Glaucous-winged Gull - Davis Co.
    Eastern Phoebe - Washington Co.
 

BOX ELDER COUNTY

Kristin Purdy (5 Feb 2006) - What a phenomenal birding day. Salt Creek WMA really produced. About half the ice at Salt Creek is melted and lots of gulls and geese were using the ponds east and west of Compton's Knoll. The rare [Glaucous and Thayer's] gulls, [White Faced] ibis, and Greater White-fronted Goose were in the open water or on ice west of the knoll. The area east of the knoll primarily hosted Canada Gesse and a few waterfowl species. DWR personnel have placed deer carcasses out on the dikes in preparation for Bald Eagle Day. The eagles have found the feast.

Kelly Mathis (5 Feb 2006) - Yesterday while looking for Barrow's Goldeneye at Bear River Refuge we spotted a female Long-tailed Duck on Unit 3. It was near the south end of the loop road about 100 yds to the east in the open water with a bunch of Common Goldeneyes. ...we had a good, long look with the scope.

CACHE COUNTY

Stephen Peterson (27 Feb 2006) - Reporting 300 plus Bohemian Waxwings on the campus of USU in Logan, this morning.

Kristin Purdy (25 Feb 2006) - I heard a report of a "new" Northern Pygmy-Owl in Cache County today. The bird was seen east of Hyrum in Blacksmith Fork Canyon just east of mile marker 11. The bird was seen and photographed perching on the top spire of a spruce.

James Lofthouse (18 Feb 2006) - The Sharp-tailed Grouse are still hanging around in Paradise. If you come looking, 9 to 10 AM seems to be a good time.  The corner of 9000 South 200 East and is a good spot to start. Here is where you turn to go to the cemetery which is on the hill just to the North East. Also check out 300 East.

James Lofthouse (3 Feb 2006) - Friday afternoon at 3:40 there was a large flock (400+) of mixed Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings at 800 East 200 South in Hyrum. This is right across the street from the high school. It seemed there was as many Bohemians as Cedars. I haven't seen a flock like this for years.

DAVIS COUNTY

Tim Avery (15 Feb 2006) - Experts, have examined pictures of the gulls I photographed this morning and agree that one of them is a 2nd cycle Glaucous-winged Gull. This bird was at the same location as the Glaucous Gull. At Farmington Bay WMA head south along the main dike from Egg Island. After you pass the first flow under the road and the large airboat lot, you will come upon the 2nd flow and Airboat Launch. Both Gulls were on the river here feasting on the dead carp. YUM!

Kristin Purdy (14 Feb 2006) - I spent some time sniffing garbage fumes at Bountiful Landfill in Davis County today. I only saw an adult Thayer's Gull and many Herring Gulls in addition to the usuals.

Steve Coleman (13 Feb 2006) - During Eagle Day Saturday there was a Glaucous Gull flying with a large group of other gulls. This was my first time to see one in flight and I was impressed with how white it was it almost looked angelic. The bird was sighted at the first flow on the main dike road, later I saw it sitting in the water on the west side of the road in the same area.

Glenn Barlow (12 Feb 2006) - Yesterday afternoon, ...Merrell Webb...and I ventured to Antelope Island...On our journey to Garr Ranch we spotted some sparrows flying back and forth across the road...we were able to identify them as American Tree Sparrows... further west in the distance was a larger bird, which we were able to identify as a juvenile Northern Shrike. At the parking area near the north-western tip of the island, west of the visitors’ center, we found another Northern Shrike. It was just south of the parking lot. It was an adult. We had very close looks at this bird. We even noticed that it regurgitated something. Very lovely bird, with all the field guide features of a Northern Shrike.

Kathy and Joel Beyer (4 Feb 2006) - On Antelope Island, we saw the Burrowing Owl at the Mountain View trailhead, just as described by Kristin Purdy. We also saw a second Burrowing Owl, about 30 yards north of the first owl, in a grouping of large rocks. We found a Northern Shrike on Gentile Street in Layton, midway between the radio towers and the pig farm, but on the north side of the road. At the Bountiful Landfill were several Herring Gulls, a second-year Glaucous Gull, and a probable Glaucous-winged x Herring Gull. Farmington Bay WMA served up both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, a couple dozen Bald Eagles and a juvenile Thayer's Gull.

JUAB COUNTY 

Lu Giddings (4 Feb 2006) - It was a cold and windy but dry day at Fish Springs today...The surprise birds of the day were four Great Egrets and five White-faced Ibis in the northwest corner of Mallard pool, all feeding together. Tim Avery reported seeing four great egrets and 6 or 7 white-faced ibis on his trip to Fish Springs on Jan 8th; perhaps these are the same birds...

MILLARD COUNTY

Kit and Janelle Wilkinson (26 Feb 2006) - 4 Trumpeter Swans were seen 3/4 mile east of Lynndyl, Ut. on highway 132. These swans were seen at 5:30pm, in some small ponds about 1/10 mile south of the highway. They were easily seen from a high vantage, overlooking the ponds from the road.

MORGAN COUNTY

Christian Peay (15 Feb 2006) - This morning I observed a flock of approx. 400 Bohemian Waxwings. They were in some large trees at 200 S. Morgan Valley Dr. in Morgan County.

Kathy and Joel Beyer (12 Feb 2006) - We were treated to quite a show by one of the East Canyon (Hwy. 66, Morgan Co.) Northern Pygmy-Owls this afternoon. It was at mile marker 3.2 (or about .4 miles south of the Mortensen Ranch driveway). We also saw approx. 40 Bohemian Waxwings in Porterville (Hwy 66, Morgan Co.), and 25 Wild Turkeys on the east side of Echo Reservoir (Summit Co.)

