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Nebraska Bird Review- Whole Issue June 1989

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1988 Nebraska Nesting Report ....................34
The Eighty-eighth (1988) Annual Meeting ..............41
Second Report of the N.O.U. Records Committee .....42
Nesting Ecology of Sedge Wrens in Hall County, Nebraska...........47
"Young Purple Finch"; Some Questions ...............49
Nebraska Natural Heritage Program Request for Help.........51
An Iceland Gull in Cedar County, Nebraska....................52
Notes on Black-legged Kittiwakes in Cedar County, Nebraska..................53
Notes ..................54
Book Reviews..................54

1988 Treasurer's Report

Nebraska Bird Review

1988 TREASURER'S REPORT

1988 (Thirty-First) Fall Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

1988 (THIRTY-FIRST) FALL OCCURRENCE REPORT

Two hundred eight-two species were reported from fourteen "full time" locations. plus fourteen "spot check" locations, which included forty-nine counties. The figures for 1987 were 296. plus two possibilities. from fourteen "full time' and four "soot check" locations; 1986 293 and one possibility from thirteen "full time" and four "spot check" locations; and 1985 283 and one possibility from eleven "full time" and eight "spot check" locations.

The information is presented in a rough west (left) to east (right) order, with locations of about the same latitude listed with the northernmost first. Two dates indicate …

Correction To 1988 Spring Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

CORRECTION TO 1988 SPRING OCCURRENCE REPORT

The following corrections should be made in the Lancaster Co. column of the 1988 Spring Occurrence Report: Ring-billed Gull to W-S, Lark Bunting to Je 1 - Je 30.

1988 Christmas Count

Nebraska Bird Review

One hundred ten species were reported on the 1988 Christmas Counts, and two were seen in the count circles during the count week, but not recorded on any count. And there were eight "species" reported, some of which might have added to the count if they could have been identified. Last year the count, from the same locations, was 114 species, and one species seen during the period but not included on any count. The total individual count this year was 505,823; it was 408,096 last year. DeSoto NWR had a total count of 331,124 this year, compared to 77,842 …

Notes-Nebraska Bird Review March 1989

Nebraska Bird Review

KESTREL NEST BOX RESULTS. In 1986 the Game and Parks Commission obtained the consent of the Department of Roads to install nest boxes, intended for Kestrels, on the back of large highway signs on 1-80 between Lincoln and Omaha. Kestrels nested in old woodpecker holes, but trees, particularly dead trees, have been cut down, and the introductions of the European Starling increased the competition for such cavity nest holes. Since the highway right-of-way is a good hunting area for the Kestrels, it is a good place for nest boxes intended for their use. The Sierra Club worked with the Commission …

Williamson's Sapsucker In Omaha, Barbara L. Wilson

Nebraska Bird Review

On 13 May 1988 Dr. J. J. Baumel discovered a male Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) lying dead below an elevated, glassed-in walkway between buildings on Creighton University's campus in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The bird, beautiful in breeding plumage, was largely black from its awl-shaped bill to its stiff, acuminate central tail feathers. There was a white line beginning at the base of the lower mandible and extending over the face, while another ran back from the eye. The white wing coverts formed a broad white line on the wing. Also, there were white tips on the tertials, while …

Nebraska Bird Review- Whole Issue March 1989

Nebraska Bird Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1988 Treasurer's Report ..................2
1988 Christmas Count..........................3
1988 (Thirty-first) Fall Occurrence Report..........9
Correction to 1988 Spring Occurrence Report............30
Williamson's Sapsucker in Omaha..................30
Notes.........................30

Intensive Animal Industries In The Peel-Harvey Catchment, R W. Payne

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Swan coastal plain to the north and south of Perth is attractive for the intensive production of pigs and poultry for several reasons. It is close to markets, feed manufacturers and labour; has a less extreme climate than inland areas; and is underlain by a large reserve of high quality groundwater.

Because these are all intensive operations, large quantaties of nutrient-rich waste are produced over a very small area. They can severely damage ground and surface waters unless steps are taken to control the wastes which they produce.

This article oulines both the nature of intensive aniamal industries in …

1988 Fall Field Day

Nebraska Bird Review

There were 65 people who attended part or all of the 1988 Fall Meeting at Halsey Forest 8-9 October. This included Dr. Jan Skoudin, of Prague, Czechoslovakia. Saturday night Dr. Julie Ann Savidge spoke on “The Extinction of an Island Forest Avifauna by an Introduced Snake”, a summary of her investigation of the brown tree snake’s effect on Guam’s avifauna. There was also a short slide show. The rest of the time was available for birding. A few NOU members came early enough on Friday to work with members of the US Forest Service on a butterfly and hummingbird garden …

"Index To Volume 56," From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1988) 56(4).

