Birdlife Within Region of Proposed KeystoneXL Pipeline, Northern Nebraska

The Keystone XL pipeline has a proposed corridor which enters north-central Nebraska in Keya Paha County, and then follows a general southerly and eastern direction. The route is proposed to cross the Niobrara River at the Highway 137 bridge at Mariaville. After going through the northeast corner of Rock County, it continues through the sandhills of western and southern Holt County, then continues into Garfield County.

This corridor goes through a region where there are many places readily recognized for their importance to native fauna, especially birds. Since only a general vicinity map could be located online, the proximity of the buried pipe could not be delimited to within a quarter-mile, so this evaluation covers a larger area which includes prominent places for wild birds within the general area of a township or two of the corridor as apparent from large-scale maps.

Near the Niobrara River crossing, there are two prominent localities in the valley which have been surveyed a few times. This includes the Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary, owned by the Audubon Society of Kansas, which is a few miles westward. Right near the bridge, to the west, is Turpin Lake, which is one of the few lake areas along this portion of the river. The privately owned Focken Marsh area - with its wonderful wetland diversity and creek flows - is just a couple of miles eastward.

Within the Holt County area, there are extensive areas of sandhill wetlands - especially prominent lakes and wet meadows - which are habitat for a large variety of bird species. During the past twenty years, there have been a variety of surveys done that readily indicate the extent of bird use. More surveys were done in the period prior to 2004, than in the past few years. The gathering of this data was done on a voluntary basis.

In order to indicate the bird diversity, an analysis was done for several townships, using the records available in the "Sandhills Database," which has details for all known and available bird sightings from the region, available from 1900 to 2010, especially since the latter 1980s.

The townships analyzed were from T13-16W and R25-28W. Summary details are given for only the most prominent locales, as indicated in the species list table. Overall there is information of one extent or another from more than 50 localities, with the number of records varying from one to 680 records, with a total of more than 3400 distinct records. All of these have been obtained by site surveys or visits since 1990, to limit the scope to the current time period. Nearly all of the records have been collected by J.E. Ducey or L.E. Blake (especially in the early 1990s, with shorebird surveys at Chain Lake in 1990 and 1991), or derived from sightings by other birders as reported in the literature or online.

A typical site survey would entail finding a prominent vantage point(s) where the area could seen, and then count each of the birds observed, with diligence given to ensure any individuals were not counted more than once. On a few occasions, this might have entailed a hike around a particular lake, such as Dora Lake.

Prominent Localities

The following are the localities for which there are more than 50 records available for comparison:

Site - Number of Records

Swan Lake - 680; waterfowl and waterbirds prevalent

Chain Lake - 678; shorebirds and waterbirds prevalent

Dora Lake - 542; shorebirds and waterbirds prevalent

Blake Ranch - 452; meadow and upland species

Focken Marsh - 237; riverine lake and marsh

Grass Lakebed - 146; wet meadow and marsh species

Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary - 117

Lambs Lake - 85; included a cattle egret colony

Overton Lake - 72

Doral Valley - 72; in the immediate vicinity of Dora Lake

Dora Lake Meadow - 64; in the immediate vicinity of Dora Lake

Atlas Block 6H04 - 59

Bruner Lake - 58; the bird history for this site dates back to 1883

Bird Diversity

There have been at least 204 species recorded in the area being considered, based on a consideration of the localities given in the following table. The value given is a combined sum of the number counted during the various surveys; a zero value indicates no information was kept on how many were seen. These numbers help indicate whether a species can be considered common, unusual or rare.

