Appendix H

Other Noteworthy Records

TRUMPETER SWAN Cygnus buccinator

Accepted records of six Trumpeter Swans photographed near Durham, Butte County, 23 December 2005–6 February 2006 (2005-214) and eight photographed near Willows, Glenn County, 15–17 January 2006 (2006-010) each involve more birds than any record previously endorsed by the Committee. The CBRC questioned the natural occurrence of a Trumpeter Swan present from 17 June to 22 October 2006 at Long Valley/Crowley Lake, Mono County (2006-113).

AMERICAN BLACK DUCK Anas rubripes

The Committee is reviewing the specimen record of a male shot on 21 December 2006 approximately 12 miles south-southeast of Willows in Colusa County (2007-015; UCD uncataloged). If accepted, this would be California’s second American Black Duck.

BAIKAL TEAL Anas formosa

Hunters were responsible for California’s first five records of the Baikal Teal, but the sixth—Santa Barbara County’s first—involves a first-winter male photographed and widely observed near Lompoc, 10 December 2005–9 January 2006 (2005-187; NAB 60:319).

ARCTIC LOON Gavia arctica

A bird that died in captivity after being brought to a wildlife care center in Huntington Beach, Orange County, on 5 July 2006 (2006-106, LACM 114223) furnished California’s fifth record, the first in the state to be supported by a specimen, the first from the month of July, and a county first.

YELLOW-BILLED LOON Gavia adamsii

Among four accepted records is that of a first-winter bird photographed on 8 October 2004 at Eagle Lake (2004-158), a first for Lassen County and only the fourth from California’s interior.

SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS Phoebastria albatrus

With Committee endorsement of the six records listed below, two of which involve August specimens from Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County, the state total (post-1900) increased to 18. The 5 August 2006 specimen record from Morro Bay is of a bird banded on 26 April 2006 on Tori-shima, Japan, whence it fledged in May.

Short-tailed Albatross – Accepted
06 Jul 2005	H-SY	Santa Cruz I. SBA	2005-081	31	ph., NAB 59:654
26 Jul 2005	H-SY	Middle Farallon I. SF	2005-096	31	ph., Pyle (2006)
and 12 Aug 2005		Monterey Bay MTY	2005-101	31	ph., cover NAB 60(1), Pyle (2006)
24 Aug 2005	H-SY	Morro Bay SLO	2005-115	31	ph., LACM 114937; treated as same bird responsible for 2005-096/2005-011 by Pyle (2006)
04 Dec 2005	H-SY	Cordell Bank MRN	2005-174	31	Fig. H-6, ph., NAB 60:318
19 Apr 2006	SY	~10 nmi. sw Morro Rock SLO	2006-060
05 Aug 2006	HY	Morro Bay SLO	2006-100		ph., SBNHM 8593

SOLANDER’S PETREL Pterodroma solandri

Most Committee members expressed interest in the report of a Solander’s Petrel photographed on 9 August 2005 approximately 173 nautical miles west of Cape Mendocino, Humboldt County, and the general consensus was that a Murphy’s Petrel probably was not involved, but the report failed to garner any “accept” votes during the second round. Therefore, the species’ occurrence in California remains hypothetical.

GALAPAGOS PETREL/HAWAIIAN PETREL Pterodroma phaeopygia/Pterodroma sandwichensis

Committee endorsement of the eight fall records listed on the following page increased to 21 the number of individuals accepted in the state. Sonoma County notched its first two records, a bird seen off Pt. Dume furnished a first for Los Angeles County and the state’s first to be recorded from shore, and one photographed rougly 74 nautical miles southwest of San Nicolas Island, Ventura County, was farther south than previous state records. Four more records remain under review, including that of the bird shown in Figure H-7 (see page H-13).

