Review Species Reported This Month:
    Zone-tailed Hawk  Washington Co.
    Hudsonian Godwit  Cache Co.

CACHE COUNTY

Kris Purdy (19 Jul 2006) - This could be a good year for White-winged Crossbills; we should stay alert for them in the high country. Not only have I seen reports of White-wings in Colorado and Idaho recently, I just noticed this report on the Cache Valley hotline: July 14: Ron Ryel reports two singing male White-winged Crossbills (and two associated females) along the sinks road. Also, many Red Crossbills in these areas as well. They were seen at about 5.5 miles and 6.5 miles from the turnoff from Highway 89. Also, at about mile 7, a Three-toed Woodpecker was recorded. -- I believe the turnoff mentioned is in extreme northeastern Cache County near the Rich County line and about 5 miles east of Beaver Mountain.

Buck Russell (3 Jul 2006) -  Reinhard Jockel, Cindy, my wife, and I birded the Logan Polishing Ponds this morning. The best bird of the morning was a Hudsonian Godwit. We found a single bird in non-breeding plumage walking at the edge of the water in the mudflat. We had a good look at the bird. It had a very bold white supercilium and dark eyeline. There was one odd thing about this bird, it joined a flight of Long-billed Curlews as they flew over the pond. The curlews had very distinct down curved bills and the godwit had a bill with a slight up-curve. We found about a dozen Baird Sandpipers, two Semipalmated Plovers, and a Spotted Sandpiper. The pond where we saw the godwit and sandpipers was a large mudflat with very little water. The other ponds have a lot of water in them and were loaded with ducks.

Buck Russell (1 Jul 2006) - This morning Reinhard Jockel and I visited Tony Grove in Logan Canyon and had a great day birding. New birds for the year for me were Clark’s Nutcracker, Red Crossbill, and Williamson Sapsucker...We found one Williamson Sapsucker in the nature trail area on the east end of the lake and found a nesting pair higher up...

DAVIS COUNTY

Steve Coleman (26 Jul 2006) - I was fortunate to tag along with Bob Huntington and the Great Salt Lake Audubon Folks today as they toured Glover Ponds and Farmington Bay. Two birds of note, the Semipalmated Sandpiper that Kris Purdy reported was still there sitting on the mud flat amid the Killdeer. Inside Farmington Bay on the east side pond as you make the first turn headed west there was a 2nd year Sabine's Gull.

Kristin Purdy (25 Jul 20060 - This morning I visited Glover Ponds at the west end of Glover Lane in Davis County and saw a lone peep, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, on a dried mudflat/playa area just east of the ponds and south of Glover Lane. I hadn't yet made the turn at the west end of the road (about 75 feet further west) and I was scoping slightly southwest in the direction of the heron trees.

Kris Purdy (24 Jul 2006) - Paul Higgins observed a Whimbrel at Antelope Island Causeway in Davis County this morning at about 7:45. The bird was about 300 yards west of the weather station on the north side.

DUCHESNE COUNTY

Kris Purdy (4 Jul 2006) - Yesterday I heard a report of an American Three-toed Woodpecker on the Highline Trail at Mirror Lake in the Uintas, Duchesne County. Brete Griffin and other birders attending the National Wildlife Federation Family Conference birded the trail and found an adult three-toed working several trees along the trail just 100 meters from the trailhead.

RICH COUNTY

Kristin Purdy (9 Jul 2006) - I birded Monte Cristo Range in Rich County today...First, the Williamson's Sapsuckers... found two. I returned to the site of one of last year's nest cavities to determine where the birds were nesting this year... The birds are nesting in the same aspen snag as last year, about 20 feet lower and on the south side of the tree this time instead of on the east side. The nest cavity is about 25 feet high and much more secluded than last year's cavity. The tree's location is .2 miles north of Monte Cristo Campground next to a gravel pit... Finally, the Purple Martins. I found two males perching on the top branch of an aspen near the intersection of SR-39 and Curtis Creek Road, east of the highway and 250-300 yards out in a field...

David Wheeler (6 Jul 2006) - I spent the last two days on Deseret Ranch (private property, alas), west/southwest of Randolph, participating in a multi-state Purple Martin study. We found a couple of active nests. Currently the adults are taking turns flying in and out of the nests, located in Flicker holes in aspens, with food.

