Oct 2008
Ryan P. O'Donnell (26 Oct 2008) - Today I had a great day of birding around Cache County with Craig Fosdick and Stephanie Cobbold. Craig and I started at Tony Grove where we leisurely worked our way through the campground and around Tony Grove Lake. The highlight here was certainly the Northern Pygmy-Owl we heard calling and then were able to locate as it flew around looking for lunch.... We met up with Stephanie and headed up Swan Flat Road from Logan Canyon towards Idaho. Along the road (still in Cache County) we stopped for a large flock of Red Crossbills that we could hear and see in the treetops. After scanning for several minutes, I was able to locate my lifer White-winged Crossbill in the flock of about 40 crossbills. This was a very exciting bird for me because I have spent a lot of time looking for this species in the county this year and had not been able to find it so far. ...From there we went to Sue's Ponds (also known as the Logan RiverWetlands, just west of the Logan Landfill) in search of gulls. ...There were 53 Long-billed Dowitchers, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, ~10Killdeer, and one Greater Yellowlegs. After a few minutes of watching the Dowitchers feeding at close range, I scanned the back side of the pond again and spotted something we had all missed the first time through: an American Golden-Plover...
Ryan P. O'Donnell (23 Oct 2008) - Stephanie Cobbold and I birded around Cache County for a couple hours this afternoon. The highlight for me was a lone Dunlin hanging out with two Pectoral Sandpipers and two Long-billed Dowitchers at Sue's Ponds (also known as the Logan River Wetlands, just across the street to the west of the Logan Landfill).
Ryan P. O'Donnell (19 Oct 2008) - I birded Sue's Ponds (also known as the Logan River Wetlands, just west of the Logan Landfill) today. I found a large first-winter gull with pale wingtips that matched the overall color of the bird. I spent quite a while in the field studying this bird and I'm still conflicted whether it is a pale Thayer's Gull or a Glaucous-winged Gull. I took a bunch of photos... Other highlights from the ponds included a flyover of 28 Tundra Swans (my first of the fall) and a single Stilt Sandpiper mixed in with ninety Long-billed Dowitchers and eight Pectoral Sandpipers.
Sep 2008
Craig Fosdick (28 Sep 2008) - Bryan Dixon e-mailed me with an update on the Wellsvilles Hawkwatch's count yesterday. By 6pm, when Bryan and Jean left, the counters had tallied over 300 birds (more than double their highest count so far this year), including 4 more Broad-winged Hawks (for a daily total of 7, and a season total of 17), as well as a merlin.
Ryan P. O'Donnell (26 Sep 2008) - Birded a bit up Logan Canyon with Stephanie Cobbold today. ...On the trail from Tony Grove to Naomi Peak, we saw one male American Three-toed Woodpecker...
Aug 2008
Bob Atwood. (16 Aug 2008) - ...I offer the following which I have not seen or confirmed. The camp hosts at Lewis Turner Campground, 7 miles below Tony Grove in Cache County, Utah have been feeding humming birds all summer. They told me recently that a larger hummingbird with blue tint came to their feeder 3 times. After looking at their bird book they think it may have been a Magnificent Hummingbird. They are not birders, but said a man had been at their feeders photographing Rufus. They asked him to take a photo of the unusual hummingbird which he did. I requested they get a copy of the photo to me. They said they would. I have not heard anything yet and they are not in a cell phone range. If anyone gets up that way please visit them...
Craig Fosdick (10 Aug 2008) - Today I hiked the Tony Grove-Coldwater Spring-Cottonwood Canyon trail (not the whole way!) and found eight White-winged Crossbills, and two Three-toed Woodpeckers. ...Seven Purple Martins were flying around at Tony Grove backcountry trailhead and over the adjacent meadow. There were at least two adult males. ...
Jul 2008
John Barnes (28 Jul 2008) - I got out this afternoon hoping to find the recently sightings of hard to find birds in Cache County. Struck out but did find Lark Buntings ( one male and one, perhaps two females). They were immediately west of Newton near the County address of 6800 N and 7000 W. ...
Kristin Purdy (23 Jul 2008) - Friend Scott Baxter saw Purple Martins flying over Dry Bread Pond (just barely in Cache County from Weber) on Saturday, and I couldn't leave that stone unturned. I visited the spot this morning (SR-39, the Monte Cristo Highway, at mile 41.1) and came across the birds perched in the tops of dead aspens on the left as soon as I turned off the highway. And I thought it was going to be tough. I wasn't even out of my truck yet when I saw them. I observed for a couple hours and saw at least seven birds, six female-types and one adult male, and two nest cavities. At least two of the female types and the male are feeding at the same cavity. The second cavity didn't have as much activity and I never saw an adult enter carrying insects. Perhaps that brood hasn't hatched yet.
Craig Fosdick (11 Jul 2008) - Today I birded Tony Grove and the trail from Tony Grove to White Pine Lake... birds at Tony Grove included an Evening Grosbeak and at least two Purple Martins...
Ryan O'Donnell (3 Jul 2008) - This afternoon I birded the "Polishing Ponds" in Benson, Cache County. I saw one possible Glossy Ibis. There were also many White-faced Ibis present but the bird in question was alone, not associating with any other ibis. I have no experience with Glossy Ibis and I know they can be trickier to tell from White-faced than they seem, so I'd love to hear your opinions one way or the other. The pale blue markings around the face of this bird were narrower and less obvious than most drawings and photos I've seen. I do believe this is an adult bird, not a juvenile, because the bill is a solid color (see Sibley's illustration of juvenile ibis heads), the primaries or secondaries were molting and included worn feathers, and because the shoulders and scapulars were reddish-brown, not drab gray.
Bryan Shirley (3 Jul 2008) - My dad & I made a quick trip last night for the Whip-poor-will. It started calling at 9:25 just behind camp site number 15 (basically the same place as others have reported it). It moved around a lot and it moved up the canyon out of earshot for a while, but at about 10 PM it was back and was still calling when we left. We caught a glimpse of it a couple different times, but it moved around enough to make it tough.
Jun 2008
Tim Avery - Whip-poor-will YES!!! - This evening (06/20) Steve and Cindy Sommerfeld, Colby Neuman, Larene Wyss, Bob Atwood, Buck Russell and I ascended Green Canyon in Cache county to try for the rare nightjar. As luck would have have it the bird started singing around 9:30PM precisely where it was previously reported from. The bird moved all over the hillside to the northeast of the large open parking area constantly emitting the quivering notes. The bird sounded distinctly like the Mexican/Arizona subspecies with a somewhat lower voice and I would say slower start. A huge thanks to Ryan O,Donnell who alerted me to this bird. A word of caution. The bird did not respond to a tape played briefly after we listened for a while, so the fruitless repetition of Peterson or Stokes is not only probably a waste of time but could impact this birds continued presence at this locale. If you visit Green Canyon I would suggest arriving shortly before 930, and just waiting till the bird begins to announce itself. At times it wasn't more than 50 feet away while at other instances it was well over 150 yards into the woods.
