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Report of the Alabama Bird Records Committee

1990 - 1991

Robert A. Duncan

This is the second report of the Alabama Bird Records Committee covering the years 1990 and 1991. A total of 57 records were appraised and finalized. Nine records are still in the process of review. There were no records to be reviewed at the formal meeting of the ABRC held at Dauphin Island in October 1991. However, a quorum was not present which resulted in the Secretary continuing as Acting Secretary until a new Secretary could be elected. A revised Review List will be considered by the ABRC at a future meeting with a proposal that some now regular species such as Clay-colored Sparrow and Great Black-backed Gull be "delisted." The ABRC currently consists of the following members: Bill Bremser (Pensacola), Ben Garmon (Birmingham), Paul Kittle (Florence), Tom Haggerty (Florence), Ann Miller (Birmingham), Bob Reid (Birmingham), and Bill Summerour (Jacksonville).

The committee consists of a Secretary and six members, all of whom vote on each record. Members remain on the committee for three to four years, and at least two members are replaced each year. Records are submitted by birders to the Secretary, who then sends them by mail in a "round robin" fashion to each member. If a decision is not definitely reached during that circulation, the process is repeated. If there is still no unequivocal decision, then the record is considered at a formal meeting.

The initial evaluation of submitted reports is performed by each committee member without the knowledge of the opinions of the other members and is done as objectively and impartially as possible. A record is accepted by the committee if it finally receives no more than one negative vote. This helps ensure that only well-documented records are accepted. However, it is possible that there will occasionally be a valid sighting that is not approved because at least six members are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. Observers who submit reports to the committee should understand this process; a "not accept" vote should not be construed as a personal insult or condemnation of their skills. We are attempting to establish a "clean" set of records for the state. In order to achieve this goal, reports of rarities must be fully documented and then evaluated in a critical manner. This process is required of sightings by all birders, regardless of experience and knowledge. The importance of proper documentation cannot be overemphasized, particularly when there are only a few records for the state. Birders should refer to first published records for the US that appear in American Birds as a guide. While most records that have passed through the committee have been well documented, others, including some ultimately accepted, would have fared much better had the observer taken time to document the bird's features.

Tables 1 and 2 show the results of the last two years of committee evaluations. The official list is now 388 species, with 13 in the "hypothetical" category (no acceptable photograph or specimen, or not seen by at least three experienced observers). It is expected that the Eurasian Collared-Dove will be added in the future.

