Sharp-tailed Grouse Bonanza in Paradise

["Jim Bailey" <jim at bailey dot aros dot net>]

Hi,

Judy & I ventured out on this inclement day to do some birding in Logan. 
Our target bird was the Sharp-tailed Grouse. The last time we saw this 
species was in White's Valley last year. At the time, it was a life bird 
for both of us, but it was seen at a distance. The pointed tail was 
obvious in flight, but, for a life bird, the views we got were less than 
satisfying.

Today was a true bonanza!. We counted at least 12 at the Paradise 
Cemetery. Most of them were roosting high in the evergreens that flank 
the entrance to the cemetery. We got really good and close looks. I took 
several photos, which I'll post later on. The lighting for photos was 
atrocious for the most part, with the birds silhouetted against the 
bright white sky.

We then went on to check out Jim Lofthouse's feeders, where we observe 
another 5 grouse in the trees of the house just north of his place. 
They, along with a couple of dozen more common species, were flushed by 
a Sharp-shinned Hawk before I could get any more pictures. 

About halfway on the drive back to Logan, two more grouse flew across 
the road about 50 yards in front of us. In total, we saw 19 grouse.

We were up there around 11:30am. If you try to find the grouse, be sure 
to look up. They seem to prefer roosting on the tops of the trees. Their 
eyes were closed on most of my photos, so I think they were trying to 
catch a little shut-eye safely high off the ground.

Coordinates of cemetery entrance: 41* 34' 9.68" N, 111* 49' 31.30" W

Jim Bailey
2032 Ribbon Lane
Holladay, UT 84117
(801) 274-8034

A  hobby must be in a large degree useless, inefficient, laborious or
irrelevant -Aldo Leopold

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