Young Common Goldeneyes leaving their nest.
by Eero Mustonen     ©Eero Mustonen

 
 
The 2022 Birding Challenge

      Prinout with the details
                         (PDF file)

BIRD OF THE MONTH:
    

  
   Mountain Bluebird
 (Sialia currucoides)
Thrush Family (Turdidae), Order Passerines (Passeriformes)

By Lynn Garner
    

States in the US began choosing state birds in 1927, following campaigns by women’s groups and schools. Two states eventually chose the Mountain Bluebird (also known at the time as the Arctic Bluebird) as their state bird, Idaho in 1931 and Nevada in 1967. This bird is found in both states year around. They are migratory, nesting from Alaska and western Canada southward to mid-Arizona, mid-New Mexico, and northern California and wintering from mid-Nevada and southern Idaho south to central Mexico, and like some other thrushes, their summer and winter ranges overlap. Often the migration is simply a move to lower elevations. Individuals seen east of the Rockies are treated as accidentals.

The striking light blue coloring of the male makes it one of the most beautiful birds in the west. The female is more brown or gray, but still has blue in her wings and back. The birds are about 7 inches long, with a wingspan of about 14 inches and weighing about one ounce. Their call is a soft descending whistle tru-lee, and their song is a series of low, burry whistles. The alert sound is a harsh, short chik or chak.[2]

Mountain Bluebirds are cavity-nesters, building their nests in tree hollows and crevices, often using nests abandoned by woodpeckers; they also readily use nesting boxes. Most studies of their behavior has been done on populations using nesting boxes. They typically lay 5 or 6 light blue eggs and raise two broods per season.[1] The male chooses the nesting territory, but the attracted female chooses the actual nesting site (rather than choosing the male) and does most of the nest building. The male brings food to the female during the incubation period of about 14 days and both parents feed the young during the next three weeks or so before fledging. Pairs remain monogamous.[3]

Mountain Bluebirds prefer nesting in high (5000+ feet) mountain grasslands or sagebrush with scattered trees and bushes, and where there is less competition for nesting places. I was told years ago that Mountain Bluebirds used to nest in Utah Valley, but when European Starlings arrived in the mid-1930s the bluebirds moved to higher elevations. In winter, they prefer pinyon-juniper woodlands but will occupy any open shrubland, grassland, or agricultural fields. They often hover over open ground seeking food, or will hunt from a perch like a flycatcher. Their diet consists mostly of insects and some seeds, but fruit is a major part of winter diet.[3]

It appears that the major predatory threat to Mountain Bluebirds comes from accipiters and Kestrels, and their nests are sometimes vulnerable to squirrels or other animals that can access the cavities. The oldest known Mountain Bluebird was 7 years old. In regard to conservation, the population of Mountain Bluebirds is increasing; population estimates are currently more than 5 million individuals.

References
[1] National Audubon Society, Birds of North America, 2021, New York: Knopf
[2] Sibley, Sibley Birds, V2 App.
[3] All About Birds and various other web sites.

  
       [See past Bird of the Month articles] 
  

  
We drove down to Nephi and headed west to Delta through Leamington and Lyndell, somewhere in that area my car was saying -5° yikes!

Just past the Millard County sign we saw a few Black-billed Magpies, Common Raven, 3 Bald Eagles, European Starlings and Eurasian Collared Doves, a Red-tailed Hawk, 4 Tundra Swans, Northern Pintail and Mallards.

From there we flocked this way to Gunnison Bend Reservoir. The Snow Geese had not arrived so we drove around Sherwood Shores. We found Euraisian Collared Doves, European Starilings, Canada Geese, Common Merganser, Redhead, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Ring-billed Gull, Red-winged Blackbird, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks and then a huge flock of Snow Geese flew in.
 

