
Year birds: +2 (**330**)\
State birds: +0 (**347**)\
Life birds: +0 (**520**, +8 in Florida)\
[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/390734)

---

As I expected, July was a difficult month for the big year. Motivation to get out and bird was a bit low, but I still got out and about searching for the slim chance of a rarity in a few different places throughout the state.

### Florida!

July started off slow, because I took a break from Nebraska birding! I took a short trip to Florida over the 4th of July weekend and had a great time. I wasn't primarily birding, but I was able to find a day to dedicate wholly to birding (along with a little on the side), and came away with 8 life birds. You can see [my trip report on ebird](https://ebird.org/tripreport/391872) for more. Highlights of that trip were Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Bachman's Sparrow, 2 southern US endemics.

[![Red-cockaded Woodpecker](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/638668544/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/638668544)
_Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Citrus County, Florida_

### Back to Nebraska

Back in Nebraska, the search began for the rare wandering waders and water birds. A few birds I had in mind going into the month were Yellow-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Common Gallinule, and a couple more even rarer birds.

Early in the month, I took a day trip to Columbus to do some Platte County birding. The main goal was to get to 125 species in Platte County, and check a few spots for anything rare, Lake North always seems to turn up something. Nothing rare made an appearance, but I did just barely get to 125 for the county, with a surprisingly difficult-to-find Eastern Meadowlark.

Other excursions included a trip to Clay county, where unfortuantely 6 of the 8 locations visited were mostly dry. We had the best luck at Smith Lagoon where a high count of 11 Great Blue Herons, and over 100 Lesser Yellowlegs were the highlights.

Besides that, I spent most of my time birding in my home county of Lancaster, checking a few different spots that still had water, most notably Jack Sinn WMA. The best bird of a few trips there was a Western Sandpiper (county #266)! This one was fun to find, since Keegan was able to get down and see it to add it to his Big Year list, as well as many other birders in the next couple days. At one point, as many as 5 Western Sandpipers were found at the location!

[![Western Sandpiper](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/639000710/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/639000710)
_Western Sandpiper, Lancaster County_

### Through the Grapevine

One of the most crucial parts of a Big Year is always having ears to the ground for any rarities that are showing up. I am constantly checking ebird alerts (Nebraska and neighboring states), Facebook, NEbirds emails, Discord, and keeping in touch with multiple people so I'm in the know about anything that shows up.

The first of these this month was a report of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron that Eugene received. He posted some cell phone pics that were sent to him on Discord and I had to go investigate. Sure enough, the bird was still there at the Fremont Golf Course, and I was able to tick off #329, one of the most expected wandering waders.

[![Yellow-crowned Night Heron](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/639064157/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/639064157)
_Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Dodge County_

The second of these was a report of a Rufous Hummingbird posted on Facebook. With the help of other local birders, I was able to find the general area of the report and get a quick look at year #330 in a neighborhood in North Platte on my way out west for the weekend!

### Misses

The only notable miss for the month is Laughing Gull. There was one report by TJ Walker at Calamus Reservoir that I simply couldn't chase in the middle of the week. I hope another one shows up a little closer to home in August!

---

Thanks this month to Eugene, Keegan, Boni, Paul, Dan, and everyone else that's cheering me on!

---

[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/390734)

329. **Yellow-crowned Night Heron**, Dodge
330. **Rufous Hummingbird**, Lincoln


Nebraska Big Year: July Recap


Year birds: +6 (**328**)\
State birds: +3 (**347**)\
Life birds: +0 (**511**)\
[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/380323)

---

May was a marathon and June was a slog. Breeding season is in full swing and with it came the heat. New birds were few and far between, but very high quality.

### Pawnee Prairies

One of my first targets of the month was Henslow's Sparrow, so on June 1st, I met Keegan at Burchard WMA in Pawnee county, which is historically a great spot for the species. We looked there for over 2 hours, finding many Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolink, and other grassland birds, but not our target. Having no luck there, I decided to give Pawnee Prairie WMA a try, and sure enough, within 15 minutes we had singing **Henslow's Sparrows** (323)! They were a little too far away to get good photos, but I did bring along some good recording equipment and got [a great recording of one singing](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/636884867).

### Bittern

That same week, there was a report of a Least Bittern in Omaha. I was skeptical at first, thinking it might just be a migrant. But after it was spotted again and heard displaying, I went right away. On the monring of June 6th, I left Lincoln before dawn to arrive at Flanagan Lake around sunrise. We tromped through the wet grasses on the overgrown fishing jetties to the location where the bird was last seen, and after a little bit of effort (to hear over all of the blackbirds), we heard the [distinctive grunt display](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637149052) of the **Least Bittern** (324). This was a new state bird for me as well, having only seen it once in Mexico.

### Crescent Lake BBS

June is the month of Breeding Bird Surveys, and this year, I decided to take on my first. I was assigned the Crescent Lake Route, that starts in Crescent Lake NWR, goes south through the sandhills, and then into a little bit of farmland. As I was driving all that way, I decided to make a long weekend trip of it.

