![[Return to Physics Department]](/images/Top.jpg){kind=small}
This web site courtesy of the Departmentof Physics and Physical Science
In cooperation with the
![[UNK Home]](/images/unk_icon.gif){kind=icon}
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Robert I. Price price_rip@hotmail.com, WebMaster
This site on line since 18 May 1998
Spring Conference Just Around the Corner
The annual NOU Spring Conference date of May 19-21 is fast approaching. This year's location is in Chadron and we will be using both the Camp Norweska facilities and the Student Center at Chadron State College. The May issue of the Newsletter will have the registration information included. On page 3 of this Newsletter you will find lodging information provided by Sue Amiotte.
Wayne Mollhoff a long time member of NOU and primary author of the soon to be published Breeding Bird Atlas of Nebraska will be the featured speaker on Saturday evening after the banquet. Wayne has also spent considerable time documenting breeding birds in the Nebraska panhandle and Pine Ridge area.
Members attending this general meeting in Chadron will also be asked to amend the NOU by-laws as recommended by the Board of Directors at the Halsey Fall Field Days meeting. This information will be provided to you in the May Newsletter so that you will be familiar with the recommended changes.
Over 70 memberships for 1999 have not been renewed for 2000. Please read your address
label on this Newsletter. It will tell you if you have renewed for 2000. If it has
the year 1999 on it that means you have not renewed. THIS IS YOUR LAST NOTICE. If you
do not renew by May 1, 2000 you will not receive the next Newsletter nor the next issue
of The Nebraska Bird Review. As the interest in birds and birding has increased in the
past several decades I would hope that we could also increase our membership in this
century old organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of birds in Nebraska.
A nominating committee has been chosen to begin the selection process for next year's
officers. Anyone interested in one of the officers' or director at large positions can
contact Jim Kovanda (402-731-8249;
jkovanda@juno.com
or Robin Harding (308-468-5057;
marshwren@nctc.net
Please give serious consideration to serving in one of these positions if you are asked.
By Mark Brogie
The Nebraska Ornithologist's Union (N.O.U.) Executive Committee has elected to provide a scholarship for a student to attend the upcoming Spring Conference to be held in Chadron on May 19-21, 2000. Preference will be given to 9th through 12th grade students, although students of any age group will be given consideration. Any parent/teacher wishing to attend with the student will receive a similar stipend.
The scholarship will pay all costs for registration, meals, and lodging. Costs of transportation are not included. The application deadline is April 15, 2000.
The concept of a Nebraska Ornithologist's Union Scholarship Fund which would provide stipends to students attending our Fall Field Days originated with Rusty and Margaret Cortelyou. They suggested we direct gifts in honor of their 90th birthdays to this fund. Subsequent sales of Cortelyou memorabilia and gifts in memory of Lona Shafer and Margaret Cortelyou have also been placed in this fund.
To apply, the student must submit a short statement (one page or less) indicating why they wish to attend the meeting. Applications should be sent to: Committee Chair Mark Brogie, 508 Seeley, Box 316, Creighton, NE 68729.
The committee, consisting of Mark Brogie, Alice Kenitz, and Tom Labedz will review the
applications and award the scholarships. We would like to make this information
available to as many 9th through 12th grade students as possible and we encourage you
to spread the word in any way which would target this age group.
By Clem Klaphake
When I first started using the Internet in 1995 I was excited to find a few websites that were dedicated to birding and birds. Soon bird related websites began to multiply to the point where one has to be extremely selective if time, or limited access to the Internet, is a factor. There are easily upward of 1500 or more bird related websites today. I find that minutes can turn into hours very quickly when browsing these sites.
Websites linked to Cornell University are probably some of the most familiar to birders. Their various sites cover bird counts, Project Pigeon Watch, Project Feeder Watch, bird identification tips, studies on changing bird populations, recorded songs and sounds of birds, programs for children and a number of others.
