| FLOYD HAYES |
| BIRDING |
| Birding has been my favorite hobby since I began in 1975 at the age of 12. Initially I was thrilled with keeping a life list, state lists, year lists, day lists, etc. However, gradually I became increasingly interested in the biology of birds, which stimulated my career goal of becoming a professional biologist. My birding has been closely linked with travel and many of my observations while birding have been published in scientific journals. My birding has focused primarily in areas where I have resided, including Maryland (20 years), Caroline Islands of Micronesia (9 months), California (9 years), Washington (3 months), Galapagos Islands (2.5 months), Michigan (1 year), Paraguay (3 years), Trinidad and Tobago (9 years), and the Virgin Islands (1 year). LISTING Listing has not been my highest birding priority since I was in my early 20s. Although I do have early lists for here and there and numerous entries in volumes of field notes, I would have a hard time counting up exactly how many species I have for various political jurisdictions. I'm most proud of my lists for Trinidad and Tobago (370+ species) and Paraguay (500+ species). I have perhaps 1500 species for my world list, probably 1000+ species for South America, and about 620 species for North America. Hopefully someday, perhaps when I retire, I'll work on compiling those lists. BIG DAYS I've thoroughly enjoyed the occasional "big day" when a group of us attempted to maximize the number of species detected in a single day. Here are my best big day team totals, most of which were or still remain the higest number of species reported for the political jurisdiction. Details for all have been published by the American Birding Association. 198 Washington, USA; 16 May 1986; with Bill Hayes, Doug Schmidt and David Wright (former record until 1988; still tied as 2nd highest) 180 Paraguay; 21 Oct 1989; with Paul Scharf and Jorge Escobar Arga�a (record) 177 Trinidad; 23 Sep 2001; with Martyn Kenefick and Brett Hayes (record) 170 Maryland; 6 May 1983; with Wally Sumner, Floyd Murdoch and Tony Futcher (2nd highest at the time) 167 Trinidad; 7 Sep 2000; with Martyn Kenefick and Bryan Sanasie (former record until 2001; still 2nd highest) 164 Maryland; 6 May 2003; with Wally Sumner, Floyd Murdoch and Tony Futcher (3rd highest at the time) 162 Paraguay; 20 Oct 1989; with Paul Scharf and Jorge Escobar Arga�a (former record until the following day; still 2nd highest) 154 Delaware; 11 May 1980; with Bill Hayes (former record until 1981) 148 Paraguay; 9 Dec 1988; with Dan Snider and T. Perrin (former record until 1989; still 3rd highest) 126 District of Columbia, USA; 2 May 1981; with Dave Czaplak and Bill Hayes (former record until 1989; still 2nd highest) 113 Tobago; 8 Oct 2001; with Newton George, Martyn Kenefick, Bill Murphy and Brett Hayes (record) 100 Tobago; 16 Oct 2000; with Martyn Kenefick, Bryan Sanasie and Brett Hayes (former record; still 2nd highest) 64 US Virgin Islands; 13 Oct 2002; with Brett Hayes (record) 47 Gal�pagos Islands; 14 Aug 1984; with William Baker, Glen Bennett and Tim Rochester (record) FINDING RARE BIRDS I relish exploring bird habitats with the prospect of finding vagrant birds and have published the details of many rare birds that I have found [click here]. Here is a list of the best rare birds that I have found along with links to digitized photos (some have not been digitized). Micronesia Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis): 1st and 2nd for Caroline Islands at Mokil and Pohnpei (sight) Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus): 1st for Pohnpei, Caroline Islands (sight) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris): 1st for Pohnpei, Caroline Islands (sight) Matsudaira's Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma matsudairae): 1st for Pohnpei, Caroline Islands (sight) Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Common / Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos / macularia): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Sanderling (Calidris alba): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) SootyTern (Sterna fuscata): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Little / Least Tern (Sterna albifrons / antillarum): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Great-crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Rock Dove (Columba livia): 1st for Kosrae, Caroline Islands (sight) Paraguay Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea): 1st for interior of South America and Paraguay (photo) Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea): 1st for Paraguay (photo) Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola): 1st for Paraguay (photo) Sanderling (Calidris alba): 1st for Paraguay (photo) Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota): 1st for Paraguay (sight) White-backed Fire-eye (Pyriglena leuconota): 1st for Paraguay (specimen) Fawn-breasted Wren (Thryothorus guarayanus): 1st for Paraguay (specimen) Trinidad and Tobago Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa): 1st for South America and T&T in Trinidad (photo) Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus): 1st for the Caribbean and T&T in Trinidad (photo) Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni): 1st for Trinidad (sight) Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia): 1st for Tobago (sight) Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus): 1st for Tobago (sight) Northern Parula (Parula americana): 1st for Trinidad (sight) USA Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis): 1st for District of Columbia (sight) Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides): 1st for Lake County, California, and 4th accepted for California (photo) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus): 1st for Lake County, California (photo) Virgin Islands Striated Heron (Butorides striata): 1st for Greater Antilles and Virgin Islands, and northernmost in St. John (photo) American Black Duck (Anas rubripes): 1st for Virgin Islands at St. Thomas (photo) Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto): 1st for Virgin Islands at St. Thomas (photo) Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea): 1st for St. John (sight) and 1st for St. Thomas (photo) BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY I have always lacked sophisticated equipment and I am hardly an expert, but I have worked hard at photographing rare or unusual birds with telephoto lenses on a film camera, a film camera attached to a telescope or digiscoping with a digital camera held up to a telescope. I do have some artistic photos as well. IDENTIFICATION ESSAYS (linked to the Southeastern Caribbean Birds Photo Gallery) I don't consider myself an expert at bird identification but I do enjoy learning about the fine points of identification, especially for a few problems that I have worked on. I have published a few identification articles; here are a few unpublished essays. Little Egret and Snowy Egret (Egretta garzetta and E. thula) Green Heron and Striated Heron (Butorides virescens and B. striata) [publication] American Coot and Caribbean Coot (Fulica americana and F. caribaea) Sandwich Tern and Cayenne Tern (Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida and S. s. eurygnatha) [publication] Least Tern and Yellow-billed Tern (Sterna antillarum and S. superciliaris) [publication] Caribbean Martin and Gray-breasted Martin (Progne dominicensis and P. chalybea) RARE BIRD PHOTOS (many are linked to the Southeastern Caribbean Birds Photo Gallery) California "Eurasian � American" Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca crecca � carolinensis): 1st for Lake County Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) Tufted Duck � Greater Scaup (Aythya fuligula � marila) Tufted Duck � Lesser Scaup (Aythya fuligula � marila) Ring-necked Duck � Greater Scaup (Aythya collaris � marila) Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) Possible "Vega" Herring Gull (Larus argentatus vegae) Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides): 1st for Lake County, 4th for California Presumed Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides): Sonoma County, California Presumed and possible Iceland Gull 1 and 2 (Larus glaucoides): Lake County, California Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus): 1st for Lake County, California Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus): 1st for California Possible Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus): potential 1st for Lake County Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus): 5th, 6th and 7th for Lake County Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) : 1st for Napa County African Collared-Dove (S. roseogrisea) Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca) Maryland Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) Paraguay Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea): 1st for Paraguay and interior of South America, photo by Tarsicio Granizo Trinidad and Tobago Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra): St. Giles Islands Stripe-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis): Trinidad Little Egret (Egretta garzetta): Trinidad and Tobago Western Reef-Heron (Egretta gularis): 1st and 2nd for T&T and South America in Tobago Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja): Trinidad Maguari Stork (Ciconia maguari): 1st for T&T in Trinidad White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata): 1st juveniles for T&T in Trinidad Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos): 3rd and 4th for T&T in Trinidad Northern Pintail (Anas acuta): 1st for T&T in Trinidad Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis): Trinidad Rufous Crab-Hawk (Buteogallus aequinoctialis): Trinidad Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima): Tobago Trinidad Piping-Guan (Pipile pipile): Trinidad Yellow-breasted Crake (Porzana flaviventer): Trinidad Pied Lapwing (Hoploxypterus cayanus): 1st for T&T in Trinidad Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda): Trinidad Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa): 1st for T&T and South America in Trinidad Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica): Trinidad Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa): Trinidad Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis): Tobago Ruff (Philomachus pugnax): Trinidad and Tobago Wilson's Phalarope (Steganopus tricolor): 2nd for Trinidad, 3rd for T&T Franklin's Gull (Larus pipixcan): 2nd and 3rd for T&T in Trinidad Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus): Tobago Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis): Trinidad Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus): 1st for T&T in Trinidad Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus): Trinidad Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini): 2nd for T&T and Atlantic Coast of South America in Trinidad Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto): 1st for T&T in Trinidad Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor): 5th and additional for Tobago Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus): 1st for T&T in Trinidad Gray-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus albigularis): 'rediscovered' for Tobago ; photo by William Hayes Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis): 2nd for Trinidad White-winged Swallow (Tachycineta albiventer): 1st for Tobago Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus): Trinidad Red-breasted Blackbird (Sturnella militaris): Tobago Virgin Islands Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus): St. Thomas Striated Heron (Butorides striata): 1st for VI and Greater Antilles, 2nd for West Indies, at St. John Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax): St. Thomas and St. John West Indian Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna arborea): 1st for St. Croix since 1941 American Black Duck (Anas rubripes): 1st for VI at St. Thomas Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata): 2nd for St. Thomas Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca): St. Thomas Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris): St. Thomas Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis): St. Croix Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator): 1st for VI at St. John Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis): St. Croix Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica): 2nd for St. Thomas Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto): 1st for VI at St. Thomas White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica): St. Thomas (1st breeding) and St. John Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica): St. Thomas Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea): 1st for St. Thomas, 4th for VI Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis): 1st confirmed for St. Thomas UNUSUAL BIRD PHOTOS California orange-headed Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) molting Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) worn and faded Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) Trinidad and Tobago deformed bill on egret sp. (Egretta sp.) airplane killed Black Vulture (Corgyps atratus) deformed bill on Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) worn probable Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), whose identity was hotly debated missing foot on Arctic Tern (Sterna hirundo), resembling an Arctic Tern (S. paradisaea) missing lower mandible on Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) mystery tanager (Thraupis sp.): possible hybrid Blue-gray � Palm Tanager (T. episcopus � palmarum) or aberrant plumaged Palm Tanager Virgin Islands white undertail coverts on Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) partially leucistic Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) |
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| Best bird I ever found: first record of Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) for South America at Orange Valley, Trinidad , 24 September 2000. |