Oct 2011
Ken Burton (22 Oct 2011) - This morning a juvenile
female YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was banded at Rio Mesa Center.
May 2011
Bob Bradley (31 May 2011) - Lark Bunting
- displaying male along with 2 others was seen on my Westwater BBS route in
Grand County today.
Dave Hanscom (8 May 2011) ...
--Since Monticello was so close, I couldn't resist a quick visit to
Devil's Canyon Campground to look for
Acorn Woodpecker and
Pygmy Nuthatch. Both were
there, along with many Western Bluebirds, a
Juniper Titmouse, a couple
of White-breasted Nuthatch,
and a very cooperative
Black-throated Gray Warbler.
Susan Snyder (2 May 2011) - Not that they're all
that rare, but we did enjoy seeing Juniper titmice and Black-throated
sparrows at Dead Horse Point State Park and in Arches National Park this
past weekend. The sweet little feathered peepers were faring much better in the
cold winds than I!
Feb 2011
Jeff Foote (15 Feb 2011) - Curve-billed Thrasher
has been coming to feeder at Moab.
Jun 2010
Bob Bradley (9 Jun 2010) - [Lark Bunting]
Two of us who were running the Westwater BBS Survey on June 6 saw 2 of these
birds in flight. They were both males, black with white wing patches. This was
in Grand County in sage habitat at latitude 39.2987300, longitude -109.07665.
May 2010
Carl Ingwell (19 May 2010) - [Horsethief
Campground] - We had two Cassin's Kingbirds join us for dinner tonight.
Niiiiiice
Carl Ingwell (18 May 2010) - [Matheson Preserve, Moab] - Took the morning
off work due to high winds on the Island in the Sky and birded Matheson Preserve
in Moab. I heard numerous Yellow-breasted Chats, a Wilson's
Warbler,
MacGillivray's Warbler, Yellow Warbler & a Common Yellowthroat,
Spotted Towhees and one Green-TailedTowhee, around 50 Cedar
Waxwings, a bunch of Lazuli Buntings, Black-Headed Grosbeaks,
a Cooper's Hawk, etc. ... Last night outside my camp I had 3 awesome
friends: a Gray Vireo,
a Gray Flycatcher,
and a Black-throated Gray
Warbler. It was a gray party and they were all singing sweetly
to me.
Just had my first Common Poorwill of the season
(I know, I'm slow), and it was right outside my tent. Awesome.
Apr 2010
Utah Birds (23 April 2010) About a week ago (16 Apr
2010) a tour group with birders of some renown, saw a CHIHAUHAUN RAVEN
at the Mesa Arch parking lot in the "Island
in the Sky district" of the Canyonlands NP.
Edson Leite (12 April 2010) - [Arches national Park] -
Turkey Vulture,
Red-tailed Hawk,
White-throated Swift,
Northern Flicker,
Empidonax sp.,
Say's Phoebe,
Pinyon Jay,
Common Raven,
Juniper Titmouse,
Rock Wren,
Canyon Wren,
Mountain Bluebird,
American Robin,
Spotted Towhee,
Vesper Sparrow,
Black-throated Sparrow,
Dark-eyed Junco,
House Finch
Nov 2009
Jason Pietrzak (18 Nov 2009) - We came back to Moab late last night and woke up
to find our landlord has been filling our feeders. I saw a huge flock of Juncos
along with some of the other regulars at sunrise and I saw what I first struck
me as a strange leucistic/partial-albino House Sparrow. While I rubbed my eyes
furiously and dunked my still-frozen binoculars in hot water (to remove ice and
fog), it landed 15 feet away from me and scratched in the litter near the
bird-bath. It quickly became clear to me that this was a Harris's Sparrow...
Sep 2009
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...
Jun 2008
Ryan O'Donnell (7 Jun 2008) - A quick report from the road - I found a
successful Black Phoebe nest in Grand County today. I flushed four or
five youngsters from the nest over the south fork of Mill Creek, near Moab.
According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Black Phoebes' "breeding
distribution in Utah is limited to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern
corner of the state," two or three hundred miles away.
Oct 2007
Lu Giddings (28 Oct 2007) - I made the drive to Moab Friday morning and
spent the rest of the day and yesterday morning birding around town and the
adjacent area.... The only noteworthy sightings were Eurasian
Collared-Doves. Flocks of 5,6, and 16 were spotted around town early
Saturday morning.
Jun 2007
Tim Avery (16 Jun 2007) - While conducting a survey along the Dolores River I
had an Adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo fly across the river and into a patch
of Willow. The area where the bird was seen is just up from the confluence with
the Colorado. Also, where the road meets the river, I camped the night before,
and at around 5:30 am on the 16th a Green Heron was heard and seen flying
over the river. Also in this same area was a "southwest" WILLOW FLYCATCHER.
May 2005
Todd Elliott - ...While visiting the Moab area this past weekend (Friday,
May 20) I saw the silhouette of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I was
eating at an outdoor restaurant and watched the unmistakable shape, with the
long, forked tail, slowly make its way across the sunset sky. By the time I
could get out to chase it down there was no sign of it. This was in the
center of Moab, on Center Street, one block west of US-191...
Feb 2005
Matt Williams (15 Feb 2005) - My wife and [I] took a much needed trip to
Southeastern Utah this past weekend...At Arches [NP]...my wife noticed a large
flock of birds flying in as were nearing Delicate Arch on foot. I knew they were
Rosy Finches but realized how difficult they are to see and ID in flight.
