New Blog: Blue Raven Birders

 FYI: I just started a new blog.  This one is called Blue Raven Birders.  You can find it at: https://blueravenbirders.com I will be putting all of my birding, wildlife. and other adventures up on this blog.  See you over there. - Jenny

Rebecca is Moving

Friday July 19th head to Rebecca’s  she’s pregnant and moving from her apartment on the hill to the old Liberty Park apartment.  I got there and we ran errands (stopping at Taco Time for crisp burritos). I drove the jeep so we could put the bed frame in it and I could take it home. As we were running errands I noticed it was running kinda rough but the air conditioning is powerful and blissful and it was 103 degrees F out there.  Ended up at a baby store where they had the cutest clothes, the bank, another bank to change peso’s to dollars, Office something for boxes, Walgreens for snacks, and who remembers where else. In any case we’re waiting for our turn to turn left when I start noticing the heat gauge on the Jeep going up.  and up. and danger, danger.   We turned off the air conditioning and turned on the heat which brought the heat gauge back down.  We then drove around a couple of blocks and ended up at the Big O Tires across from her current (soon to be moved out of) apartment. YAY for mechanics who will work on weekends.  Hannah + her friend and CRH (Christie Red Hair) met us there and loaded all of our stuff into Hannah’s car and drove it over to the apartment.  Rebecca and I then left the jeep in good hands and walked on over ourselves.  Packing and packing and dinner of leftover caesars salad that Rebecca had purchased earlier in the week.  Lots and lots of cookies. Eventually I went to sleep on my airbed.

Saturday July 20th, moving day is at hand. Rebecca hired a couple of movers plus their van, her friend Maria and Maria’s husband and brother, and we had CRH & Hannah too.  I got to crack the whip and get things organized because Rebecca was overwhelmed.  Poor pregnant woman who is used to being active and in charge had to just sit there.   We managed to get it all loaded. Thank heavens for Maria’s troop!  Maria then stayed to clean. CRH went with the troop to load up the storage unit. Hannah led the movers to the new place.  Rebecca and I sauntered over to the auto repair shop where I shelled out the big bucks for a new radiator fan and mounts, new thermostat, new water pump, new hoses, and YAY a new back door latch.  Then we drove back to Taco Time for food for the many, a service station for soda for the many and then on to the Liberty Park place to supervise the unloading.  

Rebecca was of course worn out by the time everything was in the house.  She was able to keep a positive attitude throughout which was most impressive, considering the stress.  In any case CRH and I met Hannah and a couple of her male friends back at the old apartment where they loaded my jeep up with my bed frame, Rebecca’s marvelous big red carpet (which is coming to my house for awhile, another hollywood frame that Shanna wanted, and a box spring (also for Shanna).  Thereby getting rid of stuff R doesn’t need and solving my bed dilemma.   CRH lost her keys (including the one to her bike lock) so I drove her home, stopping for party supplies.  She was kind enough to snag me a bag of twizzler’s and a big bottle of water.  And I headed for home.  YAY!  Jessica and family had come back to town after her visit to mom in TX, and her car breaking down along the way.  But she and I agreed that I could come back later in August to visit.  I got home and Shanna and I unloaded the box springs from the top of the car.  EEK, I should have covered it with a tarp.  Along the front edge were a bunch of black flecks, the desiccated remains of a swarm of gnats.   Thank heavens they were easy to brush off.

8 Hands 2 Pianos

Concert in Logan 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. http://www.utahfestival.org/index.php

Shanna and I left early and drove to Logan, went shopping at Ross (nothing) then TJMaxx where we found a small cabinet with glass doors. Then a quick stop at Taco Time and on to the concert.  

We had seats in the front row! The concert was awesome! Particularly the ragtime version of the classical piece, the piano and kazoo, 10 hands (5 people) playing two pianos and the encore Chariots of Fire theme song ending with all 5 playing the same piano.  We stopped for binge snacking and drove home.  I'm definitely going again next year.

Texas Trip Day 5 & 6

Saturday June 29, birding in the morning then hanging out with Nan & Min in the early afternoon.  I made barbequed pork in the crockpot and the family all got together.  Late that night pregnant Jessica, Doug, Rachel and Joey showed up.

