phil jeffrey:: Utah/Wyoming/Colorado, July 2007 trip report

Salt Lake City, July 2007

Photographically, because I was carrying conference-associated junk, I took the lightweight combo of the Digital Rebel XTi (usefully 10 mpixels) and my 300mm f4 with a 1.4x attached. I packed my venerable 20-35 f2.8 wide-angle lens but didn't use it much. Mostly I was birding or sitting through conference sessions on Radiation Damage or drinking beer at the poster sessions.

"Dirt birds" on the trip were probably Swallows - there was an abundance of Barn Swallows in any and every suitable habitat including high altitude. There were also many Bank Swallows in the lowlands, numerous Cliff Swallows, and Violet-green Swallows in the mountains. I did not knowingly see a Northern Rough-winged, although with the juvenile Bank Swallows around it would be easy to write off the former as the latter. I had some luck (Black Rosy-Finch), some well-earned life birds (Black Swift, Sage Sparrow) and some dips (Dusky/Blue Grouse). Other lifers (basically all the owls) were pretty much not pursued on this trip because of lack of energy or motivation.

Sunrise, Sunset, Weather

• Salt Lake City, UT, July 21st 2007, Sunrise 6:14am, Sunset 8:54pm (MDT - 2hrs) - we're on the west end of the time zone here so sunset is late
• Weather forecast was highs in the mid-high 90's each day, mostly sunny. There were some afternoon storms on several days, particularly in the mountains.

Trip List With "Best Locations"

Bold species are life birds. Underlined species are Better View Desired birds.

What	Where
Pied-billed Grebe	Bear River NWR
Eared Grebe	Antelope Island, Bear River NWR
Western Grebe	Bear River NWR
Clark's Grebe	Bear River NWR
American White Pelican	Bear River NWR
Double-crested Cormorant	Bear River NWR, Antelope Island
Great Blue Heron	Bear River NWR
Snowy Egret	Bear River NWR
Cattle Egret	Salt Lake agricultural
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Bear River NWR
White-faced Ibis	Bear River NWR, Antelope Island
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose	Bear River NWR
Gadwall	Bear River NWR
Mallard	various
Cinnamon Teal	Bear River NWR
Northern Shoveler	Bear River NWR
American Wigeon	Bear River NWR
Green-winged Teal	(probable only)
Ruddy Duck	Bear River NWR
Northern Harrier	Bear River NWR
Cooper's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk	Bear River NWR, near airport
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk	(probable distant glimpse in WY)
Golden Eagle	CO: deserts on western slope
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon	CO: Ouray; UT: Bridal Veil Falls
Prairie Falcon	(probable in WY)
Chukar	Antelope Island
Ring-necked Pheasant	Bear River NWR entrance road
American Coot
Sandhill Crane	Bear River NWR
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt	Antelope Island, Bear River NWR
American Avocet	Antelope Island, Bear River NWR
Greater Yellowlegs	Bear River NWR
Lesser Yellowlegs	Bear River NWR
(Western) Willet	Antelope Island
Spotted Sandpiper	Bear River NWR
Solitary Sandpiper	Bear River NWR
Long-billed Curlew	Antelope Island
Marbled Godwit	Bear River NWR
Western Sandpiper	Bear River NWR
Baird's Sandpiper	Antelope Island
Long-billed Dowitcher	Bear River NWR
Wilson's Phalarope	Antelope Island, Bear River NWR, massive numbers
Red-necked Phalarope	Antelope Island, Bear River NWR, good numbers
Franklin's Gull	Salt Lake
Ring-billed Gull	Salt Lake
California Gull	Salt Lake
Black Tern	Bear River NWR
Forster's Tern	Salt Lake
Caspian Tern	Bear River NWR
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk	various montane during day !
Black Swift	CO: Ouray; not seen in UT at Bridal Veil Falls
White-throated Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird	Mill Creek Cyn
Broad-tailed Hummingbird	montane
Rufous Hummingbird	CO: Ouray; UT: Silver Lake
Red-naped Sapsucker	Brighton/Silver Lake
Hairy Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker	Mirror Lake
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Brighton/Silver Lake
Western Wood-Pewee	various montane
Gray Flycatcher	WY: Flaming Gorge NRA
Say's Phoebe	CO: Coloardo National Monument
Ash-throated Flycatcher	CO: Colorado National Monument
Western Kingbird	espec Bear River NWR
Warbling Vireo	Brighton/Silver Lake in Aspens
Steller's Jay	montane
Western Scrub-Jay	WY: Flaming Gorge NRA; CO: various
Pinyon Jay	nr Scipio
Clark's Nutcracker	Black Cyn of the Gunnison
Black-billed Magpie	lowland
American Crow	lowland (e.g. Ouray CO)
Common Raven	montane
Horned Lark	Bear River NWR, White's Valley
Purple Martin	SR-39 montane
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow	montane
Bank Swallow	abundant
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow	abundant
Black-capped Chickadee	montane (less numerous)
Mountain Chickadee	montane
Juniper Titmouse	CO: Colorado National Monument
Bushtit	CO: Black Cyn of the Gunnison
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren	(heard only at CO Natl Monument, Black Cyn Gunnison)
Bewick's Wren	Flaming Gorge NRA sagebrush
American Dipper	Bridal Veil Falls nr Provo
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Western Bluebird	CO: Glade Park at CO National Monument
Mountain Bluebird	UT: montane; CO: Glade Park
Townsend's Solitaire	CO: Ouray
Swainson's Thrush	(probably heard in Mill Creek Cyn)
American Robin
Sage Thrasher	CO: Glade Park; UT: White's Valley
Loggerhead Shrike	White's Valley and east of Vernal
European Starling
Virginia's Warbler	Brighton/Silver Lake
Yellow Warbler	various riparian
Yellow-rumped Warbler	various montane
MacGillivray's Warbler	Brighton/Silver Lake
Western Tanager	UT: Alpine loop, CO: Ouray
Green-tailed Towhee	WY: Flaming Gorge NRA
Spotted Towhee	CO: Black Cyn of the Gunnison
Chipping Sparrow	montane
Brewer's Sparrow	sagebrush
Lark Sparrow	Bear River NWR, White's Valley
Black-throated Sparrow	CO: Colorado National Monument
Sage Sparrow	WY: Flaming Gorge NRA
Savannah Sparrow	Bear River NWR
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow	montane wetter areas
White-crowned Sparrow	montane
Dark-eyed Junco	montane, widespread
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Yellow-headed Blackbird	Bear River NWR
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark	lowland grassland
Brewer's Blackbird	lowland riparan
Great-tailed Grackle	UT/CO: interstate service plazas
Brown-headed Cowbird
Black Rosy-Finch	UT: Bald Mountain
Pine Grosbeak	Mirror Lake, Silver Lake - montane
Evening Grosbeakk	Ouray CO at Box Cyn
Cassin's Finch	numerous in montane
House Finch
Red Crossbill	Brighton/Big Cottonwood Cyn
Pine Siskin	numerous in montane
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow	relatively uncommon

Narrative

• Day 1: Thursday 7/19: Fly into SLC, overnight Provo
  Despite really startling ineptitude from Delta upon check-in (I'm sorry, I have to get the seat assignment AT THE GATE?) and a 30 minute line to clear security, it was really the early morning fog at Newark that doomed us to a 45 minute late arrival into Salt Lake City. Nevertheless Thrifty did a friendly job and even upgraded me to a Mustang (at least it wasn't orange, like that one other Mustang I was rented in NYC). Mustangs have big heavy doors which sometimes makes things difficult and the engine note is probably more intrusive when sneaking up on birds, but has decent power for passing trucks on interstates and powering up mountain passes.

