Category: Birds

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I’d Like to Report a Murder

Pixabay - The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Courtesy Pixabay, Alexas Photos, Contributor
The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Courtesy Pixabay, Alexas Photos, Contributor
Driving the return road from our family’s trip to Goblin Valley, I scoured the lonely San Rafael landscape, searching for something to keep me alert.

Suddenly, a shadow peeled off the ground and drifted into the sky. Was that an eagle?

A second later, I sighed. That was no eagle. It was a blasted crow.

You should know two things about this moment: first, as I would discover later, considering its size, solitary nature, and rural location, I was more than likely seeing a raven, not a crow. The other thing you should know is that at this time in my life I had a festering contempt for any bird of the corvid variety—corvid meaning crows, ravens, magpies … Our troubled past has its roots in walking to my work at Sky View high school and feeling personally targeted by the local murder, the term for a grouping of crows (tell me that your species is despised by the human race without actually telling me).

This murder lounged on the roof above my classroom and cackled at me in a way that seemed like obvious derision. I reciprocated anytime we went outside and we would heckle back and forth. I’d try to scare them off with some weakly tossed pebbles and sticks.

It should be no surprise then, that the Raven outside Goblin Valley brought disappointment verging upon abhorrence. Whether on roofs, bare trees in the winter, or even in the middle of nowhere deserts, crows are freaking everywhere I go!

And that is when it hit me. The only two animal species in this desolate landscape at this moment were humans … and corvids. Perhaps crows, ravens, magpies are so ubiquitous because they are intrinsically connected to one other species: humans.

Perhaps, just as crows followed humans to a wide-range of environments, they also adopted some of our best and most regrettable traits along the way.

In spite of those human-like faults, like greed, bickering and pestering, they also reflected some of our better qualities of ingenuity, community, and interspecies regard.

I begrudgingly saluted the raven, now a speck in the rear view mirror, and decided to reset my views of corvids. I reasoned that if I could not show crows respect, then how could I respect my own human race?

I decided to track down an expert. Dr. Becky Williams from the Utah State University biology department in the Uintah Basin extension, was kind enough to allow some amateur questions from me.

First, Dr. Williams assured me that crows are “aggressive territorial predators.” One could see how they might see a rooftop on the school and surrounding area as their own domain, and defend it aggressively against intruders! Hard to criticize a bird for that, when there could not be a more territorial predator than our own species.

When I spoke to Dr. Williams about the versatility of crows—their habitat reaches nearly as wide range of locations and climates as humans—she talked about a big reason being their intelligence. Corvid birds are smart, and that means that they don’t need as perfect an environment because they can come up with clever ways to survive.

Crows have bigger brains than their fellow fowl. They can remember thousands of different cache locations for seeds or other foods. They can even remember faces. Dr. Williams directed me to a study where crows recognized a unique human mask that researchers used in their interactions with a particular murder. When she told me this, I had no problem confirming what seemed to me a very targeted pestering from the same crows over several years.

This intelligence, Dr. Williams explained, tended to show itself in social animals: Crows, dolphins, humans … all spend a majority of their time in communities. The complex relationships of those communities causes them to need to remember who is a cooperator and who is a cheater. In other words, they make an in-group of those who work together, and they hold a grudge. What’s more human than that!

Once this information shifted my views on crows, I knew that I lacked much needed reconciliation. The south Smithfield murder of crows and I had nursed our historic differences, and it was time that I made things right.

When the murder showed up at their regular spot above my classroom, I tried meeting the crows outside. I wanted them to see my face as I gave them a snack. As soon as I reached into my pocket for a gift snack, they flapped off into the distance. My action of reaching for an object must have seemed familiar to them, as pulling things off the ground or out of my pocket was how I used to scare them off from before. They remembered the old me, and—as I had shamefully trained them—they retreated.

Just a couple of days ago, after weeks of non-aggressive attempted interactions, one of the more daring crows overcame reticence and dropped to the ground to investigate the unsalted peanut I dropped for them. He looked at it, looked at me, snatched it and withdrew back to the tree.

I am happy to report that now more of them are feeling comfortable picking up snacks I leave for them.

