The 32nd ELKO CBC will be held on Saturday, December 14th. All routes are pre-assigned before count day. If you are interested in participating please contact Lois Ports at 775-753-2569 or <bristleconeaudubon...> prior to December 12th. A potluck dinner is held at the end of the day. During dinner all the data is compiled and preliminary results are announced.
Date: 12/2/19 3:51 am From: Joel Geier <clearwater...> Subject: Sheldon CBC on Dec 20
Hi all,
This year's Sheldon Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for December 20th, on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in the northwest corner of Nevada.
The hot-spring-fed Dufurrena Ponds in the Virgin Valley are a winter oasis for any water birds including waterfowl, rails and even bitterns, and songbirds wintering in the region also tend to concentrated there. We usually find Northern Shrikes and American Tree Sparrow -- though we broke our streak on the latter last year -- and we're still hoping to find Greater Sage-Grouse (known to be resident in the circle, but so far we've only found tracks on count day).
Accommodations are available for volunteers in the refuge bunkhouse complex for the nights before and after the counts (so from the afternoon of Dec 19th through the morning of Dec 21st). The main bunkhouse (built for fire crews that are stationed there in the summer months) includes a big, well-equipped kitchen and common area, plus dormitory-style rooms. Usually we have enough space for everyone who wants their own room to have one. Please contact me if you plan to be there, so I can get you on the list.
The count on Sheldon NWR's sister refuge, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (just across the state line in Oregon) will be on December 18th. Hart Mtn also offers accommodations for volunteers, so you could make a four-day trip to the northern Great Basin by joining both counts, with an easy travel day in between. Please contact Laurel Kullerud (<laurel_kullerud...>) if you want to sign up for the Hart Mountain count.
Please contact me for more information and/or to let me know if you join us at Sheldon NWR. This count is in a very sparsely populated area (even by Nevada standards) with limited cell phone reception, so we try to sort out plans well in advance!
-- Joel Geier Oregon/Nevada Regional CBC Editor 38566 Hwy 99W Corvallis, Oregon 97330-9320 tel +1 541 745 5821
Bird species seen this morning on Discovery Park in Pahrump, Nevada (48) species seen on DP and (5) additional species seen in other areas of Pahrump. Those additional species were; Great Blue Heron, Killdeer, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird and Lesser Goldfinch.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Gambel's Quail
Pied-billed Grebe
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Spotted Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon (feral pigeon)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker red-shafted
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
American Crow
Common Raven
Verdin
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Northern Mockingbird
Crissal Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Phainopepla
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow
Date: 11/29/19 2:10 pm From: Jeff Bleam <jcbleam...> Subject: Purple Finch, WAS
An Opt Out birding group started at Sparks Marina with the most interesting bird being MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. We then went over to Rancho San Rafael where we found the previous reported PURPLE FINCHES (2 females) but they were on the trail along the north end of the park below the pond and before the bridge (GPS 39.5464016,-119.8256171). Look in the berry trees. This is where I first found them last year then they moved up to the berry trees near the building on the east end of the park.
Date: 11/29/19 9:34 am From: JUDY PHOENIX <000000ba884925f3-dmarc-request...> Subject: 1st Winter Harris' Sparrow this a.m.
I've got a first-winter Harris' Sparrow at my feeder this morning! Skittish & shy, and getting chased off by the white-crowns, but returning regularly. An unexpected life bird on this cold snowy morning! SW Reno, near booth & California
In reviewing eBird submissions, I've noticed quite a mix of IDs for domestic geese and parks and elsewhere, and thought I'd try and provide some guidelines for eBirding these birds.
In short, beware the "frosted" Canadas we have around Reno (they aren't hybrids), and unless you are familiar with different varieties of domestic geese, please eBird them as "Domestic goose sp." and not as Graylag or Swan geese.
Here's the longer version, including field marks for Graylag vs Swan Geese (and hybrids):
First, beware the "frosted" Canadas that we have around Reno. Yes, domestic x Canada hybrids are around, but at least in Reno they're more rare than these "frosted" Canadas.
True Canada x Domestic hybrids (or Canada x Snow hybrids, etc.) will show more obvious structural features that point away from pure Canada, as well as plumage differences that go beyond just a few white feathers in odd places. Hybrid geese can be quite variable, so I won't go into those IDs here.
Second, domestic geese are derived from two wild species: Graylag Geese and Swan Geese. There are four options in eBird for reporting domestic geese (these "Domestic Type" birds won't show up on your eBird total, for all you listers out there). These are...
* Domestic goose sp. (Domestic type) -- Any Graylag, Swan or hybrid/intergrade individuals. PLEASE USE THIS ONE liberally! :-) * Graylag Goose (Domestic type) -- Birds showing no signs of Swan Goose ancestry. * Swan Goose (Domestic type) -- aka "Chineese Goose"; no signs of Graylag ancestry. * Graylag x Swan Goose (Domestic type) (hybrid) -- Obvious hybrids of the two domestic types.
