STERNTANAGER

Los Angeles Audubon Society volume 53 Number 8 May 1987

YUCATANLand of theMayaby Helen and Teri Matelson

M ayan Gods, mystical stone sky-scrapers, and the Grey-throatedChat beckoned to us . . . year after

year after year . . . we really should go. It'sso close! Finally all that beckoning strucka spark. We went to the Yucatan for 12 days,and are we glad we did.

The Maya inhabited this land around 600B.C., building a civilization of great citiesthat endured until the Spanish conquest in1542. No one knows what destroyed therich culture developed there, perhaps over-population, drought, or disease. Thesophisticated Mayan calendar was used torecord the important agrricultural cycles.Their elliptical houses with cane roofs arestill in evidence and used by Mayans today.The great Mayan stone cities are now quiet,except for the padding of tourist feet andworking archeologists. The remains ofthese cities stretch from southern Mexico,through the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatamala,and into Northern Belize. So close, and yetso far away. In those twelve April days wehad only a peek at a portion of the Mayanlandscape, but a most exciting peek.

Aeromexico, Mexicana and WesternAirlines, fly to the Yucatan Peninsula citiesof Merida, Cancun, and Cozumel. We choseto fly into the colonial capital of Merida,where renting a car was the most conve-nient. The price of a rental car is high. Wehad a new and reliable four-door Nissan todrive. Bus tours to most of the ruins areplentiful making a car unnecessary if yourplan is simply to visit the major ruins inthe area. Our plan, however, consisted onsimply seeing as many birds as possiblebefore, during, and after our visits to avariety of Mayan ruins.

Our reference material for the tripincluded maps of two of the three penin-sula provinces, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.The maps we purchased in Merida were the

May 1987

most complete. The AM Travel Guide washelpful in finding accomdations in thelarger towns. Peterson's Guide to MexicanBirds, Ridgeley's Birds of Panama, andbottled water were kept close at hand.

Our hotel in Merida, the Merida Misionwas interesting, as well located. We enjoyedwalking in the community surrounding thehotel, stopping at a sidewalk cafe, andpassing through busy shops and parks.

Uxmal, 40 miles from Merida on Rte.261, was our first destination. After a closerlook at the map we decided to leave thelarger road and travel by way of smaller,yet still paved roads. Slowly we made ourway, stopping frequently along the road tolook for birds. Only a car or two had tosqueeze by us; bicycles and pedestrianseasily skirted our often hastily-parked car-with-the-doors-flung-wide-open . . . luckyfor us.

The birds we hoped most to see wereYucatan's resident birds. In early spring andlate fall, many North American migrants arepassing through. In April, we were still intime to meet some of these old acquain-tances. At this time of year, the end of thedry season, the temperature was very warm,and we experienced no rain until the finalday of our trip. Even in rainy season,showers are usually in the late afternoonand not incapacitating. On route to Uxmalwe found Long-billed Starthroat, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Olive Sparrow,White-throated Flycatcher, Spot-breastedWren, Mangrove Vireo, Olive-throatedParakeet, Rose-throated Becard, YellowWarbler, Orange Oriole, White-eyed Vireo,Grey-breasted Martin, Yucatan Jay, andYucatan Flycatcher (which is difficult toseparate from Dusky-capped Flycatcher).

Hotel Mision Uxaml is one of threehotels surrounding the Uxaml ruins. Nearlya mile of open scrub separates this hotelfrom the ruins; the view of the Uxmaltemples from most rooms is mystical. In thehotel gardens we watched Grey-breastedGround Dove, Turquoise-browed Motmot,Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Green Jays,Orange Oriole, Clay-colored Robin, Altim-ira Oriole, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Fork-tailed Emerald Hummingbird, PaintedBunting, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler,Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Yellow-billedCacique, and Bronzed Cowbird.

Directly across the road from the ruinsis the Hotel Hacienda Uxmal. We spent alot of time during the hot afternoons sittingin their gardens (sipping an occasional icedtea) confortably watching a wonderfulassortment of birds; Social Flycatcher,Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Orange Ori-ole, Green Jay, Yucatan Jay, Catbird, Rose-throated Becard, Black and White Warbler,Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and White-eyedVireo.

The structures at Uxmal are consideredto be some of the finest examples of Mayandesign. Many of the temples there are wellrestored, with most of the relief carving

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intact. Cave Swallows swarmed in and outof the Palace of Govenors buildings.Dispersed in the surrounding woodland arelarge rocky mounds many with trees andshrubs covering the surface. These piles ofstone are fallen Mayan buildings yetunsorted by archeologists. It's difficult todecide which to investigate first... templesor woodland? Birds first. . . Blue Bunting,Lineated Woodpecker, Black ThroatedGreen Warbler, Grayish Saltator, Red-eyedVireo, Groove-billed Ani, Melodious Black-bird, Western Tanager, Scrub Euphonia,Hooded Warbler, Yellow-faced Grassquit,Tropical Kingbird, White-winged Dove,Rose-throated Becard, Orange Oriole, andPale-billed Woodpecker.

Ticul, Oxkutzcab, Mani, Teabo, andMayapan. We passed through towns largeand small with busy outdoor markets,orange and banana groves, old churches,beautiful cemeteries . . . and birds, like theLesser Roadrunner, and Yellow-tailedOriole. Everywhere we went we passedflames and billowing smoke. This was theseason, just prior to the wet season, whenfields and bush are burned to prepare forplanting. On two occasions we rushed byflames leaping alarmingly close to the road.

At Mayapan we stopped in a small storefor something to drink. This stop was thefirst of several where we were introducedto the Mayan language. The Mayan ladies,in their embroidered blouses, had anamusing break in their shopping while Jimnegotiated for soft drinks. At the edge ofthis little town we ventured onto our firstdirt road. It looked rough but passable. A15 mile dirt gap between paved segmentsof the road would probably have stoppedus in the wet season.. The hours betweenMayapan and Cantamayec were some of thebest.

Alternating between low brushy scruband scrub woodland, the road coveredsome of the hilliest terrain we had found.Up and down, stopping the car on highpoints in the road to see across the top ofthe brush; stopping the car in the low spots

and staring deep into the tickets. Two Grey-throated Chats fanning their tails red-startstyle and foraging in the brush . . . thehighlight of our trip, without a doubt.Hook-billed Kite, Rose-breasted Grosbeak,Yucatan Jay, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Prothonotory Warbler,Mangrove Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, andYellow-tailed Oriole.

Sotuba, Tobolon, Halca, Xtogil, Yokdzo-not, and destination number three,Chichen-Itza. Chichen is impressive, andthe most heavily visited of the ruins. Threehotels abut the ruin grounds. The MayalanHotel has comfortable cabins, and a fairamount of garden. In an unkept area onthe edge of the gardens we found a pairof nest-building White-bellied Wrens.

Destination number four? Rio Lagartos.Where is that? A town on the Northern coastof the peninsula where very few tourists go,unless they are very anxious to see Amer-ican Flamingos. We were, and did. RioLargartos is a small, picturesque fishingtown. Lots of boats and fishing nets, butonly one Hotel. The Hotel Maria Nefertitilooked like a dream that didn't come true;and why it didn't we don't know for certain,but it probably had something to do withfinances. The architects model of theluxurious hotel sat on a small table pushedinto a dusty corner on the first floor.Through a filmy plastic cover we couldmake out a miniature Hotel Nefertiti. Inactuality only two floor of the four-storyhotel had been completed . . . but notcompletely. We agreed to stay the night,had Manta Ray hash for dinner in town, abeer outside the hotel disco, and gazed outat the Gulf of Mexico before turning in. Noone showed up at the disco until about10:30 pm . . . no one went home until untilnearly 2:00 am. The next morning we setout to see Flamingos. Luis Caamal loadedus in his boat and took us on a tour ofthe inlets along the edge of Rio Lagartos.The tour was superb, lasting from eight inthe morning until after noon (cost wasapproximately $40 for three people).

May 1987

Within an hour an a half we approacheda group of well-over a thousand AmericanFlamingos wading in the shallows. A largesection of the flock flew within a few feetof us. Motoring and paddling in and aroundthe Mangroves we came across Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Boat-billed Heron,Mangrove Swallow, Least, Gull-billed,Caspian, and Royal Terns, Common BlackHawk, White Ibis, Louisiana Heron, Magnif-icent Frigate, American Oystercatcher,Reddish Egret and Yellow-crowned NightHeron.

On the southern edge (the entrance to)Rio Lagartos is a road that goes to Color-adas. This road was trafficless and bor-dered by miles of scrub and marsh. Wewould have like to have spent more timein this area. Great Egret, Nothern Jacana,Purple Gallinule, Least Grebe, Lesser andGreater Yellowlegs, Little Blue Heron, Blue-winged Teal, Neotropic Cormorant, Vermil-lion Flycatcher, Carcara, and thousands ofBarn Swallows.

Outside of Rio Largartos on our way toValladolid we found White-fronted Parrotand, sadly, a Common Potoo road-kill.Valladolid was not so much a destinationas it was a convenient stop, and we enjoyedour visit there. This quaint town establishedby Spaniards in 1543 is 100 miles south ofRio Lagartos, and 25 miles east of Chichen-Itza. Our hotel, the Mision de la Marques,once an old colonial home, was a fine placeto relax. The hotel restaurant was excellent.

The fifth destination was Coba, in theprovince of Quintana Roo. The proximityof the Carribean and the emergence of thewetter tropical forest contrasted greatlywith the arid scrub of the Yucatan province.The roads to Coba have very dense folliagealong their edges. It was difficult to finda place to pull off the road. Occasionallywe found a small spot to squeeze the caroff the road. On one short walk wehappened on a small cenote. Cenotes areinland ponds, considered sacred by theMaya, formed in limestone topography bythe caving-in of the earth's crust at pointscrossed by an underground water current.This small turquoise cenote was denselysurrounded by trees and shrubs except forthe spot where the path found it. Here wefound noisy Red-throated Ant Tanagers,Lesser Greenlet, Squirrel Cuckoo, and Keel-billed Toucans.

The ruins at Coba are very extensive.Many of the pyramids have not beenreconstructed or even uncovered. Thesecond largest Mayan pyramid is here atCoba. One half of the structure is unco-vered, the other half looks like a steepforested hill. The climb was tricky, and theview from the top breathtaking. Theseamazing ruins are surrounded by excellentwoodland filled with birds. Yucatan Wood-pecker, Yellow-billed Cacique, Yellow-backed, Black-cowled, Yellow-tailed, Altim-ira, and Orange Orioles, American Redstart,Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Red-eyedVireo, White-eyed Vireo, Yucatan Jays, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, White-bellied Wren,Green Jay, Brown Jay, Northern Bentbill,Paltry Tyrannulet, No. Beardless Tyrannulet,Bright-rumped Attila, Yellow-throatedEuphonia, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Cit-reoline Trogon, and Black-headed Saltator.

Coba has several lakes. Next to Lake Coba

Grey-throated Chat

Illustration by Teri Matelson

is the Hotel Villas de las Archeologicas (aClub Mediteranee resort hotel and some-what costly). It is the only hotel in the area,and very comfortable. Unlike most of theguests there, we spent a good deal of timewalking the marshy edge of Lake Coba.Because of our persistence, we were ableto see Spotted Rail, and Ruddy Crake. Moreeasily, we found Grey-crowned Yellow-throat, Grey-headed Tanager, Osprey, LeastBittern, Northern Waterthrush, SolitarySandpiper, and Buff-collared Nightjar.

