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Owl Prowl Conclusion

A group of 13 or 14 (I don't have an exact count, please email me if I 
left your name off this list), wonderful Utah birders met to head up 
East Canyon looking for Owls Friday Night.  

Eric Jeffords, Gayle Allen, Mike Johnson, Rilyn Johnson, Kathy Roach, 
Steve Carr, Jack Binch, Nan Dalton, Megan Dalton, Jayla Burley, Doug 
Wolfe, Geoff Hardies and his son, and Tim Avery made up the group.  We 
headed up with a quick stop about 100 yards below the Affleck Park 
Campground.  Unfortunately the sun had dropped behind the mountains and 
there wasn't much bird activity: Lazuli Bunting, Cedar Waxwing, Song 
Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Swainson's Thrush.  

At Big Mountain Pass we headed along the Great Western Trail about 100 
yards to a spot where Pygmy Owl had called earlier in the week.  
Unfortunately we came up empty...  We walked back to the parking lot and 
headed down the Mormon Trail to the area where a Flammy had been active 
earlier in the week.  After playing the call at 3 stops the bird finally 
came in... for about 5 seconds...  Only 3 or 4 people saw it.  We headed 
back to our second stop, and again the bird cam in, and this time we 
were able to spot light it for about 30 seconds before it flew off for 
good.  Again, unfortunately only half the group saw the bird.  At this 
stop we also saw or heard: Mule Deer, Common Poorwill, Hermit Thrush, 
Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American 
Robin, and a strange shriek, up the mountain (no idea what tit was?)

>From here we headed into Morgan County.  Our first stop was only about 
1/4 mile from the pass, and looked good for Saw Whet.  Although nothing 
was seen, something "that size" (could have been a robin) flew form a 
pine about 6 or 7 feet from me.  I wasn't able to get the light on it.  
About 20 feet form us, something went crashing through the woods at the 
sound of the Saw Whet tape, probably Elk or Mule Deer.

Our next stop was productive from the minute we got out of the car.  I 
heard what I thought was a Saw-Whet Migration call, but lighted a Great 
Horned Owl on a pine tree about 75 - 100 feet off the road.  We got a 
little closer so everyone could get good looks, when we heard another 
Great Horned in a stand of Aspen and Pine just down the hill.  I started 
to play a tape but then thought better and asked the group what their 
thoughts were on a smaller owl coming in , and got the reply of " Maybe 
Once, but that'd be it..."  a good chuckle.  We moved on with a couple 
more stops.  The second stop produced a calling Flammy in the Aspen off 
the road, but it stopped after a couple toots.

Then came the stop of the night.  Down passed the horse ranch, I pulled 
over telling Kathy Roach that this habitat looked perfect (this was 
further than I scouted, and Steve Carr had said there was good habitat 
this far down).  I played the tape and almost immediately a Flammy 
replied.  Then 2, then 3, and possibly a fourth bird, but I couldn't 
figure it, out, with all the tooting going on around me.  1 or 2 birds 
seemed to be so close you could touch them, but after about 20 minutes, 
of Jack checking the trees with his night vision, and several of us 
spotting the trees we still hadn't got a great look.  When we were about 
to call it quits, Eric Jeffords said he had one calling just up the 
road.  Not taking any chances, we all made our way into the woods, and 
got fairly close.  So close it was narrowed to a single oak with no 
leaves on it, but the Owl just could be seen.  The noise was so perfect 
and sounded so close. Lights covered the tree from Jack Binch on ones 
side, and the rest of us on the other.  I cut my light off and decided 
to go right into the bush and look up.  I got in, and shined my light, 
only to be looking face to face at 3 feet with a brilliant little Flam!  
He lit up about 10 feet away and was lit for EVERYONE that was still 
with us to see.  Everybody got looks, at not just one, but then a 2nd 
Flammy came in and decided to eyeball the other little fellow.  

It was amazing!  And it was late... So we wrapped it up and went our 
separate ways.  Thanks, for everyone that came it was a great experience 
and I got to meet a bunch of great people.  I also managed with the help 
of Jack, and Eric to get several nice photos:

http://www.timaverybirding.com/flammy_01.jpg

http://www.timaverybirding.com/flammy_02.jpg

On another note.  I posted this earlier today to BIRDNET, but again, my 
message hasn't gone through (look for it, oh about Monday I guess...)  
But the Yellow-billed Cuckoo was present at around 12:30 this afternoon 
where the fence crosses the road.  The bird was calling in the brush 
along the north side of the road.  I managed to get several glances at 
it as it wove through the bushes, before disappearing too far back for 
me to see.  

GOOD BIRDING!!!!!!!!!!

Tim

http://www.timaverybirding.com
Salt Lake City, UT or Wherever the Birds Take Me!
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