Rolling the Dice in Las Vegas and an Ovenbird in Sacramento

I've only visited Las Vegas on two occasions, the first on our way to and from Zion National Park where we only saw it from the freeway passing through and the second, last weekend on a bird chase. I would imagine that once-upon-time when it was just an oasis in the desert it was a charming place, but today it has grown into quite a large sprawling metropolis taking 20+ minutes to drive across on the freeway at 70 mph. What usually attracts people to Las Vegas is the Strip and all that goes with it. For me I find that the least attractive part. However, like all places in the desert where there is also water it can be a good place for birds and the ones I came for were the Rufous-backed Robin, Yellow-footed Gull, and the Lesser Black-backed Gull. Danette accompanied me to Bakersfield, so often my jumping off point for trips into the desert, where she would visit her mom while I went on to LV. Starting out early from Bakersfield it was just over a 4 hour drive to get to 'Sin City' so I was in place for the birds by 9 am.

View to the west from Corn Creek

Just to the northwest of Las Vegas is one of the largest national wildlife refuges in the lower 48, Desert NWR. Just off of highway 95 you can find the refuge headquarters at the Corn Creek Field Station. The field station is located along Corn Creek and it's well developed trails and paths make it an excellent location for attracting birds. For several years I have checked the e-bird hotspot page for this location and there are always good birds showing up here. Among them is the Rufous-backed Robin. This robin, common in the western part of Mexico is a rare visitor to the American Southwest. Reports were consistent as to its presence so I was reasonbly confident of getting this bird. Because it was a Saturday there were a number of other birders present and they were helpful in pointing out the places where it was frequently seen. After walking the paths and trails for about 20 minutes the Robin made his appearance in an orchard of pomegranate trees and I was able to get good looks and take some photos. Had I not been after the gulls I would have taken more time here as it really was a cool place.

Rufous-backed Robin

Rufous-backed Robin

The gulls I was after had been reported with some frequency this winter on a branch of Lake Mead that lies within easy reach of LV. Most of sightings had occurred early in the day but I wanted to increase my chances and maybe get lucky so I went after them Saturday afternoon figuring that if I missed them then I would have a better chance Sunday morning. The ebird hotspot is at the 33 Hole Overlook and to get down to the water and close enough for good viewing conditions it's about a 1.5 mile walk down a draw and a bit of a bushwack at the end. When I got down to the water the gull raft was well out and too far away for IDing these birds but I was able to get into what I thought would be the best position for seeing them the following morning. This spot overlooked the point at which the water, flowing down the drainage was just entering the lake. It was full of waterfowl and very shallow at that point making it a great location for wading birds and gulls alike to roost. Returning back up the draw I had a few interesting birds such as Abert's Towhee and Rock Wren then made my way back to the city to turn in early.

Sunrise over Lake Mead

Up well before dawn the next morning, getting coffee at Starbucks, Las Vegas seemingly just as busy at that hour as any other. I parked at the 33 Hole Overlook at 6:30 and made my way down to my observation point from the previous afternoon. I was somewhat dismayed to discover only 4 gulls mixed in with the large flock of waterfowl and thought myself wise to have brought a chair with me as it was looking like I would have a long morning of waiting. Soon however, gulls began flying in in small groups and by 7:10 I had a nice sized flock to pick through. Pretty quickly I thought that I had found the Lesser Black-backed Gull so I photographed it and concentrated on finding the Yellow-footed Gull. Later, in looking at my pictures it became pretty clear that what I thought was the Lesser Black-backed was not this bird. I really didn't know what it was so I sent the images off to John Sterling and he sent them on to Todd Easterla (both experts at Gull ids) and Todd concluded that it was just "a screwed up California Gull". I found a number of gulls that I thought might be the Yellow-footed but were not quite right and then there he was, obvious. Clean white head, yellow legs, darker back, and a yellow iris. I thought he was quite striking.  This gull is a resident of The Gulf of California and only rarely can be seen within the lower 48. Most often in the Imperial Valley and Salton Sea of extreme Southern California. This chase was good practice for iding gulls. One thing I learned about identifying both of these species was how important the eye color is. This, of course, makes field identification challenging as you need to be close enough to be able to see the details of the eye. Well I figured that that was a good morning, two new birds by 7:30 (only one actually as the photos would later show) and that was enough of Las Vegas for me. I got on the road and headed for Bakersfield. Since I had a little time on my hands I did take a scenic detour through Mojave National Monument driving a route that left I-15 just after the state line and going to Kelso and then on to Baker and back on I-15.  This loop takes you through a large swath of the Joshua Tree forest that is found in this part of the monument. Even though it was quite early in the year for good birding here, I did have many Cactus Wrens, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Brewer's Sparrows, and a nice Black-throated Sparrow.

Yellow-footed Gull

Yellow-footed Gull

While it's true that I missed the Lesser Black-backed Gull I would say that my Las Vegas trip was a success. Two new life birds, a couple of very cool birding spots, and of course a chance to be in the desert all combined to make it worth the effort. 

Mojave National Monument

Ovenbird in Sacramento

Just prior to leaving for Las Vegas, reports of an Ovenbird in the Sacramento drew my attention and I hoped it would stay around long enough for me to see it upon my return. In fact, this bird seems to be settled in for the winter but it hasn't been the most cooperative bird for seeing. It seems to have chosen  William Land Park and the WPA Rock Garden there as it's winter residence. Almost all of the reports are from the dense cover along the northeastern edge of the rock garden. Ovenbirds are skulky and secretive by nature and this bird is no exception. Many people have waited long hours for just the briefest look at this fellow. I was fortunate in that I only had to wait about a half hour for my look.  And yes, it was a brief one, long enough for a positive ID but not long enough to try and get a photo. I spent another hour trying for a better look but he never reappeared. Perhaps I will have more time with this species in April when we go to Texas for the eclipse.  That's 577 and counting now. Maybe #600 this year is possible!