What a Way to End the Year -- Snow Bunting Still There

["Glenn B. Barlow" <gbarlow at Aros dot Net>]

Folks,

Happy New Year to everyone!

 Had a great experience yesterday afternoon.  How about getting a life bird
on the last day of the year?  Went to Antelope Island Causeway and spotted
the solitary Snow Bunting that had been reported there.  It was with a flock
of Horned Larks, with a few American Pipits thrown in for variation.  The
Snow Bunting looked exactly like the picture of the female shown in NGS,
with the dark spot on its forehead.  I spent sometime looking at two flocks
of Horned Larks and found it in the second (thanks for some kind advice of
another birder).  The first flock was at about mile marker 4 and the flock
with the bunting was .9 of a mile west of mile marker 3.  I viewed it for
sometime between 3:30-4:15, although I began about an hour earlier.  Both
flocks of larks and the bunting were on the south side of the causeway.

Other birds seen, which made it interesting, included:

Mallard (m,f)
Northern Shoveler (m,f)
Common Goldeneye (m,f)
Bufflehead (2m,f)
Ruddy Duck (m)
Northern Harrier (m)
American Kestrel (m,f)
Merlin
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Horned Lark (2 flocks)
American Pipit
Snow Bunting (f)

I would say that this was a nice way to end my birding year.  I don't know
how many lifers I got this year, as well as state birds, but it was a very
good birding year for me for a change.  (Thanks to the Utah County Birders
for the "big day," for those who put together the great symposium at BYU,
and to Brian Shirley for leading our small tour with Barbara Watkins and a
visitor from Maryland.)  Now I need to consolidate me lists.

On Friday, December 27th, went to the near-by Farmington Bay Bird Refuge and
saw 3 lovely adult Bald Eagles.  There were also a few American Pipits and a
foraging Western Meadowlark right next to the road, that ignored me.  Great
sight!

Happy New Year everyone!

Glenn in Fruit Heights