Greetings All
There is nothing like getting Ted and I into a debate with one another, though at heart, we usually agree. For instance, I would not bet my life (but maybe Ted's :o) that the Rufous-collared Sparrow is an escapee. That said, I think it very likely traveled much/most/or all of its journey to CO with direct human aid (whether it liked it or not). I feel very uncomfortable being strident about a bird's origin without direct evidence. And I agree that it is very important that the CBRC (ain't speakin' of CA here) has as much data about this bird on file. That being said, I do think that the state list should reflect the CBRC's best estimation of what has occurred in the state and has occurred here without escaping from cage, truck carrying vegetables, etc. So, I do feel fairly strongly that it should not be added to the state list; personal lists are personal. Much of this is a repeat of prior statements. Sorry about that. I would like to comment on comparisons, though. 1. A Xantus's Hummingbird, endemic to the Baja California Peninsula, showed up in British Columbia. That's quite a haul for a sedenary hummingbird, and the provincial (hah!) records committee rejected the bird on the grounds of origin. But then the ABA Checklist Committee swept in, and, in essence, "overturned the lower court's decision," and said the bird was probably of wild, natural origin. This species had occurred twice in CA prior to the BC record, thus establishing some pattern of wandering. It is not totally sedentary in its range, partaking in some altitudinal movements as well. And we've seen a virtual riot of hummingbirds wandering north, south, and east (not so much west, sadly). 2. A Golden-cheeked Warbler showed up, years ago, on an island off the coast of northern California. That was totally without precedent. But natural vagrancy was the most likely explanation, and the bird still stands among the some 650 species on the California list. GC Warblers are medium distance migrants, and as I recall, the distance to the Farallon Islands in CA is not that far off than the distance from TX hill country to the bird's normal wintering grounds. This circumstance is far different from that of the RC Sparrow in CO, and is more akin to a Swainson's Warbler appearing in CO.... 3. California's first Swallow-tailed Gull was assumed by many to be an escape. But that state has multiple records now, and the original record has been "upgraded" in the record books as a legitimate, wild vagrant. The Swallow-tailed Gull was added to the CA list only after it had been seen a second time in CA. These two CA records, plus one from Panama, all occurred during certain sea-conditions that would negatively impact the ST Gulls food sources, thus increasing the likelihood of vagrancy. CA did not add the bird to the state list with one record, but did so later after more data had accumulated. Given that ST Gulls are gulls, and that there had already been a record from Panama, I'd probably have voted to accept the first record, but I can't really fault the CBRC (California this time) approach. In reality, the Rufous-collared Sparrow report much more resembles a report of Great Tit from the Puget Sound region of WA. This is a mostly sedentary bird, but some movement does occur, as with most Parids (as I recall). In any case, the subspecies was European, not Asian, firmly ending all debate. There are other similar instances wherein a species was found in the ABA Region, its natural occurrence seemed rather implausible but not impossible, debate ensued, and the bird eventually was proven to be from a cage. Yada, Yada Best Wishes Steven Mlodinow Longmont CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
