Showing posts with label Clearwater Creek wetlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clearwater Creek wetlands. Show all posts

18 September 2018

Further Details of South Holt County Wildbirds

Another survey of distinct wetlands along the southern boundary of Holt County provide additional details on the value of these habitats for wildbirds. The observations were recorded on September 3rd by Jason Thiele at the local wetlands, most of which are associated with the headwaters of Clearwater Creek, thus the CC designation. Each of these site names have been designated to the specific site indicated by the ebird checklists, but are a geographic locality rather than a roadway site name as originally given. Some of the wetland habitat areas are part of the same area, but were designated as different localities because they were in either of the two counties ... Holt or Wheeler. Road 846 is the county boundary.

This is the list of the 47 species observed. Note the prominence of waterfowl, including the ibis (glossy or white-faced) and the number of pelican that utilize Goose Lake WMA. Shorebirds noted were other important finds. Many of these species may forage at the smaller wetlands area and then return to the wildlife management area for an overnight stay. This survey effort was also valuable in denoting songbirds present in the area during late summer and after the breeding season.

Proper Name Goose Lake WMA CC Meadow CC Wetlands CC Wetlands North Clearwater 502 Meadow Clearwater 846 Meadow Clearwater Wetlands Clearwater Wetlands North Deloit Meadow
Canada Goose -- -- -- 40 -- -- -- -- --
Wood Duck -- 6 9 3 -- -- -- -- --
Blue-winged Teal -- 40 30 15 -- 30 10 -- --
Mallard -- 12 2 2 -- 8 -- -- --
Ibis -- 15 -- -- -- -- 1 -- --
Great Blue Heron -- -- -- 1 -- -- 1 1 1
American White Pelican -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 150
Turkey Vulture -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- --
Cooper's Hawk -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Red-tailed Hawk 1 -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 1
Killdeer 1 -- -- 8 -- 6 -- -- --
Least Sandpiper -- -- -- -- -- 8 -- -- --
Wilson's Snipe -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- --
Solitary Sandpiper -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- --
Forster's Tern -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Eurasian Collared Dove -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- --
Mourning Dove 2 -- -- 30 -- 2 1 3 1
Belted Kingfisher -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --
Red-headed Woodpecker -- -- -- 3 -- -- -- -- 1
Northern Flicker -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- -- 1
American Kestrel 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --
Eastern Kingbird -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1
Warbling Vireo -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Red-eyed Vireo -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Black-capped Chickadee -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Barn Swallow 1 -- -- 30 -- 2 -- -- --
Marsh Wren -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
House Wren -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- 1
White-breasted Nuthatch -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Grey Catbird -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5
Brown Thrasher -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Common Starling 10 -- 11 30 -- -- 20 -- --
American Robin -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 2
American Goldfinch 1 -- -- 3 -- 2 -- -- --
Nashville Warbler -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
American Yellow Warbler -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Wilson's Warbler -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Yellow-headed Blackbird -- -- -- 3 -- -- 20 -- --
Bobolink -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- -- --
Western Meadowlark 3 -- -- 6 -- 4 -- -- --
Baltimore Oriole -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Red-winged Blackbird -- 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Brown-headed Cowbird -- -- -- -- -- -- 40 -- --
Common Grackle -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 --
Song Sparrow -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 1
Chipping Sparrow -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5
Northern Cardinal 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The overall tally of 47 species for this survey effort compares to 40 species as recorded on August 12th. The combined total is 57 species for both dates.

These records are especially valuable as they provide further details on the occurrence of a great variety of wildbirds that occur at wetlands habitat present along the proposed corridor of the r-project. This industrial powerline would bisect some of the wetland settings. It would also impose a powerline across the flight path used by wildbirds as they fly from the overnight roost at Goose Lake WMA to the wetlands just to the south.

18 August 2018

Bird Survey of Summer Avifauna in Goose Lake District

An unusual bird survey effort occurred on Sunday, August 12 at several wetlands in the vicinity of Goose Lake, WMA in southeast Holt county. Jason Thiele visited the wildlife management area, Detters Lake to the west and also kept notes of occurrence for wetlands present at the headwaters of Clearwater Creek (which eventually empty into the Elkhorn River) along county road 846.

What is notable is that the largest extent of waterfowl were at the small wetlands rather than at Goose Lake. The results are also valuable for indicating songbirds of the later part of the breeding season. This is a list of the 39 species recorded — with most of the songbirds from the wildlife area — according to records available at ebird.org:

Proper Name - Indicated Number

Canada Goose - 55
Wood Duck - 20
Blue-winged Teal - 120; 70 at one spot and 50 at another
Northern Shoveler - 4
Mallard - 10

These five species of waterfowl were at a wetland complex which is a portion of the headwaters area of Clearwater creek, a waterway hydrologically connected to the Elkhorn River which then connects to the Platte River that has a known designation as "waters of the United States"

Northern Bobwhite - 2
Pied-billed Grebe - 1; also at a Clearwater Creek headwaters wetland
Great Blue Heron - 3; seen only at the Clearwater wetlands
Turkey Vulture - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Killdeer - 6; only at the Clearwater wetlands
Spotted Sandpiper - 1
Solitary Sandpiper - 1
Franklin's Gull - 1 at the WMA lake where there is a fisheries resource
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Eurasian Collared Dove - 1
Mourning Dove - 9; either at the WMA or one of the Clearwater Creek wetlands surveyed

Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 4
American Kestrel - 1
Eastern Kingbird - 16; a dozen at Clearwater wetlands
Warbling Vireo - 1
Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 6
Black-capped Chickadee - 2
Barn Swallow - 6
House Wren - 1
Grey Catbird - 1
Common Starling - 5
American Robin - 8
American Goldfinch - 9
Common Yellowthroat - 1
American Yellow Warbler - 1
Western Meadowlark - 8
Baltimore Oriole - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 49
Song Sparrow - 2
Field Sparrow - 2; actively breeding at the WMA
Northern Cardinal - 2

Notably missing is any indication of the Eastern Meadowlark, which is typically a regular resident in the extensive wetland meadow habitat in the area.

The proposed r-project industrial powerline would be placed along county road 846, and which would basically create an artificial skyline barrier between Goose Lake WMA and important marshland southward along the county road that includes habitats in northern Wheeler county.

There are historic records for this region available from August 1990 and 1993, as well as a some additional results from July and more in September in different years.