  Despite nigh-on 100 degree heat in the lowland areas I decided to make a stop along the Antelope Island Causeway ($9 entrance fee seemed rather excessive) for the first stop. One of the problems getting there was that the exit # off I-15 was wrong in the Utah birding guide (try Antelope Dr at exit 332 instead).

  Out on the causeway I stopped at what seemed like a strange dark mass on the water and realized that it was several hundred (probably a few thousand) Wilson's Phalaropes in one flock. Eventually I did manage to find a few Red-necked Phalaropes in there too. There were thousands of phalaropes of one species or the other (mostly Wilson's) in every direction. Also in the general vicinity were (Western) Willet and a single Baird's Sandpiper. Over the other side of the causeway there were Black-necked Stilt and American Avocet. Three species of gulls were present: a few Ring-billed Gull, many Franklin's Gull and several California Gull. At the Visitor Center there was Common Raven headed down-slope, Barn Swallows nesting at the building itself, but no Chukar which allegedly is to be found on the rocks around the center (I was to see a single Chukar on the return trip - it did not appear tame). The return drive along the causeway yielded a Long-billed Curlew and some isolated flocks of Red-necked Phalaropes in addition to the bazillion Wilson's. A few Double-crested Cormorants were milling around, but it was mostly shorebirds and gulls. Notably absent were waterfowl (although I did see a single small flock of Canada Geese on the return trip here).

  Then it was up into the mountains via I-84 east of Ogden and SR-167 into Huntsville. On the east side of town I picked up SR-39 (Ogden Canyon?) which winds into the mountains on its way toward Woodruff. Stopping at a few lowland campgrounds and pulloffs I picked up Lazuli Bunting, American Goldfinch and Yellow Warbler. A little way up the canyon three juvenile Grouse/Turkeys crossed the road. These were dark, largely unrecognisable to species, but large enough that they could not be quail and too dark to be pheasant. One growing tail feather appeared to be gray-blue. If you believe Sibley's range maps they pretty much have to have been Dusky (Blue) Grouse but I did not count them. Habitat seemed a little ambiguous - it was not coniferous although there were probably Aspens about.

  Taking a side canyon at the Red Rock store the area was broader and riparian and I found Western Meadowlark, Brewers Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Black-billed Magpie. As SR-39 wound into the hills there was Mountain Bluebird along the road. I took a side road signed for "Dry Bread Pond" and found Tree and Violet-green Swallows, Purple Martin, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture. Further on a broad gravel pullout near the gated section of the road yielded Cassin's Finch and nearby an Accipiter sp. (Cooper's, probably).

  Recent posts on the UT list had indicated that Monte Cristo Campground was a useful spot. The USFS signs post that ANY use of a camping spot requires the fee ($14) so since the campground was fairly empty I parked at the bathrooms and wandered around a little. A very few campsites were occupied and I encountered nobody while walking the loops although I always avoid peeking toward occupied camp locations. Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler, Mountain Chickadee, Western Wood-Pewee, Broad-tailed Hummingbird (and a probable male Calliope), White-crowned and Chipping Sparrows, Northern Flicker and a silent Empidonax sp were around. On this trip I saw a variety of worn, mostly silent, Empidonax sp that I declined to try and identify as to species - (Cordilleran, Dusky and Hammond's being the usual suspects).

  Downslope from Monte Cristo the road went into sagebrush country that proved largely unproductive at the stops I tried (apart from a Cliff Swallow colony) and then dropped into the river valley at Woodruff where some probable Western Bluebirds were on the wires (not ID'd conclusively at 65mph but....). Heading south into WY I passed a possible Prairie Falcon along (WY) SR-89 - this is probably on or near the Deseret Ranch area that is used by many tours as a birding destination - but the road is fairly busy without convenient pulloffs.

  In Evanston WY, remarking at the lack of a cell phone signal, I also noted that there were storms brewing over the "Mirror Lake scenic byway" (SR-150) for Mirror Lake and Bald Mountain. Given the weather and the advancing time I decided to skip that part of the day's itinierary and proceed via I-80 and US-40 to Heber City where I took US-189 to Bridal Veil Falls for an evening's scouting for Black Swift. Like all too many roads in UT there were signs for road construction - there was construction on I-84, I-80, I-15, US-189 and Lord knows how many other roads in UT during this trip, although I did not encounter any pathological delays in my direction - I saw some, however, not least of all on eastbound I-80 just west of Evanston.

  At Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Cyn along US-189, there was American Dipper, various Swallows, White-throated Swift but despite staying until sundown there was no evidence of Black Swift. Compared to Ouray (see later) the viewing conditions are much less than optimal since the falls (and nesting sites) are quite a bit above you so you're looking at dark swifts of two types from below in mixed lighting.
  Stayed overnight near Provo at the Motel 6 in Lehi, which was rather decent as Motel 6's go with an internal corridor and relatively recent construction. About 240 miles for the day.

• Day 2: Friday 7/20: Provo, overnight Ogden
  It was cool in the Provo Canyon at 6:40am. A hummingbird sp. perched on the wires, the American Dipper zipped back and forth again, multiple Swallows were in the air and a single Swift joined them - almost certainly White-throated but the light was so poor that I could get no color on it. Two Peregrines (a pair), rather dark in plumage, hunted the cliffs. A startling event occurred as an adult Cooper's Hawk attacked a young American Robin and descended to the road with it just in front of me. The Robin escaped, but the Cooper's may have been surprised to see me. After half an hour in poor light and a stiff breeze, I decided to give up on this and headed for more fertile hunting grounds.

  
  Hot air balloon rising over Heber City

  I continued up-canyon on US-189 to Heber City (a pleasant town where I stopped to pick up breakfast), and then to Kamas and SR-150 - the Mirror Lake scenic byway. Ascending from Kamas, I stopped at a variety of intermediate points finding Common Nighthawk (two calling and displaying in daylight), Western Tanager, Northern Flicker, American Goldfinch, Broad-tailed Hummingbird and a few birds that made tantalizing vocalizations from deep cover.

  Further up in more montane conditions, Trial Lake campground wasn't particularly active with Violet-Green Swallow and some Yellow-rumped Warblers but there were Lincoln's Sparrow, Cassin's Finch, Pine Siskin across from entrance road. A small group of fly-over birds were probably Red Crossbills. Common Raven called from the ridge.

  
  Alpine lake in Uintah range

  Just over the pass at Bald Mountain I hiked up from the parking lot over the top of the ridge (Dark-eyed Junco, Cassin's Finch) then on to the edge of cliffs where a male Black Rosy-Finch hopped cooperatively over the tundra giving good views for a few minutes. Juvenile Rock Wrens chased each other around the rocks, Red-breasted Nuthatch flew by, and a Hummingbird sp (migrating Rufous?) gave fleeting looks. The hike was initially quite strenuous, mainly because I am large and unfit and from sea level (and this was only day 2 at altitude).

