Yearly Comparison of Wildbirds at Twin Oaks WMA

Two recent visits to Twin Oaks WMA, Johnson county, Nebraska, provide current bird records that when combined with sightings made years ago, provide an interesting list of the local wildbirds.

This tally of 101 species is based upon more than 750 records, derived from observations on 55 different days. The largest number of species have occurred in May and June; notably from May 18^th to June 7^th. No records are available for November or December.

During the March 26^th visit during a field trip of the Wachiska Audubon Society, 31 species were recorded, according to a list graciously provided by Shari Schwartz. There had also been a scouting trip made on March 20^th. Some of the new additions to the avifauna list for this locality included the Canada Goose, Northern Pintail, Cooper’s Hawk, Eurasian Collared Dove (which would not have been present in the vicinity during the 1980s), Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Fox Sparrow.

This is a composite list of species as noted during different years, with the value given indicating the number of times the species was observed. Further details are available on the number of birds counted.

Common Name	1981	1982	1985	2003	2017
Snow Goose	--	--	--	1	--
Canada Goose	--	--	--	--	1
Wood Duck	--	2	--	--	1
Mallard	1	--	--	--	--
Blue-winged Teal	--	2	--	--	--
Northern Pintail	--	--	--	--	1
Ring-necked Pheasant	1	--	--	--	--
Wild Turkey	--	3	--	--	--
Northern Bobwhite	1	3	--	--	--
Double-crested Cormorant	1	--	--	--	--
Great Blue Heron	4	1	--	1	--
Green Heron	1	--	--	--	--
Turkey Vulture	6	4	--	--	2
Northern Harrier	--	--	--	1	--
Sharp-shinned Hawk	4	--	--	--	--
Cooper's Hawk	--	--	--	--	1
Broad-winged Hawk	1	--	--	--	--
Red-tailed Hawk	2	7	--	1	2
American Kestrel	1	1	--	1	1
Killdeer	7	7	--	--	2
Spotted Sandpiper	3	1	--	--	--
Solitary Sandpiper	1	--	--	--	--
Upland Sandpiper	6	5	--	--	--
Franklin's Gull	2	--	--	--	--
Eurasian Collared-Dove	--	--	--	--	1
Mourning Dove	11	8	--	--	1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	5	6	--	--	--
Black-billed Cuckoo	3	--	--	--	--
Eastern Screech-Owl	--	--	--	1	--
Great Horned Owl	5	6	--	1	--
Barred Owl	--	1	--	--	--
Common Nighthawk	3	1	--	--	--
Common Poorwill	--	2	--	--	--
Eastern Whip-poor-will	1	2	--	--	--
Chimney Swift	5	5	--	--	--
Belted Kingfisher	3	1	--	--	2
Red-headed Woodpecker	8	8	--	--	--
Red-bellied Woodpecker	5	8	--	1	1
Downy Woodpecker	8	6	--	1	--
Northern Flicker	11	7	--	1	1
Eastern Wood-Pewee	--	4	--	--	--
Least Flycatcher	--	1	--	--	--
Eastern Phoebe	9	2	--	--	2
Great Crested Flycatcher	3	5	--	--	--
Eastern Kingbird	11	8	--	--	--
Loggerhead Shrike	3	4	--	--	--
Warbling Vireo	1	2	--	--	--
Philadelphia Vireo	1	--	--	--	--
Blue Jay	12	9	--	1	2
American Crow	7	8	--	1	2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	5	4	--	--	--
Barn Swallow	13	7	--	--	--
Black-capped Chickadee	11	9	--	1	1
Tufted Titmouse	1	1	--	--	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	5	9	--	--	1
Brown Creeper	--	--	--	--	1
Carolina Wren	--	--	--	--	2
House Wren	10	6	--	--	--
Golden-crowned Kinglet	--	--	--	--	1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	4	--	--	--	--
Eastern Bluebird	9	6	1	1	1
Veery	--	1	--	--	--
Swainson's Thrush	--	1	--	--	--
Hermit Thrush	1	--	--	--	--
American Robin	8	7	--	1	1
Gray Catbird	7	1	--	--	--
Northern Mockingbird	6	5	1	--	--
Brown Thrasher	5	8	--	--	--
European Starling	3	3	--	--	1
Cedar Waxwing	1	1	--	--	--
Yellow Warbler	1	3	--	--	--
Yellow-rumped Warbler	--	--	--	1	--
Black-and-white Warbler	--	1	--	--	--
American Redstart	--	1	--	--	--
Common Yellowthroat	4	4	--	--	--
Eastern Towhee	3	2	--	--	--
American Tree Sparrow	1	4	--	1	--
Chipping Sparrow	--	1	--	--	--
Clay-colored Sparrow	2	--	--	--	--
Field Sparrow	9	7	--	--	--
Lark Sparrow	6	2	--	--	--
Savannah Sparrow	--	2	--	--	--
Grasshopper Sparrow	9	8	--	--	--
Fox Sparrow	--	--	--	--	2
Song Sparrow	5	1	--	--	1
Harris's Sparrow	1	2	--	1	--
Dark-eyed Junco	--	1	--	1	2
Northern Cardinal	11	7	--	1	1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	2	5	--	--	--
Indigo Bunting	2	4	--	--	--
Dickcissel	5	5	--	--	--
Bobolink	1	--	--	--	--
Red-winged Blackbird	10	8	--	1	1
Eastern Meadowlark	10	8	--	1	1
Western Meadowlark	7	5	--	--	--
Common Grackle	8	7	--	1	--
Brown-headed Cowbird	10	7	--	--	--
Orchard Oriole	4	5	--	--	--
Baltimore Oriole	8	6	--	--	--
American Goldfinch	5	5	--	1	1
House Sparrow	7	6	--	--	1

