Ornithology Commons^™

Resource Selection, Survival, And Departure Of Adult Female Mallards From The Lake St. Clair Region During Autumn And Winter, Matthew Palumbo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

During autumn and winter, mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) maximize fitness through their spatiotemporal distribution to avoid mortality risks while balancing trade-offs to access foods to undergo migration and maintain homeostasis. Thousands of mallards use Lake St. Clair as it is an important, but threatened, migratory staging area in the Great Lakes. My goal was to understand how mallards were selecting resources in the region and potential relationships of selection strategies. My objectives were to estimate resource selection of adult female mallards, in relation to perceived risk of hunting mortality, and determine if selection strategies were related to survival and …

The Official List Of The Birds Of Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The last published “Official List” of the NOURC (NOURC 2009) included 454 species. Since then the following species have been added:

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) Accidental I-P 2010

Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) Accidental I-P 2011

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) Accidental I-P 2012

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Casual I-P 2012

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) Accidental I-P 2013

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) Accidental I-P 2014

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) Accidental I-P 2014

Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Accidental I-P 2016

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) Accidental I-P 2017

Index To Volume 85

Nebraska Bird Review

Abreu, Shanin 58 ...

through

Ziegelbauer, Amanda 147

(15 pages)

Fall Field Report, August - November 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This fall season will be remembered as the fall with the mega-rarities. There were five, one of which, Pacific Wren, is a first Nebraska record. Based on occurrence dates, Hurricane Irma appears to have influenced the appearance of two of the megas, Black Vulture and Magnificent Frigatebird, neither of which provided opportunities for observers to view them, but both well-documented with photographs. There were an extraordinary TWO sightings of Harris’s Hawk, which together with the presence as of this writing (December 19) of one in northeast Kansas and a view of the species map in eBird strongly suggest a single …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 December 2017 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August - November 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 146-178

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska, compiled by Mark A. Brogie …179-197

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 15 - 17, 2017, by Janis Paseka …198-203

Index to Volume 85 …204-218

Subscription and Organization Information … 219

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 15 - 17, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2017 NOU Fall Field Days took place in and around Ogallala on Sept. 15 - 17 with 55 in attendance. The weather on Friday was hot and windy, making finding birds a challenge. Overnight a cold front came through causing birders to shiver on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but the payoff was easier birding and some interesting species. Field trips were led by William Flack, Clem Klaphake, Wayne Mollhoff, Don Paseka, Ross Silcock and T. J. Walker. Locations included Cedar Point Biological Station, Lake Ogallala SRA, various beaches along the shore of Lake McConaughy SRA, Ash Hollow State Historical …

The North American Quails, Partridges, And Pheasants, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This book documents the biology of six species of New World quails that are native to North America north of Mexico (mountain, scaled, Gambel’s, California, and Montezuma quails, and the northern bobwhite), three introduced Old World partridges (chukar, Himalayan snowcock, and gray partridge), and the introduced common (ring-necked) pheasant. Collectively, quails, partridges, and pheasants range throughout all of the continental United States and the Canadian provinces. Two of the species, the northern bobwhite and ring-necked pheasant, are the most economically important of all North American upland game birds. All of the species are hunted extensively for sport and are highly …

Predation On Artificial Turkey Nests At Radford Army Ammunition Plant In Western Virginia, Shane Brandes, Karen E. Powers, Len L. Diioia Jr.

Virginia Journal of Science

Because ground-nesting wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) may sustain high incidences of nest predation in western Virginia, determining their predators is essential to understanding risk and managing the birds. Our study investigated potential predators of wild turkey nests at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, New River Unit (RFAAP; Pulaski Co., in western Virginia). Here, we established 8 artificial nests during the breeding season for wild turkey (March-April, 2017), and documented predators via game cameras. Thirty-one species of mammals and birds visited the nests over the 31-day study. Nest predation was verified 56 times across 6 species, including coyotes ( …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 September 2017 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June - July 2017, by W. Ross Silcock …94

Diet and Habitat Analysis of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) Nesting at Ponca State Park, by Ann Spilker and Joseph Gubanyi … 121

