Birdnet Hotline Highlights
December 2003


Review Species Reported This Month:
   
Eurasian Collared Dove  Box Elder Co.  Washington Co.
    Anna's Hummingbird  Washington Co.  Weber Co.
    Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  Washington Co.
    Red-breasted Sapsucker  Iron Co.


BOX ELDER COUNTY 

Stephen Peterson (13 Dec 2003) - I was out in Snowville with The Bridgerland Audubon Society today (Saturday) and we saw a Eurasian Collared Dove at approx. 11:50 am, East of Mollies Cafe about 2 or 3 blocks. Probably the same one that you folks saw yesterday. Field marks include pale gray buff breast, definitive black collar, upper mantle darker gray, longer tail than Ringed Turtle Dove with more black showing on sides of tail. Will submit record for sighting.

Pomera Fronce (12 Dec 2003) - Julie and I found one Eurasian Collared-Dove in Snowville on Friday morning. We also saw many Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks in the area and at Exit 24 from I-84, three Prairie Falcons.

Bridget Olson (12 Dec 2003) - [Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge] Three Great Egrets still hanging around...

Betsy Beneke (2 Dec 2003) - Refuge staffer, Aaron Johnson, found a male Long-tailed Duck in the canal right next to the maintenance shop (beginning of the auto tour route) at Bear River Refuge...

CACHE COUNTY 

Jim Lofthouse  (27 Dec 2003) - This morning there was 40+ Sharp-tailed Grouse in the neighborhood of the Paradise Cemetery.  Also in the same area 11 Gray Partridge.  This is the largest group of Sharp-tails I have seen since the late 50's.

Stephen Peterson - (11 Dec 2003) - I just got back from seeing the Varied Thrush this morning at approximately 8:40 am along the Logan Country Club Golf course canal in Logan. Thanks to Sue Drown for pointing me in the right direction.

DAVIS COUNTY 

Cliff Weisse (31 Dec 2003) - We spent the afternoon looking for the Long-tailed Ducks along the Antelope Island Causeway today. We found five at the second bridge near the marina. One was in the small patch of open water on the south side and the other four were feeding in the current on the north side. They would drift out away from the bridge then fly back in an land fairly close providing excellent views. One of them also spent some time in the marina where you could get pretty close to it.  Other birds of interest were a Loggerhead Shrike, one Snow Bunting, two American Tree Sparrows, and a female Barrow's Goldeneye (possibly two).

Kristin Purdy (28 Dec 2003) - Oh, the weather outside is frightful...but it wasn't too bad on Antelope Island Causeway from 2:00 until 5:00 today. Here's what I saw:  10 Long-tailed Ducks: Several were sprinkled along the north side of the causeway from about mm 1 to the bridge, and I found 6 at the marina. All the males have lost their long tails and one's face pattern was reminiscent of spring plumage...Barrow's Goldeneye: 1 female, on the north side of the bridge between mm 0 and 1 and keeping to the edge of a raft of Commons

Milton Moody (12 Dec 2003) - ...we stopped at Antelope Island Causeway and saw 5 Long-tailed Ducks -- 2 males and 3 females. Then we went to the Bountiful Landfill where, out the thousands of gulls we found 5 different gull species, California, Ring-billed, Herring, Thayer's AND one Glaucous Gull.

DUCHESNE COUNTY 

KC Childs (13 Dec 2003) - Eric Huish and myself went out to Duchesne County to do some birdwatching. ...Some highlights included two Eurasian Collard Doves on the east end of Duchesne City. They were located near the flag and wigwam on the east end of town.

IRON COUNTY 

Charlie Sheard (19 Dec 2003) - Today, during the Cedar City CBC, Lee Jones, Max Hodson, Don Myres and I observed a Red-breasted Sapsucker. The bird was an adult male, with plumage characteristics of both the Northern and Southern subspecies. We were able to observe the bird for approximately 30 minutes during which it remained quite still for about 20 minutes. The bird was seen in Cedar City, at the end of the paved portion of Spring Canyon Rd., which is in the general vicinity of East Canyon Park.

SALT LAKE COUNTY 

Julie - (28 Dec 2003) - Pomera and I went to Alta for the umpteenth time to search for Black Rosy-Finch and finally found one. There was a small flock of about 6 in the trees by the feeder of the first house on the by-pass road (entering from the top). It was definitely dark blackish, not the rich brown of the grays.

Ed (12 Dec 2003) - The Winter Wren is back at City Creek SLC. I found it about 100ft up from picnic area 6 around 510PM.

UTAH COUNTY 

Alton Thygerson  (27 Dec 2003) - Thanks to Dennis Shirley I saw a Harris's Sparrow on the Spanish Fork River in south Utah County. His posting gave the directions to the silage pit in which the birded was feeding today at 11:30 am. I watched the silage pit for about two hours without success, then after a trip down River Lane where little was seen, I went back to the silage pit where the sparrow came in for a three to five minute look.

Dennis Shirley - On friday, the 26th, during the "Christmas Blizzard" of 2003, I found a Harris's Sparrow, along the Spanish Fork River, west of Springville, Utah County. It was in a mixed sparrow flock of house, song, and white-crowned sparrows, dark-eyed junco's and spotted towhee's. ...The Harris's Sparrow is a striking winter plumaged adult, with a black throat/bib, and buffy face. Hopefully it should stick around for a while.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Kevin Wheeler (21 Dec 2003) - Several good birds in the Silver Reef count were reported yesterday. Among them were a few late migrators...Other good birds reported were...2 Virginia Rails, 49 pinyon jays, 1 prairie falcon, 3 lewis's woodpeckers (in three areas) and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Toquerville.

Larry Tripp (21 Dec 2003) - Today along the Santa Clara at the south end of the Southgate G C there was a Swamp Sparrow, also in the same area there were 4 Orange-crowned Warblers. Below the confluence with the Virgin river there was a Golden-crowned Kinglet and 2 more Orange-crowned Warblers. In the washington fields there was a Imm. Bald Eagle, a male Richardsoni (prairie) Merlin and 2 Burrowing Owls.

Rick Fridell - This evening (12/16), I drove through Washington City and saw both White-winged Doves and Eurasian Collared-Doves. There were 8 Eurasian Collared-Doves on the north side of 400 South (and west of 100 East). A flock of 11 White-winged Doves were along north Main Street (south of 200 North). Also the Lewis's Woodpecker is still hanging around the telephone along N. Main.

Charlie Sheard (13 Dec 2003) - Today, Saturday, my feeder was visited on 3 different occasions by an Anna's Hummingbird(s). Each visit was by a male in full adult plumage. Unlike last winter, visits this year are unpredictable. No females have been seen since late October.

Larry Tripp (6 Dec 2003) - Today at Lytle Ranch Dana Green and I had a very late Adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We first saw it about 1:00 near the bathrooms eating pomegranates and a couple hours later as we were leaving we saw it in the tall ash trees around the ranch houses.

WEBER COUNTY 

Milton Moody (12 Dec 2003) - The Blue Jay and Anna's Hummingbird showed up at about 9 am in their usual area along with a dark Merlin. Alton Thygerson, Merrill Webb, Dennis Shirley and I were joined by Lee Shirley for this early-morning treat.

Jack (5 Dec 2003) - [Anna's Hummingbird] Well, it is still there. It is an Anna's of course, (thanks Mark). Mort Somer and I got some good looks at it from all angles. The house with the Blue Jay coming to it has a hummingbird feeder on the southwest corner, and the bird visits about every forty-five minutes or so. I took a bunch of pictures, but the light was not good so I am not sure if any turned out.