2008 Annual Meeting

2008 Annual Meeting

The 2008 annual meeting of the Texas Bird Records Committee (hereafter committee or TBRC) was scheduled to be at the Hornsby Bend Environmental Center, Austin, Texas, on Saturday, 13 September 2008; however because of the landfall of Hurricane Ike was held via conference call at the previously scheduled time. Eric Carpenter arranged the conference call. In attendance were:

Members

• Randy Pinkston, Chair

• Mark Lockwood, Secretary

• Jim Paton

• Brad McKinney

• Eric Carpenter

• Ron Weeks

• Willie Sekula

TBRC members Cin-Ty Lee and Keith Arnold were unable to participate in the meeting. The meeting was convened at 9:12 AM.

Election of Members

Jim Paton’s 2nd term expired at the end of the annual meeting in 2008. This left one vacancy to be filled. Martin Reid was elected as a new voting member. Pinkston, Lockwood, and Arnold were nominated for the positions of Chair, Secretary, and Academician and re-elected.

Current membership and term of service are as follows:

• Randy Pinkston, Chair - term expires fall 2010; can be re-elected

• Mark Lockwood, Secretary - term expires fall 2009; can be re-elected

• Keith Arnold, Academician - term is as listed for Secretary; can be re-elected

• Brad McKinney - 2nd term expires fall 2009

• Willie Sekula - 2nd term expires fall 2010

• Eric Carpenter - 2nd term expires fall 2010

• Ron Weeks - 1st term expires fall 2009, can be re-elected

• Cin-Ty Lee - 1st term expires fall 2010, can be re-elected

• Martin Reid – 1st term expires fall 2011, can be re-elected

Regular Agenda Items

Fourth Round Records

1. 2007-72 Clark’s Nutcracker

Culberson Co., 2 September 2007

not accepted 5-2

2. 2008-08 Blue Bunting

Cameron Co., 9 February 2008

not accepted 5-2

3. 2008-27 Ruff

Galveston Co., 16 April 2007

not accepted 0-7

Revision of Mailing Sequence

New mailing sequence is as follows:

Carpenter

Reid

Sekula

Weeks

Lee

McKinney

Pinkston

Arnold

Lockwood

Motion to Add Evening Grosbeak to the list of Review Species

John Arvin had contacted the Secretary to request that Committee consider adding Evening Grosbeak to the list of Review Species. Lockwood asked the committee to consider the request. Discussion of the issue centered on the demonstrated decline of the species in eastern North America. The Committee also reviewed reports of the species to North American Birds since 1988 which showed a decline over the last decade. This motion was seconded by Pinkston and passed 7-0. The TBRC will request details on all sightings of Evening Grosbeak made after 15 September 2008.

Motion to Remove Little Gull from the list of Review Species

Pinkston asked the committee to consider removing Little Gull from the Review List. Discussion centered on the number of current records, the pattern of occurrence in north-central Texas, and the consistent high quality of the documentation of the records from that region. The majority of the Committee also agreed on the relative rarity of the species in the state, and that the species had not yet surpassed criteria for removal from the Review List. It was also discussed that one or two individuals moving from lake-to-lake could create a perception that more birds are involved. Pinkston moved to remove Little Gull from the Review List (Lockwood seconded), but the motion failed 5-2.

Motion to Remove Baird’s Sparrow from the list of Review Species

Lockwood asked the committee to consider removing Baird’s Sparrow from the Review List. Discussion centered on the pattern of occurrence and that the species appeared to be a regular winter resident on the Marfa Plateau, if not elsewhere in the Trans-Pecos, and a regular migrant through the western quarter of the state. The inaccessibility to wintering habitat would appear to minimize the number of birds recorded each year as well. Lockwood moved to remove Baird’s Sparrow from the Review List (Carpenter seconded) and the motion passed 7-0.

Adjournment

With no other formal business on the agenda, the meeting was adjourned at 10:17 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark W. Lockwood

Secretary, Texas Bird Records Committee