The quarterly journal of Oregon field ornithology Volume 20, Number 1, Spring 1994 Dubious Records in the Early Oregon Bird Literature George A. Jobanek High Bird Mortality as a Result of Painted Lady Butterfly Migration in Eastern Oregon, Spring 1992 23 Mike Denny President's Message.. 24 Tim Shelmerdine NEWS AND NOTES 25 FIELDNOTES 33 Eastern Oregon, Summer 1993 30 Tom Crabtree Western Oregon, Summer 1993 33 Jim Johnson COVER PHOTO Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, 13 November 1993, Devil's Punchbowl, Lincoln Co, Photo/Skip Russell. CENTER OFO Annual meeting registration form OPO membership form Rare bird report form Rare bird phone network OFO Bookcase Checklist of Oregon birds Special in this issue: free f-page checklist of the birds of Oregon Birds is looking for material in these categories: Oregon Birds News Briefs on things of temporal importance, such as meetings, birding trips, The quarterly journal of Oregonfield ornithology announcements, news items, etc. Articles are longer contributions dealing is a quarterly publication of Oregon Field OREGON BIRDS with identification, distribution, ecology, Ornithologists, an Oregon not-for-profit corporation. Membership in management, conservation, taxonomy, Oregon Field Ornithologists includes a subscription to Oregon Birds. ISSN 0890-2313 behavior, biology, and historical aspects of ornithology and birding in Oregon. Articles Editor Owen Schmidt cite references (if any) at the end of the text. Assistant Editor Sharon K. Blair Names and addresses of authors typically appear at the beginning of the text Associate Editor Jim Johnson Short Notes are shorter communications dealing with the same subjects as articles. OREGON FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS Short Notes typically cite no references, or at President Tim Shelmerdine, Lake Oswego (1994) most a few in parentheses in the text. Names Secretary Karen Kearney, Portland (1994) and addresses of authors appear at the end of Treasurer Dennis Arendt, Eugene (1994) the text. Past President David A. Anderson, Portland Directors Colin Dillingham, Brookings (1992-94) Bird Finding Guides "where to find a Hendrik Herlyn, Corvallis (1992-94) in Oregon" (for some of the rarer Gerard Lillie, Portland (1993-95) birds) and "where to find birds in the Don MacDonaldrCorvallis (1993-95) area" (for some of the better spots). OREGON BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE Reviews for published material on Oregon birds or of interest to Oregon birders. Secretary Harry Nehls, Portland (1994) Members Tom Crabtree, Bend (1992-94) Photographs of birds, especially photos Jeff Gilligan, Portland (1993-95) taken recently in Oregon. Color slide Hendrik Herlyn, Corvallis (1992-94) duplicates are preferred. Please label all Jim Johnson, Portland (1993-95) photos with photographer's name and Nick Lethaby, Santa Clara, CA (1994-96) address, bird identification, date and place Larry McQueen, Eugene (1994-96) the photo was taken. Photos will be Craig Roberts (1993-95) returned; contact the Editor for more Owen Schmidt, Portland (1994-96) information. Steve Summers, Klamath Falls (1992-94) Deadline for the next issue of Oregon Birds— Alternates Colin Dillingham, Brookings (1994) OB 20(2), Summer 1994 — is 21 April 1994. Richard Hoyer, Corvallis (1994) The next issue should get to you by the first Kamal Islam, Corvallis (1994) week of June 1994. Material can be submitted anytime, and the sooner the better. Please send materials directly to the Editor, 3007 N.E. 32nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97212, 503-282-9403. Oregon Birds Oregon Birds Board of Editors: David A. Anderson, Range D. Bayer, Charlie OREGON BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE Bruce, Alan Contreras, Tom Crabtree, Jeff © 1994 Gilligan, Steven G. Herman, Mike Houck, George A. Jobanek, Jim Johnson, CD. OREGON FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS Littlefield, Roy Lowe, David B. Marshall, P.O. Box 10373 Harry B. Nehls, Mark Stern, Paul Sullivan, Eugene, OR 97440 Clarice Watson. Oregon Birds 20(1): 2 Dubious Records in the Early Oregon Bird Literature George A. Jobanek, 2730 Alder, Eugene, OR 97405 Gabrielson and Jewett (1940) listed many of which were dubiously re• Rocky Mountains. Washington Ter• 33 taxa on their hypothetical list of ported for many years after their ritory was separated from Oregon Oregon birds, of which 9 were ex- introductions, as these have been Territory at the present state tralimital subspecies of regularly- adequately covered elsewhere boundary in 1853, but Oregon did occurring Oregon species. Exami• (Palmer 1899; Phillips 1928; Long not assume its present political nation of early records, those pub• 1981; Evanich 1986; Jobanek boundaries until statehood in 1859- lished prior to 1935 and many of 1987b). Townsend's (1839b) broad geo• which were not included by Many of these dubious records graphical list, of birds "inhabiting Gabrielson and Jewett in their bib• derive from confusion over what is the region of the Rocky Mountains, liography to Birds of Oregon, re• meant by "Oregon." Bonaparte the territory of the