From bitterns to bobolinks and plovers to pelicans, millions of birds live in Utah or migrate through the state every year.
This fall, the Division of Wildlife Resources is encouraging locals to get to know their feathery neighbors by signing up for the Utah Birding Slam.
Tonya Kieffer-Selby is the DWR’s Northeastern Region Outreach Manager – and a lifelong birder. She said the slam is meant to invite everyone from beginners to experts to head outdoors.
“It opens up a whole world that you didn’t even know existed, just because you’re listening and opening your eyes more,” she said.
She said all you need is curiosity, patience and a pair of binoculars. The DWR designed a “beginner slam” for Utahns to identify their first bird and a “backyard slam” to build on the basics.
“You’re going to look at a bird and say, ‘That is an LBB’ – a Little Brown Blob,” she said. “The thing that you need to do is go out and try to find a bird that has something that you can identify, that helps you and makes you feel more confident.”
More experienced birdwatchers can tackle more difficult challenges, like tracking down 30 wetland species or focusing on birds who live at high altitudes.
This is the first year the DWR has tried an avian slam.
“Birdwatching is one of the fastest-growing outdoor recreation opportunities that you can get involved in,” Kieffer-Selby said. “We are excited to give the public the opportunity to contribute back to the science, to contribute back to the restoration of habitat, the research opportunities, and then compete against themselves.”
It’s $20 for adults to register for a slam and $10 for kids and teenagers. That money goes directly to the DWR’s work with birds, like tracking migratory species, researching hummingbirds and protecting habitat.
Ornithologists – scientists who study birds – also rely on birders’ observations to help study bird populations and other trends. Participants in the birding slams will log their sightings to help those scientists.
Kieffer-Selby said once people get started with birding, they’ll likely be hooked.
“It’s kind of the best drug you could get right now – the addiction of going out into nature and challenging yourself to find these birds,” she said. “In the U.S., you have about 750 species, give or take. Can you find them all? I don’t know – you should try!”
Birders of all abilities can sign up for the Utah Birding Slam on the DWR website.
The Utah skies transform into an avian highway every migration season. The DWR estimates over 12 million birds, representing 339 species, rely on the Great Salt Lake every year.
