The Nebraska Partnership for All-Bird Conservation is hosting a fall symposium entitled
'Grassland Birds: Their Biology and Conservation in a Modern Landscape' on Tuesday and
Wednesday, October 28-29. The symposium will be held at the Lied Center in Nebraska City.
Grassland birds are suffering alarming population declines, and this conference is designed
to address this issue. On Tuesday, talks will educate about the special needs and lifestyles
of grassland birds, conservation issues facing these species, and research being done to
reverse their population trend. Speakers represent groups such as Audubon Nebraska, Nebraska
Ornithologists' Union, Kansas State University, Nature Conservancy, Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in North Dakota, and Platte River
Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust. On Wednesday, a morning field trip will tour several
grassland/prairie sites around southeast Nebraska including Wachiska's Dieken Prairie and
Twin Oaks Wildlife Management Area.
There will be a $20 registration fee. This symposium is open to everyone interested in bird
conservation and prairie ecosystems. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by
October 21 to Justin Boner at jboner(at)ngpc.state.ne.us (This e-mail address has been altered to
stop spammers from abusing it. Replace the (at) with the appropriate symbol.) or (402) 471-5413.
Please be sure to specify if you will be attending the symposium, tour, or both.
Santa will soon be here. If you would like to help him a little, don't forget to order
Josef Kren, the new compiler of the Nebraska Birdline sends a correction to the e-mail
2004 Spring Meeting at Ogallala: May 14-16, 2004
Note: We had hoped to be able to have the 4-H Camp a week earlier, but when the Camp staff
Meetings for 2004 are scheduled, so we are beginning to think about 2005. Any suggestions for
Vice-president Dave Heidt has suggested that, when we do go to Halsey, we try having field
The AOU (American Ornithologists' Union) has just published their latest supplement (44th) to
The Board of NOU met at Halsey 4-H Lodge on September 26, 2003. Present were Alice Kenitz,
Betty Grenon presented the treasurer's report. As of September 20, 2003, the checking account
Tom Labedz handed out the Library Committee Report, Mary Lou Pritchard, chairman. Attached
It was moved and seconded that we grant the request as per Mary Ellen Ducey's letter dated
Mark Brogie sent a report from the Records Committee. The 2002 reports are complete. Joel
The Publications Committee report is that Joel Jorgensen is working on the Paper on shorebird
Old Business:
Loren Padelford was not present, and will delay bringing the NOU caps until the May meeting.
The online store has $19.40 in the NOU account. Payment will be made when the total reaches $50.
Clem Klaphake reported on the NE Partnership for All-Bird Conservation activity. They will meet
New Business:
It was decided to postpone a report on the Cortelyou scholarship until a time Mark Brogie is
Alice received a letter from Rex Amack, Game and Parks Director, regarding Nebraska's Natural
Permission granted to Game and Parks to photocopy certain materials as per request of Jon Farrar.
The request is for the 'Letters of Information' or any other publications of the Nebraska
Discussion was held regarding publishing 4 issues of the NOU Newsletter annually as opposed to
Regarding future meetings, Bill Huntley, former NOU president, is making the arrangements for
Respectfully submitted, Mitzi Fox, Secretary
Forty-one NOU members and friends gathered at the 4-H Camp at Halsey in the Nebraska National
On Friday evening, Bub Blake wowed us once again with his bird photography, showing slides he has
Audubon Nebraska is looking for ways to encourage more people to get out and bird. They have
Field trips were held all day Saturday and on Sunday morning. On Saturday, Dave Heidt led a
It is always exciting to see Trumpeter Swans, and we weren't disappointed. Several of the guys
For some unknown reason, the gate to the Fire Tower was unlocked and several birders were able
Thanks to Bub Blake for donating a beautiful framed photo of a Wood Duck. It was raffled and
It was a great weekend of birding and fellowship!! Those of us who lingered as long as possible
In my humble opinion, one of the greatest things about birding is the opportunity we sometimes
Plans are to get the next newsletter in the mail in the early part of December. If you have
There are many birders in Nebraska that aren't NOU members. Maybe you know one or two. Please
books, binoculars, spotting scopes, and other birding items from the NOU Online Store.
