I moved to the Reno NV area about 3 years ago leaving the SF Bay area behind. Whites Creek runs north our home and its source is Mount Rose and runs through Whites Creek Canyon. I also lead bird walks in the area and since Whites Creek is my running area of coarse I lead walks through Canyon. One of the harder birds to photograph is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
We moved to the Reno area almost 3 years ago and after 4 rounds of landscaping and 100+ trees the birds are starting to show up including this Red-tailed Hawk. During the last snow storm I was able to capture this Hawk while feasting on a Rock Pigeon.
When asked, which is your favorite bird, I usually say the one in my viewfinder. However, when I reviewed my Lightroom catalog, there was one family that rose to the top with the most photo: Raptors. Birds are descendants of dinosaurs and it can be seen in the raptors. In March 2018 we had a late snow and when I found this Bald Eagle in the Washoe Valley I was able to position myself to have the snow covered Carson Range in the background.
Here are a few of my favorite photos I captured in 2018. One I really like is the one below of an interaction between a Northern Harrier and a Red-tailed Hawk. At the beginning of the walk around Diamond Creek pond in Reno, NV, I saw 2 hawks interacting and my first reaction was to bring up my camera and start shooting.
This fall migration through the Nevada Great Basin this year product some rare birds especially in the Las Vegas area. The Great Basin has desert traps that attract migrants so I decided to spend a couple days on the road traveling from Reno to Las Vegas. I ended near the California border in an town off highway 15 call Primm.
