BlueRavenBirders

Sunday Sept 9, 2018

I woke up really early in the morning. I had planned detouring around the Cedar Breaks road in search of birds, but changed my plan. I wanted to get home. The early departure meant that I was nearing my favorite bird refuge just after noon. There are always birds at the refuge. I couldn’t resist. Besides I wanted to see how the battle with the phragmites was progressing.

1 Northern harriers
2 American white pelicans

American white pelican swallowing his fish

3 Red tailed hawks
4 Double crested cormorants

Double crested cormorant

5 Cliff swallows
6 Brewer’s blackbirds
7 Vesper sparrows

A small sparrow (probably vesper) landed near one of the sunflowers. By the time I had the focus on the flower the bird had flown. I like the picture even without the bird.

8 Barn swallows
9 Red winged blackbirds
10 Snowy egrets

Snowy egret

I watched a cute little Long tailed weasel chase after my car then dive down this crack. I sat and waited. I set my camera into full automatic on the hopes that the rascal would reappear.

I was so happy when I spotted him scampering again. He moved so fast it was very difficult to get any kind of photo. I’m just sad that it isn’t in as good of focus as I could wish.

11 Turkey vultures
12 Common ravens

Here are the Angus cows eating the invasive phragmites.

13 White faced ibis
14 Tree swallows
15 American avocets

American avocet

16 Cinnamon teals
17 Northern shovelers
18 American coots

The lonely large pond of waterfowl

19 Western grebes
20 Clark’s grebes

There were a lot of almost full size grebes chasing after their parents begging for food. Sometimes it worked.

Clark’s grebes

21 Great egrets
22 Great blue herons

Solitary Great blue heron

23 Franklin’s gulls
24 American avocets

Low desert shrubs

I had one other mammal encounter. A raccoon scooted out of the reeds onto the road. It noticed my car and scampered back out of sight. Very cool.

Even with this long detour I manged to get home by 3:00 p.m. YAY

– Jenny