[Birdtalk] weekend sightings (and misses)

[Dave Hanscom]

Target birds for the weekend:

Northern Goshawk, Rufous Hummingbird, American Pipit, Red-naped Sapsucker, 
Williamson's Sapsucker

One success - Williamson's Sapsucker

Hopefully I'll do better at the Brighton Bird Count next Sat!

I hiked up Bald Mountain at the summit of the Mirror Lake Highway on Sat.  
For the first time ever, I couldn't find a Pipit, but there were several 
Black-crowned Rosy-finches near the summit.  On the way up the highway, I 
stopped at Provo River Falls and Crystal Lake to check for sapsuckers, but 
it was really quiet.  Heard one Pine Grosbeak at the lake, but couldn't 
find it.

Today was a Brighton hike.  Most of the regulars were there, including a 
nesting Williamson's Sapsucker in the dead tree at the pass between 
Solitude and Brighton (above Twin Lakes), but couldn't find a Red-naped.  

I ran into a friend who has a cabin at Brighton.  He said he'd heard a 
Goshawk recently, but didn't know if there was a nest this year.  The 
person on duty at the Visitor Center said the hummingbird feeders haven't 
been very busy, with all the flowers blooming in the basin.

The highlight of the day was a family of Dusky Grouse.  When I hike at 
Brighton and Alta at this time of year, I try to keep my eye out for them,
since the vegetation isn't too thick.  No luck.  Then as I was driving 
back to Park City, near the bottom of the dirt section on the east side of 
the pass, I came upon a couple of baby grouse crossing the road.  I 
stopped to make sure nobody ran over them, and there was Momma standing
beside the road, clucking at them to hurry up and get across.   :-)

Dave Hanscom