Proceedings of the Minnesota

Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee

Thomas A. Tustison, Chairman

The most recent meeting of the Min-

nesota Ornithologists’ Union Records

Committee (hereafter “MOURC”) was

conducted at the Minnesota Valley National

Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Blooming-

ton, Minnesota on 2 December 2012. In at-

tendance and voting at this meeting were

MOURC members Terence P. Brashear (alter-

nate), Robert M. Dunlap, Kim R. Eckert, Bruce

A. Fall, Andrew R. Forbes (alternate), Anthony

X. Hertzel, James W. Lind, Robert P. Russell

(alternate), Andrew D. Smith, and Thomas A.

Tustison (chair).

Among the topics discussed at the most

recent MOURC meeting was a potential first

state record Mountain Chickadee (2 October

2012, Lake Vadnais, Ramsey County). The

discussion was whether or not to assign a

record number to this report and vote on

the submitted documentation. The observer

did not provide his name and the description

was inadequate. There was no mention of

similar species such as a female Red-breasted

Nuthatch. It was unanimously decided, un-

der recently-amended bylaws, not to vote on

this record for reasons above-mentioned. The

amended bylaws which have not yet been

published provide that the Committee need

not review every Casual and/or Accidental re-

cord that may be submitted if the Committee

determines the record is not worthy of con-

sideration. The amended bylaws now read:

“All documented records of Casual and Acci-

dental species and potential first state records

are voted on, unless a majority of the Com-

mittee votes not to do so.”

• Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird (28 October

2011, Duluth, St Louis County, record #2011-

034) had been previously unanimously ac-

cepted (The Loon 84:4–5), but a separate

vote is needed to determine if this represents

a species classified as “A” (no subscript indi-

cating the identification as Tropical/Couch’s

Kingbird can be determined from the physi-

Record 2013-033, Western Sandpiper (Calid-

ris mauri), 4 May 2013, Ortonville, Big Stone

County. Photo by Douglas L. Pierzina.

cal evidence alone) or as “AS” (a qualifying

subscript indicating the physical evidence

alone is insufficient to determine the identi-

fication as Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird). After a

brief discussion, it was unanimously accepted

with the unqualified “A” classification.

The subject of establishing formal guide-

lines for unusual migration dates for obser-

vations of Regular species was discussed. It

was decided that the Seasonal Report editors

would continue to handle such records and

that MOURC would not need to be involved.

Subsequent to the most recent meeting,

the following records were voted on electron-

ically and Accepted:

• King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), 9–24

February 2013, one-half mile northeast of the

Lakewood Pumping Station, St. Louis County

(record #2013-001, vote 7–0). First-year male,

photographed. New winter record for St. Lou-

is County. The bird was observed by sev-

Fall 2013

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