Records Committee Utah Ornithological Society Web Site

Records Committee
Utah Ornithological Society

Status & Comments
Year 2014 (records 026 through 042)

2014-026 Long-tailed Jaeger

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	13 Oct 2014	Acc
Bob B.	14 Oct 2014	Acc	Documentation is good, especially with other photos that have been taken of this bird.
Rick F.	4 Nov 2014	Acc	Description is extremely sparse and of limited use in differentiating Long-tailed from Parasitic Jaeger, however, the photos appear to favor a Long-tailed Jaeger.
Ryan O.	16 Oct 2014	Acc	Committee members who follow the online listserves are already aware that this is a contentious identification, but I agree with the observers that this bird fits Long-tailed better than Parasitic, even though this contradicts the apparent opinions of Peter Pyle, shared by Bill Fenimore. I look forward to learning from the other committee members on this one.
Terry S..	4 Nov 2014	Acc	The photos and narrative are convincing and seem to rule out other jaegers.
Dennis S.	3 Nov 2014	Acc	The bill characteristics: shape, prominent black tip, position of gonygeal angle, and length, all point to LTJA. Also head shape, pale nape, overall grayer coloration, white edged upper parts(not buff), and straight, heavy barred, black and white (not buffy) under tail coverts all support a LOJA.
Jack S..	7 Nov 2014	Acc
Steve S.	1 Oct 2014	Acc
David W.	29 Oct 2014	Acc	To this high desert boy, the bill proportions and shape look right for a Long-tailed jaeger.

2014-027 Nelson's Sparrow

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	13 Oct 2014	Acc
Bob B.	14 Oct 2014	Acc	Great bird, excellent documentation
Rick F.	20 Oct 2014	Acc
Ryan O.	16 Oct 2014	Acc
Terry S..	26 Oct 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	1 Nov 2014	Acc	Absolutely no question about this great FOS Utah bird record. Why am I always out of town when a dynamite bird such as this shows up! Great photos!!
Jack S..	7 Nov 2014	Acc	Nice Record!
Steve S.	1 Oct 2014	Acc	Nice record and photos.
David W.	21 Oct 2014	Acc	Combination of gray (not white) median stripe, bill size, lack of black streaking in orangy eyebrow, and the extent of clean gray wrapping around the nape convince me. Some of the photos taken of this bird by our birder community are spectacular.

2014-028 Ovenbird

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	13 Oct 2014	Acc
Bob B.	14 Oct 2014	Acc
Rick F.	20 Oct 2014	Acc
Ryan O.	16 Oct 2014	Acc	I do believe the three Ovenbird records we are voting on right now (2014-029, 2014-028, and 2014-024) each represent a different individual.
Terry S..	26 Oct 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	10 Oct 2014	Acc	Nice photo.
Jack S..	13 Oct 2014	Acc
Steve S.	1 Oct 2014	Acc
David W.	21 Oct 2014	Acc	Odd that the bird was described as running. The most I've ever seen from these guys is a spirited jog. Nicely differentiated from the previous sighting.

2014-029 Ovenbird

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	15 Oct 2014	abst
Bob B.	17 Oct 2014	Acc
Rick F.	20 Oct 2014	Acc
Ryan O.	16 Oct 2014	Acc	I do believe the three Ovenbird records we are voting on right now (2014-029, 2014-028, and 2014-024) each represent a different individual.
Terry S..	26 Oct 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	29 Oct 2014	Acc	No problems.
Jack S..	7 Nov 2014	Acc
Steve S.	6 Nov 2014	Acc
David W.	21 Oct 2014	Acc