Am I looking to create a utopian bond between these crows and me? No. Perhaps dropping an occasional peanut and not yelling at each other will be the best that we can get. But I feel an immense satisfaction in seeing these remarkable animals respond to my overtures and believing that we have mended a divide between us and possibly even cultivated respect.

One of the biggest differences that I’ve noticed lately, is that when I step outside for my daily walk, no longer am I looking down to queue up the latest podcast with people cackling about political strife, or to take in media designed to ruffle the feathers of indignation of one group against another. Instead, as soon as I step outside, I look up. I’m looking for my new corvid friends—humbled, hopeful, grateful.

This is Marty Reeder, and I am Wild About Utah

Credits:

Image: Courtesy Pixabay, Alexas Photos, Contributor
Featured Audio: Courtesy Freesound.org): 210701 American Crows, caws calling, sparrows, robin, urban residential, TORONTO, 7am.wav by TRP, Thomas Ryder Payne. Sound designer, composer, musician. Based in Toronto. — https://freesound.org/s/616975/
License: Creative Commons 0
Text: Marty Reeder, https://skyview.ccsdut.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah Pieces by Marty Reeder

Strand, Holly, Crow vs. Raven, Wild About Utah, September 15, 2011, https://wildaboututah.org/crow-vs-raven/

Kelly, Patrick, Greetings puny earthlings, Wild About Utah, September 28, 2020, https://wildaboututah.org/greetings-puny-earthlings/

Boling, Josh, Josh’s Raven Encounter, Wild About Utah, June 11, 2018, https://wildaboututah.org/joshs-raven-encounter/

Kolowski, Joseph, Outdoor Experiences in High-Def, Wild About Utah, June 10, 2024, https://wildaboututah.org/outdoor-experiences-in-high-def/

Boling, Josh, The Language of Ravens, Wild About Utah, February 19, 2018, https://wildaboututah.org/language-of-ravens/

How to Tell Crows and Ravens Apart by Sight and Sound, All About Birds, Oct 22, 2024, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/similar-species-crows-and-ravens/

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A Washington County Big Day

Roadrunner in a Tree, Courtesy Pixabay, Mike-RJA1988 Contributor
Roadrunner in a Tree
Courtesy Pixabay, Mike-RJA1988 Contributor
As dawn breaks, I find myself with a fellow birder at Lytle Ranch on the Beaver Dam slope, elevation approximately 2000 feet. With the binoculars and cell phones, birding apps in hand, we begin our search. By nightfall, we will be at Kolob Reservoir elevation, a bit over 8000 feet.

Lytle Ranch Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Lytle Ranch
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Courtesy & Hell-Hole Canyon in the Rain Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer Courtesy & Hell-Hole Canyon in the Rain
Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Birding Students from UTU Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer Birding Students from UTU
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

My Family Birding Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer My Family Birding
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Fishhook Cactus Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer Fishhook Cactus
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Ephemeral Pool Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer Ephemeral Pool
Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Marshall Birding Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer Marshall Birding
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Our list of birds observed for the day will exceed 100 different species. This day, we will have passed through numerous life zones, beginning in the Sonoran life zone of the Mojave Desert and ending up in the alpine forests of the Canadian life zone.

In birder’s language, we call this a big day.

There are 924 bird species known to be in the United States. The average county in Utah has approximately 295 species, but Washington County, Utah, boasts 400 species.

The incredible diversity of bird life is due to several factors. Probably the most important is the convergence of three different geophysical features. The Great Basin Desert invades Washington County from the north, the Mojave Desert from the south, and the Colorado Plateau comes in from the east. Each different geophysical feature brings with it its own distinct complement of plants and animals, and therefore birds. In addition to the merging of geophysical features, Washington County is incredibly diverse topography. The elevation changes from 2000 feet to over 10,000 feet at the top of Pine Mountain, which locals refer to as Pine Valley Mountain.

The numerous different life zones provide opportunity to observe many different species of birds. Erosion has also played a part in the diversity of life here. What was once the bottom of washes that filled with magma from ancient volcanoes are now the tops of ridges capped with basalt or lava. This inverse topography is not common elsewhere in a state, and it provides unique microhabitats, such as north-south slopes, which retain different amounts of moisture due to their orientation to the winter sun. The difference in soil moisture content produces different plants and attracts different birds.

