Ornithology Commons^™

Bright Lights, Big City, Dead Birds

Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP)

Hundreds of species of birds migrate at night. If the skies are clear and their path is moonlit these migrants will often fly at high altitudes avoiding any possible obstructions. But the lights of 20th century society can be confusing to them, especially on foggy, rainy nights or when cloud cover is low. Then they may fly directly into tall lighted structures such as skyscrapers, transmission towers, monuments, lighthouses and the like. Where spotlights are shone into the night sky the birds fly "into" the light and become "entrapped", unable or unwilling to fly out again. Eventually, exhausted, they fall …

Wpa News 63 (2000), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (November 2000), number 63

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2000]

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 (September 2000) 68(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report ... 106

Species Accounts ... 107

Review of the Breeding Status of Pinyon Jay in Nebraska ... 126

Book Review [Birds of the Untamed West by James E. Ducey] ... 131

Historic Birds of Lincoln's Salt Basin Wetlands and Nine-Mile Prairie ... 132

Virginia's Warblers in Kimball County ... 137

Historic Birds Of Lincoln's Salt Basin Wetlands And Nine-Mile Prairie, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

The changes that have occurred in the bird life of the Lincoln area during the past century must certainly be great, but we have little evidence to document this point. There is, however, an annotated bird list from 1900 for the salt basin wetlands of western Lincoln, an area then gradually being developed for recreational use. This list was published by J. S. Hunter in the Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (1900, 18-21). Hunter reported that some 84 species (by modern taxonomy) had been seen by him and other bird-club members, including such modern-day …

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2000]

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 $S.OO 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 2000) 68(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Review of the Breeding Status of Lewis's Woodpecker in Nebraska ... 50

Spring Field Report, March to May 2000 ... 55

Species Accounts ... 57

NOU Spring Count ... 81

Yellow-billed Loon at Lake McConaughy ... 88

A Century of Breeding Birds in Nebraska ... 89

Tufted Duck at Lake Ogallala: First Record for Nebraska ... 102

A Century Of Breeding Birds In Nebraska, Jackie Canterbury, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

With the imminent publication of the Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas and the turning of a new millennium, it is perhaps an appropriate time to survey the state of breeding birds in Nebraska. Wayne Mollhoff’s summary of the N.O.U.’s Nebraska Breeding Birds Aliasing Project (Mollhoff, 2000) provides important databases for the latter part of the past century, and the historic overview by James Ducey (1988) offers a useful basis for judging the breeding avifauna of Nebraska from about the beginning of the century. The Biological Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey’s (WSGS-BRD) annual Breeding Bird Survey data currently extends …

Wpa News 62 (2000), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (May 2000), number 62

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2000]

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 (March 2000) 68(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

A Summer Survey of the Birds at Two Eastern Nebraska Wetlands ... 2

First Record of a Brambling for Nebraska ... 8

Winter Field Report, December 1999 to February 2000 ... 9

NOU Fall Field Days Count, 1999 ... 26

The 1999–2000 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count ... 30

Black-throated Gray Warbler at Oliver Reservoir ... 46

Gray Flycatcher at Oliver Reservoir ... 46

Winter Field Report, December 1999 To February 2000, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This rather mild season stood out for its wintering waterfowl, most obviously at Keystone L, where Stephen Dinsmore counted an amazing 22 species of waterfowl on 29 January. Check the species accounts for the incredible wintering numbers; species were topped by Nebraska's first Tufted Duck, and assorted other goodies, such as 5 Barrow's Goldeneyes, Waterfowl, loons, and grebes also rewrote the midwinter record book, including no fewer than 3 Red-necked Grebes, Some interesting wintering birds also appeared at Harlan Co Res,

Other interesting winter records, some no doubt due to the mild fall, included Greater Yellowlegs at two locations, Franklin's …

Wpa News 61 (2000), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (February 2000), number 61

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Breeding Season Demography And Movements Of Eastern Towhees At The Savannah River Site, South Carolina, David G. Krementz, Larkin A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) has undergone population declines across much of its range, especially in New England. Despite being a widespread and, at one time, a common species, relatively little is known about its natural history, ecology, or demographics. We conducted baseline research on Eastern Towhees at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, in 1995 and 1996 to estimate breeding season survival rates, nest success rates, breeding densities, and daily movements. We also were interested in whether towhees had differences in survival and movement rates between young and mature managed pine stands. We found that survival rates during the …

Partridges, Quails, Francolins, Snowcocks, Guineafowl, And Turkeys Status Survey And Conservation Action Plan, 2000–2004, Richard A. Fuller, John P. Carroll, Philip J. K. Mcgowan, Wpa/Birdlife/Iuch-Ssc Partridge, Quail And Francolin Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Executive Summary

