BLOG
Dedicated to the environmental stewardship of habitats in the Mojave desert in a time of climate change
By Jackson Roth Hi, my name is Jackson Roth. I am 11 years old and have been into birds for around a year and a half. My family and I take many vacations, and I have a lot of fun exploring new species in different areas of the country. We were in Yellowstone National Park when my mom first showed me Merlin. I had been interested in wildlife for a long time, but this is what started my focus on birds. Now it has become a tradition that when we arrive in new places, we put the phone down and start Sound ID going, then every few minutes check what we got. As it finds more species, I try to identify their calls and songs without Merlin’s help. My articles will talk about some of my experiences birding across the U.S., exploring different regions and habitats. Living in Las Vegas means living in the middle of the desert. Bird-watching is a little trickier in the desert as we don’t have woods behind our house or many lakes nearby to see waterfowl. Pigeons, house sparrows, and house finches are the most common birds we get around here, and no one’s excited about seeing a pigeon. We rarely get any owl species, so I was thrilled when I heard that a park near us, Floyd Lamb, had a Great Horned Owl pair staying there. After I showed them a recent eBird checklist with the owls, my family picked a day to search for the pair. On our way to some groves of trees, we passed a few of Floyd Lamb’s resident peafowl who greeted us with their trumpeted bugle calls. Picking a random clump of trees, we watched and waited for an hour or so but didn’t see any owls among the tall branches. My disappointment grew because we don’t go there very often, and I feared that the owls might be gone by our next visit. Finally, at dusk, we gave up. Walking back, I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see a dark shape swooping through the trees. I went on high alert and searched and searched but couldn’t find it again. Seeing our binoculars, a man walking past showed us a grove where he had seen the Great Horned Owls come out around 5:00. I was elated. I would get to see some owls! When it was light out! This would be the perfect opportunity to see a beautiful owl pair in the daylight. Excited, we came back the next day to look for the owls. At 4:30, we went to the grove that the man had shown us. Or what we thought was the grove. Since Great Horned Owls are mostly brown and many of the trees’ leaves were brown (it was fall), we knew that it would probably be hard to find them, so the three of us split up. And we looked. And looked. It had been nighttime when the man had pointed us to the grove that they came in, so we all thought we were looking in the correct spot. My father slightly misunderstood and went looking off in the desert scrub instead of the trees. My mother was looking two hills over from me. And so we each wandered, craning our necks to look up into trees. As the afternoon progressed, I began to worry that we had missed our chance at seeing the owls. At last, I looked up to see a Cooper’s Hawk high up on a branch, staring down the Great Horned Owl male. I called to my parents, half-whispering, half-yelling (if that is possible) across the two hills. As my parents ran up, the Cooper’s Hawk flew away, and there they were. A male and a female Great Horned Owl. I could see their fluffy ear tufts so clearly. The female, with her wings spread, was sleeping up in a tree. The male was peering down at us with immense golden eyes. For a while the male fluffed his neck feathers to cool off. Watching them so close in the daylight was truly magnificent. We stayed with them for a while, fascinated. We went home after that but still check for them once in a while when we go to Floyd Lamb Park. Great Horned Owls have been my favorite raptor ever since that evening.
By Alex Harper Neither in the depths of winter anymore and too early for the rush of spring, February is a month that may feel more stagnant than January or March. The increasing daylight triggers hormone production that may prepare some birds for breeding or migratory behavior. The behavior changes in birds may be obvious when observing some species, but not observable in others. There are indeed some birds on the move in February, and they are the harbingers of an incoming spring. For our local breeding birds, many will be engaging in territorial behavior or “tuning up” their songs. Residential birds at low elevations, such as in the Las Vegas area, will be most obvious. You’ll notice doves, hummingbirds and mockingbirds chasing each other around or displaying. You may even catch hummingbirds in the act of collecting nest materials; spider webs are amongst some of their favorite materials. The songs of House Finches may be heard on almost every city block in town. At local parks such as Sunset Park, the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, and Pittman Wash, you may hear the harsh song of the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, a rambling Crissal Thrasher, or the hurried and stuttering song of the Abert’s Towhee. Since these resident birds are nonmigratory and are already in the area that they will attempt to breed, they can begin breeding activities now. For many of the migratory species, they are on a different schedule. At our parks with water and our reservoirs, we could still see influxes of winter-driven waterfowl, especially in diving ducks like goldeneyes, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers. Cooler temperatures to the north or farther inland can freeze ponds over, which directly affects the ability for waterfowl to forage for food. Diving waterfowl are impacted by any freezes, and they’ll move around throughout February when necessary. February is another great gull-watching month. Virtually any species can show up at Lake Mead during February. Some migratory birds are on the way from south of the border. Fast-flying swallows are amongst the first to arrive, and they’ll trickle into wetlands such as Clark County Wetlands Park and the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Migratory Northern Rough-winged Swallows will join the small winter flocks at the bird preserve, as will Tree Swallows, followed by a few Barns and Violet-greens. Visit the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve towards the end of February, and you’ll notice the slow accumulation of swallows. Once the trees begin to produce new leaves again, insect and bird activity will escalate. From March to May, surges of spring-related activities such as singing, nest-building, and migration will be in full motion.
