Welcoming 2011

When this first day of the new year dawned bright, cold, and clear, I could think of no better way to welcome 2011 than with a birding walk. My husband and I headed down to the Provo River trailhead near Utah Lake, a stretch we've walked several times in the past couple of weeks, but every walk is a surprise. This morning's birding was among the best I've had there in the past weeks, and twenty fun and fantastic species joined me in the new year.

• Song Sparrow
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Black-Billed Magpie
• Northern Flicker
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Mountain Chickadee
• Dark-Eyed Junco
• Downy Woodpecker
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Brown Creeper
• House Finch
• American Goldfinch
• Mallard
• Spotted Towhee
• Common Goldeneye
• American Coot
• Great Blue Heron
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• American Kestrel
• Bald Eagle

What a wonderful turnout, despite no new lifers. I had particularly good views of many of the songbirds, including the brown creeper and ruby-crowned kinglet, and the bald eagle was a juvenile roosting in the same trees where we saw two adults earlier in the week. This is deservedly one of my favorite birding spots, and each time I visit I'm always hopeful for even more avian friends. With a bit of birding luck, the new year will bring even more species along this and my other favorite birding walks.

To all of you, best wishes for a very happy, very birdy new year.