Utah County Birders Newsletter
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Contents
June Meeting
Upcoming Field Trips
Ned's Notes
Utah
County Big Month
Bird of the Month
Backyard Bird of the Month
May Hotline Highlights
JUNE MEETING:
Thursday, June
11th.
"Differentiating Confusing Pairs" by Dennis Shirley
Many birds pose tricky identification problems because they look so similar to
other species. Dennis will show how to differentiate about 20 pairs of these
"look alike" birds. In the process, he will help us all become better, more
observant birders. He recently gave this same presentation with great effect to
attendees of the Great Salt Lake Birding Festival.
Meet at 7:00 PM in the Bean Museum Auditorium on the BYU Campus.
See Utah County Big Month article below.
June 6, 2009 - Utah Lake Environs - Waterfowl, Waders, Water birds, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, Bobolink. The Utah Lake Fest starts at 10:00am and we need to support these activities, so we will be back a little earlier for this. Meet at 6:00am at the Payson/I-15 commuter parking lot located off the I-15 Payson exit. Go right at the off ramp bottom, then a left in 100 yards, then another left into the parking area. It's across the street from the bowling alley.
June 13, 2009 - West Desert/ Tintics - Flycatchers, Sparrows, Wrens, Juniper Titmouse. Meet at 6:00am at the Payson/I-15 commuter parking lot located off the I-15 Payson exit. Go right at the off ramp bottom, then a left in 100 yards, then another left into the parking area. It's across the street from the bowling alley.
June 20, 2009 - Oak/Maple Foothill Chaparral - Warblers, Vireos, Grosbeaks, Finches. Meet at 6:00am at the Payson/I-15 commuter parking lot located off the I-15 Payson exit. Go right at the off ramp bottom, then a left in 100 yards, then another left into the parking area. It's across the street from the bowling alley.
June 25, 2009 - Payson Canyon owling - we may begin by looking for burrowing owls, great-horned owls, and barn owls between Payson and Elberta, or we can bird our way up Payson canyon until dark, depending on group interests. 6:00 pm - 12 am. Leave Payson Walmart at 6 pm. Please plan on carpooling with others.
June 27, 2009 - High Elevations - Aspen/Spruce/Fir - Woodpeckers, Blue Grouse, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Purple Martin. Meet at 6:00am at the Payson/I-15 commuter parking lot located off the I-15 Payson exit. Go right at the off ramp bottom, then a left in 100 yards, then another left into the parking area. It's across the street from the bowling alley.
July 10, 2009 - Oquirrh mountains with Ann Neville
- This is a rare opportunity to visit Kennecott Copper property in the Oquirrh
mountains. Space is limited to 20 people. You must pre-register by email in
advance with Lu Giddings if you wish to attend, first come first served. We need
two drivers with 4wd vehicles capable of seating 5 people (including driver)
each. The trip will leave East Bay Sam’s Club at 7:00 am, although this may
change to an earlier time (6 am), depending on Ann’s schedule. Please plan on
carpooling with others.
August 2009:
September 2009: In Search of Hungarian Partridge
- Box Elder county. Details TBA
We are actively recruiting people to lead local half-day field
trips, any time, any place. If you would like to lead a field trip or if you
have any ideas for this year’s field trips, please contact Lu Giddings at -
seldom74@xmission.com.
Ned’s Notes
By Ned Hill – President, Utah County Birders
“Owls: Birds of Mystery and Adventure”
Like me, if you are attracted to birding largely because of the adventure, then
owls have got to be among your favorite birds, too. They’re usually not easy to
find since most of them only come out after dark. And that means you can’t
generally see them too well. For me there is always some mystery surrounding any
owl, so it’s always an adventure to find an owl—any owl. Here are some of my owl
memories.
One night just this week my wife and daughter-in-law came home after sunset and
reported hearing an owl in our backyard. We quietly went out on our deck and,
sure enough, we could hear the “yipping” of young Western Screech Owls
and some stronger calls—probably from their parent(s). While we couldn’t see
them, we sometimes saw a shadow pass from one tree to the other—flight lessons?
