Sometimes nothing works out in your favor :)  This years Gunnison Sage-Grouse Days looked like it was going to be a stellar weekend.  The weather report a week out showed good weather with highs in the 70's--and with a lot of early migrants we could have a big weekend in San Juan County.  But as the week progressed the weather changed, and by Friday it looked like Monticello was going to get slammed with wet and cold weather that may linger into Saturday.  But we decided to give it a go regardless; after all the weather might miss, and we didn't have a backup plan.

On Friday the 17th, Chris Monahan, Kenny Frisch, and I left Salt Lake to bird our way down to Monticello taking in numerous stops at out of the way and underbirded locations in Carbon, Emery, and Grand Counties. Our first stop at Soldier Summit wasn't too promising with no birds... Hopefully, not a sign of things to come.  As we headed down Price Canyon near the Castle Gate we saw an OSPREY--the first of 4 for the day and my first of the year.
A stop in Bear Canyon at the mouth of the canyon and we heard the first singing LAZULI BUNTING of the year, while in Helper on 1000 North east of US-6 we had 2 VESPER SPARROW. In the parking lot at the Carbon Country Club an early COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was a nice surprise. Driving through Wellington we snagged the 2nd OSPREY of the day.  At the Wellington Cemetery we were treated to a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, a LARK SPARROW, and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. The cemetery sits on a high spot north of town and might be a really good check in May and September when migration is in full swing.

We checked out the East Carbon WTP where 2 COMMON LOON, 16 FRANKLIN'S GULL, 6 WHITE-FACED IBIS, 1 LONG-BILLED CURLEW, and Yellow-headed Blackbird provided some good desert birds.  WE had passed through some great shrubsteppe on the way out where we snagged SAGE THRASHER for the trip.  The habitat looked good for Sagebrush Sparrow and I figured on Sunday coming home we might try for it on a side road.

Common Loons at East Carbon WTP

We drove along the base of the Book Cliffs going south--at Water Canyon a WESTERN KINGBIRD was one of just a few birds present. Further south at the mouth of Horse Canyon a huge mixed flock of mostly Gray-headed Juncos with a few Pink-sided provided good looks. A BLACK-THROATED SPARROW here gave some great looks.  Horse Canyon looks like it could be an awesome locations to visit later in the year when warmer.  The Book Cliffs in general may be one of the most underbirded areas in the state.

In Woodside at the Price River, several SAY'S PHOEBE and a flock of BREWER'S SPARROW were the bulk of the birds present. Our next stop at the Green River WTP had a lot of good waterbirds including: 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 4 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WHITE-FACED IBIS, a hybrid GADWALL x MALLARD, and around 100 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. At Green River State Park a SNOWY EGRET was hanging out near the boat launch. After Green River we hit rain and the birding was pretty slow to Moab--the rain was coming down hard, and we mad ea side trip up the Colorado River to watch the water cascading off the cliffs. There were waterfalls everywhere.

When Red Rocks become Waterfalls

In Moab we did have 7 CASSIN'S FINCH at Gail Lea's feeders where we had hoped to pick up Blue Jay, Brown Thrasher, or White-winged Dove (but didn't); and the wettest COOPER'S HAWK I've ever seen waiting out the rain.

Female-type Cassin's Finch in the rain

Our last birding stop of the day was at Ken's Lake where we had 2 more OSPREY for the day, as well as 13 WHITE-FACED IBIS, a MARBLED GODWIT, and lots of FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Near the dam there were quite a few SAVANNAH SPARROW in the grass. As we drove into Monticello the temps dropped and it started to snow. We met up with the rest of the group for dinner at Wagon Wheel Pizza and had a good time talking birds, the weather, and the area.  We cancelled the owling for the night given the weather--and in a rare moment opted to get a hotel instead of set up and then take down camp in the snow in just a few hours.  I think we were all glad to do this and get a comfortable and warm nights sleep before going for grouse.

In the morning we woke to apparently clear skies, and temps hovering in the low 30's.  The group met and we headed off towards the lek.  Once on the dirt roads it became apparent things might turn south quickly--and they did on the first patch of clay we hit, with my truck sinking several inches into the road.  We stopped and backed the group up--there was no way we would reach the lek today.  I realized I had never been down here after a torrential down pour and despite having driven on the road when wet before, I had never seen it like this.  It would likely need a warm day with lots of wind--or several days to dry out.  This was a total bummer and threw us into recovery mode.  Heading back to town and trying to clean some of the mud off our boots and vehicles, we formulated a different plan.  Head south to Bluff, then spend the day birding back to Monticello. It wasn't grouse, but it was birding.

