Seven Statebirds in Reno/Carson City, NV, and One in the San Francisco Bay Area, May 2015

My work travels take me to the San Francisco Bay Area frequently, and on several of those trips I’ve added a vacation day to either chase after a rarity (Falcated Duck no less than 5 times - all unsuccessfully) or pursue other statebirds.  Twice I’ve headed east to NV to work on that statelist, specifically to the greater Reno/Carson City area.  There I’ve teamed up with local birder Rob Lowry who really knows the local area, and has given me some excellent advice to help me find my targets.  Since I still need a number of birds for my NV statelist that summer in that area, I thought I’d add a day during my upcoming May trip to the Bay Area to try to fill in some of those gaps.

Before this trip I had 242 species in NV which is exactly the old ABA reporting threshold, last updated in 2010.  The most recent NV checklist published on-line (as of March 2015) by the Nevada Bird Records Committee is 492.  Using the old ABA formula that the threshold is half of the total statelist, the new threshold for NV would be 246.  So saying I’ve reached the old ABA threshold is a rather hollow victory in NV, and a good example of why I’ve set a somewhat arbitrary goal of being 15 over the old ABA thresholds in each state.  So with a number of potential targets, advice from Rob, and a lot of research on eBird, I was optimistic that I could make good progress on reaching the “Reportable Plus 15” goal for NV.  Realistically I hoped for at least 5 new statebirds on the trip.

The first stop was in the little town of Verdi just barely east of the CA/NV border to try for Acorn Woodpeckers.  There were several recent sightings with a pretty specific location given (the Bridge St. bridge over the Truckee River).  But a 45-minute stop yielded only a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers and a pair Flickers nesting in the dead cottonwood snags.  And even a quick stop at a nearby patch of woods where one was seen the day before was unsuccessful.  Interestingly, I never saw a single oak tree at these locations.  Not a very good start to the day.

Then it was on to Pyramid Lake to try for a number of waterbirds and migrants.  The route to the lake passed through some desert which had had a number of recent Golden Eagle sightings.  Although most appeared to be just lucky sightings of birds passing through the area, there was one eBird post of a pair carrying food at a nest.  A specific location was given, though of course you never know how accurate the eBird locations are.  I got to the reported nest location and scanned the mountainside with my binoculars, but did not see a nest.  But then I noticed a bump on one of the rocks, and with a scope view confirmed it was an adult Golden Eagle – statebird #1.  Hats off to the eBirder for putting in a very accurate location of the nesting spot!  I’ve now seen this species in 15 western states but only 4 states in the east.  (see my statebird map below)

The next stop was a spot called The Willows on the west shore of Pyramid Lake.  This is an oasis consisting of a thick stand of mature willow trees that can be quite a magnet for migrants.  I spent about 90 minutes there and found a number of passerine migrants, but they were all the regulars – like Wilson’s, MacGillivray’s, Yellow-rumped (both Audubon’s and Myrtle), and Yellow Warblers; Dusky and Ash-throated Flycatchers, Western Pewee, and Black-headed Grosbeaks.  Nothing new here, though a Great Horned Owl was nice.  Then I spent some time at the lake where late Greater Scaup and a Red-necked Grebe had been reported a couple weeks earlier.  But they were long gone, though the lake was teaming with Western Grebes. 

Then it was on to the southern end of Pyramid Lake in hopes of Long-billed Curlew and other shorebirds.  Although there had been no recent Curlew sightings here or elsewhere in the area, this had been a location for several sightings at this time last year.  But no luck here – the only shorebirds were 4 Red-necked Phalaropes.  I’ve looked for Curlew on all 3 of my trips to this area without success.  I also spent some time trying to find a summering odd gull but could only find California and Ring-billed.  On a brighter note a rare Common Tern mixed in with the Forster’s and Caspian Terns was nice. 

It was now past noon, and I only had 1 statebird in four stops.  Things had to pick up, right?

