Midtown Martins and Dangerous Dundee Mishap

It was a swell evening Thursday on June 23. Sky was blue with a few scattered clouds to the south. Winds were calm and it was cool.

Purple Martins were about and it was time to once again check activity at their well known roost.

Wheeling along on two wheels, upon arrival at 44th Street, the setting was just right to view the roost trees lit by sublime evening light, with the buildings shining in the background. There were, however, no birds of interest yet about.

Bicycling further east, time was taken to watch the Chimney Swifts about 40th and Farnam streets. The usual fine bunch was about, including a couple of small groups which had fledglings refining their aerial skills. The bird sort of twittering was all about.

With time available a brief stop was made at the local establishment for a single cool drink with my favorite lemonade mix.

Then onward to the roost site observation location which was being used by three medical center workers on a smoke break. They sat on the steps and babbled on. The fem was the focus of two men's attention. She was fully loaded. There was a pack of cigarettes topped with a lighter, a cell phone, a music player, a bug repeller and a can of soda all carefully laid out in a row on either side. They finally left and the birds, thankfully, became the obvious feature.

About 8:30 p.m. there were 15 or so martins above. On terra firma nearby, several cutesy little bunnies were on the turf, though close to cover. Their parents foray's were a bit further. They were an additional appreciation.

Common Grackles fly around. Some starling were obvious. A few other species were present.

Most noticeably a Red-tailed Hawk, perched on a rooftop edge of the south doctor's building. It had earlier been seen soaring above the scene. Those little bits of rabbit were prime targets for this mighty raptor.

Martin Mecca

With the swarm of martins increasing, another detail was noticed. The measly "decorative" decals were on the glass windows of the walkway, but the banners were not hung with care. This is the danger zone for the migratory birds.

The martin mecca midtown is best appreciated with a personal experience. This particular evening, early in the season had the normal activities which have been observed in the past four years, since my sole discovery of this wonder of the Missouri River valley. Yet! Yes it was a grand spectacle. Once observed in all their glory, the activities are superb in a phantasmagorical mix of bird movement, vocalizations and other general activity by adult and juveniles birds. They are masters through the hidden breezes of the sky.

The hawk just sat there with its own intentions. Occasionally a grackle would swoop nearby to express its displeasure. Two robins were most intent in wanting the hawk gone. One sat within a few feet, trying to harass the raptor to an extent to get it to leave. Another was a few feet further away, providing backup. Near the roost site observation location, a robin was seen carrying food, which readily indicated the reason for robins in action against a predatory intruder among their community.

Once the hawk did finally decide to depart, most of the martin swarm escorted it upon its departure towards the west.

With the descent of dark, more of the munificent martins arrived. The seasonal congregation was underway, and was only being appreciated by a single man, who's presence did not matter in the least to the gathered birds.

What new expressive word should be given here is uncertain. There could be further comments on the splendor, but it was time to cycle onward.

Dangerous Dundee Mishap

Going up the hill to 49th Street there a bit if vibrancy in the pedal motion because of what had been enjoyed. Pedal. Breathe. Pedal. Pedal. Fatigue upon getting to the hilltop.

Going north, the fine night continued across Dodge Street and northward towards the expected destination.

Suddenly a car turned in front of my route. There was a vivid view of a pending collision with no means to stop or avoid the coming hit.

Oh no! Smash ...

The subsequent moments are not part of my awareness. The next cognizant realization was lying on the street, looking at the underside of a car, with the front tire a few feet away. The "wits were gathered" as lying in the street was not the place to be, so my position was moved to the curbside grass to lay back. The "hipster" drivers at least asked once about my situation, then made no further attempts at communicating. A nearby resident offered a cup of water. She had not seen the accident but had heard it.

Yikes. A car and a bike collide with her and other gawkers knowing about it because of the noise. What is it about a guy on a bicycle hitting a car which cut in front of the cyclist that is so obviously noisy?

If the car would have had its headlights on or used its turn signal - neither which was being used based upon quickly made, pre-trauma recollections - it might have been avoided.

There could be a lot to say of what happened next. It all followed an expression to call emergency services. An ambulance and fire truck arrived in minutes.

The responders then took control. Being strapped onto a back board and being asked question after question is not my version of a typical bird watching outing.

My eyes were kept closed except for a few secondary moments, until and into being situated in an emergency room. The stress level was elevated.

