Fallon is for the Birds

The Carson Lake Wetlands are teeming with migratory birds in the spring.

BY MATTHEW B. BROWN (story & photos)

"It's Cinnamon Teal sex!" blurts out tour guide Mike Goddard. This gets the collective attention of the small group of journalists and bird enthusiasts huddled atop the two-story observation tower located at the Carson Lake Wetlands. Our binoculars and camera lenses move frantically in the direction Goddard points, as this "miracle of nature" plays out. Like most bird activities, this particular duck courtship is over rather quickly (as is today's lesson in the birds and the bees), and we're back to scanning the fields and marshes for other interesting avian behavior.

So it is at the annual Spring Wings Bird Festival in Fallon — located 61 miles east of Reno on U.S. Highway 50 — which for good reason touts itself as the "Oasis of Nevada." Every year, birders flock to Fallon and its surrounding Lahontan Valley Wetlands, recognized as critical and important by such prestigious groups as the Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network, American Bird Conservancy, and Audubon Society.

From May 17-19, as media I had the pleasure of attending some of the Spring Wings events. Below is a summary of those activities and a few more nuggets to be found in the City of Fallon.

The Amazing Birds of Prey

Friday night we were treated to a presentation titled "The Amazing Birds of Prey," by Master Falconer Marie Gaspari-Crawford, one of only a few female falconers in Nevada. She, along with her niece and partner Chloe Bowen, shared information about the history of hunting with birds of prey and how they've developed a deep passion for working with these amazing birds, such as their lovable red-tailed hawk named Dartanyon. Gaspari-Crawford lives in Palomino Valley, between Sparks and Pyramid Lake. See photo here, by @shannonswitzer.

Meander the Marsh: Kayak Float

On Saturday morning we kayaked Tule Lake, located within Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, with guide Pat Fried, owner of Great Basin Sports. Aside from the scenic kayak tour and the many birds to view, Fried educated us on the importance of properly disposing of waste, such as motor oil or the soapy water people conveniently dump down the storm drain when washing their car at home. Stillwater, east of Fallon via country and dirt roads, is the terminus of the Carson River, so that unfiltered waste water ends up in these marshes.

Whoo's Where? Owl Prowl

Various types of owls make their respective homes at the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, which we witnessed on Saturday afternoon. Whether it was in a manmade box (barn owl), a tree (great-horned owl), or a hole in the ground (burrowing owl), we were shown the many different environments that owls roost in during the day. I later heard Kyle Carlsen, assistant editor for Bird Watcher's Digest, say that the burrowing owl was a life bird for him — and he's seen a lot of birds! This tour was guided by the aforementioned Goddard, who is extremely knowledgable in his role as president of Friends of Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Carson Lake Wetlands Loop

Male American Avocet

Goddard was our guide again for this Sunday morning tour, which this time took us south of Fallon to Carson Lake. It's not your typical lake, but rather a network of canals, channels, and marshes that run through extensive cattle range. One thing is for sure: Birds love it. We saw a ton here, routinely stopping to set the scope on seasonal migrants such as avocets, ibises, waterfowl, hawks, and many other winged critters. The observation tower is 25 years old this year and affords incredible views of the wetlands, part of the Globally Important Bird Area.

See more photos from the 2013 Spring Wings Bird Festival in this Flickr set.

Other Fallon goodies:

• The historic Douglass House — Built in 1904, this charming pink Victorian house stands out nicely in downtown Fallon. See photo here.

• The Williams House — Also historic, this is said to be the first home built in Fallon. Owner Licia Rogne has plans to make the beautifully refurbished home into a spa/wellness retreat.

• The Slanted Porch — One of Fallon's great restaurants that takes advantage of its agricultural surrounds by offering such menu items as fresh-out-of-the-garden beet salad (see photo here). Read more about the restaurant in this Nevada Magazine story from our September/October 2010 issue.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Crystal Spring, courtesy of Judy Palmer, Amargosa Conservancy

By Cyndi Souza

Located in the middle of nowhere, according to our visitors, is a place like no other in the world. Literally. In an area smaller than Disney World there are at least 26 species of plants and animals that exist here and no place else on earth. In Caribbean-blue spring pools, you will find desert fish that have survived here for thousands of years, more than 250 species of birds, and unique plants. It is Nevada’s best-kept secret. Never heard of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge? We know. We hear that all the time.

As you leave the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, the landscape immediately becomes a dry, harsh, vast, and sparsely populated desert straight out of a Stephen King novel. Not a place where you expect to see rare flowers, tundra swans, and water that is thousands of years old and referred to as "fossil water." That is why most folks drive right on by on their way to bigger and better things (or so they think).

The beauty and serenity found in this oasis, the largest in the Mojave Desert, is an unexpected surprise to all who visit. Sit a while and listen to the melodic calls of birds, linger over crystal-clear waters filled with iridescent blue fish, or scan the rocky mountain tops for desert bighorn sheep. If you are more the scientific type, there is much to ponder here as well.

Devils Hole. The name itself creates a certain curiosity. To the casual observer it looks like just a water-filled hole. The surface is small, only about 66 feet long by 15 feet wide. But what you don’t know is this 93-degree year-round pool of water is at least 500 feet deep, and the bottom has yet to be found. But what visitors find most fascinating is that earthquakes occurring around the world affect the water in Devils Hole. Just 20 minutes after the recent earthquake in Japan the water began rising and falling, six inches up then six inches down from its normal level. In 2010, the 7.2 earthquake in Baja created a mini tsunami and was actually captured on video.

If history is your thing, there is Jack Longstreet, a local gunslinger whose cabin built from stones awaits you. The nearby spring pool is often called the boiling spring because of the fine white sand bellowing up from the depths below.

Fall colors, photo by Cyndi Souza

Restoration, recovery, those lost forever, and the future

The refuge land, prior to 1984, was privately held. It was utilized for farming, ranching, peat mining, and almost became a housing development. This most likely led to the extinction of the Ash Meadows poolfish and possibly the Ash Meadows Montane Vole.

Reestablishing a healthy ecosystem and historic populations of native species has been challenging, but a proactive restoration program is achieving success. Today, not only have the desert fish of Ash Meadows benefited from restoration efforts, but many native plants and trees are beginning to flourish.

The area also is frequented by a wide diversity of migratory birds, so you might even see tundra swans or rare European migrants like ruff, unusual sightings in the Mojave Desert. More than 239 different species of birds have been recorded in Ash Meadows, in addition to 27 species of mammals, more than 20 species of reptiles, five amphibian species, and greater than 330 species of flowers and shrubs.

In 2009, two new species of bees were discovered that may only exist in Ash Meadows. One can only surmise the fate of this species and many others, if conservation efforts to protect endangered species had not been successful.

See more photos of the refuge here.