There are also similar categories for hybrids between these and Canadas, but again, let's ignore those for now.
Domestic goose sp. (Domestic type) should be the default way to report these in eBird, unless you're really certain about getting more specific than that, which can be fun! But remember, domestic geese are often a mix of "Chineese" (domestic variety derived from Swan Goose) and Graylag geese, so you should expect to find about as many birds with mixed ancestry as you do "pure" looking birds. Again, if it isn't a textbook individual, go with "Domestic goose sp."
Quick overview of field marks for the two domestic types:
SWAN GOOSE (DOMESTIC TYPE; aka CHINEESE GOOSE): These birds have bicolored necks and heads (dark on top, light below), black bills, and big buldging forehead. Some also have a bit of sagging throat skin. Look up "Chineese Goose" for images online.
GRAYLAG GOOSE (DOMESTIC TYPE): These lack the bicolored neck and head, instead having soft brown plumage often showing a distinctive coarse pattern on the sides of the neck instead of the feathers laying smooth. The bill is orange, and lacks a buldge as seen in Chineese Geese.
HYBRIDS/INTERGRADES: A number of domestic goose breeds are derived from BOTH species. But in general, intergrades often show a mix of orange and black in the bill (but can show a solid bill color), may or may not have a forehead buldge, often show a bicolored head/neck (albeit sometimes this is subtle), and to a lesser extent may show structural features reminiscent of the parental types (this is often variable, and hard to judge).
If you've read this far, you might be interested in testing all this out in the field. The best places to see pure-looking birds is probably Paradise Park in Reno. I went there today and snapped a few photos that can be found in the checklist below.
For messy hybrid/integrade birds, Virginia Lake would be the place to go next. I went by yesterday and had the following:
Virginia Lake: 9 Total: 2 "mostly Graylag", 5-6 clear hybrids, 2 pure-looking Swan Geese. - 2 Swan Geese look like typical "Chineese Geese". Black bill, buldging forehead, bicolored head/neck. - 2 other "mostly Swan Geese" with neck feathers, structure, and orange in bill suggesting hybrid ancestry - 3 obvious hybrids with orange and black bills, mix of features. - 1 almost pure looking Graylag but shows a hint of bicolred head/neck through the white patches - 1 similar bird that also shows a subtle bicolored head/nape through the white patches.
Again, when in doubt, please feel free to just ebird these as Domestic goose sp. and if you would like to get more specific, please include as many descriptive details as you can in the comments, and/or include photos.
Date: 11/27/19 11:11 am From: Rose Strickland <rosenreno...> Subject: Anna's Hummingbird winter invasion
Nevada birders,
To our joy and surprise, the winter storm this week has brought maybe four Anna’s Hummingbirds to our feeder - we hadn’t taken it in yet for the winter, thankfully. After filling it for the first adult male, outrageously red, yesterday, we have had visits from one female?, one young male with a red spot on its throat, and one male with a bright red throat. We intend to carry out the hummer feeder bogie this winter - take in the frozen feeder and replace with a liquid feeder: repeat as necessary.
In addition, two Pine Siskins showed up at the thistle seed feeder with the Lesser and occasional American Goldfinches this morning. Red-breasted Nuthatches have been visiting our peanut feeder for several weeks, tooting around the neighborhood (near Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno.) Both CA Scrub-jays and Stellar’s Jays are also frequent visitors, along with many chickadees.
Date: 11/25/19 6:49 am From: Ray Bruun <ray.bruun...> Subject: Constantia Road
Saturday, I birded for about an hour along the south half (4 miles) of Constantia Road in Lassen County south of Doyle. The habitat between Constantia Road and US395 is a micro version of Sierra Valley, which I didn’t have time to bird that day. The raptors have returned (on November 14, in Sierra Valley, I saw only 9 Red-tailed Hawks over many more road miles—this day there were 22).
Date: 11/24/19 8:45 pm From: Rob Lowry <00000002625e15f9-dmarc-request...> Subject: 2019 Carson City CBC
Hello!
Just another reminder that the Carson City CBC will take place on Sunday, Dec. 15th. Many thanks to those who have responded so far! If you would like to join the festivities, please contact me by e-mail at <rlowry517...> or leave a text or voice message on my cell phone (775-434-3483) with the name(s) of participants.
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We will meet at 7 AM at the Burger King located at 3589 N. Carson Street in northern Carson City (on the southeast corner of N. Carson Street and W. College Parkway, across Carson Street from Bully's) before dispersing into the count area. The "tally rally" potluck dinner again will be at my house in east Carson City at the end of the day.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Snow Goose
Mallard
American Wigeon
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Gambel's Quail
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Coot
Spotted Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon (feral)
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (red-shafted)
American Kestrel
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Common Raven
American Crow
Verdin
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Black tailed Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
Crissal Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Phainopepla
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) One Slate was seen in another area of Pahrump this morning
White-crowned Sparrow
Black- tailed Gnatcatcher
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
There was a White-throated Sparrow at the bottom of a drainage off the south side of Peavine Peak this evening.
