Date: 1/9/26 5:43 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Red-shouldered Hawk
Nebraska birders,
When I saw Steve Morris’s report of a Red-shouldered Hawk in Merrick County
at Bader Park, I couldn’t resist going for it. When I arrived at the park,
I didn’t have the exact amount for the entrance fee. Luckily, a gal that
works there, just happened to return to the office. I told her what I was
looking for and she said that she had seen it earlier today.
It didn’t take long for me to find the hawk perched atop a power pole near
the office building and adjacent campground. Below are the notes that I
put in my ebird list:
Hannah works in the office at the park. She told me that she saw the hawk
perched on a power pole earlier on this day. I found the hawk perched on
one of the poles near the campground. When perched on the pole, I saw
that its back was brown, its tail had narrow tan and brown bands. Its
head seemed small compared to a Red-tail. When in flight, I saw light
crescents near the tips of the wings. It appeared to be a juvenile
lineatus. It is a new county bird for me.
My Merrick County list is up to 169. Many thanks to Steve for finding the
hawk.
Date: 1/7/26 6:06 am From: Kathy DeLara via groups.io <renosmom...> Subject: [NEBirds] Paul Johnsgard Estate Auction
Many of you knew Paul Johnsgard so I felt it was appropriate to share this. Kathy DeLara -------- Original message --------From: Jeannine Bryant <noreply...> Date: 1/6/26 10:26 AM (GMT-05:00) Subject: Message from NOU Website We are doing an online auction for the estate of Paul Johnsgard, and I thought you folks would be interested! Bidding starts Wednesday at 9, ends Friday at noon, pick up your winning lots at 5621 S 50th Street on Saturday. https://changingspacessrs.com/auction/5621-s-50th-st-ste-4/
Date: 1/7/26 5:48 am From: Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> Subject: [NEBirds] Beaver Valley CBC
Good morning, Nebraska birders. Seven observers completed the Beaver Valley Christmas Bird Count on December 30. Many thanks to those who helped! The decision to postpone the count for a day proved to be a good one as we had the best weather conditions we've had on this count for a few years. Conditions were especially nice for owling, with virtually no wind before sunrise.
The Beaver Valley CBC circle lies mostly within northwestern Boone County near Petersburg, but it extends slightly into Wheeler and Antelope counties. It consists predominantly of Sandhills rangeland and row crop agriculture. There aren't really any big water bodies that attract a lot of waterfowl, but the Beaver Creek itself does provide a few birds. Here is the list for the day. We found 41 species, which is right around normal. Our biggest "misses" were Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan (has been regular in recent years, but missed for the second year in a row), Northern Bobwhite, Rough-legged Hawk (rarely missed on this count), Hairy Woodpecker, Harris's Sparrow, and Song Sparrow (never abundant, but recorded with some frequency).
American Wigeon 1 - only the 2nd time reported on this count (other time was on 12/16/1988, count week for 1993-1994 count)
Mallard 781
Green-winged Teal 10
Ring-necked Pheasant 2
Greater Prairie-Chicken 48 - it was fun to see a small group of males "practicing" their breeding displays for spring on a known lek location
Wild Turkey 54
Rock Pigeon 26
Eurasian Collared-Dove 73
Northern Harrier 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 2
Bald Eagle 9
Red-tailed Hawk 26
Eastern Screech-Owl 3
Great Horned Owl 4
Belted Kingfisher 3 - new high count after being missed for several years in a row
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 9
Northern Flicker 32 - new high count
American Kestrel 3
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1 - only the 2nd time reported on this count (other time was on 12/22/1987)
Northern Shrike 2
Blue Jay 9
American Crow 48
Black-capped Chickadee 2 - continues to be a tough bird to find, although this may be the first time since I started running the count that we had recorded BCCH before lunch
Horned Lark 22
White-breasted Nuthatch 9
European Starling 554
Eastern Bluebird 11 - 3rd consecutive year
American Robin 802 - 2nd highest count, although this was probably a gross underestimate based on the flocks our group observed
Cedar Waxwing 63 - 3rd-highest count
House Sparrow 68
House Finch 23
American Goldfinch 54
American Tree Sparrow 391
Dark-eyed Junco 101
Meadowlark sp. 14
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Northern Cardinal 6
Date: 1/6/26 10:40 am From: Jorgensen, Joel via groups.io <Joel.Jorgensen...> Subject: [NEBirds] Lower Platte River CBC - results
The 9th edition of the time-honored Lower Platte River CBC took place Monday, 5 January, which happens to be the final day of the CBC period. Eleven observers in nine parties tallied 82 species, which ties the record achieved in 2023 and is above the average of all prior years of 75 species (range 71-82). Weather was great with temps in the 50s and light winds. A big theme of this year's CBC was a good diversity and large numbers of waterfowl as well as a good representation of semi-hardy passerines, which can likely be attributed to the relatively mild winter (but early Dec was cold!). Below is the rundown of highlights:
New count birds: Tundra Swan, Greater Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, and Snow Bunting
Other really good birds: Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2nd time on CBC), Field Sparrow (2nd time) Killdeer (3rd time ) and Double-crested Cormorant (3rd time)
50/50 birds detected on CBC: Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Winter Wren (3), Hermit Thrush and Purple Finch
High counts of note: Greater white-fronted Goose (1331 > the 1042 in 2019)
Trumpeter Swan (29 > the 23 in 2025)
Northern Pintail (11 > 9 in 2021)
Ring-necked Duck (83 > 57 in 2025)
Ring-billed Gull (34 > 27 in 2025)
Merlin (6 > 2 in 2024)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (22 > 17 in 2018)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (13 > 7 in 2021)
Eastern Bluebird (95 > 83 in 2018 and following several years of being relatively scarce)
Spotted Towhee (3 > 1 in multiple years)
White-throated Sparrow (52 > 18 in 2024)
Carolina Wren (17), American Robin (606) and Yellow-rumped Warbler (20) also showed their best numbers of recent years, but did not set record highs.
Misses: Ring-necked Pheasant (not easy in the CBC circle), Northern Harrier (ditto), Pileated Woodpecker, Brown-headed Cowbird and Pine Siskin
Low counts of note: Only 2 meadowlarks were reported.
Thanks to the participants that came out.
Joel
___________________________________________________
Joel Jorgensen | Nongame Bird Program Manager
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
2200 N 33rd St. | Lincoln, NE 68503
<joel.jorgensen...><mailto:<joel.jorgensen...> | 402-471-5440
Date: 1/4/26 4:27 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Calamus CBC
Nebraska birders,
The Calamus CBC was held on Saturday, January 03. The count area includes
the Calamus Reservoir and the North Loup River between Burwell and Taylor,
as well as beautiful Sandhills Prairie. Rita Cunha and I counted birds in
the area along the North Loup River between Burwell and Taylor. Many
thanks to Dave Heidt for organizing the count.
The weather was foggy and cold early in the morning but the sky cleared and
the day warmed up. There was NO WIND! This is very unusual. Highlights
for Rita and I include a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Red-breasted
Nuthatch at Kent Cemetery. Also a Rough-legged Hawk, Cedar Waxwings and
lots of swans seen from the roads in our area.
