Cowbirds, Cattle Egrets and More

Brown-headed Cowbirds 

I took about an hour this morning before church and drove over to Farmington Bay. It was fairly quiet but I did see a few birds. here are some pictures.

Male and Female Cowbirds

Cattle Egrets living up to their name.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

The White-faced Ibis one Great Blue Heron and a Killdeer were the only wading/shorebirds I saw this morning

Thistle and Phragmites 

Birds Seen
White-faced Ibis
Yellow-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Yellowthroat
Marsh Wren
American Coots
American White Pelican
Forsters Tern
Caspian Tern
Canada Goose
Mourning Dove
Chipping Sparrow
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed cowbird
Cattle Egret
Killdeer
Barn Swallow
Black-billed Magpie
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron

July bird of the Month Yellow Warbler

My first sighing of this beautiful little warbler I was taking a walk at Farmington Bay at the South entrance. I was all alone except for the birds and a little yellow bird came out and perched on the willows bordering the road. He was not shy at all and lead me quite a ways down the road. 

I have seen Yellow Warblers in several different habitats, I have seen them flitting about in the cattails, in shrubs along streams and high in cottonwood trees at rest stops in in the trees in my backyard. I always know when they are around by their song Sweet Sweet I'm so sweet.

One of my favorite sightings of Yellow Warblers several years ago I took a couple of my neighbors who are not birds birding at Pineview reservoir. There was some road construction and as we sat waiting our turn to move on I could hear Yellow warblers in the scrub oak up the hill from the road. I told my friends to watch the scrub oak and I started pishing. Out came several Yellow Warbles, this really impressed my friends. They were amazed at the little yellow birds, they had now idea we had birds that beautiful where we live. 

Yellow warblers are the only warbler that is yellow over it's entire body. Males have reddish streaks on the breast. They are found over the entire 48 states. Yellow warblers I have read are one of the most common victims of the parasitic nesting Cowbirds who they their eggs in the Yellow Warblers nests. 

Cute in appearance as well as personality Yellow warbles are one of my favorite birds.

I'm Back after almost 2 months of silence

Three days after my last post, I went to the hospital for open heart surgery. I had my aortic valve replaced, so I haven't been birding or felt much like doing anything. Almost two months later I am slowly getting my strength back, Friday Nery and I took a day trip to Bear Lake on the Utah Idaho border. We joined a family reunion already in progress. I was able to get away with my dad for about an hour and a half and went to Paris Idaho to the Bear Lake National Bird Refuge. It was a quick trip but we saw some nice birds and it was good to finally be out and do some birding.

Our first sighting my dad spotted a family of Sanhill Cranes, the baby went into the bulrush as we pulled up so I didn't get any shots of the baby but here is mama and papa.

I got this shot of a mama Coot and her baby

There were a lot of Ruddy Ducks

Lots of Geese crossing the road

Birds seen
Sandhill Crane
Western Meadowlark
Canada Goose
Northern Harrier
Common Yellow-throat
Marsh Wren
White-faced Ibis
Snowy Egret
Norther Shoveler
Lesser Scaup
Gadwall
American Coot
Western Grebe
Ruddy Duck
Redwing Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Turkey Vulture
Raven
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Spotted Sandpiper
Killdeer.

Hopefully I'll be able to get out more and post more of my birding adventures.

A New Life Bird Red-throated Loon and Pesky Woodpeckers bring in Pesky Starlings

Today was a good day because I added another bird to my life list. There has been a Red-throated Loon reported at Lee Kay Ponds in Salt Lake City just south of the City dump. Today my brother in law Frank and I went to search for it. We were rewarded and got several good looks at it from my spotting scope. It was too far out in the pond to get a picture.

Every spring the Northern Flickers start drumming on the sides of our office building. I am told that they feel or hear the sound of electricity in the walls of the building and peck at them thinking they are insects. Every year they punch many holes in the building.

You can see where this area has been patched before and now there is a new hole in the building.

But the holes don't go unused every year several families of European Starlings set up housekeeping in the holes.
Several years ago a well meaning young lady came to me distraught because there was a poor baby bird on the ground and wanted me to take care of it. I was quite certain that the bird was a Starling and my first reaction was to wring it's neck, but I have a reputation to keep as the go to guy in our building when it comes to birds and that would have destroyed my reputation. Sure enough it was a young starling just too big for the nest but not quite ready to fly. I have watched mother birds continue to feed and watch over babies that leave the nest before honing their flying skills. Help this poor baby bird was her plea. So I caught the bird and got the maintenance guy to let me on the roof and I placed the bird back in it's nest. I was a hero. After work when I left for  the the day the baby was back on the ground and mother was watching over it.

