[Birdnet] White-throated Sparrows at Willard Bay SP

[Kristin Purdy]

Members of Wasatch Audubon saw two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS in Willow Creek Campground at Willard Bay State Park in Box Elder County this morning. One of the sparrows was a strongly marked white striped morph; the other was a tan morph. 

Mort Somer and I saw the white-striped morph well, albeit briefly. The bird didn't hold still long enough for the other participants to get more than a fleeting look. I returned later with a CD player and Brian and Jeannette Nosker. The bird that approached us twice through the brush while I played the call was a tan-striped morph. We later saw both birds in the brush near the yellow 15 mph sign at the entrance and the tan-striped bird on a brushy slope near the feeder at the back of campsite #1. 

I returned a third time by myself, minus the CD player and plus my scope. This time I saw the white-striped morph through the scope while it scratched in the leaf litter on the crescent-shaped island between the main campground road and campsite #1's road. 

The year-round camp hosts at Cottonwood Campground have set up two feeders in the park supplied by Wasatch Audubon seed. One is west of the nature trail parking lot; the other is at the back of Willow Creek Campground campsite #1. The two White-throated Sparrows were near the Willow Creek location. All sightings of both birds occured within a triangle defined by the locked entrance gate to Willow Creek, the brush at the back of the camp host site (behind the logs) and the feeder at the back of campground #1. We never saw either bird at the feeder. 

The hosts appear to be sprinkling cracked corn on the ground at the back of campsite #2 and many sparrows, juncos and towhees are enjoying the feast. 

Willard Bay State Park is located at I-15 exit 357. 

We also visited Mayor's Pond in Brigham City. The species present today are about the same ones everyone else has reported. The number of GREATER SCAUP has increased to nine pairs and the number of female Canvasbacks is up to two. Mayor's Pond is located on 200N. at the mouth of Box Elder Canyon. 

Kris
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