After Rita and I were done with our area, we went to Buckshot Bay to look
for a Redpoll that T.J. Walker had spotted earlier in the day. We couldn’t
find the Redpoll, however, along the way, we saw a Merlin. No new county
birds on this day.
On my way home on January 04, Rita sent a text about a Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker that she had just seen in Sherman County at Gasteyer Sanctuary.
I stopped to look for it. I enjoyed a nice walk but didn’t see a
sapsucker, however, I did see a Ruby-crowned Kinglet which turns out to be
a new Sherman County bird for me. You just never know what you’ll find.
Date: 1/4/26 7:38 am From: Kellie H via groups.io <xxkhaydenxx...> Subject: [NEBirds] (not a sighting) DeSoto Christmas Bird Count 2025 Results
Hi all, please bear with me--if you belong to the Iowa and Nebraska bird
listservs you may get this email more than once.
The DeSoto NWR Christmas Bird Count this year was held on December 20.
Within our circle includes DeSoto and Boyer Chute, Turkey Creek Preserve,
NP Dodge Park, Hummel Park, Neale Woods, and Hitchcock Nature Center. We
had great coverage with 45 participants, 4 feeder watches, and 1 owling
session! In addition to great volunteers, we had great weather conditions
for birding in the afternoon especially. While our overall individual bird
tally is down with only 22135 birds counted, we have reached an all-time
diversity high in our count’s history with at least 83 species and
subspecies represented between count day and count week (some birds could
only be narrowed down to a family are not included in the diversity tally).
New, notable, or missed sightings within our circle:
-
Ross’ Goose is conspicuously missing from our count this year (please
contact me you participated in this count and you did indeed count
some–mistakes happen during the digitization process!). Overall, our goose
numbers are lackluster compared to previous years.
-
We still had a decent Mallard showing with 8222 individuals counted.
-
No Eurasian Collared Doves were documented, making this the second year
in a row that this species is missing from our tally.
-
Our Mourning Dove count was especially low, with only 10 individuals
counted.
-
Red-shouldered Hawk was documented again this year, making that 3 years
out of the past 4 years that the species has been documented for our CBC.
-
We documented a Red-shafted Flicker for the first time since 2020!
-
Corvid numbers are relatively stable with 125 Blue Jays and 123 American
Crows. AMCR numbers are however still low in proportion to BLJA compared to
years prior to 2011, when some years AMCR could outnumber BLJA 2:1, 3:1, or
even 8:1.
-
After being missed in 2023 and 2024, Red-breasted Nuthatches are finally
back!
-
Brown Creeper numbers have bottomed out again, with only 1 BRCR counted
this year.
-
We counted a record high number of Winter Wrens this year!
-
For the first time ever in our count circle’s history, a Gray Catbird
can be marked as present during count week (I heard one mewling incessantly
within the circle's territory 2 days after our count).
-
While not at 2023’s record high, Eastern Bluebird numbers are back up to
106 this year. This is the fifth time ever in our count circle’s history
that EABLs have surpassed 100 individuals for count day.
-
American Robin numbers hit a record high since 2008 (4018 were counted
in 2008!)
-
Red Crossbills were documented for the second time in our CBC’s history
(the records I have go back to 1997)!
-
American Tree Sparrow numbers are low in again this year, about on par
with 2023’s count of 333 and 2018’s count of 380
-
Spotted Towhee numbers continue to creep up! We tallied 10 SPTO this
year, another record high for our circle.
Thank you to all the folks who participated this year. It truly couldn’t be
done without your continued involvement.
I included a full list below for those interested.
Date: 1/2/26 6:47 pm From: Jonathan Nikkila via groups.io <jonathannikkila...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Birding visitors
Tom, we are thrilled you are visiting Nebraska!
I will send you some Central Nebraska ideas directly.
One note to people on the listserv who may talk to friends and family who are thinking about visiting for crane season this year... I meet a lot of crane visitors at Rowe who fly into Omaha or Lincoln. Be sure to let people know that Kearney (United) and Grand Island (American) have very dependable flight options that save people hours of driving. Kearney flies through Denver (and then Chicago starting in April) and Grand Island flies through Dallas.
Jonathan Nikkila (308) 224-4309 <jonathannikkila...>
Date: 1/2/26 5:11 pm From: Thomas Rothe via groups.io <tom.halcyon...> Subject: [NEBirds] Birding visitors
With my birdy spouse we are looking to hire a guide for several days after mid-march in central NE. Goals: 1. Cranes on Platte R; 2. Prairie chicken leks; 3. residents and migrant bird focal places. Current plan is to arrive through Lincoln and can be flexible for rental car and lodging.
I am a retired bird biologist of 45 yr+ and my wife has similar history of conservation leadership.
Keep on birding...Alaska welcomes your spring migrants for 2026 breeding seasons!
Tom Rothe Eagle River AK (907) 694-9068 hm (907) 240-1717 cell/text
Date: 1/1/26 1:22 pm From: Tana Clemens via groups.io <tanaclem...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Nebraska Big Year - December Recap
Congrats to Tobin! And I just wanted to say, I’m not a ‘new’ birder but am only an ‘occasional’ birder due to job/ responsibilities. Hearing about this effort makes me want to try to get out birding even more.
Best wishes All & good birding!
Tana C.
Douglas county
Kind hearts are the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits.
—HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
sent from my I-pad
Date: 1/1/26 12:17 pm From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: [NEBirds] Tobin Brown's BIG BIG YEAR
Happy New Year to all!
Having been privileged to have been included on a number of days with
Tobin, Keegan, and several others throughout this incredible process, I
have a couple of points I would like to put forth:
1. Goes without saying: What a stunning accomplishment.
2. The amount of planning and organization to complete this year-long
event cannot be properly fathomed when you consider the amount of research
and scouring of records that went into preparing for the numerous trips,
both short and long.
3. The detailed Monthly reports that Tobin put out.
4. The double and triple and sometimes more to make sure that the ID'd
bird was or was not, in-fact the correct ID. Photos, recording, and
reaching out to the fast network of top notch "birders" to verify an ID, is
one of the more outstanding qualities that Tobin exhibited throughout the
BIG YEAR.
5. For me personally, Tobin (and Keegan) still found time to help me
with ID of birds I was unsure of as well as making me feel that I was not
"bothering" them too much (though I am sure I was). 😁
6. Lastly, I would like to reiterate something that I have likely
mentioned before. The helpfulness of the very many people who passed
detailed information on to Tobin during the year. Specifically, the
unselfishness of Pastor Paul Dunbar in helping Tobin with a number of
species Tobin needed during certain months of the year. If I have it
correctly, Paul was with Tobin when he tied the Nebraska Birding BIG Year
record.
The Nebraska birding community absolutely ROCKS. It stands out to me as
one of the strongest and growing State Birding organizations.
God Bless you all.
