Binoculars on the Trail Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, PhotographerTwelve sweaty, 2nd-grade birders and one worn out teacher stumbled into the shade of the Green Canyon trailhead bathroom facility. It was nearly 90 degrees under the bluebird Utah sky. No one had been quite prepared for the sun, heat, and amount of water they’d need for the journey; they were only halfway done with the hike. Students had discovered several birds along the hike with their binoculars (e.g., Golden Eagle, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Black-Billed Magpie, and Townsend’s Solitaire), but by the time they reached the trailhead bathroom, their water bottles were empty, their bodies baked, and fatique was setting in.
Cooling Off Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Class and DNR Team in Green Canyon Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, PhotographerAs the weary birders rested in the shade of the outhouse, they noticed a trail crew from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) relaxing in some maples nearby, taking a break from their digging and construction project. “You guys look hot, want some water?” called a young DNR crewman. Of course, a chorus of positive replies echoed from the 7-and-8-year-olds. The crewman got out an orange Home Depot cooler and slung it on the back of a work trailer, “Here you go!” and another went to a fancy pull-behind trailer on their work truck, which was equipped with a hose and a nozzle, “This is drinking water too!” The kids dispersed, some leaning their head under the cooler spout and others tentatively holding their mouth wide open, like a baby robin waiting for regurgitated worms, for the crewman to jet water into mouths, still only partially filled with grown-up teeth. Kids laughed and the whole DNR crew chuckled. As kids were drinking a commotion started near the pull-behind trailer with the water hose. What had been a hose and nozzle for administering drinks had become a cooling fountain station. Water was being launched into the air and kids were dancing around underneath with screams of joy. After a minute or two, the teacher gathered the students, thanked the crew, grabbed a picture with them, and started their trip back seeming more refreshed than ever.
Spontaneous moments, unrepeatable circumstances. These are the memory makers. These kids may likely forget every bird they saw on their hike, but they’ll never forget the relief from the heat by playing in the crewman’s water fountain, or leaning under a cooler to grab a quick drink. As a wise outdoor educator, Eric Newell, once told me “Never be too busy outdoors to stop and experience something that excites the kids.”
This is Dr. Joseph Kozlowski and I am Wild About Outdoor Education in Utah!
[Downy Woodpecker Male at] Bird Feeder Courtesy US FWS, Leah Schrodt, Photographer
Applying Anti-Strike Film to Window Courtesy US FWS Brett Billings PhotographerBirdwatching is a fun hobby for all ages and it is a great way to connect with nature and increase self-efficacy, so let’s discuss the benefits and the importance of a safe environment for feeding our backyard birds. First, the benefits of supplemental feeding, and second, preventable deaths from cats and window collisions.
Supplemental food and water are important ways we can reduce stress for backyard birds, especially through the winter months. Sites with bird feeders attract more birds over time than those without feeders, and the birds are in overall greater health than birds at sites without feeders. A higher percentage of chicks hatch at sites with bird feeders, and the survival rates are significantly higher, but supplemental feeding must be done in a safe environment.
Free ranging domestic cats and window collisions are leading causes of bird deaths in North America. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the United States alone. Approximately one billion birds are dying from window collisions each year in North America – that represents about ten percent of our birds dying from crashing into windows (1), and combined, that’s over three billion fewer insect eaters, fewer pollinators, fewer seed spreaders, and fewer parents for the next generation.
Cats should be kept indoors, and windows should be treated, especially if they reflect trees and shrubs. If you have seen a ghostly bird imprint or heard the sickening thump of a bird hitting your windows, then those are windows in need of treatments such as screens, translucent UV tape, or even tempera paint designs, because even birds that manage to fly away have potentially life-threatening internal injuries. Feeders less than 3 feet away don’t allow birds to build up too much speed before they collide, so it’s good to put feeders and birdbaths 3 feet or closer to a window or greater than 30 feet away.
Feeders placed on or near windows have the added benefit of being easy to access and monitor. In addition to a window suet feeder, one of my favorite window feeders is actually a clear plastic suction-cup toothbrush cup holder from the dollar store – it’s easy to clean and there’s no need for binoculars!
In addition to enhancing a backyard bird watching hobby and improving bird health and survival, the ripple effects of feeding birds, keeping cats indoors, and preventing window collisions include pest control in our gardens where birds feast on slugs, snails, aphids and grasshoppers. I for one particularly appreciate Black-billed Magpies when they remove wasp nests from my house! The Bridgerland Audubon website has tools, coloring pages, checklists, and science-based information on window collision prevention. Solutions can be as simple as the careful placement of bird feeders and keeping cats indoors. Find us at bridgerlandaudubon.org, that’s Bridgerland Audubon – A-U-D-U-B-O-N dot org.
Creating Landscapes for Wildlife… A Guide for Backyards in Utah, Written by Sue Nordstrom and Illustrated by Kathlyn Collins Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Utah State University with Margy Halpin, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources; Second Printing 2001,
Updated for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, by Frank Howe, DWR Avian coordinator; Ben Franklin, DWR–Utah Natural Heritage Program botanist; Randy Brudnicki, DWR publications editor; and landscape planning illustrations by Stephanie Duer.,
Published by:
State of Utah Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources,
Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service and
Utah State University Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning;
1991 updated 2001 https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/landscapingforwildlife.pdf
Morse, Susan, To Feed or Not to Feed Wild Birds–Bird Feeders Can Be Sources of Joy — and Disease,, US Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.fws.gov/story/feed-or-not-feed-wild-birds
Dragon, Sydney, (Student Conservation Association intern), Conservation in Urban Areas: Backyard Bird Feeding, US Fish & Wildlife Service Bird Walks (Texas), U.S. Department of the Interior, Apr 27, 2021, https://youtu.be/2bkliew6aj8
West Nile Virus Sign in the Mendon Post Office Photo courtesy Mary Heers, Photographer
Cache Valley Mosquito Trap Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer
Cache Valley Mosquito Trap Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer
Cache Valley Mosquito Trap Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer“West Nile Virus Found in Mendon.” This warning, printed in big block letters, definitely caught my attention when I walked into the Mendon Post Office. The poster included a picture of a mosquito and a message saying “Please take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones.”
