Winter Field Report, December 2015 to February 2016

As has been the trend in recent years, many species are lingering later in fall and even arriving earlier in spring. Along with lingering birds, mid-winter and overwintering records have increased. This winter was phenomenal in this respect, especially in that records were across the board in terms of species, suggesting that water conditions have moderated (more open water) and temperatures in general have also (passerines). Unprecedented records included first wintering White-winged Scoter and first Jan or Feb record of Orange-crowned Warbler. Second or third such records were set by Blue-winged Teal, Surf Scoter, Ruddy Duck, Eared Grebe, Greater Yellowlegs, Rock Wren, and Yellow-rumped (Audubon\u27s) Warbler. Late-lingering species were many, highlighted by record late Red-throated Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, and Least Sandpiper. Other noteworthy laggards were Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Whooping Crane, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln\u27s Sparrow, and Dickcissel, while Eastern Bluebirds set a new CBC high and Yellow-rumped Warblers were present through winter in almost unprecedented numbers (see last winter). Early spring arrivals are usually determined by factors other than local Nebraska environmental conditions, and so are perhaps less variable; nevertheless there were early-arriving Turkey Vulture, American Woodcock, and Franklin\u27s Gull. Perhaps the presence of these numerous winter phenomena allowed other species to winter farther north; there were no Herring Gulls reported 6-27 Jan, only 3 Red Crossbill reports were received, at least one of those of Pacific Coast Type 3 birds, and very few Townsend\u27s Solitaires were counted. Perhaps the only species that was unexpectedly low in numbers given these occurrences was Red-headed Woodpecker, virtually absent from the state, even at its winter stronghold, Indian Cave State Park. Additional significant numbers were a report of 10,000 American Robins, large numbers of Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches, and good numbers again of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Interesting observations included an apparent shift eastward of wintering Brown Creepers, the still-parlous state of Black-billed Magpie in the state, now only in fair numbers in Keith and Scotts Bluff Cos. Eurasian Collared-Doves are abundant in the west, but in the east numbers are far lower, albeit increasing slowly. The third record of Barred Owl in Lincoln Co was of one in a large parking lot in North Platte; it was surmised that all three may have been hit by semis on 1-80 and transported there. As well as all of the winter excitement, there were several rarities detected, including one first state record. Unfortunately, it was Mute Swan, finally added to the state list based on numerous reports that have been difficult to pass off as escapees or released birds. In addition, Nebraska\u27s 7th Black-throated Sparrow appeared at the feeders of the Records Committee Chairman (I think it will be accepted), and there were rare sightings of Barrow\u27s Goldeneye in the east, near adult Kumlien\u27s Gull, Gyrfalcon, Common Raven (they like Applebee\u27s and Burger King), Varied Thrush, and Pine Grosbeak

Fall Field Report, August–November 2016

As usual, there was quite a bit to chew over in the Fall Seasonal Report, although it was generally a pretty uneventful season, especially among waterfowl and shorebirds. The mild fall allowed some good counts to occur, such as the 20+ Surf Scoters, 465 meadowlarks in Garfield Co, and at least 11 White-winged Doves. First State Records are hard to come by; amazing was an Anna\u27s Hummingbird that showed up in the Manning Family\u27s central Omaha yard. How many pass through the yards of non-birders undetected? Always a mind-boggling thought. A 3rd state record Costa\u27s Hummingbird came to light from photos taken in 2010 through a chance conversation with an experienced birder. Almost as exciting was the 5th state record Canyon Wren which settled at a remote central Sandhills Ranch that required a 3.5 mile sand road trek in. Several happy birders made the trip without mishap, however, enjoying the fine hospitality of Mary Sue Shoemaker. And even more: the state\u27s 9th Curve-billed Thrasher was photographed at Chadron State Park near the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies\u27 banding station. Other less exciting but possibly more significant discoveries were a pair of Lewis\u27s Woodpeckers as far east as Keya Paha Co, a 6th fall record of Hooded Warbler, and a first Panhandle record of Blue-winged Warbler, also at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies\u27 banding station. Notable rare warblers were a Black-throated Blue and a Pine, both in Omaha. Other good counts were the 27+ Sabine\u27s Gulls reported, with 6 in a day at each of 3 locations, 31 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on a single day in a Lancaster Co yard, reminding me of hummer feeders I\u27ve seen in the west, and 11 Canada Warblers that passed through the east. At the other end of that spectrum were virtually no Pine Siskins, there being only two reports between June and late Nov, and the absence of Red Cross bills away from the Pine Ridge, where they remained in good numbers. Of concern is the continuing scarcity of Black-billed Cuckoos, the absence of Black-billed Magpies this fall east of Harlan Co, and the current low ebb of Gray Partridge populations in the north and east

