Purple Martins

[Nicky Davis <nicky-davis at earthlink dot net>]

Thanks to Jack Binch's directions, my husband and I were able to see the Purple Martin this morning at Nebo Loop. We even saw the male bring food to the nesting cavity once.  We couldn't see anyone inside but he appeared to be feeding someone in there.  The cavity, at first glance looked like just a big knot hole in a Quakie (Aspen). We didn't see (or couldn't recognize the female).  He didn't perch anywhere else for photographs but Jack's photo is on my web site.  They are beautiful, graceful birds. Nothing particularly stirring about their call. If you didn't see the previous post, the photos are at

http://www.wildutah.us/h_martin_purple.html

Also exciting to me at Nebo Loop, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet showing off his Ruby-crown. Of course, there were at least hundreds of gorgeous Mtn Bluebirds. 

We saw a scary, weird, horrid thing coming home on Redwood Road north of Elberta. 8 large dead birds scattered by the east side of the road between mm 6-9 and 1 large dead bird hanging from the power lines in the same 3 mile area. They kinda' looked like hawks. We couldn't stand to stop and look closer. We didn't really want to know what they were. We don't know if they all got hung up in the power lines or if they were all hit by traffic (there isn't much traffic out there) or just what.  Pretty sickening, though. We would see one and just get through cussing and there would be another one. We're just praying they were someone's chickens.

Oh, to get us smilin' again. We saw two Spotted Sandpipers at Jenkins Flat, Nebo Loop just before you come out of Nebo into Nephi. My husband thinks people learned the two-step dance from them because while running around they went one step, two step, pause...dip.  One step, two step, pause...dip.  They don't pause long 'cause the photos are blurry.

http://www.wildutah.us/h_sandpiper_spotted.html

What a nice place to keep cool. Go to Nebo.

Nicky Davis

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