Las Vegas - Day 5: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (12/29)

Another site in the Las Vegas area that came highly recommended by Jim Boone was the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Located southeast of Las Vegas, the bird preserve is actually a sewerage treatment plant for the city. The plant processes the wastewater before sending it to holding ponds for the final treatment stages. The treated water is returned to Lake Mead.

As elsewhere in the country, the treatment plant is an oasis for birds. And anything that attacts birds will attract birders. The city of Henderson had the foresight to welcome these people like they would any other tourists. City officials went even further by forging a partnership with the Red Rocks Audubon Society that formally established a bird preserve at the plant. This is a perfect example of dual use of public land and it should be commended.

After hearing so many great things about the preserve (and reading all the great sightings they had there) we had been itching to get out there all week. But we kept postponing our trip due to the high winds that the area had been experiencing all week. By Friday we were running out of time so we decided to make short drive from Las Vegas.

We got to the gate around 6:30 or so and were buzzed into the facility. We headed to the headquarters to sign in. At the front desk we met a JeAnne, one of the preserve's staff members. JeAnne was great. She gave us tips on which species were present on the ponds and asked if there was anything in particular we were trying to find. One of the birds that we had missed so far was the Abert's Towhee. I was really anxious to find one of these Towhees since they have a very small range in the US. JeAnne told us that an Abert's Towhee usually came to the feeders in the early morning. When we looked out the window we saw a small flock of Gambel's Quail but, true to her word, the Towhee flew into view a few minutes later.

By this time, we were ready to get out and explore the property. After spending some time enjoying the quail, we started out to the ponds. There were birds everywhere, so many that I don't think I'll remember them all. We had several Black-crowned Night Herons (both adults and juveniles), Great Egrets, and Snowy Egrets all perched in the vegetation along the shores of the ponds. Killdeer and Least Sandpipers worked the mud flats of one of the ponds.

But, the stars of the show were the waterfowl. There were literally thousands of them. Shovelers, Ruddy Ducks, Bufflehead, Ring-neck Ducks, and Coot were all present in great numbers. We found all three Teal (Green-winged, Blue-winged, and Cinnemon) and a pair of Grebes (Eared and Pie-billed). It was truly incredible.

Each pond had at least some ducks but the best one was Pond #9. There was a central "island" on this pond and hundreds of ducks were sleeping on its shores. Amongst the Shovelers and Coot were a dozen or so Moorhen. A Sora called from the reeds along the water and we were able to spot a few Snow Geese and Lesser Scaup across the pond.

But there were great landbirds as well. Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and Bewick's Wrens called from the bushes and I spotted another Abert's Towhee scraping the dirt for insects. Birds were everywhere. Coming around the corner of one of the ponds I spotted a Roadrunner. We chased it down the road hoping to get a better look before it ducked under the fence and ran into the desert.

The road back to the headquarters was rimmed with small trees and there we found some of the best birds. We chase a few birds before identifying them as Verdin. And a Loggerhead Shrike perched on a reed next to the water. A little further down the road my sister made a great find... a Vermillion Flycatcher. This was a life bird for me and it was great that he was so cooperative. He flew from bush to bush but never got too far away. He even came out in the open to let me get at least one nice shot.

After a short hike we made it back to the preserve headquarters. But, we still had some nice birds left. In the largest tree at the back of the building we spotted a Orange-crowned Warbler. It was a brilliant yellow, much brighter than in most of the guidebooks that I've seen. It was hard to track as it flittered back and forth between branches. A few minutes later it was joined by an Anna's Hummingbird who promptly started scolding us from above.

Back in the headquarters we happily discussed our sightings with JeAnne. Since we were unfamiliar with the area, JeAnne told of some great spots to check out. She even drew us some maps.