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14 Mar Sandhill cranes [Rick/Meg Andrews ] 14 Mar Willow Creek in Pahrump Nv. (Nye ) [Darlene Feener ] 14 Mar Varied Thrush in West Reno [Kathy Oakes ] 14 Mar Spring in ELko [Lois & Mark Ports ] 14 Mar Black-necked stilt, American Avocet at Damonte Ranch Wetlands [Rick/Meg Andrews ] 12 Mar Reno bird sightings3/10/10 & 3/11/10 [ann murphy ] 12 Mar Swans in South Reno [SAMARENO ] 12 Mar Mason Valley WMA and Carson Park/Silver Saddle Ranch-Thurs., Mar. 11th [Rob Lowry ] 10 Mar Common (Eurasian) Teal - Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve 3-10-2010 [Randall Michal ] 9 Mar Fallon birding [Kathy Fraker ] 9 Mar Wetlands Park (Duck Creek Area) [Greg Scyphers ] 9 Mar Birds seen on a trip from Reno to Vegas [Greg Scyphers ] 8 Mar Fw: eBird Report - The Yurt (feeder watch) , 2/19/10 through 3/7/10 [Melissa Renfro ] 8 Mar Western Gull, Tree Swallow, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/8/10) [Fred Petersen ] 7 Mar Three unrelated messages in one post: NBRC issue, Pyramid Lake today, and note about last week's gull at Sparks Marina [Martin Meyers ] 8 Mar FW: Riverview Park Bird Trip [Nancy Santos ] 7 Mar Reno bird sightings 3/6/10 and 3/7/10 [ann murphy ] 7 Mar Re: FW: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas [Chris Gardner ] 7 Mar Willow Creek Golf Course: Pahrump: (Nye county) [Darlene Feener ] 7 Mar FW: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas [Bird Preserve ] 6 Mar Ash Meadows [Carl Lundblad ] 6 Mar ash meadows nwr [Paul van Els ] 6 Mar Reno birds [Kris Pizarro ] 6 Mar Cormorants are back! Virginia Lake, Reno [Jacque Lowery ] 6 Mar Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch-Friday, Mar. 5th [Rob Lowry ] 5 Mar N. Reno Swans [Jamie Trammell ] 4 Mar Merlin, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/4/10) [Fred Petersen ] 4 Mar Golden eagle [Bob Gotschall ] 4 Mar Great Horned Owl calling in SW Reno [Diane McAllister ] 3 Mar Washoe Valley, NV - Great Horned Owl ["M. A. Anderson" ] 3 Mar Pink Gulls, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/3/10) [Fred Petersen ] 2 Mar FWD: Red-necked Grebe at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve 2/23 [Carl Lundblad ] 2 Mar 2nd Annual Wings & Wildlife Festival Of Southern Nevada [SNBWTP ] 2 Mar Sandhill Cranes in Pahranagat Valley ["philohela AT juno.com" ] 1 Mar Prairie Falcon [Cynthia Goddard ] 1 Mar recent Reno bird sightings [ann murphy ] 28 Feb Intergrade Flickers (again), NW Reno (February 28th, 2010) [Fred Petersen ] 28 Feb Fw: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas [Je Anne ] 28 Feb Oasis Valley-signs of spring [Laura Cunningham ] 28 Feb Willow Creek Golf Course: Pahrump: Nye County [Darlene Feener ] 27 Feb Tunda swans at Damonte Ranch Wetlands (Reno) [Rick/Meg Andrews ] 26 Feb Western Gull (continues), Sparks Marina (2/26/10) [Fred Petersen ] 26 Feb Gull workshop (Reno) reminder, plus slight time change. [Martin Meyers ] 25 Feb Washoe Valley - Mountain Bluebirds [Steve Ting ] 25 Feb Late Report for Pahranagat Valley [Greg Scyphers ] 25 Feb Sage Thrasher [Marie Stewart ] 25 Feb Rancho San Rafael, Reno (2/25/10) [Fred Petersen ] 24 Feb Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch and Riverview Park-Carson City [Rob Lowry ] 24 Feb Washoe Valley - Recent bird highlights [Steve Ting ] 24 Feb Lake mead -33 Hole Overlook 2-24-2010 [Randall Michal ] 24 Feb Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve 2-23-10 [Randall Michal ] 24 Feb North Reno [Bob Goodman ] 24 Feb CArson Valley [Lisa Lister ] 23 Feb Hybrid Flickers, NW Reno (February 23rd, 2010) [Fred Petersen ] 23 Feb Blackbirds in south suburban Reno [Jacque Lowery ] 22 Feb Sage Sparrow in Lemmon Valley, Reno [Tom Dozet ] 22 Feb Jim Eidel has shared an eBird checklist with you from Carson Valley on Feb 21, 2010 - 8:00 AM [Jim Eidel ] 21 Feb Willow Creek Golf Course: Pahrump: Nye County [Darlene Feener ] 21 Feb White-tailed Kites at Pahranagat NWR [Don Harriman ] 21 Feb FW: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas [Bird Preserve ] 20 Feb Topaz Lake [Lisa Lister ] 20 Feb Gulls, Cackling Goose, Virginia Lake; Reno (2/20/10) [Fred Petersen ] 20 Feb Followup re Birding Guide to Reno link [Karen Kish ] 20 Feb Very Belated Clark Co. Trip Report [Justin Rink ] 20 Feb Lahontan & Red Rocks Audubon Societies, GBBO pubs OK [Alan Wallace ] 20 Feb Fwd: Location of Lemmon Valley sewer ponds [Karen Kish ] 20 Feb Fw: Our GBBC observations for FEB 12, 2010 in 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV part 2 [Melissa Renfro ] 20 Feb Fw: Our GBBC observations for FEB 12, 2010 in 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV Part 1 [Melissa Renfro ] 20 Feb Sparks Marina (2/19/10)/Turtles [Fred Petersen ] 19 Feb Location of Lemmon Valley sewer ponds [Martin Meyers ] 19 Feb Lesser Black-backed Gull and other stuff around Reno/Sparks today [Martin Meyers ] 18 Feb Reno bird sightings 2/14/10 & 2/18/10 [ann murphy ] 18 Feb Carson Range [Mary Jo Elpers ] 17 Feb Snow Goose at Mira Loma Park, Reno [Andrea Oddo ] 17 Feb Time and location for Reno gull workshop. 12:30 p.m., 2/28/2010, Moana Nursery [Martin Meyers ] 17 Feb Re: Northern Shrike at Clark County Wetlands Park [Chris Gardner ] Subject: Sandhill cranes From: Rick/Meg Andrews <andrews2727 AT ATT.NET> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:53:12 -0700 It was such a nice afternoon, we decided to drive out to Sierra Valley. We saw 4 sandhill cranes from the Marble Hot Springs bridge (2 on each side, about 100' from the bridge). Also 5 tundra swans and about 40 northern pintails. The only buteos we saw were several red tail hawks. Please note the dirt portion of the road was very muddy and slippery. Meg and Rick AndrewsSubject: Willow Creek in Pahrump Nv. (Nye ) From: Darlene Feener <robertfeener AT ATT.NET> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:31:29 -0400 Birding from 7:30a.m. to 11:30a.m. Windy with 39 degree start temperature. Some damage to several Willow trees from high winds last night. 40 species of birds seen. Birds are listed as they were seen. 1. American Crows 2. Mourning Dove 3. House Finch 4. Ring-billed Gull 5. Western Bluebirds flying ahead of me on path 6. Mallards flying overhead 7. Western Meadowlarks singing from telephone wire 8. Northern Mockingbird taking flight across the field 9. Eurasian Collarded doves making krreew sound as they flew from the trees 10.Dark-eyed Juncos (Slate colored) 11.Great-tailed Grackles, waking everyone up with their whistles 12.Cooper's Hawk sitting in tree above me 13.Northern Harrier taking off and floating across the field 14.Northern Flicker nestled in a tree by the pond 15.American Wigeons 16.American Coots 17.Ring-necked Ducks 18.Northern Shovelers 19.Cinnamon Teals (4) all males moving quickly to other side of pond 20.Ruddy Duck cleaning feathers (male) 21.Canada Geese landing on pond 22.Red-shouldered Hawk being very vocal 23.Ruby-crowned Kinglet flitting among the bushes 24.Red-winged Blackbirds flashing red shoulders 25.Gambel's Quail unusually quiet 26.White-crowned Sparrows 27.Rock Pigeons 28.House Sparrows 29.A pair of Say's Phoebes 30.Anna's Hummingbird 31.Phainopepla 32.Red-tailed Hawk sitting in tree 33.Mountain Bluebirds flying past me into trees 34.Great Blue Heron waiting by pond for breakfast 35.Gadwall swimming back and forth 36.Pied billed Grebe carrying fish in mouth 37.Common Ravens soaring above 38.Black Phoebe perched on branch wagging its tail 39.Song Sparrow 40.American Robins (6) in tree above me.Subject: Varied Thrush in West Reno From: Kathy Oakes <oakesy AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:19:15 -0700 Hello all, Sorry for the late post. We had a Varied Thrush visit our yard in west Reno off Plateau Road in the Caughlin Ranch area on Wednesday March 10 in the early afternoon. We got several good pictures of the bird. It didn't appear to be a male in full breeding plumage, but was brighter than the field book pictures of a female. The varied thrust first ate a few crabapples still hanging on one of Indian Magic Crabapple trees. The trush then went to our flowing water feature and drank and then bathed in the small stream there. I believe that there have been other Varied Thrushes sighted in Reno over the years. If anyone is interested in checking out a photo, please email me, as we don't have an account set up on flicker. Kathy OakesSubject: Spring in ELko From: Lois & Mark Ports <ports AT FRONTIERNET.NET> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:15:11 -0700 In spite of the spring snow storms we have had recently, the vultures made their appearance in Elko on Saturday, March 13th. A group of five were floating on the thermals above the "tree streets". Out in Spring Creek a friend has a small flock of Rosy finches feeding while a Meadow lark was singing. Lois PortsSubject: Black-necked stilt, American Avocet at Damonte Ranch Wetlands From: Rick/Meg Andrews <andrews2727 AT ATT.NET> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:07:42 -0700 I spent a couple of hours walking from the west end of Damonte Ranch Parkway and around the large pond. Saw my first black-necked stilt and American avocet of the year (they were feeding just a few feet part, next to a greater yellowlegs). The best part was hearing several Western Meadowlarks singing away. Location: Damonte Ranch Wetlands Observation date: 3/14/10 Number of species: 36 Canada Goose 6 Gadwall 6 Mallard 16 Cinnamon Teal 4 Northern Shoveler 14 Green-winged Teal 25 Redhead 2 Bufflehead 8 Ruddy Duck 75 California Quail 4 Great Blue Heron 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Kestrel 2 American Coot X Killdeer 8 Black-necked Stilt 1 American Avocet 1 Greater Yellowlegs 1 Ring-billed Gull 25 Rock Pigeon 2 Mourning Dove 6 Northern Flicker 2 Say's Phoebe 1 Black-billed Magpie 1 Common Raven 1 Marsh Wren 11 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 American Robin 1 European Starling X Song Sparrow 1 White-crowned Sparrow 7 Red-winged Blackbird 20 Western Meadowlark 6 Brewer's Blackbird 8 Lesser Goldfinch 2 House Sparrow X Meg AndrewsSubject: Reno bird sightings3/10/10 & 3/11/10 From: ann murphy <amurphy0607 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:56:58 -0800 Submitted on behalf of Ed Kurtz:
The following birds were at Paradise Park this week:
Wed. 3/10/10 Killdeer (3)
Thurs. 3/11/10 Great-tailed Grackles (12)
Belted Kingfisher (1)
Black-crowned Night Heron (1)
Yellow-rumped Warblers (6)
Posted for Ed Kurtz by Ann Murphy
Subject: Swans in South RenoFrom: SAMARENO <samareno AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:30:21 -0800 I forgot to post Tuesday. I saw 3 large white birds tucked up in the cold. I am pretty sure they were 3 Swans. They were on the pond at South Meadows and Wilber May in South Reno. Happy Birding! Sue Anne Marshall a.k.a. samareno "at" yahoo.comSubject: Mason Valley WMA and Carson Park/Silver Saddle Ranch-Thurs., Mar. 11th From: Rob Lowry <RLowry517 AT AOL.COM> Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:07:02 EST Hello! Early this afternoon while returning home from Yerington, I stopped briefly at the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area just north of Yerington in Lyon County. I entered the area from the south entrance, took a side road to the Bass Pond and Upper Gadwall Pond, and left the area via the north entrance. The following birds were seen during my brief visit: American Bittern-as I was heading back from the Upper Gadwall Pond past the Bass Pond, one slowly skulked across the road right in front of my vehicle into a wet area on the other side. I quietly got out of my car, but apparently not quiet enough, as the bird took flight which afforded me great looks in the mid-day sun. Marsh Wren-one next to the Bass Pond Great-Horned Owl-one sitting on a nest atop a nesting platform before the Upper Gadwall Pond area. Ferruginous Hawk-as I was leaving via the north entrance, I observed one soaring overhead. Eventually, a Red-Tailed Hawk dive-bombed it, and it eventually flew northeast out of view. Eurasian-Collared Doves-about 80 were sitting in a tree near the north entrance. Tree Swallow-about 15 Red-Tailed Hawks (3), Northern Harrier, American Kestrel (2), Western Meadowlark (3), Red-Winged Blackbirds (~60), American Coot (2), Flickers (4), and White-Crowned Sparrows (~8). When I got home in Carson City, my wife and I took a hike starting at Carson River Park following the Carson River along Silver Saddle Ranch to just upstream of the dam where the Mexican Ditch begins. Birds seen and/or heard were as follows: Great-Horned Owls-heard/saw 1 pair and later heard another pair further downstream, one of which we then saw. Wood Duck-3 males and 2 females just downstream of the dam. They later took flight in the late evening heading north. Common Goldeneye (14), Common Merganser (1 female), Gadwall (4), Belted Kingfisher, Green-Winged Teal (5), Northern Pintail (one pair), Spotted Towhee (3), Bewick's Wren, Tree Swallow (8), Mallards, Flickers, Mourning Doves, Red-Winged Blackbird, Starlings, Canada Geese, Lesser Goldfinch, Juncos, Robins, House Finches, Killdeer, Black-Billed Magpies, Red-Tailed Hawk (pair on nest), and California Quail (2). Mason Valley WMA is accessed off of Rte. 95A south of Silver Springs and north of Yerington, whereas the Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch is off of Carson River Road which runs