From white-tailed ptarmigan in the far northern Uintah mountain range to California condors in the far southwestern desert, Utah has a wide variety of bird watching opportunities for the avid birder to get out and enjoy a little bit of nature.
Trust me, I know. I’m a birder, myself, and I get out and look for our feathered friends as much as I possibly can. In fact, I was out today on one of the areas from this list, and I certainly enjoyed every minute of it.
Utah not only has a great diversity of species of birds but offers a wide range of locations to go bird watching as well. National parks, state parks, local parks, federal refuges, state wildlife management areas, national forests, and federal public lands are only a small portion of the possibilities for anyone in Utah wanting to get out and look for birds.
As of the time of this writing, 468 species of birds have been observed and recorded in Utah by birders posting their findings to Ebird. Nationally, Utah currently ranks 17th on Ebird for the total number of species observed and recorded. Needless to say, Utah is a great place to go bird watching.
But where exactly are all these birding hotspots in Utah? Well, here is a list depicting the current 10 top birding locations in Utah based on the total number of species observed and recorded at each location on Ebird.
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- Fish Spring National Wildlife Refuge
Not really surprising, Fish Springs NWR was listed as the top birding spot in Utah with a recorded 289 species of birds being recorded so far on this small, remote wildlife refuge. I have personally visited this refuge many times, and I hope it won’t be too long before my next trip.
It’s a bit of a drive, however, approximately 3 hours from Salt Lake City with a good portion of that on the historic dirt road referred to as the Pony Express Trail.
Fish Springs NWR is a relatively small wildlife refuge, approximately 17,992 acres in size. Roughly 10,000 acres of this small but vital piece of land is a wetland, which is why it is so important to migrating and resident birds in this very arid desert region.
One of the enjoyments of this trip is the opportunity to view the wild horses along the pony express trail. I was able to find them a couple months ago on my latest trip to Fish Springs and posted an article about the experience on my website.
Some of the most recent bird sightings on Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge include tundra swan, mallard, pied-billed grebe, eared grebe, killdeer, greater yellowlegs, American bittern, great blue heron, horned lark, dark-eyed junco, and long-billed dowitcher.
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Because of the remoteness of Fish Springs, plan ahead and take plenty of food, water, and make sure you fill up your gas tank beforehand. There are places along the Pony Express Trail where cell phones work and there are places where they don’t. I actually get some cell phone coverage on the refuge, itself, which surprised me since it is so far away from civilization.
- Lytle Ranch Preserve
Lytle Ranch Preserve is a small but important piece of nature in the southwestern part of Utah. To date, 276 species of birds have been observed and recorded at this location. I have not yet personally visited Lytle Ranch Preserve yet, but only because it is on the other end of the state, approximately 36 miles west of St. George, Utah.
This preserve, owned and operated by Brigham Young University, offers over 600 acres of plant and animal diversity for study and enjoyment. It is open to the public, and birders from all over the world have come to add new species to their life lists.
Some of the notable bird species recorded at Lytle Ranch Preserve include Gambel’s quail, Red-naped sapsucker, Ladder-backed woodpecker, black phoebe, verdin, brown creeper, mountain bluebird, phainopepla, Cassin’s Finch, and black-throated sparrow.
- Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Auto Tour Route
The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is one of the more well-known bird-watching spots in Utah, but strangely enough, many people have still not visited it. So far, 264 bird species have been recorded on Ebird from the refuge auto tour route.
I visit this birding spot more than just about anywhere else in Utah because of the diversity of birds I see there, especially waterbirds. I also visit it a lot during spring and fall migration because of the sheer numbers of birds that migrate through the 77,000-acre preserve.
The most magnificent sight on the refuge, at least in my own opinion, is the thousands of tundra swans that come through Bear River Refuge during spring migration in March and early April.
Birds I have personally seen on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge include peregrine falcon, prairie falcon, bald eagle, tundra swan, trumpeter swan, rough-legged hawk, American bittern, green heron, American avocet, long-billed dowitcher, western meadowlark, cinnamon teal, blue-winged teal, snowy egret, great egret, Wilson’s phalarope, and snow bunting.
- Antelope Island State Park
Another great birding spot in northern Utah is Antelope Island State Park. So far, birders have recorded 258 species of birds on this fascinating and unique piece of wildlife habitat. I visit the island about twice per week, year-round. Second to only the Bear River Bird Refuge, Antelope Island is one of my favorite birding spots.
Being a state park, either a day-use or year-round park pass is needed to visit the park.
You can see birds all over the park but the best location is at the Garr Ranch facilities. There you will find a large grove of trees where numerous bird species can be found at different times of the year.
