First Nesting Record and Status Review of the Glossy Ibis in Nebraska

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is believed to be a recent colonist from the Old World whose numbers have increased and range has expanded in North America over the past two centuries (Patten and Lasley 2000). Glossy Ibis range expansion has been described as involving periods of relative stability followed by periods of rapid increase (Patten and Lasley 2000). Prior to the 1980s, Glossy Ibis were primarily found in the southeastern United States and along the Atlantic Coast (Patten and Lasley 2000). In the mid to late 1980s, Glossy Ibis began to rapidly increase and expand into Texas. By the early 1990s they were increasingly reported in the Great Plains (Thompson et a1. 20 11), particularly along the front range of Colorado and New Mexico (Patten and Lasley 2000). In Nebraska, the first documented occurrence of Glossy Ibis was a single adult with 28 White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) at Wilkins Waterfowl Production Area (WPA), Fillmore County, 24 April 1999 (Jorgensen 2001). Since the initial record, the number of reports of Glossy Ibis has increased. Glossy Ibis status was elevated from accidental to casual by the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) in 2005 (Brogie 2005). Only a few years later in 2014, its status was elevated again from casual to regular and NOURC no longer sought documentation for sightings (Brogie 2014). In 2015, Jorgensen observed this species nesting in the Rainwater Basin. Given the recent observation of nesting, the rapid increase in annual observations, along with field identification challenges as a result of similarity to and hybridization with the White-faced Ibis, the status of the Glossy Ibis in Nebraska is in need of clarification. Here, we provide observational details about the first confirmed nesting by the species in Nebraska, review all reports of Glossy Ibis and apparent Glossy × White-faced Ibis hybrids, and comment on this species’ overall status in the state

Multiple Black-necked Stilt Nesting Records in the Rainwater Basin

Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) have increased throughout much of the mid-continent in recent decades (Will 1999, Brinkley 2003, Brinkley and Baicich 2004). Prior to 1970 there were fewer than ten Nebraska records (Sharpe et al. 2001 ). Reports have increased since 1970 and are now annual. Breeding was first recorded in Nebraska in 1985 at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Heisinger 1985). Breeding has been more or less regular in the western Sandhills since then (Sharpe et al. 2001) and additional breeding records have occurred in Scotts Bluff (Silcock 2002b ), Keith, and Hall Counties (Silcock 2000b ). In the Rainwater Basin, there was only one record prior to 1996, a specimen collected in Adams County 12 May 1956 (Sharpe et al. 2001). From 1996 through 2004, there were fourteen additional reports. This includes apparent successful breeding at Funk Waterfowl Production Area (WPA), Phelps Co., in 2003 (Silcock 2003). The Rainwater Basin has been experiencing persistent drought since 2000. While drought has been a general theme, occasional localized heavy precipitation events have filled wetlands. Such was the case on 11–12 May 2005 when 3–8 inches of rain fell in portions of the Eastern Rainwater Basin, including Adams, Fillmore, and York Counties. Not long after, Black-necked Stilts were found at multiple wetlands, and several pairs attempted nesting. Below, we summarize observations of nesting Black-necked Stilts in the Eastern Rainwater Basin during 2005

