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!

This years Gunnison Sage-Grouse days kicked off with some Friday night owling at Devils Canyon Campground by a few participants who were not able to track down any owls.  Jeff Bilsky and I arrived a few hours later and tried for ourselves, and although we had no vocalizations, an tiny NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL cruised through camp, visible in the beam of my headlamp.

It rained most of the night and by 5:30am Saturday at our meeting location it was hovering around 40 degrees.  Our group of 11 met in Monticello and after packing into 3 vehicles were off in the dark headed to the northeast to look for grouse.  We slowly drove the road int he dark making sure that if we came across any grouse we didn't disturb or worse, hit them.  We arrived at the lek just as it was starting to get light, but couldn't see any grouse where they had been in past years.  Based off a tip from someone who checked the area out the previous week we moved a short distance ans soon found ourselves looking at 7 GUNNISON SAGE-GROUSE--5 males and 2 females in the distant shrubsteppe.

2 Gunnison Sage-Grouse on Hickman Flats

We watched the birds with binoculars form our vehicles for 15 or so minutes before we opted to set up to scopes on the back sides of the cars so the group could get a better look at the distant birds.  The scopes were set up and and we had folks slowly get out of the cars and move behind one vehicle to line up and see the birds.  The first few people got through looking when all of the sudden the birds took flight and disappeared into the sage flats to the west.  I was a bit dismayed.  The group had been quiet and we were a great distance away, taking precautions as not to disturb the birds.  The previous year at another lek we had been much closer and out of the vehicles with even more people and the birds didn't even seem to notice us.

View of the Abajo Mountains in the distance

I wasn't frustrated that everyone in the group didn't get to see the bird through the scopes--everyone got to see the birds.  I was more frustrated with our impact on the species, that more than likely will be listed as endangered in the next month. Part of our reasoning for hosting this event was to shed a little bit more light on this fascinating bird for locals.  If the states DNR would actually be willing to talk with us and help with the event we could do a better job at making sure this type of thing doesn't happen.  But thus far our attempts to reach out and open a dialogue have been met with resistance.  I plan on forwarding our experience this year to them in hopes that some change might be triggered.  After the grouse flushed we checked a few more fields unsuccessfully, before starting east towards Colorado to bird the rest of the area and look for a few other shrubsteppe specialties.

Utah Birders scanning for birds in the sage

It remained cold and although the buzz of BREWER'S SPARROWS, was accompanied by the songs of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, SAGE THRASHERS, and VESPER SPARROWS, there wasn't as much visible activity as in past years.  We came across a GOLDEN EAGLE perched along the road and had plenty of HORNED LARKS zip across the road, occasionally landing for good looks.

Horned Lark perched along the fence

We made a stop in an area where Burrowing Owls previously "burrowed", but couldn't pick any out.  We did spot a very distant FERRUGINOUS HAWK which we made our way towards for closer views for the group.  We also drove a few side roads we hadn't in the past that looked good for Sage Sparrow--we didn't find any...

Ferruginous Hawk composite take-off

Back along the main road it wasn't long before a tiny falcon zipped by and landed on a post just up the road--it was a stunning little MERLIN.  Although many people think these birds are gone by now, they are found throughout April in Utah and many persist into May.  Straggling migrants from further south are probably the majority of these birds.  We stalked this individual allowing great looks along the edge of the road.

Merlin on Hickman Flats

Our usual route took us past ponds and springs where the usual suspects were present, but no unexpected waterfowl or shorebirds popped up.  For the life of us we couldn't find a Sage Sparrow, but managed to pick up every other species of expected sparrow out here, as well as SAVANNAH SPARROW.

Savannah Sparrow trying to hide in the grass

MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS are common here and they brightened up the dark morning.  We had several STELLAR'S JAYS a few few miles form where they are expected to be, but foraging here in the Pinyon-Juniper they gave good looks.  While we stopped to look through a flock of a CHIPPING SPARROWS a small raven caught our attention in the distance-it appeared to be a crow at first sighting, but the bill was a tad too large.  Before we could get scopes on it, the bird took flight leaving us wondering--had this been a Chihuahuan Raven?  Instead we settled on CRAVEN--ambiguous enough to cover all three corvus possibilities.

The "Craven" on Hickman Flats

We had magpies, and juncos, and robins--all the usual stuff. The group added TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, BEWICK'S WREN, and JUNIPER TITMOUSE.  AS we drove we heard BUSHTITS in the sage brush along the road.  We stopped and all around us was a small flock of these entertaining little species.  I got the best photo I've ever managed of this species, so I was pleased.

Bushtit posing for its close-up

The birds were starting to be a little more cooperative, and it was warming up a little bit.  Checking out another road, we were unable to turn up anything new.  Eventually we ended up at a location that was inundated with woodpeckers the previous year.  This year it was limited to a few NORTHERN FLICKERS, a DOWNY WOODPECKER, and a HAIRY WOODPECKER.  We did snag a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, saving us a stop later in the day for the species.