Destination six, snorkling in the Car-ribean. Development of the Quintana Roocoastline is well underway. We stayed atAkumal, one of many resort hotel dottingthe coast between Tulum and Cancun. Theruins at Tulum are considered post-classic,and are indeed very different from Uxmal,Chichen, and Coba. The ruins at Tulumperch on the edge of a cliff. Some of thestructures have remnants of decorativepainting still visible. This is also a veryheavily visited spot by tourists as well asbus-loads of school children. We spent acouple of hours at Tulum and only oneafternoon snorkling at Akumal, as we werebeginning to run out of time. AroundAkumal we saw Collared Aracari, AztecParakeets, and Bright-rumped Attila.

At the last moment we decided to makea dash to Cozumel. A ferry leaves fromPlaya del Carmen, 22 miles north ofAkumal. Playa del Carmen has two finehotels at the beach, adjacent to the ferrylanding. There are several ferry trips everyday, the first of which leaves at 5:45 am . . .that's the one we got on. The trip was aboutan hour, and the ferry was crowded withcommuters going to work on Cozumel.Upon our arrival we had a quick breakfast,rented a well-used Volkswagen bug, anddrove for 20 minutes to the center of theisland, parked the car on the edge of theroad and proceeded to walk up and downa 1/4 mile of stretch looking for birds.Short, but sweet; we saw Yucatan Parrot,Yucatan Vireo, Cozumel Thrasher,, BlackCatbird, Stripe-headed Tanager, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Caribbean Elaenia,Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Bananaquit,and White-tipped Pigeon.

Do we have to go now? Yes! With so littletime left, we flew by the plane fromCozumel back to Playa del Carmen. Sevendollars for a very worthwhile 7-minutescenic flight. There are six flights a day . . .a good way to go. Aside from the plane,and the passenger ferry, there is also a carferry that leaves from Puerto Moreles. It isadvisable to book that three hour ferry tripa day in advance.

Unfortunately destination seven was astraight shot back to Merida. We left Playadel Carmen in the early afternoon andarrived in Merida just after dark. Early thenext morning we were headed back to LosAngeles. We should go back to the Yucatannext year . . . it's so close . . . and it's sogood.

May 1987

1987 Audubon Camp inthe West ProgramsAudubon Camp in the Westfor AdultsGeology speaks from the massive rockwalls, and petroglyphs stir your curiosity insessions on native American culture andwilderness values. Unique birds, mammals,insects, and flowers are tools in the art ofunderstanding this rugged mountainenvironment. There is also time for hiking,rock climbing, square dancing, canoeing,and volleyball — plus an optional float tripdown the spectacular Snake River in GrandTeton National Park. 3 two-week sessionsand 1 one-week session are available.Dates: Session 1 June 26 -July 3, 1987

2 July 5-July 17, 19873 July 19-July 31,19874 August 2 - August 14,1987

Cost: $425 (one week), $650 (two weeks)

Nature Photography inWyoming:The Wind River Mountains, YellowstoneNational Park and Grand Teton NationalPark are the settings for this field seminaron the use of 35mm camera equipment.Professional photographers led by PerryConway (producer of a dozen educationalfilmstrips) will guide you in photographingmountain scenery and wildlife. Five daysare spent at the Audubon Camp, three daysin Yellowstone and one day in Grand TetonNational Park.Dates: June 19 -June 28, 1987Cost: $750

Wilderness ResearchBackback TripParticipate in an extensive, ongoingresearch effort by Audubon biologists whilebackpacking in the spectacular Wind RiverMountains and/or Absaroka Mountains.Learn the skills of bird and mammalcensusing, bird banding, insect survey andcollection, plant identification, andherbarium collection. Small groups of 10persons (maximum) will accompany ourresearch staff on 12-day expeditions.Moderate hiking ability needed to cover 5-7 miles daily.Dates:

Session 1A Wind River MountainsJune 21-July 3, 1987

IB Absaroka MountainsJune 21-July 3,1987

2A Wind River MountainsJuly 5 -17,1987

2B Absaroka MountainsJuly 5 -17,1987

Cost: $550For more information, please contact:National Audubon Society4150 Darley, Suite 5Boulder, CO 80303(303) 499-5409

SATURDAY, JUNE 24 —Join Tom Keeney fora birding hike up Santa Ana Canyon in theSan Bernardino Mountains. This is the first of twocanyon trips to be led by Tom to seldom visitedcanyons in this wonderful (and nerby) mountainrange. A variety of habitats from chaparral toconiferous woodland and commensurate varietyof birds await us. Meet at the San BernardinoCounty Museum at 8:30 a.m. Take the 10 Frwyto the California St. offramp in Redlands. Themuseum is clearly visible from the freeway. (July25 we meet at the same time and place for atrip up Banning Canyon.) Bring lunch and hikingshoes.

Trips to anticipate this Summer:

Mt. Pinos with Jean Brandt, July 18.

Banning Canyon with Tom Keeney, July 25.

RESERVATION TRIPS:(Limited Participation)

RESERVATION POLICY AND PROCEDURE:

Reservations will be accepted ONLY if ALL thefollowing information is supplied:

(1) Trip desired(2) Names of people in your party(3) Phone numbers (a) usual and

(b) evening before event, in case ofemergency cancellation

(4) Separate check (no cash please) to LAASfor exact amount for each trip

(5) Self-addressed stamped envelope forconfirmation and associated tripinformation

Send to: Reservations Chairman Ruth Lohr, LAAS,7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046.

All refundable reservations contracted andthen cancelled (except by LAAS) will be chargeda $5 handling fee.

If there is insufficient response, the trip willbe cancelled two weeks prior to the scheduleddate (4 weeks for pelagics) and you will benotified and your fee returned. Your cancellationduring that time will bring a refund only if thereis a paid replacement.

If you desire to carpool to an event, Ms. Lohr(usually in office on Tuesday) can provideinformation for you to make contact and possiblearrangements.

SUNDAY, MAY 10 — Pelagic towards SantaBarbara Island. 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Expected birds: Shearwaters — Sooty, Pink-footed; Jaegers — Pomarine, Parasitic; Stormpetrels: Terns and Gulls — Arctic, Black-leggedKittiwake; Alcids — Common Murre, PigeonGuillemont, Xantus Murrelet, Cassin's Aukleet,Rhinoceros Auklet; Shorebirds — Black Oyster-catcher, Surfbird, Red Phalarope, WanderingTattler, Rarities (seen twice in 10 yrs.): So. PolarSkua, Puffins, Sabine's Gull. Possible mammals:Pacific Pilot Whale, Gray Whale, Dahl Porpoise,Risso's Dolphin, Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin,Pacific Common Dolphin.

SATURDAY, MAY 16 —Join Tom Keeney fora vist to the Lower Santa Ana River and WestPrado Basin in search of riparian forestspecialities such as Yellow-breasted Chat, WillowFlycatcher and (with some luck) Yellow-billedCuckoo. This area is not accessible to the generalpublic. Take the 91 Frwy. to the 6th/Mapleofframp and meet at the Denney's at the baseof the offramp. 8 a.m. We will also visit somegrassland and agricultural areas. No Fee. Limitof 15 people.

WEEKEND, JUNE 27-28 — Join Bob Barneson his annual extravaganza in the Kern River/Greenhorn Mtn. Area. Some possibilities:Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grouse,Pinyon Jay, Gray Flycatcher, Williamson's Sap-sucker. $25 per person. A possible third dayextension $10 more.

Pelagic Trip — Off Morro Bay —Sunday, June 7. 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.The trip is sponsored by the Morro CoastAudubon Society and led by BradSchram. Possible sightings are Tufted andHorned Puffins, Black-footed Albatross,Shearwaters, Artie Terns and Sabine's Gull.For reservations send a $20.00 checkpayable to the Morro Coast AudubonSociety and a self addressed, stampedenvelope to Curtis Marantz, 876 RidgewaySt., Morro Bay, CA 93442. (805) 772-4677

Golden Trout WorkshopThree one-week Golden Trout Workshopswill be held in the Sierra August 2 throughAugust 22, 1987. It is sponsored bymembers of the Eastern Sierra, Pasadena,San Bernadino Valley, San Fernando Valley,Santa Barbara, and Tulare County chaptersof the National Audubon Society. Aninformal field natural history program,consisting of naturalist-led hikes byresident naturalists, will be offered, withvisiting guest naturalists at some sessions.The Camp is located in the Golden TroutWilderness, in the southern portion of theHigh Sierra, on the easterrn watershed, atan altitude of 10,000 ft. For details, writeor call: Cindi McKernan, 40 Sherril Lane,Redlands, CA 92373, 714/793-7897. Ifinterested, reservations should be made assoon as possible.

Memorable Phone Calls toAudubon House:Compiled by Andrea Kaufman"I think it would be good idea to releasecondors in the Galapagos. Has anyonesuggested this?"

"There is this baby bird in a bush outsidemy window - he is too stupid to fly and themother and father aren't doing anythingabout putting it back in the nest."

"Where can I buy cashews, almonds andpecans at a better price -1 feed them to thebirds and they are too expensive in thesupermarket." Birdseed and peanutssuggested as an alternative. "Oh no, Icouldn't feed that cheap stuff to the birds."

May 1987

Bird Notesby Dorothy Dimsdale

I was birding Malibu Lagoon when awoman approached and asked me what Iwas doing. After several minutes telling herthe pleasures of birding, she said, "I'mgoing to give this to you because I knowyou'll care."

She bent behind a boulder and produceda very sick-looking Cliff Swallow. Havingplaced it in my unwilling hands, she gave aDr. Schweitzer-like smile and strolled off,being careful not to tread on any ants.

Strong thoughts of "Let nature take itscourse" and "Put it out of its misery" werevery much in the front of my thoughts, but Icouldn't do either of those things. I took thebird to a vet who kindly agreed to take careof it. He thought it had been poisoned, butfelt he could make it well. I went on my waymuch lighter in spirits.

Later, thinking over the incident, I realisedit was my responsibility to take the bird.Birding itself is such a perfect escape fromall and any problems as well as a gloriouspleasure. One looks and leaves — that's it.However, it's also incumbent on us to careand involve ourselves when necessary.

Up on the Angeles Crest I was with aneastern U.S. lady looking at White-headedWoodpeckers when she called out, "What'sthis red bird in the top of the tree?"

There were trees everywhere and all closetogether. Not unreasonably, I thought, Iasked, "Which tree?"

"This tree, here," she said, gazing throughher bins into the distance.

"Could you be more specific?" I said,getting crankier by the minute.

Finally, she did her best; "It's here," shesaid, "in this wooden tree."

Another bird she described as "Just beauti-ful and covered with feathers." In retrospectI realised that all the birds we had sightedthat day had been in wooden trees and eachbird was covered with feathers, so it wasn'tthat she had been wrong, but just that shewas a poor communicator.

When it comes to communication betweenpeople and birds, Professor Thomas Eisnerof Cornell has put forth a novel idea.

Responding to the innumerable reportsof birds attacking passers-by from the rear,he notes that birds avoid the eyes of apredator and suggests that is the reason theyattack from behind. His idea is that large"eyes" painted or stuck on the back of the

hat should cut down the aggression. Heproposed, in a letter to the New EnglandJournal of Medicine, Nov. 7,1985, that thoseunder attack should try this method. Hetried it for a period when in Australia as hewas attacked by Magpies. It seemed to havea positive effect, but he wasn't in the arealong enough to come to a definiteconclusion.

I'm thinking about it:

On second thought, I think I'll wait forsomeone else to try it first.

I think the most perfect communicatorregarding birds is someone I've never met. Ibought a copy of "Bird Island" by LarsJonsson, a Swede. I bought it because he isa superb artist, but oh, can he write! He justseems to look out from his soul and putdown on paper all he sees there. How aboutthis?

