THE CHANGING SEASONS: Winter of the half-ha.rdies

StephenJ.Dinsmore saw rain or slushysnow that melted quickly. accordingto Pam Hunt in New England, Somenorthern regions, including the Pacific "therewas no hint of a Januaryor February DepartmentofWildlife and Fisheries Coastnorth to Alaskaand parts of the Inter- thaw."Ihe UnitedStates' largest estuary, the mountainWest, experienced record or near- ChesapeakeBay, even froze over briefly, [or Box9690 recordwarm temperatures. As an example, the first time since1979. Still, the cold over recorded one of its warmest winters MississippiStateUniversity much of the United States' Atlantic coast was on record,Idaho recordedits third warmest notas severe as in themid-1970s, particularly MississippiState, Mississippi 39762 Januaryon record,and January temperatures the winter of 1976-1977. in Oregonaveraged 8 ø F above normal. Precipitationpatterns also drew attention. (email:sdinsmore@cfr. msstate.edu) Accordingly, reservoirs remained ice4ree, and Manyparts of theWest saw mild relief from manywater wintered farther north than the long-termdrought conditions. Parts of usual. the PacificNorthwest, Idaho, Montana, the JoeFontaine An articulatesummary of theweather from Great Basin, and the received NewMexico illustrates this pattern: "Contin- much-needed late-winter snowfall. Farther 1311NW DixonStreet uing the trendof recentwinters, warm and east,parts of the GreatLakes and the Mid- Corvallis,Oregon 97330 dry were the dominantweather themes [or westreceived below-normal snowfall, while winter 2002-2003,with Januarywitnessing otherregions were at or nearexpected pre- (email:[email protected]) thesmashing of century-oldrecords [or high cipitationlevels. Areas still sufferingfrom averagetemperatures at many stations. Birds below-normalprecipitation levels in theEast continuedto respondto this warmingdi- saw rdie[, but from Virginianorthward, inter--afascinating season during mate,with numerousspecies lingering late, muchof thiscame in theform of heavy snow, which many birds (and birders)are winteringnorth of usual,or returningearly whichhindered birding on manydays. pushedto theirphysiological, ecological, and and,[or severalspecies, nesting was under- geographiclimits by cold temperatures, way by January."By contrast,most regions Birdshardy, by half inclementweather, and short days. It is the eastof the RockyMountains saw a returnto In theWest, winter finches were replaced this seasonwhen diversity is at a lowin most more "typical"winter conditionsafter two seasonby swallows, warblers, and a generally regions,and when many birders take a brief consecutiverather mild winters.Many areas smartarray of [ate-lingeringbirds that defies hiatusto prepare[or the impendingrush of experiencednormal or bdow-normaltem- a simplesummary here. With sucha wealth springmigration. We usually enjoy a gradual peratures,although December was unseason- ofrecords to peruse, it seemsa good winter in cessationof birdingactivities through winter, ablymild in someareas. As an indicationof whichto askthe question:"With the record punctuatedby an active ChristmasBird theseverity of late winter, Lake Superior froze warmth in the West and the bitter cold and Countseason and perhaps an annualouting completely[or thefirst time since 1979. Brian snowin the East,did recordsof lingering on NewYears Day. But winter is alsothe sea- Dalzdl, in the At[anticProvinces' report, Neotropical(and other) migrants reflect the son[or other birding activities: gull watching noted"that most observers under the age of differencein weatherpatterns?" The answer (or simply"gulling," as some of ourlarophile 50 could not recall the last time it had been so to thequestion is alreadywell beyond reach friendscall it), searches[or winterirruptives cold[or so long."Farther south, in Mexico, ,as it must be basedon observationspro- (if theymake it far enoughsouth), and off- the winter was cooler than normal in the cen- [oundlyinfluenced by weatherconditions: shore pelagic trips [or alcids and other tral highlandsand closerto normalelse- manybirders in the Eastfound themselves oceanicvisitors, to namea few.As in previous where. snowboundon weekends,unable to check essayshere, we provide a synopsisof weather Thesinusoidal signature of thejet stream theirlocal birding patches at all! Despitethe patternsand bird distribution[or selected in suchwinters--riding very high in the rhetoricalnature of thequestion, the regional speciesin winter2002-2003, followed by a West,running down through the middleof reports'records do promptone to wonder discussionof topicswe hopewill be of inter- the continent,then curvingup alongthe whetherthe season•climatic disparity was estto readers:the subjects of speciesvariabil- Atlanticcoast---cut through the center of the reflected in our informal summaries of bird ity andof birders'rdationship to science. PrairieProvinces region, so that while Alberta distribution(our "sightings"this past win- enjoyedmilder temperatures and sixlinger- ter. Weather ing speciesof warblers, and Froma cursoryscan of regionalreports, it The continentalweather pattern of winter Saskatchewanwere eventually, after a milder would seem that the West outdid the East in 2002-2003 was one of stark contrast between earlywinter, locked into winter conditions lingeringand overwintering birds by several East and West. Moderate E1 Nifio conditions far different,with thecoldest February since ordersof magnitude.lake a mornerato with mild temperaturesand bdow-average 1979in Manitoba.Ihe GreatLakes through appreciatethe incredulitythat runs through precipitationprevailed across much of the the Northeast,the Marltimes, and indeed Ihede Iobish'sAlaska regional report--the West.When precipitationdid fall, many mostof theEast generally reflected the influ- record warmth allowed birds almost never localitiesthat typically receive snow instead ence of the low-ridingjet streamhere: seen in Alaska in winter to remain all winter

