Birdnet Hotline Highlights
April 2007


Review Species Reported This Month:
 
   Scaled Quail  San Juan Co.
   
Broad-winged Hawk  Washington Co.
    Hudsonian Godwit  Davis Co.
    Least Flycatcher  Washington Co.
    Painted Redstart  Washington Co.
    Clay-colored Sparrow  Washington Co.


BOX ELDER COUNTY

Bridget Olson (23 Apr 2007) - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge... Total waterfowl around 44,000. This is above the long-term average of 36,000 for this week in April. Total shorebirds around 14,000, which is lower than the long-term average of 16,500. First spring sightings of Forster's tern, Least sandpiper, Blue-winged Teal and Great Egret.

Tim Avery (16 Apr 2007) - Of note also were numerous Greater Scaup at 3 different locations. In all I counted 59!!!! Greater Scaup between Lee Kay Ponds, The Willard Spur and Bear River NWR. 27 of the birds were at Lee Kay, and outnumbered the Lesser Scaup 3 to 1.

CACHE COUNTY

Stephen Peterson (25 Apr 2007) - This morning I found a White-throated Sparrow which has been reported in the past along the Logan Canal Trail, just east of the 'Philosopher's Way' sign and the house with the visible feeders in the backyard.
I first heard a song that I was not really familiar with, 7 notes in a steady pace with a rise on the last note. I started looking in the underbrush, and finally saw the bird, showing the white-throat, white supercilium with yellow supraloral patch and the black crown stripes; rufous wings and gray breast and offwhite belly. I was able to see it singing as well.

Buck Russell (20 Apr 2007) - This evening I found several Horned Grebes at Hyrum Reservoir on the east end of the reservoir (I was at Dave's Point).

DAVIS COUNTY

Tim Avery (30 Apr 2007) - The shorebirding at AIC is still hot! This morning around 11:15 I spotted a flock of 10 Red Knots between MM 5 and 6 about 350 yards to the north of the causeway. The birds appeared for the most part to be in full breeding plumage. I am not sure of the timing of the molt, and if it is odd, as I have never seen this species in the spring. Nearby were 2 Black-bellied Plovers which helped for size and shape comparison.

Edson Leite (29 Apr 2007) - I went to Antelope Island this morning ...At the Island a lot of very vocal Chuckars, two Grasshopper Sparrows at 3.5 and 1.5 miles before Garr Ranch.

Tim Avery (22 Apr 2007) - A huge thanks goes out to Joel and Kathy Beyer whom I ran into at Farmington Bay this afternoon and alerted me that Joel had seen a Hudsonian Godwit. He told me that the bird had flown off with a flock of about 20 Marbled Godwits (unfortunately before Kathy could get a look at the bird) and headed westerly towards Egg Island, where they were scoping numerous godwits in the pond about 350 yards west of the island. I sat and scoped the area for sometime hoping that if the bird were there it would fly and show its tell-tale.... well tail... and more importantly its wing pattern. I was there from about 3:20 till 4:10 when the Beyer's decided to take off. I opted to stay a little longer in hopes that something would fly. A Peregrine had come by once sending a lot of birds in the air, and as luck would have it, the bird made a pass directly over the ponds where about 60 Godwits were resting/feeding. Everything on the pond took to the air and after looking for about 15 seconds I caught a glimpse of a very dark looking godwit with a flock of about 15 Marbled. The birds flew directly east at egg island before banking to the north, about 150 yards out, giving me fantastic looks and a chance to snap off several shots as they passed, before banking back to the west and coming to land on the ponds to the west after the commotion was over.

Tim Avery (22 Apr 2007) - This afternoon between 12:00 and 2:00pm I observed 9 Dunlin along the Antelope Island Causeway. All the birds were at magical mile marker 6 to the north of the causeway. There was one flock of 8 birds that stayed pretty much together about 350 yards to the north. There was a lone bird that was also keeping company with a mixed flock of Sanderling, Western and Least Sandpiper.

Tim Avery (22 Apr 2007) - Colby Neuman and I ventured out onto the causeway last night between 5 and 8 pm to look for some shorebirds. We had ...1 - Semipalmated Sandpiper (Brief look at the bird, which flew before Colby was able to get a good look at it)

Tim Avery (16 Apr 2007) - This morning, around 9:50 am while scanning through a several flocks of Black-bellied Plover that numbered around 400 (the highest count I have had in Utah), I had 3 American Golden-Plover come in and land just 50 yards away from me between MM 5 and 6 on the north side of the causeway. It was awesome being able to see adults in breeding plumage within 20 feet of numerous Black-bellied in all stages of molt. ... .7 Miles past the Frairy Peak parking area (to the south) were 2 singing Grasshopper Sparrows to the east of the road.

Tim Avery (9 Apr 2007) - This afternoon at 3:15 I observed an adult male Eurasian Wigeon from Egg Island at Farmington Bay WMA. The bird was in the pond just to the north of Egg Island and was associating with 4 American Wigeon. ...A few late waterfowl species were hanging around, including 2 Greater Scaup at Farmington Bay WMA on the pond to the west of the first right turn. Several Bufflehead and Lesser Scaup were also still present.

Tim Avery (1 Apr 2007) - This morning the Great Salt Lake Audubon field trip was graced with 3 Long-tailed Ducks on the north side of the causeway where the road curves. 2 females and 1 male bird were seen about 150 yards out with a mixed flock of Goldeneye and Lesser Scaup.

JUAB COUNTY 

Tim Avery - Friday 04/27 - Chicken Creek Reservoir ...4 - Semipalmated Sandpiper...

Jay Banta (17 Apr 2007) - [Fish Springs NWR] White-winged Dove has been seen at the feeder next to the Refuge HQ and the trees in the general vicinity for two day. Birders are reminded that they must get advance permission to bird in the Refuge housing area.

