A magnet is defined as something that attracts.
The Las Vegas is often a magnet to birds. The natural and human maintained vegetation, the 200 million gallons of treated water flowing in the Las Vegas Wash and the shrinking, but still massive, Lake Mead provides food and water for many species of birds.
During migration we often see species that are hundreds sometimes thousands of miles away from there normal range.
Last week I had the pleasure of showing birders/photographers Sunil and Indira some of the great birding spots here in Southern Nevada. We managed to see 120 species, many of which were life birds for my Kentucky guests.
On the last day of our tour, Indira shout, “What is that gull?” I turned around and saw a small black-headed gull flying up the Las Vegas Wash. Looking at the Indira’s photos, I could see the yellow-tipped bill, identifying it as a Sabine’s Gull, a very rare migrant seldom seen in the Vegas area!