south from East Fifth Street on the east side of Carson City. Rob Lowry Carson City, NVSubject: Common (Eurasian) Teal - Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve 3-10-2010 From: Randall Michal <rmichai637 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:58:31 -0500 Hello all, This morning I went birding at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, east of Las Vegas. It was a nice, cool morning with a light breeze. While walking around Pond 9 in hopes of finding the Common (Eurasian) Teal observed by Je Anne Branca on Sunday 3-7-10, I stopped about fifty feet short of some Canada Geese that were on the path near the southeast corner of the pond. I happened to train my binoculars through the opening looking north in the next to last channel to the east. I noticed a Green-winged Teal type of bird at the north end. A few minutes of observation showed no vertical stripe and a clearly delineated horizontal stripe consistent with the Common Teal. I worked my way around east of the pond where I located the bird in a sleeping posture against the reeds of the second hummock to the west. The bird moved around at times, giving excellent views and showing it is a Common (Eurasian) Teal. He flew short distances at times but I did relocate him three times, and each time he ended up back at the same spot. I was able to get some photographs that are good enough for ID purposes and will be sending those to the Nevada Birds Record Committee for verification. Here is the complete list of observed birds: COMMON (EURASIAN) TEAL (crecca race) Mallard Gadwall Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Ruddy Duck Cinnamon Teal Green-winged Teal (carolinensis race) Northern Shoveler Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe (Some showing breeding plumage colors) Northern Harrier Gambel's Quail Common Moorhen American Coot Virginia Rail (Heard calling in the reeds on Pond 6 just across from the bench on the north side of Pond 9) Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-heron Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Mourning Dove Costa's Hummingbird Anna's Hummingbird Say's Phoebe Black Phoebe Cassin's Kingbird Northern Rough-winged Swallow Tree Swallow Verdin Marsh Wren Crissal Thrasher Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's and Myrtle) White-crowned Sparrow Song Sparrow Great-tailed Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Rock Pigeon House Finch Randy MichalSubject: Fallon birding From: Kathy Fraker <kathy_fraker AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 17:40:32 -0500 I drove out to Indian Lakes this afternoon to look for the Western and Mountain Bluebirds that have been wintering there. I only saw 4 mountain bluebirds, but saw a flock of approx. 20 Western bluebirds. Also saw a Northern Mockingbird, many Robins, 3 Cormorants, 7 White Pelicans, 2 pairs cinnamon teals, several Canvasbacks, and a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers, as well many coots. I also checked the S-Line Reservoir Cormorant rookery(?) or colony(?), and saw 8 up the nests. Also a variety of waterfowl, some too far out to identify for sure; many Mallard pairs, Cinnamon Teals,a Common Goldeneye, and a Northern Pintail. Spring is coming!Subject: Wetlands Park (Duck Creek Area) From: Greg Scyphers <scyph AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:42:09 -0800 This morning (3-9-10), I took my dog for a walk at the Duck Creek Area of Wetlands Park. No real highlights but a few first of season birds. -Cliff Swallow (1) -Northern Rough-winged Swallow (at least 6 but probably more) -Violet-Green Swallows (2) -Tree Swallows (at least 40 in one large mixed flock) -Ross's Goose (lone bird) -Virginia Rail (2) -Snowy Egret (1) -American Avocet (4) -Hooded Merganser (lone female) -Say's Phoebe -Verdin (2) -Ring-necked Duck (at least 7) -Northern Shoveler (4) -California Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls -a lone "peep" flying around (probably a Least) -Killdeer (2) -Lesser Scaup (4) -Bufflehead (4) -Cinnamon Teal (9) -Green-winged Teal (at least 25) -Gadwall (2) -Mallards -Am. Coots (many) -Ruddy Ducks (didn't count) -Marsh Wren -Northern Flickers (2) -Double-crested Cormorant -Yellow-rumped Warbler -White-crowned Sparrow -Belted Kingfisher -Osprey A Coyote was contently sitting very conspicuously by the short fence surrounding the ponds watching the birds on the water (his form of TV?). Greg ScyphersSubject: Birds seen on a trip from Reno to Vegas From: Greg Scyphers <scyph AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:47:25 -0800 On Sunday March 7th, 2010 while traveling to Las Vegas for work I made a few quick birding stops. Fallon -White Pelicans (~40-45 seen in flight) Walker Lake -White Pelicans (73) -Bald Eagles (2 imm.) -Double-crested Cormorants (~220) -Bufflehead (~10) -Common Goldeneye (8) Silver Peak -Mountain Bluebirds (3) -Eurasian Collared-Dove (2) Ponderosa Dairy, Amargosa Valley -Ross's Goose (1 seen on bank of slop pond) -Cinnamon Teal (12) -California Gull (7) -Ring-billed Gull (~70) -Say's Phoebe -Yellow-headed Blackbird Greg ScyphersSubject: Fw: eBird Report - The Yurt (feeder watch) , 2/19/10 through 3/7/10 From: Melissa Renfro <melsyurt AT WIRELESSBEEHIVE.COM> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 20:04:40 -0800 From: "John B. Free"Subject: Western Gull, Tree Swallow, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/8/10) From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 19:37:25 -0500 Virginia Lake, Reno, Washoe Co (3/8/10) The highlight today was a subadult Western Gull, possibly the same individual as the bird of this species recorded on numerous occasions earlier in the winter at the Spark Marina (probably the only way to be sure would be to compare the tail patterns of the 2 birds, but I don’t have the photos for that). There were abnormally large numbers of gulls at VL today—big flocks—maybe as many as 600-800 additional to the 150 or so California Gulls on-territory on the island, but as far as I could tell by cursory survey all except the Western Gull were the usual Californias & Ring-bills. When I first encountered it (at around noon), the Western Gull was on the west side of the lake opposite the island where I watched & photographed it for about 15 minutes before leaving for home. During this time several people came along with bread but the Western Gull always stayed on the fringes without participating in the resultant feeding frenzies Other birds Tree Swallow, FOS for me (just the one unfortunately flying south over the water). The Double-crested Cormorant colony continues to build up, there being about 30 birds on the island today. Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/4418543332 (Western Gull) http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/4408238564/ (unusually “pink” Ring-billed Gull) I just did a quick check. Today’s Western Gull is the 141st bird species I’ve seen at VL over the years & the 13th species of gull. Fred PetersenSubject: Three unrelated messages in one post: NBRC issue, Pyramid Lake today, and note about last week's gull at Sparks Marina From: Martin Meyers <martin AT SIERRABIRDBUM.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 22:52:45 -0700 1) NBRC issue: Just a reminder that the NBRC has a policy which permits reviews of any rare subspecies, even if of a species that is common here, if that subspecies is currently considered a separate species by any of the international ornithological societies, or if it has previously been considered a full species by the American Ornitholists' Union (AOU). Specifically, the Eurasian race of Green-winged Teal, recognized in Europe as a full species and called "Common Teal", is such a subspecies, so if whoever saw the Eurasian Green-winged Teal reported at Henderson today would be kind enough to submit documentation, we would appreciate it. 2) Pyramid today: There were a few more birds around today than the last time I was out there, but it was still pretty slow. The only songbirds I encountered at the Willows were one American Robin and one Bewick's Wren. I did encounter the Serdehelys out there, which made up for the lack of birds. At Pelican Point, there was a very cooperative third-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull, providing great photo ops. Sutcliff had eight adult Herring Gulls plus one third cycle, most of them at the hatchery. Lots of California Gulls as well. A fair number of Western-type Grebes were scattered around, and I saw four Common Loons. There was one Common Goldeneye (male) at the marina. I also saw my first two American White Pelicans for the year there. The trailer park had several Eurasian Collared-doves plus House Finches, House Sparrows, and Starlings. Buffleheads were the only really common duck, seen at most stops. At the delta, there were seven Tundra Swans, two male Cinnamon Teal, plus Gadwalls, Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, a couple of Northern Pintails, one Common Goldeneye, and thirty-two American White Pelicans. The only Ring-billed Gulls were also at the delta. 3) This last section is really aimed at the people who attended the gull workshop and continued with us to Sparks Marina afterward. At the marina that day, we observed a first-cycle gull that showed some characteristics of Thayer's Gull, but had some features that didn't seem convincing for that species. (The head shape, particularly, seemed a bit flat.) We all looked at it pretty carefully, but I felt that if we couldn't see the outer primary pattern, we couldn't nail it down as a Thayer's. Eventually, the bird flew and we had a brief look at the spread wings. Most had the impression that the outer primaries were too uniformly dark for it to have been a Thayer's. Today, I received a very nice series of photos taken by Fred Welden of the bird as it flew off the floats. The first photo, with the primaries rather flat, showed a pattern very much like Thayer's, but other photos clearly showed that the impression we had when observing the bird in flight was correct, that the outer two primaries were mostly dark (where Thayer's would have shown pale inner webs and sharply contrasting dark outer webs on those feathers.) That leaves the bird essentially unidentified. It might have just been a Herring Gull with brownish primaries caused by wear and sun-bleaching, but it is also possible that it was a hybrid of some sort. Plumage-wise, it was a pretty good match for a Herring X Glaucous-winged Gull, but the overall size (not too big) and bill shape (rather straight) make me less than confident. Some first cycle large gulls can be identified. Some can't. I have to learn to live with it. (That was one of the first slides in the gull workshop.) Martin --------------- Martin Meyers email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CASubject: FW: Riverview Park Bird Trip From: Nancy Santos <nancylas AT ATT.NET> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 03:41:43 +0000 I lead a trip to Riverview Park Feb 27 and Meg was kind enough to keep the records and provide them to me in a timely manner. I on the other hand have been slow in getting them out. It was a great trip with a fun group of participants. Until next time, Nancy -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: Rick/Meg AndrewsSubject: Reno bird sightings 3/6/10 and 3/7/10 From: ann murphy <amurphy0607 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:55:35 -0800 Submitted on behalf of Ed Kurtz: Today (3/7/10) there were 2 separate groups of Goldeneyes on the Truckee River in downtown Reno near the Lear Theater: 3 Barrow's Goldeneyes (1 male, 1 female, & 1 subadult male) 4 Common Goldeneyes (2 male, 2 female) Also, yesterday (3/6/10) there was a Lesser Canada Goose at Virginia Lake. Posted for Ed Kurtz by Ann MurphySubject: Re: FW: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas From: Chris Gardner <ChrisGardner05 AT AOL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 20:12:37 EST Are there pictures of this Common Teal?Subject: Willow Creek Golf Course: Pahrump: (Nye county) From: Darlene Feener <robertfeener AT ATT.NET> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:20:20 -0500 Birded today from 8 a.m. to noon 36 species seen. Birds are listed as they were seen. 1. Mallards 2. Rock Pigeons 3. American Crows 4. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5. Yellow-rumped Warblers (lots of them) 6. Song Sparrows 7. American Wigeon's 8. Mourning Dove's 9. Great-tailed Grackle's 10.House Finch 11.Eurasian Collared-doves 12.Lesser Goldfinch 13.House Sparrows 14.Dark-eyed Junco's (Slate colored and Oregon) 15.Say's Phoebe's 16.Anna's Hummingbird 17.Gambel's Quail 18.Northern Flicker 19.Northern Shoveler's 20.Ring-necked Duck's 21.Ruddy Duck 22.American Coot's 23.Black-crowned Night-Heron 24.Red-winged Blackbird's 25.Red-shouldered Hawk 26.White-crowned Sparrow's 27.Cooper's Hawk 28.Phainopepla 29.American Kestrel 30.Pied-billed Grebe 31.Western Bluebird's 32.Mountain Bluebird 33.Crissal Thrasher 34.Prairie Falcon 35.Common Raven (2)soaring overhead then landing on the ground 36.Black PhoebeSubject: FW: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas From: Bird Preserve <Bird.Preserve AT CITYOFHENDERSON.