TAXONOMIC NOTES - LB. McQueen

We cannot be sure of the race of the Red-shouldered Hawk which stayed during a few weeks i n January along 11th Avenue at Fern Ridge, but there i s no reason to suspect any other than the Ca l i f o r n i a race, elegans.

Buteo lineatus i s separated into fi v e races:

subspecies lineatus - the nominate, "Northern" red-shouldered - extends as far west as Nebraska and Kansas.

a l l e n i - the Flo r i d a race - ranges from South Carolina through Arkansas and Oklahoma,throughout Florida.

extimus - the so-called " I n s u l a r " hawk - i s the Everglades race of southern Florida.

texanus - i s confined to Coastal Texas, south to Mexico City.

elegans - the "Red-bellied Hawk" - resides mainly i n the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys to lower Cal i f o r n i a .

The southern forms are apparently non-migratory. There may be an occasional d r i f t e r into southern Oregon, but actual records are hard to find. Gabrielson and Jewett l i s t i t hypothetically, casting doubt on Johnson's reports at the north end of the Willamette Valley (1880) and Bendire's alleged egg record from Camp Harney (1892). The species does not appear on Bertrand and Scott's c h e c k l i s t of the birds of Oregon. I am personally unaware of any authenticated records for Oregon.

This b i r d looked different than any red-shouldered that I remember i n the east, and t h i s difference i s not accounted for by any r a c i a l p e c u l i a r i t i e s . Observers of this p a r t i c u l a r hawk noticed that aside from the diagnostic l i g h t patch i n the primaries which showed best i n f l i g h t , there was nothing p a r t i c u l a r l y outstanding about i t . The markings which are supposed to be so con­spicuous at a reasonable range - the reddish "shoulder" patches, the black and white barred wings and t a i l , and the reddish-barred underparts, with a rather s o l i d rufous breast - were very d i f f i c u l t to see. They were

1

there, but d u l l . The t a i l barring was not white on black as described, but buff on brownish-gray. Since the bird was an adult, I offer no explanations for the toned-down plumage, as the l i t e r a t u r e emphatically d e t a i l s high color and contrast for a l l subspecies, including the dullest forms of the south-eastern regions, which are smaller, and show l i g h t e r and grayer upperparts. LISTERS CORNER: SNOWY PLOVER Alan Contreras

A few c o a s t a l p o i n t s and a s c a t t e r i n g o f a l k a l i f l a t s i n E a s t e r n Oregon a r e t h e b e s t s p o t s t o f i n d Snowy P l o v e r s .

The b e s t c o a s t a l s p o t s a r e a r e a s u s u a l l y i n a c c e s s i b l e t o c o n v e n t i o n a l v e h i c l e s . The Bayocean S p i t a t T i l l a m o o k i s one such p l a c e , and i t can be r e a c h e d by d r i v i n g west and n o r t h ­west f r o m T i l l a m o o k t o w a r d Cape Meares. The s p i t i s o v e r 3 m i l e s l o n g , p r o v i d i n g good Snowy P l o v e r h a b i t a t i n t h e d r y sand on t h e ocean s i d e . Most o f i t must be w a l k e d .

The low dunes and beaches s o u t h o f t h e e n t r a n c e t o Y a q u i n a Bay a t N e w p o r t , and any s i m i l a r a r e a s b e t w e e n F l o r e n c e and Y a c h a t s are good spots." The sand and beaches a t t h e mouth o f t h e S i l t c o o s R i v e r b e t w e e n F l o r e n c e and R e e d s p o r t .

F u r t h e r s o u t h , one a r e a o f Snowy concen­t r a t i o n , as much as Snowy's can be s a i d t o c o n g r e g a t e , i s a s e c t i o n o f d r y beach and dunes a b o u t 1.3. m i l e s f r o m t h e j e t t y on Coos Bay's n o r t h s p i t . T h i s a r e a i s a c c e s s i b l e o n l y b y . 4 - w h e e l d r i v e , on f o o t , o r by b o a t . I t can be r e a c h e d by d r i v i n g o v e r t h e H o r s f a l l Beach D i k e f r o m Hwy. l o l , t h e n p a s t t h e Menasha and Roseburg p l a n t s u n t i l sand c o v e r s t h e r o a d . Euchre Creek mouth n e a r Gold Beach i s r e p o r t e d t o s u s t a i n a s m a l l p o p u l a t i o n .