by Alex Harper Cold, dense air blankets the valleys and basins of the lowlands, and snow may cover mountain slopes. The sun arcs low across the horizon, and the days are especially short. Just about all the deciduous trees have lost their leaves after a few windy December days. The loss of leaf cover forces some songbirds to forage lower to the ground or move around locally to find fuel and cover. Since insects may only be active during the warmest parts of the warmest of January days, you may notice Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers using ingenuity to find dormant or dead insects and spiders. In lots and natural areas, White-crowned Sparrows and House Finches feed on seeding quailbush. Many January days can be bone-chilling, but on calm and warmer days, signs of breeding activities will be noticeable in urban areas. You may hear the loud popping sounds of displaying Anna’s Hummingbirds, see Eurasian Collared-Doves “paragliding” between powerlines, or notice robins and mockingbirds tuning up their songs. This is in response to the gradual increase in daylight following the winter solstice in December; birds are so attuned to light that some resident species may get a jumpstart on establishing territories and attracting mates. Wetlands, parks with water, and golf courses can host high species of duck diversity. Along the Las Vegas Wash from the upper wash to Lake Las Vegas, open water attracts teals, Mallards, American Wigeons, pintails, Gadwalls, Ring-necked Ducks, and Lesser Scaups. Wigeons and Gadwalls are especially drawn to weirs, where they feed on algae growing on rocks. Northern Shovelers may be absent along the Wash, preferring the calmer waters of the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, and Redheads all may be found at city park ponds and lakes, where they have learned to take handouts. Geese move in between nighttime roosts around water for open grassy areas during the day. Geese are grazers, and you may see small groups of Snow Geese and the odd Cackling, Greater White-fronted, or Ross’s Geese among Canada Geese on soccer fields or golf course lawns. Lake Mead can attract grebes, loons, and diving ducks. Check the areas where the Las Vegas Wash meets the lake, which is currently near Government Wash and 33-Hole. Large enough fish for grebes, loons, and cormorants are attracted to this outwash, and it can be an excellent place to look for these and other waterbirds that eat medium-sized to large fish. Lake Mead is also attractive to gulls in January and late winter. Gulls are dynamic, intelligent, can be difficult to identify to a species-level, and are prone to wandering. For these reasons and more, birders often find looking for gulls an exciting challenge. Only a few species are expected on any given visit to Lake Mead, but the reservoir lures in just about any North American gull species. Gulls go where they are fed, and they roost in safe areas close to consistent feeding areas. 33-Hole, Government Wash, Boulder Beach and Hemenway Harbor are all tried-and-true locations to look for gulls. Scan through flocks of ubiquitous Ring-billed, California, and occasional Herring for Lesser Black-backed and Iceland Gulls. Eventually, you may see something completely unexpected. Overall, January can be used to see waterfowl move and court one another, as well as life cycles of wintering and resident birds. For some bird species, they are weeks or months away from migrating to their breeding grounds, which in some cases may be in Canada or Alaska. For our year-round neighborhood birds, they may be transitioning out of their winter behavior of wandering for food and beginning to set up territory. By February, we will welcome the vanguards of returning swallows.
Connect With Us
©2025 | All Rights Reserved | Red Rock Audubon
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Disclaimer
Website powered by Neon One