Date: 7/11/25 10:08 am From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Feeding Brown-head Cowbird juvenile in Sarpy County
Interesting observation and outcome.
On Thursday, July 10, 2025, 07:10:05 PM CDT, David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> wrote:
The BHCO died. The BASWs tried to feed it but the fledgling remained hidden. The BASW could not consistently reach it. The adult BHCOs moved on and have not returned to my yard. The BASW retreated to their nesting location. Seriously reduced the action in my yard.
Dave Cunningham
On Fri, Jul 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> wrote:
Linda,
Great point. I have noticed about 4 BHCOs hanging around and usually at least one with 50 meters at all times.
Thanks for pointing that out. Dave
On Fri, Jul 4, 2025, 8:37 AM Linda Ferring via groups.io <ronandlinda22...> wrote:
I have wondered how the cowbird hatchling knows it is a cowbird, after being raised by other species. I have read and once seen how adult cowbirds come near the hatchling and speak to it in the nest. Then when it fledges, it finds the cowbird flock, as we have all seen. Let us know if you notice adult cowbirds talking to your hatchling?Linda Ferring, Blair
Date: 7/10/25 5:10 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Feeding Brown-head Cowbird juvenile in Sarpy County
The BHCO died. The BASWs tried to feed it but the fledgling remained
hidden. The BASW could not consistently reach it. The adult BHCOs moved
on and have not returned to my yard. The BASW retreated to their nesting
location. Seriously reduced the action in my yard.
Dave Cunningham
On Fri, Jul 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Linda,
>
> Great point. I have noticed about 4 BHCOs hanging around and usually at
> least one with 50 meters at all times.
>
> Thanks for pointing that out.
> Dave
>
> On Fri, Jul 4, 2025, 8:37 AM Linda Ferring via groups.io <ronandlinda22=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
>> I have wondered how the cowbird hatchling knows it is a cowbird, after
>> being raised by other species. I have read and once seen how adult cowbirds
>> come near the hatchling and speak to it in the nest. Then when it fledges,
>> it finds the cowbird flock, as we have all seen. Let us know if you notice
>> adult cowbirds talking to your hatchling?
>> Linda Ferring, Blair
>>
>
>
>
Date: 7/9/25 5:21 pm From: Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
As I understand it, this is being looked at as the lone world checklist going forward. I agree it is a bit conservative, waiting on pending genetic studies in many cases to resolve various taxonomic issues. I think to get agreement among the various list owners AviList had to be somewhat conservative.
I do think it's a great start.
Ross
________________________________
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...>
Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2025 7:13 PM
To: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
A note on the list overall, it seems like it takes a fairly conservative approach, lumping a lot of species that don't have sufficient studies completed yet. For example, lumping all Swamphen.
One bird that I do notice that will be added to the state list comes from an East/West split of the Warbling Vireo!
Interesting to see if/when the other authorities incorporate this taxonomy.
Finally a unified world list with all the major players cooperating!
NEW WORLD LIST: 11,131 SPECIES
The major world checklists for birds of the world - the IOC, Clements/eBird, and Birdlife International/Handbook of Birds of the Word – have merged into a single unified list announced last month. This means that, for the first time, there is one global checklist of all bird species found on planet Earth.
It is called AviList, and it contains 11,131 species, 19,879 subspecies, 2,376 genera, 252 families, and 46 orders.
Until now, ornithologists, conservationists, and birders have used a selection of global checklists, each with its own rationale over what constitutes a bird species. AviList, intended to harmonize the global checklists, has been developed by the Working Group on Avian Checklists, with representatives from BirdLife International, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithologists’ Union, and Avibase.
The AviList team worked for four years to make this all possible. Of course, there will be a time of adjustment. For example, BirdLife International will gradually adopt the unified bird list, along with some systematic background checks that will need to be run concerning the conservation status of various species.
Once fully aligned, the benefits for sustainable taxonomic work, global consensus, and clarity over conservation priorities are immense.
The AviList checklist is free for anyone to use and provides available open access in several formats.
Read more on this significant development here, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
Date: 7/9/25 5:13 pm From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
A note on the list overall, it seems like it takes a fairly conservative
approach, lumping a lot of species that don't have sufficient studies
completed yet. For example, lumping all Swamphen.
One bird that I do notice that will be added to the state list comes from
an East/West split of the Warbling Vireo!
Interesting to see if/when the other authorities incorporate this taxonomy.
- Tobin Brown
On Tue, Jul 8, 2025, 1:07 PM Ann Johnson via groups.io <aj=
<hologrambirds.com...> wrote:
Date: 7/9/25 5:55 am From: pastorpaultdunbar via groups.io <pastorpaultdunbar...> Subject: [NEBirds] Raven sighting follow-up
Just saw Stephen Brenner’s report of C. Raven in Banner Co. — In one of the 2 accompanying photos, is that a dead meadowlark up on the telephone pole? Was the raven eating it?
Date: 7/8/25 11:07 am From: Ann Johnson via groups.io <aj...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
Hallelujah!
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> On Behalf Of Ross Silcock
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 12:15 PM
To: NEBIRDS <NEBIRDS...>
Subject: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
FYI-
Finally a unified world list with all the major players cooperating!
NEW WORLD LIST: 11,131 SPECIES
The major world checklists for birds of the world - the IOC, Clements/eBird, and Birdlife International/Handbook of Birds of the Word – have merged into a single unified list announced last month. This means that, for the first time, there is one global checklist of all bird species found on planet Earth.
It is called AviList, and it contains 11,131 species, 19,879 subspecies, 2,376 genera, 252 families, and 46 orders.
Until now, ornithologists, conservationists, and birders have used a selection of global checklists, each with its own rationale over what constitutes a bird species. AviList, intended to harmonize the global checklists, has been developed by the Working Group on Avian Checklists, with representatives from BirdLife International, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithologists’ Union, and Avibase.
The AviList team worked for four years to make this all possible. Of course, there will be a time of adjustment. For example, BirdLife International will gradually adopt the unified bird list, along with some systematic background checks that will need to be run concerning the conservation status of various species.
Once fully aligned, the benefits for sustainable taxonomic work, global consensus, and clarity over conservation priorities are immense.
The AviList checklist is free for anyone to use and provides available open access in several formats.
Read more on this significant development here, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
Date: 7/8/25 11:01 am From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
Ross,
Over 11000 species. I was still living the high 10,000 world mark.
Does this new list include extinct species or have I just missed being an
up-to-date person!
It is a great accomplishment to have these lists combined into one
resource!
Thanks so much for sharing. BTW any issue with flooding for you or your
Texas friends? How sad that all is!
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Tue, Jul 8, 2025 at 12:15 PM Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock=
<rosssilcock.com...> wrote:
Date: 7/8/25 10:15 am From: Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock...> Subject: [NEBirds] New World Bird List
FYI-
Finally a unified world list with all the major players cooperating!
NEW WORLD LIST: 11,131 SPECIES
The major world checklists for birds of the world - the IOC, Clements/eBird, and Birdlife International/Handbook of Birds of the Word – have merged into a single unified list announced last month. This means that, for the first time, there is one global checklist of all bird species found on planet Earth.
It is called AviList, and it contains 11,131 species, 19,879 subspecies, 2,376 genera, 252 families, and 46 orders.
Until now, ornithologists, conservationists, and birders have used a selection of global checklists, each with its own rationale over what constitutes a bird species. AviList, intended to harmonize the global checklists, has been developed by the Working Group on Avian Checklists, with representatives from BirdLife International, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithologists’ Union, and Avibase.
The AviList team worked for four years to make this all possible. Of course, there will be a time of adjustment. For example, BirdLife International will gradually adopt the unified bird list, along with some systematic background checks that will need to be run concerning the conservation status of various species.
Once fully aligned, the benefits for sustainable taxonomic work, global consensus, and clarity over conservation priorities are immense.
The AviList checklist is free for anyone to use and provides available open access in several formats.
Read more on this significant development here, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
Date: 7/6/25 2:19 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Hall County
Nebraska birders,
July 06, I birded some Hall County locations in the morning. The Shelton
WTP did not have many birds, possibly caused by activity at the nearby
grain elevator. They were loading a train. The Shelton cemetery was
pleasant but I saw only common species.
I birded Hannon WPA (also known as Hall County WPA). In the Public Access
Atlas, it’s called Hannon but on ebird, it’s called Hall County. Does
anyone know why the difference? I saw mostly common species, however, I
always enjoy Bobwhites. My late husband, Lanny, called them “magic birds”
because they could just magically appear out of nowhere and then just
disappear into thin air. I also saw a small flock of Upland Sandpipers. I
don’t usually see more than one at a time so I looked closely to make sure
that’s what they were. I also heard one do the wolf whistle.
I paused to look at a hawk where Cameron Road goes over the Wood River.
The hawk was smaller than a typical Red-tailed Hawk. It was being chased
by Barn Swallows. When the hawk banked, I saw wide black and white tail
bands. I did not see dark patagial marks. That makes it a Broad-winged
Hawk. Ebird wanted details.
I walked in the Cameron Cemetery but cut it short because of thirsty
mosquitoes. There’s wild woods with a creek north of the cemetery. I got
a fairly good list of birds. I heard a Spotted Towhee that was not
typical. Maybe it was a hybrid or maybe a young bird learning its song. I
wish that I could have recorded it.
About a mile east of the Cameron Cemetery, I saw a sign for the “Kow Pyle
Park.” The place looked like an abandoned baseball park. There was a
small herd of cattle in the park.
Date: 7/4/25 4:48 pm From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Ashford Scout Camp
Hi Robin,
Here's an approximate location of the parking area from the field trip in
May. We hiked west from there, into Thurston and then Dakota county (just
past where the valley forks north). It's probably not a hotspot because
it's private property.
On Fri, Jul 4, 2025, 7:43 PM Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Nebraska birders,
>
> I'm trying to enter an historical bird list into ebird. The list is dated
> May 18, 1997. Most of the day, we were in the Ashford Scout Camp, near
> Homer in Dakota or Thurston County. I can't find this location on ebird's
> maps. I'm surprised it's not a hot spot. Wasn't it one of the field trip
> destinations last May at the tri-state meeting? What am I missing?
>
> Robin Harding
> Shelton, Nebraska
>
>
>
Date: 7/4/25 4:43 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Ashford Scout Camp
Nebraska birders,
I'm trying to enter an historical bird list into ebird. The list is dated May 18, 1997. Most of the day, we were in the Ashford Scout Camp, near Homer in Dakota or Thurston County. I can't find this location on ebird's maps. I'm surprised it's not a hot spot. Wasn't it one of the field trip destinations last May at the tri-state meeting? What am I missing?
Date: 7/4/25 8:04 am From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Feeding Brown-head Cowbird juvenile in Sarpy County
Linda,
Great point. I have noticed about 4 BHCOs hanging around and usually at
least one with 50 meters at all times.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Dave
On Fri, Jul 4, 2025, 8:37 AM Linda Ferring via groups.io <ronandlinda22=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> I have wondered how the cowbird hatchling knows it is a cowbird, after
> being raised by other species. I have read and once seen how adult cowbirds
> come near the hatchling and speak to it in the nest. Then when it fledges,
> it finds the cowbird flock, as we have all seen. Let us know if you notice
> adult cowbirds talking to your hatchling?
> Linda Ferring, Blair
>
>
Date: 7/4/25 7:01 am From: flyingcarlini via groups.io <flyingcarlini...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Feeding Brown-head Cowbird juvenile in Sarpy County
There was a memorable study that caught young cowbirds sneaking out at night and returning in the morning (much like teenagers who sneak out of their parents' house at night!)Juvenile cowbirds sneak out at night
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Juvenile cowbirds sneak out at night
A new study explores how a young cowbird, left as an egg in the nest of a different species, grows up to know it...
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Date: 7/4/25 6:37 am From: Linda Ferring via groups.io <ronandlinda22...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Feeding Brown-head Cowbird juvenile in Sarpy County
I have wondered how the cowbird hatchling knows it is a cowbird, after being raised by other species. I have read and once seen how adult cowbirds come near the hatchling and speak to it in the nest. Then when it fledges, it finds the cowbird flock, as we have all seen. Let us know if you notice adult cowbirds talking to your hatchling?
Linda Ferring, Blair
Date: 7/3/25 12:38 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: [NEBirds] Feeding Brown-head Cowbird juvenile in Sarpy County
I'm sure many of you have watched CHSP or HOSP feed a BHCO fledgling or juvenile. It is quite the sight to see. The past few days I have watched 2 BASWs attempting to feed a BHCO fledgling with some success. This is the first time I've watched swallows feeding a BHCO. The BHCO started out hiding in my neighbor's tomato plants. This made it difficult for the swallows to get to the BHCO. After 2 days the BHCO decided it had to come into the open, so it climbed close to the top of the tomato plant. At that point, the BASWs were able to feed it, although they continued to struggle. The BASWs attacked an AMRO that got close and the robin seemed clueless but moved on. The proud parents are definitely protective and putting their all into it. I attached a few photos to capture the situation. Interesting watching how fast the BASW can gather a mouth full of insects to feed the juvenile.