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:04:18 -0800 STARTING MARCH 1ST THROUGH MAY 31ST OUR HOURS WILL BE 6:00 AM TO 2:00 PM ________________________________ The following birds were seen or heard this week by staff and visitors from March 1st, 2010 thru March 7th, 2010. We had Seventy-two (72) species recorded this week. Canada Goose (looking for a place to nest) Wood Duck Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Common Teal (seen on pond 9 3/7) Canvasback (2 M, 1 F pond 8) Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye (several all females) Ruddy Duck Gambel's Quail Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Least Bittern (calling) Great Egret Snowy Egret Black-crowned night Heron White-faced Ibis Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Prairie Falcon Virginia Rail (heard) Common Moorhen American Coot Killdeer American Avocet (3/5 on pond 9) Greater Yellowlegs Ring-billed Gull (90+) California Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Greater Roadrunner White-throated Swift (3/5) Anna's Hummingbird Costa's Hummingbird Black Phoebe Say's Phoebe (12+) Cassin's Kingbird Common Raven Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Verdin Bushtit Marsh Wren (every pond) Ruby-crowned Kinglet Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Crissal Thrasher Sage Thrasher (heard) American Pipit Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) Abert's Towhee Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Yellow-headed Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbirds (3/5) House Finch DON'T FORGET YOUR HAT, SUNSCREEN AND WATER!!!! Open 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, last entry is at 1:30 pm. You need about two hours to bird the Preserve. Directions from the I515 (US 93 & 95), take exit 64A, Sunset Road east. Follow the signs (blue signs with white letters), turn left (north) on Moser. For more information call 702-267-4180. Best in birding, Je Anne BrancaSubject: Ash Meadows From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 19:55:27 -0800 I was also out on Ash Meadows this morning where, like Paul, I had the first vocalizing American Bitterns of the year at Peterson Reservoir with Tree and N. Rough-winged Swallows. The refuge's first VERMILION FLYCATCHER was in a regular site in the southeastern portion of the refuge with another calling American Bittern and Black-throated Sparrows were present and singing at a nearby site. Waterfowl turnover has been pretty good this week with a couple of female Common Goldeneyes hanging around Crystal Reservoir where 88 Northern Pintails on Tuesday was a refuge high count for me. Gull turnover has also been picking up at the same site, though numbers are generally small. Birds this afternoon at the Willow Creek Golf Course in Pahrump were mostly the usuals including Red-shouldered Hawks and Chipping Sparrows. A few Snow Geese were visible from the road at the Pahrump Dairy. Carl Lundblad Ash Meadows, NVSubject: ash meadows nwr From: Paul van Els <paulvanels AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 17:20:03 -0800 Hi all,
Spent the morning at Ash Meadows, and went for a hike near Peterson Reservoir
there. Had some good species including the following:
American Bittern (possibly 2 individuals)
Canvasback
Golden Eagle (2)
Prairie Falcon (1, chasing after the Golden Eagles)
Great Horned Owl
Virginia Rail (1, alarm calls)
White-throated Swift (50+)
N Rough-winged Swallow (1)
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow (3)
Brewer's Sparrow (1)
Cheers,
Paul van Els
Subject: Reno birdsFrom: Kris Pizarro <kpizarro5485 AT CHARTER.NET> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 16:41:30 -0800 March 6, 2010 Near Wilkinson Park in east Reno - I was surprised to find a female red-breasted sapsucker visiting various trees. A male and female downy woodpecker were also in the area. Kris Ann PizarroSubject: Cormorants are back! Virginia Lake, Reno From: Jacque Lowery <nevadabird AT CHARTER.NET> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 10:07:07 -0800 Visited Virginia Lake playground with my granddaughter yesterday. Some of the cormorants have returned (15-20). Was able to observe courtship (wing waving, tail and bill in the air, offering sticks to female). Very reminiscent of Nazca Booby courtship behavior observed in the Galapagos, fun to watch. Also observed a kestrel attempt a meal in a group of starlings (unsuccessful); first time I've seen starlings get agitated about anything. A mountain chickadee made a brief appearance singing and chattering. Too chilly and windy to spend time attempting gull ID or to pay much attention to other species on the lake. Jacque LowerySubject: Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch-Friday, Mar. 5th From: Rob Lowry <RLowry517 AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 02:43:24 EST Hello! Earlier this evening, my wife and I hiked along the Carson River from Carson River Park, along Silver Saddle Ranch, to upstream of the dam where the Mexican Ditch begins. The parking area for the Carson River Park is accessed from Carson River Road which runs south off of East Fifth Street in the eastern part of Carson City. The following birds were observed and/or heard: Wood Duck-1 male just upstream of the dam Common Goldeneye-about a dozen further upstream of there dam Great-Horned Owl-1 roosting in a tree next to the trail just downstream of the dam Common Merganser-1 female just upstream of the dam Pinyon Jay-I heard a commotion overhead and looked up to see a noisy flock of about 100 flying just over the Prison Hill area, dropping down towards the river closer to us, and continue flying to the north The more usual cast of characters including a Red-Tailed Hawk, Mallards, Canada Geese, Killdeer, Starlings, Flickers, Juncos, Robins, a Hairy Woodpecker, Mourning Doves, Gadwall, a Spotted Towhee, Bewick's Wren, California Quail, Black-Billed Magpies, House Finches, and last but not least, a Yellow-Rumped Warbler. Also, earlier today, I saw my first-of-year Turkey Vulture in the ranch west of Rte. 395 and south of Johnson Lane, south of Carson City. It soared overhead for a while, landed on the ground, spread it's wings, and proceeded to skirmish with two Ravens. Rob Lowry Carson CitySubject: N. Reno Swans From: Jamie Trammell <trammell AT UNR.NEVADA.EDU> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:08:12 -0500 On my way in today I noticed 6-7 swans in Silver Lake (which actually has water in it...for now). They were on the north side of the lake, though visible from Moya with a scope. There were also a surprising number of misc. ducks present, and plenty of Red- winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows calling for spring. Jamie Trammell Reno, NVSubject: Merlin, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/4/10) From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:33:56 -0500 Merlin, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/4/10) Virginia Lake, Reno, Washoe Co (3/4/10) A Merlin put in a brief appearance at the lake this morning, flying out from the little play park on the west side to the gull loafing area south of the island & putting up the whole flock. But it didn’t catch anything & after dashing about among the panic-stricken gulls & pigeons for a few seconds it headed back towards the play park. It must be wintering in the neighborhood since this is the third month in a row that I’ve seen a Merlin at this spot. There were no less than 8 “pink” RB Gulls this morning (I only counted 2 yesterday) but nothing else new except a pair of American Wigeons. Fred PetersenSubject: Golden eagle From: Bob Gotschall <gotschall_robert AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 21:03:44 -0500 Finally got a good look. I definataly have a Golden Eagle living in the hills in back of Indian Springs. This is about the fifth time I've seen it this year out here but always in bad light. This time itwas at sunset when I saw it go to ground Bob GotschallSubject: Great Horned Owl calling in SW Reno From: Diane McAllister <diane AT IMPRINTSOFNATURE.COM> Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 01:51:57 -0500 A Great Horned Owl is also calling presently from my rooftop here in SW Reno. Could someone perhaps give the Washoe Valley owl directions to my house? I live in SW Reno in the Caughlin Ranch area. Happy Birding, Diane McAllisterSubject: Washoe Valley, NV - Great Horned Owl From: "M. A. Anderson" <fleetsurgeon AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 22:28:05 -0800 A Great Horned Owl is calling from the roof of my house at this very moment... Location is off of Eastlake Blvd less than 1 mile north of alfalfa fields. Respectfully submitted, M. A. Anderson EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join meSubject: Pink Gulls, Virginia Lake; Reno (3/3/10) From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:54:15 -0500 Virginia Lake, Reno, Washoe Co (3/3/10) The highlights at VL this morning were the first “pink” Ring-billed Gulls of the season, a sure sign of spring & right on-schedule (the earliest dates I’ve seen them in previous years were Feb 28, Feb 29 & Mar 1). There were just 2 today among about 150 “normal” Ring-bills. Both of the 2 common gull species—Ring-bills & Californias—have brightened up a lot in the last week or two & are beginning to look very natty. There were no signs of the Lesser Black-backed & Glaucous-winged Gulls today. Other birds Chinese Swan/Canada Goose hybrid—1 (continues) Lesser Scaup—1 male (continues) Redhead—1 male Common Merganser—10 http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/405323024/in/set-72157602214643626/ (“pink” Ring-bill) Fred PetersenSubject: FWD: Red-necked Grebe at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve 2/23 From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:36:02 -0800 NV Birders, I just received a photo from visiting New Mexicans of a Red-necked Grebe taken at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve on 2/23. Perhaps the same one from the fall? Carl Lundblad Amargosa Valley, NVSubject: 2nd Annual Wings & Wildlife Festival Of Southern Nevada From: SNBWTP <info AT SNBWTP.ORG> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:43:23 -0800 You Are Invited To The *2nd Annual Wings & Wildlife Festival Of Southern Nevada* in Laughlin, Nevada, *March 11-15, 2010* Visit http://www.WingsandWildlifeFestival.org for more information, festival catalog, and to register Activties 31 Field Trips 14 Seminars 5 Nature Walks Special Kids Fest scheduled for Saturday March 13th with FREE activities for Kids & Families! Discount room rates for festival attendees Friday, March 12 - 5:00pm - 7:30pm Join us in the Riverside Starview Room for socializing with your fellow festival goers. Wine and savory hors d'oeuvres in addition to a selection of wines and other non-alcoholic beverages will be available. View nature-based artwork of local artists and Sharon K. Schafer. Registration and informational booths will remain open during the event. 5:00pm - 6:00pm Ted Floyd will sign copies of his new book "*Let's Go Birding!*" 6:30pm - 7:30pm Our Featured Artist, *Sharon K. Schafer,* renown Boulder City artist and naturalist. Skydance Studio's Sharon K. Schafer, will provide a truly magical experience through a multimedia program "Land of Little Rain - Images from the Mojave Desert". Discover the hidden beauty and grace of southern Nevada's less traveled wilderness areas through Schafer's paintings, sketches, and photographs. Saturday, March 13 - 6:00pm - 8:30pm A generous buffet banquet will precede the festival's featured speaker, *Ted Floyd*. Mr. Floyd's banquet presentation will introduce us to the amazing world of birding at night. Ted's talk will show us how to find birds at night. "Birding at Night: The Final Frontier" will open your mind to an entirely new conception of birding. Banquet feast will include entrees of beef, chicken and fish, along with salads, vegetables, and assorted cakes and pies. 7:00pm - 7:15pm A short presentation introducing the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership. 7:15pm - 8:30pm Ted Floyd, author, editor of Birding magazine, and keynote speaker. Interactive Displays Provided by: Bureau of Reclamation Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Kern Valley/Birding Nevada Las Vegas Wash Laughlin North Reach Project Nevada Commission on Tourism Nevada Department of Wildlife Red Rock Audubon Society Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) Southern Nevada Water Authority Ted Cassidy, Taxidermist U.S.D.A. Nevada's NRCS U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Field Trip: Bat Mistnetting at Granite Springs Field Trip: Bill Williams NWR Field Trip: Bill Williams River Delta by Kayak Field Trip: Black Canyon by Kayak Field Trip: Black Canyon by Motorized Raft Field Trip: Colorado River by Kayak Field Trip: Colorado River Tour by Water Taxi Field Trip: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Field Trip: Hualapai Mountain Park Field Trip: Laughlin Lagoon by Kayak Field Trip: Topock Gorge by Kayak Field Trip: Topock Gorge w/Captain Doyle Field Trip: Topock Marsh by Kayak Field Trip: Topock Marsh by Van/Bus Field Trip: Wee Thump Joshua Tree Forest Field Trip: Willow Beach Hatchery & Birding Nature Walk: Big Bend State Recreation Area Nature Walk: Colorado River Nature Center Nature Walk: Laughlin River Walk Nature Walk: Old Sportsman Park & North Reach Nature Walk: Petroglyphs at Grapevine Canyon Seminar: Bat Monitoring Seminar: Beginning Bird ID Seminar: Bighorn Sheep Seminar: Binoculars Seminar: Burrowing Owls Seminar: Colorado River Birds Seminar: Dragonflies and Damselflies Seminar: Falconry Seminar: Hummingbird Tidbits Seminar: Mojave Desert Reptiles Seminar: Nevada Important Bird Areas Seminar: Petroglyphs Wings & Wildlife on the Rocks Seminar: Water & Wildlife Seminar: Wildlife and Plants -- Thank you, Southern Nevada Birding & Wildlife Trails Partnership www.SNBWTP.orgSubject: Sandhill Cranes in Pahranagat Valley From: "philohela AT juno.com" <philohela@JUNO.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:54:38 GMT A friend and I were birding Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge (located in Lincoln County) this morning. We walked around one of the ponds (Middle Pond? Not sure, there was so much water). Around 9:30 - 10:00 am, about 100 Sandhill Cranes flew north, not very high in the sky. I spoke to refuge staff a little later, and they told me cranes were on the ground in a pasture north of the refuge. Here is a complete list of sightings: Canada Goose American Wigeon Mallard Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle (at least 2 immatures) Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk American Kestrel American Coot Sandhill Crane Killdeer Ladder-backed Woodpecker Northern Flicker Say's Phoebe Common Raven Bushtit Bewick's Wren Marsh Wren Mountain Bluebird (a single male) European Starling American Pipit Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Jeanne Tinsman Las Vegas, NV ____________________________________________________________ Banking Click here to find the perfect banking opportunity! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/c?cp=S4-lcEajdsI7nFWDbpEUDAAAJz2YrTDb_4URtPNw0eACpW1-AAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXeAAAAAA=Subject: Prairie Falcon From: Cynthia Goddard <cynthiagoddard AT MAC.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 08:49:32 -0800 I'm sorry about the lateness of this posting. On Feb. 22d Mike
