The machine shop at the Berlin Ichthyosaur state park in Nevada

The Berlin – Ichthyosaur state park is a true Nevada original. Located smack dab in the center of the state, about 35 miles on a good dirt road south of Austin, NV, or 20 miles East of Gabbs on a mostly paved road, this park is part well-preserved ghost town, part ancient fossil repository. First, the ghost town part. Berlin was a mining town that went from boom to bust in a very short span at the turn of the century from 1896 to 1908. Berlin was dead by 1911, but served as an outpost for forest rangers, a fact that lead to its well-preserved state when most other old mining towns were stripped bare by nearby settlers. Many of the buildings contain a wealth of history preserved inside, from turn of the century chemical bottles at the Assey’s office, to antique trunks and alligator luggage. Park rangers are often willing to open doors to allow visitors a peak inside at a lifestyle frozen in time. Many of these photographs will hopefully do the same.

In addition to the ghost town of Berlin, there is one of the largest deposits of Ichthyosaur fossils around. Ichthyosaurs were pre-historic ocean dwelling reptiles that covered the state 225 million years ago. Until recently, one of the largest fossils of these in the world at 56 feet long, was located at this site. Many fossils of the 40 originally found, have been left uncovered on the ground where they were first discovered. A building and interpretive center was built around them and offers tours on a regular schedule.

Berlin – Ichthyosaur state park is open year round, though it may have snow in the depth of winter, and has 14 nicely spaced campsites with water and restrooms available on site for a fee. Visitors might also consider purchasing an annual Nevada State Parks pass. At $90, it is a steal for anyone traveling around the state, as it not only grants entrance to any of the parks, but also to the related facilities such as campgrounds. Enjoy!

An old dodge in front of the machine shop at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada. This unique Nevada state park just south of Austin combines the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin with what used to be the largest Ichthyosaur fossils in the world at 56 feet.

A look back in history inside the preserved ghost town at the Berlin Ichthyosaur state park in Nevada

A look over the historic Berlin Ichthyosaur ghost town in central nevada

Detail inside the machine shop in the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada. This unique Nevada state park just south of Austin combines the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin with what used to be the largest Ichthyosaur fossils in the world at 56 feet.

A house re-occupied by Ray Teifel in the 1970's who attempted to revive the mine and extract more gold, which didn't work out so well for him at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada. This unique Nevada state park just south of Austin combines the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin with

Details in an abandoned home at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada. This unique Nevada state park just south of Austin combines the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin with what used to be the largest Ichthyosaur fossils in the world at 56 feet.

An old dodge seen through the window of the machine shop at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada.

Bottles used in the assay of ore at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada. This unique Nevada state park just south of Austin combines the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin with what used to be the largest Ichthyosaur fossils in the world at 56 feet. Recently an Ichthyosaur was discovered in Canada over 70 feet long, but where do you get ghost town and dinosaur all in one visit?

A table setting left at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada.

Detail shots of the Ichthyosaur backbone at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in Central Nevada, part of what used to be the largest Ichthyosaur fossils in the world at 56 feet. Recently an Ichthyosaur was discovered in Canada over 70 feet long, but where do you get ghost town and dinosaur all in one visit?

A scale representation of the size of the fossils at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park in central Nevada. This unique Nevada state park just south of Austin combines the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin with what used to be the largest Ichthyosaur fossils in the world at 56 feet. Recently an Ichthyosaur was discovered in Canada over 70 feet long, but where do you get ghost town and dinosaur all in one visit?

Hawkwatch.org volunteer Gretchen Henne releases a Cooper's hawk after taking its measurements, checking its health and banding the leg for future identification.

High on a windswept ridgeline in the Goshute mountains of Eastern Nevada sits Aaron Viducich, a thick flannel shirt draped across his shoulders and eyes glued to a monstrous pair of binoculars. “Another Cooper’s Hawk,” he says pointing at what appears to be a speck of dust miles away. “Cooper’s Hawk,” repeats his partner Laurel Ferreira and logs it on the Hawkwatch.org daily observation sheet.

Viducich is the lead observer for Hawkwatch International at their research station in the Goshute mountains and with good reason. He can tell just by the size and movement of a bird what species it is when all others see is a formless speck. “Some birds flap a lot, others move only the tips of their wings. Some are smooth, some lanky and awkward,” he says by way of explanation.

The Toano mountain range, of which the Goshute mountains form the southern part, turns out to be one of the largest migratory raptor flyway west of the Mississippi. At times, the observers will log several hundred raptors of various species, so you have to be fast, and you have to be good.

Hawkwatch International (HWI) has been studying the fall raptor migration in the Goshute Mountains since just before 1980 when HWI founder Steve Hoffman and his colleague Andy White, then both in college, looked at a map and took what they knew about raptors to decide that the previously unknown Goshute mountains would be perfect for the birds. After blazing a trail up the steep mountainside, they discovered one of the largest and most active migratory routes in the country. Banding and research started soon after, and Hawkwatch International was born.

