Zoology Commons^™

Notes [September 1989]

Nebraska Bird Review

“Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nest in Cass County”: On 2 July 1989 Greg Hertel, Murray, Cass Co., reported an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in his yard. He thought it had left the area, but Betty Allen and Ruth Green went down on 8 July to look for it, and they finally found it (a male) in Young Memorial Park. The next morning Betty took others down to see it and found a female on a nest on a 40-foot light pole used to floodlight the ball field.

“National Wildlife Federation Eagle Survey” (by Greg Wingfield, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission): The 1989 NWF …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 1989) 57(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes in the A.O.U. Check-list ... 58

1989 (Sixty-fourth) Spring Occurrence Report ... 59

Cassin's Sparrow in Dundy and Chase Counties, Nebraska ... 67

1986: A Nebraska Big Year ... 71

Notes [Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nest in Cass County, National Wildlife Federation Eagle Survey, and Whooping Crane Report] ... 81

Book Reviews ... 83

1988 Nebraska Nesting Report, Esther V. Bennett

Nebraska Bird Review

Data on the 1988 Nesting season in Nebraska were received from 25 observers and 2 agencies, reporting on 94 species from 52 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; underlined numbers represent nests reported on Colonial Bird Register Forms; C represents carrying food; E represents eggs; F represents feeding; H represents nest building (home); N represents nests observed for which no Nest Record Card was submitted; S represents fecal sacs; V represents feeding Brown-headed Cowbird (visitor); X is used …

An Iceland Gull In Cedar County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie, Ed M. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

An Iceland Gull in Cedar County, Nebraska

Both Johnsgard (1986) and Bray et al. (1986) list the Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides) as accidental; the only record from Nebraska being a first-year male bird shot from a flock of crows by a boy at Dorchester, Saline Co., on 15 January 1907. The specimen was supposedly preserved, but now cannot be located with certainty. The following provides the second record for this species for Nebraska.

On 4 December 1988 we observed a first winter Iceland Gull at the Gavin's Point tailwaters, Cedar Co., Nebraska. The bird was first seen flying from a …

Book Reviews-Nebraska Bird Review (June 1989), Larry L. Einemann

Nebraska Bird Review

The Complete Birder, A Guide to Better Birding, Jack Connor, illustrated by Margaret LaFarge, xiii + 285 pp., Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, softcover $8.95.

The Complete Birder is divided into twelve chapters that can aid both the serious birder and the beginning birder. Connor opens with a chapter entitled "The Sporting Science". In this chapter he unequivocally states outright that birding is not easy, no matter how experienced one is nor how well equipped. He does say, and I tend to agree, that "birding can be exhilarating, enlightening, evocative, or exasperating -- and often all of these at once He …

Nebraska Natural Heritage Program Request For Help, Mary Kay Clausen

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program is a computer-assisted inventory of rare or uncommon plants, animals, and communities in Nebraska. This information is used to help establish protection priorities, land protection, species review, impact assessment, research, and for education. We are currently operating under a two-year contract between the Nature Conservancy and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Our office is in the Nebraska Game and Parks building in Lincoln. We have a full-time staff consisting of a Botanist, Zoologist, and Community Ecologist,

As the Zoologist for the Program, I would like to solicit the help of NOU members. Currently, I …

Nesting Ecology Of Sedge Wrens In Hall County, Nebraska, Gary R. Lingle, Paul A. Bedell

Nebraska Bird Review

The status of the Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) in Nebraska is not well known. Cink (1973) summarized summer records from 1867 to 1971 and described only a few nest records. One nest discovered on 28 August 1902 at Capitol Beach, Lancaster Co., was assumed empty, apparently because of the late date. Bedell (1987) recorded July and August sightings in south central Nebraska and raised the question of whether these birds were migrants or nesting.

Sedge Wrens are frequently polygynous (Crawford 1977, Burns 1982) and may exhibit two waves of nesting effort in some areas (Burns 1982). Nest initiation …

Notes On Black-Legged Kittiwakes In Cedar County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The Black-legged Kittiwake is listed as accidental for Nebraska by both Johnsgard (1986) and Bray et al. (1986). Only a few documented records exist for this species for the state. Photographs of Black-legged Kittiwakes found in Cedar Co., 1988, are in possession of the author and others have been sent to the Nebraska Records Committee.

On 26 November 1988 Bill Huser found a first-winter plumaged Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) at the tailwaters of Gavin's Point Dam, Cedar Co. Nebraska. On 2 December David Stage visited the area and found a Kittiwake frequenting the same area. He observed it feeding in …

Notes-Nebraska Bird Review (June 1989), Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

GLAUCOUS GULL IN CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA. On 4 December 1988, Ed M. Brogie observed and photographed a first-winter plumaged Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) at the tailwaters of Gavin's Point Dam, Cedar Co., Nebraska. It was seen in the company of several Herring (Larus argentatus) and Ring-billed (Larus delawarensis) Gulls, and was noticeably larger than both these species. Its large, bicolored bill, dark eye, flesh-colored feet, and large flattened head were noted. Its body feathers were whitish in color, intermixed with brown fleckings. The wings appeared long and had the translucent primaries characteristic of the species. …

The Second Report Of The N.O.U. Records Committee, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

This report contains individual accounts of 56 accepted records of 37 species and 8 non-accepted records of 7 species. The records were contributed by 36 observers. This report covers most of the records n66 - n150. At the NOU Fall Field Day on 3 October 1987, the committee decided to act as repository for all photos published in the Nebraska Bird Review. A decision was also made to simply file for record those records which were not deemed unusual enough to warrant full committee action. Thus, the discrepancy between the number of records logged into the files versus the …

The Eighty-Eighth (1989) Annual Meeting

Nebraska Bird Review

Clear skies and good weather greeted the participants (there were 66 registered) at the 1989 Annual Meeting, held at the 4-H Camp at Halsey Forest 19 to 21 May. There was a Board meeting Friday night; Saturday and Sunday mornings were open for birding; there was a tour of the tree nursery facilities Saturday morning, and a Records Committee meeting; Saturday afternoon Reid Miller, of the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument gave a talk on the Monument, followed by the business meeting. All present officers were re-elected: Thomas Labedz, President; Doug G, Thomas, vice-president; Ruth Green, Secretary; Alice Kenitz, Treasurer; …

Young Purple Finch; Some Questions, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

A recent note in the Review (Green, 1988) reported on an immature Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus) and gave the impression that the bird was hatched in eastern Nebraska. Before a claim is made that would imply a first state breeding record, and it becomes an unquestioned part of the state's literature, I believe the evidence should be closely examined and be as irrefutable as possible. The report cites evidence used to support the claim of recent, nearby fledgling, but, in my opinion, the cited evidence refutes rather than supports that claim. Since the species has never been reported …

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 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 …

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.

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

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.

"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.

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.

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.

"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 …

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 …