—–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 19:22

While at Rancho San Rafael park yesterday afternoon, I noticed a Steller’s jay fly repeatedly to a large cottonwood branch. The bird landed on the side of the branch I couldn’t see but it seemed to be returning to the same spot each time. After maybe 30 seconds the bird would fly to a smaller branch and wipe its bill and then return to the larger branch. Sometimes the jay would land in the grass below the branch and then fly up and wipe its bill on a small branch. I got close enough to see that there were lots of honeybees around the branch. I suspect that the jay was robbing the hive but I couldn’t get a good look. Is it common for jays to rob bee hives? A short while later I heard a Staller’s jay screeching at something in another cottonwood. I walked around to see what was upsetting the bird and a raccoon shinnied down the tree and waddled into the underbrush. On the way out of the park there were 4 or 5 downy woodpeckers bickering over territory. One would drive another from a tree and the one displaced would drive another from its tree and so on for several minutes. This morning I went to Galena Creek. There were a few pine siskins, lots of Steller’s jays and several western tanagers flying around. On the way back to Reno I swung by Damonte ranch. There were a few avocets, some teals and one white faced ibis. Going past Huffaker reservoir there was an osprey perched on top of a phone pole.

Miles Shaylor Reno

—–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 11:40

Frank Whitman, who lives in Austin (Lander Co.), asked me to pass the following along to the listserve. Over the past several years, the number of Eurasian Collared-Doves has soared in that town. This year, they have been nearly absent, and Frank today wrote that he finally found one bird. In a few trips to Eureka, to the east, he noted a similar decrease, although he didn’t pay as much attention there. Given the rapidly growing populations in other northern Nevada towns (Lovelock, Winnemucca, Elko, for example), this marked decline in at least Austin is notable.

Alan Wallace Reno NV

—–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 10:28

A pair of noisy California Quail have at least one tiny, equally noisy chick in my yard this morning. With a three-week incubation time, this indicates that the egg(s) was laid in late April. This seems early, but it’s always nice to see regardless of the timing.

Alan Wallace Reno NV

—–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 12:26

East, Las Vegas, 5-16-12, I noticed a different Hummingbird at the feeder this morning. Maybe just an immature, but I’m not sure. Can anyone help? Pictures aren’t great but should be good enough for an ID I hope.

http://s317.photobucket.com/albums/mm376/gmzachman/

Thanks, Gary Zachman

—–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 12:28

This morning at about 9 a.m., Tim Ricks and I observed an adult Mississippi Kite at the Las Vegas Wash near the Pabco Road Weir in Henderson. The bird was perched in a mesquite tree growing in the discharge channel that carries treated wastewater from the City of Henderson’s water reclamation facility to the Las Vegas Wash. It was very agreeable and allowed us to get several pictures before flying to the edge of an adjacent stand of tamarisk where it perched again. At that point we had to head off to finish our field work.

Debbie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Debbie Van Dooremolen Environmental Biologist II Southern Nevada Water Authority Resource Management Biology Team P.O. Box 99956 Las Vegas, NV 89193-9956=

—–Original Message—– Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 18:43

Hi birders,

Late this afternoon Greg Scyphers and I enjoyed a nice alternate Stilt Sandpiper in the middle pond of the Duck Creek area of Wetlands Park. It was associating with a few dowitchers.

Andrew Lee Henderson

—–Original Message—– Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 20:26

We have a very dark House Finch that showed up at our place in Fallon a few days ago and he’s been eating sunflower seeds and getting a sugar rush from the oriole nectar. I’ve never seen a House Finch this dark and it was quite a nice surprise.

You should be able to click on the link below and see the images. If not, please email me and I will send the images to you.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.354290207957356.89632.3426906424506 46&type=1

Are House Finches this dark very common? He sure threw us for a loop.

Carol Amos

—–Original Message—– Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 15:26

NV birders,

Dennis and I took a hike up the Thomas Creek trail this morning up into the pine forests of the Carson Range, between Reno and Lake Tahoe. We encountered many spring migrants, including Cassin’s Vireo, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Warbling Vireos, and one W. Wood-Pewee – no Olive-sided Flycatchers yet. American Robins abounded, singing, bringing food to nests, present everywhere. Also numerous were Red-breasted Sapsuckers.

The highpoint of the excursion occurred on the way back down the Dry Pond Trail, just before it joins the main Thomas Creek Tr. I stopped to watch chattering chickadees and other birds just off the trail. When Dennis arrived, he was able to sort out a very strange outline in the tree shadows of a small bird with a very long hairy tail into 2 critters, a Northern Pygmy Owl clutching his lunch of a chipmunk which was longer by far than the owl. Let me know (off-line) if you’d like to see a photo. The owl is just a bit larger than a House Sparrow and is a resident of these woods, but very hard to locate, except by accident. We have seen the owl in lower Thomas Creek on at least two Reno CBCs.

A fine sunny breezy day in paradise!

Rose Strickland Reno=

—–Original Message—– Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 13:38

I just talked with Amy Sprunger, who is the Refuge Manager at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (Corn Creek) regarding the changes that have been happening over the last couple of years at Corn Creek. In a nutshell, here is what is happening..

The front pond has been cemented in for a couple of reasons: 1) there are pipes built in to provide water for cooling of the new building/office that is to be built, 2) there are pipes for any fire in the area, and 3) the pond will hold some of the endangered pupfish. The reason for the cement (besides the pipes) is to prevent the crawfish (which eat the pupfish) from living there (apparently the crawfish need to bury into the mud).

The new office will go where the current trailer/restrooms are. Not sure on the date for that construction.

The stream is diverted to the meadow and the ponds (which were man made) and are being allowed to dry. This will revert back to a more natural scenario.

Very little further habitat “destruction” is needed. 97% of the “destruction” is done. No current plans to remove the mulberry trees.

They are planting native plants, about 50% are now in the ground.

“It should be better when everything is done, but patience is needed.” She felt it will look much improved next spring.

Hope this is true.

Thanks

Jim Holmes

—–Original Message—– Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 10:56

—–Original Message—– Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 9:16 PM

Pahranagat NWR, Lincoln County, US-NV May 11 to 12, 2012 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM Traveling over 3.0 mile(s) Observer: John B. Free and Melissa Renfro (May 11th) and with 14 others from Red Rocks Audubon (L.V.) on 5/12/2012. conditions: Clear, 85 deg (5/11), 54 deg to 86 deg on 5/12/2012. Traveling on roads and trails on North Pahranagant Lake NWR 47 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 7 Gadwall (Anas strepera) 1 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 18 Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 5 Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 2 Redhead (Aythya americana) 2 Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 4

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 5 ,

Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) 12

Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) 5 ,

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 5 Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 4 Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 3 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1 American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1 American Coot (Fulica americana) 1000 American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) 20

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 8 ,

Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 5 Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri) 5 Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 4 Inca Dove (Columbina inca) 7 seen on the road Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) 5 Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) 2 Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) 1 Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 2 Singing male heard by group Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) 2

Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) 1

Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) 6 Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) 12 Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeus) 1 American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 2 Common Raven (Corvus corax) 4 Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) 1 MacGillivray’s Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei) 1 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 25 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 25 Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 1 Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) 5 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) 1 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 1 Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 40 Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) 20 Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 4 Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii) 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)