Zoology Commons^™

Nebraska Bird Review March 2002 Volume 70 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Winter Field Report, compiled by W. Ross Silcock..................2

Species Accounts..................4

2001-2002 Christmas Bird Counts Introduced
and Compiled by Janis Paseka..................22

2001-2002 Christmas Bird Counts for Twelve
Locations..................26

Index To Volume 70

Nebraska Bird Review

Index to Volume 70

Index From Nebraska Bird Review December 2001 Volume 69 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

INDEX (12 pages) A-Z

Adams, Betty 23

Alexander, Irene 23

Allen, Elizabeth 3, 47,159

Allison, Mary 22

American, Redstart 184

Amiotte, Sue 48

Andrews, Ron 5

Anhinga 161

Arizona 96

Avocet, American 37, 57, 94, 116, 140, 169, 204

Babbitt, Charles E. 133

Bachel, Elaine 47

Badura, Laurel 47, 160

Barth, Roland 48

Bedows, Elliott 23, 107, 159

Beede, Dillon 22

Benson, Joan 18

Bielenburg, Warren 23

Yellowlegs
Greater 37, 46, 57, 116, 142, 146,148,169
Lesser 38,46, 57, 116, 133, 136-137,140,142,147,169
sp. 204

Yellowthroat, Common 40, 73, 128, 151,158,185

Young, Kay 23

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review December 2001 Volume 69 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review (http://rip.physics.unk.eduINOU/) 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, …

Fall Field Report, August-November 2001, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This Fall Report offers something for everybody. Leading off are significant breeding reports of Ruddy Duck in the Rainwater Basin and Snowy Plover at Lake McConaughy. As observers bird more regularly in late July to early August we are finding that many species begin to move earlier than often realized. There were many reports of birds such as failed breeders, molt migrants, and early-fledged juveniles wandering about. Some of these prove tough identification challenges, too. Early birds were mostly water-related; Eared Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, and Osprey, but also Prairie Falcon in the east, and Rusty Blackbird too. Some …

Nebraska Bird Review- Whole Issue December 2001 Volume 69 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Fall Field Report, August-November 2001 Compiled
by W. Ross Silcock ..........................158

Species Accounts.......................... 160

Bird Records of Sporting Editor Sandy Griswold on Fowl
Hunting Trips in the Sand Hills from 1887 to 1928
by J. E. Ducey ..........................190

Index for Volume 69, 1-4 ..........................212

Analaysis Of Long-Eared Owl (Asio Otus) Pellets From Eastern Nebraska, Rachel D. Mahan, Emily C. Mahan, Brandon D. Sachtleben

Nebraska Bird Review

A common way to determine the food habits of an owl is to analyze prey remains found within regurgitated pellets, called "owl pellets." We collected and analyzed owl pellets found under a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) roost in eastern Nebraska as part of two grade school science fair projects. The results are presented here to add to the knowledge about the food habits of this species in Nebraska.

A Bird On The Shoreline, Shelly Clark

Nebraska Bird Review

A Bird on the Shoreline

My daughter tells me she doesn't believe in God.

Her words pour onto the supper table like milk spilling.

In measured silence

she waits for what I will say.

The evening news mumbles in the background,

dog scratching at the door.

I look out the window to September sky opening

its dark blue skirt of night. I tell her

the Piping plovers will be leaving soon, if they haven't already.

Asking her, do you remember the first time we saw them through binoculars,

on the broad sandbar new McConaughy?

You were eight or nine.

How …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review September 2001

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Reyiew (http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOU/) 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, …

Nou Spring Meeting Bird Count, 18 To 20 May, Camp Calvin Crest (Fremont)

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU Spring Meeting Bird Count

18 to 20 May, Camp Calvin Crest (Fremont)

Summer Field Report, June And July 2001, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Jaeger at Lake McConaughy; the continuing advance of the Eurasian Collared-Dove; possible breeding or hybridization with Eurasian Collared-Dove of White-winged Dove at Kearney; a resurgence of Black-billed Cuckoos; breeding of Long-eared Owl in Knox County; hummingbirds (including Calliope) in the Panhandle; and interesting information on the Red Crossbills on the Pine Ridge.

