Life Sciences Commons^™

Whooping Crane Sightings, August-December 1996, Steven Anschutz

Nebraska Bird Review

Based on observations of the breeding grounds during the summer of 1996, about 170 Whooping Cranes were expected to arrive at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas during the fall. The first arrival (two birds) was confirmed on 23 October. A total of 158 birds (143 adults/subadults and 15 young) were wintering at Aransas 1996-97. As of 16 January 1997, six adults and eight subadults, of the number anticipated, had not arrived at the refuge.

The first recorded dates for confirmed observations of migrating Whooping Cranes were 2 August in Canada and 22 September in the United States. The …

Masthead And Table Of Contents From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1996) 64(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Fall Field Report, August-November 1996 ... 106

Observers for Fall Field Report ... 129

Whooping Crane Sightings, August-December 1996 ... 129

Notes on Bird Sightings in Nebraska ... 130

1995 (Seventh) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 132

Book Review ... 138

Index to Volume 64 (compiled by R. G. Cortelyou) ... 139

Fall Field Report, August-November 1996, W. Ross Silcock, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

This fall we received numerous excellent reports from which to compile this summary. Most parts of the state are covered, except the southwest and north central, although many observers at least pass through those areas. A note about details on unusual observations. The new NOU Field Card, which can be ordered by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the NOU Librarian, Univ of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514, indicates species that need complete documentations, mostly casual and accidental species. However, we realize that information about early and late migration dates, and rarity in the west or east is not …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 1996) 64(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 1996 … 106

Observers for Fall Field Report … 129

Whooping Crane Sightings, August–December 1996 … 129

Notes on Bird Sightings in Nebraska … 130

1995 (Seventh) Report of the NOU Records Committee … 132

Book Review … 138

Index to Volume 64 (compiled by R. G. Cortelyou) … 139

Assessment And Choice: An Operant Simulation Of Foraging In Patches, John P. Roche, D. Alan Stubbs, William E. Glanz

Biology and Ecology Faculty Scholarship

Pigeons were presented with an operant simulation of two prey patches using concurrent random ratio schedules of reinforcement. An unstable patch offered a higher initial reinforcement probability, which then declined unpredictably to a zero reinforcement probability in each session. A stable patch offered a low but unvarying reinforcement probability. When the reinforcement probability declined to zero in a single step, the birds displayed shorter giving-up times in the unstable patch when the ratio between the initial reinforcement probabilities in the unstable and stable patches was greater and when the combined magnitude of the reinforcement probabilities in the two patches was …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 72, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

A Re-Evaluation Of Hotspot Settlement In Lekking Sage Grouse, Robert M. Gibson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Recent analyses of avian leks have come to conflicting conclusions concerning the role of male settlement on female traffic hotspots. This issue was re-examined in the sage grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus, using data on prenesting movements of radio-tagged females and the dispersion of lekking males collected during a 10-year field study. As expected with hotspot settlement, leks were preferentially located in areas through which females traveled between wintering and nesting ranges before mating. In addition, the distribution of males among leks was related proximately to variation in numbers of females visiting each lek during the mating period and ultimately to …

Collision Course: The Hazards Of Lighted Structures And Windows To Migrating Birds, Lesley J. Evans Ogden

Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP)

The collision of migrating birds with human-built structures and windows is a world-wide problem that results in the mortality of millions of birds each year in North America alone. Birds killed or injured at such structures are due to two main factors. The first of these is the lighting of structures at night, which “traps” many species of nocturnal migrants. The second factor contributing to the hazard is the presence of windows, which birds in flight either cannot detect, or misinterpret. In combination, these two factors result in a high level of direct anthropogenic (human-caused) mortality. Bird mortality at human-built …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 1996) 64(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

A Review of the Status of Limnodromus griseus, the Short-billed Dowitcher, in Nebraska ... 74

A Late Baird’s Sandpiper in Keith County ... 79

Another Common Crane in Nebraska with a Summary of North American Records … 80

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Annual Meeting 18 May 1996 ... 82

NOU and NAMC Spring Bird Counts May 1996 ... 83

Table of Bird Species Observed during NOU Annual Meeting 17–19 May 1996, and NAMC 11 May 1996 in Two Counties ... 84

Summer Field Report June–July 1996 ... 90

Observers for Summer Field Report … 103

A Late Baird's Sandpiper In Keith County, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 23 December 1994, Gordon Brown and I were walking the North Platte River below Keystone Dam as part of the Lake McConaughy Christmas Bird Count (CBC). At approximately 8:30 a.m. MST, about 0.5 mi below the dam, we observed a group of 8 Killdeer and a smaller shorebird, which we immediately recognized as a "peep." We studied the bird for about 30 minutes at distances as close as 40 feet and then returned in the afternoon to photograph it. The size and black legs immediately eliminated Least Sandpiper, and the dark rump eliminated White-rumped Sandpiper. The remaining possibilities were …

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Annual Meeting 18 May 1996, Robin Harding

Nebraska Bird Review

The 1997 Annual Meeting will be held jointly with the South Dakota and Iowa Ornithologists' Unions in South Sioux City, NE 16-18 May.

