#OptOutside 2016
/The day after Thanksgiving, seven intrepid souls gathered in the chilly morning to go birding around Reno and Sparks. Three of them were new to the area, so welcome to Nevada! We started off at the Sparks Marina, where we found 17 species. One of the highlights for several of us were close-up views of an icy-backed Black-crowned Night-Heron along the shoreline.
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron
American Coot
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Brewer’s Blackbird
After a short stint there at the Marina, we headed off to Oxbow Nature Study Area, and wandered along the Truckee River. We found 41 species – the highlights were the Red-shouldered Hawks and Black Phoebe, both lifers for some of the folks there. And seeing a Merlin knife its way through the sky – that’s always a treat!
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
California Quail
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
California Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Red-naped Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Black Phoebe
Steller’s Jay
California Scrub-Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Mountain Chickadee
Bewick’s Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
After Oxbow Park, we stopped at a nearby coffee shop to refuel with either hot cups of caffeine or some breakfast, and then zig-zagged our way to Rancho San Rafael, where we turned up 30 species. We started our loop through the arboretum, made our way to the pond, and then down along the willows, before heading back up. The willows were pretty quiet, birdwise, but beautiful as ever, and rewarded us with some almost-within-arms-reach views of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Bewick’s Wren, and Mountain Chickadee.
Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Golden Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk/Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-crowned Night-Heron
American Coot
Mourning Dove
Unknown Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller’s Jay
California Scrub-Jay
Mountain Chickadee
Bushtit
Bewick’s Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
All in all, a happy way to start a Friday! Thanks to everyone for coming out, and we’ll see you next year!
