'Cardinal Sin' of Tracy Drake

This is of course a joke post :D

Of course we all should be extremely thankful to her. Maybe she deserve free lunch/dinner till the rest of the year lol. I mean even Kimball Garrett added the bird to his formidable LA county list(according to him, 1st record of this Dusky Warbler, palearctic species). Even opened the preserve from 7am today for our benefit.

That said. :P

Did she post the sighting at LACOBIRD in the EVENING? When she spotted the bird in the MORNING?

Unforgivable! Haha.
I mean we all know this leaf? warbler is a MEGA rarity. My breeding plumage male Cape May Warbler at Formosa Slough last June can't even compare.
So, upon sighting, she should've immediately contacted and posted info everywhere. I trust she has smartphone.
If in doubt, she should've just posted phylloscopus sp. or something at ebird and LACOBIRD, etc., and left it at that. Veterans and experts including twitchers/listers would've have arrived sooner or later to verify it. No need to confirm the exact species with an expert(Dan Cooper?) before posting, you could always do it later.

Even a smartphoneless moi, even though I did finish birding North Famosa as well lol, after spotting Cape May Warbler at 5:30pm(already quite dark), trudged to nearby Starbucks to email veterans and experts including Guy McCaskie, Kimball Garrett, Gary Nunn, Darren Dowell, Mark Scheel etc. Texted Luke Tiller on the way to SB(yeah I at least can text on my phone lol). Mine was a straightforward case in terms of identification though.

Thankfully the bird cooperated nicely, at least for a couple of days, and was being 'mobbed', from what I've heard lol. As far as I know, according to ebird, it wasn't seen today(thank God I braved despite a busy schedule to come by last morning lol. Thanks to others could spot it quick, and after a de rigeur Hurrah! promptly vacated the spot for other birders).

Not only this, did Sarah wait, what, more than 3 hours for the preserve to open on that Sunday, for an Ovenbird? OVEN, another rarity. Surprisingly still there I'm heard, but super elusive.  Maybe she was overeager to come so early lol, like 6:30am, but..haha(we both missed the bird, by the way. After a few more tries, I still haven't seen it, to my utter frustration. Should I even try once more lol).

So everyone, please don't be shy in case you spotted a weird looking bird. Please share promptly :p  (I know I'm a mere novice, maybe not my place to make a 'brazen' advice like this, but still this was quite an 'egregious' case!)

Marantzian tome!!

Haha, aptly put.

