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1. Spring Creek Prairie
"Kevin Poague"<kpoague@audubon.org>
Fri, 30 Apr 99 09:22:05 -0400
2. Pileated Fontanelle
"Randall D. Williams" <yiams@avalon.net>
Sat, 1 May 1999 18:24:49 -0500 (CDT)
3. Chalco Hills Saturday
"John W. Hall" <jwhall2@juno.com>
Sat, 1 May 1999 18:21:00 -0500
4. Eurasian collared doves
"Randall D. Williams" <yiams@avalon.net>
Sat, 1 May 1999 18:46:50 -0500 (CDT)
5. [NeBirds] May 01 Buffalo, Kearney and Phelps Co.
marshwren@nctc.net (Randolph and Harding)
Sat, 01 May 1999 23:15:02 -0500
6. Panhandle trip.
Steve_Dinsmore@usgs.gov (Steve Dinsmore)
Sat, 1 May 1999 23:18:16 -0600
7. Sunday am se Otoe Co
"Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net>
Sun, 2 May 1999 11:43:34 -0500
8. Sunday
Jan Johnson <jjohnson@mother.esu1.k12.ne.us>
Sun, 2 May 1999 16:56:01 -0500 (CDT)
9. Pileated Woodpecker
cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu
Sun, 2 May 1999 17:31:29 CDT
10. eastern RWB
"Joel Jorgensen" <zrtac@genesisnet.net>
Sun, 2 May 1999 17:46:14 -0500
11. Mourning Warbler?
Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us>
Sun, 02 May 1999 17:55:38 -0500
12. Mourning Warbler?
Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us>
Mon, 03 May 1999 06:08:00 -0500
13. Fontenelle Forest
Jerry Toll /Carol Schmid <cjs_jwt@radiks.net>
Sun, 02 May 1999 07:48:10 -0700
14. Trip to Schramm park today
Moni J Usasz <musasz@juno.com>
Sun, 2 May 1999 20:21:47 -0500
15. Fw: Mourning Warbler?
"Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net>
Sun, 2 May 1999 20:43:55 -0500
16. Re: Fw: Mourning Warbler?
Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us>
Mon, 03 May 1999 20:16:15 -0500
17. RE: Pileated Woodpecker
"Gilster, Shirley" <SGIL01@CONAGRAFROZEN.COM>
Mon, 3 May 1999 12:10:36 -0500
18. RE: Pileated Woodpecker
cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu
Mon, 3 May 1999 18:42:10 CDT
19. Re: Fw: Mourning Warbler?
"Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net>
Mon, 3 May 1999 18:30:56 -0500
20. Nebraska Birdline for 5/3/99
"Loren J. Padelford" <lpdlfrd@juno.com>
Mon, 3 May 1999 21:29:35 -0500
21. [NeBirds] May 03 Buffalo Co.
marshwren@nctc.net (Randolph and Harding)
Mon, 03 May 1999 23:05:41 -0500
22. Cottonmill Park
Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us>
Tue, 04 May 1999 20:38:30 -0500
23. Psittaciformes
paseka@tvsonline.net (Paseka, Janis)
Tue, 04 May 1999 15:25:27 -0500
24. Re: Psittaciformes
"Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net>
Tue, 4 May 1999 18:41:22 -0500
25. Fw: fallout
"Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net>
Tue, 4 May 1999 18:58:59 -0500
26. May 4 in the Sandhills
Carolyn Hall <cjhall@huntel.net>
Tue, 04 May 1999 21:24:48 -0500
27. Gull Migrants
williamd1 <williamd1@ibm.net>
Wed, 05 May 1999 01:34:32 -0500
28. Dodge Park
"Joel Jorgensen" <zrtac@genesisnet.net>
Wed, 5 May 1999 07:13:01 -0500
29. spring creek prairie
"Kevin Poague"<kpoague@audubon.org>
Wed, 05 May 99 09:25:51 -0400
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 99 09:22:05 -0400
From: "Kevin Poague"<kpoague@audubon.org>
Subject: Spring Creek Prairie
Good morning,
A brief walk at Spring Creek Prairie this morning (4/30), yielded the
following:
yellow-rumped warblers (dozens)
ruby-crowned kinglet
white-throated sparrows
lincoln's sparrow
Baltimore oriole (first for the year!)
eastern towhees
chipping sparrow
dark-eyed junco
Our staff Birdathon is tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Kevin Poague
kpoague@audubon.org
Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 18:24:49 -0500 (CDT) From: "Randall D. Williams" <yiams@avalon.net> Subject: Pileated Fontanelle Birders, The Pileateds remain in Fontanelle Forest. My friend, Mike Franken, and I drove down from Sioux City today (5/1) to specifically find them. We saw two, a male and a female, and even witnessed a "changing of the guard" at their nest cavity. We spotted one of the birds about 7:40 this morning, but we couln't immediately tell if it was the male or the female. It drummed a little and also gave it's flicker-like call. Thanks to Ross Silcock's previous report, I knew the female would drum, but we weren't sure if the female would call or not (we doubted it). We watched for about 5 to 10 minutes as it casually flew around in the immediate area, then returned to its nest cavity. I was watching the cavity when Mike said he saw another Pileated land on the tree. The second bird approached the cavity from below. When it reached the level of the hole the first bird appeared at the opening. The two touched bills and the bird in the cavity flew out to another tree, then proceeded to fly out-of-sight to the west. The second Pileated stayed at the entrance. The lighting was good considering we were looking to the south and east. We could tell this was the female. We simply stood and watched her, not wanting to startle her. She stayed at the entrance for about 5 minutes before she finally went in. We left about 7:55. It was great! Randy = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = * From the (former) Home Office in Sioux City, Iowa Randall D. Williams MT(ASCP)BB Loess Hills Audubon Society newsletter editor & web-spinner http://www.avalon.net/~yiams/ yiams@avalon.net Requisite signature file quote: "This calls for hyperspeed!" -Space Ghost = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = *
Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 18:21:00 -0500 Subject: Chalco Hills Saturday From: "John W. Hall" <jwhall2@juno.com> Beautiful day for birding, full sun, light breeze, and lots of newly arrive migrants. The education trail at Chalco Hills was ripe with Yellow-rumped Warblers. They were the most ubiquitous bird of the day, followed by Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Also seen: 2 Blue-headed Vireos 1 Black and white Warbler 2 Orange-crowned Warblers 1 Palm Warbler 5 Brown Thrashers 1 Lincoln Sparrow 7 White-throated Sparrows 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Green Heron 1 Cooper's Hawk ~ 12 House Wrens 1 Eastern Kingbird 2 Thrush spp. (Had full eye ring, but could not get a look at the breast, flanks looked buffy and unspotted, lighting gave a golden wash over the wing areas.) John W. Hall Omaha, Nebraska jwhall2@juno.com ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 18:46:50 -0500 (CDT) From: "Randall D. Williams" <yiams@avalon.net> Subject: Eurasian collared doves Auduboners, It's close to home, so you may want to have a look!. Randy ============= >Sender: sd-birds@science.northern.edu >Reply-To: sd-birds@science.northern.edu >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Precedence: Bulk >Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 14:44:12 -0600 >From: "Eric T. Liknes" <eliknes@usd.edu> >To: Multiple recipients of sd-birds <sd-birds@science.northern.edu> >Subject: Eurasian collared doves > >Two EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES have been found