Wed.-Thurs., September 4/5, 2019. Ash Meadows Spoonbill and Rainbows

When I was volunteering in the Visitor Center on Wednesday, September 4, several birders came in to report seeing a Roseate Spoonbill at Crystal Reservoir. This bird has only been seen in Nevada four times, so this was a really big deal! I went out to the reservoir after volunteering to see it.

I met two birders at Crystal Reservoir who had driven down from Reno, Nevada, six hours away, just to see this bird! They let me look at it through their birding scopes.

The surface of Crystal Reservoir was calm and reflected the sunset. In contrast the birders were energized by the sight of the roseate spoonbill and a little bird that was feeding in the water near the shore. They were having a heated discussion about what kind of bird it was.

What kind of bird is that?

I didn't get a photograph of the Roseate Spoonbill as it flew over us. However, my sister-in-law, Marsha, sent me a picture of one. 

As I drove away, I saw these two birds perched in a mesquite tree on the side of the road. The one on the left could be the spoonbill, and I think the one on the right is the great blue heron it was hanging out with.

This double-rainbow greeted me a little after dawn on Thursday morning. That's my shadow in the middle of the rainbow! I'm referring to this photograph as my 'selfie!'

This rainbow occurred just before sunset on Thursday. It's my truck's selfie! Thursday was a two-rainbow day! Just inside the right side of the rainbow is a whitish swirl - that was a 'dust-devil.' 'Dust Devils' are like mini spontaneous tornados that randomly occur in the desert.

That white swirl on the ground is a 'dust devil.'

Here it is again.