[Birdtalk] Fish Springs, Callao, & Delta - UCB field trip

[L. D. Giddings]

We had a great day of birding in the Great Basin yesterday. Five 
vehicles and 16 birders left the Payson Walmart at 6:00 a.m. and made 
the trek to Fish Springs. After spending nearly six hours cruising the 
dikes and checking the picnic area and the visitor's center, we made the 
drive to Callao and the Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the eastern 
foothills of the Deep Creek Mountains. From there we drove into Delta 
and stopped at several fields inundated with irrigation water and also 
at Gunnison Bend reservoir. Many in the group who lasted until sunset - 
when we finally called it a day - went home with 70-80+ bird species for 
the day. As a group, at least 93 species were reported. Trip highlights 
included:

- a juvenile golden eagle sitting unconcernedly on a fence post about 
15' away from us as we drove past, just east of the IPP
- almost upon arrival we were treated to Savannah sparrows, 
black-throated sparrows, sage thrashers, and American pipits in the sage 
flats to the south and west of the NWR entrance
- the many dozens of nesting sandhill cranes, white-faced ibis, American 
white pelicans, great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, 
black-crowned night herons, and cattle egrets in the south ponds at Fish 
Springs that were kind enough to put on a real show for us
- two greater white-fronted geese and at least two greater scaup, the 
former at the northeast end of Harrison pool, the latter in the pool to 
the south of Harrison (thanks to Jack Skolicky for alerting the 
Sommerfelds to the geese!)
- the flooded fields in Delta, the first with many hundreds of gulls and 
waders, the second with more long-billed curlews than I have ever seen 
in one place in Utah. I counted 46 birds in one 20x scope field of 
vision, which covered less than 25% of the birds present, while Steve 
Sommerfeld counted over 60 curlews in one binocular field of vision in 
the same place.
- a pair of courting Clark's grebe's dancing together on Gunnison Bend 
reservoir.

Many thanks to those of you who made it such an enjoyable day! Trip 
participants included:
Ned Bixler
Yvonne Carter
Lynn Garner
Eric Huish
Stephanie and Matt Mills
Milt Moody
Carol Jean Nelson
LeIla Ogden
DeLoy Park
Tuula Rose
Cindy and Steve Sommerfeld
Reed Stone
Bonnie Williams

And finally, a few photos from the field trip may be seen at 
http://picasaweb.google.com/seldom74/UtahCountyBirdersFishSpringsFieldTrip.

Lu Giddings

Total Count: 93 species
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
Virginia Rail
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Willet
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe
Franklin's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Californian Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
White-throated Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Say's Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Sage Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Vesper Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow