More Migration

Today I birded Hyrum Reservoir in search of Sabine's Gulls. A Sabine's Gull would be a lifer for me, and one that I'm really looking forward to. I did find lots of gulls, including one early juvenile Herring Gull and hundreds, maybe thousands, of Franklin's Gulls, but no Sabine's. However, I did find what appears to be the best shorebird habitat around the county at the moment, at the east end of the reservoir where the Little Bear River flows in and forms mudflats. There, I found several species of shorebirds, including two Pectoral Sandpipers, which I haven't seen since I took Ornithology in New Hampshire in 1999, and three Black-bellied Plovers, a lifer for me. (Two of the Black-bellied Plovers are shown above.) I hesitated as I thought about whether to even continue today, since it's been so long since I had found two new year birds in one day, and I wanted to end on a good note. But I got greedy, and decided to head up to Sherwood Hills Resort, a place Kris Purdy had recommended for Cassin's Vireos in fall migration.

At Sherwood Hills, I started to regret my greed. In the first fifteen minutes, I had not seen or heard a single bird there. Just as I was about to turn back to the car to give up and head home, I heard some Black-capped Chickadees in the distance. Knowing that other species might be associating with the chickadees, I chased them down and found an active mixed flock which included at least two Cassin's Vireos, my target bird! (One of these Cassin's Vireos is shown below.) That made a total of three new year birds for the day, my best day of birding in months!

The Lifer Before the Storm

I birded around Cache County with Craig Faulhaber today. We started up Deep Canyon in the Wellsville range. Craig Fosdick had seen several Nashville Warblers here last week, and that is a species I had not seen yet in the county. In fact, I'd never seen one before anywhere. Birding was very slow here with a total of eight species in about an hour and a half of hiking, but we did see one Nashville Warbler, a first for both of us.

We next went to the Logan Wetlands, where there were hundreds or maybe even thousands of Franklin's Gulls but nothing unexpected or new for the year. Shorebirds were sparse, with a few Killdeer, a Black-necked Stilt, and a dowitcher that I assume was a Long-billed. On the road to the south of the Logan Landfill, we saw and heard three Blue Grosbeaks, one adult male and two females/immatures. Blue Grosbeaks have been seen several times along this road this year, and the presence of multiple females/immatures may indicate that they successfully bred here. Cache County is further north than their typical breeding range.

We finished for the day at Rendezvous Park and the Logan River Golf Course trail, which was almost eerily quiet. There was a storm approaching and the birds seemed to be hunkered down in preparation. After about a half hour of birding here, and only four bird species, the storm hit and the high winds started knocking branches off the trees. Fearing for our lives (photo at left), we hurried back to the car and ended the day's birding just as the rain starting coming down.

Winter Birds in Spring

Today I celebrated Easter with a great day of birding around Cache Valley. I was joined by Keith Archibald, John Barnes, Bryan Dixon, Craig Faulhaber, Craig Fosdick, Jean Lown, and Ron Ryel each for part or all of the day. Highlights included a pair of Hooded Mergansers at the Logan Fish Hatchery, a continuing Greater White-fronted Goose off of Sam Fellow Road, a pair of Trumpeter Swans near the Amalga Barrens, and a Common Redpoll at a feeder at a private residence in Richmond. Hooded Merganser was number four on my most-wanted list, and is a great bird to find. I was starting to think I was too late in the year to find one, since they are listed as rare in winter and absent in other seasons. I had definitely given up on Common Redpoll, having missed what was then the only one of the year a few weeks ago. This is another winter bird that must be on its way north just as the summering birds move back in. The migration was clearly evident today: other firsts of the year included American Avocet, Franklin's Gull, Savannah Sparrow, Double-crested Cormorant, Clark's Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Black-necked Stilt.

The photo above is a great comparison of the two swan species, with a Tundra Swan on the left and a Trumpeter Swan on the right. The pair of Trumpeters was a nice treat after scanning through hundreds of Tundras in the area. The photo below shows the Common Redpoll at a feeder with two American Goldfinches.