Population Biology Commons^™

Diet And Habitat Analysis Of Barn Owls (Tyto Alba) Nesting At Ponca State Park, Ann Spilker, Joseph A. Gubanyi

Nebraska Bird Review

In 2015 Barn Owls (Tyto alba) nested on the floor of a grain bin in Ponca State Park, Dixon County. Seven nestlings were observed (Figure 1). It is believed that 6 fledged (one carcass was found on the floor of the bin September 26). Barn Owls were not observed the following spring (Jan Johnson, personal communication). Because there are few records of Barn Owls in the region, we collected data to better understand the Barn Owl nesting in Ponca State Park. Barn Owl prey and their importance to reproductive success has been well documented (Marti et al. 2005; Gubanyi et …

2016 (28th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) are described in its bylaws (NOURC 2010). 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. Accidental and casual species for which the NOURC seeks documentation (NOURC Review List) can be found at the NOU website: www.NOUbirds.org. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, NE. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The annual meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union was held at the Senior Center in Auburn on May 19-21, 2017, and was organized by Robin Harding and Don and Janis Paseka. About 70 birders attended on a weekend that began wet but finished with more birder-friendly conditions. Our Friday evening program was a presentation by Kevin Holliday, Superintendent of Indian Cave State Park. He mentioned the park’s features including the cave and petroglyphs, St. Deroin cemetery, 22 miles of trails, Missouri River overlook and reconstructed town. He also highlighted the many events held in the park during the year, including …

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone Canadensis Tabida) Copulation Detected Along The Big Bend Of The Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, Andrew J. Caven, Emma M. Brinley Buckley

Nebraska Bird Review

On 9 March 2017 at 0805 hrs, two A. canadensis tabida were observed copulating on a sandy island within the south channel of the Platte River, Hall County, Nebraska (40.790982°N, -98.404635°W, WGS84; 581 m elev.). Two biologists witnessed the copulation at a distance of about 175 m looking to the south from within an overnight viewing blind on the north bank of the south channel of the Platte River, utilizing an 80 mm spotting scope (20x60x magnification). The sequence of events previous to the copulation followed very closely the observations reported by Tacha (1988). The copulation was proceeded by the …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 June 2017 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 54

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis tabida) Copulation Detected Along the Big Bend of the Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, by Andrew J. Caven and Emma M. Brinley Buckley … 83

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, by Janis Paseka … 85-90

Subscription and Organization Information … 91

Spring Field Report, March-May 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In general, this was a routine spring, except for remarkable numbers reported of several species, and a notable paucity of most species of wood-warblers. A huge Snow Goose flock in the east was estimated to contain 500,000- 1,000,000 birds; other notable numbers were 2000 Tree Swallows and 5000 Cliff Swallows, both record counts, 44 Black-capped Chickadees, 300 House Wrens, 62 Fox and 76 Song Sparrows on the same day at a single location, 168 Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos, and 10,000 Common Grackles. Perhaps the most notable phenomenon this spring was the dearth of migrant wood-warblers. Joel Jorgensen constructed graphics based on …

2016 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Fourteen Nebraska counts were held during the 2016 CBC season, which is one less than last year. The Harrison and Crawford counts were cancelled this year, but in the opposite corner of the state, a new count was started that includes Indian Cave State Park. An unusually mild November and a seasonable start to December were followed by a modest cold snap during the second week of the month. The Harlan County count was run early in the period on the 15th with ample open water, and it produced a record number of species (90) for that circle. But in …

Brambling In Bellevue, Sarpy County, Loren Padelford, Babs Padelford

Nebraska Bird Review

As we were having breakfast on January 8, 2017, we spotted an unusuallooking bird with House Sparrows in the tree above our deck. After consulting the National Geographic field guide, we determined it was a Brambling. Soon it was feeding on the deck where we were able to get some photos. It was first spotted at 9:25 a.m. and again at 10:30. We put the information on NEBirds and by late morning birders began to arrive.The first group saw the bird at 12:02. By early afternoon we had standing room only in our family room. The bird appeared again at …

Annual Color Photo Section 2017, The Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Bird Review

For our color photo section this year we asked especially for photos of birds in unexpected places. The images on this page and the following two pages show birds in surprising locations or unusual geographic ranges.

32 images

Canyon Wren in wheel of the photographer’s Subaru at Mary Sue Shoemaker’s ranch in central Cherry Co, 20 Nov 2016. 5th record of this species for Nebraska. Photo by Joel Jorgensen.

Great Horned Owl at water feature in the photographer’s yard, Dixon Co., 18 April 2017. Photo by Jan Johnson.

