Review Species Reported This Month:
    Neotropic Cormorant  Washington Co.
    Gilded Flicker  Iron Co
    Least Flycatcher  Washington Co.
    Blue-headed Vireo  Davis Co.
    Blackburnian Warbler  Washington Co.
    Bay-breasted Warbler  Summit Co.
    Hooded Warbler  Sevier Co.
    Scarlet Tanager  Salt Lake Co.
    Painted Bunting  Washington Co. 
    Baltimore Oriole  Juab Co.
    Purple Finch  Grand Co

CACHE COUNTY

Ryan O'Donnell (20 Sep 2009) - Craig Fosdick, Ron Ryel, and I birded around several locations in Cache Valley today. The Amalga Barrens area had the best birds of the day. We saw 12 species of shorebirds here (on private land), including 9 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 6 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and one BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. Along the public road through the area we saw one SAY'S PHOEBE and one SAGE THRASHER, both firsts in the county for me... At the Polishing Ponds we had one HORNED GREBE among over a thousand various ducks...

Ryan O'Donnell (14 Sep 2009) - This afternoon I relocated the juvenile SABINE'S GULL at the Logan Polishing Ponds (part of the wastewater treatment complex) that Ron Ryel found on Saturday. The bird was at the northeast corner of the northeast pond. It was sitting on the water for most of the time I saw it and at first was surprisingly difficult to pick out from the hundreds of Franklin's Gulls that were there. When it flew, the distinctive wing pattern was obvious.

Ryan O'Donnell (1 Sep 2009) - I took a birding break this afternoon and hit a few spots around Cache Valley. Sues' Ponds, just west of the Logan Landfill, had a few new shorebirds, including four BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, three WILSON'S PHALAROPES, and a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, my first of that species in the county. The Lewiston Cemetery had almost no birds. Below Newton Reservoir I found a single CLAY-COLORED SPARROW with two or three Vesper Sparrows and 30-40 Chipping Sparrows...

DAVIS COUNTY

Kathy and Joel Beyer (20 Sep 2009) - This morning at Garr Ranch (Antelope Island) we refound the Blue-headed Vireo seen earlier in the day by the Sommerfields. Otherwise, it was mostly Hermit Thrushes, Audobon's Warblers, and flycatchers.

Tom Fletcher (12 Sep 2009) - There was a juvenile American Golden Plover at Glover's Lane Ponds this morning. It was hanging out with several Killdeer on the mud bank in the middle of the two ponds, near the south end. Juvenile plover id's are tricky, but I studied this bird for quite a while, and it had long primary projections and a well-defined dark cap contrasting with a broad white supercilium. Also, I walked the trail around the ponds and saw a Solitary Sandpiper along the north side.

GRAND COUNTY 

Jason Pietrzak (22 Sep 2009) - First and foremost, I was driving home from bird banding when on my street I saw two doves on a power- line...After getting out, the coverts seemed to have disappeared, however, I did see the white band on the dark tail and the bird's shape looked right so I went closer until the dove finally turned around and revealed his coverts again! So that's my first WHITE-WINGED DOVE in Utah and it was pretty much a yard bird (at least a neighborhood bird).  Next: bird banding in Moab at Matheson...  Last thing, in speaking with area bird watchers, I learned that somebody in the Monticello area has had Purple Finches at his feeders lately (although not in the last 5 days, so they may have moved on). The person who told me this is a highly-skilled birder, and knows the difference between House, Cassin's, and Purple Finches very well so I am inclined to believe his report...

IRON COUNTY 

Mark Stackhouse (29 Sep 2009) - FYI (I received this message, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the  identification, but thought I should pass it along in case it's true) [From: Andrea Taylor] "I live in Cedar City, Utah and I saw a gilded flicker today in my backyard. I identified it using the whatbird website both by sight and by call.  Thanks, Andrea Taylor"

JUAB COUNTY 

Tim Avery (18 Sep 2009) - Just talked to Colby Neuman. He, Carl Ingwell, and Jeff Bilsky found a first year male Baltimore Oriole in the housing area at Fish Spring NWR today...They said the bird was very difficult to see and they spent several hours trying to get a good view of the bird.

MORGAN COUNTY

Weston Smith (2 Sep 2009) - I had a White-winged Dove stop by the backyard here in Croydon (Morgan County) about 7pm tonight. It stayed for about 10 minutes then flew off with the resident Collard-doves.

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Jack Binch (25 Sep 2009) - Strange day today at Jupiter Hill... we sat in the cold wind until  10:07 when a medium hawk went over the ridge from the north. It was low and  fast until it got over the ridge and started up on the thermals. As luck  would have it, it was a juvenile light phase Broad-winged Hawk...

