I just sent a message to the Utah birdtalk mailing list about an
upcoming event near Manila.  I thought I should post a copy here for
those who don't subscribe to the state list.  I never did get around
to checking on the Ouray open house, so I can't offer any news there -
  sorry.  Here's the Manila event plus a few of my recent bird
sightings -

"There will be an International Migratory Bird Day event at Henry's
Fork (outside of Manila UT) on May 10th.  This is a site listed in
the "Birding Utah" book, but without many details because it was
still under construction when the book was published.  It's pretty
much done now and attracts more and more birds each year as the
vegetation  grows in.  The May 10 event is being hosted by the Forest
Service and is targeted toward families.  There'll be tables set up
with information about water/wetlands, bats, and birds - each with
Forest Service people there to answer questions.  There will also be
some spotting scopes set up at strategic points with biologists
present to answer questions and help with IDs.  It's scheduled to run
from 8am to noon, but if you want to come out and do some serious
birding I'd recommend showing up before 8am to walk the short nature
trails.  Once more people start arriving I expect the birds will
scatter.  Still, it'll be a good opportunity to check out the site
and see what it has to offer.

I thought I'd pass along some first sightings of the year while I was
at it - over the past weekend I saw my first western kingbird and
broad-tailed hummer of 2003, plus heard Brewer's sparrows and lark
sparrows singing.  I also heard a western screech-owl hooting in the
fields behind my house the last couple nights."

good birding -
Kathy

One was spotted in Jensen during the Christmas Bird Count.  I've been
hoping to see one since then.  On Thursday I saw two pair!  One pair
was near the Post Office and the other just West of Split Mountain
Garden Center.  I didn't get a perched look at either pair, but they
were definitely larger than Mourning Doves and their tails were
distinctly different.  I'd love a confirmation by someone.
Hopefully, over the next few days I'll get a better look, but I
wanted to tip you all off quickly.

some folks from the SLC area came out to Ouray NWR last weekend and
saw a lot of great birds - a green heron and an indigo bunting, among
others - and 70 species total for the day.  It's always a little
embarrassing to me when someone drives 3 hours to a place in my own
backyard and sees so many interesting things.  It makes me kick
myself for not getting out more.  On the other hand, their report was
enough to get me out to Ouray for the first time in over a month and
it was well worth it.  The indigo bunting was still there, singing
away in the flooded trees and shrubs just past the boat ramp (before
Leota Bottom).  I couldn't find the green heron but saw plenty of
other birds, including a couple of yellow-breasted chats, lots of
eastern kingbirds, and several blue-winged teal.  I've also seen a
chat in the cottonwood stand at the north end of Steinaker within the
last week, heard several blue grosbeaks on the Red Wash road south of
the Jensen bridge, and saw the Eurasian collared dove that Myke
reported in the same general area he described - on telephone wires
next to Hwy 40 between the visitor's center and the post office.

good birding -
Kathy

Hi Kathy and all,

When is the Jensen/Dinosaur CBC this year?

Bruce

We're shooting for the last Saturday of the count period each year -
that makes it Jan. 3 this time around.  Hope you can make it!

Kathy

--- In northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com, "utahsagegrouch"
<dbruce@p...> wrote:
> Hi Kathy and all,
>
> When is the Jensen/Dinosaur CBC this year?
>
> Bruce

I copied this from Birdnet and posted it to this list in case anyone
here does not receive Birdnet!!



Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
11/12/03

The following birds were seen from the survey route on the refuge.
With ice forming in the bottoms most mornings, many birds have moved
off the refuge.  Only Leota and Johnson Bottoms have water.  Leota
is open to hunting and many birds have been pushed out of that area
as well.
Large concentrations of Canada geese, sandhill cranes, and mallards
(as well as elk and mule deer) still use the farm fields near the
refuge office early in the morning.

Mallard                 252
Gadwall             18
Northern pintail          32
Green-winged teal 125
Northern shoveler     6
Redhead               4
Ruddy duck          30
Common merganser    71
Red-breasted merg.          6
Canada goose            1,986
Tundra swan           2
Pied-billed grebe   18
Eared grebe           2
Western grebe               3
Great blue heron      6
American coot           246
Sandhill crane            56
Amer. avocet                2
Dowitcher             5
Ring-billed gull          36
Northern harrier           3
Amer. kestrel              1
Bald Eagle           2

Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

I rec'd permission from Diane to post these notices here, again in
case anyone on this list does not belong to Birdnet.


