Thanks for your reports Robin.
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 Saturday, September 13, 2025, 5:26 PM, Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> wrote:
Nebraska birders,
Saturday, September 13, I met Peggy, Conner and Cody (birding friends from UNK) at Bassway lake (south of I-80 Minden exit). We birded along the north side of the lake for a couple hours. Among the usual birds, we heard and saw a few Purple Martins, a female or immature Blue Grosbeak, an Olive-sided Flycatcher and an Osprey.
The grosbeak perched atop some annual weedy plants long enough for us to see a bit of a crest on its head and its large conical beak. Cody got a photo. The flycatcher gave us a good show, perched high on a dead snag and making some short flights out and back again. The Osprey flew over the lake and landed in a tall tree on the other side. We got a good look as it flew over.
We also saw a mystery hawk. We had a few brief glimpses as it flew behind trees. It did not look like a Red-tail nor a Swainson’s. We finally found it perched on a dead snag and Conner got some good video of it. We’re not sure what it was but Cody forwarded the video to friends. We’re thinking maybe Red-shouldered.
Peggy, Conner and I went to the Fort Kearny Hike/Bike Trail to see what we could find. We watched an immature Bald Eagle fly down the river. We saw a Green Heron flying around and then we heard another one in the reeds. We found a small bushy tree with House Wrens and Bell’s Vireos in it. We heard familiar call notes coming from the reeds which the Merlin app called Common Yellowthroats. We listened to a recording of the species to confirm the ID.
It was a nice morning to be out birding with friends.
