Review Species Reported This Month:
    Harlequin Duck   Davis Co.
    Neotropic Cormorant  Box Elder Co.
    Zone-tailed Hawk  Washington Co.
    Red Phalarope   Davis Co.,  Washington Co.
    Yellow-billed Cuckoo  Washington Co.
    Vaux's Swift   Utah Co.
    Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Grand Co.
    Yellow-throated Vireo  Washington Co.
    Philadelphia Vireo   Davis Co.
    Brown Thrasher  Washington Co.
    Tennessee Warbler  Utah Co.,  Washington Co.
    Northern Parula  Washington Co.
    Blackpoll Warbler   Utah Co.
    Scarlet Tanager  Millard Co.

Kris Purdy (9 Oct 2011) - A sub-adult NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was with hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans on one of the nesting islands in a closed-to-the-public area at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County today....  Other birds of note include a Short-eared Owl, a Belted Kingfisher, the lightest female or juvenile Richardson’s Merlin I think I’ve seen (with prey on the auto tour loop), and the Great Horned Owl Jason alerted us to under the overhang of the large maintenance building on the north side.
   --I also was hiking in the Middle Fork WMA in Ogden Valley, Weber County, this afternoon, and saw a Lewis’s Woodpecker carrying something in its beak to a power pole on the Power Line trail... preparation for winter.

Jason St Sauver (8 Oct 2011) - Seems we've got a couple of Great Horned Owls hanging around Bear River MBR over the past few days. One has been seen here - right under the eaves of the Visitor Center .... The other has been consistently seen roosting under the eaves of our maintenance shop out at the start of the Auto Loop.


CACHE COUNTY

Kris Purdy (9 Oct 2011) - A sub-adult NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was with hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans on one of the nesting islands in a closed-to-the-public area at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County today....  Other birds of note include a Short-eared Owl, a Belted Kingfisher, the lightest female or juvenile Richardson’s Merlin I think I’ve seen (with prey on the auto tour loop), and the Great Horned Owl Jason alerted us to under the overhang of the large maintenance building on the north side.
   --I also was hiking in the Middle Fork WMA in Ogden Valley, Weber County, this afternoon, and saw a Lewis’s Woodpecker carrying something in its beak to a power pole on the Power Line trail... preparation for winter.

Jason St Sauver (8 Oct 2011) - Seems we've got a couple of Great Horned Owls hanging around Bear River MBR over the past few days. One has been seen here - right under the eaves of the Visitor Center .... The other has been consistently seen roosting under the eaves of our maintenance shop out at the start of the Auto Loop.


CARBON COUNTY

Steve Christensen (3 Oct 2011) - There were six White-winged doves in my backyard yesterday evening in Price. This is the most I've seen at one time.
 

DAVIS COUNTY

Bryant Olsen (26 Oct 2011) - Today's Great Salt Lake Audubon field trip to Farminton Bay and Antelope Island was nice, despite the cold wind...On the AIC we found the 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS at the first bridge, and got good looks at the moulting male. Then about half way between the first and second bridge on the south were 4 SURF SCOTERS! ...It was very challenging sorting through the thousands of RUDDY DUCKS and LESSER SCAUPS on the south side looking for scoters ...  Also we got good looks at an immature PRAIRIE FALCON in a tif with a NORTHERN HARRIER at Ladyfinger. On the way back from the ranch I did see my first of season ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK too, an immature, hovering over the road, and a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE.

Joel Beyer (23 Oct 2011)  - 2 SURF SCOTERS were at the second bridge (south side) on the Antelope Island Causeway. Both Harlequin Ducks were at the No Fishing bridge, and a couple of Horned Grebes were also seen.

Joel Beyer (10 Oct 2011) - Around noon today at Garr Ranch (Antelope Island State Park) we found a PHILADELPHIA VIREO. It was foraging with a Warbling Vireo, and moved from the edge of the woods to the pond before disappearing...One Stilt Sandpiper and a few Long-billed Dowitchers were still present on the Causeway early this morning, until a Peregrine Falcon swooped in and sent them to the far reaches of the marshes...

Edson Leite (9 Oct 2011) - No luck on the Phalarope, but on my way out from Antelope Island I spotted some Stilt Sandpipers on the north side of the causeway about mile marker 5.5

Cindy Sommerfeld (7 Oct 2011) - Continuing Harlequin Duck and Varied Thrush. RED PHALAROPE on Causeway. (between mm 1 and 2. 1st winter White-throated Sparrow at Garr ranch.

