MD Osprey:

Last year, the MD/DC Records Committee (MD/DCRC) moved to re-open an 
October 1990 sight report of a White-tailed Kite from the Town Hill 
hawk watch. At the time, this species was known as the 
Black-shouldered Kite and a pattern of vagrancy to the northeast was unknown.

The original decision summary for the 1990 not accepted report 
[MD1991-029] read: "The Maryland/DC Records Committee did not accept 
this report of a Black-shouldered Kite in Allegany County. Almost 
total agreement is required for the committee to accept a record. 
This was a tough decision for the committee. The primary reasons for 
not accepting the record are: a) conflicting details reported by the 
different observers; and b) that the entire bird was not 
well-described.  Since there is no precedent of vagrancy for 
Black-shouldered (now "White-tailed") Kites in eastern North America 
and since this sighting would constitute the first state record for 
Maryland, the committee felt that the details must be beyond dispute."

The decision summary for the reopened report and accepted record [now 
known as MD/2010-039] reads: "The committee found that the written 
details and sketches provided make the case for a White-tailed Kite. 
Recent records from the northeast show that fall records are not 
unknown as was felt at the time of the original review. This is the 
first record for Maryland."

Congratulations to former MOS Allegany Chapter members Teresa Simons 
and Mary Twigg, and to the late, venerable Jim Paulus for this accepted record.

This brings the number of species on the Official List of the Birds 
of Maryland to 443.


A number of the MD/DCRC web products have been updated to reflect 
this and other recently accepted state first records. It's been quite 
a year and a half, already. Recent new species added to the Maryland 
list include: 2011 - Golden-crowned Sparrow and Brown Booby; and so 
far in 2012 - White-tailed Kite, Barnacle Goose, Bell's Vireo, Green 
Violetear, and Cassin's Sparrow! Under active committee consideration 
are the following possible new Maryland species: Pink-footed Goose, 
Virginia's Warbler, Masked Booby, and Lesser White-fronted Goose (from 1976).


MD/DCRC web site update highlights include the following PDF files:

Official List of the Birds of Maryland:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/mdlist.pdf

Chronology of Species added to the Maryland list:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/mdchron.pdf

An abridged version of the MD/DCRC Maryland database (large document 
- search but don't print!):
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/mddatabase.pdf

A summary report of the status of recent MD/DCRC review packages:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/rcpackages.pdf


Thanks to MOS Webmaster John Christy for posting the updates.

Phil


===================================================
Phil Davis, Secretary
MD/DC Records Committee
2549 Vale Court
Davidsonville, Maryland  21035     USA
301-261-0184
mailto:[log in to unmask]

MD/DCRC Web site:  http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html
===================================================

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