Fortunately, I did get nice looks at at least a few and I can say that most were
likely Black Rosy-Finches in this flock of at least 100 birds. This was a
life bird for me and certainly an unexpected surprise. A later surprise came
with a Merlin perched in a tree south of Moab.
Nov 2004
Marcy Hafner (24 Nov 2004) - The big surprise this morning out at the
preserve [Scott M. Matheson Preserve] on the river trail was a White-throated
Sparrow. It had the yellow lores to prove it was a white-throated and not a
white-crowned...
Oct 2004
Nick & Marian Eason (18 Oct 2004) - We currently have an Eastern Blue Jay
visiting our feeder. He first appeared about 8:35 a.m. this morning and has been
back and forth a couple of times. I don't see an observation on the Preserve
list so don't know if one has been observed in the Moab area before. If you have
seen one in the past, let us know.
May 2004
N Meason (20 May 2004) - a Phainopepla was sited in Moab, near Old
City Park over the weekend (5/16). The bird was identified by five members of
the Moab Bird Club....
Jan 2004
Damian Fagan (12 Jan 2004) - A Harris' Sparrow was observed at a
feeder in the Barlett Circle subdivision (Moab, Grand County) this morning. The
bird was in a mixed flock but observed for quite some time. A Merlin
was observed stooping and pulling up from it's dive on 400 North (Moab, Grand
County) near the Allen Memorial Hospital on January 12th. Since I almost hit the
bird with my car, I had a really good look at the heavily streaked underside and
the banded tail.
Aug 2003
Damian Fagan (20 Aug 2003) - A Gray Catbird was observed along the
Colorado River trail, near the cottonwood self-guided trail marker, on August
19th, in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve. Also a Green Heron was
observed at Cottonwood Bend Ranch, upstream of Dewey Bridge on August 15th.
June 2003
Damian Fagan - (3-4 June 2003) A couple of recent bird sightings at or
adjacent to the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve, Moab. Worm-eating
Warbler along Stewart Lane (adjacent) in a neighbor's yard. The bird was
feeding long enough for the birder to get out a bird book and look it up.
Unfortunately, the birder left for Alaska the next day and there has been no
follow-up. Sighting was 6/3. On 6/4 a female Hooded Warbler was
mist-netted in the preserve by the UDWR staff.
April 2003
Joel and Kathy Beyer - ...Sunday morning, 4/13, a Blue-winged Teal at
Matheson Preserve (Moab), seen from the wildlife blind.
Feb 2003
Damian Fagan - A Merlin was observed on 2/3/03 in the town of Moab
(vicinity of 100 North and 400 East) in the morning.
Jan 2003
Damian Fagan - The Moab CBC was held January 4th. Unusual sightings included
Harris' Sparrow, Merlin and Mourning Dove.
September 2002
Damian Fagan - (Tue, 3 Sep 2002) Recent bird
sightings in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Greater
Yellowlegs; solitary and spotted sandpiper; western and least sandpiper;
Calliope Hummingbird; olive-sided flycatcher; dusky flycatcher; warbling
vireo; red-breasted and white nuthatch; house wren; Townsend's, Nashville, and
orange-crowned warbler; American Redstart; Northern Waterthrush;
green-tailed towhee; lesser and American goldfinch.
August 2002
Damian Fagan - (Mon, 26 Aug 2002) Among the numerous migrants at the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve, Moab,
Nashville Warbler, American Redstart, White-faced Ibis, and Brewer's Sparrows. Observations from 8/22-8/26, 2002.
June 2002
Damian Fagan - The UDWR mist netting crew caught a non-breeding Worm-eating Warbler in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve (Grand Co.)
on June 25th, in the morning. I spent a half-hour in the afternoon trying to
locate the bird
without success - doesn't mean that it still isn't there. The bird was captured
in the southern portion of the preserve, just off of the gravel trail (near the
junction between this trail and the boardwalk) beneath the large overhead
transmission line.
Damian Fagan - On June 19th, at the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve in
Moab (Grand Co.) one adult Osprey was fishing over the Central Pond and
several pairs of Great-tailed Grackles were observed flying to and fro in
the bulrushes.
May 2002
Damian Fagan -Two Sandhill Cranes were observed flying over Old City
Park, in Moab, UT (Grand Co.) on May 4th, about 7 p.m. The birds were heading
south. Also a Harris' Sparrow was observed at a feeder in Moab on May 3rd.
April 2002
Damian Fagan - Sighted a pair of Wood Ducks (4/17) roosting in the
large cottonwood trees along the Mill Creek Parkway, between Grand County High
and Mill Creek.
Damian Fagan - Three Red-breasted Mergansers on the Central Pond at
the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve (Grand Co.) on 4/15/02.
January 2002
Damian Fagan - (Tue, 15 Jan 2002) A Northern Pygmy-Owl was
observed in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve
(Grand Co., Utah) on Sunday, Jan 13th. The bird was observed perched in a tree
along the boardwalk trail right before sundown.
Damian Fagan - (Tue, 5 Jan 2002) Thirty-two Great-tailed Grackles were
observed during the Moab CBC on Jan.
5th. The birds have since been sighted in a large tree just north of the Denny's
on Highway 191 (Grand Co.). Also, a Merlin was observed by a feeder
watcher on the CBC
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