No doubt many of you have seen similar instances and would be interested in hearing some topical stories.
I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.
Dave Cunningham Sarpy County [image: 4Q4A2443BHCO.JPG] [image: 4Q4A2444BHCO.JPG] [image: 4Q4A2445BHCO.JPG]
Date: 7/1/25 5:21 pm From: Paul Hubert via groups.io <paulhubert123...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Scarlet Tanager Omaha
Thanks for the suggestions and information. My opinion is pretty
prejudiced because I really want to have a pair of Scarlet Tanagers nesting
in my neighborhood.
Too, it seems awfully early to be Fall. There are lots of birds still
on their nests, though I suppose they could be raising multiple clutches.
Also, each year I hear the tanger at about the same place, +/- about
50 feet, so I'm hoping it's a territorial thing with the nest.
Thanks again, and I hope a really cool bird moves into your neighborhood
too!
Chip Hubert
Omaha
On Tue, Jul 1, 2025 at 12:54 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Very nice information, Ross. You always amaze me with your knowledge and
> continued sharing of this knowledge.
> We are blessed to have you as record-keeper and database for all things
> "birdy".
>
> God Bless.
> *Paul O. Roisen*
> *Woodbury County, IA*
> *Mobile 712-301-2817*
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 1, 2025 at 11:26 AM Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock=
> <rosssilcock.com...> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Copilot to the rescue. I'd guess my highlighted reasons are most likely
>> for tanagers and cuckoos.
>>
>> *Why Passerines Sing in Fall*
>>
>> - *Territory Defense*: Many resident species like Bewick’s Wrens and
>> Song Sparrows stay put year-round. As young birds disperse in autumn,
>> adults sing to reassert their winter territories and discourage intruders.
>> - *Social Structuring*: In flocking species like White-crowned and
>> Golden-crowned Sparrows, song helps establish social hierarchies within
>> winter flocks. It’s less about romance and more about rank.
>> - *Practice Makes Perfect*: Juvenile birds often rehearse their songs
>> in fall. These “subsong” attempts—think of them as the bird version of
>> vocal warm-ups—help them refine the complex tunes they’ll need come spring.
>> - *Hormonal Triggers*: Some species, like European Starlings,
>> experience a post-molt spike in testosterone, which can reignite singing
>> behavior even outside the breeding season3.
>> - *Photoperiod Sensitivity*: Others, like White-crowned Sparrows, are
>> less hormonally driven in fall but still sing for social cohesion.
>> Interestingly, even females and juveniles may join in, suggesting song
>> serves broader purposes than just mating.
>>
>> Ross
>>
>> Ross Silcock
>> 6810 Tournament Drive,
>> Houston, TX 77069
>>
>> Co-editor Birds of Nebraska Online
>> Editor Seasonal Reports, Nebraska Bird Review.
>>
>>
>
>
Date: 7/1/25 12:18 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Nebraska Big Year - June Recap
Tobin,
I agree that you have every reason to be optimistic about achieving your
goal for the Big Year. It is a privilege to know Pastor Paul and he is
very gracious and he is routing for you as he affirmed when we did a day of
birding down around Adams county together.
Hammond's, Gray, and Dusky have all eluded me. Cassin's Kingbirds have
been seen reasonably regularly over the years in western Kimball county
close to the Wyoming border. Black-throated Gray Warbler, another bird I
need, has been seen off and on out west. Cassin's Vireo and Cassin's
Kingbirds were seen around the 20-21th of September 2013 in Morrill County
during the NOU Fall meeting. Unfortunately, I cannot give you the exact
location as I did not keep very good notes back then.
Nemesis Bird (Western Sandpiper if you can believe that).
Black-throated Blue has also managed to avoid my detection.
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Tue, Jul 1, 2025 at 1:26 PM Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Paul,
>
> I'm only 20 birds away from surpassing the record of 347, and he's rooting
> for me! Of the remaining "regular" birds, the most likely 12 left are in
> this approximate order (new state birds in italics):
>
> LeConte's Sparrow
> Rufous Hummingbird
> Townsend's Warbler
> MacGillivray's Warbler
> Sabine's Gull
> Sprague's Pipit
> *Calliope Hummingbird*
> Nelson's Sparrow
> Cassin's Vireo
> *Dusky Flycatcher*
> Hammond's Flycatcher
> Red-naped Sapsucker.
>
> I have plans to be in the right places at the right time for all of these.
>
> If I can pick up those 12, that leaves 8 more from this pool: *Great
> Black-backed Gull*, Laughing Gull, Jaeger sp., *Gray Flycatcher*,
> post-breeding wanderers (White Ibis, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, etc), *Black
> Duck* (which seems very hard these days) and winter irruptive species (*Snowy
> Owl, Cassin's Finch, Bohemian Waxwing*, Pine Grosbeak,* Evening Grosbeak,
> Mountain Chickadee*)
>
> And besides those there are still plenty of other "casual" visitors
> possible: Pine Warbler, *Black-legged Kittiwake, Red Phalarope* and more.
> So, we'll just have to see how things shake out, but I'm pretty optimistic.
>
>
> Tobin Brown
> Lancaster County
> https://ebird.org/profile/NDA1ODIzNg/US-NE >
>
>
Date: 7/1/25 11:26 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Nebraska Big Year - June Recap
Paul,
I'm only 20 birds away from surpassing the record of 347, and he's rooting for me! Of the remaining "regular" birds, the most likely 12 left are in this approximate order (new state birds in italics):
I have plans to be in the right places at the right time for all of these.
If I can pick up those 12, that leaves 8 more from this pool: *Great Black-backed Gull*, Laughing Gull, Jaeger sp., *Gray Flycatcher*, post-breeding wanderers (White Ibis, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, etc), *Black Duck* (which seems very hard these days) and winter irruptive species (*Snowy Owl, Cassin's Finch, Bohemian Waxwing*, Pine Grosbeak,* Evening Grosbeak, Mountain Chickadee*)
And besides those there are still plenty of other "casual" visitors possible: Pine Warbler, *Black-legged Kittiwake, Red Phalarope* and more. So, we'll just have to see how things shake out, but I'm pretty optimistic.
Date: 7/1/25 11:10 am From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Nebraska Big Year - June Recap
Tobin,
If I have this correct, you need 21 species to tie the venerable Pastor
Paul, what remaining birds do you foresee as likely/possible species still
available to be seen in the next 6 months?
Keep on "truckin" you have achieved an incredible start half-way through
the year.
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Tue, Jul 1, 2025 at 11:39 AM Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
Date: 7/1/25 10:54 am From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Scarlet Tanager Omaha
Very nice information, Ross. You always amaze me with your knowledge and
continued sharing of this knowledge.
We are blessed to have you as record-keeper and database for all things
"birdy".
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Tue, Jul 1, 2025 at 11:26 AM Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock=
<rosssilcock.com...> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Copilot to the rescue. I'd guess my highlighted reasons are most likely
> for tanagers and cuckoos.
>
> *Why Passerines Sing in Fall*
>
> - *Territory Defense*: Many resident species like Bewick’s Wrens and
> Song Sparrows stay put year-round. As young birds disperse in autumn,
> adults sing to reassert their winter territories and discourage intruders.
> - *Social Structuring*: In flocking species like White-crowned and
> Golden-crowned Sparrows, song helps establish social hierarchies within
> winter flocks. It’s less about romance and more about rank.
> - *Practice Makes Perfect*: Juvenile birds often rehearse their songs
> in fall. These “subsong” attempts—think of them as the bird version of
> vocal warm-ups—help them refine the complex tunes they’ll need come spring.
> - *Hormonal Triggers*: Some species, like European Starlings,
> experience a post-molt spike in testosterone, which can reignite singing
> behavior even outside the breeding season3.
> - *Photoperiod Sensitivity*: Others, like White-crowned Sparrows, are
> less hormonally driven in fall but still sing for social cohesion.
> Interestingly, even females and juveniles may join in, suggesting song
> serves broader purposes than just mating.
>
> Ross
>
> Ross Silcock
> 6810 Tournament Drive,
> Houston, TX 77069
>
> Co-editor Birds of Nebraska Online
> Editor Seasonal Reports, Nebraska Bird Review.
>
>
>
Date: 7/1/25 9:41 am From: Rita Cunha via groups.io <rita23cunha...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Scarlet Tanager Omaha
On Tue, Jul 1, 2025 at 11:26 AM Ross Silcock via groupsp.io <silcock=
<rosssilcock.com...> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Copilot to the rescue. I'd guess my highlightedv. reasons are most likely
> for tanagers and cuckoos.
>
> *Why Passerines Sing in Fallmc CT ff y j*
>
> - *Territory Defense*: Many resident species like Bewick’s Wrens and
> Song Sparrows stay put year-round. As young birds disperse in autumn,
> adults sing to them
>
>
> - their reassert their winter territories and discourage intruders.
> - * Com f*
>
>
> - In flocking species like White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows,
> song helps establish social hierarchies within winter flocks. It’s less
> about romance and more about rank.
> - *OkPractice Makes Perfect*: Juvenile birds often rehearse their
> songs in fall. These “subsong” attempts—think of them as the bird version
> of vocal warm-ups—help them refine the complex tunes they’ll need come
> spring.
> - *Hormonal Triggers*: Some species, like European Starlings,
> experience a post-molt spike in testosterone, which can reignite singing
> behavior even outside the breeding season3.
> - *Photoperiod Sensitivity*: Others, like White-crowned Sparrows, are
> less hormonally driven in fall but still sing for social cohesion.
> Interestingly, even females and juveniles may join in, suggesting song
> serves broader purposes than just mating.
>
> Ross
>
> Ross Silcock
> 6810 Tournament Drive,
> Houston, TX 77069
>
> Co-editor Birds of Nebraska Online
> Editor Seasonal Reports, Nebraska Bird Review.
>
>
>
Date: 7/1/25 9:40 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Nebraska Big Year - June Recap
Nebraska birders,
In June I added 6 species to my year list and 3 to my state list. Not as much variety as May, but some very high quality birds. 6 months down, 6 to go.
Date: 7/1/25 9:26 am From: Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Scarlet Tanager Omaha
Hi all,
Copilot to the rescue. I'd guess my highlighted reasons are most likely for tanagers and cuckoos.
Why Passerines Sing in Fall
*
Territory Defense: Many resident species like Bewick’s Wrens and Song Sparrows stay put year-round. As young birds disperse in autumn, adults sing to reassert their winter territories and discourage intruders.
*
Social Structuring: In flocking species like White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, song helps establish social hierarchies within winter flocks. It’s less about romance and more about rank.
*
Practice Makes Perfect: Juvenile birds often rehearse their songs in fall. These “subsong” attempts—think of them as the bird version of vocal warm-ups—help them refine the complex tunes they’ll need come spring.
*
Hormonal Triggers: Some species, like European Starlings, experience a post-molt spike in testosterone, which can reignite singing behavior even outside the breeding season3.
*
Photoperiod Sensitivity: Others, like White-crowned Sparrows, are less hormonally driven in fall but still sing for social cohesion. Interestingly, even females and juveniles may join in, suggesting song serves broader purposes than just mating.
Ross
Ross Silcock
6810 Tournament Drive,
Houston, TX 77069
Date: 7/1/25 8:17 am From: Jerry Toll via groups.io <carolnhattie...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Scarlet Tanager Omaha
Chip, One possibility is that the the Scarlet Tanager didn't breed in your neighborhood and/or this is a case of post breeding dispersal. I live near you in the Florence area and a few days ago I heard a yellow- billed cuckoo near my house. I had not heard one before or since. Just passing through I guess.
On Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:46 PM Paul Hubert via groups.io <paulhubert123= <gmail.com...> wrote:
> Every morning at about 5:00 am till about 545 am, I walk the same path in > my neighborhood (Raven Oaks). I've been walking this path every > morning for 6 years, listening to birds. Unfortunately, I've been to busy > or lazy to log my observations in ebird. > This morning I heard a Scarlet Tanager for the first time this year. > I've heard them previous years. > It seems very late in the year for a bird to start singing. Does > anyone have a guess as to why it'd start so late? > Thanks for any opinions. > Chip Hubert > Omaha > >
Date: 6/30/25 11:46 am From: Paul Hubert via groups.io <paulhubert123...> Subject: [NEBirds] Scarlet Tanager Omaha
Every morning at about 5:00 am till about 545 am, I walk the same path in my neighborhood (Raven Oaks). I've been walking this path every morning for 6 years, listening to birds. Unfortunately, I've been to busy or lazy to log my observations in ebird. This morning I heard a Scarlet Tanager for the first time this year. I've heard them previous years. It seems very late in the year for a bird to start singing. Does anyone have a guess as to why it'd start so late? Thanks for any opinions. Chip Hubert Omaha
Date: 6/26/25 3:00 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Pacific Loon
Sorry. I meant to say Red-throated Loon.
On Thu, Jun 26, 2025, 3:46 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> The Pacific Loon is still at Lake Ogallala, west side of the diversion dam
> (far east dam).
