[TopOfUtah] Cache Co. Black-bellied Plovers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Cassin's Vireos, etc.

[Ryan O'Donnell]

Today I birded at Hyrum Reservoir and Sherwood Hills Resort, both in
Cache County.  I started at Hyrum in search of Sabine's Gulls.  I did
find lots of gulls, including one early juvenile HERRING GULL and
hundreds of FRANKLIN'S GULLS, but no Sabine's.  However, I did find what
appears to be the best shorebird habitat around the county at the
moment, at the east end of the reservoir where the Little Bear River
flows in and forms mudflats.  There, I found several species of
shorebirds, including two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and three BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVERS, both firsts of the year for me.  The complete list is pasted
from Ebird below.  Directions to the reservoir are here:
http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/cache/locations.htm#HyrumStatePark
A photo of one of the Pectoral Sandpipers is here:
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n105/Tsirtalis/PESA.jpg
and a photo of two of the Black-bellied Plovers is here:
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n105/Tsirtalis/BBPL.jpg
 
After Hyrum, I headed up Sardine Canyon to Sherwood Hills Resort in
search of Cassin's Vireos, thanks to advice from Kris Purdy.  The first
fifteen minutes I was there I didn't see or hear a single bird, but just
as I was about to turn back to the car, I heard some chickadees in the
distance.  I chased down the chickadees and found an active mixed flock
which included at least two CASSIN'S VIREOS.  This was at the end of the
road near the golf course pro shop.  Directions to Sherwood Hills Resort
are here:
http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/cache/locations.htm#SherwoodHillsResor
t
A photo of one of the Cassin's Vireos is here:
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n105/Tsirtalis/CAVI.jpg
The total species list is pasted from Ebird below.
 
Location: Hyrum Dam
Observation date: 9/22/08
Number of species: 16

Eared Grebe 2
Turkey Vulture 3
Black-bellied Plover 3
Killdeer 44
American Avocet 8
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 2
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Long-billed Dowitcher 2
Franklin's Gull 400
Ring-billed Gull 200
California Gull 40
Herring Gull 1
Caspian Tern 1
Black-billed Magpie 3
American Crow 1
 
Location: Sherwood Hills Resort
Observation date: 9/22/08
Number of species: 8

Hairy Woodpecker 1
Cassin's Vireo 2
Black-capped Chickadee 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 8
Western Tanager 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 2
 
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