Samples from Cornell University are:
http://birdsource.cornell.edu/gbbc/index.html (Great Backyard Bird Count)
Another Cornell University website is one that is useful for beginning birders (a bird identification starter): http://birdsource.cornell.edu/pfw/birdid/birdid.htm
Other websites cover almost every imaginable aspect of birds and birding. Here are a few other websites you might find interesting. Eagle Track - Space technology is used at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center to track case histories online of injured Bald Eagles and where they went after they recuperated and were released. You can see where a specific eagle (#xxx) outfitted with a transmitter went and approximate time lapse. It is at: http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/newwebdev/meeen/register1.html
The Great Texas Birding Classic - As usual they do things big in Texas. And that includes the Great Texas Birding Classic, called 'the biggest, longest and wildest bird- watching tournament in the U.S.' In late April, during the height of the spring migration, birders from all over the world descend on southern Texas. It is fun, but also benefits bird conservation. Teams vie for prizes of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000, which are awarded to avian conservation projects of the winning teams' choices. It is at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/birding/bclass/index.htm
Tucson, Arizona claims that it is one of the five best bird-watching areas in the U.S. More than 450 species can be found in and around the city. This site gives a rundown on birding around Tucson, including good birding spots and other sources of information. It is at: http://www.visittucson.org/vacationplanner/birdwatching/index.html
by Clem Klaphake
A recent article in Natural History March, 2000 argues that the Arctic is warming up, and that this change is seriously affecting the diet and reproduction of polar bears. Briefly, with less ice and ice platforms, from which polar bears hunt seals, their food supply is harder to capture. The author of the article points out that since 1978 the ice cover in the circumpolar Arctic has fallen by about 3 percent per decade. The average thickness of ice over the Arctic Ocean has decreased by 4.3 feet since 1976. The big question is, why? Is it attributable to humans (industrialization/increase in greenhouse gases) or natural causes (natural shifts in climate and temperature)? Whatever the causes, does this change in ice and permafrost compound or benefit the growth in the Snow Goose populations and their breeding grounds?
Steve Dinsmore and Ross Silcock wrote up a summary of the record breaking January 2, 2000 Lake McConaughy Christmas Bird Count. The first time a Christmas Bird Count has broken 100! See the report summary below.
Lake McConaughy Christmas Bird Count tops 100 species!
Stephen J. Dinsmore and W. Ross Silcock
612 1/2 West Magnolia St. Fort Collins, CO 80521
P.O. Box 57 Tabor, IA 51653
The ninth annual Lake McConaughy Christmas Bird Count (CBC), held on 2 January 2000, became the first CBC in Nebraska to record 100 species. The previous record count for Nebraska was 87 species, at Lake McConaughy in 1994 and 1998. Two other Nebraska counts (Harlan County Reservoir and Branched Oak-Seward) have posted recent totals in the mid-80s, so it was only a matter of time before a Nebraska CBC reached 90 species.
The fall of 1999 was unusually mild in western Nebraska. Much of the Panhandle was still largely ice-free in early December. As December progressed, the weather remained mild with many daily high temperatures in the 50s and 60s. The mild weather and abundance of open water allowed large numbers of waterbirds to remain later than normal. Colder weather just before Christmas brought low temperatures in the teens and froze some of the smaller water bodies. But by Christmas, the warm weather returned with high temperatures mostly in the 50s for the rest of the year. A further indication of the mild weather was the fact that the water temperature of Lake McConaughy was still 43 F on 2 January!