I n E a s t e r n O r e g o n , where t h e b i r d s a r e o f t e n more a c c e s s i b l e , t h e b e s t l o c a t i o n s a r e on t h e a k a l i f l a t s a r o u n d t h e n o r t h e r n end o f Summer Lake a l o n g L i n t Canal Rd, where t h e r e i s a s i z a b l e n e s t i n g p o p u l a t i o n ; and i n t h e same t y p e h a b i t a t i n t h e "00" r e g i o n a t M a l h e u r where t h e y a l s o n e s t .

SOURCES: Jim C o l l i n s , Fred Ramsey, A l P r i g g e 2

NEST RECORD 1977

The North American Nest Record Card Program.

For a number of years now, the Laboratory of Ornith­ology at Cornell University has been gathering data on the nesting cycle of a l l species of birds from a l l over the country. Many thousands of cards have been sent i n through the years. The sample reproduced here indicates the kind of information needed. You'll note that there are spaces for 10 entries and, as you can surmise, re­cords that come close to providing 10 bit s of informa­tion about a p a r t i c u l a r nest are more useful than those with only one. That i s n ' t to say that the l a t t e r are not helpful, however. I f you happen to discover a nest and are unable to r e v i s i t (or perhaps the birds are ready to leave that day) then by a l l means submit the information. When added to other information, a picture may emerge. Please note also, that negative reports are as useful as positive ones. That i s , i t ' s important to know i f a nest was broken up the day after you discover­ed i t being b u i l t . In other words, record everything and anything you can, about any nest you find, at any stage of i t s cycle, on any species, anywhere. ( I s that i n c l u s i v e enough?). The undersigned has s p e c i a l i n t e r ­est i n breeding d e t a i l s on birds and can provide record sheets that reproduce the data cards as shown. The ad­vantage of the sheet over the card i s that a map of nest location can be drawn on the back and additional i n t e r ­esting observational notes can be recorded there also. The d e t a i l s are copied onto the Cornell cards and sent along to them.

I f you want to be prepared on any f i e l d t r i p during the breeding season - February through July or l a t e r -put i n your request for a supply of the forms.

Herb Wisner Biology Dept. Univ. of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403

3

N O R ™ A M E R I C A N N E S T R E C O R D C A R D P R O G R A M y ? ^ Shaded Boxes not Co be C o m p l e t e d by O b s e r v e r 1 M AIVintMCJM^ n i ^ J i h l . ^ v * » ~ .

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E l e v a t i o n ( in feet above s e a l e v e l )

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N E S T S I T E ( c i r c l e w h e r e a p p r o p r i a t e ) cfc™h Oh P a l m 07 D e c i d u o u s t r e e b r a n c h 01 Ba r e g round 02 O n g round in vegetat ion 03 F l o a t i n g 04 L o w vegetat ion 05 S h r u b 06 P a l m 07 D e c i d u o u s 01 Ba r e g round 02 O n g round in vegetat ion 03 M o a t i n g n u j w « » » ™ . , _ „ . .

S K w a * 09 C o n i f e r b r a n c h 10 C o n i f e r c a v i t y 11 Nes t box . 2 O t h e r s t r u c t u r e 13 C U f f or bank 61

P R I N C I P A L P L A N T O R S T R U C T U R E 63

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Height o f E g g s A b o v e G r o u n d o r Wa te r in F e e t ( feet and t en ths If under f ive feet ) |72 [

If p a r a s l t e d by C o w b l r d c h e c k h e r e ' 6 I f s a m e p a i r had o the r n e s t i n g s t h i s y e a r c h e c k h e r e V

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w u c p f O U T C O M E U N K N O W N ( c i r c l e w h e r e a p p r o p r i a t e ) O U T C O M E I N C L U D I N G C A S E S W H E R E O U T C O M E U N K N O W N . f c i r c l e w h e r e a p p r o p r i a t e ) 01 Unknown b e c a u s e not r e v i s i t e d O U 1 C U M E , i i ^ l j j u . i u F a i l u r e due to c o w b i r d s 02 Young s e e n l e a v i n g n e s t ° 6 N e s t d a m a g e d ^ ^ ^ c o m p e t i t i o n w l t h M h e r s p e c i e s