House Sparrows
 

Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck

We set up our scopes and began to search for Ross's Geese amongst the Snow Geese. I estimate about 3500 geese a lower number than in years past. We also found some Blue Morph Snow Geese, and I always like to search for a Greater White-fronted Goose-check! As we were looking for more Ross's a Bald Eagle flew in and everyone lifted off the reservoir, circled around and landed too far out to search for Ross's. After that Esther took the others over to the east side of the reservoir while we searched for some lost birders, we stopped at Maverik for a break and forgot a car :-) not my first time to lose someone and probably not my last. Sorry Rex Hadlock. From there we broke up and some headed to Beaver County and the rest headed home.
  

Tundra Swans, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Redhead and Mallards-Lyndell
  

  
  
        We stopped by Ashton Farms Burger Barn...the wait was horrible
        but the hamburgers were good!

        Till next time Delta Snowgoose Festival!

Snow Goose Festival - Gunnison Bend Reservoir, Delta, Utah

  
  
  

Farmington Bay

  
  
    Farmington Bay WMA/ Eccles Education Center/Lee Kay Ponds Field Trip.
 
                                  12 February 2022

                          by Suzi Holt      
                   
     

We finished Davis and Salt Lake counties!
 
I put 32 birders on our checklists but I would dare say there could have been more. We began in the auditorium of the Education Center with Billy Fenimore. We love Billy! He gave us a good introduction about the center and the wetlands and also shared with us his love for birds. After a quick photo op we headed out to walk the trails. Some had stayed outside birding during the introduction and saw a American Bittern that had been hanging out by the Heron Rookery for a few days.
 

If you haven't seen the Heron Rookery it is worth the trip. There were atleast 24 Great Blue Herons!
We looked for the bittern again and looked for the White-throated Sparrow with no luck. We had plenty of Song Sparrows though! There were also Northern Shovelers, Canada Geese, American Coots, Pied -billed Grebes, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Ring-billed Gulls and Red-winged Blackbirds in the long pond. We walked the dike trail over to the boardwalk. Toward the end of the dike we encountered lots of ice in the ponds. But one pond had a small bit of open water and sitting on the ice were a pair of beautiful Wood Ducks and some Mallards. A few of us saw a Marsh Wren, heard White-crowned Sparrows. We had a flyover of some Red-tailed Hawks, a Prarie Falcon, an American Kestrel and lots of Northern Harrier's. We also saw a couple European Starlings, a lone Common Raven and a bunch of American Crows. We searched the trees for the Great-horned Owls with no luck, but did see a couple Dark-eyed Juncos. The best thing we saw was a "arial hawk dispute" a Northern Harrier was not having the beautiful Rough-legged Hawk invade her territory!

 

    Northern Shovelers Great at Eccles Education Center

Northern Harrier-Eccles Education Center           

Wood Ducks- Eccles Education Center                      
  

Cute Tatum Nox!

Redhead-Farmington Bay WMA

Marsh Wren-Farmington Bay WMA

Canada Geese and Canvasback Farmington Bay WMA
  

Northern Pintail and Mallards-Farmington Bay WMA
 

Ring-necked Ducks and Canvasback-Farmington Bay WMA
 

Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup abd Bufflehead-Farmington Bay WMA
  

Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Farmington Bay WMA
  

   
Tundra Swan-Farmington Bay WMA
  

We found a few on a small island. We were excited to see a Iceland/Thayer's Gull and a Herring Gull with a ton of California Gulls and a Ring-billed Gull.
On one of the telephone poles along the road sat a Bald Eagle and a couple poles down from it sat a Red-tailed Hawk, there were also a couple Northern Harrier's flying around.
On another island we saw 3 Great Blue Herons, some Red-winged Blackbirds, and Canada Geese.
As for ducks we saw lots of Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Gadwall, Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeon, Common Goldeneyes, Redheads and Canvasback.
And don't forget the Pied-billed Grebe, American Coots and European Starlings. On the way back to the cars we saw a few Brewer's Blackbirds and a beautiful Merlin!

A big thank you to everyone who came! It was a beautiful day!
 

 
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