The weather while we were scouting the count circle on 1 January was superb: light winds, sunny skies, and temperature in the mid-50s. The birdlife was equally promising, and we tallied nearly 75 species without trying for a big list. With good weather, we were optimistic that the CBC would reach 90 species. At dinner that evening, we waited for participants to arrive from Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma. By 6 p.m. we had a total of 17 people and we assigned areas for the count. This year, we were able to divide the circle into 8 areas as follows: 1) Dinsmore and Bob Cecil covering part of Lake Ogallala, 2) Silcock and Jim Sedgwick covering the north side of Lake McConaughy, 3) Loren and Babs Padelford covering the sandhills northeast of Kingsley Dam, 4) Joe Fontaine and Andie Lueders covering the North Platte River below Keystone dam, 5) Charles Brown, Mary Brown and Alice Heckman covering Cedar Point Biological Station, 6) Joel Jorgensen and Jerry Toll covering the southeast part of Lake McConaughy, 7) Lanny Randolph and Robin Harding covering the southwest part of Lake McConaughy, and 8) Laurel Badura and Alicia Lupkes covering Ogallala and the South Platte River. The forecast called for an approaching cold front overnight, bringing with it cooler temperatures, stronger winds, and the possibility of light snow. We hoped that the front would be delayed until at least midday.
The morning of 2 January dawned clear and cool. There was a steady northwest wind blowing 15-25 mph at dawn, but by 7:30 a.m. the winds had diminished to a light breeze, and it remained that way for the rest of the day. The combination of light winds, partly cloudy skies, and temperatures in the 30s and 40s made for perfect count weather. The air was also clear (e.g., no heat waves), creating spectacular visibility on Lake McConaughy. The count strategy called for the various groups to bird in their areas until 1:30 p.m., when we would meet below Kingsley Dam. At that time we would compile the list thus far and plan for the afternoon. The midday tally was an impressive 97 species. Among the misses were a few species we thought we could find in the afternoon, including Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Northern Bobwhite, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Marsh Wren. Although the afternoon birding was generally slow, we managed to add four of these for a count total of 101 species.
The count was a huge success because of the combination of pre-count scouting, great weather on count day, and a record number of observers. It is always our hope that each field party will contribute at least one species that is seen by no other group, and we are rarely disappointed. This year, seven of the eight field parties accomplished this, some of them finding more than one unique species. While this count was clearly a record for Nebraska, we were curious about how it compared to Christmas Bird Counts in surrounding states. We did some research and found the following all-time CBC totals for states surrounding Nebraska: Iowa (92), Missouri (108), Kansas (104), Oklahoma (107), Colorado (113), Wyoming (63), Utah (105), and South Dakota (62). Only Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado have counts that consistently reach 100 species. On the basis of this research, we have concluded that the 1999 Lake McConaughy CBC is the northernmost count in the Great Plains to reach 100 species.
If you are planning to come to the 2000 Spring Conference in Chadron, here are some of the facilities in the area:
Camp Norweska has 10 cabins sleeping 106 people (quite primitive), a dorm wing which sleeps 10 (less primitive), and a new retreat center with 16 rooms sleeping 32 people (much like the rooms in the administration building at Halsey). Reservations for those rooms will be taken when the registration comes out in the next newsletter in April.
Other options if you wish to make your own reservations are:
Best Western (308) 432-3305
Westerner Motel (308) 432-5577
Roundup (308) 432-5591
Economy 9 (308) 432-3119
Super 8 (308) 432-4471
Microtel (308) 432-3000
Olde Main Street Inn (old hotel with much character) (308) 432-3380
Fort Robinson State Park (lodge and camping) (308) 665-2900
Chadron State Park (cabins and camp ground) (308) 432-6167
Chadron State Park (right next to Camp Norweska) and Fort Robinson State Park (about 35 miles from Camp Norweska) are very popular, so call soon if you would like to stay at either of these places. Chadron is approximately 9 miles from Camp Norweska.
Further details about the field trips, banquet, and other activities will appear in the next newsletter.
Hope to see you there - Sue Amiotte
Please note the date on your label and send in your dues now if you are not paid up.
Send your name, address, telephone, e-mail address and a check made payable to
Nebraska Ornithologists' Union to Sue Amiotte, P.O. Box 265, Chadron, NE 69337-0265
phone: (308) 432-3783, e-mail: samiotte@bbc.net
This web site courtesy of the Department
University of Nebraska at Kearney