Thirty-ninth Annual Report of the Vermont Bird Records Committee
Creators: name: Sharp, Nathaniel
name: McFarland, Kent
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Zoology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: The Vermont Bird Records Committee (hereafter VBRC or the Committee) held its annual meeting on 9 November 2019 at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies in Norwich, Vermont. The 39th annual report of the VBRC covers the evaluation of 49 records involving 24 species and 1 subspecies or ‘identifiable subspecific form’. Forty-five records were accepted (91%) with the majority decided unanimously.<br>The highlight for 2019 was the first accepted state record of Swainson’s Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii) recorded singing in Bloomfield, VT. Notable state reports included the 4th state record for Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis), the fifth state record for Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula), the eighth state record for Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), the eighth state record for Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri), the eighth state record for Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea), and other species. A rare nesting report of Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) from Danby, VT was accepted. A detailed list of all the reports is found below.<br>The Vermont Bird Checklist is now at 388 species, representing 22 orders and 63 families. The names of the birds and their taxonomic arrangement follow the American Ornithological Society Checklist of North American Birds Seventh Edition (1998) and 60th supplement (June 2019). The checklist includes one extinct species (Passenger Pigeon [Ectopistes migratorius]), two extirpated (Loggerhead Shrike [Lanius ludovicianus] and Henslow’s Sparrow [Ammodramus henslowii]), six hypothetical occurrences, and nine introduced species. With the addition of Hooded Warbler as breeding in 2017, there have now been 203 species found breeding in the state. The checklist can be viewed and downloaded at http://vtecostudies.org/wildlife/wildlife-watching/vbrc/bird-checklists/. Species taxonomy and nomenclature follow the 7th edition of the AOS Checklist of North American Birds and supplements (see https://americanornithology.org/publications/north-and-middle-american-checklist/). Nomenclature for subspecies or ‘identifiable subspecific forms’ follows taxonomy of The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World (Version 2019), available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/.<br>The 2019 roster of VBRC voting members included: George Clark, Zac Cota-Weaver, Ken Cox (chair), Sue Elliott, Spencer Hardy, Kent McFarland, Craig Provost, Chris Rimmer, Taj Schottland, Ruth Stewart, Allan Strong, John Sutton, and Sue Wetmore.<br>The Vermont Bird Checklist is based on more than a century of documented observations. Reports that will expand this knowledge base are encouraged and appreciated. Consult the checklist to see species and time periods for which the Committee requests detailed documentation. An online form for documenting rare species, out-of-season encounters, and rare nesting species can be found on the Vermont Bird Records Committee website at http://vtecostudies.org/wildlife/wildlife-watching/vbrc.<br><br>For each record we present basic statistics: count of individuals, age and sex when known, location, when the bird was seen, and who submitted the report. We also indicate whether the evidence provided was a photograph, video, audio, or only a written submission. Some example images from the documentation are also presented. The Committee strongly encourages written submissions even if other media exist. When available, a link to the record in Vermont eBird is included. All records accepted by VBRC, past and present, are stored in Vermont eBird either by the VBRC, if the observer did not enter it, or via the observer(s) directly entering the record. The VBRC strongly encourages observers to enter all bird observations, rare or common, in Vermont eBird.