164 NORTI• AMERICAN BIRD HE C- NGI• E • -ON

and in numbers in some cases. Twospecies of rail,four species of warbler,a Swainson•Thrush, and a Brown Pelican in Alaska in winter? When one adds suc- cessfullyoverwintering Spotted Towhee, American Goldfinch, Western Meadowlark, and ; waterfowland sparrowsof all sortsto the roster,along with Januaryrecords of speciessuch as Red Phalaropeand Greater Yellowlegs,the correlationhere between record warmth and unprecedentedlingerings and overwinteringsseems clear and • strong,and this impression con- tinuesall alongthe northern ' • Pacificcoast, with bird records from Idaho, Alberta,and Mon- ,, tanasouth through simi- larlyoff the charts. AWhite-laced Ibisin Idaho, •. •" ß• for instance,was a winter first .• and unexpectedfor a species that rarelywinters away from the southern tier of states. Strangerstill, a CanadaWarbler • in California was on no one'slist of expectedoverwinterers-- ; there appearto be no other North American winter records. - And plentyof other warblers were exceptionalin their respectiveareas: Black-throated Blue and Hooded Warblers in BritishColumbia (!), Magnolia Warbler in Arizona, Wilson's Ire w•er distributionofvarious rm• ofFox 5parr• ispoorly kn•, •iall• arro•large areas of the interior •est. lhis Warbler in Idaho, Yellow- Sparrow(subspedes unalas•censis), thefirst docum•ed for lrizona, was found at t• BoBelho•on l•oretumState throated and Palm Warblers in Superior26(here ] 1 ) 0aober]00] andre•imd through24 Nove•r. Photo9raphby6a• Rosenberg. Utah, Yellow and Hermit War- blersin Washington,and American Redstart ing theirlate dates were even more astound- tive areas,as did a Brewer'sSparrow in late in Oregon,Pine and Wilson'sWarblers in ing:in mid-December,a Buff-breasted Sand- Januaryin Idaho. New Mexico,and an overunnteringYellow- piper was discoveredin southwestern Oneof thebig stories in thePacific North- rumpedWarbler in North Dakota(its first) Louisiana,while in Texas,a flock of over 200 westwas the widespread influx of BarnSwal- areonly some of themore striking examples. WitSOh'SPhalaropes, plus 6 Red-necked lows in January,a repeatof last winter's A PhiladelphiaVireo in Californiaconstituted Phalaropes,overwintered at La Saldel Reyin extraordinarilyearly migratory pulse but one oneof veryfew winter records for theUnited Hidalgo County. In addition to Alaska's involvingtar more individualsßBarn Swal- States, while a Common Poorwill in Col- BrownPelican, out-of-season Pacific seabirds lowswere widely noted from California north oradowas extraordinary on the dateof 15 includedmany shearwaters--Pink-looted intoBritish Columbia (see the "Special Atten- December.The hummingbirdshow was andFlesh-looted among them---off Washing- tion"essays for relevant regions). Individuals good,by most standards, if not stellar: Broad- ton,and scrippsi Xantus• Murrelets off Mon- in Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho (!), and the billedsin Coloradoand Oklahoma,a Costa's tereyCounty, California in Decemberand GreatBasin also appeared to be part of this in Oregon,and above-normalnumbers of January. unusualmovement. Most of thereports came Violet-crowneds in the desert Southwest. Normallyabsent from the United States in fromcoastal sites, with only a fewindividuals Shorebirdsand seabirdsalso lingered. winter,as manyas nineSwainson's Hawks recordedinland. Tagging along were three Notablewader reports included a totalof 4 werediscovered wintering in SouthTexas this Cliff Swallowsin BritishColumbia, four more Ruffsin Oregonand Washington, a Pectoral year.Granivores deserve some mention here, in northern California, and a Northern Sandpiperin Colorado,Red Phalaropesin thoughtheir ability to overwinteris lesssur- Rough-wingedSwallow in Washington. Alaska,and a Wilson•Phalarope in Utah.A prisingthan is the insectivores':an lndigo Althoughit is not possibleto tie this"flight" Black-necked Stilt at Klamath Forest Nationa] Buntingin Idaho in lateJanuary and both to discreteatmospheric events, it seemsa safe WildlifeRefuge in easternOregon 22 Febru- Indigoand LazuliBuntings in Oregonwere betto saythat such an eventwould not have arywas rivaled only by the 25 AmericanAvo- impressivediscoveries. Single Clay-colored beenso wdespread and so protracted had the cets not tar away at Lake Abert in early Sparrowsin NorthDakota and Nebraska each western weather been more like the East's. December.To the south, shorebirds overstay- representeda winter "first" for theirrespec- A superficialgloss of Midwestern and East-

VOLUME 57 (2003) NUMBEft 2 165 ern regionalreports will find adjectivesless such as Saskatchewan'slate Black-throated ply havemoved on ratherthan perished. enthusiasticthan in the Westsreports-- BlueWarbler, were confirmedas casualtiesof Rarelyare data available on foodand shelter "dull" and "sparse"amongthem. The thecold. None of thenotable migrants found sourcefor exceptionallingerers and winter- Atlantic Provinces, which of late have lingeringin winternorth of NorthCarolina-- ers,and almost never do we have insight into enjoyedspectacular winter warblering, had ScarletTanager in NovaScotia, Say's Phoebe why suchbirds remain behind when their the worstshowing of warblersand other in NewBrunswick, Black-throated Gray War- conspecifieshave long ago departed. Proxi- Neotropicalbirds in the past20 years. But bler in Connecticut,Northern Waterthrush matefactors such as foodavailability and on closerreading, it's clear that the Midwest in ,White-eyed Vireo in , physiologyare difficult to studyadequately, and East had their own long-distance Indigo Buntingin Missouri,Ovenbird in let aloneultimate factors such as genetics. migrantsthat lingered, attempted to overwin- QuEbec,Hooded Warbler in Rhode Island, Expandingnon-migratory species, such as ter, and in