in Vermillion. I found one >bird on Thurs., Jay Carlisle and I found two on Friday, and the two of >us, along with Dave Swanson and the ornithology class saw them again >this morning. They have been hanging out along National St. one block >on either side of Center St. (around thefirehouse, the City Building, >The Pressbox, etc.). Listen for the "coo-coo-coo" and check the tall >dead trees in the area. > >Other stuff from our final ornithology field trip of the semester to >Newton Hills: >BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and other year firsts such as Eastern Kingbird >(in Vermillion), Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-headed >Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, a Peregrine Falcon (by Beresford), and >possibly another Great-tailed Grackle Nest (by Vermillion). >-- >____________________________________________________________________ >Eric T. Liknes >Department of Biology >Avian Performance Laboratory >University of South Dakota >Vermillion, SD 57069 >Office: 605-677-6175 >Fax: 605-677-6557 >homepage: http://www.usd.edu/~eliknes/ >APL homepage: http://www.usd.edu/~eliknes/APL/ >SDOU homepage: http://www.usd.edu/biol/SDOU > > >- When the only tool you have is a hammer, > everything begins to look like a nail. >____________________________________________________________________ >************************************ >* To post message, email to: >* sd-birds@science.northern.edu >* >* To subscribe to "sd-birds" discussion group, >* email at: majordomo@science.northern.edu with >* message body "subscribe sd-birds <your name>" >* making certain not to use a subject heading or >* signature file. (Leave quotes "" out of text...) >* >* To unsubscribe to "sd-birds" email at: >* majordomo@science.northern.edu with message >* body "unsubscribe sd-birds" making certain not to >* use subject headings or signature files. >* >* Report any problems to: >* birdman@science.northern.edu >************************************ > > > = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = * From the (former) Home Office in Sioux City, Iowa Randall D. Williams MT(ASCP)BB Loess Hills Audubon Society newsletter editor & web-spinner http://www.avalon.net/~yiams/ yiams@avalon.net Requisite signature file quote: "This calls for hyperspeed!" -Space Ghost = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = *
From: marshwren@nctc.net (Randolph and Harding) Subject: [NeBirds] May 01 Buffalo, Kearney and Phelps Co. Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 23:15:02 -0500 Nebraska birders, Happy May Day! Lanny and I had a wonderful day. There was a brisk southerly wind for much of today which must have encouraged the birds to migrate. The day started with our first House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Lark Sparrow and Rose-breasted Grosbeak for this year at our home in Buffalo County. Then we saw a Palm Warbler, western form in our yard. It had some yellow on its throat and undertail but its breast and belly were whitish. We thought it was a Chipping Sparrow at first glance because of its rusty crown and whitish eye line, but then we saw the yellow and then it began to bob its tail. We also saw about thirty Harris's Sparrows and two Spotted Towhees at home. At the Gibbon I-80 exit, we saw about fifty Yellow-rumped Warblers (all Myrtles) and a Least Flycatcher. We identified as a Least based on its bold white eye ring and its big-headed look. It was perched low in some small trees between a gravel road and a small pool. At the highway 10 bridge over the Platte River, we saw about 200 Cliff Swallows. At about two and a half miles east of Gleason Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) in Kearney County, we saw a Loggerhead Shrike. We heard that the Fish and Wildlife people were managing Gleason for shorebirds this spring so we wanted to see what they had done. There is a very large area of bare ground but only a few puddles. If we get some rain, it will be a huge mudflat so it should be great for shorebirds. Also in Kearney County, at Bluestem WPA, we saw a Cooper's Hawk. You should have seen the explosion of birds that came out of a group of bushes when the Cooper's Hawk dove in. At about a mile and a half south of Clark WPA, we saw a Swainson's Hawk. Closer to Clark WPA, we saw another Loggerhead Shrike. Over at Frerich's WPA, we saw about twenty Savannah Sparrows. In Kearney County, we saw a couple more Brown Thrashers. In Phelps County, about two miles east of Holdrege, we saw another Loggerhead Shrike. Up at Johnson WPA, we saw three Eared Grebes, one lonely Snow Goose, about 300 Least Sandpipers, some Franklin's Gulls, three Eastern Kingbirds (our first for this year) and a Great-tailed Grackle. About two miles east of Johnson WPA, we saw two Turkey Vultures and three more Lark Sparrows. Another mile to the east, we saw and heard a Clay-colored Sparrow. In Phelps County, at Funk Lagoon, we saw four more Eared Grebes, ten American White Pelicans, about twenty White-faced Ibises and a pair of Greater Scaup accompanied by a male Lesser Scaup. We don't have much experience with Greater Scaup so having the male Lesser there sure helped. The whitish patch on the female's cheek attracted Lanny's attention, then we noticed the differences between the two males. The Greater's head was round, no sign of any peak. In the right light, his head shown greenish and his bill looked as big as a Shoveler's. The Lesser's head had a definite peak and looked purplish in the right light. His bill looked smaller than the other male's. The peak of the Lesser's head made his eyes appear to be not much higher than the middle of his head. But, the eyes looked like they were near the top of the head on both of the Greater Scaups. Also at Funk Lagoon, we saw about five Lesser Yellowlegs, a Common Snipe, about sixty Wilson's Phalaropes, a Marsh Wren, a Yellow Warbler (our first for this year) and four Northern Waterthrushes which put on quite a show. Elsewhere in Phelps County, we saw a couple more Brown Thrashers. At the Funk/Odessa Platte River bridge, we saw about 150 more Cliff Swallows. Our total for the day was 76 species, including many firsts for the year. We had not planned on spending the whole day out but the birding was so good we decided to keep going. Lanny rode his bicycle down to the dead end of the road we live on before dark. It is near the river and about a quarter of a mile from our house. He saw two more Palm Warblers. We don't know if one of them was the same one that we saw this morning. Lanny said that the yellow and the constant motion made them strikng little birds. Robin Harding 50370 24th Road Gibbon, NE 68840 308-468-5057 (home), 308-865-8647 (work) marshwren@nctc.net (home), HardingR@UNK.edu (work)
Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 23:18:16 -0600
From: Steve_Dinsmore@usgs.gov (Steve Dinsmore)
Subject: Panhandle trip.
> NEBirders-
I made a whirlwind loop around the Panhandle today.
