[Birdtalk] A Birdy North Arm Today

[Kristin Purdy]

I birded the North Arm Natural Area of Pineview Reservoir in Weber County 
today in preparation for one of the Utah Ornithological Society Conference 
(September 12-14) field trips.

Species of the day was the Lazuli Bunting. I've never seen such a 
concentration before and of course, they were all very drab first year birds 
or adult females. And then double of course, they were keeping company with 
the second species of the day, young Chipping Sparrows. The concentration of 
these birds was along the edge east of the North Fork of the Ogden River and 
the wooden boardwalk west of the river on the way to the Pineview West 
Trail.

I was quite pleased also to see a Virginia's Warbler since this species 
probably doesn't nest in the wet riparian corridor of the North Fork. The 
bird was hatch-year and had just a blush of yellow on its upper breast along 
with the yellow undertail coverts. Gray Catbirds continue in good numbers 
and they were obvious in both appearance and voice. A pair of Black-chinned 
Hummingbirds performed a spiralling pas de deux over my head and their dance 
was elegant and graceful.

Birding from the footbridge over the North Fork was excellent. Many birds 
used the opening over the river and the brush alongside. I just stood there 
to see Cedar Waxwings flycatching, Warbling Vireos gleaning bugs from 
riverside shrubs and Orange-crowned Warblers bathing. Dead treetops along 
the river provided perches for tanagers and an Olive-sided Flycatcher. I 
didn't walk the nature trail because it's too overgrown; the Pineview West 
Trail provides a better vista from the west over the nature trail area. 
Walking the trails out through grassy and teasel-covered fields was one 
grasshoppery experience. The number of grasshoppers fleeing the path as I 
approached was almost Biblical. Where are the Swainson's Hawks when you need 
them?

Here's everything I remember:

Canada Geese
Brown Ducks
Western Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Violte-green Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
House Wren
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Virginia's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Lazuli Bunting
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch

The North Arm Natural Area is located at mile 3.8 of SR-158 in Eden, Ogden 
Valley.

Kris 
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