Cooper's Hawks to Kinglets Along Squaw Peak Road

I enjoyed a 24-mile (round-trip) drive along Squaw Peak Road Saturday morning. I coincidentally met up with my outdoor friend Eric Huish as he was standing on a knoll near the beginning of Squaw Peak Road. He was there just before sunrise hoping to see Black Swifts flying in or out of Provo Canyon. He was not successful in that endeavor so he decided to jump into my truck to join me on a rough mountain ride in search of birds and other wildlife about 6000 feet above the city of Provo, Utah.

We started our drive in the foothills just above the mouth of Provo Canyon and made our turn back about twelve slow miles later after enjoying a distant view of Provo Bay on the east side of Utah Lake. We had Provo Peak behind us, Buckley Mountain to south (left in the image) and Y Mountain slightly to the northwest of us when I captured this image.

View Toward Provo Bay From Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Eric was hoping to see migrant Townsend's and Nashville Warblers during our drive. I was hoping to see some raptors after having watched hummingbirds at my yard feeders for several weeks. We both had our fingers crossed and eyes peeled for elusive Northern Goshawks. We both experienced some success with our hopes and a few pleasant surprises during our mountain drive.

Our strategy for the slow drive along the rocky dirt road was to stop whenever we heard or saw small flocks of birds moving along the road or in bordering tree lines and meadows. One of our first stops allowed us to hear and observe the slight differences between Downy and Hairy Woodpecker calls. We heard their calls before we saw either of them. I enjoyed following a female Hairy Woodpecker as she pecked and foraged along the trunks and main branches of several trees. I captured three images as she was uncovering and "downing" a larva of some sort.

Female Hairy Woodpecker Chipping Away Bark in Search of Food Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Female Hairy Woodpecker Extracting Food From Beneath Bark Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Female Hairy Woodpecker With Extracted Larva Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

We soon found one of our target warblers, a male Wilson's Warbler, during a short walk around an area of dense vegetation.

Migrant Wilson's Warbler Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

As we were observing birds in the area of the Wilson's Warbler a truck with a man and his wife stopped to tell us they were sure bears were moving through the woods just ahead of us. They had been camping the night before and decided to move from the tent into the truck for the night. They had heard what they thought were bears again in the morning and decided to leave the area. Eric and I drove to see if we could observe large mammals in the area. We heard them, but we were unable to get a visual. The trees and vegetation were too thick in the direction of the sounds. After ending a brief search for the mystery animal I captured images of one of dozens of Red-breasted Nuthatches heard and seen along the road.

One of Dozens of Red-breasted Nuthatches Among Fir Trees Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

The first of our surprise experiences for the day came when we heard the calls of Golden-crowned Kinglets. We exited the truck and were able to see about six of these uniquely marked little birds. These kinglets are typically found in mountain conifers. They are about 4 inches long and seem to be somewhat nomadic as they forage in small groups.

The Golden Crown of a Golden-crowned Kinglet Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

This image shows a bit of the reddish feathers often hidden below the golden crown. I noticed one bird flaring his crown so it almost looked orange with the mix of yellow and red.

Golden-crowned Kinglet Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

The next surprise of the day and a highlight for me was when we were about to leave an area and I suggested we spend just a few more minutes. I heard a raptor scream and wasn't sure if it was an accipiter (a group of long-tailed hawks) or a more common Red-tailed Hawk. Moments later Eric and I were both scratching our heads when it seemed we were hearing several screams coming from a mixed stand of Aspens and Conifers. We were hopeful that we were hearing juvenile Northern Goshawk's giving their begging calls, but after it appeared we were hearing the calls coming from three separate birds I began to wonder if Steller's Jay's were imitating hawks. Both of us had experienced that while birding in the mountains before. A moment later the screams moved closer to the edge of the tree line. In a flash a juvenile Cooper's Hawk flew out of the woods and slightly up the hill from us. It moved to a tree just down the road from us and gave me the opportunity to capture this silhouette of one my my favorite hawks.

Silhouette of Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

I used exposure compensation on the spot and then Picasa when I returned home to reveal a colored version of the same image as above.

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

The surprises continued when the second and third juvenile Cooper's Hawks came out of obscurity and into the meadow around us and the sky above us.  We suspect that these three juveniles were siblings and were giving their begging calls to locate one another among the woods. Perhaps there were adults in the area that the juveniles were calling.

The auto focus feature of my Nikon D7100 is a two-edged sword at times like this. It works very well ,but sometimes the frame is so busy the camera locks focus on the larger objects in the background rather than a small moving target in the foreground. These images have been cropped so the bird looks much larger than when I was trying to lock my center focus area on the flying hawk. The first images shows how the focus locked onto the trees in the background rather than the bird. However, I continued to track the bird as it flew to areas with less busy backgrounds. Once I locked onto the bird in flight I was able to maintain it despite trees and mountains reappearing in the background.

I usually don't share poor images, but I like the experience of following this bird out of the trees and into the sky where the target for the focus became more obvious. It shows the reality of digital photography, both good and bad.  I also like capturing the bird mid-scream in a couple of images.

Out of Focus Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Just Before Auto Focus Kicks In Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Preparing to Scream Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Screaming Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Screaming Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Screaming Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

This is an image of the third juvenile Cooper's Hawk found along Squaw Peak Road.

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

After all the excitement with three active Cooper's Hawks we were still enjoyed discovering one more of our target birds for the day, a Townsend's Warbler. It's common to see these Warblers in our mountains as they migrate south for the winter.

Townsend's Solitaire Along Squaw Peak Road in Utah County, UT

I love living in Utah. The mountains, canyons, lakes, rivers, deserts, and the creatures that call them home provide a great deal of variety close to home. Spring is beautiful and full of new life among plants, people, and animals. Summer brings long days and more time to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. Fall brings new color to the mountains outside our windows. Winter brings snow cover to the mountains and a new group of raptors that are much easier to spot and photograph than tiny birds among dense foliage.