[Birdnet] Fwd: broad billed hummer location

[Eric Huish]

----------Original Message------------------------
>From :  Angie Branch <moabgirl at gmail.com>
Sent :  Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:50 PM
To :  "Eric Huish" <poorwill_ at hotmail.com>
CC :  Roostertael at aol.com, pinkstring at xmission.com
Subject :  broad billed hummer location


Hi Eric,
Wow, such positive feedback. I know how rare a broad billed hummer is in 
Utah, due to this I was quite apprehensive to post it. Perhaps one of you 
will see that orange-billed hummer and validate my sighting.  :)

As far as the location, I did not want to post it till I could  match my 
memory with a mapping program (something I could not do from work) If only 
the hummer was sitting on a feeder. That would  make everything a bit 
easier. I have sent out e-mails for GPS cordinates to the campsite. If I get 
a response I will forward them too. Hopefully my directions are such that 
they are not necessary.

>From Kamas take E HWY 150  (mirror lake hwy) about14.5 miles to soapstone 
basin road turnoff (south). This is also the turn off for the dump station 
and you will cross the provo river. From the turn off drive about 2.8 miles 
to an intermittent river, marked by a shallow ravine full of willow bushes, 
that runs perpendicular to soapstone basin road. The river is just north of 
a fork in the road. Just north of the river there is a dirt road to the east 
(left). Drive/walk to the campsite at the end of the dirt road. I saw the 
broad-billed hummer to the south of the campsite, towards the river. It was 
sitting on an aspen branch in the young aspen trees growing at the ravines 
edge. I only saw it for a few min before it took off south over the river. 
What I observed was the bill- orange-red with a black tip, slightly down 
curved. The back was green but as the light hit turned blue iridescent. 
Belly white. I was so overcome with the orange bill and "blue-ness" of the 
bird that I didn't even note the buzz sound as it flew off. It was one of 
those moments were you stop and appreciate what we all love as birdwatchers 
and forget the birder, within us, that wants  to systematically lock down 
every detail.  I have seen broad billed many times before. In Arizona I 
wouldn't hesitate to call it a broad billed.  There were many broad tailed 
hummers also in the area and I saw calliopes in the field south of the 
ravine to the west of soapstone basin road. The willows are saturated with 
warblers and flycatchers! lots of juveniles! I would walk the north side of 
the ravines edge over looking the river for the broad billed hummer. Perhaps 
the fields north of the river would  also be productive for hummer species.

Here is what I also saw walking along the ravine from the campsite moving 
west:
red tailed hawk, northern flicker, American robin, ruby crowned kinglet, 
dark eyed junco, willow flycatcher, lazuli bunting, western tanager, orange 
crowned warblers, yellow warbler, macgillivray's warbler, gray flycatcher, 
green tailed towhee, Wilson's warbler, pine siskin, song sparrow, black 
headed grosbeak, heard olive sided flycatcher, yellow rumped warbler, 
warbling vireo, Nashville warbler, cassin's finch, chipping sparrow, winter 
wren, broad tailed hummer, calliope hummer, and Rufus hummer. I am also 
pretty sure I heard common yellow throat and black throated gray warblers, 
but I am not as familiar with their calls.

Thanks for posting this on Utahbirds. You were right to suspect others would 
be interested. :)

If needed, I will fill out a bird sighting record.
Angie

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