"Black little eyes, eager to observe, areturned towards the sky. This clear unendingcanopy is mirrored in and interpreted bythousands of small dark eyes. Our vastspace is their roadway. What for us is air,endlessness and intangible is for them aplan of action, a chart covered with symbols.Up there, calls are heard and thousands ofwings beat. Each movement and flight activi-ty, each silhouette and call, forms a web ofstimuli, a kind of diagram. When suddenlyall coefficients coincide for the individualor the flock, they take flight. I can distinctlyfeel the suction, the draught, when twelveGrey Plovers in hurried flight describe aperfectly straight line southwestwards acrossthe afternoon sky."

Take a breath and then look at his painting.At first glance the paintings look rough andunfinished, but pause for a second andthere you are faced with a living bird, a nest,a landscape. Communication? Lars Jonssonknows it all.

I guess we can all try a little harder toexpress ourselves. Even the simple cry of"Good spotting!" can warm the heart ofanyone who makes a first sighting.

The best communication of all, from mypoint of view, is on arrival at the location ofa rare lifer to find an eager birding friendhas the bird framed in a scope ready forviewing. There isn't the satisfaction of havingfound the bird for oneself, of course, andparadoxically the supreme satisfaction seemsto come after a long weary search. However,my two best bets for this feat are GerryMaisel and Guy Commeau. Each has pro-vided me with perfectly scope-framed liferson several occasions. To them I say, "GoodSpotting!"

From theEditor

by FredHeath

Since I have to run off and catcha plane for New York City, thiseditorial will be short and sweet.

By leaving at this point I can't take anyresponsibility for typos... not that I have inthe past anyway.

To give an update on our LA. Countybreeding bird survey I've got very fewresponses to date. The earliest record istechnically last year's with Hank and PriscillaBrodkin reporting on Allen's Hummingbirdon a nest along Bonsall Road in Malibu onDecember 21,1986.

Gary Brower turned up a bunch ofrecords in San Gabriel:Antit — March 29, pair building nest.American Crow — March 31, three birdsgathering nesting material from Date Palm.

The only other report is from KimballGarrett of a pigeon (!?) nesting at the LA.Museum of Natural History. He provided noother details. You can see why he is ourornithology consultant.

I still need more breeding records, morearticles and a replacement editor. Send anyor all of the above to (address still goodfor one month):

Fred Heath6218 Cynthia StreetSimi Valley, CA 93063

Art WantedLAAudubon Society Wildlife and Environ-mental Art Show will be held September11-18, 1987. Open to all U.S. artists, allfine arts media, except sculpture andphotography. Show selections juried byslides. Awards juried from actual artworksin 4 categories: landscape, seascape,animals and birds. $5,000.00 in CashAwards, plus Merit and Special Awards.Entry fee $5/slide, 3 minimum, no maxi-mum. Slide deadline July 15, 1987. Forinformation: send SASE to LAAS Art ShowProspectus, D.R. Kendig, 603 S. McCaddenPL, LA., CA 90005.

May 1987

Book Reviewby Kimball Garrett

The Known Birds ofNorth and MiddleAmericaAuthored and Publishedby Allan R. Phillips

The Known Birds of North and MiddleAmerica: Distributions and Variation,Migrations, Changes, Hybrids, etc., Part 1,Hirundinidae to Mimidae; Certhiidae. ByAllan R. Phillips, lxi + 259PP- Denver,Colorado, Published by the author, 1986.$45.00.

Most active birders are familiar with thecontributions of Allan R. Phillips (hereafter'ARP'). "The Birds of Arizona" (Universityof Arizona Press, 1964) is a distributionalclassic - a careful synthesis of specimen-supported records placed into an informa-tive ecological aand taxonomic framework.Now Dr. Phillips has expanded his coverageto produce the first volume of a treatmentof North and Middle American birds,including those from the region fromMexico south to Panama which havecaptivated his interest for long. With the1983 publication of the Sixth Edition of theAmerican Ornithologist's Union Check-Listof North American Birds, covering essen-tially the same zoogeographic regions, oneis compelled to ask three essentialquestions:

l.What is the rationale for tthis seem-ingly duplicated effort?

2.What does "Known Birds" offer thatthe AOU Check-List does not (andvise-versa)? And,

3.Where the works disagree, whichshould I trust?

I don't have answers to these questions,particularly the first and the last, but onecan't come away from a reading of this workwithout some nagging questions about therecent past and the near future of fieldornithology and in particular about thestudy of bird distribution, seasonal statusand species-level taxonomy. These aren'tesoteric questions; rather, they are at thefundamental root of what the keen bird-watcher can and should contribute to thebroad field of avian biology. ARP asks overand over again, what distinguishes goodscience from bad, and acceptable recordsfrom unacceptable ones? Few readers willagree with all of his questioning ofestablished "fact", or his "facts"whichreplace them. Some readers will vehe-mently disagree with a good number ofthem. And more than a few readers, in thisage of litigation, are probably alreadysummoning their lawyers to deal with theconsequences of the author's treatment oftheir records or their methodologies.

"Known Birds" reads a bit like theornithological equivalent of a veteranfootball player's account of the moderngame in which he laments the inventionof the forward pass and the developmentof modern salaries, recruiting, and drafting.ARP is not impressed by "newfangled"techniques in avian systematics, nor doeshe care to make anything other than highlyselective use of the gigantic body of sightrecords data developed in North andMiddle America over the last severaldecades. He rails vociferously against theestablishment (read: AOU Committee onClassification and Nomenclature).

Nevertheless, ARP has made extensiveuse of the most fundamental resource ofpractioners of his art: curated museaumcollections of bird skins. He correctlydecries the insensitivity of permit grantingagencies to the continued need to wiselyand legitimately augment museum collec-tions, and in word and deed he repeatedlymakes a strong case for the validity and theusefulness of such collections. Scientificcollecting is supportive of, not antitheticalto, avian conservation, ARP maintains (anddemonstrates again and again). Soundingsomewhat paranoid, and perhaps legiti-mately so, the author refuses to identify theprovenience and desposition of specimens,evidently to protect collectors and museumfrom legal repurcussions stemming fromcurrent anti-collecting attitudes. [I shouldstate that, despite ARP's prrotectiveapproach to collections, no reputablecurator will accession illegally collected

specimens into a museum collection].So while the book smacks of a despa-

rado's ornithology, with the author firingsalvos at the American ornithologicalestablishment from the outside, he is, infact working within the system by using thesame basis • systematic museum collections- as the rest. And while there is bitternessand, perhaps, hyperbole in his introductorysections (with their content tipped-off bytheir titles, "Apologia: ornithology today","Why we can NOT trust our eyes inscience", and "The tasks ahead - for all"),the book is, ultimately, an incredible astutevision of the distribution and geographicalvariation of North and Middel Americanbirds.

Having said all of this, I'll briefly indicatewhat the book contains, and then attemptto address the questions I posed in theopening paragraph. I'll give away thebottom line right now, though. This bookis a must for the serious birder who isinterested in geographical variation ofAmerican birds. It isn't a "must" simplybecause I'm a sucker for any bird book thatquotes Gilbert and Sullivan, but because itrepresents a very through and criticaltreatment of topics of fundamental interest.

The book contains some forty-five pagesof introductory material which I havehinted at above, but which can hardly besummarized here. In short, these pagesrepresent ARP's philophies, and allow himto vent what evidently is a considerablefumerole of fustration with the past and thepresent ornithology. Species accounts treatthe swallows, corvids, shrikes, tits, bushtit,verdin, nuthatches, wrens, dipper, bulbuls,wrentit, thrashers, and tree-creepers. ARPappeared not to be happy enough with ourcurrent state of knowledge to start his seriesanywhere else in the sequence. No, thereisn't a companion "Unknown Birds . . ."volume in the works; the choice of title wasmeant to emphasize that much remains tobe learned of our local North Americanavifauna.

Species accounts* deals with variousboldly headed topics concerning distribu-tion, migrations, and geographical varia-tion, as well as "Remarks", "Notes", and theubiquitous "Erroneously Reported". Thereare no complete descriptions or discus-sions of "field marks", but subspecificdifferences are diagnosed, key measure-ments are often given, and dichotomouskeys to many groups are provided. Colorplates depicting three Stelgidopteryx swal-lows and Microcerculus wrens are unla-belled afterthoughts which seem not to fitin. There are no other illustrations, save fora number of useful maps. A number of newnames and subspecies are proposed, anda great many scientific names will lookunfamiliar, a legacy of the author's appli-cation of the rules of nomenclature.Appendices, some contributed by AmadeoRea and J. Dan Webster, expand uponcertain problems of geographic variation.

May 1987

So what about my questions? First, therationale for "Known Birds" becomes clearas one reads the introductory chapters andsees how disenchanted ARP is with thevarious schools of ornithological thought ofthe past and present. He spares little wrathin trashing certain individuals, museums,universities, and committies. He quotes, forexample, a description of the BritishRarities Committee as "a group of bird-watchers noted for their experience,eyesight, and imagination", and delights inrecounting an instance in which thatcommittee "identified three photographsof one Calidris sandpiper as two species"!He cites a litany of proven misideritifica-tions, some being his own. I can't agreewith the author's empirically derived casethat sight records must thus be treated onlyskeptically, but his cautionary approach hasconsiderable validity. It would perhaps notbe far from the truth to say that Dr. Phillipswrote this book because the AOU's treat-ments were unsatisfactory.

This raises the next question, about therelative merits of the two works. I'm notan expert taxonomist, but I can recognozea difference of opinion when I see one.Science is done, ultimately, by committee- by a pendulum of progress. "KnownBirds", insofar as it is one of man'sassessment of distributional ornithology,cannot be the ultimate answer. I don'tbelieve that the author intended it to be,for in a sense it is more a workingdocument that points out what we do NOTknow as much as what we do know. TheAOU Check-List is likewise a workinghypothesis, developed by a keen andexperienced corps of ornithologists. "Mod-ern" techniques so opposed by ARP areproviding information that is being cauti-osly and critically assimilated by the AOUcommittee, yielding insight I believe he iswrong in rejecting.

"Known Birds" thoroughly treats subspe-cies while the AOU Sixth Edition does not.Right away this provides a reason to buyand study ARP's book. In fairness, it shouldbe pointed out that the AOU intends topublish a treatment of geographical varia-tion and, after all, they got from loons tothe end, not just swallows to creepers!. AOUrelies heavily on sight records, while ARPis reluctant to include many of them. Thesevarious differences result in two works thatcomplement each other as much as theyclash. They're both essential documents.

Finally, on the questions of "Who is right,ARP or AOU?", I cannot provide an answer.These aren't matters of right and wrong somuch as definition of methodology andphilosophy. In its completeness and com-mittee approach, the AOU checklist is, atpresent, the more fundamental referencedocument and should certainly be ownedand constantly consulted by every birder.But "Known Birds" provides insight and,hell, good old fashioned ornithology, onevery page. I wouldn't be without it.

Book Reviewsby Olga Clarke

Getting Started InBirdwatching (1986)By Edward W. Cronin,Jr.

This is the first book designed to let thebeginning birdwatcher in on the secret ofknowing what to look for, how to figure outwhich birds are likely to be seen at aparticular place and time, and which willnever be seen there. It tells you how tobecome a competent birder in the shortesttime possible. $5.95

Connie Hagar — The LiveHistory of aTexas BirdwatcherBy Karen Harden McCracken,foreword by Roger Tory Peterson

For those ofyouwho knew Connie Hagar,she needs no introduction, but for you whomissed the pleasure, you will thoroughlyenjoy reading about how she set the eliteEast Coast ornithologists on their ears as shesighted more and more species the expertsclaimed she could not possibly have seen.She earned the respect and love of birdersfrom coast to coast as she shared her know-ledge and discoveries with all who came tovisit her in Rockport, Texas.

