Review Species Reported This Month:
    Little Blue Heron  Box Elder Co. 
    White-rumped Sandpiper  Davis Co. 
    Yellow-billed Cuckoo  Salt Lake Co. 
     Dickcissel  Davis Co. 

BOX ELDER COUNTY

Cindy Sommerfeld (23 Jul 2011) - Around 11:00 this morning Steve and I decided to see what birds the west side of Willard Bay held. We drove past Harold Crane WMA and continued north until we came to the lake. The lake water has started to recede leaving moss that is still moist and full of bugs. Here we found 9 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Snowy Plovers, 2 Least Sandpipers and 6 Spotted Sandpipers. It was great to have all those little birds within 30 feet of the car. About 100 yards out there was a rock the size of a watermelon in the shallow water. A Common Tern had declared it his domain.  He had a very strong dark carpal-bar, easy to see. As we drove further up around a bend we also found 2 Cattle Egrets. Our species list was 28. 

Ryan P. O'Donnell (18 Jul 2011) - Last Saturday, July 9, Craig Fosdick, Jonna van Opstal, and I birded Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.  We did not see the Little Blue Heron we were looking for (although others reported it to Utah Birdtalk from the same day).  We did find a suspicious dowitcher in the driving loop.  The bird in question was located at the south corner, where there is a ramp to an elevated observation deck on the right side at the corner in the road.. ... I finally got to the photographs last night, and I believe that it is indeed a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER.  

Kris Purdy (8 Jul 2011) - Mort and Carolyn Somer saw the LITTLE BLUE HERON this morning at about 11:00 along the county road to Bear River MBR in Box Elder County. Their location was 4.0 miles west of the visitor’s center; the bird was north of the road...

Mike Fish (5 Jul2011) - On my way home from work I drove up the Bear River MBR access road and spotted a Peregrine Falcon.
 

CACHE COUNTY

Mike Fish (25 Jul 2011)- [Logan] - I just had my first of the season male Rufous Hummingbird show up in my backyard this morning. The female black-chinned wouldn't let the poor guy get a refill at any of the feeders. I'm sure it won't be long before he owns at least one of the filling stations.

Connie McManus (17 Jul 2011) - While sitting outside enjoying the rising full moon, I heard 2, possibly 3 NIGHT HAWKS flying over the fields around my house.  One is hunting in my back yard!  I tried to catch a glimpse of them flying around, but my binocs aren't that great for night use. 

rabinsky@comcast.net (10 Jul 2011) - While walking the dog this evening on the corner of 100 S 200 W in Wellsville (Cache County), I heard a Bewick's Wren calling.  I don't think it is common this far north.  I haven't heard one hear before in Cache County.


DAVIS COUNTY

Tony Jones (19 Jul 2011) - To my astonishment, after a three week hiatus, the DICKCISSEL began to call again behind my house. I heard him and then looked over my fence and sure enough he was there. Then all of a sudden he flew and along his side was another bird, same shape and wing shape and color. I think he actually found a mate! I am not positive that it was another but sure looked like it. Maybe he was tending to a nest the past three weeks of disappearance.

Paul Higgins (19 Jul 2011) - Last Sunday morning was outstanding for juvenile Grasshopper Sparrows. Several were testing out their lungs from the top of brush and the log fence around the spring, near the Mulberries. (1/2 mile north of the ranch).

Joel Beyer (3 Jul 2011) - We saw a probable WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER today at the Buffalo Ranch pond in Farmington (Davis Co.).  I only say probable because we never saw it sitting.  However, it flew around us 3 times, and the white rump was unmistakable, as were the dark legs, white supercilium, long wings and dark streaking on the upper breast.  It was a little larger than the Barn Swallows also circling above, and it had a sharp high-pitched call note.  It flew up from the marshy/watery area north of the pond, and returned to the same area (out of sight before and after). 

Robert Mortensen (1 Jul 2011) - Zeke Watkins spent all day in Farmington with a few other birders stopping in. He says the DICKCISSEL was sighted at 12:45pm, but he only heard it. He hung out there until just minutes ago when he heard it singing then saw it fly to the neighbors roof.

RICH COUNTY

Bryant Olsen (19 Jul 2011) - Yesterdays Great Salt Lake Audubon Rich County field trip turned out pretty good,with 87 species. Highlights included a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW at Deseret Ranch, 2 roosting COMMON NIGHTHAWKS in Randolf, BLACK TERNS, a WILSON'S SNIPE  and 3 AMERICAN BITTERNS in the Bear River Meadows area, a cow Moose with her new calf on the way to Monte Cristo, PURPLE MARTINS off Curtis Creek road. And RED CROSSBILLS at Monte Cristo campground.

