[reccom] FW: NBRC update

[Rick Fridell]

I thought you all might find this recent update from the Nevada Bird Records
Committee interesting.

Regards,

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: Martin Meyers
Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2008 11:44 PM
To: rfridell at burgoyne.com
Subject: NBRC update


The NBRC has completed its reviews for another packet of records as of
tonight.  The packet included twelve records of Cackling Goose.  All twelve
of these records were endorsed by committee vote. One received one
"non-accept" vote, all the others were endorsed unanimously. (The NBRC
bylaws specify that a record is accepted if there are at least five total
votes cast, with no more than one negative vote.  In the case of this
packet, a full committee of six voting members participated in the reviews
for all records.)  There were Cackling Geese from Reno, Carson City,
Henderson, Las Vegas, and Overton W.M.A.  Two of the records were previously
unreviewed records (from 1970 and 1979) retrieved from the NBRC archives.

Based on these records, along with a few records previously accepted by the
committee  and a number of reports mentioned in the literature but never
reviewed by the committee, we have voted to remove Cackling Goose from the
Nevada Review List as of today.  It is clear that this species, while always
nice to find, is to be expected annually in small numbers in the state.
Thanks to all of you who submitted your reports, giving us the data that
permiited us to make this decision.

In addition to Cackling Geese, the committee reviewed and accepted two
Harlequin Duck records also retrieved from the NBRC archives, one from
Pyramid Lake (1977) and one from Reno (1992).  As with the two early
Cackling Goose records described above, the Harlequin Duck records predated
the formation of the NBRC (which began in 1994).

Little by little, we are attempting to review all of the pre-committee
records.  Still quite a few to go, but we try to stick a few into each
packet.

Other accepted records for this packet included recent reports of a male
Black Scoter from Lake Mojave, White-tailed Kites from Pahranagat NWR and
Ash Meadows NWR (the Pahranagat record included attempted nesting), two
Zone-tailed Hawk records (Spring Mountains and Las Vegas), and a
Broad-winged Hawk from Tonopah.

A new packet consisting of 21 warbler records began its circulation in the
committee this evening.  Including those 21 records, there are currently 60
pending records (not counting the "historic" records we are putting together
from the archival material.)  We've completed reviews of a total of 227
records since I became secretary in spring of 2007.  So we're gettin' there!
(The pending records include two which would represent additions to the
Nevada Checklist if accepted by the committee -- Crested Caracara and
Baird's Sparrow.)

Hopefully you are all members of Great Basin Bird Observatory and have
received, or will soon receive, volume 10 of Great Basin Birds, which
contains (among other things) the NBRC 2007 Annual Report.  (If you are not
a member of GBBO, you should go take a look at their website -- hopefully it
will convince you to join.  The website is: http://gbbo.org/)

Martin
----------------------------------------------
Martin Meyers
Secretary, Nevada Bird Records Committee
website: www.gbbo.org/nbrc
email: nbrc  AT  gbbo.org