Osborne. 1987. landbird specieshave been recorded in makinginferences about the possiblecon- First specimenof Stonechat(Saxicola California: Brown Shrike (Lanius crista- nections between weather systemsand torquata)for North America.Auk 104: tus), two recordsfrom 20-22 October 1984 Asianvagrants more difficult. The growing 542-543. and 26 Novcmber 1986-26 April 1987; populationof astutebirders, and improve- Sullivan,B. L. 2004. The ChangingSea- and OrientalTurtle-Dove (Streptopelia ori- ments in meteorologicaltechnologs; may' sons:The Big Picture.North American entalis), two records from 29 October permit an understandingof suchlong-dis- Birds 58: 14-29. 1988 and 9-23 December 2002. tancelandbird vagrants in the future. Sullivan and Kersher. 2005. The Birds of The mechanismby which such va- San Clemente Island. Westerri Birds 36: grantsappear in Californiais a matter of Acknowledgments 158-273. speculationand debate.During autumnin We thank Thede Tobish, Paul Lehman, Tobish, T. 2003. The spring migration: westernAlaska, particularly in the Bering Richard Erickson, Marshall J. 11iff,Kristie Alaskaregion. North AmericanBirds 57: Sea on St. LawrenceIsland, such species N. Nelson, and Luke W. Cole for assistance 389-391. most often appear with storm systems in preparationof this note. Tobish,T. 2005. The fall migration:Alaska comingfrom Asia (Lehman 2003; Brinkley region. North AmericanBirds 60: 119- and Lehman2003); perhapsfarther south, Literature cited 123_ suchas in California,the patternof thejet American Birding Association [A.B.A.I. Urquhart,E. 2002. Stonechats:a guideto streamalso plays a part in displacementof 2002. ABA Checklist:Birds of the Conti- thegenus Saxicola. Helm, London. migrants (Sullivan 2004). Some unique nental United States and Canada. Sixth Wilson, J. G. 1986. Stonechat (Sax•cola combinationof weather and migratory edition. ColoradoSprings, Colorado. torquata) in New Brunswick--first confusion combine to produce such Brinkley;E. S., and E E. Lehman. 2003. record for North America American records in California, but much is to be The ChangingSeasons: unabashed bo- Birds 40: 58-60. VOLUME 60 (2006) NUMBER 2 309 .