Brrr, after 5 days of below zero temperatures last week, almost all
the
migratory birds have moved off the refuge.  Only small pockets of open
water remain on the Green River.  But the antelope, mule deer and
occasional elk herd watching is still very good.

December 12, 2003
mallard                 8
common merganser  1
great blue heron  4
northern harrier        3
bald eagle        2
red-tailed hawk         1
rough-legged hawk 1
American kestrel  4


Diane Penttila
Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
Refuge Biologist
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
12/16/03

With most of the Green River frozen and all the impoundments frozen,
very
few birds are around.  The following was seen within the survey
route:

Canada geese  517
Mallard        2
Northern harrier     2
Coopers hawk         1
Bald eagle             3
Red-tailed hawk   2
Great blue heron  1

other animals of interest:  otters  2

Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Dinosaur/Jensen Christmas
Bird Count will be Jan. 3, a week from today.  Meet at the welcome
center/rest stop on Hwy 40 in Jensen at 0730.  Bring a lunch, snacks,
something to drink, and of course binocs and whatever other birding
gear you like to use.  Dress for cold weather - although much of the
count circle can be birded from roads, there will be lots of standing
outside the car scanning for birds (which can get pretty chilly).
There will also be some short walks/hikes, so wear warm, comfortable
boots.

You are welcome to join us for a half or whole day, but I do ask that
  everyone who wants to participate start right at 0730, so I can give
instructions and spread people out evenly over the count circle.

Hope to see you there!

Kathy

Meant to CC this to the NE Utah birding group but sent it from the wrong
email account.  I think/hope it will go thru now -



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-birdtalk@... [mailto:owner-birdtalk@...]
On Behalf Of Kathy Paulin
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 8:54 AM
To: birdtalk@...; northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
Cc: 'Denise or Jon Hughes'; tasmith@...; smf@...
Subject: [BirdTalk] Dino-Jensen CBC results



We had 5 intrepid birders show up for the Dinosaur NM-Jensen CBC last
Saturday, despite a snowstorm that lasted most of the morning.  The
weather cleared up before lunch and gave us a beautiful day to finish
the count.  One new species was seen for this circle - a northern
mockingbird at Stewart Lake Waterfowl Mgmt area.  I had a Harris's
sparrow at my feeder the week of the count, but couldn't find one inside
the circle.  Ditto for a couple great horned owls that had been hanging
around Jensen, but hid themselves as soon as the count started.  Still,
we did slightly better than average with 38 species and 3138 individuals
(mostly thanks to a huge flock of geese seen in fields along the Green
River).  The complete species list is given below.



Kathy



Canada goose               1200

Mallard                          54

Blue-winged teal            13

Common goldeneye       2

Bufflehead                     4

Common merganser       1

Bald eagle                     12  (7 adult, 2 juvenile, 3 unspecified)

Northern harrier              6

Red-tailed hawk             4

Rough-legged hawk        3

Golden eagle                 4

American kestrel            7

Prairie falcon                 2

Ring-necked pheasant    4

Sandhill crane                125 (feeding with the geese)

Rock Dove                     133

Northern flicker              10 (all red-shafted)

Northern shrike              1

Say's phoebe                1

Horned lark                    333

Western scrub jay          1

Black-billed magpie        62

Common raven               4

Mountain bluebird           15

American robin              33

Northern mockingbird     1

Cedar waxwing              30

European starling           551

Am. Tree sparrow           7

Song sparrow                26

WC sparrow                  20

Dark-eyed junco             91

RW blackbird                 5

Western meadowlark      67

Cassin's finch                8

House finch                   122

American goldfinch         21

House sparrow               155





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The GBBC is coming up this coming weekend.  It takes place Friday,
Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  It's a ton of fun.  Work with some
pals or by yourself.