and I were driving through Fallon on Highway 50 when we spotted a
Prairie Falcon hazing Rock Pigeons right above the Speedway gas
station in the middle of town. There's lots of prey on the roof of
nearby Domino's Pizza!
Cindy Goddard
Fallon NV
Subject: recent Reno bird sightingsFrom: ann murphy <amurphy0607 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 04:59:33 -0800 Submitted on behalf of Ed Kurtz: On Tuesday 2/23/10 there was a White-fronted Goose at Manzanita Pond at UNR. On Saturday 2/27/10 there was a Say's Phoebe in Wingfield Park along the river in mid-afternoon. Posted for Ed Kurtz by Ann MurphySubject: Intergrade Flickers (again), NW Reno (February 28th, 2010) From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:59:20 -0500 NW Reno, Washoe Co (2/28/10) Much to my surprise a 3rd intergrade flicker turned up at my feeders today, making 3 altogether for the week. The new bird (a male with a red moustache), unlike the 2 reported on earlier (2/23), lacked a red nape patch and had bright yellow wing & tail linings. Here's the complete tally so far: 1. Male (black moustache) with well-developed red nape patch, orange wing/tail linings with (possibly) hint of yellow 2. Female with well-developed red nape patch, orange wing/tail linings 3. Male (red moustache) no nape patch, yellow wing/tail linings During this same period there’ve been at least 2 “normal” Red-shafted Flickers at the feeders, a male & a female. So, it’s looks like there’s been a minimum of 5 flickers at my feeders the last 5 days, something I never would have guessed had I not been able to ID the intergrades individually. And why so many intergrades all of a sudden, I wonder? In the past I’ve never seen more than one at a time in Reno. Brood mates? Part of a wandering flock from someplace where intergrades are more common? Or?? Fred PetersenSubject: Fw: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas From: Je Anne <gann2 AT COX.NET> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:57:45 -0800 STARTING MARCH 1ST THROUGH MAY 31ST OUR HOURS WILL BE FROM 6:00 AM TO 2:00 PM, LAST ENTRY IS AT 1:30 PM. The following birds were seen or heard this week by staff and visitors from February 22th, 2010 thru February 28th, 2010. We had Seventy (70) species recorded this week. Snow Goose Canada Goose Wood Duck Gadwall American Widgeon Mallard Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye (5 females on pond 8) Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Gambel's Quail Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Black-crowned night Heron Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Prairie Falcon Virginia Rail Common Moorhen American Coot Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Least sandpiper (heard) Long-billed Dowitcher Ring-billed Gull California Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Greater Roadrunner Anna's Hummingbird Costa's Hummingbird Black Phoebe Say's Phoebe Cassin's Kingbird Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Verdin Bushtit Cactus Wren Bewick's Wren Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Crissal Thrasher Sage Thrasher American Pipit Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's & Myrtle) Common Yellowthroat (male) Abert's Towhee Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle House Finch DON'T FORGET YOUR HAT, SUNSCREEN AND WATER!!!! Open 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, last entry is at 1:30 pm. You need about two hours to bird the Preserve. Directions from the I515 (US 93 & 95), take exit 64A, Sunset Road east. Follow the signs (blue signs with white letters), turn left (north) on Moser. For more information call 702-267-4180. Best in birding, Je Anne BrancaSubject: Oasis Valley-signs of spring From: Laura Cunningham <bluerockiguana AT HUGHES.NET> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:00:43 -0500 Oasis Valley, Nye County, north of Beatty. Mostly clear, cold north wind. Flock of about 40 teal, mostly Green-winged teal, rest Cinnamon teal, flying up Amargosa River Valley in morning. Later I found the same flock, I think, at dusk in the river shallows and pools (the river has been flowing lately). The males of both species were in bright breeding plumage. Green-wings whistling. Mallard-10 in shallow marshes. Mixed flock of Red-winged blackbird and Brewer's blackbird Gambel's quail Bewick's wren-first in months Black phoebe-first in a while Say's phoebe House finch American goldfinch White-crowned sparrow Song sparrow Dark-eyed (Oregon) junco Northern (Red-shafted) flicker Horned lark Eu. starling Killdeer Eurasian collared dove Common ravenSubject: Willow Creek Golf Course: Pahrump: Nye County From: Darlene Feener <robertfeener AT ATT.NET> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:51:04 -0500 Birding from 6:50 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunshine and cold. 41 degrees at start time. A great day to unwind and become one with the birds. As I stepped out of my car, I could hear the blackbirds and house finches. Lots of bird activity moving around.The Willow trees were glistening from the early morning rain and they were filled with Great-tailed Grackles all making beautiful sounds. 40 species seen today. Birds are listed in the order they were seen. 1. Great-tailed Grackles 2. House Finches 3. House Sparrows 4. Red-winged Blackbirds 5. Dark-eyed Juncos (Oregon and Slate-colored) 6. Say's Phoebes 7. Yellow-rumped Warblers 8. Common Raven 9. Eurasian-Collared-Doves 10. American Crows 11. Western Bluebirds 12. American Wigeons 13. Mallards 14. White-throated Swifts 15. White-crowned Sparrows 16. Verdins 17. Red-shouldered Hawks (on a different part of the golf course) 18. Gambel's Quail 19. Crissal Thrashers 20. Anna's Hummingbird 21. American Coots 22. Canada Goose 23. Ruddy Duck 24. Cinnamon Teal (male) 25. Pied-billed-Grebe 26. Brewer's Blackbirds in the marsh grass 27. Brown-headed Cowbird 28. Chipping Sparrow 29. Northern Flicker 30. Northern Shovelers 31. Green-winged Teals 32. Canvasback (female) 33. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 34. Ring-necked Ducks (females) 35. Black-crowned Night-Heron 36. Cooper's Hawk 37. Mourning Doves 38. Phainopepla 39. Rock Doves 40. Red-tailed HawkSubject: Tunda swans at Damonte Ranch Wetlands (Reno) From: Rick/Meg Andrews <andrews2727 AT ATT.NET> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:34:41 -0800 On my way back to Reno after spending a very pleasant morning in Carson City, I decided to check out Damonte Wetlands. Although it was raining lightly, it was pretty nice. I was suprised to see 2 Tundra Swans on the large pond (about 1/2 mile east of the end of Damonte Ranch Parkway). If you go, watch your step--the mustangs have been out there in force! Here is the complete list: Location: Damonte Ranch Wetlands Observation date: 2/27/10 Number of species: 21 Canada Goose 230 Tundra Swan 2 Gadwall 2 Mallard 8 Cinnamon Teal 13 Northern Shoveler 16 Green-winged Teal 15 Lesser Scaup 2 Bufflehead 8 Ruddy Duck 11 Pied-billed Grebe 1 American Kestrel 2 American Coot 6 Ring-billed Gull 21 Mourning Dove 2 Northern Flicker 2 Say's Phoebe 2 American Robin 1 Song Sparrow 1 Red-winged Blackbird 31 Western Meadowlark 1 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)Subject: Western Gull (continues), Sparks Marina (2/26/10) From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:15:42 -0500 Sparks Marina, Sparks, Washoe Co (2/26/10) Here’s what we found during a walk around the marina today (15 species) Canada goose—40 Gadwall—?8-10 Mallard—few Ruddy Duck—c.20 Pied-billed Grebe—6-8 Black-crowned Night Heron—3 American Coot—?100 Killdeer—1 Ring-billed Gull California Gull Western Gull—1 subadult (continues) Rock Dove American Crow—5-6 European Starling Brewer’s Blackbird Gulls. When we arrived (10:45am) there were 600+ gulls at the marina—Californias predominating as always with a few Ring-bills--mostly in & around the cove: in the water or roosting on the beaches & pontoons. There was a brisk wind & lots of coming & going with whole flocks suddenly taking off, swirling around for a while & then resettling back where they started or somewhere else. Eventually, by the time we got back to that side of the lake at 12:45, the cove was deserted & what gulls remained were in a big raft far out in the lake. We didn’t see any Herring Gulls today but because of the wind I didn’t set up the scope & they would have been easy to overlook. The Western Gull was in a large bunch on the sandy beach south of the cove & we only saw it for a minute or 2 before the flock took off & we lost sight of it. Fred PetersenSubject: Gull workshop (Reno) reminder, plus slight time change. From: Martin Meyers <martin AT SIERRABIRDBUM.COM> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:40:04 -0700 I've received notes from 25 of you saying you're likely to be attending the gull workshop this Sunday, 2/28/10. We've got room for quite a few more, so if you haven't responded but would still like to attend, by all means come on over. The room will be available to begin setup at 12:30, so I expect we will be able to get started a bit before 1:00. Depending on questions and discussion, I'm guessing the whole thing will take about two hours. Those who want to try out some of the ideas in the real world might want to head over to nearby Virginia Lake after the workshop, where we might get to see a few of the gulls described in the clinic. BRING BINOCULARS! Some of the details will be difficult to see on the screen without them. LOCATION: Moana Nursery (Moana and Lakeside). There is a separate building west of the nursery which we will be using. The room will be on your left when you enter that building. TIME: Approximately 12:45 to about 3:00. While you may want to take some notes, the entire Powerpoint presentation will be available to anyone attending (in the form of an Adobe PDF file.) Martin --------------- Martin Meyers email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CASubject: Washoe Valley - Mountain Bluebirds From: Steve Ting <sctingdvm AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:09:18 -0800 Northern Nevada - Washoe Valley Hello all, To add an addendum to yesterdays report. I saw a small group (3) of Mountain Bluebirds near the top of the trail up Dead Mans Hike on the South end of the lake today. Don't get to see that species very often in Washoe Valley. There was also a pair of Say's Phoebe's on the hike today as well. As a side note: The Eurasian Collared dove population has continued to increase in the Valley. They can be seen fairly regularly on the West side and I've had as many as six come in to my feeders. I added a photo of one of the Bluebird from today to the Recent Washoe Valley Gallery on my site - http://stingphotography.com/phlogs/2010/february/washoevalleyfeb2010.htmlNot the greatest shot... those dang birds never stop moving! Regards, Steve Ting http://stingphotography.com Location: South End of Washoe Lake Observation date: 2/25/10 Number of species: 27 Canada Goose - Branta canadensis X California Quail - Callipepla californica X Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 2 Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 2 Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis X American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 2 Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 1 Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 