About two weeks ago, I went out on a nighttime trip with the Swaner Nature Center, searching for a Flamulated Owl. It was successful in many ways. I saw the owl (a new life bird). I met a couple of Summit County birders, who I have since gone birding with. And finally, I met Markus Mika, from HawkWatch International.

I followed up on Markus's offer to go out for a day with their owl researchers. This morning, I drove out to Huntsville Utah and met William, a summer employee, and Bryce, a more serious and useful volunteer than myself. We drove to Eden, then a bit further, then on a back road, then on a winding dirt road, and finally parked before our mile+ hike. The location of the owls is safely locked away in my lack of memory.

Because I was the old, visiting guy, they didn't make me carry the ladder during the day.

The owl nests we were hunting for were boxes put in trees 10 years ago.  They hadn't been checked since, but we did have a good hand-drawn map.  William and Bryce had been up last week checking the first 20 boxes and had found one nest of Flammulated Owls, which was the topic of this research project. It had four eggs in it, so our first stop was to see if any had hatched.

The trick to this owl work is to catch mom napping in the nest box during the day.  Dad is around somewhere and brings food at night, but doesn't hang around the box.  The first step is to sneak very, very quietly up on the nest with a long pole with a hat at the end. Before mom wakes up to look around, you poke the hat in the hole (entry way) so she can't leave.  Want some owl irony?  The hat was from Hooters. Here we have William waiting for step 2.

With the hat firmly in the hole, you prop the ladder against the tree, climb up, and for safety's sake, tie the ladder to the tree.  It turns out that squirrels, including flying squirrels, like these nests and may come popping out when you open the top.  No sense falling from 12 feet from a squirrel startle. Bryce is about to go grasping for owls.

Reach into the nesting box and out comes a Flammulated Owl.  This is a full grown female. Once she realizes she isn't making a quick escape, she just hangs out peacefully.

That's a good thing, because one of the first things we did was set her in a bag to weigh her. Even full grown, they only weigh about 2 ounces.

We leave her resting in her little bag and get the owlets. Last week they had found 4 eggs in this nest.  Two had hatched, but the other two were unlikely to.

Like their mom, they get measured and weighed.  This is a very cautious, careful job.

Remember decorating Easter eggs when you were a child?  Well, somehow the researchers need to distinguish between the owlets on future visits.  The answer?  Sharpies!  I am not sure the marker company will ever use this in their ads, but a Sharpie works well on little owls.

Now, styling a black mohawk, he is returned to a hand with his nest mate.

We also stopped by and did a quick visit with a Saw-whet owl. Since this isn't the topic of their research, we stopped just long enough for me to get a picture.  Notice the dramatic difference between the Saw-whet's eyes and the Flammulated's. I think the Saw-whet's look more like Jasper's when he is waiting for you to toss a ball.

As we were pounding through the forest looking for nest boxes, Bryce found this intact skull, which we were fairly certain was a moose.  He didn't find the rest of the skeleton.

Of the eight nesting boxes we were trying to find:

--Two were lost
--Three had missing covers, so no animal would use them
--One had become a squirrel nest
--Two had Flammulated owl nests. One had three eggs yet to be hatched and one had four nestlings.  You normally have 2 or 3, so finding one with 4 live, happy nestlings was a good find.

I am so used to thinking about owls the size or Great Horned, Barred or Barn.  Seeing owls that look the same, but are shrunk down to a handful is just incredible.

Here is the smallest of the four nestlings.  He only weighed 7 grams, about 1/4 of an ounce.  His little eyes weren't open yet.

While he was being weighed and measured, his three nest mates were relaxing.  Of course, they had already been measured and had met Mr. Sharpie.  May I introduce Black, Blue and Red. The littlest guy was lucky.  He got to remain clear.

This isn't a great video but demonstrates the funniest thing I saw all day.  When you have an owl in your hand, they either play dead or just start napping.  Even then, they seem to have a non-stop stability system for their head that rivals any camera system.  Watch her head as Bryce moves his hand around.

 

A huge thanks to HawkWatch and Markus for letting me tag along on a day of owl work.  And thanks to William and Bryce who put up with my endless questions. It was truly a memorable experience. Finding two more nests meant a successful day and now they have more of the boxes GPS-tagged for future visits.

