2012 REPORT OF THE KANSAS BIRD RECORD COMMITIEE
This report summarizes the activities of the Committee for the calendar year 2012. All reports are archived in The University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas.
Record 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. The Committee evaluated 33 records that comprised 29 species. 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 53rd supplement, 2012, (Auk 129(3): 573-588).
After the English and scientific name the following, if available, are provided: KBRC record number, the number of individuals seen, with age or plumage notes; date(s) of observation; locality; observer(s), with those documenting the record listed first; supporting physical evidence, if any, received by the committee; and finally, comments and notes on changes to the species status on the Kansas Ornithological Society (KOS) checklist. Records that were not accepted by the Committee have the observer' names omitted, and 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 record that submitted the report along with the citation of this report.
Records Accepted
Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii), three documentations were
received, all from Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Pottawatomie County. There is no
reason to believe that more than one bird was involved, thus the following
observations refer to the same bird: 2012-04a, one adult of unknown gender, 1
February 2012, reported and photographed by Will Chatfield-Taylor; 2012-04b, one
juvenile/immature in winter plumage, 30 January to 2 February 2012, reported by
Ted Cable, documented with photographs; and 2012-04c, one probable juvenile, 1
February 2012, reported by Clyde Ferguson. Fifth state record.
Wood Stork (Mycteria americanus), 2012-21, 15 July 2012, 2 sub-adults of unknown gender, Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Management Area, Unit G, Linn County, reported by Robert Trenton Reed, documented with photographs. Tenth state record.
Black Vulture (Corogryps atratus), 2012-25, 2 April 2012, one adult of unknown gender, Larned, Pawnee County, reported by Scott Seltman, documented with photographs. This is the farthest west sighting since 1885 (Thompson, M.C., CA Ely, B. Gress, C. Otte, S.T. Patti, D. Seibel, EA Young. 2011. Birds of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 528 pp.).
Black Vulture (Corogryps atratus ), 2012-38, 24 March 2012, one adult of unknown gender, Hwy 38, ca. 15 miles WNW of Garnett, Anderson County, coordinates 33.94623,-95.4526512, reported by Jon King, documented with a photograph by John Bollin.
Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus), four documentations were received all from Johnson County in the same vicinity that clearly represent the same individual: 2012-24a, 12 August 2012, one of unknown age and gender, Taliaferro Park, Prairie Village, reported by Robert McElwain; 2012-24b, 24 August 2012, one of unknown age and gender, near the cross streets of W 51st Street and Pflumm Road, Shawnee, reported by Debbie Reasoner; 2012-24c, 27 August 2012, one sub-adult of unknown gender, 83rd and Mission Road, Prairie Village, reported by Nic Allen, seen by many observers for five of the next seven days, documented with a photograph; and 2012-24d 28 August 2012, one of unknown age and gender, 83rd and Mission Road, Prairie Village, reported by Mike Andersen, documented with a photograph.
Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis), 2012-14, 18 May 2012, one of unknown age or sex, Gardner Wetlands just west of Gardner, Johnson County, reported by Jay Newton.
Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis), 2012-19, 1-2 July 2012, one adult, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Little Salt Marsh, Stafford County, reported by Barry Jones, documented with photographs. First state record, thus it will be added to the Kansas Checklist.
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus), 2012-12, 28 April 2012, one first cycle, Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area pool1a, Barton County, reported by Mark Land, also observed by Will Chatfield-Taylor and Terry Swope, documented with photographs by Will Chatfield-Taylor. Eighteenth state record.
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus), 2012-03, 1 February 2012, one in early pre-basic molt, 3rd cycle, Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Pottawatomie County, reported by Will Chatfield-Taylor, documented with a photograph by David Seibel. Thirteenth state record.
Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), 2012-36, 2 May 2009, one adult female, Clark State Fishing Lake, Clark County, reported by Galen Pittman, documented with photographs. Ninth state record.
Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeus), 2012-28, 4 September 2012, one of unknown age and gender, Scott Lake State Park, Timber Canyon Campground, Scott County, reported by Tom Ewert.
Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeus), 2012-30, 20 September 2012, one of unknown gender, low-water bridge on the Smoky Hill River located on Road 240, about 2 miles west of Russell Springs, Logan County, reported by Pete Janzen, also seen by Tom Ewert and Robert Reed, documented with photographs.
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina), 2012-08, 4 April 2012, one of unknown gender, Hain State Fishing Lake, Ford County, reported by Mike Rader.
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina), 2012-09, 8 April 2012, one adult male, Lake Lenexa, Lenexa, Johnson County, reported by Chris Hobbs.
Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva), 2012-16, 1 June 2012, one adult of unknown gender, SE 120th Street at intersection with SE 140thAvenue, 3.5 miles east of the town of Isabel, Pratt County, reported by Pete Janzen. Eighth state record.
Records Not Accepted
Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii), 2012-33, one adult in
breeding plumage of unknown gender, 25 October 2012, small pond east of Emporia,
Lyon County. The details provided did not eliminate other loon species.
Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii), 2012-11, two of unknown age and gender, 28 April 2012, Horsethief Reservoir, Hodgeman County. The photos received with this report were of two Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis).
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), 2012-10, 14 of unknown age and gender, 28 April 2012, Horsethief Reservoir, Hodgeman County. The details necessary to separate the Plegadis species are not provided. The birds identifiable in the documenting photograph are White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi).
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus), 2012-15, 29 May 2012, one adult, Clinton State Park, Douglas County. The short duration of the sighting and the details provided did not eliminate other species that could be confused with White-tailed Kite.
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), 2012-27, 15 to 17 of unknown gender, 25 August 2012, Kansas State University Beef Cattle Research Center lagoon, Manhattan, Kansas; Riley County. The details provided did not eliminate similar appearing shorebirds.
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), 2012-35, one of unknown age and gender in alternate plumage, 4 July 2012, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford County. The details provided did not eliminate similar appearing shorebirds.
Blue-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis clemenciae) 2012-29, 19 July 2012, one adult male, in a backyard, Russell, Russell County. Documentation did not provide enough details necessary for this potential first state record. (This is the second undocumented record for this species in Kansas- Editor.)
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 2012-22, 12June 2012, one singing, Cedar Niles Park, 127th and Cedar Creek Bridge, Johnson County. The documentation of song and spectrograms did not eliminate similar sounding species.
Hepatic Tanager (Piranga flava), 2012-18, 5 July 2012, one adult male, in a backyard on 7000 block of Kimberly, Johnson County. The report has minimal details and does not eliminate any of the other Piranga species seen in Kansas.
Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii), 2012-37, 19 May 2012, one first year male, Wyandotte County Lake Park, behind the Schlagle Library, Wyandotte County, documented with one photo. The head on photo does not eliminate a possible older female Baltimore Oriole.
Members of the KBRC voting on these records:
Nic Allen
Michael Andersen
Doris Burnett
Kevin Groeneweg
Mark Land (secretary)
Terry Mannell
Mark Robbins (chair)
Submitted by Mark E. Land KBRC Secretary