Heading south through Blanding we hit thick fog, before descending lower into the desert, and 50 degree weather and sun in Bluff.  We headed west to Comb Wash to bird on the Lime Ridge where the open shrubby desert was green from the recent weather.  Against the red rocks and distant Blue Mountains it was a gorgeous scene.  A WILD HORSE provided a nice surprise, while the birding was slow and limited to just a few species.  BLACK-THROATED SPARROW and HORNED LARK dominated the habitat--while SAGE THRASHER and BREWER'S SPARROW were also present in small numbers.

Lime Ridge and a Wild Horse

Back towards Bluff we stopped to check out Sand Island Campground, and the riparian habitat west of US-191 along the San Juan River.  Here we were treated to our first LUCY'S WARBLERS of the trip as well as gobbling WILD TURKEY, a LINCOLN'S SPARROW along the river, and a surprise WHITE-THROATED SPARROW singing from across the river in the same patch of trees where we had one 2 years ago on this same trip.

Lucy's Warbler showing its crown

At the campground we had great looks at CANYON WREN and relaxed enjoying the morning sun.  A quick stop at Navajo Twins Ponds in Cottonwood Wash was a little disappointing as the ponds were almost completely empty.  There were a few birds but most of the usual suspects were missed.  No waterbirds of any kind--but Mike Hearell and Taylor Abbott flushed a WHITE-WINGED DOVE from the west side of the ponds where one has been seen in the past. We stopped along Mission Road heading east out of town where we had Chihuahuan Raven last year.  There were no ravens, but a large flock of WHITE-FACED IBIS, were accompanied by 3 MARBLED GODWIT, and a few FRANKLIN'S GULLS in a flooded field. Very cooperative WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS allowed for a nice photo op as well.

Posing White-crowned Sparrow in Bluff

Making our way back north and up in elevation we headed to Blanding to check out the waste water treatment ponds south of town--always one of the best stops of the trip. And things were no different this year. 13 species of waterfowl graced the glassy water. 6 BLUE-WINGED TEAL highlighted the mix which had a whopping 61 CINNAMON TEAL as well.  LONG-BILLED CURLEW, WHITE-FACED IBIS, FRANKLIN'S GULL, and EARED GREBE rounded out the notable waterbirds, while 2 GOLDEN EAGLES circle overhead.  These ponds have been a stable source for GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE in San Juan County, with 3 present on our visit.

Keeping with the northward pattern we stopped at Recapture Reservoir, which seems to be lower and lower every year.  This year it was only maybe 3 football fields long.  That didn't stop the birds from using it--as usual a good assortment of waterfowl, grebes, ibis, gulls, and shorebirds were present.  Of note were MARBLED GODWIT, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, and FRANKLIN'S GULL.  Along the surrounding hillsides we added RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER,  all 6 swallow species, BLACK-THROATED GRAY-WARBLER, and CASSIN'S FINCH.

Gray Flycatcher at Devils Canyon

Just a few miles up the road is Devil's Canyon Campground which is usually very birdy--but on this trip it was mostly quiet.  We only tallied 12 species in almost an hour--but most were new for the trip like GRAY FLYCATCHER, PYGMY NUTHATCH, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE.  Notably absent this year were finches and woodpeckers that usually keep us busy here.

Super cooperative Osprey

We made our way into Monticello and to Lloyd's Lake on the west side of town. The lake wasn't uber-birdy, but we had great looks at an OSPREY that was perched low in a tree over the road--a local alerted us to the cooperative "Red-tailed Hawk" as he put it--and we quickly enjoyed a calling all Ospreys for the remainder of the trip Red-tails! We also picked up WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH for the day with great looks before continuing into the Abajo's for some mountain birding.

White-breasted Nuthatch on the move

It was windy on the east slope and at Dalton Springs Campground there were few birds--6 species might have been the smallest checklist we've put together here. Driving around the north slope we had decent looks at WILD TURKEY, WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, and great views of Canyonlands below to the north. We ended up at Foy Lake where we had never birded before, and had a REDHEAD and PIED-BILLED GREBE on the water. Nearby in the trees we added STELLER'S JAY, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, and TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE.

We jetted back across the mountains to town and eventually Clay Hill Road and the Monticello Waste Water Treatment Ponds.  Again, the waterfowl numbers were impressive, with 13 species including COMMON MERGANSER, BUFFLEHEAD, and 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL.  We added PEREGRINE FALCON to the trip list as well as VESPER SPARROW before bring an official end to what was one of the strangest grouse days trips we've had.  First and foremost, we had no grouse--and the weather had made for odd choices in how we birded.  We saw some great birds but it was a little disappointing none-the-less.  While most of the group headed northwards, we decided to see if we could make it to the lek, to possibly try again in the morning. The road out was still a muddy mess and a no go; but we tried another route in and made it fairly easy. It could be done. Then came the rains... It poured, and poured, and continued to pour. We headed south to Devils Canyon to camp the night and the rain only got worse.  Eventually it broke long enough to set up camp, and turn in for the night--but the rains returned after dark for a couple hours.