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue September 2001 Volume 69 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Summer Field Report, compiled by W. Ross Silcock................................. 106

Species Accounts................................. 108

Bird Hunts of Omaha Sportsmen's Clubs, 1858-1887
by J. E. Ducey .................................133

NOU Spring Meeting Bird Count .................................148

Analysis Of long-eared Owl (Asio Otus) Pellets From
Eastern Nebraska by Mahan, Mahan, and Sachtleben .................................152

A Poem by Shelly Clark .................................155

Comments On Nebraska's Falconiform And Stringiform Bird Fauna, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

Owing to a lack of long-term survey data, determining whether Nebraska's raptor numbers are stable, increasing, or decreasing is difficult. Unlike our relatively well-monitored gamebirds, no regular surveys have been performed, and raptors barely register on the state's Breeding Bird Surveys or Christmas Bird Counts, owing to their relative rarity. However, a few data-points of interest do exist, which might be worth summarizing.

In one of the first multi-year surveys of Sandhills avifauna, H. Elliott McClure (1966) summarized raptor abundance data based on three years of study in the Nebraska Sandhills (1 941-1 944). During that period, he typically drove …

1999 (Eleventh) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Joel G. Jorgensen

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 has been appended nine times (Mollhoff 1989, Grenon 1990, Grenon 1991, Gubanyi 1996a, Gubanyi 1996b, Gubanyi 1996c, Brogie 1997, Brogie 1998, Brogie 1999). An update of the OFFICIAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEBRASKA was first published in 1997 (NOU …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review June 2001

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review (http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOUI) 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 …

1999-2000 Nebraska Nesting Report, Wayne Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

In the interest of expediency, the nesting reports for the 1999 and 2000 seasons are combined. In addition to records from those two years, several other previously unreported records are also included. Full dates are included with each record to minimize confusion.

Observations by the following individuals (identified in the report by their initials) are included in the nesting report: John Brenneman (J.B.), John Dinan (J.D.), Dale Dvorak (D.D.), Jon Farrar (J.F.), Michael Forsberg (M.F.), Joe Gabig (J.G.), Chris Helzer (C.H.), Jan Johnson (J.J.), Alice Kenitz (A.K), Joanne Luebbert (J.L.), Nick Limon (N.L), Leonard McDaniel (L.M.), Wayne Mollhoff (W.M.), Gregory …

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Treasurer's Report, Calendar Year 2000, Betty Grenon

Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc.

Treasurer's Ripor

Calendar Year 2000

Spring Field Report, March-May 2001, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As this is being written (July 2001 ), the new book Birds of Nebraska (Sharpe, Silcock, Jorgensen; University of Nebraska Press) has just been released. From now on everyone can check early and late dates and high counts as well as distribution within the state and have a much better feel for which sightings are significant. Probably the most outstanding ornithological events this spring were a few record early arrivals (Western and Clark's Grebes, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting) and a large number of "rather early" arrivals; "rather early" means not record early but right up there. There were also some …

The Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue- Volume 69 Number 2 June 2001

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Spring Field Report, compiled by W. Ross Silcock ........................ 46

Species Accounts ........................ 48

Comments on Nebraska's Falconiform and Strigiform bird fauna by Paul Johnsgard ........................ 80

1999 (Eleventh) Report of the NOU Records Committee compiled by Joel G. Jorgensen, ........................ 85

1999 - 2000 Nebraska Nesting Report by Wayne J. Mollhoff ........................ 92

NOU Treasurer's Report, Calendar Year 2000........................ 102

Determining Differences In The Spatial Distribution Of Forest Structure On The Kaibab Plateau: Implications For Forest Management And The Northern Goshawk, Ryan S. Miller

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

The Kaibab Plateau, in North Central Arizona, has undergone extensive change in the last 100 years due to land management practices such as logging, road building, and fire suppression. The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has been a center of controversy, due to the potential effects of silvicultural practices on goshawk breeding habitat (Reynolds-1983, Bloom et al 1986, Kennedy 1989, Crocker-Bedford 1990). Current and past research efforts on the Kaibab Plateau have mapped Goshawk nesting territories and temporal change in nesting behavior and success. However, these research efforts have not determined how long-term spatial changes in land-use activities that have influenced …