Such famed personages as Guy Emerson,Dr. Harry Oberholser, Stuart Keith, LudlowGriscom, Dorothy Snyder, Richard Pough,Edwin Way Teale, Robert Cushman Murphy.Dale Zimmerman, Irby Davis, Edgar Kincaid,and many others signed in at the RockportCottages over the years.

You will delight in reading about thisdiminutive birdwatcher who gave such in-sight to the birding world.

$18.95

Birder's Life List& Diary (1986)

The Birder's Life List& Diary is a must forevery birder. Updated to the 6th edition ofthe A.O.U. Checklist, the revision of thischecklist provides space for recording sight-ing dates, location and remarks for 690species found regularly in North America,north of Mexico, and 74 Hawaiian species. Alisting of 156 accidental species and spacefor a numbered life list are included. Theindex functions not only as a locater, butallows for keeping other lists of sightedbirds.

6"x9", 192pp, spiral-bound, laminatedcover. (Cornell) $6.95

State BirdsBy Arthur Singerand Alan Singer

A beautiful book illustrating the state birdsin color with descriptions and behaviorpatterns, highlighting the birds' origins,characteristics,and significance, and shownin typical habitats. An excellent gift item.$14.95

May 1987

Conservation Conversationby Sandy Wohlgemuth

*• W ast midnight, a sleek Cadillacw I draws up to a large sign planted

A ^ o n the edge of a patch of lushwoodland. The sign announces that this isthe future home of a commercial/residen-tial complex of staggering proportions. Aportly middle-aged man and a well-dressedsexy young woman get out of the front seatand open the trunk. Silent and business-like, they remove cans of gasoline from thecar, slosh the volatile fluid liberally on thewooden posts of the sign and set it on fire.As the flames leap up in the darkness theirfaces show excitement and satisfaction.They drive off. The Monkey Wrench Ganghas struck again! The climax of this wildand crazy book (Edward Abbey, 1975)describes the delicious demolition of ahuge dam that has destroyed the scenicbeauty of the Colorado River.

"The Monkey Wrench Gang" is a hilar-ious and deadly serious expression of anenvironmentalist's anger and fustration atthe inexorable triumph of greed andbureaucracy over nature. The soul-satisfying chance to fight back, to DOsomething on an elemental level to stopthe juggernaut of development, is a feelingthat must be shared by millions of us. Weall have murderous fantasies of destroying

our enemies, but despite our reputation asa handgun-happy nation, we rarely act outour anarchic feelings. Yet some of us do.Earth First! is a guerrilla group that drivesspikes into trees to ruin chain saws, pourssugar into the fuel tanks of bulldozers, andchains itself to trees marked for harvesting.The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,unlike non-violent Greenpeace, buys oldboats and rams whaling vessels to thebottom. Though deplored by responsibleenvironmentalists, this direct action issympathetic of an agonizing impatienceand frustration with writing letters thatdon't seem to do any good or withpoliticians and agencies that apparentlyignore our pleas.

And yet, an enormous growth of aware-ness of the threats to America the Beautifuland to the health and lives of the peoplecannot be denied. Congress just renewedthe Clean Water Act, overwhelming Rea-gan's stubborn veto. Smokers have becomefurtive and self-conscious outside thesanctuary of their own homes. And anti-abortion Surgeon General is bravely toutingcondoms to kiddies on national television.Could all this have happened without theexplosion of concern that producedremarkable movement of the 60s and 70s?

"Silent Spring," the Wilderness Act, "EarthDay," The Endangered Species Act, CleanAir Act, outlawing DDT, Superfund, EPA andmuch more. And most of the landmarklegislation occured during the less-than-enthusiasic Nixon Administration. Changewas in the air, the powers-that-be got awhiff of it and were carried away on thewind.

It has been suggested at times that theenvironmental "fad" would pass, that theawakening giant of public concern wouldcurl up and go back to sleep. This has notbeen the case. All environmental organiza-tions have shown increased membershipand wider support. The reactions to theReagan Administration's attempt to downenvironmental laws has been powerful. TheEnvironmental Protection Agency's Burfordand Interior Secretary Watt were eventuallyseen as the bad guys and were replaced.Congress, following the opinion of polls,pushed ahead with the public's insistenceon a clean place to live, clear skies, puredrinking water. Clean water has become thebig issue for most people. The effect oftoxic pollution on wells and lakes andunderground aquifer storage has arousedthe general public like nothing else. Theshadowy memory of disease and death atLove Canal and Times Beach are scaring thehell out of a lot of people. Who wants tolive near a toxic dump? There is consid-erable worry that EPA is taking much toolong to clean up the dumps under theSuperfund law. Action on the state levelmay well be a product of this feeling. LastNovember, California voters gave Proposi-tion 65 (the Toxics Initiative) an over-whelming 1.7 million vote margin. Thisordered the governor to list chemicals thatcause cancer and forbids discharging theminto drinking water supplies by November1988. In Massachusetts, 73% of votersapproved an initiative that would clean uphazardous waste sites not covered bySuperfund. In New Jersey and New Yorkbond issues to clean up toxics passed bylarge majorities.

The history of the environmental move-ment has been one of militant confronta-tion. The enemy was seen as agencies thatwere insensitive to the fate of wildlife orgiant corporations polluting the air ordrinking water. Conservationalists still findthemselves at sword's point with a ForestService that destroys virgin wilderness withthousands of miles of logging and miningroads and then sells the timber below cost.Great industries with government backingrefuse to recognize the acid rain effect ofmidwestern smokestacks on Canadian andNew England lakes. An adamant InteriorDepartment is determined to encircle ourcoast with oil rigs, blighting our view andthreatening new Santa Barbara-like oilspills. Eternal vigilance is still the price ofa lovable world.

But a new phase seems to be in themaking. The Envirenmental Defense Fund

May 1987

(EDF), a small but potent group of lawyersand scientists, has developed what it feelsis a revolutionary concept for the 80s. Asits director puts it, "As environmentalistsenter a whole new stage . . . those groupsthat want to survive, prosper, and beeffective need to become solution oriented.(Emphasis added.) The American public isfed up with environmentalists that walkaround saying 'No, don't do this!' We arepast the point as a nation where we canafford to have a fraction that is consistentlynegative."

EDF startled the world of conservationwhen it approached its arch-enemy of thebattle of the Peripheral Canal, the SouthernCalifornia Metropolitan Water District, witha plan to save water in the Imperial Valley.EDF convinced MWD, which supplies waterfor 13 million people in southern Califor-nia, to consider lining irrigation canals inthe Imperial Valley to prevent losses ofwater that seep into the soil. MWD wouldthen buy this "new" water from theImperial Valley Water District and increaseits stock of Colorado Riverwater. EDF, bysaving all this water would weaken anyrenewed demand by agriculture and MWDfor another shot at a Peripheral Canal todivert more Sacramento River water. Thevoters handily defeated the expensiveCanal initiative a couple of years ago, butthere's no law against trying again.

More recently the fertile minds at EDFhave come up with another creative sug-gestion. They are proposing a scientificinvestigation of the problems of waterquality, particularly of chemical and toxicpollution. It is difficult to get rid of thechlorinated solvents widely used asdegreasing agents in many industrialprocesses: aerospace, adhesives, electron-ics and textiles. Ordinary consumer dry-cleaning employs many of these samesolvents. When drinking water is invadedby these cancer-causing substances wellsare shut down, and removing these pollu-tants is a formidable and expensive job.Rather than wait for a water source to

become contaminated and then attempt toclean up the mess, EDF is proposing a jointeffort with MWD to head 'em off at the pass.Much to the delight of EDF, MWD boughtthe idea almost immediately. The SourceReduction Research Partnership is alreadyunder way: a two-year, $600,00 pilot projectin a specific area in southern California.Industries will be approached to considerrecycling and recovery of the solvents andthe possible use on non-toxic chemicals.An experienced manager had beenappointed and the scientific staffs of bothorganizations are ready to begin. The costwill be shared equally. Nothing of this sorthas ever been done before and its successholds great promise for the future nation-wide. MWD estimates that source reductioncould reduce the volume of toxic solventsin the water supply by 75%.

Is this approach truly the wave of theenvironmental future? The Monkey Wrenchsolution, though attractive in a B-Westemblack hats versus white hats way, is aromantic and dangerous attitude that canonly end in dead bodies and prison.Heaven knows there is still much room forlegal confrontation. Picketing a nuclearplant may not be genteel, but it takes gutsand it helps. Letters to California congress-men protesting oil drilling platforms everyfew miles along the coast - some of themin wildlife sanctuaries - produced anastonishing united front against the InteriorDepartment. When the National ResourcesDefense Council scientists disclosed thatthe foremost drug-testing laboratory wasriddled with incompetence and producingphony reports to industry and government,the company collapsed and executiveswent to prison. These are creative confron-tations. The "solution-oriented" tactic ofthe Environmental Defense Fund is cer-tainly a step upward and will undoubtedlybe embraced by other organizations. Butall problems cannot be solved by the buddysystem.

Perhaps the most significant develop-ment in the environmental movement has

been its emergence from a strictly parochialinterest to one of international concern.The destruction of rain forests does morethan eliminate winter habitats for our NorthAmerican migrants. An estimated 17,000species of plants and animals are becomingextinct every year, some before they areeven discovered. Massive environmentaldegradation follows the conversion offorests to meager agriculture and marginallivestock production. Poorly planned damsto provide energy for swollen cities in theThird World are flooding out aboriginalcultures and causing ecological ruin.Environmentalists are looking beyond thisbulldozers to confront agencies like theWorld Bank that lends money for thesehuge projects without much concern forthe consequences. Seemingly esotericproblems exist that might eventually bedisastrous for all mankind. The burning offossil fuels, increasing over time, causeswarming of the earth with the strongpossibility of climatic change and thedisruption of global agriculture. Fluorocar-bons in aerosols (shaving creams, deodor-ants, etc.) are suspected of rising above theearth and destroying the ozone layer thatprotects us from devastating ultraviolet rays.What is the significance of the highpollution levels found in uninhabitedAntarctica?

It's a tough world, Most of the prominentenvironmental organizations have begun tothink globally and are supporting indigen-ous conservation groups in less-developedcountries. As the president of the WorldResources Institute has said," We will builda fool's paradise here in the U.S. if we focusonly on our problems . . . It would be ahuge mistake to continually work toimprove environmental quality in theUnited States... and neglect environmentalquality and the resource base outside theU.S." The environmental movement isgrowing up. In time, it is hoped, to savethe world.

Reference: The Christian Science Moni-tor, Jan 13, 14, 15, 1987

CALVIN AND HOBBES By Bill Watterson Reprinted from The Los Angeles Times

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10 May 1987

Birds Of The SeasonMay 1987

by Hal BaxterandKimball Garrett

Bird sightings reported in the "Birds of theSeason" column have generally not yet beenreviewed by the American Birds regionaleditors or by the California Bird RecordsCommittee. All records of rarities should beconsidered tentative pending such review.

I t's easier for us to muster upenthusiasm for predicting theexciting birding events of May

than to report on the rather routine, if notdownright dreary, birding picture of March.Migrant passerines will be everywhere inMay, and late in the month a handful ofthose encountered will be out of rangevagrants, those little feathered shots ofadrenalin for birders. Year after year weextoll the virtues of desert oases, themouths of coastal canyons, and coastalpromontories for their productiveness forvagrants, yet annually we report on vagrantsat places which do not fall into any of thosecategories. For example, one of the rarestfinds last spring was the male HoodedWarbler at Descanso Gardens near Glen-dale, hardly an isolated spot. There is arecurring pattern, however, and as triviallyobvious as it may be, it is worth repeating.Vagrants are found in well-worked locali-ties, be they back yards, local parks, ordesert oases. This can really be extendedto a more fundamental statement: regular,repeated, and through coverage of ANYgiven locality will yield a wealth ofinteresting ornithological information. Wehope this notion will guide you as you planyour birding efforts through the spring andsummer.