2014-030 Gilded Flicker

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	12 Dec 2014	No, ID	The photos are of a Northern "Red Shafted" Flicker. The underwings are a pale salmon color rather than yellow, the brown on the head is only on the crown and not the nape, and the spotting on the underparts and flanks are rounded dots as opposed to short bars on the flanks of a Gilded Flicker. In addition, a Gilded Flicker would be smaller, with a lighter gray brown back and more extensive black on the tips of the tail feathers.
Bob B.	12 Nov 2014	No, ID	The colors on this bird are difficult for me to interpret. Some of the photos suggest more yellow, but others almost look reddish. To me the nape appears gray, not brownish. I believe this is either a hybrid, or a pale Northern Flicker, not a pure Gilded Flicker
Rick F.	24 Dec 2014	No, ID	It seems these close-ups of specimens should be easy to evaluate, however, I often have a hard time with these. Several characters obviously favor a Gilded Flicker, however, the crown pattern appears closer to a female Northern Flicker, and the ratio of dark on tail (black vs. yellow) also favors a Northern Flicker (but maybe this is because the undertail coverts typically cover more of the rectrices on a perched bird (?).
Ryan O.	4 Dec 2014	No, ID	The main identification problem here is whether certain Yellow-shafted/Red-shafted intergrade Northern Flickers can be eliminated. In my opinion, having a Red-shafted-like plumage overall but with yellow instead of red in the flight feathers is not sufficient, as this could conceivably result from a Yellow/Red intergrade. Size is reported in the text as 11 inches, which matches Sibley s reported Gilded Flicker size exactly, but it s not clear whether size was measured on the specimen, estimated in the field, or just copied from the book. Terry s photos clearly show the total length at 12.5 inches, which exactly matches Sibley s reported total length for Northern Flicker. The National Geographic guide also gives 12.5 inches total length for Northern Flicker, and 11.5 inches for Gilded Flicker. (Both guides also define length as bill tip to tail tip of a dead specimen, as here.) Likewise with wingspan: it is not reported by National Geographic, but Sibley gives a wingspan of 20 inches for Northern Flicker, which matches this bird, versus 18 inches for Gilded Flicker. Although the first set of photos shows very yellow flight feathers for the most part (but orange in the bases of the tail feathers), the second set is informative in showing very orangish washes in many of the primaries and especially in the tail feathers. The black is relatively extensive in the rectrices, which further invites confusion with Gilded Flicker. However, the diffuse (not distinct) border between the black tip and the colored bases of the feathers and especially the long, pointed shapes of the outer tail feathers indicate that this is an immature bird, and within each species, immature birds have more extensive dark tips to the tail feathers than do adults. In addition to these marks, the spots tend to stay spots all the way down to the flanks, rather than blending into barring as on Gilded Flicker, and the barring on the back seems extensive enough to me to be consistent with Northern Flicker, rather than the relatively faint barring of Gilded Flicker. Some intergrade Northern Flickers can show both the yellow or yellowish flight feathers of Yellow-shafted birds and the facial markings of Red-shafted birds. Such birds are quite similar to Gilded Flickers. I believe that is the case here, as indicated most obviously by the size, but also by the color of the wings and tail, the pattern of spotting in the flanks, and the extent of barring on the back.
Terry S..	4 Nov 2014	No, ID	There are a number of factors that lead me believe this not a Gilded Flicker but a Northern Flicker. The size measurements are more consistent with a Northern Flicker. The gray on the forehead does not extend over the crown and down the nape. The black tip of the tail extends only about one third the length of the tail. The black chest patch seems more crescent and not rounded. The spots on the flanks are black dots and not bar like. I do believe this specimen may be and intergrade of a red/yellow shafted Northern Flicker. Intergrades a are quite common in the plain states. Several photos that I have looked at on line seem to look a lot like this bird.
Dennis S.	3 Nov 2014	No, ID	First, thanks Terry for the additional photos. When I first reviewed this record , with the initial photos submitted, I had several unanswerable questions. Your photos certainly helped to clarify plumage characters and size considerations. Second, other than the novelty of finding an intriguing record possibility, I'm not sure we need to address a dead bird record. How do other states and ABA handle these? On the other hand, a dead Chihuahuan Raven (crow!) might be nice. Third, there are too many borderline questions concerning plumage and size characters to accept this record as a GIFL, not too mention the problems associated with hybrids, and NOFL subspecies.
Jack S..	27 Dec 2014	No, ID	This bird matches many field marks for Gilded Flicker: the forehead, above eye, and crown are cinnamon brown with darker brown at nape, the back is pale brown and gray with black bars (perhaps not as pale as typical Gilded); there is no red on nape, a red mustache is present, auricular and neck is pale bluish gray, primaries are yellow shafted with yellow webbing, and the rectrices are also yellow shafted with yellow webbing. Other field marks and structural features better match Northern Flicker: the length of bird is only a quarter inch shy of the 'average' Northern Flicker and one and a quarter inches longer than the 'average' Gilded, the wing span is spot on for Northern - nearly two inches too long for Gilded, the extent of black tips on the ventral side of the rectrices, especially R5, favors Northern, and the relative lengths of all rectrices is also more consistent with Northern than Gilded. [According to Pyle, rectrice R5 (second from left) should have a black tip greater than 20 mm on Gilded and less than 20 mm on Northern Flicker, the black on R5 for this record is about 18-19 mm compared with 22-26 mm on the Gilded Flicker reference image linked below. You can directly compare the tail feathers of this record (photograph provided by Terry Sadler) with the feather atlas for Northern and Gilded Flicker, http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feather.php?Bird=YSFL_tail_adult_ventral and http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feather.php?Bird=GIFL_tail_adult_ventral).]
Steve S.	8 Dec 2014	No, ID	Probably a Northern Flicker hybrid. Measurements,amount of black on underside of tail, and gray nape all seem to be incorrect for Gilded Flicker.
David W.	13 Nov 2014	No, ID	I don't believe the thick black barring on the back, the shade of brown on the back, the extent of cinnamon wash on the head, nor the round shape of the breast spotting support a Gilded flicker ID.