On my way out, I detoured south into Chase county to look for Cassin's Sparrows. Dr. Cooper had found some just a few days earlier near Enders Reservoir. While I was looking, I ran into Eugene, and he said he'd had one just up the road. Sure enough, I pulled up the road, and I got great views of a pair of **Cassin's Sparrows** (325) singing and collecting food, likely for young in a nearby nest!

[![Cassin's Sparrow](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/637613971/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637613971)
_Cassin's Sparrow, Garden County_

The BBS route itself was great, the first few stops were absolutely packed with birds. Nothing new for the year, but I got a few new county birds, and a few audio lifers as I stopped briefly after my point counts to take recordings. The highlights of the day included a pair of Black-necked Stilts at the first stop, displaying and flying American Bitterns around stop 10, and a Long-tailed Weasel in the sandhills!

[![American Bittern](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/637628414/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637628414)
_American Bittern, Garden County_

After completing the route, I birded my way through Garden county north towards Fort Robinson State Park (where I ran into Eugene again) to stay the night before birding in the pine ridge the next day. To make a long day even longer, I decided to attend the local playhouse's production of "Newsies" at the Post Playhouse, which was quite good!

The next mornning, I got up early and started birding the Soldier Creek area northwest of the state park, hoping for any sort of rare pine ridge bird. About an hour in, I got a text from Eugene who was also birding in the area over at Henry Road. He had some really good birds, so I hopped back in the car and headed that way.

I searched for over 2 hours, but was unfortunately unable to relocate the amazing Black-throated Sparrow that Eugene had found. I did, however, get great looks at the **Sage Thrashers** (326)! The pair was hanging out (likely breeding) on the Wyoming side of the road, but ocassionally flew across to the Nebraska side, or on the road itself, so I was able to count it. This was also a new state bird for me, and one I was specifically targeting for this year. As of writing, it seems they are having a sort of "irruption" year, there have been reports at 4 different locations in the past 2 weeks, 3 juveniles, and a singing bird at Montz Point WMA.

[![Sage Thrasher](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/637647668/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/637647668)
_Sage Thrasher, Sioux County_

A trip out west wouldn't be complete without a visit to Scotts Bluff, so I headed that way in the afternoon, stopping at Flyover Brewing Company for my favorite wood-fired pizza (it's seriously so good) before heading to Wildcat Hills. At Wildcat, I picked up perhaps my last "easy" target for the year **Lesser Goldfinch** (327), and also got great looks at the Rocky Mountain subspecies Hairy Woodpecker that has been hanging around. Both species of Hummingbird also made an appearance, which was great to see.

The next morning (after being woken up by Yellow-breasted Chats), I checked Exit 1 on the off chance that an Ash-throated Flycatcher came early, and also birded Oliver Reservoir with Steve hoping for some late migrants, but came up short on both, so I headed back home down I-80.

### County Listing

The weekend of the 21st, I was once again prepared to head to Exit 1 for the flycatcher, as Boni was checking early that morning. I left Lincoln early, hoping that she would find it, but after no luck, I pivoted the day into a county birding adventure! I was very close to 125 species in Lincoln county, and had 7 unvisited counties in the state that were relatively close to eachother.

In Lincoln County, I just got to 125 birding along Wildlife Road, so I set off to fill in the rest of the map. The 7 new counties I visited throughout the day were Brown (48), Garfield (30), Keya Paha (39), Logan (34), Loup (36), Rock (40), and Wheeler (30). I also gained county birds in 6 other counties to tally over 300 county ticks for the day. Highlights included a Western Wood-Pewee in Brown County, and a Black-crowned Night Heron in Wheeler County.

### Loon?!?!

If you think about the birds you might see in June, I suspect the _last_ one you would think of (at least in Nebraska) are loons, especially the uncommon species that breed in the high arctic. So you can imagine the surprise on my face as I was doing yard work in 100+ degree heat and got a text from Steven Mlodinow that he was looking at a BREEDING PLUMAGE Red-throated Loon at Lake Ogallala!

This was a bird I simply _could not_ miss, so the next morning I left Lincoln at 3am, driving through thunderstorms across the plains to arrive at Lake O just after sunrise.

I started on the dam side among hundreds of Cliff Swallows, fighting the biting flies in the calm morning and began scanning the lake. I quickly spotted a large raft of Redhead, a few grebes, and a handful of cormorants. I knew loons tend to be creatures of habit and like foraging in the same spots, so I waited. And after about 20 minutes, I saw the [goofy-necked, odd-looking shape](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/638181577) of a **Red-throated Loon** (328) flying straight in. It landed on the far east side of the lake, and I was able to position myself in the middle of the diversion dam to observe and get some good photos. It dove a handful of times right after landing and then was content to sit and show off, preening, scratching, and even flapping it's wings once for me. I still can barely believe it, definitely one of the highlight birds of the year!