Common Name	Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary	Turpin Lake, Niobrara River	Focken Marsh	Dora Lake	Lambs Lake	Blake Ranch	Swan Lake	Chain Lake
Greater White-fronted Goose	-	-	-	-	-	-	150	132
Cackling Goose	-	1	-	-	-	-	70	-
Canada Goose	19	4	1	749	126	357	549	419
Trumpeter Swan	-	-	-	1	2	-	1	-
Wood Duck	-	-	1	28	-	38	21	-
Gadwall	-	2	-	799	50	15	97	114
American Wigeon	-	-	-	47	25	55	41	104
Mallard	2	4	0	609	57	310	296	1314
Blue-winged Teal	3	-	0	246	8	43	67	135
Northern Shoveler	-	-	-	790	29	74	878	285
Northern Pintail	-	-	-	98	-	56	73	760
Green-winged Teal	-	-	-	85	-	50	97	133
Canvasback	-	-	-	25	15	-	55	-
Redhead	-	-	-	121	15	2	252	91
Ring-necked Duck	-	-	-	-	-	203	83	23
Lesser Scaup	-	-	0	64	56	21	489	237
Bufflehead	-	-	-	16	25	9	370	17
Common Goldeneye	-	-	-	-	-	-	28	21
Hooded Merganser	-	-	-	-	-	-	7	2
Common Merganser	6	16	-	5	-	-	904	166
Ruddy Duck	-	-	-	115	7	-	156	37
Ring-necked Pheasant	0	-	0	1	1	8	1	-
Sharp-tailed Grouse	11	-	-	-	-	-	3	1
Greater Prairie-Chicken	-	-	-	7	6	52	3	17
Wild Turkey	23	1	6	-	-	-	20	-
Northern Bobwhite	-	-	1	-	-	12	-	-
Common Loon	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Pied-billed Grebe	-	-	0	1	15	1	1	2
Horned Grebe	-	-	-	-	-	-	6	10
Eared Grebe	-	-	-	102	-	-	20	2
Western Grebe	-	-	-	34	-	-	15	-
American White Pelican	-	-	0	626	31	-	202	60
Double-crested Cormorant	-	-	0	394	14	12	382	55
American Bittern	-	-	-	1	1	8	2	-
Great Blue Heron	3	-	1	35	4	1	21	3
Great Egret	-	-	-	3	-	-	1	-
Cattle Egret	-	-	0	5	115	-	7	1
Green Heron	-	-	0	-	-	-	1	-
Black-crowned Night-Heron	-	-	-	4	2	-	-	-
White-faced Ibis	-	-	-	2	1	-	-	-
Turkey Vulture	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Osprey	1	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
Bald Eagle	2	2	1	2	-	6	3	63
Northern Harrier	-	-	0	-	1	4	2	3
Sharp-shinned Hawk	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	-
Cooper's Hawk	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Swainson's Hawk	0	-	-	-	-	29	2	2
Red-tailed Hawk	2	3	7	1	-	6	1	4
Rough-legged Hawk	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Golden Eagle	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-
American Kestrel	8	-	0	-	-	16	9	4
Peregrine Falcon	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Prairie Falcon	1	-	-	-	-	2	-	2
Virginia Rail	-	-	-	-	1	2	-	-
Sora	-	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
American Coot	-	-	0	1238	385	-	261	142
Sandhill Crane	-	1	0	145	-	13	265	12
Whooping Crane	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-
Black-bellied Plover	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
American Golden-Plover	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	6
Semipalmated Plover	-	-	-	34	-	-	3	33
Piping Plover	-	-	0	21	-	-	4	3
Killdeer	1	-	2	439	3	10	17	727
Black-necked Stilt	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
American Avocet	-	-	-	34	1	-	-	26
Greater Yellowlegs	-	-	-	32	-	13	1	6
Lesser Yellowlegs	-	-	-	247	-	8	2	102
Solitary Sandpiper	-	-	-	-	-	11	-	-
Willet	-	-	-	35	1	2	4	14
Spotted Sandpiper	-	-	0	82	1	2	7	61
Upland Sandpiper	0	-	0	82	5	-	8	5
Long-billed Curlew	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Marbled Godwit	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	6
Ruddy Turnstone	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
Sanderling	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	57
Semipalmated Sandpiper	-	-	-	130	-	-	30	351
Western Sandpiper	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	42
Least Sandpiper	-	-	0	47	-	-	1	47
White-rumped Sandpiper	-	-	-	7	-	-	-	275
Baird's Sandpiper	-	-	-	119	-	-	26	333
Pectoral Sandpiper	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
Dunlin	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Stilt Sandpiper	-	-	-	35	-	-	5	124
Buff-breasted Sandpiper	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6
Short-billed Dowitcher	-	-	-	39	-	-	-	13
Long-billed Dowitcher	-	-	0	55	-	-	31	90
Wilson's Snipe	-	-	1	21	1	28	4	-
Wilson's Phalarope	-	-	-	233	4	34	226	1901
Red-necked Phalarope	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	24
Franklin's Gull	-	-	0	38	-	-	4	4
Bonaparte's Gull	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5
Ring-billed Gull	-	-	-	87	15	-	36	67
Black-legged Kittiwake	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Forster's Tern	-	-	0	19	-	-	-	-
Least Tern	-	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
Black Tern	-	-	-	76	105	-	515	17
Mourning Dove	12	-	2	31	5	2	41	15
Black-billed Cuckoo	-	-	0	-	-	2	-	-
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	-	-	0	-	-	9	-	-
Eastern Screech-Owl	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Great Horned Owl	-	-	0	4	-	4	1	7
Common Nighthawk	0	-	1	18	1	508	1	2
Chimney Swift	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Belted Kingfisher	1	-	0	-	-	3	1	-
