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Table Of Contents And Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1999) 67(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): $14.00 in the United States; $18.00 for all foreign 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 Prichard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in NOU (on a calendar year basis only): Active, $15.00; Sustaining, $25.00; Student, $10.00; Family Active, $20.00; Family Sustaining, $30.00; …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 1999) 67(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August to November, 1999 ... 118

Species Accounts ... 120

Kids on Science (Humor) ... 139

1998 (Tenth) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 141

Index for Volume 67: 1–4 ... 152

Fall Field Report, August To November, 1999, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This season, partly due to the departure of my co-writer Joel Jorgensen and partly due to mental aging, I have shortened the species accounts by including only data that add to our current knowledge base. I will not routinely list early and late dates and peak counts for each species unless they are significant; readers should refer to past issues of NBR for guidelines as to what are early or late dates and high counts. Observers are, however, urged to report early and late dates and high counts of all migrant species; it is difficult to know if a sighting …

Kids On Science

Nebraska Bird Review

The beguiling ideas about science quoted here were gleaned from essays, exams, and classroom discussions. Most were from 5th and 6th graders.

Index To Volume 67

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 67

1998 (Tenth) 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 has been appended eight times (Mollhoff 1989, Grenon 1990, 1991, Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c, Brogie 1997, Brogie 1998). An update of THE OFFICIAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEBRASKA was last published in 1997 (NOU Records Committee 1997).

This report …

Summer Field Report, June To July, 1999, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

First of all, I want to thank Joel Jorgensen for helping write these reports for the last few years. Joel has decided to spend his limited free time on Records Committee matters; he is currently Chairman. Over the last few years, Joel has made significant contributions to Nebraska ornithology, particularly through his! meticulous counts of shorebirds in the Rainwater Basin.

This season proved interesting in terms of ranges of breeding birds, as discussed in the accounts. See, for example, Little Blue Heron, the dOWitchers. Black-billed Magpie, White-breasted Nuthatch, Sedge Wren, and the towhees. There seems to be an increasing number …

Table Of Contents And Masthead, From Nebraska Bird Review (September 1999) 67(3)

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): $14.00 in the United States; $18.00 for all foreign 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 Prichard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in NOU (on a calendar year basis only): Active, $15.00; Sustaining, $25.00; Student, $10.00; Family Active, $20.00; Family Sustaining, $30.00; …

1998 Nebraska Nesting Report, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

Following a hiatus of nearly a decade, this report on the nesting birds of Nebraska reinstates a Nebraska Bird Review tradition that began with an anonymous compilation (apparently by the editor) of the notes from two observers in the 1955 breeding season (Anonymous 1956). By 1965, with the inception of the Cornell Nest Record Card Program, data was collected on standardized cards, with the completed cards being forwarded to Cornell University in New York.

I accepted responsibility for the program several years ago; but by mutual agreement with the/Nebraska Ornithologists' Union leadership, I have delayed work until the Nebraska Breeding …

Three Poems, Roy Scheele

Nebraska Bird Review

At the Kitchen Window

Prodigal

The Patience of the Hawk

Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project March 1999-May 1999

Nebraska Bird Review

A peak population of 182 (164 adult/subadult and 18 juvenile) whooping cranes was reported at Aransas during the winter of 1998-99. An adult plumaged whooping crane, which wintered with sandhill cranes about 90 miles northeast of Aransas in Fort Bend County, was the record 183rd bird in the wintering flock. No birds are known to have been lost at Aransas during the winter. A 1986 colormarked female with a broken leg, last observed at Quivira NWR on December 29, 1998, was not reported during the spring migration, and is assumed to be dead. An estimated 183 whooping cranes migrated north …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 1999) 67(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June to July, 1999 ... 86

Species Accounts ... 88

The Ultraviolet Birds of Nebraska ... 103

Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project (March 1999–May 1999) ... 105

1998 Nebraska Nesting Report ... 108

Three Poems by Roy Scheele ... 114

The Ultraviolet Birds Of Nebraska, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

That the visual range of at least some birds extends into the ultraviolet region has been known since the early 1970s, when it was first discovered in hummingbirds and pigeons. The ultraviolet region is that energy consisting of light waves shorter than Violet, and thus beyond human perception. Although UV perception has long been recognized to occur in many insects and other invertebrate groups, scientists had doubted that either birds or mammals have this ability. Instead, it was generally assumed that the vertebrate cornea provides a protective block to ultraviolet waves, perhaps because UV energy can do damage to the …