Oregon, and the veal many additional dubious Or• (1828) and Nuttall (1840) referred north west coast of America," has egon bird records. I list and discuss to species occurring "on the Or• also been reduced to "Oregon" in here 77 species recorded for Or• egon," meaning along the Colum• range descriptions by subsequent egon in this early literature. bia River. Both Townsend (1839a) writers. Likewise, Audubon's I have limited my discussion to and Nuttall (1840) referred to the (1839a, 1839b, 1843b) references to full species and have ignored dubi• "territory of the Oregon," meaning occurrences on the Columbia River, ous local records of birds that oc• the region drained by the Colum• from records of Townsend and cur normally elsewhere in the state bia River. Later writers interpreted Nuttall, have appeared in later (such as Woodcock's (1902) record these early references to refer to works as Oregon references. Both of Brown Towhees at Corvallis, the Oregon Territory, a political Coues (1874) and Cooper (1877) Benton Co., or Prill's (1891, 1895) region which was not officially es• recognized and remarked upon the report of the Black-legged Kitti- tablished until 1848, and which broad interpretation of "Oregon" wake in Linn Co.). Nor do I discuss then included all United States land by early authors. here birds introduced into Oregon, north of California and west of the Map of the Oregon Territory from the Best Authorities, 1849. "Oregon" to early ornithologists included present- day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as parts of British Columbia, California, Nevada, Utah, Montana — and Wyoming. Some early bird records — if they were valid at all — probably did not come from "Oregon" as we know it today. Oregon Birds 20(1): 3 Little Grebe, Tachybaptus Wandering Albatross] at the mouth Wheelock (1910) remarked that ruficollis. of the Columbia River." Later "records are claimed ... as far Townsend (1839a) included this Coues (1897) remarked that the north as the coast of Oregon." species (."Podiceps minor") on his identification was "unmistakable." Gabrielson and Jewett (1940:600), list of birds "found in the territory However, the description does however, placed this species on of the Oregon," as well as in a re• not rule out Short-tailed Albatross, their hypothetical list, despite their port submitted to Samuel Parker in the more likely species; the wing own probable observations (see 1836 (published in part, but with• span is indeed closer to the range Gabrielson, Jewett, and Braly out reference to the Little Grebe, in for the Short-tailed Albatross. The 1930). "Because of the similarity of Parker 1838, and subsequent edi• 2nd edition of the AOU Check-list this form to the other white- tions). Cooper (1877) regarded the (AOU 1895) regarded the identifi• breasted shearwaters, we do not reference to be either to the cation as a Wandering Albatross as deem it advisable to add the bird Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus, or unsatisfactory, and placed the to the Oregon list on the basis of the Eared Grebe, P. nigricollis. record "off coast of Washington," sight records." Schmidt (1989) Jobanek and Marshall (1992), although the bird might well have gives 4 records accepted by the which includes the first publication been taken in Oregon waters. The Oregon Bird Records Committee. of Townsend's full report to Parker, Wandering Albatross ranges consider this to be instead the throughout the oceans of the Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Oceanites Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus Southern Hemisphere (AOU 1983). oceanicus. podiceps. Townsend also listed the Townsend (1839a) included the Great Crested Grebe, P. cristatus, Gray-headed Albatross, Wilson's Storm-Petrel on his list of in his report to Parker, but this was Diomedea chrystoma. the birds "found in the territory of presumably a reference to either Light-mantled Albatross, the Oregon" in the appendix of his the Horned Grebe or Eared Grebe Phoebetria palpebrata. Narrative. Cooper (1868) men• (Jobanek and Marshall 1992). Both Antarctic Giant-Petrel, tioned that Townsend listed this the Least Grebe and the Great Macronectes gigantus. species as 'an Oregon bird." Crested Grebe are European and Southern Fulmar, Fulmarus Schmidt (1989) lists 1 record of the Asiatic species (Harrison 1983). glacialoides. Wilson's Storm-Petrel accepted by These 4 procellariids long held the Oregon Bird Records Commit• Wandering Albatross, Diomedea places on the list of North Ameri• tee, a single bird seen 31 May 19~6 exulans. can birds on the basis of speci• at the south jetty of the Columbia In 2 publications, Coues (1895, mens collected by J.K. Townsend, River. Clatsop Co. This species is 1897) reported that the fur trapper supposedly in Oregon waters but casual in the Pacific Ocean off Alexander Henry, while at Fort actually in southern seas. The 4th North America (AOU 1983). George [=Astoria, Clatsop Co.], re• edition of the AOU Check-list ceived the body of a freshly killed (193D relegated them to the North Ashy Storm-Petrel, albatross, regarded by Coues to be American hypothetical list.