I'm not very fond of shopping online, but the NOU Online Store is pretty painless. The
address is Nebraska Birdline
address for the Birdline. There was an error in the August newsletter--probably the fault
of the editor. The e-mail address is
is preferred to telephone, but the phone number is 800-642-8382 ext. 6490 (operator answered
number 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, closed some holidays). Or you can call 402-721-5487 ext. 6490 where there is an
automated attendant. Josef and I apologize for the error.
Upcoming Meetings
2004 Fall Meeting at the 4-H Camp at Halsey: September 24-26, 2004
checked further, they found that the earlier weekend is already taken.
Meeting Suggestions Welcomed
or invitations to good meeting places will be very welcome. Our turnout at the 2003 Fall Field
Days was rather low and it has been suggested that some of us are tired of going to Halsey.
Having something at Halsey has a lot of advantages--relatively inexpensive, relatively
centrally located, nice facility, and ease in planning meals, etc. The last advantage may
be the biggest one of all. Those who have planned any kind of statewide meeting know that
it can be quite a hassle to find a place for meetings and meals, etc. The Board is thinking
it might be good to try to find another location that would have the advantages we find at
the 4-H Camp at Halsey. If you know of a good spot, please let me know. We are not suggesting
that we move from Halsey on a permanent basis. We think it would be nice to have the Fall
Field Days somewhere else every few years, trying to make reservations far enough ahead so
that we would be assured of getting in at Halsey most years.
trips to new areas. New scenery and new birds could be a very good thing.
AOU Strikes Again!
their checklist. The latest complete checklist published was in 1998. We now have a new
species in Nebraska--Rock Pigeon which was formerly Rock Dove. There are a number of changes
to the scientific names of Nebraska species, but I won't go into those. Another big change
that we will all notice when field cards and field guides are updated--Ducks, Geese and Swans
as well as Quails and Grouse are moved AHEAD of Loons in the taxonomic list. It's hard for
this old dog to keep track of all these new tricks!!!!
Minutes of NOU Board of Directors Meeting
Clem Klaphake, Tom Labedz, Janis Paseka, Mitzi Fox, Betty Grenon, Jan Uttecht, Dave Heidt,
and Steve Lamphere. Minutes from the May 16, 2003 board meeting were read, approved, and
accepted.
balance is $5361.88. She noted this included a $200 refund from the 2002 fall meeting at
Halsey; plus receipts of $2682.00 for this fall's meeting, for which expenses have not been
paid. Also noted was $351.00 received for the Breeding Bird Atlas. The CD balances as of
September 20, 2003 are: General Funds $10040.99; Breeding Bird Atlas, $5586.58; Endowment
Fund $11883.48. The Endowment Fund CD falls due in November, and at that time $1325 will
be added to it, and the interest will be withdrawn. NOU membership stands at about 260
members. She remarked that the NOU liability insurance policy premium is approximately
$200 annually. She estimated the cost of printing the 6 issues of the Bird Review at under
$3000. Some subscription monies have not been received, perhaps because they were sent to
the previous Review subscription agent, RoweCom.Inc., which is in bankruptcy. Betty is
expecting to receive monies which were sent directly to them. Bill Clemente is now compiling
the March 2003 issue of the Bird Review.
were a letter from Mary Ellen Ducey, University Archivist/Special Collections Librarian, and
a list of organizations for which the Library has newsletters and which are housed at the NOU
Library. The Committee reported purchase of the new edition of Birds of South Dakota.
The library has received a donation of 21 boxes of ornithological books and glass-fronted bookcases.
Discussed the UNL Libraries' request stated in Ms. Ducey's letter that NOU release its Frank H.
Shoemaker materials to be incorporated into a much larger collection of Shoemaker materials in the
Libraries. Also, Tom made a suggestion that in order to alleviate the space problem at NOU Library,
non-Nebraska newsletters and wildlife magazines be transferred. Discussion followed. It was
suggested that these might be more appropriately held by Game and Parks library. Perhaps newsletters
from bordering states, and those that are especially informative be retained. No formal action
regarding newsletters was taken.