It was in willows just above the 1st stream crossing above Sandestin Drive with a flock of White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows. See the eBird checklist below for photos and location details.
Date: 11/23/19 7:40 am From: Jeff Bleam <jcbleam...> Subject: LAS Field Trip: Davis Creek RP, WAS
Cloudy at the start but calm winds made for a nice cool morning. First birds were RED-TAILED HAWK, STELLERS and SCRUB JAYS. As the walk started, someone in the group spotted a male WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER. Many FLICKERS and as we were on the south side of the pond a large bird flew out of the conifer right next to us. It was large and all I could see was black so a Raven but it was too large then as it banked I saw a white tail then the guy landed in a conifer on the north side: BALD EAGLE. It was very quiet along the Discovery Trail until we got into the sagebrush where we found CHICKADEES and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. Then climbing in the thermals were 2 hawks one was a Red-Tailed but the other was a light morphed ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK; nice. Because of the cold the number of birds were way down but we did find 22 species.
Date: 11/18/19 7:05 am From: Jeff Bleam <jcbleam...> Subject: LAS Field Trip: Cottonwood Park
We started at Cottonwood Park and headed west to Rock Park. As we gathered we found 21 species one being a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. We found a female COMMON GOLDENEYE with 2 males at Rock Park. When we returned to Cottonwood Park we found about 30 Common Goldeneye and a female BARROWS GOLDENEYE. We also found a CACKLING GOOSE swimming with CANADA GEESE. Others were SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 2 BLACK PHOEBES, many CEDAR WAXWINGS, and a singing GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. We ended the walk with 41 species.
Date: 11/17/19 9:08 pm From: Jeanne Tinsman <philohela17...> Subject: Pacific Loons continue at 33 Hole, Lake Mead NRA
Hi, folks:
Sorry for the delayed message: My husband and I observed six Pacific Loons at 33 Hole, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Clark County, late this morning (2019-11-17). Five of them were swimming together, and came to a reasonable distance for a few photographs. The sixth was alone farther across the lake.
Another highlight was watching two Peregrine Falcons circle together as we started down the trail.
Otherwise, there were plenty of Western Grebes, Clark's Grebes, American Coots, gulls and cormorants; a few American White Pelicans; a smattering of ducks including Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal, Mallards and Ruddy Ducks; and a Rock Wren that came nearly to my feet. A coyote was observed resting on a slope overlooking the lake.
Jeanne ********************************* Jeanne R. Tinsman Las Vegas, Nevada <philohela17...>
Date: 11/16/19 8:48 pm From: Ray Bruun <ray.bruun...> Subject: Sierra Valley
Yesterday, I saw a Rough-legged Hawk at Swan Lake (Reno), so today, I headed to Sierra Valley hoping to find some more. It was very slow birding overall with few raptors. Maybe the weather next week will shake things up a bit.
In about 2-1/2 hours, I had the following birds of prey:
Date: 11/16/19 8:00 pm From: Rose Strickland <rosenreno...> Subject: Birding along Hwy 50
Nevada birders,
Last Thursday on a beautiful warm fall day in Northern Nevada, we had fun birding along Hwy 50, crossing the state from Ely to Reno. Along the way, birds were hard to see, except for the occasional sightings of ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, and a Golden Eagle on the top of a power pole.
We stopped at the Reese River crossing of State Route 722 (the alternate route) and saw dozens of Canada Geese and Snow Geese in the fields along the meandering (small) river.
Our next stop was in the Desatoya Mountains, descending from Carroll Summit. At the first hairpin curve, it was very birdy. Dennis found himself surrounded and scolded by a mixed foraging party of chickadees, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, juncos, finches and a single Hairy Woodpecker, feeding on pine nuts and insects in both live and dead pinyon pines. In the pinyon-juniper woodlands surviving after a wildfire a couple of years ago, Woodhouse Scrub-jays, Clark’s Nutcrackers, and Northern Flickers called and flew about. We were lucky to see a band of Bighorn Sheep at the rocky narrows and Chukars watering below.
At Fallon, we detoured off Hwy. 50 north to the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, taking the auto loop route. At the first pond with the covered picnic tables and boardwalk, we saw coots, grebes, and Canvasbacks, but we could hear swans calling from the larger Foxtail Lake just to the north. We were able to get a view and saw a couple of hundred swans, Snow Geese, coots, a couple of yellowlegs, and a variety of ducks. Along the way, we saw Loggerhead Shrikes, White-crowned and Sagebrush Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Returning to Hwy. 50 along Stillwater Road, we saw at least 10 Great Blue Herons, more Red-tails, Northern Harriers, Kestrels, hundreds of Red-winged, Yellow-headed, and Brewer's Blackbirds and starlings at a dairy, a Prairie Falcon and a Merlin perched on a power pole.
