Southside of Town from Google Street View

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Description:
Beaver isn't a destination, its just a pass through area--but if you are passing through and see some birds its worth submitting a checklist.  The interesting thing about small towns like this, is that in general the habitat in town is going to be the same throughout or in most places so that a location list for the city is accurate enough to cover the whole area.  Some things might be seen in certain areas of the city, but the area list for a town like Beaver seems okay in my opinion.  Beaver was settled in 1856 and has a population of around 3,000. Interesting side note, Beaver is the birthplace of two well-known persons: Philo T. Farnsworth and Butch Cassidy. Farnsworth was the inventor of several critical electronic devices that made television possible, including the cathode ray tube. He was also the first to create table-top nuclear fusion. Cassidy was a notorious western outlaw.  Habitat wise the city is generally suburban, with tree lines streets and neighborhoods--but farming is popular and in the outlying areas, large fields meet shrubsteppe. The large farms extend west to Minersville Reservoir, while the mountains lay on the east side with juniper covered foothills, and an oak lined riparian habitat at the mouth of Beaver Canyon.

Birding:
Typical urban fare can be found in the center of town with HOUSE FINCH and ROCK PIGEON being prevalent.  EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE probably outnumber MOURNING DOVE now and are present year round.  During the summer months BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, SAY'S PHOEBE, and WESTERN KINGBIRD are common around town.  YELLOW WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, WILSON'S SNIPE, and KILLDEER might be found in wet areas along one of the creeks in town, or wet pastures.  During the winter months large flocks of PINYON JAY occasionally make their way into town--and they are seen sporadically the rest of the year.  I have a couple of hot spots I stop at in and around Beaver, but I'm not sure about anything city specific that's not a hotspot.  Take a drive through Beaver next time you pass through and see what you turn up!

Directions:
From I-15 northbound south of Beaver take Exit 109 then a right onto Main Street and follow it north in to town.  From I-15 southbound, north of Beaver take Exit 112 and make a left at the bottom of the on ramp, following the road in to town.

Upper Beaver Canyon from Google Street View

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Description:
The lower stretch of the upper canyon starts at Mahogany Cover Rec Site Campground where the habitat is a mixed juniper and oak woodland along the montane riparian corridor on the Beaver River.  Cliffs rise form the canyon floor and some talus slopes and rock slides can be found along the road.  A ponderosa forest and mid elevation mixed conifer forest on the south side of the road eventually mix with aspen woodland as you gain elevation. Lush mountain meadows can be found in low areas where the canyon floor widens and the river slowly tumbles by. Side roads lead to various canyons, and deeper into the mountains away form the highway. Three Creeks Reservoir and Puffer Lake add a high elevation lake habitat to the mix, while the Eagle Point Ski Resort adds some open terrain in between the trees on the mountainside just below the summit.  The drive here is beautiful, and worth the trip into the mountains alone!

Birding:
Most birders visit here in the summer months--although the ski resort here would allow for winter birding if you were inclined--I would imagine ROSY-FINCH flocks could be found here if there were feeders present.  During the summer months though the high elevations here provide relief form the heat in the valleys below--and the bird life changes dramatically from below.  Finches like RED CROSSBILL, PINE SISKIN, and CASSIN'S FINCH are common while PINE GROSBEAK are occasionally seen.  WESTERN TANAGER, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, and HERMIT THRUSH are easy finds along the road.  STELLER'S JAY and CLARK'S NUTCRACKER can both be found here, while MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET are easy finds in the forest.  Looking to the sky you might see a soaring GOLDEN EAGLE or RED-TAILED HAWK; and along the river SPOTTED SANDPIPER and AMERICAN DIPPER are both likely to be found.  If you find yourself here on the scenic byway, please share your sightings--not many birders find themselves here so you might discover something great!

Directions:
From the Intersecton of Main Street and 200 North in Beaver, head east on 200 North for 3.6 miles till you reach the mouth of Beaver Canyon.  Continueon the road up the canyon 7.5 miles till you reach the S-curve and the Mahogany Cove Rec Site Campground. The hot spot begins here and continues approximately 11 miles past Eagle Point Ski Resort.

