The Winter Season December 1, 1991-February 29, 1992

STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE REGIONALREPORTS

Abbreviations used in placenames: In mostregions, place names given in THE italictype are counties. Other abbreviations: WINTER Cr Creek Ft. Fort SEASON Hwy Highway I. Island or Isle Is. Islands or Isles December1, 1991-February29, 1992 Jet. Junction km kilometer(s) L. Lake mi mile(s) Mt. Mountain or Mount AtlanticProvinces Region 230 SouthernGreat Plains Region 283 Ian A. McLaren Mts. Mountains JosephA. Grzybowski N. E National Forest QuebecRegion 233 TexasRegion N.M. National Monument RichardYank and Yves Aubry GregW. Lasleyand Chuck Sexton N.P. National Park NewEngland Region 235 Idaho-Western Montana N.W.R. NationalWildlife Refuge Blair Nikula ThomasH. Rogers P.P. Provincial Park 240 Pen. Peninsula Hudson-DelawareRegion MountainWest Region 292 WilliamJ. Boyle, Jr., HughE. Kingery Pt. Point (not Port) Robert O. Paxton, R. River and David A. Cutler SouthwestRegion 295 Ref. Refuge Arizona:David Stejskal and MiddleAtlantic Coast Region 244 GaryH. Rosenberg Res. Reservoir(not Reservation) HenryT. Armistead New Mexico: Sartor O. Williams III S.P. State P•irk W.M.A. WildlifeManagement Area SouthernAtlantic Coast Region 250 Naska Region 301 FallSeason report T.G. Tobish,Jr. and M.E. Isleib Abbreviations used in the HarryE. Legrand,Jr. names of birds: BritishColumbia/Yukon Region 303 FloridaRegion 255 Chris Siddle Am. American JohnC. Ogden Com. Common Oregon/WashingtonRegion E. Eastern OntarioRegion 258 FallSeason report Ron D. Weir Eur. Europeanor Eurasian BillTweit and Jeff Gilligan Mt. Mountain AppalachianRegion 263 MiddlePacific Coast Region 310 N. Northern GeorgeA. Hall DavidG.Yee, Stephen E Bailey, S. Southern and Bruce E. Deuel WesternGreat Lakes Region W. Western JamesGranlund SouthernPacific Coast Region 313 GuyMcCaskie Otherabbreviations and symbols MiddlewesternPrairie Region 270 referringto birds: BruceG. Peterjohn HawaiianIslands Region 317 ad. adult RobertL. Pyle •mm. immature CentralSouthern Region 274 StephenJ. Stedman WestIndies Region juv. juvenalor juvenile American Birds has no sp. species PrairieProvinces Region 279 RegionalEditorJ•r this season. t meansthat written details RudolfE Koesand Peter Taylor ThereJ•renosummary weresubmitted for a sighting appearsin thisissue. NorthernGroat Plains Region 281 * meansthat a specimenwas David O. Lambeth collected c• male 9 female CBC Christmas Bird Count

Volume 46, Number 2. 229 thelatest ever for Newfoundland.Although Duckwas in theflock of seaupsand Tufted A'I'LAHI1CPROVINCES 27 wereon NovaScotia CBCs, only one was Ducksnear Halifax, 18 Jan. (IAM); suchhy- notedthrough February. A Great Egret and a bridsare known in Iceland.Identifying the REGION Little Blue Heron lingered at W. Old World race (finer vermiculations) Ian A. McLaren Chezzetcook,NS, to Dec. I (BM, JWT). amongthe regions wintering Greater Scaup The latter and an imm. Black-crowned wouldbe an instructivechallenge. At least Night-HeronDec. 21 onthe Wolfville CBC four LesserScaup wintered in NovaScotia More thantwo decades ago on thesepages, producedlatest records for Nova Scotia. (v.o.).Large counts of Corn.Eiders were ca. RuthEmery coined the phrase "Scotia shad- Last winter's "Lesser" Snow Goose at 7000 off CapeSpear, NF, Feb.22 (BMct), ow" to epitomizethe phenomenonof mi- Yarmouth,NS, hasbecome resident, sup- 2950 offS.P.M., Dec. 21-22 (Bruno Letour- grantsroutinely caught by winterin Nova portingits origin as an escapee. A few Brant nel), 2400 off Halifax, NS, Feb. 18 (PM), Scotia, but which should otherwise be win- winteredin s.w.Nova Scotia, and 125 stay- and 1500 on the St. Andrews, NB, CBC. teringin southernNew England or beyond. ingaround Grand Manan I., NB, wereaug- The CapeSpear, NF, flockincluded 19 (3' If wethrow in fallreverse migrants and west- mentedby arrivalsin mid-February(BD). King Eiders(BMct), but Nova Scotiaand ernstrays, it seemsthat both Nova Scotia and Amongwaterfowl in urbanparks, sewage New Brunswickproduced only one or two the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland cast ponds,and other organically enriched sites each.There were 20 HarlequinDucks on the verysubstantial shadows indeed. There were in NovaScotia (v.o.), were a • Wood Duck CapeRace, NF, CBC, and30 in earlyFebru- deepsnows and sustained cold in the Mar- in Dartmouth, a c• "Eurasian" Green- arynear the Wolves I., s.e.New Brunswick itimes, somewhatless severe in insular New- wingedTeal Jan. 29-Feb. 6 nearGreenwich, (PeterHicklin), with disappointingreports foundland.Despite this, a few"softer" water- twoof thisrace at Yarmouth, Jan. 20 through of singlebirds elsewhere in Newfoundland birds and shorebirds remained into the new February,and a N. Shovellerat Windsor, and New Brunswick,one (shot) at S.P.M., year,and excellent wild foodcrops, particu- Dec. 29. Unusualwere up to 18 N. Pintails and seven in Nova Scotia. larlydogberry and mountainash (Sorbus throughJanuary near Souris, P.E.I. (v.o.), A surpising238 BlackScoters were on spp.)sustained landbird laggards, including and two Gadwalls Dec. 27 at Crescent GreenBay, NS, Dec.28 (JSC),and they were hordesof AmericanRobins, through harsh Beach,NS (SF).An unprecedentedinflux of thoughtto haveincreased relative to White- weather.A near-recordsnowfall in early Eur.Wigeons involved six in St.John's, NF, wingedin s.e.New Brunswick (BD). Provin- February (5 feet in Moncton, New late Novemberto Dec. 18 (v.o.), threemales cialtotals of BarrowsGoldeneye were five in Brunswick)set off much winter movement and three femalesDec. 7-16 on SableIsland, s.e.Newfoundland, nine in Nova Scotia, 139 of birds.Winter finchesput on their best NS (ZL), and a male Dec. 24-Jan. 11 in on New BrunswickCBCs, and up to 65 in showin years.Outstanding finds included Dartmouth, NS (PP etal.). Prince Edward Island. A c• Common X Bar- Tufted Ducks in Newfoundland and Nova In Nova Scotia a c• Redhead was at E. row'shybrid was at Cocagne,NB, Dec. 6 Scotia,an apparentSwainsons Hawk anda LawrencetownDec. 15 (JSC) and another (ST) and anotherwas on the N. River, PE1, first confirmed Mountain Bluebird in Nova stayedin Sydneyfor the 3rd winter.Tufted throughFebruary (DS, ph. S. Makepeace; Scotia,a dozenwarbler species, and a West- Ducksagain made the news (v.o.). Three fe- alsolast winter). HoodedMergansers have ernMeadowlark in NewBrunswick. Report- malesin St. John's,NF, Nov. 30-Dec. 18 becomeincreasingly more evident in early ingwas excellent from all quarters. As usual, werefollowed by two females around Halifax winter in the Maritimes, and five and seven use is made of "unofficial" Christmas Bird Harbour,NS, Dec. 20 throughJanuary, and remained around Halifax, NS, and Saint Countsthat will not appearin American by a maleat Yarmouth,NS, Feb.18-29. A John,NB, respectively.One to Jan.20 on Birds. possibleimm. 9 GreaterScaup X Tufted WestR., PEI,was less routine. A lateRuddy Duck Dec. 15 at Fredericton, Abbreviations: S.P.M. (Saim- N B,was outstayed by a maleJan. Pierreet Miquelon). Place names 20 at GreenBay, NS (fidePP). in italics are counties. DIURNAL RAPTORS LOONS TO WATERFOWL A Black Vulture was sustained The onlypost-CBC Pied-billed on offal at Grande-Anse, NB, Grebe was Mahone Bay, NS, until Dec. 2 (v.o.). In Nova Sco- through mid-January.Two tia, individualTurkey Vultures Leach's Storm-Petrels Dec. 29 wintered on Brier I. and around on the Stephenville,NF, CBC Wolfville(v.o.). Fifty-two Bald (Andrew Macfafiane)were un- Eaglesat BlacksHbr., NB, gavea usual,but notunprecedented in CBChigh for the province. This the Region.Numbers of N. year'shigh count of 144Bald Ea- Gannetswere seen through late • (.,•- 'øST.PIERREglesin I•'ng},NS, wasprobably December from Halifax, NS, to incomplete.A record23 post- GrandManan, NB, and 15 ap- CBC Northern Harriers were re- pearedafter SE galesJan. 24 ..• ..._•'•""- c•½s•• • • ETMIQUELON portedin NovaScotia. By con- nearDeer I., NB (RE1).As usual trast, Sharp-shinnedHawks a few Double-crested Cor- wererated scarcein Nova Scotia, morantslingered, including one but wereprobably underreport- Dec. 22 at Ferryland,NF (RB), - NEW ed from elswehere. A well-stud- and one Feb. 16 in Halifax, NS ' BRUNSWICK ied ad. 9 Cooper'sHawk (JSC). BrianDalzell speculates (•'Therese d'Amour) wintered thatsome now stay through De- aroundKildare, PEI, supplying cemberto prey on scavenger a firstprovincial winter record. fishes around burgeoning At least20 N. Goshawksbegan salmon farms in s.e. New winter at the St. John's,NF, Brunswick. dump (BMct), but numbers A Great Blue Heron to Jan.6 wererated as average or below (BMct, ST) near Fermeusewas ß elsewhere.

•0- AmericanBirds, Summer 1992 TwoRed-shouldered Hawks wintering at (ELM) and on Grand Manan I., NB, Dec. werenear Pictou Dec. 6-10 (HarryBrennan Yarmouth,NS (JG etal.)continued this new 27 ("less-than-annual,"BD). Three Ruddy et al.), and a third Jan. 13 at GrandeAnse, trendin theprovince. For the 5th successiveTurnstones wintered at Carbonear, NF Richmond(Angus Maclean), produced a Re- winterimm. Broad-wingedHawks were re- (v.o.).Up to 200 Sanderlingswintered on gionallate record.The hundredsof Bona- portedfrom the Maritimes. December sight- Sable I., NS, and a few elsewherein the parte'sGulls into earlyJanuary in s.e.New •ngsof twoon the Moncton, NB, CBC and province.Less usual were one Feb. 23 at Bay Brunswickand the few winteringin Nova three in Nova Scotia(v.o., no details)were Roberts,NF (ST), anotherJan. 2 at Grand Scotiawere as expected, one at St.John's, NF lesssurprising than well studied individuals Barachois,S.P.M. (RE etal.),and 15 in early (v.o.),less so. An adult and two 2nd-winter Feb.18 nearHalifax, NS (PM, ?BeySarty), Decemberin s.e. New Brunswick(Andrew Mew (Common)Gulls at St.John's, NF, and and30 mi distantat Chester,Feb. 27 (?JSC). Sharkey).The latestRed Knot wasat Re- a singlefirst-winter bird at Dartmouth,NS, Photographicdocumentation is clearly de- news,NF, Dec.15 (BMct).Late Com. Snipe were not noted after December. An ad. Less- sirable.Astonishing was an apparentnear- includedtwo Jan. 4 at St. Pierre, S.P.M. er Black-backed Gull was at St. Pierre, adult,light-morph Swainson's Hawk closely (LaurentJackman), one Feb. 12 at Brackley S.P.M., to Dec. 10 (RE). Three adultswin- studiedat restand in flightin Halifax,NS, Beach,PEI (RayCooke), and four in Nova teredin St. John's,NF, wherea lessobvious lateafternoon Feb. 15 (?PM).Although vig- Scotia,Jan. 2-Feb. 15 (v.o.). Lessroutine first-winterbird turnedup Feb.9 (BMct et orouslysought, it remainedelusive until re- than three Am. Woodcocks in Nova Scotia a/.). In Nova Scotia, three adultswintered portedFeb. 23 by a callerto a nature-store andone in New Brunswick(all duringDe- aroundHalifax and a 4th nearLockport "feederline," unaware of theearlier sighting, cember)was a birdJan. 26 atLockeport, NS, (v.o.).An ad. Ross'Gull and a first-winter who describedher field-guidematch to an "tryingto probein ground... rock-solidfor IvoryGull at CowHead, NF, Dec. 14,were "adult,light-phase" bird Feb. 23 beinghar- at leastten days"(Donna Crosby). A Red luckyfinds for 2 visitingbirders (?Ed Mah- rasssedby crows on herproperty! Finally, it PhalaropeFeb. 21 at the mouthof Halifax lin,fide B M ct). wasagain studied (PM) Feb. 29 in heavy Harbour,NS (?FLetaZ), was unprecedented SporadicDovekie "wrecks" through win- rain, precedinga punishingstretch of cold in theRegion at thisseason. ter in the Maritimesincluded a majorone weather.Sightings were along 1.5 mi of rail- A recentlydead Great Skua was found on originatingalong Northumberland Strmt roadright-of-way, margined by woodsand SableI., NS,Jan. 23 (ZL); unidentifiedskuas followingan earlyFebruary storm (v.o.) scrub.Sceptics might recall 2 wintersight- on the Wolfville, NS, CBC and on Sable Is- Thirteendead birds averaged 98.5 g, com- •ngsfor s. New England(1971, 1973),and land Jan. 7 (ZL) were presumablythis paredwith the normal 150-160 g (DSC). an immaturebanded in September1988 in species.Could the "immature"Franklin's New Jerseyand founddead next spring in Gull seen until Dec. 11 at St-Pierre, S.EM. DOVES TO WOODPECKERS Nova Scotia. (fideRE), have been the same as the first-win- MourningDoves were in recordnumbers on Wintering Rough-leggedHawks were ter bird Dec. 15-16 at W. Lawrencetown, CBCs in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, slightlymore common than usual in Nova NS (?R. Foxall,ELM), whichsupplied the mostresoundingly in agricultural Ki'ng}, NS, Scotia,but lessso elsewhere.The traditional latestof a handfulof Regionalrecords? Two with almost 1000 on the Wolfville CBC ad.Golden Eagle wintered around Shepody Little Gullswere at Deer I., NB, Dec. 23, one Twoat Miquelonvillage, S.P.M., to Jan.10 Mt., NB (v.o.),and another was reported in stayingto Jan.5 (v.o.).In NovaScotia, two were pushingthe limits. It was clearlya mid-Decembernear Letere, NB (REI).Only sixpost-CBC Am. Kestrelsand two Merlins werereported from Nova Scotia, none else- PaulA. Johnsgard where.Two DecemberPeregrine Falcons in s.e. Newfoundland and one on S.P.M. Dec. 7 wereunusual (v.o.). The breedingtercel of SaintJohn, NB, againwintered. A falcon that titillatednon-birders through winter withspectacular Rock Dove kills in Halifax, NS, wasfinally diagnosed (ELM) asan imm. • anatum;another wintered on SableI, NS (ZL). Presumablyall winteringbirds are of thisrace. In Newfoundland,arecord six Gyr- falconswintered in the St. John'sarea (v.o.), andwere "in good numbers" near St. Antho- ny aswell (fide BMct). In New Brunswick, Birds of the twowintered around Moncton (v.o.) and an- otheron GrandManan I. (BD etal.). Rocky PARTRIDGE TO ALCIDS GrayPartridge are in seriousdecline in Nova Mountains Scotia,with only 100+ remainingin their King} stronghold(NS Dept. Natural Re- sources).Small numbers persist on Prince "Thiscomprehensive reference work... describesin EdwardIsland (fide DM). RuffedGrouse detail354 speciesfound in a 353,000 square were in above-averagenumbers in New Brunswickand Nbva Scotia. As usual, an milearea... Herea visitorto any of the major Am. Coot wintered in Dartmouth, NS. A Ai'bookslores or from nationalparks in the Rocky Mountain region can Unlver•lly of Nebraska Press SoraJan. 4-15 in St. John's,NF (ST etal.) 901 N 17- I.i•o•n 68588.0•0 havequick access to the abundance and seasonal- supplieda provinciallate record. (8•) 755.1105 The usualscattering of shorebirdswin- publisherss•nce 1941 ilyof a givenspecies .... Anessential guide for the teredor attempted to. A Black-belliedPlover birderwho visitsthe Rockies."- IndianaAudubon wasat Renews,NF, Jan.9 (BMct etal.), and Quarter/y.$19.95 anotheron SableI., NS, Jan. 20 (ZL). Late Kalldeerswere near Kangsburg, NS, Jan 19

Volume46, Number2 251 ca. 28 mi s.e.on CapeSable I.? Bothbirds dredswere reported.Very few "black- haddistinct white lines over the eye,but backed"birds were among those in coastal other critical marks were not noted. Unless Nova Scoria. Bruce Mactavish notes that wildly errantMountain Chickadeeshave birdsin insularNewfoundland, summer or turnedup this winter elsewhere in theeast, it winter,rarely show this putarivetrait of seemsbest to withhold boldface. A Tufted malesfrom n. Quebec,Labrador, and New- TitmouseDec. 10in Halifax,NS (tPM), the foundland. provinces2nd, couldnot be relocated.Car- NorthernMockingbirds are increasingly olina Wrens continued to consolidate in entrenchedin the Marlrimes, with 20 on NewBrunswick, with two through winter in NewBrunswick CBCs, and 25+ wintering in SaintJohn and up to three (one through win- NovaScotia. At thefringe were three winter- ter) in Fredericton.A HouseWren that blun- ingin St.JohnS, NF (RB),and one to Feb.9 deredinto a house at Maddox Cove, NF, Jan. at St-Pierre, S.P.M. (RE). Three Brown 1, wasthe provinces 4th (* fideRB). The Thrasherswintered in NovaScotia, and one onlyreported post-CBC Winter Wren was at Bristol,NB. A fewAm. Pipitswere noted on CapeSable I., NS, in February(Oliver to mid-Januaryfrom s.e. Newfoundland tos. Ross).Two Ruby-crowned Kinglets survived NovaScotia; one Jan. 19 at Waterside,NB, intoFebruary in Dartmouth,NS (JWT). wasthe latest ever in theprovince (DSC). No details are available for a CBC BohemianWaxwings were more common TownsendsSolitaire at.Plaster Rock, NB. In thanusual in n. NewBrunswick during De- One of two Nod•ern Hawk Owlsat NovaScoria, eight Eastern Bluebirds winter- cember(DSC), but largelyappeared after Tatamagouche,Nova Scotia, in February1992. ingnear Canning, and nine near Yarmouth mid-January,in below-average numbers, in Thebig Hawk Owl invasion farther west barely (at leasttwo into February), were unprece- s. New Brunswick,Nova Scotia, and s.e. reached the Maritime Provinces. dentedin theRegion. More exciting was a Newfoundland(v.o.); they too may have fled PhotograplVAvanCovert tirst-winter c• Mountain Bluebird at Brook- heavysnows and depleted berry crops in- SnowyOwl winter, although fewer remained lyn,NS, Jan. 27-Feb. 10 (ph., v.o.), provid- land.Cedar Waxwings, often with robin afterDecember. Reported totals were 20+ in ing a 2nd provincial(tirst confirmed) and flocks, were more common than usual in s.e.Newfoundland (and "plentiful" at the 3rdRegional record. A SwainsonsThrush at Nova Scoria and New Brunswick. Northern northerntip; fide BMct), at leastsix on PetiteRiviere, NS, in lateFebruary (tJSC) Shrikeswere "very scarce" (BMct) in s.e. S.P.M, 12+ in Nova Scotia,four on Prince contributeda 3rd provincial (and Regional) Newfoundland, but in averageor slightly Edward Island, and 15 on New Brunswick winterrecord. A HermitThrush Jan. 11 at aboveaverage numbers in theMaririmes. A CBCs. Two N. Hawk Owls were found in CapeBroyle (BMct) was the 2nd for this sea- closelystudied Loggerhead Shrike, no longer New Brunswick.In Nova Scotia,which is sonin Newfoundland.At leastthree post- annualin theRegion, was at Tatamagouche, rarelyreached by them, one arriving on Brier CBC birds were found in Nova Scotia. A NS, Dec. 1 (•ClarenceStevens etal.). I. in mid-December was tolerated after Fieldfarein St.John's, NF (ph.BMct) was Laggardand vagrant warblers offered the killingseveral bantam fowl! Another win- sighted(v.o.) only 6 rimes,Dec. 22-Feb. 3. usualpoignant pleasures. About seven Or- teredon PictouI., andtwo from eady De- AmericanRobins stayed in largenumbers in ange-crownedWarblers were found during cemberatTatamagouche showed mating be- all4 provinces,sustained bybumper crops of Decemberin NovaScotia, one surviving haviorin February.Eruptions of Great Grey wild berries. Some 5000-10000 were throughFebruary in Halifax.Two in St. Owls alsorarely reach Atlantic Canada; a John's,NF, lasted at least to Jan. 5 andJan. 15 deadbird Oct. 29 at Alberton, PEI O•deBD, respectively(RB). A NashvilleWarbler was a provincialtirst not previouslyreported), lastseen Dec. 4 in St.John's, NF (BMct).A wasconcrete, but a plausiblesighring near YellowWarbler was at a Minto, NB, feederin W. Lawrencetown,NS, was not detailed.A lateDecember (L. Girouard).A Magnolia Short-earedOwl lingeredto Jan.1 on St- Warblerwas on SableI., NS, Dec.7 (ZL). A Pierre, S.P.M. (RE). About three Boreal TownsendsWarbler at St. John's,NF, to Owls were seenon S.P.M. and five around St. Dec.4 (RB,BMct), was outlived by oneat John's,NF (v.o.),but only one in NovaSco- HardenPt., NS, Dec. 26 (ChrisField). A tia, nearKentville, Feb. 9 (RS). Black-throated Green Warbler was in St. A record14 post-CBC Belted Kingfishers John's,NF, to Dec.4 (BMct).The morerou- were noted in Nova Scotia. An imm. c• Yel- tMe PineWarblers did not appearin num- low-belliedSapsucker around Halifax, NS bers:about 11 in Nova Scotia(latest mid- (v.o.), was the first known to havesurvived January),four in New Brunswick(two until winterin theRegion. A record36 post-CBC Jan.30), andone at Carbonear,NF, Dec. 30. N. Flickerswere reported from Nova Scotia A Yellow-throatedWarbler at Bathurst,NB, to Dec.7 wasyellow-lored (* NB Museum); and ca. 10 wereevidently on the move Fieldfarein St. John's, Newfoundland, onJanuary (DSC) in e. New BrunswickFeb. 5 after 26,1992. Thiselusive thrush was present for anotherfeeder bird at Big Pond, Cape Breton, heavysnows; individuals were not seenbe- morethan six weeks hut was actually sighted NS,Dec. 20-Jan. 23 (latestfor the Region), yondmid-December on S.P.M.and Prince onlysixlimes. Photograph/Bruce Macravish. waswhite-lored (v.o.). A 3rdbird at Antigo- Edward Island. nish,NS, in late December(v.o.), was not around St. John's,NF, Dec. 20-Feb. 5 detailed.Palm Warblers, which a fewyears SWALLOWSTO WARBLERS (BMct). In New Brunswick, there was a agowere the onlyregular Dendroica other A TreeSwallow Feb. 24 at Musquodoboitrecord CBC totalof 1441(on 22/46 counts) thanYellow-rumped in early winter, are now Hbr.,NS O•deR. Dickie),was presumably and Nova Scotia's 800 (on22/26 counts) was seldomseen then; one was at Ferryland,NF, storm-driven. What do we make of a chick- wellabove average. The big storm in early Dec. 14 (ChrisBrown, John Wells). Three adeethat appeared during aDec. 29 storm at Februaryset off much movement, with birds Black-and-whiteWarblers survived to Dec. 4 WilliamBoudreau's feeder, Lower Wedge- largelyleaving St. John's, NF, and appearing at St. JohnS,NF, whereanother appeared port,NS, and the similar (same?) bird, again in numbersthrough mid-February in s.e. Dec. 20 (BMct etal.). AweakenedAm.Red- in a storm,Feb. 3 at theOliver Ross' feeder, New Brunswickand especiallyin Atlantic startwas at ShediacCape, NB, Dec.3 (ST). coastalNova Scotia, where flocks of hun- ACom. Yellowthroatwas at Wolfville,NS,

232. AmericanBirds, Summer 1992 Dec. 21. Latest Yellow-breasted Chats were NewBrunswick and in NovaScotia appeared at St. John's,NF, Dec. 1, Sackville,NB, to abundantlyonly after the big snowfalls of QUEBECREGION Dec. 4, and Dartmouth,NS, throughDe- earlyFebruary. Richard Yank and cember. A Yellow-headed Blackbird was near Wa- verley,NS, Jan. 12-26 (v.o.). Harsh weather YvesAubry TANAGERSTO FINCHES extinguishedmost of 15+ N. Orioles(in- A c•Western Tanager appeared Dec. 5 atthe dudinga 9 "Bullock's")found in NovaSco- samefeeder in S.W. Port Mouton, NS (R. tia duringDecember, although three sur- Trivers),as last years. Northern Cardinals vivedinto February;one got throughJan- were "aboveaverage" (DSC) on New uaryat St. John's, NF (RB). BrunswickCBCs, but seemedless common It wasan impressiveseason for winter in s.w.Nova Scotia (DAC). LateDickcissels finches,with large movements and interest- While the far-reachingeffects of E1 Nifio wereat St.John's, NF, Feb.9 (RB)and at R. ingpatterns within the Region (as summa- warmedcentral and western portions of the Bourgeois,NS, Jan. 11 (G. & S.Digour). Of rizedby regional subeditors plus DS). Hun- continent,Quebec experienced a winter that three Rufous-sided Towhees each in Nova dredsof Pine Grosbeaksinvaded St. John's, couldbest be characterized asunexceptional. Scotiaand New Brunswick,only one, at NF, in January,mostly departing with the Temperaturesaveraged colder than normal, Fredericton,NB, remainedthrough the peri- robinsby Feb. 10. They werealso more andvery few migrants lingered beyond eady od (D. Gibson). commonthan usualon S.P.M.Although December.Although much of the Region re- Recordnumbers of ChippingSparrows (at "many"appeared Feb. 4-5 on PrinceEd- ceivedaverage orbelow-average snowfall, the least36, DAC) attendedNova Scotia feeders. wardIsland, and they were in aboveaverage persistentcold and absence ofmild spells left Amongthem, a Clay-coloredSparrow at numbersin n. andcentral Nova Scotia, they substantialaccumulations onthe ground. In Greenwichremained to at leastJan. 3 (v.o.).A remained"average" in New Brunswick. Di- extremesouthern Quebec, frequent Febru- VesperSparrow atCanning, NS, was last noted minishedwild berrycrops and heavy snows arysnowfalls set the stage for a latespring. Jan.23 (BM). SavannahSparrows stayed on inearly February had more profound effects Fortunatelynorthern invaders, especially theAvalon Peninsula, NF (BMct) andin Nova onPurple Finches. They were very common owls,did provide some birding interest dur- Scotia(DAC) in exceptional numbers through in St. John's,NF, in January,less so there- ingan otherwise quiet season. December,but few remained beyond mid-to- after.In aboveaverage numbers on CBCs lateJanuar)• One Jan. 1 nearSt. Pierre, S.P.M. in Nova Scotiaand new Brunswick,they LOONSTO WATERFOWL (RE),was unusual. A Sharp-tailedSparrow mountedtruly massive invasions in Febru- Loonshave seldom wintered in the Region. nearWolfville, NS, Dec.21-Jan. 12 had char- ary, everywhereconverging on feeders. Noteworthywas a Corn. Loon seen through- acteristicsofthe James Bay altera (•B. Forsythe House Finches set records of 34 on New out the seasonon freshwater at Cabanoand etal.).An imm. Seaside Sparrow was found at BrunswickCBCs, ca. 20, mostlyat Yar- nearbyAudair on the Gasp• Peninsula ColeHbr., NS, Jan.31-Feb. 2 (BM, JWT), mouth, in Nova Scotia, and two on P.E.I. (MBa,v.o.). Another Corn. Loon was at a sel- characteristicallyaftersnow had smothered the White-wingedCrossbills were rated as com- dom-visitedspot off Verdun,Montreal L, saltmarshes. Oddly, a fewLincoln's Sparrows mon to abundant,while Red Crossbillsre- fromFeb. 13 on; possibly the same bird was usuallyattempt to winter on the Avalon Penin- mainedrelatively scarce. A hugeeady win- in the vicinityat the beginningof January sula,NF (BMct);this year, six were found, ter invasionof Com.Redpolls was evident (PB).Exceptionally late was a Double-crest- threestill present Jan. 11 (v.o.). One on Sable in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, edCormorant at Longueuil, Chambly, Jan. 7 I., NS, wasin distressDec. 16 (ZL). Among and n. and central Nova Scotia;ca. 14,000 (MBr). the usualwoodland sparrows, only White- weremoving NE (!) duringthe Cape Tor- A flock of 40 Snow Geese remained at throatsand Dark-eyedJuncos in Nova mentine,NB, CBC (ST). They seemedto Saint-Laurent,Montmorency, Dec. 16 stayin thoseparts of theRegion (remaining (JRG),while a single bird again overwintered "scarce"in St.John's, NF, BMct), akhough atthe Hemmingford zoo in thecompany of hugeflocks (ca. 5000 on Dec. 12) on Grand 75 Canada Geese (PB). A lone Canada MananI. disappearedbymonth's end (BD). Goose also survived the seasonat Gatineau ,Meadowlarks•int•ririg i-n die region are Pine Siskinswere abundant,except on (MG) whileanother on the MagogR., near oftencasually t•ken as Eastern, but i bird'at Prince Edward Island, becomingmore Sherbrooke,throughout January and Febru- Frederict•mNB,fro• Jan. 2 (peterPearce) evident at feedersafter the earlyFebruary arywas accompanied by a GreaterWhite- throughthe 1•. fiod was photographically die snowfalls.American Goldfinchesand Even- frontedGoose (RC, SB).Provided it wasnot agnosed•im'Edsell) as'a •este rn Mead- ing Grosbeakswere scarce in Newfound- ofcaptive origin, this would constitute Que- owlark,and was sfibsequently c6•firrned by land,S.P.M. and Prince Edward Island, and bec'sfirst overwintering record for thelatter plumageand vocalizatiOns (v.o.).'Examina- common to abundant elsewhere in the species. tion6fWi•t•r •e6•e• fr0mthe p•o•incc Maritimes (record CBC totals in New A c•Wood Duck at Ch•teauguay and a fe- (NB Museum) exposed two6fsN as West- Brunswick), diminishing somewhat in late male on the Richelieu R. added to 6 or so erns:.Twoprevious Maritime records. hffve winter. previouswintering records (m.ob., fide PB); been bas• offcall hote: Pln•i 6f sub- a c• Blue-wingedTeal Dec. 3 on theRiche- speciesexpected in;the regibn can be most Contributors and observers:(subregional lieu R., at Saint-Jean,broke the provincial readilydistihgu!•hed b• •viddy •s•parated editors in boldface)--RichardG.B. Brown, departurerecord by oneday (ph. DDo). barson centralt•il feathersof D.esterns, con- RogerBurrows, J. ShirleyCohrs, David S. Montreal'smid-February waterfowl census fluenti& Easterns•Two'6t•er De&•ber Christie, David A. Currie, Brian Dalzell, producedan above-average 3800 geese and birdsin NewBiunswick and six in NovaSco- RalphEldredge (RE1), Roger Etcheberry, ducks,mainly due to the unprecedented tally tia,including fottr Jan. 25 at Lower W. pub- SylviaFullerton, Keith Keddy,Fulton of 1379Mallards (PB etal.). Among notable nico,were •bt doselyscrutifiized: We •n no Lavender,Zoe Lucas,Peter MacLeod, Bruce mid-winter ducks were Gadwall at Sher- longerassu•e that late•autu•n and winter Mactavish(BMcr), Blake Maybank,Dan brookeJan. 19 (MMo), andsingle c• Ring- meadowlarksinAdimti½'Canada; andproba-. McAskill, Eric L. Mills, Peter Payzant, necked Ducks at C6te-Sainte-Catherine, blyco•s•New Englandf areEastirns. DwayneSabine, Francis Spalding, Richard Laprairie,Jan. 5 andFeb. 22 (BB, MMc) and Stern,James W. Taylor,Stuart Tingley.-- at Dorion, Vaudreuil,Feb. 14 (RGo). IAN A. McLAREN,Biology Department, The gatheringof 60,000+Oldsquaw off Scotiaseemed substantially more numerous DalhousieUniversity, Halifax, NS B3H Cap-d'EspoirJan. 1 (JW)represented most than in recentyears. Snow Buntings in s. 4J1. of theknown winter population of theGulf

Volume46, Number2- • Radisson • theGasp• Pen.; by mid-November manyhad reacheds.w. Quebec. Numbers increasedin the south- • west in December. Few new locales • reportedthe species thereafter, but QUEBEC some individuals remained into •Eastrnain March. GreatGray Owls displayed a dif- ferentpattern. The total of 60 orso birds was similar to that recorded

ß Matagami in peak years 1978-1979 and ß Chibougamau 1987-1988but was only one-fifth the exceptionalincursion of 1983-1984.Although initial scat- ßAmos Chicoutirni• : teredsightings occurred inlate Oc- • ß Rouyn tober,larger concentrations did not appearuntil late December QuebecCity (Saguenayand North Shore)or •eMont- even February(Montreal and Lauder area).The total of 15 Boreal Owls ß . -dhierville Montreal Hull ß (in additionto fiveon the Mag- Sherbrooke ß dalenIs., where the species isresi- denothis fall and winter was possi- • bly our bestever. However, this " wintermirrored last years for N. Saw-whetOwls, with only one ofSt. Lawrence (see Bourget and Reed 1987, cellent total of 150 or more Iceland Gulls mid-wintersighting, at MontrealJan. 22 Nexus9(2):8). In contrast,scoters are rarein winteredin the Montrealarea (JMB, PB, (PE). theGulf at thisseason; unusual were up to v.o.).A Black-leggedKittiwake was late at fourWhite-winged Scoters at BonaventureLes Escoumins Dec. 27 (AB).Mourning KINGFISHERSTO SHRIKES Jan.10-Feb. 3 (JMP)and a groupof fiveat Dovesattempted to overwinteralong the Only oneBelted Kingfisher lingered into Cap-d'EspoirFeb. 15 (DS, NG). Lower St. Lawrence, but a flock of 23 at January,at DrummondvilleJan. 10 (PM). Sainte-BlandineJan. 1 (fidePF) disappeared The imm. Red-headedWoodpecker at RAPTORS TO OWLS duringthe subsequent cold spell. Bonaventure in the fall visited feeders there The Regions1 lth BlackVulture visited a It wouldappear that the SnowyOwl throughoutthe winter (CD etal.); another Sainte-Moniquebackyard, œ. Saint-Jean, in a movementwas over by early December. Sub- wasat JolietteDec. 15-Jan. 12 (fideRLo). weakenedcondition on the late date of Dec. sequently,good concentrationswere at Bothspecies of3-toed woodpeckers were vir- 17 (MT eta/.);the bird was found 2 days Kamouraskaand Quebec City (fide YA); in tuallyunreported this winter, while a fewN. later,dead of a shotgun wound. A N. Harrier s.w. Quebec, 15 were tallied between Flickerswintered farther north than usual, at Maple-Grove,Beauharnois, Jan. 15 OCtdeLongueuil and Verch•resDec. 31 (DDa), with threeat Sacr•-Coeur,Rimouski, all sea- PB)provided the only mid-winter sighting, anda highcount of 20 Snowieswas made at son(RC), one at ChicoutimiDec. 8-Feb. 27 undoubtedlyowing to persistent snow cover. Saint-Barthelemi,Bertbier, Jan. 11 (fide PB). (LI), andanother at Saint-Augustin,Port- At least 6 Lower St. Lawrencefeeders were Owlsof theboreal forest, on the other hand, neuf,Feb. 9 (PPe).Unusual were up to 27 visitedby Sharp-shinnedHawks (fide PF), continuedto appearthroughout the season. HomedLarks at Bonaventure inJanuary and morethan usual, but sightings of Cooper'sAs statedin theFall report, N. HawkOwl February(JMP). Lastwinters invasion of Hawkwere down compared to recent years, numberswere the highest ever recorded. An TuftedTitmice was not repeated; in addition with only threeseen after December. Six estimated40 birdswere added to the 70 or so to twobirds in theFall report, only one ap- Medinswere observed inJanuary and Febru- reportedOctober-November. These birds pearedthis winter, at Saint-HyacintheDec. ary,and a PeregrineFalcon wintered at Hull apparentlyoriginated in thenortheast, as in 21 (RR et al.). In addition to the nine (fideRLD).This fall and winter saw approxi- lateOctober concentrations were noted at L. CarolinaWrens in the fall, 10 birds,includ- mately30 Gyrfalconsreach s. Quebec, atotal Saint-Jean,along the North Shore,and on ing one at Sainte-Foy,Quebec, enlivened similarto last years outstanding invasion. s. Quebecfeeders this winter (RGi, FB•, Rarein mid-winter,a lone Purple Sand- JFB),while a hardyWinter Wren again piperwas observed atLes Escoumins, Sague- survivedthe seasonon I. desSoures, Montre- nay,Feb. 14 (JI, CG).Not unexpectedwere all. (m.ob). overwinteringCom. Snipeat La Pocatilre, Frugivores(thrushes, mimicIs, and wax- Kamouraska(one--CA et al.) and Beauport, NATURESONGS FOR CHILDREN wings)were in fairly goodnumbers. A Quebec(two--RGi et al.). An Am. Wood- Townsend'sSolitaire briefly appeared at cockat Cap-Tourmente,Montmorency, Jan. Sainte-FoyDec. 28 (RF,JL), anda Hermit 3 (RLe,FB•, LM) wasrecord late by almost 3 Thrushlingered on Mt. Saint-Hilaireuntil weeks!Also recordlate weretwo Little Gulls Jan. 16 (AT). A few Am. Robinswere scat- at C6te-Sainte-CatherineDec. 12-15 (RLa, teredalong the LowerSt. Lawrenceand the BBetal.), and a groupof fourCom. Black- Gasp6Pen. (fide PF, PPo), while the seasons headedGulls still at Cap-aux-Meules, Mag- onlyVaried Thrush was at Saint-G•rard-des- dalenIs., Jan. 18 (CAG,DGG). An ad.Mew Laurentides,Saint-Maurice, in December Gull identifiedat CabanoDec. 10 (MBa, (MSo).No fewerthan 12 N. Mockingbirds RD)was only Quebec's 10th. Up to twoad. werereported, and a BrownThrasher tarried Thayer'sGulls were goodfinds at the at Boucherville,Chamb•, Dec. 14-Jan. 17 Beauharnois dam Dec. 27 and at Cfte- (FBI).As occurred last winter, spectacular Sainte-CatherineJan. 5 (BB,MMc); an ex- concentrationsofBohemian Waxwings were

234-American Birds,Summer 1992 in c. Quebec,including 6180 at Alma,L. New-Richmondon the GasptPen. Nov. 2 Saint-Jean,Dec. 1 (CG, MSa, AJ), 2000 at (JMP);the species was noted throughout s. NEWENGLAND REGION RimouskiJan. 18 (RP), and 1800 at Perce, Quebecafterward. Not unexpectedly,four Blair Nikula Gaspe,Jan. 8 (JW).Smaller numbers were in GreaterRedpolls (C. f. rostrata)were among s.w.Quebec, the largest flock being the 580 thesebirds (see AB 41:406). Most areasalso atHull Dec.15 (fide RLD). Northern Shrike commentedon thepresence of HoaryRed- numberswere considered ator slightly above polls,the largest group being of nineat Ca- Throughoutmost of the Region,Old Man averagenumbers following a strong showing plan,Bonaventure, Feb. 1 (JMP).Two birds Winteragain made only brief and feeble in- lastyear. of therarer hornemanni ssp. were identified roads,primarily from mid-January to mid- at Saint-Elztar,Tlmiscouata, Dec. 21 (RD); February.Temperatures in Boston were WARBLERS TO FINCHES singlesof thisssp. were at RimouskiJan. 22 1.8øFabove normal for theperiod, and pre- The latestYellow-rumped Warbler this sea- (JRP,RC) andCabano Feb. 28 (MBa).Pine cipitationwas only 65% of normaland fell son was at Beaconsfield,Montreal L, Dec. Siskinswere scarce until late in the period, mostlyas rain. Boston recorded only 10.2" of 21-23 (JMB).There were indications of a butAm. Goldfincheswere in goodnumbers, snow,a merethird of normal.Bare ground latePine Warbler movement, with singles at including400 at MysticJan. 19 (JGP). wasthus the rule ratherthan the exception Cap-aux-MeulesDec. 9-26 (DGG),at Ri- EveningGrosbeaks were again uncommon acrossthe southern two-thirds of NewEng- mouski Dec. 14-31 (SR), and at Beacons- alongthe St. Lawrence lowlands; it has been land, with appreciablesnowfall only in fielduntil Jan. 17 (PT,m.ob.); this individu- severalyears since the last invasion. northernmostNew Englandand downeast aldied one day short of thedeparture record Maine. afterhitting a window.The only other war- Contributors, Observers:C. Auchu, Y. The mild weather of October and Novem- blerworthy of mentionwas a lateCom. Yel- Bachand, P. Bannon, B. Barnhurst, M. ber continuedinto December(+2.3øF) and lowthroatat I. desSoeures Dec. 1 (JM). Beaulieu(MBa), E Btdard (FBt), J.E Bt- the firstten daysof January(+8øF). The Northern Cardinals continue to do well in dard, J.M. B•liveau, S. Btliveau, M. arianresponse to the mild, open conditions s.Quebec, evidence the count of 20 at Mys- Bertrand (MBr), E Blouin (FB1), A. waspredictable: many typically late migrants tic,Missisquoi, Feb. 16 (MMc, BB),and to Bouchard,E Bourret (FBo), H. Briand, J. lingered,and CBC species totals were gener- appearmore regularly atthe n. limitof their Caron, M. Castilloux,R. C6tt, G. Cyr, D. allyinflated as a result.Most prominent in range:a femaleturned up at Pointe-au-P•re,Daigneault (DDa), C. Desbiens,R. De- thiscategory were herons (8 speciesin De- Rimouski,Dec. 22 (MH), the male at Jon- schines,D. Doucet, (DDo), R.L. Dubois, cember!),dabbling ducks, flycatchers, and quitrein November survived through Febru- E Ethier, R. Fortin, P. Fradette, S. Fran- warblers(15 speciesin December).Temper- ary (RGu), and a 2nd male was at coeur,C.A. Gaudet,D.G. Gaudet,J. Gau- aturesreturned to moretypical levels in mid- Htbertville, L. Saint-Jean,Dec. 27-29 drealt,N. Gaul,J.R. Gigu•re,R. Gingras Januaryand remained on thecold side into (LSL). Inconsistentwith the coldweather, (RGi), C. Girard, R. Gomm (RGo), M. mid-February,resulting in theonly signifi- "many• SongSparrows were at Cap-Tour- Gosselin,R. Guay (RGu), E Hilton, M. canticing of theseason. Nonetheless, many mentethroughout the season (fide LM); 12 Huard,J. Ibarzabal,L. Imbeau,D. Jauvin, speciesthat generallyare unable to survive werestill at Fabreville,n. of Montreal,Jan. A. Jomphe,D. Keable,G. Lachalne,J. NewEngland winters were still being found 12 (FH). One alsowintered on the Gaspt Lachance.,B. Lambert,P. Lambert,R. into Februarythis year, and the weather Pen.,at Chandler(HB). Other notableem- Lavoie (RLa), J.R. Lepage, R. Lepage warmedagain during the lasthalf of the berizineswere a FieldSparrow at thelatter (RLe), R. Lord (RLo), M. Mcintosh month,triggering an earlymovement of siteJan. 4-Feb. 29 (JRL) and a White- (MMc), L. Messely,P. Messier, M. Morin northboundmigrants. throatedSparrow at Digelis, Tlmiscouata,(MMo), J. Mountjoy,J.G. Papineau,J.R. In stark contrast to the weather, several Dec.7-Feb. 15 (JC,DK). Pelletier, P. Perron (PPe), J.M. Pitre, R. speciesof northernraptors appeared in the A fewicterids were in theprovince despite Pitre,P. Poulin(PPo), S. R•haume,R. Roy, bestnumbers in manyyears, demonstrating therelatively harsh weather. Worthy of men- G. Savard, M. tion was a c• Yellow-headedBlackbird that Savard(MSa), D. Si- survivedat leastinto March at Saint-Anaclet, moneau, M. So- Rimouski(BL, PL), as was a femaleat a kolyk (MSo), L. St- Ch•teauguayfeeder Feb. 8-16 (MMc,BB). Laurent, P. Tarassof, Smallflocks of Com.Grackles were reported M. Tremblay, A. throughoutthe Lower St. Lawrence and the Trudel, J. Wise- GasptPen. (fide PF, PPo), including 13 at man.--RICHARD BonaventureJan. 22 (JMP)and one at Port- YANK, 566 Chester Daniel Feb. 15 (MC). Chiteauguaypro- Road, Beaconsfield • •t'•t•'JPark ducedthe largest flock of icterids,compris- PQ, H9W 3K1,and MAINE ing 750 Brown-headedCowbirds Feb. 16 YVES AUBRY, (MMc, BB). Canadian Wildlife PineGrosbeaks were in fairlygood num- Service, P.O. Box bers,but few reached the most s. portions of 10100, Sainte-Foy the province.While PurpleFinches again PQ, G1V4H5. NH movedoutside the provincethis winter, VT House Finches continued to increase. Im- pressivetotals included 300 at LesC•dres, Soulanges,Dec. 28 (BB,MMc) and200 at Laval,n. of Montreal, Dec. 22 (GL). Cross- billswere generally scarce; Red Crossbill re- MA portsoutnumbered those of White-wingeds. The highestRed Crossbill counts involved Hartførd'CTprovid..... Plymøuthehehe• 24 at ChicoutimiDec. 24 (JI, SF) and 15 at Saint-Joachim,Assomption, Feb. 2 (DJ). It ß.ew. .... wasa redpollinvasion year. The fi•stlarge concentrationwas of 1000Com. Redpolls at

Volume 46, Number 2.235 onceagain that the weather locally has litde, laterin s.New England. A BarnacleGoose in if any, direct influenceon the southward Southbury,CT, Dec. 29 and Feb. 2 (C.Nay- movementsof these predatory nomads. Gyr- lor etal.) wasreported as "probably an es- falcons,Snowy Owls, Northern Hawk Owls, capee";will we everfeel comfortable count- and Boreal Owls all made headlinesthis sea- ingthis species in NewEngland? son, while Northern Shrikeswere numerous Dozensof Wood Ducks were present in s. as well. NewEngland in Decemberand at leasta few Many of the speciesthat havebeen in- successfullywintered. Other dabbling ducks creasingas wintererswere again found in werealso in relativeabundance, particularly high,and in manycases record-breaking, in RhodeIsland. Eurasian Wigeon were in numbers.Most prominent among this group near-record numbers in Massachusetts wereDouble-crested Cormorant, Cooper's whereat least 12 (all males)were found; Hawk, Red-shoulderedHawk, Peregrine threein Rhode Islandand two(?)in Con- Falcon,Turkey Vulture, Red-bellied Wood- necticutwere more typical. pecker, Eastern Bluebird, and Carolina Canvasbackpopulations in s. NewEng- Wren.Relatively few species seemed notice- land continuedat ratheranemic levels, evi- ablyscarce this season, but among these were denceof which wasonly 141 on the Black-leggedKittiwake, Shurt-eared Owl, CCL&PWS, Dec. 7-8 (C.C.B.C.), the low- Yellow-rumpedWarbler, White-throated esttotal in the8 yearsof thateffort. Howev- Sparrow,Pine Grosbeak, and both crossbills. er,13 Canvasbacksin Durham Feb. 29 (SM) wereconsidered a noteworthy concentration Abbreviations:CCL&PWS (Cape Cod Lake for New Hampshire.Redheads likewise re- & PondWaterfowl Survey); M.V. (Marthas mainedscarce, although numbers were up Vineyard). somewhatover recent years. A c• Tufted LeastBittern at Saybrook,Connecticut, on Duckwas seen by manyin Brewster,MA, LOONSTO HERONS January18,1992. Apparentlythe first mid- winterrecord for NewEngland. Dec. 7-Jan. 1 (R. Comeau,S. Highley, A Pacific/ArcticLoon was reported from Photograph/GilbertKleiner. m.ob.).One hundred Lesser Scaup in Shel- Manomet,MA, Jan.5 (M. Sylvia);one, per- burne,VT, Jan.10 (J. Peterson)was a sur- hapsthe same,was a few milesdown the birdsDec. 2-Jan.2. SingleGreat Cor- prisingassemblage that far north. coastin Sagamore,MA, Jan.26 (T. Hall);an- morantswere inland at 2 sitesin New Hamp- CommonEider were again very scarce, the otherwas in Provincetown,MA, Jan.3-Feb. shireand one in Connecticut. Notable totals largestconcentration reported a meager 29 (?PT,v.o., ph.). The latterbird had a faint of the ever-increasingDouble-crested Cor- 4739 in BostonHarbor Feb.2 (T.A.S.L.); chinstrap and lackeda conspicuousflank morantincluded 65 in BostonHarbor Jan. however,no counts were receivedfrom the patchwhich, based on our currentknowl- 19 (T.A.S.L.)and 55 in Jerusalem,RI, Feb. shoalsoff MonomoyIsland this year. About edge,suggests Pacific rather than Arctic (as 17 (DE). 18 King EidersRegionwide constituted a wouldbe expected in this area). Single Pied- Oneof the more amazing finds this season ratherpoor showing. After several consecu- billedGrebes lingered into mid-Decemberwas a LeastBittern in Saybrook,CT, Jan. 18 tiveyears of steadilyincreasin• Harlequin in New Hampshireand Vermont,and one (BK, G. Kleinerph.), apparentlythe first Ducktotals dipped abit this season; the peak wasparticularly late above the Vernon Dam, mid-winterrecord for theRegion. Another at SachuestPt., RI, was64 onFeb. 10 (fide VT, Jan.7 (T. Maloney).Good numbers of LeastBittern found road-killed inWesquage DE), downfrom the record high of 83 two HornedGrebes were present on Lake Cham- Dec. 20 (DLK) establisheda late date for yearsago, and numbers on bothM.V. and plainthrough Jan. 10 (JN), andup to 89 Rhode Island.Also included in a remarkable Nantucketwere down substantially from re- wereon the QuabbinRes., MA, through heron list from Rhode Island were a Great cent highs.However, 49 Harlequinsat mid-January(fide SK), but very few were re- Egretin JamestownDec. 16 & Jan.13 (C. Ogunquitin earlyJanuary (fideJD) was ap- portedfrom coastal areas. The surreptitious Powell, W. Gardner);a Little BlueHeron on parentlya recordnumber for s.w. Maine, and comingsand goings of ReOneckedGrebes in theKingston CBC Dec. 21; a CatdeEgret in an imm. maleat Montpelier,VT, Dec. 10 this areacontinue to puzzle;typically the LittleCompton Dec. 4 (DE);and a Glossy (-•T.Gaine) was well out of range. The dawn largestconcentrations are present from late Ibisat Quonochontaug,Dec. 4 (DLK).Ex- anddusk flights of Oldsquawon Nantucket, Februaryto late March when an influx, often ceptionallylate elsewhere were a GreatEgret from their eveningroost in Nantucket pronounced,is notedin s. New England on NantucketJan. 21 (E. Eberhardr)and a Soundto feedingareas on the shoalsoff- (fromwhere these birds originate isanyone's LitdeBlue Heron in Marion,MA, Jan.5-10 shore,is one of theRegions ornithological guess,as the speciesis scarcesouth of this (R. Harlow etal.). spectacles;this seasons peak was estimated at area).This season,peak Red-necked num- 150,000birds Dec. 31 (EA etal.). bersoccurred early in theseason when a max- WATERFOWL Belfast,ME, seemsto be theRegional imum of 157 wasnoted at Hull, MA, Dec. FiveTundra Swans were a goodfind at Seba- strongholdfor Barrow's Goldeneye and this 26 (RA).The only Eared Grebe was in Stam- goLake S.P., ME, Jan. 22 (G. Hazelton,fide seasonspeak there was about 25 in February ford,CT, Feb.27-28 (DP et al.), andfor the JD); two were at their traditionalsite on (fu• M.A.S.). Six Barrow'sin Connecticut, 15thconsecutive year a WesternGrebe win- M.V., throughat leastlate December (WM includingone again inland at Enfield,was teredin theGeorgetown area of Maine(v.o., etal.); andfour were in Essex,CT, Dec.29, aboveaverage there, and another was inland fideJD ). with twonearby at HaddamNeck, Feb. 15, in Hadley,MA, Dec. 15 (fideSK). Buffle- A Manx Shearwaterat Pt. JudithJan. 4 presumedto be some of thesame birds (fide headis one of thoseubiquitous species that (RLF) provideda first winter recordfor BK). SingleGreater White-fronted Geese rarelyelicits comments from reporters, but RhodeIsland and one of only a handfulany- werein Southbury,CT, Dec.24-27 (NC et 2173 on the CCL&PWS Dec. 7-8 wherein the Region.Following their un- al.); Concord,MA, Dec. 1 (from the fall; (C.C.B.C.)established an 8-yearhigh on precedenteddisplacement in the fall, N. RHS);and throughout the periodin New thatsurvey. Hooded Mergansers were nu- Gannets remained numerous off Rhode Is- Bedford,MA (D. Zimberlin). Over 1000 merousin Maine(fide WT), NewHamp- landinto December, as evidenced by 1476 SnowGeese were still present at DeadCreek shire(fide DDD, andMassachusetts, while on theKingston CBC, Dec. 21 (fideDE), W.M.A., VT, Dec. 2 (WGE etal.), but most 150 at Pt. Judith Feb. 14 (DLIO was the anda fewlingered in LongIsland Sound off weregone shortly thereafter. As is now usual, biggestflock Kraus has seen in his 60 years of Connecticutwhere 3 sightingstotalled six severalSnows lingered into early January or birdingin RhodeIsland! Red-breasted Mer-

236. American Birds,Summer 1992 gansets,on the other hand, were exceptional- (?RSH).The onlyLitde Gulls of theseason ly scarcealong the entire coast, although on wereone on LakeChamplain at Ferrisburg, CapeCod unusual numbers were found on VT, Dec.2 (fideJN)and two on theGreater freshwaterponds as demonstratedby a .Asi?sorting out fugitive waterfowl were not Boston CBC, Dec. 15. Common Black- recordhigh 506 on the CCL&PWSDec. 'h•dacheenough, birders must no• Closely headedGulls are extremely rare inland, but 7-8 (C.C.B.C.),about 5 timesthe 8-year av- scrutinizeany atypical falcon theYfind• •is" this seasonthere were four such birds: a first- enge.Presumably this anomalous distribu- 'Wifiter,No}rn Smith discoveredalarg• falconwinter bird in Burlingtonon three dates, Jan. tionwas indicative of a foodshortage in their "aœLoganAirport which at first gppeared tff•b• 19-Feb.23 (?G.Hall, ?WGE etal.)was only normal coastal haunts. Smews at two siteson a Gyrfaleon,but uponcloser inspection- the 2nd ever in Vermont; a first-winter CapeCod, a maleJan. 13 in Chatham(M. -•ro•Jed iø b•a hybdd ofindetermin•i• lih5 bird in Rochester Feb. 9 (SM) was New Silkeet al.) anda femalea fewdays later in %ge•complet• ivith some of die'accouter-Hampshire's first inland; another in Provincetown(D. Reid et al.), were pre- :mefiks ofc•Piivity. Fal•bners• in;tfi•ir •uest Hadley-AmherstFeb. 22-29 (fideSK) was sumedescapees as a waterfowlbreeder in forthe ultimate falco0 •as if nature-hash't w.Massachusetts' 3rd; and a birdof unspeci- Kingston,RI, reportedhaving recendy lost done•ell e•nough),.gr• producing.a d•turb- fiedage was in Mansfield,MA, Jan.22 & 26 someof thisspecies (fide SAP). i•g •d be•ilderln•array bf •ixed•Breed 0- Bergeret al.). At theirmore traditional l•i•. One•icone• on Nailtucker 10st abir d' coastalhangouts, Black-headeds totaled at DIURNAL RAPTORS lasi.yea• ihat Was one' half GYrfal•n. one leasteight in Maine,26+ in Massachusetts, By mid-February,migrant Turkey Vultures quarteYPtairie, and oneNuarter Lanner. •t 13 in Rhode Island, and two in Connecticut. beganappearing and one newlyarriving thehlrder heware[ Anothervery rare find inlandwas a Mew groupwas accompanied by a BlackVulture Gull in Hadley-Amherst,MA, Feb.26-29 in Milton & Randolph,MA, Feb.28-29 (P.Champlin et al., ph.), the firstever in w. (NS). Exceptionallylate Ospreyswere in Massachusetts.An injured1W gull picked Bourne,MA, Jan.8 (E Bygate)and Brewster, RAILS TO SHOREBIRDS up in Manchester,NH, Dec. 18 (H. DiPri- MA, Jan.23 (L Tilson,fide BN). Bald Eagle Late ClapperRails were in Newburyport, ma)and subsequently treated and released in totalson the annualcensus in Januaryin- MA, Dec. 29 (RSH) andS. Dartmouth, MA, Massachusettswas identified as a Mew Gull duded 25 in New Hampshire,13 in Ver- Jan.26 (MB), and a Sorarevealed itself in of the westernrace brachyrynchus(fide mont, and 60 in Massachusetts. Saybrook,CT, Jan. 12 (S. Mayo etal.). A few DDL), a speciesnot yet recordedin New CoopersHawks were again widely reported VirginiaRails occasionally survive the win- Hampshire;confirmation awaits examina- fromthe s. two-thirdsof the Regionand, if tersin extremes. coastalsections, but a bird tionof photostaken of thebird in captivity. currenttrends continue, may soon be as com- inland at S. Quabbin,MA, Feb. 15 (T. Exhaustivedetails were provided for a first- mona wintereras Sharp-shinned Hawks have Gagnon)was most unusual. The only Com. winterThayer's Gull in S.Portland, ME, Jan. become.A Cooper'sin IslandPond, VT, Dec. Moorhen of the seasonwas in Branford, CT, 31 andFeb. 22-23 (?L. Brinkeretal., ?JD). 11 wasconsidered "remarkably far northfor Jan.2-9(?) (ND. AmericanCoots remained LesserBlack-backed Gull reportsnumbered the date" (FO et al.). NorthernGoshawks in short supply,the only concentrationsone in New Hampshire,ten in Mas- were"well reported" in Vermont(JN) and3 beingat theirstronghold in Plymouth,MA, sachusetts,and three in Connecticut. An ad. reportsfrom Rhode Island were more than whereup to 185were present throughout the HerringX GlaucousGull hybridwas in normal,but thespecies drew little comment season(GdE et al.) and in Arlington,MA, Provincetown,MA, Feb. 15 (BN) and a Her- elsewhere.Wintering Red-shouldered Hawks where54 werenoted Dec. 12 (L. Taylor).A ring X GreatBlack-backed Gull in Lynn, havebecome fairly routine across s.New Eng- SandhillCrane of unspecifiedage was in MA, Jan.31 (J.Quigley, fide RAF). The Jan. land,and for severalconsecutive years now, Lyme,CT, Dec. 11-Jan.2 OK, ph.);an im- 4 stormdrove 742 Black-leggedKittiwakes twoadults have frequented a feeder in Lin- maturein Little Compton,RI, Dec. 10 (C. pastRockport, MA (RSH), but otherwise coln,MA, wherethey are fed assorted meat Merceretal.) was perhaps the same as a bird a theywere extremely scarce. products(fide W. Harrington,ph.)! Good fewmiles away in S. Dartmouth,MA, Dec. It wasnot a verygood winter for alcids, numbersof Rough-leggedHawks were pre- 8-30 (MB et al.); and an adultwas in Mid- with onlyRazorbills seen in anynumbers. sentin Vermont,but elsewheretotals were at dletown,RI, Feb.1 (H. Morgan). Only a handfulof Dovekieswere reported, bestonly average. As usual, a GoldenEagle Lateor winteringshorebirds included five all in Maine and Massachusetts,and the few winteredat theQuabbin Res., MA (fideSK), Am. Oystercatchersat Groton, CT, Dec. 7 Common and Thick-billed murres noted and anotherwas in Canaan,CT, Dec. 2 (NC). OK);single Greater Yellowlegs in Yarmouth, werevirtually all in Provincetown,MA (the Medinswere either scarce or scarcelyre- MA, throughJan. 31 (K. Hamilton)and mostreliable site in theRegion for seeing al- ported.Peregrine Falcons, in contrast,were Eastham,MA, Feb. 15 (ML etal.); a Lesser cids).Noteworthy counts of Razorbillswere presentjust about everywhere except, appar- Yellowlegsin Warren, RI, Jan. 1 (W. 820 storm-drivenbirds at Rockport,MA, ently,Maine; several were found in Vermont, Nichols);a yellowlegssp. in BostonJan. 19 Jan.4 (RSH) and306 in Provincetown,Feb. a dozenor morein NewHampshire, 20+ in (T.A.S.L.);a SpottedSandpiper on the New- 15 (ML et al.). In RhodeIsland, where not Massachusetts,two in RhodeIsland, and two portCBC, RI, Dec.14 (RLF); 22 RedKnots toolong ago alcids of anysort were almost in Connecticut.Gyrfalcons staged their at Scituate,MA, Jan.12 (RA); anda Long- unheardof, Razorbillsshattered old percep- biggestinvasion in years,and amongthe billedDowitcher photographed and heard in tions:day-long watches at Pt.Judith record- dozenor more reportedRegionwide were Eastham,MA, Jan.18 (PT,ph.). Good win- ed 100_ Dec. 21 and a phenomenal546 three or four white birds. In Vermont, at least tertotals of RuddyTurnstoneswere 53 in Sc- flyingpast Jan. 5 (RLF et al.);close to 100 fiveand perhaps as many as seven (one white iraate, MA, Dec. 19 (RA) and 38 on Nan- otherswere reported in thatstate during the morph)were found, almost all in theCham- tucket,Feb. 8 (EA).Exceptional was a count period. plainValley (fide JN). ThreeGyrfalcons in of 750+ PurpleSandpipers in Scimate,MA, Maine includeda white bird in Clinton, Dec. Jan.12 (RA), the largest concentration in the PARAKEETS,OWLS 15 (E Davis,fide JD), and anotherwhite Regionin recentmemory. Common Snipe Ominous was the total of 98 Monk Parakeets morphpresent sporadically in Scarborough, were more widely reported than usual in s. inWarwick, RI, Jan1 (fideDE),while four in Dec. 15-Jan.31, whichapparently eluded a NewEngland and one survived the season in Lakeville,Jan. 1 (M. Shaw)apparendy estab- falconersattempt to captureit (fideJD).Yet Tinmouth, VT (P.Ballou). lishedan unwantedrecord high for Mas- another(?) white Gyr was reported about 30 sachusetts. mi to the southin Rye, NH, Jan.26 (C. SKUAS TO ALCIDS It was a memorable season for owl lovers Deeck,fide DDL), whilein MassachusettsA GreatSkua was carefully identified during (and who amongus isn't). SnowyOwls twoor threedark birds were present. a northeastgale in Rockport,MA, Jan.4 stagedamajor invasion; the number of sight-

Volume 46, Number 2.237 bandedin Canton, MA, Dec. 27 (NS, the shire(fide DDL) and a coupleof sitesin sixthin that statesince late October,all with- Maine,and were widespread across s. New in a radiusof about 20 mi), and Connecti- England.American Robins wintered in cutsfirst since 1946 delighted hundreds of abundancethroughout much of the Region, birdersin Middlebury,Jan. 13-Feb. 24 (B. with manyflocks numbering into the hun- Devine,m.ob., ph.). dreds,except in extremes.e. New England wherethey were essentiallyabsent---almost a KINGFISHERS TO SHRIKES completereversal of theirtypical winter dis- Indicative of the mildness of the seasonwere tribution. Four Varied Thrushes distributed severalBelted Kingfishers wintering in Ver- themselvesevenly across the n. partof the mont and New Hampshire.Red-headed Region: Oakham, MA, Jan.1-31 (R.Crom- Woodpeckerswere found in 3 placesin bie);Springfield, VT, Dec.29 & Jan.5 (tJ. Maine, 2 in Massachusetts,and one in Con- Kraft);Dunbarton, NH, Dec. 6 (tJ. Goss); necticut--aboutaverage by recent standards. and N. Waterboro, ME, Nov. 21 to at least Red-belliedWoodpeckers continued to in- Dec.9 (J.Grant, fide JD). MewGull at Hadley,Massaclmsetts, on March3, creasein s. New England,but apparendy Themild, snowless conditions apparendy 1992 (presentsince late February).Very rare inlandin NewEngla.d. Billshape and wi,gtip onlyfour penetrated the northern3 states: inducedAm. Pipitsto remainin numbers: patterniudicate the Europeanform, I.. c. canus, onein Pemaquid,ME (fideWT)and three in two in Kittery,ME, Dec. 25 (fideWT); a ratherthau/.. c. bracby•usfrom western s. New Hampshire(fide DDL). As usual,a totalof 42 in Massachusettsin January and NorthAmerica. Photograph/Peter Yeskie. fewYellow-bellied Sapsuckers lingered in s. February,highlighted by a remarkable 30+ in NewEngland, but a reportof one as far north Halifax,Jan. 30 (K. Anderson);and 19 in asSaco, ME, Feb. 19 (S. Pollock)was most Rhode Island into December,at leastone re- ingsand nomadicnature of theseArctic surprising. mainingthrough Feb. 17 (fide DE ). Bohemi- phantomsmakes it impossibleto determine EasternPhoebes lingered into December anWaxwings were scarce in n. NewEngland, withany accuracy just how many birds were at 3 sitesin Rhode Island, 6 sitesin Mas- with onlya few flocksof 100+reported; seen,but Norm Smiths continuing banding sachusetts,and 2 sitesin Vermont,and a par- southernmostwere single Bohemians at 3 andcolor-marking efforts at LoganAirport dcularlyhardy individual was in Tiverton, sitesin Massachusetts.In sharpcontrast, resultedin 36 individualscaptured there RI, Feb.14 (E Dorcuset al.). A phoebein CedarWaxwings, like robins, were in abun- (throughearly April) and Smith felt that an- Longmeadow,MA, Feb.27 wasassumed to dancejust about everywhere, except in the other10-20 birdspassed through without bean extremely early migrant (fide SIO. The extremenorth and the s.e. coastal plain. It beingcaught; 10 additional birds were band- Ash-throatedFlycatcher in Wellfleet,MA, wasanother good year for N. Shrike,al- ed on the north shore of Massachusetts. Al- firstnoted in November,was seen and amply thoughthere seemed to besomewhat fewer thoughthe number of owls banded at the air- photographedthrough Dec. 9, by which than lastyear; about seven made it asfar port was below his recordof 43 in timeit appearedvery weak. Late W. King- southas Connecticut, but none was reported 1986-1987, Smith believesthat there were birdswere in Chatham, MA, Dec. 7 (BN) fromRhode Island. A LoggerheadShrike in justas many birds present this year. My crude andTruro, MA, Dec. 12 (KJ).I haveno idea Barnstable,MA, Jan.5-6 (gPTet al., ph.) guessdmatesof the minimumstatewide to- whatto makeof a detail-lessreport of a Scis- wasa veryrare but well-documented find. talsof Snowiesare: 30+ in Maine(including sor-tailedFlycatcher at a feeder(l?) in Vinal- onebird that landed briefly on theBluenose haven,ME, on the unbelievabledate of Feb. VIREOS TO SPARROWS ferry10 miles offshore); at leasteight in New 5 (M. Davis,fideWT). LateSolitary Vireos were found on Nantuck- Hampshire;16+ in Vermont;70+ in Mas- A remarkable flock of 50 Tree Swallows in et Dec. 13 (P. Dunwiddie etal.), and on the sachusetts;at least six in Rhode Island; and Eastham,MA, Dec. 15 had dwindled to five Concord,MA, CBC, Dec. 27. SingleOr- eightin Connecticut. byJan. 11 (WRP etal.). Was the single Tree ange-crownedWarblers survived at feeders NorthernHawk Owls appeared in num- Swallowin Milford,CT, Jan.23 (S. Friedet throughat least mid-February on Mt. Desert bersunprecedented in recentdecades, al- al.) southboundor northbound?Or neither? I., ME (fideM.A.S.) and in W. Kingston,Ri, thoughsightings were confined to Maine A countof 120Fish Crows going to roostin Feb.9-12 (G. & A. Taft).Among the excep- and Vermont. In Maine, there were at least OaklawnBeach, Jan. 5 (DE) establisheda tionallytardy warblers were a Nashvilleon sevenor eightbirds and perhaps as many as recordhigh for thisenigmatic species in theBuzzards Bay CBC, MA, Dec.14 (PT et 14+if allthe vague, unsubstantiated reports Rhode Island. al.);Cape Mays at twosites in Massachusetts wereaccurate; most were in the n. half of the Therewas no evidenceof anysouthward in Decemberand one until Jan. 16 at As- state,but one made it asfar south as Phipps- movementof BorealChickadees, but Tufted sonet,MA (N. Hill); a c3 Black-throated burgwhere it entertainedmany birders Jan. Titmousenumbers were up sharply in Maine Blueon M.V., Dec. 27-28 (fideWM); a 19 to at leastFeb. 15 (m.ob.,ph.). In Ver- and Vermont. Red-breasted Nuthatches Black-throatedGreen in Storrs, CT, Dec. mont, four were found, all in the northern- wereapparently numerous in New Hamp- 8-14 (MS);a Prairieon theNewport CBC, mostportion of thestate: Dec. l(?)through shire(fide DDL) butscarce virtually every- Ri, Dec. 14 (fideDE); a Wilson'son the at leastFeb. 23 in Westford (W. Beecheret whererise. The CarolinaWren population GreaterBoston CBC, Dec. 15; and, mostre- al.); Dec. 25 in Charlotte(first seen Nov. 12; explosioncontinued unabated, and these in- markableof all, two BlackpollWarblers in D. Davis);Dec. 8-24 in S. Hero (R. Olsen et dustriousbirds continued their steady march Falmouth, MA, Dec. 1-15 (Gd'E, m.ob., al., ph.);and through at leastJan. 7 (from to the Canadianborder, with northernmost ph.),a recordlate date for the Region. Amaz- November)in Craftsburg(FO et al.). The individualsin S. Hero,VT (fideJN); 'Sugar ingly,in thesame thicket in Falmouthas the onlyGreat Gray Owl wasin Ashland,ME, Hill, NH (fideDDL); andSkowhegan and Blackpolls,was a TownsendsWarbler, Dec. throughoutFebruary (A. Lovewell,m.ob., Bangor,ME (fideJD). The Rock Wren 1-12 (Gd'E,m.ob., ph.). A Yellow-throated ph.).Following several years of relative abun- foundin S.Orleans, MA, in earlyNovember Warbler,apparently of the yellow-lored dance,Short-eared Owls were exceedingly remained through at leastmid-February (S. nominaterace, visited two feedersin Essex, scarce,except on TuckernuckIsland, MA, Thompson,v.o.). A Ruby-crownedKinglet MA, Nov. 7-Jan.31 (M. Jordan,IC Gentle- wherethe CBC recorded12 birds; elsewhere, surviveduntil at leastFeb. 23 in S. Windsor, menetal., ph.). onlya dozen or so were reported---one ofthe CT (SKo). Mostnotable among the more typical lin- poorestshowings in recent years. Eastern Bluebirds wintered in "incredible geringwarblers were a Pineat a feederunusu- Surprisingly,after last fall's influx, only numbers"in VermontON), werereported allyfar north in Sheepscot,ME, Dec.6-Jan. two more Boreal Owls were found: one was fromabout two dozen locales in NewHamp- 30 0. Hamlin);a Palmin a greenhousein

238-American Birds,Summer 1992 andas manyas six Grasshoppers through mostnone" in Vermont(JN) and onlyone Feb.12, an unprecedentedwinter aggrega- made it asfar south asMassachusetts. For the tion (PT et al.). Othernoteworthy sparrows first time in severalyears, Purple Finches werea Clay-coloredin Portsmouth, ILl, Dec. madeat least a modestappearance with good 14-22 (R. Emersonet al.); fiveVespers in numbersacross n. NewHampshire and Ver- Middleboro,MA, Jan.11 (J.Cameron); sin- mont; 190 in Island Pond, VT, Jan. 26 gle Lark Sparrowsin Scituare,MA, Dec. (WGE et al.) wereparticularly noteworthy. 19-Feb. 9 (RA, v.o.)and W. Roxbury,MA, Beginningin lateJanuary, an influx of Pur- Feb.4-29 (T. Aversa,v.o.); a Grasshopperin pleswas evident in s. New Hampshire, interi- S. Dartmouth,MA, Feb.6 & 18 (J. Hill); or Massachusetts,and n. Connecticut.Red and yet anotherLe Conte'sSparrow in Crossbillreports were limited to a couplein Amherst,MA, Dec. 8-14 (S. Surneret al.) northernmostMaine, 3 reportstotaling 16 whichwas thought not to be one of the birds birds in w. Massachusetts,and one bird in presentin September. Connecticut.A few White-wingedCross- SixteenSharp-tailed Sparrows at a tradi- bills were scatteredacross n. Maine and New tionalwintering site in Eastham,MA, Jan.5 Hampshire,aswell as in n.e.Vermont, where (G. Goreetal.) was the largest winter count nestingwas suspected to be either underway inmany years, while four Seaside Sparrows in or imminenton Jan. 26 (WGE etal.);none Newburyport,MA, Jan.1 (RSH)and three wasreported from the southern 3 states. in Eastham,MA, Jan.5 (S.Arena) were good Smallflocks of Com. Redpolls were widely totalsfor this increasinglyscarce species. distributedacross Maine and n. New Hamp- White-throatedSparrows were againvery shire,but onlya fewwere detected in Ver- scarce,as were Fox and White-crowned spar- mont and interior Massachusetts,and one rows.A Golden-crownedSparrow at Nau- groupof threemade it asfar south as Sher- gatuck,Dec. 15 (MS) which, unfortunately, man, CT. SingleHoary Redpolls were re- NorthernHawk Owl at SouthHero, Vermont, couldnot be found again, established a first portedfrom Plymouth, ME, Jan.4 ($BS), January28,1992. Vermontand Maine saw their for Connecticut,pending acceptance by and Charlotte,ME, Feb. 14 (BS etal.). Pine bestinvasion of thisspecies i. manyyears this Siskindistribution across the Region dosely winter.Photograph/Richard Lavalee. matchedthat ofredpolls during the first half Cabot,VT, Dec. 16-23 (G. Katz); a well- ofthe season, widespread across n. NewEng- above-averagetotalof 34 Palmsin RhodeIs- land but few farther south. A distinct influx landduring December; and a very late Com. wasevident in manyareas in lateJanuary YellowthroatinPlymouth, MA, Feb. 25 (RA). whenflocks of upto 100arrived in w. Mas- There were numerousYellow-breasted Chats sachusettsand a handfulpenetrated into n. in s. coastalsections in December,culminat- Connecticut and Rhode Island. American ingin a phenomenalnine on the Cape Cod Goldfinchesdrew comments from through- CBC,Dec. 15 (onlyone short of theall-rime outthe Region, with several flocks of 100+ nationalhigh!); one survived in Gloucester, seen.Evening Grosbeaks were presentin MA,Jan. 11-Feb. 29 (J.Mann etal.). goodnumbers across Maine, n. NewHamp- A decadeor soago, Western Tanager was a shire,and n. Vermont,but to thesouth they faidyregular vagrant in NewEngland: dur- wereagain very sparse and confined mostly ingthe 15-year period 1970-1984 no fewer to the interior. than22 werereported during the winter sea- WesternTanager at Eastham,Massachusetts, on Corr*!genda:Convincing details were re- son.However, a weakenedW. Tanagerat a Fehrnary11,1992. Thiswas the first New feederin Eastham,MA, Jan.18-Feb. 15 (W. ceivedfor a Townsends Solitaire in Leyden, Englandwinter bird in eight years, although it MA, Dec. 30, 1990 (D. Potteret al.). The Swifteta/., ph.)was our first in winterin 8 formerlyoccurred more often at thisseason. years.A Rose-breastedGrosbeak, perhaps Photograph/RogerEveretL two HouseWrens in Narragansett,RI, Jan. the firstin winterto be photographically 14, 1991 shouldhave been attributed to K. documented,was at a feederin W. Barnsta- their recordscommittee. Single "Oregon • & D. Karlson. ble,MA, Dec. 15-31 (R. Williams,PT, ph.), Juncoswere at 3 sitesin Massachusetts. whileanother was reported without details Subregionaleditors (boldface),contribu- from Sorrento,ME, Dec. 19 (J. Schwartz- LONGSPURSTO FINCHES brs [italics), and observers: Robert miller,fide WT). Dickcisselsnumbered "sev- LaplandLongspurs were apparently scarce Abrams,Edith Andrews,Jim Berry,Mike eral"in Maine(fideWT), at least five in Mas- throughoutthe Region,as were Snow Boucher,Cape Cod Bird Club, Neil Currie, sachusetts,and one in Rhode Island. A Buntings.A c• Brewer's Blackbirdwas report- Walter G. Ellison,Glen d'Entremont,Diane "Spotted"Towhee visited a feederin Con- edon theM.V. CBC, Dec.29 (PT). Seventy- De Luca,Alan & BarbaraDelorey, Jody De- cord,MA, Dec.6 throughat least Feb. 12 (S. eightE. Meadowlarks inRhode Island in De- spres,David Emerson, Richard L. Ferren, Parker). cemberand 149 in Massachusettsin January RichardA. Forster,Richard S. Heil, Kyle DecemberChipping Sparrows in n. New wereencouraging totals for this troubled Jones,Jay Kaplan, Seth Kellogg, Betty Klein- Englandincluded "a few"in Maine(fide species,although probably a reflectionof er,Stephen Kotchko (SKo), Douglas L.Kraus, WT) and threein New Hampshire,while snowlessconditions rather than of any real MarkLynch, Maine Audubon Society, Whir onelingered inS. Londonderry, VT,through populationincrease. Among the lingering N. Manter,Steve Mirick, Julie Nichols, Frank Jan.13 (W. Norse).Although sparrows were Oriolesin s. New England,was a 5?"Bul- Oatman,Simon A. Perkins,Wayne R. Pe- notvery numerous (or perhapsjust widely lock's"type oriole visiting a feederin Bran- tersen,Noble Proctor,David Provenchar,B dispersed),a farm in Sandwich,MA, hosted ford,CT, during eady December (NP, ph.). Sheehan,Norm Smith,Robert H. Stymelst, an exceptionalconcentration and variety It wasanother generally poor year for bo- MarkSzantyr, Take A SecondLook (Boston throughoutthe season, among which were a realfinches, although some spedes appeared HarborCensus), William Townsend,Peter Clay-colored,Feb. 12; 40+ FieldsFeb. 12; in modest numbers.A handful of Pine Gros- Trimble,Vermont Institute of Natural Sci- oneor twoVespers through Feb. 12; 200+ beakswere present in n. Maineand n. New ence.--BLAIR NIKULA, 2 Gilbert Lane, SavannahsDec. 14 with 80 still there Feb. 5; Hampshire(fide DDD, butthere were "al- Harwich Port, MA 02646.

