Review Species Reported This Month:

    Cackling Goose  Cache Co.,  Salt Lake Co.,  Utah Co.
    Mew Gull  Davis Co.
    Western Gull  Davis Co.
    Iceland Gull  Davis Co.,  Salt Lake Co.
    Lesser Black-backed Gull  Davis Co.,  Salt Lake Co.
    McCown's Longspur  Box Elder Co.

Jack Binch (23 Jan 2011) -  Went  up past Snowville and west on the road to Park Valley. One Ferruginous Hawk and many more Rough-legged Hawks on the power poles. A Merlin right off the freeway heading into the town of Snowville from the west. Back through Howell on the main road and a small flock of Gray Partridge just east of town. A few more hawks and since I was up there anyway I went over to Bear River MBR. Right at the left turn before the red hunting club building there was a small flock of Horned Larks with one female McCown's Longspur.

David Wheeler (22 Jan 2011) - This morning Mojo & I went out for a dawn walk at Box Elder Campground near Mantua.  We saw both the target birds, a PYGMY OWL and a PACIFIC WREN, plus two bonuses.  The real unexpected bird was a VIRGINIA RAIL (!) skulking about in the primordial horsetails (not a habitat I would have sought this bird in).  The other bonus was a pair of BROWN CREEPERS.  Very nice. 

Mike Fish (14 Jan 2011) -  I spotted 11 Gray Partridge up on the ATK property on Wednesday. There are hundreds of Chukars on the ATK mountain, but I haven't seen Gray Partridge up on the mountain before.

Dave Hanscom (9 Jan 2011) - did the northern loop thru Faust Valley and Howell. Lots of Gray Partridge, including a flock just across the street from ATK near the turn to Golden Spike. Four Sharp-tailed Grouse south of Howell as others have reported. Most amazing sighting of the day was a Turkey Vulture just west of Tremonton!

Dean Tomasso (9 Jan 2011) - saw 2 adult Tundra Swans on yesterday afternoon south of the marina at Bear Lake State Park , north of Garden City.

Mike Fish (5 Jan 20100) - [Howell] - I made a trip to Howell today ... left ATK and drove north up toward Howell on Highway 83. In the first four miles after leaving the ATK gate, I had already spotted 4 Golden Eagles, 2 Bald Eagles, 3 Harriers, 1 Prairie Falcon, 3 Kestrel, and over a dozen  Ravens. Just a half mile before I got to Howell, I saw 4 Sharp-tailed Grouse sitting under a willow clump just 30 feet off the side of the road. ... I drove slowly along the main east-west road in Howell scanning the trees looking for owls. There was a juvenile Golden Eagle sitting in one of the large trees and I was surprised to see over a hundred Eurasian Collard Doves sitting in the tree with the Eagle. ... noticed a small covey of Gray Partridge in the brush at the base of one of the large trees.... All together there were 6 Hens. .... I decided to go southwest to my old faithful owl hangout located near 15200 North and West Canal Road (18300 W.). There is an old abandoned house there surrounded by large trees. ... I walked around the old abandoned house. There as usual was a Great Horned Owl. ... Headed back south and decided to make the grand loop over Faust Valley road and thru Thatcher/Penrose and then back to ATK. ...  I did spot 2 more Golden Eagles and 2 Bald Eagles. I also saw HUNDREDS of Eurasian Collard Doves all along the Thatcher to Penrose section. The doves were congregated in large numbers in various trees along the route. The corn stubble field where Paul saw Hundreds of doves was again filled with at least 200 Eurasian Doves.

Jason St. Sauver (6 Jan 2011) - As part of the national and state Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey - I covered the Corrine bridge to Promontory Point route today. It looked to be foggy but  cleared quickly and had a lovely, crisp drive with lots or raptors and  others.  Highlight - other than the eagles (Bald Eagles; Golden Eagles) - was the flock of 15 Gray Partridge eating with the sheep right on the corner as Promontory Rd turns  south.  Species seen on survey:
     -- Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon, Merlin, American Kestrel, Common Raven, Black-billed Magpie, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Northern Shrike, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Rock Pigeon, European Starling, Horned Lark, Gray Partridge, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Canada Geese, Common Goldeneye, Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Common Merganser, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Pintail, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, House Finch, American Goldfinch. White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow .

