Utah, believe it or not, hosts or is home to 406 species of birds, from Abert's towhee to the common yellowthroat, says Don McIvor, author of a new book about where to see our feathered friends just being themselves.
Branches of the migratory Pacific flyway and raptor corridors "contribute significantly to the abundance and diversity of birds here," said McIvor, a Cache County-based wildlife ecologist and consultant.McIvor's book, "Birding Utah" (Falcon Publishing, 410 pages, $19.95), complete with maps and directional advice, directs birders to more than a hundred locations that present birdwatching possibilities. As such, it is a companion to state maps, detailed gazetteers and regional bird lists and identification guides.
McIvor, a Virginia native, earned his master's degree from Utah State University and now lives in Smithfield. He spent a year canvassing the state -- a more than full-time job. Camping out mostly, he put in untold hours and an additional 10,000 miles on his truck, he said in a telephone conversation.
"I was quite familiar with probably 30 to 50 of the sites" -- but not in the intimate detail needed for a book like this, he added. "Even though I knew how to get to a particular place, I couldn't tell people to 'Go here, turn right and turn left' and the distances in between," he said.
For a purported "desert state," Utah offers an amazing array of feeding, stopover and nesting sites. "For many species of birds," McIvor wrote in one chapter, "Utah's patchwork of habitats makes an ideal place to call home."
For the purposes of his book, he divided the state into five broad ecoregions, including the Great Basin Desert, the Wasatch-Uinta Mountains, the Uinta Basin, the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert.
The variety of topography and bird species to be found within short distances is remarkable in some parts of Utah, he said. He pointed specifically to the state's top northeast corner, where birdwatchers can go from Bear River marshes to high mountain groves in minutes, and the southwest. "There you can drive from Beaver Dam Wash to Pine Valley -- going from the Mojave to high altitude conifer forests," he said.
"Birding Utah" pinpoints 112 locations, some specific, some more broadly defined -- and a few just across state borders, in Idaho and Colorado. Called upon to list what might be the state's most rewarding birdwatching spots, McIvor mentioned these:
The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. This managed Great Salt Lake riparian area "is the crown jewel of Utah birding" in most people's minds, he said. The refuge, 15 miles west of Brigham City, is a vital staging area for millions of birds of 221 known species. "The rhythms of the land and the annual cycle of bird immigration and emigration are exquisite, sometimes subtle, sometimes raucous; if we could each spend a year here with our binoculars and without watches, we'd all be the better for the experience," McIvor noted in the book.
The Antelope Island causeway and state park. "Birding Utah" recommends almost a dozen locations adjacent to the Great Salt Lake, from Locomotive Springs Wildlife Management Area on the north shore to the Layton Marsh Wetlands Preserve and the Jordan River Parkway. But one of the best of all is the 7.2-mile-long causeway between Syracuse and the island, as well as the island itself, he said. The causeway is an unusual perch for human beings, giving them "a view in cross section of life on the open lake and acres of waterfowl bobbing on the salty waters."
Beaver Dam Wash and the Lytle Ranch Preserve. The Mojave Desert, which more extensively occupies California and Arizona, dips into Utah's southwestern corner near St. George. Joshua trees, mesquite and creosote bushes are found in this hot, arid area, but the wash -- Utah's lowest point -- is fed by a permanent stream and supports cottonwood groves. "For birds, the wash has the important function of a migratory corridor, so a great variety of species pass through the area in spring and fall," including rare Utah visitors like the common blackhawk, the brown-crested flycatcher and the black-tailed gnatcatcher.
Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. Fish Springs, 104 miles southwest of Tooele on the old Pony Express Trail and hemmed in by barren mountains and the Great Salt Lake Desert, perfectly fits the definition of an oasis "for birds and birders alike," McIvor noted. The 18,000-acre refuge has recorded 250 species of birds, mostly waterfowl and shorebirds. Many live there, but the population booms about mid-April and again in late September during the migrations.
Henry's Fork-Upper Basin. Utah is also blessed with alpine and mountain meadow habitats for birds. Some, like Mirror Lake in the Uintas and Aspen Grove behind Mount Timpanogos, are notably accessible. Others, though approachable, require a bit of hiking and backpacking. One of his favorite objectives is the headwaters of the Henry's Fork River, on the north slope of the Uintas below the Utah-Wyoming border. This huge glacial cirque features spruce-fir forests, meadows, a willow-lined stream and several lakes. Birders will spy ruby-crowned kinglets, Williamson's sapsuckers, three-toed woodpeckers and more, McIvor said.
Of course, listing just a few sites barely scratches the surface. "Birding Utah" includes scores of other recommendations, from popular favorites like the Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area near Delta, where snow geese pause each year in late February and March, to the Scott M. Matheson Preserve outside of Moab on the Colorado River.
Birding expeditions can be simple or adventurous, McIvor said. Different people like different experiences. "For me, I personally look at birding as a way to get out and enjoy the outdoors" -- to strap on a backpack, hop on a mountain bike or paddle a canoe as well as check out the wildlife.
Bird enthusiasts don't always have to trek great distances, either, McIvor notes in his guidebook. River parkways, city parks and burial grounds like the large and peaceful Salt Lake City Cemetery can be outstanding places to witness birds being birds.
Nor is birdwatching simply a May-through-July sort of thing. "Utah is really interesting, because there is basically something happening every month of the year that's worth the drive," he said.
"November and December are good times to look for waterfowl. Some species are lingering, not yet forced south by the big cold fronts," he said. Migrating swans can be glimpsed around the Bear River Migratory Refuge, especially as the hunting season ends. "Another good strategy is to hit up the local ponds. You'll typically find a number of ducks resting on the reservoirs and backwaters of rivers."
Interestingly, in deep winter some species otherwise found in the Arctic wind up in northern Utah -- "things like northern shrikes, Lapland longspurs and snowbuntings.
Unfortunately, perhaps the best time to catch sight of them is when winter is at its most brutal, McIvor said. But to these birds, Utah's cold season apparently seems downright mild.