Vegas baby, Vegas

So that's what normal people do on vacation. Ginger and I returned earlier today from Las Vegas where I had a conference. I saw a couple of mentors that I see about once a year (at this conference). The motels and restaurants were indeed amazing. I played some poker (and ended ahead on the gambling front if you consider poker gambling). That being said after a day or so I wanted a place to go birding.

There wasn't one. There was a big palm plantation sort of thing in the back of our motel ... which required a $10 entry fee since they had dolphins swimming around in pools and I guess some tigers in cages. I passed.

This may be the first and last pic of a pigeon on this blog, a bird perched on one of the Ceasars Palace facades on the strip.


Here's the next 20% of the bird list, a great-tailed grackle atop one of their statues.

The list was rounded out by Mallard, House Sparrow, and Kestrel (which perched atop the motel our first morning there).

It was honestly very strange to travel without the scope or a detailed itinerary of locations to visit targeting various birds. I know Ginger found it very relaxing. Me? I'd rather have gone to the Rio Grande Valley to pick up some of the Mexican rares that are invading this winter.