New Brunswick Bird Records Committee:
2003-04 Report**

This is the sixth "annual" report of the New Brunswick Bird Records Committee, combining the two years, 2003 and 2004.

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, Jim Wilson, and Donald F. McAlpine (non-voting). Jim Wilson served as chairman and David Christie as secretary.

Publication by the New Brunswick Museum of Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List and Oiseaux du Nouveau-Brunswick : une liste commentée culminated several years' work by past and present members of the committee and other volunteers. The books were launched at Edmundston in May 2004 in conjunction with the annual meetings of the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists and the Canadian Nature Federation. The committee gratefully acknowledges financial support for publication from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, the New Brunswick Museum's Publications in Natural Science Fund, and from various individuals and naturalists' clubs.

The currently accepted list of New Brunswick birds and information about the committee 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.

A major revision of the committee's by-laws was carried out at its annual meeting in November 2004. The most significant changes were:

• The number of records on which the committee will hold formal votes was doubled to a limit of ten accepted records within the past fifty years.
• The number of voting categories was expanded from three to five, and explanations of each were adopted. The categories are:
  1. accept identification and natural occurrence
  2. [new] accept identification, natural occurrence questionable but a reasonable possibility
  3. not accept, identification questionable
  4. not accept, identification acceptable, natural occurrence unlikely
  5. [new] not accept, establishment of introduced population questionable.

Through 2004, the committee has been voting on reports of any species for which five New Brunswick records had 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 have been 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. If a decision is still not reached, a record will be considered a third time in open discussion at an annual meeting. The majority of committee decisions are unanimous.

Voting was completed on 12 records during 2003, and nine during 2004. Of these, 11 (92%) and nine (100%), respectively, were accepted and the remainder were not. Nine new species, Barnacle Goose / Bernache nonnette, Cackling Goose / Bernache de Hutchins, Eared Grebe / Grèbe à cou noir, Brown Pelican / Pélican brun, Crested Caracara / Caracara du Nord, Cave Swallow / Hirondelle à front brun, Redwing / Grive mauvis, Louisiana Waterthrush / Paruline hochequeue and Golden-crowned Sparrow / Bruant à couronne dorée were added to the New Brunswick list.

Four records were carried forward because no decision was reached during first-round voting in 2004. Filed without formal review were 27 additional submissions received in 2003 and 35 in 2004.

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 (e.g., N.B. Nat. 31:114-121). 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

2003 Votes

Brown Pelican / Pélican brun
Pelecanus occidentalis
2003 - 28-29 June, Ste-Marie-St-Raphaël, Île Lamèque, Gloucester (Jude Larocque, Frank Branch) - photos, video
First accepted record. This pelican spent the night perched on a pole at the wharf, where it was seen by a large number of local people. Previous reports from Grand Manan have not been adequately documented.

King Rail / Râle élégant
Rallus elegans
1994 - 6 Oct., female found dead, Gardner Creek, St. John (Bruce and Shelley Bagnell*) - study skin and skeleton
Second provincial record. This specimen in the New Brunswick Museum had not been critically examined to differentiate it from rusty-coloured races of Clapper Rail. Four members considered that the combination of coloration and measurements indicated a King Rail, but one recommended comparison with a large series of specimens.

Gull-billed Tern / Sterne hansel
Sterna nilotica
2003 - 4 July, Eel River Bar, Restigouche (Bob Gillis*, Raymond Chiasson*, Margaret Gallant Doyle) - photos
First record to be accepted by the committee. There have been only a few reports in the province, including one specimen, over the past 125 years.

Gull-billed Tern, Eel River Bar, July 2003; photo: Margaret Gallant Doyle.

Forster's Tern / Sterne de Forster
Sterna forsteri
2002-03 - 28 Dec. to 1 Jan., Saint John West, St. John (Eileen Pike*, Janet Whitehead*, Rose-Alma Mallet*, Merv Cormier, Ken MacIntosh) - photos
First record to be accepted by the committee. Previous reports include at least two that were photographed. It has usually occurred in late summer and autumn, and is the tern most likely to occur in the northeast during winter, as this one did.

Say's Phoebe / Moucherolle à ventre roux
Sayornis saya
2002-03 - 28 Dec. to 9 Jan., Gagetown, Queens (Don Gibson*, David Myles*, Valmond Bourque, Merv Cormier) - photos
2003 - 17-19 Apr., Saint John West, St. John (Ian Cameron*, David Christie, Stuart Tingley, Frank Kelly, Irene Doyle) - photos, video
Fourth and fifth accepted records. Previous records had been in September, so these two birds expanded the season.

