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Jim McIntyre and I birded several areas in
Farmington Bay today and saw several 'good', post-worthy birds. All units
accessed from the north entrance past Goose Egg Island are still closed to
motorized vehicles, but walkers and bicycle riders are still welcome.
The number of BLACK TERNS using the area is
significant. Their plumage spans the spectrum from almost full
breeding plumage to full winter plumage. A good spot to see Black Terns is
at the southwest corner of Unit 1. The distance from the gate at Goose Egg
Island to this spot is about 1.5 miles. We also saw Black Terns perched
with Forster's on metal walkways over channels, on metal railings of ramps
leading down to water, and on posts out in the water. Caspian Terns were
present as well.
The funkiest sight of the day may have been a
partially leucistic HORNED GREBE. We came across this oddly-plumaged bird
sitting in the mud next to water on the north side of the dike, 1.5 miles west
of the Turpin Unit gate. Despite the grebe's odd behavior, I don't
think it was either sick or injured. It entered the water as we
approached and bathed or dove vigorously both times we passed the spot.
The bird's feathers were mostly white with small black blotchy marks on the
feathers of the back and sides. Instead of a rufous neck, the
grebe sported a pale, washed-out orange neck. The usual golden head
stripes were the palest yellow, and the only real black on the head feathers was
on the lower tips of the "helmet" on either side of the bird's neck.
Despite this odd coloration, the bird's eye was still laser-beam red, as was the
line that runs from the eye below the lores to the beak. The beak
itself and the feet were both generally dark gray/black. We could see the
white grebe under the surface of the shallow green-brown water as it swam and
foraged. I have to say...well, I just can't help myself...that this grebe
paled in comparison to other Horned Grebes I've seen. Yuk, yuk, yuk.
I was surprised not only because of the grebe's
plumage and sitting-on-the-mud behavior, but also because of the early date for
this rare transient. For those of you who keep monthly records, could
you please reply with the usual timing of fall Horned Grebe sightings?
Thanks.
We flushed a SHORT-EARED OWL as we made our
way down the dike road along Turpin Unit. We got good looks at the
face before the owl flew across the emergent marsh north of the road and
perched on tall grass several hundred yards away. That face, that
face! The Short-eared Owl certainly has the most riveting facial
appearance of any of the Northern Utah owl species. I apologize if
those of you who love the Northern Saw-whet's face are affronted by my last
statement.
A GREAT EGRET stalked in the open water of Turpin
Unit on the other side of the road from where we saw the owl. The spot for
both birds was 3.7 miles west of the Turpin gate.
We saw many eclipse-plumage waterfowl species
including some that were unable to fly. Shorebird sightings included
Killdeer, Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willets,
Spotted Sandpipers, a Long-billed Curlew, a Long-billed Dowitcher, a Wilson's
Snipe, bunches of Wilson's Phalaropes, but no peeps. And of course, we saw
the 'usual' great stuff--Black-crowned Night-herons, Soras, Eastern
Kingbirds, and many more.
For more information about Farmington Bay WMA (in
particular, unit opening/closure dates and a link to a map), launch the link
below.
Kris
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