This Action Plan covers the partridges, quails, francolins, snowcocks, guineafowl, and turkeys, a group of nearly 150 ground-dwelling gamebirds found in every continent apart from Antarctica. They live in a wide variety of habitats from tropical forests, high-altitude alpine zones, temperate forests, and open country of various kinds, to desert environments. Although they are very widespread, little is known about the species occurring outside Europe and North America. Several species are considered to be at grave risk of extinction, while others are so poorly known that it is difficult to evaluate their conservation needs. In 1995, the first …

Curassows, Guans And Chachalacas: Status Survey And Conservation Action Plan For Cracids 2000–2004 (With Spanish And Portuguese Translations), Daniel M. Brooks, Stuart D. Strahl

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Cracids (curassows, guans and chachalacas) are the most threatened family of Neotropical birds, occurring in south Texas, Trinidad and Tobago, and all Latin American mainland countries except Chile. They are a primitive, ancestral family of gamebirds (Galliformes) that play an important role in the regeneration of tropical forests through seed dispersal and predation, yet half of all species are threatened by habitat destruction and hunting. The three most critically endangered species are the horned guan, Alagoas curassow, and Trinidad piping-guan, while the four most critically endangered subspecies are three subspecies of the helmeted curassow and the northeastern bare-faced curassow.

Cracids …

Megapodes Status Survey And Conservation Action Plan, 2000-2004, René W. R. J. Dekker, Richard A. Fuller, Gilliam C. Baker, World Pheasant Association, Birdlife International, Iucn-Ssc Megapode Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Executive Summary

This Action Plan covers the megapodes, a group of Australasian ground-dwelling birds comprising 22 species found from the Nicobar Islands in the west, through Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia, to Polynesia in the east. Their habit of nesting on or near beaches, often on small islands, makes them vulnerable to disturbance and egg collecting, and several species are greatly threatened. In 1995, the first Action Plan for the conservation of these species was published and this document provides an update on the current situation. The objectives of this document are to identify the most threatened species within this …

Historic Birds Of Lincoln's Salt Basin Wetlands And Nine-Mile Prairie, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

The changes that have occurred in the bird life of the Lincoln area during the past century must certainly be great, but we have little evidence to document this point. There is, however, an annotated bird list from 1900 for the salt basin wetlands of western Lincoln, an area then gradually being developed for recreational use. This list was published by J. S. Hunter in the Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (1900, 18-21). At this time, the recently impounded but still saline lake was 2 to 3 feet deep, and it covered about two …

Book Review: Birds Of The Untamed West. The History Of Birdlife In Nebraska, 1750 To 1875 By James E. Ducey, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Those with an interest in the birds of the Great Plains will be familiar with Jim Ducey's Nebraska Birds: Breeding Status and Distribution, published in 1988. I was amazed then by Jim's diligence in searching a wide range of sources and compiling an exhaustive list of Nebraska breeding records organized by county. Jim's new book, Birds of the Untamed West, reflects the same dogged pursuit of obscure sources unavailable to most of us and compilation of the results. If you expect such a compilation to be dry and boring, you will be pleasantly surprised, especially if you are …

Review Of The Breeding Status Of Pinyon Jay In Nebraska, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

The Rev. J,M. Bates (1900) was the first tQ suggest breeding by Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) in Nebraska when he reported, "Breeding at Holly, Sheridan Co., north of Rushville, July 15, '97." While he gave us no indication of what he saw, the date cited in the report, 15 July, should raise a cautionary flag, since by that date the young are normally 2 months past fledging and would be free-flying and moving about with the flock.

In discussing birds which breed in the state, Bruner (1901) placed the species in Part II of the list, along with …

Virginia's Warblers In Kimball County, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Joe Fontaine

Nebraska Bird Review

This fall 2000 season was marked by a very westerly flavor to the passerine migration with many sightings of western warblers, vireos, and flycatchers in western Nebraska. Most notably, Townsend's Warblers and Cassin's Vireos were seen in good numbers. Additionally, three sightings of Virginia's Warbler and five of Dusky Flycatcher added to the excitement. In this note, we report this fall's sightings of Virginia's Warbler and comment on the status of this species in Nebraska.

On 26 August 2000, Dinsmore observed a Virginia's Warbler (Vermivora virginiae) along the north side of Oliver Reservoir. He studied the bird at …

Summer Field Report, June And July 2000, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

I wish to remind observers to report dates of breeding evidence, such as nests with eggs and adults feeding fledglings. There is surprisingly little known about these things for Nebraska's breeding birds, even the common ones. Please report these regardless of the season!