Good Birding
Steve Joyce
Steve Joyce's Blog







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My family moved to Bountiful from Boise just a day or two before the year 2011 began. Moving to a new location brings with it a lot of excitement for a birder like myself.  It generally means new life birds, new every-day species and new rare birds. It also means new regular birding patches for me to explore as well as new birders to meet and interact with. Utah birding has not disappointed.

In Utah, in 2011, I added seventeen life birds, and some of them were doozies! Check this out: Pygmy Owl, Glossy Ibis, Palm Warbler, Band-tailed Pigeon, Virginia's Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Black Swift, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Common Poorwill, Dickcissel, Purple Martin, Williamson's Sapsucker, Pine Grosbeak, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, and White-winged Scoter. Each sighting was very memorable. I especially appreciate those spectacular chases like the Palm Warbler and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher that I got to enjoy along side several fellow Utah bird enthusiasts.

Dickcissel

My own Bountiful yard has been very exciting for me as an avid backyard birder too. Utah birders should not take for granted the comical antics of Western Scrub-jays and the abundance of Black-capped Chickadees. Oh, and having both American and Lesser Goldfinch at your nyger feeder at the same time...how cool is that?! My yard list is still at a humble 55 species, so I've got a lot of watching to do in order to catch up with the112 yards birds in my previous Boise foothills yard. My Utah backyard has certainly been much more conducive to photographing the birds.

 Western Scrub-Jay

  Dark-eyed Junco

Western Tanager

The Utah birding community has been most welcoming to me, for which I am grateful. I've met in person and online some fantastic and talented people. Utah birding has also opened up opportunities to expand my birding hobby. I met Bill Thompson III at the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival last year which led to invitation to be an official blogger at the Midwest Birding Symposium. There I got to meet in person several birding legends, many of whom I now interact with on a regular basis. Though I end up birding solo most of the time, I really do enjoy birding with others. By the way, let's throw off the shackles of shyness and introduce ourselves with first and last names when we see each other in the field.

It's been fun and interesting to observe the dynamics of birders through the lens of the listservs. We have the contagious enthusiastics and the curmudgeons; the protagonists and the antagonists; the experts and the inepts; those that find the birds and those that parasite off those sightings (including me!) all thrown together with the common passion and interest in birds. Sometimes watching birders is as entertaining as watching the birds.

My eBird records show that I have reported bird sightings from 60 different locations in Utah, but I feel like I've only just started to scratch the surface. I now know well Farmington Bay, Antelope Island, and the Jordan River. I look forward to a new year of exploration and discovery at Utah birding hotspots and meeting more of you out on the birding trail.

Happy Birding!

Robert Mortensen

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I have often related bird ID to facial recognition, especially in birds of prey. The multiple factors that contribute to making a bird recognizable are similar, but unique. Much like the face, these variables all contribute to creating a wide variety of distinct but similar patterns. The challenge in identifying birds comes from this diversity, and so the birder is charged with the daunting task of in depth study and practice to learn each bird not only by sight, but sound as well.

There are many helpful hints and techniques to enhance the birder's skills, some better than others. I would like to touch on one technique, neither new nor unusual, but often overlooked, The practice of field sketching has become extinct in most regards, due mainly to the advances in photography. The camera is an invaluable tool, and has done incredible things for the birder and bird world alike, but it fails to serve in educating the birder as well as the pen, brush, and paints. By slowing the process of birding and truly digesting what flits and flutters around you, learning to recognize birds by impression will become effortless and natural.

Due of the role of color in bird identification, I would encourage anyone interested in bettering their birding to add watercolors to their sketching kit. I simply put some paints in a tin container with a small vile of water, and threw them in a nap-sack along with my pen. You do not need to use watercolor paper for you journal, but remember to use less water and paint to get your desired effect when recording your sightings.

Field Kit

Because I am currently working as a field technician on winter raptor surveys, I spend a great deal of time in the high desert. My sketching lately deals with the birds I have seen in this landscape. These birds are not the most difficult to identify, however the practice of sketching can still prove valuable even for the most common bird. Take the time to sit and watch. You will need to stay in one place long enough to see enough of a bird to sketch it properly.