Kris Purdy (10 Jul 2011) - I spent some time this morning at Monte Cristo Campground on SR-39 in Rich County, mile 47.8. How nice that the first bird I heard as I stepped out of the truck was a RED CROSSBILL kip-kipping from atop a tall fir at the Group 2 picnic area. ... Heard a Hairy, a Northern Flicker, and a drumming sapsucker of indeterminate species. I also got a poor look at a woodpecker bounding up the dark side of a trunk. The birds were singing up a storm in the campground with the most vocal species being Warbling Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Other regulars like Western Wood-pewee, Pine Siskin, Hermit Thrush, and Mountain Chickadee were also active.

Norm Jensen (5 Jul 2011) - a Purple Martin at the Curtis Creek Road, Monte Cristo Campground.

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Lauren Morse (29 Jul 2011) - A pair of Merlins on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. They appear to be nesting in the trees due north of the bookstore, and they may have young.  On July 28 two Merlins were fighting over a dead mouse. 

Bryant Olsen (19 Jul 2011) - This evening,still having a bit of nightjar fever,I decided what better thing to do than go looking for Poorwills. So I head up to a spur trail of the Bonneville shoreline trail on the rim of City Creek canyon where I have seen them in the past..., To make a long story short,j ust as I was losing the last of the evening twilight, a bird starts hovering a few feet in front of me, and plops down on the trail 10 feet from me, and sure enough, its a COMMON POORWILL, or really there were 2 of them that took turns plopping down right in front of me...

Dave Hanscom (15 Jul 2011) - After hearing that Guardsman's Pass was open, I headed for Brighton late yesterday to look for mountain birds.... I started at the Brighton Store, where I parked and walked around to see if there were any Rufous Hummers at the feeders at the cabin next door. They were empty, but I heard the distinctive tapping of a THREE-TOED WOODPECKER across the street. After hurrying back to the store parking lot and up the street, the noise sounded incredibly close. I walked back and forth a couple of times without locating the bird in the nearby trees, then finally saw him clinging to the side of a telephone pole and banging on it's top. Now that's a first!!

Bryant Olsen (15 Jul 2011) - Last night did a bit of a survey to see if upper city creek canyon,SL Co., has a good population of Flammulated Owls, and indeed it does appear to, as we heard 3 or 4, and got good looks at one.

Bryant Olsen (12 Jul 2011) - The O'Brian's graciously allowed me to swing by and look for Band-tailed Pigeons in their backyard in Holladay, and I was rewarded with finding 2,first of the year for me. Later, while sipping on some lemonaide, one of them came down to their feeder for a snack and allowed some nice views.  ....On a side note, earlier in the day while doing breeding bird surveys up City Creek Canyon,I saw a DUSKY GROUSE hen with 4 chicks, which was pretty cool and another year bird.

Bryant Olsen (10 Jul 2011) - Participated in the GSL Audubon Brighton Bird Count today(07-09-11),and highlights for our team included a pair of WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKERS, a PINE GROSBEAK, RED CROSSBILLS and a fly over PRAIRIE FALCON, all near Twin Lakes. UNBELIEVABLE how much snow is still up there!

Joe Rossi ( 9 Jul 2011) - Birded City Creek Canyon for 2hrs yesterday. I didn't see a ton of birds due to thick vegetation. But right at the start of the day I did see a Cooper's Hawk (new for me) that posed for me for about 3 min. Link below.

Barbara Watkins (5 July 2011) - This morning I rescued a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO  that flew into my neighbor's window. It has been placed in rehab, but Candy said it appears to be in pretty good shape and the prognosis is good. If it is released, it will be brought back to my home to be released in Corner Canyon.

Bernie Sloan (1 Jul 2011) - I was kinda surprised to see a Spotted Sandpiper in Liberty Park. It was foraging along the concrete curb at the edge of the large pond.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Bernie Sloan (12 Jul 2011) - Went back to the stretch of Summit County rail trail where I saw my first mystery "sparrow". Several people suggested Green-tailed Towhee as a possibility. I did manage to find a Green-tailed Towhee in the brush. Not sure if the bird I saw last time was a Green-tailed Towhee, but this bird definitely was. A new life bird!!
 
