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Show THE Page 10 OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume XI Issue XII April 1, 2005 Attract Wild Birds to Nest in Your Backyard this Spring belted kingfisher nest is in a tunnel that he digs in a stream bank. Burrowing owls use old prairie dog or badger burrows for their nests. Great horned owls use old hawk nests. Another group of birds, known as cavity nesters, such as the woodpecker, excavate their own natural cavity in a tree. Other cavity nesting birds use old woodpecker nests or other = cavities to raise their young. and is cleared of standing trees, especially a snags, natural cavities are lost. Wooden fence posts no longer offer a cavity Ogden Valley Nature Guide Each month the OGDEN VALLEY NEws will print a new page of the “Ogden Valley Nature Guide.” The guide is a collaboration between the students and teachers of Snowcrest Junior High and Ogden Valley Pathways. Readers can then cut out and collect these pages to create their own resource guide featuring wildlife and plants found in Ogden Valley. r eee ee ee ee = Along the Way... A Guide to Nature along Ogden Valley Pathways. Did You Know? ; ° Sandhill cranes return to] Ogden Valley in early spring, returning this year in early March. They have a loud rattling call and are often] heard before being seen. I During courtship, Cranes y have an elaborate dance where they face onell another, bow and jump] into the air while calling] and flapping theirg wings. hey fly with necksll fully extended forward] and legs fully extended] backwards. I ° Cranes eat inseuts;y worms, Drawing by Jonathen Lowe Combined text by: Austin Dickson, Amber Hunter, Katie Creager, Stephen Ormsbee, and Genevieve Goulet. Grus Canadensis Wings: Tail gray, 73" wingspan gray Feet: 4 sharp-clawed toes on each foot Legs: and long Ayoung sandhill crane lacks the red crown and has brownish-gray feathers. long, sharp,and straight Face: Adults have scarlet red skin on crown Chest: Size: gray, as is long neck one of the tallest birds in the world, 40-48” I I I I I | I I I I al Eden Mini-Ranch 1.69 acre 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, with full basement ready to finish. Exquisite 3 Bedrooms, Fairway Oaks 2 Baths, in $245,000 Only $75,000 EVERGREEN ESTATES 2.51 acre Building Lot 5,000 Mountain Green Building lot. Approximately 1.8 Acres REDUCED TO $149,900! nesting birds. You can build the box as a project too. Instructions and plans are available free at the Layton Wild Center. Completed boxes are also available. The following list includes some of the birds in our area who are cavity nesters who will occupy a backyard nest box: Black-capped chickadee, northern flicker Beautifully Updated 2 story home on .92 acres. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths. More bedrooms possible! $250,000 eee Liberty building lot 4 acre Lots of opens” gov Unly $55,000! Experienced volunteer birders Photo courtesy of Jim McIntyre Greater Sage Grouse logical needed by DWR on the number, sex, and species of grouse using leks’ traditional spring strutting grounds. Fenimore, who is a volunteer Naturalist for WR at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, was happy to participate and arranged for the Wasatch Audubon to join with the Wild Bird Center in this “Adopt a Lek” pro- Sh 4 g P eal ; Radford Hills executive home w/ incredible eae 3 bedrooms, home in Mountain Beautifully land- scaped. $247,900 EVERGREEN 2.03 acre year round access ce! to per- other important project s Gorgeous! 2 bath, Green. and downy woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatch, western screech owl, house wren, mountain and western bluebird, starling, house sparrow, tree swallow, and American kestrel. Remember, a nesting bird wants seclusion away from the hustle and bustle of other birds, animals, and people. Locate your nest box in a quiet area of the yard, away from your bird feeder or birdbath. Do not place a perch below the entrance hole. Other birds may use it to harass the birds inside. A mother bird may abandon a nest if she is stressed in such a manner. A nest box needs to be cleaned out in the fall after each nesting season. More than two broods may be raised within a season, so wait until fall to clean it out. Hang the nest box with the entrance hole facing ini an easterly direction so that it gets morning sun. Place clean wood shavings or chips in chickadee and nuthatch nest boxes. Woodpecker boxes can be filled with shavings or chips so that “they” can excavate the box. Most boxes can be hung at “grandpa’s hoisting height.” This is the height that