Galapagos Petrel/Hawaiian Petrel – Accepted
17 Sep 2004		~15 nmi sw Bodega Head SON	2004-154	30
09 Aug 2005		~165 nmi w Cape Mendocino HUM	2005-105	31
09 Aug 2005		~159 nmi w Cape Mendocino HUM	2005-106	31
09 Aug 2005		~16.5 nmi w Pt. Reyes MRN	2005-109	31	Pyle (2006)
21 Aug 2005		~16.5 nmi ssw Bodega Head SON	2005-103	31
12 Aug 2006		Pt. Dume LA	2006-107
13 Aug 2006		~15.5 nmi w Fort Bragg MEN	2006-109		ph.
06 Sep 2006		~74 nmi sw San Nicolas I. VEN	2006-128		ph.

 

STEJNEGER’S PETREL Pterodroma longirostris

Following a 13-year hiatus with no California records of Stejneger’s Petrel, the Committee endorsed the state’s seventh, involving a bird photographed on 18 October 2005 approximately 92 nautical miles off Punta Gorda in waters assigned to Mendocino and Humboldt Counties (2005-147; Pyle 2006). It is California’s northernmost record and the only one from October.

STREAKED SHEARWATER Calonectris leucomelas

Acceptance of the following four records increased Monterey Bay’s total to eight and the state’s total to 15.

Streaked Shearwater – Accepted
17 Sep 2004		~13 nmi. sw Bodega Head SON	2004-148	30	ph., Cole et al. (2006)
11 Sep 2005		~12 nmi. wsw Año Nuevo Pt. SM	2005-122	31
30 Sep 2006		Monterey Bay MTY	2006-135		ph.
15 Oct 2006		Monterey Bay MTY	2006-150		ph.

 

GREATER SHEARWATER Puffinus gravis

On 29 August 2004 the Greater Shearwater became the first of three pelagic species new to Sonoma County during a four-week period (see also the Galapagos Petrel/Hawaiian Petrel and Streaked Shearwater accounts, above) when an individual was photographed approximately 7.7 nautical miles west-southwest of Bodega Head (2004-129; Figure H-9; see Cole et al. 2006). This was California’s first record of a Greater Shearwater away from Monterey Bay. The state’s sixth accepted record came on 15 October 2006, when a bird was photographed on Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties (2006-151).

MANX SHEARWATER Puffinus puffinus

Among 15 accepted records was San Diego County’s first, involving a bird observed on 28 April 2004 approximately 16 nautical miles west of Oceanside (2004-097), and Humboldt County’s first, of a bird near the mouth of Humboldt Bay 10 August 2006 (2006-114). Five more records remain under review.

RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD Phaethon rubricauda

The Committee’s acceptance of the five records listed below, all from fall 2005, brought the state total to 27. One of them (2005-107) represents California’s northernmost and Humboldt County’s first, and another (2005-121) is the first to be supported by a specimen and the second from the mainland.

Red-tailed Tropicbird – Accepted
08 Aug 2005	AHY	~198 nmi. sw Punta Gorda HUM	2005-107	31
19 Sep 2005	SY	San Pedro LA	2005-121	31	ph., LACM 114039, found sick
05 Nov 2005	AHY	~175 nmi. sw Southeast Farallon I. SF	2005-180	31	ph.
09 Nov 2005	AHY	~186 nmi. wsw San Miguel I. SBA	2005-181	31
24 Nov 2005	ASY	~175 nmi. sw Pt. Sur MTY	2005-182	31	ph.

 

MASKED BOOBY Sula dactylatra

The adult Masked Booby recorded at San Clemente Island, Los Angeles County, during two intervals in 2003 was accepted as returning again to the island from 13 July to 15 August 2004 (2004-165). The Committee also accepted the record of a subadult Masked Booby photographed on 14 October 2006 at San Pedro, Los Angeles County (2006-155), increasing the state total to 13.

BROWN BOOBY Sula leucogaster

In addition to several records from southern and central California, the CBRC has accepted the record of an adult male seen on 8 and 9 August 2006 at Bear Harbor in Mendocino County (2006-119). The Committee is evaluating two records from still farther north in Humboldt County, one of a first-fall bird observed on 29 November 2006 as it flew north past the entrance to Humboldt Bay, seen again on 3 December 2006 at Flatiron Rock near Trinidad (2006-203), the other of an adult female photographed 3–7 December 2006 at Flatiron Rock (2006-200).

