Brown Pelican  Davis Co.
    Zone-tailed Hawks  Washington Co.
    Purple Gallinule  Wasatch Co.
    Eurasian Collared Doves  Duchesne Co.
   

BOX ELDER COUNTY

Bridget Olson (29 July 2004) - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - Notable sightings from the tour route include Stilt Sandpiper, Western and Clark's Grebe young, Semipalmated Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, and Solitary Sandpiper. ...Great Egret 4...

DAVIS COUNTY 

Colby Neuman (24 July 2004) - Yesterday I relocated the Whimbrel that was seen earlier this week along the Antelope Island Causeway. It was on the north side of the causeway near the second bridge...

Colby Neuman (20 July 2004) - Tim Avery and I made a trip up to the Antelope Island Causeway this evening. Shorebirds included: Snowy Plover - 1 - at the first bridge on the north side, Long-billed Curlew - 1, ...Western Sandpiper ~ 400, Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1, Baird's Sandpiper - 236!!!, ...Red-necked Phalarope ~ 200 - several flocks of ~50 flew over.

Larry Semo (19 July 2004) - A friend of mine, Chris Wood, who is a senior tour leader for Wings, asked me to report his finding this morning of a juvenile Brown Pelican. The bird was seen from the northwest side of the causeway just before Antelope Island. The bird was northwest of that location. ..Also of note was a Whimbrel at the northwest side of the causeway.

DUCHESNE COUNTY

Casey Lance (7 July 2004) - In Duchesne, Utah, there is a pair of Eurasian Collared Doves, living somewhere near Indian Canyon Highway and 300 South. They are very easy to find, and I see them often. They are almost always on the power lines...

RICH COUNTY

Carol Davis (5 July 2004) - We went up by Randolph last Friday and were surprised to see not just one lark bunting but many Lark Buntings flying across the highway to the sage to retrieve bundles of insects for the kiddies...

SALT LAKE COUNTY 

Mike Johnson (27 July 2004) - This morning Tom Brennan and I observed 4 White-Winged Crossbills on the trail to Cecret Lake from Albion Basin. They were together working the cones along with about 3 dozen Red Crossbills in the vicinity.  This was the area of the trail just before you start heading up the steep rocky part just before the lake.

Kristin Purdy (23 July 2004) - Brian Currie and I birded Brighton yesterday... We saw a yellow-green female White-winged Crossbill about 100 feet from the Silver Lake Visitor Center parking lot. We were standing on the paved road that angles off to the right and leads to private homes. The crossbill perched on a small dead snag and gave us good looks at the strong white wing markings...

Tim Avery (14 July 2004) - Colby Neuman and I went to the Jordan River Parkway in search of Green Heron for the second time this summer, and were delighted to see not just one, but as many as 5 different birds flying. It is hard to say, but with so many birds being seen there is a good chance that there are several breeding, or already have bred pairs in the immediate area. At one point 3 individuals could be heard calling on the canal that runs out of the river west towards Decker Lake. These birds were in the area described by Jack Holley along the Oxbow Trail...

Jack Holley (6 July 2004) - I believe that the Green Herons have a nest in the marshy area north of the WVC Cultural Center. This morning once again I saw one fly up from the first large cottonwood trees on the west side of the river north of the center...

Joel and Kathy Beyer (5 July 2004) - We spent today birding the Brighton area, from Silver Lake to Lake Solitude to Twin Lakes to Lake Mary and back to Silver Lake. We found a singing Winter Wren in the summer cabin area accessible from the Silver Lake parking lot. It was at the bottom end of the paved road at the gate, in the wet bushy area to the right (north?). It was singing quite lustily at 7:30 in the morning, but a late afternoon attempt at relocating the bird was unsuccessful.  Other notable sightings included 2 pairs of Williamson's Sapsuckers (both feeding young at their respective nest holes), a pair of vigilant Northern Goshawks with at least two nearly full grown nestlings, a Three-toed Woodpecker, and a very large mixed flock of Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches (no White-winged Crossbills, darn it!), and many Pine Grosbeaks.

Jack Holley (3 July 2004) - This past month I have seen a Green Heron along the [Jordan] river, but I have only seen if flying over, never anywhere that I could tell you were to look. Yesterday I saw two flying over. Both came from just north of the cultural center of West Valley City, you get there from 3100 South and Redwood Road. Go east on 3100 South to the end of the road. There is suppose to be a large wetland area there. One flew north and I saw it at the bend of the river just south of where I started my tour last May, and the other flew over 3300 South by the pond, and it was flying south.

SAN JUAN COUNTY

Alex Burciaga (8 July 2004) - the devil's canyon Acorn Woodpeckers are easily seen (easier to hear the noisy buggers) in the small side draw 50 yards south of devil's canyon on hwy 191. they have been seen there the last two months when i have been surveying for lewis's woodpeckers...

SUMMIT COUNTY

Hal & Kathy Robins - On July 14th we were birding at 9,200 feet (expansive open meadow bordered by lodgepole pine) and identified a Bendire’s Thrasher. It was 50 feet in front of us for about 10 minutes, criss-crossing a dirt road continuously catching insects (finally perching in a low bush and lodgepole pine). Obviously, it was out of its normal range and habitat. We ruled out the “very worn” adult Sage Thrasher as described in Sibley. The triangular spots of the Bendire’s Thrasher were obvious along with the slight down-curved bill....Mirror Lake Highway 150 (approximately 35 miles south of Evanston), to road 032 (Whitney Reservoir), proceed 2.4 miles to the Mill City Creek turnoff (road 109), proceed 1 ½ miles along this road. The road is passable by a 4-wheel drive or high clearance vehicle.

