Spring Break Day 8

Saturday Min and I got up at 4:30 a.m. and were out of the house in 15 minutes or less.  Gassed up the car and headed for Utah. Listened to 'Three Men and a Boat' on the trip. Breakfast at Denny’s in Tremonton while the sun lightened the sky then on to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.  The refuge was amazing and we saw tons and tons of birds, particularly Avocets. Getting there as the sun rose was amazing. Then down to SLC where we met Rebecca and Christie Red Hair (also saw Hannah at work). Lunch with R & CRH at Village Inn then shopping for a fast hour for more art for my place at the big TJMaxx.  Next stop was dropping Melinda at the airport and then Rebecca at home. I headed home after that.  I was very sad to send Melinda home.  I listened to part of Louis L’Amour’s ‘Lonely on the Mountain’ then thought and processed and drove home.

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

March 30, 2013

Dawn over the Wasatch front

Cinnamon Teals

Great Blue Heron Taking Flight

1. Sandhill Cranes
2. Red-winged Black Birds
3. Common Ravens
4. Green Winged Teals
5. American Wigeon
6. Pintail
7. Starlings
8. Coots
9. House Sparrows
10. Mallards
11. Northern Shovelers
12. Rough Legged Hawks
13. California Gulls
14. Killdeer
15. Avocets
16. Greater Yellowlegs
17. Snowy Plover
18. Great Blue Heron
19. Western Meadowlark
20. Ring Necked Pheasants (several in a field)
21. Red-tailed Hawk
22. Horned Larks
23. Northern Harrier
24. Canada Geese
25. Cinnamon Teals
26. American White Pelicans
27. Double Crested Cormorants
28. Lesser Scaups
29. Bank Swallow
30. Northern Rough Winged Swallow
31. Violet Green Swallows
32. Red Breasted Mergansers
33. Common Mergansers
34. Yellow-headed Blackbirds
35. Gadwalls
36. Marsh Wrens
37. Bufflehead
38. Common Goldeneye
39. Redheads
40. Trumpeter Swans
41. Western Grebes
42. Clarks Grebes
43. Brewers Blackbirds
44. Pied Billed Grebe
45. Tundra Swans
46. Grasshopper Sparrow
47. Savannah Sparrow
48. Rock Doves
49. Magpie

Spring Break Day 7

Friday Slept in for a second day then went birding nearby. First up to the ridge above Arbon valley then lunch at Pizza Hut, we called Shanna again then waited for her at home then we all drove out to American Falls. The birding wasn’t spectacular anywhere, but we got a couple of new species on the overall list.  Played games and ate nachos before calling it a night early.

Caribou National Forest, Pocatello, Idaho

Mink Creek area

March 29, 2013

Near Cherry Springs 

1. Crows
2. Starlings
3. California Gulls
4. Rock Doves
5. Canada Geese on the cliffs
6. Magpie
7. Robins
8. Townsend's Solitaire
9. Black Crowned Chickadee
10. Ruby Crowned Kinglet
11. "Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco
12. Sage Thrasher
13. Mountain Bluebird
14. Red Shafted Flicker
15. Heard Yellow Warblers
16. Song Sparrow

American Falls

Me

1. Double Crested Cormorants
2. Turkey Vulture
3. Coots
4. Mallards
5. Tons of Red Breasted Mergansers
6. White Pelican
7. Bald Eagle (Shanna saw)
8. Canvasbacks
9. Ring Necked Pheasant
10. Eurasian Collared Doves
11. Mourning Doves

Spring Break Day 6

Thursday Stayed home and slept in. Got Shanna to come home and we went shopping...TJmaxx, and Ross, then home to play ‘move that painting.’  Matt and Carrie came over for pot roast and for the first time in a long time my gravy came out stunning.  

Spring Break Day 5

Wednesday Cheryl, Min and I load into the car and drive to/bird to Menan. Load into Suzy’s vehicle and visit the other side of the butte, Market Lake, Camas wildlife refuge, and Mud Lake. (lunch of peanut butter & honey sandwiches, Doritos, carrots, celery, strawberries and banana bread at Camas).  Stopped at Freeman park on the way home, but no birds. Got home very tired at 5:30 and just sat for awhile. Shanna got us to go to Puerta Vallarta for dinner and then to bed early.

