Another year has passed and with that some new favorite photos. Some were common locals and migrants but there was one rare visitor from California: The Acorn Woodpecker. When I lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains we had a family living the the area and used a large 40ft snag as the stash for their acorns. I miss them so when one showed up in the Reno area I was on it to see them and hopefully get a photo. After finding the guy at Crystal Peak Park, which is off of Hwy 80 near the California border, I was delighted. After chasing the guy around, mostly in the higher parts of the trees, he landed 10ft up on the truck of a Cottonwood. So this is my best photo of the guy and coming with many memories.
Acorn Woodpecker, male (Melanerpes formicivorus) - Crystal Peak Park, WAS (NV)
EQ: Nikon D850, Nikkor 500mm f/4.0, Taken: 5-9-2024 at 12:14
Settings: 700mm (35mm eqv), 1/1250s, f/7.1, ISO900, +1 EV, Conditions: sunny/shade
Here are my favorites for 2024 and I hope you enjoy them as I have and do. I have arranged then as the year progressed.
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - Rancho San Rafael, WAS (NV), 1-3-2024
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) - Rancho San Rafael, WAS (NV), 1-3-2024
Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) - UNR Ag Fields, WAS (NV), 3-5-2024
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Harmon Reservoir, CHU (NV), 3-7-2024
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) - Stillwater NWR, CHU (NV), 3-7-2024
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - Harmon Reservoir, CHU (NV), 3-7-2024
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Washoe Valley, WAS (NV), 3-18-2024
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) - Damonte Ranch Wetlands, WAS (NV), 3-29-2024
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) - Caughlin Ranch, WAS (NV), 4-5-2024
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) - Washoe Valley, WAS (NV), 4-18-2024
Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) - Swan Lake - Boardwalk, WAS (NV), 4-24-2024
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) - Davis Creek RP, WAS (NV), 4-25-2024
Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) - Smoke Creek Desert - Bonham Ranch, WAS (NV), 5-1-2024
Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) - Washoe Co. Regional Archery Facility, WAS (NV), 5-30-2024
Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) - Washoe Co. Regional Archery Facility, WAS (NV), 5-30-2024
Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) - Washoe Co. Regional Archery Facility, WAS (NV), 5-30-2024
Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) - Whites Creek Canyon, WAS (NV), 5-31-2024
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) - Whites Creek Canyon, WAS (NV), 5-31-2024
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) - Incline Lake Road-Trail, WAS (NV), 7-9-2024
American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) - Davis Creek RP, WAS (NV), 8-16-2024 on the pond, which was a surprise to me.
American Wigeon (Mareca americana) - Caughlin Ranch, WAS (NV), 11-1-2024
Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) - Sparks Maria, WAS (NV), 11-5-2024
Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) - Centennial Rec Area, CAR (NV), 11-7-2024
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) - Mont Pelier, WAS (NV), 11-9-2024
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) - Lockwood Park, WAS (NV), 11-15-2024
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) - Sparks Marina, WAS (NV), 12-4-2024
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) - Damonte Ranch Wetlands - North, WAS (NV), 12-5-2024
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) - UNR Agriculture Fields, WAS (NV), 12-28-2024