Multiple Black-necked Stilt Nesting Records in the Rainwater Basin

Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) have increased throughout much of the mid-continent in recent decades (Will 1999, Brinkley 2003, Brinkley and Baicich 2004). Prior to 1970 there were fewer than ten Nebraska records (Sharpe et al. 2001 ). Reports have increased since 1970 and are now annual. Breeding was first recorded in Nebraska in 1985 at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Heisinger 1985). Breeding has been more or less regular in the western Sandhills since then (Sharpe et al. 2001) and additional breeding records have occurred in Scotts Bluff (Silcock 2002b ), Keith, and Hall Counties (Silcock 2000b ). In the Rainwater Basin, there was only one record prior to 1996, a specimen collected in Adams County 12 May 1956 (Sharpe et al. 2001). From 1996 through 2004, there were fourteen additional reports. This includes apparent successful breeding at Funk Waterfowl Production Area (WPA), Phelps Co., in 2003 (Silcock 2003). The Rainwater Basin has been experiencing persistent drought since 2000. While drought has been a general theme, occasional localized heavy precipitation events have filled wetlands. Such was the case on 11–12 May 2005 when 3–8 inches of rain fell in portions of the Eastern Rainwater Basin, including Adams, Fillmore, and York Counties. Not long after, Black-necked Stilts were found at multiple wetlands, and several pairs attempted nesting. Below, we summarize observations of nesting Black-necked Stilts in the Eastern Rainwater Basin during 2005

Fall Field Report, August to November 1998

Larry Einemann kindly pointed out that in the Spring Report all his sightings from Pioneer\u27s Park should have been attributed to Wilderness Park at Pioneer\u27s Boulevard (in Lincoln). Larry noted that Pioneer\u27s Park is a manicured Lincoln city park which is not good for birds except for in the vicinity of the embedded Chet Ager Nature Center. This was my (WRS) error; personally I have trouble even finding the Wilderness Park entrances, let alone naming them properly! Another correction! John Sullivan pointed out that the 2 Summer Tanagers at Indian Cave SP on 10 August, 1997, were not his sighting. In fact, after searching the raw data, I can\u27t find this report; please delete it. A surprising number of rarities appeared this fall, notably some rare warblers for the Panhandle, including a 1st Panhandle Pine Warbler and a 1st fall state and Panhandle Prairie Warbler, as well as a 1st fall Panhandle Mourning Warbler. A 1st documented Panhandle Blue-headed Vireo and a first documented state fall Hudsonian Godwit were also found. Other outstanding sightings included a 2nd state Long-tailed Jaeger, a 2nd state fall Great Black-backed Gull, 6th-10th (I) state Little Gulls, a 4th fall (5th state) Red-naped Sapsucker, an 8th state fall Green-tailed Towhee, and a 5th state documented Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco. An observant reader will note that most of these rarities were discovered and documented by the indefatigable Steve Dinsmore, who has advanced our knowledge of Panhandle birds, especially migrants, tremendously in the last 3 years or so

Double-crested Cormorant and American White Pelican Abundance at Sandhills Lakes during Fall Migration

Double-crested Cormorants (DCCO, Phalacrocorax auritus) and American White Pelicans (AWPE, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are migratory piscivorous birds that breed in North America. Both species are abundant spring and fall migrants in Nebraska. DCCOs are also common, albeit local, breeders in northwestern Nebraska (Sharpe et al. 2001 ). DCCO and AWPE numbers have increased throughout their range in recent decades (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 2003, Sauer et al. 2013). Both species, but primarily DCCOs, have become increasingly controversial because of increased numbers and also because their principal food source is fish, a resource humans value. Concentrations of DCCOs, and to a lesser extent those of AWPEs, can impact small impoundments such as aquaculture facilities and are suspected of reducing sportfish populations on recreational water bodies (Erwin 1995, King 2005, Trapp et al. 1997, USFWS 2003, Seefelt and Gillingham 2006, Groen and Steinwand 2010)

2010 Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, and Outreach Report for the Lower Platte River, Nebraska

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2010). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results. The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University of Nebraska–School of Natural Resources, and the Nongame Bird Program (NBP), based at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) work cooperatively on Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities. While the focus of our work is the Lower Platte, Loup, and Elkhorn rivers in the eastern part of the state, we address tern and plover issues across the state and region. Our joint program includes terns and plovers nesting in on-river habitats (midstream river sandbars) and off-river human-created habitats (sand and gravel mines and lakeshore housing developments). The TPCP leads our efforts at off-river habitats; the NBP leads our efforts at on-river habitats. The report is divided into five sections: 1. Introduction—describes the project area and summarizes conditions encountered during the 2010 field season. 2. Monitoring—describes the data we collect every year for basic demographic analysis and includes the number of nests, adults, eggs, chicks, and fledglings found in the focus area. These data are collected and summarized in a form that allows comparison across the range of each species. 3. Research—describes our research objectives, data collection, and data analyses. 4. Management—describes our actions to protect Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers and their nests from interference. 5. Outreach—describes our efforts to increase public awareness and understanding of Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers and to promote environmental literacy

