California birders,

The California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) will be reviewing the following records at the end of March. If you have any documentation to submit for these records, please do so as soon as possible. Feel free to forward this request to
local listservs as appropriate. Thank you.

Tom

Thomas A. Benson
Secretary, California Bird Records Committee

2017-165 King Eider 14-16 Dec 2017 Klamath R. mouth DN (documentation complete)
2017-090 Little Stint 16-19 Sep 2017 Moss Landing Harbor MTY (eBird report - no documentation received)
2017-144 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 15 Aug 2017 Humboldt Bay North Jetty HUM (documentation complete)
2017-149 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 23-24 Sep 2017 Pt. Reyes MRN (documentation from W. Anderson)
2017-148 Sedge Wren 4 Dec 2017 Arcata Marsh HUM (eBird report - no documentation received)
2017-156 White-winged Crossbill 12 Dec 2017 Elk Valley Casino DN (listserv report - no documentation received)
2017-158 White-winged Crossbill 16 Dec 2017 Crescent City DN (documentation complete)
2017-159 White-winged Crossbill 17-18 Dec 2017 Smith R. DN (documentation complete)
2017-169 White-winged Crossbill 22 Dec 2017 Patricks Point State Park HUM (eBird report - no documentation received)
2017-170 White-winged Crossbill 23 Dec 2017 Redwood National Park DN (documentation complete)
2017-171 White-winged Crossbill 29 Dec 2017 Crescent City DN (listserv report - no documentation received)
2017-173 White-winged Crossbill 21 Dec 2017 near Big Lagoon HUM (documentation complete)
2017-174 White-winged Crossbill 28 Dec 2017 Big Lagoon HUM (documentation complete)
1972-802 Orchard Oriole 19 Nov 1972 Furnace Creek Ranch INY (documentation from G. McCaskie)

What kind of documentation should one submit to the CBRC Following are some guidelines for submitting media and written descriptions that will be useful for helping the CBRC evaluate records and archive documentation. Documentation may
be submitted directly to the secretary via email ( secretary@... ) , or by using the online submission form ( http://www.californiabirds.org/report_sighting.html ).

Media: This includes photos, audio recordings, and video. Photographs are usually the most useful documentation for evaluating records. If you have reasonably good (=identifiable) photos, please submit them. If possible, please crop the
photos before submission so that the bird fills most of the frame. Also, please send originals whenever possible, and not screenshots or back-of-camera photos. How many photos should you submit That really depends on the record. If it is a long-staying rarity
that is easily identifiable and seen by dozens of people, then a few photos (1-3 per person) are sufficient. If it is a mega-rarity that is difficult to identify and only seen by a one or few people, then send as many photos as possible that show the bird
at different angles, postures, lighting, etc. Sometimes it is also useful to submit audio and/or video recordings of the bird, as some birds are more easily identified by their vocalizations. If relatively short, most audio recordings are small enough to be
submitted via email; please submit those along with a brief note indicating the date and location of the recording. Large audio files and video files can be submitted by using a file sharing service; please contact the secretary if you need to submit a file
that is too large for email.

Written descriptions: Some written details should always be provided even the best photos should be accompanied by the name of the observer, the date, and the location, at a minimum. Sometimes a photo cant be obtained or vocalizations
cant be recorded. In some cases, behaviors might be noted in the field that arent preserved well by photos. In these cases, it is helpful to submit a written description of the bird. Ideally, this description should be written as soon after observing the
bird as possible; it is often helpful to make written notes in the field, or even dictate notes into the voice recorder on your smartphone while observing the bird, from which you can later generate a written description. The most important aspect of a written
description is that you report only what you observed, and not a general description of the bird from a field guide. At a minimum, your description should include the date and location of the observation, and a description of the bird (size and structure,
plumage, vocalizations, behavior). A brief discussion of how the bird was identified, and how similar species were eliminated is also helpful. Other useful information you might report includes optics used, distance from bird, lighting or weather conditions,
length of time viewed, and other observers present.