Date: 11/18/24 7:44 am From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad...> Subject: Hybrid (Summer x Western) Tanager in Churchill County
On Sunday 17 November, I found an apparent hybrid Summer x Western Tanager at the Carson River Diversion Dam southwest of Fallon in Churchill County. The bird looks rather like a first winter Summer Tanager with mottled yellow and red plumage, dark wings with dual wing bars (the upper one yellow) and bold white tertial tips, some structural traits suggestive of Summer, and intermediate calls.
Last week was an excellent time for birding in So. NV. While cool and quite windy a couple of days, we enjoyed both the Mojave Desert birds and the rare birds, especially at Corn Creek and Lake Mead.
We were glad to see a Roadrunner at Corn Creek again, even though we saw this one in a small tree, and also several Crissal Thrashers in and around the orchard. We found the Rose-breasted Grosbeak on Tuesday, munching pomegranates along with occasional views of the Brown Thrasher doing the same. A Hooded Merganser and a Pied-billed Grebe were diving in the bathtub the whole week. Verdins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows were numerous, along with several Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Marsh Wren, Song Sparrow, Phainopepla, Bushtits and Western Bluebirds. Ravens entertained us with quite a repertoire of loud calls, grunts, squawks, croaks. The Red-naped Sapsucker was often seen high in its tree next to the picnic area and put on quite a display while chasing another sapsucker which showed up one day attracted to the many sap holes.
After a 4:30 AM rising to beat the crosstown commuter traffic on Hwy. 95, we waited an hour at 33 Hole at Lake Mead before the very rare Yellow-footed Gull arrived on a sandbar with pelicans and cormorants and small gulls, about 7:30AM. Its large size, dark gray wings, white head and body, heavy yellow bill, and bright yellow legs (and feet) distinguished it from the other gulls. This may be its third winter at Lake Mead. We enjoyed the sunrise and the lake getting busy with fishing boats amid the constant calls of Clark’s and Western Grebes. In a bay to the south where we were directed by birders, Dave and Jane, we found the Red-throated Loon mostly diving) and the Black-legged Kittiwake. We could see the lake surface teeming with small schools of fish being followed by very large groups of the grebes and the amazing synchronized diving of the grebe flock after this bounty.
Back at Corn Creek our last morning, we were lucky to watch a No. Mockingbird chase a Crissal Thrasher at warp speeds around the trunk of one of the pomegranate “trees” for maybe 5 minutes one morning - surprisingly, though never caught by the mockingbird, the thrasher left the battlefield for another pomegranate tree (reminded us of the roadrunner and coyote cartoons) in the orchard. While sharing birding experiences with several early morning birders, we watched a small falcon nearly catch one of the Western Meadowlarks foraging in the grass near the orchard. Closer looks later revealed the foiled attacker as a Merlin.
We returned to Reno through winds, showers and amazing cloud scapes, stopping at Atomic Creek in Beatty. We found a Hermit Thrush and several riparian birds, but not the Louisiana Waterthrush. Next time...
Date: 11/14/24 11:01 am From: Joel Geier <clearwater...> Subject: CBC announcement: Sheldon (NV) near full
Hi folks,
Despite the cancellation of the Hart Mountain CBC, which usually helps to get a few Oregon birders out to Sheldon NWR, there's been a good response from Nevada birders for the Sheldon CBC on December 20th.
Currently we have 7 volunteers who've told me that they're definitely planning on it, plus 4 more who are "possible." If all of them show up, that's 11 volunteers. That may not sound like a lot but we can easily cover the key habitats in the circle with 4 teams of 2 birders apiece, and we usually end up double-covering the prime areas even with that many.
We're also limited by lodging space. There are just 5 regular rooms in the bunkhouse (with 2 beds per room) plus a cot in the back of the office. There's a bit of overflow room in a FEMA trailer (mobile home), but at best we could squeeze in maybe 2-3 more volunteers, unless we get some cancellations.
One year I tried sleeping on the floor of the laundry/furnace room of the Hart bunkhouse, but I wouldn't rate that as a 4-star experience! Otherwise the other main alternative is winter camping up in Virgin Valley, or else the motel in Denio Junction, 15-20 miles away.
So, if you were interested in joining this year's count but just haven't gotten around to contacting me, please let me know sooner rather than later.