1. eBird issues this Fall LINK
   DATE: TODAY @ 12:24pm
   FROM: Kimball Garrett

   Birders,   Fall migration is in full swing. The rate of use of eBird by Los Angeles County birders continues to skyrocket, with the obvious benefit of much denser information about our avifauna, but also with the drawbacks of continuing and even accelerating issues with data quality.  So here’s another in a series of occasional messages intended to improve the eBird database for our area.  If you know eBird users who are not on this list serve, always feel free to share these messages with them.  This mini-rant will cover three issues:  (1) Adding descriptions; (2) dealing with subspecies options; and (3) improving metadata in the “Comments” section.   DESCRIPTIONS This could be subtitled “There is a happy medium between Curtis Marantz and the average eBird user.”  We all know it is now easy (and desirable) to upload photos and audio files to one’s eBird checklist.  But when you are asked to document a flagged record, PLEASE keep in mind that such evidence is only part of the documentation that should support unusual records.  I am constantly amazed at how many eBirders will attach a photo (or 2 or 3…) to their checklist to document a rarity and will not write a single word about the sighting.  In many cases the photos are less than ideal, and might not even help support the identification; so we rely on the added value of a written description.  This is where Curtis comes in…..  you don’t have to write a Marantzian tome of 4000 words to document a rarity (though such detail is helpful).  But please add information about the circumstances of the sighting and any characters (e.g. size and structure, movements, other behaviors, plumage, voice, etc.) that are not evident from the photos as well as amplification of what is shown in the photos. And indicate how similar species were considered and eliminated.  I fear that the simple art of writing a good description of a bird to document a sighting and confirm its identification is disappearing from our birding culture. I largely blame the apparent need for instant gratification through smartphones and apps – why not jot notes down in the field (they have these things called pens, pencils and notebooks) and then add a thoughtful and detailed description based on these notes when you’re home sitting at your computer  Yes, it takes time.  But the alternative is having what might be a perfectly good record questioned or even invalidated by a reviewer. And as I have mentioned before (let’s call this section “Sandwiches I have Eaten While Birding”), concentrate on relevant points in your description and leave the irrelevant things out.    SUBSPECIES I strongly urge eBirders to enter data ONLY at the level of species, except in the few cases where well-marked subspecies are (usually) readily identifiable in the field; species with field-identifiable subspecies or subspecies groups in L. A. County include but are not limited to: Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, Green-winged Teal, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Northern Flicker (and intergrades), Bell’s Vireo, Hermit Thrush, White Wagtail, Red Crossbill (call types), Bell’s Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco.  In some of these cases only one subspecies (or none) occurs regularly. In some other cases, observers with extensive experience and good studies of the bird in question can also reasonably determine subspecies (e.g. Orange-crowned Warbler, Marsh Wren, Song Sparrow, Canada Goose, Cackling Goose, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Red-breasted Sapsucker).  There is nothing to be gained by indicating a subspecies based ONLY on your locality – so it’s preferable to enter “Osprey” rather than “Osprey (carolinensis)” even if you can be 99.9% certain that a local Osprey is of the North American carolinensis subspecies. An exception would be if you were able to study the bird well enough to rule out the other Osprey subspecies based on actual characters rather than locality.  A lot of the subspecies entry issues seem to arise from the use of smartphone apps, so when entering data via such an app be sure to select the full species rather than a particular subspecies (unless you can document the subspecies).  To the novice birder, some of the subspecies names might seem completely appropriate, even though they’re not.  A recent example is a birder who entered “Willow Flycatcher (Southwestern)” on the assumption that a Willow Flycatcher in the “southwest” should be that subspecies.  In fact, of course, the “Southwestern” Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is known from Los Angeles County in recent years only by a very few possible breeding pairs, with essentially no documented records of migrants.  So 99.9% of Willow Flycatchers in L. A. County will be what eBird calls “Willow Flycatcher (Northwestern) (Empidonax traillii brewsteri/adastus), even though Los Angeles County is hardly “northwestern.”  Why not just enter as “Willow Flycatcher”   METADATA AND INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS When you enter an eBird checklist you can make comments about that birding event in the Comments section on the second screen (“Date and Effort”).  It is unfortunate that eBird does not require users to enter information about conditions, but until they institute that capability, you can use the “Comments” section to add information on, for example, sky conditions, wind conditions, precipitation, temperature, tide, and other physical environmental conditions that can greatly impact your bird list.  Indicate how you covered the area (route, areas of concentration, etc.). Also a description of the habitat, any disturbances or other conditions that might impact your bird list, names of birding companions (these show up automatically only if the list is “shared” with them), condition of vegetation and food crop, and anything else that seems relevant.  Sure, you could even mention what kind of sandwich you had for lunch.   All of the above must seem like “work,” but I suspect a large number of you use eBird for the common good as a thorough avifaunal record rather than simply for an accounting of your sport-listing accomplishments.  Joseph Grinnell and other “early” naturalists in California might have spent hours writing in their journals about each of their field outings, and that information is invaluable to researchers today.  Can’t we, at least in some small part, try to do the same   Kimball   Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA (213) 763-3368 kgarrett@... http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/ornithology

Who's who in California birding

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/CAwhoswho.html

List total per state

From ebird

	life	Year	Total County Ticks
California	383	262	982
Georgia	62	62	78
Nevada	57	43	57
Tennessee	57	57	57
Oklahoma	57	57	69
Arizona	47	0	47
Texas	2	2	2

Guy McCaskie's California one year record

In 1970? 417 species.

Found out reading Kenn Kaufman's 'Kingbird Highway', just now.

My So. Cal record for last year was around 332 or something.
Cal. Life list, 383 species.

