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U.S.A. -- NEVADA: Clark County
11 - 12 June 2000
by Ted Floyd
Jason Beason, Stephanie Jentsch, and I just finished up a quickie
Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas "blockbusting" tour of Clark County
(Nevada's southernmost county). In addition to finding breeders,
we came across quite a number of late migrants and summering
vagrants. We visited the following locations: Corn Creek, Kyle
Canyon, Harris Springs, Searchlight, McCullough Peak, and Sunset Park.
Highlights included: GREEN HERON, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon,
WHITE-WINGED DOVE, GILDED FLICKER, Willow Flycatcher, Cassin's
Kingbird, Gray Vireo, Bendire's Thrasher, Virginia's Warbler,
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, Grace's Warbler, AMERICAN REDSTART,
RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, Black-chinned Sparrow, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK,
INDIGO BUNTING, and BOBOLINK.
----------------------------------------------------------
Our first stop was Corn Creek, on the morning of the 11th, where the
most interesting birds were late migrants and summering vagrants.
These included: Broad-tailed Hummingbird (male); Western Wood-Pewee
(one bird); Cedar Waxwing (single bird in a mulberry tree); American
Redstart (a loudly singing male in between AHY and ASY plumages);
Western Tanager (several); Indigo Bunting (conceivably a breeder, but
unlikely I think); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (immature male); and Bobolink
(adult female). Interesting known or suspected breeders included:
Green Heron (we saw singletons repeatedly, at several locations, but
never actually saw a pair); White-winged Dove (a pair, north of this
bird's usual haunts in far southern Nevada); and Cassin's Kingbird (a
pair).
After Corn Creek, we drove up into Kyle Canyon, in the Spring
Mountains. There were Virginia's Warblers all over the place,
plus a few Grace's Warblers. We heard a Black-and-white Warbler,
and then spent a very long time trying to see it. Patience paid
off, and we were finally rewarded with killer looks at a handsome male,
stealing about the base of a mountain mahogany.
On the drive back down the Canyon, we stopped off at Harris Springs,
where we saw adult and fledgling Black-chinned Sparrows. A Golden
Eagle directly overhead was a nice sight, too.
In the afternoon we drove out to Searchlight, and then into the
foothills of the little known McCullough Mountains. There were
Gilded Flickers all over the place; we counted at least twelve separate
birds, and I'm sure there were many more. This is yet another
location for the species in Nevada, and it's amazing to think that this
bird was considered strictly accidental a mere year ago. Other
interesting birds in the foothills included a cooperative pair of
Bendire's Thrashers (uncommon in Nevada) and a Willow Flycatcher in a
desert willow.
Early the next morning, we birded the highlands (such as they are) in
the McCullough Mountains. Here we found at least four (and
possibly more) singing Rufous-crowned Sparrows. Just a month ago,
this species was considered accidental in Nevada, but we now know it to
be common throughout the McCullough Mountains. Our birds this
morning, plus others found by Atlas field workers earlier in the month,
bring the known population up to at least 10 adults. There are
surely many more Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and probably other
as-yet-undetected species, in this fascinating and poorly known section
of the state.
Other nice finds up in the rocky pinyon-juniper highlands included:
Peregrine Falcon (flushed from a dead snag atop a rock outcropping);
Gray Vireo (several pairs and several singing males); and lots of
Black-chinned Sparrows.
On the drive back to the airport in Las Vegas, I stopped off in urban
Sunset Park. Nearly every bird, it seemed, was engaged in gular
flutter, in a desperate effort to keep cool. I didn't come across
any vagrants here, but I did find a nice representative sampling of
Mojave Desert breeders, including: Gambel's Quail (several family
groups); Verdin (lots of fledglings); Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (an
agitated adult); Northern Mockingbird (juveniles); Crissal Thrasher (a
pair); Lucy's Warblers (dependent young); Abert's Towhees (several
pairs); and immense numbers of Great-tailed Grackles (including one
curious bird who was washing bits of a hot dog bun under a leaky
faucet).
----------------------------------------------------------
There were three especially memorable non-avian spectacles:
1. A long swath of mountain lion tracks, in one of the washes in
the McCullough Mountains.
2. A stunning, orange-and-black lizard (not a gila monster) in
the McCullough foothills. It had garish orange patches on its
uppersides and a bright orange vent, and its long white tail was boldly
marked with black spots. Its coloring was so crisp and sharp as
to remind me of an aquarium fish.