  Down off the pass to Mirror Lake there were many people at the campsite but fewer at the trailhead. Just a little up the road from the trailhead were adult and juvenile Three-toed Woodpeckers, a fly-by Pine Grosbeak, lots more Pine Siskins and Dark-eyed Juncos, Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler, a flyover probable Clark's Nutcracker, American Flicker, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. I didn't even get more than 50 yards from the trailhead lot seeing all those species for over an hour. Lots of mysterious species chipped and buzzed from cover, and I was unaccustomed to the western bird vocalizations.

  Leaving Mirror Lake I flew out of the hills into WY pausing to see my first ever male Moose cross the road and American Kestrel in the sagebrush further down into the valley. I continued my trend of missing Prairie Falcon the entire trip. On through Evanston (WY) and then north via WY-89 toward Woodruff I stopped at a roadside "wildlife viewing area" to find it down at the heels, with the interpretive sign completely worn off. Nearby, where there was no convenient pulloff I caught sight of what probably was a distant Ferruginous Hawk. WY-89 is not the sort of road to stop on the tarmac staring at birds, however. On through Woodruff I retraced my route via SR-39, pausing at the Cliff Swallow colony, pausing again to avoid a young Moose (and adult female) in the road (Moose #2 and #3 ever) and returned to to Monte Cristo Campground where activity was quieter than the previous day save for yet another female+young Moose but White-crowned Sparrow, and Western-Wood Pewee were around. Up until the previous day I had seen precisely zero moose in my life. That afternoon I saw five in three locations. The rest of the trip ? none.

  Back down the other side of the pass on SR-39 (Turkey Vulture and glimpse of a large Accpiter) I went on to Ogden and then Bear River NWR. Incredibly the flashy visitor center did not stock Golden Eagle passes although in retrospect this was probably just as well since I had forgotten I had a valid one (!!) purchased in TX in November. Along the frequently rough and sometimes dirt road to the refuge were Northern Harrier, Killdeer, Caspian Tern, Cattle Egret, Sandhill Crane and numerous Western Kingbirds with a few Eastern Kingbirds mixed in. There were many many swallows in the wetter areas (Barn, Cliff, Bank). Out on the auto tour there were nervous White-faced Ibis, American White Pelican, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Eget, American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt. It was notable how nervous many of these birds were - Ibis I've come to expect, but Great Blue Herons flew at the mere sight of the car. Either the Mustang looks/sounds dangerous, or these birds are being hunted here or nearby. Other species around here were Yellow-headed Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper (1, apparently unusual for the reserve), Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson's Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit, Pied-billed/Clark's/Western Grebes and a Double-crested Cormorant. Light was imperfect for photography due to a cloud cast by wildfires to the south, but since most stuff was too skittish to approach it was somewhat of a moot point. Most ducks were in eclipse so given the light and their distance I demurred on splitting Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal at a distance in eclipse plumage. A species count reported on the Utah list for 7/19 showed MUCH greater numbers for some species than I saw, suggesting that they were quite a lot more diligent than I am about searching the farthest reaches of the impoundments or that morning is far more productive.

  Nevertheless, I still suspect it's not ideal for photography because of skittishness and also that the road is too narrow to pull off at arbitrary points - they have designated parking areas which are rarely going to correspond to the precise location of a photographic possibility, and you can't camp out on the auto tour if someone is behind you.

  On the road out of the refuge toward I-15 a Swainsons Hawk perched cooperatively. I was too tired to look for Western Screech-Owl in the evening in Ogden, and also lacked definitive directions.
  Overnight in Ogden at another Motel 6, safe and clean but a little more run down than the one in Lehi the night before. About 300 miles.

• Day 3: Saturday 7/21: SLC, overnight SLC at conference hotel
  Started off in Ogden with a slightly late start then decided to head for the Salt Lake City canyons, despite prospects of them being very crowded with people escaping the heat. And so I drove into Mill Creek Canyon at 7:30am and hiked up Desolation Trail. Initial going was moderately promising - relatively low numbers but Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpeckers, Steller's Jay, Northern Flicker. As the trail emerged from the trees onto the ridge a male Black-chinned Hummingbird was acting agitated over something and showing its display flight. As the trail dropped back down into the trees things got very quiet very quickly, with the most vocal things being the local squirrel population and a small handful of Red-breasted Nuthatches and Dark-eyed Juncos at infrequent intervals on the trail. A pair of Cooper's Hawks gave good views at the point below the tree line where I decided to turn around. Returning to the road several groups of Boy Scouts were hiking up the trail and the canyon had become noisy with human traffic. I then drove most of the way to the top of the canyon, where the road started to get impractically narrow, but full parking lots at popular locations led me to stop at only a handful of pullouts, and bird were relatively few there. An slurred Acadian-like flycatcher call offered no visual but Cordilleran comes to mind as a prospect - lack of intimate familiarity with western Empidonax calls made me reluctant to "call" this bird but I heard this call at other locations (e.g. Ouray CO) and even saw the birds involved.

  Dropping out of Mill Creek Canyon I went further south to Big Cottonwood Cyn (exit 6 off I-215, follow signs for SR-190) and eschewing any intermediate stops (already many cars parked along the roadside) I went straight up to Brighton and the Silver Lake boardwalk. There, as expected, the parking lot was full and the lay public were out in force. Nevertheless the lake trail was moderately birdy: Lincoln's Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-naped Sapsucker, MacGillivray's Warbler, Violet-green and Cliff Swallow, Common Raven and a single Red Crossbill across from the Brighton Store and Cafe (good lunch). There were also multiple Pine Siskins, a single Mountain Chickadee and juveniles of most of the species. A very worn Empidonax sp. didn't give me the urge to try and ID it based on plumage alone, and it was silent. It's pretty good territory for Hammond's up there, I would think, but Dusky is also likely.

  After lunch I headed down the canyon and after some messing around in downtown Salt Lake City checked into the conference hotel (Shilo Inn) and returned the rental car to the airport. About 150 miles (total 690).

  Reception at conference in evening. Overnight SLC at conference.

• Day 4: Sunday 7/22: SLC/Conference, overnight SLC
  Conference all day (poster session)
• Day 5: Monday 7/23: SLC/Conference, overnight SLC
  Conference all day (poster session)
• Day 6: Tuesday 7/24: SLC/Conference, overnight SLC
  Conference all day (poster session)
• Day 7: Wednesday 7/25: SLC/Conference, overnight SLC
  Conference all day
• Day 8: Thursday 7/26: SLC/Conference, overnight Vernal/Green River
  Conference most of the day, depart 5pm.
  After getting a shuttle from the hotel to the airport and picking up the rental car (yet another Mustang, this one a dark red), I drove east on I-80 to Rock Springs WY through a large storm. Barriers across the interstate suggested that I-80 is closed in winter in places. Rock Springs didn't strike me as a compelling destination but perhaps it being in the middle of nowhere contributed to the relatively expensive Motel 6, which was of the older run-down variety. About 180 miles for the day, basically all on I-80.
• Day 9: Friday 7/27: Flaming Gorge, overnight Montrose CO
  In search of Sage Sparrow I headed south from I-80 near Rock Springs WY and took US-119 to Little Firehole Rd near Flaming Gorge NRA. Conditions were still overcast after overnight rain and the dirt road a little wet. It was most productive between miles 5.5-6.5 from US-119 - Coopers Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Western Scrub-Jay, Brewer's Sparrow, SAGE SPARROW, Green-tailed Towhee, Rock Wren, Northern Flicker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

  Heading back toward US-119 the entrance to the Archery Range was also productive - Gray Flycatcher (ID'd by the downward tail flick and habitat), Brewer's Sparrow, possible Vesper Sparrow and Bewick's Wren.