Volume46, Number 2- 239 throated and 404 Common loons. A Pacif- In a previouslyundetected range expan- HUDSON-DELAWAREic/Arctic Loon discovered at Lake Nock- sion,the increasingGreat Cormorant was amixon,Bucks, PA, Dec. 1 (TJHo)followed foundwintering along the Hudson River in REGION byonly a weekthe previously noted bird at s. New York; more than 30 were on the WilliamJ. Boyle,Jr., PeaceValley, only a fewmiles away, and may lY&stchesterandDutchess portions of the river. RobertO. Paxton, well be the same individual. Another Pacif- At least22 wereon the DelawareRiver north ic/ArcticLoon was found in Brooklyn,NY, and DavidA. Cutler of PhiladelphiaFeb. 23 (EB),while one was Dec.12 by birders scouting their CBC terri- outof placeat LakeAssunpink, Monmouth, tory(TSSp, RM); fortunately, it hung around NJ, Feb. 16 (TBa). A Double-crestedCor- tobe counted 2 days later. morantat Bainbridge,Chenango, NY, Jan. Althoughit wasnot quiteas warm as last Red-neckedGrebes were not much in evi- winter,and certainly not the warmest winter 28,was far from the usual coastal wintering dence.One appeared at LakeNockamixon, waters(R. Jones).In coastalNew Yorkand on record,the thermometerstayed about Dec. 7 (B & NM), and two werethere Dec. threedegrees above normal for the entire sea- New Jersey,the specieswas present in 22-23 (AM). The only report from sonover most of the area.Precipitation, on exceptionallyhigh numbers throughout the Delawarewas one at Henlopen Acres, Sussex, season. theother hand, was well below normal, espe- Feb.13-23 (PV); in New Jersey,a Red- AmericanBittern were again reported in ciallyin Januaryand February.The New neckedwas at Manasquan,Jan. 30, andan- YorkCity area did not record any significant aboveaverage numbers, perhaps owing to othertook up residencein Belmar,Ocean, themild weather. Most were along the coast, snowfalluntil just after the endof thisre- Feb.15, wherestill present in lateApril portingperiod. Only the snowbeltfrom butone wintered at Allendale Celery Farm, (m.ob.).The species was more numerous, as Syracusenorth to Massenain upperNew Bergen,NJ (ST),and another was at Mendon York Stateexperienced heavy snowfalls; usual, in New York,but fiveat SaratogaPonds, Rochester, NY, Feb.15 (CTC, MD). western areas, such as Buffalo, were well LakeDec. 14 werenoteworthy (BP). One Up to nine Black-crownedNight-Herons below normal. was at SylvanLake, Dutchess,Feb. 8 into werein Buffalo,NY, Feb.14-19 (B. Brock). March (RO). A lateGlossy Ibis was at Turkey Point, Cum- The mildwinter, on theheels of a very Sevenreports of EaredGrebe was far berland,NJ, Jan. 4 (AK). mildautumn, led to large numbers oflinger- aboveaverage. Two were found in Delaware, inghalf-hardy migrants and unusual concen- thefirst at IndianRiver, Dec. 20 (•MG, BP, WATERFOWL trationsof waterfowl asfar north as the great About sevenGreater White-fronted Geese lakes.Vagrants from the west were well repre- J.Dunn) and the second at CapeHenlopen, Jan.4 (•MG, BP).One was at Holgate, NJ, werereported, mostly without details, from sented.In anecho of lastyears grand flight, on theBarnegat CBC Dec.29, andanother alcidsput on a goodshow along the coast, all4 states.Large flocks of Snow Geese again wasseen January and February at Caven Pier, winteredalong the Delaware Bayshore, and andwhite-winged gulls staged a major influx Hudson,NJ (v.o.).In New York,one was at small numbers wintered as far north as intoupstate New York and interior Pennsyl- Dunkirk, Dec. 7-8 (m.ob.), anotherat Dunkirkand Iroquois Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, vania.They were conspicuously scarce along SaratogaLake Dec. 12-15 (B.Boehm), and a NY. With the estimated11,000 SnowGeese thecoast, however, and for yetanother win- thirdwas on the Niagara River for the Buffa- at Heislerville,Cumberland, NJ, Jan. 13 was ter,the irruptivespecies of fincheswere al- lo CBC. most nonexistent. a Ross'Goose (CS). Another was at Bombay An imm. Brown Pelican was found emaci- Hook all season. ated on the Hudson River waterfront in Abbreviations:Bombay Hook (Bombay Twodrake Eur. Green-winged Teal win- Hoboken,NJ, Feb.24; the bird,which had teredat PeaceValley Nature Center, Bucks, Hook Nat• WildliftRef., near Smyrna, beenbanded inNorth Carolina last year, un- DE); Brig (BrigantineUnit, ForsytheNatI PA;one was on the Speonk River, Sufj31k, LI, fortunatelydied at a rehabilitator'sfacility Feb. 14-23 (JRu,m.ob.), and anotherwas •'ldlifi Ref.,Atlantic Co., NJ); Cape Hen- laterthat day (L. Soucy). lopen(Cape Henlopen State Park, witha flockof 2000+Am. Green-winged DE); Dunkirk (DunkirkHarbor, Tealat GoshenLanding, Cape ChautauquaCo., NY); Indian May,NJ, Mar. 1 (CS).The annu- River (IndianRiver Inlet, DE); LI al buildupof N. Pintailat Old- (LongIsland); Manasquan Inlet mansCreek and RaccoonCreek, (ManasquanInlet, Monmouth- NJ, peaked at only about Ocean counties,NJ); Middle 20,000-30,000in lateJanuary Creek (Middle Creek W.M.A., (SF); with the mild weatherand Lancaster,PA); Montauk (Mon- allthe open water, the birds may havebeen more widely dispersed taukPoint and vicinity, Long Is- than usual. land, NY); Moses-Saunders DerbyHill NEWYORK At least two of the four Blue- Dam (Moses-SaundersDam, New Rochester ß MontezumaNWR l•rk-Ontario, near Massena,St. ß NiagaraFails wingedTeal found on the Peek- : skill, •stchester, NY, CBC, LawrenceCo., NY); SandyHook ßIthaca (SandyHook Unit, Gateway • stayedthrough the season. NatI Recreation Area, Mon- EurasianWigeon were again in New York -- mouth,NJ). Place names in italics '• above-averagenumbers, with are counties. about15 in s.e.NewYork, main- lyon L1, nine in NewJersey, and LOONS TO HERONS I.fawkM&?• Priceton onewintering again in Lancaster, Open waterencouraged many PA(RMS et al.). Several groups of 1-2 dozen Redheadswere at loons,grebes, and otherwater- birds to winter outside usual pondson e. LI (BK,JRu), where ranges.A lateflight of loonsput theyare being seen annually, but downin theSusquehanna River two at HoopesReservoir, New at WashingtonBoro, Lancaster, Castle,DE, Dec.26-Jan. 22 were PA, by inclementweather De- noteworthy(AH). The usual cember 3 included 26 Red- concentrationswere typified by groupsof 600and 690 at 2 spots

240. American Birds,Summer 1992 in 7•mpkins,NY, in lateJanuary and Febru- Washington,Feb. 22 (BP).Most remarkable there were four in s.e.Pennsylvania in De- ary(ABy, NB). were the two c• Barrows X Common Gold- cember;a totalof 14reports from New York, Four to five Tufted Ducks in New York eneyehybrids, one at Larchmont,NY, Jan. including8 fromBuffalo to Syracuseand representedan unprecedentedinflux. The 11 (TWB) and anotherat the Moses-Saun- fourin theHudson Valley Region; at leasta previouslynoted drake at SaratogaLake re- dersDam, Jan. 26 (P.Martin), where a simi- dozenin New Jersey;and one at Bombay mainedto at leastDec. 15 (KA, m.ob.), while lar bird (thesame?) was described in Novem- Hookin January.Many coastalsightings go a first-winterdrake at Rye, P&stchester,Dec. ber 1988. unreportedas not beingworth mentioning. 25 throughFebruary, attracted birders from A Gyrfalconwas recorded on theElizabeth- many n.e. states.A drakewas found at R•PIORA town, NY, CBC, Dec. 21 and anotherwas RobertMoses S.P., Sufj•lk, LI, Jan.20 (H. BlackVultures continue to edgetheir way one-dayvisitor to Floyd BennettField, Martin),and another at E. Moriches,Sufj•lk, north into New York, with six at V,/. Haver- Brooklyn,Jan. 17 (B. Cook,fide TWB). Jan.25 (K. Furenlidetal.). Yet another found straw,Rockland, Jan. 1 (ET, J. Senerchia), Anoth.er Gyr wasan elusivevisitor to the Feb.17 at Mastic,only about l0 mi fromE. whatmay have been the same six as far north HackensackMeadowlands, N J, duringJan- Moriches,was not the samebird found there asNew Paltz,Ulster, Jan. 14 (fideTWB). A uary(v.o.). accordingto observerswho saw both, as it singlewas in TuxedoPark, Rockland, Feb. 19 wasin muchless advanced plumage (JRu, R. (D. & J. Clark).A TurkeyVulture found on RAILS TO SHOREBIRDS Adamo). theJamestown, Chautauqua, CBC, Dec. 15 TwoKing Rails were still present at Hardys- The MontaukCBC recordeda high 166 wasonly the 2nd seasonal record for the Nia- ton,Sussex, NJ, Dec. 13 and may have decid- CommonEider, and up to 200 wereat the garaFrontier Region of upstateNew York. edto winter (SA). Virginia Rails were on nu- pointin January. Farther south, groups of up This specieshas been wintering in recent merousCBCs; five were present all season at to 10 and 18, respectively,wintered at yearsabout 75 mi to thenortheast in Letch- theAllendale Celery Farm (ST), andanother BarnegatLight, Ocean, NJ, andStone Har- worth S.P.,where up to 10 werepresent in wintered as far north as East Aurora, Erie, bor,Cape May, N J, whileone was at Indian January(MD). NY (L. Holmes).A Sora was at Mendon RiverJan. 3 (PV). Twenty-eightKing Eider Averylate Osprey was at EastPoint, Cum- Ponds,Rochester, Jan. 22-27 (A. Clarridge, were found on the Montauk CBC, and a berland,N J,Jan. 4 (AK),but more surprising m.ob.), and individualsmade the Montauk maximum of 11 were at Pt. Lookout, Nassau, wasthe presence of twoat SourhavenPark andBombay Hook CBCs. LI, in January.In New Jersey,about 9 were andanother at Yaphank, both SuJ•lk, NY, at A PurpleGallin ule was picked up as a fresh scatteredalong the coast from Sandy Hook thesame time on Jan.29 (J. Ostedund,W. roadkill at Cape May, Jan. 5 (VE), following to CapeMay whilea full adultdrake was Kollmer,fidaeJRu). Bald Eagle recovery con- two there in November. Two Common with an estimated10,000-20,000 waterfowl tinuesstrong, as evidenced by anestimated Moorhenswere the surprise of thePhiladel- attracted to an abundance of dams off Reeds 175wintering in the upperDelaware River phia mid-winterbird census,Jan. 11 (M. Beach,on Delaware Bay, during December. watershedofs. e. NewYork (P. Nye); 40+ re- Logan,B. Ridgely,C. Witt). A Sandhill HarlequinDucks were relatively scarce. portsfrom the Albany, NY, area;22 onthe S. Crane visited a cornfield in W. Woodland The BarnegatLight groupgrew to seven, Lancaster,PA, CBC; and46 in s.New Jersey Twp.,Burlington, NJ, Dec. 19 (M. Bakelyet with fourlingering well beyond the end of on the annualsurvey. Northern Harriers a/.), and anotherwas flying over Long the period,while up to 10 winteredat Pt. werereported in excellentnumbers, but did Branch,Monmouth, NJ, Dec.21 (J.Burgiel). Lookout.Among the waterfowlat Reeds notconcentrate into large flocks as they do in Thefollowing day an individual was report- Beach were 6000+ Greater Scaup, plus someyears; the Alpharoost, for example, ed nearMercer County Park, about 35 mi 5000+scoters of all threespecies. Similarly containedonly about20 birds.Accipters duewest (fide E Coleman). largenumbers ofscoters were at Montauk in wereeverywhere, often raiding bird feeders. The previouslynoted Piping Plover at January. A Broad-wingedHawk was around Mon- Greece,Monroe, NY, remained until Dec. A recordregional total of nineBarrows tauk Pt. in December and was found on the 15, and made a fine addition to the Goldeneyewere found during the season, all localCBC, Dec. 14 (v.o.).Even more unusu- RochesterCBC. A staggering275 Am. Oys- in New York. A female returned to the al wasone foundby a veteranobserver at tercatcherswere on the Oceanville, NJ, ThrogsNeck Bridge, Bronx, for a 2ndwinter Tinicum,Philadelphia, on the Glenolden CBC, Dec.21, surpassinglast years high at (SW, m.ob.) and anotherwas at Quogue, CBC the sameday (J.C. Miller); a 3rd CapeMay. Returning migrants were noted Sufj•lk,LI, Feb.7 (B. Ringler).The winter Broad-wingedwas an outstandingaddition mid-February,and some were already on ter- peakwas two pairs at Moses-Saunders Dam, to theCape May CBC Dec.22 (F.West, B. ritoryon LI Feb.23 (TWB). TheAm. Avocet Jan.5 (BDL), whilesingle drakes were at Sehl).Rough-legged Hawks came south in flockat BombayHook dwindledrapidly ThreeMile Harbor,Sufj•lk, LI, Dec.21-23 excellentnumbers, as indicated by 56 found afterthe beginning of December,and the last (J.Ash, m.ob.), Plattsburgh, Clinton, Jan. 6 duringa surveyin theCayuga Lake area, and wasseen there Jan. 1 (PV). Willetswere re- (B. Krueger),and on the HudsonRiver at 16 on the BombayHook CBC in central portedon the N. Nassau,S. Nassau(both Delaware. LI), and CapeMay CBCs,with the latter GoldenEagles picked up considerablybird remaining until Jan. 24 (BG etaL);an- fromlast year, with abouteight wintering in other wasat StowNeck Road, Salem,NJ, NewYork and nine in s.New Jersey. One was Jan.12 (CS). at Kitts Hummock, Kent, DE, Dec. 16 A SpottedSandpiper was an unseasonal (APE),and another was at MuddyRun, Lan- visitorto Playland,Rye, NY, Jan. 11-18 caster,PA, Jan. 19-Feb. 4 (RMS, m.ob.). (TWB etaL)for the second January in a row. American Kestrelswere also found in some- Themost bizarre story of the season concerns what better numbers than recent winters, a a flock of 20 Am. Woodcock that landed on goodsign for a species that has declined dra- the secondstory porch of a housein Cali- maticallyover the past 2 decades. coon Center, in the Catskillsof Sullivan,NY, It ishard to accountfor the recent surge in and fed at suet feeders after a Feb. 26 snow- numbersof winteringMerlins. Whereas ten storm(L. Burrill). yearsago a reportof winterMerlin on the coastwould have been noteworthy and an JAEGERSTO ALCIDS inlandbird somewhat suspect, we nowfind A PomarineJaeger was a New Year's Day sur- FaredGrebe at CapeHenlopen, Delaware, on thatcoastal birds are commonplace and in- prisefor a groupof birdersat BraddockBay, January4, 1992. Photograph/MaryGustafson. land records almost routine. This season Monroe, NY, on Lake Ontario (P. Martin,

Volume 46, Number 2. 241 numbersdeclined thereafter, but still includ- foundin goodcondition in a bushat Cape eda variety of theless common species, such May Point,Dec. 27, and immediatelyre- as 12-15 LesserBlack-backed, five Iceland, leased(fide PK). The only Thick-billed Mur- andtwo Glaucous gulls. A smaller,but still reswere one at IndianRiver Jan. 28 through significantconcentration at Blue Marsh Lake mostof February(v.o.), and one at Montauk andLake Ontelaunee, near Reading, PA, in- Feb.29 (A. Baldelli). dudedan evenlarger variety, among them The Montauk CBC recordednine Razor- Pennsylvania'sfirst Mew Gull. Firstlocated bills,and 28 were at the point Jan. 5. In New at LakeOntelaunee Jan. 2, it rdocatedto Jersey,the highlight of theseason was the two Blue Marsh Lake and remained until that to fourthat took up residencein theinlet at lakefroze at theend of themonth (?JHe, D. Manasquan,where present daily Jan. 9 Thisfirst-winter Franldin's Gnll displayed Rich,H. Morrin,m.ob.). Other gulls at the throughFebruary to thedelight of birders adolescenttraits byhanging out in the paddng twolakes included a Laughing Gull Jan. 1-3 from far and near (J. Herder, m.m.ob.). lot of a fast-foodrestaurant in Riverhead,Long (v.o.),up to sixLesser Black-backeds, seven OtherRazorbills were at Avalon, Cape May, Island,New York, for a monththis winter. It was Iceland,and four Glaucous gulls. Jan.30 (5, DW), Deal,Monmouth, NJ, Feb. phntog•aphedDecember 16,1991, byMike Aspart of a majorinflux of white-winged 11, SandyHook, Feb.12, andIndian River Cooper. gullsinto upstateNew York, a probable Inlet,Jan. 28-Feb. 13 (m.ob.). Thayer'sGull was at theN. SpencerLandfill, CTC etal.); two others seen on a boattrip 7bmpkins,Jan. 10 (ph. NB, B. Evans,S. OWLS TO GNATCATCHERS about68 mi eastof ManasquanInlet were Seely),and a first-winterThayer's was at the A BarnOwl seen several times in Februaryat moreexpected. A highlight of thatboat trip SenecaMeadows Landfill, Seneca,also in the SandyHook was one of manyreported win- weretwo apparent Great Skuas (ABr etal.). CayugaLake Basin, Jan. 30-31 (•'NB,ABy, teringthis year. As notedin the FallSeason A LaughingGull, Dec.7-8 at Oswego, ph.NB). Anotherfirst-winter Thayer's Gull report,the winter brought a majorinflux of NY, on Lake Ontario was a first December wasat the Moses-Saunders DamFeb. 3 along SnowyOwls, especially in upstate New York. recordfor the Oneida Lake Region. Very rare with an impressive26 Icelandand 54 Glau- Upwardsof 100were present from Buffalo to for s.e. New York was an imm. Franklin's cousgulls (BDL, N. Crookshank). Rochester,and many others were found far- Gulldiscovered in the parking lot of a fast At least12 Iceland and five Glaucous gulls ther east and south in the state. At least a foodrestaurant in Riverhead,SufJ/blk, LI, werein the CayugaLake Basin during the dozenwere on LongIsland, and about 10 in Dec.12 (PG). It apparentlyfared well on Big season(NB), and both species were well rep- New Jersey,almost all of themon thecoast Macsand was seendaily until Jan. 10 resentedrisewhere in upstateNew York. fromJersey City to Wildwood.About five (m.ob.).Litde Gull numberswere up sub- LesserBlack-backed Gulls were also present wereat scatteredspots in Pennsylvania,in- stantiallyfrom recent winters, the most im- in highnumbers upstate, with at least9 re- cludingwintering birds in Lehighand Lan- pressivebeing 50 at Durand-EastmanPark ports,induding one at DunkirkDec. 27 for caster,but none made it to Delaware. in Rochester,Jan. 1 (CTC etal.).There were a firstlocal record (TMo). Nearer the coast, The previouslynoted Northern Hawk onlyaboutfive in the Niagara area during the thewhite-winged gulls were quite scarce, but Owl at FortEdward, l•shington, NY, re- seasonand three on LongIsland, but other LesserBlack-backeds were widely disttibut- mained throughoutthe period (m.ob.), concentrationsincluded five at ReedsBeach, ed,with abouteight in s.e.New York,12 in whileanother discovered at Lenox,Madison, CapeMay, Feb. 28 (CS),and seven at Indian NewJersey, and three in Delaware. NY,was present all of February(S. McCom- RiverDec. 20 (MG, BP,J. Dunn).A Corn. A verylate Com. Tern was on the Niagara bie,m.ob.). Another highlight was a Great Black-headedGull wasa first for Lancaster, River Dec. 1-15 and made the Buffalo CBC GrayOwl foundnear Jamestown, NY, Jan. PA, on the SusquehannaRiver, Feb. 22-23 (v.o.).Also notably tardy was a BlackTern on 29 (C. Hodges,m.ob.) just a fewdays after (RMS et al.). Elsewhere,there were about 7 theNiagara River, Dec. 1 (E Rew). onewas located in Warren,PA, only about 10 in theNew YorkCity-Long Island area, a Alcidnumbers were not up to lastyears mi awayLess widely publicized was another similarnumber scattered spots around New bigshowing, but were still the second best in GreatGray at Calcium,]e•rson, northof Jersey,and three in Delaware. manyyears. Three Dovekieswere at Mon- Watertown,NY, Jan. 24-Feb. 5, which met Landfillactivity at PennManor Lakes, on tauk Dec. 5 (M. Levine),and three others an untimelydeath at thehands (claws?) of a the DelawareRiver in Bucks,PA, attractedan wereseen on theboat trip off Manasquan, cat(S.C. Guy, ph. R.D. Murphy). estimated108,000 gulls during December; Dec. 14 (ABr etal.).Afortunate Dovekie was Otherwintering owls were reported in fair numbers.For example, 32 Long-earedOwls wereat 8 roostsin Hunterdon,NJ (O. Heck), andabout 17 at 4 roostsin s.w.New Jersey (fideWDa). Eight recorded on the Lebanon, PA,CBC were new to thatcount. A surveyof Short-earedOwls coordinated byBrinkley in theCayuga Lake Basin located 76 birds. Ban- &rs at BraddockBay earned the enmity of localbirders by manuallycapturing and bandinga BorealOwl, Feb.6; thenewly tingedbird prompdydeparted. Northern Saw-whetOwls were widely reported in New Jersey,but few were noted elsewhere. An Empidonax,believed to bea LeastFly- catcher,was present for severalweeks at Montaukat leastas late as Dec. 14 (HM). The Gray Flycatcherdiscovered at Cape HenlopeninNovember was present through December,but not found thereafter. Equally remarkablewas the appearance of a Pacific- AdnitMew Gnll (front-center bird) with Ring-billeds andothers at BlueMarsh Lake, Reading, Pennsylvania,onJanuary 10,1992. Photograph/EricWitruer. slopeFlycatcher in Fulton Township on the S. Lancaster,PA, CBC, Dec. 15 (andstudied

242-American Birds,Summer 1992 againDec. 16), only 7 mifrom the site where Dec. 22 (E West).A Rose-breastedGrosbeak onewas found last year (E Habegger,T. Gar- was carefullystudied at WatchungRes., ner,J. Witmer,tEW). This is the 2nd state Union,NJ, Jan.2 (R. Knappet al.), but a andRegional record. muchgreater surprise was a c•Black-headed Numerous Eastern Phoebes were located Grosbeak at a Manhattan feeder the same on CBCs, but two on the s.w. Morris, NJ, day(S. Plimpton). A c•Painted Bunting was mid-wintercensus were apparently winter- discoveredin Rehobeth,DE, Feb. 2 (WWF). ing. Another winteredat Whitesbog, Dickcissels were found at five scattered lo- Burlington,NJ (L. Litde),but one at Owego, cales,including Walker, Monroe, NY, Jan.12 NY, Feb.23 mayhave been an early migrant (CTC, MD), Honey Brook, Chester,PA, (S. Hunt). Highlyunseasonal was a Great Dec. 22-29 (P.Hurlock), and two that win- CrestedFlycatcher seen and heardon the teredin Salem,NJ (JKM, WDa, m.ob.). Bernville,Berks, PA, CBC, Jan. 1 andpresent The rarersparrows were a bigpart of the severaldays thereafter (D. Kendall,D. & J. winterbirding scene. A Clay-coloredSpar- Steffy,E. Schleicher).Single W. Kingbirds rowwas a highlightof the Montaukand were at Willow Brook Arboretum, Morris, Boonton,NJ, CBCs, and anotherwas in NJ, and SandyHook, Dec. 8, but others Newport,Cumberland, NJ, Jan. 11 (BBa, werefound on 4 LongIsland CBCs, and in- Oneof the upto fo.r Razorbillsthat e.terlained VE). Moreaccommodating wasone found at the multitudesat Manasq.an Inlet, NewJersey, AssunpinkW.M.A., Monmouth,NJ, Feb.2 dividualswere present at Gardiner'sPark, for severalweeks this winter.Photographed Su•Ik, LI, Dec. 8-Jan.6 (BK) andShin- January31,1992, byAlan Brady. by birderssearching for the Lark Sparrow necock,LI, Jan.1 (fideTWB). found on the local CBC, Dec. 14 (GW, TwoCom. Ravens were at theN. Spencer stays.In New York,one singing at Tobay m.ob.).Both birds were present through the Landfill,Jan. 17 (ABy),while in n.w. New Sanctuary,Nassau, Jan. 1 (BIO wasjust one endof theperiod and into April, when the Jersey,a pair was present all winter at Yards of severalon LongIsland. Incomplete data Clay-coloredwas joined by a second.Anoth- Creek,Warren, where the species issuspected fromupstate indicates the presence of well er LarkSparrow was on theSUNY Purchase to havenested last year. Later in theseason, over 100; 34 were found on the 9 CBCs con- campus,Feb. 15 into March(K. Fung,S. thepair was seen carrying nesting material; as ductedin theNiagara Frontier Region alone Wokman, m.ob.), and a third was in notedlast spring, the last confirmed nesting (GR). A curiousLoggerhead Shrike was Dutchess,NY, Feb.29 (fideM. VanWagner). of raven in the state occurred about 1905. notedlooking in thewindow of a housein A HenslowsSparrow was at Higbee's A Marsh Wren at Durand-Eastman Park, Wanasink,Sullivan, NY, Dec. 8 (fideJA). Beach,Cape May, Dec. 11 (JDoet al.), and Rochester,Jan. 11, was an unexpected winter Theonly other noted was the previously re- anotherwas discovered at OverpeckPark, visitor(RGS, S. Spahn).A Blue-grayGnat- portedbird at BroadkillBeach, DE, seenoc- Bergen,NJ, Jan. 11 by Jim Bangma, who was catcherwas at Palmyra,Burlington, NJ, Dec. casionallythrough Feb. 20 (v.o.) lookingfor the Le Conte'sSparrow he had 8 (TBa,WDa), onewas at Montaukfor the Orange-crownedWarblers were again pre- found there in November. Both birds were CBC, Dec. 14 (HM), and anotherwas at sentin goodnumbers, with three on Long Is- seenby various observers (but with great dif- WoodlandBeach, Dec. 16 for the Bombay land,six in New Jersey,one at Norristown, ficulty)through the end of theperiod. An- HookCBC (CS,K. &W. Alpin). Montgomery,PA,Dec. 28-29 (NT), andtwo otherLe Conte's Sparrow was photographed in Delaware.A CapeMay Warblerwas in at Cape Henlopen,Feb. 9, for a first THRUSHES TO WARBLERS Griggstown,Somerset, NJ, forthe Princeton Delawarerecord (A. & J. White);it wasseen AmericanRobins took advantage ofthe mild CBC, Dec. 15, while a c• Black-throated againbriefly on the 12th before the area was weatherto remainnorth in sometimesstag- Blue WarNer visited a Mendenhall, DE, closedfor repair of storm damage. geringnumbers. Large concentrations were feeder,Dec. 20, whereit fed on crackedcorn Lincoln'sSparrow is anotherrare winter foundas far north as the Rochester, Syracuse, (J.& R. Woodward). visitor,but thisseason there were 2 at Pawl- and evenSt. LawrenceRegions of upstate One of the manyCBC highlightswas a ing,Dutchess, NY, Jan.1 (S. Gilbert),and NewYork; in NewJersey, 5000 were located Black-throatedGray Warblerat Quogue, threein NewJersey, including one at Indian on the n.w. Hunterdon CBC, and "thou- LI, Dec. 14 (B. Dieterich).In additionto nu- Mills for severalweeks into January (WDa). sands"wereat WorthingtonState Forest, merousPine WarNers tallied on CBCs, win- Roundingout the sparrowpicture were Dec. 21 (B. Hardiman). Four CBCs in cen- teringbirds were in SomersetTwp., Niagara, Dark-eyed"Oregon" Juncos at Rochesterfor tral New Jerseytallied 6300, while the NY (WDn), the Rochesterarea (fide RGS), weeks,at Elba,Genesee, NY, all February(G. Glenolden,PA, CBC, registered7166. Far- Andover,Sussex, NJ, (E. Metzgat),and a Klue),and brieflyat a Millington,Morris, therwest, the numbers dropped dramatical- feederin Atglen,Chester, PA (RMS etal.). A NJ,feeder Dec. 15 (M. Corges).Not surpris- [y, asthe S. Lancaster,PA, CBC, counted PrairieWarbler discoveredin Cape May, ingly,in viewof themild season, Lapland only28. The only Varied Thrush of thesea- Dec.16, was kind enough to stick around for Longspursand Snow Buntings were scarce, son was a female at Durand-Eastman Park theCBC thefollowing weekend (Re etal.). especiallythe former. Dec.31-Jan. 13 (J.Miles, CTC, m.ob.). PalmWarNers were found on manyCBCs, A Bobolink at a feeder in DeWitt, Amonghalf-hardy winterers, Gray Cat- includingthe Dutchess,NY, count,where Onondaga,NY onJan. 9 andFeb. 2 wasan birdslingered in numbersfar above average, onewas the first in 25 years. extraordinarywinter visitor (K. Radway). with two winteringin the Buffaloarea. A verylate Am. Redstart was at BeaverIs- Numerouslarge concentrations of black- BrownThrashers, too, were present in higher landS.P., in the NiagaraRiver, Dec. 1 (P. birdswere noted, as many members of the than normal numbers, as were American Benham).Of the four Ovenbirdsfound, two familychose not to gofurther south for the Pipits.No BohemianWaxwings ventured in Pennsylvaniaand two in NewYork, the season. southof upstate New York, and the only con- rarityby far wasone at Cheektowaga,Erie, Either Brewer'sBlackbirds are becoming centrationswere in Clinton,where a peakof NY,Jan. 15-16 (W.Burch etal.). Eleven Yel- morecommon or birdersare looking more 50 wasfound Jan. 31 (C. &J. Hess). low-breasted Chats was far above normal, closelyfor them; both are probably true, but NorthernShrikes staged another major witha half-dozen on Long Island. this seasononly New York missedthem. invasioninto the entireRegion, with one Four were found on the S. LancasterCBC, evenreaching Cape May, though none were TANAGERSTO FINCHES and one returned to an Easton, found in Delaware.Eastern Pennsylvania The WesternTanager noted at Ft. Tilden, Northampton,PA, feederfor a 2nd winter, had aboutseven and New Jersey12, many Brooklyn,in Novemberwas seen again Dec. Jan.16 (A. Koch).A maximumof 50 were settingup winterterritories for extended 12,and another was on theCape May CBC, againat Ft.Elfsborg, Salem for much of the

Volume46, Number 2- 243 winter (WDa, m.ob.) and 10-15 were at gion, NY: RD 4, Box 97, Canton, NY Sharptown,Salem, Feb. 2 (K. Tischnet).The 13617), William D'Anna (WDn), Ward MIDDLEATLANTIC traditionalspot near Bombay Hook held 55 Dasey(WDa, s.w.NJ: 29 Ark Road,Med- for the CBC. About 8 Northern Orioles were ford, NJ 08055), Mike Davids,John De- COASTREGION foundin NewJersey, mainly in December, Marrais, Peter Derven (PDe), Bruce Di HenryT. Armistead andthree wintered in the NewYork City- Labio,Mary Dobinski(Susquehanna Re- LongIsland area. gion,NY: 7 SpencerDrive, Oneonta,NY Onceagain it wasnot a winterfinch year, 13820), Jim Dowdell (JDo), Pete Dunne withvirtually none reported south of upstate (PDu), A.E Ednie (New Castleand Kent, New York.Ten Pine Grosbeaksat Millbrook, DE: 59 LawsonAve., Claymont,DE Thiswas another very mild winter, resulting Dutchess,NY, Jan.7 werethe onlyones to 19703),Vincent Elia, Ken Feustel,Sheryl in a hugenumber of reportsof lingering, comeeven a littleways south (F. Germond), Forte, W..W. Frech (Sussex,DE: Carr. Rt. 3, half-hardyspecies but poor numbers of feed- whilethe only reports of eithercrossbill were Box 1144, Lewes,DE 19958), G.L. Freed, erbirds. There was hardly any snow and few a fewscattered groups from Buffalo to Syra- Paul Gillen, Dave Githens,Bill Glaser,K.C. coldsnaps. There was another big influx of cuse and further north. There were some Griffith (GeneseeRegion, NY: 61 Grand- alddsand several successful pelagic trips, but smallflocks of Common Redpoll early in the view Lane, Rochester,NY 14612), Mary someboat trips were weathered out. Reports season,such as 30 on the Oak Orchard, Gene- Gustarson,Barb & Frank Haas, Greg werereceived of damageto BaldEagle nests see,NY, CBC;60 inJe•rson,Dec. 30 (TMi); Hanisek (GHa, n.w. NJ: 4 Marnel Rd., in fiercewind storms. The bigJanuary 4 and 62 nearthe Moses-SaundersDam, Dec. Phillipsburg,NJ 08865),Jonathan Heller coastalstorm closed Chincoteague National 110(BDL). A fewmade it to LongIsland for (JHe),Armas Hill, JasonHorn (JHo),Gene WildlifeRefuge for several weeks. Tempera- someof theCBCs, and one was an irregular Huggins(GHu, OneidaLake Basin,NY: turesaveraged 3.6 ø F abovenormal in De- 1065Westmoreland, Syracuse, NY 13210), cemberand 3.3ø in January.Predpitation Rich Kane, Kevin Karlson, NersesKazan- was closeto normal. jian,Allan Keith, Paul Kerlinger, Bob Kurtz, Field ornithologyhas lost an old-time Laurie Larson (n.c. NJ: 90 N. Stanworth friendwith the death in Januaryof JohnH. Dr., Princeton,NJ 08540), Tony Lauro, Buckalew,a legend in histime: former man- GaryLee, Robert Machover, Alan A. Mapes agerof Chincoteagueand BombayHook (Hudson-MohawkRegion, NY: FiveRivers refuges,collector, bander of tensof thou- Center, Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY sandsof LaughingGulls and Royal Terms, 12054), Hugh McGuinness,Mearns Bird andone of the bandersin charge(BIC) at Club,Fred Mears, C.K. Mdin (FingerLakes Kiptopeke.Some of John'srecords are leg- Region, NY: 449 Irish SettlementRd., endary,such as the first Lesser Black-backed Freeville,NY 13068), J.K. Meritt, Tom Gull collected in North America on As- Miller (TMi), AugustMirabella, B.L. Mor- sateagueIsland and a HoaryRedpoll on the ris (e. PA:825 MuhlenbergSt., Allentown, nearbymainland. We shallmiss this modest, PA 18104),Terry Mosher (TMo), Bill & accomplishedgentleman. His familyasks Naomi Murphy, Mike NewIon, Richard thatthose who wish may make contributions O'Hara,Bruce Peterjohn, J.M.C. Peterson tohis memory to the Chincoteague National (Adirondack-ChamplainRegion, NY: Dis- HistoryAssodation, EO. Box 917, Chin- coveryFarm, RD 1, Elizabethtown,NY coteague,Virginia 23336 (membershipis 12932),Raymond & VivianPitzrick, B. Put- t10). nam, William Reid (n.e. PA: 73 W. RossSt., Wilkes-Barre,PA 18702),Gerald Rising Abbreviatio.s:Assat. (Assateague L, MD); Presentthroughont Februa• andenjoyed by (NiagaraFronteir, NY: 295 RobinhillDrive, BackBay (BackBay NWR, VA);the Bay manywas this GreatGray Owl near Jamestown, Williamsville,NY 14221), RochesterBird- (ChesapeakeBay); Blackwater (Blackwater NewYork. Phatograpl•/Ned Brinkley. ing Association,J.J. Rusdca, Marge Rusk, NWR,MD); CBBT (ChesapeakeBay Bridge J.W. Russell,Steve Santner (SSa), Starr and Tunnel,VA); Chine. (Chincoteague visitor to a Middletown,Monmouth, NJ, Saphir(SSp), Sy Schiff(Long Island: 603 NWR, VA);Craney (Craney Island Disposal feeder(RD). Pine Siskins were common only MeadTerrace, S. Hempstead,NY 11550), Area, Portsmouth,VA); DC (l•shington, in the Adirondacks;for example,a flock R.M. Schutsky,Dominic Sherony, Ellen DC); Deal (Deal Island WMA, MD); 1000+in Hamilton,Jan. 7 (GL). Short,Steve Sobosinski (SSo), R.G. Spahn ESMD (EasternShore of Maryland);ESVA (GeneseeOrnithological Society), Sullivan (EasternShore of ¬'rginia);Fish. I. (Fisher- Observers:(Subregional compilers in bold- CountyAudubon Society, Clay Sutton, Pat man Island NWR, VA); Hart (Hart and face) Ken Able, Robert Andde (Buffalo Sutton, Joe Swertinski,Fred Terlow, Stiles Millerls., Baltimore Co., MD); SPSP (Sandy area),Scott Angus, John Askildscn (Lower Thomas,Neil Thorpe, J.P. Tramontano (Or- PointSP near Annapolis, MD); Susq.(lower HudsonValley, NY: 202 MillertownRd., angeandSullivan, NY: Orange Co. Commu- SusquehannaR.,MD). Bedford,NY 10506), PeterBacinski (coastal nity College,Middletown, NY 10940),Ed NJ: 260 PageAve., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071), Treacy,Guy Tudor,Phil Vanderhorst, Steve The two chartsincluded with thisreport TomBailey (TBa), Bob Barber (BBa), M.V. Walter,Dave Ward, W.J. Wayne, George document the decline and increase over the Barnhill,Irving Black (n.e. NJ: EagleRock Wenzelburger,Eric Witmer, Al Wollin last40 years of Bald Eagle and E. Bluebird.I Village,Bldg. 26, Apt. 8B, BuddLake, NJ (LongIsland: 4 MeadowLane, Rockville don'twant to hearthat party hours, adverse 07828), R.J. Blicharz,Bob Boehm(BBo), Center,NY 11570),R.P. Yunick, Jim Zamos. weatheron somecounts, fewer counts in ear- Frank Bonnano(Rockland, NY: 71 Richard Manyother observers who sent reports could lieryears/more in later, slight shifts of some Court, Pomona,NY 10970),Alan Brady not be listed, but their contributions are count circles,and the like are not factored in. (ABr),Dennis Briede, Ned Brinkley (Cayu- gratefullyacknowledged.--WILLIAM J. Bysheer weight of numbers,anyone can see ga Basin, NY), Fritz Brock, Elizabeth BOYLE, JR., 12 GlenwoodRd., Denville, thatthese two conspicuous species have been Brooks,Ed Bruder,T.W. Burke (New York NJ 07834; ROBERT O. PAXTON, 460 increasinghere as wintering birds for many RareBird Alert), Adam Byrne (ABy), Colin RiversideDr., Apt. 72, New York, NY years.A blankspace indicates the count was Campbell,Carolyn T. Cass(CTC), Richard 10027; and DAVID A. CUTLER, 1110 notheld that year. The year refers to theDe- Crossley,K.L Crowell(St. LawrenceRe- RockCreek Dr., Wyncote, PA 19095. cembercount period.

244-American Birds,Summer 1992 BayJan. 31 (DC). Therewere 4 ConowingoDam reportsof Red-neckedGrebes, all koastal, such as the one at ß Frederick Baltimore SeashoreSP, VA, Jan. 3-6 (NB, GBP, DLH et al.). An Eared Patuxentß Sandy Grebe was at Chine. Dec. 27 Point ' Eastern WashingtonD.C. S.R NeckNW' (RH, DC). Alexandriaß A pelagictrip out fromRudeß Inlet, VA, discovereda N. Fulmar MD and a Greater Shearwater in Nor- ßBlackwater NWR ßSalisb0ry folkCanyon waters Dec. 7 (DFA, Deal Island BP etaL, ph.).Huge numbers of N. Gannetswere in theVA Capes ßCharlottesville area,with 5200at VirginiaBeach VIRGINIA Jan.31 (De), thousandsat Back Bay/FalseCape SP, VA, Dec. 19 ß Richmond (DS), and on the Little Cr., VA, ß Lynchburg CBC Dec.31; 10,775along with ß Appomattox five Brown Pelicans, 13 Great

Ha Cormorants, and 824 Double- crested Cormorants were counted (PWS etaL).The Am. White Peli-

ß Kerr Res, canwas again at Chine.all period (DC, HTA, VBK, m.ob.;refuge pet?).Brown Pelicans again win- teredin the VirginiaCapes area in small numbers,which would have been unheard of onlya few years ago. In addition,Davis made halfa dozenless-traditional sightings of sin-

0 5 2 i s 4 2 3 /; 28 glesin thisarea at borrowpits, nontidal 0 0 0 0 0 6 drainagecanals, and reservoirs.Great Cor- morantswere in recordnumbers, such as 63 0 2 • 3 6 4 .• .6 8 •r2 iO 63 at KiptopekeFeb. 8 (SCR)and 55 at CBBT Feb.9 (BP,NB). Fiveoff GibsonI. Jan. 1• 0 '0 O I 3 7 i i o • 2 t ]o o werenoteworthy far up the Bay (LMD, EB), 0 4- 9 44 ,6• aswas one far up the ChoptankR. at Den- ton, MD, Dec. 11-14 (MWH, SW, et al., ,5 o l 0 0• o 3 3 2 14 8 6 1 ! 6 2 t4 57 46 fideAJF). As usual, good numbers of Dou- ble-crestedCormorants wintered in the Vir- 6 • 2 2 8 12 giniaCapes area, mostly on the s. side, with 1250 Dec. 7 (SCR) and3000 Jan.31 (DC) 0,' •. -.0 t 3 Y 19 a 6 I 14 •8 29 85' atFt. Story,and 750 on the n. sideof the Bay mouthat FishI. Mar. 1 (HTA). The contin- 0 ! 0 3 0 4 2 0 o 0 0 o q 0 uedrobust populations of thesepiscivores in o -t 2 I 1 { theface of thenews about fish population de- O. • 2 ,* I- clinesis encouraging. ll 2 •1 •4 Heronswere in better-than-averagenum- Z 0 2' 0 13 bers,probably because of themildness, espe- o ,0 O. 1 5 6 ciallyat Deal I., Maryland'sbest winter 1 l, 2 1 19 3i heronspot, where on Dec. 17 therewere 75 0 0 0 • o 0 3 Black-crownedNight-Herons, two Am. Bit- terns,six Great and seven Snowy egrets, and 1• t9 12 31 26 •8 26 TricoloredHerons (MO). Later,on Jan.6 i 0 0 O 0 0 0 1. O therewere three Am. Bitterns,one Great and O 0 0 5 3 sevenSnowy egrets, and 75 Tricoloredand 16 3 3 ,0 0 1 3 14 9 9 i• •2 40 Black-crownedNight herons (MO, SM). Someof theseare recordwinter Maryland T0ta[ counts.Nearby at FairmountWMA, a GlossyIbis was seen Jan. 22 (HLW). Great BlueHerons have extended their breeding LOONS TO IBISES North Carolina line Dec. 15 (BP). Pied- rangewest to the Piedmont in Virginia,with A majorRed-throated Loon flight occurred billed Grebeswere in excellentnumbers and a colonyof 8 nestsalready active there by at OceanCity, with birdspassing at a morewidely reported than usual,with a Mar.2 (ph.HLB). 100/hourclip Dec. 6 andc. 1000seen there hefty 150 in Hydrilla-infestedPotomac R. Dec. 17 (MO) and 273 Dec. 26 (DC). Un- waters of the Brooke, VA, CBC Dec. 17 WATERFOWL usualinland wasone at DC Dec. 14 (BO). (DBS), and64 at LochRaven Res. n. of Bal- A TrumpeterSwan of uncertainprovenance CommonLoons were present on noncoastal timoreJan. 10 (SWS).Best counts of the wasat LittleSeneca Res. in Marylandn. of CBCs in record numbers,especially on still-ailingHorned Grebe were 500 at CBBT DC in lateJanuary-February (RF, MO, DC, MarylandBay-area counts; 22 were inland at Feb.8 (BP,GBP etal.), 602 at the Newport RLH, GJ).The usualobscene excess of Mute the Kerr Res.CBC in Virginianear the News CBC Dec. 14 (TK), and 72 at Back Swanswas at Hooper'sI., MD, with 510

Volume 46, Number 2- 245 Smithsonian Research Center in AnneArun- deLMD, Feb.7 (MI). Highlightsfrom Loch Raven Res. (SWS) included 216 Am. 1951 aq56 19g• a•6 Wigeonand 490 Ring-neckedDucks Feb. 10, 116 HoodedMergansers Jan. 27, 28 Gadwall Feb. 23, and 18 RedheadsFeb. 26.

RAPTORSTO CRANES Extraordinarywere single Ospreys in mid- winterat Elk Neck SPJan. 15 & 23 (DWr), at LittleCreek Jan. 10 (GBP),and at s.Salis- D•W- • 5N buryFeb. 1 (C & DB) in Maryland.Ex- Fu•BelvomVA 11 tremelyearly ones were at Tappahannock, well,r• 4 VA, Feb.24 (BPk)and Federalsburg, MD, Feb.29 (BS),with severalreports in Mary- e•n •VA 19 ll 3: 5 5 8 9 82; landand Virginia Mar. 1-2 (JWT,HTA, A •,• a...MD 19 4 2 40 5 ]n •11 & EJ).The breedingpair mentioned in the Winter 1991 issue(AB 45(5): 1103) were in • ..... Montgomery,not HowarcLThe mild winter m(:; • 3t 29 ( 14 35 101 l• 165 lq3 931' didnot seem to puta dentin theBald Eagle ...... MD 20 •6 5g 168 i00 .477 numbers.The roost at Blackwaterheld up to 140birds in January,a recordnumber there P•oba• MD ] :141 16P lq9 527 R• tO • i3 26 78 •5 295 (fiderefuge staff). The Marylandmidwinter Mich,. MD 115 52 11 I 10 .44. 1• 6• '•71 surveyJan. 11-12 found185, the 2nd high- ish,,•, MI } 0 31 50 % 252 392 821 estafter 263 in 1990:89at Aberdeen Proving • •81 71 25Z 441 281 363 1• Ground,23 at Susq.,and 73 at Blackwater (GDT etal.). On Jan.31 Pordockfound 50 •t•; MD 54 55 5 •4 !6 •0 16 i07 125 424 TnelpMaRo., Mb 52 6/ 4• g ;) 54 .169 lg9 •48 803 immatures and 26 adults at Horsehead Pt. on Wa•pr•u•VA theRappahannock R., VA.A nestnear Salis- •on,• • 39 4 '5 t 0 •3 28 43 •93 buryblew down during the great storm of Jan.4 (ELP).At leastfour GoldenEagles i•g, VA • i35 i49 365 wereat Blackwater(GAI, HTA, eta/.); one wasat theOcean City CBC Dec.28, the5th recordfor there (CSR). In the s. Dorchester, MD, area Feb. 16, 40 Bald and two Golden thereFeb. 16 (HTA). SingleGreater White- (MO), 547 at WilliamsburgDec. 15 (BT), eaglespins 35 N. Harrierswere seen (HTA). frontedGeese were at 3 Marylandspots: the and 410 at the Kerr Res.CBC, VA, Dec. 15 NorthernGoshawks were at Assat.Jan. 3 NationalGeographic Society in Montgomery(BP). Common Eiders showed up in record (MLH), Germantown,MD, Dec. 7 (PO), all winter(JBe, MO, DC et al.), Blackwater numbersat OceanCity, with upto 26 there plusthe nearby Seneca CBC Dec.15, at the Dec. 24 (DC) andJan. 26 (RFR), andin the Jan. 11-18 (MLH, MO etal.), and one-two BlackwaterR. in VirginiaBeach Jan. 12 SPSParea Jan. 2-11 (LMD, MI). BestBlue KingEiders there Dec. 6-Feb. 9 (JBe),with (GBP);Taylor saw one at Edgewater,MD, Goose count was 1250 at Blackwater Feb. 16 eightafter the big coastalstorm of Jan.4 Feb. 7. (HTA). One-three Ross' Geese were at (BGP, MG). Three Corn. Eiders were at Observers continue to comment on the BlackwaterDec. 24-Feb. 22 (DC, SM, MO, CapeHenry Dec. 26 (SCR) aswell asin late declineof Ring-neckedPheasant and N. HTA, BGP,MG, ph.),the only Maryland lo- February(GBP, DFA et al.) and one at Bobwhite,but Wild Turkeyseems to bebe- calitywith confirmedrecords. Snow Geese Chine.Dec. 27 (DC).Four King Eiders were comingmore widely established. Unique was continueto winter in huge numbersin at CBBT Feb. 1 (BP,NB, JB) and threeat a YellowRail almoststepped upon at Back coastalMaryland as well as on the upper Chine.Feb. 15 (DC). Up to threeHarlequin BayDec. 29 (GLA, CCW, RA). For the first ESMD in QueenAnnes and Kent(CSR, JGR, Duckswere at CBBT throughthe period time, one-two Black Rails were confirmed as RFR, CRV), while a total of 18,660 at the (SCRet al.), but oneat the NewportNews overwinteringon the lowerESMD in both BackBay CBC, VA, Dec.29 (PWS)cannot CBCDec. 14 (TK) wasunexpected. One of coastallYOrcester and in Somerseton theBay beconsidered paltry. eachof these three"jetty ducks" was at Rudee (MO, HLW, SM), beingencountered from WoodDucks were in goodnumbers; the Inletin VirginiaBeach Dec. 5 (DFA);there Novemberto March.Now try to findthem highcount, as usual, was at the Hopewell were severaldays when all three were at there over the course of a harsh winter! In- CBC Dec. 15 (LR) with 822. A Eur. Green- CBBT, suchas Dec. 26 (MS, GLA, HTA). land at Kerr Res.,six VirginiaRails, two wingedTeal was near Ocean City Dec. 28 A Black Scoterat Upper Occaquan Soras,and 10 Am. Coots were counted Dec. (fideCSR). Blue-winged Teal was another SewageAuthority Dec. 1 nearBull Run, VA, 15 (BP). BestAm. Coot countsaside from beneficiaryof warmweather, with reports was unusualfor the Virginia Piedmont CBCs were 600 at Loch Raven Res. Feb. 17 from5 locations.Eurasian Wigeon singles (SDE).Huge Red-breasted Merganser popu- & 19 (SWS),200 at DealI. Jan.26 (RFR)63 wereat FishI. Dec. 19 (SCR),Ocean City lationswere in theVirginia Capes area, with at inlandPiney Run Parkin CarrollMD, Dec. 14-Jan. 11 (SHD, BGP, MG, GG, 6100 at BackBay Jan. 31 (DC) and11,465 Jan.19, and 125 at Little SenecaRes. Feb. 22 MHL et al.), Little Creek Dec. 31 (PWS), at the CapeCharles CBC Dec. 30 (NB), (MO). The deadbeatSandhill Crane over- and Deal I. Jan. 26-Feb. 22 (RFR, BGP, alongwith 20,200 scotersp. and 23,000 winteredagain at thelittle sand spit in front MO, MG); 2000Am. Wigeonwere at Deal unidentifiedducks, most of thelatter proba- of LastChance Liquors a fewfeet off of Rt. Jan.6 (MO). ExtraordinaryRedhead con- bly scotersand Red-breastedsalso. These 50 s. of Trappe,MD, and wasseen Jan. centrationswere again found on the weremost likely the Red-breasteds that nor- 16-April (JMA, R & RC, EMW, RFR, PocomokeSound on the Crisfield, MD, mallywinter in suchabundance on Pamlico HTA,m.ob., ph.; Dyke even saw it dancing CBC Dec. 27 (CRV), with 7000 estimated. Soundsince the CBC there did not get very Feb.2), butthe one at the Jug Bay CBC Dec. Ring-neckedDucks were in goodnumbers, manythis year (fideJF). Up to 2500Ruddy 14was a completesurprise (CS, DMd). with 1400 at Litde SenecaRes. Jan. 27 Ducks and 1000 Canvasbacks were at the

246.American Birds,Summer 1992 SHOREBIRDS (JB eta/.). A MarbledGodwit overwintered Asusual, the lions share of interestingshore- at Chine. on the QueenSound flats (DC, birdreports were from the ESVA, where the VBK, EMW et al.). Two Red Knots were at milderdimate, large uninhabited barrier is- Chine.Feb. 15 (DC); onewas at OceanCity lands,and endlessmarshes and flats offer an Dec. 6-Jan. 15 (MLH, MO). Five Least hospitableenvironment for wadersfight Sandpiperswere unusual inland on thevery throughthe winter.Three Whimbrel, 30 late date of Dec. 8 at Staunton River SP on GreaterYellowlegs, 3500 Dunfin, and 12 theVirginia Piedmont, and so were three on Short-billed Dowitchers were in this area at the BanisterRiver WMA CBC Dec. 15 (JB). OysterFeb. 29-Mar. 1,while at Thoms Cr. a Sevenwere at the Easton,MD, sewagela- fewmi away235 Black-belliedPlovers, 85 goonsDec. 1 (RFR).Four Long-billed Dow- Willets, a Whimbrel, 41 Marbled Godwits, itcherswere in a field near Ironshire, •rces- 185 W. Sandpipers,and 40 Short-billed ter, MD, with Dunlin and Black-bellied Dowitchers were at this favored PloversDec. 29 (JO,PO). Probably owing to roosting/feedingarea Mar. 1 (HTA).Also on the mild weather,counts of Am. Woodcock Mar. 1, a SemipalmatedPlover was at weregenerally low. At sea,55 Red Phalaropes Chine.;midway between Chine. and Cape werein Virginiawaters Dec. 7 offofVirginia Charlesat Willis Wharf, 11 Willets, sixMar- Beach'sRudee Inlet (BP, FD, PWS, DFA et bled Godwits,and 51 Short-billedDowitch- al.);one was off Virginia Beach Feb. 22 (BP, erswere feeding at low tide,easily visible GBP,FD, et aL, ph.). An Am. Woodcock from the towns dockside(HTA). A few of shotnear Eastville, VA, on theES Jan. 3 was TrumpeterSwan (left) withTnndru Swan at Little theselate-winter shorebirds may have been SenecaResenmir, Maryland, on Janua• 25, atypical,having a distinct,very light, buffy 1992. TheTrumpeters greater bulk and more earlymigrants, especially since several of wing stripeon the remigesand primary massive head and bill can be seen here. theseone-observer counts were higher than coverts(ph. HG). Photograph/DavidCzaplak. those on the local CBC. Killdeer were abundantin many areas JAEGERS TO ALCIDS Razorbills,32 Dovekies,32 Atlantic Puffins, owingto the mild weather.Going back to An ad. PomafineJaeger was at Chine.Dec. and four unidentified alcids were seen out summerfor a refinement,the nestingAm. 27 (DC). ParasiticJaeger reports included from RudeeInlet, the Razorbilland puffin Avocetsat Claneywere first found July 20, singlesat OceanCity Dec. 6 (MO), BackBay totalsestablishing new Virginia high counts whenthe pairhad three chicks (JW, DLH, Dec. 29 (PWS), Little CreekDec. 31 (DLH), (BP,DFA, NB, KHB, GBP etal.). JM), 2 dayseadier than reported previously. and Ft. Story(Cape Henry) Jan. 3 (GBP).In LaughingGulls lingered in largenumbers, February22 wasa mostunusual date, un- oneof themore successful pelagic trips ever with 310 inland near Nokesville Dec. 8 precedentedfor the Region,for a Spotted run from these shores,on Feb. 15, a Great (KHB, SDE;along with an Icelandand two Sandpiperseen at thebase of KerrRes. dam Skua(ph.), 78 Black-leggedKitriwakes, 17 LesserBlack-backed Gulls), 1365 at the NewportNews CBC Dec. 14 (TK), 1348at theJug Bay CBC Dec.14 (PM), a record44 at theDC CBC Dec. 14 (JBe),and 30 inland at the Bowie, MD, CBC Dec. 15 (FWF). ThreeLittle Gulls were at OceanCity Dec. 8 BIRDING (MLH, MO); an astounding28 on Feb.17 P.O.BOX 1• 993 (NB) were at Cape Henry. SingleCorn. TOURS Black-headed Gulls were at 5 coastal locali- tiesin bothstates throughout the period. At OceanCity 8000Bonaparte's Gulls were es- SOUTHINDIA timated Dec. 8 (MLH, MO), and unusual inlandwas one at PineyRun ParkJan. 19 in ./• SRI2-24 LANKAJanuary n. Maryland (RFR), while 1500 were on the "he greatest • 23Janua•-10 Februa• Susq.Dec. 11 (MO). An ad.California Gull operator of wasone of thebest gulls of theseason at Ft. ornithological// The THAILAND9•1 Janua• StoryJan. 3 (GBP,NB), the 3rd consecutive yearin thisgeneral locality. An ad.Thayer's Gull wasat the Laytonsvillelandfill, Mont- ,or.o./ ..,.,..,..s gomery,Jan. 3; a 3rd-winterbird was at the •7•'•U• i•. 12Februa•-15 March•rcester landfill, MD, Jan. 6 (MO, SM). Fo er l(•l/// SpecialistsWritefor TOR•SH•MAendMarch Single Yellow-legged Gulls were again re- •/•{ itineraries TAIWAN/HONGKONG ported,with an adult at La3;tonsvilleJan. 25 Apdl (DC) and one at GeorgetownRes. in DC Dec. 26-Feb.23 (OJ, RH, RAA et al., ph.; INDONESIA #2 TIBET/WEST CHINA 3rd consecutivewinter). Severalcommented Lesser Sundas 7-31 May thatthis was not a goodwhite-winged gull 13-31 August MANCHURIA/ winter,yet Iceland Gulls were at 11localities, CHRISTMAS ISLAND INNER MONGOLIA with three at Laytonsvillein December 29 August-5September 28 May-27 June (DC), andGlaucous Gulls at 6 spots,a slight majorityof bothspecies being found at land- MALAYSlA fills. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen at 1992 BIRDING TOUR 22 July-14 August at least22 places.Thirty-five Black-legged SOUTH CHINA INDONESIA #1 Kittiwakes were off Rudee Inlet Dec. 7 Pheasants & Cranes Halrnahera/Sulawesi (DFA, BP et al.). Inland at Whaleysville, 11 December-5 January 23 July-15 August MD, 15 mi from the sea,a storm-drivenone wasseen Jan. 3 sittingon theground (SHD,

Volume 46, Number 2- 247 40 Black-leggedKittiwakes, and a LittleGull A Selasphorussp. hummingbirdwas at (ph.) (BP,WLA, FD, HEL, GBP et al.)!A PocomokeCity Oct. 13-Dec.29 (ph.;DB, deadDovekie was at Assat.Jan. 18 (MLH, MLH, MO, GG etal.,). BeltedKingfishers MO), andlive singles were in theVirginia werecommon this winter, no doubt owing to Beach-CapeHenry area Dec. 17 (DFA, the mildweather. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker KHB), Jan.5 (GBP),Jan. 31 (JB),and Feb. 1 wasyet another bird more common owing to (DC). OnshoreRazorbills were at Cape the mild winterand E. Phoebeeven more so, CharlesDec. 19 during a gale(SCR) and fre- withrecord counts on manyCBCs, includ- quentlyfrom CBBT, with at leastfive there ing Wachapreague,VA, Ft. Belvoir,Salis- Feb. 2 (BP,FD, NB et al.) and at leastfour bury,and Crisfield, while Ocean City had Feb. 8 (BP, GBP et al.); threewere at Back 44, eclipsingthe previoushigh of 32. The BayJan. 31 (DC). Forthe 2nd straight year, Kerr Res. CBC Dec. 15 had 26 E. Phoebes there was an alcid invasion. Patteson theo- plusa W. Kingbird(BP, TP, FD, MP,GBP et rizesthat their normal wintering grounds in al.,ph.). The Abbotts had a groupof three then. Atlanticmay not be producingwell, W. Kingbirdswell seen on the Cape Charles and that the birds are on the move in search CBC Dec. 30, promptingone wit on that Goodnumbers of alc'.]swere found on February ofbetter feeding areas. They certainly are not countto quip"just how far west does your pelagictrips off Virginia.This Atlantic Puffin was herebecause of severeweather, although partyarea extend?" This counthad had the 55 milesoff Virginia Beach on February 22, strongwinds prevented several other pelagic species3 previousyears, with two in 1971. 1992. Photograph/BrianPaReson. tripsthis season. Thedecline of birdsof theopen fields (bob- white,meadowlark, etc.) along many areas of JBs);several other singles were seen from OWLS TO SHRIKES theFall Line due to developmentis under- shore in both states. Uniquewas a SnowyOwl, alwaysan electri- scoredby the presence of onlythree Horned The onlyCorn. Tern report was one near fyingoccurrence in thisRegion, found in Larkson theDC CBC Dec. 14 (JBe)vs. the Pungoteagueon the ESVA Dec. 14 on a Bethesda,MD, Jan. 1 (GG, MO, RH), historicalhigh of 102in 1944.But not so far CBC wherethe overnightlow was65 ø F whichdied a fewdays later on top ofa DC away,450 werealong New DesignRd. in (HTA, MS).As many as 2000 Forster's Terns buildingOffde KS). On Assat.I., 63 N. Saw- Frederick,MD, Feb. 14 (MO). The only werestill at OceanCity Dec.8 (MO, MLH); whet Owls were banded Oct. 29-Nov. 30 midwinter Tree Swallowswere two at Public avery late individual was at BlackwaterJan. 5 (sevenNov. 1), thefirst major effort to cap- LandingRd., Worcester,MD, Feb.8 (MLH, (MO). A follow-uppelagic trip to thefabu- turethis species during migration in theRe- MO) andone at CBBT Feb. 17 (EMW). lous Feb. 15 one mentioned above was run gion(DFB et al.). This operationwas bur- After a coupleof mild winters,Carolina Feb.22, resultingin viewsof14 Dovekies, 13 denedby logisticaldifficulties and storms Wrenscontinued in highnumbers. Far in- Atlantic Puffins, 12 Razorbills, a Thick- andyet wasnot that muchlower than the land a Marsh Wren at the Charlottesville billedMurre (ph.; first state offihore record), Saw-whettotal at CapeMay. CBCDec. 15 was most unusual on the upper Piedmont(KLF, fide CES);one at Church Hill onthe upper ESMD wasalso of interest Feb.26 0 & PG). SingleBlue-gray Gnat- catchers were at the DC CBC Dec. 14 (DFA),the Mathews, VA CBCDec. 29 Offd• MP), nearCape Charles Dec. 30-31 (DFA, RA, CCW, GLA), and at RichmondFeb. 2 (AB).Eastern Bluebirds continue in optimal numbers, with counts such as 235 at the BanisterRiver WMA in theinterior Virginia Piedmont Dec. 15 (JB) and 390 at NokesvilleDec. 22 (KHB). The mild winter inducedHermit Thrushes to winterin good OurGreat Looking Campesino Hat:-JUst'$21. Postpaid! numbers.There was a hugeinflux of Am. In thesetrying times of globalwarming and increasing ozone depletion isn't it nice Robinsinto many areas in earlyFebruary, in- II to knowyou can do something to protectyourself against the ravages of thesun. duding 8000 at PocomokeState Forest, II In th• regard,we proudlyoffer the Campesino Hat. Thisis thetraditional, MD, Feb. 8 (MLH, MO) and 1576 in Bed- II lightweightcanvas hat worn in CostaRica to provide cooling protection against lard,VA, Feb. 1 (C & MH). Theywere abun- II theharsh, tropical sun. Now, it isavailable here. The Campesino Hat is theperfect danton many CBCs as well (5305 at Ocean II protectionto wearfishing on the ocean, boating on the bay, strolling on the beach, CityDec. 28), yet there were curious excep- II relaxingby thepool or walking city streets. Wear it playingtennis or golf, tions, suchas the all-time low of sevenat the III gardening,hiking, camping, jogging, sailing or travelling. The wide 3" brim III protectsyou front and back. The lightweight crown crushes for easy travel. The Cape Charles CBC Dec. 30. Cedar III OmpesinoHat comes with a removablecord hatband that goes through four loops Waxwingswere common on the vast majori- Ill andtwo brass grommets to becomea tic-downchin strap for activesports or ty of CBCs.The twoN. Shrikeson Assat. in III windydays. You can also replace the hathand/chin strap with anotherhatband or Novemberlingered briefly into December III bandanaof yourchoice. This handsome hat looks great on men and women. (MLH etal., ph.).Loggerhead Shrikes were III Naturalwhite color, the Campesino Hat is 100%cotton canvas. Available in five at 8 localities,with a highof eightat Kerr Ill sizes:S(63/4-7),M(7•-7•/4),L(7•/4-7ta),XL(7ta-73/4),XXIX73/4+). Res.Dec. 15 (BP). Ill Just$21 postpaid for each Campesino Hat complete with removable cord Ill hatband/chin-strap.Multi-color bandanas just $4. eachadditional. Ill our SirehieGuarantee: If youdo not like this hat or it doesnot fit properly, VIREOS,WARBLERS Manyrecords in thisgroup also reflect the Ill simplyritfor oreelament. derb phoneormail- mild winter.Pearce found a White-eyed Ill Calltoday 1-800-852-0925 Harrison-HogeIndustries, Inc. Vireoat DismalSwamp NWR, VA, Dec.15 Ill Mon-Fri9am-5pm East Coast Time. DeptAB-7H, 200Wilson Street andsaw five there Feb. 25 plustwo Solitary Ill • Residentsplease add sales tax. PortJefferson Station, NY 11776 Vireos.Kain foundfive SolitaryVireos at I LVISA, MC,AMX, Checks & MOs accepted. 1NTYresidentsplease addsaleslay. YorkRiver SP n. of WilliamsburgFeb. 14 248. American Birds,Summer 1992 rarewas a Lark Sparrowat Woodbridgein PrinceWilliam, VA, in lateJanuary (EMW, VBK et al.). At the S. Dorchester,MD, CBC Dec. 26, 143 SavannahSparrows were the mostthere since 1965 (CSR et al.), perhaps due to the mild fall and winter. Another re- markablesparrow was a Grasshoppernear Greensboro,Carolina, MD, on the ES Feb. 22 (MI). A mini-Patagoniaeffect at Back Bay, promptedby an attemptto relocatethe Yel- low Rail there,was the discoveryof a Le Conte'{Sparrow Dec. 29 (DFA, RA, NB, BP).Two Lincoln's Sparrows were seen near SnowHill at the •rcesterlandfill,MD, Jan. 11 & 18 (MLH, MO, ph.).White-throated Sparrowsand Dark-eyedJuncos were not abundant,with someCBCs having all-time lowcounts, or nearly so. At NewDesign Rd., MD, ten LaplandLongspurs were seen Feb. 14 (MO); thehighs for Snow Buntings were 75 at Hart Dec. 22 (MO, BD etal.) and 60 at Ft. StoryJan. 4 (GBP);seven buntings at Hooper'sI., Dorchester,MD, on Christmas daywere unusual for this county (LW). The declineof fieldbirds in metropolitan Thick-billedMurre over Norfolk Canyon off the Virginia coast on February 22,1992. Apparentlythe firstconfirmed offshore record for the state, although a veryfew have been found on the coast or areasis exemplifiedby the total of two E. Meadowlarks on the DC CBC Dec. 14 com- groundedinland. Photograph/Brian Patteson. paredwith that count'shigh of 62 backin andtwo Feb.18; singleSolitaries were seen ter.Chipping Sparrows wintered in optimal 1955. A Yellow-headed Blackbird was at on CBCs at Litde Creek, Back Bay, numbers,with non-CBC observationsof 25 BlackwaterJan. 25-Feb. 2 (DM, R & Re). Williamsburg,and Salisbury. at Bailey'sNeck nearEaston, MD, Jan. 11 This wasanother good winter for Brewer's Orange-crownedWarblers, as last winter, (MO) and 14 at Trappe,MD, Jan.11 (L & Blackbirds,with threeat Stockton,MD, Jan. werein highernumbers than usual, with four CM). A rarewinter Clay-colored Sparrow 13into March (MLH, MO, m.ob.,ph.), one at DismalSwamp NWRJan. 8 (GBP),three was at Ocean Pines,MD, Feb. 15 into March at Libertytown, •rcester, MD, Feb. 9 at HogI. nearWilliamsburg Dec. 15 (SCR), (MLH, MO, EB,JLS, LMD, ph.).Also semi- (MO), threeat VirginiaBeach Jan. l (GBP), two at Stockton, MD, near the coaston sev- eraldates Jan. 6-Feb. 19 (MO, SHD, SM, MLH, JD), andtwo at theESVA NWR Dec. 26 (SCR)plus numerous sightings ofsingles. In spiteof themild winter, very few rare war- Celestron... the only waterproof bierswere seen, the best being the not-unex- pectedspecies: a Black-and-whiteat Cape ED glass spotting scope... ChadesDec. 30 (TK; seen 11 out of 27 years)and an Ovenbirdat TriadelphiaRes., for serious birders! MD, Dec.21 (N & FS)plus a CapeMay at Pt.Tobacco, MD, Dec.15 (fideGW, butno details).Reese had a remarkableday at the Easton,MD, sewagelagoons Feb. 22, with ....>' '557'f four Com. Yellowthroats,a Palm Warbler, an E. Phoebe,five Marsh Wrens, and two Gray Catbirds,more like what one would expect $499 ..... in mid-Aprilrather than February.Single ' Dealercost Yellow-breasted Chats were at Stockton Dec. Price includesfree ...... •' •' 29 andJan. 6 (MO, MLH, SM), andone was introductory special l draggedin by a cat at Stevensville,Queen Annes,MD, Dec. 17 (JGR). Youcan't always cou• ongood weather when birdlng. That's why the new 20 x 60mm CelestmnED spottings•pe is a joyto use. It'swaterroof and fogproof,so you can use GROSBEAKS TO FINCHES it in anyweather. It has fullymu•i-coated roofprism optics for high lighttransmission; ED A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was at a feeder (extra-lowdispersion) glass for ex•ptional colorfide!i•;a wide2.5 ø field; long 18mm eye nearCrozet, VA, Feb. 7-Mar. 1, the firstwin- relieffor eyegla• use; and a li•time warra•. It's alsoavailable in non-ED20x and 30x versionsat $349. Quantitiesam limitedat thislimited time dealer•st i•mdu•o• price. t•r recordin the Charlottesvillearea (fide Call (405) 364•898 for our•-page catalog92AB that includes8 p•es on howto pick CES, ph.). A well-studiedBlack-headed the right binocularsand spottingscopes- plusfull details on these newCele•mn •opes Grosbeakwas seen near Cape Charles Dec. and the dozens of other spotting•opes and binocularswe car•. 30-31 (DFA, RA, GLA, CCW, BP, FD). ThreePainted Buntings, an unprecedented number,were seen near Stockton,MD, Dec. cstopes, Jtgß Norman, OK 730• 29 (MLH), near Yorktown,VA, Jan. 545 (405)36•4896 Toll-freeo•/qu•tlon/pHce q•e tim: (800)35•6603 (DMt), andat VirginiaBeach Jan. 25 (fide Hours: 10-5:00 CST, Mon. thin F•. Mastercard,Visa, Amex, Discover,Optima. 3% freighton creditcard orders. DMt). AmericanTree Sparrows continued ratherscarce, even considering the mild win- Our 14th ye• of savingyou money on quali• optics.

Volume 46, Number 2 - 249 SOUTHERNATLANTIC COASTREGION (FALL 1991 REPORT) HarryE. LeGrand,Jr.

It hasbeen saidbefore; it was a warmer than usualseason. Many places had their 20th to 23rd consecutive months of above normal temperatures.There were many weak cold fronts,plus enough coastal storms/Northeast winds to cancel about six North Carolina pelagictrips from September to November. A majorcoastal storm on November9 and 10 yieldedmany notable inland records of waterbirds.Hurricane Bob passed offshore onAugust 18 and produced hardly any note- worthysightings. The overall migrationwas mediocre; manybirders had a goodseason observing passefines,though clearly the volumeof songbirdsisonly 50% or lessof whatit was 20 yearsago. Winter finch flights might now Uocol.'sSparrow near Snow Hill, Ma•laod, onJanumy 11,1992. Photograph/MarkL. Hoffman. bea thingof thepast, thanks to birders"up North."And what could have been a great anda gangbusting42 at NokesvilleDec. 12, Klimkiewicz, Ellen Lawler, Kenneth Law- seasonof pelagicbirding fizzled after August with 40 there Dec. 4 and 30 on Jan. 19 less,H.E. LeGrand,Joan Lepson, Nancy becauseof Nor'eastersgrounding boats and (KHB, VBK et al.). SingleN. Orioleswere Magnusson,Jeff Mahler, Lee & CarolMc- birders alike. seenat only3 localities.The onlyreport of Collough, Pat Melville, Carolyn Mills, RedCrossbills was of twonear Cape Charles William Minor, DorothyMitchell (DMt), LOONS TO CORMORANTS Dec. 30 (DFA, RA). In a seasonwhen there Steve Mlodinow, David Mozurkewich, What would a seasonbe without an inland wasvirtually no flightof northernfinches, Dotty Mumford (DMd), Bill Oberman, reportof a Red-throatedLoon? This seasons one-twoCorn. Redpollsat SalisburyJan. John O'Brien, Michael O'Brien (observer- bird was on L. Townsendnear Greensboro, 26-Feb.29 weremost peculiar (SHD, GJ et at-large,the entire state of Maryland),Paul NC, Nov. 9 (RM, HH). A Common Loon at al.,ph.). Pine Siskins were very scarce. Many O'Brien, EL. Parks, Brian Patteson (Vir- L. Lanier,GA, Aug. 1-28 (JP)was out of activepersons missed them completely, yet ginia pelagics),G.B. Pearce,Bruce Peter- season,as was a Horned Grebe at this lake 65 wereat the Kerr Res.CBC Dec. 15 (BP et john,B.G. Peterjohn,Taylor Piephoff, Bob Aug.6 (JP).Lake Townsend had a falloutof al.) and eightat Hedgerow,Howard, MD, Pilch(BPh), Paul Pisano, E.L Pitney(lower waterbirds on that memorableNov. 9, the Feb.1 (VB). EveningGrosbeaks were even EasternShore of Maryland),Bill Portlock bestbeing a Red-neckedGrebe that lingered scarcer,but the TriadelphiaRes. CBC of (BPk), Nick Pulcinella,Mary Pulley,Kyle to Nov. 17 (RM, HH, HLi). EaredGrebes Dec.21 turnedup 14 (fideN& FS). Rambo,J.G. Reese( •lbot, Maryland),Sue arenow standard fare at a fewsewage ponds Ricciardi(SRi), R.E Ringler,C.S. Robbins, in fall, and againGoldsboro, NC, had Ob$•rver•: D.E Abbott, Robert Abbott, Larry Robinson,S.C. Rottenborn,W.E birdsSept. 3-Oct. 7 witha peak of threeOct. I.W. Ailes,J.M. Anderson,R.A. Anderson, Rountrey,Norm & Fran Saunders,R.M. 4-7 (ED). The pondsat Clayton,GA, also W.L.Argabrite, G.L. Armistead, Val Barnes, Schutsky,Don Schwab,Bill Scudder,Matt had one EaredSept. 27-Oct. 1 (JG, PB, K.H. Bass,Henry Bielstein, Jim Biggs (JBs), Sharp,Kathy Shuman, S.W. Simon(Loch TMi), whereas another Eared was on a JohnBjerke (JBe), Jeff Blalock, Eirik Blom, RavenRes.), Jo Solem (Howard, Maryland), coastalimpoundment at PeaI., NC, Nov.16 Mike Boatwright,H.L. Bohn,D.E Brinker, J.L. Stasz,C.E. Stevens,D.B. Stewart,Chris (HL, JW). Ned Brinkley,Carol & Don Brodefick, Swarth,EW. Sykes, Brian Taber, J.W. Taylor, Asmany pelagic trips were weathered out DougBruce, Allen Bryan, Martha Chestem, G.D. Therres,Mike Tore, C.R. Vaughn, thisfall aswere completed, but somegood J.B. Churchill,Patty Craig, Randy & Gail Vaughn,D. Weesner(DWr), Jerry findswere made, starting with 145 Black- RichardCrook, David Czaplak (District of Weinberger,David West, Steve Westre, Bob cappedPetrels off OregonInlet, NC, Aug. Columbiaarea), L.M. Davidson,D.S. Davis, Whitcomb(BWb), H.L. Wierenga,Levin 24 (MT party).However, the highlightof FentonDay, Bob Dixon, Sam Droege, EG. Willey, Bill Williams,G.M. Williamson, the trip wasa dark-morphHerald Petrel DuMont, Jon Dunn, S.H. Dyke, S.D. Ec- GeorgeWilmot, E.M. Wilson(greater D.C. photographedwithin 20 yards(MT, HL, des,Jeff Effinger, EW. Fallon,Jane Farrell, area), C.C. Witt, Helen Zeichner, Charles MG etal.), for at leastthe fourth staterecord. A.J. Fletcher(Caroline, Maryland), R.B. Ziegenfus.--HENRY T. ARMISTEAD, Not surprisingly,when first seen the bird was Fletcher,Robert Folker,John Fussell,Inez 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia,PA identifiedtentatively as a SootyShearwater Glime,J.G. Gottschalk, Greg Gough, Jim & 19119. bysome, but the insistence byothers, partic- TrishGruber (Kent, MD), MaryGustafson, ularlyGawn, that it wasnot a Sootyled to a T.M. Gwynn,Charles & Melva Hansrote, high-speedchase and observationat close G.B. Harris, M.W. Hewitt, Robert Hilton, range.As Dave Lee has pointed out earlier in R.E. Hindle,M.L Hoffman(Assateague), AB, the appearanceof thesedark-morph R.L. Homan, LinwoodHorner, Marilyn birdsmake one wonder about previous late Howe,W.H. Howe,D.L. Hughes,Marshall summerand fall reports of SootyShearwater, Iliff, G.A.Inskip, Ottavio Janni, George Jett, asthe Sooty is very rare in themid-Adantic Alice & EdgarJones, Teta Kaln (CBBT), statesafter the end of June. Few pelagic trips Dennis Kirkwood, V.B. Kitchens, M.K. aretaken in November,so it isdifficult to say

250-American Birds, Summer 1992 three at that localeOct. 25 (SD, JFP, JWa). EurasianWigeons wereencountered only in North Greensboro. Carolina,especially at PeaI.; the firstthere was Sept. 29 (MT et al.), with a stunningfive at that refugeNov. 8-9 (SD). Else- JordanL.f•ßRaleigh where, one was near Davis, eG..... ilie Carteret,Nov. 24 (RM, BF). Two Canvasbackswere early •ome• /• SOUr•w flming•n. Oct. 26 at Rum Creek W.M.A., -A.•nta GA (BD, JS, CL). A Greater Scaupat Pendergrass,GA, Nov. GEORGIAAu•um.• 3-10 [lP,JC) wasn'tso much rare aseasily overlooked; this editor hasheadaches deciding which re- Charles•n portsof thespecies might repre- sentmisidentified Lesser Seaups! Common Eider was missed in NorthCarolina, being found in- . steadat HuntingtonBeach S.E, SC, Nov. 29 (DF, DoF, RC, CE). eAIbany• SingleKing Eiders were seen as "fly-bys"along the North Caroli- • NWR na coastNov. 16 at Cape Hat- teras(HL, JW) and Nov. 17 at BodieI. (RD); andthat statehad the only HarlequinDuck, a fe- WADERS maleat CapeHatteras Nov. 27 (BR).Single It was another lackluster late summer/fall of Oldsquaws,always exciting on inlandlakes, dispersalof wadersto inlandlakes, though were encounteredat Clayton,GA, Oct. fiveSnowy Egrets at Claywn,GA, Aug. 11 19-20 (PB et al.) for a staterecord arrival OS,CL) werenotable. The alwaysnotewor- date, at L. Townsendnear Greensboro, NC, thy ReddishEgret appeared at Ft. Fisher, Nov. 9 (RM, HH), and at L. Brandralso near NC, Sept.I (ph., GH, BG), at New Drum GreensboroNov. 17 (RM). Georgiahad ex- Inlet, NC, Oct. 15 (SD), at St. SimonsI., cellentnumbers of BlackScoters, highlight- GA, Oct. 12-13 (fid•AW),and at LittleSt. edby 2000offTybee I. Nov.16 (BD etal.) SimonsI., GA, Oct. 20 (AW,VW). An excel- and1000+ at Jekyll I., Oct. 20 (PR,SH). An lentcount of migrant Black-crowned Night- inlandSurf Scoter was exceptionally early Heronswas eight near Zebulon, NC, Sept. Sept.24 at Goldsboro,NC (ED), andup to 23 (RD), but the only inland Yellow- four Surfswere at JordanL., NC, Nov. crownedNight-Heron was one at RockHill, 17-19 (SD). White-wingedScoters, much SC, Sept.13 (KH). InlandGlossy Ibis, al- rarerthan the otherscoters in the Region, waysmuch rarer than White Ibis, were seen were foundinland at FurmanUniversity Oct. 21 at Rock Hill, SC (KH) and at Kin- nearGreenville, SC, Nov. 1-16 [lB) andat ston,NC, wherefour wereseen in flight Goldsboro, where five were seen Oct. 16 Sept.15 (PSa).The flurry of RoseateSpoon- (ED). Three White-wingedsOct. 18 at bills in late summer continued at the Savan- JekyllI. (PR, SH) werethe earliestever for HeraldPetrel off OregonInlet, North Carolina, on nahspoil area, where a peakof sixwas count- Georgiaby 11 days.Five Corn. Mergansers Aug.st 24, 1991. Ofthe handf.I of North edAug. 17 (RM), andthe last was Oct. 26 America.records, almost all havecame from weresomewhat early near Greensboro Nov. 9 NorthCaroli.a waters.Photograph/ (RC, CE). In Georgia,spoonbills were seen (RM, HH), but definitelyearly were single Michael Tove. at two locales:one at the JekyllI. cause- RuddyDucks at the Savannah spoil area, SC, way Aug. 18 (GB) and two thereOct. 2 Aug.17 (RM) andat New Bern,NC, Aug. whetherthe followingAudubon's Shearwater (GB, BD), and one at Little St. SimonsI., 26-Sept.2 (RB,BH). totalsare unugual for the month:eight off Oct. 20 (AW). TybeeI., GA, Nov. 16 (BD et al.), one off VULTURES TO CRANES Charleston,SC, on thesame day (DF), and WATERFOWL An excellentTurkey Vulture count, seeming- oneoff BeaufortInlet, NC, Nov.29 (HL). A The mysteriousFulvous Whistling-Duck, ly too earlyto indudemany migrants, was few Band-rumpedStorm-Petrels were seen whichappears in theRegion mainly near the 450+ nearGoldsboro Sept. 20 (ED). An in- off OregonInlet in August,and two White- coastin late fall, wasreported only from juredAm. Swallow-tailedKite wasfound tailedTropicbirds were off that inlet Sept. 7 EagleI., NC, whereMassey found 28 on duringthe season in the Piedmontnear Iva, (MT, RD et al.). The second-bestpelagic Sept.26, and34 werecounted there Nov. 8 SC, and takento a zooat Columbia(fide birdof the fallwas a subad.Masked Booby (SC, KM). A few Tundra Swansand Snow JEC);another kite was late at Jekyll I. Oct. 6 offOregon Inlet Aug. 3 (BJR etal.). An imm. Geesewere reported from across the Region, (PM, TM). Alsosomewhat late was a Missis- NorthernGannet seen plunge diving into but the most notable was a Snow Oct. 26 at sippiKite Oct. 12 nearSocastee, Horry, SC FallsL., Durham, NC, Nov. 30 (LT) fur- theSavannah spoil area, SC (RC).A fallsea- [lPe).September 20 wasthe peak flight day nishedone of justseveral inland records for son on the Outer Banks, NC, wouldn't be for Broad-wingedHawk through the the Region.An imm.Great Cormorant was normalwithout Ross' Goose reports. Birds foothills;on this day, 984 were tallied at Pilot earlyOct. 12 at HuntingtonBeach S.E, SC werefound at severalPea I. sitesbeginning Mountain S.P., NC (TG et al.), 953 were Oct.20 (NB),with an outstanding count of countednear Landrum, SC (ST), and 2827

Volume 46, Number 2 ß251 weretallied at CaesarsHead S.P.,SC (IP). Ex- inlandeither, with 15 at JordanL., Sept.22 na.Wiison's Phalaropes were elusive, and the tremelyrare in Georgiawas a Rough-legged(PSa) and four at Clayton,GA, Sept.21-22 onlyones inland were at GoldsboroAug. 11 Hawk nearCobb Nov. 16 (EM), andanother (PB,BD) beingthe only records of interest. (ED)and at Falls L., Sept.15 (RD). The odds Rough-leggedwas in North Carolina,in AreBaird's Sandpipers becoming more com- againstthis statisticare extremelyremote: GatesNov. 29 (SD).Golden Eagle, which av- mon, or were observersjust luckierthan there were four inland sightingsof eragesroughly one sighting per state per year, usualat findingthem? Inland reports came Red Phalarope,but none of Red-necked was encountered once--a subadult in n.e. from Gainesville,GA, and in North Carolina Phalarope!Reds were encountered inGreens- Laurens,GA, Nov. 10 (TKP). PeregrineFal- near Charlotte, New Bern, Durham, boroSept. 28-Oct. 2 (ph. TH, RM, HH), cons,almost certainly on the increaseas fall Chatham,and Goldsboro;there were also3 nearthat city Nov. 18 (MT), at Goldsboro migrants,were also widely reported; notable coastalreports from the latter state. All were Sept.30 (ED), and in Clayton,GA, Sept. coastalreports were 15 at JekyllI., Oct. 6 singlesexcept for two at a quarryin New 19-22 (JH, BHa, GB). Sincethe bulk of the (PM, TM) and sevenin view at one time ar BernSept. 2 (RB). Dunlins,generally un- speciesmigrates off our coast from late Octo- PortsmouthI., NC, Oct. 15 (SD). commonthough widespread in latefall in- berinto December,the flurryof September Cooperhad the great luck to flusha Yellow land, were common at Falls L. Nov. 3, with recordsinland was even more unusual. Rail at EagleI., NC, Oct. 20. On the other 86 countedon thatdate (HL). At longlast, hand,Carter intentionally searched for the CurlewSandpiper was reported from South JAEGERS TO TERNS speciesby clicking rocks at night,and he was Carolina,a juveniledescribed Oct. 13 from A ParasiticJaeger well studied at JordanL., ableto heara birdresponding near Gads&n, theSavannah spoil area (RCI, KC, BS).An- Nov. 17 (SD) & 27 (PSa)was about the 3rd SC, Oct. 19 & 26. Sykesheard a BlackRail otherjuvenile was a goodfind at Pea I., Sept. inlandfor North Carolina.Stormy weather callingduring the day on Aug. 10, about1/2 27-29 (HL, SD, C.B.C.). on the coastNov. 9-10 broughtnumerous mileaway from the marsh in n. Greene,GA, StiltSandpiper reports seemed down, the LaughingGulls inland Nov. 10: ten at wherethe species was found this spring. An bestreports being of late birds--at the Savan- Goldsboro(ED), nine at JordanL. (PSa), inlandClapper Rail was found dazed in a nahspoil area Nov. 28 (GR)and at Jekyll I., andone in Mecklenburg,NC (TP). BothLit- parkinglot at Goldsboro Oct. 14 (ED). Clap- Nov.15 (PR, BD). Buff-breastedSandpiper tle Gullswere sighted in September:Fussell perRails (and Seaside Sparrows) migrate over numberstend to be erratic, with this season sawan immatureat CapeLookout Sept. 20, the inlandparts of the Region,but seldom beingbetter than average, highlighted by a andWorthington saw an adult at Nags Head, landuntil they have reached salt marshes (or peakof eightat theOrangeburg sod farms NC, Sept.27. "The" Com. Black-headed hit TV towersand skyscrapers)!The only Sept.21 (RC).Other reports of noteof Buff- Gullreturned again to MoreheadCity, being SandhillCrane outside the narrow migration breasted were three at the Morehead firstnoted Oct. 8 (PSa).Lesser Black-backed corridorwas in a drainedCarolina bay just n. City-Beaufort,NC, causewaySept. 6 (BH), Gullswere too numerous along the coast to of Marion,SC, during the fall (CM). threeat FallsL., Sept.15 (RD), and a peakof mentionin detail.Single Black-legged Kitti- threeat Clayton,GA, Sept.14-19 (m.ob.).A wakeswere seen on fishingboat pelagic trips SHOREBIRDS Ruffat theSavannah spoil area Oct. 13(RCI, offMoreheadCity Nov.28 (JW)& 30 (RT). Inland movementofshorebirds was fair, with KC, BS) wasabout the 7th for SouthCaroli- A Gull-billedTern was extremely late Nov. fewexceptional counts, exemplified by only 3 inlandBlack-bellied Plover reports. Lesser Golden-Plover,not strictlytied to mudfiats in its inlandpassage, was found in many habitats.The bestinland reports were seven on mudfiatsat FallsL., NC, Sept.15 (RD), upto fiveat sod farms near Orangeburg, SC, Sept.2-Nov. 26 (RC, DF etal.), sevenat a pasturenear Goldsboro Sept. 15 (ED), and fourat sewageponds in Clayton,GA, Sept. 14-23 (PB etal.). A Wilson'sPlover was rare at CapeHatteras point, NC, Aug.25 (HL, MT), andDinsmore had a goodtally of 91 migratingPiping Plovers at PortsmouthI., Oct. 4. A count of 600 Black-necked Stilts Sept.8 at theSavannah spoil area (RC, CE) waslikely a SouthCarolina record. The only inland Am. Avocet was at L. Townsend near GreensboroAug. 2 (FG, HH). The highestcount of UplandSandpipers wasof 10 Aug. 10 at the Orangeburgsod farms(TK), whichwill probablyprovide a goldmine of shorebirddata in upcoming years.Thompson heard a Whimbrelin thick fogat Tryon,NC, Aug.26; theonly Long- billed Cudews were at traditional sites---one at Ft. Fisher,NC, Sept.2+ (BG, GH) and fiveat Cape Romain N.W.R., SC, Oct. 13(J. Cox).A HudsonianGodwit at Huntington BeachS.P. Nov. 11-30+ (ND, BP etal.) was the best studied ever for South Carolina and one of fewer than ten state records. One Hudsonian was unusual inland at L. Matta- muskeet,NC, Nov. 17 (HL, JW). Inland RuddyTurnstones were encountered only MaskedBooby in subadultplumage 40 milesoff OregonInlet, NorthCarolina, on August3,1991. twice,and Sanderlings weren't often reported Photograph/AlanBrady.

