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Raptor-licious Juab County!

Holy Cow, did I see some great birds in Juab County today.  I'm posting this report on birdnet because I saw a Merlin and an American Tree Sparrow, but I also saw some uncommon residents that took my breath away--several Ferruginous Hawks and a Prairie Falcon. I was headed to Mona Reservoir and was using dead reckoning to get there.  It didn't work well at the start, but my inexpert navigation caused me to drive along a raptor-licious road where I saw 8 species of raptors.  

I saw a brilliant, white, beaming raptor ahead on a power pole and I pulled off to study a beautiful Ferruginous Hawk.  This hawk had barely any rufous barring to mar its brilliant white breast.  As I studied the Ferrugie I became aware that a Red-tailed Hawk occupied the next pole and an American Kestrel had claimed another, two poles farther down.  I honed in on the kestrel and a Rough-legged Hawk flew through my binoculars view--a great surprise and my first of the winter season!  The hawk soared and tilted and swirled on the wind and I got great views of its very light head and leading edges of its wings, dark wrist patches and belly band and broad black band at the end of its tail.  I put down my binocs and saw another Rough-leg soar in and join the first one.  While I switched from Rough-leg to Rough-leg with my binoculars I saw another large raptor in the distance take off from a power pole, flapping like mad.  I attended to the new raptor until I could ID it as a Red-tail.  I picked up another raptor in the near distance--a big black one--and with a swirl of the wind the bird came around to show me his bright white tail and Bald Eagle head.  

I didn't know where to look!  Here before me were a Ferruginous Hawk, Red-tails, a kestrel, multiple Rough-legs and a Bald Eagle.  I prioritized on the Ferruginous Hawk.  This raptor has a look of wisdom--I'm not sure why.  It might have something to do with the feather pattern around its crown and eyes.  It's as if the hawk has crow's feet and the pattern makes it look wise and thoughtful.  Before I left this spot I saw another large, soaring buteo that was dark on body and underwing coverts and bright white on its remiges.  It could have been either a dark morph Rough-leg or a dark adult Red-tail, but I didn't think to study it until it was too late.  

I drove about a mile farther and passed a small falcon--bigger than a kestrel--on another power pole.  Two U-turns put me RIGHT in front of a preening female Merlin.  She was very pale, but still showed weak mustaches.  Her beak looked teenie-tiny--too tiny--for a raptor.  She cocked her tail at a high angle as she turned and preened her rump and showed off the thin white tail bars that separated the broader black bars down to the tip.  The end of her tail was delicately scalloped in white and the detail set off the last thick black bar.  I was to see her again in a few hours and the second time I could see the delicately barred underside of both sharp wing tips.  

I left the concentration of raptors behind and finally found the road that led west through Mona.  Driving toward the reservoir I saw another white beaming raptor perched on top a decrepit windmill in the middle of a field.  It was another Ferruginous Hawk.  The scope revealed this one had significant rufous barring on the lower breast along the flanks.  It, too, was beautiful.  When I turned onto the county road to the reservoir, I flushed an American Tree Sparrow that landed on the fence.  It was another good, albeit brief, study opportunity.  I was able to confirm the bi-colored bill, thin rufous stripe that tracks through the eye and dribbles off into a gray field behind the auricular, and white wing bars.  Then it was gone.

Mona Reservoir is hosting many water birds and waterfowl, but today they were concentrated in the extreme south end and along the east side.  Access is on the far west side and far away from where the birds were.  I won't be so bold as to say I ID'd everything that was there due to the extreme distances; however, here are the species I saw for sure:  Canada Goose, Common Merganser, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Mallard, Red-headed Duck, Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Scaup spp. (likely Lesser), Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon, Gadwall, American Coot, Western Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, Great-blue Heron, Gull spp., Horned Lark, Northern Flicker, Northern Harrier and American Magpie.  

On the way back to Mona I pulled off again to scope the extreme southern tip of the reservoir that wasn't visible from the parking lot.  I wanted to confirm if the big white dots I could see were more pelicans.  They weren't--they were swans.  We'll assume they were Tundras due to the distance.  I saw one white adult and 5 pale gray youngsters.  While I scanned across the field toward the reservoir, my scope picked up yet another Ferruginous Hawk standing on the ground.  Hee-hee.  I was on a roll!  

As I left town I thought I'd check mileage so I could relay coherent directions in my posting.  The series of power poles where I saw the first Ferruginous Hawk had experienced a minor rearrangement of raptors.  The order had become Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel and Red-tailed Hawk.  Two Northern Harriers coursed and tilted over the fields.  I continued on to the place where I saw the Merlin.  She was still there and was preening up a storm.  I watched her for even longer this time.  She was on a power pole that was part of a line along the north-south road.  The same pole was one of another series of five that ran east-west.  Now, here comes another raptor-licious sighting.  I gazed east along the other four poles and could see the rusty back and mustachioed head of a female American Kestrel on pole #2.  Pole #3 was unoccupied; the next sported a mid-sized raptor that grabbed my attention, and the last was the perch of a dark large Buteo that turned out to be a Red-tail.  I put the scope on the mid-sized raptor on pole #4.  It was a Prairie Falcon!  At the risk of y'all thinking I'm a little touched in the head, I'll tell you that I believe I started hyperventilating.  Five power poles in a row occupied by four raptors; three of those raptors were falcons, and each falcon was a different species.  The sighting deserved the heavy breathing!  Holy magoly!  The Prairie Falcon faced away from me but turned its head so I could see the head's "blocky" look and those skinny mustaches.  The bird turned around and I could see its creamy breast that became darkly streaked low on either side near the flanks.  Shortly it flew, flashing sharply pointed wings that gave glimpses of the dark axillaries.  

Now, I bet you'd like to know how to get to this raptor-licious road.  Here goes.  Take I-15 to exit 236, Mona, and follow the signs to the Young Living Family Farm.  Drive west into Mona and turn north at the stop sign.  Note your odometer.  The area where I saw the variety of raptors is 3 to 4 1/2 miles north of the stop sign, and both north and south of the Young Living Family Farm.  The series of five east-west power poles was exactly 4.5 miles north of the stop sign in Mona.  Everywhere, be sure to watch the power poles, irrigation equipment, trees and fenceposts and you'll see raptors.  If you continue north on this road you can access the interstate again at Exit 245, South Santaquin.  

To reach Mona Reservoir, continue west through the stop sign I mentioned above.  NOTE YOUR ODOMETER.  This is particularly important because the county road to Mona Reservoir is not marked for the reservoir and it looks more like private commercial hunting property.  The right turn to the reservoir is 4.5 miles from the stop sign in Mona.  You'll notice red and white 'no trespassing' signs on the fence on either side of the cattle guard.  The signs note the private commercial hunting property behind the fences and have pictures of a Ring-necked Pheasant and a Gray Partridge.  The county road leads only to the reservoir where you'll find a paved parking lot, boat launch and restroom facilities that are unfortunately closed for the winter.  

I'm still in a state of disbelief over all the good raptors I saw today.  I might have to read my own post again when it arrives in my inbox to make me a believer.  Best wishes that you have the opportunity to visit Juab County and become 'enraptored', as I was in Mona today.  

Kris