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The Fish Crow (Corvus Ossifragus) Reaches Nebraska, Joel G. Jorgensen, Melissa J. Panella, W. Ross Silcock, Kristal J. Stoner

Nebraska Bird Review

The Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) was formerly endemic to the southeastern United States where it inhabited coastal areas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (McGowan 2001). Since the early 1900s, the species has steadily expanded north and west along major river systems (McGowan 2001). Fish Crow range expansion has followed a logical pattern, expanding along major rivers in regions close to established populations, in adjacent states to the south and east of Nebraska. The species was first recorded in Missouri in 1964 (Robbins and Easterla 1992). In 1984, Fish Crow was first reported in Kansas and by 1991 …

Index To Volume 77

Nebraska Bird Review

Albright, Andrew 139

Alcock, David 47

Alexander,

George 15

Irene 15

Allison, Scott 22

Alspaugh, Mack 166

American Ornithologists' Union 112, 116, 167

Andrews, R. 111, 158

Anhinga 120, 131

Ani, Groove-billed 124, 132

Armknecht, Henry 48

Avocet, American 28, 55, 72, 100, 122, 145

Fall Field Days At Valentine

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Days were held in Valentine September 25–27, 2009, with 65 participants registered for the weekend. Dave Heidt organized the meeting and led field trips to Cherry County lakes and marshes. Trips to Smith Falls and along the Niobrara River in Keya Paha and Brown Counties were guided by Mark Brogie. Lanny Randolph led trips to the Ft. Niobrara NWR and the Valentine Fish Hatchery. A total of 133 species was tallied.

On Friday evening Dan Leger, Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, gave an impromptu presentation on the microphones and recording equipment he uses …

2009 (21st) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (NOU) Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). The committee's purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, NE. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found in the latest issue of The Nebraska Bird Review (NBR).

The "Official List of the Birds of Nebraska'" was …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2009]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active, $15; …

Fall Field Report, August-November 2009, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was probably the most "normal" fall season in a while, as measured by the small number of late departure dates among summer residents and migrants, early arrival dates among winter residents and migrants, high counts, and rarities. In other words, very little of significance happened. Indeed, in order to provide a spark, I'll even mention three exotics that were reported: a Swan Goose at Fremont 26 November (JRo), a Common Peafowl in Dodge Co 5 August (JWe), and a White-faced Cockatiel caught in a Dixon Co yard 24 August (JJ). None is likely to be a threat to our …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2009) 77(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2009 ... 138

The Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) Reaches Nebraska ... 155

2009 (21st) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 160

Fall Field Days at Valentine ... 169

Index to Volume 77 ... 173

Subscription and Organization Information ... 183

The Effect Of Floor Density On Growth Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of French Guinea Broilers, Samuel N. Nahashon, Nathaniel Adefope, Abravi Amenyenu, James E. Tyus Ii, D. Wright

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The floor density required for optimal growth performance of different avian species and varieties is highly variable. Little is known of the required floor density for optimum performance of the French guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) broiler. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of varying floor densities on growth performance and carcass characteristics of the French guinea broiler. In 3 replicates, 687 one-day-old French guinea keets were weighed individually and randomly assigned to floor pens covered with pine wood shavings at 69, 60, 53, and 47 birds/pen, equivalent to densities of 15.6, 13.6, 12, and 10.7 birds/m2, …

Molt Migration By Giant Canada Geese In Eastern South Dakota, Charles D. Dieter, Bobby J. Anderson

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

We captured giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) in 7 counties in eastern South Dakota during the summer molting period, 2000–2003. We attached very high frequency (VHF) transmitters to 150 adult female geese with brood patches, and leg bands to 3,839 geese. We documented molt migrations using VHF telemetry and indirect band recovery at locations north of South Dakota. Telemetry of radio-collared female geese during the breeding season indicated that 56% of nonbreeders, 81% of unsuccessful breeders, and 19% of successful female breeders embarked on a molt migration. Five of 34 geese that underwent molt migrations moved to …

Projected Climate Change Effects On Nuthatch Distribution And Diversity Across Asia, Shaily Menon, M. Zafar-Ul Islam, A. Townsend Peterson

Shaily Menon

We used ecological niche modeling approaches to explore climate change implications for one family of birds, the Sittidae, in Asia. Quantitative niche models based on present-day distributions for each of 13 species were projected onto future climate change scenarios. Species’ potential distributional areas tended to be predicted to retract along their fringes, and at lower elevations along mountain ranges. As observed in other studies, montane systems were relatively more robust to the horizontal effects of climate change on species’ distributions compared to flatland systems, so range contractions were focused in Southeast Asia and peninsular India.