Then I was on to Mira Loma Pond in the Reno suburbs where a Common Goldeneye had been reported 2 weeks earlier.  Of course there was a good chance that this was a late migrant duck that was long gone (like the Greater Scaup and Red-necked Grebe at Pyramid Lake).  But over the years I’ve picked up a number of normally wintering waterfowl as statebirds during summer, so I was hopeful that this bird too might have decided not to migrate north for the summer.  And besides, this was a small pond and right on my route to the next location so it would be a quick stop.  When I arrived I scanned the far side and got some nice dabblers, a late Bufflehead, and several families of Canada Geese, but no Goldeneye.  Then I noticed a small group of waterfowl practically at my feet and there was the female Common Goldeneye (statebird #2).  I’ve now seen this species in 43 states across the country.

 

The next stop was Davis Creek Regional Park which is the spot for Calliope Hummingbird in the area.  It seems a male Calliope likes to perch on one specific bare branch where the nature trail crosses the road near the group picnic area.  That sure is a specific set of directions – though when I was in the area last year I spent over an hour at this spot without finding the bird.  So I gave myself at least an hour to try for the bird this time.  I arrived at the spot and didn’t see the bird at first, but then looked a few feet away and noticed what almost looked like a small bump on a nearby bare branch.  With binoculars it was obviously the very tiny Calliope Hummingbird (#3).  I go this phone-scoped picture of this most cooperative bird – where was it last year?

And then the bird flew off and was replaced by this bird with a remarkable gorget.

I still need Calliope in OR and MT in its regular breeding range, though I’ve seen it in four eastern and central states as a vagrant.

Then I was off to meet up with Rob Lowry so he could take me to a nest box southeast of Carson City where he had a Western Screech-Owl nesting.  After a short walk we arrived at the nest box, and Rob opened a panel of the box to reveal an owlet inside the box (#4).  Very cute.  A nice addition to my statebird map, but I still have several gaps for this species.

 

The last stop of the day was at Mason Valley WMA which was about a 90-minute drive to the southeast.  A couple weeks earlier Rob had had two of my targets there – American Bittern and Black Tern.  He gave me excellent directions to the two locations of these birds, but I wondered if they were just migrants and likely long gone, or would they be nesting locally.  Rob’s hand-drawn map to the spot was perfect, and I first went to the marsh where the American Bittern had been seen.  I’ve never had much luck getting bitterns to reply to taped calls, so I wasn’t sure how this one would go.  I started playing tape but got no response.  While I waited I noticed several terns flying around the marsh, but they were all Forster’s.  Now I wondered if I would miss both birds.  I walked a little bit farther along the marsh and played some more tape – still no response.  Then I thought I heard a faint call in the distance.  I turned off the tape and sure enough it was a distant calling American Bittern (#5).   

Now I needed to focus on the terns. This time I did a more thorough scan of the marsh but once again only came up with Forster’s.  But then I re-checked Rob’s map and realized he actually had the Black Terns in an adjacent marsh, not the one I was looking at.  So I redirected my attention to the neighboring marsh and instantly saw 3 Black Terns flying over the reeds (#6).  Things usually turn out better when you follow directions!  I’ve now seen this species in 41 states across the US, with the biggest gaps being in the Midwest. 

 

The next morning I woke up early to try for a pair of owls recently reported nearby – Flammulated and Saw-whet.  Both were reported more than 2 weeks earlier pre-dawn at Chimney Beach along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, barely in NV.  This is the spot where last year I got Pacific Wren and Pileated Woodpecker – two great birds for NV.  I arrived a bit before 4 and walked a short distance to the north to get into the conifers.  It was extremely quiet with no wind, so conditions were great.  Soon after arriving I started to hear Poor-wills calling – likely 3 different birds.  But there were no owls.  I started to play Flammulated tape and within a minute one was calling back (#7).  It continued to call the entire time I was there.  That was only my 3rd time hearing a Flammulated (CA and UT are my other states); I’ve still never seen one.  I also played some tape of Saw-whet but couldn’t coax one into responding.

