One might be surprised at the diversity and numbers of birds that migrate through or nest in the Canyonlands Region. Over 300 species have been observed, ranging from waterfowl to raptors to migratory songbirds. Diverse habitats across a steep elevational grade provide niches that different species occupy.

Though there are year-round residents such as the pinyon jay, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, and common raven, the area boasts numerous migratory birds that pass through the region on their northward sojourns in the spring. These birds rest and fuel up on insects, seeds, vegetation, aquatic invertebrates – whatever is in their diet – before continuing onward to their nesting locations.

Utah sits within the Pacific Flyway, a north-south migratory route that extends from the wilds of Patagonia to the Arctic tundra. One of four designated flyway routes that connects the Americas to the Arctic, the Pacific Flyway sits west of the Continental Divide and acts like a funnel guiding millions of birds northward.

Some visitors are surprised at the number of waterfowl that move along the riverways and utilize other water sources scattered across the desert such as lakes, wetlands, and even stock ponds. In Moab, the Scott and Norma Matheson Wetlands Preserve, named in honor of Governor and First Lady Matheson and locally known as “The Sloughs”, has large expanses of open water in certain years where waterfowl rest up and feed on aquatic invertebrates and vegetation before pushing on to their breeding grounds. Ring-necked ducks, redheads, green-winged teal, and others are often found here during migration. Canada geese, which reside in the area and have migratory populations, may nest in the preserve or on islands in the Colorado and San Juan rivers. In southwestern Utah, snow geese take center stage during the annual Snow Goose Festival in Delta.

Often following on the heels of the migratory waterfowl are the shorebirds such as ibis, sandpipers, plovers, stilts, avocets, and yellowlegs, that also use these wetlands and shorelines on their Intermountain West movement.

Birds of prey, such as hawks and owls, may be residents or short-distance migrants but others spend their winters in Mexico or as far south as Argentina. Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks are two species that may be long-distance travelers. Swainson’s hawks, some of which nest in the Cisco Desert north of Moab, fly from the pampas of Argentina where they winter, to here and beyond. These birds switch their diet in winter from small rodents and birds to grasshoppers and other large insects.

Even some of our smaller owls such as the flammulated, burrowing, and northern saw-whet migrate. The “flammies” are a species associated with ponderosa or aspen forests and their diet features a lot of moths and other flying insects. Burrowing owls, like their name suggests, utilize abandoned prairie dog or badger burrows for their nest sites and they like open terrain with low vegetation for better viewing of prey and predators. Though rarely seen, the saw-whet owl is unmistakable thanks to its rapid and continuous hooting call.

During migration, which can occur from February through June, it’s the colorful songbirds, also known as neotropical migratory birds, that are a highlight for birders. This group includes warblers, grosbeaks, flycatchers, orioles, tanagers, hummingbirds, and buntings. These birds have dazzling colors and sweet songs that they sing to attract mates even while migrating. These birds nest along riparian corridors in cottonwoods and willows that line the riverways and wetlands. They race through their breeding cycle, raising one or multiple broods of young, before departing back to the tropics for a longer period of time. It’s amazing to think that one of these birds, weighing just a few ounces, traveled several thousand miles in order to nest and raise their young in El Norte.

Aerial specialists such as violet-green swallows, cliff swallows, and white-throated swifts, are also highly migratory appearing in southern Utah about the time that flying insects are starting to hatch. These birds consume insects on the wing, snagging mosquitos and other insects in flight.

Playing host to these migratory birds, and even the local residents, requires protection and conservation of large swaths of land and a diversity of habitats. Fortunately, in southern Utah, there are national and state parks, national and state forests, and other public and private lands that provide the necessary nesting, feeding, or resting areas that these birds require to survive and thrive in the Canyonlands Region and beyond!