Birds of Ash Meadows NWR

   What : 885 images of 31 different species (8 new species)
   When : Nov 17th 2008 / 12 hrs of birding
   Where : Ash Meadows NWR, Nevada

Another business trip to Las Vegas gave me the opportunity to visit Ash Meadows NWR. I spent some time monitoring postings on Nevada Birds which gave me a good idea of what to expect. I contacted Carl who posted detailed messages daily and he gave me some great information.

I was planning to head out of Vegas at around 4:30am but a late night out pushed my departure back to 6:30am. I got to the park entrance at Spring Meadows Road a little after 8:00am and after a few minutes I noticed a Jay like bird a little further up. A couple of minutes later I had my first pics of the day; a Western Scrub Jay – not a new bird but a nice one nonetheless. A few minutes later I had the first group of sparrows flying away. They were Savannah Sparrows, lovely little guys but I have more pics of them than any other sparrows so no new species there.

American Kestrel and White-crowned Sparrows were next and soon there after I got my first new species. A group of 10 Lesser Goldfinches stoped at a tree nearby, long enough for me to snap a hand full of pictures. Two minutes later a Lincoln’s sparrow was nice enough to give me a few good poses. A few feet away a Sage sparrow made a very brief appearance. I was happy with the few photos that I got even though most of the bird was hidden. Three new birds in 20 minutes was a very good tally.

I dedicated the next hour or so chasing the numerous Phainopepla that were in the Bradford Spring area. They were very inquisitive and got close to me a number of times so I was able to take a few half descent shots. In between I saw and photographed a very nice looking Loggerhead Shrike. My search for Red-naped Sapsucker in an area with Gooding's Willows did not produce the goods. I was successful in finding an Orange-crowned Warbler which was the 4th new species for the trip.

A visit to Points of Rocks Springs was next on my itinerary. Carl had told me that this would be a good area for Rock Wren, Chukars and Crissal Thracher. On my way to the springs, I spotted a Roadrunner out in the open. He attempted to hide behind a small shrub before he took off running, flying and running some more. This is the first time I had a chance to see a Roadrunner for more than a few seconds and it was a great thrill. When I got to the springs I did not see any of the target birds, but the springs themselves were beautiful and I got to see many pupfish living their lives in the middle of a desert! Seeing Red-shafted Northern Flickers for the first time was also a treat.

Next stop was the Crystal Reservoir where I had distant looks of California Gulls and much closer looks of Dunlin, Least Sandpiper and Say's Phoebe. Snow Geese, Great Blue Heron, Common Loon and a number of Grebes were also present. The refuge headquarters was my next stop as I wanted to meet Carl in person. He was out at the time so I looked around at Crystal Spring. Not much happening there as the presence of a Cooper's Hawk kept things quiet. Spring Meadows Road produced Mountain Bluebirds, one more species that Carl had lined up for me.

A trip to nearby Amargosa Valley for raptors was next in the program. There were tons of Eurasian collared Doves in the area and a good number of Ferruginous and Red-tailed Hawks. It was early afternoon and the doves were within a few feet of most hawks. I saw one dove trying to harass? a hawk to no avail. All hawks looked like they just got done having a Thanksgiving feast. The last new species of the trip was the best one by far. I located a Prairie Falcon and seeing it take off and fly around was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I headed back to the refuge and met up with Carl. He was a great help and thanks to him, I was able to get 8 new species on this trip. Ash Meadows is definitely a place I want to visit again in the near future.

New Species

Other Species