[![Red-throated Loon](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/638157595/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/638157595)
_Red-throated Loon, Keith County_

Big Year-wise, this was a great bird to get out of the way now, because now I can spend my time in November looking for winter irruptive species in the pine ridge instead of scanning reservoirs for loons!

Now, since I had gotten all the way out to Lake McConaughy, I decided to also take a stab at the Laughing Gull that Mlodinow had also seen the day before. I ran into Eugene again (who also got the loon) and we both split up to different parts of the lake to search for the gull. Around 12:45, I decided to break for lunch, and sure enough, right after I had ordered, Eugene texted me that he had the bird. I left as soon as I could, driving the 20 minutes back towards Martin Bay where he had was looking at the gull, and sure enough, not 10 minutes before I got back, the bird flew, never to be seen again...

I spent the rest of the day looking for it, with no luck, and decided to spend the night as well to try again in the morning. Same story: huge lake, one bird, no luck. I think I nearly put in more effort looking for this bird that the Common Crane in March. My consolation prize was the Piping Plovers. They were all over the beaches, and incredibly photogenic, especially in the morning. Lots of parents were still tending nests, but I also saw one juvenile! I gave it until 1:30 the next day, hoping that the gull would show up at the same spot in Martin Bay before heading home.

[![Piping Plover](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/638163113/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/638163113)
_Piping Plover, Keith County_

---

**Record Watch**: My goal this year is to go for the state Big Year record, and 6 months in, I think I am on track. With 20 birds to go, I have at least 11 species that I am very confident that I will be able to get, which leaves 9 more out of rarities, post-breeding wanderers, and winter irruptive species. I'll give it my best, but only time will tell...

Thanks this month to Eugene, Keegan, Pro, Dave, Boni, Stephen, Steve, and everyone else that I birded with and has provided encouragement or support throughout the month, I really appreciate it!

---

[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/380323)

323. **Henslow's Sparrow**, Pawnee
324. **Least Bittern**, Douglas
325. **Cassin's Sparrow**, Chase
326. **Sage Thrasher**, Sioux
327. **Lesser Goldfinch**, Scotts Bluff
328. **Red-throated Loon**, Keith


Nebraska Big Year: June Recap


Year birds: +73 (**322**)\
State birds: +10 (**344**)\
Life birds: +3 (**511**)\
[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/359607)

---

May was an absolute marathon of birding. I knew it would be a lot going into it, but getting up every day before sunrise for nearly 3 weeks, hiking 2-4 miles, and then putting in a full day's work really got to me. Luckily, all of my hard work paid off and I got some really good birds, and put myself in a really good spot for the rest of the year!

### Warbler Mania

When planning out my big year, I marked May 1-21 on my calendar as "WARBLER MANIA". The plan was to get out every morning in Wilderness Park (or elsewhere on the weekends) and bird for migrants. I knew getting as many migrant warblers as possible would be key to hitting my goals for the month.

On just the second day out in Wilderness Park, I hit pay dirt. I heard a high pitched buzzy song, and after some searching, finally got eyes on a male **Blue-winged Warbler**! Blue-winged is a very rare migrant for the state and it was a huge boost to my efforts and motivated me to keep going every morning.

[![Blue-winged Warbler](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/634857188/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/634857188)
_Blue-winged Warbler, Lancaster County_

Over the next couple weeks, I was able to find over 20 warbler species as well as a **Phildelphia Vireo** (299) here in Lancaster county! A few trips to Omaha's Fontenelle Forest and Towl park allowed me to rack up a grand total of 29 warbler species for the month!

[![Golden-winged Warbler](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/635103111/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/635103111)
_Golden-winged Warbler, Lancaster County_

One of my favorite moments was when Judson messaged me that he had a **Bay-breasted Warbler** (298) and a **Mourning Warbler** (297) in one section of Wilderness Park, while I was at Tierra Park. I decided to leave, and on the way out, I found a singing **Canada Warbler** (296)! I arrived at Wilderness, got both warblers, and then Judson headed to Tierra and got the Canada. Really fun to trade rare warblers with another birder.

[![Bay-breasted Warbler](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/635755494/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/635755494)
_Bay-breasted Warbler, Lancaster County_

### Meetups

Throughout the month, I organized a few birding meetups. We met twice at Fontenelle Forest early in May, and once at Indian Cave State Park the second week of May. The trip to Indian Cave was especially productive. We were able to find all of the nightjars, as well as hear a rare and elusive **Black-billed Cuckoo** (290), which was a state bird for me! Other notable birds on the Indian Cave meetup included **Blue-headed Vireo** (291), which somehow eluded me for 2 weeks, and **Kentucky Warbler** (289).

### Towhee (and detour)

Early in May, when it seemed like migration was going to happen on schedule (instead of early like last year), I decided to take a trip out west to try to track down the sneaky **Green-tailed Towhee** (274).

