[Birdnet] Fwd: Black-throated Blue Warbler at Lytle Ranch

[Utah Birds]

Birdnet Email -- from the website

Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 13:36:07 -0700

It was submitted by LaNita Larsen and Amy Owen 

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Subject: Black-throated Blue Warbler at Lytle Ranch
 
Email_Address: amyowen11 at earthlink.net
 
Message: Last week, Amy and I made an extremely rewarding trip to Southern Utah worth every penny of the gas and the bother of a flat tire. On Monday, November 5th, we ventured out to Lytle Ranch, hoping to see a few southern specialties. And while it took a great deal of patience to sort through the abundant White-crowned Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers and a wave of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, we had some remarkable success. In the cottonwood grove lining the road back to the fruit orchard, we located a stunning adult male Black-throated Blue Warbler. It was methodically foraging in the under-story of a cottonwood tree, which afforded us splendid, eye-level views. We have seen this warbler many times in the east, but never in Utah! Mesmerized, we observed this rare, fall vagrant for nearly a half hour before it flew out of sight. Later in the afternoon, we were able relocate the warbler in some thickets nearby. 
 
Other highlights at the ranch included a Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Phainopepla, Greater Roadrunner, several Red-naped Sapsuckers in the Persimmon trees, a Downy Woodpecker and Sharp-shinned Hawk. In the late afternoon, some Gambel s Quail made their way to the cover of some blackberry brambles at the edge of the north orchard. Also, the quick appearance of a Crissal Thrasher and a nice look at a singing Bewick s Wren was a fun way to call it quits. On the road in to the ranch, we spotted both Cactus and Rock Wrens, as well as a small flock of Mountain Bluebirds. We had some more luck on the way out, when we startled up a Common Poorwill in the headlights of the car, about 2 miles up the road from the ranch. 
 
If you make the trip to St. George, visit Tonnaquint Park. Gambel s Quail and Abert s Towhees are common, and some Wood Ducks are hanging out on the pond. Leaving St. George, we pulled off the freeway at exit l0 to observe a Red-tailed Hawk on a pole. Along the frontage road (Buena Vista Drive), a Harlan s Red-tail was also soaring overhead. This was the perfect excuse to stay by a small wash to look around. A nice way to end things we saw a Mockingbird eating the berries along the fence, a secretive Song Sparrow, two Lincoln s Sparrows foraging in the leaf-litter, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and an Orange-crowned Warbler all right next to the freeway. So we ll need to remember, this is a good place to gas up the car! 
 
LaNita Larsen and Amy Owen 
   
   
   

 __________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://secureserver.securesites.net/pipermail/birdnet/attachments/20071109/053a8d47/attachment.htm