Date: 5/21/26 9:29 am From: Jacob C. Cooper via groups.io <cooperj2...> Subject: [NEBirds] Fish Crow
Incredible, there is still one Fish Crow on the nest in Fairbury. She was moving around a bit; hopefully the eggs or young survived. As Bill reported, there is an unbelievable amount of downed timber in the town.
Date: 5/21/26 4:40 am From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: [NEBirds] The Twp Warbling Vireos: Follow up
Greeting from Sioux City, IA
* Ross Silcock-Co-editor Birds of Nebraska Online*, sent the
following to the Nebraska listserv sometime May 2026 regarding this article
from Ted Floyd, a well-known birder from Colorado who first introduce me to
birding by ear rather and just looking for birds with eyes and bins during
one of my very early IOU Spring Meeting for which Ted Floyd was our Keynote
speaker.
This was long before *there was any talk of “two warbling-vireo”
becoming full species according to current science, and both of them are
here in the Front Range metro region of Colorado.*
* David Suddjian reminds us that the songs of Eastern and Western
warbling-vireos are distinct, and I don't disagree. But I am wary of our
ability to tell them apart, especially where they overlap, as here. Do they
differ, to our human ears, between Nevada and New Jersey? Sure. Between San
Miguel Co., Colo., and New Jersey? Yes, I would say so. But all up and down
the I-25 corridor, from Ft. Collins to Pueblo and beyond, where most of us
live and bird, I'm not convinced of that. I've been studying these birds'
songs intensively for close to 20 years now, and I simply don't trust my
ears, or, let's be honest, my brain all that much. I think it's probably
true that there are some, well, no-brainers in the mix. But birds on
migration? Birds exposed to the "wrong" Vireo song? Hybrids or intergrades,
perish the thought? I imagine there's an awful lot of that going on
here. But can we, please, pretty please, agree on one thing? "Merlin"
isn't adequate for the ID. It really isn't. And please keep in mind: I am
one of the loudest champions of Merlin. It's a magnificent guide,
pedagogically brilliant, informing and inspiring millions of peeps who
might not otherwise notice birds. Merlin is all those things. It really is.
But, again, Merlin is, in the first and final analysis, a guide. A
suggestion, a recommendation. And so, as the old saying goes, we "trust but
verify." Merlin wonderfully outputs spectrograms, and saves the audio, for
every single bird it provisionally identifies for you. When Merlin says
"Eastern Warbling-Vireo", great—but you'd better be prepared to produce the
goods: the spectrogram for your friendly neighborhood eBird reviewer. *
_____________________________
A very large percentage of people who bird Nebraska can look forward to the
opportunity to add a Western Warbling Vireo to their state list.
Interestingly,
as of my search at Macaulay Library.org, there is only ONE recorded record
of a Western Warbling Vireo (WEWV) from Nebraska.
*Your friend the Spectrogram: Courtesy of MacaulayLibrary.org.*
*Eastern Warbling Vireo (EAWV)**.*
[image: image.jpeg]
*Eastern Warbling Vireo*
- *The Melody:* Sounds like a continuous, breezy, and pleasant string of
notes, sometimes described as a "happy drunk making a conversational point".
- *The Pitch:* Lower-pitched and highly "sing-songy". Most of the
beginning notes stay in the same octave.
- *The Ending:* The most distinctive feature is that it usually ends on
an emphatic, accented high note.
*IMHO**: The (EAVA) has a much more pleasant and enthusiastic singing
voice than the (WEWV).*
*you will note a considerable difference between the spectrogram of an
Eastern Warbling Vireo and a Western Warbling Vireo. *
· *The Melody:* The song gives a more fragmented, "choppy" feel
because it lacks a continuous flow.
· *The Quality:* Described as "burry," squeaky, or slightly
raspier—more like a finch.
· *The Pitch:* Contains higher-pitched notes peppered evenly
throughout the entire song, rather than saving the highest note for the end.
*Western Warbling Vireo**. Far West Ventura, California *
[image: image.jpeg]
*Below* is the only WEWV Spectrogram I could find for Nebraska. Recorded
by Steven Mlodinow June 1, 2022 at Oliver Reservoir in Kimball County.
[image: image.png]
Please note the difference between the Ventura California recording
and the Kimball County, Nebraska recording. Similar but clearly a huge
difference in vocalization as you go further west.
Sure enough, one day after I wrote about only having one WEWV
audio/spectrogram for Nebraska, Stephen Brenner and Brady Krag turned in a
checklist with two audio/spectrograms supporting Western Warbling Vireo.
From 1 one spectrogram to 3.
#1 [image: image.png] #2[image: Western Warbling Vireo - Stephen Brenner] #1
Looks very much like the S. Mlodinow recording from 2022. Recording #2
seems quite different and I had trouble hearing WEWV but suspect it is the
portion circled in red.
Regardless, this bodes well for possibly hearing one or two next
weekend at the NOU.
[image: image.jpeg]
The Nebraska map above (*from Bird of Nebraska Online*) shows a best
guess, based on current thinking, that the further west you go in the
Panhandle the more likely you are to have the opportunity to run into a
(WEW). It is very possible that Nebraska birders will either confirm the
theory or disprove it once we start adding more and more audio
(spectrograms) to solidify a more accurate map of the areas the Western
Warbling Vireo cross during the annual migration journeys.
There other things you need to consider as you go searching for
Warbling Vireos are the “Migration Dates”.
*Western Warbling Vireo*:
*Spring Migration: *May 8 through the middle of June.
* Fall Migration: *August 30th through September 15.
Very much looking forward to the Fall NOU meeting and expecting to
get some decent opportunities for a new Nebraska bird for my list. *But
NOT without a decent spectrogram*. We need some decent audio to pass the
test!
Maybe more info will be shared with us on Friday or Saturday at the
meeting.
In closing, I would like to thank Ross Silcock and Mark Brogie for
providing me with good information and food for thought. An extra thanks
to Ross for giving me some corrections on my thinking. I hope this
version is more accurate than the one I first shared with Ross.
P.S. I have attached a copy in case you wish to print it out for some
reason or other.
Date: 5/20/26 7:33 pm From: Paul L. Pearson via groups.io <Propearson...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Painted Bunting in Crawford, Dawes Co?
I spoke to the homeowner today and the Bunting hadnt been seen. If it shows up tomorrow she will let me know and I'll head up there in the afternoon from CO. She's a first time Birding Bowl participant and first year eBirder. She wasnt aware and surprised that it might cause people to contact her or show up unexpectedly, so it's good we made contact before that potentially happened. Fingers crossed...Sent from my Galaxy -------- Original message --------From: "Paul L. Pearson via groups.io" <Propearson...> Date: 5/20/26 2:57 PM (GMT-07:00) To: <NEBirds...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Painted Bunting in Crawford, Dawes Co? Thanks to TJ-the Game and Parks folks up there made contact and I have her #. PABU was around yesterday pretty much all day, but today is rainy and not much activity on feeders.I'm going to call her this afternoon to assess and gauge her interest for potential visitors so please refrain from trying to contact her until I report back. If it sticks around, we dont want to overwhelm or spook her allowing access obviously.if she sees it tomorrow AM I should be able to be there by late afternoon.thanks all-will report backPaul P-------- Original message --------From: "Paul L. Pearson via groups.io" <Propearson...> Date: 5/19/26 10:00 PM (GMT-07:00) To: <NEBirds...> Subject: [NEBirds] Painted Bunting in Crawford, Dawes Co? Does anyone know Marie Osborn in Crawford or in the area and could attempt to contact her?
Since we will be there next week for NOU, it would be amazing if the bird stuck around on the feeder and everyone could see it. Selfishly, I am coming back through panhandle on Thurs/Fri and would gladly head up there and ‘verify’ it in person. ;) (male PABU is basically my already reported NE dream bird)
-- Paul L. Pearson, PhD President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ UnionOmaha, NE
-- Paul L. Pearson, PhD President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ UnionOmaha, NE
Date: 5/20/26 1:57 pm From: Paul L. Pearson via groups.io <Propearson...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Painted Bunting in Crawford, Dawes Co?
Thanks to TJ-the Game and Parks folks up there made contact and I have her #. PABU was around yesterday pretty much all day, but today is rainy and not much activity on feeders.I'm going to call her this afternoon to assess and gauge her interest for potential visitors so please refrain from trying to contact her until I report back. If it sticks around, we dont want to overwhelm or spook her allowing access obviously.if she sees it tomorrow AM I should be able to be there by late afternoon.thanks all-will report backPaul PSent from my Galaxy -------- Original message --------From: "Paul L. Pearson via groups.io" <Propearson...> Date: 5/19/26 10:00 PM (GMT-07:00) To: <NEBirds...> Subject: [NEBirds] Painted Bunting in Crawford, Dawes Co? Does anyone know Marie Osborn in Crawford or in the area and could attempt to contact her?
Since we will be there next week for NOU, it would be amazing if the bird stuck around on the feeder and everyone could see it. Selfishly, I am coming back through panhandle on Thurs/Fri and would gladly head up there and ‘verify’ it in person. ;) (male PABU is basically my already reported NE dream bird)
-- Paul L. Pearson, PhD President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ UnionOmaha, NE
Date: 5/20/26 11:31 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Fledgling Pileated Woodpecker in Crete
Nebraska birders,
This morning I birded Tuxedo Park in Crete hoping to find a few interesting warblers (which I did find), but the highlight of the walk was a family of Pileated Woodpeckers on the walking trail on the east side of the park. Both adults were present and calling right above my head, while a fledgling female foraged nearby!
I know they've been working their way up the Big Blue River for a few years now, but it was encouraging to see evidence of breeding in that area. I didn't find a nest, but there were plenty of foraging holes in many large trees in the area, especially cottonwoods.
Date: 5/20/26 8:14 am From: Thomas Labedz via groups.io <telabedz...> Subject: [NEBirds] Conestoga warblers
Pine, Bay-breasted, Tennessee, Yellow, Yellow-rumped warblers, Common Yellowthroat, and Yellow-breasted Chat were on the north side of Conestoga Lake SRA this morning. All but the yellow-rumped were in or near the grove of old cedar trees near the jetty point southwest of the main campground. 54 species total reported through ebird. Thomas Labedz, Lincoln
Since we will be there next week for NOU, it would be amazing if the bird stuck around on the feeder and everyone could see it.
Selfishly, I am coming back through panhandle on Thurs/Fri and would gladly head up there and ‘verify’ it in person. ;) (male PABU is basically my already reported NE dream bird)
--
Paul L. Pearson, PhD
President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
Omaha, NE
Date: 5/19/26 6:19 pm From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: [NEBirds] lots lazuli buntings
"Lots" being a relative term. About 5 or 6 at present around my feeders at my house SE of Valentine. Some number has been present for the last 5 days or so. Probably the most I have seen in the 6 years I have been in this location. Three males in the first photo below. A female in the second. One male indigo is here, but I am not confident I have IDed a female indigo here yet this spring.
Date: 5/19/26 4:49 pm From: Olivia DeMarchi via groups.io <oliviademarchi7...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 4 Summary
Hi Tobin,
According to the Pyle guide there are slight differences in bill size and
very subtle plumage differences between Eastern and Western Warbling
Vireos. I'm recording bill width, depth, and nares to tip measurements on
all of them, but my boss told me since the differences are so subtle and
there is quite a bit of overlap in the measurements to record all the WAVIs
as UNWV. Western Nebraska is such an interesting place to study WAVIs since
the split since theoretically we could get both at Ash Hollow and I have
questions about possible intergrades which just makes everything more
muddled and confusing. From the data I've gathered from the WAVIs captured
so far, they seem to line up more with the Eastern species, which makes
sense since we're more on the edge of the Western's range. I'm not an
expert at distinguishing their songs, but I do seem to hear more of the
Eastern species' song as well. Possibly in the future we will understand a
better way to distinguish them, but that's all I know for now! I am also
collecting feather samples from all the WAVIs to send off to the Bird
Genoscape Project in hopes they can learn more. Hope that answers your
question and thanks for reaching out!
Olivia
On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 11:32 AM Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Hi Olivia,
>
> Incredible week! I'm curious about the Warbling Vireos. I'm assuming since
> you have them as "unknown" there isn't enough measurement data or anything
> to separate them? I'm sure you're collecting lots of data on them, I'm just
> curious if you had any insights into how those might be differentiated in
> the future, besides DNA.
>
> Thanks!
>
> p.s. I heard you had a Scarlet Tanager today, that's a great bird out
> there!
>
> ----
> *Tobin Brown*
> Lincoln, NE
> eBird Hotspot Editor, Nebraska
> Editor Seasonal Reports, Nebraska Bird Review
>
>
>
Date: 5/19/26 3:51 pm From: jandb532 via groups.io <jandb532...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Fish Crows in Fairbury
Took a short side trip to the Fairbury city park to check on the Fish Crows. The park is filled with fallen tree limbs but roads are clear. I did spot 2 crows who were kind enough to give a raspy nasal call and I'm confident they were Fish Crows. One flew to their nest in a sycamore tree near the shelter in the center of the park. I did not get pics of the birds but I did get some good looks at the nest and did not notice any activity. The adult only spent about 10 seconds on the nest before flying. I checked the ground below the tree but did not find any evidence of dead or injured young.