Sunset at Devils Canyon

Luckily, by midnight it waned and was calm the remainder of the night. Early Sunday we headed to town and picked up Craig and Dale Provost who opted to stay behind and try again.  We made our way back towards the lek on the back up road but the rain overnight must have come down in buckets as it was a muddy mess in places.  I decided not to risk getting us stuck and called a stop to things. A Sunday morning in Monticello was not an ideal place to get stuck, especially when we can come back next year and so on.

Church Rock at Sunrise

We split with the Provost's and started making our way north, stopping to admire Churh Rock along 191 in the early morning light. Next at Ken's Lake we added RED-BREASTED MERGANSER for the trip and had great looks at flyover OSPREY. We made it into Moab and back to Gail Lea's yard where we were greeted upon arrival by a singing BROWN THRASHER, and then shortly after a calling BLUE JAY, and WHITE-WINGED DOVE. The hat trick in less than 15 minutes!  The thrasher provided some great looks, and being only my second in Utah, I enjoyed taking some time to soak it in.

Only my 2nd Utah Brown Thrasher

We ventured across town to the Matheson Wetlands Preserve, which in all honesty, I had never birded despite the amount of time I have spent in this area of the state. Mistake on my part. We walked the boardwalk along the south end at the "main entrance" where there weren't a ton of birds. We seemingly eked out every species there, getting LUCY'S WARBLER here, then a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER there, followed by a singing ROCK WREN in the distance, and a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD from a nearby shrub. We decided to take a jaunt out towards the river and came into a small flock of WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. We started pishing, and 20 feet in front of us a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW popped up and posed for several minutes.  I had never had such good long looks at one--and a alternate plumage adult to boot.

Golden-crowned Sparrow in Moab

While we watched the sparrow the unmistakable song of a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW came from trees directly behind the Golden-crowned.  We about lost it--the only thing that could have made it a better day was if a Harrid's Sparrow had popped up for a 4 Zonatrichia day--that didn't happen. The White-throated provided great looks as well, and we enjoyed the great birds before moving on.

White-throated Sparrow in Moab

We made a few more stops heading north eventually making it to Green River for lunch, and birding Silliman Lane and the Waste Water Treatment Ponds again. MARBLED GODWIT, and BONAPARTE'S GULL highlighted the waterbirds, while 350 FRANKLIN'S GULLS were a big count for here. We ended up driving the Woodside Lower Price River Road towards the Book Cliffs, and had a nice variety of desert birds including BREWER'S, VESPER, and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW along with SAYS PHOEBE and ROCK WREN. This is one location I would like to visit later in the spring for migrants and breeders.

Sagebrush Sparrow near East Carbon

We checked the East Carbon WTP again, but there weren't any real treats this time around.  We did find a couple SAGEBRUSH SPARROWS a little to the west and got great looks before speeding through Price, and back to Utah County. We made one last stop to show our buddy Chris a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL for a life bird.

Western Screech-Owl in Pleasant Grove

On our way back to the freeway we added one last lifer for his trip list with a gorgeous pair of SWAINSON'S HAWKS at a nest site.

Swainson's Hawk top-side view

And just like that our 3rd Gunnison Sage-Grouse Days trip came to an end back in Salt Lake almost 900 miles later. Our group of 3 tallied 123 species for the weekend, while the field trip on Saturday netted about 100 just for the day.  Not a bad weekend, and despite things not working out for us several times the overall weekend was a success--and next year will only be better!

It seems like just yesterday we were wrapping up the 2014 Gullstravaganza. The crazy thing is that was 13 months ago.  2014 was one of our best gulling events--the best up till that point in variety of gulls and number of participants.  This year we decided to put all our eggs in one basket and finally just move the event to Farmington Bay WMA for its entirety instead of moving form location to location,  This likely had some advantages and disadvantages, but it made for a more relaxed event and much easier planning.

As has become the norm, we had a good number of sign ups with 33 people signing up for the event, despite a competing field trip led by Jerry Liguori and Hawkwatch International... Queue a little Seinfeld humor... "Hello Jerry!!!"



Okay, so that was ridiculous... :) In the past we have tried to plan this even when nothing else is going on, but this year we knew there were conflicts ahead of time--luckily the one we expected to cut in to ours--Snow Goose Festival--was actually a week later than expected (good for us and likely very bad for them as the geese have already started moving on...eek.).

