[TopOfUtah] Cache Co. weekend birding

[Ryan O'Donnell]

Craig Fosdick and I birded several times around Cache County this
weekend.  On Saturday, we started at "Sue's Ponds", A.K.A. Logan River
Wetlands, just west of the Logan Landfill.  The ponds closest to the
paved road were essentially empty, but the shorebird playa had decent
numbers of gulls and shorebirds.  We estimated about sixty Long-billed
Dowitchers along with three PECTORAL SANDPIPERS.  Next we went to the
Benson Marina, where we got a tip from a DWR worker named Adam that he
had seen a FERRUGINOUS HAWK along Highway 23 north of Highway 30
(Petersboro).  We immediately set off in search of this bird, but
couldn't relocate it.  We did find our first ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK of the
season while looking, though. 
 
On Sunday we birded Hyrum Reservoir, Hardware Ranch, and Porcupine
Reservoir.  Hyrum Reservoir had an adult BALD EAGLE and increasing
numbers of COMMON LOONS: fifteen by my count, up from one the last time
I was there a couple of weeks ago.  Hardware Ranch was pretty quiet but
we did see one Cooper's Hawk and a Golden Eagle, along with lots of
Mountain Bluebirds and Westen Meadowlarks.  Porcupine Reservoir was
almost barren, with only a single raft of waterfowl consisting of
fifteen American Wigeon and one Lesser Scaup.  On the drive down from
the reservoir back to Avon we came across a large and active mixed
songbird flock that had ten or so Black-capped Chickadees and dozens
each of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
 
In other news, this weekend a friend of mine at the Idaho Bird
Observatory near Boise captured and banded the first GYRFALCON ever seen
there.  (See http://idahobirdobservatory.blogspot.com/.)  Here's hoping
this is an omen that some might make it to Utah this winter. . . . 
 
Good birding,
Ryan
 
Ryan P. O'Donnell
Department of Biology and the Ecology Center
Utah State University
5305 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5305
 
http://200birds.blogspot.com