[Birdtalk] 05/17 GSL Birdfest - Marathon Sunday Birding Result

Thu May 21 21:08:19 MDT 2009

On Sunday (May 17), I led my 2nd Marathon Birding Trip for the Bird Festival.  I had high hopes of surpassing last years 134 species, and with wonderful weather and migration in full swing I was expecting a lot of birds.  I was joined by our driver James (who drove like a champ!), Geoff Hardies, and 4 Ladies from the Hill Country of Texas. It was their first birding trip to Utah and they scored a number of lifers, I think in the double digits each.  They did well in keeping at it for almost 17 hours!  Now onto the birds (THIS IS LONG).

Here are some pictures of the YELLOW-BILLED LOON, a very cooperative CATTLE EGRET, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and CLARK'S GREBE:

http://www.timaverybirding.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=583

We started off the day in Farmington, loading the van and introducing ourselves.  We quickly added Western Kingbird, American Robin, Black-billed Magpie, and 3 Ring-necked Pheasants that provided a cooperative, and lifer look for the Texas 4. The gate at Farmington was locked, but the folks who own the house at the entrance let us in.  2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and 1 female BUFFLEHEAD highlighted our stop.  A SORA called from the reeds at the first bend with the large pond. Most of the expected regulars were picked up here as well.  Stopping at the ponds at the end of Glover Lane we had our only un-countable bird for the day--a 1st year (almost 2nd year) MUTE SWAN.  

Hopping on I-15 north we added GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE and CASPIAN TERN on the fly and on the road as we passed Kaysville Ponds. We headed out to Antelope Island State Park, where shorebirds were the bounty.  I think we arrived shortly after Dave Hanscom, as a large flock of mostly BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS was on the fly in the distance.  They flew off to the north landing too far out to ID anything.  I don't even want to know what we missed in that flock--although I already do.  We added Sanderling and Phalarope, and the other regular shorebirds, missing 5 or 6 species I had expected.  On the Island we picked up most of our regular shrubsteppe species, including Sage Thrasher and Brewer's Sparrow. On the road to Garr Ranch we got great looks at 1 of 2 singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.  At Garr Ranch we added most of our warblers for the day including a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER.  A WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE was our only smallish flycatcher of the day.

Heading out we added 1 lone CHUKAR, and BURROWING OWL before continuing north.  Our next stop was Willard Bay State Park where we picked up CLARK'S GREBE, FRANKLIN'S GULLS and SPOTTED SANDPIPER on the bay, as full of water as I have EVER seen the thing!  In the campgrounds we added the expected BULLOCK'S ORIOLES, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and Black-capped Chickadee.  Huge misses for the day here and everywhere were Gray Catbird and Eastern Kingbird.  It may have only been a day or two early for them to arrive there.

We decided to go out to Bear River MBR on a whim, I decided this would be beneficial, and produce more species than any alternatives I could think of.  We added CATTLE and GREAT EGRET as well as BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, pretty much all 6 species of swallow, and BLACK.  Shorebirds were pretty slim, except for the 7 or 8 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS seen.

Heading back east and then south we detoured through Ogden, adding WOOD DUCK at Beus Pond, Western Scrub-Jay in the community of Uintah, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Osprey and American Crow on the drive eat along I-84 to Echo Reservoir. We missed the juniper and cliff species I had hoped to pick up at Echo, but did have 2 very cooperative PLUMBEOUS VIREO.  Continuing to Rockport, we had our highlight for the day as we pulled into the parking lot at the dam.  I could see 2 loons, one of which looked enormous.  I wondered if it really could be a Yellow-billed.  Everyone got out of the car and as I set up the scope Geoff mentioned how big the one loon was, I told him I thought it may be a Yellow-billed.  In the scope the large loon and the great big yellow bill stuck out fantastically.  I hollered for everyone to come over and look at the loon. I grabbed my camera and snapped some pix.  The Texas 4 noted that it was the first time all day I had gotten excited over a bird.  It was true, and made up for missing the YBLO last year.  We spent a few minutes extra letting everyone enjoy the beast, before hopping back in the car and heading to Heber.

In Heber Fields we added the expected BOBOLINKS as well as Sandhill Crane, WILSON'S SNIPE, several SAVANNAH SPARROW and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet--out of place but the only for the whole day. We headed back north now stopping at Silver Summit adding MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and VESPER SPARROW, before hopping on I-80 westbound back towards Salt Lake City.  We got off the interstate at Summit Park and meandered up the windy roads into the spruce and conifers.  We added MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, CASSIN'S FINCH and STELLER'S JAY. WE had to come down to Salt Lake to get a flashlight (nice job there prepared trip leader), I had also hoped that we may encounter Lesser Goldfinch and Black-chinned Hummingbird--no luck.

