OUTDOOR BRIEFS

COUNTING BIRDS

Backyard bird count good family project

With the arrival of Presidents Day, another long weekend is upon us. But you don't have look very far to find something to do with the whole family. Why not spend a day counting birds?

The National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology's 2008 Great Backyard Bird Count runs from through Monday. "Count for Fun, Count for the Future!" is the theme of this annual event.

"Families can watch birds in any natural setting, but they really don't need to leave their own yard. The most fun can sometimes be had right in your own backyard," said Margie Klein, wildlife educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

For those who think they may not have the necessary skills to be an official bird counter, Diane Jadlowski, publicity chair for the Red Rock Audubon Society, offers the following tips for participating in the event:

• Visit www.birdcount.org for easy-to-follow instructions, including tips for identifying bird species. Download a checklist for your area.

• Count the birds you see, wherever you choose to count. Write down the highest number of individuals you see at one time -- that way you will avoid counting any bird twice.

• After at least 15 minutes of watching in one place, report your results online at www.birdcount.org.

• You can repeat your count at the same place on each day of the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can also visit other locations and submit separate tallies for those areas as well. View your results on the online maps and lists.

To get the whole family involved, assign tasks to each person. One person can describe the color and size of the bird, while a youngster looks up identification on the Internet or in a book. Then compare the counts that each person gets for each kind of bird. That way you'll be able to tell if someone needs help with their viewing skills. After the counting is done, be sure to enter your tallies on the official Web site and check back to see how your results compare to other local bird counters. In years to come, your family can look back at counts that they did and see how the numbers of birds has changed since then.

TIME IS HERE

New fishing, hunting licenses now available

Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2008 license year expire Feb. 29, but outdoor enthusiasts don't have to wait until March to buy their new licenses. As of Feb. 11, licenses for the 2009 license year became available at Nevada Department of Wildlife offices, sporting goods stores and other vendors statewide. They can also be purchased online at www.ndow.org.

Fishing regulations for the new license year are also available at many of the same locations.

CAPTURE PROGRAM

NDOW volunteers help round up antelopes

The Nevada Department of Wildlife volunteers watched as the helicopter flew over the low ridge in front of them herding a group of antelope closer. Following the sharp report from the netgun, a bright orange net flew from the helicopter, engaging some of the antelope below. The trucks the volunteers were in plowed through the snow as they headed to the entangled animals. Upon reaching the antelope, the volunteers began the process of preparing the animals for the long trip ahead.

With fingers numbed from the cold, they first subdued and then blindfolded the animals to quiet them down. Then as some volunteers held the animals still, others began untangling them from the nets. Once untangled, the bucks were ear tagged and released, while the does and fawns were hobbled and carefully loaded onto sawdust and tarps in the back of the trucks and taken to the processing center back at the trailer.

"These volunteers and NDOW employees are outstanding," says Ken Gray, NDOW game biologist. "Without the volunteers, there is no way we could perform this capture in just two days."

According to Gray the capture project, which took place in western Elko County, has three objectives. First, to reduce the number of antelope on the winter range since the forage has been diminished due to wildfires over the past few years. Gray explains that this is the third year of removing and transplanting antelope from Elko County and without the removal of does and fawns, the herd would have grown significantly beyond the carrying capacity of their winter ranges.

Second, the antelope that are removed will be used to augment antelope farther south in Garden Valley and Coal Valley, which are located in central Nevada. These are areas where there is good habitat but few animals. By moving pronghorns into the area, they fill an empty niche and should provide viewing and hunting opportunities for Nevadans.

Finally, some of the animals will have radio collars attached and released where they were captured to help determine where they travel throughout the year. These are GPS collars that will automatically release after 14 months, and when the information is downloaded into a computer, will provide daily data on where the animals were located throughout the time they had the collars attached.

For those who would like to volunteer to help with any number of wildlife related projects, go to www.ndow.org and then select the "Volunteer" tab at the right of the screen. Or you can call your local Nevada Department of Wildlife office.