Ornithology Commons^™

2007–2008 Christmas Bird Counts In Nebraska

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2007-08 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) period will be remembered for snow cover and cold temperatures. More counts than usual were postponed due to weather. The average high temperature on count day this year was 28°F and the low was 12°F, both of which are 5-10° colder than any count day average since 2000-01. Only three counts made it above freezing during the course of the day. Snow was also a problem, and although only two circles recorded precipitation on the day of the count, snow cover and ice from earlier storms resulted in stuck vehicles, arduous walking, and inaccessible …

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2008]

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 Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

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

Editor's Note

Nebraska Bird Review

With this issue we step into a new era: this is the first issue in the history of The Nebraska Bird Review to feature full color pages. Thanks are due to Wayne Mollhoff, who instigated this change and underwrote the bulk of the cost for the color printing, and to others who contributed financially, photographically, and with much-appreciated advice and encouragement.

[Photographs: Least Bittern, Pomarine Jaeger, Wood Stork, And White-Winged Dove]

Nebraska Bird Review

Least Bittern, North Lake Basin WMA, Seward County, 9 June 2007. Photo by Joseph Gubanyi.

Pomarine Jaeger, Lake McConaughy, Keith County, 17 September 2005. Photo by Stephen J. Dinsmore.

Wood Stork, west of Ashland, Saunders County, 2 August 2006. Photo by Joel Jorgensen.

White-winged Dove, Johnson farm, 7 miles NW of Wakefield, Dixon County, 15 June 2008. Photo by Jan Johnson.

First Report Of Ash-Throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus Cinerascens) Breeding In The Nebraska Panhandle Region, Wayne J. Mollhoff, Joseph Gubanyi, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

This report presents evidence of the breeding of Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) in mixed conifer woodland in the Nebraska Panhandle Region, 160 miles north of its nearest known breeding area. In addition, it presents the first photographic evidence and the second accepted record by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (NOURC) of the presence of Ash-throated Flycatcher in Nebraska.

On 28 June 2007 Wayne Mollhoff observed an adult Ash-throated Flycatcher while conducting a survey in Priority Block K409 in Kimball County, Nebraska, for the Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas Project II. The bird was observed on private property in …

Bird-Friendly Development Rating System And Acknowledgement Program

Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP)

The City of Toronto wants to prevent the needless deaths of migratory birds, many species of which are threatened and endangered, and thereby reduce the impact our urban area has on surrounding ecosystems. This Bird-Friendly Rating System outlines for developers, building owners and managers what options and strategies need to be incorporated into a new or existing development in order to be acknowledged by the City of Toronto as bird friendly.

Aerial Census Techniques For Whooping Cranes On The Texas Coast, Thomas V. Stehn, Thomas E. Taylor

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, using aerial surveys, regularly monitors the whooping crane (Grus americana) population wintering along the Texas coast. These regular census flights began in 1950 and have produced a long-term data set on the growth of a small population of endangered birds. This paper describes the specific methodology used by the authors during census flights.

2008 Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, And Outreach Report For The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months. The report was prepared to inform our partners and funding agencies of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of results. These data analyses are not final and should be treated as such when citing information, data, or analyses found in this document.

The Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athallassos) is a state and federal endangered species; it was first listed in 1985. The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a state and federal threatened species; it was also first …

Terrapene Ornata (Ornate Box Turtle) Predation On Cliff Swallows, Mary Bomberger Brown, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

During a 25-year study of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in southwestern Nebraska, we observed Terrapene ornata prey, or attempt to prey, on swallows. On one occasion as large numbers of birds flushed and hit the net, the weight of the birds pulled the net down to ground level. One T. ornata, which was seen regularly at the colony, approached one adult Cliff Swallow that was very low in the net and killed it by biting and eating its head. After killing the bird, the turtle walked away carrying the head.

