It wasn’t my intention to have a Big Month; however, I did see 164 species in Washoe County Nevada this September 2026. The surprising find was a Philadelphia Vireo, an east coast bird, and it was a lifer for me. This guy was moving around erratically like a warbler search the leaves for insects. It took about an hour until he came down to around eye level and hit a patch of sunny area. There were also Warbling Vireo and note the light white coloration compared to the more yellow Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) - Lockwood RP, WAS (NV)
EQ: Nikon D850, Nikkor 500mm f/4.0, with 1.4 TC, Taken: 9-28-2026 at 9:44
Settings: 700mm (35mm eqv), 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO1600, +1 EV, Conditions: sunny/shade
Western Warbling Vireo (Vireo swainsoni) - Lockwood RP, WAS (NV), 9-28-26 10:01
Fall is a good time for Short-billed Dowitchers and I found this one among Long-billed and a Wilson’s Snipe. The lakes in the Reno area are shallow better to measure in inches instead of feet so plenty of duck, geese and swans in the right season. Swan Lake is a great place for shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors and in the fall it is the best time to actually see Sora and Rails as the immatures, not yet knowing the danger, wander into the open.
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) - Swan Lake - Fleetwood, WAS (NV), 9-1-26 10:13
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - Swan Lake - Boardwalk, WAS (NV), 9-10-26 8:46
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) - Mont Pelier, WAS (NV), 9-4-26 7:59
Fox Sparrow, Slate-colored (Passerella iliaca [schistacea Group]) - Swan Lake - Boardwalk, WAS (NV), 9-10-26 9:00
Sora (Porzana carolina) - Swan Lake - Boardwalk, WAS (NV), 9-10-26 9:11
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) - Swan Lake - Boardwalk, WAS (NV), 9-10-26 8:35
For woodland birds Davis Creek Regional Park is a great place to find Creepers, Nuthatches, Bluebirds, Sparrows, and occasionally a Belted Kingfisher. I also found Wilsons, Yellow, and Yellow-rumped Warblers on my mid-month outing.
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) - Davis Creek RP, WAS (NV), 9-8-26 10:01
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) - Davis Creek RP, WAS (NV), 9-15-26 10:19
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) - Davis Creek RP, WAS (NV), 9-15-26 11:14
North of Reno and Pyramid Lake is the Smoke Creek Desert where there are a number of riparian areas that become migratory traps especially during migration. I did 2 tours around the desert in September and the 9-18 trip was very productive. The first stop was Bonham Ranch, which has a hot spring and you can find Long-eared, Barn, and Great-horned Owls. This day over 200 Sandhill Cranes flew over, a Prairie Falcon was searching the area, and I was finally able to photograph a Hammond's Flycatcher.
Great Egret (Ardea alba) - Smoke Creek Desert - Bonham Ranch, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 7:53
Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) - Smoke Creek Desert - Bonham Ranch, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 7:54
Hammond's Flycatcher (Empidonax hammondii) - Smoke Creek Desert - Bonham Ranch, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 8:32
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) - Smoke Creek Desert - Bonham Ranch, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 9:09
The next stop around the Smoke Creek Desert was a bridge over the Smoke Creek and note that most of the roads in northern Washoe County are not paved. After just arriving, I flushed out an American Bittern, which was the second one I saw in the desert this year. I saw 11 Lewis Woodpecker on this trip and here I had one at eye level plus Bushtits just outside my minimum focal length.
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) - Bridge over Smoke Creek, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 9:31
Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) - Bridge over Smoke Creek, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 9:36
Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) - Bridge over Smoke Creek, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 9:44
Bushtit, Interior (Psaltriparus minimus plumbeus) - Bridge over Smoke Creek, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 9:55
One of the last 2 stops was Granite Mountain Reservoir where I saw Red-breasted Nuthatch and a rare, for this area, an American Redstart. The last stop was Godey's Gap Riparian Area where I saw a Long-eared Owl, Chukars, and a male American Redstart.
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) - Granite Mountain Reservoir, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 10:56
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) - Granite Mountain Reservoir, WAS (NV), 9-18-26 11:01
With only 2 days left in the month I did a tour of Washoe Valley where I saw needed month birds of a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Bald Eagle, and a Ferruginous Hawk. A bonus was a close encounter with a pair of Sandhill Cranes ending the month with 164 species.
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) with Captured Rock Pigeon - Mont Pelier, WAS (NV), 9-19-26 7:42
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) - Washoe Valley, WAS (NV) 9-29-26 10:32
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) - Washoe Valley, WAS (NV) 9-29-26 10:32
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Don’t Hate on the Immigrants - Washoe Valley, WAS (NV) 9-29-26 10:36
Your comments are welcomed and if you have any questions about these photos or any other leave me a message.