No Photo At This Time photo by Utah Birders

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Description:
The main campground on the west side of the reservoir, Oasis is a 19-unit campground with 7 overflow sites, covered group pavilions with picnic tables, a group camping area, drinking water, modern restrooms and showers, an RV sewage disposal station, loading docks, and boat launching ramp.  Accessible rest rooms, showers, electrical hookups and a campsite are available for campground patrons with special needs.  With shrubsteppe and dry hillsides surrounding the campground on 3 sides, and the reservoir on the 4th, the large and numerous deciduous trees creating a riparian area here are definitely a migrant trap.  Yuba is seldom visited by birders, but anyone traveling north or south along I-15 in the spring or fall should detour here to look for birds.

Birding:
Truth be told I have only birded here once--and at the time I mistakenly submitted a checklist for the lake--not the campground because the hot spot did not exist.  That being said the habitat is ideal for warblers, and other passerine migrants.  YELLOW WARBLER, LAZULI BUNTING, HOUSE FINCH, and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE should be present while the surrounding hill sides usually have LARK and BREWER'S SPARROW, SAGE THRASHER, and plenty of HORNED LARKS.  Really just about anything could show up here, and with some coverage the list could probably creep towards 100 species.  The reservoir can easily be scoped form here, but I suggest creating a separate checklist using the Yuba Lake SP (incl. Sevier Bridge Reservoir) hot spot since it was created specifically for the whole park.  Once there are some more checklists, I will update this to reflect what kind of birds you should see on a typical morning or afternoon here.  Birding can easily be done walking the campground roads.  The whole campground could be covered in 10 minutes, and with an hour you could thoroughly find all the birds using the area.

Directions:
From points north of Scipio, Utah take I-15 exit 202 go east soon turning south and follow the road 1.9 miles on Old State Route 78.  You'll arrive at the reservoir on your left and keep going straight another 2.1 miles on County Road till you reach the campground on your left. From points south of Scipio the campground can be reached by taking I-15 exit 188 west bound towards the gas station/rest stop.  Turn right onto the Frontage Road and continue 3.9 miles.  Turn right going under the freeway staying straight  and continuing 5.9 miles crossing the dam at the reservoir you'll continue another .4 miles till you reach the campground on your right.

Callao from Bing Birds Eye View

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Description:
Callao is a small farming community in northern Snake Valley, along the border of Juab County (the best birding is in Juab County in the center of town) and Tooele County, Utah, United States. It was part of the original Pony Express overland route, and was first called Willow Springs in 1860. E. W. Tripp, his wife and son, were the first to establish residence there, in 1870. In 1895 it was decided that Willow Springs was too common a name, and a new name would be chosen. The name Callao was chosen because of a resemblance to Callao, Peru, suggested by an old prospector in the region who was working out of Gold Hill to the north.  Consisting of a few ranches, the mostly agricultural landscape is surrounded by vast and barren desert.  In town the large 100+ year old Cottonwood Trees, along with numerous shrubs ans smaller trees provide an excellent riparian habitat used by migrants--making Callao a prime migrant trap in the west desert often visited while birding Fish Springs NWR located nearby.

Birding:
Biridng is usually done here just during spring and fall migration after or before a visit to the refuge 20 or so miles away.  The main east-west street through town passes several homes with large trees where migrants tend to flock to as they fly across the open desert. There are also large patches of Russian Olive on the east end of town which make great trap habitat. Birding from the road is easy, just make sure not to trespass onto any private property here as the locals like their privacy.  During both spring and fall you can expected warblers, tanager, flycatchers, vireos, and other passerine species here.  YELLOW and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER are standards, while WILSON'S, MACGILLIVRAY'S and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER also show up regularly.  YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT seems to show up every so often, and with enough visits and diligence you might turn up an eastern vagrant like BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER which has been observed here.  All regularly occurring EMPIDONAX FLYCATCHERS in Utah have been observed here on either end of migration; while CASSIN'S VIREO may be seen during fall migration.  Not surprising there are also some oddball shorebirds and waterbirds that have been seen here with any small amount of water in canals, or from the watering of fields, birds like BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and WHIMBREL have been reported here.  The possibilities are endless for what might show up here.  Given the remote locations and true migrant trap qualities, it likely sees quite a few vagrants--it just doesn't see very many birders to find them!  Next time you visit Fish Springs in the spring or fall make the extra 50 mile round trip over to Callao and see what you can find.