There appeared to be a major fallout of landbirds,
particularly Orange-crowned Warblers (I saw 112 today). My
trip total was 133 species, about one for every three miles
of driving! Here are the highlights:
southwest Kimball County
5 Mountain Bluebirds
4 Brewer's Sparrows
Oliver Reservoir
3 Clark's Grebes
27 White-faced Ibis
2 Cinnamon Teal
2 Osprey
5 Marbled Godwits
2 Caspian terns
**1 Common Tern
1 empidonax sp. (probably a Least)
3 Western Kingbirds
**1 male Black-throated Gray Warbler
Lakeside-Antioch area
**2 Black-necked Stilts
87 American Avocets
5 Long-billed Curlews
1 Ferruginous Hawk and a nest
northwest Garden County
4 Cattle Egrets
1 Burrowing Owl
Crescent Lake NWR
10 White-faced Ibis
2 Peregrine Falcons
1 Eastern Phoebe
2 empidonax sp.
**1 Northern Parula
1 Black-and-white Warbler
2 Northern Waterthrushes
2 White-throated Sparrows
Clear Creek marshes, Keith County
68 Long-billed Dowitchers
1 Red-eyed Vireo
Lake McConaughy
11 White-faced Ibis
10 Ross's Geese
1 Western Sandpiper
44 Long-billed Dowitchers
Lake Ogallala
6 Common Loons
2 Cattle Egrets
Stephen J. Dinsmore
Fort Collins, CO
steve_dinsmore@usgs.gov
From: "Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> Subject: Sunday am se Otoe Co Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 11:43:34 -0500 NeBirders: Had a nice list of passerines this morning; highlights: Eastern Phoebe 6 Eastern Kingbird 2 Carolina Wren 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4 Swainson's Thrush 1 Blue-headed Vireo 3 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Warbling Vireo 4 Red-eyed Vireo 2 GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER 1 Tennessee Warbler 2 Orange-crowned Warbler 9 Nashville Warbler 1 Yellow Warbler 12 Yellow-rumped Warbler 38 Palm Warbler 2 (one yellow underparts, one whitish) Black-and-white Warbler 2 Am Redstart 1 Northern Waterthrush 4 Louisiana Waterthrush 1 Common Yellowthroat 2 Eastern Towhee 2 (both looked pure) Clay-colored Sparrow 8 Field Sparrow 4 Grasshopper Sparrow 2 White-throated Sparrow 26 Harris's Sparrow 11 Baltimore Oriole 1 Ross Silcock Tabor, IA silcock@sidney.heartland.net New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999
Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 16:56:01 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jan Johnson <jjohnson@mother.esu1.k12.ne.us>
Subject: Sunday
We left the house at about 8:30 a.m. this morning supposedly on a quick
trip to Ponca State Park to see what was there. It took us 3 hours to get
there ( a normal 20 dirve). Great birds. We tallied 66 species from
southwest to northeast Dixon County. Following are the highlights:
Harris' Sparrow 76
White-throated Sparrow 13
White Crowned Sparrow 1
Brown Thrasher 13
Hose Wren 19
Field Sparrow 19
Clay-colored Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 3
Chipping Sparrow 32
Palm Warbler 7 (all feeding together in a road ditch about 5 feet
from the road & all very yellow)
I have never seen this many together before.
Spotted Sandpiper 5 (all seen at Ponca along the Missouri River)
Eastern Phoebe 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Belted Kingfisher 2
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 males 4 miles northwest of Allen, NE
Willow Flycatcher 1
Least Flycatcher 3
Northern Oriole 10 males - no females
Dark-eyed Junco 1 (Ponca State Park)
Northern Waterthrush - 2 (1 at Ponca and one at a marsh 1 mile north of
the junction of 866 Rd. and 583 Ave. southwest of Allen)
Common Yellowthroat
Warbler 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 5
Swainson's Thrush 1 (Ponca State Park)
Eastern Kingbird 2 ( " )
Black & White
Warbler 1 ( " )
Eastern Towhee 1 ( " )
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Wood Duck 13 drakes and no females
Yellow Warbler 1
******************************************************************************
Jan Johnson ___ Children are a message
Wakefield Community Schools <*,*> we send to a time we
Wakefield, NE 68784 ['-'] will not see.
jjohnson@mother.esu1.k12.ne.us _"_"_
From: cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 17:31:29 CDT Subject: Pileated Woodpecker Birders, On Friday April 30th I spent about 2 hours observing the Pileated Woodpeckers in Fontenelle Forest. I positioned myself some distance to the north with a spotting scope and binoculars as to not disrupt the birds. While there I observed some very interesting behavior in relation to other species. 1. Several times the male Pileated would chase the Starlings away whenever they got too close to the hole he was working in. 2. Very soon after I got there a pair of Wood Ducks flew in very close to the woodpecker's hole. The female Pileated called out very loudly and the male came out of the cavitiy and attacked (I mean attacked) the Wood Ducks. This went on for about 5 minutes. The Wood Ducks would only fly a short distance and immediately return to the woodpecker's tree. The male Pileated would again literally fly at the Wood Duck closest and knock it off the branch it was sitting on. In the meantime the female Pileated had occupied the cavity as soon as her mate had taken up the attack on the Wood Ducks. I'm wondering if the Wood Ducks were really eying this new large sized cavity and were attempting to distract the woodpeckers and try to occupy it. I suspect if one of the Wood Ducks had gone into the cavity it would be very difficult for the Pileated Woodpeckers to remove them. For about 5 minutes it was difficult to keep track of the 2 Wood Ducks and 2 Pileated Woodpeckers. Even though I was at least 40 yards away I could hear the male Pileated's wing feathers and the Wood Duck's wings beating against each other. Both species have relatively large stiff primary feather, thus the sound carries quite a distance. 3. While the male Pileated is excavating inside the cavity the female stays within 50-60 yards. Every 15-20 minutes she would give out the loud 'Flicker-like' call. The male would stick his head out of the hole for about a minute or two and then go back to work. Once I spotted the female I watched her for a while, but she was very inactive. In fact she sat/perched on a horizontal branch and literally laid her head down in front of her on the branch. At one point she streched her wings out as is often seen with other birds. (Suning herself?). I had noticed this once before when I observed a Pileated in Minnesota. This big bird would fly off and land in a tree and I couldn't see it. Then I realized it would sometimes align itself horizontally on a branch and this diminishes its size considerably. 4. As Randy indicated earlier in a post, when they exchange positions in the cavity the incoming bird taps lightly on the tree (not necessarily close to the cavity). The occupier looks out the hole for a few seconds and then flies off and the other one quickly occupies the cavity. After seeing all of the Starlings and Wood Ducks in the area I can see why the Pileateds are concerned about leaving their cavity unoccupied for very long. 5. Being there are a lot of Northern Flickers in the area also, I was not able to discern whether there is a 3rd Pileated. At times I thought I heard one in a direction other than where the male and female were working on the tree I was observing. 6. On one occasion when the male and female Pileated joined together away from the tree they were working on they have a completely different sounding call than they used when they weren't together. It is difficult to describe it. They both verbally greeted each other at the same time. I don't know if there is a difference in the male's and female's greeting. All and all it was a beautiful day weatherwise and bird watching. Being these birds are rather rare in this area I learned a lot in a short period of time. Much more than if I had only gone listing which is what I started out to do that morning. Clem Klaphake cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu Bellevue, NE
