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Nebraska Bird Review (December 2012) 80(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2012 … 126

Bellevue Fall Field Days ... 158

Notes on a Greater Sage-Grouse Record by Levi L. Mohler ... 162

Index to Volume 80 ... 164

Subscription and Organization Information ... 175

Fall Field Report, August–November 2012, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Some of you may be curious about the sources of sightings I use to compile these reports. The primary sources are reports posted to NEBirds, the Nebraska Listserv, along with the full reports (early and late dates, peak counts for all species) sent by a few faithful reporters around the state. The latter reports are very useful overviews of movements in the reporters' regions. Lately, thanks to a suggestion by Clem Klaphake, I have been receiving the eBird daily rarity report for Nebraska which I find to be an excellent check against reports posted to NEBirds, while providing a few …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2012]

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 Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU …

Notes On A Greater Sage-Grouse Record By Levi L. Mohler, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

In Nebraska, Greater Sage-Grouse has been considered an uncommon casual winter visitor in the extreme northwest (Sharpe et al. 2001). This species may now be extirpated in Nebraska due to habitat loss. There have been no known Nebraska observations of Greater Sage-Grouse in the last 25 years. The only documented record accepted by the NOURC of Greater Sage-Grouse in Nebraska (Accession #243) is a description of an adult male in September 1987 in extreme northwest Sioux County by Douglas Kapke (Grenon AG. 1990).

In 2002 Wayne Mollhoff received the following record from Levi L. Mohler and submitted it to the …

Bellevue Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2012 NOU Fall Field Days was held in conjunction with the Inland Bird Banding Association meeting at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in Bellevue on October 26–28. The meeting, organized by Betty Grenon and Rick Schmid, drew a total of 104 attendees, including 33 members of the Inland Bird Banding Association.

On Friday evening, Phil Swanson's photographic presentation "Welcome to Omaha . . . It's for the Birds" included a brief history of Omaha, an overview of area birding hotspots, and photos of many of the birds which can be seen in the area. Following the presentation, a group led …

Index To Volume 80

Nebraska Bird Review

Addy, Darren 47, 75

Albrecht, Jeff 75

Albright, Patty 111

Allen, Edward 128

Allison, Scott 28, 48

American Ornithologists' Union 120

Anderson, Leif 129

Anthony, Courtney 75

Armknecht, Henry 88

Arnett, Gladys 128

Avocet, American 54, 79, 93, 137

. . .

Wren: Bewick's 99; Carolina 13, 36–37, 63, 99, 110, 147, 161; House 63, 81, 99, 106–110, 147; Marsh 13, 36-37, 63, 81, 99, 147, 161; Rock 63, 99, 119, 147; Sedge 63, 81, 99, 108, 147; Winter 13, 36–37, 63, 147, 160

Wright, Rick 48

Yellowlegs: Greater 10, 54, 93, 137, 160; Lesser 46, 54, 79, 93, 137 …

Winter Ecology Of Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canandensis) In Northern Mexico, Ingrid Barcelo

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) are a widespread species in North America and one of the most studied cranes in the world. However, most of the research has focused on the breeding grounds of Canada and Alaska and the staging grounds of Nebraska. Although an important proportion of the Mid-continent Population of Sandhill Cranes winters in northern Mexico, little information exists on distribution, status, and ecology of the species in Mexico. The goal of this dissertation was to provide new information on Sandhill Crane winter ecology from a regional perspective to better understand population trends. I examined the physiological …

Site Selection By Migratory Shorebirds In Oregon Estuaries Over Broad And Fine Spatial Scales, Aileen Kilpatrick Miller

Dissertations and Theses

Many migratory shorebirds rely on estuaries as stop-over sites to refuel during migration, and the loss of stop-over sites is a primary threat to shorebird populations on the West Coast of the United States (e.g. Calidris alpina pacifica, C. mauri). Conservation and research has focused on the largest of these sites; however, smaller estuaries also host thousands of migratory shorebirds. Furthermore, the reasons for site selection are largely unknown. Estuarine inter-tidal microhabitats are non-uniform and both abiotic and biotic factors may serve as predictors of whether an abundance of shorebirds will use a site. I investigated shorebird site selection on …

Stopover Decisions Of Migratory Shorebirds: An Assessment Of Habitat Use, Food Availability, Behavior And Phenology, Ryan Stutzman

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Habitat loss and alteration from land use change, species invasion, and more recently, climate change has reduced biodiversity and ecosystem function worldwide. Habitat decisions have important implications to individual fitness as well as population dynamics and community structure. Resource limitation, predation, competition, and unfavorable abiotic conditions all have the potential to influence survival and future reproductive potential. Understanding how changes to ecosystem structure and function impact species and populations of conservation concern is essential for conservation delivery to be effective. Similar to many migratory species, shorebird populations are declining worldwide and declines may be related to the loss of important …