Ryan P. O'Donnell (20 Jun 2008) - To follow up on Tim's post to Birdnet, Ron Ryel did indeed find a Whip-poor-will at the end of the road in Green Canyon last night. Craig Fosdick, Stephanie Cobbold, and I happened to be on our way up to the same spot when we met Ron on his way down at about 10:15PM and within a few minutes we were all at the end of the road, where the bird was still singing. It sang almost continuously for the 70 minutes or so that we were there. Ron and I were both able to record the bird: you can hear a cleaned-up version of one of my two recordings at:http://home.comcast.net/~tsirtalis/Whip-poor-will_Output%201-2(gated).mp3<http://home.comcast.net/~tsirtalis/Whip-poor-will_Output_1-2(gated).mp3>
Ryan O'Donnell (16 Jun 2008) - Yesterday Keith Archiald, Craig Fosdick, and I conducted a 4.75 mile point count on private land near Avon, Cache County, for the Little Bear Conservation Alliance. We detected a total of 47 species. The highlights were a single singing Grasshopper Sparrow, a Vesper Sparrow nest with three eggs, and a Golden Eagle nest with one chick in a cottonwood tree along the creek.
May 2008
Ryan O'Donnell (28 May 2008) - This morning Sarah Mohlman and I did a volunteer point count for Little Bear Conservation Alliance. We found a total of 43 species on this 4.75 mile hike on private land SW of Avon in Cache County. The highlight was a single adult male Lark Bunting...
Buck Russell (24 May 2008) - This morning I birded the Richmond Wildlife Management area ...Other birds in the area included Calliope Hummingbird... I also went back to get photos of the Bobolinks near Logan River Bridge on Mendon Road.
Ryan O'Donnell (21 May 2008) - I saw two Stilt Sandpipers at Sue's Ponds, just west of the Logan Landfill, this morning. The birds were both in breeding plumage and were in the pond to the north of the dirt road.
Buck Russell (16 May 2008) - This morning I birded Steel Canyon, north of Clarkston, UT. Along the dirt roads going north from Clarkston (driving past the cemetery) I saw several Grasshopper Sparrows and lots of Vesper Sparrows. ...
Buck Russell (11 May 2008) - Four years ago I saw a Calliope Hummingbird in Denzil Stewart Park in Logan. The following year I accidentally went back to the park on the same day and saw a Calliope Hummingbird in the same area. The next year I purposely went back to the park on the same day and saw the Calliope in the same tree, on the same branch. Today is one year later and I again saw the bird in the same tree (different branch).
Ryan O'Donnell (6 May 2008) - Yesterday evening (May 5th) I birded around Rendezvous Park and the Logan River Golf Course in Logan. At around 6:30PM I found a waterthrush, presumably a Northern Waterthrush, walking along a ditch there. The bird was walking away from me and I only saw it for a few seconds, but I'm confident that it was a water thrush because I could see a long, solid dark brown tail bobbing constantly up and down, a white or off-white ventral surface with dark streaking in the side, solid dark brown wings and back, and pink legs. The bird was walking along the muddy edge of the ditch an inch or so from the water and parallel to the it, heading north. I went home to get my camera and picked up Craig Fosdick on the way, and returned to Rendezvous Park. While we were looking for the waterthrush, I saw a Mississippi Kite fly over twice. The first time it was flying south on the east side of the railroad tracks. At the very first glance I thought it was a Peregrine Falcon because of its size, pointed wings, gray tones, and strong powered falcon like flight. But after a wingbeat or two I could see that it had a solid black tail that was perfectly squared off at the tip. The bird disappeared over the trees before Craig could get a look at it, and so we went back to looking for the waterthrush because it hadn't quite dawned on me what I had just seen. Five to ten minutes later, Craig noticed the same bird again flying directly overhead. This was at about 8:15 or 8:30 and it (of course) flew directly west into the setting sun. We were able to make out that the dorsal surface was mostly medium to light gray and we could see its flight style well in silhouette, but it wasn't until it reached a stand of willows on the west side of 600W that it banked below the horizon, showing flashes of white in the wings for two wingbeats. It perched in the willows and so we jogged back to the car and drove to the willows but we weren't able to find it again before it got too dark to see anything in the trees. If accepted, I believe this would be the first state record. I went back this morning for several hours but I wasn't able to relocate either of these two birds.
Apr 2008
Ryan P. O'Donnell (27 Apr 2008) - Saturday Mo Correll, Craig Fosdick, Bob Atwood, and I saw a Short-billed Dowitcher at Sue's Ponds (Mitigation Ponds, just west of the Logan Landfill). It's possible this is the same bird that was in the area back in January, but I don't know of anyone seeing it since. We weren't able to relocate the Mew Gull there.
Craig Fosdick (23 Apr 2008) - This evening at the Logan Mitigation Ponds, there were 5 Least Sandpipers, 3 Western Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 10+ White-faced Ibis, and 35 Bonaparte's Gulls.
Ryan P. O'Donnell (5 Apr 2008) - Today the Bridgerland Audubon Society hosted a field trip led by Keith Archibald to the Logan Sewage Lagoons and a few other nearby hot spots. ...Ron Ryel alerted us to a Great-tailed Grackle nearby, a very rare bird this far north. He managed to stay one step ahead of us, and not long after we had left the Grackle he was already calling again to alert us to a male Eurasian Wigeon in Benson: ...After the field trip broke up around noon, Craig Fosdick, Keith Archibald, and I continued on to the Benson Marina, where we ... also found a breeding-plumage Horned Grebe...
Buck Russell (1 Apr 2008) - Today Mike Resch and I birded around Cache Valley. At Cutler Marsh in the open water east and south of the main bridge we found a Glaucous Gull. It was a beautiful, white gull which really stood out from the other gulls. In the fields west of the Benson Marina there was a flock of Long-billed Curlews. They were singing while in flight. In some trees at the bottom of old main hill, next to the pedestrian crosswalk, we found the Bohemian Waxwings that had been previously reported.
Ryan P. O'Donnell (20 Apr 2008) - I stopped by Sue's Ponds (just west of the Logan Landfill) this afternoon to see if the nasty weather might knock down some migrants, and I wasn't disappointed. The highlights were the peeps: six Western Sandpipers, one Least Sandpiper, one Semipalmated Sandpiper, and one Sanderling.
