Eric Huish and myself headed down to bird Washington County on Friday and Saturday. Our first stop on Friday morning was in Leeds. We went to Charlie Sheards house where he was nice enough to let us a view a beautiful ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD in his backyard. It was a male, and a great sight. It was a life bird for myself. We went to Red Cliffs and saw the GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. We then went to Straten Pond and were able to see a wide assortment of ducks including GREATER SCAUP and Hooded Merganser. We then went to Zions National Park. We went to the Tanner Amphitheater in Springdale to look for Rufous Crowned Sparrows. No luck, but we did see a Hermit Thrush, Rock and Canyon Wrens and Juniper Titmouse. We then went up the road to Kolob Resivoir. up here in the meadows where you leave the national park we saw several Western Bluebirds and a Bewicks Wren. We went and to the Washington Fields area next. Here we saw a pair of Abert's Towhees, Loggerhead Shrikes and Says Phoebe. We then went around the city of Washington and saw 5 INCA DOVES. Cool looking dove. This was a state lifer for Eric. The next day we started to head over to Lytle Ranch. We stopped at Welcome Springs along the road to Lytle Ranch. Here we Saw Mountain and Western Bluebirds, Townsend Solitaire, Mockingbird, Juniper Titmice and Eric saw a Ladder Backed Woodpecker. We then went to Lytle Ranch and as we pulled in we were greeted with a pair of Phainopepla's. We were unable to locate the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, even though we tried for a long time too. We did see a Red Naped Sapsucker there. Also at Lytle we saw more Western Bluebirds, Gambels Quail, Roadrunner, Verdin, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Bewicks Wren Belted Kingfisher, and what possibly was a Mexican subspecies of a Mallard. They flew up in front of us towards the final pond in the ranch. They were a pair and looked as if that is what they were. Much darker then female Mallards. Just wondering if anyone has seen this subspecies in the state. I am pretty sure that is what they were. As did Eric. We saw 20 species at the ranch. On our way out in a wash along the road with a lot of cactus we saw a BLACK TAILED GNATCATCHER. It was a lifer for me, and a cool bird to watch in the scope. Overall it was a great trip, it seems as if we didn't have enough time to see all the birds we wanted too. We missed Crissal Thrashers and other southwestern specialties. But wonderful because instead of work we were birding.
KC Childs