Experimental Inoculation Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus) With Buggy Creek Virus, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Amy T. Moore, Nicholas A. Panella, Eric A. Edwards, Mary Bomberger Brown, Nicholas Komar, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We performed experimental inoculations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) with Buggy Creek virus (BCRV), a poorly known alphavirus (Togaviridae) vectored primarily by the swallow bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae: Oeciacus vicarius) that is an ectoparasite of the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and house sparrow. Viremias were detected by plaque assay in two of six birds on days 1–3 postinoculation; viremia was highest on day 2. Viral RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in blood of six of 12 birds ranging from day 1 to day 15 postinoculation. Infectious BCRV was detected in …

Extra-Pair Paternity In Sandhill Cranes, Matthew A. Hayes, Hugh B. Britten, Jeb A. Barzen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Although cranes are known for “life-long” pair bonds, exceptions to this rule have been observed (i.e. divorcing pairs and individuals re-pairing following the death of a mate). With advancements in genetic techniques, another form of infidelity has been observed: extra-pair paternity (EPP; producing young with a bird while being socially paired to another mate) has been documented in many avian species. Is this true for cranes as well? Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) from a dense breeding population in southcentral Wisconsin were tested for EPP using 6 microsatellite DNA markers. The frequency of EPP ranged between 4.4% (2 of 45 chicks) …

Mate Fidelity In A Dense Breeding Population Of Sandhill Cranes, Matthew A. Hayes, Jeb A. Barzen, Hugh B. Britten

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The objective of this study was to investigate mate switches observed in a dense breeding population of banded Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis). Over a 14-year period, 50 of 70 breeding pairs switched mates (71%), with 45 pairs switching permanently (64%). Mean mate retention between years was 83%, with an average pair bond lasting 5.7 years (range 1-13 years). Most permanent switches occurred following the death or disappearance of a mate, and overall permanent divorce (19%; 13 of 70 pairs) and annual divorce rates (6%) were low. Territory retention following mate switches was high. Males and females did not …

The Whooping Crane In Mexico: Past, Present, And Future?, Michael S. Putnam, Ruth Partida Lara, Suix Diaz Gomez, Anne E. Lacy

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We reviewed ornithological, historic, anthropological, and archaeological records for evidence of whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Mexico. Records of whooping cranes in Mexico span 88 years (1863-1951) and cluster in 3 areas. Wintering records come from the northern highlands (Durango, and possibly Chihuahua), the central highlands (Guanajuato, Jalisco), and northeastern Tamaulipas, where the bird was also found in summer and might have bred. Later records (1970’s and 1980’s) of whooping cranes in the northern highlands are from individual birds released into the experimental migratory population that formerly migrated from Idaho to New Mexico, USA. Many of the wetlands …

Wpa News 82 (2008/2009), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2008/2009), number 82

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Trends In Habitat And Population Of Florida Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, James L. Hatchitt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To map the areas of potential occupied habitat for Florida sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pratensis) in Florida we used known habitat requirements and confirmed locations of occurrence in combination with a Geographic Information System. Using the map of potential habitat resulting from this process, we calculated the changes in the amount and distribution of crane habitat in Florida in 10-year increments since 1974. Based on annual home range sizes, age structure, and average flock size, we estimated the statewide population of Florida sandhill cranes in 2003 to be 4,594 individuals. Considering the area of crane habitat lost since …

Proceedings Of The Tenth North American Crane Workshop: Cover, Preface, Contents

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Every 3 years (or thereabouts), the North American Crane Working Group holds a workshop for the exchange of information regarding efforts to conserve and better understand America’s two cranes. The papers herein, with a few exceptions, were presented in Zacatecas City, Zacatecas, Mexico 7-10 February 2006 at the Tenth North American Crane Workshop. When preparing for a trip to Mexico in February, visions of sunny beaches come first to mind. However the city of Zacatecas is over 8,000 feet above sea level, so nights were often chilly and the altitudinal changes took a while for us flatlanders to adjust to. …

A Wasting Syndrome In Released Whooping Cranes In Florida Associated With Infectious Bursal Disease Titers, Marilyn G. Spalding, Holly S. Sellers, Barry K. Hartup, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) have been reintroduced into central Florida beginning in 1993 until the present. Bobcat predation of otherwise healthy cranes in good nutritional condition was the most common cause of mortality. However, release cohorts in the years 1997-1998 (14/22 died) and 2001-2002 (14/27 died, 5/27 clinical illness) experienced unusually high morbidity and mortality. Positive serum neutralizing titers for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) were identified following the 2001 event, and an epidemiological study of released birds and the captive source flocks was initiated. Serotype 1 (Lukert and Variant A) tests were mostly negative. Serotype 2 testing …