Fall Field Report, August–November 2015

To start, a housekeeping item: in the species accounts that follow, whenever I use the term migrant I am referring to fall migration only. Many species, of course, have differing migration strategies and timing in spring and fall. Much of the data used in this report relating to western and Pine Ridge passerines comes from the outstanding banding efforts by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountains Bird Observatory) at Chadron State Park (CSP) and Wildcat Hills Nature Center (WHNC) in Scotts Bluff Co. This year’s operators were Josh Lefever and Holly Garrod. Related to the Chadron State Park station, Andrew Pierson made this interesting observation: “I was closely involved with the CSP banding station for all of the years prior to the fires (and the first year after when it was temporarily moved down to the pond area) and it was never a very successful operation. It was always way behind the Wildcat Hills site in terms of numbers and diversity. Now, it seems there are single days when they catch a former season’s worth of birds. Is this directly attributable to the fires and subsequent regeneration of new habitat type and/or quality?” This fall and the previous two falls have been noteworthy for the large number of final sighting dates for many species that are pushing against those species’ latest expected dates. This phenomenon is across the board, both in waterbirds like Blue-winged Teal, Whooping Crane, Willet, and Common Tern, as well as passerines, such as Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (see species account for further discussion), Plumbeous Vireo, Summer Tanager, at least 5 species of sparrows, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Lazuli and Indigo Buntings. Conversely, a few winter visitors showed up early, such as “Oregon” and “Pink-sided” Juncos. Surprisingly large numbers of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Philadelphia Vireos appeared, as in previous fall seasons, but unexpected were influxes of Palm Warblers, usually rare in fall, and Black-throated Green Warblers. Each season has its share of noteworthy happenings; this fall , check out the accounts for Osprey, which bred successfully for the first time in Nebraska, Black Rail, a mystery to hopefully be solved next June, a northeasterly nesting of Barn Owl, double-brooded American Kestrel, a tally of 266 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds passing through a Lincoln yard, and two very tardy Baltimore Orioles in Omaha. Rarities this fall were few, but headed by 4th state records of both Black-headed Gull and Black-chinned Hummingbird, the latter, oddly, in far eastern Nebraska. Reports of Cave Swallow and the western subspecies of Nashville Warbler caused struggles with identification criteria, and the presence in the state of the western form of Orange-crowned Warbler was confirmed by the Pine Ridge banding stations mentioned earlier. An update to my note in last year’s Fall Seasonal Report: at that time I mentioned that 18% of the reports I used came from eBird-only contributors. A recheck for this report shows that figure now to be 52%, obviously a significant increase in only one year. I do believe that at some point eBird will largely supersede state and local online groups like NEBirds as the repository and source for Nebraska records as long as the trend of increasing use of eBird continues. However, I believe there still is a need for analysis and comment on the data available, which is probably best done through a Seasonal Report such as this. Finally, some of you may be wondering what my guideline is for including any given species in these accounts, as some do appear some seasons but not in others. I include ALL species that are regular in occurrence for the season at hand; no Northern Shrikes in the Summer Report, for example. I include these regular species whether reported (eBird, NEBIRDS, or personally) or not, as the absence of a regular species is noteworthy. I also include any casual or accidental species that are reported. I believe it is not noteworthy if an unexpected species does not show, so not all casual/accidental species are included in any given season. Thus a casual species such as Gyrfalcon may be reported in one Winter Report but not the next

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

Vegetation-soil relations in a highly sodic landscape, Yelarbon, southern Queensland

Soil and vegetation data were collected from a sodic-scald near Yelarbon in southern Queensland. The surface of the landscape includes relatively light textured pedestals of the A-horizon with slightly alkaline pH and slopes leading down to scalded basement representing the surface of the strongly alkaline B-horizon. The strongest gradient within the floristic patterns was associated with wetland vegetation in drainage lines, but a secondary and orthogonal gradient was related to soil pH, which was probably a function of lower alkalinity on the more stable and weathered A-horizons. There were few significant differences between soil or vegetation characteristics from plot data comparing parts of the landscape with differing historical grazing regimes. Sites included stock routes heavily grazed between the 1920s and 1970s, and subsequently almost ungrazed; and grazed paddocks that have had moderate use throughout this period. There is clear evidence that the area is naturally active in terms of erosion and deposition during flooding regardless of grazing

Law and Gospel in Luther\u27s Antinomian Disputations, with Special Reference to Faith\u27s Use of the Law

