March was exciting month for birding among the places in and near Valentine, Nebraska and along the Minnechaduza Creek. Most prominent was the diversity of wildbird species seen, several which occurred as migrants and had not been previously seen.
New additions to the area bird species tally for the past 18 months or so, were, significantly:
- Snow Goose at the Valentine Mill Pond
- Gadwall seen in lesser numbers, also at the Mill Pond
- Green-winged Teal, also at the Mill Pond
On a particularly fine day while hiking trails through the Valentine City Park, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was silent among the woodland of the park's eastern extent. When a few minutes later, a Brown Creeper was seen at the same locality, it became an especially fine day to be looking. The creeper on an oak was a sighting that had been hoped for for months. Nearby were a couple of vocal Eastern Phoebe singing from a sunny place atop a tree along the creek.
The Wild Turkey, which are certainly area residents, arrived back to the North Lake Shore Hills earlier this year than a year ago. Where these birds spend the winter is not known.
Summer season Turkey Vultures were notably less prevalent in 2017, in compared to 2016. It was a day's moment to see Sandhill Crane moving northward of the heart city, on two occasions. Nice numbers of Killdeer were seen at the Mill Pond, which was a birding hotspot on occasion. This is were the local Great Horned Owl pair was heard during the dark hours, near their secretive nest.
Among the winter-condition cattails at the west end of the pond, a very vocal Marsh Wren was vididly heard and subtly heard while watching the flock of Gadwall.
Several Northern Flicker were seen grubbing for what they found edible on the horse pen drive north of the west end of the Mill Pond. It was quite nice to see six flickers foraging at the same time. American Robin have been especially pervasive. On a couple of days during the last days of the month, more than 100 Dark-eyed Junco were obvious pecking for seeds at the same place where the flickers were activly digging. Among the mix were a few robins.
Always appreciated during the month the expressive Eurasian Collared Dove, the flighty Cedar Waxwing and always appreciated American Goldfinch that enjoy bird feeders at yards in Valentine. Northern Cardinal were singing at multiple places that they have selected as their pending breeding season home. The voice of a Chipping Sparrow was indicative, being heard first in March rather than April. Once heard, the species was not obvious again during the month. The same situation occurred with the Common Grackle foraging among the many local blackbirds.
The monthly tally is indicative on the species present, date of their occurrence (as extrapolated for database record purposes) and number present. Once again, the common name and taxonomic sequence follows that of the International Ornithological Council, not the American Ornithologists' Union nor the particulars expressed by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union. The species list by the latter two organizations are simply outdated and not comprehensive in their consideration of birds of the world.
Records were kept during the month, in order to denote particularly significant sightings. For some of the dates, no records were kept for common, resident species.
| Common Name Julian Date: | 61 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 76 | 77 | 80 | 82 | 86 | 88 | 90 |
| Snow Goose | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Canada Goose | 100 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 115 | 14 | - - | 18 | 16 | 26 | - - | - - |
| Wood Duck | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 2 | - - |
| Gadwall | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 6 | 12 | - - | - - |
| Mallard | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 6 | 2 | - - | 2 | - - | 2 | - - | - - |
| Northern Shoveler | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Green-winged Teal | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 8 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Common Merganser | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Wild Turkey | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 4 |
| Great Blue Heron | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | - - |
| Turkey Vulture | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Bald Eagle | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Red-tailed Hawk | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 |
| Sandhill Crane | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 150 | 350 | - - |
| Killdeer | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 9 | - - | 2 | 1 | - - |
| American Herring Gull | - - | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 18 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 5 |
| Rock Dove | 14 | - - | - - | - - | 14 | - - | - - | - - | 15 | - - | - - | 10 | - - | 8 |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | 8 | - - | 6 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 | - - | 25 | - - | 10 |
| Great Horned Owl | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 2 | - - | 1 |
| Belted Kingfisher | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 3 | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Northern Flicker | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| American Kestrel | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Eastern Phoebe | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 2 | 1 | - - |
| Blue Jay | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | 2 |
| American Crow | 9 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 3 | - - | 2 | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Cedar Waxwing | 11 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | 11 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 10 | - - | 8 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 6 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | 2 | - - | - - | - - | 7 | - - | - - |
| Horned Lark | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Marsh Wren | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | 3 | - - | - - |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 4 | 4 | - - | - - | - - | 8 | - - | - - |
| Brown Creeper | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Common Starling | - - | - - | 17 | - - | - - | 12 | - - | - - | - - | 21 | - - | 14 | - - | 125 |
| Eastern Bluebird | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - - |
| American Robin | 96 | - - | 18 | - - | - - | 75 | - - | 60 | 50 | - - | 42 | 97 | - - | 120 |
| House Sparrow | 45 | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 10 | - - | - - | - - | 30 | - - | - - |
| House Finch | 8 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 15 | 8 | - - | - - | - - | 19 | - - | - - |
| American Goldfinch | 35 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 30 | 2 | - - | 10 | - - | 6 | - - | 7 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 4 | - - | 20 | - - | - - | 55 | - - | 27 | - - | 50 | - - | 30 | 50 | - - |
| Common Grackle | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 7 | - - | 20 | 4 | 29 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 4 | - - | 4 | - - | 4 | 16 | - - | 11 | - - | 10 | - - | 72 | 100 | 106 |
| American Tree Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - |
| Chipping Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 2 | - - | - - |
| Northern Cardinal | 2 | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | 2 | - - | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
The 48 species seen during March 2017 was a significant increase over the 36 seen during the same month in 2016. There was no significant difference in days when records were kept, at the number of days for records was similar. There were, however, more species noted. Perhaps there were some times when the "luck of an observation" occurred, and these notations are indicated in the overall tally of wild bird species.
This information is based upon more than 2500 individual records.