the

Lahontan Audubon Society •

Pelican
P.O. Box 2304 • Reno, Nevada 89505 • www.nevadaaudubon.org • 775-324-BIRD

Mission statement: To preserve and improve the remaining habitat of birds and other wildlife, restore historical habitat, and educate
the public, with emphasis on children, providing vision to all about our unique Nevada environments.

MONTHLY MEETINGS
JULY/AUGUST
Date: Fourth Tuesday of the month
2009 Time: Social at 6:30 p.m. Program starts at 7 p.m.
Location: South Valleys Library
vol. 46, no. 6 15650A Wedge Parkway, Reno
Exterior door, west side of building
Directions to South Valleys Library: Take Hwy 395 to the Mt. Rose Hwy. Head west
Inside This Issue on the Mt. Rose Hwy and take the first right turn onto Wedge Parkway, just past Raley’s
shopping center. Go about one mile on Wedge Parkway and look for the boldly
1 Monthly Meetings
designed, mustard yellow library on the right. Carpooling is encouraged.
2 Ask a Birder
There are no meetings during the summer months of June, July, and August.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, September 22. See page 9 for a list of upcoming
3 Backyard Habitat
LAS General Meeting topics.
4 Field Trips
Birds & Books
5 Of Note from the
President The LAS Birds & Books Reading Group will not meet during the months of June,
July, and August. We will meet again at the Sundance Bookstore in September.
6 Birds and More For a complete schedule and brief description of the selected books, go to the LAS
website, www.nevadaaudubon.org, and check the Birds & Books section of the
7 Conservation Corner Meetings page.

9 The Avid Birder September 15

The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most
10 Birds In Town Beautiful Bird by Bruce Barcott

11 LAS Sales/ October 20

Membership
Submissions for the September/October
issue are due August 1, 2009
The Pelican may be viewed on the LAS
website at www.nevadaaudubon.org,
click on the Newsletter tab.
The Life of the Skies by Jonathan Rosen
We will select the books for January - May 2010 at this meeting
November 17
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson
December 15
How to Be a (Bad) Birdwatcher by Simon Barnes

The Pelican 1
ASK A BIRDER
LASBirdBrain@gmail.com

In this space, the LAS Bird Brain
will answer your questions about
birds and birding in northern Nevada.
Dear Bird Brain,
It’s really difficult for me to
tell the difference between the
hummingbirds I see pass through my
yard throughout the summer. What
are some characteristics I should
look for to help me identify them?
Sincerely,
Stumped in South Reno
Dear Stumped,
You might be
surprised to know
that nine different
hummingbird
species have been
documented in the
state of Nevada.
Six of these species might visit your
yard here in northern Nevada. These
include Anna’s, Black-chinned,
Calliope, Rufous, Broad-tailed,
and Costa’s Hummingbird. Of
these, the first four are the most
likely to occur in Reno area
backyards. Costa’s Hummingbird
is an occasional visitor from the
south; and the Broad-tailed is more
common in central and eastern
Nevada. As with many bird species,
the males are more conspicuous
and colorful than the females and
are the easiest to identify if you’re
relying on visual clues. Proper
lighting is also essential to light
up the iridescent feathers on the
gorget, or colored throat patch.
Anna’s, Broad-tailed, and Calliope
Hummingbirds all have a rosy red-
colored gorget; however, Anna’s
can be distinguished from the other
two because it also has a rosy red
crown. Broad-tailed and Calliope
males have a green crown. A male
Calliope’s gorget appears streaked
and is flared, whereas a Broad-
tailed’s gorget does not appear
streaked and is straight along
the bottom. The Calliope is also
noticeably smaller; in fact, it is our
smallest hummingbird in Nevada.
Costa’s has a purple crown and a
long, flared, purple gorget, and the
Black-chinned has a purple band
underneath its black chin. The
Rufous Hummingbird has orange-
red gorget feathers, but also shows a
rufous color over much of its body,
so it is very easily distinguished
from the other species.
If you dare to try your birding
skills on female hummingbirds,
here are a few tips. At first glance,
most female hummingbirds will
appear to have a green back and
light underside. To narrow it down,
you might notice that Anna’s, Black-
chinned, and Costa’s females have
a whitish underside, while Broad-
tailed and Calliope have a buffy
underside, and Rufous females are,
well, rufous. That might be as far as
you get with the females unless you
have a male around or hear
their songs.
Another way to identify
hummingbirds is the shape of the
male’s courtship dive. For example,
Rufous and Anna’s males show a
J-shaped diving display and Costa’s
and Calliope show a U-shaped
diving display. Consult your field
guide (Sibley is a good one) for
drawings of their aerial display
patterns. Good luck!
Happy Birding,
The Bird Brain
Do you have a question about birds
or birding in northern Nevada? If
so, please email the LAS Bird Brain
at LASBirdBrain@gmail.com.
Your question might be selected for
the next issue of The Pelican. And
remember, the only silly question is
the one that isn’t asked!