Neal Ratzlaff, President, reported on several items. Funds are being sought to publish the Breeding Bird Atlas for Nebraska. The new NOU Field Cards of Nebraska Birds are ready for distribution. The Wildlife Diversity Funding Initiative is on hold because some companies are afraid of increasing their prices. NOU members were encouraged to urge Cabela's to support the Initiative. [See NBR 63 (3) 1995, p. 91 for details.]

A request was received from Fermata, Inc., which has …

Another Common Crane In Nebraska With A Summary Of North American Records, Gary Lingle

Nebraska Bird Review

On 30 March 1996 around 1000 h CST, Bob Janssen and Jim Williams of Minnetonka, Minnesota, discovered a Common Crane (Grus grus) feeding in corn stubble with a flock of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) in Section 34 T9R10 Hall County, Nebraska. The Commom Crane associated with the Sandhill Cranes, which were at peak numbers in the Platte River valley. Later that day, several observers, including myself, witnessed the bird in section 32 about 500 yards away, where it mingled with a few hundred Sandhill Cranes. The difficulty in seeing this bird was illustrated by the fact …

Masthead And Table Of Contents Nebraska Bird Review 64(3) September 1996

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

A Review of the Status of Limnodromus griseus, the Short-billed Dowitcher, in Nebraska ……………..74

A Late Baird’s Sandpiper in Keith County ……………..79

Another Common Crane in Nebraska with a Summary of North American Records…………….. 80

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Annual Meeting 18 May 1996…………….. 82

NOU and NAMC Spring Bird Counts May 1996…………….. 83

Table of Bird Species Observed during NOU Annual Meeting 17-19 May 1996, and NAMC 11 May 1996 in Two Counties…………….. 84

Summer Field Report June-July 1996 ……………..90

Observers for Summer Field Report ……………..103

A Review Of The Status Of Limnodromus Griseus, The Short-Billed Dowitcher, In Nebraska, Joel Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

The two North American dowitchers are notoriously difficult to distinguish from each other. This is not only true of field observations, but there are several instances where a specimen identified as one species was found to be the other upon review. Limnodromus scolopaceus, the Long-billed Dowitcher, has always been considered the common dowitcher in Nebraska, while Limnodromus griseus, the Short-billed Dowitcher, is less common. Confusion about identification and the lack of consistent, well-documented records have caused the status of L. griseus in Nebraska to be a matter of speculation.

Taxonomy of dowitchers was for some time confused. Studies …

Summer Field Report, June-July 1996, W. Ross Silcock, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

Starting with this report, Joel Jorgensen will write the reports for sub-passerines. Hopefully this will help with timeliness, especially in getting reports to the Regional Editor for Audubon Field Notes. It is a long process writing up especially the Spring and Fall reports, given the excellent number received.

Highlights in this report are rare loons at Lake McConaughy, three reports of Clark's Grebe, King Rail in Seward Co, Sandhill Cranes in Clay Co, Mountain Plovers in Kimball Co, easterly reports of Black-necked Stilt, first breeding record for Wilson's Phalarope in the Rainwater Basin, Brown Creeper in Sarpy Co, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 72, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Female Choice In Sage Grouse: The Roles Of Attraction And Active Comparison, Robert M. Gibson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Previous studies of female choice in sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus have implicated both the acoustic quality and repetition rate of the stereotyped strut display as putative cues for female choice. Stages in the choice process at which specific components of male courtship display influence female decisions were investigated using field observations of female premating behavior. Females visited a subset of territorial males and then actively chose one of these as a mate. The order in which males were visited suggested that females searched until an acceptable mate was found, rather than employing a “best-of-n” tactic. Numbers of females visiting a …

Whooping Crane Sightings During March-May 1996 Migration, Steven Anschutz

Nebraska Bird Review

A peak population of 158 whooping cranes (130 adult/subadult and 28 juvenile) was reported at the Aransas National wildlife Refuge in Texas during the winter of 1995-96. One juvenile was believed to have died between March 17 and 20, so 157 cranes began the spring migration, an increase of 24 birds over 133 in spring, 1995. By April 4, about 82 cranes had begun to migrate, and by April 25, only 9 cranes remained at Aransas. All but 2 of these had migrated by May 3. One of the two cranes migrated sometime after May 22, but the other bird …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1996) 64(2)

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears for dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $12.50 in the United States, $15.00 in Canada and Mexico, and $17.50 for all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United states, and $5.00 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary H. Pritchard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Nebraska Bird Review (June 1996) 64(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1994 (Sixth) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 38