Date: 5/19/26 10:32 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 4 Summary
Hi Olivia,
Incredible week! I'm curious about the Warbling Vireos. I'm assuming since you have them as "unknown" there isn't enough measurement data or anything to separate them? I'm sure you're collecting lots of data on them, I'm just curious if you had any insights into how those might be differentiated in the future, besides DNA.
Thanks!
p.s. I heard you had a Scarlet Tanager today, that's a great bird out there!
Date: 5/18/26 10:13 pm From: Keet Redden via groups.io <keetredden...> Subject: [NEBirds] Interested in Polk County Lazuli Bunting
I noticed a report on eBird of a Lazuli Bunting in Polk County at someone’s home. I am interested and was just wanting to see if I could somehow see it. Please respond if that might be possible.
Date: 5/18/26 5:40 pm From: William Flack via groups.io <sparvophile...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Fish Crows in Fairbury
I visited Fairbury this afternoon (May 18), hoping to find the Fish Crows. Unfortunately, Fairbury was hit very hard by a storm the night before last (May 16/17). There're big branches down all over the place, and some large trees have completely been snapped off or uprooted. I fear the worst for the Fish Crow nest, and for the crows themselves.
Tommy Childers reported them on eBird on May 16, so they were there at the time. Unless we're fortunate, he may have been the last to see them. I'm staying in Fairbury tonight, and plan to search for them again tomorrow, but I'm not optimistic: even if the adults survived the storm, they might have abandoned Fairbury in hopes of finding a calmer nesting site.
Date: 5/18/26 9:04 am From: Paula Dittrick via groups.io <pmdittrick...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Need ID help with photo
Thanks, others also say that it's common yellowthroat. What a great spring migration.
On Monday, May 18, 2026 at 10:36:39 AM CDT, Badura, Laurel via groups.io <laurel_badura...> wrote:
Paul:
This looks like a female common yellowthroat.
LaurelFrom: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Paula Dittrick via groups.io <pmdittrick...>
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2026 5:19 PM
To: NEBIRDS <nebirds...>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [NEBirds] Need ID help with photo
|
This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding.
|
I took this photo on the morning of May 9 east of Doniphan at a USDA conservation easement right next to a gravel road. Can anybody please help me identify this bird? I only got two photos of it and a leaf covered part of the head in the other photo.ThanksPaula DittrickHastings
Date: 5/18/26 8:36 am From: Badura, Laurel via groups.io <laurel_badura...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Need ID help with photo
Paul:
This looks like a female common yellowthroat.
Laurel
________________________________
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Paula Dittrick via groups.io <pmdittrick...>
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2026 5:19 PM
To: NEBIRDS <nebirds...>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [NEBirds] Need ID help with photo
This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding.
I took this photo on the morning of May 9 east of Doniphan at a USDA conservation easement right next to a gravel road. Can anybody please help me identify this bird? I only got two photos of it and a leaf covered part of the head in the other photo.
Thanks
Paula Dittrick
Hastings
Date: 5/17/26 6:52 pm From: DuaneS via groups.io <djschw...> Subject: [NEBirds] Hwy 75/Platte River Eagle Nest
We checked the eagle nest along the Platte River today. The young eagles are good sized already. We also checked on the osprey nest that is on the cell phone tower at Beach Road by the trucking company. There is a nest on the tower but in the half hour we were watching it, there was no activity.
Duane & Kathy Schwery
Cass county
Date: 5/17/26 4:10 pm From: flyingcarlini via groups.io <flyingcarlini...> Subject: [NEBirds] Mississippi Kite nest tree mutilation
Hello birders,
Today we checked the Woodsdale Blvd. oak tree where MIKIs have been know to nest the past 3 years and found that formerly magnificent big full tree has been mercilessly pruned during the city's current tree-chopping rampage and is now a bare skinny unrecognizable skeleton of its former self, no nest visible so presumably that branch was chopped off and big horizontal branch that adults always preened on is gone - a giant branch fell last summer during insane 91 mph winds but that's no justification to turn that grand tree into a largely leafless sprig.
Date: 5/16/26 6:19 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 4 Summary
That is a super week. A good number of species I do not have in that
county.
Great to head the good news!
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
On Sat, May 16, 2026 at 4:28 PM Olivia DeMarchi via groups.io
<oliviademarchi7...> wrote:
> Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 4 (May 12-16) Summary
>
> Greetings! It was another productive week of banding at Ash Hollow with
> 184 newly banded birds and 13 recaptures. About half of the total birds
> banded this week were Swainson's Thrush, so I am deeming the Swainson's
> Thrush the emblem of Ash Hollow. Despite SWTH ruling the station, the
> diversity of birds has really kicked up in the last week with a total of 27
> species captured, including some very exciting warblers. Saturday brought a
> handful of species typically only seen in the eastern United States. I was
> shocked to find both a Hooded Warbler and a Worm-eating Warbler in our nets
> on the same net run. Both individuals, as well as the Magnolia Warbler from
> last week were second-years, or birds that hatched last year, which
> supports my running theory that young birds are more likely to get
> off-track during migration. I haven't dug into the literature on this
> topic, but it makes sense that birds with a little less life experience are
> more likely to find themselves in unfamiliar territory. On Saturday I also
> heard a Northern Parula singing high in the cottonwoods, so I'm sure there
> will be more strange vagrants popping up next week.
>
> Other highlights from the week include a stunning after second-year male
> Lazuli Bunting, an Orchard Oriole, and a Yellow-breasted Chat. The Gray
> Catbirds have also started coming in droves, so I hope to see many more
> next week. Next week is the last week of banding for our spring migration
> season, so if you are interested in seeing bird banding come on out! The
> best time to come is early morning between 6-8, but there are plenty of
> birds around all morning.
>
>
> *May 12-16, 2026 Banding Totals:*
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
> Northern House Wren 12, 1 recap
> Orange-crowned Warbler 2
> Yellow Warbler 9, 4 recaps
> MacGillivray's Warbler 1
> Common Yellowthroat 3
> American Redstart 1, 1 recap
> Ovenbird 6, 3 recaps
> Hooded Warbler 1
> Worm-eating Warbler 1
> Least Flycatcher 5
> Willow Flycatcher 1
> Unknown Warbling Vireo 4
> American Goldfinch 1
> Lazuli Bunting 1
> White-breasted Nuthatch 1
> Lincoln's Sparrow 2
> Spotted Towhee 1 recap
> Spotted Towhee x Eastern Towhee 1
> Swainson's Thrush 93, 2 recaps
> Veery 6
> Hermit Thrush 1
> Gray-cheeked Thrush 2
> Brown Thrasher 2
> Gray Catbird 24
> Yellow-breasted Chat 1
> Orchard Oriole 1
>
> We are open to the public and encourage visitors to come check out bird
> banding Tuesday-Saturday sunrise to 6 hours after sunrise, weather
> permitting, until May 23rd. We are located at Ash Hollow State Historical
> Park off of highway 26 near Lewellen, NE. If coming north on highway 26,
> take a right onto Rd 42 following signs for the visitor center, then take
> the first left after crossing the stream. Ahead there is a picnic area with
> a small parking lot and a bathroom. The banding station is located in the
> grove of trees on the west edge of the parking lot. We hope to see you
> there!
>
> Olivia DeMarchi
> Bander, Ash Hollow
> Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
>
>
>
Date: 5/16/26 2:28 pm From: Olivia DeMarchi via groups.io <oliviademarchi7...> Subject: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 4 Summary
Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 4 (May 12-16) Summary
Greetings! It was another productive week of banding at Ash Hollow with 184 newly banded birds and 13 recaptures. About half of the total birds banded this week were Swainson's Thrush, so I am deeming the Swainson's Thrush the emblem of Ash Hollow. Despite SWTH ruling the station, the diversity of birds has really kicked up in the last week with a total of 27 species captured, including some very exciting warblers. Saturday brought a handful of species typically only seen in the eastern United States. I was shocked to find both a Hooded Warbler and a Worm-eating Warbler in our nets on the same net run. Both individuals, as well as the Magnolia Warbler from last week were second-years, or birds that hatched last year, which supports my running theory that young birds are more likely to get off-track during migration. I haven't dug into the literature on this topic, but it makes sense that birds with a little less life experience are more likely to find themselves in unfamiliar territory. On Saturday I also heard a Northern Parula singing high in the cottonwoods, so I'm sure there will be more strange vagrants popping up next week.
Other highlights from the week include a stunning after second-year male Lazuli Bunting, an Orchard Oriole, and a Yellow-breasted Chat. The Gray Catbirds have also started coming in droves, so I hope to see many more next week. Next week is the last week of banding for our spring migration season, so if you are interested in seeing bird banding come on out! The best time to come is early morning between 6-8, but there are plenty of birds around all morning.
We are open to the public and encourage visitors to come check out bird banding Tuesday-Saturday sunrise to 6 hours after sunrise, weather permitting, until May 23rd. We are located at Ash Hollow State Historical Park off of highway 26 near Lewellen, NE. If coming north on highway 26, take a right onto Rd 42 following signs for the visitor center, then take the first left after crossing the stream. Ahead there is a picnic area with a small parking lot and a bathroom. The banding station is located in the grove of trees on the west edge of the parking lot. We hope to see you there!
Olivia DeMarchi
Bander, Ash Hollow
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Date: 5/16/26 12:09 pm From: Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock...> Subject: [NEBirds] Merlin and warbling-vireos- Ted Floyd
This is an excerpt from a Feb 2026 post to COBIRDS by Ted Floyd, with some snipping by me. Some challenging thoughts re ID even with audio. I suspect the Nebraska Panhandle has a mix not unlike the CO Front Range.
The two warbling-vireos are indeed full species, according to current science, and both of them are here in the Front Range metro region. David Suddjian reminds us that the songs of Eastern and Western warbling-vireos are distinct, and I don't disagree. But I am wary of our ability to tell them apart, especially where they overlap, as here. Do they differ, to our human ears, between Nevada and New Jersey? Sure. Between San Miguel Co., Colo., and New Jersey? Yes, I would say so. But all up and down the I-25 corridor, from Ft. Collins to Pueblo and beyond, where most of us live and bird? I'm not convinced of that. I've been studying these birds' songs intensively for close to 20 years now, and I simply don't trust my ears, or, let's be honest, my brain all that much. I think it's probably true that there are some, well, no-brainers in the mix. But birds on migration? Birds exposed to the "wrong" vireo's song? Hybrids or intergrades, perish the thought? I imagine there's an awful lot of that going on here.
But can we, please, pretty please, agree on one thing? "Merlin" isn't adequate for the ID. It really isn't. And please keep in mind: I am one of the loudest champions of Merlin. It's a magnificent guide, pedagogically brilliant, informing and inspiring millions of peeps who might not otherwise notice birds. Merlin is all those things. It really is. But, again, Merlin is, in the first and final analysis, a guide. A suggestion, a recommendation. And so, as the old saying goes, we "trust but verify." Merlin wonderfully outputs spectrograms, and saves the audio, for every single bird it provisionally identifies for you. When Merlin says "Eastern Warbling-Vireo", great—but you'd better be prepared to produce the goods: the spectrogram for your friendly neighborhood eBird reviewer.
Ross
Ross Silcock
6810 Tournament Drive,
Houston, TX 77069
Date: 5/15/26 6:25 pm From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: [NEBirds] two species of buntings
This morning at my feeder about 1.5 miles SE of Valentine, NE, an indigo bunting and later a lazuli bunting (both males). FOY. Yesterday, warbling vireo singing at Merritt Reservoir, Cherry County.
Date: 5/15/26 3:24 pm From: Mike Johnson via groups.io <12johnsonm93...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Cerulean Warbler - Lancaster county
Cerulean still present
On Fri, May 15, 2026 at 14:57 flyingcarlini via groups.io <flyingcarlini=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> Thank you Tobin for sharing your incredible find!!! A group of 5
> assembled and after about an hour he started singing overhead for just a
> couple minutes but long enough for us to glimpse his necklace and cap.
> Didn't hear or see him for the hour following but he was still on the 3711
> Washington property and last seen in the oak closest to 37th although there
> was movement afterwards in the biggest oak behind the house where he was
> earlier in the day.
>
> -Shari Schwartz & John Carlini, Lincoln
>
> On Friday, May 15, 2026 at 10:10:16 AM CDT, Tobin Brown via groups.io
> <tobinjbrown...> wrote:
>
>
> Seems content in the oak tree at 3711 Washington. Preening and singing
> occasionally.
>
> - Tobin
>
> On Fri, May 15, 2026, 9:41 AM Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> A singing male at 37th and Washington in Lincoln!