This larger-sized wildlife area has a very nice diversity of habitats, including a small native prairie and - along its western edge - a section of the Nemaha river. Because of the variety of plant communities, research was conducted in the early 1980s to evaluate the species of wildbirds and how their occurrence was influenced by typical habitat management practices carried out by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (i.e.; “The effects of habitat management on nongame birds” which was graduate school work done by James E. Ducey and as published as a M.S. thesis issued in August, 1984). A majority of the bird records available are from this project.

It would be interesting and valuable to get further details of the local – modern-era - avifauna during the mid-mid to early June breeding season period.

Annotated List of Historic Avifauna of Twin Oaks WMA

The Twin Oaks WMA is located near Tecumseh, in Johnson County, Nebraska. Three decades ago it was selected as a study site to investigate the effects of habitat management on nongame birds. This area had the diversity of habitats for a reasonable comparison of particular species present, based on surveys during 1981 and 1982. Two seasons of records were kept of the species observed, which provided an experienced perspective to derive a status indicated at the time. The details available are less then perfect, but sufficient detail is still available to denote the avifauna.

Relatively few records - approximately 230 - convey details of the birdlife, which has some value due to its historic context. There are very few records of bird occurrence at this place, with the last known survey done in late October, 2003.

The overall tally of species indicates the occurrence of 95 species, as derived from details available from any known source of bird observations from this site. The value given indicates the number of observations, not the number observed.