Brambling, 4th record in Nebraska, coming to the feeders at the home …

Winter Field Report, December 2016 To February 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was an interesting winter from several standpoints. The trend of unexpected winter occurrences and earlier arrivals in “spring” continued. Mid-winter records of several species were notable: Rock Wren, Marsh Wren, American Pipit, Pine Warbler, and Chipping Sparrow. Rarities (see below) that could be considered in this category as well were Golden-crowned Sparrow and Lesser Goldfinch. For earlier arrivals, there was a noticeable influx 14-18 Feb of various species that provided rather early dates for those species. In this group were Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, and Turkey Vulture.

Some amazing numbers were reported, including a …

Population And Morphological Changes In American Kestrels Through Space And Time, Teresa E. Ely

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A once common raptor, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) has experienced population declines in the last two decades throughout North America. Many hypotheses exist about the decline, including mortality from West Nile virus, rodenticide poisoning, climate change, an increase in predators, and core habitat loss or degradation, which could influence food availability. Food availability is key to raptor survival and reproduction, and changes in food availability throughout the year can have lifelong effects on size and body condition. Here we examine how morphology, specifically mass and wing chord, has changed at seven migration sites throughout North America as …

Across-Year Social Stability Shapes Network Structure In Wintering Migrant Sparrows, Daizaburo Shizuka, Alexis S. Chaine, Jennifer Anderson, Oscar Johnson, Inger Marie Laursen, Bruce E. Lyon

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Migratory birds often form flocks on their wintering grounds, but important details of social structure such as the patterns of association between individuals are virtually unknown. We analysed networks of co-membership in short-term flocks for wintering golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) across three years and discovered social complexity unsuspected for migratory songbirds. The population was consistently clustered into distinct social communities within a relatively small area (~ 7 ha). Birds returned to the same community across years, with mortality and recruitment leading to some degree of turnover in membership. These spatiotemporal patterns were explained by the combination of space …

Greater Prairie-Chicken Nest Success And Habitat Selection In Southeastern Nebraska, Ty W. Matthews, Andrew J. Tyre, J. Scott Taylor, Jeffrey J. Lusk, Larkin A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) are reported to benefit from grasslands created through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Prairie-chicken population size increased noticeably in southeastern Nebraska after >15% of county-level landscapes were converted to CRP grasslands. But, the mechanisms behind the increase in population size are not well understood, and managers and policy makers could benefit from evidence of CRP’s relative contribution to populations of prairie-chickens. Therefore, our objectives were to characterize the relations of vegetation structure and composition with prairie-chicken nest-site selection and nest survival rates at both the macrohabitat (within landscape of study site) and microhabitat …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of September Hunting Seasons On Canada Geese In Nebraska, Scott R. Groepper, Mark P. Vrtiska, Larkin A. Powell, Scott E. Hygnstrom

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Populations of temperate-nesting Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have increased in Nebraska, USA, resulting in an increased number of nuisance and damage complaints. September hunting seasons were initiated in southeastern Nebraska in 2004 to reduce populations of Canada geese. We analyzed band recoveries from Canada geese banded in southeastern Nebraska during their hatch-year (HY) or after-hatch-year (AHY) to determine whether September hunting seasons affected survival, harvest, and recovery rates. Survival analyses revealed that HY geese had higher survival than AHY geese (SAHY = 0.696, 95% CI = 0.679–0.713; SHY = 0.896, 95% CI = 0.786–0.953) and September seasons did …

Experimental Inoculation Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus) With Buggy Creek Virus, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Amy T. Moore, Nicholas A. Panella, Eric A. Edwards, Mary Bomberger Brown, Nicholas Komar, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We performed experimental inoculations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) with Buggy Creek virus (BCRV), a poorly known alphavirus (Togaviridae) vectored primarily by the swallow bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae: Oeciacus vicarius) that is an ectoparasite of the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and house sparrow. Viremias were detected by plaque assay in two of six birds on days 1–3 postinoculation; viremia was highest on day 2. Viral RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in blood of six of 12 birds ranging from day 1 to day 15 postinoculation. Infectious BCRV was detected in …

Bird Movement Predicts Buggy Creek Virus Infection In Insect Vectors, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Amy T. Moore, Nicholas Komar

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Predicting the spatial foci of zoonotic diseases is a major challenge for epidemiologists and disease ecologists. Migratory birds are often thought to be responsible for introducing some aviozoonotic pathogens such as West Nile and avian influenza viruses to a local area, but most information on how bird movement correlates with virus prevalence is anecdotal or indirect. We report that the prevalence of Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) infection in cimicid swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius), the principal invertebrate vector for this virus, was directly associated with the likelihood of movement by cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), an amplifying host …

