Utah County Birders Newsletter
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Contents
September Meeting
Upcoming Field Trips
Captain’s Log
Bird of the Month
Backyard Bird of the Month
August Hotline Highlights
SEPTEMBER MEETING:
There is no Meeting
this month. Please join us on one of our filed trips.
20 September,
2014 (Sat). 7am-late afternoon/early evening.
Daggett and/or Cache counties. Led by Keeli Marvel. I still need
these counties for the 2014 challenge so I will be leading a long day field trip
to see if we can finish both counties. Bring a lunch and plan on being back late
afternoon/early evening. Because it is a lot of driving, if you would like to
go, please plan on splitting the cost of gas. Meet at 7:00 am at Winco
Foods, Orem 800 North exit off I-15. We'll meet at the west end of the parking
lot near the entrance.
27 September, 2014 (Sat). 7am-early afternoon.
Provo Canyon and DWR Raptor Watch Day at Squaw
Peak Orem Overlook.
We will bird the Provo Canyon area then join the DWR Raptor Watch Day event at
the Orem Overlook on Squaw Peak Trail Road. Meet at 7:00 am at Canyon View Park
(the first park on the left as you head up Provo Canyon, the park with the
roundabout). Here is a map with a marker on the spot -
https://maps.google.com/?q=40.32360+-111.64519
11 October, 2014 (Sat).
The Big Sit, Provo Airport Dike - Led by
Eric Huish. This will be our 13th year participating in the annual Big Sit! - We
will sit in one spot out on the Provo Airport Dike all day and watch birds.
Last year we sat at the SW Corner. The precise location for this year will
be announced before the Sit. We will start at 6 a.m. Come anytime you like but
there may or may not be anyone out there between Noon and 5:00 pm, we take a
break during the slow time of the day. You can call us at 801-360-8777.
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 Bryan Shirley at -
bt_shirley@hotmail.com
Captain’s Log:
September 2014
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Puffins and Murres at the Oregon Coast aquarium in their captive bird aviary. |
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Three Arches Rocks, our view from our deck at the house. |
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A sea star and sea anemones in the tide pools at Haystack Rock. |
by Keeli Marvel
I just got back from spending a week vacation on the Northern Californian and
Oregon coasts, and it was really hard to come home. The weather was nice and
misty and cool. My husband and I spent a couple of days driving through the
Redwood National and State Parks. We spent one night in Crescent City, CA, and I
got to do a little birding on the beach and near Battery Point Lighthouse while
we were there. I saw quite a few sandpipers (mostly Western, I think), Western
Gulls, a couple of Heerman’s Gulls, Semi-palmated Plover, and a pair of
Peregrine Falcons hunting on the beach. Out in the harbor near Battery Point
Lighthouse I saw several species, including a pair of lifer Red-throated Loons.
I also saw Surf Scoters (males in breeding plumage!), Black Oystercatchers,
Black-bellied Plovers, Surfbirds, more sandpipers, Black Turnstone, and a lone
female Harlequin Duck. That was definitely the best birding of the trip.
From there we drove the long but scenic route all the way up Hwy 101 to the
north/central Oregon coast. Doug Mead had recommended a stop at the Sea Lion
caves, so we stopped, paid our money, and took a walking path and an elevator
down to a sea cave where I got to see a Pigeon Guillemot colony and some late
nesting gulls. No sea lions this trip, but still worth the money!
We spent the rest of the week with my family in a rental home on the coast near
Tillamook, Oregon. From the deck at our rental home every day I saw
Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Cedar Waxwings, Steller’s Jays and, because we were
up on a hill overlooking the beach, some great up close views of soaring Turkey
Vultures. Occasionally a cormorant (I’m guessing Pelagic or Brandt’s) or a Brown
Pelican would fly by a ways out along the shoreline.
We took a couple of short day trips up and down the coast to see some of the
local sights. While wandering along the trails through the Sitka Spruce forest
at Cape Meares, I heard some Red Crossbills. I saw hundreds of breeding Common
Murres, which breed and roost on rocky sea stacks up and down the coast from
where we were staying. I saw them offshore at Yaquina Head Lighthouse in
Newport, at Cape Meares Lighthouse and Haystack Rock. The sound they make is
truly amazing and reminds me of the penguins in March of the Penguins. I tried
to find the Tufted Puffins that were nesting at Haystack Rock but unfortunately
we got there too late in the day, and the only ones I saw on the trip were
captive at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. Haystack Rock is particularly
known for their tide pools, which we got to explore, and where we found sea
stars and sea anemones. Most of the birding for the majority of the trip was
done incidental to our other activities, but I was pleasantly surprised by the
species I was able to see. If you’ve ever had the desire to spend any time on
that stretch of coastline, I would highly recommend it! You won’t be
disappointed.
Happy Birding!