Spring Field Report, March-May 1996 ... 42

Whooping Crane Sightings during March-May 1996 Migration ... 68

Snowy Plovers in the Rainwater Basin ... 71

Wanted: Information on Cliff Swallow Mortality ... 71

Spring Field Report, March-May 1996, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was an interesting spring season, with something for everyone. Interesting data in terms of numbers are being produced by the North American Migration Count (NAMC), especially this spring in Sarpy County; examples are 499 Swainson's Thrushes, 76 Gray-cheeked Thrushes, and 118 Black-and-white Warblers, and others. Some species appeared in large numbers such as 5,000 Western Grebes, 16 Clark's Grebes, 10,000 Wilson's Phalaropes, 300 each of Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling, 54 Whimbrels, and two flocks of over 100 Great-tailed Grackles.

Some interesting early and late dates are included in the species accounts, but several observers noted unexpected species such as …

An Avian Botulism Epizootic Affecting A Nesting Site Population Of Presbyornis : On A Carbonate Mudflat Shoreline Of Eocene Fossil Lake, V. Leroy Leggitt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The shorebird-duck mosaic bird, Presbyornis, is best known from the Eocene Green River Formation where it often occurs in local monospecific bonebeds, suggestive of mass mortality events. The sedimentology, paleontology, taphonomy, XRD mineralogy, and the carbonate stable isotope signature (δ¹⁸O) of one of these bonebeds was studied on the southern margin of Eocene Fossil Lake.

A series of 408 standardized radiographs were used to construct the first large scale radiograph aided taphonomic map of a vertebrate fossil quarry (3,874 bones were recorded in 11.5 m²). A small group of 100 bones (including a complete skull …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 72, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

1996 Survey Of Bald And Golden Eagles In Nebraska, John Dinan

Nebraska Bird Review

John Dinan, Nongame Bird Program Manager, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N. 33rd st., Lincoln, NE 68503-0370 (phone: 402/471-0641; Fax: 402/471-5528), supplied the results of the 1990 (January 3-15) Bald and Golden Eagle surveys. Nine organizations and twenty-one individuals participated in the survey.

Conditions for 1996 survey: Temperatures 10 to 50 0 F. The Niobrara River had 70 to 100% ice cover, while the unchannelized portion of the Missouri River was mostly open. The channelized portion of the Missouri was open but had floating ice. The Platte River had 50 to 90 % ice cover; the South Platte, 30 …

1992, 1993 (Fifth) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Joseph A. Gubanyi

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the 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. The official list of birds was last published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and has been appended three times (Mollhoff 1989, Grenon 1990, and Grenon 1991).

This report includes accounts submitted in late 1991 as well as all records submitted during the calendar years of 1992 and 1993, covering records with accession numbers 295-358. All records mentioned …

Nebraska Bird Review (March 1996) 64(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

NOU Treasurer's Annual Report ... 2

First Record of Glaucous-winged Gull for Nebraska ... 3

Winter Field Report, December-February 1995-96 ... 5

Nebraska Christmas Bird Count for 1995 ... 17

1996 Survey of Bald and Golden Eagles in Nebraska ... 26

1992, 1993 (Fifth) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 30

Notes on Bird Sightings in Nebraska ... 35

The Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., Treasurer’S Annual Report, 12/31/95, Elizabeth Grenon

Nebraska Bird Review

Balance 1/1/95 on cash basis per bank account: Cash $1,593.16 Investments $13,500.00 Total $15,093.16

Total Receipts: Cash $9,466.13 Investments $11,354.40 Total $20,820.53

Total Disbursements: Cash $8,777.48 Investments $10,551.66 Total $19,329.14

Balance 12/31/95: Cash $2,281.81 Investments $14,302.74 Total $16,584.55

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (March 1996) 64(1)

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears for dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $12.50 in the United States, $15.00 in Canada and Mexico, and $17.50 for all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United States, and $5.00 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary H. Pritchard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 72, No. 1), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Birds Of The Cedar Point Biological Station Area, Keith And Garden Counties, Nebraska: Seasonal Occurrence And Breeding Data, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Paul A. Johnsgard, Josef Kren, William C. Scharf

Papers in Ornithology

The North Platte River valley (elev. ca 3300 ft/990 m) in Garden and Keith counties, Nebraska, has an avifauna of 305 species, the richest known north of Texas in the Great Plains. More than 25 years of observations, mist-netting, banding, and breeding-bird surveys by the authors and others have revealed 104 breeding, 17 probably breeding, and 184 transient, casual, and accidental species. Hybridization of eastern with western species is evidenced by intermediates between Rose-breasted and Black-headed grosbeaks, Indigo and Lazuli buntings, Eastern and Spotted towhees, Baltimore and Bullock’s orioles, and yellow- and red-shafted morphs of Northern Flicker; Eastern and Western …