Trumpeter Swans

Camas Wildlife Refuge

1. American Crow
2. California Gull
3. Rock Doves
4. Red-tailed Hawk
5. Starlings
6. Red-winged Blackbirds
7. Canada Geese
8. Black-billed Magpie
9. Eurasian Collared-dove
10. Mourning Dove
11. American Robin
12. House Sparrow
13. Belted Kingfisher
14. Mallards
15. Bald Eagle
16. Mountain Bluebird
17. Dark-eyed Junco
18. Rough-legged Hawk
19. Ring-necked Pheasant
20. Meadowlarks
21. American Coots
22. Red-Breasted Mergansers
23. Trumpeter Swans
24. Ring-necked Ducks
25. Canvasbacks
26. Yellow-headed Blackbirds
27. Common Goldeneye
28. Buffleheads
29. Killdeer
30. Northern Hrariers
31. Wigeon
32. Tundra Swans
33. Sandhill Cranes
34. Marsh Wren
35. Pintails
36. Snow Geese
37. Redheads
38. Lesser Scaup
39. Northern Flicker (Mud Lake)

Spring Break Day 4

Tuesday birding north along 91 to Swan Lake, then in Pocatello and over to the mountain above Arbon valley, on the return discovered gas gauge not only on empty but flashing, coasted to nearest station -TBox. Pausing to admire the wild turkeys in display mode on the road. Grocery shopping with Shanna. Made chili for dinner and banana bread for tomorrow’s lunch along with prepping celery and strawberries.

Sadly all of the pictures taken over the first few days were erased by my camera. This includes the mountain bluebirds in Arbon valley posed on aspen in the snow and the wild turkeys.

Mountain Bluebird

1. California Gull
2. Eurasian Collard-Dove
3. American Robin
4. Staring
5. Mallard
6. Canada Geese
7. Black-billed Magpie
8. Red-winged Black Bird
9. House Sparrow
10. Mourning Dove
11. Sandhill Cranes
12. Red-tailed Hawk
13. American Kestral
14. Meadow Larks
15. Northern Harrier
16. Common Ravens
17. American Crows
18. Trumpeter Swans
19. Wigeons
20. Canvasbacks

    

    Wild Turkeys

21. Scaup (Lesser)
22. Coot
23. Tundra Swans
24. Pintails
25. Franklin Gull
26. Rock Doe
27. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
28. *Yellow-bellied Marmot*
29. Mountain Bluebird
30. *Townsend Squirrel*
31. Dark-eyed Junco
32. Black-capped Chickadee
33. Turkeys Displaying
34. Red Shafted Flicker
35. Great-horned Owl Fledgling

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Spring Break Day 3

Monday birding, tried for Gower ponds, ended up at Antelope Island instead, then Bear River Refuge, then over to Daves to visit his family

Chukar

Bison

View from Antelope Island 

1. House Sparrow
2. Canada Geese
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Rock Doves
5. Black-billed Magpies
6. Eurasian Collard-Doves
7. Starlings
8. Mallards
9. Northern Harrier
10. Ring-necked Pheasant
11. Killdeer
12. Common Raven
13. California Gulls
14. Ring-billed Gulls
15. Franklin Gull
16. American Coots
17. Northern Shovelers
18. Blue Winged Teal
19. Redheads
20. Wigeons
21. Eared Grebes
22. Common Merganser
23. Commn Gldenyes
24. Meadowlarks
25. *Bison
26. Grasshopper Sparrow
27. Horned Lark
28. Chukar
29. *Antelope*
30. Willow Flycatcher
31. Dark-eyed Juncos
32. House Finches
33. Pintails
34. Violet green Swallows
35. Double Crested Cormorants
36. Rd-winged Black Birds
37. Great Blue Herons
38. American White Pelicans
39. Cinnamon Teals
40. *Muskrat*
41. Sandhill Cranes
42. Marsh Wren
43. Trumpeter Swns
44. Tundra Swans
45. Horned Grebes
46. Pied Billed Grebe
47. Gadwall
48. Lesser Scaup
49. Ring-neecked Duck
50. *Mule Deer*
51. Rough-Legged Hawk
52. *Long-Tailed Weasel*
53. Western Grebes

Spring Break Day 2

Sunday birding out by the pond by the hotel, then Springville (hunt for Lewis woodpeckers), Utah lake, and Saltair. Dinner at Jessica’s.

Selling Mushrooms and Solid Concrete...?

Mule Deer

1. Mallards
2. Black-billed Magpies
3. Canada Geese
4. Common Raven
5. Rock Doves
6. Mourning Dove
7. American Robin
8. Starlings
9. Red-tailed Hawk
10. Eurasian collared-dove
11. California Gulls
12. Ring-billed Gull
13. American Coots
14. Red-breasted Merganser
15. Cinnamon Teeals
16. Killdeer
17. American Kestral
18. Sandhill Cranes
19. White Crowned Sparrow
20. American Wigeons
21. American White Pelican
22. Common Merganser
23. Scaups (Lesser)
24. Northern Shovelers
25. Pied Billed Grebe
26. Ring-necked Pheasant
27. *Mule Deer
28. Red Shafted Flicker
29. Canvasbacks
30. Buffleheads
31. Common Goldeneye
32. Domestic Geese
33. Domestic Chickens
34. Manky Mallards

Heading to Saltair

Spring Break Day 1

Saturday I drove to SLC, finished listening to Good Omens a truly funny book.  Flight delays and three gates later Melinda arrives and I pick her up at 12:30 a.m.