New Brunswick Bird Records Committee:
2000-02 Report**

by David Christie

This is the fifth "annual" report of the New Brunswick Bird Records Committee, combining the three years, 2000-02.

The committee operates under the sponsorship of the New Brunswick Museum to ensure that adequate information is preserved about unusual occurrences of birds in New Brunswick, to provide a process for formal acceptance of bird species to the provincial list, and generally to advance knowledge of birds in New Brunswick.

The committee's members during this period were: David Christie, Marcel David, Jim Edsall, Mike Lushington, who replaced Peter Pearce in the autumn of 2000, Jim Wilson, and Donald F. McAlpine (non-voting). Jim Wilson served as chairman and David Christie as secretary.

In addition to its principal activity of collecting and studying written and audio-visual documentation of unusual bird occurrences, the committee continued work towards production of a book on New Brunswick birds [Note: In the spring of 2004 it was published by the New Brunswick Museum as two editions - Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List and Oiseaux du Nouveau-Brunswick : une liste commentée.]

The currently accepted list of New Brunswick birds and related information can be found at the website http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/maryspt/BRC. Documentation forms are available from committee members and from the museum, or may be copied from the website.

The Committee votes on reports of any species for which five New Brunswick records have not already been accepted. If a species has been accepted only on the basis of sight records it also votes on the first record supported by tangible evidence. Submissions beyond five records are gratefully received and placed on file as valuable information for future study. Only records independently documented by two or more observers or supported by tangible evidence (specimens, photos, video/audio tapes, etc.) are eligible for formal acceptance.

The members of the committee carefully study each submission and cast their votes independently. Acceptance or non-acceptance requires near unanimity, with no more than one contrary vote allowed. If opinion is more divided, a second vote is held during which first-round comments are added to the material being considered. The majority of committee decisions are unanimous.

Voting was completed on 13 records during 2000, 11 during 2001, and 11 during 2002. Of these, 10 (77%), 9 (82%), and 10 (91%), respectively, were accepted and the remainder were not. Eight new species, Western Grebe / Grèbe élégant, Swainson's Hawk / Buse de Swainson, Black-tailed Godwit / Barge à queue noire, South Polar Skua / Labbe de McCormick, Broad-billed Hummingbird / Colibri circé, Black-chinned Hummingbird / Colibri à gorge noire, Green-tailed Towhee / Tohi à queue verte and Bullock's Oriole / Oriole de Bullock, were added to the New Brunswick list.

Two records were carried forward because no decision was reached in first-round voting in 2002. Filed without formal review were 25 additional submissions received in 2000, 31 in 2001, and 27 in 2002.

The Committee thanks all observers who submitted documentation of their observations. All these reports, whether accepted or not, are deposited in the Natural Sciences Division of the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. The votes and remarks of committee members are attached to the reports, and may be viewed on request to Don McAlpine at the museum.

The format of this report is the same as for previous years (N.B. Nat. 22:38-42, 23:62-66, 24:108-112, and 29:119-125). Information on sex and plumage is included, where it can be reliably ascertained. Place names in italics refer to counties in New Brunswick. For accepted records, persons who participated in the initial discovery and/or identification of a bird are denoted by an asterisk (*); if they did not provide documentation, their names are listed in italics. Everyone who provided written descriptions, photographs, videotapes or other documentation is also credited.

Every effort has been made to verify dates, locations and observers' names. We welcome corrections or updates to make the records more exact.

Accepted Records

2000 Votes

Black-necked Stilt / Échasse d'Amérique
Himantopus mexicanus
2000 - 31 May to 6 June, adult female, Jacquet River, Restigouche (Louise McGovern*, Roger McGovern*, David Christie, Marcel David) - photos, video
First accepted modern record (of four or five reports), this bird was seen by many observers.

Black-tailed Godwit / Barge à queue noire
Limosa limosa
2000 - 23-24 July, male in breeding plumage, Inkerman, Gloucester (Marcel David*, Cecil Johnston) - photos
First provincial record. This striking Eurasian shorebird was seen by numerous birders.

Black-tailed Godwit. Inkerman, July 2000, photo by Cecil Johnston.

Chuck-will's-widow / Engoulevent de Caroline
Caprimulgus carolinensis
2000 - 14 June, one, Castalia, Grand Manan, Charlotte (Brian Dalzell, Ann Chudleigh)
Second accepted record. Heard at dusk and after dark but not seen, this bird responded to the playing of a Chuck-will's-widow song and its calls matched the tape.

Broad-billed Hummingbird / Colibri circé
Cynanthus latirostris
1999 - 19-25 Oct., immature female, Mapleton, near Elgin, Albert (Keith Warren*, Mary Majka*, David Christie*, Stuart Tingley, Gilles Bourque, Margaret Gallant Doyle) - photos, video
First provincial record. Seen by many, this southwestern hummer had probably first appeared at the feeder during September.