See details at  http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

Happy Birding,

Myke Weber

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
2/10/04

Temperature at 7:30 am: -12.  We don't care how cold it gets as long as it
keeps snowing to give us relief from the drought (I use 'we' rather
loosely).  The last snowfall pushed some geese back out and the elk moved
off somewhere too.  The following birds were seen within the survey route:

Canada geese            250
Mallard                     4
Bald eagle                  7
Rough-legged hawk           2
Northern harrier            1
American kestrel      1
Red-tailed hawk       1
Golden eagle                1


Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
2/24/04

The river has started to thaw some but still not drawing much in.  Many of
the roads on the east side are impassable.   The following birds were seen
within the survey route that was accessible:

Canada geese            100
Great blue heron       1
Bald eagle                 11
Northern harrier             2
American kestrel       2



Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
3/8/04

Impoundments that have water are still frozen but the Green River is
starting to open.  Shallow ditches that had water remaining over the winter
experienced a carp kill and attracted some bald eagles.   The following
birds were seen within the survey route that was accessible:

Canada geese            307
Mallard                   60
Gadwall             11
Northern shoveler    3
American wigeon      2
Northern pintail          26
Green-winged teal  165
Cinnamon teal                2
Common merganser     14
Bufflehead             5
Ring-necked duck       2
Great blue heron       1
Bald eagle                 45
Merlin                       1
American kestrel       1
Rough-legged hawk      1
Great horned owl       1
Killdeer                     2


Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

A great opportunity for schools.  Pass this on to anyone you think might
be interested.

Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Refuge Biologist

----- Forwarded by Diane Penttila/R6/FWS/DOI on 03/12/2004 11:34 AM -----


Shannon Heath
03/12/2004 11:12 AM

         To:     FW6 RW Benton Lake NWR, FW6 RW Bowdoin NWR, FW6 RW CMRF,
FW6 RW CMRJ, FW6 RW CMRS, FW6 RW Lee Metcalf NWR, FW6 RW Medicine Lake
NWR, FW6 RW Nat'l Bison Range NWR, FW6 RW Red Rock Lakes NWR, Ray
Washtak/R6/FWS/DOI@FWS, FW6 FR Bozeman FHC, FW6 FR Bozeman FTC, FW6 FR
Creston NFH, FW6 FR Ennis NFH, FW6 FR Montana FWMAO, FW6 RW Nat'l Elk
Refuge, FW6 RW Seedskadee NWR, FW6 RW Fish Springs NWR, FW6 RW Bear River,
FW6 RW Ouray NWR
         cc:
         Subject:        [fws-outreach] A Shorebird Identification Distance
Learning Event!!  FREE (Please pass this along)

FYI

----- Forwarded by Shannon Heath/R6/FWS/DOI on 03/12/04 10:58 AM -----


Don't Expand


Heather_Johnson@...
Sent by: fws-outreach@...
03/10/2004 09:12 AM
Please respond to fws-outreach


         To:     fws-outreach@...
         cc:
         Subject:        [fws-outreach] A Shorebird Identification Distance
Learning Event!!  FREE (Please pass this along)



Shorebird Sister Schools is hosting a new Distance Learning
event/eFieldTrip geared toward grades 4-10.  It will teach students how to
identify 27 of the most common shorebirds found along the Pacific Flyway.
The eFieldTrip is free and will be available April 12.  There will be two
"interactive" sections: Ask the Expert on April 27-28 and a Live Web Chat
on the 29th. This should work well for folks interested in new activities
for IMBD, nature centers, home schoolers, and classrooms!  Best of all,
the basic info (minus the interactive sections) will be available online
through August, so kids can refresh their memories for the fall migration.
  Please share this announcement with anyone who would be interested in
learning more about shorebirds of the Pacific Flyway.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

How does one participate?  I've visited the FWS Shorebird Sister Schools site
and looked up "Distance Learning" but there is no information about the upcoming
events.

Thom Benedict
Education Director
HawkWatch International
1800 South West Temple, #226
Salt Lake City, UT  84115
801-484-6808 x111
801-484-6810 (fax)
tbenedict@...
www.hawkwatch.org

"Eyes to the Skies"
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: diane_penttila@...
   To: birdnet@... ; northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 11:36 AM
   Subject: [Northeastern Utah Birding] Fw: [fws-outreach] A Shorebird
Identification Distance Learning Event!! FREE (Please pass this along)


   A great opportunity for schools.  Pass this on to anyone you think might
   be interested.

