Desert National Wildlife Refuge, NV - 23 Feb 2019
The Visitor Center at Corn Creek is quite lovely and sits nicely at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Recent snow fall in Las Vegas was a rarity, so seeing snow in the desert is a special event.
The two-foot wide Corn Creek forms a nice oasis in the middle of the desert and is a magnet for birds. Noon-time in the desert is not a great time to bird, but I managed a pair of American Robins and a flock of Western Bluebirds. Lighting was awful, but I was happy with how the Sony a9 handled focus on the deeply-backlit birds. Being able to hit the multi-function button the back of the camera allowed me to switch to standard center-spot focus, which was necessary when the Lock-on AF: Flexible Spot M wanted to grab nearer branches.
One concern I have with the Sony a9 and 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS + 1.4TC is how much it fails to lock on soaring hawks. I had this problem the first time I tried it on a pair of Red-tailed Hawks in Wyandotte, and again this afternoon on a soaring Cooper’s Hawk. The camera fails to find and lock focus unless I’m practically on the bird. I will need to check this out...
The pond next to the Visitor Center had no birds. A Common Raven was croaking away on the opposite side of the pond, but I was busy trying to find a Phainopepla that appeared farther up the trail. The neighboring ranch had a feeder that was active with small flocks of American Goldfinch, White-crowned and Song Sparrows, and House Finches. A Golden-crowned Sparrow sitting in a nearby tree was a nice surprise.
Corn Creek is the home of the endangered Pahrump PoolFish, a tiny minnow that needs intervention from humans to keep crayfish from invading their habitat. A small building out back of the Visitor Center is helping to raise / protect them.
Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Clark, Nevada, US
Feb 23, 2019 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
10 species
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) 6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 2
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 3
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 3
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
We then tried to stop by Red Rock Canyon on the way back to Vegas, but cars were backed up a quarter mile, 3-lanes deep to get into the scenic drive. We passed. Along the way, however, we pulled over to watch a pair of Common Ravens that I initially mistook for hawks. Then, farther up the road a larger raptor was flying low over the field to our right and was thought to be a Turkey Vulture until we got close enough to ID it as a Golden Eagle! Unfortunately I could not pull over to try to photograph it due to the high traffic in a construction zone.
Feb 23, 2019 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
10 species
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) 6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 2
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 3
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 3
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
We then tried to stop by Red Rock Canyon on the way back to Vegas, but cars were backed up a quarter mile, 3-lanes deep to get into the scenic drive. We passed. Along the way, however, we pulled over to watch a pair of Common Ravens that I initially mistook for hawks. Then, farther up the road a larger raptor was flying low over the field to our right and was thought to be a Turkey Vulture until we got close enough to ID it as a Golden Eagle! Unfortunately I could not pull over to try to photograph it due to the high traffic in a construction zone.
Red Rock Canyon, Clark, Nevada, US
Feb 23, 2019 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
2 species
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
We drove to Caesar's Palace and tried to find the entrance. 2nd time was the charm and we valet parked the rental and went inside to register. After dropping off luggage we headed to Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill and split a burger and a couple pints of Guinness. Then, it was time to call it an early night before driving to the Inn at Death Valley where we would meet up with the Backroads Tour on Sunday morning.
Feb 23, 2019 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
2 species
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
We drove to Caesar's Palace and tried to find the entrance. 2nd time was the charm and we valet parked the rental and went inside to register. After dropping off luggage we headed to Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill and split a burger and a couple pints of Guinness. Then, it was time to call it an early night before driving to the Inn at Death Valley where we would meet up with the Backroads Tour on Sunday morning.
