—–Original Message—– Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 20:45
Hello!
Earlier this evening (Thursday, Nov. 3rd), I clearly heard the distinct call of a Varied Thrush ironically in the same area where up to two were observed late October/early November of last year at the referenced location. I tried to coax it out of its hiding place with a few soft pishes but it wouldn’t show itself in the very windy conditions. I did hear it softly chuck for several seconds after I pished.
Since I’m posting, I thought I’d follow up on the posts by Fred Petersen and Chris Nicolai about Western Screech-Owls in western Nevada. As some may know/remember from my previous posts this year, there were a pair of Western Screech-Owls at Carson River Park/Silver Saddle Ranch that successfully raised two owlets (from what I saw and poorly photographed). I don’t know for sure, but I presume that the pair may have nested in one of the few functional Wood Duck boxes in the area where seen and heard from April into October. I have not seen/heard any of the Screech Owls in the past few weeks, presumably because Great Horned Owls have been very active in the same area during that time frame. Also, for the past few weeks, Barn Owls have been making a ruckus in a tree near the picnic tables by the parking lot with three seen bunched together in a tree this evening.
Other miscellaneous sightings over the past few weeks in the Carson City area include 8 Snow Geese in the Jarrard Ranch field on October 29th and 30th best viewed from Riverview Park, and a Golden Eagle and an Osprey at Carson River Park on October 30th. Also, on October 30th, I went to scope out the River Fork Ranch operated by the Nature Conservancy on Genoa Lane just east of Genoa, and hiked the 2-mile (one way) trail along the West Fork of the Carson River to Mueller Lane. Nothing out of the ordinary was observed but the trail looks like it would be good to hike in the winter as it takes you through/nearer to fields where hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls can be observed but typically only from the side of the road (Genoa Lane or Mueller Lane). This past winter in January and February, I observed a Short-Eared Owl, a Rough-Legged Hawk, and a Prairie Falcon in the same fields. Currently, this trail can only be accessed from the north from Genoa Lane at the Whit Hall Interpretative Center. There is a closed/locked gate at the south end of the trail at Mueller Lane from which one cannot access the trail. Anyway, maybe something to keep on one’s radar if birding in the area this winter.
Rob Lowry Carson City