So anyways, to the event.  After a slow start with gullers arriving we quickly realized Jerry was trying to poach our trip attendees by having his trip block the road to look at some boring BALD EAGLES.  He even went so far as to "accidentally take" one of our gullers in his car until the chap realized he'd been duped into the wrong group.  We straightened things out and eventually 23 birders were rallied to head out for the gulls! 4 more joined us shortly after for a total of 27 attendees this year.  Down from what we expected but the weather report likely caused some last minute dropouts--and those who Jerry promised photo-ops with ;)  None-the-less we were here to gull and gull we did.

Heading into the marsh we stopped briefly to look at an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL that was hanging out at the air boat launch on Dike Road at the carp pile.  Due the the unseasonably warm weather we've had the eagles have mostly moved out, leaving the piles of fish for the gulls to take advantage of without any competition.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull taking flight

We scanned the water to the east as well where around 1250 TUNDRA SWANS were on the water, and hundreds of ducks including a few CANVASBACK were present.  Most of the winter divers were all together gone with just a few BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON GOLDENENEYE in the mix. To the end of the road we wandered setting up shop to scan a flock sitting on the mud a couple hundred yards out.  The prize in this group was a gorgeously white GLAUCOUS GULL that stood right out amongst the other gulls.

Glaucous Gull

As we watched and tallied more LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, a couple THAYER'S GULLS, and numerous HERRING GULLS things were looking good.  Along with just a couple CALIFORNIA GULLS and plenty of RING-BILLED GULLS we had 6 species of gulls in 30 minutes.  That's how to start a Gullstravaganza!  As we were about to pack up and head to another spot to set up for a bit, a very pale gull flew i and landed. I caught it running across the flats before it sat down and immediately ran for my scope.  This had to be an ICELAND GULL!

"Kumlien's" Iceland Gull

After a few minutes trying to get a good look at the wing tips I was 99% certain it was a Kumlien's Gull.  The bird had sat down and quickly tucked its head but it was sitting next to several Herring Gulls with a Thayer's nearby for comparison.  I assumed this had been the same bird Kenny Frisch and I found a month ago and it gave everyone long looks as it sat there until we moved on.  Everyone's scopes were trained on the bird--gull species #7 for the day in less than an hour.  The bird was a lifer for a handful of attendees--as was the Glaucous Gull.

Entrepid Gullers!

About this time a squall was making its way across the lake and had ht Farmington.  The wind picked up out of the north and headed towards us, bring wind, rain, and finally snow. We convened the vehicles in the parking lot on the west side of the 4-way where I told the group it was up to them whether they stayed or left.  I didn't know what the weather was going to do, but it didn't look pretty.  What I did know is we were here to look at gulls and not going to leave quite yet.  About 10-15 birders stayed or birded around Farmington for the next hour.  We set up about 60' from the carp  pile where HERRING GULLS were starting to filter in.

Herring Gull in Flight

The light was fantastic as the sun kept mostly out even though it was bitterly cold.  The snow passed quickly and the birds didn't seem to mind our presence as they fed.  More birds joined the fray and eventually a couple 1st winter THAYER'S GULLS made an appearance allowing for some great up close study.

Thayer's Gull

One of the biggest surprises for the day was actually the lack of gull abundance.  In fact on the day I counted just 23 CALIFORNIA GULLS.  That is an astonishingly low count for the event, and even for Farmington Bay this time of year.  The few that were present did provide some great opportunities to study next to the massive Herring's.

California Gull

The other surprise was that by my count the Herring Gulls actually outnumbered all other gulls combined--that includes RING-BILLED GULL which typically follows California in numbers.  Herring Gulls outnumbered the others 280 to 259.  Those numbers are also a low count for the event in terms of total gulls.  Now there were several hundred (maybe even 1,000) over the dump a couple miles east that you could see swirling with binoculars.  But I didn't count them for the list since they were unidentifiable, and outside Farmington's boundary.

Ring-billed Gull

As the day wore on the group dwindled to about 10 die hard gull watchers, braving the cold, snapping photos, and talking gulls, cameras, and other things bird and birding related. This was a Utah Birders event to a tee!

We did have a bit of excitement i the afternoon watching the carp pile as a very pale gull came flying in from the east.  Initially I thought it was the Iceland Gull and was stoked I would be getting killer flight shots.  And killer shots I did get--only the bird wasn't the Iceland Gull!

So what is it?

After it landed it was apparent the primaries were too dark and the bird seemed odd.  I thought about Thayer's Gull, but it was very pale, and was a hefty looking bird with a bulkier than normal bill.  Hybrids came to mind with the obvious choice for a bird this pale with a bi-colored bill being a Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid--also known as a Nelson's Gull.

Certainly has a Herring-ish face...