SUBSCRIPTIONS WHERE TO WRITE:

The Pelican is the official newsletter of the Lahontan Audubon
Society and is published six times annually. Subscriptions are
paid for as part of the dues of LAS or the National Audubon
Society. LAS welcomes gifts, donations, and bequests in gen-
eral, or gifts in honor or memory of relatives and friends. Such
donations will be used as specified or, if unspecified, will be
used to support LAS education and conservation projects. All
donations are tax deductible.
Keep conservation to the forefront. Write your elected officials and
tell them how you feel:
Senator Harry Reid Senator John Ensign
400 S. Virginia St. #902 400 S. Virginia St. #738
Reno, NV 89501 Reno, NV 89501
Toll-free: 1-866-736-7343 Reno phone: 775-686-5770
Representative Dean Heller Governor Jim Gibbons
400 S. Virginia St. #502 101 N. Carson St.
Reno, NV 89501 Carson City, NV 89710
Reno phone: 775-686-5760 775-684-5670

2 The Pelican
BACKYARD HABITAT
Summer Plantings
With the onset of sweltering
daytime temperatures and piercing
solar rays, summer brings a new
set of challenges for the avian
inhabitants of our area. However,
it is also a time of growth, with
broad-leaved trees sporting their
summer garb, large and small
flowers blooming to their heart’s
content, and a plethora of other
creatures – insects, birds, or
mammals – life signifies this
season. Yet, by nature, our area is
a forbidding and arid place, with
the occasional oasis of a wetland or
riparian area bringing respite from
this, the driest of our seasons. At
the same time, higher elevations,
with their more plentiful supply
of water and cooler temperatures,
are much more hospitable places
for birds.
Backyards and gardens can
provide a place of rest for our
avian companions and many birds
choose to make them their homes.
Landscaping and yard maintenance
are common projects in summer,
though the days may occasionally
get uncomfortably warm. Many
plants can be added to the backyard
landscape during this “growing
season,” and following are some
suggestions for cultivated plants
that birds find irresistible.
Trees are the basis of many yards
as well as many habitats. They
provide shade, nesting sites, food,
and perches for many favorite
backyard avian visitors. Most
trees, however, take many years to
attain a large size, and this may or
may not be a problem. For those
looking for a quicker solution,
fast-growing bird favorites include
The Pelican 3
native cottonwoods, willows, and
ornamentals, such as ashes
and elms.
For those looking to attract
specific bird species and don’t
mind the wait, some favorites for
enticing chickadees and nuthatches
include pines, firs, and hemlocks,
which are all rich with insects and
often seeds. Finches and grosbeaks
will visit maples for their seed
pods, and many other species of
birds, including orioles, glean
insects throughout the foliage. I
personally had a flock of Evening
Grosbeaks eating seeds from my
sugar maple throughout much
of April. American Robins are
inclined to visit cherry trees in
season, as well as many other fruit
trees. Woodpeckers forage through
most live trees; however, they are
also partial to large snags. Vireos,
tanagers, flycatchers, and many
other birds can be seen foraging
and gleaning insects throughout
the upper levels of many of the
aforementioned plant species. In
truth, most any bird will visit most
any tree, and these are merely
suggestions as to a few of my
preferences.
Shrubs also provide a place of
rest and shade for birds, including
those that would not otherwise
visit your yard. Some shrubs that
do well in our climate include
blackberry and raspberry, which
provide their namesake berries
throughout the summer. Currants,
viburnums, and junipers also
provide berries and shelter. Wrens
and bushtits can often be seen
skulking and gleaning insects
within the protected boundaries
of bushes and shrubs, while many
fruit-eating birds will descend to
take part in the bounty.
Hummingbirds are also an
energetic addition to the garden.
Some summer-hardy flowers that
hummingbirds will love include
morning glories, cardinal climber
vines, larkspurs, and zinnias
(annuals). Perennials, such as
lobelia, salvia, and agastache, will
also do fine. Hummingbirds can
also be found gleaning insects
from trees and bushes as a source
of protein.
With daytime temperatures in
the lower elevations reaching 90
degrees or hotter, the best time to
sow plants is in the evening, after
the heat of the day has passed.
Ensure that plantings stay well
watered until they are established.
As a side note, water is most
often the reason birds visit
backyard gardens in the heat
of summer, and it is also appealing
to the eye. Birds can be observed
merely soaking – often for a long
period of time – in a stream or
bird bath on hot days in order
to cool themselves. For more
information on providing water,
refer to the May-June 2009 issue of
the Pelican.
Summer brings new birds to the
garden; they may be in search of
food, water, or a place of rest, but
one thing is for certain: the joy
they bring to human onlookers will
surely last a lifetime.
Jonathan Heywood, who is fifteen
years old, has been birding for
five years. He began creating bird
habitat at his home four years ago
and has done extensive research on
the topic.
FIELD TRIPS
Christiane Omer 775-354-2634 happycpo@aol.com

