| Show ' vrf Ja i i ivicty U luiouuy niiifc 'iiiui njtTirt nturri iturln'f s A i? r - i Jf rv “ijir n"ifcyi oiai iuai U'UAai oc?£J May 16 is ‘Big Day’ for birders Standard Examiner staff For birders who want tit more competition to sport there's the Day” "Nig Sponsored by the American Btrding Association and governed by strict regulations that require at least teams the contest is based on the number of bird species seen in a specific geographical area in one pet tod 24-ho- Mark Stackhouse and his paitner David Wheeler both ol Salt ake C’itv broke I 'tail's L 1 Ciibbs-Smit- h he said minute” "It's like cramming an entire week into 24 hours I've never had a more intense kind of day” Great Salt Lake Bird Festival Festival From teams of two or more members and choose their own day "But other than that rules are very complex and very strict” For a copy of the rules interested birders can write the American Birding Association at 720 W Monument St Colorado 80904-362- 4 Springs CO Stackhouse said he and Wheeler have been perfecting their route for years now "We don't waste a single established “Big Day” record live years ago - and have continued to keep it "That's after five years of eating some other team's dust” Stackhouse said I he present Utah "Big Day” lecord is 187 But the birdmg partners are hoping to break 200 this year Their "Big Day" is set for May 16 They plan to begin at midnight around St George and to cover the entire state within the Billowing 24 hours Stackhouse said Big Day pailicipants select their own By PAT BEAN A D N in 1997 he goal said Neka Roundy tourism coordinator for Davis County is lor the festival to become an annual event The festival is a way lor Utah to bring attention to its great bud resources she said Bird festivals ate also a trend that are growing all across the country "In 1985 there weie only live tecognied bud festivals This year mote than 150 are being promoted” Roundy said has Over the past decade she said become the nation's fastest growing reeieational activity According to a survey in 1 ortune magazine more Americans have come to prefer birding over golfing for vacation agendas And in 1991 more than 247 million Americans reported they traveled to watch birds Roundy said Davis County would like to reap some of those tourism dollars Admission to the Great Salt Lake Bird I estival will be S2 per person or 85 for a family Special guided tours will cost an additional $5 per person Because space for these tours is limited advance registration is recommended I Davis County Fairpark & Legacy Center '51 So 11 OOW Farmington 100 Weekend! N Our Floral Dept has a great selection of Mothers Day Gifts Florist Quality Fresh Flowers Planters Blooming Plants Orchid Corsages Balloons and Candles that Mom ’s sure to love! Farmington bud-watchi- 325' bldiiddid Fresh Mixed Flower Examiner For an activity schedule of the lestival contact 6 Davis County Tourism in Farmington at 451-328- Bouquets Balloon Bouquets 1 separate entities including Davis County Tourism the Nature Conservancy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Division ol'Travel Development are sponsoring Twenty-tw- o the festival includes icing That sweet topping included 55 other species spotted by the gioup before the day ended One highlight was a young golden eagle chasing a couple of Canada geese "I guess it wants to its meal” kaysville cabinet-make- super-si- c Rick I’ewtress r said "Isn't nature awesome?" Ivan Call a Brigham Young University business professor who also came on this trip specifically to see the sage grouse said the thing about buding is that it is always full of surprises "What you see is what you get" the Provo resident said Stackhouse who led a family gioup Irom New York to the same sage grouse lek the next day said those bnders had a totally dilferent experience "Instead ol being able to leisurely watch the sage grouse display lor an hour they barely got in 2 minutes' viewing before 59 grouse frantically began living love" I he growing mtciest in birding makes it possible Stackhouse said theie ate now about 40 companies across the uumtiy "' “most of them small like mine I