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1991 Fall Occurrence Report, Ray Korpi

Nebraska Bird Review

FALL 1991 OCCURRENCE REPORT

During the period from 1 July to 31 December 1991, 292 species plus a probable escape were recorded in the state. This compares with 284 species for the same period in 1990, 291 species in 1989, 282 species in 1988, 296 in 1987, and 293 in 1986. Tables are arranged in a west-to-east fashion, following major river valleys where possible. The whooping crane and Christmas Count reports, found in other parts of this issue, are not included in this report.

Weather in this period was noteworthy. Most reporters noted a significant drop in bird populations after …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (March 1992)

Nebraska Bird Review

Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official Journal, and sent to members not in arrears for dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar year basis only) are $12.50 in the United States, $15.00 in Canada and Mexico, and $17.50 for all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United States; $5.00 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues of the Review to Thomas E. Labedz, NOU Librarian, W-436 Nebraska Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

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

Notes From Nebraska Bird Review (March 1992)

Nebraska Bird Review

NOTES

REQUEST FOR REPRINTS ON OWLS:

R.J. Clark and D.G. Smith are revising the 1975 National Wildlife Federation publication, Working Bibliography of Owls of the World, for an expanded second edition. Authors who have articles or publications on owls and wish them to be listed in the second edition, are asked to send reprints to R.J. Clark, The Owl Bibliography, Department of Biology, York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA 17405-7199.

SWAINSON’S HAWK MIGRATION: On Tuesday, October 1, 1991, I observed large numbers of hawks flying south over a farm northwest of Arlington in Washington County. From 9:30 a.m. when I …

1991 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count

Nebraska Bird Review

1991 NEBRASKA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

The 1991 count yielded a total of 109 identified species (Table 2), and seven not identified to species (Table 1). The number of individual birds totaled 109,335 (Tables 1 and 2). In comparison with the previous two years, there was an increase in the number of identified species in 1991, but a decrease in the number of individual birds, which follows the trend of recent years. The number of reporting locations was 10 in 1991 compared to 6 in 1990 and 14 in 1989. The data and conditions on the dates chosen for the counts …

First Record Of The Cave Swallow For Nebraska, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

Nebraska Bird Review

FIRST RECORD OF THE CAVE SWALLOW FOR NEBRASKA

The Cave Swallow (Hirundo fulva) is patchily distributed from central Texas and southeastern New Mexico south to southern Chihuahua, Coahuila, and San Luis Potosi; in central Chiapas, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo; in the Greater Antilles east to Puerto Rico; and in southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru (A.O.U. 1983). Vagrants are occasionally recorded in Arizona, Florida, and along the Gulf and East Coasts of the United States north to Nova Scotia. The Cave Swallow has seldom, if ever, been reported in the north-central U.S. The species is unknown for Nebraska (N.O.U.R.C. …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (March 1992) 60(1),

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1991 Treasurer's Report .................................. 2

Fall 1991 Occurrence Report..................................3

First Record of the Cave Swallow for Nebraska .................................. 36

1991 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count.................................. 40

Notes .................................. 50

1991 (Fourth) Report Of The Nou Records Committee

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the NOU Records Committee (hereinafter, "the committee") have been described previously (NBR 54:72-4).

This report includes accounts of records evaluated by the committee in the last year, covering mostly records with accession numbers 247-94. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln.

STATE LIST

Errors made in this section of the third report of the committee should be corrected as follows:

• the genus of Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is Nyctanassa

• the specific epithet of American Pipit is rubescens.

With this …

Addition To Fall 1991 Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

ADDITION TO FALL 1991 OCCURRENCE REPORT

The following rows were inadvertently omitted from the table on page 77 of the September NBR.

Eastern Phoebe:
Holt- Mr 28 Je 16
Knox- Ap 14 Je 9
York
Polk- Mr 31 S
Cuming
Saunders Mr 30 Je 29
Lancaster Mr 24 S
Dakota Ap 19 My 11
Washington
Douglas/Sarpy My 29 Je 6
Cass Mr 20 Je 30

Say's Phoebe:
Holt
Knox
York
Polk
Cuming
Saunders
Lancaster Ap 13
Dakota
Washington
Douglas/Sarpy My 23
Cass

Addresses For The March Review

Nebraska Bird Review

ADDRESSES FOR THE MARCH REVIEW

Articles, Notes, Christmas Count Data, photos, and other items should be mailed to Dr. Rosalind Morris, 3018 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE 68510.

Occurrence Reports and Field Trips Lists for the last half of 1991 should be mailed to Ray Korpi, NW 1340 State #6, Pullman, WA 99163.

