Winter Field Report, December 2000 to February 2001

What a difference a year makes! After all sorts of unusual midwinter reports last winter, this winter seemed more normal, as entire species actually left the state for a while. Although not extremely cold, the cool temperatures were persistent in November and December, flushing out many of the semi-hardy species and freezing most bodies of water. There were, nevertheless, some notable tardies: a first Panhandle winter Wood Duck; a Spotted Sandpiper in December at Harlan County Res; a first December Eastern Phoebe; a third January Gray Catbird; a second December Pine Warbler; a 3rd overwintering Yellow-headed Blackbird; and the farthest northwestward wintering Brewer\u27s Blackbirds. Rarities were topped by first state record Black Rosy-Finches; first state record Hepburn\u27s Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches; a second state Glaucous-winged Gull; a second state Tufted Duck (probably the same bird which wintered last year); 3rd and 4th fall-winter Mew Gulls; a 4th fall Iceland Gull; and a Gyrfalcon--and that\u27s just a list of what Steve Dinsmore found! Other rarities included the 7th documented Gray-headed Junco; the first Pine Grosbeak since 1988; the 5th Varied Thrush since 1991; and the 4th Seward County Tufted Titmouse in 18 years