>
> It is just floating. It is not diving. It is by itself. It is about 75
> meters off the dam and about half way across.
>
> Dave
>
>
Date: 6/26/25 6:23 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Red-throated Loon continues at Lake Ogallala
Steven Mlodinow found a breeding plumage Red-throated Loon at Lake Ogallala yesterday, and I'm happy to report that the bird is still here today. Best viewing is from the diversion dam on the far east side. I was able to get quite close by walking out to the middle of the dam!
Great looking bird, a new state bird for myself, and state big year #328!
Date: 6/25/25 8:43 am From: Thomas Labedz via groups.io <telabedz...> Subject: [NEBirds] Wood Thrush
A Wood Thrush was giving a good vocal representation this morning (25 Jun 2025, ~9:30 a.m. CDT) in Wilderness Park near the Densmore Park entrance. More specifically, west of the railroad tracks / Jamaica North Trail and south of the new connector trail to the Salt Creek bridge, but very close to the Jamaica North Trail. Thomas Labedz, Lincoln
Date: 6/24/25 7:43 pm From: Paul L. Pearson via groups.io <Propearson...> Subject: [NEBirds] (No bird sighting) BBS discussion-$0 funding proposed for USGS Ecosystems
From the recent posts, it is clear that many people in this group enjoy both running and discussing Breeding Bird Survey routes. This post is intended to be informational and NOT a discussion-starter. (especially a partisan political one that would not be appropriate for this forum). I hope that our shared love of birds and other natural communities should be enough of a reason to bring up this subject respectfully.
As it stands today, the federal budget proposal (aka “Big Beautiful Bill”) currently being considered would be catastrophic to our natural communities as well as the protection and scientific understanding of them. Future discussion of BBS routes, bird banding, and many species of birds may be limited to nothing but grief and nostalgia if this comes to pass.
To wit, the US Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab and Breeding Bird Surveys would almost certainly be eliminated as the USGS Ecosystems program would be $0 funded. As a recent American Birding Association podcast (episode 09-23) pointed out, not only does it put the future of these programs at grave risk, but Our shared love of birds and other natural communities should be enough of a reason to bring up this subjec all of the data from past Breeding Bird Surveys and banding would be at risk of being deleted.
Further, the proposed US Fish & Wildlife Service budget is $0 for all endangered species line items, including migratory bird programs. Proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act would remove protection of HABITAT for endangered species, interpreting the language “taking of” in the ESA to be literal. Simply put, you couldn’t kill an endangered species, but you could destroy 100% of the habitat where a species exists without violating the ESA. I think it is obvious what will happen to endangered species if the very habitats required for them to exist (likely the main reason they ARE endangered) are no longer protected and allowed to be sold, degraded, developed, logged, mined, polluted, or otherwise compromised.
Many of the agencies that fund or conduct scientific research or environmental programs (e.g. National Science Foundation, USGS, National Park Services, Dept of Ag, USAID, et al.) have already or will also be drastically cut, so research/testing on birds will also be severely impacted or eliminated outright as these various government entities are gutted.
If you are opposed to these changes, I encourage you to take appropriate action to make your voice…and future bird songs…heard.
--
Paul L. Pearson, PhD
President-Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
Omaha, NE
Date: 6/24/25 6:03 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Holbrook BBS
Teresa,
Thanks for the report and for inspiration to hit the lower tiers of
Nebraska on my next trip over into Nebraska.
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 7:51 PM Theresa Pella via groups.io <pella_t=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> My sister-in-law and I have run the Holbrook route for about 5 years.
> This is a very rural part of the State with much cropland, but grasses and
> wooded areas too (thank you Ruthie for designing an interesting route).
> Looking through my records, the numbers and species have been fairly
> consistent. Most notably, the Northern Bobwhite always outnumbers the
> Ring-necked Pheasant and the Western Meadowlarks are singing at almost
> every stop, including the cornfields. On yesterday's count also had quite a
> few swallows (including a group of 21 Bank Swallows). The 40 species
> identified were:
>
> Northern Bobwhite 18
> Wild Turkey 10 (all together)
> Ring-necked Pheasant 4
> Rock Pigeon 1
> Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
> Mourning Dove 25
> Chimney Swift 1
> Killdeer 1
> Turkey Vulture 17
> Red-tailed Hawk 2
> Red-headed Woodpecker 2
> unid. Red/Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker 1
> Great Crested Flycatcher 1
> Western Kingbird 9
> Eastern Kingbird 15
> Eastern Phoebe 1
> Blue Jay 4
> American Crow 3
> Horned Lark 10
> Bank Swallow 26
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3
> Barn Swallow 6
> Cliff Swallow 2
> Northern House Wren 3
> Brown Thrasher 2
> European Starling 1
> Eastern Bluebird 1
> American Robin 9
> American Goldfinch 2
> Western Meadowlark 41
> Orchard Oriole 3
> Baltimore Oriole 9
> Red-winged Blackbird 61
> Brown-headed Cowbird 20
> Common Grackle 9
> Yellow Warbler 4
> Northern Cardinal 6
> Blue Grosbeak 4
> Indigo Bunting 1
>
> Theresa Pella
> Lincoln NE
>
>
>
>
My sister-in-law and I have run the Holbrook route for about 5 years. This is a very rural part of the State with much cropland, but grasses and wooded areas too (thank you Ruthie for designing an interesting route). Looking through my records, the numbers and species have been fairly consistent. Most notably, the Northern Bobwhite always outnumbers the Ring-necked Pheasant and the Western Meadowlarks are singing at almost every stop, including the cornfields. On yesterday's count also had quite a few swallows (including a group of 21 Bank Swallows). The 40 species identified were:
Northern Bobwhite 18
Wild Turkey 10 (all together)
Ring-necked Pheasant 4
Rock Pigeon 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Mourning Dove 25
Chimney Swift 1
Killdeer 1
Turkey Vulture 17
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Red-headed Woodpecker 2
unid. Red/Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Western Kingbird 9
Eastern Kingbird 15
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 3
Horned Lark 10
Bank Swallow 26
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 6
Cliff Swallow 2
Northern House Wren 3
Brown Thrasher 2
European Starling 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 9
American Goldfinch 2
Western Meadowlark 41
Orchard Oriole 3
Baltimore Oriole 9
Red-winged Blackbird 61
Brown-headed Cowbird 20
Common Grackle 9
Yellow Warbler 4
Northern Cardinal 6
Blue Grosbeak 4
Indigo Bunting 1
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.
Date: 6/23/25 7:30 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Calamus birding
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.
Date: 6/21/25 2:05 pm From: Scott Seier via groups.io <spseier...> Subject: [NEBirds] 2025 Humboldt Breeding Bird Survey
Nebraska birders:
I've enjoyed reading the Breeding Bird Survey summaries submitted by others, so I am submitting a summary of my route as well.
This is my fourth year running the Humboldt BBS route. It starts south of Humboldt, at the intersection of Highway 8 and 634th Avenue in Richardson County, and ends west of Auburn, in Nemaha County. It appears that the route was started in 2018, with data available for both 2018 and 2019. It also appears that the route was not run in 2020 or 2021, as no data is available for either year. I started running the route in 2022. This year I observed 64 species, which is an all-time high for the route, and 677 total individuals.
A few observations from this year's route:
1. I was surprised by an olive-sided flycatcher near the end of my route, in Nemaha County. Presumably, it was a late migrant. See this eBird checklist for documentation: https://ebird.org/checklist/S245510732.
2. I was also surprised by two singing alder flycatchers, both earlier in the morning in Richardson County. This is the first time I've observed an empidonax species of any type on this route.
3. Notable high counts this year include northern bobwhite (46, tied with 2024), great blue heron (4), red-headed woodpecker (10), red-bellied woodpecker (22), great-crested flycatcher (20), warbling vireo (10), red-eyed vireo (4), bluejay (31), orchard oriole (8), and common grackle (13).
4. Notable low counts were red-tailed hawk (1), cliff swallow (7), brown thrasher (4), grasshopper sparrow (3), red-winged blackbird (37), and dickcissel (67).
5. A new species for me was two upland sandpipers (previously observed by other(s) in 2018 and 2019).
6. New to the route this year include the above mentioned olive-sided flycatcher and alder flycatchers, an Eurasian collared-dove, and chimney swifts.
7. I observed signs of breeding for the following species: red-headed woodpecker, brown thrasher, red-winged blackbird, and European starling.
8. The start and end temperatures were both lows for the four years I've run the route, which makes me wonder if/how the temperatures influenced the outcomes.
See below for a a full summary of my observations.
Date: 6/20/25 2:58 pm From: Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock...> Subject: [NEBirds] Rusty Blackbird photos?
Hi all,
I'm working on the Spring Seasonal Report for Nebraska Bird review and see the Rusty Blackbird reports by the NOU group at Winnebago WTP 17 May. The shared checklists say "some got photos", but none have been posted on eBird.
Can anyone either add a pic or two to their checklist or send one to me? Not doubting the ID of this very late bird, just curious as to its plumage.
Thanks,
Ross
Ross Silcock
6810 Tournament Drive,
Houston, TX 77069
Date: 6/20/25 2:56 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Crescent Lake Breeding Bird Survey
Tobin,
Thanks for sharing your BBS data with us. That would be a route I would
enjoy helping out some time. I don't hear well enough to actually do the
count, but I would be very happy to help out with recording the data to
help out. That area is a super neat area to bird, but I have not been
there for about 8 years.
God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Wed, Jun 18, 2025 at 8:34 PM Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io
<Piranga...> wrote:
> Nebraska Birders,
>
>
>
> Donna and I used to do this survey. That first stop is crazy – never
> could feel comfortable with the numbers of birds calling there! We never
> had Black-necked Stilts or Prairie Chickens – so those two are great
> additions!
>
> Thanks for sharing!
>
>
>
> Bruce & Donna
>
>
>
> *From:* <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] *On Behalf Of *Tobin
> Brown via groups.io
> *Sent:* Monday, June 16, 2025 10:09 AM
> *To:* <NEbirds...>
> *Subject:* [NEBirds] Crescent Lake Breeding Bird Survey
>
>
>
> Nebraska Birders,
>
> Inspired by Jason Thiele's reports, I figured I'd share my experience as
> well!
>
>
>
> On Friday I conducted my first breeding bird survey at Crescent Lake.
> Having never done a survey before, I was a little worried about the rushed
> nature of a 3 minute count, but I think I did pretty well! I counted just
> over 1000 individuals of 57 species (plus a non-count Sora and domestic
> Peafowl)! 20 species were only found at a single stop. The weather was
> clear and cool, with very little wind, I don't think I could have asked for
> better. Here are some of the overall highlights of the day.
>
> - *Dawn Song.* The Dawn song at the marsh was overwhelming (see the
> stilt recording below). Probably hundreds of birds, I did my best to parse
> out what I was hearing, but I suspect I underestimated Marsh Wrens,
> blackbirds, and calling coots/ducks by quite a bit. (I think I may have
> missed a Least bittern there too)
> - *Black-necked Stilt:* I had 2 Black-necked Stilts at my first stop
> at the northwest corner of Goose Lake. They were very vocal
> <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637624955> (probably scolding
> me). I'm not sure when the last time this route was run, but this may be a
> new species for the route.
> - *Cinnamon Teal:* I came across one single drake Cinnamon Teal at
> stop 18. It was in a pond with some Blue-winged teals. I did not note a
> hen, but I think it's likely one was hiding in the marsh.
> - *Meadowlarks!* Meadowlarks dominated my count, noted at 46 stops
> (and probably missed at the others). Almost all were Western, but I did
> hear one singing Eastern Meadowlark.
> - *American Bittern*: I was hoping to hear a displaying Bittern on my
> route, and I did on stop 10! I stopped briefly after my 3 minute count to
> take a recording <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637625220>.
> - *Prairie Chickens:* I thought I was well into Sharp-tailed Grouse
> territory, but I heard a few late Prairie Chickens still booming at stops
> 5-7
> - *Weasel!* The non-bird highlight of my route was a Long-tailed Weasel
> <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637629575> at stop 30.
>
> Trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/384758 >
> It was a long day, but I'm looking forward to running it again next year
> to see what changes.
>
>
>
> Species
>
> 1-10
>
> 11-20
>
> 21-30
>
> 31-40
>
> 41-50
>
> Total ind.
