 It's spring! That means it's time for the Birds of the Truckee Meadows class series. This popular class series features our experts in birds, who share their knowledge on the identification of birds that we see in northern Nevada. Whether you are just beginning to discover birds or would like to improve your birdwatching skills, come learn how to identify Nevada birds with us!
Bundle and save! Purchase all 5 classes and use code BOTM2025 to get one class FREE! LAS members will receive a $5/class discount code in the email of upcoming events. April 24: Backyard Birds, presented by Alan Gubanich For people just getting into birding, and even those who have been birding for a while, Alan will show you how to identify the many species that could show up in your (or your neighbor’s) property throughout the year. A lot depends on the habitat(s) surrounding your yard, but even migratory species can sometimes surprise you. Alan Gubanich is Lahontan Audubon Society’s Education Chair and a former UNR Ornithology professor. May 1: Introduction to Birding, presented by Lauren Whitenack Are you a beginning birdwatcher wanting to get started? Let us take you under our wing. Our Field Trip Chair, Lauren Whitenack, has a presentation all about beginning birdwatching. She will go over the fundamental skills of bird watching, list some common species, and some of the equipment used. Everyone is welcome. Join this class, and let us help you start soaring! Lauren Whitenack is a PhD student at the University of Nevada, Reno studying mountain chickadees in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains. She served as our Field Trip Chair from 2023-2025 and also chairs our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. May 8: Wetland Birds, presented by Mike Goddard Herons and egrets got you confused? How about dabblers and divers? What on earth is a Phalarope? Who is the most secretive bird in the marsh? Does the white-faced Ibis really have a white face? Retired Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge manager, Mike Goddard will answer these questions and more and help you to identify the birds that inhabit the lakes and marshes of northwestern Nevada. May 15: Woodpeckers, presented by Ned Bohman Woodpeckers are commonly found throughout North America, but what are some species we commonly see in here in Northern Nevada? And what are some ways to identify woodpeckers out in the forest? Biologist and Outreach Coordinator, Ned Bohman from the Great Basin Bird Observatory will join us to focus on the woodpeckers found throughout the Sierra Nevada region. May 22: Flycatchers and General Birding Principles, presented by Don Molde Back by popular demand, Don Molde returns to give his lecture on the Flycatchers of Nevada. Don will be covering the multiple different species of Flycatchers which call our state home. Don will also share some of the natural history and facts about the lives of these birds. Don Molde is a long-time member of Lahontan Audubon Society and an avid birder and wildlife activist. Bird photo credits (counterclockwise from top left): Spotted Sandpiper, Red-naped Sapsucker by Jeff Bleam, Cooper's Hawk by Claire Davis, Black-crowned Night-Heron by Kentia Kalanaki, and Dusky Flycatcher by Jeff Bleam Avian influenza has been in the news lately, and we understand that there are a lot of questions. Cornell University has published a website to provide updated information on this disease. Lahontan Audubon Society is not collecting dead birds for our taxidermy collection at this time. Currently, the risk for humans to contract avian influenza is relatively low, but people who work with dairy, poultry, or sick birds should take precautions as recommended on the Cornell site. Raw foods or milk should be avoided by people and pets. Avian influenza can be contracted by pets through raw foods. Bird feeders may be kept up at this time, but keep an eye out for sick birds. If sick birds are seen at the feeder, please remove the feeder, clean it, and perhaps leave it down for a time to avoid the spread of disease (including other diseases than avian flu). Bird feeders should be removed if poultry is in the yard, as poultry are more susceptible to this disease. Please click on the button below for more information. If you see three or more wild bird deaths, please do not pick up the birds, but report the location and observation to the Nevada Department of Wildlife at (775) 688-1500.
  Share your lists with us on eBird at lasbirdinggroup and we will share the results. Join us for one of our group birding walks happening during the count. Feb 14 - trip has been postponed due to weather. Feb 15 - Rancho San Rafael Park - 8 am Feb 16 - Let's Go Birding Together at Mayberry Park (includes trash pickup) - 9 am Feb 17 - Rosewood Nature Study Area - 9 am Field trips are posted on our calendar.  We are excited to announce that the Lahontan Audubon Society will be changing our name to better reflect our mission! Our board of trustees has voted to remove “Audubon” from our name, and we will begin the process of choosing a new name that invites people to join us in our mission:
“To preserve and improve the remaining habitat of birds and other wildlife, restore historical habitat, and educate people, especially children, about birds in our unique Nevada environments.” Our new name will include the term “bird” and ideally feature something about the unique ecology of our region. Our decision to change our name was made carefully and comes at a time when we are growing rapidly as an organization. We are actively investing in educational programming and community partnerships that focus on including underrepresented groups of people. Our goal is to create a welcoming birding community where people of all backgrounds can feel a sense of belonging. We believe that by changing our name, we will be able to reach new members of our community and increase our impact for the conservation of native Nevada birds. We do not expect our name change will have any negative impacts on our ability to continue our 60+ years of work in the northern Nevada region. We will continue to be a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society, as will the over 50 independent Audubon chapters who have already decided to change their names. The process for changing the name is outlined below. Formal Collaborative Name Change Process Step 1. Board votes to change the name.
Step 2. Announce name change.
Step 3. Brainstorm new names.
Step 4. Board votes to narrow names to 2-3 choices.
Step 5. Poll membership.
Step 6. Board makes final vote on name.
Step 7. Unveiling the new name.
Welcome to the art section of LAS's quarterly Pelican Newsletter! We hope you enjoy all the wonderful art this time around :)
By Tina Nappe  Will a trafficked and paved road by the lake edge be safe for birds? Photo of reinforced berm by Diane Wong-Kone The 125th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season is here! Our chapter does not run the counts ourselves, they are run independently by dedicated volunteer Compilers. However, each year the Lahontan Audubon Society (LAS) promotes the upcoming counts happening in around northern Nevada. To join a Christmas Bird Count, please refer to the National Audubon Society's CBC page, which includes instructions and a link to the CBC circles map. As counts get filled, the circles on their map will turn red. Click on the yellow and green circles on the map to contact the CBC Compiler prior to count day. Local count dates are listed below for reference. If you are new to the CBC program and would like to learn, please contact the CBC Compiler and they can pair you with an experienced CBC surveyor so that you can learn how to collect the data and be assigned to a circle section. If a count circle is full, please email us at [email protected]. There will be more group birding events for the February Backyard Bird Count and we can send you more information. Announcements: Carson City and Pyramid Lake CBCs are not open to new volunteers this year due to limited space. The Hart Mountain CBC is cancelled this year due to a recent fire. Click here to learn about the Christmas Bird Counts and methodology for counting birds! For southern Nevada CBCs, please check the Red Rock Audubon website.
Please email our Education Chair, Alan Gubanich, if you can help out with any of these events! Sunday Sep 29, 2024, 7:00 am - 1:00 pm - Riverside Farmer's Market Contact: Please contact Patty Moen if you can volunteer for this event. Location: Idlewild Park, 1735 Shadow Park Dr., Reno Description: Tabling booth at the Riverside Farmer's Market to help sell books donated from the John Davis collection. Meet new people, let them know about Lahontan Audubon Society, and have fun browsing the market stalls while you are there! Food trucks on site. Setup is at 7am and take down is at 1 pm. There will be a bird walk around the park at 10 am. Wednesday Oct 2, 2024, 8:45am - 3:45pm - Donner Trail Elementary Location: 52755 Donner Pass Road, Soda Springs, CA 95728 Event: River Day Description: Volunteer at a bird station table to show students about the birds that might be found around the Soda Springs area. Bird taxidermy mounts can be checked out for use at the Galena Creek Visitor Center or Rosewood Nature Study Area. Groups of up to 10 students will rotate through the bird station and other stations on this day. Table time with the students lasts about 30 minutes per group. Sunday Oct 13, 2024, 8:00 - 10:00 am - Swan Lake Nature Study Area Location: Off Lear Blvd. (see map) Event: Discover Our Parks with Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation Description: We are looking for a volunteer to talk about Swan Lake and the birds that are found there and also volunteers to help lead participants on a walk to look for birds along the trail and boardwalk. Taxidermy birds may be used for the talk portion in the outdoor pavilion as an option. Thursday Oct 24, 9:00am - 3:10pm - Fernley Intermediate School Location: 320 Falcon Dr, Fernley, NV 89408 Event: Outdoor Day Description: Volunteer at one of two tables. This is an annual event at the school and LAS has been there every year. The event is held in Fernley, around the school's outdoor track. Several organizations have tables and displays and the kids move from station to station. Each class (usually about 20 to 25 students, plus 1 or 2 teachers) move from one station to the next, spending about 30 or 35 minutes at each station. FREE lunch for volunteers! Table 1 includes bird mounts and skins of birds found around Fernley. Table 2 includes the bird identification activity with binoculars. Multiple volunteers are needed for this event! Upcoming in October, date not yet set, 1:00 - 3:00 pm M, W, or F - Gardnerville Health and Rehabilitation Location: 1573 Muller Parkway in Gardnerville Event: Bird Talk (your subject choice!) Description: We are looking for volunteers to give talks about birds to the residents of this skilled nursing facility. Residents have a keen interest in the local birds. Talks would be 45 min. - 1 hour in length. We are hoping to have volunteers give talks once a month or so, pending availability. Alan has a laptop and projector for loan as needed. Fall School Talk opportunity, date not yet set, sometime during school hours Location: Private School in Incline Village (contact Alan for details) Event: Owls! Description: The students will be learning about owls this Fall and we need a volunteer to lead or help Alan with an owl talk for the students.  Lahontan Audubon Society volunteers - opening the world of birds to our children!
Thank you photographers for your submissions to our contest, and thank you to everyone who participated! The board has voted, and the July/August 2024 Photo of the Month is Deanna Peters's Turkey Vulture! Congratulations, Deanna! |
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