There is also the fact that we are near the convergence of two different migration flight ways, the Pacific Flyway on the west and the central flyway to the east. Birds from both these flyways can find their way into the county.

Soil types should also be included in the list, from basalt to sandstone and limestone, and various different soils found in the area contribute to the diversity of plant life, and therefore bird life, as well. Sandstone is known to create both ephemeral pools after rainstorms on the surface and absorb water like a sponge, which slowly leaks out at the base, creating life-sustaining water seeps.

Surprisingly, Utah ranks only 45th out of 50 states in the United States with regard to the number of people who consider themselves birders. The national average is 24% but in Utah, only 11% think that they would qualify. This is a bit unfortunate, because research has shown birding to have tremendous advantages for human physical and cognitive health. Committed bird watchers have detectable brain differences that suggest bird watching reshapes the brain in much the same way as learning a language or a musical instrument does. Three combined studies in the UK have shown bird watching to be a remedy for stress, anxiety, and depression. Becoming a birder physically reshapes your brain. Considerable research shows that learning and practicing bird identification increases the structural density and complexity in brain regions tied to physical processing, attention, and working memory. These changes help build a cognitive buffer that protects against age-related memory decline.

Perhaps Terry Tempest Williams put it best: “Birds are wherever we are. They are our companions. Birds are mediators between heaven and earth.”

This is Professor Marshall Topham from Utah Tech University. I’m wild about Utah.

Credits:

Images Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Also included photos Courtesy US BLM: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blmutah/32152508267/in/album-72157667920964286/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Bob Holmes, Composer, Hugh Jones, Producer, Rubber Rodeo-Before I Go Away, 1984, https://www.discogs.com/release/9698183-Rubber-Rodeo-Scenic-Views
Text: Marshall Topham, https://ees.utahtech.edu/faculty-staff/
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah pieces by Marshall Topham https://wildaboututah.org/author/marshall-topham/

417 Species in Washington County, Utah United States, eBird Printable Checklist, eBird.org [visited June 22, 2026] https://ebird.org/printableList?regionCode=US-UT-053

Birding in Washington County, UtahBirds.org, http://utahbirds.org/counties/washington/index.html Note, this is not a TSL-protected connection: http not https.

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Participate in the Junior Duck Stamp Program

Two Mallards Flying from Forest Street, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Courtesy US FWS, Sheryl Ritter, Photographer
Two Mallards Flying from Forest Street
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Courtesy US FWS,
Sheryl Ritter, Photographer
Dr. Joseph Kozlowski
Last month, I ran a segment on how students engaging in nature-related art helps them develop appreciation and awareness for the natural world around them. Today, I am joined by Gabby Johnson, who works for the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, who is here to share her experience leading the Utah Junior Duck Stamp Contest, which encourages just that kind of nature and art appreciation.

So thank you, Gabby, for being here with us. Do you mind jumping right into a little bit of the history of this program?

Gabby Johnson
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.

The Junior Duck Stamp Program is part of the Federal Duck Stamp Program, which started in 1934 when Congress passed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act. Every waterfowl hunter 16 and older is required to purchase a federal duck stamp each year they hunt. Since 1934, sales from federal duck stamps have helped conserve more than six million acres of wildlife habitat. Ninety-eight cents of every duck stamp dollar goes to purchasing or leasing wetlands and wildlife habitat, and the art featured on the duck stamp is chosen every year in the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest.

In 1989, the Junior Duck Stamp Program started. This program gives students the opportunity to learn about conservation and submit a waterfowl painting or drawing into the Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. After the state-level competitions, the art is judged at the national level, and the winning art is made into the Junior Duck Stamp, which sells for $5 to support conservation education.

Dr Joseph Kozlowski
Six million acres, that’s incredible. It makes me think of that saying I’ve heard, hunting is conservation, and it’s neat to see those two communities work together to support wildlife in this sense in wetlands.

So what about a basic overview of how people might be able to participate in this program?

Gabby Johnson
Yeah. All students from kindergarten through 12th grade, whether in a public, private, charter, or homeschool are welcome to participate in the Junior Duck Stamp Program. Each state holds their own Junior Duck Stamp Contest. In Utah, the deadline to submit art each year is March 1st.