>
> Total Stops
>
> Blue-winged Teal
>
> 25
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 27
>
> 4
>
> Northern Shoveler
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> Gadwall
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> Mallard
>
> 7
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 8
>
> 3
>
> Canvasback
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Redhead
>
> 16
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 16
>
> 2
>
> Ring-necked Pheasant
>
> 9
>
> 14
>
> 9
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 36
>
> 28
>
> Pied-billed Grebe
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 3
>
> Eared Grebe
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> Mourning Dove
>
> 9
>
> 7
>
> 21
>
> 19
>
> 38
>
> 94
>
> 37
>
> Common Nighthawk
>
> 5
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 8
>
> 7
>
> American Coot
>
> 8
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 8
>
> 4
>
> American Avocet
>
> 1
>
> 25
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 26
>
> 2
>
> Killdeer
>
> 4
>
> 5
>
> 3
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 12
>
> 11
>
> Upland Sandpiper
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 5
>
> 0
>
> 11
>
> 8
>
> Long-billed Curlew
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 0
>
> 5
>
> 3
>
> 12
>
> 7
>
> Wilson's Snipe
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Willet
>
> 5
>
> 7
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 13
>
> 7
>
> Wilson's Phalarope
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 3
>
> Black Tern
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Forster's Tern
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Double-crested Cormorant
>
> 6
>
> 5
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 11
>
> 2
>
> American Bittern
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> Great Blue Heron
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> White-faced Ibis
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Red-tailed Hawk
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 3
>
> 3
>
> Western Kingbird
>
> 4
>
> 0
>
> 6
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 13
>
> 8
>
> Eastern Kingbird
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 5
>
> 5
>
> Horned Lark
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 16
>
> 13
>
> 32
>
> 14
>
> Bank Swallow
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 4
>
> 2
>
> Barn Swallow
>
> 26
>
> 4
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 34
>
> 7
>
> Cliff Swallow
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Marsh Wren
>
> 23
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 25
>
> 4
>
> Brown Thrasher
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Grasshopper Sparrow
>
> 4
>
> 7
>
> 3
>
> 10
>
> 15
>
> 39
>
> 26
>
> Lark Sparrow
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 14
>
> 14
>
> 3
>
> 34
>
> 18
>
> Lark Bunting
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 22
>
> 25
>
> 11
>
> Yellow-headed Blackbird
>
> 28
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> 13
>
> 0
>
> 49
>
> 10
>
> Bobolink
>
> 0
>
> 5
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 5
>
> 2
>
> Eastern Meadowlark
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Western Meadowlark
>
> 14
>
> 46
>
> 35
>
> 25
>
> 29
>
> 149
>
> 46
>
> Orchard Oriole
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 5
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 10
>
> 7
>
> Bullock's Oriole
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Red-winged Blackbird
>
> 44
>
> 40
>
> 29
>
> 44
>
> 13
>
> 170
>
> 26
>
> Brown-headed Cowbird
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 10
>
> 4
>
> 10
>
> 28
>
> 15
>
> Common Grackle
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> Common Yellowthroat
>
> 12
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 15
>
> 9
>
> Blue Grosbeak
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> 3
>
> 11
>
> 10
>
> Dickcissel
>
> 0
>
> 8
>
> 4
>
> 3
>
> 8
>
> 23
>
> 13
>
> *Cinnamon Teal*
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> *Greater Prairie-Chicken*
>
> 4
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 1
>
> *Black-necked Stilt*
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> *Northern Harrier*
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> *American Crow*
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> *Eastern Bluebird*
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> *American Goldfinch*
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> *Yellow Warbler*
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> *Total Species : 57*
>
> *Total ind. : 1002*
>
>
>
>
> Tobin Brown
>
> Lancaster County
> 402-213-4014
> https://ebird.org/profile/NDA1ODIzNg/US-NE >
>
>
>
Date: 6/18/25 6:34 pm From: Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io <Piranga...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Crescent Lake Breeding Bird Survey
Nebraska Birders,
Donna and I used to do this survey. That first stop is crazy – never could feel comfortable with the numbers of birds calling there! We never had Black-necked Stilts or Prairie Chickens – so those two are great additions!
Thanks for sharing!
Bruce & Donna
From: <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] On Behalf Of Tobin Brown via groups.io
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2025 10:09 AM
To: <NEbirds...>
Subject: [NEBirds] Crescent Lake Breeding Bird Survey
Nebraska Birders,
Inspired by Jason Thiele's reports, I figured I'd share my experience as well!
On Friday I conducted my first breeding bird survey at Crescent Lake. Having never done a survey before, I was a little worried about the rushed nature of a 3 minute count, but I think I did pretty well! I counted just over 1000 individuals of 57 species (plus a non-count Sora and domestic Peafowl)! 20 species were only found at a single stop. The weather was clear and cool, with very little wind, I don't think I could have asked for better. Here are some of the overall highlights of the day.
* Dawn Song. The Dawn song at the marsh was overwhelming (see the stilt recording below). Probably hundreds of birds, I did my best to parse out what I was hearing, but I suspect I underestimated Marsh Wrens, blackbirds, and calling coots/ducks by quite a bit. (I think I may have missed a Least bittern there too)
* Black-necked Stilt: I had 2 Black-necked Stilts at my first stop at the northwest corner of Goose Lake. They were very vocal <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637624955> (probably scolding me). I'm not sure when the last time this route was run, but this may be a new species for the route.
* Cinnamon Teal: I came across one single drake Cinnamon Teal at stop 18. It was in a pond with some Blue-winged teals. I did not note a hen, but I think it's likely one was hiding in the marsh.
* Meadowlarks! Meadowlarks dominated my count, noted at 46 stops (and probably missed at the others). Almost all were Western, but I did hear one singing Eastern Meadowlark.
* American Bittern: I was hoping to hear a displaying Bittern on my route, and I did on stop 10! I stopped briefly after my 3 minute count to take a recording <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637625220> .
* Prairie Chickens: I thought I was well into Sharp-tailed Grouse territory, but I heard a few late Prairie Chickens still booming at stops 5-7
* Weasel! The non-bird highlight of my route was a Long-tailed Weasel <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637629575> at stop 30.
Date: 6/17/25 9:04 pm From: Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io <Piranga...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
It’s been a while, but during really wet springs, There would be water on both sides of the Lake Road just west of the lake . Lots of waterfowl and shorebirds. Even Eastern Meadowlarks. The prairie dog town just south of the lake used to have Burrowing Owls, but we haven’t seen them for years. During one Fall migration we had Rusty Blackbirds in with some Red-wings along the lake road.
Thanks again!
Bruce
From: <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] On Behalf Of David Cunningham via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 9:32 PM
To: <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
The route is on Walgren Lake Rd. There is a road to the east, then the Lake. BBS has specific process controls including distance. The lake is too far i.e., outside the stop box. Unless the species at the lake fly within the stop box, I can't count them.
As a native of Hay Springs, I’m wondering where this route is. I lived 8 miles south of Hay springs on a farm and now live in Casper WY. It’s fun to see your results-reminds me of home. The BBS website doesn’t show the route – just the approximate site of the route. I was wondering if you would mind sharing the start point and the approximate route.
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/17/25 8:31 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
The route is on Walgren Lake Rd. There is a road to the east, then the
Lake. BBS has specific process controls including distance. The lake is
too far i.e., outside the stop box. Unless the species at the lake fly
within the stop box, I can't count them.
Dc
On Tue, Jun 17, 2025, 9:57 PM Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io
<Piranga...> wrote:
> It looks like it goes by the Lake though? Thanks!
>
>
>
> Bruce
>
>
>
> *From:* <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] *On Behalf Of *David
> Cunningham via groups.io
> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 17, 2025 7:13 PM
> *To:* <NEBirds...>
> *Subject:* Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
>
>
>
> Your namesake lake is not included.
>
> Dc
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 17, 2025, 8:04 PM Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io
> <Piranga...> wrote:
>
> David,
>
>
>
> As a native of Hay Springs, I’m wondering where this route is. I lived 8
> miles south of Hay springs on a farm and now live in Casper WY. It’s fun to
> see your results-reminds me of home. The BBS website doesn’t show the
> route – just the approximate site of the route. I was wondering if you
> would mind sharing the start point and the approximate route.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Bruce Walgren
>
>
>
> *From:* <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] *On Behalf Of *David
> Cunningham via groups.io
> *Sent:* Monday, June 16, 2025 12:45 PM
> *To:* <NEBirds...>
> *Subject:* [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
>
>
>
> I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing
> species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and
> specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest
> I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts
> are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The
> average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the
> individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only
> non-breeders observed.
>
>
>
> *Species*
>
> *1-10*
>
> *11-20*
>
> *21-30*
>
> *31-40*
>
> *41-50*
>
> *Total ind.*
>
> *Total Stops*
>
> Blue-winged Teal
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> Sharp-tailed Grouse
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Ring-necked Pheasant
>
> 16
>
> 14
>
> 14
>
> 18
>
> 1
>
> 63
>
> 33
>
> Eurasian Collared-Dove
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 9
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 12
>
> 7
>
> Mourning Dove
>
> 42
>
> 34
>
> 56
>
> 28
>
> 19
>
> 179
>
> 46
>
> Killdeer
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Long-billed Curlew
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Turkey Vulture
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Red-tailed Hawk
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Great Horned Owl
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Burrowing Owl
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> 3
>
> Red-headed Woodpecker
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Western Kingbird
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 10
>
> 18
>
> 12
>
> Eastern Kingbird
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 8
>
> 8
>
> Western Wood-Pewee
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Say's Phoebe
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Bell's Vireo
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Loggerhead Shrike
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> American Crow
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 7
>
> Horned Lark
>
> 42
>
> 26
>
> 25
>
> 23
>
> 14
>
> 130
>
> 39
>
> Barn Swallow
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 1
>
> 9
>
> 17
>
> 8
>
> Northern House Wren
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> Brown Thrasher
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 6
>
> 5
>
> European Starling
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 5
>
> 0
>
> 12
>
> 17
>
> 3
>
> American Robin
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> 7
>
> 5
>
> 2
>
> 19
>
> 15
>
> House Sparrow
>
> 4
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 1
>
> Grasshopper Sparrow
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 6
>
> 6
>
> Lark Sparrow
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Lark Bunting
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 4
>
> 5
>
> 11
>
> 4
>
> Western Meadowlark
>
> 67
>
> 53
>
> 31
>
> 34
>
> 51
>
> 236
>
> 50
>
> Orchard Oriole
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 4
>
> 2
>
> Red-winged Blackbird
>
>
Date: 6/17/25 8:06 pm From: Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io <Piranga...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
It looks like it goes by the Lake though? Thanks!
Bruce
From: <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] On Behalf Of David Cunningham via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 7:13 PM
To: <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
As a native of Hay Springs, I’m wondering where this route is. I lived 8 miles south of Hay springs on a farm and now live in Casper WY. It’s fun to see your results-reminds me of home. The BBS website doesn’t show the route – just the approximate site of the route. I was wondering if you would mind sharing the start point and the approximate route.
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/17/25 6:04 pm From: Donna and Bruce Walgren via groups.io <Piranga...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
David,
As a native of Hay Springs, I’m wondering where this route is. I lived 8 miles south of Hay springs on a farm and now live in Casper WY. It’s fun to see your results-reminds me of home. The BBS website doesn’t show the route – just the approximate site of the route. I was wondering if you would mind sharing the start point and the approximate route.
Thanks,
Bruce Walgren
From: <NEBirds...> [mailto:<NEBirds...>] On Behalf Of David Cunningham via groups.io
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2025 12:45 PM
To: <NEBirds...>
Subject: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/17/25 3:09 pm From: Jon Strong via groups.io <jon.strong...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Greta Breeding Bird Survey
John, good to hear from you. Hope you are doing well. Jon StrongOmaha, NE
On Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 04:47:20 PM CDT, John W. Hall via groups.io <jwhall2...> wrote:
In keeping with the current trend, I thought I would share our 2025 survey result from our Fathers Day adventure. Norhern Bob White had a good year, doubling any other years in both numbers and sites observed.Warbling Vireos also had a great yearHighlight was finding a pair of American Kestrel’s2025 John & Rachel HallOmaha NE
Date: 6/17/25 2:47 pm From: John W. Hall via groups.io <jwhall2...> Subject: [NEBirds] Greta Breeding Bird Survey
In keeping with the current trend, I thought I would share our 2025 survey result from our Fathers Day adventure. Norhern Bob White had a good year, doubling any other years in both numbers and sites observed.Warbling Vireos also had a great yearHighlight was finding a pair of American Kestrel’s2025 John & Rachel HallOmaha NE
Date: 6/17/25 9:02 am From: Steve Schmitt via groups.io <sschmitt1...> Subject: [NEBirds] Seward USGS BBS Summary
I completed the Seward BBS on 8 Jun 2025 (27th year, missed 2 years one due to weather/roads and one due to Covid.) The weather was unusually cool for this date and noticed there were no trains seen/heard during the route (seems this is due to doing the route on Sunday instead of the usual Saturday.) Saw many of the usual species. Missed Upland Sandpiper and Turkey Vulture for the first time in several years (maybe too cool?) and only had Western Meadowlarks at one stop (which was very unusual.) Had Field Sparrows for the first time in a long time. Had Accipiter for first time ever. It was harrasing or being harrased by Grackles all flapping around in a bush before it took off away from me. Seemed like it was a Sharp-shinned by size but couldn't tell from the short time observed.
Date: 6/16/25 1:41 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Thanks Ross!!!
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 3:39 PM Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock=
<rosssilcock.com...> wrote:
> Interesting discussion. I defer to Joel, but a couple thoughts.
