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Show Watching Utah wildlife is fun, inexpensive and educational A representative from DWR said that families interested in watching wildlife should consider taking the drive through Weber Canyon and then looping over into Parley's. Besides birds, there are many opportunities op-portunities to see deer and elk along this route. Another popular spot to view eagles is the Great Salt Lake State Park, which is 16 miles west of Salt Lake City on 1-80 or near any of the fresh water streams that enter the lake. In the morning and early evening even-ing hours, it is possible to view be tween 5,000 and 6,000 birds. "If you see a large bird flying, chances are it's a bald eagle," the DWR spokesman said. The DWR has published a "Discover Utah Wildlife" species checklist for wildlife watchers. It is available at any DWR office or from conservation officers statewide. DWR officials hope this publication and special events like B aid Eagle Day will encourage wildlife watching. It can also be a tool to help the DWR keep track of our wild life population. WEST BOUNTIFUL-If you are looking for an inexpensive outdoor activity that has some educational side benefits, try watching wildlife in Utah. To get people excited about our wildlife population, the Utah Division Divi-sion of Wildlife Resources recendy sponsored its first Bald Eagle Day. There were six sites selected throughout Utah where people would be most likely to see eagles. The most popular one in terms of citizen participation was the Jordan RiverWest Bountiful site. Over 2,000 people, armed with binoculars and a camera, traveled to this area to see our national symbol. They weren't disappointed. The birds arrive in Utah in mid-November mid-November and early December. They feed on small weak animals and winter kills which are usually plentiful along river beds and at the mouths of rivers that empty into lakes. Other migratory birds using the Pacific Flyway follow the same pattern pat-tern as the bald eagles. The best times to see bald eagles are very early in the morning before they disperse or close to sunset when most have made their way back to the roost. |