Making Plans

While the birds may be heading south now, I'm already making plans for their return next spring: specifically, I'm on the planning committee for the 2010 Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, which will be May 13-17, 2010, right in the midst of spring migration. The festival will include numerous workshops, bird-related vendors and artwork, expert guest speakers, and dozens of field trips to prime birding locations in northern Utah, including some of my favorites -- Antelope Island, Farmington Bay, and more. The spotlight bird is the burrowing owl, a western owl with long legs, bright eyes, and a mild disposition.

If you'd like to learn more about the Festival, there will be an information booth this Saturday (10/10) at the Wild Bird Center in Layton, as part of the store's ninth anniversary celebration. There will also be live birds of prey, Audubon chapters, prize giveaways, and more. I will be manning the information booth from 10 a.m. until noon, but it will be there in the afternoon as well with other members of the planning committee. If you've never attended a bird festival and would like to know what one is all about, please do stop by!

A Reason to Celebrate

A festival is, by definition, a celebration, and I certainly have reason to celebrate after last weekend's Great Salt Lake Bird Festival. I participated in a trio of amazing field trips -- one to a large, local pond that featured a great blue heron rookery, another to a private duck club (a birding destination not available to the general public except during these special events), and a third as a marathon sprint around desert and mountainous habitats. All told, I saw well over 100 species during the three trips and cumulative thirteen hours of birding, an outstanding 25 of which were new to my life list. My new life birds are...

• Western Kingbird
• Marsh Wren
• Snowy Egret
• Forster's Tern
• Western Grebe (pictured, top)
• Cliff Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Long Billed Curlew
• Willet
• Common Yellowthroat
• Snowy Plover (the festival's target bird)
• Bobolink
• White Faced Ibis
• Blue Winged Teal
• Osprey (nesting)
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Wilson's Phalarope
• Red Breasted Merganser
• Ash Throated Flycatcher
• Eastern Kingbird
• Juniper Titmouse
• Black Throated Gray Warbler
• Yellow Breasted Chat
• Green Tailed Towhee
• Brewer's Sparrow

It is amazing to see the tremendous variety of bird species that can be found locally, as well as the diversity of habitats. During the thirteen hours of birding spread across three consecutive days, I visited riparian habitats, deserts, juniper and pinyon pine forests, elevated forests, wetlands, salt marshes, ponds, and grasslands. In each place the birds thrive, all cleverly adapted to their unique niches.

It is also amazing to see the diversity in different species' behavior and personalities. The yellow breasted chat, for example, is secretive and shy, while the juniper titmouse is an inquisitive and perky bird, boldly flitting around even a large group of birders. Some water fowl and shorebirds, such as the snowy egret, are comfortable in communities, while others, like the western grebe, are more solitary, even while they both share the same pond.

Of course, these are not the only birds I saw during the festival. I was also thrilled to spot other beautiful birds such as the yellow headed blackbird, lazuli bunting, cinnamon teal, American avocet, and golden eagle, along with dozens of other species. Yet despite all of this birding success, I know I missed out by not participating in more field trips and taking better advantage of the available events. Perhaps next year I will enjoy the urban birding field trips to see Salt Lake City's peregrine falcons, or maybe a trip to more northern Utah birding destinations.

In the meantime, happy birding to all! Summer is nearly here, eggs are hatching, and feeders are getting emptied more quickly. Time to make your own birding festival right in your backyard!

Dumpster Diving Siskins

In the midst of replacing feeders for the new landscaping (not quite finished yet - one project to go before I unveil the "after" pictures), I've had the old feeders balanced precariously on a pole stuffed into a trash can of discarded sod. The birds haven't minded, and for the past two weeks I've been treated to the frugal and unfinicky behavior of my dumpster diving pine siskins, who have thought nothing of hopping onto the sod pile to take advantage of the spilled seed -- both nyger and black oil sunflower.

Unfortunately for the eager and undiscriminating birds, that trash can is now gone, and none too soon as rotting sod after rainy days is none too pleasant to have in the backyard. Still, some of the new feeders have been placed and they're getting a mildly welcome reception from the house finches, pine siskins, American goldfinches, and lesser goldfinches. A couple of modifications to the birdbath have been enthusiastically received by all, and other parts of the new landscaping are equally popular. I'm currently waiting on some parts before erecting the remaining new feeders, and I should have that phase of the project complete within the next two to three weeks.

The transformations to the yard have been outstanding, and I couldn't be happier with the work. That one last piece keeps getting delayed (twice already this week, perhaps it will be done tomorrow or perhaps on Monday) is frustrating, but it's a minor part of the overall work.

Frankly, I'm glad that May is nearly here - April has been too frenetic, work-wise, for me to spend as much time birding as I'd like. The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is coming May 14-18, during which time I'll participate in three field trips, as possibly more as I consider the schedule. This year's spotlight bird is the snowy plover, which I'm very much hoping to add to my life list during the festival.

Spring is a beautiful time for birding, and I hope that everyone -- myself included -- can slow down to appreciate the birds that share this season in our backyards.