List of Birds

["Travis & Kim Lofthouse" <tloft at infowest dot com>]

Dad,
Here are the birds that I logged from Montana (and Cache Valley) during my
trip.  Names are as per Peterson's Field Guide.  The Say's Phoebe surprised
me since I never saw one until I moved to St. George, but he was at the
cemetary in Dillon.  It made me do a double take and check the map of his
range.  Sure enough, they are on the map for that area.
Total 58 species, five new ones for my life list.

American Coot
American Dipper
American Kestrel
American Robin
American White Pelican
American Wigeon
Bald Eagle
Barn Swallow
Barrow's Goldeneye
Belted Kingfisher
Black Billed Magpie
Black Capped Chickadee
Brewers Blackbird
Bufflehead
California Gull
Canada Goose
Cedar Waxwing
Cinnamon Teal
Cliff Swallow
Common Loon
Common Merganser
Common Raven
Dark Eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
European Starling
Franklin's Gull
Golden Eagle
Great Blue Heron
Greater Yellowlegs
Green Winged Teal
Hairy Woodpecker
House Finch
House Sparrow
Killdeer
Long Billed Curlew
Mallard
Mountain Bluebird
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Northern Shoveler
Osprey
Red Naped Sapsucker
Red Tailed Hawk
Red Wing Blackbird
Rock Dove
Ruffed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Say's Phoebe
Snowy Egret
Stellars Jay
Tree Swallow
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture
Western Meadowlark
White Faced Ibis
Willet
Yellow Headed Blackbird

The geese, mallards, and sandhill cranes were in abundance.  Also the osprey
were quite common.  The trumpeter swan was a treat.  The new ones on my life
list were the Common Loon, Willet, Barrow's Goldeneye, Red Naped Sapsucker,
and the Long Billed Curlew.  I also discovered as I went over my life list
that I didn't have the Belted Kingfisher listed, so I added him.  Total of
138 species on my life list.  It's fun to add new ones, and my list is still
short enough that I see new birds all the time.  Keeps the excitement in it.
:)

I even took the trouble to identify a duck on the wing (I usually don't try
that).  It was a Common Merganser and he was so striking and unique that I
thought I could figure him out.

I think the Red Naped Sapsucker was my favorite one.

Altogether a nice little trip.

tcl