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 56

9 pages

"Notes," From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1988) 56(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

ADDITIONAL REPORTS FROM THOMAS COUNTY, SPRING 1988. Mike Dwyer, then working on a grouse telemetry project at Halsey Forest for the Game and Parks Commission, reported a Northern Saw-whet Owl 10 May. Mr. Dwyer's comments were: Most likely territorial male. Constant repetitions whistle. First vocalizations heard at 2345 h. in mixed hardwood/conifers. On 13 June he reported a Chuck-will's-widow, with these remarks: Was close enough to detect the "chuck" syllable of the call. Calling occurred at dusk in mixed hardwoods/conifers.

Announcement About The 20th International Ornithological Congress In Nebraska Bird Review (December 1988) 56(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

THE 20TH INTERNATIONAL ORNITHOLOGICAL CONGRESS will take place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 2-9 December 1990. The Congress programme will include 7 plenary lectures, 48 symposia, contributed papers (spoken and poster), workshops, round-table discussions and films. There will be a mid-Congress excursion, day. Longer tours are planned to interesting ornithological sites in New Zealand before anc.' after the Congress, including the post Congress cruises to sub-antarctic islands.

"Book Reviews," From Nebraska Bird Review (December 1988) 56(4).

Nebraska Bird Review

The Collins Guide to the Birds of Britian and Europe, with North Africa and the Middle East, Hermann Heinzel, Richard Fitter, and John Parslow, 326 pp., 4 1/2 x 7 1/2, index. The Stephen Greene Press, Lexing ton, Mass., softbound $15.95.

The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of West Africa, William Serle and Gerard J. Morel, 352 pp., 5 x 8, index. The Stephen Greene Press, Lexington, Mass., hardbound $21.95.

The Official List Of The Birds Of Nebraska

Nebraska Bird Review

The following is a list of species of birds whose occurrence in Nebraska has been proven to the satisfaction of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee. It includes records considered through 31 Dec. 1987. The sequence and nomenclature follow that used in the A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds, 6th ed., 1983, and its supplements through the 36th.

The list includes 406 species; several other species are currently under review. The list also indicates how frequently each species has been acceptably reported in the past decade (1977-1987) to give some idea of current status. Frequency of occurrence is indicated …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 1988) 56(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska.................86

1988 Fall Field Day.................97

Book Reviews.................97

Notes.................99

Index to Volume 56 .................100

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (September 1988) 56(3).

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 in 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.

"Book Review," In Nebraska Bird Review (September 1988) 56(3), Rick Wright

Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Birds: Breeding Status and Distribution, by James E. Ducey, maps by Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory, University of Nebraska at Omaha. Illustrated by Paul A. Johnsgard, xiii + 148 pp., 8½ x 11, Simmons-Boardman Books, Omaha, 1988, soft cover $19.95.

White-Winged Dove In Dawson County, Lloyd G. Kaufman, Paul Kaufman

Nebraska Bird Review

On 3 July 1988, my wile and I saw a dove south of Cozad, Nebraska. We were driving at road speed, and not really bird watching. I caught a glimpse of white on the dove's wings as it flew and by the time I got stopped the dove circled about 0.25 mile away. We never got our binoculars on the dove at all, but we both noted the white trailing edge of the wings and on the tail. We are not sure enough to claim anything. I have been by there 15 to 20 times since then and have not …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 1988) 56(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

White-winged Dove in Dawson County? .............54

1988 (Sixty-third) Spring Occurrence Report .............55

Notes .............77

Book Review .............83

1988 (Sixty-Third) Spring Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

Three hundred and six species (plus the possibilities that the Accipter and Empidonax species were ones that were not listed, and that a Louisiana Waterthrush was recorded in Nebraska) are listed in this report, from 15 locations, plus 13 "spot check" columns involving 34 counties. In 1987 there were 288 species from 13 locations and 6 "spot check" columns involving 9 counties; 1986 304 from 13 locations and 9 "spot check" columns involving 24 counties; 1985 296 from 13 locations and 9 "spot check" columns (plus additions on NBR 53: 70) involving 22 counties; and in 1984 293 from 12 …

"Notes" From Nebraska Bird Review (Sept 1988) 56(3).

Nebraska Bird Review

BRANT AT FUNK LAGOON. Rick Peifer and I co-led a Bell Museum of Natural History (University of Minnesota) field trip to the Platte River ill March 1988. On 21 March about 25 of us went to Funk WPA (Phelps Co.) about 14:00, We found only a few thousand waterfowl, the remainder had apparently been driven off by USFWS personnel as a preventative measure against a further outbreak of fowl cholera. We were on the NI S road between sections 1 and 2, T6N, R17W, and saw only about 1,000 to 1,500 geese (mostly Canada’s, plus some White-fronted) plus a few …