New Hunter Education Strategies To Protect Whooping Cranes In Texas And Kansas, Lee Ann Johnson Linam, Helen M. Hands, Jay Roberson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The decline of the whooping crane (Grus americana) has often been attributed primarily to loss of habitat and overharvest. Although hunting of whooping cranes is now prohibited, shootings sometimes occur. Recent incidences have prompted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Texas) and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (Kansas) to develop new strategies that increase hunter recognition of legal game species and awareness of endangered species concerns. Both agencies have produced or updated publications for goose and sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) hunters. Texas has developed video news releases for the general public and a video/DVD …

The Cuban Sandhill Crane As Umbrella Species: Relationship With Plant Diversity In Threatened White Sand Savannahs, Duniet Marrero Garcia, Jose A. Osorio, Xiomara Galvez Aguilera, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

This project describes relationships between the Cuban sandhill crane (Grus canadensis nesiotes) distribution and habitat use and plant diversity in white sand savannahs, a threatened ecosystem in Cuba. Data are based on habitat use and selection of 10 radio-tagged sandhill cranes in the Los Indios Ecological reserve, Isle of Youth. We used Arcview and satellite imagery to map broad vegetation categories. Within the general Pine-Palm savannahs specific plant communities were characterized using species composition and dominant plant life forms. Habitat types most used by cranes for feeding and nesting were also those with highest plant species richness and …

Temporal Dynamics And Flock Characteristics Of Sandhill Cranes In The Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

I gathered information on crane flocks in the Platte River Valley during spring staging of 2002-2004. The objective of
this work was to evaluate hypotheses regarding flock size and formation using sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) flocks observed in
the Platte River Valley. Specifically, I wanted to: (a) evaluate the effect of period of migration, geographical location, and habitat
type on flock size, and (b) evaluate predictions regarding ecological theories of flock formation and behavior based on concentrated
resources, accessibility, social facilitation, and potential predation response. Flock size overall was influenced negatively by period
of migration (P < 0.001) and positively by geographical location (P < 0.01). Total crane abundance (55%) of flocks were located
in corn fields, but …

Population Status, Hunting Regulations, And Harvests Of The Rocky Mountain Population Of Greater Sandhill Cranes, 1981–2005, Kammie L. Kruse, David E. Sharp, James A. Dubovsky

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) was not hunted in the U.S. from 1916 until 1981, when Arizona initiated the first modern-day season. Hunting programs in the U.S. were subsequently expanded to 6 states for the RMP and have been guided by a cooperative flyway management plan, including a harvest strategy, which has been periodically updated and endorsed by the Central and Pacific Flyway Councils. From a management perspective, 3 population parameters have been identified to monitor the status and health of this population: harvest, recruitment, and population size. The number of …

Serological Survey For Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Exposure In Captive Cranes, Barry K. Hartup, Holly S. Sellers

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Between September 2001 and March 2002, unusually high morbidity and mortality was observed during releases of endangered, captive-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) in central Florida. An ongoing epidemiological investigation has implicated infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV; Family Birnaviridae) as the likely etiological agent (Spalding et al. 2008). The source of this virus remains unknown. A previous serological survey showed positive antibody titers to IBDV serotype 2 were present in small numbers of juvenile and adult whooping cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF), Baraboo, Wisconsin and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland between 1995 and 2003 (Hartup et al. …

Do We Need Such Rare Birds?, Stephen A. Nesbitt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Gruidae is one of the oldest bird families; the genus Grus dates back at least 9 million years. Though they may have been around a long time, it is unlikely that cranes were ever among the most abundant of birds. Several of the 15 crane species occur today in such low numbers that they are considered in danger of becoming extinct. It has been posited that at the time of European colonization of North America whooping cranes may have numbered 10,000 individuals, so whooping cranes have likely always been rare birds. Rare has often been used as a synonym for …

Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In an effort to model the reintroduced eastern migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) after the remaining wild whooping crane population, biologists selected the salt marshes of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Florida as the winter release site for ultra-light led juvenile cranes due to its similarities to Aransas NWR, Texas. Releases began in the fall of 2001, and the 3 subsequent winter seasons have afforded the opportunity to observe whether habitat selection by these whooping cranes would be influenced by the pre-selection of salt marsh. Intensive monitoring efforts each winter have revealed a dominant early-winter pattern. …

Surveillance For West Nile Virus At The International Crane Foundation 2000–2004, Barry K. Hartup

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Between 2000 and 2004, serum samples collected annually from captive cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) were analyzed for the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies using a plaque reduction neutralization test. Eighteen individual cranes representing 8 species were identified with positive titers (geometric mean = 188, range 40 – 1280, n = 29). Whooping cranes (Grus americana) represented the largest proportion of seropositive individuals (33%). Flock seroprevalence increased rapidly in 2003 and 2004 to a peak of 10%, representing a four-fold increase following index cases in 2000. None of the seropositive cranes, however, showed clinical signs consistent …

Current Status Of Nonmigratory Whooping Cranes In Florida, Martin J. Folk, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Jeannette M. Parker, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen B. Baynes, Kristen L. Candelora

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Two hundred eighty-nine nonmigratory whooping cranes (Grus americana) were released in Central Florida from 1993-2005. As of January 2006, we had monitored 50 birds (16 pairs) but suspect 10 others had also survived, for a population estimate of 60 birds. The sex ratio for monitored birds was 1:1. From 47 nest attempts (1999-2005), only 4 chicks have fledged and survived to independence. Efforts are underway to determine why recruitment has been lower than expected. Other challenges for the project have included birds colliding with power lines, dispersing beyond their normal range (beyond Florida), forming pair bonds with Florida sandhill cranes …

Is The Annual March Survey Of The Midcontinental Sandhill Crane Population Appropriately Timed To Reliably Estimate Population Size?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relies on an annual aerial photo-corrected survey conducted on the fourth Tuesday of March each year in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) and North Platte River Valley (NPRV) of Nebraska to estimate size of the midcontinental population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) to help guide population management. Wide unaccounted for annual fluctuations in survey counts over the past 25 years have raised concerns that many cranes either have left the Platte before the survey, have not yet arrived, or over fly the Platte entirely in some years. As a result, …

Survival And Sources Of Mortality In Florida Sandhill Crane Chicks: Hatching To Fledging, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Stephen T. Schwikert, Marilyn G. Spalding

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Forty-five pairs of Florida sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pratensis) were monitored during the nesting seasons from 1996 through 1999. Thirty-eight chicks were produced from 25 successful nests. Twenty-one of these survived to fledging age. Predation was the source of most (81%) of the mortality for which a cause was determined. Mammals were the primary predator. Average age at time of mortality was 27.2 days for the 17 chicks lost.

Interaction Of Young Florida Sandhill Cranes With Their Parents, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Paul S. Kubilis, Stephen T. Schwikert

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied the interactions of 46 Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) chicks and their parents from hatching until the chicks left the family group. Our goal was to see if young remained closer to one parent than the other and if the distance between a chick and its parents increased as the young approached the age of independence. Using a population of individually marked adult pairs, we ranked the distance to and gender of the nearest parent during 233 30-minute observation periods. Between hatching and 180 days of age, chicks showed a greater tendency to be nearer …

Infectious Bursal Disease In Wild Populations Of Turkeys And Sandhill Cranes: Preliminary Findings, Kristen L. Candelora, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Holly S. Sellers, Jeremy Olson, Larry Perrin, Jeannette Parker

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Captive-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) released into Florida for the resident reintroduction project experienced unusually high mortality and morbidity during the 1997-1998 and 2001-2002 release seasons (Spalding et al. 2008). Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) serotype 2 is currently under investigation as the factor that precipitated the mortality events. A small percentage of whooping cranes have been exposed to IBDV in the captive setting. However, many more are being exposed postrelease, and prevalence of exposure seems to increase with age or length of time the birds are in the wild in Florida (Spalding et al. 2008). The goals …