Directions:
From the entrance to Fish Springs NWR, go north on the Pony Express-Overland Stage Trail.  Follow dirt road for 23 miles till you reach Callao.

Fish Springs NWR photo by Seldom Seen Steven

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Description:
Fish Springs NWR is an oasis in the desert--surrounded by hundreds of miles of barren land.  Fish Springs started as a Pony Express and Overland Stage station, and got its name from the fish that populated the springs, which were reported to be over 6 inches in length. The fish are left over from ancient Lake Bonneville which receded about 14,000 years ago. Several natural springs feed the wetlands, which are the main feature of the 28.11 square miles refuge.  The housing areas, visitor center, and refuge headquarters have numerous deciduous trees making for a migrant trap for songbirds.  The land surrounding the marsh is mixed shrubsteppe and arid desert.

Birding:
If it wasn't for its remote location Fish Springs would probably get a lot more visitors than it currently does.  At the least its about a 3 hours drive from Salt Lake City, across open desert with no gas stations, services, or human assistance of any kind.  But at the refuge your are in one of Utah's premier birding locations.  Aside from the waterfowl that migrate through in spring and fall, numerous ducks over winter on the open water from the warm springs.  More TRUMPETER SWAN have been recorded here than anywhere else in the state.  EURASIAN WIGEON, WHITE-WINGED and BLACK SCOTER have all been recorded here in the middle of the desert. Any waterbird having traversed the vast desert to this point will fall into here to survive--which is why multiple PACIFIC LOON have been seen and even a YELLOW-BILLED LOON was reported once. AMERICAN BITTERN are a year round resident of the marsh.  This is one of the best places in Utah to see this secretive species. Surprisingly rare waders don;t show up here that often, but in August 2007 a REDDISH EGRET was present for a couple weeks.  RED-SHOULDERED HAWK has been recorded from time to time, possibly indicating nesting somewhere nearby in the vast desert. Shorebirds find this haven a life saver in an otherwise inhospitable region for them--more than 30 species have been recorded here including some mega rarities for Utah like: PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, RUDDY TURNSTONE, and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER.  The refuge interestingly is the only place in Utah where all 3 JAEGER species have been recorded.  It also has had a few rare gulls and terns including Utah's first ever BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE in the 70's, and SABINE'S GULL during fall migrations.  Both COMMON and LEAST TERN have been seen on the refuge grounds to round out the rare waterbirds for the area.

The list of rarities goes on and on--WHITE-WINGED DOVE spending weeks here, sightings of YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, and LEAST FLYCATCHER.  BLACK PHOEBE, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, and SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER have all shown up here, hundred of miles form where they normally occur.  PACIFIC WREN, VARIED THRUSH, and BROWN THRASHER have all been recorded in the trap--while McCOWN'S, LAPLAND, and CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR have all been seen during the early winter on the refuge.  Mist netting, and ardent birders have recorded more than 20 species of Warbler here including a lot of eastern vagrants like: OVENBIRD, MAGNOLIA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, and BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS.  There is even a record for LUCY'S WARBLER--way north of its normal range.  Both SUMMER and SCARLET TANAGER have been recorded around the housing area.  One of the most famous bird sightings here was Utah's first PAINTED BUNTING--a male bird that stayed for several weeks during the summer of 2007.  BALTIMORE ORIOLE, INDIGO BUNTING, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK round out the notable mentions for the non-waterbirds.  As you can see the bird list here is just lain impressive.  AT around 300 species in such an isolated location it truly is a Utah birding hot spot!

Directions:
There are several ways to get to Fish Springs, but unless you've been before getting lost in the desert is a real possibility on some of the shorter less marked routes.  The best way to make it to Fish Springs form Salt Lake City is to take I-80 westbound to exit 99.  Take the exit merging onto Hwy 36 for 3.8 miles.  Take the slight left to stay on Hwy 36 for 36.3 miles.  Turn right on to Pony Express Road and go 12.6 miles.  Continue onto Simpson Springs Road for 12.4 miles.  Continue on Pony Express Routes/Simpson Springs-Callao Road for 31.2 miles.  Continue onto Pony Express--Overland Stage Tail for 10.6 miles. Take a right on the Auto Tour Route and you are now on the Auto Tour Loop.

