[Birdnet] Cinnamon Teal, American Tree Sparrows

[Kristin Purdy]

Many members of Wasatch Audubon spent today at Salt Creek WMA in Box Elder County northwest of Corinne assisting the DWR with Bald Eagle Day. Our assistance, however, did not produce eagles. Despite the division's "baiting" in advance with roadkill deer we only saw seven or eight eagles. Lots of other birds kept us busy. 

The ice has begun to recede with our recent warm weather and the place hosted lots of waterfowl and waterbirds including: 

Canada Geese
Tundra Swans
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallards
CINNAMON TEAL (5 drakes)
Northern Shovelers
Green-winged Teal
Canvasbacks
Redheads
Ring-necked Duck 
Common Goldeneyes
Common Mergansers
Ruddy Ducks
Great Blue Herons
American Coots
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-billed Gulls

Also present were:
Northern Harriers
Rough-legged Hawk
Prairie Falcon
Ring-necked Pheasants
Horned Larks
American Robin
AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS    
Song Sparrows
Western Meadowlarks
Red-winged Blackbirds

The American Tree Sparrows were very entertaining in a small manmade pool on the slope just west of the observation pavilion. Randy Berger, manager of the WMA, collects water that runs off the roof of the pavilion, stores it in an underground tank and then feeds it through a hose to the concrete-lined pool. We saw the tree sparrows visiting the pool several times during the course of the day to bathe and drink. There may have been as many as ten birds total, although the most we saw at a time was four or five. The sparrows also used the sagebrush and railings along the path down to the photography blinds. 

Birding on the way home was fruitful including a male boreal Merlin on 6800W. near the intersection with 6800N in Corinne, a Great Horned Owl in the yard at the southwest corner of the intersection of 6800N. and 7200W. in Corinne (bird perches in the tallest tree in the yard, southeast corner of the yard along 7200W; second time I've seen it there), another GHO on the Corinne cutoff road, east side, first house north of Forest Street (perhaps this is considered Brigham City) and finally, a Prairie Falcon landing on the power pole just east of the driveway to the Bear River MBR Education Center on Forest Street. Forest Street is located at I-15 exit 363. 

For more information on Salt Creek WMA including directions, launch the link below and scroll down to Salt Creek.

Kris

http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/boxelder/BirdingSites.htm
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