Jason St. Sauver (3 Oct 2011) - Took a trip out across the Antelope Is Causeway today - and to Garr Ranch. Harlequin female - still in same spot. Varied Thrush - still enjoying the shade and fresh waters at Garr Ranch. Also found a nice Northern Waterthrush enjoying the spring as well...

Joel Beyer (2 Oct 2011) - In spite of Tim's dire warning of the Harlequin Duck's imminent demise, it continued today in blissful ignorance at the No Fishing bridge. (It brings back memories of the female Harlequin that often hung out at the same spot during the winters of 1993 thru 1997.) A Horned Grebe was also seen at the bridge.
   --Garr Ranch was alive with migrants, including a Varied Thrush and a Red-eyed Vireo. Other migrants were Townsend's, Nashville, Orange-crowned and MacGillivray's Warblers, Warbling and Cassin's Vireos, House Wren, Gray Catbird, two Turkey Vultures (sitting on the fence in the SE corner), Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and a flock of at least 50 Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warblers.

Stephen T Carlisle (1 Oct 2011) - The Harlequin Duck was still at the first bridge, on the same rock, on the Antelope Island Causeway this morning and at 12:00...
 

GRAND COUNTY

Ken Burton (22 Oct 2011) - This morning a juvenile female YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was banded at Rio Mesa Center.
 

Rick Fridell (15 Oct 2011) - Yesterday afternoon (10/14), Kevin Wheeler and I located a female Scarlet Tanager at Beck Spring in Snake Valley, Millard Co., UT. The tanager was keeping company with a Western Tanager for nice direct comparisons. Both tanagers spent most of their time at the top of large poplars flycatching wasps and bees.
 

MORGAN COUNTY

Joel Beyer (23 Oct 2011) - The Pacific Loon was at East Canyon Reservoir this morning, in company with several Common Loons in the north inlet (near the buoy line).

RICH COUNTY

Kris Purdy (22 Oct 2011) - I visited Monte Cristo Campground in Rich County today and was surprised at how birdy the place was.... Mixed flocks of RED CROSSBILLS and Pine Siskins plied the spruce cone crop at the tippy-top of the skyscraping mature spruces for the two hours I was there. ... A regular strong tapping let me to a snag where an adult male AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER was pounding on what looked like his favorite tree, due to the extent of the holes in the trunk from the ground to the top.

SANPETE COUNTY

Oliver Hansen (23 Oct 2011) - I spent Friday evening and most of Saturday up on the Wasatch Plateau to hike the San Pete and Emery Co. high points (South Tent Mountain and East Mountain). I started the traverse of the plateau by driving up the canyon just east of Spring City (Spring canyon?) and drove up to Skyline Drive and camped there Friday night. Saturday morning I took the horribly rutted out section of Skyline Drive over to the Tent mountains and climbed both N. and S. Tents. Plenty of the usual birds you would suspect in an aspen/pine forest at 10000 feet. The highlight though, was a huge flock of Mountain Bluebirds (50-100) right up on the saddle between the two peaks...
 

Joe Rossi (24 Oct 2011) - If anyone is interested I sighted a Male Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) today at my complex 5600S and 575E (The Willows). They have been occasional visitors the last few years but this is my first sighting this year.

Kiirsi Hellewell (16 Oct 2011) - After finishing dinner tonight, I had a fun little surprise. I glanced out the back door and saw 4 cheerful little Dark-Eyed Juncos (Oregon variety) hopping around in the dirt. So nice to have them back! I can't remember when they disappeared this spring, but it's been a long time.

Felicia Pimentel (10 Oct 2011) - This morning my daughter and I hiked the Jacob's Ladder trail in Draper up to Lone Rock. Lots of bird activity--these were the species we were able to identify:
    -- Black-capped chickadees being hunted by a Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, lots of Juncos, Sharp-shinned hawk, A flock of bluebirds, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. My favorite: Northern Goshawk -- it flew up right in front of us on a steep downhill part of the trail so we were able to get a close view and watch it fly for awhile.