03 P a r e n t ( s ) e x c i t e d n e a r n e s t 07 N e s t d e s e r t e , 3 F a i l u r e due to h u m a n a c t i v i t i e s 04 P a r e n t ( s ) w i th young n e a r nes t 08 F a i l u r e due to w e a t h e r 04 P a r e n t ( s ) w i th young n e a r nes t 0^ F a , u r e due to —

05 Nes t e m p t y , i n t a c t » ^ m m v e n e b r a t e p a r a s l t e s ( g i ve d e t a i l s s e p a r a t e l y )

7 6 77

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SITE GUIDE: COOS DAY Alan Contreras

B i r d i n g i s best i n the Coos Bay area from August through May, though several of the ra^e and a c c i d e n t a l species recorded have been seen i n June.

North Slough, Haynes I n l e t and the n o r t h e r n reaches o f the bay o f t e n harbor huge r a f t s o f ducks, i n c l u d i n g REDHEAD, CANVASBACK, AM. WICEON and PINTAIL. EUROPEAN WICEON have also been seen here, and as many as 65 GREAT ECRETS have been seen a t one time on Haynes I n l e t alone i n the f a l l . A l l three r e g u l a r ICONS can be seen here, and a YFJICW-3I.ilED ICON has been recorded once. HORNED and WESTERN GREBES are common here. To the west over the H o r s f a l l Beach access dike i s Jordan Cove, at low t i d e an e x c e l l e n t shorebird soot. Park on the gravel f i s t s a t a good vantage ooint east of the road and

r a i l r o a d t r a c k s . Cn t h i s road stay a l e r t f o r huge chip t r u c k s aooearing a b r u p t l y ( b i r d u s i n t e ~ r u o t u s ) . BIACK-BEILIED PI TVER, DUNIIN, both YSIICWLBGS, I EAST and WEST­ERN SANDPIPERS and MAR3TED GO EMITS are regular here, and PECTORAL and BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS are sometimes oresent i n m i g r a t i o n . A SNOWY EGRST has wintered here, mcst of t e n seen a t Pony Slough across the channel. The road from the Menasha p l a n t t o Jordan Cove masses through a sec­

t i o n o f f o r e s t interspersed w i t h small marshes and swamos which i s very s i m i l a r t o t^e Areata area i n

northern C a l i f o r n i a . "ARRIS' and TREE SPARRCWS have wintered i n these brushy sinks. Jordan lake l i e s across a small dune from the gravel f l a t s and harbous VIRGINIA RAILS, GREEN FEPCN AND WOOD DUCKS; t h i s e n t i r e area also supports many w i n t e r i n g WARBLERS. A f t e r oassing under the l o a d i n g chutes o f the Roseburg p l a n t , the observer may proceed on f o o t or by 4-wheel d r i v e oast the brushy ootholes of Henderson Marsh, where WHITE-TAILED KITE has been recorded, t o the l a r g e marshes at the base of

the North S p i t , where NORTHERN PHAIAROPES, PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and a wind-blown T EACH'S STORM-PETREL have been noted. Often worth checking are B l u e b i l l and H o r s f a l l Lakes t o the n o r t h , although H o r s f a l l Lake i s d i f f i c u l t t o f i n d and harder t o get a t . B l u e b i l l l a k e , reached from the southeast corner of the camo-ground, i s a good soot f o r PECTORAL, SANDPIPER, YELLOW-LEGS and other shorebirds, and SOLITARY SANDPIPER has been recorded here. H o r s f a l l Lake u s u a l l y supports many