2014-031 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	12 Dec 2014	No, ID	The description relies heavily on the red chin and black border, especially since that was the only characteristic mentioned in eliminating the Red-naped. Other description items are inconclusive. Even the lack of red on the nape does not definitively eliminate a Red-naped. In photo D the barring on the back appears to be divided into two rows. I think this is more likely a Red-naped Sapsucker or a hybrid than a Yellow-bellied.
2nd round:	10 Jan )215	No, ID	I'm still not convinced this is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. My vote is unchanged.
Bob B.	12 Nov 2014	No, ID	I am having trouble seeing convincingly that the black line is complete around the neck from these photos. Also in photo D I feel there is a strong impression of the white barring on the back divided into two lines. I suspect this is either a female Red-naped or a hybrid, but not a pure Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
2nd round:	28 Dec 2014	No, ID	I still have enough reservations about this bird that I will continue to vote no. It may well have Yellow-bellied genes aboard, but i don't feel this is a pure Yellow-bellied.
Rick F.	18 Dec 2014	Acc	This appears to be a YB Sapsucker based on the throat pattern, broad white stripes on head, and lack of red on nape, however, I'm not sure it's an adult male, as I don't see a black breast patch and throat feathering appears mottled (?).
2nd round:	31 Jan 2015	Acc	I believe the key to identifying this bird is its age: If this were a hatch-year bird, the molt is too advanced in early October for a YB Sapsucker. However, After some study, I believe this bird is in its first definitive basic plumage and based on the throat pattern, back pattern, broad white face stripes, and nape I'm fine with this as a YB Sapsucker.
Ryan O.	4 Dec 2014	Acc	(N/A)
Terry S..	3 Dec 2014	Acc
2nd round:	30 Jan 2015	Acc	I still believe this is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. As others have mentioned the large white stripes look good as well as the black border around the throat patch.
Dennis S.	12 Nov 2014	No, ID	This is a close call, but overall I think there's enough unclear characters to not rule out a Red-naped Sapsucker. True, from what we can see, it has a solid black frame around the reddish throat, and lacks a red nape spot, but both these characters are variable especially in females, winter birds and juveniles. Second, the back appears to have two white bands separated by a bar down the middle, which tends more towards a Red-naped. Third,the indistinct plumage makes me tend towards a juvenile bird, which would again lean towards a Red-naped, due to the normally late molting of juvenile Yellow-bellied.
2nd round:	5 Jan 2015	No, ID	From the report and photos I still feel there's enough borderline characters to not accept this as a YBSA.
Jack S..	21 Dec 2014	Acc	This bird displays a wide and complete black malar, extensive white barring on back, a mix of red and white feathers in throat and chin, 'red on forehead' and white nape.
2nd round:	30 Jan 2015	Acc	A wide black bar cleanly separating the throat from the white cheek band and the absence of a red nape are good field marks for Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The back cannot be clearly seen in any of the photos, however photograph D appears to show white spots/bars that are random and extensive, not arranged into two rows as others have suggested. I will continue for vote Yes for this record.
Steve S.	8 Dec 2014	Acc	Not much for description but photos seem to show Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
2nd round:	21 Jan 2015	Acc	I still lean toward Yellow-bellied.
Larry T. 2nd round:	16 Jan 2015	Acc	Not a lot in the description but the photos do seem to show a Y B. The head does show more white than black which I like. It's hard to see the full black border around the throat but what you can see looks good. The back is so variable in Sapsuckers I don't like to even use that other than a possible field mark. I'm not sure about the age it could be a HYB that is far along in it's molt? As far as a hybrid that's always a possibility with sapsuckers but I will accept this one as a Y B.
David W.	22 Dec 2014	Acc
2nd round:	20 Jan 2015	Acc	Although it is difficult to be sure with many of these adult YB sapsucker records, I still think this bird displays the proper field marks. I do sympathize with the argument that it is difficult to be CERTAIN.

