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Nou 2004 Fall Field Days

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Fall Field Days were held at the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey on September 24-26, 2004. Thirty-nine NOU members and friends were in attendance for a weekend of excellent weather and birding. Field trips, led by Dave Heidt, Robin Harding and Lanny Randolph, targeted the lakes in various counties to the north and west of Halsey, where a good variety of waterfowl was seen. Highlights included Trumpeter Swans, 11 species of ducks, White-faced Ibis in Grant Co., a Golden Eagle in Thomas Co., 16 species of shorebirds, 5 warbler species and 12 species of sparrows.

Addendum To Greater Snow Goose Article

Nebraska Bird Review

Addendum to Greater Snow Goose Article

In "The Greater Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens atlanticus) in Nebraska" by W. Ross Silcock, published in the Sept. 2004 issue of The Nebraska Bird Review, we failed to credit Randy Buettner of Grand Island, who made the original observation of the Greater Snow Goose and provided the specimen, which was obtained in Clay Co. and is shown in the photo, to William Lemburg.

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review December 2004 Volume 72 Number 4

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 Mary Lou Pritchard, 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 …

The 2002 Nebraska Nest Report, Wayne Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

In contrast to last year, with "the winter that wouldn't end," this breeding season began with a "spring that wouldn't begin." The winter was mild and uneventful, but although the spring was neither cold nor stormy, the usual warm-up did not come, and when the weather finally warmed in May, it brought no moisture. The resulting drought was worst in the west and southwest, areas that had already been abnormally dry for several years. In mid-June in the southern Panhandle, many ranchers were still feeding hay to the cattle because the grass simply did not grow. The dry conditions surely …

Lake Mcconaughy And Nebraska Piping Plover Recovery Goals, Mark M. Peyton

Nebraska Bird Review

Since 1992 the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (Central) has protected and monitored nesting Piping Plovers along the shore of Lake McConaughy (Keith County, Nebraska). Over those 13 seasons, Central monitored 849 Piping Plover nests and documented the successful fledging (successful fledging is defined as a chick at least 24 days old, or one observed flying) of 1,237 Piping Plover chicks (Table 1), making Lake McConaughy one of the most productive nesting areas for Piping Plovers in Nebraska. The following is a documentation of the contributions of Lake McConaughy to the recovery goals for Piping Plovers in Nebraska. …

Fall Field Report, August-November 2004, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

The fall season is a mix of summer, fall migration, and winter. Thus there are breeding records of interest, such as Mississippi Kites nesting at Red Cloud, only the 2nd known location in Nebraska, and only the 3rd documented breeding record for Northern Parula, despite its common summer residency. Fall migration generates early arrival dates, high counts, and late departure dates, the last seemingly more numerous as our average temperatures increase. Included in the late departure category were several late shorebirds, Great Egret and White-faced Ibis, and even the latest ever Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Counts of interest were 3000 Double-crested …

The Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue December 2004 Volume 72 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Addendum to "The Greater Snow Goose in Nebraska" ........... 130

Fall Field Report, August - November 2004
by W. Ross Silcock ................................................... 130

Lake McConaughy and Nebraska Piping Plover Recovery Goals
by Mark M. Peyton .................................................. 148

2002 Nebraska Nest Report by Wayne Mollhoff ...................... 153

Does Birding Have a Future? by Rick Wright ........................ 159

In Memory of Dr. Roger Sharpe ............................................ 164

NOU Fall Field Days 2004 Halsey ........................................... 165

Index to Volume 72 .............................................................. 169

Subscription and Organization Information ............................ 179

Does Birding Have A Future?, Rick Wright

Nebraska Bird Review

Does birding have a future?

Now this might seem an odd question, even an absurd question, to pose to an audience like this, and the answer might seem obvious. How could birding not have a future when we, all of us, are birders who bird, and when survey after recent survey assures us that our numbers are growing, our diversity increasing, and our economic and ethical contributions to American society ever more conspicuous. Does birding have a future? The simple answer is yes.

That's the simple answer. The more interesting answer is yes-yes, but. Yes, birding has a future, but …

In Memory Of Dr. Roger Sharpe

Nebraska Bird Review

In Memory of Dr. Roger Sharpe

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union member, author and educator Roger Sharpe passed away on June 27, 2003. He is survived by his wife Beverly, three daughters and one son.

Dr. Sharpe was born on March 31, 1941. His Ph.D. was in Vertebrate Zoology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He was an instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 1968 until his retirement in 2000. He was a professor of ornithology, environmental biology and conservation biology, and he began and continued to coordinate the Environmental Studies Program there.