Common Name	Spring	Summer	Autumn	Winter
Snow Goose	- -	1	1	- -
Wood Duck	- -	2	- -	- -
Mallard	- -	1	- -	- -
Blue-winged Teal	- -	1	- -	- -
Ring-necked Pheasant	- -	2	- -	- -
Wild Turkey	- -	1	- -	- -
Northern Bobwhite	- -	1	- -	- -
Double-crested Cormorant	- -	1	- -	- -
Great Blue Heron	- -	1	1	- -
Green Heron	- -	1	- -	- -
Turkey Vulture	- -	2	- -	- -
Northern Harrier	- -	1	1	- -
Sharp-shinned Hawk	- -	1	- -	- -
Broad-winged Hawk	- -	1	- -	- -
Red-tailed Hawk	1	2	1	- -
American Kestrel	- -	1	1	- -
Killdeer	1	3	- -	- -
Spotted Sandpiper	- -	1	- -	- -
Solitary Sandpiper	- -	1	- -	- -
Upland Sandpiper	- -	1	- -	- -
Franklin's Gull	- -	1	- -	- -
Mourning Dove	- -	8	- -	- -
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	- -	6	- -	- -
Black-billed Cuckoo	- -	1	- -	- -
Eastern Screech-Owl	- -	- -	1	- -
Great Horned Owl	- -	1	1	1
Barred Owl	- -	1	- -	- -
Long-eared Owl	- -	1	- -	- -
Common Nighthawk	- -	1	- -	- -
Common Poorwill	- -	1	- -	- -
Eastern Whip-poor-will	- -	2	- -	- -
Chimney Swift	- -	1	- -	- -
Belted Kingfisher	- -	1	- -	- -
Red-headed Woodpecker	- -	4	- -	- -
Red-bellied Woodpecker	- -	3	1	- -
Downy Woodpecker	- -	3	1	- -
Northern Flicker	- -	3	1	- -
Eastern Wood-Pewee	- -	2	- -	- -
Eastern Phoebe	- -	3	- -	- -
Great Crested Flycatcher	- -	1	- -	- -
Eastern Kingbird	- -	9	- -	- -
Loggerhead Shrike	- -	4	- -	- -
Warbling Vireo	- -	1	- -	- -
Philadelphia Vireo	- -	1	- -	- -
Blue Jay	- -	2	1	- -
American Crow	1	3	1	- -
Horned Lark	- -	1	- -	- -
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	- -	2	- -	- -
Barn Swallow	1	10	- -	- -
Black-capped Chickadee	- -	2	1	- -
Tufted Titmouse	- -	1	- -	- -
White-breasted Nuthatch	- -	2	- -	- -
House Wren	- -	3	- -	- -
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	- -	1	- -	- -
Eastern Bluebird	1	3	1	- -
Veery	- -	1	- -	- -
Swainson's Thrush	- -	1	- -	- -
Hermit Thrush	- -	1	- -	- -
American Robin	- -	2	1	- -
Gray Catbird	- -	2	- -	- -
Northern Mockingbird	- -	1	- -	- -
Brown Thrasher	- -	8	- -	- -
European Starling	- -	2	- -	- -
Cedar Waxwing	- -	1	- -	- -
Yellow Warbler	- -	1	- -	- -
Yellow-rumped Warbler	- -	1	1	- -
Black-and-white Warbler	- -	1	- -	- -
American Redstart	- -	1	- -	- -
Common Yellowthroat	- -	2	- -	- -
Eastern Towhee	- -	2	- -	- -
American Tree Sparrow	- -	1	1	- -
Chipping Sparrow	- -	1	- -	- -
Clay-colored Sparrow	- -	1	- -	- -
Field Sparrow	- -	4	- -	- -
Lark Sparrow	- -	1	- -	- -
Savannah Sparrow	- -	1	- -	- -
Grasshopper Sparrow	- -	3	- -	- -
Song Sparrow	1	- -	- -	- -
Harris's Sparrow	- -	1	1	- -
Dark-eyed Junco	- -	1	1	- -
Northern Cardinal	2	2	1	- -
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	- -	2	- -	- -
Indigo Bunting	- -	2	- -	- -
Dickcissel	- -	2	- -	- -
Bobolink	- -	1	- -	- -
Red-winged Blackbird	2	4	1	- -
Eastern Meadowlark	- -	3	1	- -
Western Meadowlark	- -	2	- -	- -
Common Grackle	- -	5	1	- -
Brown-headed Cowbird	- -	2	- -	- -
Orchard Oriole	- -	3	- -	- -
Baltimore Oriole	- -	3	- -	- -
Pine Siskin	- -	1	- -	- -
American Goldfinch	- -	3	1	- -
House Sparrow	- -	2	- -

Species Accounts

The bird variety present is given in the following list, which includes a few game birds, but identifies the greater number of nongame birds present in the wildlife area habitats.