First Record Of A Reddish Egret For Nebraska, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

On 27 September 2000, I was birding the west end of Lake McConaughy from Marina Landing. At 2:15 p.m., I noticed a few egrets farther east off Cedar Vue. By 2:30 p.m. I had arrived at Cedar Vue and began looking over the egrets. The egrets were loosely scattered in a small area with numerous Great Blue Herons, approximately 400m from the north shore of the lake. There were six egrets present--4 Great Egrets, 1 Snowy Egret, and an intermediate-sized bird that I identified as a white morph Reddish Egret. The Reddish Egret foraged for about half an hour and …

First Confirmed Records Of Dusky Flycatcher For Nebraska, Stephen J. Dinsmore, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Prior to the fall of 2000, there were no accepted records of Dusky Flycatcher for Nebraska. With the exception of a single sight record by Silcock (17 May 1992) judged "Hypothetical" by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee, this species had been unreported in Nebraska. Dusky Flycatchers breed locally in the Black Hills of South Dakota (Peterson 1990) and were presumed to occur in western Nebraska. Here, we report the capture of three Dusky Flycatchers in Kimball County and three additional sight records from western Nebraska.

On 31 August 2000, we were mist netting below the dam of Oliver Reservoir …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review March 2001

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 everywhere else. 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 …

Winter Field Report, December 2000 To February 2001, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

What a difference a year makes! After all sorts of unusual midwinter reports last winter, this winter seemed more normal, as entire species actually left the state for a while. Although not extremely cold, the cool temperatures were persistent in November and December, flushing out many of the semi-hardy species and freezing most bodies of water.

There were, nevertheless, some notable tardies: a first Panhandle winter Wood Duck; a Spotted Sandpiper in December at Harlan County Res; a first December Eastern Phoebe; a third January Gray Catbird; a second December Pine Warbler; a 3rd overwintering Yellow-headed Blackbird; and the farthest …

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue- Volume 69 March 2001 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Winter Field Report, compiled by W. Ross Silcock.................................. 2

Species Accounts .................................. 3

2000-2001 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count Summary
by Stephen J. Dinsmore .................................. 19

First confirmed records of Dusky Flycatcher for Nebraska
Stephen J. Dinsmore and W. Ross Silcock .................................. 33

NOU Fall Field Days Count from Ogallala .................................. 36

First record of a Reddish Egret for Nebraska
Stephen J. Dinsmore.................................. 42

The 2000-2001 Nebraska Christmas Bird Count, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2000-2001 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) period included nine counts in Nebraska, down one from last year. New this year was the resurrected Crawford count while Kearney and Dakota-Dix were missing (Table 1). These counts reported a total of 117 species and nearly 138,000 individuals, which is not bad for such a cold count period. Counts were scattered statewide, but most effort was in the eastern half of the state where most of the birders are. The top count again this year was Lake McConaughy with 93 species. Other excellent totals included 71 at Harlan County and 65 at Branched …

Peripheral Blood Leukocyte Response And Macrophage Function During Eimeria Adenoeides Infection In Turkey Poults, Amanda D. Drake, Sarah E. Heuer, Timothy G. Kimball, Timothy O. Peters, H. David Chapman, Gisela F. Erf

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

Intestinal coccidiosis, caused by various species of Eimeria, is an economically important disease of chickens and turkeys. The peripheral blood leukocyte response and macrophage functions during a coccidial infection in turkeys have not been defined. To examine these aspects of innate immunity during primary Eimeria infection in turkeys, 4-week-old poults were orally inoculated with either 50,000 E. adenoeides oocyst (24 infected poults) or water (24 control poults). To monitor the concentrations and proportions of white blood cells (WBC) throughout the course of infection, heparinized blood was collected from 12 infected and 12 control poults prior to inoculation (day 0), and …

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

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 [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; …