Dippers and rails in red rock country

[Steve Bouricius <bouricii at earthlink dot net>]

Greetings Utah birders,

Last week my wife and I spent a few days camping and hiking around the
Colorado River corridor near Moab.  We took a day long hike (April 2)
into Negro Bill Canyon where a small perennial creek adds a spice of
life to the surrounding desert.  We were anxious to re-find an American
Dipper nest on a red rock ledge over the water which had four young in
April 2000.  We did find the nest but there was no sign of dippers along
the creek this year, although a Say's Phoebe did show some interest in
the dipper nest.  Hmmm....

Farther up canyon beyond the trail to the Morning Glory Natural Bridge,
we found a wider area of the creek where there was recent beaver
activity among some willows, birch and a few small patches of cattail.
A bit farther upstream where the water was barely two feet across, we
were very surprised to hear the unmistakable calls of a Virginia Rail.
It seemed such an anomaly where phoebes, Bushtits, Scrub Jays, and Rock
and Canyon Wrens were common that we began to doubt what we heard.  But
then, about a quarter mile upstream, we heard another Virginia Rail call
from a small patch of willow and cattail.  I suppose it makes sense that
migrating rails would stop over at this oasis in the desert, but
wouldn't be interesting to find a pair breeding there?

On a drive over the La Sal Mountain loop road we found Blue Grouse
tracks in the snow among the Gambel oak.  Later, we stopped at Faux
Falls above Ken Lake just south of Moab.  Faux Falls was created by a
tunnel which diverts water from an adjacent drainage.  The water emerges
to spill in a cascade in an amazing scene with surrounding desert red
rock.  Along the creek below the falls I found concentrations of
droppings on rocks which suggest that dippers have very recently used
that area.  So, I'm curious whether others have found dippers wintering
or even nesting at Faux Falls.  I wonder how common it is for dippers
(or rails) to nest along low elevation streams in the desert canyon country?

Steve Bouricius
Palisade, Colorado

*******************************************
Steve & Debbie Bouricius
3412 C Road
Palisade, CO 81526
Hummingbird Orchards
....Banding and Research Station
NABC certified master hummingbird banders
*******************************************

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