Review Species Reported this month:
Neotropic Cormorant Davis
Co., Salt Lake Co.,
Washington Co.
Winter Wren Utah Co.
Common Redpoll Utah Co.
BOX ELDER COUNTY
Jason St. Sauver (25 Mar 2013) - The Fox Sparrows
are back in Box Elder Campground. Had two males singing this morning in
almost identical spots to where 2 males sang all spring last year - possibly
same characters.
Mark Thal (27 Mar 2013) - Came out to Willard Bay to go walleye
fishing and I found a lonely male Snowy Plover in breeding plumage on the
mud flats west of the west dike about a quarter mile north from the sw corner of
the lake.
Mike Hearell (24 Mar 2013) - One pair of Marbled
Godwits, BRMBR. East side of auto loop, east of road. Mixed in with 107
Am Avocets.
Dave Hanscom (9 Mar 2013) - Bobs MacDougall and Huntington
accompanied me on a mission to Box Elder County to find Snow Geese. The fields
were loaded with white birds, but they all appeared to be Tundra Swans
(and a few gulls), with nary a goose in the crowd. Over the course of the
morning, I'm sure we saw more swans than I'd previously seen in my entire life -
certainly several thousand. Quite an amazing sight! We did find one Cackling
Goose in a flock of Canadas on 3000 West between Gentile Street and Antelope
Drive, plus several Sandhill Cranes along the way.
Paul Higgins (6 Mar 2013) - Red Breasted Merganser, Bear River
Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County
CACHE COUNTY
Ryan O'Donnell (24 Mar 2013) - Stephanie Cobbold and
I birded Steel Canyon (north of Clarkston in northwest Cache County) this
afternoon... We were rewarded
with some locally rare species there, perhaps continuing from last fall: a small
flock of 6 BUSHTITS on the hillside across the road and just downstream
from the dam, and separately, a pair of JUNIPER TITMICE near where the
barbed wire fence crosses the valley perpendicular to the road.
Connie McManus (10 Mar 2013 ) - In Cache Valley, there
were two Sandhill Cranes that flew over my house. They were about 30ft
above the ground - quite low flying. Man, they are loud! Spring is here - no
matter that snow is still on the ground.
Ryan O'Donnell (5 Mar 2013) - I took a quick loop
around the Benson area around lunchtime today in search of rare geese, and was
able to pick up all the semi-regular geese in under an hour. On 2600N, just west
of 3200W, I had a flock of CANADA GEESE that included at least one
CACKLING GOOSE (I didn't check the Canadas for Cacklings very thoroughly;
there might have been more), one SNOW GOOSE, and EIGHT ROSS'S GEESE... Near the pig farm at 4600N and Sam
Fellow Rd., there were thousands of Canada Geese, and my fifth goose species of
the hour, an immature GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE...
Kendall Watkins (3 Mar 2013) - Greater White-fronted Goose, Sandhill
Cranes, and Ross's Goose at 3200 West in Nibley. Barrow's
Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser at First Dam. Bohemian Waxwings,
Logan City Courthouse (Corner of Main St. and 2nd North in Logan).
DAVIS COUNTY
Mark Thal (31 Mar 2013) - [Antelope Island] - What a
beautiful day it is today. A billion people at the island today! On the causeway
I had a ton of ducks, Avocets, Eared Grebes strung out well over 2 miles, and
first of year Long-billed Curlew, Black-necked Stilts, and a
WILLET! ...
Dave Hanscom (28 Mar 2013) - Rockport is doing much
better. The water level keeps rising, the ice keeps melting, and the ducks are
coming back. Today's special treat was a small group of Red-breasted
Mergansers. Also the first shore bird of the year up there, a pair of
Greater Yellowlegs. And one lone Eared Grebe in winter plumage...
Bryant Olsen (27 Mar 2013) - [GSL Audubon Field Trip]
- We saw a lot of birds on today's GSLA field trip to Farmington Bay and
Antelope Island. At Farmington bay, 2 CASPIAN TERNS and 3 SAVANNAH
SPARROWS were FOY birds for me. Also of note were more A.W. PELICANS
than I can ever remember seeing out there, several very large groups, both on
the water and in the air...
