​If you are looking for a safe, easy, and enjoyable car or bike-friendly birding trip, the University farms is a great option. Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year to bird here; waterfowl, sparrows and raptors are abundant this time of year. The Canada Geese come in flocks of hundreds. In the larger flocks, Cackling Geese, Snow Geese, and Greater White-Fronted Geese are regulars, but they can be hard to spot in a Canada Geese blackout. Winter is the best time to view raptors here. Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed a massive increase in raptor populations. In early November, I witnessed multiple battles between raptors for hunting territory. The most remarkable war between an American Kestrel and two Prairie Falcons; all three were diving and swooping at each other, just as falcons do. The battle ended in the two Prairie Falcons perching together on a nearby telephone pole while the kestrel took off to another field. Keep an eye out for other raptors such as the Peregrine Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Bald Eagle to name a few. 

In the summer, the insect populations support many different species of birds. One of my favorite birds that breed on the farm is the Bullock’s Oriole. Check the cottonwoods and other trees for their nests. Once all the leaves have fallen in the winter, you can see their intricately weaved pendant nests hanging from the branches. Throughout summer, Western Kingbirds and Say's Phoebes,  are plentiful and often perch along the fences swooping for bugs. 

Besides the cattle and sheep, the farm is well known for its large populations of yellow-bellied marmots. Marmot activity is at its peak in the spring and early summer. After watching their curious and hilarious behaviors, I now consider myself a “marmot-watcher.” The young marmots will wrestle and play with their siblings, all while I stand less than ten feet away from them. I couldn’t get enough of it in the spring. They will even hang by their front legs on the fence that runs along the irrigation ditch, just peeping over into the water. Once summer hits and it gets too hot, the marmots go in their burrows for the rest of the year. This fall, one single marmot came out of his burrow to forage every day if the weather permitted. He has been the only marmot that remained active throughout the fall, making me curious why others aren’t active.

​The farm is also home to a few small resident populations of mule deer easily spotted from the road. They are usually in the fields adjacent to the river, but they often wander into other areas. If you see a deer that appears to have an injured or a broken leg, do not worry, that is “Broken Leg Deer,” as we call her, and she has been living with an injured leg since before I started working on the farm. 

These fields and the surrounding habitats have existed since 1958, giving wildlife a stable source of habitat and water in the summer months. Lots of critters have come to rely on these resources due to their stability. The never-ending development in the Reno-Sparks area forces wildlife to the edges of their habitat, leaving them no choice but to find new territories. Luckily, the University farms can provide some of these animals a safe place to sleep and eat. 

For those in need of a quick escape from urban Reno/Sparks to view wildlife, the University farms are a great option. The accessibility by car and bike makes it ideal for sensitive populations or those who just want to see unique wildlife. ​

Check out the University Farms Area Birding Guide for more birding information on this location.

Have you heard of the movie The Big Year, but thought it sounded too silly to watch? Or have you never heard of this lesser-known comedy about birdwatching? I actually missed this film when it arrived in theaters back in 2011, and only watched it when it was shared by a birder friend of mine. If you are a birdwatcher, give The Big Year a chance. You may find the film a fun adventure, or at least it will give you some chuckles.

The film is loosely based on true accounts, chronicled by Mark Obmascik in his novel, The Big Year: a Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession. In 1998, three men from diverse backgrounds undertook a grand adventure going on a “Big Year”, an ambitious and expensive attempt to log the most bird species within North America in a single calendar year.

According to an interview with the film's director David Frankel, when he was pitched the idea of a comedy film about competitive bird watching, Frankel's thoughts were “OW! And I mean Ow, like I just broke my finger or that was my foot,” (Holmes, 2011). All initial aversions aside, the movie made it into production, then into theaters.

The Big Year is definitely a comedy that lives up to its description “loosely based”. Its three comedian stars, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black, are all playing their typical roles. Wilson is the vain, smooth-talking jerk, Black is the lazy, childish underdog, and Martin is the kind-hearted bumbler. All these characters have their own predictable character arcs, such as a love interest, being a work-aholic or the ever popular mid-life crisis. But thanks to excellent comedy acting, these somewhat goofy caricatures never become truly obnoxious.
The film of course exaggerates birders' obsessions and the challenges of birdwatching, throwing in silly slapstick. However, in spite of some inevitable scientific inaccuracies, the film lovingly portrays why people are captivated by birds. It depicts formal birdwatching and species listing in a manner easily accessible and enjoyable to a general audience.
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The Big Year is escapist fun and made me laugh hard at times. If you want a simple, funny, feel-good movie, The Big Year is your ticket. Its content and humor make it better for adults or families with older children. If you are looking for a movie with scientific accuracy featuring birds, I recommend the French documentary Winged Migration or one of the insightful ornithology documentaries streaming on PBS and the BBC, such as The Secret Life of Birds.
As actor Jack Black said in interview, “I would not be surprised if there's more people involved in a big year competition after this movie comes out,” (Yarnold, 2011). In my own case, Jack is correct. This film helped inspire me to start keeping a life-list and become an eBird contributor. I can see the value for this film inspiring people to explore the birdwatching hobby, as I have successfully used The Big Year to connect with beginner birdwatchers. I'm glad the motion picture The Big Year was created, and I hope to continue using it to inspire the public.


*PS- Be sure to stick around while the credits roll, an impressive slide show of named bird photographs flash by.

Image copyright 20th Century Fox, retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

​Other Winter Bird Needs:

Water: Be sure to provide a consistent source of  fresh water.  Many birds bathe even in winter to keep their feathers conditioned.  Heated bird baths and water pans are available for purchase.
Clean out birdhouses after nesting season for birds to use as roosting places in winter.
Maintain a brush pile in a corner of your yard for shelter and protection from predators.
Leave some leaf litter under shrubs for foraging by some bird species.
Plant dense evergreen trees and shrubs for winter shelter.  

Hummingbirds in Winter?
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​In our area, we do have Anna’s Hummingbirds that regularly overwinter here, so if you have one sticking around, don’t worry, your feeder isn’t keeping them from migrating south. If you wish to continue feeding your winter resident, there are heated hummingbird feeders for sale or just remember to bring the feeders in at night to prevent the nectar from freezing. If you don't want to deal with frozen feeders in the cold weather, you can take them down, the hummingbird will find food elsewhere.

Read more about the Anna's Hummingbird, which has been expanding its range since the middle of the last century in response to more available feeders and nectar plants in suburban gardens here.