  I then took US-119 south to Vernal UT (slow over passes in the Uintah Mtns) to start the long drive to Ouray CO, then US-40 to Dinosaur CO. Along US-40 I saw perched Golden Eagle and a Loggerhead Shrike on the wires. From Dinosour I went to Grand Junction via Rangeley and over another mountain pass on CO-139 . At Grand Junction I took US-50 and US-550 south to Ouray via Delta and Montrose. The storms were gathering as I approached Ouray and it was raining when I got to Box Canyon Falls. Not auspicious.

  At Ouray during the storm/rain: 4 BLACK SWIFT on nests in very dark conditions but nevertheless pretty good views, male Western Tanager, juvenile Townsend's Solitaire, Empidonax sp (Cordilleran?), Violet-green Swallow, Rufous and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin, Cassin's Finch, Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees. A while after I got there the water started to churn brown from a flash flood from heavy rain in the mountains. American Crow was in the parking lot. Box Cyn Falls are open 8am-8pm, and the fee is a quite modest $3. There's some lodging in Ouray (probably generally expensive) which is popular on weekends, and also some on Montrose 35 miles to the north. The trail to the falls is short and there were a few species in the garden area at the falls. The hummingbirds were at the feeders.

  Down out of Ouray, I headed back north to Montrose and lacking available hotel reservations in Grand Junction I scavenged a motel there (actually the same motel I stayed at during my April 2004 trip - still with the For Sale sign up). I went to the Black Cyn of the Gunnison in rain at sunset, looking for Dusky Grouse walking the western end of the road once the rain started to clear. Most active were Spotted Towhee, also Western Scrub-Jay, Bushtit, Hairy Woodpecker. Finally as it got to dark to ID anything I left the park and headed back to the motel.

  
  Black Canyon of the Gunnison at sunset after a stormy evening

  Overnight Montrose (Western Inn ?). Probably something like 350 miles.

• Day 10: Saturday 7/28: Montrose CO, overnight Salt Lake City
  Returning to the western end of the Black Cyn of the Gunnison shortly after dawn I failed to find any Dusky Grouse but instead found Chipping Sparrow, juvenile Peregrine Falcon, White-throated Swift, Violet-green Swallow, Spotted Towhee, Mountain Chickadee. The White-throated Swift passed so close I could hear the rush of air past its wings.

  I decided to turn south and head to Ouray to see if photos were viable and again found Black Swift, Peregrine Falcon, Violet-green Swallow, Broad-tailed and a very pugnacious Rufous Hummingbird, the same juvenile Townsend's Solitaire, Evening Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch, Pine Siskin, and both species of Chickadees at the feeders. I got one predictably crappy picture of Black Swift at 0.5 second exposure within the canyon. Nevertheless the 1,000 mile round trip was worth it because these views were better than anything I was going to get at Provo. Over the parking lot a Black-ish Swift circled high above, looking chunkier than a White-throated Swift but I left its ID unresolved. The same species were at the feeder again, along with a nice extra of a single male Evening Grosbeak.

  
  Black Swift on the nest at Box Canyon Falls, Ouray

  After Ouray I turned north up US-550 and US-50 to Grand Junction and Colorado National Monument mainly to look for Sage Thrasher and Western Bluebird. Stopping at Devil's Kitchen just after the eastern entry portal it was noon and baking hot and dry but I nevertheless turned up Ash-throated Flycatcher, Juniper Titmouse, Black-throated Sparrow, Say's Phoebe, Gnatcatcher, House Finch and heard a Canyon Wren. Calls from the rock walls may have been Chukar but I did not find any.

  Not taking any intermediate stops I went straight to the dirt road to Glade Park store and along the local roads there picked up the expected Mountain and Western Bluebirds, Sage Thrasher, and Western Scrub-Jay. This seems to be a pretty reliable spot for those sort of species, since I've turned them up every time I've been there.

  Leaving the western portal of Colorado NM I found Great-tailed Grackle at I-70 at Fruita just before entering the interstate, Golden Eagle west along I-70 heading down into the desert. I followed I-70 through dramatic desert scenery in UT before taking US-50 from Salina toward Scipio. (In principal Rt-6 could be quicker as a route to Salt Lake City). In the broad canyon with Juniper along the upper slopes and sagebrush on the lower ones (and riparian area at the bottom) a flock of 30+ Pinyon Jays drifted across the roads. This was very similar habitat to my first ever flock of Pinyon Jays along CO-141 back in 2004, and mostly the same experience (except the need for a swift U-turn in the Mustang). Other than that, there wasn't much to note between Salina and Salt Lake City.

  Great-tailed Grackle was also at a I-15 in Provo but otherwise the rest of the journey to the Motel 6 in Salt Lake City was unremarkable, after putting ~500 miles on the rental car that day. I stayed in a Motel 6 near the airport which was less than desirable and somewhat run down so I moved on after one night (reservation originally made for 2 nights).

• Day 11: Sunday 7/29: SLC, overnight SLC
  After about 500 miles the previous day, I wasn't too swift about exiting the hotel and got on the road just after dawn. Nevertheless I got to the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon fairly early and took the tail up through the Aspens toward Twin Lakes from the Silver Lake boardwalk. The plan was to get Dusky Grouse before anyone else hit the trail but being tired, unfit and from sea level slowed my progress. I did however get to the top of the Aspens before I was overtaken - no Dusky Grouse anyway but the first Warbling Vireo for the trip. In fact there were quite a few Warbling Vireos in the Aspens.

  
  Silver Lake at Brighton

  Climbing onto higher ground there was a vocal Olive-sided Flycatcher that I eventually put my eyes on as well as Nuthatches and Chickadees, assorted ground-loving rodents, but not a ton of diversity. Having wheezed to the top of the trail I found a Red-naped Sapsucker by the side of the lake, amongst more expected species, and while napping managed a "first" of having a Chipmunk climb up on top of me (what part of "large omnivorous mammal" did it not understand ?). Activity at the lake was relatively limited with a single Mallard, some Cassin's Finches, Chipping Sparrows and Violet-Green and Barn Swallows. I returned down the increasingly-populated trail without adding anything although in one humbling moment a 5 year-old did come close to overtaking me on the way down. This was not, shall we say, the physically strongest day of the trip.

  Along the trail around the lake I did find a worn but distinctive Virginia's Warbler amongst the more predictable Audubon's Yellow-rumped and MacGillivray's Warblers.

  After Brighton the rest of the areas in that canyon were predictably busy, so I dropped down to the basin floor and went north toward White's Valley. This is a place for Gray Partridge amongst the grassland and in particular the agricultural fields but I struck out here in mid-afternoon. I did find Loggerhead Shrike, a bonanza of Lark Sparrows, a Sage Thrasher, Western Meadowlark but not a great deal else. Nothing partridge-like twitched or called. The Mustang did spook me by stalling twice along this road for no good reason but re-started both times without a hitch.