WHISTLING SWANS i n the w i n t e r , as w e l l as a great var­i e t y o f ducks and shorebirds and an occasional hawk or f a l c o n on snags around the edre. '"he entrance t r a i l i s 0.6 miles east o f the entrance t o B l u e b i l l l a k e camp­ground and i s o o o r l y marked, t o say the l e a s t . Park i n the hard sand on the right-hand side of the road, being c a r e f u l t o avoid the s o f t areas. Walk about t h i r t y yards toward a r i g h t curve of the road and t u r n l e f t a t the f i r s t sandy road l e a d i n g no^th. Walk about 7 5 yards (by­passing a one-lane sandy road i n t e r s e c t i n g on the l e f t ) t o where the road veers t o the r i g h t toward a small sandy h i l l . A l a r g e clurno of manzanita l i e s above the road where i t narrows to a s i n g l e t r a i l through the brush. A f a l l e n snag l i e s across the t r a i l about h a l f ­way t o the l a k e , i f you don't see i t a f t e r a day or so, you are l o s t . The t o t a l distance from car t o lake i s j u s t over 0.1 m i l e . Good Tuck.

One of the g r e a t e s t and most famous b i r d concen­t r a t i o n points on the Orepon coast i s Pony Slough Pef-

uge i n the c i t y o f North Bend. I t can be reached by t u r n ­i n g v/est on V i r g i n i a St. i n North Bend ( watch f o r signs i n d i c a t i n g Pony V i l l a g e Shopping Center and the A i r p o r t ). The best vantage points are along Marion St., which i s a poorly-marked g r a v e l road o r i g i n a t i n g near the l i q u o r s t o r e on V i r g i n i a ( ! ) . Pony Slough i s one of the b e t t e r places t o look f o r a w i n t e r i n g EARED GREBE i n the Bay Area. GREAT EGRETS hunt here, and occasionally a BIACK-CaOWNBD NIGHT HERON or AM. BITTERN may appear. SNOWY EGRETS have appeared here t w i c e . Hundreds o f AM, WIGEON,

PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and CAaR'ASBACK w i n t e r here, and the count o f w i n t e r i n g GADWALL has reached 2,000 ! EUROPEAN WIGEON are present i n some years, and small numbers of SHOVELEF, REDHEAD and RUDDY DUCK are u s u a l l y around. PEREGRINE FALCON and MERLIN have hunted here, and MARSH HAWK and SHORT-EARED CWI. are o f t e n o-esent. Thousands of shcrebirds migrate through and w i n t e r on the f l a t s and adjacent a i r p o r t g~ass and runways. GREATER YEIJOWI,EGS, LEAST and WSST1RN SANDPIPERS are common, as are SLACK-BELTIED PLOVERS. RUDDY and BLACK TURNSTONES are o f t e n seen, as are both DOWTTCHEES. BAIRD'S SAND­PIPER, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. AM. GOLDEN PLOVER and RED KNOT have been recorded, KNOTS more f r e a u e n t l y i n recent years. MARBLED GOOWITS w i n t e r here i n small num­bers, and up t o 80 have been present during f a l l mig­r a t i o n peaks. COMMON and CASPIAN TERNS have aooeared i n t r a n s i t , as has a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. Pcny Slough i s best v i s i t e d a t m i d - t i d e s ; a t low t i d e many of the shorebirds are out of s i g h t i n the channels and a t high t i d e most disappear i n t o the t a l l grass o f the a i r p o - t or cross over t o the near-inaccessible sand margins of the North S p i t . Other i n - c i t y areas worth checking ar-e Simpson Park f o r passerines and sometimes the nearby ponds along the r a i l r o a d t r a c k s , e s p e c i a l l y a t high t i d e . A r o o s t o f about 15 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS i s located i n North Bend near the j u n c t u r e o f Chester and Tower s t ; they are best seen a t dusk. Park on Chester St. about 50 yds. north of the Tower St. i n t e r s e c t i o n and watch f o r the herons f l y i n g from the c o n i f e r s on the l e f t side of the s t r e e t .

