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"Notes," From Nebraska Bird Review (March 1990)

Nebraska Bird Review

Notes

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION EAGLE SURVEY In the 1990 Eagle Survey a total of 857 Bald Eagles were observed in Nebraska, 211 along the Missouri River, and 646 in the rest of the state. This count is 259 less than the record high of 1,116 observed in 1989, and 103 less than the average of 960 birds for 1987-1989. The Missouri River count is nearly identical to the 1989 figure and to the three year average. Possibly the cold snap in late December prompted some Eagles to overfly Nebraska in search of less hostile wintering conditions. The Harlan Co. Reservoir …

Sage Sparrow In Sioux County, Dave Stage, Lois Stage

Nebraska Bird Review

On 6 August 1989, we observed a Sage Sparrow approximately one mile east of Coffee Park in Sow Belly Canyon in Sioux Co. The Sparrow flew from an area of sagebrush along the road and perched in the top of some brush about three to four meters high. The bird appeared to be an adult. Its bill was bluish-gray, breast was white with brownish streaks and a central dark spot. It had two faint pale wingbars, whitish eye-ring, a white stripe above the eye, whitish whisker stripe, grayish brown face patch, and light brown streaks on its sides. The head …

Nebraska Bird Review (March 1990) 58(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1989 Treasurer's Report .....................2

1989 Christmas Count.....................3

1989 (Thirty-Second) Fall Occurrence Report..................... 13

Corrections to 1989 Spring Occurrence Report .....................27

Sage Sparrow in Sioux County .....................27

Notes.....................29

Book Reviews..................... 35

Hematozoa Of Common Grackles (Quiscalus Quiscula Versicolor, Vieillot) In Central Arkansas, Arthur A. Johnson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

During the years 1977-84, 118 bronzed grackles, Quiscalus quiscula versicolor, Vieillot, of 132 examined were found infected with hematozoa. The eight species of symbionts collected from the infected birds included two microfilarial species (Chandlerella quiscali and Eufilaria hibleri), five apicomplexans (Haemoproteus quiscali, Leucocytozoon fringillinarum, Plasmodium matutinum, P. vaughani, P. sp.) and a flagellate (Trypanosoma ontarioensis). P. matutinum and T. ontarioensis represent new host records and all the protozoans represent new locality records. Comparisons are made of symbiont prevalance and diversity as this relates to seasons of the year, sex and age of the host. Comparisons are also made with previous …

Hawks, Eagles, And Falcons Of North America: Biology And Natural History, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

I have tried to present an adequate if far from exhaustive survey of the general biology, ecology, and behavior of all the included species, written so as to be understandable to the interested layman as well as useful to the biologist who might be looking for relevant literature citations or trying to deal with a specific question without resorting to extensive library searches. The larger number of species of North American hawklike birds (31, compared to 19 owl species) has required that I keep the individual species accounts substantially shorter. I have excluded the New World vultures from consideration, primarily …

Conflict Of Use At Moonstone Beach (R.I.); Nude Bathing At A National Wildlife Refuge, Marielena Scanlon

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

Nude bathing in the coastal zone has become a challenging issue for coastal managers. This thesis focuses on the conflicts involving public uses of a beach on a national wildlife refuge. The beach is nesting habitat for the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), a species listed as threatened on the federal Endangered Species List. The beach has also been traditionally used by nude bathers. The study consists of six parts: a brief natural history of the piping plover; management problems of federal refuges; the history and political conflicts relevant to the recreational use of this beach; an analysis of the users …

Evidence For Common Coding Of Temporal And Nontemporal Information In Pigeons, Stephen Bridson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two experiments found evidence that pigeons commonly code temporal and visual samples that are associated with the same comparisons in many-to-one matching. In Experiment 1, pigeons were trained to match temporal (2-sec and 8-sec keylight durations) and color (red and green) samples to line tilt comparisons (vertical and horizontal). Similar rates of forgetting were found for all samples. Furthermore, retention of sample information appeared more similar for samples which shared common comparisons than those that did not. In Experiment 2, pigeons learned new comparison (circle and triangle) associations with either temporal or visual samples from Experiment 1. When tested on …