  After baking in White's Valley I returned to Bear River NWR again via a detour to Brigham City for a beverage. Brigham City is pretty quiet on a Sunday afternoon. At Bear River NWR there were largely the same species present, although since the sun was more present on this trip there were less species along the entrance road. I did manage a few more finds on the tour loop, including Western (and I assume Least) Sandpipers and a larger flock of Black Terns. The number of roosting swallows was down over the last visit but I added to my tally of Clark's and Western Grebe photos, especially with many of them carrying young on their backs.

  
  View across the impoundments at Bear River NWR

  After checking into the Motel6 in Ogden I took a run to Beus Pond. Took me a while to find that location despite directions because of some roads ending in unpredictable places. Beus Pond is also popular with the rest of humanity, and lies next to a road, so the ambience for detecting calling owls was poor to abysmal even after dusk once the activity started to die down. I gave up around 30 minutes after dusk.

• Day 12: Monday 7/30: SLC to NJ
  I started the day at Antelope Island causeway thinking of trying for shorebird photos. I took a back-roads route through the agricultural land on the western edge of Ogden and found one field with 20+ Cattle Egrets. In the event on the causeway the birds were rather too skittish and on the wrong side of the causeway from the sun most of the time. I did amuse myself by flying gull shots riding the wind kicked up off the causeway itself.

  
  Antelope Island

  There was a single Chukar along the road to the Visitor Center, the usual swallows nesting under the eaves of the Visitor Center, but relatively little activity other than that. As the sun climbed I headed off Antelope Island and back to Big Cottonwood canyon to attempt pictures of MacGillivray's Warbler at Silver Lake. They were not as cooperative as the previous day so I contented myself with juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler photos. After Silver Lake I went back down to Salt Lake City, picked up lunch, packed the car, and returned to the airport to end the trip. It was a rather uneventful end to the trip, but I specifically had no plans to whizz around 6 different locations while trying to get back the airport in time. I finally arrive back in Newark around 11:40pm.

Utah - Online Resources

• Utah birds.org and sites by county and Birds of Utah (the latter pretty useless on locations)
• Utah bird list
• Wasatch Audubon
• National Geographic SLC area Birdwatching
• List of birding locations in UT
• Thumbnail guide to Salt Lake Co
• Tracy Aviary - not wild birds, but still.....
• Trip report - northern UT 1996
• Utah.com birdwatching
• Utah.com National Wildlife Refuges
• Bridal Veil Falls
• August 2003 NV/UT trip report and a different report on the same trip.
• August 2006 NV/UT trip report
• August 2007 NV/UT itinerary has similar information

Wyoming - Online Resources

• Wyoming bird list

Assorted directions and sightings

Bear River NWR: From I-15 take Exit #366 (Brigham City's Forest Street) and travel west to end of road (20 miles). 
The road is at times dirt and rutted.

From http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/boxelder/WhitesValley.htm
Description:  White's Valley is a remote ranch/farmland/grass and sagebrush covered valley in extreme 
north-central Utah. Much of the property is private, so please observe the 'No Trespassing' signs.
Directions:  Take I-15 north and I-84 west. Remain on I-84 when the two roads split and take Ranch Exit 32. 
Turn right, or north. The pavement ends after .3 miles and the road is gravel thereafter. Continue north. 
You'll reach Whites Valley after approximately 4 miles. The road zigzags west and north across the valley 
until it ends at two silos; however, the last half mile is marked, "No Trespassing".
Birding:  Watch for Burrowing Owls and listen/watch for Grasshopper Sparrows in the first mile or so. 
Watch along the road and in stubble in the fields for both Gray Partridge and Sharp-tailed Grouse. You 
might need to walk through brush or sage lining the safflower and wheat fields to find partridge or grouse. 
Watch over field edges and sagebrush for Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers. Returning south and east 
out of the valley, you might consider taking the road that heads east at an intersection at a single silo, 
through Johnson Canyon. Grasshopper Sparrows have been heard and seen in the grassy field northwest of the 
Nucor Steel Plant. Continue east on this road and you'll intersect I-15.
Specialty Birds: Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Grasshopper Sparrow, Burrowing Owl, Short-eared Owl, 
Sage Thrasher, American Pipit


(July 9th - Monte Cristo/Route 39 east of SLC)
At least one WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL flew over Monte Cristo Campground in
Rich County yesterday morning, calling in flight. Twice in the recent past I
believed White-wngs were at Monte Cristo, but the call or view was so brief
that I couldn't conclusively rule out other species. I chose not to report
the possibility. Yesterday's calling sequence was definitive even though I
didn't see the bird. What's wrong with those darn crossbills--why can't they
perch sedately at eye level for me?!? We need spruces around here that
produce cones at a height of 5' 3" instead of at 60 feet.
Calling RED CROSSBILLS also flew over the campground and I saw them flash
through patches of sky while I developed a charlie horse in my neck. All the
woodpecker families appear to have fledged. It took about an hour of
listening to get a sign from a THREE-TOED WOODPECKER; finally one drummed a
total of four times and sat patiently on a snag while I watched her. It was
the adult female. She was on the slope downhill from campsite 18 on Loop C.
That's the first place I saw the male on June 21 and I've seen both adults
in that area a couple times. Then she disappeared while I was distracted by
an adult male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER feeding a juvenile female.
Other birds present included a vocal Hairy Woodpecker, a Clark's Nutcracker,
Western Tanagers, Mountain Chickadees, Brown Creepers, MacGillivray's Warblers, 
Cassin's Finches and many more good mountain birds. A fun
experience was watching a Ruby-crowned Kinglet bug-catch on the ground under
the shady spruce; the bird whirled and fluttered across the dry litter
toward me until I was looking down on the red slash across its crown and he
or she was only 4 feet away. The newly-fledged Red-breasted Nuthatches are
super-cute at this time of year, too.
I never strayed from of the south end of the campground. The woodpeckers
were in the mature Englemann Spruce on the slope sandwiched between Loop A,
campsites 4 and 6, and Loop C, campsites 14 and 18. The crossbills flew over
the same area. At the east end of this slope you'll find the two Group Use
units.
Monte Cristo Campground is located on SR-39 at mile 47.7. If you bird the
shady spruce slope, know that you'll have lots of company...from mosquitoes.

From http://www.nationalgeographic.com/destinations/Bryce_Canyon_National_Park/Utah_Bird_watching_Sites.html

Wasatch-Cache National Forest. From Utah 190 (Wasatch Boulevard, closed in winter), 
which parallels I-215, take 3800 South Street eastward up into Mill Creek Canyon. 
Several picnic areas are located along the 9 miles [14.5 kilometers] of this road, 
offering the chance to look for White-throated Swift; Black-chinned and 
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds; Red-naped Sapsucker; Olive-sided, Dusky, and Cordilleran Flycatchers; 
Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos; Steller's Jay; Clark�s Nutcracker; Mountain Chickadee; 
American Dipper (along the creek); Townsend's Solitaire; Swainson's and Hermit Thrushes; 
Orange-crowned, Virginias, and MacGillivrays Warblers; Western Tanager; Green-tailed Towhee; 
Song and Lincolns Sparrows; Black-headed Grosbeak; and Cassin�s Finch. 
Unlikely: Northern Goshawk, Blue Grouse, or Northern Pygmy-Owl, but all are possible.


