[Birdtalk] UCB field trip - Box Elder county big day

[L. D. Giddings]

Yesterday what began as a trip to a sharp-tailed grouse lek evolved into 
a Box Elder county big day. We left Brigham City at 5:15 a.m. and made 
stops in Middle Canyon, Pocatello Valley, White Valley, Johnson Canyon, 
Plymouth, Tremonton, Salt Creek WMA, and finished the day at 7 p.m. 
after checking the Bear River MBR auto-tour loop. I observed 56 species 
and know that several other group members observed species that I did 
not. Notable personal sightings include:

- great and entertaining views of the grouse
- season's first observations of snowy plover (BRMBR), black-necked 
stilts (BRMBR), long-billed curlew (BRMBR, White Valley), Franklin's 
gulls (BRMBR), Vesper's sparrows (PV), and hundreds of yellow-headed 
blackbirds (BRMBR)
- straggling tundra swans at Salt Creek and BRMBR
- western grebes engaged in courtship rituals at BRMBR

Trip participants included Esther and Flora Duncan, LeIla Ogden, Ned 
Bixler, Landon Jones, and Mike and Willie Monson. We enjoyed the company 
of Angie Branch and Beth Jewkes during the morning potion of the trip. 
We also had the pleasure of meeting up with Kris Purdy and Richard 
Pontius at the lek. Any of you whose names I have misspelled, please 
forgive me!

Finally. I have posted a few photos from yesterday's trip at

http://picasaweb.google.com/seldom74/UCBBoxElderCountyBigDay

and have also posted photos from the Snow goose festival field trip at

http://picasaweb.google.com/seldom74/SnowGooseFestivalMarch32007

for anyone interested. Thanks to everyone for a very good time 
yesterday, and thanks once again to Kris Purdy for all of her help.

Lu Giddings

trip list (mine only)
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Snowy Plover
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Curlew
Franklin's Gull
Californian Gull
Rock Pigeon
Great Horned Owl
Loggerhead Shrike
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit
Vesper Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
House Sparrow