Saturday, August 1
Spooner Lake State Park
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Leader: Nancy Santos, 775-884-
1570, nancylas@att.net
Join us for an easy morning walk
around Spooner Lake State Park.
We will search the shoreline for
Spotted Sandpiper, Osprey, and
area waterfowl. Forest, sagebrush,
and riparian habitat are also found
along the perimeter of the lake
and will offer us the opportunity
to search for such species as
Western Tanager, White-headed
Woodpecker, Green-tailed
Towhee, and Warbling Vireo, just
to name a few. More common
species we can expect to see are
Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee,
Hairy Woodpecker, Western
Wood-Pewee, and Yellow-rumped
Warbler. Please contact Nancy to
reserve your spot and for further
information. There is a State Park
entrance fee per vehicle, so car-
pooling is recommended.
Please note that we are working
on scheduling more summer field
trips, so check the LAS website,
www.nevadaaudubon.org, often
for up-to-date information.
Field Trip Reports
Virginia Lake for Beginning
Birders, Saturday May 30
A group of 10, including two
children, took a leisurely stroll
around Virginia Lake on Saturday
morning. There was quite a variety
of birds for this time of year
and many young ones. Several
Canada Goose families showed
our group everything from downy
to almost fully feathered goslings,
and there was one Mallard with
eight new ducklings. On the island
we were able to easily see gull
and cormorant babies in various
stages of development. Other
highlights were a single Cinnamon
Teal, Western Grebe, Common
Merganser, a Gadwall pair, and
California and Ring-billed Gulls
in mature and immature plumages.
The truly special sighting was not
one, not two, but FOUR Snowy
Egret nests on the island. Two
were sitting on eggs, one pair was
fussing with one egg in a nest, and
another pair was just completing
the construction of their nest. It
is interesting how that island is
used – the gulls and cormorants
are almost ready to leave their
breeding ground, and the egrets
are just getting started. As one of
our group noted “they are taking
shifts in using the island.”

Donors

American White Pelican

$100 - $499
Jane Bowden

American Avocet $50 - $99

Cynthia Joyce

Mountain Bluebird $20 - 49

Carol York Dave McNinch (center), retiring State Wildlife Commissioner and longtime LAS
Shirley Kagel member, receives recognition plaque from LAS President Karen Kish, who is joined
by Ken Mayer, Director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. (See “Of Note from the
Ruby Crowned Kinglet President” for further details.)
$10 - $19
Crystel and Marco Montecinos

