Date: 6/24/25 4:04 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Calamus birding
Thanks for sharing
Don MaasMaricopa County, AZ
“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 Monday, June 23, 2025, 7:30 PM, Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> wrote:
Nebraska birders,
Paul Roisen contacted me about a county birding marathon in the Sandhills that he was planning. He invited me to join him for the Garfield and Loup County parts of the trip. We adjusted the plan a bit when the weather forecast called for 100 degree high temperatures.
Paul and I met in Burwell Saturday evening, June 21, but it was still too warm to go birding and Paul was exhausted. We talked about the places he wanted to visit and his wish list of birds. We decided to start at a roadside marsh north of Burwell where an American Bittern had been reported.
Paul and I started our birding shortly after sunrise on Sunday, June 22. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing hard already. We drove north of Burwell on highway 11. The countryside is still lush, green and beautiful. There was a lot of water in the rivers and marshes. We stopped at the marsh where the bittern had been seen. In addition to the usual birds, we heard Upland Sandpipers and Bobolinks. We also saw a Wilson’s Snipe. Sadly, we didn’t see nor hear a bittern, however, Paul added two or three new county birds. Paul hadn’t seen many common species so it was easy to add to his total.
Our next destination was Burwell’s park and diversion dam. Notable species were Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great-tailed Grackle and three Belted Kingfishers chasing each other. Maybe the resident pair was chasing an intruder. Paul added a couple more to his county list.
We stopped at the Willow Springs Banner cemetery just north of Burwell and near the east end of Pebble Creek Road. Paul hadn’t been there before and was impressed. We saw/heard several species including Great Crested Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo. We drove slowly along Pebble Creek Road. Paul had not been there before either. It is now on his personal list of hot spots. We identified nineteen species along the first mile of the road, including a towhee, Cedar Waxwing, and Black-capped Chickadee. Along the part of Pebble Creek Road out on the prairie, we found Grasshopper Sparrows, Bell’s Vireo, Lark Sparrow and very many Dickcissels.
We stopped at the end of the dam at Calamus Reservoir and were impressed by the huge waves that the wind was whipping up. As we were driving to Homestead Knolls, Paul said “We haven’t seen Vesper Sparrow or Field Sparrow yet.” As we entered Homestead Knolls, the first birds we saw were a Vesper Sparrow and heard a Field Sparrow. Well, if that’s going to be a trend, then what else do you want to see?
At Valley View, we heard another Red-eyed Vireo and Cedar Waxwing. At Gracie Creek, we heard a Blue Grosbeak. I heard a Willow Flycatcher but unfortunately, Paul didn’t. We tried to walk trails at Hannamon Bayou but they were not mowed and the biting insects were hungry. The wind was still howling and the temperature was approaching 90 so we called it a day. Paul added several new county birds to his Garfield and Loup County lists. I was surprised to find that Eastern Wood-Pewee was new for me in both counties. My Garfield total is 164 and my Loup is 183.