Roseate Spoonbill In Otoe County, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 5 August 1997, W. Ross Silcock and I were birding the heron roost at the Waubonsie Wildlife Area in Fremont County, Iowa. We were hoping to see the Roseate Spoonbill I found there on 4 August (see Dinsmore 1998), and thought there might be a chance it would fly into Nebraska upon leaving the roost. At 5:53 a.m., the bird left the roost. It flew directly over us (in Iowa) and headed to the north with a Great Egret. We continued to watch the bird as it gained altitude and was joined by a second Great Egret. The birds …

Table Of Contents And Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review June 1999

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): $14.00 in the United States; $18.00 for all foreign 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 Prichard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in NOU (on a calendar year basis only): Active, $15.00; Sustaining, $25.00; Student, $10.00; Family Active, $20.00; Family Sustaining, $30.00; …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 1999) 67(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March to May 1999 ... 42

Species Accounts ... 44

Book Review by Linda R. Brown of Swallow Summer ... 71

Neotropic Cormorant at Sutherland Reservoir ... 72

NOU Fall Field Days Count, 1998; May NAMC Count, 1999 ... 73

Clark’s Nutcracker at Lake McConaughy ... 79

Roseate Spoonbill in Otoe County ... 80

Red-throated Loon at Lake McConaughy ... 81

Two Poems by Don Welch and Drawings by Mark Sanders ... 82

Book Review: "Swallow Summer" By Charles R. Brown, Linda R. Brown

Nebraska Bird Review

Swallow Summer is a first-person, day-to-day account of Charles and Mary Bomberger Browns' fourteenth field season studying Cliff Swallows in western Nebraska. This story also concerns the three bright undergraduate field assistants who shared the experience of the summer of 1995. Charles communicates their discoveries of Cliff Swallow colony behavior in an everyday conversational manner. It was easy for me to catch the excitement they feel in "discovering the questions." I felt their wonder when as this very cold late breeding season slowly progressed, these researchers discovered that indeed many of the swallows were not breeding at all. This rather …

Clark's Nutcracker At Lake Mcconaughy, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 1 November 1998 I observed a Clark's Nutcracker along the north shore of Lake McConaughy in Keith County. Specifically, the bird was along the road of the Cedar Vue Recreation Area, just east of the main boat ramp. I studied and photographed the bird from 11:32 to 11:50 a.m. I was driving along the entrance road to Cedar Vue when I spotted a bird perched in a dead tree. As I approached the tree, I was thinking about stopping when the bird suddenly took flight. The flight silhouette resembled that of a flicker, although the undulating flight and slower …

Neotropic Cormorant At Sutherland Reservoir, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 2 May, 1998, I observed a Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) at Sutherland Reservoir in Lincoln County, Nebraska. When I arrived at the lake, I noticed a large number of gulls and cormorants resting on some dead logs near the northwest end of the lake. I scanned the cormorants several times and kept returning to one cormorant that seemed smaller than the nearby Double-crested Cormorants. The bird was sleeping, so size was the only mark I could see well. I studied the bird from 1:54 to 2:20 p.m. I estimated the body was at least 25% smaller than …

Spring Field Report, March To May 1999, W. Ross Silcock, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

This spring proved an exciting season for several reasons. For warbler fans, it described a dream with lots of birds to look at and a rather incredible species count (for anywhere) of no fewer than 381 Many "eastern" warblers were found westward, especially at "islands" of habitat such as the Geneva Cemetery and similar spots just beyond the western edge of the original eastern woodland region, as well as the Panhandle. For rarity counters, spring included no fewer than 4 first state records: Glossy Ibis, Gray Flycatcher, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Brambling. We make here a special note that the …

Two Poems: The Hawk [And] Baltimore Oriole, Don Welch, Mark Emil Sanders

Nebraska Bird Review

The Hawk

Baltimore Oriole

Nou Fall Field Days Count, 1998; May Namc Count, 1999

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU count during Fall Field Days, October 16 through 18, focused on areas in and around the Nebraska National Forest and includes reports from 5 counties: Forest, Blaine, Brown, Cherry, and Thomas. This year's species count, owing in part to inclement weather, registered only 92, far behind the previous year's NOU Fall Field Days record of 122 species.