Ring-Necked Pheasant Hens Select Managed Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands For Nesting And Brood-Rearing, Ty W. Matthews, J. Scott Taylor, Larkin A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has provided critical wildlife habitat for many species since 1985. However, the quality of this habitat for early successional species, such as ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), may decrease with field age. Late successional grasslands may lack valuable vegetative and structural diversity needed by pheasants, especially during nesting and brood-rearing stages. Since 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture has required new CRP contracts to include plans for mid-contract management, which could include discing and interseeding. The benefits of such practices have not been assessed, and continuation of current policy could be affected by the lack …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 88, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Mccown’S Longspur (Rhynchophanes Mccownii): Species Conservation Assessment, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the McCown’s Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii) as a Tier I at-risk species. Some general management recommendations are made here regarding the McCown’s Longspur (MCLO); however, conservation practitioners will need to use professional judgment to make specific management decisions based on objectives, location, and a multitude of variables. This resource was designed to share available knowledge of MCLO that will aid in the decision-making …

Morph Matters: Aggression Bias In A Polymorphic Sparrow, Brent M. Horton, Mark E. Hauber, Donna L. Maney

Publications and Research

In species with discrete morphs exhibiting alternative behavioral strategies, individuals may vary their aggressive behavior in competitive encounters according to the phenotype of their opponent. Such aggression bias has been documented in multiple polymorphic species evolving under negative frequency-dependent selection, but it has not been well-studied under other selection regimes. We investigated this phenomenon in white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), a passerine with plumage polychromatism maintained by disassortative mating. The two distinct color morphs differ with respect to reproductive strategy in that white-striped birds invest more in territorial aggression than tan-striped birds. Whether territorial aggression in this species is biased according …

Review Of Birds Of Southwestern Nebraska: An Annotated Check-List Of Species In The North And South Platte River Valleys And At Lake Mcconaughy. By Mary Bomberger Brown, Stephen J. Dinsmore, And Charles R. Brown., Wayne Mollhoff

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Opening with a map of the region under study, Birds of Southwestern Nebraska proceeds, in its introduction, to a summary of the presettlement landscape and a description of the large-scale habitat changes occurring since then, along with avian responses to those changes. While crediting previous avian studies in southwestern Nebraska, often not readily available to the public, the authors note this area initially received little attention from ornithologists, who tended to focus on other biologically unique parts of the state, such as the Sandhills, forests, and Pine Ridge. The body of the book consists of a list of species reported …

Review Of Conspecific Attraction And Area Sensitivity Of Grassland Birds, David R.W. Bruinsma, Nicola Koper

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Many species of grassland birds are area sensitive, which may exacerbate the ecological effects of the extensive loss and fragmentation of grasslands that has taken place across the northern Great Plains. However, the reasons for this area sensitivity are unclear, as vegetation structure, matrix composition, and restriction of movements among patches do not seem to provide viable explanations for species native to grasslands. Con specific attraction, whereby species are behaviorally stimulated to select habitat or establish territories near individuals of the same species, may help explain this area sensitivity. We review and discuss theoretical and empirical research on avian conspecific …

Summary And Comparisons Of The Fontenelle Forest And Boyer Chute Maps Stations In Nebraska, Betty Grenon, Rick Schmid

Nebraska Bird Review

This report provides results and comparisons of two Monitoring Avian Productivity & Survivorship (MAPS) stations operated in central eastern Nebraska. MAPS is a multinational research project managed by the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) in Point Reyes, CA (http://www.birdpop.org/maps.htm). The project is designed to monitor the population trends and breeding success of breeding birds in North America. Each year, more than 500 participants throughout North America collect data (via the process of bird banding) according to strict protocols and then submit their data to IBP for analysis and interpretation. MAPS began in 1989, and similar studies have subsequently begun on …

Summer Field Report, June–July 2012, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This summer most of Nebraska was very dry, with "Exceptional Drought" everywhere but the extreme southeast, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu). Although no really striking effects were noted, several bits of evidence attested to the difficult conditions. Wetlands dried up in most cases in the Rainwater Basin, reflected by a lack of Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, and Black-necked Stilts, and there were no stilt nests reported. However, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons surprisingly staged an incursion, perhaps continuing to disperse northward from their customary haunts in the almost equally dry Kansas and Oklahoma. Cliff Swallow colonies may …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2012) 80(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2012 ... 86

Summary and Comparisons of the Fontenelle Forest and Boyer Chute MAPS Stations in Nebraska ... 104

2011 (23rd) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 112

Subscription and Organization Information ... 123

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2012]

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 Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU …

2011 (23rd) 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 …