Pay attention to what stands out, and record your first impressions. Do not worry about the quality of the sketch. As an artist I struggle with this, as it is hard to fight the urge not to make the sketch as perfect as possible. Whether your artwork will win an award or not matters nothing for what is being accomplished. It is the process that matters, so don't get hung up on what your sketches look like. Also, be sure to make notes about what you notice that makes the bird unique. I have included a few examples that show how I sketch.

Loggerhead Shrike

Because I took the time to really look at the Loggerhead Shrike, I was able to pick up on the differences that led me to recognize a Northern Shrike soon after. Another bird I have recently become much more familiar with is the Sage Thrasher. When I found the bird appropriately sitting on a sage branch, I took the opportunity to record the bird and learn what makes the Sage Thrasher recognizable and unique. Notice on my sketch that the colors are not quite accurate, and the most helpful hint, the light yellow eye, is not enhanced in the illustration. I made sure to make a note that this was a helpful hint, not necessarily for future reference, but to go through the motions to help me retain the information and solidify the birds image in my mind.

 Sage Thrasher and Horned Lark

As I mentioned before, the purpose for my time in the field lately has been wintering raptors. Raptors are an incredible group and can present some of birding's biggest challenges. The trick to raptors, and in reality most birds, is birding by impression. The easiest way to speed up the learning process in my opinion and experience is sketching. Raptors have so many exceptions to the rule of ID with color morphs, subspecies, and hybridization. Begin sketching the birds you see and you will soon begin to recognize what makes each bird unique, and when the chance arises that you happen upon a strange or abnormal bird, you will be armed with the knowledge and skill to pick apart what might lead to a positive ID with little help and council from more experienced birders.

Winter Raptors

I absolutely love reviewing my illustrations and annotations. I find so much satisfaction in the process of creating my own images, no matter the quality. I also admit that I am enthralled with the work of others. I would love to be exposed to a wide variety of creativity in respect to the bird world. In the future, I hope to see many sketches accompanying long lists of birds on UBird. Till that day, happy birding.

Bryce Robinson

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Firstly, I'd like to extend my gratitude to The Utah Birders for inviting me to write this guest post about birds and getting bird tattoos.

Since I began birding two and a half years ago, I've discovered that birds have much more to teach than what may be observed on a more literal level. Without ascribing human characteristics to these creatures (anthropomorphize is a mouthful to say), a lot can be learned about ourselves, others, and the world we live in. All in all, that's my primary reason for birding. I've known one day a particular species would speak to me and my birder's soul on a much deeper level. I recently 'ticked' my 300th lifer and each species has taught me a little bit more than I could have possibly imagined. Looking for birds is a great exercise in being present in the moment. Birds are an excellent conduit for reconnecting ourselves with the natural world and finding a sense of wonder. I've been on a quest to find MY bird. One that represents my personal character as an individual. Last month, I discovered that bird to be the Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum).

With it's elegant, silky appearance and lovely high-pitched call, the Cedar Waxing is a easy bird to fall in love with. They are an attractive bird. A few key traits reveal a lot about why they are meaningful to me. First of all, they are very gentle birds. They are a highly social species who are almost always found in flocks. Cedar Waxwings are known to pass food to each other and become surfeited after feeding on fermented berries. For that, some call them the party bird! They're enthusiastic eaters and a bit overindulgent. Their unselfish manner during courtship/mating is also impressive. As one who loves to explore, their nomadic travel appeals to me. As a music maker, the Cedar Waxwing's song is a delight. I won't go into any further detail describing these birds. You can find good information about them at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/id

Although I love spending time with birds, some of the best birding experiences have come from the people. 'Bird people' are as diverse and varied as the species we find. I've had the privilege of taking many school kids on field trips, met photographers/film crews, twitchers, hunters, land owners, college students, federal and state land managers, volunteers, ornithologists and other scientists, travelers, journalists, and all manner of birderwatchers/birders. I think my favorite is making birders out of non-birding folk. If I've got my binoculars handy (I ALWAYS do) and a bird comes by, anybody will take a look. Most of the time, those looks end in a smile. Enthusiasm is contagious. I'm fortunate enough to spend a lot of time looking for birds. The people I meet in the field have made me a better birder and make this hobby/sport of birding the more rewarding and life enriching. We share the same passion. In that, we are the same. I'm big on unity. I'm a social creature and so are Cedar Waxwings. I'll confess to being a bit of a 'lush' as well. Oh, and as pretty as a waxwing! (Joking of course)