*Paul O. Roisen*
*Sioux City, IA 51106 **Woodbury County, IA*
*Mobile 712-301-2817 **<roisenp1950...> <roisenp1950...>*
On Thu, Jan 1, 2026 at 1:24 PM Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Happy new year!
>
> It's a little bittersweet to say, but my crazy year of birding has come to
> a close. December was a long and busy month, and despite not finding my
> nemesis Redpoll, the other birds more than made up for it.
>
> Blog: https://brobin.me/blog/2026/01/nebraska-big-year-december-recap > Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/437711 >
> Check out my main big year summary page for the details about the year as
> a whole. I will continue to add to this as I reflect on the year:
> https://brobin.me/big-year >
> Finally, thanks to everyone who has supported and followed along, I
> appreciate the support!
>
>
> Tobin Brown
> Lancaster County
> https://ebird.org/profile/NDA1ODIzNg/US-NE >
>
>
Date: 1/1/26 11:25 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: [NEBirds] Nebraska Big Year - December Recap
Happy new year!
It's a little bittersweet to say, but my crazy year of birding has come to a close. December was a long and busy month, and despite not finding my nemesis Redpoll, the other birds more than made up for it.
Check out my main big year summary page for the details about the year as a whole. I will continue to add to this as I reflect on the year: https://brobin.me/big-year
Finally, thanks to everyone who has supported and followed along, I appreciate the support!
Date: 12/31/25 9:17 pm From: flyingcarlini via groups.io <flyingcarlini...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] ID Help Please
Hello Joe!We love your photo of the Red- Tail!Great shot! 👍! -- 🇺🇸 John and Shari
On Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 05:49:03 AM CST, Joe Freeborn via groups.io <jfreeborn58...> wrote:
Oh, thank you Mark. I guess I should have known that. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve seen one. Shows how out of practice I am. Hopefully I can get back up to speed. Appreciated!
Date: 12/31/25 3:49 am From: Joe Freeborn via groups.io <jfreeborn58...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] ID Help Please
Oh, thank you Mark. I guess I should have known that. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve seen one. Shows how out of practice I am. Hopefully I can get back up to speed. Appreciated!
Date: 12/30/25 7:56 pm From: Mark Brogie via groups.io <mabrogie...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] ID Help Please
Northern Harrier
> On Dec 30, 2025, at 8:42 PM, Joe F. via groups.io <jfreeborn58...> wrote:
>
> I took this photo today at Lake Wanahoo and this was about the only look I got of the bird as it left the area. Hoping someone could tell me what it may be?
>
> Also attached a red-tailed hawk photo perched on the flag pole there that I thought looked neat cause of what it’s perched on. 🤓 Also today at Wanahoo.
>
> Thanks! Joe
>
>
>
>
>
> <image0.jpeg>
> <image1.jpeg>
Date: 12/30/25 7:42 pm From: Joe F. via groups.io <jfreeborn58...> Subject: [NEBirds] ID Help Please
I took this photo today at Lake Wanahoo and this was about the only look I got of the bird as it left the area. Hoping someone could tell me what it may be?
Also attached a red-tailed hawk photo perched on the flag pole there that I thought looked neat cause of what it’s perched on. 🤓 Also today at Wanahoo.
Date: 12/29/25 12:07 pm From: Jorgensen, Joel via groups.io <Joel.Jorgensen...> Subject: [NEBirds] Harlan County CBC - 2025
The 16th edition of the fabled Harlan County Christmas Bird Count was held Tuesday, 16 December 2025. The CBC was completed 1996-2001 and restarted in 2014. We had an intrepid group of 9 participants in seven parties brave high temperatures in the 60s with light winds. Big thanks to each observer for trekking down to Harlan County to help.
We ended up with 93 species, which is just shy of the record of 95 species and the fourth time the CBC has surpassed the 90 mark. The big theme of this year's CBC is that we got most of our "50/50 birds"(those species that are likely around each year in low numbers, but it is a coin toss whether they get detected or not), but we did not have many rarities or unexpected species. The exceptions are Wild Turkey (one big miss) and Pileated Woodpecker (rarity). Pileated Woodpeckers have been moving up the Republican River valley, and I figured it was matter of time before they found the big cottonwood forests at the west end of the lake.
New count species: Pileated Woodpecker
Other highlights/rarities: Short-billed "Mew" Gull (5th time on the CBC, becoming expected), Ruddy Duck (4th time), Carolina Wren (first time in 5 years when formerly regular), Townsend's Solitaire (4th time)
Biggest miss: Wild Turkey
Other misses: Rough-legged Hawk (but not a surprise given the year), large gulls (Iceland, LBBG, etc).
High counts of note: The 491 Cackling Geese bests the previous high of 39 in 2019; 3 Hermit Thrushes is better than singletons during any other year.
Low counts of note: The 806 Common Mergansers is the second lowest count (286 in 2021) and fits a trend of depressed piscivorous bird numbers since the reservoir "flooded" in the summer of 2019. A massive merganser flock between 10,000-50,000 was reliable on this CBC prior to 2019 and along with it came hundreds of large gulls.
Thanks again to those who helped.
Joel
___________________________________________________
Joel Jorgensen | Nongame Bird Program Manager
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
2200 N 33rd St. | Lincoln, NE 68503
<joel.jorgensen...><mailto:<joel.jorgensen...> | 402-471-5440
Date: 12/28/25 4:22 pm From: Jason Thiele via groups.io <jasonthiele...> Subject: [NEBirds] Beaver Valley CBC - postponed to Tuesday, December 30
Hello, Nebraska birders. I believe I've reached out to everyone who had told me they were coming, but in case anyone else was thinking about it or if anyone else is available and would want to join, the Beaver Valley Christmas Bird Count originally scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed to this Tuesday, December 30 due to forecasted high winds and very cold temperatures tomorrow.
We will meet near the post office on Main Street of Petersburg at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday for area assignments. You can reach me by e-mail (<jasonthiele...>) or phone/text at 402-750-0660 if you would like to help.
Date: 12/25/25 2:57 pm From: Walker, thomas via groups.io <thomas.walker...> Subject: [NEBirds] North Platte CBC
A little tardy on the reporting here...
The North Platte CBC was held on December 17th. 15 Field participants and 4 Feeder Watchers contributed to the count.
Weather was almost perfect in the morning, but by 10:30 AM winds picked up with gusts in the 25-40 mph range which continued the rest of the day. It was tough to find much other than open water or open country birds after that. We managed to find a total of 77 species on the day - which is right on the average for the previous 10 years but well below our high of 86 species, and a total of 19,097 individual birds reported (which was several thousand short of where it could have been but Starlings and Robins wore participants out flying overhead in small to large groups throughout the day). Four "count week species" (American Coot, White-winged Dove, Hairy Woodpecker and White-throated Sparrow) eluded us on count day. There was an ice storm in the North Platte area less than a week before the count which may have hurt us on passerines.
Four Greater Yellowlegs on the South Platte River were the only addition to the cumulative species list across all years - which now sits at 143 species.
