Date: 11/11/26 10:54 am From: Keeli Marvel <keeli.marvel...> Subject: [UCBirders] Nov UCB Meeting link
Our Utah County Birders Nov Meeting is tomorrow! We’re excited to hear from our guest, Claire Chipman, as she talks about her birding adventures in Australia. Join us in person at the Bean Museum at 7pm or you can join online using the following Zoom link:
We’ve have three Steller’s Jays making unpredictable appearances at our
feeders for the past couple of weeks. A Great Horned Owl has been several
times and seen once.
Alton Thygerson
Provo
On Mon, Oct 26, 2026 at 3:01 PM Daniel Simmons <dggsimmons...> wrote:
> Good afternoon fellow birders. The UCB newsletter will come out this week
> (on Halloween), so if you have had any fun or spooky birds (maybe a murder
> of crows, a mischief of magpies, an unkindness of ravens or a parliament of
> owls?) close to home recently we would love to include it in the Backyard
> Birds section. If you were so fortunate to have seen a patter of
> storm-petrels this month we would also like to hear about that. We would
> like to see any items by Oct. 30. Thanks!
> Dan & Leesa Simmons
>
> --
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> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ucbirders/CABG9ggN%3DcH3wK1J747sdKXpS7f3jduCanpqLhURL9LLh2iq%<2BuA...> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ucbirders/CABG9ggN%3DcH3wK1J747sdKXpS7f3jduCanpqLhURL9LLh2iq%<2BuA...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > .
>
Good afternoon fellow birders. The UCB newsletter will come out this week (on Halloween), so if you have had any fun or spooky birds (maybe a murder of crows, a mischief of magpies, an unkindness of ravens or a parliament of owls?) close to home recently we would love to include it in the Backyard Birds section. If you were so fortunate to have seen a patter of storm-petrels this month we would also like to hear about that. We would like to see any items by Oct. 30. Thanks! Dan & Leesa Simmons
Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> ________________________________
From: <ucbirders...> <ucbirders...> on behalf of Keeli Marvel <keeli.marvel...>
Sent: Thursday, 22 October 2026 12:56:06
To: UCBirders <ucbirders...>
Subject: [UCBirders] Bird Species Taxonomic Updates
Stole this from an Audubon chapter Facebook post:
Taxonomy update news! The American Ornithological Society published some new updates yesterday (10/20/2026), and several may be of interest to local birders.
AOS is the entity responsible for the naming and classification of bird species in the Americas, and these recent changes include several doozies! Here goes:
✳ The bird formerly known worldwide as the Great Egret has been split into two species, and our local bird will now be known as the American Egret to differentiate it from its Old-World counterpart, the Great White Egret. Goodbye, GREG! (The previous four-letter identification code for Great Egret; it'll be AMEG instead, which doesn't have quite the same ring.)
✳ Birders may be familiar with the two subspecies of Willet, Eastern and Western. Based on significant differences in breeding habitat and other factors, this species has been split into two different species, Prairie Willet (formerly Western Willet), and Saltmarsh Willet (formerly Eastern Willet). eBirders who have identified Willets to subspecies on their checklists will pick up a new life bird!
✳ Ornithologists studying Marsh Wrens have noted significant differences between the songs of Marsh Wrens in Eastern North America vs. those more frequently found in Western North America. In addition, those two populations apparently hybridize very seldom, so the AOS has split them into two different species, Eastern Marsh-Wren and Western Marsh-Wren. If you are in an area where both may be present, it sounds like the main way to differentiate them will be based on their song, reminiscent of some flycatcher species, sigh...
There are other changes, but these three seemed the most impactful on local birders. We're not sure when the changes will be reflected on your eBird lists, but they should be coming soon!
Date: 10/22/26 11:56 am From: Keeli Marvel <keeli.marvel...> Subject: [UCBirders] Bird Species Taxonomic Updates
Stole this from an Audubon chapter Facebook post:
Taxonomy update news! The American Ornithological Society published some new updates yesterday (10/20/2026), and several may be of interest to local birders.