Stephen Peterson (15 Apr 2008) - Yesterday morning I saw a flock of 20 plus Bohemian Waxwings at the top of Old Main Hill at USU in Logan. Seems to be quite late for them to be hanging around.
Craig Fosdick (12 Apr 2008) - Keith Archibald, Ryan O' Donnell and I took a spin around Cache Valley this morning to see if we could find some new spring arrivals. Highlights include Horned Grebe, Tundra Swan, Eurasian Wigeon... Bohemian Waxwing...
Sarah Mohlman (10 Apr 2008) - This morning Kim Sullivan's Ornithology class went birding on the gravel road by the airport--Hyde Park Road and at the Benson Oxbows. ..At the Benson Oxbows we saw the Eurasian Wigeon has been around for the past week!
Mar 2008
Ryan O'Donnell (29 Mar 2008) - Thanks to a tip from Keith Archibald, I and several others found two Horned Grebes at the ponds just west of the Landfill in Logan this evening.
Ryan O'Donnell (23 Mar 2008) - Had a great day of birding around Cache Valley today ...Highlights included a pair of Hooded Mergansers at the Logan Fish Hatchery; a continuing Greater White-fronted Goose off of Sam Fellow Road; a pair of Trumpeter Swans near the Amalga Barrens; and a Common Redpoll at a feeder at a private residence in Richmond.
Buck Russell (22 Mar 2008) - I went out birding around Cache Valley today and saw several year birds and one lifer. Just north of the Benson Ox-bow at the first westbound road there was a flock of about 200 Tundra Swans, numerous Canada Geese, Northern Pintails, Mallards, and one Greater White-fronted Goose.
Craig Fosdick (15 Mar 2008) - Other birds of interest at Rendesvous Park (there weren't that many) were a possible Winter Wren (70-80% sure I heard the chimp-chimp alarm call, but I was standing right next to the Logan River, which is quite loud; I never could find the wren), 2 Brown Creepers, and a White-throated Sparrow (between the intersection of the paved trail from the parking lot and its connection with the paved trail along the river, SOUTH of the railroad tracks; the bird was in the bushes near one of the benches on the wood overlook platforms. Is that confusing enough?). No idea if this is a different White-throated Sparrow than the individual I had been seeing on S 100 E and E 400 S in Logan from Dec 30, 2007 to January 5, 2008. It's only about a mile between the two locations.
Craig Fosdick (8 Mar 2008) - Today while birding in the Cache Valley, Ryan O' Donnell, Stephanie Cobbold, and I found a Greater White-fronted Goose on 4600 N, between Sam Fellow Rd (Sam-Feller Rd in Benchmark's Utah Atlas, p. 37; 3800 W at Mapquest) and 3200 W. ...This same field held, at various times during the 4 hrs that Keith Archibald and I were glassing it (before Ryan and Stephanie arrived) at least 1,000 Canada Geese, at least 1,000 Ring-billed and California Gulls, 4 Tundra Swans, 15-20 Snow Geese, 1 Ross's Goose, 2-3 Cackling Geese, and two hybrid geese.
Feb 2008
Jim (29 Feb 2008) - Three Redpolls came to my feeder this morning [Paradise]. I can't say if they will hang around or not.
Ryan P. O'Donnell (23 Feb 2008) - Today I took a quick tour around Logan looking for birds. ... The biggest find of the day was an immature Glaucous Gull in Cutler Marsh, near the first bridge to the east of mile marker 104 on Highway 30. This bird may have been seen at the landfill earlier this week by Keith Archibald...
Ryan P. O'Donnell (11 Feb 2008) - On Saturday Stephanie Cobbold and I saw and photographed a first-winter Mew Gull at the Logan Fish Hatchery. I initially misidentified this bird, and it was only after going through the photos on Sunday night that I realized it. Thanks to Tim Avery and Craig Fosdick for helping me identify this bird from the photos.
Craig Fosdick - On Sat., 2/9, I did a short snowshoe trip from the Highway Sheds Winter Trailhead on US 89 in the Logan Ranger District of the Wasatch Cache National Forest. Not many birds, a total of 17 individuals and 5 species to be exact, plus lots of snow. Among those birds, though, was a lovely adult Northern Goshawk.
Brandon Spencer (2 Feb 2008) - Buck and Cindy Russel and I birded 3000 N., just west of the Benson Marina in Cache Valley this morning. We were searching for the reported Snow Buntings and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches that have recently been reported. While scanning a couple of flocks of Horned Larks from about 9:00 to 9:30 am, we were able to locate one Lapland Longspur, two Snow Buntings, and three Black Rosy-Finches.
Jan 2008
Craig Fosdick (31 Jan 2008) - Bohemian Waxwings are still present in Logan. Today while driving to work on Center St., I pulled over to watch a combined flock of ~100+ waxwings that appeared to be 60-40 BOWA-CEWX just west of 100W and Center St. While watching these beauties, another flock of 120+ waxwings, which appeared to be primarily BOWA's flew overhead.
Ryan P. O'Donnell (27 Jan 2008) - Stephanie Cobbold and I birded around Cache Valley this afternoon. The highlight was certainly a flock of about 400 Horned Larks on Highway 23about a quarter mile south of the intersection with 3000 N which included at least 14 (probably 30+) Lapland Longspurs, at least 4(probably 10+) GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES, and at least 2 Snow Buntings.
Ryan O'Donnell (20 Jan 2008) - I found two Lapland Longspurs in Cache County today, in a flock of about200 Horned Larks. The longspurs were on 3000N between the Benson Marina and Highway 23.
Stephen Peterson (13 Jan 2008) - This past Friday, I went on a field trip with Alice Lindahl's class and one of our stops was the fish hatchery. Great Egret was there, as well as two Dowitchers and single American Pipit, foraging along the muddy banks of the slough.
Connie McManus (4 Jan 2008) - the NEW BIRD FOR ME IS ... Northern Shrike. He appeared in my apple tree today and seems to be lingering.
Craig Fosdick (4 Jan 2008) - The Short-billed Dowitcher was still at the Logan Fish Hatchery in Logan (Cache Co.) at 115 pm today. After hearing that Ryan O' Donnell was able to locate the bird and get excellent looks at it, Mo Correll and I tried again today. We too were rewarded with excellent looks at the bird. Both Mo and I were able to see a tail pattern that is apparently distinct for at least some Short-billed Dowitchers...We also heard it call once, and the call sounded to me to be more like a Short-billed Dowitcher than a Long-billed, but I could not be sure, even though I listened to recordings only 20 minutes after seeing and hearing the bird. If anyone else sees the bird, I would be curious to hear what people think. The bird is frequenting the Logan Fish Hatchery, along UT 30 in Logan, just west of UT 30 and 1000 W.