On my way out, I dipped down to Clay county in hopes of finding a Least Bittern, but instead found my first of year **Upland Sandpiper** (264) and **Buff-breasted Sandpiper** (265). On my way out through Hastings (waiting for my food at Arby's), I got a phone call from Mark Brogie, he told me they were currently looking at a Little Blue Heron! Naturally, I had to detour, so I rerouted from my western plans and headed up highway 2 to Halsey.

I got up at dawn and went to the little pond where the heron was seen. After about 20 minutes of waiting, I decided to check the river, and sure enough, the bird was roosting high in a tree above the river! As I watched, it flew over and landed in the small pond about 50 yards away. I spent nearly 40 minutes enjoying my new state bird, and year bird #266 before continuing west for the Towhee.

[![Little Blue Heron](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/635302063/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/635302063)
_Little Blue Heron, Thomas County_

I spent the next 2 days birding in the morning and working from the Wildcat Hills Nature Center. On my second day there (and still no Towhee), I got a text from Stephen Brenner that he had a Green-tailed Towhee at Oliver reservoir, so I hopped in the car and headed there. When I told him it would be a lifer, he turned around and met me there to help! After 30 minutes of searching, and flushing the bird multiple times, I was finally able to get a passable photo of this life bird, and year bird #274!

[![Green-tailed Towhee](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/635301298/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/635301298)
_Green-tailed Towhee, Kimball County_

### NOU Meeting

The bi-annual NOU meetings always seem to stir up rarities, and this year didn't disappoint! I left Lincoln early on friday morning to bird the counties on the way to the meeting with Dan, Keegan, and Paul. We birded our way through Washington and Burt counties, where I picked up a **Magnolia Warbler** as year bird #300!

We ended up in Thurston county at the Winnebago WTP (which would become a really good hotspot for the weekend) when Keegan got an alert that there was a **Neotropic Cormorant** (301) at Kramper Lake. We immediately hopped in the car and set off. It didn't take long after we arrived to find the Cormorant, which was a state bird!

[![Neotropic Cormorant](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/636052439/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/636052439)
_Neotropic Cormorant, Dakota County_

Perhaps even more interesting, on the way there, Dan and I saw a Lark Bunting, the first record for Thurston County! We hypothesize that sustained winds from the west drove this bird east. Eastern Iowa also had a record a couple days later, and other western birds also began showing up in the east, really interesting pattern!

### Out West

After the NOU meeting, Caleb and Thane headed west and they stirred up some rarities: Worm-eating Warbler, and Pine Warbler. Having seen most of my eastern targets, I decided to give it a shot. I left early in the morning on the 20th to search. Despite efforts put in by myself and the UNK big day crew, we couldn't find either bird.

I decided to salvage something out of the trip anyway, and spent the next 4 days birding in the Gering and Kimball area. In Gering I was able to pick up **Black-chinned Hummingbird** (311) and **Broad-tailed Hummingbird** (315) as well as plenty of other western breeding birds.

[![Black-chinned Hummingbird](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/636436957/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/636436957)
_Black-chinned Hummingbird, Scotts Bluff County_

In a couple trips to Oliver Reservoir I got my best ever looks at Western Tanager, as well as a couple of other Western year birds. I found a very late (and very rare for Kimball), **Western Sandpiper** (316) in a small mixed flock of shorebirds, as well as a bright **Western Flycatcher** (317).

[![Western Tanager](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/636437092/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/636437092)
_Western Tanager, Sioux County_

On Saturday, I drove back through the rain but was still able to pick up my year **Black-crowned Night-Heron** (319) near Lakeside. Despite the rain, I attempted to bird through Crescent Lake NWR. I saw plenty of birds, but there weren't many shorebirds to be found, and the roads were getting treacherous in the pouring rain, so I continued on home.

### Nemesis

Near the end of the month, and warbler mania, there was still one regular eastern warbler I just had not run into. I sent out the bat signal, asking local birders to let me know if they saw any. Of course, dozens showed up in the 4 days I decided to go out west, but on my way back, I got a text from Paul Dunbar.

I drove straight to Hastings from Crescent Lake, pulled up to the school, and he was there with a scope on the a female **Blackburnian Warbler** (320)! Not only did I get the bird, we found 2, a pretty rare bird for Adams county! It was fitting that the current Big Year record holder was the one to help me out with my last warbler.

[![Blackburnian Warbler](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/636437550/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/636437550)
_Blackburnian Warbler, Adams County_

### One last bird

Having exhausted nearly all my targets, I went out on the afternoon of the 30th looking for terns, hoping for a Common, or even a longshot at an Arctic. I had 7 spots on a 65-mile route around Lincoln scoped out. My first stop was Capitol Beach Lake, and low and behold, I saw one tern on the whole lake, and it turned out to be my **Common Tern** (322)! After countless hours searching for other rare birds throughout the month, it felt good to get one quickly to wrap up the month.

