248); a vote on ongm was also taken,

and the record was accepted as

Accidental (i.e. wild vs. captive origin

probabilities about equal).

Green-tailed Towhee, 18 December 1994,

near Ely, St. Louis County.

Northern Wheatear, 27 September-2

October 1995, Duluth, St. Louis County

(The Loon 67:189-191).

The following records were found to

be Unacceptable:

Wilson's Plover, 8 June 1995, near

Grand Marais, Cook County. Although

the description is consistent with this spe-

cies, the documentation left too many

doubts for the Committee to accept such

an unusual species. The bird was ob-

served while consulting a field guide, and

this seemed to influence its description

since no field notes on the bird were

apparently written. The identification re-

lied on the bird's larger overall size and

bill size than a Semipalmated Plover (but

nothing was apparently present for direct

comparison), on an all-black bill (which

the Semipalmated can also have away

from the breeding grounds), and on

"gray-pink" legs (but the light conditions

at the time were not described and might

have been unfavorable).

Prairie Warbler, 26 August 1994,

Montessippi County Park, Wright County.

The description perfectly fits a male of

this species in breeding plumage, but it is

unlikely an adult male in late August

would be as boldly marked on the face

as described. The identification was ap-

parently influenced by consulting field

guides during and after the observation,

and the description was only written

from memory eight months later.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 January

1995, St. · Paul, Ramsey County. This

"black-backed" gull was most likely a

Lesser Black-backed, but the leg color

was not seen, the overall size ("about the

size of a Herring Gull") would also fit a

female Great Black-backed, and the

observer's impression of mantle color is

difficult to judge since the light condi-

tions and distance involved are not

clearly described.

Also discussed at the 3 December

meeting were the following items:

It was agreed that only six of the West-

ern Tanager records from the May 1995

influx (The Loon 67:180-181) could be

filed as Acceptable, since these were the

only ones documented. It was agreed,

however, that the other 13 undocu-

mented males reported were still prob-

ably correct identifications, and written

descriptions or photographs of these in-

dividuals would still be welcome. The six

Acceptable records are: 9-11 May 1995,

near Oronoco, Olmsted County; 14 May

1995, Mankato, Blue Earth County; 11-12

May 1995, near Long Prairie, Todd

County; 24 May 1995, near Princeton,

Mille Lacs County; 19-21 May 1995,

Ironton, Crow Wing County; 10-12 May

1995, near Maple Lake, Wright County.

The status of the Trumpeter Swan was

discussed, but for the time being it was

decided not to change its status to Regu-

lar, and it remains on the Accidental list

(the only Acceptable modern record of a

"countable" individual is from 1991 in

Wabasha County; see The Loon 63:147-

150). Even though introduced Trumpeter

Swans are regularly seen in Minnesota,

there is no evidence the species has es-

tablished a viable population since the

Committee has yet to receive complete

data on their numbers, release dates and

locations, movements, and on releases in

other states and provinces. It is possible

that no decision on changing this species'

status will be made until the next official

Minnesota checklist is published, which

is scheduled for 1999.

Bob Janssen, who has chaired this

Committee since its inception in 1974,

decided to retire as Chairman, and Kim

Eckert has succeeded him.

The next Committee meeting is sched-

uled for 30 June 1996 and, as are all

these meetings , it is open to any M.O.U.

member interested in observing our pro-

ceedings. For the time and place, contact

either Kim Eckert or Bob Janssen.

The following records were voted on

by mail August-December 1995 and all

58 The Loon Volume 68