1981 Fall Field Day

Authors

Date of this Version

12-1981

Citation

"1981 Fall Field Day," from Nebraska Bird Review (December 1981) 49(4).

Comments

Copyright 1981, Nebraska Ornithologists' Union. Used by permission.

Abstract

About forty people participated in the 1981 Fall Field Day, which was scheduled from noon Saturday 3 October to noon Sunday 4 October, but which was anticipated by early arrivals Friday and on Saturday morning. The weather was windy and cool, the skies overcast much of the time, with some rain Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning overcast so that it was hard to get colors. But almost as soon as the meeting broke up Sunday noon the sky cleared and everybody went home in bright sunshine. There was a slide show Saturday night. Of the reports on unusual species, submitted in accordance with the reporting form project adopted at the annual meeting (NBR 49:21), the Black-legged Kittiwake (NBR 49:41-42) was selected as the most unusual.

The site was the 4-H Camp, Nebraska National Forest, Halsey. Sixty-four species were reported from the Forest or immediately adjacent to it (compared to 71 at the 1980 Fall Field Day): Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, White-fronted Goose, Pintail, Wood Duck; Sharp-shined, Cooper's, Red-tailed, and Swainson's Hawks; Golden Eagle, Marsh Hawk; Prairie and Peregrine Falcons: American Kestrel, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant, Franklin's Gull; Rock and Mourning Doves; Great Horned and Short-eared Owls; Poor-will, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Common Flicker (both forms); Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers; Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Common Crow, Black-capped Chickadee; White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches; American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing; Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, and Wilson's Warblers; Western Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Cardinal, Evening Grosbeak, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Red Crossbill, Rufous-sided Towhee; Vesper and Lark Sparrows; Dark-eyed Junco; Tree, Chipping, Clay-colored, Field, Harris', White-crowned, White-throated, Lincoln's, and Song Sparrows. The Townsend's Solitaires were more numerous than usual, but they were outnumbered by the Red-Crossbills, whose presence at all was unusual. Fires and a poor food crop in their normal area apparently were responsible for the Crossbills' presence.