Utah County Birders Newsletter
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Contents
February Meeting
Upcoming Field Trips
Captain's Log
Bird of the Month
Field Trip Report
Backyard Bird of the Month
FEBRUARY MEETING:
Thursday, February 9th, 2017
Melissa Stamp, Project Coordinator with the Utah Reclamation Mitigation &
Conservation Commission is going to present on a project that is currently in
the planning stages to restore the Provo River Delta at the mouth of the Provo
river at Utah Lake. They are looking for input on how to restore the delta in
ways that incorporate improvements for birders and other recreational users.
Please join us to find out more about this interesting project!
Meet at 7:00 pm at the Monte L. Bean Museum. 645 East 1430 North, Provo, UT
http://mlbean.byu.edu/
Saturday,
February 11th, 2017:
8am-early afternoon
Gulls! Gulls! Gulls!
Meet at the American Fork Park and Ride.
We are going to go see the gulls at Lee Kay. We may make some other stops
depending on what's being seen.
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 at -
keeli.marvel@gmail.com
Utah County Birders
Captain’s Log: February
2017
by Keeli Marvel
Greetings fellow UCBers!
I'm in Florida this week attending Natural Resource Management and Compliance
training at Eglin AFB and loving the change in weather and scenery. I don't have
a lot of extra time this week to go birding (or enjoy the sunshine) but I do
have a few successful sightings to report.
I flew in on Sunday and drove straight to a park out along the coast and picked
up a lifer Brown-headed Nuthatch. This morning I went for a walk around a nice
wetland area that feeds in the Chocktawhatchee Bay on base before class and
picked up a lifer Swamp Sparrow. My bird list also included some nice eastern
specialities such as Brown Thrasher, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebirds,
Carolina Wren and Carolina Chickadees.
On our field trip as part of the training this afternoon we got to see some of
the projects they're doing on Eglin that benefit natural resources and I picked
up a lifer Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I'm hoping for a glimpse later this
afternoon of a Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW).
Eglin AFB is a success story for recovering the RCW, which were listed as
Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. They have a very effective
management program that protects RCW Critical Habitat (Long-leaf Pine forests)
on Eglin Air Force Base and they have surpassed their restoration goals
demonstrating that the military can effectively implement their mission while
successfully conserving valuable habitat and protected species (sorry for the
little promo there, but it's really nice to see successful natural resource
management programs). It's a lot of fun for me to see how other installations
are successfully managing their wildlife and it gives me hope for the future of
the bird species in our country.
Hope ya'll are surviving the snow and the inversion and seeing some birds. Hope
I can bring some of the sunshine home with me.
Happy Birding!
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photo by Cliff Miles |
Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
by Machelle
Johnson
Another winter in Utah with sightings of a rare Red-shouldered Hawk. This year
we have had one in Utah County and in Tooele County. The first thing you notice
about it is its beautiful coloring. This striking raptor is a common resident in
the East and in western California, but not common in Utah, although it seems to
travel through or stray into Utah now and then.
Adults are colorful hawks with dark-and-white checkered wings and warm reddish
barring on the breast, and a prominent rusty slash on the shoulder that is
evident when the bird is perched. The tail is black with narrow white bands.
Immatures are brown above and white below streaked with brown. All ages show
narrow, pale crescents near the wingtips in flight.
This hawk will usually perch below the canopy, on a sturdy limb, and often at
the edge of a pond, stream, or swamp. It also hunts from perches along roadsides
and forest edges. Pete Dunne writes, “It glides to capture prey or uses powered
flight like an accipiter (particularly when attempting to capture birds). In
winter, it also haunts feeders.”
In flight, note broad, rounded wings and medium-length tail that they fan out
when soaring. They often glide or soar with their wingtips pushed slightly
forward, as if reaching out to embrace something.
People around the county and state have been able to see this adult hawk and
take some great photos of it. Thanks to all who are using ebird, utahbirds.org
and the Utah County Birders facebook page to get the word out about the rarities
that come through Utah.
References: allaboutbirds.org; Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion.
If you would like to
write an article for the Bird of the Month, please contact
Machelle -
machelle13johnson@yahoo.com
Click here for past 'Birds of the Month'.
Field Trip Report
East Bay Golf Course, Flow Serve, Salem Pond - 14 January 2017
by Keeli Marvel
Sixteen birders attended the UCB field trip yesterday. We started our trip at
East Bay Golf Course, with a visit to Heron Island, then headed south through
the Springville fields to Flowserve, checked the Lewis' Woodpecker spot, birded
around Salem pond, and then headed out to Payson fields to see the continuing
Red-shouldered Hawk. Highlights from the field trip include a GREAT EGRET
catching fish in one of the ponds at Flowserve, two Black-crowned Night Herons
on Heron Island at East Bay, four SNOW GEESE keeping company with the Canada
Geese in the Springville agricultural fields near Flowserve, and the continuing
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK in west Payson. A notable miss were the Lewis' woodpecker
which haven't been seen consistently in the usual spot for awhile. Thanks to all
who joined us! Links to our ebird checklists are below.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33683538 Payson Fields
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33662884 Salem Pond
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33659583 Flowserve
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33684168 East Bay Golf Course
to Springville
Happy Birding!
January 2017
Milt Moody - Provo
I've had two Yellow-rumped Warblers that wait patiently for their
turn at the suit feeder.
Jack Binch - Sandy
A little easier pick last month. I had a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at my feeders. First one in a few years. (still here)
Eric Huish - Pleasant Grove
A Cooper's Hawk is still visiting regularly.
Carol Nelson - Provo
My yard list increased by four during January with the arrival of an Eared
Grebe, a Canvasback, a Redhead and
an American Pipit. My count is
now 85. Yeh!!
Alton Thygerson - Provo
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay - I get
up to 6 by whistling and filling my peanut feeders. It's fun watching them glide
onto the feeder. For those not knowing, the former Western Scrub-jay has been
split--Woodhouse's and Pacific.
Report your favorite backyard bird
each month to Eric Huish at 801-360-8777 or
erichuish@gmail.com
Printable Version of this UCB Newsletter