6 Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto 1 Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 2 Say's Phoebe - Sayornis saya 2 Western Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma californica 2 Black-billed Magpie - Pica hudsonia 4 American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 1 Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris X Mountain Bluebird - Sialia currucoides 3 American Robin - Turdus migratorius 2 Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 1 European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris X Spotted Towhee - Pipilo maculatus 1 White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys X Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis X Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus X Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta X Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus X House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus X House Sparrow - Passer domesticus X This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)Subject: Late Report for Pahranagat Valley From: Greg Scyphers <scyph AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:05:24 -0800 On February 7th 2010, I birded Pahranagat Valley on my way back to Reno from Las Vegas. I know this is very late, but there are a few people who follow sightings from Pahranagat Valley. Pahranagat NWR (Lower Marsh) -American Wigeon (~15) -Canvasback -No. Pintail (~15) Pahranagat NWR (Middle Marsh) -No. Pintail (~40) -Mountain Bluebirds (~30) -Am. Pipits -Bald Eagles (2 immatures) -Horned Larks (~10) -Sandhill Crane (1) -WHITE-TAILED KITES (2) Pahranagat NWR (Upper Lake) -Tundra Swans (2) -good numbers of Canvasback, Ring-neck Ducks, Green-wing Teals, No. Pintails & Redheads Alamo -Peregrine Falcon (perched in some cottonwoods) -Ladder-backed Woodpecker -No. Mockingbird North of Alamo -Bald Eagle (adult) Ash Springs -Great-horned Owl North of Ash Springs -Ferruginous Hawk Crystal Springs -MERLIN (female Prairie race) - dining on a Horned Lark -Great Blue Heron Nesbitt Lake, Key Pitman WMA -Tundra Swans (~215) -Canvasback (100's to 1000's, in other words, lots) -Common Merganser -Marsh Wren -Lesser Scaup Frenchy Lake, Key Pitman WMA -Tundra Swans (~65) Millers Rest Stop, Tonopah -Mountain Bluebirds (~8) Greg ScyphersSubject: Sage Thrasher From: Marie Stewart <littlebitrv AT HUGHES.NET> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:03:06 -0500 I was at Corn Creek today and didn't find the Le Conte's Thrasher. Was surprised to see one at this time of year since my book says Summer for it. I also had Mountain Blue birds at the Bone Yard and on the road out. I have pictures if anyone is interested of both. If someone could let me know if this is normal or not I would really appreciate it. Also where was the Le Conte's Thrasher seen at Corn Creek Marie Stewart TexasSubject: Rancho San Rafael, Reno (2/25/10) From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:24:02 -0500 Rancho San Rafael, Reno, Washoe Co (2/25/10) We birded RSR today for the first time in a while, slogging our way along the length of Evans Creek from the ranch buildings up to the Great Horned Owl nest N of McCarran. It was very muddy going with parts of the path washed out, though still passable. We were hoping to find a sitting Great Horned Owl, or at least to locate the roosting pair, but had no luck on either score. We haven’t seen Great Horned Owls in the area since late November (when there were 2 roosting near the nest), so it’s possible there won’t be a breeding attempt this year though it’s still comparatively early days yet. Other birds Killdeer—3 (noisy flock in the wetlands restoration area) Golden-crowned Sparrow—flock of 5-6 (Evans Creek, N of McCarran) The 2 Red-eared Sliders at Peavine Pond were up & about again today, but didn’t see any turtles at Herman’s Pond. One of the intergrade flickers—the male—continues to frequent my feeders in NW Reno, along with a “normal” pair of Red-shafteds, but I haven’t had any further sightings of the female intergrade. Here’s a photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/4386068358/ (male intergrade flicker) Fred PetersenSubject: Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch and Riverview Park-Carson City From: Rob Lowry <RLowry517 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:14:06 EST Hello! I finally have a chance and sit down to post some of the various birds that I've seen and/or heard at the two referenced locations over the past couple of weeks during my after-work hikes near my new home (just recently got my computer hooked up again). While nothing listed is going to cause one to drop what they are doing and run out the door, I thought I'd post primarily for documentation purposes. Sora-heard 1 last night (2/23) just across the Carson River at Riverview Park; I heard it call twice briefly and shortly thereafter it responded to a recording that I played to verify it Yellow-Headed Blackbird-the male that I reported at Riverview Park on 2/8 has been seen on several occasions since then (including this evening) at the same reported location, in with a large flock of Red-Winged Blackbirds Barrow's Goldeneye-a pair was observed in a flock of Common Goldeneye's upstream of the dam where the Mexican Ditch begins at Silver Saddle Ranch on 2/16 and a female was observed in the same general area on 2/22 Cinnamon Teal-a beautiful male was observed in the same area as the Barrow's on 2/17 Great-Horned Owl-at least one or both of a pair has been seen and/heard on several occasions the past 2-3 weeks in the area of the dam on the Carson River, about 1.75 miles upstream of Carson River Park Mountain Bluebird-a flock of 11 was observed feeding in the pasture at the beginning of the Silver Saddle Ranch trail on 2/17 Say's Phoebe-1 was observed in the same area as the Mountain Bluebirds on 2/18 Belted Kingfisher-one has been seen and/or heard on numerous occasions this past winter along the Carson River between Carson River Park upstream to the dam A Small Bat-although a mammal, one was observed fluttering around just downstream of the dam on 2/17 Both referenced locations are in the eastern part of Carson City with Riverview Park located at the end of E. Fifth Street at the Korean War Memorial, and Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch located off of Carson River Road, south of Riverview Park. Rob Lowry Carson City, NVSubject: Washoe Valley - Recent bird highlights From: Steve Ting <sctingdvm AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:20:51 -0800 Northern Nevada - Washoe Valley A few hints of spring over the last couple weeks. Today I heard my first Killdeer of the season. Red-winged Blackbirds, Western Meadowlarks are starting to sing more and more. Red-tailed hawks have paired up. A pair of American Kestrel's are eying my nest box and have visited it several times. The Black-billed Magpies have moved into their nesting area near the Dead Man's trail head. There have been several Northern Harriers hunting over the Washoe Housing area, keeping the pigeons on their toes. The young Accipiters have been around more this winter as well. The water levels in the lake are still down. The water levels in the wetlands mitigation area may go down quick again this year. While it seems that we have gotten a lot of snow, water levels are not really showing it. I put a few photo highlights from the last several weeks in a gallery for those interested - http://stingphotography.com/phlogs/2010/february/washoevalleyfeb2010.html Regards, Steve Ting http://stingphotography.com Birds seen the last couple days Location: My Backyard - Washoe Valley Observation date: 2/24/10 Number of species: 25 California Quail - Callipepla californica X Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus 1 Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 1 Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 2 American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 2 Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 1 Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 6 Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto 4 Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1 Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 2 Western Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma californica 6 Black-billed Magpie - Pica hudsonia 5 American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 1 American Robin - Turdus migratorius 5 European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 50 Spotted Towhee - Pipilo maculatus 1 White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 25 Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis 2 Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus X Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta 9 Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus X House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus X Lesser Goldfinch - Carduelis psaltria X House Sparrow - Passer domesticus X This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)Subject: Lake mead -33 Hole Overlook 2-24-2010 From: Randall Michal <rmichai637 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:38:24 -0500 Hello all, I went to the 33 Hole Overlook area of Lake Mead today and hiked from the parking area down to the water. This area usually seems to have a good species count. The lake has risen more, a Ranger I spoke to said it has gone up 9 feet in the last month or so. Hopefully it will not lose too much over the summer. Today the highlights were easily two bald Eagles, one adult, one juvenile. At one point the adult chased the juvenile off of a rock on the far shore. The juvenile then flew across the lake and above me about 100 feet, a nice treat. Here is the complete list of observed birds: Bald Eagle (1 adult, 1 juvenile) Northern Harrier (1 adult male, 1 juvenile) Common Raven (2) Pied-billed Grebe (1) Western Grebe (Many) Clark's Grebe (Many) Double-crested Cormorant (Many) Ring-billed Gull (Many) California Gull (Many) Herring Gull (A few adults, several juveniles) Rock Wren (Several) Song Sparrow (Many) House Finch (Many) American Pipit (Many) Great Blue Heron (6) Gadwall (10) Mallard (8) American Coot (hundreds at least) Say's Phoebe (1) Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's - Several) Verdin (1) Sparrow Sp. - I have not yet Identified this bird. It is Sparrow-like but with a very large orange bill. Markings are somewhat like a Song Sparrow on the back and side, front is heavily streak black halfway down. No chest spot as on Song Sparrow. I will be examining pictures more closely later. Randy MichalSubject: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve 2-23-10 From: Randall Michal <rmichai637 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:27:35 -0500 Hello all, I spent a few hours Tuesday morning at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, east of Las Vegas. The most notable bird observed was a single female Common Merganser that flew in to Pond 9, stayed about 5 minutes and flew off. Here is the complete list of observed birds: Eared Grebe (Numbers seem to be increasing) Pied-billed Grebe (Numbers decereasing) Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night-heron Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard (Mating behavior observed) Gadwall Northern Shoveler Cinnamon Teal Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Common Goldeneye (3 females) Bufflehead Common Merganser (1 female) Ruddy Duck (Many males in fresh breeding plumage) Red-tailed Hawk (1 adult) Northern Harrier (2 females, 1 male, 1 juvenile) Gambel's Quail Common Moorhen American Coot Killdeer Ring-billed Gull California Gull Mourning Dove Anna's Hummingbird Say's Phoebe Black Phoebe Cassin's Kingbird Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Violet-green Swallow Verdin Bushtit Bewick's Wren (Several foraging in the trees and on the ground at the NW corner of pond 3) Marsh Wren (Some up and singing) Rudy-crowned Kinglet Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Crissal Thrasher Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) Abert's Towhee Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle House Finch Randy MichalSubject: North Reno From: Bob Goodman <Pandion36 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:20:06 EST North Reno Wednesday, February 24, 2010 A quick trip by some of the wetlands in north Reno produced the following: Swan Lake NSA has the many hundreds of ducks out across the now flooded playa, and 15 - 20 Tundra Swans hanging along the south shore. Silver Lake was very quiet even though there is ample water for birds, with only a few Canada Geese along the east shore, and a Great-tailed Grackle and Magpie in the trees. The "L" pond right alongside Red Rock Road had my first of season lone Pied-billed Grebe and a lone Coot. A beautiful day to be out. Cheers, Bob GoodmanSubject: CArson Valley From: Lisa Lister <lister39 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:09:02 -0800 I decided to see if I could find the Indian Hills wetlands today but could not
get close enough to see anything without a scope. In my wanderings I chanced
upon some golf course ponds off S Sunridge Rd and found the following:
Canada Geese - 7
Common Merganser - 19
Redhead - 5
Bufflehead - 3
Common Goldeneye - 8
Lesser Scaup - 6
and one Black-billed Magpie.