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Jonas with
Reddish Hermit. |
Reddish Hermit
Phaethornis ruber
by Bryan Shirley
So the bird of the month this time includes a story about a cool bird experience
I had a while ago. I was leading a tour in Brazil and we had stopped in a town
called Ubatuba - a birdy beach town between Sao Paulo and Rio. Anybody who has
ever birded this area probably knows Jonas, a very nice guy with awesome bird
feeders on his property. His yard is always buzzing with numerous hummingbird
species and his banana feeder is always covered with a variety of Tanagers. That
day we got 17 species of hummers (most, but not all at Jonas’ house).
One species Jonas has around his property is called a Reddish Hermit. There is
usually one hanging around the fringes of the gardens or along the road in the
forest, but they don’t ever come to the feeders. At 8 cm long and weighing just
2-3 grams, they can’t compete with the masses of much larger hummers at the
feeders – some of which are more than twice as long and weigh nearly 4 times as
much. But occasionally they do try and always end up regretting it. A few weeks
before we visited Jonas witnessed one attempt first hand. A brave (or very
hungry?) Reddish Hermit had just started to drink from a feeder when it was
quickly attacked by another much larger hummingbird. The Reddish Hermit was
knocked to the ground and lay motionless. Jonas picked it up and held it for a
minute, then repeatedly dipped its bill into the feeder hoping to revive the
poor hummer. Eventually the Hermit started moving a bit, then it finally flew
out of Jonas’ hands back to the forest.
The next day Jonas was watching the feeders and he noticed the Hermit flying
around the outskirts of the garden, looking at the feeders but apparently not
quite ready to give it another try. Later in the day when Jonas was filling a
feeder the Hermit took advantage of the other hummingbirds being scared and flew
right in and drank while Jonas was holding the feeder. The next day the Hermit
came back, but Jonas was sitting down watching the birds, not holding the
feeder. The Hermit flew right up to Jonas and continued to buzz by his face
until Jonas finally stood up and walked over to the feeder. As soon as he did
the Hermit zipped to the empty feeder and took a long sip. Now everyday no
matter where in the yard Jonas is the Hermit will find him and continue to buzz
around him until Jonas stops what he is doing and goes to the feeder! The
Reddish Hermit wasn’t a lifer for me that day, but it was by far the most fun
sighting of the trip.
Reddish Hermit Facts:
• Found east of the Andes in most low elevations of South America
• Eats primarily nectar, but takes quite a few insects as well
• Fairly common in most areas
• Nest is cone shaped and sticks to the inside of a long hanging leaf (like
other hermits)
If you would like to
write an article for the Bird of the Month, please contact
Machelle -
machelle13johnson@yahoo.com
Click here for past 'Birds of the Month'.
August 2014
Jack Binch - Sandy
Besides the hummingbird wars, my favorite bird(s) has been the bakers dozen
California Quail
that have been visiting.
Harold Clayson - Salem
At the beginning of the month I had Black-headed Grosbeaks and
Bullock's Orioles invade my plum tree, in the middle of the month I had
Western Tanagers in the plum tree, and this week as I was filling feeders
for Rufous Hummingbirds et.al. there was a Common Nighthawk
circling the yard. Pick 'em.
Jeff Cooper - Pleasant Grove
I was pretty sure that the low-flying Black-crowned Night-Heron (yard
lifer) that cruised over my porch at the beginning of the month would be my
August bird of the month, but the tiny young male Calliope Hummingbird
with its daily visits the last week of the month created a tie for August.
Eric Huish - Pleasant Grove
MacGillivray's Warbler - I always have one or two spend time in the yard
during fall migration.
Alan Keller - Orem
4 Western Wood-Pewees for a few day at the end of August and 1 or 2 Rufus
Hummingbirds.
Milt Moody - Provo
I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch which I hadn't seen for quite some time.
Leena Rogers - Provo
A colorful Western Tanager visited our yard. What a treat to see this
rare visitor checking out our feeders!
Bruce Robinson - West Jordan
Swainson's Hawk
- The youngsters have fledged, landed on my roof, in my yard, etc. (And removed
at least 3 Eurasian Collared Doves from the population).
Alton Thygerson - Provo
Mourning and Eurasian Collared-Doves - Watched the pecking order
involving the Eurasian keeping the Mourning Dove away from the bird seed.
Report your favorite backyard
bird each month to Eric Huish at 801-360-8777 or
erichuish@gmail.com
The Utah County Birders Newsletter is now online only/mostly.
We've decided to stop the regular paper mail version of the UCB Newsletter. This will save our club on Printing, Postage and Paper. If you would like an email notice each month when the Newsletter is posted online please send an email to Eric Huish at erichuish@gmail.com.
We are willing to print the online version of the newsletter and mail it out to anyone who still wants a paper copy or who doesn't have internet access. If you know of anyone who enjoys the UCB Newsletter but doesn't have internet access please let Eric Huish or Keeli Marvel know and we will make sure they get a copy.
Printable Version of this UCB Newsletter