There could be comments on being treated as a body instead of a person at the nearby medical center. There was a lack of explanation on the flurry of activites. Their actions were apparently appropriate, but overwhelming. There was the security goon being a "big man" with a shiny "tin" badge. There is the discomfort of being left lying for many minutes on a back board while health care givers discuss my situation in the hall. Money, money, money the basic point. There could be words given about the doctoral discussions, when the two guys finally were cognizant enough to be personable and listen. There were a whole lot of words because of out looking at birds. There is the lack of police providing no information on the car drivers.

There could be more said. There were enough opinions to last a year.

As a hurting hombre, my nights destination was reached a couple of hours later, via my own two feet through the streets. Ow. Oh that hurts. Again and again until the realization most obvious: pain is an active part of life, and this was one of my times. Along the way, notably noticed were small pieces from a broken car - due to blunt force tramua from my body - on north 49th Street. The broken bike - with a dramatically twisted front tire - had already been delivered by three firemen to the front porch, rather than the back year which had been the request, repeated twice.

Conditions due to the accident continue. It is beyond malaise, but an obvious malady with an unknown result(s) pending.

There will certainly be another bicycle visit to the martin mecca? This wonder of the bird world will hopefully be enjoyed again and again in some manner or another.

Water Spreads Across Missouri Floodplain

View of Tobacco Island mitigation area. Image courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers.

"Floodplain functionality" has dramatically returned at wild lands along the Missouri River as evident at the numerous mitigation areas created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during recent years.

Most of the sites adjacent to the river channel are now completely inundated by flood waters, based on river valley inundation maps prepared by the Corps.

Many of these mitigation sites including land that was formerly corn fields, which would have been inundated under current conditions along the river.

The depth of water at the mitigation sites would vary, according to Jolene M. Hulsing, a natural resources specialist with the Corps' Omaha district.

"The Corps number one concern is public safety and property," Hulsing said, "The flood will expose mitigation sites to natural processes that facilitate fish and wildlife.

"Mitigation sites serve as areas for the river to flow where it did prior to construction of navigation controls. These areas have been reconstructed to 'mimic' natural conditions. Being exposed to this rare flood event exposes the sites to pre-navigation and pre-dam flows. How the landscape responds to the flood water will be reminiscent of how the landscape functioned prior to settlement.

"It will be educational to see what the flood has done to impact these sites," she said.

A thorough evaluation of the sites will occur once the flooding has ended.

"Vegetative conditions and wetland situations will be mapped," Hulsing said.

There will most likely be damage to infrastructure at the mitigation sites, such as pumping stations, rock structure, fencing, roads, signage, etc. Hulsing said. "This will all have to be assessed after the flood water recede."

Corps officials currently have only limited access to the mitigation areas, due to inundated roads and excessive flows which severely inhibit boat or vehicular access.

Hulsing and other staff at the Missouri River Project Office have had to relocate from their headquarters at the Omaha Moorings, along Pershing Drive. Water is inside the lower buildings, but a port a dam currently is keeping water out of the Administrative office.

Local wildlife is having to adapt to the higher flows, but the river's fish and wildlife has dealt with flooding along the river for centuries. The extent of the spreading water may be a new experience for current generations, so they are being forced to adapt.

The mitigation sites from Sioux City to Rulo comprise about 22,000 acres, and are actively managed for natural uses to benefit indigenous fish and wildlife.

Editorial Cartoonist Erroneous

The editorial cartoonist for the local daily newspaper was off the mark on the strip for June 15, 2011.

This strip is wrong in many ways by what it conveys, including:

1. Indicating that extensive flooding was the result of water management for endangered and threatened species
2. Conveying a perspective that people were suffering due to birds and fish
3. Is a lame commentary attacking fish and birds which have few advocates for their interests
4. Shows a disregard of the need for conservation of important natural resources within the Missouri valley
5. Does not convey that the bird species have also lost their seasonal homes

For these reasons, the artist was nominated as a "butthead of the week" on the Tom Becka show, on Friday evening, June 17. The talk-show host also tried to make the discussion one of birds versus people.

This erroneous perspective shows a lack of awareness and is an easy stance to take rather rather than to understand the issues. There are compromises involved and finding common ground is preferable to antagonizing the situation.

This cartoon is included through the fair-use provision of the copyright law.