Stephen T. Carlisle (3 Jan 2011) - Had the day off and some business in Ogden, so "encouraged" by the repeated  Gray Partridge sightings up north I decided to give it a try again for the  umpteenth time. Success, after uncounted years and tries! Saw 40+ Gray  Partridges in three separate coveys in the Howell area (HA). A Life bird for  me. ... While in Howell saw a lot of Ring-necked Pheasants. Also, saw a Prairie Falcon and two Short-eared Owls along Faust Valley Road.

Jack Binch (3 Jan 2011) - Some birds of note at least for me. At Howell, Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Prairie Falcon, Northern Shrike, and a striking dark Rough-legged Hawk.

Kristin Purdy (3 Jan 2011) - You could have knocked me over with a feather when I realized the big white bird flying over the 600N. 300W. intersection in Brigham City, Box Elder County, this afternoon was a GREAT EGRET.

CACHE COUNTY

Susan Snyder (30 Jan 2011) - At least one male and one female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE on the reservoir at the entrance to Logan Canyon today at about 1 p.m. 

Connie McManus (30 Jan 2011) - This afternoon at about 12:30PM there were 2 American Crows flying around my neighborhood in Nibley (Cache County - just south of Logan).

Amber M (27 Jan 2011) - Last weekend I went for a walk at spring hollow campground in Logan. I saw the American Dipper for the first time. I was amazed when he disappeared under the freezing water! ...  We also saw 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 American Robins, 4 Townsend's Solitaires, 1 Belted kingfisher, 2 Mallards, and 4 Common Goldeneyes. But the most exciting part of my day was listening to Northern Pygmy Owls! I heard at least 4 different northern pygmy owls calling on the hillside! We chased their call up and down the hillside until we were worn out! I never saw one though!

Craig Fosdick (22 Jan 2011) - Birded the PacificCorp Mendon Rd access this afternoon and found a NORTHERN SHRIKE flyover and a female HOODED MERGANSER on the backwaters just west of the willow grove on the north side of the road.  A GREAT HORNED OWL called once from the Great Blue Heron colony, and I had at least four different MARSH WRENS.

Ryan O'Donnell (22 Jan 2011) - Eighteen members of the Bridgerland Audubon Society and other guests just finished a field trip around Cache County looking for birds of the arctic tundra, and whatever else we could find along the way.  Highlights included: ...Two probable CACKLING GEESE, but a bit too distant for me to be sure, among about 200 Canada Geese at the Bear River Oxbow. Two PRAIRIE FALCONS, one in Amalga and one in Benson... Close, lingering looks at an immature FERRUGINOUS HAWK south of Amalga. Eight probable TRUMPETER SWANS, near Amalga.
Two BARN OWLS in Benson. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS at many locations (but not offering very close views today).

Craig Fosdick (19 Jan 2011) - There was a male Great-tailed Grackle perched on the wires along Utah Hwy 30 (200 N), just east of 1900 W, across from the Logan Fish Hatchery. The bird was there at 110 pm, and was gone when I passed by again at 215 pm.

Jim Lofthouse (17 Jan 2011) - Today, January 17, there were  11 Sharp-tailed Grouse at Bridger and 9100 South  in Paradise.

Craig Fosdick (16 Jan 2011) - I birded/walked Benson Marina this afternoon in the cold rain. A surprise was six swans that I think may have been Trumpeter Swans (confirmed), 2 adults, 4 juveniles. I digiscoped about 15 shots and am reviewing them. Also of interest was an adult Cooper's Hawk just east of the intersection of 4000 W / 3000 N.