I heard the owls calling whenever I checked on them during the night. The next
night they had moved to a different tree but we could hear them calling again—at
least four individuals, probably more. I dared not shine a light on them for
fear of interrupting the family. What a thrill to have these mystery creatures
in our own yard.
The first Elf Owl I ever saw was in Madera Canyon in Southeastern
Arizona. People at the Santa Rita Lodge told us if we waited near a certain
picnic table in the parking lot and looked up at the wooden utility pole a few
yards away, we could see an Elf Owl peek out at us at 8:10 pm sharp! How many
birds are so punctual? We did as instructed and, on schedule, a tiny head poked
out. It watched the assembled crowd for a few minutes and the sparrow-sized owl
flew off into the night. As we fell asleep in our tent, we could hear the owl’s
chuckling call as it flew back and forth over the campground.
Some of us will remember the excursion Utah County Birders took down to the
Blanding/Monticello area a few years ago. One night we drove up a canyon and, in
the still of that dark night, were excited to hear and then see a dark
Flammulated Owl with his “Toot, toot, toot!” and his black eyes.
A couple of years ago, on the Provo Christmas Bird Count, a few hearty souls
joined me in our annual owling excursion. We even enticed a vice president of
BYU to try owling for the first time—at 4:00 am no less. We tried calling in a
Great Horned Owl along the Provo River. At first, no success. Then we
heard that signature “who’s-awake-me-too” cadence across the river. Just as we
tried to put the owl in our flashlight beam, the bird swooped across river and
flew within a few inches of our heads. We could feel the downdraft from its
wings!
One of my most unforgettable owl experiences occurred in 2001 with other Utah
County Birders in eastern Australia near Kingfisher Park.. A local expert took
us to try to find Lesser Sooty Owl—a rare species with a very small
range. He didn’t use a recording, but his voice could perfectly mimic the owl’s
call. We were on the edge of a large field next to some tall trees—at night, of
course. For quite some time, there was no response. But finally he excitedly
motioned for us to join him as he pointed high up into the trees—there was the
owl, softly responding to his call. He told us that when Phoebe Snetsinger came
to the park a year preceding us, they were unable to locate the owl. [She
subsequently found it.]
Not all owls, of course, are nocturnal. In 1995, Ivan Call and I were on the
Alaskan island of St. Paul in the Bering Sea.. Our small bus was headed out to
the seabird colonies where we found hundreds of thousands of murres, puffins,
auklets, fulmars, kittiwakes, etc. Our leader suddenly hollered for the driver
to stop. On the crest of a nearby hill sat two beautiful Snowy Owls. They
immediately flew at the sound of our vehicle, but we scrambled out in time to
watch the pair recede into the distance.
And some owls are expensive! A few winters ago Northern Pygmy Owls were
reportedly calling during the day near a mountain road just above Nephi. I took
several people with me and we drove up to find them. After listening at several
stops, we finally heard the “Toot, toot” and got out to look. There in the pine
trees was one and then two of these tiny owls with the large, false eyes on the
backs of their heads. As there appeared to be no turnaround in sight, I backed
my Ford Explorer slowly down the snowy road until I heard a slight crunching
sound and the vehicle stopped. I had to turn around on that narrow road after
all. We drove home safely but a few weeks and several hundred miles later
(interestingly, on our way to find Short-eared Owl and Gray Partridge north of
Tremonton) the Explorer’s transmission literally fell out onto the freeway! That
cost several hundred dollars—fortunately most of it covered by warranty. Yes,
expensive owls!
And some owls you just miss. When BYU played Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, my
son and I flew down to Dallas but went a few days early to bird in the Rio
Grande Valley of Texas. Arriving in McAllen late at night, we checked the always
interesting hotline. It contained the report of a Stygian Owl that had
just been seen at Bentsen State Park! I had seen all of the regularly occurring
owls in North America so this would be a new one for me. I don’t think this
species had ever been seen in the U.S. prior to that report. We arose early,
drove directly to Bentsen, and went to the area the owl had been seen.. Along
with many other disappointed birders, this rare owl was a one-day wonder and no
one reported seeing it again. Oh, well. That’s what birding is about, isn’t it?
Surprises. And surprises come in both forms—the positive and the negative.