Dec 2007
Connie McManus (31 Dec 2007) - I reported seeing Tundra and Trumpeter Swans at a pond that I called Olson's Pond and some of you may be wondering just where this is. It is located north of the intersection of 2200 South and 2000 West, officially known as the 20-20 Ponds.
Craig Fosdick (30 Dec 2007) - Today (12/30; ~4 PM) I found a White-throated Sparrow at S 100 E and E 400 S in Logan. The bird popped up as I was spishing at three White-crowned Sparrows and two Black-capped Chickadees in a hedgerow on the west side of S 100 E, just south of the intersection with E 400 S. Although I participated in the Logan CBC and was at the compilation, I don't recall a WTSP being mentioned. Other birds of interest in the neighborhood were two separate flocks of Bohemian Waxwings, two Bald Eagles and two Rough-legged Hawks.
Stephen Peterson (29 Dec 2007) - While searching in vain for the supposed Eastern Bluebird in Logan today, I ran across a pair of Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers on 1630 N 1515 E. There were small groups of Bohemian Waxwings around this area, but no Eastern Bluebird that I could find with them.
Milt Moody (28 Dec 2007) - Rob Fergus just called in and reported an Eastern Bluebird at 1410 East1700 North in Logan. He said that the bluebird along with about 300 Bohemian Waxwings and some Cedars were seen where 1410 East dead ends (hopefully they're hanging around that area). Rob is visiting from the East and was trying to help his brother-in-law find some Bohemians when they found this unexpected rarity.
Alice Lindahl (18 Dec 2007) - I have a Harris's Sparrow at my feeder today, has been hanging around for several hours (10:00 till 2:00). It's a lifer for me!
Jason Pietrzak (10 Dec 2007) - This is the 3rd out of the last 4 days that a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings has been in our backyard in Logan. From my photos, I would estimate that the flock today was 300-400, but it could be more. We have a small stream where the Waxwings have been bathing and drinking as well as berries that they have been eating. I have not seen any Cedar Waxwings in the mix. For anybody who is interested in seeing this flock, the stream where I am seeing them is directly between the 200E and 400E and between 1200N and 1400N.
lwbingham (9 Dec 2007) - Reinhard Jockel and I drive south today to Hyrum Reservoir and back to Logan Canyon First Dam. We saw Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings just east of the Logan Fairgrounds. Hyrum Dam... Pacific Loon (2)...
Joseph (4 Dec 2007) - During the summer I occasionally saw a Eurasian Collard-Dove in Hyrum Utah while driving past the corner of 100 N and 200 East, not birdwatching, just noticing what is around me. This morning, (I rarely if ever get out that early),t here was a whole flock there...
Jim Lofthouse (4 Dec 2007) - Friday afternoon about 4:00 PM we discovered a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings in the North West part of Paradise. They were not hanging around long though and kept flying a little ways to land in another tree. We followed them across town and they went to the South East corner of Paradise then flew eastward. We got some pretty good looks at the flock while in the trees, and never saw any Cedar Waxwings. Near as I can tell there was about 350 birds.
Nov 2007
Ryan P. O'Donnell (27 Nov 2007) - I found a flock of about 500 waxwings on the Utah State University campus today in Logan, at the NW corner of the BNR building. There seemed to be about 10-20 Bohemian Waxwings for every cedar waxwing. They were observed for about a half an hour by myself, Stephanie Cobbold, Sarah Mohlman, Hillary White, Drew Rayburn, Ryan (forgot his last name), Kim Sullivan, and others.
Craig Fosdick (27 Nov 2007) - This morning a flock of 150+ Bohemian Waxwings flew over my apartment on Preston Ave. (between 100 and 200 North, and east of 500 East), in Logan. I saw none in an evening walk around the neighborhood, however.
Kris Purdy (23 Nov 2007) - A flock of 17 Bohemian Waxwings were feeding in a crabapple tree in Wellsville, Cache County, this morning. The location was at the northwest corner of the 100E. 400S. intersection.
Kris Purdy (15 Nov 2007) - I birded the Wellsville area today in the southwest end of Cache Valley... Best bird watching occurred at the small farm at 7300S. 4000W. where I watched a juvenile Northern Shrike and its very successful grasshopper hunting forays.
Tim Avery (10 Nov 2007) - Today Colby and Tom Neuman and myself headed up to Cache Valley to look for the Bohemian Waxwings reported yesterday by Stephen Peterson. It took a little time, but we eventually found 15 Bohemians at 1300 East and 70 North on the Logan Bench (a couple miles from the temple). After lunch we headed to Hyrum Reservoir, which was covered with gulls (mostlyCalifornia). Four Loons were also present, 3 of which were Pacific Looms! The Winter Wren was still present at Box Elder Campground. And around 20 Greater Scaup were on Mantua Reservoir along with several hundred other waterfowl, 1 Horned Grebe and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs.
Keith Archibald (4 Nov 2007) - Today on Hyrum Reservoir we observed 2 female Black Scoters. They were on the inlet end from 11AM until we left at about 2PM. Also observed by Sue Drown, Buck Russell, Ron Ryle, Melanie Spriggs. Nothing else unusual. Common Loons, Divers and Dabblers, R. B. Mergs, beautiful day.
Oct 2007
Keith Archibald (1 Oct 2007) - Another Sabine's Gull in Cache Valley. Yesterday an adult and today a juvenile.
Sep 2007
Keith Archibald (30 Sep 2007) - Today at noon I had a close fly by for an adult Sabine's Gull. It was approximately 2 miles North of Highway 30 on 3200 West. I was there for another 30 minutes and it didn't reappear. Pectoral Sandpiper seem to be all over the Valley along with Baird's and Dowitchers. Red Phalarope -Ten days ago I had one at the Barren's. I got some fair pictures of the bird. The bird was only here one day.
Aug 2007
Kurt Gaskill (6 Aug 2007) - today there were 5 White-winged Crossbills flying from the Tony Grove Campground over the road. Characteristic call notes and white wing panels.
May 2007
Buck Russell (6 May 2007) - This evening I found a Calliope Hummingbird at Stewart Park in Logan. It was not a surprise to find the bird. On May 6, 2005, May 8, 2006, and today May 6, 2007 I've seen the bird. I had marked my calendar to visit the park today to look for the bird. I found it in the same tree, sitting on the same branch as last year. If the past two years are any indication, it will only be here for a few days.