The highway t o Charleston from North Bend passes by Southwestern Oregon Community College and the Empire

Lakes, where numerous passerines may be found i n the wooded areas, i n c l u d i n g RED CRCSSBILI and, r a r e l y , HUT-TON'S VIREC. The Empire lakes u s u a l l y suooort a few WOOD DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSERS and occasionally RING-NECKED DUCKS. 7

The area from Charleston t o Cape Arago has yi e l d e d many r a r i t i e s i n recent years, and af f o r d s an opportun­i t y f o r observation o f most r e g u l a r coast soecies. A breeding-plumaged YSI.TCW-BTIIED LCCN was once found near the boat basins, which can be reached by t u r n i n g r i g h t immediately a f t e r crossing the South Slough b r i d g e , and an EMPEROR GOCSE was seen i n the same area. HARLEQUIN DUCKS have also been found i n the boat basin area. A BLACK-THROATED SPARROW has been found on the grounds of the nearby Oregon I n s t i t u t e o f M a r r ine Biology, as have PALM WARBLERS i n October. A gravel road leads ud the h i l l behind the I.M.B. toward the Coos Head Naval Sta­t i o n ( "N" on the mar \s i s a good olace t o f i n d HUTTON1S VIREC, and HERMIT WARBLERS and RED CROSSBILLS have nested i n the large c o n i f e r s along t h i s road. Just before reaching the naval s t a t i o n , look f o r a t r a i l head­i n g n o r t h t o the I.M.B. Coos Head Bird Sanctuary. A male CHEST."; T-SIDSD WAR3T ER 8pent a week s i n g i n g here one summer, as did a male NORTHERN PARl'T A i n a nearby grove another year. From Coos Read, a good view i s afforded of the base of the north j e t t y , where a row o f "ocks runs back i n t o the bay. These rocks have produced HAR­LEQUIN DUCKS and OIDSQUAW i n some years. Bastendorff Beach and t^e south j e t t y have v a r bored many shorebirds and g u l l s i n m i g r a t i o n , and occas i o n a l l y 31ACK-T.EGGED KITTTWAKS and HEERMANN1S GUII are seen here. Sunset 3av

i s a pood oasserine area, e s p e c i a l l y the area along the creek l u s t south of the narking area. Many WARBLERS can be seen here, and a PYGMY COT has been found. A short distance past the Golf Course Rd. i s a t r a i l heading back i n t o the t r e e s toward the ocean. This leads t o a new c l i f f face t " a i l g i v i n g a good view of the rocks and coves. This t r a i l e v e n t u a l l y leads t o Shore Acres Park and the n e s t i n g colony o f PELAGIC CORMORANTS j u s t n o r t h of the oark. A l l o f the rocky s h o r e l i n e of t h i s area suooorts SURFBIRDS, BLACK TURNSTONES, BLACK CYSTE"CATCHERS, a few ROCK SANDPIPERS and an occasional WANDERING TATTLER i n mi g r a t i o n . Cthe^ shorebirds seen from these points include RED and NORTHERN PHAIARCPES and ,once, an AMI AVCCET! The botanical gardens and surrounding nines a t Shore Acres supoort a v a r i e t y o f passerines. ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS have wintered i n the f l o w e r s , and large f l o c k s o f SPARROWS and THRUSHES areus u a l l y present. A PROTPONOTARY WARBLER appeared here i n the autumn of 1°7A (cnly s t a t e record ?) and PALM WARBLERS have also been seen. Cape Arago i t s e l f i s an e x c e l l e n t vantage p o i n t , as i s Simpson Reef overlook a few hundred yards t o the n o r t h . The l i s t o f b i r d s seen from these headlands includes RED-NECKED GREBE, NORTHERN Fl.'I'RAR. FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL. SOOTY and PINK-FOC^D SHEARWATERS. OLDSQUAW, BTACK-IEGGED KITTTWAKE, PIGEON GUILLEMOT, TUFTED PUFFIN, ANCIENT and MARBLED MTRREIETS, RP1N0CSR0S AUKLET and THI"K-8ILIED MURRS ! I n ""ate A o r i l

and e a r l y May an observer s t a t i o n e d on the b l u f f s a t Cape Arago or a t Shore Acres observation house nay see a SDectacular f l i g h t of BONAPARTE'S GRITS, COMMON T"?NS. NORTHERN PHAI ARC PES and a few CASPIAN TERNS, as w e l l as hundreds of m i g r a t i n g LOONS and SCTSRS.

Alan Contreras

I n f o r m a t i o n provided by Alan McOie, North Bend; Ben Faw-ver , Coos Bay; Alan Ccntreras, Eugene.

