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

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!

Our chapter was honored to be a guest at the Mark Wellman Adventure Day event last Sunday. Mark Wellman adventure day is an event at Sparks Marina where disabled people have the opportunity to try outdoor activities such as kayaking and rock climbing. Our staff brought along a number of resources for participants to learn and interact with, including binoculars and museum skins. We had a wonderful time speaking with and entertaining guests who stopped by. We also kept a small bird list of the species we observed flying by as we spoke with guests. Sparks Marina is a wonderful birding hotspot and without intentionally seeking, we observed 22 different species. A full list is included as part of the trip report below.

​Our staff sends a huge thank you to all the partner organizations involved including:

• the City of Sparks
• Northern Nevada Center for Independent Living
• Mark Tadder and the Northern Nevada Chapter of National Federation for the Blind.

If you are enjoying our drawing workshops, join us for some in person practice sessions. These are a great addendum to the webinars and provide an opportunity to meet some of the other students in the classes.

Bird Drawing Practice
Tuesday, April 12, 12:30-2:30 pm
South Valleys Library, Diamond Room
15650 Wedge Parkway
Reno, NV 89511

Did you enjoy our first Bird Drawing Workshop with Christine Elder? Diane Wong-Kone will bring some of Lahontan Audubon Society's taxidermy bird mounts to the South Valleys Library. Come and meet other students in person! This will be an opportunity to share our sketches, to share what we learned, and to practice drawing various Nevada birds from stuffed mounts, rather than photos. Please bring a sketchbook, pencil, and whatever drawing tools you wish to use. This is a drop in session and registration is not required, but you can RSVP so we know who to expect.
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Nature Journal Practice Field Trip
Virginia Lake
Tuesday, April 19, 8:00-11:00 am

Field gestures!  We learned about field gesture sketching with Christine Elder in yesterday's workshop.  Today, we are going to take our sketchbooks out to the field.  Diane Wong-Kone will lead a small field trip that focuses on birding and taking field notes.  The ducks and geese on Virginia Lake will provide practice for quick sketches using live birds.  Please bring binoculars, a sketchbook, and pencil/pen.

Shorebird and Waterbird Studio Session
Tue Apr 26th 10:00am - 12:00pm
Northwest Reno Library Meeting Room, 2325 Robb Dr., Reno, NV, 89523

This week is all about our migrating shorebirds and waterbirds as we get ready for the Spring Wings Bird Festival in Fallon next weekend!  Using techniques learned in John Muir Laws' Monday workshop, we will practice sketching and drawing with Lahontan Audubon Society's taxidermy bird collection.  This will be a great opportunity to also look at bird characteristics before the birding festival and to learn the birds before seeing them in the field.  Please bring a sketchbook and your favorite drawing tools.  This will be a casual session to meet up, share ideas and learn more about our local birds!

Bird Drawing Practice
​Date/Time: Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Location: Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Dr, Reno, NV 89523  Map
Leader: Diane Wong-Kone
Description:  Toned paper, mixed media, shorebirds, field gestures - whew!  We've learned a lot over the past five weeks.  John Muir Laws refers to the drawing habit as pencil miles.  The more pencil miles you log, the better you get, because drawing is a skill that takes practice.  Join Diane Wong-Kone at the Northwest Reno Library to practice some of the techniques we've learned, using Lahontan Audubon Society's taxidermy bird mounts.  The mounts offer a close up view of feathers and other bird structures that you may not get as good a chance to see in the field, as birds typically don't stay still for very long. These bird mounts are normally housed at the Galena Creek Visitor Center, and offer a great resource for study for anyone learning to draw birds.  This will be a casual session and a chance to meet up in person, to share our sketches, thoughts, and combined knowledge of what we've been learning with Christine Elder and John Muir Laws.  Please bring your sketchbook and your favorite drawing or coloring tools.

From February 4th through the 6th, former LAS vice-president Alan Gubanich led a birding class to the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Wildlife refuges on the California/Oregon border. This field trip was hosted through Truckee Meadows Community College. The goal of this class was to view the wintering species at the refuges, including Bald Eagles, Tundra Swans, and Snow Geese. The diversity at the refuges was impressive, as participants observed Great-horned Owls, Sandhill Cranes, Common Mergansers, and too many Bald Eagles and Snow Geese to count!

