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 birding...

         Nevada

 







Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides ©Peter LaTourrette http://www.stanford.edu/~petelat1/

Most people`s mental image of Nevada is of great expanses of dry desert landscape, covered with sagebrush and blowing sand. The fact that Nevada is the driest state, averaging less than 4 inches of precipitation a year, supports this image. In fact, ranked sixth in the nation for biodiversity, Nevada, a Spanish word meaning snow-covered mountains, offers birders much more than barren wastelands.

Located almost entirely in the Great Basin portion of the Intermountain Region, Nevada boasts 51 peaks with an elevation over 9,000 feet. The highest, Boundary Peak, along the California border, towers over 13,000 feet, while the lower end along the lower Colorado River sits at 420 feet. This wide range supports many diverse habitats. Nevada is a state of basins and ranges, with numerous north/south lying mountain ranges separated by valleys. Nevada ranks 7th in area and 35th in population, with a density of 16 people per square mile. Nearly 75% of the population lives in the Las Vegas area.

The bird life is as diverse as the habitats, with a state list hovering around 470 species, nearly 250 of which are known to breed in the state. Located on the Pacific Flyway, Nevada hosts a wide range of shorebirds and waterfowl. In 1999, over 60,000 shorebirds were tallied in both the Spring and Fall counts, with Long-billed Dowitchers, Black-necked Stilts, and American Avocets as the most numerous species. Large concentrations of wintering raptors can be found in the Northwestern part of the state. Eastern Nevada is the only place in North America to see the introduced Himalayan Snowcock, and southern Nevada receives many visitors for Le Conte`s Thrasher and other desert species.

The state has two Audubon chapters, Lahonton Audubon in the Reno area and Red Rock in Las Vegas, the Great Basin Bird Observatory, and an active Nature Conservancy chapter. A newly implemented Important Bird Area program has designated several Globally and Continentally Important sites. The Globally Important sites include the Goshute Mountains, Lahonton Valley Wetlands, Ruby Lake NWR, and Walker Lake. Pahranagat NWR is a Continentally Important site. Other potential Important Bird Areas include Franklin Lake, Humboldt WMA and Pyramid Lake. Nevada is also an active member in Partners in Flight.

With the aid of dedicated volunteers, fieldwork on the Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas has been completed and will be published by the Great Basin Bird Observatory in 2002. Eight MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding stations are currently in operation, and new stations are in the planning stages. An ongoing raptor migration project, which includes banding, in the Goshute Mountains in eastern Nevada, is sponsored by HawkWatch International. News of these projects and current local sightings can be found on the Nevada Birding Listserv.

  contributor

 

Beth & Bill Clark
wclark33@aol.com

  numbers

 
Number of bird species:474

  useful reading

 

Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada

by Ted Floyd, NYP
ISBN: 0874176956
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Bird Songs and Calls of Lake Tahoe - Tape

Sierra Nevada Mountains, California / Nevada
ISBN: 137069
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of the Lahontan Valley: A Guide to Nevada's Wetland Oasis

Graham Chisholm and Larry A Neel 224 pages, 60 illus, 4 maps. University of Nevada Press 2002
ISBN: 0874174791
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of the Southwest : Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, and Southern Nevada

(W.L. Moody, Jr., Natural History Series, No. 30) John H. Rappole Hardcover (October 2000) Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 0890969574
Buy this book from NHBS.com

  useful information

 

State Bird


Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides

  clubs

 

Audubon Society in Nevada

http://www.audubon.org/chapter/nv/
The usual list of local chapters.

Biological Resource Research Center

http://www.nbii.gov/geographic/us/nv-nbii.html
The Biological Resources Research Center (BRRC) was established in 1992 to conduct scientific research and planning efforts necessary to preserve the distinct biotic diversity of Nevada while simultaneously providing for economic viability and other needs of its citizens. The BRRC is a member of the Nevada Biodiversity Research and Conservation Initiative, a collaborative effort among local, state, and federal agencies to incorporate biotic diversity conservation in public land management. The BRRC is part of the Department of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno and supports educational programs for students, professionals and the community...

Goshutes Raptor Project

http://donb.furfly.net/goshutes/index.html
These pages provide information on the hottest raptor migration spot in the western United States - the Goshutes Mountains. For over 15 years, Hawkwatch International has conducted a research program at the site, and encourages visitors during the fall season.

Lahontan Audubon Society

http://www.nevadaaudubon.org/
Serving Northern Nevada - Little Valley is situated at an elevation of 6800 feet in the Carson Range between Reno and Carson City, NV. The valley is north-trending and lies between ridges that attain 9000 feet on the west and overlook Lake Tahoe and 7000 feet on the east and overlook Washoe Lake. Captain George Whittell deeded the north end of Little Valley to UNR for research and teaching purposes in 1959. The north end of the valley, now called the George Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area, has not been grazed for twenty years or logged since the late 1800`s. The valley flora and fauna are well studied, including the beaver whose dams have influenced the station habitat. One-hundred and two (102) species of birds have been noted in the valley since 1962.

Nature Conservancy in Nevada

http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/nevada/
A lovely photo of Stillwater Marsh on the opening page... The Nature Conservancy`s Nevada Chapter and our 6,000 members have been conserving critical lands and water in Nevada since 1983. Stillwater Marsh, Soldier Meadows, Red Rock Canyon, Ash Meadows, Franklin Lake, and other important natural areas are among the places we`ve helped to protect for all Nevadans as well as for future generations...

Nevada Bird Records Committee

http://www.gbbo.org/nbrc.htm
If you have observed a rare bird in Nevada, a written description is an excellent way of providing a credible and permanent record of your observation. The purpose of the Nevada Bird Records Committee (NBRC) is to archive all records of Nevada Review Species, for the long-term objective of determining patterns of occurrence and distribution of Nevada`s avifauna. NBRC requests documentation for all observations of species on the Nevada Review List...

