5/16/11: BIG DAY—[my record of 103 Species]
Branched Oak SRA (≈7:45 am-12:20 pm) [69 species: "venue" record (at the time)]:
1. C Grackle (35) / 2. Barn Swallow (40) / 3. Mourning Dove (20)4. Am Robin (40) / 5. Brown Thrasher (19) / 6. Dickcissel (23)
7. E Meadowlark (12) / 8. Am Goldfinch (30) / 9. Blue Jay (15)
10. E Kingbird (34) / 11. Yellow Warbler (35) / 12. Warbling Vireo (8)
13. Ring-billed Gull (4) / 14. Gr Catbird (14) / 15. E Towhee (1)
16. Bl-capped Chickadee (1) / 17. Red-headed Woodpecker (1) / 18. Field Sparrow (9)
19. Baltimore Oriole (15) / 20. Bell's Vireo (3; FOS) / 21. Am White Pelican (30)
22. Yellow-rumped Warbler (1) / 23. Least Flycatcher (1) / 24. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
25. N Flicker (4) / 26. Bank Swallow (25) / 27. Clay-colored Sparrow (6)
28. Am Crow (4) / 29. Cedar Waxwing (1) / 30. Br-headed Cowbird (35)
31. Orchard Oriole (5) / 32. Chipping Sparrow (45) / 33. Grasshopper Sparrow (4)
34. Yellow-headed Blackbird (4; incl. 2 fem) / 35. Black Tern (20) / 36. W Kingbird (11)
37. Cliff Swallow (20) / 38. Song Sparrow (4) / 39. House Wren (8)
40. T Vulture (1) / 41. Great-tailed Grackle (2) / 42. Ring-n Pheasant (2)
43. Red-w Blackbird (12) / 44. Am Coot (24) / 45. Eur Starling (6)
46. Killdeer (2) / 47. Can Goose (31; incl. 14 goslings) / 48. Gr Blue Heron (2)
49. C Yellowthroat (8) / 50. N Cardinal (6) / 51. Red-bellied Woodpecker (3)
52. W Meadowlark (1) / 53. E Bluebird (5) / 54. Rose-br Grosbeak (5)
55. Harris's Sparrow (1) / 56. Lark Sparrow (2) / 57. Tree Swallow (9; incl. one standing atop one bluebird house next to another bluebird house w/ an E Bluebird standing on top of it!)
58. Red-tailed Hawk (1) / 59. Spotted Sandpiper (1) / 60. Franklin's Gull (20)
61. Eared Grebe (2) / 62. Ruddy Duck (4) / 63. Purple Martin (1)
64. Wood Duck (1) / 65. House Sparrow (1) / 66. Cooper's Hawk (1; imm.)
67. Blue Grosbeak (1; FOS) / 68. Dbl-crested Cormorant (3) / 69.* Forster's Tern (1)
* spurred decision to try "Big Day" ... oops: when was noon?—"Big Morning" record?!
[—only "notables" from here on—]
Crooked Mile Road (SE of Seward) (≈12:45- pm):
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Seward, NE (≈12:55- pm):
70. Chimney Swift (4)
71. House Finch (1)
Co Rd 392 (Seward Co.) (≈1:10 pm):
72. Vesper Sparrow (1)
Utica, NE (≈1:15- pm):
73. Eur Collared-Dove (2)
North Lake Basin WMA (≈1:20-1:50 pm):
74. N Shoveler (10) / 75. Bl-w Teal (7) / 76. Willet (10)Great-tailed Grackle (5) / 77. Least Sandpiper (10) / 78. Mallard (2)
79. Lesser Yellowlegs (3) / Gr Blue Heron (3) / Grasshopper Sparrow (1)
80. White-rumped Sandpiper (6)
Jack Sinn WMA (≈3:00-3:30 pm):
81. Horned Lark (1)
Orchard Oriole (2)
Cliff Swallow (4)
[—Trumpeter Swan?—swan wing posture/profile, but too far away—]
Ashland Rd (W of Ashland) (≈3:40 pm):
82. Am Kestrel (1)
Linoma Beach (N on S 255th St—sandpit ponds) (≈3:55-4:10 pm):
Can Goose (60; incl. goslings)
83. Rock Pigeon (1)
Gr Blue Heron (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (1)
Schramm Park SRA (≈4:25-4:45 pm):
84. Red-eyed Vireo (1)
[—domesticated Muscovy Duck!—]
85. Yellow-throated Vireo (1; song matched recording, then visual)
86. W Turkey (1)
87. Belted Kingfisher (1)
Platte River SP (≈5:00-5:55 pm):
88. Bl-gr Gnatcatcher (3)
89. La Waterthrush (2)
90. Swainson's Thrush (2) [tied record Big Day: 5:14 pm]
91. E Wood-Pewee (2; oh, a sentimental favorite!; broke record: 5:23)
92. Tufted Titmouse (2; 1st at the "usual place," by the—ugh—"Tepee Village")
93. Ovenbird (1)
94. White-br Nuthatch (2)
Holmes Lake (Lincoln) (≈6:40-7:00 pm):
Forster's Tern (7)
Black Tern (1)
95. Green Heron (1)
Gr Blue Heron (1)
Wilderness Park (≈7:15-8:20 pm; Calvert & S 1st St and Pioneers Blvd entrances):
96. Indigo Bunting (1) / 97. E Phoebe (2) / 98. Tennessee Warbler (2)Swainson's Thrush (2) / 99. N Rough-w Swallow (4; finally!) / [—Mourning Warbler?—]
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1) / [—Spotted Towhee?—or hybrid?—] / 100. Gr Crested Flycatcher (1; ding-ding-ding-ding-$$$$: ≈8:00 pm)
101. Wood Thrush (1; beautiful echoing song for the end of a long day) / 102. Downy Woodpecker (1; finally!) / 103. NEW SPECIES: Veery (1; "FOS"; head pretty reddish, breast only slightly speckled; not much of an eye-ring)
Pioneers Park (≈8:30-8:45 pm—trying for that last-minute P-b Grebe and/or C Nighthawk):
Purple Martin (8)
—"major misses": Pied-billed Grebe / N Harrier / (C Nighthawk—still a little early?!)