Birdnet Hotline Highlights
February 2003
Review Species Reported This Month:
Gyrfalcon Wayne Co.
Glaucous-winged Gull
Davis Co., Utah Co.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Beaver Co.
BEAVER COUNTY
Steve Summers - (Thu, 27 Feb 2003) Today (Feb. 27) I saw 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves in the town of Minersville, Beaver Co. They were in a tree near the corner of Main and 100 West. This is now a third location in sw. Utah for this apparently rapidly expanding introduced species (the other being Cedar Valley and Washington City). Outside of sw. Utah this winter they are being found in Freedonia, AZ (Kanab has to be next); Flagstaff, AZ; and recently Overton, NV.
CACHE COUNTY
James Lofthouse - (9 Feb 2003) Sunday afternoon there was a Merlin at 11000 South 800 East in Avon, (Cache County). Also seen on the way to Porcupine Dam was two Golden Eagles and one Bald Eagle. Look for the Golden Eagles about a quarter mile below the dam and flying high above the cliffs.
DAVIS COUNTY
Joel & Kathy Beyer - (Sun, 23 Feb 2003) ... Along the west dike at Farmington Bay WMA, besides some100 Bald Eagles, were several Herring Gulls, 2 Thayer's Gulls and a first winter Glaucous-winged Gull.
Carol Davis - Sunday I stopped to view what I thought might be a shrike sitting with its back to me in a tree on the road to Garr Ranch and when I scoped it I was very surprised to see a Northern Mockingbird. ... It wasn't singing but it seemed to be murmuring a little (probably about the cold.) ...
Bryan Shirley - (6 Feb 2003) Today my dad & I birded in northern Ut and saw a few good birds. We started off in Ogden at the Ogden Nature Center . ... Then we headed out to antelope island and saw a Long-tailed Duck at mile marker 3. It was almost on the shore and was the only duck in the area. There were also 2 Snow Buntings between mile marker 2 and 3 on the south side of the road. ...
Joel & Kathy Beyer - (2 Feb 2003) ...Eleven Least Sandpipers near mile marker 1 on the Antelope Island Causeway, south side.
GRAND COUNTY
Damian Fagan - A Merlin was observed on 2/3/03 in the town of Moab (vicinity of 100 North and 400 East) in the morning.
JUAB COUNTY
KC Childs, Eric Huish - (~ 17 Feb) We went to Burrstin Ponds where Eric was able to see an American Tree Sparrow.
MILLARD COUNTY
David Allan - (Fri, 28 Feb 2003) I watched a pair (male & female) of Hooded Mergansers from 4:30 p.m. until after 5:00 today (2/28) at Gunnison Bend Reservoir (site of the Snow Goose Festival currently underway) near Delta, Utah. They were observed on open water from near the west end of the earthen dam located southwest of the Sherwood Shores area and Goose Festival site...
KC Childs - (~ 17 Feb) ... Eric started doing an imataion Pygmy Owl call to see if we could see any Chickadees. No success. then we started to follow some fresh Turkey tracks. That is when we heard the Pygmy Owl start to call back. We then started walking up the canyon trying to find it. We ran upon Creepers and Ruby Crowned Kinglets, but could only hear the Pygmy Owl. After over an hour of looking we couldn't find it. As we started walking towards the car a Pygmy Owl flew out of a Juniper Tree right in front of me. It landed in a big Cottonwood along the creek. It stayed there and allowed us some amazing views...We then headed home and saw one of the best looking Ferruginous Hawks in the Leamington area...
David Allan - (14 Feb 2003) I observed a Black Phoebe at Gunnison Bend Reservoir near Delta, Millard County, late Friday (2/14) afternoon. It was hanging out in the marshy area just south of Sherwood Shores.
SALT LAKE COUNTY
Dennis Shirley - (17 Feb 2003) Monday turned up some good winter birds in Salt Lake and Utah counties. These were: Pygmy Nuthatch - NE corner of Liberty Park on and around EMT building; Pine Grosbeak - Big Cottonwood Canyon, 2/3s way around the Brighton Loop, at the feeders at the Das Alpen Haus cabin Gray-crowned Rosy Finch - Susan Thomas's feeders in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Alta...
Pomera Fronce - (Mon, 17 Feb 2003) Anne Halley and I saw a female Williamson's Sapsucker at the Salt Lake City Cemetery today. She was working the trees which are north and just a bit east of the big dumpster (roughly 940 East and 415 North). Her yellow belly was striking!
UTAH COUNTY
Dennis Shirley - (17 Feb 2003) Monday turned up some good winter birds in Salt Lake and Utah counties. These were: ... Northern Shrike - West of the north Springville I-15 exit and north of Camelot Woods along the gravel frontage road
Todd Black - (8 Feb 2003)
Todd Black reported a Swainson's Hawk at the Pleasant Grove exit off
I-15. This is the
earliest that I remember a Swainson's Hawk reported.
Josh Heward - (6 Feb 2003)
Josh Heward just reported a Varied Thrush at the south end of Salem Pond. It was
between the road (close to the road on the ground) and the pond right at the
south end where there's the picnic area with a fireplace.
KC Childs - (Sat, 1 Feb 2003) Eric Huish, Larene Wyss and I headed out to bird Utah County today. We saw a Winter Wren at Camelot Woods. It was along Hobble Creek as it heads out towards the lake. ...
WASATCH COUNTY
Deedee O'Brien - (Wed, 19 Feb 2003) Just before noon today Bob Huntington, Roberta Wherritt and I finished our monthly GSL Audubon bird survey for Johnson Mill B&B in Midway, and decided to spend a half hour birding the nearby trail between the Provo River and the sewage treatment plant. At about 12:15 we spotted two 1st winter Harris's Sparrows feeding in the road/trail. They were about 30 feet away and let us watch them for at least 10 minutes...
WAYNE COUNTY
Nate Hart - (11 Feb 2003) Nate Hart reported sighting a Gyrfalcon at the Bicknell Bottoms. The Bicknell bottoms are at the base of the boulder mountain. He saw the gyrfalcon on January 28th. ... This is a white color phase gyrfalcon.
WEBER COUNTY
Glenn Barlow, Kris Purdy - (Tue, 18 Feb 2003) At Bues Pond we looked for the Screech Owl that Kris previously reported, but could not see it. But, I must make mention of the lovely 6-8 pairs of Wood Ducks, with the males in bright breeding plumage.
Kristin Purdy - (9 Feb 2003) I saw the Western Screech Owl at Beus Pond off 4300S in Ogden today between 5:30 and 6:00 pm....
Bryan Shirley - (6 Feb 2003) Today my dad & I birded in northern Ut and saw a few good birds. We started off in Ogden at the Ogden Nature Center where there is a White-throated Sparrow. ...
Joel & Kathy Beyer - (2 Feb 2003) ... Both a Peregrine Falcon and a Prairie Falcon along 12th Street in Ogden, about 3 and 4 miles west of I-15, respectively. A Lewis's Woodpecker in Pleasant View, on a telephone pole just before the entrance to Pole Patch Estates...Merlin, in Syracuse, near 3000 West and 2700 South (on top of a house). Harris's Sparrow, on Gentile Street in Layton, seen about halfway between Bluff Street and WAM Flying Field (near the radio towers and Layton Marsh Preserve). ...