Double-crested Cormorant. Fall migrant.

Great Blue Heron. Occasional visitor spring through fall.

Green-backed Heron. Spring visitor.

Snow Goose. Observed flying over the area during seasonal migration periods.

Wood Duck. Summer resident.

Mallard. Migrant.

Blue-winged Teal. Migrant.

Turkey Vulture. Summer resident. Usually only a few seen but nine were observed on 3 June 1981.

Northern Harrier. Late winter visitor.

Sharp-shinned Hawk. Spring resident in 1981 and winter resident.

Broad-winged Hawk. Spring migrant.

Red-tailed Hawk. One young raised in 1981 and 3 young raised in 1982.

American Kestrel. Resident but seldom seen.

Ring-necked Pheasant. Permanent breeding resident.

Wild Turkey. Three male and 12 female birds were released in the area in January and February of 1982.

Northern Bobwhite. Permanent resident.

Killdeer. Seasonal resident. Young seen in 1982.

Solitary Sandpiper. Migrant along the river.

Spotted Sandpiper. Resident along the river.

Upland Sandpiper. About five birds resident during the breeding season.

Franklin's Gull. Spring and fall migrant.

Mourning Dove. Resident. Fifteen nests found in 1981 and eight nests found in 1982 in all habitat types.

Black-billed Cuckoo. Spring migrant.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Summer resident with a nest found in 1981 and 1982 on the edge of a dense growth of elm saplings.

Great Horned Owl. Permanent resident with a nest found in 1982.

Barred Owl. Late winter visitor.

Long-eared Owl. Late winter resident.

Common Nighthawk. Late spring resident in 1982 but spring migrant in 1982.

Common Poorwill. Spring migrant.

Whip-poor-will. Spring migrant.

Chimney Swift. Summer resident. Unsuccessfully nested in 1981 and 1982 in the closet of an abandoned house.

Belted Kingfisher. A permanent resident along the river.

Red-headed Woodpecker. Resident from spring through fall. Fledged young seen in 1982.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. Resident. Adult seen feeding young in a tree cavity in 1982.

Downy Woodpecker. Resident at two locations in 1982.

Northern Flicker. Resident. Young heard in a tree cavity in 1981.

Eastern Wood-Pewee. Breeding season resident in 1982.

Eastern Phoebe. Resident in 1981 with a successful nest built on a girder of a small bridge. Spring migrant in 1982.

Great Crested Flycatcher. Breeding season resident. May nest as an adult was seen entering a tree cavity in 1982.

Eastern Kingbird. Summer breeding resident. Five nests found in 1981 and six nests found in 1982.

Horned Lark. Observed in late winter.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Breeding resident along the river. A nest was found in 1981.

Barn Swallow. Summer breeding resident. Twenty-two nests found in 1981 and 26 found in 1982. The nests were built on barn rafters and the door molding in abandoned houses.

Autumn Bird Visit
Snow Goose	31
Great Blue Heron	1
Northern Harrier	1
Red-tailed Hawk	2
American Kestrel	1
Eastern Screech-Owl	1
Great Horned Owl	2
Red-bellied Woodpecker	2
Downy Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	4
Blue Jay	3
American Crow	5
Black-capped Chickadee	3
Eastern Bluebird	16
American Robin	65
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2
American Tree Sparrow	8
Harris's Sparrow	2
Dark-eyed Junco	20
Northern Cardinal	4
Red-winged Blackbird	25
Eastern Meadowlark	15
Common Grackle	11
American Goldfinch	2

Blue Jay. Permanent resident.

American Crow. Breeding resident. A nest was found in 1981.

Black-capped Chickadee. Breeding season resident.

Tufted Titmouse. Spring visitor.

White-breasted Nuthatch. Breeding season resident.

House Wren. Common breeding resident. Adults seen feeding young at three different locations in 1982.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Breeding season resident.