3. An immense and awesome joshua tree forest, the objective
grandeur of which I am certain I will not be able adequately to convey
here. Many of the trees stood nearly 25 feet tall, and several
approached 30 feet. Their trunks were massive. In a few
places, their interlocking canopies joined together to shade extensive
grassy meadows. It was odd to consider that this joshua tree
stand, in the middle of one of the hottest and driest deserts in the
world, was easily the most extensive virgin forest I have ever seen in
the United States. We took pictures and hope to publish some of
them in the fall.
----------------------------------------------------------
We observed 96 species during the two days, of which 9 were presumed
non-breeders. Of the remaining 87 species, we documented
confirmed breeding in 26 species (30%), probable breeding in 30 species
(34%), and possible breeding in 31 species (36%). This breakdown
of breeding codes is very similar to the Atlas average.
Here is our list. The codes are as follows: NB = presumed not
breeding; PO = possible breeding; PR = probable breeding; CF =
confirmed breeding.
Species
Breeding Status
1.
Green
Heron
PO
2.
Snowy
Egret
NB
3.
Great
Egret
NB
4.
Great Blue
Heron
NB
5.
Turkey
Vulture
PO
6.
Golden
Eagle
PO
7.
Red-tailed
Hawk
PR
8.
American
Kestrel
PR
9.
Peregrine
Falcon
PO
10. Gambel's
Quail
PR
11. American
Coot
CF
12. Rock
Dove
PR
13. Mourning
Dove
CF
14.
White-winged
Dove
PR
15. Great
Horned
Owl
PR
16. Lesser
Nighthawk
PO
17.
White-throated
Swift PO
18.
Black-chinned Hummingbird PR
19.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird PR
20.
Red-shafted
Flicker PO
21. Gilded
Flicker
PR
22.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker CF
23. Hairy
Woodpecker
PO
24. Western
Wood-Pewee
PO
25. Willow
Flycatcher
PO
26. Gray
Flycatcher
PO
27. Dusky
Flycatcher
CF
28. Say's
Phoebe
PO
29.
Ash-throated Flycatcher CF
30. Western
Kingbird
PR
31. Cassin's
Kingbird
PR
32.
Loggerhead
Shrike
PO
33. Gray
Vireo
PR
34. Plumbeous
Vireo
PO
35. Western
Warbling-Vireo PO
36. Steller's
Jay
PO
37. Western
Scrub-Jay
CF
38. Common
Raven
PR
39. Horned
Lark
PO
40.
Violet-green
Swallow PR
41. Juniper
Titmouse
PO
42. Mountain
Chickadee
CF
43.
Verdin
CF
44. Common
Bushtit
CF
45.
White-breasted Nuthatch PO
46.
Red-breasted Nuthatch PO
47. Pygmy
Nuthatch
CF
48. Bewick's
Wren
CF
49. Cactus
Wren
CF
50. Rock
Wren
CF
51. Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher CF
52.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher PR
53. Western
Bluebird
CF
54. Hermit
Thrush
PR
55. American
Robin
CF
56. Northern
Mockingbird CF
57. Bendire's
Thrasher
PR
58. Crissal
Thrasher
PR
59. European
Starling
CF
60. Cedar
Waxwing
NB
61.
Phainopepla
CF
62.
Virginia's
Warbler
PR
63. Lucy's
Warbler
CF
64. Audubon's
Warbler
PO
65.
Black-and-white Warbler NB
66.
Black-throated Gray Warbler PO
67. Grace's
Warbler
PR
68. Yellow
Warbler
PO
69. Common
Yellowthroat
PO
70.
Yellow-breasted
Chat PO
71. American
Redstart
NB
72. Western
Tanager
PR
73.
Green-tailed
Towhee PO
74. Abert's
Towhee
PR
75. Spotted
Towhee
PR
76.
Rufous-crowned Sparrow PO
77. Chipping
Sparrow
PR
78.
Black-chinned Sparrow CF
79.
Black-throated Sparrow CF
80. Song
Sparrow
PO
81.
Gray-headed
Junco
PR
82.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak NB
83.
Black-headed Grosbeak PO
84. Blue
Grosbeak
PR
85. Indigo
Bunting
NB
86. Lazuli
Bunting
PO
87.
Bobolink
NB
88.
Yellow-headed Blackbird PR
89.
Great-tailed
Grackle CF
90.
Brown-headed
Cowbird PO
91. Bullock's
Oriole
CF
92. Scott's
Oriole
CF
93. Cassin's
Finch
PR
94. House
Finch
PR
95. Lesser
Goldfinch
PR
96. House
Sparrow
CF
Ted Floyd
Reno, Nevada
tedfloyd@ableweb.net
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