Broad-billed Hummingbird, Mapleton, Oct. 1999, photo by David Christie.

White-eyed Vireo / Viréo aux yeux blancs
Vireo griseus
2000 - 20 May, adult, White Head Island, Grand Manan, Charlotte (Don Gibson*) - photo
Fourth accepted record, all photographed. One was also reported at Castalia the same day.

Tufted Titmouse / Mésange bicolore
Baeolophus bicolor
1999-2000 - 2nd week of Dec. to 13 Jan., one, Chamcook, Charlotte (Blaine Chamberlain*, Jane Chamberlain*, Merv Cormier) - photos
2000 - 3rd week of Feb., one, Woodstock, Carleton (Alfred Wallace*, Reta Wallace*, David Myles) - photo
1999-2000 - autumn to Feb., one, Mainstream Road, Carlisle, Carleton (David Rogers*, Anna Rogers*, Leona Avery*, David Myles) - photos
Second to fourth accepted records. A small influx of titmice marked the winter of 1999-2000; of six reports, these three were well-documented. The bird at Chamcook was seen by at least 80 observers.

Townsend's Solitaire / Solitaire de Townsend
Myadestes townsendi
1999-2000 - 13 Dec. to 16 Mar, one, probably immature, Riverside-Albert, Albert (David Christie*, Merv Cormier) - photos, video
Sixth accepted record. Normally it would have been filed without voting but confusion led to belief it would be the fifth.

Western Meadowlark / Sturnelle de l'Ouest
Sturnella neglecta
2000 - 5-9 Oct., one, Inkerman, Gloucester (Jean-Guy Robichaud*, André Robichaud*, Lucia Robichaud*, Ginette Doucet*, Frank Branch, Marcel David) - video
Fifth accepted record. The difficult separation from Eastern Meadowlark was based on amount of white in tail supported by distinctive calls and songs.

2001 Votes

Western Grebe / Grèbe élégant
Aechmophorus occidentalis
2001 - 5-18 May, one, Point Lepreau, St. John & Charlotte (Tracey Dean*, Ian Cameron*, David Christie, Don Gibson, Nelson Poirier, Stuart Tingley, Gisèle Belliveau, Ruth Rogers) - photos, video
First provincial record. Of a few reports in the province, this is the first to be thoroughly documented. It was possibly still present on 22 May.

Western Grebe, Point Lepreau, May 2001, photo by Stuart Tingley.

Northern Gannet / Fou de Bassan
Morus bassanus
1999 - 11 June to 23 Aug, breeding at White Horse Island, Charlotte (Sean Corrigan*, Tony Diamond) - photos
First modern breeding. A pair hatched one young, the first in New Brunswick since about 1866. Two additional nests were occupied in June (Corrigan and Diamond, 2002. Canadian Field-Naturalist 115:176-177).

Long-tailed Jaeger / Labbe à longue queue
Stercorarius longicaudus
2000 - 2 Sep, juvenile, Grand Manan Channel, Charlotte (Lysle Brinker*, Don Mairs*)
First accepted sight record (two previous specimens) of very few ever reported in the province. Later in the month there were two undocumented reports of possibly the same bird.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher / Tyran des savanes
Tyrannus savana
2000 - 30 Sep to 5 Oct., immature, North Head, Charlotte (Gisèle Belliveau*, Norm Belliveau*, Stuart Tingley*, Jim Edsall*, Merv Cormier) - photos
2001 - 7-14 Oct., adult, Miscou Plains, Miscou Island, Gloucester (Gérard Benoit*, Frank Branch, Margaret Gallant Doyle, Clarence Nowlan) - video, photos
These two, the first ones reviewed by the committee, stayed long enough to be studied by numerous observers. Four of seven previous reports are probably acceptable.

Mountain Bluebird / Merlebleu azuré
Sialia currucoides
2000 - 25 Nov. to 1 Dec., female, Pennfield, Charlotte (Ken MacIntosh*, Merv Cormier) - photos
Second accepted record, seen by numerous observers.

Fieldfare / Grive litorne
Turdus pilaris
2001 - 18 Jan. to 15 March, one, Fredericton, York (Don Gibson*, Merv Cormier) - photos
Third accepted record, again a long-staying one seen by many observers, including several from out of province.

Painted Bunting / Passerin nonpareil
Passerina ciris
2000 - 28-30 May, male, Alma, Albert (Doreen Rossiter*, Fred Dubé, David Christie, Merv Cormier) - photos
Fifth accepted record.

