[Birdtalk] Misc Weekend Sightings (SL County)

[Tim Avery]

Yesterday (07/12) was the Brighton Bird Count, and I haven't seen any other posts so I will give a few of the highlights here.  I think the final tally was 55 or 56 species.  Our group did the hike up to Twin Lakes and in all tallied 45 species.  Highlights were as follows:

3 White-winged Crossbill (by Colby Neuman and 3 others in Lake Solitude vicinity)
2 Pine Grosbeak
Numerous Red Crossbill
1 PEREGRINE FALCON (was not on the previous bird count list)
1 Northern Goshawk 
3 American Three-toed Woodpecker
3 Williamson's Sapsucker
4 Hairy Woodpecker

This morning (07/13), Jeff bilsky and I did some exploratory birding around Bluffdale and the Jordan River/Bluffdale Narrows Area which is basically the furthest point south in Salt Lake County.  We were in search of several species in the riparian area, mainly Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, and Ash-throated Flycatcher.  We also had hoped to come across Black-throated and/or Sage Sparrow in one of the sage patches in the area.  For the most part it was just what I stated above -- exploratory, and we did not find most of the species we had hoped for.  Along the narrows at the county line, we did have 2 singing YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, and more Bullock's Orioles than I have ever seen in one location.  We also in the same area had a single SAY'S PHOEBE.  Further to the north we found a nice patch of sagebrush that I thought looked great for sparrows.  When we got out fo the car I heard a sparrow that sounded odd.  I couldn't pinpoint what it was.  I thought Black-throated at first, but when it sang again it clearly wasn't.  It sounded like a Sage Sparrow, but more warbled at the beginning, definitely not the typical song.  I was pretty sure they had an alternate song, but I didn't have it.  However, after getting home and doing a litle searching, I am fairly certain I found that song on birdweb.org. I guess I will need to head back and try again earlier in the morning.  Also in this area (near the war memorial park) we had several Lark and Brewer's Sparrow, and severl nice buck Mule Deer.

We ended up on the Jordan River along the Brighton Canal where a GREEN HERON gave an emphatic croak from what remains of the russian olive lined canal.  The enitre field to the south has been clear cut, leaving an enormous open area, where I am assuming that some type of development is about to take place, ugh...

Good Birding

Tim
Salt Lake City, Utah
tanager at timaverybirding.com
http://www.timaverybirding.com
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