Instructions for
Reporting Louisiana Bird Observations by Steven W.
Cardiff, J. V. Remsen, and Donna L. Dittmann How
do you decide which bird records are worth reporting? How should they be
documented, and when, where, and to whom should they be sent? Start by
reviewing a species' status as given by the bar graphs in Louisiana Birds
(Lowery 1974), which still give a reasonably accurate representation of the
status of most species. A pdf of Lowerys
1974 seasonal bar graphs is available at: http://losbird.org/lowery_seasonal_occurrences.pdf Please
consult these bar graphs as you search through your field notes at the end of
each season. Of primary interest are records of almost all species during
times of the year when they are considered "rare" (palest shading
in Lowery's bar graphs), "very rare"
(dots), or absent, either for the state as a whole or for the Baton Rouge
Area (BRA) line. Of course, because Lowery (1974) is 35 years out-of-date,
many changes in status and distribution are not reflected in the bar graphs,
but they are still generally applicable for the state and/or the BRA (the
latter still a fairly good indicator of a species status in central and northern Louisiana). A new
version of the bar graphs is in progress, but, until published, please refer
to changes/corrections/additions/status changes to the 1974 version listed in
the Appendices below: There
are four general documentation categories that can be used alone or in
various combinations to properly support everything from first state records
to sightings of local interest: 1. Important Bird Record (3 x 5) cards. For decades, Louisiana observers have
submitted observations of unusual species on these standard pre-printed
3" x 5" cards. The card file database is housed at the Louisiana
State University Museum of Natural Science (LSUMNS) and is accessible (by
appointment) to anyone interested in Louisiana bird distribution. Records on
3" x 5" cards should be sent to the state editor for the
Arkansas-Louisiana Region of the journal North
American Birds (NAB). Currently, the Editor is Steven W. Cardiff, Museum of Natural Science, 119 Foster Hall,
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803-3216, 225-578-2855/9289, scardif@lsu.edu
. Records may be submitted as hard copy on pre-printed or similarly formatted
cards (see below), or electronically via the LSUMNS Louisiana Bird Resource
Office at: 2. Rare Bird Report Forms. Records of species on the Louisiana
Bird Records Committee (LBRC) Review List (or records of species new for the
state) require completion of a rare bird report form. To see the current list
of Review List species go to: http://losbird.org/lbrc/la_reviewlist_1104.pdf For
submission forms for Review List birds, go to the following webpage: http://www.losbird.org/lbrc/submitreport.html Report
forms and Review Lists are also available from the LBRC Secretary either as
hard copies or email attachments. The
Review List consists of species that, on average, are seen in LA four or
fewer times per year. The Review List is periodically updated by the LBRC and
published in the Journal of Louisiana Ornithology (JLO) and/or the LOS News
and posted at the LOS/LBRC website; Review List species are also denoted with
an asterisk on the LOS field checklist. Although these records should also be
submitted on standard 3" X 5" cards so that they are represented in
the card file database, the card documentation does not by itself constitute
a report to the LBRC except as a last resort. Refer to the article "How
to document rare birds" by Donna Dittmann and Greg Lasley
(Birding, June 1992, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp
145-159) for a discussion of how to document rarities: http://losbird.org/lbrc/dittmann_lasley.html Any
photo, video, or voice recording supportive documentation should be clearly
labeled with information on species, date, locality, and photographer/recordist. Photos, videos, or recordings will be
permanently placed in the LBRC files at the LSUMNS. Selected photographs that
have not been published elsewhere may be printed with LBRC reports that
appear in the JLO, or in the LBRC online newsletter, e.g., see: http://www.losbird.org/lbrc/LBRCNewsletter.pdf Photos,
video, or voice recordings of other unusual species, or of other
ornithological significance, can be deposited in the LSUMNS archives.
Recognizable photos of rarities that are submitted by the appropriate
deadlines stand a good chance of being published in NAB or possibly in future
issues of the JLO. The
LBRC does not review other kinds of records, e.g., out-of-season or
out-of-range within Louisiana, unless specifically requested to do so. Completed
rare bird report forms and accompanying documentation should be sent to the
LBRC Secretary, currently Donna L. Dittmann, Museum of Natural
Science, 119 Foster Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA,
70803-3216, phone 225-578-2009, email ddittma@lsu.edu Decisions
of the LBRC are periodically published in the JLO. See JLO Vol. 6, No.1/2, pp 41-101, for the Ninth Report of the LBRC; the Tenth
Report is in press and will appear in the forthcoming
online version of the JLO. Pdfs of previous reports
are available: http://www.losbird.org/lbrc/LBRCReports.htm 3. Nest Record Cards. If you find nests of even the commonest species,
please enter the data into the online Louisiana Nest Record database at the
Louisiana Bird Resource Center. Alternatively, they can be also reported on
preprinted cards issued by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Nest Record
Card Program. Cards and instructions are available from Dr. J. V. Remsen
at LSUMNS. See Remsen 1985 (LOS News No.109) for additional details. Please
be sure that you return the completed cards to Dr. Remsen so that the data
can be databased for the Louisiana files before
they are sent on to Cornell. See LOS News No. 175 for the most recent nest
record summary by David Wiedenfeld. Contact Remsen
if interested in becoming the state coordinator for this program. Important
nest records in terms of distribution should also be reported on 3x5 cards. 4. Specimens. Donations of salvaged specimens of any species are
important and appreciated by many scientific institutions. The LSUMNS has all
state and Federal salvage permits necessary to receive such specimens, which
are periodically reported to the LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries and the
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although state and federal law prohibits the
possession of most wild birds without special permits, there is generally no
danger of running afoul of the law if your intent is to deliver the specimen
to a scientific institution in a timely fashion. Dead birds that are in
reasonably good condition (e.g., not completely flattened or not yet
decomposing), or moribund birds that succumb before, during, or after
rehabilitation efforts, can be placed in a sealed plastic bag and kept frozen
until they can be delivered to a museum. A label with information on species,
date when found, location where found, and name of collector (so that you get
full credit for finding the specimen), should be placed in the bag with the
bird ("frozen specimen data slips" are available from LSUMNS).