RED-FOOTED BOOBY Sula sula

Committee endorsement of the following records, including California’s second supported by a specimen, boosted the state’s total to 17. Both specimens are relatively small and dark, consistent with Red-footed Booby populations in the eastern Pacific.

Red-footed Booby – Accepted
05 August 2006		Camp Pendleton SD	2006-097		ph., SDNHM 51340
14 October 2006		~3.5 nmi off Palos Verdes Pt. LA	2006-156		ph.

 

ANHINGA Anhinga anhinga

The adult male Anhinga that the Committee accepted from Ramer Lake, Imperial County, during spring 2003 (2003-035) was endorsed as returning to Finney and Ramer Lakes from 19 March through 6 May 2004 (2004-045).

YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON Nyctanassa violacea

A pair discovered at Imperial Beach in San Diego County on 27 June 2005 (2005-079; Figure H-10, NAB 59:654) and 29 June 2005 (2005-080) was still present into May 2007, having furnished California’s first confirmed nesting record by fledging three young 4 June–10 September 2006 (2006-075; NAB 60:579). Earlier, on 23 August 2005, a recently fledged Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was recovered in El Cajon, San Diego County (2005-117, SDNHM 51156), but the CBRC concluded that this bird could have originated somewhere in Baja California. Farther north, a subadult was photographed on 3 July 2006 unusually far inland in the Prado Basin of Riverside County (2006-080). Much farther north, a subadult photographed in Inverness 11 October–5 December 2005 (2005-135) furnished California’s northernmost record and Marin County’s second.

WHITE IBIS Eudocimus albus

A written description and sketch of a first-fall bird near the Whitewater River mouth in Riverside County on 5 August 2006 furnished California’s third record of a White Ibis and the second from the Salton Sea (2006-121). It coincided with the occurrence of about 20 birds at several sites on the central Baja California Peninsula north of the usual range (NAB 60:582, in press).

GLOSSY IBIS Plegadis falcinellus

Acceptance of the five records listed below, including the first for the Central Valley, upped California’s total to 11. Still under review are three records of individuals photographed between 26 July and 7 September 2006 near Calipatria, Imperial County.

Glossy Ibis – Accepted
29 May 2004	ASY	Sutter NWR SUT	2004-093	30	ph., Cole et al. (2006)
16–17 Jul 2005	ASY	vic. Calipatria IMP	2005-088	31	ph., NAB 59:655
29 Jul 2005	ASY	vic. Westmorland IMP	2005-092	31
08 Jun 2006	ASY	Prado Basin RIV	2006-087
26–31 Jul 2006	ASY	vic. Calipatria IMP	2006-092		ph.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL Platalea ajaja

The first accepted records of this species in nearly a decade came from the southeastern and southwestern corners of the state. The record listed below from San Diego County was the first modern coastal record not associated with major flights of this species to California in 1973 and 1977.

Roseate Spoonbill – Accepted
05 Jan–13 Apr 2004	SY	Imperial Valley/Salton Sea IMP	2004-010	30	ph.
14 Oct 2005	HY	s San Diego Bay SD	2005-137	31	Fig. H-11, ph., NAB 60:139
14 Nov 2005	HY	vic. Whitewater R. mouth, Salton Sea RIV	2005-158	31
01 Sep 2006		s end Salton Sea IMP	2006-123		ph.
21 Oct 2005–30 Apr+ 2007	≤5	s end Salton Sea IMP	2006-163		ph.

 

MISSISSIPPI KITE Ictinia mississippiensis

The CBRC has accepted three records of first-fall birds: 18 September 2005 on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County (2005-126); 5 October 2005 along the Tule River, Tulare County (2005-131; county first and the third record of a fall migrant from the state’s interior); and 6–9 September 2006 in Imperial Beach, San Diego County (2006-125; photo). Also accepted is the photo-documented record of a first-spring bird present 29–30 May 2005 at Furnace Creek Ranch in Inyo County (2005-063). The Committee is determining whether one or two birds were present at the same location 26–28 May 2006 (2006-069, NAB 60:436). These additions increase the state total to either 38 or 39, depending on how the last record is ultimately resolved.