252-American Birds, Summer 1992 Outer Banks.

WARBLERS Gloverbanded four Golden-wingedWar- Nersnear Mayesville between Aug. 30 and Sept.19, a notabletotal. A goodtally of 35 TennesseeWarblers was made near Atlanta Sept.28 (A.A.S.).Somewhat early were a NashvilleWarbler Aug. 31 at ChapelHill, NC (TH etal.) anda Bay-breastedWarbler Aug.28 nearStone Mr., CA (PB).All sixre- portsof theearly-migrating Cerulean War- bier, •vith five from the Atlanta area, were Aug. 1-Sept. 1. A Swainson'sWarbler, sel- domseen in migration,was noted Aug. 27 Buff-breastedSandpiper at the Orangeburgsod farms, Saath Carolina, on September 8,1991. nearStone Mr., GA (PB),where it apparent- Photograph/SteveComptou. ly doesnot nest. Late warblers induded a N. WaterthrushNov. 5 at New Bern,NC (BH) 23 atJekyll I. (PS).As usual, the only Roseate PeaI. on Sept.27 (TP) andOct. 7 (JN), and and a Louisiana Waterthrush Oct. 25-27 Terns were coastal birds in North Carolina-- CarolinaBeach S.P., NC, Sept.28 (SC). nearAtlanta (JH). The secretiveConnecti- two adultsAug. 25 at CapeHatteras point NorthCarolina's 3rd Say's Phoebe, and first cutWarbler was noted at Mr. PleasantSept. (MT, HL) and oneadult Sept. 20 at Cape photographed,was at OcracokeI. Oct. 11 21 (DF, DoF),Yuchi W.M.A., GA, Sept.21 Lookoutpoint (JF, JO). Deanhad 18 Corn. (HM). WesternKingbirds were strictly along (VW), Manteo,NC, Sept.29 (HHa), andat Ternsat GoldsboroSept. 24 for a goodin- the coastas usual; six reports spanned Sept. JekyllI. (nodate--fide TM). Theeven rarer land total, and on Nov. 16 observersfound 27-Nov. 24. Perhapsa recordRegional MourningWarbler was encountered in Au- the speciesstill lingeringin eachof the 3 countwas 12 GrayKingbirds at SeaI., CA, gustin Greensboro(RM, HLi), Sept.2 near states.On that date,ten wereoff TybeeI., Aug.17 (BD, PR);another Gray was an ex- Mayesville(LG), andSept. 4 nearCharlotte GA (G.O.S.), three were 40 mi off cellentfind at MoreheadCity Oct. 2 (JF). (TP). Veryrare along the coast were single Charleston(DF), andone was at CapeHat- Scissor-tailedFlycatcher, which can turn up CanadaWarblers Oct. 7 at PawleysI., SC (T teras(RD). The betterForster's Tern reports nearlyanywhere at anytime (except midwin- &AHan) and Oct. 8 at PeaI. (RD). were21 at FallsL. Sept.1 (RD) andsix at ter), wasencountered in eachstate: Aug. Clark Hill W.M.A., GA, Nov. 29 (AW,VW). 18-19 at MackayIsland N.W.R., NC (BPe, GROSBEAKSTO CARDUELINES FiveSooty Terns were onshore at CapeHat- BPa),Nov. 8-10 in n.e. Laurens,GA (TKP), The apparentlydeclining Rose-breasted teraspoint Aug. 25 (RT), andan adultwas andNov. 16 nearCheraw, SC (RMa). Grosbeakwas found in goodnumbers at onshorein CarteretAug.19, a dayafter Hur- FernbankForest at AtlantaSept. 28, with a ricane Bobmissed the coast(RB, KW). A WRENS TO VIREOS count of 40 birds (A.A.S.); another Rose- countof 25 BlackTerns at Clayton,GA, Aug. Pagetfound an earlyWinter Wren Sept. 18 breastedwas very late Nov. 10 near Durham, 18 (PB, HG) was one of the better inland at Gainesville,GA; even more notablewas a NC (SHa, MS). An Indigo Buntingwas countsin years for this declining species. SedgeWren singing in a wetfield in Francis ratherlate Nov. 14 at Huntington Beach S.P., MarionN.E, SC, Aug. 1 (PY, BDu). As re- SC (LG, EDa etal.).Three fly-over Dickcis- PIGEONS TO FLYCATCHERS markable as it seems,Glover banded more selswere again found at PeaI., on Oct. 8 TheRegions first Band-tailed Pigeon was a Veeries(134) during the fall near Mayesville, (RD);and other Dickcissels were found Aug. birdphotographed near the coast at George- SC,than any other species! The average bird- 25 in Banks,GA (Jp,JC) and Oct. 12 near town,SC, Aug. 16 (BP);the birdappeared ermight do well to seeone or two Veeries in a Duluth,CA (JV). wary,but the S.C. RecordsCommittee will season,indicating how retiringthe species Clay-coloredSparrows were widespread passjudgment on the originof the bird. can be in fall. On the otherhand, Gray- alongthe coast Sept. 27-Oct. 20, and single Thereis a previoussight record for North cheeked Thrushes have become so hard to birdswere very rare inland Oct. 13 in Fair- Carolina,but the report is fromthe moun- findin thepast ten years that they are a red- field,SC (TK) andOct. 27 nearL. Phelps, tainsoutside the Region.A Corn.Ground- letterbird on a birdersyear list. NC (RD). A recordearly Georgia Vesper Dovewas very rare in thePiedmont in Clay- Bell'sVireos were reported twice during Sparrowappeared in GreeneSept. 28 (PS). ton,CA, Aug.10 (PB,HG) andagain Sept. the season,remarkable as there were about LarkSparrow was not a rarity20-30 years 14 (GB).Six reports of Black-billedCuckoo four previousRegional records. Sykes ob- agoalong the coast, but it isa goodfind now; seemsslightly better than average for a fall servedone at SeaI., GA,Aug. 13 and Clark therewere about 5 coastalreports, plus in- season;one was banded near Mayesville, SC, reportedone Oct. 5 at BroadRiver W.M.A., land recordsfrom GoldsboroOct. 6 (ED) Oct.23 (LG).The only owl sighting of inter- SC.The only documented record for the Re- andCharlotte Aug. 16 (TP). HenslowsSpar- estwas a Short-earedNov. 3 at Huntington gionis a specimenfrom October 1985 at Mr. rowsare also seldom reported in migration. BeachS.P., SC (RC, CE). Sargenttrapped Pleasant,SC. A singingSolitary Vireo in a Two in a powerlinedeadng Nov. 17 in w. andbanded two lateRuby-throated Hum- Columbia,SC, yard Aug. 13 (RC,CE) must BeauJ3rt,SC (SB)might have been on win- mingbirdsinAtlanta Nov. 10, and he banded havebeen a wanderingbird froma nearby tering grounds,whereas two more near theRegions (and Georgia's) 2nd ever Black- breedinglocale, since migrants do not move Edenton,NC, Nov. 29 (AB) werenorth of chinnedHummingbird atGeorgetown Nov. southwarduntil late September or October. theknown winter range. The rare Le Conte's 9, thoughit islikely that some.(many?) win- WarblingVireo, about as easy to findin fall Sparrowwas detected twice, both in North ter-seasonArchilochus hummingbirds in the asBell's Vireo (i.e., almost impossible), was Carolina--at Arrowhead L., Anson,Oct. 27 Regionare actually Black-chinneds. reportedat Simpsonville,SC, Sept. 9 (PW); (DS)and in theHenslow sSparrow field near The rareOlive-sided Flycatcher was en- Warblingssimply avoid the Region as fall mi- EdentonNov. 29 (AB). Quite earlywas a counteredSept. 21 nearCharlotte, NC Offde grants.On the otherhand, Philadelphia Dark-eyedJunco at BodieI., NC, Sept.21 TP) andOct. 5 in Fairfield,SC (PW). Yel- Vireoswere found about 15 times, including (HL et al.). low-belliedFlycatcher was found 6 times: sixtimes in theAtlanta area Sept. 7-Oct. 5 Of thefour Lapland Longspur reports, a bandednear Mayesville, SC, Sept.13 and (fideTM) andatleast three times Sept. 28 at surprisingthree came from South Carolina, Oct. 1 (LG), at EagleI., Sept.22 (GM), at the CarolinaBird Club meetingon the wherevery rare. Three were again found at

Volume46, Number2.253 mustcertainly be retainingPurple Finches, PineSiskins, Evening Grosbeaks, and other finchesthat often wintered in goodnumbers in theSoutheast. "Short-stopping" hasbeen Capture the Image provenin geese;geese that normally winter on theGulf Coastare now wintering in the centralMississippi Valley, and geesethat usedto winter along the s. Atlantic Coast are nowwintering on the DelmarvaPeninsula. With the increasein bird feeders,the now- annualscarcity of winter finches in theSouth cannotbe blamed on a bannercone crop in theNorth year after year.

"N C0rrlgend-m: At least4 activenests of Os- preyshave been present at L. Oconee,GA, forat least4 or 5 years(PS); I implied(AB 45:434) that the specieswas a very rare breederin theGeorgia Piedmont.

Observers:Adanta Audubon Society, John Batson, Gift Beaton, Bill Blakeslee, Rich Boyd,Sam Breyshaw, Ned Brinkley,Patrick Brisse,Allen Bryan, Kevin Calhoon, Caroli- na Bird Club, Robin Carter,Jack Carusos, J.E. Cely,Roger Clark (RCI), SamCooper, TSN-3 and TSN-4 Shown P.J.Crutchfield, Evelyn Dabbs (EDa), Ricky Davis, Eric Dean, Nathan Dias, SteveDins- more,Bruce Dralle, Barny Dunning (BDu), Caroline Eastman, Bert Fisher, Dennis High PerformanceSeries Forsythe,Donna Forsythe(DoF), Wade TSN-1, 45 ø Offset, Multi-coated Fuller,John Fussell, Fred Garrett, Hugh Gar- TSN-2, Straight,Multi-coated rett, Mark Gawn,Georgia Ornithological TSN-3, 45 ø Offset, Multi-coatedFluorite Lens Society,Lex Glover,Toby Gordon,Betty TSN-4, Straight,Multi-coated Fluorite Lens Grady,Joe Greenberg,Henry Haberyan (HHa), Steve Hall (SHa), Bruce Hallett The Kowa Prominar,super high and increasedlight gathering (BHa), Tom & Ann Hankins (T&AHan), performancefluorite 77mm lens capabilitiesof no lessthan JoeHarris, Todd Hass,Herb Hendrickson, 60% over conventional 60mm KevinHennings, Bob Holmes, Steve Hokz- offersa sharperimage, wider man, Gene Howe, Tim Kalbach,Carol Lam- than usual field of view spottingscopes. bert, Harry LeGrand,Henry Link (HLi), KevinMarkham, Greg Massey, Rad May- Prominar Features field(RMa), Ellery McClintock, Hugh Mc- Fadden,Roger McNeill, CharlesMcRae, ß High clarity,high resolution, ß High qualityphoto application Terry Miller (TMi), PeggyMoore, Terry multi-coatedfluorite lens. (optional) Moore,Jeremy Nance, Jim O'Donnell, John ß Bayonetmounting for easy ß Seveninterchangeable eyepieces. Paget,J.E Parnell,T.K. Patterson,Brian Pat- teson (BPa), Jack Peachey(Jpe), Butch eyepieceexchange. Pearce(BPe), Taylor Piephoff, Irvin Pitts, Bill Pulliam,James & ElizabethPullman (J & EPu), PaulRaney, George Reeves, Bob KOWAOPTIMED INC. 20001S. VERMONT AVE., TORRANCE,CA 90502 (310)327-1913 Righter,B.J. Rose, Paul Saraceni (PSa), Bob Sargent(BSa), Mike Schultz,Jeff Sewell, DougShadwick, Brace Smart, Paul Sykes, SimonThompson, Leslie Todd, Mike Tore, HuntingtonBeach S.E, Nov. 24+ (CM, DF onewas found dead s. of RaleighNov. 6 (J& RussTyndall, Joel Volpi, Jeff Walters (JWa), etal.), two werenear Landrum Nov. 10 (ST), EPu),and two wereat a regularwintering Anne Waters,Vernon Waters, Ken Wilkins, andone was heard calling at the Orangeburg spotin CarteretNov. 29 (JF,JW, PWr). The Pete Worthington,John Wright, Paula sodfarms Oct. 27 (RC);the other report was 3rdNorth Carolina report of ShinyCowbird Wright (PWr), PeterYaukey.•I-t_ARRY E. of twoheard w. of L. Phelps,NC, Nov. 16 involvedfour males in a large flock of Brown- LeGRAND, JR., N.C. Natural Heritage (HL, JW). SnowBuntings were encountered headedCowbirds at a shoppingcenter at Program,P.O. Box 27687, Raleigh,NC threetimes, all single birds on the North Car- FayettevilleOct. 30 (PJC).An OrchardOri- 27611. olina coast Oct. 26-Nov. 10. olewas very late Oct. 31 at New Bern(RB, Theonly Yellow-headed Blackbird was at BH, PeaI., Sept.8 (MT party).A countof 300 This is definitelya brokenrecord, but Brewer'sBlackbirds on winteringgrounds therewas essentially no winterfinch flight near Dublin, GA, in November(TKP) was this season. I think much of the "blame" not a big deal,but the threereports else- mustbe placedon otherbirders; the pre- where,all fromNorth Carolina, were a big sumed hundreds of thousands of feeders in deal;five were near L.'Phelps Oct. 27 (RD), states in the Northeast and southern Canada

254-American Birds,Summer 1992 Audubon research team docu- FLORIDAREGION menteda decade-highcount of JohnC. Ogden 880 nestingpairs of Roseate Spoonbillsin 20 colonies(RB et aL). The big newswith Wood The winter of 1991-1992 in Storkswas 1800 nestingpairs at Florida lacked memorable weath- CorkscrewSwamp Sanctuary, the er events;no strongcold fronts, highestnumber nesting at thatsite majorrain storms,or Regional since 1983 (THB). Storks at droughtswere present to stirthe Corkscrewbegan nesting in early aviansoup. Instead, it wason the December,a schedulereminiscent warm side, with near normal or of thehistorical s. Floridapattern; mildly above-normal rains thusmost pairs should be ableto throughoutthe peninsula.Bird- raiseyoung before the summer ing musthave been on the dull rainsdisrupt fish concentrations. side, if the low total number of Again,it wasa differentstory in records submitted for the winter the Everglades,where most storks season,or the few rarities,can be waiteduntil Februaryand March usedto judgesuch patterns. The to initiatenesting, thereby greatly Regionexperienced relatively few redudngtheir chances for success. of suchfood-driven species as My currentimpression ofthe Ever- Tree Swallows, robins, or gladesis that the food base (fishes, waxwings.And while pelagics, aquaticinvertebrates) is so deplet- westernraptors, western hum- ed that no short-term combina- mingbirds,and northern finches tion of hydrologicalevents can were scarce,so were wintering stimulatemuch recovery. neotropicals,notably warblers. Awayfrom the colonyscene, Doesthis scarcity of newswor- two ReddishEgrets at Hagen's thyreports accurately reflect what Cove,•ylor, Feb.9 wereunusual- actuallyhappened in Floridathis ly far north in winter (NW); a pastwinter, or were the total number of bird- Red-throatedLoon, Dec. 28, by the same countof ninewhite-morph Reddish Egrets erswho submitted their seasonal reports too observers.Two unusuallyhigh Pied-billed in FloridaBay Dec. 27 wouldhave been sur- fewto revealthe true story? While I'm willing Grebe countswere 282 on L. Marion, Polk, prisinganywhere in theRegion, where white to believe that it was an eventless winter for Jan.11 (PT) and205 onL. Trafford,Collier, birdsare uncommon,especially in winter themost part, other answers may also help ex- Feb.9 (LAR).Still without a verifiable speci- (JCO, MB). High countsfrom the Polk plainwhat seems to beemerging as one of the menor photographfor Florida(W. Robert- phosphatemines induded 485 GlossyIbises mostsignificant patterns in Floridabirding. son and G. Woolfenden, ms.), one Red- andseven Roseate Spoonbills, both Feb. 15 To beginwith, the numberof bird reports neckedGrebe was well described at Honey- (PJF). Many observerswere fortunate thatI receivedfor each of thepast two winters moon I., Pinelias,Jan. 11 (WRG). Single enoughto see the flock that had up to 32Am. has been about 25% below the number sub- EaredGrebes occurred at 3 widelyseparate Flamingosnear remoteSandy Key, Ever- mittedin eadierwinters. That reduction gen- locations:awater treatment plant near Talla- gladesNP, throughoutthe period(PWS, erallycoinrides with an attempt by the Flori- hasseethrough Dec. 17 (JL,m.ob.), an Occi- m.ob.).This flock,like severalbefore it, con- daOrnithological Sodety to beginthe publi- dental Phosphatemine impoundment, taineda mixof adultsand immatures; my in- cationof seasonal reports in theirjournal, the Hamilton,Dec. 28 (JTK), and L. Ariana, tuitiveopinion after watching these flocks FloridaField Naturalist. After 2-3 yearsof Polk,Dec. 7 (PJF). comeand go for over 25 yearsis that they are testingthis effort, the general condusion is Oneimm. Brown Booby picked up on the wild birds out of the Caribbean. thatthe EO.S. project has failed to meetthe beachnear Englewood, Sarasota, Dec. 9 was goatof morerapid publication of records. bandedand released(SS, AS). A highAt- WATERFOWL Othersshare my opinionthat it certainly lantic coast count for N. Gannet was 725 at One long-times. Floridaobserver made a failedto producea morereadable or better CapeCanaveral National Seashore, Brevara• pointabout the remarkable scarcity of ducks screenedproduct. And while the EO.S. effort Dec.5 (HPR); a highGulf coastcount was in thes. peninsula by submitting a report of a may havediluted the reportingeffort to 75 at HoneymoonI. Jan.11 (DNG etaL).A singleBlue-winged Teal, normally one of the AmericanBirds, it alsodemonstrated a recent remarkable inland concentration of Am. more common ducks (FD)! Farther north, andmore fundamental problem in thatFlori- White Pelicanswas 2500 in the Polkphos- however,the waterfowlpicture apparently da birdersas a groupcurrently seem to fall phatemine impoundments Jan. 4 (PJFet wasless bleak. High countsinduded 3000 below the numericalthreshold, and lack the aL). Unusualso far northin winter,single Green-wingedTeal, 5000 N. Shoveler,71 O0 organization,required to successivelysup- MagnificentFrigatebirds were at SeahorseRing-necked Ducks, and 1130 Ruddy Duck, port regionaldata collection and manage- KeyDec. 28 (BM, RM) andat Cortez,Man- allat thePolkphosphate impoundments Feb. mentschemes. The missingFlorida Region atee,Feb. 15 (AFS). 15 (PJF).While thesenumbers represent re- reportsfrom several recent issues of American centhighs, the observer commented that the Birdsoffers more evidence for this argue- WADING BIRDS Ruddycount was much higher 10-20 years ment. What it boils down to is that both the Althoughthe Evergladeswere much wetter ago.Also a noteworthyhigh number was the AB andEO.S. seasonalreporting programs thiswinter compared to theprevious 2 years, 67,690 Redheadscounted on the aerialwa- arefloundering in Florida,apparently owing only two speciesshowed clear signs of in- terfowlcensus along the Gulf coast between toa lackof strong support for either. creasednesting effort through the end of the the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers Feb. period.By the end of February,in theWater 1! (CSG). LOONSTO FRIP•TEBIRDS ConservationAreas and mainland Everglades Amongthe raritieswas one Ross' Goose, A highCorn. Loon winter count was of 400 NP,about 2424 pairsof GreatEgrets nested onlythe 3rd Floridarecord (Robertson and at SeahorseKey, Levy(no dateprovided) in 18 colonies(4 timesthe 1991count) (RJS, Woolfenden, ms.), at the Tallahasseetram (BM & RM); at the samelocation was one OLB etaL). Downstream in FloridaBay, the roadwater treatment plant, Leon, Dec. 10

Volume 46, Number 2- 255 (ph.,JEC & NW, et al.). Anotherrare Eur. Wigeonappeared at oneof themore reliable locations,at Merritt I. Dec. 12 (HPR). Old- squawsmade a strongappearance through- out theRegion, including one unusually far southat Marco I., Collier,Feb. 1-15 (THB, WBB).A highcount for the rare Black Scoter was46 at thes. endof CapeCanaveral Nad SeashoreDec. 6 (HPR);.a singleWhite- wingedScoter, the rarestof Floridascoters, wasin n. HillsboroughBay Dec. 28 (RTP).

RAPTORS TO CRANES One (or more) Black-shoulderedKite(s) was seenat 3 locationsnear Archbold Biological Station,Highlands, in late Decemberand January(m.ob., fide FEL). Greatnews on BaldEagles: the Floridanesdng number in- creasedfrom 359 to 601 knownpairs be- tween 1981 and 1991 (SAN). One dark- morphShort-tailed Hawk arrivedearly at MaleStripe-headed Tanager at Goulds,north of Homestead,Florida, in Februa•j1992. Thisstray from TigerCreek Nature Preserve, Polk, Feb. 8 the Bahamaswas farther inlandthan most.Photograph/Larry Maofredi. (PJF),where a pairnested last year. Very pale Red-tailedHawks, reported as Krider's, were (PJF,JP, KDN). One Am. Avocetalso win- Pomafineand 21 Parasiticjaegers off thes. threeJan. 25 at Zellwood,Orange (GB, TR) teredat St. Marks (JR, CSG), whilelarge endof theCape Canaveral Seashore Dec. 20 andone from Jan. 4 throughthe period near winter avocet flocks included 119 on Merritt & 5, respectively(HPR). Unusuallyhigh Homestead,Dade (PWS, SAS). I. Jan.29 (HPR) and up to 400 on spoil countsof Bonaparte'sGulls were 200 at L. The two small, elusiverails were both de- islandsin HillsboroughBay (RTP) in late Maggiore,Pinelias, Dec. 14(RWS) and over tected this winter. One Yellow Rail was de- December. 1000 at AlligatorPoint, Franklin,Jan. 5 scribedwith convincingdetails by a visidng SolitarySandpipers were reported from 6 (BDN, DAE). Anothervery rare California birderat Paynes Prairie, Alachua, Jan. 20 (fide locations,primarily in thec. peninsula,an Gull wasdetected, an adult well documented BPM), and two Yellow Rails were at Loxa- unprecedentedwinter showing. This species bya substantial report at Honeymoon I. Feb. hatcheeNWR, Palm Beach,Dec. 28 (MS). is rareenough in winterthat all reportsare 7 (DNG). The highcount for LesserBlack- Alsoat PaynesPrairie, one BlackRail was summarizedhere: one eachat L. Woodruff, backed Gull was seven,all adults, at Ward's flushedbefore a fireDec. 18 (JEW), andan- l•lusia, Jan. 24 and Feb. 28 (HPR), Bank, DuvaL Feb. 15 (NW). Two Great otherwas at St.Marks Light, Wakulla, Jan. 3 Brooksville, Hernando, Dec. 14 (LSA), Black-backedGulls at Whale Harbor, Mon- (JEC). American Coots were so scarcein EconlockhatcheeR., Seminole,Dec. 28 (BP, roe,Jan. 4 wasa highcount for the Florida partsof s. Floridathat serious consideration GM), Auburndale,Polk, Dec. 14 (CG), W. Keys(PWS, SAS).Locally very rare, one wasgiven to havinga bumpersticker print- Palm BeachJan. 24 (SF,VM), and two at CaspianTern wasat the Springhillwater ed, "Where's the Coots." Not one coot was Largo,Pinelias, throughout the period (LSA, treatmentplant, Tallahassee,Jan. 31 and on West L., EvergladesNP, whereup to m.ob.).Pectoral Sandpipers arrived unusual- Feb.4 (JEC).Forster's Terns were in verylow 50,000 winteredin the late 1960s(JCO). ly eadyin then. peninsula,including three numberson Marco I. this winter, down 61% But the n. Florida winter waterfowl censuses on the SpringhillR., Tallahassee,four at St. fromthe 18-year mean (THB). Faidy amaz- revealeda 5-year high for coots at St.Marks Marks NWR (BDN, DAE), and 55 on ingso far inland, up to 750Black Skimmers NWR (JR);the high count for the Polk phos- PaynesPrairie (JHH), all Feb.28 records. werein the Polkimpoundments Jan. 4 (PJF, phatemines was 4000 Feb.15 (PJF). Extremelyrare in s. Florida,one Purple JP,KDN). A recordhigh countof SandhillCranes Sandpiperwas on the BlackPoint jetty, wintered in the Alachua-Marion area; 3690 Dade, Feb. 22 into March (BM, VEet al.). DOVES TO HUMMINGBIRDS were on the Alachua ChristmasCount, and Evidenceof theincreasing presence of Stilt Fillingin therange gaps in then. peninsula, another1000 were s. of thecount circle (fide Sandpipersoverwintering in Florida is pro- Eur. Collared-Doves were encountered at Al- BPM). However, not all were in these 2 videdby reportsin bothn. andinland loca- ligatorPoint, Franklin, Dec. 8 (BDN, DAE) counties,as 250 craneswere migratingN tions:two on theSpringhill IL, Tallahassee,and at Steinhatchee,7•ylor, Feb. 8 (NW). overL. Alfred, Polk,Feb. 29 (CG). throughthe period(JEC, NW) and four Not all exoticshave negative impacts on na- nearBrighton, Glades, Dec. 23 (PWS,SAS). tive avifaunas;we continueto seeevidence SHOREBIRDS Long-billedDowitchers, apparently regular around Homestead in winter that Collared- One Lesser Golden-Plover wintered at Ft. in winterin thecoundes bordering L. Okee- Dovesare becoming an important prey item DeSoto County Park, Pinelias,Dec. 15 chobee,were also in highnumbers in the forShotr-tailed Hawks which hunt the edges throughFebruary (BHA, LSA);one other Polkphosphate mines--193 Feb. 15 (PJF); of town (JCO).Another exodc, Monk Para- LesserGolden, definitely different, was at and unusuallyfar north•up to nine keet,may be spreading: 2 pairs nested in the nearbyHoneymoon I. Feb. l•i (PMB, throughoutthe period at theMounds Pool, bottomof an activeOsprey nest on Planta- HPR). Highwinter counts for Snowy Plover St. Marks NWR (NW). The twittering tion Key,Monroe, Jan. 4 (PWS,SAS); else- wereof 40 at HoneymoonI. Dec.22 (DNG) courtshipflight songs of two Am. Woodcock where,Monks were commented on asbeing and 31 at St. GeorgeI., Franklin,Dec. 25 wereagain heard in thefar s. peninsula, e.Ev- unusualw. of Vero Beach, Indian River, Feb. (DS);the highest count for Piping Plover was ergladesNP, Jan. 31 (PWS,SAS). 2 (JGT) and s. of LakelandDec. 14 (JF, an encouraging112 at HoneymoonI. Dec. MH). 22 (DNG). One Black-neckedStilt wasun- JAEGERSTO SKIMMERS Smooth-billed Anis continue to be ex- usuallyfar northin winter,at St. Marks Substantialnumbers of jaegerswere along tremelyscarce in Dade;,one reportwas of NWR, throughthe period(JR, CSG); 27 theAtlantic coast of then. peninsulain early- eightin thes. county Dec. 28 (VE).For some stiltsin the Polkphosphate mines Jan. 4 midDecember, with a "large"flight off Ft. reason,anis are now encounteredmore often madethe highestlocal winter countever Clinch, Nassau,Dec. 1 (BDN, DAE) and 14 in Palm Beachthan farther south (PWS,

256- AmericanBirds, Summer 1992 SAS).The BarnOwls' habit of nestingand TANAGERSTO ORIOLES Evergladesrestoration draw me further from roostingunder turnpike bridges sometimes SingleC3 Stripe-headed Tanagers were at birding.Thank you for your patience.-- hasdeadly results; one live and two roadkill DelrayBeach Dec. 7, andat a 2nd location jco. BarnOwls were at a Weston1-75 overpass, 5-6 mi awayDec. 10 (bothBHH). Another Broward,Jan. 26 (JLB). C3Stripe-headed was seen by hundreds in the Contributorsand observers:(area editors in Presumablythe same Buff-bellied Hum- yardofLarr 7 Manfredin. of HomesteadJan. boldface)B.H. Atherton,L.S. Atherton, J.L. mingbirdreturned for the 3rd consecutive3-Feb. 25 (ph.LM). Thislatter bird was far- Baker,O.L. Bass,T.H. Below,M. Biggar,R. winter to feedersin a Ft. Lauderdaleyard, ther inland than most. A Blue Grosbeak Bjork,P.M. Blair, J.M. Brooks,S.P. Buettner, throughoutthe period (fide WG). The only againwintered at the BelleGlade madna, WB. Burkett,G. Butz,J.E. Cavanagh,G. otherhummingbirds of note were one ad. c• oneDec. 22 andJan. 18 (PWS, GSH). The Clark,B. Cooper,L. Cooper,E Dayhoff,V. Ruby-throatedDec. 1-Feb.11 at Tallahas- 2nd FloridaLazuli Bunting record was of Edens,D.A. Emkalns,P.J. Fellers, J. Fisher, see,where they are rare in winter(JEC) and oneimmature, described in adetailed report, H. Fitzgerald,S. Frank,D. Freeman,D.N. one c• RufousHummingbird at Coral at Belle Glade, Palm Beach,Dec. 23 (PWS, Gagne,C. Geanangel,W. George,C.S. Gid- Gables,Dade, Dec. 30 (BDN, DAE). SAS).At the n. limit of winter range,one den, W.R. Goodge,D.H. Grimes,G.B. PaintedBunting was on PaynesPrairie and Hart, M. Hartsaw, D.C. Henderson,J.H. FLYCATCHERS TO WARBLERS anotherin nearbyGainesville Dec. 15 & 16, Hintermister,B.H. Hope, G.S. Hunter, M. A singleScissor-tailed Flycatcher was at respectively(EAV etal.). Kent, B. Kittredge,M. Kittredge,J.T. Newberry,Alachua, Jan. 6, whereonly one A vet7 highChipping Sparrow count was Krummrich,H.P. Langridge,J. LaVia,EE. othercounty winter record exists (GBH). At of 165at L. Alfred,Polk, Jan. 25 (HPR, CG); Lohrer, D.M. Lysinger,B. McNab, R. least75 CaveSwallows were back roosting at alsoa localhigh were 11 GrasshopperSpar- McNab, B. Merkel, G. Minor, V. Muller, the s. Dadecolony Jan. 30 (PWS, SAS).As rowsat L. AlfredJan. 5 (PT etal.). One Ves- B.P. Muschlitz, K.D. Nelson, S.A. Nesbitt, faras I know,no one checks this site through perSparrow, rare in thes. peninsula,was ex- B.D. Neville,J.C. Ogden,J. Palmer,J.D. fall and winter to determineseasonal pat- tremelyfar southnear Homestead Jan. 1 Pasquale,R.T. Paul,B. Payne,P. Powell,J. terns of occurrenceby Caves.Although (PWS,SAS). Very rare or overlooked,single Reinman,L.A. Riopelle,H.P. Robinson,T. Brown-headedNuthatches have long occu- LeConte's Sparrows were at St. Marks NWR Robinson,D. Sandee,R.J. Sawicki,A.E piedpine flatwoods in e. Orange,they also Feb.9 (DS) andon HoneymoonI. Dec. 22 Schnapf,M. Smith, P.W. Smith, R.W appearedthis winter for the firsttime at 3 to the end of the period(DNG, m.ob.). Smith, S.A. Smith,A. Stedman,S. Stealman, 1ong-censusedn. county sites, including Localhigh counts of White-crownedSpar- J.G. Taylor,P. Timer, E•. Vanderwerf,N. WekivaSprings SP and the lowerWekiva rowswere 14 at Brooksville,Hernando, Dec. Wamer,J.E. Weimer.--JOHN C. OGDEN, StatePreserve (fide DF). BrownThrashers 14 (LSA, DHG) and 11 at L. AlfredJan. 5 SouthFlorida Research Center, Everglades were widespreadin their return to the (PT etaL). National Park, Box 279, Homestead, FL Homesteadarea the lastweek in February Justbeyond the fringesof our Region, 33030. (PWS,SAS); the question is, where do they "many"Brewer• Blackbirds were seen in a comefrom? This species is quiterare in the Calhounfield Dec. 15 by 2 observerspartak- West Indies. ingin a "broadcircumperambulation" ofthe Afterseveral consecutive winters of seeing statein December(BDN, DAE). Cowbirds almostno LoggerheadShrikes in the Dade continue to make more news than one would farmlands,regular counts this year of wish.The northernmostShiny Cowbird was four-five in the fields w. of Homestead was a one at Tierra Verde, Pinelias,Dec. 7 (LSA). pleasantsurprise (JCO). Extremelyrare in Collierhad its firstShiny Cowbirds in any winterso far northin the peninsula,single numbers(30-40 throughoutthe period)at Yellow-throated Vireos were at Lakeland RookeryBay (•-IB, WBB). In Dade/Mon- Dec. 14 (JF,MH) andin HighlandsHam- roe,up to threeShinies were at 4 widelysepa- mockSP Feb.25-28 (BK, MK). ratelocations in late December-earlyJan- Amongwarblers, 19 speciesare consid- uary(PWS, SAS); these observers described eredregular winter visitors in all or partsof the Shiny'swinter pattern as "peripatetic." the peninsula(Robertson and Woolfenden, Four Bronzed Cowbirds were e. of Lakeland ms.).From this list of regulars,several still Dec. 11-Jan.4, the 3rd consecutivewinter at madelocal news. One •-plumagedAm. thislocation (LC, BC, PJF).A massivecon- Redstart was at TallahasseeFeb. 2, where centration of Brown-headed Cowbirds was veryrare in winter(BDN); two C3redstarts estimatedat 20,000 at theMcJunkin Dairy, were on the Polk CBC Dec. 14 (CG, GC, Highlands,Dec. 22 •qdeFEL). Finally,at CELESTRON -- world renownedfor fine least three orioles in various "Bullock's" HF). Alsounusually far north,one N. Wa- optics.Quality binoculars and spotting terthrushwas at St. Marks NWR Jan. 18 plumagesmade life difficultfor birders scopesfor all your birding needs. All come (BDN, DAE);single Wilson• Warblers were aroundFlamingo, Everglades NP, through- withCelestron's limited liMime waffanty. at Jacksonville(NW) and Gainesville outthe period (PWS, SAS, m.ob.). (MKent, DML), bothDec. 15.A highwin- ter count for Wilson's was three at the Loxa- FINAL THOUGHTS • CelestronEEIESTRO!l Internotionol hatcheeRecreation Area, Palm Beach,Jan. Thisseasonal report is dedicated to a special 2835 ColumbiaSt. ß Torrance,CA 90503 25-Feb.22 (BHH). Lastfrom the list of reg- person,the lateHenry M. Stevenson,who 800/421-1526 213/328-9560 ulars,single Yellow-breasted Chats on Mer- introducedme to FloridaOrnitholog 7 be- FAX:213/212-5835 ritt I. Jan.8 (BP,JLB) and on Cedar Key Dec. ginningin 1962.Henr 7, unexpectedly,died 27-Feb. 29 (DCH) were n. of their usual in 1991.I hopethat he has joined with Flod- winterrange. Only 2 specieswere reported da'smissing Carolina Parakeets, Ivory-billed fromthe list of veryrare, irregular winterers. Woodpeckersand Bachman'sWarblers. One Blue-wingedWarbler remained in the Henr7 alsointroduced me to the joysand Tree-topsPark, Ft. Lauderdale,Dec. 28-Jan. frustrationsof writingseasonal reports for 19 (JDP,WG), anda LouisianaWaterthrush AmericanBirds (AudubonField Notes).We was at Loxahatchee Recreation Area Feb. 16 wroteour firsttogether in 1967.This one (BHH). mustbe my last.The growingdemands of

Volume 46, Number 2- 257 1-Jan.31 (fideKAM), andsingles appeared WATERFOWL ONTARIOREGION at Kingston,Woods Bay L., Simcoe,Tober- Tallies from the L. Ontario mid-winter wa- Ron D. l•ir mory, Port Bolster, York,Toronto, and terfowlinventory Jan. 5, nowin its 45th year, GrimsbyDec. 1-Jan.2. The lone Pacific reached88,740 birds of 37 speciesalong the Loon at Keswick, •rk, Dec. 1-2 (RAD, inshorewaters from Kingston w. to Niagara Thesixth consecutive mild winter, punctuat- SJM,JRM, TH) wasthe firstin winter since (WJE). The trend to increasednumbers of edby a fewcold periods prevailed over most 1983and also followed a goodshowing by scoters,Oldsquaw, and Corn.Goldeneye of Ontariosouth of Thunder Bay. However, thespecies last autumn. Late and record-late continued. The annual winter Mute Swan areasfrom Sudbury north experienced faidy Corn.Loons were singles in AlgonquinDec. reappearedfor the 11thyear at WestGuil- heavysnowfall that accumulated. The irrup- 1 (RGT,DT) andGore Bay, Manitoulin I., ford, Haliburton,Dec. 13-Feb.29 (RJP). tionby raptorsnoted in autumnturned into Dec.31 (TL), respectivelyAnother tarried EarlySnow Geese were six each at Whitby spectacularshowings by Gyrfalcon and four near Woodstock until it froze to death Dec. Feb.18 (AB,DGy) andPelee Feb. 24 (AW). speciesof northernowls. Large numbers of 22 (JMH); the adult at BeachvilleJan. 27 The c• WoodDuck at PeleeJan. 20 (AW) scotersand eiders•oncentrated at the west- wasOxj•rds first in winter(JMH). The lone constitutedthe parks 3rd everin winter;an- ernend of Lake Ontario, possiblyin response Pied-billedGrebe off ManitoulinI. Jan. 11 other remainedat WoodstockJan. 3-Feb. to thegrowing population of ZebraMussels. was recordlate (CTB). The 32 Red-neckeds 29,where rare (JMH). The 9 Green-winged Expansionby the NorthernCardinal and atMeaford Dec. 22 were noteworthy for the Tealalso at WoodstockJan. 3-Feb. 29 was HouseFinch continued throughout the cen- latedate (TRM); two remained at Kingston OxjSrdsfirst to overwinter (JMH). Fouroth- tral and southernregions, although more untilJan. 5 (KHg,RDW). The Eared Grebe, ersat PeleeFeb. 25 were record early (GTH). rapidlyfor the latterspecies. Numbers of unusualin winter,lingered at SarniaFeb. The220 N. Pintailat Pelee Feb. 24 were early Red-belliedWoodpeckers and Carolina 22-24 (DFR etal.). for suchnumbers (AW). TwelveN. Shovelers Wrensremained at highlevels, while Eastern The imm. N. Gannet off Winona Dec. 1 weresdll in Toronto'sHigh ParkJan. 30 Bluebirdswere more numerous in partsof waslikely the same individual in the areain (AB);six arrivals appeared at PeleeFeb. 25 thesouth all winter. Among the rarities were autumn (GN). Two Am. White Pelicansre- (AW). OxjSrdsfirst winter Gadwall was a fe- the Pacific Loon, Great Cormorant, and mainedat JordanHarbour, Niagara, Nov. malein BeachvilleDec. 14-27 (JMH); the Ross' Gull. 10-Jan.13, a staythat proved fatal. One was maleat PeleeJan. 11 was the parks 2nd ever founddead and frozen in iceJan. 16, follow- in winter(AW). The 32 Am. Wigeonin Abbr•vi•fi0,s:PEPt (Prince Edward Point); ing a severefreeze (ph. MEH). One Great TorontoDec. 31-Jan.7 werereduced to 24 Pelee(Point Pelee NP and vicinity);Algo- Cormorantstrayed to Ivy LeaJan. 21 (FA, by Feb.24 (EAJ). nquin,Presqu'ile, and Rondeauare Provin- WC). Late Double-crestßdswere four in e. The10,000 Greater Scaup at Winona Jan. cial Parks. HamiltonBay until some time in January 1were the most reported by far (RHC etal.). (fideKAM) andtwo at PortWeller Jan. 5 The47 KingEiders represent the strongest LOONS TO HERONS (GBe).An Am. Bittern was tardy at Big Creek wintershowing in at least11 yearsand are a The strongautumn flight by Red-throatedmarsh, Halton, Dec. 14 (RZD, BCh, KAM et surprisegiven the poorflight last autumn. Loonsspilled over into winter;the 11 birds al.). At least20 Great Blue Herons overwin- The largestconcentrations consisted of 33 areover double the 1982-91 average of five. teredn.e. to Kingston;the adult arriving at nearWinona Jan. 5 (RZD etal.) andeight Five remained in the Hamilton area Dec. PeleeFeb. 26 was record early by 2 days(AW). alongToronto'swaterfront Jan. 1 (MK etal.). The others were four at Port ß Wawa WellerDec. 15 (RZD aal.), a sin- i gleshot by hunters at PeleeDec. 13 (JAW, HGI), and another at CapreolDec. 22-23 that died Moosone• (CGB). Nine HarlequinDucks were reported,three more than the 1978-1991winter average. Cochrane ß One maleappeared in SaultSte. Marie Feb.9-Mar. 6 (EC, ATW et {•ultSt.Marie al.),where very rare; the eight in the south were at Sarnia, Picker- ing,Kettle Pt., Minden,Wolfe I., and Port Weller Dec. 1-Feb. 16. ImpressiveOldsquaw concentra- tionswere the 20,735 at PEPtJan. 4 (JHE,RDW) and10,000 along Etobicoke'slakeshore Jan. 2 (RY). Noteworthyamong the 11 Surf Scotersreported is therecord late individual off Manitoulin I. Dec. 1-15 (CTB). At least 3500 White-wingedsoverwintered off Winona (RZD et al.); 2500 were alongToronto's waterfront Jan. 4

Waterloo ß (HGC, EAJ et al.). Farthereast, 2000 swam at PEPt Dec. 7 Hamilton (KHg). Three BarrowsGold- ß London eneyesappeared in Ottawa and were one male and two females Dec. 1-Feb.29 (BMD etal.). Sin- glemales remained near Lakefield Dec. 1-Feb. 29 (fid•eDCS) and

258. American Birds,Summer 1992 IvyLea Dec. 28 (T Lusk,ES). The ad. female at BronteFeb. 23 (MWJ) isthat areas first in 10 years.Hooded Mergansers were more common than usual. The lone Corn. Mer- ganserat AtikokanJan. I wasthat regions 2nd everin winter (DHE).

VULTURES TO SHOREBIRDS TwoTurkey Vultures were still in PerthJan. 14 (RN), and anotherappeared at Port RowanFeb. 1 (RWK,MJ). BaldEagle num- bersremained high at 104in thesouth plus l 1 in the north. At least 17 Baldswintered at Ivy Lea(K. EN.) and 13 at PetroglyphsPP (DCS).The 43 Sharp-shinnedHawks and 59 Cooper'swere normal numbers, but the 38 N. Goshawksin the southrepresented the strongestwinter showing since 1983-84. One albino Red-tailed Hawk was at Burkton Jan.21 (AGC).Eight Golden Eagles were tal- lied (1982-91winter average of 7). Singles were at Gore Bay,Manitoulin I., and at Turkey Pt. Dec. 1 (CTB, RDM, BCo), KingstonDec. 2 (IDY),Keswick York Dec. 6 (RK),Brighton Dec. 15 (AGC),Kinlough, TwoAmerican WhRe Pelicans at JordanHarbour, Oatado, unwisely far northfor the season,on Bruce, Dec. 23 (AWM), Nanticoke Dec. December1,1991. PhotograplVNa.Wormington. 27-Jan.5 (JBCM,SJMI), and ChepstowJan. 8-Feb. 29 (AWM, DF). The 27 Merlins,all AmericanCoots were in higherthan usual GULLS TO OWLS in thesouth, set a recordhigh, aided by feed- numbers,led by 700 at PortRowan Dec. 1 Followingthe recordnumber of jaegersin ingstations to hostprey (1982-1991 winter (AW) and 99 in Presqu'ilethe sameday the autumnflight, one Pomarineappeared averageis 11). The ad. malein Algonquin (AGC). One in SudburyDec. 14 waslate off WolfeI. Dec. 15 in galeforce winds Dec. 12 wasthe parks3rd everin winter (CGB, JB, JC). LateSandhill Cranes were (GFV,RDW); a Parasiticflew past Winona (RGT); threewere in LondonJan. l-Feb. 27 threeat Turkey Pt. until Dec. 31 0qdeJDM). Dec.26 (A. Epp).A LaughingGull in first- (RL, SP,RH). PeregrineFalcons numbered Theearly December cold snap over much winterplumage at PickeringJan. 3-Feb. 6 eight,three more than the 1982-91winter of thesouth chased many shorebirds south- (MK etal.) constituted the first winter sight- averageof five.There were singles in Sarnia ward,but a numberlingered on. The Black- ingof this rare species since 1985. More than Dec. 1-Feb.29 (DSk), OttawaDec. 1-Jan.7 belliedPlover at Wheatleyuntil Dec. 13 was usualnumbers of Little Gullswere present (BDL,TFMB), KingstonDec. 25-Jan. 6 (C recordlate by 16 days (AW). One Killdeer re- this winter. The 106 at St. Williams Dec. 14 & MS), Hamilton andWinona Dec. 26-Jan. mained at Humber Bay, Toronto, Dec. (AW,CAS, MWJ) are noteworthy;singles 3 (MC, R Beer,JS), St. Clair NWA Jan. 1 28-Jan. 2 (EAJ et al.); two otherswere at weree. to Presqu'ileDec. 13 (MR, DSn)and (PAW),Whitby Jan. 26 andFeb. 27 (AGC, WheatleyJan.1-20 (AW).TheSandedingat KingstonDec. 15 (GFV, RDW). Twoadults MJB),and Guelph Feb. 6 (AAS). RondeauDec. 15 (PAW,AW) wastardy; a W. werestill at QueenstonFeb. 26 (AGC). One Sandpiperconsorting with SnowBuntings ad. Corn. Black-headed Gull remained at Ni- alongDorcas Bay, Bruce, Dec. 13 (MWs) was agara-on-the-LakeDec. 11-Jan.31 (MR, record late. The last of the southbound GBe, TS); two adults were there Jan. 1 Atleast 2• Gyffalc•nswere.renorted; nearly White-rumpeds were singles at JordanHar- (AGC),bringing to 22 thetotal for the past døhbl•last vv•nt•'s outS• •ndin r t•ighi; the bour,Niagara, Dec. 1 (RHC et al.) and 28winters. The number of Bonaparte's Gulls totalcompares wi•the •982•-•91 average Turkey Pt. Dec. 8 (L.P.B.O.).The Baird's in the eveningflight past Niagara-on-the- of six. The six i•n the north were two in Sault SandpiperatTurkey Pt. noted in theautumn Lakefell from 40,000 Dec. 8 to 5000by Jan. Ste.Marie Dec. 1xJa•.. 12(ATW) and four reporttarried until Dec. 14, a recordlatedate 1 andnone by Feb. 15 (GBe, AGC). greybir• inTh9nder Bay Dec. l•-Feb. 29 (ph. RDM et al.). PurpleSandpipers were Ontario's 12th California Gull since 1981 '(NGEe• at.).Thl 16• ihlthe i•urh account fourat NiagaraFalls Dec. 9 (GBe)and sin- wasthe adultat the Londondump Dec. 14 fo• the:increaseover ]ast winters number. glesat Presqu'ileDec. 1-15 (AGC,DSn), (DAM et al.), the firstfor Middlesex.In the Thesewere two white'•nd one grey in the HamiltonBeach Dec. 3 (JLo),Winona Dec. south,the 68 Icelandand 284 Glaucousare Sudburyarea Dec. l-Feb. 29 (JCN,CGB); 5 (AW), and PeacockPt., Haldimana•Jan. above-averagenumbers; the 10 Thayer's are a twoeach $n Qttawa early DecemF, er-F•b• 29 1-6 (JBCM,JBM, SJMI)that movedwith typicaltotal for winter.Noteworthy were (DD,RPH• BMD et •)and Whitby•Aj•four Dunlin to TurkeyPt. Jan. 7-13 (AGC, singlegulls thought to behybrid Herring x Dec.24 andJan. 9-18 •L, IJB);and four PSBetal.). Other tardy Dunlin were two at Glaucous in the Dundas marsh Dec. 26 (onewhite, twogr ey, •ne dark, in BruCe Dec. Presqu'iletoJan. 5 (DSn,S & DH) andone (AW) and at the Nepeandump Jan. 11 8-Jain.2fi (fide TRM). Singles appeared on in TorontoJan. 12-18 (RY,HK). The Long- (BMD). Some18 LesserBlack-backeds Dec. Walpole'i. Jan, 1-•8 (KJB, PAW), Burleigh billedDowitcher at TurkeyPt. untilDec. 8 l-Feb. 25 werenoted, equal the number FaUi,Peterabvough, Jan.15 (J &JC), Tes•0h (L.P.B.O.) was the first in Decembersince eachwinter since 1987 but exceedingthe Jan.:18 (flw), h ear •e•chvi•le Jan. 3!-Feb: 1984.Severallate Corn. Snipe were reported; 1982-91average of 10.The w. end of L. On- 29 (iP,JMH, DNB• at),and camion, twoat PeleeJan. 20 furnishedthe parks first tariofrom Oshawa to Niagarahosted 12; L. Haliburgon,Feb. 11 (EP)i• in winter (AW). The latestof severalAm. Erieshores entertained three; a singlewas at Woodcockwas killed by trafficat PortStan- KettlePt. Dec. 15 (AHR). Inland at Wood- leyJan. 19 (SWP). Remnants from the heavy stock,one in first-winterplumage was found A SpruceGrouse in Algonquinwas dis- autumnflight of RedPhalarope were singles dead Dec. 1, but an adult was there Dec. 8 playingJan. 11 andcharged the observer,at Point Clark, Bruce, Nov. 28-Dec. 4 (JMH). Numbersof Great Black-backeds who waswearing a red coat(MR et al.). (AWM) andBlenheim Dec. 15 (PAW). continuedto climb, with 1110at the Nepean

Volume46, Number 2- 259 dumpJan. 8 (BMD), 100+at PickeringJan. 1-31 (fideMJB), 55 nearWoodstock Dec. 22 (JMH), 24 at Presqu'ileDec. 23 (S & The23•? snøwy O•vk• •2• inthe ,9uth, 121• the north) e•ceea mta•. fror•the remrd-set- DH), and12 inland at Peterboroughin Jan- •ng inv•io•inwinter 1971519•2. • USual; m•L•at • tonccn•aiidns•crc'M•. Ontario, uary (fide DCS). Ontario's3rd Ross'Gull w1•ihthe tfi•e &fin•by Durha•'Lee& and•,- 93wi-r• offWøife I. (•F.N.j. wasthe adult at SarniaFeb. 21 (ph.DFR), HowevenSnowies penetrated &esou•west to reach O•$• Mfi• ',s•,E •-.Ian •Wn••nt, the2nd occurrence in as many winters. 'gridPetee. By!hte•eb•ary, theiy ho•hward =•us hadbe•n •om •6d•. %e 2ndowl Lateterns were the single Common along 'speci•to push:sou• fro• thebr•ding m wasthe N Haw•Owl• whose numbe• were the NiagaraR. Dec. 1-8 (fideRFA), imm. impr•ive•t 102si•tin•. •eir Pati•msu•est,.that &• 0rig'n.ted from bo• n:O•mrio Black at Fort Erie Dec. 1-8 (RFA, et al., •4 Quebec.•e •iE N. •awk •1 •rust w= intoco--ties of the sbu•t mEot'• Pa• RZD etal.) and at Wiarton Dec. 15 (RG). Soundand Ren•, •,a lesseri• •a Mfinkodlihl.::•d • uce.,Oner=•ed SheffieldThe AtlanticPuffin well out of rangeat Fefi.• %29 (•D);=•ø w•r•:N,•e Hmfiton =ea Feb.;• {•D a'aZl,:•&in•e •u&, Cochranein mid-Decemberwas picked up their,di•t0bufi9ubYm•.w• n!•ei•Bmce,thr= D•am, one•nm•c, •o Hali•m andtaken to Ottawafor transportto Nova Scotiafor release(fide HK). The specieslast ManiioflinE, one Mmkoka, i 2 N•h•ng,15 •awa-•rkmn, sNPa• Soun•one •P•bor- occurredin Ontario Dec. 15, 1985. Short- o•h,fo• mnce'Edwargfouimn•,seven Si•og fi• S•bv•' andOne Waterloo. earedOwl, a speciescausing concern in the nor&•crewere •e•cfi inSa•tSte •fie, Theder ' 5, • provincebecause of declininghabitat, ap- TheG•t gray•1 •s• flew•. p•its br•ing mg•j• •hrg•num•, • g• bir&a•e pearedin highnumbers. About 150 were tal- f•er.•n •i432 fi&&dd•fifig • finp/e•ht• irN•t•n of 1983•i•84Bht liedin Fishervillenear Cayuga, Haldimand, 38ofi965-i• •dthe6i of1:9•82i975. S•& • SUdBfi•,atleast 102•re rep6tt•: as Dec. 21 (JBM); up to 25 overwinteredon •19•3-198•,•e• owllappe•ed'to move SE •rou O Sudgd•.The main bødy re,bed Wolfe I. (K.EN.). 50nMafiitoflM I.,frbm•hi• soroe crowd • Bmce•dSimcoe. fu•er souih•mu• Pa• Sou•tdandMmkoka torea• •, &•rk, and•e&. SOmeof WOODPECKERS TO WRENS •esebirds may have ri3.atea i. m; ifiO•awa F•b. SingleRed-headed Woodpeckers were on :•2-19 •ere &at •eCs first of •e Wlnte;(SMD) Nor& of Sadbu• atS•i Ste.Mari•, at l•u ManitoulinI. Dec. 14,Jan. 1-31 (EG eta/.), ,30 •re count•J•.i8 (A•; •3 •inter•d atTheder. Bay D<. l•b. •9 •GE)• and nearBrighton Jan. 29-Feb. 1 (DSn et Fu•er wesi;6he appeared atAfikokan Feb. 14 (D•)• Tablel•6ialn• •6 tallyb• Co•W al.). The 75+ Red-belliedsrepresented a to•t•i} Comparisonwith•e summ•for f•1•84 (s

American Birds,Summer 1992 GuelphDec. 21 (ALM), •llington's first winterrecord. Algonquin's first winter Song Sparrowwas one Dec. 28-29 (JW, MRz). The Lincoln'sSparrow at a Whitby feeder Dec. 14-Feb. 29 faredwell (MHo etal.); an imm. White-crowned remained at a Thun- derBay feeder until Jan. 8 (NGE).The imm. Harris'Sparrow at a feederin Bolton,Peel, overwinteredDec. 25-Feb. 29 (KN etal.). Three Yellow-headedBlackbirds ap- peared,singles at PeleeDec. 16 (AW,GG), StoneyCreek Dec. 20-22 (FN), and Long Pt. Dec. 24 (L.P.B.O.).One Brewer'sBlack- bird remainedat a feederin Midland, Simcoe, Jan.22-Feb. 29 (FW, RLB). Other reports includedfive in the St. Clair NWA Jan. 1 (KJB,JB), two eachat Long Pt. Feb. 1 (L.EB.O.)and Stratford Feb. 3 •qdeMPD), andsingles at Sheddon,Elgin, Dec. 4 (LS) andCentreville Dec. 5, Oxj•rds4th in De- cember(JMH). ImmatureBlack Tern at Fo• Erie,Ontario, on the vmy late date of December5,1991. Photograph/AlanWormington. were extralimitals,of which five were n. to Carleton.Two outridersreached Guelph Bruce,eight e. to Frontenac,three n.e. to Ot- Jan.7-8 0Sk); by lateJanuary the exodus eawa-Carleton,and singles in ParrySound, from the southwas underway.Northern Muskoka,Renj%w, Peterborough, Leeds, and Shrikenumbers remained high over most of Lanark.Encouraged by a seriesof mildwin- s. Ontario. tersand sustained by a networkof feeding One White-eyedVireo at PeleeNov. stations,this species'breeding range is ex- 30-Dec.29 (AW etal.) providedthe parks panding.The onlyHouse Wren was a late firstrecord in winterand the province's first bird at Shrewsbury,Keng Dec. 15 (MWJ); in winter since Dec. 26, 1984. Record late theWinter Wren in Algonquin Dec. 28 wasa CapeMay Warblerswere singles at Pelee firstin winterfor the park (we, RDM). Nov. 21-Dec. 27 (GTH etal.), a firstwinter occurrencethere, and at CambridgeDec. GNATCATCHERTO WARBLERS 15-18 (TC). Yellow-rumpedWarbler sight- A lateBlue-gray Gnatcatcher was on Duf- ingsdedined rapidly after the start of the ferinI. at NiagaraFalls Dec. 1 (GY).Eastern year,the most northerly being one near Tren- Bluebirdsoverwintered in greaterthan usual tonJan. 26 (AB).A maleof the Audubon's numbersas far north as Peterboroughand raceappeared at PeleeDec. 1-19 (GTH et Frontenac.The only Townsend'sSolitaire al.),a 2ndwinter record in thepark. Six Pine was at Rockton, Hamilton-Wentworth,Dec. WarNersmade an unusuallyhigh number 27-Jan. 2 (BWD et al.). Elevenhave oc- forwinter: singles were in Harrietville,Mid- curred in the 10 winters since 1982. Six Var- dlesex,Dec. 1 (DAM), Bowmanville Dec. iedThrushes are the average number of birds 8-18 (E. Pegget aL), Williamsford,Grey, for each of the 14 winters since 1977. Four Dec.14-18 (fideDF), and Pelee Jan. 3, a3rd werereported this season: singles at Chel- winterrecord (GTH); twoothers wintered at tenham, Peel,Dec. 7-Feb. 9+ (JRM), near feedersin GoresLanding, Northumber/and, Great Gray Owl at FenelonFalls, Ontario, on Bolton,}$rk, Dec. 17-Feb.18 (GMB fide Dec.16-Jan. 18 (fideERM) andnear Peter- December12, 1991. Thiswinter season sow one JRM,RBHS), near Roseneath, Northumber- borough early January-Feb. 29 (I & LR). of the largestinvasions ever of this speciesto /and,Jan. 14-25 (ERM), andKeppel, Bruce, Late Palmswere at Port Rowan Dec. 8 (DM) southernareas of the province.Photograph/ Dec. 6 (BF, DF). andSelkirk PP Jan. 1 (JC,ALL). ß m Sabe. Late Gray Catbirds were singlesat OliphantDec. 3 (EJ),Wheatley PP Dec. 16 TANAGERS TO FINCHES Pine Grosbeaks remained common s. to (KO, STP),near Guelph Dec. 21-22 (VM et TheSummer Tanager in autumnat Kitchen- Sudburyand Manitoulin I., but onlysmall aL),and Port Royal Feb. 8 (L.P.B.O.).Single er remainedto Jan.1 (ph. DTy, BCh,TC, numbers moved farther south to reach Peter- BrownThrashers tarried at OliphantDec. RZD). A •? N. Cardinalsuccessfully win- borough,Algonquin, Leeds, and Frontenac. 1-Feb. 28 (FS), Huntsville Dec. 1-Jan. 5 teredwell n. of rangeat a Moosoneefeeder MostPurple Finches departed Ontario dur- (HS), nearMinden Dec. 15-Jan.28 (BT), (LL, RDM); an IndigoBunting in Toronto ingautumn, leaving the species scarce every- and St. ThomasJan. 22 (RJK). The Am. Feb.5-6 (ph.PH, HK, TS) wasalso way out wherein theprovince in winter.By contrast, Pipitat Pelee Dec. 31 was record late by a day of range.The only Dickcisselwas at a theHouse Finch continued its range consoli- (DEP); otherlate individualswere at Erieau Kingstonfeeder Dec. 15 (GU, TE). Over- dationand expansion,helped by feeders. Dec. 13 (AW), Whitneyto Dec. 22 (LF, winteringRufous-sided Towbees were sin- Some27,000 were talliedon CBCs 0ffde RGT, DT), andNanticoke Jan. 8 (WS); the glesat HuntsvilleDec. 5-Feb. 29 (BLetal.), DFR), an impressiveincrease since the first birdat WoodstockFeb. 26 wasa recordearly Owen Sound & Brantford Dec. 1-Feb. 29 occurredin Ontarioin 1972.The onlyRed arrivalby about2 weeks(JMH). The Bo- (AC, DGr et al.), and PeterboroughJan. Crossbillswere four at Claremont, Durham, hemianWaxwing flight was again moderate, 7-Feb.29 (BB).One Chipping Sparrow sur- Feb.2 OF,MMcE) andsix on Hill I. Dec.28 penetratings.e. to Durham, North- vived the winter in Owen Sound Dec. (JHE, RDW). One flockof White-wingeds umber/and, Frontenac,Leeds, and Ottawa- 21-Feb. 29 (AC); anotherappeared in in Algonquincontained 100 birdsJan. 5

Volume 46, Number 2- 261 of both birds are unknown. Probable es- capeeswere the two Black-billed Magpies at Winonathrough the period(fide KAM). Otherescapees that appeared at feederswere singleEur. Goldfincheson ManitoulinI. Dec.19 (HEB) andat KingstonFeb. 18 (fide SM),and the Budgerigar at PickeringJan. 11 (AGC).

Corfigendum:AB 45:1114, column 2, sub- regionaleditors, after K. Hoolesinsert R.A. Hubert;replace R.A. Hurstby J.V. Hurst.

Subregional editors (boldface), contribu- tors (italics), and cited observers:R.F. An- title, F.Avis, M.J. Bain, H.E. Baines,N. Bar- rett, T.EM. Beck, C.T. Ball, G. Bellerby (GBe), G.M. Bennett,B. Bjomdahl,C.G. B[omme,J. Blomme,A. Boisvert,T. Bolo- han, R.L Bowles, R.A. Bracken,H. Bremn- er, D.N. Bucknell,J. Burk, K.J. Burk, ES. IndigoBu•ting in Toronto,Ontario, far out of rongefor the season,o• Febromy6, 1992. Burke,A.G. Carpentier,B. Charlton(BCh), Photograph/timSabo. T. Cheskey,J. Church,A. Clark,M. Clark, B. Collins(BCo), S.A. Connop, J. Cram,W. (AGC),but elsewhere only eight individuals in Durham,Northumberlana• Peterborough, Crins, H.G. Cuttle, J. & J. Curry, R.H. werereported from widely separated areas. e. to Frontenac,Leeds and Ottawa-Carleton.Curry, W. Cutfield, E. Czerwinski,D. CommonRedpolls were fairly numerous EveningGrosbeaks remained in low num- Davidson, M.P. Davis, R.A. Davis, K. throughmost of the south but after mid-Jan- bersthrough the south. Dewar, B.M. DiLabio, R.Z. Dobos, B.W. uary becamescarce in the southwestand Duncan,W.J. Edmunds,D.H. Elder, J.H. morenumerous in the northeast.Only 11 EXOYIC$ Ellis,T. Empey,A. Epp, N.G. Escort,L. Hoarieswere noted Dec. 22-Feb. 29, five A loneEgyptian Goose remained in Toron- Fazio,B. Fidlet, D. Fidlet,J. Floegel,E whichwere in thenorth. Pine Siskins were to'sHigh ParkDec. 4 (RY);the Bar-headed Foster,D. Gardlner (DGa), G. Gervais,C.E. few almosteverywhere until late January, Goosereported at Presqu'ilein summer Goodwin,E. Gould,R. Gray,A. Greenhorn whenlarge numbers appeared in e. Ontario 1991was still there Dec. 1 (AGC).Origins (AGn), A. Greenshaw(AGw), D. Guay

Almostas good as a birdin hand.

Swifts Audubon and Osprey binoculars incorporatelenses and prisms of the finest center-potBarium Crown glass,as well as a 1 uniquecoating on all lenses,providing squint- free, sun-safeviewing. We think they'rethe mostoutstanding birdwatching glasses made. S W ! F T

754 OSPREY armored

29.5Z5x,42 oz C.Fß R.L.E.ß(367fi.) 51. 7

wide angle 8&44 C.F. ß (43oft.) 804R29.5 AUDUBONoz ß R.L.E. 442 1 Swift InstrumentsInc. 952 DorchesterAve, BostohMA 02125 C•/1T7'IT 7•rr• .• SanP.O,Jose BoxCA562 95106 In Canada: Cosman & Assoc. Islington,Ontario M9C 1A8

262.American Birds,Summer 1992 1 (JM). Therewere also four Red-necked APPALACHIANREGION Grebesat PISP Dec. 1 (JM), with onestill thereDec. 15 (JeS,JiS). GeorgeA. Hall An Am. White Pelican was at S. Hoiston L., TN, Dec. 21-23 (WC) and wasfound I amtempted to copyverbatim the introduc- downstreamon BooneL. Dec. 24-27 (fide toryparagraphs ofthe 1990-1991 winter re- RK). As reportedearlier, Double-crested port(AB 45:272) since the description of Cormorant is more common than in the winterthere almost exactly coincides with past.This yearwinter records came from thisyear's. In fact,the last 3 yearshave been PISP (JM), PymatuningL., PA (RCL), similar:no real winter weather. At Pittsburgh Ig0od,WV (JE),and Kingsport, TN (RK). the 3 monthshad a temperatureexcess of The mild winterand openwater induced 427 day-degrees.December had excess pre- Great Blue Herons to winter in almost un- cipitation,but January and February showed precedentednumbers, even as far northas a deficiencyof 1.40inches; the general ef- PymatuningL., PA (RFL) and 3umbull, fectsof long-term drought persist. There was OH (D & JH). In Ig0od,WV, theyseemed verylittle snow and only one major cold aboutto start nesting in lateFebruary (JE); at spell.Eastern Tennessee in Decemberhad the heronriesin Mercer,PA, 180 (15% of ex- BorealOwl at Whitby,Ontario, on December6, twice the normal rainfall, but the other pectedsummer numbers) had arrived by the 1991. Oneof two presentat this locationall wiater.Tweaty-six Boreals in southernOntario monthsthere were dry. In lateMarch, the endof February(EB). These herons all left addednp to the biggestfiig• everthere. Regionis experiencing the first cold, snowy thenesting area in mid-March,possibly be- Photograph/limSabo. weatherof thewinter. The springreport may causeof thereturn of wintryweather. Black- casta differentlight on some of theremarks crownedNight-Herons wintered at Kings- that follow. (DGy), S. & D. Hadlington,E Hamel,R. port,TN (RK);one was at PISP Dec. 7 (EK). Hayward,M.E. Hebb,M. Hendrick(MH), Themild open weather produced several not-unanticipatedresults: (1) there were WATERFOWL K. Hennige(KHg), V. Heron,G.T. Hince, Even in the north most bodies of water re- T. Holmann, M. Holder (MHo), J.M. many record"late dates"for transient Holdsworth, R.E Holland, K. Hooles species;(2) therewere many reports of mainedopen, and a surprisingnumber of (KHo), N.G. Ives,M. Jacldin(MJ), E.A.Jef- speciesthat normally winter south of this Re- waterfowlspecies remained through the sea- ferson,M.W. Jennings, E.Johns (EJ), B. &E. gion;(3) therewere many early dates for son.However, the only large concentrations Keelan,E. Kellogg,H. Kerr,M. King(MK), springarrival; and (4) mostreporters com- wereat PymatuningL., PA:7700 Mallards Dec.22 and2000 Com. Goldeneyes Dec. 13 KingstonField Naturalists, R.J. Kingswood, mented on the dearthof birdscoming to R.W.Knapton, R. Knudson(RK), M.A. Ku- feeders.The readilyavailable supply of wild (RCL,RFL). Large flocks totaling probably bisz, B.D. Ladouceur,S.M. LaForest,B. foodwas also a factorin keepingbirds away thousandsofducks migrated past PISP dur- from feeders. inga storm Dec. 4 (JM). Laking,T. Land,L. Legge,R. Leghorn,D. An unusual number of Tundra Swans re- Lockrey,Long Point Bird Observatory, J. R. It wasnot, however,a dullseason. The fol- lowingaccount gives a longlist of species mainedthrough at least the early part of the Macey,S.J. Macey, N. Mansfield,D.A. Mar- winter. Most of these were in the north, tin, P.Martin, V. Martin, J.D. McCracken, thatnormally do not winterthis far north. E.R. McDonald,M. McEvoy(MMcE), K. Therewere followup records to indicatethat wherethe largestnumber was 466 at Py- McKeever(KMcK), K.A. McLaughlin,S.R. manyof thesestrays survived to theend of matuningL., PA,Dec. 15 (AM).Swans in McLeod, R.D. McRae,A.W. McTavish,A.L. theperiod. Although it wasanother winter lY•shington,TN (2nd and 3rd winter without a marked influx of"northern finch- Middleton,J.B. Miles, J.B.C. Miles, S.J. records,RK), s.w. Virginia (WC), and Green- brier,WV (firstCBC record,CH) werewell Miles (SJMI),D. Milsom,K.E Morrison,S. es," severalnorthern birds did show up. Muldal (SM), T.R. Murray,G. Naylot,K. Rough-leggedHawks, Snowy Owls, and in outof thenormal range. A GreaterWhite- fronted Goosewas in Clarke,VA, Dec. 16 Nicholls,J.C. Nicholson,E Nixon, R. particularNorthern Shrikes, all had unusual- and later (RSi). SnowGoose reports from North, M. O'Dell, J.L. Olmsted,K. Over- lygood numbers. There was also a nice group Ig0od,WV, Dec. 11 (NW), MCFH Dec. man,D.E. Perks,S.T. Pike,R.J. Pittaway, I. of realgoodies--species from distantre- Platt,E. Poropat,S.W. Proud, S. Pusey (SP), gions.One of these,a GreatGray Owl, 5-20 (firstcounty record for white morph, I. & L. Rae, P.A. Read, M. Richardson causeda sensationacross the north of the Re- FB),and Fairview, NC, Dec.7 (RY)were un- (MR), P.W.Richter, A.H. Rider,M.J. Ross, gionand drew eager birders from afar. usual.Canada Geese wintered in goodnum- S.L. Ross,M. Runtz(MRz), D.E Rupert,T. bers,with high countsof 10,000 at Py- Sabo, D.C. Sadler,A.A. Salvadori,M.A. Abbru•iaflio•s:BESP (Bald Eagle SP, Centre mattmingL., PA,with an additional 4000 at Saunders,C.A. Schaefer,S. Scholten,R.M. Co., PA); ChNF (ChattahoocheeNF, CA); nearbyConneaut Marsh (RFL) and 7449 at Schutsky,E Seidle,D. Shanaban(DSn), J. MCFH (MinorClark Fish Hatchery Rowan MosquitoL., OH (CB).Some rather early Skevington(JSk), D. Skinner(DSk), C. & Co.,KI0; PISP(Presque Isle SP, Erie Co., PA); major northboundmovements were ob- M. Smith,J. SmithOs), R.B.H. Smith,W. PNR (PowdermillNature Reserve, Ig•stmore- servedat State College, PA, Feb. 23 (JP),Jer- Smith,A.D. Smout,M.S. Smout,L. Spicer, land Co.,PA). seyShore, PA, Feb. 25 (G & PS),and Somer- set,PA, Feb.29 (AM). R.T.Sprague, H. Sprathoff,E. Stewart,R.D. LOONS TO HERONS An unusual number of Wood Ducks re- Tafel, L. Taman, D. Taylor (DTy), B. Thompson,J. &J. Thompson,W. Thomp- The only Red-throatedLoon report came mainedthrough winter, and a Blue-winged son, D. Tozer (DT), R.G. Tozer, G. Ure, from PISP Dec. 14 (SS). Common Loons Tealin Igkshington,TN, Jan.11 (RK)was G.E Vance,M.G. Vance,A.T. Walker, R.D. were in above-averagewinter numbers noteworthy.Greater Scaup at ColyerL., PA, Weir, E Westman,M. White (MW), M. throughoutthe Region. A stormDec. 3 pro- Dec.22 (K & JJ), S. Charleston,WV, Jan.12 (WA), andCumberland, MD, Feb.28 (MT) Wiercinski (MWs), J. Wilson, EA. duceda falloutof 120+loons at RockyGap were unusualinland records.Oldsquaws Woodliffe,A. Wormington,J.A. Wright, SP, MD (MT, RKi). There were more Horned Grebesthan normal, with records werealso more widely reported than usual, B.K. Wyatt, G. Yaki,I.D. Young,R. Yu- kich. RON D. WEIR, 294 Elmwood fromMosquito L., OH (CB)in thenorth to with a countof 75+ at RockyGap SP, MD, Dec.3 (MT) andat least400 at PISPin the Street,Kingston, ON K7M 2Y8. Hoistonand Wataugalakes, TN, in the south(RK). Two EaredGrebes were at PISP Dec. 4 storm(JM). All 3 scoterspecies were Dec.14 & 25,with oneremaining until Jan. reportedfrom PISP, with a flockof 40 Black

Volume 46, Number 2. 263 Scoters there Feb. 17 (TF). ingthe night were found in Erie, White-wingedScoters were also PA,Jan. 2 (thefirst countywinter reportedfrom Ligonier, PA, Dec. record,JM). At the ChNF, the 2 (RCL). The duck recordof the peakof the fall SandhillCrane seasonwas a pair of Barrows flightwas 100 on Dec. 15 (HD). Goldeneyes(ph.) at PISP Feb. 20-29, with a 3rd bird there Feb. SHOREBIRDS TO WOODPECKERS 26 (3rd county record,JM). •- Therewere manymid-December Thereare no previousphotos or dates for Killdeer, even in the specimensfor the state. north,but onlya fewwintered. The earliestspring arrivals oc- RAPTORS TO CRANES curredthe last week of February. Black Vultures made news in c. •' Wintering Com. Snipe were Pennsylvania,with up to sixwin- fewer than normal in e. Ten- teringin Huntington(MW, JP) nessee(RIO. Other winter re- andsingle birds in ClintonDec. ports came from Somerset,PA 22 and Feb. 23 (G & PS). One (AM), Swoopeand Weyer's wasat Parkersburg,WV, Dec.5 Cave, VA (YL), and MFCH (RJ).Two roostsnear Bristol and •" (FB).Much more unusual were Kingsport,TN, had 100-150 reportsof Baird'sSandpiper at BlackVultures each (RK). Turkey PISPDec. 1 & 2 (ph.JM), Pec- Vultures wintered in small num- toralSandpiper at Cumberland, bersin Meigs,OH (JE). MD, Feb. 23 (RKi), Purple Ospreysat PISPin earlyDe- Sandpiperat PISPDec. 15 (JM), cember(KM) andWaynesboro, and Dunlins at PISP Dec. 15, VA, Jan. 14 (CC) were unusual Feb.6 & 29 (JM), andBoone L., for winter.Bald Eagles were re- TN, Dec.21 andJan. 4 (RIO. portedfrom at least20 locations For the first time, no warm throughoutthe Region. At Telli- waterwas dischargedinto the co L., TN, the nestingpair re- publicdocks in Erie;as a remit, turnedto thenest site on Christmas(RC); at mostof theRegion, with a record142 listed thearea froze. There were no swarms of giz- MosquitoL., OH, an adultwas at the old on a Greene,PA, CBC (RB). Even in the zard shadfor food, and the usualconcentra- nestDec. 31 (J & DH). In Erie, PA, the N. southat theElizabethton, TN, region,the tionof hundredsof thousandsof gullsdid Goshawkspresent early November-Jan. 9 (R N. Bobwhitehas become scarce (RK); so a not occur.The maximumnumber of gulls & EG) mighthave been expected, but the coveyof eightin •umbul• OH, Jan.26 (D was 7000-8000. For the first time in 17 recordsfrom Botetourt,VA, Dec. 15 (MS et &JH) wasnoteworthy. The remains of a Vir- years,no Little Gullswere there. However, at), •shington,VA, Dec. 15 (RL), and giniaRail that had been killed and eaten dur- nearbyPISP produced its usualassortment ChNF Dec.15 (JPaet at) werenoteworthy of raregulls: Thayer's Jan. 25 (JM);Iceland, so far south. More Red-shouldered and Red- totalof fiveDec. 5 to theend of theperiod tailedh•wks remained in the Region than (EK,JM); LesserBlack-backed, total of three normal. At Warren,PA, Rough-legged Dec. 2-Feb. 9 (EK, JiS);Glaucous, total of Hawkshad the best showing in years,with 13-14Dec. 23 to theend of theperiod (JM, 18 sightings(WH); a concentrationof at JiS,EK); and Black-legged Kittiwake Dec. least 16 birdswas noted in Erie, PA (EK, 13 (firstwinter record, 9th countyrecord) WH). Therewere reports from 5 othern. lo- (JiS). A Great Black-backedGull was near cations,while in thesouth reports came from Huntingdon,PA (GG). The 1600 Bona- Gallipolis,OH, Feb.26 (WA),Mason, WV, parte'sGulls at PymatuningL., PA,Dec. 8 Jan.18 (WA), CanaanValley, WV, Decem- wasconsidered a low number(RFL), but at ber (JPh),Ligonier, PA, Jan. 17 (HMS), MosquitoL., OH, a countof 868 wascon- Swoope,VA, Jan. 19 (YL), Highlana•VA, sideredlarge (CB). Alongwith the gulls, Feb.8 (CC), BurkegGarden, VA (RK, WC), PISP had Com. TernsDec. 1-3 (JM, JiS) and Copperhill,TN, Dec. I (BP). Golden anda Forster'sTern Dec. 7-11 (EK, DS). Eagleswere sighted at Warren,PA, Jan. 5 (J A Band-tailedPigeon at PISPDec. 11 & KC), RockyGap SP, MD, Feb.18 (MT), (gDS) mayhave been a new Pennsylvania two-threeat Burke'sGarden, VA, Jan. 1 record. There were 2-3 sitesfor Barn Owls in (RK, WC), Washington,TN, Dec. 24 •shington,TN (DHu),but a recent nesting (DHu), andChNF Dec. 15 (JPaetaL). sitenear Waynesboro, VA, wasnot occupied Themild weather resulted in goodnum- (RS)although another in Augusta,VA, was bersof Am. Kestrels.Merlins were reported (YL). It wasa goodyear for SnowyOwls: fromPISP Jan. 10 and Feb. 17 (JiS, JeS), an- threeor fourin Erie,PA, Dec. 2-Feb. 29 (JM other locationin Erie Dec. 26 (R & EG); etaL); Pymatuning L., PA,Feb. 29 (RFL); StateCollege, PA, Dec. 15 (2nd local winter one,possibly a 2nd in Frederick,VA, Dec.16 record,CP, RH); Montoursville,PA, Jan. 3 (RSi);and one at Parkersburg,WV, Dec. (SSt);and Botetourt, VA, Dec. 15 (MS, MD). 17-Feb.26 (JE).This lastbird wasbelieved Peregrineswere winteringin downtown to be the samebird that wintered at the same Knoxville, TN (RC) and downtown spotlast year and was probably the bird re- Roanoke,VA (MS). Other reportscame JuvenileBaird's Sandpiper at PresqueIsle State portedin Pleasants,WV, in November1991. from •shington,TN, Jan.6 & 9 (JB)and Park,Pennsylvania, on December 1,1991, a very Theonly Long-eared Owl was at PlSPDec. nearYoungstown, OH, Feb.2 (D &JH). latedate for this species.PhotograplVJer• 29 (DD). Short-earedOwls continue to be Wild Turkeyseems to be doingwell in McWilliams. morecommon than in thepast, with winter-

-American Birds,Summer 1992 ingbirds arJe•rson, OH (MA);3 locations in lY•shington,TN, Jan.19 andFeb. 3 LIB) Lewisburg,WV, CBC (CH); otherreports in Augusta,VA (RS), in lY&shington,TN andin Hawkins,TN, Jan.17 ON). A Sedge camefrom Rockbridge, VA, Jan. 30 (RS)and (DHu), aswell assingle reports from Py- Wrenat Phipps Bend, TN, Jan.13 and Feb. Swoope,VA, Jan. 19 0/L). mamningL., PA,Dec. 21 (AM), Centre,PA 22 furnished the first n.e. Tennessee winter (JP),and another in •shington,TN, picked record(RMa, RK). WARBLERS TO FINCHES up injuredJan. I (RK).A callingN. Saw- Therewere few reportsof kinglets,but More than the usual number of Yellow- whetOwl was on Unaka Mt., TN, a possible Am. Robinswere in unusuallylarge numbers rumpedWarblers wintered in the Region, newnesting location, Feb. 22 (FA).Other all season.Even St. Mary's,PA, in the far but anothernoteworthy result of the mild recordscame from Crawj$rd,PA, Dec. 7 northof the Region,reported 306 on the weather was the number of winter warbler (SH),PISP, up to fourfor the season (DD), CBC (LC). A bird identifiedas a Swainsons records:Orange-crowned Warbler at Beech and2 locationsin Centre,PA LIP)- Thrush was found dead at Warren, OH, Fork SP, WV (WA); Black-throatedBlue Dec.11 (CB).Wintering E. Bluebirdswere Warbler at Elizabethton, TN, CBC Dec. 15 alsonumerous. The onlyGray Catbird re- (we etal.);four Palm Warblers at Cherokee portcame from Augusta, VA, Dec.27 and Dam, TN, Jan.7 (DHu); a PalmWarbler at SJL Jan.18 (CC), whileBrown Thrashers were RoanokeFeb. 22 (MS); a HoodedWarbler at Themost publicized bird of the season was • reportedfrom Vebod, WV, Jan. 24 & 26 (JE), KnoxvilleDec. 1-15 (fideRC); anda Wil- GreatGray Owl thatappeared at Warren, 2 locationsin Rowan,KY (FB), and at least sonsWarbler in Greene,TN, Dec. 26 (first PA,Jan, 28 andremained through the rest of.. six in the Elizabethton,TN. region(RK). Tennesseewinter record, DHu). Springwar- theperio•WH). The only previous Pennz The northernmostN. Mockingbirdswere at blermigration began with the arrivalof a sylvania-recordhadbeen a deadbird many PISP Dec. 8-Jan. 12 (DD), anotherErie singingPine Warbler in Carter,TN, Feb.21 yearsago)•his time the bird •vas Viewed by recordin earlyFebruary (CK), andLander, (DHu). •n•re•hah 2500 people, m•ny who came PA, Jan. 19 (AT). The 625 CedarWaxwings A Rose-breastedGrosbeak was at Waynes- greatdistances• These •swarms 6f birdersere½ on the Warren, PA, CBC seta record(WE), boro, VA, Dec. 11 (EKe). More than the 'atedie•ral'probl•mS• i•was•suaiiy •$ces• but they were unmentioned from most of the usual number ofRufous-sided Towheeswin- saryto wilk along.railroad tracks t6 seethe Region. teredin Augusta(RS), but only one was •ir'd.Afte(sorn• girders •ere fleXI? hit bY a NorthernShrike staged one of theheavi- foundat PISP 0M). One wasalso in Trum- train;the rail?0adcompany attempted to est invasionson recordin n. Pennsylvania bull,OH, Dec. 15 andanother Jan. 26 (D & 'ke• trespassersoff t•s privateproperty, and n. Ohio.At least10 were in Erieduring JH). AmericanTree Sparrowswere more •,i•ho•t•at su•s• Th•r•;&•re t•ffic the season(JM). Therewere three on a one- commonthan in recentyears and werere- jams,and the state police complained offile• mile stretchof roadat Lander,PA, Jan. 23, as portedas far south as Phipps Bend, TN, Jan. • parkingon'the highway. well as severalother sightingsin Warren 12-13 (TM, RMa) but were still missing (WH, DDo), Meadville,PA, Jan.26 (M & froma numberof places.A ChippingSpar- WSm),Pymatuning L., PA,Feb. 22 (RFL), rowwas at Waynesboro,VA, Dec.30 (RS) two in 7•umbull,OH, Dec. 15 & 22 0 & anda Clay-colored Sparrow came to a feeder Red-headedWoodpeckers were reported DH), and five birdsduring the seasonin at Erie Dec. 20-23 (first localwinter record, at more placesthan usual;Red-bellied Centre,PA LIP etal.). The southernmostre- :•DB).More Fox Sparrows than usual were Woodpeckercontinues to do well in the portwas from near PNR Dec.22 (the5th reported,but Fieldand Song sparrows were newlyestablished range in thenorth. local record) (POd, RCL). From n.e. Ten- in below-normalnumbers. Snow Bunting re- nesseecame the heartening report of 15sites portsfrom Somerset, PA, Jan. 10 (AM) anda LARKS TO SHRIKES forLoggerhead Shrikes in 2 counties(RK). baldon Mt. Rogers,VA, Dec.27-28 (WC) Largenumbers of HornedLarks were found Four Loggerheadswere reported on the werenoteworthy. throughoutthe seasonin Trumbulland Columbiana,OH (D &JH); in lateFebruary singingmales were in lY•shington,Sullivan, and Hawkins,TN (RK). A Tree Swallowat PISPDec. 1 wasthe latestfall recordby 15 days(JM). Common Raven continues todo wellat high elevations, with an unusual con- centrationof 16 on Roan Mt., TN, Jan. 30 (RK). This winter there were severallow countryrecords: 20-25 at theElizabethton, TN, dumpon the CBC (RK); 12 on the Lewisburg,WV, CBC (CH); and one at 2500 feet near Fairview,NC (RY). A new nesting,on an unused coal-processing build- ing,was located in Somerset,PA(AM). There was no winter influx of Red-breasted Nuthatchess. of the breedingrange, al- thoughnumbers were good in the spruce for- e_ston Roan Mr., TN (RK). It has become trite to remark that the suc- cessionof mild winters has been kind to the CarolinaWren; even the n. populationsare booming.Record CBC countswere report- ed: from Warren, PA, 11 (WH); Lock Haven,PA, 15 (P & GS); Erie, PA, 9 (JM); and Jefferson,PA, 51 (RB). The now very rareBewick's Wren was reported from Whit- field,GA, Dec. 14 (JA) andYoungstown, OH, Dec. 29 (PM, CKe). HouseWrens were GreatGray Owl at Warren,Pennsylvania, I. February 1992. Photograpb/Ed Kwater.