4 The Pelican
OF NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
• Season of Celebration: Not all
award ceremonies this May were
held at college graduations.
At the Swan Lake Nature Study
Area 10th Anniversary Celebration
on May 2, we were honored to
make a formal presentation to Bob
Goodman in recognition of his
significant involvement in bringing
about the Swan Lake NSA. The
appreciation gift, a fine art piece by
Joe Winter Pottery, was given on
behalf of all Swan Lake partners:
Washoe County Parks, Bureau of
Land Management, Nevada Military
Department, City of Reno, Washoe
County School District, Nevada
Department of Wildlife, Nevada
Land Conservancy, and LAS. We
managed a few laughs too.
At the meeting of the Nevada
Board of Wildlife Commissioners
on May 15, LAS offered formal
recognition of State Wildlife
Commissioner Dave McNinch, a
longtime member and former Vice
President of LAS. Board Trustee
and Conservation Chair, Ali Chaney
delivered comments recounting some
of the many projects and activities
that Dave has participated in during
his nine-year tenure. We then
presented a plaque in recognition
of his “... steadfast dedication and
service to the conservation and
enhancement of Nevada’s wildlife
resources ....” The packed room gave
Dave a standing ovation.
On page 7 here in The Pelican
Ali Chaney will tell you of the
successful battle by LAS resulting
in the passage of Nevada Senate
Bill 108 addressing avian mortality
in hollow mine claim markers
throughout Nevada. We began
discussing this issue four years ago.
Two years ago, when we wrote
the Nevada Mining Association to
enlist its help, Ali pointed out that
The Pelican 5
a significant number of the birds
impacted were Mountain Bluebirds,
the state bird. This seemed to provide
a particularly effective “hook”
to interest the association and,
subsequently, others. At the General
Meeting the LAS Board of Trustees
on May 26, Ali was presented with
a framed photograph, taken by Bob
Goodman, of a Mountain Bluebird,
in recognition of her navigation
through the challenges and vagaries
of successful passage of this bill in
the Nevada Legislature.
• LAS again at the Legislature:
LAS made a donation to assist
and be recognized as a sponsor
at the Friends of Nevada Wildlife
legislative breakfast in support of
the Nevada Department of Wildlife
(NDOW). This breakfast, attended
by various legislators and staff,
offers an informal opportunity to
support wildlife issues that may
be before the Legislature. We took
a brief moment to express our
support of and collaboration with the
Wildlife Diversity Bureau of NDOW
as well as all efforts to conserve
or improve vital habitat throughout
Nevada.
• Urban Fishing Pond Project:
The Board of Trustees has approved
a supporting donation to an Urban
Fishing Pond project at the base
of Clear Creek where it passes out
of Fuji Park in Carson City under
U.S. 395 (South Carson Street).
This project, already in progress,
is rehabilitating a degraded area,
including development of a
filtering wetland and water quality
detention basin. The project also
includes planned components to
integrate with current Nevada
elementary school curriculum and
an orientation toward educating
the public, especially children, on
habitat issues. Prior to offering our
organization as a supporter and after
reviewing the detailed plans, we
consulted with members of Clear
Creek Water Council, which has
closely supervised the development
of the project, especially the filtering
wetland. In prior years LAS has
given public support to enhancing
the habitat diversity along Clear
Creek. This support allows us greater
input, as well as an ability to raise
the level of awareness for habitat
preservation and human behaviors
which can help support a healthier,
diverse habitat.
• LAS Revised Bylaws Adopted:
Following a process not particularly
glamorous but very significant to
the sound structure and functioning
of our organization, the LAS
Board of Trustees has adopted a
revision to our Bylaws, last revised
in 2001. Revisions were based on
general guidelines for nonprofit
bylaws, National Audubon Society
requirements for chapter bylaws,
a study of the guidelines of
several other chapters, the Nevada
Secretary of State website, the I.R.S.
website, and input from the Board
Trustees. The revision also aimed
at expressing our chapter practices
and polices more accurately.
Various mechanical changes and
corrections were also addressed
to assure uniform punctuation,
capitalization, and format. After
careful considerations, we feel we
have adopted a sound document.
– Karen L. Kish
BIRDS AND MORE
Kathy Oakes 775-747-5446 oakesy@sbcglobal.net
With summer in full swing, many
of you will be birding along the
Truckee River and local mountain
streams. Keep your eyes open for
a special little bird, the American
Dipper. The dipper is about
starling-sized, slate grey all over,
with a short tail held up and stiff,
and a habit of incessantly dipping
its whole body up and down.
You’ll see them flying upstream
and down right over the water,
frequently alighting on a large
rock in the middle of the stream.
If you find one, watch it for a
while to observe its surprising
feeding habits.
The American Dipper is our
only aquatic songbird. Its diet
consists mostly of aquatic insects
and aquatic larvae of a variety
of flies. They catch their food
several ways: they may swim on
the surface picking up insects,
stand on rocks in midstream,
submerging their heads and
sometimes their entire body into
American Dipper photo by Dave Menke, courtesy of
weforanimals.com.
6 The Pelican
the water to glean insects from the
rocks, or glean insects along the
stream edge. But diving is their
most intriguing feeding behavior.
This crazy little bird plunges
head-first into the fast-flowing
water after its dinner – often into
currents in which you and I would
have trouble walking upright.
When diving, dippers always
move against the current. The
birds mostly use their wings to
propel themselves underwater,
but they will use their strong legs
to move along the bottom. Dippers
can stay submerged for up to
15 seconds.
Dippers have several adaptations
for their aquatic lifestyle in cold
streams. Their nostrils can be
closed off by a feathered flap to
keep water out, and they have
a translucent clear third eyelid