East of Salt Lake City, Utah 150 is known as the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway from 
Kamas east and north toward Wyoming. Along the way it crosses the Uinta Mountains, 
the highest east-west range in the lower 48 states. About 26 miles [41.8 kilometers] 
from Kamas, stop at Trial Lake, at 9,500 feet [2,895.6 meters], to look for 
mountain birds such as Blue Grouse, Williamson's Sapsucker, 
Three-toed Woodpecker, Olive-sided and Hammond's Flycatchers, Gray and Steller's Jays, 
Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Brown Creeper,
 Townsend's Solitaire, Pine Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbill, and Pine Siskin.  
In 3 miles [4.8 kilometers], at Bald Mountain Pass, 
turn toward the parking area for the Bald Mountain Trail, known as a good spot to find 
Black Rosy-Finch. Check rocky slopes, especially 
around the edges of ice fields and snowbanks, for this little bird, which nests only 
above timberline. You'll also find American Pipit up 
here at around 10,700 feet [3,261.4 meters]. The 2-mile [3.2 kilometers] trail to the 
top of Bald Mountain, at 11,943 feet, offers fabulous 
views of Uinta peaks and lakes. It's normally walkable only from mid-July to October. 
In 3 more miles [4.8 kilometers], the Mirror Lake 
campground and picnic area is another popular birding spot. It is also just plain popular: 
The parking area here is full nearly every day 
in summer. After you've birded around the lake and picnic grounds, you can walk a short 
spur trail that leads to the Highline Trail, passing 
through meadows where you may find Calliope Hummingbird and Mountain Bluebird, as well as 
forests of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir where
there's a chance you'll see Blue Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, and other woodland birds. 
Keep an eye out for Northern Goshawk and Golden Eagle soaring overhead. 


U.S. Highway 189 east of Provo follows the Provo River past Bridal Veil Falls, 
home of the extremely rare and elusive Black Swift (summer) - especialyl elusive this year.
Take the 800 North, Orem exit of I-15 (exit #273) going east on UT 52. After about 4 miles 
bear left at the US 189 intersection going up Provo Canyon. After about 2 1/2 miles you can 
turn off at the Bridal Veil Falls/Nunn's Park parking lot to access the Provo River Trail or 
continue about a half mile to the Bridal Veil Falls overlook which is directly in front of the falls.

http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/wasatch/index.html
Soapstone Area in Uintahs ?  Minimalist trip report from 7/2006 looked promising.
Strawberry Valley

http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/utahco/locations.htm
Payson Cyn

Big Cottonwood Canyon
The road into Big Cottonwood Canyon takes you east of Salt Lake City 
into the Wasatch Mountains and up to the Brighton Ski Area. This is 
a great place to see more streamside songbirds as well as some high 
elevation birds and spectacular summer wildflowers. From I-215, simply 
follow the signs to Brighton Ski Area. Turn appears to be at the
south-east extreme corner of the I-215 loop.

http://www.utah.com/wildlife/bird_watching.htm
City Creek Canyon is walking distance from downtown Salt Lake City
From the intersection of North Temple and State Street (downtown), 
head east (on North Temple) to B street. Turn left on B street and 
follow it up the hill then down into the canyon. Park near the hairpin 
turn and take any of the several walking/biking trails. The paved trail 
follows the stream both north (into the mountains) and south (into Memory 
Grove Park at the edge of downtown). Just a little NW of downtown where
I will be staying.  I-80/I-15 meet west of this location.


Mirror Lake Scenic Byway  utah-150 extending east of Kamas and
then north to I-80 - might make long but viable loop for return via 
SR-39.  Ends at Evanston WY along I-80

SR-39 east of Ogden towards Woodruff, or via Evanston via WY-89 and UT-16.

Antelope Island Causeway (shorebirds) and visitor center (Chukar) and Garr Ranch (passerines).  Barn Owl ?
South of that: Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area

WY: Flaming Gorge may have Sage Sparrow but lack specific directions in WY
however accessible via I-80 and generally viable for Vernal or Gd Tetons.

Tracy Aviary is located at 589 East 1300 South at Liberty Park, 9am-6pm every day.

Subject: Re: Black Rosy-Finch - Salt Lake Co
From: Dave Hanscom 
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 22:50:07 -0600 (MDT)
> I cannot remember any reports of rosy-finches from the Wasatch in the 
> summer despite the apparent good habitat.  I thought I had one fly by 
> when I hiked the Pfiefferhorn last summer, but at the time, it had been 
> awhile since I'd heard one call so I was hesitant to call it.  Anyway, I 
> definitely had 2 BLACK ROSY-FINCHES in the Devil's Castle area 
> underneath Sugarloaf Peak at Alta (Salt Lake Co.) yesterday.  They 
> called repeatedly as they flew by. They eventually landed on a snowpatch 
> about 100 yards away. 

I've seen them on Mount Superior and also on Timpanogos in the summer.  I 
haven't be up Superior this year, but there were a couple on the Timp 
snowfield two or three weeks ago.

Re: Flammulated Owls in extreme sw. Utah
Second were two FLAMMULATED OWLS that were along the road to
Kolob Reservoir, because at least near us in e.WA this species is
notoriously difficult to observe. The turnoff for the reservoir is off Rt 56
heading in the direction of the Cedar Breaks NM, just past Milt's Restaurant, to the right.  
About 5 miles up this road, one reaches the top at a ranch with heavy aspen forest all around; 
just prior to this, there is an open rocky scree area with a few firs right along the road.  The birds
were here, one of them seen fleetingly by flashlight.

Subject: Didn't see Black Swift in Utah Co.
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 18:42:25 -0600
Cory Gregory (a friend from out of state) and I tried to find Black
Swifts at Bridal Veil Falls and Stewart Falls this week.  Both of these are in Utah County near US-189 NE of Orem.
On June 30th we spent from 5:15am to 9am watching from the base of
Bridal Veil falls.  Lots of white-throated swifts, lots of swallows, and a Dipper.  No black swifts.

On July 1st we spent from 7:45pm to 10pm watching Stewart Falls.  No black swifts here either.

We also spent half an hour at Bridal Veil Falls on the 29th during the 
afternoon, and 3 hours at Stewart Falls on the 30th in the afternoon,
and didn't see any black swifts then either.

Subject: Black Rosy-Finch - Salt Lake Co
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 17:12:21 -0600
I cannot remember any reports of rosy-finches from the Wasatch in the summer despite the apparent good habitat.  
I thought I had one fly by when I hiked the Pfiefferhorn last summer, but at the time, it had been awhile since I'd
heard one call so I was hesitant to call it.  Anyway, I definitely had 2 BLACK ROSY-FINCHES in the Devil's Castle 
area underneath Sugarloaf Peak at Alta (Salt Lake Co.) yesterday.  They called repeatedly as they flew by.
They eventually landed on a snowpatch about 100 yards away.
I meant to report this earlier, but I think I had a female Rufous/Allen's hummingbird at Alta on June 16th, which 
is on the early side for even a male Rufous Hummingbird.  I only had a brief look, but the hummingbird was like a
female Broad-tailed Hummingbird (there may have been more rufous on the sides than I normally think of for them), 
but it had a dark patch on the throat.  Due to the fading light, I was unable to see the color of this patch.  
Can female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds show this patch?  Also, I think the time of year and flank color would eliminate 
a young male Broad-tailed Hummingbird?