From: "Joel Jorgensen" <zrtac@genesisnet.net> Subject: eastern RWB Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 17:46:14 -0500 Hello all: I spent the weekend in the eastern Rainwater Basin looking for shorebirds, as usual, and below are the highlights. Joel Jorgensen ------------------- Selected Weekend Shorebird Totals American Golden-plover 122 Piping Plover 1 Western Sandpiper 1 White-rumped Sandpiper 22 Pectoral Sandpiper 199 Stilt Sandpiper 11 Buff-breasted Sandpiper 14 Long-billed Dowitcher 1363 Other Birds May 1 North Lake Basin 1 Green Heron 1 American Bittern Freeman Lake 2 White-faced Ibis Big Daddy's Ornithological Gardens and Steakhouse 1 Eastern Kingbird 2 Northern Mockingbirds (acting territorial, they had a minor altercation with a Log Shrike) Sandpiper WPA 1 Peregrine Falcon Harvard WPA 1 Western Grebe 2 Great Egrets 2 Snowy Egrets 1 Peregrine Falcon 1 LeConte's Sparrow Hastings Basin 11 Great Egrets Lange WPA 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Swainson's Thrush 1 Gray-cheeked Thrush 1 Hermit Thrush **1 Worm-eating Warbler Wilkins WPA 15 Cattle Egrets 1 Peregrine Falcon Pintail WMA 1 Common Loon 40 Cattle Egrets Also, Sedge Wrens were singing at several WPA, WMAs, etc. Also, I have been seeing a pair of Carolina Wrens along the fabled Cauble Creek near my place in Blair since February. Friday night I listened to the male singing for about an hour. I have seen Carolina Wrens in the hills between Blair and Ft. Calhoun a few times in the past, but this is the furthest north I have regularly seen them. They are apparently doing somewhat well in the state at present time (a pair was also present on the Harlan County CBC, which seems a little bit west for the species).
Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 17:55:38 -0500 From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> Subject: Mourning Warbler?
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 06:08:00 -0500 From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> Subject: Mourning Warbler? I thought I might have seen a mourning warbler in otoe county this weekend (eastern Nebraska).j Would this be possible and if so, how common? Laurel Badura Kearney
Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 07:48:10 -0700 From: Jerry Toll /Carol Schmid <cjs_jwt@radiks.net> Subject: Fontenelle Forest Got lucky this morning in the Forest. Here are the highlights; NORTH STREAM TRAIL Male Pileated WP west of the trail excavating a hole in a cottonwood snag Baltimore Oriole 1 Wilsons Warbler 1 R. S. Hawk 1 (flyover) Grey-cheeked Thrush 1 HIDDEN LAKE TRAIL Swainsons Thrush 1 Indigo Bunting 2 Black and White Warbler 3 Tennessee Warbler 34 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Orange-crowned Warbler 42 Great-crested Flycatcher 3 Nashville Warbler 5 Louisiana Waterthrush 1 Blackpoll Warber 1 female Great Egrets 17 (flyover) New boardwalk to Marsh Least Flycatcher 1 Jerry Toll I start working on the central Platte at Rowe Sanctuary etc., tomorrow. I will be there during the week for the next 2 months but should be home most weekends.
Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 20:21:47 -0500 Subject: Trip to Schramm park today From: Moni J Usasz <musasz@juno.com> Had a great birding trip along nature trails at Schramm - lots to see but no Tanagers yet. Did see three male Baltimore Orioles, Canada Geese with goslings, yellow-rumped, black-and-white, and Nashville warblers and warbling, red-eyed, yellow-throated and solitary vireos (what's the two new names now?). Towhees are back and the grosbeaks - got a quick glimpse of a female grosbeak - thought it might have been a black-headed grosbeak because of the orangey color on chest but our look was too short for a positive identification. Also saw a very elusive thrush - maybe a gray-cheeked? ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
From: "Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> Subject: Fw: Mourning Warbler? Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 20:43:55 -0500 This got bounced; I'll send it to the list instead. Ross Silcock Tabor, IA silcock@sidney.heartland.net New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 ---------- > From: Ross Silcock <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> > To: Laurel Badura > Subject: Re: Mourning Warbler? > Date: Sunday, May 02, 1999 8:36 PM > > Laurel: > Mournings are fairly common in eastern NE but are a bit hard to see. > However the date is rather early; Mournings tend to be late migrants, rarely > seen before about May 10. May 2 would tie the 3rd-earliest. You might want > to send some details as it would be a significant record. > I was in that neck of the woods myself this morning. Had a good flock of > warblers, including Golen-winged just south of Minersville. Neat area. > Ross > > Ross Silcock > Tabor, IA > silcock@sidney.heartland.net > New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 > > ---------- > > From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> > > To: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu > > Subject: Mourning Warbler? > > Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 6:08 AM > > > > I thought I might have seen a mourning warbler in otoe county this > weekend > > (eastern Nebraska).j Would this be possible and if so, how common? > > > > Laurel Badura > > Kearney > >
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 20:16:15 -0500 From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> Subject: Re: Fw: Mourning Warbler? This weekend, I saw 63 species of birds in otoe county--some highlights Rose-breasted grosbeak black and white warbler ovenbird white-throated sparrow Louisiana waterthrush savannah, field, swamp, and chipping sparrows common yellowthroat green heron yellow warbler palm warbler RE: mourning warbler I am not sure if I actually saw a mourning warbler. This bird was in the treetops of an oak tree and feeding on insects in the leaves. The hood was not very dark, but looked more medium gray-blue. Could it have been a nashville warbler? At 08:43 PM 5/2/99 -0500, you wrote: >This got bounced; I'll send it to the list instead. > >Ross Silcock >Tabor, IA >silcock@sidney.heartland.net >New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 > >---------- >> From: Ross Silcock <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> >> To: Laurel Badura >> Subject: Re: Mourning Warbler? >> Date: Sunday, May 02, 1999 8:36 PM >> >> Laurel: >> Mournings are fairly common in eastern NE but are a bit hard to see. >> However the date is rather early; Mournings tend to be late migrants, >rarely >> seen before about May 10. May 2 would tie the 3rd-earliest. You might >want >> to send some details as it would be a significant record. >> I was in that neck of the woods myself this morning. Had a good flock of >> warblers, including Golen-winged just south of Minersville. Neat area. >> Ross >> >> Ross Silcock >> Tabor, IA >> silcock@sidney.heartland.net >> New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 >> >> ---------- >> > From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> >> > To: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu >> > Subject: Mourning Warbler? >> > Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 6:08 AM >> > >> > I thought I might have seen a mourning warbler in otoe county this >> weekend >> > (eastern Nebraska).j Would this be possible and if so, how common? >> > >> > Laurel Badura >> > Kearney >> > >
