Birdnet Hotline Highlights

  
SEPTEMBER 20
11

Review Species Reported This Month:   
    Harlequin Duck   Davis Co.
    Pomarine Jaeger  Box Elder Co.
    Least Flycatcher   Washington Co.
    Blue-headed Vireo   Davis Co., Washington Co.
    Philadelphia Vireo   Salt Lake Co.
    Tennessee Warbler   Washington Co.
    Chestnut-side Warbler   Washington Co.
    Scarlet Tanager   Washington Co.


BOX ELDER COUNTY

Kris Purdy (14 Sep 2011) - [Willard Reservoir] - found the usual four species at that location—Ring-billed, California, Franklin’s, and Bonaparte’s—and also four species of terns—COMMON, Forster’s, Caspian and one BLACK TERN. The Black Tern was remarkable in that this is the only one I’ve seen there this year in two trips; other birders have reported a dearth of Black Terns as well. This one was a juvenile, hunkered down nicely with Forster’s Terns all around for an easy comparison. Scanning the flock of hundreds of Dowitchers turned up eight STILT SANDPIPERS, best total of many scans. One Lesser Yellowlegs was also there. I didn’t see any peeps, but two Marbled Godwits flew through my scope view at one point. The two Osprey continue to hang out around the north entrance to Harold Crane WMA...

Ryan O'Donnell (10 Sep 2011) - Today Mike Taylor and I birded Willard Bay (the south dike and the south boat launch area) and Antelope Island. The highlight of the day was a probable POMARINE JAEGER seen at Willard Bay.

  
CACHE COUNTY

Ryan O'Donnell (19 Sep 2011) - I photographed a "Solitary" Vireo today at Rendezvous Park that has me wondering which species it is. (I had hoped to photograph the Black-and-white Warbler Andy found yesterday, but I couldn't relocate it.) Several clear-cut Cassin's Vireos and one Plumbeous Vireo were also present today. .

Andy Kleinhesselink (18 Sep 2011) - I observed a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER at around 10am this morning at Rendezvous Park in Cache County. It was near the first railroad bridge over the river with an active flock of other migrants including Wilson's Warblers, Warbling Vireos and Cassin's Vireos. The flock moved west and up the river.


DAVIS COUNTY

Kris Purdy (30 Sep 2011) - If you visit Antelope Island Causeway and get bored looking at the Harlequin Duck at the No Swimming bridge, look for Horned Grebes. There was one amid the Eared Grebes swimming in the channel near the rock the Harlequin favors; it’s about 50-75 feet north of the bridge.

Bryant Olsen (28 Sep 2011) - Today (09-28-11) on our Great Salt Lake Audubon monthly field trip to Farmington Bay and Antelope Island, My self and Norman and Gail Jensen found a female/juvenile HARLEQUIN DUCK at the first "no swimming" bridge.  Other good birds seen on Antelope Island were 30 SANDERLINGS on the causeway near mile post 3, plus a lots and lots of RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, and a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER at Garr ranch...

Paul Higgins (18 Sep 2011) - Pacific Wren, Antelope Island, Garr Ranch.  "Skulky little guy." Blue-headed Vireo (East of the Spring).

Steve Coleman (17 Sep 2011) - I went out to Antelope Island today on the Causeway nothing out of the ordinary.... On the way to the Ranch there was a large group at least 100 American White Pelicans sitting out on the lake. At the Ranch there were a lot of Wilson's Warblers, I saw one Nashville Warbler, two American Redstarts, a male and female, several Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and small Flycatchers.

Bryan Shirley (16 Sep 2011) - This afternoon on the causeway there were a bazillion Red-necked Phalarope. Maybe more like 10-20k...but who's counting? Also 27 SANDERLING about mile post 4.

David Wheeler (9 Sep 2011) - Mojo and I went to Antelope Island. There were few passerine migrants overall, but Garr Ranch was crawling with TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS (I'd estimate 15-20), with three Wilson's Warblers, one MacGillivray's, and one CASSIN's VIREO (no Plumbeous, oddly). There were 10,000s of both Franklin's gulls and Red-necked phalaropes along the causeway and island beaches, along with one Long-billed curlew, three WILLETS and one BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (that I noted, anyway...), and a few distant Least sandpipers.

Norm Jenson (5 Sep 2011) - Gail and I birded Antelope Island this morning... Garr Ranch continues to be pretty dead, though better than the last time we we're there, here's todays list: ...Virginia Rail... AMERICAN REDSTART...


MORGAN COUNTY

Jeff Cooper (9 Sep 2011) - I received a text from a birding friend this morning as he was passing through the mountains east of Coalville on his way to Wyoming. He said he saw large, mixed flocks of warblers and other birds so we have one more data point for where the migrants seem to be, in the mountains, for what it's worth. He indicated one group had probably 25 Townsend's Warblers.


SALT LAKE COUNTY

grmail@comcast.net (30 Sep 2011) - Observed a Great Egret today at Lee Kay ponds.

Jeff Cooper (18 Sep 2011) - Eric Huish and I dropped by the Salt Lake International Center yesterday after a few hours of hawk watching with Jerry Liguori. We observed a vireo that appears to be a Philadelphia Vireo based on the dark lores, facial pattern, and relatively short tail compared to a typical Warbling Vireo.

Jeff Cooper (15 Sep 2011) - I have observed, on numerous occasions since February, a Peregrine Falcon fly-by outside my 6th floor office window on River Front Pkwy. ... Everyone, of course, thinks it is awesome to see a Peregrine Falcon I suspect the falcon may be roosting on one of the several 6-story buildings on the River Front Pkwy roundabout (my building is 10876 River Front Pkwy-west side of the roundabout).

Jon Watkins (10 Sep 2011) - [Butterfield Canyon] - Kendall and I chose a wooded spot high in the Oquirrhs this morning, at about 9000 feet. Area was just west of a Kennecott mine viewpoint, which can be reached by turning north at the summit of Butterfield Canyon, and following that twisted and wash-boarded road until it ends at the lookout parking area (4-wheel drive recommended)... At least 20 Townsend's Warblers seen, 1 Nashville, many Yellow-rumped, and smatterings of Orange-crowned, MacGillvary's, Wilsons. Also saw Brown Creeper, a curious Dusky Grouse from 5 feet, Townsend's Solitaire, Green-tailed Towhees, Mountain Chickadee, Western Tanager, several Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawk...


UTAH COUNTY 

Eric Huish (25 Sep 2011) -There was an albino Barn Swallow on the East side of the Provo Airport Dike early Friday morning.

Bryan Shirley (15 Sep 2011) - 7 Townsend Warblers in Payson Canyon today. 5 at the Nebo trail head, 2 a bit below that.1 Three-toed wp at the trail head as well. Later had a Peregrine Falcon in Benjamin at the observation tower on 40th west.

Jeff Cooper (5 Sep 2011) - [Labor Day birding] - I started out this morning at 6 am with a BARN OWL in the field near my home in Pleasant Grove. I drove south about an hour and fifteen minutes and visited the Nebo Bench Trailhead high above Payson and Santaquin and was able to locate two AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS and one PINE GROSBEAK along with DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, RED-TAILED HAWK, several flocks of Pine Siskins, scattered Red-breasted Nuthatches, Kinglets, and a few other species.
   -- On River Lane, near Palmyra, I was able to locate a COMMON NIGHTHAWK resting on the branch of a mostly-dead tree. The Nighthawk held my attention long enough to see the following in the same location: GRAY CATBIRD, YELLOW WARBLER, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS, GREAT EGRET (two flyovers)
...

Jeff Cooper (2 Sep 23011) - I got off work a little early today and decided to look for migrants on the American Fork Boat Harbor Road (100 West American Fork/6000 W Utah County Rd), where I have had a fair amount of success with migrants in the past. The timing was fortuitous as the first bird I raised my binoculars for was a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. It appeared to be a female. I made a couple calls to local birders and lost sight of the warbler. I relocated it in the same area about 20 minutes later. Eric Peterson arrived shortly thereafter. We looked for a while without success and then decided to look at that group of trees from a field on the east side by walking to a gate about 50 yards east of 100 West. We located a NASHVILLE from that angle.


WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Rick Fridell (18 Sep 2011) - Yesterday afternoon (9/16), Daniel Trujillo, Rob Dobbs, Kevin Wheeler, and I birded a few Washington County locations for migrant passerines. Although the clear and calm weather Thursday night allowed most of the migrants to move out of the area and continue their southward migration, we eventually gathered a nice list of birds, including nine species of warblers, several flycatchers (including Vermilion, Willow, Hammonds, and a couple Westerns and Olive-sides), Western and Summer tanagers, and a couple Cassin's Vireos. The highlight was a hy CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER  in St. George. We also saw a pair of Juniper Titmouse in some pines in St. George. Apparently something has caused an early movement of titmice, as we also heard one near Tonaquint Park earlier in the week while working on the Santa Clara River.

Larry Tripp (11 Sep 2011) - Today is the 3rd time in a week I've been to Lytle Ranch. The ranch it's self has been very slow birding each time. The only bird of note was a Least Flycatcher last Sunday. Today I decided to go over and bird along the creek first. As soon as I got close I could hear and see birds in the trees along the creek. I stayed in the same spot for at least 20 minutes looking at what was moving around. It was the the most birds I've seen in one area this fall. The best bird was a fall plumage male Scarlet Tananger working it's way down stream. A Tennessee Warbler was also moving around in a mixed flock. Western Wood-Peewees were all around with many other western migrants. Walking down stream I saw a Northern Waterthrush. I walked around the ranch later without seeing much other than a few Tanangers and a couple sparrow, Bunting flocks.
    --The other bird of note today was a nice bright Blue-headed Vireo along the Santa Clara below Gunlock Res. There was also good numbers of western migrants along the Santa Clara. A interesting bird above Gunlock was a odd looking HY Common Black Hawk.
  

WEBER COUNTY 

Michelle McDaniel (10 Sep 2011) - Sandhill Cranes in Eden, Utah. Also just spotted a Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher east of there in a pond on the north side of the road l, 6700 East.

   

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