Apr 2007
Stephen Peterson (25 Apr 2007) - This morning I found a White-throated
Sparrow which has been reported in the past along the Logan Canal Trail,
just east of the 'Philosopher's Way' sign and the house with the visible feeders
in the backyard.
I first heard a song that I was not really familiar with, 7 notes in a steady
pace with a rise on the last note. I started looking in the underbrush, and
finally saw the bird, showing the white-throat, white supercilium with yellow
supraloral patch and the black crown stripes; rufous wings and gray breast and
offwhite belly. I was able to see it singing as well.
Buck Russell (20 Apr 2007) - This evening I found several Horned Grebes at Hyrum Reservoir on the east end of the reservoir (I was at Dave's Point).
Mar 2007
Stephen Peterson (29 Mar 2007) - This morning at the Logan City Sewage Lagoons with Dr. Sullivans Ornithology class field trip we found a Greater White-fronted Goose flying overhead with a flock of 12 plus Canada Geese. I noticed at first a slimmer looking bird in the middle of the flock and was able to get great looks at the bird which showed the white frontal area at the base of a dull orange bill, very orange legs tucked up against a white undertail, lower belly area, and a thin white line on the side of the flank, separating the wing from the belly.I guess it could have been a domestic Graylag, but I cannot imagine that the heavier looking, beer belly farm goose could keep up with the geese I saw this morning.
Feb 2007
Ryan O'Donnell (13 Feb 2007) - Yesterday, February 12th, Stephanie Cobbold and I saw a White-throated Sparrow in Logan, Cache County. The bird was seen from along the canal that runs between 400 N (Hwy 89) and Canyon Road, just south of the Utah State University campus. There is a trail along this canal that can be reached from the first driveway east of the intersection of 400N and 600E.
Jan 2007
Tim Avery (21 Jan 2007) - Late this afternoon Colby Neuman and I spotted a Cackling Goose at the Logan River Golf Course. The bird was actually in the field across the street to the north of the clubhouse on Golf Course Drive. It was with a flock of around 30 Canada Geese. I managed to snap one pretty good shot showing the shorter bill with a bit of a steeper slope on the upper mandible, and a nice white collar like the bird I photographed last Christmas in SLC.
Buck Russell (1 Jan 2007) - The January 1st Bridgerland Audubon Field Trip to kick off a fresh start for the 200 club was a big success. ...up Logan Canyon to Third Dam. Along the way we found a Bald Eagle at Second Dam and at Third Dam we found a Winter Wren... At the Fish Hatchery we had our second out-of-season bird, a Great Egret. ...The third surprise bird of the day was a White-throated Sparrow just east of Mack Park in Smithfield. All of our surprise birds were first located during the December Christmas Bird Count and were gracious enough to stick around to be counted in the new year. It was a great day for a crazy lister.
Dec 2006
Jim (26 Dec 2006) - Today at the Hyrum Dam there was two Long-tailed Ducks. They were near the restrooms at the East Beach.
Buck Russell (26 Dec 2006) - This morning my wife and I found a male Varied Thrush in Mack Park, Smithfield, UT. The bird was about 20 feet east of the bridge at the entrance to the nature trail.
Keith Archibald (17 Dec 2006) - Cache Valley had an enjoyable and interesting count yesterday. Our goal for years has been to get to 100 species, but again it was not to be. ...We found 96 species. Highlights were 6 Gulls, 7 Owls. I’ll let you ponder which species. Other hot items were Great Egret, American White Pelican, Varied Thrush, and Vesper Sparrow.
Keith Archibald (8 Dec 2006) - We had some great gulling at the Logan landfill today. We had a Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. All three were first winter.... For the last two days we’ve had a Great Egret hanging around the same area on warm water springs. Last I checked it was December in frigid Cache Valley.
Buck Russell (2 Dec 2006) - This morning I visited the Hyrum Reservoir on the east end (Dave’s Point) and found a female Long-tailed Duck. Probably one of the same Long-tailed Ducks that Sue Drown reported last weekend...
Nov 2006
Buck Russell (26 Nov 2006) - Thanks to a tip from Kristin Purdy, who received a tip from Mort and Carolyn Somer, I saw a Winter Wren this morning at the Spring Hollow Camp Ground in Logan Canyon. This was a life bird for me...
Keith and Judy Archibald (4 Nov 2006) - Judy and I spotted a Cackling Goose on the Logan River Golf Course this afternoon (550 W 1000 S in Logan)...Returning with Buck Russell, Sue and Dave Drown, scopes and cameras, we had a good close range study of the bird. It hangs out with approximately 75 Canada Geese on the ponds around the clubhouse.
Oct 2006
Joel & Kathy (31 Oct 2006) - ...Then we went over to Hyrum Reservoir where we saw a female Surf Scoter, two Pacific Loons and several Common Loons at the southeast end of the reservoir.
Buck Russell (21 Oct 2006) - This morning I found a Pacific Loon on the Hyrum Reservoir. The bird was in the water just east of the "beach" entrance to the state park. On the far east end of the reservoir, on the southern shore (I was standing on the bluff on the northern shore) was a Great Egret. The bird had a yellow bill and all black legs and feet (I waited for it to pull its feet out of the water to make sure that it did not have yellow socks).
Jul 2006
Kris Purdy (19 Jul 2006) - This could be a good year for White-winged Crossbills; we should stay alert for them in the high country. Not only have I seen reports of White-wings in Colorado and Idaho recently, I just noticed this report on the Cache Valley hotline: July 14: Ron Ryel reports two singing male White-winged Crossbills (and two associated females) along the sinks road. Also, many Red Crossbills in these areas as well. They were seen at about 5.5 miles and 6.5 miles from the turnoff from Highway 89. Also, at about mile 7, a Three-toed Woodpecker was recorded. -- I believe the turnoff mentioned is in extreme northeastern Cache County near the Rich County line and about 5 miles east of Beaver Mountain.
Buck Russell (3 Jul 2006) - Reinhard Jockel, Cindy, my wife, and I birded the Logan Polishing Ponds this morning. The best bird of the morning was a Hudsonian Godwit. We found a single bird in non-breeding plumage walking at the edge of the water in the mudflat. We had a good look at the bird. It had a very bold white supercilium and dark eyeline. There was one odd thing about this bird, it joined a flight of Long-billed Curlews as they flew over the pond. The curlews had very distinct down curved bills and the godwit had a bill with a slight up-curve. We found about a dozen Baird Sandpipers, two Semipalmated Plovers, and a Spotted Sandpiper. The pond where we saw the godwit and sandpipers was a large mudflat with very little water. The other ponds have a lot of water in them and were loaded with ducks.
