Utah County Birders Newsletter
October 2004


OCTOBER MEETING:

Wednesday, October 20th.

Meet at 7:00 PM in the Bean Museum Auditorium on the BYU Campus.

Our speaker will be Brian Curry, an expert photographer who will show and discuss some of his bird pictures. Brian is from Syracuse, Utah.

Bring your friends.
 


FIELD TRIPS:

Saturday, October 16th.
Led by Bryan Shirley

If anything good shows up we'll chase it, if not we'll just stay fairly close to home.

Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the Orem Center Street Park & Ride.

 

Saturday, October 23rd.
Led by KC Childs

We will go check Deer Creek for loons and gulls and ducks.

Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the Orem Center Street Park & Ride.
 


Reed’s Ramblings
by Reed Stone

 There never seems to be a dull day in my yard. In the spring it is the new migrant with their color and songs. In the summer it’s song, territory and rearing of the young. In the fall it is time again for migration and the frustrations of faded and immature plumage. Each phase brings its challenges and rewards. One ever present challenge is - there is always an exception: a misguided migrant, a unique color phase or an out of character behavior. Each and every exception stimulates my interest. Each phase of the season attracts different birds and behaviors. Last month it was my Hawthorne berries that created so much avian activity. Right now it is the brilliant orange berries on the Mountain Ash. Last night there was a cascade of ROBINS descending on the Ash tree with a mixture of HOUSE FINCHES, CHICKADEES and one lone SCRUB JAY. The phyrocantha with its ripening fruit seems to be next on the menu. Cotoneaster berries are starting to show. The purple Oregon Grapes are looking a bit tasty also.

Now for a bit of reminiscence. About eleven years ago when I purchased 100 evergreen seedlings my sweet wife gave me a kind of a skeptical smile, as if to say; at your age you will never see them as trees. Being determined I went ahead and planted them anyway. Today they average about 18 ft. tall and have produced cones for several years. And they provide good cover for my fine feathered friends.

I have endeavored from the first to make the "yard" attractive to birds. First it was the evergreens. They were followed by other plants that welcome birds either for cover, food, nest building, perching and it doesn’t hurt to have a river and large trees in the back yard either. I keep a special row in my garden that is referred to as a nursery row. It is in this row I plant starts clipped from plants I would like in my yard. I started the Cotoneaster from a clipping I obtained at the Provo Temple by permission. I started grapes from clippings. Today they are providing cover and protection from neighborhood cats as well as food. The trumpet vines are from a pod of seeds I picked from a neighbors vine. Today I have some Elder Berry seeds curing so they will be ready for planting next spring. I also plan to raise some Sun Flowers and leave their seeds out for the birds to feed on.

The list goes on. I purchase some plants and propagate others. Plants in the yard that attract birds because of the food produced include: two species of Oregon Grape, Hawthorne, Potowatome (wild) Plumbs, Cotoneaster, Grapes, Pyrocantha, Mulberry, Mountain Ash, Burr Oak, Scotch Pine, Honeysuckle and Barberry. One of the nice things about these plants is that they mature at different times of the year. Keep in mind also that their blooms attract birds because of the insects that are pollinating the blooms. Birds also feed on the nectar. We are often twice blessed by fruiting plants not to mention their personal beauty.

I will continue to use my feeders, especially the suet feeders. I think I have 2nd and 3rd generations of Downy Woodpeckers visiting for the suet. When you are upgrading your landscaping think of the birds and the enjoyment you will have when the birds grace your yard.
 


SEE MORE IN 2004!
Birding Contest

Hi everyone, October already! How time flies when you're having a great time chasing exciting fall-winter birds. Folks, it's time to start putting together a list of your accomplishments for this year's contest and submitting your results. If you haven't quite reached your goals yet, our fall weather is absolutely perfect for birding and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Now's the time, so grab those binocs and go find those birds! And, yes, there will be recognition for those who submit their results - this includes Big Day, Big Month, Big Year, etc. Send it all in! To refresh your memory on the contest, here it is directly from the Utah County Birders website:

http://www.utahbirds.org/organizations/ucb/specialreports/Contest2004.htm

See More in 2004

Choose FOUR of the five suggested challenges to participate in the contest.

1. Find 220 species in Utah in 2004. (A bit challenging for some but we know you can do it!)

2. Find 20 species in all the 29 counties in Utah OR find 29 species in 20 counties in Utah. (Steve Carr's List Form)

3. Target birding: Choose FOUR groups of birds from the list of eight groups below and find each species in your chosen groups. Use the new Utah checklist as a guide, excluding accidentals and occasionals.
1. Owls
2. Woodpeckers
3. Wrens
4. Hawks and falcons
5. Warblers
6. Blackbirds and orioles
7. Titmice, verdin and bushtits
8. Thrushes

4. Write an article for the newsletter. Possible topics: "My most elusivebird and how I finally got it." "My most expensive lifer." " The easiest way to count the eggs in a black swift's nest behind Bridal Veil Falls." etc. Use your imagination. (This is an easy one to include in your chosen four. Besides, we need more articles for the newsletter).

5. Add FOUR more species to your World list, OR your ABA list, OR your Utah list, OR your Utah County list.

Please submit your 2004 contest results to Leena Rogers at
marjaleenar2002@yahoo.com.

I look forward to hearing from all of you, and Happy Birding for the rest of 2004!

Leena Rogers