Birding Paradise

Before a morning of family activities, I headed down to Paradise, Utah at the southern end of Cache Valley for a little birding in the morning. Paradise is a small community surrounded by farmland and rangeland. It only took me a couple minutes to see four Sharp-tailed Grouse in flight flying right over the residential yards. The birds landed in small trees in several yards next to the road, where I got fantastic looks at these prairie grouse. It was a real treat to see these birds out in the open at close range--my past experiences with them have been mostly quick looks at birds flushed out of their grassland habitat. In the same area as the grouse, an immature Northern Shrike was roaming the treetops. A great couple of birds to start the morning, especially in a residential area. Gives new meaning to the concept of suburban birds!