Dr. Sharpe also originated an …

Index To Volume 72

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 72 (10 Pages)

Adams, Betty 27

Aechmophorus sp. 154

Alexander,
George 27
Irene 27

Allen, Jerry 79

American Ornithologists' Union 108, 125

Amiotte, Sue 79

Andes-Georges, Linda 40

Anhinga 67, 114

Ani, Groove-billed 67, 118

Aransas N.W.R. 45

Archilochus sp. 62

Arizona 138

Armknecht, Henry 5,27,40

Armstrong, Mark 27,40,79

Avocet American 45, 70, 83, 116, 137, 153, 166

...

Zonotrichia leucophrys,
eucophrys 56
oriantha 56

In Memory Of Clyde E. Johnson- September 2004

Nebraska Bird Review

Long-time NOU member Clyde Johnson passed away on May 4, 2003. He is survived by his wife Emma, who now resides in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Clyde and Emma lived in Omaha, where Clyde was employed as an insurance agent. They made numerous birding trips to Central America, Europe and Asia. Few other details of his life are available, which is quite likely just the way Clyde wanted it. Although Clyde was quiet about his personal life, he was well known among NOU members for his contributions of time, enthusiasm and money to the organization.

Clyde and Emma joined the NOV in …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review- September 2004

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 Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 685880514.

Menlberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

The 2001 Nebraska Nesting Report, Wayne Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

The spring of 2001 will likely be remembered as the winter that wouldn't end, especially in central and western Nebraska. The last remnants of roadside snowbanks remained in the east until 10 April, but the last blizzard closed down the Panhandle on 21-22 April, and the last appreciable snowfall there was on 19 May. None of these dates represent late records, but are remarkably later than average for the past 10-15 years, and seemed especially burdensome following the long cold winter and the remarkably early spring the previous year.

While I recognize the danger inherent in making generalizations when working …

The Greater Snow Goose (Chen Caerulescens Atlanticus) In Nebraska, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Recently, Mr. William Lemburg of Cairo, Nebraska, in a letter to the Editor of the Nebraska Bird Review, noted the following: "I have a friend who does quite a bit of goose hunting. He remarked to me that during the spring snow goose season, he occasionally shoots an extra-large Snow. Thinking that maybe a few Greater Snows that winter along the Atlantic Coast may end up in the Central Flyway, I asked him to save the head of one if he bagged one the following season. This is about five years ago. The following season he did get one. …

The Official List Of The Birds Of Nebraska: 2003

Nebraska Bird Review

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska was last published in 1997 (NOU Records Committee 1997). That list included 427 species whose occurrence in Nebraska had been documented to the satisfaction of the NOU Records Committee at that time, following the sequence and nomenclature as outlined by the American Ornithologists' Union (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003). The present list includes 447 species based initially on Bray et al. 1986, and subsequently all changes to the Official List of the Birds of Nebraska as determined by the NOU Records Committee (Mollhoff 1987, 1989; …

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue September 2004 Volume 72 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Summer Field Report, June - July 2004
by W. Ross Silcock ...........................78

Birds of Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center - 1999-2004
by Kevin Poague ...........................94

In Memory of Clyde E. Johnson ...........................98

The 2001 Nebraska Nesting Report by Wayne J. Mollhoff ...........................99

The Greater Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens atlanticus)
in Nebraska by W. Ross Silcock ............................104

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska: 2003
by Mark A. Brogie ...........................108

Subscription and Organization Information ...........................127

Birds Of Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center - 1999-2004, Kevin Poague

Nebraska Bird Review

In the summer of 1998, Audubon Nebraska, a state office of the National Audubon Society, purchased the 610-acre O'Brien Ranch located three miles south of Denton, Nebraska. The site, now called Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center (SCPAC), will be devoted to prairie education and restoration. The Center's size expanded to 626 acres in 2000 when the Wachiska Audubon Society bought an adjacent 16-acre property on the northwest comer of the section.

Historically, most of the ranch was never farmed, probably because of its hills and the large number of glacial boulders present in the soil. It is one of the …

Summer Field Report, June-July 2004, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

The coverage of the state by observers who report their sightings, mostly to the listserv NEBirds, is very good relative to their rather low number. Even so, there are parts of the state that are only recently revealing their secrets. Extensive work in the Panhandle in the late 1990s, including mist-netting by Steve Dinsmore, showed that several western species are regular migrants through that part of the state, and similar extensive coverage of waterbirds and shorebirds at Lake McConaughy yielded similar valuable information, following the pioneering efforts there by Dick Rosche. This report contains many references to another interesting area …

Annual Meeting At Ogallala [June 2004]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Ornithologists' Union 2004 Annual Meeting took place at Ogallala on May 14-16, with field trips centering around Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala. A total of 190 species was counted over the weekend. The low water level in Lake McConaughy provided excellent habitat for 21 species of waterfowl, 27 species of shorebirds, including nesting Snowy and Piping Plovers, and a Great Black-backed Gull. More surprising were the 17 warbler species, including Blue-winged, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green, Palm, Bay-breasted, and Kentucky. The meeting also offered participants the chance to study many eastern and western species pairs, including Rose-breasted and Black-headed …

2003 (15th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

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 the Birds of Nebraska" was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and an update was published in 1997 (NOU Records Committee 1997).