The bird generating the most interestamong southern California birders inFebruary was not in our region, and, in fact,not even in California. This was the adultRoss's Gull present at Yaquina Bay, nearNewport, Oregon from 18 February throughthe first of March (Eugene AudubonSociety). Several southern Californiansmade the trek up there, and were rewardedby the sight of this dainty, arctic species.Many of you will recall the overblownpublicity of Massachusett's first Ross's Gullat Newburyport several years ago. Althoughthere have only been a handful of recordsin the "lower 48" since then, we can nowview such occurances as infrequent, irreg-ular, long-distance vagrancy, hardly front-page news. It would really seem more odd,

to us, if migratory birds DIDN'T occasion-ally wander far out of range.

The few offshore trips in late Februaryand March were rather routine, but therewas at least one highlight - a Fork-tailedStorm-Petrel well seen by Charlie Collins,Jon Atwood and numerous others betweenPortt Hueneme and Santa Cruz Island on2 March. Black-legged Kittiwakes havebeen very scarce this winter, but three wereobserved in the San Pedro channel on theNatural History Museum pelagic trip (Kim-ball Garrett, 1 March), and a first-winterbirds at Malibu Lagoon was seen to at least4 March.

An American White Pelican was atBuena Vista Lagoon on 14 February (LornaBitensky), and Bob Pann and Bob VanMeter estimated up to 4000 birds at thesouth end of the Salton Sea on 3 March.Three hundred and fifty Snow Geese werestill in the Unit One area of the south endof the Salton Sea on 3 March (Pann andVan Meter). A sprinkling of Ross's Geeseincluded one in Yorba Regional Park,Orange Co., on 8 March (Paul Egen). Themale Eurasian Wlgeon upstream in TapiaPark was seen again on 23 February (EdNavojosky). Bernard Wilets reports anOsprey riding out the 21 March rainstormin the tall trees at Will Rogers State Park,Pacific Palisades; the bird undoubtedly amigrant, and Bernard has seen migrantOspreys doing the same thing in past years.The Bobs (Pann and Van Meter) counted53 Sandhill Cranes south of Brawley on3 March, not to mention 35 MountainPlovers at the south end of the Salton Seaon the same day. Phillip Skonieczki sentus a convincing description of a SolitarySandpiper at the south end of the sea; thebird, seen 15 February, was quite out ofseason.

The first-winter Franklin's Gull con-tinued to play hide-and-seek at MalibuLagoon through early March. A first-winterMew Gull at Castaic Lake oh 22 March(Kimball Garrett) was the third to be seenat that inland locality this winter. A pale"white-winged" gull at Malibu Lagoonthrough March had many observers think-ing (wishing?) Iceland Gull, and though ithad almost white primaries and a smallerthan average bill, it still seemed to fitcomfortably withi the range of Glaucous-winged Gull (in this reporter's opinion).A Black Tern at the Newport Pier on 24February (Charles Hood) was unusual at

that season, as were two Common Ternsat Malibu Lagoon on 14 March (KimballGarrett).

The Common Gound-Dove was stillpresent at the arboretum in Arcadia on 17March; in Orange County, where thespecies is more common, three were atHuntington Beach Central Park on 6 March(Rob Hofberg), and five were at MileSquare Park, Fountain Valley, on 13 March(Gayle Benton). Absent, or at least silent,the last couple of winters, the Whip-poor-will in Bernard Wilet's Rustic Canyon(Pacific Palisades) neighborhood finallymouthed off 16 March, not to be heardagain! Several Vaux's Swifts were overWhittier on 11 March, and several morewere over Corona the next day (MonteTaylor). These, and a flock of twenty overElysian Park on 22 March (Kimball Garrett)were undoubtedly wintering birds, as theythey were three weeks or so early for springmigrants. Quite out of range was an AcornWoodpecker in Jack Jasper's Torrance yardfrom 8 February through at least 19 March.

A Willow Flycatcher was studied byPhil Sayre, Bert Mull and Jean Brandt atSanta Fe Dam on 14 March, and one wouldsuspect that it was a wintering bird at thatearly date. However, a Western Kingbirdon the same date at Malibu Lagoon (Kim-ball Garrett) was certainly an early springmigrant. Winter Wrens were reportedfrom Tujunga Wash (Lou Falb, 22 February)and Walker Ranch, Placerita Canyon(Michael McLaughlin, 14 March). A handfulof Varied Thrush reports included one atBig Sycamore Canyon on 4 March (EdNavojosky). The Brown Thrasher winter-ing near Huntington Beach Central parkwas present to at least 15 March (BrianDaniels). A first for Ornage County was aGrace's Warbler on a private golf coursein Newport Beach (Brian Daniels, 21February); it is ceratinly only a matter oftime until somebody finds one winteringin a grove of pines on the coastal slopeof Los Angeles County! The winteringPainted Redstart on Ft. Loma, San Diego,was still present on 14 March.

Western Tanagers continue to winterin increasing numbers in coastal southernCalifornia, e.g. two in Canoga Park on 19February (Wanda Conway), and one out-side Jean Brandt's office window in Expo-sition Park in mid-March. Shortly aftermoving to Encino, Lloyd Kiff inauguratedhis yard with a Black-and-white Warbler inthe bird bath; now a male Rose-breastedGrosbeak has made it onto the list,appearing in the yard on 8 March. Gray-headed Juncos were found at MalibuCreek State Park (Irwin Woldman, 25February) and Temescal Canyon, PacificPalisades (Rob Hofberg, 28 February).Lawrence's Goldfinches were beginningto appear in the region by early March, asindicated by Allen Keller's sighting ofseveral birds at Chatsworth Park South andO'Melveny Park.

11 May 1987

First North American Record Forthe Blue-breasted QuailBy Henry E. Childsjr, Ph.D.

arely does the birdwatcher havethe opportunity to make a newcontribution to the avifauna of

North America. Exceptions to this statementmay, perhaps, be made by participants onAphesis Tours, Tails or similiar groups inthe Aleutians. Thus, it is with considerablehumility (refer Mack Davis: Oh, Lord . . . )that I report the presence of a Blue-breasted Quail (Coturnix chinensis fide deSchauensee, 1984:pp:181,201) in northClaremont, Los Angeles County, on March3, 1987. My was I excited!

The bird was captured by a local resident.His wife called me to identify the bird,probably due to my large life list (less than2700). It was described as a young Califor-nia Quail. I was immediately on the alertas Fred Heath had not listed any quail asbreeding in Los Angeles County at this timeof year (See Heath, F. 1987. W. Tan.53(6) :9). Little did I realize what a find wasin store for me and the birding world!

A description of the bird is as follows:general body color, a silver grey. Length:3+ inches (76mm). Chin white with a greychin strap. Tail feathers short and worn.These last characteristics are important withregards to the matter of human interferenceor aid in transportation.

These quail, sometimes referred to asbuttonquail by the uninformed, have littlepower for flight so that the means by whichthis bird made it to California from Chinamust be explained.

It is well known fact that there is a jetstream moving from west to east from theAsian continent, the native home of thisspecies. It is also known that the Chinesehave the bomb and have been carrying outtests in the forbidden areas of northernChina i.e. Inner Mongolia et al.

The logical supposition is that this birdwas caught in the updraught of the test,caught in the jet stream and deposited acouple of days later in Claremont, alongwith the radioactive fallout. Extensive priorfallout in this area may explain the changein position of Claremontians on the 210freeway extension through this suburbancommunity.

A question has been raised about thesurvival of the bird during this period dueto lack of food. This query may have beenanswered by the relatively large size of thecrop in the gallinaceous birds allowing thestorage of large quantities of seed. Rice isa common seed found within the normalrange of this species. Certainly, the endo-thermic ability of birds to maintain bodytemperature during low termperatures iswell established.

The exposure to radiation also explainsthe silvergray color. Strong radiation has ableaching effect (indeed, blanching!), a factnoted in certain blood cells in humans.Surely, the worn tail feathers would indi-cate a not-too-pleasant ride in the Jetstream.

The behavior of the bird also indicatesits area of origin. The Claremont resident,who wishes to remain anonymous so as notto be overcome by birders rushing to theshrine, i.e. site, of capture, was working inhis garage when the bird approached.

To prevent the bird from being caughtin one of his mouse traps (mice are aendemic in this area), he placed a cage withbird seed in it near the bird. Obviouslyhungry and used to kind treatment by thenatives in its country of origin, the birdalmost immediately went into the cageallowed the door to be closed. Its reluc-tance to enter immediately is attributed tothe different composition of the mix of birdseed used as bait as being different as thatfound in rural China. No pictures of the birdwere taken as they might be used aspropaganda on both sides of the nucleararms issue. It is also regrettable that thespecimen disappeared overnight and thatthe suspected cat slept all the next day.

The facts are irrefutable, all questionsraised by the American Birding Association(see almost any issue of Birding) havebeen answered fully and completely. Thebirds arrival in North America was anaccidental occurance. No wise bird wouldintentionally get caught in an H-bombblast.

Additional records of this species may beforthcoming. Evidence of nesting activitiesin Los Angeles County should be forwardedto the Editor. Unfortunately, this recordoccurred too late to included in the Aprilissue. Action by the California Bird RecordsCommittee of the Western Field Ornithol-ogists is not expected in the near future.

Membership NotesThe National Audubon Society is

computerized through the NeodataCompany in Boulder, Colorado, so it is nolonger advisable to renew through the LosAngeles Audubon Society. The onlyadvantage in renewing through the LosAngeles Audubon Society is if yourmembership has lapsed. At that time itwould expedite receiving the next WesternTanager.

Neodata has a system of sending multiplenotices commencing four months prior toyour membership lapses. Frequently, thereis an overlap from the time you mailed yourdues and the next scheduled renewalreminder. Many people have receivednotices after they have remitted their duesbecause of this.

Subscribers who are members of anotherAudubon Chapter should not send theirrenewals to the Los Angeles AudubonSociety.

EDITOR Fred Heath

TYPESETTING Etcetera Graphics

PRINTER Beacon Lithe.

CONSERVATION EDITOR Sandy Wohlgemuth

ORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT Kimball Garrett

Published ten times a year by the Los AngelesAudubon Society, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los

Angeles, CA 90046

PRESIDENT Ellsworth Kendig1st VICE PRESIDENT Carol Friedman

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Marge Wohlgemuth

Audubon membership (local and national is $30per year (individual), $38 (family), $18 (student),$21 (senior citizen) or $23 (senior citizen family)including AUDUBON Magazine and THE WESTERNTANAGER. To join, make checks payable to theNational Audubon Society, and send them to AudubonHouse at the above address. Members wishing toreceive the TANAGER by first class mail must sendchecks for $5 to Los Angeles Audubon Society.

Subscriptions to THE WESTERN TANAGER sep-arately are $12 per year (Bulk Rate) or $17 (FirstClass, mailed in an envelope). To subscribe, makechecks payable to Los Angeles Audubon Society.

OLA. Audubon 1987

Los Angeles Audubon Headquarters, Library, Bookstoreand Nature Museum are located at Audubon House,Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA90046. Telephone: (213) 876-0202. Hours: 10-3, Tuesdaythrough Saturday.

