[Birdtalk] Birdtalk Report on Sunday Birding

[Kathleen Robins]

We (Hal and Kathy Robins) went birding at East Canyon, Echo, and Rockport reservoirs on Sunday, October 29.  Visiting the three sites makes for a nice day of birding from our Salt Lake City home.

East Canyon Reservoir  (from several pull-outs along the east side of reservoir, especially at the inlet)
    Bald Eagle (1 adult, 1 juvenile, 1/2 mile south of East Canyon resort in trees on the east)
    Black-billed Magpie (9)
    Gulls (we need help here, somewhere around 100 spread out among Ring-billed, California, Bonaparte's and Herring, but we
              had great difficulty separating them out - our guess, mostly Ring-billed, few Bonaparte's, fewer California, even fewer 
              Herring??)
    Black-capped Chickadee (3)
    Bufflehead (2 - 1st winter birds)
    Ring-necked Duck (2 - 1 male, 1 female/juvenile?)
    Barrow's Goldeneye (6)
    Mallard (16)
    Common Merganser (20)
    Shoveler (2 females/late juvenile?)
    Western Grebe (14)
    Starling (3, all in full winter plumage, beautiful!)
    Eared Grebe (13)
    Pied-billed Grebe (2)
    American Goldfinch (9)
    Common Loon (7)
    Sharp-shinned Hawk (2)
    American Coot (10)

Echo Reservoir (from several pull-outs along the east side of the reservoir, especially at the inlet)
    Our experience was very different here than East Canyon.  We saw a few Western Grebes, a few Common Loons, a few
    American Coots, and no ducks of any kind.

    However, three sightings are worth noting:
        Canada Goose (75)
        Ross's Goose (1 light juvenile, 1 dark juvenile, freely mingling with the Canada Geese, viewed for a long time overlooking
                                the southeast inlet)
        Gulls (again, we need help here, somewhere around 500, we think distributed as above)

Rockport Lake (from several pull-outs along the west side of the reservoir, especially at the dam)
    Common Loon (20, 1 male in full adult breeding plumage)
    Western Grebe (5)
    Common Merganser (1)
    Mallard (somewhere around 100+)
    American Coot (50)
    Bufflehead (4)
    Gadwall (8)
    Gulls (again, we need help here, somewhere around 250, we think distributed as above)
   

    
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