Date: 10/19/25 7:29 pm From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad...> Subject: Purple Finch in Fernley
This morning I was surprised to find a female or immature Purple Finch at the Desert Gardens Memorial Cemetery in Fernley (next door to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery). I first heard its distinctive "pick" flight calls as it flew into a Siberian Elm in the cemetery's northwest corner. A minute later it flew north towards the Veterans Memorial Cemetery. This species is generally unexpected in Nevada's Great Basin and away from the Sierra Front/Carson Range, and this is likely a first record for Lyon County (it is the first in eBird). 2-3 Golden-crowned Kinglets were also at Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Later today, I found two Dunlin at Pitt-Taylor Reservoir in Pershing County, which were my first and eBird firsts for Pershing County. Another Golden-crowned Kinglet was on the Humboldt River at Lake Road west of Imlay (Callahan Bridge).
Date: 10/16/25 4:02 pm From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad...> Subject: Summer Tanager on the Truckee River east of Reno
This afternoon I found a Summer Tanager at 102 Ranch, on the Truckee River east of Reno. The bird is likely a female of the eastern race, based on overall orangey color with slight red highlights on undertail and elsewhere. Lousy photos and location details are in eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S279768265. Also present at the same location as the tanager was a white-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (which have been pushing through in good numbers the last 2 weeks) and a pure-ish-looking "YELLOW SHAFTED" NORTHERN FLICKER.
The trailhead for this location is on the I-80 frontage road north of the river and just west of USA Parkway.
Date: 10/16/25 7:59 am From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad...> Subject: Storm fallout at Pyramid Lake and NW Nevada including Black-and-White Warbler/Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Monday through Wednesday saw significant fallouts of late fall migrants moving through northwest Nevada, coinciding with the approach, arrival, and aftermath of an early winter storm. I first noted a large presence of common (Audubon's, Myrtle, Orange-crowned) warblers moving through my south Reno neighborhood on Monday morning. Fifty minutes spent birding at Rancho San Rafael (Reno) produced 40+ Yellow-rumps and 10+ Orange-crowned, that afternoon. I ran out to Porter Springs, in Pershing County, and found it enjoyable but not extraordinary, with the best bird being a PACIfiC WREN both Monday night and Tuesday morning. An American Coot on the stock pond was my 130th species for this site and one you don't often catch at migrant traps.
After leaving Porter Springs, I birded Rye Patch Dam, where the highlight was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in the day use area east of the river and below the dam. Proceeding to Churchill County, ~500 Barn Swallows were at S-Line Reservoir in Fallon. The Carson River Diversion Dam, west of Fallon, was better for migrant volume than diversity, with 200-300 Yellow-rumped Warblers (oddly, I noted only Audubon's and no Myrtles) and generally small numbers of other migrants.
On Wednesday, I birded the Pyramid Lake area beginning with mostly looking at waterbirds from my vehicle in the lingering rain band. Around late morning I headed up to Bonham Ranch, on the Smoke Creek Desert, where I found an adult male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, 20-25 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and one each Wilson's and Townsend's Warblers. Along the way, I found many random migrants in open desert including a flock of ~100 Audubon's Warblers, several groups of Mountain Bluebirds, Ruby-crowned Kinglets in shadscale habitat, and a single small tamarisk containing up to 10 Ruby-crowned Kinglets and 2-3 Orange-crowned Warblers.
I returned to Pyramid Lake Wednesday afternoon and birded "The Willows" which produced probably the most significant migrant fallout I've experienced in northern Nevada. Ruby-crowned Kinglets (and one Golden-crowned Kinglet) were dripping from nearly every tree and all over the ground, and the best conservative estimate I could come up with for eBird was 250, although that's probably conservative. There were also dozens of warblers highlighted by a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER plus 40-50, each, Yellow-rumped (at least two Myrtles) and Orange-crowned, 5-6 Townsend's, 2+ Yellows, dozens of White-crowned Sparrows, a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and a late Hammond's Flycatcher.
I checked some more patches in the Pyramid area and continued to find large numbers of migrant landbirds dominated by Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Orange-crowned Warblers but including more late Yellow, Wilson's, Townsend's Warblers and a late Warbling Vireo at Sutcliffe. Waterbirding Pyramid was pretty much a bust and quickly eclipsed by the huge numbers of landbird migrants to sort through.
Date: 10/4/25 3:24 pm From: Rose Strickland <rosenreno...> Subject: Common Tern
Watching a Common Tern on a pipe over the water at Pyramid Lake at old boat launch in Sutcliffe. Reddish bill, short red legs, black half-cap on head, small tern. Rose
Sent from my iPhones
Date: 10/2/25 7:14 pm From: Carl Lundblad <carl.lundblad...> Subject: Pahranagat status (open), Egret (yes), Hooded Warbler (new)
I finally had a chance to chase the continuing Reddish Egret at Pahranagat NWR and was glad to find it still present, now south of the dike on Upper Lake.
Great low water habitat persists north of the dike and had lots of other tall waders (Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons), common shorebirds, and pipits. A very distant Phalarope had me going as a possible Red, but as the sun lowered and the light changed, it began to look more like a Red-necked.
Shortly before sunset, I was birding Middle Marsh when I heard what I recognized as calls of a vaguely-familiar eastern warbler, but I wasn't sure which one (though I had an idea that turned out correct). Eventually I had quick views of a lovely male Hooded Warbler and got diagnostic recordings of that distinctive call note.
The refuge currently remains open, for better or worse, except the campground is closed during the government shutdown.
Date: 10/1/25 12:10 am From: Clayton Peoples <claypeoples...> Subject: Central and Southern NV Notable Birds Last Week
Hi All! I had work travel that took me from my hometown of Reno through central and southern Nevada last week. While on the journey, I stopped to do some birding (when possible). Lots of notable species were observed:
It began Sunday morning (9/21), when I met up with Carl Lundblad at Miller's Rest Stop outside Tonopah and he spotted—and helped me see—a beautiful LARK BUNTING.
From Tonopah, I took the "easterly" route to Las Vegas so I could visit Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, where I was fortunate to see the continuing REDDISH EGRET.
Upon arrival in Las Vegas, I visited Sunset Park. Although I was a day late for the Prairie Warbler that had been seen there, I was fortunate to see the continuing CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and DICKClSSEL. I ended that day in Primm, where someone helped me see the continuing NORTHERN PARULA.
After work kept me quite busy the first few days in Vegas, limiting my birding opportunities, I had a small break on Thursday and visited Corn Creek where I found a beautiful juvenile light-morph BROAD-WINGED HAWK.
On Friday, I was again in Primm, where I found a lovely hatch-year female BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (see photo in eBird link here: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/642515774).
On Saturday, before departing southern Nevada and heading north, I stopped at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (HBVP), where I came across a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (possibly continuing, as one had been seen there some weeks ago) and a pretty juvenile SABINE'S GULL.
Finally, on Sunday (9/28), before driving the rest of the way back to Reno, I found an AMERICAN REDSTART and a PALM WARBLER at Miller's Rest Stop, west of Tonopah.
In all, I was fortunate to observe 122 species along the way, including all the notable birds mentioned above. It was a great reminder of how amazing the birding can be in Nevada during migration season--and especially how all our Nevada "desert traps" seem to attract interesting birds!