The North American Migration Count (NAMC) for Pierce County is also included in this report. A total of twelve people in five parties took part in this year's count. The count registered one hour walked and 380 miles covered in 43.5 …

Red-Throated Loon At Lake Mcconaughy, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 8 May 1998 I observed a Red-throated Loon at Lake McConaughy in Keith County, Nebraska. I was scanning Arthur Bay when I spotted a small loon swimming with several Western Grebes. I immediately recognized the bird as a Red-throated Loon in basic plumage. I studied and photographed the bird from 2:25 to 3:13 p.m. The bird was slightly larger and shorter-necked than a Western Grebe. The plumage was quite plain. The throat, cheek, foreneck, and underparts were white. The forehead, crown, nape, mantle, and wings were dark gray with a few pale spots on the mantle. The bill was …

Nebraska Bird Review (March 1999) 67(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Winter Field Report, December 1998–February 1999 ... 2

Species Accounts ... 4

Two Winter Records of Pacific Loons at Lake McConaughy ... 16

The 1998–99 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count Summary ... 17

Common Crane in Central Platte Valley, Nebraska, March 1999, and a Discussion of Prior North American Records ... 28

Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project (August 1998–January 1999) ... 30

Two Poems by William Kloefkorn ... 35

The Age of Birds in Nebraska by Paul A. Johnsgard ... 37

Table Of Contents And Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (March 1999) 67(1)

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): $14.00 in the United States; $18.00 for all foreign 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 Prichard, NOU Librarian, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in NOU (on a calendar year basis only): Active, $15.00; Sustaining, $25.00; Student, $10.00; Family Active, $20.00; Family Sustaining, $30.00; …

Common Crane In Central Platte Valley, Nebraska, March 1999, And A Discussion Of Prior North American Records, W. Ross Silcock, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 5 March 1999, a report appeared on the listserver of a Common Crane sighted at 2:30 p.m. that day by Tammy VerCauteren (fide Paul Tebbel) about 2 miles east of Lowell Road in southeastern Buffalo County. The next morning, WRS drove to the location. After about 2 hours of searching, he refound the Common Crane at 8:57 a.m. among Sandhill Cranes about 50 meters south of Elm Island Road at a spot 2 miles east of Lowell Road. It was refound by SJD at 11:00 a.m. on March 9 northeast of the junction of roads X and 41 in …

Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project (August 1998-January 1999)

Nebraska Bird Review

Between 1977 and 1988, 132 juvenile whooping cranes were color-marked on the breeding grounds; of these 37 were accounted for during the winter of 1998-99. Five color-marked cranes were observed during the fall migration. All sightings of color-marked cranes during migration are maintained at the Grand Island office.

One hundred eighty-one cranes began the 1998 spring migration. Forty-nine nests were confirmed on the breeding grounds. Forty-seven chicks were located during June surveys, and the surveys during August determined that at least 24 chicks were surviving. Under optimum conditions about 2,054 birds were expected to arrive at Aransas last fall. The …

The 1998-99 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count Summary, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

The 1998-99 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) period included eight counts in Nebraska. Counts were scattered statewide, but most effort was in the eastern half of the state. I know of at least one additional count (Branched Oak Lake) that was run this year, but not submitted.

In the following discussion, I have attempted to discuss what I believe are the more important aspects of this year's CBC period. This includes my general impressions about some of the commoner species, mention of rarities, notable misses, and other topics.

The Age Of Birds In Nebraska, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

Let each mile of highway I-80 represent a million years. That way, 1/2 mile represents 500,000 years, 1/10 mile = 100,000 years, 1/100 mile (52 feet) = 10,000 years; 1/1000 mile (5.2 feet) = 1,000 years, and 6 inches = 100 years. A decade (ten years) equals about a half-inch. It is 450 miles from the 60th St. on-ramp to I-80 in Omaha to the westernmost exit at the Wyoming border. These 450 million years encompass most of the time that evidence of life has been found on earth, but the earth itself is more than four billion years old, …

Two Poems, William Kloefkorn

Nebraska Bird Review

Counting the Cows

Geese