Red-headed Woodpecker	2	-	1	-	1	-	2	8
Red-bellied Woodpecker	-	2	1	-	-	2	-	-
Downy Woodpecker	2	2	2	-	-	2	3	3
Hairy Woodpecker	2	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Northern Flicker	24	6	3	10	1	10	13	11
Eastern Wood-Pewee	0	-	2	-	-	-	-	-
Willow Flycatcher	0	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
Least Flycatcher	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	5
Eastern Phoebe	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Great Crested Flycatcher	0	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Western Kingbird	0	-	-	3	-	3	4	8
Eastern Kingbird	0	-	1	15	2	8	12	9
Loggerhead Shrike	-	-	-	1	-	2	1	2
Bell's Vireo	-	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
Warbling Vireo	0	-	2	-	-	18	5	1
Red-eyed Vireo	0	-	3	-	-	-	-	-
Blue Jay	2	3	7	2	-	1	11	1
Black-billed Magpie	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	1
American Crow	172	6	78	15	-	3	38	4
Horned Lark	2	-	-	146	6	1	1	9
Purple Martin	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tree Swallow	-	-	5	85	2	-	326	1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	-	-	3	3	-	-	128	16
Bank Swallow	-	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
Cliff Swallow	0	-	0	25	-	-	70	-
Barn Swallow	11	-	7	188	2	1	56	13
Black-capped Chickadee	8	13	7	2	-	2	5	3
White-breasted Nuthatch	5	4	7	1	-	2	-	-
Brown Creeper	2	3	-	-	-	-	-	-
House Wren	0	-	4	5	-	4	5	4
Winter Wren	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-
Sedge Wren	-	-	-	-	-	7	-	-
Marsh Wren	4	-	3	-	10	-	54	-
Golden-crowned Kinglet	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Eastern Bluebird	1	0	12	-	-	11	1	50
Mountain Bluebird	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2
Townsend's Solitaire	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Swainson's Thrush	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	2
American Robin	2	44	5	23	4	11	46	13
Gray Catbird	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Northern Mockingbird	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Brown Thrasher	0	-	0	4	-	3	5	5
European Starling	12	-	1	17	2	1	15	8
American Pipit	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	102
Sprague's Pipit	-	-	-	-	-	5	-	-
Cedar Waxwing	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	-
Orange-crowned Warbler	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-
Yellow Warbler	0	-	3	3	2	13	17	2
Yellow-rumped Warbler	5	5	-	-	-	14	7	2
Ovenbird	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Connecticut Warbler	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Common Yellowthroat	0	-	4	2	1	9	17	-
Yellow-breasted Chat	0	-	2	-	-	-	-	-
Spotted Towhee	1	-	2	-	-	-	-	-
Eastern Towhee	-	1	1	-	-	10	-	-
American Tree Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	284	11	1
Chipping Sparrow	0	2	-	-	-	60	25	6
Clay-colored Sparrow	-	-	0	-	-	23	-	-
Field Sparrow	-	2	2	-	-	7	7	1
Vesper Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	39	-	3
Lark Sparrow	1	-	8	6	6	12	15	8
Lark Bunting	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
Savannah Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	11	2	3
Grasshopper Sparrow	0	-	2	10	1	8	8	1
Le Conte's Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-
Fox Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Song Sparrow	4	-	3	-	-	15	10	-
Lincoln's Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	32	3	-
Swamp Sparrow	-	-	8	-	-	4	-	-
White-throated Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	9	-	-
Harris's Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	12	-	-
White-crowned Sparrow	-	-	-	-	-	16	2	-
Dark-eyed Junco	8	15	7	-	-	23	1	-
Lapland Longspur	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	50
Northern Cardinal	-	5	3	-	-	-	-	-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Black-headed Grosbeak	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Blue Grosbeak	0	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Lazuli Bunting	-	-	-	-	-	4	-	-
Indigo Bunting	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Dickcissel	1	-	7	11	1	3	7	1
Bobolink	0	-	6	1	7	55	10	-
Red-winged Blackbird	0	10	12	2133	6	1	621	8
Eastern Meadowlark	2	-	-	5	-	-	10	1
Western Meadowlark	2	2	1	22	1	2	16	14
Yellow-headed Blackbird	-	-	0	20	8	8	26	-
Rusty Blackbird	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	-
Brewer's Blackbird	-	-	-	-	-	221	-	-
Common Grackle	5	-	3	6	4	5	23	3
Brown-headed Cowbird	5	-	4	60	15	5	13	4
Orchard Oriole	0	-	2	-	-	1	14	1
Baltimore Oriole	0	-	2	1	-	2	4	4
Purple Finch	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
House Finch	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Red Crossbill	-	-	-	-	-	-	24	8
Common Redpoll	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-
Pine Siskin	-	-	-	-	-	33	1	-
American Goldfinch	4	-	2	3	-	2	25	8
House Sparrow	0	-	32	1	-	-	2	-