2014-032 Black Scoter

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	12 Dec 2014	Acc
Bob B.	27 Nov 2014	Acc
Rick F.	18 Dec 2014	Acc	I believe, at least one of these scoters was first reported on 11 November by Bryant Olsen.
Ryan O.	20 Nov 2014	abst
Terry S..	3 Dec 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	2 Nov 2014	Acc	Good report, not so good photo - but enough.
Jack S..	21 Dec 2014	Acc
Steve S.	8 Dec 2014	Acc
David W.	24 Nov 2014	Acc	I would have thought a Ruddy duck would have been a more prudent species to address in the Similar Species section than a coot. Nevertheless, I saw this bird from about 40 feet away very shortly after Ryan did.

2014-033 Little Gull

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	12 Dec 2014	Acc
Bob B.	27 Nov 2014	Acc	Wonderful photos
Rick F.	24 Dec 2014	Acc	Nice photos.
Ryan O.	20 Nov 2014	abst
Terry S..	3 Dec 2014	Acc	Great photos!!
Dennis S.	24 Nov 2014	Acc	Good report and photos.
Jack S..	21 Dec 2014	Acc	Nice Record!
Steve S.	8 Dec 2014	Acc
David W.	24 Nov 2014	Acc

2014-034 Gilded Flicker

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	10 Jan 2015	No, ID	The coloring on the head, wing and undertail do not support a Gilded Flicker identification.
Bob B.	13 Dec 2014	No, ID	The face and crown, at least as much as we can tell, do suggest Gilded Flicker. However the breast spots, black chest crescent look like typical Norther Flicker to me. No mention is mentioned about red versus yellow wing linings and tail feathers and the photos don't definitively answer that question. This is either a Northern Flicker, or possibly a hybrid, but certainly not a pure Gilded.
Rick F.	24 Dec 2014	No, ID	Not enough detail in the description or definitive enough photos to accept as a gilded flicker.
Ryan O.	9 Dec 2014	No, ID	Reddish-orange rectrices visible in each photo eliminate Gilded Flicker and indicate a typical Red-shafted Northern Flicker. Spotting in flanks (rather than barring) further supports Northern Flicker over Gilded. Facial pattern is consistent with many Northern Flickers.
Terry S..	29 Dec 2014	No, ID	With no narrative to describe he observation we are left with just the photographs to review. I believe many field marks indicate Northern Flicker. The brown cap doesn't seem to extend down the nape, the chest patch doesn't have the oval rounded edges look, the spots on the lower belly and flanks look rounded and not barred and the amount of black on the ventral edge of the tail retrices seems more consistent with Northern Flicker.
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	No, ID	Not convinced it isn't a Northern Flicker.
Jack S..	27 Dec 2014	No, ID	This bird seems to have most field marks for Gilded Flicker. The red, instead of yellow, webbing on the ventral side of rectrices is not expected on Gilded.
Steve S.	9 Dec 2014	No, ID	Photos show a red undertail and markings of a male Northern Flicker. Report is very sparse and doesn't even mention color of underside of wings and tail.
David W.	16 Dec 2014	No, ID	Photo shows gray face, reddish under tail, round rather than crescent-shaped spots on belly. I think this is a Northern flicker.

