Birdnet Hotline Highlights
Compiled by Eric Huish

Review Species Reported This Month:
    Zone-tailed Hawk  Washington Co.
    Eurasian Collared Dove  Uintah Co.  Washington Co.
    Elf Owl  Washington Co.
    Curved-Billed Thrasher  Washington Co.
    Yellow-throated Warbler  Davis Co.
    Worm-eating Warbler  Grand Co.
    Hooded Warbler  Grand Co.
   

DAVIS COUNTY 

Joel and Kathy - Today, Sunday June 1, we found a Yellow-throated Warbler at the Fielding-Garr Ranch on Antelope Island. We first saw it about 4:30, high in the large cottonwoods behind the ranch house, and watched it for about 10 minutes before it disappeared. It reappeared twenty minutes later in the Russian olive trees near the marsh fence. Although we only saw it for about 2 minutes this time, we got much better (closer) views and were able to see all the field marks. We were unable to relocate the bird before the ranch closed. Both times the warbler was actively hunting the moths that were filling the air like cotton from the trees, but it didn't fly about much. Instead, it stayed close to the trunks and large branches, gleaning from them.
Also at the ranch was an Olive-sided Flycatcher. A Grasshopper Sparrow was seen along the road about a half mile north of the ranch. A male Peregrine Falcon was at the first bridge on the Causeway.

GARFIELD COUNTY  

Pomera - (19 June 2003) Dana Green and I birded Capitol Reef National Park earlier this week. We first went to Garfield County to look for the Acorn Woodpecker and were delighted to find him right in the same location where he has been seen for so many months. We found many other good birds along Highway 12 including Western and Mountain Bluebirds, Grace's Warblers, Clark's Nutcrackers and three male Williamson's Sapsuckers (at the Wild Cat Visitors' Center).

Steve Summers - (1 June 2003) One Common Tern was with a few Forster's Terns at Panguitch Lake, Garfield Co. today (June 1). Other birds of interest there were 2 Franklin's Gulls, a singing Willow Flycatcher and a Black-crowned Night-Heron. Also there were many displaying Western Grebes a few displaying Clark's Grebes.

GRAND COUNTY

Damian Fagan - (3-4 June 2003) A couple of recent bird sightings at or adjacent to the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve, Moab. Worm-eating Warbler along Stewart Lane (adjacent) in a neighbor's yard. The bird was feeding long enough for the birder to get out a bird book and look it up. Unfortunately, the birder left for Alaska the next day and there has been no follow-up. Sighting was 6/3. On 6/4 a female Hooded Warbler was mist-netted in the preserve by the UDWR staff.

SALT LAKE COUNTY 

Jack Holley - (18 June 2003) Yesterday I went birding along the Jordan River ... when a Green Heron flew up from the tall grass along the river bank. It was a adult and flew north along the river...  To get to where it is you can go on! 3300 South (Salt Lake Co.) to 1100 West. Turn north and follow it to the Oxbow Trailhead by the Oxbow Jail. Walk over the footbridge and along the asphalt trail to where you can see Parley's Creek Outlet. You can see a dirt trail going off to the west.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Lee Shirley - (12 June 2003) At 12:05 p.m. today while sitting in the car, reading, waiting for the rain to stop a Varied Thrush flew in front of the car and landed along the side of the road. This was on the Mirror Lake Highway between Lilly Lake and Lost Lake.

Jack - (7 June 2003) I took a drive up to Provo River Falls to see if the Williamson's Sapsuckers were there... but nothing. ...Went back to Washington Lake area and scared up a brown colored thrush. Sat on a log to see if it would come back. While waiting I saw numerous yellow-rumped warblers, breeding colored juncos with rufous crowns, cassin's finches, male and female pine grosbeaks and a female Williamson's Sapsucker.

UTAH COUNTY 

Tom Williams - Yesterday (Wednesday 6/25) I birded Nebo Loop. Birds were very active but the best sighting was a group of Purple Martins -- one male, several females/juveniles. They were perched in a dead tree 1.1 miles north of the Nebo Bench Trailhead, on the right side of the road if you are going north from the trailhead.

Bryan Shirley - (21 June 2003) We just got back from our UT County birders field trip to Payson Canyon and were successful in locating both a Northern Saw-whet Owl and a Flammulated Owl. We heard the Saw whet at our first stop  and after a short hike into the woods we found it and were able to get great looks at it.  ...Other birds of note were Purple Martins (they are nesting between mile 21 and 22) and a pair of  Red-naped Sapsuckers at the same location.

KC Childs - (7 June 2003) Eric Huish and I woke up early this morning and headed to the Skyline Drive. We started the Skyline Drive at the Tucker Rest Stop Located up Spanish Fork Canyon. We went up and listened for Owls where we were able to hear Flamulated Owls. As Dawn was among us near the radio tower on the Skyline Drive we saw at least 3 Purple Martins including one male. We did find the nest hole as well. Both these birds were on the Utah County side of the Skyline Drive.

UINTAH COUNTY

Julie - (6 June 2003) Pomera, Ann, Dana and I birded Ouray tody, mostly looking for the Indigo Bunting and American Bittern. We found a Lazuli-Indigo hybrid in the spot indicated by others, but no Indigo. This bird was the classic hybrid shown in Sibley, with the white lower belly. We did see a bittern--it was in the classic "you can't see me with my head pointed up" pose. ... Most of the other birds were commonly expected except that Dana (who arrived earlier than we did) saw a moorhen and a Common Tern. ...Eurasian Collared Doves were in Jensen (east of Vernal) just as Kathy Paulin told us they would be.

Ed Conrad - (5 June 2003) Today, I saw the Indigo Bunting at Ouray in the exact location that the Beyers reported it a couple of weeks ago. But my favorite birds of the day were 3 American Bitterns. I heard one while I was on the auto-tour route just as the road turns parallel to the Green River. ...I flushed two more American Bitterns when I stopped my car just outside of Leota Bottoms next to the closed gate.

WASATCH COUNTY 

Julie - (6-1-03) Made a quick trip to Heber to meet Calleen Cox at the BOR today to see the American Redstart. He was exactly where he'd been reported. He was very busily chasing off a Yellow Warbler while we were there. A Common Yellowthroat was in the marshy area to the east of the trail, singing his "wichity, whichity" song.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Pomera - (30 June 2003) After many long years of looking for the Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Julie was finally able to add one to her Utah list. It was a lifer for me... He was near the amphitheater in Springdale.
...Our next stop was Washington where we got the hat trick plus one on the doves - Eurasian Collared, Inca, Mourning and White-winged.

Ed - (22 June 2003) I went down to So Utah... the hottest spot was Red Hills Golf Course. I found the female Vermilion Flycatcher and a possible juvenile Curved-Billed Thrasher I need to have my pictures back to be sure. The thrasher was east the golf cart path to hole 6 the path that goes through the trees and over the little stream. I still have not tilled up the my numbers for the trip but I got three lifers. Including a Hooded Oriole at the golf course.

Larry Tripp - (14 June 2003) On Friday night a birder from Florida and I had a Elf Owl at Lytle. There may have been two birds although we only saw one. We heard it calling and was able to get pretty good looks at it just before dark. It flew out of the tree that it was in and about 15 minutes later we had one or maybe the same bird calling 200 yards away from where the bird was at first.
We also had a Cassin's Kingbird near Utah hill on the way out there and did see a Black-hawk at Lytle.

Larry Tripp - (10 June 2003) Tonight I saw a Zone-tailed Hawk in Washington county about a 1/4 mile below Baker Res. along the Santa Clara river.It was soaring with 3 Turkey Vultures.