* Cooper's Hawk - recorded in 15 consecutive years prior to this year
* Mourning Dove - found in 9 of last 11 years
* White-winged Dove - found in 7 of last 8 years
* Hairy Woodpecker - recorded in 17 consecutive years prior to this year
* Golden-crowned Kinglet - found in 12 of previous 15 years
* Finches - wasn't there supposed to be a fallout this winter - is that still yet to come? Only got House Finch and American Goldfinch...
Near misses (one individual found during the count):
* Lesser Scaup
* Long-tailed Duck
* Double-crested Cormorant
* Sharp-shinned Hawk
* Merlin
* Prairie Falcon
* Harris's Sparrow
* Several other species with more than 1 individual but only recorded at one location...
High notes:
* Long-tailed Duck - third year in a row
* Fairly good waterfowl numbers and species count
* 15 Trumpeter Swans (there were "hundreds" in locations -5 miles outside of the circle)
* 6 Wood Ducks - always a good CBC species to get
* 21 Mountain Bluebirds
* 13 Northern Harriers - pushing record high count from 8 years ago
* Nearly 3,500 American Robins (which may have reached a record high count if participants recorded all they saw)
* Almost exactly the same participant list as last year - minus 3 plus a couple more - it is good to have consistency there!
Thank you to all that participated! Big thank you to Julie Geiser and Boni Edwards for scouting early in the week and for helping with local logistics!!!
Date: 12/24/25 4:07 am From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: [NEBirds] Fort Niobrara NWR/Valentine CBC
We held ours on the 16th. I wish I had thought to solicit help from our community. We don't get much of a turn-out. Only 5 this year. Please keep it in mind for next year.
Our best bird was a ferruginous hawk, perched on a post just east of the Valentine High School. It regurgitated a pellet while we watched.
Date: 12/22/25 12:49 pm From: Gubanyi,Joe via groups.io <Joe.Gubanyi...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Swans: Thoughts and a Question
Tundra swan would have been a new species for the Seward - Branched Oak Lake CBC. Unfortunately, although there were quite a few photos taken of trumpeter swans during the count, there were no photos taken that pointed to or documented tundra swans or even suggested tundra swans. In addition, the earliest reports and first photos of tundra swans at BOL were posted on December 18 which was 4 days after the count, so we cannot even add it to the count as a count week bird. Wish we could have added tundra swan to the count. Maybe next year.
Joe Gubanyi
________________________________
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2025 12:28 PM
To: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Swans: Thoughts and a Question
External Email
I had initially reported two of the juveniles as Trumpeters, but have since backed that off to a slash. I only noted one of the juveniles having a mostly pink bill, the other two were quite black. As I was observing them, two of them were sleeping most of the time, so I didn't get great looks. But it seems logical to deduce that the other two were also Tundra swans since other observers later saw all five in the same group.
That would be a cool one to have on the CBC list! I assume it would be a count first?
- Tobin
On Mon, Dec 22, 2025, 12:07 PM Daniel Leger via groups.io<http://groups.io/> <dleger1...><mailto:<unl.edu...>> wrote:
I just returned home from viewing the family group of five Tundra Swans at Branched Oak Lake, a Lancaster County bird for me! Thanks to Tobin Brown for his initial report (one of many from him in Nebraska this year!) and to others who have reported details about them since then.
I want to comment a bit on the "other" swans at BOL, namely the group of 13 Trumpeter Swans. How quickly we forget that Trumpeters were once very scarce in Nebraska. It was not that long ago that I found a group of three or four at BOL on the CBC there. It was a county bird for me and for quite a few others who joined in the CBC that year. How nice it is to see so many of these beauties so close to home and to have them here nearly every year.
My question concerns how long the Tundras may have been at Branched Oak: I think they may have been there last weekend (Dec. 14), when we gathered for this year's installment of the Seward-BOL CBC. Our group was huddling early on the south side of the lake when a few of us noted about five large, white birds flying low along the opposite shore. I, and I think another birder, noted that two of them seemed to be smaller than the others. They disappeared from view, but we later found several swans gathered on the ice a little west of the original sighting. They were far off and we didn't have a scope, but we estimated there were about nine or 10 swans, two or three of which were grey.
Tom Labedz told me that after our CBC group dispersed a few hours later, he scoped a group of 12 swans, all of which were adult Trumpeters. I concluded that the size difference noted earlier was probably nothing of interest. However, since Tobin's initial observation I have been intrigued by the grey swans. So far, I haven't noticed anyone reporting immature Trumpeter Swans. Has anyone done that? If I'm right, the grey swans we saw on Dec. 14 may have been immature Tundras, and their parents overlooked (mis-identified) as being Trumpeters. This might have implications for the Seward-BOL CBC results.
Although both species have tended to use the same areas, they also segregate when possible. Dec. 14 was very cold and there was almost no open water on the lake. Several observers have noted that the Tundras are off by themselves while foraging (although sometimes in proximity to the Trumpeters) and when I saw them all this morning on the now-open water at BOL, the five were on their own, although not far from their bigger cousins. The Tundras this morning took flight, but the Trumpeters stayed behind.
Anyway, I just wanted to throw this out there for your consideration. Here's hoping that the Tundra Swan is on the same trajectory as the Trumpeters and that we might have them here more often!
Date: 12/22/25 10:28 am From: Tobin Brown via groups.io <tobinjbrown...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Swans: Thoughts and a Question
I had initially reported two of the juveniles as Trumpeters, but have since
backed that off to a slash. I only noted one of the juveniles having a
mostly pink bill, the other two were quite black. As I was observing them,
two of them were sleeping most of the time, so I didn't get great looks.
But it seems logical to deduce that the other two were also Tundra swans
since other observers later saw all five in the same group.
That would be a cool one to have on the CBC list! I assume it would be a
count first?
- Tobin
On Mon, Dec 22, 2025, 12:07 PM Daniel Leger via groups.io <dleger1=
<unl.edu...> wrote:
> I just returned home from viewing the family group of five Tundra Swans at
> Branched Oak Lake, a Lancaster County bird for me! Thanks to Tobin Brown
> for his initial report (one of many from him in Nebraska this year!) and to
> others who have reported details about them since then.
>
> I want to comment a bit on the "other" swans at BOL, namely the group of
> 13 Trumpeter Swans. How quickly we forget that Trumpeters were once very
> scarce in Nebraska. It was not that long ago that I found a group of three
> or four at BOL on the CBC there. It was a county bird for me and for quite
> a few others who joined in the CBC that year. How nice it is to see so
> many of these beauties so close to home and to have them here nearly every
> year.
>
> My question concerns how long the Tundras may have been at Branched Oak: I
> think they may have been there last weekend (Dec. 14), when we gathered for
> this year's installment of the Seward-BOL CBC. Our group was huddling
> early on the south side of the lake when a few of us noted about five
> large, white birds flying low along the opposite shore. I, and I think
> another birder, noted that two of them seemed to be smaller than the
> others. They disappeared from view, but we later found several swans
> gathered on the ice a little west of the original sighting. They were far
> off and we didn't have a scope, but we estimated there were about nine or
> 10 swans, two or three of which were grey.