   Diane Penttila
   Ouray NWR
   Refuge Biologist

   ----- Forwarded by Diane Penttila/R6/FWS/DOI on 03/12/2004 11:34 AM -----


   Shannon Heath
   03/12/2004 11:12 AM

           To:     FW6 RW Benton Lake NWR, FW6 RW Bowdoin NWR, FW6 RW CMRF,
   FW6 RW CMRJ, FW6 RW CMRS, FW6 RW Lee Metcalf NWR, FW6 RW Medicine Lake
   NWR, FW6 RW Nat'l Bison Range NWR, FW6 RW Red Rock Lakes NWR, Ray
   Washtak/R6/FWS/DOI@FWS, FW6 FR Bozeman FHC, FW6 FR Bozeman FTC, FW6 FR
   Creston NFH, FW6 FR Ennis NFH, FW6 FR Montana FWMAO, FW6 RW Nat'l Elk
   Refuge, FW6 RW Seedskadee NWR, FW6 RW Fish Springs NWR, FW6 RW Bear River,
   FW6 RW Ouray NWR
           cc:
           Subject:        [fws-outreach] A Shorebird Identification Distance
   Learning Event!!  FREE (Please pass this along)

   FYI

   ----- Forwarded by Shannon Heath/R6/FWS/DOI on 03/12/04 10:58 AM -----


   Don't Expand


   Heather_Johnson@...
   Sent by: fws-outreach@...
   03/10/2004 09:12 AM
   Please respond to fws-outreach


           To:     fws-outreach@...
           cc:
           Subject:        [fws-outreach] A Shorebird Identification Distance
   Learning Event!!  FREE (Please pass this along)



   Shorebird Sister Schools is hosting a new Distance Learning
   event/eFieldTrip geared toward grades 4-10.  It will teach students how to
   identify 27 of the most common shorebirds found along the Pacific Flyway.
   The eFieldTrip is free and will be available April 12.  There will be two
   "interactive" sections: Ask the Expert on April 27-28 and a Live Web Chat
   on the 29th. This should work well for folks interested in new activities
   for IMBD, nature centers, home schoolers, and classrooms!  Best of all,
   the basic info (minus the interactive sections) will be available online
   through August, so kids can refresh their memories for the fall migration.
   Please share this announcement with anyone who would be interested in
   learning more about shorebirds of the Pacific Flyway.






   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/northeasternutahbirding/

     b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     northeasternutahbirding-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

     c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
3/22/04

With the warm temperatures, all ice is off the River and impoundments.  We
have also started putting water into our shallow wetlands along the auto
tour route and the birds are responding.   The following birds were seen
within the survey route:

Canada geese            109
Mallard                  277
Gadwall          224
Northern shoveler          29
American wigeon    18
Northern pintail                 469
Green-winged teal        764
Cinnamon teal               33
Common merganser            58
Bufflehead                  10
Ring-necked duck            45
Scaup                       30
Redhead             22
Ruddy duck                   3
American coot              250
Pied-billed grebe              3
Western grebe                  1
Great blue heron             21
D.c. cormorant               25
Killdeer                               1
Lesser yellowlegs              1
Golden eagle                   2
American kestrel               1
Red-tailed hawk        1
Northern harrier                       1
Ring-billed gull                     20
Franklin's gull                1


Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
4/7/04

We were able to flood our shallow impoundments off the Auto Tour Route and
there is water remaining in Leota Bottom and Johnson Bottom from last
year, but we are worried that we will not get sufficient spring flooding
to flood Sheppard Bottom and recharge the other areas.  The following
birds were seen within the survey route:

Canada geese              41
Mallard                   95
Gadwall          248
Northern shoveler        179
American wigeon    22
Northern pintail                  201
Green-winged teal         706
Cinnamon teal               80
Blue-winged teal              1
Common merganser            25
Bufflehead                    6
Ring-necked duck          138
Scaup                       79
Redhead                     94
Ruddy duck                  13
American coot             854
Pied-billed grebe           11
Western grebe                 4
Clark's grebe                 2
Great blue heron            91
D.C. cormorant            118
American white pelican      18
Sandhill crane                1
Killdeer                              8
American Avocet     16
Black-necked stilt            6
Northern harrier                      4
American kestrel              4
Red-tailed hawk       3
Great horned owl              1
Ring-billed gull                    38
Bonaparte's gull              4


Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
4/19/04

Hoping the River will come up soon and flood our wetlands.  The following
birds were seen within the survey route:

