Dedicated to the Study, Appreciation and Protection of Birds

Newsletter            December 2003            Number 6

Dues, Please
    All dues are due on January 1.  Treasurer Betty Grenon will be very
grateful if you are prompt.  See the membership blank at the end of this
newsletter.

Christmas Bird Counts
    There are a number of Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) being held.  This
is a project of the National Audubon Society, and this year is the 104th
year.  Each count is done within a 15-mile diameter circle.  There is a
small fee to help cover Audubon's costs.  If you've never been on a Christmas
Bird Count you should try to join at least one as they have become a very
special part of the Christmas season to many of us.  I've participated when
the temperature was 60 and when the wind chill was about minus 40 (nobody
ever said birders have a lot of sence)!!!
    Geoffrey LeBaron, writing in 'American Birds' about last year's Christmas
Bird Counts (103rd year) states that there were 1981 locations, 55,994 observers,
and 73,137,928 individual birds!!  Counts were held from the Arctic to Tierra
del Fuego at the southern tip of South America.  There were also counts at
several island locations in the Pacific.  Of course, there were many, many places
within that general area that had no counts.  LeBaron goes on to say, "So, why do
we do it (Christmas Bird Counts)?  Dedication?  The love of birds and nature?
Tradition?  Or, could it be that as some might say--and a fair number of us have
probably been told--it's because we're just plain nuts?  Whatever the catalyst
that first draws bird watchers into the Christmas Bird Count, the majority of
them (That's us!) become hooked for life."
    In the same issue of 'American Birds,' Kelly McKay from the Quad Cities, IL,
area, describes his adventure last year.  He went on 20 CBC's between December 14
and January 5.  He had hoped to do one on each of the 23 days during the count
period, but could not find any close enough on 3 of the days.  He counted all over
Illinois and in eastern Iowa.  He traveled 6322 miles, counted 101,066 birds,
sighted 115 species, spent 236.5 hours counting birds, drove 85.5 hours, and slept
only 107.25 hours.  Oh, yes, he doesn't encourage anyone to try such a Christmas
Bird Count marathon!!  But he definitely encourages birders to actively participate
as much as possible.
    Here is a list of CBCs in Nebraska and contact information for each one.  I
also have some information about counts in Iowa, Wyoming, and South Dakota for
those who want to contact me personally.
    December 14--Seward-Branched Oak Lake--Joe Gubanyi--402-643-7316--jgubanyi(at)seward.cune.e d u
    December 17--Lincoln--Kevin Poague--402-797-2301--kpoague(at)audubon.o r g
    December 19--Crawford--Bruce Walgren--307-234-7455--bwalgren(at)coffey.c o m
    December 20--Scottsbluff--Alice Kenitz--308-436-2959--akenitz(at)prairieweb.c o m
    December 20--Sioux City, IA--Jerry Probst--712-258-1296--probstsuebee(at)aol.c o m
    December 20--DeSoto/Boyer Chute--Bob Barry--712-642-5404--bob_barry(at)fws.g o v
    December 20--Norfolk--Norma Brockmoller--nbrock(at)nntc.n e t
    December 21--Lake McConaughy--Steve Dinsmore--662-325-8141--sdinsmore(at)cfr.msstate.e d u
    December 27--Omaha--Betty Grenon--402-731-2383--grenon925(at)aol.c o m
    December 27--Calamus Loup--Norma Brockmoller--nbrock(at)nntc.n e t

Note to all CBC Compilers:  Janis Paseka will be putting together all CBC results for
inclusion in an upcoming issue of 'The Nebraska Bird Review.'  Please send a copy of
your report to Janis at 1585 Co. Rd. 14 Blvd., Ames, NE 68621 or e-mail at paseka(at)tvsonline.n e t
Thanks.
 

NOU Online Store
    If you have birders on your Christmas list, don't forget the NOU Online Store for
books, optics, feeders, etc.  http://www.withoutbricks.com/NOUStore
 

Upcoming Meetings
    2004 Spring Meeting at Ogallala  May 14-16, 2004
    2004 Fall Meeting at the 4-H Camp at Halsey  September 24-26, 2004
 

Member News
    Marian Brown recently had multiple by-pass surgery.  Her new address is 4 Indian Hills
Drive, Kearney, NE 68847.  We wish Marian a speedy recovery.
    Betty Allen has also moved.  New address is Bickford Cottage, Room 404, 7337 Hickory
Street, Omaha, NE 68124.  Her phone is 402-390-2065 and e-mail is allenb_prints(at)msn.c o m.
 