>
> Tom Labedz told me that after our CBC group dispersed a few hours later,
> he scoped a group of 12 swans, all of which were adult Trumpeters. I
> concluded that the size difference noted earlier was probably nothing of
> interest. However, since Tobin's initial observation I have been intrigued
> by the grey swans. So far, I haven't noticed anyone reporting immature
> Trumpeter Swans. Has anyone done that? If I'm right, the grey swans we
> saw on Dec. 14 may have been immature Tundras, and their parents overlooked
> (mis-identified) as being Trumpeters. This might have implications for the
> Seward-BOL CBC results.
>
> Although both species have tended to use the same areas, they also
> segregate when possible. Dec. 14 was very cold and there was almost no
> open water on the lake. Several observers have noted that the Tundras are
> off by themselves while foraging (although sometimes in proximity to the
> Trumpeters) and when I saw them all this morning on the now-open water at
> BOL, the five were on their own, although not far from their bigger
> cousins. The Tundras this morning took flight, but the Trumpeters stayed
> behind.
>
> Anyway, I just wanted to throw this out there for your consideration.
> Here's hoping that the Tundra Swan is on the same trajectory as the
> Trumpeters and that we might have them here more often!
>
> Dan Leger
> Lincoln
>
>
>
Date: 12/22/25 10:07 am From: Daniel Leger via groups.io <dleger1...> Subject: [NEBirds] Swans: Thoughts and a Question
I just returned home from viewing the family group of five Tundra Swans at Branched Oak Lake, a Lancaster County bird for me! Thanks to Tobin Brown for his initial report (one of many from him in Nebraska this year!) and to others who have reported details about them since then.
I want to comment a bit on the "other" swans at BOL, namely the group of 13 Trumpeter Swans. How quickly we forget that Trumpeters were once very scarce in Nebraska. It was not that long ago that I found a group of three or four at BOL on the CBC there. It was a county bird for me and for quite a few others who joined in the CBC that year. How nice it is to see so many of these beauties so close to home and to have them here nearly every year.
My question concerns how long the Tundras may have been at Branched Oak: I think they may have been there last weekend (Dec. 14), when we gathered for this year's installment of the Seward-BOL CBC. Our group was huddling early on the south side of the lake when a few of us noted about five large, white birds flying low along the opposite shore. I, and I think another birder, noted that two of them seemed to be smaller than the others. They disappeared from view, but we later found several swans gathered on the ice a little west of the original sighting. They were far off and we didn't have a scope, but we estimated there were about nine or 10 swans, two or three of which were grey.
Tom Labedz told me that after our CBC group dispersed a few hours later, he scoped a group of 12 swans, all of which were adult Trumpeters. I concluded that the size difference noted earlier was probably nothing of interest. However, since Tobin's initial observation I have been intrigued by the grey swans. So far, I haven't noticed anyone reporting immature Trumpeter Swans. Has anyone done that? If I'm right, the grey swans we saw on Dec. 14 may have been immature Tundras, and their parents overlooked (mis-identified) as being Trumpeters. This might have implications for the Seward-BOL CBC results.
Although both species have tended to use the same areas, they also segregate when possible. Dec. 14 was very cold and there was almost no open water on the lake. Several observers have noted that the Tundras are off by themselves while foraging (although sometimes in proximity to the Trumpeters) and when I saw them all this morning on the now-open water at BOL, the five were on their own, although not far from their bigger cousins. The Tundras this morning took flight, but the Trumpeters stayed behind.
Anyway, I just wanted to throw this out there for your consideration. Here's hoping that the Tundra Swan is on the same trajectory as the Trumpeters and that we might have them here more often!
Date: 12/22/25 7:36 am From: Jacob C. Cooper via groups.io <cooperj2...> Subject: [NEBirds] Kearney CBC
Hi all,
Yesterday, we held the Kearney CBC. My thanks again to everyone who came and helped and to the area leaders who helped cover this area - specifically, Robin Harding, Johnathan Nikkila, Amanda Hegg, Cody McGregor, TJ Walker, and Mike Roffman. Im still waiting on a few feeder watchers to report, but we have the bulk of our results in at present.
In all, folks reported 76 species of birds - 3 shy of our all-time maximum of 79 last year. We had four new species reported on the count - Clay-colored Sparrow (2 of them in a hotel parking lot found by Cody McGregor), Rosss Goose (multiple groups), Red Crossbill and Spotted Towhee (both RECR + SPTO Johnathan Nikkila, first non count week records) - which brings the all-time species total for the Kearney CBC to 110 species.
Although the weather was not too bad yesterday - up to the 40s F with consistent wind chills pushing things into the 30s or 20s - the cold snaps earlier in the year markedly decreased the numbers of waterbirds present this year, with several species recorded last year absent this year (Canvasback, Redhead, etc.). Number of birds from last year -> this year include Wood Duck (51 -> 2), Gadwall (41 -> 0), Green-winged Teal (66 -> 12), and Common Goldeneye (47 -> 12). Despite these decreases, many goose numbers were similar to last year or even higher, with Snow Geese breaking the previous high count of 31 birds with an astonishing 5164 reported across the circle, mostly in the form of large flocks moving overhead throughout the day.
Perhaps the most interesting thing of the day (to me) is that we have finally started figuring out where to get our Screech-Owls on the count. There are lots of Screech-Owls reported in town, but many of these urban owls are reticent to respond. We checked a lot of the Platte River batture (i.e., elevated riverbanks) to see what we could find. We far exceeded the previous high count of 2 Eastern Screech-Owls for the CBC with 22 individuals being reported yesterday - 13 of which were by one group alone and all but one of which were in riverine thickets.
Another noteworthy find was Northern Bobwhite. While reported fairly regularly in the early years of the count, we have not found a single one in the past two years. This year, however, multiple groups found them, with a total of 37 being reported. It is unclear if we all just got lucky or if it was a good year for them in the area.
Noteworthy sightings/misses below; high counts are shown as This Year [Previous Record]:
*
Snow Goose - high count - 5164 [31]
*
Rosss Goose - new for the count - 38
*
Cackling Goose. - high count - 1026 [661]
*
American Wigeon - high count - 15 [1]
*
Ring-necked Duck - high count - 16 [15]
*
Lesser Scaup - high count - 9 [3]
*
Greater Prairie-Chicken - high count - 35 [14]
*
Rock Pigeon - high count - 2133 [790]
*
Eurasian Collared-Dove - surprising decrease, either a true decrease or us missing their current feeding ground? - 402, first count under 1000 in the past three years
*
Mourning Dove - 0, after 42 last year!
*
Ring-billed Gull - 0, after 77 last year!
*
Bald Eagle - high count - 22 [16]
*
Eastern Screech-Owl - high count - 22 [2]
*
Merlin - high count - 4 [3]
*
Brown Creeper - tied for high count - 8
*
European Starling - high count - 1806 [982]
*
Red Crossbill - new for count - 1
*
American Goldfinch - high count - 304 [150]
*
Clay-colored Sparrow - new for count - 2
*
Rusty Blackbird - noteworthy, but not high count - 12
*
Yellow-rumped Warbler - high count, includes one Audubons Warbler in Kearney County - 50 [17]
Thanks again to all who volunteered for the count!
