FW: [obol] Breeding Golden-crowned Sparrows?

[Alan Contreras]

More info on the 1982 Coos Bay Golden-crowned Sparrow record.

Any fish biologists out there know the observer?

-- 
Alan Contreras
EUGENE, OREGON
acontrer at mindspring.com

------ Forwarded Message
> From: Alan McGie <alanmcgie at comcast.net>
> Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 11:46:11 -0700
> To: Alan Contreras <acontrer at MINDSPRING.COM>
> Subject: Re: [obol] Breeding Golden-crowned Sparrows?
> 
> Hi Alan,
> 
> Rob (I believe that was his first name) Lawrence was a biologist
> working for Weyco when they owned and operated a private salmon
> rearing facility out on North Spit.  He was certainly familiar with
> birds and I think he was the one that called me one day and told me
> about a Say's Phoebe that was flying around the facility.  This was
> the first one I ever saw in Coos Co.  He lived on East Bay Drive and
> he told me about the nesting Golden-crowned Sparrows near his home
> there.  I thought it was a worthy record to include in The Tattler so
> I included it in the newsletter fieldnotes.  I didn't have any doubts
> at the time but now wished I had visited his home and verified the
> identification.  However, I am sure he knew what a Golden-crowned
> Sparrow looked like because they are a common wintering species on
> North Spit where he worked.  I worked with Rob quite a bit because we
> were both fisheries biologists at the time.
> 
> Just a quick word from the source of all the problems.............
> 
> Alan McGie
> North Albany, OR (Benton Co.)
> E-mail:  alanmcgie at comcast.net
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alan Contreras" <acontrer at MINDSPRING.COM>
> To: "obol" <obol at lists.oregonstate.edu>
> Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:20 AM
> Subject: [obol] Breeding Golden-crowned Sparrows?
> 
> 
>> There is a published report of a pair of Golden-crowned Sparrows
>> raising
>> four young along East Bay Drive at Coos Bay in 1982.  I included
>> this record
>> in Birds of Coos County, but I have only the most casual knowledge
>> of the
>> record.  Ben Fawver once told me that he had not seen the birds but
>> that the
>> observer was familiar with the species.
>> 
>> The record appeared only in Cape Arago Audubon's Tattler, and I
>> considered
>> it worth including in Birds of Coos because the only error I could
>> think of
>> was a typo for White-crowned, but that would not have been included
>> in
>> Tattler field notes because they are so common.
>> 
>> The observer was R. Lawrence, someone I don't know, who was said to
>> have
>> moved to Washington, though that was just a street rumor.
>> 
>> There is no proof of breeding in Oregon, but it is not an outrageous
>> idea
>> when you consider that Common Loon, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary
>> Sandpiper,
>> Bohemian Waxwing and White-winged Crossbill have bred in the state.
>> Consider also that Least Flycatcher and Northern Waterthrush in
>> Oregon are
>> about as far from the "regular" breeding range as a Goolden-crowned
>> Sparrow
>> would be.
>> 
>> -- 
>> Alan Contreras
>> EUGENE, OREGON
>> acontrer at mindspring.com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> obol mailing list
>> obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
>> http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
>> 
>> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>> obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.
>> 
> 

------ End of Forwarded Message