I ended with a month total of 257 species, smashing my tally last year of 228, and with my year total at 322, I'm in a really good spot for the rest of the year!

Shoutouts this month to Paul, Pro, Keegan, Stephen, Olivia, Rita, Tommy, Eugene, Cody, Lauren, Dan, Caleb, Mark, Judson, Eli, Kojo, Colleen, Shari & Jon, and everyone else that helped me out or birded with me this month!

---

[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/359607)

248. **Nashville Warbler**, Lancaster
249. **Yellow-throated Vireo**, Lancaster
250. **Sedge Wren**, Lancaster
251. **Black Tern**, Lancaster
252. **Blue-winged Warbler**, Lancaster
253. **Black-bellied Whistling-Duck**, Sarpy
254. **Orchard Oriole**, Sarpy
255. **American Redstart**, Sarpy
256. **Gray-cheeked Thrush**, Sarpy
257. **Scarlet Tanager**, Sarpy
258. **Ovenbird**, Sarpy
259. **Black-throated Green Warbler**, Sarpy
260. **Eastern Wood-Pewee**, Sarpy
261. **Short-billed Dowitcher**, Lancaster
262. **Bell's Vireo**, Lancaster
263. **Golden-winged Warbler**, Lancaster
264. **Upland Sandpiper**, Clay
265. **Buff-breasted Sandpiper**, Clay
266. **Little Blue Heron**, Thomas
267. **American Bittern**, Grant
268. **Red-necked Phalarope**, Sheridan
269. **Lark Bunting**, Box Butte
270. **Yellow-breasted Chat**, Scotts Bluff
271. **White-throated Swift**, Scotts Bluff
272. **Common Poorwill**, Scotts Bluff
273. **Black-headed Grosbeak**, Scotts Bluff
274. **Green-tailed Towhee**, Kimball
275. **Blackpoll Warbler**, Lancaster
276. **Dickcissel**, Lancaster
277. **Bobolink**, Lancaster
278. **Ruddy Turnstone**, Platte
279. **Sanderling**, Platte
280. **Cape May Warbler**, Douglas
281. **Yellow-billed Cuckoo**, Cass
282. **Acadian Flycatcher**, Sarpy
283. **Ruby-throated Hummingbird**, Sarpy
284. **Chestnut-sided Warbler**, Sarpy
285. **Scissor-tailed Flycatcher**, Pawnee
286. **Common Nighthawk**, Nemaha
287. **Eastern Whip-poor-will**, Nemaha
288. **Chuck-will's-widow**, Nemaha
289. **Kentucky Warbler**, Richardson
290. **Black-billed Cuckoo**, Richardson
291. **Blue-headed Vireo**, Richardson
292. **American Barn Owl**, Lancaster
293. **Blue Grosbeak**, Lancaster
294. **Olive-sided Flycatcher**, Lancaster
295. **Alder Flycatcher**, Lancaster
296. **Canada Warbler**, Lancaster
297. **Mourning Warbler**, Lancaster
298. **Bay-breasted Warbler**, Lancaster
299. **Philadelphia Vireo**, Lancaster
300. **Magnolia Warbler**, Burt
301. **Neotropic Cormorant**, Dakota
302. **Wilson's Warbler**, Dakota
303. **Willow Flycatcher**, Dakota
304. **Least Tern**, Dixon
305. **Veery**, Dixon
306. **Connecticut Warbler**, Lancaster
307. **Western Wood-Pewee**, Scotts Bluff
308. **Bullock's Oriole**, Scotts Bluff
309. **Western Tanager**, Scotts Bluff
310. **Cassin's Kingbird**, Kimball
311. **Black-chinned Hummingbird**, Scotts Bluff
312. **Mississippi Kite**, Scotts Bluff
313. **Lazuli Bunting**, Scotts Bluff
314. **Plumbeous Vireo**, Kimball
315. **Broad-tailed Hummingbird**, Scotts Bluff
316. **Western Sandpiper**, Kimball
317. **Western Flycatcher**, Kimball
318. **Brewer's Sparrow**, Sioux
319. **Black-crowned Night Heron**, Sheridan
320. **Blackburnian Warbler**, Adams
321. **Yellow-bellied Flycatcher**, Douglas
322. **Common Tern**, Lancaster


Nebraska Big Year: May Recap


Year birds: +82 (**247**)\
State birds: +2 (**334**)\
Life birds: +2 (**509**)\
[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/340906)

---

April was one of the biggest month of the year, both in birds added to the list, and in miles traveled. Searching for birds this month took me literally to all 4 corners of the state. Once again, it had some great chases, some disappointing misses, and of course, some really good birds along the way.