^ANNOUNCEMENTS May 1987

EVENING MEETINGSMeet at 8:00 pm in Plummer Park

TUESDAY, May 12 — Arnold Small willpresent Birds and Beasts at the Bottom ofthe World, the bird and mammals of Antarctica.Well known as a photographer, teacher andauthor, Dr. Small is also a past president of LAASand the American Birding Association. He hasmade numerous trips to the Antarctic andtravelled extensively in the region. His vividphotographs of the abundant wildlife in thestarkly beautiful landscape of this area of theworld will illustrate the program. Mark yourCalendar!

King Penguin

Southern Elephant Seal

TUESDAY, JUNE 8 — Gene Cardiff, Curatorof Ornithology at the San Bernardino CountyMuseum will speak on The Birds of BajaCalifornia and the Sea of Cortez.

Identification Workshop, from 7:30 to 8:00pm, will precede the regular program, pleasecheck the tape (874-1318) for details.

FIELD TRIPSCALL THE TAPE!

Before setting out for any field trip, call theAudubon Bird Tape, (213) 874-1318 for specialinstructions or possible emergency cancellationsthat may have occurred by the Thursday beforethe trip.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 — Jean Brown will leada morning walk through the beautiful CaliforniaSycamores of Placerita Canyon. This is a lovelyplace with steep canyon walls and a babblingbrook. Take the 5 Frwy. North to the 14(Antelope Valley Frwy) and get off at PlaceritaCanyon Rd. Meet at the nature center at 8 a.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 3 — In cooperation with theSanta Monica Mountain Task Force, meet leaderGerry Haigh for his monthly morning walkthrough Topanga State Park at 8 a.m. Spendthe morning birding in lovely oak woodlands,meadows and chaparral. From Topanga CanyonBlvd. take a very sharp east turn uphill on EntradaDr. (7 miles So. of Ventura Blvd., 1 mile No. ofTopanga Village.) Keep bearing left on EntradaDr. at various roadforks to parking lot at end.$3 fee.

MONDAY, MAY 4 — Ojai Loop Trip. Join Guyand Louise Commeau in search of riparianspecies and migrants along the Ventura River

riparian area: Hutton's Vireos and other oakwoodland birds in the valley's magnificent LiveOak stands and a wide variety of other stopsincluding Matilija Lake and Lake Casitas. Gonorth on 101 then turn inland on Rte. 33 exitingat Foster Park. Meet beyond the bridge of theVentura River in park. Bring lunch and plan tocarpool. Camping available at Foster Park. 8 a.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 9 — Morongo ValleyRefuge - David Koeppel will lead a walkthrough this wonderful Nature Conservancyrefuge. We will search for specialities.such asLucy's Warbler, Brown-crested and VermilionFlycatchers, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeakand many migrants. Take Hwy. 10 East to Hwy.62; go North 10 miles to park sign (in the townof Morongo Valley) and turn right to CovingtonPark. Meet at 7:30 a.m. near Park Rec. Center.Bring lunch. Camping/Motels available in YuccaValley. Approx. 3 hours from L.A.

SUNDAY, MAY 10 — Meet Zus Haagen-Smltfor a special morning walk through the magnif-icent gardens of the Huntington Library.You'll be privileged to walk and bird the gardenbefore the place opens to the public. (In thepast this has been run as a reservation trip, thistime it's all comers.) Meet at the Oxford Rd.entrance. Take Frwy. 110 North till it becomesthe Arroyo Pkwy. continue North to CaliforniaBlvd. turn East (R) through Pasadena. Take Allen

Los Angeles Audubon Society7377 Santa Monica Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90046

Non Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 26974Los Angeles, CA

Ave. South (R) to Orlando Rd. Turn East (L) toOxford Rd. This goes to the entrance. On a maplook for the town of San Marino. Say the secretpassword "Audubon" and the guard will let youin. 8 a.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 17 — Join Wanda Conway andRusty Scalf for a birding hike at O'MelvenyPark and Bee Canyon just above Granada Hillsin the N. San Fernando Valley. Valley residentsought especially become acquainted with thislovely park and trail. Take either the 5 or 405North to the 118 and then go West. Get off atBalboa Blvd. and go North. Follow the signs toO'Melveny Park. Meet at parking lot at 7:30 a.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 23 — Join Rusty Scalf fora visit to Chilao at 5000 ft. in the AngelesNational Forest (or as proposed, Ronald ReagenNational Forest). Chilao is a beautiful open park-like Ponderosa Pine area home to many moun-tain birds including a good population of White-headed Woodpeckers. We will visit servealbluebird nestboxes which should be full ofhungry young. Last year all of the 13 boxescontained an active nest (Titmice and PygmyNuthatches as well). Take the 210 Frwy. to theAngeles Crest Hwy. (2) and plan on an hour'sdrive through the mountains to the ChilaoVisitors Center just off the Hwy. on the left. 8a.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6 — Join Jean Brown fora walk through Santa Anita Canyon. Thiscanyon is one of the loveliest birding spots inLos Angeles County. (As an adolescent theCanyon gave me one of my most memorabledays with the 'life' Black Swift, Purple Martin anda day of pure magic.) Take the 210 Frwy to SantaAnita Ave. going North. This straight N-S Avenueeventually becomes the twisty, windy Santa AnitaCanyon Rd. Go all the way to the end at ChantryFlats and park. Bring lunch and hiking shoes.8 a.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 7 — Jerry Haigh at TopangaState Park. See May 3 trip for details.

Continued on page 4.

LOS ANGELES MAY, 1987

AUDUBON 'KSTGRE

Olga L. Clarke, Sales Chairman

7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90046Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Tel. (213) 876-0202

WORLDFINDING BIRDS AROUND THE WORLD, Alden & Gooders 17.95

GENERAL NORTH AMERICA

AUDUBON SOCIETY MASTER GUIDE TO BIRDING,Farrand, 3 volumes ea. 13.95

A GUIDE TO FIELD IDENTIFICATION, BIRDS OF NO. AMERICA,Robbins, et al 7.95 10.95

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDSOF NORTH AMERICA, N.G.S TBA

THE KNOWN BIRDS OF NO. & MIDDLE AMERICA, pt. 1,Phillips 45.00

STATE BIRDS, Buckley & Singers 14.95

CANADABIRDS OF CANADA, Godfrey 39.95A BIRD-FINDING GUIDE TO CANADA, Finley, ed 18.95WHERE TO FIND BIRDS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, Mark 6.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO CHURCHILL, Lane & Chattier 5.50BIRDER'S GUIDE TO SE MANITOBA, Eco Series #1 4.95BIRDING NOVA SCOTIA, Allen & Dobson 6.00A BIRD-FINDING GUIDE TO ONTARIO, Goodwin 13.95

UNITED STATES, EASTERN25 BIRDING AREAS IN CONNECTICUT, Proctor 4.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO FLORIDA, Lane 7.00BIRDS OF SOUTH FLORIDA, AN INTERPRETIVE GUIDE,

Toops 9.50A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO GEORGIA, Greenberg & Anderson 7.00BIRD FINDING IN ILLINOIS, Fawks & Lobik 4.95INDIANA BIRDS & THEIR HAUNTS, Keller 10.95BIRDING AREAS OF IOWA, Petersen 5.50A BIRD FINDING GUIDE TO THE NEW ORLEANS AREA, Whelan 2.50A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO THE COAST OF MAINE, Pierson 8.95ENJOYING BIRDS IN MICHIGAN, MAS. (REPRINTING) TBAA BIRDER'S GUIDE TO MINNESOTA, Eckert 9.00WHERE TO FIND BIRDS IN NEW YORK STATE,

THE TOP 500 SITES, Drennan 18.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO NORTH DAKOTA, Zimmer 5.00WHERE TO FIND BIRDS IN W. PENNSYLVANIA, Freeland 2.95A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS EAST OF THE ROCKIES,

Peterson 11.95 16.95BIRD FINDING IN TENNESSEE, Bierly 8.00A GUIDE TO BIRD FINDING IN VERMONT, Ellison 6.95VIRGINIA BIRDING SITE GUIDE, Beck & Peake 8.95FINDING BIRDS IN THE NATIONAL CAPITOL AREA, Wilds 10.95

UNITED STATES, WESTERNA GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF ALASKA, Armstrong 16.95BIRDS OF ARIZONA, Phillips 40.00A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, Lane 7.95BIRDS IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, Davis & Russell 6.00THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA,

Grinnell & Miller 18.00 25.00BIRDING LOCATIONS IN & AROUND LOS ANGELES, Brandt 1.00MONTEREY BIRDS, Roberson 14.95PELAGIC BIRDS OF MONTEREY BAY, Stallcup 3.50BIRDING NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, Richmond 8.95101 BIRDING LOCALITIES AROUND SOUTHERN

CALIFORNIA, Wilson & Childs 3-95*BIRDS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Unitt 14.00 *20.00SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA BIRDWATCHING, SAS 8.95THE BIRDS COME FLOCKING: A FIELD GUIDE TO SANTA

BARBARA FOR BIRDERS & OTHER TRAVELERS, Matelson 5.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Lane 7.00

BIRDS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: STATUS & DISTRIBUTIONGarrett & Dunn 18.95

BIRDS OF THE YOSEMITE SIERRA, Gaines TBABIRDER'S GUIDE TO DENVER & EASTERN COLORADO, Lane . . . 6.00A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF HAWAII & THE TROPICAL

PACIFIC, Bruner, Berrett, & Pratt (Summer) 19.95 "50.00HAWAIIAN BIRDLIFE, Berger 29.95HAWAII'S BIRDS, HAS 4.95BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO'S NATIONAL PARK LANDS, Hubbard . . . 2.25NEW MEXICO BIRD FINDING GUIDE,

Huntington & Zimmerman 6.50BIRDING OREGON, Ramsey 7.00BIRDS OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES, Ulrich 7.95A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF TEXAS & ADJACENT STATES,

Peterson 11.95TEXAS BIRDS: WHERE THEY ARE & HOW TO FIND THEM,

Kutac 9.95A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BIG BEND, Wauer 9.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO THE TEXAS COAST, Lane 7.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS,

Lane 6.95UTAH BIRDS, Behle & Perry 6.00BIRDS OF ZION NAT. PARK & VICINITY, Wauer & Carter 2.95GUIDE TO BIRD FINDING IN WASHINGTON,

Wahl & Paulson 6.00FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN BIRDS, Peterson 11.95 16.95RARE BIRDS OF THE WEST COAST, Roberson 24.95

AFRICA*THE BIRDS OF AFRICA, Volume 1 & 2, Brown et al ea. 99.00BIRDS OF BOTSWANA, Ginn 20.00AFRICAN HANDBOOK OF BIRDS, SERIES 1, EAST & NORTHEAST

AFRICA, Mackworth-Praed & Grant, 2 Vols ea. 75.00A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF EAST AFRICA,

Williams & Arlott TBAA FIELD GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS OF EAST AFRICA,

Williams 24.95COMMON BIRDS OF EGYPT, Bruun 12.95LET'S LOOK AT ETHIOPIA, Ornitholidays 6.95A NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE GAMBIA, Edberg 6.50WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS IN KENYA, Moore 22.50FAUNE DE MADAGASCAR, XXXV, OISEAUX, Milon et al 60.00BIRDS OF SEYCHELLES & THE OUTLYING ISLANDS,

Penny 16.95AFRICAN HANDBOOK OF BIRDS, SERIES 2, SOUTHERN THIRD

Mackworth-Praed & Grant, 2 vols ea. 75.00NEWMAN'S BIRDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, Newman 25.00ROBERT'S BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA, McLachlan & Iiversidge 35.00FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, Sinclair . . . 19.95BIRDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA 1: KRUGER NATIONAL

PARK, Newman 12.95 16.95WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, Berruti

