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Regarding the NC list
- To: "carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu" <carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu>
- Subject: Regarding the NC list
- From: Harry LeGrand <Harry.LeGrand@ncmail.net>
- Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 15:34:41 -0500
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Joshua Rose brought up several questions that need answering. As I am
the "author"/compiler of the list that he used in the recent e-mail, I
will respond to these.
1. Unpublished -- basically means that DESCRIPTIONS have yet to be
published. In many cases, the who, what, when, where, and how many are
published, but not a description. The Records Committee often has
received descriptions on Rare Bird Forms, or sometimes by e-mail, etc.,
which we use for voting. (We can't vote on something that has no
descriptions -- such as Cave Swallow, 5-6 seen by Joe Blow at Sunset
Beach on November 5). We need a description of the plumage, size,
behavior, etc., so we know that the birds weren't Cliff Swallows, etc.
Also, the Committee makes every effort to have the observer submit a
description for publication, generally to Chat, but sometimes to
American Birds, etc. Sometimes, after a lapse of a few years, I (or some
other outside party) will write the details, with the observer reviewing
them for accuracy. I'm planning to do that now with some Cave Swallow
records in NC, because by-hook-or-crook, the observers just can't muster
the time, energy, etc. to write a field note for publication.
"Provisional". A species not on an accepted or official list. In NC, it
means a species with just one or two ACCEPTED sight reports. NC places a
species on the Official list with three accepted sight reports, but most
states seem more strict. Some don't place a species on an Official List
without a specimen, photo, sound recording, etc., no matter how many
sight records. That is probably a little bit too strict.
For the record, there are very few species on the NC Official List
without specimen or photo. I recall Black-throated Gray Warbler is one,
and Kirtland's Warbler is another. The most glaring, and troubling, is
Pine Grosbeak. There are 6-7 sight records, but no photo or specimen.
Most records are 15 or 20 years old, or older. Hardly anyone I know has
seen the species in NC. (Dozens of folks have seen one to several of the
two warbler species in the state -- no cameras were handy, or the birds
weren't cooperative.) The Pine Grosbeak, however, is bothersome to me,
and I am unfortable with it on the Official List.
Maybe this will be the winter we get a Pine Grosbeak that stays a while
at a feeder, for a lot of folks to see and photograph.
Harry LeGrand
P.S. The list of birds on the web site is about a year old, and a few
changes have been made. Look for a lot of new changes in the next year,
as the Committee is voting on things such as Limpkin, Anna's
Hummingbird, Brambling, Bulwer's Petrel, Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel,
MacGillivray's Warbler, etc. that have the potential to greatly increase
the Official List.
--
Harry E. LeGrand, Jr.
N.C. Natural Heritage Program
Division of Parks and Recreation
1615 MSC
Raleigh, NC 27699-1615
Office: (919) 715-8687
Home: (919) 832-3202
FAX: (919) 715-3085
e-mail: harry.legrand@ncmail.net
http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/nhp/index.html