Ryan O'Donnell (17 Jan 2011) - This afternoon I had an immature Krider's Red-tailed Hawk fly over Mendon Road (600S) near the Pacificorp Access to the Little Bear River (about 4300W). This is in Cache County, between Mendon and Young Ward. I don't think I've ever seen a Krider's in Utah before (or elsewhere, for that matter).

Ryan P. O'Donnell (8 Jan 2011) - This morning Craig Fosdick and I relocated an adult male VARIED THRUSH that was first found yesterday morning by Tony Roberts at the northwest corner of the intersection of 100E and Poplar (100S) in Logan. 

Ryan O'Donnell (2 Jan 2011) - I just got back from a trip (more on that in a few days) and decided to reacquaint myself with the local Cache County birds briefly this afternoon. The  highlight by far was a drake BLUE-WINGED TEAL that was very much out-of-season  at the 20-20 Ponds. ... the species has only been detected once in the fifty-one years of  Logan's Christmas Bird Count...

DAVIS COUNTY

David Wheeler (22 Jan 2011) - Yesterday evening Mojo & I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Watkins (again) in the evening at Farmington Bay, walking the dike heading eastward from the "dead end" at the SW corner of the great pond. On the way in I saw a 2nd-year WESTERN GULL towering over all the other gulls, including the Herring Gulls in the middle of the pond. At the southern inflow described in the previous e-mail by Cameron Cox, there was an adult MEW GULL, another gull I am confident but not certain was an immature Mew, a bird I believe was a second 2nd-year WESTERN, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED gull adult, and lots of Herring Gulls, Ring-billeds, and California Gulls. Barbara, who had spent a long time there before Mojo & I arrived, also saw THAYERS, plus some distant TRUMPETER SWAN(S) --which I could only confirm as "distant swans, not of the Mute variety". We also saw a pair of dark ibisis (presumably White-faced) flying ....

Jerry Liguori (12 Jan 2011) - Northern Shrike at Farmington Bay about a mile into the drive.

Carl Ingwell (11 Jan 2011) - Cliff Weisse just called me and reported a 2nd Winter Western Gull at the Bountiful landfill.

Jack Binch (9 Jan 2011) - ...I went to the end of Glovers Lane and found a flock of Horned Larks that was easily in the thousands. Talk about frustration. ..... I drove down the little dirt road by the radar dome and sat and watched for a couple of hours. I saw a female type Longspur, but could never get a long enough look to decide if it was a McCown's or Chestnut-collared.

Jeff Bilsky (8 Jan 2011 -  [Antelope Island] - Snow Buntings 6 just past mm2 on north side. There is another Ross's Goose with a first yr Snow Goose at Jensen Nature Park near Antelope Island.

Jeff Bilsky (8 Jan 2011) - Just saw and photographed a Northern Mockingbird near the Bountiful Landfill just north of the 500 South exit off of Legacy Pkwy. It was in the trees east of the lake where all the gulls are sitting on the ice.

Robert Mortensen (6 Jan 2011) - Just had a Western Screech Owl hooting away in my large pine tree. 400 W block on 3200 S Bountiful. ... I also has four Cassin Finches in the same tree on New Year's day.

Jack Binch (3 Jan 2011) - A Glaucous Gull at the marina bridge on AIC, and Barn Owls at Farmington Bay.

Stephen T. Carlisle (3 Jan 2011) - - visited Bues Park and Jensen Nature Preserve for the first time.
   -- Bues Park (BP) in Ogden with 25 Wood Ducks in an area of open water just 50 x 30 feet. Be careful at Bues Park. The ice is thick in the parking lot and on the walkways. I have the bruised body to prove it, though I did save my binoculars.
   --Kaysville Ponds (KP) with 7 Hooded Mergansers, two Common Goldeneye and a lone Northern Pintail.
   --Jensen Nature Preserve (JNP) in Syracuse with the Snow Goose and Ross's Goose still there. Also, saw Cinnamon Teal and lots of Great-tailed Grackles.