From: "Gilster, Shirley" <SGIL01@CONAGRAFROZEN.COM> Subject: RE: Pileated Woodpecker Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 12:10:36 -0500 Hey,Clem, Great information! I assume this was early Friday A.M.? About what time? Was is at the same snag we saw them at on Thursday night? -Shirley G. -----Original Message----- From: cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu [mailto:cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu] Sent: Sunday, May 02, 1999 5:31 PM To: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu Subject: Pileated Woodpecker Birders, On Friday April 30th I spent about 2 hours observing the Pileated Woodpeckers in Fontenelle Forest. I positioned myself some distance to the north with a spotting scope and binoculars as to not disrupt the birds. While there I observed some very interesting behavior in relation to other species. 1. Several times the male Pileated would chase the Starlings away whenever they got too close to the hole he was working in. 2. Very soon after I got there a pair of Wood Ducks flew in very close to the woodpecker's hole. The female Pileated called out very loudly and the male came out of the cavitiy and attacked (I mean attacked) the Wood Ducks. This went on for about 5 minutes. The Wood Ducks would only fly a short distance and immediately return to the woodpecker's tree. The male Pileated would again literally fly at the Wood Duck closest and knock it off the branch it was sitting on. In the meantime the female Pileated had occupied the cavity as soon as her mate had taken up the attack on the Wood Ducks. I'm wondering if the Wood Ducks were really eying this new large sized cavity and were attempting to distract the woodpeckers and try to occupy it. I suspect if one of the Wood Ducks had gone into the cavity it would be very difficult for the Pileated Woodpeckers to remove them. For about 5 minutes it was difficult to keep track of the 2 Wood Ducks and 2 Pileated Woodpeckers. Even though I was at least 40 yards away I could hear the male Pileated's wing feathers and the Wood Duck's wings beating against each other. Both species have relatively large stiff primary feather, thus the sound carries quite a distance. 3. While the male Pileated is excavating inside the cavity the female stays within 50-60 yards. Every 15-20 minutes she would give out the loud 'Flicker-like' call. The male would stick his head out of the hole for about a minute or two and then go back to work. Once I spotted the female I watched her for a while, but she was very inactive. In fact she sat/perched on a horizontal branch and literally laid her head down in front of her on the branch. At one point she streched her wings out as is often seen with other birds. (Suning herself?). I had noticed this once before when I observed a Pileated in Minnesota. This big bird would fly off and land in a tree and I couldn't see it. Then I realized it would sometimes align itself horizontally on a branch and this diminishes its size considerably. 4. As Randy indicated earlier in a post, when they exchange positions in the cavity the incoming bird taps lightly on the tree (not necessarily close to the cavity). The occupier looks out the hole for a few seconds and then flies off and the other one quickly occupies the cavity. After seeing all of the Starlings and Wood Ducks in the area I can see why the Pileateds are concerned about leaving their cavity unoccupied for very long. 5. Being there are a lot of Northern Flickers in the area also, I was not able to discern whether there is a 3rd Pileated. At times I thought I heard one in a direction other than where the male and female were working on the tree I was observing. 6. On one occasion when the male and female Pileated joined together away from the tree they were working on they have a completely different sounding call than they used when they weren't together. It is difficult to describe it. They both verbally greeted each other at the same time. I don't know if there is a difference in the male's and female's greeting. All and all it was a beautiful day weatherwise and bird watching. Being these birds are rather rare in this area I learned a lot in a short period of time. Much more than if I had only gone listing which is what I started out to do that morning. Clem Klaphake cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu Bellevue, NE
From: cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:42:10 CDT Subject: RE: Pileated Woodpecker > From: "Gilster, Shirley" <SGIL01@CONAGRAFROZEN.COM> > To: "'NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu'" <NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu> > Subject: RE: Pileated Woodpecker > Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 12:10:36 -0500 > Reply-to: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu Shirley, Yes it was in the same tree we saw the Pileated on Thursday evening. I went back the next morning at about 8:00 and stayed until 10:30. Clem > Hey,Clem, Great information! I assume this was early Friday A.M.? About what > time? Was is at the same snag we saw them at on Thursday night? -Shirley G. > > -----Original Message----- > From: cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu [mailto:cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu] > Sent: Sunday, May 02, 1999 5:31 PM > To: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu > Subject: Pileated Woodpecker > > > Birders, > On Friday April 30th I spent about 2 hours observing the Pileated > Woodpeckers in Fontenelle Forest. I positioned myself some distance > to the north with a spotting scope and binoculars as to not disrupt > the birds. While there I observed some very interesting behavior in > relation to other species. > 1. Several times the male Pileated would chase the Starlings away > whenever they got too close to the hole he was working in. > 2. Very soon after I got there a pair of Wood Ducks flew in very > close to the woodpecker's hole. The female Pileated called out very > loudly and the male came out of the cavitiy and attacked (I mean > attacked) the Wood Ducks. This went on for about 5 minutes. The > Wood Ducks would only fly a short distance and immediately return to > the woodpecker's tree. The male Pileated would again literally fly > at the Wood Duck closest and knock it off the branch it was sitting > on. In the meantime the female Pileated had occupied the cavity > as soon as her mate had taken up the attack on the Wood Ducks. I'm > wondering if the Wood Ducks were really eying this new large sized > cavity and were attempting to distract the woodpeckers and try to > occupy it. I suspect if one of the Wood Ducks had gone into the > cavity it would be very difficult for the Pileated Woodpeckers to > remove them. For about 5 minutes it was difficult to keep track of > the 2 Wood Ducks and 2 Pileated Woodpeckers. Even though I was at > least 40 yards away I could hear the male Pileated's wing feathers > and the Wood Duck's wings beating against each other. Both species > have relatively large stiff primary feather, thus the sound carries > quite a distance. > 3. While the male Pileated is excavating inside the cavity the female > stays within 50-60 yards. Every 15-20 minutes she would give out the > loud 'Flicker-like' call. The male would stick his head out of the > hole for about a minute or two and then go back to work. Once I > spotted the female I watched her for a while, but she was very > inactive. In fact she sat/perched on a horizontal branch and > literally laid her head down in front of her on the branch. At one > point she streched her wings out as is often seen with other birds. > (Suning herself?). I had noticed this once before when I observed a > Pileated in Minnesota. This big bird would fly off and land in a > tree and I couldn't see it. Then I realized it would sometimes align > itself horizontally on a branch and this diminishes its size > considerably. > 4. As Randy indicated earlier in a post, when they exchange positions > in the cavity the incoming bird taps lightly on the tree (not > necessarily close to the cavity). The occupier looks out the hole > for a few seconds and then flies off and the other one quickly > occupies the cavity. After seeing all of the Starlings and Wood > Ducks in the area I can see why the Pileateds are concerned about > leaving their cavity unoccupied for very long. > 5. Being there are a lot of Northern Flickers in the area also, I > was not able to discern whether there is a 3rd Pileated. At times I > thought I heard one in a direction other than where the male and > female were working on the tree I was observing. > 6. On one occasion when the male and female Pileated joined together > away from the tree they were working on they have a completely > different sounding call than they used when they weren't together. > It is difficult to describe it. They both verbally greeted each > other at the same time. I don't know if there is a difference in the > male's and female's greeting. > > All and all it was a beautiful day weatherwise and bird watching. > Being these birds are rather rare in this area I learned a lot in a > short period of time. Much more than if I had only gone listing > which is what I started out to do that morning. > Clem Klaphake > cnk@scholars.bellevue.edu > Bellevue, NE >