he Salt I ake City birder said he keeps tour groups to 10 or less to provide Ills clients a quality birding cxpei icnce In addition to his regular Utah birding tours Stackhouse also leads groups to places like Belize CostaRica Mexico Texas I londa and the Washington Peninsula away "I thought at first we had scared them But then I noticed the birds were flying straight at the blind" Stackhouse said "Then I spotted the golden eagle which is particularly fond ol a sage grouse menu” I here may be days like that when sightings are fleeting or low in number But even the disappointments are good for the sport I here's always another fruitful Most serious birders keep a running tally of the species they spot Dan Salemi who recently moved to Salt I ake City Irom Illinois said he has over 400 birds on his list But the sage grouse wasn't one of them "I'd failed several times to see out on my own So I decided to get an expert to show me one” I ater that morning after he day “ I he birding season is open 365 days a year” said Stackhouse "And people can do it Irom their own back yards or Irom exotic locales halfway around the world ” Stackhouse said he knows people who even count birds on Christmas cards they receive each year Others keep records every single day of the birds they see "It's a way of recording a collection of memories and reliving them” Stackhouse said Some birders are very competitive about the length of their lists which is healthy for Stackhouse's business "People who need a specific bird to add to their list are my best customers” Stackhouse said 1 hey can also be his biggest source of stress "If people have a list of 30 birds they want to see then I feel confident that I can find 25 and make them happy Finding one specific bird is more difficult” he said For instance there's the Himalayan snow cock that nests in the Ruby Mountains in Nevada "It's a steep hike to where the bird nests and of the 10 tours I've taken up there I've twice missed finding the bird" Stackhouse said "I know I have a bad attitude about bird hunters But I have to say that the hunter w ho shoots one of these birds has earned the rtr f 25 PACKAGED SEEDS 25 25 FORSYTHIA SHRUBS SELECTED JUNIPERS OFF 12 Case Choice idfc Tender Aged USDA T-BO- NE ° STEAKS i 77 X $0" i' -vy save 50 V Vt t I V : MAYONNAISE Old Home 4 'A” HAMBURGER BUNS iS4 ' 12 ct package 2ipm zm iz i I r £ CTTks Fvery Mom Heeds Ao 1 5 - — Vn iiii i ' n j I L' OFF 1 C e per p:t’mer If 12th & CXtog I Washington Ogden j j iir — Bulk Shredded Bark r Nonsense mtyHose Nice selection at perennials available i $8: I : XuithwReal fjL£ r 32 Oz Nalley 's Reg or Light 50 pcr flat (i i ( 4U with purchase price $ 0J1M§§ U0ur Famous” Light Golden Crisp CHICKEN Limit One per customer White supples lasts 2 Gallon Shrub PIE Mm’tFmrit FRIED Regular price Lirmt One per customer On Any Mom’s sure to love r our Bakery Fresh RliClti CUK' 1211LL 625-422- SAVE JJ STRAWBERRY keeping score and the present tally is spotted owl 8 dad 0” Yam an teat h reporter Pat Heart 4 at orplnvu a standard net Tomtit I ILK d day "My own personal bird nemesis” he said laughing "is Utah's spotted owl My kids are On Any 1 Gallon Shrub $ “ Great for Short Cakes ” Stop & Shop Bulk Mild Cheddar FREE I ' STRAWBERRIES OFF GLADIOLUS BULBS ?$1 W I "" Red Ripe Sweet Stackhouse said probably wouldn't be so much fun if it were successful every OFF “Spring Field" Spiral Sliced ASPARAGUS right" ANNUALS Top Quality V?" Mouth Watering Large Tender i 1 tS-es’- s HAMS i : ®ay s Watching the competition had seen his gtouse Salemi said anything else would be pure From ID But he has been buding almost his entire hie His first experience was drawing birds that visited his family's backyard bud feeder in Dayton Ohio He was lust 5 at the time "Soon I was spending all my tune at the local museum of natutal history” Stuckhouse41 said "At 12 i became a volunteer at 14 a museum employee and by 16 I was teaching classes on birds “It's nice now to be able to have my own birding company and make a living doing what I Jl Mylar and 3 Latex Grouse Some days are Exit J L ytah ' L' i 6-p- k b 1 t‘- ' - 12 Oz Cans w FRESCA mi ici |