Long-Tailed Jaegers In Western Nebraska, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

The Long-tailed Jaeger is an accidental migrant in Nebraska with just one accepted record through the mid-1990s. Based on records from adjacent states, especially Colorado (Andrews and Righter 1992) and Wyoming (Faulkner 2010), the species is probably more frequent than these records indicate, and its status is further complicated by possible confusion with Pomarine and Parasitic jaegers. In this article I report details of four records of Long-tailed Jaegers in western Nebraska and comment on the species' identification and status in the state.

Summer Field Report, June-July 2009, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was an interesting summer, with range expansions of multiple species continuing in all directions, but predominantly northward. Exceptions to the northward trend were Trumpeter Swan, which bred south of its usual western Sandhills range, and Sedge Wren, which may be occurring in June in northeast Nebraska in greater numbers. Moving eastward are Western Wood-Pewee, which now overlaps with westward-moving Eastern Wood-Pewee in Lincoln Co, Cordilleran Flycatcher in the Pine Ridge, and Lesser Goldfinch in the west. Song Sparrow is also expanding south and west. No fewer than 16 species are moving north and/or northwestward. Several species were seen more …

Accidental And Casual Species For Which The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee Seeks Documentation

Nebraska Bird Review

A list of 117 species (Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Taiga Bean-Goose, Emperor Goose, Brant, Eurasian Wigeon, etc.) for which the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee seeks documentation.

The Official List Of The Birds Of Nebraska: 2009

Nebraska Bird Review

The “Official List of the Birds of Nebraska: 2009” contains 454 species.

The duties of NOU Records Committee (NOU Records Committee 1986) include:

A. The committee shall publish an official list of the birds of Nebraska.

B. The official list will include all those species whose occurrence has been reported in Nebraska.

C. The committee shall keep the official list current.

D. The committee shall publish a list of species for which details are requested with every sighting reported.

The 2009 NOU Records Committee has completed the above duties and the following is the result of its endeavors. This work …

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2009]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active, $15; …

Editorial Staff Change

Nebraska Bird Review

Steve Dinsmore has generously assisted the Nebraska Bird Review editors for nine years, and now he is bowing out. With this issue, Joe Gubanyi is the new technical editor of the NBR. Joe is a professor of biology in the Natural Science Department at Concordia University in Seward. He has a B.S. Ed. from Concordia, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He has taught biology, genetics, ecology, vertebrate zoology, and ornithology and has led study tours to Belize and Costa Rica. He is the compiler of the Branched Oak–Seward Christmas …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2009) 77(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2009 ... 94

Long-tailed Jaegers in Western Nebraska ... 110

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska: 2009 ... 112

Accidental and Casual Species for Which the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee Seeks Documentation ... 131

Editorial Staff Change ... 133

Subscription and Organization Information ... 135

Preliminary Analysis Of The Ecology And Geography Of The Asian Nuthatches (Aves: Sittidae), Shaily Menon, Zafar-Ul Islam, Jorge Soberon, A. Townsend Peterson

Shaily Menon

We explored distributions of Asian nuthatch species in ecological and geographic space using ecological niche modeling based on occurrence data associated with specimens and observations. Nuthatches represent a well-defined clade occurring throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but are most diverse in southern Asia where 15 of the 24 species occur and where the lineage is believed to have evolved. Species richness was focused in a narrow east-west band corresponding to the forested parts of the Himalayas with a maximum number of nine species predicted present in these foci. The distributional predictions have a mid-elevation focus with highest species diversity between 1,000 …

Projected Climate Change Effects On Nuthatch Distribution And Diversity Across Asia, Shaily Menon, M. Zafar-Ul Islam, A. Townsend Peterson

Peer Reviewed Publications

We used ecological niche modeling approaches to explore climate change implications for one family of birds, the Sittidae, in Asia. Quantitative niche models based on present-day distributions for each of 13 species were projected onto future climate change scenarios. Species’ potential distributional areas tended to be predicted to retract along their fringes, and at lower elevations along mountain ranges. As observed in other studies, montane systems were relatively more robust to the horizontal effects of climate change on species’ distributions compared to flatland systems, so range contractions were focused in Southeast Asia and peninsular India.

Annual Meeting At York

Nebraska Bird Review

Eighty-four members and guests were in attendance at the 110th Annual Meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union in York on May 15–17, 2009.

Field trips were led by Joel Jorgensen, Ross Silcock, Kent Skaggs, Mary Bomberger Brown, and Clem Klaphake to North Lake Basin, Hidden Marsh, the Geneva cemetery, Harvard Marsh, and other sites in the Eastern Rainwater Basin. Mary Brown also took a small group to her Piping Plover and Least Tern study locations along the Platte River.

Our Friday evening speaker was Dan Kim, who gave us an account of work he has done with the Whooping Crane …

2008 (20th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The "Official List of the Birds of Nebraska" was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and has been updated two times (NOU Records Committee 1997, 2004). The "Official List" has been appended eighteen times: Mollhoff 1989; Grenon 1990, 1991; Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c; Brogie 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; Jorgensen 2001, 2002, 2003.