COMMON BLACK-HAWK Buteogallus anthracinus

California’s third and fourth records came from the northern half of the state (cf. the Black Vulture and Crested Caracara accounts), one involving a bird that twice overwintered.

Common Black-Hawk – Accepted
24 Feb–12 Mar 2004	ASY	Stockton SJ	2004-113	30	ph., cover WB 36(4), NAB 58:464
and 01 Oct 2004–12 Mar 2005			2005-014	30	Fig. H-12, ph., Cole et al. (2006), NAB 59:320, Central Valley Bird Club Bull. 8:34
14 May–22 Oct 2005	ASY	vic. Santa Rosa SON	2005-060	31	ph., NAB 59:650
and 30 Apr–09 Oct 2006			2006-057		ph.

 

CRESTED CARACARA Caracara cheriway

The CBRC has been busy during the 2000s evaluating a tsunami of Crested Caracara records that nobody could have foreseen. Members are in the process of estimating the number of individuals represented by the accepted entries listed below. The incipient pattern of occurrence suggests that this species could turn up virtually anywhere in the state at any time of the year, although surprisingly most records come from the coastal slope of central and northern California; none yet comes from on a California island. The massive geographic scale of the incursion (involving many parts of the United States and even Canada), the scarcity of records from southern California, and a lack of records from the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula all suggest that Crested Caracaras reaching California during the 2000s probably originated in mainland Mexico or the Southwest and not Baja California Sur.

Crested Caracara – Accepted (number of birds involved to be determined by CBRC)
09 May 2004		Owens Lake INY	2004-074	30
16 Jul–01 Aug 2004		vic. Petaluma SON	2004-118	30	ph.
and 20–24 Aug 2004		Manchester SP MEN	2004-124	30	ph.
and 04–06 Sep 2004		vic. Arcata HUM	2004-133	30	ph.
01 Jan 2005		Finney Lake IMP	2005-017	31
02 May 2005		vic. Caspar MEN	2005-057
03–06 May 2005		Pt. Reyes MRN	2005-070		ph., video
01–02 Jun 2005		Morro Bay SLO	2005-071		ph.
13 Jun–12 Jul 2005		Ft. Dick DN	2005-086		ph.
19 Jul 2005		vic. Alton HUM	2005-089
02–03 Aug 2005		Stinson Beach/vic. Rodeo Lagoon MRN	2005-097		ph.
14 Aug 2005–10 Apr 2006		vic. Davenport SCZ	2005-100		ph., video
05 Jan 2006		vic. Ventura VEN	2006-004		ph., NAB 60:285
10 Jan 2006		Bixby Ranch SBA	2006-042
28–29 Mar 2006		Big Sur MTY	2006-042		ph.
and 10 Apr 2006–17 Jan 2007+		Carmel MTY	2006-051		ph.
23 Apr–09 May 2006		Occidental/Shell Beach SON	2006-129		ph.
17–20 Jun 2006		Pt. Reyes MRN	2006-078		ph.
13–14 Jul 2006		s. spit Humboldt Bay HUM	2006-084		ph.

 

AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER Pluvialis dominica

Committee review of this species’ records commenced on 1 January 2004. By the end of 2006 twelve had been accepted, two in spring (8 April–18 May) and ten in fall (28 August–1 November, all juveniles). Several more remain under review, and others were not submitted to the Committee.