White-breasted Nuthatch on Hickman Flats

A few minutes later an empid popped up and sang, it was a DUSKY FLYCATCHER.  The bird provided great looks allowing those who were close enough to see the bird to admire its tiny bill and yellow-olive wash as it perched in a snag.  It flew off a few moments later and continued to sing from the woods.

Dusky Flycatcheron Hickman Flats

A few miles down the road we came across another one, this time the bird was in someones yard and was flying from perch to perch providing more good looks in the open.  A 2nd DUSKY FLYCATCHER morning here in April was a good sign.

The 2nd Dusky Flycatcher on Hickman Flats

The convoy rolled back into town and refueled, stocked up on snacks, and took restroom breaks before continuing on our way to Lloyd's Lake just southwest of town.  On the way we added AMERICAN CROWS in town.  At the reservoir we had a flyover OSPREY and a few ducks and geese.  The most notable birds however were 5 COMMON LOONS, a WESTERN GREBE, and a HORNED GREBE on the water.

Poorly digi-scoped Horned Grebe on Lloyd's Lake

The group continued west into the Abajo Mountains to see what was hanging around the Dalton springs area.  We spent about an hour there allowing the group to wander, and Jeff took a number of people into the forest while others remained back near the cars soaking up our first sun of the day and checking out the birds there.  We added the typical chickadees and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, as well as kinglets and WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.  A highlight for most of the group was a BROWN CREEPER--several more were seen on Jeff's walk. A number of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS came by, while PINE SISKIN, SHARP-SHINNED and COOPER'S HAWK were all added to the day list.

Utah Birders in the Abajo Mountains

This stop is always rewarding but failed to turn up and Wild Turkey this year.  We headed back into town and allowed everyone to scatter into their own vehicles to head south to Devil's Canyon Campground.  By the time we go there the sun was out in full force, the temps were rising, and the bird activity was at a lull.  Although we did add our target PYGMY NUTHATCH and CASSIN'S FINCH, we didn't turn up any of the other unusual mountain species normally found here.  A RED-TAILED HAWK kept watch on us while we watched an AMERICAN KESTREL try to take out a WESTERN BLUEBIRD.  We did have what seemed like an early GRACE'S WARBLER singing here, and added BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD at the campground host site as we left.

Red-tailed Hawk soaring over Devils Canyon

Our next stop was Recapture Reservoir just down the road where things were very active.  There were COMMON LOONS on the reservoir emitting their eerie call--also lots of waterfowl including REDHEAD, LESSER SCUAP, BUFFLEHEAD, and NORTHERN PINTAIL.  Along the shore and in some of the surrounding trees the birding was really good.  A  RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER near the boat launch was unexpected.

Red-naped Sapsucker at Recapture Reservoir

This area was also teeming with songbirds including the usual ROCK WRENS and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS.  More notable were several GRAY FLYCATCHERS and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS.

Gray Flycatcher at Recapture Reservoir

Near the inlet there was an interesting mix of sparrows that included CHIPPING and LARK SPARROWS, as well as a single BLACK-THROATED SPARROW--the only of the trip.  After getting our fill of the area we dropped out of the mountains and into Blanding to visit the always interesting waste water treatment ponds on the south end of town.

Blanding WWTP is the spot for birding in Blanding

Right off the bat we spotted a GREAT EGRET on the nearest pond--this was a new county bird for me.  There were a few birds on the near pond but not as many as usual--the other highlights included a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL and we could hear calling FRANKLIN'S GULLS.

Digi-scoped Great Egret at the Blanding WWTP

We moved to another vantage point where we could see into another pond and could now see a flock of 14 MARBLED GODWIT lounging on the shore.  While we watched them a lone BONAPARTE'S GULL came and circled the near pond.  In the fields to the west there was a decent flock of WHITE-FACED IBIS as well as several GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES.  Along the fence lines around the pond SAGE THRASHERS occasionally perched as well.  These ponds always fascinate me--here in the middle of the desert they are THE birding hot spot between Bluff and Monticello in my opinion.

Utah Birders at the Blanding WWTP

At this point we bid farewell to the group, the trip had officially come to an end and despite the weather and flushing of the grouse, we had seen a good number of birds.  We missed a few things that were expected but that's birding.  Stephanie Greenwood, Jeff, and I decided to keep on birding heading south to Bluff.  The 25 miles drive was quick and when we got there it was 77 degrees outside-quite a nice difference from the morning--but it also meant the birds weren't to active.

Navajo Twins in Bluff

We headed to Navajo Twins Ponds where it was very quiet.  WHITE-TRHOATED SWIFTS and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS twittered along the cliffs above--WESTERN KINGBIRD and SAY'S PHOEBE patrolled what remained of the ponds, which are in far worse shape than last year when they were already in poor shape.  Pretty soon this will be Navajo Twins dry ponds...