Our staff was along for the ride, at this adventure! We were able to keep eBird lists of the species, which were summarized in the trip report below. We also captured a video of Snow Geese flocks in flight, to show how impressively big the truly are. Click on the buttons below to view either.

A huge thank you to Alan for organizing this event and sharing his passion for birding with the greater community!

Come join our LAS volunteers for an informational talk at Galena Creek Visitor Center. This talk starts at 10am and will be covering the waterfowl of Northern Nevada, including ducks, geese and swans. The events is free and open to the public. The Visitor Center is located at 18250 Mt Rose Hwy, Reno, NV 89511, USA. We hope to see you at Galena Creek!
 
To see a full schedule of upcoming Galena Creek Visitor Center, click here. ​

Lahontan Audubon Society is excited to partner with the Great Basin Institute to bring you the Galena Creek Visitor Center Speaker Series. These monthly talks will highlight various bird-related topics using LAS's taxidermy mounts. Speakers will include long-time LAS volunteers, Alan Gubanich and Mike Goddard. Talks are scheduled for Saturdays at 10:00 am. The draft schedule and topics are listed below, however, this is subject to change based on volunteer and staff availability, so please check our calendar for the most up to date information. All talks are free and open to everyone.


11/20 - Winter Birds of the Galena Forest with Alan Gubanich
12/11 - Waterfowl of Northern Nevada with Mike Goddard
1/22- Miniscapes of Swan Lake with Bob Goodman
1/29 - Waterfowl of Northern Nevada with Alan Gubanich
2/19 - LBJ's of the Bird World (Little Brown Jobbies)
3/5 - Breeding Birds of the Galena Forest
4/16 - Birding By Ear
5/21 - What Makes a Bird a Bird? - Part 1
6/11 - What Makes a Bird a Bird? - Part 2
7/16 - Hawks of Northern Nevada
​8/20 - Owls of Northern Nevada

We are excited to announce a new bird watching activity challenge hosted by eBird. Birdwatchers who submit 3 separate eBird checklists in a single day will be entered into a raffle to win a pair of Ziess 8x42 binoculars. These checklists can be from the same location at 3 different times or multiple locations throughout the day. The contest is open throughout the month of November. Click the button below to learn about the eBird November Challenge.

"How do I find locations to bird for this challenge?" you ask. This is where our Birding By Bus map is here to help you. Our Birding by Bus map contains a full list of parks and nature areas within the Reno/Sparks metro area. The Cormorant photo above was taken at Virginia Lake, one of the parks featured in our map. Our map contains additional information about each park, such as what birds are currently seen there or which RTC ride bus stop serves it. Our map uses the Google Maps engine, and therefore can give you directions to the parks through your smartphone. The link to our Birding to Bus map is below. If you would like to learn more about the local public transit service, visit rtcwashoe.com.

"I would love to participate, but I do not have an eBird account," you say. Have no fear. We also have an eBird tutorial webinar available. Our Community Engagement Coordinator, Parker Flickinger, and ornithologist Ben Sonnenberg hosted this webinar last month. Parker and Ben are both eBird enthusiasts and covered the basics of how to register for then use eBird to keep track of the birds you observe in your lifetime. This webinar was recorded and available always on our YouTube Channel (linked below).

As always, if you have any other questions about birdwatching in our community, Birding By Bus or using eBird, don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to hear from you.

Good luck on your birdwatching adventure!

eBird is a global birdwatching, citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Using eBird involves taking a bird walk where you record a checklist including time, place, bird species and number of birds observed. You then submit this checklist to the Cornell Lab via the eBird website, giving the ornithologists data for bird population models. In addition to recording bird species for science, eBird keeps track of all bird species you observed in your life time (a life list). To start submitting your own checklists on eBird, you must first register for an free eBird account. To learn more about eBird or sigh up for an account, click here:

We have a chapter eBird account for Lahontan Audubon Society. Our field trip leaders often keep eBird checklists from our walks, and will be happy to share them with our participants. Lahontan Audubon Sociey members have also shared bird checklists on our chapter account. This gives you a record of the bird species we have observed in our neck of the woods. We also use our chapter account to connect with other eBird users from around the region, and participate in birding events, such as the Global Big Day.   To view our chapter account, click below:

*You must already have an eBird account to view our account.