In spite of a the challenges presented by covid we had a great count this year. We ended up with 104 species total and counted 37,370 birds. Our average is 92 and the best we have ever done is 108, so we had a good year. We benefitted from having lots of participants this year. That allowed us to really cover the areas better than normal. Thanks to everybody who participated. We added one new species never seen on our count before – a Green-tailed Towhee was located in Lindon. Other good birds were Lewis’ Woodpecker & White-throated Sparrow. In my area my best bird was Evening Grosbeaks – always a treat. Notable misses were Lesser Scaup & Golden Eagle – both are normally seen almost every year. More than the scaup and eagles I missed seeing all of you though. It was too bad that we couldn’t get together to tally the results over dinner and with good company, but 2020 is almost over and 2021 is sure to be better!

1. Canada Goose – 1,236 (781 average)
2. Cackling Goose – 1 (5th year recorded but only recently split)
3. Wood Duck 19
4. Gadwall – 119
5. American Wigeon – 1,451
6. Mallard – 1317
7. Northern Shoveler – 39
8. Northern Pintail – 43
9. Green-winged Teal – 161
10. Canvasback – 2
11. Redhead – 2
12. Ring-necked Duck – 10
13. Bufflehead – 2
14. Common Goldeneye – 65
15. Hooded Merganser – 3
16. Common Merganser – 5
17. Ruddy Duck – 55
18. Chukar – 3
19. Ring-necked Pheasant – 7 (average 102 but gets lower every year)
20. Wild Turkey – 53
21. California Quail – 203
22. Pied-billed Grebe – 57 (previous high of 38)
23. Great Blue Heron – 30
24. Great Egret – 3 (Only recorded 4 years. Last year we had 4)
25. Black-crowned Night-Heron – 15 (I thought this would be a new record but we had 21 one year)
26. Bald Eagle – 42 (previous high of 39)
27. Northern Harrier – 23
28. Sharp-shinned Hawk – 12
29. Cooper’s Hawk – 8
30. Red-tailed Hawk – 54
31. Rough-legged Hawk – 2
32. American Kestrel – 42
33. Merlin – 12 (previous high of 11)
34. Peregrine Falcon – 1
35. Prairie Falcon – 3
36. Virginia Rail – 13
37. American Coot – 1037
38. Sandhill Crane – 9
39. Killdeer – 6
40. American Avocet – 1 (only the 7th year recorded)
41. Greater Yellowlegs – 3
42. Least Sandpiper – 2 (only the 5th year recorded)
43. Wilson’s Snipe – 12
44. Ring-billed Gull – 496
45. California Gull – 9 (average of 68)
46. Rock Pigeon – 350
47. Eurasian Collared-Dove – 726
48. Mourning Dove - 93
49. Barn Owl – 1
50. Western Screech-Owl – 2
51. Great Horned Owl – 5
52. Belted Kingfisher – 11
53. Lewis’s Woodpecker – 1 (only the 5th year recorded)
54. Downy Woodpecker – 28
55. Hairy Woodpecker – 1
56. Northern Flicker – 158
57. Say’s Phoebe – 3 (only recorded 2 previous years and 3 tied the high)
58. Black Phoebe – 1 (recorded for the first time last year. Not the same location this year)
59. Stellar’s Jay – 9
60. Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay – 207
61. Black-billed Magpie – 266
62. American Crow – 88
63. Common Raven – 11
64. Horned Lark – 26
65. Black-capped Chickadee – 184
66. Mountain Chickadee – 36
67. Juniper Titmouse – 9 (Only 11th year recorded. Recorded by several groups this year)
68. Bushtit – 13
69. Red-breasted Nuthatch – 19
70. White-breasted Nuthatch – 7 (Seen on less than half of previous years. recorded by several groups this year.
71. Brown Creeper – 20
72. Canyon Wren – 1
73. Marsh Wren – 10
74. American Dipper – 14
75. Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
76. Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 21
77. Townsend’s Solitaire – 25
78. Hermit Thrush – 3
79. American Robin – 834
80. European Starling – 19,512
81. American Pipit – 166
82. Cedar Waxwing – 80
83. Orange-crowned Warbler – 1 (only seen on about half of the counts)
84. Yellow-rumped Warbler – 20
85. Spotted Towhee – 111
86. Green-tailed Towhee – 1
87. American-Tree Sparrow – 28
88. Song Sparrow – 169
89. Lincoln’s Sparrow – 1 (16th record)
90. White-throated Sparrow – 1 (11th record)
91. White-crowned Sparrow – 485
92. Dark-eyed Junco (no subspecies) – 306
a. Oregon – 204
b. Gray-headed – 4
c. Pink-sided – 8
d. Slate-colored – 8
93. Red-winged Blackbird – 4844
94. Western Meadowlark – 62
95. Yellow-headed Blackbird – 5
96. Brewer’s Blackbird – 130
97. Great-tailed Grackle – 270 (almost a new high but not quite)
98. Cassin’s Finch – 2
99. House Finch – 427
100. Pine Siskin - 5
101. Lesser Goldfinch – 74
102. American Goldfinch – 28
103. Evening Grosbeak (only recorded about half of the years)
104. House Sparrow – 770
 

BIRD OF THE MONTH:
  