CONTENTS OF CURRENT LITERATURE

The contents of c u r r e n t l i t e r a t u r e i s presented here, covering the major o r n i t h o l o g i c a l j o u r n a l s as f o l l o w s : THE AUK, THE CONDOR, THE WILSON BULLETIN, THE MURRELET, AMERICAN BIRDS, WESTERN BIRDS, BIRDING, and THE BIRD WATCH. Not a l l w i l l be covered i n one issue of SWOC TALK, but e v e n t u a l l y , w i t h i n s e v e r a l issues.

American Birds OCTOBER 1976, VOLUME 30, NUMBER 5

CONTENTS 899 Sonograms as A ids in B i r d I d e n t i f i c a t i o n / J o s e p h C. Beaver 905 Seventy-f ive years o f change i n M a l l a r d — B lack D u c k ra t ios i n eastern N o r t h A m e r i c a /

Paul A. Johnsgard

909 W i n t e r Popu l a t i on T r ends i n the B l a c k and T u r k e y V u l t u r e s / Woodward H. Brown

913 T h e A . B . A . Check l i s t , a review I Paul A. DcBenedictis

916 A . O . U . Check- l i s t species a n d f o r m e r species / Michael Gochfeld

917 A Gr ea t - t a i l e d Grack l e f r o m I l l i n o i s / H. David Bohlen

918 A L i t t l e S t in t (Calidris minuta) i n B e r m u d a / Keith Pellow

919 Status o f the B l a ck -b i l l ed C u c k o o a n d Cape M a y W a r b l e r i n sou thern New M e x i c o / Dale A. Zimmerman

920 T h e C h a n g i n g Seasons / Robert J . Newman

T h e Nes t ing Season: June 1 - July 3 1 , 1976

T h e A m e r i c a n B i rds Special B o o k Supp lement , 1976

1006 Recent and f o r t h c o m i n g books

1009 Choos ing a basic o r n i t h o l o g i c a l l i b r a r y / Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., Kenneth C. Parkes.

Dale Zimmerman, Dean Amadon Thomas R. Unwell

1016 T h e M a s t e r L ist o f B i r d Books fo r N o r t h A m e r i c a n readers / Robert Arbib

1018 A n A n n o t a t e d Selection o f Reg iona l B i r d Books / Susan Roney Drennan

1024 T h e Las t W o r d

10

September -October , 1 9 7 6 - ' V o l u m e V I I I , N o . 5 C O N T E N T S

F I N D I N G B I R D S O N A D A K By A n t h o n y W . W h i t e 3 0 5

C O S T A R I C A : A B A P i l o t E x p e d i t i o n , 1 9 7 6 By H a n k B r o d k i n 3 1 3

A N E W K I N D O F C H R I S T M A S C O U N T By G o r d o n M . Meade 319

T H E 1974 M Y S T E R Y G U L L A T B R I G A N T I N E , N E W J E R S E Y By K e i t h C. R i chards & F r a n k B . G i l l 325

B I R D B O O K S E d i t e d b y H e n r y T . A r m i s t e a d 329

A N A N T A R C T I C C H R I S T M A S B I R D C O U N T By D o n a l d S. H e i n t z e l m a n 3 3 0

Miscel laneous 3 3 2

C A N I C O U N T T H A T B I R D ? I n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f A B A L i s t i n g Ru les By E d w i n I . Stearns . . 3 3 4

Le t t e r s t o the E d i t o r 3 3 6

D I R E C T O R Y O F L O C A L C O N T A C T S & C H E C K L I S T B I B L I O G R A P H Y Supp l emen t

WESTERN BIRDS Volume 7, Number 1, 1976

A Check l i s t o f the B i rds o f Wash ing ton S ta te , W i t h Recent Changes A n n o t a t e d Philip W. Mattocks, Jr., Eugene S. Hunn and Terence R. Wabl 1

N O T E S The N o r t h e r n m o s t C o l o n y o f Hec rmann ' s Gu l l

Joseph R. Jehl, Jr. 2 5

A n c i e n t M u r r e l e t i n U t a h F. L. Knopf 2 7

Unusual B i rds i n t h e V i c i n i t y o f Pipe Spr ing , A r i z o n a Richard A. Wilt 2 8

