Date: 9/15/26 10:54 pm From: Paul L. Pearson via groups.io <Propearson...> Subject: [NEBirds] NOU Fall 2026 Kearney Meeting Recap
We had record attendance at our NOU 2026 Fall Meeting in Kearney…95 registrants, surpassing the 85 last Fall in Ogallala!! Thanks to all of you for attending, presenting, leading field trips, participating and birding. Along with our usual contingent of longtime NOU members, we had a large number of new attendees. We had several UNK and UNL students and our youngest birder was 8!
The weekend started with a memorial tribute to recently passed NOU member Ed Brogie. We had a great slate of research presentations on Indigo/Lazuli Bunting hybrids, Piping Plover nesting in sandpits, restoring the UNK museum collection, 2026 Nebraska Cuckoo Survey, and internal temperatures of nesting Tree Swallows. Dr. Gabriel and Jennifer Rivera provided the Friday Plenary Lecture “Nebraska Birds: Through Our Lens” and Dr. Letty Reichart of UNK gave a moving Saturday keynote address “Fledging the Nest -A Bird’s Eye View if Ornithological Inquiry and Mentorship.”
Despite slow birding on Friday for early arrivals and weather-related complications for some groups on Saturday AM, the birding heated up for Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Field trips went to Harlan County Reservoir, Howard County, northern Buffalo and Sherman Res., Crane Trust, Rowe Sanctuary and ‘Best of Kearney’ hotspots.
Some of the rarer highlights included a VERY unexpected pair of Cassin's Kingbirds in Dawson County (first record), a first Hall County female Black-throated Blue Warbler and Bay-breasted Warbler at the Kearney Hike/Bike Trail that both refused to be re-found, a Sherman County first Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Philadelphia Vireo at Rowe Sanctuary.
Meeting attendees also received the new NOU sticker-see attachment! I’d like to distribute them to as many NOU members as possible, so when you see me…ask!
Tentative plan for the Spring 2027 Meeting will be late April at a State Park location near Lincoln/Omaha just in time for a passerine migration explosion. Could it be another attendance record-setter? Who do you want to see as a featured speaker?
Please email me if you have any feedback regarding the Kearney meeting, positive or negative. If you have any suggestions for the Spring meeting Program let me know.
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Paul L. Pearson, PhD
President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
Omaha, NE.