>
> https://discord.com/channels/1246125374824513566/1504852455655997460 >
>
>
>
>
> - Tobin Brown
>
>
>
>
Date: 5/15/26 3:20 pm From: Paula Dittrick via groups.io <pmdittrick...> Subject: [NEBirds] Need ID help with photo
I took this photo on the morning of May 9 east of Doniphan at a USDA conservation easement right next to a gravel road. Can anybody please help me identify this bird? I only got two photos of it and a leaf covered part of the head in the other photo.ThanksPaula DittrickHastings
Date: 5/15/26 12:57 pm From: flyingcarlini via groups.io <flyingcarlini...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Cerulean Warbler - Lancaster county
Thank you Tobin for sharing your incredible find!!! A group of 5 assembled and after about an hour he started singing overhead for just a couple minutes but long enough for us to glimpse his necklace and cap. Didn't hear or see him for the hour following but he was still on the 3711 Washington property and last seen in the oak closest to 37th although there was movement afterwards in the biggest oak behind the house where he was earlier in the day.
-Shari Schwartz & John Carlini, Lincoln On Friday, May 15, 2026 at 10:10:16 AM CDT, Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> wrote:
Seems content in the oak tree at 3711 Washington. Preening and singing occasionally.
- Tobin
On Fri, May 15, 2026, 9:41 AM Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> wrote:
Date: 5/15/26 10:22 am From: Phil Swanson via groups.io <pswanson19...> Subject: [NEBirds] New arrivals
The yard got busy today with new year birds. One male and one female Golden-winged Warbler, one male Blackpoll, a first spring male and adult male Orchard Oriole, and a female Indigo Bunting.
Date: 5/14/26 8:32 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Splat!
Goes on the What Bird Did That Lisr.Check the Field Guide
Don MaasMesa, AZMaricopa County
“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools. Plato“You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.”
Don & Shirley MaasThe Maas’s have migrated to the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, AZ from Choctaw, Ok for the winter.
On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 1:31 PM, Keith Geluso via groups.io <gelusok1...> wrote:
#yiv7251586236 P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;}Hi all, Being a professional mammalogist, I think Robin is safe from Hantaviruses with this exposure as I'm only aware of this virus in mammals and not birds. Now I really am sending this message to those of you that might be checking "bird boxes" such as blue birds, as mice will sometimes colonize them. Back in the 90s when the first "known" outbreak of hantavirus occurred and formally documented, it seemed that there were some bird enthusiasts that contracted hantaviruses from breathing in aerosolized fecal or urine matters when checking bluebird boxes. Might want to consider wearing a mask if there might be mice in those boxes. Love the posts, as always, Robin! keith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Keith GelusoProfessor
Department of Biology
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE 68849
<gelusok1...>
308 865-8982
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Don & Janis Paseka via groups.io <paseka76...>
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 2:20 PM
To: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Splat!
| | Caution: Non-NU Email |
Robin,
Watch out for Hantavirus!
Don
On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 1:53 PM Robin Harding viagroups.io <pine2siskin4...> wrote:
Nebraska birders,
Bill and I were looking for birds at the Pender sewage lagoons recently. I was entering the birds that I saw on the ebird mobile app when ... SPLAT! Bird poop on the screen. We looked around and noticed that we were standing directly below a powerline with swallows perched upon it. I wonder if it was intentional or just luck. We moved out of harm's way. We'll need to be more careful next time.
Robin HardingShelton, NE
Date: 5/14/26 8:27 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Birding Marathon
Thanks for the report.
Really enjoy more people using NEBirds.
Value the experience along with the birds.
Don MaasMesa AZMaricopa County
“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools. Plato“You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.”
Don & Shirley MaasThe Maas’s have migrated to the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, AZ from Choctaw, Ok for the winter.
On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 6:24 PM, William Flack via groups.io <sparvophile...> wrote:
Fellow NEBirders— May 10 was the fourth and final day of Robin's and my joint expedition to northeastern Nebraska. For this last day, we joined Jan Johnson, who's recently moved to Wayne, and who guided us to some fine birding sites in Wayne and southern Dixon counties. We started the day in Wayne city, on the nature trail that runs through the Wayne State College campus. The prize there was a Blue-headed Vireo: rather shy and tending to hide behind branches and foliage, but we all eventually got some good looks at it, near eye level. The same or a different Blue-head sang from the upper branches. The song perplexed us for a while: not quite right for Red-eyed, and not raspy enough for Yellow-throated. Other nice birds included a Cooper's Hawk that flew across the trail, fleeing a mob of Blue Jays; we only saw the bird for about half a second, but during that half-second it uttered a "kek kek kek" call that enabled us to identify it with confidence. The oddest behavior was displayed by an American Crow that we saw hanging upside down, clinging to a branch with one foot. We wondered whether it might be tangled in a piece of string, the way that we've all too often seen dead water birds dangling from the fishing line in which they've become snarled. However, once this bird was through with this bout of gymnastics, it let go of the branch and flew off in the usual fashion. We made brief stops at the ponds in the park on the south side of Wayne (at the former site of the sewage ponds), and at the entrance to Ike's Lake (not being Izaak Walton members, we couldn't go in). Nothing remarkable at either location, and we didn't stay long. Just northwest of Ike's Lake, on the north side of 861 between 573 and 574, we birded Dog Town Creek Prairie & Arboretum. This is a piece of private land, but it's open to the public from March 1 to October 1, according to the sign at the entrance. I've created an eBird hotspot for it, so it can be found on the map that way. We birded the eastern part of the preserve, following a mown trail generally northward along the edge of the woods, then cutting eastward to check out a very small pond before returning to the car. The western part, which we didn't visit, apparently consists of prairie. It was around noon now, and the bird activity was dropping off somewhat. We didn't see anything remarkable, but had a decent suite of birds, including at least three Eastern Bluebirds and two Cedar Waxwings. Jan led us on into Dixon County. At the crossing of an unnamed creek on Hwy 116 just north of county road 861, we found a bit of puddle and mudflat with some shorebirds: Killdeer, Baird's, Least, White-rumped, and Pectoral Sandpipers. A bird that we almost missed was a single Savannah Sparrow standing in the water among the Least Sandpipers. Of course, we hadn't thought to bring my scope or Jan's, so the three of us spent lots of time changing places at Robin's scope. Our last stop was at the tree dump and sewage ponds in Allen. According to the signs, some years ago several high-school classes made a project of planting trees there. It looks as though the original two sewage ponds have been turned into park ponds, and a new large pond's been installed just over the low hill to the southwest. Our sightings included Blue-winged Teal, Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Black Tern, and Purple Martin. I've created an eBird hotspot for the site. It was getting warm, and we were getting hungry, so we called it a day. Returned chez Johnson, picked up Richard, and the four of us checked out the Wayne dining scene. I logged three new birds in Wayne County: Blue-headed Vireo, Bank Swallow, and Clay-colored Sparrow. Five of our birds were new for my Dixon list: Baird's Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Clay-colored Sparrow. I've now got 149 species for each of the two counties. Robin added Rock Pigeon, Spotted Sandpiper, Black Tern, Cooper's hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Purple martin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler to her Wayne list, for a new total of 78 species. Baird's Sandpiper was new for her in Dixon County, giving her 127 species for the county. William Flack
Kearney
Date: 5/13/26 6:24 pm From: William Flack via groups.io <sparvophile...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Birding Marathon
Fellow NEBirders—
May 10 was the fourth and final day of Robin's and my joint expedition to northeastern Nebraska. For this last day, we joined Jan Johnson, who's recently moved to Wayne, and who guided us to some fine birding sites in Wayne and southern Dixon counties.
We started the day in Wayne city, on the nature trail that runs through the Wayne State College campus. The prize there was a Blue-headed Vireo: rather shy and tending to hide behind branches and foliage, but we all eventually got some good looks at it, near eye level. The same or a different Blue-head sang from the upper branches. The song perplexed us for a while: not quite right for Red-eyed, and not raspy enough for Yellow-throated. Other nice birds included a Cooper's Hawk that flew across the trail, fleeing a mob of Blue Jays; we only saw the bird for about half a second, but during that half-second it uttered a "kek kek kek" call that enabled us to identify it with confidence. The oddest behavior was displayed by an American Crow that we saw hanging upside down, clinging to a branch with one foot. We wondered whether it might be tangled in a piece of string, the way that we've all too often seen dead water birds dangling from the fishing line in which they've become snarled. However, once this bird was through with this bout of gymnastics, it let go of the branch and flew off in the usual fashion.
We made brief stops at the ponds in the park on the south side of Wayne (at the former site of the sewage ponds), and at the entrance to Ike's Lake (not being Izaak Walton members, we couldn't go in). Nothing remarkable at either location, and we didn't stay long.
Just northwest of Ike's Lake, on the north side of 861 between 573 and 574, we birded Dog Town Creek Prairie & Arboretum. This is a piece of private land, but it's open to the public from March 1 to October 1, according to the sign at the entrance. I've created an eBird hotspot for it, so it can be found on the map that way. We birded the eastern part of the preserve, following a mown trail generally northward along the edge of the woods, then cutting eastward to check out a very small pond before returning to the car. The western part, which we didn't visit, apparently consists of prairie. It was around noon now, and the bird activity was dropping off somewhat. We didn't see anything remarkable, but had a decent suite of birds, including at least three Eastern Bluebirds and two Cedar Waxwings.
Jan led us on into Dixon County. At the crossing of an unnamed creek on Hwy 116 just north of county road 861, we found a bit of puddle and mudflat with some shorebirds: Killdeer, Baird's, Least, White-rumped, and Pectoral Sandpipers. A bird that we almost missed was a single Savannah Sparrow standing in the water among the Least Sandpipers. Of course, we hadn't thought to bring my scope or Jan's, so the three of us spent lots of time changing places at Robin's scope.
Our last stop was at the tree dump and sewage ponds in Allen. According to the signs, some years ago several high-school classes made a project of planting trees there. It looks as though the original two sewage ponds have been turned into park ponds, and a new large pond's been installed just over the low hill to the southwest. Our sightings included Blue-winged Teal, Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Black Tern, and Purple Martin. I've created an eBird hotspot for the site.
It was getting warm, and we were getting hungry, so we called it a day. Returned chez Johnson, picked up Richard, and the four of us checked out the Wayne dining scene.
I logged three new birds in Wayne County: Blue-headed Vireo, Bank Swallow, and Clay-colored Sparrow. Five of our birds were new for my Dixon list: Baird's Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Clay-colored Sparrow. I've now got 149 species for each of the two counties. Robin added Rock Pigeon, Spotted Sandpiper, Black Tern, Cooper's hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Purple martin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler to her Wayne list, for a new total of 78 species. Baird's Sandpiper was new for her in Dixon County, giving her 127 species for the county.
Date: 5/13/26 5:13 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Birding Marathon
Nebraska birders,
Bill Flack and I continued our birding marathon in Thurston County on May
09. We started in Pender at the sewage ponds. We were able to see the
ponds from the top of the berm on the other side of the road. We saw
seventeen species including 12 Hudsonian Godwits, a few Black Terns, Bank
Swallows and I saw one Yellow-headed Blackbird fly by. New county birds
for me were the Godwits, Wilson's Phalaropes, Black Terns, Northern
Rough-winged Swallows, Western Meadowlark and Yellow-headed Blackbird.
That's where a bird pooped on my phone. The previous day, in Burt County,
we saw more Godwits but were unable to identify them to species.
We walked the edge of the Thurston sewage ponds and around the tree dump.
We saw 25 species including some shorebirds and sparrows. Bill spotted a
Green Heron that was standing at the edge of a pond beside some tall
plants. It was hard to see clearly even with a scope but we could not see
its head. It wasn't moving at all. Maybe it was sleeping. New county
birds for me were Blue-winged Teal, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpiper, Chipping Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, and Harris's Sparrow.
We birded a couple of Omaha Creek bridges near the intersection of county
roads 26 and G. We found a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Black and White
Warbler, a Swainson's Thrush and a nice variety of the usual species. New
county birds for me were Swainson's Thrush, Song Sparrow, and Black and
White Warbler. Sometimes those county road creek crossings have some great
birds.
Our next stop was at the Winnebago sewage lagoons. We walked all the way
around them, which was tiresome because of the steep slope. We found 37
species including twelve species of shorebirds. Among the shorebirds was a
Semipalmated Plover, three Hudsonian Godwits, and both yellowlegs. It was
nice to see such a variety. I still get confused sometimes but it was good
to compare them side by side. It gives me a little more confidence. A few
Franklin's Gulls and Black Terns flew over while we were there. I heard a
Least Flycatcher but could not see it, although seeing it may not have
helped. New county birds for me were American Coot, Semipalmated Plover,
Greater Yellowlegs, Baird's Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral
Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Bald Eagle, Least Flycatcher, Eastern
Kingbird, and Savannah Sparrow. The Eastern Kingbird was a new 93 county
bird for me. I'm up to lucky number thirteen species seen in all 93
counties.
Mid afternoon, we walked almost a mile at Big Bear Park, an easier walk
since it was all on level ground. We found 25 species including a couple
more Swainson's Thrushes, an Orchard Oriole and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We
saw a nice variety of sparrows as well. New county birds for me were
Lincoln's Sparrow, and Orchard Oriole.
Bill's new county birds for the day were Semipalmated Plover, Hudsonian
Godwit, Baird's Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs, Swainson's Thrush, Clay-colored Sparrow and Black and
White Warbler. His new total for the county is 153 species.
I suppose you can tell that I haven't been birding in Thurston County very
often. Bill, on the other hand, has birded in every Nebraska county many
times. My new total for Thurston County is 102.