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Joel and Kathy Beyer (23 Jul 2006) - Today at Brighton we saw a female Varied Thrush. The location was about 1/2 mile up the Snake Creek Pass trail, just beyond where the ski lift crosses the trail, in the swampy area to the left (at the largest of the small ponds). It was first seen flying less than 10 feet away, and then viewed for about 15 seconds sitting on a branch before it flew to cover. All the field marks (orange eyebrow, orange throat, orange and grayish-black wing pattern, gray chest band) were well seen. Varied Thrush is often seen in fall through spring but I didn't remember any summer reports, and a check of the sightings on Utah Birds lists only two others (both in June). We looked for but did not refind the thrush on
the way back down the trail. Also, this seems to be a good year for woodpeckers in the Brighton area. We saw at least 5 Three-toed Woodpeckers and 12 Williamson's Sapsuckers today. We saw lots of Red Crossbills as well, but no White-winged (drat!).

Bob Huntington (21 Jul 2006) - Today I read Kristin's email about the crossbills in Little cottonwood canyon. I went up about noon to see what I could find. I hiked the upper trail around the cliffs. I spotted one male White-winged Crossbill and watched it for about 2 minutes. When it flew it went down towards the camp grounds.

Kris Purdy (20 Jul 2006) - Here's another recent report of White-winged Crossbills from the DWR bird sightings hotline; this one in Salt Lake County: 7/15 — David and Ingra Mccoy reported observing a male and female White-winged Crossbill in Albion Basin on a side trail that starts not far from the trail head to Secret Lake.

Colby  Neuman (8 Jul 2006) - A couple of friends and I went for a run up to Dog Lake from the end of the Millcreek Canyon road today. I heard at least two Winter Wrens singing along the way. The first bird was heard singing on the coniferous hillside (the beginning of the trail) immediately to the south of the highest parking lot. The second bird was much higher in elevation near where there is a 4-way junction (I think with the Big Water Trail).

Mike Johnson (7 Jul 2006) - Tom Brennan and I saw a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers at Lake Solitude on Friday morning around 10 a.m. Both the male and female were flying to and from the nest, actively feeding their nestlings. The nest is in the biggest dead tree on the south side of the lake, a little less than halfway up the tree on the tree's northwest side. They frequently flew across the lake and down somewhere along the ski run, then returned to the nest. We were able to get excellent looks from a distance.

Carol Davis (6 Jul 2006) - For years I've had the Common Grackles coming to my yard to bathe and feed occasionally. I knew they had nests in the neighborhood but this year I didn't know if any actually stayed to nest. This week, however, I have been having some young large birds come to the birdbath that I suspected were young common grackles, but they lacked the bright eye color and beautiful body colors. Well, yesterday it was confirmed they are indeed juvenile common grackles because one of the parents was with them.

UINTAH COUNTY

Diane Penttila - Ouray National Wildlife Refuge General Waterbird Survey 7/6/06... The following birds were seen within the survey route: ...Blue-winged teal 1... American bittern 5... Solitary sandpiper 1...

UTAH COUNTY 

Carol Nelson (11 Jul 2006) - Saturday on a ride up the Nebo loop, I found three Three-toed Woodpeckers playing in a dead tree next to the parking lot at the old Nebo Bench trailhead. I think the trailhead is now called something like Monument.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Stephen Carlile (17 Jul 2006) - ...On Friday morning, 14 July, at 9:00 a.m., I and another birder, my brother, observed a Zone-tailed Hawk on the Silver Reef to Oak Grove Campground Road, approximately 5.5 miles from the Silver Reef south bound I-15 exit. The bird was seen where the second bridge crosses Leeds Creek. (Still lots of water in Leeds Creek.) The bird was observed for approximately 7 minutes; 1 min at 100 feet, 3 minutes at 200 yards on a boulder with full sun behind us, and 3 minutes soaring over head. All diagnostic field marks were noted; gray-black color, small beak, bright yellow legs, longer tail, tail barring present but not strong and only seen clearly when the bird was in the 100 foot range (would suggest a juvenile bird). When soaring, barring of under-wing remiges with dark edging and Turkey Vulture-like wing posturing stood out. A great look and a lifer for me and my brother. My brother, who lives in Boston, has something to tell his birding friends about.

Josh Kreitzer (7 Jul 2006) - I observed a male Rufous Hummingbird today and yesterday in Enterprise...A male Calliope Hummingbird was also observed there today. It is only the second time I've seen the species, and in the same place as the first (a year or so ago)...