Date: 11/16/19 4:55 pm From: Martin Meyers <Martin...> Subject: Gulls and stuff at Sparks Marina
Today at Sparks Marina, Dennis Ghiglieri, Rose Strickland, and I looked
at a whole bunch of gulls. Out of the two to three thousand present, we
were able to find three or four, maybe five, Herring Gulls (adults and
first-cycle birds), one first-cycle Glaucous-wing (this is the same bird
I photographed at the same location, i.e., north end, a couple of days
ago based on photo comparisons), and one Iceland (thayeri) Gull. The
Iceland did not appear to be the same one I saw last week -- the overall
color was a bit darker on this bird, and the pale fringes on the dark
brown primaries were considerably less distinct. Head and bill shape
were consistent with thayeri. At one point the bird flapped its wings
and the revealed the very pale (almost white) undersides of the
primaries.
The Glaucous-wing was very tame (or "gull-like"), coming to a table
where a couple were having a sandwich. It picked up scraps at their
feet.
There was (at least) one unidentified first cycle gull -- looked pretty
much like a California but the black on the bill extended almost (but
not entirely) to the base, a feature inconsistent with the "typical"
first-cycle California. Leaving first-cycle gulls unidentified is not
overwhelmingly satisfying but is often the best choice.
There were ten Greater White-fronted Geese walking around on the south
end -- almost certainly left over from the flock of fifteen I saw on
11/14.
Of concern were three or four dead American Coots and a dead Cormorant
(I think) floating near the south shore. Rose will be reporting these to
the appropriate authority.
Here's a more-or-less complete list for the day. Because we were
concentrating on gulls, I expect there are some species (and clearly
some counts) missing.
Date: 11/16/19 3:37 pm From: Danielle Krueger <daniebaby122...> Subject: Virginia Lake
Currently at Virginia Lake and a flock of 5 Greater White-fronted Geese just flew in with a huge flock of Canada Geese. These are not the resident birds that are normally here.
Becca and I birded the Lyon County portion of Lahontan Reservoir today. We were able to refind the Lesser Black-backed Gull originally seen by Rob Lowry a few days ago. We saw it on a spit of sand just north of the Beach 9 rest room. This spit can also be accessed from beach 11. It was roosting with a flock of birds consisting of 30 cormorants, 15 Ring-billed Gulls, 4 California Gulls and 1 Herring Gull. There were also several White Pelicans and Western Grebes in the Area. We counted 25 White Pelicans throughout the lake. We also had a juvenile Northern Shrike in the cottonwoods near the Beach 5 restroom. Also of interest was an adult Bald Eagle at beach 10 near the southern end of the lake. Dennis SerdehelyFernley, NV
Date: 11/15/19 2:56 pm From: Ken Drozd <kdrozd...> Subject: Lesser Black-backed Gull continues at Lahontan Reservoir
Today (11/15) I found the Lesser Black-backed Gull previously reported by Rob Lowry. I saw it briefly on the small spit between the Beach 9 and 11 restrooms along with some California and Ring-billed Gulls, Cormorants and Pelicans. The birds flew and I last saw it resting on the water well out from shore. There was also a nice Merlin near the Beach 11 restroom and a pair of Horned Grebes out on the lake.
Date: 11/15/19 6:40 am From: Jeff Bleam <jcbleam...> Subject: Washoe Valley
Did a tour of Washoe Valley yesterday and there were very few ducks only finding MALLARDS, SHOVERLERS, and 1 female WIGEON. Did see TUNDRA SWANS in the middle of the lake. The number of RED-TAILED HAWKS is increasing to around 15. Saw a couple of KESTRELS and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in the field along old 395. Very few duck at the South WMA but did find an adult BALD EAGLE at the group picnic area with a pair of MAGPIES trying to make the guy move on. Found a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE at the North Boat Ramp. In the Scripps WMA there wasn't much to speak of but I did see 15 species. Little Washoe Lake wasn't worth stopping (I forgot my year pass) since I didn't see anything but a couple of W/C GREBES on the lake.
Date: 11/14/19 5:15 pm From: Paul Hurtado <paul.j.hurtado...> Subject: Re: More goosey news
There was also a Ross's Goose reported today (via eBird) in grassy areas along the Anderson Regional Park trail (east of the Windy Hill overlook on Lakeside Dr). I suspect this bird is actually a Ross's x Snow hybrid, given the fairly noticeable black "lips" , the intermediate (albeit closer to Ross's) bill size and structure, and the way the border of face curves a little at the base of the bill (as opposed to being straight or nearly so on Ross's).
People should also remember that Brant could start rolling through this time of year. Something to keep an eye out for, especially if we have nice winds from the north.