>
> I think since it's a Breeding Bird Survey, any birds seen and heard that
> are within their known breeding ranges (see BONO) should be reported as
> part of the BBS, as Tobin assumed. I don't think BBS is designed to
> delineate breeding ranges, but rather to estimate numbers.
>
> Where it gets murky, and I think this is why BBS wants "non-breeding"
> birds noted, is to keep migrants or vagrants outside their presumed/known
> breeding ranges separate, like a Philadelphia Vireo in Dundy County.
>
> And, of course, occasionally a BBS route might find a species meeting
> criteria for breeding outside its previously known range, for example a
> range expansion or isolated breeding event. I'm not sure how BBS wants this
> handled, but I suspect it would be reported during the survey as a
> "non-breeder" but noted as a possible breeder and subsequently
> investigated. Joel?
>
> Ross
>
> Ross Silcock
> Co-editor Birds of Nebraska Online
> Editor Seasonal Reports, Nebraska Bird Review.
> ------------------------------
> *From:* <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of David
> Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...>
> *Sent:* Monday, June 16, 2025 3:06 PM
> *To:* <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
> *Subject:* Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
>
> Joel,
>
> Thanks for the corrective instruction to my approach. I will fix in the
> online input.
>
> Paul- it was a great question. Thanks
>
> Dc
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:56 PM Jorgensen, Joel via groups.io
> <Joel.Jorgensen...> wrote:
>
> From the BBS instructions:
>
>
>
> No one will detect all birds present at a stop. Hundreds of birds will be
> present but not active during each 3-minute count, and you must not try to
> guess how many you are missing. Report only those birds actually seen or
> heard during the prescribed 3-minute stops. Be careful not to count any
> individuals known or strongly suspected to have been counted at a previous
> stop. Any bird suspected to be a representative of another breeding
> population (i.e., a late migrant, a summer vagrant, etc.) should be
> included in the count but marked as a ‘non-breeder’ on the data sheet.
>
>
>
> So, yes, I think it is reasonable to include Common Yellowthroat and Blue
> Jay as breeders even though I understand David’s logic. The BBS staff
> probably does some data tweaking as well for what are and what are not
> non-breeders, so I would not be too worried about how these were
> classified.
>
>
>
> Appreciate everyone tackling BBS routes and sharing results. I’ve done
> the Benkelman and Liberty BBS routes so far this year. Benkelman is
> usually reliable for a few Cassin’s Sparrows but I had none this year on
> the route. I know a small number have been reported elsewhere in the state
> this summer, but it certainly does not appear to be a banner year for the
> species. I also had more Swainson’s Hawks (mostly first year birds) and
> Burrowing Owls (4, thanks to a prairie dog colony that has grown over the
> years) on this route than ever before, but the Ferruginous Hawk nest that
> was active for a few years was again inactive this year. Another highlight
> was having both a male Baltimore and a male Bullock’s Oriole in the same
> cottonwood trees on one of the few stops where there are a grove of large
> trees. The Liberty route didn’t have a ton of highlights but a lot of
> birds. American Crows seemed omnipresent, which hasn’t always been the
> case in the post-WNV world. Yellow-throated Vireo was a new addition to
> the route.
>
>
>
> Cheers.
>
>
>
> *Joel*
>
> *___________________________________________________________________*
>
> Joel Jorgensen | Nongame Bird Program Manager | Nebraska Game and Parks
> Commission
>
> 2200 N 33
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2200+N+33?entry=gmail&source=g>rd St.
> | Lincoln, NE 68503 | <joel.jorgensen...> | 402-471-5440
>
>
>
> *From:* <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> *On Behalf Of *Tobin Brown
> via groups.io
> *Sent:* Monday, June 16, 2025 2:41 PM
> *To:* <NEBirds...>
> *Subject:* Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
>
>
>
> Dave,
>
> I went the other way with my assumption. When I encountered Yellow
> Warbler, Greater Prairie Chicken, Black-necked Stilt, and Cinnamon Teal at
> Crescent Lake, I labeled them as breeders. If the Common Yellowthroat was
> singing, that could be considered evidence of breeding? The blue jay makes
> sense though, it could just be passing through from a nearby area not on
> the count.
>
> Curious to hear others thoughts!
>
>
>
> - Tobin
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> Paul,
>
>
>
> Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by
> USGS where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to
> select between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This
> is the first year that these species were identified for this survey.
> There was no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of
> non-breeding.
>
>
>
> All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my
> interpretation and selection.
>
>
>
> Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
>
>
>
> Dave Cunningham
>
> Sarpy County
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:04 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> David,
>
> Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have
> been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused
> by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only
> NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that
> there was no evidence of breeding?
>
>
>
> God Bless and have a great day.
>
>
>
> *Paul O. Roisen*
>
> *Woodbury County, IA*
>
> *Mobile 712-301-2817*
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing
> species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and
> specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest
> I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts
> are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The
> average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the
> individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only
> non-breeders observed.
>
>
>
> *Species*
>
> *1-10*
>
> *11-20*
>
> *21-30*
>
> *31-40*
>
> *41-50*
>
> *Total ind.*
>
> *Total Stops*
>
> Blue-winged Teal
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> Sharp-tailed Grouse
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Ring-necked Pheasant
>
> 16
>
> 14
>
> 14
>
> 18
>
> 1
>
> 63
>
> 33
>
> Eurasian Collared-Dove
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 9
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 12
>
> 7
>
> Mourning Dove
>
> 42
>
> 34
>
> 56
>
> 28
>
> 19
>
> 179
>
> 46
>
> Killdeer
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Long-billed Curlew
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Turkey Vulture
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Red-tailed Hawk
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Great Horned Owl
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Burrowing Owl
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> 3
>
> Red-headed Woodpecker
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Western Kingbird
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 10
>
> 18
>
> 12
>
> Eastern Kingbird
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 8
>
> 8
>
> Western Wood-Pewee
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Say's Phoebe
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Bell's Vireo
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Loggerhead Shrike
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> American Crow
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 7
>
> Horned Lark
>
> 42
>
> 26
>
> 25
>
> 23
>
> 14
>
> 130
>
> 39
>
> Barn Swallow
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 1
>
> 9
>
> 17
>
> 8
>
> Northern House Wren
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> Brown Thrasher
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 6
>
> 5
>
> European Starling
>
>
Date: 6/16/25 1:39 pm From: Ross Silcock via groups.io <silcock...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Interesting discussion. I defer to Joel, but a couple thoughts.
I think since it's a Breeding Bird Survey, any birds seen and heard that are within their known breeding ranges (see BONO) should be reported as part of the BBS, as Tobin assumed. I don't think BBS is designed to delineate breeding ranges, but rather to estimate numbers.
Where it gets murky, and I think this is why BBS wants "non-breeding" birds noted, is to keep migrants or vagrants outside their presumed/known breeding ranges separate, like a Philadelphia Vireo in Dundy County.
And, of course, occasionally a BBS route might find a species meeting criteria for breeding outside its previously known range, for example a range expansion or isolated breeding event. I'm not sure how BBS wants this handled, but I suspect it would be reported during the survey as a "non-breeder" but noted as a possible breeder and subsequently investigated. Joel?
Ross
Ross Silcock
Co-editor Birds of Nebraska Online
Editor Seasonal Reports, Nebraska Bird Review.
________________________________
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...>
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2025 3:06 PM
To: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Joel,
Thanks for the corrective instruction to my approach. I will fix in the online input.
No one will detect all birds present at a stop. Hundreds of birds will be present but not active during each 3-minute count, and you must not try to guess how many you are missing. Report only those birds actually seen or heard during the prescribed 3-minute stops. Be careful not to count any individuals known or strongly suspected to have been counted at a previous stop. Any bird suspected to be a representative of another breeding population (i.e., a late migrant, a summer vagrant, etc.) should be included in the count but marked as a ‘non-breeder’ on the data sheet.
So, yes, I think it is reasonable to include Common Yellowthroat and Blue Jay as breeders even though I understand David’s logic. The BBS staff probably does some data tweaking as well for what are and what are not non-breeders, so I would not be too worried about how these were classified.
Appreciate everyone tackling BBS routes and sharing results. I’ve done the Benkelman and Liberty BBS routes so far this year. Benkelman is usually reliable for a few Cassin’s Sparrows but I had none this year on the route. I know a small number have been reported elsewhere in the state this summer, but it certainly does not appear to be a banner year for the species. I also had more Swainson’s Hawks (mostly first year birds) and Burrowing Owls (4, thanks to a prairie dog colony that has grown over the years) on this route than ever before, but the Ferruginous Hawk nest that was active for a few years was again inactive this year. Another highlight was having both a male Baltimore and a male Bullock’s Oriole in the same cottonwood trees on one of the few stops where there are a grove of large trees. The Liberty route didn’t have a ton of highlights but a lot of birds. American Crows seemed omnipresent, which hasn’t always been the case in the post-WNV world. Yellow-throated Vireo was a new addition to the route.
I went the other way with my assumption. When I encountered Yellow Warbler, Greater Prairie Chicken, Black-necked Stilt, and Cinnamon Teal at Crescent Lake, I labeled them as breeders. If the Common Yellowthroat was singing, that could be considered evidence of breeding? The blue jay makes sense though, it could just be passing through from a nearby area not on the count.
Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by USGS where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to select between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This is the first year that these species were identified for this survey. There was no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of non-breeding.
All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my interpretation and selection.
Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that there was no evidence of breeding?
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/16/25 1:07 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Joel,
Thanks for the corrective instruction to my approach. I will fix in the
online input.
Paul- it was a great question. Thanks
Dc
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:56 PM Jorgensen, Joel via groups.io <Joel.Jorgensen=
<nebraska.gov...> wrote:
> From the BBS instructions:
>
>
>
> No one will detect all birds present at a stop. Hundreds of birds will be
> present but not active during each 3-minute count, and you must not try to
> guess how many you are missing. Report only those birds actually seen or
> heard during the prescribed 3-minute stops. Be careful not to count any
> individuals known or strongly suspected to have been counted at a previous
> stop. Any bird suspected to be a representative of another breeding
> population (i.e., a late migrant, a summer vagrant, etc.) should be
> included in the count but marked as a ‘non-breeder’ on the data sheet.
>
>
>
> So, yes, I think it is reasonable to include Common Yellowthroat and Blue
> Jay as breeders even though I understand David’s logic. The BBS staff
> probably does some data tweaking as well for what are and what are not
> non-breeders, so I would not be too worried about how these were
> classified.
>
>
>
> Appreciate everyone tackling BBS routes and sharing results. I’ve done
> the Benkelman and Liberty BBS routes so far this year. Benkelman is
> usually reliable for a few Cassin’s Sparrows but I had none this year on
> the route. I know a small number have been reported elsewhere in the state
> this summer, but it certainly does not appear to be a banner year for the
> species. I also had more Swainson’s Hawks (mostly first year birds) and
> Burrowing Owls (4, thanks to a prairie dog colony that has grown over the
> years) on this route than ever before, but the Ferruginous Hawk nest that
> was active for a few years was again inactive this year. Another highlight
> was having both a male Baltimore and a male Bullock’s Oriole in the same
> cottonwood trees on one of the few stops where there are a grove of large
> trees. The Liberty route didn’t have a ton of highlights but a lot of
> birds. American Crows seemed omnipresent, which hasn’t always been the
> case in the post-WNV world. Yellow-throated Vireo was a new addition to
> the route.
>
>
>
> Cheers.
>
>
>
> *Joel*
>
> *___________________________________________________________________*
>
> Joel Jorgensen | Nongame Bird Program Manager | Nebraska Game and Parks
> Commission
>
> 2200 N 33
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2200+N+33?entry=gmail&source=g>rd St.
> | Lincoln, NE 68503 | <joel.jorgensen...> | 402-471-5440
>
>
>
> *From:* <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> *On Behalf Of *Tobin Brown
> via groups.io
> *Sent:* Monday, June 16, 2025 2:41 PM
> *To:* <NEBirds...>
> *Subject:* Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
>
>
>
> Dave,
>
> I went the other way with my assumption. When I encountered Yellow
> Warbler, Greater Prairie Chicken, Black-necked Stilt, and Cinnamon Teal at
> Crescent Lake, I labeled them as breeders. If the Common Yellowthroat was
> singing, that could be considered evidence of breeding? The blue jay makes
> sense though, it could just be passing through from a nearby area not on
> the count.
>
> Curious to hear others thoughts!
>
>
>
> - Tobin
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> Paul,
>
>
>
> Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by
> USGS where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to
> select between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This
> is the first year that these species were identified for this survey.
> There was no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of
> non-breeding.
>
>
>
> All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my
> interpretation and selection.
>
>
>
> Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
>
>
>
> Dave Cunningham
>
> Sarpy County
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:04 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> David,
>
> Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have
> been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused
> by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only
> NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that
> there was no evidence of breeding?
>
>
>
> God Bless and have a great day.
>
>
>
> *Paul O. Roisen*
>
> *Woodbury County, IA*
>
> *Mobile 712-301-2817*
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing
> species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and
> specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest
> I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts
> are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The
> average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the
> individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only
> non-breeders observed.
