Utah Bird Report for 4/26/00
Submitted by Mark Stackhouse (westwings@sisna.com) to the bird net


Birds mentioned

Common Loon Davis Co.
Eared Grebe Washington Co.
Western Grebe Washington Co.
Clark's Grebe Washington Co.
Great Egret Millard Co., Morgan Co.
Cattle Egret Washington Co.
Green Heron Washington Co.
Blue-winged Teal Davis Co., Utah Co.
Hooded Merganser Davis Co.
Red-breasted Merganser Davis Co.
Black-bellied Plover Davis Co.
Snowy Plover Utah Co.
Willet Utah Co.
WHIMBREL Box Elder Co.
Western Sandpiper Washington Co.
Least Sandpiper Washington Co.
Wilson's Phalarope Uintah Co.
Franklin's Gull Emery Co.
Bonaparte's Gull Box Elder Co.
Band-tailed Pigeon Salt Lake Co.
Black-chinned Hummingbird Washington Co.
Vermilion Flycatcher Washington Co.
Western Kingbird Washington Co.
American Tree Sparrow Utah Co.
Hooded Oriole Washington Co.
Bullock's Oriole Washington Co.
Pine Grosbeak Salt Lake Co.


Transcript

Utah Birdline
(801) 538-4730
Compiler: Mark Stackhouse
Transcriber: Mark Stackhouse

BOX ELDER COUNTY

A WHIMBREL was seen at BRMBR on Saturday, 04/22 (CN). The bird was along the north side of the auto-tour loop, on the south side of the road.

BONAPARTE'S GULLS were also reported from BRMBR, with sightings of a flock of 120 birds at the northwest corner of the auto-tour loop on Sunday, 04/16 (EC), and again on Saturday, 04/22 (CN).


DAVIS COUNTY Along the AIC, 5 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were seen on the south side of the causeway about 2 miles from the entrance station on Tuesday, 04/18 (TS).

In an unusual location for this common migrant, a COMMON LOON was seen on the south side of the AIC at mile marker 5 on Tuesday, 04/25 (M&MSm).

A female HOODED MERGANSER was again seen in the small pond on the east side of the entrance road just past the maintanance buildings at FBWMA on Sunday, 04/16 (EC).

Other birds at FBWMA included a male BLUE-WINGED TEAL at the pond at the west end of Glover Lane (EC), and at least 12 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS in the same location (BF), both reported seen on Sunday, 04/16.


EMERY COUNTY A flock of over 250 FRANKLIN'S GULLS provided an impressive sighting at Huntington Reservoir on Sunday, 04/23 (J&RT).


MILLARD COUNTY At Fool Creek Reservoir, a GREAT EGRET was seen on Sunday, 04/23 (DA).


MORGAN COUNTY Another GREAT EGRET was seen on Saturday, 04/22, in a field just south of Henefer (M&MSm). The bird was on the east side of SR 65 a few hundred yards south of the town.


SALT LAKE COUNTY BAND-TAILED PIGEONS have returned to a yard in Holladay for the third year (DO). Two birds were seen on Saturday, 04/22, and 4 were seen on Sunday, 04/23. This may represent an expansion of this species in Salt Lake County, as the only other known group of Band-tailed Pigeons in the county is in the Olympus Cove area.

Six PINE GROSBEAKS were seen on Friday, 04/21 at Brighton (M&MSm). They were along the north and west sides of the loop road.


UINTAH COUNTY The first report of WILSON'S PHALAROPE for the season comes from Ouray NWR, where several were seen over the past weekend (BR).


UTAH COUNTY Two SNOWY PLOVERS were seen near the end of the the north jetty at Utah Lake SP on Tuesday, 04/18 (LC).

On Thursday, 04/20 BLUE-WINGED TEAL were seen at the ponds by the north Springville exit from I-15, and at the north end of Swede Lane, west of Springville. That same day, an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen along Swede Lane, where the road bends north, and a WILLET was seen at Lincoln Beach on Utah Lake (RS).


WASHINGTON COUNTY A GREEN HERON was seen on Saturday and Sunday, 04/22 and 04/23, at Springdale Ponds, south of the entrance to Zion NP (BS). On Sunday, it was at the small pond behind the main pond.

A VERMILION FLYCATCHER was seen at Grafton, a ghost-town west of Rockville on SR 9, on Sunday, 04/23 (BS). It seemed to be staying in the vicinity of the fields to the right of the gate at the end of the road to Grafton.

On Quail Creek Reservoir, over 12,000 grebes were seen on Saturday, 04/15 (RF,JK). About 80% of the grebes were EARED GREBES, with the remainder being WESTERN and CLARK'S GREBES.

Also on Saturday, 04/15, 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS were seen at Straton Pond, and a CATTLE EGRET was seen at Berry Springs Marsh (RF,JK).

Spring arrivals reported in the past week from the St. George area included BLACK-CHINED HUMMINGBIRD, WESTERN KINGBIRD, HOODED ORIOLE, and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (JK).


This concludes the Utah Bird Report for Wednesday, April 26, 2000.

Observers: DA=David Allan, LC=Lois Clark, EC=Edward Conrad, BF=Bill Fenimore, RF=Rick Fridell, JK=Josh Kreitzer, CN=Colby Neuman, DO=Dee Dee O'Brien, BR=Bruce Robinson, TS=Terry Sadler, BS=Bob Showler, M&MSm=Margaret & Mike Smith, RS=Reed Stone, J&RT=Julie & Robin Tuck

Abbreviations used:
AIC = Antelope Island Causeway
BRMBR = Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
CBC = Christmas Bird Count
FBWMA = Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area
JRP = Jordan River Parkway
NM = National Monument
NP = National Park
NWR = National Wildlife Refuge
SR = State Route
SP = State Park
WMA = Waterfowl Management Area

Please report your sightings by calling the Utah Birdline at: (801) 538-4730 or by e-mail to westwings@sisna.com

You may e-mail questions and comments to westwings@sisna.com or you may call (801) 487-9453.