a veryfew casesdid overwinter. Hermit Warblerin Illinois,and Wood Thrush CarolinaWren, provide at leastsome insight Eye-catchinghangers-on were a Iennessee in CentralPark, New York City--were intothis topic. In toughwinters, many make Warblerin Georgiathrough early Janua• a thoughtto havesurvived the winter. appearancesat backyard feeding stations, and PurpleGallinule in NovaScotia on 5 Febru- Evenhardy species able to winter fairly far in NewYork and New England this winter, it a• an Upland Sandpiperthat tarriedin north(single Palm Warblers in Nebraskaand wasclear that the many Carolina Wrens that northwesternFlorida through mid-December Wisconsinare good examples) did not pull survivedthe harsh conditions did so in part (perhapsthe only such recordin North through,though the hardiest migrant species by attendingfeeders, as did outfiefsas far America), and a Black-throatedGreen War- suchas Eastern Phoebe amazed observers by awayfrom core range as North Dakota. blerin Pennsylvania. hangingon as far northas snowy upstate Winter hummingbirds'physiology and Manyregional editors east of the Rockies, NewYork, some very late into the season. So clear relianceon feeders,too, makestheir however,noted a distinctdie-off (or at least whilemany species that normally depart an hardinessamatter of great interest to birders. disappearance)of lingeringsemi-hardy areaduring winter lingered in averagenum- Stretchingthe limitsin thisrespect were a speciesin mid-to lateDecember, astempera- bersor better, it wouldseem that many indi- Ruby-throatedHummingbird in Missouri and raresplummeted and stayedlow Species vidualsprobably did not survivepast mid- RufousHummingbird/Selasphorus humming- foundin smallnumbers across a wide geo- January.This stands in contrastto areasjust bird in Maine and Illinois;an unidentified graphicarea such as Yellow-throated Warbler, tothe west: Colorado, despite the continuing hummingbirdin Januaryat PrinceEdward Ovenbird,and Western Tanager apparently effectsof drought,had a mild winterwith Islandwas one that got away, unprecedented succumbedto a "normal"winter. Likewise, multiplelingering Gray Catbirds,Hermit no matterwhat the species,and another the northern Great Plains saw a noticeable Thrushes,and BrownThrashers. unidentifiedhummer in Ohio 21 January exodusor die-offor lingeringspecies in Hardiness is a difficult attribute to measure would have been one for the record books as Decemberand earlyJanuary:. semi-hardy in a species,much less to understandabout well. OverwinteringRufous and Ruby- speciessuch as GrayCatbird seemed more an individualbird, especially from our van- throatedHummingbirds, however, have widespreadthan normal in earlywinter, per- tageas amateurs. We infer what we (imagine becomealmost not worthyof mentionin hapsthe resultsof late migrantsbeing we)know, little by little, from a scatteringof manyparts of the Southeastnow; the South- "trapped"by the suddenand harshlate-fall datapoints, often too few to allow generaliza- ernAtlantic region no longerlists them out, weatherin thisregion, but thesebirds could tions about cold tolerance. Individual birds and Marshall Iliff notes that the Middle not be foundlater in winter,and some birds, thatdisappear during cold spells might sim- Atlanticmay soon stop doing so (thelatter regionhad a half-dozenor morehumming- •Tablel• • uofwesl•em hummingbirds inthe eastern Unit•lSt •: '•':'.•vhere outof range, winter 2002-2003. birdsnot evenidentified to !).Every winter, no matterwhat the weather,records of SPECIES CENTRALSOUTHERN TEXAS OTHERREGIONS/STATES 1 hummingbirdsout of rangein the East Broad-billed 2 [AL,LA] 0 Oklahoma(1),Colorado (1) appearto increaseand to creepever north- Buff•ellied 55 3 none ] ward 'sfirst CalliopeHum- Ruby-throated• 212++ 1 Missouri(1),Virginia (2+) mingbirdwas easily predicted by past seasons Black-thinned 88 (Brinkley2001). SouthomAtlantic Coast (9), Thegreat diversity of hummingbirdsoutof (8) • typical(former?) winter range (Table 1) is Anna's 1 [LA] 0 none impressive.Clearly, for Rufous, Allen's, Black- Calliope 49 chinned,and CalliopeHummingbirds, the periodOctober-November hasthe greatest Massachusetts(1),Florida (3) 4 SOLdhemAtlanticCoast(10),i influxfar east of range(recent reports show Broad-tailed 13 1 none migrantRufous/Selasphorus welleast of range Rufous 628 Illinois(1),Delaware (1),Virginia (4+), akeadyin lateJuly and August, however). In Ohio(6), Pennsylvania (1), thenorthernmost states, vagrant humming- birdsthis winter tended to bepresent largely Tennessee(3);large numbers to throughearly December, after which many thesouth of these areas were not presentor not seen.To the south, Allen's 28 5 NorthCarolina (1), (1), fromsoutheastern Virginia southward, there Delaware(1),Tennessee (1) was a marked influx of Rufous and other hummingbirdsin mid-December,perhaps $elasphorussp. 89++ Maine(1), Connecticut (1),Virginia birdsfleeing the deep freeze to thenorth. It (3+),Maryland (2),Tennessee (1) has sometimes been claimed that these win- 'iroatedHummingbird wasdesa':•l as"oastally cornrnøn• int,,e Carolinas,.e, .. ,erewere numerous teringhummingbirds make short movements ='ottsas well. southwardthroughout the season,and the burgeoningsupply of feedingstations makes

