Salt Lake City — Fall is here, which means wildlife migrations are in full swing in Utah. Bird-watching is a great opportunity to get outdoors and see a wide variety of birds during their annual migrations — and enjoy the fun challenge of trying to identify them!
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is hosting two viewing events in November to educate those just getting into bird-watching and to also provide opportunities to see birds during the fall migration. These viewing events will also help individuals who are attempting to complete the beginner slam included in the recently launched Utah Birding Slam.
The first event will be held Saturday, Nov. 8 from 8-11 a.m. in the Moab area. Participants will meet at Lions Park at 1850 N. Highway 191 in Moab for some bird-watching instructions and resources at 8 a.m. Then the group will drive to the Grandstaff Canyon Trail where an experienced DWR biologist will lead a beginner-friendly bird-watching excursion.
"We are hoping to see a few of the birds common in the Moab area, including the red-tailed hawk, northern flicker, Woodhouse's scrub-jay, canyon wren and spotted towhee," DWR Southeastern Region Outreach Manager Brandon Behling said. "We hope that this event helps spark a lifelong love of bird-watching for our participants!"
While the event is free, attendees should register in advance on Eventbrite so they can be notified of any weather-related cancellations.
The second event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 8-11 a.m. in the Price area. Similar to the first event, participants will first meet at the DWR Price Office at 319 N. Carbonville Road for some information about bird-watching and the Utah Birding Slam. Then the group will drive to Wood Hill in Price for some hands-on bird-watching with a biologist.
"At the Price viewing event, we are hoping to see bird species like the pinyon jay, mountain bluebird, house finch, juniper titmouse and golden eagle during our outing," Behling said.
While this event is also free, participants are encouraged to register in advance on Eventbrite.
For both events, participants should bring binoculars, water and a smartphone so they can download the eBird app, which will be used during the event. Individuals hoping to complete the beginner slam during either event should register in advance on the Utah Birding Slam webpage.
You can find a few other helpful bird-watching tips on the DWR website.