Norman Jensen (2 Jan 2011) - Snow Goose and Ross's Goose at Jensen Nature Preserve, Syracuse. As reported by others earlier there is quite a nice group of birds at this hotspot. Grackles, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shovelers, Canada Geese, American Coots, Common and Barrow's Golden-eyes, Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes are the ones I remember.

Cindy Sommerfeld (1 Jan 2011) - [AIC] Here's the species list: [highlights]
   - ... Virginia Rail... Burrowing Owl... Loggerhead Shrike , Northern Shrike...Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush..., American Tree Sparrow...

Laurie Stout-Letz (2 Jan 2011) - My first bird was a Red-Tailed Hawk. He flew by while I was eating breakfast  Saturday morning. This morning at breakfast, a pair of COOPER'S HAWKS landed  briefly in my neighbor's tree. Probably looking for the many quail that roost  in the pine across the street in  Bountiful, just above Orchard Drive and  3300 South.

MILLARD COUNTY

Eric Petersen (23 Jan 2011) - Yesterday my wife (Holly) and I had the great pleasure of going out with Hawk-watch to help survey numbers of raptors in the Fillmore area as part of the Citizen Science project. We were led by Hawk-watch’s science director Markus Mika Ph. D and field researcher Al Hinde. ... We had a blast spotting and identifying a number of different raptors. .... There were a few close calls with a Golden Eagle and a couple of Red-tailed Hawks .... I was the only one that was interested in non raptor species so it made it interesting when I would stop to see Horned Larks in the road or White-crowned Sparrows in the bushes.

SALT LAKE COUNTY

David Wheeler (30 Jan, 2011) - Alta:  Huge flock of PINE SISKINS, modest flock of stunning PINE GROSBEAKS, and a few CASSIN'S FINCHES were feeding happily at an impressive array of feeders at a snowbound house located above the upper Alta Ski Resort parking lot in Little Cottonwood Canyon. 

Susan and Jeffrey Saffle (29 Jan 2011) - We birded several places today ...we started in City Creek Canyon, where we found a Pacific Wren at picnic site number Eight ...

Dave Hanscom (26 Jan 2011) - I finally found a Pacific Wren, which was one of my nemesis birds in 2010. Nice to see one early in the year for a change. It was in City Creek Canyon, just above picnic site 4, hanging out in a bush down by the stream.

Jeff Bilsky (22 Jan 2011) - I drove into Lamb's Canyon this afternoon. The road is quite snow covered so you'd definitely need 4WD. The Northern Pygmy Owl, at the time I observed it, was on the North side of the road, west of the trailhead a couple of hundred yards.

Steve Coleman (19 Jan 2011) - Sorry for the late post, I went out to Jordan River Parkway near Oxbow on Monday and found 4 Barrow's Goldeneyes along with many other ducks.

Jerry Liguori (12 Jan 2011) - Still a good flock of Rosy Finches along the Bonneville trail straight above 3300 south and 215. Townsend's Solitaire still singing every day even in this cold weather...don't know why.

Dave Wheeler (10 Jan 2011) - I was surprised to see a DUNLIN today at noon at the Saltair Marina.

Bryant Olsen (24 Jan 2011) - The balmy weather lately has given me a case of spring fever, so I went up City Creek at dusk, hoping to get some owls calling, and sure enough I had 2 Northern Saw-whet Owls respond to imitations of their call with their "saw-whet" call. ... I also saw 2 Great Horned Owls perched out in the open ...

Stephen T Carlisle (8 Jan 2011) - Visited Redwood Trailhead Park (1045 West 2320 South) and Decker Lake (1935 West 2770 South), both in West Valley City, this morning.  A good day with some great year birds.  Highlights: Redwood Trailhead Park (RP) over 100 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 44 BARROW'S GOLDENEYE Goldeneye (no, I am not making this up) and a BALD EAGLE. Decker Lake a first-cycle GLAUCOUS GULL, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (size, uniform pale color-including primary tips and tail, darker than the Glaucous/lighter that the juvenile Thayers that were also present and solid black/dark bill) and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS.  Though I am not confident yet with my "gull-identifying skills" to make the final call, a possible adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 

Carl Ingwell (8 Jan 2011) - This morning, I observed a 1st cycle Iceland Gull at the South Shore Marina of the Great Salt Lake.

