Ruby Mountains Himalayan Snowcock Nevada

Small flocks of snowcocks often move uphill during the day feeding as they go on roots tubers and seeds and then.

Ruby mountains himalayan snowcock nevada.

There it lives on steep and barren slopes above treeline in remote areas that birders may visit only with a major effort. By 1987 only 32 birds 4 birds a year were reported as being harvested. 9 of 14 himalayan snowcock in the ruby mountains. Snowcock hunting began in 1980 with hunters being allowed only one bird in a 30 day hunting season.

The mysterious mountain bird from the himalayas. The himalayan snowcock are native to pakistan and kashmir. Going into this fall the upland trip that had me the most worried was heading into the ruby mountains of nevada in search of the extremely elusive himalayan snowcock. Today we look for himalayan snowcock requiring a 3 00 am start for the 45 minute drive to lamoille canyon in the heart of the ruby mountains.

Himalayan snowcock live in high alpine meadows and cliffs generally between the elevations of 9 000 to 11 000 feet but they are also found in their native ranges as high as. Residing above 10 000 feet in the ruby mountains of nevada these birds seek comfort in the roughest and steepest snow covered peaks. To a teen hunting them seemed like a distant dream. In the summer found toward the top of the ridges and in the winter there have been sightings in the cliffs.

Hunting himalayan snowcock is considered the holy grail of upland bird hunting. There aren t many birds that can stand up to the rough conditions that high alpine meadows and mountain slopes offer but the himalayan snowcock tetraogallus himalayensis is a champion among them these tenacious birds were introduced to the mountains of northeast nevada in 1963 from their native range in the himalayan mountains the cornell. T hirty years ago i learned of the himalayan snowcock a large member of the pheasant family that inhabits the highest most forbidding terrain of nevada s ruby mountains. Other himalayan snowcock pages photos this page is about the elusive ruby mountain himalayan snowcock tetraogallus himalayensis this page contains field notes that i have made through the years audio from actual ruby mountain snowcock and a list of sightings from fellow bird watchers and hikers through the years.

Our hike begins in pre dawn darkness ascending about 2 000 feet along a narrow path for 2 miles. Day 3 ruby mountains. Ruby mountains ely nevada 2007 duration. Then one year between college semesters i spent six weeks in elko nevada.

The ragged realities of himalayan snowcock story and photographs by garhart stephenson. кавказский улар или. Introduced to the ruby mountains in nevada. Follow this journey above 10 000 feet in the ruby mountains of nevada as a gr.

Native pakistan and kashmir. Native to the himalayan region of southern asia this huge grouse was introduced as a game bird in the ruby mountains of northern nevada beginning in 1963.