Appendix H

Other Noteworthy Records (continued)

THICK-BILLED MURRE Uria lomvia

A beach-washed adult female at Pacific Grove in Monterey County (2006-102; SBMNH 8768) was found on 1 August 2006, ten days earlier than previous California records.

LONG-BILLED MURRELET Brachyramphus perdix

Acceptance of the following records increased California’s total to 18 individuals. The Sonoma County birds were found two weeks earlier than any previous ones.

Long-billed Murrelet – Accepted

07 Jul 2004 2 off Salmon Creek Beach SON 2004-102 31 ph.

04 Oct 2004 New Brighton State Beach SCZ 2005-035 31 ph., found dead, specimen not preserved

SNOWY OWL Bubo scandiacus

California’s first Snowy Owl in 28 years, a first-winter male photographed on Liberty Island in Solano County 13–14 January 2006 (2006-007; Figure H-25; Humphrey 2006), was only the third to be accepted from the state’s interior. Remarkably, the Committee is reviewing another photographically documented record of a first-winter male in Solano County, this one found on 30 December 2006 at Grizzly Island and observed by many in early 2007 (2006-224; cover and inside of back cover WB 38[1]). First-year males tend to winter farther south than do other age/sex classes (Kerlinger and Lein 1986).

CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW Caprimulgus carolinensis

California’s third, a female found on 2 December 2005 in Crescent City, Del Norte County (2006-021), was turned into a wildlife care center, photographed, and later released near Eureka, Humboldt County.

BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD Cynanthus latirostris

The accepted records listed below, all but one involving males, include the state’s first from the months of May or June (2005-105), another unusual spring record (2006-050), the first from Marin County (2004-164), the first for Imperial County and the Salton Sink (2006-052), and two of very few records from the state’s interior north of the Colorado Desert (2005-142, 2005-160). The Sonoma bird, which came to a feeder, was probably the same individual recorded there from 14 to 27 November 2003. Five additional accepted records of fall migrants or wintering birds in southern California in 2005/2006 were more typical.

Broad-billed Hummingbird – Accepted
26 May–09 Jun 2004	AHY	Sonoma SON	2004-105	30	returning bird
24–26 Sep 2004	AHY	Novato MRN	2004-164	30	ph., NAB 59:145
26–31 Oct 2005	HY	Inyokern KER	2005-142	31	Fig. H-27, ph., NAB 60:140
29 Oct–16 Nov 2005	HY	Big Pine INY	2005-160	31	ph.
14–18 April 2006		vic. Ramona SD	2006-050		ph.
20–21 April 2006		vic. El Centro IMP	2006-052		ph., NAB 60:438

VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD Amazilia violiceps

California’s sixth, and the first to be found away from the coastal plain, was videorecorded on 8 February 2006 in Grass Valley, Nevada County (2006-030).

MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD Eugenes fulgens

California’s second record, of a female present 8 April–17 May and 21 June 2004, surprisingly came from the far northwest, near Eureka in Humboldt County (2004-054, Figure H-26; see also NAB 58:431).

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD Archilochus colubris

Photographs of a female present 3–5 September 2005 (2005-201) serve to substantiate Southeast Farallon Island’s fifth record. San Luis Obispo County’s first, California’s ninth, and the only Ruby-throated Hummingbird recorded in the state after 29 September refer to an individual photographed in Arroyo Grande during a visit that lasted from 16 to 25 October 2006 (2006-157).

GREATER PEWEE Contopus pertinax

California’s first CBRC-endorsed record of a spring or summer vagrant of this species involves a year-old male photographed during the period 11 June–3 July 2005 near Wooded Hill in the Laguna Mts. of San Diego County (2005-069, Figure H-28, NAB 59:692). A Greater Pewee photographed on 17 April 2006 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles County (2006-053, NAB 60:472) is thought likely to have wintered locally, so this record extends the species’ “winter” period of occurrence in California by three days. Still under review is the record of a bird observed at Clark Mtn., San Bernardino County, 27 May–3 June 2006 (2006-086).

EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE Contopus virens

The Committee is reviewing the record of a singing bird on lower Putah Creek, Solano County, 4 June 2006 (2007-049, photo in Central Valley Bird Club Bull. 9:44). If accepted it would represent California’s 11th record and the third from the Central Valley.

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER Empidonax flaviventris

Acceptance of the four records listed below, including firsts for Imperial and Monterey Counties and the seventh each for Kern County and Southeast Farallon Island, increased California’s total to 20. The island record was the state’s earliest by a week.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – Accepted
03–05 Sep 2004		Wister IMP	2004-130	30	ph., video, NAB 59:149
21 Sep 2004		Pacific Grove MTY	2004-146	30	ph., video
03 Oct 2004	HY	Galileo Hill KER	2005-160	30	ph.
27–28 Aug 2005	HY	Southeast Farallon I. SF	2005-202	30	ph.

ALDER FLYCATCHER Empidonax alnorum

The Committee is reviewing the report of a bird present from 8 to 11 September 2006 on Southeast Farallon Island (2007-034). Documentation for this record is extensive and includes photos, video, and in-hand measurements. This would be California’s fifth accepted record, the third in fall, and the third from this location.

DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER Myiarchus tuberculifer

The CBRC accepted a remarkable total of 11 records from fall and winter 2005/2006. A first-fall bird present from 23 November to 11 December 2005 in Arcata, Humboldt County (2005-162, Figure H-30), furnished only the third state record from north of Sonoma County. Four birds turned up in Imperial County, where only three had been found previously. Note that this mini-incursion generated Baja California’s first two records, involving individuals that wintered in both the northwestern and northeastern parts of that state (NAB 60:288, 289).

SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER Myiodynastes luteiventris

Southeast Farallon Island’s first Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, photographed on 1 October 2004 (2004-178; Figure H-24; WB 37:76, NAB 59:191), furnished the seventh straight Committee-endorsed record of this species from San Luis Obispo County northward. This pattern was broken by a 3 October 2005 record from Summerland (2005-133), Santa Barbara County’s third accepted record and the state’s 16th.

THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD Tyrannus crassirostris

Winter 2005/2006 brought the state’s 16th and 17th CBRC-endorsed Thick-billed Kingbirds, as well as a bird that returned for its eighth winter to Santa Paula in Ventura County. The Committee is reviewing the second year of occurrence for the bird in Wilmington, Los Angeles County, which was widely seen and photographed in the same park from 4 November 2006 to 9 March 2007 (2006-179).

Thick-billed Kingbird – Accepted
10 Nov 2005–28 Apr 2006	HY	Wilmington LA	2005-157	31	ph.
28 Nov 2005–13 Apr 2006	HY	Lake Hodges SD	2005-163	31	ph., NAB 60:286, cover WB 37(3)
03–19 Dec 2005	AHY	Santa Paula VEN	2005-175	31	ph.; returning bird

FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER Tyrannus savana

The Committee is reviewing the photographically documented record of a bird present on 28 September 2006 north of Yuba City, Sutter County (2007-005), which would be the state’s second.

WHITE-EYED VIREO Vireo griseus

Singing males provided county firsts in spring 2004: 20–23 May at Tassajara Creek Regional Park, Alameda County (2004-070), and 15 June at Big Basin State Park, Santa Cruz County (2004-121).

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO Vireo flavifrons

Among 13 Committee-endorsed records of spring vagrants was a first for Santa Cruz County, of a singing male present from 1 to 3 June 2005 near the community of Ben Lomond (2005-074). The only accepted records of fall vagrants involve single birds present on 1 October 2006 at Pt. Reyes, Marin County (2006-144), and 13 October 2006 at China Ranch, Inyo County (2006-205).

BLUE-HEADED VIREO Vireo solitarius

Eight accepted records include those listed below—the first accepted records from Los Angeles and Santa Cruz Counties, the state’s second accepted record of a spring vagrant, and the state’s latest fall vagrant (that did not remain to winter). Two more records remain under review.

