Way Too Easy For Three Rare Bird Encounters

One of my good birding friends observed a young Long-tailed Duck along one of the jetties surrounding the Provo Marina at Utah Lake State Park on November 25th. That is an extremely rare duck for Utah County. I had never seen one in Utah County so I wanted to observe, photograph, and add it to my Utah County life bird list. Unfortunately, my schedule did not accommodate "my wants" so I prepared myself mentally for not getting that one. About a week later the duck was still being seen in the same area. I had some time one afternoon so I made the 20-minute drive from home to Utah Lake State Park in Provo, Utah. When I first arrived at the park I noticed a Horned Grebe in non-breeding plumage right in the Marina. Horned Grebes are not as rare as Long-tailed Ducks, but they are still very uncommon since they generally are seen only while they are passing through the area in spring and fall/winter during their annual migrations north and south. I fully expected the grebe to fly if I exited my truck (they are nervous little guys) so I observed it and took photos from within my truck. I then went and located the continuing Long-tailed Duck and got some photos from the truck and then as I stood on the jetty practically right next to the duck. It dove and fed on the bottom of the lake as I watched. Here's a series of images of the cute little diving duck. Skies were overcast so the colors are muted.

Most people will tell you they have to observe a rare duck like that through a scope while it sits out on a lake hundreds of yards away. It was way too easy to photograph such a rare duck.

On my way off the jetty and back past the marina I noticed the Grebe was closer to the shore. I decided to exit the truck and get better photos this time. Once again, it was way too easy to photograph an uncommon and rather skittish bird.

Since I was already in the area, I exited Utah Lake State Park and made an immediate right turn onto the Provo Airport Dike Road to make the four mile drive around the airport. It's a very popular birding location because Utah Lake is on one side of the dike and a mote is on the other side as it makes a loop around Provo Airport. Its sort of a migrant and rare bird trap because of the habitat and location.

I found three separate Great Horned Owls during that drive--all three within about fifteen minutes. None of the owls flushed from their roosts during my observations of them. Great Horned Owls aren't exactly rare, but watching one cast a pellet (aka hack a fur ball) is a unique birding moment. How many of you have seen something like that happen? This image was captured right before the pellet fell from the owl's mouth and down into a thick stand of phragmite. I like this image because it shows the not-so-great, tiny tongue of the Great Horned Owl. If I had to guess I'd say its a female due to the extent of the tawny coloring around the eyes. The best way to tell is by seeing a pair together. The females are noticeably larger than their male counterparts.

Here's an image of the third and final Great Horned Owl from that day. I like how the plumage of the owl blends in with its chosen  perch and how the blue sky in the background drops down and transitions to a soft brown from the phragmites surrounding the marsh behind the owl. It ties in with the brown leaves remaining on the tree in that corner of the image.