The "Official List" has been appended thirteen times: (Mollhoff 1989, Grenon 1990, 1991, Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c, Brogie 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, Jorgensen 2001, 2002, 2003). This report includes all …

Species For Which The Nou Records Committee Seeks Documentation, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Records Committee has revised the list of accidental or casual species for which the committee seeks documentation as of the end of 2003. This list was last published in 1995 (NBR 63:12-13). The committee seeks documentation on all species with less than regular occurrence in Nebraska, as well as any species occurring out of range or out of season. Changes in this list since 1995 include the addition of new species documented for the state, and the deletion of species upgraded to regular status. Below are listed the species of less than regular occurrence based on the …

Changes To The Bylaws Of The N.O.U. Records Committee

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes to the Bylaws of the N.O.U. Records Committee

The following changes were voted on and approved by the NOURC Board in February of 2004:

Under Section VII. VOTING

Amend Section F to read:

"Members of the committee may vote upon their own records."

Add Section G to read:

"Status of a species can be changed at any time by a two-thirds majority vote of the committee following a petition for change by any member of the committee, such petition to outline the case for the suggested change."'

Correction To The 2001 (13th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee

Nebraska Bird Review

Correction to the 2001 (13th) Report of the NOU Records Committee

Joel Jorgensen reports that the photo of the White Ibis mentioned in the 13th NOURC Report (NBR 71: 98) was taken at Johnson WPA 19 Aug, not Funk WPA. The bird was originally discovered at Funk WPA on 9 Aug, and then it presumably moved to Johnson WPA 12-19 Aug. See Silcock, W.R., "Fall Field' Report, August-November 2001". The Nebraska Bird Review 69: 158-189.

In Memory Of George W. Brown, Neal Ratzlaff

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU member, supporter and friend George Brown passed away on February 9, 2002, at the age of 80 following a 10 year battle with leukemia.

His many contributions to this organization include service as President on two occasions, 1974-5 and 1992-4. Some of us remember smaller but equally memorable contributions, including the flower arrangements, gifts from George's garden, that appeared on the tables at our Halsey Fall Field Days; his wonderful stories and good humor; his personal thriftiness which he applied with equal vigor to the NOV budget; and his love of only the most brief and concise presentations. The …

Spring Field Report, March-May 2004, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was a fairly typical spring with wide variations in temperature, although severe storms May 22 and 24 caused considerable damage to property and presumably nesting birds; dead robins and their blown-down nests were ubiquitous.

There continues to be an accumulation of observations indicative of earlier arrival of some species as well as possibly related range expansion northward of others (see species accounts for details). Notably early were most of the swallow species, Long-billed Curlew, and Bobolink. Northward range expansion seems to be occurring with Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Hooded Warbler, and Summer Tanager. Numbers of Piping Plovers and Snowy Plovers at …

The Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue June 2004 Volume 72 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Spring Field Report, March-May 2004 by W. Ross Silcock ... 38

2003 (15th) Report of the NOU Records Committee compiled by Mark A. Brogie ... 59

NOU Records Committee Bylaws Change ... 65

Correction to the 2001 (13th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 65

Species for Which the NOU Records Committee Seeks Documentation ... 66

NOU Annual Meeting at Ogallala, May 14-16, 2004 ... 69

In Memory of George W. Brown by Neal Ratzlaff ... 74

Subscription and Organization Information ... 75

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review June 2004

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 Mary Lou Pritchard, 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): …

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia Decaocto) Expnasion In Nebraska: 1997-2003, Mark A. Brogie, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Following the recognition of its presence in Florida in the mid-1980s (Smith and Kale 1986), the Eurasian Collared-Dove has spread in spectacular fashion northward and mostly westward in the interior of the United States, arriving in Nebraska only about 15 years after its discovery in Florida. Prior to its establishment in the United States, the Eurasian Collared-Dove had undergone a similarly spectacular expansion westward across Europe beginning in the area of Albania and the former Yugoslavia in the 1930s and finally colonizing Great Britain in the late 1950s. Available evidence regarding the source population for its establishment in Florida points …

In Memory Of Olin Sewall Pettingill

Nebraska Bird Review

In Memory of Olin Sewall Pettingill

Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., Ph.D., renowned ornithologist and teacher, passed away December 11, 2001, in Bedford, Texas. He was 94.

Dr. Pettingill was born in Belgrade, Maine, on October 30, 1907. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1930 and received a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1933. Honorary doctor of science degrees were awarded by Bowdoin College in 1956, Colby College in 1979, and the University of Maine in 1982.

Dr. Pettingill taught ornithology at Carleton College for 17 years and at the University of Michigan Biological Station for 35 summers. He was director …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review March 2004

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., (http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOU/) 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 Mary Lou Pritchard, 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 …