2014-035 Brown Thrasher

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	10 Jan 2015	Acc
Bob B.	13 Dec 2014	Acc	Photos and description are definitive.
Rick F.	24 Dec 2014	Acc	Nice record.
Ryan O.	9 Dec 2014	Acc
Terry S..	29 Dec 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	Acc	Good report and substantiating photos make this one an easy call.
Jack S..	21 Dec 2014	Acc	The lower mandible is shown and noted as lighter colored; the bill appears stubbier and thicker at base than long-billed, the auricular has a small amount of gray but not as extensive as in the long-billed, and back and tail appear bright - even in the flat light of these photographs. The observer also noted the undertail coverts 'appears all white'.
Steve S.	9 Dec 2014	Acc	Nice documentation.
David W.	16 Dec 2014	Acc	I appreciate the effort that went into this submission.

2014-036 Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	8 Feb 2015	No, ID	I don't think pictures C and D are of a Brown-capped Rosy-finch because of the distinct gray on the edges of the blacker crown markings. Pictures A and B don't seem to show this distinct marking, but the lighting makes it difficult to discern. If all these photos are of the same bird, this is more likely a Black Rosy-finch female.
2nd round:	9 Apr 2015	No, ID	No change to my first round vote.
Bob B.	13 Dec 2014	Acc
Rick F.	31 Jan 2015	No, ID	I believe this is a first-year Black Rosy-Finch
2nd round:	19 Apr 2015	No, ID	After studying this one again, I'm fairly certain this is young Black RF.
Kenny F. 2nd	21 Apr 2015	No, ID	The bird in the pictures is most likely a juvenile Black Rosy-finch. There is too much gray in the crown which Brown-capped Rosy-finch wouldn't show.
Terry S.	30 Dec 2014	No, ID	After studying the pictures submitted I think there are 2 different birds that have been photographed. From my review I just don't see convincing evidence in the photos that these are photos of a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. I think they look similar to 1st year Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch.
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	No, ID	This record has been a puzzler for me. First, when I looked at the accompanied photos I'm wasn't sure they were all of the same bird. The last two sure seem to have much more of a gray head steak than the first ones. Second, the overall coloration of an immature BCRF can be "according to the experts" indistinguishable from GCRF. Third, the amount of black cap is overlapping in immature birds. I'm not convinced that this bird is a BCRF. Since the sighting was first sent out there has been a number of confusing photos and descriptions posted. This has complicated the record and clouded the issue. For now I'd like to see what the other Committee members think, so am voting for a Second Round.
2nd round:	16 Feb 2015	No, ID	No change from 1st round thoughts.
Jack S..	10 Feb 2015	No, ID	Most of these photographs (especially photo D and D1) show more brown body feathers than I would expect for a first winter Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, and not the "pale-mouse gray" described and shown by Sibley for a first-winter Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Most photographs also show a swath of gray head feathers flaring back from the eye (especially photo D1) that also looks more consistent with Gr-crowned R-F. I'm voting a tentative 'NO' on this record.
2nd round:	30 Mar 2015	No, ID
Steve S.	20 Jan 2015	Acc
2nd round:	25 Mar 2015	No, ID	After looking at this record again, I agree the pictures and description don't seem to agree. Photos A and B could possibly be a Brown-capped, but C and D seem to show a Black Rosy-Finch. It seems the photos are of two different birds, If this isn't the case there seems to be to much of a gray head streak in the last photos to be a Brown-capped.
Larry T.	16 Jan 2015	Acc	Looks like a B C rosy to me. Nice Bird!
2nd round:	10 Apr 2015	No, ID	After taking a better look at this record I'm not able to tell for sure what species I would call this bird other than a Rosy-Finch. The latter pics are probably a different bird and show more characteristics of something other than a Brown Rosy. I glad others took a better look at this record than I did.
David W.	16 Dec 2014	Acc	I went up to find this reported bird on the 16th of December and found an individual identical to this in the head area, but the bird I saw had rich pink on the wings/vent/tail area. I do not know if this is the same individual as reported by Bryant or not. I assume the photos with this record are just washed out, but maybe I am incorrect in this? Unfortunately, the observer doesn't address the presence or lack of pink coloration on this bird. I mention this partly because one of his experts based the specifics of his ID partly on a lack of pink. I thought it significant because it helps age the birds, so wish it had been described in this bird.
2nd round:	10 Apr 2015	No, ID	[Hm, I don't recall photos C & D from the first round. I must be losing it.] In revisiting this record, I find myself agreeing with Kathy. Photos C & D do seem to show too distinct a gray stripe for what is reported for a Brown-capped R-F. Photos A & B remain washed out (not surprisingly), and therefore difficult. However, since all the photos are presented as being of the same bird, the clearer photos win out. I am going to change my vote to NO.