Students participating in the program learn about North American waterfowl, including ducks, geese, and swans, and the importance of wetland habitat to these animals. Students share what they’ve learned during classroom discussions, research, and planning through both the artwork and a written conservation message. There are some contest rules to keep in mind, like specific paper size, and ensuring there’s no writing on the front of the artwork. For educators interested in getting involved, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge has a variety of materials to support you. Educators can reach out about in-class programming, field trips at the refuge, or rentable art supplies and curriculum guides.

Dr Joseph Kozlowski
And I know personally as a educator who has done this program with my students, you’ve been incredibly helpful to staff at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in supporting me in getting the resources and submitting artwork in the correct way, so thank you.

What about the impact you’ve seen from participation in this program?

Gabby Johnson
Yeah, one of my favorite parts of working on this program has been getting to read the student conservation messages. Through learning about waterfowl and wetlands, creating their artwork, and taking time to write about conservation, students recognize the important role wetlands play in our environment and the ways they can have a role in conservation, and that’s clear through their conservation messages.

This year, our conservation message winner was Jason Deacon. He’s 11 years old, and his message was, for future inspiration, utilize smart conservation.

Dr Joseph Kozlowski
I think it’s so important definitely here in Utah where we face these real water questions and water conservation issues to get kids thinking at a young age how they can be aware and thoughtful of some of those practices and ideas.

Well, finally, Gabby, what excites you personally about this program?

Gabby Johnson
I think the lasting impact this program can have on students is the most exciting part of the program to me. When there’s a positive experience associated with learning about waterfowl, wetlands, and the local environment as a student, the hope is that the value for these resources for students increases, and they make decisions in the future that reflect that care and value.
Dr Joseph Kozlowski
Well, personally, I’m awfully grateful for this program. My students have been doing this for a couple years now, and as our implementation of this program gets better and better each year, I can see that lasting impact in their knowledge and their understanding of conservation and wetlands, so I thank you, Gabby, for being here, and to all you educators and families out there, I encourage you, get your kids involved, encourage them to try to participate in this Junior Duck Stamp Contest, and I think you’ll see a lot of benefits in their learning and appreciation for the world around us.
Dr Joseph Kozlowski & Gabby Johnson
So I’m Dr. Joseph Kozlowski.
I’m Gabby Johnson.

And we’re wild about outdoor education in Utah.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver
Text:     Audio converted to text using Otter.ai, Speakers: Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/ Gabby Johnson, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear-river-migratory-bird
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University, https://edithbowen.usu.edu/

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear-river-migratory-bird
https://www.facebook.com/BearRiverMBR/

Junior Duck Stamp, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/program/junior-duck-stamp/junior-duck-stamp-contest-information

Junior Duck Stamp Gallery, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/junior-duck-stamp-gallery

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Birds calling in the night

Birds calling in the night: Yellow-breasted Chat, (Icteria virens), South Fork, Ogden River, Weber County, Utah, 12 May 2013, Courtesy & Copyright Paul Higgins, Photographer
Yellow-breasted Chat, (Icteria virens)
South Fork, Ogden River, Weber County, Utah, May 12, 2013
Courtesy & Copyright Paul Higgins, Photographer
I have the distinct privilege of working part-time at the Canyonlands Research Center, operated by The Nature Conservancy in Utah’s southeast corner. I live in northern Utah, so when I’m down there in the warmer months, I usually camp alongside some cottonwood trees that line the stream course of Indian Creek. The trees and shrubs create a green oasis amidst the surrounding desert of Bears Ears National Monument. Birds love it there, and I love to watch and listen to them.

This time of year, sunrise brings a raucous symphony of sound as a couple dozen species of birds raise their respective voices to attract mates and stake out territories. Nights are much quieter, of course, as most songbirds doze off in the darkness, conserving energy and avoiding nocturnal predators like snakes and raccoons. But in May, the midnight stillness on Indian Creek is broken by the loud calls of a unique songbird, the yellow-breasted chat.