--On the Island 3 L.B. CURLEWS were nice on Bridger beach,
BARN and GREAT HORNED OWLS nesting near the corrals, plus a singing
SAGE THRASHER. Garr Ranch was pretty quite...1 GREAT HORNED OWL
--On the way home I swung by Bountiful pond, and got another
CASPIAN TERN, and my first OSPREY of 2013. Generally lots of raptors
kettling up everywhere, many to high to ID, but birds are moving, in the coming
weeks you know it going to go off!
Stephanie Greenwood (24 Mar 2013) - Yesterday I
spotted a COMMON TERN at the Bountiful Pond.
Becky Stauffer
(10 Mar 2013) - Sandhill Cranes--seven of them together in a field on the
west side of 2200 West about a block south of Gentile Street (about 4 p.m.
today). Also a pair in a field about a mile from the end of Gentile Street on
the south side of the road.
Paul Higgins (9 Mar 2013) - Cackling Goose
(Richardson's), in Syracuse. Also Tundra Swan, Black Island farms,
Syracuse, Davis County, Utah.
Bryant Olsen (6 Mar 2013) - Saw some good birds in
Davis county today. First, found a lone ROSS'S GOOSE mixed in with Canada
Geese at Buffalo ranches pond in Farmington. Also many TUNDRA SWANS and
other waterfowl nearby and at Farmington bay. On west Gentile Street in Layton,
found a huge flock of TUNDRA SWANS in a corn field west of the curve by
the giant pumpkin, probably over 1000 there. One of them had very extensive
yellow in the bill, almost reaching the nostrils, possibly a BEWICK'S SWAN.
Nearby were 9 SANDHILL CRANES and 5 SNOW GEESE. At Jensen Park
there was 1 adult NEOTROPIC CORMORANT along with many DC CORMORANTS,
plus another ROSS'S GOOSE, along with the usual gang of GT GRACKLES
and domestic odd balls.
Norm Jenson (6 Mar 2013) - [Antelope Island] - Mountain Bluebirds.
Park headquarters fence by buffalo corrals.
Carol Gwynn (3 Mar 2013) - As I was heading north on
Legacy Parkway at 10:30 a.m. I observed a Tundra Swan standing in a
snowmelt pond in the median Legacy Parkway between 500 South Bountiful and
Parrish Lane.
MORGAN COUNTY
Weston Smith (31 Mar 2013) - I was out trying out a
scope tonight when a fast moving object came into view. ... I could see that the
bird now struggling to fly was indeed a falcon and a Peregrine with a
large light colored bird about half its size. ... I was able to get a picture
before it flew off and believe it had a Eurasian Collared-Dove. This is
only the third time I have seen a Peregrine in Croydon since moving here in 2004
the second time was just over a week ago.
Weston Smith (17 Mar 2013) - Guess I spoke to soon
yesterday about the redpolls. The weather changed last night and today there was
one Common Redpoll out here at the feeders. Yesterday [Mar 16] we
saw Western Meadowlarks, Tree Swallows, Gulls (to high to id), and a
Say's Pheobe. Today we had Cassin's Finches, Lesser Goldfinches,
and a Turkey Vulture. Also saw hundreds of Sandhill Cranes headed
north a couple days ago.
Weston Smith (1 Mar 2013) - The two
TRUMPETER SWANS are
still here in Croydon. I last saw them land in a field about a mile North of my
house.
SALT LAKE COUNTY
Matthew Wallace (30 Mar 2013) - I just heard the
unmistakable sounds of Sandhill Cranes flying high-up overhead, heading
north. I could not see them, or I'd have some photos, but I did hear them...
Carol Grynne (28 Mar 2013) - There were 5 Wild
Turkeys on the south side of Forest Street before the bend where it heads
south. I had never seen turkeys in this area before. This is the road that goes
out to Bear River NWR. Sandhill Cranes were also present.
Richard Young (25 Mar 2013) - Spring-summertime
birds are beginning to appear at Sandy Pond, with a pair of breeding American
Avocets already in place on the tiny island there. Some winter hold-over
waterfowl can still be seen, providing good looks at some Greater Scaup,
along with the more common Lesser Scaup.
