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Paper on new NC specimens



Folks:
	I doubt many birders ever see The Journal of the Elisha Mitchell
Scientific Society. In the most recent issue, there is a paper by David
S. Lee, John A. Gerwin, and Rececca B. Browning entitled "Specimen
documentation of unusual, and previously unrecorded birds from North
Carolina", in volume 117 (2), pp. 123-127.

The paper mentions the following specimens now present at the N.C.
Museum of Natural Sciences, where the three authors work:

Red tailed-Hawk -- specimens of the midwestern race krideri and the
western race calurus
Lesser Nighthawk -- specimen from 1998 in Carteret County; first state
record
Ringed Turtle-Dove -- a first state specimen of this exotic species is
reported here from Dare Co., 1999
Cave Swallow -- the first specimen from NC came from Carteret Co. in
December 1999; it is of the southwestern pallida race
Townsend's Warbler -- a specimen found on a boat offshore in September
1999; there is a previous photo, but this is the first specimen for the
state

All of these specimens were of birds found dead, turned into rehab
centers, etc. (A note on another bird found dead -- MacGillivray's
Warbler -- has already been submitted to Chat as a General Field Note.
Full description of the plumage, with measurements of some body parts,
is presented in the note.)

It should be noted that Lee first submitted the paper to Chat for
publication. I, as Chair of the NC Bird Records Committee, and Will
Cook, the General Field Notes Editor for NC, wanted him to add some
descriptions of the birds -- at least for the Lesser Nighthawk and the
Townsend's Warbler -- before it was accepted for publication in The Chat
(The Journal of the Carolina Bird Club).  Normally, published records of
sight reports and of birds photographed contain plumage descriptions of
the birds -- at least for very rare species that might be 1st, 2nd, or
3rd state records. We did not want to set a double-standard -- OK for
specimens not to be described, but a requirement for sight records and
photo birds to be described. Also, the NC Bird Records Committee could
then vote directly on the published material, with descriptions, and not
have to review the specimens in hand, etc. Unfortunately, Lee declined
to add descriptions, perhaps feeling that birds in the hand, as
specimens, do not require published descriptions. He told Cook that he
would look to publish the paper elsewhere. Thus, this is that
publication.  

The NC Bird Records Committee has already conducted a vote on the Lesser
Nighthawk; results and comments will be in an upcoming Chat. Several
other species above will undoubtedly be voted on, in particular the
Townsend's Warbler.

 
-- 
Harry LeGrand
NC Natural Heritage Program
1615 MSC
Raleigh, NC 27699-1615
(919) 715-8687 (work)
FAX: 919-715-3085
e-mail: harry.legrand@ncmail.net