Snowbasin

[bcurrie100 at comcast dot net]

Today, 6/4 I birded Snowbasin, the area that Kris Purdy described in a previous e-mail.  Basically, following the parking lot road all the way until you go over the bridge (of what used to be a very gentle little stream, now it is streamzilla) and you will see a road right past the bridge that heads roughtly northwest.  It is blocked off to motor vehicle traffic, but you are allowed to walk and/or bike there.

I saw the following birds:

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (many)
Orange-crowned Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Red-naped Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Turkey Vulture
A probable Golden Eagle (way off in the distance)
Western Tanager
Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed Race)

Then there were the usual suspects.  The Orange-crowned Warbler I believe has staked out its territory for now.  When you first start on that road you will be surrounded by trees.  Then you will come to an opening with lots of bushes.  At the mouth of the next tree clump along the road (on the left) is where I heard the OC Warbler going and coming back.  (From this point on I continued to hear several OC Warblers almost up to the meadow.)  I was able to call him out  without any difficulty and he came within 20 feet of me.  The MacGillivray's Warbler I "caught" on the way back.  I was only about 50 yards from the gate which blockes off the road and there was a single male, very active, and after about 15 minutes he just was not moving on so that may be his territory as well.  The Hairy Woodpeckers were at the meadow.  If you follow the road past three stands of trees (mostly aspens and cottonwoods) - about 1 - 1.5 miles - you will come to the meadow (very large).  I saw male and female in the trees right at the next gated area.  They were seperate sightings.

This is a relatively easy walk, though a gradual uphill most of the way to the meadow.  If you're really lucky, about two thirds of the way there the trail splits off to the right to go Wheeler Creek.  Right there (to the left on a not so healthy looking aspen - maybe it was a cottonwood, don't remember now) a male BT Hummingbird has set-up his throne.  Now first you need to set-up your camera.  Then once you do this four bicyclist (two each coming from different directions) will come, see you set-up, stop and begin to talk loudly for the next 10 minutes about the biking trails (to the other two bicylcists).  Just what are people doing out in my forest anyway? : )

Brian
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