Book Reviews From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991), Lysbeth Benkert

Nebraska Bird Review

BOOK REVIEWS

John Terborgh. Where Have All The Birds Gone? Princeton: Princeton U P, 1989. 186 pp. + bibliography + index.

John Terborgh's 1989 book Where Have All the Birds Gone? attempts to explore why the population of migratory birds in the United States has dropped so drastically during this past century and what can be done to better monitor and document possible causes of their disappearance. Over the course of his study, Terborgh covers three major areas of the United States. Beginning with the Chesapeake Bay area, he takes a close look at the declining populations of waterfowl; …

"Nou Annual Meeting" Announcement, From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991)

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU Annual Meeting

May 15-17, 1991

McCook, Nebraska

Mark it on your calendar and make plans to attend!

Nebraska Bird Review- Whole Issue December 1991 Volume 59 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Addresses for the March Review......................102

Acknowledgements......................102

Addition to Fall 1991 Occurrence Report ......................102

Birds of the Eastern Sandhills in Holt County, Nebraska ......................103

The 1991 Census of Least Terns and Piping Plovers in Nebraska ......................133

1991 (Fourth) Report of the NOU Records Committee......................150

Book Reviews ......................155

Index To Volume 59

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 59

Accipiter sp. 14

Albino, partial 153

Alexander, Irene 4

Alfred, Norris 12, 97

Allen, Betty 4

Allison, Mary 3

Amateur: Finding a Niche in Ornithology, The 39

Andersen, John 47

....

Zwink, Diane 4

"Acknowledgments," From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991), Rosalind Morris

Nebraska Bird Review

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I'd like to thank the following people and groups for their help with Volume 59 of The Nebraska Bird Review:

• The Humanities Research Center, Washington State University, Dr. Thomas C. Faulkner, Director; Rhonda M. Blair, Administrative Assistant; Jian Wang and Ann Garnsey, Research Assistants-For the use of their state-of-the-art Macintosh facilities. Because of the extensive hardware and software in the HRC, an electronic copy of the Review, including charts and photographs, can be archived for future reference.
• The Avery Microcomputer Lab, Barbara M. Sitko, Director-For the use of Macintoshes in the AML in preparing the Review. …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991)

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 arrears for dues. Subscriptions (on a calendar year basis only) are $12.50 per year in the United States, $15.00 per year in Canada and Mexico, and handled on a case-by-case basis for all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United States; $5.00 elsewhere. Orders for back issues of the Review should be sent to Thomas E. Labedz, NOU Librarian, W 436 Nebraska Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, …

Notes From The Editor From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991), Rosalind Morris

Nebraska Bird Review

Index and Notes. An index for Volume 59 of The Nebraska Bird Review will be forthcoming in a later issues as will some notes submitted by NOU members which were not included here. I thank all for their contributions.

The 1991 Census Of Least Terns And Piping Plovers In Nebraska, John G. Sidle, Erika C. Wilson, John Dinan, Jeanine Lackey, Greg Wingfield, Barbara K. Good

Nebraska Bird Review

We counted least terns (Sterna antillarum) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) in Nebraska during June and July, 1991. This undertaking was part of an international effort to census the threatened piping plover throughout Canada and the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (1988) has called for the censusing of piping plovers every five years to monitor the status of the species and to gage the effectiveness of recovery efforts. This first international census of the piping plover has been organized by the USFWS's Great Lakes/Northern Great Plains Piping Plover recovery team. The census …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991 #2)

Nebraska Bird Review

Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologist’s Union, Inc. as its official journal and sent to all members who are not arrears for dues. Subscriptions (on a calendar year basis only) are $12.50 per year in the United States, $15.00 per year in Canada and Mexico, and handled on a case-by-case basis for all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4.00 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5.00 elsewhere. Orders for back issues of the Review should be sent to Thomas E. Labedz, NOU Librarian, W 436 Nebraska Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (December 1991 #2)

Nebraska Bird Review

Cover

Index to Volume 59

Mailing Information

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue (September 1991) 59(3)

Nebraska Bird Review

Editor's Message 54

Dues and Subscription Information 54

Some Birds of the Pony Lake Area of the Eastern Sandhills, Nebraska 55

CNPPD Winter Eagle Survey 58

A Nesting Report of a Wilson's Phalarope in Lancaster County 59

Spring 1991 Whooping Crane Report 61

Grants for Nongame Wildlife Research in Minnesota 62

Spring 1991 Occurrence Report 63

Notes 98

Book Reviews 100

Black-Bellied Plover In Buffalo County

Nebraska Bird Review

On May 9, 1991, while doing a weekly least tern and piping plover survey, we observed two Black-bellied Plovers (Pluvialis equatarola). The birds were observed foraging along the shoreline of a sandpit near Elm Creek, Nebraska.