The warning came from the Cache Mosquito Abatement District. Curious, I called them up. I found out that their staff goes out once a week and activates 18 mosquito traps at rural locations throughout the valley. They invited me to go along and see how they collect their test mosquitos
I was surprised to find out its carbon dioxide that attracts the mosquitos. The sun was setting when we pulled up to the first stop and found the cylinder of CO2 already in place on the ground. The first step was to turn on the CO2, a slow flow emitting about as much as a human exhaling. Next, they snapped a battery into place on the underside of a metal disc that was hung a few feet above the CO2 cylinder. This disc, that looked a lot like a broad brimmed man’s hat, also held a small fan which now started whirring. The last step was to tie on a white mesh bag below the fan.
The trap was now emitting an enticing trail of CO2. When the mosquitos arrived, the fan would blow them into the mesh bags.
Early the next morning, it was time to turn off the CO2, and retrieve the batteries and the mesh bags.
Back at the lab, the mesh bags made a quick trip into the freezer, which killed the mosquitos.
Then the mosquitos were emptied onto a black tray and counted. Of the varieties of mosquitos in Cache Valley, only the Culex carries the West Nile virus.
To the trained eye of the staff, it was short work to separate the Culex from the rest. These mosquitos were then packed into small vials and sent to the lab in Salt Lake which runs the tests for the West Nile virus.
We now know that West Nile is one of the viruses transmitted by a mosquito bite. And with the help of high-powered microscopes, we can see that a mosquito bite is actually the complex work of 6 needlelike shafts housed in the female mosquito’s protruding mouthpiece. Two shafts with serrated edges saw through the victim’s flesh, two hold the cut open, and two are inserted into the cut. These last two function like straws, one to suck blood up and one to carry down anti-coagulant saliva to keep the blood flowing. It’s the mosquito’s saliva that transmits the virus.
For most people who become infected, West Nile feels like a bout of flu. But for 1 in every 150, it can lead to deadly neurological problems. Now that we’ve been warned, we would be wise to take some precautions: Drain any stagnant pools of water in our neighborhoods where mosquitos can breed. Wear long sleeve shirts and long pants after dusk- the Culex fly at night.
And let’s not forget that some of our valley bats are helping us. Some bats can eat as many as 500 mosquitos in an hour. But that’s a story for another day.
Bugfest Poster Utah Museum of Natural History (UMNH) Photo Courtesy Mary Heers
UMNH I ate a BUG button Courtesy Mary HeersNever one to say no to an adventure, this month I found myself sitting in the front row at the Bug Bar at the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake. I was waiting for the Bug Bar to open and serve up some insects.
This was the first day of the museum’s annual Bug Festival, and the lobby was full of interesting displays and presenters. But the one that intrigued me the most was the one that suggested we should be bringing insects into our kitchens.
Soon Megan Bartley, an anthropologist and professional chef, walked onto the stage along with the museum director. She began by telling us North America and Europe were the only two places on earth where people did not routinely eat insects.
After all, she said, insects are high in protein, have no carbs, no fat and are gluten free. Furthermore, they can be raised with a lot less water than other foods, and do not create greenhouse gases.
With all this going for them, Megan was here to prove that insects can also be very tasty.
“Are you ready to chow down?” the museum director shouted.
“Yes,” we shouted back. There was no turning back now.
First up on the menu was Spicy Giant Water Bug Pasta. Small samples were handed out and I glanced cautiously into the paper cup. I recognized bowtie pasta, and a little cilantro, carrots and onions, No sign of a water bug. I ate my forkful, and it was delicious. Megan told us the water bugs had been ground up and hidden in the imported Thai chili paste. It was the water bugs that gave the pasta a bit of a musky flavor.
We moved on to Raspberry Ant Pastries. Here, the ants weren’t ground up, but more or less hidden in the raspberry jam. Megan told us it was the ants that gave the pastry its citrus kick.
Then it was time for the ‘Apple Slaw with Candied Crickets.’ The crickets had been toasted in melted butter, sprinkled with sugar and a pinch of salt, and then tossed into an apple and cabbage slaw. There was a slightly unnerving crunch when I bit into this sample, but I had to admit it too was delicious.
The final sample was Grasshopper Tacos. The dehydrated grasshoppers had been sauteed in olive oil with garlic, onions and chipotle peppers. They were served on a dollop of guacamole. A quick look and I could clearly see the grasshopper. But by then I was ready to go for it. It was predictably crunchy – and also delicious.
Megan had proved her point that eating insects could be very tasty. More importantly, she got us thinking that it was time to consider this sustainable source of protein that can help curb food insecurity in our rapidly growing world.
Megan wrapped up with a caution about eating the insects that live around our homes. There’s no telling what these insects have been eating. Better to stick with the ones farmed in controlled environments.
I whipped out my phone and ordered some black ants and some toasted crickets online.
Then I pinned on one of the museum’s “I Ate a Bug” buttons and proudly wore it home.
Class and DNR Team in Green Canyon