2016 (28th) Report of the NOU Records Committee, by Mark A. Brogie …128

Subscription and Organization Information … 143

Summer Field Report, June - July 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes in breeding ranges and numbers of Nebraska breeding birds are the primary focus of a Summer Seasonal Report. Every year there are changes to be noted; this year is no exception. Although most of the phenomena listed below are examples of dispersing individuals without breeding evidence, these often indicate breeding range expansion. White-winged Doves are becoming numerous in southern and western Nebraska, although breeding in far eastern Nebraska was only the 5th report for the state. Chuckwill’s- widow continues to creep westward in the south; the westernmost report to date was of one that crossed the 100-mile gap from …

Diet And Habitat Analysis Of Barn Owls (Tyto Alba) Nesting At Ponca State Park, Ann Spilker, Joseph A. Gubanyi

Nebraska Bird Review

In 2015 Barn Owls (Tyto alba) nested on the floor of a grain bin in Ponca State Park, Dixon County. Seven nestlings were observed (Figure 1). It is believed that 6 fledged (one carcass was found on the floor of the bin September 26). Barn Owls were not observed the following spring (Jan Johnson, personal communication). Because there are few records of Barn Owls in the region, we collected data to better understand the Barn Owl nesting in Ponca State Park. Barn Owl prey and their importance to reproductive success has been well documented (Marti et al. 2005; Gubanyi et …

2016 (28th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) are described in its bylaws (NOURC 2010). 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. Accidental and casual species for which the NOURC seeks documentation (NOURC Review List) can be found at the NOU website: www.NOUbirds.org. 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 …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The annual meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union was held at the Senior Center in Auburn on May 19-21, 2017, and was organized by Robin Harding and Don and Janis Paseka. About 70 birders attended on a weekend that began wet but finished with more birder-friendly conditions. Our Friday evening program was a presentation by Kevin Holliday, Superintendent of Indian Cave State Park. He mentioned the park’s features including the cave and petroglyphs, St. Deroin cemetery, 22 miles of trails, Missouri River overlook and reconstructed town. He also highlighted the many events held in the park during the year, including …

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone Canadensis Tabida) Copulation Detected Along The Big Bend Of The Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, Andrew J. Caven, Emma M. Brinley Buckley

Nebraska Bird Review

On 9 March 2017 at 0805 hrs, two A. canadensis tabida were observed copulating on a sandy island within the south channel of the Platte River, Hall County, Nebraska (40.790982°N, -98.404635°W, WGS84; 581 m elev.). Two biologists witnessed the copulation at a distance of about 175 m looking to the south from within an overnight viewing blind on the north bank of the south channel of the Platte River, utilizing an 80 mm spotting scope (20x60x magnification). The sequence of events previous to the copulation followed very closely the observations reported by Tacha (1988). The copulation was proceeded by the …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 June 2017 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 54

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis tabida) Copulation Detected Along the Big Bend of the Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, by Andrew J. Caven and Emma M. Brinley Buckley … 83

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, by Janis Paseka … 85-90

Subscription and Organization Information … 91

Time-Activity And Energy Budgets Of Eared Grebes (Podiceps Nigricollis) At Salton Sea, Samantha San Francisco

Theses

Time-activity budgets have been a widely accepted way of approximating the daily energy expenditure of many species, including waterbirds. For this study, focal animal sampling was used to study Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) at their post-wintering stopover site, Salton Sea. Daylight time-activity budgets were converted to energy budgets using energy equivalents for diving, preening, swimming, and resting on water developed for Eared Grebes previously by H. I. Ellis (1994). Post-wintering Eared Grebes arrive at Salton Sea in waves at differing times in the spring. As a result, there can be individuals in a variety of physiological states during …

Spring Field Report, March-May 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In general, this was a routine spring, except for remarkable numbers reported of several species, and a notable paucity of most species of wood-warblers. A huge Snow Goose flock in the east was estimated to contain 500,000- 1,000,000 birds; other notable numbers were 2000 Tree Swallows and 5000 Cliff Swallows, both record counts, 44 Black-capped Chickadees, 300 House Wrens, 62 Fox and 76 Song Sparrows on the same day at a single location, 168 Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos, and 10,000 Common Grackles. Perhaps the most notable phenomenon this spring was the dearth of migrant wood-warblers. Joel Jorgensen constructed graphics based on …