Kris Purdy (3 Oct 2011) - [Salt Lake Airport International Center] - Pomera Fronce and I birded the International Center west of Salt Lake Airport today and were mighty happy (and surprised) when Pomera spotted two sapsuckers, one of which turned out to be a female WILLIAMSON’S... The other sapsucker was a male Red-naped, and he was mighty displeased about the Williamson’s...


UTAH COUNTY 

Ned Bixler (26 Oct 2011) - My first mature Bald Eagle of the season - entrance to the West Provo airport dike.

Joel Beyer (15 Oct 2011) - This evening I saw a female Tennessee Warbler at River Lane (Utah Co.)...Only other birds about were YR Warblers, robins and RC Kinglets.

Tim Avery (14 Oct 2011) - A RED-NECKED GREBE at the Thanksgiving Point Golf
Course in the North Pond...

Eric Huish (11 Oct 2011) - First winter Blackpoll Warbler in the last bunch of tamarisk on the left as you are headed east from the southwest corner of the Provo Airport Dike.

Eric Huish (11 Oct 2011) - ...Around 10:30 am we started seeing flocks of Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows flying past/over us heading south. While scanning the swallows we were surprised and excited to see a Vaux's Swift fly past. It flew by pretty close and we got a good look at it but It didn't stick around...
  

WASATCH COUNTY 

Ned Bixler (14 Oct 2011) - Greater White-fronted Goose. Wasatch Mountain State Park.

  
WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Rick Fridell (30 Oct 2011) - This afternoon (10/30) I received a call from Dan Trujillo who located an adult Mew Gull at Quail Creek State Park, Washington Co., UT. The gull was with three young Ring-billed Gulls on the gravel point below the southwest overlook. ... As far as I know, this is only the second Mew Gull found in Washington County. Nice job Dan!

Dan Williams (27 Oct 2011) -  My co-worker Morgan Peters and I had an immature ZONE-TAILED HAWK drifting over I-15 this afternoon between Silver Reef and the HWY 9 exit for Hurricane. The bird was quite low and hung over the westbound lane perfectly for us to get a brief but clinching view. The body and wing linings were black with narrowly black-trimmed dark gray flight feathers. It held its long somewhat narrow wings in a shallow dihedral and tipped in Turkey Vulture fashion, but was clearly a Buteo. The tail lacked the bold white bands of an adult, but appeared dark unlike the pale tail of a Harlan's or dark Rough-leg. - Utah was good to us this week, we hate to leave!

Joel Beyer (13 Oct 2011) - This afternoon we found a Yellow-throated Vireo at Brooks Nature Park in St. George.

Rick Fridell (2 Oct 2011) - I was able to get out and do some birding this weekend at various Washington County locations. It was an exceptional weekend with many migrants and several vagrants apparently all over the county.... highlights included a Yellow-billed Cuckoo... Tennessee Warbler in St. George, a Northern Parula in St. George (observed with the Sommerfelds, Rob Dobbs, and Meribeth Huizinga), and (this evening) a Sabine's Gull and Red Phalarope at Quail Creek State Park.
   --Other uncommon birds observed this weekend include: Blue-winged Teal - Lytle Ranch;
Black-bellied Plovers - Sand Hollow State Park; Red-necked Phalarope - SR-9 (Hurricane) Sewer Ponds (northeast pond); Inca Dove - calling at Lytle Ranch; Calliope Hummingbird - St. George; Anna's Hummingbirds (3-4) - Quail Creek Inflow / Cottonwood Wash / St. George; Hairy Woodpecker - Quail Creek Inflow / Cottonwood Wash (somewhat early); Bell's Vireo - Quail Creek Inflow / Cottonwood Wash (very late); Townsend's Solitaire - Lytle Ranch; Juniper Titmouse at Sand Hollow State Park and 1 or 2 continuing in St. George

Larry Tripp (2 Oct 2011) - Another slow day birding at Lytle Ranch. The one highlight was a Brown Thrasher eating persimmons in the Persimmon trees with the Red-naped Sapsuckers. ... I birded a couple spot on the Santa Clara which wasn't exactly hoping with birds either but I did see a Black and White Warbler below Gunlock Res.
 

WEBER COUNTY 

Kris Purdy (24 Oct 2011) - My dog and I came across a RUFFED GROUSE at around 6,200 feet on the year-old U.S. Forest Service Sardine Peak Trail northeast of Snowbasin Ski Resort in Weber County, today.