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By-Laws Of The Nou Records Committee

Nebraska Bird Review

I. NAME. The name of the committee is the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee, hereafter referred to as “the committee.”

II. STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY. This committee exists to serve the ornithological community in Nebraska, not vice versa. It exists to promote and help maintain a high degree of quality and integrity in Nebraska ornithology. All Nebraska ornithologists should understand this and realize that for the committee to achieve these goals, it needs the support of all interested persons. The committee should be regarded as a logical, convenient clearinghouse in regards to records of Nebraska birds. All ornithologists, professional and amateur, …

Index To Volume 54

Nebraska Bird Review

Accipiter sp. 4

Adcock, Dorothy 64

Albino 20

Alexander, George and Irene 6

Alfred, Norris 15, 17, 31, 43, 49, 64

Allen, Betty 3

Ani, Groove-billed 30

Ants 26

Avocet, American 9, 12, 30, 31, 50, 79

. . .

Yellowlegs, Greater 12, 50

Lesser 13, 30, 50

sp. 13, 15, 50

Yellowthroat, Common 21, 30, 31, 34, 60, 79

Ziewitz, Jerry W., Whooping Crane Roost Site Characteristics on the Platte River, Buffalo County, Nebraska 36

Zlonke, Jack 58

Proximity Nesting: The Great Horned Owl And Red-Tailed Hawk, Steve Shupe

Nebraska Bird Review

Introduction: Forty-two nests of the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and 78 nests of the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaieensis) were surveyed during a three-year ecological study (1982–84). In 11 instances nests of the two species overlapped the hunting areas of the other. Home ranges, in which most hunting takes place, have been defined by various authors (Miller, 1930; Baumgartner, 1939; Hagar, 1967). For this study Hawks and Owls nesting within one-half mile of each other were compared. The proximity nesting of these two species seemed likely to increase the possibility of predation upon the young of …

“Notes” From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1986) 54(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

CORRECTION TO 1986 SPRING OCCURRENCE REPORT. The q and r tor Dark-eyed Junco in Column l should be in Column 2, and the explanations in the text should likewise be moved.

THE DESOTO NWR EIDERS. The March 1986 issue (NBR 54:10) reported Eiders, probably King or Common, at DeSoto NWR, and that photographs were being circulated for confirmation of the species.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION MIDWINTER EAGLE SURVEY. The 1986 survey total of 462 Bald Eagles is the second highest total reported for Nebraska, surpassed only by the 746 recorded during last year’s unusually mild winter.—Greg Wingfield, Nebraska Game and …

Cassin’S Sparrow In Garden County, Thomas E. Labedz

Nebraska Bird Review

On 21 May 1986, while searching for evidence of breeding birds in atlas block 2G04 near Lisco, Garden County, Nebraska, I discovered a Cassin’s Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii). This sighting was at 5:20 PM Mountain Daylight Time, along the county road in the northeast corner of Section 11. I was driving slowly down the road and stopped to observe an odd sparrow. I nearly drove past, thinking it was another Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), which I had heard and seen all day. The sparrow, which appeared larger than a Grasshopper Sparrow, was perched on the low wire …

“Book Reviews” From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1986) 54(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

Bears and Men: A Gathering, William Mills, 108 pp., 9¼ x 9¼, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, cloth $24. 95. The author’s pictures, mostly of polar bears, but with a few of seals, arctic fox, men and their machine, and two of Ptarmigan, are probably more important than the text, which describes a trip out from Churchill in a tundra buggy towing a dormitory accommodation, both supposedly (but not too) bear-proof. The trip was organized for those who were interested in photographing polar bears under relatively natural conditions. In the course of the narrative the author …

1986 Fall Field Day

Nebraska Bird Review

The 1986 Fall Field Day was held at the 4-H Camp at Halsey National Forest on 4 and 5 October. The cloudy, rainy weather, which had been rather general over the state the previous few days, cleared up (the last rain at Halsey was late Friday night), and Saturday and Sunday were clear, which pleased the 51 who attended. Of the rare bird reports submitted, the Lesser Goldfinch, by Jim Minyard, was ranked first, and the Laughing Gull, by Paul and Karla Kaufman, the Prairie-Chickens at Omaha, by Douglas Fritz, and the King Rail, by Wayne Mollhoff, were ranked next. …