Recent Sedge Wren Observations In Nebraska, Mary Clausen

Nebraska Bird Review

The Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) in Nebraska was considered by Rapp (1958) an uncommon migrant in the eastern third of the state, and a rare breeder in suitable marshes in the eastern quarter, and by Johnsgard (1986) as an uncommon spring and fall migrant in the east and a rare summer resident in the eastern third of the state, mostly east of a line from Knox to Gage counties. Recent articles have prompted questions concerning the rarity of Sedge Wrens nesting in Nebraska (Bedell 1987, Lingle and Bedell 1989) and the possibility that may be nesting late in …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 1989) 57(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1988 Fall Field Day ..................86

Have the Northern Cardinal and the Red-bellied Woodpecker Expanded Their
Ranges in Nebraska Recently, 1968-19871 ..................87

Recent Sedge Wren Observations in Nebraska..................92

Notes..................93

Index to Volume 57..................95

Index To Volume 57

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 57

8 pages

A-Z

1988 Fall Field Day

Nebraska Bird Review

Some innovations greeted the 60 registrants at the 1989 Field Day, 6 October, at the 4-H camp at Halsey National Forest: there was a canoe float down the Middle Loup River and a lesson on bird calls Saturday morning, in additl0 to the usual self-guided birding trips and demonstration of bird banding. Blow ups of the field card were posted, so that sightings could be posted currently and locations of special sightings could be written on a chalkboard. Saturday morning was overcast and chilly (otherwise the weather was sunny and mild), but 7 did make the float trip down to …

Have The Northern Cardinal And The Red-Bellied Woodpecker Expanded Their Ranges In Nebraska Recently, 1968-1987?, E.H. Maddux

Nebraska Bird Review

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) are both common permanent residents of Nebraska (Johnsgard 1980: Bray, Padelford, and Silcock i986). Over at least the last four decades there have been published reports that the two species have been expanding their respective ranges to the west and to the north. In the case of the Northern Cardinal the range expansion has been extensive in distance and has occurred over a long period of time. "Originally a bird of the south, the Kentucky Cardinal, or Virginia Redbird, has pushed its way northward until …

"Notes," From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1989) 57(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

MINK AND OTTER. On a trip to West Point on 2 June 1989 I took N 79 north to Snyder. As I was travelling north near the town of Prague I noticed a large river otter loping through a field in broad daylight, paralleling a a wooded stream. It probably was an itinerant, recently released, and was going about the business of looking for a better home. Later that day, near West Point, I saw a mink quickly cross the road from one stream to another, in the area of a wet prairie surrounding both sides of the road.' I …

Audubon/Au-Du-Bon: Man And Artist, Walter Sutton

The Courier

This article highlights some of the works of the legendary work of John James Audubon, drawn from the collection located in Syracuse University's Special Collections. The author gives special attention to the 1820-21 journal of his voyage down the Ohio and Mississippi (which has been preserved intact), the English and Scottish journal of 1826 (also in its original form), and the descriptive sketches of early pioneer life in the Ornithological Biography. These early journal sources dramatically reveal, at first hand, Audubon's long struggle through many failures and obstacles to win the success and recognition he craved and also enduring status …

The Effects Of Site Quality On Breeding-Site Fidelity In Bobolinks, Eric K. Bollinger, Thomas A. Gavin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

We compared breeding-site fidelity of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) at two low-quality sites (Bald Hill and Shackelton Point, BH +SP) with that at one high-quality site (Moore Road, MR) in central New York. Yearly density of fledglings at Moore Road was more than six times the density at Bald Hill and Shackelton Point. Furthermore, individual residents fledged 50-70% more young at the high-quality site. At Moore Road, 70% of the males and 49% of the females returned one or more times, compared with 44% of the males and 25% of the females at the low-quality sites. Successful residents (i.e. those fledging …

The Effects Of Site Quality On Breeding-Site Fidelity In Bobolinks, Eric Bollinger, Thomas Gavin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

