Review Species Reported this month:
   Red-necked Grebe    Washington Co.
   Winter Wren  Washington Co.
   Gray Catbird (out of season)  Utah Co.
   Streaked-back Oriole  Washington Co.

BOX ELDER COUNTY

Paul Higgins (11 Jan 2014) - I finally got away from work long enough to run out to Golden Spike Monument, Box Elder County. Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse. Well over 1000 Horned Larks in the fields as you approach the monument. Could not locate any longspurs or Snow Buntings.

Joseph (4 Jan 2014) - I saw a Yellow-shafted Flicker south of Brigham City on January 1st. It was a life bird for me. First new bird in years.
  

CACHE COUNTY

Eric Peterson (20 Jan 2014) - It was a great day today. We did our Winter Raptor Survey in Logan. We had 82 raptors. 32 Red-tailed Hawks, 16 Rough-legged Hawks, 14 Kestrels and 3 Great Horned Owls and a Prairie Falcon. We had a few unidentified raptors because of the horrible air. When I got home I heard a Great Horned Owl calling and spotted it in my neighbors tree. I cant remember a day when I saw 4 Great Horned Owls.
  

DAVIS COUNTY

Bryant Olsen (29 Jan 2014) - FYI, there were quite a few Bald Eagles at Farmington Bay on Wednesday, at least 30. Most were on the ice east of the 4 way,with all the gulls. Not as close or as many as they are when baited, but still OK #. We also had a good bunch at Salt Creek WMA last week, and they were pretty close, just below the gazebo.

Jack Binch (26 Jan 2014) - Bob Huntington and I took a couple of hours late this morning and chased some year birds. Lots of them out there, but they must have had notice we were coming. ... Some Wild Turkeys by Pineview .... On the way home we stopped in Centerville to see the White-winged Dove that Shiloh showed to Bob.

Bill Fennimore (23 Jan 2014) - [Layton] - There is a huge American Crow roost in the trees around Layton City hall and surrounding park. I estimated over 3,000 this week. The crows begin to gather at the roost area about 2 hours before sunset.

Ned Bixler (11 Jan 2014) - [Farmington Bay] - Gulls: western, ring bill, California, Thayer's, Lesser black back, Mew, Herring. Also, Bald eagles, Killdeer, Harrier, Pintail ducks, Avocets, plus others.

Cindy Sommerfeld (10 Jan 2014) - [Antelope Island] - Beautiful day for a bird survey. Too bad the birds didn't show up. It was good to see a Northern Shrike. Today's species total was 26....
  

MORGAN COUNTY

Weston Smith (6 Jan 2014) - There were lots of waterfowl on a small patch of open water on East Canyon Reservoir about noon today. The waterfowl included lots of Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers and American Coots. Also there was two Ruddy Ducks and one each of the following Mallard, LONG-TAILED DUCK, Ring-necked Duck, Eared Grebe, and Pied-billed Grebe. If heading to East Canyon remember that the road over Big Mountain is closed for the winter.

  
SALT LAKE COUNTY 

Jack Binch (25 Jan 2014) - Bob Huntington and I took a couple of hours late this morning and chased some year birds. Lots of them out there, but they must have had notice we were coming. First we went to Powder Mountain. The feeder was empty and we sat there a half hour before even one bird showed up. Two Black-capped Chickadees and five Rosy-Finches. Lucky for us one of them was a Black Rosy Finch. Photo included but it was in the shadows. That was it for the hour we were there. Then we just drove around the area and did not find the Lewis Woodpeckers or much else.

Ned Bixler (11 Jan 2014) - [Lake Park] - A few of the birds seen today at Lake Park, Salt Lake County: gulls; Thayer's, Lesser-black, California, and Ring billed. Also, both Canada and Cackling geese. At Decker Lake in Salt Lake County: gulls, Ring-billed, California, Mew. Ducks: shoveler, mallard, pintail, teal green wing, gadwall. Also, Peregrine Falcons.

Bryant Olsen (2 Jan 2014) - [Holladay] - This evening just as the sun was about to hit the horizon as I was walking at Big Cottonwood Park, all of a sudden I heard the alarm call of a Robin, and then all the birds went quiet, so I knew something was up and spotted a small falcon heading toward me. I watched it in the binos as it passed directly overhead, and it was a very sooty dark falcon, had to be a BLACK MERLIN!...

Norm Jenson (1 Jan 2014) - [Lee Kay Ponds] - Harris's Sparrow at Lee Kay Pond on the north side of the street across from the exit of the Gazebo Loop with White-crowned and House Sparrows
  

UTAH COUNTY

Jeff Cooper (30 Jan 2014) - A power outage sent me home early from work today. On the way home I noticed a flock of about 100 Cedar Waxwings in Highland, a Cooper's Hawk on an antennae in Cedar Hills, and a Pine Siskin at one of my yard feeders...

Dennis Shirley (28 Jan 2014) - Had a free day today -nothing pressing - so spent most of it birding. Started out with a mixed flock of sparrows, west of I-15 and Springville (in the weedy fields at 2250 west 500 north) which had 8-10 AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, and surprisingly a SAVANNAH SPARROW. Later, at Clegg's Pond/ Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in west Orem, had three CACKLING GEESE in a flock of about 70 Canadas, and an adult MEW GULL in a flock of 32 Ring-bills.
In the evening at Powell Slough WMA, had seven TUNDRA SWAN, fly by and land out on the lake front...