& Sinclair 15.95AFRICAN HANDBOOK OF BIRDS, SERIES 3, WEST & WEST-

CENTRAL AFRICA, Mackworth-Praed & Grant, 2 vols ea. 75.00FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF WEST AFRICA, Serle 24.95BIRDS OF THE HIGHVELD, Ginn (Zimbabwe) 8.50BIRDS OF THE LOWVELD, Ginn (Zimbabwe) 8.50

ASIABIRDS OF BURMA, Smythies 89.95THE BIRDS OF CHINA, Meyer De Schauensee 29.95LES OISEAUX DE CHINE, Etchecopar & Hue

Vol. 1 NON-PASSEREAUX, Vol. 2 PASSEREAUX Set 175.00

FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS,Ali 25.00

NEW COLOUR GUIDE TO HONG KONG BIRDS,Viney & Phillipps 13-95

COLLINS HANDGUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF THE INDIANSUBCONTINENT, Woodcock 10.95

PICTORIAL GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF THE INDIANSUBCONTINENT, Ali & Ripley 19.95

A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF JAPAN, Takano 19.95FINDING BIRDS IN JAPAN: HONSHU, Brazil 8.95FINDING BIRDS IN JAPAN: THE TOKYO AREA, Brazil 6.00INTRODUCTION TO MALAYAN BIRDS, Madoc 12.95GUIDE TO BIRDS OF NEPAL, Inskipp 35.00BIRDS OF NEPAL, WITH REFERENCE TO KASHMIR & SIKKIM,

Fleming 22.95PHILLIPPINE BIRDS, du Pont 45.00BIRDS OF SINGAPORE, Hails & Jarvis TBAFIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA, King 24.95BIRDS OF SOUTH VIETNAM, Wildash 18.50GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF CEYLON, Henry 37.50LET'S LOOK AT SRI LANKA, Ornitholidays 5.25A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF TAIWAN, Tunghai Univ 40.00NEW GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF TAIWAN, Severinghaus &

Blackshaw (Limited Supply) 13.95AUSTRALASIA

THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA, Simpson & Day 45.00A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA, Pizzey "35.00

(soft) TBAA FIELD GUIDE TO AUSTRALIAN BIRDS, Slater TBABIRDS OF BORNEO, Smythies TBAPOCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BORNEO,

Francis & Hughes 13.95BIRDS OF THE FIJI BUSH, Clunie & Morse 13.95BIRDS OF FIJI, TONGA & SAMOA, Wading 50.00AVIFAUNA OF MICRONESIA, Baker 30.00OISEAUX DE NLLE CALEDONIE ET DES LOYAUTES,

Hannecart & Letocart, 2 Vols 65.00BIRDS OF NEW GUINEA, Beehler, Pratt & Zimmerman 37.50 "65.00AVIFAUNA OF THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS OF NEW GUINEA,

Diamond 25.00BIRDS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Vol. 1, Coates 69.95UPLAND BIRDS OF NORTHEAST NEW GUINEA, Beehler 12.95GUIDE TO MT. KAINDI, Bressit & Nadkarni 9-95COLLINS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND,

Falla et al 19-95THE BIRDS AND BIRDLORE OF SAMOA, Muse 12.95BIRDS OF THE NORTHERN SOLOMONS, Hadden 14.95SOUTH PACIFIC BIRDS, du Pont 37.50

"BIRDS OF THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, Mayr 6.95BIRDS OF FRENCH POLYNESIA: TAHITI, Bruner 5.95BIRDS OF WALLACEA, White & Bruce TBA

EUROPE & THE MIDDLE EASTBIRDS OF THE ARABIAN GULF, Jennings 17.95INLAND BIRDS OF SAUDI ARABIA, Silsby 55.00WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS, Gooders (England) TBABIRDS OF BRITAIN & EUROPE WITH NORTH AFRICA &

THE MIDDLE EAST, Heinzel et al 14.95 16.95A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRITAIN & EUROPE,

Peterson 17.95A GUIDE TO BIRD-WATCHING IN EUROPE, Ferguson-Lees 995HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF EUROPE, THE MIDDLE EAST

& NORTH AFRICA: THE BIRDS OF THE WESTERN PALEARTIC,VOLS. 1, 2, 3 & 4, Cramp et al ea. 110.00

LET'S LOOK AT THE CAMARGUE, Ornitholidays 5.25LET'S LOOK AT NORTHEASTERN GREECE, Ornitholidays 5.25GUIA DE INCAFO DE LAS AVES DE LA PENINSULA IBERICA,

Saez-Rayuela 25.00THE BIRDS OF IRAN, Scott (Farsi with

English and Latin names) 40.00POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF IRELAND, D'Arcy 7.95A NEW GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF MALTA Sultana & Gauci 13.95BIRDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN & ALPS, Jonsson 13.95THE BIRDS OF OMAN, Gallagher & Woodcock 37.50LET'S LOOK AT SOUTHWEST SPAIN, Ornitholidays 5-25A FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS OF THE U.S.S.R., Flint et al 65.00THE BIRDS OF ISRAEL, Paz TBA

CARIBBEANFIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF THE BAHAMAS,

Brudenell-Bruce 15.95BIRDS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS, Bradley 26.50BIRDS OF THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES, Voous 16.50A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF PUERTO RICO &

THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, Raffaele (Limioted Supply) 13.95A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO TRINADAD & TOBAGO, Murphy 12.95BIRDS OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, ffrench 12.95GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, ffrench 29.95BIRDS OF THE WEST INDIES, Bond 14.95

MIDDLE AMERICATHE BIRDS OF COSTA RICA, DISTRIBUTION & ECOLOGY,

Slud 29.95"COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY, Janzen 30.00 * 50.00COSTA RICAN NATIONAL PARKS, Boza (soft) 12.95BIRDS OF TIKAL, Smithe 19.95A DISTRIBUTIONAL SURVEY OF THE BIRDS OF HONDURAS,

Monroe 17.50A FIELD GUIDE TO MEXICAN BIRDS, Peterson 15.95FINDING BIRDS IN MEXICO, Edwards (Incl. Supplement) 20.00

(supplement only) 14.00BIRDS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA, Wilbur 39.95

*THE BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, VOL. 4, Wetmore . . . 29.95THE BIRDS OF MEXICO CITY, Wilson & Ceballos-Lascurrain TBAFINDING BIRDS IN PANAMA, Edwards 9.00GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF PANAMA, Ridgely 37.50

•TROPICAL NATURE: LIFE & DEATH INTHE RAIN FOREST, Forsyth & Miyata 14.95

SOUTH AMERICABIRDS OF THE ANTARCTIC AND SUBANTARCTIC, Watson 22.50GUIA DE AVES ARGENTINAS, Narosky 10.95AVES BRASILEIRAS I, Dalgas Frisch 30.00HUMMINGBIRDS OF THE STATE OF ESPIRITO SANTO (BRAZIL)

Ruschi (Limited Supply) 125.00A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF COLOMBIA,

Hilty, Brown, & Tudor 42.50 *95.OOFALKLAND ISLAND BIRDS, Woods 16.95A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF GALAPAGOS, Harris 24.95GALAPAGOS GUIDE, White 12.95

"GALAPAGOS - A NATURAL HISTORY, Jackson 19.95GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF PATAGONIA, Reed 4.25THE BIRDS OF THE DEPT. OF LIMA, PERU, Koepcke 9.95A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF SOUTH AMERICA,

Meyer de Schauensee 25.00SOUTH AMERICAN LAND BIRDS, Dunning 29.50 "34.50A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF VENEZUELA,

Meyer de Schauensee & Phelps 25.00 "70.00

SPECIFIC BIRDS"BIRDS OF PREY OF THE WORLD, Weick & Brown 48.00"THE COTINGAS, Snow 42.50DUCKS OF NORTH AMERICA AND THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE,

Gooders & Boyer 24.95"DUCKS, GEESE & SWANS OF NORTH AMERICA, Bellrose 29.95"EAGLES, HAWKS & FALCONS OF THE WORLD,

Brown & Amadon TBA"FALCONS OFTHE WORLD, Cade 35.00"TAXONOMY & GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE

FURNARIIDAE, Vaurie 30.00"GULLS: A GUIDE TO IDENTIFICATION, Grant (Fall) 35.00HAWKS, Clark & Wheeler 13.95THE HERONS HANDBOOK, Hancock & Kushlan 24.95HUMMINGBIRDS: THEIR LIFE & BEHAVIOR, Tyrrell &

Tyrrell (autographed) 35.00THE WAY OF THE HUMMINGBIRD, Holmgren 8.95LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS,

Bent (Those volumes in print) 6.95— 10.95OWLS OFTHE WORLD, Burton TBAPARROTS OF THE WORLD, Forshaw & Cooper 80.00PHEASANTS OF THE WORLD, Delacour 59.95THE PHEASANTS OF THE WORLD, Johnsgard 75.00

"PIGEONS & DOVES OF THE WORLD, Goodwin 45.00

SEABIRDS: AN IDENTIFICATION GUIDE, Harrison 34.95SEABIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC WATERS,

Haley, ed 39.95A DICHOTOMOUS KEY TO THE SHOREBIRDS OF NORTH

AMERICA, Mellon 2.95SHOREBIRDS: AN IDENTIFICATION GUIDE,

Hayman, Marchant & Prater 35.00STORM-PETRELS OF THE WORLD: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE

TO THEIR FIELD IDENTIFICATION, Naveen 5.00THE TANAGERS: NAT'L HIST., DISTRIB. & IDENTIFICATION,

Isler & Parker, (Spring) 49.95 70.00*A FIELD GUIDE TO THE WARBLERS OF BRITAIN & EUROPE,

Moore 19.95COLOURED KEY TO WILDFOWL OF THE WORLD, Scott 8.50LIFE OF THE WOODPECKER, Skutch 37.50

*WOODPECKERS OFTHE WORLD, Short 99.95GENERAL BIRD REFERENCES

THE BIRD YEAR: A BOOK FOR BIRDERS, Davis & Baldridge . . . . 5.95*BIRDS FOR REAL, Stallcup 6.00THE BIRDS AROUND US, Ortho Books 25.00DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIRD NAMES, Choate 9.95GETTING STARTED IN BIRDWATCHING,

Cronin & Morrison 5.95HOWTO ATTRACT BIRDS, Ortho Books 6.95THE JOY OF BIRDING, Bernstein 8.95FIELD GUIDE TO NESTS, EGGS & NESTLINGS OF

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS, Harrison 16.95FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN BIRDS'NESTS, Harrison 11.95

FAUNAANIMAL LIFE OFTHE GALAPAGOS, Hickin 17.95CALIFORNIA BUTTERFLIES, Garth, Tilden, Mooney 19.95COSTA RICAN BUTTERFLIES, TBAAUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN

BUTTERFLIES, Pyle 13.50A FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN BUTTERFLIES,

Tilden & Smith 12.95BUTTERFLIES OF THE WORLD, Lewis . . . (Limited Supply) . . . 24.95AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN

INSECTS & SPIDERS, Milne 13.50A FIELD GUIDE TO THE MAMMALS OF AFRICA, INCL.