UINTAH COUNTY

Alton Thygerson  (2 July 2004) - My wife and I traveled to Ouray National Wildlife Rufuge ...We birded Ouray for about an hour (7:00-8:00 pm).  Top birds were two American Bittern in the open with one in the well known bittern poise of pointing its bill skyward, Black Terns, Great Egret (mixed in with Snowy Egrets and Cattle Egret), Green Heron (not only seen but was also making its distinctive "skyowk" call...

UTAH COUNTY 

KC Childs (29 July 2004) - Seven Utah County Birders went out this morning on a field trip to ...Lincoln and LeBarron Points. ...We saw several Snowy Plovers around Lincoln Point. Also at Lincoln Point we saw a good sized flock of Baird's Sandpipers. Also in the area along the road we saw some birds that are not as common to Utah County like Northern Mockingbird, Blue Grosbeak and Sage Thrasher...

Joel and Kathy Beyer (18 July 2004) - The Yellow-billed Cuckoo reported by Mike Monson last Saturday was still at the southwest corner of the Provo Airport Dike this Sunday morning, flying back and forth in the trees there, but never vocalizing.

Reed Stone (15 July 2004) - At 9:30 this morning there was a Great Egret in the moat at thesouth east corner of the Provo Airport Dike.

WASATCH COUNTY 

KC Childs (27 July 2004) - I guess since I haven't seen a posting yet today I would send out that I was able to see the Purple Gallinule this morning at around 7:15 A.M. at the Jordanelle Wetlands. Thanks to those who already had seen this morning, Bryan Shirley, Alton Thygerson and Bruce Robinson who helped me locate this truly amazingly beautiful bird. It was one of the most wonderful birds I have ever been able to see in my life. I never thought I would of had the chance to see one of these. Thanks to Clay and Cliftia for reporting and finding this wonderful bird...

Eric Huish (26 July 2004) -  The Purple Gallinule Clay and Cliftia Johnson reported at the Jordanelle Wetlands was still there as of this morning (Mon July 26, 2004). Milton Moody and I saw it around 9:30 A.M. and got some good looks at it. Milt took some photos but it mostly stayed hidden in grasses. We saw it off-and-on for about a half hour. It then snuck into the weeds and we couldn't relocate it. We found it right where the Johnsons reported seeing it (Along the road just south of where the little stream goes under the road, between the lower and upper parking areas).

Clay and Cliftia Johnson (26 July 2004) - Purple Gallinule, Jordanelle Wetlands - We were driving from Vernal to Salt Lake Saturday (July 24) about 9:30 in the morning, and detoured to see what the wetlands area below Jordanelle Dam was like. We drove up to the Good Sam RV park and back to the highway, with a brief stop at the entrance that has the stone pillars and parking area. The road crosses a slough or small stream about .2 miles north of the stone pillars. We were going south (back toward the stone pillars) when we saw the bird, about 15 feet from the edge of the road, between the road and the fence, just north of the little pond or slough. It was in sight for a half minute or so, then it slunk off in the thick grass.
Our first thought was that it was a common moorhen (which we’ve been wanting to see). However, as we watched the bird, we could see the body was bluish-purple ,the back was a lovely, delicate, olive color, and the front of the face was a big, whitish blob, instead of the red portion of the big yellow-and-red beak continuing up between the eyes. We stopped back Sunday on the way home and walked through the area for a while but did not see the Purple Gallinule again, although Cliftia thought she did hear it again, in the same area. We did see quite a few other birds in this really neat wetlands area. We’ll stop there regularly from now on.

Deedee O'Brien (19 July 2004) - On our GSLAudubon field trip Saturday that focused on the wetlands below the dam, we also saw the American Redstart. Russ Norvell was our leader. He has done the bird banding there for several years. We identified this bird as a juvenile. Both adults have been banded, and this bird had no band.

Joel and Kathy Beyer (18 July 2004) - Also, in response to a question last week about the status of the male American Redstart at the Jordanelle Wetlands, it was still there this afternoon (as were the remains of the blue plastic bag marking the spot). The bird looks somewhat the worse for wear, particularly the tail, which appears much shortened. It also was no longer singing.

Carol and Nicky Davis (12 July 2004) - ...Our second strange encounter was a Grasshopper Sparrow in the Heber Valley fields. He posed for some great photos and we recorded his song, or rather songs, since occasionally he would end his tune in a little warble.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Rick Fridell - Yesterday (7/10) Kevin Wheeler and I spent the day birding the Kolob Terrace Road, Lava Point (Zion NP), and Kolob Reservoir areas. Highlights included 4-5 California Condors along the Kolob Terrace Road, in the meadow north of Blue Springs Reservoir... At one point we watched the Condors soaring with two Zone-tailed Hawks, 20-40 Turkey Vultures, a Red-tail, and two Peregrines. The Zone-tailed Hawks were mostly observed to the Northeast of the pullout, primarily east of the two story log cabin. Both Zone-tails were a bit ragged (molting primaries) which aided in picking them out of the many Turkey Vultures in the area.

Dennis Shirley (3 July 2004) - A midweek trip to Washington County resulted in good times and sightings. Of the hundred or so birds recorded the best were:  Cassins Kingbird - Zions N. P., East Entrance, Northern Goshawk - Zions N. P., Lava Point area, Spotted Owl - Zions N. P., East Rim Trail, Rufous-crowned Sparrow - Beaver Dam Slope, Common Blackhawk - Beaver Dam Wash, adult and two ready-to-fledge young in nest, California Condor - Zions N. P., Lava Point/Kolob Reservoir area. Three immature birds seen at close range, circling at eye level, with flock of turkey vultures. The wing bands radio wires, and the number 48 was easily seen on the under wing of one bird. A great experience!!