FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Bird Health


​​I'VE FOUND AN INJURED BIRD. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Lahontan Audubon does not have a permit to care for injured an orphaned wildlife. If you find a bird or other wildlife that requires care, please contact your local wildlife rehabilitator for information on safe handling and transport. Dayton Valley Wildlife Reststop has two rehabilitation centers in Nevada, one in Dayton and one in Sliver Springs. Contact information for our area can be found on our Contact Us page.

​Wildlife rehabilitation resources are very limited in Northern Nevada. If you would like to help contribute to wildlife rehabilitation efforts, read about what it takes to be a bird or wildlife rehabilitator in Nevada.
 I FOUND AN ORPHANED OR BABY BIRD, WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH IT? 
If you find a baby bird on the ground, it’s best to leave it alone.  Baby birds will often fledge (leave the nest) prior to their ability to fly.  This is common and an important part of their development. Their parents will still take care of them even if they are on the ground.  If the bird is in immediate danger, you can move it to a safer place in the general area. If you are unsure of what to do, read our more in depth article, I Found a Baby Bird, What Should I Do?
BIRDS ARE BUILDING A NEST INSIDE MY GARAGE. I CAN'T USE MY GARAGE WITHOUT DISTURBING THE BIRDS. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
​Birds sometimes build nests in "inconvenient" locations for homeowners, such as inside garages, rain gutters or in trees slated to be felled. We at Lahontan Audubon Society do not remove or transport live birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects most birds and their nests from being removed or destroyed without prior authorization from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). If a bird and/or its nest are causing nuisances in and around your home, we definitely recommend contacting the Nevada Department of Wildlife Reno office at (775) 688-1501 for advice about the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and what you should do next.
Click here for more information about bird nests and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.    
WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT BIRDS FROM FLYING INTO WINDOWS? 

​Birds and Windows​
​​​​​ABA’s Collisions Program addresses the collision threat to birds through multiple strategies, including research to identify effective collision deterrents, education of architectural professionals through courses that qualify for continuing education credit, development and broad distribution of information resources, helping manufacturers create bird-friendly products, and actively promoting bird-friendly legislation.

Bird Feeding


​WHEN SHOULD I PUT UP AND TAKE DOWN MY HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS?
In the spring, late March to early April is when the first migrants may start to show up so you will want to have your feeders up before then. You know it is time to take them down in the fall when your feeder freezes or you have not seen a hummingbird for a couple of weeks. 
 IT IS WINTER AND I STILL HAVE A HUMMINGBIRD AT MY FEEDER, ARE MY FEEDERS PREVENTING THE HUMMINGBIRDS FROM MIGRATING?
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.​
​WHAT SHOULD I FEED DUCKS & GEESE?  IS BREAD UNHEALTHY FOR THEM?
​Ducks and geese develop "angel wing," meaning they lose their ability to fly, when they're fed unnatural foods (bread, chips, etc.). Additionally, feeding waterfowl can cause increased aggression and nutrient overloads in the water which can lead to toxic algal blooms. It is best to enjoy these birds from a distance and not feed them, however if you must, we recommend the following:
  • Corn (canned, frozen or fresh)
  • Duck pellets
  • Lettuce, other greens (torn into small pieces)
  • Frozen peas (defrosted)
  • Oats (rolled or instant)
  • Seeds (including birdseed or other varieties)
DOES FEEDING THE BIRDS MAKE THEM DEPENDENT ON FEEDERS?
No.  Backyard birds, such as finches, sparrows, and woodpeckers are foraging birds. They adapted to be always on the look out for new sources of food. A great example is how finches eat grass seeds in spring and summer, but move to your feeders in the fall and winter when seeds are scarce. If you suddenly took down your bird feeders, the birds who have eaten there would move on, looking for new food sources such as a berry bush or someone else's bird feeder.
​
The only really danger of accidentally harming birds with a feeder is disease transmission. Birds congregating around feeders can lead to the spread of diseases like salmonella, avian pox, or avian flu. Regularly cleaning your feeders and bird baths can help reduce disease transmission in your backyard flock. Learn more about cleaning your feeders here.


Birdwatching & Identification


WHAT KIND OF BIRD IS THIS?
  • Post a picture on Birding Nevada Facebook page
  • If it's not a Nevada bird, post a picture on  What's This Bird Facebook page
  • Try to identify it using Merlin ID app 
  • Or, contact us. Please include a picture if you have one, a description of what the bird looks like and where you saw it (be as specific as possible)
WHERE SHOULD I GO BIRDING IN NEVADA?
​​Check out our detailed Area Birding Guide with 20 different locations, 7 of which are recognized by the National Audubon Society as a Nevada IBA.
WHAT IS EBIRD AND HOW DOES LAHONTAN AUDUBON USE IT?
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 working their 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 submiting checklists on eBird, you must first register for an free eBird account. To find out how, click here: Getting Started with eBird

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 here: Lahontan Audubon eBird

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

​WHERE CAN I SHARE MY BIRD PHOTOS?
We would love to see your bird photos! Send them into us here for a chance of them getting featured on our website or newsletter.​
​WHY CAN'T I SEE A FIELD TRIP'S MEETING LOCATION?
Some of our birding field trips are by registration only. For these field trips, we do not list the meeting location or leader's contact information on our general website calendar or social media. If you register for this field trip, you will be emailed the meeting location, leader's contact information and all other necessary information. If the field trip is full, you will be placed on a waiting list after registering, and will be automatically registered and contacted if a guest seat opens.