Paul Hurtado Reno, NV
On Thu, Nov 14, 2019 at 3:31 PM Martin Meyers <martin...> wrote:
> Reno's Virginia Lake has an immature Snow Goose walking around at the > north end and four Greater White-fronts swimming in the lake.Has anyone > seen any Cackling Geese yet?Martin_______________Martin Meyersemail: > Martin...(AT...) SierraBirdbum.comPhoto website: http://SierraBirdbum.com
Date: 11/14/19 3:31 pm From: Martin Meyers <martin...> Subject: More goosey news
Reno's Virginia Lake has an immature Snow Goose walking around at the north end and four Greater White-fronts swimming in the lake.Has anyone seen any Cackling Geese yet?Martin_______________Martin Meyersemail: Martin...(AT...) SierraBirdbum.comPhoto website: http://SierraBirdbum.com
Date: 11/14/19 2:00 pm From: Martin Meyers <martin...> Subject: Geese and gulls at Sparks Marina
At Sparks Marina aound 2:00 there was one first-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull (my first for the season) on the peninsula beach and four Herring Gulls (one first-cycle and three adults) out in the middle of the lake.Unusual was a flock of fifteen Greater White-fronted Geese on the lawn at the peninsula.Martin_______________Martin Meyersemail: Martin...(AT...) SierraBirdbum.comPhoto website: http://SierraBirdbum.com
This afternoon, I stopped at Lahontan Reservoir hoping to find a rare bird or two. While scoping birds from Fisherman's Point, I noted a dark-mantled gull resting with Cormorants, Pelicans, and other gulls on a sand spit to the north. Eventually, I worked my way over to that area and observed that the dark-mantled gull was a Lesser Black-Backed Gull. I followed the dirt road down to Beach 9 (where the resttoom has "9N" painted on the vent pipe) and slowly walked along the beach toward the Gull to get a few long-distance photos but couldn't get any closer before the birds flew a little farther away. It was a pretty cool-looking bird with the yellow eyes really standing out from the dark smudges/streaks around the eyes. The bill was mostly black with yellow on the tip. I had to leave for an appointment before I could check out the north end of the reservoir. The reservoir can have some really good birds and in my opinion (for what it's worth) is an underbirded location. I hope to check it out more in the coming months.Rob LowryCarson CitySent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Date: 11/13/19 8:15 am From: Ed Pandolfino <000001486149aa0b-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Dark (Black?) Merlin
Last year Ed Harper, Zach Smith, and I published a paper in the Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin (https://tinyurl.com/udzcqpq) proposing some criteria for IDing Merlin subspecies (recognizing that there is a LOT of intermixing between taxa), based on analysis of many museum specimens. Based on that, Paul's bird looks about as good as it gets for a "Black" Merlin. Ed PandolfinoSacramento, CA
In a message dated 11/12/2019 7:35:39 PM Pacific Standard Time, <paul.j.hurtado...> writes:
There is also some discussion of the bird's subspecies ID on the "Raptor ID" facebook group, separating lighter Black from darker Taiga/Boreal being the main point of discussion.
The overall dark coloration, thin irregular tail band, broad streaks on undertail coverts, more spotted than checkered underwing pattern with <50% lighter markings on the wings, darker head including the lores and forehead, etc. all look pretty good for a Black Merlin (F. c. suckleyi). Nominate Tiaga Merlins can be deceptively dark... Regardless, it's by far the darkest Merlin I've had the pleasure of seeing, and it was quite a thrill to see it flying along side a typical (and much lighter) Taiga Merlin.
Earlier yesterday, I had made a brief stop at the boardwalk area with my kids in tow, and while we didn't get out on the water at all (the boardwalk looks like it got thrashed by waves and is closed off) we did have a nice ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK from the parking lot.
Good birding, Paul Hurtado Reno
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019 at 2:25 PM Paul Hurtado <paul.j.hurtado...> wrote:
> I just had a dark Merlin over the neighborhoods north of Sawn Lake. I'll > post photos later, but the bird is at least of some Black Merlin ancestry. > > Paul Hurtado > Reno >
There is also some discussion of the bird's subspecies ID on the "Raptor ID" facebook group, separating lighter Black from darker Taiga/Boreal being the main point of discussion.
The overall dark coloration, thin irregular tail band, broad streaks on undertail coverts, more spotted than checkered underwing pattern with <50% lighter markings on the wings, darker head including the lores and forehead, etc. all look pretty good for a Black Merlin (F. c. suckleyi). Nominate Tiaga Merlins can be deceptively dark... Regardless, it's by far the darkest Merlin I've had the pleasure of seeing, and it was quite a thrill to see it flying along side a typical (and much lighter) Taiga Merlin.
Earlier yesterday, I had made a brief stop at the boardwalk area with my kids in tow, and while we didn't get out on the water at all (the boardwalk looks like it got thrashed by waves and is closed off) we did have a nice ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK from the parking lot.