This summer produced many interesting sightings; we'll lead off with significant breeding records: Snowy Plover provided a 2nd state breeding record; Black-necked Stilt a first for Keith Co; Acadian Flycatcher first for Thurston Co; Summer Tanager first for Otoe Co; and Eurasian Collared-Dove 3rd nesting locality, at Elmwood.

Late spring migrants included a record late Tennessee Warbler …

Black-Throated Gray Warbler At Oliver Reservoir, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 1 May 1999, I was birding a point along the north shore of the lake when I encountered as small. flock of Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers. At approximately 8:06 a.m. I was working my way through the flock when I heard a different chip note. The bird was feeding in a nearby tree, and I immediately recognized it as a male Black-throated Gray Warbler. I was able to study the bird at close range until 8:16 a.m. The bird was roughly the size of an Orange-crowned Warbler and was noticeably smaller and shorter-tailed than a Yellow-rumped Warbler. The head …

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Fall Meeting Report, 1999

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Fall meeting took place once again at the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey between October 8 and 10. The following table represents the count, 108 species in all, for the five areas listed. As usual, the counts for Thomas and Blaine counties exclude the National Forest land in both counties.

First Record Of A Brambling For Nebraska, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 14 April 1999, an unusual bird was reported visiting the feeders of Phyllis and Dean Drawbaugh in Scottsbluff, Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. The bird apparently arrived on 13 April immediately after the passage of a cold front with strong northwest winds. On 18 April, the Drawbaughs identified the bird as a female Brambling, and local birders Alice Kenitz and Helen Hughsen confirmed the sighting later that day. On 19 April, I made the trip to Scottsbluff and studied the bird from 7:51-8:55 a.m. in the company of the Drawbaughs, David Ely and Rachel Kolokoff, both of Fort Collins, Colorado. …

A Summer Survey Of The Birds At Two Eastern Nebraska Wetlands, Kristine T. Phipps

Nebraska Bird Review

This study compares the avian species diversity at two eastern Nebraska wetlands that differ in their relative isolation from an urban environment. Birds were surveyed by the point Count method twice weekly at each site during June of 1998. Diversity was measured using species richness and species evenness. The percentage of bird species observed that depend on wetlands for breeding was also compared.

Results suggest that both species richness and evenness, as determined by the Shannon-Wiener index, were higher at the wetland located in a network of other marsh areas and agricultural land than at the suburban wetland. Immigration of …

Gray Flycatcher At Oliver Reservoir, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Loren Padelford, Babs Padelford

Nebraska Bird Review

On 17 May 1999, we were birding near the main entrance of Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area in Kimball County, Nebraska. At 8:05 a.m. we found a very gray empidonax flycatcher in the scattered trees south of the main entrance. After studying the bird for a few minutes, we concluded that the bird was a Gray Flycatcher. We studied and photographed the bird at close range until we left at 8:55 a.m.

Nou Spring Count

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Spring meeting took place from May 19 to 21 in Chadron. Table 1 lists the 165 total species identified in five counties during this period.

A Red Pharlarope was reported in Box Butte Co. by Kathy larson. Details have been submitted to the Records Committee, and the species is not included in this table pending the committee's decision.

Reports for the following species are included in this list with the following comment suggested by W. Ross Silcock:, "No details on 10; rare in this part of NE": Northern Bobwhite, Short-billed Oowitcher, and Field Sparrow.

Review Of The Breeding Status Of Lewis's Woodpecker In Nebraska, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) was first mentioned as a possible breeder in Nebraska by Bruner (1901), who included it in a list of birds that breed in the state. None of the authorities he cited, however, had published conclusive evidence of breeding, and one of them (Bates 1900) cited only a winter record.

The species was mentioned in reports from the University of Nebraska field parties that worked in the Pine Ridge in 1900 and 1901. Crawford (1901) reports the discovery of only a single empty nest, despite weeks of fieldwork concentrated specifically on gathering nesting data on western species …

Tufted Duck At Lake Ogallala: First Record For Nebraska, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 2 December 1999, I was birding at the east end of Lake Ogallala in Keith County. I was scanning the large diving duck flock just above the Keystone diversion dam when I noticed a scaup-like duck with a thin crest. I quickly realized that the bird was a male Tufted Duck. I carefully studied the, bird from 9:32-10:28 a.m. The bird spent all of its time actively foraging with a large flock of Greater and Lesser Scaup. It was approximately the same size as a Lesser Scaup. The head shape was rounded like a scaup, not "peaked" like a …