Date: 12/19/25 3:37 pm From: Don & Janis Paseka via groups.io <paseka76...> Subject: [NEBirds] 2025 Ames CBC
On Tuesday December 16, the 20th iteration of the Ames CBC was completed.. The weather was great with afternoon temps in the low fifties and light winds all day. Unfortunately, the brief cold snap over the weekend left almost all of the standing water frozen and the Platte River clogged with moving ice. Even though the total number of individuals counted was below average, the total number of species found was the third highest at 70.
The single Gray Catbird was the only species new to the count. Otherwise there weren't many high counts. But with a few exceptions, we did find most of the species that have been found in more than half of the past years.
While we had five goose species plus Trumpeter Swans (fourth time), ducks were mostly a different story. Wood ducks were found for only the third time and American Wigeon for the second time, but the only diving ducks present were Common Goldeneye. Common Merganser was missed for only the fifth time.
It was such a nice day, a lone Killdeer was walking and calling on the Valley View golf course. This is only the fourth occurrence for them.
We counted five species of owls, including two Long-eared Owls (third time) and a Short-eared Owl (sixth time).
We had seven woodpecker species. A Red-headed was found for the fourth time and three Pileateds were counted. This was the fifth occurrence for them and the first time that more than one has been found. Several parties had Red-bellied Nuthatches and the total of nine was a new high count. Also on a positive note, the 35 Eastern Bluebirds is the best count for them in the last ten years, and for those of you concerned with their status, the count of 732 House sparrows ties with 2023 for high count.
I would like to thank the dedicated participants and the landowners who make this count more of a success than I ever thought possible twenty years ago.
If anyone would like a complete list of this years or the past twenty years' results, contact me off-list and I will send it to you.
It not the bird 🦅 it’s the experience.
It’s why I bird not for just the tick mark.
Don MaasMesa, AZMaricopa County
“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools. Plato“You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.”
Don & Shirley MaasThe Maas’s have migrated to the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, AZ from Choctaw, Ok for the winter.
On Monday, December 15, 2025, 4:28 PM, Matt Shurtliff via groups.io <mmscornhusker...> wrote:
I didn’t even bring it. Partner had one.
The hawk … was most likely Swainson’s. But not 100% sure.
Matt Shurtliff
<mmscornhusker...>
On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 5:26 PM greg hartel via groups.io <gregjhartel...> wrote:
Where was your camera?
On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM Matt Shurtliff via groups.io <mmscornhusker...> wrote:
I had the incredible thrill of having my 300th Nebraska birdbe the Crested caracara. I think many of us like listing, and memorableexperiences, and good birding partners, and milestones. I had all of that tiedtogether in this one sighting.
So ... Tobin hooks me up with the Discord chat to follow thelatest on the Caracara. I can't go until Saturday work wise. In the chat Em islooking to hitchhike along if anyone is passing through Lancaster County. So,we connect. We agree if there's a sighting Friday it's on. There is, so I pickEm up at 6 am in Lincoln.
The conversation along the drive was wide, varied, and epic.I'll just tell you, Em does a great Richard Burton from Who's Afraid ofVirginia Woolf.
It's getting icy on this drive. There's a time where we'reconsidering bailing. At a gas station we talk to a group of farmers on theirmorning "solve the world's problems" coffee meeting. I ask about theroads. One assured me the route would be ok. I took that as a sign. :)
Eventually we get to Keith County, cross the dam, and headdown 92. At 20 miles out, we lock in. No more wide and variedconversation. All we're talking about is how we find this bird. We havethe "your eyes on the road, mine on the birds" conversation.
We get lucky. We see the bird immediately. But ... it'sflying about 300 yards away, just in front of the beige building on the NWcorner of 92 and 207. We get a 20-ish second view as it crosses 92 to theNorth, with trees impeding view.
So, there we sit, and ID a silhouette of a large flying raptorwhere we can't see the famous face/head characteristics. We can see a flash of light/darkcolor, and we can see wing shape, wing style, tail angle, and flight characteristics.We start ruling out possibles. Buteos were out. Bald eagle - out. Thelast DQ was Harrier. We asked each other if we were certain, and we agreed.
You wouldn't know this about me, but the thing Ienjoy the most is what I call "good birding" - when you need to go deep into your toollbox to ID a bird. You don't have the visual you need for thefull set of field marks. You don't have vocalization. You have things likesilhouette, posture, wing appearance, etc. I'm not as good as many here in that process, but it's my favorite thing about birding.
So, I got Nebraska #300, collaborating with a fine youngbirder who's going to become better than me if they haven't already, by ID-ingmy favorite way. The only way it could be better is if JRR Tolkien and TomOsborne were with us. I don't know if Em caught this or not, but I had tearswell up at the whole thing.
Less than 5 minutes after we agree, there's a flash fromEbird, Mark Brogie reported it. So we get the Appeal to Authority :).
Em is on the phone telling their mother, who is justlearning birding, and is chasing a Prothonotary warbler in California atthe same time. I told Em to tell their mother that their partner says that theyare a great birder.
We try and relocate the CC. We eventually end up with a30-minute spotting scope view about 200 yards out in the same field, as it toreapart and ate a Canada goose. You could see blood on the goose'sfeather, and pieces of flesh. That's how good the scope view was. The bestpicture we have is old school digiscoping - Em shooting a phone picture throughthe scope eyepiece. That's in the checklist.
Em later shares that picture to the Discord chat. With acaption that says "A digiscopic observation of rapid caracarogenicmetamorphosis in Branta canadensis." We worked on thata bit on the drive home. Em provided "rapid." I served up"caracara-induced," then Em improved it. You get the idea.
Other cool things happened. In addition to 300, we sawKestrel, Merlin, and Prairie falcon. So, we're in the club of those who havehad a Nebraska 4-falcon day without a Peregrine. Em wanted to see a Townsend'ssolitaire while we were there. Tobin recommended Lake Ogallala, and I went straight toa tree grove where I'd seen one years before. Tick. At the Caracara field, a Merlinblasted over a mass of Starlings on the ground, causing Starling Mayhem. It wasjust that kind of day.
And ... a mysterious Buteo that flew directly overhead at 20feet. We watched through binoculars as it approached, flew straight over our heads, andflew away. Neither of us had a camera. We couldn't tell what it was. And wetried hard, went through Sibleys. We left it at the genus level on the checklist.
There's even more to the story, but that's probably enough.
Date: 12/15/25 3:28 pm From: Matt Shurtliff via groups.io <mmscornhusker...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] My Nebraska #300 experience - Caracara road trip (long)
I didn’t even bring it. Partner had one.
The hawk … was most likely Swainson’s. But not 100% sure.
Matt Shurtliff
<mmscornhusker...>
On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 5:26 PM greg hartel via groups.io <gregjhartel=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Where was your camera?
