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Vultures, Gannets, Waxwings, and Committees
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Vultures, Gannets, Waxwings, and Committees
- From: Joshua Stuart Rose <jsr6@duke.edu>
- Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 10:16:13 -0500 (EST)
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Hi C-birders,
A little each on several things:
Thanks to everyone who has actually seen waxwings in the Peidmont
already. Guess I'm just not hanging out by the right fruit trees yet.
Second, when I posted a request a few weeks ago from a biologist to watch
for vultures which he had tagged, someone pointed out that he forgot to
specify which species of vulture he had tagged. Apparently, both:
On Mon, 15 Nov 1999, John S Humphrey wrote:
>
> Hello Josh,
>
> We tagged both black and turkey vultures however the majority were
> black. Thanks for your assistance.
>
> John S Humphrey
> Wildlife Biologist
> USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife
> Research Center - FL Field Station
Third, Steve Schultz mentioned that the Northern Gannets migrating past
Fort Fisher were mostly juveniles with few adults. I noticed precisely
the same pattern during the 1998 spring NAMC, counting from Cape Point. I
saw hundreds of Gannets, but only two adults the entire day. I suspect
that either (a) the adults stay further north and only youngsters come
this far south, or (b) the adults migrate earlier than the young birds
do. On early spring (March) whale-watches off Massachusetts, we see more
adults than young, but this could support either hypothesis.
Lastly, but most importantly, Simon Thompson brings up the NC Records
Committee's web-site. I notice that the official NC Bird List is
available as a .pdf file from there. I suggested a while ago, and others
agreed, that both birders and the committee would have easier lives if
there was an official list somewhere of exactly which bird sightings did
and did not require documentation to be sent to the NCRC. Obviously, any
species not listed, or listed as "provisional" (17 species), "unresolved"
(4 species), "to be voted on" (4 species), or "lacking published details"
(6 species) all require documentation. Presumably all species with 3 or
fewer accepted records also require documentation. All of these
categories are clearly marked on the checklist. Is that a complete list?
Or are there other species which require reporting to the Committee which
are not marked? If so, could the list be altered to show these species,
perhaps putting an asterisk before the name of every species for which
reports are required?
The SC state bird list is not yet posted here, but there is an
announcement that it is being developed and will appear soon.
Thanks, and good birding,
Josh
Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology
jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/