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Nongame Bird Blog

Hats off to Larry Snyder

It is always positive when one of the good guys (or gals) gets some recognition.   A few days ago there was a nice article in the Scottsbluff Star Herald about Larry Snyder and how he got involved in bird conservation in Nebraska’s southwest panhandle.  Larry has worked for Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) for more than a decade.  I’ve known and worked with Larry for about ten years.  Rather than me rehashing the article, …

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In praise of sewage lagoons

Birders go places to find and see birds.  It doesn’t really matter what or where the place is, as long as there is the potential to find and see good birds.   Most serious birders know sewage lagoons are good, and sometimes great, places to find birds.   In fact,  some sewage lagoons are nationally or even internationally famous in birding circles because they have a track record of producing rarities.  To non-birders, though, the idea of heading to a sewage …

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Up to his old tricks

Last year at about this time, we were shocked and surprised when the resident male Peregrine Falcon from the Capitol was photographed in the nest box at the Woodmen Building in Omaha.  The bird was identified by his alphanumeric band “19/K”, which is also what he goes by since he was not named.   Well, I recently received a few emails from Mary Anne Reid who stated ol’ 19/K was spotted up there again.   This morning, she forward a …

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Seeing the elusive Pine Grosbeak – thanks to a lot of help

The Pine Grosbeak is a large finch that inhabits boreal forests of the far north and Rocky Mountains.   It rarely ventures to Nebraska.  Over the last 30 years, this species has only been reported in our state about a half dozen times.  It is a species I was not sure whether I would ever see in the state.  However, the odds improved when Ben Heppner discovered an immature/female type Pine Grosbeak at Forest Lawn Cemetery on the north side of …

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Correction: It was an Iceland Gull

On Saturday morning, 23 January 2016, I was birding the Lake McConaugy area.  I observed a gull in the Kingsley Dam spillway which I originally identified as an Iceland, but then changed my identification to, admittedly a small, Glaucous Gull.  I reported the bird as a Glaucous Gull on NEbirds.  Mike Resch, a visiting birder from Massachusetts, saw the same bird a few days later and thought it was an Iceland Gull.   I took several photos of the bird …

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Bald Eagles break nest record in 2015

As reported in a recent NGPC press release, the number of active Bald Eagle nests in Nebraska broke another record in 2015.  Bald Eagle nest monitoring is conducted annually by the Nongame Bird Program, but we rely on a number of partners and cooperators (see the full list at the bottom of this post) who provide information about the status of each nest.  It is very much a team effort and we are grateful for everyone’s contribution.   The big …

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Peregrine Falcon news from Iowa

Winter has now settled in and while cold temperatures may dissuade some birders from getting out, those that do are sometimes rewarded in a big way.  Cary Smithson was out photographing raptorsjust across the Missouri River from north Omaha in western Iowa on Tuesday (12 January) when he came across an adult Peregrine Falcon.  The falcon was very accommodating and allowed Cary to capture some great photos of the bird and also the bands it was sporting.  A few of Cary’s photos are …

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Peregrine Falcon news from Texas

Faithful Peregrine Falcon followers will remember that about a year ago big news came out of Texas regarding one of the Capitol’s birds.  Lewis, a male hatched in 2012, was spotted at the Anadarko Petroleum building in The Woodlands near Houston.  After not hearing anything about Lewis for several months, he was recently spotted again at the Anadarko building.  The following photo of Lewis was taken today (28 December) by Linda Kuhn. Lewis was one of two offspring produced by …

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Harlan County Christmas Bird Count recap

After a one week weather delay, the Harlan County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place Monday, 21 December.  This was the 8th edition of the Harlan County CBC.  Previous counts were held in consecutive years from 1996-2001.  The CBC resumed in 2014.  Weather for 2015 was cloudy and a tad chilly in the morning, but skies cleared, winds became calm and temperature reached the mid 40s in the afternoon.    Lake levels were relatively low. Fourteen observers tallied 82 species. …

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Big time rarity in Knox County

Like many birders, Mark Brogie has traveled across Nebraska for many years to find and see rare birds. Mark is actually quite good at it as he has seen more bird species (412) in the state than anyone else. Chasing rare birds often means early mornings, long days, waiting and, almost always, going somewhere else far from home — but not always.  Early Saturday, Mark got an early Christmas gift when a Black-throated Sparrow appeared at his feeder in Creighton, Knox County.    Black-throated …

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