Volume 46, Number 2- 265 Most blackbirdswere conspicuousby pressive92 Horned Grebeswere reported theirabsence until the springmigrants ar- WESTERNGREAT LAKES Dec.27 in œeelanu,MI (CF). SingleRed- rivedsomewhat early, from about Feb. 17 to neckedGrebes were reported from Michigan the endof the period.Two Brewer'sBlack- REGION Feb.12 on Grand Traverse Bay (KT) andJan birdswere at Elon, GA, Dec. 15 (HD). JamesGranlund 13 in œeelanau(CF). In Minnesota,where Onceagain, there was no influx of "north- thespecies israre in winter,one was recorded ern"finches. Purple Finches were scarce at Jan.6 onL. Superior,St. Louis(KB etal.). mostplaces, but at Ona,WV, numberscom- Overthe past three years the winter weather A Northern Gannet was documented ingto a feederwere twice normal (LW). Pine patternfor the Region has been characterized Dec. 1 at theErie PowerPlant, Monroe (DB), Siskinswere abundant at a few places,but by extremevariability. Winter 1991-1992 providingthe first Michiganrecord since onlyin smallnumbers or missingat others. wasno exception.October and November 1978. Double-crested Cormorants were re- EveningGrosbeaks were in smallnumbers stormshad already brought winter to theRe- portedfrom 4 WisconsinCBCs, with birds froma few locations.The onlyCorn. Red- gion.By the end of thefirst week of Decem- overwinteringin Green Bay and Menasha. In pollswere at PISPDec. 1 & 14 andJan. 18 ber,temperatures began to moderate, only to Minnesota two overwintered at the Black (JM, DD) and Sheffield,PA, Jan.27 & 28 changedrastically by the weekendof the Dog PowerPlant; Michigan had them (CN). RedCrossbills were found only on the 15th,the beginning of theChristmas Count throughJan. 25 at Bay City. GreatBlue Tennesseemountains, Roan and Unaka (RK). period.High winds,fog, and everyother Heronswere reported throughout the Re- typeof foulweather plagued the first week- gionand most likely overwintered in all 3 Contributors:James Adams, Richard Almy, end of the CBCs. Mild weather returned, states.Noteworthy was a Black-crowned FredAlsop, Michael Arabia, Wendell Ar- and much of the remainder of the month was Night-Heronthat overwintered n. of normal gabrile,Carole Babyak, Ralph Bell, Dick characterizedby mild,cloudy weather. The at the Oden Fish Hatchery,Emmet, MI Bollinger,James Brooks, Edward Brucker, firsttrue cold snap occurred near the second (MS);another was in a moretypical location Nancy Brundage,Fred Busroe,Christa weekof January,but temperatures moderat- in •yne, MI (PC). Cabe,Linda Christenson,Wallace Coffey, edagain and by the end of January tempera- TundraSwans were reported from all 3 RobertCollier, Judy Confer, Keith Confer, tureswere above normal. February followed statesand presumably overwintered in each DaveDarney (DD), DavidDavis, Harriett the samepattern as January, with a single The firstspring Tundra Swans appeared in DiGioia,Dan Doherty(DDo), Mike Don- coldsnap in the middleof the month,but CrawJ•ra•WI, Feb. 23 (JD). Trumpeter ahue,Jeannette Esker, Ted Floyd,Ellen overalltemperatures were moderate and pre- Swansoverwintered in Minnesota, where up Gehrlein,Rod Gehrlein, Steven Grado, Greg cipitationwas light. By theculmination of to 30 wereseen near a powerplant in Sher- Grove,Charles Handley, Randy Harrison, the period,spring was arriving, bringing burne(DO). In Michiganthe introduced JohnHeniger, William Highhouse, Shayne manyshort-distance migrants. In summary, birdsat SeneyNWR remainedinto late De- Hoachlander,David Hochadel (DH), Judy asidefrom some short periods of coldweath- cember,but moreunusual was the appear- Hochadel, Dan Huffine (DHu), David erthe season was warm and relatively dry. ance of a banded bird from the Wisconsin Hume (DHm), RexineJohnson, Jennings Lastyear's trend of"no birds at thefeeder" reintroductionprogram at LudingtonSP, Jones,Katharine Jones, Cal Keppler(CKe), continued,which may be explainedby the Mason,MI, Feb. 22-28 (RS, DH). The EugeneKerby (EKe), Ray Kiddy (RKi), Rick mild weather conditions in both. What ex- Greater White-fronted Goose found Feb. 22 Knight(RK), ChuckKrantz (CK), Ed Kwa- citementwas lacking at thefeeders was well at the MuskegonWastewater System, ter (EK), YuleeLarner, Robert C. Leberman, madeup for by owlsand gulls. Both Min- Muskegon,MI (PC,JG) mayhave been the Ronald E Leberman,Richard Lewis,Antho- nesotaand Michiganentertained record same bird seen 2 months earlier on the Alle- ny Marich,Rad Mayfield (RMa), Kel Mc- numbersof Great Gray Owls as well as excep- ganCBC, M! (JG),suggesting that the indi- Donald,Tim McNeil, JerryMcWilliams, tionallyhigh numbersof NorthernHawk vidual overwintered. Snow Geese were re- PaulMorgan, Robert Mulvihill, Jerry Nagle, Owls. Wisconsin did not fare as well but did portedoverwintering in all 3 states.First C. Neel,Johnny Parks (JPa), John Peplinski, recordboth species.Excellent variety and springarrivals of 60+ Feb.29 (SC)at Anoka JimPhillips (JPh), Charlotte Pryor, Bill Pul- numbersof gullswere reported; the high- providedthe 2nd earliestspring arrival of ljam, H.M. Schmidt,Glenna Schwalbe, Paul lightswere two Ivory Gulls in Minnesotaand Snow Goose for Minnesota. Canada Goose Schwalbe,Robert Simpson (RSi), Margaret onein Wisconsin.Passerines were highlight- overwinteredin all 3 states,with springmi- Smith (MSm), Mike Smith, William Smith edby the number of lateand lingering indi- grantsreturning to Wisconsinby Feb.22 (WSm),Donald Snyder, Ruth Snyder, Stan- viduals recorded. Unusual were two Canada Geese that win- leyStahl (SSt), Anne Stature, Craig Stihler, Veteranreaders will undoubtedlynotice a teredunusually far north at Betrami,MN JeanStull (JeS),Jim Stull (JiS),Sam Stull, new author this season.Dave Powell,who (DJ).The Michigan trend of increasednum- Mary Twigg,Nelson Walters, Ann Watts, wrotethe Winter and Spring Surveys since bersoverwintering continued this year, with LeonWilson, Merrill Wood, Ruth Young.- 1983, recentlymoved to California.Dave over 57,000 recordedduring Michigan's GEORGE A. HALL, P.O. Box 6045, West didan outstandingjob summarizing such a CBC,a newrecord high total; at least 15,000 Virginia University, Morgantown, WV diverseRegion and has set lofty standards. I of theseoverwintered at the AlleganState 26506-6045. willmiss reading Dave's accounts. I speak for GameArea, Allegan (JG). othersin wishingDave the bestof luckin WoodDucks were reported as overwinter- California.In the followingaccount, CBC ingin all3 states,with an unusually far north dataare used sparingly. reportof threein Clay,MN, (MO). Green- wingedTeal overwintered in Minnesota and LOONS TO WATERFOWL Wisconsinand most likely in Michigan, A remarkable seven Red-throated Loons wherereported from 7 counties.Likewise, werereported from the Coloma,Berrien, N. Pintailwere reported from Michigan and MI, CBC; onlyfour individualshad been Wisconsin. Unusual were the numbers of N seenon MichiganCBCs in theprevious 21 Shovelersthat lingeredin Michiganand years.Common Loons lingered through De- Wisconsin,with 20-30 overwinteringat cemberin 6 Michiganand 2 Wisconsin Madison,WI. Alsooverwintering in Wis- counties;an individualJan. 11 on GreenL., consinand Michigan was Am. Wigeon,and WI (TS) wasthe latestreport. Pied-billed in all 3 states,Canvasback. Redheads over- Grebeslingered in Michiganand Wisconsin winteredin Michigan,where they are not andmost hkely overw•ntered •nboth An •m- unusual,but those•n Olmsted(KB), Martzn

266.American B•rds,Summer 1992 teringat Otter Tai• MN (SM, DM). Ruddy Ducks overwin- teredin Berrien,MI (RS) andlast- edtill Jan.15 in Milwaukee,WI. ßAgassiz NWR I•FtOl• GrandMara•s TurkeyVultures were reported FeltonPrairie •"'.• "• on one CBC in both Wisconsin andMichigan, but even more un- MINNESOTAo•.• usualwas the oneJanuary 11 in • •uperior M,IleLacs L.O I ' Chippewa,MI (JG,WW, etal.), orex farn. of normal.The first migrant TurkeyVulturesarrived in Michi- CONSIN ganFeb. 24. Bald Eagles wintered nnea•11sßß P•I erseCi• unusuallyfar northin Beltramg ' Otter Tai• Cook,and Aitkin, MN. NorthernHarriers were reported : ß • • • •' widespreadthrough the Region, HonconNWR butthe award for tenacity goes to the pair of Harrierson nestat SherburneNWR, MN, Feb. 22. Golden Eagleswere reported from all 3 states. • Merlinswere reported from 2 Eau Claire,WI, Jan. 16 (SB), • Monroe,WI, Feb. 14-15 (EE), • Berrien,MI, Dec. 31 (KM), in Iron, MI, Feb. 18 (EO), and in (BB), and Mower (RK, RKn), MN, were 22-23 at Whitehall,Muskegon (BBo, JG, Alpena,MI, Jan.1 andFeb. 28 (RP,RSm). considered rare. TW). Oldsquawswere found in unusualin- PeregrineFalcons were reported Jan. 1-26 at Bothscaup species were reported wintering land locationsat Madison(PA) and GreenL. BelleIsle, lY&yne,MI (DL), Dec. 28 in E. in Michiganand Minnesota,and 15+ (TS), WI, and on the MississippiR. in St. Lansing,Ingham, MI (DMr), throughthe Greaters at the inland location of L. Geneva, Paul,MN. All threescoters were reported periodin St.Clair, MI, andfrom 4 Wiscon- Fontana,WI (DT) wereconsidered unusual. fromMichigan and Wisconsin, with single sinCBCs. It is likelythese winter Peregrines A HarlequinDuck was reported Dec. 14 Blacksfrom Racine, WI, and Berrien,MI arefrom reintroduction programs. As in last throughthe period in OtterTail, MN (SM, (KM), andSurfs from Milwaukee, WI, and winter,Gyrfalcons staged a major incursion. DM). In Wisconsin,single males were report- Berrien,MI (KM). A highlightfor Michigan Wisconsinhad one-twobirds in Superior ed at Milwaukee and on the Fox R. at observerswas an ad. c• BarrowsGoldeneye andone in Douglas.Minnesota reported an Kaukauna,where the latterprovided a first first foundin TraverseCity (PDa) Jan. 19 individualat Duluth, St. Louis(DE) and at recordfor Outagamie.Michigan had singles thenrelocated from Feb. 9-16 at Elk Rapids leastthree at Olinstead(RFa). Michigan tal- to Jan. 12 at Arcadia,Manistee (BA), Jan. (RS,WB, m.ob.).Hooded Mergansers were liedat least three in SaukSte. Marie, Chippe- 11-18 at New Buffalo, Berrien(RS), Dec. 22 reportedfrom all 3 states,but exceptionally wa (PS), and individualsin Allegan(JG, in St. Clair(DC), an ad.male Dec. 13-14 in far north were individuals at Neebish I., KM), Cheboygan(RP, MP), and Emmet(DF, Alpena,Alpena (RP, MP), and two Dec. Chippewa,MI, Jan.10 (WW) andoverwin- JF). In Minnesota,Prairie Falcon reports were more numerous than normal, with in- dividualsDec. 8-14 in Hennipin(AB, EL), Dec. 8 in Lyon(HK), Dec.21 in Dakota (RH), andDec. 26 in Nobles(ND).

RAILS TO GULLS A VirginiaRail was reported Dec. 30-Jan. 27 near Coldwater,Branch, MI (DG); another was on a Wisconsin CBC. Sandhill Cranes lingeredboth in Michiganand Minnesota, withsightings on2 CBCsin theformer and oneCBC in thelatter. They arrived back in Michiganon thelate-February breezes and werein 7 countiesby the end of the period. For the 2nd consecutiveyear, a Purple Sandpiperoverwintered at Sheboygan, WI, subsistingduring bad weather on grain fed to geeseand ducks.A Dunlin lingeredat Metrobeach,Macomb, MI, to the verylate dateJanuary 1 (DL, FC). CommonSnipe werereported overwintering inMadison, WI (KB) andwere abnormally late Dec. 27 far north in Leelanau, MI (KW). An Am. Woodcock was recorded Dec. 15 on the AdultMew Gull at Milwaukee,Wisconsiu, onJanual7 30,1992. One of two birds present, providing a BerrienSprings CBC, MI (RS).A lingering fourthstate record. Phot•graplVBrian Boldt. Sandealingwas n. of normalDec. 1 in Lee-

Volume 46, Number 2.267 lanau,MI (CF).Also on the Berrien Springs CBC, two Red Phalaropes(RA) provided first records for this count. The onlyjaeger report was of a well-docu- mented Pomafine Dec. 15 on the Berrien SpringsCBC, MI (KM). Thisindividual pro- videdthe firstMichigan CBC record.Two ad.Mew Gullswere found at MilwaukeeJan. 4 (TS, m.ob.)and lingered into mid-Febru- ary,providing Wisconsin's 4th record.Wis- consinsfirst confirmed California Gull, ini- tiallyfound Nov. 29 at Sheboygan,stayed to Dec.8 (CS, RHu). Thayer'sGulls were re- portedfrom all 3 states,with a 2nd-winterin- dividualpresent Feb. 3-29 in Lake,MN. In Wisconsin one-four individuals overwin- teredat Superior,Sheboygan, Milwaukee, and PortWashington; another was present throughDecember at Prairiedu Sac. In Michiganthere were a minimumof three ThisCalifornia Gull at Sheboygauin December1991 provideda firstconfirmed record for Wisconsin. adultsand single first- and 2nd-winter birds PhotograpldChadesSontag. Jan. 2-19 at Bay City, Bay (RP, MP, KT, m.ob.);two wereseen Dec. 15 on the Berrien 12threcords and the first records away from normal.Surprisingly, Minnesota had no Bo- SpringsCBC (RA);and one first-winter Dec. L. Superion realreports. Northern Saw-whet Owls were 7 andFeb. 1 at theMuskegon Wastewater, reportedfrom 3 WisconsinCBCs and Muskegon(JG). A first-winterIceland Gull OWLS TO WOODPECKERS 4 Michigan counties.Minnesota's first was in Lake, MN, Dec. 29 while in Wiscon- The term "invasion numbers" was used last Anna'sHummingbird barely made it into sinone-two birds were at Prairiedu Sac(KB) winterto describeowl totals, yet thisyear's the season,being last seen Dec. 1 in Cook and one-four birds wintered at Milwaukee, totalsmake them pale in comparison.Snowy (KH, MH). Superior,Sheboygan, and Two Rivers. Owl numberswere reported as an "excellent Michiganhad individuals Dec. 29 through movement"in Wisconsin,"in above average PHOEBES TO WARBLERS theperiod at the Muskegon Wastewater Plant numbers"in Michigan,and as a "majorinva- Michiganhad two E. Phoebeson theDowa- (FM, LR, GW, m.ob.),Feb. 19 at St.Joseph sion"in Minnesota,where 105 were reported giacCBC (RS, RA), but evenmore unusual (RS),and at least three adults and single first- by theend of theperiod (KE etaL). North- wasthe individual that appeared at theKala- winterand 2nd-winter birds Dec. 24-Jan. 26 ernHawk Owls entered the Region in num- mazooNature CenterJan. 7 (RA). Horned at BayCity (RP,MP, MW, RW,m.ob.). bersunseen in recentyears, with Wisconsin Larksapparently returned to the Region Two ad. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were reportingindividuals in Superior,Ashland, early,with good numbers of migrantsfound presentDec. 14-Jan.16 in BayCity, MI (RP, Douglas,and BayfieM. Michigan fared better byJan. 1 in Michiganand five birds Jan. 12 MP, RW). Wisconsinreported an adult over- and had 20 from Sault Ste. Marie to White- in Otter•il, MN, northfor thatearly date. winteringat Superior,on Feb.1 at Sheboy- fishPoint, Chippewa (DEv, m.ob.), two in The mild winters continue to f•vor the sur- gan(DT, CS),and on Feb. 13-16 at Milwau- Schoolcraft(JG, MW, m.ob.),one in Mack- vivalof CarolinaWrens, with Michiganre- kee (BBI, DGu, JFr et al.); last,a subadult inac(TL, PS),Dickinson (EO), Cheboyganporting 76 on CBCsnorth to Bende(KW). wasat Manitowoethrough December. Both (RP,MP), Charlevoix(BS, MS), and Glad- Wisconsinreported 10-13 individuals,with Michiganand Wisconsinreported high win(fideJS). Minnesota reported the "mind the northernmostreports from Green Bay, numbersof GlaucousGulls, with a high numbing"total of 142 individuals(KE et Mead,Washington I., Dee,and near Three totalof 35 at Superior,WI, and75Jan. 4 on al.), the onlyinvasion of thismagnitude Lakes.Minnesota had a singlereport from the SaginawR., Bay,MI (RW, EK). Great since1962-1963. Wisconsin had a singlere- Hennepin(DMa etaL). Winter Wrens over- Black-backedGulls were reported as being portof two Great Gray Owls in Douglas(LS, winteredin Michiganin Macombandl•yne "amazingin number"in Wisconsin,where KB, RD). Michiganand Minnesotaboth (DL). MarshWrens were reported in De- 12-15 werepresent during the winter peri- hadrecord numbers of GreatGrays. Michi- cemberfrom HoriconNWR, WI (KB) and od, includingthree at Two Rivers.This gantallied 55 GreatGrays, all in the Sault on2 MichiganCBCs. speciesisstill characterized ascasual in Min- Ste. Marie area,Chippewa, and moston EasternBluebirds were reported scarce in nesota,but records of anadult overwintering Sugar I. (28) (DEv, m.ob.).This total ex- Wisconsinwhereas Michigan had increased in Dakota and a first-winter bird Feb. 3-15 ceededMichigan's last invasion of 38 indi- numbers;Minnesota reported an individual in Lakeand nearby St. Louis (KE) suggestsviduals in winter 1983-1984. Minnesota re- Feb.29 in Hennepin(SC), n. of normal.Un- thismay soon change. Michigan had three portedan incredible total of 196individuals, usual was a Townsend's Solitaire that re- lingeringBlack-legged Kittiwakes, includ- with the highestconcentration of birdsin mainedin one locationlong enough for ing oneimmature Dec. 17 at New Buffalo, Lake,although birds were seen as far south as manyMichigan observers to addit to their Berrien(KM) and anotherJan. 17 at Bay Hennepin.This total exceededlast year's lists.The bird was first found Jan. 20 in Bcu- City, Bay(RP, MP); evenmore unusual was record total of 134. In both states birds were lah,Benzie, and was still present at theend of the report of an adult Dec. 28 at the saidto be healthy;very few weredead or theperiod (BA, m.ob.). Hermit Thrushes re- MuskegonWastewater Plant (DN, GW,JP). starving.Short-eared Owls were reported as mainedinto mid-Januaryin l•yne (DL) and To thedelight of manybirders, Ivory Gulls scarce in Wisconsin but were in above-aver- Kent, MI (SMi, CM) and in Madison, WI were in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In Wis- agenumbers in Michigan,reported from 5 (PA,EH), overwinteringin Milwaukee, WI consin an immature was seen Dec. 2-3 at counties;the hightotal was 16 Feb.14 in (RD). Varied Thrushes overwintered in PortWashington while in Minnesotaanoth- PolktonTwp., Ottawa (JP, m.ob.). Michigan l•ight and Otterl•il in Minnesota,and an- er waslocated Dec. 15in s.St. Paul,riding hadreports of twoBoreal Owls, one Feb. 8 at otherwas seen from Jan. 29 through the peri- icefloes on the Mississippi (AS). Amazingly, SaultSte. Marie, Chippewa (LG, BG, JG, od in Cottonwood(ED).Wisconsin had indi- anotherbird joined the St. Paul bird Dec. 23 m.ob.) and another Feb. 8 at GrossPointe vidualsfrom Dec. 3-20 in Door(RL, CL), (BF etal.), giving Minnesota their 11 th and Woods,Wayne (MB, RKo), very far s. of Dec. 10-Jan.18 in •ylor (BAr),and Nov.

268.American Birds,Summer 1992 9-Jan.22 in Madison(JM, WM). Michigan overwinteredin n.w. Dane (KB). Lesscom- WI, with up to 22 Brewer'stallied (KD); hada singleindividual Dec. 30 in Isabella mon in winter was a Com. Yellowthroat that Rustysalso wintered at Kaukuana, WI. Com- (EC). SingleGray Catbirds were reported lingeredto Jan. 1 in IY&yne,MI (JF). mon Grackles overwintered in all 3 states, fromMichigan and Wisconsin CBCs, and with some rather far north in Minnesota in anotherwas reported from Feb. 23 at Hori- GROSBEAKSTO WEAVERFINCHES Otter •iL Aitkin, and Cook.Brown-headed con NWR, WI (KB). NorthernMocking- SingleRose-breasted Grosbeaks were report- Cowbirdsoverwintered in Wisconsin,where birdswere reported from one Wisconsin and ed to Dec. 3 at Becker,MN (BBe)and Dec. 5 300+ couldbe found at Horicon NWR (KD, 7 MichiganCBCs, but more unusual were 2 near Ashland, WI (DV). The Minnesota etal.) and in Michigan,where good numbers reportsfrom Chippewa, MI, onein lateDe- record is one of the latest fall dates. Rufous- couldbe found at Luna Pier, Monroe(TW). cembernear Paradise (DEv, m.ob.), and an- sidedTowbees wintered in all 3 states,with Nearlyall the blackbirds began arriving by the otherin SaultSte. Marie Jan. 18 (TL, RF,NF, anindividual of the"spotted" race in Cotton- endof February in Michigan,with particular- JB),well n. of normal. woo•LMN (ED), individualsin Dodge(fide ly largeconcentrations of Brown-headed An AmericanPipit Dec.21 andJan. 12 SD),and Douglas (RPe) in Wisconsin and at Cowbirdsand Red-wingedBlackbirds re- PointMoulliee, Monroe, MI OF) provided least10 individualsin Kalamazoo(JG, RKe) ported.Also in Michigan, a Northern Oriole oneof the latest Michigan records. Bohemi- andtwo in Macomb(DL) in Michigan.Wis- appearedDec. 21 in HarperWoods, IY&yne anWaxwings were in fairto good numbers in consinreported Am. TreeSparrow as being (MM); perhapsthe same bird was seen Jan. 1 then. countiesof bothMichigan and Wis- quiterare, as was the situation in Michigan. on the Detroit R. CBC. consin.Cedar Waxwings were particularly ChippingSparrows rarely overwinter in Forthe 3rd consecutive year, winter finch- scarcein Michigan.Northern Shrikes ap- Minnesota,but onewas found Feb. 16-22 in eswere scarce over s. portions of theRegion. Aitkin (HL et al.); anotherwas at a St. Paul In all 3 states,Pine Siskins were categorized feederuntil early January. The Lark Bunting asscarce to absentwhile redpolls and Pine presentmuch of thefall at WhitefishPoint, Grosbeakswere reported as widespreadin MI, remaineduntil Dec. 18 (DEv). Savan- onlythe n. areas.Wisconsin and Michigan nahSparrows are rarely found in Wisconsin reportedpoor numbersof PurpleFinch in thewinter, so the reportof singlesfrom while Am. Goldfinch were scarce in Min- Oconoto(JSm) Dec. 8, Ozaukee(KB) Dec. 8, nesotaand Michigan. Hoary Redpolls were andMilwaukee Jan. 1 (MK) wasexceptional. reportedfrom Minnesotaand Michigan, FoxSparrow, another uncommon wintering with severalreported from the SaultSte. spedes,was seen on 7 WisconsinCBCs then Mariearea, MI, includingtwo of the horn- intermittentlyin severals. Wisconsinloca- manniisubspecies (PC, LG, m.ob.).Red tions.A singleLincoln's Sparrow was report- Crossbills were in fair numbers in n. Wiscon- edJan. 1 at StevensPoint, WI (MK). Swamp sinbut werescarce in Michiganand Min- Sparrowsoverwintered in both Michigan nesota.Similarly, White-winged Crossbills and Wisconsin,as did White-crownedand werereported in goodnumbers in n.w.Wis- White-throatedsparrows. Slate-colored Jun- consinbut scarce in Minnesota.In Michigan coswere reported in below-averagenumbers thisspecies was very scarce to absent,but for in Minnesota.Lapland Longspur were scarce anunexplained reason an individual turned in Wisconsin. upat a feederin Grand Rapids and remained Red-wingedBlackbirds overwintered in Dec.1-Jan. 18 (MHa, m.ob.).Wisconsin re- bothMichigan and Wisconsin, with a high portedEvening Grosbeaks aspresent in fair totalof 1000remaining through the period at numbersin the north; in Michiganthe Horicon NWR, WI (RD). Meadowlarks specieswas in lownumbers. For the 4th or werefound on 5 Michiganand 2 Wisconsin 5thyear the Eur. Tree Sparrow in Pierce,WI, CBCs. Two Yellow-headed Blackbirds lin- overwintered,being presentuntil mid- geredinto Januaryat HoriconNWR, WI February. (RD).Rusty Blackbirds overwintered inMin- nesota,with 10birds in Clay(MO) andone C0rrigenda:Axtd to fall 1991 summary:an ThisIvo[y Gull was the first ever found away in Polk(KS, SS), with fourothers on theDu- ad.Harlequin Duck observed and document- fromLake Superior in Minnesota,but it wasin luthCBC (fideKE). Both Rusty and Brewer's ed on the very early date of Aug. 11 at Rogers appropriatelyicy surroundings, riding floes blackbirds overwintered at Horicon NWR, City,Presque Isle, MI (BGi,BGr). Minnesota onthe MississippiRiver at SouthSt. Paulon December18,1991. Photog•aplV AnthonyHertzel. pearedto be commonthroughout the Re- gion,with Minnesota reporting individuals from more than half their counties. Wiscon- sin characterizedthe speciesas presentin goodnumbers but "nothingexceptional." Michiganhad above-average numbers, with reportsfrom 18 counties and a hightotal of '; 15 individualsin the Sault Ste. Marie area, Chippewa(DEr, m.ob.).The onlyLogger- headShrike was one visiting a feederDec. 20-21 nearPark Falls, WI (AV). A singing Red-eyedVireo Jan. 7 atHoricon NWR pro- vided the first winter record in Wisconsin (KB). Yellow-rumpedWarblers apparently overwinteredinthe s. portion of Michigan as GreatGray Owl at SonitSte. Made, Michigan, on Februa[y 8,1992. Michigan experienced a record therewere widely scattered reports through invasionthis winter. Photog•aplVJames Granlund. the period.In Wisconsintwo individuals

Volume 46, Number 2.269 recordedits 10th LesserBlack-backed Gull, 300 in Gibson,IN, Feb. 2-28 (GBo). Red- an adult found in Grand Marais Oct. 26-27 MIDDLEWERN neckedGrebes were scarce, with olae winter- (PSvetal.). Delete the Cassin's Finch from the ingat Portof Indiana,IN (KB,EH, m.ob.) Summer1991 report (AB 45:1119); the PRAIRIEREGION andanother in Gibson,IN, Feb.9 (GBo).As recordwas not acceptedby the Minnesota BruceG. Peterjohn expected,small numbers of EaredGrebes OrnithologicalRecords Committee. lingeredin Missouri,Indiana, and Ohio in In AB 46(1):91,Table 1 coveringhawk earlyDecember. Wintering Eared Grebes ap- migrationin fall 1991,the figures given for The seriesof relativelymild winters contin- pearedin unprecedentednumbers for a ErieMetropark are much too high: I mistak- ued,with above-normaltemperatures the speciesthat is accidentalafter mid-Decem- enlysent Daryl Tessen the cumulative totals rulein everystate. Snow cover and cold tem- ber. These records were of two Eareds at there since 1983. Correct totals for fall 1991 peratureswere generally restricted toJanuary SmithvilleL., MO, throughFeb. 4 (BF et were:Turkey Vulture 16,403; Osprey92; andthe first days of Februaryand typically aL), one at CaesarCreek Res.,OH, Jan Bald Eagle 85; N. Harrier 421; Sharp- didnot remainfor morethan a fewdays at a 30-Feb.1 (?JDu,SU etal.), one wintering at shinnedHawk 4820; Cooper'sHawk 651; time. Mostof Februarywas almost balmy, Spfld.(DB), twoat BaldwinL., IL, Jan.20 N. Goshawk 26; Red-shoulderedHawk with monthlytemperatures averaging up to (MD), and one at Crab OrchardNWR, IL, 1014; Broad-wingedHawk 29,713; Red- eightdegrees above normal in someloca- Feb. 12 (DB). A late W. Grebewas a casual tailed Hawk 5726; FerruginousHawk 1; tions.Precipitation was generally close to visitorto RockyRiver, OH, Dec.8-20 (W & Rough-leggedHawk 289; GoldenEagle normaland mostly fell as rain. NKI, ph.m.ob.). Another was studied at Port 103;Am. Kestrel1104; Merlin 15; Peregrine The mildweather produced mixed bless- of Indiana,IN, Dec.31-Jan. 13 (CF,m.ob.) 21; Total 60,969. ings.Many waterbirds took advantage of the The Northern Gannet discovered at West plentifulopen water and wintered north of BeachDec. 8 (?JM)and observed at Michi- Ohsewers:Ray Adams, Brian Allen (BA), Bill their normalranges, especially waterfowl, ganCity Dec. 9 (?KB,?LH) wasa surprise, Armburst(BAr), Philip Ashman, Karl Bar- whichappeared in unusualdiversity across furnishingn.w. Indiana'sfirst record in 87 don, BetsyBeneke (BBe), Joe Bens,Steve thenorthern states. Despite the warm tem- years.The hardiestAm. WhitePelicans lin- Betchkal,Martin Blagdurn,Brian Boldt peratures,gulls staged their usual good show- geredin Iowaat RathbunRes. through Jan (BBI), Brad Bolduan, Al Bolduc, Walter ingin manyareas. On theother hand, it was 19 (TJ) andRed Rock Res. until Jan. 20 (AJ) Booth, Bill Bouton(BBo), Donald Brooks, a dull season for most landbirds. Few half- Early migrantsreturned to Missouriin KayBurcar, Steve Carlson, Donald Chalfant, hardyspecies lingered into December;even February.Following the patternof recent Fred Charbonneau,Phil Chu, Elaine Con- the normalwintering passerines were en- years,small numbers of Double-crestedCor- nell,JeffDankert, Paul Davis (PDa), Nelvina counteredin generallylow numbers. A fall morantswere fairly widespread through the DeKam,Scott Diehi, Robert Domagalski, Ed ice storm was blamed for the landbird short- CBC period.Noteworthy winter flocks to- Duerksen,Kim Eckert,Eric Epstein,David agein Iowa,but similarcauses were not ap- tailed200 at LBL in earlyJanuary (CP) and Evans,Dave Evers (DEv), RayFaber, Bruce parentelsewhere. tenat LouisvilleJan. 29 (BM, MS). Winter- Fall,Diane Fowler, Jim Fowler, Chip Francke, ing cormorantswere noted north to South J•mFrank (JFr), Nancy French, Ron French, Abbreviations:L BL (Landbetween the Lakes, Bend, IN, and Lorain, OH. Delores Gavit, Barb Graf, Leonard Graf, /05; REDA (Riverlanch Environmental A lingeringAm. Bitternwas discovered at JamesGranlund, Betty Grigg (BGi), Bill DemonstrationArea, MO); Spfld. (Spring- REDA Jan. 1 0V et al.). WinteringGreat Grigg(BGr), Dennis Gustafson (DGu), Dave fielcLIL); TRL ( TableRock L.,MO). BlueHerons were widely reported, but no re- Hall, EllenHansen, Mary Havenga(MHa), markable flocks were encountered. Ken- Ken Hoffman, Molly Hoffman, Robert LOONS TO HERONS tuckyhosted the latestGreat Egrets, two in Holtz,Robert Hughes (RHu), DougJohn- Migrant Red-throatedLoons were noted l•yne Dec.14 (JE)and another on a CBC son,Richard Keith (RKe),Eugene Kenaga, throughDec. 1-7 alongboth GreatLakes. Reportsof winteringBlack-crowned Night- Ron Kneeskern, Rose Kneeskern (RKn), SinglePacific Loons at L. Springfield,MO, Herons were limited to a maximum of seven Mark Korducki, Rosann Kovalcik (RKo), Jan.2-Feb. 16 (?m.ob.)and Gibson,IN, Feb. at 5 sitesin the Chicagoarea plus one at HenryKyllingstad, Dick Leasure,Harry Le 2 (GBo,ph. JC) wereclearly wintering. As CincinnatiJan. 19 (FR). Grande,Tony Leukering, Edwin Lins, Char- observersbecome more confident identify- lotte Lukes,Roy Lukes,Dennis Martin ingthis species, itsstatus is being redefined in WATERFOWL (DMa), DaveMarvin (DMr), JeanMeanwell, theMidwest. Iœrecent records are any indica- TundraSwans were sprinkled across the Re- Walter Meanwell, Mike Mencotti, Diane tion of their actualabundance, Pacific Loons gionthroughout the period,and migrants Millard, SteveMillard, Faye Miller, Kip mayprove to be rare but regular fall migrants weredifficult to distinguishfrom winter visi- Miller, SteveMinard (SMi), Chris Muldoon, and winter visitors. A flock of 200 Corn. tors.The most noteworthy reports included Dave Nicosia, Elmer Olsen, Dan Orr, Mark Loonsat EastFork Res.,OH, Dec. 3 (GH, up to ten winteringat Mingo NWR, MO Otnes,Ronald Perala (RPe), Marlene Planck, HA) easilysurpassed other late fall totals. (CS, m.ob.), 11 at HuestonWoods SP, OH, RodPlanck, Jim Ponshair,Lucile Radik, Jack MostCorn. Loons disappeared by eadyJan- Jan.29 (DDi), fiveat L. Mermet,IL, Feb.6 Reinoehl,Thomas Shultz, Larry Semo, Mary uary,but six were still on L. Barkley,KY, Jan. (TF), and one in Fremont,IA, Jan. 12 S•egwart,Andrew Smith, Jerry Smith (JSm), 19 (J & PB),seven at Gibson,IN, through (MSm). Smallgroups of the introduced Ron Smith(RSm), Roy Smith(Michigan), Feb.16 (GBo),and one wintered north to c. TrumpeterSwan were noted at 3 locations Joe Soehnel,Chuck Sontag, Keith Steva, Ohio. The ad. l•llow-billedLoon returned to in Missouri, 3 in Iowa, and one in Illinois ShelleySteva, Bonnie Stout, Peder Svingen TRL for its3rd consecutivewinter, appear- Mute Swanscontinued to spreadin most (PSv)(Minnesota), Paul Sykes, Daryl Tessen ingDec. 15 and remaining through February states, an ominous trend for our native (Wisconsin), Kevin Thomas, Dick Verch, (m.ob.). waterfowl. Alice Vincent, Ron Weeks,Tex Wells, Keith The 65 Pied-billedGrebes in Sullivan,IN, The mild weather enticed small numbers Westphal,Warren Whaley, George Wick- Dec.28 (ABet al.) wereprobably late mi- of GreaterWhite-fronted Geese to linger strom,Terry Wiens (TWO, Myles Willard.-- grants.Wintering Pied-billeds were more intoJanuary in Illinois,Missouri, and Iowa JAMESGRANLUND, 6253 N. Westnedge, widespreadthan normal, including one or Somemay have wintered, an unusualoccur- Kalamazoo M149004. twoat Cedar Rapids, IA, throughoutthe sea- rencein thisRegion. Spring migration began son (DD, RPi). The largestwintering earlywith 30 White-frontedsat Buckhart, Horned Grebe flock totalled 60 at Baldwin IL, Jan. 30 (DB), 150 at Schell-Osage L., IL, Jan.21 (TF, JDe). Springmigrants WMA, MO, Feb. 1 (LM, GP), and 54 in werew•despread •n February,peakang w•th Knox,IN, Feb 8 (GBo) Smallernumbers

270 AmemcanB•rds,Summer 1992 and Joliet, IL, Jan. 31 (JM). Other sizable duck flocks includ- ed 1000 Com. Goldeneyeat RendL., IL, Jan. 1-23 (TF), 200 winteringHooded Mergansers in Calloway,ICY, Jan. 21 (CP), and 12,000 Com. Mergansersat IOWA Chieago• Toledo" - Rathbun,Res., IA, Jan.15 (TJ). •-• Michigan Ottawa • ßSaytorvllleRes.Oavenpeørt C•ty Ft.ß NWR =.ß DeSoto ßDes Moines HAWKS TO SHOREBIRDS .WR ILLINOIS Wayne OHIO The onlyextralimital Black Vul- ß Peoria INDIANA Co•u,•bus- tures were two in Ozark, MO, :. ßSquaw Creek NWR ß Dayton Feb. 23 (BJ). Despitethe fairly ßSpringfield I•dianapolis mild temperatures,wintering S•vanLake NWR Muscatatuckßt/ ßCincinnati TurkeyVultures were restricted to ' _-. KansasCity theirestablished range. Their N St.Lo•s ß NWR migrationbegan early, with two at RendL.• • vansville• •Louisville Muscatine,IA, Feb. 5 (CFu) and CrabOrchard• i•,.,,_-' VLexingtonß MISSOURI numerousmigrants before the KENTUCKY endof the month.Exceptionally ß Ballard L.Curnberland(,• earlymigrant Ospreys were two at MingoNWRß WMA PatokaRes., IN, Feb. 15 (LL) and =* oneat TRL Feb. 26 (JH). Winter- 5 ingBald Eagles maintained their z goodnumbers of recentyears. _-- • Midwintersurvey totals of207 in Kentucky(JDr), 101 in Indiana appearedelsewhere in February, including 2 northwardmovements were well underway (fideJCa),and approximately 1700 in Mis- Ohio reports.Numbers of winteringSnow bythe end of the month. Numbers were gen- souri as well as a CBC total of 1508 in Iowa Geesewere noticeably reduced, perhaps a re- erallylow, although some impressive totals are indicative of their winter abundance in sult of the mild weather. Three Ross'Geese at included 1500-2000 Am. Black Ducks win- this Region.Wintering N. Harrierswere BaldwinL., IL, Jan.21 (TF etal.) mayhave teringat BrookvilleRes., IN (m.ob.),525 generallyscarce in mostareas. Accipiters wintered.Other reportsincluded small Gadwall at Turtle Creek Res., IN, Dec. 28 elicitedfew comments except for 20+ sight- numbersof migrantspassing through the w. (ABet al.), 4000 Canvasbacksat Montrose, ingsof N. Goshawks,representing slightly statesin Decemberand February and single IA, Jan.10 increasingto 25,000 by Feb. 21 above-normal numbers for a noninvasion recordsfrom Illinois eachmonth. Single (TK, RCe),and 4000 Ring-neckeds at Duck year.Goshawks appeared in everystate ex- Brantin Summit,OH, Dec. 15 (DC) andat CreekWMA, MO, Jan.4 (fideBR). Greater ceptKentucky, with individuals wandering S ClevelandDec. 21 (D & JHo) werelate mi- Scaupappeared in excellentnumbers, in- to St. Clair,MO, Jan.3 (EJ), Warren,OH, grants.Canada Geese also wintered in cludingan unprecedented5000 at Chicago Feb.1 (JHi), and4 locationsin c. Illinois. sharplyreduced numbers asfavorable weath- Jan.7 (LB). Exceptionalinland flocks to- Rough-leggedHawks were considered er allowedthem to winter farther north. tailed85 Greatersat Rend L., IL, Feb. 9 (TF, plentifulonly in Iowaand Kentucky. The Winteringducks were more widely dis- JDe),60 at RunnellsWMA, IA, Feb.22 (JS), statusof GoldenEagles is clearly changing in tributedthan normal, taking advantage of and 25 at L. Jacomo,MO, Feb. 15 (BF, thewinter months. In thepast, small num- the abundantopen water. Spring migrants m.ob.). berswere regularly found only among the returnedto everystate in February;their The onlyKing Eider was reported from largeBald Eagle concentrations near the ClevelandJan. 18 (CHo). HarlequinDucks MississippiR. In recentwinters, Golden Ea- wererepresented by at leastthree on L. gleshave begun to appear almost anywhere as Michiganand one on L. Erie,normal num- their numbers increased.There were 23+ re- bersfor recent years. Oldsquaw appeared in portsthis winter, including sightings at7 In- excellentnumbers along the Chicago lake- diana locationsand a s. Ohio specimen, front,peaking at 800at Evanston,IL, Jan.5 wherethese eagles are still novelties. Merlins and 345 at Wilmette, IL, Dec. 28 (EW). continue to become establishedas rare but Similar numbers have not been found on s. regularwinter residents. In addition to CBC LakeMichigan in manyyears. Reports from reports,they were reported from 15+ loca- 14 inlandlocations also represented good tions.Prairie Falcons presented a mixed pic- numbersof Oldsquaw.Single Black Scoters ture.There were at least7 reportsfrom Mis- wereencountered along both Great Lakes, souri,an exceptional number if allwere accu- with the latestat Port of Indiana,IN, Jan. 18 ratelyidentified, but only 2 sightingsin Iowa (DJ etal.). The onlywintering Surf Scoters and one in Illinois. Confusion with Pere- were two along the Chicagolakefront grinesis a problem;all large falcons deserve (m.ob.). One at HooverRes., OH, Jan. 12 morecareful scrutiny in winter.Wintering (DCi) furnishedan unusual midwinter PeregrineFalcons are definitely expanding, recordaway from the Great Lakes. White- witha totalof 17+reports from every state in wingedScoters peaked with 20 at Beverly addition to thoseon CBCs. Most (if not all) Shores,IN, Dec. 26 (KB) and 10 alongL. ofthese Peregrines arethe result of introduc- Erie.There were also reports from 3 inland tion programs. locationsthrough Jan 17. Common Golden- Lingeringrails were limited to a deadVir- PurpleSandpiper at HeadlandsBeach State eyeX HoodedMerganser hybrids generated ginia in Geauga,OH, Dec.29 (PK) and a live Park,Ohio, on December 14,1991. excitementat Spfld.Dec. 13-15 and Feb. Soraat L. Taneycomo,MO, Jan.13-Feb. 16 Photograph/LarryRosche. 6-16 (DB), L. Jacomo,MO, Jan.17 (CH), (HS, PM) in additionto singlesof each

Volume 46, Number 2- 271 specieson an Illinois CBC. The S passage of icalnumbers, with maximaof 4-5 along cember.The 2 reportsfrom the Great Lakes SandhillCranes continued through early bothGreat Lakes and scattered inland sight- included an ad. kittiwake at Huron, OH, January,with 76 in Clark,OH, Dec.7 Offde ingssouth to theSt. Louisarea and Gibson, Dec.7 (•JDuk,SU), while the only inland DO) slightlye. of theirtraditional migration IN. It wasa reasonablygood winter for Ice- kittiwake visited the Des Moines-Red Rock corridor. As has been the norm in recent landGulls. Along the Great Lakes, they were Res.,IA, areaDec. 21-24 (BE etal.). years,a few cranesdecided to winterwith nearlyequally numerous asThayer's along L. two nearPleasant Hill Res.,OH (KM, BGI, Erie,and singles were regularly in theChica- m.ob.)and one returning to Columbia,MO goarea. Since there are few previous reports (PMc, TB). from Iowa, two or three imm. Icelandswin- s• It was an uneventful seasonfor shorebirds teringin theDavenport area and another at I'wogulls received consi,'eral ': attentmn despitethe relatively mild conditions. Even SaylorvilleRes. Feb. 29 (•TK, •m.ob.)were 'duri.3 thei/brief •sits to the'R•,,,fi. Killdeerwere fairly scarce after the CBC pe- noteworthy.An IcelandGull was an unusual stunningad. Ross• Gull graced riod,although scattered individuals wintered visitorup the Maumee R. in Lucas,OH, Jan. En•,,dnn :ntal Demonstration •ca north to Steuben,IN. Many Killdeerre- 17-23 (TKe). LesserBlack-backed Gulls Dec.31-Jan. lj (ph•m•ob.), wh•rc turnedin Februaryand were joined by five havebecome regular along the Great Lakes tractedquite a crowd/'Itfurnished tl rst earlyGreater Yellowlegs and five Pectoral andare no longermentioned by someob- Missouriand 2n•l Regi6!ial recbrd'g• u,is Sandpipersat SauerheberWMA, KY, Feb. servers.They are still noteworthyinland, spectacn'•rspecies: •ually impressive w• 27 (LRa).Lingering shorebirds included a wheretwo wintered in the Davenport,IA, Co0perat•veimm] Ivory Gull that dell cd LeastSandpiper at BrookevilleRes., IN, area(•PP, •JF, m.ob.),singles wintered at themultitudes atvario us Chlcago•area throughDec. 21 (BB),a PectoralSandpiper Spfld. (DB) and Gibson,IN (GBo), and front1ocatiofis.D ec'•5-jin: 2 (KH, atPleasant Hill Res.,OH, Dec.8 (KM),and othersingles were at CedarL., IA through ph.m.ob.). Inthe briescp•9d that'thei} a Dunfinat BrookevilleRes., IN, Jan.4 (BB). Jan.5 (TTK)and at REDAFeb. 9 (JV). itsoverlap Ped, it wasP olsibleto s• both•n PurpleSandpipers were noted at 2 locations GlaucousGulls received mixed reports, oh•day. alongL. Erie,where three at Ashtabula, OH, with maximaof four-fivedaily on both Feb.7 (KA)were probably wintering. The GreatLakes and in theDavenport, IA, area. latestfall Am. Woodcock was reported from Singleswandered south to Alton,MO-1L, REDAJan. 1 (JV etal.).Spring migrants re- and Gibson,IN. Great Black-backedGulls A CommonTern lingered at Lorain, OH, turnedto everystate by Feb.19-23. A Red continuedto increaseon L. Michigan,with throughDec. 1 (JDu,SU), not too surpris- Phalaropegraced Carlyle L., IL, Jan.5-13 at least7 reportsfrom n.w. Indiana in Jan- ing giventhe mild conditions.There are a (JV,m.ob.). uaryand scattered sightings from the Chica- numberof previousearly December sight- goarea. A maximumof 400+was counted at ingsof Com.Terns from L. Erie. IAœGœ1• TO TERNS ClevelandJan. 20 (RH, LR). Inlandrecords Thefall Pomarine Jaeger on RendL., IL, re- were limited to two Great Black-backedsat OWLS TO WRENS mainedthrough Dec. 8 (TTF et al.). More Davenport,IA, Feb. 1-9 (•JF, •m.ob.) and Theonly Barn Owl reportedwas from Iowa. unusualwas a PomarineJaeger pho- threeat REDA Jan.25-Feb. 8 (m.ob.).Few The paleArctic race of GreatHorned Owl tographedat ClevelandJan. 20 (RH, LR) as Black-leggedKittiwakes remained into De- stagedasmall movement into Iowa, with one there are few midwinter recordsfrom L. Erie. Other jaegerreports included a Parasiticalong L. ErieDec. 15 and two unidentifiedtospecies along L. Michi- OpticOutfitters ganDec. 14. forBirders Gullsgenerated the most excitement thislackluster season. Continuing ase- ries of midwinterrecords, single Franklins Gulls were noted at L. Man- awa,IA, Jan. 1 (B & LP), RockIsland, Tescopes IL, Jan. 11-12 (PP), and Saylorville & Accessories Res.,IA, Feb.9 (RCe).Their appear- Authorized Dealer for: ancein thisseason remains a mystery. Leica,Zeiss, Optolyth,Swarovski, Swift, Mirader, Redfield,Meade, Nikon LittleGulls were scarce along the Great Celestron,Bausch & Lomb,Kowa, Ouestar, Tele Vue, Pentax,Minolta Lakes,with onlytwo on L. Eriein De- cember. Holdovers from the fall were Bushnell,Steiner, Aus Jena, Bogen,Velbon, OpTech singleLittle Gullsat Spfld.through ß BirdingSpecialists Dec. 2 (DB) and Clinton L., IL, ß KnowledgeableStaff throughDec. 15 (RS).ACom. Black- ß Fast, FriendlyService headedGull put in an appearanceat ß Low, Direct Discount Prices ClevelandJan. 9-13 (TL et al.). Most Get the best information, advice and Bonaparte'sGulls departed in Decem- pricesfrom Birderswho know: ß Satisfaction Guaranteed ber despitefavorable conditions. The *Birds ß CompleteLine of Tffpods lastlarge flock totalled 1000 at Rend L., *Birders & Accessories IL, Jan.9 (TF,JDe); a few reappeared in *Birdingand late February.Wintering Ring-billed *BirdingEquipment FreeComprehensive Cata!o•o•g.&- Gullswere plentiful in mostareas, espe- PriceList Available ..:,-.•;• •.- L'•"'•-_ ciallyalong the Mississippi R. in Iowa, where20,000 congregated atMontrose Jan.10 (TK). Theonly acceptably doc- Eagle Optics umented California Gull was discov- eredin Cook,IL, Dec.2-3 (TRHu, EW 716 S WhitneyWay Madison,VVl 53711 etal. ). TechnicalAssistance: (608) 271-4751 Thayer'sGulls appeared in fairly typ- OrderLine: (800)289-1132 Fax:(608) 271-4406

272-American Birds, Summer 1992 in theSioux City areain January(DP, BH) smallnumbers reported from eachstate. rumpedWarblers were generally scarce ex- and anotherat Call SP Dec. 8 (MK). Illinois Carolina Wren numbers continued to im- ceptin Kentucky.It was another good winter experiencedan invasionof SnowyOwls, provealong the Regionsn. margin.A Be- for PineWarblers. Singles remained for the withat least 43 reportsfrom the n. halfof the wicksWren in PiattFeb. 16 (RCh) furnished entireseason at Columbus,OH (ST) andN. state(fide EVO. Goodnumbers also ap- an unusualIllinois winter record. Lingering Perry,OH (KA); anotherwas in Pleas- pearedin theimmediate vicinity of the Great wrens were limited to a few House Wrens antville,IA, Jan. 12-Feb.3 (GB, •m.ob.); Lakesin Ohioand Indiana, as exemplified by into the CBC period,with one remaining andat leastthree were tallied in •yne, MO, a maximumof fiveat Clevelandand 6 reports throughJan. 5 at Akron,OH (LK) anda Jan.4 (BR).Their N migrationstarted early, fromn.w. Indiana. Only scatteredindividu- MarshWren at Spfld.until Jan. 26 (DB). with 34 in •ney, and Christian,MO, Feb. alswere noted elsewherein the n. states;the 29 (JH, PM). Otherlingering warblers were southernlimit of this movement was marked KINGLETS TO DICKCISSEL a Palmin Danville,KY, Jan.6 (FL), oneN. by oneSnowy Owl at RendL., IL, Feb.8 WinteringGolden-crowned Kinglets re- Waterthrushat ChicagoDec. 21 (MH), and (LS).Long-eared Owls were relatively scarce, ceivedmixed reports while E. Bluebirdsap- a Corn.Yellowthroat in n.e. Ohio through withscattered reports across the n. statesand parentlywintered in normalnumbers. A rare Dec. 16. Amongthe few otherreports of a maximumoften in n. Illinois.As expected, but regularwinter visitor to n.w. Iowa, a half-hardyspecies, an IndigoBunting win- theelusive N. Saw-whetOwl wasrepresent- Townsend's Solitaire was at Stone SP Dec. 7 tered at Holt Summit, MO (CPa, •m.ob.), ed by scatteredindividuals across the n. (BH). Hermit Thrusheswere scarce in most and a Dickcissel was noted in Hutton, MO, states.One Saw-whetin Osage,MO, Feb. states,although their numbersslightly in- in mid-February(NT). 15-16 (JG)was s. of thenormal range. creasedon KentuckyCBCs. Wintering Am. A Selasphorushummingbird remained at a Robinswere locally abundant where fruit SPARROWSTO WEAVER FINCHES CapeGirardeau, MO, feederthrough Jan. 30 wasplentiful but wererelatively scarce in Mostsparrows wintered in normalnumbers (fidePMc, TB), but its identifywas never manyareas. It wasalso a pooryear for Varied forrecent years. In additionto CBC reports, conclusivelyestablished. Two unidentified Thrushes,with singlesin Jackson,MO, winteringChipping Sparrows included one hummingbirdswere also reported from s.w. Dec. 24-Feb.4 (TE, m.ob.)and at Spfld. nearRed Rock Res., IA, throughoutthe sea- Missourithis winter, and a •?Ruby-throated Dec. 27 (DB). son (TS) and anotherin Saline,IL, Jan. 9 wasfound dead at Springfield,MO, Mar.20 Mimidswintered in typicalnumbers, in- (•TF, JDe).Lingering Vesper Sparrows were (fideBJ). Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers wintered cludingscattered Gray Catbirds and Brown noted in Lake, IN, Dec. 28 (LH) and at northto Algona, IA, anarea that also hosted Thrashersin then. states.Migrant Am. Pip- Fredricksburg,OH, Jan. 13 (BMi). The awintering Pileated Woodpecker near the w. itswere noted as late as Jan. I andas early as mostunusual passerine was a LarkBunting edgeof its range (MK). The mild weather en- Feb. 17, but the onlywintering pipit was discoverednear Fredricksburg, OH, Jan.1-4 ticedE. Phoebesto lingerinto December in near Fredricksburg,OH (EM). Cedar (•EM, fLY). It furnishedonly the 2nd win- moststates, including a CBC totalof 29 in Waxwingsappeared in variablenumbers, ter recordfor Ohio. WinteringSavannah Kentucky.The lastphoebes were noted Jan. fromlocally absent to locallynumerous de- Sparrowswere noted north to Holmes,OH. 4 atWheaton, IL (RCo),Jan. 9 in Rockcastle,pending upon the availabilityof berries. Le Conte'sSparrows were reported from KY (AR), andJan. 15 in •ney, MO (JH). Northern Shrikes returned to normal, with their establishedwinter rangein Missouri Springmigrants returned to thes. statesby 15+sightings scattered across the n. states. and s. Illinois,but one nearSpfld. Dec. 26 lateFebruary. Late Tree Swallows lingered at Casualvisitors to Missouri,single Northerns (DB) wasslighdy n. of thisrange. Lingering MississinewaRes., IN, Dec. 3 (Haw, BEt) werereported in NodawayDec. 8 andBoone Lincoln'sSparrows at Akron,OH, through and Gibson,IN, Dec. 31 (BGo). Dec.15 (TB). LoggerheadShrikes wintered Jan.19 (WS etal.,ph.) and Saline, IL, Jan.14 The largestroosts of Am. Crowstotalled in typicalnumbers for recent years, primarily (•JDe)were noteworthy. The only extralimi- 9000 in Ames,IA (JD) and 4000 at Rich- in theRegion's s.half. tal Harris'Sparrow visited a Columbus,IN, mond,IN (BB). It wasanother poor winter Despitefairly mild temperatures, few war- feederJan. 15-Mar. 2 (D & JSa). for Red-breastedNuthatches, with very biers lingeredinto the winter. Yellow- The lack of snow cover was reflected in the paucityoflongspur reports. Laplands peaked with 5000 in Barton,MO, Dec. 7 (TB), but similar numbers were not found in Iowa and Illinois,where the largestflocks totalled 300-900. The 500+Laplands in UnionJan. 20 (TF et al.) compriseda large concentra- tion for s. Illinois.Smiths Longspurs were limitedto smallflocks of migrantsin w.Mis- souriDec. 7-13 andin lateFebruary. Snow Buntingswere infrequentlyencountered, withthe largest flocks totalling 130-300 in the n. states. Blackbirdselicited few comments. Always unusualin winter, singleYellow-headed Blackbirdsappeared at Zion,IL, Jan.1 (RB, LB), Mercer,KY, Jan.10 (FL, WK), and in Alexander,IL, Jan.20 (TF etal.).Small num- bers of Brewer's Blackbirds were scattered acrossmost states. The mostunusual report was one in Holmes,OH, Jan. 20 (BGI). Great-tailed Grackles wandered e. of their normalMissouri range, with one in Ran- dolphJan.15-Feb. 3 (RC)and 25 in Colum- busFeb. 17-25 (BG). SnowyOwl at BurnhamHarbor, Chicago, Illinois, on December 29, 1991.Invading Snowies reached It was another dismal season for winter northernIllinois and other areas near the GreatLakes in goodnumbers this winter.PhatograplV finches.Purple Finches were universally Joe B. Milosevich. scarce,a disturbing trend that coincides with

Volume 46, Number 2 - 273 Addendum: A Brown Pelican was observed on CaesarCreek Res. June 2, 1991 (ph. CENTRALSOUTHERN WD), furnishingthe first photographically substantiatedrecord for Ohio and adding to REGION the surprisingnumbers of BrownPelicans StephenJ. Stedman observedin theRegion last year.

Contributors:(subregional editors in bold- The Regionexperienced another fairly face)K. Alexander,H. Armstrong,T. Barks- mild winterwith rainfallaccumulating at dale,J. & E Bell, L. Binford,R. Biss,G. normal levels or above in most sectors. For Black,D. Bohlen,G. Bowman(GBo), Ken instance,Remsen reported 24+ inchesnear Brock (n.w. Indiana),Alan Bruner (Indi- BatonRouge for the season. However, slight- ana), B. Buskirk,J. Campbell,R. Carter ly belownormal precipitation fell in Alaba- (RC), J. Castrale(JCa), R. Cecil (RCe), R. ma.As a consequenceofan odd weather pat- Chapd (RCh), D. Chasar(DC), D. Cim- ternthat left the northern areas of the Region prich(DCi), R. Coons(RCo), D. Dankert, snowless,a hefty seven inches fell on Birm- Possiblyreflecting the mildseason wasthis BobDanlay (Illinois), M. Deaton,J. DeNeal inghamand vicinity during the night of Jan- Lincoln'sSparrow lingering at Akron,Ohio, on ODe), J. Dinsmore(JD), D. Dister(DDi), uary 18. Generallysnowless conditions, January18,1992. Photograph/LarryRosche. W. Driver,J. Dunn (JDu),J. Durell(JDr), J. however,prevailed during the remainder of theexpansion ofHouse Finches throughout Elmore, B. Engebretsen,B. Etter (BEt), T. theseason nearly everywhere. Birds respond- the Region.The statusof PurpleFinches Evans,C. Fields,T. Fink, B. Fisher,C. Fuller edto these salubrious conditions predictably. meritsspecial attention as they may be rapid- (CFu),J. Fuller,J. Garrett, B. Glick(BGI), B. Manyspecies found predominantly on the ly disappearingfrom our winterbird com- Goodge, R. Hannikman (RH), J. Haw coastappeared well inland. Others wintered munities.Neither crossbill staged a notice- (Haw),J. HayesOH), G. Herbert,J. Hill inlarger than usual numbers, both along the able movement. Reds were limited t6 4 re- OHO, L. Hinchman,K. Hirabuyoshi,C. Gulf and inland.Semi-hardy species, like portsfrom Iowa and one from Illinois.A Hobbs(CH), D. & J. Hoffman(D & JHo), roadrunnersand bluebirds, continued to White-wingedCrossbill in Bullitt Dec. M. Hogg,C. Holt (CHo), E. Hopkins,R. showgood population increases. 29-30 (J& PBoraL) was a veryunusual visi- Hughes(RHu), B. Huser,Brad Jacobs (Mis- Interiorsightings ofhot-line species dom- torto Kentucky, especially given their scarci- souri),A• Johnson,E. Johnson,T. Johnson, inatedthe avifaunal kaleidoscope thisseason, ty elsewhere,with only 4 recordsfrom Iowa D. Jones,T. Kemp(TKe), W. Kemper(WK), a reversalof the usualpattern of coastal andone from Ohio. Common Redpolls were M. Kenne, T. Kent, P. Kitde, W. & N. monopolyof rarities.Several first state theonly finches to move south in appreciableKlamm (W & NKI), L. Kopka,L. Lehman, recordswere well documented, as well as a re- numbers.Fair numberswere scatteredacross T. LePage,E Loetscher,P.Mahnkey (PM), J. portof onespecies never before encountered then. statesin Decemberand January, in- McCoy (JM), P.McKenzie (PMc), K. Met- in NorthAmerica during winter and rarely in cludingflocks of 200+at ClintonL., IL, Jan. calf,B. Miller(BMi), E. Miller,J. Milosevich any season. 25 (RCh) and 60-75 in Ohio and Iowa. A (JMi), B. Monroe(BM), L. Moore,D. Over- Manyobservers now routinely prepare a fewredpolls wandered farther south, with re- acker,B. & L. Padelford(B & LP), C. Parker pageor moreof notesfor sightingsof rare portsfrom Howard,MO, Dec. I (TB), W. (CPa), P. Petersen,C. Peterson,R. Pinkston birds.To thesefaithfid, residing mainly in Frankfort,IL, throughJan. 12 (LS), and (RPi),G. Pittman,D. Poggensee,L. Rauth Louisianaand north Mississippi,many Greene,OH (SU,JDu), marking the limits of (LRa), B. Reeves,E Renfro, A. Ricketts, thanksare due. Without a detailed"paper theirwanderings this winter. Numbers of LarryRosche (Ohio), R. Sandburg,D. & J. trail," suchbirds are hard to discusscomfort- PineSiskins were generally low, although Sandlin(D & JSa),T. Schantz,C. Shaefer, ablyin a reportlike thisone. Contributors flocksof 65-160 appearedin pordonsof RossSilcock (Iowa), H. Simon,J. Sinclair, canassist in theproduction of thereport by Ohio. Exceptfor 850 Am. Goldfinchesin M. Smith(MSm), Anne Stamm (Kentucky), submittingall recordson 3 X 5 cards,one Howard, MO, Dec. 1 (TB), even this L. Stanley,M. Stinson(MS), W. Stover,N. speciesto a card.They canoffer even more widespreadspecies was rather scarce. Taylor,S. Turner,S. Utterback,J. VanBen- assistanceby briefly noting on theback of EveningGrosbeaks were almost nonexistent. thuysen,E. Walters,L. Yoder.In addition, thesecards the particulars which led to their Onlysingles were reported from Indiana and manywho couldnot be individuallyac- identification. Ohio.The Eur. TreeSparrow has become knowledgedsubmitted notes to the subre- My thanksto SusanMcWhirter for send- wellestablished in s.e. Iowa, where up to 50 gional reports.--BRUCE G. PETER- ing copiesof all TennesseeCBCs to me.Ad- visiteda Burlingtonfeeder this winter (CFu). JOHN, PatuxentWildlife ResearchCenter, ditionally,I receiveda tabulation of Arkansas Laurel, MD 20708. count data from Helen and Max Parkerand a similar tabulation of Alabama data from ThomasImhof. Finally, the American Birds CBCeditor forwarded acopy of all Regional BirdBase 2 CBCs (sansdocumentation) at the eleventh hour. All of these data were valuable in the "Sophleficated...remnrkablyfest,..a great program"-The Auk "Easy to use evenfor a beginner'' -BirdingWorld "The softwllro of choice"-WilsonLib. Bull. "inspires enthusiasm and awe"-Birding preparationof thisreport. BB2 automaticallykeeps thousands of annual/lifelists (e.g. any ABA area, nation, state, province, county,or particularlocation) with full detailsof evmysighting. And it hasa largevariety of other Abbreviations:p.a. (pendingacceptance [by typesof display. BB 2 is the onlydatabase that protectsthe effortyou investin enteringsightings thestate bird records committee]). againstthe frequentchangas in bird namesor taxonomyand can alsohandle future expansion of yourbirding territory to anywherein the world. Youwill neveroutgrow BB 2, or the fun of usingit. LOONS TO GREBES Includingthe ABA-AOUN. American-Hawaiianspecies. it is $59.95+$3.00shipping and needsan Red-throatedLoon sightings totalled five, IBM-compatiblewith 720K total disk capacity and 256K of RAM. Includingalso the ABA-adopted with singlebirds on CBCsin Baldwin,AL, Clements'(4th Ed.) world species, it is $99.95+$5.00and requiresa harddisk and 640K of RAM. Dec. 28 (tGDJ) and Gulf,FL, Dec. 30 Add8% taxfor CA orders. Doubleoverseas shipping charges. We acceptVisa and MasterCard. (tSJS)being at sites where they are expected Sausfac•n SANTA BARBARA SOFTWARE PRODUCTS. INC. Spec,fy.,ze regularlyif rarely.More unusual were up to guaranteed 1400 •over Roa•. S.B. CA 93103 USA- Phone or Fax 805 963 4886 of drive A threefar from the Gulf in Hempstead,AR, Dec. 23-Feb. 29 (CM, HP, MP) and a lone

274-American Birds,Summer 1992 bird Dec. 21-Feb. 10 (•GK, SK, JRW) in Panola,MS--these werealso unusual for the ß Cross Creeks NWR lengthof theirstays at thosesites. The most ß Fayetteville ßReelfootL •L• ßNashville noteworthyreport came Feb. 1 fromfar in- 'DuckR.Unit land Caddo,LA (•JPS, m.ob.), wherethe TENNESSEE states2nd or 3rdrecord was established (p.a. ß Ft. Smith ß Memphis LBRC). Two PacificLoons in PanolaFeb. ARKANSAS 4-7 (•GK, JAT,m.ob.) represented Missis- Wheeler•R•R ß LittleRock ßSardis L. sippi's4th record,while one to twoin Gun- tersvilleDec. 1 & 26 (•BG,fide LR) provid- ed the 3rd inlandrecord for Alabama(p.a. L•MillwoodWhite River NWR MISSISSIPPI ß Birmingham ABRC). NoxubeeNWRß •ShrevepørtßMonroe ALABAMA Themajor field guides irill do not reflect die LOUISIANA factthaf fairly •ge flocksof HornedGrebes •oUtinelY'•taythe •int• up• 300miles north9f •he;GulfCoast o• t•q m•ny:•rge Mobile,• M;ntgome•JFLORIDA impoundmentscreated dU3ing ihe= p•i 6 decadeiifi.th e Re•on•interior, pa•dcul•ly •"•BatonRouge•Gulfporl in*Tennessee.Thismajor northward shift in %i•ierih•range of a sizablep0r•o• •f the CameronPar. , •,._-• specieS'population was amply in evi&nce againduring die "seaSøn. Over7100 Were •eco•d•oh die HiCko•-Priest CB• hear •ewC Nashville,TN? Jan. I q_•CGD); at least 206•b}e •vt•ieni Jan. 4 andF•N 16'i• DeKalb,T, 4 (SJS,BHS•f another 70were and by four farther east on the tion, while nine in Pensacola,FL, Jan. 26 notedin Henry,TN, F•b. 16 (SJS,GSK, ChoctawhatcheeBay CBC. Lessexpected (PT,BT) providedthe first local record for •VAW.CE, )] lift-'addition, about 50 W•rb was an Eared in Union, AR, Feb. 29 (SS). that month.In Louisiana,a few reportsof recordedOn.k•:r,•sas CBCs •d anothfr100 Surprisingly,only one Louisiana report sur- winteringBrown Pelicans were also issued: on CBCsi•n Alabama,where 60 werenoted faced two in the southwest on the Sabine one in OrleansDec. 21 (SWC, DD, CMa), in Co/be'tFeb. 9 (NP).One >elabm-men- CBC Dec. 14 (fide CS, PW), much closer to Jan.17 (PY), andFeb. 9 (PY);three Dec. 29 rionedfactor that mlght contribute to •is ' themajor wintering range of the spedes. The in Cameron(JK); and 32 on theVenice CBC changeinwimering range is the stoqkinõ0f W. Grebereported last fall from Hempstead, Dec. 29 (fideRDP). These sightings suggest many'reservoirs.witl•species of smallfish,' AR, stayedthrough February on L. Mill- thelatter species continues to recoverits for- suchas alewives and threadfin shad, designed wood (CM, DIH, Doll). Another, merrange. At thesame time it continuesto to.serve as, prey fosgame õpecies. Wintering Louisiana's12di, wasobserved on theJohn- dowell farther east: Toups reported flocks of HornedGrebeand other piscivores probably sons Bayou CBC Dec. 15 (•CK, CS,PW). 200 in Mississippi;while some concentra- benefif•,om th• inbdductiofi ofdiese fish. Mississippi'sfirst to be satisfactorilydistin- tion of 500+ were noted in Alabama and n.w. guishedfrom Clark's Grebe showed up in Florida. MadisonJan. 26-Feb. 7 (HM, JS,JB, TLS, Double-crested Cormorants were en- MC). counteredfar inland duringDecember in About four Red-necked Grebes invaded noteworthyntLmbers, induding 1800+ Dec. Mississippi,where there had been just 2 or 3 $UL|D$ 70 liERONS 21 in PineBluff, AR (fideRD)and 17,000+ previoussightings. An adultwas discovered During December N. Gannetsreached max- in Washington,MS, Dec.29 (fideEA). Two on the coastin JacksonDec. 8 (ph. RS,RR, imumdensity on theGulf coast in Alabama NeotropicCormorants in lOrmilion,LA, m.ob.),while an immature appeared inland andwere notably fewer both east and west Dec. 18 (tVR, DW, CF) werealso farther in- Dec.8-9 at L. Enidin Yalobusha(ph. JRW, alongthe coast; i.e., the 1100+ reported Dec. land than usual. Thirteen Louisiana CBCs •GK, SK, MD, m.ob.), the latter bird the 28 on the Gulf Shores,AL, CBC (LD) were accumulatedreports of 122Anhingas; this firstfor then. sectorof thestate; it wasprob- 20 timesmore than werecounted on any generoustotal was perhaps indicative of the ablythe same bird sighted Feb. 13 on the n.w. Floridaor MississippiCBC. Wasthis warm season. Yalobusha/Panolaline (•GK). Anotheradult concentrationaconsequence of the direction About40 GreatEgrets, down somewhat wasin extremen. Mississippion theWater- andlocation of Gulfcurrents? Of theprevail- from countsin recentyears, remained in loo, AL, CBC Dec. 14 (LN, PK), while an- ing winds?Of nutrientsflowing into the Arkansasto be tallied on 5 CBCs; 100+ re- otherimmature showed up inlandat Sardis Gulf from the Mobile R.? Or of some combi- mainedat Vicksburg,MS/LA, Dec. 28 (fide L. Dec. 27-Jan. 6 (•GK, SK, m.ob.). No nationof these(and other) factors? HM). SixCatde Egrets in Chicot,AR, Jan. 1 otherreports of thisgrebe were received ex- Followingtheir bannerfall season,Am. & 9 (DS) meritmention as does die Green- ceptfor oneon the DauphinI., AL, CBC White Pelicanscontinued to generatenews. backedHeron in Washington,AR, Dec. 14 Dec.21 (fideJW--sansdetails). A rareJanuary bird was located in Washing-(JW, EN), sinceit establishedthe first winter EaredGrebes maintain a smallwintering ton,AR, Jan.23 (MM), andtwo were there record for n.w. Arkansas. populationin thes.e. portion of theRegion, Feb.20 (MM). The firstwinter sighting for mainlyjust inland from and along the coast, Oktibbeha,MS, involved two Feb. 15-16 WATERFOWL asindicated by flocks of eightand 13 in Jack- (TLS,MC), thoughthese may have been mi- Up tofour Tundra Swans stayed Dec. 1-Feb. sonand Jones, MS, Jan. 2 (JATetal.) and Jan. grants.A flockof 400+Feb. 28 in La•yette, 16in Lauderdale,TN (WGC, JRW,MP, HP, 26 (TLS),respectively, aswell as by singles MS (GK, SK VT), alsorepresented a local m.ob). Two farthereast in Stewart,TN, Dec. on2 nearbyMississippi CBCs, by one on the winterfirst. Toups viewed 350+ in Harrison, 15 (fideDB) werethe only Regional CBC PerdidoCBC on the Alabama/Floridaline, MS,Jan. 30 asan unusual winter concentra- birds. Still farther east two in Putnam, TN,

