Utah County Birders Newsletter
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Contents
April Meeting
Upcoming Field Trips
President's Message
Bird of the Month
Field Trip Report
- Powder Mountain, Pineview Res.
Field Trip Report
- Juab Co.
Field Trip Report
- Sanpete Co.
Backyard Bird of the Month
March Hotline Highlights
APRIL MEETING:
Thursday, April 12th, 2012
“Birding in a Bottle”
Come join us for an evening of fun and relaxation. We won't tell you what we are
doing, but it will be fun. Don't miss this meeting!
Meet at 7:00 PM in the Bean Museum Auditorium on the BYU Campus.
Beginning birders are welcome.
UCB April Big Month! We will
have 13 half day field trips (both week days and Saturdays). The schedule is
listed below, along with dates, tentative locations, times and meeting places.
These could change based on weather, current rarities, and participants. A day
trip leader will be in charge each day.
This is the third year we've picked a "Big Month" to do as a club. Last year we
did March and saw 112 species on our 11 trips and had an average of 13 birders
on each trip. This year, April, should get us more, with the early summer birds
coming in by the end of the month. The current record for April Utah County is
142. So lets come out and have a good time.
Dennis Shirley
April 3rd (tues) 8:00am-12:00pm - Benjamin
Slough, Lincoln Point, West Mountain. Meet
at Payson Walmart.
April 5th (thurs) 8:00am-12:00pm - West
Provo, Utah Lake S. P., Provo Airport. Meet
at Provo So. University Avenue Sam's Club.
April 7th (sat.) 8:00am-12:00pm - Goshen,
Elberta, Mosida. Meet
at Payson Walmart.
April 10th (tues) 8:00am-12:00pm - West
A. F., Saratoga Springs, Jordan River. Meet
at Lehi MacDonalds.
April 12th (thurs) 8:00am-12:00pm - Provo
Canyon, Squaw Peak, South Fork. Meet
at Canyon Glen Park in Provo Canyon.
April 14th (sat) 7:00am-12:00pm - Diamond
Fork, Spanish Fork Canyon. Meet
at mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon Chevron.
April 17th (tues) 7:00am-12:00pm - Dividend,
Eureka, South Cedar Valley. Meet
at Payson Walmart.
April 19th (thurs) 7:00am-12:00pm - Santaquin
Canyon, Payson Canyon. Meet
at Payson Walmart.
April 21st (sat) 7:00am-12:00pm - Cedar
Fort, Fairfield, Five-Mile Pass. Meet
at Lehi MacDonalds.
April 24th (tues) 7:00am-12:00pm - American
Fork Canyon, NE County. Meet
at mouth of AF Canyon.
April 26th (thurs) 7:00pm-11:00pm - Payson
areas. Owling!! Meet
at Payson Walmart.
April 28th (sat) 7:00am-12:00pm - Sheep
Creek, upper Spanish Fork Canyon. Meet
at mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon Chevron.
April 30th (mon) 7:00am-12:00pm - Mop
Up!!! Will
go after those missed species. Meet at Payson Walmart.
We are actively recruiting people to lead local half-day field trips, any time,
any place. If you would like to lead a field trip or if you have any ideas for
this year’s field trips, please contact Keeli Marvel at - keeli.marvel@gmail.com.
by Bryan Shirley, UCB President
Bird Families
Before I get into the real subject here, how is everyone’s UCB Birding Challenge
going? Last month I decided to get ambitious and set a long-term goal of 100
species in every county. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard, but then I went to
Emery County. Granted I did have to cut my camping trip short thanks to my 2 yr
old throwing up her smores all over me and the tent, but I can report that I
currently have 4 species on my Emery County list… Hope your goals are going
better than mine!
In May, 2000 I made my first trip out of the country to go birding. The
destination was Costa Rica. I got my field guide and started trying to learn the
hundreds of birds I had never heard of. It took me about 1 minute to realize
there was no way I was going to be able to learn all the birds. I couldn’t even
pronounce a pretty good chunk of them, let alone ID them. Of course I could
recognize a lot of the groups of birds because we have them here too, but I had
no idea what the difference between a Tinamou and an Jacamar were. So I started
focusing on at least being able to recognize what family the bird was. At least
then I’d be able to figure out where in the field guide to start looking for it.
