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Evening Grosbeaks, Winter Wren in Mantua

The first birds I heard in Box Elder Campground in Mantua, Box Elder 
County this morning were surprising EVENING GROSBEAKS.  Three females 
called their single-note "Teeuw!" call as all worked on samaras high up 
in a Box Elder tree.  I never would have thought to look for Evening 
Grosbeaks at that location.  The birds were just shy of the entrance on 
the east bank of Box Elder Creek and east of the intersection of 300 W. 
and Park Drive. I continued to hear them working the east side of the 
campground for a little while. 

While I was following the call (in denial that I was actually hearing 
grosbeaks) I passed a hidden, chipping chipmunk along the entrance road. 
 On the way back, Chippy turned out to be the WINTER WREN.  Oops.  The 
wren popped out of a brush pile along the east side of Park Drive and 
50-100 feet north of the campground entrance.  I marked the two spots 
where I saw him with strands of pink tape.   

Although the wren was unmoved by pishing then and with subsequent 
sightings, no matter.  He was very interested in getting a visual on me. 
 I estimated the distance between me and this warm, rusty-brown 
micro-mini bird giving me the once-over was about 5 feet.  This happened 
twice.  My binoculars don't focus down that far.  

Sure, you can look in a field guide and see how UNBELIEVABLY small the 
Winter Wren is--4 inches.  But seeing the bird in person with its 1-inch 
tail cocked up is something else--maybe something else like 3 inches 
long.  I actually held out my hand making a cup with fingers and palm 
and estimated that two Winter Wrens would fit in that little cup.  Tiny! 


I saw the (another?) Winter Wren twice more in the campground this 
morning.  The second sighting was along the creek at campsite 12, Loop 
A.  I also marked this spot with a strand of pink tape.  This spot is 
(I'm guessing) 1/8 of a mile, maybe a little less, south of the first 
sighting.  I considered that maybe more than one Winter Wren has taken 
up residence in the campground because of the distance.  The third 
sighting was in the labyrinth of paths through horsetails and 
undergrowth just north of campsite 17, Loop A, where Mort Somer 
originally spotted the bird a couple weeks ago.  

The wren called its chipping notes for all three sightings and I'm happy 
to report I knew what I was hearing at sightings #2 and #3.  Even 
laboratory rats learn from experience; I guess I can learn, too!  

Other birds in the campground this morning included a Downy Woodpecker 
and Northern Flickers, Black-billed Magpies, Black-capped and a Mountain 
Chickadee, a Brown Creeper, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, MANY Ruby-crowned 
Kinglets, Song Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and House Finches.

I also visited Mantua Reservoir to see masses of American Coots over the 
reservoir.  The waterfowl are concentrated in the hard-to-access north 
and southeast areas, but I did see Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallards, 
Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, and Bufflehead.  I'm also 
pretty sure GREATER SCAUP were present at the north end, but confirming 
that species at the great distance from the west dike, even with a 
scope, was...WAAAAAH...too hard.  I believe that more Greaters were 
present than Lessers.  Next time I visit I'll wade through the water and 
the willows at the north end and set up my scope within the natural 
blind to get close enough to confirm the scaup's ID.  Greater Scaup have 
been present at this reservoir the last two winters.   

Box Elder Campground and Mantua are located about 2 miles east of 
Brigham City.  Both are accessible from US 89/91.  Mantua Reservoir can 
be seen from just about anywhere in town.

Kris

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