Avian Cholera In The Panhandle, 1985–1986, Stephen M. Kerr

Nebraska Bird Review

Between 28 November 1985 and 14 February 1986, over 2,500 waterfowl, 48 Wild Turkeys, and at least one Bald Eagle died due to avian cholera in an area from 5 miles west of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to 5 miles west of Lingle, Wyoming.

On 28 November a severe snowstorm blanketed the North Platte River valley with 10 inches of snow and wind chills of –20°F. An estimated 50,000 Mallards were concentrated 5 miles west of Scottsbluff, at the headwaters of Spring Creek. The area consists of 2 small dredged channels, 10 feet wide and less than 3 feet deep, and surrounded …

California Gull In Keith County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The status of the California Gull (Larus californicus) in Nebraska has undergone a series of changes in recent years. Rapp et al. (1958) makes no mention of this species for Nebraska, although one was collected 19 March 1933 in Lancaster County (Hudson 1933) and is now an axial skeleton #ZM11152 in the University of Nebraska State Museum (Bray et al. 1986). Johnsgard (1980) lists the species as an extremely rare migrant or vagrant in most of Nebraska, while Rasche (1982) designates it as casual in spring and summer and accidental in autumn in northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South …

Writing A Documentation, Barbara L. Wilson

Nebraska Bird Review

As the previous article makes clear, the written documentation helps birdwatchers communicate clearly about unusual sightings. Preparing the report can even add to the excitement of the event as one settles into a comfortable chair with the field notes and paper, chortling “Wait ‘til they read about this!” Then one relives the whole experience while organizing one’s thoughts for writing. Those field notes are an important part of the process, for they keep small but critical details accurate. Train yourself to take some kind of notebook or paper into the field, though in a pinch the margin of a field …

“On Our Nebraska Records," Revisited, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

At the second annual meeting of the NOU, Dr. Robert H. Wolcott, one of our founders, presented a paper titled “On Migration Records and On Our Nebraska Records” (Proc. NOU 2:69, 1901), which included a plea for better documentation. He said, in part, “These problems must be met and answered in a spirit of scientific accuracy, if our conclusions are to carry weight with those living outside our borders. We must know what we know and record only what we know we know. We must be open at all times to conviction, but at the same time we must …

Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper And Ivory Gull Reported, Sandy Kovanda, Jim Kovanda, Bill Otto, Eldon Marsh, Barbara Marsh

Nebraska Bird Review

SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER. On 12 October 1986 we saw an unusual sandpiper, in company of three dowitchers, on the east side of Nebraska Highway 15, about half the distance between the Platte River and Octavia, Butler County. We thought the bird to be a juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata).

IVORY GULL. On 12 October 1986 we were birding six miles east and half a mile south of Brunswick, Antelope County. . . . We were sitting in our vehicle at the edge of the road, facing south, when a white gull appeared. . . . [W]e identified this bird …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1986) 54(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal and sent to all members who are not in arrears for dues. Subscriptions (on calendar year basis only) are $10.00 per year in the United States, $12.00 per year in Canada and Mexico, and $12.50 per year in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $3.00 each, postpaid, in the United States; $3.50 elsewhere.

Memberships (on a calendar year basis only): Student, $3.00; Active, $7.00; Sustaining, $15.00; Family Active, $10.00; Family Sustaining, $20.00; Life, $100.00.