American Golden-Plover – Accepted
08 Apr 2004		vic. Obsidian Butte, Salton Sea IMP	2004-052	31	ph.
28 Aug–03 Sep 2004	HY	Arcata Marsh HUM	2004-134	31	ph.
06 Sep 2004	HY	Bodega Harbor SON	2004-210	30	ph.
06–16 Sep 2004	HY	Abbotts Lagoon MRN	2004-135	30	ph.
11–23 Sep 2004	HY	Oxnard Plain VEN	2004-142	31	ph.
15 Sep 2004	HY	Abbotts Lagoon MRN	2004-138	30	ph.
02–21 Oct 2004	HY	La Jolla SD	2004-211	30	ph.
10–12 Sep 2005	HY	Carmel R. mouth MTY	2005-136	31	video
02–03 Oct 2005	HY	Guadalupe SBA	2005-138	31	ph.
05 Oct 2005	HY	Corcoran Ponds KIN	2005-132	31	ph.
18 May 2006		Wister IMP	2006-066
01 Nov 2006	HY	Goleta SBA	2006-173		ph.

 

LESSER SAND-PLOVER Charadrius mongolus

California’s tenth accepted record, of an adult in alternate plumage present from 10 to 12 July 2005 at Clam Beach in Humboldt County (2005-083, Figure H-13), was discovered two days earlier than any individual previously recorded in the state.

WILSON’S PLOVER Charadrius wilsonia

San Diego County’s fifth and sixth records refer to a bird photographed during a stay that lasted from 2 June to 1 July 2005 at Batiquitos Lagoon (2005-064, Figure H-14, NAB 59:656) and another seen on 11 October 2006 at Coronado (2006-146). Addition of these records increases California’s total to 11.

PIPING PLOVER Charadrius melodus

One photographed during a 7 August–19 December 2006 stay near Red Hill at the south end of the Salton Sea, Imperial County (2006-099), was the state’s first since 1980 and first from an inland locale.

AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER Haematopus palliatus

Acceptance of the 10 individuals listed below, including the first from mainland Santa Barbara County, brought California’s total to 36, with one more record still under review.

American Oystercatcher – Accepted
16 Mar 2004		La Jolla SD	2004-050	30
03 Apr–05 Jul 2004		Santa Cruz I. SBA	2004-058	30	ph., NAB 59:494
06 Jun 2004		Anacapa I. VEN	2004-116	30	ph.
and 16 Oct 2005			2005-170	31
17 Aug 2004		Newport Beach ORA	2004-128	30
16 Apr–14 May 2005		Santa Cruz I. SBA	2005-055	31	ph., NAB 59:494
24 Sep 2005		Santa Barbara I. SBA	2005-134	31	ph.
27–29 Dec 2005		Laguna Beach ORA	2006-037	31	ph.
08 Jan 2006		Santa Cruz I. SBA	2006-005		ph.
08 Apr 2006		Goleta Pt. SBA	2006-077		ph., NAB 60:438
26 Aug 2006–06 Mar 2007		Pt. Loma/La Jolla SD	2006-117		ph.

 

UPLAND SANDPIPER Bartramia longicauda

The year 2006 yielded an unprecedented five CBRC-endorsed records of the Upland Sandpiper, all involving birds in the state’s southern half and all but the Inyo County record being supported by a photograph. Among them are firsts for Kern and Los Angeles Counties and the state’s latest in fall. Spring vagrants were documented at Twentynine Palms, San Bernardino County, 18–19 May (2006-067) and Galileo Hill, Kern County, 4–8 June (2006-072; NAB 60:472; cover WB 37[4]), followed by fall vagrants at Long Beach, Los Angeles County, 23 September (2006-133), near Bishop, Inyo County, 1 October (2006-210), and near Oxnard, Ventura County, 28 October (2006-175). Addition of these records increases the state total to 27.

HUDSONIAN GODWIT Limosa haemastica

Committee endorsement of two records of first-fall birds photographed during 2004 at Abbotts Lagoon in Marin County—one on 8 August (2004-123; see Cole et al. 2006) and the other from 2 to 8 September (2004-155)—increased the state total to 23.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT Limosa lapponica

California’s total stands at 30 after the CBRC accepted photo-documented records of first-fall individuals from the mouth of the Eel River, Humboldt County, 5–14 October 2004 (2004-159; see Cole et al. 2006) and Ft. Bragg, Mendocino County, 6–16 August 2006 (2006-108).

