Review Species Reported This Month:
    Least Tern  Salt Lake Co.
    Eurasian Collared Dove  Washington Co.
    Anna's Hummingbird  Washington Co.
    Painted Redstart  Washington Co.
   

BOX ELDER COUNTY

Mark Stackhouse - There was a beautiful male Eurasian Wigeon at Bear River Refuge yesterday (Friday, April 23) at about 1:30 pm. It was in a mixed group of ducks that included about 30-40 American Wigeons in the impoundment on the north side (across the canal) from the northwest corner of the auto tour loop. We saw it feeding in that area for about 15-20 minutes... Other "good," but not rare birds that we saw yesterday included about 15 Sharp-tailed Grouse at the stateline road lek west of Portage, 6 Gray Partridge near the Nucor steel plant in Plymouth (look in the alfalfa field behind the chain-link fence NW of the plant), and several Grasshopper Sparrows in the fields NW of the plant area.

Ken Ringer (6 April 2004) - I was at Bear River today and lots of birds as most can imagine. ...a few Snowy Egrets and one Great Egret ( I have never seen a Great Egret this far north)...

DAVIS COUNTY 

Kristin Purdy (28 April 2004) - ...at Antelope Island Causeway this morning. Glenn Barlow and I found 31 Black-bellied Plovers out on the mudflats south of the Causeway at the bridge between mm 6 and 5. Three Red Knots were mixed in with the plovers. We first picked out the knots from the ragged line of plovers with binoculars, and then both Glenn and I studied them for a short time with telescopes while using the truck as a windbreak. The knots and 30 of the 31 plovers flushed and headed west toward the island. We were not able to locate them again.

Lu Giddings - On Saturday, April 24th, at around 11:30 a.m., a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a Baird's sandpiper, and two Dunlin were seen on the Antelope Island causeway. All were seen on the north side of the causeway between the rusty culvert (abt. M.M. 2) and mile marker #1. All were in the company of a mixed flock of about 650 sanderlings and 650 western sandpipers.

Dennis Shirley (19 April 2004) - On the AI Causeway [mid last week] I saw all the reported peeps, and the Horned Grebes, but no Black-bellied Plover. I did see a Whimbrel at mile post 5, south side, out with the gulls. However, as I watched it, it flew off to the southeast along the shoreline. I had hoped it would stick around and be seen this past weekend, but apparently it was not reported.

Kristin Purdy (17 April 2004) - Glenn Barlow and I hit Antelope Island today and saw ... a lone Black-bellied Plover in half n' half plumage on the north side of the Causeway on the first bend as you head west, between mm 4 and 3. On the return trip in the afternoon, hundreds of birds were concentrated on the rocky spit that stretches out toward Fremont Island at mile 1 1/2. We saw three species of small shorebirds there--Sanderlings, the Western Sandpipers, and 7 Dunlins. Two Horned Grebes circulated among the Eared Grebes on the south side of the bridge at mm 1 and toward the island....

Jack Binch (16 April 2004) - ...There are a great number of Sanderlings on the Antelope Island Causeway along with a few Western and Least Sandpipers and one Dunlin that I saw. It was a little east of the rusty culverts on the north side...

Joel and Kathy Beyer (11 April 2004) - Besides about 100 Sanderlings scattered about the Antelope Island Causeway, we also saw a Glaucous Gull on the south side between mile markers 3 and 4. It was a "pale juvenile", as depicted in Sibley's.

Kristin Purdy (9 April 2004) - MM 1 to 0 [Antelope Island Causeway ] Eared Grebes, one lone male Ruddy Duck still in winter plumage among the grebes... I also saw two Horned Grebes in this area at different times. However, they were obviously different grebes. The first one I saw stayed to the edge of the Eared Grebe flotilla and sported only the gold head stripes with winter plumage. The second one I saw later stayed to the same edge of an Eared Grebe flock in the same place. This Horned Grebe was entirely in spring plumage. The flock of grebes was about 1/4 mile from the western end of the Causeway.

SALT LAKE COUNTY 

Bruce Robinson (20 April 2004) - ...I thought I'd stop by Lee Kay Ponds ...Anyway, it's back!!!  The Least Tern was preening about 50 feet west of the gazebo. I could see the white "headlight" without even using my binoculars!!! Of course I also viewed it for several minutes with the binoculars!!!

Robert & Marilyn Parsons (16 April 2004) - [Lee Kay Ponds] Two Great Egrets still there. Were at pond by West Gate. Also a small group of Common Grackle....

Lu Giddings (4 April 2004) - A Horned Grebe was observed at 7:30 a.m. yesterday at Lee Kay ponds. It was swimming in the pond immediately south of the portion of the dump in which yard waste and mulching are taking place.

Pomera (1 April 2004) - The Lee Kay Ponds were teeming with activity this morning! ...Firsts of the year for me were Franklin's Gull, Cinnamon Teal, Snowy Egret and Great Egret. ...The egrets were best viewed by parking near the picnic table just east of the gazebo and looking south and east across the ponds.

UINTAH COUNTY 

Bryan Shirley (28 April 2004) - I just got back from Ouray NWR and we had a fairly productive day. ...there was a pretty good mix of shorebirds including 1 Solitary Sandpiper at point 1 on the tour loop. The best birding was in the lakes down the road that goes to the fish hatchery. We got 2 Black-bellied Plovers, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, Marbled Godwits, & L.B. Dowitchers....