166 NORTH AME•'•A N BIRDS suchan explanationplausible. Nevertheless, A far more unusual case was the influx of unidentified;Cape Cod had 650 Razorbills carefulsearching in Tennesseeand North Red-neckedGrebes out of range,which and800 unidentified large alcids on the same Carolinaafter a late Januarycold spell materializedmost fully in earlyMarch but day.It's refreshing to seethese numbers of revealedthat several Rufous Hummingbirds clearlybegan in late February,as the Great un-identifiedbirds, the mark of honestsea- attendingfeeders had frozenm death.This Lakesbegan to freeze,almost entirely--the watchers and conservative field observers. event may havebeen exceptional, but the firstsuch freezing in almosta decade.As the Thesebirds truly are indistinguishableat questionof winterhummingbird hardiness is lakesbegan to close,not a fewInternet prog- verylong range, and the temptation to iden- still an openone, even if theyappear to be nosticators dared to forecast a wide "fallout" tify all largealcids seen in the Eastis best captivesubjects for studyin ourbackyards. of Red-neckedGrebes across the East, from resisted.Don't miss the sourceof manyof Swallowrecords present a similarlyfuzzy New Englandto the Carolinasand well these fine numbers: "RH" stands for Rick but interestingpicture in the regional inland.In February1994, when the lakes Hell,whose work at theseshore-based point reports.The late-fallnorthward dispersal of frozelast, an unprecedentedflight of Red- counts is redoubtable. Cave Swallowsalong the Atlantic Coast necked Grebes had been seen in these areas. Largealcids also put in a fineshowing in (Brinkleyand Lehman 2003) continued into Theonly hitch was: no one had really known Long Island Sound, and Razorbillswere winterin the East,but thesebirds clearly that largenumbers of Red-neckedGrebes especiallyrecorded in good numbersoff eitherpassed southward or passedaway as spent the winter on the tumultuousand Rhode Island and Connecticut from the winterset in. Afterthe strongmovement in frigidwaters of the GreatLakes. The late- C.B.C.season through the winter, accompa- November2002, reportscontinued into winterflight of Red-neckedGrebes indeed nied by smallernumbers of Thick-billed Decemberas far northas NewJersey into did materializeon cue, and it would seem Murres. The southernmost Common Murre Januaryin NorthCarolina, v•th mostearly- that, despiteno directevidence of many reachedQuogue, Long Island. It's easy to for- winter reportsalong the southernAtlantic thousandsof Red-neckedswintering on the get that a total such as 891 Razorbilis• Coast,including an incredible count of 40 at GreatLakes, eastern birders' sleuthing and recordedfrom easternLong Island on the a singlesite in North Carolina!Northern scouringof local lakes,borrow pits, and Montauk C.B.C.--would have been aston- Florida and also had midwinter ditches--which producedhundreds of ishingonly a decadeago. This attractive reportsof the species,but thesebirds could recordsof displacedgrebes--provided at specieshas becomeso commonin recent notbe refound much after early January. The least more circumstantial evidence for Great yearsthat eventhe venerableBronx-West- portraithere, again, is of lingeringmigrants Lakeswintering. chester C.B.C. had 116 before Christmas eitherpushed southward (in short,faculta- Whatconclusions might we draw from the Day.By earlyDecember, Virginia and North rive movements)or donein altogetherby dichotomonswinter portraitsof Eastand Carolinahad alreadyrecorded numbers of increasinglycold conditionsin the East-- West?Perhaps it's best to saythat both sides Razorbill,and a VirginiaBeach pelagic trip 7 quitea contrastto theJanuary flight of north- of thecontinent began the winter with a fair Decemberhad a Thick-billedMurre, rare in bound Barn Swallows in the West. number of birds much farther north than thatstate. In February,double-digit counts of For some speciesin winter 2002-2003, theyshould have been, but that thesebirds Razorbillreached Georgia, with 36 offSavan~ however,there was a relativelyclear apparent not surprisinglyfared much betterin the nah21 February,the state's highest count by correlationbetween the consequencesof West,especially it lower latitudes and near far. The statusof Razorbillchanged rather coldweather and abruptchanges in winter oceancoasts, where clementconditions left suddenlyoff NorthCarolina back in Febru- distribution.The early-winterexodus of wateropen, insects active, and birders in t- ary1994, when flights as large as 1184 were countlessthousands of American Robins, shirtsmuch longer than usual. It's not that seenfrom shore,heralds of similar numbers CedarWaxwings (which reached Costa Rica warmwinter weather necessarily induces fin- in subsequentyears; almost all priorrecords and Jamaicain the dozens!),and Eastern geringin normallymigratory birds; rather, had been of singlebirds. A shift is prey Bluebirds out of northern states into south- warm weatherin manyeases simply gives resourcesis almost certainly the cause here. ern stateswas probably one suchinstance, themthe opportunity to survivethe winter at A fewBlack Guillemots, a comparatively and accessto food (or extent of available theselatitudes. Indeed, one could argue that sedentaryspecies, turn up in the contextof food) probablyalso played a role in their manypasserines should not evenbe called theseflights on occasion.This year's birds southerlymovements, while the same might "lingerers"but rather off-coursereverse- were found in Decemberon the Montauk, be true of the northerlymovements of the migrantsleft overfrom this annual late4all New York C.B.C. and twice near Deal, New many RuddyGround-Doves and Rufous- phenomenon. Jersey(that state's ninth), and on 15 Febru- backed Robins found in the Southwest this ary at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina'ssec- winten VariedThrushes were wildly out of Alcidextravaganza ond even rangeacross much of thecontinent: a totalof At longlast, this was a variedand long-play- For birders south of Massachusetts,the 28 was recorded from the Great Lakes east- ing "alcidwinter" in theEast, and those bird- prizealcid is the smallest,the Dovekie,and ward. The specieswas also found in high ershardy enough to facethe elements at the thiswas the first good flight since 1996 and numbersin corerange, such as the 220 at coastor offshore,from New Englandto 1997; in winter 2002-2003, the numbers of CosumnesRegional Park in Sacramento Georgia,enjoyed a bounty of black-and- birdswere less impressive than the extent