Good birding, Paul Hurtado Reno
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019 at 2:25 PM Paul Hurtado <paul.j.hurtado...> wrote:
> I just had a dark Merlin over the neighborhoods north of Sawn Lake. I'll > post photos later, but the bird is at least of some Black Merlin ancestry. > > Paul Hurtado > Reno >
Date: 11/12/19 6:22 pm From: Martin Meyers <Martin...> Subject: Barrow's Goldeneyes at Rock Park (Sparks)
An eBird report yesterday included a sighting of eight Barrow's
Goldeneyes at Gateway Park (next to Rock Park on the Truckee River off
Rock Blvd). I decided to go have a look today, and was able to see and
photograph one male and three female Barrow's Goldeneyes about a half
mile upstream of Rock Park. This is pretty much right on time for this
species to show up here, and this stretch of the Truckee River is one
where they can often be found in season. Since yesterday's sighting was
not posted on the listserv, I thought I'd post mine to let the rest of
the Nevada birders know about it. (And yes, I could turn this into a
rant, but I'll spare you.)
Also present at Rock Park were two very attractive roosters walking
around near the bathrooms. No idea where they came from. Other species
present were one Belted Kingfisher, a bunch of Mallards and Canada
Geese, some Common Mergansers, and other usual suspects.
Martin
---------------
Martin Meyers
email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com
Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CA
Date: 11/12/19 2:06 pm From: Rita Schlageter <ritamschlag...> Subject: Floyd Lamb City Park -- Tule Springs. Las Vegas
Nov 12, 2019
Lovely day
Went looking for the Palm Warbler, found it, east side of area 5. Was advised of a Chestnut-sided Warbler. I found a 1st year Chestnut-sided Warbler east side of pond 2. There were many Ruby-crowned Kinglets so a lot of sorting is necessary. Then at table 40 in the golden leafed tree was the adult Chestnut-sided Warbler. Other interesting birds seen: M Wood Duck, a beautiful Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-shouldered Hawk, and 2 Roadrunners.
Date: 11/12/19 1:35 pm From: Rita Schlageter <ritamschlag...> Subject: Floyd Lamb City Park - Tule Springs. Las Vegas
Nov 12,2019. Lovely day.
Went looking for the Palm Warbler, found it east side of area 5. Was advised of a Chestnut-sided Warbler. I found a 1st year Chestnut-sided Warbler east side of pond 2. There are many Ruby-crowned Kinglets so a lot of sorting was necessary. Then in the golden tree at table 40 was the adult Chestnut-sided Warbler. Other interesting birds seen: M. Wood Duck, a beautiful Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-shoulder Hawk, and 2 Roadrunners.
Date: 11/12/19 8:50 am From: Ed Pandolfino <000001486149aa0b-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: A Request: Better documentation for California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays in NW Nevada
Absolutely agree, Paul. This is also an issue in parts of eastern California where eBird has Woodhouse records where I don't think they have ever occurred. I see a lot Woodhouse reports from Carson City and Carson Valley in eBird, but I thought one had to get into the Pinenuts before finding Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay?? Documentation needed.
Ed PandolfinoSacramento, CA
In a message dated 11/11/2019 8:50:20 PM Pacific Standard Time, <paul.j.hurtado...> writes:
Hi all,
I was looking through "Western" Scrub-Jay observations in eBird thisweekend, and was a bit surprised at how sparsely we have data on Californiaand Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays in the region.
I encourage those of you living in or visiting northern and western NV toplease pay close attention to any California or Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays youencounter and try to get good photo documentation posted in eBird of anyindividuals that are clearly one species or the other as well as confusingbirds that seem to be less than obviously one or the other. Photos showingthe back, the underparts -- including undertail coverts (in good light,ideally! :-) )Â -- and nice side views of the head would be greatlyappreciated!
Thanks,Paul Hurtado
-- Paul J. Hurtadohttp://www.pauljhurtado.com/
Date: 11/11/19 8:50 pm From: Paul Hurtado <paul.j.hurtado...> Subject: A Request: Better documentation for California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays in NW Nevada
Hi all,
I was looking through "Western" Scrub-Jay observations in eBird this weekend, and was a bit surprised at how sparsely we have data on California and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays in the region.
I encourage those of you living in or visiting northern and western NV to please pay close attention to any California or Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays you encounter and try to get good photo documentation posted in eBird of any individuals that are clearly one species or the other as well as confusing birds that seem to be less than obviously one or the other. Photos showing the back, the underparts -- including undertail coverts (in good light, ideally! :-) ) -- and nice side views of the head would be greatly appreciated!
