[Birdtalk] Sharptail & Ruffed Grouse - Porcupine Reservoir - Cache Valley

[Buck Russell]

This morning I birded the Porcupine Reservoir area, which is in the south end of Cache Valley.  On the outskirts of Avon I found a Sharp-tailed Grouse.  The fact that I was cruising in my car at birding speed, which is very slow (unless you are a geologist, in which case I was making headway against the continental plate drift), is the only reason the grouse is not road kill. Just before you enter the Porcupine Reservoir area, right before the hard top ends, I found two Ruffed Grouse.  Along this stretch of road I saw Western Kingbirds, Warbling Vireos (silent), lots of Chickadees, American Kestrels, Magpies, and Barn Swallows.  On the reservoir there were Eared Grebes, one Clark’s Grebe, and some Mallards.  On the east end of Porcupine Reservoir, near the LDS girls camp area, at the Deseret pedestrian bridge over the stream, I found a Steller’s Jay, Wilsons Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Hammond’s Flycatcher, and Orange Crowned Warbler.  The Steller’s Jay was a new bird for the year and an exciting find.  This bird is probably considered common by most birders, but it has eluded me for almost two years.  Now if I can just locate another White-breasted Nuthatch!  My friend, Reinhard, tells me that I need to hike up to higher elevations for birds, but I tend to go places that I can reach in my car. Yeah, I am lazy, but I do love those birds.
Buck
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