Robin Harding
Shelton, Nebraska
On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 6:24 PM William Flack via groups.io <sparvophile=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> Fellow NEBirders—
>
> On May 8, Day 2 of Robin's and my expedition to northeastern Nebraska, we
> worked Burt County.
> Rather tuckered out by the previous day's birding, we got off to a
> somewhat late start from West Point. We began our birding in the park at
> the western edge of Oakland. There was a track meet going on in the
> western portion of the park, so we didn't go that way; but the eastern
> part, including the small stream that runs in near the southeastern corner,
> was quiet and productive. We found sparrows of six species (Chipping,
> Clay-colored, White-crowned, Harris's, White-throated, and Lincoln's) in
> considerable abundance; and saw a Black-and-white Warbler nuthatching its
> way along a branch.
>
> The prize there was a Louisiana Waterthrush working upstream along the
> edge of the creek. At that point, the creek runs between steep banks 3–6
> feet high, so although we had quite a lengthy look at the bird, it was all
> from above: we could clearly see the tail-wagging and the upperparts, but
> couldn't get great looks at the underparts. The supercilium didn't
> obviously narrow toward the rear, but neither did it obviously widen. The
> underparts had a whitish background, with no obvious yellowish tinge: such
> yellowish would've been diagnostic for Northern, but its absence doesn't
> rule Northern out. We couldn't see the throat, nor could we really assesss
> the density of the streaking on the underparts. Our identification was
> based on the leg color: bright pink, even when the bird was in deep shade,
> and almost luminous when hit by the sun. No vocalizations.
>
> The Black-and-white and the Louisiana were the only unusual warblers we
> found all day. We saw Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow, and
> Yellow-rumped in various places, but none of the less-common migrants that
> we'd expect at this time of year, and not even Orange-crowned. This was
> our experience throughout the trip: Orange-crowns on other days, but not in
> any kind of numbers, and almost nothing else beside those four most common
> species.
>
> After Oakland, we spent considerable time at Summit Lake. First, we
> parked in the lot by the gate just southwest of the archery range, and
> walked trails: along the boundary between woods and grassland, then on
> trails that wandered through the woods toward the marshy ponds. There was
> a decent variety of birds, including the Swainson's Thrush that I wanted
> for my Burt County list, but no surprises. We then continued driving on
> the park road to its end on the west side of the southern arm of the lake.
> In the small parking lot there, we heard repeated descending staccato
> "pit-a-tuck" calls from a deciduous tree, which I recognized from Arizona
> experience as Summer Tanager. With a little effort, we found the bird: all
> red, without a cardinal's black face or crest or red triangular bill, and
> with a wing only a little darker than the body plumage, quite unlike a
> Scarlet Tanager's black wing.
>
> It was mid-afternoon by this time, so we repaired to Tekamah for lunch at
> the Tipsy Pig. We then drove to the east side of the southern arm of the
> lake, crossed on the berm with no serious misadventures on the step-stones,
> and did a loop that took us up to the edge of the horse farm. We had a
> decent variety of birds, including seven sparrow species, but nothing
> surprising; and the only warbler was a single Northern Yellow.
>
> From Summit Lake, we betook ourselves to Pelican Point RA. Our experience
> there was similar to what we'd had at Summit: nice variety of sparrows, but
> only a single warbler, a Common Yellowthroat.
>
> There was plenty of daylight left when we finished there, and had we been
> younger and stronger and less worn-out, we'd have gone on to check out the
> park at Decatur. However, it'd been an enjoyable but a long day, and we
> had to make our way to Pender before we could rest. We started northwest,
> but had only got two or three miles when we saw what looked like two
> good-sized shorebirds flying to land in a plowed field. We quickly stopped
> and put the scopes on the birds which, fortunately, showed no inclination
> to fly off. They turned out to be two Pluvialis plovers; however, they
> were in mid-molt, which made identification challenging. There appeared to
> be some brown in the back and wings, which suggested American Golden-
> rather than Black-bellied Plover, but we couldn't be sure of that. There
> was still lots of white in the underparts, and in any case the birds
> weren't giving us good looks at the undertail coverts. Finally, I
> suppressed my conscience and marched out into the field in an intimidating
> fashion to flush the birds, which showed brown tails in flight: American
> Golden-Plovers.
>
> Eight of the birds we found were new for my Burt County list, bringing it
> to a total of 156 species: Northern Bobwhite, American Golden-Plover,
> Solitary Sandpiper, Swainson's Thrush, Clay-colored Sparrow, Louisiana
> Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, and Summer Tanager.
>
> Robin had only birded Burt County on two previous occasions, so her list
> of new birds was considerably longer than mine: [deep breath] American
> Wigeon, Northern Bobwhite, Chimney Swift, American Golden-Plover, Spotted
> Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Franklin's Gull, Black Tern, Osprey,
> Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling
> Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Martin, Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Wren,
> Northern House Wren, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird,
> Swainson's Thrush, American Goldfinch, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow,
> Harris's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Louisiana
> Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow
> Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Summer Tanager, and Rose-breasted
> Grosbeak. Her new total for the county was 102 species. Burt was the last
> county in which she hadn't seen American Goldfinch, making it her 12th
> 93-county bird.
>
> Tomorrow: Thurston County
>
> William Flack
> Kearney
>
>
>
>
Date: 5/13/26 4:24 pm From: William Flack via groups.io <sparvophile...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Birding Marathon
Fellow NEBirders—
On May 8, Day 2 of Robin's and my expedition to northeastern Nebraska, we worked Burt County.
Rather tuckered out by the previous day's birding, we got off to a somewhat late start from West Point. We began our birding in the park at the western edge of Oakland. There was a track meet going on in the western portion of the park, so we didn't go that way; but the eastern part, including the small stream that runs in near the southeastern corner, was quiet and productive. We found sparrows of six species (Chipping, Clay-colored, White-crowned, Harris's, White-throated, and Lincoln's) in considerable abundance; and saw a Black-and-white Warbler nuthatching its way along a branch.
The prize there was a Louisiana Waterthrush working upstream along the edge of the creek. At that point, the creek runs between steep banks 3–6 feet high, so although we had quite a lengthy look at the bird, it was all from above: we could clearly see the tail-wagging and the upperparts, but couldn't get great looks at the underparts. The supercilium didn't obviously narrow toward the rear, but neither did it obviously widen. The underparts had a whitish background, with no obvious yellowish tinge: such yellowish would've been diagnostic for Northern, but its absence doesn't rule Northern out. We couldn't see the throat, nor could we really assesss the density of the streaking on the underparts. Our identification was based on the leg color: bright pink, even when the bird was in deep shade, and almost luminous when hit by the sun. No vocalizations.
The Black-and-white and the Louisiana were the only unusual warblers we found all day. We saw Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow, and Yellow-rumped in various places, but none of the less-common migrants that we'd expect at this time of year, and not even Orange-crowned. This was our experience throughout the trip: Orange-crowns on other days, but not in any kind of numbers, and almost nothing else beside those four most common species.
After Oakland, we spent considerable time at Summit Lake. First, we parked in the lot by the gate just southwest of the archery range, and walked trails: along the boundary between woods and grassland, then on trails that wandered through the woods toward the marshy ponds. There was a decent variety of birds, including the Swainson's Thrush that I wanted for my Burt County list, but no surprises. We then continued driving on the park road to its end on the west side of the southern arm of the lake. In the small parking lot there, we heard repeated descending staccato "pit-a-tuck" calls from a deciduous tree, which I recognized from Arizona experience as Summer Tanager. With a little effort, we found the bird: all red, without a cardinal's black face or crest or red triangular bill, and with a wing only a little darker than the body plumage, quite unlike a Scarlet Tanager's black wing.
It was mid-afternoon by this time, so we repaired to Tekamah for lunch at the Tipsy Pig. We then drove to the east side of the southern arm of the lake, crossed on the berm with no serious misadventures on the step-stones, and did a loop that took us up to the edge of the horse farm. We had a decent variety of birds, including seven sparrow species, but nothing surprising; and the only warbler was a single Northern Yellow.
From Summit Lake, we betook ourselves to Pelican Point RA. Our experience there was similar to what we'd had at Summit: nice variety of sparrows, but only a single warbler, a Common Yellowthroat.
There was plenty of daylight left when we finished there, and had we been younger and stronger and less worn-out, we'd have gone on to check out the park at Decatur. However, it'd been an enjoyable but a long day, and we had to make our way to Pender before we could rest. We started northwest, but had only got two or three miles when we saw what looked like two good-sized shorebirds flying to land in a plowed field. We quickly stopped and put the scopes on the birds which, fortunately, showed no inclination to fly off. They turned out to be two Pluvialis plovers; however, they were in mid-molt, which made identification challenging. There appeared to be some brown in the back and wings, which suggested American Golden- rather than Black-bellied Plover, but we couldn't be sure of that. There was still lots of white in the underparts, and in any case the birds weren't giving us good looks at the undertail coverts. Finally, I suppressed my conscience and marched out into the field in an intimidating fashion to flush the birds, which showed brown tails in flight: American Golden-Plovers.
Eight of the birds we found were new for my Burt County list, bringing it to a total of 156 species: Northern Bobwhite, American Golden-Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Swainson's Thrush, Clay-colored Sparrow, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, and Summer Tanager.
Robin had only birded Burt County on two previous occasions, so her list of new birds was considerably longer than mine: [deep breath] American Wigeon, Northern Bobwhite, Chimney Swift, American Golden-Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Franklin's Gull, Black Tern, Osprey, Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Martin, Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Wren, Northern House Wren, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, American Goldfinch, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Summer Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Her new total for the county was 102 species. Burt was the last county in which she hadn't seen American Goldfinch, making it her 12th 93-county bird.
Date: 5/13/26 1:52 pm From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: [NEBirds] L waterthrush
Two this morning along Fort Falls Creek on Fort Niobrara NWR. Also FOY black-headed grosbeak, but I have not been in good habitat for a while. Yesterday, further upriver a mile or two was a rose-breasted grosbeak. Both singing males.
Date: 5/13/26 1:31 pm From: Keith Geluso via groups.io <gelusok1...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Splat!
Hi all, Being a professional mammalogist, I think Robin is safe from Hantaviruses with this exposure as I'm only aware of this virus in mammals and not birds. Now I really am sending this message to those of you that might be checking "bird boxes" such as blue birds, as mice will sometimes colonize them. Back in the 90s when the first "known" outbreak of hantavirus occurred and formally documented, it seemed that there were some bird enthusiasts that contracted hantaviruses from breathing in aerosolized fecal or urine matters when checking bluebird boxes. Might want to consider wearing a mask if there might be mice in those boxes. Love the posts, as always, Robin! keith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keith Geluso
Professor
Department of Biology
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE 68849
<gelusok1...>
308 865-8982
________________________________
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Don & Janis Paseka via groups.io <paseka76...>
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 2:20 PM
To: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Splat!
Bill and I were looking for birds at the Pender sewage lagoons recently. I was entering the birds that I saw on the ebird mobile app when ... SPLAT! Bird poop on the screen. We looked around and noticed that we were standing directly below a powerline with swallows perched upon it. I wonder if it was intentional or just luck. We moved out of harm's way. We'll need to be more careful next time.
Date: 5/13/26 12:20 pm From: Don & Janis Paseka via groups.io <paseka76...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Splat!
Robin,
Watch out for Hantavirus!
Don
On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 1:53 PM Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Nebraska birders,
>
> Bill and I were looking for birds at the Pender sewage lagoons recently.
> I was entering the birds that I saw on the ebird mobile app when ...
> SPLAT! Bird poop on the screen. We looked around and noticed that we were
> standing directly below a powerline with swallows perched upon it. I
> wonder if it was intentional or just luck. We moved out of harm's way.
> We'll need to be more careful next time.
>
> Robin Harding
> Shelton, NE
>
>
>
Date: 5/13/26 11:53 am From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Splat!
Nebraska birders,
Bill and I were looking for birds at the Pender sewage lagoons recently. I was entering the birds that I saw on the ebird mobile app when ... SPLAT! Bird poop on the screen. We looked around and noticed that we were standing directly below a powerline with swallows perched upon it. I wonder if it was intentional or just luck. We moved out of harm's way. We'll need to be more careful next time.
Date: 5/12/26 10:39 pm From: William Huser via groups.io <billfhuser...> Subject: [NEBirds] Ponca State Park birds
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Ponca S.P. footbridge area
*Prothonotary Warbler*, male Very rare this far west and north (Jacob Yoder find 2 days previous) Blackpoll, male Cape May Warbler, female N. Waterthrush, 1
Date: 5/12/26 9:23 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Birding Marathon
Way to go you two. Congrats on the new county birds.
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
On Tue, May 12, 2026 at 9:23 PM Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> Nebraska birders,
>
> Bill Flack and I did a birding marathon recently. We birded four days in
> a row in five counties. I know, for most people, this would not be like a
> marathon but for us it was. We started on May 07 in West Point at
> Wilderness Park. It's a beautiful place. We saw 36 species in three hours
> of hiking. Highlights include a Blue-headed Vireo, Black-capped Chickadee,
> Swainson's Thrush, several species of sparrows, Black and White Warbler and
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak. New county birds for me were Hairy Woodpecker,
> Blue-headed and Warbling Vireos, Swainson's Thrush, Harris's Sparrow,
> Lincoln's Sparrow, Black and White Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler and
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Bill's new county bird was the Blue-headed Vireo.