that closes over the eye, allowing
them to see underwater. They also
have up to 1.5 times more contour
feathers than other similarly-sized
songbirds, along with a thick
covering of down between the
contour feathers to keep warm.
The birds use oil from a large
gland near their tail to keep their
feathers waterproof.
Dippers live their entire lives
along streams, almost never
straying away from stream banks.
They place their basketball-sized
domed nests close to the stream
splash, on cliff edges just over
the water, on boulders midstream,
and sometimes on ledges behind
waterfalls, where the birds fly
straight through the falling water
to get to the nest. Dippers also
commonly use ledges under
bridges, and placement of nest
boxes in these areas have helped
enhance dipper populations.
Oh yes, and that dipping: no one
knows for sure why they do it.
Dipping up and down may change
the light angle giving them a better
view into the water. It may provide
them triangulation by moving their
eyes up and down, helping them
orient themselves better to the
moving water. Some researchers
have also guessed that it could be
a form of communication in the
loud stream environment, although
dippers seem to dip even when
they’re alone. Maybe they do it
‘cause it’s just fun.
Information sources for this
article include: Kingery, Hugh E.
1996. American Dipper (Cinclus
mexicanus), The Birds of North
America Online (A. Poole, Ed.).
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, at
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu-/bna/
species/229.
CONSERVATION CORNER
Ali Chaney 775-813-3494 ali_chaney@hotmail.com
SB 108 Has Passed
The 75th legislative session
proved beneficial to Nevada’s state
bird, the Mountain Bluebird, in
addition to a wide variety of other
species. As you probably have
read, Audubon in Nevada has been
working on passing legislation that
calls for the removal of all PVC
posts used as mine claim markers
across Nevada. SB 108 passed
this session unanimously and was
signed by the Governor on May 26!
For many years, evidence has
been mounting that shows the
extreme threat to birds posed
by these hollow posts. In 1993,
we believed we were going to
be successful in eliminating the
threat by excluding the use of
PVC posts from that point forward
and capping posts already on the
landscape. This, of course, wasn’t
a permanent solution. Caps began
to pop off, and many claims were
abandoned and never capped. The
only real solution to protect our
avifauna is to replace the posts
with wooden stakes, or other solid
material that serve to mark active
claims, and to provide for the
ability to knock over the posts in
the event that they are abandoned
claims with no one taking
responsibility to replace them.
Finding a permanent solution
to this threat could not have
happened without the support of
the mining industry. From the very
beginning, back in fall of 2007,
we have worked with the Nevada
Mining Association to come up
with a solution that eliminates the
The Pelican 7
threat but also addresses
valid concerns of the
mining industry; the result
of course being SB108.
What SB 108 does
exactly is requires
claimants that have PVC
posts marking the boundary
of their claim to replace
those posts and haul the
PVC posts off and dispose
of them appropriately
by November 1, 2011.
This time frame was a
compromise to allow
the mining companies
to budget for the costs The Mountain Bluebird, Nevada’s state bird,
of replacing the posts. After just one of many bird species that will benefit
from the passage of SB108. Photo courtesy of
November 1, 2011, any post
Jacque Lowery.
remaining “may be removed and
placed on the ground immediately
adjacent to the location from
which it is removed to preserve of Audubon, your voice has been
evidence of its use as a monument heard, and it has contributed to
for the lode mining claim.” the passing of this important
Leaving the post on the ground legislation.
was another compromise that I’d like to say our work is done,
addressed the concerns of the but it is only the beginning. The
mining industry and, from our first step was to get legislation
perspective, meets our goal of enacted. After November 2011,
eliminating the threat. there will be a great number of
Audubon in Nevada should these posts remaining across
take great pride in our ability Nevada threatening birds. It is at
to advocate passionately for that point in which the real work
the wildlife we care so deeply will begin...knocking them over!
about, all the while working
cooperatively with industry to Stay tuned.
seek a solution to keep our birds Ali Chaney
safe. Countless birds have died
over the years as a result of these
hollow posts; soon this will no
longer be the case. As a member
OTHER BIRD BUSINESS
THANKS TO OUR WASHOE LAKE VOLUNTEERS
To see the kids’ excitement was more than enough reward for the 19 volunteers who helped with the Washoe
Lake field trips this season, but I still want to say THANK YOU to all of them. We hosted six field trips from
late April through May, with almost 250 Washoe County school kids participating from Grades 3 through 5
(plus lots of parents!). Two of the five schools took advantage of Travel Grants from LAS to help cover
transportation costs. Because the lake is low this year and the wetlands
where we normally meet are dry, we shifted our focus to the Day Use
Area in Washoe Lake State Park. The results were spectacular! Lots
of birds and plenty of nests: American Kestrels, Barn Swallows, Tree
Swallows, American Robins, Bullock’s Orioles, Brewer’s Blackbirds,
European Starlings, California Quail, and many more. To say the kids
enjoyed themselves would be an understatement – many claimed it
was the best field trip they’d ever been on! And all of it was due to the
enthusiasm and professionalism of our volunteers, so thanks again to
all of you: Sue Stevenson, John Schulte, Linda Badzioch, Ron Conkey,
Jacque Lowery, John Ramos, Pat King (our new Plant Lady!), Teresa
Gubanich, Margaret Hill, Jackie Spacek, Laura Gibson and her son Nick,
Stephanie Sander, Kenn and Georgia Rohrs, Alice Jones, Don Lauer,
Dave Carneggie, Diane McAllister, and, of course, Terri Ozawa from the
Washoe Lake State Park. All of you deserve a big salute for your donation
of time and energy, and we hope to see you back again next year.