1. Mystery sparrows
2. House sparrows
3. Common grackles
4. Starlings
5. Rock doves
6. Mourning doves
7. Mocking birds
8. Crows
9. Cardinals
10. Great egrets
11. Flicker
12. Road runner!
13. Eastern phoebe
14. Yellow billed cuckoo!
15. Eastern bluebird (juvenile)
16. Red tailed hawk
17. Red bellied woodpecker
18. Painted buntings!
19. Barn swallows
20. Black vultures
21. Lark sparrows!
22. Turkey vultures
23. Scissor tailed flycatchers!
24. Cliff swallows
25. Grasshopper sparrows
26. Dicksissel
27. Great tailed  grackles
28. Purple Martins

Cotton tailed bunnies

Mama with two babies white tailed deer

Sunday June 30, Dad drove me to the airport, I flew to SLC, then picked up my car and drove home. Finished listening to the Lonely Men book.  

Birds from early in the week:

1. Red shouldered hawk

2. Swallow tailed kite (new one for me!)

3. White winged dove

4. Cattle egrets

6. Eurasian collared dove

7. Kildeer

Texas Trip Day 3 & 4

Thursday June 27, breakfast at Inn (quiche, tea, potatoes, sausage, fruit) lots of chatting. Family picked me up and we drove around a bit looking at houses then headed for Italy.

Friday June 28, running errands with Mom & Min, dinner impromptu family get together

Trip to Texas Days 1 & 2

Monday June 24, work, listen to Lonely on the Mountain on the way to SLC, stay in hotel

Tuesday June 25, fly to Dallas, picked up by Min, Nan, & Syd who drove me to Nacogdoches and dropped me off at the Brickhouse Inn http://www.thebrickhouseinn.biz/.  The search committee+ took me to dinner at Auntie Pasta’s http://auntiepastas.com/: "PAN SEARED TILAPIA Pan seared fillets topped with sautéed tomatoes and Dijon peppercorn sauce." (I had them put the sauce on the side) Served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables and Key Lime Pie.

The drive was gorgeous and the company outstanding. We talked and talked and talked... Nacogdoches is lovely with lots of trees. It really is a forest and even has hills.

June Miscellany

We did lots and lots of yard work, drop load after load of stuff off to DI and mailed several packages (mostly of books) to Nanette. Joe Roth helped us by fixing/coating our fence. It looks very good and the back gate now opens and closes beautifully.

Jeff and Randi came up for Uprising, we (Shanna & I) did not attend that but did make it over to Loretta's house for an afternoon visit. It was good to see them.

Yay for the repaired and coated fence!

Day Trip to Yellowstone

Shanna and I drove up to Yellowstone.

We stopped in West Yellowstone and shopped for a new car companion and jewelry, bought nothing.  Drove down Firehole canyon drive then on to Old Faithful stopping only for birds and wildlife. Ice cream and shopping (still little buying). Walked around Black Sand Basin and Biscuit Basin, drove through Firehole lake drive.  Then stopped at our favorite diner and headed home.  Bought a park pass. Need to go three times this year to make it worth it.

Saw birds:

1. Starlings
2. Magpies
3. Crows
4. House sparrows
5. Red winged blackbirds
6. Meadowlarks
7. Red tailed hawks
8. Swainson’s hawks
9. Ravens
10. Flickers
11. Trumpeter swans
12. Yellow headed blackbirds
13. Osprey (with fish)
14. Scaup
15. Canada geese (everywhere)

16. Great blue heron (good spotting Shanna!)
17. Yellow rumped warblers
18. Spotted sandpipers
19. Common mergansers
20. Mountain bluebirds!
21. Turkey vultures
22. Kestrels
23. Brewer’s blackbirds
24. Robins
25. Brown headed cowbirds

Also saw

Lots and lots of bison and lots of baby bison!

Ground squirrels

North American Lunatic walking south on HWY 20 outside of Ashton

The Croods

Shanna and I ran a bunch of errands and had been working on the garden and house so much that we decided to go to the movie.  This is a delightful animated tale.