2009 Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, and Outreach Report for the Lower Platte River, Nebraska

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2009). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results. The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University of Nebraska–School of Natural Resources, and the Nongame Bird Program (NBP), based at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) work cooperatively on Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover monitoring, research, management, and education-outreach activities. While the proximate focus of our work is the Lower Platte, Loup, and Elkhorn rivers in eastern Nebraska, we address tern and plover issues across the state and region. Our joint program includes terns and plovers nesting at on-river habitats (midstream river sandbars) and off-river or human-created habitats (sand and gravel mines and lakeshore housing developments). The TPCP leads our efforts at off-river habitats; the NBP leads our efforts at on-river habitats. The report is divided into five sections: 1. Introduction—describes the project area and summarizes conditions encountered during the 2009 field season. 2. Monitoring—describes the data we collect every year for basic demographic analyses and includes the number of nests and chicks found in the focus area. These data are collected and summarized in a form that allows comparison across the ranges of both species. 3. Research—describes details of data collection and the analysis of these data relative to specific research objectives. 4. Management—describes our activities designed to protect Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers and nests from human and non-human interference. 5. Education-Outreach—describes our efforts to increase public awareness and understanding of Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers in particular and to promote environmental literacy in general

Northern Saw-whet Owl Autumn Migration in Eastern Nebraska: Results from a Three-year Banding Study

Prior to 2019, records of NSWOs in Nebraska during fall were limited. There were fewer than five accepted reports in eastern Nebraska since the 1950s (Silcock and Jorgensen, 2021). The Hitchcock banding station along the Missouri River bluffs in nearby western Iowa has captured, banded, and released 20-50 birds during autumn migration for a number of years (J. Toll, personal communication). Furthermore, a single season banding study in central Nebraska during fall 2004 captured 14 NSWOs (Kim 2005), suggesting the species may migrate annually over much of the state in fall, or at least in more years than previously thought. This is despite the relative lack of continuous forested habitat in the eastern and central part of the state and extensive areas of agricultural land cover. However, the absence of any systematic effort to detect this species over multiple years, especially away from the Missouri River, renders such conclusions speculative. To address information gaps, we conducted targeted NSWO banding efforts in the vicinity of Lincoln, Nebraska, for three consecutive years in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Our objectives were to determine 1) whether NSWOs migrate through this area regularly in fall, 2) the phenology of migration through our area, and 3) whether NSWO age classes vary by year. Our results should clarify and define the status of NSWOs’ fall movements in eastern Nebraska

Double-crested Cormorant and American White Pelican Abundance at Sandhills Lakes during Fall Migration

Double-crested Cormorants (DCCO, Phalacrocorax auritus) and American White Pelicans (AWPE, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are migratory piscivorous birds that breed in North America. Both species are abundant spring and fall migrants in Nebraska. DCCOs are also common, albeit local, breeders in northwestern Nebraska (Sharpe et al. 2001 ). DCCO and AWPE numbers have increased throughout their range in recent decades (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 2003, Sauer et al. 2013). Both species, but primarily DCCOs, have become increasingly controversial because of increased numbers and also because their principal food source is fish, a resource humans value. Concentrations of DCCOs, and to a lesser extent those of AWPEs, can impact small impoundments such as aquaculture facilities and are suspected of reducing sportfish populations on recreational water bodies (Erwin 1995, King 2005, Trapp et al. 1997, USFWS 2003, Seefelt and Gillingham 2006, Groen and Steinwand 2010)