Blue-headed Vireo – Accepted
20 Apr 2004			Butterbredt Spring KER	2004-064	30
28 Sep 2004		Santa Catalina I. LA	2004-184	30
01 Oct 2004		Santa Cruz SCZ	2004-185	30
22 Nov 2005		Southeast Farallon I. SF	2005-203	31	ph.

BLUE JAY Cyanocitta cristata

Close on the heels of Siskiyou County’s first Committee-endorsed Blue Jay came Humboldt County’s fifth, which was the first to extend its stay in California past the month of April. With the addition of Solano County’s first accepted record the following winter, the state total stood at 14.

Blue Jay – Accepted
08 Nov 2004		vic. Weed SIS	2004-197	30	ph.
08 Jan–25 May 2005	SY	Redwood Valley HUM	2005-010	31	ph.
19 Dec 2005–25 Apr 2006	HY	vic. Fairfield SOL	2006-003	31	ph., cover Central Valley Bird Club Bull. 9(1)

SEDGE WREN Cistothorus palustris

With the addition of Santa Barbara County’s first Sedge Wren and the state’s second record of a wintering bird, California’s total reached nine.

Sedge Wren – Accepted

13 Oct 2004 Goleta SBA 2004-162 30 ph., Cole et al. (2006), NAB 59:150

09–26 Jan 2005 South San Francisco SM 2005-003 31

DUSKY WARBLER Phylloscopus fuscatus

California’s tenth accepted record, and Monterey County’s first, refer to a weakened first-fall bird photographed and collected on 2 October 2004 at the mouth of the Big Sur River (2004-150; CAS 92944).

ARCTIC WARBLER Phylloscopus borealis

California’s fourth accepted record, and Southeast Farallon Island’s first, involves a first-fall bird photographed on 27 September 2005 (2005-204; photo NAB 60:175).

VEERY Catharus fuscescens

A year-old bird photographed on 19 June 2004 along lower Rush Creek (2004-107; see Cole et al. 2006), a first for Mono County, provided California’s fourth accepted record of a spring vagrant and the state’s 11th overall.

WOOD THRUSH Hylocichla mustelina

Acceptance of the four records listed below, including firsts for Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara Counties, increased California’s total to 22.

Wood Thrush – Accepted
16 Jun 2005		Chalk Mt. SCZ	2005-075	31	voice recording
20 Oct 2005		San Francisco SF	2005-141	31	ph.
10–12 Nov 2005	HY	Santa Maria SBA	2005-152	31	ph., NAB 60:140
19 Aug–10 Oct 2006		Crystal Springs INY	2006-111		ph.

RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN Turdus rufopalliatus

Committee endorsement of photographically documented records from Wister, Imperial County, 21 December 2005–20 January 2006 (2005-198; NAB 60:320) and approximately seven miles east of Durmid, southern Riverside County, 23 October 2006 (2006-201) brought the state’s total to 15.

CURVE-BILLED THRASHER Toxostoma curvirostre

With the accepted records listed below, one of which is regarded as involving a returning individual, California’s total increased to 18.

Curve-billed Thrasher – Accepted
20 Feb 2004		vic. Earp SBE	2004-038	30	ph.
04 Nov 2004–20 Feb 2005	AHY	Black Meadow Wash, L. Havasu SBE	2004-204	30	ph.; returning bird
30 Oct 2006		vic. Earp SBE	2006-177

EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL Motacilla tschutschensis

The following two accepted records—Marin County’s third (all from Abbotts Lagoon) and Mendocino County’s first—fit neatly with California’s previous 12, both in their timing (none earlier than 27 August or later than 21 September) and their location (all coastal records, most from the northern coast).

Eastern Yellow Wagtail – Accepted
07–08 Sep 2004	HY	Abbotts Lagoon MRN	2004-139	31	ph.
16–17 Sep 2005	HY	Ft. Bragg MEN	2005-118	31	Fig. H-29, ph., video, NAB 60:135

SPRAGUE’S PIPIT Anthus spragueii

The first Committee-endorsed record from a Channel Island and the state’s second-earliest fall record refer to a bird discovered on 24 September 2005 on Santa Barbara Island, Santa Barbara County (2005-130).