Black-headed Grosbeak / Cardinal à tête noire
Pheucticus melanocephalus
2001 - 28 Oct. to 3 Nov., immature male, Nictau, Victoria (Joe Yacovino*, Erwin Landauer) - photos
Third accepted record, attracted to bird feeders.

2002 Votes

Pacific Loon / Plongeon du Pacifique
Gavia pacifica
1999 -25 Sep., one, off Ross Island, Grand Manan, Charlotte (Stuart Tingley*, Gilles Bourque*, et al.) - photos
Second accepted record, the first to be photographed, was encountered during a seabird and whale-watching boat trip by the Moncton Naturalists' Club.

Swainson's Hawk / Buse de Swainson
Buteo swainsoni
2002 - 10-11 Oct., dark morph juvenile, Waterside and New Horton, Albert (Stuart Tingley*, Gisèle Belliveau*, Norm Belliveau*, Rose-Alma Mallet*, David Christie) - video, photos
First provincial record. The rare bird alert system allowed ten additional observers to arrive within three hours of the discovery of this western buteo. A few more saw it briefly the next morning.

Swainson's Hawk, Waterside, Oct. 2002, photos by Stuart Tingley.

American Oystercatcher / Huîtrier d'Amérique
Haematopus palliatus
2002 - late May to late July, adult, Hay Island, Grand Manan, Charlotte (Brian Dalzell*, Jim Wilson) - photos
This species, which is slowly expanding northwards, was reported in the general area of Kent Island a number of times during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Observations on 10 July 2002 were the only ones well-documented.

South Polar Skua / Labbe de McCormick
Stercorarius maccormicki
2002 - 20 Aug. and 6 Sep., one, intermediate morph, off Gannet Rock, Grand Manan, Charlotte (Durlan Ingersoll*, Doug Goodhew*, Barry Zimmer) - photos, video
First provincial record. Skua identification is tricky; none of the few previous reports of this species have been well enough documented for acceptance. In this case, the combination of photos, video and two written descriptions made a strong enough case.

South Polar Skua, off Gannet Rock, Aug. 2002, left: photo by Doug Goodhew; right: video frame by Durlan Ingersoll

Black-chinned Hummingbird / Colibri à gorge noire
Archilochus alexandri
2002 - 26-31 Oct., immature male, Mary's Point, Albert (David Christie*, Mike Majka*, Mary Majka*, Stuart Tingley*, Gilles Bourque, Alain Clavette) - photos, video
First provincial record. More than 90 people saw this western hummingbird which was extensively documented in photos and video.

Black-chinned Hummingbird, Mary's Point, Oct. 2002, photo by David Christie

Ash-throated Flycatcher / Tyran à gorge cendrée
Myiarchus cinerascens
2001 - late Nov. to 8 Dec., one, Westfield, Kings (Margie Wilson*, Roy Pike*, Eileen Pike*, Janet Whitehead*, Jim Wilson, Frank Kelly) - photos
Third accepted record. Remarkably, four of this southwestern flycatcher were reported in the province during November-December 2001.

White-eyed Vireo / Viréo aux yeux blancs
Vireo griseus
2002 - 6-7 Oct., adult, Saint John West, Saint John (Eileen Pike*, Rose-Alma Mallet*, Janet Whitehead*, Roy Pike*, Don Gibson)
Fifth accepted record. Several other sightings have been reported.

Green-tailed Towhee / Tohi à queue verte
Pipilo chlorurus
2002 - 4 Jan. to 20 Mar., adult, Saint John West, Saint John (Pat Morine*, Jim Wilson*, Stuart Tingley, David Christie) - photos
First provincial record. This furtive western towhee was frequently difficult to find but was seen around feeders by many observers during its winter stay.

Green-tailed Towhee, Saint John West, Jan. 2002, photo by Pat Morine.

"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco / Junco ardoisé «de l'Ouest» Junco hyemalis, oreganus group
2002 - 23 Feb. to 19 Mar., one, Rothesay, Kings (Ernie Connell*) - photos
Fifth accepted record.

Bullock's Oriole / Oriole de Bullock
Icterus bullockii
2001-02 - Nov. to 6 Feb., immature male, Bathurst, Gloucester (Pat McLaughlin*, Frank Branch*, Marcel David, Stuart Tingley, Jim Wilson, David Christie) - photos, video
First provincial record. Most previous reports have proved to be young female Baltimore Orioles or were not documented. This faithful feeder visitor allowed close study by many observers.

Bullock's Oriole, Bathurst, Dec. 2001, video frame by Frank Branch

Records Not Accepted

Identification accepted, natural origin unlikely

Records in this category are considered by the Committee to be almost certainly escaped birds or birds from introduced populations that are not fully established. Such records may be reviewed at any time, should new information arise suggesting a wild origin.