Malaise of Flooded Missouri Valley Habitats

A white-tailed deer belly-deep in flood waters covering the Horseshoe Lake Flats was the forlorn sign of the malaise along the in bird habitats along the Missouri River of Nebraska. It stood still for quite a time, not moving in any particular manner, as if not knowing what to do next. It was surrounded by water of variable depths, and may have lost its nurtured fawn?

For wild birds, there have undoubtedly been similar tragedies of the summer breeding season as merciless water creeps across dry land, flooding habitats and havens for so many birds.

Carbonation

A visit to some known floodplain places was carried out on June 11th.

It started with an arrival on the east bluff lookout at Hummel Park a bit after 5 a.m., to have proper siting for a sunrise during the summer solstice month. Access was available from Ponca Road as Pershing Road was closed at the river bridge near Florence. Above this road, the Interstate had also been closed, as flooding on the Iowa side meant a closed section of I-29.

Along the steep route outward, the clay soil was tacky, giving a good grip for shoe soles, and thankfully suited for the careful steps to get along on a suitable vantage point or two.

Upon looking downward in a vast expanse, an Eastern Phoebe found the situation suitable, though it was a place where an errant step would be into a dangerous, big hole or a long fall from the sheer bluff wall.

Songsters expressed the pending day, vocal in a scene without car or plane traffic. Fog in the sky masked portions of the Missouri valley in the dim and expressive light of pre-dawn.

The lowland was liquid H2O, mostly covered.

The corn field to the east was mostly flooded, with another Duda Farm field to the north was entirely flooded. N.P. Dodge Park was all covered. Scant glimpses of sun and changing sky conditions meant it was time to relocate.

A quick jaunt was made to the Horseshoe Lake Flats. Along the way - after the dreadful traffic control situation due to recreational trail construction - the Surfside Club was closed due to flood conditions, especially in its parking lot. The usual road taken along the lowlands by the Krimlofski Tract was closed and blocked by cement barricades. An alternative western route was taken that ended at the drainage ditch along County Road P49. Where it was barricaded, with signage.

Floodplain

Nearly everything eastward of this point was under some depth of water. It looked like a lake to the east, though the road signs sticking up here and there readily indicated usual purposes. In the distance were inundated buildings. A center-pivot irrigator was useless as it was partially under water.

The most interesting consideration from this point: What is the entire flooded land was actually part of the Boyer Chute NWR. Forget growing crops on a floodplain but allow the river to reclaim land it undoubtedly spread across in former years. The scene was wild and dramatic in its presentation of a time many decades ago when there was natural flooding which was the nature of the Missouri River.

Resident tragedies would eventually disappear. There would be less personal disasters and economic impact if the land was managed differently.

After an interlude, the day's route went southward to the entrance of N.P. Dodge Park where the local flock of Canada geese were gathered. The gaggle of geese were gathered on a spit of grass. One gander was using a spot reserved for handicapped parking. Boisterous goslings were big but not yet ready to fly. This bit of turf was among the few square feet of the park which were not inundated.

Displaced

An unusual bird sighting here was two Green Herons, also adapting to the conditions. A Killdeer had a miniscule place where it could forage.

Along Pershing Drive, a jogger came along, and upon inquiry said there was no water on the road to the south. That route was actually accessible. Here, and elsewhere during the day, were gawkers getting their own perspective of the Flood of 2011.

Returning to the Hummel Park bluffs, intermittent sun and fog clouds presented a suitable dichotomy of the situation.

After safely maneuvering the park bluffs - more suited to a phoebe or bunting than a human hiker - it was time to go further south, moving first along Pershing Drive. The Corps of Engineers had built a berm of several feet around the Omaha Moorings staff building. Coast Guard people had done the same. Beneath the Mormon Bridge, a officer of the Omaha Police Department sat in his cruiser, controlling inbound access onto the drive. Leaving was not being controlled.

The guy was given a wave.

Near Carter Lake, contractors were placing sand bags around at least four electrical facilities - transformers, etc. - along Abbott Drive, by Eppley Airfield. Preventive efforts certainly?

Industrial?

La Platte Bottoms

Safely transversing the traffic officer radar spot north of La Platte, the always expressive La Platte Bottoms were reached. Water levels were notably higher than an earlier visit in June. There were however, barricades and road closed signs at the junction of La Platte Road and Harlan Lewis Drive, similar to those from the latter months of 2010.

Upon driving east to see what birds were about, my excursion was brought short by a man in a big pickup, making a kindly gesture. He asked if my residence was further along? No. He then said the county sheriff was issuing tickets to people present along the road, as it was officially closed. The apparent fine was $57.

