Animal Sciences Commons^™

Smith’S Longspur In Knox County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

Smith's Longspur (Calcarius pictus) is considered to be an uncommon casual spring migrant and is limited in spring to the southeast comer of Nebraska (Sharpe et al. 2001). This note provides the only known record for Smith's Longspur for spring in northeast Nebraska.

First Discovery Of A Four-Egg Clutch For Mountain Plover (Charadrius Montanus) In Nebraska, Bartholomew L. Bly, Travis Wooten

Nebraska Bird Review

On 27 May 2010, the first documented Mountain Plover nest in Nebraska to contain a clutch of four eggs was documented in a fallow strip of a dryland crop field in southern Kimball County. Mountain Plover typically have a clutch size of 3 eggs, though clutches with 1 and 2 eggs are observed in approximately 15% of nesting attempts (Knopf and Wunder 2006). Clutches with 4 eggs are rare and have been reported to occur in less than 1% of the population (Knopf and Wunder 2006). Five 4-egg clutches have been reported in Colorado and one in Montana (see Knopf …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2011]

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 Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household …

Index To Volume 79

Nebraska Bird Review

Ahlschwede, Carla 71

Allen, Edward 83

Allison, Scott 32

Alsop, FJ 36

American Ornithologists' Union 109–110

Anderson, BW 36

Arkansas Audubon Society 36

Avocet, American 55, 68, 73, 89, 125

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2011) 79(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2011 ... 118

First Documented Nebraska Sighting of Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) ... 136

First Discovery of a Four-Egg Clutch for Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) in Nebraska ... 139

Smith's Longspur in Knox County, Nebraska ... 141

Fall 2011 Bird Banding at Wildcat Hills Nature Center ... 142

Kearney Fall Field Days ... 143

Index to Volume 79 ... 148

Subscription and Organization Information ... 159

Fall Field Report, August–November 2011, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Overall, this fall migration was routine (waterfowl, warblers, sparrows), but there were a few unexpected highlights. The flooded Missouri River Valley provided habitat that led to some amazing fall counts: 3000 pelicans, 5700 coots, 338 American Golden-Plovers, and 1200 Pectoral Sandpipers. The 10,000 cormorants at Harlan County Reservoir may not have been affected by the Missouri River flooding, and were a record count also. While we're talking numbers, the martin roost in Omaha topped out at 50,000–55,000, and seasonal totals of 4 Red-necked Grebes and 15 Philadelphia Vireos for the state, 34 Mississippi Kites over Ogallala (it's often hard to …

Kearney Fall Field Days

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2011 NOU Fall Field Days were held at the Iain Nicolson Center at the Audubon Rowe Sanctuary southeast of Kearney on September 23–25, and 55 members and friends were in attendance. The meeting was organized by Kent Skaggs.

Field trip destinations included Harlan County Reservoir, led by Kent Skaggs; the Rainwater Basin, led by Paul Dunbar; Bittern's Call WPA and Johnson Lake, led by John Murphy; and Sherman Reservoir, led by Robin Harding and Lanny Randolph. A final tally of 143 species was recorded Highlights included the Neotropic Cormorants at Harlan County Reservoir and Sherman Reservoir and the numerous …

First Documented Nebraska Sighting Of Brown-Headed Nuthatch (Sitta Pusilla), Larry Einemann

Nebraska Bird Review

Monday, November 8, 2010, was an unusually warm (upper 70s) autumn day for Lincoln, Nebraska, with no clouds and a wind from the southwest. I went to Holmes Lake Park in southeast Lincoln to scan for late migrating waterfowl and then to check the stand of conifers for the arrival of winter migrants. Around 11 A.M. I was attracted to a feeding group of six Black-capped Chickadees and three Red-breasted Nuthatches in the 30- to 40-year-old pines and Douglas firs north of Hyde Observatory. I noticed a differently patterned nuthatch in the group. I had seen a Pygmy Nuthatch several …

Fall 2011 Bird Banding At Wildcat Hills Nature Center, Colin Woolley

Nebraska Bird Review

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory has been operating a fall migration bird banding station at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center in Scotts Bluff Co. since 2007. In 2011, during our fifth year of banding, we captured a few new species, had new high totals for other species, and had a record number new high total of recaptures. Weather permitting, we banded on weekdays from August 31 through October 10 for five hours per day beginning soon after sunrise. We caught and banded 735 individual birds of 32 species. We banded two new species for the station in 2011: one Red-eyed Vireo …

Obituary: Jerry Ronald Choate, 1943-2009, Elmer J. Finck, Hugh H. Genoways, Justin D. Hoffman, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Jerry Ronald Choate (1943–2009) had just retired as Director of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Professor of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, at the time of his death. Jerry served the American Society of Mammalogists in numerous capacities, including Recording Secretary, First Vice President, and most notably as a member and chair of the Board of Trustees.

