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ABA Big Year 2019 (1 Viewer)

Hi Paul

This is surely not a Scoppli's... just thought I would throw that out there for debate.

You can't even see the underside of the primaries - the white you can see on the 'hand' is on the underwing coverts.

The bill structure is too bulky also, to me.

Brian

Brian

Serves me right for looking at pictures on a phone! Having looked on a computer, you are clearly right on the underwing. On bill size, I find that so variable.

An interesting set of photos of Scopoli's off Hatteras on ebird when I looked.

I do need at some point to spend some time amongst a Scopoli's population as I confess to a massive amount of scepticism on the split.

All the beat
 
Brian

Serves me right for looking at pictures on a phone! Having looked on a computer, you are clearly right on the underwing. On bill size, I find that so variable.

An interesting set of photos of Scopoli's off Hatteras on ebird when I looked.

I do need at some point to spend some time amongst a Scopoli's population as I confess to a massive amount of scepticism on the split.

All the beat

Nice comparison of bills - http://shearwater.nl/index.php?file=kop65.php.html

scroll down to bottom.

B
 
In celebration of the Deans hitting 700 (they're the only two birders to have three 700+ Big Years, whether consecutive or not), here's the Continental Lists update.
Joe
 

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I do need at some point to spend some time amongst a Scopoli's population as I confess to a massive amount of scepticism on the split.

Paul and anyone else interested, this discussion reminds me of a particular comment to the 2018 NACC vote on this split, which I found quite interesting:

http://checklist.aou.org/nacc/proposals/comments/2018_C_comments_web.html#2018-C-4

"NO. I have been working on these taxa at FLMNH from the many beached specimens we get (and a visit to the NMNH). About 125 specimens total. Using criteria to differentiate in Pyle, we have a good number (48%) of large birds, without any white on the undersides of the primaries (=borealis). We have a smaller number (15%) of small birds with lots of white on the undersides of p9 and p10 (= diomedea). But we have a whopping 36% that are intermediate. The intermediates are dispersed throughout the range between diomedea and borealis. Howell pointed out there are a large number of intermediate specimens. Two measured out as edwardsii. We have started doing some DNA analyses: one of the edwardsii did not amplify, the other came out as borealis. The intermediates fell both into diomedea and borealis. Even some of the ones we thought we were sure about did not align with their phenotype. I feel that there must be more mixing than the research on the breeding grounds has found. We are working on a paper, but waiting for the full genetic analyses."
 
Nice comparison of bills - http://shearwater.nl/index.php?file=kop65.php.html

scroll down to bottom.

B

Fine margins between those Cory's & Scopoli's bills!

Paul and anyone else interested, this discussion reminds me of a particular comment to the 2018 NACC vote on this split, which I found quite interesting:

http://checklist.aou.org/nacc/proposals/comments/2018_C_comments_web.html#2018-C-4

"NO. I have been working on these taxa at FLMNH from the many beached specimens we get (and a visit to the NMNH). About 125 specimens total. Using criteria to differentiate in Pyle, we have a good number (48%) of large birds, without any white on the undersides of the primaries (=borealis). We have a smaller number (15%) of small birds with lots of white on the undersides of p9 and p10 (= diomedea). But we have a whopping 36% that are intermediate. The intermediates are dispersed throughout the range between diomedea and borealis. Howell pointed out there are a large number of intermediate specimens. Two measured out as edwardsii. We have started doing some DNA analyses: one of the edwardsii did not amplify, the other came out as borealis. The intermediates fell both into diomedea and borealis. Even some of the ones we thought we were sure about did not align with their phenotype. I feel that there must be more mixing than the research on the breeding grounds has found. We are working on a paper, but waiting for the full genetic analyses."

The comments about edwardsii surprise me as that didn't seem too much of a problem in the field. Edwardsii alongside borealis in the attached first pic and borealis in a flock of edwardsii in the second pic. No surprise on the borealis/diomedea comments however!

Many thanks both

Paul
 

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John Weigel broke 700, currently on 713.

He got Little Egret (4) from Maine and 18 more common birds from New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota. Unfortunately, no photos or blog post yet.

He's still missing 25 Code 1 and 55 Code 2 birds. Assuming he gets all those, he needs just seven birds to break 800.
 
