[Birdtalk] Big Sit on the PAD

[Eric Huish]

Big Sit on the PAD.
 
I brushed an inch of snow off my car early Sunday morning and headed to the Provo Airport Dike.  The storm missed the dike.  There was no snow on the ground and although there were storm clouds threatening us all day we only saw three or four snowflakes.  The sun broke through the clouds late in the afternoon giving us great lighting on the mudflat.  It was cold ( in the 30s with a breeze) all day long and we ended the day with one of the lowest species counts we've had on a big sit.  It was still great fun.
 
This year the count circle was occupied by at least one person all day from before dawn to dusk (6:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. - 13 hours).  We saw 45 species.  Most exciting bird was a Stilt Sandpiper mingling with the many dowitchers that spent the day on the mudflat.  Other good birds included 5 Mountain Bluebirds, a Merlin, and two Pectoral Sandpipers.  Mountain Bluebird, Coopers Hawk and Stilt Sandpiper were all new for our 'Big Sit Life List', which after 7 years is now at 104 species.
 
Thanks to all the participants - Ned Bixler, Georgiana Deming, Eric Huish, Benji Martineau, Keeli Marvel, Milton Moody, Cheryl Peterson, Susan Powell, Rachel Rollins, Tuula Rose, Bryan Spencer and Bonnie Williams.
 
Species List - 
 
Canada Goose 20Mallard 6Green-winged Teal 1Ring-necked Pheasant 1Pied-billed Grebe 2Great Blue Heron 2White-faced Ibis 1Northern Harrier 2Cooper's Hawk 1Red-tailed Hawk 2American Kestrel 2Merlin 1American Coot 2Sandhill Crane 2Killdeer 125American Avocet 2Greater Yellowlegs 7Lesser Yellowlegs 6Pectoral Sandpiper 2Stilt Sandpiper 1Long-billed Dowitcher 230Wilson's Snipe 3Ring-billed Gull 45California Gull 2Rock Pigeon 50Belted Kingfisher 1Downy Woodpecker 1Northern Flicker 2Black-billed Magpie 3Tree Swallow 1Barn Swallow 28Black-capped Chickadee 1 Heard OnlyMarsh Wren 3Mountain Bluebird 5American Robin 26European Starling 18American Pipit 30Yellow-rumped Warbler 4Spotted Towhee 1 Heard OnlySong Sparrow 1White-crowned Sparrow 2Red-winged Blackbird 40Yellow-headed Blackbird 2Brewer's Blackbird 25House Finch 3 
 
Here is a link to the Big Sit results page if you're interested in how other sits did - http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/funbirds/bigsit/pastyears.aspx - The deadline for submitting results is November 30 so all results wont be in yet. 
 
 Eric Huish Pleasant Grove UT poorwill_ at hotmail.com 801-360-8777     
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