Aubree Huff (6 Jan 2011) - Goshawk near the County landfill today.

Darren Clark (3 Jan 2011) - Cliff and Lisa Weisse are at Lee Kay ponds and have an adult Iceland Gull.

Bryant Olsen (1 Jan 2011) - [Jordan River CBC - Edson Leite, Bryant Olsen, Julie LeBlanc] - ... good birds seen by our team were 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, 1 CACKLING GOOSE, 1 VIRGINIA RAIL, a very good look at a juvenile PEREGRINE FALCON (all near the Jordan River and 10600 S.), 1 NORTHERN SHRIKE, several JUNIPER TITMOUSE, and 2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS...

Edson Leite (1 Jan 2011) - Bryant Olsen, Julie Leblanc and I birded Herriman first covering the junipers  behind the Rose Crest community... We picked up some great species right off the bat. Juniper titmice and Mountain Chickadees in our first 1.5 miles of walking. Then we did another 2 mile hike  with very few birds but right at the end we got 17 ROSY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES  that landed within 10ft of us.

UTAH COUNTY

Bryan Shirley (31 Jan 2011)  - After reading about the Evening Grosbeaks seen on Saturday near Sundance, I thought I would give it a try this morning.  Above Sundance a couple hundred yards above mile marker 24 the road makes a big corner.  On the left there are a lot of pines full of cones.  I found 12 Evening Grosbeaks in the top of one of the pines and about 15 Red Crossbills working the pine cones of another tree.

Robert Williams (28 Jan 2011) - Made a quick trip up to Aspen Grove today, we found 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Ruffed Grouse sitting in a tree at the far end of the parking lot (the big one at the end of the road). My girlfriend Jen spotted a Goshawk that flew over giving semi decent but short looks, and finally we saw one Pygmy Owl about .5 miles above the turn off for the ski resort, very close to where I saw one a few weeks ago.

Lu Giddings (22 Jan 2011) - Spotted an American White Pelican in the water at East Bay as I drove north on the freeway yesterday at about 10 am. ... The bird was seen in the water east of I-15 between the north Springville exit and the University Avenue exit.

Bryan Shirley (20 Jan 2011) - I relocated the Barrow's Goldeneye reported last week at Salem Pond this morning. There was also a drake Red-Breasted Merganser. They were both on the main pond. The Snow Goose at the small pond behind the houses North of the HWY was still there as well.

KC Childs (18 Jan 2011) - I ran out to Utah Lake State Park in Provo this afternoon. Where the Provo River meets Utah Lake on the south side of the park was one female Greater Scaup loosely mixed with two Lesser Scaups...

Brian Shirley (15 Jan 2011) - A beautiful Merlin landed on the top of Peteetneet in Payson today (while I was there sledding).  There is a lot of poop up there so maybe he perches there often. Also there are lots of Wood Ducks hanging out in the regular place in West Provo.  I counted 16 today, but Reed Stone said there were 25 there a few days ago.

Robert Williams (15 Jan 2011) - I drove around the lake today between Saratoga Springs and Elberta. I saw 3 Rough-legged Hawks, two Ferruginous Hawks, 6 Red-tail Hawks, two were dark morphs, tons of Kestrels, Horned larks and Ravens, 1 Meadowlark and that was about it. In Goshen Canyon I found Song Sparrows and a Pacific Wren near the bridge at the far side of the canyon, and a Black-billed Magpie. I stopped at the Salem ponds on the way home and along with the regular things saw a pair of Barrows Goldeneyes.