Other birds seen around Alta the past two weekends include a pair of PINE GROSBEAKS working the area around the campground, 
a flyover adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK on two different occasions, a number of singing LAZULI BUNTINGS (along the hike up to Cecret Lake), 
pretty high elevation SWAINSON'S THRUSHES singing in the willows at the first switchback on the dirt road that's on the way up to the 
Cecret Lake Trailhead, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, ROCK WRENS and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS along the shoulder between Devil's Castleand Sugarloaf Peak, 
a flock of RED CROSSBILLS foraging in a small patch of cone covered firs in Day's Fork (actually in Big Cottonwood Canyon), and other expected 
suspects such as YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, CASSIN'S FINCHES, LINCOLN'S, FOX and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. Also, the GRAY CATBIRD 
was singing last evening in the same location as I heard it a couple weeks ago in Emigration Canyon

Yesterday Ned Bixler and I spent the morning and early afternoon chasing
birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and in the Amalga area in
Cache valley. Despite it being rather warm, and a bit buggy at BRMBR, we
had an enjoyable time and saw quite a few birds. Highlights include:
- three short-eared owls, two adults and a juvenile bird each by itself along the road into BRMBR
a pair of Wilson's phalarope, still in breeding plumage, along the Bear River at one of the 
UP&L recreation pull-over spots in Cache valley


Subject: Owling addendum
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 00:32:55 -0600
Summit county should be Morgan County

Subject: Owling... well sort of.
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 00:18:27 -0600
Tonight, Dave Slager, his Buddy Corey (sp?) from Michigan, and I headed out
looking for Northern Pygmy-Owl.  We started at Millcreek Canyon along the
Bowman Fork Trail and headed to a spot where the birds had been heard in the
past.  We struck out on the owls, but did have 1 COMMON POORWILL singing away.
Bowman Fork Trail is the last road on the right (south) side of the road just
before the parking area at the top gate.
Next we headed to Big Mountain Pass and East Canyon to try again.  We had a
POORWILL on the Summit County side of the pass, and at a stop further down the
canyon we had multiple Flammulated Owl's answering back to the pygmy whistle. 
Unfortunately we struck out again.

Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:58:37 -0500
We found our lifer Black Rosy Finches at Bald Mountain on our last day of 
our Utah vacation. We were at Bald Mountain by 7:30 AM and went to the bowl area 
that has the rock cliffs on the left and the spruce trees on the right with a couple ponds in between. 
We had to keep reminding ourselves to take Mark Stackhouse's advice and be patient. 
Although we saw 3 dark birds fly over from the trees to the cliff, it wasn't 
a positive ID. So we continued to scan the cliffs and the tree tops with 
spotting scopes, and finally I found one perched on top of a spruce tree

that 3 of us got to see before it flew.

We had great looks at a male and 
female Williamson's Sapsucker feeding young at a nest hole, and great looks 
at another 3 Toed Woodpecker at Mirror Lake. Also found some Bushtits and Brown Creepers.


Subject: Black-Hawk and Condor Videos
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:08:37 -0600
A couple of videos shot through my spotting scope this week...
Common Black-Hawk and young:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YpvtxFhmDhM
California Condors:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SwlTG0M6NGk

Subject: Zone-tailed Hawk, Spotted Owl, etc...
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:03:58 -0600
Over the past few days I spent some time around Washington and Kane Counties
working, and birding. I was able to spend a few hours at Kolob Terrace earlier in the week, and was
rewarded with great looks at at least 2 different ZONE-TAILED HAWKS.  The birds 
were seen in several locations: At Kolob Creek Crossing where the creek plunges
over the cliffs, and along the road to Lava Point over the pond and fields. 

Also seen in the area were 12 CALIFORNIA CONDORS, many of which perched within
100' of the road for excellent viewing. The birds when soaring by seemed more
numerous than the Turkey Vultures.

Subject: our Utah birding vacation
From: "Connie Norheim" 
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:24:03 -0500

We're coming towards the end of our birding vacation in Utah, and would like 
to thank all the people who have been so gracious and helpful in either 
suggesting places to go for certain birds, or referring us to others.

Beus Pond at Ogden for the Western Screech Owl. We did find 3 owlets sitting on a branch 
directly over our head at 9:15 PM on the east path around the pond, just 
where she told us they'd be, and we didn't need to use any tapes to call them in.

Cars can drive into City Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City for $3 on even days, 
and we drove all the way to the end and birded. We heard, but never did see, 
Virginia's Warbler, our second lifer.

The 3 Toed Woodpecker at the Monte Criste campground, lifer #4 for Lew. What a 
lovely campground, we spent several hours there and also saw both the male 
and femate Williamson's sapsucker there.
The road to the Albion Campground is not open (won't open until June 30th we were told), 
so to go to Secret Lake we had a much longer hike than
originally planned, over 
5 miles round trip, and no Black rosy Finches to reward us. 

Over the past couple of weeks I have seen several Scott's Orioles southeast of 
Vernal. The area is south of US40 east of the the Green River. The area has 
scattered juniper and the yellow orioles are striking against the deep green of \
the junipers. 

I left work early today and wanted to get up to Monte Cristo and scout out
the woodpeckers and sapsuckers Kris Purdy reported yesterday.  My plan was
to scout them out and return tomorrow morning,blind up, and get some
pictures tomorrow.
Kris forgot to mention that one of the American Three-toed Woodpecker
nests was within four feet of the restroom about eight feet high.  I located
the cavity and started taking pictures. I used the rest room as my blind,
peeking around the corner.  I had the female come in and was feeding the
youngster's when two woman walked out of the restroom right into my lap.

Kane Co.
Last night I camped on a ridge top over looking Stout Canyon and saw a couple unusual 
things. One of the first birds I saw while scanning down into the canyon was a 
adult Goshawk perched in a dead tree that I was able to watch in the scope for 
about 5 minutes. Then while watching Common nighthawks soaring around before 
sundown a Black Swift flew right in front of me at eye level. I was watching it 
soar around for a couple minutes when another one joined it. I watched both of 
them at close range for a couple more minutes until they worked there way to 
the south out of sight. I didn't know of any nesting spots around there but at 
this time of year maybe.I thought that was a good way to end the day but the 
way things were going I figured maybe a Whip-poor-will would start calling as 
it got dark. As it started to get dark I didn't get the Whip-poor-will ( fat 
chance ) but almost as good. A Spotted Owl started calling right below me in 
the canyon. When I got up today it was in the same area calling again.