The hallmark of Jerry’s life was to turn the ordinary into something magnificent. Whether it was his photography that changed an ordinary landscape into a magnificent masterpiece, or his convincing a reluctant graduate student that they could do …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Scent Lures On Attracting Mesopredators, Tom Batter

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A mesopredator is a medium-sized middle trophic level predator such as a raccoon (Procyon lotor), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), or coyote (Canis latrans; Crooks and Soule 1999). Mesopredators have long been trapped for recreational, economic, or academic reasons. Throughout human history trapping has been used to capture animals for food and skins, as well as to prevent personal harm and property damage from predators. In order to increase the probability of success, scent lures are often used as an attractant (Geary 1984, Mills et al. 2010, Schlexer 2008).

Prey Selection By The Northern Watersnake, Nerodia Sipedon, Kyle O' Connell

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Prey selection and composition of the northern waternake, Nerodia sipedon was investigated between 8/2010 and 3/2011 by palpation of stomach contents in the field and conducting laboratory trials. 41 snakes were captured, five yielded prey contents. Fish parts, freshwater mussels, and an insect exoskeleton were found. No amphibians were found despite availability at study sites. Snakes in the laboratory underwent 22 trials, feeding on 11 occasions. Snakes fed on an equal number of both fish species, revealing no selection. Further research is needed to determine the rate of digestion of N. sipedon.

Herpetofaunal Diversity At Yankee Hill State Lake And Wildlife Management Area, Lancaster County, Nebraska, Shelby Klima

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A survey for amphibians and reptiles was conducted in March through October 2011 at Yankee Hill Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County, Nebraska. The survey was conducted using several different techniques including: visual and auditory encounters, artificial and natural cover objects, aquatic trappings and road surveys. A total of 145 individuals representing 12 species were identified including seven reptiles and five amphibians. A total of 48% of the species that may potentially occur on the site were encountered, all of which are common, widely distributed generalist species. Neither Graham’s Crayfish Snake nor the Massasauga, both target species for this survey, …

Avian Species Abundance In Response To Recreational Trail Use, Carrie A. Wencel

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Studies have indicated that non-consumptive outdoor recreation may affect wildlife. Thus, as the nation increases interest in outdoor recreation, data suggests the effect on wildlife will also increase. Previous studies indicate that as disturbance to wildlife increases, both avian species richness will decrease. Knowing how to anticipate effects on native species when planning and managing recreational areas is important in order to both provide for human desires and ensure the least impact to local species diversity.

The goal of this project was to observe and compare avian species richness and diversity between selected trail sites within Shevlin Park, Bend, Oregon …

Historical Biogeography Of Nebraska Pronghorns (Antilocapra Americana), Justin D. Hoffman, Hugh H. Genoways, Rachel R. Jones

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Archeological and paleontological records indicate that the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) have a history of at least 20,000 years of occurrence within the current boundaries of Nebraska. Pronghorns occurred throughout the state for much of its history. With the evidence at hand we concluded that the eastern boundary of the geographic distribution of the pronghorn south of the Niobrara River in Nebraska at the beginning of the 19th century was along the western perimeter of the eastern deciduous forest and tallgrass prairie. This excluded most of the easternmost tier of counties in the state. This geographic arrangement persisted throughout …

Surveillance Of Selected Diseases In Free-Ranging Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni) In Nebraska, 1995-2009, Michael A. Cover, Scott E. Hygnstrom, David W. Oates, Kit M. Hams, Kurt C. Vercauteren

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Sera samples were collected from 21 free-ranging, captured female elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) in 1995- 96, and tissue and sera samples were collected from 415 hunter-harvested elk from 1995 to 2006 and tested for selected diseases. Titers for Anaplasma marginale were detected in 81 of 436 (19%) elk. Occurrence of antibodies to anaplasmosis increased from 4 to 40 elk from 2002 to 2006. Titers for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) were detected in 18 of 346 (5%) samples. Titers for Leptospira interrogans serovars were detected in 21 of 289 (7%) of samples from 1995 to 2004. Titers for …

Summer Field Report, June–July 2011, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

The effects of major drought in the southwest United States on bird life in Nebraska has yet to be determined, as has the effect of the historic inundation of the Missouri River bottom lands from Gavins Point Dam to Rulo in eastern Nebraska. The water level at McConaughy is coincidentally at a maximum, ensuring that breeding habitat for Piping Plover and Least Tern was much reduced in the state overall. On the other hand, bottom lands wetlands above the flood level were expanded; Black-necked Stilts initiated a late nesting in Dakota Co in flooded fields that also attracted thousands of …

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2011]

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 Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household …

2011 Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Statewide Nesting Survey, Joel G. Jorgensen, Lisa Yager, Lauren R. Dinan

Nebraska Bird Review

The Bald Eagle (Halioeetus leucocephalus) was extirpated as a breeding species in Nebraska for most of the 20th Century. Nebraska's first active, successful, modern Bald Eagle nest was near Valley, Douglas County, in 1991 (Farrar 1991). Jorgensen et al. (2010) summarized modern Bald Eagle nesting records in Nebraska from 1950 to 2009. Jorgensen et al. (2010) noted the highest annual count of active nests was 54 in 2007. In this note we summarize the 2011 Bald Eagle nesting records in Nebraska.