That gave me 7 new NV statebirds and 90 species for this brief outing - a most successful trip.  And now with a statelist of 249 in NV, I’m 7 over the old ABA threshold and well on my way to “Reportable Plus 15”.  Or more accurately, I’m 3 over the calculated threshold based on the recently published NV statelist.  I’m tentatively planning a trip to northeast NV in summer 2016 to look for the Himalayan Snowcock and spend at least a day working on my NV statelist.  I’m hoping that after that trip I’ll be over the threshold to stay.

And now onto California –

After my mini-vacation in NV I returned to the Bay Area for my business trip.  One morning I had a couple free hours so I checked the eBird CA Needs Alert for local possibilities.  I keyed in on nearby Coyote Hills Regional Park which regularly had reports of American Bittern, and recently had a report of Black Rail.  I spent 2 hours there early that morning, and although I dipped on Black Rail, I did have a flyover American Bittern - #376 for me in CA.  I really like the eBird Needs Alerts!  Even after adding American Bittern in CA and NV my coverage for this species is still very spotty - like I said I've not had a lot of luck getting bitterns to respond to tapes.

Reportable in Nevada – But only Barely – With Trip to Reno/Carson City, August 2014

Before we get to the successful trip to NV, a little background on the reason for my trip is in order.  For many years I’ve had a goal of being ABA reportable in each of the Lower 48 states plus DC.  Recently the ABA stopped publishing those thresholds, which had been defined as half the number of species ever seen in that state.  But since the thresholds would slowly increase as new species are added to the statelist, I’ve decided to revise that goal somewhat to be 15 over the last ABA published threshold.  That buffer should keep me safely above the “half the state list total” for many years.  I’m now rapidly closing in on those goals, with just 5 states below the old threshold, and 11 more reportable but less than 15 over the threshold. 

Now onto NV - NV is one of my 5 states below threshold (just 11 below), and for some time I’ve been thinking about a trip to the northeastern part of the state to try for the Himalayan Snowcock as a lifebird.  Plus there would be quite a number of other possible statebirds for me in that part of the state.  But would a trip to that area be enough to not only add the 11 birds I need to reach the old threshold, but also the buffer of 15 more?  I spent a little time on eBird and with range maps and realized that getting 26 new statebirds in one short trip to the northeast corner would be unlikely.  So to put together a plan to efficiently get 26 new birds in NV, I developed lists of possible targets for each key part of the state (southern NV near Las Vegas, western NV near Reno and Carson City, and of course northeastern NV), and for each season (winter, summer, and migration).  There were possible targets in each region and each season, but the fewest were near Las Vegas.  And there were a number in Reno/Carson City not likely in the northeast corner.  So I concluded that I would need a trip to the Reno/Carson City area in addition to an eventual trip to the northeast to reach my goal.

With an upcoming trip to the San Francisco area in August I started to wonder if a short side trip to the Reno/Carson City area could be a worthwhile addition.  The key feature of this area is a thin sliver of the Sierras and the only part of the state to try for a number of high mountain species.  Plus there could be a number of shorebirds I could try for near peak shorebird migration time.  I checked my lists and figured I could get 7 or 8 new statebirds with a day of birding in that part of the state.  So now with a possible critical mass, I decided to put a plan together.  I had birded Reno/Carson City in May 2012, and had connected with a couple excellent birders there.  In preparing for this trip I re-contacted one local birder, Rob Lowry, who gave me some great advice and offered to go with me to try for 3 of my targets – Rufous Hummingbird, Barn Owl, and Poorwill. 

