2011 REPORT OF THE KANSAS BIRD RECORD COMMITTEE

 

This report summarizes the activities of the Committee for the calendar year 2011. The Committee received 25 reports of which 19 were evaluated, that comprised 21 species. All reports are archived in The University of Kansas Natural History Museum in Lawrence, Kansas.

 

Submissions are assigned a sequential number in the order in which they are received, with the year of receipt as a prefix. Not all submissions are circulated to the Committee. Birds are listed in phylogenetic order under each of two categories: Records Accepted and Records Not Accepted. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow the American Ornithologist’ Union Checklist of North American Birds, Seventh Edition, 1998, updated through the 52nd supplement, 2011, (Auk 128(3): 600-613).

 

After the English and scientific names the following, if available are provided: KBRC record number, the number of individuals seen, age or plumage notes; date(s) of observation; locality; observer(s), with those documenting the record listed first; supporting physical evidence, and finally, comments and notes on changes to a species status on the Kansas Ornithological Society (KOS) checklist. Records that were not accepted by the Committee have the observer’ names omitted with a brief explanation of the reasoning behind that decision.

 

Authors, when citing KBRC records from this report, are encouraged to give credit to the observer(s) of the reports along with the citation of this report.

 

RECORDS ACCEPTED

 

Brant, (Branta bernicla), 2011-02, one adult of unknown gender, 2 January, 2011,  found on the Schwab’s pond, ca. 5 miles northeast of Newton, Harvey County, reported by Carolyn Schwab, documented with three photographs

 

Brant (Branta bernicla), 2011-03, one adult of unknown gender, 7 January, 2011, found on a farm pond just south of exit 22 on I-135, Sedgwick County, reported by Larry Londagin. The distance between this record and the above (KBRC 2011-02) was ca. 12 mi.

 

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), 2011-05a, one adult of unknown gender in

breeding plumage, 25 March, 2011, flying along the dam at Kanopolis Lake, Ellsworth County, reported by Marie Plinsky. Fifteenth state record.

 

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), 2011-05b, one adult of unknown gender in breeding plumage, 25 March, 2011, flying along the dam at Kanopolis Lake, Ellsworth County, reported by Kathy McDowell. This is the same bird as record 2011-05a.

 

Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens), 2011-13, one dark morph sub adult of unknown gender, 21 August, 2008, found within the wildlife loop of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford County, reported by Ken Brunson, documented with photographs. Third state record.

 

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), 2011-16a, one adult of unknown gender, 1 July, 2011, found at Horsethief Canyon Reservoir, Hodgeman County, reported by Carl Viethaler, documented by photographs. Sixteenth state record

 

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), 2011-16b, one adult of unknown gender, 16 July, 2011, found at Horsethief Canyon Reservoir, Hodgeman County, reported by Gregg Friesen, documented by a photograph, presumably the same bird reported in record 2011-16a.

 

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway), 2011-15, one breeding adult of unknown gender, 2 August, 2011, discovered in a pasture near Coleman Township about 12 miles Southwest of the town of Washington, Washington County, reported by Warren Buss, photo documentation. This is the first state record of this species in Kansas and will be added to the KOS Checklist.

 

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), 2011-25, adult gray morph of unknown gender, 30 December, 2011, located on a utility pole at the intersection of Grant Road and 204th Street, northwest of Wilson, Russell County, reported by Mike Rader. Seventh state record.

 

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), 2011-22, juvenile of unknown gender, 21 October, 2011, found at Christmas Cove, Cheney Lake, (37.768234, -97.792544), Reno County, reported by Sean Fitzgerald. Although this species is a common migrant in spring, it is a very rare during fall through the interior of the United States.
 

Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina), 2011-01, one adult of unknown gender, 2 January 2011, one mile east of Medicine Lodge, Barber County, found roosting on a brush pile during the Red Hills CBC, reported by Kevin Groeneweg.

 

Green Violetear (Colibri thalassinus), 2011-09a, of unknown gender, 8-12 June, 2011, at a backyard feeder between Manhattan and Keats, Riley County, see record 2011-9b for documentation. This is the first state record of this species in Kansas and will be added to the KOS Checklist.

 

Green Violetear (Colibri thalassinus), 2011-09b, one adult female, 12 June, 2011, at a backyard feeder between Manhattan and Keats, Riley County, reported by Dave Rintoul, documented with a photograph. This is the same bird as record 2011-09a.

 

Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris), 2011-14, adult male, 8 to 12 June, 2011, located at a feeder on a farmstead southwest of Montezuma in Gray County, submitted by Sara Shane, documented with a photograph taken by the owner of the farmstead. Third state record

 

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius), 2011-23, male, 30 October, 2011, located about two miles south of Kinsley, Edwards County, reported by Henry Armknecht.

 

Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata), 2011-18, unknown age and gender in non-breeding plumage, 25 August, 2011, near the Clinton State Park overlook, Douglas County, reported by Jon King. Although this species is a common migrant in the spring, it is an extremely rare fall migrant through the interior of the United States.

 

Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus), 2011-11, adult male, 4 May, 2011, Picnic grounds, K-27 and Cimarron River in Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, reported by Max Thompson, photo documentation by Thompson, originally found by Ruth Grant and Howard Schwartz. Third state record.

 

Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), 2011-12, presumed adult male, 2 July and 4 July, 2011, located singing in a field at Lehigh, Marion County, reported by Tristen Weinbrenner, documented with field notes. A very unusual summer record.  

 

RECORDS NOT ACCEPTED

 

Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus), 2011-07, after hatch year immature, 10 April, 2011, at a shelterbelt near Elkhart, Morton County (see details of sighting in Raynor, E. J., T. T. Cable, and D. Wiggins, 2011. Common Black-Hawk: A Probable Kansas Record and Recent Range Expansion in the Southwestern U.S. Kansas Ornith. Soc. Bull. 62[4]:33-41). The report of this potential first state record contained too many generalizations and not enough detail of the plumage to eliminate all other possible juvenile raptors.

 

Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) 2011-24, adult in breeding or possible transition plumage, 25 November, 2011, Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Trego County. The brief views of an actively diving bird and the details provided did not rule out all other possible species for the Committee to accept this record.

 

Members of the KBRC voting on these records:

 

Nic Allen

Henry Armknecht (alternate)

Michael J Andersen

Doris Burnett

Kevin Groeneweg

Mark Land (secretary)

Terry Mannell

Aaron Mitchell (alternate)

Mark Robbins (chair)

 

Submitted by Mark E. Land KBRC Secretary

Back to the KBRC Home Page