Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam - 2/15/2024

February 26, 2024

On our second day in Las Vegas, we spent most of it on a tour to Hoover Dam. I wasn’t guaranteed to see any birds or wildlife on this trip, but it was my best shot at finding something since we were heading out of the city. I tried the best I could to find something with the limited stops we made. I was hoping for at least a glimpse of a roadrunner or the bighorn sheep that our tour bus operator said are often seen along the route. The bus driver tried to find them for us too when, on the ride back, he swung by a small park where the sheep often graze. The sheep were a no show. The only roadrunner I saw was a metal sculpture of one in Boulder City. I did see some other, though smaller, wildlife on the tour.

Our first stop as we were leaving the city was at the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. This was a short photograph opportunity for us tourists. It was also my first and only Elvis sighting. One impersonator of an older and out of shape Elvis with orange-tanned skin, waited nearby his Cadillac. I’m sure his presence in a photo came with a fee. How much, I didn’t care to know.

Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Located at the southern end of the Strip. © S. Weiss

We continued on to Boulder City. I scanned the desert scrub along the side of the highway as we motored on, but nothing caught my eye. Even if I had seen something I don’t think the driver would have pulled over or even slowed down. Boulder City was a neat stop and a chance to grab a coffee or a quick bite to eat. According to our driver, the town was established as a place to house the workers that were building the dam. I used my time there to walk through a desert-scaped residential area to find any kind of wildlife. All I could find were a couple mourning doves, a red-tailed hawk and a sculpture of a roadrunner. On the way out of town, the driver showed us the home once owned by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz.

Left, saguaro cactus is part of the Nevada landscape. Right, roadrunner sculpture in Boulder City, NV. © S. Weiss

From there we went to see Lake Mead. Along the way, we drove through nice scenic desert areas that had potential for bighorn sheep and live roadrunners, but for whatever reason neither were around. We pulled into a scenic overlook type of parking area to see Lake Mead from several hundred feet above. As impressed as I was by the views of the lake and countryside, I was just as disappointed at the lack of wildlife. There were some waterfowl down on the lake, but they were indiscernible specs from where I stood. The only other birds near us were house sparrows and mourning doves. There were hiking trails around, but they were not part of the half hour or so we spent there. I did see a few chipmunk-like rodents scurrying around the desert vegetation. They turned out to be white-tailed antelope squirrels, native rodents highly adapted to desert life.

White-tailed antelope squirrel. © S. Weiss

Antelope squirrels are one of the very few animals active during daytime in the desert.

Top, Lake Mead. Above, one of the trails at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. © S. Weiss

After Lake Mead we continued to our main stop at Hoover Dam, we had two hours to explore and take photos. The dam is quite impressive, a standard of American achievements. The driver told us that this project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, both unheard of in today's America. I must admit that after the awe of the dam subsided, I did think about Cousin Eddie from the movie Vegas Vacation. The Hoover Dam scene ran through my mind with Randy Quaid’s character walking around with a fishing pole asking, “Where can I get some dam bait?” Just like in the movie, there was an abundance of dam puns. Funny the first couple of times.

The dam spans, crosses, dams (whichever word you want to use) the Colorado River, which separates Nevada and Arizona. There is a plaque along the dam walkway (sorry) that marks the boundary between the two states. My wife and I did get a photo of the two of us holding hands, each of us on different sides of the line, each in a different state.

Plaque along walkway over the dam that marks the dividing line between Nevada and Arizona.

Had I wanted, as I stood with one foot each in a different state, I could have made checklists of the same birds I saw for each state. I believe the protocol for eBird is still that the bird’s location is we’re your feet are when you see them. But I didn’t. I made an Arizona list for the few I saw well on that side and one for the Nevada side. The lists weren’t much, just a couple of American coots and a double-crested cormorant for Arizona. The Nevada list was slightly better with a red- tailed hawk, a couple of common ravens and a pair of rock wrens. The rock wrens were a surprise and they were very cooperative for photos. Needless to say they were my best dam birds for Nevada. Hopefully there is another trip to Nevada in my future.