Field Trip this Saturday: Cache County's High Mountains

This Saturday, 16 July 2011, join me and the Bridgerland Audubon Society as we hike around Cache County, Utah's Tony Grove Lake and towards Naomi Peak in search of the specialties of our high mountains. Target birds include Red Crossbill, American Three-toed Woodpecker (above), Clark's Nutcracker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Steller's Jay, among others. Rarities seen in this area in previous summers include Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-headed Woodpecker, and White-winged Crossbill (below). Pack a lunch and lots of water, and be prepared for a strenuous hike, but at a slow birding pace. The trip is free, but bring a few dollars to help cover the $5 parking fee. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot between Caffe Ibis and the Logan Fire Station (50 East, 150 North, Logan). All skill levels are welcome. We will be back in the mid-afternoon.

More Mountains

Today Craig Faulhaber (above) and I hiked from Tony Grove to White Pine Lake. Again, I was in search of some of the many high-mountain birds I am still missing. I was able to pick up one of those, with my first Steller's Jays of the year. This is probably the most common species I had yet to find. We also saw several mountain specialties I had already seen, like Red Crossbills, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Williamson's Sapsuckers, and Clark's Nutcrackers. But the highlight was a single Band-tailed Pigeon (photo below). This species is common further south in Utah but has only been seen in Cache County a few times.