Spring Heber Valley Field Trip | Fun with Birds | Calendar of SL Birder Events | Other Events of Interest | SL Birders Board

It was a typical spring morning for the Heber Valley Field Trip. With horizontal snow and cold temperatures we promptly decided to go get some breakfast at the Wagon Wheel. We feasted on high cholesterol breakfasts, cocoa and coffee and in about an hour the snow had let up to breaks of blue sky so we headed out. We stopped first at Calleen Cox's house to see Mountain Bluebirds and then drove through the North Fields seeing Green Tailed Towhee, Vesper and Savannah Sparrow, a perched then soaring Peregrine Falcon, many Kestrels on fence posts (a lovely male eating a mouse - yummy!), and an audible only on a Willow Flycatcher. We saw Swainson's Hawk, Red Tailed Hawk, Osprey, a pair of Long-billed Curlew and a Marsh Wren as well. On the way to Midway, one of the Whooping Cranes was spotted flying over Midway Lane. (Two Whooping Cranes have been hanging out in the area for the past two weeks.)

The Fisherman's access on the north east side of I)eer Creek Reservoir was very busy. By then it was warm and the sun was shining with billowing clouds moving through. Birds there included Common Loon, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Cinnamon Teal, Green Winged Teal, Northem Shoveler, Gadwall, American Widgeon, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Buffiehead, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, American Cool Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, and American Avocet. The Peregrine Falcon, presumably the bird we had seen earlier, soared and dove for many passes, stooped after a Belted Kingfisher but didn't get him or succeed in getting any ducks to join her for lunch for that matter. The only warbler that we saw was a Yellow-rumped Warbler in the bushes by the reservoir.

Our last stop was at the Midway Fish Hatchery where we were entertained by soaring and diving Caspian and Forster's Terns, Franklin's Gull, California Gull, and White-faced Ibis. The trees were filled with Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, a Red Tailed Hawk in a nest and Osprey wherever you looked. In addition through out the day we saw the following birds for a total 58 species: Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Snipe, Mourning Dove Northern Flicker, Western Scrub-Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, American Robin, European Starling, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird and House Finch.

Because of our breakfast hiatus, we did not go to the Bureau of Reclamation area. The mitigation has begun there with a new road into the area, the lowering of some dikes in the wetlands, and other changes to the road along the river.

The Salt Lake Birders who withstood the blinding snow drive to enjoy the Heber Valley trip were: Julie Van Moorhem, Stan Smith, Alan and Jill Fuchs, Sharon Gander, Drucilla Seward, Calleen Cox, Barbara Stubblefield, Larene Wyss, Susan Saffle, Dana Green, and a welcome new member, Bob Huntington, who stole away from a day of fishing to join us. Thank you Randy Cox for leading the trip. How about May next year?

Spring - Oh how we love it with its renewal of life. Isn't it fun to see new birds on the trees and new birds arriving daily. Migrating birds fill our feeders as they move to their summer homes.

On Monday, March 8th, I had 12 to 15 Cedar Waxwings come calling. It's so enjoyable to see more than one bird. You seem to notice more of their personalities, things that you didn't see with just one bird.

Every chance I get, I show our grandchildren a new bird. We have a few grandchildren that, as soon as they come into the house, they want to know where the binoculars are (they are special ones they can use).

As we were sitting on the deck, I pointed out a chickadee in a nearby tree to my grandson, Kyler. When his mother arrived, he said excitedly," Grandpa has a chicken in a tree!" We all got a fun laugh out of that.

I can't wait to finish my new backyard landscaping for an increase of riparian type birds.

Tuesday, May 11th - 7:00AM Emigration Canyon, Little Dell Reservoir, and Washington Park.

Tuesday, May 18th - 7:00 AM Tanner Park and Hansen Hollow

Saturday, May 22nd - 7:00 AM Utah County

Sunday, May 30th -7:00 AM Vagrant Field Traps

Saturday, June 5th - 6:30 AM Uiuta Basin and Ouray NWR

Saturday, June 26th- 7:00 AM Willard Bay State Park and Campgrounds

Great Salt Lake Bird Festival May 7-9

Celebrate the Internation Migratory Bird Day at Fish Spring NWR from 10 am to 6 pm. Activities include birding tours with expert birders and day-long netting and banding of songbirds. Call (435) 831-5353 or 522-5353 for more information or directions.

Salt Lake Birders Board

Please feel free to contact any board member with questions, comments, or concerns you have about Salt Lake Birders.

Membership in Salt Lake Birders is open to any interested person. Does are $15 per year and may be sent to Salt Lake Birders PO Box 58343 SLC, Utah 84158. Please make cheeks payable to Salt Lake Birders. Membership at Traey Aviary is no longer a requirement, but we encourage you to continue supporting the Aviary.

Change of Address/Privacy: Please call Larene Wyss at 278-8758 or e-mail her at [email protected] , to change addresses for the mailing list.

If you've recently taken a birding vacation, let your fellow SL Birders know about it, even if you only have time to write a paragraph. We also want copies of your favorite cartoons, original art, feeder tips, good bird sightings, amazing bird facts, anything! Send all newsletter submissions to Lisa Prudden / Barbara Fontaine at 603 South 700 East SLC, UT 84102 or you may e-mail Lisa ([email protected]) or Barbara ([email protected]). You may also fax Barbara at 435-649-0452. The deadline for submissions is the 20^th of the month for the following month.