That was when I really started to get interested in the classification system of
our birds. It is a fascinating and exciting subject – one of my favorites.
Here is a little bit that I have learned:
There are 212 families in the world. Some of them, like waterfowl or thrushes
are found in most of the world. Others are only found in small areas. A good
example is the Hawaiian Honeycreepers – a family of birds found only in the
Hawaiian Islands. Another interesting thing about Bird Families is when most of
a family is in a particular area, but then there are a few strays. A good
example of this is the wrens. Did you know that there are 75+ species of wrens
in the world and all but one of them is found in North and South America? We
have 7 species just in Utah, but the Eurasian Wren (a recent split from the
Winter Wren) is the only wren found from Japan to England. Kingfishers are the
opposite – there are only 3 in North America and 3 more in South America, but 90
more species outside of the Americas.
In ABA we have about 80 families, but that includes some that are only here
occasionally like a stray Bananaquit in Florida or a Jacana on some golf course
in Arizona. If I counted right in Utah we have about 59 families, again counting
the rare ones like the Frigatebirds. That means that there are about 20 families
that we can’t see in Utah (at least haven’t been seen yet). Most of the families
we don’t get in Utah are found around the periphery of North America. A few of
the families are seabirds (Tropicbirds, Boobies, Storm-Petrels, etc), a couple
that barely make it into Arizona (Olive Warbler, Trogons), and a few more that
barely make it to Alaska (Old World Warblers,) Texas (Chachalaca) and Florida
(Limpkin).
Here in Utah I think that most birders have seen most of the bird families,
whether we are all aware of it or not. There are a couple of families that you
may have to make a special trip for though. One is the Verdin – the sole member
of the Penduline-Tit family in the Americas. One of the characteristics of the
family is the ball-shaped nests that they make. If you haven’t seen one keep an
eye out next time you are in Washington County – the only place in Utah you can
see it.
Another fun thing about bird families is learning how families relate to each
other. If you are a beginner this will help a lot in finding birds in the field
guides. Have you ever wondered why the ducks are at the beginning instead of the
sparrows? Did you know that swifts are related to hummingbirds? What about
pelicans and cormorants? On the other hand, why are Hawks & Eagles in the same
family, but Falcons aren’t? Why aren’t California Quail and Chukars in the same
family (it isn’t the top-notch!)?
We could go on all day, but it is time to wrap this article up. If you want to
read about bird families some of the field guides give a bit of info, but I
recommend the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. It goes through all the
families of North America in good detail. If you are still trying to think up an
ambitious goal for the birding challenge this year how about trying to see 1 of
all the regular bird families in Utah? I guarantee it would be an easier goal
than trying to find 100 species in Emery County!
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Photo by Milt Moody |
White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus)
by Ned Bixler
Ever have that bird species, that no matter how hard you look for it, you seem
never able to find it? My elusive bird is the white-tailed ptarmigan !! After
trying, I have yet to see this species.
This species was introduced into the Uinta Mountains in 1976. It is an alpine
species, a permanent resident of the high mountains above the timberline, and is
associated with willowy drainages. In Utah, this bird is a game bird. The hunt
season is in August to October. The bag limit is 4. The possession limit is 12 .
A free permit is required in addition to a hunting license.
The white-tailed ptarmigan is also known as the snow quail. It is the smallest
of the ptarmigan. The
length is approximately 12-15 inches, and weight is approximately 12-15 ounces.
Identification of ptarmigan in plumages other that adult male breeding can be
very difficult. The tundra environment of ptarmigan undergoes a dramatic change
in color as it cycles between seasons. In the winter, it is a stark world, with
scarcely a rock or shrub to break the monotony of white. The plumage that best
matches such a background is snowy white, with unpatterned feathers. In the
summer, the snow retreats, revealing a dark and highly patterned landscape of
tundra and rock. To blend with this background, birds need highly patterned dark
brown feathers. The white plumage that blended so well with the winter
environment is extremely conspicuous against the dark summer back-ground.
Conversely, a dark and mottled plumage that blends with a summer landscape makes
a bird stand out against winter snow. Blending with the background is critical
to the survival of ptarmigan, and so they have two complete molts per year.