September 12, 2003, to release the Shoemaker papers and photos for permanent inclusion in
the UN-L Library's Shoemaker materials. Any similar request in the future is to be considered
on a case by case basis. Motion passed.
Jorgensen is working on the 2001 report.
migration in the Rainwater Basin, plus an annotated checklist of the birds of the Rainwater Basin.
We were reminded to access the website for books and other materials.
at Nebraska City in October. He is on the education committee, which meets September 30 to
organize and begin work on birding trails in conjunction with tourism.
present.
Legacy Project.
Ornithologists' Union, including those still protected by copyright.
the current 6 issues. Article 4, Section 4 of the by-laws states that a Newsletter be sent
every 2 months. Betty Grenon reported that it costs about $100 to copy and mail each issue
of the Newsletter. Alice suggested a publishing schedule of January, April, August, and November.
It was moved and seconded that the proposed change to the by-laws of publishing 4 times rather
than 6 times annually be brought before the membership at the May 2004 annual meeting. Motion
carried.
us to meet at Ogallala May 14-16, 2004. The Fall 2004 meeting is scheduled for Halsey on
September 24-26. Ideas for location of the May 2005 meeting will be welcomed.
2003 Fall Field Days
Forest on September 26-28, 2003, for the annual Fall Field Days. Fall colors were beautiful
and the weather was generally good except for a brisk wind on Friday and Saturday. The on-going
drought was evident in the low level of lakes and ponds, with some of the smaller bodies of water
being completely dry.
taken in Nebraska and Kansas recently. On Saturday evening, Kevin Poague of Audubon Nebraska talked
to us about the Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program. Kevin is the Program Director of the Nebraska
IBA Program. IBA is a global program that seeks to identify and preserve sites that provide habitat
for birds. To qualify for designation as an IBA, a site must provide habitat for birds through one
of four criteria: (1) species of conservation concern; (2) restricted-range species; (3) species
that are vulnerable because their populations are concentrated in one general habitat type or biome;
(4) individual species or groups of similar species that are vulnerable because they occur at
particularly high densities due to their congregatory behavior. Kevin is forming a committee that
will determine criteria for Nebraska IBAs. Some IBA's will be under public ownership, while others
will be private. Owners of the private lands involved will not be forced to perform conservation
projects on their lands, but it is hoped that private owners will voluntarily preserve the habitat
on their lands. Nebraska is one of the last states in the US to have an IBA Program. This is a
very important project for the conservation of birds and habitat in the state. We will be hearing
much more about this program in the future and also about the ways we can help.
proposed some kind of birding event, either in the spring or fall, that could be centered at
Rowe Sanctuary. It could be done as a 'contest' to see who could find the most species. We
held quite a discussion on this subject, and many indicated their willingness to participate
in such an activity. Stay tuned for more information.
trip north to Ainsworth and vicinity. Clem Klaphake led a trip to the Valentine NWR. Others
were on their own to bird in the Forest or nearby areas. Sunday morning most of us enjoyed
birding around the Forest. The tree dump is always a popular place for finding birds.
Towhees--both Eastern and Spotted seemed very numerous this year. Ruth Green had her banding
station set up behind the Lodge, so we could all get a good look at birds-in-the-hand. We
enjoyed close-up looks at Eastern and Spotted Towhees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-throated
Sparrows, Gray-headed race of Dark-eyed Junco, and other species. There were 119 species
identified in Thomas, Hooker, Cherry, Brown, and Blaine Counties as well as the Forest.
Interestingly, this is the same number of species as we had last year.
found a Burrowing Owl on the road on Friday evening. There was a Magnolia Warbler seen at
Valentine NWR--a species we don't see very often at the Fall Field Days.
to go to the top. I remember doing that about 20 years ago--what a view!!!
$69.05 was added to our treasury. There were donations of many lovely door prizes.
on Sunday afternoon were privileged to see and hear a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying over the
Lodge. Great end to a great weekend.
Harrier Hunt
have to observe really 'neat' behavior. I went to Halsey with Bob and Kathy DeLara with Phyllis
and Dean Drawbaugh following in their car. It takes us about 8 hours to make that 4 hour trip
because we have to look for birds in every puddle. Maybe it was a good thing a lot of the
puddles were dry!!!! We were parked on the edge of Highway 2 by the marsh just east of Lakeside
late Friday morning on our way to Halsey. We were all busy studying all the ducks and a few
shorebirds when a Northern Harrier came cruising low over the water--typical N. Harrier behavior.
