The Big One Nine Two

A report from the spring NOU meeting

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union’s May meeting in York boasted great turnouts by both birders and birds. A near-record 85 humans attended and a record 192 bird species were tallied during the May 15-May 17 event.

Who’d have guessed on Friday that the weekend would produce an all-time-high species list? The wind was howling and the weatherman said—correctly, it turned out—that it would continue howling Saturday and Sunday. Not exactly ideal birding conditions.

I don’t recall it being windy in Ogallala at the 2004 spring meeting, when (according to Janis Paseka’s records) we set the previous high—190 species. Our third best tally was at Scottsbluff in spring 2008, when we had 173.

The Rainwater Basin being our venue, shorebirds naturally dominated the count—28 species of them, including both Hudsonian and Marbled Godwit, Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitcher and Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalarope. But to list all these is to slight any number of wonderful others—Piping Plover and Ruddy Turnstone, to name just a couple. For many of us, Buff-breasted Sandpiper was the bird of the weekend.

Next on the list after shorebirds were the warblers, with 13 species.

We owed much of our success—and therefore, a thousand thank yous—to our field-trip leaders. Joel Jorgensen organized the field trips and served as one of the leaders and the deliverer of Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Ross Silcock, Kent Skaggs, Mary Brown and Clem Klaphake also gave great tours. Those of us who haven’t led tours cannot appreciate how much work is involved—hours, even days, of preparation. Gratitude and good wishes to all of the York leaders.

Friday night’s presentation, by University of Nebraska at Omaha ornithologist Daniel Kim, was a fascinating but also depressing research report on the effects of cowbird predation on grassland birds. Needless to say, the grassland birds can’t catch a break. Among the many interesting takeaways was an insight into how human intervention has exacerbated the problem. Cowbirds have always plagued grassland birds with their brood parasitism, but in the days when the buffalo roamed the plains, the predation was temporary. The cowbirds moved with the herds, so the predation of any particular nest would only
last two or three weeks, giving the victims a chance for a second nest. Today, cowbirds stay with stationary cattle herds, so the victims get no respites.

In Saturday night’s presentation Tim Gallagher, author of “The Grail Bird,” told the fascinating tale of his quest for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Gallagher’s claim to have seen the putatively extinct bird is controversial but his performance was so engagingly entertaining that even the skeptics in the audience gave him a pass. Few of us will forget his account of the poisonous cottonmouth that somehow got inside the car, and what it took to eject the serpent. Several of us bought his book.

I hadn’t realized Gallagher didn’t start out looking for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. He started out with the idea of interviewing everyone still alive who’d seen the bird in decades past. We’d likely have had a book titled “The Grail Bird” whether or not Gallagher himself had ended up searching for the bird.

The weekend drew to a successful conclusion thanks to the tolerance and generosity of the Yorkshire Inn, which volunteered to host our traditional Sunday lunch countdown after the Country Kitchens next door filled up. The restaurant was within its rights—it’s a long, boring story why—but the motel had no obligation to play fill-in. Its offer to let us occupy its tiny lobby as we munched sandwiches and counted birds was above and beyond any conceivable call of duty.
 
 

And so our final thought on this wonderful weekend is to urge NOU members to repay the Yorkshire Inn’s kindness with future patronage. If you find yourself in need of lodging in York, there’s a place to stay we can attest is birder friendly.
 
 
 
 
 

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Nebraska Ornithologists' Union

Annual Meeting Minutes

(condensed version)

Friday, September 26, 2008, Camp Carol Joy Holling, Ashland

Treasurer Betty Grenon reported the NOU is in good financial shape, even with some unexpected higher bills. There was a cost overrun for the Ashland meeting, liability insurance was raised, and the cost to print the last issue of The Nebraska Bird Review was also higher than expected due to increases in postage and printing. Members stated how impressive the newest issue looked with the color photos, which opens up many more possibilities for future issues.

Mark Brogie of the Records Committee talked to Alice about scenario of having a permanent records committee chair. He should be able to present the committee's recommendation at the next meeting.

The next topic was the simplification/restructuring of fall meetings to make them easier to organize. It was suggested making the fall meetings less structured. For example, members would be on their own to reserve their own sleeping arrangements and would be responsible for most of their own food. A local meeting place would need to be found for a possible gathering Friday evening and the Saturday program. There still would be organized field trips as usual. The board decided to try this arrangement for the fall 2009 meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin Poague

Secretary
 

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Proposed Articles and Bylaws Changes

(To be voted on at the fall meeting in Valentine)

Article IV, Section 6

Current wording:

Section 6. The Secretary, or his/her designate, shall keep records of all meetings of the Corporation and of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the Corporation, and shall prepare mail ballots. He/she shall be responsible for collecting and filing all reports of the officers and committees. The Secretary shall submit all reports to the Library Committee for archiving as soon as practical.

Proposed new wording:

Section 6. The Secretary, or his/her designate, shall keep records of all meetings of the Corporation and of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the Corporation, and shall prepare mail ballots. He/she shall be responsible for collecting and filing all reports of the officers and committees. The Secretary shall submit all reports to the Library Committee for archiving as soon as practical. The Secretary shall maintain a copy of the current Articles and bylaws.
 
 

Article VI, Section 1, paragraph 2

Current wording:

Records committee. It shall consist of at least seven active members, preferably representing various areas of Nebraska, who are qualified in field identification. New members shall be appointed for three year terms by the committee subject to approval of the Board of Directors. Members may serve two consecutive terms. Former members may be reappointed after being off the committee for one year. The chairperson shall be a member of the Board of Directors.
 

