Winter reigns as a fine variety of bird species continue to occur in the vicinity of Valentine, Nebraska. Prominent conditions during December have been variable, with notable changes by the end of 2015. Some moderate weather brought numerous robins mid-month. Following an approximate 4-inch snowfall about near the end of the third week of the month, cold weather prevailed with lows in the 0o range or less, and daily high temperatures in the lower to mid 20s. The average daily high is the mid-30s. Wind chills many degrees less make being outdoors even more chilly, and this chill index seems to be a regular occurrence. Snow cover continued to prevail as there was no melting. The mill pond is mostly entirely ice-covered, so there has been little use by Canada Goose.
- » Canada Goose: more prevalent early in the month, with lesser numbers noticed in flight nearly daily during the month. Apparently they are roosting on the Niobrara River southeast of Valentine, as indicated by other observers. They fly northward to forage on corn fields.
- » Mallard: a few arrived at the end of the month, with 5-6 noticed on the unfrozen Minnecaduza Creek, below the dam at the Valentine Mill Pond; these fowl have been readily seen swimming about as noticed from the nearby north end of the main street.
- » Northern Bobwhite: the covey continues to be present amidst the pine-clad bluffs north of the Valentine Mill Pond. These are an especially appreciated species. They are looking for places without snow cover so they can forage. This includes bare ground beneath pine trees.
- » Wild Turkey: the local flock has not wandered near my vicinity with only a single bird arriving a couple of times to see if there was any horse feed left behind that it could eat
- » Bald Eagle: the best sighting of the month was an adult slowly flying at a low level over the livestock market.
- » Eurasian Collared Dove: continue to be prevalent near the livestock market, and are most readily seen just to its south, near the power substation. Across the street to the west is a corn storage facility, with kernels on the ground near an end of an auger, after trucking loading/unloading operations. This may be a source of food for these doves, though they have not been seen there, perhaps due not being present at an appropriate time. Rock Doves may also feed there, as they are also common about the market. Two to four ECDs are regularly among the housing and pines north of the mill pond.
- » Red-breasted Nuthatch: probably more prevalent than indicated, but recorded to a lesser extent due to fewer visits into the pine lands.
- » House Sparrow: continue their occurrence in gathered flocks; the largest number is present in shrubbery along north Main Street, at the southeast corner of the Mill Pond area; another bunch is known to occur near the livestock market.
- » American Goldfinch: only occasionally seen, with the greatest number seen once within Valentine, associated with a bird feeder.
- » Dark-eyed Junco: regular loose flocks of 10-20, with birds at two-three known localities, with high counts a combination of numbers counted on the same date at different localities; south-facing slopes with a lesser extent of snow cover, are important foraging areas.
- » Mallard: a few arrived at the end of the month, with 5-6 noticed on the unfrozen Minnecaduza Creek, below the dam at the Valentine Mill Pond; these fowl have been readily seen swimming about as noticed from the nearby north end of the main street.
Most of the species seen are regular winter residents. There is a definite dearth of sparrows. Some flighty birds were seen but could not be identified since the spotting scope was not available.
Some bird feeders are being regularly used by the song birds. There is one located on the north edge of the city, just west of Main Street which is enjoyed by the Red-bellied Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch, especially. There are also two on the north side of the Valentine Mill Pond. Chickadess and the irregular cardinal are appreciative of these food sources.
The 28 species indicated are listed in the taxonomic order as designated by the International Ornithological Congress, 2015. The top row of numbers is the julian date corresponding to the date of the month. Not all species present on each day are listed as the intent is to get representative counts, and to especially denote notable occurrences.
| Proper Name | 343 | 344 | 346 | 347 | 348 | 351 | 352 | 353 | 355 | 362 | 363 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Goose | 1300 | 1300 | 15 | -- | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 125 | 165 |
| Cackling Goose | 10 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Mallard | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 6 |
| Northern Bobwhite | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12 |
| Wild Turkey | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Red-tailed Hawk | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Rock Dove | -- | -- | -- | -- | 31 | -- | -- | -- | 40 | -- | -- |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 2 | 30 | 8 | -- |
| Great Horned Owl | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Hairy Woodpecker | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Northern Flicker | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Blue Jay | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | 2 |
| American Crow | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | 6 | 3 | -- |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | -- |
| American Robin | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 35 | -- | -- |
| House Sparrow | -- | -- | 20 | -- | 30 | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 20 | -- |
| House Finch | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Goldfinch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 12 |
| Harris's Sparrow | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Dark-eyed Junco | -- | -- | 12 | -- | 16 | -- | 30 | -- | 5 | 12 | 29 |
| American Tree Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 1 |
| Northern Cardinal | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
There have been 62 species recorded for this bit of a north-central Nebraska vicinity from late August through the end of December. There were 462 records kept for 54 distinct days here, with fewer than ten records the typical daily tally. The most number of records being 30 on October 1st and 28 on November 28th. All records are derived from the specifics kept in a relational database with 147,649 bird records for the Great American Sandhills™ and central Niobrara River valley.
There would be additional species recorded if visits were made to relatively nearby Borman Bridge WMA and the fish hatchery and adjacent Government Canyon WMA, but were not done due to weather conditions and a lack of suitable transportation. A species that would be especially enjoyed would be a Winter Wren. Also an expectant is the Townsend's Solitaire, or maybe a Rough-legged Hawk or Golden Eagle or Prairie Falcon.
Consideration is being given to watching some particular birds at the feeders on the north side of the city.
If a vehicle was available, the bird-watching range would increase to include outings to regional, riverine spring-flows to look for the feathered mite, as well as wintering Marsh Wren and Virginia Rail. It is just too dang cold to walk or bicycle the distance needed to get to the localities to replicate visits made years ago. There are key birds present, but their occurrence is not known by any ornithologists.