A nice variety of mid-June birds were noted at several localities along the Niobrara National Scenic River while actually conducting surveys for the Piping Plover and Least Tern. While floating the waterway, particular records were kept for other species at different localities.
The surveys were undertaken by Gordon Warrick of the National Park Service. My participation was as a registered volunteer, and secondary canoe paddler; that would be at the front of the canoe while the other paddler is to some extent or another out of view, at the rear the involved watercraft. It's obvious that it takes two to paddle a canoe. Warrick had not previously visited this portion of the river, so there was no navigational familiarity for either canoeists. The results? Make your own guess on how to determine ample flows either visual clues such as water-top vegetation froth movement or through some other conjuring. Despite a multi-inch rainfall the night before the June 14th there was no apparent elevational change in water levels that might have improved floating. There was also no obvious difference below the confluence of Plum Creek and Long Pine creeks, two southerly inflow tributaries.
If you want to enjoy the river, float along with someone that is not attentive to navigation. This facet of canoeing became especially obvious several years ago during previous floats, though they were on the upper portions of the scenic river, where flows were ample and constrained enough for most everyone to determine a proper route to navigate.
The time frame for these surveys were in conjunction with the dates designated for a national survey of Piping Plover. The survey was started at 6:30 a.m., and extended into the afternoon, either sooner or later. Hours were spent on the river, paddling along. Sometimes the flow was fine for floating. Other times the canoe had to be dragged across shallow water places where sand was inhibitory. One the upper portion, there were rapids to enjoy or maybe even not appreciate. Where a portage was made, they could be nicely enjoyed. When a huge splash of water drenched most everything – as my seat was in the front of the canoe – at least the heavy sun eventually dried the paper being used to denote bird observations. Nothing was lost.
This happened on the first survey date on June 7th, and along the river from the Norden Bridge to Meadville. The second survey was from the Meadville bridge to the Highway 7 bridge. All birds heard or seen both of us as immediately adjacent to the river channel were documented to a general place name, rather than just an extent, in order to provide a broad perspective on extent of distribution. It was a team effort that meant a greater result in denoting species.
Woodland habitat in the river valley is seriously degraded in many places. Cedar trees are so pervasive that the land is seemingly useless for anything. In some places there is not even any rangeland for cattle to graze. At several places, cedar or other trees are being thrown into the river in an attempt to anchor the bank and prevent erosion. The management agency for the river is being repeatedly shown to not be able to deal with this illegal activity. A federal permit is required to place fill into waters of the United States, according to the Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Landowners act with impunity.
An important aspect of the river avifauna, is that each bridge over the river has its own colony of nesting American Cliff Swallow. Some of these birds were actively building their nests, as small groups could be seen at moist substrate areas near the bridge, as mud was being gathered.
Spotted Sandpipers were prevalent along the river. Yellow-breasted Chat were regularly heard expressing their territorial presence at many places.
These were 51 species noted June 7th.
Niobrara Valley Bird Tally – 7 June 2016 | |||
| Common Name | Niobrara Valley Preserve | Eagle Rapids | Meadville |
Canada Goose | 12 | - - | - - |
| Mallard | - - | 2 | 1 |
| Common Merganser | 3 | - - | - - |
| Northern Bobwhite | 2 | - - | - - |
| Wild Turkey | 2 | 2 | - - |
| Green Heron | - - | - - | 1 |
| Great Blue Heron | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 3 | - - |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | - - | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 1 | - - |
| Killdeer | 2 | - - | - - |
| Upland Sandpiper | 1 | - - | - - |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | 2 | - - |
| Mourning Dove | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | 1 | - - | - - |
| Belted Kingfisher | 2 | 1 | - - |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 2 | - - | 1 |
| Northern Flicker | 1 | - - | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | - - | - - |
| Western Kingbird | 1 | - - | - - |
| Eastern Kingbird | - - | 2 | 2 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | 2 | - - | - - |
| Bell's Vireo | 2 | - - | 1 |
| Warbling Vireo | - - | - - | 1 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 1 | - - | - - |
| American Crow | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Cedar Waxwing | - - | - - | 6 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | - - | - - | 1 |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Barn Swallow | 2 | - - | - - |
| American Cliff Swallow | 15 | - - | 40 |
| House Wren | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | - - | - - | 1 |
| Brown Thrasher | - - | - - | 1 |
| Common Starling | - - | 5 | - - |
| Eastern Bluebird | 2 | - - | 1 |
| American Robin | - - | - - | 2 |
| American Goldfinch | - - | 1 | 2 |
| Ovenbird | 1 | - - | - - |