Yuba State Park from Google Street View

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Description:
Yuba State Park is comprised of a number of specific birding locations that include: Sevier Bridge Reservoir, Oasis Campground, Painted Rocks, and the Yuba Lake at the South End.  The main feature of the park is Sevier Bridge Reservoir, the easiest section of the lake to look for birds.  The surrounding hills are mostly shrubsteppe with some Pinyon-Juniper habitat as well.  The Oasis Campground is a migrant trap in an otherwise treeless landscape.

Birding:
COMMON LOON and rafts of WESTERN GREBES are often seen here during migration.  Decent numbers of waterfowl use the lake, with divers in the deeper areas, and lots of dabblers in the shallows.  The shrubsteppe surrounding hill are good for SAGE THRASHER, LARK SPARROW, BREWER'S SPARROW, HORNED LARK, and occasionally VESPER SPARROW.  ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, PINYON JAY, and BEWICK'S WREN have all been observed here.  The riparian areas attract a variety of migrants, including the usual warblers, WESTERN TANAGER, empids, and other songbirds.  Notable sightings form here include a November TRUMPETER SWAN and PACIFIC LOON.

Directions:
From I-15 north of Scipio, take Exit 202 South/East about 2 miles to the reservoir on your left.  You can continue south along the west side of the lake, or go east to points on the north and east side of the reservoir. Alternatively, from the south and the town of Scipio, take I-15 exit 188 and go west/north towards the gas station.  Turn right on to the Frontage Road and go 3.9 miles.  There will be "underpass"  to your right that goes under I-15, turn here and go 5.7 miles to the reservoir on your right.

Burraston Ponds from Google Maps

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Description:
Sometimes referred to as "Burriston Ponds", it is actually Burraston Ponds. Several ponds connected by small waterways sitting in the bottom of Mona Valley.  The ponds are surround by various trees, making it a nice riparian habitat and migrant trap. It also provides ideal habitat for various waterbirds.

Birding:
During spring and fall migration the ponds act as a stop over for migrating waterfowl and some shorebirds and waders.  The real attraction for birders is the location and trees which create a migrant trap in an otherwise fairly barren valley.  Various warblers, flycatcher, sparrows, tanagers, and orioles can be found here during migration, and there is always a chance for something interesting to show up given the remote location.  Utah's only record for YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON came from a one day wonder here in 1996.  There is also a single report of a RED-NECKED GREBE from 2010.  AMERICAN REDSTART, TRUMPETER SWAN, CASSIN'S VIREO, and EVENING GROSBEAK round out the notable sightings here.

Directions:
From I-15 take Exit 233 onto 300 North westbound. Follow this into the town of Mona and take a left onto Main Street/The Mona Road south.  Follow this for 1.8 miles till you reach Burraston Road on your right.  Turn here and drive towards the ponds.  You can park in numerous locations at the various ponds.

Chicken Creek Reservoir photo by Tim Avery

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Description:
Small reservoir just off the highway surrounded by agricultural fields.  The south end is deep enough for diving ducks, while most of the lake is shallow, and often having large portions of mudflats.

Birding:
Chicken Creek Reservoir is always worth a quick stop on any trip between northern and southern Utah.  The reservoir is usually ice free from March through November, and has at least some water in it year round depending on conditions.  Spring and fall migration are when the most activity happens here and the water is frequented by waterfowl, gulls, shorebirds, diving birds, and waders.  The site hosts a respectable list of over 150 species and has seen it's fair share of rare birds. Ross's Goose, Cackling Goose, and LONG-TAILED DUCK have all been observed.  1,000's of waterfowl often blanket the lake during migration and it's not uncommon to see more than 10 species in one trip.  Late April through early May usually present good opportunities to see BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 25 species of shorebirds have been recorded here including RUDDY TURNSTONE, RED KNOT, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER. On May 30, 2011 a fallout occurred along the frontage road where the only trees present are Russian Olive and Salt Cedar.  Various warblers and migrants were foraging along the road including a BLACKPOLL WARBLER.

Directions:
From I-15 take exit 207 east on to route 78.  It's less than a mile to the reservoir which will be on your right.