[Birdnet] Tooele Northern Shrike, etc.

[Nathaniel Nye]

Hello,

My Dad and I went out to Tooele this afternoon to look for the Northern
Shrike and hopefully locate a Snow Bunting.  We eventually found the
Northern Shrike in the area reported by James McKay yesterday.  We searched
all up and down Mormon Trail Rd. in the area it had been seen, but with no
luck.  We were about to head home when we decided to head up a dirt road to
the east off of Mormon Trail Road for one last shot.  Sure enough, it flew
up and landed on top of a juniper not far off the track.  It was almost
ghostly as it flew because its gray plumage blended in well with the sage
brush, offering very little for the eye to catch.  The bird appeared to be
hunting as it flew from the top of one juniper to another, flicking its tail
at times.  The turnoff for this dirt road T's off at about 0.2 miles south
of mile marker 9 (which is almost exactly 6.5 miles north of Meadow Ln.)  It
is pretty snowy, rocky, and steep, so 4-wheel drive is necessary on this
dirt road.  This sighting was about 1/4 mile up the dirt road at the top of
the first little ridge, at about 2:00 pm.  Very cool--a lifer for both my
dad and I.

We saw a good variety of raptors including a soaring Ferruginous Hawk just
south of Granstville, lots of Red-tails, Rough-legs, and Kestrels all around
Tooele County, a Prairie Falcon just south of Tooele, and a Sharp-shinned
Hawk in Magna.

We also got a good list of waterfowl on the ponds near the junction of Hwy
36 and I-80 and another pond 1.5 miles west of Hwy on the road to
Grantsville, to include Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, G-w. Teal, N. Pintail, Lesser
Scaup, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser,
Mallard, Am. Coot, Canada Goose, and a couple possible 1st year male
Barrow's Goldeneyes.

Good trip, and a good start on birding 2007.

-Nate and Stephen Nye
West Jordan, UT
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