Ecological Correlates Of Buggy Creek Virus Infection In Oeciacus Vicarius, Southwestern Nebraska, 2004, Amy T. Moore, Eric A. Edwards, Mary Bomberger Brown, Nicholas Komar, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Buggy Creek virus (family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, BCRV) is an alphavirus within the western equine encephalitis virus complex whose primary vector is the swallow bug, Oeciacus vicarius Horvath (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), an ectoparasite of the colonially nesting cliff swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, that is also a frequent host for the virus.We investigated ecological correlates of BCRV infection in 100-bug pools at 14 different swallow colony sites in southwestern Nebraska from summer 2004, by using plaque assay on Vero cells to identify cytopathic virus and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to identify noncytopathic viral RNA. We found 26.7% of swallow bug pools …

Avifaunistische Beobachtungen Im Westchentej, Ulrich Zöphel, Jochen Schulenberg, Wolf-Dieter Busching, Ingolf Todte

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This paper reports the results of bird observations at four study sites with many different habitats in the western Chentej-mountains (forest steppe, taiga) at the end of the spring-migration and the beginning of the breeding time. Altogether 134 bird species were observed, about 107 of which are probably breeding birds. Additional birds were caught using 6 mist-nets. In this way 98 birds of 21 species were caught, measured, and ringed. Furthermore feathers have been collected (molting feathers and near two breeding places of Accipiter nisus).

The bird fauna of the larch forests shows a high species richness (108 species), …

Das Arteninventar Der Avifauna Der Mongolei Während Einer Nord-Süd-Durchquerung 1997, Tobias Stenzel, Michael Stubbe, R. Samjaa, Annegret Stubbe, C. Dulamsuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Here we present a detailed report on bird biodiversity of ecosystems along a North-South transect through Mongolia in 1997whic h serves as a guideline for further research projects and training for students in all Mongolian vegetation zones from northern steppes to southern deserts.

Two hundred fifty-five bird species were observed between 21st of July and 10th of August 1997. The main study sites were located in the North the Selenge-Orchon-basin with meadows and dune woodlands 15 km southern from Suchbaatar, the Middle Gobi-Aimag with desert steppes and sajrs (covered with Ulmus pumila) and in the Bordzongijn-gobi in the South …

The Bobwhite Quail, Norm Dey, Jack Sinn

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

A Year with the Bobwhite

Population Dynamics—Managing the Variables

The Way to Quail Abundance

The Ring-Necked Pheasant In Nebraska, William L. Baxter, Carl W. Wolfe

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Ringneck—Its Past and Prospects: A most successful exotic, pheasant numbers are declining

Nuptial Rites and Nesting: Spring recoups winter’s losses

Summer Broods: While cocks undergo their annual moult, hens enter the brooding period; for eight weeks, hens attend chicks

Hunting the Ring-necked Pheasant

Season of Testing: Nebraska’s winters test a pheasant’s mettle, but given good cover and an adequate food supply, the ringneck is almost impervious to the elements

Methods of Management

Life History And Ecology Of The Ring-Necked Pheasant In Nebraska, William L. Baxter, Carl W. Wolfe

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Table of Contents

The Study … 6

Population Studies … 8 ...

Methods … 8 ...

Results and Discussion … 9

Nesting Studies … 13 ...

Methods … 13 ...

Results and Discussion … 14 ...

Nest Parasitism … 16 ...

Effects of Nest Searching on Nest Fate ... 17 ...

Nesting Chronology ... 18 ...

Roadside Nests ... 21 ...

Nesting in Experimental Alfalfa ... 22 ...

Pheasant Production in Wetlands ... 23

Brood Studies … 26 ...

Methods ... 26 ...

Sampling Problems ... 26 ...

Results and Discussion ... 27

Cover Utilization by Pheasant Broods ... 29 …

Life Histories Of North American Nuthatches, Wrens, Thrashers And Their Allies: Order Passeriformes, Arthur Cleveland Bent

Papers in Ornithology

An attempt has been made to give as full a life history as possible of the best-known subspecies of each species and to avoid duplication by writing briefly of the others and giving only the characters of the subspecies, its range, and any -habits peculiar to it. In many cases certain habits, probably common to the species as a whole, have been recorded for only one subspecies. Such habits are mentioned under the subspecies on which the observations were made. The distribution gives the range of the species as a whole, with only rough outlines of the ranges of the …