Volume 46, Number 2 - 275 Dec. 6-7 (ph. SJS,BHS, m.ob.) provided •l•volate-migrating Broad-winged Hawks the 2nd recordlocally; probably the same were near the parish line for J•rson/ two were 20 mi south in White, '1•1, Dec. œaj•urche,LA, Dec. 1 (DM, RDP); a well- 18-19 (SJS,TR). One remainedbriefly in documentedimmature thought to bewin- Tunica,MS, Dec. 8 (WRP), while threeim- teringin Plaquemines,LA, Dec.29 (ph. & maturesappeared with equal brevityin •DM, NN, JM) lentcredence to previousre- •shington, MS, Feb. 9 (GK, SK, TLS, ports of this species'wintering in s.e. m.ob.). Southernmostof all, threeremained Louisiana;another immature shared space in]qeferson, AL, Dec. 13 through the end of brieflyand fatally with a window,providing February(RS, m. ob.). An imm.Trumpeter the 3rd w. Tennesseewinter record Dec. 20 SwanDec. 12-Feb.28 in Laj•yette(•GK, in Shelby(OKM). VT, JRW,m.ob.) was Mississippi's 2nd ever. Lightmorph Rough-legged Hawks were %ntalizingrumors of a Trumpeterin Ten- well reported;one in Putnamand White, nesseewere never substantiated. TN, Dec. 15 andDec. 18-20 (SJS,m.ob.), Ross'Geese were noted in Mississippi, respectively,was a firstfor the former county. Arkansas,and Louisiana in small to moder- Very rare dark morphbirds appeared in ate numbers,including 382 conservatively Limestone,AL, Dec. 8 (•GDJ, DGJ); •sh- countedin]•rson Davis,LA, Feb. 1 (SWC, ington,AR, Dec. 14-15 (DJ); and Mont- DD, •CMa); therewere no reports from the gomery,TN, Feb.16 (SJS,GKa). Immature e. halfof theRegion in 'l•nnessee,Alabama, GoldenEagles were located in Drew,AR, or n.w. Florida. Louisiands4th Brant was re- Jan.9 (DS); Yalobusha,MS, Dec. 7 (•GK, portedby state wildlife personnel sometime SK, RB); Winston,MS, Feb.23 (TLS); and duringJanuary inJqeferson Davis (fide SWC); ]q•rsonDavis, LA, Feb.8-16 (•JPS,•CS, up to twobirds were then well described by m.ob.). An adult was on the TensasRiver m.ob.Feb. 1-6 in thatparish (SWC, DD, N.W.R., LA, CBC Jan. 2 (•DPa, p.a. •CMa, GB, CB) and in neighboring LBRC). Good numbersof Merlins and Pere- CameronFeb. 21 (GB, CB). The Brant re- grine Falconswere seen on the CBCs. A portedlast fall in Laj•yette,MS, was still pre- Prairie FalconDec. 7 in Yalobusha(•GK, sentFeb. 28 (tVT, m.ob.). SK,RB, m. ob.) was Mississippi's 3rd. Judgingfrom CBC data, dabbling ducks experiencedan averagewinter throughout RAILS TO SHOREBIRDS theRegion; however, few reports about them Despitea 2nd consecutiveyear of mild, were submitted. Two well-described Am. ImmatureRed-necked Grebe at LakeEnid, moderatelywet conditions,very few rails BlackDucks seen Feb. 20 (CC, JP)in Jack- Mississippi,on December 8,1991. Thiswas only werereported inland. Sandhill Cranes were sor•MS, whereconsidered rare, and one Eur. aboutthe thirdstate record, but at leastthree othersappeared during the winter. presentin easternmiddle ]•nnessce during Wigeon Dec. 15 in Stewart,]• (CS) were PhotograplVJeffR. Wilson. Decemberand Februar 7 in theirusual capac- prominentexceptions. ity as migrants;three at WheelerN.W.R., By contrast,diving ducks were well re- 14 in Cameron,LA (fideCS, PW). The 6th AL, Dec. 29 (SM) wereconsidered rare; ditto ported.Over 6800 Canvasbackswere pre- LouisianaMasked Duck (p.a. LBRC) and threein •shington,MS, 7-8 Feb. (JRW,, sent on the CatahoulaN.W.R., L/k, CBC firstsince 1973 showed up in Laj•urcheJan.MD, m.ob.);a parishfirst was established by Dec.14 (fideJM),by far the largest concen- 19 (tGW etal.). a singlebird Jan. 9 andthereafter in E. Baton trationnoted, while the largest Ring-necked Rouge,LA (VR), while four eachin Pointe Duck aggregationsincluded 4000+ on the Coupeeand St. •mmany,L/k, Jan. 10-13 Sumner,MS, CBC Dec.30 (fideGT)and an Ospreyswere noted inland with frequency (JBo)and Dec. 26 (fideJH), respectively, equalnumber in Laj•yette,MS, Feb.20-28 againthis winter and were often more abun- were also rare. (GK, VT). Many smallflocks of Greater dantthan expected onthe coast, particularly An early LesserGolden-Plover was in Scaup,numbering mainly in singledigits but in Louisiana. No Black-shouldered Kites Cameron,LA, Feb. 29 (JKetal.). Rare Snowy rangingup to 50 birds,were reported werereported from Mississippi, but twore- Ploversappeared in Cameron,LA, on the throughoutthe Region.The concentrationports emanated from s.w.Louisiana: one on SabineCBC Dec. 14 (fideCS, PW) andin of 40,000Lesser Scaup in Cameron,LA, Feb. theSabine CBC Dec. 14 (fideCS, PW); and Harrison,MS, Jan.23 (CC etal.); 133 were 29 (JKet al.) must have been impressive and onein Laj•yetteDec. 29 (DP,DPa). Perhaps counted on four CBCs in n.w. Florida where certainlywas the highest total reported. in responseto themild season, Bald Eagle theyare less rare but in needof monitoring. Oldsquawswere represented bylone birds numbers at Reelfoot L., ]•, were even Farinland reports of yellowlegsincluded a whereverreported--4 sites in Arkansas,2 in lower--at111 birds (fideMGW)--than last Greaterin Monroe,AR, Jan.29 (RD), a Less- Louisiana,and one eachin Alabamaand n.w. winter'snumbers; many were reported in er in Limestone,AL, Feb.9 (GDJ,DGJ), and Florida; an illustration of the lonelinessof smallto fair numbersthroughout the Re- fourLessers in Shelby,TN, Feb.16 (VRe, thelong distance migrant? Single Black Scot- gion, but all otherreports involved fewer MGW). Very unusualin winterwere Soli- erswere in Oktibbeha,MS, Dec. 18 (TLS, than 100 birds. tarySandpipers at2 Louisianasites: jqCj•rson m.ob.);Hancock, MS, Dec. 22 & 26 (JAT, Exceptfor Waldron in w.•l•nnessee, subre- DavisFeb. 1 (SWC,CMa), andSt. John the GM); and Escambia,FL, Feb. 27 (RAD). gionaleditors reported very few Accipiters, BaptistFeb. l 2 (RS,MW). ]•voappeared in Orleans,LA, Dec. 19 (NN). leavingconclusions about them to bedrawn In LouisianaLong-billed Curlews are rare White-wingedScorer reports included five from CBC data. From them I conclude that awayfrom the coast, so two in AcadiaDec. 18 onthe Lonoke, AR, CBC Dec. 15 (fideJLY); thetwo smaller accipiters are doing at least ad- (CK, CS,DM, AS)were notable; farther east, oneon the Pine Bluff, AR, CBC Dec. 21 (fide equatelywell in the Region:252 Sharp- whererare even on the coast,another was at a RD); one in Orleans,LA, Dec. 21 (NN, shinnedHawks were sighted on 59 of 80Re- traditionalsite, the Mobile Causeway in Bald- RDP); and sevenin Baldwin,AL, Dec. 28 gionalCBCs; 141 CoopersHawks were win,AL, Dec.29 (GDJ),and still another was (LD).A singlereport ofa 9 SurfScotercame counted on 61 of those CBCs. Northern in Gulf,FL, Dec.30 (RLW).Marbled God- from Hancock,MS, Dec. 21 (JAT). Com- Goshawks restricted their southern visits to wits were deemedrarities in Harrison,MS, mon Merganserswere widespread in very Tennessee,where singles appeared in Cannon Dec. 5 (JA• m.ob.);Escambia, FL, Dec. 7 smallnumbers, including one far south Dec. Jan.15 (tKN, MT) andShelby Feb. 15 (MG). (RAD, m.ob.)--the first local December

276-American Birds,Summer 1992 far eastas Laj•yette,LA, duringthe season (BJ,DP, GW, GB, m.ob.),though they had extendedtheir range slightly farther east last fall. Rare in Arkansas,a Common Ground- Dovein ArkansasDec. 20 hadbeen shot by a hunter(fide JSp). The recentsuccession of mild wintershas spelled relief for Greater Roadrunnersin Arkansas, where 22 were recordedon CBCs, up from state CBC totals of five, seven,and 11 in 1988, 1989, and 1990,respectively. Groove-billed Anis were unreportedoutside Louisiana, where about 10sighlings occurred. Up to 16Short-eared Owlscongregated in IOrmilion,LA, during theseason (AK, KR); in addition,four in Tu- nica,MS, Jan. 19 (MD, GK, SK), nine in Noxubee,MS, Feb.29 (TLS, m.ob.),and sin- glebirds in White,TN, Dec.28 (TR) and Lawrence,AL, Feb. 26 (GDJ, DGJ) were considerednoteworthy. Two Corn. Nighthawksin Pulaski,AR, Dec.7-14 (•'LP)just made the Little Rock CBC andprovided the latestfall recordfor thestate, while one in E. BatonRouge, LA, stayeduntil Dec. 26 (RMZ, ph.KR) forone of that state's few well-documented winter records.Four Vaux's Swifts, identified by call, werein WBatonRouge, LA, Dec. 19 (SWC, DD); fourunidentified swifts seen through- outthe winter at a roostsite in E. BatonRouge (JK,JM), a fewmiles n.e., were probably the AdultLittle Gull (centev•dark underwings)with Bonaparte'sGulls at LakeMillwood, Arkansas, samebirds noted by Cardiffand Dittmann; on December15, 1991. Fifthstate record. PhotograplVChades Mills. theymay have been some of thebirds report- ed from the same roost last winter. record;and Baldwin,AL, Dec. 29 (GDJ). A erdale,AL (•'GDJ);finally, a singlewas seen Three Buff-belliedHummingbirds win- singleW. Sandpiperand three Dunlins repre- in Cameron,LA, Dec. 15 (JK).Arkansas' 5th teredin St.John the Baptist, LA (SN, RS), senteda rarequartet in Poinsett,AR, Jan.10 Little Gull appearedat L. Millwood,Little whileone was present Jan. 14-Feb. 28 in St. (MP,HP). PectoralSandpipers in Mississip- River,also Dec. 15 (ph. CM). Jacksoncount- Mary, LA (DMi), and anotherDec. 1 in pi twoDec. 10, 19,& 26 in Hancock(JAT, ed 10,500Bonaparte's Gulls Dec. 8 at the Cameron,LA (CMa); for the 4th consecutive m.ob.)and one Feb. 20 in]ackson(CC, SM et Wilson and Wheeler dams in Alabama, a winterone stayed the season in Hancock,MS a/.)--representedeither rare wintering, or ex- stateinland high count; 14,500 Ring-billed (ph.JAT, LS). Aboutnine Ruby-throated tremedates for migrants. Gullsat thesame sites that day were 500 shy Hummingbirdswere reported in Louisiana For the 6th consecutiveyear a Purple ofthe high count. (m.ob.), aswell asone in Hancock,MS, Jan. Sandpiperwas in Harrison,MS; it stayedJan. Back for its 9th consecutive winter in Har- 30 (JAT,CC, m.ob.).At leastseven Black- 13into spring (ph. JAT, SMi). Small flocks of rison,MS, a LesserBlack-backed Gull was chinnedHummingbirds were counted in up to 15 Stilt Sandpipersremained in nicelyphotographed (JAT), as werej3ur Louisiana(m.ob.) along with onein Han- Louisiana,reported in LaJ3urcheDec. 1 (count'em) in St.Bernard, LA, Dec.21 (ph. cock,MS (JAT,DH) andanother in Bay,FL, (DM), AcadiaDec. 18 (DM etal.),Plaquem- CMa,SWC, DD). Alsocausing photograph- Dec.28 (fideilL). inesDec. 29 (DM), and]e•rson Davis Feb. 1 ic behavior were imm. Glaucous Gulls in An imm. c• CalliopeHummingbird in E. (SWC, DD, CMa). A dowitcherheard and Harrison,MS, Feb.23 (ph. CC) and New BatonRouge Jan. 21-25 (•'MDa, •'CMa, seenwell in Bolivar,MS, Feb. 9 (GK, SK, Orleans,LA, Dec. 8 (ph. & •'DM, •'AS),as •'AK) wasabout the 15th for Louisianaand JRW,TLS) was most likely a Long-billedand wellas an ad. in St.Bernard, LA, Dec.21 (ph. wasdocumented by the latterobserver with wasdefinitely far from usual wintering areas CMa). GreatBlack-backed Gulls were noted somefine drawings. About ten Rufous Hum- on the coast. in St.Bernar• Dec. 21 (ph.CMa.),]e•rson, mingbirdsand four Selasphorusspp., manyof LA, Feb.22 (PY), andJackson, MS, Feb.25 whichwere banded(NN), were reported JAEGERS,GULLS (CC, TLS);farther to theeast three in Gulf, fromLouisiana (m. ob.). Away from the Gulf, Two imm. Pomafine Jaegers on the Sabine FL, Dec. 30 (RLW) suggestedthat the a Rufous was banded in Little Rock, AR, CBC in Cameron,LA, Dec. 14 (SWC, DD, speciesmay be increasing in thatpart of the Dec.14 (PF, RC), and a Selasphorussp.wasa JaS) were quite positivelyidentified (* Region,as most previous sightings in n.w. CBC bird in Faulkner,AR, Dec. 14 (fide LSUMNS), a consequencelacking when Floridahave been of singlebirds. Black- MJ); a Rufousstayed in Williamson,TN, fourjaegers were seen in thesame parish the leggedKittiwakes put in appearancesin untilat least Dec. 22 (fideATand PGL), hav- nextday on theJohnsons Bayou CBC (VR, Cameron,LA, Dec. 14 (•'PY, DM, m.ob.) ingbeen present since sometime the previous CMa, AK); anotherjaeger thought to have and Grenada,MS, Jan10-Feb. 9 (•'GK, SK, October;another showed up on the Gun- been a Pomafine was noted Feb. 15 near the MD, JRW,m. ob.). tersville,AL, CBCDec. 26 (fideLR). On the westend of DauphinI., AL (•'BG). coast,singles were reported in Escambia,FL, FranklinsGulls invaded the Regionin a DOVES TO HUMMINGBIRDS Dec.14 (fide CKi) and Bay, FL, Dec. 28 (fide coordinatedmanner. Two showedup in EurasianCollared-Doves, not yet on the HL), whilea Selasphorussp.enjoyed Dec. Laj•yette,MS, Dec. 3 (•'GK);another ap- Louisianastate bird list (p.a. LBRC), were re- 3-20 in Mobile, AL (RS). pearedin I&lobusha,MS, Dec.8 (JRW),the portedin OrleansFeb. 15 (•'DM, JpS)and Alabama'sfirst Allen's Hummingbird sameday that one was reportedin Laud- 23 (RDP,NN). IncaDoves were reported as (p.a. ABRC) was obligingenough to be

Volume 46, Number 2- 277 providedn.w. Arkansas' first winter record. SolitaryVireos in J•erson and MarshallDec. 25 (HK) andJan. 4 (HK), respectively,were rare for n. Alabama. Severalstray parulids, probably enjoying the warm winter, were detectedwell north of thecoast; warbler sightings along the Gulf were about normal,except in Louisiana where some observers considered several speciesin abovenormal numbers. A Ten- nesseeWarbler in DyerDec. 26 (WGC) be- came (of course) Tennessee's4th winter recordand w. Tennessee'sfirst. Mississippi's first inlandwinter N. Parulastayed in La•yetteDec. 21-26 (MD). The Tropical Parulain La•yetteFeb.10-28 (?DP, ph. PC, ?CMa, ?AS) wasLouisiana's 4th evenYellow Warblersin Plaqueminesand St. Charles, LA, Dec.29 (DM, NN, JM) andFeb. 15 (PY), respectively,were the only onesnoted. A Magnoliaand an Am. Redstartin Cameron, LA, Dec. 15 (PY, RDP, MMy/AK, VR, LesserBlack-backed Gull (loft front) first basic plumage at Chalmette,St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, CMa) alsohad no peers. At leastnine N. Wa- onDecember 21,1991. Oneof four individuals prosent on this date. Photograph/Curtis A.Marantz. terthrusheswere reported from coastal Louisiana(m.ob.). A Wilson'sWarbler video- banded(?RS) Dec. 3 in Mobile; it had been both on Dec. 18. tapedin DaredsonFeb. 15 (? and v. PGL) presentsince the 2nd week of Novemberand EasternBluebirds have responded to the providedTennessee's 2nd winterrecord, the abscondedduring the 3rd weekof Decem- recentspate of warmwinters very well in- firsthaving come in December1991 from ber,taking its band.Another Allen's (p.a. deed;highest CBC numbers ever were noted the portionof the statelying in the Ap- ABRC)then appeared andwas also band- in manyareas, including Washington, AR palachianRegion. Wilson's were so common ed (RS, ?GDJ)--in Januarynear Mont- (DJ), andPutnam, TN (SJS);on the former in coastalLouisiana during winter that Muth count numbers were more than double the gomery,where it stayedinto February. dismissedtwo that wintered on his block as previoushigh, and on thelatter they were FLYCATCHERSTO WAGTAILS partof a trendin highnumbers of avianin- morethan triple. The firstAlabama Varied sectivores;they did not evenwarrant a card. Singleempidonaces Jan. 15 andJan. 16 in Thrush(p.a. ABRC) excited m.ob. in Birm- A Yellow-breastedChat wasdetected Dec. 19 Jeffirson,LA (DM), andHancock, MS (JAT, inghamFeb. 20 untilthe end of theperiod in W.Baton Rouge, LA (SWC, DD), whereit CC, SMi), respectively,were the only ones (JBr,?GDJ). rarelywinters. reported.At leasteight Vermilion Flycatch- Singlefemale-type Summer Tanagers oc- ersbrightened Louisiana during the season; curredin 4 Louisianaparishes; another in threeothers made it eastto Mississippi.Ash- similarplumage appeared Jan. 4 in Santa throatedFlycatchers tested observers' skill Rosa,FL (RAD),only the 2nd local January whenone showed up on the Crowley,LA, Wellbfyon dthe level of mere excitement w•s CBC Dec. 18 (?DM, •AS) and two others sighting.The only well described W. Tanager therFcepti0n accorded eastern North Ameri- came from Cameron,LA, Dec. 16 (?RS). crashed the Venice, LA, CBC Dec. 29 cdsfirs/Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava); BlueGrosbeaks again wintered in Louisiana: (?DM). Even more of a test was the F0hfidjfin]31in Oktibbeha, MS(?TLS, ph• followinga latefall reportin Iberville,one Couch's/TropicalKingbird found Feb. 15 in JAT,nzbb•), it remainedonly until the next wasnoted at the samesite Dec. 1, 2 & 8, as J•ersonDavis, LA (?CMa, ?MS), and left •Y beforedisappearing intothe mists. Some wellas Jan. 30 (VR, SWC, DD); anotherwas unidentifiedto species.Single W. Kingbirds skfpti• (ph.& $GDJ)suggest that this indi- in CameronDec. 15 (DM, MMy, RDP,PY); gracedCBCs at JohnsonsBayou, LA, Dec. vidualmayhave been a CitrineWagtail (M. andstill another in St.John the Baptist Dec. 15 (fideCS, PW) andDauphin I., AL, Dec. ci•/a), a YellowWagtail lookalike; breed- 28 (MB). A winter first in Harrison, MS, 21 (fideJW),while a Scissor-tailedFlycatch- ihg'in fareastern Europe, the Citrine has Dec.16 was a • -plumagedPainted Bunting erlingered far north in LittleRiver, AR, Dec. never been recorded in the Western Heml- ata feeder(WH, fideJAT); Louisiana sight- 7 (CM); otherScissor-tails were present in sphkre:until the verdict isreturned on this ings includeda male and a female in Calcasieu,LA, Dec. 1 (BO), Pensacola,FL, stickyidentification in a futureissue of this La•urcheDec. 15 (MF, FA) anda femalein Dec. 14 (fideCK), and Gulf,FL, Dec.29 johi3fial,•eaders more conservative thanI am IbervilleJan. 18-Feb.27 (SWC, DD). At (sJs). •ay wanCtqtefer to thebird as a Motacilla leastseven Indigo Buntings were reported PurpleMartins arrived in E. BatonRouge, sp. o• a yellqw-co!oredwagtail. Whichever from Louisiana; single birds also appeared LA, Jan.29 (JBa,SH), in Bolivar,MS, Feb. Species_thisbird represented, itwas und0ub{- Jan. 4 in SantaRosa, FL (RAD)--providing 13 (WI), andin Putnam,TN, Feb.24 (SJS). ddlythe gem of an fine collection oœarian the2nd local January record--and very far At leastthree sightings ofN. Rough-wingedWaifs •nc0•fiiefed during the. seasonnorth Jan. 11-28 in Union,AR (SS). Swallow occurredin Louisiana,where the thfougfi6Ut•heRegion, speciesis noteworthyin winter. Bewick's SPARROWSTO SISKINS Wrenswere reported from Washington,AR, Two Bachman'sSparrows in Winston,MS, Dec.14 (DJ, RD), where the species isvery rarein winter; three in Noxubee,MS, and one WAXWINGS TO BUNTINGS Feb.16 (TLS)included a singingbird and providedthe 2nd local "winter" record. in nearbyClay during January and February CedarWaxwings were deemed much less AmericanTree Sparrows winter almost an- (TLS)were the 3rd through6th locallyin commonthan they have been during any nuallyalong the w. shore of ReelfootL., TN, winter; anotherwas in Lauderdale,AL, Dec. previousyear that Remsencould remember evenduring warm winters; 55 werethere 22 (NP);southernmost were singles in Ver- in IbervilleandE.Baton Rouge, LA. A White- milion(JK, CMa) and Acadia(WF), LA, Dec.26 (MG, TF), whileseven or eightre- eyedVireo in lY•shingtonDec. 19 (MM) mainedin the areaFeb. 15 (SJS,WAW,

278.American Birds,Summer 1992 CEW,GKa) & 23 (fideMGW). A Clay-col- only Red Crossbillreport came from Van oredSparrow was reported sans details from Buren,AR, wheretwo wereseen Jan. 19-20 PRAIRIEPROVINCES Hancock,MS, Jan.23 (JAT,m.ob.), for the (MAB), while Pine Siskinswere present in 4th localwinter record. Seven Vesper Spar- verysmall numbers or wereabsent, and no REGION rowswintered or wereback early in Clark, EveningGrosbeaks atall were reported. RudolfF. Koes and Peter ylor AR, Feb.23 (D1H, SB);four probably win- teringwere seen Jan. 20 andlater in Shelby, Contributors:(subregional editors in bold- TN (MGW, DMy). LarkSparrows were con- face)Edward Alexander, Fran Allen, Marge Meantemperature were well above long-term s•deredrare in Noxubee,MS, Dec. 27 & Jan. Baldwin,Philip Barbour,Steve Bateman, averagesacross the Region,especially in 20 (GK, SK,TLS, MC) andLa•urche, LA, JohnBates, Mary Alice Beer, Joyce Bennett, southernAlberta; Calgary recorded an amaz- Dec. 15 (GW). Jim Bondy(JBo), Robert Briscoe, George ing 72.7øFon February27. The few cold Rarelyreported Henslow's Sparrows oc- Broussard,John Bruce, Charles Butter- snapswere short-lived. The extremecold of curredin Hancock,MS, Feb. ! 3 (JAT, CC, worth, StevenW. Cardiff (Loui•siana),Chita latefall, however, had driven out many birds SMi, JP) andLajGyette, LA, Dec.27 (BF). Cassibry,Paul Conover, Margaret Copeland, before the onset of mild weather in mid-De- ElevenLe Conte'sSparrows Jan. 20 in Nox- RobertaCrabtree, W. Glen Criswell,Miriam cember,resulting in a ratherquiet birding sea- ubee,MS (TLS, MC) representeda local Davey (MDa), Marvin Davis, Donna son overall.Early snow soon disappeared h•ghcount. Harris' Sparrows, rare but regu- Dittmann, Robert Doster, C. Gerald from much of south Alberta and southwest- larin Louisiana,especially in then.w. section Drewry,Lucy Duncan, Robert A. Duncan, ernSaskatchewan, but near-normal precipita- of thestate, appeared in fiveparishes, includ- Chuck Feerick, Perk Floyd, William tionsustained good snow cover in Manitoba ing Caddy9,where five were reported Feb. 2 Fontenot, Mitch Foret, Tim Furr, Larry (JK etal.);two in Clark,AR, Feb.23 (D1H, Gardella,Murray Gardler,Ben Garmon, LOONS TO GULLS SB) furnishedthe only report outside Shannon Hackett, Dolores Harrington A verylate Com. Loon on the Squaw Rapids, Louisiana. (D1H), Donald Harrington (Doll), Jim SK, CBC Dec.22 (WH) waseclipsed by a LaplandLongspurs inundated Tunica, Holmes,Doris Hope, William Hubler,Wes first-yearYellow-billed Loon lingeringat MS, Dec. 1 (JRW), when2500+ wereesti- Ingram,Debra G. Jackson,Greg D. Jackson GardinerDam from autumnto at leastJan mated;250+ in Limestone,AL, from late De- (Alabamaand n.w. Florida), Douglas James, 23 (HL, RKr, m.ob.).A HornedGrebe pro- cemberuntil February(GDJ, m.ob.)repre- ByronJenkins, Martha Johnson, Graham vided a 3rd consecutiveDecember record at senteda goodnumber for that area;75 in Kash(GKa), Cecil Kersting,Curtis Kings- WatertonLakes NP, AB, Dec. 14 (DD, TD) Colbert,AL, Feb. 16 (NP) provideda first bery, Helen Kittinger, Paul Kittie, Joe A TundraSwan remained in Calgaryuntil countyrecord, while three in Lauderdale,AL, Kleiman,Gene Knight, Shannon Knight, Jan.9, the latestlocal record. A Trumpeter Jan. 11 (NP) werethe 2nd for that county. Andrew Kratter, P. Galen Lenhert, Horace Swanlingered at EchoValley PP, SK, Dec Smith'sLongspurs are rarebut regularin Loftin, Curtis Marantz (CMa), O. Knox 1-Jan. 1 (RH, RKr, BL). Many Canada Shreveport,LA, wherethree were present Martin, John McBride,Steve McConnell, Geese wintered in s. Alberta: 8846 were Feb. 1 (?JPS);up to threein Shelby,TN, SharonMilligan (SMi), CharlesMills, Don- countedin the Lethbridgearea Dec. 28 Dec. ! 5 (MG, WRP) and Jan. 19 (MG, aid Mire (DMi), Mike Mlodinow, James (m.ob.), and over 3000 were at Medicine MGW) werealso at a traditionalsite, as were Montgomery,Hal Moore,Gerry Morgan, Hat Dec. 15 (DBa). In late Februarythere e•ghtFeb. 8 in Prairie,AR (HP, MP, Doll, DavidMuth, DollyannMyers (DMy), Mac werestill 450 in Calgary(RDi); 300 over- DIH). However,one Smith'sLongspur in Myers(MMy), EllenNeaville, Larry Neill, winteredat Regina,SK (RE, FL). LimestoneJan. 1 into February('['GDJ, NortonNelkin, Nancy Newfield, Kay Nor- Two Am. Black Ducks wintered with 94 m.ob.) was the 7th for Alabamaand the ris,Susie Nowell, Brent Ortego, Helen Park- Mallardsat Regina(FL, RE, CB). Good state'sfirst in 23 years(p.a. ABRC); two oth- er (Arkansas),Max Parker(Arkansas), David news was the absenceofavian cholera in Cal- ersin Tunica,MS, Dec. 1 (JRW,?GK) were Pashley(DPa), Dave Patton, Lance Peacock, garyafter 4 wintersof heavymortality for alsoconsidered extremely rare. W. RobertPeeples, JoRee Pennell, Ned Piper, Mallards.The most noteworthydiving WesternMeadowlark reports included R. Dan Purrington,Robert Reid, Van Rem- duckswere Calgary's first-ever overwintering twoin Arkansas,two in Mississippi,and one sen, Linda Reynolds,Virginia Reynolds Greater Scaup (RT, TT, PS et al.), a m Tennessee.Three hundred Brewer's Black- (VRe), Thomas Roberts, Kenneth Rosen- HarlequinDuck to Dec. 14 at Ft. Qu'Ap- Nrdsin LawrenceFeb. 6 (GDJ,JH) provided berg,Robert Sargent, Terence L. Schiefer pelle,SK (RH), and15 Buffleheadsat Leth- a maximumfor theTenn. Valley portion of (inlandMississippi), Lydia Schultz, John E bridgeDec. 28 (A & LL,fideTD). Alabama;80 in Hancock,MS, Dec. 14 (JAT, Sevenair,Judy Shearer, William Shepherd, At MedicineHat two BaldEagles drove a m.ob.)were a goodnumber in a coastalarea ShugShugart, Don Simons,Chris Sloan, Al dogfrom a deadfish only to lose their prize to wherethey are judged scarce. James counted Smalley,Curt SorrelIs,Jim Spencer, Barbara a fox--all seen from a dentist's chair Dec. 18 87 Great-tailedGrackles going to roostDec. H. Stedman,Stephen J. Stedman,Ronald (BV)! NorthernGoshawks were widespread 14in Washington,AR, establishing the high- Stein,James Stewart (JaS), Keith Sutton, in Manitoba, with 19 seenon 14 out of 20 estcount ever on the FayettevilleCBC for Mark Swan,Ann Tarbell,Phil Tetlow, Betsy CBCs,including unofficial counts •qde RP) thislocally increasing species. An imm. c• Tetlow,Genevieve Tharp, Vic Theobald,Ju- Unusualurban birdswere wintering Red- OrchardOriole wasseen Jan. 21 through dith A. Toups(coastal Mississippi), Mary tailedHawks: four in Calgary(RT, RDu, Februaryin Harrison,MS (SMi, m.ob.), Ann Trulock, MelissaTurrentine, Catherine m.ob.)and one"Harlan's" in Regina(TH, wherethe species has occasionally wintered. Walden,Winston Walden, Martha G. Wal- FL, RKr, AB). Gyrfalconreports totaled Sixrecords of N. Oriolesalong the Louisiana dron(w. Tennessee), Phillip Wallace, Melvin abouteight birds each in Manitobaand coastwere not unusual,but two birdsinland Weber,Richard L. West,David Wiedenfield, Saskatchewanand about40 sightingsnear at Montgomery,AL, Dec.28 (LG)were con- JeffR. Wilson,John Winn, JayWithgott, Calgary. s•deredstrays. GaryWorthington, Peter Yaukey, J. Lyndal GrayPartridge numbers were low in s.e Northernfinches g•nerally did not have a York, R.M. Zink.--STEPHEN J. STED- Manitobabut fairly high in w.Manitoba and goodyear. Purple Finches were reported in MAN, Departmentof English,Box 5053, Saskatchewan,while Ruffed Grouse were mostlylow numbers throughout the Region. Tennessee Technological University, hard to find in both Manitoba and House Finch, not a true "northern"finch, Cookeville, TN 38505. Saskatchewan. A well-described Greater wasreported frequently, if in limitednum- Prairie-Chickenat Carlyle, SK, amazed ber,in thes.w. and n.w. portions of theRe- Doris Silcox:her first sightingin over60 gion,as well as everywhere else, as this species years!It fedon grain she provided from mid- continuesto consohdate•ts positionThe Decemberto Feb 18, joinedby up to nine

Volume 46, Number 2. 279 : speciesflock feeding on crossbill- scattered cone debris at a MedicineHat cemeteryJan. 4 (PH). Sixty Red-breasredNut- WoodBuffalo Nat. Park tl •,/'_ _'"•Urn Cily • hatcheson the Riding Mountain CBC contrastedwith scarcity : elsewherein Manitoba. Brown Creeperswere aboveaverage in Ft.McMurraye / Churchill.•: the Calgary foothills (RDi), with ßGrande Prairie / normal low numbers elsewhere. Golden-crownedKinglets were .• ALBERTA/ • ß •" .Thompson conspicuouslyscarce in both ::i:•)•kJasperNatPark / LaRonge MANITOBA Manitobaand Saskatchewan, pre- '•:V ' /SASKATCHEWAN sumablydriven out by the early ::3.• Edmontonß . cold weather.American Dipper concentrations included 10 in a 200-yardstretch of the BowR. • nearL. LouiseJan. 19 (m.ob.,fide

•'. I LastMountainLRiding•ounta'• Townsend• Solitaires were •;:sUethbridge / Swift C•rem J• scarcein theCalgary area (RDi); 3 reportsin Saskatchewanmade a normaltotal (fideRKr). Ameri- •- • J •andonwinnipeg canRobins did well in Calgary, • where20-30 overwintered (fide .... RDi). Varied Thrushes were re- GrayPartridge and 25 Sharp-tailedGrouse. bandednearby as an adult Dec. 20, 1964 portedin all 3 provincesin earlywinter; one An overwinteringAm. Coot wasanother (unlessthe bandhad become a familyheir- at Yorkton,SK, lingered to mid-January(W localfirst at Calgary(m.ob.). The onlyladd loom). SnowyOwl numberswere low, al- & DHj, m.ob.).A BrownThrasher visited a was a first-winter Glaucous Gull at Gardiner though16 werefound in 30 sq. mi near Lethbridgefeeder occasionally from Jan. 13 Dam Dec. 7-8 (SS, BL). Olds,AB, Feb.2 (DH etaL). (LSa).Bohemian Waxwings were scarce, es- Sixscattered N. Pygmy-Owlreports in the peciallyafter December. Small numbers of OWLS Calgary-Claresholmfoothills region were CedarWaxwings are almost annual in parts Mild weather stimulated at least one of Win- welcomeafter last year• scarcity (RDi, PS, of Manitoba and Saskatchewan,but 2 flocks nipeg'sE. Screech-Owlsto call through BSt,JP, JS). Out-of-range Barred Owls were of 12 andfive were very unusual in Calgary much of the winter (RS); two E. Screech- twoin theTurner Valley near Calgary (RDi in January(RT, NT). SevenN. Shrikeswas Owls werereported near Langenburg, SK etaL, TT) andone in Regina,the city's 3rd, anexceptional total at Sibbaldflats, AB, Feb. (DP, DW). A 9 GreatHorned Owl found mid-Novemberto at leastJan. 27 (FB). Ex- 2 (JSt);few were noted elsewhere. injuredat WinnipegZoo Jan.6 had been cellentnumbers of Great Gray Owls ap- Remarkablebut not unprecedented was a pearedin s.e.Manitoba for the 2nd succes- sivewinter. One-day counts of five to 10 birdswere almost routine; an amazing26 I enomenalmm"•-rs df N. I-%wkOw.s werefound Feb. 22 (HC, BN). SingleLong- ma& 0meMa utooanb: ' sWiSh hewifi-, earedOwls were in s.w.Saskatchewan at Cy- pressHills PP Dec. 14 (CB, MB) and near Letwould last tc-..eger (which it usually doe s ]In •r½ _ Mo•t • b•;erv3l'r•naweree. ot win- White BearJan. 22 (SJ).Three Boreal Owls turnedup in birders'gardens outside the 1,q •ld s.o ..... •;th,traditio nal Manitoban boreal forest at KleefeldJan. •:• boreallore•$ir(• ,,•=nd...nterowl 12-13 (RonDueck, m.ob.), St. Adolphe Jan. banding. Birds we wio pread,however, 24 (AC, m.ob.),and Stonewall Feb. 15 (KG); -xrth at least to -2,, P• . l'on•on, and • '•Owden,,with scattered ii gtc_tlsout-• a 4th wasphotographed near Lac du Bonnet •,ucthe •bo,eal ...... ,dg• t•dOakL. in January(BSc). How manymore went un- in the southwest _tooer• •t lk ) bi•ds w•re seenor unreported?

laniedasorM• :nlz l•. 1D bN, HC•; WOODPECKERS TO PASSERINES

rno• _• ,p•e An imm.Red-headedWoodpecker atMoose ,• k v :ornepr:.•r ' of Mountain PP Dec. 19 (RB, GB) wasa win- •tucard ,t, ibuti ,• bi•, = •.otuu, • 1ou,,dat mte•"In to15 ,•r H 0r• witl•local con- ter-seasonfirst for Saskatchewan;yet again, :ntrat'ans as h h as e rt in 10 rmles. oneadult overwinteredat Kleefeld,MB (DF Immaturegray.morph Gyrfalcon near RiverHills, et a•). A Red-belliedWoodpecker visited Gi,en ,.revas• t,•, . • in •cessiblecountry Mnnitoba,on February15,1992. Elie, MB, October to Jan. 4 (LU, RP). PhotograplVPeterTaylor. oneVan only •c, ateon 1 •e nrovindal win- Three-toedWoodpeckers were faidy easy to ter p•, m'. Oh•-a fi • mou•'nd?F•dr findin the Calgary-areafoothills (fide RDi) CapeMay Warbler,sustained by turkeyfat west,txcdlen! nu•ers ,½malnedinthe HudsonBay= tea;' b Lwlk,.re ove•200 were butcontinued extremely scarce in s.e.Mani- at CalgaryDec. 29-Feb. 4 (MD, m.ob.,ph.). seen'and70bah0kd to tae end of March toba.Remarkable considering the mild con- It wasone of threewarblers in Calgary,with ditionswas the scarcity of HornedLarks in s. an 'Audubon's"Yellow-rumped Warbler on (WH)i No N• Hawk O ,Iswe.re reported fxomw, Saskatchewanic. Alberta numbers Alberta(RDi, DBa). theCBC (IH etaL) anda "Myrtle"seen Jan. Black-cappedChickadees were abundant 15 (JeD, RDu). Alberta's3rd documented wereabovt average but Oot Specular (TT). throughoutthe Calgary region (RDi). Thirty NorthernCardinal was a well-photographed Red-breasred Nuthatches headed a mixed- femalepresent since Dec. 14 nearMonarch,

280.American Birds,Summer 1992 NORTHERNGREAT PLAINSREGION David O. Lambeth

When near-zerotemperatures followed the Halloweenblizzard that sweptthrough this Region,plains people braced for the harsh winter they thoughtwas long overdue.It didn'thappen! In fact,the season was widely reportedto bethe first or secondmildest on record. The reservoir at Ft. Peck didn't freeze overfor thefirst time in itshistory, tempera- turesin Montanasoared to ashigh as 72 in Miles City January31, and 74 in Malta February27, andlakes in northeasternSouth Dakotaopened a monthearlier than usual. Amazinglyfar northfor winnerwas this CapeMay Warbler coming regularly to feed on turkeyfat in Exceptfor northeastern North Dakota, snow Calgary,Alberta, i. January1992. Photograph/RichardG. Thomas. coverwas not retained for long. Manyobservers blamed the early blizzard n.w.ofLethbridge (V & MH). Red-winged,three Yellow-headed, and one for the scarcityof semi-hardies--ascarcity A SavannahSparrow in Saskatoonfor Rustyand eight Brewer's blackbirds (all LB). that seemed ever more real because the mild- Well outside their normal Saskatchewan mostof December (HL, m.ob.)was probably nessheightened observers' expectations and a Regionalwinter first. A FoxSparrow over- winter rangewere two RosyFinches fre- allowedmore intensive birding than usual. wintered,also in Saskatoon(SS, HL, m.ob.). quentinga feederat MeadowL., about100 Springmigration appeared to be underway Noteworthywere two White-crowned Spar- min. of North Battleford(fide WH). Pine asearly as February 20 andwas particularly rowsin Weyburn,SK (NP,RB, RKr) and one Grosbeakswere locally common in s.Mani- evidentby the 29th, asthe following report in Winnipegto at leastFeb. 15 (RKo).Four tobaand parts of Saskatchewan.A c• House will show.Although the numbersof birds Harris'Sparrows were in Manitobain De- Finch visiteda Brandon, MB, feederDec. 7, were down, a varietyof unusualrecords cember(fide RP); individualswintered at Feb.29, andMar. 7 (MM). White-winged added interest to the season. Weyburn(NP, RB, RKr) andIndian Head, Crossbills were numerous in the Alberta SK (LSc). Saskatchewan'sfirst winter-season mountainsbut generallyscarce and erratic GREBES TO WATERFOWL Chestnut-collaredLongspur was pho- elsewhere;Red Crossbills were rarely seen ex- A HornedGrebe was present Jan. 1 at Yel- tographednear Govenlock Dec. ! 5 (WH). ceptin andnear the Cypress Hills (home to a lowtailDam on the s. edgeof Montana Twelve Brewer's Blackbirds were found in large-billedform). Common Redpolls were (WR). LateGreat Blue Herons were in Mon- s.w.Saskatchewan in December (fide WH). the only broadlydistributed and common tananear Choteau Dec. 6 (MS),Miles City A Corn. Grackle near Taber,AB, Dec. 28 was winterfinches, especially in Saskatchewan,Dec. 10 (DH), and YellowtailDam Jan. 1 alocal winter first but was overshadowed bya whereasEvening Grosbeaks were very spotti- (WR), andin GrandForks,ND, Dec. 8 (EF). nearby"grand slam" flock comprising15 ly distributed. A Double-crestedCormorant lingered to Dec. 16 in Yankton,SD (SVS). Contributors (subregional compilers in Both Canada Goose and Mallard seem- boldface):Martin Bailey,Dennis Baresco ingly winteredwherever water remained (DBa),R. Belanger,A. Belyk,Lloyd Bennett, open;numbers of eachspecies ranging from Carol Bjorklund,G. Bobbit,David Brad- a few hundred to several thousand wintered dell, FrankBrazier, Herb Copland,Andy asfar north asChester, Malta, and Fort Peck, Courcelles,Mary Davies, Ross Dickson MT, and Garrison Dam and Tewaukon (RDi), DougDolman, Teresa Dolman, Jim N.W.R., ND. Speciesfound unusually late Duncan (JiD), PatsyDuncan, Jean Dunn into the periodincluded a SnowGoose in (JeD),Rodger Dunn (RDu), R. Ewart,Den- Grant,SD, Dec. 18 (LJ); a Ross'Goose in nis Fast,Ken Gardner,Victor & Marilyn Brookings,SD, Jan.20 (BKH); Redheadto Hafichuk, Ian Halladay,Wayne Harris, Jan.1 at Tewaukon(KLN); andHarlequin Trevor Herriot, W. & D. Hjertaas,Ron Duck and Red-breastedMerganser found Hooper,Phil Horch, DarrellHutchinson, Jan. 11 at GarrisonDam (D & CG). A 9 SigJordheim, Rudolf Koes (RKo), Robert Buffleheadwintered at GarrisonDam (GBB, Kreba(RKr), FredLahrman, Harvey Lane, REM). Amongthe 15species of waterfowlat Alice& LeonardLuchansky, Bob Luterbach, YellowtailDam, MT, Jan. 1 were one Old- Mamie McCowan, Bob Nero, Robert Par- squaw,four Barrow's Goldeneye, four Hood- sons,Dennis Petracek,Jamey Podlubny, edMergansers, and a RuddyDuck (WR). Nick Postey,Liz Savoy(LSa), Bill Schwartz Waterfowlwere deady on the move by the (BSc),Lorne Scott (LSc), Stan Shadick, Peter endof the period.Observations labelled as Sherrington,Richard Staniforth, John eadiest ever for South Dakota included a Steeves,Bob Storms(BSt), RichardThomas, Greater White-fronted Goose in Turner Feb. Terry Thormin, NicholasTorino, Leslie 27 (LRL), Green-wingedTeal in Yankton Unruh, Ben Velner, David Weiss.- Feb.14 (SVS),and Am. Wigeonin Yankton FemaieNorthern Cardinai near Monarch, RUDOLF E KOES, 135 Rossmere Cres., Feb.3. The 2500 CanadaGeese wintering Alberta,on December17, 1991. Thirdconfirmed •q'innipeg,MB R2K 0G 1 andPETER TAY- nearChester, MT,- became noisy about Feb. recordfor the province.Photograph/ LOR, Box 597, Pinawa, MB ROE 1L0. 22 andhad left by the29th (HM). SixTun- LloydBennett. dra Swansappeared at FreezeoutLake

Volume 46, Number 2- :181 fined.An Easternwas found Jan. 7 at the Cree Crossingon the ßShelby MedicineLake NWR UpperSouris •t lyerNWR Milk Riverhear Malta (DP), and ßBowdoin NWR ß NWR •.• an Easternwas heard calling in •..--• NORTH GrandForks BillingsJan. 10 (WR).There was F• /• •,t•____,.•DAKOTA onlyone report of SnowyOwl in ./ - )' '•GarnsonDam Arrowwood Montana, two in South Dakota, ',f•GreatFalls MONTANA ; - r • NWRFargand about eight in NorthDakota. Thestrong irruption of Northern ' ßLewistown • ,,Bismarck Hawk Owlsin the neighboring _ •,'P•ilesCity H•ettiner• TewaukonNW•R regions to the eastand north barelyspilled over into North ' Billi••ngs 1•)•• Waubay NWR Dakota. One was faithful to an areaalong the TongueRiver in PembinaDec.17 to Feb.1 (DOL, • MJ), and a secondwas about •!:ii•;.tRapidCity DAKOTA Sioux Fallse threemiles away on Jan. 1 (REM, .Black Hills GBB). A third Hawk Owl near ß Lacreek NWR Yankl%n Munich in late November was adequatelydescribed (fide MJ); i theseare the first North Dakota recordsin a decade.Long-eared N.W.R., MT, Feb.22 (MS). In North Dako- GULLS TO OWLS Owls were identifiedin Custer,SD, Dec. 4 ta, the first Giant Canadas arrived Feb. SeveralRing-billed and 100 Herringgulls (MJP),and in FallRiver Dec. 29 (RAP).Ex- 28-29 at SalyerRef., Jamestown Res., and in wintered at Ft. Peck. California and Glau- ceptfor ChristmasBird Counts, the only re- Walsh. Other arrivals at this time included cousgulls also wintered there with thesur- port of a Short-earedOwl wasof two in Corn.Goldeneye and Corn. Mergansers at prisingnumbers of 100 Californiaspresent GrandForksDec. 6-Jan. 25 (EF). Tewaukonand Audubon refuges. Jan.9, and17 Glaucouson Dec.7 (CC). The bestgull of the seasonwas a first-winter KINGFISHERSTO WARBLERS RAPTORS TO KILLDEER Glaucous-wingedGull photographed at Ft. A winteringBelted Kingfisher was quite far Up to 40 BaldEagles were seen along the Peck Dec. 7 (CC). Farther downstreamat north on the Marias R. near Chester,MT MissouriRiver at Ft. Peck(CC) and below GarrisonDam, ND, allgulls left in earlyJan- (HM). Red-headedWoodpeckers are very GavinsPoint Dam in SouthDakota (SVS). uarywhen L. Sakakaweaiced over. Two adult unusualin winter in thisRegion and thus the There seemed to be more observations than Thayer'sand four Glaucous Gulls, and an ad. sightingsnear Fargo Jan. 1 (L & CF) andin usualaway from the Missouriand Yellow- Black-leggedKittiwake, were present Dec. 7 Meade,SD, Jan. 5 (NRVO are of interest. stoneRivers. Two N. Harrierswintering in a (GBB, REM). Another Kittiwake and a Red-belliedWoodpeckers wintered as far pasturenear Ft. Peckwere unusual for that GlaucousGull were found in Yankton,SD, north as Fargo (D & ML) and Minot area(CC), andearly migrants arrived Feb. Dec. 1 (SVS). A GlaucousGull wasalso seen (REM).The markings ofa N. Flickerwinter- 28-29 in North Dakota at the Salyer, in HughesFeb.15 (MMM, NRVO. ingin Wimbledon,ND, stronglyresembled Tewaukon,and Lake Nettie refuges. Sharp- The rangesof Easternand Western a GildedFlicker (fide H. Schlecht),although shinnedHawks were reported for 2-3 loca- screech-owlsin Montana are still beingde- it wasundoubtedly a "hybrid" of the Red- tionsin eachof the3 states.Cooper's Hawks shafted and Yellow-shaftedforms. werereported for Hettinger,ND, Feb. 8 Several observers commented that (DG), and from Deuel (BKH) and Roberts Horned Larks, LaplandLongspurs, and (KC) in SouthDakota. Northern Goshawks SnowBuntings were unusually scarce; expla- wereagain seen in goodnumbers and as far nationsvaried from the open winter allowing southas Faulk, SD. GoldenEagles seemed widespreaddispersal so that they remained unusuallyabundant in n. Montana(HM, unnoticedto theHalloween blizzard driving DP} and a dozenwere seen in the areaof Het- themsouthward. A Gray Jay was observed in tinger,ND, Jan.5 (DG). PembinaDec. 16 (MJ). BlueJays seemed Medinsmay have been moving northward more numerous than usual with a Feb. 16 in theMinot area by the end of February(fide counttotaling 45 in CassandRichland, ND REM).A Peregrinewas observed attacking a (GEN). A flockof 100 PinyonJays was in GrayPartridge in Deuel,SD, Dec.11 (BKH) Billings,MT, Dec. 10 (WR). Black-billed andone at Jamestown, ND, Feb.27 (J&AP) Magpiesirrupted southeastward into n.e. wasthe eadiest ever, ifa migrant.Gyrfalcons South Dakota (DRS). AmericanCrows are were found Dec. 20 at FreezeoutLake, MT increasinglywintering in North Dakota (MS); Jan. 5 at AudubonN.W.R. and Feb. cities. Flocks of 60 near St. Thomas, ND, 29 at Lake Nettie N.W.R. (DGP), both in Dec. 10 (LFM) and34 nearPage Jan. 12 North Dakota; Dec. 28 in •da• SD (RAP, (DLK) wereunusual in that theywere in JLP),and Feb. 15 nearLaCreek N.W.R. (D opencountry. While searchingfor Hawk & CG). A winteringPrairie Falcon in Grand Owlsin Pembina,ND, severalbirding par- Forks,ND, wassometimes seen perched on ties found two to four Corn. Ravens. watertowers within the city (DOL). A BorealChickadee appeared occasional- Four Virginia Rails were locatedin a ly at a feederin Rugby,ND (WN). Red- sloughnear Park City, MT, Jan.9 (WR);the breastedNuthatches, Brown Creepers, and speciesoccurs with someregularity there. Golden-crownedKinglets were all low in Killdeer were seen in South Dakota on Feb. Glaucous-wingedGull In first-winner plumage at number.A Ruby-crownedKinglet in Pen- 19 in Meade(ELM) and Feb.26 in Yankton FortPeck, Montana, on December 7,1991. nington,SD, Feb.28 (RAP)provided a rare (SVS). Photograph/CharlesCadson. winter record for the state. Eastern Bluebirds

282 .American Birds,Summer 1992 weretallied Dec. 16 andJan. 2 in Yankton (SVS). There were three observationsof SOUTHERNGREAT Mountain Bluebi}ds in South Dakota the lastweek of February,but onenear Grenora PLAINSREGION Feb.20 (TN) beatthe prior eadydate for ]osephA. Grzybowski NorthDakota by 10days. So few robins were presentin mid-winterthat the fivewidely scattered observations in North Dakota Feb. Winterin theRegion began with the event- 25-29 mayall havebeen of migrants.A ful ice and snow storms of Halloween. How- Townsend'sSolitaire regularly visited a wa- ever,the rest of the season was generally more tererin Fort Peck(CC). A VariedThrush was mildand wet thannormal throughout, and in Pennington,SD, Feb.20 (fideNRW), and by February,the spring rush was being felt. a Brown Thrasher was observed Christmas Theimpact of thatsingle autumn storm may Day in Brown,SD (DAT). havebeen quite dramatic on some spedes of Althoughsome observers saw flocks of Bo- landbirds,as the numbersof passetinesre- hemianWaxwings numbering in the hun- The invasion of Northern Hawk Owls to ported on many ChristmasCounts was dreds, most flocks were transient and the neighboringregions barely reached the Northern muchlower than in previousyears. Ruby- specieswas absent from largeareas. Cedar GreatPlains. This one was in PembinaCounty, crownedKinglets and SavannahSparrows Waxwingswere more often seen than Bo- NorthDakota, on Jannauy 1, 1992. mayhave been particularly affected. Howev- hemians.A Yellow-rumpedWarbler, casual Photograph/GordonB. eerkey. er,birds needing open water found it plenti- in winter, was seen Dec. 28 in Yankton,SD fulthroughout the Region this winter. (svs). mainedin the samecities where they were It was only a modestyear for Cedar found last summer and fall. A flock of 100 at Waxwingsin the Region.Kansas observers CARDINAL TO FINCHES WoodlawnCemetery in Minnehaha,SD, thoughtsapsuckers were rare; in centralOk- NorthernCardinals wintered in Hoople, Dec. 15 is the largestever reported for this lahomathey were up. DavidRintoul writes Grand Forks,and Fargo,ND. A Rufous- Region(JL). that Accipitersmade a goodshowing in sidedTowbee was found as late as Jan. 6 in White-wingedCrossbills were observed Kansas,which may explain their poor show- TwoMoon Park in Billings(WR). At least15 onlyin Minot (REM),Denbigh Experimen- ingin centralOklahoma. Pine Siskins were Am. TreeSparrows wintered in Ft. Peck,the tal Forest(GBB), andin Pembina(MO). The scarceagain everywhere. Overall, there was a most ever (CC). A Field Sparrownear onlyreport of RedCrossbill was for a flockof lot moreto sayabout waterbirds than land- Arthur, ND, Jan. 18 was well described 10near Billings Jan. 16 (WR). The finchof birdsthis year. (MO) andprovided the 2nd winterrecord the winter was CommonRedpoll. Many for the state. South Dakota also had Field feedershad 50 or more, and flocksof several LOONS TO WATERFOWL Sparrows,Jan. 16 in Yankton(SVS) and Feb. hundred occurred in sunflower fields. In It mustbe "loon magic, • but the past 2 years 29 at SandLake N.W.R. (JCS).The threeor South Dakota, 1070 Commons and six haveseen a lot of loon records.This winter, moreSong Sparrows wintering and visiting Hoaryswere banded at onestation in Brown the two best"scoops" were in Oklahoma. the refugefeeder at Tewaukonprovided (DAT), and 322 Commons were banded in The Padtic Loon reportedin November about the 4th winter record for North Dako- Day(DRS). Hoary Redpolls were generally from Washington,OK, was last observed ta (KLN). The numbersof"crowned"spar- reported in lownumbers except for the 32 in Dec. 2 (SM). Detailed written documenta- rowswas perhaps lower than usual. Observa- Minot Dec.29 (REM) and10 in FargoDec. tion wasprovided for Oklahoma's2nd Yel- tionsincluded wintering White-throateds in 15(PWA). Pine Siskins were present in onlya low-billedLoon record,Jan. 11 at Grand Minot (REM) and Fargo (RHO), two few locations,and the only EveningGros- LakeDam, Mayes (DV). White-throaredsin Billings Jan. 10 (WR), a beaksreported were six in Rugby,ND (WN). With a mild winter, somebirds would be White-crownedin Roberts,SD, Dec. 21 to American Goldfinches wintered at several1o- expectedto winter farthernorth. Among Jan. 12 (BB), a Harris'Sparrow in Roberts carions in North Dakota and Montana. suchwere three Corn. Loons in Geary,KS, Dec. 2 (BB)and onein PenningtonFeb. 2 Jan. 25 (DLS), one in OklahomaJan. 1-2 (NRW). Area Editors (boldface) and cited ob- (EK etal.), and39 on L. Tenkiller,Sequoy- Red-wingedand Rustyblackbirds were servers: MONTANA: Charles Carlson, ah/Cherokee,OK, Feb. 1 (MM). Alsoin this alsovery scarce this winter. A Brewer'sBlack- Dale Hanson, Harriet Marble, Ted Nordha- categorywere Eared Grebes in Mayes,OK, bird was identified in DeueL SD, Dec. 28 gen, Dwain Prellwitz, William Roney, Jan. 11 (MMI), Douglas,KS, Feb.2 (LM, (BKH. GS).Not manyBrown-headed Cow- MichaelSchwitters, Dale Ttibby.NORTH GP) & 16 (PJ), Linn, KS, Feb.3 (CH), and birdsare seen in winterin thisRegion so the DAKOTA: PeterW. Aschbacher,Gordon B. Cherokee,OK, Feb.19 (MMI) & 29 (JW). flocksof 60 and 70 in DeueLSD, Jan. 1 Berkey,Larry & CarolFalk, Eve Freeberg, Grebesare not to beleft out of the"magic" (BKH, MB) areworth mentioning. Late W. Dave& CarolynGriffith, Mike Jacobs, Don- ofthe past few seasons. An imm.Red-necked Meadowlarks were seen Dec. 5 & 31 in ald L. Kubischta,David O. Lambeth, Don- Grebein Oklahomawas independently dis- Grand Forks, ND (EF). Western Mead- ald& Mary Lamb,Laura E Mitchell,Ron E. coveredby 2 groupsof observersJan. 1 (EK, owlarksnear Miles City Feb. 19 (DT) and Martin, Gary E. Nielsen,Wanda Nielsen, VBe,JF) & 2 (JAG,JGN), andprovided the Froid,MT, Feb.29 (TN) mayhave been mi- Kristine L. Nelson, Mark Otnes, Robert H. first documented record for Oklahoma. A grants.A W. Meadowlarkwintered near O'Connor,David G. Potter,Jeff & Amy Clark's Grebe detected in Miami, KS, Nov. Chester,MT, whereit sangduring warm pe- Price. SOUTH DAKOTA: Barbara Bern- 10was last seen Jan. 29 (CH, LM). riods(HM). stein,Marlin Bjerke,Ken Cameron,Bruce SeveralAm. White Pelicans and Double- A RosyFinch was very far eastin Brown, K. Harris,Leon Jurgens, Jon Litde, Lester L. crested,Cormorantssuccessfully wintered in SD, Dec. 11 whereit wasphotographed Lauritzen, Ernest E. Miller, EverettC. Mont- Lincoln,NE (RCR, D JR), and scattered (ECM). PineGrosbeaks were reported only gomery,Michael M. Melius,Jaunita L. Pe- records occurred for sites across Kansas and from North Dakota, in Pembina and terson,Marge J. Parker,Richard A. Peterson, Oklahoma.Eight pelicans were seen in Har- McHenry.Cassin's Finches were found in DennisR. Skadsen,Gary Stava,Jerry C. lan, NE, Dec. 14 (JJ),and by Feb.29, 35 SouthDakota in Pennington(NRW) and Stanford,Steve Van Sickle,Dan A. Tallman, werealready present there (RCR, DJR). The Meade(fide EEM). How House Finches will NathanialR. Whimey. DAVID O. LAM- 40-50 noted in Russell,KS, Feb. 27 (MR) standup to oneof our harsherwinters re- BETH, 1909 20thAvenue S., Grand Forks, werealso likely migrants. mains to be determined. At least some re- ND 58201. Great Egretslingered until Dec. 11'in

Volume 46, Number 2. •8• Wagoner,OK (JM, JN), and never recorded in winter, were Dec. 15 in Bryan,OK OWe). eValenline NWR Black-crownedNight-Herons i venue.observedLaughing Dec. 13-14Gulls, in almostChero- are not frequentlyreported in --•co,su,, NEBRASKA ß Crescent Lake NWR kee,OK(JM), andat the Denni- winter anymore.Thus, one or Lake McConaughy l son Dam of L. Texoma Dec. 27 two immatures in Oklahoma .•_ NorthPlatte (JD) and Jan. 1 (GL et al.). A werenoteworthy (JGN). Franklin'sGull in Riley,KS, Dec. Tundra Swans were observed 10 (CF) may havebeen tardy, in Carter,OK, Dec. 25 (BF), and • whiletwo in Geary,KS, Feb.16 Riley,KS, Jan. 26 (LM, GP). A Kirwin NWRe (DLS) mayhave been early mi- taggedTrumpeter Swan from Manhattanß grants;all mayhave wintered, as Minnesotaappeared in Madison, Hays.KANSAS ßTopeka • did one to two in Tulsa,and NE, Jan.30 (MB). Unfortunate- ßCheyenne Bottoms : probablyone noted Jan. 18 in ly, four of the five Trumpeters : Mdntosh,OK (VB). wintering on Webster Res., Happy occasionswere obser- Rooks,KS, were shot by vandals vations of Little Gulls Dec. 9 in (fideLM). An immaturewas Harvey,KS (BD), Feb.21 in Se- identifiedin J•rson, KS, Feb. quoyah,OK (JCH), andFeb. 22 20 (JB,RR). GreaterWhite- & 29 at Cherokee,OK (DV, JW). frontedGeese arrived Feb. 15 in .•KLAHOM . The two Oklahoma records are Lincoln,NE, earlierthan record- WNa•h•a•..•¾ahorna C,tyf/ amongonly five for the state. ed before (RCR, DJR). Ameri- Better still was the first docu- canBlack Ducks, a speciesof • -FortSdl BrokenBowi mented Common Black-headed concern,were noted at Mitchell, Gull for Oklahoma, pho- KS, Dec. 15 (MR, SS), •'• tographedFeb. 1-2 in Cherokee Lancaster,NE, Dec. 16 & 21 (BP,LP, JT), apparentlydid (RCR, DJR). A Sofawas at (JW,DV et al.); a secondwas in Sequoyah andLinn, KS, Jan. 11 (LM, GP). leasttardy in Comanche,OK, Dec.21 (KB). Feb.21-22 (JCH), cavortingwith a Little A few GreaterScaup were reported from SandhillCranes appeared on theNorth Plat- Gull, amongother gulls. While California Kansasand Oklahoma, mostly in February. te by Feb.8 (RCR,DJR). Three lingered in Gullsappear to beincreasing in theRegion, Sevensightings of upto 12 Oldsquawswere Shawnee,KS, Dec.28 (DG). Amongother observationsof 15 birds Dec. 18 and46 Dec. receivedfor the Region.Surf Scoterswere tardyor lingeringindividuals were a Long- 19 on L. McConaughy,NE (RS,DS), were observedin Keith, NE, Dec. 18 and Lincoln, billed Dowitcher Dec. 21 in Comanche,OK exceptional.Single birds were noted at lo- NE, Dec. 20 (SD, RS). A c• Barrows Gold- (KB), and a SpottedSandpiper Jan. 24 in calesin Kansasincluding Russell Dec. 14 eneyewas found and photographed Feb. l 6 Marshall, OK OWe). Killdeer arrived in (MR,SS), Barton Jan. 1 (SS),Kingman Jan. 6 & 18in Pawnee,OK (SM, m.ob.).The high Sedgwick,KS, Feb. 10 (PJ). (PJ,DVn, DIO, GearyFeb. I (DLS), and countof HoodedMerganser for the season Fun,exciting, and always controversial is SedgwickFeb. 23 (DK). Threeadults were in wasof 135in Cof•y,KS, Jan. 19 (fideLM). theproblem of identifyingjaegers. One im- Lincoln,NE, Feb.15 (RCR, DJR). CommonMergansers wintered more com- maturenoted Dec. 14-17 at ConestogaL., The Iceland Gull at Gavin's Point Dam, monlyin Nebraskaand Kansasthan Okla- Lancaster,NE, was considered a Pomarine Cedar,NE, reportedin the fall waslast ob- homa, with 11,500 estimatedin Russell,KS, (JG,TL, m.ob.).Of twooimm. jaegersat servedDec. 1 (BH). Anotherwas reported Dec. 10 (MR). MilfordL, Geary,KS, Dec. 25-Jan. 8 (DLS, Jan. 11-12 in Lancaster(BP, LP, LE). Both m.ob.),one dark-morph bird was generally areunder review by the Nebraska Ornitholo- R•PIORS TO JAEGERS concededas a Pomarine,while arguments gists' Union RecordsCommittee. The Earlywere two Turkey Vultures in Anderson, will continueover the identity of thesecond. Kamasfolks sure aren't afraid to identify KS, Feb.18 (BB).A lingeringOsprey was Thayer'sGulls, including adults and 2nd- photographedin Oklahoma,OK, Dec. 15 GULLS winter birds. At least 16 individuals were re- (MO). BaldEagles were reported across the Asis usuallythe case during the winter sea- portedthis season. One purportedThayer's Region.Up to 57were found in Harlan,NE, son,gulls and moregulls were the main photographedin Oklahoma turned out tobe Feb. 29 (RCR, DJR), and over 100 were a paleHerring Gull. An ad. LesserBlack- notedon thePlatte R. Feb.9 (TJ).The num- backedGull in OklahomaDec. 17 (MO) berof BaldEagle nest sites in Kansashas in- mayhave been the samebird nowobserved creasedto 3. The pairat Douglas,KS, began therefor 8 consecutivewinters; a bird in Lan- incubatingFeb. 24 (fideLM). caster,NE, Feb.16-23 (JH eta•) wasexcep- Three reportsof N. Goshawkswere re- tional.Reports of GlaucousGulls appear to ceivedfrom Nebraska (fide BP), two from be increasingwith at leastthree noted from Kansas(fide LM), althoughDavid Rintoul Nebraska, at least seven from Kansas. Per- commentedthat they were more common in hapsthe "scoop"of the seasonwas a sight e. Kansas.Golden Eagles were noted east to record of an imm. Great Black-backed Gull Lincoln,NE, Dec. 18 (SD, RS), Knox,NE, Feb. 10 in Sedgwick,KS (PJ,DV). What Jan. 5 (MB), and Shawnee,KS, Dec. 28 would a (recent)winter be without at least (DG). Merlin and Prairie Falconreports one Black-leggedKittiwake? One wasob- wereup. Peregrines were noted in Butler,KS, servedDec. 1 in Cedar,NE (BH). Dec. 17 (PJ), Grant,OK, Jan.29 (L & GL), With Ring-billedGulls dominating win- and Anderson,KS, Feb.7 (BB). One winter- ter gullnumbers, undoubtedly some repre- ing in downtownTulsa was monitored al- sentingthe far extremes of plumageand size mostdaily (m.ob.). A dark-morphGyrfalcon variationcould also be seen. A likelycandi- wascarefully studied in Sheridan,NE, Jan. dateand subject ofdrbate was photographed 16 (DJR). Male Barrow'sGoldeneye in PawneeCounty, in Riley,KS, Dec. 4 (DR),and hopefully will Cana VirginiaRail make it througha Ne- Oklahoma,on February16,1992. providewisdom for gull enthusiasts wishing braska winter? One seen Feb. 16 in Garden Photograph/SteveMetz. for a MewGull in theRegion, even if it re-

•JI4-American Birds,Summer 1992 werenoted east to]e•rson, KS, Jan. 11 (JLe). A veryelusive Varied Thrush was observed only3 timesfrom Jan. 2 to Feb.18 in Scott, KS (R & CF).

SHRIKES TO FINCHES At least six N. Shrikes cruised e. Nebraska (fideBP). LoggerheadShrikes in Douglas, NE, Dec. 19 (SB)and Sanders,NE, Jan.25 (BJR)were unusual but carefully studied. The BohemianWaxwings reported from StaJ•ra•KS, Dec. 20 (DR) andCowley, KS, Jan.19 (GW) & 27 (MT) wereamong only a handfulfor the lastfew years. A Corn.Yel- lowthroatrisked the vagariesof weatherin OKLAHOMA BIRD LIFE Geary,KS, duringDecember (DLS). Possi- bly an earlymigrant was a Rufous-sided By Frederick M. Baumgartner and Towheein Gosper,NE, Feb.28 (RCR,DJR). It wasa mixedbag on sparrows.White- A. Marguerite Baumgartner #lustrated by Wallace Hughes crownedSparrows were more common than PhOtOgraphs compiled by usual in n.w. Nebraska(RCR, DJR). A Herbert Chezem GrasshopperSparrow in ComancheDec. 21 "The Baumgartners are a per- __ wasamong few winter records for Oklahoma fect team. They have had Thisgull in RileyCounty, Kansas, on December4, (JAG, MH). LaplandLongspur numbers many years of field experience weredown in n.w.Nebraska (RCR, DJR). A 1991, inspiredmuch debate. Mew Gull was together. All birders will relish suggestedas a possibleidmdificafio•, but some VesperSparrow in Scott,KS, may have win- the detailed accounts, which aspectsof plumagesuggested that it couldbe a tered(T & SSh). are so well written that they runt Ring-billedGull with a deformedbill. This was hardlya big seasonfor Red are sheer pleasure to read."-- Crossbills, even in n.w. Nebraska. Pine Photograph/DavidRintoul. Roger Tory Peterson. 51 color Siskinscontinued to showvery poorly. Ditto plates, 58 line drawings, 154 mains unidentified. One extreme of the for PurpleFinches. But HouseFinches are Ring-billedmay look very much like a Mew b&w photos, $ maps. presentacross the Region. As Pete Janzen put $49.95 Gull, asshown in AB45:506 (Fall 1991). it, "theinvasion thrill is gone."American Goldfinchnumbers were up, and at least250 OWLS TO THRUSHES Corn.Redpolls were in Lincoln,NE, Dec.18 A SnowyOwl report!They have been nonex- (SD, RS). Fiveredpolls made it to Kansas, istentin recenthistory. Thus, one in Phelps, butjust one got as far south as Kay, OK (L & NE, Dec.30 (RH) andanother from Coj•y, GL). A LesserGoldfinch Jan. 19 in Scott,KS, KS,Jan. 15-29 (fideLM) wereexceptional. wasquite unusual (T & SSh). A BarredOwl in Knox,NE, Jan.5 (MB) rep- resentedafirst for the county. A N. Saw-whet Observers: (Area editors boldfaced)- Owl wintered Jan. 12-Feb. 29 in KANSAS:Bill Brecheisen, Joanne*Brier, Bob V&shington,NE (BP et el.). Anotherwas Dester,Robert & KathyFenton, Clyde Fer- foundFeb. 28 in Sarpy,NE (DB,RB), and at guson,Dan Gish,Bob Gress, Chris Hobbs, leasttwo present from Jan. 11 on in]e•rson, PeteJanzen, Dan Kilby,Dan LaShelle,Jane KS OffdeLM) providedpleasure for many Leo (JLe),LLoyd Moore, GalenPittman, birderstraveling to seethem. Long-eared and Mike Rader, David Rintoul, Richard Ruck- Short-earedowls, plentiful last winter in er, Scott Seltman, Tom & Sara Shane, Max Kansas,were much lessnumerous this season Thompson,Don Vannoy(DVn), Gerald (fideLM). Wiens.NEBRASKA: Jim Alt, RolandBarth, SeveralE. Phoebeswintered in Clevelana• DuaneBright, Mark Brogie,Steve Dins- WATCHING OK (PM, MH). One in TulsaFeb. 22 (TM et more, Larry Einemann, Alan Grenon, el.) may havebeen the firstof severalmi- JosephGubanyi, Jeff Hall, RobinHarding, By George grantsarriving on sitesin the Regionbefore Bill Huser,Todd Jenson,Joel Jorgensen, Mlksch Sutton the endof the period.Late were four Barn Tom Labedz, Babs Padelford, Loren Foreword by SwallowsDec. 7 in Tulsa(PS, JL). Horned • Olin SewallBIRDS PettingIll,WORTH Jr. Padelford,Dorothy J. Rosche,Richard C. Lark numbers were down in Nebraska, but Rosche,B.J. Rose, Ross Silcock, Jerry Toll. "For any bird watcher or read- not in Kansas. Scott Seltman observed one OKLAHOMA: Vic Bell(VBe), Vicki Byre, er interested in nature and Horned Lark flock of several hundred thou- KenButts, Jon Dunn, Judy Flannifan, Brush the environment, this volume sandwhich may have covered 300 acresin Freeman,Joseph A. Grzybowski,James C. Is a must."--Bookllst. 60 color Cheyenne,KS, and alsocontained about Hoffman,Mark Howery,Esther Key, Greg photos. 50,000Lapland Longspurs. Lasley,Lloyd & GlendaLeslie, Elsie & Ju- $12.95 (paper) Winteringin Nebraskacan often be risky dith Logan,Jo Loyd,Jeri McMahon, Steve write for FREE catalogs. forsome species, but not this year. A Winter Metz, Terry Mitchell, Mike Mlodinow Wrenseen Feb. 27-28 in Sarpy(AG, JA) and (MMI), Pat Muzny,John G. Newell,Jim UniversityofOklahoma Press a Hermit Thrush in Thomas,NE, Feb. 19 Norman, Mitchell Oliphant,Pat Seibert, (MB) madeit. MountainBluebirds wintered Don Varner(DVa), Don Vetset,Jeff Webster in areas scattered over the western third of Norman, OK 73019-0445 (JWe),Jay Withgott, Jim Woodard (JWo).-- Add:Dept. •;1.50MAt7--1005 Post/hand.Asp Ave.•)•) theRegion. Six hundred in Barber,KS, made JOSEPH A. GRZYBOWSKI, 1701 Lenox, ACcept:MC/ViSa/AE/Checks. •/• the highcount (BG). Townsend's Solitaires Norman, OK 73069.

Volume 46, Number 2 - • generalizeon patterns of distribution.There Abbreviations:GMNP ( GuadalupeMoun- TEXASREGION wasno significantmovement of irruptive tainsNP); LOP (Lake O' thePines); LRGV GregW. Lasley and Chuck Sexton montaneor northernspecies; siskins and (LowerRio Grande Valley); TBRC (•xas Bird PurpleFinches were generally regarded as RecordsCommittee Texas Ornithological So- sparserthan normal. Robins and waxwings cie•y);UTC (UpperTexas Coast). The follow- And we quote:"Wow? Our contributors mainlycongregated in the berry-rich central ing areshortened names for the respective wereinspired to dustoff theirsuperlatives and eastern portions of thestate but exhibit- county,state, or nationalparks, wildlife andannounce that Texas birding was back in ed muchlocal and seasonalshifting as is refuges,etc.: Anahuac, Anzalduas, Aransas, topform. Forget what we said about the pre- often the case. Bentsen,Big Bend, Brazoria, Kickapoo, La- vionsfall havingsubstantial rainfall; this Actuallymany individuals were able to de- gunaAtascosa, and Santa Ana. winterwas ridiculously wet. Herein Austin scribe environmental conditions and the we became somewhat self-absorbed with our winteringavifauna all acrossthe statequite LOONS all-time record rainfall for December and well asa resultof havingchased hither and Oneobserver described this as a "veryloony" February,and the seasonas a whole.Only yonto catchup to an absurdlydispersed set season--punintended. On L. Texoma,two laterdid we recognizethat most of thestate of rarebirds. There were so many rarities re- Red-throated Loons returned Dec. 20 to an was similarlysubmerged. But not every- ported"routinely" on bird alerts(and/or by areathey had visitedannually since 1985 where.Seyffert set the recordstraight: De- wordof mouth)that very often the informa- (HG, DHa). Thoughthey disappeared the cemberin the Panhandlewas wet, but Jan- tion on firstdates or originalobservers was next day, they returnedFeb. 24-Mar. 14 uaryand February were not. "It painsns to lostalong the way.If this informationwas (HG, ph. MP). The hotbedof "loon-acy," readof all therain falling downstate. It's too notspecifically conveyed to ns,we were often however,was LOP in n.e. Texas.After a Red- badwater can't run uphillonce in a while? leftguessing. Our apologies toanyone slight- throatedturned up on their CBC Jan. 1 Many observersremarked that waterfowl edby ourconfusion. On thepolitical front, (?KN),converging birders scoured LOP and oftenseemed sparse or atleast well dispersed, uponthe request of theHanna High School begana classicPatagonia picnic table effect. presumablybecause of the abundanceof EcologyClub, the BrownsvilleCity Com- Althoughthe huge lake often seemed "diffi- suitablehabitat. Lush growth of upland mission named the Red-crowned Parrot the cultto bird,"one or two(possibly even three) habitatssuch as tall-grass prairies may have "citybird"; remarks by Brownsville'smayor Red-throatedswere reported periodically to attractedand supportedlarge numbers of recognizedthe species'contribution to Feb.19 (?KN, m.ob.;compare with theL. birdslocally, but as with aquatichabitats tourism. Texomadates!). Lured by the super-rarity there often seemed to be much excellent On a saddernote, we defer to Paul Palmer mentioned next, 2 observersdetected a Pacif- habitatwith too few birds to goaround. fora bit of news."We have lost the company icLoon Jan. 13 (?PH, HBI), resightedirreg- It was alsoa mild winter everywhere. of a greatlady, Kay McCracken, the doyenne ularlythrough Feb. 16 (m.ob.).Never satis- Freezingweather was infrequent and had no- ofsouth Texas birders, who died in February. fied to let well enoughalone, Jon Dunn tablylitde effecton birdlife.After the rain- It hasbeen noted that the only feathered be- toppedoff a superbTexas trip by stopping at fall,the lack of coldweather was perhaps the ingsin theuniverse are birds and angels. Kay LOPon his way home to tickoffRed-throat- mostpotent factor shaping avian distribu- mustfeel right at homenow, learning the ed Loon for his Texas list. He didn't. All he tion. Lingeringflycatchers, warblers, and fieldmarks and songs of archangels,cheru- and Sue Utterbeck could find was a Yellow- seedeatersin the brush along the Rio Grande bim, and seraphim,but her earth-bound billedLoon (?JD, ?SU). If acceptedby the in west Texashave become almost routine; friendsmiss her very much." We also lost our TBRC, this would be the 2nd Texasrecord. we will haveto comparethese results with goodfriend Steve Hanselmann of SanAnto- The bird,however, proved the mostelusive thosefrom harsher winters (hopefully, with nio in February.We dedicatethis column to of thelake's loons, being resighted only at equivalentobserver coverage) to be ableto thememory of thesetwo special people. greatdistance Jan. 14 (?PH, ?KN) andpossi- blyagain Jan. 16 (DW). Wemust mention that LOP did not hoard all the rare loons: another Red-

ßAmarillo throatedwas reported Feb. 7 at L. ß Buffalo Lake Tawakoni(?GBe, RK etal.; com- NWR ß parethis date with thoseabove!). Other Pacificswere reportedat ßMuleshoe NWR •Nichita ßHagerman NWR SanAntonio Dec. 7 (WS), Galve- ß Lubbock Falls ston Dec. 24-Feb. 12 (two birds; m.ob.), and L. Worth in Tarrant Fo• Woflh ß ß Dallas Jan.4-7 (ph.MR, ?CH etal.). "• .Abilene• ß El Paso •;?Nat. % - GRœBE$ 70 WATERF0WL •J•" Park ßMidland .• San • Nacogdochese Horned Grebes were more nu- Dav,s•. • •Waco- merousthan usualeverywhere, -"'': '• •' TEXAS • with a notable140 at LOPJan. 30 (AW). A Red-neckedGrebe was describedat LagunaAtascosa Jan. 23 (TU, ST), a speciesstill not photographedin Texas.A smat- teringof W. Grebesindicated a widespreadmovement across the state,including unusual reports at LOP, L. Waco, L. Buchanan, and Kin•villeß •4 in Hays,most reports in lateDe- cember-lateJanuary. In w. Texas, awayfrom BalmorheaL. where ßß State • - Pa• • • themixed Aechmophoruspair con- tinued to hang out together,a

American Birds,Summer 1992 Clark• Grebewas reported at RedBluff, L., Dec.3 (A & MC). A SootyShearwater was studied from shore at the mouth of the Rio GrandeJan. 6 (TJD, m.ob.).The mostno- Whiledriving through w.Texas, Pat •arti- tablepelican records were an Am. Whiteat •n stoppedw. of MatraJani, 2 to scanfor LubbockDec. 9-11 (CSt) and a Brown that PrairieFalcons• He wassurprised. to:fix hk wintered at Calaveras L. in San Antonio gazeoniin unhanded ad.APlømad0 FalCøh, (WS).A NeotropicCormorant at Balmorhea Lonvenientlperched:on Wir• jusvn.•of L. Jan.27-28 wasnoteworthy (PI), aswas a U.S. 90. Hartigan dutifully.wrote some MagnificentFrigatebird Dec. 19 at Aransas notesand 4ad ea ituick •ketch, Heinclude d Pass(E & NA). AWhiteIbis lingered at LOP these;in a letterib Sextonthat,arrived until Jan. 13, quite unusualfor n.e. Texas Austi'fiJan, •3: Within h061s 6fthe leiter's (NETFO). .arrival:the birding network was abuzz across A remarkable 19 Tundra Swans were re- thestate and the, continent?Jim Dowdell was Oldsquawat BachmanLake, Dallas, Texas, in portedaround the state, although there may th•fi=tto ge•b•cl•'t•tb•Site b•Jan.l•and February1992. MoreOldsquaws than usual havebeen some duplication. The mostinter- hadthe inc/edible good fortune tO refind the reachedTexas this winter. Photograph/Bob Stone. estingswan locations were at GMNP Dec. birdPrig-i•self •ere Hii•a hadleft it did notgo unnoticed. A remarkableroost of 23-Feb.3 (firstpark record; ML, AW, BL); nearl•• weeks earlier. Thro'Ugh theend of upto 112Black-shouldered Kites was noted in BriscoeDec. 6-8 (first countyrecord; theperiod• the:bird had been viewed by hun- in eadywinter in Cameron(AM); at theop- BPo);and near Ricardo Dec. 26 (first[fieberg d&;;œbserve.rs,.'Phdt0graphed,anddis- posite end of the statetwo to threeBlack- reportin neady3 decades,fide PP). Ross' • atlen. gth•'We fe•l, that the most shouldereds were discovered s. of Vernon Geese continued to be more numerous or Serrariveinterpretation of th6 evidence Feb.8-9, fora firstWilbarger report (DMc, conspicuousin their normal range; highest gestsawad, naturally 6o:y,rrin,-; aiyid?l. NM, m.ob.).ACom. Black-Hawkwas pho- countswere 17 on Jan.9 in Bee(WS)and 62 sighting•offree-flyim,. ur•an rig' '; [ave tographedJan. 3 at Anzalduas(ph., •JD). nearEagle L. Jan.30 (JDo).Impressive re- .b½•nmade recentl• m; ...... nd Fourother reports for theLRGV alongthe gionallywere three Ross' and 166 Canada ChthuahuawLh•n ,th e v. poqionof the RioGrande lacked details. Gray Hawks, pre- Geeseat Ft. Hancock,Hudspeth, Feb. 11 species."hist0dcal ran t 0½m •x dd7-Hec dominantlyimmatures, were widespread (BZ). tot biolo4st w;-g t.,e tk. Parks,and x II". l•enartment an ' an. nm 'o ex andconspicuous at common LRGV birding A pairof Am. Black Ducks was thorough- haunts;we couldnot readilycompile the ly describedfrom Anahuac(Feb. 23-25; numberof separateindividuals reported. Of John & JanaWhittle, TGDL); documenta- specialnote was a possibleimm. Gray Hawk tionis being sought for anotherBlack Duck 1[b sed, ntm n ano ne c17.eS•loln f mostO, ,,.S h, "1 ";' ,,..• tl.• *•t s• describedfrom Kenedy Feb. 29 (•MA). Two reportedshot near Smith Point in December Broad-wingedHawks in SanAntonio Jan. (fideTPWD). Lucknerproperly points out • cfpoten7•l •n_mtnm v 1 the 31 couldonly be consideredvery eady mi- the difficultyin confirmingthis species in grants(SAAS). A wall-describedad. Swain- Texasin recentyears, although the species sonsHawk in Ft. BendFeb. 2 (BHg) may (or, rather,birds with apparentAm. Black haveoverwintered or may have been an eady Duck genome)are still presentin modest arrival.Both Ferruginous and Rough-legged numbersas close as c. Arkansas(fide JD). Birders should alsobe aware of the mixture of hawkswere more numerous and commonly reported.A Ferruginousin the woodlands of dark Mallard-groupducks in the Falcon ce oi ,1omao s •s •rc ex Delta in n.e. Texas"defies explanation" Dam area.The rangesof MottledDuck and (MWh, G & JL;an imm. GoldenEagle was "Mexican"Mallard overlap there; the two area often seen in mixed flocks. An occasion- therethe same day). A rufous-morphRed- tailedin HuntJan. 25 wasalso an e7ecatcher al drakeof the latterspecies may show sub- (PP,MR etal.). At leastone banded Aploma- stantialtrue Mallard plumage. do Falconwas periodically reported at the A Eur. Wigeonin Joneslate February- Brownvilledump, not far from their hac.king Mar. 2 wasthe only one reported(TEd, site at LagunaAtoscosa. Another banded m.ob.).Greater Scaup and Oldsquaw were both more numerous than usual. There were Aplomadowas more of a surpriseat Falfur- alasFeb. 14 (•HF, •AO). 2 Trans-Pecosreports of the formerwhere thespecies iscasual and at least9 of thelatter QUAILTO TERNS scattered acrossthe state. A Surf Scorer was a A fewGambel's Quail were reported in then. rarefind at LOPJan. 18 (KN).A single partof theBig Bend; these may represent an White-wingedScorer on theLOP CBC was expansionof thespecies' range or somere- joinedby a 2ndby Jan. 3 (D & LB);the two leasedbirds. The Whooping Crane flock at wereviewed through the month. The best Aransaspeaked at 132(124 adults and eight waterfowlrecord of the seasongoes to the juveniles).From observations of cranemor- drakeBarrows Goldeneye discovered at an talitypatterns in recentyears, Stehn theorizes OxyChemical settling basin in LaPorteDec. that the low salinitiesin the baysfrom the 4 (LL,B H) andsubsequentlyviewed byhun- abundantrainfall may somehow benefit the dredsthrough Dec. 31 (ph.GDL, GL, etc.). rather than what did. How about an ad. Bald This is the 2nd documented state record. We cragesthrough its effect on the food base. Eagleperched precariously on topof a yucca An Am. Avocet was at Balmorhea L., Dec. aregrateful to OxyChemical for their hospi- in perfectPrairie Falcon habitat! How about 15 & 25 (ML, BHa), while a Black-necked talitytoward the many visiting birders. toomany N. Harriersto count!How about Stiltstayed the season in EIPaso(a firstwin- fivespecies of falcons!The rodent and song- ter recordfor thearea; BJ). There were 4 re- RAPTORS bird(e.g., longspur) foodbase for thesehun- portsof a totalof sixSolitary Sandpipers the In theunusually lush Marfa Basin grasslands, gry hunters must have been incredible. See lengthof thestate in December;quite un- the raptordiversity was sensational. It is al- theS.A. for an account of theprima donna at usual.One Solitary at BentsenJan. 23 (JDo) mosteasier to namewhat did notshow up thecenter of all thisfuss. Elsewhere, raptors

Volume 46, Number 2- •7 and anotherin e. Ft. Worth Feb. 15 (JCu et thisbird: it wasa subtlycolored female ap- a/.) may have overwinteredlocally. Very parentlyof the palew. Mexicoeluta race. rarelyare W. Sandpipersfound in thedead of Thisbird remained through the period (ph. winterin n.c.Texas; one was spotted Jan. 31 $m.ob.).The TBRC will alsobe reviewing in e. Ft. Worth (JWS). Two Dunlin also detailssubmitted on 2 of the 3 Ruddy overwinteredin that region.Unusually far Ground-Dovereports from the LRGV this south,Am. Woodcockswere reported4 season. Peak Green Parakeet numbers in- timesat SantaAna in December(fide JI). eluded about 90-100 in McAllen and 30 in Also notable in midwinter were Wilson's Brownsville,along with "increasingnum- Phalaropesinw. HarrisJan. 12 (T & PF)and bers"in Harlingen,La Feria, San Benito, and at 2 locations in coastal s. Texas in late De- Weslaco•qde OC, ML, R & LG, m.ob.). cember. Numbersof the "citybird" of Brownsville, This was apparentlyan extraordinary theRed-crowned Parrot, peaked at about75 jaegerwinter. Twenty-one Pomarines were in January(JD, m.ob.).More notablewere reportedDec. 20-Feb. 18, mostlyalong the two Red-crownedsat FalfurriasJan. 15 (AO) s.Texas coast, the largest bunch being eight andthree at LagunaAtoscosa on an unspeci- at BocaChica Feb. 12 (AW, BL). Nine Para- fieddate (TU). It is temptingto considera siticswere seenJan. 8-Feb. 16 at various GreatBlack-backed Gull at MustangIsland, Yellow-billedCuckoo Feb. 16 at Laguna coastalvantage points. Such numbers are un- Texas,on January23, 1992. This species Atoscosaan early arrival (fide TU), butthis is precedented. remainsa rare visRorto Texas.Photograph/ overa monthearly. A Groove-billedAni at TonyAmos. And nowto gulls.A fewLaughing Gulls RioGrande Village in BigBend Jan. 7 (JDo) remainedinland at widelyscattered spots versity,a single report of Glaucous(in Austin was far from normal winter haunts. (e.g.,L. Texoma,Ft. Worth, SanAntonio, Jan.13; BF) seemedunexpectedly meager. Four reportstotaling eight Short-eared SanYgnacio) in January after last fall's influx. TheMustang 1. Great Black-backed Gull was Owlsin thegrasslands of Big Bend and the Reportsofa"Com. Black-headed Gull" at L. sightedoccasionally into earlyDecember; Marfa Basinin Januaryand Februarywere Wacoinspired observers to studythe odd the sameor anotherfull adult was pho- quite unexpected.A N. Pygmy-Owlwas gull very carefullyDec. 1-8 (JMu, •CS, tographedby TonyAmos Jan. 23. Threeor heardin theupper elevations of GMNP Dec. m.ob.).The bird displayedthe upperwing fourBlack-legged Kittiwakes were reported 4 but couldnot bevisually confirmed (A & patternof a Bonaparte's/Black-headed,but alongthe coast;the mostinteresting kitti- MC). ACom. NighthawkDec. 20-21 in size, structure, mantle color, and other as- wake was an adult described from LOP Feb. SanAngelo (fide DT, * to AngeloState Uni- pectsapproached those of FranklinsGull. A 2 ($HBI, $PH). A debilitatedimm. Sooty versity)was very late for sofar north. With hybrid origin is suspected,but of what Ternwas found during the Galveston CBC moreobservers scouring far w. Texas, White- parentage?A Franklins Gull hybridwith ei- Dec. 21 and takento a rehabilitator(ph. throatedSwifts were commonly highlighted ther of the aforementionedsmaller gulls GDL). Lehmanfound a late Black Tern at ontrip lists; the number wintering in rugged wouldbe an unprecedentedand odd event. theSurfside jetty Jan. 5-12. terrainout thereis oftensurprisin• such as By the way,a realCom. Black-headedwas 600 in PresidioFeb. 5 (AW). photographedat L. Waco in winter 1989-90. We had 3 well-documented Little HUMMINGBIRDS TO WDODPECKERS Gull reports:an adultreturned to L. Waco A d Broad-billedHummingbird remained Dec. 1-Jan. 10 (JMu, FB, m.ob.): another The rarest of the rare this season had to be the atan E1 Paso feeder Dec. 1-Jan. 8 (LLy,KRo, adult was at Wright Patman L. near 3rd-winterSlaw-backed Gull found By m.ob.)and was photographed, providing a TexarkanaJan. 29 (AW,BL); anda 2nd-win- DavidSibley atthe Brownsville •ump Feb. 7 firstcounty record and one of very few for the terbird was on Mustang I. Jan.12 (Jmu,FB, andstudied by many through Feb: 22• This state.Elsewhere, reports of winteringhum- PP,MR). Dateson the ad. Little Gullsare of firstTexas report. isalso one 9fineryfew for mingbirdswere a mixedbag. Anna's were interest.Despite the state'shuge size, it is the lower48 states.The him 'waspho- clearlymore numerous than normal and not temptingto ponderif observersare occasion- tographedand described in exquisite detail confined to the Rio Grande in w. Texas. allybumping into the same bird as it wanders bymany. Thank you all! DiscoVe}ies tikethis Anna'sput in extendedfeeder visits in Lub- around the state. The odds of such double playhavoc with our casual speculations on bock,Midland, and Corpus Christi and were detections,while slim, may not beas remote thenext species that will bedocu•inted in noted eastto San Marcos, San Antonio, the aswe might surmise. theLone Star State. (Incidentally, •hawneen UTC, ands. to the LRGV (m.ob.).The most Six California Gulls constitute more than l•inneganphotographed aninter•ng dark- notableRufous Hummingbird record was a a normalnumben They indudedtwo sepa- backedgull at thedump Jan. 15• Opinions winteringbird in NacogdochesJan. 1-early ratebirds on N. PadreI. Dec.24 andJan. 30 differas to whether it wasthe Slaty•backed.) March (TR, DW, CDF). Twoseparate birds (A & MC); anotherat Port AransasDec. 25 exhibiting"adult male" plumage patterns of (A & MC) andJan. 2 (CC); BalmoreheaL. Allen'sHummingbird were carefully scruti- Jan.27-28 ($PI, DBi); SanAngelo Feb. 1 nizedand photographedduring extended ($PI,DBi again);and a finalbird at Galve- DOVES TO NIGHTHAWKS staysat Houston feeders (m.ob.). The TBRC stonFeb. 17 (tAW, BL). A first-winterThay- A White-wingedDove found dead at will review documentation on these. er'sGull wastough to find at L. WacoDec. LongviewJan. 9 provideda firstarea record A Lewis'Woodpecker was discovered at 1-10 (JMu,FB), but a 2nd-winterThayer's (NETFO); a White-wingedwas notedin GMNP Dec. 3 (A & MC), and anotherar- at the Brownsvilledump Feb. 5 ($DSi)was Dallasin December;the specieswas more rivedin the DavisMrs. Feb.27 (KB). A Red- subsequentlystudied by several observers the numerousin SanAngelo and Midland, evi- headedWoodpecker in MidlandDec. 30 on- nextweek. Regarding Lesser Black-backed dence of its continuingexpansion in urban wardwas a rareoccurrence (fide FW). West Gull, "Can we talk?"(TG). The speciesis areas. ACom. Ground-Dove was banded in Texasvisitors commonly reported on Red- simplyno longera rarity.Uncommon yes, SanAngelo Feb. 11, where very rare. The ear- napedand Williamson'sSapsuckers; this but hardlyan eyebrow-raiser.Wormington liestwritten report on the RuddyGround- helpsus round out our pictureof these andLamond found 9 asthey raced up the Dove at CottonwoodCampground in Big species'winter distributions. A Red-naped coastin mid-February.Future reports of this Bendwas from Wolf Kappesof Hamburg, provideda firstwinter record in thePanhan- speciesin thiscolumn will probablybe more Germany,Dec. 24 (BigBend files). Our con- dle at PaloDuro Feb.23 (PT); anotherat the abbreviated.For a winterwith great gull di- gratulationsto Mr. Kappesfor recognizing oppositeend of thestate was well documented

2•-American Birds,Summer 1992 ties(m.ob.). A GrayVireo, rare in winter,was in PintoCanyon of PresidioDec. 31 (KB).A c• N. Parulaat CottonwoodCampground Carleenand Willard Johnson noticed a big into late Februarywas the mostfrequently hum•ingbi•atthdr Corpus Christi feede? mentionedamong several interesting war- Jan,6 :•d beganf• takenotes and make con- blersin BigBend; a few Lucy'swere noted tact:withother bkders, Quickly the bkd w•s therein January,aWilson's in February.Two identifiedas an imm,or :• mangospecies, Hermit Warblers were near the Chisos Basin :and5h• •ffog• •:on top•n the bird down to Dec. 28 (KSt), and a Pine Warbler overwin- species,Excellent Photographic docmnenta- teredfor the 2nd year in a rowat RioGrande : tion•as ev•lly obtained(first by :Corpus Village.A singingc• Prothonotarywas at ChristiCatler•'messtaffer Ge0tg eG0ngøra; CottonwoodFeb. 23 (GDL). Other notable Ph,GL •:3'yo•omfort•b!? Verify'the birdas' AplomadoFalcon in PresidioCounty, Texas, on winter.warblerrecords included Yellow War- : :th•:"ex•sm• '?:Green-breasted: Mango, rub February5,1992. Thisbird, considered a blers in San Antonio and Brownsville, Pine :ingom • fewl•Pk-ahke4 •ith more:distant genuinewild wanderer from Mexico,drew Warblersin Midland and Ft. Worth, a Palm =;==;•ange•:;Hundreds ofbirdets Were :hosted by birdersfrom afar.The very long-tailed profile can Warbler near Austin in late November, and ::th;grad0us Jøhnsons in/te[? ainihg be seenin this flight shot.Photograph/Alan anOvenbird at PalmettoJan. 10. Wormington. Verystrange was a sightingof an Hepatic winter, a Cassin'sKingbird was reported Tanagerat GMNP Feb. 13 (RWa); the fromn. BrewsterJan. 14 (fide KB). Eight very specieswas previously known in winteronly :•.gbird in Bro•nsvill½Cøul•;;.9• • :vefi• late Scissor-tailedFlycatchers lingered to froma fewequally odd c* Texas reports. Most hediospet!•: from •aotog•aphg (•B intriguingwere the handfulsof BlueGros- i29,fi9 th Dec. 17 in Dallas(ph. B & CHa). A "not- quite-adult"c• Rose-throatedBecard was beaksand all 4 speciesof Passerina buntings gird8• a •ek-}sngvisit callingin KenedyJan.20 (?JGoetal.), a very scatteredup anddown the Rio Grandein w. rarerecord away from the lower Valley. Texas.Which are the "expected"buntings :to•pHadJan: • 3:7•a i:•eraased••he :bird there?What aretheir typical ratios? Is thisa A 5?Purple Martin lingered in SanAnto- "normal" occurrence? We can't answer these niountil Dec. 15 (WS).Some newly fledged BarnSwallows were in Kingsvilleon theodd questionsyet, but we have begun to compile from •e: John•ohi•::feedhr: dateofJan. 21 (GB etal.).A BrownJay at San the data.A Dickcisselsuccessfully wintered YgnacioJan. 28 wasupriver from the species' at CorpusChristi Dec. 28-Feb. 10 (GS,fide :fi• usualhaunts (JDo). An out-of-rangeCaroli- JI) whileanother in theHigh Plains did not: a roadkilledDickcissel was found Jan. 16 in b 3bfi•/emrnsto thejbhnsons•kedevlan naChickadee (carefully identified to species) remained in Midland from late December to Lubbock (MN).

