Birds Archives - Page 3 of 81

June 8, 2026June 7, 2026

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

May 18, 2026May 19, 2026

Birds calling in the night

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
(Nycticorax nycticorax)
Courtesy US FWS, Lee Karney, Photographer

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

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

Black-crowned Night Heron, Courtesy US FWS, Lee Karney, Photographer — Yellow-breasted Chat,
(Icteria virens)
Courtesy US FWS

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

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

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

April 27, 2026April 26, 2026

Cache Valley Sugar Beets and German POWs

Abandoned Sugar Beet Factory, Weston near Franklin, ID
Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer

When I started teaching at Preston High School, one of the first books my English class read was The Diary of Anne Frank. I remember asking the class if they had any family stories of their own to share about those war years. A young woman raised her hand and said her grandparents had a painting on their wall that had been given to them by a German Prisoner of War. This POW had worked on their Cache Valley sugar beet farm in 1945. He’d signed the painting, and had written a few words of thanks on the back for the kind treatment he had received

I was astounded. German POW’s in Cache Valley? This led me to ask more questions.

I found out in 1945 there were close to 400 German POWs living in tents in a work camp at the Cache Valley Fairgrounds. Local farmers contracted with the US Government to hire the POWs to work in the fields for 80 cents a day.

Each morning the prisoners would get loaded into trucks and driven to a sugar beet field. The work day didn’t end until 8 pm when the prisoners returned to the Fairgrounds, damp and chilled, from the ride in the open bed trucks.

Sugar Beet Knives
Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer

In 1945, sugar beets were a profitable crop, but labor intensive. In the Spring, the beets needed to be thinned and weeded. This work was done by a short handled hoe. In the Fall, the beets needed to be pulled out of the ground. This was done by a special beet knife with a big fish hook on the end. Once pulled out of the ground, the top leaves were sliced off and the beets tossed into a pile bound for the sugar factory.

At the peak of sugar beet farming in and around Cache Valley, there were 5 sugar factories operating. But by 1945 the factories were down to two – one located in Lewiston, and the other in Whitney, near Preston.

Native Americans came from Arizona to work the beets and set up their colorful teepees in downtown Lewiston. High school students were let out of school for 2-3 weeks in the Fall to work during what were called “Harvest Vacations.”

A friend of mine in Preston told me about a young man who went off the college in the Fall of 1945, but came home after a week. His father handed him a sugar beet knife and told him if he wasn’t going to go to college, he was going to work in the fields.

Everyone I met who once worked in the sugar beet fields told me all the work of thinning and harvesting needed to be done while bent over, and the resulting back pain was terrible.

Of all the stories I heard, my favorite was one of a Logan beet farmer who took his 3-year-old daughter with him to check on the work being done by the POWs he had hired. One day, he looked up and saw one of the German POWs holding his little girl in his arms. The farmer took his little girl by the hand, but the POW didn’t let go. A guard came running over. But both men stopped when they saw the tears running down the POW’s face. Somewhere, many miles away, they realized this German POW had a little girl of his own that he may or may not ever see again.

Today, all the POWs have long gone, as well as the local sugar beet farms. But if you drive north on Highway 89, just before you get to Preston, you can see the remains of the Whitney sugar beet factory. These huge crumbling buildings stand as a reminder that sugar beets were once king in Cache Valley.

This is Mary Heers and I’m Wild About Utah.

Credits:

Images Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer
Featured Audio:
Text: Mary Heers, https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf
Additional Reading: Mary Heers & Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah, Mary Heers’ Postings

Powell, Allan Kent, Splinters of a Nation: German Prisoners of War in Utah (UTAH CENTENNIAL SERIES), University of Utah Press, January 1, 1990, https://www.amazon.com/Splinters-Nation-German-Prisoners-CENTENNIAL/dp/0874803306/ref=sr_1_1

Radford, Alexandria, The Old Sugar Beet Factory, Medium, Oct 7, 2021, https://medium.com/mind-talk/the-old-sugar-beet-factory-2e4b26f906d6

Arrington, Leonard J, Beet Sugar in the West A History of the Utah Idaho Sugar Company 1891-1966 University of Washington, 1966, https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Leonard-J-Arrington/dp/029574037X

Arrington, Leonard J, The Sugar Industry in Utah, Utah History Encyclopedia-website, Utah Education Network – UEN, https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/s/SUGAR_INDUSTRY.shtml

February 23, 2026March 1, 2026

Bug World Athletes

Dragonfly Courtesy Pixabay, DerWeg, Contributor — Dragonfly
Courtesy Pixabay, DerWeg, Contributor

As the Winter Olympics were getting into full swing , I was glued to the TV. I was dazzled by the super speed and skills of the athletes. Then I heard the Natural History Museum of Utah had just opened its traveling exhibit Bug World, which could teach me about the small super athletes of the insect world.

I turned off the TV and took a trip to Bug World.

When I walked in the door of the exhibit, I found myself face to face with an Orchid Mantis. This insect has the unique ability to blend into a patch of orchid flowers, so when another insect comes looking for nectar, the mantis snags it out of the air at dazzling speed. I watched this drama play out on the museum’s video screen. It looked very fast.

Just how fast? The exhibit invited everyone to find the answer using the nearby light board. I stepped up to the board and hit the start button. A light came on in one of the 12 dots on the board. When I tapped the lighted dot, it would go out and another dot would light up. I had 30 seconds to see how many dots I could put out. I got 12. That put me in the range of Slug. That stung. I took a deep breath and hit the start button again. This time I got 25, moving me up to Butterfly speed. So, I took off my jacket and handed my purse to my husband. I gave it all I had. I hit 33, almost getting me up to Spider speed. The mantis can do 50. They are the undisputed champions of attack speed.

I moved on to Japanese Bees. Bees are the champions of wing speed. They can hum along at 200 beats per second. The unique Japanese bees have figured out a way of use this wing speed to protect their hive. When a dangerous wasp enters their hive, they swarm around it, beating their wings fast enough to whip up the temperature to117 degrees centigrade. That’s enough to kill the wasp.

Once again, the museum invited people to test how hard it was to raise the temperature by sliding their hands over 6 lighted dots. Two small kids were already rubbing 4 of the dots and getting nowhere. I stepped up and started working on the last two dots. The temperature went up a little. “Harder!” cried the onlookers. All three of us were rubbing the lights like crazy. I started to sweat. Suddenly a light flashed. We’d hit 117 and killed the wasp. I now know just how hard the bees need to work to defend their hive.

Next up was the Dragonfly. The dragonfly can only flap its wings at 60 beats per second. But each wing operates independently, giving it the ability to fly with pinpoint accuracy. Combine this with its bulging eyes that can see in all directions, and you have the insect predator champion of deadly accuracy. The lion, pointed out the exhibit poster, will bring down its prey 20 times out of 100. The Dragonfly hits its moving target midair 95 out of 100 times.

Every time I turned around I learned something interesting. But this Bugworld traveling exhibit was also interactive and fun.

It’s going to be in Salt Lake at the Natural History Museum until September.
I heartily recommend it.

This is Mary Heers and I’m Wild About Utah

Credits:

Photos: Courtesy Pixabay, DerWeg, Contributor, https://pixabay.com/photos/dragon-fly-insect-leaf-lotus-8105990/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman Utah Public Radio upr.org
Text: Mary Heers, https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah, Mary Heers’ Wild About Utah Postings

Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, http://nhmu.utah.edu
301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Bug World Exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah through September 7, 2026, https://nhmu.utah.edu/exhibitions/bug-world