More on Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel

From yahoo listserv;

1. cruise-ship off nw CA: 25 Murphy's LINK
   DATE: May 9, 2017 @ 12:12pm, 4 day(s) ago
   FROM: Paul Lehman

   The northwest-bound (San Francisco to se. Alaska) "Grand Princess" was well off Humboldt and Del Norte Counties from 6-10 AM on 09 May, before continuing on into Oregon waters. Highlights were a total of 25 MURPHY'S PETRELS (18 Humboldt, 7 Del Norte), as well as an Arctic Tern and a group of 3 Greater Scaup heading north some 107 km west of Trinidad, HUM. As we departed San Francisco on 08 May, we had a FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL only 1 mile outside the Golden Gate Bridge, and still well "inside" Land's End/Cliff House/Sutro. No surprise given the widespread incursion off central CA since April. --Paul Lehman, San Diego

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2. Epic seabird flight at Point Pinos--6 May LINK
   DATE: May 7, 2017 @ 9:03am, 6 day(s) ago
   FROM: Brian Sullivan

   Birders A strong cold front swept through the Monterey Bay region on Friday bringing with it gusty northwest winds and optimal viewing conditions for Point Pinos. The show started Friday afternoon with a few Sabine's Gulls and a scattering of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels. By dawn on Saturday, the winds were really cranking and the flight was in full swing all day. We did hourly checklists in eBird for the day (and those will be fleshed out with photos soon), but the highlight totals were: Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel: 195 (many right off the rocks; most photographed) Ashy Storm-Petrel: 2 Leach's Storm-Petrel: 4 (photos of two) Black-footed Albatross: 100+ Laysan Albatross: 2 (photos) Red Phalarope: 1927 (photos) Red-necked Phalarope: 169,000 (simply astronomical numbers, hard to estimate) Sabine's Gull: 2335 (many photos, big flocks) Tufted Puffin: 2 Overall it was the best spring seawatching I've ever had from the point. Alas, we were unable to find any Pterodroma petrels from shore. In addition to the event at the point, Monterey Harbor was awash in Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, with more than 70 estimated in the inner harbor just feet off the docks. Also both phalaropes there. Thanks and good birding! Brian -- =========== Brian L. Sullivan eBird Project Leader www.ebird.org Photo Editor Birds of North America Online http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA -------------------------------

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Pt. Pinos

http://digest.sialia.com/?rm=one_list;id=57

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MTY_2017b.html

Pt. Pinos--seawatch only, Monterey County, California, US ( Map ) (Hotspot )

Date and Effort

Thu May 11, 2017 10:10 AM

Protocol:

Stationary

Party Size:

1

Duration:

1 hour(s), 25 minute(s)

Observers:

Mark Kudrav

Species

27 species (+2 other taxa) total

1	Brant
1	Canada Goose
6	Surf Scoter
21	Pacific Loon
1	Common Loon
4	Black-footed Albatross
1	albatross sp. Very distant albatross. Briefly thought I saw white on the bird, as in Laysan. Never a satisfying look.
1182	Sooty Shearwater
1	shearwater sp. Bad look at smaller shearwater. candidate for Black-vented though they have not been reported lately.
6	Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel pass the point at varying distances. All farther out than weekend storm-petrel movement
200	Brandt's Cormorant
9	Pelagic Cormorant
12	Brown Pelican
1	Great Egret
1	Red-tailed Hawk
2	Black Oystercatcher
131	Common Murre
9	Pigeon Guillemot
4	Rhinoceros Auklet
150	Western Gull
12	California Gull
1	Caspian Tern
33	Elegant Tern
2	California Scrub-Jay
3	American Crow
3	Barn Swallow
1	White-crowned Sparrow
1	Song Sparrow
1	Brewer's Blackbird

KB on Flycatchers

http://digest.sialia.com/?rm=message;id=1311600

2017 ABC result

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/PasadenaAudubon/conversations/messages/7021

East birding total; 101 species

From ebird

Life	Year	Total County Ticks
California	383	257	982
Georgia	62	62	78
Oklahoma	58	58	70
Nevada	57	43	57
Tennessee	57	57	57
Arizona	47	0	47
Texas	2	2	2

Total eastern species: 101, but approximate, can't be certain.