From: "Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> Subject: Re: Fw: Mourning Warbler? Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:30:56 -0500 Laurel: If it was in the treetops as you describe, and given the date, I'd say the chances are overwhelming that it was a Nashville. Ross Ross Silcock Tabor, IA silcock@sidney.heartland.net New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 ---------- > From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> > To: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu > Subject: Re: Fw: Mourning Warbler? > Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 8:16 PM > > This weekend, I saw 63 species of birds in otoe county--some highlights > Rose-breasted grosbeak > black and white warbler > ovenbird > white-throated sparrow > Louisiana waterthrush > savannah, field, swamp, and chipping sparrows > common yellowthroat > green heron > yellow warbler > palm warbler > > RE: mourning warbler > I am not sure if I actually saw a mourning warbler. This bird was in the > treetops of an oak tree and feeding on insects in the leaves. The hood was > not very dark, but looked more medium gray-blue. Could it have been a > nashville warbler? > > > At 08:43 PM 5/2/99 -0500, you wrote: > >This got bounced; I'll send it to the list instead. > > > >Ross Silcock > >Tabor, IA > >silcock@sidney.heartland.net > >New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 > > > >---------- > >> From: Ross Silcock <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> > >> To: Laurel Badura > >> Subject: Re: Mourning Warbler? > >> Date: Sunday, May 02, 1999 8:36 PM > >> > >> Laurel: > >> Mournings are fairly common in eastern NE but are a bit hard to see. > >> However the date is rather early; Mournings tend to be late migrants, > >rarely > >> seen before about May 10. May 2 would tie the 3rd-earliest. You might > >want > >> to send some details as it would be a significant record. > >> I was in that neck of the woods myself this morning. Had a good flock of > >> warblers, including Golen-winged just south of Minersville. Neat area. > >> Ross > >> > >> Ross Silcock > >> Tabor, IA > >> silcock@sidney.heartland.net > >> New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 > >> > >> ---------- > >> > From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> > >> > To: NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu > >> > Subject: Mourning Warbler? > >> > Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 6:08 AM > >> > > >> > I thought I might have seen a mourning warbler in otoe county this > >> weekend > >> > (eastern Nebraska).j Would this be possible and if so, how common? > >> > > >> > Laurel Badura > >> > Kearney > >> > > > >
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 21:29:35 -0500 Subject: Nebraska Birdline for 5/3/99 From: "Loren J. Padelford" <lpdlfrd@juno.com> - RBA * Nebraska * Statewide * May 3, 1999 * NEST9905.03 - Birds Mentioned Clark's Grebe White-faced Ibis Cinnamon Teal Marbled Godwit Caspian Tern Common Tern Western Kingbird BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER Mountain Bluebird Brewer's Sparrow Black-necked Stilt Peregrine Falcon Northern Parula Black & White Warbler Northern Waterthrush Ross's Goose Western Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Semipalmated Plover American Avocet Long-billed Curlew Ruddy Turnstone Wilson's Phalarope Yellow-billed Cuckoo Swainson's Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Hermit Thrush Worm-eating Warbler Western Grebe Great Egret Snowy Egret Le Conte's Sparrow Least Flycatcher Eared Grebe Greater Scaup Marsh Wren Yellow Warbler Least Sandpiper Clay-colored Sparrow Cattle Egret Common Loon American Golden-Plover Piping Plover White-rumped Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Sedge Wren American Bittern White-eyed Vireo Blackburnian Warbler Red-shouldered Hawk Great-crested Flycatcher Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Wilson's Warbler Broad-winged Hawk Green Heron Palm Warbler Gray Catbird Lincoln's Sparrow Northern Mockingbird Ruby-throated Hummingbird Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Golden-winged Warbler Ovenbird American Redstart Grasshopper Sparrow Willow Flycatcher Magnolia Warbler American Woodcock Sora - Transcript Tape Number: 402 292-5325 Compilers: Babs & Loren Padelford Transcriber: Babs Padelford (lpdlfrd@juno.com) Welcome to an update of the Nebraska Birdline, sponsored by the Audubon Society of Omaha , for Monday, May 3rd. In western Nebraska in Kimball County on the 1st at Oliver Reservoir, 3 CLARK'S GREBES, 27 WHITE- FACED IBIS, 2 CINNAMON TEAL, 5 MARBLED GODWITS, 2 CASPIAN TERNS, a COMMON TERN, 3 WESTERN KINGBIRDS & a male BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER were found. In southwest Kimball county, 5 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS & 4 BREWER'S SPARROWS were spotted. In Sheridan County on the 1st, 2 BLACK-NECKED STILTS were seen in the Lakeside-Antioch area. In Garden County on the 1st at Crescent Lake NWR, 10 WHITE-FACED IBIS, 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS, a NORTHERN PARULA, a BLACK & WHITE WARBLER & 2 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES were seen. In Keith County on the 1st, 11 WHITE-FACED IBIS, 10 ROSS'S GEESE, a WESTERN SANDPIPER & 44 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were seen at Lake McConaughy. In central Nebraska in Harlan County on the 3rd, a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 2 AMERICAN AVOCETS, 15 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, a RUDDY TURNSTONE & a WILSON'S PHALAROPE were seen by Highway 183 on the northwest side of Harlan Reservoir. In Clay County at Lange WPA on the 1st, a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, a GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, a HERMIT THRUSH & a WORM-EATING WARBLER were found. At Harvard WPA on the 1st, a WESTERN GREBE, 2 GREAT EGRETS, 2 SNOWY EGRETS, a PEREGRINE FALCON & a LE CONTE'S SPARROW were seen. In Buffalo County on May 1st, a LEAST FLYCATCHER was seen at the Gibbon I-80 exit. In PhelpsCounty on the 1st at Funk Lagoon, 4 EARED GREBES, 20 WHITE-FACED IBIS, 2 GREATER SCAUP, 60 WILSON'S PHALAROPES, a MARSH WREN, a YELLOW WARBLER & 4 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES were found. Also on the 1st, 300 LEAST SANDPIPERS were seen at Johnson WPA & 3 miles east of Johnson, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was found. In eastern Nebraska in Fillmore County on the 1st, 15 CATTLE EGRETS & a PEREGRINE FALCON were seen at Wilkins WPA. In Hamilton County on the 1st, a COMMON LOON & 40 CATTLE EGRETS were found