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the unofficial site for birders and digiscopers using Zeiss equipment.


ABA Convention 2008: Snowbird, Utah

Great location, great field-trips, great birds...too bad so many missed it!!!
The convention of the American Birding Association was held in Snowbird, Utah this year, at Cliff Lodge. Certanily no one could imagine a more spectacular setting. Snowbird is only about 45 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, but already high up in the Wasacht Mountains.

And few locations are within reach of so many different habitats. Within a 2 hour drive you have everything from the shores of Great Salt Lake and the Bear River Delta, to the high desert of Utah county, to pinion-juniper forest, and up through ponderosa, spruce, and fur to the snowfields in the 11,000 foot reaches of the Wasacht and Uinta Mountains.

Everything from White-faced Ibis and thousands of American White Pelicans, to Black Rosy Finches...all withing easy travel of each other.  

The Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, which was my first field trip, is located where the Bear River (the longest river in the US that does not empty into the sea) enters the Great Salt Lake, and is home to all kinds of water and shore birds, and, of course, a few raptors who are attracted to the feast. White Pelicans circle high against the half moon as they thermal up to cross the ridge of mountians that juts out into the lake. White-faced Ibis are in the air and grazing everywhere. Hundreds of Black-corwned Nightherons came up to fly along beside the bus in the course of the day.  Song sparrows, Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Marsh Wrens by the dozen...always something to see. The occasional Northern Harrier patrols the marshes and wet fields, and, even more exciting for most, a Peregrine Falcon circles overhead.

The following field trip days took me to Utah County Hotspots...begining at the true high desert oasis of  Burraston Springs and working up through pinion-jumiper forest. Then we visited the area above and below Jordenelle Reseravior, including the Heber Valley along the Provo and the passes between Park City and Salt Lake. On my final trip I got to to the high country around Bald Mountain pass and Trial Lake. Images below.
Burraston Springs Burraston Springs
Below the Jordenelle Dam along the Provo Jordenelle Resouvoir
Bald Mountain Pass (for Rosy Finch) Bald Mountian Pass (looking for goats)
Ridgeway Award: Bill Thompson III Marsh Marigolds at Trial Lake
For the full set of images from the ABA go here.
For a set of Utah wildflowers go here.