Report of the Records Committee for 1998

Thomas H. Kent

The Records Committee reviewed 37 records from 1998. Of these, 31 were accepted and 6 were not. Sprague’s Pipit was added to the state list. Of the accepted records, 1 was of a non-species (Ringed Turtle-Dove), and 1 was identified only to family (hummingbird). Two of the not-accepted records were identified correctly but were probably escapees (Lesser White-fronted Goose, Amazilla Hummingbird).

Committee members for 1998 with years in which their terms expire were: Ann M. Johnson (1999), W. Ross Silcock (2000), Chris Edwards (2001), James L. Fuller (2002), Matthew C. Kenne (2003), Robert I. Cecil (2004), and Thomas H. Kent (secretary, appointed by the committee). Jim Sinclair was nominated by the Committee and Appointed by the Board of Directors to fill a regular term beginning in 1999. The secretary resigned, and in 1999 the committee appointed Ann M. Johnson as secretary beginning in the year 2000 and nominated Thomas H. Kent to fill the expiring term of W. Ross Silcock in 2000.

The four-digit number (year and sequence number) assigned to each record reviewed by the Records Committee is included for future reference. Records are classified as follows: A = Accepted (-S = specimen, -P = photograph, -R = recording, -D = documentation) and NA = Not Accepted. In order to be Accepted, a record must receive 7 votes on the initial review or 6 votes on a subsequent review. The subcategories A-S, A-P, and A-R indicate that physical evidence supports the identification, and records are subclassified based on a majority vote. References to IBL are the page of the Field Reports in Iowa Bird Life where the record is cited. P- numbers refer to the IOU Photo File entry number. Published notes and previous citations may contain more details. An * indicates a previously uncited documentation.

1998 RECORDS ACCEPTED

Clark’s Grebe: 22 Nov at Lost Island L. in Palo Alto (98-21, *Lee A. Schoenewe, IBL 69:31).

Black-crowned Night-Heron: 2 Jan at Cedar L. in Linn Co. (98-01, IBL 68:56).

Glossy Ibis: 26 May at Thorp P. in Winnebago Co. (98-12, P-0599, IBL 68:90).

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 10 Apr to 19 May at Tomahawk M. in Sac Co. (98-13, P-0593, IBL 68:90).

Virginia Rail: 1 Jan at Brown’s L. in Woodbury Co. (98-02, IBL 68:60).

Whooping Crane: 11 Nov southwest of Plainfield in Bremer Co. (98-24, IBL 69:34) and 12 Nov southwest of Jester P. in Polk Co. (98-23, IBL 69:34).

Black-necked Stilt: 28 Apr at Mark Twain N.W.R. in Louisa Co. (98-14, IBL 68:92).

Whimbrel: 20 May at Spirit L. in Dickinson Co. (98-32, P-0601, IBL 68:92)

Dunlin: 28 Feb at Synder’s Bend in Woodbury Co. (98-09, *Bill F. Huser, IBL 68:60).

Ruff: 23 Oct at Runnell’s W.A. in Marion Co. (98-25, IBL 69:35).

Red Phalarope: 7 Oct at Coralville Res. in Johnson Co. (98-26, P-0602, IBL 69:35)

Black-headed Gull: 17 May at Kettleson Hogsback A. in Dickinson Co. (98-15, IBL 68:93) and 11, 15 Oct and 8 Nov at Spirit L. in Dickinson Co. (98-27, P-0617, IBL 69:35).

Mew Gull: 20 Dec at Saylorville Res. in Polk Co. (98-36, IBL 69:??) and 21 Dec at Keokuk in Lee Co. (98-37, IBL 69:??)..

California Gull: 5 Oct to 4 Nov at Red Rock Res. (98-28, IBL 69:35).

Black-legged Kittiwake: 26 Apr at Rathbun Res. in Appanoose Co. (98-16, IBL 68:93).

Ringed Turtle-Dove: Jun at Elkhart in Polk Co. (98-34, P-0610, *Adeline Studer). A photograph was used to determine that the bird was not a Eurasian Collared-Dove.

Eurasian Collared-Dove: 26 Feb at Grinnell in Poweshiek Co., a continuation of birds present since 30 Aug 1997 (98-03, IBL 68:61) and 20, 29 Aug and 1 Sep at Willow Creek P. in Osceola Co. (98-30, P-0605, IBL 69:35).

Burrowing Owl: 30 Aug east of Larchwood in Lyon Co. (98-35, P-0611, IBL 69:36).

Hummingbird species: A possible Anna’s Hummingbird was found on 31 Mar in a greenhouse in Le Claire in Scott Co. (98-10, IBL 68:94).

Black-billed Magpie: 24 Jan in northwestern Plymouth Co. (98-17, IBL 68:61) and 30 Apr south of Westfield in Plymouth Co. (8-18, IBL 68:94).

Common Raven: 5 Feb at L. Manawa in Pottawattamie Co. (98-05, IBL 68:61).

Marsh Wren: 1 Jan at Brown’s L. In Wood bury Co. (98-06, IBL 68:62).

Sprague’s Pipit: 22 Feb at Waterman Creek A. in O’Brien Co. (98-07, IBL 68:62) and 22 Apr at Union Hills A. in Cerro Gordo Co. (98-19, *Carolyn J. Fischer, *Jan L. Walter, IBL 68:95).

Bohemian Waxwing: 21 Nov at Spirit Lake in Dickinson Co. (98-33, IBL 69:37).

Summer Tanager: 11 Jan to 5 Mar at Iowa City in Johnson Co. (98-08, P-0575, P-0576, IBL 68:62, 96, Noble 1998).

1998 RECORDS NOT ACCEPTED

Neotropic Cormorant: The identification was not considered definitive (98-11, IBL 68:90).

Lesser White-fronted Goose: 10, 11 Jun at L. Macbride in Johnson Co. (98:20, P-0600, found by James Huntington, IBL 68:125). The identification was accepted but the origin of the bird uncertain. The only accepted North American record is from Attu Island in Alaska. The origin of the few mainland birds is in doubt.

Ferruginous Hawk: Members expressed uncertainty about the identification of a summer bird (98-22, IBL 69:33).

California Gull: Some of the plumage features were not consistent with this species in fall garb (98-29, IBL 69:35).

Amazilia Hummingbird: A bird at a Des Moines feeder in Polk County from 3 Sep to Nov was a Peruvian species that escaped from the Des Moines Botanical Center (98-31, P-0598, P-0609, IBL 69:36, Stolz et al. 1999).

Three-toed Woodpecker: This bird may have been a sapsucker (98-04).

CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS TO 1996 REPORT

In the second paragraph, committee members were for 1997 not 1996.

LITERATURE CITED

Noble, M. E. 1998. Summer Tanager wintering in Johnson County. Iowa Bird Life 68:132-133

Stolz et al..

© Iowa Ornithologists’ Union