Distinct Bird Observations Continued at Horseshoe Lake Flats

The unusual occurrence of many birds at the Horseshoe Lake Flats - eastward of Fort Calhoun on the west side of the Missouri River valley - continued during the 2011 autumn season. This locality was a prime space for birding in 2010 with many distinctive observations. The 2011 season was vastly different, as ongoing Missouri River flooding excluded any attempts to determine what was around.

Primary to the two years was a difference in access. With a somewhat lesser extent of flooding in 2010, more visits could occur within the area. In 2011, the roads were blocked during most of the summer, preventing any attempt to record what species were present. It was a vast expanse of ongoing water in the most recent breeding season.

During the autumnal season of 2010, there were many visits which provided various details about the species present. Within much of the same date period in 2011, visits in August and until mid-October, access was available due to the road travel restrictions.

A tally of species noted during the two autumnal season, denotes the following species and numbers counted, during the period indicated:

Common Name	Sep 2010	Oct 2010	Nov 2010	Sep 2011	Oct 2011	Nov 2011
Canada Goose	57	149	-	-	16	6
Wood Duck	7	1	-	-	-	1
Gadwall	-	21	8	-	-	-
American Wigeon	-	4	-	-	-	-
Mallard	-	180	-	-	-	16
Blue-winged Teal	28	2	-	-	-	-
Northern Shoveler	16	12	4	-	32	-
Northern Pintail	-	85	-	-	-	8
Green-winged Teal	-	9	-	-	-	-
Redhead	-	6	-	-	-	-
Lesser Scaup	-	2	-	-	-	-
Common Goldeneye	-	-	-	-	-	1
Hooded Merganser	-	-	-	-	-	3
Ring-necked Pheasant	-	6	-	-	-	-
Wild Turkey	-	-	-	-	-	19
Pied-billed Grebe	14	55	-	-	10	-
American White Pelican	-	116	-	-	-	-
Double-crested Cormorant	-	4	-	-	-	-
Great Blue Heron	24	62	-	2	-	-
Great Egret	-	59	4	-	-	-
Cattle Egret	-	1	-	-	-	-
Bald Eagle	1	14	-	-	3	2
Northern Harrier	1	1	2	-	-	-
Cooper's Hawk	-	1	1	-	-	-
Red-tailed Hawk	1	1	-	-	1	1
American Kestrel	-	1	1	-	-	1
Merlin	-	-	-	-	-	1
Common Moorhen	-	-	-	-	1	-
American Coot	-	3087	72	-	1	-
Black-bellied Plover	1	-	-	-	13	-
American Golden-Plover	-	-	-	-	915	34
Killdeer	82	62	-	-	835	317
Spotted Sandpiper	2	-	-	-	-	-
Greater Yellowlegs	2	2	-	-	-	-
Lesser Yellowlegs	20	5	-	-	5	-
Upland Sandpiper	1	-	-	-	-	-
Sanderling	-	-	-	-	19	-
Semipalmated Sandpiper	5	-	-	-	26	-
Least Sandpiper	16	-	-	-	73	1
Baird's Sandpiper	-	-	-	-	21	-
Pectoral Sandpiper	6	-	-	-	10	-
Stilt Sandpiper	20	-	-	-	-	-
Short-billed Dowitcher	2	-	-	-	-	-
Long-billed Dowitcher	8	-	-	-	41	-
Wilson's Snipe	2	6	-	-	14	7
Wilson's Phalarope	22	-	-	-	-	-
Red-necked Phalarope	3	-	-	-	-	-
Bonaparte's Gull	-	-	-	-	2	-
Ring-billed Gull	-	341	-	-	113	177
Rock Pigeon	1	25	-	-	-	-
Mourning Dove	3	3	-	2	-	-
Great Horned Owl	-	1	-	-	-	-
Belted Kingfisher	-	4	-	1	1	1
Red-headed Woodpecker	1	-	-	-	-	-
Eastern Kingbird	2	-	-	-	-	-
Warbling Vireo	1	-	-	-	-	-
Blue Jay	2	1	-	1	-	-
American Crow	2	2	-	-	3	-
Horned Lark	-	3	-	-	-	-
Tree Swallow	-	1100	-	-	-	-
Bank Swallow	20	-	-	-	-	-
Cliff Swallow	10	-	-	-	-	-
Barn Swallow	10	275	-	6	10	-
Sedge Wren	3	-	-	-	-	-
Marsh Wren	-	8	-	-	-	-
Eastern Bluebird	-	1	-	-	-	-
American Robin	1	-	-	-	-	-
European Starling	135	22	-	-	23	54
American Pipit	-	-	-	-	91	1
American Tree Sparrow	-	-	0	-	-	-
Field Sparrow	1	-	1	-	-	-
Vesper Sparrow	-	0	-	-	-	-
Savannah Sparrow	-	5	-	-	-	-
Fox Sparrow	-	0	-	-	-	-
Song Sparrow	1	0	-	-	-	-
Lincoln's Sparrow	-	28	-	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	-	1	-	-	-	-
White-throated Sparrow	-	0	-	-	-	-
Harris's Sparrow	-	0	-	-	-	-
Snow Bunting	-	-	-	-	2	-
Red-winged Blackbird	5	4045	-	-	-	-
Common Grackle	-	25	-	-	-	-
Brown-headed Cowbird	-	7	-	-	-	-
American Goldfinch	4	16	-	5	-	-
House Sparrow	8	3	-	5	-	-

The overall tally is 85 species during the autumn at this recognized locality.

During 2010, a list derived from ten visits indicates the occurrence of 74 distinct species.