>
> We enjoyed an hour at the bridge over the Elkhorn River near Beemer. We
> were able to get a good look at some shorebirds on the sandbars.
> Identifying shorebirds is tough sometimes but we were able to record both
> Yellowlegs, Solitary, Baird's and Least Sandpipers. We also saw
> Clay-colored, White-crowned, Harris's and Lincoln's Sparrows. Another
> highlight was a couple of Swainson's Thrushes. New county birds for me
> were the Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Northern
> Rough-winged Swallow, Clay-colored Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.
>
> The Wisner River Park is a nice place for birding. We saw 25 species
> including Franklin's Gulls, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Least
> Sandpipers, Chipping, Clay-colored, Harris's, White-throated and Lincoln's
> Sparrows. New county birds for me were the Semipalmated Plover and Spotted
> Sandpiper. Bill's new county bird was the Semipalmated Plover.
>
> Also in Cuming County, we birded Black Island WMA. We saw or heard 23
> species including Bank Swallow, Sedge Wren, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Field,
> Lark, Harris's and White-throated Sparrows. New county birds for me
> included Mallard, Bank Swallow, and Sedge Wren. I have birded the county
> several times over the years but had not seen a Mallard until this day. My
> new total is 104 and Bill's is 160.
>
> Robin Harding
> Shelton, Nebraska
>
>
>
Date: 5/12/26 7:23 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Birding Marathon
Nebraska birders,
Bill Flack and I did a birding marathon recently. We birded four days in a row in five counties. I know, for most people, this would not be like a marathon but for us it was. We started on May 07 in West Point at Wilderness Park. It's a beautiful place. We saw 36 species in three hours of hiking. Highlights include a Blue-headed Vireo, Black-capped Chickadee, Swainson's Thrush, several species of sparrows, Black and White Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. New county birds for me were Hairy Woodpecker, Blue-headed and Warbling Vireos, Swainson's Thrush, Harris's Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Black and White Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Bill's new county bird was the Blue-headed Vireo.
We enjoyed an hour at the bridge over the Elkhorn River near Beemer. We were able to get a good look at some shorebirds on the sandbars. Identifying shorebirds is tough sometimes but we were able to record both Yellowlegs, Solitary, Baird's and Least Sandpipers. We also saw Clay-colored, White-crowned, Harris's and Lincoln's Sparrows. Another highlight was a couple of Swainson's Thrushes. New county birds for me were the Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Clay-colored Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.
The Wisner River Park is a nice place for birding. We saw 25 species including Franklin's Gulls, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpipers, Chipping, Clay-colored, Harris's, White-throated and Lincoln's Sparrows. New county birds for me were the Semipalmated Plover and Spotted Sandpiper. Bill's new county bird was the Semipalmated Plover.
Also in Cuming County, we birded Black Island WMA. We saw or heard 23 species including Bank Swallow, Sedge Wren, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Field, Lark, Harris's and White-throated Sparrows. New county birds for me included Mallard, Bank Swallow, and Sedge Wren. I have birded the county several times over the years but had not seen a Mallard until this day. My new total is 104 and Bill's is 160.
Date: 5/12/26 9:49 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Operation Antrostomus: Southeast County Listing
I'll tag along on here. Last weekend I headed down to Otoe and Nemaha
counties. I figured if Indian Cave and Fontenelle Forest are good migration
spots, why not try a place inbetween them?
I started in Nebraska City at Arboy Day Farm where I had 3 singing
Louisiana Waterthrushes. The warbler variety wasn't super impressive yet,
but maybe it was early in the day, so I headed over to Riverview Nature
Park which was excellent. I had first-of-year Pewees and a Magnolia
Warbler, along with a Red-shouldered Hawk and loads of Redstarts.
The best stop of the day in Otoe county turned out to be Hamburg Bend WMA.
I was hoping to check for some shorebirds to add to my county list and I
found a great variety, including a Piping Plover! The place was loaded with
warblers, mostly Yellow, but on the way out, I heard a Yellow-throated
Warbler and a Golden-winged Warbler singing from a tall sycamore tree.
On to Nemaha county, my first stop was the Steamboat Trace Trail in Peru.
The moment I stepped out of the car, a dozen singing Tennessee Warblers
greeted me. I also had my best ever looks at a Golden-winged Warbler at eye
level. The trail has been closed since a nearby wildfire last month so I
couldn't go far, but I still amassed quite a large list of migrants. On the
way to the boat ramp, I checked the WTP quickly and added Wilson's
Phalarope and Black Tern to my Nemaha list, along with a singing Blue
Grosbeak.
On my way back towards Lincoln, I stopped at the Buck Creek Lake on 735
Road and found a handful of new shorebirds for my county list, as well as a
singing Northern Mockingbird.
I ended the day adding 27 species to my Otoe list (127), and 21 to my
Nemaha list (141), not a bad day!
On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 8:39 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Hello all,
> Followed up on Keegan Brown et al. run through Richardson County with
> a trip of my own for Richardson county and Nemaha Co (if I did not run out
> of steam). Left Council Bluffs at 4:30AM on Saturday May 11. NO Eastern
> Whip but tons of Thrush species dropped in along with some decent warblers.
> Very few shorebirds. Spent most of my time in Indian Cave State park
> (found out, purely by accident, that if you start your checklist at the
> entrance, you are not actually in Richardson but rather in Nehmaha. That
> worked out ok since I spent the entire day birding (Mostly Richardson
> County but a good chunk of the PM in Nemaha. Only place with a diversity
> of shorebirds was Buck Creek late in the afternoon.
> Maybe the best birding day in many years though some of the steep
> trails in Indian Cave SP did take its toll on my 75 year old legs.
> Not having birded in either county since 2017 and having a low
> county total it was pleasing to see how many birds I add in each county.
> Missed RSHA and PIWO. Picked up a Swainson's Hawk just west of Stella NE.
> and a Cooper's hawk dive-bombed something just ahead of me on 712RD just
> before Hwy 75. NO Franklin's or Ring-billed gulls.
> Two each Summer and Scarlet Tanagers. 5 Kentucky (nice photos not posted
> yet).
> Brownville WTP provided some nice birding but I was unable to locate the
> Trace Trail until it was too late east of Brownville along 748A Ave. Not
> in good shape but looked to be quite "birdy" 73 species in Richardson.
> Have not checked county "ticks" for either county much less process my
> photos. Got some nice audio of 5 birds then managed to somehow not
> download the files properly to my computer (cannot locate them) before
> erasing my Sony recorder files.... no idea how I managed that kind of
> stupid move. Had some nice recordings of Kentucky, Ovenbird, Scarlet
> Tanager and Eastern Peewee.
> Wondering how the Otoe County birding went for those of you who
> covered that on Saturday.
>
> Good Bless.
> *Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA*
> *Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
>
>
> On Thu, May 7, 2026 at 11:08 PM Keegan Brown via groups.io <keegqbrown=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Last weekend I had the pleasure of birding Southeast Nebraska with Jacob
>> Cooper, Paul Pearson, Tobin Brown, Eli Weber, Brody Biberdorf, and Addie
>> Teet. By the end of a busy Sunday, our group had 45 checklists in 7
>> counties and recorded 138 species!
>>
>> The day started at 4am as Paul, Jacob, and I rolled out of Omaha well
>> before dawn. With a heavy push of migrating birds forecasted, we headed to
>> Indian Cave SP in search of nightjars and warblers. There we met up with
>> Tobin, Eli, Brody, and Addie and got our first target of the day: Eastern
>> Whip-poor-will. We continued around the park birding St. Deroin, Trail 9,
>> and Trail 6. Highlights included a Yellow-throated Warbler, a handful of
>> Kentucky Warblers, an extremely cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush, endless
>> Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a few Broad-winged Hawks.
>>
>> After Indian Cave, we began making our way toward Table Rock to try for
>> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Along the way, we stopped at Kirkmans Cove RA in
>> Richardson County where we found the 1st county record of Piping Plover!
>> Other notable birds included a distant Peregrine Falcon, a large and noisy
>> group of Forster's Terns, and two early Dickcissels. At Klapka-Mendenhall
>> Grassland in Pawnee County, we spotted a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers
>> in their usual spot on the radio tower.
>>
>> Next, we were off to Fairbiry to see the Fish Crows! On the way, we
>> stopped at Big Indian RA and Diamond Lake WMA (both in Gage County).
>> Nothing out of the ordinary here other than Diamond Lake having only 3
>> individual birds and 2 species. We didn't stay there long. In Fairbury we
>> saw 2 Fish Crows. One was on the nest and the other was calling nearby. At
>> this point, the group split up a bit, but Jacob, Paul, and I continued
>> birding. We visited Crystal Springs Park in Jefferson County where we had a
>> large group of Long-billed Dowitchers, a Marbled Godwit, and the 1st county
>> record of Hudsonian Whimbrel!
>>
>> With the adrenaline provided by a Whimbrel sighting, we decided we might
>> as well check out Conestoga Lake SRA in Lancaster on the way home. Here we
>> observed a variety of shorebirds including 3 Sanderlings, 2 White-rumped
>> Sandpipers, and the continuing Snowy Plover. With that, we headed back
>> toward Omaha.
>>
>> All in all it was an epic day of birding and I was up for ~21 hours
>> straight. A big thank you to everyone involved, to Jacob for being our
>> checklist/trip report keeper, and to that Whimbrel for making my day!
>>
>> Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/510109 >>
>> Happy birding,
>>
>> Keegan Brown
>> <keegqbrown...>
>>
>>
>
>
Date: 5/11/26 6:39 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Operation Antrostomus: Southeast County Listing
Hello all,
Followed up on Keegan Brown et al. run through Richardson County with a
trip of my own for Richardson county and Nemaha Co (if I did not run out of
steam). Left Council Bluffs at 4:30AM on Saturday May 11. NO Eastern
Whip but tons of Thrush species dropped in along with some decent warblers.
Very few shorebirds. Spent most of my time in Indian Cave State park
(found out, purely by accident, that if you start your checklist at the
entrance, you are not actually in Richardson but rather in Nehmaha. That
worked out ok since I spent the entire day birding (Mostly Richardson
County but a good chunk of the PM in Nemaha. Only place with a diversity
of shorebirds was Buck Creek late in the afternoon.
Maybe the best birding day in many years though some of the steep
trails in Indian Cave SP did take its toll on my 75 year old legs.
Not having birded in either county since 2017 and having a low
county total it was pleasing to see how many birds I add in each county.
Missed RSHA and PIWO. Picked up a Swainson's Hawk just west of Stella NE.
and a Cooper's hawk dive-bombed something just ahead of me on 712RD just
before Hwy 75. NO Franklin's or Ring-billed gulls.
Two each Summer and Scarlet Tanagers. 5 Kentucky (nice photos not posted
yet).
Brownville WTP provided some nice birding but I was unable to locate the
Trace Trail until it was too late east of Brownville along 748A Ave. Not
in good shape but looked to be quite "birdy" 73 species in Richardson.
Have not checked county "ticks" for either county much less process my
photos. Got some nice audio of 5 birds then managed to somehow not
download the files properly to my computer (cannot locate them) before
erasing my Sony recorder files.... no idea how I managed that kind of
stupid move. Had some nice recordings of Kentucky, Ovenbird, Scarlet
Tanager and Eastern Peewee.
Wondering how the Otoe County birding went for those of you who covered
that on Saturday.
Good Bless.
*Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
On Thu, May 7, 2026 at 11:08 PM Keegan Brown via groups.io <keegqbrown=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Last weekend I had the pleasure of birding Southeast Nebraska with Jacob
> Cooper, Paul Pearson, Tobin Brown, Eli Weber, Brody Biberdorf, and Addie
> Teet. By the end of a busy Sunday, our group had 45 checklists in 7
> counties and recorded 138 species!
>
> The day started at 4am as Paul, Jacob, and I rolled out of Omaha well
> before dawn. With a heavy push of migrating birds forecasted, we headed to
> Indian Cave SP in search of nightjars and warblers. There we met up with
> Tobin, Eli, Brody, and Addie and got our first target of the day: Eastern
> Whip-poor-will. We continued around the park birding St. Deroin, Trail 9,
> and Trail 6. Highlights included a Yellow-throated Warbler, a handful of
> Kentucky Warblers, an extremely cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush, endless
> Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a few Broad-winged Hawks.
>
> After Indian Cave, we began making our way toward Table Rock to try for
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Along the way, we stopped at Kirkmans Cove RA in
> Richardson County where we found the 1st county record of Piping Plover!
> Other notable birds included a distant Peregrine Falcon, a large and noisy
> group of Forster's Terns, and two early Dickcissels. At Klapka-Mendenhall
> Grassland in Pawnee County, we spotted a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers
> in their usual spot on the radio tower.
>
> Next, we were off to Fairbiry to see the Fish Crows! On the way, we
> stopped at Big Indian RA and Diamond Lake WMA (both in Gage County).