1991 Nou Annual Meeting

Nebraska Bird Review

The 90th Annual Meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union took place in Grand Island, Nebraska, on May 17 to 19, 1991. Activities, hosted by the Grand Island Audubon Society, centered around the Holiday Inn in Grand Island where programs, meetings, and the annual banquet were held.

Friday night of the meeting the usual slide show took place, followed by a showing of the Nebraska PBS program Last of the Rainwater Basins, which featured NOU members Lee Morris and Paul Johnsgard. Saturday's highlight was the banquet speaker Toby Lemburg, who presented a paper on the game bird operations run by …

Book Review- Nebraska Bird Review (June 1991)

Nebraska Bird Review

Dr. Scott Nielsen. A Season with Eagles. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press. 96 pp., 70 color photographs, index. $21.95 hardcover.

This is a photographic record, with textual commentary, of a Bald Eagle's nest in Wisconsin, from the arrival of the pair in the spring to the departure of the birds in the fall. Dr. Nielsen gave up dentistry for taxidermy and photography. In pursuit of the latter, he obtained the necessary permissions and built a blind in a tree 220 yards from a known nest, installed a 50-pound telephoto lens, and memorized the climb to the blind (he had to …

Confirmed Whooping Crane Sightings, 1942-1982, Wally Jobman

Nebraska Bird Review

Since 1983, The Nebraska Bird Review has published the USFWS Whooping Crane migration report for both spring and fall. The following is data provided by Wally Jobman of USFWS on confirmed sightings of Whooping Cranes in Nebraska. The period covered is 1942 through 1982. It is hoped that the account of the sightings here will aid crane researchers.

The USFWS definition of a confirmed sighting is noted in NBR 56:79. Researchers interested in other crane data should consult issues of the NBR starting in 1983 for complete data since that period. For further information, interested parties should contact Wally Jobman, …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1991)

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 arrears for dues. Subscriptions (on a 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. Orders for back issues of the Review and all changes of address should be sent to Thomas E. Labedz, NOV Librarian, W 436 Nebraska Hall, University …

The Amateur: Finding A Niche In Ornithology, Harold F. Mayfield

Nebraska Bird Review

The older branches of science were all pioneered by amateurs, but as they matured they have moved steadily away from the reach of the individual working alone with his own resources. As the need for laboratories, observatories, and support staff have grown, science has become increasingly the province of professionals and institutions.

In ornithology, however, the amateur is still a significant figure. Perhaps no other branch of science owes so much to the amateur, not only in current contributions, but also in continuing to produce the professionals of the future. Can we think of another field where we could make …

Nocturnal Roosting By Interior Least Terns Early In The Nesting Season, Erika C. Wilson, Wayne A. Hubert, Stanley H. Anderson

Nebraska Bird Review

Atwood (1986) described nocturnal communal roosting by the California Least Tern (Sterna antillarum browni). Such behavior has not been described in other Least Tern subspecies (Whitman, 1988).

Nocturnal roosting by Interior Least Terns (Sterna antillarum athalassos) was observed on each of three evenings between 23 and 31 May 1989 and once on 15 May 1990 when we observed a known nesting location. Least Terns congregated immediately before sunset and started flying in pairs or small groups with much vocalization. Occasionally all birds joined into one compact flock exhibiting synchronized flight as observed by Atwood (1986). With …

Notes From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1991)

Nebraska Bird Review

Some Nest Box Observations. The following are some observations on nests of species who use bluebird boxes in the Gering area. Anyone else working on a bluebird project who would like to add their observations in a future NBR is invited to do so.

Bluebirds make a nest that consists primarily of grasses. There are seldom any feathers. Well-used ones are plastered with droppings, although I suppose the droppings could also come if they use the box for roosting in bad weather. As far as I know there is no way to tell the difference between Mountain and Eastern …

"Nou Fall Field Day" Announcement

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU FALL FIELD DAY

SEPTEMBER 13-15, 1991

MAHONEY STATE PARK NEAR ASHLAND, NE

SEE THE NOU NEWSLETTER FOR FURTHER DETAILS!

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue (June 1991)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Greater Scaup in Lancaster County ..................38

Black-bellied Plover in Buffalo County ..................38

The Amateur: Finding a Niche in Ornithology ..................39

Nocturnal Roosting by Interior Least Terns Early in the Nesting Season ..................42

Confirmed Whooping Crane Sightings, 1942-1982 ..................43

Fall 1990 Occurrence Report: Update ..................45

1991 NOU Annual Meeting ..................48

Notes ..................49

Book Reviews ..................51