Lisa Lister
Gardnerville, NV
Subject: Hybrid Flickers, NW Reno (February 23rd, 2010)From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:36:47 -0500 NW Reno, Washoe Co (2/23/10) I had 2 intergrade flickers—yellow-shafted x red-shafted—at my feeders this afternoon, a male & a female. They were initially together with, at one stage, both clinging more or less amicably to the same suet cage though after a minute or so the female flew off & never returned. Both birds had thick red nape crescents (big bold “Vs”), a yellow-shafted characteristic, combined with bright orange underwings & -tails (red-shafted features) with the underwing of the male (but not the undertail) possibly with a slight admixture of yellow (but hard to be sure about this). The male also had a conspicuous thick black moustache (another yellow-shafted characteristic). In my experience it’s not uncommon for the local “red-shafted” flickers to have a touch of red—often only discernable at very close range—on the nape, though today’s big bold “Vs” are quite unusual as is the male’s black moustache, and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen 2 such strongly marked birds together before. At one point, after the female had left, a Cooper’s Hawk flew into the back of the yard, freezing the male on the suet cage as if he were nailed there. Unfortunately, before I thought to get my camera for a photo the Cooper’s had left & the flicker had flown off Here’s a photo taken several years ago of a “red-shafted” flicker with the barest hint of red in the nape (as already stated it’s not unusual for the local birds to have a touch of red in the nape, generally a little more than in the photo but often not a whole lot more) http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/405277945/in/set-72157602214826948/ (flicker) Virginia Lake, Reno, Washoe Co (2/23/10) I walked around VL in the late afternoon (3:15-4:00). There weren’t many gulls, maybe 200 all told including the breeding colony on the island (which was thinly covered with snow & had fewer gulls than usual). The only “exotic” was the (continuing) Lesser Black-backed Gull which at 3:20 (I lost track of it later) was with a few other gulls in the water near the island. Other birds Double-crested Cormorant—7 all on-territory on the island) Black-crowned Night Heron—2 Fred PetersenSubject: Blackbirds in south suburban Reno From: Jacque Lowery <nevadabird AT CHARTER.NET> Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:55:04 -0800 During the snowstorm on Sunday, a mixed flock (about 30 birds) of Brewers and Red-Wings settled into a tree for 2 or 3 hours. The red-wings were singing. Checking them closely with binocs and zoom lens camera I think most of the red-wings were immature males (not a lot of color). Is this normal for blackbirds to be in mixed flocks? The snow really brought the birds out! There were over 90 finches (Lesser and American) in the trees near the feeders, all singing and chatting. My resident Hermit Thrush was scrabbling for dried Virginia creeper berries. At least five yellow-rumped warblers were on the ground in the snow hopping about. I couldn't tell if they were eating the snow, bathing in the snow (as there was a lot of wing movement), or actually finding something to eat there. You can check some photos on the link below. Jacque Lowery www.flickr.com/photos/34537156 AT N06/sets/72157623369705697/Subject: Sage Sparrow in Lemmon Valley, Reno From: Tom Dozet <tdozet AT CHARTER.NET> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:57:13 -0500 There is a Sage Sparrow at my feeder ... this is extremely early, isn't it? I am about 1/2 mile east of the Swan Lake Nature Area in Lemmon Valley, a few miles northwest of Reno. I took some horrible pics, but I think they are good enough to ID the bird. Please e-mail me if you would like to see them.Subject: Jim Eidel has shared an eBird checklist with you from Carson Valley on Feb 21, 2010 - 8:00 AM From: Jim Eidel <grja9 AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:13:18 -0500 To accept this checklist into your eBird account, click on the link below: http://ebird.org/ebird/shared?subID=UzYwMjYwNjM.&s=t Learn more about eBird's checklist sharing process at http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/new-feature-ebird-checklist-sharing --------- Last trip of 2010 Eagles and Ag in Carson Valley. Had a Prairie Falcon in the same area yesterday. Jim EidelSubject: Willow Creek Golf Course: Pahrump: Nye County From: Darlene Feener <robertfeener AT ATT.NET> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:47:47 -0500 38 species of birds seen on 2/21/10 Time birding: 6:54a.m. to 11a.m. First two hours were breezy and overcast.Last two hours sunshine. Birds are listed in the order they were seen. 1. Western Bluebirds 2. Mountain Bluebirds 3. House Finches (lots of them) 4. White-breasted Nuthatch 5. Yellow-rumped Warbler's 6. Ferruginous Hawk 7. Mallard's 8. American Wigeon's 9. Ring-necked Duck's 10. American Coot's 11. Mourning Dove's 12. Great-tailed Grackle's 13. Rock Dove's 14. Tree Swallow 15. Eurasian Collared-Doves 16. Lesser Goldfinch 17. American Crow's 18. House Sparrow's 19. Anna's Hummingbird 20. Cooper's Hawk 21. Gambel's Quail 22. White-crowned Sparrow's 23. Great Blue Heron 24. Pied-billed Grebe 25. Ruddy Duck's 26. Red-winged Blackbird's 27. Song Sparrow 28. Say's Phoebe 29. Common Raven's 30. Phainopepla's 31. Northern Mockingbird 32. Red-shouldered Hawk 33. Northern Shoveler's 34. Green-winged Teal's 35. Canvasback's 36. American Robin 37. Red-tailed Hawk 38. Dark-eyed Junco's (Slate colored)Subject: White-tailed Kites at Pahranagat NWR From: Don Harriman <donh AT NETFEED.COM> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:04:14 -0500 On the morning of Feb 18, 2010 a pair of White-tailed Kites were observed in the southern end of the trees on the western shore of the North Marsh at Pahranagat NWR. One bird engaged in fluttering hover flight with legs extended (male display?) while the other was perched exhibiting tail-flipping behavior. Both kites were also observed perched together in the top of a tree that looked like it might contain a nest. Species observed: Canada Goose Mallard Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron White-tailed Kite Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk American Coot Northern Flicker Common Raven Marsh Wren Yellow-rumped Warbler Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Don Harriman South Lake Tahoe, CA donh AT netfeed.comSubject: FW: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Located Near Las Vegas From: Bird Preserve <Bird.Preserve AT CITYOFHENDERSON.COM> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:39:52 -0800 STARTING DECEMBER 1ST THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH THE HOURS WILL BE FROM 7:00 AM TO 2:00 PM. STARING MARCH 1ST THROUGH MAY 31ST OUR HOURS WILL BE 6:00 AM TO 2:00 PM ________________________________ The following birds were seen or heard this week by staff and visitors from February 15th, 2010 thru February 21st, 2010. We had Sixty-eight (68) species recorded this week. Snow Goose Canada Goose Wood Duck Gadwall Mallard Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Ruddy Duck Gambel's Quail Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Green Heron Black-crowned night Heron Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Common Moorhen American Coot Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Ring-billed Gull California Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Greater Roadrunner Anna's Hummingbird Costa's Hummingbird Red-shafted Flicker (heard) Black Phoebe Say's Phoebe Cassin's Kingbird Loggerhead Shrike Common Raven Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Verdin Bushtit Cactus Wren Bewick's Wren (heard) Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Northern Mockingbird Crissal Thrasher American Pipit Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) Common Yellowthroat (heard) Abert's Towhee Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle House Finch DON'T FORGET YOUR HAT, SUNSCREEN AND WATER!!!! Open 7:00 am to 2:00 pm, last entry is at 1:30 pm. You need about two hours to bird the Preserve. Directions from the I515 (US 93 & 95), take exit 64A, Sunset Road east. Follow the signs (blue signs with white letters), turn left (north) on Moser. For more information call 702-267-4180. Best in birding, Je Anne BrancaSubject: Topaz Lake From: Lisa Lister <lister39 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:45:53 -0800 Took a run down to Topaz Lake just to see what was there - not much but we did
find a Loggerhead Shrike and a large flock of Western Scrub Jays. Nothing to
speak of at the lake.
