These are the various bird species noted during July and August, 2018, in the immediate vicinity of Valentine, NE.
The overall number is typical for the post-breeding season during a time of the year known as the summer doldrums. The most prominent feature of these two months was the occurrence of fledged young, most notably those that visited the bird seed buffet at the shack. Many of the species listed are year-round residents. Some notables included:
- * Wild Turkey: a female with six young originally arrived in mid-July, but the number of young soon decreased to five and this number was consistent through the remainder of the period. In early august a second female was present, but it had only one youngster.
- * Turkey Vulture: daily residents seen as they soared over the North Lake Shore Hills.
- * Mourning Dove: the notable increase in August certainly reflects the occurrence of fledged young and as the birds gathered in post-breeding flocks.
- * Western Kingbird: certainly present in Valentine during the entire period.
- * Eastern Kingbird: associated with the north side of the Mill Pond and the Water Tanks Tract during the entire period.
- * Yellow-headed Blackbird: a single male occurred with the many blackbirds at the seed buffet. This is the first time this species has been seen during either of these two months in recent years.
- * Red-winged Blackbird: following the occurrence of many of these birds including adults and fledglings, the numbers were very reduced as the species left the area.
- * Common Grackle: similar occurrence as the Red-winged Blackbird; the 35 were the last occurrence of significance at the horse pens and bird seed around the shack on August 1st.
- * Indigo Bunting: lesser occurrence than expected.
- * Turkey Vulture: daily residents seen as they soared over the North Lake Shore Hills.
The sixty species listed are indicated in taxonomic sequence as defined by the International Ornithological Council, 2018.
| Proper Name | 192 | 199 | 210 | 213 | 220 | 230 | 230 |
| Canada Goose | -- | 7 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wood Duck | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 2 |
| Wild Turkey | 6 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 |
| Great Blue Heron | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Turkey Vulture | 10 | 8 | 28 | -- | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Killdeer | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Spotted Sandpiper | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Rock Dove | 5 | 2 | 7 | -- | 7 | -- | -- |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Mourning Dove | 7 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 21 | 12 | 12 |
| Common Nighthawk | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Chimney Swift | 5 | 9 | 26 | -- | -- | 12 | -- |
| Belted Kingfisher | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Northern Flicker | -- | 1 | 4 | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| American Kestrel | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Phoebe | 1 | 2 | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Western Wood Pewee | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Wood Pewee | -- | 1 | 5 | -- | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Western Kingbird | 4 | -- | 7 | -- | 6 | -- | -- |
| Eastern Kingbird | 1 | 2 | 2 | -- | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | 3 | 5 | 6 | -- | -- | 3 | -- |
| Bell's Vireo | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 1 | 1 | 3 | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Blue Jay | -- | 2 | 8 | -- | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| American Crow | -- | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Cedar Waxwing | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | -- | 5 | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Purple Martin | 6 | 6 | 11 | 21 | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 10 | 5 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| American Cliff Swallow | 20 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| House Wren | 6 | 9 | 16 | -- | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Blue-grey Gnatcatcher | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Grey Catbird | 1 | 2 | 2 | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brown Thrasher | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Bluebird | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Robin | 5 | 10 | 14 | -- | 6 | 20 | 15 |
| House Sparrow | 10 | 20 | 15 | -- | 10 | 15 | -- |
| House Finch | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| American Goldfinch | 3 | 3 | 5 | -- | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| American Redstart | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Yellow Warbler | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Orchard Oriole | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 20 | 25 | 23 | 30 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 5 | 5 | 7 | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Common Grackle | 5 | 10 | 7 | 35 | 4 | -- | -- |
| Chipping Sparrow | 5 | 4 | 12 | -- | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Field Sparrow | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lark Sparrow | -- | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | -- |
| Spotted Towhee | 1 | 1 | 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Cardinal | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Indigo Bunting | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
New additions to the tally for these months were the American Kestrel, Western Wood Pewee, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, American Redstart and Yellow-breasted Chat in July, most notably at Government Canyon.
The tally for 2018 differs from 2017 (70 species on 11 dates) and 2016 (70 species on 16 dates. Obviously the number of dates when records were kept can make a difference in the over number of species recorded, which totals 81 overall for these two months since August 2015.
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