Yellow-breasted Chat, (Icteria virens), Courtesy US FWS
Yellow-breasted Chat,
(Icteria virens)
Courtesy US FWS

Black-crowned Night Heron, Courtesy US FWS, Lee Karney, Photographer Black-crowned Night Heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax)
Courtesy US FWS, Lee Karney, Photographer

Great Horned Owl and Chick Courtesy US FWS George Gentry, Photographer Great Horned Owl and Chick
(Bubo virginianus)
Courtesy US FWS
George Gentry, Photographer

Western Screech Owl Courtesy & Copyright Lu Giddings Western Screech Owl
(Megascops kennicottii)
Courtesy & Copyright Lu Giddings

Now, it’s not unheard of for birds to be active in the nighttime. But most nocturnal birds are not songbirds. The best-known, of course, are the owls. We have at least 12 species of owl in Utah, selecting different habitats from deserts to mountains to valleys and even towns. In the winter months, when I walk the streets of my small town before dawn, I occasionally hear great horned owls calling to each other. And a couple of summers ago, a pair of Western screech-owls raised two youngsters in the backyard.

Other Utah birds that are active at night include the aptly named black-crowned night heron. It may be seen in marshy areas at dawn or dusk, waiting by water’s edge to ambush prey animals such as fish, frogs, worms, mice and snakes. They can sometimes be seen during daylight hours – for example, at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – but they tend to spend their days resting in dense bushes or trees.

Another nocturnal bird is the common poorwill, which breeds on dry, rocky slopes. You may never see one, as they blend in well with the ground they nest on, but you might hear the distinctive “poor-willip” call of the males, especially on a warm night at moonrise.

One songbird that sometimes sings at night is the Northern Mockingbird, famous for its mimicry and variety of songs. These striking gray birds are more common in southern Utah, but they’ve been found on Antelope Island, and my wife and I have seen a pair of mockingbirds at the very tip of Promontory Point, near where the railroad causeway heads west across the Great Salt Lake.

Then there’s the yellow-breasted chat. As the name suggests, chats boast a conspicuous deep-yellow breast, along with a long tail, and a greenish head with white spectacles, eyebrows and mustache. For many years, the chat was thought to be the largest warbler in North America – weighing twice as much as other common Utah warblers like the yellow warbler or the yellow-rumped warbler. But recent genetic analysis suggests that this species is actually quite unique – in fact, the only member of its own family.

Chats can be hard to see, as they tend to skulk in dense foliage. But they definitely can be heard. Their wide vocal repertoire includes whistling and cackling, meowing and cawing, chuckling and rattling, squawking, gurgling, and popping. Like the mockingbird, some chats may even mimic other songbirds.

So why sing at night? The advantage is that there’s less noise competition. Night-calling males in search of a mate can cut through the auditory chaos of springtime, with songs that carry far from their perch and increase the chance that they’ll be heard by a male-seeking female. The disadvantage, of course, is that predators can hear them, too.

It’s a tradeoff that the chat has evolved to make, and one that has enriched my nights, camping under the cottonwoods.

I’m Mark Brunson, and I’m wild about Utah both day and night.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy US FWS, https://www.fws.gov/media/yellow-breasted-chat-felsenthal-nwr
Courtesy US FWS, Lee Karney, Photographer, https://www.fws.gov/media/black-crowned-night-heron-13
Great Horned Owl and Chick, (Bubo virginianus), Courtesy US FWS, George Gentry, Photographer
Western Screech Owl, (Megascops kennicottii), Courtesy & Copyright Lu Giddings
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/, J. Chase and K.W. Baldwin as well as Friend Weller, https://upr.org/
Text: Mark Brunson, https://www.usu.edu/experts/profile/mark-brunson/
Additional Reading: Mark Brunson, https://www.usu.edu/experts/profile/mark-brunson/ & Lyle Bingham, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading

Mark Brunson’s archive: https://wildaboututah.org/?s=brunson

Cook, Horace P. 1935. The song of the yellow-breasted chat. Wilson Bulletin 47(4):21. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4191&context=wilson_bulletin

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Yellow-breasted chat. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-breasted_Chat/overview

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2011. Birding by Night. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/birding-by-night/

National Audubon Society. Black-crowned night heron. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-crowned-night-heron

Utah Birds. Northern Mockingbird. http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesL-R/NorthernMockingbird.htm

Ward, M. P., Alessi, M., Benson, T. J., & Chiavacci, S. J. (2014). The active nightlife of diurnal birds: extraterritorial forays and nocturnal activity patterns. Animal Behaviour, 88: 175-184.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347213005320?via%3Dihub