Some of the species of birds observed at Antelope Island State Park include Virginia rail, Bonaparte’s gull, ring-billed gull, great horned owl, northern flicker, prairie falcon, peregrine falcon, hermit thrush, white-crowned sparrow, lesser scaup, rock wren, rough-legged hawk, least sandpiper, say’s phoebe, sage thrasher, and yellow-rumped warbler.
- Provo Airport Dike
Provo airport dike is another birding spot in Utah I have not yet visited. This location has 253 bird species being observed so far at this particular location. I am not aware of the exact location being referred to by this spot so, unfortunately, there is no website I can link to for more information.
Notable bird species observed at the Provo Airport Dike include white-crowned sparrow, ruddy duck, pied-billed grebe, greater yellowlegs, sharp-shinned hawk, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, say’s phoebe, great horned owl, mountain bluebird, yellow-headed blackbird, coopers hawk, American goldfinch, black phoebe, and cedar waxwing.
- Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area
One of the most central locations in northern Utah for bird watching is the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area. Located in Farmington, Utah, this state-owned wildlife preserve offers a nearby opportunity for bird watching very close to home. So far, 252 species of birds have been observed and recorded at Farmington Bay WMA.
Notable bird species observed at Farmington Bay WMA include northern harrier, barn owl, bald eagle, California quail, bufflehead, tundra swan, American wigeon, Virginia rail, sora, Wilson’s snipe, American avocet, American white pelican, American tree sparrow, herring gull, short-eared owl, and eared grebe.
- Deseret Ranch
Deseret Ranch has been a top birding spot in Utah for many years and it currently has 239 species observed and recorded on Ebird. It is private property with its birding rights leased to Wild About Birds so if you are interested in bird watching or finding out more about it, contact Wild About Birds for more information. I have not yet been to Deseret Ranch myself but it has been on my to-do list for a few years now.
Notable species include sandhill crane, golden eagle, ferruginous hawk, horned lark, yellow-rumped warbler, greater sage grouse, mourning dove, Swainson’s hawk, barn swallow, vesper sparrow, yellow warbler, canvasback, western kingbird, and western wood-pewee.
- Tonaquint Nature Center
Another top birding spot in southern Utah is the Tonaquint Nature Center. Currently, 238 different species of birds have been viewed and recorded at the nature center. It is not one I am familiar with, however, as it is on the other end of the state and I have not visited it yet.
Notable bird species include wood duck, say’s phoebe, lesser goldfinch, white-crowned sparrow, Abert’s towhee, ring-necked duck, sora, black phoebe, great blue heron, ruby-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, great-tailed grackle, orange-crowned warbler, Bewick’s wren, and cedar waxwing.
- Antelope Island State Park Causeway
The Antelope Island Causeway is one of the top birding spots in the United States for shorebirds. The Great Salt Lake is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve and is a very vital piece of habitat for a variety of migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway.
Being a state park, either a day-use or year-round park pass is needed to visit the park.
The causeway stretches from the toll booth to the start of Antelope Island State Park and offers miles of great bird watching not only on the lakeshore but also on the roadsides as well.
Currently, from the Antelope Island Causeway, 235 different species of birds have been observed and recorded by birders and some of the notable bird species include tundra swan, pintail, common goldeneye, northern harrier, rough-legged hawk, American pipit, lesser scaup, American avocet, barrow’s goldeneye, peregrine falcon, merlin, black scoter, bufflehead, Lapland longspur, black-bellied plover, dunlin, least sandpiper, and long-tailed duck.
- Utah Lake State Park
I haven’t been to Utah Lake State Park in a few years but it does have some great birding opportunities. A daily or year park pass is needed to enter the state park. So far, 235 bird species have been seen and recorded at the park.
Some of the notable bird species observed at Utah Lake State Park include pied-billed grebe, California quail, American coot, ring-billed gull, bald eagle, American tree sparrow, great-tailed grackle, greater yellowlegs, loggerhead shrike, mountain bluebird, wood duck, Clark’s grebe, pacific wren, spotted towhee, and orange-crowned warbler.
Printable Utah Ebird checklist
For a copy of the Utah bird species checklist from Ebird, visit their website.
Conclusion
Being a bird watcher myself, I enjoy getting out and seeing new birds and visiting new birding hotspots. There are countless places and opportunities in Utah to go bird watching and hundreds of birds to find, photograph, and enjoy.
I’ve been birding since I was a kid, and I enjoy it as much now as I did back then. It is a very enjoyable, relaxing, and even a bit of an educational hobby to get involved in. Bird watching can even be done in one’s own backyard so there are endless opportunities to watch and enjoy birds, we just have to get out there and do it.
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