[Birdtalk] Moab and surroundings

[Lu Giddings]

I made the drive to Moab Friday morning and spent the rest of the day
and yesterday morning birding around town and the adjacent area. Moab is
as beautiful as ever, especially with the cottonwoods wearing their
autumn colors, and the weather was absolutely perfect. The nearly full
moon added to the glory of the surroundings.

It was not my luck to see any unusual migrants. The birds seemed mostly
to be of the "common permanent" or "common winter" variety.  I think I
was about two to three weeks and a storm or two too late for migrants,
although who can say what I may have missed in such a brief trip?

It's really dry in and around town. Ken's Lake is about 30 feet lower
than it's spring level. The Matheson Wetland Reserve seems to have
roughly the same amount of water as the solid stone beneath Delicate
Arch. And the river itself seems low, although I cannot say that it is
any lower than one might expect this time of year. I didn't see any
waders or any shore birds on this trip. Waterfowl numbers seemed lower
than what one might reasonably expect. Even as I drove along the
Colorado river from Moab to Cisco, the river and its banks seemed
completely devoid of avian life - no great blue herons, no Canada geese,
no common mergansers, only a small flock of ruddy ducks frolicking in a
pool above Dewey bridge. Surprisingly, this is the second consecutive
week I have struck out on mallards. Have they recently become an
endangered specie?

The only noteworthy sightings were Eurasian Collared-Doves. Flocks of 5,
6, and 16 were spotted around town early Saturday morning.

Lu Giddings

Total Count: 44 species

Gadwall
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Redhead
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow