[Birdnet] MISSISSIPPI KITE, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, etc. in Logan

[Ryan O'Donnell]

Yesterday evening (May 5th) I birded around Rendezvous Park and the
Logan River Golf Course in Logan.  At around 6:30PM I found a
waterthrush, presumably a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, walking along a ditch
there.  The bird was walking away from me and I only saw it for a few
seconds, but I'm confident that it was a waterthrush because I could see
a long, solid dark brown tail bobbing constantly up and down, a white or
off-white ventral surface with dark streaking in the side, solid dark
brown wings and back, and pink legs.  The bird was walking along the
muddy edge of the ditch an inch or so from the water and parallel to the
it, heading north.
 
I went home to get my camera and picked up Craig Fosdick on the way, and
returned to Rendezvous Park.  While we were looking for the waterthrush,
I saw a MISSISSIPPI KITE fly over twice.  The first time it was flying
south on the east side of the railroad tracks.  At the very first glance
I thought it was a Peregrine Falcon because of its size, pointed wings,
gray tones, and strong powered falconlike flight.  But after a wingbeat
or two I could see that it had a solid black tail that was perfectly
squared off at the tip.  The bird disappeared over the trees before
Craig could get a look at it, and so we went back to looking for the
waterthrush because it hadn't quite dawned on me what I had just seen.
Five to ten minutes later, Craig noticed the same bird again flying
directly overhead.  This was at about 8:15 or 8:30 and it (of course)
flew directly west into the setting sun.  We were able to make out that
the dorsal surface was mostly medium to light gray and we could see its
flight style well in silhouette, but it wasn't until it reached a stand
of willows on the west side of 600W that it banked below the horizon,
showing flashes of white in the wings for two wingbeats.  It perched in
the willows and so we jogged back to the car and drove to the willows
but we weren't able to find it again before it got too dark to see
anything in the trees.  If accepted, I believe this would be the first
state record.
 
I went back this morning for several hours but I wasn't able to relocate
either of these two birds.  Other highlights from these two visits to
the area included my first-of-the-year Western Tanagers, Warbling Vireo,
Bullock's Orioles, Plumbeous Vireo, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Black
Headed Grosbeak.  There were at least two Wood Ducks and two Mandarin
Ducks flying around the area.  Also, the Common Grackles are back in the
poplars just south of the Willow Park Zoo.
 
Sorry for the (13h) delay in posting, but I didn't have access to the
computer last night.  Thanks to Colby for posting on Birdnet for us.
 
Good birding,
Ryan
 
Ryan P. O'Donnell
Department of Biology and the Ecology Center
Utah State University
5305 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5305
 
http://200birds.blogspot.com