November was a fine month for Cedar Waxwings in Northern Utah. I began noticing them in larger flocks just before Halloween. Good timing since they're a masked bird! During a snowstorm early in the month, we had an 'earful' show up in our front yard. We had long looks and throughout the day we saw 100's. My wife and I spent the afternoon studying them and delighted in the sighting. We studied their calls, flight patterns, and general appearance. By the end of the day, we were armchair waxwing experts. Since then, one of us has seen them every single day. Awesome! Most sightings have been incidental. As reported to Ubird, I had a particular abundant amount of waxwings appear in our yard just before Thanksgiving. It was then I knew Cedar Waxwings were MY bird and called my tattoo artist to make an appointment.

So on December 1, while the wind tore our city of Bountiful, Utah to bits, I headed to Salt Lake City to commit the Cedar Waxwing's image to my body. My wife had reported daily sightings of waxwings in Washington Square for several weeks. Since her office is across the street from the tattoo shop, I stopped in to visit and do some urban birding. Sure enough, two separate groups of waxwings came through and I walked across the street to get some ink. I have lot's of tattoos, but I've never become accustomed to the wretched pain involved. If it didn't hurt, more people would have them. An hour of pain for a lifetime's reward! Well worth it. Getting the tattoo was a simple process that took only an hour. My artist's name is CJ Fishburn. My wife and I have been getting tattoos from him for 7 years and hold the distinction of his longest return customers. His shop is Cathedral Tattoo located on 400 South in Salt Lake City. He also runs a non-profit for displaced pets, called 'Cause for Paws'. Something notable about this piece is CJ used a gun from 1943. I thought of the 1000's of people who must have been tattooed by the same gun. I thought of the 1000's of birds I've seen as a birder. I thought of all the birders I've met in the process. I thought of all the birders I hope to meet. And while I sat there retching, I told of the joys of discovery that birding provides. I'm thankful to have discovered birding and will wear this tattoo proudly!

Last May, just for kicks, I got a tattoo of a bird on my right forearm. It doesn't really hold any more meaning other than it's a cool symbol for my bird love. When people ask me why I get tattoos, I give them the same simple answer I give when asked why I spend so much time looking for birds.... because it's awesome!

Enjoy your enjoys
Shyloh Robinson

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It's hard to believe that a year ago today we launched the Utah birders Blog. Since it's inception more than 8,000 of you have visited the site, viewing our 200+ blog posts more than 45,000 times. More than half of you return to view multiple blog postings, a testament to you as our readers, as well as our bloggers.

Some of our most popular posts involved Raptors--which is no surprise with Jerry Ligouri's fantastic insights drawing a great deal of attention. Gulls, eBird, record committees, travel, quizzes, owls, history, commentary, migration, photography, and optics have been some other great topics--some stirring up controversy while others stoke great conversation between the members of this community.

In 2012 we plan some big changes for the blog and website and we thought we would kick things off ( a little Christmas comes early) by announcing our first new initiative.

The Utah Birders Blog was founded to be a voice for the birders in our state. As we've said, it is a blog "By and for Utah Birders". With that in mind, we want to expand our contributions to include more of these voices. This means we want your help!

We are now accepting submissions from Guest Bloggers. Please consider this your invitation to submit your own post on anything birding related that you think would be fun to share and that others would relate to. We're all birders but we each see things in our own way (through our own binocular lenses!), and we'd love to hear and share some more of those unique perspectives from the community. If you have an idea but you're not sure how to get started on writing a post about it or want to know what we think, feel free to write to us we'll offer some help.

Submit your idea for a blog post by clicking the button below:

We'll be periodically selecting from the pool of submissions and posting on the blog. We'll start out by aiming for one guest blogger per week but feel free to submit as many ideas as often as you'd like.

To get things going we asked a Utah Birder who has contributed greatly to the community in the past year to tell us a little bit about a tattoo he recently had inked. This is Shyloh Robinson's "Birds, Tattoos, and Tattoos of Birds".

Thank YOU for being a Utah Birder!

Sincerely,
The Utah Birders