Photos by Judy Duffy, Max Malmquist, Pat Cashman, and Janet Busi.
Thank you to all who helped make this year's event happen! On the weekend of May 20 - May 21, 2023, the Spring Wings Bird Festival returned to Fallon. The festival celebrates the yearly migration of thousands of shorebirds through the Lahontan Valley Wetlands. The Spring Wings Bird festival is a collaborative effort between Lahontan Audubon Society, National Audubon Society, AmeriCorps, City of Fallon, Fallon Convention and Tourism Authority, Great Basin Bird Observatory, Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Nevada State Parks, Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
2023 Event Winners:
Big Day Birding: Teri Ligon with 55 species observed
Bird Scavenger Hunt: Maria Ernst and Robert Washington-Allen; Sarah Coonrod and Ben; Teri Ligon
The Lahontan Valley Wetlands are remnants of the ancient Lake Lahontan. The area is comprised of several distinct management areas: Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribal Wetlands, and the newly designated Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA); which was designated a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) in 1988. With all these designations (IBA, NWR, WMA, WHSRN) you would be right to assume this is a special place and if you visit during migration, it will be easy to see why. As many as 250,000 shorebirds have been recorded annually at the site, with peak numbers during spring and fall migration. The area also serves as critical breeding habitat for a diverse group of species and wintering habitat for a variety of raptors.
Alert: Vehicle access to the Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area will be closed May 11, 2023, due to flooding and safety concerns until further notice. Walk-in access is still permitted. We will continue to monitor and manage flooding and public safety concerns and will notify the public when vehicle access is re-opened. The Carson Basin snow water equivalent peaked at 283% of normal median in 2023. As of May 1, the snow water equivalent remaining in the Carson Basin was 83%, so we anticipate flooding and public safety concerns to persist for the foreseeable future. Please see web site reference below
https://www.ndow.org/discover-your-public-land/
2023 Event Winners:
Big Day Birding: Teri Ligon with 55 species observed
Bird Scavenger Hunt: Maria Ernst and Robert Washington-Allen; Sarah Coonrod and Ben; Teri Ligon
The Lahontan Valley Wetlands are remnants of the ancient Lake Lahontan. The area is comprised of several distinct management areas: Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribal Wetlands, and the newly designated Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA); which was designated a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) in 1988. With all these designations (IBA, NWR, WMA, WHSRN) you would be right to assume this is a special place and if you visit during migration, it will be easy to see why. As many as 250,000 shorebirds have been recorded annually at the site, with peak numbers during spring and fall migration. The area also serves as critical breeding habitat for a diverse group of species and wintering habitat for a variety of raptors.
Alert: Vehicle access to the Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area will be closed May 11, 2023, due to flooding and safety concerns until further notice. Walk-in access is still permitted. We will continue to monitor and manage flooding and public safety concerns and will notify the public when vehicle access is re-opened. The Carson Basin snow water equivalent peaked at 283% of normal median in 2023. As of May 1, the snow water equivalent remaining in the Carson Basin was 83%, so we anticipate flooding and public safety concerns to persist for the foreseeable future. Please see web site reference below
https://www.ndow.org/discover-your-public-land/
Photos From 2022
Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagle in flight at Lahontan Reservoir by Rick Mosher, 5/1/2022, Nikon D500 with Tamron 150-600mm G2.
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Rick Mosher for captured this beautiful image of a Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagle in flight.
White Pelican Frenzy at Carson Lake and Pasture by Elaine Arora, 5/1/2022, Canon R5 with rf400/2.8 lens.
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Great Egret and Snowy Egret at Carson Lake and Pasture by Teri Ligon, 4/30/2022 at 3:29pm, Sony DSC-HX400V (F6.3, 1/250 s, 215.00 mm, ISO 80).
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Caspian Tern at Stillwater NWR by Janet Busi , 4/30/22,
Nikon D500 with Nikon 200-500 lens.
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Big Day of Birding
2023 Winner: Teri Ligon
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The Big Day Birding Trophy is on display at the new Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge office.