November 9 -- A Daylong Visit to the Flood-Ravaged Overton Wildlife Management Area

Before I begin, I'd like to say while the Overton WMA was indeed damaged by the rain and floods here in late September 2014, its variety of birds is still on display...I arrive at the north gate of the WMA at 7am; here's the view from the gate, looking west to the Valley of Fire and its colorful rocks in the distance; the clouds and jet contrails were on vivid display in the morning --

The northern "pond" is now mostly reeds and cattails,  but still has enough water in it for ducks and other waterbirds -- 

I try to do a bird count every time I visit the WMA, so I carry my iPod Nano BirdJam device for bird calls, and a voice recorder to note down the birds I see, and how many. This area is the north section of the WMA is full of sagebrush and mesquite, so it's a good sparrow habitat. I see a really good bird from the get-go, a Sage Sparrow, and the morning light is a flattering to it as can be -- 

Sagebrush Sparrows and Nelson's Sparrows were combined this year into "Sage Sparrow", and I believe this to be the "nevadensis" subspecies. A beautiful bird, one of my favorite sparrows...A few minutes later, a Western Meadowlark joins the Morning Light parade -- 

With these shots, in great light and set in colorful backgrounds, I'm already the proverbial Happy Camper -- and there are hours and hours left to go...A Marsh Wren, usually a bird you hear but don't see as it's buried deep in cattails and marshy areas, is up for the morning sun -- 

I walk along the perimeter of the pond, coming to the spot where the Muddy River crosses an access road -- 

The interior roads, all dirt, are, in a word, a mess. This area was hit hard by the remnants of a hurricane in late September, even washing-out a part of massive Interstate 15, so you can imagine what it could do to a mere dirt road. Exposed drainage pipes are everywhere, along with flood debris -- 

It provides a stark contrast to the tranquillity of, say, the north pond -- 

There are a good number of birds here; my bird count for the day, ending 7 hours and about 10 miles of walking later, comes out to 43 species -- and those are only the ones I can identify. I see 3 Loggerhead Shrikes in the WMA --

A richly-patterned Lincoln's Sparrow --

And while walking I see a dark bird flying up and over one of the brushy hedges along a road. I get the impression that it's a raptor of some kind, perhaps a Merlin from the flight pattern...It disappears for the moment, then later I come across it perched out in the open -- 

Wonderful. Beautiful. He of course notices me, but I still manage to get some good closeup shots -- 

Then he's decided he's had enough of me, and flies of to parts unknown, but as I always do when I get good shots of a bird, I thank him for his time with me...I head further south in the WMA, seeing flood damage everywhere I go --

The above used to be a road...And here's one of the deep channels cut across a road when the water from one pond broke through to the other side. The raging water must've been quite a sight --

The furthest south that I go is a leafy lane I call "Yellow-rumped Lane", because Yellow-rumped Warblers love to snatch insects from the leaves, and flycatch from branches, sallying out in the fields. 

I've seen a Verdin in the past in a particular spot at the intersection of 2 roads, so I use my iPod Nano BirdJam for a Verdin call -- and he pops right out -- 

I have lunch and start heading back to the north section, arriving here around 2pm, taking a last look at the pond -- and see a single American White Pelican --

He's set beautifully in the landscape, with the Mormon Mountains in the distance - - 

And one last good bird for the day -- an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk flying way above the WMA, but my 500 f/4 lens manages to pick him out of the sky -- 

I signed up last year to volunteer at the WMA, where money goes to it for any time I might spend there; it becomes important to help repair the flood damage. Every little bit helps...