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I birded Rockport State Park and Echo Reservoir in
Summit County this afternoon.
Three SURF SCOTERS swam at the south end of
Rockport Lake. One scoter was an adult male in Beeee-YOU-teous breeding
plumage, and the other two were juveniles. They were adjacent to the
Pinery Day Use area and close enough to see daylight through the
adult's nostril (not that I was looking up its nose or anything, but...) with a
scope at 20x.
Other birds in and around the lake
include:
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan (4)
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Scaup sp.
Goldeneye sp. (1 juvenile)
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
American Coot Sandhill Crane (about 40, rattling in a formation
over my head)
Ring-billed Gull
Downy Woodpecker
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Bushtit
American Dipper (in the Weber River at the inlet or
main entrance of the park)
American Goldfinch
The Bushtits were along the road adjacent to the
Pinery Day Use Area where I saw the scoters. I heard a chickadee behind me
and turned to see a slight gray form flashing into a juniper tree. I ran
up the embankment and across the road and commenced to pish. Not only did
two BC Chickadees respond, but about 40 Bushtits and two Mountain Chickadees
swarmed over to the juniper next to me. They made that tree
come alive! Then they all swarmed away and a single Downy Woodpecker
was left working on a dead branch. The Downy reminded me of a bit of
jetsam deposited on shore after a rippling wave recedes back into the
ocean.
Echo Reservoir is a mere puddle of its former
self. The best bird action can be found at the dam end. Oops!
I mean...well...you know...the deep end where the dam is. Elegant,
swirling BONAPARTE'S GULLS captured my attention immediately. These lovely
flyers are wearing their winter plumage to the fullest, and the white leading
edge/black trailing edge of the wing shows off well. They frequently
dipped down to the water and picked items off the surface. They're a
lot smaller and their wing shape is a lot sharper than the few Ring-billed Gulls
that also flew behind the dam. I couldn't count the Bonaparte's Gulls
because of their swirling flight pattern, but I'd guestimate there were at least
a dozen.
Other birds in and around the
reservoir:
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Canvasback (just 1 female, with a raft of other
Aythya ducks)
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Scaup sp.
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (I thought today a bit
late for this loner)
Killdeer
Northern Flicker
Black-capped Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Last, I was REALLY surprised to see an OSPREY
eating a fish atop a power pole in Wanship at the Rail Trail trailhead.
The snow and the Osprey didn't seem to go together. Wheeler's Raptors of
Western North America says that mid-latitude birds may straggle to their
wintering grounds into November. I guess that Osprey was one of the
stragglers.
Rockport State Park is accessed from I-80, exit 156
at Wanship. Turn south on SR-32 after leaving the freeway and you'll
find the lake in about 2 miles. Echo Reservoir is also accessible from
I-80, exits 164 or 169.
Kris
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