Cave Swallow / Hirondelle à front brun
Petrochelidon fulva
2003 - 3 Nov., Point Lepreau, St. John-Charlotte (Eileen Pike*, Roy Pike*) - video captures
First accepted record. In recent autumns this species has sometimes wandered in considerable numbers to the northeastern U.S.A. and southern Canada. This is the first one to be conclusively identified in New Brunswick.

Cave Swallow, Point Lepreau, Nov. 2003; video capture: Eileen Pike.

Redwing / Grive mauvis
Turdus iliaca
2003 - 29 Mar., Trudel, and 1-7 Apr., Paquetville, Gloucester (Frank Branch*, Raymonde Pinet*, Robert Doiron, Stuart Tingley, Margaret Gallant Doyle) - video, photos
First accepted record. This extremely rare European vagrant remained long enough to attract birders from other parts of North America. The one previous documented report was by a single observer.

Redwing, Paquetville, April 2003; video capture: Frank Branch.

Louisiana Waterthrush / Paruline hochequeue
Seiurus motacilla
2003 - 17-20 Apr., one, Chance Harbour, St. John (Norm & Gisèle Belliveau*, Gilles Belliveau*, Jim Wilson*, Stuart Tingley*, Frank Kelly, Irene Doyle, Margaret Gallant Doyle) - photos, video
First accepted record. Three previous reports were each documented by just one observer.

Louisiana Waterthrush, Chance Harbour, April 2003; photo: Margaret Gallant Doyle.

Golden-crowned Sparrow/Bruant à couronne dorée
Zonotrichia atricapilla
2003 - 28 June, adult, Machias Seal Island, Charlotte (Russell Ross*, Kate Devlin*, Amie Black*, David Larson*, Strickland Wheelock*, Julie Paquet*, Chris Novak*, Paul Cranford*) - photos
Our first accepted record was gone the following day. Late June was a surprising time for the occurrence of this vagrant from the west coast.

Golden-crowned Sparrow, Machias Seal Island, June 2003; photo: David Larson.

2004 Votes

Eared Grebe / Grèbe à cou noir
Podiceps nigricollis
2004 - 21 Apr., adult in breeding plumage, Point Lepreau, St. John-Charlotte (Beverley J. Schneider*, Alex Bond*, Jenny McWilliams*)
Second accepted record. Observers at the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory focused their attention on a grebe in breeding plumage as they watched it and a duller bird actively diving and drifting down the bay. Four out of five members voted to accept the brighter bird; there was insufficient information about the identity of the second one.

Barnacle Goose / Bernache nonnette
Branta leucopsis
2001 - 3-29 Nov., immature, Coverdale, Albert (Stuart Tingley*, David Christie) - photos, video
First accepted record, natural occurrence questionable but a reasonable possibility. The matter of Barnacle Goose origin has occupied most bird record committees in northeastern North America; captive birds are fairly numerous and some escape, but one banded in Europe was recovered in Newfoundland. The committee was unable to reach a decision in its first two votes on the Coverdale bird. It was unanimously accepted in the third consideration, after voting categories had been modified and defined. The fact that this bird was a wary immature accompanying Canada Goose migrants from the north increased the possibility of its wild origin. An earlier record (Gardner Creek, Feb. 1994) had not been accepted.

Barnacle Goose, Coverdale, Nov. 2001; video capture: David Christie.

Cackling Goose / Bernache de Hutchins
Branta hutchinsii
2004 - 4 Oct. to 12 Nov., one, Pokemouche, Gloucester (Frank Branch*, Roland Robichaud*, Juliette Pellerin, Marcel David, Jim Wilson, Peter Wilshaw, Gordon Parsons, Valmond Bourque, Margaret Doyle) - video, photos
First accepted record. In 2003, the American Ornithologists' Union recognized certain small, tundra-nesting subspecies of Canada Goose as a distinct species. There have been reports of small Canada Geese in New Brunswick in the past but with very little detailed information being preserved. The recent decision by the A.O.U. stimulated interest in these birds and resulted in the discovery and documentation of this record.

Cackling Goose, Pokemouche, Oct. 2004; photo: Marcel David.