2014-037 Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	8 Feb 2015	Acc
Bob B.	17 Dec 2014	Acc	These photos and description are definitive for Brown-capped Rosy Finch and it appears to me that this is a different individual from the previous report
Rick F.	31 Jan 2015	Acc	I believe this is an adult Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. This record should perhaps be combined with record 2015-09.
Ryan O.	17 Dec 2014	Abst
Terry S..	30 Dec 2014	Acc	Very good photos that clearly show field marks associated with Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	Acc	This bird appears to be a much more likely candidate for a BCRF. It has much more pronounced pink coloration in the belly and wings, more of a dark head-capped appearance, more of a brown tone and no gray patch anywhere on the head. This bird appears to be an adult.
Jack S..	10 Feb 2015	Acc	The photographs and description are consistent with an adult bird of this species.
Steve S.	20 Jan 2015	Acc
David W.	23 Dec 2014	Acc	Commendably thorough and clear record.

2014-038 Red-headed Woodpecker

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	10 Jan 2015	Acc
Bob B.	21 Dec 2014	Acc
Rick F.	21 Dec 2014	Abst
Kenny F.	30 Jan 2015	Acc	It is a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker undergoing preformative molt as show by the new red feathers starting to show up on the head. Shows the rest of the unmistakable RHWO field marks of entirely back upperparts with white secondaries, rump and underparts.
Terry S..	29 Dec 2014	Acc	Great photos
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	Acc	Nice detection by "slurry" call.
Jack S..	27 Dec 2014	Acc
Steve S.	20 Jan 2015	Acc
David W.	22 Dec 2014	Acc	Good write-up and photos. Interesting that a species that is more eastern than southern would show up on 2 occasions in that same southwestern Utah habitat/location.

2014-039 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	10 Jan 2015	Acc
Bob B.	21 Dec 2014	Acc
Rick F.	21 Dec 2014	Abst
Kenny F.	30 Jan 2015	Acc	Looks good for a juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Red-naped can be ruled out by the bird still being in juvenile plumage so late in year as well as a strong dark moustachial stripe, streaked crown and overall pale head.
Terry S..	29 Dec 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	Acc	Keys are the pale plumage and the prolonged retainment of the juvenile plumage late in the year.
Jack S..	27 Dec 2014	Acc
Steve S.	20 Jan 2015	Acc
David W.	22 Dec 2014	Acc	Juvenile plumage this late in year makes this an easy vote.

2014-040 Red-necked Grebe

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	10 Jan 2015	Acc
Bob B.	21 Dec 2014	Acc
Rick F.	21 Dec 2014	Abst
Kenny F.	30 Jan 2015	Acc	Looks good for a basic plumage Red-necked Grebe. Dusky-red neck and smaller size rules out Clark's and Western Grebes and heavy yellow bill and larger size rules out Eared and Horned Grebes. Also note large pale cheek patch that contrasts with the dark cap and the neck.
Terry S..	29 Dec 2014	Acc
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	Acc	Adequate photos.
Jack S..	27 Dec 2014	Acc
Steve S.	20 Jan 2015	Acc
David W.	22 Dec 2014	Acc

