American Bittern and #300 life bird

[Roostertael at aol dot com]

Hi,

I made my first solo jaunt into the post twilight zone last night. I now know the meaning of daytime scouting trips. I have been looking for life list # 300 for a month now. I wanted to get either the Northern Pygmy Owl or Common Poorwill. I had a spot west of Grantsville that I thought may be good for both. I figured the Poorwill would be leaving before too long and had better go look. I got up in the mountains a little early and soon discovered that the terrain is too rocky and steep for anything except stumbling around. The road was even difficult to navigate in the dark. Add that to trying to carry binoculars, camera, call, and a spotlight and I was glad there was no one watching. I wandered around playing various owl calls and only got cattle calls back. 

I walked back to the car to get rid of some of the gear. It was getting dark, so I decided to play the poorwill call. I had stripped down to the light and call only. I played the call and almost immediately I saw something land in the road. I figured it cannot be that easy. I turned on the light and there he was froze in the middle of the road. I walked up to about four feet away and he did not move. No camera. Just as soon as I took the light off of him, he flew. I went back to the car and got the camera and played the call again. Similar results. I turned on the light and a poorwill was in the road. This one flew. Off goes the light and I walked another 50 feet and played the call. Same thing. One in the road and it flies. The road is hard to walk here, so back to where the first one was. Played the call a couple of times and turned on the light. Sure enough one is in the road. This time I kept the light on him and started taking pictures. I got up to about four feet again and figured I should have an acceptable photo, so I turned off the light. I called up four or one four times in about 20 minutes. None returned the call. I am curious about that. By now it is really dark and I have met most of my goal. I picked a pitch black night, so I decided to give up on the owling and head home happy. 

I should have taken a few more photos. Holding a spotlight with one hand and a heavy camera with the other in the dark in not conducive to real good images. I got a couple of pretty good ones and I will post one. 

Earlier I went up to Bear River to see the shore birds reported by Bridget Olson. I wanted to find the Black-bellied Plover, but was not successful. The sheer numbers of White Faced Ibis and Franklin's Gulls is incredible. I did find an elusive American Bittern, and got a few photos, I did not expect to find one 30 feet away and had the wrong lens on. It was on the west end of the north Auto Tour Road by the canal.

Jack Binch