Proposed new wording:

Records committee. It shall consist of at least seven active members, preferably representing various areas of Nebraska, who are qualified in field identification and have a knowledge of Nebraska birds. New members shall be appointed for three year terms by the committee subject to approval of the Board of Directors. Members may serve two consecutive terms. Former members may be reappointed after being off the committee for one year. The committee will select a chairperson. The chairperson will not be subject to term limits, shall be allowed to vote on records, and shall be a member of the Board of Directors. The chairperson may be removed from the committee by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
 
 

Article XIV, Section 2

Current wording:

 Section 1. A full text of the Articles and bylaws, including revisions, shall be published in the Newsletter in years evenly divisible by 5.

Proposed new wording:

Section 1. A full text of the Articles and bylaws shall be maintained by the Secretary and shall be available on the NOU website.
 
 

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How the Burrowing Owl Became NOU’s Mascot Bird
 

1. Probably one of the first things that attracted your attention in connection with the first issue of the Nebraska Bird Review was the figure of the Western Burrowing Owl on the front cover page, in its characteristic prairie dog town habitat. The figure used is one that was drawn nearly forty years ago by J.L. Ridgway for Dr. A.K. Fisher’s paper on the “Hawks and Owls as Related to the Farmer,” published in the Yearbook for 1894 (p. 226) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The general appropriateness of using an  illustration of this common and typical bird of the western plains on the cover of a publication devoted to Nebraska ornithology is obvious. In fact, just a few years back the Western Burrowing Owl was suggested, and with good reasons, as a proper candidate for selection as the state bird of Nebraska.

 But there is an additional propriety, not so well known, in our selection of this species for our cover illustration in that it was first made known to science in 1825 from specimens taken by the Major Long Expedition in June, 1820, along the Platte River in central Nebraska. (From The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 1, January 1933, No. 1. Editor: Myron H. Swenk)
 

2. With the present issue of the Nebraska Bird Review, now established on a semi-annual basis, you will note several changes….(O)utstanding on the front cover page is a new illustration of the Western Burrowing Owl, the NOU “mascot bird,” in characteristic pose. The pen and ink drawing for this splendid illustration was most generously donated to us by Dr. George Miksch Sutton, the well known ornithologist and distinguished author, who is equally well known as a painter of birds and probably has no living superior in that art….(From The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume VI, January-June 1938, No. 1. Editor: Myron H. Swenk)
 
 
 
 

NOU membership renewals

For those few who have not yet renewed your membership, this is the last newsletter you will receive. Don’t miss out. Renew now. A form for starting or renewing NOU membership follows.
 
 

NEBRASKA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Please enter my membership in the category checked below

-----Active Member        $15.00
-----Family Active        $20.00                                                
-----Sustaining Member    $25.00
-----Family Sustaining    $30.00
-----Student Member       $10.00
-----Life Member          $250.00
 
 

Name_______________________________________________________________________
 
 

Address_____________________________________________________________________
 
 

City, State, Zip Code___________________________________________________________
 
 

Telephone____________________________________________________________________
 
 

Make checks payable to Nebraska Ornitholgists’ Union and return with this form to:

Betty Grenon
1409 Childs Road East
Bellevue, NE 68005
 

TO USE THE E-MAIL ADDRESSES, REPLACE THE (at) WITH THE @ SYMBOL.

President and Newsletter Editor:
Urban Lehner, 15526 Pierce Cir., Omaha NE 68144
Phone:  402 301 6143
Email address:  urbanity(at)hotmail.com

Vice President:
Nancy Leonard, 15526 Pierce Cir., Omaha NE 68144
402 301 6143
neleonard(at)gmail.com

Secretary:
Kevin Poague, 379 So. 46th Street, Lincoln NE, 68510
402 570 6851
kpoague(at)neb.rr.com

Treasurer:
Betty Grenon, 1409 Childs Rd. E., Bellevue NE 68005
402 731 2383
grenon925(at)aol.com

Directors:
Steve Lamphere, 3101 Washington St., Apt. 98, Bellevue, NE 68005 402 291 9149 kingfisher65(at)aol.com
Kathy DeLara, 170188 Spring Creek Rd., Mitchell, NE 69357 308 632 3047 renosmom(at)charter.net
Roland Barth, 4002 Hunters Cove, Omaha, NE 68123, rebarth(at)cox.net, (402)292-6291

Past Presidents:
Lanny Randolph, 2028 34th Road, Minden, NE 68959
(308)216-0427
snowbunting(at)rcom-ne.com

David Heidt, 1703 Hilltop, Norfolk, NE 68701
(402)371-3412
daveh(at)northeast.edu

Editor of The Nebraska Bird Review:
Janis Paseka, 1585 Co. Rd. 14 Blvd., Ames NE 68621
(402)727-9229
paseka76(at)gmail.com

Librarian:
Anita Breckbill, 3237 R Street, Lincoln, NE 68503
(402)438-1300
Abreckbill1(at)unl.edu

Seasonal bird report compiler:
Ross Silcock, P.O. Box 57, Tabor, IA 51653
(712)629-5865
silcock(at)rosssilcock.com

Breeding Bird Atlas and Nest Records Committee:
Wayne Mollhoff, 2354 Euclid Street, Ashland, NE 68003
(402)944-2840
wmollhoff(at)netscape.net

Records Committee Chairman:
Mark A. Brogie, 508 Seeley, Box 316, Creighton, NE 68729
(402)358-5675
mbrogie(at)esu1.org

Nebraska Birding Trails http://www.NebraskaBirdingTrails.com
 

NOU Website    <http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOU>http://RIP.physics.UNK.edu/NOU
 

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Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
3745 Garfield
Lincoln, NE 68506-1028