Vol. 23 No. 4 (1992)

On 17 November 1979 we were among 38 observers aboard a chartered fishing boat in the vicinity of the Davidson Seamount, about 55–60 nautical miles west-southwest of Pt. Sur, Monterey County, California. We had departed from Morro Bay the previous evening in hope of reaching waters where small Pterodroma (“Cookilaria”) petrels had been seen the previous month by Robert L. Pitman and Gary Friedrichsen on a scientific survey cruise. It was raining when we departed, but by dawn the rain had stopped, and it was partly cloudy, with 3- to 4-foot swells, light winds, and virtually no whitecaps. Except for the swells, conditions were good for pelagic observations.

Despite Baja California’s proximity to heavily birded southern California, its avifauna remains surprisingly poorly known. The paucity of data regarding birds in Baja California was highlighted by Wilbur (1987). In particular it is apparent that few ornithologists have studied Baja California in summer, i.e., the period between a species’ spring and autumn migration periods. For example, the occurrence in June 1991 of summering Common (Gavia immer) and Pacific (G. pacifica) loons, Great Egrets (Casmerodius albus), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus), Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus), and California Gulls (Larus californicus), all seen at Bahía San Quintín, would barely be worth noting had they been in southern California, yet there appear to be no previous published summer records for these species in Baja California! [Llinas et al. (1989) and Escofet et al. (1988) did not specifically distinguish oversummering individuals, and the former’s definition of “summer” more accurately reflects autumn for shorebirds.

I am indebted to Rich Stallcup for pointing out a record of the Thick-billed Kingbird (Tyrannus crassirostris) in Baja California prior to those reported by C. T. Collins and J. L. Atwood (First Records of the Thick-billed Kingbird in Baja California, Mexico, W. Birds 21:75–76, 1990). The bird was seen 10 km north of El Triunfo, Baja California Sur, on 27 January 1984 by Stallcup and others [Notes and News, MBA “Bulletin Board,” Newsletter of the Mexican Birding Association 1 (87-3): 7, 1987] and may have been the same bird seen at or near this locality by Collins and Atwood on 13 December 1986, as wintering Thick-billed Kingbirds and other flycatchers are well known to return to same site year after year. The need for this correction, however, serves to illustrate a growing problem. 

The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is well known for its habit of storing food, especially acorns, in “granaries” (e.g., Ritter 1938, Bent 1940, MacRoberts and MacRoberts 1976, Koenig and Mumme 1987). However, the food items stored and storage sites used may be expected to vary geographically, depending on the availability of food items and potential storage sites. This note reports on food items stored and storage sites used by Acorn Woodpeckers at the Santa Rosa Plateau Preserve, Riverside County, California.

From 20 January to 1 February 1990 we crossed the Sierra de La Laguna, studying the winter birdlife of this isolated mountain range lying between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. From 27 to 30 January we camped at La Laguna (23°30'N, 109°59'W; elevation 1650 m), an open valley surrounded by wooded mountains and a prominent locality in the history of the exploration of Baja California’s biota.

Although the Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger, is a familiar bird along the Pacific coast of mainland Mexico and southern California (AOU 1983), little is known of its occurrence on the peninsula of Baja California. Black Skimmers were not reported from Baja California until 1979 (Wilbur 1987) but now are observed regularly in winter along the northwestern coast (Wilbur 1987, Escofet et al. 1988). This colonial waterbird has recently established nesting colonies at San Diego Bay, in 1976 (McCaskie 1976, Unitt 1984), and at Bolsa Chica, Orange County, in 1985 (C. T. Collins, pers. comm.), so nesting is likely also in Baja California. In this area, Wilbur’s supportive records, mostly for winter, are from only three locations (near Maneadero, Bahía de San Quintín, and Isla San Martín) and of between two and 44 individuals.

On 26 April 1990, we made two independent sightings of an adult Black-shouldered or White-tailed Kite (Elanus caeruleus) at the Alaksen National Wildlife Area (NWA) and the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS). Both locations are on Westham Island, which is situated about 15 km south of Vancouver, in the mouth of the south arm of the Fraser River in southwestern British Columbia (49°10'N, 123°05'W). These adjoining federally protected areas are a vital part of the Fraser River delta, one of the most important bird habitats in North America (Butler and Campbell 1987). The Black-shouldered Kite was not recorded for Canada by Godfrey (1986) or Campbell et al. (1990), and these sightings represent the first records of the species for Canada.

An accumulating body of literature demonstrates that it is rather common for nonraptors to nest very near raptors, and unusual, but not rare, for two species of raptors to nest within what may be considered the same territory. It is rare for natural antagonists and least common for pairs of the same species to nest in close proximity.

In the sixth edition of the American Ornithologists’ Union’s Check-list of North American Birds (1983), Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) is described as occurring only as a nonbreeding wanderer in mainland Mexico. The only locality in the Sierra Madre Oriental where the species has been reported is Cerro El Potosí, which lies 25 km northwest of Galeana, in central western Nuevo León. Nutcrackers were first reported at this locality by Leopold (1947), who collected one of three birds seen on 16 July 1945. Later, Allan R. Phillips (pers. comm.) saw two individuals there on 18 May and four on 19 May 1975, respectively. Andres M. Sada (pers. comm.) observed three individuals there on both 5 February 1983 and 12 October 1986. I saw four on 15 November and nine on 16 November 1985, when one adult, probably a female, was collected (Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León catalog number 1678). Most recently, I saw twelve nutcrackers on 20 June and five on 10 July 1991, at elevations above 3500 meters above sea level; one of these birds was feeding on cones of Pinus ayacahuite.

At the 1991 annual meeting in Bend, Oregon, WFO’s board of directors decided to publish the organization’s membership roster in Western Birds. Publication of such a roster serves several purposes. It informs the members of who and where their colleagues are, it informs readers of which libraries carry the journal, and it allows us to recognize our life, supporting, and contributing members. Even more importantly, it informs us of who are not our members, so we can facilitate the organization’s growth.

Compiled by Mildred Comar