>
>
>
> *Species*
>
> *1-10*
>
> *11-20*
>
> *21-30*
>
> *31-40*
>
> *41-50*
>
> *Total ind.*
>
> *Total Stops*
>
> Blue-winged Teal
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> Sharp-tailed Grouse
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Ring-necked Pheasant
>
> 16
>
> 14
>
> 14
>
> 18
>
> 1
>
> 63
>
> 33
>
> Eurasian Collared-Dove
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 9
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 12
>
> 7
>
> Mourning Dove
>
> 42
>
> 34
>
> 56
>
> 28
>
> 19
>
> 179
>
> 46
>
> Killdeer
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Long-billed Curlew
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Turkey Vulture
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Red-tailed Hawk
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> Great Horned Owl
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Burrowing Owl
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 4
>
> 4
>
> 3
>
> Red-headed Woodpecker
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Western Kingbird
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 10
>
> 18
>
> 12
>
> Eastern Kingbird
>
> 1
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 8
>
> 8
>
> Western Wood-Pewee
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Say's Phoebe
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> Bell's Vireo
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> Loggerhead Shrike
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 2
>
> American Crow
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 7
>
> Horned Lark
>
> 42
>
> 26
>
> 25
>
> 23
>
> 14
>
> 130
>
> 39
>
> Barn Swallow
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 7
>
> 1
>
> 9
>
> 17
>
> 8
>
> Northern House Wren
>
> 0
>
> 1
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
> 2
>
> 3
>
> 2
>
> Brown Thrasher
>
> 0
>
> 3
>
> 1
>
> 2
>
> 0
>
> 6
>
> 5
>
> European Starling
>
> 0
>
> 0
>
>
Date: 6/16/25 12:57 pm From: Jon Strong via groups.io <jon.strong...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Dave and Paul, Joel J. should know the answer. I was kind of wondering about it also like Paul was. I thought maybe Blue Jay had never been on the count before? Or maybe it is a new route? I will stay tuned. Jon S. Omaha
On Monday, June 16, 2025 at 02:41:38 PM CDT, Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> wrote:
Dave,
I went the other way with my assumption. When I encountered Yellow Warbler, Greater Prairie Chicken, Black-necked Stilt, and Cinnamon Teal at Crescent Lake, I labeled them as breeders. If the Common Yellowthroat was singing, that could be considered evidence of breeding? The blue jay makes sense though, it could just be passing through from a nearby area not on the count.
Curious to hear others thoughts!
- Tobin
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> wrote:
Paul,
Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by USGS where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to select between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This is the first year that these species were identified for this survey. There was no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of non-breeding.
All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my interpretation and selection.
Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
Dave Cunningham Sarpy County
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:04 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> wrote:
David, Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that there was no evidence of breeding?
God Bless and have a great day.
Paul O. RoisenWoodbury County, IAMobile 712-301-2817
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> wrote:
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/16/25 12:56 pm From: Jorgensen, Joel via groups.io <Joel.Jorgensen...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
From the BBS instructions:
No one will detect all birds present at a stop. Hundreds of birds will be present but not active during each 3-minute count, and you must not try to guess how many you are missing. Report only those birds actually seen or heard during the prescribed 3-minute stops. Be careful not to count any individuals known or strongly suspected to have been counted at a previous stop. Any bird suspected to be a representative of another breeding population (i.e., a late migrant, a summer vagrant, etc.) should be included in the count but marked as a ‘non-breeder’ on the data sheet.
So, yes, I think it is reasonable to include Common Yellowthroat and Blue Jay as breeders even though I understand David’s logic. The BBS staff probably does some data tweaking as well for what are and what are not non-breeders, so I would not be too worried about how these were classified.
Appreciate everyone tackling BBS routes and sharing results. I’ve done the Benkelman and Liberty BBS routes so far this year. Benkelman is usually reliable for a few Cassin’s Sparrows but I had none this year on the route. I know a small number have been reported elsewhere in the state this summer, but it certainly does not appear to be a banner year for the species. I also had more Swainson’s Hawks (mostly first year birds) and Burrowing Owls (4, thanks to a prairie dog colony that has grown over the years) on this route than ever before, but the Ferruginous Hawk nest that was active for a few years was again inactive this year. Another highlight was having both a male Baltimore and a male Bullock’s Oriole in the same cottonwood trees on one of the few stops where there are a grove of large trees. The Liberty route didn’t have a ton of highlights but a lot of birds. American Crows seemed omnipresent, which hasn’t always been the case in the post-WNV world. Yellow-throated Vireo was a new addition to the route.
Cheers.
Joel
___________________________________________________________________
Joel Jorgensen | Nongame Bird Program Manager | Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
2200 N 33rd St. | Lincoln, NE 68503 | <joel.jorgensen...><mailto:<joel.jorgensen...> | 402-471-5440
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> On Behalf Of Tobin Brown via groups.io
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2025 2:41 PM
To: <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Dave,
I went the other way with my assumption. When I encountered Yellow Warbler, Greater Prairie Chicken, Black-necked Stilt, and Cinnamon Teal at Crescent Lake, I labeled them as breeders. If the Common Yellowthroat was singing, that could be considered evidence of breeding? The blue jay makes sense though, it could just be passing through from a nearby area not on the count.
Curious to hear others thoughts!
Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by USGS where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to select between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This is the first year that these species were identified for this survey. There was no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of non-breeding.
All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my interpretation and selection.
Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
Dave Cunningham
Sarpy County
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:04 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io<http://groups.io/> <roisenp1950...><mailto:<gmail.com...>> wrote:
David,
Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that there was no evidence of breeding?
God Bless and have a great day.
Paul O. Roisen
Woodbury County, IA
Mobile 712-301-2817
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io<http://groups.io/> <gopacgodc...><mailto:<gmail.com...>> wrote:
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/16/25 12:41 pm From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Dave,
I went the other way with my assumption. When I encountered Yellow Warbler,
Greater Prairie Chicken, Black-necked Stilt, and Cinnamon Teal at Crescent
Lake, I labeled them as breeders. If the Common Yellowthroat was singing,
that could be considered evidence of breeding? The blue jay makes sense
though, it could just be passing through from a nearby area not on the
count.
Curious to hear others thoughts!
- Tobin
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Paul,
>
> Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by
> USGS where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to
> select between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This
> is the first year that these species were identified for this survey.
> There was no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of
> non-breeding.
>
> All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my
> interpretation and selection.
>
> Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
>
> Dave Cunningham
> Sarpy County
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:04 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
>> David,
>> Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have
>> been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused
>> by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only
>> NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that
>> there was no evidence of breeding?
>>
>> God Bless and have a great day.
>>
>> *Paul O. Roisen*
>> *Woodbury County, IA*
>> *Mobile 712-301-2817*
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io
>> <gopacgodc...> wrote:
>>
>>> I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing
>>> species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and
>>> specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest
>>> I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts
>>> are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The
>>> average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the
>>> individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only
>>> non-breeders observed.
>>>
>>> Species 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 Total ind. Total Stops
>>> Blue-winged Teal 2 0 0 0 0 2 1
>>> Sharp-tailed Grouse 0 2 0 0 0 2 2
>>> Ring-necked Pheasant 16 14 14 18 1 63 33
>>> Eurasian Collared-Dove 2 1 9 0 0 12 7
>>> Mourning Dove 42 34 56 28 19 179 46
>>> Killdeer 2 0 1 1 0 4 4
>>> Long-billed Curlew 0 1 1 0 0 2 2
>>> Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
>>> Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 0 3 4 4
>>> Great Horned Owl 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
>>> Burrowing Owl 0 0 0 0 4 4 3
>>> Red-headed Woodpecker 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
>>> Western Kingbird 3 2 1 2 10 18 12
>>> Eastern Kingbird 1 3 1 0 3 8 8
>>> Western Wood-Pewee 0 0 0 1 1 2 2
>>> Say's Phoebe 0 0 1 1 0 2 2
>>> Bell's Vireo 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
>>> Loggerhead Shrike 0 1 1 0 0 2 2
>>> American Crow 0 7 0 0 0 7 7
>>> Horned Lark 42 26 25 23 14 130 39
>>> Barn Swallow 0 0 7 1 9 17 8
>>> Northern House Wren 0 1 0 0 2 3 2
>>> Brown Thrasher 0 3 1 2 0 6 5
>>> European Starling 0 0 5 0 12 17 3
>>> American Robin 3 2 7 5 2 19 15
>>> House Sparrow 4 0 0 0 0 4 1
>>> Grasshopper Sparrow 2 1 1 0 2 6 6
>>> Lark Sparrow 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
>>> Lark Bunting 1 0 1 4 5 11 4
>>> Western Meadowlark 67 53 31 34 51 236 50
>>> Orchard Oriole 0 1 0 0 3 4 2
>>> Red-winged Blackbird 8 14 20 25 6 73 27
>>> Brown-headed Cowbird 1 3 6 7 1 18 10
>>> Common Grackle 7 30 40 33 19 129 27
>>> Yellow Warbler 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
>>> Blue Grosbeak 1 2 2 1 0 6 5
>>> Dickcissel 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
>>> Blue Jay 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
>>> Common Yellowthroat 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
>>> Total Species : 39 Total ind. : 999
>>> Vehicles 1 6 2 0 2 11 8
>>> Noise 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
>>>
>>>
>
>
Date: 6/16/25 12:15 pm From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
Paul,
Great question. I used the term "non-breeder" in this case as used by USGS
where it is not listed in their breeder list. USGS permits me to select
between the breeder and non- breeder for "additional" species. This is the
first year that these species were identified for this survey. There was
no evidence of breeding. Therefore, I used the USGS default of
non-breeding.
All that said, I hope the expert orinithologists can confirm or correct my
interpretation and selection.
Thanks again for the question. I'm still learning.
Dave Cunningham
Sarpy County
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 2:04 PM Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> David,
> Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have
> been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused
> by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only
> NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that
> there was no evidence of breeding?
>
> God Bless and have a great day.
>
> *Paul O. Roisen*
> *Woodbury County, IA*
> *Mobile 712-301-2817*
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
>> I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing
>> species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and
>> specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest
>> I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts
>> are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The
>> average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the
>> individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only
>> non-breeders observed.
>>
>> Species 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 Total ind. Total Stops
>> Blue-winged Teal 2 0 0 0 0 2 1
>> Sharp-tailed Grouse 0 2 0 0 0 2 2
>> Ring-necked Pheasant 16 14 14 18 1 63 33
>> Eurasian Collared-Dove 2 1 9 0 0 12 7
>> Mourning Dove 42 34 56 28 19 179 46
>> Killdeer 2 0 1 1 0 4 4
>> Long-billed Curlew 0 1 1 0 0 2 2
>> Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
>> Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 0 3 4 4
>> Great Horned Owl 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
>> Burrowing Owl 0 0 0 0 4 4 3
>> Red-headed Woodpecker 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
>> Western Kingbird 3 2 1 2 10 18 12
>> Eastern Kingbird 1 3 1 0 3 8 8
>> Western Wood-Pewee 0 0 0 1 1 2 2
>> Say's Phoebe 0 0 1 1 0 2 2
>> Bell's Vireo 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
>> Loggerhead Shrike 0 1 1 0 0 2 2
>> American Crow 0 7 0 0 0 7 7
>> Horned Lark 42 26 25 23 14 130 39
>> Barn Swallow 0 0 7 1 9 17 8
>> Northern House Wren 0 1 0 0 2 3 2
>> Brown Thrasher 0 3 1 2 0 6 5
>> European Starling 0 0 5 0 12 17 3
>> American Robin 3 2 7 5 2 19 15
>> House Sparrow 4 0 0 0 0 4 1
>> Grasshopper Sparrow 2 1 1 0 2 6 6
>> Lark Sparrow 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
>> Lark Bunting 1 0 1 4 5 11 4
>> Western Meadowlark 67 53 31 34 51 236 50
>> Orchard Oriole 0 1 0 0 3 4 2
>> Red-winged Blackbird 8 14 20 25 6 73 27
>> Brown-headed Cowbird 1 3 6 7 1 18 10
>> Common Grackle 7 30 40 33 19 129 27
>> Yellow Warbler 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
>> Blue Grosbeak 1 2 2 1 0 6 5
>> Dickcissel 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
>> Blue Jay 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
>> Common Yellowthroat 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
>> Total Species : 39 Total ind. : 999
>> Vehicles 1 6 2 0 2 11 8
>> Noise 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
>>
>>
>
Date: 6/16/25 12:05 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
David,
Thanks for the update on Hay Springs. It has been a while since I have
been in Sheridan County. Sorry for the silly question, but I was confused
by your comment that the Blue Jay and the Common Yellowthroat were the only
NON-breeders on the list. I jumped to the conclusion that this meant that
there was no evidence of breeding?
God Bless and have a great day.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Mon, Jun 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing
> species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and
> specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest
> I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts
> are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The
> average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the
> individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only
> non-breeders observed.