of County,California in DecembenOne won- white "footballs" (as one contributor the flight. Despitethe weathering-outof dersto whatextent this and the major flight quipped)for threemonths, thanks in partto almostall winter pelagictrips after early of Golden-crownedKinglets and Yellow- the unendingspell of coastalstorms that December,New York and New Jersey man- rumpedWarblers into Texas,Florida, Mex- helpedpush these pelagic birds shoreward. agedto record20 birds,with aboutthe same ico, and even Central America in the caseof The show started in Massachusetts on 12 numbernoted in North Carolina,where sev- thewarblers might pertain to drought-driven December,unquestionably, with a fierce eralbirds put on a showat arm'slength at foodshortages rather than to severeweather. northeasterlygale. The large alcids were first OregonInlet in Februar•One reportedin LeeJones's analysis of the warbler'sabun- onstage, with a flightat Rockportthat day of CharlestonHarbor, South Carolina, was the dance in Belize (over a thousand at one 420 CommonMurres (previous state high southernmost,that state'sfirst sincethe win- site!),however, suggests that a mildwinter of countwas 21!), 14 Thick-billedMurres, and terof 1993-1994.As Ricky Davis points out, 2001-2002 boosted survival rates. 1180 Razorbills,plus I800 large alcids, the potentialfor confusingDovekies with

VOLUME 57 (2003) ß NUMBER 2 167 vagrantLong-billed Murrelets--recorded in their typicalwinter haunts.Bohemian NorthAmerica. Away from home, we tendto Massachusetts,Tennessee, and North Car- Waxwingsalso remained in the far north, creditthis variation to just that--variation. olinathis winter--is appreciable, and so, as with onlya briefappearance in numbersin However,when an unfamiliar variant (o[ forlarge alcids, conservative record-keeping Newfoundland. whateverkind) turns up onour local stomp- is in order. ing grounds,it maybe mistakenfor another Vagrants species,particularly because "birding"so Swansongs It is alwayseye-opening toperuse the reports oftenincorporates a search for rare species. TrumpeterSwans, widely reintroduced (or forvagrants, searching for thoseelusive pat- Ourdesire to pin a nameto everybird we introduced)and on the increasein many terns in distribution and seasonaloccurrence. seecan predispose us to perceivespecies in regions,drew attentionin acrossan enor- A fewexamples that caught our eye this win- the ratherrigid termsof the familiar;we mouspart of thecontinent this winter, from ter includeda EurasianBhllfinch in Alaska, mightknow that a givenspecies exhibits a theSouthwest to Florida.Small groups, all singleEastern Towhees in Coloradoand in rangein bill length,back streaking,and known to be from the Great Lakes introduc- Arizona(the latterapparently the western- undertailcovert patterns, but we nevertheless tion programs,were again seen in Kentucky mostfor North America), a Slaty-backed Gull sometimesmisapprehend this heterogeneity, and Tennessee,and six in Nebraskawere all in NorthCarolina and one continuingin or "individualvariation," as we usually call it, apparentlyfrom the Iowa program.To the Florida,a probableasiatica White-winged mistakinga variantfor a vagrantspecies or south of the middle tiers of states,Trum- Dovein Nova Scotia,a Redwingin New- .Most speciesexhibit a greater petersare a newthing, so one in Mississippi foundland,Mexicog first Manx Shearwater, rangeof variationthan our field guides illus- nearStarkville 12 Januaryto 11 February Yellow-leggedGulls in Newfoundlandand trate;field guides are simply a compositeof was a state third, and four in Florida near Massachusetts,Green-tailed Towhees in many individualsaveraged together. And Nicevilleall winter would providea first Pennsylvaniaand Florida,a BeanGoose in becausebirding is a littlelike prospecting-- staterecord. In Alabamaand Mississippi, Washington(race middendorffi),a Lesser we enjoythe occasionalexperience of rare birders encountered other adult swans that Nighthawkin South Carolina,a Green- and unusualsightings•we can sometimes might havebeen Trumpeters, Tundras, or wingedTeal (one of theOld Worldraces) in forgetOccam's razor: all otherthings being possiblyhybrids of the two (seethe Central Nevada,a Glaucous-wingedGull in E1Sal- equal,the simplest explanation isusually cor- Southernregional report), and questions of vador,a SageThrasher in Georgia,a Black- rect.An "odd"bird is mostlikely an individ- bothidentification and provenance are likely headedGrosbeak in Belize, a ReddishEgret in ualof an expected species. Seeing a Fox Spar- to persistfor sometime yet. In Arizona,for Bermuda,and a SpottedTowhee in Michigan. row in the Eastthat showsextensive gray instance,a groupof sevenunbanded Trum- Almostall of thesebirds, rare as they are, fit above,for example,might indicate that one peters,quite a raresight, was not knownto patternsof vagrancyestablished by othersof hasfound a Slate-coloredFox Sparrow (schis- come from any particular introduction their speciesin past winters,and these tacea)or a bird from the western range of Red scheme,nor were two in Kansasand one in emergingpatterns, however faint, afford (zaboria), but the far more Oklahoma. opportunitiesfor bothamateur and profes- likelyanswer is thatone has found a birdthat sionalornithologists to ponder and investi- iswithin the known range of variationof the Notableby their absence: the "winter" gatechanging bird distributions further. The eastern Red Fox Sparrow (iliaca), the finchesand other irruptives leadarticle in thisissue, on GrayKingbirdg expectedform here (cf. Zink andWeckstein Ashas been the general theme for most years vagrancy,is a fine exampleof this kind of 2003).Field guides raft to showthe variation of the lastdecade, there was no large-scale investigation.Speaking of vagrantkingbirds, in this form. southwardmovement ofany of thefringillids. in the"One that Got Away" category, Massa- A