I stuck to that as the name until I got home when I started to wonder if I was looking at this thing all wrong.  One of the major issues with late season gulling is that birds get bleached losing some of their color making them appear "whiter" than usual.  The bird was on the small size for the hybrid in question, but not too small. Looking at it I could see some Herring features which is why I clung to the idea of a hybrid.  I have had several others look at it and the opinions are varied.  From very bleached out Thayer's Gull, to Something with some "Herring in it", to Glaucous-winged x Herring.  Glaucous x Herring has been ruled out but the jury is out on what this bird is.  I could certainly be swayed to Thayer's Gull, albeit the lightest I've ever seen--but I feel reservatons based off seeing it next to Thayer's and Herring in the field. Regardless, it was a very cool bird.

A gorgeous gull regardless the species!

Mid-way through the afternoon we wrapped things up and called it a day!  The 5th annual Gullstravaganza was in the books with 7 species of Gull!  As always this is my favorite trip of the year, as many birders still overlook gulls, and they continually provide us with unique individuals that can make for a difficult time ID'ing.  And as usual I was stoked with the excellent turn out.  As with years in the past my mind is already turning with ideas for making next years event even better.

A big thanks to Kenny Frisch for co-leading the trip this year.  And of course a big thanks to everyone who attended, from Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Summit, and other surrounding counties.  There were attendees from Millard County as well as Wyoming; and even one guest from Scotland (although he currently lives here).

eBird Checklist for this years event:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S22009728

Last night, 13 Utah Birders headed into the hills outside Salt Lake City to look for Flammulated Owls.  What has become an annual trip was nothing short of great this year.  With a 98% full moon and wonderful summer weather we started the evening off at Mountain Dell Reservoir and Parley's Creek, picking up the common montane species expected in the area with great looks a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and LAZULI BUNTING.  A COOPER'S HAWK being mobbed by a flock of cowbirds, blackbirds, and alone Western Kingbird was a good show, while a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD dive-bombed a fly-over TURKEY VULTURE as well.

Brewer's Blackbird mobbing a Turkey Vulture

On the actual reservoir a pair of AMERICAN WIGEON accompanied the throngs of Canada Geese and Mallards.  Nearby an active RED-TAILED HAWK nest held several young birds, while an OSPREY stood watch from its nest platform. The warm air made things a little slow but we picked up the expected birds for the area.

Utah Birders at Parley's Creek

A quick stop at Little Dell Reservoir turned up the out of range LEAST FLYCATCHER that appears to be on a territory.  Poor thing won't find a mate this year!

Least Flycatcher on a perch at Litte Dell

Flocks of LESSER GOLDFINCH, HOUSE FINCHES, and several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES brightened up the sagebrush hillsides with there bright colors creating some stunning photo opportunities.

American Goldfinch at Little Dell

As it started to get a little darker we headed to Big Mountain Pass where things were considerably less birdy than usual.  We did get both HERMIT and SWAINSON'S THRUSHES at the pass as well as a WESTERN TANAGER, DUSKY FLYCATCHER, HOUSE WREN, and the expected VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS.  But there wasn't a lot of activity in the usually bustling forest.

Utah Birders at Jeremy Ranch Road

Not wasting time we headed to Jeremy Ranch Road.  A WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE greeted us at the parking area and we quickly located one of targets in a local nesting AMERICAN DIPPER.  Along the creek we had several singing FOX SPARROWS as well as a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, and a singing YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT keeping hidden in the willows.

American Dipper bringing food to the nest

As it got dark 4 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS appeared over the road providing great looks for the entire group.

Common Nighthawk on Jeremy Ranch Road

We headed back up the canyon picking up a GREAT HORNED OWL perched alongside the road.  When we reached our owling stop we headed into the forest. Almost simultaneously we had a drumming RUFFED GROUSE, a distant calling COMMON POORWILL and a nearby FLAMMULATED OWL.  Concentrating on the owl we called the bird in and the whole group got great looks at the little bird.  Several others sang from nearby and after a little work we had one individual perch in the open singing without us using playback for a good 15 minutes.

Flammulated Owl in East Canyon

As we were set to leave Jeff heard the drumming of the grouse again and in an attempt to find the bird I stumbled across it squatting on a log about 10' from where we were looking.  It quickly scampered into the underbrush and out of view unfortunately.  We headed back to the cars and went up canon to our next stop where several more Flammulated Owls were singing.  While we tried to bring one in, a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL burst into song back down the road from us.  There was some confusion as others in the group were off to the west and had apparently played a Pygmy-Owl tape around the same time.  However after asking what call they played and how many times, it was apparent that they had not played an alarm call and we had indeed heard a Saw-whet in a different direction.

The almost Full Moon

We tried hard to get another look at a Flammy, but only had a flyover while trying to find a bird hidden in the big pines.  We made one last stop at Big Mountain Pass which was quiet.  The group departed while a couple of us stayed behind.  It wasn't even 5 minutes and a COMMON POORWILL started singing like crazy in the canyon below. Timing is everything!  We headed into the forest and after a couple minutes had multiple singing FLAMMULATED OWL.  With a little work we had a great photo opportunity with one of the birds, before we called it a night!

