Red Rock Audubon Society Information Center

Programs & Presentations 2012

January 9th, 2012: Len Warren

“Breeding Birds of Amargosa Valley”

Len Warren, our Education Chair, will present on the Breeding Birds of Amargosa Valley. He will share experiences, photos, and video about the breeding biology of migratory and year-round desert songbirds and display photos of eggs, nests, and baby birds. For the past three years, Len has been employed as an “all species” nest searcher for the Amargosa Canyon Songbird Project during breeding season. 2011 completed the 7th consecutive year of this PRBO Conservation Sciences (Point Reyes Bird Observatory) project.

January 23rd, 2012: Dorothy Crowe & Christiana Manville

“Burrowing Owls”

RRAS – West Branch, Pahrump: On January 23rd, 2012, Dorothy Crowe (USGS) and Christiana Manville (USFWS) will present on Burrowing Owls. Dorothy and Christiana both have extensive experience monitoring Burrowing Owls in Nevada.

Social hour begins at 6:00 pm, with the general meeting beginning at 6:30 pm. Meet at the Cooperative Extension, 1651 E. Calvada Blvd, Pahrump, NV. We will have our usual raffle prizes and snacks and continue to encourage the collection of aluminum cans, with the proceeds being used for education events

February 13, 2012: Matt Denton

“Exploring Bird Diversity in Peru”

Peru is a famous place among birders, and rightly so. More new bird species have been discovered there in the last few decades than any other country. Today, ornithologists are still struggling to unravel this diversity as new forms are discovered and previously unknown relationships come to light. One of these is the Scarlet-banded Barbet, discovered only in 1996 and described in 2000 by ornithologists from Louisiana State University. This spectacularly plumaged bird is still known only from a single peak which had never been explored due to its remoteness at the edge of the Peruvian Amazon. Matt has recently returned from Peru where he made the hike up Cerro Cinco Puntos to see the barbet successfully.

Matt Denton spent nearly a decade in Latin America studying birds as an undergraduate student, bird biologist, and guide. Now he returns each year to Central and South America leading bird tours for Birdquest. Matt’s varied birding career includes leading field projects studying tropical bird ecology; monitoring rare macaws in remote Northeast Brazil; and training guides in the Peruvian rainforest.

March 12th, 2012: Jim Moore, Nature Conservancy

The Oasis Valley has only recently been recognized as a jewel in the Mojave Desert. Surrounded on all sides by arid creosote scrub uplands, the Oasis Valley is truly an oasis in the desert. Many freshwater springs, some warm, some hot, most cold, pop up across the 12-mile long landscape north of Beatty in Nye County. As in much of Nevada, these sources of freshwater are located on private land which has made comprehensive conservation of these unique systems and their endemic wildlife a challenge to accomplish.

Since 1994 Jim Moore has led the effort for The Nature Conservancy as their Oasis Valley Project Director and after 17 years of working with private landowners, local businesses and public land management agencies, has started to see the tide turning in favor of conservation and restoration of natural landscapes. TNC owns several properties now throughout the valley and has funded bird surveys for the last 12 years on one in particular, the Torrance Ranch. Many interesting surprises of casual vagrants and seasonal migrants have been discovered using the Oasis Valley as an important rest and refueling site on their way south in fall and winter and north in spring and summer. Jim will talk about the effort to restore natural forested riparian systems in the valley, and the bird species and local endemic fish, snails and toads that he hopes will benefit from those efforts.

Jim Moore has been working with The Nature Conservancy for 22 years in their Las Vegas office on such projects as Desert Tortoise conservation planning, Indonesia forest conservation, Mongolia grasslands conservation and now Mojave-wide renewable energy siting and mitigation strategies.

April 9th, 2012: Bob Wilkin

“Birds of Belize”

On a recent trip to Belize, Bob Wilkin, President of Red Rock Audubon Society, photographed many birds and a bit of the other wildlife of the rainforest. This presentation is the photographic record of the trip. You will be treated to the birds of Belize with helpful tips on where to find toucans and other highly sought after bird species. You will see and get information on resorts including some of the least expensive places to stay on Hummingbird Highway to the sky-high plantation that will be a favorite stop on any birders journey to the southernmost tip of Belize. You will be warned about the dreaded Botfly, and told what to do if you happen to pick up this hitchhiker who really gets under your skin! You will get information on the Belize Audubon Society and how to find their office in Belize City. You need the helpful tip on car rental in Belize; it could save you hundreds of dollars! I will tell you how to find the best guide in central Belize and how to share rides with the locals. And for those of you with a passion for exotic foods, I will tell you how and where to get Garifuna cuisine. Whether you love birds, butterflies, bugs, rainforest, or beaches, there is something for everyone in Belize!