Birds on BBS routes - Snowville, Promontory & Johnson Canyon

[Betsy_Beneke at fws dot gov]

Hi All:

Thought I'd report on some sightings from Breeding Bird Survey Routes.

On 7 June I was surveying along the road that goes between Locomotive
Springs and Salt Wells and found a singing OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.  It
seemed like an odd spot for this bird, between the hills and the edge of
the lake, in the sage brush...but there it was, hollering for 3 beers!

At Salt Wells, I counted in excess of 30 SNOWY PLOVERS.  Many were right
along the edge of the road.

Today, 15 June, Bridget and I surveyed Johnson Canyon & White's Valley.  We
end up not too far from I-84, a mile south of the Idaho border.  There were
several GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS singing just west of the Nucor Plant (start of
our route), but we also found two spots where these sparrows were singing
in stubble (harvested winter wheat?) and green wheat fields.  Very strange
habitat for them, although the wheat IS very green and thick this year.  On
our last stop, we found a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS carrying nesting
material to a piece of farm machinery.  Again, I say strange place for them
- out in the dry, open farm country, and nesting in an odd place.  BTW -
Johnson Canyon is the ONLY place in Utah I've picked up a wood
tick...thought I said goodbye to those critters when I left Minnesota!

On 8 June, Bridget and I surveyed the Promontory Road.  There is just one
pair of NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS out there this year - the last two years I
had two pairs.  They're very near the red cattle gate - way around the
Point.  There are COMMON POORWILLS on that road - we saw several driving in
the dark out to the start of the route.  This is really a neat road to bird
- you can find such a variety of species, from ducks and shorebirds, to
upland species.  I'll list a few that we recorded:

Golden Eagle
Long-billed Curlew
Grasshopper Sparrow
Western Wood-Pewee
Say's Phoebe
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Green-tailed Towhee
Bullock's Oriole
Black-headed Grosbeak
Eastern Kingbird
Short-eared Owl
Burrowing Owl
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Brewer's Sparrow
Willow Flycatcher - we found willow flycatchers in two different spots - a
new bird for the route.


Betsy Beneke
Outdoor Recreation Planner
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

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