REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE: 1997 RECORDS

Abstract

The California Bird Records Committee assessed 241 records of 98 species in the past year, accepting 173 of them. New to California were the Great-winged Petrel (Pterodroma macroptera), photographed and videotaped at Cordell Bank off Marin County; the Band-tailed Gull (Larus belcheri), photographed at the Tijuana River mouth, San Diego County; and Couch’s Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii), photographed and audiotaped at Fullerton, Orange County. With the recognition of the Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) and Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) as species, plus more recent additions, California’s bird list now stands at 613 species.