Poultry or Avian Science Commons^™

2003 (15th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the NOU Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). 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. "The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska" was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and an update was published in 1997 (NOU Records Committee 1997).

The "Official List" has been appended thirteen times: (Mollhoff 1989, Grenon 1990, 1991, Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c, Brogie 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, Jorgensen 2001, 2002, 2003). This report includes all …

Species For Which The Nou Records Committee Seeks Documentation, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Records Committee has revised the list of accidental or casual species for which the committee seeks documentation as of the end of 2003. This list was last published in 1995 (NBR 63:12-13). The committee seeks documentation on all species with less than regular occurrence in Nebraska, as well as any species occurring out of range or out of season. Changes in this list since 1995 include the addition of new species documented for the state, and the deletion of species upgraded to regular status. Below are listed the species of less than regular occurrence based on the …

Changes To The Bylaws Of The N.O.U. Records Committee

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes to the Bylaws of the N.O.U. Records Committee

The following changes were voted on and approved by the NOURC Board in February of 2004:

Under Section VII. VOTING

Amend Section F to read:

"Members of the committee may vote upon their own records."

Add Section G to read:

"Status of a species can be changed at any time by a two-thirds majority vote of the committee following a petition for change by any member of the committee, such petition to outline the case for the suggested change."'

Correction To The 2001 (13th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee

Nebraska Bird Review

Correction to the 2001 (13th) Report of the NOU Records Committee

Joel Jorgensen reports that the photo of the White Ibis mentioned in the 13th NOURC Report (NBR 71: 98) was taken at Johnson WPA 19 Aug, not Funk WPA. The bird was originally discovered at Funk WPA on 9 Aug, and then it presumably moved to Johnson WPA 12-19 Aug. See Silcock, W.R., "Fall Field' Report, August-November 2001". The Nebraska Bird Review 69: 158-189.

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review June 2004

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): …

In Memory Of George W. Brown, Neal Ratzlaff

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU member, supporter and friend George Brown passed away on February 9, 2002, at the age of 80 following a 10 year battle with leukemia.

His many contributions to this organization include service as President on two occasions, 1974-5 and 1992-4. Some of us remember smaller but equally memorable contributions, including the flower arrangements, gifts from George's garden, that appeared on the tables at our Halsey Fall Field Days; his wonderful stories and good humor; his personal thriftiness which he applied with equal vigor to the NOV budget; and his love of only the most brief and concise presentations. The …

Spring Field Report, March-May 2004, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was a fairly typical spring with wide variations in temperature, although severe storms May 22 and 24 caused considerable damage to property and presumably nesting birds; dead robins and their blown-down nests were ubiquitous.

There continues to be an accumulation of observations indicative of earlier arrival of some species as well as possibly related range expansion northward of others (see species accounts for details). Notably early were most of the swallow species, Long-billed Curlew, and Bobolink. Northward range expansion seems to be occurring with Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Hooded Warbler, and Summer Tanager. Numbers of Piping Plovers and Snowy Plovers at …

Annual Meeting At Ogallala [June 2004]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Ornithologists' Union 2004 Annual Meeting took place at Ogallala on May 14-16, with field trips centering around Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala. A total of 190 species was counted over the weekend. The low water level in Lake McConaughy provided excellent habitat for 21 species of waterfowl, 27 species of shorebirds, including nesting Snowy and Piping Plovers, and a Great Black-backed Gull. More surprising were the 17 warbler species, including Blue-winged, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green, Palm, Bay-breasted, and Kentucky. The meeting also offered participants the chance to study many eastern and western species pairs, including Rose-breasted and Black-headed …

The Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue June 2004 Volume 72 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Spring Field Report, March-May 2004 by W. Ross Silcock ... 38

2003 (15th) Report of the NOU Records Committee compiled by Mark A. Brogie ... 59

NOU Records Committee Bylaws Change ... 65

Correction to the 2001 (13th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 65

Species for Which the NOU Records Committee Seeks Documentation ... 66

NOU Annual Meeting at Ogallala, May 14-16, 2004 ... 69

In Memory of George W. Brown by Neal Ratzlaff ... 74

Subscription and Organization Information ... 75

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia Decaocto) Expnasion In Nebraska: 1997-2003, Mark A. Brogie, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Following the recognition of its presence in Florida in the mid-1980s (Smith and Kale 1986), the Eurasian Collared-Dove has spread in spectacular fashion northward and mostly westward in the interior of the United States, arriving in Nebraska only about 15 years after its discovery in Florida. Prior to its establishment in the United States, the Eurasian Collared-Dove had undergone a similarly spectacular expansion westward across Europe beginning in the area of Albania and the former Yugoslavia in the 1930s and finally colonizing Great Britain in the late 1950s. Available evidence regarding the source population for its establishment in Florida points …

In Memory Of Olin Sewall Pettingill

Nebraska Bird Review

In Memory of Olin Sewall Pettingill

Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., Ph.D., renowned ornithologist and teacher, passed away December 11, 2001, in Bedford, Texas. He was 94.