Buck Russell (1 Jul 2006) - This morning Reinhard Jockel and I visited Tony Grove in Logan Canyon and had a great day birding. New birds for the year for me were Clark’s Nutcracker, Red Crossbill, and Williamson Sapsucker...We found one Williamson Sapsucker in the nature trail area on the east end of the lake and found a nesting pair higher up...
Jun 2006
Joel Beyer (19 Jun 2006) - Kathy and I found a breeding plumaged Glossy
Ibis yesterday evening in Benson (Cache Co.). It was in the same location
described by Ron Ryel on June 6 -- on 3000 No. about 1/2 mile west of 3200
West, in a field south of the road -- and was with 125-150 White-faced Ibis.
Also in this group of birds was what we believe was a first-summer Glossy
Ibis. It resembled the adult Glossy Ibis but was not as brightly colored, and
it still had the two-toned bill of a juvenile (as depicted in Sibley).
David Wheeler (10 Jun 2006) - Larene & I found a Glossy Ibis in a
pasture about (very approximately) one third mile west of the Gossner's Foods
cheese factory (which is at 1000 W 1000 N) along 1000 North. The pasture
itself is just NE of the NE corner of the sewage treatment ponds and is grazed
fairly low. We saw the bird at about 10:15 this morning. It had all the main
markings (leg color, dusky blue face skin color, baby blue face outline--thin
and ending at eyes, brown irises...). It flew off as we approached in a futile
effort to photograph it, and we didn't relocate it (though it probably just
went into the tall marsh plants around a small stream/ditch on the edge of the
field).
Ron Ryel (6 Jun 2006) - I saw a Glossy Ibis this morning at about 8:00 am in the crop field south of Darrell's Appliance in Benson (2400 W x 3400 N) in a flock of about 1000 ibis. I did not see a glossy ibis at the original spot (3200 N) this morning, but there was a Great-tailed Grackle feeding with the cows and white-faced ibis.
Ron Ryel (5 Jun 2006) - There was a breeding plumage Glossy Ibis this evening (June 5) in Benson, Utah. The bird was with about 150 white-faced ibis. It was seen on 3000 N about 1/2 mile west of 3200 W in Benson in a field south of the road. Ibis flocks in the valley follow irrigated field in the valley so it (or others) may be found most anywhere.
May 2006
Buck Russell (27 May 2006) - During the Bridgerland Audubon Bird-a-thon today we found a Lark Bunting in the field just west of the Benson Marina in Benson, UT. The bird was on the north side of the road sitting on a roll of wire. Another surprise was a Rufous Hummingbird at Spring Hollow Campground in Logan, Canyon. The bird was at the hummingbird feeders at the caretaker site. Sue Drown, Reinhard Jockel, and I saw both birds. Some of the other birds from the Bird-a-thon include a Eurasian Collared Dove, Olive-sided Flycatcher, MacGillivray's Warbler, Rock Wren, and Swainson's Thrush...
Stephen Peterson (22 May 2006) - This morning at approximately 7:15 am, I saw a Brown Thrasher flitting about between 3 dogwood (?) shrubs, on the ground, at Hardware Ranch (in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, east of Hyrum, UT), immediately east of the elk herd overlook area, just above the path that leads you to the sleigh ride ticket booth.
Buck Russell (8 May 2006) - My wife and visited Denzil Stewart Park in Logan this evening and found a Calliope Hummingbird. The bird was located up on the bench area of the park. When you enter the park take the trail that goes left up to the bench area. It was near the concrete utility building.
Buck Russell (2 May 2006) - ...We found several Common Grackles in the Poplar trees on the south side of Willow Park in Logan (the same general area where they nested last year).
Apr 2006
Buck Russell (29 Apr 2006) - At the Bear River Oxbow, near Benson, I saw my first Marbled Godwit and a Great Egret flew over the river. There were about five Snowy Egrets at the Oxbow. Between the Oxbow and the Benson Marina (along the Bear River) I saw a Western Kingbird and Spotted Sandpiper. Along the Logan Airport Road in some flooded fields we found a Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, and probably Semipalmated Sandpipers. I took some photos of the possible Semipalmated Sandpipers.
Buck Russell (27 Apr 2006) - In the past week some great new birds have arrived at the Amalga Barrens. Reinhard Jockel and I went out to the Amalga Barrens this evening and found Semipalmated Plovers, Solitary Sandpiper, Forster's Tern, Wilson's Phalarope, and Savannah Sparrow. ...Blue Wing Teal...
Buck Russell (18 Apr 2006) - Reinhard Jockel and I found a flock of Evening Grosbeaks in Riverheights (around 6th South and 4th East). There were about six birds scattered in Poplar trees within a two blocks radius.
Stephen Peterson (11 Apr 2006) - The large flock of 500 plus Bohemian Waxwings are still frequent visitors on the USU campus. This morning they were hanging out by the CNR building.
Mar 2006
Stephen Peterson (8 Mar 2006) - What a surprise I had today on my lunch hour. I came home from work around 100 pm to find 150 plus Bohemian Waxwings in my front yard [Logan], gleaning juniper and hawthorn berries from the trees and bushes. It was an absolutely amazing sight!
Buck Russell (5 Mar 2006) - At about 5pm my wife and I saw a female Hooded Merganser in the pond in the Wellsville City Park. It was swimming in a mixed flock of Ring-necked ducks, Northern Shoveler, Gadwalls, American Coot, and one American Wigeon. The light was great and we got a really good look at the bird. The park is located about 5th south and 1st east in Wellsville.
Jim Lofthouse (4 Mar 2006) - Today at 3:30 PM in Hyrum at 300 South 100 West; a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings enjoying the fruit of a crab apple tree. 150 plus birds with just a few Cedar Waxwings mixed in. This has been a good year for Bohemians.
Feb 2006
Stephen Peterson (27 Feb 2006) - Reporting 300 plus Bohemian Waxwings on the campus of USU in Logan, this morning.
Kristin Purdy (25 Feb 2006) - I heard a report of a "new" Northern Pygmy-Owl in Cache County today. The bird was seen east of Hyrum in Blacksmith Fork Canyon just east of mile marker 11. The bird was seen and photographed perching on the top spire of a spruce.
James Lofthouse (18 Feb 2006) - The Sharp-tailed Grouse are still hanging around in Paradise. If you come looking, 9 to 10 AM seems to be a good time. The corner of 9000 South 200 East and is a good spot to start. Here is where you turn to go to the cemetery which is on the hill just to the North East. Also check out 300 East.
