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.

Photo Study: Two Second-Cycle California Gulls

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Lauren Harter

Phainopepla Fables has been on the back-burner lately as field work has kept us busy, and we’ve spent the past month or so catching up. We hope to update the blog more regularly now as we should have a little … Continue reading →

Posted in Identification, Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County, Molt, Species Profiles | Tagged California Gull, Gull molt, Gull plumage, Second-cycle gulls | 2 Comments

Mew Gull in Lake Havasu City

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Lauren Harter

From a birder’s perspective, one particularly nice aspect of living in Lake Havasu City is the chance to just swing by Rotary Park on the way to the grocery store. I’ve had a cold the past few days and haven’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County, Vagrants | Tagged Adult gulls, Birding, Gull, Gull identification, Lake Havasu City Arizona, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull | 4 Comments

Getting Into Sound Recording

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Lauren Harter

I can remember the first time I realized just how powerful birding by ear was. It was October of 2003, and I had already been a birder for years. I was birding with my mother at Topanga State Park in … Continue reading →

Posted in Sound Recordings, Techniques | Tagged Digital recorders, Microphone, Recording birds, Sennheiser microphone, Shotgun microphone, Sony PCM-M10 | 12 Comments

North American Migration Count 2013

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Lauren Harter

The North American Migration Count is like the Christmas Bird Count, but in the spring and on a county-sized scale. This year, the count will be happening on Saturday, May 11. Mark your calendars! This will be my third year … Continue reading →

Posted in AZFO, Events, La Paz County, LCRV, Migration, News, North American Migration Count | Tagged Citizen science, La Paz County, La Paz County Arizona | Leave a comment

Loon Vocalizations

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Lauren Harter

Here on Lake Havasu, it is not uncommon to hear the wails of Common Loons drifting across the water on still mornings, especially as spring migration begins. Just the other day, though, David and I were at Site Six watching … Continue reading →

Posted in Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County, Sound Recordings | Tagged Common Loon, Loon calls, Pacific Loon | 3 Comments

Birding Lake Havasu State Park

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Lauren Harter

One often-overlooked birding location on Lake Havasu is the Windsor Beach section of Lake Havasu State Park. It offers viewpoints of the lake; gull and shorebird-attracting beaches; and open park, native riparian, and native desert habitats. The campground is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding Locations, Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County, Vagrants | Tagged Lake Havasu State Park | Leave a comment

Weekend Birding

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Lauren Harter

I spent this weekend birding with Barrett Pierce of Amarillo, TX, et al. searching for the Nutting’s Flycatcher, rails, Sage Sparrows, and generally enjoying our local birds and rarities. The flycatcher hadn’t been seen since February 1 or 3, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Williams, La Paz County, LCRV, San Bernardino County, Sound Recordings, Trip reports, Vagrants | Tagged Crissal Thrasher, Nutting's Flycatcher, Red-tailed Hawk, Sage Sparrow | 3 Comments

Birding the north end of Lake Havasu

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Lauren Harter

I’ve written many times about Lake Havasu’s north end, particularly Cape Havasu. I’ve written about many of the rarities that have been seen there, and about the many reasons why I enjoy birding there. Now it’s probably about time I … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding Locations, Havasu NWR, Lake Havasu, LCRV, Mohave County | Tagged Cape Havasu | 2 Comments

Filling eBird Data Gaps

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Lauren Harter

I am a big believer in eBird, its mission and its utility to researchers, observers, and anyone with an interest in birds. One criticism of eBird is that it only goes where birders go; as a result, more data come … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Strip, Birding Locations, eBird, Imperial County, La Paz County, Mohave County, Nevada, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Yuma County | 12 Comments

Recording Black-tailed Gnatcatchers

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Lauren Harter

An exciting event for me occurred this past week, when I received my first real microphone, a Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic. More on that later, but needless to say, I had to get outside to take it for a spin … Continue reading →