County Life-Lists
    Click here for a form to use to report County Life-List Totals.  Please return
the information to Mark Brogie.  If you have any questions about this list, please contact
Mark.
 

Fall Field Reports
    My how time flies!!!  The fall reporting period (August-November) will be ended by the
time this Newsletter hits the mail box.  Please send information to Ross Silcock by December
15.  If you have questions about the report, please contact Ross.  His contact information
is on the back page of the Newsletter.
 

Curve-billed Thrasher in Sioux County
    Many of us have had a chance to see the Curve-billed Thrasher that has been hanging
out (or whatever birds do) in a ranch yard in southeastern Sioux County.  Lonnie Frimann,
who has played host to this bird writes the following:
    "The thrasher came around October 20, 2002 and we were not able to get a good sighting
of him until Christmas Day.  He was really elusive, then while we were eating Christmas
dinner he showed himself for a quick look.  We thought he might be either Bendire's or a
Curve-billed, but leaned towards the Curve-billed.
    We had a host of people locally and afar visit, confirming the sighting.  The thrasher
seemed to like his place of importance as he always showed himself.  His weirdest antics
have been looking at himself in the reflective window on our deck and pecking at the image
or sitting on the SUV's mirror, bending over looking at himself.  I gathered he was lonely.
'Go south my feathered friend go south.'  Right!!  The most amazing thing that we obseved
was his seemingly great interest in this robin's nest and especially when the eggs hatched.
He virtually got into fights with the robin as he was trying to feed the young.  We guessed
this at first, then actually saw him daily feeding the young robins on the ground.  We also
observed a late hatch of Brown Thrashers and, of the 3 or 4 we saw, one had a lot of gray on
it and seemed to be more skittish than the rest.  Could there have been romance after all???
He molted in early September so he is really pretty now, or at least I think so.  So all of
you who want to see him in his new wardrobe, he is still here at this writing (November 21,
2003).  Happy birding.  Lonnie"
    Ruth Green and Harley Winfrey banded the Curve-billed Thrasher in February and found
that it was, at that time, a second-year male.
    All of us that have been privileged to see this beautiful bird thank Lonnie and his
wife, Janet, for taking such good care of it, and especially for being such great hosts to
all the birders.  I'm sure they had no idea that their yard would turn into a major tourist
destination when they gave permission to post on NEBirds.  Thanks Lonnie and Janet.
 

Murder in the Back Yard

    I posted this to NEBirds on November 19, but thought others might be interested in an
interesting bit of behavior I witnessed that morning.  About 8:00 a.m. a little bird bounced
off our living room window.  I saw it fly off and land in a nearby ash tree, so didn't try
to ID the bird or anything.  A couple of minutes later I glanced to that tree and saw this
Blue Jay sitting there is a 'cloud' of feathers.  The jay had caught a little bird--which I'm
thinking was probably the bird that bounced off the window.  The jay had hold of it in his
'talons,' but it was dangling and wiggling a lot and the little feathers were flying.  After
another minute or so, the jay either dropped the other bird or it wiggled loose.  But the jay
was on it immediately.  Then it began to hammer (peck is not an adequate description) at
probably the head of the little bird, although I couldn't tell exactly.  Feathers kept flying
and then I began to see blood and other tissue in the jay's mouth.  The jay flew back up to
the tree with the little bird still dangling--not moving on its own by this time.  The jay
ate a few bites and then dropped it on the ground and flew off, leaving the poor little dead
bird laying with its feet up in the air.  I never could identify the little bird, but judging
by what was in our yard that morning, it was probably a junco or House Finch.

NEBRASKA ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION

Please enter my membership in the category checked below:

_____Active Member  $15
_____Family Active  $20
_____Sustaining Member $25
_____Family Sustaining $30
_____Student Member $10
_____Life Member $250

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Telephone:
E-Mail:

Make checks payable to the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union and return with this form to:
Betty Grenon, Treasurer
1409 Childs Road East
Bellevue, NE  68005-4418

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

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/

NOU Online Store:  http://www.withoutbricks.com/NOUStore

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union
3745 Garfield
Lincoln, NE 68506