– Alan Gubanich
LAS Election Results
LAS elections were conducted by the
Election Committee, Alan Gubanich
and Jacque Lowery, at the May 26
General Meeting. Officers elected
to new one-year terms were Karen
Kish, President; Alan Gubanich, Vice President; Jane
Burnham, Treasurer; and Mary Jo Elpers, Secretary.
Those elected to three-year Trustee positions were
Stephanie Sander, Seat #3 to 2012, and Jacque
Lowery, Seat #5 to 2012.
Fourth grade students from Elizabeth Lenz El-
ementary School looking at the nest of an Ameri-
can Robin in a cottonwood tree, and watching the
parents feed the nestlings. Volunteer John Schulte
is kneeling in the left background and Jacque
Lowery looks on from the far right.
and before that she was a “stay-at-home mom” who
doubled as an environmental activist in southern
California. In her spare time she has studied cavity
nesting birds as well as Western Scrub-Jays for
28 years, the latter an ongoing effort, but is just as
enamored with every living thing from lichens to
mountain lions. She is also into genealogy and is
writing a history of her family which she has traced
back to 1550 in Europe. She has two grown sons
and has lived in Reno for 20 years.

Mary Jo is one of the two new members of our Our other new member Stephanie Sander will be
Board. She retired a few years ago after 19 years as introduced in the next issue of The Pelican.
a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