All dues and subscriptions should …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 1986) 54(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Ivory Gull Reported … 70

“. . . On Our Nebraska Records,” Revisited … 71

By-laws of the NOU Records Committee … 72

Writing a Documentation … 74

California Gull in Keith County, Nebraska … 77

Avian Cholera in the Panhandle, 1985–1986 … 78

1986 Fall Field Day … 79

Book Reviews … 80

Cassin’s Sparrow in Garden County … 80

Notes … 81

Proximity Nesting: The Great Horned Owl and Red-tailed Hawk … 84

Index to Volume 54 … 86

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 62, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Body Size, Nest Predation, And Reproductive Patterns In Brown Thrashers And Other Mimids, Michael T. Murphy, Robert C. Fleischer

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We describe the breeding biology of Brown Thrashers (Toxostoma rufum) in Kansas, and combine this with data from other temperate-zone breeding Mimidae to characterize reproductive patterns in this group. Brown Thrashers produced clutches of 3 to 6 eggs, but clutches of 4 predominated. Most pairs raised 2 broods per year. Incubation required between 13 and 14 days, and hatching was usually asynchronous. Though sample size was small, asynchrony appeared to increase in frequency towards the end of the breeding season. Nestlings grew rapidly, and in 10 days or less most pre-fledgingg rowthw as completed. Young fledgedn ormallya t 11 days …

Eulimdana Rauschorum N. Sp., A Filarioid Nematode (Lemdaninae) From Larus Dominicanus In Antarctica, With Comments On Evolution And Biogeography, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Eulimdana rauschorum n. sp. is described from southern black-backed gulls, Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein in Antarctica. The species is most similar to Eulimdana lari (Yamaguti, 1935) from Charadriiformes in the Holarctic. Males have spicules equal in length that are asymmetric in structure distally. There are 4-5 and 3-5 caudal papillae in rows to the right and left of the anus, and two small genital papillae at the posterolateral margin of the anus. Females have a variable number of prominent caudal papillae and large microfilariae (365 μm in length). The morphological similarities and host distribution of E. rauschorum and E. lari suggest …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 1986) 54(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

1986 (Sixty-first) Spring Occurrence Report … 46

Clark’s Grebe … 64

Book Reviews … 65

Whooping Cranes in Blaine County … 66

Notes … 67

“Notes” From Nebraska Bird Review (September 1986) 54(3)

Nebraska Bird Review

GREATER SCAUP IN BOONE COUNTY. On 27 and 28 March 1986 I observed a male Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 2.5 miles west, 1.5 miles south of Petersburg.—Wayne J. Mollhoff, Albion

PRAIRIE-CHICKENS. On 20 April 1986 I saw a couple of Prairie-Chickens 2 miles north of Eppley Airfield, on Abbott Drive and Crown Point Avenue, Omaha.—Douglas Fritz, Omaha

GLAUCOUS GULL. At about 6 PM on 4 April 1986 Tom Headley, Babs Baldinger, Nancy Thoenes, and I were at Lake North, north of Columbus. Tom saw a large white gull. We put the Questar on it and found that it …

“Book Reviews” From Nebraska Bird Review (September 1986) 54(3)

Nebraska Bird Review

The Birds of Nebraska: A Critically Evaluated List, Tanya Bray, Barbara K. Padelford, and W. Ross Silcock, 112 pp., 5½ x 8½, paper, available from Barbara Padelford, Bellevue, Nebraska. The authors of The Birds of Nebraska have examined the records for the 445 species (including Clark’s Grebe) that have been listed for Nebraska (some in error), and classified them as to the reliability of the record and the frequency of occurrence.

Eskimo Curlew A Vanishing Species? J. B. Gollop, T. W. Barry, and E. H. Iversen, 160 pp., 5½ x 8½, Special Publication No. 17 of The Saskatchewan Natural …

Clark’S Grebe

Nebraska Bird Review

A Clark’s Grebe was taken in Keith County in June 1986, and is now in the State Museum.

1986 (Sixty-First) Spring Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

Three hundred and four species were recorded in this report, from 22 locations, compared to 296 from 22 in 1985, 293 from 13 in 1984, and 288 from 13 in 1983. The numbered columns are essentially spot checks (a one- or two-day visit to an area, or maybe more than one such visit) or unusual birds reported by visitors to the areas. The symbols used in these columns run from a, for January, through z, for July, and so give some guide to the time, although for the specific time and locality the comments for the particular column should be …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (September 1986) 54(3)

Nebraska Bird Review

Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal and sent to all members who are not in arrears for dues. Subscriptions (on calendar year basis only) are $10.00 per year in the United States, $12.00 per year in Canada and Mexico, and $12.50 per year in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $3.00 each, postpaid, in the United States; $3.50 elsewhere.