Eric Huish (12 Jan 2011) - KC Childs and I drove around Utah Lake today (Jan 12) ... We didn't spend a lot of time at any of these spots. Most interesting birds were; two Northern Shrikes, a few Titmice and a Pinyon Jay in the Goshen Canyon area, Mountain Bluebirds at Warm Springs WMA, and a few Prairie Falcons and 5 Rough-legged Hawks on the West side of the lake.

Eric Peterson (12 Jan 2011) - This morning my wife Holly and I went for a drive up South Fork Canyon in Provo Canyon. We were looking to see some moose but didn't find one. We saw lots of Mule Deer and Elk. Some of the other animals of interest were the Northern Pygmy Owl at the top of the canyon right by the Big Springs turn off. It was roosting in the tree in the field. We saw a small flock of Bushtits...

Robert Williams (12 jan 2011) - Yesterday I birded around Sundance ski resort saw 1 Pygmy Owl, lots of Chickadees, Steller's Jays ....  I did hear a Golden Crowned Kinglet.

KC Childs (9 Jan 2011) - I decided it was too nice of a day to not get out and take advantage of some of the beautiful weather today. I started out at Evergreen Cemetery in Springville. The highlight there was a White-Breasted Nuthatch. Beautiful bird to watch...

Eric Huish (8 Jan 2011) - Robert Williams and I birded Dry Canyon this morning from 8:20 am - 10:40 am. We went specifically hoping to find Rosy-Finches. ... We hiked up to where we last saw them but it took another hour to find them. Robert spotted them working around the top back of the second cliff up on the North side of the canyon. ...They were mostly Black Rosy-Finches with at least a couple Gray-crowns. Back at the parking area on our way down we saw a Northern Shrike and a Bald Eagle flew over.
-- After Dry Canyon Robert and I met up with KC Childs and we headed up to South Fork, Provo Canyon. Not a lot of birds there but we did get a good look at a Northern Pygmy-Owl about 3.4 miles up the canyon.

Leena Rogers (8 Jan 2011) - Milt Moody, Tuula Rose and I spotted a GREAT EGRET this morning at the FlowServ pond, in south Provo. There were also several Belted Kingfishers in the same area.

Robert Williams (2 Jan 2011) - at the East Bay golf course this morning there was a flock of maybe 200 Canada Geese amidst these geese there were at least four and maybe up to six CACKLING GEESE. I am not an expert but these little guys were little, dark and had very stubby short bills. Also of note were 3 Common Mergansers, 2 Wood Ducks, and about 300 American Wigeon.

Eric Huish - (1 Jan 2011) - Ned Bixler, Jeff Cooper and I birded around Utah Lake in Provo, Orem and Lindon this morning from 9:00 - Noon. .. .Most interesting birds were; an American White Pelican at Utah Lake State Park out on the ice in the harbor, a Prairie Falcon and Merlin west of the park in Vineyard. Close looks at Virginia Rails out in the open where the water spills into the cooling ponds South of Lindon Boat Harbor, and an American Tree Sparrow and Hermit Thrush at the Sportsman's access at Powel Slough.

WASATCH COUNTY

David Wheeler (30 Jan 2011) - Above Wasatch Mtn State Park, above Midway: I saw two flocks of EVENING GROSBEAKS  a mile or so above the little power station. The first flock was in conifers, the second in aspen. Both were noisy. Also present were CASSIN'S FINCHES and PINE SISKINS, along with tits, etc.

Dave Hanscom (30 Jan 2011) - The Homestead Resort, just south of WMSP headquarters. As I drove in their access road, I ... was pleasantly surprised to see a flock of Evening Grosbeaks in a nearby tree. There were many more all through the grounds.

Kris Purdy (29 Jan, 2011) -- A baker’s dozen of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS made an appearance briefly this afternoon at about 4:00 along the Pine Creek Nature Trail (snowshoe trail) at Wasatch Mountain State Park, Wasatch County.