The month started out kinda slow, but the shorebirding started to pick up my mid April, along with an influx of sparrows. I ticked off **Vesper** (166), **Lincoln's** (167), **Chipping** (168), **Swamp** (169), **Eastern Towhee** (173), and **Grasshopper Sparrows** (175) quite early in the month. No luck yet with a spring LeConte's or Henslow's but attempts will be made later for those. I also got nearly all my shorebird targets, still just looking for Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, and Ruddy Turnstone.

### Partridge

The 2 big targets for this month were 2 life birds, Glossy Ibis, and Gray Partridge. On April 11th, Keegan and I took off for Cedar county to try for partridge. After camping the night, we arrived at a traditional partridge spot just before sunrise. I was rolling the window down and noticed 2 game birds pop out of the ditch into the corn stubble. I immediately clocked them as **Gray Partridge** (179) just before they flew off. Unfortunately due to the viewing angle from the passenger seat, Keegan didn't get a look. I'm sure we'll be back up there someday to try again.

Also on that trip we stopped at Lake North/Babcock. There were literally hundreds of shorebirds, perhaps thousands. The only year bird we could pick out of the bunch were **American Golden-Plover** (178). Later in the month, I visited Lake North again to see the **Snowy Plover** (208) that Lynette found! A great bird, and one I wasn't expecting to see 2 years in a row.

[![Snowy Plover](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/634263173/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/634263173)
_Snowy Plover, Platte County_

### Lange WPA

The next lifer target was Glossy Ibis. Paul Dunbar graciously scouted out some locations in Clay county, and the next weekend, we headed out, starting at Lange WPA. It was a gorgeous crisp spring morning day and the small pond at Lange WPA was loaded with shorebirds. There weren't any Ibis visible, but we decided to take a short hike through the meadow to get a better look. Just after we had begun scoping the shorebirds, 3 huge white birds flew in nearly straight at us, a family group of Whooping Cranes! They landed less than 50 feet away from us, completely unbothered by our presence, before moseying along through the meadow to the north. It was an incredible experience with these amazing birds that I don't think will be matched for a long time.

[![Whooping Cranes](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/634054651/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/634054651)
_Whooping Crane, Clay County_

After Lange, we hit a few other spots, until we ended up at Kissinger Basin. After a bit of a hike out to the mudflats, we began scanning through a group of about 30 ibis. And sure enough, with a little effort, we were able to find a **Glossy Ibis** (199)! A lifer for both Keegan and I.

[![Glossy ibis](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/634054733/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/634054733)
_Glossy Ibis, Clay County_

It seems our Whooping Crane discovery earlier at Lange WPA set off a sort of [Patagonia picnic table effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonia_picnic_table_effect). The next day when Dave C headed out there to look for the cranes, he found a **Whimbrel** (205)! Of course, I had to go see that one, so I made another visit for Clay county. And the day after _that_, Joel headed out here and found a White-tailed Kite! I spent some time looking for that one too and was unable to relocate it, but it was still really cool to see a small wetland get such great birds.

### Out West

With most of the eastern targets out of the way before migration truly begins, I decided to take a long weekend out west to see some of the western and shortgrass prairie specialties. A stop at Lake McConaughy yielded **Caspian Tern** (221) and **Clark's Grebe** (222). The weather didn't cooperate with us much for a visit to Crescent Lake, and the shorebirds were quite lacking, but we still found **Burrowing Owl** (224) and **Say's Phoebe** (225).

After that we headed further west to find a **Mountain Plover** (228) in Kimball county, as well as **Thick-billed Longspur** (227) and **Chestnut-collared Longspur**. A jaunt up to Sowbelly canyon gave us an incredible **Black-bellied Plover** (230) flyover of all things, and the first **Violet-green Swallows** (229) of the year. We also saw the rare **Common Raven** on Henry road, and got much better looks than I had in February.

Having gotten most of the western targets by Sunday, we decided to drive back and try for a Western Sandpiper in Hastings, and a White-eyed Vireo the next day at Fontenelle forst. Unfortuantely both birds didn't show.

### Migration!

After the trip west, I spent Monday in Sarpy county and racked up another 11 year birds, including a returning **Prothonotary Warbler** (238). A few more birds back in Lancaster, and now I'm ready to chase all the migrants!

### An attempt was made

There were a few birds that I attempted to find, but did not this month (most were expected misses, but I had to try). Yellow Rail at Jack Sinn WMA, Fish Crow in Richardson county, White-tailed Kite in Clay county, White-eyed Vireo at Fontenelle Forest, and Western Sandpiper in Hastings were a few of the (longshot) misses this month.

