Hello, Ecologists. Here is a summary of the contents of vol. 40 no. 4 (2009) of the quarterly journal Western Birds, published by Western Field Ornithologists.
* RECENT PURPLE MARTIN DECLINES IN THE SACRAMENTO REGION OF CALIFORNIA: RECOVERY IMPLICATIONS. * by DANIEL A. AIROLA and DAN KOPP. * pp. 254-259. * Formerly widespread in California's Central Valley, Purple Martins are currently restricted to a declining population in the Sacramento area. Monitoring of martins in the Sacramento region revealed a 60% population decline from 2004 to 2009. This decline may be due to collisions with vehicles, large construction projects, and overall changes in land use. * FURTHER DECLINE IN NEXT-BOX USE BY VAUX'S SWIFTS IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON. * by EVELYN L. BULL and CHARLES T. COLLINS. * pp. 260-266. * In a monitoring study of 103 nest boxes at 12 locales in northeastern Oregon, nest-box use by Vaux's Swifts was 72% lower in 2007-2008 than in 1999-2002. One possible cause of the population decline is competition for nest boxes with small mammals. Protecting and creating nesting and roosting sites for Vaux's Swifts might reverse the downward population trend. * USE OF A NESTING PLATFORM BY GULL-BILLED TERNS AND BLACK SKIMMERS AT THE SALTON SEA, CALIFORNIA. * by KATHY C. MOLINA, MARK A. RICCA, A. KEITH MILES, and CHRISTIAN SCHONEMAN. * pp. 267-277. * Constructed in 2006, an artificial nesting platform for Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers was quickly colonized by both species, but both species abandoned the platform within two years, probably because of crowding and the platform's microclimate. * BIRDS OF PREY AND THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON ON ISLA GUADALUPE, MEXICO. * by JUAN-PABLO GALLO-REYNOSO and ANA-LUISA FIGUEROA-CARRANZA. * pp. 278-283. * Observations at Isla Guadalupe, 1991–2003, establish the occurrence of 8 species of hawks and owls on the island. The Burrowing Owl and American Kestrel are resident; others are vagrants, visitors, or possible low-density residents. Observations of the Northern Harrier and Band-tailed Pigeon are the first for Isla Guadalupe. * FOOD HABITS OF WILD TURKEYS IN NATIONAL FORESTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND CENTRAL OREGON. * by GRETA M. WENGERT, MOURAD W. GABRIEL, RYAN L. MATHIS, and THOMAS HUGHES. * pp. 284-291. * Droppings of Wild Turkeys were collected from national forests in northern California and southern Oregon; the Wild Turkey is not native to the region, and its effects on the native biota have been questioned. In California, females consumed more insects than did males; the study also documented temporal and spatial variation in food preferences. * SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE DIET OF THE BARN OWL IN NORTHWESTERN NEVADA. * by ABIGAIL C. MYERS, CHRISTOPHER B. GOGUEN, and DANIEL C. RABBERS. * pp. 292-296. * An analysis of 306 Barn Owl pellets in Churchill County, Nevada, revealed seasonal changes in prey consumption. Mammals were found in 93% of pellets in both summer and winter, but relative abundance of mammal genera varied by season. Fewer birds were present in pellets in winter than in summer, and giant water bugs were found in 7.7% of pellets in summer but were absent in winter. * FIRST RECORD OF A MANGROVE WARBLER FOR ARIZONA. * by NATHAN K. BANFIELD and PATRICIA J. NEWELL. * pp. 297-300. * A Mangrove Warbler (of the distinctive erithachorides subspecies group of the Yellow Warbler) was captured in a mist net and photo-documented northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, 31 July 2004. The record has been accepted by the Arizona Bird Committee and is the northernmost of a Mangrove Warbler. * PREY REMAINS IN NESTS OF FOUR CORNERS GOLDEN EAGLES, 1998-2008. * by DALE W. STAHLECKER, DAVID G. MIKESIC, JAMES N. WHITE, SPIN SHAFFER, JOHN P. DeLONG, MARK R. BLAKEMORE, and CRAIG E. BLAKEMORE. * pp. 301-306. * Analysis of remains left in 191 Golden Eagle nests in the Four Corners region revealed that most prey (87%) were mammals, mainly jackrabbits and cottontails. The most common avian prey were Common Ravens and American Coots, and gopher snakes constituted 3.3% of prey items. Exceptional prey items included the red fox, porcupine, brown trout, and Red-tailed Hawk. * BOOK REVIEW. * reviewed by DAVE TROCHLELL. * pp. 307-308. * Review of "Small Mountain Owls" (2009), by Scott Rashid. * BOOK REVIEW. * reviewed by JOHN STERLING. * pp. 308-309. * Review of "Breeding Bird Atlas of Santa Clara County, California" (2007), by William G. Bousman. * FEATURED PHOTO: JUVENAL PLUMAGE OF THE RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW. * by BRAD SCHRAM. * pp. 310-312. * The briefly held juvenal plumage of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow is poorly known by birders and may present identification challenges. In juvenal plumage, the Rufous-crowned Sparrow shows a finely streaked brown (not rufous) crown, a dark gray malar stripe, two wing bars, and fine streaking below. Identification is complicated by wear and by the variability of the streaking below. Please note that vols. 1-37 (1970-2006) of Western Birds are permanently archived and fully searchable online: http://tiny.cc/Y2sa5. The service is free to the public, and is made available by Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) and the Searchable Ornithological Research Archive (SORA). Full abstracts of research articles and the full text for "Featured Photos" (vols. 38-40) are available online: http://tiny.cc/luCHf. ------------------------------- Ted Floyd Editor, Birding Follow Birding magazine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BirdingMagazine ------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multiaccount&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_4