Joel Beyer (22 Sep 2009) - I found a Northern Waterthrush this afternoon along Mill Creek, in the appropriately named Millcreek township in SLC. The location was about 3550 So. Oakwood Drive (2550 E.).

Tim Avery (7 Sep 2009) - Female [Scarlet Tanager], between the Canal and the Railroad Tracks along Wright Brothers Drive.

SEVIER COUNTY

Travis Cooper,  San Diego, CA (30 Sep 2009) - There was a 1st year Hooded Warbler this morning along Clear Creek about 5 miles west of Fremont Junction along Hwy 70 in the Fishlake National Forest. The bird was foraging low among willows and other dense vegetation along the creek calling conspicuously and constantly fanning its tail giving views of its white outer rects. I only stopped for a moment this morning on my way out of the forest, the bird was seen about 8am and as seemed to be working its way down stream. The only other birds seen were i male Wilson's Warbler and two kinglets though they all seemed to been in the same small foraging flock.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Tim Avery (20 Sep 2009) - I photographed what looks like a fall Bay-breasted Warbler in the French Hollow area above Strawberry Reservoir Saturday Evening. I didn't have binoculars and only snapped one picture before the bird flew off into the forest.

TOOELE COUNTY

Candy Zaffis (3 Sep 2009) - That is funny. I also have a White-winged Dove. It has been here about a week. It is sitting on the back fence right now with some collared doves.

UTAH COUNTY 

Jeff Bilsky (22 Sep 2009) - A trip to River Lane this evening. Only two warblers seen were ORANGE
CROWNED and YELLOW-RUMPED. Biggest surprise were 2 BLUE GROSBEAKS. Complete
list for tonight below. Last night in this same general area I saw a large (20ish) flock of SANDHILL CRANES.

Dave Hanscom (9 Sep 2009) - I had a meeting in Provo this morning and decided to try for the Green  Heron reported a week or so ago in the southeast corner of the airport  dike. No luck on that, so I walked the dirt road east from there... Not much activity,  other than a bunch of Caspian Terns, stilts, and gulls out on the mud  flats, and a few Marsh Wrens and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in the trees about  a quarter mile from the gate where the road turns north. Also in those  trees, down by the canal, was a WHITE_THROATED SPARROW...

WASATCH COUNTY 

Tim Avery (20 Sep 2009) - This morning there were 2 juvenile Sabine's Gulls foraging off shore from Renegade Marina on the south end of Strawberry Reservoir. Renegade Marina is 14 miles from Highway 40 and the Fish Hatchery on the northwest corner of the lake.

WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Larry Tripp(19 Sep 2009) - Today in Washington Co. Tayla and I went on are usual Saturday birding loop from Veyo around both Sand Cove Res. down into Gunlock. The big highlight was a Blackburnian Warbler in the town of Gunlock. It was in the trees directly across the creek from the playground behind the post office... Other highlights today were a Least Flycatcher and a Fox Sparrow both near the Power plant between the Res. And my first Merlin of the Fall in Gunlock...

Larry Tripp (12 Sep 2009) - There was a Stilt Sandpiper at upper Sand Cove Res. this morning. The only other Shorebirds there were 2 Least Sandpipers and a Spotted Sand. It was still there when I left just after 10:00 AM. Not much else interesting in the area today but a Lewis Woodpecker and a couple Nashville Warblers.

Larry Tripp (8 Sep 2009) - A late post of a few birds I saw in So. Utah over the weekend. There was a Clay-colored Sparrow in weedy fields on the east side of the Santa Clara in Gunlock on Saturday. And at Lytle Ranch on Monday I saw a Bendire's Thrasher ( my first at Lytle and only the 2nd in Utah in 7 years. I don't think they are as easy to find here as the field guide range maps would make you think they are). Other birds I saw at Lytle were a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak a N. Waterthrush and a Least Flycatcher.

Rick Fridell (4 Sep 2009) - This evening I observed a first-fall female Painted Bunting in the orchard at Lytle Ranch, Washington Co., UT. The Painted Bunting was with a large flock of Lazuli Buntings (and a couple Blue Grosbeaks) feeding on the tall grasses in the orchard. Observing the the Painted Bunting in large moving flock of Lazuli Buntings (25-30) was challenging and I only managed a couple poor (but diagnostic) photos...

Rick Fridell (4 Sep 2009) - There is currently an adult Neotropic Cormorant at Ivins Reservoir, Washington County, Utah. As far as I know the two immature Neotropic Cormorants observed May - July were not present in August (although, admittedly, I didn't look very often). So I'm not sure if this is one of those two individuals that has reappeared and molted into adult plumage (?) or more likely, a different cormorant.