Eastern Phoebe i n M o n t a n a P. D. Skaar 3 1

Volume 7, Number 2, 1976 The Occur r ence o f Seabirds i n t h e Coasta l Region

o f C a l i f o r n i a David G. Ainley 33

N O T E S

P ip ing Plover i n M o n t a n a Charles M. Carlson and P. D. Skaar 69

Black S t o rm-Pe t r e l Breeds i n t h e U n i t e d States R. L. Pitman and Steven M. Speich 71

11

NEWS and NOTES

S.W.O.C. FIELD TRIP TO KLAMATH BASIN Steve Gordon w i l l lead a S.W.O.C. field t r i p to the

Klamath Basin on the weekend of April 30th and May 1st. I f you are interested in participating, please c a l l Steve after 5«00 p.m. at 3^9591. We w i l l v i s i t many of the better known spots and a few different ones on the Oregon side of the border. The birding should be excellent.

RECENT RARE OR UNUSUAL BIRDS

R e d - s h o u l d e r e d Hawk was f o u n d and p h o t o g r a p h e d a t Fern Ridge R e s e r v o i r by L a r r y McQueen on Jan. 1 1 , 12, 14, 15. A l s o o b s e r v e d by S t e v e G o r d o n , A l a n C o n t r e r a s and C l a r e Watson.

An e a s t e r n B l u e j a y has been o b s e r v e d on t h r e e d i f f e r e n t o c c a s i o n s a t t h e f e e d e r o f M o l l y C l a r k , who l i v e s on C e n t r a l Rd . a b o u t l^g m i l e s s o u t h o f Fern Ridge R e s e r v o i r . The b l u e j a y has been o b s e r v e d i n t h e f i l b e r t o r c h a r d t h r o u g h o u t t h e f i r s t h a l f o f F e b r u a r y .

A Y e l l o w - b i l l e d Loon was f o u n d i n N e w p o r t ' s Y a q u i n a Bay Jan. 16, 17 by Steve Zack and J e f f G i l l i g a n .

T r e e S p a r r o w s , a l o n g w i t h u n u s u a l H a r r i s S p a r r o w , Snowy E g r e t , and C a t t l e E g r e t s were f o u n d a t Coos Bay Jan. 13 by A l a n C o n t r a r a s .

I f y o u f i n d an u n u s u a l o r r a r e b i r d i n y o u r a r e a , o r even one t h a t i s e i t h e r v a g r a n t o r o u t o f s e a s o n , o r an u n u s u a l s u b s p e c i e s , send d a t e s o f o b s e r v a t i o n , o b s e r v o r s , and l o c a t i o n a l o n g w i t h s u p p l e m e n t a r y d e t a i l s t o SWOC TALK f o r p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e n e x t a v a i l a b l e i s s u e .

What w o u l d y o u l i k e t o see i n SWOC TALK? I d e a s , t y p e w r i t t e n a r t i c l e s o r g r a p h i c s a r e welcome. J u s t send them t o E.G. W h i t e - S w i f t a t P.O. Box 3082, Eugene, OR 97403.

12

SEMI-WILD TURKEYS NEAR ROSEBURG

While the Wild Turkey i s not native to Oregon, sev­eral "successful 8 releases of introduced birds have occurred i n Oregon. In the early 1950's private indi­viduals in Douglas County released Wild Turkeys east of Roseburg. I observed several of these birds on November 27,1976 and on February 20,1977. These turkeys have the field markings of Wild Turkeys - a slim body and a light brown band at the tip of the t a i l . I n February the two males were observed displaying to six females in the area indicated on the accompanying map. They are reported to roost in the cemetery illustrated below. The circled numbers indicate locations where this flock was observed on the two respective dates.

This flock and a larger flock of 30 to 40 Wild Turkeys which i s reported to l i v e in the oak-covered h i l l s east of Highway 138,have maintained a f a i r l y stable population throughout the l a s t 20-25 years according to Bert Meloy, a resident of the area. Mr. T o fiuoc Meloy stated that lack of winter food, resulting from spoiling during the norm­a l l y wet f a l l , winter and spring, and predation of eggs and young by dogs, cats, skunks, and raccoons, trim the population. Only supplemental feeding from local residents keeps the Wild Turkeys alive during the winter. This depend­ence upon human feeding Jeopardizes their status as beiag; -truely wild.

