Red Cliffs Audubon Field Trip, Nov. 12, 2005

["Charles/Marilyn Sheard" <mcsheard at redrock dot net>]

    A small group of 12 Red Cliffs Audubon society members met Saturday 
to bird St. George.  To start, we walked the Virgin River Trail from the 
Man O' War trail head for a distance of 2 miles, round trip.  Nice 
patches of Quail Bush and Four Wing Salt Bush mixed in with the Tamarisk 
provided both feed and cover for a selection of Sparrows and Finches.  
Plenty of Abert's Towhees and a Fox Sparrow, heard but not seen.  In 
succession, lunch at the picnic tables provided by the city at the 
confluence of the Virgin and Santa Clara rivers and on to the Washington 
Fields.  The good news is that the raptors, after a long wait on our 
part, are now arriving!  A nice variety of Red-tail plumage variations.  
A long stop to study a possible Harlan's yielded some unexpected 
results. A flock of Eurasian Collared-Doves occupied a row of fence 
posts. These, in turn, had the attention of two Merlins.  One Merlin was 
successful in dispatching a Mourning Dove in flight. Fascinating!  A 
Russian Olive tree at the far end of the fence row was the home of a 
male Vermilion Flycatcher, stunningly red.  The possible Harlan's turned 
out to be, after it flew and we could see it's tail, to be an 
intermediate dark morph Red Tail.  It pays to stick it out.
    Bird species seen were: Gadwell, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Ring-necked 
Duck, Gambel's Quail, Pied-billed Grebe, Grest Blue Heron, N. Harrier, 
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie 
Falcon, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Eurasion Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, 
Burrowing Owl, N. Flicker, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Loggerhead 
Shrike, C. Raven, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Crissal Thrasher, 
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Abert's Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, 
White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Western 
Meadowlark, Cassin's Finch, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House 
Sparrow.
    Plus a bonus at Paul's pond.  Butterflies in November!  Monarchs,  
Queens and one very tattered and torn Painted Lady.
Nice Day.
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