---

[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/340906)

166. **Vesper Sparrow**, Lancaster
167. **Lincoln's Sparrow**, Lancaster
168. **Chipping Sparrow**, Lancaster
169. **Swamp Sparrow**, Sarpy
170. **Great Egret**, Douglas
171. **Hudsonian Godwit**, Lancaster
172. **Semipalmated Sandpiper**, Lancaster
173. **Eastern Towhee**, Lancaster
174. **Northern Rough-winged Swallow**, Lancaster
175. **Grasshopper Sparrow**, Lancaster
176. **Least Sandpiper**, Lancaster
177. **Dunlin**, Lancaster
178. **American Golden-Plover**, Platte
179. **Gray Partridge**, Cedar
180. **Yellow-throated Warbler**, Sarpy
181. **Northern Parula**, Sarpy
182. **Osprey**, Cass
183. **Louisiana Waterthrush**, Cass
184. **Northern House Wren**, Lancaster
185. **Black-necked Stilt**, Lancaster
186. **Western Cattle-Egret**, Lancaster
187. **White-faced Ibis**, Lancaster
188. **White-winged Dove**, Lancaster
189. **Forster's Tern**, Lancaster
190. **Cliff Swallow**, Saunders
191. **Long-billed Curlew**, Lancaster
192. **Semipalmated Plover**, Lancaster
193. **Cinnamon Teal**, Lancaster
194. **Broad-winged Hawk**, Lancaster
195. **Lark Sparrow**, Richardson
196. **Blue-gray Gnatcatcher**, Richardson
197. **Swainson's Hawk**, Nemaha
198. **Wilson's Phalarope**, Clay
199. **Glossy Ibis**, Clay
200. **Hooded Warbler**, Douglas
201. **Orange-crowned Warbler**, Douglas
202. **Ruby-crowned Kinglet**, Douglas
203. **Northern Mockingbird**, Lancaster
204. **Spotted Sandpiper**, Lancaster
205. **Whimbrel**, Clay
206. **Snowy Egret**, Platte
207. **Willet**, Platte
208. **Snowy Plover**, Platte
209. **Piping Plover**, Clay
210. **Common Yellowthroat**, Lancaster
211. **Bank Swallow**, Lancaster
212. **Warbling Vireo**, Lancaster
213. **Gray Catbird**, Lancaster
214. **Eastern Kingbird**, Lancaster
215. **Stilt Sandpiper**, Lancaster
216. **Rose-breasted Grosbeak**, Lancaster
217. **Yellow Warbler**, Lancaster
218. **Green Heron**, Lancaster
219. **Solitary Sandpiper**, Lancaster
220. **Sora**, Lancaster
221. **Caspian Tern**, Keith
222. **Clark's Grebe**, Keith
223. **Clay-colored Sparrow**, Keith
224. **Burrowing Owl**, Garden
225. **Say's Phoebe**, Garden
226. **Marsh Wren**, Garden
227. **Thick-billed Longspur**, Kimball
228. **Mountain Plover**, Kimball
229. **Violet-green Swallow**, Sioux
230. **Black-bellied Plover**, Sioux
231. **Chestnut-collared Longspur**, Sioux
232. **White-rumped Sandpiper**, Adams
233. **Summer Tanager**, Sarpy
234. **Wood Thrush**, Sarpy
235. **Swainson's Thrush**, Sarpy
236. **Great Crested Flycatcher**, Sarpy
237. **Chimney Swift**, Sarpy
238. **Prothonotary Warbler**, Sarpy
239. **Baltimore Oriole**, Sarpy
240. **Palm Warbler**, Sarpy
241. **Northern Waterthrush**, Sarpy
242. **Black-and-white Warbler**, Sarpy
243. **Least Flycatcher**, Sarpy
244. **Indigo Bunting**, Lancaster
245. **Tennessee Warbler**, Lancaster
246. **Red-eyed Vireo**, Lancaster
247. **Western Kingbird**, Lancaster


Nebraska Big Year: April Recap


Year birds: +34 (**165**)\
State birds: +3 (**332**)\
Life birds: +2 (**507**)\
[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/337360)

---

March was a great month of birding. I'm ending the first quarter of the year with 165 species, exactly 25 species ahead of Paul's 2013 pace. A portion of the birds I'm "ahead" with are more common ones that will come easier later in the year (and he had 16 I've yet to find), but I did pick up a couple really good ones this month!

### Out West

The month started out west. Keegan and I were camping at Lake Ogallala looking for gulls the last few days of February, and not finding much on the third day, we decided to go to Sutherland Reservoir to see if we could find one of the legendary massive flocks of Snow Geese. On the way in, by the cooling ponds, we saw a loon. Naturally, I snapped some photos, and we both wrote it off as a Common Loon, but something was still odd about it. It took until 2 hours later when we got back to camp for me to study the photos and realize that it was actually a **Pacific Loon** (132)! A really great bird to pick up early in the year, and a state bird for both of us. Later Boni E, Dave C, and others were able to relocate the bird and add it to their state lists!

[![Pacific Loon](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/631530734/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/631530734)
_Pacific Loon, Lincoln County_

Also at Sutherland we did manage to find a massive flock of geese. Atempting to estimate the size was difficult, but with a little studying of the maps we were able to estimate a [flock size of 560,000](https://ebird.org/checklist/S216074079)!

