an "over-the-top" birding experience

["Deedee/Dick O'Brien" <ddobrien at worldnet dot att dot net>]

Okay. St. George wasn't exactly "hot" temperature wise this past 
weekend, but the birding was! I lucked out. 

The field trip I chose on Saturday as part of the St George Bird 
Festival provided so many good looks at great birds (some unusual in St 
George area in winter) and magical moments of enjoying bird behavior 
that I just have to share it. 

Here are the highlights as they come to mind and somewhat in order as 
they occurred:
(Note: For those that may suspect I was halucinating or am a "stringer" 
, Rick Fridell was the leader and can vouch for the sightings.)

*   long looks in good lighting at several Greater Scaup (could even see 
green tinge to head) and one Horned Grebe

*   a juvenile Tundra Swan cruising by at eye-level about 50 yds away, 
then landing with big feet extended in small pond far below 

*   an adult Bald Eagle making pass after pass low over huddled clusters 
of coots and finally succeeding in catching his noon meal. He flew away 
low over the water.

*    a Cactus Wren (Utah lifer) appeared  out of a small cholla with 
something white in his mouth

*    a Sage Sparrow (lifer) popped up in a shrub 1/2 way between my 
scope and the Cactus Wren just as Rick stepped to the scope to check the 
wren. The sparrow stayed long enough for me to get a good look through 
the scope, then jumped to the ground and ran under another shrub.  Most 
of us got to see him well as he foraged.

*    a Sage Thrasher was in the same general area.

 *    White-throated Swifts flew low over us in the Huntington Fields at 
one stop.

*    stopped to check out Green-winged Teal in small pond surrounded by 
trees and were treated to a Kestral chasing a Sharp-shinned Hawk who 
landed on pond edge nearly hidden by tree branches

*    great looks at a Roadrunner! (my target bird for the trip) both 
standing still and then leaning into his parallel-to-the-ground posture 
to run

*   Vermillion Flycatcher (Utah lifer) repeating his post to ground 
feeding behavior in light that made his vermillion color glow (or maybe 
it just always glows)

*    several cute Burrowing Owls, Inca Doves, Snow and Ross's Geese, 
Ladder-backed Woodpecker, 19 waterfowl (including the geese mentioned) 
and 7 hawks plus a possible Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk.

The combination of a good field trip leader, 23 pairs of eyes to spot 
birds, and very good luck in encountering cooperative birds gave me 
probably my best birding day in Utah ever. I'm still exuberant 2 days 
later!

Thanks to all who worked so hard to put on this Bird Festival and made 
this experience possible.
Deedee O'Brien
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