Carcasses of any unusual (or suspected unusual) species should be
saved, regardless of the specimen's condition, even if only a wing or
tail. Please
keep these guidelines for reference until further notice. Revisions will be
issued as necessary. Many thanks for your cooperation and participation. APPENDIX 1. Lowery Bar Graph Status Corrections/Changes. For a few species, portions of the 1974 seasonal abundance codes are now
considered incorrect: Semipalmated Sandpiper- no
accepted winter records Common
Tern- rare in winter Great
Crested Flycatcher- few fall records after September Philadelphia
Vireo few fall
records before third week of September Blackburnian Warbler- few spring
records before 1 April Connecticut
Warbler- no accepted fall records Species for which submitting records is no longer necessary
(because we already have information on file): Brown
Pelican on coast (but records still wanted from inland or documenting breeding
distribution on coast) Northern
Gannet in winter (but early, late, summer, high counts, etc. still wanted) Double-crested
Cormorant (but summer/breeding records still wanted) Anhinga
(but winter records for northern LA still wanted) Tricolored
Heron (but northern LA records still wanted) Black-crowned
Night-Heron (but winter records from northern LA still wanted) Glossy
Ibis (but records from central/northern LA still wanted) White
Ibis (but winter records from northern LA still wanted) Cackling
Goose (but records away from southwest LA still wanted) Rosss Goose (but records away from
southwest LA still wanted) Hooded
Merganser (but summer/breeding or coastal records still wanted) Osprey
(but summer/breeding records still wanted) Bald
Eagle (but records from summer or away from expected breeding and wintering
sites still wanted) Cooper's
Hawk Red-tailed
Hawk (but summer records from extreme southern LA still wanted) Peregrine
Falcon (but late spring or early fall records still wanted) Merlin
(but late spring or early fall records still wanted) Virginia
Rail (but records from early fall or late spring, or winter in northern LA
still wanted) Black-necked
Stilt (but records from winter in northern LA still wanted) Greater
Yellowlegs (summering records still wanted) Lesser
Yellowlegs (summering records still wanted) Herring
Gull (but breeding records still wanted) Ring-billed
Gull White-winged
Dove (but records from central/northern LA or of breeding still wanted) Inca
Dove (but records from outside southwest LA still wanted) Common
Ground-Dove (but summer records from southwest LA or any records from outside
southwest LA still wanted) Horned
Lark (but coastal records, or southern LA breeding records still wanted) Barn
and Cliff swallows (but records of new colonies and late or early records
still wanted) White-eyed
Vireo (but records from northern LA in winter still wanted) Philadelphia
Vireo (but early fall or late spring records still wanted) Tennessee
Warbler (in fall, records no longer needed until after 15 Nov. from coast, 10
Nov. from interior) Wilson's
Warbler (but records for spring migration, or northern LA in winter still
wanted) Lapland
Longspur (but coastal or southeast LA records still wanted) Great-tailed
Grackle (but records from outside southwest LA still wanted) At the other extreme are species for which ALL records, or all records
from certain seasons, should be reported even though they were not considered
"rare" by Lowery: SPECIES
(need reports from
.) Neotropic Cormorant (outside southwest LA) Canada
Goose (especially wild versus feral individuals) American
Black Duck Greater
Scaup Yellow
Rail (away from southwest LA rice country) American
Avocet (summering) Long-billed
Curlew (report anywhere in spring, or away from southwest coast at other
seasons) Red
Knot (summering, wintering) Semipalmated Sandpiper
(Oct.-Mar.) Common
Tern (Nov.-Mar.) Groove-billed
Ani Whip-poor-will
(spring) Willow
Flycatcher Alder
Flycatcher (spring) Least
Flycatcher (spring) White-breasted
Nuthatch (outside Shreveport and Tensas River N.W.R. areas) Bewick's Wren Gray-cheeked
Thrush and Veery (on coast in fall) Philadelphia
Vireo (in fall prior to late Sept.) Warbling
and Bell's vireos Golden-winged
Warbler Nashville
Warbler (in spring away from western tier of parishes) Cerulean
Warbler (fall) Prairie
Warbler (south of breeding areas in spring) Louisiana
Waterthrush (early or late fall migrants, e.g.,
before mid-July or after mid-Aug.) Swainson's Warbler (in fall after mid-Aug.) Canada
Warbler (spring away from western tier of parishes, and after Sep. in fall) Nelson's
Sharp-tailed Sparrow (inland) Lark
Sparrow (coast, or breeding) Western
