Date: 6/25/26 7:34 pm From: Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> Subject: [NEBirds] Wheeler County BBS Results
I completed the Wheeler County BBS route on June 16. This route starts in the Sandhills northwest of Bassett and then follows county roads and Highway 70 to the Antelope/Wheeler county line. This route has been run off and on since 1978; I took over the route in 2019. This year has to be the driest I have seen on this route, with very few marshes having open water. As a result, I missed some expected species and had below-average counts for others. The total species count and the total number of birds is right in line with what I've had in recent years, though. Turkey Vulture was the only other species observed during the route but not captured at a stop.
As was the case on my other BBS routes, the Northern Bobwhite count was way above average. This area isn't exactly "quail country," but 13 was a pretty good count considering there had never been more than 5 recorded on this route. I usually have a few lingering Greater Prairie-Chickens on leks for this route, but since I ran it about a week later than usual, the Lonely Hearts Club must have broken up for the year. That was certainly the biggest miss. Wilson's Snipe numbers fluctuate a lot on this route, presumably due to changes in habitat conditions on the meadows. 16 isn't bad, but I've had 40 on this route before. Finding two cuckoos was a bit of a surprise; it had been many years since either species was recorded on this route.