Deedee O'Brien (25 Mar 2013)- [Holladay] - Our
annual visitor since 1998 is back!. We've been lucky to have Band-tailed
Pigeons visit our trees and platform feeder all these years, though now in
much smaller numbers.
Rich Young (10 Mar 2013) - Barrow’s Goldeneyes along the Jordan
River.
Dave Hanscom (6 Mar 20-13) - I had a couple of
hours between meetings late afternoon yesterday, so I walked up City Creek to
see if the Pacific Wren is there as in past years. It did indeed pop up
about 50 yards above picnic area #5 (just above some blue ribbon stuck up in a
tree)..... I think I forgot to post last week after Bob MacDougall and I walked
up the canyon one evening looking for owls. The only success was at picnic area
#8 where two Western Screech Owls were calling.
Brad Stevenson (3 Mar 2013) - Millrace Pond:
The Neotropic Cormorant and Double-crested Cormorants were standing side by side
again at Mill Race. Hooded Merganser female, 4 Common Merganser, 2
American Wigeon, 5 Mallards, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, Coots... Sandy Pond - 3 Barrow's Goldeneye
Stephen T Carlisle (3 Mar 2013) - I don't get out
birding much as I would like, but I did take some time today to visit Millrace
Park Pond (Taylorsville), Sandy Pond (Sandy) and the frontage road between the
International Center and Saltair. Highlights were Neotropical Cormorant,
Hooded and Common Mergansers at Millrace Park Pond; three Greater
Scaup and a Ring-necked Duck at Sandy Pond, where I met Stephanie
Greenwood; and a Northern Shrike, 100's of Northern Pintail and a
lone Tundra Swan along the Frontage Road.
TOOELE COUNTY
Oliver Hansen (15 mar 2013) - The Jensen's joined me
on scouting out some locations for the trip I have planned for next week. Here
are some highlights and updates:
--Stansbury Park: A male Wood Duck gave us some great
looks while preening on a log. Hundreds of cal. gulls were going crazy in the
mill ponds. ... We couldn't pick out any rare ones.
--Rush Lake: Probably between 2 and 5 thousand ducks (most
were on the wrong side of the lake and a little hard to ID) It seemed that most
were Pintails, Redheads, and Wigeons.
--Rush Valley (town): As we rode into town I mentioned "See
that tree up there, every time I drive past it I think to myself that it looks
like a tree you would see a Great horned owl in, but I never see one." Low and
behold, there was a Great Horned Owl in it.
--James Fitzgerald WMA: Lots of lingering winter waterfowl:
Common Mergansers, Tundra Swans, Buffleheads, Goldeneyes (common),
and all the other usual ducks. No shorebirds yet (except a few killdeer).
--Road to Ophir: A single Pinyon Jay.
Oliver Hansen (2 Mar 2013) - Went snow-shoeing up
Vickory Mountain (Tooele County) it was way too warm, but I was being stubborn
and post-holed up 1500' the ridge and made it about 2 miles up (it's 4.5 to the
top). Birds seen: CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS, JUNIPER TITMOUSE, RAVEN, JUNCO, GOLDEN
EAGLE. A NORTHERN PYGMY OWL was sitting in a tree a few hundred yards south
down from Clover Springs on my drive down the canyon. I put a small pile of
rocks where it was seen if anyone in Tooele County wanted to go looking for it.
UTAH COUNTY
Eric Huish (30 Mar 2013) - I stopped at the Pioneer
Crossing Ponds at 8:15 this morning. The ponds and field were full of birds,
mostly gulls and ducks. There was a EURASIAN WIGEON with American Wigeons
in the field past the close pond on the south side of the road about 200 feet
east of mile post 1. You will want a scope to get a good look. Other good birds
at the ponds were 34 Marbled Godwits and 2 Franklin's Gulls, both
FOY for me. There were also Am. Avocets and a Peregrine Falcon.
Kendall Watkins (28 Mar 2013) - At about 1 this
afternoon I found two Baird's and one Spotted Sandpiper out on the
beach at Lincoln Point. Other shorebirds included 4 Am. Avocets, a
Snowy Plover and many Killdeer. Also at the beach I saw 2 Bank
And 5 Tree Swallows flyover.
--At Benjamin Slough we saw a single Eared Grebe, 1 adult
male Hooded Merganser, and a Greater Yellowlegs amongst the
numerous duck species...Also in the area was one, maybe two Say's Pheobe and a
Vesper Sparrow.
Doug Mead (24 Mar 2013) - Some
Burrowing Owls near
Saratoga Springs.
Eric Huish - [18 Mar 2013]
- In spring I drive by the Provo Center Street Turkey Vulture roost on my
way to work each morning watching for the first vulture to show up. This morning
there was one vulture at the roost. ...
David Wheeler (17 Mar
2013) - The beautiful male Eurasian Wigeon was still (as of 2:30) in a flooded
pasture east of the Skipper Bay Trail just a few hundred feet north of the
parking area...
Less than a quarter mile from the north end of the trail was a flock of
Canada geese, one Lesser Canada goose, and three of what appeared to
be minima Cackling geese...
Eric Huish (16 Mar 2013) -
The UCB field trip has only just started but we've already found a EURASIAN
WIGEON, Peregrine Falcon, Snow Goose, and Tundra Swans. The Eurasian
Wigeon is a bright male in the fields just off Skipper Bay trail. Just a little
ways down from the parking area, before you get to the woods.
Bryan Shirley (15 Mar 2013) - I just had a group of 7 swans at
Santaquin Reservoir. Of the 7, at least 3 were Trumpeter Swans.
Jeff Cooper (12 Mar 2013) - I heard the dawn song of a Say's Phoebe
this morning as I was taking my daily walk along the newly improved Murdock
Canal Trail along the Pleasant Grove/Cedar Hills border. The Phoebe was singing
from the rooftop of a home bordered by a large open field.
Danny Nelson (8 Feb 2013) - Went for a ride up
Payson Canyon this morning. The snow has started to melt and the temperature was
above freezing. We could hear Northern Saw-whet Owls in two of the large
parking spaces. The first parking lot is before the N.F, sign at the Payson
campground the owl was by the restrooms. The next parking lot is before the
switchbacks, an owl worked its way all around the parking lot.
Bryan Shirley (6 Mar 2013) - Say's Phoebe in my yard today in
Payson - five days earlier than last year.
Dennis Shirley (6 Mar 2013) - I spent this
afternoon checking out the waterfowl areas of south Utah County... Of special note --- two
pair Cinnamon Teal and a single Hooded Merganser at Lincoln Point,
five Tundra Swan at Benjamin Slough, a single Ross's Goose at the
north Salem fields just east of the water treatment plant in a flock of gulls,
and two Greater Scaup on Salem Pond...
Bryan Shirley (5 Mar 2013) - Benjamin Slough is
starting to melt and fill with water and birds. Last week there was no water and
not a bird to be seen, today there was a couple large flocks of CA Geese,
hundreds of ducks (mostly Pintail but some of everything), and 10
Tundra Swan.
Bryan Shirley (4 Mar 2013) - I had almost given up
in seeing a Common Redpoll in Utah county, but just had one at my dads
feeder in Elk Ridge! There was one here nearly 2 months ago, but only for one
morning.
Kendal Watkins (2 Mar 2013) - [Pleasant Grove] - After seeing the Winter
Wren this morning (Grove Creek park) my dad and I found a huge flock of
Blackbirds consisting of about 4,500 birds (4650 N 2000W). In this were about
180 Yellow-headed Blackbirds, 4 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 1500
Red-wings, and 2000 Brewers. ... Another thing of note was an escapee
African-collared Dove.
Eric Huish (1 Mar 2013) - This afternoon there were
3 Snow Geese and 2 Ross's Geese with a large flock of Canada Geese
on the sod farm north of the town of Vineyard, south of Lindon Boat Harbor.
There were 2 swans in an open area in the ice out on the lake at Lindon Boat
Harbor. They kept their heads tucked in and were too far to ID...
