Date: 12/7/25 9:13 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Crested Caracara
Thanks for posting, Robin. We were all totally blessed with so many people
seeing the Crested Caracara and also the Mexican Duck. What a beautiful
day it was to be out birding.
Very excited that you ran into Glenda. She generally birds Grant county
and it was awesome that she showed up for this great bird.
Especially pleased to see the number of birders out and communicating
back and forth passing on information on these to special birds both
yesterday and today.
Way to go NE birders.
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
On Sun, Dec 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> Nebraska birders,
>
> Call me DAMN lucky. I don’t usually chase rare birds, especially long
> distances. I just couldn’t resist this time. I drove from Shelton to the
> west end of Lake McConaughy on Sunday, December 07 to look for the Crested
> Caracara. When I arrived at Road 207 and highway 92, I saw a Jeep parked
> on the road and a gal walking. This looked like a good place to start.
>
> I didn’t recognize the gal at first but soon realized that we had met at
> the NOU meeting in Ogallala just a few months ago. She and her husband
> ranch in Grant County. Glenda had seen the Caracara fly over more than an
> hour before but didn’t get a good look. We scanned the sky and the
> fields. We drove south across the railroad tracks. We saw Bald Eagles,
> swans, geese, ducks, Rock Pigeons and blackbirds.
>
> We walked back to the railroad tracks and saw a dark blob out in the mowed
> field to the east of the road and north of the tracks. I’m not really good
> at estimating distances but the blob appeared to be about 1/3 of a mile
> away. With our binoculars, we could see a bird with a dark brown back and
> white tail. It looked like it was eating carrion. When it lifted its
> head, we saw its black cap and white neck. I ran back to the car to get
> the scope, thinking all the way that the bird would certainly fly away
> before I got back.
>
> As luck would have it, the bird stayed, continuing to eat the carrion.
> With the scope, we could positively identify the bird as the Crested
> Caracara. Its legs were long and yellow. Its beak was bluish-gray and
> large. Its face was pink. The white on its neck went all the way up to
> the bottom of its cap. The white blended in with the brown on its back and
> belly. We watched it for almost thirty minutes. I went back to the car to
> get my phone and send an email. Glenda watched the bird and then started
> an ebird list on her phone. When she looked up again, the bird was gone.
> Which way did it go?
>
> We stayed for an hour, hoping the bird would come back. While we were
> waiting, other people who were looking for the bird stopped to visit. A
> friend called me to report that he had seen the bird just before us, about
> two miles to the west along Road 205. Apparently, this bird has been
> moving around in this area. It’s a magnificent bird! I hope you get to
> see it.
>
> Robin Harding
> Shelton, Nebraska
>
>
>
