The Rainbow Trail

["Kristin Purdy" <kristinpurdy at comcast dot net>]

I spent about an hour last evening on the Rainbow Trail behind Rainbow 
Gardens at the mouth of Ogden Canyon in Weber County.  My errand was to 
watch and listen for Yellow-breasted Chats and I'm pleased to report I 
heard at least one.  I never saw him or her.  The bird was calling at 
least 100 feet north of the trail through thick willow scrub that 
threatened to tear at my skin and poke me in the eyes as I worked my way 
through it.  However, another reward waited on the other side of the 
thickest willow--an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.  The flycatcher was 
prominently teed up on dead aspen branches with its back to me.  That 
was good, because the two white patches on the back were quite visible 
in the gray evening light.  Later, the bird turned toward me and the big 
peaked head, dark vest, and white undershirt were nicely visible.  This 
scrubby spot is not at all breeding Olive-sided Flycatcher habitat, but 
what the heck, migration is on and all bets are off.  

The chat(s) quieted as I approached through the scrub and I have to 
believe they're not yet ready for hard-core courtship songs and display 
flights.  This is in contrast to their behavior last year.  Brian Currie 
discovered the chats at this location in late June and showed them--no, 
called them out for me.  The experience was incredible.  Brian has the 
amazing ability to talk chit with the chats--you know, chit-chat.  He 
made a squeezy, curly, rubber-ducky little noise that was surely taught 
to him by his elocution tutor, Donald Duck.  Two chats popped up out of 
the scrub, both with beaks full of mashed bugs, and one of the chats 
repeated Brian's rubber-ducky noise exactly.  EXACTLY.  I've tried to 
duplicate this sound many times.  Unfortunately, my attempt at talking 
chit ends up sounding more like an indelicate physiological sound and 
I've given up the pursuit as inappropriate for a lady. 

In addition to the flycatcher and the chats, between last night and 
another visit last Monday I also saw or heard:  California Quail, an 
Accipiter I couldn't identify, Black-chinned and Broad-tailed 
Hummingbirds, Downy Woodpeckers, Warbling Vireos, Black-billed Magpies, 
Bank Swallows, Black-capped Chickadees,  House Wrens, Blue-gray 
Gnatcatchers, American Robins, Yellow Warblers, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, 
Virginia's Warblers, a MacGillivray's Warbler, Western Tanagers, Spotted 
Towhees, Song Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, 
Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, House Finches, Pine 
Siskins, and American Goldfinches. 

The Rainbow Trail is about a mile long and serves as a connector from 
the parking lot to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  It's a favorite of 
mountain bikers and passes through a couple different vegetation 
zones--riparian scrub, scrub oak--foothill shrub/steppe--before reaching 
the ancient shoreline.  At the junction you'll see a trail marker with 
arrows pointing south toward the 22nd Street trailhead in Ogden or north 
to the canyon. 

To reach the Rainbow Trail, take I-15 to exit 347 and turn east.  Drive 
ALMOST to the mouth of Ogden Canyon and turn right at the last possible 
turn at the well-marked Rainbow Gardens gift shop.  Turn left into the 
parking lot.  You'll see the trailhead at the southwest corner of the 
parking lot.  

Kris

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