With a midday arrival at SFO, and after a 4 hour drive, I finally arrived in the Lake Tahoe area a little before dinner time.  My first stop was at Van Sickle Bi-State Park which truly is partly in CA and partly in NV.  It was critical to know where the stateline was since my key target there, Pileated Woodpecker, had been reported from an area very close to the stateline.  I arrived between thunderstorms, and spent some time in and around the Pileated area.  Despite no luck with the target bird, there were a number of other woodpeckers including Red-naped Sapsucker and Hairy’s.  Then I noticed a pair of woodpeckers in the distance which were juvenile Williamson’s Sapsuckers – another of my targets.  But which state were they in?  I checked my map and GPS location, and realized they were in NV but only by about 20 yards – statebird #1.  NV was my 9^th state for this species.

I wanted to bird the area longer, but a succession of thunderstorms complete with hail made me retreat back to the safety of my car.  After about 30 minutes I decided to head east out of the mountains to get away from the storms, and made my way to the riparian area of Carson Valley.  One of my targets there was Sandhill Crane, which is a regular migrant but rare nester.  With just 1-2 pairs in a large area, it would be a needle-in-a-haystack kind of search.  But on my first stop to scan a pasture area I spotted a pair in the distance - #2.  A short distance ahead I came upon a flooded field and stopped to check for shorebirds.  Although there were no shorebirds I spotted a hawk perched on a nearby post which at first glance looked like a young Red-shouldered Hawk.  Not one on my radar screen, I checked the field guide to be sure, and it was indeed a Red-shoulder (#3).  I would end up seeing another immature and an adult Red-shoulder in the area the next day, not bad for a species that is a rare nester in the area.  My statebird map pretty well matches the range for this species (with the exception of the gap in IA). 

 

Now I was on to Rob Lowry’s house to team up with him to try for Poorwill and Barn Owl.  But first there was a stop to check his feeders which were loaded with migrant Rufous Hummingbirds (#4).  Then we were off to Brunswick Canyon Road through the desert foothills.  Although our trip was delayed a bit by a flat tire, we heard 2 Poorwills at dusk and then saw 11 more in the road on the way back to town (#5).  Easily the most Poorwills I’ve seen and heard in a day.  And then we went on to what was supposed to be the last stop at Carson River Park for the stakeout Barn Owls that had nested there.  But a spotlight on the favorite perch of the last remaining juvenile bird to leave the nest came up empty – though it was there the day before!  We spent a bit more time scanning the nearby fields but with no luck.  As we drove back to town, Rob thought we might try one more spot where Barn Owls had been in the past.  We played some tape and a bird flew right in (#6).  I’ve never tried to use tapes to attract Barn Owls before – I’ve got to give that a try in the future to fill in some of the gaps in my statebird map.

Six statebirds in just a couple hours birding was a great way to start the trip.  And with just 5 to reach reportable, I was hopeful that I could reach threshold the next day.  But Rob mentioned that recent stops at the best shorebird spots had been very slow, so it certainly wouldn’t be a given to get 5 more on day 2.

I started the second day at dawn high in the mountains at Tahoe Meadows with hopes for a number of montane targets.  Although I didn’t add any statebirds there, birding was excellent, starting with at least 100 Clark’s Nutcrackers flying high overhead in small groups, all heading north.  There were also resident White-breasted Nuthatches which someday could be a new species - “Slender-billed” Nuthatch.  Other notables were White-headed Woodpeckers, numerous Cassin’s Finches, Western Pewees, Steller’s Jays, Audubon’s Warblers, etc. 

Next stop was at the Chimney Beach area on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe.  Rob had given me micro-directions for Pacific Wren which were perfect – I had two quick glimpses of this skulker along a willow-lined streambed (#7).  And while walking back to the car I heard a loud woodpecker in the distance – a Pileated (#8).  I would hear Pileated calls 4 more times in the next 5 minutes.  This was a great stop for these two species which only nest in this very isolated location in NV.  It’s also interesting to look at the range of the Pileated Woodpecker which closely matches my statebird map – regular throughout the east and in the Sierras and other far west mountains but not in the Rockies.

