I often visit Nevada in the fall, was just there. The single leaf piñon
pine get as far north as in the mountains just south of Winnemuca- Mill
Creek recreation site being about as about far north as they get. One can
then just follow the interstate from Winnemuca to Elko- mostly
the piñon stop right along this interstate line. They even occur in very
southern Idaho at City of Rocks (cool spot).
Tim Rodenkirk
Coos Bay
On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 7:13 PM, Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all,
Just a bit of info on where Plumbeous Vireos should be found in the
Oregon's neighboring state that comes closest to the Pueblo Mtns:
The Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas project:
http://www.gbbo.org/projects_atlas.html
produced the following "predictive" maps for the breeding distribution
of Plumbeous Vireo and Cassin's Vireo in Nevada:
http://www.gbbo.org/img/AtlasPredictiveMaps/Plumbeous_Vireo.jpg
http://www.gbbo.org/img/AtlasPredictiveMaps/Cassin's_Vireo.jpg
Note that these maps don't show actual locations where one or the
other species was found -- these are geostatistical extrapolations
from the "blocks" that were surveyed (stratified random sampling
with respect to geographic coordinates and habitat types). The
"probability" of finding a species in a given location is based on
the habitat at that spot, weighted by the proximity to "blocks"
of similar habitat where the given species was found.
A fun thing to do with these maps is to print these out, pin them
on the wall, then cross your eyes and squint at them until you see
a 3-D visage of Mr. John Cassin himself.
Well, just a little more seriously ... these maps might give a
hint as to where in Oregon to look for stray Plumbeous Vireos.
As for actual locations of nesting season Plumbeous Vireos in Nevada
(as opposed to "predictive" maps), I seem to recall that Alan Wallace
has found them nesting as far north as the Seven Troughs Range (due
west of Winnemucca, and 80 miles or so due south of Denio/Fields).
There have been a few reports from around Pyramid Lake. But they seem
to be easier to find in central Nevada, for example the Toiyabe Range.
A key habitat found in those places, but wholly lacking in Oregon,
is pinyon-juniper forest. If you look at range maps for the
Single-leaf Pinyon in Nevada, you'll see a striking resemblance with
the areas where the NV BBA predicts at least a 1 in 4 chance of
finding Plumbeous Vireos.
The northern limit for Single-leaf Pinyon angled northeastward from
Reno to Elko. The closest part of Oregon to that arc is the SE corner
of the state, in Malheur County. From this you might infer that the
Warner Mountains are not the best place look for Plumbeous Vireos.
Good birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol
Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol
Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
