Thanksgiving Day Susan and I drove straight from the Salt Lake City Airport to Antelope Island, Utah's premier birding location, only to find it closed. I was so disappointed. We turned around dejectedly and stopped briefly at the Bountiful Temple parking lot to follow up on a report of a Redpoll which we did not find. We only saw WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, DOWNY WOODPECKER, and NORTHERN FLICKER. We then drove to Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area and took the auto tour. The first bird we encountered was an adult BALD EAGLE in a tree. We could not find our target bird, American Tree Sparrow at Egg Island, only two WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, and one SONG SPARROW. In the ponds were hundreds of ducks: GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and GREATER SCAUP. We didn't know where to go next because we had intended to spend plenty of time exploring Antelope Island. So after consulting Birding Utah we decided on Utah Lake State Park (this book is bad, seriously out of date, with many wrong directions and I don't recommend it at all). We turned into a parking lot before the entrance to the state park for access to the Provo/Jordan River Parkway. This is a nice paved trail in a riparian habitat that is probably quite nice in spring. We came upon a covey of GAMBEL'S QUAIL, a couple of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, AMERICAN COOTS, and an AMERICAN KESTREL and that was about it. We had our T-day lunch at a picnic table by the river, which was smoked salmon and avocado sandwiches and then headed down to Escalante where we planned to camp for the next three nights in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It was dark when we arrived and there was only time to make our little Thanksgiving dinner of Annie's Pad Thai noodles with more smoked salmon and blueberry pie, make a fire, set up the tent, and then go off to bed under the starry, starry night.
Friday morning we drove Highway 12 through Boulder to the Burr Trail intending to hike Silver Falls Creek. Unfortunately things started to go terribly wrong at this point. First of all, I made the mistake of taking the first turn from the Burr Trail instead of the second one. The first one is 19 long miles on a poor dirt road with many deep dips before the turn off for Moody Road. We were so frustrated by the time we got to Moody Road that it was hard to see how we could even enjoy a hike here. Then to make matters worse the turn off for Silver Falls Creek was not marked. We thought it was the first intersection but after starting down it a bit we stopped when we realized our car (we had ordered an SUV from Avis but they gave us this incredibly inappropriate station wagon made by Ford with individual seats that wouldn't even fold down flat) was not high clearance and wouldn't make it. We parked and got out intending to just walk to the trailhead but we were not even sure it was the correct road. As we were debating whether to just start hiking a flock of about 100 PINYON JAYS flew by. We decided it wasn't the right road and turned back to Moody Road and took it as far as our little station wagon would go. Then we parked and just started walking not even knowing if we were on Silver Falls or what. It wasn't a particularly beautiful hike but we were glad just to be out of the car. The trail followed some creek which we later learned was Moody Creek. It had many piles of crumbly green rock in it that are probably indicators of the presence of uranium which is common in Utah. We hiked for about two hours and then decided to turn back in order not to be driving that horrible road after dark. On the way back we were surprised to see four RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS in the tamarisks and cottonwoods. We drove back up Moody Road and took the turn that was only eight miles back to the Burr Trail. Still it is another 30 miles from there just to Boulder and obviously quite dark by the time we got back to our camp at Calf Creek Falls.
Saturday morning as we were leaving the campground we saw a WILD TURKEY. We drove to Hole-in-the-Rock Road, a good graded dirt road, to Harris Wash which is another well known hot birding spot in Utah. Our ridiculous station wagon couldn't make it all the way to the trail head so we parked and walked the rest of the way to the wash. Where we parked the car we found a huge flock of about 50 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and several CEDAR WAXWINGS. As we walked down to the wash we found more White-crowned Sparrows, quite a few DARK-EYED JUNCOS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, AMERICAN ROBINS, and some BUSHTITS. Not long after we entered the wash we were so delighted to see an adult male NORTHERN GOSHAWK in the wash. When it saw us it flew up the wash and away before I could videotape it. However, it stayed slightly ahead of us all day during our entire hike and we saw it several more times after that. In the numerous cottonwoods and other trees growing along the wash there were many birds, including HAIRY WOODPECKER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, more WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, SONG SPARROW, COMMON RAVEN, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER,and many SPOTTED TOWHEES. After a while we came to a fence that went all the way across the wash with a gate for hikers. The wash then narrowed up and the canyon walls became steeper. We were entering one of the gorgeous steep walled canyons of the Escalante that have made this area famous. Harris Wash goes all the way to the Escalante River and across the river there it goes up Silver Falls Creek but that was too far for a winter hike when there is so little day light. There was not too much water in the wash which was good because the walk required numerous stream crossings as it banked against the canyon walls in many places. As we walked along admiring the desert varnish streaked walls we flushed a WILSON'S SNIPE and again came upon the NORTHERN GOSHAWK. This time it perched in a tree just 20 yards away and I was able to film it. As we continued our hike the birds thinned out but the scenery intensified. Soon we came to a sort of gateway made out of two tall red rock walls just 20 feet apart. After our lunch we came upon the NORTHERN GOSHAWK again this time perched in a tree so close I was able to see its red eye. I got some excellent video of it. Then it was time to turn around and head back. Susan got a little ahead of me and I saw her looking at something in the wash with her binoculars. I looked and saw what looked like a Spotted Sandpiper but wait, no, it had a supercilium! Wow, a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH! We were so surprised to find this bird in late November in Utah. Birding Utah shows no records of it after October. We watched it bobbing its tail and eating from the edge of the wash and filmed it for a while before it flew down the wash toward the fence area. On the way back to the car we found a HERMIT THRUSH and more MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS but nothing could compare to finding a Northern Waterthrush in Utah in November! We never saw a single person on this lovely hike. We returned to the car and then drove back to camp for another relaxing evening under the stars by our cozy camp fire.
Sunday morning we got up early; it was still dark out and were able to see Jupiter. After breakfast we broke camp and headed up Highway 12 to Highway 24. We took Highway 24, where we saw several BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES and some COMMON RAVENS feasting on a smashed raccoon, to Capitol Reef National Park. We parked at the Hickman Bridge Trailhead and then crossed the street and took the Cohab Canyon trail to the Frying Pan Trail to Cassidy Arch. This is a strenuous hike that goes up about 1200 feet in 4.5 miles to a pothole arch. At the arch we saw the first people we had encountered all weekend, two people who had taken the easy way from Grand Wash just 1.5 miles away. After snapping off a few pictures it was time to turn back. On the way back to the car we came across a couple of JUNIPER TITMOUSES and two CANYON WRENS. Those were about the only birds we saw on this trail but it's a fun trail with outstanding scenery. From Capitol Reef we drove straight through back to Utah State Park where I made one last desperate attempt at the Tree Sparrow which I did not find. The only new birds I found were one BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and some RING-BILLED GULLS in the lake. After arranging our bags we had our dinner at the picnic area and then it was time to head home. It was so hard to leave this beautiful special place that captured my heart eleven years ago when I visited for the first time, so much that I have come back every year since at Thanksgiving to give thanks for this and all the special places we are so lucky to have to enjoy. It was time to go back home to the traffic, the noise, the pollution, the trash, the crime, the filth, and all the problems that go along with urban living. Even with all the problems of urban living it is worth it to live in a progressive city with like minded people but most of all it makes every trip back to the desert that I love so much all the more special to me.
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