Dr. Pettingill was born in Belgrade, Maine, on October 30, 1907. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1930 and received a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1933. Honorary doctor of science degrees were awarded by Bowdoin College in 1956, Colby College in 1979, and the University of Maine in 1982.

Dr. Pettingill taught ornithology at Carleton College for 17 years and at the University of Michigan Biological Station for 35 summers. He was director …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review March 2004

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., (http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOU/) 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 …

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Treasurer's Report, 2003, Betty Grenon

Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Treasurer's Report 2003

General Fund

Breeding Bird Atlas

Scholarship Fund

Endowment Fund

Total

2003 Christmas Bird Counts In Nebraska

Nebraska Bird Review

There were 11 Christmas Bird Counts conducted in Nebraska in December of 2003. One (the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge count) is partly in Iowa. The total of 132 species recorded is 5 fewer than last year's total of 137. This year 222,405 individuals were counted, as compared to the unusually high individual count of 303,619 in 2002, largely because of Snow Goose numbers. In 2002, 129,415 Snow Geese were reported, compared to this year's report of 10,940. There were 16 species which were seen on every count: Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Ring-necked Pheasant, Rock Pigeon, Downy Woodpecker, Northern …

New Editor For The Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Bird Review

On behalf of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, I would like to take this opportunity to announce a change in The Nebraska Bird Review. Dr. Bill Clemente, Professor of English at Peru State College, has resigned as Editor, due to increasing demands on his time from his teaching and research and his family in Wisconsin. His resignation is accepted with regrets, for he has served the publication ably since he took over the job from Rosalind Morris at the beginning of 1998. We thank Dr. Clemente for his years of service and wish him well in the future.

Many of …

The Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue March 2004 Volume 74 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

NOU Treasurer's Annual Report for 2003 ..........................2

Introduction of New Editor by Janis Paseka ..........................3

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2003 - Feb. 2004 by W. Ross Silcock ..........................4

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) Expansion in Nebraska: 1997-2003 by Mark A. Brogie and W. Ross Silcock ..........................18

In Memory of Olin Sewall Pettingill ..........................23

Nebraska Christmas Bird Counts 2003 compiled by Janis Paseka ..........................24

Winter Field Report, December 2003 To February 2004, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Last year, I wrote: "Overall, this was a pretty quiet winter season. There were no major weather events, no major invasions (just one minor incursion), and, with one big exception, no real rarities." This is pretty much true of this winter too, except that there weren't even any minor incursions, unless Common Redpoll and Purple Finch qualify, and no drop-dead rarities, although Black-headed Gull comes close! In fact, we returned to a fairly normal type of winter with some cold weather and accumulating snow cover. This caused birds to leave in fall in normal fashion, and, in general, to arrive …

Renesting Decisions And Annual Fecundity Of Female Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) In Illinois, Jeffery W. Walk, Kevin Wentworth, Eric L. Kershner, Eric K. Bollinger, Richard E. Warner

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

T.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in south- eastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ? 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that re- mained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ? 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved >10 km) in 2.8 ? 0.6 days; others (36%) …

Renesting Decisions And Annual Fecundity Of Female Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) In Illinois, Jeffery Walk, Kevin Wentworth, Eric Kershner, Eric Bollinger, Richard Warner

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

T.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in south- eastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ? 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that re- mained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ? 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved >10 km) in 2.8 ? 0.6 days; others (36%) …

A Survey Into The Prevalence Of Parasitic Helminths In Boiler Breeders, Anita Sarathi

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of helminth infections in spent broiler breeders. Intestinal tracts from 10 birds from each of five farms were obtained and examined for parasite identification and quantification. Heterakis gallinarum infections were the most common, followed in order of decreasing incidence by Capillaria obsignata, Ascaridia galli and Raillietina cesticillus. Peak worm burdens for individual birds were 121 (A. galli), 535 (H. gallinarum), 2I5 (C. obsignata) and 125 ( R. cesticillus). Significant farm-to-farm variation in worm burdens was observed.

The Impact Of Social Interactions On Torpor Use In Hummingbirds, Donald R. Powers

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Measurements of metabolic rate and fat deposition were made on a three-species hummingbird guild in southeastern Arizona to determine if the energetic advantage gained by a dominant territorial species (Lampornis clemenciae) over subordinate competitors (Archilochus alexandri and Eugenes fulgens) resulted in less frequent use of torpor. Results showed that L. clemenciae was able to store enough fat during the day to avoid nocturnal torpor. Restricted access to food limited fat storage in both competitors, resulting in frequent torpor use. Avoidance of torpor by L. clemenciae supports the notion that use of nocturnal torpor by hummingbirds comes with a cost, and …

Impact Of Dietary Changes On Hepatic Homocysteine Metabolism In Young Broilers, Fauna M. Ganson, Padmakumar Pillai, Jason L. Emmert