Canada geese              46
Mallard                  101
Gadwall          305
Northern shoveler        183
American wigeon      6
Northern pintail                  166
Green-winged teal         357
Cinnamon teal               79
Common merganser            24
Bufflehead                    8
Ring-necked duck            88
Scaup                       86
Redhead                    131
Ruddy duck                  13
goldeneye                     2
American coot             705
Pied-billed grebe           11
Western grebe               15
Clark's grebe                 2
Horned grebe                  2
Eared grebe                   3
Great blue heron            60
Great egret                   4
Snowy egret                   5
Cattle egret                  2
D.C. cormorant            173
American white pelican    279
White-faced ibis            16
Killdeer                              6
American Avocet     24
Black-necked stilt          29
Marbled godwit                2
Lesser yellowlegs             5
Northern harrier                      3
American kestrel              7
Red-tailed hawk       2
Great horned owl              1
Swainson's hawk       1
Peregrine falcon              1
Osprey                        1
Turkey vulture                3
Ring-billed gull                    22
Bonaparte's gull              5
Herring gull                  1


Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge will celebrate International Migratory Bird
Day by hosting its 10th Annual Open House event on Saturday, May 8, 2004.
This event will include activity stations for children of all ages and fun
for the entire family.  Stations include:  wetland insect identification,
wetland bird identification, live hawks, Refuge System information,
invasive weed identification, build a bird house, prescribed fire
information, live endangered fish, and live game birds.  This event
provides an opportunity for boy scouts to earn the Ouray NWR patch by
participating in the open house.  The event begins at 7:30 am and
continues until 1:00 pm.

This event is a cooperative effort and will include personnel from other
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs, the Uintah County Mosquito
Abatement District, HawkWatch International, Bureau of Land Management and
support from local volunteers.

International Migratory Bird Day is an annual event focusing attention on
migratory birds that travel between wintering grounds in Mexico, South and
Central America, the Caribbean and nesting habitats in North America.  It
is an opportunity to celebrate and support migratory bird conservation.
Migratory birds have been the cause or catalyst for some very significant
moments in conservation history, including the creation of the National
Wildlife Refuge System.  Today the National Wildlife Refuge System
encompasses more than 540 refuges including Ouray, which was established
in 1960 "for use as an inviolate sanctuary or for any other management
purpose for migratory birds".

For additional information on the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge Open
House, contact Dan Alonso, Refuge Manager at (435)545-2522.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I let the results simmer for a while to make sure no one sneaked a
new report in on us like last year.  It looks like we actually lead
the state in the number of species reported.  I think that's a
nice "feather" in our cap.  It represents a fine group of dedicated
birders and tickles me to death.  Vernal reported 47 species this
year which is quite an accomplishment.  Way to go!

Thanks,

Myke

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
5/4/04

REMINDER:  Our Open House is this Saturday, 7:30 am - 1:00 pm.  Lots of
fun things for the whole family.  Lots of birds arriving, so many
distractions on this survey it was hard to keep focused.  So many
distractions I listed them all at the bottom.  Upland flowers are starting
to bloom also.
  The following birds were seen within the survey route:

Canada geese             55 (first goose brood seen April 27)
Mallard                  86
Gadwall         425
Northern shoveler        35
American wigeon    3
Northern pintail                 49
Green-winged teal        63
Cinnamon teal            71
Blue-winged teal           9
Common merganser         19
Bufflehead                 3
Ring-necked duck         18
Scaup                    19
Redhead                  46
Ruddy duck               40
American coot           549
Pied-billed grebe           8
Western grebe            56
Clark's grebe            17
Horned grebe               1
Eared grebe              13
Great blue heron         48  (including 4 colonies)
Great egret                1
Snowy egret                2
B-C night heron            4
D.C. cormorant          122
American white pelican  413
White-faced ibis          67
Killdeer                         14
American Avocet  64
Black-necked stilt       33
Marbled godwit           12
Lesser yellowlegs        33
Semi-palmated plover       3
Dowitchers spp.          27
Wilson's phalarope       49
Western sandpiper          9
Least sandpiper    8
Willet                     4
Black-bellied plover       1
American kestrel           5
Turkey vulture             1
Ring-billed gull                 37
Bonaparte's gull           1
Forster's tern           47
Caspian tern               2

The distractions:  red-winged blackbird, yellow-headed blackbird, western
meadowlark, mourning dove, spotted towhee, Bullock's Oriole, American
robin, western kingbird, yellow-rumped warbler, house wren, American
goldfinch, northern flicker, black-billed magpie, starling, ring-necked
pheasant, lark sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, chipping sparrow, Say's
phoebe, northern rough-winged swallow, tree swallow, cliff swallow (in a
very active colony), mountain bluebird, Plumbeous vireo

Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Debra and I live in Mountain Home, Utah and have been feeding the
birds for some time now.  We have the usual assortment of Jays,
Finches, hawks, Titmouse(mice), Juncos, doves, blue birds, humming
birds, chickadees, etc.