> Nothing out of the ordinary here other than Diamond Lake having only 3
> individual birds and 2 species. We didn't stay there long. In Fairbury we
> saw 2 Fish Crows. One was on the nest and the other was calling nearby. At
> this point, the group split up a bit, but Jacob, Paul, and I continued
> birding. We visited Crystal Springs Park in Jefferson County where we had a
> large group of Long-billed Dowitchers, a Marbled Godwit, and the 1st county
> record of Hudsonian Whimbrel!
>
> With the adrenaline provided by a Whimbrel sighting, we decided we might
> as well check out Conestoga Lake SRA in Lancaster on the way home. Here we
> observed a variety of shorebirds including 3 Sanderlings, 2 White-rumped
> Sandpipers, and the continuing Snowy Plover. With that, we headed back
> toward Omaha.
>
> All in all it was an epic day of birding and I was up for ~21 hours
> straight. A big thank you to everyone involved, to Jacob for being our
> checklist/trip report keeper, and to that Whimbrel for making my day!
>
> Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/510109 >
> Happy birding,
>
> Keegan Brown
> <keegqbrown...>
>
>
>
Date: 5/11/26 10:47 am From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: [NEBirds] NOU Spring 2026 Fort Robinson
A friendly reminder that the drop dead date for registration to the NOU Spring meeting at Fort Robinson is this Friday, 15 May. The date is needed by the caterer. Great speakers and topics are lined up for Friday and Saturday. The area is amazing. Please join us May 29-31 at Fort Rob. I hope to see you there.
Date: 5/10/26 6:40 pm From: Don and Shirley Maas via groups.io <snowbirds2012...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Black-headed Grosbeak photo
Dittto.
Really enjoy the posts and the sharing of the experience.
Don Maas
Mesa, AZ
M
>
> On May 10, 2026 at 4:46 PM, <Paul Roisen via groups.io (mailto:<roisenp1950...>)> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Ebird checklist from Erin Kroger: https://ebird.org/checklist/S336685063 (Loup County)
>
> Great find and very nice photo, Erin.
>
>
>
> Really nice to see more people posting to ebird with photos.
>
>
>
> God Bless.
>
>
>
> Paul O. Roisen
> Sioux City, IA 51106 Woodbury County, IA
> Mobile 712-301-2817 <roisenp1950...> (mailto:<roisenp1950...>)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 5/9/26 1:26 pm From: Olivia DeMarchi via groups.io <oliviademarchi7...> Subject: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 3 Summary
Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 3 (May 5-9) Summary
Greetings! Spring migration is in full swing in western Nebraska and the third week of banding at Ash Hollow was quite exciting with many species just arriving at the station within the last week and several fun captures. New species observed within the last week include Western Kingbird, Great-crested Flycatcher, Blackpoll Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Bullock's Oriole. I'm crossing my fingers a few of these will find their way into our mist nets next week. Some highlights for captured birds are several species of warbler such as Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Northern Yellow Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, and one beautiful second-year Magnolia Warbler. We've been hearing Yellow Warblers singing all around the station for the past week, and finally caught one on Saturday, but the rest of the warblers were total surprises, especially the Magnolia. The last recorded sighting of a Magnolia Warbler in Garden County was in 2002, so this was a very special bird to see here!
Another highlight was an unknown Warbling Vireo-- Warbling Vireo was recently split into separate species for its Eastern and Western counterparts and the two are incredibly difficult to separate in the hand as the morphological differences are very subtle. Because of this and the fact that we could potentially get either in our nets, we played it safe and called it an Unknown Warbling Vireo. We are submitting feather samples to the Bird Genoscape Project in hopes they can tease out which species our bird belongs to, but it's likely the Eastern variety as that is the song type we've been hearing around Ash Hollow.
The next couple weeks should be equally as exciting as more migrants make their way north and some birds that breed in the area arrive and stick around.
We are open to the public and encourage visitors to come check out bird banding Tuesday-Saturday sunrise to 6 hours after sunrise, weather permitting, until May 23rd. We are located at Ash Hollow State Historical Park off of highway 26 near Lewellen, NE. If coming north on highway 26, take a right onto Rd 42 following signs for the visitor center, then take the first left after crossing the stream. Ahead there is a picnic area with a small parking lot and a bathroom. The banding station is located in the grove of trees on the west edge of the parking lot. We hope to see you there!
Olivia DeMarchi
Bander, Ash Hollow
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Date: 5/8/26 9:18 am From: Paul L. Pearson via groups.io <Propearson...> Subject: [NEBirds] Black-bellied Whistling Ducks-Omaha
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at Lake Cunningham marina in Omaha. visible from parking lot near walking bridge to campground. 3rd willow to the Northeast.
--
Paul L. Pearson, PhD
President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
Omaha, NE
Date: 5/8/26 8:28 am From: Walker, thomas via groups.io <thomas.walker...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Brady NE WMA question
Dave,
Brady WMA is an "Interstate Lake" - so a former "borrow" sandpit lake that the removed soil was used to build the overpass at that interchange - the lake itself CAN occasionally have some decent waterbirds (but we are kind of past that migration) and the south side of the lake (along a gravel road) occasionally has decent sparrows and other birds. This is worth a visit, but don't have too high of expectations...
I would recommend you go slightly farther south and then a couple miles west to Chester Island WMA. There are two parking lots - east and west - I recommend you go to the west lot, park there and then walk in - there will likely still be clear trails there (from the anglers that fish the ponds) (it's been a few years since I have been out there). There has also been quite a bit of cedar/invasive tree work since I have been out there last I think....but with that said, this is a neat little property with a mixture of habitats. Multiple sandpit lakes with wetland edges in spots, the South Channel of the Platte River runs along the north edge of the property, good variety of trees and shrubs scattered around the property. It is just a few minutes farther from Brady (where I lived for 15 years...).
If you have any questions about other spots...feel free to ask...if you haven't ever spent time in the Sandhills (start on the north edge of Brady - you can see them from the School parking lot) or the Loess Canyons (south of Brady) and you have time for a drive - I would recommend checking out the Jeffrey Lake area a bit, and if you have time to go further either the Sandhills or Canyons can have some birds worth looking for - I will add though that the "Cottonwood" wildfire burned about half of the canyons landscape back in March, hopefully it is greening up now though. If you are an "early bird" and you have a free morning - you can start hearing Greater Prairie-chickens "booming" just a few miles north of Brady if you can be up there at or before sunrise - getting a little late in the season but if it is a "nice" morning they will be out there somewhere doing their thing...
T. J. Walker
Assistant Division Administrator - Habitat Partners Section
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
308-530-7659
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> On Behalf Of Dave Pantos via groups.io
Sent: Friday, May 8, 2026 10:09 AM
To: <NEBirds...>
Subject: [NEBirds] Brady NE WMA question
Graduation festivities will be taking me to Brady, NE this weekend. I am hoping to bird Brady WMA. Does anyone have any recommendations about this particular site? The ebird checklists are scant.
Date: 5/8/26 8:09 am From: Dave Pantos via groups.io <davepantos...> Subject: [NEBirds] Brady NE WMA question
Hello group!
Graduation festivities will be taking me to Brady, NE this weekend. I am hoping to bird Brady WMA. Does anyone have any recommendations about this particular site? The ebird checklists are scant.
Date: 5/8/26 8:01 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Operation Antrostomus: Southeast County Listing
Thanks for the report.
Still on schedule to get back to NE in June It’s been way too long still I added NE birds to my list
Don MaasMesa,AZMaricopa County
“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools. Plato
“You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.”
Don & Shirley MaasThe Maas’s have migrated to the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, AZ from Choctaw, Ok for the winter.
On Thursday, May 7, 2026, 9:08 PM, Keegan Brown via groups.io <keegqbrown...> wrote:
Hi all,
Last weekend I had the pleasure of birding Southeast Nebraska with Jacob Cooper, Paul Pearson, Tobin Brown, Eli Weber, Brody Biberdorf, and Addie Teet. By the end of a busy Sunday, our group had 45 checklists in 7 counties and recorded 138 species!
The day started at 4am as Paul, Jacob, and I rolled out of Omaha well before dawn. With a heavy push of migrating birds forecasted, we headed to Indian Cave SP in search of nightjars and warblers. There we met up with Tobin, Eli, Brody, and Addie and got our first target of the day: Eastern Whip-poor-will. We continued around the park birding St. Deroin, Trail 9, and Trail 6. Highlights included a Yellow-throated Warbler, a handful of Kentucky Warblers, an extremely cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush, endless Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a few Broad-winged Hawks.
After Indian Cave, we began making our way toward Table Rock to try for Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Along the way, we stopped at Kirkmans Cove RA in Richardson County where we found the 1st county record of Piping Plover! Other notable birds included a distant Peregrine Falcon, a large and noisy group of Forster's Terns, and two early Dickcissels. At Klapka-Mendenhall Grassland in Pawnee County, we spotted a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in their usual spot on the radio tower.
Next, we were off to Fairbiry to see the Fish Crows! On the way, we stopped at Big Indian RA and Diamond Lake WMA (both in Gage County). Nothing out of the ordinary here other than Diamond Lake having only 3 individual birds and 2 species. We didn't stay there long. In Fairbury we saw 2 Fish Crows. One was on the nest and the other was calling nearby. At this point, the group split up a bit, but Jacob, Paul, and I continued birding. We visited Crystal Springs Park in Jefferson County where we had a large group of Long-billed Dowitchers, a Marbled Godwit, and the 1st county record of Hudsonian Whimbrel!
With the adrenaline provided by a Whimbrel sighting, we decided we might as well check out Conestoga Lake SRA in Lancaster on the way home. Here we observed a variety of shorebirds including 3 Sanderlings, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, and the continuing Snowy Plover. With that, we headed back toward Omaha.
All in all it was an epic day of birding and I was up for ~21 hours straight. A big thank you to everyone involved, to Jacob for being our checklist/trip report keeper, and to that Whimbrel for making my day!
Date: 5/7/26 9:09 pm From: Keegan Brown via groups.io <keegqbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Operation Antrostomus: Southeast County Listing
Hi all,
Last weekend I had the pleasure of birding Southeast Nebraska with Jacob Cooper, Paul Pearson, Tobin Brown, Eli Weber, Brody Biberdorf, and Addie Teet. By the end of a busy Sunday, our group had 45 checklists in 7 counties and recorded 138 species!
The day started at 4am as Paul, Jacob, and I rolled out of Omaha well before dawn. With a heavy push of migrating birds forecasted, we headed to Indian Cave SP in search of nightjars and warblers. There we met up with Tobin, Eli, Brody, and Addie and got our first target of the day: Eastern Whip-poor-will. We continued around the park birding St. Deroin, Trail 9, and Trail 6. Highlights included a Yellow-throated Warbler, a handful of Kentucky Warblers, an extremely cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush, endless Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a few Broad-winged Hawks.
After Indian Cave, we began making our way toward Table Rock to try for Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Along the way, we stopped at Kirkmans Cove RA in Richardson County where we found the 1st county record of Piping Plover! Other notable birds included a distant Peregrine Falcon, a large and noisy group of Forster's Terns, and two early Dickcissels. At Klapka-Mendenhall Grassland in Pawnee County, we spotted a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in their usual spot on the radio tower.
Next, we were off to Fairbiry to see the Fish Crows! On the way, we stopped at Big Indian RA and Diamond Lake WMA (both in Gage County). Nothing out of the ordinary here other than Diamond Lake having only 3 individual birds and 2 species. We didn't stay there long. In Fairbury we saw 2 Fish Crows. One was on the nest and the other was calling nearby. At this point, the group split up a bit, but Jacob, Paul, and I continued birding. We visited Crystal Springs Park in Jefferson County where we had a large group of Long-billed Dowitchers, a Marbled Godwit, and the 1st county record of Hudsonian Whimbrel!
With the adrenaline provided by a Whimbrel sighting, we decided we might as well check out Conestoga Lake SRA in Lancaster on the way home. Here we observed a variety of shorebirds including 3 Sanderlings, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, and the continuing Snowy Plover. With that, we headed back toward Omaha.
All in all it was an epic day of birding and I was up for ~21 hours straight. A big thank you to everyone involved, to Jacob for being our checklist/trip report keeper, and to that Whimbrel for making my day!
Date: 5/7/26 11:20 am From: Paul L. Pearson via groups.io <Propearson...> Subject: [NEBirds] *no sighting* NOU Meeting Registration Reminder-May 10 deadline for meals!
Just a friendly reminder to register for the NOU meeting at Ft Robinson SP on May 29-31. Deadline to register with meals is rapidly approaching-May 10. You can register up until the week of the meeting, but if you want meals do it now. There are 50+ already registered for meals both nights, so we’ll have a great group.
The UNK ornithology folks have lined up access to the Guadalcanal Memorial Prairie Reserve ( https://www.prairieplains.org/preserves/guadalcanal-memorial-prairie-ranch.html ) and we have many other field trips to those great Pine Ridge hotspots planned including Chadron Area, Ft Rob Area, Sowbelly Canyon, Gilbert-Baker, Sioux County, and Western Sandhills.
We will have our annual business meeting on Fri night and one of the important topics will be the future of our signature publication, the Nebraska Bird Review. Plus, we have three very interesting talks lined up for our evening programs. If you want to know more about Towhees in western Nebraska…we’ve definitely got you covered.
