Poultry or Avian Science Commons^™

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2000) 68(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November, 2000 ... 142

Species Accounts ... 144

First Record of an Arctic Tern for Nebraska ... 176

Mist Netting at Oliver State Recreation Area ... 177

Ecogeographic Aspects of Greater Prairie-Chicken Leks in Southeastern Nebraska ... 179

Index [for Volume 68: 1–4] ... 184

Subscription And Organization Information [December 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; …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Eggshell Color And Egg Specific Gravity Of The Eggs Of White Leghorns, Thomas Jerome Orgeron

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Ecogeographic Aspects Of Greater Prairie-Chicken Leks In Southeastern Nebraska, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

An analysis of the distribution of 104 Greater Prairie-chicken leks in Pawnee and Johnson counties indicates that the birds favor using those mile-square sections having no more than two dwellings per section, ones that are located at least two miles from the nearest town, and at least a half-mile from the nearest lek. Relationships with the nearest water were not clear, but most leks were located at least a half-mile from it, perhaps reflecting a general avoidance of heavy cover during the display season.

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

Nestling Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor) Diets In An Upland Old Field In Western Michigan, Matthew E. Johnson, Michael P. Lombardo

Peer Reviewed Publications

We collected and identified 1852 prey items from 89 boluses delivered to 62 nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) at 14 nests in an upland old field in western Michigan. We found that 90.8% of nestling diets was insects from the Orders Diptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera. We also found clam and snail shells in boluses. Over the most common brood sizes of 4-6 nestlings, brood size was inversely proportional to the number of items per bolus delivered to nestlings although mean dry and mean organic weight of boluses did not differ. Bolus composition was not influenced by weather …

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

Polyclonal Antibodies Raised In Chickens Against Four Canine Pathogens, Amanda Kaye Brown

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Study On The Effects Of Microwave Radiation On Hatching Eggs Contaminated With Feces, Joseph E. Orgeron

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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; …

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 …

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

Partial Sequence Of The Cdna For The ?-Subunit Of The Inhibin Hormone In Japanese Quail, Tristan Timothy Sands

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Predation Rates On Real And Artificial Nests Of Grassland Birds, William B. Davison, Eric K. Bollinger

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

We estimated nesting success at real and artificial nests of grassland birds to test the influence of nest type, nest position, and egg size on predation rates. We distributed wicker nests and realistic woven-grass nests baited with a clay egg and either a Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) egg or a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) egg in four grasslands that were part of the Conservation Reserve Program in east-central Illinois. Nesting success averaged 86.5% for 12 days of exposure for artificial nests. For real nests, nesting success was markedly lower, averaging 39% over the entire nesting cycle and 59% during approximately …

Survey Of Pathogens In Poultry Litter In The United States, Mac Terzich, Melody J. Pope, Tim E. Cherry, Jessie Hollinger

Faculty Publications

Poultry litter is one of many components resulting from the production of broilers. Understanding poultry litter microbiological composition is very beneficial when attempting to improve the broiler's environmental conditions and searching for the best uses for this valuable industry by-product. The objective of this study was to collect samples of poultry litter throughout the United States and determine the presence of bacteria in the litter. Tests were conducted for total bacteria, Gram negative bacteria, Gram positive bacteria, Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, and coliforms. Poultry litter samples were taken from 12 different regions throughout the United States and were analyzed …

An Evaluation Of The Presence Of Pathogens On Broilers Raised On Poultry Litter Treatment-Treated Litter, M. J. Pope, T. E. Cherry

Faculty Publications

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the presence of salmonella, campylobacter, and generic Escherichia coli on broilers raised on Poultry Litter Treatment (PLT®)-enhanced litter in comparison with those raised on untreated litter. Two Company A farms included three houses on each farm as the treated group and three houses per farm as controls. Two complete growouts were evaluated on each farm. The Company B study included 10 farms with two paired houses per farm, one house as the treated group and one house as the control. One growout was evaluated per farm. The pathogen sampling consisted of litter sampling and …

Predation Rates On Real And Artificial Nests Of Grassland Birds, William Davison, Eric Bollinger

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

We estimated nesting success at real and artificial nests of grassland birds to test the influence of nest type, nest position, and egg size on predation rates. We distributed wicker nests and realistic woven-grass nests baited with a clay egg and either a Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) egg or a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) egg in four grasslands that were part of the Conservation Reserve Program in east-central Illinois. Nesting success averaged 86.5% for 12 days of exposure for artificial nests. For real nests, nesting success was markedly lower, averaging 39% over the entire nesting cycle and 59% during approximately …

Lymphocyte Profiles In Blood And Tumors Of Arkansas Rous Sarcoma Regressor And Progressor Chickens, Brant Ward

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

The Arkansas Rous Sarcoma Regressor (AR) and Progressor (AP) lines of chickens represent an excellent model to study immune responses to tumors. Both lines of chickens initially develop tumors when injected with Rous sarcoma viros (RSV) or with DNA coding for the RSV oncogene v-src (v-src DNA). AR chickens will eventually regress the tumors whereas AP chickens will allow the tumors to progress to a terminal stage. By using both v-src DNA and RSV for tumor induction, we were able to compare the immune response to tumor antigens alone and tumor antigens in combination with viral components, respectively. To study …

All About Eggs, Unknown Unknown

All Archived Publications

This publication contains information about eggs including varieties and various recipes using eggs.

Melanocortin-1-Receptor (Mcr-1) Gene Polymorphisms Associated With The Chicken E Locus Alleles, Andrew Ellett

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

The melanocortin 1-receptor (MCl-R) gene has been associated with E locus phenotypes in chickens. Variant alleles of the E locus are important for accurate down color sexing and also for the inhibition of unwanted tissue pigmentation in broilers. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) based tests for various replacement substitutions found in the published E allele sequences gave unexpected results when tested against known alleles of the E locus. To resolve these issues and gain a better understanding of how replacement substitutions in the MCl-R gene are affecting E locus phenotypes, a number of accessions of the e+, eb, wheaten ( ewh …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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.