Doug and Lisa Lister
Gardnerville, NV
Subject: Gulls, Cackling Goose, Virginia Lake; Reno (2/20/10)From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:24:22 -0500 Virginia Lake, Reno, Washoe Co (2/20/10) Another beautiful spring-like morning at VL with lots of gulls and other birds. Gulls. Probably 600+ (10:45-12:15), including the 150 or so Californias on the island & the 2 exotics (the Glaucous-winged & the Lesser Black-backed), both of which spent most of their time with other gulls at the loafing area on the “beach” at the N end. Note how yellow the legs of the LBB Gull appear in the photo (link below), with little or no pinkish cast. I think this may be accounted for by the fact that the gull had been recently in the water. When I first encountered it today, it was roosting on the “beach” & the legs were noticeably pinker, perhaps indicating that the bird had been out of the water long enough for the legs to have dried & the pink color to have been lost (all this the rankest speculation, of course). Geese. There were about 200 Canada-type geese, including the tiny Cackler reported on previous occasions, another small goose of the taverneri/parvipes type, & the presumed (& more or less resident) Swan Goose/Canada Goose hybrid. The Cackler was at the north end for a change (it’s usually at the south) & as always I was struck by its tiny size—it is a very very small goose (as demonstrated in the photo--link below--which shows it standing with Ring-billed Gulls). The presumed SG/CG hybrid was on the island with 5 or 6 Canadas possibly prospecting for a nest site (though it wasn’t obviously paired with any of the Canadas). It will be interesting if it does attempt to nest since it’s likely to be infertile (or this is what I understand is generally the case with the progeny of SG/CG crosses, if that in fact is what our bird is). Also noted this morning were a couple of additions to the feral domesticated duck flock (see the photo). I’ve never seen this bizarre pair before & it must have been dumped at the lake in the last day or 2. Other birds. Ring-necked Duck—3 males Lesser Scaup—1 male (continues) Steller’s Jay—1 Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/4373717955/?reuploaded=1 (Cackling Goose with Ring-bills) http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/4374470286/in/photostream/ (domestic ducks) http://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/4373713873/in/photostream/ (Lesser Black-backed Gull) Fred PetersenSubject: Followup re Birding Guide to Reno link From: Karen Kish <klkish AT PYRAMID.NET> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:32:52 -0800 For computer reasons beyond my understanding, the link in my posting regarding A Birding Guide to Reno and Beyond converted itself from what I had copied (I think). Perhaps the safest route is to go to the Lahontan Audubon home page at http://www.nevadaaudubon.org/ and then click the tab for "Area Birding Guide." Thanks to Rose Strickland for bringing this to my attention, and apologies for any confusion. Karen Begin forwarded message: > From: Rose StricklandSubject: Very Belated Clark Co. Trip Report From: Justin Rink <spindalis79 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:50:45 -0800 Hello NV birders. Late last month (January) I went out to Las Vegas for a convention that took place at The MGM Grand. But I still had some time to bird around. I visited locations such as Sunset Park, Floyd Lamb S.P. and The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. I have submitted a few e-bird reports for a couple of these locations. My first stop, after the rains had ceased on the 27th was Sunset Park... Location: Sunset Park Observation date: 1/27/10 Number of species: 35 Greater White-fronted Goose 3 Ross's Goose 2 American Wigeon 25 Mallard 23 Northern Pintail 1 Redhead 65 One interesting eclipse plumage male. Ring-necked Duck 17 Greater Scaup 2 A pair. Great comparison between Lesser and Greater Scaup species. Same ones from last year? Lesser Scaup 2 Ruddy Duck 32 Gambel's Quail 50 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Great Egret 2 Black-crowned Night-Heron 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 American Coot 65 Ring-billed Gull 5 Rock Pigeon 70 Mourning Dove 12 Inca Dove 1 One flying down Sunset Ave. Anna's Hummingbird 2 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2 Verdin 5 Bewick's Wren 1 Northern Mockingbird 13 Crissal Thrasher 3 European Starling 15 Phainopepla 23 Abert's Towhee 15 White-crowned Sparrow 5 Red-winged Blackbird 2 Brewer's Blackbird 55 Great-tailed Grackle 45 House Finch 70 Large flock with a few yellow varients. House Sparrow 15 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) I was staying with my grandmother who lives in the MacDonald Ranch Del Webb Community area. That morning I decided to walk around the cookie-cutter neighborhoods. Birds observed included.. Location: MacDonald Ranch Observation date: 1/28/10 Number of species: 11 Gambel's Quail 5 Rock Pigeon 15 Mourning Dove 4 Costa's Hummingbird 4 Verdin 5 American Robin 70 Northern Mockingbird 10 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2 Great-tailed Grackle 3 House Finch 15 Lesser Goldfinch 8 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Later that day we drove to the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve where many of the species eclipsed the weekly reports that the preserve inputs to the listserv. During the evening we traveled to the Hoover Dam Railroad Trail where the birds were few and far between. A couple species included a few ROCK WRENS, and a BLACK-THROATED SPARROW. On my next to last day, I hit Floyd Lamb State Park. Species heard/seen there included... Location: Floyd R. Lamb State Park Observation date: 2/2/10 Number of species: 25 Canada Goose 15 Mallard 30 Northern Shoveler 95 Ring-necked Duck 25 Bufflehead 5 Common Merganser 45 Ruddy Duck 30 Black-crowned Night-Heron 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Coot 100 Rock Pigeon 25 Anna's Hummingbird 3 Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1 Say's Phoebe 4 Common Raven 3 European Starling 70 American Pipit 14 Phainopepla 12 Abert's Towhee 4 White-crowned Sparrow 7 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 15 Red-winged Blackbird 15 Brewer's Blackbird 55 Great-tailed Grackle 20 American Goldfinch 1 Total species for Clark County Trip: Greater White-fronted Goose Snow Goose Ross's Goose Canada Goose Mallard Gadwall Green-winged Teal American Wigeon Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Gambel's Quail Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Double-crested Cormorant- I think I forgot to include them at Floyd Lamb Black-crowned Night-Heron Great Egret Great Blue Heron White-faced Ibis- Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk- Including a rufous morph Common Moorhen American Coot Ring-billed Gull California Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Inca Dove Costa's Hummingbird Anna's Hummingbird Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) Ladder-backed Woodpecker Say's Phoebe Cassin's Kingbird- One overwintering at Henderson B.V.P. Common Raven Verdin Bewick's Wren Rock Wren Marsh Wren Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Northern Mockingbird Crissal Thrasher European Starling American Pipit Phainopepla Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) Abert's Towhee Black-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) Red-winged Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle Brewer's Blackbird House Finch American Goldfinch Lesser Goldfinch House Sparrow Sorry that was so long. Sure beats winter birding in the midwest, especially this El Nino year where we've been dumped on with snowstorm after snowstorm. Good birding. Justin G. Rink Midtown Omaha, Douglas Co., NE spindalis79 AT yahoo.comSubject: Lahontan & Red Rocks Audubon Societies, GBBO pubs OK From: Alan Wallace <wallacealan AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:36:59 -0800 As noted in an email a couple of years ago (and implied in the long-standing Welcome message), announcements of sales of publications that focus on Nevada birds and birding by Nevada non-profits are fine for the listserve. No hats, mugs, t-shirts, calendars, etc., though, nor sales by for-profit organizations or of things that don't directly relate to our theme of "Nevada birds and birding." Alan Wallace Nevada bird listserve moderator Reno NVSubject: Fwd: Location of Lemmon Valley sewer ponds From: Karen Kish <klkish AT PYRAMID.NET> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:27:49 -0800 As a followup to Martin's note, please be aware that the web site for Lahontan Audubon Society contains a section entitled "Area Birding Guide" (http://www.nevadaaudubon.org/birdingguide), which contains the full text of A Birding Guide to Reno and Beyond, including clear, professional maps for many of the twenty areas within a 90-mile radius of Reno presented in detail in the guide. Thus, for example, the sewer ponds are clearly shown on the map for Swan Lake NSA. A hard copy of the guide, with spiral binding, archival paper, etc., for a very modest sum, can be ordered as well. (Esteemed moderator: I hope I have not overstepped the list server guidelines in mentioning this here.) Karen Karen L. Kish, Lahontan Audubon Society Begin forwarded message: > From: Martin MeyersSubject: Fw: Our GBBC observations for FEB 12, 2010 in 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV part 2 From: Melissa Renfro <melsyurt AT WIRELESSBEEHIVE.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:23:27 -0800 Record ID: S5921317 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: Baker, White Pine County, NV (private home) Observation Date: FEB 13, 2010 Start Time: 3:00 PM Total Birding Time: 15 minutes Weather: excellent Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm) Party Size: 1 BFree Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, grassland, rural, Number of Species: 1 All Reported: yes Checklist: Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) - 3 ************************************* Record ID: S5946996 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV School of the Natural Order community, Home Farm Rd. mostly around the pond Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 10:00 AM Total Birding Time: 1 hour Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: 2 - 4 in (5.1 - 10.2 cm) Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, scrub, grassland, agricultural, rural, freshwater Number of Species: 7 All Reported: yes American Coot - 1 Wilson's Snipe - 2 Great Horned Owl - 1 Western Scrub-Jay - 1 Common Raven - 2 Bewick's Wren - 2 Song Sparrow - 3 ******************************************* Record ID: S5947087 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV Baker Township Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 12:15 PM Total Birding Time: 15 minutes Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm) Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, rural, Number of Species: 2 All Reported: yes Black-billed Magpie - 1 Dark-eyed Junco - 4 ******************************************** Record ID: S5947151 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, just north of Baker, White Pine Cnty, NV one of the home sites and small pond on private Ranch) Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 12:30 PM Total Birding Time: 15 minutes Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: 2 - 4 in (5.1 - 10.2 cm) Habitat(s): coniferous woods, scrub, agricultural, rural, freshwater, Number of Species: 3 All Reported: yes Canada Goose - 50 Mallard - 30 Golden Eagle - 1 (circling 500m away) ******************************************** Record ID: S5947293 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV (from Baker on Hwy 487 to Silver Creek Reservoir) Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 12:30 PM Total BirdingTime: 15 minutes Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm) Habitat(s): scrub, grassland, agricultural, rural, Number of Species: 4 All Reported: yes Bald Eagle - 1 adult Red-tailed Hawk - 2 dark morphs American Kestrel - 1 male Common Raven - 4 pairs Comments: Coyote sunning on dry spot in fields. ************************************* Record ID: S5947392 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV (Silver Creek Reservoir & private Ranch, pond frozen solid) Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 12:45 PM Total Birding Time: 1 hour Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm) Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, scrub, agricultural, rural, freshwater Number of Species: 4 All Reported: yes Northern Flicker - 1 Common Raven - 2 Bewick's Wren - 1 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) - 1 ************************************* Record ID: S5947672 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine Cnty, NV (so. on Gandy Rd to Border Inn, west on Hwy 6/50 just past "cut off rd", then 'cut-off rd' & Hwy 287 back to Baker) Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 2:30 PM Total Birding Time: 15 minutes Weather: excellent Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm) Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Habitat(s): scrub, grassland, , agricultural, deciduous trees, dried up stock pond, rural Number of Species: 2 All Reported: yes Golden Eagle - 2 One Adult and one Immature Common Raven - 2 Pair Great Horned Owl - 2 pair - one on nest ************************************* Record ID: S5947782 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, 4 miles east of Baker, White Pine Cty, NV (yurt feeders) Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010 Start Time: 8:00 AM Total Birding Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Party Size: 1 BFree Weather: excellent 38 to 40 deg F Snow Depth: 2 - 4 in (5.1 - 10.2 cm) 70% snow cover Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, scrub, grassland, agricultural, rural, freshwater