Tracking the Elusive Himalayan Snowcock

The Ruby Mountains of Nevada rise dramatically to over 12,000 feet above sea level. They are home to one of the most bizarre and exotic species on the North American checklist: the Himalayan Snowcock. This is a peacock-sized gallinaceous bird from the Himalayas of Nepal that was introduced into the Ruby Mountains for hunters and has become established there. Seeing it requires a predawn two-hour uphill hike to a volcanic lake, and a good amount of luck. Viewing these birds from a helicopter is another option. 

On the morning of August 22, 2023, I picked up my one tour participant Dana Hiatt in Loveland, Colorado. Dana has been a regular Quetzal Tours participant this year, having joined me in Puerto Rico, California, Minnesota, and now Nevada. Dana had her own target list and especially wanted to see Pinyon Jays and several Grouse/Quail species. We found our first one, Greater Sage-Grouse, in a field west of Coalmont in Jackson County (North Park). 

August 23, 2023

We picked up Forrest Luke at 7 AM in Craig, CO. He had volunteered to be the driver for the tour. He took us nearby to Cedar Mountain where a flock of 60 Pinyon Jay streamed by, to Dana’s delight. Then we ascended Black Mountain where we encountered Townsend’s Warbler migrating, and Pine Grosbeak. We added Willow Flycatcher at a marshy area along CO highway 13 where it had nested this summer. Arriving in Wyoming, we steered westward along Interstate 80. We stopped for a late lunch and birding at the Little America Hotel and rest area near Green River. A Red-necked Phalarope and Yellow-headed  Blackbird and American Redstart were all unexpected surprises. After a couple more hours of driving westbound, we rested at a cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah. This “Memorial Park” was an excellent location for finding California Quail which is an introduced species in much of the interior west. We searched for the quail for an hour until sunset without success. We could have rested at this park forever but decided to continue on our journey instead, arriving in Elko, Nevada, about 11 PM. 

August 24, 2023

We got a very early start. We were out the door by 3:30 AM. We arrived at our destination about an hour later, at the end of Canyon Road in the Lamoille Creek Recreation Area. There was no moon and we struggled to find the Island Lake Trailhead but eventually we were on our way up a narrow dirt trail which gradually gained a thousand feet in elevation as it cut across a frighteningly steep mountainside. After a mile or so, the trail made some switchbacks as it reached the crater lake. On the far side of the small lake, cliffs towered another thousand feet above us. Vegetation was sparse and mainly shrubby but there was a significant patch of Limber Pine. The morning sunshine was just hitting the upper cliffs. A brief rain shower created a magnificent rainbow over the lake. 

We waited from shortly after 6:00 AM until about 10:30 AM for a troupe of Himalayan Snowcock to appear in the shrubbery or on the cliff face. We waited in vain. Apparently they come down to the lake on certain days to forage. They must have several different foraging areas available to them. We noted the ominous presence of both Peregrine Falcon and Golden Eagle this morning and wondered if these predators had not affected their decision to forage elsewhere. 

The snowcock can also be detected by its vocalizations. We strained to hear something unusual as the morning wore on. At one point around 7:30 AM, I heard a bizarre sound from the distant cliff face. Superficially it sounded like a hammer banging against a metal stake. When I listened more carefully, I could detect a triplicate structure within each bang. Listening to recordings of the Snowcock vocals later, I recognized one of these to be the sound I heard. Unfortunately we did not record the sound. Forrest was near me when I pointed out the odd sound and also heard it. Here is a link to the call we heard (from the Snowcock’s native range): https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/595712881. Unfortunately, Chukar has a similar call and I could not be sure that the sound I had heard did not emanate from a Chukar. Chukar is a small quail-like bird, also introduced from Asia into the arid western USA. 

After waiting for four hours it was time to retreat back to the trailhead. While the birding was somewhat frustrating this morning in the upper reaches of the Ruby Mountains, we hiked back in good spirits. We all had enjoyed the hunt immensely and felt lucky just to be there in the presence of such majestic beauty and serenity. There were other creatures besides our missing targets to entertain us. Butterflies, wildflowers, a throng of Clark’s Nutcrackers to name a few. My highlight of the morning was witnessing a long-tailed weasel take a golden mantled ground-squirrel almost equal to it in size as prey. Nature is full of wonders and this place was as wondrous as anywhere.  I look forward to visiting Elko and the Ruby Mountains again, although probably not this year. 

It was now time to track down Cassia Crossbill. I had searched unsuccessfully several times in Colorado where they decidedly are not common. Now I would look for them where they are common, in the Lodgepole Pine forests of southern Idaho. The historical range of this newest addition to the list of breeding bird species of North America is in Cassia County, Idaho, and some neighboring counties. Looking at BirdsEye, we found the closest locations of recent sightings to be in Twin Falls County, just west of Cassia County. We arrived to the location close to 5 PM after a long but scenic drive from Elko. The habitat was hilly grasslands. Between the grassy hills, a valley was decorated by a ribbon of thick Lodgepole pine forest. This forest was quite birdy and birds of various species seemed to be everywhere. Flycatchers, sapsuckers, chickadees and finches. 

Eventually we came upon a silent flock of foraging crossbills. They looked identical to Red Crossbill. When the flock flew off, they became noisy, emitting a typical “chip chip chip” flight call that Merlin recognized to be that of Cassia Crossbill (USA and Territories Biggest Year-Bird number 748). 

August 25, 2023

We began our homeward-bound drive in Twin Falls, Idaho. We headed east on Interstate 84 until we reached the outskirts of Salt Lake City, Utah. Here we detoured to Antelope Island NWR in order to get closer to the shores of Great Salt Lake, a massive water body. The shores were infested with emerging brine flies and the number of birds attracted to this food source was staggering. Literally thousands of Black-necked Stilt, Green-winged Teal and Ring-billed and California Gulls lined the shorelines along the six-mile causeway leading to the island. I watched a. couple of Franklin’s Gull run along the shoreline with their mouths wide open through clouds of flies. No wonder that gull populations are increasing as many other species are declining. Gulls seem willing to eat just about anything. After hearing a Chukar vocalizing and seeing a Burrowing Owl on the island we were ready to continue our journey, which led us to another park in Salt Lake City. This time we were able to find a covey of California Quail, which posed for photographs. After more driving, a break for dinner and then more driving yet, we stopped for the night in Green River, Utah. 

August 26, 2023

The first stop of our final tour day was in Redlands, Colorado, near the east entrance of the Colorado National Monument. Here we searched for, and readily found, Gambel’s Quail, yet another introduced quail species. 

From Redlands, we continued south to Box Canyon Falls in Ouray, Colorado. A short hike along a paved path leads to the spectacular falls and a small cavern where several pairs of Black Swift nest annually. Lighting was dim but we were able to get some decent photos of several fully grown nestlings. 

The route we took back to Craig, Colorado, led us over the Grand Mesa, supposedly the world’s largest flat-top mountain. A short hike through subalpine spruce-fir forest gave us great views of a pair of American Three-toed Woodpecker, another one of Dana’s target species. By now, we had run out of birding time, as we all had other commitments to attend to the following day, and we still had many hours to go, driving through the mountain parks, passes and canyons between Craig and Loveland/Fort Collins. It was well after midnight by the time we were safely all home with our spouses. 

This tour tallied 124 species and produced one new Big Year bird for my list, bringing me within 152 species of my personal goal of observing 900 species in the USA and Territories in a single calendar year. The eBird Trip Report is available for review at https://ebird.org/tripreport/153373.