Doug, Jim and Nate at Ash Meadows 

Red Rock Audubon Christmas Bird Count is BACK SAFELY!!! Volunteer compliers (fancy name for organizing leaders) have redesigned our six count circles (Ash Meadows, Corn Creek, Pahranagat, Henderson, Muddy Rivers and Red Rock Conservation Area) to be COVID appropriate while maximizing volunteer’s birding fun and following the CBC science protocols.
Jim Switalla, Nate Hutt and Doug Chang are continuing a Red Rock Audubon tradition of sweeping the counts (doing all six counts). So far – after 4 counts, the birds have shown up, the weather has been outstanding! Participation of first time and returning CBCers has been outstanding too. Joining in any CBC requires a very early start to the day. However, the cookies made it all worthwhile. Thank you Ash Meadows for the refreshments (hint, hint…other compilers!). Hope our weather luck continues and others will join us and continue this tradition next year.

You never know what you’ll see when you visit Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (HBVP) on each visit, but the park certainly doesn’t disappoint! It was exciting to be one of eight volunteers, Linda & Bob, Eva, Nancy and Anna, led by experienced birders Doug and Jim.
The night’s chill was still in the air on Wednesday, December 22 when our group met in the conference room at the HBVP’s entrance building at 7 am.  Surrounded by a prolific collection of stuffed animals and exhibits, we made our introductions and Doug led the briefing. Most of us brought binoculars. Fortunately, Jim and Doug brought their spotting scopes mounted on tripods, which were particularly helpful as we tried to identify our birds who were quite hidden in the trees and brush. I brought along one of my Nikon digital single-lens reflex cameras with an especially long telephoto 150-600 mm lens, but the spotting scopes do a spectacular job getting up extremely close to wildlife!

I recently had the opportunity to meet a young a birder at one of our Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve events. When we had a chance to talk he informed me that he was an artist and especially likes to create digital bird art.