8 The Pelican
THE AVID BIRDER
Kenn Rohrs 775-849-9530 karohrs@charter.net
In this space, Kenn Rohrs
will discuss books and other
resources for the avid birder. The
increasing popularity of birding
has encouraged the writing of an
extraordinary number of books,
such as field guides, biographies,
and general interest studies of
birds and birders. In the past year,
novelists incorporated birds and
birding into the world of fiction.
Book Review
No Way Home:
The Decline
of the World’s
Great Animal
Migrations
by David S.
Wilcove
“Every hour
of every day, somewhere, some
place, animals are on the move
– flying, walking, crawling,
swimming, or slithering from
one destination to another. It is
the ancient ritual of migration,
and it is happening everywhere.”
In this introductory paragraph,
David S. Wilcove, a professor
of evolutionary biology and
ecology at Princeton and student
of migration, launches his
exploration of the mystery of
migration.
This is a very readable book,
remarkably well structured.
The chapters describe a specific
migration with a clear, scientific
explanation of the how and why of
that migration. Wilcove concludes
The Pelican 9
these discussions with the many, very important book about animal
often overwhelming, threats to migration and what we must
migration. He identifies four do, and do now, to preserve the
great threats to animal migration: resources and reduce the obstacles
habitat destruction, human-created to the movement of animals to and
obstacles, overexploitation, and from these resources. Wilcove has
climate change. Wilcove then the unique ability to incorporate
discusses how these threats fascinating anecdotes with brilliant
affect songbirds, dragonflies and insights. This is a compelling story
monarch butterflies, wildebeest, – a must read book.
zebras and Thomson’s gazelles Three excellent books focusing
on the Serengeti Plain, North on bird migration also are
American buffalos, whales and indispensable reading: Living on
sea turtles, and Atlantic salmon. the Wind: Across the Hemisphere
Wilcove brings us along on these With Migratory Birds by Scott
migratory journeys to observe Weidensaul, Songbird Journeys:
these animals as they confront Four Seasons In the Lives of
the many obstacles to their Migratory Birds by Miyoko Chu,
compulsion to move. He also and Silence of the Songbirds:
introduces us to many migration How We Are Losing the World’s
researchers and their work. Songbirds and What We Can Do to
There is no doubt that there Save Them by Bridget Stutchbury.
is a dramatic decline in animal
migration. Wilcove has written a
LAS General Meeting Topics 2009/2010
September 22 - George Baumgardner, Curator of Natural History,
Nevada State Museum – John James Audubon, Artist and Naturalist
October 27 - Marie Gaspari – Falcons and Falconry
November 24 - Chris Briggs – Survival, Parasites, and Oedipus: Why So
Many Morphs in Hawk Populations?
January 26 - Pat Kelly and Elmer Bull – The Future of Carson Lake
Wetland
February 23 - Tom Howell – Birding in Malawi and Zambia
March 23 - Bird Identification Panel Round 3
April 27 - Robin Powell – The IBA Program: Habitat Conservation and
Rehabilitation Projects
May 25 - Tony Wasley, NDOW – The Himalayan Snowcock in Nevada
Birds in Town
Alan Wallace wallacealan@sbcglobal.net
Ah, there’s nothing like the spring migration to bring us
birders out of our winter torpor. Instead of focusing our
binoculars on yet another House Finch or Ring-billed Gull,
we could fill the field of view this spring with an Indigo
Bunting and Summer Tanager in Elko or Heermann’s
and Bonaparte’s Gulls in Sparks. Or an Orchard Oriole
if you happened to be in Fallon in late May. Seeing a newly
arrived Black-headed Grosbeak is great, but having a
Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeder, such as the one in
Fallon, is a rare treat for a backyard. And a small flock of
“red and black birds” in Lovelock possibly were far-from-
home Vermillion Flycatchers. With more than 30 birders
providing reports, it’s no surprise that these rare pieces of eye
candy didn’t escape detection. How many more were there?
We’ll never know (too many places, too few birders), but it
makes the search for migrants all that more exciting.
These regional rarities somewhat overshadowed the
normal spring arrivals in northern Nevada towns, but our
regular breeders showed up on schedule. In April, the
wintering White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows left for
their breeding grounds, to be replaced by Brewer’s, Lark,
and Savannah Sparrows, along with the omnipresent
Song Sparrows. Bright, vocal Lazuli Buntings visited a
few feeders, such as in Lovelock, but they generally set
