Rare Birds Seen in Box Elder County

Sightings Accepted by the Utah Bird Records Committee
(includes records through 2009)
   

  
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
  • Nov. 1908 - Willard Bay (Bear River Marsh), Box Elder Co. (specimen collected)

Brant

  • fall or winter 1913 - Bear River Marsh, Box Elder Co. (two specimens collected)
  • 10 Oct 2004 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Karen Welch  | Sight Record | UOS Report |

American Black Duck

  • 10 Nov 1938 - Bear River Gun Club, Box Elder Co. (Specimen collected
  • Nov 1939 - Bear River Marsh, Box Elder Co. by V. T. Wilson
  • 24 Nov 1941 - Bear River Marsh, Box Elder Co. by V. T. Wilson
  • 8 Dec 1942 - Bear River Gun Club, Box Elder Co. (Specimen collected)
  • fall 1966 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co. reported by Scott

Harlequin Duck

  • 13 Apr 1913 - Box Elder Creek near Brigham City, Box Elder Co. by James Hull (two specimens collected)

Black Scoter

  • 9 Sep 1966 - Bear River Retuge, Box Elder Co

Red-throated Loon 

  • 28 Jul 1973 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co. reported by W.H. Behle (specimen in U. of U. collection - photo in American Birds, 1974:22)

  • 17 May 2006 - Willard Bay dam, Box Elder Co. by Keith Evans, Jack Rensel, and others. (winter plumage)  | Sight Record | Hotline Report |

Red-necked Grebe

  • 20 - 23 May 2006 - Willard Bay, Box Elder Co. by Kristin Purdy, Bob Huntington, Brian Currie and others (adult - photo by BC)  | Sight Record | Hotline Report |

  • 7-12 May 2009 - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder Co., by Bridget Olson, Betsy Beneke and John Cavitt  (adult - photos)   | Sight Record |

Least Bittern

  • 10 Jun 1936 - Bear River Gun Club, Box Elder Co. by Bailey
  • 2 Jun 1943 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co. by Cottam

Little Blue Heron

  • 4 Sep 1957 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co. (specimen collected)

Glossy Ibis

  • 24,25 Jun 2006 - Bear River NWR, Box Elder Co., by Jack Binch and Dana Green (adult - photos by JB) | Sight Record | Hotline Report |

  • 24-27 Apr 2009 - Forest Street, west of the Bear River MBR Visitors Center, Box Elder Co., by Jack Binch, Dave Hanscom, Bob Huntington, Bob McDougall, and Paul Higgins  (two adults - photos)  | Sight Record |

Wood Stork

  • 17 Jul 1934 - marshes at the mouth of Bear River, Box Elder Co. (adult male in U of U collection)

Broad-winged Hawk

  • 27 Sep 1987 - Promontory Peninsula, Box Elder Co., by Craig Kneedy | UOS report |

Gyrfalcon

  • 12 Nov 1999 - West Corinne, Box Elder Co., by Richard Schulze, Robert E. Walters, Jr., JoAnn Stoddard (banded and released - immature male, brown morph)  | Sight Record | UOS report |
  • 7 Apr 2001 -  About 23 miles southwest of Park Valley on SR 30.by Jerry Ligouri, Mark Vekasy ( immature gray-phase) | Hotline Report | Sight Record | UOS report |

Mountain Plover

  • 25 Mar 1946 - 15 miles southwest of Brigham City, Box Elder Co., by J. B. Van den Akker (female specimen in Bear River MBR collection)

Upland Sandpiper

  • 6 May 1945 - Perry, Box Elder Co., by Webster

Hudsonian Godwit 

Ruddy Turnstone 

  • 4 Aug 1930 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co., by Archie Hull (male specimen - race interpres)
  • late May 1932 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co., by Archie Hull and V. T. Wilson (two)
  • 17 May 1933 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co., by Archie Hull (three - in full breeding plumage)
  • 28 May 1944 - Willard Spur just outside of Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by E. R. Quostrup
  • 23 May 1990 - Locomotive Springs, Box Elder Co., by Peter Paton (one adult) | UOS report |
  • 6 Sep 1990 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Kenn Kaufman, Ella Sorensen (one juvenile) | UOS report |

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

  • 27 Sep 1992 - Salt Wells Flats, Box Elder Co., by Craig Kneedy (one juvenile) | UOS report |

Red Phalarope

  • Sep 1951 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by botulism workers (specimen in U. S. National Museum of Natural History)
  • 11 Aug 1979 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co.,  by Jon Dunn (one)

Parasitic Jaeger

  • 2 Sep 1932 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., (male victim of botulism)
  • 8 Oct 1934 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Hull (specimen in U of U collection)
  • 21,25 Aug 1934 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by personnel of Bear River MBR
  • Sep 1941 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., recorded by Woodbury et al.
  • Sep 1942 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., recorded by Woodbury et al
  • Spring , Summer 1972 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., recorded by Kingery (two)
  • 10-14 Sep 2005 - West side of Willard Bay, Box Elder Co., by Cindy and Steve Sommerfeld, others (juvenile - photos by Tim Avery)  | Sight Record | Hotline Report |