Dennis Shirley (26 Jan 2014) - Had a fellow DWR retiree call last night to report an unusual bird coming to his feeders in Springville - overall gray color with a black cap. Yes, it did turn out this morning to be a GRAY CATBIRD. What a surprise!...

Dennis Shirley (23 Jan 2014) - [South Fork] - This afternoon I spent a couple of hours in the South Fork Of Provo Canyon. Overall birding was slow, but I did find two special birds - a Northern Pygmy Owl across the road from Conrad ranch and a Pacific Wren just below the South Fork Park. Both were heard calling/chattering from the road while driving slowly along before they were seen.

Ned Bixler (20 Jan 2014) - Doug Mead and I birded Sundance this morning. A Northern Pygmy Owl, and Red-breasted Nuthatches were the best birds.

Dennis Shirley (10 Jan 2014) - This afternoon I drove Highway 68 from Saratoga Springs to Elberta along the west side of Utah Lake. My primary objective was to find raptors, and I wasn't disappointed. I saw ten bird of prey species, including all four regular occurring falcons (Peregrine, Prairie, Merlin, Kestrel), our three winter Buteos (Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Ferruginous), both eagles (Bald and Golden) and Northern Harrier. I got tired of counting Common Raven when I reached around a 100...

Dennis Shirley (4 Jan 2014) - I saw a Northern Shrike this afternoon while on the Payson CBC. It was seen about 4:00pm along the highway about a mile south of the Salem Water Treatment Facility. It was an immature bird, perched in a tree top, and after watching for about 10 minute flew low over the fields to the west.
  

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Rick Fridell (25 Jan 2014) - The St. George Winter Bird Festival field trip to Quail Creek, Stratton Pond, Sand Hollow State Park, and the Hurricane Fields was well attended and enjoyed some great weather. We also turned up some nice bird sightings. Highlights included views of some of the lingering vagrants (Barrow's Goldeneye and Red-necked Grebe) and several cooperative Cactus Wrens, Sage Thrashers, and Sagebrush Sparrows in the cholla cactus patch between Sand Hollow and the Hurricane Fields....
   -- Hurricane Fields: Ferruginous Hawk,... Prairie Falcon... Lewis's Woodpecker...


Tim Avery (18 Jan 2014) - DUNLIN at SR-9 sewage ponds. Kenny spotted it in the southeast most pond--the highest-- viewed from the gate on east end off the road to Sand Hollow....

Rick Fridell (14 Jan 2014) - This evening (01/14) the two Neotropic Cormorants from Razor Ridge Pond have moved to the Sullivan Soccer Park Pond along the Virgin River near Washington Bridge (along Washington Fields Road). Also the Streak-backed Oriole was observed the last couple days as well; 01/13 by Seth Topham and 01/14 by Marilyn and Keith Davis.

Rick Fridell (12 Jan 2014) - I finally took a break from the Streak-backed Oriole the last few days and relocated several lingering vagrants around Washington County ( Jan 11 and 12): including
   --Barrow's Goldeneye - Sand Hollow State Park, remaining since 2 Dec.
   --Red-necked Grebe - Sand Hollow State Park remaining since 19 Dec.
   --Neotropic Cormorants (2) - Razor Ridge Pond, remaining since 13 Dec.
   --Winter Wren - Quail Creek State Park inflow area, remaining since 27 Nov.
Also, there was a Northern Pygmy Owl hunting mice in the field adjacent to the Springdale Pond.

Rick Fridell (7 Jan 2014) - The Streak-backed Oriole has been very reliable over the last several days along Green Springs Drive, Washington Co., UT...

Kevin Wheeler (2 Jan 2014) - [Green Springs] - The oriole found, photographed, and reported by Russell Schreiner during the St. George Christmas Bird Count on December 26 was again observed by Russ on Dec 31. I re-found it this morning (Jan 2) about 9:00, and observed it for short moments as it perched up twice; never giving great or lengthy views, but what I saw seemed to indicate that it may be an adult female STREAK-BACKED ORIOLE....

WEBER COUNTY

Kris Purdy (21 Jan 2014) - [Snow Basin] - Let me tell you how stressful it was to be riding the Needles Gondola at Snowbasin Ski Resort, Weber County, today and to see BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS billowing around the trees and shrubs beneath the lift. All I could do was to note landmarks of where they were, hope they’d still be there by the time I got back to the spot on skis,...They were eating berries of mountain ash that grows verdantly on the steep, cool, east-facing lower slopes of Snowbasin. I watched and enjoyed their feeding, flights and music from about 1:30-2:00. So I spent a half-hour of my ski day with the biggest flock of Bohemian Waxwings I’ve ever seen; it was totally worth it; besides, that’s the beauty of having a season pass.

Kris Purdy (1 Jan 2014) - As I left North Fork Park in Liberty, Weber County, yesterday at about noon, I thought I’d check the “usual” location where LEWIS’S WOODPECKERS often winter: In a sparse row of cottonwoods in a field along N2250E. That’s a little loop of a subdivision near the park’s main entrance. Anyway, I came across two Lewis’s Woodpeckers out in that field...Just before I turned off the main road from the park (5950N) onto N2250E, a Steller’s Jay flew across the road from a wooded slope to the ditch on my side... out of the corner of my left eye I saw a shape swooping down the road low in the oncoming lane; it cut across the road from left to right in front of both of us, swooped so low in front of my grille that I lost sight of it for a moment, and then it careened ahead and veered into the ditch. It was a Ruffed Grouse...