We compared breeding-site fidelity of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) at two low-quality sites (Bald Hill and Shackelton Point, BH +SP) with that at one high-quality site (Moore Road, MR) in central New York. Yearly density of fledglings at Moore Road was more than six times the density at Bald Hill and Shackelton Point. Furthermore, individual residents fledged 50-70% more young at the high-quality site. At Moore Road, 70% of the males and 49% of the females returned one or more times, compared with 44% of the males and 25% of the females at the low-quality sites. Successful residents (i.e. those fledging …

Audubon's "The Birds Of America": A Sesquicentennial Appreciation, David Frederic Tatham

The Courier

This article details the unique copy of John James Audubon's The Birds of America which now resides in Syracuse University's Special Collections. The author describes the backstory and traces the journey of this extremely rare work. Audubon's work continues to stimulate interest in diverse fields in academia, from art history and science to literature.

1986: A Nebraska Big Year, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

In January of 1986 my brother, Ed M. Brogie, and I were tallying our lists for Nebraska when the question arose: "How many species of birds do you think one could see in Nebraska in one year?" The previous year (1985) had been the first year we had made a serious attempt at seeing western Nebraska species and chasing rarities in the state. Our efforts had yielded such birds as Bean Goose, Green-tailed Towhee, Black-necked Stilt, Red Phalarope, Lewis' Woodpecker, Sprague's Pipit, Cassin's Finch, Cassin's Kingbird, and King Eider. When 1985 ended, my Nebraska life list stood at 290 and …

Book Reviews [September 1989]

Nebraska Bird Review

Reviews of several books and calendars: The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of the Galapagos; A Birdsong Tutor for Visually Handicapped Individuals; The Bird Identification Calendar (1990); The Flyfisher's 1990 Calendar; Birds, a 1990 Equinox Nature Calendar; and Eric Hosking's Birds of Prey of the World.

1989 (Sixty-Fourth) Spring Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

Two hundred and eighty-nine species (plus the possibility that the Empidonax sp. was one not listed) are listed in this report, from 13 locations, plus 36 counties reported in 7 "spot check" columns or as notes in regular columns. In 1988 there were 306 species from 15 locations plus 13 "spot check" columns involving 34 counties; in 1987 288 species from 13 locations and 6 "spot check" columns involving 9 counties; 1986 304 from 13 locations and 9 "spot check" columns involving 24 counties; and 1985 296 from 13 locations and 9 "spot check" columns (plus additions on NBR 53:70) …

Changes In The A.O.U. Check-List

Nebraska Bird Review

CHANGES IN THE A.O.U. CHECK-LIST

The Thirty-seventh Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds (Auk, 106:532-538) made these changes in species which may be found in Nebraska:

Common Barn-Owl (Tyto alba) to Barn Owl; Barn-Owl is no longer used for another species, so the hyphen is no longer needed, nor is a modifier.

Northern Hawk-Owl (Surnia ulula) to Northern Hawk Owl; this species does not belong in the Hawk-Owl group and so the hyphen is removed.

Western Flycatcher (Empidonax diffieilis) is replaced by Pacific-slope Flycatcher (E. diffieilis) …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 1989) 57(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes in the A.O.U. Check-list ... 58

1989 (Sixty-fourth) Spring Occurrence Report ... 59

Cassin's Sparrow in Dundy and Chase Counties, Nebraska ... 67

1986: A Nebraska Big Year ... 71

Notes [Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nest in Cass County, National Wildlife Federation Eagle Survey, and Whooping Crane Report] ... 81

Book Reviews ... 83

Cassin’S Sparrow In Dundy And Chase Counties, Nebraska, W. Ross Silcock, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

On 3 and 4 June 1989 Tanya Bray, Doug Rose, and I [W. Ross Silcock] traveled to Dundy Co. to look for two species: Chihuahuan Raven and Cassin's Sparrow. While we found no Ravens, we did find several Cassin's Sparrows.

All of the Cassin's Sparrows were found in sandy sage prairie habitat. At least six were found, in four different locations. The birds were located most easily by their skylarking behavior, although the song, once heard, is also useful for locating birds. Indeed, Doug Rose found the first Cassin's Sparrow by song. Once located, we were able to study individuals …

Notes [September 1989]

Nebraska Bird Review

“Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nest in Cass County”: On 2 July 1989 Greg Hertel, Murray, Cass Co., reported an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in his yard. He thought it had left the area, but Betty Allen and Ruth Green went down on 8 July to look for it, and they finally found it (a male) in Young Memorial Park. The next morning Betty took others down to see it and found a female on a nest on a 40-foot light pole used to floodlight the ball field.