### Gull-a-palooza!

As new year birds were coming in a bit slowly in mid March, I decided to go bird at Marsh Wren, just to see if any early shorebirds decided to stop there. Instead of shorebirds, I ran into a [MASSIVE flock of gulls](https://ebird.org/checklist/S218281421)!

Among the flock, I found a Glaucous Gull, multiple Lesser-black-backed Gulls, "Thayer's" and "Kumlien's" Iceland Gulls, 2 California Gulls (very rare for Lancaster county), and a [hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull](https://ebird.org/checklist/S218690750)! The flock seemed to be resting there after foraging at the dump and showed up regularly for over a week! It was very cool to see many people come out and get life, state, and county birds from such a diverse and cooperative flock! Just goes to show that birding some spots in the "wrong" time of year can pay off!

[![California Gull](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/632158431/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/632158431)
_California Gull, Lancaster County_

### Cranes, Cranes, Cranes

March is Crane season in Nebraska, and I made 4 trips out to see them! The first trip was a blind tour at Crane Trust. The tour was amazing as always (even though Snow Geese tried to steal the show), but didn't produce any Whooping Cranes, so Keegan and I came out the next week to find a **Whooping Crane** (142) to add to our year lists.

The month of March also resulted in 2 other trips specifically to search for the Common Cranes. The first search was fruitless, but an extended second trip resulted in success! You can read more about the **Common Crane** (159) in it's own [blog post](/blog/2025/03/nebraska-big-year-common-crane-quest).

[![Common Crane](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/632650420/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/632650420)
_Common Crane, Keith County_

### Prairie Birds

If I had a state nemesis bird going into the month, it would probably be Smith's Longspur. I went out to Spring Creek Prairie 5 times last fall searching and listening for the elusive prairie bird with no luck. So when Paul D texted me and gave me a few spots to checkout in the southeast portion of the state, I couldn't help but give it a shot.

I started at Pawnee Prairie WMA where I racked up over 20 Pawnee county birds. I _did_ have some Longspurs there, but I wasn't confident enough in the call notes to turn them into Smith's. I later visited Burchard WMA, but the strong winds made listening for the rattle calls nearly impossible. So finally I headed to Berg Tallgrass Prairie near Talmage, and not 5 minutes after stepping out of the car, a dozen **Smith's Longspurs** (157) flew over my head, rattling all the way and landed in the shortgrass. I was even able to snag a few photos before they flew off again and disappeared to the west.

[![Smith's Longspur](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v2/asset/632498819/1200)](https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/632498819)
_Smith's Longspur, Nemaha County_

### Shorebirds

Shorebird season is starting up again, and I'm off to a pretty good start! A couple of last year's go-to spots like Pawnee Lake and Branched Oak Lake seem to have much higher water this year, leaving little to no mudflats to work with, so I'm needing to branch out a bit more. I've scouted out a few places in the southwest side of Lancaster county that should be good for this year, especially Yankee Hill WMA, where I snagged my last 3 year birds of the month: **Lesser Yellowlegs** (163), **Marbled Godwit** (164), and **American Avocet** (165). Migration will begin in earnest soon and I'm ready for the challenge of finding everything that comes through!

Thank you so much to Caroline, Keegan, Paul, Dan, Colleen, and everyone else I birded with this month for all their help and encouragement!

---

[eBird Trip Report](https://ebird.org/tripreport/337360)

132. **Pacific Loon**, Lincoln
133. **American Pipit**, Lincoln
134. **Western Grebe**, Lincoln
135. **Common Grackle**, Lancaster
136. **Killdeer**, Lancaster
137. **Eastern Phoebe**, Hall
138. **Yellow-headed Blackbird**, Hall
139. **Eastern Meadowlark**, Seward
140. **American Woodcock**, Lancaster
141. **Spotted Towhee**, Lancaster
142. **Whooping Crane**, Hall
143. **Wood Duck**, Hall
144. **Savannah Sparrow**, Lancaster
145. **Blue-winged Teal**, Lancaster
146. **Horned Grebe**, Lancaster
147. **Loggerhead Shrike**, Lancaster
148. **Turkey Vulture**, Lancaster
149. **Franklin's Gull**, Lancaster
150. **Common Loon**, Lancaster
151. **Red-necked Grebe**, Lancaster
152. **Baird's Sandpiper**, Lancaster
153. **Field Sparrow**, Pawnee
154. **Brown Thrasher**, Pawnee
155. **Tree Swallow**, Pawnee
156. **Greater Yellowlegs**, Pawnee
157. **Smith's Longspur**, Nemaha
158. **Long-billed Dowitcher**, Lancaster
159. **Common Crane**, Keith
160. **Pectoral Sandpiper**, Lancaster
161. **Barn Swallow**, Lancaster
162. **Purple Martin**, Lancaster
163. **Lesser Yellowlegs**, Lancaster
164. **Marbled Godwit**, Lancaster
165. **American Avocet**, Lancaster