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER Vermivora pinus

A second-year female found at Hayfork on 7 July 2005 (2005-093) provided a Trinity County first and the state’s only July record of a Blue-winged Warbler. The CBRC has accepted records of only 13 other individuals from this heavily forested county, 11 of which were White-winged Crossbills in a single flock. Pending CBRC review is the state’s second winter record, involving a bird, captured, banded, and photographed at the mouth of the Carmel River, Monterey County, during a stay that lasted from 27 October 2006 to 9 January 2007 (2006-170).

YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER Dendroica dominica

Out of 14 accepted records, eleven involve spring vagrants. One of the spring records was the first for Shasta County, of a male found on 8 June 2004 at Manzanita Lake (2004-109). Fall vagrants were found along the coast at Point Reyes, Marin County, 16–29 Sep 2006 (2006-132) and inland near Needles, San Bernardino County, 14–17 November 2005 (2006-076). A wintering bird that showed characters of D. d. dominica was photographed at Costa Mesa, Orange County, 12 November 2006–11 March 2007 (2006-188). This subspecies has been implicated in only five previous California records, two of them in winter.

GRACE’S WARBLER Dendroica graciae

The Committee accepted Tulare County’s first record of Grace’s Warbler, involving a second-year male on territory from 30 May to 29 June 2004 at the Chimney Creek Recreation Area campground (2004-079; Figure H-33; Cole et al. 2006). Fall and winter 2005–2006 yielded a remarkable total of six accepted records from coastal San Diego County, half involving returning birds. Three additional records have been accepted, and five others remain under review, three of which are of returning birds.

PINE WARBLER Dendroica pinus

Eleven accepted records include two of birds that remained past 12 April, the latest date previously documented for a wintering bird: Corona del Mar, Orange County, 16 February–17 April 2004 (2004-041), and Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, 25 February–18 April 2006 (2006-033). A fall vagrant present on 16 October 2004 at China Ranch (2004-205) increased Inyo County’s total to three, the high mark for any interior county in California.

CERULEAN WARBLER Dendroica cerulea

On 24 May 2004, a singing male near the mouth of the Big Sur River (2004-080) furnished Monterey County’s fourth CBRC-endorsed Cerulean Warbler, upping this county’s share to a quarter of the state total. It had been seven years since California’s last record of this declining species.

LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH Seiurus motacilla

The photographic record of a fall vagrant present from 9 to 18 August 2004 in Los Gatos (2004-119) gave Santa Clara County its first accepted record and California its 16th.

CONNECTICUT WARBLER Oporornis agilis

Ten accepted records include the second from the Channel Islands, of a bird found on 25 September 2004 at Prisoner’s Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County (2004-167), and the state’s seventh record from the interior: 1 October 2006 at Death Valley, Inyo County (2006-214). Among four records still under review is that of a bird well photographed on Southeast Farallon Island on 29 October 2006 (2007-041) that would establish the latest date for a Connecticut Warbler in California and possibly the nation.

RED-FACED WARBLER Cardellina rubrifrons

As listed below, the Committee accepted records of six individuals in 2005, increasing California’s total by more than 40%. Considering that 12 of California’s previous 14 Red-faced Warblers had been found during spring or early summer, it is remarkable that fall vagrants accounted for three of the six birds found in 2005 (the adult male near Julian, which was singing, is regarded as a summering bird).

Red-faced Warbler – Accepted
29 May 2005	2	Clark Mtn. SBE	2005-065	31
06–12 Aug 2005	AHY	vic. Julian SD	2005-098	31	Fig H-34, ph., NAB 59:692
22 Aug 2005		El Segundo LA	2005-120	31	ph.
11 Sep 2005		Del Valle Regional Park ALA	2005-114	31
14–15 Sep 2005		Costa Mesa ORA	2005-116	31	ph.

SCARLET TANAGER Piranga olivacea

The CBRC has accepted ten records and is reviewing one more.The state’s two latest accepted records of fall vagrants came on the second day and the second-to-last day of 2004.

