Through the Eyes of a Novice: Birding With My Non-birding Brother

The Utah County Birders Club issues a  challenge every other year to its members. Various requirements are set forth to qualify for a beginner, intermediate, or advanced birder. We are in the midst of one of those challenges this year. One of the requirements I chose to meet in my effort to qualify for an advanced birder was to introduce someone to birding. One of my older brothers from Kentucky, where I grew up with seven brothers and four sisters, was visiting Utah in early spring this year. He was a great sport and accepted the invitation to spend a  morning birding with me. There is nothing like watching a non-birder get excited time and time again as he is introduced to birds and bird behavior in a new way, in a NeoVista or "new view" sort of way.

Wilson's Snipe in Vineyard, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

When my brothers and I were growing up and participating in boy scout camps we had a tradition of taking first-time campers out late at night for a "snipe" hunt. We'd tell the new camper to follow us far from camp and then give him a bag to hold while the rest of us would leave the him alone so we could go roust up some snipes and chase them in his direction. His job was simple. Just stay put and wait for the snipes to come his way so he could snatch them up in his bag. In reality we'd leave the new camper out in the dark while the rest of us went back to camp because we, the supposedly smart ones, all knew there was really no such thing as a snipe.  Well, I was able to show my older brother all these years later that there really is such a thing as a snipe, a Wilson's Snipe to be exact. We found several in a wet field in Vineyard, UT. I was able to show him an Osprey on a nest stand in that same general area before we moved on to our next location.

Western Meadowlark in Palmyra, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

One of the things that really impressed my brother over and over as he lifted his borrowed binoculars to his eyes was the diversity of color displayed by many common birds that had never really caught his attention before our morning together. At one point he exclaimed, "Look at how yellow that bird's throat, belly, and eyebrows are!" when he observed a Western Meadowlark on a post. Can you imagine his amazement when he saw his first of many male American Kestrels, North America's most colorful raptor. And the male Ring-necked Pheasant really surprised him.

American Kestrel on Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Ring-necked Pheasant in Palmyra, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Bar-headed Goose (likely an escapee) at East Bay Golf Course
Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

A bird that was clearly not where it belonged was an Asian Bar-headed Goose (likely an escapee) that has shown up for two springs in a row now at the East Bay Golf Course in Provo, UT. We had gone to that area to see some Black-crowned Night Herons that are regulars.

We got a fair share of raptors for my brother as we drove through some agricultural areas in Utah County. We encountered lots of Red-tailed Hawks, including a very uncommon Harlan's Hawk (soon to be heading back to Alaska), a fly-by Peregrine Falcon, a Prairie Falcon, and some Northern Harriers.

Some bird behaviors that my brother found fascinating included a Marsh Wren doing a spread eagle--or should we say a spread wren--while it called and perched on two separate phragmite stalks, a pair of Clark's Grebes doing courtship dances, and a Golden Eagle perched on a power pole in the middle of a large field because it was keeping watch over the carcass of a cow that was providing a great food source.

Marsh Wren Perched in a Spread Eagle, Sorry-Spread Wren, on the Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Bowing to your partner.

Admiring your  Partner

Blushing at your partner's glow

Golden Eagle Standing Guard Over Cow Carcass in Springville, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Another unexpected bird for the time and location was a beautiful Lincoln's Sparrow that appeared just before we saw the Clark's Grebes dancing along the Provo Airport Dike.

Lincoln Sparrow on Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Dark-eyed Junco Along SR 77 in Springville, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The closest encounter of the day came as my brother and I were standing on the side of the road looking across a fence that separated us from the Golden Eagle. I noticed some movement in the grass below us, looked down, and then pointed my brother's attention to a Dark-eyed Junco.

The greatest encounter of the day came right at the end of our morning as we were driving on a dirt road known as River Lane, near the small towns of Palmyra and Lakeshore. We had driven to the end of the road where it leads to a small sandy beach on the south end of Utah Lake. We had looked for ducks and gulls out on the lake and were driving away, surrounded by lots of trees. It was early spring so many of the trees were still leafless. In jest I said, "Now we just need to get you a nice owl to round out your day." No more than a moment later, as I scanned the thickly wooded area to my left I caught a glimpse of something that made me let out a "hee, hee!" like a kid in a candy store. We backed up a little and I looked over to my brother with a smile and he said, "What?!"  I pointed to what looked like a clump of branches and asked, "Do you see it?" "See what?", He asked. I pointed to and described the location of my discovery for several minutes without him being able to get a visual. Finally we got out of the truck and walked closer. When he finally saw it he asked in complete amazement, "How the heck did you see that?" I had seen the silhouetted tips of the ear tufts of a Great Horned Owl, barely visible above a thick bunch of limbs. We walked to the other side of the tree and saw the owl pictured below. The opposite side of the clump provided a much better view into the eye of a mystical creature.

Great Horned Owl on River Lane Near Palmyra and Lakeshore, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

That was a day I will never forget. I was with my brother and re-lived the excitement of seeing both new and common birds in a whole new way--through the eyes of a novice birder. See what you can do to introduce someone new to the joy of finding and observing some of nature's most interesting creatures.