>
> On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM Matt Shurtliff via groups.io
> <mmscornhusker...> wrote:
>
>> Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288423016 >>
>> I had the incredible thrill of having my 300th Nebraska bird be the
>> Crested caracara. I think many of us like listing, and memorable
>> experiences, and good birding partners, and milestones. I had all of that
>> tied together in this one sighting.
>>
>> So ... Tobin hooks me up with the Discord chat to follow the latest on
>> the Caracara. I can't go until Saturday work wise. In the chat Em is
>> looking to hitchhike along if anyone is passing through Lancaster County.
>> So, we connect. We agree if there's a sighting Friday it's on. There is, so
>> I pick Em up at 6 am in Lincoln.
>>
>> The conversation along the drive was wide, varied, and epic. I'll just
>> tell you, Em does a great Richard Burton from Who's Afraid of Virginia
>> Woolf.
>>
>> It's getting icy on this drive. There's a time where we're considering
>> bailing. At a gas station we talk to a group of farmers on their morning
>> "solve the world's problems" coffee meeting. I ask about the roads. One
>> assured me the route would be ok. I took that as a sign. :)
>>
>> Eventually we get to Keith County, cross the dam, and head down 92. At 20
>> miles out, we lock in. No more wide and varied conversation. All we're
>> talking about is how we find this bird. We have the "your eyes on the road,
>> mine on the birds" conversation.
>>
>> We get lucky. We see the bird immediately. But ... it's flying about 300
>> yards away, just in front of the beige building on the NW corner of 92 and
>> 207. We get a 20-ish second view as it crosses 92 to the North, with trees
>> impeding view.
>>
>> So, there we sit, and ID a silhouette of a large flying raptor where we
>> can't see the famous face/head characteristics. We can see a flash of
>> light/dark color, and we can see wing shape, wing style, tail angle, and
>> flight characteristics. We start ruling out possibles. Buteos were out.
>> Bald eagle - out. The last DQ was Harrier. We asked each other if we were
>> certain, and we agreed.
>>
>> You wouldn't know this about me, but the thing I enjoy the most is what I
>> call "good birding" - when you need to go deep into your toollbox to ID a
>> bird. You don't have the visual you need for the full set of field marks.
>> You don't have vocalization. You have things like silhouette, posture, wing
>> appearance, etc. I'm not as good as many here in that process, but it's
>> my favorite thing about birding.
>>
>> So, I got Nebraska #300, collaborating with a fine young birder who's
>> going to become better than me if they haven't already, by ID-ing my
>> favorite way. The only way it could be better is if JRR Tolkien and Tom
>> Osborne were with us. I don't know if Em caught this or not, but I had
>> tears well up at the whole thing.
>>
>> Less than 5 minutes after we agree, there's a flash from Ebird, Mark
>> Brogie reported it. So we get the Appeal to Authority :).
>>
>> Em is on the phone telling their mother, who is just learning birding,
>> and is chasing a Prothonotary warbler in California at the same time. I
>> told Em to tell their mother that their partner says that they are a
>> great birder.
>>
>> We try and relocate the CC. We eventually end up with a 30-minute
>> spotting scope view about 200 yards out in the same field, as it tore apart
>> and ate a Canada goose. You could see blood on the goose's feather, and
>> pieces of flesh. That's how good the scope view was. The best picture we
>> have is old school digiscoping - Em shooting a phone picture through the
>> scope eyepiece. That's in the checklist.
>>
>> Em later shares that picture to the Discord chat. With a caption that
>> says "A digiscopic observation of rapid caracarogenic metamorphosis in *Branta
>> canadensis*." We worked on that a bit on the drive home. Em provided
>> "rapid." I served up "caracara-induced," then Em improved it. You get the
>> idea.
>>
>> Other cool things happened. In addition to 300, we saw Kestrel, Merlin,
>> and Prairie falcon. So, we're in the club of those who have had a Nebraska
>> 4-falcon day without a Peregrine. Em wanted to see a Townsend's
>> solitaire while we were there. Tobin recommended Lake Ogallala, and I went
>> straight to a tree grove where I'd seen one years before. Tick. At the
>> Caracara field, a Merlin blasted over a mass of Starlings on the ground,
>> causing Starling Mayhem. It was just that kind of day.
>>
>> And ... a mysterious Buteo that flew directly overhead at 20 feet. We
>> watched through binoculars as it approached, flew straight over our heads,
>> and flew away. Neither of us had a camera. We couldn't tell what it was.
>> And we tried hard, went through Sibleys. We left it at the genus level on
>> the checklist.
>>
>> There's even more to the story, but that's probably enough.
>>
>> --
>> Matt Shurtliff
>> Sarpy County
>> <mmscornhusker...>
>>
>>
>
>
On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM Matt Shurtliff via groups.io
<mmscornhusker...> wrote:
> Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S288423016 >
> I had the incredible thrill of having my 300th Nebraska bird be the
> Crested caracara. I think many of us like listing, and memorable
> experiences, and good birding partners, and milestones. I had all of that
> tied together in this one sighting.
>
> So ... Tobin hooks me up with the Discord chat to follow the latest on the
> Caracara. I can't go until Saturday work wise. In the chat Em is looking to
> hitchhike along if anyone is passing through Lancaster County. So, we
> connect. We agree if there's a sighting Friday it's on. There is, so I pick
> Em up at 6 am in Lincoln.
>
> The conversation along the drive was wide, varied, and epic. I'll just
> tell you, Em does a great Richard Burton from Who's Afraid of Virginia
> Woolf.
>
> It's getting icy on this drive. There's a time where we're considering
> bailing. At a gas station we talk to a group of farmers on their morning
> "solve the world's problems" coffee meeting. I ask about the roads. One
> assured me the route would be ok. I took that as a sign. :)
>
> Eventually we get to Keith County, cross the dam, and head down 92. At 20
> miles out, we lock in. No more wide and varied conversation. All we're
> talking about is how we find this bird. We have the "your eyes on the road,
> mine on the birds" conversation.
>
> We get lucky. We see the bird immediately. But ... it's flying about 300
> yards away, just in front of the beige building on the NW corner of 92 and
> 207. We get a 20-ish second view as it crosses 92 to the North, with trees
> impeding view.
>
> So, there we sit, and ID a silhouette of a large flying raptor where we
> can't see the famous face/head characteristics. We can see a flash of
> light/dark color, and we can see wing shape, wing style, tail angle, and
> flight characteristics. We start ruling out possibles. Buteos were out.
> Bald eagle - out. The last DQ was Harrier. We asked each other if we were
> certain, and we agreed.
>
> You wouldn't know this about me, but the thing I enjoy the most is what I
> call "good birding" - when you need to go deep into your toollbox to ID a
> bird. You don't have the visual you need for the full set of field marks.
> You don't have vocalization. You have things like silhouette, posture, wing
> appearance, etc. I'm not as good as many here in that process, but it's
> my favorite thing about birding.