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| American Yellow Warbler | - - | - - | 2 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 1 | - - | 1 |
| Orchard Oriole | 2 | - - | - - |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 7 | 2 | - - |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 4 | - - | 2 |
| Common Grackle | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 2 | 2 | - - |
| Field Sparrow | 3 | 1 | - - |
| Lark Sparrow | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Spotted Towhee | 3 | - - | 2 |
| Blue Grosbeak | - - | 1 | - - |
A most exciting sighting were a few Common Merganser on the river waters and associated features such as lowly sandbars. At least four of these birds were seen. They were indifferent, as expected, to getting good looks through a spotting scope. The females were prevalent, yet it was not possible to see whether or not there was a juvenile. This is a most essential sighting, as it is only one, or perhaps only, place in Nebraska where breeding season occurrence occurs. Merganser records date back several years, including some observations by Clem Klaphake, a master naturalist who has visited the Nature Conservancy property.
The initial note for these mergansers along the central Niobrara was in 1938 at the Niobrara Game Preserve, the predecessor for the Fort Niobrara NWR. Lester Short, a distinctive aficionado for distributional bird occurrence, especially hybrid occurrence, noted them in mid-June 1955 as indicated in a 1961 publication of record. The modern record starts in 1982, then circa the year 2000 there are so many more. From 2004 to 2006, my records database has records from Fort Falls to the Fred Thomas WMA and the Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary. Several observations were during non-breeding dates. Potential breeding season occurrences have occurred repeatedly from the property owned by the Department of Interior at the Fort Niobrara NWR and eastward to the Niobrara Valley Preserve. The June 2016 sighting of several birds is indicative, while not yet authoritative as there has been no distinctive effort recently by the property owners to convey the distributional extent of wild birds on their property.
Park service personnel currently working along the Niobrara National Scenic River were not aware that these mergansers might occur, though ornithological records have indicated their occurrence for years. During the float trip, these fish-eating birds were seen several times, flying along the river, perching on sandbar features and otherwise prevalent. There were females present but the individual characteristics of all birds was not possible due to distance and lighting that did not allow a distinctive view of coloration features. Since this is one of the most unique bird situations in Nebraska, it does not make sense that there have not been any focused determination on occurrence.
This is a tally of species noted on the June 14th outing, which includes some details from Springview, which is obviously not within the scenic river corridor. Records were made here just because they could be.
Niobrara Valley Bird Tally - June 14, 2016 | ||||||
| Common Name | Meadville | Highway 183 Niobrara Bridge | Nowhere Bridge, Niobrara River | Fred Thomas WMA | Highway 183 Bridge to Highway 7 Bridge | Springview |
| Canada Goose | - - | - - | 5 | 2 | - - | - - |
Green Heron | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
Great Blue Heron | 1 | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Turkey Vulture | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Bald Eagle | - - | 4 | - - | - - | 2 | - - |
Red-tailed Hawk | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
Killdeer | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | 2 | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Least Tern | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Eurasian Collared Dove | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 |
Mourning Dove | 2 | 2 | - - | 2 | - - | 2 |
Yellow-billed Cuckoo | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Common Nighthawk | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
Chimney Swift | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 |
Belted Kingfisher | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Downy Woodpecker | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Northern Flicker | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Eastern Phoebe | - - | - - | 1 | 2 | - - | - - |
Eastern Wood-pewee | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Eastern Kingbird | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 |
Great Crested Flycatcher | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
Bell's Vireo | - - | 1 | - - | 2 | - - | - - |
Warbling Vireo | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Red-eyed Vireo | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Blue Jay | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
American Crow | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - - | - - |
Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
American Cliff Swallow | 35 | 50 | - - | 65 | - - | - - |
House Wren | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - - | 1 |
American Robin | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 5 |
American Goldfinch | 2 | - - | 2 | 2 | - - | - - |
Ovenbird | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - - | - - |
American Redstart | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
American Yellow Warbler | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Yellow-breasted Chat | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - - | - - |
Western Meadowlark | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
