Birding Tabby Mountain and Mirror Lake Campground

A beautiful day was just beginning when Eric Peterson and I set out for a two-hour drive from Pleasant Grove to Tabiona, Utah yesterday. Our original plans were to observe and photograph a variety of hummingbirds visiting feeders at the cabins of people we know on Tabby Mountain. But as Eric shared in a Facebook post last night, we started with hummers and finished with a chase of Gray Jays and Nutcrackers. We returned home nearly 12 hours and 247 miles later having shared some unique birding experiences.

We arrived at the turn off to the gravel road leading up Tabby Mountain around 7:30. I stopped the truck once as we were making our way up the mountain to the cabins so we could watch some Least Chipmunks and a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel that were scurrying across and foraging on the road. My interest in finding and photographing mammals has increased recently so I wanted to capture a few images to study and share with others. Yesterday's Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel was the first one I'd ever photographed. One easy way to distinguish generally between ground squirrels and chipmunks is to note whether or not stripes are on the head and face. Ground Squirrels do not have stripes on their heads, but chipmunks do.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel on Tabby Mountain in Tabiona, UT

The first cabin we visited had three feeders that were being visited primarily by Black-chinned and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. The owners let us know about a hummingbird nest above their front porch. They said two babies were in the nest the day before, but one must have flown away. The owners were on their way out to do some fishing so we made sure to give them five pounds of sugar before they left. It was our thank-you for the pleasure of visiting their feeders. We still had three more five-pound bags to share with the other cabins we'd visit during the day.

Baby Black-chinned Hummingbird in Nest
Tabiona, UT

We weren't sure of the species at first, but we soon noticed a female Black-chinned Hummingbird that was protecting the area when other hummingbirds flew too close. The female would occasionally hover around and fly into an Aspen sapling just a few yards away from the nest. Eric investigated the sapling and found the second baby. It had just fledged. We watched as it made very short flights from the tree to a blade of grass, to the porch, and onto the tire of a truck parked in the yard just yards from the nest in which its life was given. What a contrast to see these short, stumbling, and awkward flights and then realize that within a matter of weeks this tiny bird will be buzzing swiftly and accurately from Utah to Mexico. That journey will take several weeks to complete. The image below shows it struggling to secure a perch on the stem of an Aspen leaf--seemingly hanging on for dear life. That act will be second nature in no time.

This Black-chinned Hummingbird just left its nest and is doing all it can to hold onto this Aspen leaf without falling
Tabiona, UT

I don't know if I'll ever see another hummingbird perch on a blade of grass so yesterday was a memorable experience with a hummingbird. It just goes to show how light these tiny birds really are. It's not a natural perch for a hummingbird, but when you are learning to fly you land as safely as possible where ever you can?

Recently Fledged Black-chinned Hummingbird Perched on a Blade of Grass
(Resting on the only place it could find while learning to fly)
Tabiona, UT

Recently Fledged Black-chinned Hummingbird with Eyelid Closed
(Perched on a blade of grass as it rests between very short flights)
Tabiona, UT

Recently Fledged Black-chinned Hummingbird
Resting on the porch between very short flights as it learns to fly
Tabiona, UT

Recently Fledged Black-chinned Hummingbird
Resting on a truck tire between some very short flights as it learns to fly
Tabiona, UT

Eric and I made brief visits to two other cabins to assess the activity of the birds. One of the owners suggested we visit a home a few miles away in Hanna. We followed our friend to that home and did some exploring. There were definitely hummingbirds, but I enjoyed seeing a few more fledgling birds. This time of year is filled with new life for birds and the babies are fun to watch as they learn their way around the new world. I heard the calls of Spotted Sandpipers coming from the stream behind the home so Eric and I made our way to the stream to discover a family with a mom, dad, and at least three siblings. The fledgling below still has some fine, black downy feathers clinging to the tip of its new tail.

Recently-fledged Spotted Sandpiper in Hannah, UT

Eric spent some time photographing hummingbirds while I explored the yard and observed recently fledged Green-tailed Towhees and Black-headed Grosbeaks. We eventually headed back up to Tabby Mountain to focus on some hummingbird photography. I spent a little time trying to capture Rufous Hummingbirds in flight, but I took advantage of one male that posed at the feeder. 