Last bird of the night, a Flammulated Owl in Mountain Dell Canyon

We tallied 62 species for the evening, but more importantly had great luck with tiny owls on a wonderfully lit almost full moon night with a great group of Utah Birders!

At this past weekends Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, for just the 2nd time there were 2 "Marathon Birding" Field Trips--one led by Mark Stackhouse and David Wheeler while the other was run by Jeff Bilsky and myself.  In the weeks leading up to the festival Mark and I had a little fun jawing back and forth about who would win their respective marathon.  Some sort of wager was needed, but Mark wanted to take things a little further and turn our challenge into a 2 part endeavor--which I will share more about later.  For now let's talk about the marathons that happened.  On Friday the 16th, Team Mexico (Mark and David) led their group to an astounding 162 species during their 18 hour jaunt across northern Utah, trickling past our best of 160 set last May.  The bar was set high--especially after all the trash talking from my end.  Right from the onset I felt that I may have sealed our fate by lighting the fire under Mark that set things ablaze.

On Sunday the 18th, Jeff and I did our usual thing, grabbing some coffee and breakfast and driving the 35 minutes up to Farmington to start the day.  We decided not to change anything form our previous marathon trip which had netted so many great birds.  The route was short, kept us birding most of the day, and provided a hell of variety of birds.  The only variables that ever worried me were weather, traffic, and how migration was going.  As usual we had the cars packed and ready to go a few minutes behind schedule but were out the gates of the Legacy Events Center, nabbing WESTERN KINGBIRD, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, LESSER GOLDFINCH, and EURASIAN-COLLARED DOVE before we left.

Wood Ducks at Farmington Bay WMA

Heading towards Glower Lane we snared a CALIFORNIA QUAIL--always a relief to get this one out of the way early.  Glover Ponds were much slower than usual--we only had a handful of ducks, 2 grebes, and a major shortage of waterbirds in general.  Our first of many SANDHILL CRANES of the day bellowed from nearby and we kept on our way right on schedule.  Stop #2 was Farmington Bay WMA where things were looking up.  WOOD DUCKS, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER just inside the gates.

Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal at Farmington Bay WMA

We grabbed the usual waterfowl species form a top Egg Island, but had missed a wide variety of expected species.  Shorebirds were light, as were songbirds.  Along the main road we had BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, SORA, VIRGINA RAIL, and an abundance of the expected COMMON YELLOWTHROATS--they were singing wildly and at least in the double digits. A quick stop as we left picked up both FORSTER'S and CASPIAN TERN, as well as a great find in a COMMON TERN perched on a nest platform with a Forster's.  The bird was quite diminutive, and for a minute we got excited that it may be a Least.  Alas it was slightly to big, and lacked the necessary features.  We left the bay with the expected number of species but were short on our hit list--we could easily make those bird sup later though.

Bobolink in West Kaysville

Through the back roads of Farmington and Kaysville we headed to Schick Lane.  Upon arrival we were greeted by DUSKY FLYCATCHER and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.  Walking the tree line we soon found our target BOBOLINK in the field to the west, while we snagged both BREWER'S and CHIPPING SPARROWS, and shockingly both HAMMOND'S and WILLOW FLYCATCHER!  3 species of empid before 8:00am given our route was quite unexpected. We also added BELTED KINGFISHER and has more great looks at SANDHILL CRANES.

Sandhill Crane in West Kaysville

Not wasting time we sped towards Antelope Island Causeway arriving right on schedule--glassing a flock of ibis at the entrance we were unable to pick out a Glossy--and we couldn't find a Whimbrel despite our best effort--those two were big misses.  About a mile in we scanned the mud flats for plovers finding over a dozen SNOWY PLOVERS, but no Semipalmated. We also got our only SAVANNAH SPARROW of the day singing here.  Jeff managed to pick out a distant BONAPARTE'S GULL while the expected gulls and shorebirds also filled our lists quickly.

Sanderling Flock on the Causeway

Another mile or so down the road we pulled over to scan the throngs of shorebirds to the north. 1,000's upon 1,000's of SANDERLINGS filled the mudflats, while 100's of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were a bit closer and easier to pick through.  We managed to pull out a couple of AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS in the distance and 6 RED KNOTS a little closer.  The biggest miss of the day here was our ZERO peep find.  Not a single one of the typically 4 species were found while we scanned--that could be catastrophic.  WE also missed a couple other noteworthy and recently reported shorebird like Dunlin and turnstone--the odds were starting to stack against us a bit.

