Historic Observations of Birdlife Around the Platte River Confluence

Considering the history of where the Platte River flows into the Missouri River, its historic significance is readily apparent in a number of ways, including ornithology.

The prominence of the larger Missouri, meant there have been numerous notations in the historic chronicles where the great river flowed in from the west.

In 1739, the name was first denoted as the Mallet Brothers, with six companions, traveling to Sante Fe, reached the confluence on June 2nd, and noted in their account "la Riviere Platte." They then ascended this waterway, on their westward travel.

There were subsequent voyages which went past the flat water river, also known as the Nebraska river, and which is now designated, officially as the Platte River.

Historic Ornithology

The Missouri River was an important travel route in the first history of the central plains. It was a well-known landmark, route of transportation and gathering place, so among the notes for this predominant place, there were pertinent notations for the general area, as noted by different explorers.

There are other bird records for this general region, but the first particular notation of relevance to historic ornithology for the area about the confluence of the Platte and Missouri, is in association with the Lewis and Clark expedition, in July 1804, when they noted that the Greater Prairie-Chicken was seen in prairies between the Missouri and the river Platte.

In 1811, John Bradbury, went past the La Platte River, and although he did not note any birds in his journal for that particular day, just a few day's earlier, while at the wintering houses on the "Naduet River," (?Nodaway) shot 271 Passenger Pigeons on April 18th. Two days before reaching La Platte, he also collected "a bird of the genus Recurvirostra," most likely the American Avocet.

Bradbury's party ate breakfast on "one of the islands formed by La Platte Riviere," and noted indications that war parties of the Indians had been in the neighborhood recently. Below the bluffs of the Papillion Creek, the naturalist waded through an extensive lake, much covered with aquatic plants, "amongst which were Nelumbium luteum and Hydropeltis purpurea," with water snakes basking upon the later.

In 1823, Paul Wilhelm, Duke of Wurttemberg, during his travels in North America, noted the Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, and the "handsome Sterna with black head and white band on the forepart of its head streaked about, belly grayish etc." which refers to the Least Tern.

On May 3, 1833, Prince Maximilian Alexander Philip of Wied-Neuwied in Germany, on his great excursion to the northern plains, passed the mouth of La Platte River, boating along. His bird-related notes were:

• geese were moving about
• raven could be seen
• red shouldered golden oriole could be seen
• swallows in the air

This would represent the Canada Goose, Common Raven, Orchard Oriole and some type of swallow, of which any one of three or four would have been expected.

A fine list of species for the place was recorded by John James Audubon in May 9, 1843; Edward Harris was also along. The particular site of note was Saint Mary's Island. There were at least twenty species present.

Audubon wrote: "May 9, Tuesday. Another fine day. After running until eleven o'clock we stopped to cut wood, and two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were shot, a common Blue-bird, and a common Northern Titmouse. We saw White Pelicans, Geese, Ducks, etc. ... We have seen a Fish Hawk, Savannah Finch, Green-backed Swallows, Rough-winged Swallows, Martins, Parrakeets, Black-headed Gulls, Blackbirds, and Cow-birds; I will repeat that the woods are fairly alive with House Wrens, Blue Herons, Emberiza pallida - Clay-colored Bunting of Swainson - Henslow's Bunting, Crow Blackbirds."

On the return voyage, on October 5th and 6th, in the same vicinity, they noted the American White Pelican and Harris's Sparrow, which had been discovered just to the south of this area, during the trip upriver in May.

The single 1842 record, was the magpie seen by J.C. Fremont returning from an Army expedition to the West, at the mouth of the Platte River.

Additional notes of importance are based on specimens collected in 1856 by F.V. Hayden, the geologist and naturalist on the U.S. Army expedition led by topographic engineer, Lieutenant G.K. Warren. They documented ten species for April 26-27 at the mouth of the Platte River, while traveling up the Missouri. Their tally included waterfowl, woodpeckers, five types of warblers and sparrows.

A summary of the notations of birds available from these historic visits, is given in the following table:

Common Name	1804	1823	1833	1842	1843	1856
Canada Goose	-	-	**	-	**	-
Ruddy Duck	-	-	-	-	-	**
Greater Prairie-Chicken	**	-	-	-	-	-
American White Pelican	-	-	-	-	**	-
Great Blue Heron	-	-	-	-	**	-
Osprey	-	-	-	-	**	-
Franklin's Gull	-	-	-	-	**	-
Least Tern	-	**	-	-	-	-
Carolina Parakeet	-	-	-	-	**	-
Red-bellied Woodpecker	-	-	-	-	-	**
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	-	-	-	-	-	**
Downy Woodpecker	-	-	-	-	-	**
Black-billed Magpie	-	-	-	**	-	-
Common Raven	-	-	**	-	-	-
Purple Martin	-	-	-	-	**	-
Tree Swallow	-	**	-	-	**	-
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	-	-	-	-	**	-
Bank Swallow	-	**	-	-	-	-
Tufted Titmouse	-	-	-	-	**	-
House Wren	-	-	-	-	**	-
Eastern Bluebird	-	-	-	-	**	-
Northern Parula	-	-	-	-	-	**
Yellow Warbler	-	-	-	-	-	**
Chestnut-sided Warbler	-	-	-	-	-	**
American Redstart	-	-	-	-	-	**
Ovenbird	-	-	-	-	-	**
Clay-colored Sparrow	-	-	-	-	**	-
Savannah Sparrow	-	-	-	-	**	-
Henslow's Sparrow	-	-	-	-	**	-
Lincoln's Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	**
Harris's Sparrow	-	-	-	-	**	-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	-	-	-	-	**	-
Red-winged Blackbird	-	-	-	-	**	-
Common Grackle	-	-	-	-	**	-
Brown-headed Cowbird	-	-	-	-	**	-

There are 36 species represented.

A much greater number of notes would be added to this tally, if the variety of records - for 1858 to 1882 - from Plattsmouth were included.

A Bit of History From the 1920s

Wetlands in the region, attracted birds, which meant it was also a place where shootists of the different eras came in pursuit of waterfowl.

There are two notations - from September 18 and 24, 1928 -when Wood Ducks were observed among some decoys at a wetland four miles south of Bellevue. The occurrence was reported by L.O. Horsky, in the Letters of Information of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union. During this period, this species was quite scarce in the region, and obviously its occurrence was significant enough for its observation to be noted in the historic record.

Among the record of birds in Nebraska, there are possibly other references to birds in the vicinity of the La Platte area that could be determined based upon a detailed review of the Nebraska Bird Review.