Second Avian Records Committee of Connecticut Historical Report
By Phil Rusch
ACCEPTED RECORDS:
This is the 2nd Historical Report of the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut (ARCC). The report presents the results of many hours of research reviewing specimens and documents, both in person and virtually, at The Biological Research Collections (BRC) at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) in Storrs, CT, The Peabody Museum of Natural History (YPM) at Yale University in New Haven, CT, The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL, and the Birdcraft Museum at the Connecticut Audubon Society in Fairfield, CT
This report is the direct result of the committee’s concerted attempt to document and review records of Review List species found in Connecticut prior to the formation of the committee in 1985. It was decided to treat all unreviewed records prior to January 1, 2000 as “Historic”. This report documents 8 first state records for Connecticut.
The Committee decided to review this small but significant batch of records as a special report that included:
Two specimens from the BRC at UCONN, two specimens from YPM at Yale, One specimen from The Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield, One specimen from the FMNH in Chicago IL, and four photo records from the archives of ARCC.
Future historical reports are planned for specimen records from Yale’s Peabody Museum (YPM), The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington DC, The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York, The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) in Chicago, and the University of Iowa Ornithological Collections (SUI) in Ames, Iowa.
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:
Members, in addition to the author, who voted on records in this report are Nick Bonomo, Tina Green, Frank Gallo, Greg Hanisek, Julian Hough, Jay Kaplan, Alex Lin-Moore, Frank Mantlik, Dave Tripp, and Glenn Williams.
FORMAT:
This report will vary slightly from prior ARCC reports since most of the records are of specimens. Each record has been designated a unique ARCC file number. As this report spans the years of 1869-1994, the ARCC file number will use the designations H2-01 to H2-10. H2 referring to Historical Report # 2, and 01-10 referring to the individual record. The species are listed in order according to the latest American Ornithological Society (AOS) checklist. Multiple records of a particular species will be listed by the ARCC reference file number. Months of the year are shortened to the first 3 letters. In addition, the catalog number of the specimen and the collector, if known, will be listed.
ACCEPTED RECORDS:
Corn Crake (Crex crex)
H2-01. YPM 000950. (Photos of specimen): This bird was collected on 18 October 1943 by Donald Page, while pheasant hunting what was known as “Redbush Farm” in the town of Orange. It is currently located at the Peabody Natural History Museum of Yale University in New Haven.
There is an earlier record of a specimen from Old Saybrook, collected by JN Clark on 20 October 1887. This specimen, to date, has not been conclusively located. However, a Corn Crake of the right sex and age has been found in the collection at UCONN. Unfortunately, the data on the tag is incomplete, and an extensive search through ledgers and notebook of both WE Treat (the former owner of the skin) and JN Clark (the collector) has failed to connect the skin with the two principles in this mystery.
Since we cannot connect the 1878 skin with Connecticut, the 1943 specimen becomes Connecticut’s first and only documented record of this vagrant.
Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)
H2-02. UCONN 10127. (Photos of specimen): This bird was found deceased in Glastonbury by Paula Knoeklein on 3 Sep 1994, brought to UCONN where it was identified by Louis Bevier. The first week of September is right in the time window for this species to appear in Connecticut. This is the third specimen record of Long-tailed Jaeger from Connecticut. In fact, all eight records of this species have occurred between 28 August and 3 September. Five were sighted on the coast and three were inland. I know what I will be looking for during that time frame in the coming years.
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
H2-03. YPM 120339. (Photos of specimen): This bird was found alive on Weybosset Street in East Haven by a Mrs. J. Wilkerson on 3 Oct 1968. The bird was taken to the West Rock Nature Center where it died on 7 Oct 1968. The bird was donated to the Peabody Museum, and was prepared as a mount for the famous “Birds of Connecticut” exhibit.
What was left was preserved as a fluid specimen, given another collection number, and wrongly became the 3rd Record of Atlantic Puffin from Connecticut.
It turns out there are only 2 records of this species from the state. The first is from Penfield Reef in Fairfield on 19 Nov 1947, where it was shot by a hunter. The specimen made its way to the Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield where it was preserved as a mount (BCM 1487). The Birdcraft collection is in storage at the moment. I am looking forward to documenting the birds in that collection soon. Until That time, Mrs. Wilkerson’s juvenile Atlantic Puffin becomes the first documented record for Connecticut.
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
H2-04. (Photo): This bird was found by our own Paul Desjardins on Long Wharf in New Haven on 8 Sep 1983. Photos of the bird taken by Paul and Noble Proctor were discovered in the ARCC archives and were used to document this record.
Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata)
H2-05. BCM 1244. (Photos of specimen): This bird was found dead on the beach after the 1938 Hurricane in Fairfield on 7 Oct 1938, and was taken to the Birdcraft Museum, incorrectly identified as a Great Shearwater, and prepared as a mount by FJ Novak. Flash forward to 1952, and visiting ornithologist RC Murphy corrected the identification to Black-called Petrel. This is Connecticut’s first and only Documented State Record
Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedia)
H2-06: (Photos): This bird was found alive in Woodbury following Hurricane Belle on 10 August !976 by Mrs. John Danaher. It was transported to Connecticut Audubon Society for rehabilitation and eventual release on Long Beach in Stratford by Dennis Varza and Dave Junkin. This becomes Connecticut’s 1ST State Record.
Brown Pelican (pelecanus occidentalis)
H2-07: (Photo): Three Brown Pelicans were found at Stonington Point in Stonington on 20 July 1993 by Bob Dewire. These birds were part of a larger incursion into the waters north and south of Long Island NY. The pelicans stayed at Stonington until at least 22 July 1993. These birds become the 1st State Record pending review of two specimens at Yale dated 1905 and 1977.
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)
H2-08: FMNH 138001: (Photos of specimen): This long-lost specimen was discovered in the collection of the Field Museum (FMNH) in Chicago IL by following up a single note in the archived records of George Clark, retired professor of Ornithology at UCONN. A quick search of the on-line service Vert-Net and an Email to Collection Manager Ben Marks resulted in the photos below. This bird was collected in Killingworth CT during the winter of 1869 by Dr. F.W. Hall, prepared by the Rev. C.M. Jones, and made its way into the collection of LB Bishop before ending up at the FMNH. A Long awaited First Documented State Record.
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe Oenanthe)
H2-09: (Photo): This 1ST Documented State Record was found and photographed in the Lord’s Point section of Stonington in the early morning of 10 September 1976 by Oliver Denison III. He quickly telephoned Bob Dewire who confirmed the identification about an hour later. Several local birders, including the author, got to see the bird before it left the area on the following morning. There are two earlier undocumented sight records from 1965 and 1968. The 1965 record, interestingly, is from Latimer Point which is the next rocky coastal outcrop to the west of Lord’s Point. This is the First Documented State Record.
Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)
H2-10: UCONN 7517: (Photos of specimen): This adult male bird hit a window at the home of Mrs. Richards in the Riverside section of Greenwich CT. The specimen made its way to UCONN where it became the first Documented Record of the species from Connecticut.