Birdnet Hotline Highlights
February 2005


Review Species Reported This Month:

   
Cackling Goose  Washington Co.
    Eurasian Collared-Doves  Utah Co.
    Red-headed Woodpecker  Washington Co.


CACHE COUNTY

Joel Beyer (25 Feb 2005) - ...We visited Clarkston (Cache County) on Tuesday and saw the Blue Jays -- four of them! They made a brief appearance to snatch peanuts from the feeder at the yellow house on Main Street (about 200 South?). Several flickers were around, but no Yellow-shafted.

Stephen Peterson (11 Feb 2005) - Tom Gordon reports from Clarkston in Cache Valley that he has had a Yellow-shafted Flicker hanging out at his feeders along with the Red-shafted Flickers and that the pair of Blue Jays are still there since they showed up this past October.  ...Alice Lindahl reports from the USU campus of a couple of Bohemian Waxwings mixed in with the Cedar Waxwings, between the Student Center and Geology building, eating off of the crabapple trees...

Stephen Peterson (10 Feb 2005) - Reinhard Jockel reported a flock of approximately 100 Bohemian Waxwings in Logan this past Monday, in the island area around 200 North.

DAVIS COUNTY

Cliff Weisse (6 Feb 2005) - I visited Bountiful Landfill yesterday (Saturday) and there were lots of Herring Gulls, probably more the 150 individuals. I only saw one adult Thayer's [Gull] which I thought was odd. There was one second winter and several first winter Thayer's, one adult and one first or second winter (probably 2nd) Glaucous [Gull]...

GRAND COUNTY

Matt Williams (15 Feb 2005) - My wife and [I] took a much needed trip to Southeastern Utah this past weekend...At Arches [NP]...my wife noticed a large flock of birds flying in as were nearing Delicate Arch on foot. I knew they were Rosy Finches but realized how difficult they are to see and ID in flight. Fortunately, I did get nice looks at at least a few and I can say that most were likely Black Rosy-Finches in this flock of at least 100 birds. This was a life bird for me and certainly an unexpected surprise. A later surprise came with a Merlin perched in a tree south of Moab.

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Pomera Fronce (25 Feb 2005) - ...I was out strolling in the sun and came upon a little flock of White-crowned Sparrows right along the side of a road in my neighborhood....I was able to tell that there was a different bird in the bunch. I went home, got my eyes and came back to find a beautiful Harris's Sparrow. The bird was in the general area of the Cottonwood Mall in Salt Lake City and was observed between 4:00 and 5:00...

UTAH COUNTY 

Glenn Barlow (28 Feb 2005) - Went to Provo Canyon on Saturday, with the intent to locate the Winter Wren previously reported...I was able to locate the wren just west of Canyon Glen Campground. Got some great looks, as it came very close to the trail.

Eric Huish (28 Feb 2005) - Grant and I ran out to LeBarron Point...we saw many American Tree Sparrows out at the end of the road on the point north of LeBarron, Prairie Falcon, Say's Phoebe, Chucker, and Bald Eagles along the road south of Lincoln Point and we saw a Northern Shrike on River Lane.

Dennis Shirley (26 Feb 2005) - ...I made a quick trip around Lincoln Point and the south end of Utah Lake. In the bay just north of Lebaron's Point, on the west side of West Mountain, a large raft of ducks were concentrated and feeding. It was made up mainly of Northern Pintail, with a sprinkling of Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal, American Wigeon, and one Eurasian Wigeon. It was a striking adult male in full plumage and fairly easy to pick out. I used a scope and simply parked along side the highway...

Amanda Williams (23 Feb 2005) - ...at the very end of my walk at my own house [around 500 north and 750 west in Provo]. We had four Red Crossbills – three males and one female - in the junipers next to our house. My husband was so jealous.

(22 Feb 2005) - Merrill Webb reported seeing a flock of 50 to 60 Black Rosy-Finches, high up in Rock Canyon at about 11:30 AM Tuesday Morning. The flock flew north and could have gone around to the face of the mountain.

