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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 



This manual is based on the experience gained in conducting a large and 

 successful beached bird census program, that of the Point Reyes Bird 

 Observatory. Early on in this effort, the need for an identification 

 manual became apparent. The beach censuses themselves have been con- 

 ducted by about 200 volunteers over the last eight years. It is 

 through interactions with them that we have learned about the cir- 

 cumstances that make various species difficult to identify in the hand. 

 Many of these people also used, and tested for us, a preliminary draft 

 of the manual. Their efforts have been indispensable. We would 

 especially like to thank the following persons for their valuable 

 criticisms of the earlier draft: 



Stephen Bailey, Joan Breece, Jane Church, Roger Clapp, David Clark, 

 Deborah Clark, Patrice Daley, William Eastman, Joseph Gnagey, 

 Janet Hamber, Bill Harrington-Tweit, Dorothy Hunt, Joseph Jehl , 

 Bernadene Logan, Flora Maclise, Mary Mayer, Dave Shuford, David M. Smith, 

 Nancy Spear, David W. Vollmer, Edna Vollmer, Terry Wahl , Jay Watson. 



An invaluable aid in the preparation of the keys were the bird skin 

 collections at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, the California 

 Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. National Museum of Natural History. 

 We appreciate the help of V.M. Dziadosz, N.K. Johnson, L.C. Binford and 

 S.L. Olson, from those institutions. 



We gratefully thank Judith Bausor Ingram, Bernadene L. Logan and 

 Merrilyn C. Smith, who typed the drafts of this manual. 



The actual writing and preparation of the manual was funded by a contract 

 from the Office of Biological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 Dr. Jay F. Watson of that office worked closely with us and provided much 

 encouragement and assistance. 



The manual constitutes the final report of the Pacific Seabird Group's 

 Working Group on Beached Bird Surveys. It is contribution No. 187 of 

 the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. 



