Previously, I told you the story of a fledgling House Finch. It’s super easy to be cute if you are a baby songbird. But can “Birds of Prey” also be cute and entertaining? Oh yes, absolutely! They can also scare the bejeezus out of you! ​

The Red Rock Audubon Society (RRAS) organized a group of volunteers who spent a morning on March 27th filling in open fence posts in the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge (https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Pahranagat/). Red Rock Audubon’s mission is to bring people together for the conservation and enjoyment of birds, other wildlife, and the natural world throughout Southern Nevada and neighboring areas. This event is a part of ensuring this mission is accomplished. 

Whilst some may think that Shoshone CA was built around the Crowbar Café & Saloon, the true source of the tiny town lies in it’s incredible spring. From it flows more than 700 gallons of water per minute, and provides the town with drinking water, fills the pool, the pond and the wetlands. Back in 80’s, a small population of the Shoshone Pupfish was discovered – 12 of them in total. They were put into a small pond near the source of the spring, protected and have grown into a thriving population. These Pupfish exist only in Shoshone, a small city with a variety of wildlife. Len Warren, with The Nature Conservancy, agreed to spend a Sunday morning hosting a Red Rock Audubon birding event, and show us his work in the Shoshone Wetlands. He said, “Let’s meet at the CROWBAR!”

By Sunshine Jowell and David Anderson

Next month the Red Rock Audubon Society will participate in Nevada Bird-A-Thon from May 7-16, counting bird species across the country, and raising funds for charity. In the past year, this birding event as adapted to allow participants to bird from home—allowing families and friends to join in some backyard birding to count the species in a safe and socially distant way.
​
Enjoy this video by David Anderson https://vimeo.com/539845998

​Our center’s direct participation in Clark County Parks & Recreation’s School Daze program ended on Friday, March 26th. Since the beginning of the 2020 school year, Winchester Dondero Cultural Center has been one of the department’s support locations for CCSD’s online learning programs, serving 5 – 13 year-old students. Now that local schools are well on their way, transitioning back to full-time in-school classes, and many of our centers are transitioning to more open and public activities throughout Clark County, we are focusing again on serving the community at-large, supporting, presenting and representing arts and culture in Clark County.

by Jim Nelson

​Gallery:janelson1.myportfolio.com/
Photos by Jim Nelson

One of our favorite birding areas is Lynx Lake just outside Prescott, AZ.  It is at 5,530 foot elevation, in the pines, a 55 acre reservoir.  
The lake has a paved walkway on the west side from the north to the south end, and the east side is an easily navigated dirt trail. The total distance around the lake is about 2.5 miles.
We have counted several varieties of woodpeckers, osprey, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons, and other species in various visits, mostly in late fall and early winter.  There is a bald eagle nest somewhere on the south side, which we have not seen, but the eagles in early mornings put on a good fishing display over the lake. Likewise, an osprey that we spotted in late fall was busily diving for fish on the south side oblivious to swimmers and waders relatively close.
Prescott is a 4 hour drive from Las Vegas via Highway I-40 and US-93 South.  It would be a nice respite from our upcoming Las Vegas summer heat.

​By Sunshine Jowell
​
There’s this old photo I sometimes see pop up on Facebook of my parents on the beach in Southern California. I’ll see one of my relatives post it on their anniversary or one of their birthdays, with a reminder of their constant love and devotion to each other. The picture was taken by one of my sisters. It’s a bit blurry, because she was far away while they were walking together near the water’s edge. A few seagulls dot the landscape as you see my mom lean heavily on my dad’s arm while she stumbles along the sand with a cane in her other hand. Her wheelchair had been left with my sister because she wanted to feel the sea on her toes.

It is that time of year when we see migrants coming through Las Vegas, as well as nesting activity. It is important to remember that we need to give birds the space they need for their habits & survival. Migrant birds are coming down to rest and refuel before they continue towards their nesting grounds. Human disturbance can be very disruptive to a successful migration. 
​

​One of the greatest things about birding is the way it connects us all together. The actions you take here in Southern Nevada can have a global impact far beyond what you may expect. With global temperatures increasing there is also an increased need in teaming up across the world to monitor those changes and act to correct the damage done and prevent further damage from occurring. From the recognition that temperatures are rising the National Audubon Society has started a community based science program to monitor how birds are changing alongside climate change called Climate Watch. Birds are a barometer of sorts for our environment whether it's observing what they eat to where they nest and where they migrate, they hold many answers about our environment and Climate Watch looks to harness that valuable information through volunteer observation across North America.