James Lofthouse (3 Feb 2006) - Friday afternoon at 3:40 there was a large flock (400+) of mixed Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings at 800 East 200 South in Hyrum. This is right across the street from the high school. It seemed there was as many Bohemians as Cedars. I haven't seen a flock like this for years.
Jan 2006
Keith and Judy (28 Jan 2006) - Judy and I have seen this month two Cackling Geese at the Logan River Golf Club. Thayers, Herring, and one first winter Glaucous-winged Gull at the Logan landfill...We finally found the one and only Lapland Longspur after searching through 3 to 4 thousand Horned Larks at several locations during the last week...White-throated Sparrows have been seen at three different locations this winter...
Bill Fenimore (22 Jan 2006) - Kirk Earl took a photo of an Owl that he saw in Card Canyon off of Logan Canyon on Saturday... a Boreal Owl. Boreal Owl has been reported but never confirmed in this area, near Tony Grove, etc... It was seen in Card Canyon near the archery range off Logan Canyon.
Joel and Kathy (22 Jan 2006) - We found the adult Lapland Longspur at the location described by Kristin in Cache Valley, around 2:00 pm. It was with a small flock of about 30 Horned Larks.
Tim Avery (22 Jan 2006) - At the Logan River Golf Course, the geese were on the pond to the northeast of the main pond, where there wasno Brant, but 2 Cackling Geese (Richardson's subspecies).
Kris Purdy (20 Jan 2006) - A lone and lovely Lapland Longspur was loitering with a lot of larks, Horned that is, in west Cache County today. The location was on SR-23 at mile 12.2, west of the road in a field between the intersection with SR-30 to the south and Newton far to the north. I tied a piece of pink surveyor's tape to a bunch of grass on the west shoulder adjacent to where I parked...
Jim Lofthouse (20 Jan 2006) - 1:20 Pm Friday. Paradise - I have twenty 20 Gray Partridge, and two Sharp-tailed Grouse in the yard. This must be grouse day. Looks like they are passing through.
Tim Avery (19 Jan 2006) - Glenn Barlow and I headed up to Logan before light to take a stab at the Brant....There were several very dark Canada Geese, but no Brant in sight. But what did pop out were 1, and possibly a second Cackling Goose.
Tim Avery (18 Jan 2006) - I received an email late last night from Jack Binch alerting me that Reinhard Jockel saw an unusual bird on the Logan River Golf course pond with the Canada Geese and Mallards -- a Brant (one adult), on the 16th of January. Stephen Peterson checked out the pond thanks to an email through Krsiting Purdy and did not see the bird today. Please, please, please keep your eyes open for this bird.
enie@valleyimplement.org (18 Jan 2006) - I recently saw flock of geese west of Logan Utah which had a strange looking bird with them, I watched it for a while unfortunately I didn't have a camera and I didn't know what it was. After further investigation I discovered the bird to be a Brent Goose. I spotted the bird on Jan, 9 2006.
Oct 2005
Jack Binch (31 Oct 2005) - Bob Huntington just called to report a Pacific Loon at Hyrum Res. He also found the Surf Scoter. The loon was near the dam, however it flew to the east end when a canoe came by. 10:30 AM
Jack Binch (30 Oct 2005) - I got a tip about a female Surf Scoter at Hyrum Reservoir. There are probably two there now. Keith Archibald was pointing one out to me on the southeast corner, while Steve and Cindy Sommerfeld and Bob McDougal were looking at one on the northeast end. Time was about noon today.
Aug 2005
Stephen Peterson (8 Aug 2005) - On Saturday, BAS took a trip out to Logan
cities newest waste water treatment pond. It is a large, planted and simulated
wetland area. Highlight species included: Marbled Godwit, Solitary
Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Baird's
Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Sora, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper
Stephen Peterson (8 Aug 2005) - On Sunday, Carolee and I hiked the Cold Water
canyon trail, that makes it way to the back/south side of Tony Grove Lake. I
found: ...Three-toed Woodpecker (a single male with distinctive
yellow-cap and barred flanks)...Calliope Hummingbird...
Apr 2005
Stephen Peterson (29 April 2005) - I also saw 2 pairs of Blue-winged Teal out on the Amalga Barrens Sanctuary in Cache Valley this morning. They were a new species for the year on my survey of this area...Other notable bird today was a single Horned Grebe.
Stephen Peterson (24 April 2005) - I led a field trip to Benson Marina (Cache Co.) for Michael Sowder's nature writers class at USU, this past Saturday and we saw some great birds...The most exciting sightings (for me at least), was a single Osprey sitting on a nesting platform, just south of the marina, 3 Long-billed Curlews in the fields just southwest of the trail, a solitary Great Egret and one Marbled Godwit flying overhead...
Ron Ryel - The Cackling Goose (B. h. leucopareia) continues at the Oxbow in Cache County on Saturday, April 23, 2005. It has been seen off and on all the past week...
Dominique Roche (12 April 2005) - Thanks for the tip on the Cackling goose. It was still at the Oxbow overlook of Cutler Reservoir this morning...Now there is a feast on 800 East just 100 yards south of the intersection with 1400 North. I counted last evening between 320 and 340 Bohemian Waxwings. ...They sit on 2 trees only and were present there all the time from 5:30 to 7 PM. It is next to a small USU orchard...On Sunday, working on my roof, I had a flock of around 50 bohemians flying over me. Bohemian waxwings are definitively still in Cache Valley
Ron Ryel - An Aleutian subspecies (B. h. leucopareia) Cackling Goose was seen late Sunday afternoon (April 10) at the Oxbow overlook of Cutler Reservoir in Cache County. The bird was much smaller than associated resident Canada geese with a short neck and small, stubby bill. The bird had a prominent, complete white neck band bordered above and below with black.
Mar 2005
Stephen Peterson (7 Mar 2005) - This past Saturday morning I had easily 150 plus Bohemian Waxwings in the tops of the trees at my home. I was awakened by the shrill whistle of their voices. It was very cool! Beautiful birds. Must be massing together, getting ready to boogie out of here.
Feb 2005
Joel Beyer (25 Feb 2005) - ...We visited Clarkston (Cache County) on Tuesday and saw the Blue Jays -- four of them! They made a brief appearance to snatch peanuts from the feeder at the yellow house on Main Street (about 200 South?). Several flickers were around, but no Yellow-shafted.