My route - after noting the Great-tailed Grackles - went eastward to the first turn-around and continued to a stopping point at the intersection, just a few feet west of the barricades and signs, and certainly out of the zone of potential conflict.

It was not a good time to be trying to watch birds. There was too much traffic, especially dump trucks of various sorts. Some were taking fill material to a nearby site along Papillion Creek where the military was apparently filling sand bags to armor the creek's levee. A bit west, other trucksters hauled quantities of dirt to create a berm around a power company facility.

During a stop at the western edge of the bottoms, with the car parked completely off the roadway, there was a bit of time to see more Black Terns, and snap a pic after getting stable following the gusts from passing trucks. While there, a county sheriff drove past.

Watersway

Great Marsh

The road to the floodplain of Fontenelle Forest and Gifford Point was completely blocked by barricades about a mile to the west, near Camp Logan Fontenelle. There were four barricades joined by a cable preventing any vehicular access, though there were no directives limiting foot traffic.

It did require a hike among the forest with beautiful birds to arrive on the floodplain. There certainly was water on the road, a few hundred feet eastward of the railroad tracks. Most of the lowland of Gifford Point is covered by some extent of river flows at this place directly below the city of Omaha.

The Great Marsh is greater than it has been in any recent year. The expansive marsh includes aquatic forest to the east - perhaps it might be called a swamp - and there are probably continuous liquid conditions to Hidden Lake.

Rust on the tracks indicate a lack of use for the BNSF railroad line.

Evening Time

Barricades along the county road east of Fort Calhoun were noted in a visit during in the early evening with ample sun. A partial barricade was bypassed to access to the barricade point. During the very brief visit, a patrol car of the Nebraska State Patrol came on the scene, but left without asking any questions.

A second visit to CR P49 indicated an increase in water levels. The bit of road present in the morning - as used by foraging Common Grackles and Killdeer - was gone. A female gawker here would not go beyond the barricades and signage because it said no trespassing.

The day went smoothly with no harangues for being anyplace. No inadvertent mishaps. And any citations for trespassing or speeding were avoided. All it took was time and money for high-priced gasoline.

Flood. Original artwork (c) 2011 Scott Malone.

Nepenthe Birds Disrupted by Airfield

Bird Men? Prefers Birds

No "Nepenthe" for A.L. Timblin, as Planes Drive Feathered Friends Away

Alva Leroy Timblin wouldn't toss a feather in the path of progress, but when progress reverses the process, that makes Mr. Timblin mad.

Mr. Timblin, attorney, long time resident of Omaha and for 13 years a householder in a cottage he built with his own hands just east of Carter Lake, can work up no general enthusiasm over planes, or the fact that uninterrupted coast-to-coast passenger service is "in our midst."

"Don't tell me what they can do," he said as he stood in the doorway of his cottage, "Nepenthe" so named for that soothing potion of the ancients, guaranteed to drive away all grief and pain.

"Bird Men - Bah!"

"Look at them!" and he raised a fist to heaven, as a great plane roared overhead. "Birdmen! Bah! Damn em! They scare all the birds away; that's what I got against them. There should be a law, but there isn't and I don't suppose there ever will be!"

Mr. Timblin moved from the noise of the city to his home just a block or [two] south of what is now the municipal airfield, to escape the hurry, worry and fretting of city life.

Birds, bees, trees, flowers, water and the weather of the four seasons, binoculars and a well-seasoned briar pipe; all these until planes came worked "Nepenthe" indeed. Now it is so different.

Feathered Friends Depart.

"I've got used to expecting them to drop in on me any minute, or scalp me like an Indian. I've even got sort of used to the noise," he declared. "But they've done me dirt, in scaring away the birds. They can't hurt my flower garden; at least they haven't yet, and this is some consolation; but this year will be even worse than last as far as birds are concerned. They just won't come, like they did before these human hawks took to flying right over my house.

In his early 70's, Mr. Timblin stands six feet one-inch in his shoes and weights 160 pounds. His eyes are blue, his hair iron gray and is skin is tawny.

Geese flying over at night have been music to his ears. Now, he says both ducks and geese when they come keep as far from the air field as possible.

Once Counted Many Birds.

"In the spring of the year, I've stood in my yard and counted seventeen different kinds of birds all about me. I'd like to see anybody do it again," he said.

