A 29-character code doesn't quite capture Middendorff's Grasshopper-
Warbler, but I agree that MIDDENDORFFSGRASSHOPPERWAR is unique and almost
unambiguous.

Bruce

Date sent:              Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:24:44 -0400
Send reply to:          Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
From:                   Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:                [Ohio-birds] Putative Ohio species
To:                     [log in to unmask]

> Well, when we start to recycle the bird-name abbreviation issue (I know of
> a completely unambiguous 29-character system for North America I'm willing
> to share: it would be even shorter except for the pesky 'northern
> rough-winged swallow'), it's time to try something new.
>         I read something the other day that suggested a series of posts, I
>         hope
> informative and interesting, about Ohio records that would, had they not
> been forgotten, ignored, or disputed, have added new species to the state
> list.
>         #1 is fish crow. On page 67 of "Birds of West Virginia. Bulletin
>         #3 of
> the West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station," by W. D. Doan,
> published in Morgantown in 1888, appears the following entry: "FISH
> CROW. Corvus ossifragus. Resident. Rare. I saw two Fish Crows on
> Blennerhassett Island October 2. They were flying over the island to the
> Ohio side."
>         In a quick look, this work looks like a conscientious compilation
>         of
> its time. One slightly whacky thing I found is its inclusion of northern
> shrike and omission of loggerhead shrike. Fish crow has a firm place on
> today's West Virginia list, for many more reasons than this report; George
> Hall acknowledges it, accompanied by a bit of skepticism, in his "West
> Virginia Birds' (1983).
>         Part of the reason Ohio doesn't have this species on its list
>         involves
> ID problems far more difficult than those regarding shrikes. Fish crows
> are somewhat smaller than American crows, and there are some morphometric
> differences if you have the bird in hand. There are some behavioral clues
> that might lead one to look more closely, but for the most part one should
> rather listen more closely. Corvid expert Kevin McGowan has some excellent
> advice at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/FishCrow.htm  . Most
> authorities seem to agree this species is slowly extending its range
> inland via major watercourses, and Doan's report supports the idea of
> being extra alert for this bird along the Ohio River. More on other
> species later, Bill Whan Columbus
>
>
>
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