>
> Species 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 Total ind. Total Stops
> Blue-winged Teal 2 0 0 0 0 2 1
> Sharp-tailed Grouse 0 2 0 0 0 2 2
> Ring-necked Pheasant 16 14 14 18 1 63 33
> Eurasian Collared-Dove 2 1 9 0 0 12 7
> Mourning Dove 42 34 56 28 19 179 46
> Killdeer 2 0 1 1 0 4 4
> Long-billed Curlew 0 1 1 0 0 2 2
> Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
> Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 0 3 4 4
> Great Horned Owl 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
> Burrowing Owl 0 0 0 0 4 4 3
> Red-headed Woodpecker 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
> Western Kingbird 3 2 1 2 10 18 12
> Eastern Kingbird 1 3 1 0 3 8 8
> Western Wood-Pewee 0 0 0 1 1 2 2
> Say's Phoebe 0 0 1 1 0 2 2
> Bell's Vireo 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
> Loggerhead Shrike 0 1 1 0 0 2 2
> American Crow 0 7 0 0 0 7 7
> Horned Lark 42 26 25 23 14 130 39
> Barn Swallow 0 0 7 1 9 17 8
> Northern House Wren 0 1 0 0 2 3 2
> Brown Thrasher 0 3 1 2 0 6 5
> European Starling 0 0 5 0 12 17 3
> American Robin 3 2 7 5 2 19 15
> House Sparrow 4 0 0 0 0 4 1
> Grasshopper Sparrow 2 1 1 0 2 6 6
> Lark Sparrow 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
> Lark Bunting 1 0 1 4 5 11 4
> Western Meadowlark 67 53 31 34 51 236 50
> Orchard Oriole 0 1 0 0 3 4 2
> Red-winged Blackbird 8 14 20 25 6 73 27
> Brown-headed Cowbird 1 3 6 7 1 18 10
> Common Grackle 7 30 40 33 19 129 27
> Yellow Warbler 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
> Blue Grosbeak 1 2 2 1 0 6 5
> Dickcissel 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
> Blue Jay 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
> Common Yellowthroat 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
> Total Species : 39 Total ind. : 999
> Vehicles 1 6 2 0 2 11 8
> Noise 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
>
>
>
Date: 6/16/25 11:45 am From: David Cunningham via groups.io <gopacgodc...> Subject: [NEBirds] Hay Springs USGS BBS Summary
I completed the Hay Springs BBS on 7 Jun 2025. The biggest missing species was Bobolink. I paused on 3 stops to use the binoculars and specifically listen for them, but none heard or seen. This is the fastest I completed the route, mostly due to the good weather. This year's counts are consistent with past years going back to 2018 (first year). The average number of species is approximately 42 with about 985 for the individuals count. The lone Blue Jay and Common Yellowthroat were the only non-breeders observed.
Date: 6/16/25 11:07 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Crescent Lake Breeding Bird Survey
Thanks for sharing your BBS Reports.
I ran the Dundy County one for several yearwith my able assistant Shirley.
Finally quit when I couldn’t be sure of my hearings any more.
Don MaasMaricopa County Arizona
“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 16, 2025, 9:09 AM, Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> wrote:
Nebraska Birders,
Inspired by Jason Thiele's reports, I figured I'd share my experience as well!
On Friday I conducted my first breeding bird survey at Crescent Lake. Having never done a survey before, I was a little worried about the rushed nature of a 3 minute count, but I think I did pretty well! I counted just over 1000 individuals of 57 species (plus a non-count Sora and domestic Peafowl)! 20 species were only found at a single stop. The weather was clear and cool, with very little wind, I don't think I could have asked for better. Here are some of the overall highlights of the day.
- Dawn Song. The Dawn song at the marsh was overwhelming (see the stilt recording below). Probably hundreds of birds, I did my best to parse out what I was hearing, but I suspect I underestimated Marsh Wrens, blackbirds, and calling coots/ducks by quite a bit. (I think I may have missed a Least bittern there too)
- Black-necked Stilt: I had 2 Black-necked Stilts at my first stop at the northwest corner of Goose Lake. They were very vocal (probably scolding me). I'm not sure when the last time this route was run, but this may be a new species for the route.
- Cinnamon Teal: I came across one single drake Cinnamon Teal at stop 18. It was in a pond with some Blue-winged teals. I did not note a hen, but I think it's likely one was hiding in the marsh.
- Meadowlarks! Meadowlarks dominated my count, noted at 46 stops (and probably missed at the others). Almost all were Western, but I did hear one singing Eastern Meadowlark.
- American Bittern: I was hoping to hear a displaying Bittern on my route, and I did on stop 10! I stopped briefly after my 3 minute count to take a recording.
- Prairie Chickens: I thought I was well into Sharp-tailed Grouse territory, but I heard a few late Prairie Chickens still booming at stops 5-7
- Weasel! The non-bird highlight of my route was a Long-tailed Weasel at stop 30.
Trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/384758
It was a long day, but I'm looking forward to running it again next year to see what changes.
Date: 6/16/25 9:09 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Crescent Lake Breeding Bird Survey
Nebraska Birders,
Inspired by Jason Thiele's reports, I figured I'd share my experience as well!
On Friday I conducted my first breeding bird survey at Crescent Lake. Having never done a survey before, I was a little worried about the rushed nature of a 3 minute count, but I think I did pretty well! I counted just over 1000 individuals of 57 species (plus a non-count Sora and domestic Peafowl)! 20 species were only found at a single stop. The weather was clear and cool, with very little wind, I don't think I could have asked for better. Here are some of the overall highlights of the day.
- *Dawn Song.* The Dawn song at the marsh was overwhelming (see the stilt recording below). Probably hundreds of birds, I did my best to parse out what I was hearing, but I suspect I underestimated Marsh Wrens, blackbirds, and calling coots/ducks by quite a bit. (I think I may have missed a Least bittern there too) - *Black-necked Stilt:* I had 2 Black-necked Stilts at my first stop at the northwest corner of Goose Lake. They were very vocal <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637624955> (probably scolding me). I'm not sure when the last time this route was run, but this may be a new species for the route. - *Cinnamon Teal:* I came across one single drake Cinnamon Teal at stop 18. It was in a pond with some Blue-winged teals. I did not note a hen, but I think it's likely one was hiding in the marsh. - *Meadowlarks!* Meadowlarks dominated my count, noted at 46 stops (and probably missed at the others). Almost all were Western, but I did hear one singing Eastern Meadowlark. - *American Bittern*: I was hoping to hear a displaying Bittern on my route, and I did on stop 10! I stopped briefly after my 3 minute count to take a recording <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637625220>. - *Prairie Chickens:* I thought I was well into Sharp-tailed Grouse territory, but I heard a few late Prairie Chickens still booming at stops 5-7 - *Weasel!* The non-bird highlight of my route was a Long-tailed Weasel <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637629575> at stop 30.
Date: 6/16/25 8:18 am From: Phil Swanson via groups.io <pswanson19...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Wildlife cameras?
I have used Ring security cameras on my pond for years. They work great. Ring stores your videos on the cloud for up to 6 months if you like depending on what package you buy. I usually go through the videos and mark the ones I want to keep with a star and every few months download and save the video file on my computer. The cameras also have night vision.
Until they are deleted from the cloud you can view the videos on a phone using the app or online on a computer.The Techs are very helpful on trouble shooting issues. If you have further questions, please contact me.
Phil Swanson Papillion
On Monday, June 16, 2025, 10:01 AM, jandb532 via groups.io <jandb532...> wrote:
We have been wanting to install a wildlife camera in our backyard for many years and would like suggestions. Something along the lines of a Ring camera that can be viewed on a smartphone, plus able to store video. Night vision would be great too. This would be placed about 50' from our wifi source so also wondering if that will be an issue. Thanks in advance! Jeff and Beth Meyer Lincoln
Date: 6/16/25 8:01 am From: jandb532 via groups.io <jandb532...> Subject: [NEBirds] Wildlife cameras?
We have been wanting to install a wildlife camera in our backyard for many years and would like suggestions. Something along the lines of a Ring camera that can be viewed on a smartphone, plus able to store video. Night vision would be great too. This would be placed about 50' from our wifi source so also wondering if that will be an issue. Thanks in advance!
Also here's a map of my 3 other sightings this year, along with the general area I saw the birds flying (Jan, May, Apr, top to bottom). They must have a very large territory! All the way from Sowbelly canyon to 8 miles south on Henry road.
Date: 6/16/25 5:41 am From: N Drilling via groups.io <dril0008...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Fledgling Common Ravens! Sioux County
I would add that last year (2024) saw the first Common Raven confirmed nesting in South Dakota for over 100 years. This was in the southern Black Hills in a place called Hells Canyon, at the northwest corner of Jewel Cave National Monument. The birds have stayed there since and nested again this year. This is 80-100 miles north of Harrison, so definitely not the same birds as the Nebraska brood.
Date: 6/14/25 4:46 pm From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Fledgling Common Ravens! Sioux County
Nebraska birders,
Eugene discovered (and I followed up on) the first record of Common Ravens breeding in the state in over 100 years! The family, with 4 fledglings, was perched under a rail bridge off of highway 20 in Sioux county, just east of Harrison. The fledglings are nearly fully grown, but I didn't see them attempt flight while I observed. One parent was quite vocal and took off to the southwest to forage just before I left.
This location is in the general flight path of Ravens I saw in January in Sowbelly Canyon, and also of the pair I saw flying from Henry road carrying food last month. I suspect it's likely the same pair and it's cool to see they had success!
Here are our eBird checklists. I will follow up to this thread when I update my checklist with photos and audio.
Date: 6/13/25 7:14 pm From: Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> Subject: [NEBirds] Wheeler County Breeding Bird Survey summary
Hello again. I completed the Wheeler County Breeding Bird Survey on June 10. A shout out to Rita Cunha, who accompanied me on the count to gain some experience with the BBS protocols. This route starts northwest of Bartlett and ends near the Wheeler/Antelope County line west of Elgin. It has been run on and off since the late 1970s. The summary table from the BBS data entry portal is below. I recorded 60 "official" species for the route plus a Great Horned Owl a few minutes before the start time and a Wood Duck between points. This is slightly below average for recent years but not surprising with the dry conditions. Most of the "missing" species are associated with water - ducks, geese, waders, shorebirds, etc. - and we came a number of dried-up wetlands.
Casual observations:
*
The number of ducks that were still paired up seemed high to me. Almost all the Mallards I saw were in male/female pairs. The pair of Gadwalls was maybe the only species that I wouldn't consider more or less a sure thing on this route.
*
Greater Prairie-Chickens were "booming" surprisingly late into the morning, albeit in low numbers with peak lekking season well past.
*
This route always seems to have good numbers of Wilson's Snipe. Numbers "felt" low to me during the count, but the finally tally still came out pretty good. I didn't see concentrations as I have in some past years when there might be 4-5 winnowing at one stop.
*
Grasshopper Sparrow numbers seem to fluctuate wildly on this route, and this year was a bit of a down year.
*
Bobolinks are always a highlight on this route as well, and this year was particularly good; numbers were about twice what they've been the past couple of years, but still a far cry from the survey peak of an impressive 113 in 2014.
*
Western Meadowlark numbers were on par with recent years, but it's disconcerting how much lower numbers are than they once were, with counts of 300+ being the norm for this route from the late '70s through the early '90s.
*
Breeding was confirmed for several species, including Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, and Common Grackle.
Date: 6/13/25 3:36 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Tilden Breeding Bird Survey summary
Ditto to Paul’s remarks.
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 Thursday, June 12, 2025, 9:43 PM, Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> wrote:
Jason, Extremely excellent reporting, Jason. I know it is a lot of work, both the route , counting, and then posting.... from back in the day in Iowa. Seeing this on NEbirds instead of having to wait and maybe not see the final report for Nebraska is a real joy for me. Thanks so much for sharing. God Bless.
Paul O. RoisenWoodbury County, IAMobile 712-301-2817
On Thu, Jun 12, 2025 at 10:28 PM Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> wrote:
Hello, Nebraska birders. On June 5, I ran my first Breeding Bird Survey route of the summer under amazing weather conditions. The Tilden route is one of the newer ones in the state and includes portions of Madison, Antelope, and Pierce counties. The first year of the route was the big flood year of 2019, and because of all the water on the landscape, the species list that year was higher than it will probably ever be again for this route at 73. This year I ended up with 64 species (of which 62 were likely breeders), which is right about on track with what I've been getting most years. Below is the list of species and counts. I copied and pasted it directly from the summary page on the BBS data entry portal, so unfortunately the species aren't displayed in the most logical order. Hopefully it will display OK in an e-mail.
A few observations to note:
- Northern Bobwhite numbers were the highest they have been on this route (keeping in mind that there aren't many years of data to compare). The previous high was 21 last year. A couple of mild winters paired with good production last year can probably account for the increase. Very light wind made for high detectability too.
- As usual, there were still a few male Greater Prairie-Chickens displaying on leks.
- Great Blue Heron was recorded for the first time.
- I didn't record any species in what I would consider particularly high numbers, but it was a good day for blue birds, with my counts for Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting both being my highest to date for the route and Blue Jays second-highest. However, I didn't record any Eastern Bluebirds.