Eastern Bluebird. Breeding resident. Fledged young seen in 1981 and 1982. This species utilizes nest boxes placed on the ares.

Veery. Spring migrant.

Swainson's Thrush. Spring migrant.

Hermit Thrush. Spring migrant.

American Robin. Summer breeding resident. Adult seen carrying food in 1982.

Gray Catbird. Summer breeding resident. A nest was found in 1981 in a roadside ditch.

Northern Mockingbird. One or 2 singing birds were resident during the 1981 and 1982 breeding season.

Brown Thrasher. Summer breeding resident. Four nests were found in 1981 and five were found in 1981.

Cedar Waxwing. Early summer resident.

Loggerhead Shrike. Summer breeding resident. Fledged young seen in 1981 and 1982.

European Starling. Breeding season resident in the vicinity of the wildlife area.

Warbling Vireo. Spring migrant.

Philadelphia Vireo. Spring migrant.

Yellow Warbler. Spring migrant.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Spring migrant.

Black-and-white Warbler. Spring migrant.

American Redstart. Spring migrant.

Common Yellowthroat. Limited occurrence as a breeding season resident.

Northern Cardinal. A breeding resident. A nest found in 1981 and 1982.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Breeding season resident.

Indigo Bunting. Breeding season resident.

Dickcissel. Breeding season resident.

Rufous-sided [Eastern] Towhee. Breeding season resident.

American Tree Sparrow. Migrant visitor.

Chipping Sparrow. Spring visitor.

Clay-colored Sparrow. Spring resident.

Field Sparrow. Summer breeding resident. One nest found in 1981 and 1982.

Lark Sparrow. Summer breeding resident. A nest was found in 1981.

Savannah Sparrow. Spring resident.

Grasshopper Sparrow. Summer breeding resident. One nest was found in 1982.

Song Sparrow. Summer breeding resident. A nest was found in 1981 in vegetation in the channel of the river.

Harris' Sparrow. Winter and spring resident.

Dark-eyed Junco. Winter resident.

Bobolink. Spring migrant.

Red-winged Blackbird. Summer breeding resident. Twenty-four nests were found in 1981 and 8 nests were found in 1982 in a roadside ditch at the northwest corner of the Duncan Tract. This bird also nests along the river.

Eastern Meadowlark. Common breeding resident. Fledglings seen in 1981.

Western Meadowlark. Uncommon breeding season resident on grazed pastureland.

Common Grackle. Summer breeding resident. A nest was found in 1981 and 1982.

Brown-headed Cowbird. Summer breeding resident. Young are raised in a variety of other species nests.

Orchard Oriole. Summer breeding resident. A nest was found in 1982.

Northern [Baltimore] Oriole. Summer breeding resident. Nesting activity watched in 1981.

Pine Siskin. Late winter visitor.

American Goldfinch. Breeding season resident.

House Sparrow. Breeding resident. Nests were usually located in abandoned barns on the area.

Research Site Revisited

A couple of decades or so after my original research, another visit was made to this place on 29 October 2003. There was a birdly meeting in the nearby region, so a parking spot at the area sufficed for the night's stop, with the front seat of a pickup the place for some sort of uncomfortable sleep. Getting up with the sun, a walk about was done before departing for the meeting, where other attendees spelt in paid for beds at the city lodge.

There were 24 species, each vibrant in their own distinctive manner during a crisp outing in the first light of the morning. The outing was prominent in its recollections of former times stepping around the wildlife area.

The results of the survey are shown in the accompanying table.

Had to leave the bird people meeting due to an unpaid registration fee because of paying for gas instead. This was the first rift in a chasm which is now a great divide!

At the end of this autumnal journey an errant driver turned when they should not have at a highway intersection, and there was a motor vehicle accident with unwanted results including the start of the demise of my multi-hued, individually painted, Chevrolet pickup.

Details derived from research associated with this study: James E. Ducey. August 1984. The Effects of Habitat Management on Nongame Birds. University of Nebraska at Omaha M.A. thesis, 50 pp. Appendix A. Pages 36-40.