See: http://www.thecroodsmovie.com/‎

GSL Bird Festival Day 2

Today I went a two separate tours and attended a couple of classes.  I started the morning with a tour out to Gower Ponds.  This was not a damp tour, but a full on raining wet tour.  Glad I had my umbrella in my car.  Saw some great birds though:

Snowy Egrets

1. Starlings
2. Red winged blackbirds
3. Black necked stilts
4. American avocets
5. American white pelicans
6. California gulls
7. White faced ibis
8. Western grebe
9. Pied billed grebes
10. Western meadowlark
11. Great blue herons
12. Double crested cormorant
13. Coots
14. Mallards
15. Cinnamon teals
16. Jilldeer
17. Cliff swallows
18. Canada geese
19. Marbled godwit!
20. Marsh wren
21. Caspian tern

Next I attended a class on identifying falcons and another one on the butterflies/moths of the Wasatch.

I drove up to Layton to have lunch at Red Lobster then back to the festival in time to get on the bus for my next tour. I've never birded from a bus before. I didn't think it would be as effective as from my own car. Boy was I mistaken. Of course it took awhile to get the bus driver to really stop instead of just going slow. Still we saw a lot of birds:

1. Pied billed grebe
2. Eared grebe
3. Western grebe
4. Clarks grebe
5. American white pelican
6. Double crested cormorant
7. Great blue herons
8. Great egret
9. Snowy egrets
10. Black crowned night herons
11. White faced ibis
12. Canada geese
13. Green winged teal
14. Mallard
15. Blue winged teal
16. Cinnamon teel
17. Northern shoveler
18. Gadwall
19. Redhead
20. Ruddy duck
21. Ring necked pheasants
22. Coots
23. Sandhill crane
24. Killdeer
25. Black necked stilt
26. American avocets
27. Long billed curlew with babies
28. Marbled godwit
29. Common snipe
30. Wilsons phalerope
31. Franklins gull
32. California gull
33. Forsters tern
34. Mourning dove
35. Tree swallows
36. Barn swallows
37. Cliff swallows
38. Marsh wrens
39. Robins
40. Starlings
41. Red winged blackbird
42. Brewers blackbird
43. Yellow headed blackbird
44. Brownheaded cowbird
45. Western meadowlark
46. House sparrow

Double Crested Cormorant
the larger picture clearly shows the aquamarine eyes

I spent both nights at the Ramada out by the SLC airport. I was supposed to go on still another tour the next morning but was too tired and it was too damp so I just drove home on Sunday.

GSL Bird Festival Day 1

The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is amazing.  For more information go check out their website at: http://www.greatsaltlakebirdfest.com/

Friday I drove down after work. I had hoped to go to the class on the evolution from dinosaur to bird but ended up at the Bear River Wildlife Refuge where I saw an astonishing number of birds that damp, drizzly evening.

Pocatello to and through Bear River Refuge

Long Billed Curlew

1. House finches
2. Robins
3. Eurasian collard doves
4. Rock doves
5. House sparrows
6. Magpies
7. Red tailed hawks
8. Common ravens
9. American crows
10. Cliff swallows
11. Blue winged teals
12. Red winged blackbirds
13. American kestrels
14. Western meadowlarks
15. Mallards
16. Killdeer
17. Western kingbirds
18. Western grebes
19. Northern harrier
20. Cinnamon teal
21. White faced ibis
22. Great blue herons
23. Long billed curlew
24. Northern Shoveler
25. American avocets
26. Black necked stilts
27. Common grackles
28. American white pelicans
29. Yellow headed blackbirds
30. Bank swallows
31. Canada geese
32. Snowy egrets
33. Willet
34. Vesper sparrows
35. Sandhill cranes
36. American coots
37. Black crowned night herons
38. Wilsons phaleropes
39. Marsh wrens
40. Forsters terns
41. Redheads
42. Gadwalls
43. Clarks grebes
44. Brown headed cowbirds
45. Double crested cormorants
46. California gulls
47. Ring necked duck
48. Starlings
49. Ring necked pheasant

Yellow Headed Blackbirds in Flight

• Muskrat
• Skunk

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