Nevada Wildlife Federation

http://www.nvwf.org/menu.htm
The Nevada Wildlife Federation (NvWF) is an all volunteer organization dedicated to sustaining Nevada's natural resources for Nevada's natural resources for wildlife through conservation and education. NvWF is the state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation...

Red Rock Audubon Society

http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/redrockaudubon
The Red Rock Audubon Society is the Las Vegas chapter of the National Audubon Society. The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth`s biological diversity. Spring is fast approaching and so are many exciting birding activities. Read about the activities and field trips planned at the end of this report.

  observatories

 

Great Basin Bird Observatory

http://www.gbbo.org/
Great Basin Bird Observatory has launched a number of monitoring projects, including the Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas, two new MAPS bird banding stations and a loon telemetry project to help us better understand Walker Lake and its common loons. In addition, GBBO is actively working on several projects to increase public awareness of bird and habitat conservation, including the Spring Wings Festival in Fallon, Nevada and the Walker Lake Loon Festival in Nevada.

  museums

 

Barrick Museum Las Vegas

http://www.lvnhm.org/
The Barrick Museum Ornithology Department maintains curated collections of skins, egg sets and frozen tissues. Division research projects include: molt studies of passerine (song) birds, the molecular systematics and intercontinental bio-geography of certain passerine genera, the use of Lake Mead by migrating shorebirds, and documenting the distributions of avifauna in southern Nevada.

Nevada State Museum, Natural History

http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/museums/cc/researchres.htm
Natural History - Biology - Gallery of Birds

  reserves

 

City of Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

http://www.lvwash.org/wash/visit/visit.html
For more than 20 years, local birders and nature lovers have visited the evaporating ponds at the city`s Wastewater Reclamation Facility. As the third largest body of water in Southern Nevada, the ponds proved irresistible to a wide variety of native and migratory birds. Here in the middle of a desert, birds found an undisturbed and plentiful water source.

Las Vegas Springs Preserve

http://www.lvspringspreserve.org/
Extensive floral and faunal surveys are currently underway to define habitat use on the property. This approach to evaluating an ecosystem is necessary to determine appropriate and effective management strategies. Information that results from these surveys will be valuable for development of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, as well as the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. The data from this microcosm of the Mojave Desert also will serve to increase understanding of our native environment and thus encourage responsible use of the Mojave`s natural resources.

Nevada National Wildlife Refuges

http://gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/nv.htm
Click-thru to individual pages...

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge

http://gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/nv_ruby.htm
Of special interest are the canvasback and redhead nesting areas in the prolific bulrush of the South Marsh, a natural depression at the south end of the refuge. This area has the highest canvasback nesting density of anywhere in North America. During the years of flood and drought extremes, breeding birds were forced to nest elsewhere and managers were concerned about their success with limited wetlands...

Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

http://gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/nv_still.htm
The Stillwater marshes were drying up. Home for thousands of years to thousands of migrating birds and northern Paiute Indians who were closely connected to rhythms of the local ecology, the marshes waters were being diverted by twentieth century agriculture, drying them out and threatening wetland life. This is an absorbing story of a group of conservationists ingenious solution - to have the refuge buy agricultural water rights...

  trip reports

 

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

1997 [April] - Stephen Poley

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/USA/CA/CA-04-97.htm
This is the report of a trip by camper to Southern and Central California, plus the spectacular canyons of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. The trip was partly for birds and partly general natural history...

1997 [September] - Andrew J. Culshaw

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/USA/Multi/US-multi-1997.htm
This report covers a trip to California, Nevada and Utah undertaken by myself and my wife Cath from 5-21 September 1997. The primary purpose of our visit was for Cath to attend a conference in Las Vegas from 7-11 Sept, but we appended ten days holiday to the end of this period for birding and tourism.

2004 [June] - Andy Benson - Birding the Kokopelli trail

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/usa/tour1/sw-tour-04.htm
Our trip took in four states – Nevada, Utah, Arizona and California and we travelled over 2,700 miles by car in our three weeks from May 19th to June 8th. The weather was unsurprisingly warm and dry, though the canyons could be fairly cool during the morning and we did encounter about ˝ hour of rain when in Northern Arizona. The trip was planned as follows...

  tour operators

 

Birding Pal

http://birdingpal.org/nv.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

  places to stay

 

Steptoe Valley Inn B&B

http://www.nevadaweb.com/steptoe/
Bed & Breakfast in casual elegance, one block from the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Five second-floor rooms, private baths, private balconies, full breakfast. Victorian country cottage atmosphere, gazebo and glorious rose garden.

  mailing lists

 

nvbirds

http://www.lsoft.com/SCRIPTS/WL.EXE?SL1=NVBIRDS&H=LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
List contact:NVBIRDS-request@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
To subscribe to list:listserv@list.audubon.org
subscribe nvbirds Your Name
discussion about Nevada`s bird life

  other links

 

Himalayan Snowcock in the Ruby Mountains

http://www.geocities.com/bilnv/himalayan/snowcock.html
This page is about the elusive Himalayan snowcock (tetraogallus himalayensis). The Snowcock live in the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada. These birds were introduced in these mountains in 1963 and according to the National Geographic Society this bird is 28 inches from the tip of the beak to the tip on the tail feathers. From the mounts that I have seen I would say they stand around 14 inches tall...

In the Wild

http://www.ndow.org/wild/
Birdwatching in Nevada...

Wild Bird Habitat Stores

http://www.wildbirdhabitatstore.com/
Wild Bird Habitat Stores Alamo Center / 56th & Hwy 2 Lincoln, NE 68516 (402) 420-2553 info@wildbirdhabitatstore.com

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