Baltimore Oriole | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
Orchard Oriole | - - | 2 | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
Red-winged Blackbird | - - | - - | 3 | 1 | - - | - - |
Brown-headed Cowbird | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Common Grackle | 5 | - - | 3 | 2 | - - | 3 |
Song Sparrow | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Chipping Sparrow | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - - | - - |
Field Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
Lark Sparrow | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Spotted Towhee | 2 | 2 | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Dickcissel | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
Northern Cardinal | - - | 1 | 2 | 1 | - - | - - |
| Indigo Bunting | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
A special highlight included five Least Tern flying along just eastward of the Highway 183 bridge. Warrick was looking at a sandbar to the east, while my perspective caught the flighty terns flitting along in a group, they seemed to be transients, as they did not pause to exhibit foraging behavior. They were not associated with any sort of breeding habitat. On both days, though there were sandbars, none of them had what would be considered suitable for nesting by terns or plovers: the surface elevation above the water level was just an inch or two, with few spots slightly greater, but always less than six inches. The sandbar surface was generally barren, with no scattered vegetation or smallish stick features where nests are generally associated.
Along this section of the river, there were at least six bald eagles noted, including a pre-adult. The extent of this species provides an indication that they may nest along the river, though not yet documented.
While traversing further eastward along the river, Northern Cardinals became more prevalent and were more regularly heard. The occurrence of this species has long been known to indicate a biogeographic distribution, based upon the extent of suitable habitat and the changes that have dramatically occurred for decades.
Overall, when both lists of a day are combined, there were 66 species.
Residents and others familiar with variegates of the river and its feature could certainly provide some names, if asked. There should be a specific effort by staff of the park service to hold a meeting or two where people can indicate what they know about the many landmarks of the scenic river so they can be documented and appreciated. The rule for placenames is that the first officially indicated name becomes the standard name. However, any placename designation has to include comments by landowners and other long-term history. This is one of the essential criteria for documenting distribution of any fauna and flora in the river valley. It would also be a great addition to the legacy of the Niobrara.
During two days of floating, two new names were added to the lexicon, as they are hereby published in an international forum. These were the Eagle Rapids and Nowhere Bridge (where a bridge sits isolated in the river channel without any connection to either bank), both of which were derivatives based upon their previous recognition by park service staff.
There were no bird pictures taken either day. A few flora pictures were taken on the 7th, but an altitudinal perspective on the 14th meant a day of difficulty so nothing was only given to going down the indeterminate water channel. It was not easy. There were times when trying to follow a straight route didn't happen. Several times my paddle was placed crosswise on the sides of the canoe, and it was a time to settle down, or perhaps act like more notes were being made on birds seen or heard. It takes two to navigate. It was not completely possible to keep an accurate depiction on all of the birdly observations because, once again to mention the necessity for place name designations, despite aerial photographs without location names it was impossible at times to get an accurate view on location so a suitable record could be kept!
The survey results indicate a further need to survey and document bird occurrence. There are relatively few details known for the occurrence of either the Eastern Whip-poor-will of Common Poorwill. Night surveys would be required to make any determination.
After 25 years of being involved with the Niobrara National Scenic River, there is no known bird list available. Where are the details indicating the unique areas along the scenic river where people can go and expect to see some certain species. Private and public areas are present, yet there is no list of avifauna, and which is continually kept updated. The NPS has staff which could readily manage any documentary needs. Examples were contemporary birds lists should be readily available include the Niobrara Valley Preserve, Fred Thomas WMA, and Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary. Fort Niobrara NWR at least has some sort of list.
It needs to be noted, that an additional plover survey was conducted by the NPS eastward of the Highway 7 bridge after the June 14th survey. The federal agency has not provided any results.
A personal thanks to the NPS for allowing me to participate in this survey because of providing the proper paper work and having to drive federal vehicles as other federal employees were apparently not available.
There is so much more to learn about the avifauna of the Niobrara Valley, yet much to my disappointment, there is only a limited extent of investigations being made to gather details to better understand bird occurrence and distribution, including bird hybrid zones.