Diversity of Early-May Birdlife in Eastern Nebraska

The first Saturday of May, 2011 had birders afield in search of the local birdlife. It was a nice morning with a lesser breeze but by mid-day was hot and muggy with stiff winds prevalent in the Omaha vicinity, though weather conditions elsewhere varied.

There were several locations visited by bird watchers:

• Blue River District: a "Birds and Bagels" event was hosted at Homestead National Monument, with an online report submitted by Jesse Bolli, the resource management specialist.
• Lower Platte: an outing by Gary Roberts to Hormel Park, along the Platte River near Fremont.
• Fontenelle District: the local environs of Fontenelle Forest, with reports by Neal Ratzlaff, and Justin Rink, the latter leading a birding class, as Rink indicated, "were eager to learn about Fontenelle's birds through interpretation, observation and voice. Rick Schmidt was leading hikes for International Migratory Bird Day activities sponsored by the Fontenelle Forest organization.
• Carter Lake District: observations at Carter Lake, Levi Carter Park, Kiwanis Park and Iowa West Ranch, which is on the interior of the oxbow lake, and thus in an Iowa county.
• Ponca Hills District: hikes about Hummel Park and N.P. Dodge Park; there were many people present at both sites which increased the disturbance factor and likely reducing the extent of species present.
• Horseshoe Lake District: at Nathans Lake and about the Horseshoe Lake Flats, which have lost much of the standing water present in previous days.
• Northeast Missouri Valley: an outing at Ponca State Park by Jan Johnson.

Additional reports for the day were posted for the Rainwater Basin and Wagon Train Lake SRA.

Spring Diversity

There were 108 species reported by the different observers. The value given is the number of each species counted, with a zero indicating no count was made.

Common Name	Blue River Drainage	Lower Platte River	Fontenelle District	Carter Lake District	Ponca Hills District	Horseshoe Lake District	Northeast Missouri Valley
Canada Goose	-	4	-	26	2	7	-
Wood Duck	-	7	-	42	2	2	-
Mallard	-	2	-	28	1	4	-
Blue-winged Teal	-	-	-	12	-	62	-
Northern Shoveler	-	-	-	8	-	12	-
Redhead	-	-	-	5	-	-	-
Lesser Scaup	-	-	-	1	-	1	-
Ruddy Duck	-	-	-	-	-	4	-
Ring-necked Pheasant	0	-	-	-	-	2	-
Wild Turkey	-	-	-	8	1	-	-
American White Pelican	-	6	-	-	-	-	-
Double-crested Cormorant	-	3	-	-	-	-	-
Great Blue Heron	-	1	-	-	-	1	-
Cattle Egret	-	-	13	-	-	-	-
Turkey Vulture	-	1	-	-	5	2	-
Bald Eagle	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Broad-winged Hawk	-	-	-	-	2	-	-
American Coot	-	-	-	4	-	44	-
Killdeer	-	-	-	4	-	1	-
Spotted Sandpiper	-	1	1	1	-	5	-
Solitary Sandpiper	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
Lesser Yellowlegs	-	-	-	5	-	8	-
Wilson's Phalarope	-	-	-	4	-	-	-
Ring-billed Gull	-	-	-	-	6	-	-
Mourning Dove	0	-	-	14	-	2	-
Great Horned Owl	-	-	-	-	2	-	-
Barred Owl	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Chimney Swift	-	-	-	2	-	-	-
Belted Kingfisher	-	1	-	1	-	-	0
Red-headed Woodpecker	0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Red-bellied Woodpecker	0	1	-	-	2	-	0
Downy Woodpecker	-	2	-	-	1	-	-
Hairy Woodpecker	-	1	-	1	1	-	-
Northern Flicker	0	4	-	5	2	-	-
Pileated Woodpecker	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Willow Flycatcher	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Least Flycatcher	-	5	5	-	1	-	-
Eastern Phoebe	0	3	-	1	1	-	1
Great Crested Flycatcher	-	3	7	-	2	-	-
Eastern Kingbird	0	-	2	3	-	-	-
Yellow-throated Vireo	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Blue-headed Vireo	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Warbling Vireo	-	4	0	6	1	2	3
Red-eyed Vireo	-	2	0	-	-	-	-
Blue Jay	0	9	-	-	8	-	-
American Crow	-	2	-	-	1	-	-
Tree Swallow	-	-	-	-	2	-	0
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	0	-	-	-	-	-	0
Bank Swallow	-	-	-	2	-	-	-
Cliff Swallow	-	-	-	-	-	5	0
Barn Swallow	0	4	-	20	5	4	-
Black-capped Chickadee	-	9	-	-	6	-	3
Tufted Titmouse	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
White-breasted Nuthatch	0	5	-	-	3	-	-
Carolina Wren	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
House Wren	0	15	-	1	16	1	-
Marsh Wren	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	-	2	3	-	-	-	-
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	0	2	-	-	1	-	2
Eastern Bluebird	0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Gray-cheeked Thrush	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Swainson's Thrush	-	6	6	-	4	-	-
Wood Thrush	-	1	2	-	-	-	2
American Robin	0	25	-	74	10	2	-
Gray Catbird	0	2	-	-	2	-	-
Brown Thrasher	-	-	-	3	3	-	0
European Starling	0	4	-	43	10	5	-
Cedar Waxwing	0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Blue-winged Warbler	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Golden-winged Warbler	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Orange-crowned Warbler	-	2	4	-	-	-	-
Nashville Warbler	-	2	8	-	-	-	-
Northern Parula	-	-	3	-	-	-	-
Yellow Warbler	0	8	2	4	-	2	1
Magnolia Warbler	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler	0	19	20	5	7	-	2
Yellow-throated Warbler	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Palm Warbler	-	2	2	-	-	-	-
Blackpoll Warbler	0	-	1	-	-	-	-
Black-and-white Warbler	-	2	-	-	-	-	-
American Redstart	-	-	6	-	5	-	8
Ovenbird	-	-	1	-	2	-	4
Northern Waterthrush	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Common Yellowthroat	0	1	4	-	-	5	-
Summer Tanager	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
Scarlet Tanager	-	-	1	-	1	-	-
Spotted Towhee	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
Eastern Towhee	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
Chipping Sparrow	-	1	-	7	9	-	-
Clay-colored Sparrow	-	-	2	-	1	2	-
Field Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
Lark Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
Song Sparrow	0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lincoln's Sparrow	-	-	8	1	4	-	-
White-throated Sparrow	-	-	11	-	2	-	0
Harris's Sparrow	-	-	-	1	-	-	0
White-crowned Sparrow	-	-	1	-	-	-	0
Northern Cardinal	0	4	-	2	10	-	-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	0	8	5	-	4	-	0
Indigo Bunting	-	4	4	-	1	-	-
Red-winged Blackbird	0	14	-	17	5	30	-
Common Grackle	-	6	-	115	-	6	-
Brown-headed Cowbird	0	6	-	4	5	5	-
Orchard Oriole	-	-	0	-	-	1	1
Baltimore Oriole	0	4	0	2	5	-	-
House Finch	-	-	-	2	-	-	0
American Goldfinch	0	12	-	4	14	3	0
House Sparrow	-	-	-	0	4	-	-