    The Common Raven  (Corvus corax)

           by Lynn Garner
  

One of the most widely-distributed birds in the northern hemisphere is the Common Raven (Corvus corax), a bird that seems to invite human comment wherever it is found. Edgar Allen Poe made one famous, and it is reported that one raven raised as a pet was taught to say the word, “Nevermore!” Legend has it that if ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the British nation will cease to exist; warders constantly maintain a small flock of their beloved birds, not wanting to test the legend.
Natives of the northwestern coast of North America describe the raven as an inveterate trickster.The predatory nature of the raven has also earned it the literary reputation of ill omen.
       The Common Raven is often seen in Utah along the highway and in the farmlands, mountains, canyons, and deserts, perched on posts and outcrops or soaring smoothly through the sky. Ravens sometimes perform aerial acrobatics; All About Birds reports that a raven was seen flying upside-down for a half mile or so! In the western states, ravens occupy almost all habitats outside urban centers. Ravens are very territorial, aiming to keep all other ravens away from their nesting site throughout the year. The nest itself can be quite varied, usually made of sticks, up to five feet across, and is often lined with soft rubbish or even colored paper; the clutch is 3–7 mottled greenish, olive, or bluish eggs. Ravens can be found where other birds might not find much support; a report of one Christmas count in Newfoundland consisted solely of six Common Ravens.
       Ravens are sooty-black, larger than a crow, about 24" long with a wingspread of about 53" and weighing about two and a half pounds. Their call is an echoing croak that is unique and extremely varied. They are truly omnivorous, eating whatever is at hand, such as scavenging roadkill, raiding nests, hunting insects and small animals, and visiting landfills. Their intelligence, similar to that of other smart Corvidae, enables them to learn and to act in concert with the flock. Ravens have been seen to team up, one distracting brooding seabirds so another can snatch eggs or young from the nest. They have been reported to gather to the sound of a hunter’s gun, hoping to find a carcass, but not responding to other loud noises. In winter, a young raven finding a carcass will invite others to share it with him, apparently hoping to outnumber the proprietary ravens of the territory.
       There is a story from medieval Hungary that during a conflict between nobles, the hero was captured and left to die in a pit. A raven (holló) came and dropped a stone (kö) into the pit and continued doing so until the prisoner could climb the pile of gravel and escape. The town where this took place (about 80 km northeast of Budapest) is now called Hollókö and sports a heroic-sized statue of a raven at the entrance to the town.
 

The 2020 Birding Challenge

Utah County Birding Group

    Report by:  Robert Parson

Overall---in a challenging year, this turned out to be a life-saver, lots of fun and very different than originally anticipated.  Kept me going and provide an incentive to bird more and in different ways than I would have otherwise.  Completed 30 of the 36 challenges.  Missed #6 (20 species on the 20^th) by two months, #25 (Turkey Count) and #5 (20 Life Birds) by one, all of which I should have been able to do.

Over-all Report—saw 504 species during 2020 in three countries, 23 states, one district and two territories.  In 2020, saw 238 species in Utah, 188 in Utah County—both new records for me by a considerable margin.  Saw 19 new life birds (only one in the United States) and 29 new species for Utah.  Well below my 2019 count for total species seen and lowest over-all total seen in six years, but pleased with results for 2020.  By far, my best, most fun and educational birding year ever in Utah.

Most Challenging—Birding in 20 States.  I was able to go birding in 23 states, one district and two territories during 2020.  Ending up driving to 17 different states, flew to six.  Definitely not the way I planned to bird in 2020, but quite the experience and we saw 15 National Parks on the way.

Most Rewarding---Birding in 26 of the 29 counties in Utah.  Missed Morgan, Sanpete and Weber. After living out of the state for almost 40 years, it has really been fun to come back and start to learn Utah.  Visited all National Parks, dozens of State Parks, lakes, cities and towns.  This is one amazing state.

Most Educational---Tie between #33 (20 species in 20 trees) and #13 (20 species in 20 towns).  I used an app to help me with the trees, shrubs and plants.  I can’t believe how much I enjoyed learning more about an area that I new so little about, despite loving the outdoors so much.

Most Satisfying---After a long hike up City Creek Canyon, in freezing weather, and then looking for two hours with absolutely no luck, deciding to leave and hiking back down the canyon, and then telling myself to hike back up to the noted campground just one more time, then giving myself another deadline to  leave, but then deciding to stay just 15 more minutes---for the third time, and then—finally--- having two Acorn Woodpeckers fly in just above my head and put on a show!

Most Tenacious---Completed at least one eBird submission on every day of 2020!  Going for 500 consecutive days---then will probably take a break.  Have about 70 days to go.

Most Exciting—As part of #5 (20 New Life Birds), finally finding a Pacific Wren in Utah.  Although I missed getting 20 new life birds for the first time in my birding career, I was absolutely thrilled to finally find a Pacific Wren---after dozens of efforts throughout the state.

Biggest Nemesis---Chukar.    Tried a dozen times in multiple locations (Antelope Island, west of Utah Lake, Lehi area and more), including two hours on December 30 and two hours on December 31.  Maybe next year.  That’s what keeps us coming back for more!  That is the challenge.  That is birding!!!!

  
  
    Provo Christmas Bird Count           (19 Dec 2020)

             by Suzi Holt
                   
     

Prairie Falcon
 

Sharp-shinned Hawk
 

American Pipit on our front porch a firt for us

Canvasback and Pied-billed Grebes
 

Gadwall
 

Canada Geese
 

Cackling and Canada Goose
 

Woodducks
 

Song Sparrow
   

Great Egret
 

House Sparrow
 

Mourning Dove
 

Great-tailed Grackle 

American Pipit
 

Ring-billed Gull
 

You always have to find one of these!!!

Yellow-billed Loon  -Lifer!
  

Downy Woodpecker
  

Mallards and a Gadwall
  

The fattest cat I have ever seen

Common Goldeneyes
 

Black-capped Chickadee

Ring-necked Duck and American Wigeons

     If you have had any interesting field trips on your own this month,
feel free to write a report for the newsletter!

(Send it to: ucbirders@utahbirds.org)