A Second Bald Eagle Nest In Nebraska, Greg Wingfield

Nebraska Bird Review

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Nebraska is considered an uncommon migrant and locally common winter resident. Formerly, the species was a common breeder in eastern Nebraska (Johnsgard, 1986). The only previously known modern (1900s) nesting attempt took place in 1973 in Cedar Co., northeast of Crofton, Nebraska (Lock and Shuckman, 1973). This nest occurred along the Missouri River, downstream of Lewis and Clark Reservoir. Between the latter part of January and 25 March 1973, a pair of Eagles was observed while building a nest, copulating, perching near the nest, and sitting on the completed nest. Eventually, the …

Book Reviews Of Bird Navigation: The Solution Of A Mystery?, The Last Of The Curlews, A Naturalist's Sketchbook, Bird Walk Through The Bible, Life Histories Of North American Petrels And Pelicans And Their Allies And Love Of Loons, Thomas E. Labedz

Nebraska Bird Review

Bird Navigation: The Solution of a Mystery?, R. Robin Baker, 1984, Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc., New York. vi + 256 pp., ISBN 0-340-33416-9, softcover, no price given. Originally published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. in Great Britain but handled in the United States by Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc., Import Division, IUB Building, 30 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003.

R. Robin Baker, Reader in Zoology at the University of Manchester, is a noted authority on avian navigation. The word "solution" in the title of this book is somewhat misleading because this book does not solve the mystery of …

Notes- Nebraska Bird Review June 1988

Nebraska Bird Review

YOUNG GREAT HORNED OWLS On 5 April 1988 we banded two young Great Horned Owls that were in a nest near Laurel, in Cedar Co., Neb. An adult Owl was first seen on this nest 3 March. The nest was approximately 31 feet above the ground in a dead Siberian elm tree. One adult Owl was in the nest as we approached it at about 7:00 PM. The adult bird flew of the nest and remained about 200 meters away, in a small grove of trees. It took us about 35 minutes to set up our ladder, retrieve and band …

Occurrence Of Ross Geese (Chen Rossii) Detected From Avian Cholera Losses, Randy G. Stutheit

Nebraska Bird Review

During the annual spring waterfowl migration, an estimated 5-7 million ducks and geese pass through the Nebraska Rainwater Basins area. The Rainwater Basins area covers all or parts of 17 counties in south-central Nebraska, encompassing some 4,200 square miles. Wetlands of various size, depth, and water permanency are scattered throughout this area. These wetlands are important resting and feeding areas for ducks and geese on their migration north to the breeding grounds. Avian cholera, a highly infectious bacterial disease of waterfowl, has also been an annual visitor to the Rainwater Basins since 1975, killing from as many as an estimated …

Two Species Of Marsh Wren (Cistothorus Palustris) In Nebraska, Donald E. Kroodsma

Nebraska Bird Review

The consequences of a grand evolutionary experiment are evident throughout Nebraska. During the Pleistocene, many taxa were apparently separated into eastern and western populations. Today many of these eastern and western counterparts meet in the Great Plains, especially in Nebraska. Some pairs now hybridize freely (towhees. orioles. flickers), while others do not (buntings, grosbeaks, meadowlarks) (see Rising 1983).

The Marsh Wren is still another, previously unrecognized, taxon that consists of an eastern and western counterpart. Data from Nebraska and elsewhere in North America suggest that there are two forms of the Marsh Wren, perhaps as vocally different from each other …

The Nebraska Bird Review June 1988- Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

The Eighty-seventh (1988) Annual Meeting ....................34

1987 Nebraska Nesting Survey ....................35

Two Species of Maarsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) in Nebraska? ....................40

Nest Scrape Characteristics of Piping Plover and Least Tern in Nebraska ....................42

Occurrence of Ross' Geese (Chen rossii) detected from Avian Cholera Losses ....................44

Tundra Swans in Lincoln County, Nebraska ....................46

A Second Bald Eagle Nest in Nebraska ....................47

Book Reviews ....................48

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

1987 Nebraska Nesting Survey, Esther V. Bennett

Nebraska Bird Review

Data on the 1987 nesting season in Nebraska were received from 32 observers and three organizations, reporting on 72 species from 46 counties. Counties on the tabulation are listed in a west to east order, with the northernmost of the approximately equal locations given first. Numbers represent Nest Record Cards; A (for aliment) represents carrying food; C represents colony for which no nest numbers were reported (but 15 individuals were reported); F represents feeding young; N represents nests observed for which no Nest Record Card was submitted; P represents brood patch; X represents a nest built and occupied for a …

The Eighty-Seventh (1988) Annual Meeting

Nebraska Bird Review

The eighty-seventh Annual Meeting was held 20-22 May, at Camp Kiwanis in Scottsbluff, at the invitation of the Wildcat Audubon Society. There were about 85 effective registrations, including two from the state of Washington, one from New Jersey, and one from New Hampshire. There was the usual get-together and slide show on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday mornings were for birding, Saturday afternoon was the formal meeting, and Saturday night the banquet. In the afternoon R. George Corner spoke on Fossil Birds of Nebraska, II. (The II is in recognition of Myron H. Swenk's article. on fossil birds of Nebraska …