Since its inception, HWI has banded more than 60,000 birds at the Goshute site and accumulated a nearly 30-year data set of what birds are migrating when, and in what condition.

Deneb Sandack is the lead bander and project coordinator in the Goshutes. “To see trends, you must have a lot of data going back a long time. Raptors are at the top of the food chain and any problems in the ecosystem will show up in the hawks first,” she said. Some of these birds travel from Alaska to Veracruz, Mexico each year others migrate anywhere in-between. With new technologies, such as mini satellite transmitters, scientists have determined that certain species, such as Peregrine falcons have been known to travel 800-1000 miles in a single day. The average for most of these raptors is more like 200-400 miles in a day.

HWI’s primary goal is data collection and education. They make much of their research and observations available online, and other scientists can incorporate that into their specific studies on climate change and the environment. Even though their job is simply to collect accurate data and not draw conclusions, one of their banders, a Frenchman by the unlikely name of William Blake, couldn’t help but make an observation as he held a beautiful male Kestrel for release. “We have definitely seen a decline in the Kestrel population over the last 5 years,” he said, “Though exactly what is causing that we can’t really say.”

Hawks and falcons which make up a class of bird called Accipiter, which are forest hunters, are the first large migratory wave to wash over the Goshutes in September. Raptors don’t like to flap and they don’t like barren spaces. They prefer to ride thermals or ridge generated wind lift and glide from place to place conserving their energy. Later in September and into October, the larger birds such as Eagles, Goshawks and Red Tails begin to move through in droves. The migratory season in the Goshutes runs September through October, with a peak around late September. Bird watchers and enthusiasts willing to make the 2 mile, 1800 foot climb up to the station are rewarded with literally hundreds of birds of prey gliding by often just above their heads.

The observers sit on a large exposed ridge where they can see off in all directions. A plastic owl on a pole sits just feet away. Contrary to popular belief, owls don’t scare off the birds. Owls are the natural predator of birds and hawks will often spectacularly dive-bomb the plastic owl just feet from observers. In another section of the ridge, the banders use live birds under ultra thin and light netting to attract and capture birds. The raptors attack the lure and are safely caught in the netting. Banders remove them from the netting and place them head-first into a large, ventilated can. Once the bird’s heads are covered, they calm down and measurements are taken, sometimes a feather sample for analysis, a small metal band is clipped on their leg and they are released usually in 5-10 minutes. Occasionally if a bird is especially calm and the crew is not overly swamped, they will allow visitors to release the birds, a rare treat!

In addition to gathering valuable scientific data, the Goshute research site also provides an opportunity for the public to learn about the conservation needs of raptors either on site, or by scheduling a presentation with one of their volunteers. But just like everything else these days, HWI is feeling the effects of the economy. “We once had 6 blinds, each with a team of banders, and were able to tag over 100 birds a day during the migration,” said Sandack. “Now we are lucky if we have two people working and get 30 birds.” Volunteering at a remote site like this so close to the birds is a very special experience, something lead observer Erin Viducich prolongs by traveling around the world and volunteering or working at other seasonal sites. You don’t need to be as good as Erin to help out, but you do need some basic bird identification skills, and you really need to like being away from everything, cell phones, computers, people, everything. Contact HWI for more information about volunteering or to make a donation or adopt a hawk.

Hawkwatch also maintains an observation and research site in San Francisco near the Golden Gate where visitors can see migrating raptors Sept. through November most years.

Looking out across the Goshute Mountains in Eastern Nevada from the Hawkwatch raptor observation post towards Wells.

A trail log and signs greet visitors as they enter the wilderness area and make their way up the trail to the Hawkwatch International raptor research station in the Goshute mountains of eastern Nevada.

Hawkwatch International volunteer bird observers Aaron Viducich and Laurel Ferreira spend the day scanning the sky and logging the birds that pass by each day.

Hawkwatch International volunteer bird observers Aaron Viducich, front, and Laurel Ferreira spend the day scanning the sky and logging the birds that pass by each day.

A detail photograph of the small metal band which corresponds to unique information about each bird captured.

An adult male Cooper's Hawk waits to be released. Notice the red eyes, the eyes of this hawk can vary from bright yellow to orange to bright red.

A volunteer prepares to release a young female Kestrel as observers continue to watch for birds in the background at Hawkwatch International's Goshute mountain research station. Male Kestrel's have beautiful blue patches on the backs of their wings.

Hawkwatch International volunteer Deneb Sandack, left, releases a small Red Tail hawk, while Gretchen Henne releases a male Cooper's Hawk on the right.

A young Red Tail hawk flies away after being banded and released by Hawkwatch International volunteers in the Goshute mountains of Nevada.

When visitors make the long hike up to the Goshute mountains Hawk observation and research site, Hawkwatch volunteers often try to allow guests to release a bird assuming that the bird is calm and not stressed and the volunteers have the time. Here my wife Monique gets to let a Sharp-Shinned hawk loose. Notice at the time of this photo, the bird is actually free to go and just resting in her palm. It stayed like that, just lying there for nearly a minute before leisurely getting up and flapping away.