Birding 3-27-2011 Willow Creek: Pahrump: Nye County

March 27, 2011, started off before sunrise. I spent a lot of time taking pictures of a unidentified woodpecker. Pictures were not good today. I did something wrong and will have to check with Richard. Anyway, Carol, joined me and we had a wonderful time birding Willow Creek.

We had some surprises. I was not expecting to see two Red Crossbills, one a male and one a female. Also the Vermillion Flycatcher returned today, it was a male and he was just beautiful. Also saw a Black throated Gray Warbler.  He was a nice surprise. It was a very active morning with lots of
birds moving. I wish to thank Richard Cantino for all the help he gave me this morning with woodpecker pictures I took last Sunday at Willow Creek.Carol, is a lot of fun to bird with and she hears way more than I do. We make a good birding pair. She is also quick to find the birds that I point out to her. She is a great birder friend. She makes me laugh.

Listing of birds seen today at Willow Creek
Vermillion Flycatcher
Red Crossbills
Black throated Gray Warbler
Woodpecker sp.
Pied billed Grebe's
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Ruddy Duck
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
Gambel's Quail
American Coot's
Anna's Hummingbird
Northern Flicker's
Ladder-backed Woodpecker's two a beautiful male and female(plus one more)
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoeve
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Mourning Dove
Eurasian-collarded Dove
Tree Swallow's
Bushtit's
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebirds
Northern Mockingbird
Phainopepla
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warblers everywhere (Audubon's]
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco's (2) slate colored and {5} Oregon
White-crowned Sparrow's
Red-winged Blackbird's
Yellow-headed Blackbird's
Great-tailed Grackle's
Brown headed Cowbird's
Houes Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Submitted by
Darlene Feener

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Birding 3-20-2011 Willow Creek: Pahrump: Nye County

March 20, 2011, birding started at 7:15a.m. with a strong wind,blowing spitting rain and tumbleweeds around. Lots of activity in parking lot with Cooper's Hawk nestled in the fir tree overseeing everything. Slate-colored Junco's along with Western Bluebirds, flitting from tree to tree. An American Kestrel was hovering with the wind blowing it around. A woodpecker flattened itself against the tree motivating me to get out of the vehicle. This was a female.

After conversation yesterday with a birding group in California, I was alert to looking at the woodpeckers more closely. Was able to get pictures, but she flew before I could get a look at her forehead. Had a wider black band at base of neck and appeared to have more black in the face. After looking for an hour at home on the computer,at the four pictures I took I came to believe it was a Ladder-backed and that the wind was giving the woodpecker the appearance of a wider solid black than what I am use to seeing.Thank you Richard and Carol for coffee and the pancakes after my birding. It sure did warm me up. Also thank you Richard for the instructions on the GPS.

1.Slate colored Junco's (3) at clubhouse and (2) at Carol&Richard's feeders.
Orgeon Junco's (2)(took pictures)(also at Carol and Richard's)
2.Golden-crowned Sparrow (1) at Carol&Richard's feeders. This sparrow comes
into their feeders when the White-crowned Sparrow's come in to feed.(Took
pictures)
3.Ring-billed Gull's at Richard and Carol's pond. (3)
4.Cinnamon Teal's (3) 1 male and two females. Pond (2) Richard and Carol's
5.Black-crowned Night Heron's building nest in Willow Tree second pond at
Richard and Carol's I was surprised at the size of the limbs that the
Black-crowned Night Heron's were tearing off & carrying to the nest site.
6.Northern Shoveler's spinning around on the ponds.
7.Red-shouldered Hawk sitting in nest.
8.Anna's Hummingbirds
9.House Finch
10.House Sparrow's
11.Black Phoebe's
12.Say's Phoebe
13.Lesser Goldfinch
14.Ladder-backed Woodpecker
15.Western Bluebirds
16.Cooper's Hawk
17.American Kestrel
18.Yellow-rumped Warbler's
19.Common Raven's
20.Rock Dove's
21.Northern Pintail (female) with male Mallard (think she may be a hybrid
between Northern Pintail and Mallard)
22.Gambel's Quail (1) swaying on a tumbleweed bush trying to stay upright
with the wind blowing.
23.Red-winged Blackbird's
24.Brewer's Blackbird (1)
25.Great-tailed Grackle's
26.American Wigeon's
27.Mallard's
28.Eurasian-collared Dove's calling
29.Western Meadowlarks, on a fence trying to withstand the wind.
30.Pied-billed Grebe's

Submitted by
Darlene Feener
Pahrump, Nevada

Birding 3-13-2011 Willow Creek: Pahrump: Nye County

The following birds were seen on March 13, 2011 at Willow Creek which is a inactive golf course at this time in Pahrump,Nevada.