species,then, is bestdefined by a range Partsof theEast saw scattered sightings of chusettshad an interesting kingbird, possibly ofvariation, rather than by a singlevalue, and PurpleFinches, Pine Siskins, and Evening a Thick-billed,that would provide a remark- thishas at leasttwo important implications Grosbeaks,but all werein below-average ableregional record if its identitywere con- forbirders. First, "different" birds may just be numbers,and Evening Grosbeakshave firmed.Possibly un-assisted birds that as yet individualsof an expectedspecies, perhaps becomemajor rarities in partsof the East, show little or no patternof vagrancy-- froma differentarea. However, to saythat evenin areaswhere, a decadeago, they were Florida's two SouthernLapwings and suchsightings are uninteresting would be far reliable in small numbers. Pine Grosbeaks EurasianKestrd among them--might soon from true. Studyand documentationof andboth crossbills were virtually absent away begin to show such patterns,and such "unusual"individuals of commonspecies are from breedingareas. such as Algonquin records should continue to be countenanced extremelyvaluable, as theyare the constant ProvincialPark in Ontario,which recorded in thesepages. refinementof ourperception of whata par- 2060White-winged Crossbills, many nesting, ticularspecies (or subspecies)looks like in onits Christmas Bird Count. Only a handful What'sin a species? our area.At somelevel, of course,variation of CommonRedpolls was reported south of Livingand birding in a particularregion for a doesbecome ascribable to particularpopula- ,and most such reports were of single lengthyperiod of timeaffords ample oppor- tionsor geographicareas, and in recentyears, individuals.The only truly big news was from tunityto learnto identifythe localspecies birdershave begun to paymuch more atten- the Southwest,primarily Arizona and New and their habits. We become familiar with the tion to identifiable forms ofbtrds "below"the Mexico,and involved the continuedirrup- localspots favored by particular species, their specieslevel. Identifiable differences between tion of Lawrence'sGoldfinches: the high of migrationpatterns, and theirplumages and populationsor taxaare normally difficult to 747 on the TucsonC.B.C. was especially vocalizations.When we travelto placesaway establishwith confidence;such differences spectacular.Other winter irruptives failed to fromour normal haunts, those same species are typicallyworked out by ornithologists showas well. Northernowls, even Snowy sometimeslook and sound quite different-- using specimenmaterial, live birds, and, Owls,were virtually absent from the Lower differentto thepoint that we may not imme- increasingly'molecular biology Once the 48 this winter.Numbers of Rough-legged diatelyrecognize them. Song Sparrow is a 'Xvord"gets out regardingfield-perceivable Hawksand Northern Shrikes were average or familiarexample to many birders,as its distinctions,birders begin to takenote of belowin mostplaces but did occupy most of plumageand song vary dramatically across thesein thefield. This sort of birding activity canbegin to make important contributions to interpretation(s)may arise. And there is throughtime and space,represent an inde- thescience of ornithology.Our distributional surelyroom for multipleinterpretations in pendentevolutionary trajectory, and demon- knowledgeof manysubspecies and popula- such cases. strateessential but not necessarilycomplete tionscan be muchenriched by birdersand Somebirders pay attentionto subspecies reproductiveisolation from other such sys- their field notes,and indeedbirders' records andvariation out of sheerscientific curiosity tems"0ohnson et al. 1999).For birders hop- aretypically the source for nuanced distribu- or aestheticappreciation, but otherbirders ing to keepup with the "latest,"ornithologi- tionalmaps, such as the new ones in theeast- are motivatedby the possibilitythat such caljournals such as Auk and Condor contain ernand western Sibley Guides. Fine examples birdsmight, at somepoint in thefuture, be numerous studies that bear on the issues sur- fromthe regional reports this season were the "elevated• to the levelof species.The often roundingthe taxonomicarrangement of IpswichSparrow in Qutbec,thought to rep- very-difficnlt-to-identifytaxa in the com- North Americabirds. For example,Robert resent the first far-inland record of that sub- plexesof the former"Solitary Vireo" and Zink andhis colleaguesat the Universityof speciesfor NorthAmerica, and the nicely "WesternFlycatcher" are well-known recent Minnesotahave publishedmany studies photographedSooty Fox Sparrowsin Ari- examplesof this.But birders would do well to examiningthese questions in multipletaxa zona,the first documented for that state (Fig- uncouplethe interestin differentsubspecies (woodpeckers,thrashers, sparrows, and ure 1). Subtlefinds of easternraces west were (andforms generally) from the anticipation Passerinabuntings, to namea few). In one multiplesialis Eastern Bluebirds in Arizona thatsuch forms might be "split,"for several study,they examinedSong Sparrows from anda probablepusilia Field Sparrow in Col- reasons.First, there is noassurance that pop- across the United States and found no evi- orado.A nominateRock Sandpiper in Wash- ulationsdefined as species will necessarilybe dence of genetic differentiationdespite ingtonwas not withoutprecedent but pro- field-identifiable:just askthe hard-coreBaja markeddifferences in song,plumage, and vides neverthdess one of few Lower 48 Californiabirders about several tricky Blue- morphology(Zink and Blackwell1996). In records.Other, more general examples exist, headed/Cassin'sVireos, or southern Mexican another,they published molecular evidence including Western Scrub-Jays,White- birders about recent wintering demonstratingthat Blue Grosbeaks are most breastedNuthatches (Mountain West