*Towhee Taxonomy and other mysteries in the Nebraska Panhandle*
*Stephen J Brenner-Audubon Great Plains and Joel G Jorgensen-Nebraska Game and Parks*
Featured Guest Lecture (Sat)
*Bird-Window Collisions: Science and Solutions*
*Kaitlyn Parkins, M.S. Glass Collisions Program Coordinator, American Bird Conservancy*
Keynote Address (Sat).
*Genomics of Towhee Contact Along the Niobrara River, Nebraska*
*Lucas DeCicco, Ph.D.-Ornithology Collections Manager - University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute*
Hope to see you all in the Pine Ridge!
--
Paul L. Pearson, PhD
President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
Omaha, NE
I’ve attached a flyer in case anyone wants to donate per-bird or read more about our program, but turning in things back to me is not necessary to support the program.
Thanks to all who have donated in the past or supported our students in any other way,
Date: 5/7/26 8:49 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Otoe county birding
This is great, congrats!
I'm actually considering going to Nebraska City this weekend to look for
warblers and build my county list. Are the Arbor Day lodge trails open to
the public? I see one place is like a hotel, just want to make sure I don't
accidentally trespass.
On Thu, May 7, 2026 at 10:17 AM Ruth Stearns via groups.io <ruthstearns=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> After finally getting 125 birds in Richardson County, I thought bringing
> Otoe County numbers up was an obvious next choice, as it was closer to
> home. I'd birded bit in the county in early April, and got a few new
> birds, so yesterday morning early I headed out with 91 species on my
> list. What had drawn me to get on this now was that eBird was giving me
> alerts with lots of species that shouldn't be hard to find at all in May.
> A big thank you to all the Otoe county birders, your lists helped get me
> out the door and the information I needed to draw up a game plan.for the
> day.
>
> I first headed to Arbor Lodge, to walk the conservation trail all around
> the entire park. It was I think a 2 maybe 3 mile round trip, and got lots
> of woodland birds I needed...the best being the Blue-headed Vireo on the
> southwest side of the trail, and delighted to find a Clay-colored Sparrow
> up on a north part of the trail near the apple orchards. Not too much in
> the way of warblers, but did have Yellow-rumps, Nashville's, Tennessee,
> Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned and an FOY Northern Parula. I texted
> Mike, that I was now at 104 species, and headed east a bit.
>
> I tried to figure out how to bird the North Table Creek Trail but decided
> my feet needed a rest, and instead headed to the Lewis and Clark Center,
> where a Broad-winged Hawk flew overhead and a Wood Thrush was making it's
> snappy call just down the trail. Now up to 109! Time to change the
> habitat.
>
> I'd enjoyed wandering around various gravel roads north of Syracuse and
> Dunbar the month before, and essentially repeated all those stops. One
> favorite stop was a lovely property on G Road northwest of Dunbar, where
> their road deadends at a bridge out location. The pond had some
> shorebirds, including Hudsonian Godwits, and oh my, heard the Bobolinks! A
> little grove along the way netted a singing Bell's Vireo and some Northern
> Bobwhite calling. I texted Mike, 118!
>
> Now headed to Syracuse, and up to the ponds along F road just west of Hwy
> 50, my favorite being just beyond 28th road, where I had several more
> shorebirds, including the Hudsonians and Long-billed Dowitchers and
> Wilson's Phalaropes twirling around. Best of all it was along a quiet (and
> dry) minimum maintenance road so the peace and quiet was wonderful. Text
> to Mike 125!!! And I had two more stops to go. Up 28th road to a pond on
> the east side of the road with lots of swallows, and oh my, Black Terns!
> Now I was at 127. One stop to go.
>
> I'd read that there was a Western Kingbird at the WTP in Syracuse, so I
> decided to give that place a try. Yes! Right away had both an Eastern and
> a Western Kingbird at the main pond, sitting on the wire, and there were
> also loads of swallows in the warm afternoon sun. The Purple Martins were
> my last new bird for the county....I ended the day with 130 species
> including 11 FOY's for Nebraska.
>
> A big thank you to all the birders who posted their birds to eBird, which
> ultimately helped give me a road map for the day. Mike wasn't sure I'd hit
> 125, and I agreed that getting 34 county birds was going to be a challenge,
> but I ended up with 39 after about 8 hours of birding around the county.
> Here's the trip report. https://ebird.org/tripreport/513198 So
> woodland walking, and county road farm ponds and wetlands and roadside
> thickets, topped off with a sewage lagoon did the trick for the day!
>
> Ruthie Stearns
> Lincoln NE
>
>
>
Date: 5/7/26 8:17 am From: Ruth Stearns via groups.io <ruthstearns...> Subject: [NEBirds] Otoe county birding
After finally getting 125 birds in Richardson County, I thought bringing Otoe County numbers up was an obvious next choice, as it was closer to home. I'd birded bit in the county in early April, and got a few new birds, so yesterday morning early I headed out with 91 species on my list. What had drawn me to get on this now was that eBird was giving me alerts with lots of species that shouldn't be hard to find at all in May. A big thank you to all the Otoe county birders, your lists helped get me out the door and the information I needed to draw up a game plan.for the day.
I first headed to Arbor Lodge, to walk the conservation trail all around the entire park. It was I think a 2 maybe 3 mile round trip, and got lots of woodland birds I needed...the best being the Blue-headed Vireo on the southwest side of the trail, and delighted to find a Clay-colored Sparrow up on a north part of the trail near the apple orchards. Not too much in the way of warblers, but did have Yellow-rumps, Nashville's, Tennessee, Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned and an FOY Northern Parula. I texted Mike, that I was now at 104 species, and headed east a bit.
I tried to figure out how to bird the North Table Creek Trail but decided my feet needed a rest, and instead headed to the Lewis and Clark Center, where a Broad-winged Hawk flew overhead and a Wood Thrush was making it's snappy call just down the trail. Now up to 109! Time to change the habitat.
I'd enjoyed wandering around various gravel roads north of Syracuse and Dunbar the month before, and essentially repeated all those stops. One favorite stop was a lovely property on G Road northwest of Dunbar, where their road deadends at a bridge out location. The pond had some shorebirds, including Hudsonian Godwits, and oh my, heard the Bobolinks! A little grove along the way netted a singing Bell's Vireo and some Northern Bobwhite calling. I texted Mike, 118!
Now headed to Syracuse, and up to the ponds along F road just west of Hwy 50, my favorite being just beyond 28th road, where I had several more shorebirds, including the Hudsonians and Long-billed Dowitchers and Wilson's Phalaropes twirling around. Best of all it was along a quiet (and dry) minimum maintenance road so the peace and quiet was wonderful. Text to Mike 125!!! And I had two more stops to go. Up 28th road to a pond on the east side of the road with lots of swallows, and oh my, Black Terns! Now I was at 127. One stop to go.
I'd read that there was a Western Kingbird at the WTP in Syracuse, so I decided to give that place a try. Yes! Right away had both an Eastern and a Western Kingbird at the main pond, sitting on the wire, and there were also loads of swallows in the warm afternoon sun. The Purple Martins were my last new bird for the county....I ended the day with 130 species including 11 FOY's for Nebraska.
A big thank you to all the birders who posted their birds to eBird, which ultimately helped give me a road map for the day. Mike wasn't sure I'd hit 125, and I agreed that getting 34 county birds was going to be a challenge, but I ended up with 39 after about 8 hours of birding around the county. Here's the trip report. https://ebird.org/tripreport/513198 So woodland walking, and county road farm ponds and wetlands and roadside thickets, topped off with a sewage lagoon did the trick for the day!
Ruthie StearnsLincoln NE
Date: 5/6/26 9:18 am From: flyingcarlini via groups.io <flyingcarlini...> Subject: [NEBirds] confusing new Wilderness Pk. Hotspot name
Hello NEBirders,
Heads up that newly named eBird Hotspot "Wilderness Park--1st St." is NOT the same as the Epworth access at 1st & Calvert Streets where the Northern Parula lives. That eBird Hotspot previously named "Wilderness Park--1st & Calvert South" has been renamed "Wilderness Park--Epworth" and all previously reported checklists from that Hotspot have been automatically changed to that new name. The newly named eBird Hotspot "Wilderness Park--1st. St." is off the beaten path and accessed via Old Cheney Rd.
-Shari Schwartz, Lincoln
Date: 5/3/26 4:59 pm From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: [NEBirds] poorwill and pileated
One on my lane at dusk just SE of Valentine April 29. It held tight and I was wishing I had my camera. On the 30th I drove to Plattsmouth. On May I had a nice male pileated on the north edge of Plattsmouth, also a broad-winded hawk over the Missouri Valley.
Date: 5/3/26 10:20 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Broad-winged Hawk
Thanks for the report, Robin
Shirley and I plan to get back to NEin June. We’ve been gone from The GoodLife to long.
Don and Shirley Maas
“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools. Plato“You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.”
Don & Shirley MaasThe Maas’s have migrated to the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, AZ from Choctaw, Ok for the winter.
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, 9:38 AM, Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> wrote:
Nebraska birders,
On the morning of May 02, Rita Cunha, Bill Flack and I birded the Fort Kearny hike/bike trail from the south end in the Recreation Area. While we were on the south bridge, Bill spotted a Broad-winged Hawk soaring overhead. The three of us watched the hawk soar for a few minutes. From below, it looked like a small, dark morph buteo. When the hawk banked, showing its back, I could see that it was a Broad-winged Hawk.
From below, its body and wing coverts were dark brown. The flight feathers were light-colored. The trailing edge of the wings was black. I could not see bands on its tail from below but when it banked, I could see a black and a white band on the top side of its tail. We were able to watch it circle several times and drift off to the north.
I read that dark morph Broad-winged Hawks are rare but they migrate through Nebraska at this time of the year.
Date: 5/3/26 9:38 am From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Broad-winged Hawk
Nebraska birders,
On the morning of May 02, Rita Cunha, Bill Flack and I birded the Fort Kearny hike/bike trail from the south end in the Recreation Area. While we were on the south bridge, Bill spotted a Broad-winged Hawk soaring overhead. The three of us watched the hawk soar for a few minutes. From below, it looked like a small, dark morph buteo. When the hawk banked, showing its back, I could see that it was a Broad-winged Hawk.
From below, its body and wing coverts were dark brown. The flight feathers were light-colored. The trailing edge of the wings was black. I could not see bands on its tail from below but when it banked, I could see a black and a white band on the top side of its tail. We were able to watch it circle several times and drift off to the north.
I read that dark morph Broad-winged Hawks are rare but they migrate through Nebraska at this time of the year.
Date: 5/3/26 5:40 am From: Paul Hubert via groups.io <paulhubert123...> Subject: [NEBirds] House Wren Omaha
Fellow fowl fanciers, To me, the song of the House Wren sounds like the maniacal laugh of a mad scientist whose been huffing helium. For the first time this year, their frenetic giggling was ringing in the morning air here in the northern outskirts of Omaha. A week or two ago, I mentioned the first Catbird of the season, but I haven't heard or seen another one since then. My neighborhood gets flooded with catbirds in the summer, but the usual hordes haven't arrived yet. I do have a pair of Brown Thrashers hitting the feeders in my back yard, hopefully a nesting pair. The male was singing up a storm a couple of weeks ago, but he's gone silent. The leaves are popping out, and the recent rains have increased the bug population, so the summer birds should be getting pretty thick pretty quick. Chip Hubert Omaha
Date: 5/2/26 3:21 pm From: Olivia DeMarchi via groups.io <oliviademarchi7...> Subject: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 2 Summary
Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 2 (April 28-May 2) Summary
Greetings! The second week of banding at Ash Hollow proved to be more productive than the first with 84 newly banded birds and 8 recaptures. Spring has sprung in Western Nebraska and the birds have started coming through. One highlight from this week was several Spotted Towhee x Eastern Towhee hybrids. On first glance these birds appear very similar to Spotted Towhees, but on closer inspection they have the white at the base of their primary feathers of their close relative, the Eastern Towhee. So far, about half our captures seem to be pure Spotted and half hybrids. This part of the country is quite interesting because it's a hybridization and intergrade zone for many species. I expect we will at least observe many more hybrids and intergrades this spring, including Baltimore Oriole x Bullock's Oriole, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle x Audubon's) intergrades, and Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted) intergrades.
Another highlight was 35 Swainson's Thrush captured on Saturday! This is a long-distance migrant, some of them wintering as far south as Argentina and breeding as far north as Alaska and the Yukon territory in Canada. It's safe to assume we will see many more Swainson's Thrush passing through Ash Hollow on their way north to their breeding grounds.
Lastly, we also captured two Northern-rough Winged Swallows on Thursday. This was very unexpected as they are usually flying high above our mist-nets, so I was very shocked to find them in one of our more open nets next to the field.
We are open to the public and encourage visitors to come check out bird banding Tuesday-Saturday sunrise to 6 hours after sunrise, weather permitting, until May 23rd. We are located at Ash Hollow State Historical Park off of highway 26 near Lewellen, NE. If coming north on highway 26, take a right onto Rd 42 following signs for the visitor center, then take the first left after crossing the stream. Ahead there is a picnic area with a small parking lot and a bathroom. The banding station is located in the grove of trees on the west edge of the parking lot. We hope to see you there!