These records are indicative of the extensive use of the area habitats by a great diversity of birds of many sorts. if there were further surveys, the actual extent of bird use could be more precisely determined, but this is not happening, so information can only be derived from the records which are available.

The many waterfowl counted at Dora Lake, Swan Lake and Chain Lake indicate the value of these prominent wetlands to ducks and geese. Shoreline at Dora Lake and Chain Lake contribute additional habitat for their use by shore- and waterbirds.

Many of the unusual songbirds noted at the Blake Ranch occurred because of the presence of bird feeders.

The details given here are a simple summary, though with the many records available, a detailed analysis could be prepared to refine the presentation about the wild birds occurrence, in a manner similar for that done for the survey report issued for southern Holt County.

Shorebird Surveys

Shorebird surveys were done by L.E. Blake approximately every week during two seasons at Chain Lake. His counts indicate the number of each species on the day of the survey, with a summary of the total numbers noted in each year provided in the following table:

Common Name	1990	1991
Greater Yellowlegs	1	5
Lesser Yellowlegs	14	88
Willet	1	13
Spotted Sandpiper	10	51
Upland Sandpiper	5	-
Long-billed Curlew	1	-
Marbled Godwit	6	-
Sanderling	56	1
Semipalmated Sandpiper	13	338
Western Sandpiper	11	31
Least Sandpiper	14	33
White-rumped Sandpiper	-	275
Baird's Sandpiper	45	288
Pectoral Sandpiper	3	-
Dunlin	-	1
Stilt Sandpiper	7	117
Buff-breasted Sandpiper	6	-
Short-billed Dowitcher	4	9
Long-billed Dowitcher	38	52
Wilson's Phalarope	221	1680
Red-necked Phalarope	20	4

There are nearly 3500 bird use days indicated by the count results, with each occurrence being valuable for each particular bird, which can thus be interpreted as an economic value.

The highest counts were for the Wilson's Phalarope, with about 1000 on April 27, 1991. Semipalmated Sandpipers were the next most common, etc. The Dunlin and Long-billed Curlew were the most rare.

Summary

A wide variety and number of bird species are typical in the myriad of habitats associated with the corridor of the proposed KeystoneXL pipeline. Each of the sites in the area are distinctly unique, and this is indicated by the number of birds and species.

Construction of the pipeline could have an influence on the wetland habitats. Placing a 36" pipe underground - wherea heated oil mixture was being moved - might influence the flowing springs or otherwise alter the current flow characteristics of the aquifer water, perhaps reducing the movement of groundwater which now nourishes a lake or pond which is a known haven for some birds. One of the proposed pumping stations appears to be placed in the vicinity of Chain Lake, south of Chambers.

While looking at the documents relative to this project, there was no information apparent which directly addressed the wetlands in the eastern Sand Hills and their importance for wild birds. Little or nothing was said about the flowing wells, which are such a unique feature in southern Holt County, where a flowing well fountain is a prominent feature of Amelia, and an important part of the place's history. This is a topic for further consideration elsewhere.

Just to the south of the Niobrara Valley, nothing has been said to address how a newly created ditch in the ground might influence the groundwater flows which provide the waters which are expressed in distinct variety by several creeks on the south side of the valley, east of Mariaville. This aspect is also apparently missing from the broad-scale, draft environmental assessment.

The environmental assessment for the proposed KeystoneXL pipeline is required to consider all and any impacts on natural habitats and native fauna, and by providing this brief analysis of the birds, the prevalence and importance of sites within the area is now available for public review, and might now be considered in any evaluation of environmental concerns.

Images courtesy of Loren E. "Bub" Blake of Chambers, NE, as provided several years ago. Mr. Blake is now deceased.