report), Cassin's/PlumbeousVireos. And back East, closelyrelated to the Passerinabuntings andWhite-crowned Sparrows (Eastern High- who daresidentify a wintering Pacific- (Klicka et al. 2001). Ihe AmericanOrnithol- lands& UpperOhio River Valley report), all slope/CordilleranFlycatcher, even if it is call- ogists'Union hassubsequently updated its of which have all received far more attention ing?The temptationto "identify"a tricky Check-listto reflect this, and the Blue Gros- thanthey used to. Whereonce was heard, bird that mightin factnot be identifiable-- beakis nowa memberof thegenus Passerina "Oh, it'sjust a White-breastedNuthatch!" perhapsnot even in the'hand--isexacerbated (Banks et al. 2002). onenow hears:"Did you get a look at the by theneed to "count"such a bird.Secondly, "Sowhat?" one mightask. Ihe utility of mantle color on that nelsoni White-breasted birdersshould understand that "ornithology" suchknowledge may seem negligible until Nuthatch?"By appreciatingthis level of is not monolithic, and the taxonomic one considers the vast amount of informa- detail,birders are learning---or relearning in arrangementof birdsis alwaysin flux over tioninvolved in gaininggeneral knowledge manycases, as fidd guidesof the 1980sand time, as differentinterpretations, new con- about a particulargroup of birds--spar- 1990s often ignored these details--and ceptualmodels, and new researchcome to rows,seabirds, gulls, whatever the group-- appreciatingthe subtlevariation between light.Ihus, we might find that later ornithol- to the point that we field birdersbecome populationsof birds. ogistssee fit to "re-lump"closely-related taxa trulyinsightful. For instance,of SongSpar- Invariably,our observationsin the field into species.Both the difficultiesin distin- rows,we might ask ourselves,"How and will sometimes be "ahead"of formal scien- guishingvalid taxa in thefield and the meta- why doesall this variationarise?" Armed tific inquiries:the millionsof birdingeyes morphosisof taxonomycan be frustrating to with theknowledge that populations of this uncoverchanges in birddistribution (espe- birderswhose motivation is findinga new sparrowdo not appearto be genetically cially in casesinvolving "vagrants" long "countable"bird or "banking"a vagrant sub- unique,we mightbegin to thinkabout how beforeornithological investigations can con- speciesthat might later be splic Ihis caution naturalselection acts on this speciesand firm suchchanges or occurrences.A recent is notmeant to implythat we shouldgive up how highlevels of geneticvariation might issueof NorthAmerican Birds (Vol. 56, No. on flycatchersand vireos (by no means!)or be beneficial for members of this wide- 4) providestwo marvelous examples of this to denigratethe pleasure birders may take in spreadspecies. Of the Blue Grosbeak,we with a pairof articlesthat consider the prob- findinga "new"bird in a particulararea, only might note how its modulatedcall-note ableoccurrence ofjaponicus American Pipit to suggestthat we be circumspectabout our bears a family resemblanceto those of and "Gray-belliedBrant" out of range.In ownmotivations and recognize both the lim- Indigoand Lazuli Buntings. (One wonders neithercase have certain specimens of these itationsin identifying"different" birds and whether it was this distinctive call-noto that forms been secured that would confirm their the instability,or at leastthe malleability,of alertedthe observerto the presenceof a appearancesin the areasdescribed in the the concept"species"itself.' the conservative Blue Grosbeak at Chatham, Massachu- papers.And in bothcases, fidd identifica- skepticismof Occamcuts two ways. setts-on 23 February2003, one of themost tion of these forms (the brant is not even a Ihe species"concept" isin factplural, a set outlandishincidents of "early-spring"over- formallydescribed taxon!) is tentative,and of concepts--anda fieldof greatcontention shootsin localhistory, surelyD even examinationof photographscan be at the moment.Arguably, the beststructure As birders,we collectivelyspend millions equivocal.Nevertheless, these artides pres- we havefor classifyingbirds is thebiological of hoursin thefield each year. This represents ent birds that looked "different" or speciesconcept (BSC for short), which an enormousopportunity to gatheruseful "unusual"and place them in a sophisticated definesa speciesas "a collection of actually or information.Although it is easyto stoppay- contextthat offersmuch food for thought potentially interbreedingpopulations" ing attentionto a birdonce you have identi- for ornithologistand birderalike, ensuring (Campball2001) or betterstill "a systemof fied it, watchingit furtherand notingthe that bothwill pay closerattention to pipits populationsrepresenting an essentially finer detailsof its behavior,plumage, and andbrant in thefuture. Though preliminary, monophyletic,genetically cohesive, and habitatis aninherently valuable endeavor on thesepapers both demonstrate the valueof genealogicallyconcordant lineage of individ- somelevel. It will makeyou a betterbirder paying attention to variation,whatever ualsthat share a commonfertilization system and,if you takegood notes, might provide

VOLUME 57 (2003) ß NUMBER 2 169 to illustrate, birders' contributions to the ornithologicalliterature--through detailed reportsof field observations--areinvalu-