Once the roads were passable to some extent this year - after September 22nd - notable bird records resulted from eleven visits by local bird watchers. There were, however, only 39 species documented. Several species had already departed for elsewhere by this time.

Prominent was the number of American Golden-Plover, as already indicated. Killdeer were prominent, though there were fewer than last year. Many other shorebirds were present, taking advantage of the mud/sand flats with a receding extent of water on the flats. Some of the property was within the boundaries of the Boyer Chute NWR, with adjacent tracts privately owned.

Few songbirds were noted since their habitat was not accessible to walk-about for any sort of consideration.

Surprising were the two Snow Bunting noted in all their birdly splendor in late October, among the shorebirds. They were early in their arrival, according to the norm.

For many of these species, their occurrence was a result of riverine flooding during both years. Water action provided bare mud flats where many birds - especially shorebirds - found suitable habitat to forage and spend an extended period of time.

A similar situation elsewhere along the Missouri River, would have derived the same benefits. There is a dearth of details for similar conditions elsewhere along the valley.

Prime Habitat for Plovers Occurred After Missouri River Flood

Partially flooded bottomlands along the Missouri River provided prime habitat for plovers this autumn, following the receding waters of the 2011 flood. Suitable habitat which is not typically present occurred at the Horseshoe Lake Flats (east of Fort Calhoun), the La Platte Bottoms, at Schilling WMA, Hamburg Bend mitigation area, and along southwest of Bartlett, in Iowa.

Few records are available for the September-November period, but observations indicate numbers exceeded any previously known occurrences.

A lesser number were present in late September, but by latter October, the magnitude of their occurrence became apparent, based upon the first report by Clem Klaphake, a birding enthusiast from Bellevue. A first visit of his east of Fort Calhoun was followed by trips to the Schilling WMA east of Plattsmouth and then to a mitigation area south of Nebraska City.

After reading the exciting news online, other birders visited the Horseshoe Lake Flats to see what was present.

The peak count was made on the lowlands near Bartlett, Iowa, as reported in an IABirds post by Keith Dyche. What a number of plover he saw, along with large numbers of other species, especially the huge gathering of the America White Pelican, with enough present that an Omaha newspaper photographer took pictures and the editors thought they were special enough that a reporter wrote a short and relatively insignificant article that provided trite comments of no importance to the "real" birding community.

The count of more than a hundred plover was contributed by Jon King, to the Missouri Birds online forum.

Each detail recorded indicates the occurrence of this species in a distinctive and important manner. The available counts indicate what is known of this plover's occurrence at a few sites. The big unknown is what might have been present at the many other places along the Missouri River bottoms which were not visited. There may have been thousands of these birds appreciating habitat conditions suited to their survival?

The following available records are grouped into particular districts to provide a succinct list.

Date - 2011	Horseshoe Lake District	La Platte District	Plattsmouth District	Nebraska City District	Bartlett District	Squaw Creek District
09/28	- -	45	- -	- -	- -	- -
10/17	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	1
10/24	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	14
10/25	300-350	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
10/26	- -	- -	14	- -	- -	- -
10/27	338	- -	95	- -	- -	- -
10/28	125	3	33	- -	- -	- -
10/29	152	- -	- -	- -	543	- -
11/01	- -	- -	- -	27	- -	102
11/05	27	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
11/12	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	4
11/13	7	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
11/19	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	1
11/25	- -	- -	- -	- -	4	- -

The Horseshoe Lake Flats observations convey the best numbers as based upon repeated visits. These observations denote the most birds of this species to have been reported for the state. The November 13 date is also one of the latest known.

The first report from near Bartlett was a single view of what was probably a greater occurrence than what is now known. There were four present east of Bartlett on the 25th, with two of them reported as missing a foot, according to Keith Dyche.

A report of the drab colored plover of the season was one noted by Larry Lade, at Squaw Creek NWR. By the time of his visit, refuge staff had ended their shorebird surveys, so any notes on this group of species were dependent on visiting birders.

It was an exciting season to see the American Golden-Plover in the Missouri River Valley. More records might have been gathered, but the efforts of birders, paying for their own gas and on their own time, is always appreciated.

Plover morning at the Horseshoe Lake Flats, November 5, 2011.

Recent Occurrences

Recent reports can be included to indicate the extent of occurrence of large numbers of this species.

On March 25, 2000 about 150 were observed at Forneys Marsh SWA, in western Iowa.

There were 188 at Bigelow Marsh, in northwest Missouri on April 21, 2004.

Squaw Creek NWR had a reported 120 on April 17, 2007, according to a note submitted to the Missouri birds online forum.

There are a number of reports for lesser numbers during the past ten years.

Historic Occurrence

The first record of the American Golden-Plover is from the Engineer Cantonment, from some time during the stay of the Long Expedition from late autumn 1819 to late spring 1820.

There are several records during the 1870s, associated with the myriad of birds taken during club hunts in the spring and autumn. An October 13, 1874 hunt listed 34 birds as being taken by shootists afield in eastern Nebraska, in the vicinity of the river.

On October 21, 1886 a single bird of this species was included in the take from the club hunt at the Stillwater Bottoms, a historic name for the lowland east of Fort Calhoun.

In 1888, they were noted as occurring along the flats near the river east of Peru.

There are only a few subsequent records, mostly for the 1910s, until the 1990s, when sightings still continued to be occasional.

Another Plover Considered

Numerous Black-bellied Plover also took advantage of conditions on the river bottoms this autumn.

Larger numbers were noted at the Horseshoe Lake Flats, along Highway Two in western Iowa near the river and at Squaw Creek NWR, as seen during regular bird surveys done by refuge staff.

There are fewer records readily available in the region for this species than for the American Golden-Plover.