Feeding: eats the catkins of alders, and the buds, flowers, and twigs of alpine
willows.
Nesting: nest is lined with grasses, lichens, and feathers, placed in depression
of alpine turf.
Eggs: 4-16, buff with darker marks.
The male attracts female with song-flight display and calls from 15-50 acre
breeding territory. Pair bonds last until chicks are hatched. Female defends the
nest.
Since, I maybe the only one in the Utah County Birders club not to have this
bird on my list, I am open for suggestions. I believe, the club once used dogs
to help find this species. This year, being a club challenge year, maybe this
would make a good field trip.
If you would like to
write an article for the Bird of the Month, please contact Oliver Hansen --
801-378-4771 -
byucactus@gmail.com
.
Click here for past 'Birds of the Month'.
Field Trip Report
Powder Mountain, Pineview Reservoir, and Beus Pond - 10 March 2012
by Keeli Marvel
Thirteen birders met for a UCB field trip yesterday to Powder Mountain, Pineview
Reservoir, and Beus Pond.
We stopped on the way up to Powder Mountain at Pineview Reservoir and pulled off
of the road at the northeast end. Highlights at this location were four Tundra
Swans, Common and Hooded Mergansers, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Ruddy Ducks, a
Belted Kingfisher fishing, and a partridge in a pear tree... (oh, wait, scratch
that last one) all in the water at the east end of the reservoir.
In the area around the Powder Mountain Ridge feeder we got to see Gray-crowned
Rosy Finches, Mountain Bluebirds, Mountain Chickadee, Hairy Woodpecker,
Townsend's Solitaire, Cassin's Finches and a Steller's Jay. There weren't as
many rosy finches at the feeder as have been reported in previous weeks and we
were unable to confirm the presence of any Black Rosy Finches.
At Beus Pond Park, the Mandarin Ducks and Wood Ducks continued in all their
splendor. We also got great looks at a Downy Woodpecker, another Belted
Kingfisher, Lesser and American Goldfinches, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a few
other common species. It was a beautiful day for birding!
Field Trip Report
Juab County - 24 March 2012
by Eric Huish
Saturday morning Bryan Shirley led 20 birders on a field trip to Juab County. We
met in Payson at 7:00. Our goal was to see 48 species in Juab County for our UCB
2012 birding challange -
http://www.utahbirds.org/ucb/BirdingChallenge2012.pdf
We ended the field trip at 11:30 am with a total of 54 species in Juab Co.
Highlights -
- a Lincoln's Sparrow, a Say's Phoebe, a couple of flocks of Cedar Waxwings and
a pair of Coyotes at Burraston Ponds.
- a pair of Great Horned Owls and another Say's Phoebe north of Mona.
- Red-breasted Mergansers at the south end of Mona Reservoir.
- a Horned Grebe near the dam at Mona Reservoir.
Full lists below
Directions to -
Burraston Ponds -
http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/juab/BurrastonPonds.htm
Mona Reservoir -
http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/juab/MonaReservoir.htm
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Burraston Ponds, Juab, US-UT
Mar 24, 2012 7:29 AM - 8:39 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.7 mile(s)
Comments: UCB Field Trip led by Bryan Shirley. We birded along Burriston road on
our way to the ponds and we walked around the center pond of the main ponds. In
addition to the birds we also spotted a couple of distant coyotes.
24 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose 3
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 18
Mallard 2
Cinnamon Teal 2
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Northern Harrier 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Coot 2
Sandhill Crane 1 Heard only
Larus sp. 100 Lots of gulls flying over.
Say's Phoebe 1
Common Raven 2
American Robin 10
European Starling 4
Cedar Waxwing 45
Song Sparrow 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Red-winged Blackbird 30
Western Meadowlark 10
Yellow-headed Blackbird 1
Brewer's Blackbird 27
House Sparrow 4
----------------------------------------------
Mona Valley, Juab, US-UT
Mar 24, 2012 8:40 AM - 9:16 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.6 mile(s)
Comments: UCB Field Trip led by Bryan Shirley. This list includes birds seen
while driving through the town of Mona and birds along Main Street (The Mona Rd)
north of town. See the 'Mona Reservoir' list for birds seen around the reservoir
and along the road west of the reservoir.