>
> So, I got Nebraska #300, collaborating with a fine young birder who's
> going to become better than me if they haven't already, by ID-ing my
> favorite way. The only way it could be better is if JRR Tolkien and Tom
> Osborne were with us. I don't know if Em caught this or not, but I had
> tears well up at the whole thing.
>
> Less than 5 minutes after we agree, there's a flash from Ebird, Mark
> Brogie reported it. So we get the Appeal to Authority :).
>
> Em is on the phone telling their mother, who is just learning birding, and
> is chasing a Prothonotary warbler in California at the same time. I told Em
> to tell their mother that their partner says that they are a great birder.
>
>
> We try and relocate the CC. We eventually end up with a 30-minute spotting
> scope view about 200 yards out in the same field, as it tore apart and ate
> a Canada goose. You could see blood on the goose's feather, and pieces of
> flesh. That's how good the scope view was. The best picture we have is old
> school digiscoping - Em shooting a phone picture through the scope
> eyepiece. That's in the checklist.
>
> Em later shares that picture to the Discord chat. With a caption that says
> "A digiscopic observation of rapid caracarogenic metamorphosis in *Branta
> canadensis*." We worked on that a bit on the drive home. Em provided
> "rapid." I served up "caracara-induced," then Em improved it. You get the
> idea.
>
> Other cool things happened. In addition to 300, we saw Kestrel, Merlin,
> and Prairie falcon. So, we're in the club of those who have had a Nebraska
> 4-falcon day without a Peregrine. Em wanted to see a Townsend's solitaire
> while we were there. Tobin recommended Lake Ogallala, and I went straight
> to a tree grove where I'd seen one years before. Tick. At the Caracara
> field, a Merlin blasted over a mass of Starlings on the ground, causing
> Starling Mayhem. It was just that kind of day.
>
> And ... a mysterious Buteo that flew directly overhead at 20 feet. We
> watched through binoculars as it approached, flew straight over our heads,
> and flew away. Neither of us had a camera. We couldn't tell what it was.
> And we tried hard, went through Sibleys. We left it at the genus level on
> the checklist.
>
> There's even more to the story, but that's probably enough.
>
> --
> Matt Shurtliff
> Sarpy County
> <mmscornhusker...>
>
>
>
Date: 12/15/25 1:29 pm From: Gubanyi,Joe via groups.io <Joe.Gubanyi...> Subject: [NEBirds] Seward-Branched Oak Lake CBC preliminary results
The Seward-Branched Oak Lake CBC which was held yesterday, Sunday, December 14. I have heard from most of the observers but still need to hear from a few more field observers and feeder watchers. In spite of the cold weather (it was 0 degrees F when we started), we had a reasonably good day. We are currently at 78 species for the count which would rank 5th in the 32-year history of the count. Some highlights are listed below.
Gray catbird – only the second time observed
11 trumpeter swans – only the 6th time observed
Swamp sparrow – only the 6th time observed
American white pelican - 8th time observed
Hermit thrush – 11th time observed
American coot – 13th time observed
Lapland longspurs – 14th time observed
Red-headed Woodpecker – one reported after last year’s record 15
Townsend’s solitaire – even though it has been seen on 20 previous counts, it is always a surprise to see it on the count; interestingly, most of the time they have been found in the same area in the northwest of Garland
Joe Gubanyi
I had the incredible thrill of having my 300th Nebraska bird be the Crested caracara. I think many of us like listing, and memorable experiences, and good birding partners, and milestones. I had all of that tied together in this one sighting.
So ... Tobin hooks me up with the Discord chat to follow the latest on the Caracara. I can't go until Saturday work wise. In the chat Em is looking to hitchhike along if anyone is passing through Lancaster County. So, we connect. We agree if there's a sighting Friday it's on. There is, so I pick Em up at 6 am in Lincoln.
The conversation along the drive was wide, varied, and epic. I'll just tell you, Em does a great Richard Burton from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
It's getting icy on this drive. There's a time where we're considering bailing. At a gas station we talk to a group of farmers on their morning "solve the world's problems" coffee meeting. I ask about the roads. One assured me the route would be ok. I took that as a sign. :)
Eventually we get to Keith County, cross the dam, and head down 92. At 20 miles out, we lock in. No more wide and varied conversation. All we're talking about is how we find this bird. We have the "your eyes on the road, mine on the birds" conversation.
We get lucky. We see the bird immediately. But ... it's flying about 300 yards away, just in front of the beige building on the NW corner of 92 and 207. We get a 20-ish second view as it crosses 92 to the North, with trees impeding view.
So, there we sit, and ID a silhouette of a large flying raptor where we can't see the famous face/head characteristics. We can see a flash of light/dark color, and we can see wing shape, wing style, tail angle, and flight characteristics. We start ruling out possibles. Buteos were out. Bald eagle - out. The last DQ was Harrier. We asked each other if we were certain, and we agreed.
You wouldn't know this about me, but the thing I enjoy the most is what I call "good birding" - when you need to go deep into your toollbox to ID a bird. You don't have the visual you need for the full set of field marks. You don't have vocalization. You have things like silhouette, posture, wing appearance, etc. I'm not as good as many here in that process, but it's my favorite thing about birding.
So, I got Nebraska #300, collaborating with a fine young birder who's going to become better than me if they haven't already, by ID-ing my favorite way. The only way it could be better is if JRR Tolkien and Tom Osborne were with us. I don't know if Em caught this or not, but I had tears well up at the whole thing.
Less than 5 minutes after we agree, there's a flash from Ebird, Mark Brogie reported it. So we get the Appeal to Authority :).
Em is on the phone telling their mother, who is just learning birding, and is chasing a Prothonotary warbler in California at the same time. I told Em to tell their mother that their partner says that they are a great birder.
We try and relocate the CC. We eventually end up with a 30-minute spotting scope view about 200 yards out in the same field, as it tore apart and ate a Canada goose. You could see blood on the goose's feather, and pieces of flesh. That's how good the scope view was. The best picture we have is old school digiscoping - Em shooting a phone picture through the scope eyepiece. That's in the checklist.
Em later shares that picture to the Discord chat. With a caption that says "A digiscopic observation of rapid caracarogenic metamorphosis in *Branta canadensis*." We worked on that a bit on the drive home. Em provided "rapid." I served up "caracara-induced," then Em improved it. You get the idea.
Other cool things happened. In addition to 300, we saw Kestrel, Merlin, and Prairie falcon. So, we're in the club of those who have had a Nebraska 4-falcon day without a Peregrine. Em wanted to see a Townsend's solitaire while we were there. Tobin recommended Lake Ogallala, and I went straight to a tree grove where I'd seen one years before. Tick. At the Caracara field, a Merlin blasted over a mass of Starlings on the ground, causing Starling Mayhem. It was just that kind of day.
And ... a mysterious Buteo that flew directly overhead at 20 feet. We watched through binoculars as it approached, flew straight over our heads, and flew away. Neither of us had a camera. We couldn't tell what it was. And we tried hard, went through Sibleys. We left it at the genus level on the checklist.
There's even more to the story, but that's probably enough.
