[Birdtalk] UOS Field trip: Tintic Mountains

[Lu Giddings]

Seven of us left the Provo Shopko parking lot shortly after 7 a.m. this
morning. We passed through Santaquin and up the road nearly to Eureka,
birded down the Dividend road, went up into the mountains past Burgen
and across the spine of the East Tintic range via Silver City Pass,
across Tintic Valley, and spent the afternoon birding various migrant
traps along Cherry Creek, which runs down the west slope of the West
Tintic mountains. The weather was warm and beautiful and the birding was
surprisingly good. While no Code 5 birds were seen, there were a number
of highlights which include, in no particular order:

- the beautiful lush wet areas of Cherry Creek in the middle of the
pinion-juniper desert are marvelous. A number of species not normally
seen in the desert were observed, including three duck species, a
spectacular, show-boating belted kingfisher, American coots, and a
Wilson's snipe. A remarkable number of flowers and flowering plants were
also in bloom.
- four Empid species, five warbler species, and eight sparrow species
were also observed.
- the world's most placid Williamson's sapsucker hammered away on a
cottonwood tree for over an hour, completely unconcerned with seven
curious birders milling about merely a few feet beneath it. The tree
must have xanax running in its sap.
- a field filled with mountain bluebirds and yellow-rumped warblers,
with a few Brewers sparrows and house finches thrown in, dining on
rabbit brush (or bugs on the rabbit brush) in the East Tintics.
- another second field of blooming rabbit brush, this one filled with
house finches, American goldfinches, a variety of sparrows, and a
painted bunting we were sure was there but which we never did quite see.

- a very cooperative sharp-shinned hawk, which posed briefly for us
after scaring away all the little birds on the Dividend road.
- trees filled with a variety of migrants at Dividend flats.
- a three falcon day is always a good one.
- four golden eagles were seen during the trip, and four more were seen
while driving toward home across Little Dog Valley, including one,
dining on road-kill, from about 25 yards.

Other beasties spotted included deer, badgers, and a green-breasted
short-eared owl-squirrel (don't ask). We also won't tell you who nearly
went skinny-dipping in the reservoir at the end of the day.

Participants (please forgive any spelling errors): Paulette Howard,
Sandy Castlebury, Susan Soffel, Kathy Roach, Kathy Robins, Hal Robins.

Thanks for the support and for a great day!

Lu Giddings

Total Count: 66 species (note: not all birds were seen by all field trip
participants)
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Green-winged Teal
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
American Coot
Wilson's Snipe
Californian Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Williamson's Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Plumbeous Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Pinyon Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Juniper Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Rock Wren
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Mountain Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler (?)
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Green-tailed Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch