2005
Field Trip Report
Local City Parks - November 12th, 2005
by Leena Rogers

About a dozen enthusiastic Utah County birders and several visitors braved the cold, showery weather on Saturday morning to meet at 8:00 a.m. at Paul Ream Park in Provo Tuula Rose and Milt Moody had planned a field trip to several of the local parks, two local cemeteries, as well as Hobble Creek Canyon. Hobble Creek, especially, had looked very promising as they scouted out the field trip route a few days previously.

The theme running through the morning seemed to be "Where are the birds?" They obviously were smarter than our birding group -- away from the elements, staying snug and warm, hidden away from view. The birds continued to evade us at each location. Well, the company was wonderful even if the birding left something to be desired!

At the Springville Cemetery we ended the day on a brighter note. The sun finally came out and Tuula Rose pointed out a rainbow displayed against a beautiful mountain backdrop. Just as we were ready to get into our cars and head for home a pair of playful Belted Kingfishers, darting and diving, flew past our group calling out to each other and reminding us why we continue to love birding!

Unbelievable as it sounds, the list below consists of the TOTAL number of birds we saw:

Paul Ream Park, Provo
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Kestrel, House Sparrow, Magpie.

Provo City Cemetery
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flicker, Magpie, American Robin.

Bi-Centennial Park, Provo
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lesser Goldfinch, Magpie, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bushtits [flock], House Finch, Mallard.

Hobble Creek Canyon
Chickadees [heard], Red-tailed Hawk, Kestrel, Magpie.

Springville Cemetery
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher [pair].

Thanks Tuula and Milt for a fun morning. Continued good birding everyone!
The birding gods were not smiling on Saturday morning. Most of the time we contended with a cool brisk wind mixed with a drizzly rain. I kept my binocs zipped inside my jacket to keep the rain off the lenses. Not to worry, there weren't that many occasions that called for their use.

1997

MY FIRST TRIP WITH THE UTAH COUNTY BIRDERS
Report by Club President, Ned Hill

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip
April 26, 1997
by Ned Hill (ned_hill@byu.edu)
Four a.m. came very early--especially since we had helped a Cub Scout Pack learn about birds and see their very first owls only a few hours before. Nevertheless, the thrill of an all day birding trip to one of Utah's best birding areas with good friends tends to push sleep from the mind. Joined by four carloads of other birders waiting in the Bean Museum parking lot, we sallied forth shortly after five with CB radios at the ready to communicate any interesting birds along the way.

Swainson's Hawk

We drove through the landslide up Provo Canyon and then on to Duchesne while witnessing a beautiful pink and blue sunrise. The first bird of note was a newly arrived Swainson's Hawk sitting on a power pole. Our first birding stop was Pelican Lake, about 20 miles outside Roosevelt. We had hoped to find Eurasian Wigeon but were unsuccessful. We did find Western Kingbird, American White Pelican, Snow Goose, Common and Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, dozens of Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Eared Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Bufflehead, Redhead, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Greater (with the iridescent green head) and Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Snowy Egret and other common waterfowl. Dozens of Yellow-headed and Redwinged Blackbirds were setting up territories.
We learned that Ouray National Wildlife Refuge was hosting an "open house." That explained the long lines of vans and busses at each observation point along the way. Many scout organizations were using this to culminate "bird month" in scouting. Ouray is a relatively new refuge, having been built in the late 1960's to mitigate the Flaming Gorge Dam construction. It has a series of holding ponds for migrating waterfowl and some areas of riparian woods. Because of the cool spring weather, the migration has been delayed by a week or so. Rangers told us that many more migrants had arrived by this time last year. We saw very few migrant songbirds with the exception of House Wren, Barn and Tree Swallows, Marsh Wren, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. There was, of course, the usual collection of blackbirds, Black-necked Stilts, Willet, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron and porcupines! It seemed as if every taller tree had a resident porcupine stripping bark from the branches. One of the more memorable sights of the day was of a Great Horned Owl chick, all white and fluffy, sitting in an open nest not far from a parking area. The mother was nearby carefully concealed in a tangle of branches. In the same area was a Red-tailed Hawk nest with a screaming mother perched above.
Taking a welcome break at refuge headquarters, we got to see a Harris Hawk tethered to a pole. It had been injured and was being shown by a falconer who stated that our group was the only one who knew what kind of bird he had. The find of the day came in the early afternoon as we walked down a road in the Leota Bottoms. After seeing several lumbering Great Blues, an American Bittern sailed into view. We watched it glide to a landing on the edge of a pond and then stealthily walk along the bank searching for fish in the shallow waters. We all had a wonderful look at this relatively rare (but regular) Utah resident. Some in the group spotted another bittern a few dozen yards from the first but it quickly slipped into the reeds where it became one with the vegetation.
The trip home produced several Osprey and Common Loons near Starvation Lake. We had never seen an Osprey in a juniper tree before. In the Strawberry Valley we found two Sandhill Cranes feeding along the edge of melting snow near a thawed field filled with American Pipits, Horned Larks, Long-billed Curlews, White-faced Ibis and American Crows. In the distance we heard more cranes.
While waiting for the rock slide traffic light in Provo Canyon, a beautiful Belted Kingfisher bounded up the river--our 70th bird of the day and a nice ending to a perfect birding day. Some in the group found nearly 20 new species and all found Ouray NWR to be a site worthy of many return trips.

HOOKED ON BIRDING

 A few days ago I was looking through my bookshelf and ran across my Dad’s well-used copy of the birds of Finland. I was amazed to see a check mark next to every bird, 256 of them, in that little book. He had seen them all! As a young college student my Dad had dreamed of becoming a botanist and naturalist, but was never able to realize this ambition. His love of nature, however, remained with him to his dying day and he passed on his love of the outdoors to my sister and me.

I fondly remember summers as a little girl in Finnish Lapland, skipping happily along next to my Dad in the woods near our home and he paused frequently to point out plants and birds while we walked along. These were precious hours for me. The summers in Lapland were brief, the winters long and often severely cold. Each winter my Dad would make sure the bird feeders in our yard were stocked with seeds. Mother was a nature lover as well, and slabs of pork fat were nailed to a board to keep little bird bodies fueled against the cold. It was always traumatic for me as a child when one of our little feathered friends froze in the cold in spite of Mother and Dad's best efforts to keep them alive.

It is only fitting then that many years later my love for birds was rekindled by a wonderful Finnish friend, Tuula Rose. She had been bird watching for about a year when one cold February morning she finally coaxed me into going birding with her. Years had rolled by and I had totally forgotten my childhood nature lessons. My awareness of local birds started and stopped with ducks, pigeons and robins. That first morning I was introduced to 28 amazing species of birds found right here in our local area: Cinnamon Teal, Widgeon, Marsh Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Gadwall and a soaring Golden Eagle were among the birds I saw for the first time. I was impressed!

A few days later Tuula took me to Camelot Park in south Provo and we tramped through the muddy, snow-covered fields in search of a Great Horned Owl. Tuula knew where to look and she spotted the owl almost right away tucked inside a tangle of branches in a massive tree. It took me nearly ten frustrating minutes to locate the owl through my binoculars. But how rewarding it was when the owl suddenly woke up from its mid-morning nap, and stared right at me with those huge golden eyes. It was one of those amazing “Ahhhh” moments that rarely come along in a lifetime and I was totally hooked! I’ve been birding ever since and my Utah life list is now closing in on 300 birds.

Thanks Dad! Thanks Tuula! Thanks Utah County Birders! My life has been truly enriched.

2004 BIRDING CHALLENGE AWARD BANQUET
Special note: Gratitude is expressed to Leena Rogers, Tuula Rose, and Milt Moody for arranging UCB’s Award Dinner in February. Over 70 people attended which may be the highest attendance ever at a UCB activity. Good food, good friends, great speaker (Dennis Shirley), great awards for the 2004 Bird Challenge winners, and great door prizes made for an outstanding evening. No 2005 challenge for Utah County Birders is in the offering, but expect such a contest in 2006. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

UCB at Alta - February 26, 2005       

Field Trip Report
Feb 26 - Alta, Salt Lake Cemetery and City Creek Canyon
by LeIla Ogden
Eleven birders (Tuula Rose, Milt Moody, Bonnie Williams, Leila Ogden, Eric Huish, Brady Heward, Robert Brown, Aaron and Shauna Smith, Wade Miller and Leena Rogers) started from Orem Center Street park & ride at 7:00 a.m. for Alta. We forgot how cold it was going to be up there so we didn't stay long. Just long enough to get our 2 target birds (Black Rosy -Finch, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch at feeders) plus Clarks Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadees, Pine Siskin, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and flicker.
We then zig-zagged around Salt Lake City Streets looking for Pomera's Harris Sparrow. We didn't find him, but saw lots of Cedar Waxwings, Rock Pigeons, Downy Woodpecker, goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Dove, junco, House Finch, California Quail and robins.
At the Salt Lake Cemetery we found our Golden-crowned Kinglet (several) Brown Creeper (several), and several other species. We then went to City Creek Canyon looking for the Winter Wren. Again we missed it, but the mile or so gradual hike was wonderful. Sun was shining---looked and felt like Spring---and we saw a few new birds for the list: Song Sparrow, A frantic-flying and squawking Belted Kingfisher, Townsend Solitaire, Coopers Hawk and two red-tails flying circles in the sky.
A great outing. And we were home before 2 p.m.(Photo by Eric Huish)(

Bi-Centennial Park - 12 November 2005
photo by Eric Huish

Field Trip Report
Local City Parks - November 12th, 2005
by Leena Rogers

About a dozen enthusiastic Utah County birders and several visitors braved the cold, showery weather on Saturday morning to meet at 8:00 a.m. at Paul Ream Park in Provo Tuula Rose and Milt Moody had planned a field trip to several of the local parks, two local cemeteries, as well as Hobble Creek Canyon. Hobble Creek, especially, had looked very promising as they scouted out the field trip route a few days previously.

