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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects ---352802979-1859141527-1372985931=:90897 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =0A=0A=0A=0A________________________________=0A=0A6 Reasons to Go See the C= ommon Myna =0A=0A=0AReason # 1. Eye Candy - In the field guides this specie= s is a very distinctive patterned species but this is one of those birds th= at until you see it in real life, it is hard to appreciate just how beautif= ul they are. I've seen thousands of Common Mynas before and I would have to= say this particular bird is a very brightly plumaged individual. =0A=0A=0A= Reason # 2. Incredible Antics - This bird has very quick jerky type movemen= ts. In a space of a few minutes we watched the bird assume several differen= t positions, in rapid succession. This behaviour gave the bird a almost car= toon-like quality that was very entertaining to watch. =0A=0A=0AReason # 3.= Great Opportunity - For most, if not all Nova Scotia birders, this will be= their first opportunity to see a Common Myna in Nova Scotia, and who knows= when the next opportunity will come along. =0A=0A=0AReason # 4. Very Relia= ble. - This is a very reliable individual. Local residents report that this= Common Myna has been seen daily in the same small area for about the month= now. =0A=0A=0AReason # 5. Very Easy to Find and See. - From Hwy 103, take = Exit 31. Turn onto the 335 and drive though all the West Pubnicos (Upper We= st, West, Middle West and Lower West) towards Pubnico Point. Exactly where = the pavement ends you will see a blue house. In all my excitement I did not= see a house number but really you can't miss this house. =0A=0AThis bird i= n very starling-like in its behavior, so it spends a good deal of time sitt= ing on the overhead wires, walking around in the open, (in front of the hou= ses or in the field across the street) and makes various starling-like soun= ds. This is a very active bird, always doing or saying something. =0A=0A=0A= Reason # 6 -You may be asking yourself is this bird countable ? - My advice= is to go see the bird now and you can always decide later. However if you = do not go and at some later date it is determined that this particular bird= is countable then you are out of luck. =0A=0ATo further aid you in your de= cision making process I am providing the following favourable facts and sta= tements about the status of Common Myna in North America. =0A=0AFavourable = Fact # 1. Ratified as a Countable species by the ABA since 2008. =0AIn 2008= Common Myna is added to the ABA Checklist as a Code 2 Species. The ABA pro= vided the following definition for a code 2 species : =0A=E2=80=9CCode-1 an= d Code-2: Regularly occurring North American avifauna. Includes regular bre= eding species and visitors. There is no firm designation between Code-1 and= Code-2 species, except that logically Code-1 species are more widespread a= nd are usually more numerous. Code-2 species have a restricted North Americ= an range, are more widespread, but occur in lower densities, or are quite s= ecretive making their detection often difficult. We readily acknowledge tha= t some Code-2 species are harder to find than some species that have higher= codes. =0A=0AFavourable Fact # 2. Common Myna VS Hill Myna =0AThe Common M= yna should not be confused with the closely related Hill Myna which continu= es to be a popular cage bird because of its ability to mimic human speech. = Although small numbers of Hill Mynas have escaped captivity and are now liv= ing in parts of Florida and California their populations are not viable eno= ugh to be currently countably in North America. =0A=0AIn regards to these t= wo species an article in the magazine 'Birding' September 2011 edition had = this to say, =E2=80=9CPerhaps surprisingly, birders in Florida often confus= e Hill Mynas with Common Mynas; Common Myna is a countable species based on= the Florida population (Pranty, B. 2007b. Status and distribution of Commo= n Myna (Acridotheres tristis) in Florida. North American Birds 61:658=E2=80= =93665.).=E2=80=9D =0A=0AFavourable Fact # 3. Rapidly Expanding Population.= =0AIn The Sibley Guide to Birds, he classifies the status of the Common My= na on page 417 of his guide as =E2=80=9CRapidly increasing population in so= uthern Florida=E2=80=9D. =0AIn recent visits to Florida I also observed lar= ge flocks of these birds in central Florida and smaller numbers in northern= Florida. =0A=0AFavourable Fact # 4. Other Sightings Outside of Florida =0A= In a very quick internet search I found the following reports. I am sure th= at a more thorough search would turn up additional accounts. =0A=0A1. The l= ongest established Common Myna population in North America is not in Florid= a but in Hawaii where the birds where introduced in 1866 and by the 1970's = they had spread to all of the Southeastern Hawaiian Islands. =0A=0A2. May 2= 002 a Common Myna is reported from Sapelo Island, Georgia, and is believe t= o be an early indication of dispersal from Florida. (Pranty 2008). Pranty a= lso stated at that time that =E2=80=9C Mynas have been found in Florida up = to 500 kilometers from the Miami area=E2=80=9D. =0A=0A3. Outside of Nova Sc= otia, the most current myna report I could find was from June 23, 2013 of C= ommon Mynah sighted at Wingfield Park in downtown Reno, Nevada. =0A=0AFavou= rable Fact # 5. Not Just Another Exotic. =0ABill Pranty the leading expert = on Common Mynas in Florida has this to say of behave on the ABA's decision:= =0A=E2=80=9COf the 957 species currently on the ABA Checklist, 936 (98%) ar= e native to the ABA Area or have naturally strayed from other regions. Very= few exotic species have been added to the Checklist, and five of these hav= e been removed because their North American populations have been extirpate= d. Thus, there is always trepidation when the Committee votes to add anothe= r exotic to the ABA Checklist. The Common Myna has a moderately large and g= reatly expanding=0Apopulation in Florida, and the species has successfully = colonized many temperate and tropical areas of the world. Based on these fa= cts, the Committee considers the Common Myna to be established in the ABA A= rea. Clewiston, Florida; 27 April 2008. =C2=A9 Bill Pranty.=E2=80=9D =0A=0A= Countable or not, I think it would be well worth anyone's while to go to se= e the Pubnico Point Common Myna. =0A=0ADad and I wish to express Special Th= anks to to Johnny & Sandra Nickerson for providing us with additional detai= ls as to where to look for the bird and to Ronnie D'Entremont & Sharon for = being on site and literally pointing to the bird so we could effortlessly e= njoy Dad's 400th lifer for Nova Scotia. Congrat