I can lift up my grand kids, so that they can see what is happening in the box without needing a ladder. Feel free to visit the Layton Wild Bird Center for answers to any questions that you may have before starting this backyard family sdventure, The Layton Wild Bird Center is located across from Old Navy and Barnes & Noble in the Layton Market Center. For more information, call 525-8400 or visit our web site at <www.wildbirdcenter.com/layton> (801) Volunteers Sought to Monitor Sage and Sharp-tailed Grouse The Layton, Wild Bird Center has partnered with the Wasatch Audubon Chapter and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Northern Region in volunteering to monitor sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse leks in Northern Utah. Justin Dolling, DWR Wildlife Manager for Northern Utah, approached Bill Fenimore, owner of the Wild Bird Center to seek help in finding volunteers for lek monitoring. Volunteering is an important views! 2 BD, 2BA, office, 3-car garage on 1 AC $325,000 Sc Beautiful Wolf Lodge Condo. Wood floors, slate tile, new paint, most furnishings included. Owner/Agent dimensions for the various species of cavity solutio Sandhill Crane Bill: plants, amphibians. When sandhill cranes] preen with muddy bills, I they may stain their, feathers a brownish color if the mud contains a Hemrons (iron)ff e for nesting birds, since they have been replaced by metal, vinyl, or cement. Loss of habitat through urbanization and development has severely reduced the number of natural cavities forbirds. Here is where your family can provide a solution. Place a nest box in your yard. A nest box serves as a replacement for the natural cavity these birds need to raise their young. The nest box also provides an opportunity to enjoy the birds during this critical time in their lives. Nest boxes have helped threatened bird species like the blue bird recover by artificially restoring natural cavity habitat. A nest box can become a backyard science lab for the family. You can study and learn about nature through observing the nesting birds. It is a wonderful pathway, especially for children, to see and explore nature in action. They begin to develop a respect for nature and value for wildlife through the experience. Which bird will live in a nest box is determined primarily by the size of the entrance hole. Beyond that, there are recommended interior $35,000 .96 acre oN AY xxt to Wolf * ie course. aan gram. It is important to gather good data on the numbers of grouse using leks. Grouse are a sensitive species in Utah. There are several conservation efforts in Northern Utah to improve wildlife habitat, especially for grouse. i i County Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) board, which now has several range rehabilitation projects underway to improve sage-steppe habitat that is important for grouse. The volunteer system assists DWR and creates a winwin for everyone, especially the grouse. You can join the Layton Wild Bird Center on Saturday, April 16 for a special free nature/bird walk to see sage grouse lek. The group will leave from the Layton, Wild Bird Center at 5:00 a.m. You will see and hear sage grouse as they vocalize, strut, and fight to exert dominance on the lek. Sage grouse gather at the lek to attract mates. Our bird walks are a great family activity and a wonderful way to introduce children to the world of nature. Expert birder and Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) volunteer naturalist Bill Fenimore will lead this bird walk. The Wild Bird Center is located in the Layton Market Center, off I-15 at Exit 335 (across from Barnes & Noble). Call 801-525-8400 or visit our Bird W I calendar at is) @Q Birds use a nest as an incubation chamber and nursery for the chicks, until they fledge. The nest shields the eggs and young from the elements. It provides shade from the sun and shelter from predators. It is a safe haven. Some birds build their own nest from twigs, branches, grasses, and other plant material in a suitable tree or shrub, or on the ground. The hummingbird builds a nest from plant fiber and spider webbing. Its nest can stretch to accommodate the growing chicks. Pheasant and quail build ground nests. The Beautiful home on 4.89 ac. Over 6500 sq .ft. Mother-in-law apt. Reduced to $499, 900 Mtn. Creer home 5BD, 3 5 BA ONLY $249,900! 1.99 acre building lot. River runs through property. Perk test passed. 3 bedrooms, family room. $250,000 2 baths, extra 1.12 acres $80,900! 1.09 Acre Building Lot onAspen D 1cks up to Wek A, sO dyan@kw.com vulSe. trees. .wredible location. $129,900! Dyan Gill (801) 644-5853 |