Lu Giddings (15 Apr 2007) - We had a great day of birding in the Great Basin yesterday. Five vehicles and 16 birders left the Payson Walmart at 6:00 a.m. and made the trek to Fish Springs...- two Greater White-fronted Geese and at least two Greater Scaup, the former at the northeast end of Harrison pool, the latter in the pool to the south of Harrison (thanks to Jack Skolicky for alerting the Sommerfelds to the geese!)

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Tim Avery (16 Apr 2007) - Of note also were numerous Greater Scaup at 3 different locations. In all I counted 59!!!! Greater Scaup between Lee Kay Ponds, The Willard Spur and Bear River NWR. 27 of the birds were at Lee Kay, and outnumbered the Lesser Scaup 3 to 1.

Kris Purdy (12 Apr 2007) - This morning, a Horned Grebe was swimming at Little Dell Reservoir in Salt Lake County in the small inlet on the west side adjacent to mm 2 of SR-65. The bird had gained most of its spring gold-striped football helmet head plumage, but the body still looked positively wintry. A smattering of common waterfowl and a Lesser Yellowlegs picking delicately along the grebe's shoreline rounded out the bird life there.

Joel Beyer (1 Apr 2007) - We've seen Eurasian Collared Doves in many places around the state, but didn't see our first in SL County until the first of this year. So I was quite surprised just now to see one at our bird feeders here in Sugarhouse.

SAN JUAN COUNTY

Steve Carr (15 Apr 2007 ) - This last Friday and Saturday the Salt Lake Birders and Utah Ornithological Society conducted a field trip to SE Utah. All 3 target birds were sighted, as were several other interesting and unusual ones. Thanks to Guy Wallace and Sarah Lupis of the Utah DWR in Monticello, we were treated to a lekful of 20+ strutting male Gunnison Sage-Grouse, and some hens. Two of the 3 Scaled Quail that have been seen recently in Montezuma Creek Canyon were seen in basically the same area where seen previously. The Acorn Woodpecker at Devil's Canyon Campground made several showings. All 3 sightings were life birds for many of the group.

(12 Apr 2007) - Arnold, Linda, Aaron, Shauna and Celeste Smith got good looks at the pair of Scaled Quail on April 3rd in the previously mentioned spot by Dennis Shirley. We also found a first-year immature Golden-crowned Sparrow at the little pond about half mile south from the canyon with the quail. We did spot several Gunnison Sage Grouse as well.

UTAH COUNTY 

Cheryl Peterson (27 Apr 2007) - Bonnie Williams and I had a great morning. We saw Solitary Sandpiper, Blue-winged Teal, Great Egret, Wilson's Phalarope, Franklin's Gull, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Mockingbird, Cattle Egret and Sandhill Crane at Swede Lane.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Rick Fridell (28 Apr 2007) - This morning (4/28), Quinn and I headed for cooler temperatures and explored the area around Lava Point, Kolob Meadows, and Kolob Reservoir.... We also observed a few California Condors flying over Lava Point and the Kolob Meadows, and saw five species of woodpeckers, including a male Acorn Woodpecker in the large aspen grove just south of the reservoir, and a couple Lewis's Woodpeckers in the Kolob Meadows. The Acorn Woodpecker was very active and we observed it on three separate occasions between 9:30 and 1:00.

Larry Tripp (28 Apr 2007) - Today Saturday at Lytle Ranch there was a Clay-colored Sparrow and a Broad-winged Hawk. The Sparrow was in the area to the right after going through the gate and was also seen later near the restrooms. I don't know what to think of the Broad-winged if it's still the same bird from last weekend or not. It was seen in the same area as last weekend and also around the trailer.

Merrill Webb (23 Apr 2007) - Lytle's Ranch was a good place to be (50 species for the morning)... In the cottonwood forest upstream from the irrigation pond I watched a Least Flycatcher for a couple of minutes while it foraged from the low branches of what understory is remainging after the devastating floods two years ago. Near the ranchhouse I started out in the early morning with a Golden-crowned Sparrow feeding with a small flock of White-crowned Sparrows. At almost the same spot four hours later I watched a male Black-and-White Warbler foraging creeper-like on the trunk of a large cottonwood. A nice way to complete the morning's effort.

Larry Tripp (20 Apr  2007) - I went to Lytle Ranch this morning and there were amazing numbers of migrants there. The best birds were a Broad-winged Hawk that I flushed out of the trees along the creek to the west of the entrance gate and a Golden-crowned Sparrow that was coming into the water drip behind the restrooms.

Rick Fridell (8 Apr 2007) - Yesterday (4/7), baby Quinn and I went to Zion N.P. to ride the bus (and listen for Redstarts!) and we heard at least three singing Painted Redstarts in Zion Canyon. One was downstream of Weeping Rock, the second was at the Temple of Sinawava parking area/ bus stop/ restrooms area (exactly where Larry heard it on 4/6) and the other was a short ways up the Riverside Walk between the marshy area and the alcove hanging garden.

Larry Tripp (8 Apr 2007) - Birding yesterday morning at Lytle there were good numbers of migrants moving through.  A lot of Zonotrichia Sparrows. 1 White-throated Sparrow... 1 Harris's Sparrow ...Tons of White-crowned... 3 Vireo's... Bells... Gray... Cassin's Vireo...

Larry Tripp (6 Apr 2007) - Today in Zion Park I saw a Painted Redstart at the Temple of Sinawava. I heard the bird singing away as soon as I got off the shuttle bus. It stayed around the north end of the parking area and the slope behind the restrooms.

Larry Tripp (2 Apr 2007) - Today migrating through Central in Washington County I saw a Broad-winged Hawk.