Chukar on Antelope Island

We raced around the island quickly nabbing the expected SAGE THRASHER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, CHUKAR, and ROCK WREN.  NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD has also become somewhat expected as of recent years and we had a couple.  At the corrals we easily saw BARN and GREAT HORNED OWL, as well as SAY'S PHOEBE--at least the island was being forgiving for us.

Great Horned Owl on Antelope Island

On the road to Garr Ranch we enjoyed a great show from a BURROWING OWL, who coughed up a pellet while half the group watched.  Our car missed the spectacle as we turned around!  We also easily picked up our GRASSHOPPER SPARROW with multiple singing and one individual posing on top of a stalk of grass near the road.

Burrowing Owl on Antelope Island

At Garr Ranch the luck swayed a little in our favor.  Migration had done well the night before and our 60 minutes scouring the trees turned up just about every expected migrant.  YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED, WILSON'S, ORANGE-CROWNED, and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS joined BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, WESTERN TANAGERS, HOUSE WRENS, and PLUMBEOUS and WARBLING VIREOS.

Warbling Vireo at Garr Ranch

We completed our 5 species empid sweep with GRAY FLYCATCHER and CORDILLERAN (we actually got all 5 species here as well). There was also one empid I saw for about 3 seconds, and snapped an out of focus shot of that looks like a LEAST FLYCATCHER.  We didn't count it since I was the only one to see it and it was so brief, but here's a crappy shot.

Possible Least Flycatcher at Garr Ranch

 The only miss here that surprised me was Western Wood-Pewee.  ON the other side of things, a calling NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH from the main spring, and a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER were welcome additions.

Gray Flycatcher at Garr Ranch

We took a quick detour after the ranch to try for an Ash-throated Flycatcher Jeff had the previous day, but couldn't turn the bird up.  The 30 minute side trip cost us some time that we could have used later in the day, and added no new birds to our list.  On the way out the causeway we made a last ditch effort for Glossy Ibis to no avail, but Jeff picked the WHIMBREL out of the fields to the north. We rounded out our list in Syracuse with an AMERICAN CROW.

As we headed towards lunch in Ogden, we made a last minute decision to add a stop to our route a little out of the way at Fort Buenaventura for the Black Phoebe that had been present the past few weeks.  We spent about 30 minutes there and didn't find the bird, only adding NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW to our list.  Despite arriving for lunch at Jimmy Johns and leaving right on schedule, we had put ourselves behind by almost an hour we had gotten ahead--due to our stops.  But hey, you have to throw in some risks--because the rewards for those birds would have well been worth it.  Some days the cards just don't fall in your favor though. Plus Jeff got a cool shot of a "spirit" Robin...

The Spirit Robin by Jeff Bilsky

Up Ogden Canyon we stopped briefly for WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, and added both PINE SISKIN and CASSIN'S FINCH.  Flyover GOLDEN EAGLE was our only of the day and sometime around 1:30 we finally saw our only SHARP-SHINNED HAWK of the day, and our first RED-TAILED HAWK--what a miss that would have been.  On Pineview Reservoir we added COMMON LOON and COMMON MERGANSER, while 100's of Western and Clark's Grebes rested on the water near the dam.  At the marina there were close to 40 CASPIAN TERNS on the tires used as a break wall.  A GRAY CATBIRD gave a brief showing and sang nearby, while a distant COOPER'S HAWK soared above.

Cooper's Hawk high above the group

At North Arm Nature Area we struggled through but netted the needed CALLIOPE HUMMINBGIRD.  YELLOW-BREATED CHAT played coy with us, but we got a few notes out of one near the bridge.  DOWNY WOODPECKER and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE were also found, while SORA provided an audible along with many others in the riparian stretch that is a bird magnet.

Falling further behind schedule things got a little messy in the Powder Mountain Area.  Before we knew it the 2nd car was nowhere to be found while we scoured through CASSIN'S FINCHES looking for anything different.  Apparently they had stopped a curve or two below us and the radios weren't communicating that they were watching a NORTHERN GOSHAWK!!! 

Northern Goshawk by Jeff Bilsky

Our radio woes continued after the finally caught up and then fell behind again while our car ended up on top of the mountain they ended up at the feeders at the condos below.  Due to this our car had VESPER SPARROW while they added CLARK'S NUTCRACKER. We managed to work through the radio issues and didn't lose them the rest of the day, but as cloud cover built overhead and the winds picked up we struggled, barely adding MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, DARK-EYED JUNCO, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH on the ways down the mountain.  We stopped to watch a RED FOX along the road and heard a HAIRY WOODPECKER calling from a nesting site nearby.  We had missed quite a few birds but trudged on.

