Boyer Chute NWR - 05 Jul 2022
Robin and I are in Omaha, Nebraska for a week-long Mokulito Course at the University of Nebraska Omaha. We are staying at The Peregrine Hotel in downtown Omaha; next door at the WoodmenLife Building a pair of Peregrine Falcons have been nesting, but so far have not been seen.
This morning I drove to Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge just north of Omaha on the Missouri River. My quarry for the day is a Bell's Vireo. I would hear two birds but not see any.
As I drove north on Road 51 I started hearing and seeing dozens of Dickcissels in the fields marked by NWF signage; the opposite fields were heavy with corn.
I was hoping to hear Grasshopper Sparrows singing, but none were heard, nor seen. With temperatures pushing 100F today it may have been too hot for them. Not the Dickcissels, though. They were everywhere! As were the summer wildflowers.
As I approached the refuge I started seeing Orchard Orioles and Baltimore Orioles. Orchards outnumbered Baltimores 3:1.
A pair of Great-crested Flycatchers made a brief appearance.
Red-headed Woodpeckers were also numerous, but difficult to photograph. Seeing their black and white wings were distinctive, though.
Returning home I continued to look for Dickcissels along the road, and even stopped on a bridge to enjoy a dozen Cliff Swallows foraging overhead.
Jul 5, 2022 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: CR 51 and NWR
37 species
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1 adult on nest. Broken wing display
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 6
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) 4
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii) 2
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) 6
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 3
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 2
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) 2 Adult w/ caterpillar and second calling nearby
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 3
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 2
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 2
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 4
Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) 1
Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) 2
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) 1
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) 4
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 12
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 12
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 4
Dickcissel (Spiza americana) 12
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
As I approached NP Dodge Park an adult Broad-winged Hawk flushed from the woods and flew across my windshield. The all-gray adult bird showed distinct white and black tail bands; I'm going to get destroyed by ebird, though, since the bird is rare this time of year...
Krimlovsky Tract, Washington, Nebraska, US
Jul 5, 2022 10:45 AM - 10:46 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Driving along CR 51 near Dogde Park
1 species
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) 1 Adult. Small buteo flew across front of car from woods opposite the river next to Dogdge Park. Steel gray above and light below. Short tail with bold white and black bands. Not an accipitor. Not a Red-shouldered Hawk as it lacked any rufous coloring to gray back and gray cap. White and black banding on tail distinctive and compact size ruled out Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