The Peregrine Falcon, came zooming between me and a Rock Pigeon. I turned around and he was at the top of a very tall tree. I took two quick shots, of the tail and when it moved to another branch a full body shot. For the first time ever, I used my camera instead of my binos. I ifted my bino's and before I could identify it accurately it flew off. It was cold this morning so I moved on to the other birds I saw moving ahead of me thinking about the speed of the bird that I had just seen. When I downloaded the pictures to the computer this evening I was delighted that it was a Peregrine Falcon. The ponds have more duck's on them and there are more Rock Pigeon's present so maybe I will see the Peregrine Falcon more often.

I saw a total of 181 Brown-headed Cowbirds, which did not make me happy at all. They were mixed in with Red-wing Blackbird's and Brewer's Blackbird's. I usually see only 1-10 Brown-headed Cowbird's a year in Pahrump at Willow Creek. As I was watching them eat, I realized how many Cowbird's there were so I started counting. There were 48 males and 133 females.

The following birds listed below were seen today.

Peregrine Falcon
Rock Pigeon's
Mallard's
American Coot's
House Finch
Common Raven's
House Sparrow's
Great-blue Heron
Yellow-rumped Warbler's
Orange-crowned Warbler
Mourning Dove's
Eurasian Collared Dove's
Northern Pintail
Great-tailed Grackle's
Gambel's Quail
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Flicker
Brewer's Blackbird's
Red-winged Blackbird's
Brown-headed Cowbird's
Say's Phoebe
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Anna's Hummingbird
Western Meadowlark's
Verdin's
White-crowned Sparrow's
Black Phoebe
Pied-billed Grebe's
Red-shouldered Hawk's
Northern Shoveler's
Ring-necked-Duck's
Lesser Goldfinch
Ruddy Duck

Submitted by
Darlene Feener

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Birding 2-27- 2011 : Willow Creek: Pahrump: (Nye County)

February 27, 2011 birding started with no rain.I picked up Marie Stewart at
the R.V. park here in Pahrump. We headed over to Richard and Carol
Cantino's so Marie, could get her life bird, the Hooded Warbler.

This past week the Hooded Warbler has changed his daily habits and the only
time for sure that he would be in for meal worms was beween 6:45a.m. and
7:30a.m. Richard and Carol served us Waffles and Turkey Bacon. Birding does
not get any better than this, sitting waiting for the Hooded Warbler to
come in. Sure enough, in he came and Marie, got her Hooded Warbler.
The first American Robin of this year was spotted by Carol Cantino.

After breakfast, Carol, Marie and I headed out onto Willow Creek to bird.
We saw the following birds.

Hooded Warbler (1) male
Dark eyed Junco's (1) Slate-colored) (Bird photographed) (4) Oregon
Canada Goose (1) honking for his fellow geese who appear to have left.
American Wigeon's
Mallard's
Gambel's Quail
Pied-billed Grebe's
Northern Shoveler's
Ruddy Duck's
Great Blue Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk's (2)
American Coot's
Rock Pigeon's
Eurasian Collared-Doves
Anna's Hummingbird's
Red-naped Sapsucker (1)
Ladder backed Woodpecker(2) one making a hole in a tree&pulling himself up
into the hole halfway, to clean out the debris.
Mourning Dove's
Burrowing Owl's
Northern Flicker (red-shafted)
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Verdin
Western Bluebird's
Common Raven's
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird's
White-crowned Sparrow's
Great-tailed Grackle's
House Finch
House Sparrow
Lesser Goldfinch

Richard, Carol, Marie and myself headed out in the car to check out the
Burrowing Owl's. They are not on Willow Creek. They are outside of the town
of Pahrump, but in the community of Pahrump.

It was a day of wonderful birding, great friends, who provide nourishment
and lots of laughter. Carol and Richard sat discussing camera information
that is way over the head of this begging photographer.Carol and I sat
discussing all the unusual birds we are seeing in their yard. I am thankful
at last that my photos are coming into focus, thanks to Richard's
help.Learning photography is mind boggling, but I love every minute of
everything I can learn about birding.

Thank you Richard, Carol and Marie, for a memorable day of birding.

Submitted by
Darlene FeenerPahrump, Nevada