European Golden-Plover (photographed) in Delaware: Monday, 14
September. 2009 -
An excellent note on the Delaware Birds list-serve, earlier - this is
an interesting occurrence away from where it more often has been
found as an "accidental" or "stray" (if those terms do in fact apply
to the species in all of its range of occurrence in North America) in
the Canadian Maritime provinces, Newfoundland in particular - &
mostly in spring migration rather than fall, there. It is apparently
very rare anywhere in the U.S.A. - indeed the first "lower 48 states"
record is said to have been in Maine USA just about 11 months ago,
and there may be only a single previous accepted (Alaska) USA record
before that Maine USA occurrence.
"European Golden-Plover Pluvialis apricaria is an interesting species
in that it occasionally shows in the ABA Area in large numbers, 350
during spring 1988 (AB 42:408) and 205 birds during spring
1994" (Field Notes 48:270). "Most records are from Newfoundland from
mid-April to mid-May following storms producing strong northeasterly
winds" (ABA Checklist, Seventh Edition). "Although the majority of
records come from Newfoundland, there is an Alaska record from
Ketchican in January 2001" (NAB 55:213) "and a record from Nova
Scotia, plus the species is reported annually in Greenland, the
largest island in the world and the most northeastern part of North
America, but somehow not included in the ABA Area." (National
Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition).
"Often debated taxonomically, two subspecies of European Golden-
Plover are currently recognized. P. atifrons breeds in humid moss,
hummock tundra, open bogs in forest tundra, and alpine tundra,
whereas the nominate apricaria breeds on highland heath and
peatlands. Up until the 1950s, 80,000 of these plovers were
harvested annually in the Netherlands, and they may still be
harvested on French wintering ground." (Handbook of Birds of the
World, Volume 3 - [Lynx Ediciones, publisher - with multiple authors/
illustrators/photographers in the not-yet-complete series]).
https://lists.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0909&L=de-
birds&T=0&O=D&P=10442
Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
- - - - - - -
>>
Subject: European Golden-Plover photo by Anthony Gonzon
From: Jeffrey Gordon <jeffgyr AT MAC.COM>
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:07:49 -0400
Hi all--
Running out the door here, as you might expect. Anthony Gonzon has
kindly granted me permission to post one of his photos of the
European Golden-Plover from this morning.
http://bit.ly/9dq08
I forwarded the photo to Michael O'Brien, who responded, " No
question about this one! Clearly a European GP."
Nice work, Andy Urquhart, in finding and identifying this bird!
Good birding,
Jeff
Jeffrey Gordon
Lewes, DE
Blog/web site: Jeffrey A. Gordon
....
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