Then I was back into Carson Valley to try for American Bittern that had been reported several times recently on eBird.  But a long, hot walk along the river at River Fork Ranch came up empty.  Nor did I find Golden Eagle which is a regular in the area, though there were numerous raptors in site throughout my walk.  During this stop Rob called me to say that Washoe Lake, one of my planned shorebirds spots, had none of my targets.  At least that would save me some time, though I had sure hoped to get something there.

So the next stop was the south end of Pyramid Lake in the desert to the northeast, where the Truckee River empties into this large body of water.  On my 90-minute drive to the lake I kept tabs on very threatening clouds to my south and west.  And when they broke in on the radio to announce a severe thunderstorm warning for a storm to my immediate south and heading my way, it certainly piqued my attention.  When I finally arrived at the lake the storms were only a short distance away, and they had picked up very strong southerly winds that were sand blasting me as I got out of the car.  I was surprised to run into another birder who was leaving just as I arrived.  He said it was slow, but mentioned Red-necked Phalaropes, Snowy Plovers, and Baird’s Sandpipers – all 3 were on my target list.  So although that was not as good as I had hoped, those 3 would at least put me at the magic reportable threshold.  So I figured I needed to find all 3 of them quickly and get back to the car before the storms arrived.

Looking down from the parking lot to the south end of the lake revealed an impressive picture of dozens of acres of salt flats, extensive muddy shoreline, and many acres of shallow lake water – a classic Great Basin lake. 

 

South end of Pyramid Lake looking north - check out the impending storm!

Luckily the wind was at my back as I stared out to the lake, because looking into the wind would have been next to impossible.  A quick binocular scan showed that the shoreline and shallow lake were full of Canada Geese and waders, and there were small groups of shorebirds moving along the extensive mudflats.  But with so many acres to scope, and the storm on the doorstep, where do I start?  I made the quick walk to the lake level and first keyed in on a large flock of birds bouncing around on the water thinking they might be Phalaropes – but instead they were Coots.  Next I decided to scope the shoreline and soon noticed a group of 5 Phalaropes just offshore.  I first wrote them off as Wilson’s (distant birds, scope bouncing in the wind, etc.), but when I spotted a group of 3 Wilson’s a few seconds later, I went back to the first flock and realized they were Red-necked (#9).  I continued to scan the beach and kept seeing small flocks of shorebirds but most were in constant movement as if they were being spooked by a falcon.  One small group I keyed in on were peeps that I thought could have been Baird’s.  As they kept flying along the flats one eventually left the flock and landed a short distance away – it was indeed a Baird’s (#10).  Some western gaps on my statebird map are bit surprising for this bird that is especially found in the central and western states.

Now I needed to find Snowy Plovers, and turned my attention to the salt flats where it took me less than a minute to find several adult and juvenile Snowy’s running along the flats (#11).  In less than 10 minutes I had my 3 likely targets.  With no rain or thunder yet, I spent a few more minutes scanning the area, and found good numbers of dark Ibises (presumably White-faced), some Snowy Egrets, fair numbers of Avocets and Stilts, a scattering of peeps and Long-billed Dowitchers, and 3 Caspian Terns.  And rather than continuing to take my chances with the impending storm, I high-tailed it back to the car and considered it a successful stop.  Just a couple minutes’ later I encountered torrential rains that undoubtedly caused flash flooding in the area – I got out just in time. 

That gave me 242 for NV – the old ABA reportable threshold.  NV is my 45^th state at or above the threshold.  And 7 of my 11 new statebirds are not likely in the northeast part of the state, so I hope that a summer trip there will not only yield the Snowcock but also 14 other statebirds to reach my goal of 15 over the threshold.

With a bit of research I found that the official NV list as of 12/27/13 was at 492.  So if the ABA was still publishing thresholds at half the state total, the present threshold would be 246.  Although not surprisingly higher than the old threshold, it’s still well below my somewhat arbitrary buffer of 15 over the threshold at 257.  So my modified goal looks like a safe goal for some time to come.