[Birdnet] Cuckoo,Vireo,Dickcissel,Parula, BUntings etc...

[Tim Avery]

So by now you are either wondering,

1) Has Tim lost it?
2) Is he serious?
3) Does he think he is still in Indiana
4) All of the Above.

Thanks to Colby for posting my "wacky" series of reports to him via the 
miracle of cell phone.  I still am not sure if this is just a dream, and 
right before I press the send button on my email, I will wake up and be 
quite sour...  For now I will just assume it is reality.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO:  This morning I was conducting a riparian survey 
along the Fremont River that runs through Capitol Reef National Park.  
About 1/2 way through the survey as I was finishing up a point a flash 
out the corned of my eye caught my attention.  I turned to see a cuckoo 
flying across the 10 foot span between the river top the north and a 
large patch of willows, etc to the south.  As birds go I am 100% certain 
the bird was a cuckoo, and 99.5% sure the bird was indeed a Black-billed 
Cuckoo.  There was absolutely NO RUFOUS on the undersides of the wings, 
and the body and throat appeared to be completely pale.  The tale from 
what I could see was mostly dark.  The bird disappeared into the 
thicket, which was rather... thick.  The patch was about 30 feet wide 
and 60 feet long and pretty much impermeable.  I spent 10 minutes trying 
to coax the bird out with pishing and whistles, to no avail.  I had to 
continue the survey so I did, returning to the spot when I was finished 
and spending another 45 minutes to an hour (along with 3 birders form 
Virginia) trying to locate the bird.  I finally decided it was time to 
jet and headed home.  The location of the bird was about 120 feet up the 
Fremont River Trail from the road that crosses the river, between the 
campground and the picnic area.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO:  Yesterday afternoon, 5/24, I heard what I thought 
was a Red-eyed Vireo singing in the picnic area at Capitol Reef NP, but 
was surprised to find a Philadelphia Vireo instead.  The bird was in the 
tall trees on the east side of the parking lot at the picnic area.  I 
did not see or hear the bird this morning:

http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/phvi_01.jpg

DICKCISSEL:  On Sunday 5/20 in the early afternoon I was birding the 
south end of the orchard at Lytle Ranch when I spotted a female 
Dickcissel.  The bird was surprisingly "plain" looking, but unmistakable.

http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/dick_01.jpg

NORTHERN PARULA:  Thanks to Rick Fridell for calling me about this one.  
I managed to find the bird around lunch time on 5/22 in roughly the same 
area he reported it from:

http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/nopa_01.jpg

INDIGO BUNTING(s):  I had five sightings of Indigo Bunting this week. 
1. The first was on 5/22 inside a closed area of Zion NP, so 
unfortunately it is not accessible to the public. 
2. On 5/23 I had a single male fly across Posey Lake Road in Escalante, 
about a mile and a half up the road from the main highway. 
3 and 4. Yesterday, 5/24 while conducting a survey along the Escalante 
River, just west of Highway 12, I had 2 male Indigo Buntings, one of 
which was about .75 miles from the road, the other, about 2 miles up the 
river.  I was able to photograph both birds:

http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/inbu_01.jpg
http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/inbu_02.jpg

5. This morning after completing my survey I had a flyover male INBU 
just east of the Picnic area in Capitol Reef NP

LESSER NIGHTHAWK:  Although not a rarity in Washington County, I hadn;t 
seen the species in Utah, and was surprised when around 7 birds 
"invaded" my camping area (at Zella Tank on the BD slope).  I spent 
about 45 minutes trying to photograph them as they smoothly glided by. 

http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/leni_01.jpg
http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/leni_02.jpg
http://timaverybirding.com/photos/may07/leni_03.jpg

So, with all that I am happy to say this has easily been the best week 
of birding in Utah that I have ever had.  Besides the rarities, I added 
two birds to my life list! (Brown-crested Flycatcher and Bendire's 
Thrasher)!

Good Birding

Tim
tanager at timaverybirding.com