Vol. 26 No. 3 (1995)

A concise overview of the California Bird Records Committee (hereafter "CBRC" or "the Committee") has not been published in many years, save for a brief sketch by Patten (1991). Therefore, this report begins with a bit of history and background, if only to inform the newest generation of field ornithologists who may not be entirely familiar with the Committee's functions and goals.

Even after the contribution of Wilbur (1987) and several recent reports in Western Birds, the distribution of many birds in Baja California remains poorly known. Here we report observations made by us, separately or together, between 1975 and June 1994. We include data only for northwestern Baja California—that is, the region between the international border and Río del Rosario, and west of the summits of the Sierras Juárez and San Pedro Mártir. Almost all records are based on sight identification only, owing to the difficulty—even for Mexican citizens—of complying with current collecting regulations in Mexico.

On 21 August 1990, Robert McKernan discovered a pair of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) nesting near the city of Riverside. The observation was reported as the first breeding record in Riverside County in "recent history"(American Birds 44:1188).

Grinnell and Miller (1944) and Garrett and Dunn (1981) indicated that the breeding range of the Barn Swallow in southern California is restricted to coastal regions from Los Angeles County northward, and scattered localities in Orange, San Diego, and Imperial counties. No mention was made of breeding in Riverside and San Bernardinocounties.

In central California, most California Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus) are confined to the northern San Francisco Bay estuary, with small isolated populations along the outer coast in Tomales Bay, Bolinas Lagoon, Morro Bay, and Bodega Bay (Manolis 1978; Evens et al. 1991; J. Evens, pers. comm.). In the Central Valley, there is only one definite record north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta: a bird found dead at Gray Lodge Wildlife Management Area, Butte County, in March 1962 (Audubon Field Notes 23:516, 1969).

In the Pacific Northwest, the Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) is primarily a migrant, occurring in flocks along the coast during spring migration from mid-April to mid-May, and in fall migration from July through September. Peak numbers occur in late April and late July. Occasional small flocks of non-breeding birds remain through the summer (Paulson 1993) and may be found in suitable habitat in coastal and inland British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon (H. B. Nehls, pers. comm.).

The breeding status and distribution of the Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) in California have never been fully worked out, owing to the species’ small size, secretive habits, and nearly inaccessible marsh habitat. Grinnell and Miller (1944) listed no breeding records for Inyo County.

During shorebird surveys from 2 July to 12 August 1994 at Carter Spit (59°15' N, 162°00' W), along the southeastern shore of Kuskokwim Bay, western Alaska, I observed relatively large numbers of Hudsonian Godwits (Limosa haemastica) staging and in migration. The Carter Spit area comprises four spits and tidal mudflats along 35 km of coastline. Inland, wet tundra with numerous brackish and freshwater ponds extends for 8 km to the upland tundra and bare gravel ridges of the coastal Ahklun Mountains (elevation: 307–730 m). Thickets of willow (Salix spp.) and alder (Alnus spp.) line the banks of four creeks that originate in the mountains and drain into Kuskokwim Bay.

WESTERN FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS' 1995 SAN DIEGO PELAGIC TRIPS