[Birdtalk] Utah Lake oddities

[L. D. Giddings]

Yesterday Bryan Shirley, Kim Asmus, DWR biologist, and I spent the day
checking the south end of Utah Lake for the Provo Christmas bird count.
This area includes Swede's Lane and River Lane. The conditions were
generally cold and wet. The temperature varied from about 28 F - 35 F
and there was about 8"-12" of snow on the ground. The lake in this area
has mostly opened up since last weekend at which time it was iced over,
undoubtedly due to the very warm temperatures over the last few days
leading up to yesterday. A number of rather unexpected observations were
made despite - or perhaps, because of - the weather. These include:

- a white-faced ibis flying over the sloughs immediately west of I-15
and the north Springville exit
- a savannah sparrow, perched on a fence in the same area
- 84 mourning doves, in the same general area
- 61 Eurasian-collared doves perched in trees near the old barn near the
beginning of River Lane
- 2 yellow-headed blackbirds and 2 brown-headed cowbirds in a very large
mixed flock of blackbirds and starlings along the highway that leads
from I-15 to Swede's Lane
- a northern mockingbird was seen at the lake end of Swede's Lane

Lu Giddings

Total Species Count: 44
Canada Goose  57
Gadwall   8
Mallard   42
Northern Shoveler 2
Ring-necked Pheasant 44
Pied-billed Grebe 2
White-faced Ibis 1
Bald Eagle  4
Northern Harrier 23
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk  2
Red-tailed Hawk  16
American Kestrel 13
Ring-billed Gull 176
Rock Pigeon  15
Eurasian Collared-Dove 61
Mourning Dove  84
Barn Owl  2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 43
Black-billed Magpie 22
Common Raven  4
Horned Lark  121
Black-capped Chickadee 29
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 21
Hermit Thrush  1
American Robin  20
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 908
American Pipit  14
Spotted Towhee  13
American Tree Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow  93
White-crowned Sparrow 199
Dark-eyed Junco  55
Red-winged Blackbird 410
Western Meadowlark 71
Yellow-headed Blackbird 2
Brewer's Blackbird 35
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Finch  4
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow  468