Scarlet Tanager – Accepted
02 Jan 2004	SY	San Diego SD	2004-005	30	ph.
30 Dec 2004		vic. Oceanside SD	2004-222	30

CASSIN’S SPARROW Aimophila cassinii

In 2004, the state’s first or second accepted mainland record of a fall vagrant (depending on how one treats the 14–16 August 1993 record from Death Valley Junction, Inyo County) was also the first for rarity-rich Marin County. The following spring, a cooperative singing male provided only the third CBRC-endorsed record of any review-listed species from Sacramento County.

Cassin’s Sparrow – Accepted
16–17 Sep 2004			Stinson Beach MRN	2004-143	30	ph.
21–30 May 2005		Deer Creek Hills Preserve SAC	2005-061	31	Fig. H-35, ph., Pandolfino 2005

FIELD SPARROW Spizella pusilla

California’s first singing Field Sparrow and eighth overall, a male photographed 11–17 July 2005 in the town of Blue Lake (2005-085), provided a first for Humboldt County.

SMITH’S LONGSPUR Calcarius pictus

Four years after California’s first winter record, involving a bird in fields near Calipatria, Imperial County, another Smith’s Longspur was photographed in the same area 20 December 2005–17 February 2006 (2005-196; NAB 60:286). This was the state’s seventh accepted record.

SNOW BUNTING Plectrophenax nivalis

The Committee has accepted the three southerly records listed below, including the second in as many years from San Clemente Island, Los Angeles County. The bird in Contra Costa County provided the state’s first record between 21 February and 11 May. Also accepted are five records involving eight birds from areas farther north, and one record remains under review.

Snow Bunting – Accepted
25–26 Jan 2004		San Leandro ALA	2004-016	30	ph.
27 Feb–18 Mar 2004		Clifton Court Forebay CC	2004-039	30	ph., Central Valley Bird Club Bull. 7:56
03–14 Nov 2004		San Clemente I. LA	2005-004	31	ph.; deemed not a returning bird

YELLOW GROSBEAK Pheucticus chrysopeplus

The CBRC is reviewing the record of a Yellow Grosbeak photographed at Keough Hot Springs, Inyo County, 31 July–2 August 2006 (2006-093, Figure H-37, NAB 60:598). This species is currently regarded as being of hypothetical occurrence in California.

PAINTED BUNTING Passerina ciris

The CBRC accepted the five records listed below from 2004 (the last year of review), so the total number of records endorsed by the Committee stands at 107.

Painted Bunting – Accepted
07 Aug 2004	ASY	Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge LA	2004-117	30	ph.
15 Sep 2004	HY	Ridgecrest KER	2004-152	30
29 Sep 2004	HY	Goleta SBA	2004-182	30
02 Oct 2004	HY	China Ranch INY	2004-192	30	ph.
11–15 Dec 2004		Freshwater HUM	2004-215	31	ph., date span fide J. Tietz

COMMON GRACKLE Quiscalus quiscula

Eight Committee-endorsed records include three county firsts:

Common Grackle – Accepted
27 Mar 2004	SY	Wister IMP	2004-046	30	ph.
10 Oct 2004		vic. Vallejo SOL	2004-163	31	ph.
27 Nov–22 Dec 2005		vic. San Luis Obispo SLO	2005-164	31	ph.

STREAK-BACKED ORIOLE Icterus pustulatus

Photographs of an adult male present from 9 to 16 October 2006 at Zzyzx in San Bernardino County support California’s eighth record of this species(2006-145, Figure H-36).

BLACK ROSY-FINCH Leucosticte atrata

An individual present from 14 to 18 November 2004 at Aspendell in Inyo County (2004-207) provided the state’s 13th record and the fourth from this locality.

COMMON REDPOLL Carduelis flammea

The four CBRC-endorsed records listed below include Plumas County’s first, Lassen County’s first in more than 100 years, and one from Humboldt County that represents the state’s second coastal record and first coastal winter record.

Common Redpoll – Accepted
03 Jan 2004			Sierra Valley PLU	2004-031	30
26 Nov 2004		Tule Lake NWR SIS	2005-002	30
3 weeks in Dec 2004		Eureka HUM	2005-032	30	ph.
04 Jan 2005		Honey Lake LAS	2005-009	31