Date: 11/13/24 1:20 pm From: Dennis Serdehely <birders...> Subject: Pygmy Nuthatches in Fernley
Today I had 4-5 Pygmy Nuthatches in our backyard. This is only the second time for this species, the first being just last year on September 30. Dennis Serdehely
Date: 11/8/24 7:34 pm From: Joel Geier <clearwater...> Subject: Hart Mountain CBC canceled, but Sheldon CBC still happening on Dec 20th
Hi folks,
Looks like most of the Hart Mountain CBC circle is still going to be closed to all but "mission-critical" research access through the end of the year, in the aftermath of the Warner Peak Fire. Besides potential safety issues, a major concern is vehicles bringing weed seeds into the burn scar. Kim Haab did her best to advocate for the count as a way to get data on avian response to fire impacts, but this doesn't rise to the "mission-critical" level.
This means we'd basically be limited to the part of the circle down in the Warner Valley. Much of that, except for the Warner Valley Wetlands, is private ranch land where we'd only be able to bird from the county roads. So this really wouldn't be a representative count.
Given that situation, I think it makes best sense to cancel this count, rather than have volunteers driving long distances in who-knows-what winter conditions just to cover a small portion of the usual habitat.
Happy to say, there are no such problems at Sheldon NWR, so we'll still plan on running that count on Friday, December 20th.
As usual, the USFWS is kindly making free lodging available to volunteers in the Thousand Creek bunkhouse. If you'd like to help on that count, please contact me. Space in the main bunkhouse is somewhat limited (5 rooms that sleep 2 apiece, plus a cot in the back of the office), but there are a couple more rooms in a mobile home.
For hardy souls, camping out in the Virgin Valley Campground could also be an option. It could be cold (down to -5 F in some recent years) but you can always warm up in the WPA-era shower house, where hot water piped from the hot springs are running 24/7.
If you're driving up from the Reno area, you might consider helping on the Winnemucca CBC on Thursday, December 19th. That count usually wraps up by early afternoon, so there would be plenty of time to drive the 120 miles or so up to the bunkhouse at Sheldon, and still get there before dark.
If you're interested in helping on the Winnemucca CBC, please contact Shannon Finnerty <sfinnerty...> or Kylie Donch <kdonch...>.
-- Joel Geier 38566 Hwy 99W Corvallis OR 97330-9320 tel +1 541 745-5821 (home office land line) cell +1 541 760-1771 (only carried when I'm in field situations, otherwise no guarantee I'll pay attention) <clearwater...>
Date: 11/4/24 8:02 am From: Michelle Baker <000001d572f2d2bf-dmarc-request...> Subject: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Weekly Bird List
The property is on the north side of Galleria Dr., just west of the Animal Shelter, between Ward Dr. and Moser Dr. Phone 702 267 4180.
Operating hours for June 1 - August 31, we are open 6 a.m. - 12 noon. Last entry 11:30 p.m.
The following birds were seen or heard (H) and confirmed by staff: Oct. 28 - Nov. 3
Gambel's Quail, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant
Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced Ibis
Osprey, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Killdeer, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe
Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner
Anna's Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Vermillion Flycatcher, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, N. Rough-winged Swallow
PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: In accordance with NRS Chapter 239, this email and responses, unless otherwise made confidential by law, may be subject to the Nevada Public Records laws and may be disclosed to the public upon request.
I saw around 100 at Swan Lake today. John HackneySparks, NV On Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 10:10:33 AM PDT, Jane Burnham <janefrancesburnham...> wrote:
There were two Tundra Swans at Silver Lake yesterday. I will check Swan Lake today.
Date: 10/27/24 8:46 pm From: Rose Strickland <rosenreno...> Subject: Surf Scoter at Pyramid Lake
We saw a Surf Scoter at Pyramid Lake this afternoon with a flock of coots north of the boat ramp area. It could be a first winter bird, as it was all dark without white markings, but with a black wedge-shaped bill. There were also a number of Horned Grebes. At the southern end of the Lake on a windy, gusty but warm day, the ducks were plentiful, including over 120 Canvasbacks. Dozens of shorebirds were at the south very end of the Lake on mud flats and bars and shallow waters. We saw at least two pelicans still at the Lake. A possible jaeger flew overhead, exciting the water birds and huge numbers of starlings, but we could not get an ID on it.
