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

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

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

Differential Parental Care by Adult Mountain Plovers, Charadrius montanus

We studied chick survival of the Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) in Montana and found that chicks tended by females had higher survival rates than chicks tended by males, and that chick survival generally increased during the nesting season. Differences in chick survival were most pronounced early in the nesting season, and may be related to a larger sample of nests during this period. When compared to information about the nest survival of male- and female-tended plover nests, our chick data suggest a trade-off for adult plovers between the egg and chick phases of reproduction. Because Mountain Plover pairs have clutches at two nests at two different locations and show differential success between the sexes during the egg and chick phases, we offer that the Mountain Plover breeding system favours optimizing annual recruitment in a dynamic ecologic setting driven by annually unpredictable drought, grazing, and predation pressures

First Record of a Ross\u27 Gull for Nebraska

On 17 December, 1992, we observed a Ross\u27 Gull in second-winter plumage at Sutherland Reservoir, Lincoln County. We studied the bird in detail from 7:35-10.00 a.m. and again from 11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST as it fed with several Bonaparte\u27s Gulls at the outlet between the cooling pond and the reservoir. The Ross\u27 Gull remained at this location through 28 December and was seen by many birders from around the Midwest. During all of our observations, the small size, dark underwings, and wedge-shaped tail set this bird apart from the Bonaparte\u27s Gulls. At first, we overlooked the tail shape and tentatively identified the bird as a Little Gull. However, after studying the bird in greater detail, we noted the wedge-shaped tail and agreed that it was indeed a Ross\u27 Gull in second-winter plumage. We estimated that the Ross\u27 Gull was about 10% smaller than a Bonaparte\u27s Gull, and had proportionately longer wings, a smaller head, and larger eyes. It had a buoyant flight, and often hovered over the water as it fed on small fish. The undersides of the flight feathers were dark gray, similar to the appearance of the underwing of an adult Little Gull. The axillars and wing linings were white. The upperwing was mostly pale gray, with clear remnants of a dark carpal bar. The carpal bar was black, and appeared as a series of spots across the secondary coverts, with a larger black spot at the base of the primaries. There was also a very broad, white trailing edge to the flight feathers, especially along the inner primaries. The mantle was also pale gray, the same color as the upperwing. The head was white except for the hint of a black collar, which appeared as a darker spot behind each eye, connected by a faint, dark line across the back of the neck

Parasitic Jaeger at Lake McConaughy

On 5 October, 1997, we joined Joel G. Jorgensen and John Sullivan for a pelagic trip on Lake McConaughy. A similar trip in late September 1996 yielded a Sabine\u27s Gull, but we were really hoping to see a jaeger. From 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. we gradually worked our way from the dam towards the western end of the lake. Besides moderate numbers of Franklin\u27s and Ring-billed Gulls, there were few birds on the lake. At approximately 8:45 a.m. Dinsmore noticed that all of the gulls at the western end of the lake had suddenly taken flight. Less than a minute later, we simultaneously spotted a jaeger soaring directly overhead. The size, dark coloration, and prominent white flashes in the Wings identified the bird as a jaeger. The bird made a couple of attacks on Franklin Gulls and then flew east down the lake. We chased the jaeger for more than ten miles before losing it. We relocated the bird a short time later just above the dam. This time, the bird attacked a couple of Ring-billed Gulls before flying west up the lake. We again took chase, but lost the bird before reaching Lemoyne. The gull-like shape, generally brown coloration, and prominent white bases to the primaries identified the bird as a jaeger. The bird was smaller but longer-winged than a Ring-billed Gull and larger and slimmer than a Franklin\u27s Gull. The overall coloration was dark brown, except for some warmer rufous tones on the underparts. We saw no visible barring on the underparts. The bill was straight and slender, but the color pattern was not noted. The upperwing was dark brown except for white at the base of at least the outermost four primaries. The underwing was also dark except for a prominent white area on the undersides of the bases of the primaries. The rectrices were dark and the central feathers were slightly elongated with pointed tips. We all agreed on the identification as a juvenile Parasitic Jaeger. Careful size comparisons to Franklin and Ring-billed Gulls eliminated juvenile Pomarine Jaeger, which also generally shows more white color on both surfaces of the wing. Juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger was eliminated on the basis of the pattern of white on the wing and size and wing proportions. We further concluded the bird was an intermediate or dark morph individual based on the dark plumage and lack of a contrasting paler head or rump. This represents the second accepted record of a Parasitic Jaeger for Nebraska. The only other record is of a juvenile picked up alive in Sheridan County on 23 Aug 1968 which died the next day (specimen number UNSM ZM12309) (Gates, Doris. 1969. Parasitic Jaeger rather than Skua. Nebraska Bird Review 37:31.). There are also five records of Pomarine Jaegers and a single Long-tailed Jaeger record for Nebraska. Another 16 reports are of jaegers that were not identified to species