We hopped back onto I-80 now going east up to Mountain Dell Reservoir where 2 RING-NECKED DUCKS.  Heading p Emigration Canyon to Big Mountain Pass, we added HOUSE WREN and DOWNY WOODPECKER at the pass.  In East Canyon we picked up an AMERICAN DIPPER and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER.  Finally, as it started to get dark and I picked a spot to try for Flaummulated Owl, a pickup truck pulled up to apparently pick up a stranded vehicle.  There in the dark, with our van blocked in we waited for the truck to shut off its motor, and quite down.  Well that didn't happen, and the banging and clanging and rumble of the engine that followed for 20 or so minutes was not good for owling.  I decided to pull everyone down the road and started playing for owl.  A lone bird responded and flew in.  I set everyone up hoping to get looks, but before I could even look in the tree for the bird, I caught it flying across the road, up into an Aspen.  WE were unable to locate the little guy in the tree and after several minutes a car came up the canyon and as it approached the truck that was sort of sticking out in the road, it laid on the horn, for 3 or 4 seconds.  Well, so much for owls... Finally they moved their truck, and we were able to move.  Stopping at another location up the canyon another bird replied, but was impossible to find 40 or so feet up in a Spruce. We took off, tallied up the birds and headed back toward Farmington.  

Here are some pictures of the YELLOW-BILLED LOON, a very cooperative CATTLE EGRET, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and CLARK'S GREBE:

http://www.timaverybirding.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=583

We ended up at 127 or 128 species for the day, quite a few short of where I had hoped. But still not a bad day!  Below is a complete list with sample sizes from eBird:

Canada Goose 20
Wood Duck 6
Gadwall 40
Mallard 10
Blue-winged Teal 2
Cinnamon Teal 80
Northern Shoveler 10
Northern Pintail 6
Redhead 18
Ring-necked Duck 2
Bufflehead 1
Ruddy Duck 9
Chukar 1
Ring-necked Pheasant 3
California Quail 5
Common Loon 1
Yellow-billed Loon 1
Pied-billed Grebe 8
Eared Grebe 1
Western Grebe 50
Clark's Grebe 14
American White Pelican 25
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 10
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 30
Cattle Egret 2
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
White-faced Ibis 1,500
Turkey Vulture 3
Osprey 2
Northern Harrier 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Kestrel 1
Sora 1
American Coot 500
Sandhill Crane 2
Black-bellied Plover 500
Killdeer 16
Black-necked Stilt 50
American Avocet 500
Spotted Sandpiper 10
Willet 15
Long-billed Curlew 4
Sanderling 2
Wilson's Snipe 1
Wilson's Phalarope 1,000
Red-necked Phalarope 25
Franklin's Gull 150
California Gull 400
Caspian Tern 1
Black Tern 4
Forster's Tern 25
Rock Pigeon 4
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Mourning Dove 25
Barn Owl 3
Flammulated Owl 3
Great Horned Owl 3
Burrowing Owl 1
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 5
Red-naped Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Western Wood-Pewee 1
Western Kingbird 25
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Plumbeous Vireo 2
Warbling Vireo 3
Steller's Jay 1
Western Scrub-Jay 1
Black-billed Magpie 8
American Crow 2
Common Raven 2
Horned Lark 8
Tree Swallow 15
Violet-green Swallow 15
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6
Bank Swallow 250
Cliff Swallow 500
Barn Swallow 100
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Mountain Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Rock Wren 4
House Wren 5
Marsh Wren 13
American Dipper 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Mountain Bluebird 1
Hermit Thrush 3
American Robin 25
Northern Mockingbird 2
Sage Thrasher 2
European Starling 20
Cedar Waxwing 15
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Yellow Warbler 30
Yellow-rumped Warbler 10
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 6
Wilson's Warbler 3
Western Tanager 2
Green-tailed Towhee 2
Spotted Towhee 2
Chipping Sparrow 10
Brewer's Sparrow 15
Vesper Sparrow 2
Lark Sparrow 8
Savannah Sparrow 5
Grasshopper Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Black-headed Grosbeak 4
Lazuli Bunting 8
Bobolink 4
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Western Meadowlark 25
Yellow-headed Blackbird 350
Brewer's Blackbird 18
Great-tailed Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 30
Bullock's Oriole 15
Cassin's Finch 2
House Finch 10
Pine Siskin 10
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 8

Now the question is, will Jeff and I be able to beat that this Saturday just in Salt Lake County?  We'll See!

Good Birding

Tim
Salt Lake City, Utah
tanager at timaverybirding.com
http://www.timaverybirding.com
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