MADAGASCAR, Haltenorth & Diller 24.95A FIELD GUIDE TO THE LARGER MAMMALS OF AFRICA,

Dorst & Dandelot 24.95GUIDE TO NATIVE LAND MAMMALS OF NORTHEAST

NEW GUINEA, Ziegler 3.95MARINE MAMMALS OF CALIFORNIA, Orr 4.95AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN

MAMMALS, Whitaker 13.50AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN

REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS, Behler & King 13.50A FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS,

Stebbins 10.95A WORLD GUIDE TO WHALES, DOLPHINS & PORPOISES,

Heintzelman 995FLORA

THE ALASKA-YUKON WILDFLOWER GUIDE, Alaska Mag 12.95THE AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN

TREES, WESTERN REGION 13.50THE AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN

WILDFLOWERS, WESTERN REGION 13.50DESERT WILD FLOWERS, Jaeger 6.95A FIELD GUIDE TO PACIFIC STATES WILD FLOWERS, Neihaus& Ripper 11.95A FIELD GUIDE TO SOUTHWESTERN & TEXAS WILDFLOWERS,Neihaus, Ripper & Savage 12.95FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS,

COASTAL & CHAPARRAL REGIONS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,Dale 15.95NATIVE CONIFERS OF THE SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, Hood. . . .50NATIVE SHRUBS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Raven 4.95NATIVE TREES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Petersen 5.95ROADSIDE PLANTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Belzer 8.95TEXAS WILDFLOWERS: A FIELD GUIDE,

Campbell & Loughmiller 10.95TREES OF NORTH AMERICA, Brockman 7.95WILDFLOWERS OF THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS, McAuley 15.95

MISCELLANEOUS GUIDE BOOKSAUDUBON NATURE SERIES: DESERTS; WESTERN FORESTS;

PACIFIC COAST; EASTERN FORESTS; ATLANTIC COAST;WETLANDS ea. 14.95

RECORDS & CASSETTESTECHNIQUES OF BIRDING WITH ARNOLD SMALL, Small,

Vz" VHS or BETA, 60 Minutes ea. 29.95BIRDS OF THE AFRICAN RAIN FOREST, Keith records 15.95SOUTHERN AFRICAN BIRD CALLS, Gillard cassettes 25.00A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRD CALLS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA,

White cassettes 19.95A FIELD GUIDE TO BIRD SONGS OF EASTERN & CENTRAL

NORTH AMERICA, Peterson-Cornell records or cassettes 19.95SONGS OF EASTERN BIRDS, Borror record 5.95

cassette 7.95SOUNDS OF FLORIDA'S BIRDS, Hardy record 8.00VOICES OF SOME GALAPAGOS BIRDS, Hardy cassette 6.95VOICES OF NEOTROPICAL BIRDS, Hardy record 8.00VOICES OF NEW WORLD JAYS, CROWS & THEIR ALLIES,

Hardy record 8.00VOICES OF NEW WORLD NIGHTBIRDS,

Coffee & Hardy cassette 9.95VOICES OF NEW WORLD THRUSHES, Hardy & Parker cassette 9.95NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY GUIDE TO

BIRD SOUNDS, Cornell (No. America) cassettes 22.50VOICES OF THE PERUVIAN RAIN FOREST, Parker 9.95THRUSHES, WRENS & MOCKINGBIRDS, Borror record 9.95BIRDS OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, White cassette 10.95SONGS OF VIREOS & THEIR ALLIES, Barlow record 13.50WARBLERS, Borror & Gunn record 14.95

"WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA, Cornell . . . records or cassettes 29.95AUDIBLE AUDUBON WESTERN BIRDS 2 sets 12.50FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN BIRD SONGS,

Peterson-Cornell record 27.50cassette 29.95

SONGS OF WESTERN BIRDS, Borror record 4.95cassette 7.95

THE WRENS, Hardy record 8.00CHECKLISTS

NORTH AMERICAALASKA, Gibson 75ALASKA, ANCHORAGE, AAS 60ARIZONA, AB.C 50ARIZONA, ANNOTATED, Monson & Phillips 5.95ARIZONA, MADERA CANYON 60ARIZONA, SOUTHEAST, Davis & Russell 30CALIFORNIA, LAAS **.25CALIFORNIA, BODEGA BAY, Conzett 30CALIFORNIA, FIELD LIST S.D.F.0 85CALIFORNIA, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL MONUMENT,

Norris & Schreier .60CALIFORNIA, JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL MONUMENT, J.T.N.M. .30CALIFORNIA, KERN RIVER PRESERVE & SOUTH FORK

KERN RIVER VALLEY, Barnes 30CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY, LAAS **.25CALIFORNIA, NORTHERN, ANNOTATED, McCaskie, et al 6.00CALIFORNIA, REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, Ericson, et al 75CALIFORNIA, EAST BAY REGION, SAN FRANCISCO, G.GA 30CALIFORNIA, SAN LUIS, MERCED & KESTERSON

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 30CALIFORNIA, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, M.CA 1.75CALIFORNIA, SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS,

Norris 50CALIFORNIA, TULARE COUNTY, TAS 30CANADA, CHURCHILL, M.D.N.R 50COLORADO, Steffee 1.75FLORIDA, FAS 30HAWAII, HAS 30MAINE, ANNOTATED, Vickery 1.95MARYLAND, Robbins & Bystrak 1.00MISSOURI, A.S.M 30MONTANA, M.D.F.W.P 30NEW HAMPSHIRE, ANNOTATED, Elkins 2.50NEWMEXICO, Hubbard 3.95NORTH AMERICA, A.BA 9.95NORTH AMERICA, AO.U 40.00

NORTH AMERICA, BIRDER'S LIFE LIST & DIARY,Cornell Univ 6.95

NORTH AMERICA, Tucson Audubon Society 1.35NORTH AMERICA, Wings 1.00DISTRIBUTIONAL CHECKLIST OF NO. AMERICAN BIRDS, Vol.1,

deSante & Fyle 27.50NORTH AMERICA, MIDDLE AMERICA, WEST INDIES

& HAWAII, Swift 7.95NORTH CAROLINA, C.B.C 1.00OHIO, O.D.N.R 50RHODE ISLAND, Conway 1.50TEXAS, Bryan, et al 1.50TEXAS, BIRDS OF BENTSEN-RIO GRANDE VALLEY

STATE PARK 30TEXAS, SANTA ANA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REF., U.S.D.1 40UTAH, Behle et al 6.00VERMONT, V.I.N.S 50

INTERNATIONALAFRICA, GAMBIA, Fisher & Gantlett 1.95AFRICA, KENYA, EAN.H.S 2.50AFRICA, KENYA & TANZANIA, Steffee 1.95AFRICA, SOUTHERN, Steffee 1.75AFRICA, TANZANIA, EAN.H.S 2.50AFRICA, TUNISIA, (Annotated) Thomsen 14.95AFRICA, WESTERN CENTRAL, Steffee 2.95ARGENTINA, Steffee 1.75AUSTRALIA & TASMANIA, Steffee 1.75BAHAMA ISLANDS, F.C.T 1.75BELIZE, Weyer & Young 1.50BERMUDA, Steffee 1.50BOLIVIA, West 2.50BORNEO, Steffee 1.75BRAZIL, Steffee 2.95BRAZIL, RIO DE JANEIRO, Sick 2.00BRITAIN, B.T.0 1.25CHILE, Clarke 3-95CHINA, Steffee 2.95COLOMBIA, Hilty 2.50COSTA RICA, Steffee 2.50COSTA RICA, MONTEVERDE 1.95CUBA, Clarke 3.95EQUADOR, West 1.75ECUADOR, LIMONCOCHA, Pearson & Tallman 1.95GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Leek 1.75GREECE, Clarke 3.95GUATEMALA, Steffee 1.75GUIANAS, Steffee & Mason 1.50HONG KONG, Steffee 1.75INDIA, NORTHEAST & BANGLADESH, R.M.N.H.T 1.75INDIA, NEPAL, KASHMIR,

GARWHAL & SIKKIM, R.M.N.H.T 1.75INDIA, PENNINSULAR, R.M.N.H.T 1.75ISRAEL, Fisher & Gantlett 1.75ISRAEL& MIDDLE EAST, Steffee 1.75JAMAICA, Steffee 1.95JAPAN, Mason 1.75JAVA & BALI, Steffee 1.75KOREA, Won 1.95MADAGASCAR, Steffee 1.95MAJORCA, Fisher & Gantlett 1.95MALAYA & SINGAPORE, M.N.S 1.75MALAYSIA, SABAH, Francis 1.25MEXICO, Howell & Webb 4.00MEXICO, Steffee 2.95MEXICO, SONORA & SEA OF CORTEZ, Taylor 3.00MICRONESIA, Pyle & Engbring 3.95NEW GUINEAS SATELLITE ISLANDS, Steffee 2.50NEWZEALAND, Steffee 1.75PANAMA CANAL AREA, Engleman & Johnson 1.50PANAMA, WEST CHIRIQUI HIGHLANDS, Eisenmann & Loftin . . . 1.50PERU, Parker 4.95PERU, ANNOTATED, Parker 17.95PHILIPPINES, Bruce 2.50SAUDI ARABIA, Jennings 16.95SEYCHELLES & OUTLYING ISLANDS, Clarke 2.95

SOUTH AMERICA, Altman & Swift 4.50SOUTH AMERICA, OCEANIC, Clarke 3.95SOVIET UNION, Pollard 4.95SPAIN & PORTUGAL, Fisher & Gantlett 1.95SURINAME, Davis 4.95TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, Steffee 1.75VENEZUELA, Alden 1.95VENEZUELA, Thomas 1.75WESTERN PALEARCnC, B.T.0 1.25BIRDS OF THE WORLD, Clements 3rd ed. (limited supply) 24.95

FIELD AIDSBAUSCH & LOMB, AND BUSHNER BINOCULARS &

TELESCOPES 20% off list priceAUDUBON BIRD CALL 4.00BIRD SAVER (hawk silhouette) 1.75INDEX TABS, NORTH AMERRICAN BIRDS 3.50LAAS. CLOTH PATCH 1.95 3/5.00LAA.S. DECAL 65LAAS. EYEGLASS CASE

(Custom Made — Red, Navy or Brown) 3-95 3/7.00LAAS. PIN 1.95 3/5.00LAAS. SWEATSHIRT 16.95MINISTRAP (for binocular or camera) 6.50PELICAN POUCH (blue or tan) 9.95PELICAN POUCH WITH LAA.S. EMBLEM PATCH 12.95PELICAN POUCH SHOULDER STRAP 1.50PLASTIC BOOK JACKET (7Ms" or 8") 1.25TELESCOPE COVER (short, long) 17.50TRIPOD-VELBON VICT-450 55.95

BIRD FEEDERSHUMMYBIRD BAR 5.95ORIOLE BAR 7.95PARTS FOR HUMMYBIRD OR ORIOLE BARS 15-3.00WOODEN SEED FEEDER (Cedar) 10.95

MISCELLANEOUSWe also carry fine stationery and gift-wrapping paper

featuring distinctive nature prints,and nature-oriented coloring books.

PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.* Special order, price subject to change.

Allow 6 to 12 weeks for delivery.** Sale price, limited quantity.

TBA Price to be announced, not yet available.WE HONOR MAIL AND PHONE ORDERS

Because shipping costs vary, WE PREFER THAT YOU LETUS BILL YOU! Otherwise, add 6-1/2% sales tax (Los AngelesCo.) or 6% sales tax (Calif, outside of Los Angeles Co.), and$2.50 minimum postage and handling. You will be advised ifadditional charges are due.INSTITUTIONS and DEALERS must prepay.FOREIGN ORDERS:The minimum postage and handling is $5.00; on orders morethan 50.00, add 10% for shipping and handling. Payment inU.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. A check or money ordermust bearing the magnetic routing numbers used for checkprocessing must accompany your order.Make checks payable to LOS ANGELES AUDUBONSOCIETY.Merchandise not returnable without authorization.Please inquire for any titles not shown on this list.All income is used to support the functions and conservationefforts of the Los Angeles Audubon Society.Our office and bookstore are open Tuesday through Saturday,10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.