Date: 11/10/19 6:40 pm From: justin streit <000000260acb25c4-dmarc-request...> Subject: 2 Purple Finches at Pine Creek, Red Rock Canyon, Clark County
Stopped by Pine Creek this evening and walked down to the water on the Fire Ecology Loop. Lots of bird activity. Mostly robins. However, I also had two different Purple Finches, both female types. The one I got photos of had a pretty significant bill deformity. The prominent facial pattern immediately ruled out House Finch. Then the dark around the eye (lack of an eyering), greenish brown back, and the smudgey streaks on the chest and flanks ruled out Cassin's. Photos on my ebird checklist.
Date: 11/9/19 7:41 pm From: Martin Meyers <Martin...> Subject: Iceland (thayeri) Gull at Sparks Marina, odds and ends around the area
I stopped at Sparks Marina today to scan the gull flock. In the "bay",
there was one first-cycle Iceland (thayeri) Gull, my first for the
season. Out on the main body of the lake, a scope scan revealed two
adult Herring Gulls among the thousands of California Gulls (and some
Ring-billed Gull.)
I started the day at Swan Lake (Lemmon Valley), which has a large number
of waterbirds with about eight Tundra Swans (there were a couple more
swans that I couldn't get a good enough scope view of to rule out
Trumpeter, but none of the birds I could see well were Trumpeters), ten
duck species (nothing unexpected), Canada Geese, Eared Grebes, etc.
Also present (at the end of Fleetwood Drive) was a large flock of
European Starlings sitting in a tree. Made for an interesting photo, now
on my website. Other odds and ends included Great-tailed Grackles, a
Northern Mockingbird, an American Kestrel, a Great Blue Heron, a
heard-only Sora, and a bunch of California Quail.
A walk around Virginia Lake produced three Hooded Mergansers with the
usual ducks, geese, Pied-billed Grebes, California and Ring-billed
Gulls, etc. Common Goldeneye numbers are increasing. Haven't seen a
Barrow's yet this fall.
Martin
---------------
Martin Meyers
email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com
Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CA
Date: 11/9/19 2:07 pm From: justin streit <000000260acb25c4-dmarc-request...> Subject: BL Kittiwake and 4 Pacific Loons at Lake Mead NRA, Clark County
Stopped by 33 Hole today at Lake Mead and was pretty quickly rewarded with 4! Pacific Loons all swimming together on the far side of the bay. Three of them left for a short period and then returned for Daniel and me and swam pretty much underneath us. All showed prominently barred backs of first year birds. Definitely the most I've ever seen in Nevada in one place.
Then as I was leaving (almost back to the parking lot), I noticed that the gulls were all getting excited about something and streaming off the sandbar towards the middle of the bay. As I scanned the group over the deepest water, one bird stood out as almost completely pale winged, with quick, choppy wingbeats. From a distance, I almost couldn't tell that it had any black in the primaries at all. Once I returned down to the lookout rock, Daniel and I were able to pick the bird out again and note the very reduced black primary tips and small, all yellow bill of the continuing adult Black-legged Kittiwake. The bird stayed out over open water and eventually landed out on the yellow arm/lift/crane/whatever it is on the floating dock far out in the bay.
Checklist for the day, including photos, located here:
Lots of bird activity in Pahrump today. Woodpecker's are moving around. There were 50 species seen on Discovery Park and 5 additional species seen in other areas of Pahrump.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Northern Shoveler
American Wigeon
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Gambel's Quail
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon (feral)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Red-naped Sapsucker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (red-shafted (3) and (1) intergrade
American Kestrel
Prairie Falcon
Say's Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
American Crow
Common Raven
Verdin
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Phainopepla
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
White-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
I thought I would take advantage of the warm weather and look for winter geese and ducks at Sheldon Wildlife Refuge. At Dufurrena pond #19 were 4 Tundra Swans; at pond #20 was a Red-breasted Merganser and about a dozen Common Goldeneyes. I spent an hour looking for American Tree Sparrow--no luck there, but did turn up a Swamp Sparrow along a ditch between 2 ponds.
I headed up to Big Springs Reservoir, which at first I thought was dry, but there was some open water near the restroom with about 300 waterfowl: American Wigeons, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Common Goldeneye, Mallard, Bufflehead, Gadwall, and my personal nemesis for this county, Lesser Scaup. A pair of Snow Geese were grazing along the shore.
The day before I had looked at the ag areas in Paradise Valley and Orvada. I found a Rough-legged Hawk outside of Orvada and a large flock of Wild Turkeys in Paradise Valley (the town itself is overrun with California Quail). I also saw 2 Golden Eagles on my drive to Sheldon NWR.
Speaking of hawks--I did a quick check of the Lovelock ag areas (north and south) and while there weren't as many hawks as 2 years ago, there were a fair number of Red-tails, Rough-legged, and Ferruginous Hawks, plus 3 Prairie Falcons (and in one field with some goats, I saw an Emu, or something similar).
