[Birdtalk] Lytle Preserve, Apr 9-10, 2009

[Matt Mills]

Hey again,

Forgot to mention, at Chicken Creek Reservoir there were also:
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant

I travelled down to Lytle Preserve, Washington County, with a group of students from Brigham Young University for Apr 9-10. We stopped at the Quail Creek Reservoir on the way down and saw 2 COMMON LOONS. We also stopped at the nearby Hurricane Sewage Ponds which held mostly RING-NECKED and RUDDY DUCKS.

At Lytle the highlights were a male VERMILION FLYCATCHER, 2 ad. COMMON BLACK-HAWKS, many of the local species and a few spring migrants. Following is hopefully a comprehensive list of what was seen in and around the Preserve itself:

Wild Turkey (many tracks, birds heard calling)
Gambel's Quail  	
Great Blue Heron (1)
Turkey Vulture 	(3)
Osprey 	(1)
Northern Harrier 	
Cooper's Hawk 	
Common Black-Hawk (2, some students reported a 3rd bird)	
Red-tailed Hawk 	
American Kestrel (Pair)
Mourning Dove 	
Great Horned Owl (2 calling at night)
Common Poorwill (At least 3 calling at night)
Black-chinned Hummingbird 
Ladder-backed Woodpecker  	
Gray Flycatcher  (1)
Dusky Flycatcher  (1)	
Cordilleran Flycatcher (1)
Black Phoebe  	
Say's Phoebe 	
Vermilion Flycatcher  (1 male in the Orchard) 	
Ash-throated Flycatcher  	
Western Kingbird 	
Loggerhead Shrike 	
Bell's Vireo (1 right near the parking lot, apparently constructing a nest)
Warbling Vireo 	(1)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 	
Verdin  	
Bewick's Wren  	
Marsh Wren 	
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 	
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  	
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 
American Robin 	
Northern Mockingbird  	
Sage Thrasher  	
Cedar Waxwing 	
Phainopepla  	
Lucy's Warbler  	
Yellow Warbler (1)
Yellow-rumped Warbler 	
Common Yellowthroat 	
Brewer's Sparrow 	
Black-throated Sparrow  	
Savannah Sparrow 	
Lincoln's Sparrow 	
White-crowned Sparrow 	
Dark-eyed Junco 	
Western Meadowlark 	
Bullock's Oriole  	
House Finch 	
Pine Siskin 	
Lesser Goldfinch 	
House Sparrow 	

Directions (From Utahbirds.org): [Because this is a remote, not well-signed place, it is advisable to follow these instructions precisely, noting the mileages as you go]. Take the Bluff Street Exit (Exit 6) of I-15 in St. George and follow Bluff Street as it goes  north until you come to Sunset (at a very confusing intersection). Go left (west) on Sunset (SR-91) through Santa Clara, past Ivins and Shivwits.  Shortly after crossing the Santa Clara River the road forks.  Take the left fork (the right fork goes to Gunlock Reservoir) and proceed on SR-91 for 11.7 miles to a place known as Castle Cliffs, for the prominent rock outcrops (on your left).  Turn right onto the gravel road marked by a small sign for "Lytle Preserve" and a larger sign for "Big Cottonwood Game Ranch."  Travel west down this well graded gravel road, through the high-profile cactus country, 10.8 miles, at which point you take the north (right) turn to  Lytle Ranch  Preserve. 

Cheers,

Matt Mills
mattymills2005 AT yahoo.com