Calliope & B-T Pigeon Utah Co.

["Eric Huish" <poorwill_ at hotmail dot com>]

Hi all,  I saw a couple Calliope Hummingbirds today (7-24) along the 
Timpooneke Road (off the Alpine loop in Utah County). They weren't adult 
males but I am pretty certain they were Calliope.
I meant to take an odometer reading but I forgot. I'll try to explain where 
they were.
To get to Timpooneke road turn off the alpine loop into the Timpooneke 
campground and drive strait through. You will pass the parking area for the 
Mt. Timpanogos Trailhead.  The hummers were quite a ways out on this road. 
(you may want a high clearance vehicle).
Drive though the woods until you come to a big rock slide. This is were I 
saw seven Band-tailed Pigeons. They flew up into a tree and sat there so I 
could watch them.  On the far side of the slide there are lots of wild 
flowers with Rufous and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds galore, but no Calliope (I 
sat down and looked at every bird).
Drive past the rock slide and back into the woods.  The next time you come 
out of the woods you should be in a clearing. A big hill with a road going 
up it will be on your right.  At the top of the hill, before the road turns 
and right behind the Olive-sided Flycatcher, the down side of the hill is 
covered with wildflowers. I got a very close look at one here (I had to step 
away to focus my binos).
Also if you stay on the main road instead of going up the hill. Just before 
where the road makes a turn to the right there will be a Douglas Fir tree 
just off the road on the right and a couple of small half dead aspens on the 
left.  The humming birds were perching often on the two small aspens.  I got 
a scope full view of a Calliope Stretching and spreading out her tail. There 
were a couple Calliopes here (probably the same one from the top of the 
hill) chasing each other around. I even got to compare them to a female 
Rufous in the same tree.  also in the area were Olive-sided & Dusky 
Flycatchers and I had a Clark's Nutcracker fly over.
Even if you are not interested in the hummingbirds you should drive along 
this road sometime it is very scenic with good birding. Lots more birds than 
I mentioned here.
Go in the morning. The bird activity died down in the afternoon and the 
human activity started.

Eric Huish
850 E 100 N
Pleasant Grove UT
poorwill_@hotmail.com
785-3478


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