“National Wildlife Federation Eagle Survey” (by Greg Wingfield, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission): The 1989 NWF …

1988 Nebraska Nesting Report, Esther V. Bennett

Nebraska Bird Review

Data on the 1988 Nesting season in Nebraska were received from 25 observers and 2 agencies, reporting on 94 species from 52 counties. Counties on the tabulation are listed in a west to east order, with the northernmost of the approximately equal locations given first. Numbers represent Nest Record Cards; underlined numbers represent nests reported on Colonial Bird Register Forms; C represents carrying food; E represents eggs; F represents feeding; H represents nest building (home); N represents nests observed for which no Nest Record Card was submitted; S represents fecal sacs; V represents feeding Brown-headed Cowbird (visitor); X is used …

An Iceland Gull In Cedar County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie, Ed M. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

An Iceland Gull in Cedar County, Nebraska

Both Johnsgard (1986) and Bray et al. (1986) list the Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides) as accidental; the only record from Nebraska being a first-year male bird shot from a flock of crows by a boy at Dorchester, Saline Co., on 15 January 1907. The specimen was supposedly preserved, but now cannot be located with certainty. The following provides the second record for this species for Nebraska.

On 4 December 1988 we observed a first winter Iceland Gull at the Gavin's Point tailwaters, Cedar Co., Nebraska. The bird was first seen flying from a …

Book Reviews-Nebraska Bird Review (June 1989), Larry L. Einemann

Nebraska Bird Review

The Complete Birder, A Guide to Better Birding, Jack Connor, illustrated by Margaret LaFarge, xiii + 285 pp., Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, softcover $8.95.

The Complete Birder is divided into twelve chapters that can aid both the serious birder and the beginning birder. Connor opens with a chapter entitled "The Sporting Science". In this chapter he unequivocally states outright that birding is not easy, no matter how experienced one is nor how well equipped. He does say, and I tend to agree, that "birding can be exhilarating, enlightening, evocative, or exasperating -- and often all of these at once He …

Nebraska Natural Heritage Program Request For Help, Mary Kay Clausen

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program is a computer-assisted inventory of rare or uncommon plants, animals, and communities in Nebraska. This information is used to help establish protection priorities, land protection, species review, impact assessment, research, and for education. We are currently operating under a two-year contract between the Nature Conservancy and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Our office is in the Nebraska Game and Parks building in Lincoln. We have a full-time staff consisting of a Botanist, Zoologist, and Community Ecologist,

As the Zoologist for the Program, I would like to solicit the help of NOU members. Currently, I …

Nesting Ecology Of Sedge Wrens In Hall County, Nebraska, Gary R. Lingle, Paul A. Bedell

Nebraska Bird Review

The status of the Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) in Nebraska is not well known. Cink (1973) summarized summer records from 1867 to 1971 and described only a few nest records. One nest discovered on 28 August 1902 at Capitol Beach, Lancaster Co., was assumed empty, apparently because of the late date. Bedell (1987) recorded July and August sightings in south central Nebraska and raised the question of whether these birds were migrants or nesting.

Sedge Wrens are frequently polygynous (Crawford 1977, Burns 1982) and may exhibit two waves of nesting effort in some areas (Burns 1982). Nest initiation …

Notes On Black-Legged Kittiwakes In Cedar County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The Black-legged Kittiwake is listed as accidental for Nebraska by both Johnsgard (1986) and Bray et al. (1986). Only a few documented records exist for this species for the state. Photographs of Black-legged Kittiwakes found in Cedar Co., 1988, are in possession of the author and others have been sent to the Nebraska Records Committee.

On 26 November 1988 Bill Huser found a first-winter plumaged Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) at the tailwaters of Gavin's Point Dam, Cedar Co. Nebraska. On 2 December David Stage visited the area and found a Kittiwake frequenting the same area. He observed it feeding in …