If you want to increase your sense of adventure and awe in birding, try adding
owls to your target list of birds this year. Utah hosts 11 (possibly 12) of the
19 regularly occurring owls in North America. How many of these mysterious birds
have you seen?
Utah County Big Month
By Dennis Shirley
I had a discussion with Ned Hill the other evening and among other things we
decided the club needed to do more short half-day local field trips to bring our
members together more often. I volunteered and after some thought decided it
would be fun to do a UTAH COUNTY BIG MONTH in June. I have put together four
Saturday morning field trips to four prime county habitats. Additionally Lou has
an owling trip scheduled on the 25th. I will also have spontaneous early AM or
evening trips to get specialty birds such as Greater Sage Grouse, Williamson's
Sapsucker, Black Swift, Ruffed Grouse, Poorwill, Short-eared Owl and others.
Here's the field trip schedule. Lets meet each Saturday at 6:00am at the
Payson/I-15 commuter parking lot, since most of the time we will be in south
Utah County. It's located off the I-15 Payson exit. Go right at the off ramp
bottom, then a left in 100 yards, then another left into the parking area. It's
across the street from the bowling alley. We will return by 10:00am each day so
people can get other things done on their Saturday.
June 6, 2009 - Utah Lake Environs - Waterfowl, Waders,
Water birds, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, Bobolink
The Utah Lake Bird Fest starts at 10:00am and we need to support these
activities, so we will be back a little earlier for this.
June 13, 2009 - West Desert/ Tintics - Flycatchers,
Sparrows, Wrens, Juniper Titmouse
June 20, 2009 - Oak/Maple Foothill Chaparral -
Warblers, Vireos, Grosbeaks, Finches
June 27, 2009 - High Elevations - Aspen/Spruce/Fir -
Woodpeckers, Blue Grouse, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Purple Martin
I made a wish list of those birds possible to find in Utah County in June and it
is about 216. That's with a few stretches of course, but 200 may be possible.
Merrill Webb currently has the highest number for Utah County in June at 164, so
there's room at the top. Let's get everyone excited and have some fun.
Any questions, give me a call - 423-1108. I won't be home for the next 30 days
between 6:00am and 10:00am.
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Bald Eagle |
Bird of the Month
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Julia B. Tuck
The Bald Eagle is the only eagle endemic to North America. It is a sea or fish
eagle. The Bald Eagle's scientific name means a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a
white (leukos) head (cephalus). There are two sub-species. The "southern" bald
eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, is found in the southern United
States and Baja California.. The "northern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
alascanus, is found in the northern United States, Canada and Alaska. The
"northern" bald eagle is slightly larger than the "southern" bald eagle.
The range of the Bald Eagle includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the lower
48 states and northern Mexico. About half of the world's bald eagles live in
Alaska. Bald Eagles are a member of the Accipitridae (diurnal birds of prey);
which also includes hawks, kites, other eagles, harriers and Old World vultures.
The Bald Eagle is a large raptor, with a body length of 2’4”–3½ feet, a wingspan
of 6-8 feet, and a weight of 5–16.5+ lb. Males and females are identical in
plumage coloration (females are larger). The size of the bird varies by
location: the smallest are from Florida (males about 5 lb, wingspan 6 ft), the
largest are from Alaska (females 16.5+ lb, wingspan of 8 ft+). Adults have a
dark brown body and wings, white head and tail, yellow irises and a yellow beak.
Juveniles have a dark beak, dark brown eyes, and are mostly brown with white
mottling on the body, tail, and undersides of wings. Adult plumage usually is
obtained by the 6th year. Both adults and juveniles have yellow feet and lower
legs. Eagles have about 7,000 feathers. Bald Eagles in the wild can live up to
30 years. In captivity, they often live longer. One Bald Eagle in New York lived
in captivity for nearly 50 years. The Bald Eagle call consists of weak chirping
whistles- not at all impressive. In the old Jeep-Eagle ads they used the call of
the Red-tailed Hawk instead of the Bald Eagle.
The Bald Eagle's preferred diet is fish. They also eat small mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and carrion. The Bald Eagle snatches fish out
of the water with its talons. If the fish is too heavy to lift, the eagle may be
dragged into the water, where it may swim to safety, drown, or die from
hypothermia.