Olivia DeMarchi
Bander, Ash Hollow
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Date: 5/1/26 11:12 am From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Summer Tanager catching bees
Fantastic! Behavior documented. I would not have thought that.
On Thursday, April 30, 2026, 03:14:07 PM MDT, Colleen Childers via groups.io <cchilders64...> wrote:
I enjoyed watching an immature Summer Tanager flying from one tree to another and catching bees coming out of an old cottonwood in the middle! It did this continuously for the entire time I was there - close to an hour! This took place at the home of Bob and Cheryl Mills in Hamilton County. I appreciated them letting me come photograph the bird catching beese - I've attached a few photos! The bird spent 2 days catching bees at their home and then must've had his fill and was gone!
Colleen Childers
Date: 4/30/26 4:01 pm From: Mary Clausen via groups.io <mkclausen...> Subject: [NEBirds] Snowy Plover in Sarpy county.
I tried to send this at 4:09 but used the old NEBIRDS address sorry. I guess I got too excited. Below is what I originally sent and my ebird list which contains more info.
I am at 255th and Pflug in Sarpy County. I had a Snowy Plover with 2 piping plovers over the past hour. It is very windy and I only could see it through a scope. It was running around at the backside of a sandbar, often behind vegetation or on opposite side of the rise. I have worked a long time unsuccessfully to try to get a photo. It was smaller than the 2 piping plovers with dark legs unlike the yellow legs of the piping plovers. It also had one broken neck band and dark area in forehead. I havent seen it for about 30minutes. Im still here hoping it may come out for a photo.
I enjoyed watching an immature Summer Tanager flying from one tree to another and catching bees coming out of an old cottonwood in the middle! It did this continuously for the entire time I was there - close to an hour! This took place at the home of Bob and Cheryl Mills in Hamilton County. I appreciated them letting me come photograph the bird catching beese - I've attached a few photos! The bird spent 2 days catching bees at their home and then must've had his fill and was gone!
Colleen Childers
[image: eST 2 bees1a copy.jpg] [image: eST dro bee copy.jpg] [image: eST drop bee1 copy.jpg]
Date: 4/30/26 10:03 am From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Checklist https://ebird.org/checklist/S329445457 issues
Nebraska Birders, This https://ebird.org/checklist/S329445457 (posted by Tom Rahn) showed up as flagged (you can see the details for yourself by clicking on the checklist. I sent him the following message (see below my info). It is not often that you get such a positive response to questions regarding a post. A thank you to Tom Rahn for this.
*Paul O. Roisen* *Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA* *Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
Tom, > I am contacting you regarding the ebird checklist: > https://ebird.org/checklist/S329445457 that you posted yesterday from > the Bassett area of Rock, County IA. > There were a number of very rare species for that location causing your > checklist to be flagged by ebird. > Vermillion Flycatcher (only 5 sightings in the last 30 years; Common > Raven none see this far east ever; Painted Bunting would be a state bird > for me but I know that almost all sightings have occurred much further > south. > Were you able to get any photographs, audio recordings, or a > more detailed description of these birds and the habitat they were in at > the time. I would appreciate any further information you could provide me > with. >
Tom responded as follow:
Hi Paul. I'm really sorry that I've got everyone in NE all excited over an ebird SNAFU. I was in middle-of-nowhere west TX yesterday and stopped at a picnic area to stretch my legs and it was very birdy so I made a list. I tried to submit the list but it failed due to a weak phone signal but when I tried again in a few minutes, it suggested Bassett so I hit ok and Submit without looking carefully at the state. I didn't know the nearest town to where I was so I just assumed it was Bassett TX. I really don't know why ebird would have suggested Bassett NE. I was there a couple of weeks ago for Sharp-Tail Grouse but I've been birding in several other states since then so it certainly wasn't my last submitted list. I've corrected the report location in ebird. Anyway, really sorry for getting everyone all excited over nothing and I will definitely be much more careful when looking at ebird suggestions and submitting reports in the future when I am in unfamiliar locales. Please pass this along to others who might be wondering about that report. Best regards, Thom
> > God Bless. > *Paul O. Roisen* > *Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA* > *Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>* >
Date: 4/27/26 5:20 pm From: Moni via groups.io <musasz...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first
I had my first crows this winter. There were four of them, a family group I presume. They came at least four times that I saw.
Moni Usasz
Lincoln
> On Apr 27, 2026, at 5:47 PM, Kathy DeLara <renosmom...> wrote:
>
> Jan, many years ago I had a couple of crows stop by the feeders in my yard. The Blue Jays ganged up on them and chased them away. That was the only time I saw any in my yard.
>
> Kathy
>
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: "allenreyer via groups.io" <allenreyer...>
> Date: 4/25/26 11:45 AM (GMT-07:00)
> To: <NEBirds...>
> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first
>
> Me neither!
>
> Al
> On Apr 25, 2026, at 11:50 AM, Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder...> wrote:
>
> My new house is not a bird draw but I have a pair of robins. While reading I glanced out and a crow had landed on the deck. It cautiously made its way over to the feeder and proceeded to eat. Not sure if he was eating black oil or peanuts. But in all my years feeding birds I’ve never had a crow come to a feeder.
>
> Jan Johnson
> Wayne
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 4/27/26 4:21 pm From: Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first
I’m wondering if it was the rain here. They were cold and wet and so was
the seed but the husks were softened because of the rain. Today I put out
fresh seed and they stayed out over the tilled field across the road. They
were fun to watch so closely anyway.
Jan
On Mon, Apr 27, 2026 at 5:47 PM Kathy DeLara via groups.io <renosmom=
<charter.net...> wrote:
> Jan, many years ago I had a couple of crows stop by the feeders in my
> yard. The Blue Jays ganged up on them and chased them away. That was the
> only time I saw any in my yard.
>
> Kathy
>
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: "allenreyer via groups.io" <allenreyer...>
> Date: 4/25/26 11:45 AM (GMT-07:00)
> To: <NEBirds...>
> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first
>
> Me neither!
>
> Al
> On Apr 25, 2026, at 11:50 AM, Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> My new house is not a bird draw but I have a pair of robins. While
> reading I glanced out and a crow had landed on the deck. It cautiously
> made its way over to the feeder and proceeded to eat. Not sure if he was
> eating black oil or peanuts. But in all my years feeding birds I’ve never
> had a crow come to a feeder.
>
> Jan Johnson
> Wayne
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 4/27/26 3:47 pm From: Kathy DeLara via groups.io <renosmom...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first
Jan, many years ago I had a couple of crows stop by the feeders in my yard. The Blue Jays ganged up on them and chased them away. That was the only time I saw any in my yard. Kathy Sent from my Galaxy -------- Original message --------From: "allenreyer via groups.io" <allenreyer...> Date: 4/25/26 11:45 AM (GMT-07:00) To: <NEBirds...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first Me neither!AlOn Apr 25, 2026, at 11:50 AM, Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder...> wrote:My new house is not a bird draw but I have a pair of robins. While reading I glanced out and a crow had landed on the deck. It cautiously made its way over to the feeder and proceeded to eat. Not sure if he was eating black oil or peanuts. But in all my years feeding birds I’ve never had a crow come to a feeder.Jan JohnsonWayne
Date: 4/25/26 10:45 am From: allenreyer via groups.io <allenreyer...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] A first
Me neither!
Al
On Apr 25, 2026, at 11:50 AM, Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder...> wrote:
My new house is not a bird draw but I have a pair of robins. While reading I glanced out and a crow had landed on the deck. It cautiously made its way over to the feeder and proceeded to eat. Not sure if he was eating black oil or peanuts. But in all my years feeding birds I’ve never had a crow come to a feeder.
Date: 4/25/26 9:50 am From: Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder...> Subject: [NEBirds] A first
My new house is not a bird draw but I have a pair of robins. While reading I glanced out and a crow had landed on the deck. It cautiously made its way over to the feeder and proceeded to eat. Not sure if he was eating black oil or peanuts. But in all my years feeding birds I’ve never had a crow come to a feeder.
Date: 4/25/26 8:38 am From: Olivia DeMarchi via groups.io <oliviademarchi7...> Subject: [NEBirds] Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 1 Summary
Ash Hollow Banding Station Week 1 (April 21-25) Summary
Hello all! The first week of banding at Ash Hollow was exciting, although pretty slow with a total of 12 birds banded. This was somewhat expected as spring migration is just starting to ramp up in western Nebraska and banding was cancelled on Saturday due to poor weather. We hope to see more birds coming through in the weeks to come. Some highlights from the first week were several Northern Cardinals, as we are at the very western edge of their range in this part of the country, as well as an Orange-crowned Warbler belonging to the lutescens subspecies. This subspecies is brighter yellow than the ones typically found in Nebraska and normally lives in the Pacific Northwest, so this was a fun surprise.
*April 21-April 25, 2026 Banding Totals:*
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Northern House Wren 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 4
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 1
We are open to the public and encourage visitors to come check out bird banding Tuesday-Saturday sunrise to 6 hours after sunrise, weather permitting, until May 23rd. We are located at Ash Hollow State Historical Park off of highway 26 near Lewellen, NE. If coming north on highway 26, take a right onto Rd 42 following signs for the visitor center, then take the first left after crossing the stream. Ahead there is a picnic area with a small parking lot and a bathroom. The banding station is located in the grove of trees on the west edge of the parking lot. We hope to see you there!
Olivia DeMarchi
Bander, Ash Hollow
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Date: 4/24/26 6:54 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Nuckolls and Clay Counties
Nebraska birders,
Steve Morris and I enjoyed a day of birding in Nuckolls and Clay Counties. We paused at a spot a couple miles north of Superior where Scissor-tailed Flycatchers had been seen three years ago. Unfortunately, all we saw were cowbirds.
We walked on the David Ely property which is a few miles east of Superior. At the marsh, we heard a Sora and a Common Yellowthroat. We played a Virginia Rail recording but did not hear a response. In the woods, notable species include a couple Warbling Vireos, a chickadee, and a million House Wrens. The Merlin app heard Wilson's Warbler but we could not see it. The highlight was a Barred Owl which let us get a very good look. Walking in the woods was difficult due to many fallen trees. We were still very grateful to have the opportunity to bird on the property.
After lunch, we went to the Nelson sewage ponds but found them dry. Along the way to the ponds, we paused at a home with several occupied Purple Martin houses and bird feeders. We met the owner who was proud of his birds.
On the way back home, we stopped at Smith WPA in Clay County. There were many shorebirds, ducks, geese and gulls. The viewing was a bit tough because of heat waves but highlights include American Avocets, Black-bellied Plovers, Wilson's Phalaropes, Franklin's Gulls and Forster's Terns which was a new county bird for me.
Date: 4/21/26 7:05 pm From: Gary Roberts via groups.io <garoberts...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Wanted: Cuckoo Sightings
Hi Jacob: You might want to get a notice out to the BBS folks through Joel. BBS routes would be easy to track exact locations of sitings and calls by stops. I do two, one in extreme south eastern Ne. and one just north of my home in Fremont. There are dozens of routes throughout the state.
Gary Roberts
Dodge Couty
On Tue, 21 Apr, 2026 at 11:42 AM, Jacob C. Cooper via groups.io <cooperj2...> wrote:
To: nebraska birding
Hi all,
Sawyer Therrien (a UNK undergrad) is spearheading a project to survey cuckoos in the state of Nebraska this summer. We will be doing playback surveys across the state for these species. Given that there are only so many areas that we can cover, the presence (or absence) of cuckoos at different spots would be very useful for us.
*
If you have a cuckoo this summer, please email either myself or Sawyer Therrien (<therriens...><mailto:<therriens...>)
*
If you do hear a cuckoo this summer and you do not get visual confirmation of it, please check with us as well—there is a chance you may be hearing us doing surveys from a distance, and we can let you know if anyone was in that area.
Any help is appreciated, and we will be updating the Nebraska birding community with our findings this fall.
Date: 4/21/26 5:11 pm From: Paul Hubert via groups.io <paulhubert123...> Subject: [NEBirds] FOY Catbird Omaha
Fellow. Mimic thrush enthusiasts and hangers on, Driving home from work today with the windows down. I heard a catbird singing his heart out at the entrance to our neighborhood. Raven oaks in Omaha. Chip Hubert Omaha.
Date: 4/21/26 9:42 am From: Jacob C. Cooper via groups.io <cooperj2...> Subject: [NEBirds] Wanted: Cuckoo Sightings
Hi all,
Sawyer Therrien (a UNK undergrad) is spearheading a project to survey cuckoos in the state of Nebraska this summer. We will be doing playback surveys across the state for these species. Given that there are only so many areas that we can cover, the presence (or absence) of cuckoos at different spots would be very useful for us.
*
If you have a cuckoo this summer, please email either myself or Sawyer Therrien (<therriens...>)
*
If you do hear a cuckoo this summer and you do not get visual confirmation of it, please check with us as wellthere is a chance you may be hearing us doing surveys from a distance, and we can let you know if anyone was in that area.
Any help is appreciated, and we will be updating the Nebraska birding community with our findings this fall.