up camp in brushy ravines along the fringes of towns. The
first week of May brought the first wave of warblers, with
Yellow and Orange-crowned Warblers singing from the
trees, Wilson’s in the thicket areas, MacGillivray’s in the
low brush, and a few scattered Townsend’s on their way to
more northwesterly breeding areas. Warbling Vireos joined
the warblers in the deciduous trees and quickly became
invisible as the trees fully leafed out. The flycatchers arrived
at about the same time, led as usual by the Gray Flycatchers
and followed by Dusky and Willow Flycatchers, Western
Wood-Pewees with their distinctive descending call, and
loudly chattering Western Kingbirds. In Unionville, most
of the flycatchers arrived a little later, but Say’s Phoebes
already were on their nests by mid May. The first report of a
Bullock’s Oriole came from Sutcliffe in mid April, but the
bulk of these colorful birds didn’t arrive until early May. As
usual, the raptors, such as Cooper’s and Red-tailed Hawks
and Great Horned Owls, started early and had nestlings by
early May. And Common Nighthawks, generally one of the
last arrivals, buzzed through the dusk air at the end of May.
This spring, a lot more Evening Grosbeaks than usual
passed through our lowland towns, with frequent sightings
in the Reno-Sparks area and additional reports from Fernley,
Fallon, Lovelock, Unionville, and Elko, far from the Sierras.
In contrast, Cassin’s Finch made only token appearances
this spring in the lowlands and interior-Nevada towns
where they commonly are abundant. However, they’ve been
10 The Pelican
plentiful this spring in the higher elevations, so perhaps
they just bypassed their usual lowland stopovers.
Hummingbirds and swallows had sort of a low-key
migration, at least in terms of numbers and timing. The
hummingbirds arrived as usual in mid to late April, including
the semi-local breeders (Black-chinned and Calliope
Hummingbirds) and migrant or vagrant Rufous and
Costa’s, but no Anna’s were reported, which is a
bit unusual. The black-chinneds, our in-town breeders,
generally didn’t seem as abundant as usual, with no-shows
at several feeders well into May. In Unionville, however,
abundant black-chinneds swarmed around and quickly
drained the feeders. Swallows also seemed to have a slow
start to their migration: their arrival was more of a trickle
than the usual wave.
With the somewhat wetter spring, area ponds and lakes had
water that attracted both migrant and breeding water-philic
birds. In a transition of big, white birds, the Tundra Swans
departed in April and were replaced by American White
Pelicans. With the exception of a single Solitary Sandpiper
(makes sense), most of the shorebirds were regulars for the
season, including Least and Western Sandpipers, Dunlin
with their black bellies, the always-striking American
Avocets and Black-necked Stilts, and the twirling Wilson’s
and Red-necked Phalaropes in the nearby shallow waters.
The Pied-billed Grebes had tiny young by the middle of
May, which seemed a bit early. Yellow-headed Blackbirds
dominated the blackbird populations in the adjacent reeds,
and a few Caspian Terns soared overhead. Ospreys seemed
unusually common in April and May, with several reports
from the Truckee River and Virginia Lake in Reno and the
Sparks marina. One even flew low over Georgia and Kenn
Rohrs southwest Reno yard, becoming an unusual yard bird
in an otherwise woodland setting.
The spring migration treated birders to 168 common to
unusual species in northern Nevada towns during April and
May. Contributors of the sightings included Carol Amos,
John Anderson, Wendy Broadhead, Alan de Queiroz,
Mary Jo Elpers, Dennis Ghiglieri, Bob Goodman, Kirk
Hardie, Nancy Hoffman, Ed Kurtz, Jacque Lowery, Sue
Anne Marshall, Martin Meyers, John Mitchell, Don
Molde, Jill Neumann, Kathy Oakes, Christiane Omer &
Quentin Browne, Fred Petersen, Lynne Peterson , Debbie
& Randy Pontius, Lois Ports, Melissa Renfro & John
Free, Melissa Robards, Georgia & Kenn Rohrs, Nancy
Santos, Dennis Serdehely, Greg Scyphers, Jean Sherman,
Jen Martin, Rose Strickland , Steve Ting, Frank
Whitman, Dave Worley, and me. The deadline for the next
column is July 25. Send reports to 1050 Sumac St., Reno,
NV 89509 or wallacealan@sbcglobal.net, or post sightings
on the Nevada bird listserv. Good birding!
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LAHONTAN AUDUBON SOCIETY

Officers President Karen Kish klkish@pyramid.net 841-1180

Vice President Alan Gubanich aag@unr.nevada.edu 857-0191
Treasurer Jane Burnham jane.burnham@sbcglobal.net 677-4178
Recording Secretary Mary Jo Elpers mjelpers@aol.com 829-6311
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