Western Kingbird at Navajo Twins Ponds

Through town we drove to Sand Island a few miles west along the San Juan River.  Opting to avoid the crowded campground we instead drove to where the highway crosses the river heading south to Mexican Hat and birded west of the bridge.  A nice sized flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS were in the trees here, as were a few SPOTTED TOWHEES and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.  We finally picked up a couple LUCY'S WARBLERS for the trip as well.  As we sat along the bank of the river trying to psyche each other out, joking about seeing birds that weren't really there, I quipped, "Look, a Black Phoebe--there it ISN'T!" Stephanie new to the game fell for it but Jeff just shook his head--until I said, no really, right down there, there actually appears to be a BLACK PHOEBE.  Just about 100 yards down river one was flycatching form the bank--too bad we couldn't have willed something a little more far fetched!

We drove back across town and out the east side towards Aneth along Mission Road.  There are agricultural fields here that occasionally have water in them.  This day instead they had large flocks of Ravens in them.  One of the first groups we looked at had what appeared to be a crow with them--but upon closer looks it was obviously a raven--a very small raven.  I reached for my camera and the flock took flight.  I managed a couple flight shots as the bird left the scene.  Jeff followed it but if flew a long ways out of sight.

Possible Chihuahuan Raven in Bluff

Continuing east we came across more ravens, as well as a flock of WHITE-FACED IBIS where there was some water in the fields.  We also came across one NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on the power lines along the road.  Eventually we turned and headed back towards Bluff where we stopped to check out a flock of ravens much closer to the road.  Again there was a small crow-sized Raven with the group--this time I had my camera and snapped a bunch of shots to show the obvious size difference.

Possible Chihuahuan Raven with Common Raven in Bluff

There is some known size variation in ravens--as with all birds--but I believe this is clinal, so it would odd seeing such distinctly small birds in an area where the average is much much bigger.  These birds also had bills that appeared to be slighter than the other ravens--as well as long nasal bristles.  In my opinion they looked like a good match yet again for CHIHUAHUA RAVENS in this part of the state.

Possible Chihuahuan Raven in Bluff

As it was starting to get late we headed back to Blanding and then up towards Devil's Campground to camp where we had the previous night.  This time though we set up tents just in case.  After it got dark we walked from about a 1/2 mile above the campground down to the campground and through the loop on the right, and then back to our camp without eliciting a single hoot from a Saw-whet Owl... Utterly strange.  Back at camp I fell asleep entering eBird checklists via my phone--I was exhausted and slept through the night.

Bilsky emerging from his tent

Easter morning I awoke to singing RED CROSSBILL, PYGMY NUTHATCH, DUSKY FLYCATCHER, and CASSIN'S FINCH.  It was sunny, and looked like the makings for a beautiful day--a singing GRACE'S WARBLER seemed to agree.  After packing camp we headed towards the Acorn Woodpecker spot to see if we might get lucky and pick one up for the trip--no such luck.  We decided to drive Hickman Flats one more time to see if we might pick up some of the birds we missed the day before--we didnt--but the birding was good.  I got some decent shots of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, VESPER SPARROW, SAGE THRASHER, GRAY FLYCATCHER, and BREWER'S SPARROW along the way.

Mountain Bluebird on Hickman Flats

Vesper Sparrow on Hickman Flats

Sage Thrasher on Hickman Flats

Gray Flycatcher on Hickman Flats

Brewer's Sparrow on Hickman Flats

We did find a small group of peeps in one of the spots we checked the previous day--it was comprised of 5 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and 1 LEAST SANDPIPER.

Western Sandpipers on Hickman Flats

Least Sandpiper on Hickman Flats

We also had a very cooperative NORTHERN HARRIER near the end of the drive that I caught landing in the sage from behind--turned out pretty cool.

Northern Harrier on Hickman Flats

After this we headed back towards the north, stopping in Green River for our now annual post Grouse Days jaunt to Ray's Tavern. And by early evening we were all home.  It was another great trip to a very under-birded part of the state.  Where Washington County sees the most action form birders up north, San Juan County remains the place where you can really make discoveries in birding in Utah.  With vast amounts of land and places where no one looks for birds the possibilities seem endless.

Bacon Cheeseburger at Ray's in Green River

814 miles later, we managed 113 species, a few less than last year, but also a full day less of birding. And it gives us a target for next years Gunnison Sage-Grouse Days!

Checklists from this trip:
Hickman Flats Road
Lloyds Lake
Dalton Springs
Devil's Canyon CG
Recapture Reservoir
Blanding Treatment Ponds
Navajo Twins Ponds
Sand Island CG & Bluff Road Bridge
San Juan River & Mission Road
Devil's Canyon CG
Hickman Flats Road