2014-041 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	10 Jan 2015	Acc
Bob B.	23 Dec 2014	Acc	The head of this bird is typical for Yellow-bellied. The back concerns me a bit as the white markings do suggest two vertical lines. There may be a little bit of genetic mixing somewhere in the past but not enough to make me vote no. However I would vote no if this was supposed to be a Red-necked Grebe as noted under the common name at the top.
Rick F.	21 Dec 2014	Abst
Kenny F.	30 Jan 2015	Acc	Looks good for an adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Has complete black border around the red chin with no red on the back of the head or anywhere else on the head as well as a extensively barred back which would rule out a Red-naped or even a hybrid.
Terry S..	29 Dec 2014	Acc	Great photos!
Dennis S.	5 Jan 2015	Acc	Nice photo. If only all YBSA records were adult males.
Jack S..
Steve S.	20 Jan 2015	Acc
David W.	22 Dec 2014	Acc	Excellent photos and write-up.

2014-042 Iceland Gull

Evaluator	Date	Vote	Comment
Kathy B.	8 Feb 2015	Acc
2nd round:	11 Apr 2015	Acc	I am okay with the ID of a dark Kumlien's gull.
3rd round:	18 Jul 2015	No, ID	After reviewing others' comments, the photos, and the record again, I'm changing my vote. I agree, the bill size and shape appear to large for an Iceland.
Rick F.	31 Jan 2015	No, ID	Obviously there is a fine line between a dark Kumlien's Gull and a pale Thayer's Gull, however, the structure of this bird appears more in line with a Thayer's Gull (body, head, and bill size). Also regarding plumage, the body, head/face, and upper wing coverts are fairly dark Kumlien's Gull.
2nd round:	19 Apr 2015	No, ID	As stated in the first round, I believe this bird is structurally too robust to be an Iceland Gull. Also, plumage favors a pale Thayer's rather than a dark Kumlein's.
3rd round:	11 Jun 2015	No, ID	same concerns as earlier round comments; plumage and structure leans towards Thayer's Gull
Kenny F.	30 Jan 2015	Acc	This bird looks good for a 1st cycle 'Kumlien's' Iceland Gull. Thayer's or even a hybrid with a Thayer's can be ruled out by the uniform pale coloration with the primaries not darker than the body, pattern terials and small rounded head with short all dark bill and lack of a dark secondary bar or dark tail band.
2nd round:	22 Feb 2015	Acc	I'm still good with this being a 1st cycle "Kumlien's Gull and since there is a significant disagreement here, I will weigh out my points in its favor. 1) Primaries are evenly colored throughout. A Thayer's gull would show lighter inner primaries that contrast with darker outer primaries. This gull has very uniform primaries with all showing a similar degree of pale inner webs and slightly darker outer webs. 2) No secondary bar. A Thayer's Gull would show a dark bar across the secondaries that would contrast with the paler inner primaries. This bird's secondaries are about the same as the primaries and there is no contrast with them. 3) No dark tail band. The tail is darker but not as dark or contrasting as a Thayer's would show. The tail is in line with a Kumlien's. 4) Tertials are more patterned than a Thayer's. On Thayer's, mostly the tips of the tertials will be patterned with most of the terials just being dark creating a dark spot look on the wings. A close look at the tertials show that the patterning on the tertials extends most of the way down the tertials with patterning extending the whole way down on the edges. This is good for Kumlien's. 5) Wingtip color. The primaries are the same color as the body, if not a little paler. Thayer's show wingtips darker than the body, never wingtips the same color as the body except much later in the winter when bleaching has occured. No bleaching is apparent in this bird. 6) Bill/ head shape. Both are in range for a Kumlien's gull. They are on the bigger range for one but this bird is probably a male since they will show a bulkier head and stouter bill than a female. With that being said the head is still rounded and the bill is still short enough for a Kumlien's. 7) Overall coloration. The bird is more uniformly plumaged than a Thayer's Gull which will show darker areas that will contrast with other parts of their plumage. This is especially apparent in flight, but the bird looks uniform in flight as well. Given all these point, this bird looks great for a Kumlien's. Also check out the pictures in the Howell and Dunn guide which show this gull matchups to Kumlien's and not a Thayer's.