This morning we saw a Finch sized bird that had a bright blue head
and back, grey body with distinctive black markings on the wings and
a salmon colored breast.

Can anyone out there tell us what we saw.  We've the bird book for
this area but it doesn't have the little critter as described above.

Thank you,


Wayne & Deb Wickizer

Western Bluebird?

> From: "waynewickizer" <wwick@...>
> Reply-To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Sat, 08 May 2004 14:42:26 -0000
> To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Northeastern Utah Birding] Help with identification
>
> Debra and I live in Mountain Home, Utah and have been feeding the
> birds for some time now.  We have the usual assortment of Jays,
> Finches, hawks, Titmouse(mice), Juncos, doves, blue birds, humming
> birds, chickadees, etc.
>
> This morning we saw a Finch sized bird that had a bright blue head
> and back, grey body with distinctive black markings on the wings and
> a salmon colored breast.
>
> Can anyone out there tell us what we saw.  We've the bird book for
> this area but it doesn't have the little critter as described above.
>
> Thank you,
>
>
> Wayne & Deb Wickizer
>

We don't think so.  The salmon colored breast was too distinctive in
its demarcation from the blue head.


--- In northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com, Steve Christensen
<soitgos@e...> wrote:
> Western Bluebird?
>
> > From: "waynewickizer" <wwick@u...>
> > Reply-To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
> > Date: Sat, 08 May 2004 14:42:26 -0000
> > To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [Northeastern Utah Birding] Help with identification
> >
> > Debra and I live in Mountain Home, Utah and have been feeding the
> > birds for some time now.  We have the usual assortment of Jays,
> > Finches, hawks, Titmouse(mice), Juncos, doves, blue birds,
humming
> > birds, chickadees, etc.
> >
> > This morning we saw a Finch sized bird that had a bright blue
head
> > and back, grey body with distinctive black markings on the wings
and
> > a salmon colored breast.
> >
> > Can anyone out there tell us what we saw.  We've the bird book
for
> > this area but it doesn't have the little critter as described
above.
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> >
> > Wayne & Deb Wickizer
> >

My guess from what you describe is a Lazuli Bunting.  What do ya say folks?

Welcome to the group.  Please feel free to participate all you like.

Warmest regards and happy birding,

Myke
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: waynewickizer
   To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 8:42 AM
   Subject: [Northeastern Utah Birding] Help with identification


   Debra and I live in Mountain Home, Utah and have been feeding the
   birds for some time now.  We have the usual assortment of Jays,
   Finches, hawks, Titmouse(mice), Juncos, doves, blue birds, humming
   birds, chickadees, etc.

   This morning we saw a Finch sized bird that had a bright blue head
   and back, grey body with distinctive black markings on the wings and
   a salmon colored breast.

   Can anyone out there tell us what we saw.  We've the bird book for
   this area but it doesn't have the little critter as described above.

   Thank you,


   Wayne & Deb Wickizer


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Myke,

Thank you for the "lead" regarding Lazuli Bunting.  You were right on
target.  That's the bird we saw and we'll be looking for more.  What a
beautiful little critter.

Thanks, as well, for the "welcome to the group."

Wayne & Debra Wickizer, Mountain Home, Utah.



-----Original Message-----
From: Myke Weber [mailto:myke@...]
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 12:17 PM
To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Northeastern Utah Birding] Help with identification


My guess from what you describe is a Lazuli Bunting.  What do ya say folks?

Welcome to the group.  Please feel free to participate all you like.

Warmest regards and happy birding,

Myke
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: waynewickizer
   To: northeasternutahbirding@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 8:42 AM
   Subject: [Northeastern Utah Birding] Help with identification


   Debra and I live in Mountain Home, Utah and have been feeding the
   birds for some time now.  We have the usual assortment of Jays,
   Finches, hawks, Titmouse(mice), Juncos, doves, blue birds, humming
   birds, chickadees, etc.