Jan. 27 (m.ob.). Single White-breastedSPARROWS TO FRINGILLIDS Nuthatchesmade extended stays at Amarillo (to Jan.10; KS) andat Midland (Nov. 10 on- Sparrowdistribution patterns were again atAnzalduas Dec. 20-Feb. 18 (R & LG, ph. ward;FW). Winter Wrens garnered attention hardto interpret.There was patchiness in GD, m. ob.). in deeps. and w. Texas;no fewer than 9 were abundanceof commonspecies, even within eachsubregion. The lushgrasses in e. Texas FLYCATCHERS TO SHRIKES detectedalong the Rio Grandefrom Big Bend westward in February. Golden- werecolonized by hordesof tall-grassspar- TheTufted Flycatcher remained at Big Bend crownedKinglets bucked the trend of most rows,but in n., w., andparts of deeps. Texas (seefall season)until Jan. 17. Observers northern/montaneinvaders by showing up in perhapsthere was just too much good habi- scouringthe brush along the Rio Grandein passablenumbers all the way to the lower Val- tat and manyspecies did not seemovedy w. Texasreported an expectedhandful of ley.A Blue-grayGnatcatcher was a veryrare abundant.Just when we thoughtBaird's Dusky Flycatchersand a less-anticipatedfind in LubbockDec. 18 andJan. 2 (NS). Sparrowwas virtually impossible to find,we handfulof GrayFlycatchers (e.g., from Cot- MountainBluebirds were noted again in received3 reportsof fivebirds: two were at tonwoodCampground upriver to Ruidosa). w. andn.w. Texas after a fewwinters of spar- the WoodwardRanch s. of AlpineJan. 14 Therewere even a fewreports of Hammond's sity;some observers termed it an invasion, (JDo); anotherwas in the Aplomadoarea on the river and in the ChisosMts. (KB, butnumbers were perhaps just back to some nearValentine Jan. 19 (•MG, BP);two sepa- JDo). In a drier or harsherwinter, we antid- semblanceof normaIcy.Western Bluebirds rateBaird's were described at KickapooFeb. patethat mostof theseempids would not movedinto the ConchoValley in increased 3 & 13 (ML). It istempting to considerthis linger.Most intriguingwas John O'Brien's numbers(DT). Up to four Clay-colored an "invasion"year for HenslowsSparrow. In reportof a vocalizing Pacific-slope Flycatcher Robinswere periodically reported at Santa Nacogdoches,upto nineHenslow's were fol- onthe nature trail at Rio Grande Village Feb. Ana,and there were just 2 or 3 otherbrief lowedfrom the CBC periodon intoMarch (BGi, D & MW). Likewise,Henslows de- 15,just a fewdozen yards from the previous sightingsof thespecies elsewhere. Two Ru- fall'ssighting (of whichO'Brien was un- fous-backedRobins, a specieswith only2 tectedon theFreeport CBC at Brazoriawere aware).It will takeextraordinary documen- acceptedstate records (none in 15 years), reportedinto January(m. ob.). Yet another Henslow'swas w. of Monaville, which is n.w. tationto confirmthis spedes for Texas,but weredescribed s.of Ft. DavisFeb. 9 by2 ob- birdersshould now be alert to thepossibility serversbut couldnot be subsequentlyrelo- of Katy,which is in Waller,Dec. 31 (ph.JD). in latefall or winter.The BrownsvilleTropi- cated('•SC). A BrownThrasher, very un- A few Fox Sparrowsin canyonsalong the calKingbirds continue to hangaround the common in the Trans-Pecos,was noted sev- rimrockof n.w.Texas in Februarywere no- samearea they had been in for a year.Car- eraltimes at Rio Grande Village (JD, m.ob.). table(KS, BPo). Significant were two Harris' monadiscovered more Tropicals (up to six) A N. Shrikein RandallDec. 15 (KS) wasthe atAransas Pass Jan. 4 (E & NA) andanother near La Feria Dec. 25. These were well docu- onlyone reported. HuecoTanks Dec. 17, a first park record mented;at leastone was still present Mar. 9 (BHa). In January,good numbers of Mc- (GL,PP). Up to sixCouch's Kingbirds hung VIREOS THROUGH DICKCISSELS Cown'sLongspurs visited n.w. Ft. Worth, aroundAransas through the season,where An unusualinflux of SolitaryVireos oc- wherethey are hard to find (CH, m.ob.). mostunusual (GB, m.ob., fide TS); Lucknet curredin the Trans-Pecos.Three separate Flocksof RustyBlackbirds were newswor- discovereda nonvocalizing Couch's/Tropical races apparently wintered at BigBend 1ocali- thy on the CaddoNational Grasslands Dec. in ChambersDec. 30. Extremelyrare in mid- 17,at Aransas Dec. 19 (2ndrecord, fideTS),

Volume 46, Number 2- 289 and in Midland Dec. 8-10 (14 birds, a TomJohnson, Margaret Jones, Wulf Kappes, recordcount, J & DM). ACom. Grackle GregKeiran, Richard Kinney, Jane Kittie- IDAHO-WESTERN nearPresidio Feb. 6 provideda newcounty man, Ed Kutac,Leon LaLonde, Bill Lamond, record (AW). Three Audubon'sOrioles in H.P. Langridge,Greg W. Lasley,Paul MONTANAREGION LiveOak Feb. 1 werea bit n. of theirregular Lehman, Charlie Letcher, Llano Estacado ThomasH. Rogers range(SH etal.).Scott's Orioles out of their AudubonSociety, Keith Lockhart,Mark normalrange in the Hill Countryand w. Lockwood,Gail Diane Luckher, Guy & Joan Texaswere noted in c. La Salle (five birds, Luneau,Leon Lynn (LLy), Robert Machover, The Regionexperienced what was probably MP) and at San Antonio Jan. 11 & 31 TerryMassey, Guy McCaskie, Debra McKee the mildestwinter on record.Precipitation (SAAS).There was but a singleCassin's (DMc), Brad McKinney,Don & Ruthie (bothrain and snow) was deficient nearly ev- Finchreport, at Big Bend Jan. 11 (fide KA). A Melton,Tony & ReneeMessina, Dorothy erywhere.Snow pack in the mountainswas PurpleFinch at L. McClellan,Gray, Dec. 7 Metzler,Pete Moore Jr., Nancy Moorehead, belownormal, presaging a hot, dry summer (KS)was a newcounty record, but elsewhere ArnoldMoorhouse, Jim Morgan, Jack Mor- The mildweather induced many species to the specieswas barelymentioned. House mon, GretchenMueller, John Muldrow staylate or to winterwhere they normally Finchesstaged another e. Texas"invasion," (JMu),Attelia Muller, Ken Nanney,Mike would not. With some exceptions,the anoccurrence that may quickly become rou- Nickel,Northeast Texas Field Ornithologists "northernfinches" put in a goodappearance tine."Many" were in VanZandt (PK) and (NETFO), JuliusNussbaum, John O'Brien, for the mostpart. The verymild February Hunt (JN); four madean appearancein Ken Offill, Andrew O'Neil, Bob Orenstein, encouragedsome early arrivals. In thisre- LongviewDec. 16-28 (T & RM, DM); up BrentOrtego, Nancy & Paul C. Palmer port,Christmas Bird Count sightings, some to 15 were in e. Harris Dec. 21-31, with sev- (SouthTexas: Department of History,Texas veryinteresting, are not repeated. eral remainingthrough January (GDL). A A & L University,Kingsville, TX 78363), pairof HouseFinches were as far "coastward" HelenParker, John Parmeter, Mike Patterson, LOONS TO WATERFOWL asBayside, Refugio, Feb. 9 (E & NA, possibly RobertPerez, Bruce Peterjohn, Noel Pettin- Two Yellow-billed Loons were on Coeur a first area record);a LesserGoldfinch was gell,Charles Potter, Barbara Porthast (BPo), d'AleneL., Harrison,ID, Dec. 28-Jan. 1 seenthere at the sametime. Notablyfar WarrenPulich, Midge Randolph, Ross Ras- (SW, PG, CV, WH, JW, DSv, IS). A Red- north was another Lesser Goldfinch at mussen,Martin Reid,Barbara Ribble, Kay neckedGrebe at C.J. Strike Dam near ArcherCity, Archer,Feb. 10 & 18 (DMc). Rice,Julie Ricketts, Don Riley,Will & Jan Bruneau,ID, Feb.6 wasnoteworthy (MC, The only EveningGrosbeak report came Risser,Don Roberson,Betty Roberts, Craig FK). Unusualwinter records at Coeur d'Alene from GMNP Dec. 14 (A & MC). Roberts,Karen Rotker (KRo), Jeff Rouse, W. L., ID, werea Red-neckedGrebe Jan. 25 (PG) H. Rufe III, Ted Russell, San Antonio andthree to fiveW. GrebesDec. 28-Jan. 19 Co.tributorsand Cited Observers(subre- AudubonSociety (SAAS), Sharon Schmalz, (DSv, IS). Four Am. White Pelicanson the gionaleditors in boldface):Peggy Acord, Willie Sekula,Chuck Sexton, Ken Seyffert Snake R. below American Falls Dam, ID, Lynne Aldrich, CharlesAlexander, Tony (Panhandle:2206 S. Lipscomb,Amarillo, TX Dec.10 were apparently wintering (CHT). A Amos,Jim Anderson,Ben Archer, Rich & 79109), DavidSibley (DSi), J. W. Sifford, Double-crested Cormorant was belowAmen- NanetteArmstrong, Eddie & NinaArnold, Louis Sindair, Nina Sinclair,Deanna Smith, can Falls Dam on the Snake R. Dec. 10, and Keith Arnold, Mike Austin,Frank Bachman, David Sonneborn,The Spoonbillcontribu- an immaturewas there at January'send BruceBarrett, Sharon Bartels, Bay City Na- tors,John Sproul, Tom Stehn, Ken Steigman, (CHT). A Green-backedHeron on theBoise ture Club, Geff Beaton (GBe), Bob Behr- Darleen Stevens,Ken Stinnet (KSt), Cliff R., s.w.Idaho, Jan. 7 wasa rarity(MC, FK). stock,Chris Benesh,Dick Beverly,Peter Stogner,Dixie Stogner,Aron Stoley,Bob At least 400 Tundra Swans wintered at Billingham,Diane Birsner, Lori Black, Gene Stone,Glen Swartz, Jimmy Swartz, Bill Tar- FlatheadL., w. Montana(DC). Sixarrived at Blacklock,Hazel Bluhm (HBI), Doug box, DelbertTarter, Beverly Taylor, Steve KootenaiN.W.R., Bonners Ferry, ID, Feb.3, Booher, Bill Bourbon, David Bradford, Thompson,Ronald Thorn, John Trochet, abouta month earlierthan normal(JR). A David& LuannBrotherton, Gary Broussard, Peggy Trosper, Mary Tryer, Thea Ulen, Sue TrumpeterSwan accompanied two Tundra HughBrown, Kelly Bryan, Frank Bumgard- Utterback,Alan Valentine,Eric VanderWerf, Swanson Coeur d'AleneL. Jan. 1 (CV, ner, Sheriton Burr, Oscar Carmona, Allan RobVan Zandt, Dennis Vasquez, Ro Wauer WH). Trumpetersat Red Rock Lakes Chaney,Charlie Clark, Fred Collins, Arlie & (RWa), Ron Weir, SteveWest, Ed Wetzel, N.W.R.,Lima, MT, peakedat 465 Feb.5, Mel Cooksey,Sue Corson, Julie Crouch, Jane Matt White(MWh), SueWiedenfeld, Frances mildweather there resulted in manyof them Cumming0Cu), David Dauphin,Joyce Williams,David & Mimi Wolf, Bryant headingN from theremid-month (KN) Davis,Gladys Donohue, Jim Dowdell (JDo), Woods,Alan Wormington, Peter Worthing- Notable was a Greater White-fronted Goose ElizabethDumont, Jon Dunn, BarbaraDu- ton, Barry Zimmer (Trans-Pecos:6720 on BenewahL., St. Maries,ID, Jan.26-Feb plisea,Charles Easley, Tom Edwards (TEd), HeartstoneCourt, El Paso,TX 79924).-- 2 (DSv,IS). SixtySnow Geese flew over the MarkElwonger, Victor Emanuel, Harold Fet- GREG W. LASLEY,305 LoganberryCt., Boise,ID, areaJan. 25 (MC, FK), and 10 ter,Dixie Feuerbacher, Shawneen Finnegan, Austin, TX 78745, and CHUCK SEXTON, wereflying up the Clearwater R. nearLewis- C. Dean Fisher,Bennie Flatt, Don Francis, 101 E. 54th St., Austin, TX 78751. ton, ID, Feb. 22 (GV, ND). Three Ross' Tony& PhyllisFrank, Randy Fugate, Toni Geesewere with six Snow Geese on the Snake Gallucci(East Texas: P.O. Box 6, Camp upriverfrom HagermanN.W.R., Gooding, Verde,Texas 78010); Red& LouiseGambill, ID, Feb.1 (DT). CanadaGeese in theCoeur Hugh Garnett,Stephen Gast, John Gee, D'AleneL., ID, areawere selecting nesting Brian Gibbons, Jeff Gordon, Peter sitesin earlyFebruary, several weeks earlier Gottschling,Bill Graber,Jesse Grantham, thannormal (SHS). Mary Gustafson,Dell Hall (DHa), Bruce A c• WoodDuck wassighted on Coeur Hallett(BHa), Laurens Halsey, Bill & Car- d'AleneL. Jan.17 (DSv,IS). About1000 N olynHardesty (B & CHa), PeggyHarding, Pintails returned to Kootenai N.W.R. at the George Harmon, Bob Harrison, Steve endof February,an increase over the last few Hawkins,Carl Haynie (North-Central Texas: yearsfor early spring migrants (JR). Two Gad- 737 MeadowCrest Rd., Azle, TX 76020), wallswere reported at LeeMetcalf N.W.R, Dick Henderson,Helen Hoffman, Buddy Stevensville,MT, Jan. 19 (CB), and the Hollis,Ann Holzem, Bob Honig (BHg), P. D. specieswas noted on Benewah L., St.Maries, Hulce,Joe Ideker, Peter Islieb, Bob Johnson, ID (DSv, DG, C.B.). The Snake R. near Carleen& WillardJohnson, Cheryl Johnson, Hagerman,ID, hada c•Eur WigeonJan 26

AmericanB•rds, Summer 1992 (BS);another was at Boisein early 12 (C.B.)and just e. of Lewiston January(SP, CHT). One male Feb. 22 (JD, VS). One or two wason West Pond, Lewiston, Jan. were in the St. Maries area Dec. 4 andlater (MK, DG). 22-Feb. 1 (DSv, IS, PG, SHS), Up to 14 Ring-neckedDucks and a Marsh Wren was in the weresighted near Lake Helena samearea Dec. 28 (DSv, IS, SM). Causeway,MT, lateJanuary and Flockingearly were 200+ Am. earlyFebruary, for the Helena Robins at Boise Feb. 6 (DJ). areasfirst winter records(GH). Theywere showing up in num- One to two GreaterScaup were bersat Kalispell,MT, the last on Chatcolet L., St. Maries, ID, weekof February(DC). One to Jan. 12-Feb. 2 (DSv), and two three were in the Gardiner area, werewith LesserScaup on the some visiting feeders,Jan. Hagermanponds Jan. 26 (DT). 26-Feb. 28 (JQ, TM). Martin ThreeOldsquaw were sighted on City, MT's, firstVaried Thrush the Snake below American Falls of the yearwas heard Feb. 28 Dam Dec. 3 & 10 (CHT); an- (DC). Up to 800 Bohemian otherwas near Hagerman Feb. 1 Waxwingsfrequented the Gat- (DT). Springfield Ponds, dinerarea during the period, and Springfield,ID, had a c• Surf "thousands"were in Kalispell. ScoterFeb. 2 (SR). A Corn. Mer- Their numbers were moderate gansershowed up at RedRock to lowelsewhere. An earlySage LakesN.W.R. Feb.7 (KN), anda Thrasher was at the Snake R. • Red-breastedMerganser ap- Birdsof PreyArea s. of Kuna, pearedon the Snakebelow ID, Feb. 3 (MC, FIO. AmericanFalls Jan. 2 (CHT). Fourlate Ruddy Ducks were on WARBLERS TO FINCHES BenewahL. Dec. 8 (DSv, IS). A Yellow-rumpedWarbler was eatingsuet at a Missoula,MT, HAWKS TO GULLS feederFeb. 15-16 (BW), andan- Remarkablewere sightings of two Turkey Glaucous-wingedwas at BoiseJan. 4, anda other was seenon the same dates severalmiles Vulturesnear Helena ]an. 25 (OL) andtwo first-yearThayer's was at BoiseDec. 22-31 from there (WH). St. Maries had one nearTownsend, MT, Feb.18 (DB). Up to 92 (MC, FK). AmericanFalls had a first-year '•kudubon's"Jan. 10 (DSv,IS), andLewiston BaldEagles were counted in the Gardiner, Thayer'sGull Dec. 13 (DP, CHT). foundtwo Feb.22 (C.B.). MT, area(JQ). Hamilton, MT, hadup to 12, Unusualwas an Am. TreeSparrow at Be- a high numberfor there(JO). SwainsonsOWLS TO WAXWINGS newahL. Jan.5 (DSv).A ChippingSparrow Hawkswere reported at Red RockLakes A BarnOwl was sighted along the St. Joe R., in near-breedingplumage was spotted at L. N.W.R. in December(KN). TwoPeregrine St. Maries,in earlyJanuary (DSv, C.A.). Lowell,Deer Flat N.W.R., Nampa,ID, Jan. Falcons,one Gyrfalcon, two Prairie Falcons, ThompsonL hada W. Screech-OwlFeb. 21 16 (MC, FIO.An imm.Swamp Sparrow was andone Merlin were reported. ON). Theonly Snowy Owl reported was one observedat HeyburnSP w. of St.Maries Jan. Chukarswere sighted near Gardiner, MT, nearCreston, MT, Dec. 8 (DC). ANorthern 26 (DSv).MetcalfN.W.R., Stevensville,MT, anapparent latilong first (PM). A smallflock Hawk Owl waspresent at Bigfork,MT, in hadthree in January(DG; m.ob).A White- of White-tailedPtarmigans was again noted December(fide DC). A BarredOwl wintered throatedSparrow was still in theBigfork, MT, throughoutthe winter at SchweitzerSki Area nearPrinceton, ID (KD). Two GreatGray vicinityat theperiod's end (DC), anda few nearSandpoint, ID (MR etal.).Wild Turkeys Owlsspent the winterat Red RockLakes frequentedthe Missoulavicinity, as did werenoted at ThompsonL., Kootenai,ID, N.W.R. (KN), andone was seen several times White-crownedSparrows (PW). A fewof the Feb.15 ON), anda smallflock was around s.ofTetonia, ID, Dec. 3 andlater (BH etal.). latter lingeredinto early Decemberat FernanL., Coeurd'Alene, all winter (FA). A Short-earedOwl wassighted at Coeur Kalispelland Somers, MT (DC). A Harris' One or two Sandhill Cranes were found d'AleneDec. 13-14 (DSv, IS, PG) and near Sparrowstayed all winter at Missoula(PW); 2-3 mi s. of Toston,MT, Jan. 18-Mar. 7, Rathdrum,ID, Jan.24 (PG).AN. Saw-whet oneappeared near Moscow Dec. 7 (DH); and statesfirst winter record (JC, RJ, BM, DB, Owl appearedat the n. entranceto Yellow- oneor two were at a Gardiner feeder through- GH, VH). A flockof 60 Killdeerwintered in stoneN.P., MT, Dec. 23 (MJ), andone was out theperiod (JQ). A flockof up to 1000 theeffluent of AmericanFalls trout hatchery callingat Coeurd'Alene Feb. 20 (SHS).Two SnowBuntings wintered between Rexburg near Pocatello,ID (CHT). SingleCorn. calledregularly in thePrinceton, ID, vicinity andTetonia, ID (CHT). Hamilton, MT, had Snipeswere at MissionPoint near St. Maries towardthe period'send (KD). An Anna's a Brewer'sBlackbird Jan. 12 (CB). Notable Jan.19 (DSv,IS, SM) andat Coeurd'Alene Hummingbirdwintered at a LewistonOr- was a Com. Grackle with other blackbirds at a W.M.A., ID, Jan.11 (CA.). chards,ID, feeder(MJ, MK, LL). A Pileated Bigforkfeeder in earlyDecember (DC). Ten Bonaparte'sGulls lingered on the Woodpecker,rare in the Helenaarea, ap- SizableRosy Finch flocks stayed at Red Snake R. below American Falls Dam at least pearedat a house in Colorado Gulch a few mi RockLakes N.W.R. in February(KN), and until Dec. 10 (CHT), and 12 were still on s.w.of thecity Jan. 27 (GN, NN). upto 500,mostly "Gray-crowned" but a few Coeur d'Alene and Benewah lakes Dec. 8 Up to 600Com. Ravens were in theGar- "Black"and "Hepburn's," visited a Gardiner andJan. 1 (DSv,CV, WH). HauserL n.e.of diner,MT, area(TM). TwoBlueJays appeared feederDec. 1 (JQ).Pine Grosbeaks were Helenahad a HerringGull Dec.14-15, for alongCoeur d'Alene L Jan.3 OH, MH), and sightedat MoscowMr., e. of Moscow,ID, the areas first winter record (GH). The onewas at Harrison,ID, Jan.19 (DSv).Seven Dec.21 (DG, C.B.).The species frequented Couer d'Alene area had them all winter werein Hot Springs,MT, in earlyDecember, a Missoulafeeder all winter(DS). Up to 10 (SHS), and the landfill there had an imm. and one or two wintered at a Lakeside,MT, House Finches visited a Gardiner feeder Thayer'sGull Jan. 17 (DSv).There also were feeder(DC). Fifteen-twentyPinyon Jays fre- muchof thewinter (JQ). Two White-winged a first-winterGlaucous-winged Gull andan quenteda Gardiner,MT, feederthroughout Crossbills were on Moscow Mt. Dec. 21 and ad. GlaucousGull Dec. 1 (SHS, KS) and theperiod (JQ). Single Bewick's Wrens were one-two weekslater (DG, C.B.). A female threeGlaucous Jan. 17 (DSv).A first-year sightedalong Mission Cr. e. of LewistonFeb. wasat St. MarlesDec. 28 (DSv), and a flock

Volume46, Number 2- •1 of 10 was with Red Crossbillsw. of Chalhs, there,what is not, and if thebirds really are in ID, Feb. 9 (BH). Red Crossbillswere com- MOUNTAINWEST trouble.The birds cannot wait while we pad mon in someares. Common Redpolls and our life and state lists. Pine Siskinsseemed plentiful, but Cassin's REGION F•nchesand Evening Grosbeaks were mostly HughE. IOngery SPECIAL OBSERVATIONS reportedin lownumbers. Most noteworthy The IndianPeaks, CO, wintercount regis- werea HoaryRedpoll banded Feb. 9 at Swan teredl 6 birds/counthour, down from an av- L, MT (EJ);a few at KootenaiN.W.R. for Gullsand woodpeckers piqued the interest erageof 18.Only Mt. Chickadeeshad high the first recordthere (KN); and two with of the Mou•tain West.Regional observers numbers:934 was a winter count high Com.Redpolls s. of Troy,ID, Feb.16 (DG). sentin 26 gullphotographs--more than all (7/counthour, DH). otherspecies combined and a barometerof ThreeReno marshes fed by hot springs Addenda:All datesapply to 1991.Two Red- neckedGrebes were at WarmLake, ID, June2 the intriguinggull reports.Four Nevada producedseveral surprising winter records birdsprobably qualify as first or secondstate VirginiaRails, Soras, and an Am. Bitternon (CS).Two Sandhill Cranes appeared in Stanley records,depending on how rigorouslyone Dec.13. "Nevadahas many hot springs and Basinn. of Stanley,ID, June18 (DJ).Round they probably provide cozy wintering Valleynear Cascade, ID, hadan Upland Sand- viewsprior reports. Observersuniformly reported mild, dry groundsfor many birds that would otherwise piperJuly 7 (LE).An imm.Ruddy Turnstone weather.Reno's city lakes had ice only until migrate"(JT). wasphotographed at Sandpoint, ID, Oct. 4 earlyJanuary, and the marshat RubyLake Divisionof Wildlifeemployees in Fallon, (KC,BC), apparently the first n. Idahorecord. NationalWildlife Refuge, Nevada, thawed NV, saw"firsthand the critical nature of open SixBonaparte's Gulls showed up on a sewage byFebruary 29, twoweeks earlier than aver- waterto urbanbirds when a firehydrant test lagoonnear Moscow Oct. 27 (DH).A well-de- age. temporarilyflooded a depressionbehind the scribedad. Arctic Tern was at SandpointSept. Thebenign weather affected bird life dif- office.Starlings, flickers, 30 CedarWax- 30 (EC,KC). Abird identified as an Eyebrowed ferentlyin differentplaces. More warblers wings,andAm. Kestrels came flocking to the Thrush,also described, accompanied Am. andwater birds spent the winter, and north- sceneto drink,bathe, and feed" (AJ, WH). Robinsat MoscowAug. 29 (DG, CG, CaG); there are no confirmed records for the Lower ernspecies did not penetrate far into the Re- An autopsyon a Mallardfound on Yellow- gion. For severalrelated species (Black- stone Park's Old Faithful road revealed that a 48 states.An Ovenbirdappeared atTrail Cr. n. cappedand Mountain chickadees,Red- vehiclehad struck it. For the parkat least, ofCouncil, ID, June18 (KG): breastedNuthatches, and BrownCreepers) thisis "the first record of a birdkilled by what Observerscited {subregionaleditors in bold- numberswere up someplaces and downin ispresumed to bea snowmobile"(TM). face): Frank Andrews,Clifton Barry III, others.Other passerines(solitaires, robins, DwightBergeron, Coeur d'Alene Audubon sparrows)and raptors (Rough-legged, Red- Abbreviations:LLBL (Longmont/Lyons/Bert- Soc. (C•.), CanyonBirders (C.B.), Dan tailed,and Ferruginous hawks) reflected the houd/Loveland area, CO, usingFoothills Casey,Jeff Chafee,Beverly Chapin, Earl sameambivalence. Feeders generally had AudubonClub records); 1st Lat (firstlatilong Chapin,Ken Chapin,Mark Collie,Nancy fewerbirds because ofgood natural food sup- record[a latilongisoutlined by one degree each Demeio,Judy Detwiler, Kas Dumroese, Larry plies.However, at Kremmling,Colorado, oflatitude and longitude, measuring about 50 Edwards,Camas Goble (CaG), Carol Goble, Barrettsaid "I wasexcited by the firstrosy by70 mi.]);IPWC (IndianPeaks, CO, l•n- Dale Goble, Pam Gontz, Deborah Goslin finchesbut 300 lbs.of seedlater they are not ter Bird Count);R.E. (RegionalEditor); ? (DGo),Kevin Gray, Brad Hammond, Winnie quiteas thrilling." (writtendescription on file with R.E.); ?? Hepburn,Willis Heron (WHe), John & This dichotomymasks any trendsfor (writtendescription onfile with,and subject to Marty Hirth, David Holick, Virginia & commonspecies. Perhaps the differences approvaloff state or local records committee). GeorgeHolton, Marvin James (MJa), Mark (evenfrom locations close to oneanother) re- Johnson,Dean Jones,Elly Jones,Rebecca flectequilibrium rather than confusing, con- LOONS TO HERONS Joyce,Florence Knoll, Merlene Koliner, tradictorytrends. A Red-throated Loon and a Yellow-billed Orville Lewis, SandyMack, Terry McE- Commonbirds pose a majorchallenge to Loonstayed at ChatfieldRes. near Denver neaney,Brian McNutt, Paul Miller, Kenneth AmericanBirds regional editors. We lackreli- Dec.2-7 (??JK). The Yellow-billedLoon at Niethammer,John Nigh, Gene & Norma able measuringtools. There are extensive L. Mead near Las Vegas,Nevada's 2nd Nixon, John Ormiston,Deb Patla, Susan long-termstudies to analyzechanging popu- record,stayed Dec. 22-Feb. 17 (•MC, ph.) Pada,Joyce Queckborner, Sylvia Reichel, Jim- lations, like Christmas Bird Counts and At L. Mead, 2-6 Pacificand 2-3 Common mieReynolds, Mike Rogers,Valerie $teffan, BreedingBird Surveys; but with the 45-day loonsspent the winter.Colorado had three Don Stoecker,Brian Sturges, Keith & Shirley American Birds deadline, neither is usable. Pacificsin December. Of its six Commons, H. Sturts,Dan & Ila Svingen(DSv), Colleen The Denver Field Ornithologistsand nonestayed longer than a week. By Feb. 3 ten Sweeney,Dave Trochlell, C.H. Trost,Carole FoothillsAudubon Club providestatistics HornedGrebes had arrivedat Longmont, VandeVoorde, Greg Vorous, Byron Weber, fromtheir trips (Denver) and members' ob- CO, andon Feb.8 sixstopped at Pueblo SusanWeller, JeffWisman, Philip Wright.-- servations(EA.C.). Thoughuncontrolled, (100 mi south).One W. Grebewintered at THOMAS H. ROGERS, 10820 E. Maxwell, these offer rough gaugesfor common Pueblo, and one-two wintered at warm Spokane,WA 99206-4805. species. power plant reservoirsat Boulder and The ornithologicalcommunity has be- Wellington,CO (Rawhide).A Clark'sGrebe comeconcerned about long-term trends of wintered, alsoat Rawhide. neotropicaland other migrants; they do not Othersurprising wintering birds included seeequilibrium. This concern makes it im- Am.White Pelicans at Logan,UT (EW)and perativeto collect and share data on common Casper,WY (M.A.S.),Double-crested Cor- birds.Common species (and those that used morantsat Ruby L. NWR and Reno,the to be common) need attention more than usualGreat Egret at FishSprings NWR, UT, rarities. The trouble is that rarities are easier and Great Blue Herons at Yellowstone, to report.We all get more excitedabout Casper,Eagle, and in n.e. Colorado(19 on them, and bird watchersdon't notice what theC.D.O.W. countJan. 6). birdsare notthere (or we don'thave good measurementsofwho is missing). WATERFOWL Field ornithologistsneed to studythe The 700 Tundra Swans at Stillwater NWR common stuff We need to know what is out Dec 2 toppedlast year's, but 2-4 yearsago

292. American B•rds,Summer 1992 Lamar Feb. 17 (PS). Six early onesarrived at RubyL. in late ß •' ßSheridan Februar)•The Regionreported • •dy Sundance severalshorebirds; e.g., two Am. Avocetsat CarsonL., NV, Feb. 4 (LN) and50 thereFeb. 26 (AJ). A dozen or more Greater Yel- lowlegswintered at bothReno Loganß (at a warmspring, JT) andFish •,• BearRiver ßRock Springs ..•.Cheyenne Springs(JB). Grand Jet. had one Jan. 22 24 and threeFeb. 29 Sa• L • ß (CD, RL); a probableGreater c• ...... em•, COLORADO Bonny wasseen at Holly,CO, Feb.16 RenoNEVADA FishSprings .•' GrandJcL: •':•:•!i. (PS).A Wilson'sPhalarope was Lahontan Lund ß at Moab, UT, Dec. 14 (**DF). Valley A Franklins Gull arrived in :•.:i•:•.'•' •':" ::-•!. Pueblo Lamar ß ::•'•anLuis :• Longmont,CO, Feb.22 (JP), ß Dyer Duran•; Valley:• BacaCo.* only the 2nd Februaryreport. 't.J Park .- : Six Bonaparte'swere at Pueblo LasVegeas Jan.4, the 3rd Januaryrecord there.Nevada picked up its 16th and 17th Mew Gull records, with birds at L. Mead Dec. 3-7 (ph. MC) and Reno Dec. 22 Feb. 13 (*DBo, *DT, ph. JT). Denver had a very low twiceas manystopped in December(AJ, ($EM,JaW, ph. JT). Up to fourOldsquaws countof Ring-billedGulls: D.EO. tripstal- WH). ByFebruary, 260 had returned. Win- wintered at both Pueblo and Rawhide Res. liedonly 1178 (7-year range 1451-14,919); teringTundras included a normal250 at Onlyone scoter wintered at Rawhide:a 9 2000 wintered at Pueblo. Winter records are Hiko, NV, 60-70 at FishSprings, UT, and White-winged.A surprisingfour Barrows startingto echothe increase in nestingCali- one-twoat GrandJct., CO. The bandingof- Goldeneyeswintered at Reno(JT); another fornia Gulls: 2-10 wintered at Pueblo, and ficereported that a Tundra Swan at Sweetwa- fourwere at RubyL. (JMa). singleswere at DenverJan. 28 (WWB)and ter L. nearGypsum, CO, November1990 LongmontFeb. 26 (BP,Jp). A 2nd-winter hadbeen banded in February1990 at Pungo RAPTORS LesserBlack-backed Gull stayedat Pueblo NWR, NC: "that bird doesn'tbelieve in re- Raptorcounts seemed generally low. Road- Jan.11-Feb. 15 (BPe, $VT, ph. PS, ph. CS), tracingits steps" (JM). An aerialcount found sidehawk counts at Rocky Mtn. Arsenal near anda firstwinter bird joined it Feb.8-Feb. 513 TrumpeterSwans in YellowstoneDec. Denverranged from 13-31, with Ferrugi- 16 ($VT). Thesetwo, plusone Dec. 14 on 10;the Jan. 29 countof 112(5-year range of nous peakingat only 16 on Jan. 16 the Denver C.B.C., doubledthe number of 85-177) includedan influx of swansfrom (USF&WS). Bald Eaglesat the Arsenal substantiated Colorado records. Nevada's Canada(USF&WS). Ruby L. wintered35 droppedsome, with 28-30 using the roost in 2nd Yellow-looted Gull Dec. 3 stood out Trumpeters,and Fish Springs had 22 at its January(35-40 lastyear). The midwinter amongnearby Ring-billed, California, and Jan. 13 peak;one immaturestopped at BaldEagle count netted 863 in Colorado,an Herringgulls ($VM, ph. $MC). The Glau- Pueblo,CO, Feb.19-23 (BD, $DS). increasefrom 704 in 1990 and 480 in 1980. cousGull at Reno was, surprisingly, Nevada's EarlyJanuary Snow Goose counts indud- Most of the increase occurred in w. Col- 2ndor 5th (dependingon theacceptability ed 400 at Fowler in s.e. Colorado and 940 in orado,where counts went up from 504 in of thefirst, one-observer, reports); it spenta n.e. Colorado. One hundred northbound 1991 to 657 in 1992. An imm. Re&shoul- month,Dec. 31-Feb. 1 (ph.$EK, ph. DM, SnowGeese showed up at Torrington,WY, deredHawk stayed in a Pueblobackyard and ph.$DBo). Wyoming had its 4th Glaucous Jan.27 (J & GL). They beganto arriveat nearbyriparian area Jan. 4+ (RR, •BD, ph. Gull (thefirst in 22 years)at GoldeneyeRes., CarsonL., NV, Feb.4, with a vanguardof PS).Another immature was at Gardnerville, WY, Feb. 16 ($J & GL). Other Glaucous 350; 14,000had arrived by Feb. 18, includ- NV, Jan.25 ($WEH). The Denverarea re- Gulls stoppedat Loveland,Denver, and ingseveral collared ones from Alaska and the portedfewer Ferruginous Hawks: (Arsenal, Julesburg,and Dec. 26 atLamar, CO ($JnlT w.Canadian Arctic plus one from Russia (AJ, above);LLBL had 53 forthe season cf. 68 last 1st Lat). SingleBlack-legged Kittiwakes WH)! Fourthousand had massed Feb. 15 at year;and D.EO. tripsfound 23 (7-year stayedat L. Mead Dec. 11-Feb. 17 (MC, Ordway,CO (C.EO.).With theSnows at rangefrom 6-29). Yet CedarCity, Utah's 11th Nevada record, 3rd to' winter) and Fowlerwere 13 Ross'Geese on Jan. 12 (MJ). 15-20 wintering"ferrugs" was 3 timesthe PuebloDec. 6-Feb. 1 (DJ, BD etal.). Neck collars on some of the 2500 Canada usualnumber (SH). With the wide-open Then come n. Nevada'sThayer's and Geesethat wintered in StillwaterRefuge and winter,all raptorsprobably spread out. At Glaucous-wingedsand hybrids; pho- Yerington,NV, showed that th. ey breed in the Sheridan,WY, 25 Rough-leggedsroosted in tographsof four(ph. JT) drculatedto 3 out- AndersonR. delta,Canada. Many of the a heroncolony all winter(ET). A Peregrine of-stateexperts (JE, DSh, RS). The experts thousands that winter from Denver to Ft. Falconhacked in RockyMountain NP win- agreedon one,at PyramidL. Jan.4, asa Collins breed in the same area; counts teredat RockyMr. Arsenal(LM). Sheridan Glaucous-winged.They issuedsplit deci- droppedthis year. D.EO. reported9268 on hada GyrfalconJan. 5, andone was caught at sions(or indedsions) for the others: (1) Pyra- itsfield trips compared with a 7-yearrange of Magna,UT, Dec.26 (ph.AJH). mid L. Feb.1:2 votesfor Thayer's,one for 6092-12,366;LLBL reported20,699 after Glaucous-wingedX Western hybrid (favor- 36,433last year. CRANES TO GULLS ingGlaucous-winged); (2) Pyramid L. Feb. Oneof theEur. Wigeons at Renolast fall Fiftylate Sandhill Cranes flew over Canon 28:one for Thayer's, one for Thayer's or Her- stayedthe winter (ph. JT, JAW); another at City,CO, Dec. 11 ($$SW),and one was at ring X California,and one for Glaucous- Ft. Collins Feb. 8-10 courted a 9 Am. GrandJet., CO, Dec. 23 (CD, RL). In wingedX Western;(3) PyramidL. Dec. 18.' Wigeon (ph. DL, JBr). Nevada's4th Februarythey began moving, with 100over twofor Glaucous-winged X Western and one HarlequinDuck spentthe winterat Reno Walsh, CO, Feb. 6-8 (JnlT) and 500 at for 2nd-or 3rd-yearHerring. The pointof

Volume 46, Number 2- 293 thislong dissertation isthat gulls are notori- ouslyhard to identify,hybrids exacerbate that problem,and expertsdo not always agree.

ROADRUNNERTO HUMMINGBIRDS A GreaterRoadrunner spent the winterin the raftersof a catde barn at Walsh, CO; it wouldpeck on thefarmhouse window to be fedcracked corn (JnlT). Springdale, UT, had a majorincursion, with oneyard attracting up to five/day;it wasthe best year for road- runnerssince 1984 (JG). Northern Pygmy- Owlsrecords came from the Wyoming and Coloradomountains, and one was partaking of feederbirds in Springdale,UT, nearZion NP (JG).An earlyBurrowing Owl appeared at FishSprings Feb. 26 (JB).Up to eight Short-earedOwls wintered at Wellington, CO (NE etal.).Boreal Owls began to singin Immaturefemale Gymfalcon caught and banded at Magna,Utah, on December 26,1991. the n. Colorado Rockies: three at Cameron Photograph/AlanJ. Hinde. PassFeb. 19 andone in BoulderJan.17. Two olina Wren on the L. Isabel C.B.C. turned CostasHummingbirds wintered at Boulder Townsend's Solitaires reflected the ambiva- Beach on L. Mead. out to havespent all of 1991 at a feeder;it lent reportsof manycommon Regional stayedthrough Feb. 29+ (MY etal.).Another species;top countscame from SheridanJan. WOODPECKERS CarolinaWren rangedalong the shoreof 26 (27, GK) andthe IPWC Jan.11, plusa A Red-headedWoodpecker wintered in a Barr L. near Denver Feb. 26 (HEK, UKi). seasonaltotal of 76 atLLBL (nine last year). Denversuburb, changing from imm. to ad. JanuaryWinter Wrens stopped at RenoJan. Only one-two appearedelsewhere. Four plumageover the winter(J & BH). An ad. 23-28 O'JaW,ph. JT) andGrandJct. Jan. 25 Hermit Thrushes included December birds Red-headedpassed through Florence, CO, (iCD 1st Lat). The IPWC counted53 Gold- at LasVegas, Fish Springs, and Durango, Feb.19 (NP).A Red-belliedWoodpecker on en-crownedKinglets. CO, anda windowkill Feb. 29 at Keystone, The winter's E. Bluebird records concen- theGrand Jct. CBC (very likely the most west- CO (MP).A VariedThrush reportedly win- erlyrecord ever) stayed until Jan. •5 (LS, iCD, tratedin ColoradosArkansas Valley, with teredat Cheyenne,WY (D & EH). 1stLat). One at Ft. Collins Dec. 16+ provided oneat ColoradoCity Dec.4, twoat Hasty Pueblohad a GrayCatbird Dec. 27 (DS), a 1stLat wintering record (JMm etal.). East Jan. 26, and 10 at Pueblo Feb. 19. andLyons, CO, hadone Feb. 22 (HL). Three acrossthe Interstatehighway, one banded Dec. 29+ was a 1st Lat record(JS). Other recordscame from Canon City (BPe,PS 1st Lat),two at Pueblo, two at Holly, one at Rocky Mt. Arsenal(iLM), oneat Brush,and some at OPTOLYTHOffers You the World's LightesBinculars theusual stronghold atBonny Res. Wouldyou rather wear a brick Thewinter's sapsucker tally reinforced the ideathat Yellow-bellieds winter regularly in aroundyour neck all day?Only Colorado. Two of the 17 Yellow-bellieds theALVIN binocularsbyOptolyth stoppedbriefly on the W. Slope:at Eagle featurean ultra-lightmetal body Dec. 5-7 (iJM) andMancos Jan. 17 (iAV). andframe conslruction. Extrastrong Front Rangecities attracted most: three in Ft. Collinsand Pueblo, two in Lyons,Boul- androbust, but light as a feather. derand Longmont, and one in Denver,Sali- Lifetimewarranty on all products. da and Westcliffe; birds wintered in Ft. Collins,Boulder, and Lyons. These winter- Totallymanufactured inGermany, ingsapsuckers seem to preferartifidal plant- Optolythuses only first-class ingsof maturepines; the Boulder birds win- materialfor lenses and prisms that teredwithin halfa mile of natural ponderosa pineforests. One Ft. Collins bird hung out in arefully multi-coated with Cerahn- 10 tall pinesin a cemetery.The two Red- Plus*to insure the ultimate inclarity napedsoccurred on the W. Slope:Grand Jct. andbrightness. Dec. 27 (iAV) and CarbondaleJan. 28 (iJBr).Reno rounded out sapsucker reports "•/'•SERIES--Models Include: witha Red-breastedat Reno Jan. 23 (EK). 8x30 BGA, 7x42 BGA, 8x40 BGA, 10x40 BGA, 7x50 BGA, 10x50 BGA, & 12x50 BGA FLYCATCHERSTO WAXWINGS At Renoa BlackPhoebe stayed Dec. 15-Jan. Theonly ncebetween OPTOL YTH and other European 19 (JAW,JT) and anotherwas at Labantan brands is the moneyyou will save! Dam Feb.21 (DT). A VermilionFlycatcher winteredat LasVegas (ph. MC). BlueJays continuetheir march through the Region; ForDealer nearest youor a Binocular/ScopeOptolyth-USA, Inc. oneappeared twice in Januaryin Alamosa, Catalogcall 800-447-6881 orWrite: 18805Melvista Lane CO (CK). Pueblorecorded no Bushtitsthis Hillsboro,OR 97123 winter;they might be declining (DS). A Car-

American Birds, Summer 1992 BrownThrashers spent the winter:at Las teredthere last year) and stayedJan. 19+ Vegas,Salida, and Idaho Springs, CO (VM, (D.EO.). The 250 SnowBuntings at Bear SOUTHWESTREGION RE, FC & D.EO.). BohemianWaxwings es- RiverNWR, UT, Jan.18 madea largeflock sentiallystayed north: Sheridan reported for the Region,especially for Utah (PP). Arizona 1000Jan. 14 and 200 Feb. 15; Casper had a Casperhad 60-120 Jan. 17-18, Yellowstone David Stejskal and dozenin February,asdid Tensleep, WY. Only had2 reportsof one-two,and five were at GaryH. Rosenberg 2 reportscame from the south: 10 at L. Isabel JacksonRes., CO, Jan. 4. SingleYellow- Dec. 28 and 50 nearbyat PuebloFeb. 29. headed Blackbirds wintered at Colorado Howdid theyescape notice in theinterven- Cityand Pueblo. Thiswinter was characterized by mild tem- ing400 miles? Cedar Waxwings were much A PurpleFinch stayed at Walsh,CO, Dec. peraturesthat lasted into December and by morewidespread. All4 stateshad them, with 3-Jan.4 (•JnlT,ph. SM). Several Red Cross- heavier-than-normalrainfall throughout the flocksof over100 at CedarCity, UT, Yellow- bill flocks wintered in the mountains from state.The mildtemperatures most likely ac- stone,Cortez, and LLBL. Loganto Boulder, and Yellowstone reported countfor the numberof lingeringinsecti- a White-wingedCrossbill twice in January voresin thesouthern portion of the state into (TM). Casperreported the most Corn. Red- December.Certainly a testimony to themild polls:100 Feb. 17. A fewwintered there, and winterwas the overwintering of EaredTro- Sheridanand n. Coloradoreported three. gonsin theHuachuca Mountains, providing Pine Siskinsreturned to normal numbers, it the first definite winter recordsfor the United seemed,with many reports of 10-100from States.The most exciting event was discovery CedarCity north and east to Ft. C•;llins and of theUnited States' first Blue Mockingbird, ß. I Sheridan. A flock of 20 LesserGoldfinches whichcreated quite a dilemmafor somein stoppedJan. 4 in a GlenwoodSprings, CO, the birdwatchingcommunity--i.e., those yard(•VZ). fewpeople who did not respectlandowner rights.It wason private property. Fortunate- CorrJgendum:Withdraw the report of Neva- ly,the bird was later relocated and observable da's first nesting Com. Loons (AB fromthe public road adjacent to the property, Thisgull photographed at PyramidLake, Nevada, 45(5):1141).Since the mother had six young allowingmany birders to enjoy it. onFebruary 1, 1992, drewno unanimous ridingher back, loons usually have only two identificationwhen sent to out-of-stateexpmts: young,and the observer was inexperienced Abbreviations: BTA ( BoyceThompson Ar- somecalled it l•ayer's, somecaiied it Glaucous- anddid not provide aconvincing written de- boretum);LCR (LowerColorado River); PAP wingedX Westernhybrid. Hybrid gulls are scription,the report lacks adequate backup (PinalAirPark); SPR (San Pedro River); STP difficult,of course,and single photographs are fora firststate nesting record (JT). oftenmisleading. Photograph/Jane Thompson. (Sewagel•eatment Plant); VOC (Villageof Oak Creek). Compilers (boldface), contributors (italics), WARBLERSTO FINCHES and cited observers:Keith Archibald (10), LOONSTO MERGANSERS At Fallon,NV, oneOrange-crowned War- Lu Bainbridge,Jay Banta,John Bitrber A Red-throated Loon at Bill Williams Delta, blerwintered "by feeding in ornamentalju- (JBr),Dean Bjerke (25), Nelson Bosehen L. Havasu,Dec. 4 (JK)represents only the nipersagainst asouth-facing wall that breaks (8), W.W. Brocknet(29), ColoradoDivi- 10th Arizona record,with all but 3 of the theN windand absorbs solar energy during sionof Wildlife, ColoradoField Ornitholo- recordsfound on L. Havasu.The only Pacific theday, making a littlemicrohabitat suffi- gists,E Craig,James and Marian Cressman Loonreports came from the LCR, where rare cientlywarm to supporta hardywintering (6), Alex Cruz, Denver Field Ornitholo- butregular;, one was at CibolaNWR Dec.7 warbler"(AJ, WH). LasVegas reported two gists,Coen Dexter (5), Bob Dickson, Keith (TC, DT), anotheron L. HavasuDec. 7 Orange-crowneds,one usinga backyardDixon (10), RubyEbright, J. Evens,Mar- (TC, DT). Outstandingwas a Red-necked hummingbirdfeeder, and one was in Boul- garetEwing, D. Fagan,Elva Fox, Jewel Gi• Grebeon L. HavasuFeb. 22-23 (•TC etal.); der,CO, in January(AC). Most remarkable )•re( Dave Hallock, May HanesWorth (22), therewere only 2 previousrecords, both on wasColorado's 2nd CapeMay Warblerto W.E.Harper, Phil Hayes(i5), StevenLCR reservoirs.Very rare awayfrom the spendthe winter: from Jan. 24-Feb. 16 it fol- Hedges,J. & B. Henrichs,William Henr35 LCRwas a singleHorned Grebe at Gilbert loweda Yellow-belliedSapsucker around a A.J. Hinde, AnneJanik, Mark Janos,D. Dec. 13 (SGa)and up to two at Fountain Boulderneighborhood and fed at sapwells Johnson,Ursula Kepler (24), MerlinKill- Hills throughJanuary (m.ob.). Eight W. that the sapsuckermade in ornamentalpack, G. Kilpatrick,U. Kingery(UKi), C. Grebe recordscame from scattereds. Arizona pines.It alsoforaged on the ground, perhaps Knapp,Edward Kurtz, Jim & Gloria locations;the most significant sighting came for insects,and drank silver maple sap (AC Lawrence(12), DaveLeatherman (24), H. fromRoper Lake SP s. of SaffordFeb. 4 [video],ph. DL). Many Yellow-rumpedLeichliter, Jeff Mackay (JMa), LarryMal- (GM). Warblersstayed around: 20 at Stillwater, one,J. Mammoser(JMm), E. Mark, Terry There are few Arizona winter recordsfor 10-15 at GrandJet. and Pueblo, plus 1-5 in McEneaney(23), S. McKinney,D. MeN- Am. White Pelicanaway from the LCR, so Reno,Logan, Boulder, and Ft. Collins. A re- inch,Ann Means(35), JackMerchant (4), thenumber in Maricopathis winter was sur- markableTownsend's Warbler stayedat Murie AudubonSociety, Larry Neel, D. prising:32 atL. PleasantDec. 6 (B.Glenn), OgdenJan. 15-Feb. 5 (MK). Nelson,Paul Opler (24), PeterPaton, M. twoon RooseveltL. Dec. 10 (H. Messing), D.EO. found a Green-tailed Towbee in Paulson,B. Percival(BPe), Norma Peterson, and15-35 at PRDthrough January (TC, L. n.e. ColoradoJan. 25. A Rufous-crownedB. Prather,J. Prather,J.C. Rigli, Pearle Hatcheret al.). Fouralong the LCR n. of Sparrowat CornCreek near Las Vegas Dec. Sandstrom-Smith,J.Sedgwick, D. Shuford EhrenbergFeb. 15 (PS)possibly were early 16is the 6th from Nevada but apparently the (DSh), David Silverman(24), Arnold migrants.An imm. Double-crestedCor- firstdocumented byphotograph and written Smith,R. Stallcup,L. Stigen,E. Tappen- morantremained at KinoSprings near No- description(•MC ph.).White-throated and den,Jane Thompson (13), Janeal Thomp- galesthrough the period, where it wasoften Harris'sparrows visited feeders throughout son (JnlT), D. Trousdale,U.S. Fish & reportedas a Neotropic.This illustrates the the Regionas usual. At Kremmling,CO, Wildlife Service,Alan l•rsaw,Jack Walters difficultyin differentiatingthese 2 when however,the White-throatedDec. 1-Jan. 16 (JAW),Jim & Rodel•tts, S.Wheelock, Eric only one is present.One-five Neotropic and Harris Dec. 1-Feb. 16 (NB) were 1st Wilson,M. Yaeger,Vic Zerbi.--HUGH E. Cormorantswere at PatagoniaL. through Lats.A Golden-crownedSparrow returned KINGERY, 869 Milwaukee Street, Den- Feb.18 (m.ob.);the vast majority of Arizona (?)to RedRocks Park near Denver (one win- ver, CO 80206.

Volme 46, Number 2.295 a regularwinter visitor in theGulf of Califor- 5-10(TC, DT), andanother male at Patago- nia, its Arizona status has remained that of niaL. Jan.30-Feb. 18 (PL, SF,TC). onlycasual occurrence, with fewerthan 15 recordsfor the state and only one in thepast VULTURESTO TERNS 10 years.Multiple sightings in thePhoenix For the 2nd winter in a row, BlackVulture areawere exceptional, with one on theVerde wasin s.w.Phoenix, where this species used R. at Ft. McDowellDec. 11-14 (W. Beallet to bea regularvisitor: an injuredbird was a/., ph. SGa)and another(or the same?) seenthere Jan. 16 (fideBD). Black-shoul- about25 mi SWat ChandlerJan. 7 (ph.M. deredKite continues to be a sparsebut Scott). widespreadvisitor (if not permanentresi- An unusual concentration of 30+ winter- dent) to s.Arizona; no fewerthan sevenwere ing CinnamonTeal was at ChandlerJan. 5 reportedDec. 7-Feb. 20. A Harris'Hawk at (TC, DT). Fivereports of Eur.Wigeon (all SkullValley, w. of Prescott,Jan. 1 (VM) was males)were receivedfrom the Phoenixarea: n.and w. of its normal Arizona range. A Red- oneat Scottsdalethrough January (m.ob., shoulderedHawk wintered in s.w. Phoenix ph. SGa,SF); one returned to the Phoenix Dec. 1-Feb. 9 (TC eta/.); thereare now at CapeMay Warbler at Boulder,Colorado, on ZooDec. 4 andremained through January least 16 Arizona records,and it has been February9,1992. Photograph/DavidLeatherman. (R.Jones, H. Messing);another was at a dif- recorded5 out of the last6 winters.An imm. ferentlocation in Scottsdale Dec. 6-January Broad-wingedHawk was well described recordsare from this locality. White-faced (SGa,RBr, eta/.); one was along the Salt R. e. alongthe Verde R. belowBartlett Dam. Feb. Ibis is a scarcewinter visiter in s. Arizona of PhoenixDec. 16 (D. Pearson,RW); and 13 (tL. Armstrongeta/.); there are only a awayfrom the LCR, where it israre but regu- onewas at Sun Lakes in ChandlerJan. 10-15 handfulof winter recordsfor s.Arizona and lar;up to fourwere at Gilbertthrough Jan- (fideSGa). onlyabout 20 recordsin all for thestate. A uary(SGa); one was in s.w.Phoenix in late Scarceaway from the LCR in winter,two "Hadan's"form of Red-tailedHawk, an ex- January(M. Larson). GreaterScaup were reported: one was at Sny- tremelyrare winter visitor, was reported s.w. Black-belliedWhisding-Ducks continue derHill STPJan.1 (M. Stevenson),and an- to winter in the Phoenixarea, with 35 at of Phoenixalong the Salt R. Dec.1 (TC). otherwas at ScottsdaleJan. 21+ (BD, L. CrestedCaracara is a rareresident in s.w.Ari- ChandlerJan. 15 andsix at GilbertJan. 29 Hatchereta/.). Always a surprise away from (both SGa). More than the usualnumber of zonaand is foundinfrequently outside its theirusual wintering areas on the LCR, a c• knownstate breeding range. Two single birds TundraSwans were reported, with scattered BarrowsGoldeneye was at PrescottDec. 15 inn. Phoenix Dec. 6-23 (fideTC, ph. B. Van individualsin the Phoenix area in earlyDe- (?W.Anderson). At leastone of the two Old- Pelt)and another in ArivacaDec. 28 (EVW, cember,one at WillcoxDec. 7 (R. Dorrance, squawfound at SnyderHill STP in Novem- L. VanderWerf)were of interest. R. Machover),one in TucsonDec. 10 (B. ber wasfound shotNov. 30; the otheralso Surprisingly,two Clapper Rails along the Lyon),one in PageSprings throughout Jan- appearedwounded from a gunshot. The only GilaR. nearBuckeye Dec. 19 (RBr,fide D. uary(B. Phillipseta/.), and four at Snyder truewinter report came from Lee's Ferry Feb. HillsSTP near Tucson Jan. 2-3, withone re- Todd)represented thefirst winter Maricopa 22 (CL). The c• Surf Scoterfound at Lee's record.Three Com. Moorhens at Roper maininguntil Jan. 5 (J.Druik eta/.). A single Ferryin Octoberwas still present Feb. 22 "Blue"Goose was reported from Black Mesa LakeSP near Safford Feb. 4 (GM)provided (CL).No fewer than 15 Hooded Mergansers probably the first local record; the species is Feb.24 (CL),apparently representing the werereported statewide. An unusuallyhigh generallyscarce and local in s.e.Arizona (al- firstrecord of this Snow Goose color morph concentrationof300+ Common Mergansers though common in appropriatehabitat in fromn. Arizona.Only two Ross' Geese were were at Arrowhead Ranch in n.w. Phoenix thes.w. portion of thestate). A flockof 110 -found: one at Gilbertall winter (m.ob.) and lateDecember-January. Five c• Red-breast-Sandhill Cranes over the Whetstone Mts. one with two Snow Geese at Gila Farms ed Merganserswere at ParkerDam Feb.22 Feb,12 (GM) waswell away from known PondJan. 14-23 (RBr, A. Spenser).Rare but (TC eta/.),where rare but regular. However, statewintering areas. regularin winter,single Greater White- thefour individuals reported from s. Arizona Four Mt. Ploversw. of Gila Bend Dec. 7 frontedGeese were at SunLakes, Chandler, weremore unusual: a female at PatagoniaL. (PS)may represent the first record in this area lateDecember-Jan. 10 (M. Scotteta/.) and Dec. 7 (G. Hummel), a malein n.w. Phoenix sincethe late 1970s (it was formerly the most atWillcox Jan. 11 (GVO. Although Brant is Dec.29 (TC, DT), a femaleat ChandlerJan. reliablearea in thestate to seethis species). Still a rare winter bird in the Phoenixarea, two Am. Avocets werepresent throughout the pe- riod at Gilbert (SGa).A Greater Yellowlegsat Willow L. near PrescottDec. 14-16 (CT) pro- vided the first localwinter record. Unprecedentedfor winterwas a Sanderlingat ChandlerSTP Jan. 14through the end of the period (RBr,A. Spenser;ph. SGA). This is surprisingconsidering their regularityin winterat boththe Salton Seaand the n. Gulf of Cal- . YumaPatted R•kDamR•k Dam ifornia.Rare but regular in win- " " • r Car Isbad Nat Park ter in s. Arizona,W. Sandpiper _ ';Tu•onVW•o}Silver• LaseC uces was reportedin aboutaverage numbers,with one in Green Val- leyDec. 20 (EVW), threein Tuc- I son Dec. 22 (KK, LK), one at Snyder Hill STP Jan. 1 (M. Stevenson),two at GilbertJan.

296. American Birds,Summer 1992 1-11 (TC, DT), andone at Gila FarmsPond Green Kingfisherswere reported,with Jan.24 (TC, DT). An unusuallyhigh winter recordsfrom Nogales, Arivaca, Sonoita Cr., concentrationof 225 Long-billedDowitch- andthe San Pedro R. In thelast few years this erswas at GilbertSTP Jan. 11 (TC, DT). On specieshas apparently become resident on Ofi:.th• PatagoniaChristmss Bird •.Count theheels of the unusuallylarge number of severalofs.e. Arizona's perennial streams. Dec.:21,:BobNorton an• Deb Treadway dis- RedPhalaropes in the fall, two additional Asmany as two Lewis' Woodpeckers were co•i;•d • :BlUeM•ngbird (Mdanotis birdswere at Cibola NWR Dec. 7 (TC, DT) in TucsonDec. 19-31 (R. Hassethetal.) but caeru•m),on• of themost exciting birds and anotherwas at Willcox Dec. 19 (LD). It werenot reportedfrom any other s.e. Ari- found:in Arizonain :recentyears and the first isour opinion that these records represent a zona localities. Arizona's 6th Red-headed da•fim•htedre•ord foi:•;: American. of continuation of the fall invasion into the Woodpecker,which appeared Nov. 21 near :Mexico(pff. DTr, GR) •he bird was seen by Southwestasopposed to true winter records. Continental,was present in the sametree s•e• oth•fob•verstrim'day ofthe count; TwoBonaparte's Gulls, an irregular winter throughoutthe period (m.ob.). During the but he•nsei½ h• •h lo•ted 0n private visitor,were at CasaGrande Jan. 6 CN.Boya- winter,the juvenal-plumaged bird molted pr0P• (•t• spe•ifl•BG per•ssion), it gen).At least100 California Gulls were re- entirelyinto a stunningad.-plumaged bird. :•ag:•b•s•fi •i• Un• Feb,15, when it w• porteds. of Davis Dam, LCR, Feb. 23 (TC); There was some rumor of a 2nd individual, red•overed •hd •iewablefrom a public historicallylarge concentrations wintered at particularwhen it waspointed out thatit ;;ad •i• Mex• •fide•ic::•nge;asfar:: thislocality, but smaller numbers have been normally(?)takes 2 yearsto acquireentirely fi6nb•:• :•fi0ra (a•ut ll0 mi s. 0f •e presentin recentyears. A groupof seven whitepatches in thesecondaries (juveniles :borde;j• in ihe n: •rfion df :its • e i• • Forster'sTern in TucsonDec. 6 (J. Osborn) have2 widelyspaced black bars on white sec- representsone of onlya handfulof winter ondaries).But KennKaufman observed this •hj•fiere:arefirst-hand •pøm0• Blue recordsaway from the Colorado R. individualin Januaryin theprocess of molt- ingthe secondaries. Therefore we discount : thi• ifidividfi• sh6wed aB•Ol•tel• •o:•bnor: DOVES TO WOODPECKERS the two-birdtheory. A juv. Yellow-bellied•i feat•er:We•,• :wo•i a • •.: efii SixInca Doves at SkullValley w. of Prescott SapsuckerDec. 1 at BTA (CT et al.) re- Jan.1-20 (B. Pearson)were outside their mainedthrough the period. This species ap- all•t onenn•nfitm• s[ghiing for•iWna normalrange; this species, however, has a pearsto bea rarebut regular fall and winter tendencyto wanderor dispersein falland visitor.The status of Red-breastedSapsucker [: fi•oag• •e YaqOidfiin•:0fm Son•?a, winter.Another species prone to wanderat issimilar; this winter one was reported from thisseason is Com. Ground-Dove; extralimi- Ahwatukee,s. of Phoenix,Dec. 29 (PB); an- tal recordsthis winter include two at Skull otherwas in TempeJan. 13 (D. Laush). flougt,tficA3•5:is n0•&h•llsi r•ic•ng:tfii ValleyNov. 17-Jan. 8 (B.Pearson, CT) and •:re•rdWi•:r pe•{•:ori four nearthat localityFeb. 6 (B. Pearson). FLYCATCHERSTO VIREOS Thisis the first winter in 5 yearsthat we did A N. Beardless-Tyrannuletat BTA Jan.19 notreceive at least one Ruddy Ground-Dove (CT) waswell n. of normalwinter range in report.Unprecedented forwinter in Arizona Arizonabut was not unprecedented. Two E. Three Brown Thrasherswere around the and casualanywhere in North Americaat Phoebereports were received, about average; state this winter; one at Teec Nos Pos in De- thisseason was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo along onewas along Sonoita Cr. Dec. 5 (J.Osborn) cember(RN, DTr), onee. of PhoenixDec. the Santa Cruz R. in TucsonDec. 22 (KK). and anotherwas at Cooks L., San Pedro R., 16 (R. Aylsworth,N. Carroll),and another Two GreaterRoadrunners along the Little Feb.27 (TG, D. Laush).A late "Western" alongSonoita Cr. Jan. 11 (JC etal.). North of ColoradoR. nearCameron Jan. 26 (CL) and typeHycatcher was along Sonoita Cr. Dec. 1 itsusual Arizona range was a CrissalThrash- 2-3 throughoutthe period in Flagstaff(fide (PS);few winter sight records ofthis complex er along the Litde ColoradoR. near JC)were both from areas in thestate where havebeen identified to species,although the CameronJan. 26 (CL).Although there are a seldomreported. Possibly related to the mild singlewinter specimenfor the stateis fewextralimital records for this region of the temperatureswas the finding of a recently assignableto the Baja California subspecies state, this species isnot known to nest or win- dead Elf Owl at Glendale, w. of Phoenix, of Pacific-slopeFlycatcher. A late Ham- ter locally.Arizona's first "winter"White- Dec.18 (fide TC); this represents one of very mond'sFlycatcher along the Salt R. in s.w. eyedVireo was found dead (but seen alive fewwinter recordsfor the state. PhoenixDec. 1 (TC) wasslightly n. of nor- theprevious week) at thePhoenix Zoo Dec. A Violet-crownedHummingbird at- malwintering range. Slightly more impres- 7 (K. Ingram,TC); therewere only 8 previ- temptedto winter in Bisbeethe 2nd straight sivewas a DuskyFlycatcher identified along ous state records. yearand was last seen Jan. 17 (JWh).The the Verde R. near Clarkdale Feb. 12 (CT); smallpopulation that has nested locally near therewere no previouswinter records from WARBLERSTO ORIOLES Patagoniain recentyears arrived at their thisregion of the state. More Gray Flycatch- The d Golden-wingedWarbler found in usualfeeders by theearly date of Feb.15 (S. ersthan usual were seen throughout s. Ari- lateNovember at RamseyCanyon was last Mlodinow).Two differentSelasphorus sp. zonaw. to CabezaPrieta NWR, probably seenDec. 28 ($JWh et al.), providingthe (probablyRufous) were at Portalfeeders dueto themild winter. A lateCassin's King- 2nd winterrecord for thestate and only the Dec.5 (DJ),with oneremaining to Dec.21. birdwas reported from Green Valley Dec. 25 2nd or 3rd winter record for the U.S. No Lastfall's Eared Trogon "invasion" contin- (EVW). fewer than six Chestnut-sided Warblers were ued into winter,with anothersighting of SeveralCactus Wrens were near Sedona in found around s. Arizona, with one in one,in ScheeliteCanyon, Huachuca Mts., late January-lateFebruary (W. Turner,J. PhoenixNov. 30 (fideSGa), one along the Jan.28-29 (R. Smith).The pair that at- Searle,E Lindberg,fide AG). This species Salt R. in s.w.Phoenix Dec. 1 (TC), another temptednesdng in UpperRamsey Canyon maybe expanding its Arizona range to the near thereDec. 16 (SGa),two alongthe lastfall apparently overwintered successfully; north; these records may represent the first VerdeRiver e. of PhoenixDec. 16-Jan. 10 thepair was reported sporadically through Coconinosightings. A Black-tailedGnat- (TC, SGa,RN), andone along the Santa theperiod beginning in earlyFebruary (fide catchernest at SellsFeb. 27 (T. HueIs,GM) Cruz R. in Tucson Dec. 22-Feb. 8 (DS et JWh), providingthe first definitewinter wasconsidered very early. AVaried Thrush at al.). As usual,a coupleof Black-and-white record.An ElegantTrogon in Garden BTAJan. 12-25 (J. Bartleyet al.) wasthe WarNers were in the state,with one remain- Canyon,Huachuca Mts., Jan. 9 (R. Smith) onlyone reported. A GrayCatbird at BTA ingat RamseyCanyon until Dec. 16 (JWH providedone of the few recent winter records Dec.15 (CT etal.)remained throughout the etal.) andanother along the Verde R. e. of awayfrom Sycamore Canyon into the Pajari- period;there are only a fewprevious winter Phoenix Dec. 16-Feb. 2 (TC, DTr). A to Mts.w. of Nogales.No fewerthan ?ight records. Worm-eatingWarbler frequentedReid

