Roundup from Arizona & Utah

We just finished another WINGS tour through some of the most scenic parts of the western United States. Northern Arizona, the "canyonlands", and Southwestern Utah provided endless vistas. One memorable location was at Bryce Canyon National Park, where the clouds slowly floated over the endless hoodoos of the main amphitheater. With so many amazing places visited, it’s hard to choose a favorite spot. Multiple people voted Antelope Canyon as that location this year. We had a blast exploring the waves of sand from within. 

We had good luck with some highly sought-after breeding species that were still lingering. The most exciting was perhaps the male Olive Warbler that came down to eye-level in the White Mountains. 

For those of us in the west it is always exciting to see a rare eastern species that’s wandering through. A complete surprise Eastern Kingbird was the first bird seen when exiting the van in Ganado. Not only did we have great looks at that, we were also entertained by an American Redstart within a few feet at Wenima WMA. 

A Raptor highlight was having a pair of Golden Eagles kiting roadside in the strong winds over the juniper woodlands by Panguitch Lake. We got pretty close at times! Our first morning was kicked off with a bang when we spotted a Harris’s Hawk perched on a tower taking in the desert surrounds. 

We checked many vagrant traps along our 2,000 mile route. One place had an unbelievable amount of Sage Thrashers. A total of 28 were counted, with 18 in 1 tree! Some allowed quite close approach as they gorged on juniper berries. In the high elevations of the spruce fur zone we ran into a group of Canada Jays who kept a close watch on us as we strolled along the banks of the Little Colorado River.

Mammals and herps are also encountered along the way. We had extremely good looks at a Long-nosed Leopard Lizard on the Navajo Reservation by Many Farms. 

A memorable, breathtaking view of the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.