As part of World Migratory Bird Day, Mike Smith from the Northeastern Utah Avian Education Center showed a Great Horned Owl and gave a birding presentation at Steinaker State Park.
Raptors, like the Great Horned Owl, can be found all over North America. He said that some owls can live 35 years in captivity but have a better survival rate out in the real world. Some raptors, including Peregrine falcons, fly the River of Raptors south to Veracruz, Mexico.
Kathryn Bradshaw and Josh Anderson from Ogden, Utah, and others listened to Mike Smith’s talk about raptors and migratory birds at Steinaker State Park. Afterward, everyone was able to look at the displays, but the wind picked up and impacted the viewing of the displays.
Scientists take cast molds of eagles to show the differences between male bald eagles and female golden eagles.
This falcon foot shows the most used type of tracker, a band. Scientists use bands, tags and modern tracking devices for birds to learn about migration routes. The tag attached indicates the band was on the bird since it was a juvenile in a nest.
For more information on birds, visit Utahbirds.org.