Utah's Winter Raptors Revisited

The following is a re-post of my first-ever blog post. It was born out of an invitation from Robert Mortensen to be a contributor to his birding blog, BirdingIsFun.com. It was first published October 16, 2012 on BirdingIsFun.com. I'm re-posting here so it is included among my other NeoVista Birding posts. I hope you enjoy it! Jeff

I was out of state or otherwise preoccupied this year during the peak of fall passerine migration in Utah, but I'm not letting that dampen my birding enthusiasm because another of my favorite birding seasons is quickly approaching. I know that when the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains takes on its fall colors and our Swainson's Hawks and Ospreys leave the state around the end of September/early October it is time to get excited for winter raptors.

Someday (on my buck list) I'm going to make it to one of the popular hawk migration sites, but until then I'll continue to enjoy local hawk migration sites such as Squaw Peak Lookout above Provo, Utah.  I joined a small group of Utah County birders September 29th for a hawk watch and thrilled at the sights of all three accipiter species (Northern Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk, and Sharp-shinned Hawk), Red-tailed Hawks, and Golden Eagles making their way southward along the ridges. We enjoyed watching one Cooper's Hawk rise from the trees in the hillside below us, catch a thermal, and soar right before our eyes. The hawk rose slowly and circled in front of and above us as if it wanted to make a lasting impression, which it did. I could see that its crop was full and it was fueled for the next segment of its migration. It rose higher and higher and then ended the gentle looping with a direct flight southward along the ridge.

Migrating Cooper's Hawk Provo, Utah
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Last November I happened to photograph my first Harlan's Hawk (subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk), without even knowing it at the time, in a location we refer to locally as Point of the Mountain. It was Jerry Liguori, raptor expert and author, who confirmed the Harlan's ID when I shared some images with him. Once Jerry confirmed the ID and I shared the sighting with the local birding community raptor watchers descended upon the location and multiple Harlan's Hawks were observed throughout the winter.  Point of the Mountain is a plateau at about 5100' and sits between the borders of Salt Lake and Utah Counties. It is also the location for the Utah State Flight Recreation Area which is used by hang gliders, paragliders, and hunting raptors because of the thermals rising from the hillsides and open fields below.

Juvenile Harlan's Hawk at Point of the Mountain Lehi, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Once I became a little more discerning with my observations of the ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawks I was able to locate my first light adult Harlan's Hawk which had claimed a small field in American Fork for its hunting grounds. Jerry Liguori shared with me that recent data indicates that light Harlan's Hawks make up about  12% of the total Harlan's Hawk population. The images below show the bright white underside lacking buff and rufous tones, blobby belly marks, streaked head, white around the eyes, dark terminal bands in the wings, and the absence of other banding in the wing and tail feathers--all typical traits for light adults. The upper side image shows the whitish scapulars and pale tail feathers which are also common with these hawks.

Light Adult Harlan's' Hawk American Fork, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Light Adult Harlan's Hawk American Fork, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

One day while visiting the fields south of the Point of the Mountain and behind our local Cabela's store (a place we call Traverse Ridge) I came across two hunting Prairie Falcons. One would perch on a power pole, leave the pole with a dive and then make a swift, low flight across a field only to do a u-turn and return to its previous perch. After seeing this occur several times I decided to use my truck as a blind and park below the pole to capture some action images. I saw this same behavior with another Prairie Falcon the other day at Point of the Mountain and employed my previous truck-as-a-blind strategy to capture action shots of that bird as well.

Prairie Falcon Below Traverse Ridge in Lehi, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Prairie Falcon at Utah State Flight Recreation Area Above Point of the Mountain Utah County, Utah
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

During the winter months I often hope and check for Bald Eagles in a small stand of cottonwood trees near one of our local boat harbors in Lindon, Utah.

Bald Eagle (under overcast sky) at Lindon Marina in Lindon, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

It was a pleasant surprise to see groups of Bald Eagles perched on snags along rivers and highways during  a drive through southern Utah on my way to Phoenix last December. I especially enjoyed the one below after driving to the outskirts of the tiny town of Panguitch, Utah.

Bald Eagle near Panguitch, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The Rough-legged Hawk below was flying next to our van as one of my great birding friends and I drove along the Antelope Island State Park causeway last winter.

Rough-legged Hawk on Antelope Island State Park Causeway Davis County, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I'm excited about the prospects of seeing Merlins and Ferruginous Hawks this winter as I cruise the valleys and open fields.

This Merlin made Pleasant Grove, Utah its winter home in 2011 (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ferruginous Hawk near Beryl Junction, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

And there is always the surprise visit of a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk at our winter yard feeders. I received a call from a friend last winter to let me know a Sharp-shinned Hawk had just taken some prey in his backyard. I quickly drove over and witnessed the scene below.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk Having it Meal Pleasant Grove, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Are you ready for winter raptors? I can hardly wait for the next one that comes into view!