Wood Stork / Tantale d'Amérique
Mycteria americana
2004 - 7-15 Aug., juvenile, Musquash, St. John (Juliette and Jack Hickman*, Merv Cormier*, Margaret Gallant Doyle, Janet Whitehead, Bruce Mactavish) - photos
Second accepted record (after a specimen in 1911). Aside from some brief unconfirmed observations in 1995, this was the first chance for current observers to see this species here. Local residents reported that it had been present for about a week before 8 August.

WoodStork, Musquash, August 2004; photo: Bruce Mactavish.

Crested Caracara / Caracara du Nord
Caracara cheriway
2002 - 23 Oct., subadult, Lavigne Road, Maltampec and 25-29 Oct., Rivière-à-la-†ruite, Gloucester (Frank Branch*, Jude LaRocque, Luc DeRoche, Marcel David, Pat McLaughlin, Roger Leblanc) - video, photos
First provincial record, natural occurrence questionable but a reasonable possibility. The committee did not reach a decision in its first two votes, but unanimously accepted the caracara on its third consideration, after voting categories had been modified and defined. Subadult birds such as this one are more likely to wander far from their normal range than are the sedentary adults.

CrestedCaracara, Maltampec, Oct. 2002; video captures: Frank Branch.

Ash-throated Flycatcher / Tyran à gorge cendrée
Myiarchus cinerascens
2001 - 3-5 Dec., one, Alma, Albert (Stuart Tingley*, Janet Whitehead, Eileen Pike) - photos, video
Fourth accepted record. The committee accepted this bird on its third vote, when video was included as evidence in addition to the photos.

Harris's Sparrow / Bruant à face noire
Zonotrichia querula
2003 - 15-21 Nov., immature, Frog Lake Road (SW of Harvey), York (Don Gibson*, Shirley Sloat*, Margery Acheson*, Jennifer Day-Elgee) - photo
Fifth accepted record. The feeder owner reported that it had first appeared about 7 Nov.

Bullock's Oriole / Oriole de Bullock
Icterus bullockii
2003 - 25 Nov. and 8-13 Dec., immature male, Saint John, St. John (David F. Smith*, Jim Wilson) - photos
Second accepted record. Like the first, this bird allowed repeated close study at a bird feeder.

Bullock's Oriole, Saint John, Dec. 2003; photo: Jim Wilson.

Identification uncertain

2003 Votes

2003

American Swallow-tailed Kite / Milan à queue fourchue
Elanoides forficatus
1994 - 8 July, Cambridge-Narrows, Queens (Ian Varty)

Ash-throated Flycatcher / Tyran à gorge cendrée
Myiarchus cinerascens
2003 - 11 Oct., one, Pointe-Verte, Gloucester (Roger Guitard)

2004

American Swallow-tailed Kite / Milan à queue fourchue
Elanoides forficatus
2003 - late June/early July, Grand Harbour, Charlotte (Carolyn Morse)

Wilson's Plover / Pluvier de Wilson
Charadrius wilsonia
2004 - 9 June, adult male, chemin Cedrière Sud, Rivière-du-Portage, Northumberland (Ivy Austin)

Black-necked Stilt / Échasse d'Amérique
Himantopus mexicanus
2004 - 15 Apr., one, Saint John, St. John (Kathy Sessamen)

Redwing / Grive mauvis
Turdus iliacus
2004 - 17 Nov., one, Saint John, St. John (Roger Burrows)

Hooded Warbler / Paruline à capuchon
Wilsonia citrina
2004 - 28 Aug., adult male, Anchorage Provincial Park, Grand Manan, Charlotte (Ken Allison)

Documentation was also received for various species for which there are already five or more accepted records in the province:

2003

2004

The author thanks the other members of the committee for their comments and suggestions.

Publications Mentioned

Oiseaux du Nouveau-Brunswick : Une liste commentée. Traduction de : Marcel David, Robert Doiron, Jean-Sébastien Guénette, Arthur-William Landry et Rose-Alma Mallet. 95 pp., 1 carte. Musée du Nouveau-Brunswick, Saint-Jean, N.-B., Canada, 2004.

New Brunswick Bird Records Committee / Comité des mentions d'oiseaux,
c/o David Christie, secretary, 435 Mary's Point Road, Harvey, Albert Co., N.B. E4H 2M9.

** Published in N.B. Naturalist, 32 (4): 122-127, winter 2005-2006.