Bernie Sloan (6 Jul 2011) - Rail trail out of Park City. I decided to walk the trail and do some birding. Nice trail, especially the part that heads east(?) out of Park City towards I-80. Nice wetlands, beaver dams, beaver lodges, etc. Cinnamon Teal. One male, in wetlands, with a half dozen Mallards. They're probably common in the West, but where I come from in the Midwest they can (and have) sparked Rare Bird Alerts. Black-headed Grosbeak. Male and female. Moving across the trail, heading up the mountain into the scrub.

UTAH COUNTY 

Eric Huish (27 Jul 2011) - Went out to the west desert yesterday.  Started in Eagle Mountain and took the gravel road to Fairfield.  The first bird I ran into was a Ferruginous Hawk perched on a power line.  I saw many Sage Thrashers as I was looking for.  I then went to Fairfield and took the gravel road to Allen's Ranch road.  I saw some Horned Larks and a rather friendly pronghorn. There was also a large flock of Lark Sparrows right at the ranch.  I also saw 3 Loggerhead Shrikes.  I then went over to Chimney rock pass.  There I was able to find a Rock Wren and more Shrikes.  By the time I got to Chimney Rock it was kind of windy so the birding was a little slow. 

Oliver Hansen (20 Jul 2011) - I hiked powerhouse mountain last night. Powerhouse mountain is the large chunk of rock that is on the N. side of hobble creek canyon near Springville (across the street and up a few thousand feet from the golf course).... I got great views of quite a few birds on the road that I would most likely have driven past including WILD TURKEY and a family of RUFFED GROUSE... Another highlight was when I hit the top of the ridge (about 7800 ft) at around 9:00pm I heard COMMON POORWILLS calling (at least 2).

Milt Moody (17 Jul 2011) - There are PURPLE MARTINS in their usual place on the Nebo Loop road (Payson Canyon) and at least one AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER at the Monument Tail head just a bit further down the road.

Jeff Cooper (16 Jul 2011) - I had to drop off some people at a trail head around 6:30 this morning above Timpooneke Campground (up American Fork Canyon). I decided to walk about a mile above the campground (Timpooneke Rd # 056) after leaving them. I spotted a WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER and watched it for a few minutes... Closer to the campground area I stopped to attract some MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES to see if I could get some decent photos. I did get some close shots of a Mountain Chickadee. Just as I stopped photographing the Chickadee an adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK flew through the trees about five feet above ground. It flew past me and then above the road leading down to the campground. That was a pleasant surprise that didn't last nearly long enough.

Milt Moody (11 Jul 2011) - There are at least 3 BAND-TAILED PIGEONS at the corner of 2680 North and 880 East in Provo on the telephone wires behind the house to the south. (Go to Robin and Julia Tuck's house then 1/2 block west and 1/2 block south). I saw them on an early morning walk and went back with binocs to confirm what they were.

Carol Jean Nelson (6 Jul 2011) - A GREEN HERON at the first part of the east side of the Provo Airport Dike in a dead bush across from the "practice helicopter."

WASATCH COUNTY 

Bernie Sloan (8 Jul 2011) - Went fishing with my 30-year-old son today in the pond by the golf course in Wasatch State Park Near Midway. While fishing I spotted a Violet-green Swallow flying over the pond. New life bird!! We also were treated to a grand show by an Osprey fishing the pond.

Bryant Olsen (6 Jul 20011) - Just got back from the cabin up at Strawberry Valley, and those little spitfire copper colored RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS have arrived in good numbers. I saw at least 6 different males, just in time for the summer thunderstorms. Also a couple PURPLE MARTINS and the other common breeding species there.

Ned Bixler (3 Jul 2011) - Potter Lane, Wasatch Co. There were Bobolinks, Sandhill Cranes, Wilson's Snipes, along with other birds this mourning. Good mourning to bird this location.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

cedarbouta@q.com (14 Jul 2011) - Bendire's Trasher. On dirt road to Grafton on June 2, 10:30 a.m. Clear, unmistakable close view while it posed on top of dead bush

WEBER COUNTY 

Kris Purdy (6 Jul 2011) - I’ve seen a male Calliope Hummingbird twice in the last week near Meadows Campground off SR-39. ... Not only is the spot nice for a Calliope, I’ve also seen Willow Flycatchers, Gray Catbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Common Nighthawks, Bullock’s Orioles, Fox Sparrows, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, MacGillivray’s Warblers, and just about all the other passerines you could see at The North Arm...