Number of Species: 6 All Reported: yes Eurasian Collared-Dove - 4 Western Scrub-Jay - 3 Pinyon Jay - 3 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) - 25 Pine Siskin - 4 American Goldfinch - 5 ************************************ Record ID: S5947913 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV (Yurt Feeders) Observation Date: FEB 15, 2010 Start Time: 7:45 AM Total Birding Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Party Size: 1 BFree Weather: excellent 41 deg. Clear Snow Depth: 2 - 4 in (5.1 - 10.2 cm) Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, scrub, grassland, agricultural, rural, freshwater Number of Species: 9 All Reported: yes Eurasian Collared-Dove - 4 Western Scrub-Jay - 3 Pinyon Jay - 6 Black-billed Magpie - 1 Common Raven - 1 Dark-eyed Junco (mostly Oregon, one slate-colored) - 15 Cassin's Finch - 1 male Pine Siskin - 7 American Goldfinch - 13 ************************************** Record ID: S5970293 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV (Private home on southeast end of town - feeders) Observation Date: FEB 15, 2010 Start Time: 1:30 PM Total Birding Time: 15 minutes Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: No snow was present Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, rural, Number of Species: 1 All Reported: yes Checklist: Red-winged Blackbird - 1 **************************************** Record ID: S5970301 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV (drive from Yurt on Hwy 488 to Baker) Observation Date: FEB 15, 2010 Start Time: 1:15 PM Total Birding Time: 15 minutes Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro and John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: 2 - 4 in (5.1 - 10.2 cm) Habitat(s): scrub, grassland, agricultural, rural, Number of Species: 1 All Reported: yes Checklist: Common Raven - 3 ***************************************** Record ID: S5970353 Email: theyurt AT wirelessbeehive.com Locality: 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV (Spring Creek Rearing Station, on Snake Creek Rd. east of Great Basin National Park) Date: FEB 15, 2010 Start Time: 1:45 PM Total Birding Time: 1 hour 45 minutes Party Size: 2 Melissa Renfro, John B. Free Weather: excellent Snow Depth: 2 - 4 in (5.1 - 10.2 cm) Habitat(s): deciduous woods, coniferous woods, scrub, rural, freshwater Number of Species: 12 All Reported: yes Rough-legged Hawk - 1 Prairie Falcon - 1 Western Scrub-Jay - 1 Common Raven - 2 House Wren - 1 Confirmed Mountain Bluebird - 4 Townsend's Solitaire - 2 American Robin - 1 Spotted Towhee - 1 Song Sparrow - 4 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) - 4 House Sparrow - 1 Mountain Bluebirds - at least 12 - all males The Great Backyard Bird Count and eBird are joint projects of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Please help support these and other efforts on behalf of birds by becoming a member. Visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Membership for membership in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or http://www.audubon.org/gbbc/index.shtml for membership in the National Audubon Society. Thank you for your support >Subject: Fw: Our GBBC observations for FEB 12, 2010 in 89311, Baker, White Pine County, NV Part 1 From: Melissa Renfro <melsyurt AT WIRELESSBEEHIVE.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:14:03 -0800 Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 1:04 PM To: "Nevada Bird List Serve"Subject: Sparks Marina (2/19/10)/Turtles From: Fred Petersen <fugle AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:16:04 -0500 Sparks Marina, Sparks, Washoe Co (2/19/10) Here’s the tally for today’s walk around the marina (19 species). Martin Meyers must have arrived at the marina shortly after we left (1:30), but I won’t bother editing out the parts of this post that duplicate his. Canada goose--?40 Gadwall--?8-10 Mallard--?10 Ruddy Duck—c.10 Pied-billed Grebe—5-6 Eared Grebe--2 Double-crested Cormorant—3-4 Black-crowned Night Heron—1 American Coot--?100 Ring-billed Gull California Gull Herring Gull—3-4 Glaucous-winged Gull—1 (1st-winter) Rock Dove Black-billed Magpie—1 (carrying nesting material into one of the tall junipers bordering the freeway) European Starling Yellow-rumped Warbler--1 Brewer’s Blackbird House Sparrow Gulls. Only 100-125 gulls today, mostly on the pontoons in the cove. I just glanced at them when we arrived at 9:45, but I checked them out more carefully just before we left at 1:30. As usual California Gulls greatly out-numbered the Ring-bills. I didn’t notice the Herring Gulls (2 adults & 1-2 immatures) & the Glaucous-winged Gull until the afternoon visit, but I could have overlooked them earlier. The cormorants—with their ear tufts, glossy black plumage & yellow bills—were all in full breeding plumage, so the nest-building magpie wasn’t the only sign of spring. [Cormorants in breeding plumage have also started turning up on the island breeding colony at Virginia Lake the last few days]. Turtles/Rancho San Rafael. The local turtles have emerged from their winter slumbers unusually early this “spring”. I saw 4 at Rancho San Rafael yesterday, 2 in Peavine Pond & 2 in Herman’s Pond (I had already seen the Peavine turtles 3 days earlier on the 15th). All 4 were medium to largish sliders of the kind which have become increasingly common in area ponds the last few years. Fred PetersenSubject: Location of Lemmon Valley sewer ponds From: Martin Meyers <martin AT SIERRABIRDBUM.COM> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:35:28 -0700 I received a request for the location of the Lemmon Valley sewer ponds, so I thought I'd answer to the list. Go north from Reno on 395, exit at the Lemmon Valley exit and go right. Continue on Lemmon Valley Drive (Lemmon Drive?). The road becomes a divided road for awhile. As soon as it merges back to an undivided road, take the next left turn. Immediately turn right on the frontage road and follow it to the sewer ponds. (The berm at the end of the road also provides a good view of the playa.) Martin --------------- Martin Meyers email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CASubject: Lesser Black-backed Gull and other stuff around Reno/Sparks today From: Martin Meyers <martin AT SIERRABIRDBUM.COM> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:50:04 -0700 I spent much of the day birding around the Reno/Sparks area, and while I found nothing new, I was successful in observing (and photographing) a number of interesting previously-reported birds. The adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was sitting on the "beach" at the north end of Virginia Lake when I arrived around 11:00 this morning. It was very cooperative, posing for several very nice photos. (Eventually, I'll put one up on my website, but I might not have time tonight.) It hung around for about a half-hour, at which time all the gulls spooked (not sure why -- the only thing flying by was an immature Black-crowned Night-heron). Most returned, but the Lesser Black-back did not. I took a walk around the lake, finding nothing unusual, and when I returned to the north end, the first cycle Glaucous-winged Gull was present. (There is some question about the exact age of this bird -- we'll look at it at the gull workshop on 2/28.) From there, I went to the Rosewood Lakes area. The four Cackling Goose (minima, I'm pretty sure), which were first found on the Christmas Bird Count by Al Gubanich's group, were sitting on the little sandbar at the firehouse pond. There were also six Greater White-fronted Geese. (And numerous Canadas, of course.) Next stop was Sparks Marina, where five Herring Gulls (three adult, two first-cycle) were on the floats at the north end. There was also a Herring-type gull that could have been some kind of hybrid (wing color was a bit odd). I took a walk around the lake, finding only one Black-crowned Night-heron (of the dozen or so that were around earlier in the winter.) When I got back to the north end, a Glaucous-winged Gull had shown up. This bird looks a bit lighter than the one at Virginia Lake, but I can't say for sure. No sign of the Western Gull today. My last stop, as the clouds came over and started dropping a little rain, was the Lemmon Valley sewer ponds. The playa is filled with water, and really filled with waterfowl. A few Tundra Swans plus many ducks and geese. All the usual suspects, including a couple of Cinnamon Teal, with an above average number of Common Goldeneyes. Martin --------------- Martin Meyers email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CASubject: Reno bird sightings 2/14/10 & 2/18/10 From: ann murphy <amurphy0607 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:53:47 -0800 Submitted on behalf of Ed Kurtz: I'm pretty sure I saw a Rusty Blackbird in a flock of Brewer's Blackbirds at Virginia Lake on 2/14/10. It had a light line through the eye, just like the photo in the Stokes' field guide. On 2/18/10 the following birds were at Paradise Park: 2 Lesser Scaup 2 Ruddy Ducks 2 Common Goldeneye (pair) 4 Great-tailed Grackles 4 Black-crowned Night Herons 2 Hooded Mergansers Posted for Ed Kurtz by Ann MurphySubject: Carson Range From: Mary Jo Elpers <mjelpers AT AOL.COM> Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:51:24 -0500 Hello, All -- I was in the foothills of the Carson Range (along Timberline Road north of Thomas Creek) today for about 4 hours and saw dozens of American Robins and a few small groups of Western Bluebirds flying east to west up the alluvial fan. Dozens of Dark-eyed Juncos were also present, with some males singing, whereas last week there were very few in the bitterbrush/sagebrush scrub. A single swallow that was either a Tree Swallow or Violet-green Swallow (sorry, I didn't get a good look) flew high overhead, south to north. A pair of Golden Eagles circled over the ridge to the west. Steller's Jays flew with territorial calls along Thomas Creek. Although the bitterbrush has not leafed out yet, many tiny forbs were up in many places, and snowmelt ran in rivulets in several spots down the alluvial fan. Mary Jo Elpers mjelpers AT aol.comSubject: Snow Goose at Mira Loma Park, Reno From: Andrea Oddo <aaagolfers AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:34:11 -0500 I just returned from the Mira Loma slough area and have been studying my bird books to see if I really did see a Snow Goose in amongst the 450 Canada Geese that were there. My first ever so I was delighted to see another posting from today confirming my suspicion. I also saw 50 Green-winged Teal, 20 Mallards, 2 Scrub jays, 2 White-crowned Sparrows, an American Goldfinch, 2 European Starlings, 5 Mourning Doves, 2 Magpies, 1 Killdeer, 3 Yellowlegs, and 2 Red-tailed Hawks. I heard a Says Phoebe but could not spot it. Andrea Oddo, RenoSubject: Time and location for Reno gull workshop. 12:30 p.m., 2/28/2010, Moana Nursery From: Martin Meyers <martin AT SIERRABIRDBUM.COM> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:46:49 -0700 Alan just informed me that the Moana Nursery has been kind enough to make a room available for the gull workshop. We will begin at 12:30 p.m. (on 2/28). The room is large enough to accommodate quite a few people, so everyone is welcome. But I'd still like to know approximately how many we'll have, as I'm going to make up CD's with a copy of the material for everyone. So if you are thinking about coming and haven't already sent me a note to that effect, please do let me know. (I've received fifteen positive responses so far.) The Moana Nursery is at Moana and Lakeside in Reno. It's on the left side as you go west on Moana. The meeting room is NOT in the nursery. There is a separate building west of the nursery itself. That's where the room is located (the room will be on the left side after you enter the building.) I think we have about two hours of material, but of course, a lot depends on questions and discussion. The room is available through 3:00 or so. The location is great for another reason -- anyone who isn't completely "gulled out" by the end of the clinic can drive a couple of blocks to Virginia Lake and we can see if any of the stuff really works! BRING BINOCULARS! Some of the features in the photos need close inspection. Martin --------------- Martin Meyers email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CASubject: Re: Northern Shrike at Clark County Wetlands Park From: Chris Gardner <ChrisGardner05 AT AOL.COM> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:08:26 EST Hopefully other people will comment, but maybe this is a hybrid or something. The bill definitely is longer and hooked like a Northern, but everything else about it seems like a Loggerhead. It has a very wide black mask, with hardly any white above on the eyebrow. It's back is pretty dark and I don't see any barring on its breast. And then the behavior you mentioned is exactly what a Loggerhead Shrike does, while Northern Shrikes can also be in shrubs or higher up in trees. Interesting to see what others will say though. Chris Ruiz-Gardner In a message dated 2/17/2010 1:25:07 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, desertvu AT GMAIL.COM writes: On a tip from fellow photographer and birder Gareth Pearson, I re-located and photographed a Northern Shrike today (Wed, 17 Feb 2010) near the Duck Creek parking area at Wetlands Park just off Broadbent Blvd. The bird was working shrubs and low bushes between the two concrete trail paths about 200 feet beyond the parking lot. Apparently, this bird has been in the area for a few days. Behavior was classic Northern Shrike: the bird left each perch (about 6 feet off the ground), attacked an insect on the ground, the quickly returned to the same perch for consumption, and to scan for the next prey. This bird is more approachable and less wary than a typical Loggerhead Shrike. Northern Shrike Location: http://tinyurl.com/y9mmv79 Northern Shrike Image: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2734/4366297422_5afd554969_o.jpg |