Three major antinomian controversies took place in Wittenberg in the sixteenth century, one during Luther\u27s lifetime and two after his death. The first controversy, which is the subject of our study, had its beginnings in 1527 in an argument between Johann Agricola and Philipp Melanchthon. The occasion for this was the visitation of the churches in electoral Saxony and the major issue was the role of the law in repentance. The main phase of the first controversy however was the dispute between Agricola and Luther between 1537 and 1540. The issue was basically the same. The second and third antinomian controversy, which broke out after Luther\u27s death, were between the Philippists and theGnesio-Lutherans. The issue at stake this time was the question of the third use of the law. The matter was finally settled by the Formula of Concord

The interaction of plant polysaccharides with collagen

This thesis examines the interaction of several plant polysaccharides with bovine collagen and the effect of these interactions on the physical characteristics of biopolymer wound dressings. Recent research in the field of wound healing has led to the development of biological wound dressings such as Fibracol ™, Sorbsan ™, E.Z.Derm ™, Biobrane ™ which contain protein and/or polysaccharides. When these materials are placed on an open wound the potential exists for soluble polysaccharide to diffuse from the dressing into the wound environment. This may alter the rate and quality of wound healing. Therefore, it is important to understand how the protein/polysaccharide interactions and other physical characteristics affect this diffusion. Initially the rheology and co-precipitation of collagen/polysaccharide solutions were studies to determine any polysaccharides which were interacting with collagen. Polysaccharides of interest were then studies in an insoluble system by forming polysaccharide/fibrous collagen wound dressing materials. The effect of different polysaccharides, their charge density, degree of polymerisation, chemical composition, and ionic crosslinking, on the diffusion of molecules from the wound dressing materials were studied. The tensile strength and the absorbency of these materials were also studied. In addition, the effect of different collagen (soluble, insoluble, denatured and chemically modified) were investigated. It was found that the degree of polymerization and chemical composition of the polysaccharide, and the form of collagen used to produce the materials influenced the amount of polysaccharide that was eluted from the material. Calcium ions were also shown to significantly reduce the level of diffusion in materials containing alginate. It appears that the rate and extent of diffusion is controlled by a combination of polymer entrapment and specific polymer-polymer interactions. Different polysaccharides were shown to have no significant effect on either the absorbency or tensile strength of the materials, therefore, it can be concluded that most of the physical characteristics are imparted by the collagen matrix. In summary the results obtained from this work have led to a greater understanding of the factors which control the release of polysaccharides from collagen/polysaccharide composite materials and have given some insight into how the rate of diffusion may be altered to suit a particular applicatio

The Survey of Fires in Buildings. Third Report: The Use of Information Obtained From Fire Surveys

The previous two reports in this series gave details of the general. scope of the pilot exercise and methods by which it was carried out. In addition the nature of the information obtained was illustrated by preliminary analyses of the house and industrial fires surveyed. Some brief comments on the use of the information were made. This report indicates a method of assessing the nation wide effects of applying conclusions drawn from the results of limited numbers of surveys and considers the use of the information for specific purposes

Summer Field Report, June–July 2015

This summer was very wet over most of the state. Breeding Bird Survey operators noted impassible roads, especially in the western Sandhills. The benefits to water birds in the Rainwater Basin were obvious, however, with notable breeding records for Ruddy Duck and White-faced Ibis, as well as the first documented breeding in the state of Glossy Ibis, and the first Rainwater Basin breeding for Double-crested Cormorant and third for Eared Grebe. Additional notable breeding records were led by Osprey; after 7 years of trying at various locations, success came with a bang, as at least 3 nests successfully fledged young, the first successful breedings for the state. A Barn Owl nest with 7 young was the first known in the extreme northeast, and a flightless juvenile Red-breasted Nuthatch in Seward provided an unexpected breeding record away from the north and west. Two developing situations suggest incipient breeding: there may now be two pairs of American Three-toed Woodpeckers in East Ash Canyon, Dawes County, and a major influx of Ovenbirds into Nebraska National Forest at Halsey the last two years suggests the first breeding there. Several species of shorebirds arrived early, close to expected first dates, but both dowitchers really beat the early dates: a Long-billed was record early, and Shortbilleds were unusually early as well. A netted and banded Tennessee Warbler was record early by 16 days. Rarities were few and not as mega as Summer 2014; a Snowy Plover was the first July record for the Rainwater Basin, 2 female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (photographed together) were the 4th and 5th in spring for the state, and a vociferous Hooded Warbler set up shop at Nebraska National Forest at Halsey. Notable was excellent coverage of the Niobrara River Valley from Valentine to the Niobrara Valley Preserve and grasslands southwest of Nebraska National Forest at McKelvie. Many out-of-state birders working those areas as well as the rest of the state reported their Nebraska sightings to eBird, providing useful information. One problem crops up in these situations though: non-local birders rarely have as good a grasp of species distribution within Nebraska as experienced locals, as exemplified by the several reports this summer of Brewer\u27s Blackbirds in central and eastern Nebraska. As eBird filters continue to improve, such observations are expected to decline