Ecologist Susan Harrison gets around, and today she sends us photos of birds from the mountains of Utah. Susan’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
Birds of the Utah mountains
Flammulated Owls (Psiloscops flammeolus) are two-ounce nocturnal insectivores that sit atop trees in the western US mountains and dash out to catch moths. They winter in the tropics and migrate north, more like songbirds than like other owls. They are not rare but they are darned hard to find. After unsuccessful tries to see them in California and Oregon, I trekked to Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, where they are abundant in aspen forests because (I’m told) two things are plentiful: moths, and cavities made by Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) which the owls co-opt for their own nests.
Flammulated Owl, Wasatch Range, Utah:
Northern Flicker and its nest cavity, Ashland, Oregon:
American Goshawks (Astur atricapillus) are another elusive forest raptor that nests in the Wasatch Range. They resemble but are twice as massive as the familiar Cooper’s Hawk (Astur cooperi), with short wings and long tails enabling them to dodge trees.
American Goshawks (immature):
American Goshawk (adult):
Cooper’s Hawk (immature) for comparison, suburban Salt Lake City:
In the island-like mountain ranges of the Great Basin, there are a number of unique songbirds whose close relatives are elsewhere, including the three species below. I saw these in the Oquirrh Mountains just west of Salt Lake City.
Virginia’s Warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae), quite similar to the Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla):
Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi), almost identical to the Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus):
Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma woodhousei), a scruffier version of the California Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica), with a thin bill suitable for extracting pinyon pine nuts rather than smashing acorns:
California Scrub-jay for comparison, Lake Solano, California:
American Dippers (Cinclus mexicanus) are North America’s only aquatic songbird, named for their knee-bend movements as they inspect clear flowing waters for insects. My last few hours of Utah birding were spent admiring this Dipper as it bobbed, dived, splashed and swam.
American Dipper:
Ooh, you got to see some lovely raptors that I’ve never been able to spot before. Well done!
Beautiful, and some are pretty exhilarating
Thank you for the wonderful bird photos. I especially love the owl and the dippers. Did you see the latter actually go underwater? I’ve seen nature videos (PBS) where they apparently are totally submersed while picking off insects (or whatever) on a stream bed.
Yes, I have some blurry photos of this Dipper as it disappeared underwater. I’ll have to look up those PBS videos you mention!
Fun facts from Wikipedia: There’s a European or White-throated Dipper (I was lucky to see one in Finland) and 3 other species of Dipper (Cinclus) around the world. They are the only members of the family Cinclidae, which is most closely related to Thrushes, Turdidae. “Water ouzel” is an old name for them.
Cute owl! And American Dippers are so cool. When we lived on Orcas Island, a pair lived on the larger of the two Twin Lakes. (You can find the lakes on a map.) They were only there for one or at most two years, and are not common. But their bobbing is something you can’t miss when you see it.
Nice pictures!
Wow, you sure do get around! And so sure do manage to see a lot of rare and hard-to-get species. You must have quite a life-list!
Well, by golly, these are wonderful. As noted, above, cute owl and, of course, fine detailed photos. Raptors, with those curve beaks & those eyes always seem formidable.
The Dippers in our creek always make me smile. Those photos — the rocks, the water, the lighting — time to close the computer & go outside.
Thanks for the wonderful photos. I’m impressed by a swimming bird. I didn’t know about Dippers. I didn’t even know a bird could paddle around in water like that.
Excellent photos. Some birds I haven’t seen before (or at least I didn’t know it if I did!). I particularly like the dipper photos. Well done.
Your photos are extraordinary again!
I especially love Dippers, which can have varying, melodic songs for being such a drab appearing bird.
With so many trees dying off, these are prosperous times for woodpeckers and their kin. Maybe the Flammulated owls will also benefit?
Love your photos!
Awesome pictures. The owl is so cute! Thanks!!
Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments!
Gorgeous photos, hard to pick a favorite, it’s between the hawks and the owl.
Thanks for being determined and patient and sending in these photos.
A 2 ounce owl! amazing!