Chain Lake is a remote wetland in southern Holt county, eastern Sand Hills, which through a wonderful juxtaposition was visited many times to record the wildbirds present. Just to its south, and extending into Garfield county is another extensive wetland, with Rush lakebed adjacent to this place.
Each of these wetlands are habitat havens, as they have been for decades and changing centuries.
Now, an industrial powerline — The R-Project — is being proposed by the Nebraska Public Power District which would slice through the setting associated with these three wetland places.
NPPD has not indicated what legislation gives them permission to construct the so-called "r-project" and they have made no known attempt to convey what factors they have considered in determining the "preferred" corridor for this project which will impact so many miles of sandhill's terrain.
The company is dictating to the residents what will happen. The land-owners have not been given any option other than to accept the dictates of the company, which has made decisions based also upon perspectives made by bureaucrats associated with the Southwest Power Pool.
| Chain Lake Bird Survey Dates | |
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The values indicated are the number of species recorded for the given date. Not all species were denoted, since the intent was to record waterfowl and shorebird occurrence. These surveys were done by Loren Blake, an avid birder that lived on a ranch west of Chambers, in southern Holt county. These records are part of his legacy for this area of the Sand Hills. |
There have been 114 species recorded at this location, based upon more than 675 distinct records:
- Greater White-fronted Goose: a total of 132 on three dates in April 1990
- Canada Goose: 419 during April to May, then July to November, 1990
- Gadwall: 114; March through October 1990 with a peak count of fifty on 13 June 1990
- American Wigeon: 104; March through May 1990, and then early in October; peak count 75 on 30 March 1990
- Mallard: 1314; several counts of more than 100, with 300 denoted on 12 November 1990
- Blue-winged Teal: 135 on thirteen counts from mid-April to late-September
- Northern Shoveler: 285 from seventeen dates of occurrence, with greatest numbers from 30-50
- Northern Pintail: 760 for seventeen counts; mid-April was the when there were 120 present on two dates
- Green-winged Teal: 133; primarily from mid-March to later in April, 1990
- Redhead: 91 from nine dates of record; largest count 30 on 22 June 1990
- Ring-necked Duck: 23, from three dates, two in March and one in October, both in 1990
- Lesser Scaup: 237, from March 21 to May 9, 1990
- Bufflehead: 17, denoted on two spring visits
- Common Goldeneye: 21 in March 1990
- Hooded Merganser: 2 on 31 March 1990
- Common Merganser: 166, with 150 seen on 3 March 1990
- Ruddy Duck: 37 associated with seven dates
- Sharp-tailed Grouse: 1
- Greater Prairie-Chicken: 17
- Pied-billed Grebe: 2, with one seen on two days, one in March and the other in July, both during 1990
- Horned Grebe: 10 on 21 March 1990
- Eared Grebe: 2 on 31 May 1990
- American White Pelican: 60 on seven date
- Double-crested Cormorant: 55 on nine dates
- Great Blue Heron: 1
- Cattle Egret: 1 on 9 May 1990
- Bald Eagle: 63, with counts of 20 (13 March 1990), 12 (17 and 21 March 1990) and 10 (mostly adults on 4 March 1990)
- Northern Harrier: 3, with only one seen on three different dates
- Swainson's Hawk: 2
- Red-tailed Hawk: 4, with only one seen on four different dates
- American Kestrel: 4, with only one seen on four different dates
- Prairie Falcon: 2
- American Coot: 142, associated with twelve dates, the peak number being 100 on 22 April 1990
- Sandhill Crane: 12 on 31 October 1990
- Black-bellied Plover: 1 on 16 May 1990
- American Golden-Plover: 6 on 14 September 1990
- Semipalmated Plover: 11 in 1990 and 22 in 1991, based upon ten records, with the largest number (15) seen on 27 April 1991
- Piping Plover at Chain Lake: one on 20 April, one on 27 April and one on 5 May, all in 1991 for this threatened species in Nebraska
- Killdeer: 28 in 1990 and 699 in 1991; a breeding season resident as indicated by at least 140 dates of occurrence; peak number 84 on 01 September 1991
- American Avocet: 4 in 1990 and 22 in 1991 from eleven counts; there were eleven present on 1 September 1991, as seen by Loren Blake
- Greater Yellowlegs: 1 in 1990 and 5 in 1991
- Lesser Yellowlegs: 14 in 1990 and 88 in 1991
- Willet: 1 in 1990 and 13 in 1991
- Spotted Sandpiper: 10 in 1990 and 51 in 1991
- Upland Sandpiper: 5 in 1990
- Long-billed Curlew: 1 in 1990
- Marbled Godwit; six in mid-April 1990
- Sanderling: 56 in 1990 and 1 in 1991
- Semipalmated Sandpiper: 13 in 1990 and 338 in 1991
- Western Sandpiper: 11 in 1990 and 31 in 1991
- Least Sandpiper: 14 in 1990 and 33 in 1991
- White-rumped Sandpiper: 275 in 1991
- Baird's Sandpiper: 45 in 1990 and 288 in 1991
- Pectoral Sandpiper: 3 in 1990
- Dunlin: 1 in 1991
- Stilt Sandpiper: 7 in 1990 and 117 in 1991
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 6 in 1990
- Short-billed Dowitcher: 4 in 1990 and 9 in 1991
- Long-billed Dowitcher: 38 in 1990 and 52 in 1991
- Wilson's Phalarope; numerous records, with a count of 1000 on 27 April 1991 and other counts of 200 or more in May of the same year
- Red-necked Phalarope: 20 in 1990 and 4 in 1991
- Franklin's Gull: 4
- Bonaparte's Gull; five in late May 1990
- Ring-billed Gull: 67
- Black Tern: 17
- Mourning Dove: 15
- Great Horned Owl: 7
- Common Nighthawk: 2
- Red-headed Woodpecker: 8
- Downy Woodpecker: 3
- Northern Flicker: 11
- Least Flycatcher: 5
- Western Kingbird: 8
- Eastern Kingbird: 9
- Loggerhead Shrike: 2
- Warbling Vireo: 1
- Blue Jay: 1
- Black-billed Magpie: 1
- American Crow: 4
- Horned Lark: 9
- Tree Swallow: 1
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 16
- Barn Swallow: 13
- Black-capped Chickadee: 3
- House Wren: 4
- Eastern Bluebird: 50
- Mountain Bluebird: 2
- Swainson's Thrush: 2
- American Robin: 13
- Northern Mockingbird: 1
- Brown Thrasher: 5
- European Starling: 8
- American Pipit: 102
- Yellow Warbler: 2
- Yellow-rumped Warbler: 2
- American Tree Sparrow: 1
- Chipping Sparrow: 6
- Field Sparrow: 1
- Vesper Sparrow: 3
- Lark Sparrow: 8
- Lark Bunting: 1
- Savannah Sparrow: 3
- Grasshopper Sparrow: 1
- Lapland Longspur: 50
- Dickcissel: 1
- Red-winged Blackbird: 8
- Eastern Meadowlark: 1
- Western Meadowlark: 14
- Common Grackle: 3
- Brown-headed Cowbird: 4
- Orchard Oriole: 1
- Baltimore Oriole: 4
- Red Crossbill: 8
- American Goldfinch: 8
The bird diversity associated with Chain Lake extends to the south in association with other nearby wetlands.
To place an industrial powerline with it towers and hanging wire hazards across the different wetlands present south of Chain Lake indicates a lack of concern for wildbirds or some other sort of ignorance by NPPD officials.
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