Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 00:03:02 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Could Red-throated Pipit occur in Maryland? (longish diatribe) Comments: cc: VA-BIRD@freelists.org, Richard.Erickson@lsa-assoc.com, robb.hamilton@gte.net, Georgearmistead@aol.com, GreatGrayOwl@aol.com, lehman.paul@verizon.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MDOsprey, Although I have been a recent transplant to California, my heart and my most passionate birding interest still remains in Maryland. Recently in California (and adjacent Baja) I have been treated to an exceptional taste of the rich vagrant scene here: Broad-billed, Magnificent (1st CA) and (apparent) Ruby-throated hummingbirds, McCown's Longspur, White-eyed Vireo, numerous eastern warblers, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, a Black-backed Wagtail (!), and, perhaps one of my favorites, numerous Red-throated Pipits. Red-throated Pipit is a Siberian species that breeds occasionally in western Alaska and since the late 1960s (which saw Guy McCaskie's influence on California's birding), has been proven to be a regular low-density migrant/vagrant along the Pacific Coast. Most have been found from Pt. Reyes south, with a distinct concentration of records in Ventura (just n. of Los Angeles) and San Diego. This has prompted the theory that birds cross directly from the Aleutians to southern California, but recently increased attention in Washington and Oregon (and Canada) has revealed that Red-throats pass through those states as well. Peak timing is about 10-15 October, but records stretch from 11 Sep to 15 Nov. In California, about 4 are average each year, certain years have had massive influxes which bring tenfold as many to California. The last such year was 1991, when about 80 were found in California and more were found in Baja; that year's invasion precipitated its removal from the California Records Committee's review list. This year is shaping up to be another such invasion: birds have appeared from Pt. Reyes to Baja California, and I am aware of _at least_ 40+ so far this fall. It has all the makings of an equal or better 40+ invasion year. My question is this: although Red-throated Pipit (affectionately "RTP", famous birding initials) is primarily known only from the immediate Pacific Coast, could it occur well-inland or even on the East Coast? In California almost all records have been from the immediate coast, but in invasion years birds have been found at vagrant traps in the inland deserts (e.g., Death Valley), and one reached Arizona one year. Given this, a vagrant on the East Coast seems ludicrous. But consider this; Black-backed Wagtail, a bird with a fairly similar breeding distribution has occurred on the East Coast three times (NC in May, NY in Dec, St.Pierre off Newfoundland in Jan). An _ocularis_ White Wagtail was found in SC in April and a Citrine Wagtail was in Missisippi 31 Jan-1 Feb one year. Asiatic shorebirds, like Red-necked Stint and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper are found every few years. Siberian Flycatcher has reached Bermuda, a Siberian Stonechat was photographed in New Brunswick, and a Brown Shrike was photographed in Nova Scotia. Bramblings have a number of records from the East Coast, south as far as North Carolina. Why would Red-throated Pipit be so unlikely, since it is far more regular in California than ANY of those species (Sharp-tailed Sandpiper comes close)? Note that it is also a regular vagrant in Britain, though most records are fromn its East Coast. I also know something of the behavior of East Coast birders in fall. Most birders (and I have been guilty of this as well), tend to ignore pipit flocks. Pipits rarely host longspurs (checking Horned Lark flocks is a better bet) and no vagrant pipit has ever reached the East Coast that might occur with American Pipits. It seems a waste of time to look through them. Which is, of course, the very problem. Red-throated Pipit certainly occurred in California before Guy McCaskie found (and collected) the first ones in the late 1960s. Guy was simply the first person to start looking systematically at pipit flocks. What would we learn on the East Coast if more observers tried? Certainly a 5 minute check of the American Pipits wouldn't be such a chore. To identify a Red-thraoted Pipit, birders should look directly at the BACKS of pipits in the flock. American Ppit has an essentially unmarked, smooth gray back. Red-throated Pipit by contrast, has a heavily marked back with brown, buff, and sometimes whitish streaking. Once you have found a streaky-backed pipit, leg color is the next thing to look at. Red-throated Pipits have bright pinkish legs. Other differences that Red-throated Pipits show, compared to Americans, are shorter tails, overall smaller size, and much heavier streaking on the breast and flanks, which to me recalls the streaking on a Savannah Sparrow. The malar stripe is typically strong as well. Observers familiar with the flight calls of American Pipit would instantly recognize a calling Red-throated as something different. It is a very high, thin "tsiiieeeuuu", sometimes doubled, but with none of the squeaky quality of American pipit and recalling the Yellow Wagtail flight call for those that have heard them in Alaska (or elsewhere). While I'd say Red-throated is the most likely new pipit for the East Coast, a few other species should be considered as well. Meadow Pipit breeds commonly in Greenland but has never occurred in the USA or Canada. I suspect that is due to a lack of attention to pipits by East Coasters, so who knows where the first one might turn up. I don't know very much about this species or even how to identify it (or whether it might flock with Americans), but it too has pinkish legs, a streaked back, and is smaller and more compact than American. Pechora Pipit of Siberia (and rarely, Alaska) is another one to consider: look for its bright white back streaking. The Siberian _japonicus_ subspecies of American Pipit is a rare vagrant to California and should be considered on the East Coast: the recent North American Birds (with a pipit painting on the cover) has a detailed article on identification of this form. Briefly, look for its pink legs and blacker streaking below. Finally, Rock Pipit and Water Pipit, two Eurasian species recently-split from American Ppit (which is called Buff-bellied Pipit in Europe) are conceivable vagrants,m but would be very difficult to identify. Check the recent European Field guides for starting points; they are off my radar screen I am sorry to say. With the exception of the last two species, back streaking and leg color should be the tip offs for any unusual pipit. As a cautionary tale, note that some American Ppits can have pinkish legs, and such birds have thrown observers off on the East Coast. A final pipit "PS" is in order: Sprague's Pipit WILL NOT OCCUR WITH AMERICANS. Notice that I don't say might not, it simply will not. A number of East Coast reports of Sprague's Pipits have involved birds with flocks of Americans; these are all definite misidentifications, including the two Maryland reports. Sprague's Ppit is a (more or less) solitary species that occurs in grassland habitats quite unlike the habitat for Americans (sod farms, muddy pond edges, muddy fields etc.). Sprague's records in the East have occurred in Oct and Nov, and on through the winter (on wintered at Cape Cod once). All have been SOLITARY birds found in short, grassy fields (about ankle-high grass) such as airports. A few records are from barrier islands, inclouding a recent on at Cape Hatteras. I would predict Maryland's first to occur on Assateague, or better yet, at Patuxent Naval Air Station. Similar airport habitats that birders can access (such as some fields at Ocean City Airport) would be other good bets. Finding one usually requires walking those fields and listening for a bird to rise in front of you in undulating flight giving a high-pitched "Squeeeeak!" or "Squeeeak!, squeeeaaak!, squeeeaaaak!" call. Of course, it also requires a lot of luck. But it certainly will never happen while pateintly scanning through American Pipits. So...this is just a thought for field birders this fall. Given the invasion in California, this would be a fine fall to start looking more closely at pipits on the East Coast. Worst case scenario you get to learn American Pipit, a quite variable species, better. Best case scenario, you become the hero of the year, finding the first Red-throated Pipit ever found east of the Mississippi. Good birding, Marshall Iliff *********************** Marshall Iliff miliff@aol.com Costa Mesa, CA ************************ ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================