There was an obvious and special array of diversity of species represented by the wild birds present at each locality. The information available indicates the following species diversity as reported by the attentive observers:

• Blue River District: 29 species in tally submitted to ebirds.org
• Lower Platte: 50 species noted in a thourough list contributed to ebirds.org
• Fontenelle District: 41 species reported
• Carter Lake District: 40 species observed
• Ponca Hills: 45 observed, with others expected
• Horseshoe Lake Flats: 30 species seen with other species undoubtedly present at the primary area of the Boyer Chute NWR
• Ponca State Park: 27 species reported

Each list considered did not necessarily include every species present, so there may be gaps in the known details.

Carter Lake and the Horseshoe Lake Flats had the greater number of waterfowl. The Missouri oxbow and adjacent park areas continues to be a haven for the Canada Goose and Wood Ducks. Two sets of young goslings (3 and 5 for each pair) were noted at Kiwanis Park, and a pair at Iowa West Ranch was caring for five ducklings.

Wild Turkeys were prominent about Carter Lake, with a bunch of five strolling the mown lawn near the pavilion on the northwest area of the Lake, and the remainder at the Iowa West Ranch, where they have been previously seen or heard.

The flock of Cattle Egrets was seen in the pasture at Gifford Farm, eastward of the forest property.

Coots numbers were markedly lower, with the bunch typically present at Nathan's lake, represented by fewer than 50 of this species. Shorebirds were relatively scarce. Surprisingly, there were a few Lesser Yellowlegs at Carter Lake, on the shore at a tiny bit of bare shoreline on the Iowa side of the oxbow, north of the Iowa West Ranch. This is the only apparent bit of this habitat present along the lake's edge.

Though the Pileated Woodpecker had been prominently and readily seen at N.P. Dodge Park a few days previous, it was not seen nor heard in the same immediate vicinity, despite a respite of 30 minutes sitting there to see if it was present. The extent of fishermen walking past going to the river, and perhaps the loud and noisy disturbance on the last visit of dump trucks getting rid of dirt adjacent to the trees used by this woodpecker, may be factors.

Further north, at Winnebago Bend mitigation site, a Pileated Woodpecker had also been observed earlier in the season, yet it was also not seen on Saturday.

A Gray-cheeked Thrush was the first report of the season.

Special highlights of the season is the wonderful diversity of warblers. Sixteen species were reported, though no particular place had every species. Fontenelle Forest continues to be a primary place for seeing a great diversity.

The Blue-winged Warbler (adult male), Magnolia Warbler (adult male) and Golden-winged Warbler received special attention.

Yellow-rumped Warblers (Myrtle race) were pervasive as having been reported at nearly every locale.

Sparrow diversity was good. Chipping Sparrows have been around for a few weeks for their summer sojourn. Lingering were the White-throated Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow, which will undoubtedly be long gone after the temperatures in the upper 80s and mid-90s on Sunday through Tuesday.

Northern Cardinals are also pervasive this time of year within this region, and although they may not have been reported for each district, they could be expected to occur.

Further wonders of a waning spring await area birds. The excitement of the season is what birds may be unexpectedly seen, and hopefully reported for other enthusiasts to appreciate, and for the details to become part of the regions historic ornithology.