Male Rufous Hummingbird Tabiona, UT

Male Rufous Hummingbird Tabiona, UT

Female Rufous Hummingbird Tabiona, UT

Female Rufous Hummingbird Tabiona, UT

My assortment of hummingbird images from our visit two years ago was much more extensive. This year my attention was diverted to some of the other birds visiting feeders around the cabins. Cassin's Finches and White-breasted Nuthatches became the target for some of my attention.

Male Cassin's Finch in Tabiona, UT

Female Cassin's Finch in Tabiona, UT

Nuthatches are known for moving from top to bottom along the trunks and major branches of trees. This is a typical pose for these birds as they forage for bugs hiding beneath bark. They will also eat seeds as they find them.

White-breasted Nuthatch in Tabiona, UT

White-breasted Nuthatch in Tabiona, UT

It's a short clip, but I did capture some video of one Nuthatch. It shows a bit of the characteristic movement of these busy foragers.

Eric and I eventually decided to leave Tabiona and drive up to Mirror Lake Campground because Eric had seen a Gray Jay there during a recent visit. I had never seen one before so it became a quest to help me locate a life bird.  We made a brief stop at the convenience store in Hanna to attempt to satisfy some hunger pangs that were beginning to manifest themselves. On the way out of the store I heard the call of a Mountain Bluebird. I looked up and found a female bluebird holding a grasshopper in its beak. That was a sign that a nest with young was nearby. Otherwise the bird would have promptly swallowed the grasshopper to satisfy its own hunger. I didn't see the nest before we left to continue our drive, but I did grab the camera from the truck to capture images to add to the "birds with food in their beaks" collection.  People at that store must have thought I was a nut pointing a big lens at a dull looking bird above the entrance to the store.

Female Mountain Bluebird Preparing to Take Food to Nest in Hanna, UT

Female Mountain Bluebird Preparing to Take Food to Nest in Hanna, UT

One of the cabin owners was telling us before we left Tabby Mountain that he had just recently seen and photographed California Quail for the first time in the seventeen years he had lived in that county. Eric and I spotted a male and a female Quail right as we pulled away from the convenience store. We weren't sure if we were lucky or our friend had been really unlucky for the past seventeen years.

The drive was pleasant as we made our way higher into the Uinta Mountains.  We took Highway 35 out of Hanna and then onto a dusty gravel road called Soapstone Pass to make our way over Soapstone Mountain and onto Highway 150, which would take us to the campground. We arrived at the campground around 1 PM. Afternoons can be a slow time of day for birding since many birds take cover and rest during the middle of the day.  We had hopes that cooler mountain temperatures would encourage some birds to remain active so we could more easily locate them amid the thick conifers and aspens.

Most camp sites in the campground areas were occupied due to Thursday being a state holiday (Pioneer Day) and many people taking advantage of a long weekend. People with food may have actually helped shorten the time it took for us to see not only a Gray Jay but some Clark's Nutcrackers as well. I've heard people who camp high in our mountains refer to these birds as camp robbers since they like to show up and take food and scraps from campsite and picnic areas.

Gray Jay at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Gray Jay at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Gray Jay at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Gray Jay at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Gray Jay Picking up Sandwich Scraps at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Clark's Nutcracker at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Clark's Nutcracker at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

Clark's Nutcracker at Mirror Lake Campground in Duchesne County, UT

The bird above allowed close approach as it called so I decided to try some video. I had the lens zoomed in on the bird while hand-holding the camera so it is a little shaky. It's definitely better to use a tripod when capturing video through a telephoto lens. The wind kicked up right as I started recording so there is also a bit of noise from the wind blowing into the microphone. A second nutcracker can be heard calling in the background.

We could have stayed longer in the mountains yesterday, but 3 PM rolled around and Eric and I both had plans and commitments for the rest of the day. The mountains were a great escape from the valley heat and provided some memorable experiences for us. It was another great adventure with Eric that helped me appreciate life and the world in which we live.