[Birdtalk] Grand Staircase-Escalante NM birds

[Ryan O'Donnell]

I spent four days last week backpacking around Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument.  I didn't see anything too remarkable, except maybe
for some early migrants.  I was surprised to find that all the juncos
that I got good looks at seemed to be the Slate-colored subspecies.  I
expect they'll be replaced as the Slate-colored move back north, unless
this is just regional variation and they residents there are just a
solid gray.  My maing goal down there was to look for frogs, but I
didn't find any.  The only herps (amphibians or reptiles) I saw were
Common Side-blotched Lizards and Ornate Tree Lizards.  Here is the total
list of bird species I saw and/or heard in the National Monument:
 
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
Chukar
Great Blue Heron
Northern Flicker
Mountain Bluebird
Loggerhead Shrike
Western Scrub-Jay
Pinyon Jay
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Juniper Titmouse
Bewick's Wren
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
Spotted Towhee
 
Good birding,
Ryan
 
Ryan P. O'Donnell
Department of Biology and the Ecology Center
Utah State University
5305 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5305
 
http://200birds.blogspot.com