Three notable specimens for San Diego County from last fall and winter

Dear friends,

I should also mention three other notable specimens for San Diego County we received at the San Diego Natural History Museum via Project Wildlife and prepared earlier this year.

First was a juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger found at Mission Beach on 4 September 2017 (now SDNHM 55586).

Next and most remarkable was a Black Swift found in Escondido on 23 September 2017 (now SDNHM 55524). One wing was broken at the wrist, so the bird probably hit some obstacle with the wing, then crashed, unable to fly. San Diego County records of the Black Swift are far fewer in spring than in fall. The only previous specimen was also picked after having struck a telephone wire near Escondido—on 5 June 1921 (https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v023n05/p0168-p0169.pdf).

Finally, a Fork-tailed Storm Petrel was picked up on the Ocean Beach pier on 9 January 2018 (now SDNHM 55587).

You can see photos of all three specimens at https://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/gallery/.

Thank you to Lea Squires and Maria Gonzalez for their time and expertise in helping to prepare these specimens, and to Linda King for being our liaison with Project Wildlife, always doing her best to ensure the specimens we receive have the most complete and accurate data possible.

Good birding,

Philip Unitt

San Diego