Volume 46, Number 2- • Coons(Flagstaff), Troy Corman, Bix Dema- two-eightat EBL Jan.4-Feb. 20 (v.o.).A ree,Louie Dombroski, Shawneen Finnegan, possible Red-necked Grebe was at Conchas RichFurgueson, Steve Ganley, Tom Gatz, L. Jan.26 (PRSetal.) and Feb. 20 (TH, LG) Virginia Gillmore, Sharon Goldwasser,but was missed by most who sought it; the AlmaGreen (Sedona), Grace Gregg, Paul speciesremains unverified by specimenor Hammerton,John Higgins (Tucson), Jack photographin New Mexico. Aechmophorus Holloway,Dave Jasper (Portal), Dan Jones, grebesagain wintered in numbersat EBL, Kenn Kaufman, Lynn Kaufman,Jeff where over 1000 were countedfrom the air Kingery, Dave Krueper (Sierra Vista), Jan.13 (SOW);northerly were three Clark's ChuckLaRue (Kayenta), Paul Lehman, Ann at EspafiolaDec. 29 •qdeBL) and one near McLucky,Virginia Miller, Gale Monson, LasVegas Dec. 22 •qdeGB) while westerly RobertMorse, Robert Norton, Will Russell, were two Westerns and one Clark's at Bill John Saba,Peter Scott, John Spencer EvansL. Dec.4-10 (EL, RF). (Globe),Walter and SallySpofford, Paul LingeringAm. White Pelicansincluded Sunby, Rick Taylor, Carl S. Tomoff 148at CaballoL. Dec.29 (BZ etal.),with at (Prescott),Deborah Treadway, Eric Vander- least30 therethrough January (PES, CS), Werf, GreerWarren, Jack Whetstone, Bob and17 at BrantleyL. Dec.24 (SW etal.). andJanet Witzeman (Phoenix), Barry Zim- Moderate numbersof Double-crestedCor- mer. GARY H. ROSENBERG, 5441 N. morants were in the Rio Grande and lower SwanRd., Apt. 313, Tucson,AZ 85718; RioPecos valleys through the period; some at DAVID STEJSKAL,5755 River Rd., Apt. CaballoL. sportednuptial plumes by Feb. 27 BlueMockingbird along Sonoita Creek near 703, Tucson,AZ 85715. OH). Neotropicswere confined to the Rio Patagonia,A•zona, on December 21, 1991. Photo•Taph/GafyH. Rosenberg. Grandefrom BosqueRefuge southward (v.o.)except for oneat Bill EvansL. Dec. 13 & 28 (ph. RF). Unusualfor winter were two Park,Tucson, Jan. 12-20 (E McCrory etaL); CatdeEgrets at LasCruces Jan. 19-20 (S. thisis onlythe 3rd truewinter record. This Tweit).Early were two White-faced Ibises at years LouisianaWaterthrush came from NewMexico BosqueRefuge Feb. 1-15 (v.o.). PenaBianca L. Dec. 5 (R. Machover);this Sartor O. Williams III The onlyTundra Swan was at Bosque speciesis virtuallyannual in the mountains RefugeDec. 21 (Jp). PeripheralGreater ofs.e.Arizona in winter. A fewearly Wilson's White-fronted Geeseincluded 58 at McKin- Warblerswere seen in February,with one AnE1Nifio winter, characterized byrelative- ney Flats,Hidalgo, Feb. 15 (AC, NMC). alongthe San Pedro R. nearSierra Vista Feb. ly mild,moist conditions over most of New Ross'Geese away from usual concentrations 23 (PH) andtwo at NogalesFeb. 23 (T. Mexico,was likely responsible for many includedtwo at RGNC Dec. 8 (TB) & 15 LamD. spedeslingering late, returning northward (HS) andthree at LasCruces Dec. 15 (BZ et A c•Summer Tanager was at Prescott Dec. earlyand/or overwintering inunusually high al.). WoodDucks were in unprecedented 19-28 (ph.R. & E. ReeD,and another male numbers,aswell as for early breeding acdvity numbersat RGNC, with over200 Jan. 12 wasalong Sonoira Cr. nearPatagonia Dec. byseveral others. Adding to the interest, the (PES);southerly were four at SilverCity 21 (RBr);this species isat best a casual winter "PatagoniaPicnic Table Effect" came into Dec.14 (RFet al.) and singles at LasCruces visitor.A singingRufous-winged Sparrow at playat ConchasLake in easternNew Mexi- Dec.15 (BZ) and Feb. 8 OldeCS) and at Rat- theBTA Jan. 20-23 (CT) provided the first co, providingtwo new state--andseveral tlesnakeSprings in February(SW, BV). A g recordof this "southeastern" Arizona special- new local--records. EurasianWigeon was at CassCraw, Eddy, ty from n. of the Gila R. Of localinterest Dec. 31 (SW). were two Black-chinnedSparrows s. of Abbreviations:Bitter L. (BitterLake NWR); GreaterScaup were more plentiful than PrescottDec. 15-Feb.19 (CT). EightFox BosqueRefuge (Bosque del Apache NWR); usual,with well-detailed birds induding two Sparrows(about average) were reported in CCNP (CarlsbadCaverns Natl Park);EBL at Maxwell Feb. 8 (CR), five at LVNWR the winter. Only three Golden-crowned(Elephant Butte L.); LVNWR(Las l•gas Dec.7 (JP,CB), andFeb. 5 & 25 (CR), three Sparrowswere reported this season, with one NWR); RGNC (Rio GrandeNature Center, at ConchasL. Jan.25 (JP,AK), andthree at at PatagoniaDec. 21, onenear Portal Dec. Albuquerque);Zuni (Zuni Indian Reservation). EBL Jan. 16 (LG,TH). A g Oldsquawat 21 (T. & L. Gates),and another (or the same) ConchasL. Jan.23 (LG, CR) wasstill there thereFeb. 14 (D. Sonnebom). Rare but reg- LOONSTO MERGANSERS Feb.22 0D- The onlyscoter was a White- ularin winter, Harris' Sparrows were report- A large,pale loon with threeCommons at wingedat EBL Jan. 4-Feb. 15 (JP et al.). For edfrom Black Mesa Jan. 29 (CD, nearMesa ConchasL. Dec.15 (JV)was subsequently the 3rd consecutiveyear Barmw'sGold- mid-December-lateJanuary (m.ob.), and verified as New Mexico• first Yellow-billed eneyeswintered on the SanJuan R. below twoalong the Santa Cruz R. in TucsonFeb. 3 LoonJan. 22 (CR etal.,ph. LG); it remained NavajoDam, with sevenDec. 26 (DC) and (D. Cassian).The LaplandLongspur in throughFebruary and was well documented 10 Feb.22 (ph DC). HoodedMergansers November in the San Rafael Grasslandswas by manyobservers. Common Loons were werewidely reported, including 11 at seenagain Dec. 17 (B.Lyons). conspicuousfrom the Rio Grandeeastward, MaxwellNWR Feb. 8 (CR),eight at Clayton Possiblyonly 2nd and3rd winterrecords includingup to eightat ConchasL. Jan.25 L. Dec. 28 (CR, MM), and 12 at StorrieL. weresingle • OrchardOrioles along the (SWetal.), seven at EBLFebruary 1 & 15 Dec.24 (CR);westerlywere two-three in the SantaCruz R- in TucsonDec. 22 (ph.GR et (JP),one at LasCruces Dec. 1-17 (GE, E. Gila ValleyDec. 13 & 28 (RF,EL). Low al.)and at FountainHills e. of PhoenixJan. Wootten),and four near Loving Dec. 31. waterat CaballoL. apparentlyfavored Com. 2-25 (ph.J. & M. Sommers,ph. SF, m.ob.). (SWetal.). Noteworthy were at least two Pa- Mergansers,asan estimated 10,000 wintered A • Streak-backedOriole at Cooks L. on cificLoons at ConchasL. Feb.20 (LG,TH) December(BZ) and January (CS). theSan Pedro R. Feb. 27 was the thirdyear in and one-twoat EBL Jan. 16 (LG, TH) arow that a malewas at this locality. throughFeb. 15 (JP). Horned Grebes made a EAGLESTO GULLS goodshowing, with singles atLas Vegas Dec. In spiteof thewarmer winter, 308 BaldEa- Contributors(area compilers in boldface):22 (CR, CS) and BosqueRefuge Dec. 8 gleswere counted on standardaerial tran- ArizonaBird Committee,Charles Babbitt, (PRS),several at ConchasL.January-Febru- sects Jan. 13-15 (SOW etal.), the 3rd high- PatBeall, Jerry Bock, Robert Bradle)• John ary,including 11 there Feb. 15 (CR, Jp), and esttotal since the surveys began in thelate

298 - American Birds,Summer 1992 mingbirdswere at LasCruces feeders mid- Decemberto mid-January(fide CS, BZ), wheremore or less regular in winterin recent years. A Red-headedWoodpecker was at Mesilla Dec. 15 (BZ) to Jan.4 (GE), the2nd consec- utivewinter there. Highly unusual were one to two c• Red-belliedWoodpeckers near Las VegasDec. 22 (CS);the species was verified in thestate only last year. Among the better- detailedprobable Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers weretwo at ConchasL. Jan. 23 (CR, LG) plussingles at Corrales(fide HS), Bosque Refuge(v.o.), and LasCruces (BZ). Late weretwo Red-napedsat TesuqueDec. 15 (CR).Southerly was a DownyWoodpecker at BosqueReftage Feb. 27 (RT,PB). An apparentHammond's Flycatcher was at PerchaDam Dec.29 (ph.BZ) to Feb.22 (ph. LG); a possibleDusky also was there Jan.4 (JP) plusanother possible at Glen- woodFeb. 25 (JH).Northerly Black Phoebes wereat EspafiolaDec. 29 (PI fide BL) and CochitiL. Feb.15 (PI),while northerly Say's wereone-two at Zuni Dec. 11 andJan. 29 OrchardOriole at FountainHills, Ariama, o• Jamuary23,1992. Thebird speat much of the winter at (DC) and one at Cochiti L. Jan. 19 (BV). thisfeeder. Phatograph/$hawneen Runegan. WesterlyE. Phoebeswere one at Gila Dec. 28 (SM, fide RF) and one-twoat Percha 1970s.Also noteworthy were 10 in Harding uary-February(v.o.), 24 atBitter L. Dec.14 DamDec. 29-Feb. 15 (BZ,JP). Highly un- (fideW.Cook). Both Bald Eagle nests known (SBi et al.), and moderatenumbers at L. usualwas a Cassin's Kingbird in theGila Val- to havebeen active in recentyears (one each Grande,including up to 75 thereDec. 28 leyJan. 9 & 23 (RF),apparently only the 2nd in Col•xandSierra) were again occupied by (SW et al.). SingleLessers were at Bosque winterreport for •he state. February(v.o.). Early (or wintering?)was a RefugeDec. 14 (LG)and at LovingDec. 31 Com. Black-Hawkat GlenwoodFeb. 21 (M. (SW etal.).Unusual were three Dunlins each SWALLOWSTO WRENS Gates,fideJH). Six Harris' Hawks were at 3 at BosqueRefuge Feb. 16 (ph.LG) andBit- Earlywere two TreeSwallows at Bosque Hidalgosites Feb. 15 (EL), including three at ter L. Dec. 9 (CB). Noteworthywere 80 RefugeFeb. 16 (LG, C. Davis,fidePRS) and a nest;numbers were rebounding in Eddy Long-billedDowitchers at BosqueRefuge fourat Mangas Springs Feb. 21 (RF).Unusu- (fideSW),with 15 at Loving Dec. 31 (SWet Feb.1 (JP,DH). The loon attraction at Conchas L. was alwere two N. Rough-wingedsatCaballo L. al.). A Zone-tailed Hawk, casualin winter, Dec.29 (fideBZ) while early were five at Bill wasnear Gila Jan. 22 (SM,fideRF).Ferrugi- likelyresponsible for the discoveryof New EvansL. Feb.24 (EL). CaveSwallows were at Mexico'sfirst verifiedMew Gull, an adult nousHawks were widespread and relatively CCNP Jan.23, the"earliest ever" (fide SW). numerousin the east and south (m.ob.). presentFeb. 22-24 (JPet al.; ph. G. Lasley, SingleGray Jays were near Red River Jan. Rough-leggedswere widespread in the east in LG). Northerlywere two Bonaparte's Gulls 30 (CR, SBa)and Feb. 8 (PRS).Several Blue at ConchasL. Jan.26 (CR etal.);small num- lowto moderatenumbers, with a highof 10 Jaysfound their way west to theRio Grande bers of Bonaparte'swere at EBL Dec. at AngelFire Jan. 30 (CR,SBa); southerly corridor,including at leasttwo at SantaFe in 29-Feb. 6 (v.o.),and one was at BrandeyL. weresingles in thePeloncillo Mts. Dec.29 mid-December(fide PI), one-twoat Cor- (RS)and Animas Valley Jan. 8 (AC,NMC), Dec. 24 (SW et al.). A first-winterprobable ralesJan. 5-Feb. 10 (BV,TB), andsingles at and one-twoat BrantleyL., Loving,and Thayer'sGull wasat EBLJan. 16-Feb. 22 AlbuquerqueDec. 15 (fideHS), Caballo CCNP in December(SW et al.). Over 20 (LG, CS, JP). Dam Dec. 29 (BZ), and Las CrucesDec. 15 Merlinswere reported statewide, including DOVESTO FLYCATCHERS (BZ, BV). PinyonJays remained conspicu- one eastto Stead,Union, Feb. 6 (JH, JV). ousin the norththrough the period,espe- Unusualwas a Peregrinein theGila Valley Noteworthywere two White-winged Doves ciallyin theSanta Fe area, where 1536 were Dec.7 & 28 (fideRF). A pairof Prairieswas at Albuquerqueall winter(AS). One-three countedDec. 15 (PIet al.); easterlywere onterritory in thePeloncillo Mts. by Jan. 28 Incaswere at BosqueRefuge Dec. 14 (SCet eightat Conchas L.Jan. 25 (SWetal.) while (SOW). al.)and Feb. 2 (DCfidePRS);49 wereat Las southwesterlywere six at PleasantonFeb. 25 CrucesDec. 15 (BZ et al.), six nearAlam- Ten Wild Turkeyswere in the Clayton (JH), 91 at SilverCity Dec. 14 (RF et al.), areaDec. 28 (CR,MM), whererarely report- ogordoDec. 28 (RJ et al.), and a few at Carls- and31 in theMimbres Valley Feb. 25 (EL). ed. Twelve N. Bobwhites at Roswell Dec. 14 bad (fideSW). The onlyCorn. Ground- PeripheralBlack-billed Magpies were singles (SBietal.) was high for there. Very unusual Dovewas in theAnimas Valley Jan. 22 (AC, at ChicoWash, Sandoval Dec. 27 (JH) and were three Corn. Moorhens at Zuni Dec. 15 NMC). CorralesJan. 26 (JP,TB). NoteworthyAm. (fideJT);elsewhere there were seven at Las Greater Roadrunnerswere reportedly Crows included two at Conchas L. Feb. 15 CrucesDec. 15 (BZ etal.)and five at Loving scarcein the Gila-SilverCity area(fide RF); (CR et al.) and two at GlenwoodFeb. 25 Dec. 31 (SW, T. Hines).Early Sandhill at LasCruces a pairwas incubating by late (JH). SevenChihuahuan Ravens were at 2 Cranes were three at Maxwell NWR Feb. 8 February(GE). SingleWhiskered Screech- Albuquerquesites Dec. 15 (fideilS);a flock (CR); over 17,000 wereat Grulla NWR, Owlswere calling in two PeloncilloMts. of 500 was on the plains near Vaughn, Roosevelt,Feb. 13 (CR), but numberswere canyonsJan. 27-28 (SOW),indicating win- Guadalupe,Feb. 27 (CR etal.).Unusual was downin theGila Valley (fideRF). ter residencythere. Fifteen White-throated a Corn. Ravenat LasCruces Dec. 15 (BZ). Swiftswere at Caballo Dam Dec. 29 (BZ et Lingering/winteringshorebirds included Three Black-cappedChickadees were nineGreater Yellowlegs at BosqueRefuge al.);early were "many" at GlenwoodFeb. 26 belowNavajo Dam Dec. 26 (ph.DC). Single Dec. 14 (SCet al.) with othersthere Jan- (D. McKnight).One-two Anna'sHum- submontane Mountains were at Corrales,

Volume 46, Number 2- 299 RGNC,and Percha Dam (JP). Easterly were Mon. Jan.25 (HS), whererare in winter;sev- six Bridled Titmice in the Caballo L. area eral Black-throatedsalso wintered north to Dec.29 (GE,BZ). A Verdinwas carrying nest theAlbuquerque area (HS). Unusualwas a materialat Deer Creek, Animas Mts., Jan. 31 LarkSparrow at Zuni Dec. 15 andJan. 15 (AC,NMC). Notablehighs for Bushtits were (ph.DC), aswere seven at LasCruces Dec. 15 242 at Zuni Dec. 15(JT etal.)and 270 in the (fideBZ). Earlywere four SageSparrows PeloncilloMts. Dec.29 (RSetal.). singingnear Bloomfield Feb. 20 (CR, PRS). Noteworthywas the discovery, well n. of SingleGolden-crowned Sparrows were at Es- usualrange, of upto 11Cactus Wrens in San pafiolaDec. 29 (fideBL) and at Corrales Jan. Miguels.ofConchas L., carryingnest mate- 5 (BV)through Feb. 26 (TB etal.);late was a rialFeb. 15 and singing Feb. 23, when 5 nest dark-loredWhite-crowned at Zuni Dec. 15 structureswere counted(CR). Easterly (JT). SingleHarris' Sparrows were west to CanyonWrens were six near Clayton Dec. Zuni Dec.12 (JT) andthe Gila Valley Dec. 28 (CR, MM) andone at ConchasL. Jan.22 29 (RF);two were at AlbuquerqueDec. 15 (CR). A probableCarolina Wren was heard (HS), while a banded one returned to Las at Valmora,Mora, Jan. 29 (CR). A Winter Crucesfor its 4th winter there (CS). Lapland Wrenwas at CorralesFeb. 10 (TB), 16 (JP), Longspurswere found e. of the mountains, & 27 (LG,TH); anotherwas at SilverCity with eightat MaxwellNWR Feb.8 (CR), Jan.21 (P.Boucher, fideRF). A SedgeWren one-threein theLas Vegas area Dec. 5-Feb. wasat BosqueRefuge Dec. 14 (JP,AK) but 22(CR etal.), and two-four at Moriarty Dec. not found thereafter.Northerly Marsh 4-Jan.23 (CB, PES). Wrenswere one near Espafiola Feb. 9 (SBa) EasternMeadowlarks were singing at Pet- andone-two at LVNWR December toearly roglyphNatl Mon. by Feb. 24 (HS).Rarely February(CR). reported,two probableRusty Blackbirds wereat RattlesnakeSprings Dec. 3 (CB). KINGLETS TO WARBLERS SubmontaneGolden-crowned Kinglets in- cludedthree at Trujillo Canyon, San Miguel, Dec.26 (CR), oneat AlbuquerqueFeb. 18 (AS), five in salt cedarsat Bitter L. Feb. 27 (CR etal.), andtwo at BrantleyL. Dec.24 (SW et al.). Low to moderateE. Bluebird _ y numbersinvaded the Rio GrandeValley Yellow-billedLoon at ConchasLake, New Mexico, fromEspafiola and Santa Fe s. to LasCruces on February2, 1992. Firststate record. (m.ob.); elsewherewere one at WartousFeb. Photograph/LarryGorbet. 24 (CR),five in theGila area Dec. 28 (fide RF), 40 at BrantleyL. Dec. 24 (SW et al.), Moraand Las Vegas Dec. 22-Feb. 20 (CR, and a record205 at CCNP Dec. 14 (SW et PRS,SBa); another was at BrantleyL. Dec. al.). Both Westernand Mountain bluebirds 24 (SW etal.) but not detailed. werewidespread in generally high numbers, Unusualin winterwas a SolitaryVireo, includingseveral hundred of eachin theSil- probablycassinii, at MesillaDec. 15 (BZ, verCity (fideRF) andPeloncillo Mts. (fide BV).Huttons Vireos again were reported in RS)areas; easterly Mountains were 25 near thelower Rio Grande Valley, with singles at Clapham,Union, Feb. 6 (JH, JV) andone PerchaDam Jan.4 and Feb.14 (JP),Las nearTexico, Curry, Feb. 13 (CR). Easterly CrucesDec. 15 (BZ), and MesillaJan. 4 were 18 Townsend'sSolitaires at Clayton (GE).A highof 17 Orange-crownedWar- Dec. 28 (CR, MM). A Rufous-backed bierswas at LasCruces Dec. 15 (BZ et al.). Robinwas at a Socorrofeeder Dec. 16-Jan. Highlyunusualwas a 9 Townsend'sWarbler 15 (PB),only the 4th New Mexicoreport. at SilverCity Jan. 29 (EL). Latewas a Com. American Robins were so numerous in the Yellowthroatheard at Zuni Dec. 13 (JT). SantaFe and Albuquerque areas they made localnewspapers and TV news;over 1200 CARDINALSTO CARDUEUNES were at Santa Fe (PIet al.), and over 2600 A c•N. Cardinalwas near Separ Dec. 7 (EL). wereat Albuquerque (HS etal.) Dec. 15. NortherlyPyrrhuloxias included two in the SeveralSage Thrashers wintered n. of GilaValley Dec. 28 (RFet al.), four at Bosque AdultMew Gull at CouchasLake, New Mexico, oo RefugeDec. 14 (SCetal.), one there Jan. 26 February23,1992. Firstdocumented state usual(v.o.), including nine at Espafiola Dec. record.PhotograplVGreg W. Lasley. 29 (CR). WesterlyBrown Thrashers were (BV),and one at BitterL. Feb.27 (CR etal.); singlesat Zuni Dec. 15 (JT), nearRGNC LasCruces had a highof 102Dec. 15 (BZ et Northerlywas a Brown-headedCowbird at Jan.12 (T. Walker fide HS), and at Riverside, al.). A 9 possible"eastern" Rufous-sided Zuni Dec. 15 (JT); sevenwintered at Grant,Jan. 24 (M. Zimmermanet al.). Late Towheewas at SocorroDec. 4-Jan. 31 (PB); LVNWR (fideCR). were two Bendire'sThrashers in the Peloncil- the raceis unverifiedin New Mexico. Sizableflocks of RosyFinches, most iden- 1oMts. Dec.29 (RS),while easterly was a A Cassin'sSparrow was singing in Eddyon titledas Brown-cappeds, were in RioArriba, Curve-billedatSanJon, Quay, Feb. 13 (CR). theearly date of Feb. 22 (SW).Northerly Ru- Taos,and Col•x January-February, includ- An activeCrissal Thrasher nest with 2 eggs fous-crownedswere two at TrujilloCanyon ing 350 nearTres Piedras Feb. 9 (SBa),75 at wasat PetroglyphNatl Mon. Feb.28 (HS). Dec.26 (CR),with one there Jan. 26 (fide RedRiver Feb. 8 (PRS),and 250 at Angel NortherlyPhainopeplas were two eachat PRS);another was singing at Conchas L. Feb. FireJan. 30 (CR, SBa).Pine Grosbeaks are ir- EBLJan. 11 (JP, DH) andPercha Dam Jan. 4 22 (CR et al.). NoteworthyField Sparrows regular in theSandia Mts., so noteworthy (JP);easterly was one in the PecosValley, weresingles at ConchasL. in February(SBa, werethree at Sandia Crest Jan. 16-18 (JP, ph. Eddy,Jan. 28 (SW).Eight N. Shrikeswere at CR, LG) and at SumnerL. Feb.13 (CR). A LG) and six nearThe ProwFeb. 27 (HS). 7 northernsites, from Navajo Dam east to Brewer'sSparrow was at PetroglyphNatl RedCrossbills were notably scarce, with re-

$00. American Birds,Summer 1992 portsonly from Trujillo CanyonDec. 26 14 (SCH). West of there, 200+ were in (CR) andJan. 26 (PRS)and Los Alamos Jan. ALASKAREGION KasaanBay, e. Prince of Wales I., in mid-De- 16 (PRS).Pine Siskins were widespread in T. G. Ibbish,Jr., andM. E. Isleib cember(MAA). Heresay reports also includ- lowto moderatenumbers, including east to ed"large flocks" wintering in protectedbays Claytonand the lower Pecos Valley (m.ob.); adjacentto NicholsPassage (fideSCH). exceptionalwere 160 at L. Huerfano,San Evenfrom our relatively sporadic winter ob- Five Red-faced Cormorants in Resurrec- Miguel,Feb. 23 (CR) and"large flocks" in servations,it has becomeclear that Alaska's tionBay Dec. 21 (RLS,TGT) wasan above- theSilver City area (fide RF). Northerly Less- winter season can be broken into three sec- averagelocal count. This form is not uncom- er Goldfinches were five at Zuni Dec. 13 tions.Depending upon the severity and tim- mon in summer at the mouth of Resurrec- (DC) andtwo at PetroglyphN.M. Feb.1 ingof freezeup, late migrants and semi-hardy tionBay. Reports of GreatBlue Herons were (HS). Moderatenumbers of EveningGros- lingerersconstitute the bulkof interesting interestingfrom Ketchikan,where a local beakswere in or nearthe Jemez and Sangre recordsoften into earlyJanuary. Usually tallyof 59was peak Feb. 14 (SCH).Fall-dis- de Cristo rots.; elsewherethere were five at ChristmasBird Countsturn up manyof persedGreat Blue Herons wintered at the NavajoDam Feb. 20 (CR,PRS), 15 at Zuni thesespecies and others from the next group, regularsites w. of breedingareas, at KodiakI Jan.11 (DC), one-twoat Albuquerque Dec. whichincludes noteworthy overwintering (one Feb. 18) (TL) and at Seldovia(six all 15and Jan. 18 (JPet al.), eight in theSandia speciesthat arediscovered or havesettled at season)(MM). Mts. (K. Andersonetal.), andsix at PostOf- sitesin January.From late January to thepe- WhooperSwan reports came from tradi- fice Canyon,Peloncillo Mts., Dec. 29-30 riod'send (the dullest birding period), signif- tionallocales, at Amchitka I., wherethe peak (RS, CS), the lattera localfirst. icantfinds are rare and generally limited to a wasseven Jan. 24-29, andAdakI. (threeFeb fewwandering casual winter species or ex- 10) (JCW, BR, AD). The Kodiakarea's first Corrigendum:An imm. tern collectedat tremelyearly migrants. More than perhaps winterand 4th everTrumpeter Swan was an SantaRosa L. Sept.23 andreported last peri- anyother season, weather patterns play the immaturethat remained in KalsinBay all pe- odas a Commonhas proven to beNew Mex- mostimportant role in thesenoteworthy ob- riod (RAM, DWS, ?MEI). The Mitkof I ico'sfirst Arctic Tern (fideJH). servations and winter records. Winter Trumpetercount peaked at 61 Dec.27-Jan 1991-1992had all thesigns of anexcellent 10 (PJW)at the traditionalBlind Slough Observers:Sy Baldwin, Pat Basham, Sherry yearfor a goodvolume of interestingover- site. An imm. Snow Goose that wintered on Bixler,Charles Black, George Blanchard, wintering,semi-hardy species. But even theStikine R. deltaJan. 15 through the peri- TerryBrownell, David Cleary,Steve Cox, thoughthere was a scattering ofunusual win- od(PJW) represents Southeast's first and one Alan Craig,Narca Moore Craig, Gordon teringforms, locally heavy snow cover and an offew ever in theRegion in winter. Ewing,Ralph Fisher, Larry Gorbet, John earlypasserinc outmigration in September Mild weather no doubt contributed to Hubbard,David Huges, Tyler Huning, Pat andOctober likely negated what could have localrecord Mallard counts at Anchorage, Insley,Robert Jenness, Andy Kraynik, Bur- been.Sparrows and other passerines were in 2775 on Dec. 14 (m.ob.), and in Kachemak tonLewis, Eugene Lewis, Steve MacDonald, below-averagenumbers while resident Bay,where a localcongregation of 1500 in MartyMayfield, John Parmeter, Christopher passerinesand winter waterfowl and raptors ChinaPoor Bay in mid-Decembergrew to at Rustay,Catherine Sandell, Robert Scholes, were generallynoted in above-averageleast 5000 by mid-February(MM, GCW) Hart Schwarz, Patricia R. Snider, Paul E. counts,at least south of the Alaska Range. KachemakBay traditionallyoffers limited Steel,Alan Swain,Ross Teuber, John Tro- Regionwidemild temperaturesallowed dabblingduck habitat in the2nd half of nor- chet,Brad Vaughn,James Vaught, Steve for an early,above-average snow accumula- mal winters.Other noteworthydabbling West,S.O. Williams, Barry Zimmer.--SAR- tion from the central Interior to Cook Inlet duckreports included a • N. Pintailall sea- TORO. WILLIAMS III, New Mexico De- and northern Prince William Sound. Snow son,a GadwallDec. 1 throughmid-January partmentof Game and Fish, P.O. Box coverwas otherwise below average. The only (m.ob.),and one Am. Wigcon all season, all 25112, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504. significantdeep cold was reported from the in Anchorage(m.ob.), and a N. Shovelerat SewardPeninsula and eastern Interior except Homer Dec. 1+ (GCW). forlate February, when subzero temperatures Unusualwinter Athya reports were more penetratedto theNorth Gulf Coast.Indeed, numerousand included arecord local high of Southcoastalhad essentially no subzero peri- 24 Canvasbacksat Adak I. Jan.8-12 (JCW, ods, and most of Southeastwas well above BR,LG), single Redheads atAnchorage Dec the norm all season. 1to mid-January (m.obs.) and Kodiak I. Feb BIRD 8 (ph.RAM, JBA), a • TuftedDuck at Cor- LOONSTO WATERFOWL dovaFeb. 9 (REF),a • GreaterScaup inland Althoughthe greaterKetchikan area pro- on theupper Kenai R. Feb.17 (TGT, LJO), ducesthe winter's high Pacific Loon counts, andan unusual count of 40+Lesser Scaup at SLIDES the420+ gatherednear Mountain Pt. Dec. Annette I. in extreme Southeast Feb. 7-25 5fr0•o m•lPo•rCtlrEe •worlcl• 30 (SCH) waseasily the Region'shighest (SCH).The Anchorage Redhead was the Re- ever.This number was nearly four times the gion'snorthernmost winter report. King E•- SLIDE SETS 1990 ChristmasBird Count tally for the derswintered in goodnumbers e. of their Endangeredspecies. Owls, Bird families• wholestate. Up to 300 couldbe seen daily, normalwinter range, to Seward, where up to Eastern warblers, Herons, Raptors, Shorebirds, Waterfowl generallyin s. TongassNarrows. Whether eightwere noted Dec. 21-Jan. 18 (RLS, INDIVIDUAL SLIDES thesenumbers are normal or uniqueto this TGT), Cordova(one Jan. 19) (REF), ands season is unknown. A total of four Pied- Selectedfrom over 65.000 images and toAuke Bay n. ofJuneau, two "mid-Decem- customduplicated to suit your needs billed Grebes was noted in the Ketchikan berto mid-January"(GVV). An unusually Requestour free North Americancatalog or send a list areaDec. 14-Feb. 19 (SCH, DB), the sea- of speciesdesired. indicating age, sex, behavior or high countof 100+ King Eidersout in color phase. Catalogslides are $3.00 each. non-catalog son'sonly report. Although it hasgenerally KachemakBay Feb. 15-28+ (GCW) may slides are $4.00 each. with a minimum order of 5 slides Mlow4 6 weeks for delivery. (Theseslides are for non-- beenunderstood that the Region's W. Grebe representa regular occurrence of open-water commercial use onh! and mml riot be duplicated.) winteringpopulation was centeredin c. winteringbirds since no previous winter boat Southeast around Sumner Strait and s. tripshad been made near the mouthof the VISUAL RESOURCES for ORNITHOLOGY Mitkof I., data this seasonfrom s. Southeast bay.Similar notable groups of Steller's Eiders Write: VIREO/Academy of Natural Sciences maysuggest otherwise. Large flocks of W. e. of traditionalsites included 68 mostlyfe- 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway Phlia, PA 19103 Grebeswere concentrated in TongassNar- maletypes in Cordovaall season(REF) and rows,where a peakcount reached 580 Feb up to threenear Seward Dec 21-Jan 18

Volume 46, Number 2. •01 Concentrations of Marbled Mur- reletswere in s.Tongass Narrows nearKetchikan beginning Dec. 13-14,when 200 weregathered nearMountain Pt. By Feb. 14, 2295 were tallied with a hand- held counterin Clover Pass;this number was described as conser-

Seward Pen. vativesince the counting method likely missedmany birds that Fairbanks were divingduring the count ALASKA scan (SCH). Whether this is a •.•.•i.q.•?:•.•.:.:: late-winterstaging zone or sim- ::.P,•.'"""" .... :i•:•.... plyan opportunistic feeding ag- ,•):¾'•,k•ncnorage'-' '.:. gregationis unknown, but s. Southeastinshore passes may . .. .. represent the center of the species'winter range.

OWLS TO PARULIDS Northern Pygmy-Owlswere widespreadin Southeast.Three aroundJuneau all period(MEI), four individuals on Mitkof I. Dec. 7-Feb. 8, and three near (TGT, RLS). Peakcounts of Steller'swithin thoughDunlin were missed atPetersburg for Ketchikaneady December to mid-February the centerof their winterrange reached thefirst time since winter 1983-1984, a tally (SCH) wereslightly above average, but at 28,000 at IzembekLagoon Dec. 17 and of 93 from e. Kodiak'sBays Dec. 27-29 leastone on Prince of Wales I. Jan.4+ (MAA) 27,905to theeast at NelsonLagoon Dec. 30 (RAM) wasthat areashighest ever winter andanother at SitkaDec. 1 (MW) wereno- (CD, CFZ). Casual in winter, the seasons count.One Dunlin at SewardDec. 21 (RLS, tablefor the outer coast and away from the onlySmew was a femaleat AmchitkaI. Feb. TGT) wasa firstwinter sighting for Resur- mainlandand adjacent islands, where winter 23 (AD). rectionBa• records are concentrated. The season'sW. TwoBonaparte's Gulls in SumnerStraits Screech-Owlreports came from Ketchikan RAI•ORS TO ALClD$ Dec.7 werelikely late migrants, but at least Jan. 11 (SCH) andJuneau Feb. 20 (JF).A An imm. Haliaeetuseagle with a mosdy three overwintered on the Ketchikan water- singlecalling Barred Owl washeard s. of white,distinctly wedge-shaped tailand dark front,with singles found Jan. 21 (DB),Jan. Juneauin February(RHA). brownhead was identified by the observer as 24, 30, and Feb.27 (SCH). Casualfor win- The massive2-year-old Tok areaburn is White-tailedEagle Feb. 17-20 (?GVB)at ter, two different California Gulls were near beginningto producewoodpecker concen- ShemyaI. Thiswould be theRegions first Ketchikan Dec. 13-Jan. 11 and Dec. trations. At least four Black-backed Wood- winter report since Sutton and Wilson's 14-Jan.24 (SCH).Three first-winter gulls at peckerswere there among good numbers of March 1945 record(Condor 48(2):83-91). theKetchikan dump, noted separately Dec. the commonerspecies Dec. 28 (TJD). NorthernHarrier reports were above aver- 10-24, Jan.31-Feb. 1, and Feb.3-20 were Above-averagenumbers of N. (Red-shafted) age,with femaletypes noted from Adak I. identifiedas Slaty-backedGulls (SCH*, Flickerswere around s. Southeastthis season. Dec.21 (one)and Amchitka all period (two) ?ph.).All threeindividuals showed similar Up to 15 werereported between Ketchikan (JCW,AD, GVB), andat Homer,where two charactersto the single similarly aged speci- and Princeof WalesI. Dec. 7-Mar. 1 (SCH, differentbirds were found Dec. 1 andJan. 20 menin the Universityof AlaskaMuseum, MAA).Although these numbers are compar- to eady February(MM, GS, JK, GCW). i.e.,very pale mande with contrasting darker ativelyhigh, with increasedobserver cover- Sharp-shinnedHawks were also more com- bodyfeathering, dark eye smudge on very agethey may represent average mild-winter mon in Southcoastal,where they are spo- paleface, very pale upperwing coverts with a numbers.Elsewhere, one N. (Yellow-shaft- radicdepending upon weather and winter- cleandark secondary bar, and dark brown re- ed) Flickerappeared near Homer Feb. 10 ing passefinenumbers. At leastfour fre- triceswith the outer pairs showing fine white (WD), andan Anchoragebird returnedto quentede. KodiakDec. 12-Feb. 20 (RAM), bars.Since our experience with early winter, feeders for the 3rd consecutive winter singleslingered n. to AnchorageDec. 19 first-yearplumages is limited,final identifi- (TGT). An Anchoragefeeder attracted a (BT) andHope Jan. 28-Feb. 24 (WT), and cationof thesebirds (and the specimen) will Chestnut-backedChickadee Feb. 2 (RM), a theywere reported as "all over Homer" all followa comparisonwith a seriesof other 2ndlocal record; the previous Upper Cook season(fide GCW). Surprisingmid-winter eadyfirst-winter specimens. Heinl continues Inletrecord was of two,still coming to the reportsof Rough-leggedHawks came from to locate"Western-type" Gulls from the Girdwoodfeeder where they first arrived in AmchitkaI., whereone very pale bird "late- hordesof gullsat theKetchikan dump. At winter 1988-1989. Januarythrough late-February" (JCW, AD) least three birds were noted. One adult re- Red-breasted Nuthatches reached record wasa winter first for the Aleutians,and one mainedall season(ph. SCH), anotheradult highsin theUpper Cook Inlet basin, where overe. AnchorageFeb. 28 (JVOfurnished a wasseen Dec. 7 and Feb. 10, and a 3rd winter the populationhas exploded. The Anchor- 3rd local winter record. Five Am. Coots win- birdwas present Jan. 21-Feb. 29. All these ageCBC of 145Dec. 14 neady doubled last tered in Ketchikan(SCH), and two were werevariously described as"near pure" West- year'sprevious record total, while 17 on the seensporadically on Sitka'sWard L. Dec.1- erntypes to likely Glaucous-winged XWest- MatanuskaValley count was also a localhigh Feb.20 (MW). ernhybrids. count(fideJS). After very few Regional win- The hardySpotted Sandpiper that suc- A count of 200 Marbled Murrelets from a terrecords prior to thelate 1980s, reports of cessfullywintered at the s. endof Mitkof I. boatsurvey of ice-freeKachemak Bay Feb. Townsend'sSolitaires are neady annual. This Dec. 7-Feb. 8+ (PJW) constitutedthe Re- 15(GCW) was one of theareds highest win- year,singles were at CordovaDec. 1-21+ gion'sfirst true winter record. There are a few ter totals,but numbersof Marbled Murrelets (REF),Eagle R. n. of AnchorageDec. 1-21 previousrecords beyond early December. Al- froms. Southeast this season were staggering. (EO), and near Homer, a first localwinter

•02 -American Birds,Summer 1992 BRmSH COLUMBIA/YUKON REGION Chris Siddle

The seasonwas exceptionallymild, with record-hightemperatures common across BritishColumbia, especially in Januaryand February.Almost twice the normal amount of rainfell in Januaryin Vancouver,but Febru- ary wasdrier than average across southern BritishColumbia. Most rivers remained open in northern and central British Columbia, whilerecord-breaking snowfalls occurred in Decemberin the southernYukon, where tem- peratureswere fairly mild all winter. There were several notable events. North- ernPygmy and Great Gray owls were more common than usual in north-central British Thisgull i. SoutheastNaska at Ketcbika.o. Febnmry3, 1992,was apparently a first-winter Slaty- backedCull. Photograph/SteveHeiul. Columbia.Northern finches were generally scarceexcept at higherelevations in the recordJan. 22-30 (WN, DE). thes. halfof theRegion. This year 15 birds Okanagan.Bohemian Waxwings stayed The Kodiakarea produced another first wintered,at feedersin Anchorage(three all north,giving the Okanagan,a traditional Alaskawinter parulid record. The Regions period,JB, DR, m.ob.),Seward (three Dec. winteringarea, the lowest counts in decades. firstwinter Orange-crowned Warbler stuck 18-21+,fide JSi), Kodiak, where two birds Themild weather allowed many semi-hardy zealouslytoa peanutbutter feeder all period, fromlate November were joined by six others speciesto lingerfar north of theirusual win- wellinto March (ph. RAM). Exceptionally by Feb. 19 (RAM),and Petersburg (one Dec. terranges or to winterin larger-than-usual late was a Yellow-rumpedWarbler near 15 into March,PJW). numbers. KetchikanDec. 13 (SCH). A d Cassin'sFinch appeared briefly at a Homer feederJan. 2J-Feb. 10 (FC, PB, Abbreviations:Iona (Iona IslandRegional EMBERIZIDS TO FRINGILLIDS GCW, ph. RLS).Remarkably, the Region's Parkand jet• Van.);PG (PrinceGeorge); Mostsurprising was the bright t3 Rufous- onlyprior substantiated records were singles QCI (QueenCharlotte Is.); Van. (Vancouver); sidedTowbee that occasionallyleft berry atHomer in earlyspring 1985 (see West and VI (VancouverL);Vic. (Victoria);YT (Yukon thicketsto visit a Juneaufeeder Dec. 22 Bailey,Murrelet 67:32) and at MiddletonI. 7•rritory). throughthe period (GEA, MEI etal.). This in fall 1991. Aside from scattered small bird wasclearly from the spottedwestern groupsof White-wingedsmostly s. of the LOONS TO DUCKS populationsand was not far from the feeder AlaskaRange, both crossbills were essentially Loons and W. Grebeswere very plentiful thatproduced the state's only other substan- absentfrom the Region. This has generally around Van., with Red,throated Loons, tiated record in December 1984. Given the been the situation since mid-summer 1991. Com. Loons,and W. Grebessetting new mild season,overwintering sparrows were Redpollswere locally common across the e. highrecords for various mainland CBCs. A distinctlylacking. The only notable reports half of the Interior but were otherwise absent PacificLoon at Vernon Dec. 12 (PR) was included a nice CBC count of 21 Am. Tree untilthe very end of theperiod. Pine Siskins typicalof thetiny number usually reported SparrowsatHomer Dec. 15 (fide GCW) and werepresent across the N. Gulf Coastin forthe interior early every winter. A Yellow- singleInterior zaboria type Fox Sparrows at aboutaverage numbers except in theCook billed Loon wasat the Adam'sR. mouth Dec. Homer(Feb. 16-18+) andKodiak through InletBasin, where locally common. 21-22 (PR,?CS), where rare but almost reg- theperiod (TGT, GCW). This rusty form is ular.One at Oak Bay provided the 4th record rarebut apparently annual along the N. Gulf Contributors and Observers:G.E. Andrews, for a VictoriaCBC (fideDFF). One at Dar- Coastin winter.One Lincoln'sSparrow at- M.A. Archie,R.H. Armstrong,E Benson,D. rellBay, Squamish, Dec. 21 & 23 wasat one temptedto overwinter atan Anchorage feed- Bowers,S. Breeser,J. Burris,G.V. Byrd,E of the mostconsistent places for Yellow• er Dec.1 to mid-January(TGT), a 3rdlocal Cloyd,C.E Dan,T.J. Doyle, W. Dunne,A. billed Loons in s. coastal British Columbia winterreport; two wintered at Kodiaklate Durand,D. Erikson,R.E. Fairall,J. Falk,L. (KW). Grebecounts were generally high in Decemberinto March (RAM). Two "Ore- Greffenius,S.C. Heinl, J. Klein, T. Longrich, theOkanagan, with an all-timehigh of gon"Dark-eyed Juncos at AdakI. Dec.21 R. Lowell, R.A. Macintosh,M. McBride, R. Pied,billeds on the Vernon CBC Dec. 15 (GVB)were most unusual for the Aleutians. Meehan,M. Million, W. Noomah,E. Owen, (PR).The season'sonly Clark's Grebe was at SnowBuntings winter away from tradi- D. Robbins,B. Romberg,R.L. Scher,B. Iona I., Van., Dec. 15 (?CE, ?RT). tionalsites in Southwestonly in smallnum- Schultz,P. Shen,J. Sinclair,J. Snodgrass, No tubenoseswere reported except for an bersscattered around the Regions s. coastal D.W. Sonneborn,G. Stevenson,B. Thayer, errant Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel in Active fringe,so reports from the e. Interior of four W. Trimmingham,L. Vanderlinden,G. Van PassFeb. 14 (RT), oneShort-tailed Shearwa- in Tok Feb.22 (LV) and oneJan. 6 and 25 Vieit, P.J.Walsh, M. Ward,J. Wenger,G.C. ter on the MassetCBC, and fulmarsat Mas- Jan.11 to the westat Delta (SB,BS) were West,J.C. Williams,C.E Zeillemaker.All setduring count week (MH). GreatBlue most unusual. We have few other Interior details(?), photographs(ph.), and speci- Herons were at Revelstoke,with one Dec. 1 winter records.The only extralimital mens(*) referencedhere are on file at the andFeb. 1 & 15, andtwo Jan. 9 & 22 (ET). McKay'sBunting was picked out of a Snow Universityof AlaskaMuseum. T.G. TO- Thisspecies isvery rare in winter in thatarea. Buntingflock at KodiakDec. 27-28 (RAM, BISH, JR., 2510 ForakerDrive., Anchor- The mild winter allowed three of the four PS,MEI), wherethe species iscasual in win- age,AK 99517 and M. E. ISLEIB,9229 CattleEgrets at Delta, W. Delta,and Colony ter.Bramblings were nearly widespread in EmilyWay, Juneau, AK 99801. Farm(Coquitlam) to surviveinto March

Volume46, Number 2 - 303 (WCW). Two Green-backedHerons, very wick Point, Ladnet, rarein winter,were reported: at Richmond Dec.16 through peri- Dec.17 (KS)and Langley Dec. 29 (GRR). od's end (RT, •GAP, Larger-than-usualnumbers of Canada HP). Possiblythis Geese wintered at Revelstoke,with 2286 birdhas been visiting countedJan. 15 (ET). An ad.Greater White- Delta-Ladner each frontedGoose, casual in theOkanagan, was winter since 1988- at SummerlandJan. 5 (LR); anotherwas at 1989. KamloopsDec. 14 (RH, SR). February's Three Sandhill mild weather allowed several dabblers to Cranes, rare winterers movenorth early. Record-early arrivals were in s.w. British Colum- notedat Revelstokefor Green-wingedTeal bia, were in Delta (two Feb. 29), N. Shovelers(one Feb. 29), Dec. 22 (DTy, RTy, and Gadwalls(three Feb. 15) (ET). Green- PW). One was seen

wingedTeal, normally much farther south, PnnceRupert . nearbyJan. 5 ODe, winteredwith Mallards,Com. Mergansers, RT). and Com. Goldeneyeson openlow-eleva- Two reportswere tion riversin the PG area(JB). An Am. Black receivedof LesserGol- Duck wasat NanaimoJan. 5 (BW,JG), and den-Plovers,which are anotherwas at ReifelI. Dec. 21 (JI). A resi- very rare in winter. dent flock of about 70 Am. Black Ducks can One Dec.15 through befound on MichaelL. andother ponds in period'send at Masset the Yellowpointarea. This introduced was a first winter species,which has virtually disappeared from recordfor the QCI the mainland, seemsnow restrictedto the (MM, PH, MH). A Yellowpointarea of VI (GEG). Fifty-five fulva type was at thousand N. Pintails at Ladner Dec. 22 were UnionBay Wildwood a newall-time high for anyCanadian CBC V•½10da• Log Sort, VI, Dec. and reflected the increased numbers of dab- 25-28 (*DI, tMI, blersthat wintered this season. A pair of Am. WH). A Greater Yel- Wigeonsat PG Feb.29 wereearly spring ar- VULTURES TO SHOREBIRDS lowlegsat Masset(MH) mayhave wintered. rivalsby 2-3 weeks(NK). A TurkeyVulture at Valemountin lateDe- A SpottedSandpiper, rare in winter,was at TuftedDuck numberswere much higher cember(fideJB) provided the northernmost Courtney Dec. 10 (DM). The "ThreeAmi- thanusual. Whether this represents a real in- winter record for British Columbia. The her- gos,"a Long-billedCurlew, Marbled God- creasein vagrancyor anartifact of increasedring run in CumberlandChannel off wit, andWhimbrel, wintered successfully at numbers of observersis unclear. A male and a Nanaimoattracted large Bald Eagle concen- BlackieSpit, where tkey have been in irregu- femalewere seen intermittently at IonaI. all trations.A Feb. 8 count at Duke Pt. was229, lar attendance since 1989-1990 (WCW, winterfrom Dec.7 (DAJ,JDe). Twofemales with another250+ estimatednearby (BB). m.ob.).The MarbledGodwit provided the gracedNelson Nov. 30-Dec. 12 andJan. Fivehundred Bald Eagles were in thesame 2ndwinter record for Van., the first being last 4-24 (LVD, GD). An ad.drake was at Kelow- areaFeb. 15, with "upto 60 swarmingover year.As has been the case since 1987, a Dun- na Dec.27-Jan. 11 (CC, ph. CS).An imm. herringballs" (DS). The VictoriaCBC had lin wasfound in earlywinter (Dec. 1) in PG malewasat Esquimalt Lagoon Dec. 29 (tCS). an all-timehigh of 42 Cooper'sHawks (JB,m.ob.). This yearwas so warm that the Red-breastedMergansers, usually rare winter (ViNHS). A Red-tailedHawk at PG Jan.26 birdstayed all season. visitors,were unusuallyfrequent in the (PGNC)was far n. of usualwinter range. A Okanagan.A pair was also at Needles,Arrow verydark Merlin, fitting the descriptionof GULLS TO HUMMINGBIRDS L., Dec. 28 (GD). On the coast,2000 Red- thesuckleft subspecies (rare in the interior), The OkanaganValley supported relatively breastedMergansers fished with cormorants was in KelownaJan. 17 (•CS). Tworeports largepopulations of gullsformerly consid- and BaldEagles at Duke Point,Nanaimo, of Peregrines,also rare in winterin theinteri- eredrare in the area.Single Thayer's Gulls Feb. 15 (DS). Some613 Com. Mergansers or, were received:an ad. at Kelowna Dec. 25 werereported from Oliver-Osoyoos, Pentic- were left over Dec. 15 from the late fall con- (CC) andone at PG Dec. 17 (CA). ton,Kelowna, and Vernon, the highest single centrationof 2000-3000 at Vernon(PR). It wasprobably the bestwinter ever for countbeing three adults and four first-years Gyrfalconsin British Columbia.At least at theKelowna Dump Dec. 31 (PR,ph. CS). threeor fourfrequented the Van. checklist SixThayer's were at KamloopsDec. 14 (RH, area. One was often at Roberts Bank from S.A. SR).The large number of Dec.3-Feb. 28 (JDe).At leastone frequent- Glaucous-wingedGulls reported in fall 1991 An ad.c• Smew, the 6th ever in theprovince, ed ReifelI. fromDec. 8 (TH, JI) to Feb.24 continuedin theOkanagan and at Kamloops. wasat SunriseL., Langley,off andon Feb. 0I). A 3rd wasoften seen in the4300 block Fiveadults were at theKelowna Dump Dec. 16-23 (tDC, JJ).Only a fewbirders saw it, of Kingswayin Burnaby,where it roostedin 31 (PR, CS), and four first-yearswere at whichmay be fortunate considering the con• December(GB, PY). Other locationswhere SutherlandPark, Kelowna, Jan. 5 (CC, CS). troversysurrounding the bird. It appearedin Gyrswere reportedincluded Active Pass The Penticton CBC had six Glaucous- thesame collection of pondswhere •Srnew (Dec. 20, RT), 4lB St. at 28B Ave., W. Delta wintered in 1989-1990. However, this time wingedsDec. 28 (fideRJC). Kamloops re- (m.ob.), BrunswickPoint, and Pitt Mead- portedfour Dec. 14 (RH, SR).Glaucous Gull awaterfowl fancier reported that he had lost ows.One wasat KamloopsDec. 14 (RH), numberswere slightly above average, with a Smew but had not lost one in 1989-1990! andat leastone frequented Vernon's fields Enforcement staff for the Canadian Wildlife threewintering in Duncan-Cowichan(fid• fromDec. 24 (PR,ph. CS) to at leastJan. 24 DFF), a first-winterbird at Goldstreamestu- Servicereport that at least8-10 peoplein (•CS). Onewas at PG Dec. 15, wherevery aryJan. 4 (JA,GA) andtwo adults, seldom re- BritishColumbia and Washington keep cap- rare(IC, DE, MPh). A Gyr wasat Martin- portedfrom VI, at CourtenayFeb. 4 (DM). tiveSmews, which sometimes escape •nd are daleFlats, Saanich, Dec. 26-Feb.27 (fide TwoGlaucous Gulls were in theOkanagan: a notreported. BB).The usualscattering of PrairieFalcon first-winterbird at PentictonJan. 1 (LR) and sightingswas reported, with oneat Bruns- Dec.28 (fideRJC),and an adult at the Kelow- a04 ßAmerican Birds, Summer 1992 BeaverCr., s.w.Yukon, Jan. 13 (CMcE),and from both PG and the RobsonValley area onenear Teslin in January (KE). Numbers of (fideJB).Varied Thrushes were virtually ab- N. Saw-Whet Owls alsowintered in the PG sentfrom the Okanagan Valley (CS). area.A single35 kme. of PGresponded to a tapeDec. 28 (CB,PGNC). Another was just WAXWINGS TO FINCHES n. of PG Jan.28 (fideSK). One answered a BohemianWaxwing numbers were highest tapeat Ste. Marie L., 25 km s.e. of PG, Feb. 8 in n.c.British Columbia. While PG reported (PGNC).A Long-earedOwl at Edith L., s. of largeflocks, especially in December(JB), Kamloops,Feb. 2 furnishedthe latilong's 3rd Pentictonhad only 436 on itsDec. 28 CBC, winter record (RH, CS). One at Victoria anall-time low; the species usually winters in the thousandsin theOkanagan (fide RJC). AdultdrakeTufted Duck at Kelowna,British Dec.16 was a vagrant(BD, m.ob.).Reports of Short-earedOwls were scatteredacross the Vernon,Kamloops, and, oddly, the s. Yukon, Columbia,on December 31,1991. PhatograplVCh[JsSiddle. province.One at Sandspit,QcI, wherethe also'reporteda scarcityof Bohemian speciesis rare,was present throughout the Waxwings.Cedar Waxwingswere more naDump Dec. 31 (PR,ph. CS). Kamloops period and may be the first winter record scarcethan usual in both the Van. and s. VI hadone Dec. 14 (RH, SR). CaliforniaGulls (MB). Two Boreal Owls, very scarceany- areas but were much more common than winteredin s.British Columbia in largenum- where in British Columbia, were heard on usual(especially in December) in thes. and bers,with recordCBC talliesat Ladnerand the PentictonCBC Dec. 28 (DSJ). c. Okanagan.Two Loggerhead Shrikes were Vernon.Kamloops also reported a higher- described:at CoquirlamDec. 27 ('•WDK) than-usualnumber of 1000 California Gulls WOODPECKERST0 THRASHERS andat Kamloops Dec. 14 ('•EMa). Dec. 14 (RH, SR). Asusual in mildwinters, Lewis' Woodpeck- A record-highseven warbler species were The Van., Ladner,and White Rock CBCs erswintered in thec. ands. Okanagan Valley, seen.Single Orange-crowned Warblers were reported•fewMarbled Murrelets. The total of with at leasttwo at Kelowna(CS) and five at reportedfrom Vic. and SaanichDec. 10 only46 birds for all 3 countsis typical of a re- Penticton(fide RJC). An ad. c• Yellow-bel-(JG), Jan. 10-13 (RS),Jan. 22 (BB),and centtrend for thisspecies threatened by the liedSapsucker, casual on the coast, appeared Feb. 16 (BD). SixOrange-crowneds were in lossof its old-growthforest. Rhinoceros for the 3rd year in a rowto winter at Shaugh- theVan. area. As expected in avery mild win- Aukletswere more widely distributed than nessyPark, Van. ('•TH, m.ob.).A Downy ter,Yellow-rumped Warblers were the most usual,with two at Point Roberts,WA, Dec. Woodpecker,casual on the QcI, was at widespreadwarblers in the s.w. of the 22 (TH, TP eral.) andone at W. Van.Jan. 13 QueenCharlotte City Dec. ! 4 (MM). province.In theOkanagan, where it isa rare (KW). Onewas seen on the Skidegate, QCI, The first Eur. Skylarkswere singing Jan. winterstraggler, one Audubon's Warbler was CBC; oneat PenderHarbour Dec. 22 (TG); 25, a coupleof weeksearly (fide BB). Swal- at KelownaDec. 31 (PR,CS). Single Yellow- sixwere seen during the Sooke CBC. lowslingered around Van. well into Decem- rumpedswere also at Revelstoke Feb. 4 (ET), A BarnOwl was freshly road-killed inVer- ber,with two Cliff Swallowsat Iona I. Dec. NakuspJan. 9-10 (GD), QueenCharlotte nonJan. 7 (PR)for one of onlya handfulof 7-11 (-•WCW,m.ob.) and Musqueam Park CityFeb. 18-20 (MH, LW),and Sandspit winterreports from the Okanagan.Snowy Dec. 16-17 (DH, RT). Also at Iona I. were (MB). ThreePalm Warblers that wintered at Owlswere very scarce this winter, with one at two BarnSwallows Dec. 1-30 (JMc, HMc, Sandspit,QcI (MH, LW,MB) providedthe Iona I. from Dec. 26 until sometime in m.ob.).One was a typicalN. Americantype, islands'first winter records.Slightly more February(BGS, m.ob.), a singlesighting at but the otherhad the solidcollar and very usualwasone in SaanichJan. 4 (JA,GA), one N. Van.Jan. 9 (BWh),one or twoat Victoria paleunderparts ofone of the Eur. subspecies of the tiny handfulexpected each winter. Dec.5 (JG,RS) and Dec. 9 (RS),and one at (DMP). Steller'sJay numbers were much re- Theonly Townsend's Warbler was one on the RoundL., Quick,Dec. 6 (KF). Reportsof ducedin Revelstoke,Kimberley, Cranbrook, Skidegate,QcI, CBC(MH). A Black-and- singleN. HawkOwls were received from andthe lowlands of theOkanagan (CS, ET, white Warbler at MusqueamPark, Van., PG, ShuswapL., Kamloops,Williams L., MW). BlueJays were much less widespread Dec. 15 to theperiod's end (RTa, m.ob.) pro- andWhitehorse, YT. PrinceGeorge, Terrace, than last winter. SingleBlue Jays were at videdthe 8th Van. record and the provinces andSmithers had unusually high numbers of Edgewood(JP), McBride (fideJB), Dunster 2nd winter record. Common Yellowthroats, N. PygmyOwls. Prince George, which usu- (fideJB),Kamloops (RH), and Balfour near veryrare in winter in s.w.British Columbia, allyhas none in winter, had three, including Nelson(LVD). Twowere at InvermereDec. were found twice,with one or two at Jerico one at Pilot Mtn. about 15 km n.w. of PG 29 (LHA), wherethis speciesis a regular Park,Van., Dec. l-Feb. 5 (DMP, RWP,JMc, Feb. 28 (MPh). Terracehad an all-time year-roundresident. Thirty-one Clark's HMc) andone at Coquidam(WDk, GC). A high---eight--onits CBC.Singles were in Nutcrackers at Valemount Dec. 15 was a Wilson'sWarbler at MusqueamPark, Van., downtownSmithers Jan. 15 (ML) andFeb. 6 largeconcentration forthat area (fideJB). Dec.12 (TP,BGS etal.) was very rare but ex- & 7 (EL),near Tyhee L. Feb.29 (HH), and White-breasted Nuthatches continue to pected,as usually one or twocan be found at Hazeltonin February(BH). expandinto c. BritishColumbia, with resi- each winter in s.w. British Columbia. How- North-centralBritish Columbia (and pos- dentbirds reported for the followingloca- ever,a freshlydead Wilson's Warbler discov- siblythe s. Yukon, which is covered by very tions:four at Valemount, threeor four at PG, ered nearVernon Dec. 26 or 27 (NM) was a fewobservers) experienced "an invasion'' of oneat McBride(fideJB), and one at FortSt. firstin winterfor the province's interior. GreatGray Owls. In thePG area the first was JamesJan. 4 (PGNC).Three Ruby-crowned AmericanTree Sparrows were more com- seenin theBowron R. valley40 kms.e. of PG Kingletswere reported from the Okanagan, monthan usual at many interior locations, in- Jan.12 (MCI). The nextwas near Clucolz, wherecasual in winter: one at Summerland cludingKamloops, Vernon, Revelstoke, and 50 km w. of PG Jan.16 (MPh). Twoothers Jan.26 (LR)and the 2nd and third at Vernon PG.An ad.Chipping Sparrow, casual in the wereoutside PG in January,and eight were Dec.7 andJan. 10 (PR).A Mt. Bluebirdat interiorin winter,visited a Vernonfeeder Jan. in Pineviewjust e. of PG Feb.2 (SK,LL). DeltaJan. 19-Feb. 8 (JDe,•WCW, m.ob.) 13 & 23 (•PR, •CS) for the2nd Okanagan The Smithers area had at least six, with sin- providedthe 3rd winterrecord for Van. winterrecord. A SavannahSparrow was at an- glesat Tyhee L. Jan.7 (KW,RM), RoundL. PrinceGeorge had its first winter Townsend s otherVernon feeder Jan. 10 & 21 (•PR, JQ, Jan.15, 27, & 28 (KF,RM, DS, EL), Fran- SolitaireDec. 15 (PGNC). An Am. Robin •CS),for a 4thOkanagan winter record. Lin- coisL. Jan.29 (EL), OotsaL. n. date(EL), survived the Yukon winter at Whitehorse coldsSparrows were much more frequent and nearHazelton in January(BH). The fromNovember until at leastJan. 1 (HG). aroundVan. Twelve and eighteen were report- Yukonreported three Great Grays, with one There havebeen only one or two other ed on the Van. and LadnerCBCs. Swamp at Whitehorse in late December (DRu), a Yukonwinter records.Several single Am. Sparrowsightings are still on the increase. 2nd alongthe AlaskaHwy 200 km s.e. Robinswere reported throughout the winter Vancouverand area reported at least six. Dun-

Volume 46, Number 2- SOS can,VI, hadone at Somenos Flats Feb. 28 (fide BD),while Saanich had one Dec. 26-Jan. 31 OREGON/WASHINGTON (BD, RS).A SwampSparrow on theVernon CBC providedthe 4th Okanaganrecord REGION ('['CS, PR, RH). Revelstokesfirst winter (FALL1991 REPORT) SwampSparrow appeared Dec. 21 (GD) & 30 (RH). Squamishreported its first CBC BillTweit andJeff Gilligan SwampSparrow Dec. 21 (RJC).Fewer White- throatedSparrows than usual were reported: It wasa verydry fall untilNovember in the threeat Vernon;one at RevelstokeDec. 21 to interior.It wasso dry that,in mid-October, period'send (ET), and one in SaanichJan. 11 Spokanewas virtually endrcled by forest andFeb. 1 (fideBD). A Golden-crownedSpar- fires.The first winter stormsarrived in late row at RevelstokeDec. 22 (DP, HGo, JW) Octoberand helped extinguish the last hot providedthe first winter record. spotsfrom the fires. On thewest side of the An imm.White-crowned Sparrow at PG mountains,while August was wetter and Jan.10 provided a rare winter record (CA, JB, warmerthan average, both September and DR). FewerHarris' Sparrows were reported Octobersaw a droughtof 45 rainlessdays in thanusual in theinterior, with none at Vernon, theSeattle area. This was the longest ever fall theusual stronghold, and individuals at Sum- dry stretchthere. November was its usual medandDec. 22 toperiod5 end (LR), W. Van. Dunlinnear Prince George, British Columbia, on coldand wet self throughout. On theocean, Dec.15 (GAP, HP), Vic. Feb.l 1 (JG),Courte- January29,1992. Thepersistence of thisbird so seasurface temperatures were generally nay(JL, BL), and Saltspring I. December-Feb. late into the winter undoubtedly attests to the aboveaverage for the third consecutive fall. 17 (fideBD). Two Harris'were at Kelowna, mildnessofthe season. Photograph/Jack Bowling. Mostobservers felt thepasserine migra- onethroughout December (VP) and the other MikeBendey, Colin Bowling, Jack Bowling tion wasunspectacular. A few localmove- Jan.11 (PR). One or two Lapland Longspurs (Prince George and northern British ments were noted. At 4500' above Swauk withHorned Larks at Vernon Jan. 11 - 12were Columbia),Denise Brownlie, Ruth Bumpus, Pass, Washington, Aug. 30, Ruby-crowned veryunusual (CS). A flockof 20 at IonaI. Dec. GeoffBurchell,RichardJ. Cannings (Okana- Kingletsdominated, accompanied bynum- 15('{'CE, '{'RT) provided the only report from gan),Ivan Cartwright, Don G. Cecile(Port bersof Hammond's Flycatcher, fivespecies of the coast. A N. Oriole overwinteredat a Alberni),Christopher Charlesworth, Mark warblerand Chipping Sparrow (DP). In the Kelownafeeder (LK, DB), for one of only 3 or Clark(MCI), George Clulow, Dean Copley, Seattlearea on Sep. 1, a largemovement in- 4 winterrecords for the province. Gary Davidson(Kootenays), Joe Denham cludedYellow Warbler (most common), and Afterthe exceptional 1990-1991 winter, ODe),Brent Diakow, Cam Eckert, Kathy Egli fourother warbler species (RD, IP). A strong Bramblingswere much rarer this winter. A 9 (KE),Dorothy Ewert, David F. Fraser (Victo- warblermovement was noted through Port- Bramblingappeared in NelsonDec. 12and ria), Kelly Fulton, Jeff Gaskin, Martin landSeptember 4 (JB). A movementatWap- Jan.7 (LVD).After providing the first record Gebauer,Grahame E. Gillespie,Hilary Gor- ato, Washington,September 21 followed forthe W. Kootenaychecklist, the bird col- don(HGo), Anthony Greenfield (TG) (Sun- stiffNW winds(AS) and induded kinglets, lidedwith a windowand died. A 9 typeat shineCoast), Helmut Grunberg (Yukon), BettyHagen, Larry HalIverson (LHa), Peter fivewarbler species and tanagers. Above aver- WesthamI. Dec. 31 ('{'MJT) to Feb. 4 agenumbers of Ruby-crownedKinglet and (•'MJT, •'WCW et al.) wasthe 6th for the Hamel,Tom Hanrahan, Willie Haras, Margo Hearne (Queen CharlotteIslands), Hildo Yellow-rumpedWarbler were found Septem- Van.area. In theOkanagan, Pine Grosbeaks ber29 in southeastern Washington (BT). wereabsent from the lowlands but frequent Hoek,John Hollington, Rick Howie (Kam- loops),Dave Huggard, Doug Innes, Marian Otherstriking aspects of thefall of 1991 in thesubalpine and boreal zones. Elsewhere werethe generally low numbers oftubenoses, in s. British Columbia, few Pines were re- Innes,John Ireland, Dale A. Jensen,Jason Jones,Sandra Kinsey, Linda Knowles,W. a verygood fall flight of BrownPelican and ported,though the Yukon reported them as ElegantTerns, arelatively poor shorebird pas- common(HG). Cassin'sFinches were absent DougKragh, Nancy Krueger, Marcel Lavigne, LairdLaw, Eric Lofroth, B. Lunare,J. Lunam, sageexcept for numbersof Pectoraland fromthe n. andc. Okanagan,where num- Eric MacAlary (EMa), Hue MacKenzie Sharp-tailedsandpipers, very low numbers of bersoften winter. White-winged Crossbills (HMc), Jo-annMacKenzie (JMc), Norbert Franklinsand California gulls, a gigantic stayedcommon in the mountainforests of Maertens,Derek Maryen, Roger McColm, numberof BorealOwl reports, and unusual theOkanagan and W. Kootenaysand were CathyMcEwan (CMc), S. McRuer,Mary movementsofboth Blue and Scrub jays. even seentwice in the mountains n. of Van. Morris,Marilyn Pasieka, Roy M. Phillips, CommonRedpolls were almost absent from MarkPhinney (MPh), Verna Pickering, Tom Abbreviations:Fields (Fields, Harney Co., thes. interiorvalleys (Revelstoke, Nakusp, Plath,Rosamund Pojar, G. AllenPoynter, OR);Leadbetter (Leadbetter Pt., Pacific Co., Nelson,Vernon), but in theOkanagan they HelenPoynter, Doug Powell, Jim Prentice, D. WA);Malheur (Malheur Natl Ig/ildli•Ref., werefrequent higher in theboreal and sub- MichaelPrice, Prince George Naturalists Club HarneyCo., OR); O.S. (Ocean Shores, Grays alpinezones. Fourteen at MassetDec. 27 (PGNC),John Quirk, Phil Ranson (Williams Harbor Co., WA); Sauvie (Sauvie L, (CB,MH) wereof notesince this species is Lake),Syd Roberts, Dave Robinson, Laurie ColumbiaCo., OR); S.J.C.R. Oouth jet{y of casualon the QCI. TwoHoary Redpolls Rockwell,Don Russell (DRu), Glen R. Ryder, the ColumbiaR., ClatsopCo., OR); werereported: one at VernonFeb. 8-9 ('{'CS) RonSatterfield, Kelly Sekhon, Brian G. Self, W.W.R.D. (Walla Ig&lla 1• delta, Walla andone at MassetDec. 27 (CB,ph. MH), Dirk Septer(Smithers-Terrace), Michael G. Walla,WA). fora firstconfirmed QCI record.Evening Shepard, Chris Siddle, Dennis St. John (DSJ), Grosbeakswere very scarce in PG,Smithers, DavidStirling, Mary J. Taitt,Robin Taylor LOONSTO DUCKS Terrace,Revelstoke, theOkanagan, and Van. (RTa),Rick Tootchin, Ellen Trembley, Danny Tyson(DTy), Rick Tyson (RTy), Linda Van PacificLoons appeared in the interiorin all season(JB, ET, DS, CS). All CBCsre- largenumbers. The peak count was eight on portedEvening Grosbeaks asabsent or pre- Damme,Victoria Natural History Society (ViNHS), PaulWadden, Ron Walker, Louise ParkL., Grant,WA, Oct. 6 (AS)and 15 oth- sentin lownumbers except for Nelson, with erswere found at 6 locations.Only two Yel- 597 (JH) andGrand Forks, with 775 (RW). Waterhouse,Wayne C. Weber(Vancouver), MildredWhite, Barb Whittaker(BWh), low-billedLoons were reported, from Pt. Wilson,Jeerson, WA, Oct. 19(Mike Dono- Contributors:(subregional editors in bold- Brace Whittington,John Woods,Ken Wright,Paul Yorke.•CHRIS SIDDLE, Site hue)and Pt. No Point,Kitsap, WA, Oct. face)Gladys Anderson, Jerry Anderson, Cathy 10,Comp. 56, R.R. B, Vernon, BC V1T 8L6. 31-Nov. 28 ('{'VN).Tubenose numbers were Antoniazzi,Barbara Begg, Charlie BeliN, generallybelow average. Northern Fulmar

306-American Birds,Summer 1992 were found in small numbers Nov. 2 (Don Pederson)and one throughSeptember (TW, JJ), 25 nearAlbany, Nov. 28 (RG). Ex- or fewerper pelagictrip, with cellent numbers of Merlin in the onlya modestincrease in Octo- interiorwere noted by several ber numbers. For the 3rd fall in a observers(RH, JW etal.). row, Flesh-footed Shearwaters More observersreported rap- werevery scarce.One out of tor movements this fall than ever Garibaldi,OR, Aug. 26 (DSt) before. The notable observations wasthe onlyreport. Most trips • were all from Washington:69 found fewer than 100 Buller's overSlate Peak, Okanogan Sept. Shearwaters, better numbers 11 (JM), 33 overRedtop Mt., than fall 1990 but poorerthan KittitasSept. 4 (JM), 27 overthe mostyears. The peakcount was WillapaHills, PacificSept. 15 227 off WestportOct. 5 (TW). (FSh), 93 overSlate Peak Sept. SootyShearwaters were consid- 25 (DavidBuckley), 15 over Red erablyless abundant along the TopMt. Sept.28 (JennieSmith) coast than in some falls (I-IN, and23 therethe next day (Steve TW). The only exceptional Easley),30 over Tiffany Mt., tubenose numbers were a con- Okanogan,Oct. 18 (AS)and 16 centrationof storm-petrels30 over Rock Island Peak, mi off the Columbia tL mouth Okanogan,WA, Oct.20 (AS).In Sept.21 that numbered1500 general,the September numbers Fork-tailedand two Leach's (JD- were primarilyAccipiters and There are few fall records of ?heurNWR Red-tailedHawks, while most of Leach• off our coasts. the October numbers were BrownPelicans were present ßKlamath FallsH•a• MI.An{elope Range Rough-leggedHawks and Gold- againthis fall alongthe Wash- enEagles. ingtoncoast in numbersthat Both races of Lesser Golden- would have been unthinkable in Ploveroccur annually on the the1970s (DP, FSh, UW). Oregonobservers werefound in theinterior from Oct. 28 (JA) coast: DP and BSu found that 25 at O.S. noteda heavyreturn migration along the to theend of theperiod, including the first Aug.23-24 includedfive ad. and two imm. coast the last week of October and the first Kittitas,WA (SteveHall), Adams,WA (RH), dominicaand18 ad.fulva, and as late as Oct. weekof November(JG). and Crook,OR, records(TC, LR, CM). Two 27 therewere still twofulva and two domini- Great Egretswere a bit morecommon Black Scoterswere on Sutde L., OR, Nov. 11 caat S.J.C.R(HN). A L. Golden-Ploverat thanusual in n.w.Oregon (JG), but numbers (LR), for the2nd Jeerson record, and nine W.W.R.D.Sept. 9 wasidentified asfulva (M elsewherewere average or below.An imm. Surf(AS,PM, LR, CC, C_M)and 21 White- & MLD). Thestatus offulvain the interior is Little Blue Heron at YaquinaBay Aug. winged(m.ob.) scoters were found inland. unclear.Ten LesserGolden-Plover reports 29-31 (RG, •BB, m.ob.)was the 4th Ore- The annualfall count of Barrow'sGoldeneye fromthe interior is aboveaverage; the peak gonrecord. It wasa goodfall CattleEgret in Olympia,WA (G & WH) totalled928 countwas five at McNary N.W.R., WA, flight.Three were reported from the Oregon Nov. 3, abovethe last2 falls,but belowthe Sept.18 (M & MLD). An Am. Avocetat coast;while in the WillametteValley, two 1973-1988 average. TelegraphSlough, Skagit, WA, Sept.2 (fide wereat CorvallisNov. 20-23 (HH, m.ob.), BK) andone at SauvieSept. 7 (TL) werethe one was at St. Paul, Nov. 24 (Dave KITES TO PHALAROPES onlyreports of thiswestside straggler. It was Copeland)and threewere near Portland There were five Black-shouldered Kite re- an excellentfall for SolitarySandpipers at Nov.11 (LarsNorgren). There was only one portsfrom s.w. Washington (Craig Peterson, severaln.e. Washington locations: the peak in w.Washington, at Orting,Pierce, Nov. 16 DP,BSu, BSe, FSh), about average for fall. In countat Reardanwas eight Aug. 18 (JA) and (PeterKline). The eastsidenumbers were Oregon,11 kiteswere recorded from the six were near MosesLake Aug. 21 (AS). verysurprising. Four were near Othello, WA, Roguevalley (MM) andsix along the coast However, for the 3rd consecutivefall Soli- Nov. 13 to at leastDec. 9 (RH), one wasat (HN). Therecent average fall count for Ore- tarieswere scarce in all otherparts of theRe- Walla Walla, WA, Nov. 20 (KK), and the gonis 30 birds.Red-shouldered Hawks were gionwith only eight reports (RTh, BW, RV, eightin Prineville,OR, Nov.5 (RickDem- foundin theusual areas of coastalCurry and DL, LR, TC). met)provided a first Crookrecord. Coosin s.w.Oregon, and there were a surpris- An UplandSandpiper at LeadbetterSept. TrumpeterSwans have been introduced ingnumber of reportsfrom the Willamette 19 (•BSe)is the firstwestside record for this into the Summer Lake W.M.A., Lake, OR, Valley:one along Five Rivers Rd., Lane Sept. speciesin overten years. Bar-tailed Godwits thissummer and fall in anattempt to estab- 1 (Dawson& BobbyMohler), up to two at are rareannual fall migrants;one wasat lisha winteringpopulation at thatlocation FinleyN.W.R., Sept.12 to Oct. 27 (WCa, LeadbetterAug. 18•Sept.18 (•AS, SA). (fideTC). The introducedbirds have been CC), one at Banks, l•shingtonAug. 25 Threeimm. HudsonJan Godwits appeared at neck-bandedand color marked. The only ex- (DSt), andone imm. at SauvieSept. 4 (JJ). S.J.C.R.Sept. 1 ('•JG,ph.) for the 2nd Ore- ttalimital Ross'Goose was one at Silcotte I., The two e. Oregonreports were even more gonrecord with multiple individuals and at Asotin,WA, Nov.9 (PS).Emperor Geese are surprising:one at MalheurSept. 14 (CO) leastthe tenth for the state.Two Ruddy rarebut regularin fall. A juvenilewas at and a subadultat SycanMarsh, Lake Nov. Turnstonesat Reardan,Lincoln, WA (JA) SauvieOct. 16 (JJ)and an adnltwas at Bay 16-24 (SSu).A FerruginousHawk at Eagle andone at OchocoL., OR, Sept.1, thefirst Center,Pacific, WA, Nov. 15-23 ('•BSh). Point,Jackson, OR, Sept.17 (•HS) wasa Crookrecord (LR, TC, CM) comprisedthe Onlytwo Eur. Wigeon were reported from westsiderarity. There were three Gyrfalcon usualfew interior fall reports. the interior: one nearRichland, WA, Nov. 23 reportsfrom w. Oregon,none with conclu- The Red Knot at St. Paul,OR, Sept.12 (PhilBartley) and one at PineHollow Res., sivedetails, and only one in n.w.Washington ('•BB)was a firstfor the WillametteValley l•sco,OR, Nov.5 (CC). A KingEider ap- (DickMcNeely). Three Prairie Falcon sight- awayfrom Sauvie. Two of thelargest peak pearedat BandonNov. 5 intoDecember (Joe ingsin theWillamette Valley this fall were an countsof W. Sandpipercame from the inte- Kaplan,m.ob.) for Oregon's4th record. unusualnumber: one at St. PaulSept. 11 to rior: 1200 at W.W.R.D. Aug. 26 (M & SevenOldsquaw, somewhat above average, Nov.24 (BB),one at Baskett Slough N.W.R., MLD) andat Malheur 8600 were notedAug.

Volume 46, Number 2- 307 21 to Sept.4 (fideTC).The periodof heavi- GULLS 1'0 OWLS (•MH) was the 2nd recent fall recordfor estcoastal movement of W. Sandpiperwas The total of seven imm. Franklins Gulls Oregon. lateAugust to the2nd weekof September, found on the westside continues the declin- A pairBarred Owls near Mollalia, Clacka- when1000 were at S.J.C.R.Aug. 31 (MP), ing trendof the lasttwo autumns.Prior to reasproduced young (SD, m.ob.);breeding 1800 wereat SauvieAug. 22 (HN), 1600 this recentdecline, 20 or more could be ex- recordsfor Oregon are sparse. wereat TelegraphSlough, Skagit, WA, Sept. pectedin a fall.The recordsthis fall included 2 (fideBK) andvery large numbers were at up to two at Everett,WA, Sept.2 to Oct. 20 Bandon,Coos, OR (JG, JJ).None of these (RM, BSu),one at SeattleOct. 6 (EH), three counts,except the Bandonnumbers, were atMarysville, Snohomish, WA, Oct.22 (RM), near the levelsof 10,000+ that should have andthe only Oregon report of oneat Sauvie •m•aber6f Borea,Owl lt.,orts, beenreported. It was an average or betterfall Aug.3-Nov. 10 (NL). In interiorareas away tdiv,•,:especially •;-ce•here were for PectoralSandpiper. Their numbers fromMalheur, the 4 sightingsincluded imm. sthis summe• and rewt'fissor' ag. seemedparticularly good to mostobservers, Franklinsat Lyons Ferry, Franklin, Oct. 5 (M anoganH:•Ulanc• of .n. •,• since1989 and 1990 were two of thepoorest & MLD), SoapL., Grant,Oct. 13 (AS)and m e •. e foundin tLeTiffany/• it fallsin memoryfor them.At Reardan,WA, near McNary Dam, OR, Oct. 12 (M & •2 iL14 (KB)'and th• Werethere Oct. thepeak was a .u,pica! 56 on Sept.24 (JA), MLD). A lateand locally rare Franklins Gull .t..5•,In- thcc. OrcFon C•scades, 'r. and observersat other interior and coastal wasat SpokaneNov. 10 (JA).Three Little found,during Oct• ber at 2 locationsin cationsnoted similar numbers (M & MLD, Gulls,a subadultat SeattleSept. 21 (RTh), •chutes(TC,•.9b.) andL"• (fideI7: BW, M & EE, HN). Therewere many re- one at EverettOct. 20-26 (BSu, DB), and nally,in the Wa!lowaavd Blue '• • portsof Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: one at Lead- one at American L., Pierce, Nov. 3 (W. Oregon;3.nd •djaCehL •shihgto•, u[ o betterAug. 30 (•BSh)was the earliest, one at Wilkins), were routine fall numbers.TW threewere foun• in WalloWa;:OR,Or Nehalem,OR, Nov. 12 (RobertLucas) was foundthat Bonaparte's Gulls in theBelling- 42-15 (VerdaTeale, DL; M & MLDL an the latestand threeat Aberdeen,WA, Oct. hamarea were late in arriving,low in total fou•moteMColumbia,WA, Oct: 11 27 (GG) werethe peakcount. Interior re- numbersand departed early. Mew Gullsare MED]•h•).Were these birds present and portsare still veryrare; this fall therewere quiterare in theinterior: one was in Spokane detectediffthese areas 'd•ng ;pfin• an, twoalong Frenchman Hills Rd., Grant,WA, Nov.10-22 (JWi,JA), one was at John Day summer,,orhad they bred farther north'an,• Sept.29 (•BT) with one still thereOct. 6 Dam Nov. 9 & 17 (NL) and three were at r•0vedSau• •0st•b. reeding•::We knowyet (AS), one at Lower Klamath N.W.R., OR, Lyon'sFerry, Franklin, WA, Nov.23 (KK). littleab00t the most basic aSPects ofthell Sept.24 (•RE) and oneat MalheurOct. 5 California Gulls were much lesscommon Currenc•inthe •gion. (•BB)was a refugefirst. thanusual along the outer coast: only 800 Stilt Sandpipernumbers were low, with wereat S.J.C.ILAug. 20 (HN) and fewer onlytwo westside reports: one at Whidbey I., than100 were at GraysHarbor Aug. 23-25 WA, Aug.18 (DP) andup to two at Sauvie (DP). Thousandsshould have been present; POORWILL TO THRUSHES (HN) Sept.1-9. It wasa pooryear in thein- much lower than normal numberswere also A Corn. Poorwillin TacomaOct. 4 (John terioras well (JA, M & MLD, AS, TC). Nine reportedin fall 1990. Productionof Glau- Slipp)was one of fewerthan ten records for Buff-breastedSandpipers were found in w. cous-wingedGulls this summerfrom the w. Washington.The.Vaux's Swift over the Washington,including six in unusualareas: largeProtection I. colony in theStrait of Juan NisquallyN.W.R., Thurston,WA, Nov. 2 fourat Dungeness,Clallam Sept. 1 (FSh), de Fucawas thoughtto be the bestever (RTa)was very late. A • Broad-tailedHum- onedifferent bird at DungenessSept. 14 (UW). The interior recordsof Sabine'sGull mingbirdsouth of Mt. Hood,OR, Aug. (EH), and oneat Lyman,Skagit Sept. 15 wereone at Glenwood,Klickitat, WA, Sept. 17-18 (DL, DA) maybe the northernmost (SA).The 12 w. Oregonrecords were from 6 (JohnO'Connell, ph.), a first coun.9, forthe Cascades. Several Lewis' Woodpecker coastallocations, except for one at Sauvie record,and one at JohnDay Dam Nov.9 reportsfrom the mid-WillametteValley in Aug.22 (HN) wherethey are quite rare. The (NL). Forthe 3rd fall since1983, Hegant Octoberand November (fide BB) areno- total of 21 probablyindicates a modest Ternsreached the Washingtoncoast, al- table,as the species apparently deserted e. flight.The Regional Ruff total of six includes thoughthe flight was much smaller than the Washingtonthis fall (AS, BT). Some of the e. at leastone imm. at O.S.Aug. 23 to Oct.26 1983or 1990flights. In Oregon,up to four Washingtonbirds may have moved into or (DP, BSu),an ad.male at O.S. Oct. 17 (DN), wereat theChetco R. mouth,Curry, Aug. throughthe Willamettevalley. Two Acorn oneimm. at AgateL. Sept.1-27, reportedly 21-Oct. 27 (tAB, CD,fideHN), onewas at Woodpeckerswere at Lyle, Klickitat, Oct. 11 thefirst Rogue valley record (RE, Jerry Wahl, CoosBayAug. 19 (BarbaraGriffin) and four (R&GR)which is the only Washington lo- ph.),two at S.J.C.R.Aug. 11 (MP),and one wereat Yaquina Bay Aug. 2 (Wes& Florence calewhere they are regular. An ad.c• Yellow- imm.female at SanvieSept. 4-5 (JJ).A juv. Bell).Northernmost were two at O.S.Aug. belliedSapsucker was at SilverLake Oct. Short-billed Dowitcher in the Columbia 23-25 (DP,BSu) and again Sept. 18 (BW). 6-10 (gSSu,ph.) for Oregon's 8th record. Basinat Potholes Res., WA, Aug. 7 (DP)was CountsofCom. Murres off Westport were A TropicalKingbird at Ocosta,Grays identifiedas caurinus. The only other interi- notimpressive (TW). Apparently,breeding Harbor,Oct. 21 - Nov.20 (gJS,9AS, m.ob., or sightingwere two Short-billed Dowitcher successof tourres off Oregonremains below ph)was heard calling on severaloccasions. atW.W.R.D. Aug. 25 (•AS, BW). The count normal. Some unusual concentrations of Thisis the 10th Washington record and the of 20,000 Long-billedDowitcher at Mal- MarbledMurrelets were reported this fall. firstwith species identification confirmed by heurOct. 27 (JJ, TC) isastounding; no other On PugetSound, 57 were counted on Lang- voice.The onlyOregon report was one at Regionalpeak counts even approach that leyBay, near Anacortes, SkagitAug, 6 (M & Hammond,Clatsop, Nov. 17 (jack Kiley). number.For the 2nd consecutivefall, Red- MLD). Alongcoastal Oregon, 29 wereat Steller'sJay movementsundoubtedly neckedPhalarope numbers on pelagictrips BoilerBay, LincolnAug. 13 (M & MLD), up occurregularly in the Region,but arenot werevery low; the highest count out of West- to 55 wereat YaquinaHead in Augustand oftenobserved, so the countof 52 seenmov- port wasa measly97 Aug. 17 (TW). Red September(Kathy Merrifield) and40 were at ing southduring twelve minutes at O.S. Phalaropesare regular but rarein theinteri- CapeMeares, Tillamook Sept. 11 (Richard Sept.8 (AS)is interesting,especially asthe or:one at W.W. tLD. Sept.9-25 (KK), oneat Smith). The Ancient Murrelet on the Mon- otherjay species seemed to bestaging move- SummerLake W.M.A., OR, Sept.20 (SSu) mouthSed. Ponds Sept. 29 (SD, •BB) wasa mentsthis fall. The numberof BlueJay re- wasa Lakefirst, and onewas at McNary WillametteValley first and a veryearly mi- portsin Washingtonwas almost bewilder- N.W.R. Sept.28 (M & MLD). grant,as normal fall arrivaltime in Puget inglylarge. Ten appeared this fall, the earliest Sound is mid-October. A Horned Puffin in Fairfield,Spokane Sept. 25 (Donna Aug. 9 nearthe mouth of the SiuslawR. Schluter).Five of the reportswere from w.

