Range Expansion of the Great-tailed Grackle in the 1900s

In 1900, the range of the Great-tailed Grackle extended north of the Mexican border only into Texas. Since then, it has expanded its range greatly. It now nests in 14 states and has strayed to an additional eight states and three Canadian provinces. Much of this expansion has occurred since 1960. Great-tails often stray far from their normal range, especially in spring. Most of these strays are single individuals. In states where they have nested, breeding birds typically reach the state a few years after the first reports of the species. Great-tailed Grackles do well in a variety of human altered habitats. Their range expansion in North America rivals that of the Cattle Egret both in its extent and as an example of a species thriving while living in close association with humans

Bird use of restored wetlands on Conservation Reserve Program land

From a conservation standpoint, the establishment of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was one of the most significant aspects of the 1985 Food Security Act. Although most of the highly erodible land set aside for ten years in CRP is planted to various upland plants, wetlands are an accepted land use under the program. Because wetlands are one of the most endangered wildlife habitats in North America, and in Iowa in particular, this provision of CRP substantially enhances its value as a conservation program. Nationwide, about 53% of wetlands have been lost; in Iowa more than 90% have been drained for agricultural use. In the north-central states, wetland loss has seriously reduced populations of waterfowl and numerous nongame wildlife species, including birds, insects, and plants

Long-tailed Jaegers in Western Nebraska

The Long-tailed Jaeger is an accidental migrant in Nebraska with just one accepted record through the mid-1990s. Based on records from adjacent states, especially Colorado (Andrews and Righter 1992) and Wyoming (Faulkner 2010), the species is probably more frequent than these records indicate, and its status is further complicated by possible confusion with Pomarine and Parasitic jaegers. In this article I report details of four records of Long-tailed Jaegers in western Nebraska and comment on the species\u27 identification and status in the state

Wildlife-habitat Relationships: Concepts and Applications

The study of wildlife populations often includes a habitat component, and understanding the functional relationship between a species and its habitat is challenging. The theoretical and analytical tools for doing so are many, and there are numerous texts that focus on but a fraction of this material. Morrison et al. provide a broad yet thorough overview of wildlifehabitat relationships in a well organized and easy to read book that includes background material, summarizes contemporary techniques for measuring these relationships, and offers links to management strategies

Review of \u3ci\u3eSome Scarce Birds of the Upper Midwest\u3c/i\u3e by Dana Gardner and Nancy Overcott

Fifty Uncommon Birds of the Upper Midwest. Watercolors by Dana Gardner; text by Nancy Overcott. 2007. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, Iowa. 112 pages. $34.95 (cloth). Nancy Overcott has written series of short essays of birds found in the Upper Midwest and assembled them in an easy-to-read book. As an ornithologist and avid birder in this region, I\u27ll admit that I didn\u27t know what to expect when I opened the cover-would the focus be on rarities, would there be an identification component, are there tips for finding each species, and at what audience was the book aimed? Ultimately, I enjoyed the personal touch to Overcott\u27s story-telling and found this an entertaining read, although the content did not increase my understanding of the birds of this region. The book includes a short introduction followed by 50 essays, one per species (each nicely illustrated by Dana Gardner), and ends with a short list of supplemental references. The content of each species account varied, although most generally included information about seasonal occurrence, typical habitat(s) used, and a reference to their general range. I liked the personal story used to introduce most species as this gives the reader a better feel for the bird by knowing something about the encounter

Book Review: Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field. George L. Armistead and Brian L. Sullivan.

George Armistead and Brian Sullivan have written a book whose aim is to provide birders with a solid foundation upon which to develop better birding skills. They advocate a more holistic approach to bird identification than simply looking at a set of predetermined field marks. To that end, their approach combines traditional field identification approaches with behavioral and habitat cues, as well as natural history, to broaden bird identification skills. This is not the first book to make a case for looking at bird identification more broadly, although their specific approach seems unique. The authors offer constructive criticism of “traditional” field guides that focus on a relatively few signature field marks, thereby causing birders to avoid understanding birds in greater detail. As an ornithologist and birder, I certainly appreciate birds far beyond the basic field identification challenges. The natural his- tory of birds is fascinating, and we still have much to learn! But I wonder, is this field guide the answer? Probably not. A book covering all North American birds, modeled after Better Birding, might run into the thousands of pages and would hardly be usable in the field