RED-NECKED STINT Calidris ruficollis

The state’s second accepted interior record and Kern County’s first pertain to a bird photographed on 13 June 2005 at China Lake (2005-072; Figure H-15; NAB 59:692; cover WB 37[2]). A video-documented adult at Lake Talawa on 11 August 2006 (2006-118) gave Del Norte County its second accepted record and California its 11th.

LITTLE STINT Calidris minuta

The CBRC has accepted California’s eighth record of a Little Stint, and Santa Clara County’s first, involving a bird photographed at Alviso 16–20 July 2006 (2006-088). Still under review is another potential county first, of a first-fall bird videorecorded on 27 September 2005 near Crescent City in Del Norte County (2005-177).

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis

An adult photographed on 15 August 2006 at China Lake in Kern County (2006-110, Figure H-16) furnished California’s 20th accepted record, the seventh in fall.

CURLEW SANDPIPER Calidris ferruginea

The CBRC has endorsed the state’s eighth spring record of a Curlew Sandpiper, and the earliest by a week, of a first-spring bird photographed on 9 April 2004 at Red Hill on the southern shore of the Salton Sea, Imperial County (2004-053; Figure H-17; NAB 58:433). Acceptance of two fall migrants—a molting adult photographed 13–14 August 2005 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County (2005-099), and one sketched on 9 July 2006 at San Elijo Lagoon, San Diego County (2006-098)—upped California’s total to 36.

AMERICAN WOODCOCK Scolopax minor

California’s second accepted record involves a bird present from 8 to 11 November 2006 in Desert Center, Riverside County (2006-176). When last seen alive, this bird was intercepted in flight by a Prairie Falcon. The observers tracked the falcon down and obtained a number of feathers from its prey, which are preserved at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM 114224). Both California records of the American Woodcock come from remote oases in the southern Mojave Desert during the first half of November.

LITTLE GULL Larus minutus

The CBRC has accepted the state’s third record of a Little Gull in juvenal plumage, involving a bird photographed 27–28 August 2004 at Crowley Lake, Mono County (2004-125).

BLACK-HEADED GULL Larus ridibundus

California’s 23rd accepted record was furnished by an adult found on 6 April 2004 at Alviso, Santa Clara County (2004-055).

ICELAND GULL Larus glaucoides

The CBRC doubled the number of accepted Iceland Gulls by endorsing two photo-documented records of wintering birds that showed characteristics typical of L. g. kumlieni. One involves a first-winter bird present from 16 January to 26 February 2006 at Clearlake Park, Lake County (2006-035), the other a second-winter bird present from 22 February to 7 March 2005 in Milpitas, Santa Clara County (2005-110). Both represent county firsts.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus fuscus

Acceptance of the eight individuals listed below increased the state total to 31, including 13 from the Salton Sea, five from Santa Clara County, and four from Orange County. The CBRC is reviewing ten more records involving 12 individuals; ten are from the Salton Sea, one of which involves a returning bird.

Lesser Black-backed Gull – Accepted
31 Oct 2004	A4Y	Alviso SCL	2004-194	30	ph.
31 Oct–07 Nov 2004	A4Y	Alviso SCL	2004-195	30	ph.
13 Mar 2005	SY	Zuma Creek mouth LA	2005-039	31	ph.
04 Dec 2005	A4Y	Obsidian Butte, Salton Sea IMP	2005-169	31
12–15 Dec 2005	A4Y	Doheny State Beach ORA	2005-188	31	Fig. H-18, ph.
22 Feb–04 Mar 2006	A4Y	Red Hill, Salton Sea IMP	2006-023		ph.
22 Feb 2006	SY	Salt Creek mouth, Salton Sea RIV	2006-024		ph.
09 Sep 2006	SY	vic. Whitewater R. mouth, Salton Sea RIV	2006-168		ph.

 

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