On Saturday, I joined the Jordanelle Reservoir field trip. Our first stop was the Heber City farmlands, for grassland birds such as Bobolink (very local in Utah) Savannah Sparrow, and great looks at displaying Wilson’s Snipe. We then birded the reservoir’s spillway, which yielded the expected riparian birds, and produced a Yellow-breasted Chat. A real highlight was a Sandhill Crane with a colt (probably less than a week old) foraging in some short grass of a dike – it’s rare to see colts this young, as they are usually hidden in tall grass, so this was a real treat.

Our local guide, Colby – who was also the one who took us to the Flammulated Owls the other night – had a few unexpected tricks up his sleeve, including a stop at a new subdivision, that produced a few good birds, including an exceptional view of a Virginia’s Warbler – a life bird for some (including me!), and a “life-look” for most everyone else. This rather shy warbler – looking like a bleached version of a Nashville Warbler – is usually not nearly this cooperative. Of course, this stop was rather bittersweet, as the habitat – such as the rock pile inhabited by a Rock Wren – will not be here much longer (which apparently, is par for the course in the rapidly expanding Park City area).

When we finally reached the reservoir itself, we were treated to great studies of both Western and Clark’s Grebe – and a possible hybrid thereof, along with a very unseasonable Common Loon (a real rarity in the summer in these parts). A highlight here for many was the show put on by foraging Common Nighthawks overhead. Surely busy foraging to feed hungry nestlings, the birds were out and about despite the afternoon heat and sun. A few would land on occasion, providing excellent scope views. One last stop on our way back to Snowbird did produce a good look at Dusky Flycatcher, among others, but a brilliant wildflower show was a real treat.

Early Sunday morning, I begrudgingly hopped into the shuttle to the airport, to begin the trek home. I left Utah with a real appreciation for the diversity of habitats and birdlife that it holds. Four life birds, out of 116 species total for me, weren’t bad, and as always, the chance to catch up and hang out with friends, both new and old, adds to the excitement. And hopefully, I convinced a few folks that they must visit St. Paul Island!

So, my plan was to arrive at work early on Monday, and immediately begin getting caught up, including sorting photos and posting a photojournal for the trip. Instead, I am sitting here typing away on the tarmac at Chicago O’Hare Airport, continuing my travel day from hell.

Things got off to an OK start, leaving Salt Lake City easily and without incident. It was upon arrival in Chicago that things started going bad. I was greeted with the news that my flight to Portland had been cancelled. Then, after standing in line for over 2 hours, I ended up getting placed on an evening flight to Manchester. While in said line, some new friends were made as we commiserated. Four of us – were all heading to Portland, and all desperate to get home tonight. First, we were told that we would not get a flight home until tomorrow night – and with no meal or hotel credits either. We plotted things like buses, sharing rental cars, etc., and Megan, one of my new friends, offered to have her family – who was now coming to Manchester to pick her up – drive us all to Portland. I had not yet decided if I would be comfortable imposing, but at least I knew a rental car was an option. But, I had apparently gotten the last seat on the Manchester flight. Sunny, who was behind me, would have to make other plans.

Now, after a few minutes, Sunny informed us that she was placed in a flight to Logan – even after we were told - mere minutes earlier – that there were no flights available to Logan tonight! We were outraged. Then, we were told we would have to get back on the line – the one that took us almost 2 hours to get through – to change flights again. Obviously, the chances of those seats still being open by the time we worked through the line again, were slim to none. Plus, with the line even longer than when we began, we would end up missing just about any available flights anyway! Finally, we were allowed to get back to the ticket counter, and were placed on a 6:05 flight to Logan.

However, as of 8:10, we were still in Chicago, on the runway, in a ground delay. This was really amazing – one thing after another. So, once airborne – finally – I was now keeping a close eye on my watch – I did not want to miss that 11:20 bus to Portland!

Of course, one cannot fault an airline for weather problems, but I absolutely fault then for how United handled this debacle. (And yes, this blog was indeed the abridged version, with a tone that probably did not reflect the stress of these sorts of situations. Not enough customer service reps, not enough customer service reps that gave a darn about customer service, and not enough flights. No meal vouchers, no free drinks – goodness I could have used a beer! - and of course, I’m not expecting to get reimbursed for my bus ticket. I have never been a fan of United Airlines, and you can be sure it will be a very long time, if ever that I fly this trainwreck of a company again. Oh, yeah, and I found out my bags are still in Chicago.

Once we finally made it to Boston, we found the bus stop, and anxiously awaited its arrival. When it pulled into the station, we could finally breath easy (well, tried to, but the diesel fumes were a bit strong), and I finally got some shut-eye on the easy ride to Maine.

So, instead of arriving in Portland at 7:08pm, Jeannette met me at the bus station at 1:45am (sans luggage, of course). Therefore, instead of spending this morning at work, I spent most of it in bed. Now, I am finally trying to catch up on work before heading out tomorrow morning for two days of private guiding – weather permitting, of course!