12 species
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Killdeer 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove 6
Great Horned Owl 2
Say's Phoebe 1
Black-billed Magpie 1 Heard Only
Common Raven 2
American Robin 2
European Starling 10
Western Meadowlark 3
House Sparrow 10
---------------------------------------------
Mona Reservoir, Juab, US-UT
Mar 24, 2012 9:20 AM - 10:55 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Comments: UCB Field Trip led by Bryan Shirley. We made a stop at the south end
of the reservoir. The lake was high and there was water on both sides of the
road at the south end. We then birded along the road west of the reservoir, then
checked the reservoir again from the overlook near the dam.
37 species (+3 other taxa)
Canada Goose 4
Gadwall 15
American Wigeon 40
Mallard 4
Cinnamon Teal 3
Northern Shoveler 1
Northern Pintail 4
Green-winged Teal 5
dabbling duck sp. 30
Redhead 5
Lesser Scaup 5
Bufflehead 1
Common Merganser 20
Red-breasted Merganser 5
Ruddy Duck 10
Horned Grebe 1 Winter plumage. Near the dam.
Western Grebe 1
Clark's Grebe 6
Western/Clark's Grebe 15
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Rough-legged Hawk 2 Along the road west of the reservoir.
American Coot 20
Sandhill Crane 1 Heard Only
Killdeer 2
Greater Yellowlegs 1 in the flooded fields at the south end of the reservoir.
Ring-billed Gull 20
California Gull 18
Larus sp. 30 fly by
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Common Raven 1
Horned Lark 4 Along the road west of the reservoir.
European Starling 5
White-crowned Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Western Meadowlark 8
Yellow-headed Blackbird 1
House Sparrow 10
------------------------------------
Goshen Canyon (Juab Co.), Juab, US-UT
Mar 24, 2012 10:56 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: UCB Field Trip led by Bryan Shirley.
5 species (+1 other taxa)
California Quail 1
Larus sp. 30 Fly over
Rock Pigeon 2
Canyon Wren 2 One very close bird down next to the road. We only heard the other
one.
European Starling 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 4
Field Trip Report
Sanpete County - 31 March 2012
by Oliver Hansen
4 Utah County Birders took advantage of the beautiful weather, landscapes, and
birds or Sanpete county. I'll just mention a few highlights from each location
and then give a complete list at the end. We traveled south and east into the
county from Nephi. We began the Sanpete count at Log canyon. The road is dry for
a few miles and we actually got up the canyon a little bit. Enough to get a few
mountain species. We walked around the Fountain green fish hatchery, drove up
Maple Canyon for a few miles, visited Wales and Wales reservoir. We then found a
new hotspot called "Chester Ponds" (I'll submit a pic and directions later,)
stopped by Palisade state park, Gunnison reservoir, & 9mile reservoir. We
finished the day around 4:00 at Bartholomew lane, and Fayette River-bottoms. It
was quite the adventure and we surpassed our goal of 36 species. I think we hit
about 52 if i count right. If you are anywhere near Fayette in the next few
weeks, make sure to take a few minutes to drive down to the river basin and do
some birding. Amazing habitat. So many birds.
Thanks to Deloy, Ester, and Flora for a great day.