Red Fox at Powder Mountain

For the better part of the 4 o'clock hour we added no new birds, drove a long ways, and got turned around a couple times.  We missed a couple staked out birds, and couldn't turn anything into a new day birds.  We stopped to refuel both the vehicles and ourselves in Coalville, hopefully resetting things.  Jeff and I looked at our laundry list of misses and needs and tried to figure out what was our best plan of attack.  What we came up with was this: Change Nothing.  We just kept going as if we were right on track.

The Wasatch Back from Powder Mountain

At Rockport Reservoir I had a list of waterfowl we HAD to get.  As if the birding gods were listening, they rewarded us with all: COMMON GOLDENEYE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, RING-NECKED DUCK, and believe it or not... NORTHERN SHOVELER.  We decided to try our luck in the junipers along the highway and managed to call in a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER which provided incredible looks for the entire group--while almost landing on Jeff's head.

As the clouds thickened and it slowly got darker we stopped into Summit Park where an awesome showing of birds at the feeders on Matterhorn netted us STELLER'S JAY and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET for the day.  I mostly enjoyed watching my favorite bird the WESTERN TANAGER set against the cold grays of the sky and surrounding dead trees. No matter how we ended the day that bird was always a bright spot.

Western Tanager at Summit Park

We continued on to Mountain Dell and Little Dell Reservoirs.  Between the two locations we managed to add just WESTERN SCRUB-JAY for the day, and despite our best efforts couldn't pull out a Lazuli Bunting.  We headed to Big Mountain Pass where a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER gave its obligatory call from the aspen near the parking area.  Heading down into upper East Canyon we finally snagged a LAZULI BUNTING singing just above Drouby Canyon in the oaks.  Our last stop before dark was Jeremy Ranch Road where there were just a couple birds we needed for the day.  We easily got AMERICAN DIPPER in the river, and with a little work finally turned up a FOX SPARROW skulking in the willows. A distant SWAINSON'S THRUSH sang up canyon, while no less than 16 WILSON'S SNIPE displayed overhead  along the farm land here.  I had never seen so man snipe in the sky at once--it was pretty incredible.

Me taking pictures of hummers. Photo by Norm Jenson

Broad-tailed Hummingbird taken with a Smart Phone

As darkness fell we headed back up East Canyon to try for owls and other night birds.We had put in a solid effort for the day and had some major holes in our list.  We also had some major things to be grateful for.  As it was getting darker we watched the last hummingbirds of the day visit feeders near where we looked for owls.  Just before it got to light to see without flashlights we added RUFFED GROUSE for the day.  A few minutes later the group had killer looks a FLAMMULATED OWL.  Our first try and the bird came in perfectly for everyone to see.

Flammulated Owl by Mike Hearell

Before we left the area a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL grace us with its lovely repetitious hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot...  Up mountain a ways a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL sang a few notes and gave an alarm trill just before out of the darkness a big white van driven by Mark Stackhouse with a owl tour pulled up to our vehicles to ask how the day went.  We lamented to our troubles and were quickly on our way--not before Mark kindly shared that he had a singing poorwill at our expected location and last stop on Big Mountain Pass.  Sure enough the COMMON POORWILL responded immediately to our calls.

We made two more stops for the night, missing two more species of owl we had hoped to tack on to our haul--instead we settled for 6 species--not a bad days work. And back to Farmington we headed parting ways with an excellent group of people who provided a great day of birding.

Now I would be lying if I wasn't dying to know what Mark's group had gotten when Saturday rolled around the morning after his trip.  He tortured me via email, and his trip participants by making them keep their lips sealed.  It wasn't until after Mark and I talked for an hour about how my buddies Kenny, Colby, and I finally stripped him of the Utah Big day Crown the previous week, that Mark finally spilled the beans that they had 161 species on their Marathon Trip.  It gave us a target--but at the same time I wasn't quite sure it was the real number--and I was right. It was 162 which he let on as we left during our brief meeting in East Canyon. Although this could have been an honest mistake--every single bird counts when you are going for a ridiculous number of birds in a day, so keeping 1 extra bird in our back pocket ain't a bad strategy.

So what did I tell Mark on the mountain?  Well we had had a rough day which was true. And we weren't done yet, which was true.  So I told him I hadn't tallied the list yet. Well that was a lie--and he of course knew that, I could have told you by the minute where we were at for the day.  Then after the trip I said I lost the checklist, and would have to figure things out today... Yeah that was a lie as well.  Then via email he asked and asked and asked, what was the number??? I kept putting it off. Was it so bad that I didn't want to share it with him? Did he take Team Utah (Bilsky and Avery) to task on their home field (which to be fair was his for 25 years)--they talked a big game but when the time came did we fold under pressure?  I'll be honest, it was a tough day... And there were some big misses... And the weather wasn't super cooperative... And in the end we had a great time and we just did what we could... 167 (one-hundred sixty-seven) species :)

See you in Mexico Mark!