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Many thanks to Jack Binch for performing his owl
dance (reported in an earlier birdtalk posting) today. His evocation
produced three Burrowing Owls for me on the way to the Golden Spike NHS (UT 83
accessible from I-15 exit 368). Carol and Nicki Davis's and Jack's recent
reports of great birds along this road enticed me to get out there again
today. I could have birded this road until dark, but I finally ran out of
food and had to come home.
In addition to the owls, I saw other great birds
worthy of reporting on birdnet: a Peregrine Falcon .2 miles east of the UT
83 and 102 junction, on the double telephone poles that run parallel to and
south of 83. The falcon sat on the cross bar connecting two poles.
Oddly, a Northern Harrier hovered in the air at the falcon's height until the
falcon dropped off the perch and flew in the direction of Bear River MBR.
The harrier then gave chase, and quickly fell behind and ate the Peregrine's
dust. While I watched the Peregrine I became aware of the heavy
"chip" call note of several Common Yellowthroats; they responded to pishing and
I saw about four as they popped up out of the reeds. The
last uncommon sighting was 14 Marbled Godwits in a field north of
4000N, and between 6800W and 7600W in Corinne. This was definitely a mix
of juveniles and adults by the bill colors, and one of the juveniles was very
buffy around the head and neck. The early shorebird migration
continues.
I saw several other interesting things that are not
as uncommon, but since the word 'brevity' is not in my vocabulary, I'll
tell you about them too. I saw a young Swainson's Hawk whose head was
so light it was almost completely white. The bird wore nearly the classic
worn light juvenile plumage shown in Sibley's. I watched a Western
Kingbird nest from about 30 feet away and saw both parents stuff
unbelievably large bugs into the gapes of their three chicks. One of the
parents briefly brooded the youngsters and absolutely flattened their heads upon
settling down on the babes. I could see the orange gapes closed into
flat half-inch lines under the parent's undertail coverts. I saw a
startlingly gorgeous Cattle Egret with such pure white and soft orange
plumage and beak that I was reminded of an orange creamsicle. I
saw Western and Eastern Kingbirds on an electric line only 25 feet from
each other. I stopped under the Eastern Kingbird and studied it
closely. For the first time, I saw a teenie-tiny hook on the end of the
bird's beak. None of my field guides depict this hook. Last, and
sadly, I stopped at four specimens of flattened fauna to find dead Short-eared
Owls. Once, only the wings remained. The other three carcasses also
included the feet, feathered down to the talons. This owl's behavoir of
coursing low over marshes and grasslands increases its mortality rate near
roadways, and I was dismayed to find so many that suffered due to conflict
with vehicles.
Kris
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