Memberships (on a calendar year basis only): Students, $.3.00; Active, $7.00; Sustaining, $15.00; Family Active, $10.00; Family Sustaining, $20.00; Life, $100.00.

All dues and subscriptions should …

Whooping Cranes In Blaine County, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

On 7 April 1986 John Manning, of Norfolk, and I observed a pair of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) in southeastern Blaine County, about 20 miles west of Taylor. I was notified by a local rancher, who found them while feeding his cattle that morning. John and I were guided to where the birds were feeding in a field. We observed them from about 1400 to 1500 hours as they fed leisurely. About 1500 hours they took off and flew out of sight, heading toward the Middle Loup River. They were found again in the same field about 1745 …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 62, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Body Size And Condition, Timing Of Breeding, And Aspects Of Egg Production In Eastern Kingbirds, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Variation in timing of breeding in Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) was correlated only weakly with external morphological characters, but was correlated positively and significantly with estimates of body size based on measurements of skeletons and muscle weights. Small females apparently held a reproductive advantage in being able to mobilize resources for reproduction before large females. Egg weight was independent of all measures of female size, but was directly and significantly (P = 0.03) correlated with standard flight muscle weight, a relative index of body condition. Egg size was thus a function more of female body condition than size. On average, …

Brood Parasitism Of Eastern Kingbirds By Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding why brood parasites lay eggs in the nests of hosts that reject eggs is hampered by insuf-ficient data on the frequency with which parasites lay in rejecter nests, and by ignorance of which in-dividuals practice this seemingly inappropriate be-havior. Parasitism rates of rejecters can be deter-mined only when host nests are observed during egg laying because most parasite eggs are rejected rapidly (e.g. Scott 1977). Even then, however, a certain per-centage of parasitized nests may go undetected. De-termining the selective value of host defense mech-anisms also depends on knowledge of the frequency of parasitism, and the amount of reproductive …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 1986) 54(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

The Eighty-fifth (1986) Annual Meeting … 30

1985 Nebraska Nesting Survey … 31

Book Reviews … 36

Whooping Crane Roost Site Characteristics on the Platte River, Buffalo County, Nebraska … 36

Mottled Duck in Nebraska … 39

Notes … 40

“Notes” From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1986) 54(2)

Nebraska Bird Review

MORE 1985 CHRISTMAS COUNT DATA. This data for the Lincoln count is now available: 5:10 AM to 5:15 PM. AM and PM clear. Temp. 31° to 45° F. Wind NW 10–30 mph. Snow cover 0 to 18 inches. Fresh water frozen. Wild food crop poor. Thirty-five observers, 19–30 in 11–13 parties, 5–16 at feeders. Total party-hours 73 (48 on foot, 25 by car) plus 18 hours at feeders, 3.5 owling; total party-miles 320 (54 on foot, 266 by car) plus 87 miles owling.

CORRECTION TO 1980 MIGRATION REPORTS. In the reports covering the first half of 1980 (NBR 48:73) …

Mottled Duck In Nebraska, W. Ross Silcock, Tanya Bray, Babs Padelford

Nebraska Bird Review

The two major US populations of Mottled Duck occur in Florida and along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, with local breeding inland to “southeast Colorado, western Kansas, Oklahoma (rarely), and northeast Texas” (AOU Checklist of North American Birds, Sixth Edition, 1983). Palmer (Handbook of North American Birds, Vol. 2, 1976) notes that Mottled Duck bred in 1963 at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, and that some individuals occur inland beyond the usual breeding range during the post-breeding period. Presumably these inland. records pertain to birds from the Texas-Louisiana population, as the Florida birds are generally considered nonmigratory. …