This bird seems to be the watchman on the tower keeping us safe from all kinds of calamities.

On a more positive note American Kestrels also nest in some of the holes. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the Kestrels.

New Life Bird and an Odd Bird

Every spring the field east across the road from Glover's Pond floods and some nice birds show up.

Today I got a new life bird The Ross's Goose and an unusual Duck a Cinnamon Teal Blue-winged Teal cross.

It may seem odd that I have been birding for about 15 years and just now adding the Ross's Goose to my life list, but it is true, today was my first sighting of a Ross's Goose. We don't often see Snow Geese or Ross's Geese in our area on the Wasatch Front. They do Migrate through Central Utah in March, in fact the city of Delta has a Goose Festival each March when they migrate through in the thousands. Unfortunately I have not been able to go to Delta to see the festival. I have seen Snow geese a few times mingled with Canada Geese, just like this Ross's Goose that is hanging out with Canada Geese. It is always good to add a new bird to my life list.

Is it a Blue-winged Cinnamon Teal or a Cinnamon Blue-winged Teal? This bird was reported on the Utah Birders list serve the other day. I knew I would be at Farmington Bay today so I went looking for it. Fortunately the guy who reported it Shyloh Robinson was there and pointed it out to me and I was able to get a few pictures of this Cinnamon Teal Blue-winged Teal Cross..

Here is a shot with it side by side with a Cinnamon Teal Drake

Some other birds seen today

There were a lot of Canada Geese and Gadwalls

There were also Northern Shovelers 

And American Wigeon

This tolerant Muskrat posed for along time for me. Usually they take off when I try to take a picture but this one was more interested in eating than what I was doing. 

It was good to get out, there are always surprises in nature.

April 2013 Bird of the Month Killdeer

The Killdeer is a handsome Plover that can be found in several different habitats. Though it is a shore bird and can be found on the shores of lakes and ponds it can also be found on grassy areas of parks and golf courses, fields, and parking lots. Killdeer are common at Farmington Bay and on the shore of the Great Salt Lake. 

Killdeer are permanent residents of the Great Salt Lake Wetlands. One of the first pictures I ever took of a bird was in January 1977 having just returned from 2 years in the philippines I went with my dad to Farmington Bay to take pictures. I took a picture on a cold and foggy day of a very cold and lonely looking Killdeer in a small pond. It was a great picture that hung in my KFC restaurant for many years. I have long ago left KFC and lost the picture but not the memory of that day.

Killdeer often nest on the gravel shoulder of the Nature Center Parking Lot

Speckled Eggs in a gravel nest

Always running along the parking lot calling Kill-Deer, Kill Deer getting very nervous if anyone or anything gets close tho their nest they will try to lure you away from the nest.

They will fake a broken wing making themselves look like easy prey distracting predators way from the nest.

Wading feeding on aquatic invertebrates.

Searching for insects in grassy areas.

March 2013 Bird of the Month Tundra Swan

Tundra Swan coming in for a landing

The Tundra Swan nests on the Northern Tundras of North America and winters along the coasts of the United States and many winter in the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake. Once the duck hunt is over in Mid January the Tundra Swans start showing up in large numbers at Farmington Bay. Before that they can be seen in large groups on the Great Salt Lake and other areas on the Northern end of Great Salt Lake.

Tundra Swans, Pintails, Canada Geese and Gulls at Farmington Bay

I never saw a Swan in the wild until I started Volunteering at Farmington Bay. The day I took most of these pictures in February of 2008 I had to get out of the house. I had spent 3 days in the hospital with pneumonia, I had been home for a few days and was still weak but feeling better and needed some air and sun. I went out to Farmington Bay and took about 300 pictures of the swans.

Tundra Swans, Green-winged Teal and Pintails

The Swan in the center of the picture is a Bewick's race Tundra Swan. Notice the larger yellow patches on the face. Each year we get one or two Bewick's Swans.

Tundra Swans with Canvasbacks, Pintails and Ring-billed Gulls

Swans at Bear River Bird Refuge