Dave Hanscom (9 Jan 2011) - headed for South Fork of Provo to look for Northern Pygmy-owl. This continues to be my nemesis bird, I'm afraid, but did see Kingfisher reported yesterday and a flock of Turkeys. Also took a side trip to Wallsburg to see if the LEWIS' WOODPECKERS were in their usual spot, and indeed they were. Best sighting of the day was at the Deer Creek Marina, where there was just a bit of open water. Two HORNED GREBES were hanging out with some Common Goldeneyes.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Bill and Debbi Compton (30 Jan 2011) -This afternoon around 3 pm we had great looks at 2 Long-eared Owls inside the gate at Lytle Ranch hanging around the "campground" area maybe 50 yards from the restrooms.

Bryan Shirley (18 Jan 2011) - Spent a couple of hrs around Washington Fields today. Highlights were 4 Ferruginous Hawks and 2 Prairie Falcons.
 

WEBER COUNTY

Cindy Sommerfeld (30 Jan 2011) - This morning we met Paul Higgins at the Mouth of Ogden Canyon. Ogden canyon was closed. (At that time we didn't know it was good luck) This forced us go go over the North Pass. Coming off the pass, just a few hundred yards from the houses, a Pygmy-Owl was sitting on a branch that hung over the road. ... We then ventured to the north west end of the Ogden valley. Where we found several Lewis's Woodpeckers.  We also went up to Powder Mountain and saw many Rosy-Finches.

Kristen Purdy (20 Jan 2011) - I was cutting through Bues Park in Ogden, Weber County, this afternoon to link a Bonneville Shoreline Trail hike with the return walk home through neighborhoods when agitated and staccato “dee-dee-dee” calls erupted from the wooded edge of the pond. It was the cacophony of a mad mob of Chickadees that bore investigating. Several Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a couple Dark-eyed Juncos joined the fray. I looked into the dense deciduous trees ... where a Wood Duck box was mounted on the opposite side. From the mob’s behavior, I concluded the flyer was a Western Screech-owl that had been caught more exposed than it wished, and it was seeking a bit of solitude inside the box. ... A HERMIT THRUSH had joined the activity, perching within a brushy deadfall and calling an abbreviated “Chope. Chope. Chope.” While I’ve seen up to six Hermit Thrushes at a time in other winters at Bues, this species is still classified as rare in the winter in Utah and I haven’t seen one there yet this year.

Kristen Purdy (18 Jan 2011) - A flock of about 50 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES was using the feeder at Powder Ridge Condominiums above Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Weber County this morning at about 11:00. No Black Rosy-finches were in this flock, but it’s not a stretch to expect them, as several fed at this location last year...
   - I also visited North Fork Park in Liberty, Weber County, and saw three female PINE GROSBEAKS on the Cold Water Trail. The three were high in a fir eating something that looked like buds; the location was near the only set of restrooms on the trail. Several LEWIS’S WOODPECKERS were on power poles on 5950N, which ends at the park.

Kirsten Purdy (12 Jan 2011) - Members of Wasatch Audubon saw a GREAT EGRET several times along the Weber River today at Fort Buenaventura County Park, Ogden, Weber County, this morning. While the egret was the most rare bird we saw, other highlights included a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, a Great Horned Owl and high numbers of Mourning Doves for the winter season.

Jeff Bilsky (8 Jan 2011) - There is a Ross's Goose in a flock of Canada's at the corner of Flint and Layton Parkway in what I assume is Layton.

Kristin Purdy (6 Jan 2010) - I spent some quality time this afternoon with two female PINE GROSBEAKS and a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL in North Fork Park, Liberty, Weber County. ... The shocker to me is that the elevation at that particular location was only 5700 feet. Although the species has been reported several times in Weber County at Powder Mountain Ski Resort (most recently by Jason St. Sauver on Nov 27), Powder Mountain is 3,000 feet higher than today's location. I've never seen the species before in Weber County. ... My continued whistling brought a Townsend's Solitaire to the Mountain Ash 10 feet in front of me that the grosbeaks had apparently feasted on, dropping berry detritus on the snow.