[TopOfUtah] Sunday Cache Valley: Merlin, Bohemians, Rough-legs

[Craig Fosdick]

Sunday I spent about 7 hrs doing a Cache Valley patrol.  My efforts paid off
well.  I started around 845 am at First Dam with Barrow's and Common
Goldeneye, and a fluffed-up Townsend's Solitaire chowing on juniper berries.
Next stop was the USU campus, but it was hit-n-run, and the Bohemians were
not in sight, but 35 Cedar Waxwings and a Yellow-rumped Warbler were.
Onward…..two
Eurasian Collared Doves were chillin' with some Mourning Doves at 10W 6S in
Logan.  Not much moving at Spring Creek WMA.  At the Logan River bend near
Utah 30 and 1900 W, there was, among the Mallard and Ring-billed Gulls, 1
lonesome female Northern Shoveler, 4 Green-winged Teal, 2 Killdeer, a Belted
Kingfisher, and 4 Greater Yellowlegs, as well as an annoyed Northern Flicker
(one of 5+ seen on the day) that took off in disgust when I arrived.



Plenty of raptors around the valley, with 12+ Rough-legged Hawks, 10+
Northern Harriers, and 6+ Red-tailed Hawks, and that's with just one pair of
eyes and I only covered *part* of the area bounded by 10 West in Logan, Utah
23 on the west side, Mendon Rd on the south, and Utah 218 on the north.  A
Prairie Falcon was near the Benson boat launch, and a Merlin at the pig farm
on Sam Feller Rd was diligently, but unsuccessfully, chasing >1,000
Starlings.  Two kestrels just sat and watched the Merlin chase the
starlings. I could not discern what they thought of the spectacle. I thought
it was great….but the Merlin probably did not.  The afterburners were on,
but to no avail!



An adult Bald Eagle and 2 Common Mergansers (but nothing else) were at
Cutler Reservoir at Cache Jct.  Newton Reservoir was deserted save for a
Golden Eagle, and Clarkston Cemetery was completely deserted.  Heading
towards the Smithfield Cemetery, I was pleasantly surprised to find 43
Bohemian Waxwings at Smithfield City Park at Utah 218 and Main (US 91).  The
waxwings were promptly kicked up by a hatch-year Sharp-shinned Hawk, but the
Sharp-shinned was no more successful than the Merlin, and that was the last
I saw of the Bohemians.  I made it to Smithfield Cemetery at 430 pm, just as
birds were busy finding their beds; two Red-tailed Hawks and a Steller's Jay
both went to roost as I watched.  Headed back to Logan, I quickly spun past
the airport (1 Northern Harrier, but no Short-eared Owls), where I had a
kestrel almost did a face-plant on my windshield.  Driving down 10 West in
Logan I did a u-turn to check a mixed flock of starlings and blackbirds.  Just
starlings, Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbirds (30+).  I tried, but could
produce neither a Common Grackle nor a Rusty Blackbird.  Not even a cowbird!
Good day, very enjoyable, fairly weak on the sparrows.  I'm still figuring
out the Utah avifauna, but was surprised to find no American Tree Sparrows
anywhere, and even more surprised that I missed Western Meadowlark and
Horned Lark completely.  Do most half-hardies completely vacate Cache Valley
in winter?  And no Common Redpolls; I'll try next weekend, as they are
showing up in Idaho.



Good birding, Craig.
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