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I saw four (FOUR!) HORNED GREBES at Echo Reservoir
in Summit County today. Does that qualify as a raft? A flock?
A flotilla? An armada? I haven't seen four Horned Grebes at one time
and the funny thing was, they were sticking together. The Horned Grebe is
classified as a rare transient on the Utah checklist so I assume a January
sighting of four is a bit unusual.
Echo Reservoir has a wide swath of open water from
just south of Echo Resort on the east side to the scenic overlook off I-80 on
the west side. Many other waterfowl species used the open water or stood
on the icy edges. Also present were Canada Geese, Gadwall, American
Wigeon, Mallards, Northern Pintails (two drakes and a hen), Green-winged Teal,
Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, and a pair of Pied-billed
Grebes. On the ice or roosting in trees at the resort were 2-3 dozen
Bald Eagles. Past the gates of a yellow-signed Cooperative Management
Wildlife Unit (CMWU) east of the reservoir, I saw about 8 Wild Turkeys.
Best viewing of the open water was from eastbound
I-80 Exit 166, the scenic view area, in the late morning. I actually
started on the other side of the reservoir to keep the light at my back, but the
waterfowl and especially those grebes were so far away that I eventually hit the
interstate again to get a much better view from the rest stop. There's
also a smidgeon of open water at the inlet end. I could see geese-looking
blobs in the water and along the edge, but there's nowhere to stop along the
interstate at that end to view the birds.
I continued on to my real destination, the
Oakley/Kamas/Francis area in Summit County, to try to scare up some BOHEMIAN
WAXWINGS. I was mighty disappointed when the sand ran out of the hourglass
and I hadn't found any Bohemians. But no matter! I came across about
a dozen on the way home in the tiny town of Peoa, north of Oakley. Peoa is
located on SR-32. The highway is actually
the main street through town. The Bohemians were feeding in a
heavily-laden crab apple tree in the front yard of a small white house numbered
5627, west side of the road. Yee-haw! One puny-looking and vocal
Cedar Waxwing accompanied the Bohemians for a short time and then flew away
alone.
I can't count the Bohemians as a bed bird as Eric
did when he saw them in Pleasant Grove a couple days ago, but that's
OK.
If you're looking to get out of the dismal gray fog
and smoke permeating the skies along the Wasatch Front, head east one
mountain ridge. The fog dispersed as soon as I entered Weber Canyon this
morning. I enjoyed bright sun and great quantities of highly breathable air
all day. That was a good thing, because I practically hyperventilated
when I saw those Bohemians.
Finally, here are a couple other reservoir
advisories. Rockport Reservoir is still locked in ice, perhaps to the
satisfaction of the ice fishermen. They sat in companiable silence with
long, wavering lines of gulls. I saw California, Ring-billed, and possibly
one HERRING. East Canyon had a wide swath of water open about a week ago
and I'd wager it's still open. Kris
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