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Finally made it out to Farmington Bay. In spite of a drizzle we
saw 117 Bald Eagles. Most of them were perched in trees not far from the
entrance to the preserve. We sat there quietly and enjoyed listening to their
high-pitched calls. You'd think such a large bird would have a deeper voice. I
don't know if eagles have a pecking order, but we watched a couple skirmishes
for the "best" perch. I think "best" means highest. I wouldn't want to be
sitting directly below an eagle, if you know what I mean...
Seeing Bald Eagles sitting on the ground is interesting. Somehow we
envision them high and mighty. With their feathers fluffed, some of them looked
sort of like turkeys. So much for a "noble image." At one point my friend
said, "look some people are ice fishing." We got closer and realized that our
"ice fishermen" were four Bald Eagles on a stump. We got some good chuckles from
that.
They seemed to get a bit more active later in the afternoon, flying from
the ground to a distant tree.
Does anyone know where the eagles go to roost at night? We'd have loved to
stay but they shut the gate at 5 p.m. I've watched eagles out west of Lehi fly
up to Ophir Canyon to roost. I figure the Farmington birds head for the hills,
too?
A flock of about a 15 Canada Geese flew overhead, their honking
was like a humorous musical interlude on a quiet afternoon.They circled
around and then flew on to a place far from the road.
The bright plumage of a Kestrel was a welcome sight in the dreary
landscape. We saw three in all. One Kestrel was sitting on a sign by the side of
the road. It had a mouse in its talons, the tail hung down over the front of the
sign. Another car drove up which frightened it away. Figuring it wouldn't fly
too far with its dinner, we found it about 200' away perched on a stick. It
finished eating, tossed the skin on the ground, fluffed its feathers, and basked
in the...drizzle.
Another highlight of the day was watching a pair of Northern
Harriers (it took about 20 minutes of watching to figure this out and I'm
excited that I ID'd a new--for me--bird.) An older book called it a "Marsh Hawk"
and it took comparing the Latin names to realize we had looked up the same bird,
just different books. They'd glide just above the rushes, and once flew right
over our heads! Then they'd land in the rushes for 5 minutes or so, then one
would take off again. They were so graceful. Just watching how the smallest turn
of a feather can change the flight path is amazing. I think that seeming ease of
flight is one thing that enchants me about birds.
I appreciate and enjoy reading others' sightings and birding
adventures.
Linda
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