Dry Creek Garden Blog

Western Tanager

2010-05-26T13:06:00-04:00

This Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) -- one of a pair -- was photographed this week sitting on a backyard fence in the Old Southwest section of Reno. The same week a pair was also sighted on the John Cooke Trail during one of the windy, rainy days of late.

This beautiful finch-like song bird feeds mostly on insects and can be seen fly catching. So far the Tanager isn't threatened, perhaps because the bird is almost always on the move, commanding a range that extends from Southern Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories, through the entire Western United States, all the way to Southern Mexico and Costa Rica. The bird likes to nest in the open, extended branches of pine and other conifers. They are somewhat rarely seen because they tend to move from branch to branch and tree to tree very high off the ground. Sometimes, though, they flit through the forest's understory, especially to drink and to nibble on fruit and berries. If you get to see one up close, consider yourself lucky!

Source: Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, Fourth Edition

Local Quail Sightings

2010-04-07T13:29:00-04:00

This is the time of year for the local birds. The Robins are pecking holes looking for new crops of insects. The Mourning Doves are collecting twigs for their nests. The localized California Quail are busy, too, This photo of an ever watchful male was taken yesterday just off Plumb in a backyard between Arlington and Plumus.

The California Quail (Callipepla californica) -- The California Quail's range extends into northwest Nevada. Nowadays, the bird is a common sight along the entire length of the Truckee, in the river's riparian flood lands. Since they build their nests on the ground, the California Quail prefers brush land areas, whether grassland, woodland, or Big Sagebrush desert. This bird will even set up residence in city and suburban backyards -- if there's cover. They are often seen walking fences and running in their small coveys across city and suburban streets.

This beautiful bird eats seeds, small buds, berries and insects. In the city, they seem to prefer bare dirt to grass lawns. Since the new born chicks are unable to escape predators through flight for their first month, both parents are very protective of the chicks.

Other quail in Nevada:

The Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) -- The Mountain Quail's original range was huge, with year round populations extending north to south from Canada to Baja California, east to west in the mountain ranges of Idaho, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. During the last half of the 20th century, the Mountain Quail declined dramatically and continues to do so, due mainly to loss of habitat in combination with extensive hunting. According to the Audubon Watch List, hunting this beautiful bird is now banned in Idaho and eastern Oregon. The Nevada Department of Wildlife is attempting to reintroduce Mountain Quail to what remains of their original habitat. The Mountain Quail is larger than the California Quail and lives in higher elevations (as high as 10,000 feet). They do migrate downward when the temperatures drop in the autumn, traveling in coveys of up to 20 birds. As their habitat continues to dwindle due to housing and commercial developments in the mountain regions of the west, there have been attempts to protect the species by officially adding it to the Endangered Species List. So far they remain unlisted, although their extermination is all but complete in Idaho. In Nevada, with a permit, hunters can still kill the Mountain Quail, but with a daily bag limit of two.

Gambel's Quail (Lophortyx gambellii) -- The Gambel's Quail is a true desert quail, preferring the warmer climates of the southwestern deserts. In California and Nevada, this bird can be found in the Mojave Desert as far north as Beatty and throughout Death Valley National Park.

Scaled Quail (Callipepla Squamata) -- The Scaled Quail, also called the Blue Quail was introduced into Nevada as a game bird and remains a favored bird for shooting even though populations are declining range wide. This quail is also a popular aviary bird.

Mute Swan Visits Virginia Lake

2010-03-27T11:20:00-04:00

Recently, a beautiful swan has been hanging out with the other water birds at Virginia Lake in Reno. The swan seems to love having its picture taken, as it stays close to shore and seems to pose for all the interested photographers. So far, no one seems to know where this particular swan came from. This week the Reno Gazette-Journal posted a series of photographs and identified the bird as a 'Mute Swan' and conjectured that it is possibly the offspring of a pair from south Reno.

According to Wikipedia, the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) was introduced to North America from Europe, and is referred to as "mute" because it's less vocal than other types of swan. On walks around the lake, we've seen this swan three or four times and so far, true to its name, we have not heard a single peep or honk.

There are two native swans to North America: The Trumpeter Swan and the Tundra Swan. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Trumpeter Swan is the largest waterfowl in North America with an eight foot wingspan. They mate for life and the male takes care of the nest building.

By the turn of the twentieth century, the Trumpeter Swan had been hunted almost to extinction -- the lowest count for a worldwide population dwindled to less than 70 birds -- but there were major attempts to save the species. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed to protect traveling birds from over hunting. The passing of the bill contributed greatly to saving the Trumpeter. Federal controls have allowed a remarkable comback: the Trumpeter's present population stands at over 16,000. Nevertheless, because of their size, all three species remain extremely vulnerable to illegal poaching.

The Red Shafted Flicker

2010-03-17T00:00:00-04:00

We built this bird house out of old fence planks seven summers ago. The dimensions of the box and the hole were calculated for attracting the Red Shafted Flicker, a local woodpecker and helpmate for keeping the insect populations down during the spring and summer.

Although this bird house was built specifically with the Flicker in mind, it's perch hight is too low, too close to the ground. Each spring, the Flickers find the house, check it out, even go inside to test its comfort and safety, still, none have ever actually set up housekeeping. Next year, perhaps, we'll relocate the house high up in a backyard tree. But that would entail having to climb it!

There are two types of Flickers in North America. The Yellow Shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus), also called the Yellowhammer, resides in the eastern part of North America. In the west, we find the Red Shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus cafer). Both are types of woodpeckers and although they will eat seeds, they're great insect eating birds.