The Bald Eagle is a powerful flier. It has been recorded flying with a 15-pound
Mule Deer fawn. It can reach speeds of 35–44 miles per hour; 30 miles per hour
while carrying fish; and between 75-100 miles per hour when diving.
The Bald Eagle is found near large bodies of open water with fish and mature
stands of coniferous or hardwood trees. If a nest tree is not large enough to
support the weight of the nest, the nest may crash to the ground. Their nest is
the largest of any bird in North America. The nest is used for many years with
new material added each year. One nest in Florida was 20 ft deep, 9.5 ft across,
and weighed 3 tons! One ton is more common.
When old enough to breed, the birds often return to the area where they were
born. It is thought that Bald Eagles mate for life, but if one member of a pair
dies, the other will choose a new mate. Eagles produce one to three eggs per
year, with both the male and female taking turns incubating the eggs.
In the early 1700s the Bald Eagle population was 300,000–500,000. By the 1950s
there were only 412 nesting pairs left in the lower 48 states. The die off was
due to variety of factors. Thinning of egg shells and limited ability to
reproduce was caused from the use of the pesticide DDT. Other factors included
loss of habitat, shootings, power line electrocution, and collisions in flight.
It was put on the U.S. federal government's list of “Endangered” species in
1978. By 1992 the population was up to 110,000–115,000. The Bald Eagle was
reclassified to "Threatened" in 1995. It was de-listed in 2007. Now it is now at
classified in the “Least Concern” category.
The Bald Eagle was made the national bird of the United States of America on
June 20, 1782 (Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be the Wild Turkey,
but was overruled).
If you look at a list of national birds, you will find that we are not the only
country to choose an eagle as their national bird. Mexico chose the Golden
Eagle, Panama, the Harpy Eagle, Zambia, the African Fish Eagle and Zimbabwe, the
African Fish Eagle.
The Bald eagle is known to occur statewide in Utah, including at Utah Lake
during the winter, Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Bear River Migratory Bird
Refuge, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, and at the Ouray National
Wildlife Refuge. Scott Root, DWR Conservation Outreach Manager, says there are
11 nesting pair of Bald Eagles in the State. If you have seen nesting Bald
Eagles, give him a call at (801) 491-5678. I have included a picture of myself
holding an immature Bald Eagle for you to get an idea of the size of this bird.
May 2009
Dennis Shirley - Elk Ridge
House Wren - Has been singing and using a nest box we put up.
Steve Carr - Holladay
White-winged Crossbill - New and unexpected yard bird.
Milt Moody - Provo
My backyard bird of the month is a Hermit Thrush that liked my branch
pile.
Yvonne Carter - Highland
We have had Black-headed Grosbeaks singing away along with Spotted
Towhees and Scrub Jays fighting for turns at the feeders for the last
couple of weeks! Quite a noisy crowd.
Tuula Rose - Provo
Number 74 for my yard - the inevitable Eurasian Collared-Dove. First new
yard bird this year. I don't know if I should rejoice or not.
Alton Thygerson - Provo
Western Tanager - one of the most colorful birds.
Eric Huish - Pleasant Grove
Western Screech-Owl - The owlets fledged out of the nest box this month.
Bonnie Williams – Mapleton
A Yellow Warbler was the first bird I saw in May in my yard. I had a
total of 32 birds for the month.
Cheryl Peterson - Provo
This wasn't in my yard, but that is where I was standing when I saw an Osprey
fly towards the lake. Not sure why it was coming from the Slate Canyon area.
We would like you to share your favorite backyard bird each
month. Please send your favorite bird at the end of the month to
newsletter@utahbirds.org or call
Cheryl Peterson at 375-1914 (home) or 787-6492 (cell).
We are accepting
2009 dues for membership in Utah County Birders throughout the 2009 season. If
you would like to be an official member of our group and receive a handheld copy
of the newsletter, do the following:
Make a check out to Utah County Birders for $15.00.
Put it in an envelope addressed to:
Carol Nelson
2831 Marrcrest West
Provo, Utah 84604
Then, drop it in the mail. And as always, thanks for your support and a special
thanks to those we never see, but who still show their support by their dues
donations!