Highlights:
Log Canyon (dirt road leading to the canyon) - Long-billed Curlew
Fayette - Golden Eagle being chased by a falcon
Wales Reservoir - Common Merganser
Chester Ponds (new hotspot we found) - 12 (probably more) Cranes
Palisade reservoir - Red-breasted Merganser
Fayette River bottoms - around 200 pelicans doing aerial maneuvers, Blue-winged
Teal, swallows, Turkey Vultures
-Oliver Hansen
Full species lists:
Log Canyon -- Lower, Sanpete, US-UT
11 species
Long-billed Curlew 1
Northern Flicker 1
Black-billed Magpie 2
Horned Lark 15
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Mountain Bluebird 2
European Starling 4
Spotted Towhee 2
Western Meadowlark 10
Brewer's Blackbird 1
Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery, Sanpete, US-UT
7 species (+1 other taxa)
Golden Eagle 1
American Kestrel 1
diurnal raptor sp. 1
Killdeer 2
Black-billed Magpie 3
European Starling 10
Spotted Towhee 1
Western Meadowlark 2
Fountain Green, Ut, Sanpete, US-UT
9 species
Canada Goose 10
Gadwall 2
Mallard 4
Redhead 2
Killdeer 1
American Robin 3
European Starling 30
Western Meadowlark 1
House Sparrow 10
Maple Canyon (Sanpete Co.), Sanpete, US-UT
10 species
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Eurasian Collared-Dove 10
Mourning Dove 1
Say's Phoebe 1
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Mountain Bluebird 1
European Starling 40
House Sparrow 10
Wales Reservoir, Sanpete, US-UT
19 species
Canada Goose 30
Gadwall 10
Mallard 10
Redhead 10
Ring-necked Duck 10
Bufflehead 10
Common Goldeneye 4
Common Merganser 1
Ring-necked Pheasant 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Eared Grebe 5
American Coot 100
Killdeer 3
Ring-billed Gull 8
Eurasian Collared-Dove 2
Northern Flicker 1
Common Raven 2
Horned Lark 4
Western Meadowlark 3
Chester Ponds, Sanpete, US-UT
11 species
Mallard 10
Ring-necked Duck 4
Ring-necked Pheasant 1
Sandhill Crane 12
Northern Flicker 1
Common Raven 14
Horned Lark 4
American Robin 5
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Western Meadowlark 5
House Sparrow 5
Palisade SP , Sanpete, US-UT
9 species
Canada Goose 1
American Wigeon 1
Mallard 6
Cinnamon Teal 1
Green-winged Teal 6
Bufflehead 1
Red-breasted Merganser 1
American Coot 200
Western Meadowlark 1
Ninemile Reservoir , Sanpete, US-UT
8 species
Canada Goose 6
Mallard 4
Northern Shoveler 10
Bufflehead 6
Eared Grebe 5
American Coot 400
Killdeer 2
American Avocet 4
Fayette River Bottoms - Bartholomew Ln, Sanpete, US-UT
15 species
Canada Goose 10
Northern Shoveler 25
Northern Pintail 2
Redhead 2
American White Pelican 160 At least this many. Could have easily been over 200.
They were flying in from the south. They did all sorts of aerial formations and
landed in the water in huge groups.
Great Blue Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Northern Harrier 1
American Coot 50
Sandhill Crane 1
Common Raven 5
European Starling 20
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Western Meadowlark 1
Fayette River Bottoms , Sanpete, US-UT
20 species
Canada Goose 20
Gadwall 30
American Wigeon 10
Mallard 30
Blue-winged Teal 1
Cinnamon Teal 40
Northern Pintail 25
Green-winged Teal 40
Double-crested Cormorant 3
American White Pelican 60 These could be part of the same group we saw a little
earlier.
Great Blue Heron 6
Northern Harrier 2
American Coot 50
Black-necked Stilt 10
American Avocet 50
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Tree Swallow 25
Marsh Wren 4
Red-winged Blackbird 10
House Sparrow 5
March 2012
Dennis Shirley – Elk Ridge
Canada Goose, flock of 12 flying over.
Harold Clayson - Salem
Downy Woodpecker
Milt Moody – Provo
A male Downy Woodpecker flew in and checked out my trees.
Steve Carr - Holladay
Great Horned Owl - First one in 42 years at my suburban home.
Alton Thygerson - Provo
Red-tailed Hawk - This hawk came swooping in over the backyard and is the
first time I’ve ever seen this specie in my yard or I should say, over my yard.
Eric Huish - Pleasant Grove
Cassin's Finch - a bright red male.
Yvonne Carter – Highland
Feeders are super busy with colorful male House Finches, American
Goldfinches, Juncos and Scrub Jays competing for the seeds.
Glenn Barlow – Fruit Heights
4 Turkey Vultures in the trees behind my house. These are the first I
have seen this year, so they must be arriving in the area. I had one previously
fly over my yard, but this is the first time I have seen them perched so close.
2012 Dues
Thanks to all who have supported us in the past. If you are interested in officially joining us this year, make out a check to Utah County Birders for $15.00 and mail it to:
Carol Nelson
2831 Marrcrest West
Provo, Utah 84604
You will be helping to support the web page and we will send you a copy of the newsletter.