Texbirds: If memory serves, the TRBC accepted a Black Catbird for the state list long ago. This species is also sedentary in habits and occupies a similar geographic range to that of the Tropical Mockingbird. Can anyone on the TRBC presently shed light on the processing of this old historic record, I think this was a specimen entry? It is true that the Port of Galveston is a busy place; the Port of Houston was in fact the busiest U.S. seaport for one of our most recent years in terms of overall turnover, believe it was for 2009. In the marine trade, we in fact all marvelled at it, that Houston was #1, Port of Seattle #2. The number of ships coming and going is undoubtedly great in both cases. And Port Arthur, a real hub of the oil and gas industry, almost adjoins the Sabine Woods property. I guess my thought process differs from the acceptance formulae of some RBCs, but to me a ship-assisted bird should be treated differently in the acceptance criteria than a caged one subsequently released. The sole exception would be a caged bird released from a ship entering port. The fact that this bird is at a known migrant "trap" is hard to ignore, as are the possibilities for seaborne assist. Another aspect of the Tropical Mockingbird's behavior that might be worthy of consideration is its pairing with a Northern Mockingbird. Is anyone out there on Texbirds knowledgeable about reproduction rates of caged passerines, or better, caged mockingbirds? Our bird reminds me of certain other passerines that have advanced north of established ranges; in the absence of mates of their own species, these "vanguards" may pair opportunistically with close cogeners. In WA, the northernmost Hermit Warblers in the Olympics come to mind for comparison, we also have the "Olympic" Gulls, resulting from hybridization of northernmost Westerns and southernmost Glaucous-wingeds. This has been a thought-provoking exchange, hope we can all keep it going with a civil tone, what a great one for Texbirds. Scott Atkinson Lake Stevens, WA mail to: scottratkinson@xxxxxxxxxxx