Stephen Peterson (11 Feb 2005) - Tom Gordon reports from Clarkston in Cache Valley that he has had a Yellow-shafted Flicker hanging out at his feeders along with the Red-shafted Flickers and that the pair of Blue Jays are still there since they showed up this past October. ...Alice Lindahl reports from the USU campus of a couple of Bohemian Waxwings mixed in with the Cedar Waxwings, between the Student Center and Geology building, eating off of the crabapple trees...
Stephen Peterson (10 Feb 2005) - Reinhard Jockel reported a flock of approximately 100 Bohemian Waxwings in Logan this past Monday, in the island area around 200 North.
Jan 2005
Richard Wood (12 Jan 2005) - We just saw a flock of Sharp-tailed Grouse sitting at the top of a tree in the barren area west of the Hyrum Dam, across the street from the dam.
Dec 2004
Stephen Peterson (20 Dec 2004) - ...Another interesting bird I saw over the weekend, with Carolee Lavery, was a Northern Pygmy Owl, in the parking area of Wood Camp, yesterday (Sunday) afternoon at about 3:30 - 4:00 pm...
Nov 2004
Stephen Peterson - Bridgerland Audubon Society field trip on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004 [Hyrum Reservoir] produced 6 Trumpeter Swans at the SouthEast inlet of the reservoir. 2 of them had yellow neck tags, #s 8Y3 and 9Y3 respectively. And both had underparts of wing painted pink. These 2 birds kept to themselves, in the shallows. The other 4 bunched together and were about 20 feet away. We got great looks at all birds and we concluded that they all were Trumpeters. ...Other birds of interest at Hyrun Reservoir, which has become quite a hot spot this past month: Surf Scoter, Pacific Loon, Red Throated Loon, ...and a 1st year juvenile Northern Shrike.
Stephen Peterson (11 Nov 2004) - A pair of Long-tailed Ducks was reported last week as being seen in Cache Valley at Logan Sewage Lagoons.
Kris Purdy (9Nov 2004) - Merrill Webb, Glenn Barlow and I saw the Red-throated Loon at Hyrum Reservoir today... The Red-throated Loon remained on the south side of the reservoir across from the main boat ramp and day use parking area....In addition to the loon, we also found the two White-winged Scoters at the Beach Area as previously reported by Lu Giddings, a female or juvenile Surf Scoter along the south shore and east of the Red-throated Loon, and a male Barrow's Goldeneye keeping company with a male Common Goldeneye near the Beach Area. We did not see any Pacific Loons.
Jack Binch (7 Nov 2004) - At Hyrum Res. we found the Red-throated Loon in about the middle of the reservoir with some Western Grebes and two White-winged Scoters (winter plumage) at the northeast end.
Richard Wood (5 Nov 2004) - I just got back from a quick jaunt to Hyrum Lake, where I had Common and Pacific Loons (in fact, I had one of each in the scope at the same time for comparison; one closer to me, one further away)...
Donna Thorum (3 Nov 2004) - I too saw a Blue Jay in Clarkston at the yellow house on the southwest corner of Main and 200 So. Or more to the point 211 So. Main. ...Glen and myself arrived about 1:45 PM and set in front of the...Many thanks to this kind gentleman for making this sighting know and allowing people to come and see.
Oct 2004
Stephen Peterson - The wintering waterfowl are starting to show up in Cache Valley. On Sunday, 10/31, at 1st dam at the mouth of Logan Canyon I saw 5 beautiful Barrows Goldeneyes (3 male, 2 female)...
Joel and Kathy Beyer (31 Oct 2004) - We also visited the Blue Jay
locales in Brigham City and Clarkston on Saturday morning. No Blue Jay seen in
Brigham City, but we did see the jays in Clarkston. We saw two at the feeders at
211 So. Main, but at the house at the end of the block (2 houses west) we saw
four, and possibly five, Blue Jays flitting around on the fence and ground by
the plastic blue tub. I don't know what the attraction was, but it was also very
enticing to the Magpies.
At Hyrum Lake we found the Pacific Loon at the west end, near the dam,
along with a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes. We didn't see any Surf Scoters.
Jack Binch (29 Oct 2004) - Bob Huntington and I went to Clarkston for the Blue Jays. We saw two at about 9:00 AM in the yard south of Tom's house and one at his feeders at about 10:00. Next we went to Hyrum Reservoir and found seven Surf Scoters at the east end and a Pacific Loon by the banks southeast of the dam.
Kristin Purdy (28 Oct 2004) - The scoters at Hyrum Reservoir in Cache Valley yesterday were all juvenile Surf Scoters. ...I spoke with Jack Rensel of WAS this evening and he said that after Richard left, the remaining birders were able to validate that the six juvenile scoters were Surfs.
Stephen Peterson (26 Oct 2004) - I went out yesterday afternoon to Clarkston (northern Cache Valley) to see the 3 Blue Jays that Tom Gordon reported yesterday morning. Tom said the 3 Blue Jays have been there for about a week. I was able to see all 3 come to the bird feeders and then dive to the ground and snatch up the fresh peanuts in the shell that Tom put out for them...
Aug 2004
Richard Wood (29 Aug 2004) - We just got back from an attempted walk around the shore of Hyrum Lake. We only made it as far as the beach entrace after starting from the main entrance.... While in the beach part of the park, near the wooded area at the edge of the park, we saw a Red-eyed Vireo...
Jun 2004
Kristin Purdy (25 June 2004) - ...Great Salt Lake Audubonners saw the king of glossy purple-black and his royal court today. Several pairs of Purple Martins have set up housekeeping in cavities in aspen trees on the La Plata ranch, just over the Weber/Cache County line in Cache County....
May 2004
Stephen Peterson (31 May 2004) - Thought I would share with you all what I saw during my Memorial day weekend. I camped at my Grandpas place, up Blacksmith Fork, which is east of Hyrum in Cache Valley.... a Winter Wren, which I hiked and bushwhacked for into a gulley and up along the thickets by the moss-covered rocks.
Mar 2004
Bob Atwood (29 March 2004) - ECD [Eurasian Collared-Dove] has finally been observed in Cache County. A pair have been coming to a yard in Wellsville for several months. The property owner had been setting grain out in his yard and the strange doves showed up. He finally called a birder who could id them. They have since been observed by multiple Cache county birders. The area is 60 West 200 North.
Merrill Webb - On Tuesday March 9th, I saw 7 Sharp-tailed Grouse at Hyrum Lake State Park near the park headquarters.
Richard Wood (3 March 2004) - Jill and I went birding in Logan yesterday afternoon, in particular to look for the Varied Thrush in the canal near the golf course. Well, we found him, in fact, we think we saw two males in the area. We also had many Dark-eyed Juncos, American Robins and a couple of Song Sparrows, all playing in the water.