Date: 4/13/25 7:02 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Phelps County
Nebraska birders,
My good friend, Paul Dunbar, called me on Friday (April 11) to tell me what
he had just seen at Funk WPA (Phelps County). He saw Avocets, Black-necked
Stilts, a Bonapart’s Gull and many ducks. Steve Morris and I were planning
on going birding this weekend. We changed our destination with hopes of
finding these birds.
At Funk WPA, the Fish and Wildlife Service is pumping water into a part of
the marsh north and west of the 736 and V Road intersection. The weather
was cool but a strong north wind made it feel cold. Steve and I saw many
ducks, maybe a thousand total. Nothing unusual though. Our lists will be
on ebird soon.
At one point, while at Funk WPA, I thought I heard a Willet but wasn’t sure
until we saw a large shorebird the right size and shape standing in
belly-high water with its back to us. We watched it for several minutes.
It moved a little but it did not show us its wing pattern. We felt
certain, however, that’s what it was. We could not find the avocets,
stilts nor the Bonapart’s Gull. We did see a Vesper Sparrow, Savannah
Sparrows, an immature Bald Eagle and an accipiter that was probably a
Cooper’s.
We drove down to Sacramento/Wilcox WMA (Phelps County) to see what we could
find. We stayed in the car for the most part because it was so damn
windy. Highlights include Vesper Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Field
Sparrow, Harris Sparrow, Northern Harriers, and another accipiter. Steve
got a quick but convincing look at a Mockingbird hiding in thick bushes.
We drove through Atlanta WPA (Phelps County) without finding much. We
tried to spot a Burrowing Owl in the Prairie Dog town but could not. We
went back to Funk WPA and added a flock of thirty cormorants to our lists.
Our last stop was at Bassway Strip (Buffalo County), where we saw Baird’s
Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs and Cody McGregor. It’s always a pleasure
bumping into a fellow birder while you’re out looking.