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Updates for all as of noon today:
ABA
John - 720
Deans - 704
McQuades - 659

Continental
Deans - 704
John - 677
McQuades - 659

Joe
 
John has few additions from Colorado, Washington and California pelagic, including Townsend's Storm Petrel (3).
https://birdingyear.com/the-list-so-far/

I find his Vaux's Swift photo interesting. I have never seen Swifts perching on a wire. Is this typical behavior for Vaux's Swifts?
 

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Will be interesting to see if Weigel goes for the Antillean Palm-Swift in the Florida Keys. Here for the second day. Only second -ever ABA record; first in 1972!

Also, Chaetura swifts never perch on wires; I don't think they are physically able. Agree with juv Tree Swallows, although the other photo on his blog looks good for VASW

Andy
 
Also, Chaetura swifts never perch on wires; I don't think they are physically able. Agree with juv Tree Swallows, although the other photo on his blog looks good for VASW

Andy

Thought something like that but I have experience only on European Apus swifts so wasn't 100% sure.
 
ABA big year birders should not stray too far from Florida: in the past nine months we have had one new species for the ABA area (Dark-billed Cuckoo), three Code-fives (Double-toothed Kite, Red-legged Thrush, Antillean Palm-Swift), plus European Robin (Code 5, but may not be accepted by FOSRC), Black-tailed Gull (Code 4), White-collared Swift (4), and lots of more regular Caribbean strays (several Key West Quail-Doves, Zenaida Dove, Thick-billed Vireo, La Sagra's Fly, Bananaquit, Bahama Mockingbird, Black-faced Grassquit, Western Spindalis)
 
Out visiting the daughter & granddaughter for the week. Here are the updates. John sent a list of birds he'd had in Hawaii that he's now cleaned up for his Continental list.
The Deans are at the point where they'll move up the charts virtually every day for a bit. I've attached a Word doc of that list.
Joe
 

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To whomever caught the fact that I'd marked off Common Snipe on John's New ABA list but had neglected to get it on his Continental list: thanks! (I'm sure John thanks you, too)
He's back from Australia and he's in Florida going swift-ing.

Joe
 
John's had two good days in Florida. Just four new species, but three coded!

Antillean Palm-Swift (5)
Black-faced Grassquit (4)
Yellow-green Vireo (3)
Mangrove Cuckoo (2)
 
If my spreadsheet is correct, John is still missing 47 non-Hawaiian (hope I spelled that correctly) code 1 and code 2 species. Can someone more familiar with ABA birding tell if there are any critical species he might have trouble getting or at least has to hurry to get before autumn migration kicks in?

Code 1 (16):
Northern Bobwhite
Purple Gallinule
Surfbird
Purple Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Black Guillemot
Atlantic Puffin
Heermann's Gull
Great Cormorant
Mississippi Kite
Barred Owl
Hammond's Flycatcher
Pinyon Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Cassin's Sparrow
Scott's Oriole

Code 2 (31):
Steller’s Eider
Spectacled Eider
Himalayan Snowcock
Spruce Grouse
Sooty Grouse
Least Grebe
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Purple Swamphen
Limpkin
Dovekie
Buller's Shearwater
Snail Kite
Short-tailed Hawk
Spotted Owl
Boreal Owl
Elegant Trogon
Green Kingfisher
Monk Parakeet
Nandy Parakeet
White-winged Parakeet
Thick-billed Kingbird
Florida Scurb-Jay
Island Scrub-Jay
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Northern Wheatear
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Cassia Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Bachman's Sparrow
Spot-breasted Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
 
Yesterday, John hit 700 on his Continental list. He's cleaning up easy species. The McQuades are doing Colorado cleanup this week.

Joe
 

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If my spreadsheet is correct, John is still missing 47 non-Hawaiian (hope I spelled that correctly) code 1 and code 2 species. Can someone more familiar with ABA birding tell if there are any critical species he might have trouble getting or at least has to hurry to get before autumn migration kicks in?

From my experiencing and review of the records - nothing there that is really a big issue, although I would not fancy trying for Boreal Owl now they are not calling.

Of course the summer migrants are more time sensitive than the residents - and perhaps telling he has struggled with Northern Wheatear already.
 
John took a quick look at the Forum and saw Tikli's list of needs. John has Atlantic Puffin and Black Guillemot, so he'll be adding those in, backdated.
The Deans got the Starthroat.

Joe
 
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