The American Ornithologists' Union Checklist of North American Birds, Seventh Edition (1998) and the Forty-second, Forty-third, Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, Forty-eighth, and Forty-ninth Supplements to the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) contain many taxonomic …

On-Line Studies On Nebraska Ornithology, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

In recent years the University of Nebraska has been developing a DigitalCommons Internet library (http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/) that is freely available online, and that includes publications in the humanities and sciences. The DigitalCommons is a national online digital library that serves as a repository for scholarly publishing. It is a collection of a university's scholarly effort that preserves and makes accessible information via the Internet that is produced by that institution. It may include preliminary or final copies of journal articles, theses, dissertations, conference proceedings, books, or other scholarly materials. The University of Nebraska has been an active participant in this national …

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2009]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active, …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 2009) 77(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March–May 2009 ... 46

Annual Meeting at York ... 69

On-line Studies on Nebraska Ornithology by P. A. Johnsgard ... 78

2008 (20th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 80

Subscription and Organization Information ... 91

Spring Field Report, March–May 2009, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

The most obvious pattern this spring was early arrivals, especially among the shorebirds. Dunlin arrived record early, and 5 other species were close to record early dates. However, warblers, sparrows, and buntings were pushing early dates and Brown-headed Cowbird was early in numbers.

Winter finches were scarce except for Pine Siskin, which was present in good numbers, although breeding evidence was nonexistent.

Glossy Ibis continued in numbers as did easterly Lazuli Buntings. Nesting was confirmed at a new location for Red-shouldered Hawk; this is currently the only known active site in the state.

It was a great spring for genuine …

Modeling Parasitism Rate And Parasitism Risk: An Illustration Using A Colonially Nesting Songbird, The Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius Phoeniceus, Max Post Van Der Burg, Larkin A. Powell, Andrew J. Tyre

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Ornithologists interested in the drivers of nest success and brood parasitism benefit from the development of new analytical approaches. One example is the development of so-called “log exposure” models for analyzing nest success. However, analyses of brood parasitism data have not kept pace with developments in nest success analyses. The standard approach uses logistic regression which does not account for multiple parasitism events, nor does it prevent bias from using observed proportions of parasitized nests. Likewise, logistic regression analyses do not capture fine scale temporal variation in parasitism. At first glance, it might be tempting to apply log exposure models …

2008 Ksu Insortmil/Usaid Poultry Experiment In West Africa, S. Issa, J. D. Hancock

INTSORMIL Presentations

INTSORMIL (funded by USAID) promotes the use and marketability of sorghum and millet in developing nations around the world.

A key objective is to provide technology transfer that will improve production, storage, marketing, and utilization of sorghum and millet.

An additional objective is to build human capital via student training and collaboration with colleagues in targeted regions of the world.

Justification: We were approached by potential collaborators from the National Institute for Agronomic Research in Niger (INRAN).

Sorghum is the second most produced cereal (after millet) in Niger.

Locally produced sorghum is generally less expensive than imported corn, yet imported …

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’S Report, December 31, 2008

Nebraska Bird Review

One-page spreadsheet constituting the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union treasurer's report at year end (December 31) of 2008. The grand total is $57,072.48.

2008-2009 Christmas Bird Counts In Nebraska

Nebraska Bird Review

Thirteen Christmas Bird Counts were held in Nebraska in the 2008–09 season, one less than last year. (Beaver Valley was not run this year.) This year fewer participants (184, the fewest since 2000) found more individual birds than last year (146,635 vs 133,106) but fewer species (126, the fewest since 2000).

Temperatures were about like last year, with an average high of 29°F. Most counts reported some snow cover, frozen still water, and some open running water. On the day of the Branched Oak–Seward count, a balmy 51°F was recorded in Lincoln shortly after midnight. By afternoon, the temperature had …

Differential Use Of Agricultural Fields And Rangeland Nesting Habitat By Mccown’S Longspur (Calcarius Mccownii) And Chestnut-Collared Longspur (Calcarius Ornatus) In Western Nebraska, Larry Snyder, Bartholomew L. Bly

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan (NNLP) lists both McCown's Longspur and Chestnut-collared Longspur as Tier I and Tier II species of conservation concern, respectively (Schneider et al. 2005). McCown's Longspur is listed as a Tier I species (highest conservation priority) in Nebraska because of regional population declines (Schneider et al. 2005), and because it is also listed on the Partners in Flight WatchList (Fitzgerald and Pashley 2000). The breeding distribution of McCown's Longspur in Nebraska is suggested to be the westernmost counties of the Panhandle (With 1994), although limited information on the breeding ecology of this species exists for Nebraska. …