According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), now that the late fall season is here and the temperatures are dropping, it is time to think about getting outside to view the fall migration of birds.
While most people associate fall migration with waterfowl, raptors, also known as birds of prey, are also a migratory bird.
Raptors from the north fly to Nevada and join those that are year-long residents, and that makes these beautiful birds plentiful during the fall and winter months.
The list of raptors you might see includes golden eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks and kestrels. Other raptors, such as the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon can be seen moving into portions of Nevada at this time as well, but "the most common of the migratory raptors are the Cooper's hawk and sharp-shinned hawk," said Chris Tomlinson, supervisory biologist for NDOW.
Hawks travel in the daytime, gliding high on thermal air currents rather than flapping their wings. This conserves energy.
A popular location to view raptors in this part of Western Nevada is in Carson Valley along the length of U.S. 395, Nev. S.R. 88 and Calif. S.R. 88.
The various hawks will usually be seen perched on power poles, fence posts and in trees. If they are spotted on the ground, they have been successful in catching one of their prey.
For information, call the Nevada Department of Wildlife at 688-1500 during regular business hours.