- For what I think was the second time on this route, I picked up a late Alder Flycatcher. As an aside, maybe they were just singing more than normal and I wasn't recording so manyEmpidonax flycatchers as "spuhs" this spring, but they seemed to be unusually abundant in this part of the state.
- Three-minute point counts don't provide a lot of time to observe breeding behavior, but confirmed breeders (usually from observation of a nest or an adult bird carrying nesting material or food) included Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Cliff Swallow, European Starling, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle.
Date: 6/12/25 9:43 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Tilden Breeding Bird Survey summary
Jason,
Extremely excellent reporting, Jason. I know it is a lot of work, both
the route , counting, and then posting.... from back in the day in Iowa.
Seeing this on NEbirds instead of having to wait and maybe not see the
final report for Nebraska is a real joy for me. Thanks so much for
sharing. God Bless.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817*
On Thu, Jun 12, 2025 at 10:28 PM Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele=
<hotmail.com...> wrote:
> Hello, Nebraska birders. On June 5, I ran my first Breeding Bird Survey
> route of the summer under amazing weather conditions. The Tilden route is
> one of the newer ones in the state and includes portions of Madison,
> Antelope, and Pierce counties. The first year of the route was the big
> flood year of 2019, and because of all the water on the landscape, the
> species list that year was higher than it will probably ever be again for
> this route at 73. This year I ended up with 64 species (of which 62 were
> likely breeders), which is right about on track with what I've been getting
> most years. Below is the list of species and counts. I copied and pasted it
> directly from the summary page on the BBS data entry portal, so
> unfortunately the species aren't displayed in the most logical order.
> Hopefully it will display OK in an e-mail.
>
> A few observations to note:
>
>
> - Northern Bobwhite numbers were the highest they have been on this
> route (keeping in mind that there aren't many years of data to compare).
> The previous high was 21 last year. A couple of mild winters paired with
> good production last year can probably account for the increase. Very light
> wind made for high detectability too.
> - As usual, there were still a few male Greater Prairie-Chickens
> displaying on leks.
> - Great Blue Heron was recorded for the first time.
> - I didn't record any species in what I would consider particularly
> high numbers, but it was a good day for blue birds, with my counts for Blue
> Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting both being my highest to date for the route and
> Blue Jays second-highest. However, I didn't record any Eastern Bluebirds.
> - For what I think was the second time on this route, I picked up a
> late Alder Flycatcher. As an aside, maybe they were just singing more than
> normal and I wasn't recording so many *Empidonax *flycatchers as
> "spuhs" this spring, but they seemed to be unusually abundant in this part
> of the state.
> - Three-minute point counts don't provide a lot of time to observe
> breeding behavior, but confirmed breeders (usually from observation of a
> nest or an adult bird carrying nesting material or food) included
> Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Cliff Swallow,
> European Starling, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle.
>
>
> *Species*
> * 1-10*
> * 11-20*
> * 21-30*
> * 31-40*
> * 41-50*
> * Total ind.*
> * Total Stops*
> Wood Duck
> 5
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 5
> 3
> Northern Bobwhite
> 5
> 15
> 4
> 2
> 1
> 27
> 16
> Wild Turkey
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Greater Prairie-Chicken
> 1
> 5
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 6
> 3
> Ring-necked Pheasant
> 19
> 27
> 10
> 5
> 5
> 66
> 36
> Rock Pigeon
> 0
> 5
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 6
> 2
> Eurasian Collared-Dove
> 5
> 2
> 5
> 8
> 2
> 22
> 18
> Mourning Dove
> 16
> 24
> 17
> 21
> 12
> 90
> 43
> Chimney Swift
> 3
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 4
> 3
> Killdeer
> 2
> 5
> 5
> 4
> 2
> 18
> 14
> Upland Sandpiper
> 1
> 6
> 1
> 1
> 4
> 13
> 11
> Red-tailed Hawk
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Red-headed Woodpecker
> 6
> 5
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 20
> 18
> Red-bellied Woodpecker
> 1
> 0
> 3
> 3
> 1
> 8
> 7
> (unid. Red / Yellow Shafted) Northern Flicker
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 0
> 1
> 3
> 3
> (Yellow-shafted Flicker) Northern Flicker
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 2
> 0
> 2
> 2
> Great Crested Flycatcher
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 1
> Eastern Kingbird
> 12
> 7
> 7
> 4
> 3
> 33
> 21
> Willow Flycatcher
> 0
> 2
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 4
> 4
> Eastern Phoebe
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 1
> Bell's Vireo
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Warbling Vireo
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 4
> 3
> 8
> 7
> Blue Jay
> 2
> 0
> 3
> 4
> 8
> 17
> 10
> American Crow
> 1
> 5
> 4
> 3
> 0
> 13
> 8
> Horned Lark
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 0
> 1
> 3
> 3
> Barn Swallow
> 3
> 4
> 19
> 11
> 20
> 57
> 20
> Cliff Swallow
> 6
> 0
> 36
> 2
> 9
> 53
> 6
> White-breasted Nuthatch
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 2
> 2
> Northern House Wren
> 6
> 1
> 4
> 9
> 3
> 23
> 20
> Gray Catbird
> 5
> 3
> 1
> 1
> 0
> 10
> 9
> Brown Thrasher
> 1
> 4
> 3
> 0
> 2
> 10
> 8
> European Starling
> 7
> 2
> 20
> 5
> 10
> 44
> 16
> American Robin
> 24
> 9
> 10
> 12
> 17
> 72
> 32
> House Sparrow
> 4
> 3
> 0
> 1
> 5
> 13
> 6
> House Finch
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 2
> 2
> American Goldfinch
> 0
> 4
> 2
> 9
> 1
> 16
> 8
> Grasshopper Sparrow
> 0
> 2
> 2
> 2
> 0
> 6
> 5
> Lark Sparrow
> 2
> 2
> 3
> 0
> 0
> 7
> 5
> Chipping Sparrow
> 4
> 0
> 1
> 2
> 1
> 8
> 7
> Field Sparrow
> 0
> 4
> 3
> 1
> 1
> 9
> 8
> Vesper Sparrow
> 0
> 2
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 4
> 4
> Song Sparrow
> 1
> 1
> 0
> 2
> 1
> 5
> 5
> unid. Spotted Towhee / Eastern Towhee
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 3
> 3
> Bobolink
> 0
> 0
> 3
> 2
> 0
> 5
> 4
> Western Meadowlark
> 0
> 14
> 13
> 3
> 6
> 36
> 22
> Orchard Oriole
> 3
> 3
> 0
> 2
> 2
> 10
> 9
> Baltimore Oriole
> 5
> 1
> 5
> 15
> 6
> 32
> 19
> Red-winged Blackbird
> 23
> 27
> 27
> 24
> 34
> 135
> 31
> Brown-headed Cowbird
> 3
> 21
> 19
> 24
> 4
> 71
> 30
> Common Grackle
> 8
> 5
> 4
> 5
> 12
> 34
> 19
> Common Yellowthroat
> 6
> 1
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 13
> 10
> Yellow Warbler
> 4
> 3
> 3
> 3
> 2
> 15
> 15
> Northern Cardinal
> 3
> 3
> 4
> 4
> 2
> 16
> 15
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak
> 2
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 3
> 3
> Blue Grosbeak
> 3
> 1
> 1
> 0
> 1
> 6
> 6
> Indigo Bunting
> 4
> 0
> 2
> 0
> 1
> 7
> 6
> Dickcissel
> 5
> 7
> 15
> 7
> 9
> 43
> 25
> Common Nighthawk
> 0
> 2
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 2
> 1
> unid. small ''peep'' sandpiper
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 14
> 0
> 14
> 1
> Great Blue Heron
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Great Horned Owl
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Belted Kingfisher
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Hairy Woodpecker
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 1
> Eastern Wood-Pewee
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> Alder Flycatcher
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> 1
> unid. Empidonax flycatcher
> 0
> 1
> 0
> 0
> 0
> 1
> 1
> *Total Species : 66*
> *Total ind. : 1166*
>
> Jason Thiele
> Norfolk, NE
>
>
>
Date: 6/12/25 8:28 pm From: Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> Subject: [NEBirds] Tilden Breeding Bird Survey summary
Hello, Nebraska birders. On June 5, I ran my first Breeding Bird Survey route of the summer under amazing weather conditions. The Tilden route is one of the newer ones in the state and includes portions of Madison, Antelope, and Pierce counties. The first year of the route was the big flood year of 2019, and because of all the water on the landscape, the species list that year was higher than it will probably ever be again for this route at 73. This year I ended up with 64 species (of which 62 were likely breeders), which is right about on track with what I've been getting most years. Below is the list of species and counts. I copied and pasted it directly from the summary page on the BBS data entry portal, so unfortunately the species aren't displayed in the most logical order. Hopefully it will display OK in an e-mail.
A few observations to note:
*
Northern Bobwhite numbers were the highest they have been on this route (keeping in mind that there aren't many years of data to compare). The previous high was 21 last year. A couple of mild winters paired with good production last year can probably account for the increase. Very light wind made for high detectability too.
*
As usual, there were still a few male Greater Prairie-Chickens displaying on leks.
*
Great Blue Heron was recorded for the first time.
*
I didn't record any species in what I would consider particularly high numbers, but it was a good day for blue birds, with my counts for Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting both being my highest to date for the route and Blue Jays second-highest. However, I didn't record any Eastern Bluebirds.
*
For what I think was the second time on this route, I picked up a late Alder Flycatcher. As an aside, maybe they were just singing more than normal and I wasn't recording so many Empidonax flycatchers as "spuhs" this spring, but they seemed to be unusually abundant in this part of the state.
*
Three-minute point counts don't provide a lot of time to observe breeding behavior, but confirmed breeders (usually from observation of a nest or an adult bird carrying nesting material or food) included Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Cliff Swallow, European Starling, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle.
Date: 6/11/25 1:18 pm From: Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> Subject: [NEBirds] Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Skyview Lake Park in Norfolk (Madison County)
Good afternoon, Nebraska birders. Earlier this afternoon there was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the south side of Skyview Lake in Norfolk. I presume this is the same bird that spent some time here last spring and summer.
Date: 6/11/25 7:18 am From: Shirley Maas via groups.io <dtmsem2006...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Nesting - and bluebird nests
Thank you for monitoring the boxes
.Really miss doing it. I’m down to one box in my yard in Ok.
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 Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 7:19 PM, Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> wrote:
More bluebird education: I have monitored bluebird boxes on and off for decades and thought I was getting to know bluebird behavior pretty well. About a week into May I added a box near my house, since tree swallows occupied most of my other boxes, and a pair of bluebirds were hanging around. The same day I put it up they were checking it out. Later I saw the female collecting nesting material and carrying it into the box. A few day ago I took a peak and saw 5 eggs. This morning I saw neither bird for hours - unprecedented behavior. Walking up to the box, I saw that the top had raised up a few inches on one side. Five eggs remained in the nest bowl. I remembered the male calling a lot last night and imagined he was trying to call her to the nest, but that she had abandoned it, apparently because of the elevated top. I watched off and on all day and occassionally heard a male far off but nothing near the house, even after reading for 1.5 hours with a good view of the area. About 6 p.m. I went to the box again. I was sure they had abandoned the nest. I collected one egg, carried it back to the house and broke it in order to check the incubation stage. The embryo was alive! Maybe half-way to hatching. Since the temperature was in the 90s, I imagined the embryos were still healthy, albeit abandoned. I wanted to clean out the box before leaving for several days, so another pair might begin using it, but I could not kill any more live embryos. I decided to make a better lid for the box and wait until tomorrow to make a decision about cleaning out the box. I went back and forth between the the box and the garage a few times and was about to carry the lid back out when a female bluebird appeared flying and hovering around the box. She was uncertain since its appearance was different without the top on it. I hurried out to reattach the lid and get back to the house. Soon she re-appeared and after a good look in from the entrance hole, she entered. The male also soon appeared. Since the female did not leave the box for several minutes I decided she must have been satisfied and had accepted the nest and now 4 eggs. Later, the male carried food to the box and presented it to her. I had been bothered all day by the failure of the nest, but now I was bothered, to a lesser degree, because I hastily assumed the nest had been abandoned and killed one of embryos. Lesson learned. Female bluebirds know the temperature and know when they have to incubate to maintain warmth and when they can take the day off. But I still think the male should have been keeping an eye on things. I sure hope I see them around the box in the morning!
On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 05:12:27 PM CDT, Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> wrote:
Interesting. I was monitoring a bluebird nest at Fort Niobrara refuge. It had 5 nestlings about to fledge. A week later I expected to remove the old nest, soiled during the last day before the chicks fledged. Instead I found 2 new bluebird eggs. I don't know if it was the same pair or a new pair, but I did not expect any birds to want to "reuse" a nest so recently used.
On Sunday, June 8, 2025, 09:59:58 AM CDT, Jan Johnson via groups.io <janbirder...> wrote:
I learned something new today. I did not think birds ever reused a nest, but I have a Robin adding to a nest from which three fledged a week ago. Good location with wind and shade protection so she’s refurbishing the old.