Meadowlark For
declining-but-regular species such as American Bittern, Reddish Egret, Wood
Stork, Swallow-tailed Kite, Piping Plover, Snowy Plover, Gull-billed Tern,
etc., multiple records for a particular season can be listed on the back of a
single card to conserve space in the card file. Also
interesting are records of late spring or early fall migrants of many species
that are otherwise common breeders in Louisiana. Because Lowery's
bar graphs did not distinguish between the migration and nesting periods for
Louisiana's summer resident Neotropical migrants
(e. g., Acadian Flycatcher, Kentucky Warbler), they appear as
"common" or "uncommon" from when the first ones arrive in
spring until the last ones depart in fall. Generally, records of definite
(away from breeding areas) migrants of these species from late spring or
early fall are important. Finally,
please report other noteworthy observations that do not readily fit into the
above categories: unusual concentrations and migrant "fallouts,"
population trends, range expansions, aberrantly plumaged individuals, or
species that may be unusual in a particular region of the state even though
considered regular elsewhere (e.g., species such as Barred Owl, Red-bellied
and Red-headed woodpeckers, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina
Chickadee, or Eastern Bluebird on the immediate coast), or species such as
Mottled Duck or Boat-tailed Grackle well-inland from the coast). APPENDIX 2. Species listed in Lowery 1974 but NOT on current main LA
state list: Harlequin
Duck, Black Francolin, Red-throated Loon <but placement on main list pending>, White-tailed Tropicbird, Roseate Tern, Snow
Bunting. APPENDIX 3. Species and forms currently on the LA state list that were not listed in
the 1974 version of the Lowery bar graphs (new records, taxonomic splits,
etc.): Cackling
Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, King Eider, Corys Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird, Zone-tailed
Hawk, Lesser Sand-Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Purple Sandpiper, Ruff,
California Gull, Thayers Gull,
Western Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kelp Gull,
Sabines Gull,
Arctic Tern, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mangrove Cuckoo, Antillean Nighthawk,
Green Violetear, Broad-billed Hummingbird,
Blue-throated Hummingbird, Magnificent Hummingbird, Annas Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Allens Hummingbird, Ringed Kingfisher,
Williamsons Sapsucker,
Red-naped Sapsucker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher,
Cordilleran Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher,
Couchs Kingbird,
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Cassins Vireo, Yellow-green Vireo, Clarks Nutcracker, Chihuahuan
Raven, Cave Swallow, Rock Wren, Townsends Solitaire, Varied Thrush, White Wagtail, Virginias Warbler, Tropical Parula,
Yellow-rumped (Audubons) Warbler, Townsends Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, Hepatic Tanager, Spotted
Towhee, Cassins Sparrow,
Bairds Sparrow, McCowns
Longspur, Blue Bunting, Lazuli Bunting, Varied Bunting, Shiny Cowbird, Hooded
Oriole, Bullocks Oriole,
House Finch APPENDIX 4. English name changes since Lowery 1974: Olivaceous Cormorant = Neotropic
Cormorant Louisiana
Heron = Tricolored Heron Night
Heron = Night-Heron Whistling
Swan = Tundra Swan Common
Brant & Black Brant = Brant White-fronted
Goose = Greater White-fronted Goose Ross Goose = Rosss Goose Tree-Duck
= Whistling-Duck Black
Duck = American Black Duck Oldsquaw
= Long-tailed Duck Goshawk
= Northern Goshawk Harris Hawk = Harriss Hawk Marsh
Hawk = Northern Harrier Audubons Caracara = Crested Caracara Bobwhite
= Northern Bobwhite Common
Gallinule = Common Moorhen Northern
Phalarope = Red-necked Phalarope Common
Snipe = Wilsons Snipe Common
Ground Dove = Common Ground-Dove Common
Screech Owl = Eastern Screech-Owl Common
Flicker = Northern Flicker Wieds Crested
Flycatcher = Brown-crested Flycatcher Wood
Pewee = Wood-Pewee Rough-winged
Swallow = Northern Rough-winged Swallow Common
Crow = American Crow Northern
House Wren = House Wren Water
Pipit = American Pipit Solitary
Vireo = Blue-headed Vireo Northern
Parula Warbler = Northern Parula Myrtle
Warbler = Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler Rufous-sided Towhee = Eastern Towhee Sharp-tailed
Sparrow = Nelsons
Sharp-tailed Sparrow Slate-colored
Junco = Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco Gray-headed
Junco = Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco Harris Sparrow = Harriss Sparrow -00- |