The birding gods were not smiling on Saturday morning. Most of the time we contended with a cool brisk wind mixed with a drizzly rain. I kept my binocs zipped inside my jacket to keep the rain off the lenses. Not to worry, there weren't that many occasions that called for their use.

The theme running through the morning seemed to be "Where are the birds?" They obviously were smarter than our birding group -- away from the elements, staying snug and warm, hidden away from view. The birds continued to evade us at each location. Well, the company was wonderful even if the birding left something to be desired!

At the Springville Cemetery we ended the day on a brighter note. The sun finally came out and Tuula Rose pointed out a rainbow displayed against a beautiful mountain backdrop. Just as we were ready to get into our cars and head for home a pair of playful Belted Kingfishers, darting and diving, flew past our group calling out to each other and reminding us why we continue to love birding!

Unbelievable as it sounds, the list below consists of the TOTAL number of birds we saw:

Paul Ream Park, Provo
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Kestrel, House Sparrow, Magpie.

Provo City Cemetery
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flicker, Magpie, American Robin.

Bi-Centennial Park, Provo
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lesser Goldfinch, Magpie, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bushtits [flock], House Finch, Mallard.

Hobble Creek Canyon
Chickadees [heard], Red-tailed Hawk, Kestrel, Magpie.

Springville Cemetery
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher [pair].

Thanks Tuula and Milt for a fun morning. Continued good birding everyone!

Field Trip Report
Sanpete County Tour - April 16, 2005
by Leena Rogers

Utah County Birders near Yuba Dam - April 16, 2005  (photo by Eric Huish)

Saturday, April 16, turned out to be an excellent day of birding for nine Utah County Birders and six BYU students. We set out from the Sam’s Club Parking lot in south Provo on a beautiful but very chilly morning for Sanpete County. Our first stop was along I-15 at Juba Reservoir, then back up to Hwy 28 with a stop at Chicken Creek Reservoir. From there we continued south on Hwy 28 to Painted Rock State Park on the southeast shore of Juba Reservoir [not marked on all maps]. There seemed to be almost as many people as birds out on the reservoirs ,and the insects [thankfully the non-biting kind] were out in full force too. A sure sign that spring is here! We then drove up Hwy 89 to Nine Mile Reservoir, made a quick stop at the wetlands near Fayette, then on to Palisades Park by Sterling. Our final stop of the day was along Hwy 132 at Wales Reservoir near Moroni.

It was great to have the students with us. The enthusiasm they showed each time a new bird was spotted gave the rest of us seasoned veterans an opportunity to see our feathered friends through “fresh eyes.” The kids had Saturday finals and left the group early but the rest of us continued on until mid-afternoon. A magnificent Golden Eagle perched on top of a roadside telephone pole near Wales Reservoir capped off a great day of birding! Grand total of birds seen by the group was 75. Trip leader was Tuula Rose. Following is a list of the highlights at each stop:

Juba Reservoir
Loggerhead Shrike, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Wren, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-necked Stilt, American Robin, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Canada Goose, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Shrike, Eared Grebe, Green-winged Teal, Kildeer, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, House Sparrow, Gadwall, Brewer’s Blackbird ,House Finch, European Starling, Brown-headed Cowbird, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Common Raven, American Coot, Cinnamon Teal, Mallard.

Chicken Creek Reservoir
Lesser Scaup, Say’s Phoebe, Redhead, Willet, American Avocet, Barn Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Sage Thrasher, Long-billed Curlew, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Snowy Egret, Bufflehead, California Gull, White-faced Ibis, Franklin’s Gull ,Violet-green Swallow, Western Kingbird, Horned Lark.

Painted Rock State Park
Western Grebe, Clark’s Grebe.

Fayette Wetlands
Double-crested Cormorant, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Sandhill Crane, Northern Harrier, Swainson’s Hawk, Osprey.

Nine Mile Reservoir
Canvasback, Common Loon, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Vesper Sparrow, Red-breasted Merganser, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon), Black-billed Magpie, Rock Pigeon.

Palisades State Park
Canyon Wren [great looks up close], Yellow-rumped Warbler [Myrtle race], American Goldfinch.

Along the Way
Mountain Bluebird, Mourning Dove, Kestrel, Lark Sparrow.

Wales Reservoir
American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Golden Eagle.

Thanks Tuula for arranging such a successful birding trip, and thanks to those who were willing to drive. Happy spring birding everyone.