Top 10 bird/birding stories of 2012

December 30, 2012 Nongame Bird Blog No Comments

It has become commonplace in this day and age for any yokel with a blog to provide their “top ten” list of big stories in their particular field/interest at the end of any and every year. Therefore, it is almost obligatory that I run down my list of what I see were the big stories for 2012 in the realm of Nebraska birds and birding. It has actually been quite enjoyable to review 2012 and assemble this list and think about what has transpired over the past year. So in reverse order, 10 to 1 with a couple honorable mentions, here is my list:

Honorable mention – Mississippi Kites expansion: Finally after several years of thinking it must be so, Mississippi Kites were documented nesting someplace other than Ogallala. T.J. Walker and Mindy Spatz deserve credit for reporting or confirming nesting attempts in both North Platte and McCook. In additions, Jim Oschner reported a whopping 36 soaring over Ogallala on 11 September. Perhaps this species will become a fixture across southwest Nebraska (not just Ogallala) in the coming decade.
Honorable mention – NEbirds surpasses 1000 subscribers: What started out as a simple way for a few folks to share sightings continues to grow. It is neat to see the group surpass this milestone. Not already on NEbirds? Learn how to join, here http://www.noubirds.org/Pages.aspx?pg=32
# 10 – Bald Eagles nest numbers top 100: Bald Eagles have become somewhat ho-hum as a nesting species in Nebraska. Nonetheless, I imagine if you would have predicted more than a hundred active Bald Eagle nests in Nebraska by 2012 twenty-five years ago it would have provoked healthy doses of skepticism. Thus, this is still important and all around groovy. More information on this milestone, here: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2012/12/bald-eagles-reach-surpass-milestone/
# 9 – winter finch and western montane species’ irruption: The fall brought a flurry of northern species that are increasingly infrequent in Nebraska, as well as a few western species that can be expected about once a decade. First, out west came reports of Stellar’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Evening Grosbeak and Mountain Chickadee. The last time this list of species was found in the panhandle during the same year was 1997. One Stellar’s Jay even made it as far west as Ogallala. Elsewhere, birders were enjoying both species of crossbills with the most notable and visited location being Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in midtown Omaha. By the end of the year, decent numbers of Common Redpolls were being found at scattered locations. Unfortunately, the irruption of several species seemed to level off by late fall and early winter.
# 8 – Weather/climate: The warm winter and early spring of early 2012 and the dry and very hot summer that turned into a major drought was an important Nebraska storyline for many reasons. While it is challenging to pick out a singular notable bird or birding event, it was such a dominant feature of 2012 that it requires mentioning on this list.
# 7 – Harris’s Hawk: Not quite a first state record, but because of the unpredictable nature of this species wanderings, it is still notable. A dead Harris’s Hawk was photographed in Lancaster County in October. If accepted, it will be the third state record for Nebraska. More can be found here: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2012/10/mega-but-dead-rarity-harriss-hawk/
# 6 - Osprey young: After a handful of nesting attempts, Ospreys finally scored a victory with eggs hatching and adults tending to young at a nest along the North Platte River in Scotts Bluff County. It does not sound like any young were fledged, however. Hopefully our pioneering Osprey in western Nebraska will find total success in 2013.
# 5 – Loggerhead Shrike: Arrivals or increases are always easier to document and comprehend than withdrawals and declines. I know some may disagree and I understand their points of view. I also recognize that I do not have the data to fully support my claims, but in this forum I can entertain my conjecture. Nonetheless, I believe the current apparent sharp decline of the Loggerhead Shrike in much of Nebraska is a major emerging story. I will gladly admit that I am wrong if the future shows a different outcome.
# 4 – Black-chinned Hummingbird: Documented first state records are always interesting and exciting, even those that are expected. Nebraska’s first (pending acceptance) Black-chinned Hummingbird was documented in early May in Scotts Bluff County. Kathy DeLara and Marie Smith deserve credit for documenting this bird while it hung out at a greenhouse. Black-chinned Hummingbirds are increasing along the Front Range of Colorado, so it is likely we will hear more from this species in the future.
# 3 - Crested Caracara: In July, an injured Crested Caracara was recovered in Nance County and was rehabilitated by Raptor Recovery Nebraska. This bird was well-documented, but unfortunately was not chaseable. The 2012 documented report follows a tantalizing report from Seward County in 2011.
# 2 - Three January Cranes: Three crane species in Nebraska has delightfully become somewhat expected, but three crane species in Nebraska in January was a major surprise with several sub-plots and many questions. Reports of January cranes in Nebraska in years prior to 2012 only involve Sandhill Cranes, either a lingering oddball attempting to over-winter or early arriving spring migrants at the tail end of the month. However, relatively large number (few thousand) of Sandhill Cranes over-wintered on the central Platte River region in 2011-12. It was a mild winter, but this was still a major departure from the species’ occurrence pattern in the state. Obvious questions arose as to whether this might be an emerging trend or a one-time deal. Time will tell, but apparently Sandhills are not spending the current winter in Nebraska. That was only part of the intrigue and the excitement in the Central Platte River valley. On 27 January, Paul Dunbar found a Common Crane with Sandhill Cranes. A great find that brought birders across the country to see what was arguably the easiest-to-chase Common Crane of the handful of Nebraska records. Finally, a family group of Whooping Cranes, which had been in central Kansas in late 2011, moved north into Nebraska by the end of the month. This is the first January report for this species in Nebraska and was a tad of a concern given how harsh January and early February can be in this part of the world. Fortunately for these Whoopers, February was relatively mild as well.
# 1 - Snowy Owl Invasion/Irruption: Whether you call it an invasion or an irruption, the number of Snowy Owls that descended on Nebraska during the winter of 2011-12 was historic. This story began in 2011, but it did not reach its conclusion until 2012. When it was all said and done, 209 Snowy Owl reports were received for the state, with a 170 of those considered “confirmed”. The latest report was in May. The late fall and early winter of 2012 proved to be above average, too, with about ten Snowy Owl reports. However, I would be surprised to see a repeat of the 2011-12 Snowy Owl invasion in my lifetime.