Lower Beaver Canyon from Google Street View

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Description:
The lower 7 miles of Beaver Canyon below the S curve pass predominantly through mixed oak woodland and mixed juniper woodland as the road follows the Beaver River.  The habitat along the river is a lush montane riparian habitat providing a refreshing element to the dry canyon.  Cliff habitat along with a mixed conifer forest  border the southern edge of the road as you get closer to the S curve providing a nice mix of mid-elevation mountain habitat in the lower part of the canyon.  There are various pullouts, trails, camp sites, and side roads/canyons on the way up.  At the S curve a small dirt road leads to an old wooden structure along the river to the east of the road.  Below the curve is some type of property with various buildings--I don't recall if this is a private residence, or some type of buildings related to forestry/management.  Above the S-Curve where the lower portion of the canyon ends is Mahogany Cove Rec Site Campground with a small loop and handful of camp sites.

Birding:
Birding is easy along the road here--and best during the summer months.  You can stop at various points hop out of the car and spend a few moments before moving on.  Because the habitat is mostly the same you will find a similar mixture of species as you move up the road.  Near the S-curve things change slightly with the start of a Ponderosa and mixed conifer woodland so you will get some higher elevation species as well.  Species typical of the lower canyon include BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, WARBLING VIREO, YELLOW WARBLER, SPOTTED TOWHEE, and AMERICAN ROBIN.  You can also expect to find a few other species typical of the mix of oak, juniper and riparian, including: BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, LAZULI BUNTING, PLUMBEOUS VIREO,  and CHIPPING SPARROW.  As you move up canyon and near the pines you will almost certainly find WESTERN TANAGER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE.  PINE SISKIN and CASSIN'S FINCH are also likely here given the great habitat.  In the cliffs be sure to listen for CANYON WREN, while WHITE-THROATED SWIFT might be high along skyline with the CLIFF and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS.  And although there are not reports of AMERICAN DIPPER from the creek, I would imagine with enough looking you could probably track one down.

Directions:
From the Intersect on of Main Street and 200 North in Beaver, head east on 200 North for 3.6 miles till you reach the mouth of Beaver Canyon.  The hot spot follows the road up the canyon 7.5 miles till you reach the S-curve and the Mahogany Cove Rec Site Campground.

United Campground from Google Street View

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Description:
The United Campground is located on the south end of Beaver.  This tiny private campground is loaded with various deciduous trees that surround the camp sites, and border the road along the west side of the campground.  A small creek and ravine border the campground on the north and est sides with a small riparian habitat.  Shrubsteppe, grassland, and farmland surround three sides of the campground while the area to the south is disturbed private property and mostly open dirt.

Birding:
On a stormy May morning in 2011, Jeff Bilsky and I decided to check out the first patch of trees on the south side of Beaver--with the weather, who knew what might have dropped from the sky.  That patch of trees happened to be United Campground.  We parked at the north end, and walked along the frontage road mostly near the ravine.  There was plenty of migrant activity.  WESTERN TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, and YELLOW WARBLER all lit up the dreary morning.  WESTERN KINGBIRDS lined the power liens, white MOURNING and EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES could be heard in the campground.  As luck would have it we found a WHITE-WINGED DOVE here--100 miles north of their typical range.  Aside form our visit there have been stops made in June, December and January by others.  Birding the general area and the sagebrush you might find LARK, BLACK-THROATED, and BREWER'S SPARROW in the breeding season.  And during the winter raptors can be found i the area including BALD EAGLE and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.  It's a quick stop here to check for migrants in the spring and fall, and if you have to make a pit stop in Beaver this is a nice break for birding!

Directions:
From I-15 Exit 109 in Beaver, go east on SR-60 for .2 miles.  Turn right onto Campground Road and go .1 miles till you reach the campground on your left..