308.American Birds,Summer 1992 Washington,at Seattle (GeorgeLowe), Sept. 1 (•'RD). An ad. • PrairieWarbler Sanctuary,Coos, Sept. 1 (•'JJ);there are about VashonI. (MaryFitch), and two at Klipsan landedbriefly on a pelagictrip boat 3 mi off- tenOregon records. Beach,Pacific, during November (fide Alan shorefrom Brookings Sept. 28 (?DF,•'KS) RedCrossbills began to reappearin then Richards,ph.) reachedthe outercoast. Re- forabout the 3rd Oregon record, all from the partof theRegion during July. By August, markably,there was only one Oregon report, coast.One PalmWarbler was found along lots of Red Crossbillswere on Lewis Peak, m LaGrandeNov. 25 (Guy& FredaVaugh). theWashington coast, at O.S. Nov.21 (Bob WallaWalla, WA (KK) andsmall numbers of The unusual number of extralimital Scrub Morse),and six were located along the Ore- singingbirds were in the Kittitasportion of Jaysmay have originated from several differ- gon coast(HH, DFa, MP, PS). One at Mc- theWashington Cascades (PM) Aug. 17. On ent populations.Two ScrubJays in Seattle Nary Park,OR, Oct. 19 (•'TonyGreage•r) Aug. 30, in Kittitas,Types II and IV were Aug.13 (CarolFahrenbru) and one in Taco- washighly unusual; they are veryrare va- commonin theEngleman Spruce forest (DP, ma Sept.25 (JamesLyles) likely came from grantsin the interioreven though they are Tom Hahn). Numbers of Red Crossbills thegrowing population in s.w.Washington. scarceannual fall migrantson the coast. movedinto the Oregon Cascades and Coast Up to sixat anAstoria, OR, feederthrough- Therewere two BlackpollWarblers in e. Range fromlate July into October (HN) and outthe fall (Dan Fay) could have come from Washington,immatures at Davenport(•'JA) into thee. Oregonmountains after mid-Au- farther south on the coast or from the andat Richland(•-BW), both Sept. 7. There gust(JE). Small numbers of White-winged Willamettevalley. Most puzzlingwere the arestill fewer than 10 confirmed Washington Crossbills were found in the northern Cas- exceptionalnumber of ScrubJays found in e. records. A Black-and-white Warbler near cadesof Washingtonduring August through Oregon,where they were all local first PortlandSept. 4 (•'JB)and a femalewindow- the firsthalf of October(DN, IP, DP, JM, records.One was at Malheur Field Station, kill in Hillsboro,•shington Nov. 11 (HN, RTa,GR) andin n.e.Washington (JA). In HarneyOct. 2 (SheranJones), one wasat *) werethe only reportsthis fall. An Am. theOregon Cascades, where White-wingeds Bend all fall (TC), anotherat Mt. Vernon Redstartat SeattleSept. 8 (SA)was the only are alwaysnotable, small numberswere Oct. 14 throughNovember (Pat & Sharon westsidereport of thisscarce migrant. A N. foundduring the first half of August at Larch Sweeney,Tom Winters),one was in La- Waterthrushat NisquallyN.W.R. Nov. 9 was Mt. (GL, JE) and farthersouth at Three Sis- Grandefrom Nov. 25 on (JoyceCoate) and a rarew. Washington vagrant and a Thurston ters(MP). Smallnumbers of Com.Redpoll two werein Prineville,OR, Nov. 6 to the end first(•'GR). werefound near Spokane beginning Nov. 14 ofthe period (Chris Carey). Were these from A Rose-breastedGrosbeak was at Malheur (JA).Ten LesserGoldfinches at Ridgefield theGreat Basin populations to thesouth and Sept.1 (CO);they now appear to be annual in N.W.R. Oct. 4 (G & WH) madea large east,from the populationsin south-central s.e.Oregon. Clay-colored Sparrows appeared numberfor s.w.Washington and at an un- Oregon,or from the Willamette valley popu- twiceat Brookings, Oct. 22 and Nov. 7 (•'CD, usual location. lations to the west? •'AB),and at NehalemMeadows Nov. 9 (Jim TheBewick's Wren range in theinterior is Hannan);they are rarebut regularon the Initialedobservers: (subregional editors in expanding.The Spokanearea population, Oregoncoast. A LarkBunting in Westport boldface)Jim Acton, DavidAnderson, Scott onlyabout a yearold, is surviving well (JA) Sept.10 (Gary Bowman,ph.) wasthe 8th Atkinson, Alan Barron, Dave Beaudette, withindividuals continuing to appear in new Washingtonsighting. Oregon's 2nd Le JimboBeckman, Barb Bellin (Salemarea), areas.In e. Oregon,one near Wamic Sept. 1 Conte'sSparrow was a juvenilein FieldsOct. Thais Bock (Tacomaarea), Ken Brunner, (DL) wasevidence of continuingexpansion 12 (JJ,m.ob., ph.); both records are from the WilsonCady, Craig Corder, Tom Crabtree tntothe Deschutes R. drainage. sameweed patch. One SwampSparrow at (e.Oregon), Mike & MerryL. Denny,Colin SeattleNov. 1 into earlyDecember (Dick Dillingham(Curry Co.), StephenDowlan, MIMIDS TO WARBLERS Veit)was the only w. Washington report. Inte- RichDroker, Ray Ekstrom, Merlin & Elsie A N. Mockingbirdfound Nov. 1-9 northof riorreports were well above average levels: one Eltzroth (Corvallisarea), Joe Evanich (e Ellensburgwas the first Kittitas, WA, record to twowere at McNaryPark, OR, Oct. 27 to Oregon),Darrel Faxon,Dave Fix, George (HO, PM), one in the Bend areaSept. 1 Nov.24 (M & MLD), onein FieldsOct. 12 Gerdts,Roy Gerig, Hendrik Herlyn, Randy (CM) was the 3rd Deschutesrecord and the (TC, SSu)was the 2nd Harnq record, one at Hill, Glen& WandaHoge, Eugene Hunn, 3rdinterior report was one at McNaryPark, SycanMarsh Oct. 1 (SSu)was the first Lake Matt Hunter,Jim Johnson, Ken Knittie, Bob OR, Sept.14 (CC). Othersin Oregonwere record,one was at OchocoL. Oct. 6 (TC) for Kuntz, Nick Lethaby,Gerard Lillie, Tom foundon SauvieNov. 1 (JJ),at Warrenton, the first Crookrecord, and onewas near Walla Love, Donna Lusthoff,John Martin, Phil ClatsopNov. 29 (CC), at Brookingsfrom Walla,WA, Nov. 28 (•'AS). Mattocks,Craig Miller, Marjorie Moore Oct. 15on (CD), andtwo were in theRogue SnowBuntings exhibited an unusualar- (Roguevalley), Roger Muskat, Harry Nehls Valleythroughout the fall (DickCronberg, rivalpattern, a sprinklingof birdsappeared (w. Oregon),Vic Nelson,David Nunnallee, RicThowless). Eight reports is more than av- in many areas,some quite unusual,Oct. BobO'Brien, Clarence O'Leary, Hal Opper- eragefor fall.Bohemian Waxwing numbers 25-26. One wasat YaquinaBay, Lincoln, man, Paul Osburn, Mike Patterson, Ian aroundSpokane were poor this fall (JA). A 5? Oct. 25 (SR), up to nine wereat Yaquina Paulsen,Dennis Paulson, Robert & Georgia Phainopeplain LakeviewSept. 26 (Bing Head Oct. 16-28 (fideDF), one wasat Ramsey,Lew Rems,Tom Rogers(eastern- Wong)was a 4th Oregonrecord, the 3rd S.J.C.R.Oct. 25 (Tim Shelmerdine)with six mostWashington), Skip Russell,Howard from the interior.A PhiladelphiaVireo at theretwo days later (HN), ninewere at O.S. Sands,Kevin Sands,Brian Self (BSe), Fred SummerFalls S.P., Grant, Sept. 25 (•'KB)is Oct. 26 (JimOakland, Richard Lindstrom), Sharpe,Bill Shelmerdine,Dory &Stan thefirst well-documented sighting for Wash- one on Hartstine I., WA, Oct. 26 (Tom Smith(Clallam Co.), Dave Stejskal (DSt), lngton,even though it wasa singleperson Weir)was probably a firstMason record, one AndyStepnewski, Paul Sullivan, Steve Sum- sighting. was at Everett Oct. 26 (DB), four were in mers,Bob Sundstrom, Ruth Taylor(RTa), A TennesseeWarbler was at SeattleSept. Marblemount,Skagit, WA, Oct. 26 (fide LarryThornburgh (Coos Co.), Rob Thorne 17 (KevinAanerud),for aboutthe 12th state KeithWiggers), and onewas at SwiftRes., (RTh), Carol Vande Voorde, Rick Vetter, record. A Northern Parula near Tokeland WA, Oct. 29 (Don Jole)for a $kamaniafirst. TerryWahl, Wayne Weber, Ulrich Wilson, Aug.18 (•'GG,•'Hugh Willoughby) was the A Bobolinkat Leadbetter Sept. 18 (FSh) may JeffWisman (JWi), Bob Woodley.--BILL 4th forWashington. The Yellow Warbler at havebeen a firstPacific record. All reportsof TWEIT, P.O. Box 1271, Olympia, WA Umatilla,OR, Nov.30 (KK) wasvery late. TricoloredBlackbird from Oregoncame 98507, andJEFF GILLIGAN, 25 NE 32nd Theonly vagrant warbler in s.e.Oregon this fromareas in theRogue Valley where well-es- Ave., Portland, OR 97232. fallwas the ad. • MagnoliaWarbler at Cot- tablished(Ray Skibby,HS) or from the tonwoodCr., Malheur,Sept. 28 (DA, DL). Prinevillearea where they have recently be- An apparenthybrid Black-throated Gray X come regularwinter visitors(TC) A 5? Townsend's Warbler was found m Seattle HoodedOriole was at the SouthSlough

Volume46, Number 2- •05 Flesh-footeds were seen on the MIDDLEPACIFIC CordellBank trip Feb. 1 (RS,JW, 'rrescerflCity'•=• Yrek• I• • • MiF), andsingles were off Santa COASTREGION ?.... ':'5½-•¾f-•.•:• /C;' refuges Cruz Dec. 14 (fideBBrr) and David G. Ie, MontereyBay Feb.29 (DLSh). Sixty Black-ventedShearwaters StephenE Bailey, and ßEureka •?..,:•::• •F• ..... at MossLanding Dec. 22 (PJM) Bruce E. Deuel lingeredfrom fall, but similar numbersremaining or reappear- '0"' .Chico ingin Marchwere unseasonable. Fall's H Nifio intensified Three Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels,

throughwinter. By March, signs • •Valleyre•ges • plus "probables,"along shore pointedto a substantialevent. from the Gulf of the Farallones to The southern seabirds Black- •:•;•CALIFORNA "::2;;•:•:?•} the MontereyPen., Dec. 26-28 vented Shearwater, Xantus' seemed storm-related. Murrelet, and Pink-footed A .Red-billedTropicbird was Shearwaterwere unseasonably reportedfrom a helicopteron the numerous;two frigatebirdsand wayto FI Feb.20 (C. Elfic,fide a tropicbirdwere noted. Con- KH). TwoPelagic Cormorants at versely,the temperature-sensi- VallejoDec. 23 (ABtt, J. Karr) tive northern seabirds Northern and one at HaywardShoreline Fulmar,Black-legged Kittiwake, ...... • ' KingsCanyon'• Dec. 29 (RJR) were rather far and Ancient Murrelet, with few into SF Bay.A BrownPelican at exceptions,were very scarce. Sunnyvalesewage ponds Feb. 26 Near-normal rainfall was re- (R. Freeman) was a rare winter ceived for the first time in six visitor to Santa Clara. Two years,but the Regionremained frigatebirdswere presumed to be in a droughtcondition. Don Magnificent.An immaturefol- Roberson• assessment that the lowed and rode fishingboats dearthof overwinteringrarities ; fromPacific Grove to Monterey such as warblers and orioles has Feb.11-12 (N. Lemonfide AB). beenrelated to drought-inducedlate-bloom- foundfour-seven Laysans (RS, m.ob.), and a The nextday an ad. maleflew N pastAno ingeucalyptus isprobably accurate. singlewas seen from Pigeon Pt., SanMateo, NuevoPt. (GJS). Forthe second winter, neady every report Feb.18 (BS).Except for 200 seenup to 100 commentedon the Regionwide lack ofmon- mi s.w.of Pt. ReyesDec. 14 (SFB),N. Ful- EGRETSTO DUCKS tane irruptives,in particularRed-breasted mars were very scarce as the El Nifio took FourCattle Egrets in DelNorte,up to 18 in Nuthatch,Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied hold.The fulmar's preference for deep water Humboldt, and 69 on the Stockton CBC Thrush, and Pine Siskin. is magnifiedin warm-waterseasons. Three werethe onlyreports involving more than Mottled Petrels were 80-84 mi s.w. of Pt. three birds. A White-faced Ibis near Moss Abbreviations:CCRS (CoyoteCreek Ripari- ReyesDec. 14 (AWa, •'SFB, tRAE). LandingJan. 1 (PJMet al.) was the only one an BandingStation, Santa Clara Co.); CV Pink-footedShearwaters on the trip be- reportedalong the coast,but sixat JuiceI., (CentralValley); FI (SoutheastFarallon Is.); yondthe Cordell Bank Feb. I werevariously Solano,Dec. 23 (RS,D. Wight)were the first SF(San Francisco); ph.(photo onfile with Re- estimatedfrom 25-100 (RS,BDP, JW), and on the Benicia CBC. gionalEditors).All recordsfrom FI andPalo- 55 were offshoreof MontereyFeb. 29 Rareswans made a big splashin the Re- mafinshould be credited to PointReyes Bird (DLSh).Such winter numbers were unprece- gion.As manyas six "Bewick's" Swans win- Observatory(PRBO). dented. Nevertheless,Flesh-footed Shearwa- teredin the Sacramento-SanJoaquin Delta ter (four) againoutnumbered Pink-footed (DGY et al.). The WhooperSwan at Lower LOONS TO FRIGATEBIRDS (onlyone) on thedeep-water trip to 100mi KlamathNWR, Siskiyou,in Novemberre- San Benito's2nd Red-throated Loon, at San s.w.of Pt. ReyesDec. 14 (SFB,AWa). Three mainedwell pastthe end of the period JustoRes. Feb. 27-Mar. 8 (RMrr, KVV) was surprisinglythe onlyone reported inland. Two PacificLoons were on FolsomL., Placer & Sacramento,Dec. 28-Jan. 1 (?GEw, ?TDM). A Yellow-billedLoon on Whiskey- town Res. Shasta, Dec. 30-Feb. 17 (G. Woods,J. Coon,BY, ?SBT,?E Gardner)was the first for our Interior district. Four Red- neckedGrebes were inside the greaterSF Bay,and singleswere inland at Clearlake Park, Lake, Jan. 2 (JRW) and at Little PanocheRes., Fresno, Jan. 7 (GFi, MPI). Black-footedAlbatross prefers our conti- nental shelf break; its numbers decrease downthe continentalslope into deeperwa- ters.Laysan Albatross in Californiaprefers thedeep ocean. These patterns were illustrat- edby a 24-hour boat trip to 100mi s.w. of Pt. WhooperSwan (center), towering above the nearbyTundra Swan and Canada Geese, at Lower ReyesDec. 14 that tallied59 Laysansbut KlamathNational Wildlife Refuge, California, on December29,1991. Apparentlya thirdstate record, onlyone Black-footed(SFB, AWa). A trip althoughnone of the recordshave yet beenaccepted bythe Californiarecords committee. beyondthe CordellBank, Marin, Feb. I PhotograplVMonteM. Taylor.

310.American Birds,Summer 1992 (m.ob.),with two ad. Trumpeter Swans there RA•roRs Pt.Reyes Dec. 14 (SFB) and 15 off Monterey until Jan.26 (?DR, •'SBT).A color-marked At leastfour Turkey Vultures in Dd Norte Feb.29 (DLSh)were high numbers for win- Trumpeterfrom a flockintroduced to Ore- December-Feb.5 were the mostin many ter.The only Franklin's Gull was a presumed gon'sSummer L. wason GooseL., Modoc, winters(ADB). In manyareas Black-shoul- returningbird at SandyWool L., Santa Jan.4 (fideBED), andthree adults were in deredKites are becoming scarce again; only Clara,Jan. 25 (G. Shurtleff).A firstbasic W SierraValley, Plumas, Feb. 28 (•'LJ). fouror five are currently known in e.Alame- Gullat Davissewage ponds Dec. 18 (?SFB) The 84 GreaterWhite-fronted, 28 Snow, da (ALE). 33lo's5th N. Goshawkwas in the was 33lo'sfirst. Another W. Gull was in s.w and30 Ross' geese along the coast were many BerryessaHills Dec. 15 (JMHu). SacramentoJan. 12 (TDM). Eleven to 13 morethan normally reported. In addition, Fall'slate ad. Swainson's Hawk lingered in coastaland SF Bay-areaGlaucous Gulls fea- twoSnow X Ross'Goose hybrids frequented SierraValley to Dec. 15 (?LJ).Up to 28 tured an adult at Stinson Beach Feb. 14 LagunaGrande, Monterey, Dec. 17-Jan.20 Swainson'sHawks Feb. 16 (WRH) wereon (DaS). Three otherswere in 33lo & Sacra- (N. Citron,JC, ph. DR). A Brantisland at VeniceI., SanJoaquin (DGY), andtwo were mento;Lakes first was at Clearlake Park Feb Lower KlamathNWR Feb. 16 (BDP) was in Sacramento(TDM, GEw) (see AB 19-20 (?JRW,?S. Klynstra).Fifty Black- noteworthy,as was one at theSan Jose-Santa 45:316). Seven"Hadan's" Red-tailed Hawks leggedKittiwakes were up to 100mi s.w.of Clarasewage plant Feb. 18 (SBT).Three en- includedSierra's first (•'LJ), three in Solano Pt.Reyes Dec. 14 (SFB), but there were very dangeredAleutian Canada Geese (B.c. leuco- (?RS, ?CLO, ?RLCL), singlesin San fewothers. An immatureflying past Mar- pareia)were out of rangeat Half MoonBay, Joaquin(MJL) and San Mateo (?RSTh), plus tinez Marina Jan. 8 (RJR) wasthe 3rd for SanMateo, Dec. 8 (?RSTh).Observers may a continuingbird in Sacramento(TFi). An ContraCosta. A CaspianTern at KingsR expectto seemore of these as the population imm. FerruginousHawk at Ft. Dick Dec. nearStratford Dec. 31 (DS, PJM) wasour expandsbut are cautioned that it takesmore 14-20 (ADB, m.ob.) was Del Norte's2nd. mostinland this winter; a Caspiannear Arca- thana whiteneck ring to make an Aleutian. Anotherat Ft. Bidwell,Modoc, Jan. 9 (JCS) taJan. 19 (J.C.Robinson) was the northern- SixEur. Green-winged Teal reports (an av- wasunusually far northeastfor midwinter. most. eragenumber) included a 2nd San Joaquin Rough-leggedHawk was scarce throughout Likelyreflecting the E1 Nifio were up to recordon the BractTract Jan. 4 (DGY, c. California. four Xantus'Murrelets offshore Monterey WRH) anda Eur.X Am. hybridat Bolinas The richardsoniMerlin was back for its Feb.27 (RT)and two 15 mi n.w. of Pt. Reyes Lagoon,Marin, Feb.9 (RS). Up to nine 3rd winter in Mt. View (MMR). Another Feb. 1 (RS). In contrast,Ancient Murrelets Blue-wingedTeal were along Santa Fe Grade, richardsoniwas at Bolinas,Marin, Nov. 30 werefew except for 40 offshorePt. Reyes Mercea•Feb. 1 (FGB,SAG, JMR), the only (DGY,KH, RAk).Peregrine Falcons contin- BeachDec. 14 (RS).Perhaps the latter birds noncoastalreport. Numbers ofEur. Wigeon uedto increaseeverywhere, but three adults departedasthe El Nifio became stronger. The continueto increase,including an astound- on thesame rock at CastleRock, Dd Norte, prizeof thelong Dec. 14 trip was a Parakeet lng 85 at the GrayLodge WMA Dec. 26 Dec.14 (ADB) was a surprising sight. Aukletthat was circled closely 74 mi s.w.of (PeaceValley CBC, fide B ED ). Pt.Reyes (?SFB, •'IvS, ?RAE, ph. RN). HybridAythya ducks were reported as a re- RAILS TO SHOREBIRDS turningRing-necked X scaup sp. at L. Mer- BlackRail reports increased from SF Bay- PIGEONSTO WOODPECKERS ritt Dec.19 and a TuftedDuck X scaupsp. at areamarshes, including 12 in thePittsburg The erratic wanderings and late fall nestings InvernessJan. 30 (both DaS). Nine Tufted Marshes,Contra Costa, Dec. 14 (EHa etal.), of Band-tailedPigeon have been attributed Duckswere in 5 SFBay counties, more than but predationby heronscontinues to be a to fluctuatingfood sources, especially usual.Though. recently removed from the problem.Two Lesser Golden-Plovers found acorns.Perhaps the early nesting pair near CBRCreview list, this species should still be theirway inland to Tyler I., Sacramento,Feb. Calistoga,Napa, Feb. 2 (M. Eisenman,BiG) described when found in unusual locations. 20-25 (m.ob.). A Mr. Plover made a rare was undersimilar stimulus. Twenty-five Increasinglyregular on large inland bodies of coastalvisit to Abbott's Lagoon, Marin, Dec. MourningDoves all season at ModocNWR, water,a 9•Greater Scaup in Redding,Shasta, 14 (BDP), whileexcellent numbers wintered witha peak of 70 Jan. 24, were noteworthy as Dec.6 (BED)was less expected. at regularinland locations in Kings(29, they are very rare here after November An ad. 9 KingEider in HumboldtBay PJM), SanBenito (100, m.ob.), Solano(19, (RLR). The reappearanceof Burrowing Jan.6-Feb. 1 (?BBA,?FJB, ?GSL) was the THK), and 33lo(230, m.ob.). Owlsat MarinaDec. 15 (JSo)and Castro- Region's3rd in 2 years.The Steller's Eider at A GreaterYellowlegs wintered n.e. of usual villeJan. 11-21 (DSe, BGE) was encourag- BodegaBay in Novemberremained through rangeat ModocNWR (RLR).Twelve Lesser ingMonterey news, but SantaCruz appeared theend of the period, revealing itself as an ad. Yellowlegsat Lemoore, Kings, until Dec. 27 tolose one of two known wintering sites near female (m.ob.). A concentrationof 22 (PJM)were late fall migrants there. An inland Watsonvillewhen a groundsquirrel poison- HarlequinDucks was at Pt. SaintGeorge, Willet,very rare in winter,was on StatenI., ing programwas implemented (RAM fide Dd Norte,Dec. 15 (fideADB). OldsquawsSan Joaquin, Feb. 23 (GEw).Also rare in win- Albatross). are becomingregular deep inside SF Bay, terwas a Wandering Tattler north to MacKer- Up to 10 Corn.Poorwills calling in the whereup to sixwere reported. Inland, two or ticker SP, Mendocino,Feb. 5 (RJK, C. backcountry of Ft. Ord,Monterey, Feb. 24 three were in the Klamath Basin Dec. Vaughn).Almost 1400 Red Knotson the (DR) werepresumably prompted by the un- 17-Jan. 26 (m.ob.); one was on O'Neill Alamedashoreline in February(DES, RJR) seasonablywarm weather. Single d' Costas Forebay,Merced, Dec. 27 (?DS,PJM). Only madethe largest number ever recorded in the Hummingbirdswere in SFJan. 1 (ADB)and sixof 26 reportsincluded sex and age data, Regionin winter.Single Stilt Sandpipersat FairOaks, Sacramento, Feb. 12-29 (GEw et makingit difficultto determinetotal num- LemooreDec. 1-27 (RH, PJM,?DS) and on aL),an average winter showing. In thepast 20 bersfor this species. the SantaFe GradeJan. 24-26 (?DS, DES, yearsonly 13 Selasphorus hummingbirds have Surf Scoters,rare inland, includedone at RJR)were first Regional winter records. Up to lingeredinto December, with just four identi- O'NeillForebay Dec. 27 (PJM,DS) andtwo fiveRuffs at Lemoore through Dec. 27 (PJM, fiable to species(two each Rufousand first-yearmales at SacramentoNWR Feb.16 DS)with two staying until Jan. 27 (DS)and Allen's).The season asmany as five Selaspho- (DSh).A hugeflock of 4000 Corn.Gold- oneat Moss Landing Jan. 3 (?DEC)were un- rushummingbirds lingered in BerkeleyDec. eneyeswas off Novato,Marin, Feb.6 (JW). precedentedwinter numbers. Late phalaropes 10-15 (AdW, m.ob.); another was near Of about150 Barrow's Goldeneyes reported, indudeda Wilson's at LemooreDec. 1 (RH) TiburonDec. 28 (•'BHi).Among the identifi- the mostnoteworthy include a male on and a Red-necked on the American R. in able,a d' Rufousbuzzed Walnut CreekDec. 9 O'Neill ForebayDec. 27 (PJM,DS) anda SacramentoDec. 7 (MJL). (T. Finger),and an imm. d' Rufouswas a pairin Quincy,Plumas, Feb. 7 (LJ).Seven in- CBC highlightin SacramentoDec. 18-21 land Red-breastedMergansers were more JAEGERSTO ALCIDS (?TDM etaQ.These might be attributed to a thanaverage ThirtyPomarine Jaegers up to 100mi s w of mildwinter, as have most prior records

Volume 46, Number 2. 311 In additionto four Yellow-belliedSap- foundin Monterey,especially since the two Townsend'samong the Sacramentoand suckersthat wintered in Marin and SL Sacra- areasshare other similar boreal species? StocktonCBCs. Coastally, species in average mento's first was in Sacramento Dec. 10 or slightlyabove-average numbers included (tTDM); Monterey's5th was in CarmelFeb. BLUEBIRDSTO WOOD WARBLERS 30+ Nashvilles, 19 Hermits, and 14 Black- 11+ (M. Sutherlin,tph. DR, m.ob.).Sup- About 170 Mt. Bluebirdsand 20 Townsend's and-whites. plementingsix coastal Red-naped Sapsuck- Solitairesin the CoastRanges surrounding A YellowWarbler near Stratford,Kings, erswere apparent county firsts for CalaverasSF Bayconstituted a minor invasion. The Dec.31 (PJM,•DS) wasvery rare for the in- at CamancheRes. Dec. 29 (•DGY, •WRH) formerspecies made no moves into the low- terior.The season's warbler bright spots were and El Dorado at Coloma Historical Park lands,but the latter alsohit the immediate the Regions3rd winteringChestnut-sided Jan.26 (MP), andthe 2nd and 3rd winter coast(three) and the CV (two).The Regions Warbler in EurekaDec. 14-Feb. 29 (JCS, recordsfor the Mono Basinat Lee Vining first"good" December Swainsons Thrush m.ob.) and 2nd winteringBlackburnian Jan.2-4 (M. Findling)and Mono L. Feb.21 was banded at Palomarin Dec. 11 (•D. Warbler in Santa Cruz Dec. 14-Feb. 22 (ES),respectively. Reinking)and was probably a late migrant. A (DLSu,m.ob.). A "Myrtle"Yellow-rumped SageThrasher in HaywardDec. 29-Mar. 8 Warbler at Mono L. Feb. 21 (?ES) was a FLYCATCHERSTO CHICKADEES (RJR, m.ob.) and two in SierraValley, Februaryfirst for the Mono Basin. The scant Forthe 3rd straight winter, a LeastFlycatcher Plumas,Feb. 2 (LJ)were slightly displaced. winterrecords e. of the Sierrancrest suggest gracedthe Region: U.C. BerkeleyBotanical As is now customary,a few N. Shrikes theyare truly a winterrarity in thisRegion GardensDec. 5-Jan. 19--Alameda'sfirst werein theSacramento Valley: singles at Sut- rather than an oversight.A very late (?M. Vaughn,?JM, ?GFi, m.ob.). And for ter NWR Dec. 4 (JCS)and alongGridley MacGillivray'sWarbler was in Alviso,Santa the3rd winter in thepast 4, a Hammond's Rd., Colusa,Jan. 29-Feb. 2 (GFi, m.ob,). Clara,Dec. 15 (fideMiF). Flycatcherwintered in the Region:Olema Amonga record-high17 coastalSolitary Dec. 16-Jan.25 (RS,B. Keener,•JW). Sin- Vireos(seven in Humboldt),only fourwere TANAGERSTO FINCHES gle "Western"Flycatchers were at CCRS foundpast the first part of Januar)•One in Richin floweringeucalyptus trees, SF always Nov.29-Jan. 29, SF Dec. 16-Feb.6 (DPM, CrescentCity Jan. 30 (ADB)wasDelNorte's hostswintering tanagers. The two Summer JsC),and Gazos Creek Rd., San Mateo, Jan. 3 firstin winter;the onlyplumbeuswas in Eu- Tanagersthat arrived in lateNovember at L. (SAG).It isdifficult to attributethese recent rekaJan. 17-Feb. 19 (FJB),the Region's first Merced wintered until Feb. 2 (LLu, m.ob.), winterEmpid sightings to thedrought, ob- coastalwinter record of this race n. of Sono- and a bird returned to Pine L. Park Dec. 8 serverawareness, or other factors. ma. A very tardyWarbling Vireo wasat (JsC),its 3rd straight winter. Another was at A Black Phoebeat the Quincy sewer PescaderoCr., SanMateo, Dec. 28 (DJK). Muir Beach,Marin, Feb. 23 OldeKH). pondsFeb. 7 (LJ)was a winterfirst for It was another mediocre season for war- Threeof fiveW. Tanagerswere in SF Dec. Plumas.Itwas a banner seasonfor E. Phoebe. blers.Coastally, there were only two Ten- 16-Feb. 8; the dissidentswere at the Co- In additionto thebird returningfor its3rd nessees,six Yellows,20 Palms,two Am. Red- sumnes R. Preserve, Sacramento, Dec. 7 winterat LostL., Fresno,Nov. 28 (J. Robin- starts,and fiveWilson's. In the interior,there (DGY, WRH) and Table Bluff, Humboldt, son, B. Williford), one wasat the Merced wereonly four Black-throated Grays and one Dec. 26 (M. Fisher).A very healthyfour NWR earlyJanuary to Feb.15 (SAG,TAC); sixwere coastal from Monterey to MarinNov. 29-Feb.26. Evenmore impressive was the mini-invasionof VermilionFlycatchers. An imm.female at Bates Slough, Tulare, Dec. 30 (•PJM, •DS) wasnot completely unexpect- ed, but the ad. maleat GrayLodge WMA Jan.26-Feb. 27 (RJK,?GFi) that was joined by a 2nd maleFeb. 17 (K. Francone)fur- nished the northernmost state record. Solano'sfirst Tropical Kingbird at Benicia Dec.23 (G. Clifton,W. Neville)was slightly inlandwhile singles atElkhorn Slough, Mon- terey,Dec. 22-23 (PJM,MiF) andon the CentervilleCBC, Humboldt,Dec. 29-Jan. 4 OqdeBBA) were more expected. An apparentCliff X BarnSwallow hybrid at Redwood Shores, San Mateo, Feb. 21 (?RSTh)must have been a surprise,though it is not withoutprecedent (Phillips, 1986, KnownBirds of North and Middle America, part1). A lingeringBarn Swallow was at the Stocktonsewer ponds Dec. 23 (DGY).Wan- &ringcorvids included a Clark's Nutcracker at Modoc NWR Feb. 27, a refugefirst (RLR), and a Yellow-billedMagpie at Pt. ReyesFeb. 22-23 (JMHu, RS, m.ob.), Marin's 3rd. Two Mt. Chickadees on San BenitoMt. Dec. 8 (SA, ?DSG) maycarry a distinctiongreater than establishing a San Benttofirst. Since there appear to beno previ- ousrecords from the entireDiablo Range and the anomalous nature of the San Benito Mt. region,is it possiblethat the area may now hold a disjunctpopulation of Mt. ParakeetAuklet taking off from the water,74 milessouthwest of PointReyes, California, on December Chickadeessimilar to the one recentlyre- 14,1991. Phetog•aph/RodNorden.

112- American Birds,Summer 1992 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were found this theReg•on's 5th. Red Crossballs went virtual- winter: a returneeto Woodside, San Mateo, ly unreportedall fall/winterexcept in SOUTHERNPACIFIC Nov. 13 throughthe endof the period(K. Plumas/Sierra,where an exceptionalcone Gdmartin, et al.), one in FerndaleDec. 29 cropbrought "unprecedented large num- COASTREGION (GSL), one alongGazos Creek Rd., San bers"and "100s"into the area(LJ). A wan- GuyMcCaskie Mateo,Jan. 3 (SAG),and Napa's first in St. deringLawrence's Goldfinch in FallR. Valley HelenaJan. 12-19 (L. & R. Bertoli,ph. Jan.24 (?KvG)gave Shasta its 2nd. RLCL, m.ob.). The Regionfinally received a reprievefrom Excitingnews from the CV wasthe Re- Citedcontributors: (subregional editors in thefive years of drought,with most areas re- gion's2nd winter record of Blue Grosbeak on boldface)Ray Acker, Brooks B. Allen,Steve ceivingabove-average rainfall by theend of BouldinI., SanJoaquin, Dec. 14 (?MJL, Allison,Stephen E Bailey,Alan Baldridge, theperiod. In general,most observers com- MFe). The Green-tailedTowhee at theSmith BruceBarrett (BBrr), Alan D. Barron,An- mentedon the low numbers of manyspecies, R mouth,DelNorte, Dec. 8 (ADB, J. Gart- thonyBattiste (ABtt), Christopher Benesh such as Ruby-crownedKinglets, Hermit land)was the first coastal winter record n. of (CBe), FlorenceG. Bennett, William G. Thrushes,and FoxSparrows. There was no Sonoma.Conversely, anAm. TreeSparrow at Bousman,Fred J. Broerman,Theodore A. influx of winter finches,minimal numbersof PigeonPt. Nov. 11-Jan.31 (RSTh,m.ob.) Chandik,Josiah Clark (JsC),James Danzen- montanespecies into the lowlands,and appearedto bethe first truly wintering bird backer(JiD), BruceE. Deuel,Arthur L. Ed- unimpressivenumbers of berry-eaterssuch wards,Bruce G. Elliot, RichardA. Erickson, alongthe coast s. of Humboldt.A mildinflux asAmerican Robins and CedarWaxwings of winteringChipping Sparrows manifested Gil C. Ewing(GEw), Mike Feighner(MiF), However, we were blessedwith a remarkable Marc Fenner(MFe), GeorgeFinger (GFi), in thegreater SF Bay region, as Marin, Napa, numberand variety of "quality"birds, mak- Solano,Contra Costa,Santa Clara, and San Tim Fitzer,Ron H. Gerstenberg,Douglas E. George,Steve A. Glover,Helen Green,Bill ingit anexciting season. Observers on a CAL Benitoall claimedsmall numbers (fewer than Grummer (BIG), Kevin Guse (KvG), Keith COFI researchcruise off the coastJanuary 10).These counties list this sparrow as casual Hansen,Bob Hansen,Edward Hase (EHa), 28-February 13 reporteda variety of atbest in winter.Once again, truly wintering WaldoR. Holt,Joan M. Humphrey(JMHu), seabirds,giving us valuableinformation Clay-coloredSparrows were found: singles at Lin Jensen,Dan J. Keller,Robert J. Keiffer, fromthis rarely-visited area. Wilder RanchSP, Santa Cruz, Jan. 20-Feb. 5 TheodoreH. Koudakjian,Karen Laslo, (DEG), Mendocino Jan. 25-Feb. 25 (S. RobinL.C. Leong,Gary S. Lester,Lauren P. Abbreviations:FCR (FurnaceCreek Ranch, Cardwelletal.), andUkiah SP Feb.29 (DT). Lester,Leslie Lieurance (LLu), MichaelJ. DeathValle 3 InyoCo.); NESS (n. endof the The latter two were Mendocino's2nd and 3rd Lippsmeyer,Timothy D. Manolis,Mac Mc- Salton Sea, RiversideCo.); SCRE (Santa records.Four other birds were found coastally Cormick,Robert V. Merrill (RMrr), PeterJ. ClaraRiver Estuary near kkntura); SESS (s throughDecember. Metropulos,Randall A. Morgan,Joseph endofthe Salton Sea, Imperial Co.). As virtu- Lake'sfirst Black-throated Sparrow at the Morlan, Dan P. Murphy,Rod Norden, allyall S. California rarities are seen by many ClearlakeLandfill Dec. 21 (?JRW,NWh) CharlesL. O'Connor,Benjamin D. Parmeter, observers,only the observer(s) initially find- wasonly the Region's2nd in winterin 10 MichaelPerrone, Marjorie Plant (MPI), ing and identifyingthe bird is included. years.San Mateo'sfirst winter recordof Harold M. Reeve, Jean M. Richmond, Documentation is on file with the California GrasshopperSparrow at PigeonPt. Jan.27 RobertJ. Richmond,Mike M. Rogers,Don Bird RecordsCommittee (c/o Michael A. (CBe,a roadkill)was only the Region's 3rd in Roberson, Ruth A. Rudesill, Ronnie L. Patten,EO. Box8612, RiversideCA 92515) January.Our only Sharp-tailedSparrows Ryno,Ivan Samuels(IvS), BarrySauppe, for all raritieslisted in thisreport. Records were singlesat PaloAlto BaylandsNov. Donald E. Schmoldt,Dennis Serdehely submitted without documentation are not 23-Feb.18 (LLu, m.ob.) and SF Bay NWR, (DSe),Doug Shaw (DSh), Debra L. Shearwa- published. Alameda,Dec. 29 (fide RJR), traditional ter (DLSh),David Shuford, David Sibley w•nteringlocales. The high numberof (DaS),Daniel Singer (DSg), Debbie Soren- LOONS TO FRIGATEBIRDS SwampSparrows reported (110+) appears to son(DSo), Rich Stallcup, John C. Sterling• A Red-throatedLoon photographed on Diaz BradleyM. Stovall,GaryJ. Strachan, Emilie be an annualevent; six at GrizzlyIsland L. nearLone Pine Dec. 21-Jan. 10 (JWi) was Strauss,David L. Suddjian(DLSu), Richard WMA, Solano,Dec. 23 (?RS,D. Wight) Ternullo, Scott B. Terrill, Ronald S. Thorn the2nd for Inyo;another photographed at werethe farthest inland. Four Harris' Spar- (RSTh),Dorothy Tobkin, Kent Van Vuren, SESSJan. 25-27 (MBS) wasthe firstfor Im- r•owswere scattered throughout the Region AdrianWander (AdW), Brian J. Weed,Jerry perial.An Arctic Loon photographedon Nov. 25-Feb. 23. R. White, Nikki White (NWh), JonWinter, Morro BayDec. 7-23 (TME) immediately A well-described"Pink-sided" Junco in DavidG. Yee,Bob Yutzy. Many more con- followedCalifornia's (and the Lower48's) SierraValley Dec. 11-12 (?LJ& KL) was tributorswere not specifically cited; all are ap- first,on PointReyes in November.I suspect probablyaccurate. However, as mentioned preciated.--STEPHENE BAILEY (loons ArcticLoons will be foundregularly along in thepast (AB 40:328), the status and iden- through frigatebirds,raptors, jaegers the Pacific coast now that observers know uficationof thisform is stillpoorly under- throughalcids), Museum of NaturalHisto- whatto look for to identifythis species. A Pa- stood.Plumas' first McCown's Longspur in ry, 165 ForestAve., PacificGrove, CA cificLoon on L. Isabella,Kern, Nov. 28-Feb SierraValley Dec. 1 (?DS,?LJ), ?MMC) was 93950;BRUCE E. DEUEL(egrets through 15 (RL) was inland, where consideredrare theRegion's first in 3 years.Up to20 Lapland ducks,rails through shorebirds), 18730 Live SinceRed-necked Grebes are very rare any- Longspursin SierraValley Dec. 1-14 (LJ, Oak Rd., Red Bluff, CA 96080; DAVID G. wherein S. California,one in VenturaDec. 5 DS, KL, MMC) and 20 at Pt. ReyesFeb. YEE(pigeons through finches), 2930 Drift- (SE),another in nearbyOxnard Dec. 8-23 25-Mar. 8 (BDP, m.ob.) werenoted winter wood Pl., •?39, Stockton,CA 95219. (BS),and a 3rdon a smallpond in Manhat- concentrations.Our onlyChestnut-collared tan Beach,Los Angeles, Dec. 11-24 (DSt) Longspurswere up to 11 all winter at Pt. were all of interest.At least 120,000 Eared Reyes(JiD, m.ob.). A RustyBlackbird was at Grebes died on the Salton Sea in late winter IGng Salmon,Humboldt, Feb. 13-Mar. 1 (RMcK); the causeis still unknown. (BBA).It wasa very poor winter for orioles: a ElevenLaysan Albatrosses were seen well Hooded at Smith R., Del Norte, Dec. 15 offshoreFeb. 5-11 (PP) duringthe CAL (ADB, R. Bauman),and Northernsin Fern- COFI cruise,with nine between 119 and 58 dale Dec. 29 (LPL) and Carmel Jan. 24 naut.mi w. of Pt. Arguello,Santa Barbara, (BJW). Feb. 11. Two Motded Petrels were seen Feb A •?Brambling in the FerndaleBottoms 11 (PP),with oneat 34ø10'N 122ø41'W (109 Dec 29-Feb 28 (FJB,TWL, ?mob ) was naut mi w of Pt Arguello)and the other at

Volume 46, Number 2. 313 the coastin winterbut veryrare in thee. partof theRegion at this timeof year;two alongthe Col- oradoR. at ImperialDam Dec. 28 (MAP) and two more at '?'•Scotty's Castle NESSJan. 19 (ES)were of inter- •"'•..'•,::. .•. est.At least35 Eur.Wigeon were Creek Ranch foundthis winter, including two nearBig Pine Feb. 19 (T & JH) andtwo moreat SESSin January andFebruary (PED in thee. por- ßMorro Bay CALIFORNIA tion of the Region.In addition, Ocean. singlehybrid Eur. XAm. Wigeon -:,.•.' '- . ßBakersfie id ßBaker 5•:{.•'.'•- were at the Santa Ynez R. mouth ßSanta Marta .•,. ß ßHarperD• ::•'. '•i• -,•>,•.i4••'•',- California City Lake eKeIs. Dec. 6-15 (SEF), in Goleta all --•.,.. winter (SEF), on Chatsworth ....•.... Res.in the SanFernando Valley Mar, 15 (KLG), and near Lake- view,Riverside, Jan. 20 (MAP). • % •Malibu :;:."Mofongo Valley What was undoubtedlythe )Los Angeles":•-",'•'•, same Common Pochard that spentpart of the 1988-1989and 1990-1991 winters at Silver Lakes near Victorville, San .-%. -....% ...,.e. Bernardino,was there again Jan. % ':_ 14-Feb.8 (CM). Three c• Tufted •San Diego• '-•: Ducks were found this winter: •t oneon Miramar L inSan Diego Jan.13-Feb. 9 (PAG),another on L. IsabellaJan. 17-18 (JS), and 34ø29'N 122ø04'W(71 naut.mi w. of Pt. Ar- HERONS TO JMFI'0R$ the 3rd at Fisherman'sRetreat w. of Beau- guello);although considered casual over Cali- A GreatEgret near Bishop, Inyo, Dec. 1 (T & mont,Riverside, Feb. 27-Mar. 15 Oqde EAC). fomiawaters, recent work far offshoresug- JH) wasunusually late for thisarea of Cali- In addition,a hybridTufted Duck X scaup gestsit may be regularthere November- fornia. At least three ad. Little Blue Herons waspresent in OceansideFeb. 16 through the March.A Murphy'sPetrel 159 haut. mi w.of remainedaround s. San Diego Bay through end of the period(TC). An imm. c• King SanMiguel I. Feb.10 (PP),and three more the period(EC), but the specieswas un- Eiderat the pierin SealBeach Dec. 13-17 between79-71 haut.mi w. of Pt. A•guello recordedelsewhere. The ad. ReddishEgret (JB), then at the nearbypier in Belmont Feb.11 (PP)were eadier than any previous spendingits 10th winter on s. San Diego Bay ShoresJan. 9-17 (CM), andfinally at the pier springrecords. Five Coolds Petrels around remainedthrough at leastJan. 10 (JWal);the in HermosaBeach Mar. 4-5 (PB), wasthe 7th 33ø07'N 124ø06'W(193 naut. mi w. of San immaturethere Nov. 11 was still present in S.California. A HarlequinDuck, rare in S, Miguel I.) Feb. 10 (PP) and anotherat Mar. 29 (GMcC). The ad. Yellow-crowned California,was off MorroBay Jan. 28 (SH); 34ø10'N 122ø42'W(110 naut.mi w.n.w.of Night-Heronfrequenting the areabetween another was at Pt. Sal, Santa Barbara, Dec. Pt.Arguello) Feb. 11 (PP) were all over waters La Jollaand San Elijo Lagoon,San Diego, 21-22 (DQ); the two at Point Mugu, wherethis species isproving regular. A Fork- since 1981 was associatingwith Black- Ventura, in November 1990 remained tailedStorm-Petrel, very rare anywhere in S. crownedNight-Herons in La JollaDec. 26 throughthe end of the period (BL). Ten Old- California waters,was off the PalosVerdes throughthe end of theperiod (EC); one of squawswere reported along the coast, average Peninsuladuring an organized boat trip Feb. the two adultsin theTijuana R. valleynear forthis time of year. Thirty-three Black Scot- 21 (MH). A LeastStorm-Petrel 50 naut.mi w. ImperialBeach since October 1991 was still ersoffVandenburg AFB, Santa Barbara, Dec. of SanMiguel I. Feb.9 (PP)was the first re- presentat theend of the period (GMcC). 15 (SEF) werein an areawhere similar con- portedin Califomiawaters in winter. Seven Tundra Swans near Whittier, Los centrationswere found in previouswinters; An imm.Brown Booby at theentrance to Angeles,Dec. 15-16 (MCL) andthree more only 10 otherswere found away from this SanDiego Bay Dec. 14 (DPo) bringsthe in Carlsbad,San Diego, Dec. 5 (MJ)were the area.Three imm. White-wingedScoters on number of records for the coast to more than southernmostalong the coast;one on L. CastaicL., LosAngeles,Jan. 26 (JKA)were in- half-dozen.An imm.Red-looted Booby ac- Hemet, Riverside,Jan. 19 (CMcG) wasthe land,where considered very rare. companiedthe CAL COFI shipfor about an southernmostin the mountains; 13 around A BaldEagle spent its 3rd winter on Siler hour and a half as it moved from 31ø23'N SESSDec. 3-7 (WRR,Cin-Ty Lee) were the Lake Res. near downtownLos Angeles 121ø54'W(161 naut.mi w.s.w.of SanNico- southernmostin the e. part of the Region. An (DKo),proving this species can adapt to the lasI.) to 31ø33'N 121ø29'W (141 naut. mi ad. c•Trumpeter Swan in Tecopa,Inyo, Jan. doseproximity of man.A Red-shouldered s.w.of SanNicolas I.) on Feb. 1 (PP), the 5th 23 (JTa)was wearing a numberedgreen col- Hawk nearWestmorland, Imperial Jan. 1 in S. California waters but the first in winter. lar;it hadbeen transported from Montana to (MAP) was outsidethis species'normal Three Brown Pelicans at NESS Dec. 15 s.Oregon earlier in thewinter and was only range.An imm.Broad-winged Hawk on Pt. (MAP) andanother at SESSJan. 1 (GMcC) the 3rd ever in S. California. At least six blue Lomain SanDiego Dec. 28-29 (REW)was wereundoubtedly wintering on thisinland morphSnow Geese spent the winter around probablya verylate fall stragglersince it bodyof water.An imm. • Magnificent SESS(MAP) andanother was near Ridge- could not be found after this date. At least Frigatebird,exceptional in winter, was crest, Kern, Nov. 2-Feb. 9 (MTH), this two Zone-tailed Hawks were in coastal San groundedby heavyrains in NationalCity, beingmore than the normal numbers in S. Diego,where one or twoare found each win- SanDiego, Jan. 5 andwas taken to ananimal California most winters. ter, with an adult at L. San Marcos Dec. shelter,where it was nursedback to health A c• Eur.Green-winged Teal, very rare to 21-24 (DKi) andwhat may have been the andidentified to species(GMcC). casualin S. California, was near SCRE Dec. samebird nearEscondido Jan. 12 (CR), and 16 (HB).Blue-winged Teal are regular along an immaturein SanteeJan. 15-Feb. 3 (TC);

314. American Birds,Summer 1992 an immaturenear BrawleyDec. 31 (PU) (MAP), and an ad. female in Cambria givesus the firstsound record for the area throughoutthe period (TME). around SESS. A "Hadan's" Red-tailed Hawk,very rare to casualin S. California, FLYCATCHERS wasnear Ridgecrest,Kern, Dec. 14 (T & An Olive-sidedFlycatcher, most unusual in KS);another was near Otay L., SanDiego, winter, was in Santa Barbara Dec. 28-Feb. 9 Jan.14 (JCL).A fewRough-legged Hawks (JH).Two Greater Pewees were in SanDiego, werescattered throughout the Region,with withthe individual that spent the past 3 win- one nearLakeview Dec. 1-Jan. 20 (MAP) tersagain present Nov. 7 throughFebruary and two aroundSESS Jan. 17-27 (GMcC) (DH) andanother nearby Dec. 14 through beingthe southernmost. February(B & I1V0.A Hammond'sFlycatch- Immaturemale King Eider at SealBeac#, CaBfor- nia,in December1991. PhotograplVA.Borodayko. er on PointL0ma in SanDiego in October CRANES TO ALCIDS wasstill present Jan. 24 (REW)and probably An imm. Sandhill Crane near Lancaster Dec. of theSan Diego R. Jan.25 throughFebru- winteredlocally. A DuskyFlycatcher in San 1O-Jan. 20 (TM) wasaway from known areas ary(PEL) undoubtedly wintered locally. The LuisObispo Dec. 1-Jan. 25 (TME, JLD) and of regularoccurrence. As usual, a fewLesser status of Black Skimmer on the coast contin- anotherin LagunaHills, Orange,Dec. 14 Golden-Ploversof the Asiatic race fulva were uesto change,with increasing numbers win- throughFebruary (DRW) were among very alongthe coast this winter, with two on Van- teringfarther and farther north: up to 77 in fewin Californiain winter.Only three Gray denbergAFB Feb. 11 (KH), up to sevennear the SantaBarbara/Goleta area throughout Flycatcherswere reported, with one near Ro- SantaMaria Dec. 1-Jan.25 (BH), onein Go- the period(GT), up to threeat the Santa bidoux,Riverside, Dec. 12-Feb. 9 (CMcG), leta Feb. 23-Mar. 1 (FS), at least12 in Seal YnezR. mouthJan. 3-26 (GL), andone at another in Westminster,Orange, Dec. Beachthroughout the period(DRW), and San SimeonFeb. 15 (GPS) were the north- 22-Jan. 17 (SM), and the 3rd in Santee,San oneon San Nicolas I. Dec.3-6 (GerryMcCh- ernmost this winter. Diego,Jan. 18-Feb. 1 (DPa);this species used esney).A flockof 750-800 Mountfin Plovers A concentration of more than 250 Com. to be morenumerous as a winteringbird in nearE1 Centro Feb. 24 (BRZ)was a larger- Murresoff Pt.Mugu Jan. 18-26 (DD) wasa California.Four "W. Flycatchers,"presum- than-normalconcentration. A Black Oyster- largenumber this far south. A Xantus'Mur- ablyPacific-slope Flycatchers, were reported, catcherin LagunaBeach Dec. 10-28 (DRW) relet185 naut. mi s.w.of SanNicolas I. Jan. withone in L0mpocFeb. 23 (BH), oneto two wasone of very few in Orange. 30 (PP)was far from shore, but we have very in Irvine Dec. 29-Feb. 22 (MTH), and the A SolitarySandpiper in Torrance,LosAn- little informationas to wherethis species 4th in CoronadoDec. 25 (REW). geles,Jan. 10-Mar. 7 (MB) wasone of a very spendsthe winter.Of extremeinterest were More than the expectednumber of E. fewever found wintering in California.Sin- sevenParakeet Auklets during the CAL Phoebeswere found, with single birds in San gleWhimbrels at SESS Dec. 17 (GMcC) and COFI cruise, with one at 31ø33'N LuisObispo Feb. 27 (EVJ),Montana de Oro Feb.23 (GMcC)were inland, where virtually 121ø28'W (140 naut. mi w.s.w.of SanNico- S.E, Nov. 13-Feb. 22 (JSR), Atascadero unrecordedin winter.Four to fiveRuddy las I.) Feb. 1 (PP), five around 33ø07'N Dec. 21-Feb. 16 (GAM), Santa Barbara Turnstones on the Salton Sea near Salton 124ø06'W(193 naut. mi w. of SanMiguel I.) Nov. 23-Dec. 28 (PEL), Irvine Nov. City Jan.1-Feb. 2 (KR) wereundoubtedly Feb. 10 (PP), and the 7th about211 naut. mi 16-Mar. 15 (DRW), and nearSan Diego winteringat thisinland locality. At least20 offthe coast Feb. 6 (PP).A looseaggregation Nov. 3-Mar. 1 (CGE). A VermilionFly- Sandealingswere inland on the SaltonSea of 1200 Rhinoceros Auklets on the water s. catcherin IrvineNov. 16-Feb.9 (DRW) and nearSalton City in Januaryand February of SantaRosa I. Feb.8 (PP)was an excep- anotherspending its 3rd winternear Santa (MAP),where this species isnow found reg- tional concentration. MariaOct. 20-Jan.25 (KH) werealong the ularly in winter; but anotherinland on coast,where now quite rare; one nearLan- OwensL., Inyo,Jan. 2-6 (T &JH) wascom- DOVES TO WOODPECKERS casterDec. 14-Jan. 29 (TMa) wasaway from pletelyunexpected. A Wilson'sPhalarope, Up to fourWhite-winged Doves in Goleta anyarea of regularoccurrence. Two Dusky- casualin winter,was at Point Mugu, 14ntura, Dec.20 throughFebruary (PEL) and anoth- cappedFlycatchers, a casual winter visitor to Dec. 19 (LRH). A Red-neckedPhalarope er in nearbySolvang Oct. 30-Dec.20 (HS) California,were found: one along the Santa wasoff San Pedro, LosAngeles, Feb. 8 (KLG), werealong the coast, and far from the desert Ynez R. near L0mpoc Jan. 31-Feb. 9 wherethis species may prove regular with oasesin e. SanDiego, where small numbers (MAH), andthe otherin Orange,Dec. 12 RedPhalaropes in verylimited numbers in regularlywinter. Four Inca Dovesthat ar- throughFebruary (DRW). SingleAsh- winter.A RedPhalarope near San Luis Obis- rivedat FCR in fall remainedto at leastJan. throatedFlycatchers in San Luis Obispo poFeb. 20 (BKS)was a shortdistance inland. 10(T &JH); onein BorregoSprings Feb. 16 Dec. 14-15 (JSR),Castaic Junction Feb. 2 A Mew Gull on L. Hemet Dec. 1 (SM) was intoMarch (AM) wasonly the 2nd in San (KLG), and nearSan Pedro Oct. 25-Feb. 18 well inland. Since W. Gulls are most unusual Diego.One of theCorn. Ground-Doves that (MH) werealong the coast, where very rare awayfrom the immediate vicinity of the coast, arrivedat FCR in fall remainedthrough at in winter;but onein theAlgodones Dunes an adulton L. Perils,Riverside, Feb. 14 (DG), leastDec. 17 (T & JH). SixRuddy Ground- Feb.23 (SG) wasin the s.e.corner of the Re- anotheradult at NESS Dec. 15 (MAP), and a Doveswere at FCR Dec. 2 (DSi), with four gion, wheresmall numbers undoubtedly 3rd-winterbird at BombayBeach near SESS remainingto at leastJan. 10 (T & JH); a winterregularly. Feb. 16 (NF) were of interest.An ad. Glau- malewas in Ridgecrest,Kern, Feb. 3 into Three Tropical Kingbirds remained cous-wingedGull at SESSthroughout the March(MA); a femalewas along the Col- throughwinter, with onenear Chino Dec. winter (GMcC) and a first-winter bird in oradoR. nearEarp Dec. 10 to at leastFeb. 1 24-Jan. 11 (KR) believedto bethe samebird nearbyBrawley Jan. 26 (PEL)were in anarea OS); and anotherwas on the coastin Santa first found here in winter 1981-1982; an- wheretwo or threeare found each winter; but BarbaraOct. 5-Jan.30 (KB, SEF). otherin AnaheimDec. 31-Feb. 29 (JEP)was a first-winterbird on L. IsabellaJan. 19-20 A LesserNighthawk near Brawley Jan. 11 the samebird found here the last 2 winters; (JLD) wasthe firstin Kern.Three Glaucous (CMcG) and anotherin nearbyE1 Centro the3rd was on thecoast at PointMugu Jan. Gulls,rare in S. California,were reported, Feb.24 (BRZ)were both probably wintering 13-Feb.2 (NBB). The Thick-billedKing- witha first-winterbird on Vandenberg AFB locally.Five Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were birdin SealBeach Oct. 29 wasstill present Jan.28 (KH), anotheron MiramarL. in San reported,with singleimmatures in San Mar. 14 (TW); theindividual that spent the DiegoJan. 25 (TLW), andthe 3rd around s. Diego Dec. 12-Jan.5 (B & IM), SantaIs- past9 wintersnear Tustin, Orange, was again SanDiego Bay Jan. 7-Feb. 15 (TC). abel, San Diego,Dec. 16-Jan. 11 (DA), presentDec. 8 throughthe end of theperiod TwoElegant Terns in CarpinteriaDec. 7 DesertCenter, Riverside, Jan. 2 (GH) andat (BED); but mostremarkable was a 3rd indi- (LRB) werelate. ACom. Tern at the mouth SnowCreek near Palm Springs Mar. 3-5 vidualbraving night temperatures of 18øF in

Volume 46, Number 2 - 315 LonePine, Inyo, Dec. 25 throughthe end of Black-throatedSparrow in Colton,Riverside, the period(MS). A W. Kingbirdin Santa Mar.7 (MAP)and another in BrawleyFeb. 9 Barbara Dec. 8-Feb. 10 (MAH, SEF) was (HC) wereboth away from areas of normal onlythe 4th in Californiain winter. occurrence.A LarkBunting on the Carrizo Plain,San Luis Obispo, Dec. 7 (JCW),and an- BUSHTITS TO VIREOS othernear Blythc Dec. 22 (MAP) werethe FourBushtits at FCRJan. 10 (T &JH) were onlytwo reported.Large-billed [Savannah] at an unusuallocality. Up to threePygmy Thick-billedKingbird at LonePine, California, on Sparrowsagain wintered in coastalmarshes, Nuthatches in Santa Barbara Feb. 4-Mar. 5 December27, 1991. Thisindividual stayed for with threeon Morro BayJan. 20 (JM) and (FS)were away from any area of regularoc- the rest of the winterat this highnorthern oneon s. SanDiego Bay Feb. 16 (PU) being currence. A Rufous-backed Robin, found location,surviving many sub-freezing nights. thelatest; this species arrives early and departs Photograph/TomHeindeL loosdyassodadng with Am. Robinsin Snow cadyas a wintervisitor to S.California. Three CreekVillage near Palm Springs Mar. 1-20 thistime of year.A BlackburnianWarbler in Sharp-tailedSparrows in marshesat the (TJG),had probably been in thisgeneral area BakersfieldDec. 29-30 (DSh) is bestconsid- mouthof the TijuanaR. in ImperialBeach all winter and was the 7th in California. eredan exceptionally late fall vagrant. Dec.22 (TMc) werestill present Feb. 16 but What wassurely the same White Wagtail as A Grace's Warbler in Santa Barbara Oct. wereonly seen during exceptional high tides. presentaround Saticoy, l&ntura, the past4 6-Feb. 17 (HPR) wasthe samebird from last At least40 SwampSparrows were along the winters,was there Feb. 8 (JWas).The only winter. Four Pine Warblers were found, one coast,more than expected.White-throated N. Shrikeswere an adult at FishSprings near in GoletaDec. 26-Feb. 16 (RWH, SEF),an- Sparrowswere in about normalnumbers, BigPine Dec. 21 (T & JH) andanother adult otherin SantaBarbara Dec. 12-16 (PEL), a with30 reported; only seven Harris' Sparrows nearOlanchia, Inyo, Dec. 22 (T & JH). femalein LagunaBeach Nov. 24 through could be found. At leasta dozenSolitary Vireos were along February(RAE), and a maleon Pt. Lomain At leastthree McCown's Longspurs re- thecoast, with sevenbeing the interior race SanDiego Jan. 6 to at leastApr. 12 (PAG). mainednear Palmdale, Los Angeles, from fall plumbeu•,another inland in BakcrsfiddJan. An imm. (3 PrairieWarbler in Pcnasquitosto at leastDec. 30 (AME);eight were with 4 (JCW)was also of this race. A Philadelphia Canyonnear San Diego Nov. 3 throughat other longspursnear Blythc Dec. 22 Vireo in GoletaFeb. 14-Mar. 17 (HM, SEF) leastApr. 5 (CGE)was only the 3rd in S.Cal- (GMcC). A few LaplandLongspurs re- wasthe first known to havesuccessfully win- ifornia in winter. Thirteen Palm Warblers mained into December, with one in Seal teredin California(and the U.S.?), although alongthe coast was an expectednumber for BeachDec. 17 (RAE), two in Irvine Dec. 15 onelingered to Jan. 1 in Orangeand another winter, but one at NESS Jan. 25-Feb. 2 (SM), and four morenear Blyth Dec. 22 to Jan.12 in LosAngeles in 1983 and 1979, (RMcK) was inland, where most unusual. (GMcC);two on the Plano Trabuco, Orange, respectively. SevenBlack-and-white Warblers along the Dec. 17 throughFebruary (JT) dearlywin- coastwas about average. Two Am. Redstarts tered. A flock of 17 Chestnut-collared WOOD WARBLERS aroundSESS in Decemberand January Longspursin IrvineDec. 7-29 (SM), about A c• Golden-wingedWarbler near El Toro, (GMcC) were in an areawhere small num- 35 on the PlanoTrabuco Dec. 14 through Orange,Feb. 19-Mar. 14 (BB) was acomplcte bersare found every winter, but one on the the endof the period(JTo), and about 60 surprise;there was no previouswinter record ColoradoR. at Lost Lake Dec. 13 (MAP) nearBlythe Dec. 22 ((•McC)were large for California,although individuals have was of more interest.The only N. Wa- numbers for S. California. beenfound aslate as Dec. 15 (1990) in San terthrushwas in Irvine Feb. 23 (RAE). At A RustyBlackbird in SealBeach Dec. 8-9 Diegoand Dec. 20 (1972)in LosAngeles. A least25 Wilson'sWarblers were in riparian (SM) wasonly the 2nd in Orange.A Corn. TennesseeWarbler in San Marino Jan. 4 growthalong the coast, where small numbers Grackle,acasual straggler toCalifornia, was in (KLG) andanother in OrangeFeb. 9 (MTH) are found each winter. BigPine Feb. 16 through February (T &JH). A • OrchardOriole near TecopaJan. 22-Feb. TANAGERSTO ORIOLES 1 (JTa)was in a mostunusual area for a winter- A (3 HepaticTanager in SantaBarbara Dec. ingbird; single males in ManhattanBeach all 23-Mar. 13 (HPR) was the samebird first winter (ML) and Irvine Nov. 16-Jan. 18 found here in winter 1982-1983. A Summer (DRW) werealong the coast,where one or Tanagcrwas in SantaBarbara Dec. 23 (JEL); two are found each winter. Five Hooded Ori- fivemore were found in Januaryand February olesalong the coast this winter was more than in Orangeand San Diego, where small num- usual,but 25 N. Oriolesin the samearea was bersregularly winter. Western Tanager num- far fewerthan expected. An imm. d Streak- berswere decidedly low: only 21 alongthe backed Oriole at Parker Dam, San coast.Five Rose-breasted Grosbeaks along the Bernardino,Dec. 10-18 (JS)was the 6th in PrairieWarbler near San Diego,California, on California. A Scotts Oriole at Whitewater, January26, 1992. Onlythe third knownto have coastwas about average, but four Black-head- ed Grosbeaks in the same area was more than spentthe winterin southernCalifornia. Riverside,Dec. 21 (DCH) andup to fivein PhotograplVJonk Dunn. expectedin winter.A BlueGrosbeak in Irvine BorregoSprings, San Diego, throughout the RegionalPark near Orange Feb. 29-Mar. 9 period(AM) were along the w. edge of the low werethe only two this winter. Ten Nashville (CTC)was one of very few ever found in Cal- desert,where small numbers are found every Warblersalong the coast was fewer than in re- iforniain winter.An IndigoBundng at FCR winter;but singlebirds in LornpoeNov. centwinters. Seven Yellow Warblers along the Dec.2 (DSi)was a late fall vagrant. 4-Dec. 15 (PR), SantaBarbara Dec. 27-28 coastthis winter was far fewer than expected. A Green-tailed Towhec at L. Pcrris Feb. 14 (JEL)and near Orange Jan. 4-Feb. 29 (JTo), TwoChestnut-sided Warblers were present, (CMcG) and anotheron the PalosVerdes Pen. and three more near the Plano Trabuco Feb. onein IrvineRegional Park near Orange Nov. Dec. 21-Feb. 22 (RAE) were n. and w. of 14 throughthe end of theperiod (RT) were 24-Feb.29 (JB)and the other on Pt. Lomain areasof regularwinter occurrence. The only alongthe coast, where unexpected. SanDiego Feb. 18 to at leastMar. 29 (EL); Am.Tree Sparrow was one at FCRDec. 4 (T onein GoletaDec. 7 (PEL)was best treated as & JH). Two Clay-coloredSparrows were Addendum:Ashy Storm-Petrelsreported a latefall migrant.Only 12 Black-throatedfound: one in Goleta Dec. 28-Mar. 3 (RPH) nettedon SanMiguel I. the nightof Jan.7 GrayWarblers were reported along the coast, andthe other on Pt. Lomain SanDiego Jan. (AB45:319, 1991)were actually netted on half the expectednumber for winter.Five 10through at least Apr. 10 (GMcC).A Black- PrinceI. offthe n. endof SanMiguel I. the Hermit Warblers between Santa Barbara and chinnedSparrow, most unusual in winter,was nightof Jan.8-9 by a USFWSsurvey crew SanDiego was about average along the coast in LaJollaCanyon, •ntura, Feb.I (LRH).A underthe direction of HarryR. Carter.

316-American Birds,Summer 1992 greesof poxdisease around the eyes; most re- HAWAIIANISLANDS coveredafter treatment(MB). One major eventwas a visitby a Little Shearwaterto REGION SandI., MidwayAtoll. Heard calling several RobertL. Pyle timesin Novemberfrom a particularpile of rubble,the birdwas finally found Dec. 17 andphotographed extensively (HRBP 936- Reasonablywet conditionsthrough most of 940) (•'RD, D. Williamson,BE etal.). Itwas 1991gave way to severedry weather through heardthereafter until at leastJan. 1 (SRi). thewinter. Rainfall amounts for January and One specimencollected on the sameisland Februarywere below normal at 28 of 31 re- in 1963 is the only prior recordfor the porting stations,ranging mostly from Hawaiian Is. 15-70%of normal.This was closely associat- Clay-coloredSparrow in Goleta,California, on Feb- ed with the onset of E1 Nifio conditions in the CORMORANTS TO GEESE rua•/22,1992. Photograph/ShawneenFinnegan. central Pacific. Another result of the E1 Nifio Anothermajor event at Sand1. wasthe ap- wasHurricane Ekeda,which brushedChrist- pearanceof a PelagicCormorant, which re- Contributors(county coordinators in bold- mas,Fanning, and Palmyra islands, well south mainedin theharbor the first part of Decem- face):Doug Aguillard, Jonathan K. Alderfer, of Hawaii,in lateJanuary. This was the first ber.It wasphotographed alive (•'RD, HRBP MargeAnderson, Larry R. Ballard,Patrick hurricane ever known to form in the central 933-935) but wasdead Dec. 19 (*BE, BPBM- Boor,Jeff Boyd, Karen Bridgers, N. Bruce northPacific in January. One can speculate on 178503).This recordis precededin the is- Broadbooks, Hank Brodkin, Bo Brown, therole of E1Nifio in theappearance of many landsonly by a specimencollected on Laysan Martin Byhower,Eugene A. Cardiff (San vagrantbirds in Hawaiithis winter, including I. in 1896and two sight reports at SandI. in Bernardino),Mark O. Chichester (Kern), two new statespecies and two otherswith the1970s of birdsprobably of thisspecies. HenryChilds, Theresa Clawson, Chades T. onlyone or three prior records. HawaiianGeese (Nene, EndangereaO con- Collins, ElizabethCopper (San Diego), tinueto breedsuccessfully on Kaua'i.Four Brian E. Daniels,Don Desjardin,Jon L. Abbreviations:BPBM (prefix•r cataloguebroods were in their favored area around Dunn, Tom M. Edell (San œuisObispo), numbersof specimensin B.P. Bishop Museum, KipuKai, andone brood of threegoslings SteveEdelman, Claud G. Edwards,Alan M. Honolulu);FFS (FrenchFrigate Shoals); H. wasacross the mountainsin Mahualepu. Eisner, Richard A. Erickson, ShawneenE. (Hawai•L); HRBP(prefixj3r catalog num- More nestingsmay haveoccurred, as the Finnegan,Nick Freeman,Kimball L. Gar- bersof photographs in Hawaii Rare Bird Docu- birds have been more secretivethis year rett (Los Angeles),Peter A. Ginsberg, mentaryPhotograph File); K. (Kaua•L); M. (TT). One Brant,a casualHawaii straggler, TheodoraJ. Glenn, SharonGoldwasser, (Maui L); O. (O•zhuL); JCNWR (James spentthe winter at KealiaPond, M. (JO, David Goodward,Robert W. Hansen,David CampbellNWR, O.);PHNWR (PearlHar- DY); anotherwas at KawaiheaHarbor, H., C. Hatch,Loren R. Hays,Gjon Hazard, bor]VWR, 0.). Dec.26 (•'RD).The twoSnow Geese report- Matt T. Heindel,Mitch Heindel,Tom & Jo ed lastseason at JCNWR remainedat least Heindel(Inyo), Sandy Heinemann, Diana ALBATROSSESTO SHEARWATERS intoApril; the one at HanaleiNWR, K., was Herron, Brad Hines, Ron E Hirst, Jim TwoShort-tailed Albatrosses spent the win- stillthere Mar. 10 (KV). (Contraryto last Hodgson,Ken Hollinga,Mark A. Holm- teragain on Sand I., MidwayAtoll(RD, SRi, season'sreport, only one SnowGoose has grem,Eric V. Johnson,Max Johnson, David BE, et aL). One, band •?000, hasappeared beenseen at HanaleiNWR thiswinter (KV), King (DKi), David Koeppel(DKo), Bart regularlysince 1984 and is now in ad. althoughtwo were at LumahaiBeach.) The Lane, Paul E. Lehman (Santa Barbaraand plumage.The other,band •?015, still in flockof 10-Cackling(Canada) Geese, in- l•ntura),Joan E. Lentz,Eric Lictwart, Roger imm.plumage, first came in 1989.They fa- cludingone with a yellow neck band, was last Linfield,Mary Lombard,Michael C. Long, voreddifferent places, several hundred m seenat HanaleiFeb. 22 (KV). The sameyel- JohnC. Lovio,Gene Lynch, GaryA. Manni- aparton thesame beach, among Laysan and low-bandedbird with sixcompanions ap- nen, Curtis Marantz, Tom Martin (TMa), Black-footedalbatrosses. In the protected pearedat Waipi'oPen., O., March 8 (PD); Helen Mate]son,Betty & Ida Mazin, Chet nestingareas at KilaueaPoint NWR on thegroup remained there until at leastMar. McGaugh,Robert McKernan(Riverside), Kaudi,Laysans hatched 20 chicksfrom 59 22 (PD, RLP,MO). Tony Mercieca,Steven Mlodinow, Joseph eggslaid this winter. Four more chicks Morlan,Art Morley,Dennis Parker (DPa), hatchedfrom 20 eggslaid in nearbyareas off DUCKS MichaelA. Patten,Jim E. Pike,Dave Povey the refuge.These are near last years counts Oneto fiveGreen-winged Teal, a usualnum- (DPo),Peter Pyle, Dave Quesenberry, Kurt (KV). No predationhas occurred this year; ber,were reported this winterat Midway Radamaker,William R. Radke,Hugh E all 24 chickswere healthy in mid-Apriland Atoll,Waipi'o Pen., O., andAimakapa Pond, Ranson,Craig Reiser, Paul Rosso,Jim S. areexpected to fledgelater in spring. H. (v.o.).But at KealiaPond, M., a flockof 45 Royer,Florence Sanchez, Brad K. Schram, A Hawaiian(Dark-rumped) Petrel (En- in mid-Decembergrew to 60 byJan. 25 (JO), DavidShuford (DSh), David Sibley (DSi), dangereaOcalled several times before dawn an unprecedentedcount. Thirteen Hawaiian Brad Sillasen,Gregory E Smith, Hugh Jan.23 asit drcledover a cabinin Hakalau Ducks(Koloa, EndangereaO, thelast remain- Smith,Mark Stacy, Tom & KathyStephens, NWR, probablythe first refuge record (JJ). It ingat theOlinda Endangered Species Propa- Don Sterba(DSt), John Stirling, Mary Beth probablybreeds in verysmall numbers on gationFacility on Maul, were released Dec. 20 Stow,Emilie Strauss, Jan Tarble (JTa), Roy Hawai'i I. TwentyHawaiian Petrels were in upperPi'ina'au Stream, M. (FD). Taylor,Guy Tingos,Jerry Tolman (JTo), found and turned in to the shearwater aid Continuinga trend of recentyears, N. Philip Unitt, John Walters (JWal), Jan programon Kaua'ithis fall andwinter sea- Pintailsand N. Shovelers,the numerically Wasserman(JWas), Richard E. Webster, son,along with 1811 Newell'sShearwaters, dominant winter visiting species, appeared Judy Wickman (JWi), Tom L. Williams, one ChristmasShearwater, and a few of other in generallylower numbers at mostlocales DouglasR. Willick(Orange), John C. Wil- species.Ninety-two percent were banded comparedto a decadeago. An exceptionwas son,Barry R. Zimmer.An additional75 ob- andreleased successfully (TT). On O'ahu, at KealiaPond, M., wherepeak counts of serverswho couldnot be individuallyac- 186 Wedge-tailedShearwaters were on 180 pintailsand 116 shovelersin mid-Jan- knowledgedsubmitted reports this sea- beaches and were turned in to Sea Life Park uary (JO) wereencouragingly high. A son.--GUY McCASKIE,San Diego Natu- for rehabilitation. Half recovered and were Garganeywas at Kealiathroughout the win- ral HistoryMuseum, Balboa Park, E O. bandedand released.At least49, an unusual- ter (JO); one was seen occasionallyat Box1390, San Diego, CA 92112. ly highnumber, suffered from varying de- JCNWR. From one to four Eur. Wigeon

Volume 46, Number 2 ß317 recentyears. One Yellow-fronted Canary,well observed Jan. 19 in appropriatehabitat on Makole- lau Ridge leading to Pu'ukolekoleon Moloka'i (WW) isthe first report of thespecies on that island.A pair of Saffron Finches,very scarceon O'ahu, wasseen Dec. 16 on the Bishop Museumgrounds in Honolulu (AA),a surprisinglocation.

HAWAIIAN HONEYCREEPERS TO JAVA SPARROW Of 93 •papane, 58makihi,and other Hawaiian honeycreepers mist-netted at Hanawi on HaleakalaMtn. in lateFebruary, only one had a pox lesion.At Hakalau NWR, H., much closer to ranchland and other human activity,10-15% of thosecap- turedshow evidence of poxdis- ease(JL). Maui Parrotbills(criti- callyEndangered) were seen or heard daily Feb. 15-28 in Hanawi;one female was captured andbanded (JD. A visitingbirder reportedseeing a bird he is confi- dent was a Kaua'i Nuku-pu'u werereported in Decemberand January at sionallyat TernI., FFS,Nov. 1-Dec. 7. They (super-criticallyEndangered) Feb. 29 on the MidwayAtoll (SRi), Kealia Pond (JO, DY),• werechasing and catching shorebirds; at one Alaka'iSwamp Trail beyond its intersection and WaiakeaPond in Hilo, H. (JL). A •? pointone was harassed by 42 WhiteTerns withthe Pihea Trail (VL). Twofamily groups Canvasbackwas at Kanaha Pond, M., Dec. (fideBF). (eachtwo adultsand one immature)of'Aki- 26 (MG), and a Com. Merganserwas at apol•au(Endangered) and an unattended im- Hanalei NWR, K., from Dec. 29 to at least SHOREBIRDS TO FINCHES maturewere in the studyarea at Hakalau Feb.22 (KV, RV). Bothspecies occur very Rareshorebird species reported with good NWR, H., in Decemberand January (JL). rarelyin Hawaii. details this winter included a Killdeer and YoungTiwi and•papane were common in Rufous-neckedSdnt at Kealia(JO, DY) and theHakalau study area in January and Febru- HAWKS a Gray-tailedTatder at SandI., Midway ary,indicating a goodnesting season in De- Ospreys,an occasionalHawaii visitor, were Atoll (SRi, RD). A first-winter Glaucous cember,probably related to theample rains reportedon several islands. One remained at Gull was studied at Loko Waka Pond and ad- lastsummer and fall (JD. OnePo'ouli (super- SandI., MidwayAtoll,from Oct. 16 through jacentKealoha Park in Hilo, H., Jan.5 (KI). criticallyEndangered) was observed by re- the endof March (SRi etal.); onewas seen re- A Black-leggedKittiwake, very rare in searchersin Hanawi Feb. 15 (fideJD. peatedlyDec. 6-Mar. 20 onMaui, mostly at Hawaii,was picked up in Maunawillnear A flockof six-seven Warbling Silverbills at KanahaPond but occasionallyat Kealia Kawainui Marsh, O., Feb. 8, rehabilitatedat HakalauNWR Jan.17 is the firstreport of Pond(F & RD etal.); andthe oneon O'ahu Sea Life Park, and banded and releasedMar. the specksin that refuge(JL). On Maui, was seen several times at Waiawa Unit, 4 (MB). A Sandwich Tern, never before re- whereJava Sparrows are just getting started, PHNWR, throughJanuary and February portedin Hawaii,spent several days in mid- at least 100 were at a Lahaina feeder Feb. 28 (GFfideBE).A HawaiianHawk ('Io, Endan- Januaryat Amorient Aquafarm and JCNWR (MG), flocksof three-fivewere seen regular- gered)was calling in HakalauNWR for 2-3 (B & BE,RLP, RD, MO). It wasclosely ob- ly in Kihei,and a groupof three-fourwas in minutes at 1:00 a.m. Dec. 12, between 2 servedand photographed(?PD, HRBP Wailukutown Dec. 20 (JO). smallearthquakes felt 1/2 hour beforeand 950-953). afterward(JL). Twoyoung Barn Owls fledged from a nest Observers:Allen Allison, June Boyle, Marlie A Merlin,never before reported in Hawaii, in a treecavity in theforest at HakalauNWR Breese,Theresa Cabrera, Tom Coles, Paul wasseen many times at SandI., Midway Dec.5, butone was found dead 10 days later Conry,Reginald David, PeterDonaldson, Atoll, in Novemberand December (BE etal.) (JL).Up to fiveShort-eared Owls wintered at Bob Dusek, Fern & RenateDuvall, Bruce& andat least until Mar. 12 (SRi). It wasreport- SandI., MidwayAtoll (SRi, RD). Twowere BrendaEilerts, George Fisher, Beth Flint (for edto closelyresemble a •? Ec. suckleyi (RD). founddead and were preserved asspecimens, USF&WS), Tim Forst, Martin Gebauer, PeregrineFalcons (perhaps only one) were re- which will allow determination of whether KamalIslam, Jack Jeffrey, Keith Kamemoto, ported10 timeson O'ahufrom mid-Decem- theyare of the Holarcticor Hawaiiansub- VernonLaVia, Jaan Lepson, Loyal Mehrhoff, bet throughearly March, from Honolulu in species.Seven Uniform Swiftlets in N. Ha- JerryOldenettel, Mike Ord, Thane Pratt, th• southeast,to Aieaand Pearl Harbor in the lawaValley (RLP) and one at nearbyAiea Scott Restivo, Scott Richardson, Charles centerto, AmorientAquafarm and JCNWR Ridge(PD, TC) gavea highcount of eight Schaeffer,Ian Smith, Lance Tanino, Tom at then. tip, andaround to UlupauHead on for the Honolulu CBC Dec. 21. Teller,Kathleen Viernes (formerly Kathleen thee. coast(m.ob.). Peregrines were reported Seven'Elepaio at theupper end ofN. Ha- Fruth),Janice Villanueva, Richard Voss, War- twiceon Hawai'i I.: one alongChain-of- lawaValley Dec. 21 (RLP)and oneat the renWagner, David Yee.--ROBERT L PYLE, CratersRd. Jan. 18 (BD) andone probable upperend of AieaLoop Trail Jan. 25 (PD) 741 N. KalaheoAve., Kailua, HI 96734. Peregrineimperfectly seen along Saddle Road werevery encouraging since this species has Dec.3 (TP). TwoPeregrines were seen occa- beenscarce to almostvanishing on O'ahuin

318.American Birds,Summer 1992