Suddenly it dropped down and caught a duck. We couldnŐt tell what species except that it was a
small duck, probably a teal. The wind was blowing about 90 miles an hour (maybe that's a little
exaggeration!!) and the duck was struggling a lot. I think the duck was not a very happy camper
at that point. When the harrier tried to fly off with the duck dangling in the wind, it just
couldn't get going. Both birds dropped down to the water with the harrier still hanging on tightly.
The harrier sat on the duck's head. The harrier was facing away from us, but it was continually
turning its head so we could really study the profile of the bird. The two birds must have been
in the same position for 15 or 20 minutes while the harrier was drowning that poor duck. At one
point we could see the tail of the duck right beside the harrier, but the duck's head was still in
the water. We were all feeling sorry for the harrier thinking it was probably water-logged by this
time and would never be able to fly again. Much to our surprise, it finally took off. It still
couldn't gain much altitude but was able to fly a few yards to a patch of marsh vegetation where
it disappeared from us. We assume that it was having a good lunch. The whole thing was quite a
show!!!
Next Newsletter
something to be included in the newsletter, please let me know by mid-November.
Membership
share this Membership information with a birding friend.
Membership Rates
Name(s)
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone number e-mail
Make checks payable to NOU and mail with this form to:
Betty Grenon, Treasurer
1409 Childs Road East
Bellevue, NE 68005
President and Newsletter Editor:
Alice Kenitz, 190648 Co. Rd. 22, Gering, NE 69341
Phone: 308-436-2959
E-mail Address: akenitz(at)prairieweb. c o m (These e-mail addresses have been altered to stop spammers
from abusing them. Replace the (at) with the appropriate symbol.)
Vice-President:
Dave Heidt, 1703 Hilltop Drive, Norfolk, NE 68701-2031
Phone: 402-371-3412
daveh(at)northeastcollege. c o m
Secretary:
Mitzi Fox, 2560 Fairgrounds Road, Albion, NE 68620-5200
402-395-2395
mitzi(at)megavision. n e t
Treasurer:
Betty Grenon, 1409 Childs Road East, Bellevue, NE 68005
402-731-2383
grenon925(at)aol. c o m
Editor, Nebraska Bird Review:
Bill Clemente, Department of English, Peru State College, Peru, NE 68421
402-872-2233 (work)
bclemente(at)oakmail.peru. e d u
Librarian:
Mary Lou Pritchard, 6325 O St., Lincoln, NE 68510
402-486-2428
Past Presidents:
Janis Paseka, 1585 Co. Rd. 14 Blvd, Ames, NE 68621
402-727-9229
paseka(at)tvsonline. n e t
Clem Klaphake, 707 Garden Ave., Bellevue, NE 68005
402-292-2276
ckavian(at)aol. c o m
Directors:
Jan Uttecht, Box 823, Stanton, NE 68779 (2004)
402-439-2114
Loren Padelford, 1405 Little John Road, Bellevue, NE 68005 (2005)
402-292-5556
lpdlfrd(at)juno. c o m
Steve Lamphere, 3101 Washington St., Apt. 98, Bellevue, NE 68005 (2006)
402-291-9149
Records Committee:
Mark Brogie, Box 316, Creighton, NE 68729
402-358-5675
mbrogie(at)esu1. o r g
Breeding Bird Atlas and Nest Records Committee:
Wayne Mollhoff, 1817 Boyd St., Ashland, NE 68003
402-944-2243
wmollhoff(at)netscape. n e t
Occurrence Reports:
Ross Silcock, P. 0. Box 57, Tabor, IA 51653
712-629-5865
silcock(at)rosssilcock. c o m
Nebraka Birdline:
Josef Kren
402-721-5487 ext. 6490
800-642-8382 ext. 6490
nebraskabirds@yahoo.com
NOU Website: http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOU/
Nebraska Ornithologists' Union
3745 Garfield
Lincoln, NE 68506