3rd round:	19 May 2015	Acc	I made all the points I needed to in my last comments..
Terry S..	9 Feb 2015	No, ID	Looks like a Thayer's Gull . over all coloration, head shape, Bill length and coloration, tertial pattern, primarily tips and tail band all suggest Thayer's.
Dennis S.	16 Feb 2015	No, ID	This is a record I've gone back and forth on, as you might tell from my late response. This Iceland/Kumlien's/Thayer's gull complex is a can of worms right now. The Howell/Dunn gull book is by far the best treatise for this group and even they believe these can be indistinguishable and the degree of interbreeding is currently unknown. Having mentioned this the bird in question certainly has some Iceland/Kumlien's gull characters: pale gray/brownish overall coloration, pale wing primaries and tail, mantle checkering, no dark secondary wing bar, reddish legs, and a dark eye and bill. However, more like a Thayer's, it appears to have much too long and heavy a bill, an unspeckled tail, and too much darkness in the head and tail, which appears slightly darker than the upperparts. I'm not sure I'm advocating a interbred individual, but I think this bird doesn't quite fit an Iceland Gull. I'm anxious to see what the rest of the committee thinks.
2nd round:	22 Feb 2015	No, ID	I still think this is a close call, but the bird in question has a mixture of good ICGU characters but also good Thayer's.
3rd round:	19 May 2015	No, ID	Same questions still exist.
Jack S..	10 Feb 2015	Acc	The overall pale and checkered plumage, size, leg color, brown banding on upper and under tail coverts, similar tone of primary tips and back, ....etc suggest a first cycle Kumlien's Gull.
2nd round:	23 Apr 2015	Acc	This is a difficult bird to judge but I still believe both plumage and structure are within the range expected of Kumlien's Gull.
3rd round:	19 Jul 2015	Acc	The plumage does fit a Kumlien's Gull better than a Thayer's (as outlined by KF), while the structure and bill may be better for a Thayer's in some of the photos, but not all (photo C is a notable exception). I agree with others that it may not be a 'perfect' fit for this species but I believe its a best fit.
Steve S.	21 Jan 2015	Acc	Back to Iceland/Thayers. Although the bill seems a bit Thayer like, the rest of the bird and write up seem to be a better fit for Iceland.
2nd round:	16 Apr 2015	No, ID	I still think many things about this bird look good for Iceland Gull, but with the large bill and overall head shape I will err on the side of caution and leave this as a Thayer's/Iceland Gull.
3rd round:	6 Jul 2015	No, ID	I'm leaving this as an unidentified Iceland/Thayer's type gull. The bill,head shape and structure still don't look like pure Iceland Gull to me.
Larry T.	19 Feb 2015	No, ID	Iceland gull Is one species I don't think can be safely separated out of range. In the east there would be no problem calling this bird a Iceland Gull. But I don't see any reason to not call this bird a pale Thayer's Gull.
2nd round:	18 May 2015	No, ID	I still feel the same as before, I don't feel comfortable trying to separate these 2 gulls. As others have said there are arguments for both Thayer's and Kumlien's looking at the pics.
3rd round:	18 Jul 2015	No, ID	As before.
David W.	20 Jan 2015	No, ID	This bird appears too dark for an Iceland gull, even a kumlieni ssp. Also the bird is quite massive compared to the California gulls next to it. The submitter is correct that the Thayer's - Iceland boundary is a contested one, but I don't think this is an Iceland gull, especially not a "pure" one.
2nd round:	10 Apr 2015	No, ID	I agree with the line of argument that "Kumlien's gull" is not a stable taxon, but is instead an intermediate form between Thayer's & Iceland gulls (part of a hybrid swarm). The history of which species the "Kumlien's" gulls have been placed with is a cautionary tale, and may well speak more to our desire to draw clear lines where none exist. That being said, this bird's head shape (especially photo E), bill shape, overall darkness of plumage, and size seem to me closer to a Thayer's than an Iceland gull.
3rd round:	20 May 2015	No, ID	Same concerns as first two rounds.