In a book he has kept a list of the birds he has seen there. These include the yellow-billed cuckoo, black-billed cuckoo, belted kingfisher, hairy, downy, Texan redheaded and redbellied woodpeckers, flicker, night hawk, chimney swift, many varieties of wild waterfowl, ruby humming bird, kingbird, flycatchers, blue-jays, bobolink, cowbird, blackbirds, meadow larks, orchard orioles, grackles, American goldfinch, McCown longspur, Baird, grasshopper, Leconte, lark, Harris, white-throated, song, swamp and fox sparrows; slate-colored junco, indigo bunting, Dickcissel, tree swallows, northern shrike, warbling and black-capped vireos, many different kinds of warblers, Maryland yellow-throat, American redstart, catbirds, brown thrasher, Bewick wren, brown creeper, house wren, black-capped chickadee, golden crowned kinglet, ruby kinglet, robins, of course, four kinds of thrushes, and many more.

"Now if I'd see some of these around here, I'd be just as startled as if I saw a dodo," says he. "Don't talk about flying to me. I've seen the best in the world -- but those 'birds' over there have driven most of them away."

If the worst comes to the worst Mr. Timblin may change the name of his cottage from "Nepenthe" to "Petrol."

April 3, 1931. Omaha World-Herald 66(159): 10.

Martins Return to Midtown Omaha

A few Purple Martins have already returned to their seasonal roost at Midtown Omaha.

After receiving a report from a neighborhood birder, the roost was visited on the evening of June 6th. The birds were flying about the roost site, and some perched on the wind sock structure atop the Kiewit Center. None were on the power lines as they had been seen when first noticed for the season in the past two years.

An estimated 50-75 were seen, though more birds using the roost could have arrived after my pre-sunset departure.

This occurrence is three weeks prior to the date the roost was first noted in 2010.

This is just the beginning of the annual spectacle. The number of martins will increase in the coming weeks to its peak later in the season.

There were a bunch of Chimney Swifts in the skies near 40th and Farnam Streets. The actual chimneys they were using was not noted, but the set of chimneys at the Sullivan's Bar building seem to have good potential.

Waterfowl Return After Pollution Event

Wood Ducks have been noticed again on the waters of Happy Hollow Creek.

For several days, they had been missing, and there is a readily apparent reason.

The creek was tainted by an accidental discharge of sewage. The situation was obvious during the Memorial Day weekend, as the creek water was a dull-brown color rather than a clear water, and then a smell became obvious. After noting this, the source was located just south of Cass Street along Happy Hollow Boulevard.

There was an ample flow where there was typically none, except during and after precipitation events. It seemed there was at least five gallons a minute being discharged.

The effluent went from Happy Hollow Creek on the east side of Memorial Park, and then into Wood Creek which goes through Elmwood Park.

The aberrant situation was reported on June 2nd to the Environmental Services section at the Omaha Public Works Department.

A technician provided this followup report:

"An Environmental Inspector visited the area of Cass & Happy Hollow in response to the complaint received regarding a suspect discharge into the creek, the same morning of the report. They found a black corrugated plastic pipe on the east side of Elmwood Creek with an active discharge ... cloudy white in color. A faint sewage odor was present and some sanitary sewage accumulation was present along the creek bottom near the outfall.

"They contacted Sewer Maintenance to inform them of a potential cross connection. Sewer maintenance sent a crew to meet the inspector on site. While awaiting their arrival the inspector drove through the neighborhood along the portion of storm sewer that was upstream of the outfall to see if they could see any recent disturbance on any of the lots. When Sewer Maintenance arrived, they checked the outfall and they agreed that the discharge was from a sanitary sewer source. A sanitary sewer in the middle of Happy Hollow Blvd (MH #0166041) was opened and an overflow structure was present. The bypass was built into the sanitary sewer MH from when it was a combined sewer line and had not been capped when the lines were separated. A grab sample of the effluent was taken for analysis. A foreman in sewer maintenance was also contacted about getting a construction crew scheduled to correct the problem."

This problem would have continued unabated if it had not been reported, and the city agency asks that if anyone notices any "If you or your neighbors notice any suspect discharge into the creek please do not hesitate to contact my office at 402-444-3908."

The city was required to report the accidental release to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

A local community group, when this event was mentioned to a former president, were not aware that it had happened.

The creek still has scum accumulations which will hopefully get washed out with the next substantive rainfall making the habitat more suitable for ducks and other fowl.