[redcliffs] Dixie Outing

[Bill Hunter]

Hey... long time no sea!!

The Dixie Birders are alive and well in sunny, Southern Utah.  
Yesterday we spent the morning in the Dixie Red Hills Golf Course. It  
was a morning well spent. We tend to speak in redunencies down here.  
And while we did check out other areas and found birds of interest; 4  
cygnets on the Stonebrook middle pond with two adults and multiple  
young Coots on Ivins Reservoir, this report will focus on Red Hills.

We had heard of a sighting of the Vermillion Flycatcher and we're  
hoping to find one, as there is a usual adult male toward the upper  
end of the "creek". Not only did we find one there, but as we birded  
the length of the golf course we ran into three other adult males,  
three adult females and at least one juvenile. Now given that birds  
fly, it is possible that one bird was lonely and followed us  
throughout our journey, but this birder can verify three separate  
individuals at three separate sightings. It is possible that it was  
one individual at two nearby sightings at the upper end. But given  
the complete separation of habitats, we were surprised and gratified  
to see such a population of Vermillions.

Another surprise was to see fledged Black-headed Grosbeaks. To find  
them was a surprise, to have found them nesting and feeding their  
fledged young was a total surprise. Things they are a changing.

We also identified a hybrid Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red- 
shafted). This was a Red-shafted individual with Yellow-shafted  
markings: red crescent on nape and brownish face and throat. However,  
it did have the red "mustache" (malar stripe).

And yet one other species of interest, a male and female Summer  
Tanager, in the maintenance area.

Here is a list of the species (29) seen: ... no Glossy Ibises, darn!

Dixie Willie

Mallard, Gambel's Quail, American Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Black- 
chinned Hummingbird (We ran into Larry Tripp during our outing and he  
indicated having seen a possible Broad-billed Hummer as well as two  
Cedar Waxwings), Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Says Phoebe,  
Vermillion Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Violet-green Swallow,  
Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Verdin, Rock Wren, Bewick's Wren,
American Robin - young everywhere, Northern Mockingbird, Lucy's  
Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Great- 
tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole (possible one  
female Hooded), House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch,  
and House Sparrow.