No subject

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


------ Forwarded Message
> From: <sgmlod at aol.com>
> Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 13:06:26 -0500
> To: <acontrer at mindspring.com>, <dfxjcp at humboldt1.com>
> Subject: magpie vagrancy
> 
> Greetings Alan and David (and could one of you forward this to OBOL, pretty
> please)
>  
>  
> Almost all corvids are known to, at least on occasion, show impressive
> vagrancy. Indeed, corvids seem particularly prone to wandering. Perhaps, one
> could theorize that some of these vagrant records were not true vagrants, but
> escapees (eg, a Western Scrub-J in a man-created dry open pine woodlands n. of
> Chicago -- though the same spot has had BH Nut and RC Wood, so there is
> something about that place and vagrants).
>  
> Others (eg, Clark's Nutcracker) have exploded in such numbers that it is clear
> their vagrancy is a natural phenomenon. This has happened, less frequently,
> with Steller's J as well.
>  
> In any case, these cases of exceptional corvid vagrancy almost all involve
> crossing large distances of "unsuitable" habitat, though being extremely
> versatile, most corvids could make do almost anywhere I suspect, at least for
> a time.
>  
> And birds we often consider resident engage have been known on rare occasions
> to wander great distances. Consider the Pygmy Nuthatch in Minnesota or the
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Chicago or the OH and IL BH Nuthatches. Sometimes,
> when "resident" birds are forced to leave their home territory, they keep
> going.
>  
> YB Magpie has been tagged with "never wanders" label for an extremely long
> time. People often point to a lack of vagrancy pattern. That in turn, however,
> is (in part) because out-of-range YBMA are either dismissed or not reported,
> and thus never make it into any record. So, the lack of vagrancy pattern
> becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
>  
> Yes, magpies tame down easily and would be easy marks for illegal captivity.
> They are also smart enough to escape. Thus, they'd be more likely than most
> species to appear as an escapee.
>  
> On the other hand, a local food supply/population mismatch (either excess
> production of young or crash in food supply) would force these birds to
> displace, and I'd be shocked if they always headed in the correct direction
> (into core of habitat rather than away from range). A bird wandering the wrong
> way might well continue to travel in search of proper habitat. Such a bird
> might travel quite a distance.
>  
> I think the relative lack of vagrant YB Magpie records is due to their general
> sedentary habits and their small overall population, but I'd be shocked if the
> occasional bird did not go out-of-range, and sometimes, way out-of-range. And
> s. Oregon ain't THAT far.
>  
> Finally, not all magpies with yellow or yellowish bills are YB Magpie. For a
> "good" record, I'd like to see other marks noted, such as the bare parts
> around the eye, plumage color, perhaps size. Occasional aberrant BB Magpies
> with yellowish or pink bills have been seen.
>  
> Cheers
> Steve Mlodinow
>  
>  
>  
>  
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