Birds, Scenic Views, and More

 March has been a month of variable weather, like usual. The snow is melting, the reservoirs filling, and the wind blowing. We can always count on the wind! We lost part of the roof on one of our outbuildings this month. Some other roofs blew off around town this spring, along with other structural damage. I guess it's been windier than usual. The clouds can be amazing, though.

I really like the dramatic clouds and snow-covered peaks!


We've gotten some snow, which always makes me admire the early flowers that can handle the snow and freezing. These are blossoms on one of our currant bushes.

The robins are numerous now, and they get extra puffy when it's cold.

The American Avocets are back. They are such pretty birds.

The turkey vultures are migrating through. We'll see occasional ones throughout the summer, but spring and fall is when we see the most.

It's fun to watch them soar.

These chickens don't seem to mind the snow. Our last chickens wouldn't even leave the coop if there was snow, so it's neat to see these be a little more adventurous.

We often spot a red-tailed hawk in our trees or the neighbors'.

Desert Girl sometimes joins me on little rambles in the golden light, looking for good photos. She wants to win a big ribbon at the county fair this year.

We got a nice view of a Western Meadowlark that evening.

 

One evening, Desert Girl joined me on a short-eared owl survey. We didn't see any short-eared owls, but we had some beautiful views. Here's Crystal Peak off in the distance.

And U.S. Highway 50, which seems to go on nearly forever.


We also saw this impressive load. We counted 50 tires. It must weigh a lot!

It's fun seeing all the changes spring brings. Of course, if you don't like the wind or snow, it's possible to go hide in the kids' new fort--a buried 55-gallon drum. 

Spring Birds

It's springtime, which means a whole mix of weather, but overall we're getting outside more--hurray! Desert Girl sure loves our chickens. They've been good layers all winter. And I have to admit I'm surprised that they've survived with all the predators around here. 

Some birds are coming back, like the killdeer. They can make quite a racket.

The bluebirds have been around all winter, but their colors seem brighter now.

Desert Girl worked hard to catch one, but didn't succeed. Then she tried to talk me into getting her a parakeet. No, thanks, I know who will end up taking care of it! I told her it's best to enjoy the birds in the wild.

The heifers (first time moms) are already done calving, and now we're in prime season for the cows out on the range to give birth. The bluebirds are checking out what's going on.

One morning I decided to get up early and go down where there's some water to capture the sunrise reflections. There were a few birds around, especially Canada Geese.

It was a gorgeous morning, and the usual wind had calmed down.

The ravens are numerous year round.

I liked the symmetry of these flying ducks and their reflections.

There were a big group of sea gulls out on the lake.

And no year would be complete without at least one photo of a daffodil!

 Happy spring!

2016 Centennial Bird BioBlitz at Great Basin National Park

 May 20-22, 2016 was the Centennial Bird BioBlitz at Great Basin National Park. Over the course of three days, 150 people gathered to learn about and help document the birds in the park. The BioBlitz started off Friday with an afternoon of workshops.

Joe Doucette from the Nevada Department of Wildlife brought Hedwig the owl. He was a big hit.

Later, Ranger Mark showed the audience how to whistle and make various bird songs. It was really cool. Every time I hear a nighthawk now, I think of his "Beans" imitation.

Past artists-in-residence for Great Basin National Park, Miki Herder and Kristin Gjerdset, attended and led bird illustration workshops.

About 35 school kids attended and did their best to draw an owl. Some of them had amazing drawings.

It wasn't all birds--we also had a talk about bird food, aka reptiles. The kids (and adults) loved seeing specimens up close.

The next morning there were nine different bird walks to choose from. I joined one near the visitor center. I didn't think we would see that much in the pinyon juniper.

Boy, was I wrong. We found 17 species, including this green-tailed towhee.

Then I joined a walk up South Fork Baker Creek. It was a much bigger crowd, as it started later in the day.

We saw beautiful scenery, but not quite as many birds. However, a goshawk flew over the group, so that was super exciting.

You can tell that people are into their hobby when their license plate reflects it!

The afternoon included more talks and demonstrations. Martin Tyner from Southwest Wildlife Foundation showed several birds, including this falcon

The golden eagle was really big.

The second bird illustration workshop was a little smaller, allowing each attendee to get some personalized attention.

The kids enjoyed drawing more.

On Sunday morning I joined another bird walk. As you can see by the clothing, it was a little cool.

I happened to be taking a photo of the group when a bird was spotted behind me. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the birders!

I did photograph a few birds, like this mountain bluebird.

This Say's phoebe was taking some lunch to the nest.

The BioBlitz concluded with a lunch sponsored by the Great Basin National Park Foundation.

Following the lunch, we learned the preliminary results from Kelly Colegrove of Great Basin Bird Observatory. Over 70 species had been tallied, with data still needing to be entered.


Then it was time for some raffle prizes donated by the Western National Parks Association.

One last thing--a group photo! 

It was a very fun event, and now the park knows more about what birds live or visit there in May.

Great Backyard Bird Count

 It was just a little over a week ago that we had a massive snow storm that dumped about 14-15 inches in our yard (and more nearby). For those moving snow (like my husband), they very quickly got tired of the snow.

It was quite impressive, and the kids and dog and I had fun wandering around in it.

We taught the kids how to clear the snow off the front steps.

And how to measure it.

And we put out extra bird seed. Soon we had all sorts of birds flocking to our feeder. The record so far is eight different species at the same time. These might be female pine siskins, the white wing bars and pointed bill look a little different than Cassin's finches, which would be my second guess (and house finches would by my third). Who said bird i.d. was easy? Ha. It's great to have some challenges right in your own backyard!


Here's a much easier bird to identify. Dark-eyed juncos (Oregon subspecies) are by far the most prevalent bird. Here's a female, the males have darker heads.

It's exciting when you see a flash of color. I knew immediately this was a goldfinch, but had to study the bird book to determine if it was American or Lesser. Goldfinches, like many birds, change color from nonbreeding to breeding season. Based on the white under the tail, I'm going with American Goldfinch for this bird. (If you're a birder and I'm wrong, let me know so I can learn!)

The House Sparrow is non-native, but we usually only have one or two and this one managed to look quite regal.

A flash of red means we have finches. They are in the same family as goldfinches, but a different genus (sort of the equivalent of being second cousins). We have both House and Cassin's Finches in the area. Based on the grey cheek and streaked flanks, I'm going with House Finch for this one.

A bird we don't see at the feeder but frequently in the yard (some are living in the holes in our Lombardy poplars) are Northern Flickers. We have the red-shafted variety here, so when they fly in their undulating pattern, we see the red under the wings. They're a type of woodpecker and have done very well in our area. We have holes in our house from them, and sometimes I have to chase them away, but they are a very pretty bird, and they eat a lot of ants in the summer.

And finally, here's one I got quite excited about. This bird is larger than the finches. With its bright red eye, black head, white belly, orange sides, and spotted dark back, it's clearly a spotted towhee. I usually see them in riparian and shrub areas at a higher elevation. They're the first species to fly off with a disturbance, so it took a few tries to get a good photo.

What birds are in your backyard? Here's a link to help you identify them.

The Great Backyard Bird Count, a nationwide effort, is coming up soon, February 12-15. Here's your chance to learn more about the birds in your backyard plus contribute to science!