TABLE 1. 1990 RECORDS COMMITTEE EVALUATIONS

Record Number Species Date County How Documented 1 Decision 2 Alabama Status 3
90-1 Curlew Sandpiper 8/16/80 Baldwin   A 2
90-2 Painted Redstart 12/20/89 Baldwin   NI  
90-3 Long-tailed Jaeger 9/8/89 Mobile   A 2H
90-4 Audubon's Shearwater 12/31/89 Baldwin   A 3
90-5 Sooty Shearwater 12/30/89 Baldwin   A 6
90-6 Sooty Shearwater 12/31/89 Baldwin   A 7
90-7 Sooty Shearwater 12/30/89 Baldwin   A 6
90-8 White-tailed Kite 12/30/89 Baldwin   A 6
90-9 Harris's Sparrow 1/1/90 - 3/90 Baldwin   A 8
90-11 Ruff 9/2-6/89 Shelby P A 3
90-12 Ross's Goose 1/1-4/90 Baldwin   A 5
90-13 Pacific Loon 1/l/90 Baldwin   A 7
90-14 Glaucous Gull 1/15-28/90 Lauderdale   A 20+
90-15 Lesser Black-backed Gull 1/14/90 - 3/4/90 Lauderdale   A 3
90-16 Ross's Goose 11/18/89 Limestone   A 4
90-17 Black-chinned Hummingbird 8/28/89 - 9/4/89 Shelby P A 3
90-18 Pelagic Cormorant 3/24/90 Baldwin   NI  
90-19 Shiny Cowbird 4/25/90 Baldwin   A 1H
90-20 Eurasian Collared-Dove* 5/7/90 Baldwin   NI  
90-21 Shiny Cowbird 4/26/90 - 5/12/90 Baldwin P A 2
90-22 Lesser Black-backed Gull 5/3/90 Baldwin   NI  
90-23 Great Black-backed Gull 4/3/90- 5/3/90
Baldwin
Mobile
 P A 20+
90-24 Shiny Cowbird 4/30/90 - 6/90 Mobile   A 3
90-25 Brown Booby 4/21/90 Mobile   NI  
90-27 Bronzed Cowbird 4/22/90 Baldwin   A 2
90-28 Ross's Goose 3/11/90 Perry   A 6
90-29 Iceland Gull 4/16/84 Mobile   A 1
90-30 Ruff 9/10/90 Shelby   NI  
90-31 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 9/10/90 Shelby   NI  
90-32 Yellow Rail 9/1/90 Baldwin   A 9
90-33 Swainson's Hawk 10/19-20/90 Baldwin P A 15+
90-34 Calliope Hummingbird 12/24/89 Mobile S A 1
90-35 Bronzed Cowbird 11/7-10/90 Baldwin P A 3
90-36 Clay-colored Sparrow 11/7-10/90 Baldwin   A 25+
90-38 Great Cormorant 10/7-14/90 Baldwin P A 9
90-39 Swainson's Hawk 11/10/90 Baldwin   A 15+
90-40 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 9/29/90 Baldwin   A rare
90-41 Clay-colored Sparrow 9/29/90 Baldwin   A 25+
90-42 Clay-colored Sparrow 10/6-7/90 Baldwin   A 25+
90-43 Pacific Loon 11/23/90 - 11/13/91 Marshall   A 8
90-44 Glaucous Gull 11/18/90 - 2/91 Marshall   A 20+
90-45 Say’s Phoebe 9/29/90 Jefferson   A 2
1 P - photograph; S - specimen; blank - sight record
2 A - accepted; NI - not accepted (identification)
3 Number of accepted sightings as of this record (1 = first, 2 = second, etc.); H – hypothetical list

TABLE 2. 1991 RECORDS COMMITTEE EVALUATIONS

Record Number Species Date County How Documented 1 Decision 2 Alabama Status 3
91-1 Great Black-backed Gull 1/26/91 Baldwin   A 20+
91-2 Calliope Hummingbird 2/2/91 - 3/29/91 Shelby B A 2
91-3 Roseate Spoonbill 9/19-26/87 Greene   A 7+
91-4 Parasitic Jaeger 3/11/91 Baldwin   A 20+
91-6 Buff-bellied Hummingbird 4/8/91 Baldwin   A 1H
91-7 Black-chinned Hummingbird 9/29/90 Jefferson   A 11
91-9 Red-throated Loon 11/18 - 12/9/90 Marshall   A 35+
91-11 Black-b. Whistling-Duck 12/24/90 - 1/1/91 + Morgan S A 1
91-13 Eurasian Collared-Dove* 4/12/91- 5/7/91 Baldwin P A 1
91-14 Red-throated Loon 4/10-21/91 Mobile   A 35+
91-16 Great Black-backed Gull 3/21/91

4/7/91

Baldwin

Mobile

  A 20+
91-17 Western Tanager 4/24/91 Mobile   A 10+
91-18 Harris's Sparrow 3/19/91 - 5/4/91 Baldwin   A 9
91-19 Shiny Cowbird 4/12/91 - 5/7/91 Baldwin   A 4
91-20 Bronzed Cowbird 4/11/91 Baldwin   A 4
1 P - photograph; S - specimen; B-banded; blank - sight record
2 A - accepted
3 Number of accepted sightings as of this record (1 = first, 2 = second, etc.); H – hypothetical list
* Pending acceptance by the American Ornithologists' Union
Robert A. Duncan (Acting Secretary, Alabama Bird Records Committee)
614 Fairpoint Dr., Gulf Breeze, FL 32561.

Original report appeared in Alabama Birdlife 39(1): 7-10 [1992].

[Species names modified to current (1998) American Ornithologists’ Union conventions.]

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