First Record of a Reddish Egret for Nebraska

On 27 September 2000, I was birding the west end of Lake McConaughy from Marina Landing. At 2:15 p.m., I noticed a few egrets farther east off Cedar Vue. By 2:30 p.m. I had arrived at Cedar Vue and began looking over the egrets. The egrets were loosely scattered in a small area with numerous Great Blue Herons, approximately 400m from the north shore of the lake. There were six egrets present--4 Great Egrets, 1 Snowy Egret, and an intermediate-sized bird that I identified as a white morph Reddish Egret. The Reddish Egret foraged for about half an hour and then flew to some snags in the middle of the mudflat and was sleeping by 3:30 p.m. I returned at 5:15 p.m. and found the bird actively foraging with the Snowy Egret within 200m of the north shore. By 6 p.m., the bird had returned to its roost in the middle of the mudflat and was asleep when I left the area at 6:08 p.m. During the initial observation period, the bird was often in the company of Snowy and Great egrets, allowing for direct comparisons to both species. The bird was noticeably larger than a Snowy Egret and only slightly smaller than a Great Egret under direct comparisons to both species. The plumage was entirely white with no dark mottling or dusky wingtips. There were a few scraggly plumes along the sides of the neck, but these were not as extensive as those of an adult Reddish Egret. The bill was long, dagger-shaped, and in good light appeared light gray with the distal 5% black. The bill was essentially a large replica of a Snowy Egret\u27s bill, and was noticeably thinner (especially at the base) than a Great Egret. I estimated that the bill was at least 90% of the length of a Great Egret\u27s bill. At times, the facial skin appeared to be pale (probably pink), but I could not adequately discern the specific color because of the distance and lighting. The eye was yellow with a black iris. The legs were a very dark gray/black color with no yellow color on the legs or feet. Although the bird appeared white when perched, I thought it showed a pale gray cast (especially on the wings) in flight, but this could have been due to backlighting. The bird\u27s behavior was very distinctive and typical of a Reddish Egret. When feeding, the bird began with a low, crouched trot that gradually became a run. At the end of the run, the bird would raise its neck, spread one or both wings, take a few erratic steps, and then jab at something in the water. This process was repeated continuously, and the bird covered a lot of ground when feeding

Red-throated Loon at Lake McConaughy

On 8 May 1998 I observed a Red-throated Loon at Lake McConaughy in Keith County, Nebraska. I was scanning Arthur Bay when I spotted a small loon swimming with several Western Grebes. I immediately recognized the bird as a Red-throated Loon in basic plumage. I studied and photographed the bird from 2:25 to 3:13 p.m. The bird was slightly larger and shorter-necked than a Western Grebe. The plumage was quite plain. The throat, cheek, foreneck, and underparts were white. The forehead, crown, nape, mantle, and wings were dark gray with a few pale spots on the mantle. The bill was very short and thin and the lower mandible was angled upward, giving the bill an upturned appearance. The area surrounding the eye was white. The bird also held its head tilted slightly upward. The distinction between dark gray and white on the head and neck was less clearcut than on a Pacific Loon. I concluded that the bird was probably an adult in basic plumage because of the dark-backed appearance, although it is possible the bird was molting from first-basic to first-alternate plumage

Book Review: Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field. George L. Armistead and Brian L. Sullivan.

George Armistead and Brian Sullivan have written a book whose aim is to provide birders with a solid foundation upon which to develop better birding skills. They advocate a more holistic approach to bird identification than simply looking at a set of predetermined field marks. To that end, their approach combines traditional field identification approaches with behavioral and habitat cues, as well as natural history, to broaden bird identification skills. This is not the first book to make a case for looking at bird identification more broadly, although their specific approach seems unique. The authors offer constructive criticism of “traditional” field guides that focus on a relatively few signature field marks, thereby causing birders to avoid understanding birds in greater detail. As an ornithologist and birder, I certainly appreciate birds far beyond the basic field identification challenges. The natural his- tory of birds is fascinating, and we still have much to learn! But I wonder, is this field guide the answer? Probably not. A book covering all North American birds, modeled after Better Birding, might run into the thousands of pages and would hardly be usable in the field