On my way home today, I stopped at Pitt-Taylor Reservoir. I was scoping some really distance gulls, and after a fair amount of eye strain I was fairly certain there was a Bonaparte's Gull on a far shore. Then I turned around, and there were 2 Bonaparte's Gulls on the other reservoir, right near the shore (at the place where the road splits with an upper and lower road). There was also a weird looking gull that was impossible to ID. It was very pale, but I swear it was a light sandy brown. Even with a good scope, it was too far away to see well, so it will just have to go down as a "gull spuh". I really have no idea of what it was, but it didn't look like anything I had seen before. Maybe it was something common, but with stained feathers. Still, a very good trip over all.
Meg AndrewsReno, NV
Date: 11/8/19 4:59 pm From: Ben Zyla <Theloraxx365...> Subject: Cont. Black-legged Kitiwake at 33 Hole, Lake Mead NRA
Hey All,
I observed the BLKI that D.Mitev found on 2 Nov at 33 Hole today. It was flying around the water between the increasing sand bar and the entrance to governemnet wash. Usually in the presence of a fishing boats. Never landed, always on the wing. I picked it out by its choppy, stiffer wing beats. Kinda Fulmer like. It looks like an adult as Daniel reported.
There was also a Bonaparte's and Herring Gull there giving a good diversity. The sand spit is increasing in size and if the water level does not rise, should be a good spot for winter Gulls.
Date: 11/7/19 7:00 pm From: Martin Meyers <Martin...> Subject: Surf Scoters at Pyramid Lake
Well, after failing to find the Surf Scoter in Storey County, I headed
out to Pyramid Lake. I did not find the Surf Scoter that Dennis
Serdehely reported from the Tamaracks, but did find two south of the
Sutcliffe hatchery ("South Nets"). The birds were pretty far south, not
far from where we had all three North American Scoters together at
almost the same date last year (11/4/18 and for several days on both
sides of that date, but I don't have an entry in my database for the
7th.)
Doesn't do much for my Storey County list though. : < {
Other than that, Pyramid was beautiful -- dead calm, like glass. But
uneventful. There looked like there were quite a few birds at the south
end in the bay at the terminus of the Truckee River, but other than
that, the south end was pretty empty. The Willows wasn't much better --
White-crowned Sparrows in the desert vegetation around the outside of
the Willows. Lots of Starlings. Two Red-tailed Hawks, one Great Horned
Owl, one (maybe two) Barn Owls, and one Northern Flicker. A one-second
look at a darker sparrow, probably Song but didn't see it well enough to
be sure. There were a number of ducks along the shore including
Redheads, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneyes, Mallards, and Gadwalls. No
unusual gulls anywhere. The excitement was overwhelming!
Martin
---------------
Martin Meyers
email: Martin (...AT...) SierraBirdbum.com
Photo website: http://SierraBirdbum.com Truckee, CA
Date: 11/7/19 11:26 am From: Martin Meyers <martin...> Subject: No luck on Surf Scoter at TRIP pond
Five birders birded the TRIP pond in Storey County this morning, but we had no luck on the Surf Scoter. There was a nice assortment of ducks, many Coots and Eared Grebes, a few Am. Pipits, and lots of Horned Larks.  Martin_______________Martin Meyersemail: Martin...(AT...) SierraBirdbum.comPhoto website: http://SierraBirdbum.com
Date: 11/7/19 8:04 am From: Jeff Bleam <jcbleam...> Subject: Fwd: Hawk
Hawk found dead. See message below.
Jeff Bleam Mt Rose Foothills, NV byjcbphoto.com
---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Maralee Quanbeck <maraleequanbeck...> Date: Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 8:02 AM Subject: Hawk To: <jcbleam...>
My neighbor Donna said she just saw a hawk fall out of the sky. He landed on her patio, but is dead. Would anyone want him for teaching purposes? I haven't gone over to identify him, but pretty sure it will be a Coopers hawk.
Date: 11/6/19 5:46 pm From: Dennis Serdehely <birders...> Subject: Trumpeter Swans and Surf Scoter
This morning the 2 Trumpeter Swans and the 3 Tundra Swans were still present at the Damonte Wetlands pond behind the fire station at the corner of Steamboat and Veterans Parkways. The Surf Scoter was still present this afternoon at 4:00 pm at the TRIP Pond in Storey County. To reach TRIP Pond the USA Parkway exit from I 80 and turn right. Drive 1.8 miles and it will be on your left. There is a left turn lane. Dennis SerdehelyFernley, NV
Date: 11/6/19 11:48 am From: Rick/Meg Andrews <andrews2727...> Subject: Surf Scoter at TRIP pond, Storey County
I was able to refind the Surf Scoter Jeff Bleam found at the TRIP pond off of the USA Parkway (TRIP stands for Tahoe Reno Industrial Park). Boy, that bird was hard to find! I scoped each and every bird on the pond 3 times, before I started walking back to my car. I thought I would try to scope the birds one more time, and find it immediately! Needless to say, the bird was spending most of its time diving, and when on the surface, it was usually facing away from me Last seen near the dam.
Meg AndrewsReno