Plasma Metabolites Reveal Changes In Physiological State Of Eared Grebes (Podiceps Nigricollis) During Three Non-Migratory Periods, Allison A. Yoshida

Theses

Energy storage and use during the annual cycle of migratory birds is dynamic especially during migration. However, considerable amounts of the annual cycle are spent not migrating, and the physiological state of birds during these non-migratory periods is not well understood. We compared plasma metabolites (TRIG, BUTY, URIC, GLY) in Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) residing at three important areas when they are not migrating: fall staging (postbreeding at Mono Lake, California), spring staging (pre-breeding at Great Salt Lake, Utah), and an extended stopover prior to spring staging (Salton Sea, California). Plasma metabolites were also measured in resting and active grebes …

2016 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Fourteen Nebraska counts were held during the 2016 CBC season, which is one less than last year. The Harrison and Crawford counts were cancelled this year, but in the opposite corner of the state, a new count was started that includes Indian Cave State Park. An unusually mild November and a seasonable start to December were followed by a modest cold snap during the second week of the month. The Harlan County count was run early in the period on the 15th with ample open water, and it produced a record number of species (90) for that circle. But in …

Brambling In Bellevue, Sarpy County, Loren Padelford, Babs Padelford

Nebraska Bird Review

As we were having breakfast on January 8, 2017, we spotted an unusuallooking bird with House Sparrows in the tree above our deck. After consulting the National Geographic field guide, we determined it was a Brambling. Soon it was feeding on the deck where we were able to get some photos. It was first spotted at 9:25 a.m. and again at 10:30. We put the information on NEBirds and by late morning birders began to arrive.The first group saw the bird at 12:02. By early afternoon we had standing room only in our family room. The bird appeared again at …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 March 2017 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2016–Feb. 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 2–22 & 31

Annual Color Photo Section … 23–30

Brambling in Bellevue, Sarpy County by Loren and Babs Padelford … 32–33

2016 Christmas Bird Counts, by Don Paseka … 34–49

NOU Annual Treasurer's Report for 2016, by Jan Johnson … 50

Subscription and Organization Information … 51

Annual Color Photo Section 2017, The Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Bird Review

For our color photo section this year we asked especially for photos of birds in unexpected places. The images on this page and the following two pages show birds in surprising locations or unusual geographic ranges.

32 images

Canyon Wren in wheel of the photographer’s Subaru at Mary Sue Shoemaker’s ranch in central Cherry Co, 20 Nov 2016. 5th record of this species for Nebraska. Photo by Joel Jorgensen.

Great Horned Owl at water feature in the photographer’s yard, Dixon Co., 18 April 2017. Photo by Jan Johnson.

Brambling, 4th record in Nebraska, coming to the feeders at the home …

Winter Field Report, December 2016 To February 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was an interesting winter from several standpoints. The trend of unexpected winter occurrences and earlier arrivals in “spring” continued. Mid-winter records of several species were notable: Rock Wren, Marsh Wren, American Pipit, Pine Warbler, and Chipping Sparrow. Rarities (see below) that could be considered in this category as well were Golden-crowned Sparrow and Lesser Goldfinch. For earlier arrivals, there was a noticeable influx 14-18 Feb of various species that provided rather early dates for those species. In this group were Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, and Turkey Vulture.

Some amazing numbers were reported, including a …

Testing Alternative Hypotheses For The Cause Of Population Declines: The Case Of The Red-Headed Woodpecker, Walter D. Koenig, Eric L. Walters, Paul G. Rodewald

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) has experienced strong population declines during the past 3 decades. Using North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data, we investigated 4 hypotheses that may explain this decline, including: (1) interspecific competition with native Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) and nonnative European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris); (2) predation by Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) and Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus); (3) climate change; and (4) changes in forested area within their range. In analyses of both the breeding and overwintering periods, our results indicated …