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Information regarding the impact of sulfur amino acids (SAA) on hepatic homocysteine (Hcy) flux through the various metabolic pathways competing for Hcy in young broilers is lacking. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of varying levels of dietary methionine (Met), choline, and betaine on hepatic Hcy flux in young broiler chickens. A standard starter basal diet was fed to chicks until 8 d of age; 12 experimental diets were given from 8-22 d. The experimental basal diet contained deficient levels of Met and cysteine (Cys); supplemental Met (0, 0.08, 0.16, and 0.24%) was added to the basal diet …

Laboratory-Scale Evaluation Of Incandescent And Compact Florescent Lamps For Poultry House Lighting, Leanne Gabriel, Donald M. Johnson

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This laboratory-scale study compared 1000- and 2000-h rated 60W incandescent lamps and 6000-h rated 60W-equivalent compact florescent lamps over 6000 h of simulated broiler-house operation. The four original 1000-h incandescent lamps were replaced 22 times and the four 2000-h incandescent lamps were replaced 14 times. None of the four compact florescent lamps failed during the 6000-h experiment, although one was broken due to human error. Both types of incandescent lamps had significantly higher (p < .0001) mean illuminance (lx) than did the compact florescent lamps. The compact florescent lamps used significantly less (p < .0001) power (W) and had significantly higher (p < .0001) efficiency (lx/W) than the incandescent lamps. Despite a higher initial purchase price, the total cost (purchase + replacement + electrical) of operating compact florescent lamps was approximately 36% lower than the total cost of operating either type of incandescent lamp over the 6000 h period. The results of this study indicate that even at a least-cost price for electricity ($0.04/kW/h), growers can reduce total broiler-house lighting costs by replacing incandescent lamps with compact florescent lamps.

Acaricidal Efficacy Of Various Agents In The Treatment Of Naturally Occurring Ornithonyssus Sylviarum (Acari: Macronyssidae) Infestations Of Chickens, Maggie Phillips, T. A. Yazwinski, C. A. Tucker, Jennifer Robins, Jeremy Powell, Linda Stamps

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The northern fowl mite (NFM), Ornithonyssus sylviarum, is a commonly occurring external parasite of chickens. Primarily, caged layers have the greatest incidence of this mite, with bird unrest, unthriftiness and lowered production as some of the adverse effects of the infestation. In the current study, birds with natural NFM infestations were randomized into five treatment groups, placed in individual cages in treatment-specific batteries (all in one room), and evaluated for 28 d for infestation quantification by way of index scoring and feather digest. No treatments were 100% effective in eliminating all life stages of the mite. Tetrachlorvinphos in combination with …

A Survey Into The Prevalence Of Parasitic Helminths In Broiler Breeders, Anita Sarathi, Tom Yazwinski, Chris Tucker, Jennifer Robins

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of helminth infections in spent broiler breeders. Intestinal tracts from 10 birds from each of five farms were obtained and examined for parasite identification and quantification. Heterakis gallinarum infections were the most common, followed in order of decreasing incidence by Capillaria obsignata, Ascaridia galli, and Raillietina cesticillus. Peak worm burdens for individual birds were 121 (A. galli), 535 (H. gallinarum), 215 (C. obsignata) and 125 (R. cesticillus). Significant farm-to-farm variation in worm burdens was observed.

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2003]

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): …

Index To Volume 71

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 71

Fall Field Report, August-November 2003, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

New in this Seasonal Report, direct from the American Ornithologists' Union (along with Wilson's Snipe, Rock Pigeon, etc.), is the modified checklist order, featuring geese, swans, and ducks at the beginning, followed by gallinaceous birds, then resuming the familiar order with loons.

Perhaps the most important use for these reports, in addition to their incorporation into the Southern Great Plains Region summary in North American Birds, is the noting of significant avian events in Nebraska. Some are of obvious importance, but the meaning of others is obscure, perhaps only to be revealed as subsequent reports show a trend, or …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2003) 71(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2003 ... 146

Breeding Black-necked Stilts at Funk Waterfowl Production Area ... 166

Another Sandhill Crane Breeding Record in the Eastern Rainwater Basin ... 167

Halsey Fall Field Days ... 169

Index to Volume 71 ... 173

Subscription and Organization Information ... 183

Left-Sided Directional Bias Of Cloacal Contacts During House Sparrow Copulations, Karen B. Nyland, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe

Peer Reviewed Publications

Most female birds have only a left ovary and associated oviduct. The entry to the oviduct is on the left side of the urodeum of the cloaca. This arrangement may favor males that mount females from the left during copulation if it results in sperm being placed closer to the opening of the oviduct. Therefore, we predicted a left-sided directional bias of cloacal contacts during House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) copulations. Cloacal contacts from the left outnumbered those from the right 74 to 25 (3:1) during 25 bouts of copulation at 11 House Sparrow nests. While this pattern suggests …