I left Salt Lake around 6:30 this morning for a 250 mile loop up to the
Mirror Lake Highway, then to Woodruff/Deseret Ranch, stopping next at Monte
Cristo before coming down to I-15 and heading back to Salt Lake.  The plan was
to tick off the majority of the sub-alpine breeders I hadn?t yet seen this
year, and thanks to reports from Kris Purdy, Jack Binch, Colby Neuman, and of
course the Beyer's for the initial find of a White-winged Crossbill, I had a
good plan and hit the road with it.
I made several stops along the Mirror Lake Highway on my way to Bald Mountain. 
The morning was filled with song and I picked up Golden-crowned Kinglet, and
Townsend's Solitaire for the month as well as several other high elevation
birds.  My first serious stop was at the Washington Lake Group Area, where the
Beyer's made their find earlier in the week.  As soon as I stepped out of the
car I heard what sounded like an AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER calling.  After
searching for a minute or two I found a female near the top of a dead snag. 
Before I was finished in the area, I ended up seeing 3 ATTW's, including 2 males.

I also had one flock of RED CROSSBILL's fly over while in the area, and a GRAY
JAY to make things interesting.  I birded a little around the regular
campground, but a lot of people were up and milling about, so I moved on.  I
stopped at the Bald Mountain view area, where nothing much was happening,
before continuing up the road to the Bald Mountain Pass, and trailhead.  Before
I made it that far, about 250 yards before the road to the trailhead I looked
over and saw a female PINE GROSBEAK feeding on the ground.  I pulled over and
took some time to get pictures of it.  2 males could be heard singing to the
north of the road.

Plenty of RED CROSSBILL's were flying over the area and between stands of
spruce.  After about 35 minutes a flock of about 20 Red's flew over me, with
one immature WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL calling away, making it stand out against
the Red's.  I spent some more time lingering around hoping another flock would
come over.  While I was waiting I heard what I distinctly thought was a
White-winged Crossbill singing to the northwest towards the peak.  I grabbed my
cameras and took off to look for it.  Every time I got within about 20 feet I
would hear it starting to sing from another spot.  After chasing for about 5
trees I gave up and just turned on my recorder to try to capture the song.  I
will upload and post it later tonight.  I spent some time with my scope
scanning the snow fields for BLACK ROSY-FINCH, and saw several birds buzzing
around , although at the distance, they could have been Pipit's for all I know.
 Luckily near the pass I had a male fly over from one drift to another,
providing great looks.

Satisfied with the birds I found I headed to Evanston and then up towards Woodruff.  

I turned onto the road that winds through Deseret Ranch hoping that
a Lark Bunting maybe hanging around somewhere? No such luck.  I did have 2
WILSON's PHALAROPE on the ranch, and a surprising GRASSHOPPER SPARROW singing
along the road out to the north.  In Woodruff I had 2 COMMON GRACKLE, and I
made a quick trip back down HWY 89 a couple miles where I had a BLACK TERN, as
well as a FORSTER'S TERN and a number of other water birds.

Finally, I made my way up towards Monte Cristo Campground making a stop at one
of the locations where Kris Purdy had posted about PURPLE MARTINS.   I managed
to find her tell-tale "pink tape" and along with it, 4 Martins? 

I next made my way to the location of the WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER nest along HWY 39.  
I found the male bird and snapped a few shots, before heading to the
campground to take a look around.

Using Kris's again excellent directions I found the ATTW nest.  It sounded like
it might have had 2 or 3 chicks begging.  Several times the adult female
returned to the nest with food.  She wouldn?t come in while I was with 30 feet
so I went back to my car and drove around the loop about 100 feet off and set
up my scope.  She came in 2 times in the next 20 minutes and I shot a little
bit of video which I will post this evening.

From: Kristin Purdy 
Subject: Three-toed Nest at Monte Cristo

A funny thing happened on my way to retrieving my GPS to mark a THREE-TOED 
WOODPECKER'S location at Monte Cristo Campground in Rich County today--a male 
WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER flew across my path and landed at the most 
BEE-YOO-TEE-ful column of sap wells I've ever seen. A Red-breasted Nuthatch 
also visited the sap wells while I watched. I followed the sapsucker as he 
transferred to his ant tree and eventually, to the grove of trees where his 
mate and his nest cavity were located west of SR-39 from the campground. 
Following him around from sap wells to tree to sap wells to grove must have 
used up about an hour and a half. But I finally found and marked his nest 
cavity and then returned to the Three-toed's location. Hopeful listening, 
watching and aimless wandering produced both the male and female Three-toed 
flaking big chunks of bark from trees in the two Group Use Units. If you 
attempt to see these birds flaking bark off the trees, wear a hardhat. Know 
that they're not flaking chips, they're flaking planks and you could sustain a 
head injury if one hit you. The female flew to the area of the bathrooms that 
serve the group picnic areas and fire pits and then disappeared. She was long 
gone when I unknowingly walked under the nest tree and heard the babies 
clamoring in the hole five feet over my head. A later Mom's moth delivery 
caused one of the little ones to be visible in the shadowy depths of the cavity 
as Mom clinged to the cavity entrance. 

Audible RED CROSSBILLs flew overhead several times during the morning; I rarely 
saw them except for a flock of about 20 while I was at the Group Use areas 
watching the woodpeckers. Other mountain birds included CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS at 
the gravel pit north of the campground and several times over the campground, 
many Western Tanagers, Western Wood-pewees, Warbling Vireos, Mountain Chickadees, 
House Wrens, Hermit Thrushes, MacGillivray's and Yellow-rumped Warblers, 
Chipping and White-crowned Sparrows, Pine Siskins, Cassin's Finches 
and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. 

Another WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER pair is back for at least the third year in the 
same nest tree north of the campground and adjacent to the gravel pit. Reply 
for directions. 

The new pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers that I saw today are on the west side 
of SR-39 at mile 47.6, which is a tenth of a mile before (west) of the entrance 
to Monte Cristo Campground. Look for a long strand of pink tape at that spot. 
From the tape, look west into the trees approximately 35 yards for an aspen 
snag that's mostly black and brown on the lower third; it also has a strand of 
pink tape tied around the bole. The nest hole is on the north side of the 
trunk, 20 feet high, not visible from the road, and just above where the black 
and brown marks end. But you can get a profile view of both birds entering the 
cavity; they also use area trees to stage to and from the nest tree. It's good 
watching, even from the pavement. 

The Three-toed Woodpeckers are nesting in an aspen RIGHT next to the bathrooms 
that serve Group Units 1 and 2. Although the campground hasn't placed all the 
signs for the season yet, try these directions. Enter the campground and follow 
the signs to Group Unit 2. Just before you reach the group picnic areas and 
firepits on the right, you'll pass the restrooms on the left--it's a brown 
building with windows and a green roof and not a pit toilet. The woodpecker's 
nest tree is at the northeast corner of the building and is only 2 feet away 
from the eaves. The cavity faces east, which is the men's bathroom side of the 
building. 

6/18 - Clear Creek Canyon, Sevier County: NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL
This bird was heard singing about 3 weeks ago and again this week between 2:00
and 5:00 am.  The side canyon is just to the south of the Fremont Indian State
Park and Museum, along the Paiute ATV Trail.

Hotels and Motels

• CheapTickets.com - 877-672-4896
• Motel 6 - (800-466-8356)
• Super 8 - 800-800-8000
• VERNAL UT- Days Inn ($60), EconoLodge ($61)
• GREEN RIVER/ROCK SPRINGS WY - Days Inn ($80), Super 8 ($80)

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