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Sylvia Gray (12 Feb 2006) - Bohemian Waxwings seem to be everywhere right now but for those who live in the Salt Lake City area there are some close to home. Bill and I saw a flock of around 50 in Mountain Dell Recreation Area near Washington Park Picnic Area this afternoon.

SAN JUAN COUNTY

Joel and Kathy Beyer (26 Feb 2006) - ...we visited the Monticello area (San Juan Co.) on Wednesday and Thursday. At Devils Canyon we saw two Acorn Woodpeckers and heard a third calling nearby. Other interesting birds in the area were a female Williamson's Sapsucker, a calling Great Horned Owl, 2 or 3 flocks of Bushtits, 3 wren species, Juniper Titmouse, Western and Mountain Bluebirds, innumerable Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches, and one lonely Brown Creeper.

Lu Giddings (20 Feb 2006) - A pair of Acorn Woodpeckers was seen today between the Devil's canyon campground entrance and MM 61.

Lu Giddings (18 Feb 2006) - At about 8 a.m. this morning I spotted a pair of White-winged Doves in the northwest portion of Bluff. I assume these are the same birds seen and reported last October and December. About 15-20 Eurasian Collared-Doves and a large but uncounted flock of great-tailed grackles were also seen in town.

UTAH COUNTY 

KC Childs reports seeing a Greater White-fronted Goose with the Snow/Ross's Geese at Saratoga Springs.  They were along the lake by the 'golf course subdivision'. (2/25/06 - 2:30pm).

Josh Kreitzer (23 Feb 2006) - The Varied Thrush found several weeks ago near BYU's botany pond is still persisting as of yesterday, 22 Feb. 2006. I found it west of the steps from the brick walkway after Nate Nye mentioned he'd seen it earlier in the day. It was up the hillside scratching in the dead leaves like the robin flock it seems to have adopted. It took me very little time to find the thrush initially, but it took several minutes to get a better look. (What a beautiful bird!)

Josh Kreitzer (23 Feb 2006) - I made it up to Saratoga Hills this morning and relocated the white geese my sister-in-law Linda Fleming had reported earlier this week. I got fairly close views. There were around 30+ white geese along with many Canada. I saw several bluish-bill-based Ross's Geese among taller, longer-necked, grin-patched Snows. The birds were just north of the backyard fence line on the northeast edge of Saratoga Hills development (west of Redwood Road and south of the Smith's shopping center west of Lehi.) You can view the geese between the houses from the sidewalk. It seems like they forage there in the morning sometime between 8 and 10 AM. (I saw the flock in the evening around 5PM in the fields north of Saratoga Springs. They were so far from any road at that location, I would have needed a really good scope to see which species they were.)

Lu Giddings (11 Feb 2006) - A Northern Shrike was seen on the Airport dike road at 10:30 a.m. this morning, about 125 yards south of the new airport tower. It was first observed in the top of a tree on the west side of the road. After a few minutes it flew across the road and perched in the upper boughs of a tree on the east side of the road.  The juvenile swan that was first reported shortly after Thanksgiving is again being seen in the small residential pond in Salem at which it was first reported... I believe that it is, as has been previously reported, a Trumpeter Swan, especially after spending an hour or so last weekend watching juvenile tundra swans out at Fish Springs.

Josh Kreitzer (3 Feb 2006) Nate Nye located a Varied Thrush on the campus of Brigham Young University at 9AM on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006.  After Nate told me where to look, I went out with my wife, Cary, and our daughter, Eva. We relocated the beautiful male thrush this afternoon, Friday, around 4:30PM. It was by itself but loosely associated with a number of robins (about 10) in the cottonwoods and smaller trees NE of Botany Pond near the brick path that leads East-West...

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Josh Kreitzer (26 Feb 2006) - ...in Washington City, I went to my backyard. Two Inca Doves, 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves, a N. Mockingbird, and an Orange-crowned Warbler greeted me. I was very impressed.

Tim Avery (25 Feb 2006) - The Eastern Phoebe reported by Larry Tripp was still present this morning as of 11:00 am just to the west of the houses at Lytle Ranch.

Larry Tripp (12 Feb 2006) - Today Sunday in Washington County I had a nice day of birding...Just after arriving in the area around the houses [Lytle Ranch] I saw an Eastern Phoebe which was a nice surprise. It was being chased around by a Black Phoebe. Eastern Phoebe's can start moving pretty early in spring but at this date I would guess it must be wintering there or somewhere near by. There was also a Say's Phoebe in the orchard for all 3 Phoebe's at Lytle today!  On my way home I went by Gunlock Res. and I saw a pair of Adult Trumpeter Swans on the Res.

WEBER COUNTY 

Kristin Purdy (19 Feb 2006) - Two Lincoln's Sparrows were about the last birds I expected to see during a day of winter birding in west Weber County. But there they were in extreme west Plain City on the road to Harold Crane WMA. Specifically that's 6700W. about 150 feet north of the intersection with 1900N. A Northern Shrike was out in the field north of 700N. in West Warren west of the cemetery, and lots of active American Tree Sparrows used the olive hedgerows and fields along that road and at the parking area of Harold Crane WMA.

Kristin Purdy (12 Feb 2006) - Mort and Carolyn Somer saw a flock of about 150 Bohemian Waxwings near the entrance to the Swanson Environmental Center in Liberty, Ogden Valley, on Friday. The location is well into the northwest end of the valley off SR-162.

Kristin Purdy (12 Feb 2006) - I submit the second report with unabashed pleasure because the sighting is a new yard species for me in Ogden.  Twenty-three Bohemian Waxwings just swarmed into trees along the back border of my yard. Their presence had nothing to do with me and everything to do with my neighbor's juniper bushes, which the waxwings plundered liberally.