2010 (22nd) 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 …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2011) 79(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2011 ... 82

2010 (22nd) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 99

2011 Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Statewide Nesting Survey ... 112

Subscription and Organization Information ... 115

The Complexities Of Wolf Spider Communication: Exploring Courtship Signal Function In Rabidosa Rabida, Dustin J. Wilgers

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Evidence of signal complexity is seemingly pervasive across animal communication systems. Exploring signal function may provide insight into how these displays evolved and are maintained. This dissertation examines the courtship signal function in a grassland wolf spider. Rabidosa rabida lives in an extremely complex environment, and males use complex displays incorporating both visual and seismic modalities. Using several approaches I provide insight into the content and efficacy of the various signal components, as well as how variation in these displays influence female mating decisions in isolation and combined.

First, I manipulated male and female body condition using diet quantity manipulations …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 2011) 79(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March 2011 to May 2011 ... 46

High Species Count at Annual Sarpy County Spring Bird Count ... 68

Eurasian Wigeon in Sarpy County, Nebraska ... 69

Sarpy County Spring Bird Count, May 14, 2011 ... 69

Annual Meeting at Norfolk ... 71

Subscription and Organization Information ... 79

Eurasian Wigeon In Sarpy County, Nebraska, Mark Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

On Saturday 14 May 2011 on the Sarpy County Spring Count, Justin Rink, Jim Ducey, Ellen Brogie, and I found a Eurasian Wigeon at LaPlatte Bottoms. When first discovered the bird was in the company of multiple Gadwall and at least one adult male American Wigeon. The bird was a striking adult male bird with a rusty red head and a yellowish forehead. The breast was reddish and contrasted with the gray back and sides. This coloration made the white wing stripe more pronounced than that of the American Wigeon. The bird showed no evidence of hybridization. Multiple observers viewed …

Annual Meeting At Norfolk

Nebraska Bird Review

Sixty-six members and guests were in attendance for the 112th Annual Meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, held at the Lifelong Learning Center at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. The meeting was organized by Dave Heidt.

Field trips were led by Mark Brogie, Bill Flack, Dave Heidt, Jan Johnson, Wayne Mollhoff, Don and Janis Paseka, and Duane Wolff. Destinations included the Norfolk cemeteries, Ta-Ha-Zouka Park, Yellowbanks WMA, Olson Nature Preserve, wet meadows along Beaver Creek in Boone Co., Hackberry Creek WMA, Grove Lake WMA, the Plainview sewage lagoon, northern Knox Co., Buckskin Hills WMA, Ponca SP, Elk Point Bend WMA, …

Sarpy County Spring Bird Count, May 14, 2011

Nebraska Bird Review

List of the 174 bird species tallied during the annual Sarpy County Spring Bird Count, May 14, 2011.

Spring Field Report, March 2011 To May 2011, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

There was a nice mix of interesting phenomena this spring, notably a big influx of migrant warblers. Species that are normally uncommon were reported in good numbers, 30 or more each: Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Palm, and Northern Waterthrush, and species that normally occur in very low numbers approached double digits: Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Cape May, and Baybreasted. Southeastern species continue to expand in se. Nebraska, notably Cerulean and Kentucky Warblers and Summer Tanager. A few rarities showed up, most spectacular an alternate-plumaged female Red Phalarope, the first such record for Nebraska, which was captured on video by Nebraska Non-Game TV. Other …

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2011]

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 Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU …

High Species Count At Annual Sarpy County Spring Bird Count, Clem Klaphake

Nebraska Bird Review

On May 14, 2011, participants in the Annual Sarpy County Spring Bird Count tallied 174 species, besting the previous high count of 143 (in 2006 and 2010) by 31 species. There were a few more counters this year than in most previous years, but it was just a good year for many families of birds. There were 28 warbler species seen (previous high was 23 in 2008). Also found were 4 terns, 9 flycatchers, 7 woodpeckers, 12 ducks, 14 shorebirds and 3 grebes. There are often unusual species that show up on the count, as illustrated by a Eurasian Wigeon …

A Mark–Recapture Technique For Monitoring Feral Swine Populations, Matthew M. Reidy, Tyler A. Campbell, David G. Hewitt

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Techniques to monitor populations of feral swine (Sus scrofa) relative to damage control activities are needed on rangelands. Our objectives were to describe and assess a mark–recapture technique using tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) for monitoring feral swine populations. We established bait stations at study sites in southern and central Texas. During 1 d, we replaced normal soured corn bait with bait containing TH and counted the number of feral swine that consumed bait with observers. We conducted feral swine removal using box-style traps and helicopters, at which time we collected teeth for TH analysis. In southern Texas, we estimated …