Steve Gordon

t o Rosee*ift<4

13

SWOC BUSINESS

March 7 N e x t m e e t i n g .... i n t h i r d f l o o r c o n f e r e n c e room o f S c i e n c e B l d g I I I on t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Oregon campus, 7:30 p.m. The main agenda i t e m i s d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e c h e c k l i s t on Oregon b i r d s . The l i s t w i l l be f i n a l i z e d a t t h i s m e e t i n g .

A p r i l 4 A p r i l m e e t i n g . . .same p l a c e £ t i m e D i s c u s s i o n on f i e l d n o t e f o r m s and g u e s t

Joe W a l a c k i t o d i s c u s s b i r d i n g r o a d l e s s a r e a s .

At t h e J a n u a r y m e e t i n g , SWOC was r e o r g a n i z e d . The f o l l o w i n g p e r s o n s a c c e p t e d t h e f o l l o w i n g r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s : Rare B i r d A l e r t . . . C l a r e Watson F i e l d Notes ... S t e v e Gordon; S t a t e C h e c k l i s t . . . L a r r y McQueen, E.G. W h i t e - S w i f t , C h a r l i e Thomas; C h r i s t m a s B i r d C o u n t s :

Eugene... S t e v e Gordon, A l a n C o n t r e r a s C o t t a g e G r o v e . . . A l W i n t e r A l m a . . . C h a r l i e Thomas, E.G. W h i t e - S w i f t

D a v i s Lake C o m m i t t e e : Jan B i i t l e , A l W i n t e r S t e v e Gordon, L a r r y McQueen

T r e a s u r e r : C l a r e Watson L i b r a r y / R e s o u r c e s : E a r l i n e C u r t i s , Herb W i s n e r F i e l d T r i p s : Mark E g g a r , A l a n C o n t r e r a s F i e l d P r o j e c t s : Sue M o t s i n g e r , Don Payne A l f r e d Cooper S h e l t o n Award c o m m i t t e e : E.G. SWOC TALK:

E d i t o r : E.G. W h i t e - S w i f t A i d e s : E a r l i n e C u r t i s , Sue M o t s i n g e r , A l a n

C o n t r e r a s S t a t e B i r d O r g a n i z i n g C o m m i t t e e : Herb W i s n e r

E.G. W h i t e - S w i f t Any member o f SWOC can j o i n any c o m m i t t e e , as a l l a r e v o l u n t e e r p o s i t i o n s . The more i n p u t , t h e b e t t e r t h e o u t p u t .

At t h e F e b r u a r y SWOC m e e t i n g , SWOC members d i s c u s s e d f i n a n c e s , d e c i d i n g t o s t o p i s s u e i n g o r p r i n t i n g f r e e c o p i e s t o b i r d e r s a r o u n d t h e s t a t e . Only members can r e c e i v e f u t r e i s s u e s . A l s o d i s c u s s e d were f i e l d n o t e s r e p o r t i n g f o r m s , t h e management o f t h e C h r i s t m a s b i r d c o u n t s .

14

Swoc Talk

Contents VOLUME 3, NO. 1 Jan-Feb 1977

1 Taxonomic Notes 2 Lister's Corner: Snowy Plover 3 Nest Records: 1977 5 Site Guide: Coos Bay 10 Contents

12 News and Notes 13 Semi-Wild Turkeys Near Roseburg 14 SWOC Business

L.B. McQueen Alan Contreras

Herb Wisner Alan Contreras

Compiled by L.B. McQueen

Steve Gordon

Printed March 1,1977 at the University of Oregon. E.G. White-Swift, editor. Cover design by Steve Sandstrom. SWOC TALK is published six times per year, subscriptions are five dollars per year.

SWOC TALK P.O. Box 3082 Eugene, OR 97403

SWOC TALK A Publication on Oregon Birds By the Southern Willamette Ornithological Club