CBRC review and request for documentation

California birders,

The California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) will begin reviewing the following records in late July. If you have any documentation to submit for these records, please do so as soon as possible. Feel free to forward this request to local
listservs as appropriate. Thank you.

Tom

Thomas A. Benson

Secretary, California Bird Records Committee

2018-039 Masked Booby,             1 May 18,         Port of Los Angeles, LA                   (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-040 Masked Booby,             1 May 18,         San Diego Harbor, SD                      (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-043 Masked Booby,             13 May 18,       off Dana Point Headlands, ORA      (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-052 Masked Booby,             31 May 18,       off Dana Point Headlands, ORA      (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-058 Masked Booby,            9 Jun 18,          Pt. La Jolla, SD                               (documentation from 2 observers,
add’l documentation requested)

2018-059 Masked Booby,            10 Jun 18,        Offshore San Diego County, SD   (no documentation received, documentation requested)

2018-063 Masked Booby,             11 Jun 18,         Catalina Island, LA                          (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-064 Masked Booby,             7 Jun 18,           off Manhattan Beach, LA                (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-065 Masked Booby,             15 Jun 18,         off Long Beach, LA                         (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-036 Nazca Booby,                1-5 May 18,     Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, SD   (single observer and specimen, documentation complete)

2018-050 Nazca Booby,                25 May 18,       San Nicolas Island, VEN                 (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-060 Nazca Booby,               10 Jun 18,        Offshore San Diego County, SD   (no documentation received, documentation requested)

2018-041 Masked/Nazca Booby,  12 May 18,       Pt.
Dume, LA                                   (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-051 Masked/Nazca Booby,  28 May 18,       Offshore San Diego County, SD     (single observer, documentation complete)

2018-038 Red-footed Booby,        6 May 18,         Pt. Cabrillo, SD                               (single observer, documentation complete)

What kind of documentation should one submit to the CBRC? Following are some guidelines for submitting media and written descriptions that will be useful for helping the CBRC evaluate records and archive documentation. Documentation may
be submitted directly to the secretary via email (secretary@…) , or by using the online submission form (http://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html).

Media: This includes photos, audio recordings, and video. Photographs are usually the most useful documentation for evaluating records. If you have reasonably good (=identifiable) photos, please submit them. If possible, please crop the
photos before submission so that the bird fills most of the frame. Also, please send originals whenever possible, and not screenshots or back-of-camera photos. How many photos should you submit? That really depends on the record. If it is a long-staying rarity
that is easily identifiable and seen by dozens of people, then a few photos (1-3 per person) are sufficient. If it is a mega-rarity that is difficult to identify and only seen by a one or few people, then send as many photos as possible that show the bird
at different angles, postures, lighting, etc. Sometimes it is also useful to submit audio and/or video recordings of the bird, as some birds are more easily identified by their vocalizations. If relatively short, most audio recordings are small enough to be
submitted via email; please submit those along with a brief note indicating the date and location of the recording. Large audio files and video files can be submitted by using a file sharing service; please contact the secretary if you need to submit a file
that is too large for email.

Written descriptions: Some written details should always be provided – even the best photos should be accompanied by the name of the observer, the date, and the location, at a minimum. Sometimes a photo can’t be obtained or vocalizations
can’t be recorded. In some cases, behaviors might be noted in the field that aren’t preserved well by photos. In these cases, it is helpful to submit a written description of the bird. Ideally, this description should be written as soon after observing the
bird as possible; it is often helpful to make written notes in the field, or even dictate notes into the voice recorder on your smartphone while observing the bird, from which you can later generate a written description. The most important aspect of a written
description is that you report only what you observed, and not a general description of the bird from a field guide. At a minimum, your description should include the date and location of the observation, and a description of the bird (size and structure,
plumage, vocalizations, behavior). A brief discussion of how the bird was identified, and how similar species were eliminated is also helpful. Other useful information you might report includes optics used, distance from bird, lighting or weather conditions,
length of time viewed, and other observers present.