at Pintail WMA. Other birds seen in the eastern Rainwater Basin on the 1st were 122 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, a PIPING PLOVER, a WESTERN SANDPIPER, 22 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, 11 STILT SANDPIPERS, 14 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, 1,363 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS & several SEDGE WRENS. In Dodge County on the 30th, an AMERICAN BITTERN was spotted 7 miles north & 4 miles west of Ames. In Sarpy County at Schramm State Park on the 2nd, a WHITE-EYED VIREO was spotted at the west end along a small stream near the gate by the archery range. In Bellevue on the 3rd, 13 CATTLE EGRETS & a BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER were seen in Fontenelle Forest. On the 2nd, a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, a LEAST FLYCATCHER, 3 GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, a GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, 34 TENNESSEE WARBLERS, 42 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 5 NASHVILLE WARBLERS, a BLACKPOLL WARBLER, a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH & a WILSON'S WARBLER were seen in Fontenelle Forest. On the 1st, a BROAD-WINGED HAWK was spotted in the Forest. On the 1st at Chalco Hills Recreation Area, a GREEN HERON, 2 BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, a BLACK & WHITE WARBLER & a PALM WARBLER were seen on the nature trail. In Bellevue south of Bellevue University on the 30th, a GRAY CATBIRD, & a LINCOLN'S SPARROW were seen. In Douglas County on the 2nd a pair of NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS was seen south of Valley. On the 30th & the 1st, a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD visited a feeder east of Cunningham Lake. In southern Otoe County on the 2nd, a GREEN HERON, 4 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, 3 BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, 3 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, 4 WARBLING VIREOS, 3 RED-EYED VIREOS, a GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, 2 TENNESSEE WARBLERS, 9 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, a NASHVILLE WARBLER, 12 YELLOW WARBLERS, 2 PALM WARBLERS, an OVENBIRD, 2 BLACK & WHITE WARBLERS, an AMERICAN REDSTART, 4 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 8 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS & 2 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS were seen south of Minersville. In Dixon County on the 2nd, a WILLOW FLYCATCHER, a LEAST FLYCATCHER, 7 PALM WARBLERS, 2 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, a BLACK & WHITE WARBLER & 3 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were seen. In southern Dixon County on the 1st, a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER & a MAGNOLIA WARBLER were spotted. In Stanton County on the 30th at Wood Duck WMA, 6 AMERICAN WOODCOCKS & 5 SORAS were found. In Iowa in Fremont County on the 30th, 6 WHITE-FACED IBIS were found along Highway 2 between I-29 & Nebraska City. For more information on this week's sightings, you may call 402-292-5556. To report your sightings, please leave your name, your phone number and your report after the tone at the end of this message. Be sure to include the date of the sighting. Thank you and good birding! - End transcript
From: marshwren@nctc.net (Randolph and Harding) Subject: [NeBirds] May 03 Buffalo Co. Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 23:05:41 -0500 Nebraska birders, On the way to work this morning (May 03), Lanny and I saw an Osprey flying over Interstate 80 just east of Kearney. At work on the Univ. of Nebr. at Kearney campus, we heard Chipping Sparrows, Clay-colored Sparrows and Pine Siskins. On our way home this evening, just west of our home (which is a couple miles south of Gibbon), we saw eight Cattle Egrets in alternate plumage, a pair of Canada Geese, one healthy- looking Sandhill Crane and some Yellow-headed Blackbirds. At the dead end just south of our home, we saw a Swainson's Hawk, a Yellow Warbler, two Palm Warblers, a Common Yellowthroat, an Orange-crowned Warbler, and two more healthy-looking Sandhill Cranes. This is an exciting time of the year. I wish I could take more time off. Robin Harding 50370 24th Road Gibbon, NE 68840 308-468-5057 (home), 308-865-8647 (work) marshwren@nctc.net (home), HardingR@UNK.edu (work)
Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 20:38:30 -0500 From: Laurel Badura <lteten@ngpc.state.ne.us> Subject: Cottonmill Park Last night, at Oldfather Prairie at Cottonmill Park, my husband and I saw one rattlesnake, rattling at our dog, and one sharp-shinned hawk. We were watching two mourning doves feeding at the bottom of the hill and the sharpie came over the ridge. Just as the mourning doves saw him/her, the started to fly. One md left just a second later though and became a snack for the sharpie. It was very exciting to watch!!! Other than this exciting event, we saw one dowitcher in the pit, barn swallows, cedar waxwings, western meadowlark, and a cardinal. Laurel Badura Kearney
Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 15:25:27 -0500 From: paseka@tvsonline.net (Paseka, Janis) Subject: Psittaciformes Omaha-area birders: It's May and time for the Monk Parakeets to show up on the minesweeper. Has anyone checked Freedom Park to see if they're there? Janis
From: "Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> Subject: Re: Psittaciformes Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 18:41:22 -0500 Janis and NeBirders: I checked Freedom Park Apr 25 and no sign of any psittaciformes. (I'm trying to get them each year so they count on the Nebraska List!! Just kidding, Records Committee) Ross Ross Silcock Tabor, IA silcock@sidney.heartland.net New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 ---------- > From: Paseka, Janis <paseka@tvsonline.net> > To: NeBirds <NeBirds@rip.physics.unk.edu> > Subject: Psittaciformes > Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 3:25 PM > > Omaha-area birders: > > It's May and time for the Monk Parakeets to show up on the minesweeper. > Has anyone checked Freedom Park to see if they're there? > > Janis >
From: "Ross Silcock" <silcock@sidney.heartland.net> Subject: Fw: fallout Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 18:58:59 -0500 Fascinating stuff from our knowledgable neighbors to the south! Ross Silcock Tabor, IA silcock@sidney.heartland.net New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips. Next: Nov 1999 ---------- > From: Dave Rintoul <drintoul@ksu.edu> > To: KSBIRD-L@LISTSERV.KSU.EDU > Subject: fallout > Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 11:08 AM > > There have been some interesting posts on this topic, and it is always > interesting to speculate on the weather combinations that can cause birding > to be spectacular one morning and so-so the next morning. Here are a few > more facts/speculations for your consideration. > > The word "fallout" has been used to describe the appearance of a large > number of warblers (or other passerine migrants) under certain rainy > weather/storm front conditions here in KS. Technically, migratory fallout > was historically used to describe the "rain" of migrants along the Gulf > Coast (at places like High Island, near Galveston), after a wind direction > change from southerly to northerly. Songbird migrants making the 600 mile > over-water trip from Yucatan to TX or LA take advantage of the prevailing > winds. Kerlinger and Gauthreaux analyzed the wind patterns over the Gulf of > Mexico, and found that on a majority of the days from mid-March to mid-May, > there are southerly or southeasterly winds over the Gulf. Migrants taking > off from Yucatan take advantage of this tailwind, but if it changes, and > they have to fly