NevadaWolf, 2 months ago to Birds

Yesterday I saw a yellow-headed blackbird for the first time this year. Tonight I went looking for them to get pictures!

#LahontanValley #Nevada #HarmonReservoir #Birds #Birding #BirdWatching #Wildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdPhotography #YellowHeadedBlackbird

NevadaWolf, 4 months ago to Birds

Holiday today that I didn't make any plans for, so just went out to look for more birds. Sunny and mild temps this morning let me drive around slowly with my window down. Stopped by two hot spots, the cemetery and a reservoir that was mostly iced over.

Did spot a lifer today, a Red-naped Sapsucker hammering away at a crack in a tree.

#ChurchillCountyCemetery #HarmonReservoir #Fallon #ChurchillCounty #Nevada #Birds #Birding #BirdWatching #Wildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfMastodon #RedNapedSapsucker #BlackCrownedNightHeron #BeltedKingfisher #NorthernMockingbird #Lifer

A grey and white Black-crowned Night Heron stands on a grey rock with one bright yellow leg, the other tucked up into the loose fluffy feathers of its body. The dark grey cap that gives it it's name stretches over the head and down the back and upper wings. A bright red eye with black spot in the middle looks out over a yellow and grey bill. Tan reeds and grasses with grey rocks lining the edge of the empty canal fill the background.
A slate grey, white, and brown Belted Kingfisher perches on the end of a grey stick used as a fence post. The black eye looks out over the long black bill, both gleaming in the sunlight. The grey-blue head feathers are all spiked upward, and a distinctive brown band across the upper part of the white chest and rust-red colored under the wings. This rust color on the flanks (and also across the chest on adult birds) indicates the female Belted Kingfisher.
A small grey Northern Mockingbird briefly lands on a narrow red twig within a winter bare bush. The bird has a short black beak and shining gold eye, white striped wings, and a long thin tail. The top of the head and back are a dark grey, while the throat and chest are a light grey.

NevadaWolf, 1 year ago to random

This weekend is the Spring Wings Festival, annual celebration of the migrating birds that make the stop at the Lahontan Valley. There's several activities one can do, like a scavenger hunt or a Big Day or, if you're a kid, a passport book that gets you an airboat ride across one of the reservoirs in the refuge.

Last year, my Big Day was 50 species recorded. This year, I tried to keep better track and ended up with 55 species!

I already updated my eBird and iNaturalist profiles with a majority of the pictures I took (really, you aren't missing out on some of those barely focused snaps) but wanted to share the pictures I like the best.

Super fancy Ruddy Duck.
Protective Canada Goose
Frazzled White-Faced Ibis.
Wind-blown Black-crowned Night-Heron

#LahontanValley #SLineReservoir #StillwaterNWR #Nevada #Birds #Birding #BirdWatching #Wildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfMastodon #RuddyDuck #CanadaGoose #WhiteFacedIbis #BlackCrowedNightHeron

An adult Canada Goose standing on one leg in a dirt and grass field, with one wing stretched down to the ground. In the shade beneath, a couple fuzzy yellow goslings are visible.
A White-faced Ibis stands on the raised edge of a canal with the flood waters filling the background. The bright sunlight shines on his fluffed feathers, causing the iridescent colors to pop against his dark red body. Pinks and purples edge his wings, while greens and yellows color his tail. The long grey bill extends out with from the namesake white face.
A Black-Crowned Night Heron stands on the side of the road where he landed after being spooked out of the canal by some dumb dumb in a 4Runner. The bright sunlight makes his white face, neck, and chest shine against his light grey wings and dark grey back. The black cap over his head and dark grey bill frames a brilliant ruby red eye with black pupil. Streaming out from behind his head are a trio of long thin white feathers lifted by the wind.