AOS is the entity responsible for the naming and classification of bird species in the Americas, and these recent changes include several doozies! Here goes:
✳ The bird formerly known worldwide as the Great Egret has been split into two species, and our local bird will now be known as the American Egret to differentiate it from its Old-World counterpart, the Great White Egret. Goodbye, GREG! (The previous four-letter identification code for Great Egret; it'll be AMEG instead, which doesn't have quite the same ring.)
✳ Birders may be familiar with the two subspecies of Willet, Eastern and Western. Based on significant differences in breeding habitat and other factors, this species has been split into two different species, Prairie Willet (formerly Western Willet), and Saltmarsh Willet (formerly Eastern Willet). eBirders who have identified Willets to subspecies on their checklists will pick up a new life bird!
✳ Ornithologists studying Marsh Wrens have noted significant differences between the songs of Marsh Wrens in Eastern North America vs. those more frequently found in Western North America. In addition, those two populations apparently hybridize very seldom, so the AOS has split them into two different species, Eastern Marsh-Wren and Western Marsh-Wren. If you are in an area where both may be present, it sounds like the main way to differentiate them will be based on their song, reminiscent of some flycatcher species, sigh...
There are other changes, but these three seemed the most impactful on local birders. We're not sure when the changes will be reflected on your eBird lists, but they should be coming soon!
Date: 10/16/26 9:00 pm From: Steven Van Winkle <qrubra17...> Subject: Re: [UCBirders] UCB UT Lake State Park Clean Up/Bird Walk
Keeli,
Thanks for the revisions! Looks great.
We just received sad news from our sister-in-law. Her Mom passed away
tonight and her funeral is on the 24th at Logan.
I will need to go to the funeral.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Steve
On Fri, Oct 16, 2026, 7:18 PM Keeli Marvel <keeli.marvel...> wrote:
> UCB Volunteer Day and Skipper Bay Bird Walk
>
> JOIN US !
> Saturday Oct 24th 9:30am-12pm. Meet at the parking lot by the Utah Lake
> State Park fee booth (no fee, tell them you’re there for the volunteer
> effort).
>
> Utah Lake State Park has generously allowed us to conduct our Christmas
> Bird Count tally potluck at the park for the last few years.
>
> Help us GIVE BACK to the state park by helping clean up weeds and spread
> bark in the nature area south of the main park.
>
> After the cleanup we’ll go on a bird walk around the Provo River Delta.
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "UCBirders" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to ucbirders+<unsubscribe...>
> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ucbirders/<9D644255-B7AF-4857-A06A-E2922FF7B4BA...> > .
>
Date: 10/16/26 6:18 pm From: Keeli Marvel <keeli.marvel...> Subject: [UCBirders] UCB UT Lake State Park Clean Up/Bird Walk
UCB Volunteer Day and Skipper Bay Bird Walk
JOIN US !
Saturday Oct 24th 9:30am-12pm. Meet at the parking lot by the Utah Lake State Park fee booth (no fee, tell them you’re there for the volunteer effort).
Utah Lake State Park has generously allowed us to conduct our Christmas Bird Count tally potluck at the park for the last few years.
Help us GIVE BACK to the state park by helping clean up weeds and spread bark in the nature area south of the main park.
After the cleanup we’ll go on a bird walk around the Provo River Delta.
Date: 10/15/26 10:22 am From: 'kent bates' via UCBirders <ucbirders...> Subject: Re: [UCBirders] September UCB Newsletter
Has anyone here seen the storm petrala being reported in Utah Lake. EBird has nothing.
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
On Monday, August 31, 2026, 1:36 PM, Keeli Marvel <keeli.marvel...> wrote:
Our September newsletter has been posted! Check it out here:
Here's the link for the September Newsletter:http://utahbirds.org/ucb/Newsletters/2026/NewsletterSEP.pdf
And here's the information on our website:http://utahbirds.org/ucb/
Fall migration is on, the leaves have started changing, and the nights are getting cooler. It’s a great time to get out and see some birds!
Happy birding!
Keeli