   This morning we saw a Finch sized bird that had a bright blue head
   and back, grey body with distinctive black markings on the wings and
   a salmon colored breast.

   Can anyone out there tell us what we saw.  We've the bird book for
   this area but it doesn't have the little critter as described above.

   Thank you,


   Wayne & Deb Wickizer


         Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
               ADVERTISEMENT





----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
   Yahoo! Groups Links

     a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/northeasternutahbirding/

     b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     northeasternutahbirding-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

     c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





Yahoo! Groups Links

First off, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mothers and grandmothers!!!
Due to family commitments, we missed out on going to St. George with
the SL Birders and the Utah County Birders.  But, at the last minute,
our plans changed, and rather than moping around the house the whole
weekend (after all it is Mother's Day and my 29th birthday today), we
decided to go to the Ouray NWR Open House.  While we weren't
fortunate enough to locate a Bronzed Cowbird (I did see one 2 weeks
ago at the Yuma Bird Festival), we had a great time and saw some good
birds.
We did not get to Ouray NWR until 11:00AM on Saturday, not exactly
prime time for birding, but still managed to see 43 species by
1:00PM.  Thanks to Dan, his daughter Danielle, Susanne, Kip, the
2 "waterbug" guys, and the rest of the staff that made it an
enjoyable outing!!!
In the first pond after the information kiosk were about 20 Long
Billed Dowitchers.  These were accompanied by Blue Winged Teal,
Cinnamon Teal, American Widgeon, and Redheads, which made for a
colorful combination!
At the station where there was a demonstration of "mist netting" was
a House Wren trying his best to imitate a Brown Creeper—Fly up the
tree and crawl back down, then repeat the process over and over.  I
also saw a nesting Bullock's Oriole, and several Yellow Warblers
serenaded us with their high pitched song.
At Leota Bottoms we saw (and later heard) a couple of Bitterns.
There was also a Common Yellowthroat, many Forster's Terns, and a
male Ruddy Duck sporting his best spring attire.
This morning I went to the Oxbow south of Vernal (see utahbirds.org
website for directions).  Near the Green River I was lucky to see a
beautiful Yellow Breasted Chat that was singing, calling, clucking,
chortling, and chatting for all he was worth!  The yellow on this
chat was as bright and vivid as I remember ever seeing on a bird!  I
was also fortunate to see a Great Horned Owl, several Black Headed
Grosbeaks, Spotted Towhees, and a Spotted Sandpiper.
Yep, it was a great weekend of birding!!!

Ain't Birding Great!!
Bruce

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
General Waterbird Survey
5/24/04

  Upland flowers are in full bloom.  Quite a site to see.  The following
birds were seen within the survey route:

Canada geese            187
Mallard                 147
Gadwall         296
Northern shoveler         18
American wigeon     8
Northern pintail                 18
Green-winged teal          8
Cinnamon teal            38
Blue-winged teal           2
Ring-necked duck           2
Scaup                      5
Redhead                 120
Ruddy duck                44
American coot           212
Pied-billed grebe         16
Western grebe             47
Clark's grebe              6
Eared grebe              52
Sandhill crane             4
Great blue heron         38  (including 4 colonies)
Snowy egret                5
Cattle egret               1
B-C night heron           20
D.C. cormorant            76
American white pelican  104
White-faced ibis          14
American bittern            7
Killdeer                           4
American Avocet  23
Black-necked stilt       27
Wilson's phalarope         7
Spotted sandpiper          3
Northern harrier                   1
American kestrel           2
Ring-billed gull                   5
Forster's tern            11
Black tern                16


Diane Penttila
Ouray NWR
Randlett, UT
(435)545-2522 x 223
diane_penttila@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Once more I come to the northeasternutahbirding for help in
identifying this little bird.

It's bigger than a finch, but not as big as a robbin.  It has robin
like coloring on its breast (a bit lighter almost orange) with this
coloring extending up its sides (somewhat).  There is some white in
its wing feathers and his back is black.  His tail is rather longish
and he uses it quite readily for balance.  He has a mate whose
coloring is much lighter.

Anyone know this little fellow and his wife?

Wayne L. Wickizer
wwick@...