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I birded the lower Willard Basin road southwest of
Mantua and Mantua Reservoir today. At the lower elevation, the Willard
Basin road area is primarily forested with open deciduous woods and runs along
the Box Elder Creek drainage. The road up to Willard Peak is
the domain of ATVs. If you choose to bird this area, it's impossible
to get away from them, but the multiple ATV trails provide easy walking for the
birder. I minded the noise; the birds didn't seem to.
The combined ear-piercing sound of many
Broad-tailed Hummers and Cedar Waxwings was almost enough to drive me back into
the truck at my first stop. A Turkey Vulture rose up off an embankment
like a pterodactyl and perched high in a snag, but was still below me
in the Box Elder Creek ravine. I had the opportunity to study this
bird for quite some time. I cannot even say this was a face only a
mother could love. This particular vulture was also missing all the toes
on one foot and its tarsus ended in a blunt club. No wonder this bird
seems to carry with it the spectre of death!
Other highlights included seeing at least four
Hermit Thrushes from within the trees instead of me peering in from outside and
seeing the usual nothing. I was determined to track down thrushes today
instead of hearing them play their flutes from a secretive thicket, so I climbed
up the road embankment onto a cool wooded slope and waited. The waiting
had its rewards! I also saw a very busy pair of Black-capped
Chickadee parents intent on stuffing the yellow gapes of their fluffy,
demanding quintuplets, a pair of Lazuli Bunting fledglings being supervised
and fed by Daddy, and too many lovely Western Tanagers. Virtually every
bird I saw gleaning or carrying insects today had a big, fat, green worm in its
beak. Today must have been big, fat, green worm day.
Mantua Reservoir was also alive with lots of
birds and breeding activity. I saw American White Pelican, Ruddy Duck,
Gadwall, Mallard, American Coot with chicks, Pied-billed, Eared, Western, and
Clark's Grebes, Caspian and Forster's Terns, California and Franklin's Gulls,
Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bullock's Oriole, American
Goldfinch, Western Kingbird, heard Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warbler, Tree,
Cliff, and Barn Swallows, Song Sparrow, and the usual blackbirds. Best
sightings here were the brilliant male American Goldfinches teed up on teasel
heads and a Forster's Tern perched on a buoy at the boat ramp intently
watching all the activity like the neighborhood busybody. I also saw
a Western Grebe proudly showing off a 6-inch fish to its two grebe
buddies. The fisher didn't seem too interested in eating it; seemed to me
the bird was just teasing the have-nots.
The north end of the reservoir provided a
thrilling sight--a grebe nesting colony. I estimate 50-100 pairs of
Western and Clark's Grebes are building nests on top a floating mat of
duck or pond weed or are sitting on eggs already. It's amazing how elegant
swimmers these big grebes are, but boy-oh-boy, do they look clumsy when standing
next to their nests! I was also intrigued to see that the
Forster's Terns have interspersed their nesting sites among the
grebes. I could see a couple Forster's nest sites with two white
eggs and no nest material. The Caspian Terns may have nest sites
on the vegetation as well, but at the distance, I couldn't clearly decide.
The ultimate thrill for me was when three pair of grebe rose up and
propelled themselves across the water in their courtship display.
Two pair were Western; the third pair looked like it was a
mixed marriage of Western and Clark's. Walkers can approach within scope
range as I did by walking north on the dike, but the distance is still quite
far. I think the best way to see this colony
is by boat. A trip here might make a nice canoeing outing with the
family.
Mantua is located on Route 89/91 east of Brigham
City. To reach Willard Basin Road, exit the highway at the westernmost
Mantua exit, also signed for Box Elder Campground. Turn right on Main
Street. Main Street proceeds southwest and becomes Willard Basin
Road. Exits to reach the reservoir from the highway are easily visible as
89/91 runs adjacent to the town of Mantua. The reservoir dike runs along
the entire east side and most of the south side, and don't forget to bring your
spotting scope!
Kris
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