1	Canada Goose	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
2	Black Vulture	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
3	Mallard	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
4	Wild Turkey	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
5	Double-crested Cormorant	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
6	Great Blue Heron	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
7	Great Egret	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	1-May-17
8	Cattle Egret	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	29-Apr-17
9	Turkey Vulture	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
10	Osprey	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
11	Spotted Sandpiper	Georgia Highlands Wetlands	US-GA	28-Apr-17
12	Upland Sandpiper	Ten Mile Flats	US-OK	1-May-17
13	Killdeer	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
14	Franklin's Gull	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
15	Forster's Tern	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
16	Rock Pigeon	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	20-Apr-17
17	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	20-Apr-17
18	Mourning Dove	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	19-Apr-17
19	Barred Owl	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
20	Broad-winged Hawk	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
21	Chimney Swift	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
22	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	19-Apr-17
23	Red-headed Woodpecker	Berry College (Floyd Co.)	US-GA	26-Apr-17
24	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
25	Downy Woodpecker	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
26	Pileated Woodpecker	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
27	American Kestrel	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	30-Apr-17
28	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
29	Acadian Flycatcher	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
30	Eastern Phoebe	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
31	Western Kingbird	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	29-Apr-17
32	Eastern Kingbird	Georgia Highlands Wetlands	US-GA	27-Apr-17
33	Great Crested Flycatcher	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	20-Apr-17
34	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	30-Apr-17
35	Bell's Vireo	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
36	White-eyed Vireo	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	1-May-17
37	Yellow-throated Vireo	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	21-Apr-17
38	Blue Jay	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
39	Red-eyed Vireo	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
40	Fish Crow	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
41	American Crow	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
42	Purple Martin	Ten Mile Flats	US-OK	1-May-17
43	Tree Swallow	Berry College--Possum Trot Rd.	US-GA	27-Apr-17
44	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
45	Barn Swallow	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
46	Cliff Swallow	Georgia Highlands Wetlands	US-GA	27-Apr-17
47	Carolina Chickadee	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
48	Tufted Titmouse	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
49	White-breasted Nuthatch	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
50	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Ridge Ferry Park	US-GA	26-Apr-17
51	House Wren	Rome Tennis Center	US-GA	26-Apr-17
52	Carolina Wren	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
53	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
54	Eastern Bluebird	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
55	Wood Thrush	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
56	American Robin	Belmont Blvd/Woodmont Blvd	US-TN	20-Apr-17
57	Northern Mockingbird	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	19-Apr-17
58	Gray Catbird	Georgia Highlands Wetlands	US-GA	27-Apr-17
59	Brown Thrasher	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
60	European Starling	Vanderbilt tennis center	US-TN	19-Apr-17
61	Cedar Waxwing	Georgia Highlands Wetlands	US-GA	28-Apr-17
62	Ovenbird	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
63	Worm-eating Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
64	Louisiana Waterthrush	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
65	American Redstart	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
66	Black-and-white Warbler	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
67	Orange-crowned Warbler	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
68	Nashville Warbler	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
69	Yellow Warbler	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
70	Blackburnian Warbler	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
71	Prothonotary Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
72	Kentucky Warbler	Berry College (Floyd Co.)	US-GA	28-Apr-17
73	Tennessee Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
74	Common Yellowthroat	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
75	Hooded Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
76	Northern Parula	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
77	Blackpoll Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
78	Palm Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
79	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
80	Black-throated Green Warbler	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
81	Chipping Sparrow	Victory Lake	US-GA	27-Apr-17
82	Clay-colored Sparrow	Martin Park Nature Center	US-OK	30-Apr-17
83	White-crowned Sparrow	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	29-Apr-17
84	Song Sparrow	Rome Tennis Center	US-GA	26-Apr-17
85	Eastern Towhee	Georgia Highlands Wetlands	US-GA	27-Apr-17
86	Summer Tanager	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
87	Northern Cardinal	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
88	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	20-Apr-17
89	Blue Grosbeak	Berry College (Floyd Co.)	US-GA	28-Apr-17
90	Indigo Bunting	Norman--South Jenkins Ave.	US-OK	30-Apr-17
91	Dickcissel	Ten Mile Flats	US-OK	1-May-17
92	Bobolink	Berry College--Possum Trot Rd.	US-GA	27-Apr-17
93	Red-winged Blackbird	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
94	Eastern Meadowlark	Berry College--Possum Trot Rd.	US-GA	27-Apr-17
95	Common Grackle	Hwy40 near airport	US-TN	19-Apr-17
96	Brown-headed Cowbird	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	19-Apr-17
97	Orchard Oriole	J. Percy Priest Lake and Stones River Greenway	US-TN	19-Apr-17
98	Baltimore Oriole	Radnor Lake State Natural Area	US-TN	21-Apr-17
99	House Finch	Rome Tennis Center	US-GA	26-Apr-17
100	American Goldfinch	Kennesaw Mountain Nat. Battlefield Park	US-GA	25-Apr-17
101	House Sparrow	Around Starbucks	US-TN	19-Apr-17