WASATCH COUNTY
Dave Hanscom (28 Mar 2013) - Jordanelle is getting more birdy by the
week. Lots of Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Green-winged
Teal. Also a couple of Sandhill Cranes and a Belted Kingfisher
today. Unfortunately, only the top and bottom ponds have water, and everything
seems to be getting drier every time we walk there.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Rick Fridell (29 Mar 2013) - Apparently there are at
least two Neotropic Cormorants around St. George.... The last couple weeks there
has occasionally been a subadult Neotropic Cormorant roosting with the
Double-crested Cormorants at SR-9 (Hurricane) Sewer Ponds (southwest pond).
Steve Hedges (28 Mar 2013) - Today I saw the
first-year Neotropic Cormorant at Skyline Pond, in company with 2
Double-cr Cormorants. I also saw a first-year NECO at Lower Tawa Pond, along
with the lingering Ross Goose and Great Egret.
--Also, this afternoon there were two Harris's Sparrows
remaining at Lytle Ranch (foraging under the pomegranite bushes near the
trailer).
--It seems there are new migrants arriving back daily now. A couple
notable first-of-the-year birds included a Cattle Egret at Sand Hollow
State Park and a singing Yellow Warbler at Tonaqint Park in St. George.
Dennis Shirley (23 Mar 2013) - Alton Thygerson and I
returned from a 2 1/2 day trip to Washington County last night. We birded most
of the popular areas and chased the reported rarities. Of the 100 species we
recorded the following were our top dozen birds.
1. Golden-crowned Sparrow - Ivin's Reservoir
2. Rufous-crowned Sparrow - Tanner Amphitheater, Springdale
3. Inca Dove - Hurricane
4. Anna's Hummingbird - Lytle Ranch
5. Common Moorhen - Berry Marsh
6. Lucy's Warbler - Lytle Ranch (apparently, just arrived)
7. Black- throated Sparrow - Beaver Dam Slope
8. Greater Roadrunner - 3 seen - Lytle Ranch, Hurricane,
Ivin's
9. Ladder-backed Woodpecker - Lytle Ranch
10. Crissal Thrasher- Beaver Dam Slope
11. Cactus Wren - Beaver Dam Slope
12. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher- Lytle Ranch
-- Of note, we did have a Common Poorwill calling around
camp one night. Seems early for this one. Another trip is in the offing in the
not too distant future.
Paul Higgins (21 Mar 2013) - Black Phoebes near
Grafton. Black-throated Sparrows--Beaver Dam Slope. Rufous-crowned
Sparrows--Dalton Wash.
Steve Hedges (14 Mar 2013) - A first year Neotropic
Cormorant first observed on March 9 is still present at the Skyline Drive
pond.
Kevin Wheeler (2 Mar 2013) - Pam, Everett, and I
refound the 1st winter GOLDEN-CROWNED Sparrow at Ivins Reservoir
(Washington County; first reported by John R. last Thursday, Feb 28) this
afternoon. It is very loosely associating with a flock of White-crowned
Sparrows, and working between the picnic table at the parking/ dock area and the
cattail patch on the south end of the South Bay.
WEBER COUNTY
Mike Hearell (25 Mar 2013) - In the afternoon I birded
West Weber county where I found a lone, vocal Trumpeter Swan, 3
Franklin's Gulls and 2 FOY Long-billed Curlews.
Mike Hearell (16 Mar 2013) - A couple of Lewis's
Woodpeckers today in Ogden Valley.
Kris Purdy (12 Mar 2013) - I enjoyed a Northern
Pygmy-owl this morning in Ogden Canyon, Weber County, while stuck in
traffic. It turned out to be one of the best birding experiences I’ve had in a
long time, and certainly the best with a pygmy-owl.
John Crawley (10 Mar 2013) - I saw about 2,000 Tundra Swans today
at the Ogden 12th Street exit...then headed west, finding them between 50th and
85th West.
Mike Hearell (2 Mar 2013) - Ross's Goose, Snow
Goose and Greater White-fronted Goose at 4700 W 300 N.
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