February 19 --- Birdy Morning and Windy Afternoon

And let's not forget the still-dripping kitchen water faucet, seems like changing the aerator in the spigot changed nothing, which means I'll  have to take apart the hot and cold handles and replace the washers. Time to go back to YouTube for the proper how-to video... I headed over to the Overton Wildlife Management Area just after 7am, this time accessing it from the north end, an area I hadn't yet explored. I parked the truck and walked over to the big "pond" there named Honeybee, and right off the bat saw female Common Goldeneyes gliding around -- until they sensed my presence and took off like a shot. (Ducks and Coots are still spooked by people, 11 days after hunting season ended). Rough-winged Swallows were skimming over the water, catching insects, and Canada Geese were, as usual, honking. A guy driving a truck with the Nevada Department of Wildlife drove up and asked me to train my 500mm lens on a bird box he'd built on a island in the pond for possible nesting use by Canada Geese; it was empty, so word hadn't gotten to the Canadas yet. We then chatted about hunting (he called it "harvesting", as if ducks were a field of wheat) and how last year 6 Tundra Swans were at the wildlife area -- then it was 5, when a hunter shot one; he was fined $600. I try not get involved in the good and bad of hunting or 2nd Amendment rights (or ATVs) as they're kind of touchy issues out here. He then mentioned the Bald Eagle seen regularly and the particular tree it was roosting in, so I walked the paths to check things out. (It wasn't there, of course.) But on my way there I saw a nice female Hooded Merganser at Honeybee Pond --

And 4 hours later I ended up with 37 bird species, including a Sora that surprisingly was out in the open. Just after seeing the Sora there occurred one of those chance meetings with people that sometimes happen. There was a fellow driving a small car on one of the berm roads and as we were the only ones out there, we met to find out what the other was doing at the wildlife area. It turns out he was a birder -- and not just ANY birder; he was the discoverer of the rare Common Crane that was seen here last year! He was a "snowbirder" from Alberta, staying in Mesquite, about 30 miles up Interstate 15, and had spent the past few winters and spring in SE Nevada. We immediately made plans to go birding together as two pair of eyes are better than one.  As I was walking back to the truck I spotted a Greater White-fronted Goose back at Honeybee Pond --

Oh, and earlier I saw a male Ring-necked Duck in breeding plumage before he once again took off like a shot --

I try to come back to the trailer by noon as the light then is pretty harsh for photographing -- and grab a bite for lunch -- and thought I might go back to the wildlife area in the late afternoon, but the wind started blowing, reaching up to 35+ mph according to Weather.com, and dirt was swirling everywhere, so I closed up the trailer so dirt wouldn't get in and (it was about 84 degrees in Discovery) turned on the air conditioning. The wind howled for the rest of the day and evening, which was fine with me as it forced me to stay inside to get much-needed work done. So today it's back to the wildlife area -- as long as there's no wind. There's a certain Bald Eagle there I'd like to get to know...