Author Archives: Lauren Harter

About Lauren Harter

I live in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where I work as a field biologist and spend as much of the rest of my time as possible looking at (and listening to!) birds.

NAMC 2014

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Lauren Harter

The birds don’t need to see the Equinox on the calendar to know that spring is here. Here in western Arizona, they’ve been on the move for a few weeks now! Lucy’s Warblers are in full song on territories, Bell’s … Continue reading →

Posted in AZFO, Events, La Paz County, Migration, North American Migration Count | Tagged North American Migration Count | 9 Comments

Early, early spring

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Lauren Harter

While the icy grip of winter closes ever tighter on every other corner of this country, here on Arizona’s west coast we have watched as winter disappeared in January and February, with winds much calmer than usual and the sun’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Year, Bill Williams, La Paz County, LCRV, Migration, Vagrants | Tagged Alamo Lake, Arizona Birding, Big year birding, bird migration, County Big Year, La Paz County | Leave a comment

Chipping away: Early January birds

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Lauren Harter

I admit it: it’s 15 days into the new year, and I’ve only made five trips to La Paz County. Meetings and deadlines have done plenty to keep me busy, and daily gusty winds have done their part to keep … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Year, Bill Williams, La Paz County, LCRV, Trip reports, Vagrants | Tagged Arizona Birding, Bill Williams River NWR, Birding, County Big Year, Nutting's Flycatcher, Outdoors activities, Target birding | 1 Comment

Big Times in La Paz County

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Lauren Harter

This past November, while David and I were out birding with Susan and Bob Steele, we got to talking about county Big Years. The excitement, the rush, the disappointment, the car miles adding up. This conversation struck a chord in … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Year, Bill Williams, Cibola NWR, Imperial County, La Paz County, LCRV, Trip reports, Vagrants | Tagged Arizona Birding, Big Day, Big Year, County Big Year | 7 Comments

CBCs 2013

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Lauren Harter

The Christmas Bird Count season is always an exciting time of year, with more eyes and ears out in the field looking at birds, gathering data and finding rarities; birders getting together, seeing old friends and meeting new people; and … Continue reading →

Posted in Butterflies, Christmas Bird Counts, Havasu NWR, Imperial County, La Paz County, LCRV, Mexico, Mohave County, Trip reports, Vagrants, Yuma County | Tagged Alamos, Birding Mexico, CBC, Christmas Bird Count, Mexican butterflies, Sonora | Leave a comment

Looning and Grebeing in the LCRV: part 1

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Lauren Harter

I’ll just come right out and say it: Lake Havasu is the best place in Arizona to see loons and grebes. Four-loon and six-grebe days are possibilities on Lake Havasu. Loon numbers well into double-digits are not unexpected, and grebe … Continue reading →

Posted in Identification, LCRV, Species Profiles | Tagged Arctic Loon, Common Loon, Divers, Great Northern Loon, Lake Havasu, Loon identification, Loons, Pacific Loon, Red-throated Loon, Yellow-billed Loon | 4 Comments

The Government Shutdown and Western Arizona

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Lauren Harter

The current shutdown of the federal government is having a significant impact on birders as we try to figure out which of our favorite birding locations are off-limits, and which are still accessible. On a recent trip to southeastern Arizona, … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding Locations, Cibola NWR, Havasu NWR, Imperial County, La Paz County, Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County, Nevada, News, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Yuma County | Tagged Bill Williams River NWR, Cibola NWR, Havasu NWR, Imperial NWR, Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City Arizona, Lake Havasu State Park, Lake Mead NRA, Lake Mohave, Martinez Lake, Parker Valley | 5 Comments

Elements of a Bird Description

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Lauren Harter

Documenting a notable bird sighting is a part of everyday life for most birders, especially with the growing popularity of eBird. With the increase in documentation out there, though, in many ways there has been a decline in the quality … Continue reading →

Posted in eBird, Techniques | Tagged Bird descriptions, Bird documentation, eBird, Rare birds | 14 Comments

Least Tern, Lake Havasu City

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Lauren Harter

David and I had a nice surprise today in the form of a text message from John West, saying that he had just found a Least Tern at Rotary Park! This being a state bird for both of us, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County, Vagrants | Tagged Least Tern, Rarities, Twitching | 2 Comments

Sound Recordings from the Spring

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Lauren Harter

After making good use of my recording equipment this spring, the summer has been much slower for sound recording. I blame the heat, both because it keeps me inside much more often and because I don’t like to take the … Continue reading →