part of this route into a headwind, they land on the Gulf > Coast exhausted and starving. This is good for the birdwatchers, who get to > see things like Cerulean Warblers sitting on their shoe-tops. It is also > good for the local critters, as the housecats and other predators (even the > cattle egrets!) on these coastal sites can gobble up lots of listless > migrants (which probably contributes to "listless" birders here in the > heartland, but that is another topic). But this fallout has a different > timing than the Sunday proliferation of warblers here in KS, for a number of > reasons. > > First is that the trans-Gulf migration is usually done in the daytime, so a > fallout can happen any time of day (depending on what time of day the wind > changed, and how far the birds were out over the Gulf). But most migrant > passerines travel at night over land surfaces. And wind direction, although > important, is probably not as critical to the birds' very survival, as it is > for the trans-Gulf migration. Birds will continue to fly for quite a while > into a headwind, even over land. Studies with radar, nocturnal flight-call > monitoring, and radio-tagging all indicate that songbirds traveling over > land will take off around sunset, and under typical conditions, most will > land by 2 AM. They may not land in a useful or appropriate spot; one of the > early studies with radio-tagged migrants documented a Swainson's Thrush that > landed in a cornfield. When the sun comes up, they will then move to a > likely feeding spot and forage for insects to replace the fuel that they > burned off during the nocturnal migratory flight. And they won't take off > again until the evening; although they will move around a lot during the > day, it won't necessarily be in a northerly direction. So a lot of the > activity you see in the early morning isn't birds "falling out" of the sky, > it is really due to birds, who fell out about 2 AM, moving to favorable > sites to find breakfast. > > A brief predawn rainstorm probably helps you find birds, because they will > be perhaps colder and hungrier (and hence more actively feeding) than usual. > But I'd bet a rainstorm that lasted from midnight to 6 AM or so would be > even better, for it would force down a lot of migrants, who wouldn't really > want to get out to find breakfast until after the storm quit... At least > that would be a good rationalization to get you out of a warm bed to go > birding on a morning just after a big nocturnal rainstorm! > > Cheers > > Dave > > Dave Rintoul, Ph.D. mailto:drintoul@ksu.edu > Biology Division - KSU ICBM: 39.18N, 96.34W > Manhattan KS 66506-4901 VOX: 785-532-6663 > http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~drintoul/ FAX: 785-532-6653 > > "If Al Gore invented the internet, then I invented the spell-checker." > Dan Quayle, 3/17/1999
Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 21:24:48 -0500 From: Carolyn Hall <cjhall@huntel.net> Subject: May 4 in the Sandhills Today I accompanied Bill Vodehnal to the state 4-H camp at Halsey to work on the 4-H Wildlife Habitat Contest. We left Bassett at 7 AM, 50* cloudy Went west on Hwy 20 to just east of Johnstown and then south on that road to Halsey. Lots of water everywhere. We saw both greater prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse on their dancing/booming grounds (leks). Mallards, blue-winged teal, shovellers, one male wood duck, one pair gadwalls, great blue herons, greater yellow legs, upland plovers, tree swallows, barn swallows, lark sparrows, one willet, six swimming Wilson's phalaropes and later one standing on the edge of the road, several pie-billed grebes, one western grebe, lots of double-crested cormarants, one pair of ring-necked ducks, numerous coots, only one raptor which may have been a male northern harrier, lots of red-winged blackbirds, some yellow-headed blackbirds, cowbirds, one unidentified sandpiper species, and at the National Forest loads of robins and a flock of ity-bitty brown birds (unidentified) and a tom turkey in full strut with his harem of 7 hens. We didn't have lots of time to stop and look for everything so probably missed lots of good birds. We were back in Bassett in time for me to get in on the end of the County Commissioners hearing for the 6 Special Use Permits for Premium Hog Farms. That had started at 9 AM. I got to the meeting at 3 and they were just ready to vote on the permits. They denied all six permits. Hallejuah!!!!! Carolyn Hall The Sandhills Bluebird Lady Bassett, NE Tonight it is still 50* and raining steadily
Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 01:34:32 -0500 From: williamd1 <williamd1@ibm.net> Subject: Gull Migrants NeBirders... I happened upon a post a few days ago regarding migrating Franklin's Gulls over a Nebraska college. As this would seem to clear up a great mystery for me, I am hoping someone could elaborate a bit on this topic. Here in NW Oklahoma I have noticed, during the past weeks, migrants that I couldn't identify. Being new to this birding thing I at first thought they may be returning Mississippi Kites, but also realized that was improbable. The birds had slender, cigar-shaped bodies that stood out very white against off-white wings. The wings were bent sharply backward, and had black bars at or near the tips. I could see what appeared from below as a black chin, but could have been a hood. I've seen several groups of from 5 to about 30 birds moving generally northwest. They fly low, often just above the tallest structures, in daylight. Occasionally they interrupt their path to spiral downward as a group (much like Chimney Swifts). I never heard them make any sound. Until the post here I was at a loss. Afterward, I read in the NAS-Eastern guide these are sometimes called "Prairie Doves." Assuming I see more of these guys, and now that I know what markings to look for, I'd like to count them on my list. However, I'd like to ask whether any *other* gulls also migrate in similar fashion through the Plains states? Any other contenders for my mystery birds? Also, I cannot imagine birds migrating from South America to as far as Canada flying at near treetop level. Is this only for parts of the flight, or do they make the entire journey at this altitude? In general, I have become fascinated by this idea of gulls over the Plains, as I always pictured them migrating along the coastlines. If anyone could add to my knowledge on this I'd be most grateful. Bill __ williamd1@ibm.net william dobyns northwest oklahoma usa
From: "Joel Jorgensen" <zrtac@genesisnet.net> Subject: Dodge Park Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 07:13:01 -0500 Hello all I spent a couple of hours in the late afternoon at Dodge Park, Douglas Co on 4 May. Below is what I found. Joel Jorgensen ----------- 1 Gray-cheeked Thrush 5 Yellow Warblers numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers 3 Blackpoll Warblers *1 Prothonotary Warbler 3 Northern Waterthrush 12 Tennessee Warblers 4 Nashville Warblers
Date: Wed, 05 May 99 09:25:51 -0400
From: "Kevin Poague"<kpoague@audubon.org>
Subject: spring creek prairie
Hello,
I am a bit late with this post, but a week just wouldn't be the same
without a report from Spring Creek Prairie. An all-day birdathon on
Saturday located 57 species on site, the notable following:
Northern bobwhite
American coot
Upland sandpiper - 2
Empidonax flycatcher (I'm not venturing on which one)
Eastern kingbird - 2
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Eastern bluebird (at least 4 pairs, with one female going into a
natural tree cavity)
Swainson's thrush
Loggerhead shrike
Palm warbler - 4
Black-and-white warbler
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Clay-colored sparrow
Savannah sparrow
Baltimore oriole
Kevin Poague
Audubon Nebraska
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