Long-tailed Jaeger

  • 3 Oct 1926 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co., by A. K. Fisher (1 observed at close range)
  • 29 Aug 1944 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co., by C. C. Sperry (specimen found dead - in U. S.  National Museum of Natural History)
  • 30 Aug 1990; - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Sue Hinde, Lawrence Ryel.  (1 adult) | UOS report |

Little Gull

  • 17 Sep 1992 - Willard Bay, Box Elder Co., by Craig Kneedy  (one adult)  | UOS report |

Western Gull

  • 8-10 Jul 2008 - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder Co., by Jim Pawlicki and Matt Alexander (4th year alternate plumage - photos )  | Sight Record |

Yellow-footed Gull

Lesser-Black-backed Gull

  • 28 Sep 1996 - Brigham City, Box Elder Co., by Stan Heath  (one adult)  | UOS report |

Glaucous-winged Gull 

  • 15 Mar 1998 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Kevin P. Johnson, Tony Jones (first winter) | Sight Record |

Ancient Murrelet

  • 6 May 1974 - Gunnison Island, Great Salt Lake, Box Elder Co., (a carcass about two days old)

Snowy Owl

  • 1 Oct 1925 - 15 miles northeast of Mantua, Box Elder Co., (two)

Vaux's Swift

  • 4 May 2007 - Willard Bay State Park, Box Elder Co.,  by Kristin Purdy, Glenn Barlow, Tim Avery, Cindy Sommerfeld, and Steve Sommerfeld. (two adults - photos by TA)   | Sight Record |

Red-headed Woodpecker 

  • 26 Aug 1941 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by C. S. Williams  (adult male collected)

Least Flycatcher

  • 18 Jun 1989 - Beaver Dam, Hwy 30, Box Elder Co., by Ron Ryel, Lawrence Ryel, Keith Archibald, Corine Melmer, Ella Sorensen, Craig Kneedy  | UOS report |

Veery

  • 14 Jun 1951 - along Clear Creek, Raft River Mountains, Box Elder Co., by Behle and Selander (male specimen - possibly breeding)

Wood Thrush

  • 26 May 2008 - Lucin, Box Elder Co., by Colby Neuman and Jeff Bilsky (adult - photos) | Sight Record |

Tennessee Warbler

  • 25-28 Aug 2005 - Willard Bay State Park, Box Elder Co., by Kristin Purdy, Jack Binch, Bob Huntington, Cindy and Steve Sommerfeld, Ed Leite, and Joel and Kathy Beyer.  (one first fall male)  | Sight Record |

Northern Parula

  • 7 Nov to 2 Dec 1998 - Willard Bay State Park, Box Elder Co., by Keith Evans, Jack Rensel, V. Arnold Smith, Carolyn Somer, others  (one adult female)  | UOS report |

Chestnut-sided Warbler

  • 8 Jun 2007 - Lucin, Box Elder Co.,  by Keith Evans and Jack Rensel. (adult male - photos by JR)    | Sight Record |

Magnolia Warbler

  • 26 Sep 1971 - Bear River, Box Elder Co., by Scott (several

Palm Warbler

  • 19 Sep 1974 - Bear River Refuge, Box Elder Co.
  • 26,27 Apr 1977 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Jan Hutsell, J. Knauth, D. McLeod, M. Payne, M. Taylor and B Prescott (1 male western race - spring plumage)  (record on file)

  • 24.26 Apr 2008 - road to Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Betsy Beneke, Les Talbot, Louise Brown, Steve Brown; Colby Neuman (two birds, one an adult male - photos)  | Sight Record |

Blackpoll Warbler

  • 15 Jun 1970 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Vernon Kousky
  • 19 Sep 1974 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder Co., by Bruce Webb
  • 29 Sep 1985 - Park Valley, Box Elder Co., by Joelle Buffa, Clyde Morris | UOS report |

Ovenbird

  • 20 Sep 1977 - Brigham City, Box Elder Co., (specimen)

Le Conte’s Sparrow

  • 20 Dec 1975 - Bear River NWR, Box Elder Co., by Kimberly Smith, Steve Kaufman (adult - seen also during CBC on 20 Dec 1975) | UOS report |

McCown's Longspur

  • 2 Feb 2008 - Near Tremonton, Box Elder Co., by Craig Fosdick, Jack Binch. (two adult males - photos)  | Sight Record |

Brambling

  • 28 Nov 1985 to 20 Jan 1986 - Brigham City, Box Elder Co., by Sharon & Calvin Andrus (photos by Calvin Andrus, Ella Sorensen) | UOS report |

Common Redpoll

  • 20 Feb 1944 - Perry, Box Elder Co., by J. D. Webster (flock)

Return to the Utah Birds Home Page