Lu Giddings (16 Feb 2005) - Today at around 1:30 p.m., Reed Stone observed a Golden-crowned Sparrow on the west side of the Provo airport dike. He said he saw it about 100 yards south of a new tower being built at the airport, keeping company with a flock of white-crowned sparrows as they bathed in a mud puddle in the road.

KC Childs (10 Feb 2005) - I went up Provo Canyon today to look for some birds. I found a Winter Wren about 300 yards downstream from Canyon Glen Park along the Provo River Parkway. It was on the north side of the trail where there is some standing water and a chain link fence. It was where the water ends and the chain link fence comes back down to the trail...

KC Childs (9 Feb 2005) - Today at the BYU botany ponds located on 900 north in Provo I saw 2 Bohemian Waxwings in a flock of over 100 Cedar Waxwings. They were located up above the pond along the trail that follows the canal...they were located west of the large blue emergency light about 50 yards...

Eric Huish (8 Feb 2005) - I went out to the Provo Airport Dike to look at the Long-eared Owl that was reported from the UCB Field Trip. Cheryl was already there and pointed out the owl for me. A little farther down the road (~70 yards East of the SW corner) we saw a first winter Harris's Sparrow. It was in a bush on the north side of the dike calling loudly. It then flew over the road and shortly after that flew to the other side of the marsh.

Leena Rogers (3 Feb 2005) - Kay Stone just called me and said he saw some Red Crossbills at the Provo City Cemetery...

KC Childs (2 Feb 2005) - I ran down to Elk Ridge this afternoon to Dennis Shirley's house. The very first bird I saw as I went in his backyard was the White-throated Sparrow. It was a first for Utah County for me. ...At the ponds in Salem on south side of the main highway there was a Cinnamon Teal amongst a lot of Common Goldeneye and Ring-necked Ducks....I counted 28 Eurasian Collared-Doves on River Lane and 8 Bald Eagles....

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Kevin Wheeler (13 Feb 2005) - Laurie Rasmussen observed an adult and juvenile Harris's Sparrow at Boots Cox Park (at the end of Cox Landing off of 900 south in St. George) yesterday. I saw the juvenile today at 1:30, but didn't see the adult. It was hanging around with a group of white crowns on the dirt pathway behind the tennis courts. Way to go, Laurie.

Rick Fridell - Today (2/5) I photographed an immature Red-shouldered Hawk in Virgin, Washington County, UT, near the Town Hall on Mill Road. The hawk was observed briefly last Saturday during the St. George Winter Bird Festival by
Glenn Barlow and Alton Thygerson (Thanks for the tip Glenn). The hawk has apparently been around for awhile, as I mentioned to Kevin Wheeler that I was going to look for a small 'mystery' buteo in Virgin, and Kevin said that he and Pam Larson also had a brief glimpse of the hawk on 1/21.

Rick Fridell - ...yesterday (2/4), there was a true Cackling Goose (tiny goose with a round head, tiny bill, and dark breast) with ~ 30 Canada Geese on a pond in Washington City...Other birds of note around the county include...two Horned Grebes at Quail Creek State Park; an adult White-throated Sparrow at the Mill Creek Park in Washington City, and (for all you procrastinators) the Red-headed Woodpecker is lingering at the Wilson Pecan Orchard.

Rick Fridell (3 Feb 2005) - The Red-headed Woodpecker is still remaining at the Wilson Pecan Orchard, in Hurricane (west of Sand Hollow State Park). Also the Greater white-fronted and Ross's Goose are remaining at the Spring's Park pond in the Washington Fields, St. George.

WEBER COUNTY 

Kristin Purdy (26 Feb 2005) - I birded Jefferson Hunt and Anderson Cove Campgrounds in Ogden Valley, Weber County, over the past couple days. Highlights of the trips included Evening Grosbeaks, Virginia Rails...in Jefferson Hunt and Red Crossbills today at Anderson Cove.

Kristin Purdy (10 Feb 2005) - This morning between 8:30 and 9:30 I saw many Bohemian Waxwings in Ogden, Weber County. The specific location was a block north of Weber State University and near the 36th and Birch Street intersection.