California birders,

In early May the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) will begin reviewing the following records. If you have any documentation to submit for these records, please do
so as soon as possible. Additionally, if you have documentation for any Slaty-backed Gull from winter 2018-19 that is not listed below, please submit your documentation by the end of April so the record can be included in this batch. Feel free to forward this
request to local listservs as appropriate. Thank you.

Tom

Thomas A. Benson
Secretary, California Bird Records Committee

2019-021 Garganey, 1-17 Mar 19, West Sacramento, YOL (documentation from 6 observers)
2019-016 Common Eider, 12-28 Feb 19, Pebble Beach, MTY (documentation from 3 observers)
2018-212 Little Stint (juvenile), 16 Nov - 15 Dec 18, San Diego Bay saltworks, SD (documentation from 2 observers)
2018-219 Little Stint (adult), 20 Oct - 15 Dec 18, San Diego Bay, SD (documentation from 2 observers)
2018-227 Slaty-backed Gull, 17 Dec 18, Smith River Bottoms, DN (no documentation received)
2018-232 Slaty-backed Gull, 23 Dec 18, Half Moon Bay, SM (single observer, documentation complete)
2019-001 Slaty-backed Gull, 1 Jan 19, Pt. Pinos, MTY (single observer, documentation complete)
2019-005 Slaty-backed Gull, 21 Jan 19, Gazos Creek mouth, SM (no documentation received)
2019-009 Slaty-backed Gull, 29 Jan - 15 Mar 19, Marina State Beach, MTY (documentation from 1 observer)
2019-019 Slaty-backed Gull (adult), 18-23 Feb 19, Vernalis/Tracy, STA/SJ (no documentation received)
2018-220 Black Vulture, 2 Dec 18 - 19 Feb 19, Bolinas, MRN (no documentation received)
2018-240 Gyrfalcon, 31 Dec 18 27 Mar 19, Arcata Bottoms, HUM (documentation from 3 observers)

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 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.