INFORMATIONTYPE VALUE able.Our reports often provide the first hint of a majorchange in a species'distribution, Countsofbird spedes Allowsromputatio• ofrelative abundance helpsharpen our imageof the distribution of variousforms and subspecies, and pro- Hoursspe•t birding Observereffort vide ampleimpetus for both birdersand professionalornithologists to ask more for- Numberof'observers Observereffort mal, nuancedquestions. Our intentin rais- ing theseissues is twofold:1) we want all Distancedriven/walked Observereffort birders,especially novices, to be awareof the potentialvalue of detailedfield reports, Weather(wind• temperature, etC.) Affectsbirddetectabilit• and 2) we hope to encouragebirders to strive to increase the level of detail in their reports,even the "advanced" birders among ornithologistswith valuableinformation that membersof the U.S. Congressask us. us. (Don'tgive up on thoseflycatchers and cancomplement or evencatalyze the type of Wouldthat we couldgive them an answer vireos!) Ihe more closelywe look, the insightscreated by the studiesmentioned as straightforwardas their repliesto our morewe will learn,making our contribu- previously.Such activity, too, begins to move questionsare! First,what is "science"?Sci- tionsto the scientificstudy of birds ever usaway from a ratherone-dimensional activ- enceis a value-ladenterm that conjures up more robust. ity-speciesidentification (at whichwe gen- many images,most of which muddythe erallyexcel)--toward a morecautious, sub- waterwhen it comesto understandingthe Literaturecited fie,and perhaps more rewarding pastime. Ihe practicesand principlescollectively called Banks,R. C., C. Cicero,J. L. Dunn, A. W. promiseof a new"tick" on a stateor provin- "science."The typesof informationcol- Kratter,P C. Rasmussen,J. V. Reinsen,Jr., cial list need not be the chief motivation to lectedby birdersmight or might not fit a J. D. Rising,and D. E Stotz.2002. Forty- studybirds in ever-greaterdetail the glory "scientific"framework; the answer depends thirdsupplement to theAmerican of avianvariation is itsown reward. Indeed, it on the frame of inference we desire: do we Ornithologists'Union Check-list ofNorth doesnot matter whether Arizona's Sooty Fox seek to make sweepingstatements about American Birds. Auk 119: 897-906. Sparrowsor Qu•bec'sIpswich Sparrow are continentalpopulations of birds,or are we Brinkley,E. S.2001. The Changing Seasons: accordedstatus as full species;their splendor satisfiedwith more descriptive statements at Hummingbirds,hawk owls, and hardies. is manifestin anycontext. a local level? In truth, birders contribute a North American Birds 55: 132-139. wealthof informationthrough their obser- Brinkley,E. S.,and E E. Lehman.2003. The Birdersand sdence vationalreports. We just needto be clear ChangingSeasons: unabashed bonanza. As birders, much of our field effort is ulti- about how our reportsshould be inter- North American Birds 57: 14-21. matelyfocused on gainingknowledge of dis- preted.Birders, via theirpublished records Campbell,N. A., andJ.B. Reece.2002. Bio- tribution and abundance:which species in North American Birds, the various state logy.Sixth edition. Benjamin-Cummings. occurwhere, when do they occur, how many birdjournals, and other publications, pro- Dinsmore,J. J., and S.J. Dinsmore.1993. arethere, and so forth. Recently, we have seen vide professionalavian ecologistswith a Rangeexpansion of theGreat-tailed a barrageof regionaland nationalefforts to wealthof importantinformation: distribu- Gracklein the1990s. Journal of the Iowa involvecitizens formally in thecollection of tionaldata, peak counts, nesting phenolo- Academyof Science100: 54-59. scientific data. Most of these efforts will be gies,migration timing, discovery of small Klicka,J., A.J. Fry,and R.M. Zink.2001. famfiiar The North AmericanMigration populations,and much more, including A cytochrome-bperspective on Passerina Count,the GreatBackyard Bird Count, Bird- especiallythe documentationof range buntingrelationships. Auk 118:611-623. Notes,and eBird in additionto long-stand- expansionor contraction. Althoughthe Johnson,N. K.,J. V. Remsen,Jr., and C. ingefforts such as the North American Breed- causesof such changesare not usually Cicero. 1999. Resolution of the debate ing Bird Surveyand the ChristmasBird understandablewithout detailed investiga- overspedes concepts in ornithology: Count. The recent launch of eBird deserves tion, birders' discoveries can serve as a newcomprehensive biologic species mentionhere. As birders, each of usis limited springboardsfor in-depthecological studies concept.Pp. 1470-1482in Proceedingsof in thetime we spend afield and the amount of of birds. For example,the recentrange the22nd International Ornithological informationwe are able to record(Iable 2). expansionsof Eurasian Collared-Doves Congress,Durban (N.J. Adamsand R. H. eBirdis an effortinitiated by theCornell Lab (Romagosaand McEneaney1999) and Slotow,eds.). BirdLife South Africa, of Ornithologyto pool birders'resources. Great-tailed Grackles (Dinsmore and Dins- Johannesburg. Each of us can visit the eBird website more1993) were spurred on by and parfly Romagosa,C. M., andT. McEncaney.1999. (www.ehird.org) and enterbird sightings, basedupon documented sightings of bird- Eurasian Collared-Dove in North America thusconcentrating the power of ourdata and ers. Christmas Bird Counts have both indi- and the Caribbean. North American Birds makingit increasinglymeaningful. if enough viduallyand collectivelydocumented the 53: 348-353. of usparticipate, the data collected by eBird effectsof theconversion of agriculturaland Zink, R.M., and R. C. Blackwell.1996. could well become the standardfor distribu- otheropen lands to suburbanhousing tracts Patternsof allozyme,mitochondrial DNA, tional data on the North American avifanna. across the United States--and have thus andmorphometric variation in fourspar- It mayalso become the single greatest contri- documentedthe supplantingof one avian rowgenera. Auk 113:59-67 bution birders make to North American communityby another.There is no denying Zink, R.M., andJ.D. Weekstein.2003. ornithology. that this large-scaledatabase constitutes a Recentevolutionary history of theFox "Arebirders collecting meaningful scien- powerfulmanifestation of "science." Sparrow(Genus: Passerella). Auk 120: tific data in these endeavors?" so some As the "ChangingSeasons" essays strive 522-527.• i70 ...... NRTHAMERICAI• BIRD