|
I headed to northern Box Elder County and the Nucor
Steel plant on a bird-listening trip for Grasshopper Sparrows from 7:30-10:30
this morning. I saw or heard 5 or 6 sparrows although some of my sightings
or the calls I heard could have been repeat birds. (Hmmm...an aside...if
you sight a bird and it's called a sighting, if you hear a bird, is it called a
hearing?) The sparrows are havin' a ball in the field west of the plant's
manmade pond, as previously reported by Mark Stackhouse and Lu Giddings.
Boy-oh-boy, these little guys are toughies!
The sparrows either stayed out of sight, perched on tufts of low alfalfa,
or flew low over the vegetation. I can't figure out how these birds ever
fly high enough to migrate. My best look occured when I walked out into
the field and was able to approach one sparrow perched on alfalfa at a distance
of about 50 feet. The sparrow turned its head at just the right angle for
me to see its buffy color above the lores in good light.
Western Meadowlarks, Horned Larks, and Western
Kingbirds did their best to drown out the sparrows' quiet, buzzy call.
The pond or the trees beside it produced a surprise or two--a Spotted
Sandpiper, a Willet, several Forster's Terns, a Bullock's Oriole and a
female Yellow Warbler. I also saw Killdeer, American Kestrels, a male
Northern Harrier, a Red-tailed Hawk, Lark and Brewer's Sparrows, and Bank
and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. The Malad River just east of the plant
produced a Swainson's Hawk, Canada Geese, and lots of Cliff Swallows flying into
the north end of the big pipe that channels the river under the road.
On the way home I visited a 'new' birding spot--the
Raymond M. Hansen Park in the town of Elwood. Elwood is southeast of
Tremonton and the park is a little overgrown and unkempt--perfect for birds and
birders. I came across this spot in January and was disappointed to
find it closed. But it wasn't either closed or disappointing today!
The park is snugged against a curve of the Bear River and has mature deciduous
woods, open playing fields, and brushy borders. It was pretty birdy
today. I found Yellow Warblers, Mourning Doves, Lazuli Buntings,
Ring-necked Pheasants, Song and White-crowned Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeaks,
a Western Tanager, American Goldfinches, a House Wren singing to make up for the
whole silent winter, Black-capped Chickadees fee-bee, fee-beeing, a Bank Swallow
colony, American Robins, American Magpies, Mallards, a Belted Kingfisher, a
Spotted Sandpiper, a Great Blue Heron, a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Downy
Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, Franklin's Gulls flying very high overhead,
Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Bullock's Orioles. I
hope to visit again to get a more complete picture of the bird life to be found
there.
To reach the Grasshopper Sparrow field west of the
Nucor Steel plant, Take I-15 to Exit 394. Turn west. Zig north
and zag west around the steel plant, and then turn left (south) at 7600W.
This turn is 2.3 miles from the north-bound exit ramp and for what it's worth,
if you continued west on this dirt road instead of turning down 7600W, you'd
drive through Johnson Canyon and end up in Whites Valley.
To reach Hansen Park in the town of Elwood, take
I-15 to exit 379 and turn north. You'll see a red-roofed Exxon/Arby's
Travel Center just north of the interstate. Turn right (east) at the next
street bordering the travel stop's parking lot. This street is 9600N, but
you might not find a road sign at this intersection. Drive east for a mile
and turn right (south) onto 4400W at the four-way stop. Drive a half
mile and turn right (west) onto River Road. The entrance to Hansen Park is
a couple hundred feet down River Road on the left.
Kris
|