Diane Penttila (19 Apr 2004) - Ouray National Wildlife Refuge...The following birds were seen within the survey route: ...Horned Grebe 2...Great Egret 4...

UTAH COUNTY 

KC Childs (28 April 2004) - This morning 6 Utah County Birders including myself walked Skipper Bay trail and enjoyed a wonderful walk and company. ... Some highlights were a Great Egret that kept flying over the trail...

KC Cilds (8 April 2004) - ...I went to Timpanogas Wastewater Treatment Plant....There was a male and female Blue-winged Teal there as well....Also there are tons of dead carp in the first pond. There were several gulls there eating the carp. I saw one Herring Gull that seemed pretty late for this date to still be here.

Lu Giddings (3 April 2004) - A Blue-wing Teal was spotted at about 5:00 p.m. swimming in Secret Pond
in Goshen.

WASATCH COUNTY 

Bob Huntington and Bob MacDougall (25 April 2004) - ...found a Northern Waterthrush at the mitigation area below the dam...[BOR at Jordanelle]. If you line up the red and white RV sign on the hillside with the dead tree just east of the boardwalk and look west you'll see the area where we located it. Also, we saw our first Yellow Warbler of the season.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Alton Thygerson (29 April 2004) - Lytle Ranch didn't disappoint me. The temperatures did not break 60 degrees, and it was cloudy with some wind. The best birds included: Common Black-Hawk, Eurasian Collared Dove (feeding on the ground in the parking lot--this bird does not appear on the ranch's check list)...

Rick Fridell - Yesterday (4/30), Kevin Wheeler, Larry Tripp, and I decided to spend a "Big Day" birding in Washington County. We started at Oak Grove before daybreak and ended at Lytle Ranch after dark...and birded everywhere we could in between. We had a great time and saw a total of 155 Species....Other highlights included: Cattle Egret (3) at Quail Creek State Park (thank you Charlie), Blue-winged Teal on the SR-9 Sewage Ponds (there were TEN present this morning... obviously these birds do not realize they are 'rare' around here), Swainson's Hawk (6-8) in the Washington Fields, Snowy Plovers (5) at Sand Hollow State Park, Solitary Sandpiper at Tonaquint and Red Hills, Sanderling (4) at Sand Hollow, Semipalmated Sandpiper at Hela Seegmiller Park, Washington Fields, Anna's Hummingbird (male) along road below Oak Grove

Kristin Purdy (24 April 2004) - I saw a Pacific Loon at Quail Creek Reservoir in Hurricane/Washington County on Thursday and Friday. The loon generally stayed around the dam. On Thursday it was in the company of a winter-plumaged Common Loon, and on Friday it kept company with four breeding-plumaged Common Loons. The Pacific Loon has developed the pale gray nape, but still sported a white chin, white throat, and black "strap" under the chin.

Robert Bond - On April 14 a Painted Redstart was seen by Georgene and myself in a slightly different location in Zion Canyon. A singing bird was seen about 50 feet before a road sign that said "Slow, 15 mph", in the middle of the last curve at the upper end of the main canyon road. The bird was singing in the top of a tree on the up hill side of the road against a vertical wall with a small seep. This is exactly where we saw a Painted Redstart 2 years ago.

Charlie Sheard - This morning (Sunday the 18th) between 8:30 and 10:30am a White-throated Sparrow was seen at the Tonequint Nature Center. The bird reappeared several times (once on the Nature Center deck) and was also heard singing.

Kevin Wheeler (18 April 2004) - This morning at about 8:30 am, saw a White-throated Sparrow in with a bunch of white-crowns just on the other side of the road east of the campground host at Red Cliffs Campground in Leeds. there were also several hummingbirds around, and the host has a couple feeders out.
Beautiful morning.

Dana Green (10 April 2004) - Arnie and I went down to Washington Co. Thurs and Fri. I saw 63 species. Some of the more interesting birds were Poorwills on the road into Lytle and a Pygmy owl calling at about 2am at the cowboy corral. I also saw the male Vermillion on the east side of Red Hills. The Painted Redstart was back at the Temple of Shinamwa. He was at the little stream and weeping rock area along the River Walk.

Rick Fridell (8 April 2004) - This evening, Kristen and I went by Sand Hollow State Park and saw a Black-bellied Plover in breeding plumage, several BN Stilts and Am. Avocets, three Long-billed Curlews, six Willets, and a Caspian Tern. At the SR-9 (Hurricane) Sewage Ponds we saw a drake Blue-winged Teal (and many other species of ducks) and a mixed flock of gulls including Ring-billed, Franklin's, and Bonaparte's.

Carol Davis (3 April 2004) - ...we headed up Silver Reef towards Oak Grove campgrounds. ...About half-way to Oak Grove we heard the same song so we pulled off and played the Black-chinned Sparrow song. Within one minute he was there and singing. What a cutie he was. We will post the photos when we get home.

Carol Davis (2 April 2004) - ...At Tonaquint we saw white-crowned sparrows, black phoebes, a kingfisher, Abert's towhees, and 2 great finds: a White-throated Sparrow and a Lucy's warbler.